"Put the phone down."

Max looked at Lydia with an eyebrow raised. How she knew since both eyes were closed was beyond her. "I wasn't looking at my phone." Max said while quietly setting her phone down onto the table next to her deck chair.

It was an unseasonably warm day so they had decided that after checking into the motel that they would take advantage of the weather and work on their tans (or at least those who could tan would work on them) poolside.

"Yes you were and don't deny it." Lydia said, lifting up her sun-glasses and looked at her friend. "Ever since we got back you've been checking you phone every five seconds and when someone does call if it's not this mystery person you send it to voice-mail."

"So?" Max said defensively. "Maybe I don't feel like talking at the moment." She replied, leaning back against the chair.

"Talking to who?" Crysta asked walking up to them.

"Mister Mystery Guy." Lydia replied, lowering her sunglasses and closing her eyes.

"Oh." Crysta replied, putting her stuff on the chair in between Max and Lydia then sitting down. "Wanna tell us who the guy is?" she asked, looking at Max.

"No."

"Is it someone we know?"

"Why this sudden interest in who I do and don't want to talk to?"

"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Is he cute?" Crysta needled.

"Or hot?" Lydia added.

"No and no." Max replied, rolling her eyes. "Where's Alex?"

"Right here." Alex said, setting her stuff on the chair to the left of Max. "What were you saying no to?"

"That's she's waiting for her Mystery Boyfriend." Crysta said, smiling.

"Where's the sun block?" Alex said, raising an eyebrow. "And…"

"And nothing. I don't have a Mystery Boyfriend." Max replied, feeling around for the bottle of sun block and when she found it, handed it to Alex.

"Then who are you waiting for to call?" Alex asked, taking the sun block and applying it.

"No one all right?" Max snapped, tired of the third degree.

"Ok, ok…no need to get all bent out of shape." Crysta said, wondering why Max was so secretive about her phone calls.

They sat in silence until 'You're a Mean One Mister Grinch' started playing.

Alex, Crysta, and Max lifted their heads to look at Lydia who still had her eyes closed.

"Lydia." Crysta said, trying to get Lydia's attention.

Lydia ignored Crysta and the phone, which started to loop.

"Oy, Lyd!" Alex all but yelled. "aren't you going to get that?"

"No." Lydia replied, eyes still closed.

"And why not?"

"'Cause it's McKay's ring tone."

"Why is he calling you?" Crysta asked, raising an eyebrow.

"'Cause I gave him my number."

Alex, Crysta and Max looked at each other with surprise and confusion on their faces. "Really." Alex said slowly. "and why did you do that?"

"Why do you think?" Lydia shot back as the phone quit ringing.

Alex just grinned and said nothing as did Max and Crysta.

"Oh please, people." Lydia said, rolling her eyes. "I hate the man with the passion of a thousand burning suns. I gave him my number in case, for some reason, he needed my help. Shut up Alex." She added as Alex opened her mouth.

"What? All I was going to say is that you would be the last person I'd expect to give their number to McKay." Alex said, plastering an innocent look on her face.

Lydia snorted, "Yea right." The phone began to ring again and Lydia made no move to pick it up.

"You're just gonna let it play?" Max asked, turning her head to one side.

"Yup." Lydia said, laying back down and closing her eyes. "What do you think I'd actually do if he happened to call? Answer it?"

"Um…yea. 'Cause that's what usually people expect the person they call to do." Crysta said slowly.

"Well I'm different."

"I know that."

The phone stopped ringing but then started up again a few seconds later. "Damn, he doesn't give up does he?" Lydia said, conceding and picking up the phone. Hitting the 'talk' button she raised it to her ear and said, "What is it McKay?"

Max, Crysta, and Alex leaned closer towards Lydia to hear better.

Lydia raised an eyebrow and said, "And what makes you think I would know that?...Gee thanks…well that's how it came out McKay, how else am I supposed to take it?...Not so much D&D, Dungeons and Dragons, McKay, but he's really into WoW…World of Warcraft." Lydia sighed and cast her eyes towards the sky. What deity had she pissed off so much that they would make this her punishment?

"Why do you want to know anyways? You don't seem like the MMORPG kind of guy...Jeeze take a chill pill, it was just a comment." Lydia then removed the phone from her ear and hit the 'end' button, sticking out her tongue at the phone. "I hope he dies a citrus-related death." She muttered, placing the phone back to it original resting spot.

