In town for business, Marie calls up Frankie-Messina and asks if she would like to go get some lunch together and spend a few hours catching up with each other.  The two really had not been able to spend much time together since Marie had moved from New York back to Chicago, but now that things were starting to slow down Marie wanted to change that.   The two women agreed that Marie would stop by Frankie’s place and then after a quick swing by the store to look at her wedding dress that had just been imported into the States they would head to Joe’s Place for a bite to eat.

Marie pulled up at the address that Frankie had given her, driving her brand new car.  She couldn’t wait to show it and her new outfit off.  Luca spoiled her way too much.  She sometimes wondered if he showered her with expensive gifts because Don Rick kept sending her money.  Hey if they wanted to financially fight over her, Marie would not turn it down.  She grinned at the whole situation and waited for Frankie to come out of the apartment building.

Frankie was so excited to hear from MarieCosta.  It had been forever since they got out to do anything together.  They both had their own lives, states apart from one another, and it was hard to make time for friends who were so far away.  Yet, where Marie was concerned, Frankie knew she should try harder.  She was truly a treat to spend time with and seeing how her cousin and Frankie's mentor were friends - it was as if their chance meeting in New York were somehow fated.

Frankie dressed in a simple blue dress white gloves and a hat.  Taking her purse and her claim ticket for her wedding dress' pick up; she made her way outside.  The car she found her friend waiting in left her mouth hanging open.  "OH MY GOD!"  She squealed.  "Where did you get this!?!  I've never seen a car like it!"  She fussed over it's shine and touched the finish carefully.  "This red is absolutely perfect!"

Marie grinned at Frankie's reaction.  Gone were the days when they were doing good to have enough money at the end of the day for drinks at Josie's.  Both women seems to have done quite well for themselves in this thing of theirs.

"Luca just bought it for me.  Isn't it to die for?  I absolutely love it.  It isn't the fastest car in my fleet, but I think it will be my favorite."  She got out of the car to go greet her friend.  "He also got me this new outfit while we were in Rome.  What do you think?"  She hugged her friend tightly.  "It is so good to see you."  Suddenly a dry gusty desert wind threatened to blow her hat off and she quickly reached to hold it in place until the wind past.

Frankie admired the outfit.  She was always a fan of pinstripes but she wasn't quite sure the cut would look good on her... on Marie, however, it was stunning.  "I'm starving - let's take this baby of yours out on the road and you show me what she can do!"  Frankie laughed.  "OH!"  She pulled out her package claim slip and showed it to Marie. 

"While we're out do you think we can swing by the Post Office.  My wedding dress has arrived and I need to go pick it up.  It's been shipped in from the orient!  My Grandfather bought it for me.  Genuine silk and a king's ransom in diamonds stitched into it... I can't wait to show you.  The photos they sent were absolutely stunning!  Hopefully they don't need to do too many alterations."

"Of course, I would love to see it!  Luca and I wanted to get married so fast that I was very limited in what was available and on hand... and that actually fit."  She laughed as she when back around to get back in on the driver side of the car.  "Have you guys set a date yet?"

Climbing in she started the car up and revived it a few times to show off the powerful engine.  Merc had really knocked it out of the park with this baby.  Once Frankie was inside she pulled back onto the street and let the car open up a bit, but she waited to truly show the car off until they are on the strip.

Frankie squealed as Marie gunned the engine.  "Fantastic!"  She laughed.  "Oh Marie I can't tell you how happy I am.  I've loved Tony since we were kids.  My whole family was ready for me to marry him until... well, until I messed up real good and he got sent to the US for his own safety."  She sighed.  "I feel like we lost so much time together."

She looked out the window at the buildings whizzing by.  "This car really is the bee's knees!"  She looked back to Marie.  "We're hoping to go back to Sicily next month after things settle down a touch.  We're going to get married with our families in the Old Country.  It's a little disappointing because I'd love to have a big party with all our friends like you and Salvatore did, but I know it's going to be a real bang up affair.  I've dreamed of this wedding all my life.  Every detail.  NEVER tell anyone I said that though... my grandfather spent years trying to marry me off after Tony left and I absolutely refused.  I don't want anyone knowing I was as hung up on the idea of my own wedding as they were."

