Fran woke up to the buzzing of Max's alarm clock, and hurriedly reached a hand over to slap the snooze button on top of it. Max moved slightly, his arm wrapped around her from behind as they spooned together. Fran tucked her arm back under the covers, realizing where Max's arm was. She grasped his hand and pulled it up to her chest and got comfortable again. As she lay there, she felt Max's warm breath on the back of her shoulders through her cotton shirt. As she began to become more aware of being awake, she became more aware of where she was, and who she was with. She kissed the backs of his fingers, even though she was fairly certain he was still asleep, or at least had drifted back into slumber after the alarm had gone off. The way Max's arm was hooked around her felt so good, and the pressure of his body against hers made her feel so content.

She opened her eyes and looked around the room. The soft light of the early morning was filtering in through the curtains above them, and as her eyes adjusted, she could see the fireplace in front of her, the shelves with their art pieces, the paintings on the wall. She turned her head towards Max, then carefully rolled into her back, trying not to wake him. His face was partially stuffed into the pillow and his breathing was soft and steady. She held his arm across her stomach and gently stroked his soft, firm skin. She loved his arms, and loved that he was wearing a short sleeved shirt so she could enjoy touching him. He wasn't hairy like so many men, his arms were smooth, the hair a soft, fine texture- almost like it wasn't even there.

Fran closed her eyes again, enjoying the warmth of his bed, the warmth of him. She wished they could stay there like that forever. Max shifted in his sleep and rolled over, turning away from her and taking his arm with him. And just then, the alarm clock went off again. Fran shut it off completely and Max gave out a groan.

"It's okay, baby, I turned it off," Fran whispered. She curled up against his back and slid her arm around his middle.

"Mmmm…" he moaned, taking hold of her hand. She pressed her lips against his back and clutched him tightly. "Do we have to get up?" He mumbled.

"Not right away."

"Okay…"

Fran stroked his chest with her thumb. "Don't fall back to sleep, though, sweetie. We still have that workout we need to do." Max groaned again in disapproval, and Fran gave him a squeeze. "I know. I don't want to get up either. It's nice getting to spoon with my big teddy bear!"

"Mmm," Max chuckled, and squeezed her hand. "I'm your big teddy bear?"

"Mmm hmmm! And my cute boyfriend!"

"Oh yeah, we get to be a couple again today, out in public! I don't want to sleep through that."

"Me neither. And we really do need to go shopping for those party clothes. I want to make sure I fit in with all those fancy people."

"You will, sweetheart, you will. And you'll outshine them all."

"Aw, Max!" She tugged on him again and kissed his back. He ran his hand across his face and yawned, then turned onto his stomach and turned his face towards Fran. He reached his arm across her waist and got comfortable back on the pillow, then closed his eyes again. Fran could see his face in the dim light and reached her hand out from the covers to sort out his ruffled hair. She ran her fingers through it and could just make out the smile forming on his lips.

"Mmmm… I like it when you do that, you know," he said softly.

"That's good, because I can't help myself." She did it again, then pulled her arm back into the warmth of the covers. Her hand worked it's way up his arm to his shoulder and she scratched it lovingly with her fingernails. Max sighed again.

"I don't want to get up, Fran. This is too nice."

"It is, baby. And we can do this again later, maybe tonight. But yeah, maybe we can have a morning when we don't have to set the alarm… and we can stay in bed as long as we need to…"

"Mmm hmm…"

Fran rubbed his arm, then reached her arm over to the bedside lamp. "Look out, sweetie, I'm turning on the light." Max groaned and covered his eyes as she turned the switch on the base of the lamp. "Oof, that is bright!" She shielded her own eyes and turned back to Max. "It looks like it might be a sunny morning out there. Maybe it'll melt all that snow, too."

"That would be nice. I mean, snow is pretty and all, but I could do without the shoveling and the cold. And hopefully it's not icy out there."

"Yeah, we'll have to watch out for that. But hey, start waking up. We need to get changed and go get a workout in before we get showered. It doesn't have to be a long workout, sweetie. Even twenty minutes is pretty good."

"Yes, I suppose it is. And we do need to keep that a habit. We've been eating a lot of food these last few days."

"Yeah, but it was totally worth it, don't you think?"

"Mmm hmm!" Max rubbed his eyes again and looked at Fran. "How did you sleep?" He asked.

Fran smiled. "Wonderfully! I think I only woke up once, and I curled back up with you and went right back to sleep. I think I fell asleep pretty fast, too. You were playing with my hair, and it felt really nice. How did you sleep?"

"Oh, very good! Very, very good. Had some nice dreams, too. But we won't go into those," he grinned.

"Oh… is that why you're on your stomach?" She teased, poking his side under the covers.

"Hey, I'm just trying to be a gentleman. It is the morning, you know… not to be crude."

"It's not crude, it's natural. But good to know…" they laughed, and Max blushed a little. "I won't tease you anymore. We do need to get up, though. I want to make sure we get to the stores when they open." Fran sat up on the bed and stretched her arms, then yawned. She patted Max's back and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "I'll meet you over there in a little bit, okay? Don't fall back to sleep. Do you want the Soloflex first? I might start with some stretching. Maybe a little yoga."

"Yoga? Maybe you can show me some of that. I could use a little more flexibility."

"Hoo ha, Mr. Sheffield! Don't give a girl any ideas!"

"Hey, I thought you weren't going to tease me anymore. But now you give me ideas, too!" He reached for her hand as she got up off of the bed and gave it a little shake.

