Biff, in his apartment, slumps back on the couch. Max comes out with two mugs of tea and sets them down on the coffee table.
Max: We can still go to the park Biff…
Biff: It’s not that…
Max sits on the floor and puts his head on Biff’s lap.
Biff: I’m happy for Chris and Ivan… I really am… but what about Scarlet… I didn’t want to think of her not being here… this was all just so unexpected…
Max: It’s okay to cry Biff… and do you really think Scarlet will allow anyone to take her from here? Regardless of who her parents are, you’re the one she needs.
Biff: Thank-you Max…
Biff hugs Max; Max’s tail makes soft thumps on the floor. Once the sun goes down over Camdene, Ivan carries Scarlet, who is sleeping, walking with Chris up the stairs to Biff’s apartment.
Ivan: It’s weird that we’ll be together but she’s going to be here…
Chris: I know but… it just is wrong if we did that to Biff.
Ivan: I know, he loves her and she loves him.
Biff opens the door and hugs both Chris and Ivan; taking Scarlet and going back to his bedroom. Max waves bye to Chris and Ivan; Biff comes out of his bedroom and hugs Max.
Max: Told you she’d be here with you.
Biff: And you’re here with me, what else will I ever need?
Max giggles and kisses Biff’s forehead. In the kitchen at Ivan’s, Chris is frantic when the timer goes off; Ivan chuckles and grabs and oven mitt.
Ivan: Have you ever cooked before?
Chris: Everything I do seems to burn up…
Chris gets a sweat drop; Ivan takes the cake out of the oven and sets it on the stove.
Ivan: I guess you’ll have to leave the cooking to me.
Chris: And let’s look at what I can do! Umm, can’t sew, can’t sing, can’t –
Ivan: What happened to those cans?
Chris: I don’t have any, I suck at everything.
Ivan: You’re good in bed.
Chris: Haha, you’re so funny.
Ivan: And you’re a good bartender.
Chris: So? Why can’t I do something important or practical!
Ivan: I find sex to be very important and practical.
Chris: Oh really?
Out on the balcony; Max’s tail sways side to side as Biff smokes a cigarette.
Biff: It is an undercover mission…
Max: I know, but I always wanted to go…
Biff: I just don’t want to put you in danger…
Max: I’ll be fine; I just want to be by your side.
Ma snuggles up to Biff; Biff puts his arm around Max and flicks the cigarette off the edge. Chris sits next to Ivan in bed eating a piece of the carrot cake; she feeds Ivan a piece of the cake.
Chris: We’re going to have a giant carrot cake for our wedding, heh-heh.
Ivan: That sounds good.
Chris: And because we don’t have gigantic families and fifty friends to invite, why not we just have the ceremony and after party at the bar?
Ivan: The bar?
Chris: Mhmm, it be the perfect wedding.
Ivan: Heh-heh, in that case we should get all our friends to cater.
Chris: Biff could make a great dinner…
Ivan: And Alice has some good pigs in a blanket.
Chris starts to giggle; Ivan smiles and hugs Chris. The next day at the bar, Biff and Max walk in with Scarlet tugging on Biff’s tail.
Scarlet: No-no-no!
Chris: Hm? What’s with my little girl this morning?
Biff: Unexpected plans, I’ve been ask to investigate a cruise ship so I’ll be gone for a few weeks.
Chris: Oh…
Max: Hehe and I’m going too!
Chris: Have you talked to Ivan about this?
Max: Nope but it’s all good. I can’t be a little kid forever.
Chris: Aww, you’re finally growing up.
Ivan comes down from his office, Max pounces on Ivan. Chris gets a sweat drop.
Chris: Spoke to soon…
Max: Ivan! Me and Biffy are going on a love cruise!
Biff: It’s not a –
Scarlet: Don’t go Biffy! Take me with you!
Ivan: Ugh, what’s going on?
Outside of the bar, Scarlet hugs Biff.
Ivan: Don’t cause any trouble.
Max: I won’t.
Chris: I guess when you get back we’ll have the wedding a week later.
Biff: Yeah, have fun with finding the wedding dress.
Chris: Heh-heh…
Biff leans down and kisses Scarlet on the forehead.
Biff: Now you be good to your Momma and Daddy.
Scarlet: I will if you get me gift.
Biff: Heh-heh, okay.
Biff and Max get in the car and drive off. Scarlet cries in Chris’ arms; Biff turns the corner.
Biff: I was upset that I wasn’t going to be with her and then she came back… Now out of the blue I get a mission assigned and she’s gone again.
Max: It’ll be okay Biff.
Biff: Yeah, heh-heh. I guess I get to enjoy our little love cruise.
Max: Hehe.
Once on the cruise, Biff gets a sweat drop looking at a pamphlet.
Biff: Six weeks out in the Arcane Ocean, we’re going to freeze to death.
Max: That’s why they’re handing out those really big coats… I wonder what our room is going to be like.
Biff: Well, it is the luxury suite.
Biff opens up the door to the suite; the room is dark with a fireplace burin and a polar bear skin rug lies in front of it. In the corner is a hot tub and a king sized bed lies its back up against the wall. The bathroom contains a two-roomed shower, Max’s tail wags.
Max: I like this.
Biff: Me too, maybe being on an ice bucket isn’t so bad.
Max: Hehe, I’m hitting the hot tub.
Max takes off his shirt and proceeds to unbutton Biff’s shirt.
Max: And you’re going to join me.
Biff: A bit eager aren’t we? We just got on board.
