Lilly came running into the general store to tell Javier something. She was so excited and as she ran down the aisle to the counter she called, "JAVIER, JAVIER." Out of breath she leaned against the counter, and this time before she could apologize for barging in, Simon spoke.

"Now what has you so worked up? Am I going to receive this performance every week?" Simon smiled at Lilly to show that he wasn�t upset.

Before Lilly could answer, Javier came running in from the storeroom with a box in his hands. "What? What�s the matter?" He asked as he sat the box down on the counter.

"Nothing, I just had an idea about you know who." Lilly replied.

Javier looked at Lilly and Simon and said, "No, I don�t know who. Who?"

"Remember the last picnic we had? Well, I�ve come up with an idea." Lilly said with a beaming smile on her face.

"I think maybe we should discuss this outside." Javier replied. He didn�t want his pa to know that Lilly was trying to get Samantha and Tally together. He might not think it a good idea to meddle in someone else�s business. Lilly nodded.

"Oh don�t let me run you off. I�ll just disappear." Simon took the box that Javier had sat on the counter and went into the stockroom.

"I thought we could get Samantha and Tally to go to the costume party." Lilly suggested.

"How are we suppose to do that?" Javier asked.

"I can talk to Samantha, and you can talk to Tally about going. But before we do, I can tell Grace the plan, and she can help us with getting their costumes to match." Lilly explained.

"But I hardly know Tally. He�s stopped in here a few times but not much. It�s not like we�re buddies or anything." Javier didn�t think much of Lilly�s plan. How could he talk Tally into going to the costume party?

"Oh please, Javier. Please for me." She whispered as she hung her head in disappointment.

Javier hated to see Lilly sad, "Oh! Alright, I�ll try."

"Oh thank you," Lilly threw her arms around him and kissed him on the cheek. "I�ll go talk to Grace, and then I�ll talk to Samantha. You can talk to Tally later this afternoon after we get Samantha to decide on a costume. Javier nodded and Lilly left.

After letting Grace in on the plan, Lilly went over to talk to Samantha. It took her an hour but at last she convinced Samantha to go. Lilly went over to the boutique with Samantha because she didn�t want her to change her mind. Samantha studied the list of characters that Meghan had left with Grace, but she didn�t seem to like any of them.

They talked and talked for hours trying to help Samantha to decide on a costume, but Samantha always had some reason why she didn�t want to be this or that. Grace was getting tired. So far Samantha had been her hardest customer to try and please. So just on a whim as she was looking at Samantha�s wolf waiting for her outside the door, she suggested to Samantha to go as a wolf. She really didn�t think Samantha would agree since she had turned down everything else they had suggested, but after Samantha contemplated it for a few minutes, she agreed. Stunned Grace didn�t know what to say. She had really only been kidding.

Lilly couldn�t believe that Samantha wanted to be a wolf instead of any of the other things they had suggested. Lilly didn�t like the idea of Samantha being a wolf. How in the world could Tally match a wolf? She didn�t know of anything that would match a wolf except another wolf. Now how could Javier talk Tally into being a wolf for the costume party? She tried her best to convince Samantha to go as something else, but Samantha wouldn�t change her mind. So while Samantha and Grace discussed the costume for a wolf, Lilly slipped out to go talk with Javier.

This time she didn�t run into the store. She gloomy walked in instead. Simon and Javier were both standing at the counter talking but they stopped when they noticed Lilly walking towards them. "Uh oh, it looks like something�s wrong this time, Javier," Simon said.

Javier walked over to Lilly and put his arms around her. "What�s wrong, honey? Didn�t your plan work?"

Lilly looked over at Simon and then bowed her head against Javier�s chest again. Javier looked back at his pa. "Ok, I can take a hint. Time for me to disappear again," so Simon went back to the stockroom to straighten some shelves.

"I�m sorry it didn�t work, Lilly, but don�t give up. I�m sure if they�re meant to be together then they will be."

"No, it worked, sort of." Lilly said.

"Sort of, what do you mean sort of?" Javier took her by the shoulders and gently pushed her back to see her face.

"Samantha is going to the party, but . . . but we had a hard time getting her to decide what to go as, and then she finally settled on something." Lilly explained.

"So then what�s the problem?" Javier asked. "You accomplished what you set out to do."

"She�s going as a wolf. And the only thing that would match a wolf is another wolf. How can you possible talk Tally into going as a wolf?" Lilly bowed her head again. Maybe her plan hadn�t been a good one after all.

"Well, I can�t say for sure that I can get him to do it. But for you I�ll try my very best." Javier said, and Lilly perked up a little and gave him a little smile.

Meanwhile Samantha and Grace had finished discussing the costume, and Samantha left the boutique. "Come on Timber, time to get back to work." She said to her wolf as she started down the steps and back to the livery.

As Samantha was leaving the boutique, Tally was coming out of the bordello. He saw her leaving the boutique and wondered why she had been there. He had heard about the costume party that Meghan and Luke were having, and that everybody was having Grace make them costumes. Could Samantha be going? Well, he possible could find out. He hadn�t met the new boutique owner yet, and this seemed as good as time as any.

Meanwhile Lilly and Javier stepped out of the store. They watched as Samantha headed to the livery, and Lilly and Javier waved to her. She waved back. Next they both noticed Tally going into the boutique. "This is your chance." Lilly said and with her hand she pushed Javier in the back to get him going. Javier nodded and started off. "Good luck." Lilly called after him. He turned and nodded again.