"Well, then, get up and put on some workout clothes, and we'll get you all limbered up! I'll meet you in there, okay?"

"Oh, alright." He let go of her hand and stuffed his face into the pillow in mock frustration, and Fran pulled the covers part way off of him.

"No going back to sleep!" She grabbed her robe from the bench and put it on, then slipped her feet into her slippers and hurried out the door to go back to her bedroom and change.

Max lifted his head up from the pillow and sighed. He rolled onto his side, then lifted the covers to check himself. He looked back towards the door Fran just left through and sat up, covering his lap with the covers. "That was close!" Max knew that they were crazy about each other, physically crazy, but he still needed to be a gentleman. But maybe that type of occurrence wouldn't be embarrassing for him much longer. He thoroughly enjoyed his night with her, and she seemed to enjoy it, too. Maybe they could make it permanent?

"Hey! I'm here. Sorry it took so long, I was trying to find something to wear," Max said as he entered the spare bedroom set up with workout equipment.

""That's okay, sweetie, I was just doing some yoga to stretch out." Fran got up from the mat on the floor to go to him.

"I didn't get to kiss you good morning, sweetheart. May I? I brushed my teeth," he smiled.

"So did I, and yes, you may!" She reached her arms out to him and wrapped them around his neck as he clutched her waist. He kissed her firmly on the lips and hugged her tight.

"Mmmmm….!" He sighed, and let the kiss soften, then gently kissed her lips several times. "Good morning, darling!" He smiled at her and grazed the tip of her nose with his.

"Good morning, baby! You know something?"

"What's that?"

"I sure liked sleeping with you last night. That was really nice."

"I sure liked sleeping with you, too, Fran. Being able to hold you all night- I think that really helped me fall right to sleep. I wasn't worrying about or wondering about anything. Because you were right there with me."

"Yeah. That made me feel really good, holding on to you, having your arms around me. You made me feel really safe, and happy." She kissed him again and stroked his cheek with the backs of her fingers.

"I'm glad. So, may I ask you- if it isn't too soon- if maybe we could stay together again tonight?"

"Absolutely! I mean, if you're absolutely sure…"

"Absolutely."

Fran smiled. "Then absolutely yes. I'd really like to stay with you again." Max grinned, and his heart raced for a moment. He was really happy.

"So, then, should we take turns on the equipment, or did you have a plan for your workout?" He asked, anxious to get their workout finished so they could get their day started.

"If you're up for it, I was thinking of showing you some stretches you could do, if they might help you. You sit at that desk a lot, so it would be good if you took a few breaks to stretch. It might help keep you from getting lower back issues, or leg cramps."

"Oh, sure, alright. Yes, that could be helpful. I do tend to get lost in my work sometimes and should probably take more breaks. What did you want to show me first?"

"Here, come get down here on the mat," she took his hand and led him over to the mat on the floor, and had him get down on all fours. "Okay, all fours. Yep- just like that. Now you're gonna lower yourself back down and stretch your arms out in front of you. Yeah- like you're praying to Mecca, if that doesn't violate any Catholic rules or anything…"

"No no no, that's fine. Yes, I see what you mean."

"That's supposed to open up your hips, your pelvis. Especially around your lower spine, so if you have any lower back tension, or in your hips, do this several times. Okay, now come back up on all fours. Now you're gonna go up on your hands and feet, okay, and lift your behind up sorta like you're making a pyramid. Yeah, you got it! Now lower your head, let your neck relax. You feel how that's pulling all the way up the back of your legs?"

"Oh, yes, that feels good. I guess my legs really are pretty tight. I feel it a bit in the hips, too."

"Good, good! That means this is another good one to do, several times a day. Especially first thing in the morning, and if you've been sitting down for a long time. Okay, now go back onto all fours and then to that prayer pose, rest there for about twenty and then back up to that pyramid, and then I'll show you something else I like to do."

"Oh, alright," Max followed her commands back to the prayer pose, then back up into a pyramid.

"Still feel tight?" She asked.

"Yes, a bit."

"Okay, try bending your knees just a bit to lower yourself some, so it pulls on your calves, but keep your arms straight and your head hanging down. What do you feel?"

"Oh, that feels good. Yes, my calves are tight. I feel it a bit in my sides, too."

"Okay, now come back up slowly, then down again slowly, and you can tilt your hips back and forth a little bit, get that all loosened up. Good! Just like that. Okay, now back to the pyramid and I'll show you one more thing I do." Max straightened his legs back out to make the pyramid again. "Okay, now since I have a hard time doing regular pushups, I try to find other ways to work some of those muscles. Keep your knees locked as long as nothing hurts, and now bend your elbows and slowly lower yourself like a pushup, but keep that pyramid. You got it! Keep doing those slowly, and you don't even have to go down very far. You can do fast ones, too. That works good. You can experiment a bit, just keep your legs straight and you'll feel it stretching all of that out. And one other thing, if you change the position of your hands, you can work different muscle groups. And you can even use your fists instead of open handed, whatever feels best."

Fran watched Max as he tried the pushups faster. She smiled at how he got the hang of it really fast.

"You feel it around your sides, too? And straight up your stomach?" She asked.

"I sure do! Oof!" He slowed down the push ups and moved himself back into the full pyramid to rest a moment, then lowered himself to all fours, and back to the prayer position.

"You're a natural, baby! You did great! You think that might help you a bit?"

