Normally, a large family dinner in the castle would have lasted at least three hours, filled with stories and jokes, reminiscing about days gone by. But tonight, everyone hurried through their meal, wanting to get to the parties that were planned for that evening.

The younger children were going to have a sleepover, supervised by Nanny, while the men and women went their separate ways to celebrate Tristan and Cady's final night as single people.

"There is an outfit on your bed," Sky whispered to Cady as they filed out of dining room. "Go put it on, I'll come and get you when we're ready."

The princess raised her eyebrows in question. "I have to wear something you picked out?"

Sky scowled at her. "If you must know, your mother picked it out. Go get dressed."

Cady looked around until her eyes settled on Tristan who was being shuffled down the hall by his friends and her brothers. "Wait!"

Everyone stopped and turned at her exclamation.

"What is it?" Keith asked.

Ignoring the fact that the hallway was filled with their friends and family members, Cady pushed past them all and ran to him. Throwing her arms around his neck, she jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling him jolt in surprise. But Tristan didn't get a chance to say anything as her mouth found his in a hot, passionate kiss that shocked him.

"Cady," Keith called out exasperatedly. "Is that really necessary?"

Tristan smiled as she lifted her head and grinned down at him.

"Yeah, it is!" She yelled back to her father before lowering her forehead to her fiance's and whispering, "I love you so much."

"Love you too, sweetheat," he whispered back.

"The next time I see you it will be at the far end of the aisle as I walk toward you."

"I know."

"I can't wait."

"Neither can I." Tristan stole another quick kiss and dropped her to her feet. "Have fun tonight because tomorrow you become my wife."

"And the real fun begins," she finished. "Good night, honey."

"Good night, love."

"Oh sweetie pie!" Gideon gasped, clasping Declan's hand in his own. "I will miss you so much I don't think I can last the nineteen hours between now and the ceremony!"

Declan laid his other hand on their joined hands. "Oh, darling lovie-poo, I shall perish for not being able to see you. Let us scamper off now and drink poison together so we might live forever in an eternity of passion!"

"That sounds wonderful, baby pookie honey doll!" Gideon pursed his lips and leaned toward his brother.

Lance smacked them both upside their heads. "Knock it off, both of you."

"Come on, Cady, let's get this show on the road!" Sky called out to her best friend.

"Yeah!" Erik grabbed Tristan's arm. "We have strippers to see."

"Yea! Strippers!" The twins shouted in unison.

"What?" Cady cried.

"They're kidding," Sky assured her. "At least, they better be or there will be blood shed later."

Cady entered her room, left alone, and found herself feeling muddled with emotions. She was excited, nervous, ridiculously happy, and absolutely terrified. There was a large white box sitting in the middle of her bed and with shaking hands she lifted the lid and added confusion to her swirling emotions.

Neatly folded on a bed of tissue pair were a pair of luxurious silk pajamas in a light rose color. Carefully pulling them out, she found a pair of matching slippers.

"I'm not sure I want to know what they're planning," she mumbled as she changed.

Not sure what to do, Cady sat on the edge of her bed, primly crossed her ankles and clutched her hands together as she waited for Sky to come and get her. She allowed her mind to wander. What are the guys doing? She thought. Did the twins really get strippers? No. Dad wouldn't allow that. Would Tristan? Would he like that? He is a man and all men are supposed to like that, aren't they? I shouldn't have cut him off. What if there is some gorgeous woman dancing around him? Maybe I could sneak down to the rec room and see what's going on.

She jumped in surprise at the quiet knock on the door. Not waiting for a response, Sky slid the door open and walked in, dressed in a pair of maroon pajamas similar to the ones Cady wore.

"Ready to go?" Sky asked.

"Yes. No. I don't know."

"Uh oh." Sky sank onto the bed beside her. "What's on your mind?"

"I did a very stupid thing," Cady whispered, her face burning bright red.

"You do a lot of stupid things. What is it now?"

"I'm serious."

