2

A voice vocalized with perfect harmony. Vonda was rehearsing downstairs in the first floor Martini Bar with her in-house musicians. Mail carrier Cliff Clavin was on his route delivering the mail to the downstairs mail couriers for the building. Dale Saunders was still eating his hot dog as he hastened to the realty office on the third floor where he worked. From the restaurant commission on the second floor, Daphne Tisdale tucked her renewed restaurant license in her purse and hastened off to open her business. People, employees and building supervisors were almost always coming and going. On the top floor, the lawyers and attorneys gathered in the firm's conference room. John Cage checked his watch, smirked and leaned back in his chair with a brief concerned rise of his eyebrows. Georgia Harridge-Thomas was ready to lose her husband's name seeing him with the blonde hair and that young lady five years his junior. The usual morning conference meeting was almost underway sans one short skinny lady lawyer. Georgia looked at Billy's white hair and smirked disgustedly as Nell gasped and looked up.

"Let's just start without her." Nell's eyes glared. "I am getting tired of waiting for every little annoyance."

"What's the matter," John looked up. "Someone drop a house on your sister." He barely looked up as he jostled the pen in his fingers.

"Well, this can't wait." Richard scanned the faces at the table. "We need more clients. We may do great in court, but we don't a large clientele. As a matter of fact, I've set up a few appointments..."

"With whom?" John asked.

"I know people…" Richard insisted. "Who know people…"

"Hello…" Ally popped her head in.

"Dorothy..." Nell started. "Woops, I mean Ally." Ally shot her a look and held her arm out. From the diminutive's lady lawyer's side, William came out of the shadow and similarly put his arm around her as they beamed happily.

"All right," Elaine was the firm's executive assistance. Shining with a big grin to see her pen pal in town again, she walked up and put her arms around William. She kissed him deeply as Ally's eyes widened.

"Elaine," William had to literally unwrap her from around him. "We can't do this anymore."

"Why?" Elaine grinned kittenishly. "What are you going to do? Secretly run off with Ally and get married?" William and Ally shared a look.

"Ally," Georgia looked up. "Isn't that the same thing you were wearing yesterday?"

Nell looked up. It was the same outfit!

"I had it dry cleaned in Manhattan while we were in the hotel." Ally confessed.

"What were you doing in a Manhattan hotel?" Billy asked.

"Well," Ally chuckled as she and William stood side by side again. "We're married!" She spoke with restrained glee and looked around at their faces. There was a breath of silence as faces looked around. Elaine grabbed Ally's left hand, saw the engagement ring and wedding band together on the same finger. She struggled to say something, looked to William, then Ally and fell backward with the sound of a old hinge on a rusty gate.

"What?" John said it first. Georgia was first to rise. She saw the subdued ecstasy in Ally's eyes and grinned for her. She knew it. She just knew it. From the day she first saw William and Ally together, she knew they belonged together.

"Congratulations!" She stood to hug Ally and give her support.

"A buddy of mine flew us to New York last night to be wed by Judge Harry Stone." William admitted. "He's a really good friend of mine. We just got back this morning."

"I can't believe it." John scrunched up his face in his hands.

"Ally, how could you do this?" Richard watched as everyone crowded around Ally. Even Nell was shaking Ally's hand and kissing William lightly. "You know, I always thought when you got married I'd be there to have first crack on the bride's maids."

"Richard!" John felt his heart sink a little.

"Oh, Richard," Ally looked back to him. "Please be happy for me. I know it's a little fast, but..." She looked to William. "This time, I just had to follow my heart."

"Little fast? Ally," John stepped over Elaine on the floor. "Is this really want you want?"

"Yes, John…"

"Ally," Richard continued. "Three words: Cage, Fish and McBeal." He saw a chance to mix the Collins-McBeal fortune into his law firm.

"Richard!"

"Well, why not!" Richard shook William's hand. "Ally, one more word: pre-nup."

"Oh, god…" Even Nell rolled her eyes on that one.