"Oh, I know it will. It was pulling an awful lot of things I didn't know were tight. Thank you for showing me all that."

"You're very welcome! Now, I already did my leg lifts, so I think I'm gonna do some rowing. You want the Soloflex?"

"Sure. I think I'll skip the treadmill today, since we've done a good bit of walking. But I might need a round on the rower, too."

"Okay, we'll swap out in a bit." Fran headed over to the rowing machine and got comfortable on it as Max got up from the mat and stretched from side to side, then stretched his arms, and went over to the Soloflex to set up the resistance he wanted for his arms. He got into place and began his upper body workout, trying not to get distracted by Fran as she rowed back and forth. She was wearing a tank top, and he could see the muscles of her arms and shoulders working with each pull.

Max looked away from her quickly and began pulling on the bars harder, trying to burn off his frustrations. As his arms tired out, he got up from the seat and shifted things around for another exercise. He thought maybe he should turn around and not look at Fran so he could focus more on his workout. He got busy with another set of exercises on the Soloflex, and Fran stopped her rowing. She got up and stepped back over to the mat to stretch out.

"I'm finished with the rower if you need it," she said.

"Alright. How long have we been working out? Are we almost done?"

"I might stop after the Soloflex. I'm getting pooped. How about you?"

"I think the rower might be it for me today. Maybe the next time we can add another ten minutes and get back into a regular routine."

"Sounds good to me. You're like my accountability buddy, it's nice to have somebody to work out with."

"It sure is. Let me finish this last set and you can have this."

"No rush."

Max finished another ten repetitions of the bar pull and then turned around to see Fran laying on the mat, pushing herself up so her back arched. Her eyes were closed and Max couldn't help but look her over. She was so fit. And apparently fairly limber, too.

"Um, I'm finished here, if you need it."

Fran opened her eyes, then looked over at him and smiled. She lowed herself back down to rest on the mat. "Alright. I was just stretching my stomach. Nothing worse than getting a charlie horse in your gut."

"Ow! You didn't, did you? That sounds painful!"

"I have before, and yes, it is. But that was a long time ago, when I wasn't working out hardly ever. That actually made me start working out more, and a lot more carefully." She got up from the mat and headed towards Max as he headed toward the rowing machine. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze as he passed.

"So, you know what you want for breakfast?" He asked.

"I could eat, but why don't we do something light if we're having lunch when we're out? Can you think of anything?"

"Let's look through that food Niles made. And there's still some pastrami from the deli. Maybe we could have that with something."

"Mmm! That does sound good. Hey- pastrami on toast? And maybe something else? Fruit or something? That might work."

"There are still strawberries in there, I know that much. Hmm, that's sounding pretty good. Let's start with that."

"Yummy!" Max got set up on the rower and began, and Fran shifted the resistance bands on the Soloflex and began working her upper body and arms. Now she was the one with the view of Max on the rower, and she didn't want to look away. He was wearing black cotton shorts with a gray t-shirt, and a pair of low-rise sneakers and short athletic socks. She could see his shoulders through his t-shirt, and watched as the muscles around his knees contracted as he pushed. He had good form on the rowing machine. As she mindlessly sat at the Soloflex, working her arms and shoulders, she imagined Max rowing crew back in England. He could have been on a team of young men at Oxford, rowing in time on a river. Tank tops and shorts, their muscled arms and legs pulling and pushing, gliding faster and faster over the water…

Suddenly she felt her cheeks flush and she remembered where she was, and was glad Max didn't see her zone out into her fantasy. She cleared her throat and got up from the seat to change exercises.

"How you doin' over there?" She asked.

"Good, you?"

"Good. Getting worn out. You know, that rowing was reminding me of that painting downstairs. I really like that painting. Did you ever do any rowing before? Like back in England?"

"Well, sure. When I was pretty young. I tried to do it competitively, but I wasn't good enough. They really put in a lot of hours of practice, too. A lot of hours. I wasn't that interested in it enough to dedicate that much time to it. I just thought it was fun, especially if you could go alone or maybe with one other person. Once you hit that stride, there's nothing like it." He paused a moment to catch his breath, not being used to talking and rowing at the same time. "You can really get going fast if you try hard enough. It's pretty exhilarating."

"Aw, I bet you were pretty good at it. Did you have a uniform?"

"For crew? Well, I didn't make it that far, not for competitions. I went through all the training and practice at the beginning, and they started weeding boys out. I knew I wasn't going to make the cut, and that was fine with me. Gosh, I must have been maybe thirteen? Fourteen years old?"

"Aw, I bet you were so cute back then! Did you ever do any of that again?"

"No, unless it was just messing around with friends. I've been on rowboats, though. Little rowboats. Those don't go so fast, though."

Fran smiled, wondering what he looked like when he was thirteen. "Ug! Okay, I think I'm done. I don't want to pull a muscle." Fran stopped and stretched her arms, then stepped away from the Soloflex. Max continued to row, trying to watch his form in case Fran was watching him. "Hey, baby, I'm gonna go hop in the shower. You want to meet in the kitchen?"

"Sure," he huffed. "First one there starts the coffee!" Fran chuckled.

"Okay. Don't overdo it, Max. Don't want you pulling any muscles, either."

"Okay, I'm just going to do maybe five more minutes. It feels kind of good to workout again. But I'll make sure I do some of those stretches afterwards, alright?"

"Good idea. Okay, sweetie, see you downstairs!" She patted and rubbed his shoulder as she passed by him.