Sky furrowed her brow in confusion. "What are you talking about? Are you having second thoughts? Because that's normal, you're nervous…"

"No, I'm not having second thoughts. I want to marry Tristan more than I have ever wanted anything in my life."

"Then what is it?"

Toying with the edge of her top, Cady stared at the fabric and mumbled something.

Sky leaned closer. "What was that?"

"I cut Tristan off," she murmured.

"What?"

Sighing exasperatedly, Cady lifted her embarrassed face to her friend and repeated, "I cut Tristan off."

"From what?"

"From….sex." She hissed the last word through clenched teeth.

"Okay." Sky nodded slowly. "I take it you did to make your wedding night more special."

Cady nodded.

"And you're starting to regret it?"

"No. Yes. Sky, he hasn't had sex in two months. What if the guys did get a stripper? What if he can't wait any longer? What if…" She broke off when Sky burst out laughing. "I don't think this is funny, Schuyler."

Sky threw her arms around her friend and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Cady, I love you so much!" She sat back and held the princess at arms length. "Listen to me, Cady, Tristan is not going to cheat on you with a stripper. I know this for a fact because, first and foremost, he is wildly in love with you and wants to spend the rest of his life with you. Secondly, he is with your father, brothers, and Erik, all of whom would kill him if he even thought about it. And I seriously doubt there will be any strippers here tonight. You know the twins have a sick sense of humor and I don't think your father would let them have a stripper in the castle. And, lastly, I don't think Tristan is the kind of guy who gets his kicks watching strippers."

"You think I'm being an idiot, don't you?" Cady asked sheepishly.

"Yeah, I do. Tristan is totally dedicated to you, sickeningly so. He isn't marrying you just for the sex, you know that, right?"

"Yeah."

"There are no strippers, Tristan is not going to cheat on you, and tomorrow you're going to marry the man if your dreams, right?"

Cady smiled. "Yeah."

"All right then, come on, we have a party to attend."

"So, what's with the pajamas?"

Sky rolled her eyes. "They were your mother's idea. Originally, this was going to be a typical wedding shower, you wouldn't believe the games our mothers came up with. Promise me, when I get married that you won't let them plan lame games for my shower."

"I promise. But what does that have to do with the pajamas?"

"You'll see. I came up with an idea earlier this week, something totally different. Trust me, you'll love it. The pajamas were all your mother's idea. We all have a pair for this evening, I can't tell you why, just trust me, you'll see."

"What do you think the guys are doing?" Cady asked as she followed her friend out of her room.

"I don't know. Erik wouldn't tell me anything."

"Wanna sneak down to the rec room later and spy on them?"

Sky laughed. "We'll see."

"Where are we going?"

"The Observation deck."

"Should I have brought anything with me?"

"No. Don't worry, we have everything we need."

"Where's Figment?"

"Nicky's babysitting tonight." Sky stopped in front of the door to the Observation deck. "You ready?"

Cady smiled, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "Yup."

Sky opened the door and stepped back to let Cady enter. The Princess looked around, confused.

The large, overstuffed chairs that were usually lined up in front of the large windows were all pushed to one side in a semi circle around a low table that held a tray of glasses and a bucket of ice with the neck of a bottle sticking out of it. Two padded tables were set up in the middle of the room. To the left of those tables were two reclining chairs set up beside to tables covered with small bottles and various other odds and ends. The lights were low and there was soft music playing.

Allura, Josie, Brina, Lynnai, Charlotte, Tess, Darcy, Becca, Romelle, Paton and Delora all stood together, smiling expectantly and wearing silk pajamas in various colors. Six other women were moving around, laying sheets on the padded tables or unpacking items from their cases.

"Uh, what's going on?" Cady asked.

"Well, we were planning a regular shower for you," Sky explained. "But after I saw how stressed you've been later, I decided what you really needed was a spa. You'll start with a massage." She pointed to the padded tables. "And then comes the facial, manicure, and pedicure." Sky indicated the tables and reclining chairs. "Then we'll relax with champagne and cheesecake."

