"Care to share a drink of almost certain defeat?" John asked.

"Um.. no.. thanks, John. I'm tired and emotionally spent. Think I'll just go on home and take a hot bath." Ally said.

"Ally, he's not a bad guy, you know."

She looked at John in surrender, "Yeah, I know."

As Ally approached her apartment she realized that she'd been hoping to find Larry waiting for her. He wasn't, and her disappointment was overwhelming.

Depressed, she let herself in, closed and locked the door. As she turned, she saw a hand appear from around the corner, holding a bowl of ice cream. Then, another hand emerged holding a pitcher of hot fudge. She heard Larry's voice, "I come bearing ammunition," he said coming into full view. Ally had to stifle a laugh. Larry was wearing a raincoat and rain hat, and had a towel wrapped around his neck. "There's whipped cream and nuts on the counter, too," he added, "if you really feel the urge."

"Larry, wha .. how di .. wh ..."

"Oh, Renee let me in, before she left ... uh, she had a dinner date." He placed the ice cream and hot fudge on the counter (still not convinced she wouldn't take advantage of it, but shedding his rain gear anyway.)

It took her several seconds to get her breath. "What are you doing here, Larry?"

"I told you ... I need you in my life."

"Meaning?"

Larry walked over to her and stood so close that his lips were touching her hair. "Meaning, I love you. No one can follow you," he whispered, "you're IT."

Ally backed away and stared at him, open-mouthed. Suddenly, she became furious, "You love me? You LOVE me?!" Angrily, she started opening and slamming the refrigerator and cupboard doors. "You've put me through hell for months and made me feel like I wanted to die because you LOVE me?! Why should I believe anything you say!"

"BECAUSE," he was yelling now, "I LOVE YOU! I NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU."

Ally began pulling at her mouth nervously, "No, Larry, I don't want to hear it. I can't do this again." She was trembling, "It's too bad you didn't have that breakthrough before you walked away the second time - with just a note!! You threw us away! I'm sorry, Larry, I can't let you back into my life just so you can decide to leave again anytime the mood strikes you. My heart's not that strong. I'm not getting back up to the plate, Larry, because, you know, it's three strikes and you're out - get it? Out! And, that's exactly where I want you - out of my life."

"Don't you think that thought terrified me, too?" Larry yelled. "Already being a two-time loser, afraid of that third strikeout, and being out of the game forever? I told you once I was still capable of making mistakes, but that walking away from you wasn't one of them. Well, I let my fear of failure cause me to walk away and make the biggest mistake of my life! Ally, you're not the ONLY one who's been paying for my stupidity! The past six months have been the worst of my life."

"GOOD!" Ally screamed at him, now aimlessly opening and slamming cupboard drawers.

"Ally," Larry began and tried to take hold of her hands but she pulled away. "I admit I was scared .. of the unknown. I was headed into unchartered waters and it terrified me. For the first time in my life, with you, I could actually see forever. But, the reason I left was because you told me you didn't trust me and broke up with me ... and, because I didn't trust myself not to fail you." His voice broke and he had to stop.

"Larry, don't .. "

"I'm only beginning to understand it myself, Ally," he continued hoarsely. "Maybe I've grown up. All I know is that I've been miserable without you. I told you before that when you go without love long enough you realize it's everything. But, that wasn't completely true. Love's not just everything, it's the only thing. And I've ... we've ... both been without it long enough!"

"Um, um, no, no ...." She was shaking her head from side to side, uncontrollably.

"Ally.." Larry began ...

"No, Larry," she said, "I'm not going to let you suck me in again. For months it's been all I could do just to get up every morning and try to make it through each day. But, you know what? You know what? I can get through a whole day now without thinking about you! (God, she thought, I'm such a liar.) I'm getting stronger, but I'm not strong enough to go through this again. Next time, I wouldn't make it."

Not wanting him to see her cry, she fought back the tears. "Just go. You're gonna leave anyway, so just leave. Go back to Detroit - or go to the DEVIL for all I care."

Without warning, he reached out and pulled her to him roughly. His mouth covered hers and, in spite of herself, she responded. He was kissing her eyes, her face, her neck, her lips, and she was kissing him back.

"And now you're all I want to see
You've come to mean so much to me..."