"See you in a bit, sweetheart!" He continued to row and Fran left the room, headed to her bedroom to get a shower and find something to wear for their day out shopping for party clothes.

Max came down the back stairs to the kitchen, and since he was the first one there, he began to make their coffee for the morning. Once he got it brewing, he went to have a look in the fridge to find things for their breakfast. Just then, Fran came down the stairs into the kitchen, and Max turned to look as he heard her heels tapping on the floor.

"Wow! You look amazing!" He exclaimed when he saw her. She was wearing a long-sleeved navy blue and white dress that fit snug around her figure, then flared out at the skirt. It reached just to her knees. She was wearing dark blue high heels and her hair was swept up on her head, with perfect curls coming down along the sides of her face. She wore large, white clip-on earrings and a white beaded necklace. Max's jaw hung open as he looked her over.

"What? Is it too much? I thought I should wear a dress and heels, so I could wear a slip if I have to try on any gowns. And, well, I'd need the heels, too… is it okay? I can go change-"

"No, no! Don't change! You're beautiful, Fran! I really like it! You look amazing! But now I feel underdressed. Am I underdressed? I can wear something else…"

"No, don't change. You're very handsome in that suit, Max. Well, you'll be even more handsome once you have the jacket on. I love you in that gray jacket, and with the dark slacks! Oh, wait! What color are those? Do we match?" Fran hurried over to hold her dress next to his pants. "Oh, look! That's almost a perfect match! We're coordinating our outfits already! How cute is that?!" They both laughed.

"Is my tie alright? I didn't want to have too many colors on."

"Perfect, baby! You get the coffee going?" She wrapped her arms around his middle.

"It's brewing. Here, let's get these things out of the fridge and get some toast going." He passed several containers to her and she set them on the counter next to her, then she grabbed a loaf of bread from the bread box behind her. She loaded the toaster and got it started, then crossed the kitchen to grab plates and mugs for the coffee. Max pulled out forks, knives, and spoons from the drawer and set them on the counter. He opened the container of strawberries, poked a slice with a fork, and stopped Fran as she was about to pass by him. She set down the plates and mugs and Max fed her the slice of strawberry.

"Mmm, that's good!" She took the fork from him, poked a slice, and then fed it to Max, who took it in his mouth and smiled.

"That's a nice batch of strawberries!"

"Mmm hmm!" She poked herself another slice, then grabbed the coffee and poured them both mugs full. She grabbed the cream from the fridge, poured some in the mugs, and then Max stirred the sugar in. The toast popped up from the toaster and Fran set two slices of toast on each plate. Max opened the deli paper with the pastrami in it and they both took several slices and put it on their toast.

"You want a little mustard for yours?" She asked.

"The fancy kind? Sure!" Fran smiled and went back to the fridge, then took out the jar of dijon from the door. She walked up behind him and reached for a knife, opened the jar, then stuck the knife in. "Hold out your toast here a second- do you want a lot or just a schmear?"

"Schmear. Thank you." Fran swiped the knife across his toast, and he put it on top of the other half with the pastrami, then she did the same to hers. They both cut their toast sandwiches in half, then began to enjoy their meals, standing up at the counter.

"This was a good idea for breakfast, Max. Should be just enough to get us through some morning shopping!"

Max grinned. "Oh- about the shopping. I was thinking about the kind of tuxedo I think I want to look for."

"Yeah? Do you know where you want to go look?"

"Well, I always go to Brooks Brothers for everything. I think I want to look at other places. But I was looking in the closet at all of my suits, and all of those vests I have that go with the older ones. Well, I've never had a tuxedo with a vest. I always wear a cummerbund. What would you think if we looked at some that look nice with vests? And I don't think I want a regular vest- I'm thinking of those kind that have the buttons down low, and they might not even have a back to them. Like a waistcoat. But something with color, so you get that nice bit of color coming up the inside of the lapel. And then a bow tie to match. Do you know the kind I'm thinking of?"

Fran stared at him, looking his torso over, picturing him in a gorgeous, expensive tuxedo.

"Fran?" Max asked again, then leaned down a bit to catch her eye.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I was fantasizing or something! Um, yes, I think I do. I was just trying to picture how you would look. You know, maybe some kind of shimmery, satiny fabric. Especially if I had a dress like that, too. Ooh! I bet that would look nice! And you can try some more traditional vests, too. They may still look nice."

"I was wondering about that, too. Maybe get several vests with matching ties, and pocket squares. And I want new shirts to go with it, too. So we need to look a those as well. But all of that has to be after you find the gown you want, because I want us to be coordinated. I like the thought of that."

Fran smiled. "Me, too."

"So I'll follow your lead for where we go. We look at gowns first, then if they happen to sell tuxedos there, too, we'll have a look after. And then if we need to go back to a place we saw something at, we will. And think about what kind of food you want for lunch. I'll put something together for dinner tonight. But if we can't find anything today, we may have to go back out tomorrow."

"Oh, I think we'll find something. They should be putting the new formal wear out now, with the weather warming up soon."

"True. Well, then- here's to finding the perfect party clothes today!" Max lifted his mug of coffee to Fran's and they clinked mugs, then took a sip. They both chuckled and then went back to finishing their breakfasts, and finishing off the strawberries.

"Do we have anything for tomorrow's breakfast? We still have eggs in there, but if we want anything different, then we might need to get that when we're out, too."