Allura stepped forward and took Cady's hands. "Honey, I am so happy for you and so proud of you. I know how nerve-wracking this can all be, but I'd like for you to try and relax, enjoy this evening so you can enjoy tomorrow.

"Oh, wow, this is incredible," she whispered, smiling at her mother. "Thank you all so much."

"Come on." Sky took her arm and led her over to the massage table. "Time for you to start enjoying yourself."


Tristan tilted his head back and exhaled a long stream of smoke. It wasn't often that he joined his father in a cigar, but this was a once in a lifetime moment, sitting with his friends, and family, on the night before his wedding, sipping brandy and smoking a $75 cigar.

"You still have time," Declan said, twirling his cigar between his thumb and forefinger.

"For what?" Tristan asked.

"To back out," Gideon replied.

Tristan turned his gaze to the two men who would officially be his brothers tomorrow. "I'm not going to back out."

"Knock it off boys," Keith warned. "And it is too late. As long as there is a ridiculously overpriced ice sculpture already paid for, there will be a wedding tomorrow."

"Don't worry, there will definitely be a wedding tomorrow."

Vince Alexander slowly shook his head. "I can't believe my boy is getting married tomorrow."

"I can't believe he's marrying my little girl," Keith added.

"You sure you're ready for this?" Erik asked.

"If not, they always get divorced later on," Declan spoke up.

"Seriously, Dec," Tristan said calmly. "I'm not afraid to beat the crap out of you."

"So, I heard there were going to be strippers tonight," Owen said casually.

Lance sat up a little straighter. "Strippers?"

"No," Keith said.

"Vhy not?" Sven asked. "It's not every day a boy gets married."

"Yeah, none of us had strippers," Hunk added.

"Well, we did go to a strip club the night before Pidge's wedding," Lance said.

"You did?" The twins asked.

Keith rubbed a hand over his face. "I thought we agreed not to tell anyone about that."

"Mom doesn't know?" Gideon asked.

"No, she knows, Darcy told her but you boys were never supposed to know."

"Yeah." Hunk smacked Lance upside the head. "We made a pact to not tell anyone."

Lance said, rubbing the back of his head. "Darcy found a, uh, a reminder of that evening in my jacket pocket."

"A what?" Gideon asked.

"I don't think we need to discuss this," Keith said sternly.

"A reminder of the evening?" Pidge asked. "Was it the g-string the one woman threw at you? How is it you're still alive?"

"I forgot I had shoved it in my pocket. So I apologized profusely, she lectured me on how she thought I was a better man than that, then she didn't talk to me for four days while I groveled and bought her stuff." Lance explained, sheepishly.

Declan poked his brother in the ribs with an elbow, a grin on his face. "Our father went to a strip joint."

"Could you imagine him there? He probably sat in a corner by himself reading some report and sipping soda." Gideon said.

"Actually, your fader…" Sven was cut off when a throw pillow hit him in the face.

"All right," Keith spoke up. "That was almost fourteen years ago, no need to rehash it. Besides, we're here to celebrate the fact that Tristan is marrying Cady tomorrow and we are going to do that with no strippers or exotic dancers or any other questionable entertainment."

"Oh, so this is a case of do what I say," Declan said.

"Not what I do," Gideon finished for him.

"Keep it up, boys, and you'll never see the inside of the Lions again," Keith warned.

"Why did you go to a strip joint before Uncle Pidge's wedding and no one elses?" Erik asked.

"He was the last one of us," Lance said. "And we were on Terra, it wasn't planned, we just kind of ended up there after we hit a few bars."

"I'm guessing Mom won't let us open a strip joint here on Arus," Gideon muttered.

"If I didn't think you guys were kidding, I would tell your mother and have her and your aunts sit you down for a long lecture on respecting women," Keith told them.

"Of course we're kidding, Dad," Declan assured him. "Geez, have some more brandy and lighten up."

"Besides, the women they have to worry about are Brina and Lynnai," Tristan pointed out.

"True. What do you think they're doing now?" Erik asked.

