Liz and Maria and Isabel have gathered at a local dress shop and are having some last minute alterations made on their dresses for the wedding tomorrow. Liz and Maria are both 9 weeks pregnant now, and try as she might the seamstress is having a difficult time keeping up with their expanding bustlines. Not much change, however, in their respective waistlines. Max and Michael both thought that they had died and gone to heaven. Not only were their women extremely demanding sexually, but they were both incredibly beautiful to look at right now. As if they hadn't always been anyway, but . . . now they were starting to attract attention. For Max and Michael, this was the only drawback they could find in the situation. Isabel is in full-planning mode today, but remarkably calm considering that tomorrow's the big day. They are all relaxing now that most of the work is done and their thoughts are turning towards tonight.

Liz: "Well, Maria, it's almost here . . . are you nervous?"

Maria (snorting and rolling her eyes): "Little late for that now."

Isabel: (laughing) "I'll say!"

Maria: "So . . . are we on for tonight?" Isabel: "Of course."

Liz: "All set."

Maria: "O.k. Why don't you two come over a little early and we can get ready together?"

Isabel and Liz both agree, and everyone goes their separate ways.

Later That Day ------

The six of them are together again, at Maria's . . . or, err rather, Michael and Maria's house. Atleast, by this time tomorrow it would be. In any event, it might as well be now, since Michael never stayed at his apartment anymore. The guys are all sitting in the living room, while the girls are sequestered in the bedroom. Max and MIchael are looking pretty grim and really don't seem to have a lot to say. Alex is about to decide that this was going to be a very long evening.

Alex: "O.k. I know that I'm going to wish I hadn't asked, but WHAT is wrong with you two?"

Max and Michael just look at him, but neither one offers an explanation. Alex sits back and contemplates the men, and he used the term loosely, that his bestfriends had attached themselves to. Of course, who was he to throw stones? He couldn't imagine being without Isabel. He just knew that they had been brainwashed into this fixation with aliens that they all seemed to share. What was it Maria used to call it? The Alien Abyss? Yeah . . . that was it.

The girls are giggling and putting the finishing touches on their makeup and hair. Isabel has to admit that Maria and Liz were radiant this evening. Pregnancy definitely agreed with them. She hoped that someday she'd get to find out about it for herself, but not today. She loved Alex with all her heart, but neither one of them was ready for the kind of committment that Michael and Maria were going to make tomorrow. And Max and Liz, well . . . who could even contemplate the connection between them? It was just plain weird the way they communicated with each other and couldn't stand to be apart for even a little while. It hadn't escaped Isabel's notice how glum her brother was looking this evening. Liz was doing her best to enjoy herself, but Isabel was pretty sure she could sense some underlying tension in her sister-in-law. Nope . . . no way . . . she was definitely not ready for anything that intense. She liked her relationship with Alex just the way it was.

Isabel: "Well, I think that's it. Are we ready ladies?"

Maria: (smiling) "Definitely."

Liz: (smiling, too) "As we're gonna get."

Isabel: "Well, let's go torture the guys with our appearance before we leave them to their own devices." At this comment, Liz's eyes darkened a little and her smile slipped just a bit.

Isabel: (sympathetic) "I'm sorry, Liz. Is something wrong?"

Liz: (taking a deep breath and trying not to cry) "I don't know . . . Max was so quiet on the way over tonight, and when I asked him what was wrong, he just said it was nothing." "I can't believe he's so worried about us going out tonight."

Isabel: (making an extremely exasperated sound) "I can! Have you looked in the mirror lately?"

Liz: (giving her a skeptical look) "Of course I have . . . what's the big deal?"

Maria: "You are one hot mama, Liz." (grinning)

Liz: (to Maria) "Oh, and like you're not?"

Isabel: "Look, Liz, I'm sure he's just worried about you. That's Max. You know him better than anybody. He's a world-class worrier."

Liz (relaxing somewhat): "I know . . . I just hate to be the cause."