"Turn right up here, the post office isn't terribly far."  She motioned to the corner which Marie should turn on.  "So, how's running a new crew treating you?  Anything exciting happening with that?"

Marie nodded and took the turn that Frankie had pointed out.

"I am really enjoying it.  It is such a challenge and you know me.  I adore to be challenged.  There are some changes coming though.  Don Ligambi is moving Luca over to Southside to run things there.  I am not entirely sure how I feel about that.  Everything will be fine until that first time something comes up that we disagree over."

Suddenly the sound of gun fire could be heard over the car's engine and both women instinctively looked up to try and pinpoint the danger.  Marie pointed to where she saw two men with guns running out of a large building.  "Hey isn't that the Post Office?"  She started to slowed the vehicle so that they would not end up in the middle of a gun fight.

"All couples have their issues... I'm sure you and your husband will work things out no matter how big the problem."  She said of handedly, looking at the console as the sounds of gun fire draw her attention.  Marie notices where the sound is coming from first and asks if the location in question is the Post Office.

"Oh,"  she chuckled.  "Yea.  I swear that place is knocked over a couple thousand times a day around here."  She rolls her eyes, ready to dismiss the usual sight of people robbing the post office until - that is - she saw what they were carrying out and hurriedly stuffing into the car.  Not just sacks full of money, but something much larger and more obvious than that.

"THAT'S MY FUCKING DRESS!"  She screeched.  "MARIE THOSE BASTARDS ARE STEALING MY WEDDING DRESS!"  Frankie reached into her purse and pulled out her gun and began to roll down the window hoping to take out a tire on their car so they couldn't escape.

Marie leaned over and try to grab Frankie's gun arm.  "NOOOOO.  THEY WILL SHOOT BACK AND HIT THE CAR!" She managed to keep Frankie from firing as they struggled against each other's efforts.  "MY CAR COST MORE THAN THAT DRESS."

The Post Office robbers jumped into their get away car and began to speed off.

Frankie cried out in absolute agony at the sight of the crooks making off with her long awaited dress.  She pulled her gun arm back.  "YOU WANNA BET?!?"  She snapped in reply to the idea that the car cost more than her dress, her large doe eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears.

She begged Marie.  "That dress is everything to me!  PLEASE!"  She tried to imprint the image of the men and their car to her memory.  "I'LL BUY YOU TWO CARS JUST PLEASE FOLLOW THAT DRESS!"

Marie sighs.  Luca was going to kill her, but she could tell what this dress obviously meant to her dear friend.  "This is such a bad idea."  She gunned the car and sent it shooting down the street like a bullet from a gun.  Unfortunately they had a pretty good lead on them and their car was no slouch.

"Just how do you plan to stop them Frankie?  Even if I can manage to catch up with them they are not going to just pull over for us."

She focused on avoiding crashes with other automobiles as she weaved in and out of traffic.

"I'll have you know I was the blue ribbon sharp shooting champion three years running at Ferragosto!  So, I'm going to shoot them... a lot."  she said.  "Now, just get me close enough to take out the tires and then, I'll take care of the rest.  I won't have some low life post-office rolling gomba ruin my wedding to Tony-DiCaprio ... I WON'T!" 

She looked at the speedometer.  "Surely you can go faster - I remember how you drove in Indianapolis, LET'S GET THEM!"

"This was a different car, Frankie!  It was meant to go fast.  This is more of luxury car.  It was built for being pretty not for speed." 

Marie did step on the accelerator harder and she got a bit more speed, but the engine sounded its displeasure at being stressed so hard.  Marie knew the temperature in the engine would begin to build and if it got too hot the radiator could crack and the engine would seize up.  It would be a delicate balance between asking for sped and how much stamina the car needed to have.  

"Well shit, woman, there's a whole fuck ton of cars over there!"  Frankie pointed to the parking lot of the Golden Nugget.  "TAKE YOUR PICK AND LET'S GO!" 