"Probably talking about the wedding and clothes and hair," Lance said.

"I guess we're having a better time discussing strippers," Owen said, blowing out a stream of smoke.

"It's always a good time when you're discussing strippers," Lance replied.

"All right, all right." Vince leaned forward and set his drink on the table. "Time to change the subject. Tristan, I have something for you." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to his son.

"What is it?" Tristan asked, setting his drink on the table and cigar on the edge of an ashtray.

"Something special for the ceremony tomorrow."

Tristan lifted the lid of the box and felt a bit overwhelmed, he knew this was coming, but it still touched him deeply. Lying inside was the pair of engraved cufflinks originally worn by his great-great grandfather at his wedding. They were solid gold and engraved with the entwined initials, TSVA, as they had been shared by father and son for several generations.

"Those have been handed down from father to son on night before their wedding for generations in my family," Vince explained to the others.

Declan leaned over to see them. "Pretty sharp, Tristan."

"No, you can't borrow them."

"I guess if we're handing out gifts, we can give him ours," Gideon whispered to his brother.

"You didn't have to get me anything," Tristan said.

"We know, but we figured anyone who was willing to marry the brat deserved some kind of reward."

Erik reached behind the chair he was sitting in and picked up a large manila envelope, handing it to Gideon. "It's from the three of us."

Gideon passed it to Declan. "Yeah, I wanted to get you some horse tranquilizers and a ball gag so you could handle Cady easier, but no, that wasn't considered nice."

"I liked the tranquilizer idea," Declan said, giving Tristan the envelope. "But I think Cady would chew right through a gag, I suggested a case of duct tape."

"Boys, stop picking on your sister," Keith sighed.

"It's all in good fun, Dad, Tristan knows we love Cady and if he does anything to hurt her we'll kill him slowly and make it look like an accident." Declan assured him.

"Thanks, that's good to know," Tristan mumbled, opening the flap of the envelope. Inside he found a picture of what appeared to be a movie disk player. "Uh, thanks?"

"That, Tristan, is a satellite receiver," Declan explained.

"When your house is built, a satellite and receivers will be installed so you can catch all the Red Sox games here," Erik told him.

His eyes widened and he looked up at the guys. "Oh, wow, this…this is amazing."

"We were going to get it for you for a wedding present, but then we figured this was something only you would appreciate." The Polluxian prince said.

"Yeah, Cady can't appreciate that," Gideon added.

Declan nodded. "That's right, however, you'll have to make sure she doesn't tie up the televiewer with the stupid romantic comedies she likes."

"Super Bowl at Tristan and Cady's house next year," Hunk announced.


Cady sighed contentedly. She was reclining back in a chair, cucumber slices over her eyes as her feet were massaged and her fingernails painted. She had already had a full body massage and a facial. Around her she heard voices as the other talked and giggled while being pampered.

For the first time in weeks she felt relaxed and completely stress-free. It was a wonderful feeling.

"Sky?"

Her best friend was at the other table in a very similar position. "Yeah, Cady."

"This was the best idea I think you ever had."

Red's pilot chuckled. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"All right, Your Highness, your nails should be dry in thirty seconds, then you can move," the beautician told her.

"Thank you." Cady set her hands on the arms of her chair and sighed again.

Allura was the first to notice how Cady stopped moving and her breathing was slow and even. "I think she fell asleep," the Queen whispered to Darcy.

"I think you're right. Are you going to wake her?" Darcy asked.

"In a minute. I guess she really was wearing herself out. This would be the time to bring everything in."

Darcy nodded and went to get Sky, Becca, and Paton to help her.

Fifteen minutes later, Allura gently shook her daughter's shoulder. "Cady, sweetie, wake up."

Cady jolted, the cucumber slices falling from her eyes. "I wasn't sleeping."

Allura laughed. "It's okay, sweetheart, but we wanted you awake for the next part of your shower."

The others had all found seats around the low table either in the overstuffed chairs or on the floor. The champagne , and sparkling juice for the younger girls, had been poured and single serving, miniature cheesecakes were set out on a tray. A pile of presents sat on the floor beside the empty chair in the middle.