Isabel: (reassuringly) "It's one night. He'll live."

Maria: (gently) "If you feel that bad about it, we don't have to do this, Lizzie."

Liz: (not wanting anything to ruin Maria's night) "No. I think my hormones are just doing their usual unruly tap dance across my brain cells tonight. I want to go. Let's get out of here."

The girls exit the bedroom. Isabel leads the way down the hall and is the first to come into view. Alex, who had been deep in thought, does a double-take. For the first time this evening, he thinks he might know exactly what's wrong with Max and Michael. He stands up, and walks over to her.

Alex: "Isabel, you are stunning."

Isabel (rewarding him with a smile that makes his knees feel weak): "Thank you, Alex." "Meet you back here later?"

Alex: (looking her up and down) "Oh most definitely."

Maria and Liz have made it around the couple and head toward Michael and Max. Maria sits down on Michael's lap, and looks at him adoringly. He's so blown away by how she looks that he can't even speak. He opens his mouth like he's going to say something, but nothing emerges. Liz walks over to Max, who is busy bringing his eyes back up her body from the trek they already made down. He knows he should move or say something, but . . . he can't. "Oh God," he thinks to himself.

Liz: (really concerned) "Max?" "Are you alright?"

Max: (giving himself a mental shake and finding his voice) "Yeah . . . yes, of course. You just gave me a heart attack."

Liz just laughs and shakes her head at him. Max stands up and looks down into her beautiful face.

Max: (rueful) "You laugh?!?! I'm serious. I don't even think it's over yet."

Liz reaches up and brushes his hair back off his face.

Liz: "I love you, Max."

Max: "I don't suppose there's anyway I can talk you into not going . . . "

Liz: "Of course you can . . . but you won't, because tonight's for them. (looking at Maria and Michael and then back at Max) "It's only a couple of hours. Please don't worry. I'll be fine. I promise not to drink anything if that's what's worrying you . . . "

Max: (horrified) "I never thought you would." "Just be careful . . . I love you."

Liz: (tenderly) "I'll be careful . . . I promise."

Max: (shaking his head) "You just look so . . ."

Maria (walks up right then with Michael right behind her): "Hot? Super-fly?"

Max: (staring pointedly at Maria) "No." "Those are definitely not words I want to associate with my wife tonight."

Maria laughs at Max's disgruntled disposition. Liz blushes and hugs Max knowing that it's almost time to go. He forces himself to let her go, and the girls sail out the front door, leaving three extremely unhappy men in their wake.

The guys sit back down and try to get over the shock of seeing the girls . . . their girls . . . leave looking like . . . like THAT. They finally look around at each other, and Max trys to shake off his concerns.

Max: "Well, Michael, are you ready to go out for your last night of freedom?"

Michael: "My last night of freedom was about nine weeks ago, . . . or maybe it was the first time I ever saw her." "Hell, I don't know."

Max: "Well, what do you want to do tonight?"

Michael: "Sit here and be depressed." "Who's stupid idea was this anyway?"

Alex: "I think it's tradition."

Michael: "Tradition bites."

Max: "I couldn't agree more."

They fall silent for a moment. Finally, Max realizes that if he doesn't do something, Michael would spend this night doing exactly what he said . . . sitting here being depressed. Liz would not be happy with him if he didn't do something.

Max: "I'm sorry. This is ridiculous. Let's just go out and have a good time. Alex, you'll have to overlook us. I guess fatherhood has turned us into idiots."

Alex: "Don't apologize. I haven't been bitten by that particular bug yet, and I don't feel any better about this than you do. I was o.k. til I saw her . . . "

Michael: (sitting forward) "I know what you mean. . . . "

Max: "O.k. Where did they say they were going tonight?"

Alex: "Isabel wouldn't tell me."

Michael: "I wheedled it out of Maria last night. They're going to that new club everybody's been ranting about."

Max: "Well, we'll go somewhere else for a while, and then we will shamelessly go and spy on them . . ."

