"I'm sorry." Robin shifted a screaming Nathan to her other shoulder. "Were you thinking off the shoulder maybe?" she asked, trying to silence her child while paying attention to her friend.

"Maybe." Elizabeth reached out and patted Nathan's head and pushed the stroller with Gracie and Jake further into the store. "I think my game plan is finding something before all three start screaming."

"I really am sorry about this. Patrick was going to watch him, but the baby came down with a cold last night and I was not leaving him with his father. I don't care how much 'experience' he has."

"It's ok. And after hearing how he freaks out if Gracie cries a little, I don't blame you."

"Not that she cries around him now that you and Lucky are home." Robin chuckled. "Nathan, honey, it's okay. It really is."

"I promise Nathan, the sooner you let us get this last little detail done, the sooner you can go home and annoy Daddy." Elizabeth cooed at him.

"He's just trying to get out of dress shopping." Robin declared, holding him out in front of her and balancing his chubby little body on her outstretched arms. Startled, he went silent. "It's all about the eye contact."

"Who says Lucky has the only secret weapon?" Elizabeth laughed as she ran her hands through the racks of silk and satin, hoping for something to jump out at her. "I shouldn't have left this so late."

"It's my fault. I've been distracted lately."

"No. It's no one's fault. So much has been going on, I kept pushing this back."

"Well that's what we're trying to remedy and we aren't leaving without a dress." Robin promised, moving Nathan back to her shoulder so he could rest.

"Unless the kids get cranky and then we'll just come back another day."

"We don't have to worry about that." Robin pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and played a familiar tune for her friend. "I recorded a bit of the tape you gave me."

"I knew there was a reason I liked you." Elizabeth laughed as she spotted a gown that looked to be about ninety percent tulle. "Alright, no looking like a rejected Cinderella."

"Right. Remind me to pick up some glass slippers for you."

"Don't give Lucky any ideas."

"Sweetie, he gave me the idea."

"See I knew he was lying about wanting no input on the plans." Elizabeth pushed back a skin-tight, curve hugging number with a neckline that would scandalize every person attending. "Nothing that looks like it was rejected from a music video for being too slutty."

"No wardrobe malfunctions, check."

"At the same time, I don't want too plain." Elizabeth sighed. "I am big pain about this."

"I wouldn't put you in a plain dress." Robin promised. "This is your wedding. You're supposed to be choosy."

"Alright. I have a game plan. We'll each choose five dresses and I'll try all of them on. If they all suck, we'll choose five more."

"That's the best plan you've ever had." Robin carefully placed Nathan in his harness and went in search of a few dresses, pushing the stroller so that Elizabeth would have a chance to look without focusing on the twins' every yawn.

Still not sure of exactly what she wanted Elizabeth decided about what exactly she didn't want. The quickest way was to pick one from each style she saw, that way if she hated how one style looked, she could at least eliminate that much. It wasn't much of a plan but it was better than nothing. Pulling the gowns carefully off the rack, she made her way back towards the fitting room the attendant had already set aside for her.

Robin met her there with all the dresses she could carry and a few thrown across the top of the stroller. "Which do you want to try on first?"

Picking the top one off of Robin's pile, Elizabeth smiled. "I'll try this one so at least you can see what I look like."

"Okay."

Elizabeth disappeared behind the door and tried to change as quickly as possible. The twins and Nathan were behaving now, but there was no telling when that would end. Pulling the mermaid style creation of satin and lace over her hips, she eyed her reflection critically. "I don't know about this one."

"Let me see it."

Opening the door, Elizabeth put her hand on her hip. "I think I look like Ariel in the Little Mermaid."

"Yeah, um, how about this one?" Robin held up a different style of dress. "No scales."

"It's an improvement already." Elizabeth took the gown from Robin's hand. "So tell me," she called through the closed door. "How's Morgan recovering from surgery?"

"If he's been tired, he hasn't shown it. He was begging to stay at the party after everyone left so he could practice his shooting."

"Well he is better than Patrick already." Elizabeth agreed. Opening the door she sighed. "Alright verdict?"

"I think Mariah Carey is crying somewhere in the world that you stole her dress."