"Oh!" Cady clapped her hands. "Presents!"

Everyone laughed.

"Sit down, you spoiled brat," Sky teased.

Allura waited until Darcy and Paton had handed glasses out to everyone before she raised her own. "I would like to toast my beautiful daughter on the eve of her big day. I am so proud of you and so happy for you…"

"Uh oh, here come the tears," Romelle whispered to Josie.

Allura laid a hand over her heart as tears filled her eyes. "Hey, now, my baby girl is about to get married, I'm allowed to get a little teary."

"Yes you are. Now get on with your toast so we can open presents." Darcy said.

"Yeah," Becca added. "My arm's getting tired."

"Cady, I love you, I am so happy that you have found such a wonderful young man and I know the two of you will have a long, wonderful life together filled with love and happiness."

Everyone leaned closer and tapped their glasses together.

"Here, open mine." Charlotte set a gift bag on her older sister's lap.

"Thanks, Char, I can't wait to se what it is." Cady pulled out the tissue paper and found a large book inside. "Cooking For Your Husband: A New Bride's Guide To The Kitchen."

"The twins put her up to it," Tess whispered.

"I don't care, I love it, Charlotte and I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of it."

The women sat for over an hour while Cady worked her way through the pile of presents and they sipped champagne and nibbled on cheesecake. She had received a beautiful silk nightgown and robe set, linens for her new house, an engraved silver frame, a set of antique silverware from Tristan's mother. Laughing, she unwrapped a cheesecake cookbook and springform pan from Lynnai. "You mean I have to learn to make my own?"

Gideon's girlfriend shrugged. "Either that or have Tristan learn."

Josie shook her head. "I love my son dearly, but I'm afraid I failed him in the cooking department. Don't expect him to do more than cook macaroni and cheese from a box."

"That's all right," Cady assured her. "I already told him we have to hire a cook."

"Here, this is a little something for your new house," Sky said, handing her a heavy, flat box.

Cady tore way the carefully wrapped paper and lifted the lid, tears quickly filled her eyes. "Oh, Sky, this is so beautiful!"

"What is it?" Allura asked.

The princess lifted the carved, wooden frame and turned it for them all to see. Matted inside was a copy of the law written by Allura and Koran over twenty years before that allowed members of the monarchy to marry commoners and beneath that was a copy of the engagement photo taken of Cady and Tristan several months earlier.

"This is such a sweet gift, thank you so much, Sky," Cady said, setting it with the rest of her unwrapped gifts.

"How're you feeling, Cady?" Romelle asked now that all the gifts were opened.

"I'm okay," she admitted quietly. "I mean, I'm excited and nervous and wired. I don't know if I should be laughing or crying."

"And once the ceremony is over, it'll be like you released a deep breath you hadn't realized you were holding and everything will be right." Allura told her.

"It will be a beautiful wedding," Darcy added.

Becca nodded. "You have worked so hard and it will all be worth it tomorrow."

Sky raised her glass in a toast. "Here's to a beautiful bride, a beautiful ceremony, and a lucky groom!"

"Here, here!" Everyone called, tapping their glasses together.


In the rec room, the guys had decided to stop pretending they drank brandy and broke into the gift Owen had brought from Terra which included a case of Guinness and a case of Harps, two Irish beers Tristan couldn't get on Arus.

"I was going to bring kegs, but they would be too hard to get into the castle unnoticed," Owen explained as he popped open his second Harps.

"Oh, we would've helped you," Declan said.

"I'm sure you would have," Keith muttered.

Lance groaned in pleasure. "It has been years since I've had a Guinness."

"Do we know how to party or what?" Gideon asked, polishing off his beer.

"Well, it is getting late," Keith warned. "We don't want a drunk or hungover groom in the morning."

Owen snorted and handed Tristan another beer. "I guess he doesn't know how well you can handle your liquor, huh?"

"I'm trying to make a good impression on my father-in-law," he replied, taking the bottle.