Michael (brightening for the first time since Maria left): "Let's go."

Alex: "I'm right behind you."

Two Hours Later --

The girls have been out to a very nice dinner, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. In fact, they are having such a good time, that all three of them have decided that they need to make this a regular event. Even Liz, who had serious misgivings about the whole thing, was having a ball. The new club was outstanding. They find a table and sit down and order soft drinks all around.

Maria: (sipping her soda) "Well, it certainly isn't champagne . . ."

Liz (laughing): "No . . . and it's a good thing, too."

Isabel: (grinning): "I don't think we'd ever get away again if we tried that tonight." "It's a miracle they didn't crucify us last time."

Liz: (chuckling) "I think that may be what was wrong with Max, tonight. He was having flashbacks of us in our pajamas on the dance floor."

Maria: (smiling) "Sort of like a war veteran . . ."

At this remark, they all crack up.

Isabel: "Surely it wasn't that bad!"

Liz: "Oh, I don't know Isabel. Max was pretty shook up after that whole thing."

Maria: (rolling her eyes) "Yeah, so much so, that you couldn't even make it back to the hotel room before . . ."

Liz: (holding up one hand and cutting Maria off) "Stop right there. I get the gist. And, that's not what I meant by shook up."

Isabel: "Couldn't have been too rough on him. He managed to exercise his conjugal rights in the elevator, for God's sake!"

Liz (blushing): "Actually, I think that was more my idea."

Maria (shocked): "Liz!! I had no idea you were so . . . adventurous."

Liz: (laughing) "Neither did I." "He's just so . . ."

Isabel (intervening) "O.K.! Well, I've heard enough of that. Please try to bear in mind that this is my brother we're talking about . . . (shivers a little and grimaces)"

Maria: "Well, who wants to place the first bet on how long it's going to take them to show up here?"

Isabel: "Can't. . . . We didn't tell 'em where we were going."

Silence.

Isabel: (looking very suspicious) "Did we?"

More silence.

Isabel: (thoroughly disgusted) "Which one of you blabbed?" "I can't believe this!"

Liz looks down at her lap and can't help the grin spreading across her face. She cuts her eyes up at Maria, who is blushing furiously, and totally loses it.

Liz: "And I thought I had it bad!"

Isabel: "I am never going to survive this. You two are nauseating."

Liz and Maria just look at her helplessly, and fall out laughing all over again.

Half An Hour Later --

The girls are still having a blast dancing, and chatting, and generally, just enjoying each other's company. Isabel can't believe that Liz and Maria won't even dance with other guys. They had turned down every single offer that came their way. And, there had been quite a few. She on the other hand, decided to accept a few invitations and just have fun.

She, after all, was not pregnant, or even married. Isabel is just returning to the table from the dance floor.

Isabel: "You two are absolutely pathetic . . . it's a good thing I like you both so much."

Liz: (grinning but then serious as something catches her eye) "Uh, maybe we should call it a night."

Isabel: "What?!?!"

Maria: "Why?!?!"

Liz: (looking across the room) "I don't want to rain on our parade, but I think we might be attracting some extremely undesirable attention."

Maria and Isabel follow Liz's gaze and both quickly agree that they may indeed have a problem. Three extremely obnoxious and way past inebriated males were heading slowly but surely in their general direction. All three girls can feel their skin prickling in warning. Liz and Maria had already turned these particular guys down for several dance invitations. Isabel had been otherwise, occupied on the dance floor, and hadn't had the . . . pleasure? She now stared in horror as the three sauntered across the dance floor.

Isabel: (a frisson of fear in her voice) "What are we gonna do?"

Liz: "Don't worry. Max and Michael and Alex are on their way."

Maria: (to Liz) "How do you do that?!?!"

Liz (smiling serenely): "I don't know."

Isabel: "I think we should make a break for the car."