Ally found herself struggling to pull off his shirt. He helped her. Larry lifted her skirt, caressing the inside of her thighs, maneuvering his hand until he found his target. Ally groaned in ecstacy as she unzipped his pants and began stroking him gently, and then with pleading. Larry picked her up and her legs locked around him. Their lips never parted as he guided them into the bedroom. Quickly, they shed the rest of their clothes as their bodies began moving in rhythm together. Larry's eyes were ablaze with desire and Ally's body ached with wanting him. He pulled them both down onto the bed and with tenderness and urgency he entered her. They came together with such intensity that neither could believe what had just happened.

After six months, once was not enough. Ally couldn't let him go, and Larry wouldn't let go of her. He nibbled her ear and Ally boldly rolled on top of him. Her mouth caressed his chest while her hands touched him everywhere. She wanted to turn herself inside out just to be closer to him. Larry buried his hands in her hair and after several minutes, he lifted her face to kiss her. Gently, he laid her down. He caressed and kissed her all over, exploring every part of her body with his mouth, tongue, fingers. And, unbelievably, their bodies once again connected.

They lay curled up together, realizing that for a little while they had been the only two people in the world.

Ally said, "You do know .. it's only 7:30 and Renee could've walked in on us while we were...."

"I know," he admitted.

"You don't care?"

He turned to her with a dopey look on his face and said, "Nope."

Ally smiled, "You're a nut."

He nodded, "And, you told me once that was a good thing."

Ally rested her head on his shoulder and his nose blazed trails through her hair.

"And I'll be dreaming of the future,
and hoping you'll be by my side.
and in the morning,
I'll be longing for the night, for the night.

You're the only one I can't forget
Baby you're the best I've ever met."

"I wrote you another song." He said.

"You did?" Ally questioned innocently.

"Hmm," Larry confessed, "it was a way of keeping you close to me."

As he cradled her in his arms, Ally began to cry. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" His lips brushed her cheek and he wanted fiercely to protect her from the world.

"We're like two trains, Larry, on the same course but different tracks. It's like there's a conductor somewhere, watching us, waiting to throw a switch just before we reach our final destination - sending you in one direction and me in another." Ally's tears fell on Larry's hand. "Tomorrow you'll be gone again and .. ."

Larry sat up. He brought his finger to Ally's lips to silence her and then wiped away her tears. His eyes spoke to her heart and his words were slow and deliberate, "Or .. I could stay," he said. Then, clearing his throat, he nervously whispered, "and, if you're not afraid to take a chance on a two-time loser ... you could ... marry me."

"Wh-what did you say?" Ally asked incredulously.

"I said marry me," Larry repeated softly. Then suddenly he started to laugh. "You'll never believe it but I agonized for two whole days trying to propose to you before I left for Detroit - and all the time it was this damn simple."

"You want .. wanted .. to m-m-marry me?" Ally stammered. "You were trying to propose when I thought you wanted to leave? How could this happen?"

"Coretta tried to help me and thought it would be romantic if you found the ring in a dessert. But, at dinner the waiter delivered your dessert to the wrong table. Then, when I was attempting to find out from my ex-wife how I'd failed her so that I wouldn't make the same mistakes with you, you saw us and jumped to conclusions, and I ended up looking like an ice cream sundae. But, I think it was when you told me that you didn't trust me and broke up with me that I knew the marriage gods were sending me a message - telling me that you'd be better off without me. I talked myself into believing that I wouldn't be able to make you happy. I never considered the possibility that I wouldn't fail. So, I left, and I've been trying ever since to convince myself that you would find someone more deserving who could make you happy."

Ally pulled away and her eyes explored every inch of Larry's face, from the crease between his brows, and his beautiful, soulful eyes, to the laugh lines around his mouth (... his, oh .. so .. sensuous mouth), "Larry?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up and kiss me."

"Done."

Larry took her face in his hands and their lips met tenderly. A shock went through her as his tongue sought and connected with hers. They shared a gentle, yet passionate kiss.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she vowed to him softly, "I could never be happy with anyone else."

Larry jumped up, completely naked, "Let's get married tomorrow," he said excitedly. Then he stopped, looked at Ally apprehensively and, pointing his finger, asked, "Uh...did you say yes?"

Ally smiled widely and nodded her head vigorously.

"Then, you'll marry me?"

"In a second," she promised. "Oh, but, Larry, I can't get married without my parents, they'd never forgive me."

He thought for a minute and then said, "All right. How about we call your folks and have them meet us at the courthouse tomorrow at 1:00. If we play our cards right, we can have Judge Walsh marry us before his 1:30 calendar starts. Okay?"

He saw the look of apprehension on her face, "What?" he asked.