"Too late," Erik said.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Hunk asked.

"Absolutely." Tristan popped the top off the bottle. "I can't wait for the ceremony to be over and have the old Cady back."

"You don't like super-hyper-controlling-stressed-out Cady?" Declan asked.

"I love Cady."

"But not super-hyper-controlling-stressed-out Cady?"

"I love Cady very much."

Gideon laughed. "Have another beer, Tristan, we'll get a straight answer out of you one way or another."


The shower broke up just after ten o'clock. At ten thirty, just as Cady was trying to figure out how she was going to fall asleep, there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?"

"It's us," Sky said. "Let us in."

"Us?" Cady repeated, sliding her door open.

Sky walked in followed by Lynnai and Brina, each carrying a bag. Sitting down on the bed, Sky reached into her bag and pulled out a wrapped box and a plain box. Brina dug out another wrapped box and a bottle while Lynnai brought out four glasses and a third wrapped box.

"I figured you wouldn't want to be alone," Sky explained. "And I thought what better way to spend the night before your wedding than with three of your best friends, sipping wine, eating chocolates, opening presents you wouldn't dare open in front of your mother, and talking about boys."

Tears welled up in Cady's eyes and she felt a bit foolish as they started to fall. "Thank you."

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Sky said, her own svoice cracking with emotion. She stood and went to her best friend, hugging her tightly.

"Too early for tears," Brina said as she dug a corkscrew out of her bag. "Let's fill ourselves with some wine before we really start."

"Yeah, come on, there are more presents." Sky wrapped her arm around Cady's shoulders and steered her toward the bed. "Some things for you and Tristan."

Lynnai handed out the full glasses as the four of them sat in a circle on Cady's large bed. "Where did you get the wine, Brin?"

"The Castle wine cellar, but if anyone asks, the twins took it."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Cady said.

"I know." Lynnai and Brina answered in unison.

Sky laughed. "The twins have the same moves!"

"Yeah, well, they're good moves," Brina murmured, sipping her wine.

"Okay, I don't want to think about my brothers that way," Cady said, looking around. "I thought you said there was chocolate, Sky."

Sky handed her friend the box of imported candy. "Well, Cady, it is your night. If you don't want to talk about your brothers' moves, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. Physically, I'm exhausted, but my mind is going a mile a minute. I need to calm down so I can sleep."

"Want to watch a movie?"

"Or we could go check on the boys, see what they're doing," Brina suggested.

"Yeah, let's sneak down and see what they're doing," Lynnai agreed.

"Isn't that bad luck?" Cady asked, selecting a candy from the box. "I thought he couldn't see me before the wedding."

"That's on the day of the wedding, you have until midnight," Lynnai explained, glancing at her watch. "So you have another hour."

Cady looked at Sky. "What do you think?"

Her friend shrugged. "If it'll make you feel better."

Cady set her glass on the bedside table and stood. "I should put some makeup on."

"You don't need to put any makeup on, you look fine," Sky told her.

"I'm pale, I just need a little color in my cheeks." Cady dug through her vanity, stopping to spray herself with some perfume.

Sky stood and ran her fingers through her hair. "I hope they're not too drunk or watching some porno."

Cady wrinkled her nose. "You don't think they would be, do you?"

Brina grabbed a brush of Cady's vanity and pulled it through her hair. "They better not."

"Why not?" Lynnai asked. "Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?"

The princess turned and looked at the girl who had been such a huge part of her brother's life. "Really?"

"Cady!" Sky gasped, laughing.

"What? I was just wondering."

The knock on the door was so soft that no one heard it the first time.

"Was that a knock on the door?" Brina asked.

Sky crept to the door. "Who is it?"

"She's not alone," Erik said in a stage whisper.

Sky slid the door open and found Erik, Declan, Gideon, and Owen surrounding Tristan. They all appeared a bit glassy eyed and smelled of smoke and beer.

"I've come to see my Princess," Tristan announced.

"Cady," Sky called over her shoulder. "Looks like they beat us to it."