"Okay. We can keep an eye open for anything that looks good. Oh, let me call for the car, and we can wrap all this up here and get going. You need anything before we leave?"

"Oh, I forgot to bring my purse down. Let me go grab that now. I'm done with breakfast, just need to finish off my coffee."

"Alright. I'll call and clean this up, and we'll get out of here."

"Okay, be right back!" Fran said, as she hurried up the back stairs to retrieve her purse. Max went to retrieve the phone to call for the driver to come get them.

They hopped out of the car into the brisk air, and dodged the melting piles of snow as they hurried into the doors of the department store. They were both smiling from ear to ear, happy to be together and out in public, ready to show each other off. Fran grabbed Max's hand and pulled him through the store until they got to the women's formal wear, then they began looking around at the mannequins on display, and at the designer names for something familiar. Fran was beaming, and Max noticed.

"You're in your element here, aren't you?" He smiled, squeezing her hand.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I don't get to dress like this often enough."

"Well, maybe now you can…" Fran turned to look at him and melted from the look in his eyes. She leaned in to him and kissed him on the lips.

"You're such a sweetie, you know?" She smiled.

They wandered around together, almost tag-teaming as they flipped through all of the fancy gowns on all of the racks. A saleswoman approached them as they appeared from behind another rack.

"May I help you find anything? Is there something in particular you are looking for?" The woman asked.

"Oh, hello! Well, possibly. But I'm not exactly sure I know what I'm looking for. We have a formal event next week, and I want something really nice. I'm open to different styles, but I think I might want something without any sleeves, with spaghetti straps or something like that. Oh, and we really want to be able to coordinate his new tuxedo with it, too, so no crazy patterns or anything. Something really classic, maybe shimmery."

"Oh, well, then- that would definitely be somewhere over here. Are there any colors you were looking for in particular?"

"Well," Fran thought a moment. "Golds and silvers, possibly. But even blues or reds might be alright. I think for this gown, I don't want a bright color. Maybe stick with that metallic look. But I'm still open to other ideas if the dress is really beautiful."

"Alright, then. Let me check a few racks over there, I may have seen some like that over there."

All three of them wandered through all of the dresses, pulling out possibilities and getting Fran's okay. When their arms were full, Fran and Max followed the saleswoman to the dressing rooms where she was shown to her own changing room, and Max was given a comfortable chair to wait for her as she tried on the first dress. Max took off his coat and sat down as the woman left them to it to attended to another customer. Max eagerly awaited Fran's reveal.

Fran slipped out of her dress and stepped into the first gown she had lined up on the rack in the dressing room. She had hung them up in oder of "fanciness" and started off with gowns she thought were taking a risk, with styles she wasn't sure about.

"Aw, Max, I'm not so sure about this first one," she called from behind the curtain.

"Do you have it on? May I see?" He asked, standing up from the chair. Fran pulled the curtain aside and came out to show Max.

"What do you think?" She turned from side to side, then in a circle in front of Max.

"Well, it's not bad, but I think you already own a lot of gowns that look much better than this does. I suppose I would say the flow of the skirt and the color are what would be a thumbs down for me. What about you? Why don't you like it?"

"Probably the same reasons. I picked it because it was silver, and the straps are kind of what I'm thinking I might want, but yeah, the skirt it too poofy, too much. Oh! Are you wearing your silver watch?" She asked.

"Yes…" She reached for his hand and pushed up his sleeve, then held it next to the dress.

"See the difference in that? I like the silver on your watch, but it's totally different than this silver," she waved the skirt back and forth.

"Oh, yes, I see. That dress is almost like- well, chrome."

"Yes! That's exactly it! So I may be dragging your wrist around to compare it to things, if I decide to go with that color. But I also don't want to look like I'm encased in silver. Do you have any expectations, or preferences, for what you want me to wear?"

"Well, I supposed I have preferences, sure. Your taste is very nice. I suppose it would just be a matter of considering the type of a party this is. That's why I don't want to wear my usual theater tuxedo, I think this needs to be at a higher level than that. I just don't know exactly how much higher. But that's what we're figuring out. And yes, I do like those straps, but how would they look if they were at a different placement? I mean, maybe a little further out?" Fran looked at herself in front of the full-length mirror, then tucked her thumbs under the front of the straps, moving them out towards her shoulders a little.

"Okay, yeah, I see what you mean. That does make a difference. Okay, this one goes in the 'no' pile, and I'm a bit closer to knowing what to look for. Let me go get the next one on!" She scurried back into the dressing room and pulled the curtain shut, and Max sat back down on the chair, then pulled up his sleeve and looked at his watch, turning his wrist around to look it over. It was a brushed silver finish, and he did agree that the look of it was pretty nice, but he didn't know how that would translate to a fancy gown.

Fran quickly slipped out of that gown, hung it up, and moved it to the side, then took the second one off it's hanger and put it on. She zipped it up as far as she could, then pulled the curtain aside and stepped out.

"Sweetie, can you get the zipper for me? This one's pretty snug."

"I'll say!" Max jumped up from his seat to help her. He zipped her up and then rested his hands on her hips as they both looked in the mirror.

"I'd have to stand still all night in this one! And I wouldn't be able to walk around much, either!"

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" Max said. "Though I do approve of the mermaid look, you do need to be able to move. And this one doesn't have straps."

"No, it doesn't. Yeah, I think I do want some skinny straps. What do you think about the color? Do I look too much like a female Oscar?" Max chuckled.