"Larry, what about Sam? How is it going to be different this time. Being away from your son is what's caused all your pain in the past."

"I know," he acknowledged. "But, after I finally convinced Jamie that there was no way in hell she and I were getting back together, she gave up and agreed to work out a reasonable residential schedule. It's only a two hour plane ride from Detroit and Sammy can fly out on weekends, at spring break, Christmas, and during the summers ...uh .. if that's all right with you ... is it?"

"All right? It's terrific." She grinned. They called her mom and dad, and then Larry called Sam. "That's right, buddy," he said, "you're gonna be my best man!"

After hanging up the phone, Ally said, "My god, Larry, do you realize that this might never have happened if you hadn't been hired to represent that sperm bank?"

He said earnestly, "Ally, I loved you before we even met. And, it didn't take long being without you for me to realize that I'm gonna love you all my tomorrows." Then, bashfully, he added, "I knew I had to do something. Why do you think I agreed to take such a stupid case in the first place?"

"Hmm?" she asked.

"It gave me a reason to come to Boston, knowing you'd be forced to talk to me."

"You had this all planned?" she asked.

"Yep. Um .. with some help from Richard."

"Richard?!"

"Yep."

She turned to him till their noses were touching, "Wow, this has been an incredible year."

"Why," he faked surprise, "anything happen?"

Ally hit him playfully across the arm and he gave her a look so sexy it curled her toes.

"Mr. Larry, what've you got on your mind?"

He laughed, "Thirds!"

They made love again, slowly, deliberately, driving each other just to the brink, then back, over and over again until neither of them could stand it anymore. Afterward, they slept wrapped tightly in each other's arms.

The next morning, Larry was rushing around getting exactly nothing accomplished. "I'll see you in court," he said, "right now, I've got to stop by Coretta's ... ah .. my, I guess it's still mine ... um .. our .. office and .. um .. pick up something .. ."

Ally was laughing, "Our office. I love the sound of that! Hey, you'd better slow down or you'll have a heart attack. I don't want to be a widow before I'm even married. What would you call someone like that anyway?" she wondered.

"Dead and extremely unlucky, in that order." Larry said. He kissed her. "Gotta go."

As Larry started for the door, Ally said, "Um, Larry?"

"Hmm?" he grinned, "Sorry, madam, but we can't go on meeting like this. I'm getting married today!"

"Then, it'd probably be good if you put your pants on," Ally said, her eyes indicating that he was completely naked from the waist down.

"Oops," he said and smiled that little sexy half smile that drove Ally crazy. As he pulled on his pants and socks, he kept leaning in to kiss her. He started to go and turned back to kiss her again.

Ally laughed, "What are you doing?"

After stealing another kiss, he said, "I don't wanna go, I'll miss you."

Ally smiled, "You're gonna see me in court in an hour."

"Yeah," Larry replied, "but, after all this time, even one hour's too long to be missing you."

Ally grinned as she pushed him toward the door. From the doorway Larry turned, his eyes full of hope and promise, and said, "I'll be back."

Ally giggled and hugged herself, "I know you will, Baby," she said. And, they shared a look of intense understanding before Larry closed the door.

A second later, he popped his head back in briefly and said, "If I forgot to tell you .. I love you, Ally McBeal."

Ally's eyes filled with love as she looked at this sweet, sexy, passionate, and exciting man that was about to become her husband. (Oh, my god, I'm getting married!!!) She looked upward and said, "Thank you, God."

And, remembering, she looked back up and added, smiling, "Billy, you lied to me, you gave God my message after all. Love you."

Larry was tearing the office apart in desperation. "Larry," Coretta said, "Take it easy."

"Coretta, I can't! I know I left the ring in the safe, and now it's gone. What the hell am I gonna do? Oh, no, it's an omen!" He started tearing at his hair and pointed to the window, "And, look, it's starting to pour. Rain on my wedding day? It's happening again!"

She looked at him in utter frustration, "Larry, shut up! Didn't you learn anything from your last mistake? There are no OMENS. Just circumstances. Now, calm down. We'll find the ring. Obviously, it didn't just get up and walk away."

Larry looked at her sideways and abruptly sat down on the corner of her desk, grinning like an idiot.

"Okay," Coretta said, "you're starting to scare me now. Do I need to call 911?"

He grabbed her and said, "Coretta, I love you. Let's dance." He found the remote control and the office was instantly filled with the sweet sounds of Johnny Mathis.