Unceremoniously, Tristan pushed past Sky and crossed the room. He swept Cady into his arms, pulled her as close to him as he could, seeking and finding her mouth with his own.

Erik slung his arm over Sky's shoulders. "He refused to go to bed until he saw her."

"What kind of party is this?" Declan asked, taking the glass of wine from Brina's hand.

"Oh! Piece of candy!" Gideon snatched one from the box on the bed.

Owen picked up the bottle of wine and read the label. "Oh, this is a good year."

Ignoring the others in her room, Cady broke the kiss and stared intently into Tristan's eyes. "You still want to marry me?"

"Of course."

"It won't be easy, being married to a Princess."

"It won't be easy, being married to you," he countered, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "You still want to marry me?"

"I think so."

"You think so?"

"I love you," she whispered, standing on her toes and kissing him.

He ran his hands up and down her back, feeling the cool softness of silk under his hands. "I like the pajamas."

"Thank you."

"I'll like getting you out of them even more."

"Perv."

He laughed. "I love you, Your Highness."

"Been partying hard?" Sky asked Erik.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, leaning heavily on her.

"The fact that you smell like a cross between a brewery and the sweat sock smell of good cigars. How were the strippers?"

"Fantastic," he said solemnly.

She raised an eyebrow in question.

Erik shook his head. "Uh, I mean, uh, what strippers?"

Sky rolled her eyes. "Okay, guys, you all have to leave. We're in the middle of a girl party and none of you are invited."

"I like girl parties," Gideon said.

"Yeah, there are always girls at them," Declan added.

Sky poked Erik in the side. "Go."

He sighed dramatically. "Come on, guys, we should go."

"I see you're still whipped," Declan muttered.

"Don't start." Gideon grabbed his brother's arm. "Let's pry Tristan off our sister."

Cady and Tristan were totally oblivious to the others in the room as they stood in the corner by her vanity, their arms wrapped around each other.

"I know how," Owen told them. "Hey, Tristan!"

"Leave me alone," Tristan shot back.

"Come on, we have to go find the strippers!"

Tristan kissed Cady and winked at her. "I have to go, see you tomorrow."

"There better not be any strippers," she warned.

"Oh, come on, Princess, you know you're the only girl I want to see naked."

"That's right."

"By the way, our reception is only going to be ten minutes long tomorrow, I don't think I'll be able to wait much longer than that."

Cady laughed and shoved him toward the door. "See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Beautiful. Love you."

"Love you too."

Erik stole a quick kiss from Sky. "Good night, Sunny."

"Good night, hon."

He leaned over and whispered so no one else could hear. "The next one will be us."

She smiled softly and pressed her lips to his cheek.

Owen and Gideon each grabbed one of Tristan's arms and dragged him from the room.

"You said you just wanted to see her for a second," Owen reminded his old friend. "Now we have to go so the two of you can get some sleep."

Sky shut and locked the door behind them. "Yeah, like any of us are going to get any sleep tonight."

"Uh oh." Brina grabbed a box of tissues of the dresser and handed them to Cady as she started crying.

"Oh, Cady." Sky crossed the room and hugged her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fantastic," she sobbed. "I'm about to…to…m-marry Tristan."

"Come on, let's open some presents." Sky led her to the bed and small pile of wrapped gifts.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything, you've already done so much." Cady sniffled dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"This is the fun stuff we couldn't give you in front of our mothers."

"Here." Brina held a box out to her. "Open this."

In a rather unladylike manner, Cady ripped the paper aside and lifted the top of the box. A blush crept to her cheeks as she peeled back the tissue and found a red lacy baby doll with a pair of matching panties. "Oh, my."

"Oh, there's more."

Cady looked down in the box and felt her face heat up even more when she saw two bottles with labels that read 'Flavored Massage Oil'.

"A young bride needs a trousseau," Brina said. "And in that trousseau, there should be some scandalously skimpy lingerie and fun stuff."

"I agree." Lynnai handed her another box.

"I don't know if I should open this," Cady said shyly.