In the boutique shop Grace was surprised to have another visitor so soon. Her and Tally greeted each other and introduced themselves. Grace hadn�t been planning on Tally arriving until later. And where was Javier? She stared behind Tally hoping that Javier would enter immediately.

"Was that Samantha I just saw leave here?" Tally inquired.

Well, she would just have to start without him, "Yes, it was." Grace replied. "She stopped in to pick out a costume for the party that Meghan and Luke are having."

"Yes, I�ve heard about that. Are you going?" Tally didn�t really care if Grace was going or not. What he wanted to ask is what is Samantha going as? But he couldn�t just come right out and ask that.

"Oh, I�m going as an Angel. Are you going to go?" Grace asked.

"Well, I haven�t really decided." Tally replied.

"Oh!" Grace was having problems. She didn�t know how to get Tally to suggest going as a wolf without telling him that Samantha was going as a wolf. But if she told him that, then he might think that she was trying to match the two of them up. She wondered where is Javier. Lilly said that he would be with Tally.

Javier had paused outside the boutique. He was trying to think of what he should say when he entered. After a few minutes thought he decided that he would just ask Grace if his and Lilly�s costumes were done yet. As he entered he realized that Grace and Tally didn�t know that he was there, so he scooted around a rack of clothes and waited and listened.

"So do you have any suggestions?" Tally asked.

Grace shook her head. She didn�t know what Tally was talking about. "About what?"

"What I should go as? I really have no idea of what type of costume I should wear. So do you have any suggestions?" Tally explained.

"Oh! Oh, I didn�t realize that you had decided to go." Grace replied.

"Well, it could be interesting." Tally nonchalantly said. As though he really didn�t care if he went or not, but just in case he felt like going he would have a costume.

"Uh . . . um well we have a list here." Grace said as she handed it to him. "Some people are going as street musicians, jesters, leprechauns, wolves and fairies." Grace told him.

Tally had heard from Melissa that she and Jesse were going as jesters, and Melissa had also told him that Walter and Ted were going as street musicians with Desiree as the singer. That only left leprechauns, fairies and wolves that Grace had mentioned. Tally studied the list and then rubbed his chin, "A wolf, huh? I don�t see that on this list."

Grace didn�t answer right away. What could she say? Boy she wished Javier was here to help her out.

Now Javier had been waiting for the best opportunity to present himself. He saw that Grace wasn�t sure how she should respond, and that maybe this was the best time as any to approach them. "A wolf sounds like a good costume." Javier piped in as he joined them.

Startled Grace gasped. She hadn�t realized that there was anyone else in the shop. Tally hadn�t heard anyone come in, but then again his mind was more focussed on trying to figure out what Samantha was going to the party as.

"I didn�t mean to startle you Grace. I just stopped in to see if you had mine and Lilly�s costumes ready for the party yet." Javier then turned to Tally and said, "I couldn�t help but overhear. Are you going to the party as a wolf?" He didn�t let Tally reply before he continued, "I�m sure that will be a great costume. Now I wish I had thought of it instead of going as a leprechaun."

"Javier, yes your costumes are done. I�ll go fetch them right away." Grace couldn�t wait to leave the two gentleman alone. She was glad that she didn�t have to persuade Tally to wear a wolf costume. To Grace Tally didn�t seem like the kind of the person who would easily be persuaded.

"No, I�m not going as a wolf." Tally answered when Javier finished.

"Oh, but I thought I heard you say wolf." Javier had thought, that once he had planted it in Tally�s head that he thought Tally was going as a wolf, that he might just do it. Unfortunately it didn�t seem like it was going to happen.

"No, I�ve decided on something else." Tally looked over the list once again.

Javier frowned and when Grace returned and saw Javier�s face, she knew that it wasn�t going very well. "Here are your costumes, Javier. I hope you and Lilly like them."

"I�m sure we will. Thank you." Javier gave her a quick smile as he took the costumes from her.

"Did I hear that you�ve decided on something?" Grace asked to stop the silence.

"Um . . . yes, could you make me this costume." He pointed to a word on Grace�s list.

Grace looked at it. "Are you sure you want to go as that?" Grace didn�t know if she should refuse him or not. She looked at Javier.

"Yes ma�am, that�s the costume I want." Tally nodded.

"You sure you don�t want to go as a wolf?" Javier asked. He would try once again for Lilly�s sake.

"Nope, I don�t want to be a wolf. Why are you so fixed on me going as a wolf?" Tally turned his attention to Javier.

"No reason. I just thought it was a good idea." Javier replied.

"Can you make this costume or not?" Tally wanted to know.

"Oh yes, yes I can." Grace assured him. She was afraid if she didn�t agree that he might change his mind and not go after all.

"Good, just let me know when it�s ready." Tally said as he started for the door.

"But don�t you want to know how much it will be?" Grace asked him.

"It doesn�t matter. I�ll pay it whatever it costs." Tally continued to leave.

Javier moved over to the counter and Grace pointed to what Tally had decided to be. Javier just shook his head. "I guess I better go tell Lilly that I failed."

Grace nodded her head. "I wish I could have helped you more."

"That�s ok, you did the best you could." Javier smiled and then went to find Lilly.

After leaving the boutique, Tally went back to the bordello. He didn�t have to be at work until this evening, so he laid on his bed and thought about the costume that Grace was going to make him. When he walked into the costume party, Samantha sure would be surprised.