"Kiss me each morning for a million years
Hold me each evening by your side
Tell me you love me for a million years
Then if it don't work out, Then if it don't work out
Then you can tell me goodbye ..."

Larry began humming and swirling Coretta around the office. He stopped at the closet and, opening the door, found what he was looking for. A pair of his old boots. Turning one upside down, a small black velvet box came tumbling into his hand. Larry looked at Coretta victoriously and said, "Voila!!"

"Oh, that was real smart, Larry! What ... the safe wasn't safe enough for you? You hid Ally's ring in the toe of a old boot?"

"These aren't just any boots, Coretta. They once helped save my life. I got lost on a camping trip and had to trek 20 miles out of the woods wearing these. They're my good luck boots."

"You don't know how right you are." she said, "You're one very lucky SOB. Believe it or not, Goodwill's coming by today at noon to pick up all that stuff in the closet. In less than four hours Ally's ring would've been making someone else's dreams come true."

"See?" Larry said. Then he motioned toward the window, "Look, it's even stopped raining." He did a sweeping bow with his arms outstretched, "Okay," he challenged, "if there's no such thing as omens, then why is everything suddenly falling into place?"

"Um... could it be that maybe you've finally decided to let yourself be happy?" Coretta offered.

Larry gazed at her thoughtfully and then smiled, "Yeah, maybe. And, it's about time, don't you think?" He reached over and kissed Coretta on the cheek and said, "We'd better see you at the courthouse!" And then he ran out the door waving to her over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Coretta said to herself.

Elaine ran into Ally's office after she told her the news, "You're getting married?" she screeched. "Oh, my god, Ally, I don't believe it. What happened? You haven't seen him in six months and he just shows up and proposes??? I want one like him."

"Trust me, Elaine, there's only one like him in the world." (And, he's all mine, Ally thought.) "You know, Larry and I will be sharing an office together after were married, but .. um ..there'll always be a place for you here, or with us after I'm ...."

"Does Richard know you're leaving?" Elaine interjected.

"Since I just found out myself, Elaine, I hardly think so. But, I'll trust you to remedy that." Ally sneering sweetly. "About your job ..."

"Ally, it's okay. Really. I was going to talk to you today anyway, before this happened, about ... giving my notice."

"What?" Ally asked, "Elaine you love it here, we're like family. What happened? What's going on?"

"Well. You remember the night I won the Chubby Checker dance contest?"

"Yeah."

"I hate to admit it, because I was with Mark at the time, but I slept with a guy I met that night. And, it was really weird, you know. I thought this really cute guy I went to bed with was just a guy," she made a shrugging gesture, "but when I woke up, he turned out to be someone entirely different, you know?"

"Um .. no, Elaine, I don't." Ally said, her eyes widening, "You changed sex partners in the middle of the night?"

"No, Ally. That's not what I mean. It's just that ... I thought he was just a nobody, you know, but he turned out to be a somebody."

"Elaine, stop talking in riddles. C'mon, just tell me!" Ally insisted. "Well," Elaine said, "it seems this guy really liked my dancing, and he'd also heard me sing at the bar. And, are you ready for this??? It turns out that he's a producer, a Broadway producer," Elaine shrieked, jumping up and down, "and he offered me a small part in a Broadway play!!"

Ally's mouth fell open in surprise and pleasure. Elaine had been her secretary for five years. And, even though she liked to project an image of the office tramp, and had throughout the years come up with some of the most outrageous inventions Ally had ever seen, she and Ally had really come to understand each other. Suddenly, Ally realized that she was going to miss Elaine very much.

She leaped up and gave Elaine a big hug, "I think it's absolutely great. You'll take Broadway by storm. This is wonderful news. Um ..," Ally added teasingly, "will you still talk to me when you're rich and famous?"

"Oh, Ally, I love you. You'll always have a special place in my heart. And, Larry's such a great guy. I wish both of you a lifetime of happiness."

"And, I, you," Ally smiled. "But, seriously, Elaine, don't do anything rash right now, okay? Keep your day job until you find out if the other's going to pan out. One shouldn't interfere with the other, should it? Promise me?"

Elaine wrestled with it for a minute and then said, "Okay ... promise."

"Have you called Renee?" Elaine asked."

"Jeesh, Elaine," Ally said, "I completely forgot. I can't believe I forgot to call my best friend." Renee's screams at the other end of the phone caused Ally to hold the receiver at arm's length. "Yes, Renee, it's true. 1:00 at the courthouse. Oh, my God, what the hell am I going to wear?"