"Oh, who are you trying to kid," Sky teased as she topped off their wine. "Just open it."

Smiling, Cady ripped open the box. Nestled inside was a beautiful silk lavender nightgown. "Oh, Lynnai, it's gorgeous," she gasped, pulling it from the box and holding it up. Only when she held it at arms' length did she see that it was entirely see-through. "Lynnai!"

She laughed and pointed to the box. "There's more, keep digging."

Cady carefully folded the delicate fabric and looked inside the box. Lying beneath the tissue paper was another box, she took it out and read the words, "Edible body paint."

"No way!" Sky laughed.

"Way!" Lynnai responded, laughing just as hard. "I went with pastels, I think they suit Cady the best."

The three of them howled with laughter as Cady stared at the body paints, wondering if she should laugh a long with them or if she should be properly astounded at the raciness of it. She chose the first and giggled, setting aside the gifts from her brothers' girlfriends and turned to her best friend. "All right, Sky, it's your turn."

"I don't know if this is more for you or for Tristan," Sky said, handing her the box.

"I'm pretty sure these have all been more for Tristan than myself," Cady murmured. "Sky!"

"You don't like it?" Red's pilot asked innocently.

The princess lifted the black teddy and matching short robe. It shimmered in the light as she ran her fingers over the satiny feel of the fabric. "It's beautiful, I just…they're all so lovely, I just…I don't know if I have the nerve to actually wear these."

"Yes, you do, you have enough nerve to wear them and you'll start tomorrow night." Sky told her as she selected a piece of chocolate from the box. "There's something else in there too."

Cady dug into the box and pulled out a very small black thong made to look like a tuxedo with a strip of white fabric, a tiny bow tie, and tiny black buttons. "What…"

"That's for Tristan to wear."

Laughing, Cady held them up. "There is no way I can get him to wear these."

"Oh, I bet you could," Brina giggled. "If you promised to let him paint you."

"You guys are so bad."

"Who would have thought," Brina began, sitting back against the headboard, stretching her legs out in front of her. "That when Tristan arrived here with Captain Bitch, that you two would be getting married."

"I knew it," Cady replied. "I was in love with him the minute I saw him."

"How romantic," Lynnai sighed.

"Yeah, I remember Cady asking Erik and I to teach everything we knew about flying so she could try and impress him," Sky said, sipping her wine. "We thought she was nuts."

The princess shook her head. "Nope, I knew he was the man for me."

"Next, we'll be having this party for Sky," Lynnai said, picking up a bottle of the flavored massage oil and sniffing it. "Oh, strawberry."

"Nah, we're waiting," Sky told her. "You know, I always thought you and Gideon would be the first ones to tie the knot."

She shrugged. "We've talked about it."

"You have?" Brina asked, surprised, looking up from the body paints she was examining.

"Well, yeah, I mean, we've been seeing each other for seven years, I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else."

"And just what have you discussed?" Cady asked, putting on her over protective big sister face.

"We want to marry someday, but he wants to…" she trailed off.

"He wants to what?" Cady prodded.

"Well, he's third in line for the throne, which means he most likely won't rule, so he wants to make sure he knows what he wants to do before he settles down. He," she hesitated, blushing. "Gid wants to make sure he can properly provide for me, for us."

"You guys don't ever need to worry about that, Gideon and his family will always be provided for." Cady assured her.

"We know that, but, well, I think he wants a little more independence."

"What about you and Declan?" Sky asked Brina.

The redhead shrugged. "We haven't talked about it. I mean, we've only gone out for a year and, well, unlike the rest of you, I'm kind of new to this whole royalty thing."

"And being involved with the second in line to the throne comes with certain responsibilities," Cady said.

Brina smiled. "Being involved with Declan comes with certain responsibilities."

"I am so glad that my brothers have the two of you," Cady said, her voice trembling a bit. "I don't think I could have hand-picked better girlfriends for them."

"Oh, geez, here we go again." Sky handed Cady the box of tissues. "This is going to be a long night."