"That is a very polite way of saying way too tight and too short. Next."

"I think this one brings out your eyes. See how it twinkles?"

"We shall see." Elizabeth took the dress from Robin's hand and closed the door again. "So how many different excuses did Patrick come up with for losing the basketball game? At last count, Lucky had thirteen."

"Same. He started squinting this morning and saying he needs to have his eyes checked. I made an age joke and that was the end of it."

Elizabeth sucked in her breath as she caught sight of her reflection. "Robin?"

"What is it? Do I need to come in there?"

"No. I think this might be the one."

"Let me see! Let me see!"

Elizabeth opened the door and stepped out, twirling a little. "Well?"

"You look like a princess." Robin admired.

"Then I think we have a dress."

*****

He hadn't bothered to change out of his scrubs. It had been a long day at the hospital. Ric wasn't the lowest man on the totem pole, but he was no longer the head of the department. There was no office to hide in and even less free time than he had before. He had barely had time to think today, much less consider changing out of the blue scrubs he had thrown on this morning. All he wanted to do was go home, hopefully get Maxie to come by the apartment, and fall asleep.

The first sign he had that things were different than he left before was the fact he couldn't open the front door. Well he could, but it required shoving. "What the hell?" Ric muttered under his breath as he pushed past the box, only to see more boxes spread out all over the living room floor.

And as if she had read his mind, Maxie lay there in the middle of all them, surrounded by candles. She was either asleep or approaching it. Stepping through the maze of cardboard carefully, Ric knelt down in front of her. "Hey Maxie. Maxie."

"She's sleeping." Maxie whispered.

"But it would so much more fun if you were awake."

"Sleepy."

"I'll make it worth it."

"Where have you been?" she asked, opening her eyes.

"It's called work. The better question is when did you get here?"

"What time is it?"

Ric glanced down at his watch. "Around seven."

"We got the rest of the boxes in around five and I made dinner, but it's cold now." Maxie pouted as the realization hit her.

"We can heat it up." Ric promised her, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"How was your day?" She yawned and sat up.

"Busy. Long. I won't bore you with all the details. How was yours?"

"Georgie told me I'm going to be an aunt." Maxie beamed.

"Really? That's wonderful news. We should celebrate."

"I forgot about the candles." Maxie grumbled, moving to blow them out.

"Don't." Ric put out his hand to stop her. "You look beautiful in candlelight."

"Just in candlelight?"

"You know you look beautiful in any light." Ric smiled moving closer to her.

"So do you." Maxie leaned back so that his hands wrapped around her.

"If we are going to live together, I may have to make a few requests." Ric whispered.

"Requests?"

"Just a few ideas I have."

"I have a few of my own. You go first."

"I think we should outlaw TV in the bedroom. We can have other ways to entertain ourselves there."

"Is that all?"

"I was waiting for your ideas."

"I only really have one." Maxie promised, spinning around so that they were facing one another.

"Tell me."

"You have to promise to come home in scrubs every night." She followed his waistband with her thumbs.

"That can be arranged."

When he pulled her in for a kiss, she turned her face into his chest. "I'm sorry."

"What about?"

"This is difficult for me. I don't know why, but it is."

"There's no timetable here." Ric promised her. "You live here now. We have all the time in the world."

"You've been so wonderful." Maxie muttered into his shoulder.

"Not always." Ric pointed out.

"Since you came here you have been. My God, you moved here to be with me." Maxie glanced down at her hands.

"I told you. You are important to me." Ric put his finger under her chin, pushing it up to look in her eyes. "You know that right?"

"I know that."

"Then that's enough for now." He kissed the top of her forehead.

"It's not that I don't want to."

"I get it. Besides half the fun with you is the build up."

"Would you mind if we just went to sleep?"

"The bed isn't hidden under a ton of boxes is it?"

"You laugh now. Tomorrow we get to take everything out of the boxes."

"Which translates to I take it out and you boss me around right?"

"You're learning." Maxie patted his cheek.

"Didn't make it through medical school just on my good looks." Ric stood up and offered up his hand to Maxie. "Come on, let's go to bed."