"It is very gold. The fit is very flattering, but I want you to be able to be comfortable, and I don't think it quite works for this party. Is this gold a similar issue like that chrome silver? It's a very dark gold, it seems."

Fran turned from one side to the other. "Yeah, super gold. So if I go metallic, it should be a little more subtle, maybe. Okay, next one! Oh, wait- sweetie- zipper?" She lifted up her hair and Max stepped back to her and unzipped the dress. "Thank you…"

"Anytime, darling! And I do mean that." He grinned at her as she turned around to face him.

"Well, well! I'll be sure to always ask you, even if I can reach my zipper just fine!" Max laughed softly as she went back into the dressing room and shut the curtain, then he looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone else around who heard that. He cleared his throat, then turned and walked around the chairs as she changed into the next gown. A few minutes later she stepped back and waved him over.

"Zipper?" He asked.

"Yes, please!" She grinned. He hurried over to her and zipped her up as she held her hair, then he kissed her on the shoulder. She turned around and kissed him softly on the lips. "What do you think?" He held her hands and stepped back from her.

"That's a pretty color on you, is this still a metallic thing, just blue?"

"Yes, a bit. I'm pretty certain I want something shimmery, but if I didn't go for silver or gold, then I wanted to try some colors and see how it looked. The only thing is, I'm thinking this might look better for a theater thing, or a regular party. Maybe a little underdressed for tuxedos?"

Max looked her over again. "Mmm… you might be right. And the size might be a little… big… on you…"

"Aw, you want me in a snug fit, don't you?" She grinned, then poked him in the stomach. He flinched and took hold of her hand.

"This one has wider straps on it, how do you think those look?"

"Eh- I suppose they're alright for this dress. So… it's a decent enough dress, the color is nice, but I would need the next size down, and it's not fancy enough for this shindig. Okay, unzip me and I'll get the next one on." Max obliged and she hurried back into the dressing room. He headed back to his chair and sat down. He could just barely see her heels moving back and forth below the curtain of the dressing room, and smiled to himself. He kind of wished they were back home, in the bedroom, and she was trying the gowns on in front of him, without a curtain.

"Have you thought about lunch, darling? Where you might like to go?" He called out.

"Someplace close, we can keep an eye out for a cafe or something. Someplace with salads."

"Alright, then."

Fran tried on the next couple of gowns, getting Max's opinion, finding various faults and not-quite-rights, until she was on her last gown.

"Okay, now, Max. I saved this one for last. Tell me if it's getting closer or not." She stepped out of the dressing room and posed for him with her hands on her hips.

"Yowza!" His eyes went wide. He got up and went to her to zip it up the rest of the way, then put his arms around her waist from behind as they both looked into the mirror. "I like it, one way or the other." Fran reached a hand up and patted his cheek.

"I like it a lot, too, but it still feels like it has something missing. Like a small thing to make it stand out. A bit of color or something?"

"Could you just add accessories or something? Maybe a shawl? What would look good with this gold and white color?"

"Probably a white shawl, or boa? I don't know if a boa is too much. But if we tried to coordinate outfits, I'm kind of thinking you wearing a gold vest or bow tie might not look so good. I mean, I don't want anybody mistaking you for Liberace or anything!" Max laughed and patted her hip, then turned her around to look at her directly.

"True. I do like how it fits you, though. And it would work for a theater opening, or a backer's party. If you like it, we can still get it, and keep looking at other places in case there's something else out there. You do look quite lovely in this one, darling."

Fran smiled and touched his cheek, then turned back around to look in the mirror. She walked around the chairs in her heels, and Max's eyes followed her. He smiled.

"So what do you think?" He asked.

"I think I like it. But yes, I do want to keep looking a bit more. Do you really like it?" Max looked her over again as she turned around for him. He nodded.

"I do." Fran looked in the mirror one more time, and ran her hands down the dress. She turned sideways towards Max and gave him a shy look.

"Could we?" She asked. He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Absolutely." She smiled from ear to ear and looked down over the dress.

"If I don't wear this to the party, you'll have to find something else for me to wear it to!"

"I most certainly will! Because you are incredibly beautiful in it!"

"Aw! Thank you! Well, I better change back into my dress so we can do some more shopping. We need to see if they have tuxedos here for you." Fran shut herself back in the dressing room to change, and Max went back to his chair to gather up his coat and scarf. The saleswoman came hurrying back to them.

"My apologies! First there were customers, then one phone call after another! So, how are you two faring over here?"

"I think she found something she likes," Max said.

"Splendid!" Fran stepped out of the dressing room holding the dress on its hanger. "Is this the one you like?" The woman asked.

"Yes, it's very pretty, and fits just right! The other gowns are still hanging in there."

"You can leave them there for now, we'll get them sorted out. Would you like me to get that in a dress bag for you? Was there anything else you wanted to look at?"

"Please, thank you. We might wander through some other departments, too. Max, should we pay for it now before we go look at other things?"

"Yes- we'll pay for it now, in case we can't find anything else. Oh, may I ask if you know if there are tuxedos in the Men's department?"

"Yes, there are. I'm afraid it's not an extensive collection, they mostly have designer suits over there, but it's a start at least. They have a number of different styles to choose from." She took the gown from Fran and Fran picked up her coat and purse from inside the dressing room and joined Max.

"Is it alright if we do that next? See what styles they have?" He asked Fran.

"Sure, let's do that. If you don't see what you want, we can move on to the next place."

"Alright."