"What was that all about?" Alex asking the question that was also on Max's and Crysta's mind; from what they heard it sounded like a very un-McKay like conversation.

"He wanted to know what kind of gaming Doctor Lee was into." Lydia replied. "Why is beyond me, but I don't really care."

Max opened her mouth to reply to that but was cut off by the 'Firefly' theme. Picking up her phone she entertained the thought about sending it to voice-mail but decided to prove her friends wrong and answer it. "Hello?" she said while giving her friends looks. Smiling she said, "Hey Auntie…yea we're going to New York…uh, actually we're gonna pass right by it…I dunno, let me ask. I'll call you right back."

Ending the call she looked at her friends, "That was my Aunt who lives by Springfield. Apparently my mom talked to her and mentioned out little road trip. Anyways she wants us to stop by when we're passing through there."

"Ugh…forced family visits," Alex said, slightly flinching. "I hate those."

"Sounds fine with me." Lydia said casually.

"Ok…" Max said, confused. Usually Lydia avoided family if she could help it. "If it's all right with everyone else I'll call her back and say yes."

"I'll live."

"Why not? It's only for one day."

Max nodded and dialed her aunt's number.

Crysta looked at Lydia and said, "No more sun for you."

"Why?"

"'Cause you just said that visiting family was fine. Clearly the sun has gone to your head."

"No it hasn't." Lydia shot back. Sighing she continued, "Look, if we see Max's family then we'll get to hear all sorts of embarrassing stories from when she was growing up." She grinned. "And you know what that means."

"Blackmail." Crysta said, smiling wolfishly.

"Doubly so if we can get our hands on some photos."

"What's so funny?" Max asked, hanging up the phone to see her three friends laughing.

"N-nothing." Lydia managed to get out, still laughing. Settling down she sighed and said, "So what do we want to do tonight? I wanna get out and do something."

"A friend told me about a club here." Crysta said, leaning her head back. "The name's 'Saddleridge' and it's in Westport Plaza."

"'Saddleridge'? Sounds like a country bar." Alex said, wrinkling her nose.

"I dunno, my friend wasn't real specific. But I bet it'll be fun."

"Maybe." Lydia mused. "How about we hit that club and if we don't like it then we can find some other club to go to."

"Sounds fine to me."

"What about tomorrow? What else can we do besides see the Arch?" Alex asked.

"We could see a show…go to the zoo…see Grant Park…see some of the Route 66 stuff..." Lydia replied, ticking the list off her fingers.

"Can't we decide this later?" Crysta asked, stifling a yawn. "Right now I want to work on my tan."

"Just don't fall asleep, you'll burn." Lydia commented.

"No, I tan. You burn."

"Hey guys, I think Max is five steps ahead of you." Alex said.

Lydia looked at Max, who was on her stomach asleep, then grinned. "Hand me the sun block will you?"

"Why?" Alex asked warily, nothing good ever came about when Lydia smiled like that.

"Just give it to me."

"Ok." Alex said, tossing the bottle to Lydia.

Lydia caught it, poured some of the creamy white liquid and spread it all over her hand. She then got up and walked over to Max where she quietly walked up to her sleeping friend.

"Shhhh!" she hissed in response to Crysta's laughing. Holding her breath she slowly lowered her hand onto Max's back and lightly pressed down. Lifting it back up, she left a near perfect handprint. Stifling her own laughter, Lydia scurried back to her spot and wiped the excess sun block off.

The next morning…

Max pulled the shirt over her head and down. As she lowered it she caught a glance of her back in the reflection of the mirror. Pausing she turned so that her back was to the mirror and looked. There on her lower back, outlined by her darkened skin, was a handprint.

"That's strange." Max mused out loud.

"What is?" Lydia asked as she exited the bathroom, arms full.

"This is." Max said, turning to show Lydia the handprint.

"Huh…how'd that get there?" Lydia asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"I have no idea." Max said, gathering up her stuff and walking over to her suitcase. "Someone must've put there when we were tanning yesterday."

"Any idea who?"

"Nope."

"Oh…let me know when you do."

"Ok."

A/N: standard disclaimers apply with the addition of BiteMeTechie as co-author of this thrilling little tale (she keeps coming up with golden dialogue). Review!