Max: I’ll take your pants off with my teeth.
Scarlet sits in the kitchen floor coloring a coloring book at Ivan’s. Ivan is chopping up carrots as Chris flips through a bridal magazine.
Chris: These are really expensive… I’m better off wearing an evening gown on seventy-five percent off clearance.
Ivan: I’m not that poor…
Chris: Well I am and I’m going to buy myself a nice twenty dollar evening gown and something nice for Scarlet. Besides, save the money for the honeymoon.
Ivan: Heh-heh, all right.
In the hot tub, Max licks his lips and licks up Biff’s chest. His mouth moves over to Biff’s n****e and he starts to nibble on it. Biff’s fox ears perk up.
Biff: Heh-heh, no n****e biting.
Max: I know you like it.
Biff embraces Max and falls back into the water. Max’s head pops up and he starts to blush.
Max: That tickles Biff!
Chris washes the plates off in the sink as Ivan holds Scarlet who is asleep.
Chris: I wonder what Biff and Max are up too…
Ivan: I personally don’t care… hmmm, time to tuck this little one in.
Ivan pats the top of Scarlet’s head. Ivan and Chris tuck Scarlet into Max’s bed and leave the room with the door cracked open. Getting out of the hot tub, Max shakes off his wet self as Biff stretches.
Biff: Quite refreshing.
Max tosses a towel at Biff.
Max: Stop being such a tease.
Biff: Tease? Heh-heh, now you make me want to sleep naked for all six weeks.
Max: And when we get out into the middle of the ocean I’ll have to defrost you every morning.
Biff: Sounds good to me.
Chris and Ivan lie asleep in bed when Scarlet pokes her head through the door and walks through. She climbs up in bed and snuggles against Chris. Chris wakes up.
Chris: Huh?
Scarlet: Momma…
Chris: Oh, Scarlet…
Chris puts her arm around Scarlet and Scarlet yawns. In the morning, Scarlet is still asleep in bed while Ivan puts on a shirt.
Ivan: Middle of the night?
Chris: Mhmm, snuggled up right next to me.
Ivan: Heh, cute.
Biff fastens his tie as Max walks out of the shower, lying across the bed.
Biff: You going to get dressed?
Max: Nope.
Biff: I’ll be working a six hour shift with security, don’t sulk to long.
Max: Don’t worry, I’ve got other ways of entertaining myself.
Biff: Heh-heh, I can only imagine.
The head of security, David, introduces Biff to the crew.
David: Welcome aboard Liam, this is your first cruise?
Biff: Yes.
David: Enjoy it and keep our passengers safe. You will be observing monitors fifty through fifty nine and be working six hour shifts. In case anything were to happen to our passengers or crew, you will be notified to search the ship if you are not on monitor duty.
Biff: Affirmative.
Max lies in the bed, cuddled up in the blanket. He remembers the night when the answering machine at Biff’s place turned on and left the mission.
Answering machine: Foxer, you have a new assignment. Recently the Arcane Cruiser has had an abundance of missing passengers. One of the passengers happened to be Princess Camille; we hid this by using an Idou at her public meeting and so froth. The Lams have yet to be notified of Camille’s disappearance and thus if they do find their princess missing, we will expect a war. Your mission is to find Princess Camille and the other passengers. You will be working as a security guard as the identity of Liam Green.
Max’s ears perk up as he hears the knob turn on the door. Biff walks in untying his tie. Max jumps out of bed and hugs Biff.
Max: Welcome home!
Biff: And what has my Max been doing all day?
Max: Oh, waiting for you. It’s so boring without you!
Biff: Looking at monitors isn’t very fun either…
Max: Aww, I’m sorry Biffy. Can I make it better?
Biff: Well, you can either put some clothes on or I can take mine off.
Max: Hehe.
At Flaming Snowball, Alice wipes down the bar as Chris wipes out the glasses.
Alice: You know there’s those under a hundred sales for a dress at that wedding place.
Chris: I know, but I find it more practical to get a killer deal on a dress and be able to wear it again. For prom I got a three dollar dress and looked bodacious.
Alice: Heh-heh, three dollars?
Ivan walks down the stairs with Scarlet on his shoulders.
Scarlet: Candy!
Ivan: I’m out of chocolate…
Chris: We’ll have to put an order in.
Scarlet: No good, to the candy store.
Ivan: Right, see you ladies later.
Ivan leaves the bar, Alice and Chris giggle. In bed, Max has his head against Biff and running his fingers through Biff’s hair.
Max: Biff…
Biff: Hm?
Max: I want to help.
Biff: Max…
Max: I won’t get in the way, it’s just – this is important. A princess and innocent people are missing and I don’t want to sit back and act as nothing happened. So please…
Biff: Okay.
Biff pokes Max’s nose.
Biff: You’ve got a good nose and great hearing, that’ll do some good. I can tap into the system and send you the data back here.
Max: Cool!
Biff sets up a lab top on a desk in the room. He turns on his watch to invisible mode and Max wags his tail. Biff teleports into the control room and looks around, unnoticed. Max lies back on the bed, Biff teleports back into the room and plops down next to Max. He turns off his invisibility on the watch.
Biff: We’re patched.
Down in the cargo hold, a mysterious figure sits on top of a crate and withdraws a scalpel.
Frayne: Who’s going to be my victim today? Perhaps another princess?
Frayne cracks his neck and licks the scalpel. He then stabs an eyeball that is resting at his foot.
Frayne: Hideous eyes she had…