They followed the woman out to the register where she hung the gown up and put it into a store-labeled dress bag, then Max paid with his credit card. Max took the gown and carried it for Fran as they headed, hand-in-hand to the Men's Department, where they found a small selection of tuxedos on a wall behind their larger selection of high end three piece suits.

"See anything that looks like what you wanted?" Fran asked him.

"Well, a lot of them are similar to what I have already. I'm not seeing any of the kind of vests I was thinking about, either." Max flipped through a few jackets hanging on a rack below a display, and just then a salesman came over to them.

"Hello! Is there anything I might help you with?"

"Yes, well, I was looking for a new tuxedo, but I'm not seeing the sort of style I had in mind. Are these all of the tuxedos you sell?"

"Yes, we don't specialize in tuxes, we don't move as many of those as we do the suits. But you know- and I'm only telling you this because I see you already bought something here…" he looked from side to side, making sure there were no other store employees nearby. "Have you looked at Saks yet?"

"Ah, no, but we were thinking of possibly going there."

"Well, they just put out an awful lot of new clothing for the summer season, and that includes the formal wear. And I do mean a lot. Now, if you both are looking for things- if you head back to the Men's Formal when you go in there, it joins up to the Women's Formal, and both departments are substantial. And ma'am, you must have a look at the new gowns they have near the men's tuxedos. I'm telling you, they are fantastic! Hopefully they haven't sold out of it all yet, but I expect this unexpected snow may have kept a few shoppers at home.

Fran's eyes were wide and she tugged on Max's arm.

"Would you like to run over there and see? Before it might all be gone?" Max asked her. He already knew the answer.

"You know it! And we should be able to get lunch over there, too. You want to take a chance?"

"Sure, let's do it." He turned back to the salesman. "And thank you for letting us know about that. We've got an important event coming up and we want to have the right look."

"Oh, you're very welcome. I love my job here, but I also love shopping, myself. I hope you find what you're looking for!" He and Max shook hands.

Max and Fran began heading out of the department store and Max stopped her.

"Darling, let me hold your purse a moment so you can get your coat on, then I'll have you hold things so I can do the same."

"Okay, sweetie. Here-" she handed him her purse and then put on her coat and scarf and buttoned herself up. Max handed her purse back and then draped her dress over her arms, then put on his own coat and scarf. He took the dress back from Fran and hung it over his shoulder.

"Off to Saks!" He smiled, and offered his arm to Fran, who took it enthusiastically, and they hurried out the doors to the street.

"Hel-lo!" Fran exclaimed, as they approached all of the formal wear in Saks Fifth Avenue.

"Oh my goodness!" Max gasped. "He wasn't kidding, was he?" Fran pulled him towards the tuxedos and they both wandered through, looking for something that stood out.

"They have some vests, Max. Oh, and waistcoats! Is this what you were thinking?" Fran pulled a waistcoat off of a rack and held it up for Max to see.

"Yes- yes, that's the idea I had. That way it's not showing too high up the chest. Let me see if there's the sort of tux I was thinking of."

"Now what kind of lapel and shirt collar were you thinking of?" Fran asked, reaching for his hand again.

"Well, I already have a notched lapel. If you see a shawl style that looks nice, let me know. But the shirt collar- I'm not exactly sure. That might depend on what kind of a tie I wear. I'm open to not doing a traditional bow tie. Oh- and no stripe on the trousers. I'm not a big fan of that."

"Okay, good to know. Let's start by eliminating some things, that might be easier. You sure you don't want tails? Because if you have a nice waistcoat, it might look really nice to have an open jacket."

"Oh, yes. It might. Especially if it looks good with your gown. We can consider it. But even with a single breasted jacket, I'd only want one button, so it could be left open. Oh, Fran, what about one of those crossover ties? I don't have one of those. Would that be formal enough?"

"It could be, if it isn't too big. Maybe with a regular tuxedo shirt collar, so you can see more of it. But we can see what we can find."

They spent a good while going through every type of tuxedo they could find, taking them off the rack, putting them back, comparing them side by side. Fran went through all of the waistcoats and ties, until they began to narrow down what Max liked, but still couldn't settle on something.

"Darling, I really think we may need to peg down what you're wearing to this thing. I think that will be the only way to know what kind of tuxedo will look nice with it. I do see some jackets here that could be close, but we couldn't put anything with it until yours is certain. Do you want to take a break with tuxedos and have a look at those gowns over there?"

"Are you sure? Because you know you don't have to twist my arm!" They both laughed, and Max let her lead him over to the Women's Formal area next to the Men's, and she began fondling her way through the racks of fancy gowns.

"So, did you decide to go with something silvery if you can find it?" He asked, as he watched her flip through each one.

"Possibly. We can focus on that and see what we can find."

Max wandered around nearby to see if he could see anything with a silver shimmer, then stopped in his tracks as he saw across the room three mannequins up high, all posed in glamorous, shimmery metallic gowns, feather boas, and ornamentation on their heads. He looked down below the display to see a full, long rack of similar gowns. Spaghetti straps, snug fitting, flared below the knees… was that what she was looking for? He took a few steps over to look around the other racks of clothing that blocked his view.

"Um, darling…?" He called over to her.

"Yep?" She continued looking through the rack in front of her.

"Darling- do you see what I see?" Fran looked up at him to see what he was looking at, then turned around to see the display of mannequins. "Look down below, on that long rack." Fran walked over to where he was standing and looked over to see the vast wall of shimmer.