For a moment Frankie could see the intention in Marie's eyes, she was going to yell back at her... but something changed.  "Alright."  She said whipping the wheel so hard that Frankie almost fell into Marie's lap. 

"WOAH!!!!"  She cried out as Marie drove up onto the curb and then sped towards the Valet parking area where a man was just getting out of a very sturdy looking vehicle and handing his keys to the attendant.

"Just get into that car as fast as you can!"

"Marie..."

"NOW!"  Marie screamed and Frankie threw open her door, running towards the car, leaping on the hood and sliding over to the passenger's side.  Without hesitation she leapt in.

What had caught Marie's attention was a 1929 Duesenberg.  It wasn't the fastest car out on the market today, but it would go much faster than what her current car would do.  As Frankie and her raced to the car in their high heel shoes, Marie found herself impressed with Frankie's ability to slide across the metal hood in a dress.  In the confusion, Marie snatched the keys from the attendant who yelled out a protest.  

"Sorry this is an emergency," she yelled back and drove into the car.  Within mere moments she had revived the car to life and went back to pursing the thieves.  With a bit of lucky they had been slowed down by traffic and Marie could still see them.  She knew she would be able to catch them now.

"Hold on Frankie," she said as she shifted through the car's various gear would have impressed any pro racer on the circuit.  Horns blared at them as Marie avoid several head on collisions by mere inches.  "Luca is going to kill me when he finds out."

Frankie laughed, "Yes - but if he's a husband worth having, he wouldn't want you any other way!"  She cheered at the speed and Marie's skills.  Frankie thrilled at this part of her work.  It was life and death in a passionate dance and one never knew the moment it would all come to a ... well, crashing end!

"They're heading out of town."  Frankie rolled down the window and leaned out she tried to steady her gun, the wind ripping through her long midnight hair, almost making it impossible to keep her eyes open and focused.  She fired.  Missing utterly.  This was far harder than it looked. 

One shot.  Then another.  Then they returned fire.  Frankie pulled inside trying to duck low.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU HAD THIS!"  Marie chided, driving low in her seat.

"I'M WORKING ON IT!"  Frankie hollered back - leaning out the window one more time.

Squeezing the trigger she rubber tire explode and go flying all over the road.  "They're not getting far like that!"  Frankie bragged, sliding back down inside as more bullets lodged into the stolen vehicle.

As they near the city's edge the traffic became lighter and it allowed Marie to open the car to its full potential.  It was obvious that the guy who owned this car had no car sense about him.  It needed new tires.  This desert heat super heated the pavement and the balding tires slipped and spun as it fought valiantly for traction.  Still Marie made up significant ground on the dress thieving bandits.  

Finally Frankie managed to hit her intended target and the car's tire exploded.  Now it was just a matter of time before they caught them.  Marie wondered what she would have to stop the hot-headed Sicilian woman from filleting these men when they caught them.  Apparently the men were worried about this as well because the next thing she knew a white dress was being thrown out the window of their car.

"Frankie look!"

"Oh my god!  Stop... stop the car, fuck the money let them have it.  Oh god my dress!"  She was in tears as Marie pulled over to the side of the road near the dress.  Frankie jumped out and ran across the payment to where the silk glittered in the noon day sun. 

"We'll have someone get the stains out.  I'm sure it'll be okay it's gonna be ..."  her voice trailed off as she picked it up and held it up to reveal large cuts all along the front of where the diamonds were cut and tore out.  Her mouth fell open in horror but no sound came out.  She simply stared straight ahead, her eyes full of tears but with no real focus, as if she'd entered a state of shock.

Marie got out with her and when she saw the state of the gown she groaned.  She was no seamstress, but she was fairly certain there was no fixing this dress.  "Oh Frankie I am so sorry."

She looked at the woman, not sure there was anything that anyone could say in this moment to make it better so she was not even going to try.

"This cost more than a house..."  She whispered.  "My ... Grandfather ... he bought the dress because he said, the hand of a Godfather should wear jewels on her special day."  Tears ran down her cheeks, she could feel her knees giving out.  "I'm gonna be sick."  She said as she turned and threw up on the side of the road, the remains of her dress in a pile on the pavement behind her.