While the boys adjusted to time on the west coast, in Manhattan's Grammercy Park Alexis was setting out the last of the Meredeth-made snacks with a slightly melancholy sigh.

'Hey, Lex, what's with the sad face?' Sloan asked as she mixed up a batch of her special secret-recipe girls-night shooters. 'Tonight is about tonnes of fun and naughtiness for the bride.'

'I know, it just feels a little wrong to have Meredeth's food here without Meredeth. She'd make some naughty joke about whipped cream or cucumbers or smoked sausage.'

'It was Lindsay's decision to make, girl, you know that. And you didn't ask Meredeth to cater part one of the weekend, she volunteered her culinary services. You know that too and she'll remind you of that when we see the rest of our posse tomorrow morning.'

'I do.'

Alexis felt a little better hearing that from someone else as she thought about Lindsay's decision. She'd said that despite all the progress regular had given her, Lindsay was still hesitant about sharing a lot of her sex life with these women, that despite the liquor and celebratory purpose of the weekend, these naturally astute observers of human nature would see her as overcompensating for her rape when she bragged about her sex life with Adam. Alexis knew nothing could be further from the truth and they'd all told her that, but Meredeth, Andrea and Lanie, having had their own ups and downs about their bodies, had understood her insecurity perfectly. So they'd agreed the first night, the at-home party night of a bachelorette weekend Twelfth-Precinct style, would be just for the wedding party: Lanie, the honorary mother of the bride, Alexis the maid of honour, and Andrea and Sloan the bridesmaids would be the only guests along with the bride herself.

Rather than grind on the traditional big circle of women being downsized, Alexis instead focused on what was truly important - Lindsay had not only worked through the issues of her rape but had found a wonderful man who accepted all of her and loved her for exactly the person she was, just as Lindsay loved Adam with all his shadows too. It hadn't been Alexis' original intention to set them up at all; they'd each been invited separately to Thanksgiving at her parents' house and had gravitated towards each other. Two days later on Saturday night, Adam had picked Lindsay up from to go for a bite to eat; when the door closed behind them Alexis had done a victory dance worthy of a Superbowl-winning touch-down.

They'd taken it slow - some might have called it prudish, but Alexis knew better than anyone how much growth it showed in Lindsay that she could have Adam hold her and kiss her and not flinch away in fear or disgust. Once they'd achieved the level of intimacy it usually took most couples two weeks to achieve Lindsay hadn't shied away or overcompensated, she'd just fallen in love and accepted Adam. Now they were getting married and though everyone was thrilled for them, Alexis and Lindsay both knew that Alexis was the happiest of them all about it.

The door buzzer went off, echoing in Alexis' mind like a gong, and she went to the intercom to let in the party-goers. She turned back to Sloan, saw her pouring the bright red concoction into recycle-plastic shot glasses. 'What exactly is in that mix, Sloan?'

'You think after fifteen years of being friends I'm going to give away my secrets?' Sloan replied with a wink, dipped her finger into a shot to sample a taste. 'Mmm, yummy. That's gonna put us on our asses for sure.'

Alexis laughed, opened the for Andrea and Lanie who each came in with bags of treats in hand. 'Hello maid of honour,' Lanie sang sunnily.

'Hello mother-of-the-bride,' she replied, kissing her friends' cheeks.

'Hey girls!' Sloan held up bottles of chilled beer in one hand, a pitcher of mai-tais in the other. 'What are you drinking, fruity drinks or wobbly-pops?'

'Mai-tai for me,' Lanie said, with Andrea adding 'Beer for me, fruity stuff later.'

'What's all this?' Alexis pointed to the bags they carried.

'Toys for tonight. Where's the lady of the weekend?'

'Just texted about ten minutes ago, she was just getting to the subway.'

'Huzzah.' Lanie took her tote bag over to the living room, pulled out her well-loved copy of 101 Naughty Questions For Every Blushing Bride. 'You think she'll be comfortable with this?'

'Oh yeah, it's not that she doesn't like to talk about her sex life with Adam,' Alexis reassured her, 'it's that she doesn't like to share with a lot of people all at once.'

'Understandable,' Andrea said as she mulled over the selection of treats on the table. They would be ordering pizza or something else equally junky later, but for now they had spinach and cheese puffs, crudites, fresh fruit and a little cheese tray with toasted pitas. She decided a little taste of everything was the best way to go, and topped up a plate of healthy snacks with emphasis on carrots, strawberries and Swiss cheese. 'I know when we had that girls' night after I found out I was growing Nessa I was feeling very vulnerable and out of my comfort zone.'

'I remember,' Alexis said with a smile. 'But you still did it and look where you are now. That's what Lindsay is working towards too and she'll be there soon. This kind of night will help her get there, as will the entertainment for tonight.'

There was another buzz of the door and all the girls squealed in delight when they heard Lindsay's voice through the intercom; when the bride arrived five minutes later, they were all cheering as she opened the door.

'Happy wedding!' they all chorused and Lindsay grinned; she'd showered and changed at the hospital into her at-home party clothes so when she arrived she wouldn't have to waste time with the triteness of changing at her best friend's home.

'Here we go darling.' Alexis popped a silly crown of silk flowers on Lindsay's head in lieu of a tiara to fit with the island theme of the wedding. 'Pretty as a hula dancer. You want a drink?'

'Not yet, not yet, not yet,' Andrea chanted and looped the satin 'Bride' sash around Lindsay's body. 'Okay, now a drink.'

Like magic Sloan appeared with a tray of shots filled with her bright red secret-recipe concoction, passed around the plastic cups. 'Here we are, everyone gets one.'

'To Lindsay,' Alexis said, raising her glass. 'A true to life Cinderella if there ever was one.'

'True say,' Lanie agreed; the girls tapped their glasses together and tossed back liquor. 'Sweet zombie Je-sus Sloan, what the fuck did you give us?'

'Fun stuff,' Sloan replied, then looped her arm around Lindsay's waist to take her over to the living room. 'Sit, sit. Alexis get our guest of honour a drink. Lanie, Andrea, bring the snacks over.'

'No, we'll bring plates over here. Giselle is going to be here in-' Andrea looked at her watch '-about forty-five minutes.'

'Giselle?' Lindsay looked around at her bridal party. 'Who or what is a Giselle? Not Giselle Bundchen, Sloan, I know you work with some pretty sexy famous people.'

'No, no,' she laughed; ever since Millicent Berry had shown up to take purchase of Andrea's Real Live Women auction portrait, the girls started to think they'd get the chance to meet more stars working with their friend the star photographer. 'Giselle Thewlis, she's a fantasia girl.'

'A stripper?' Lindsay asked, completely confused. 'I thought strippers were tomorrow night.'

'No, sweetie.' Lanie smiled and hoped it didn't come off patronizing; it wasn't often that Lindsay's slightly sheltered church upbringing showed through, and even after eight years of university that there were still some things she was innocent about made her feel she was filling that mother of the bride role quite well. 'Giselle sells fantasia products.'

'What are those?'

'Like edible panties, massage oils, decks of cards with Kama Sutra positions, vibrators and other pleasure devices.'

'Oh!' Lindsay's cheeks turned a little red and she sipped the beer Alexis brought her. 'I've been to those kinds of parties before, I just haven't heard them called that. I always heard them as passion parties with our hostess-slash-seller being called Matahari.'

She took another sip of beer, then broke into a feline smile. 'I bet Adam would like some edible panties for when we are at the nude beach resort.'

'Nude beach resort?' Alexis sat down beside Lanie, leaned forward along with Sloan and Andrea in anticipation. 'Tell us more.'