Liz and Maria, calculating the distance to the door and the speed of the approaching train wreck, decide that Isabel is probably right. They grab up their things and bolt for the door. Unfortunately, not fast enough. Outside in the parking lot, the girls are practically sprinting to the car, but they are abruptly cut off. Liz closes her eyes, and whispers, "Max, please hurry."

Max and Michael and Alex are in the jeep heading for the club to spy on their sweeties. They've actually managed to have a pretty good time tonight. They caught the last half of a hockey game at a local sports bar and consumed a mountain of hot and spicy chicken wings. All of them were feeling pretty satisfied with their evening, especially since they were now on their way to ending this enforced separation from their women. They are about 5 minutes from the club, when Max looks over at Michael, and says quietly, "They're in trouble." Michael takes in Max's pale, worried expression, and closes his eyes, and whispers, "Not again."

Alex pipes up from the back and asks, "What's wrong?" Max doesn't even look back at him, but just says, "Hold on." Breaking every traffic law on record, the guys pull into the parking lot only to be met with the sight of the girls being circled by three drunken neanderthals. Max's heart feels like it's going to explode. Liz looks so small and helpless standing there, but she also looks incredibly calm. Michael's expression is murderous, and Alex is just in total shock. They leap out of the jeep and lunge toward the girls at a dead run.

Liz knows Max is there before she ever even sees him, but just then the creep who had been taunting her, loses his patience. He grabs for her arm, but Liz throws herself sideways in an effort to evade him. Isabel and Maria catch her just before she falls, but her attacker is not going to be denied. With a quick, sharp surge upward, he comes close enough to brush her arm with his hand. At that moment, and before his fingers can close around her arm, there's a burst of blinding, white-hot energy that seems to emanate from Liz. The man draws his hand back, and howls in pain. The other two would-be assailants shake their heads and rub their eyes. When they look again, sure enough, it's still there--like some sort of electrical barrier between them and the women. The man who had so foolishly tried to assault Liz, lay on the ground writhing in pain and holding his injured hand close to his chest. Maria and Isabel stare at Liz in shock. They were still holding onto her, but neither one was harmed in any way.

Maria: "Liz, are you o.k.? How are you doing this?"

Liz: "I don't know . . ."

Isabel: "It must be the baby." (trying to process what was happening)

Max and Michael and Alex have come to a halt, and fallen backwards as the energy from Liz travels outward in a circle all around her. They weren't hurt at all . . . just surprised." Max is the first to recover and jumping up, makes a bee-line for Liz. Michael and Alex are right behind him. Max pulls Liz into an almost painful embrace, as he comes to grips with the fear that is still coursing through his veins pretending to be blood. Michael scoops Maria up into his arms and holds her close, not even believing how close she had come to being hurt. Alex comes up to Isabel and quietly gathers her into his arms. She feels as stiff as a board, but he rubs his hand across her shoulders for a minute until she finally relaxes and lays her head down on his shoulder. She is still so stunned at what had happened that she doesn't even blink her eyes. She just stares, unseeing at the highway. The injured man and his two friends are a short distance away, trying to figure out what the hell has just happened. Max and Michael look over at them, and Liz is startled to see the murderous rage on Max's face. He looked absolutely predatory as his gaze came to rest on the trio of idiots. For the first time tonight she feels truly afraid.

Liz: "Max . . . no." (looking to Michael and Alex for help)

Michael: "Maxwell, I know how you feel, buddy, but it's not worth it."

Alex: "Max, they're drunk. If we get out of here right now, no one will ever even believe a word they say about any of this. Think about it Max.

If we don't leave right now, we're going to have to answer some pretty tough questions, and you and Isabel and Michael don't need that kind of press."

Max looks at his friends and then at Liz and struggles to accept what they are saying. Logically, he knew they were right, but . . .

They all stood there together for a few more moments, until some other people came out of the club heading for their cars. Finally, Max let go, and they all left immediately. Max and Liz left in the jeep and the others drove home together in Maria's car.