"Oh!" She sucked in her breath, grabbed his hand, and tugged him over to the rack of gowns. She didn't know where to start. "Oh! Max! They're gorgeous! Where's my size?! Where's my size?!" She grabbed at the hangers to try to find a marking for sizes, and worked her way down to the smaller sized gowns. "Oh, Max! Come look at these! They're so pretty!"

Max grinned at her enthusiasm and stepped over to her.

"I do like that shimmer, it's not like chrome at all. Hey, here- look at my watch, is it similar?" He reached his arm out towards her and she grabbed it and pushed his sleeve up, then put his watch up against the dresses.

"Oh, look! It is that same kind of silvery look! Oh, and look, Max, these gowns have a slit down low, each one has a different color there." She pulled the bottom of a gown up for them to look at. "That's a blue. A light blue going a long the slit. Oh, there's a red one, and is that purple?" She took the purple slitted gown off of the rack and held it out in front of her.

"Oh, wow!" Max blurted out. Fran looked over at him and smiled.

"It's like a lavender. It follows around the slit, then look- there's a bit up at the chest, too. It's almost subtle, but that's so pretty!"

"It really is! Is that similar to that mannequin on the left up there? Would it fit like that?" Fran looked back up at the display.

"Well, the boa is in the way, but I think it could be. Look at the bottom of it. Oh, I like how it flares out like that, and with that slit I wouldn't have any issues walking in it. Oh, Max! Can I try one on?"

"Of course, dear! I want to see what it looks like on you, too! Is that the right size?" Fran looked at the tag and then held it up to her.

"It should be. Now where is the dressing room?" They both looked around until they saw it, then headed over, and Fran approached the attendant.

"Hello, did you find something you'd like to try on? I can get you in right over here, ma'am." The woman led Fran over to an empty dressing room.

"Oh, Max, can you hold my coat? Here, grab this chair here and sit down for a bit. You've been hauling that dress all this time!" She made Max sit down in a chair and he draped the dress bag over his lap, then took her coat and scarf from her. She hurried into the dressing room to try on the gown they were both excited about.

Fran hung the gown up on the hook, then sat down on the bench to take off her heels. She didn't want to take a chance that she might snag the gown if she kept her heels on. She got up and got her dress unzipped, then took it off and hung it on another hook, then gently unzipped the gorgeous gown and took it off its hanger. She stepped into it and pulled it on, hiked the straps over her shoulders, then reached back and zipped the back up as far as she could. She looked at herself in the smaller mirror in the dressing room and liked what she saw so far, so she sat down and put her heels back on, then got up to see if the dress might be too long. It was perfect.

Max wasn't the only man waiting in the chairs outside the dressing rooms. There were two others, one about his age, and another older man, who looked like he'd done this many times before. He seemed to be having a hard time keeping his eyes open and not falling asleep. They all had laps full with shopping bags and purses and coats.

Fran stepped out of her dressing room and one of the assistants came over to her and offered to zip her up the rest of the way, then she came around the corner to show Max the gown. He didn't see her at first, then all at once, all three men's heads snapped to attention and watched her walk out. Max's mouth hung open for a moment.

"Oh, Fran!" He scrambled with everything in his lap, trying to move it all so he could get up from the chair. "Oh, darling! You look absolutely ravishing!" He reached for her hands and looked her over. "It's beautiful! You look incredible!"

"Really? Do you think so?" They walked together to the wall of mirrors and she turned back and forth in front of it, admiring the gown and how it made her look. Max was still looking her over, wide-eyed, and the two other men couldn't look away, either.

"How does it feel? Can you move around. Is it comfortable?" He asked quietly.

"It has a little stretch to it, it feels wonderful! I can walk just fine, and bend. And it still hugs me tight, it looks tighter than it feels. What do you think?"

"Whether you wear it to the party or not, I'm getting it for you! And I hope you wear it to the party. That is, if you like it…" She reached for his hand and wrapped it around her as she looked back to the mirror. It was gorgeous. It was perfect. She looked at Max's reflection and how he was smiling at her.

"But you haven't even seen the price yet, Max!"

"I don't care what it costs, sweetheart. It's yours. It looks like it was made for you."

Fran's heart was pounding and racing. It really was perfect. "Well, if you're absolutely sure- then yes, I really like it. I like it a lot. But I don't think I have anything with this lavender color on it, and I don't know what heels to wear with it, and-" Max stopped her.

"Darling- we're still shopping. We'll find whatever you need! And now, we can find me a tuxedo, too! We can see if we can add a bit of that lavender to my outfit. What do you think about that?" She turned to him, and tugged on his jacket, then nodded.

"I think that would be wonderful!" They suddenly realized that not only were the two men still looking at her, but the other attendants and staff were oohing and ahhing at her, too. She blushed a little and turned around, walking back towards the chair with Max. "Um, okay, last look at the dress, Max, and I'll go change real quick." Max looked her over approvingly, then she turned to hurry back to her dressing room. The attendant bounced over to her to help get her zipper started.

"That looks so fantastic on you!" She said to Fran.

"Thank you! It's a beautiful gown!" She stepped in, shut the door and locked it, then began to change back into her own dress.

Max was still beaming after she was out of view, then he turned to the side and saw the other two men looking enviously at him. He scratched the side of his head nervously and gave a small laugh.

"That's my girlfriend!" The two men smiled, and Max paced awkwardly in front of the chair, waiting for her to come back.