Ok, ready to go looking for this "weather machine" of Alex's? ;)

Kimberly: This is so weird. :p

Valerie: Not weirder than anything ELSE we've done. I'm ready.

Lauren: I'm ready for a nap. :P

Maxine: Drink some more tea, chase your kids. You'll feel better in no time. ;)

Katie: Aunties? 'Kay?

Daphne: Hope so, kiddo. :)

(We open in the group's rooms. The remaining two Abbies are spread out on a couch, a bit worn out.)

Maxine: Man, how does Lauren do it?

Jenny: I have NO idea. :P :-/

Maxine: Where are they now?

Jenny: Umm... *looks around* Uh oh.

Maxine: Oh, shit. We lost the kids. Their mothers are gonna KILL us! (Calls around) Kids? Katie? Shel? Mick? Where are you? Please don't hide from Aunt Maxine and Aunt Jenny! :o

Katie: (Runs out from under a bed) Here! :D

Maxine: Oh, thank goodness! (Sweeps Katie into her arms) Don't scare us like that, sweet cakes. Where's the other two?

Katie: (Points under the bed) Dere.

Jenny: Ahhh. *gets up and kneels down to look under the bed* I see you! ;)

*The twins scramble out from under the bed, giggling.* :)

Katie: Play! :D

Maxine: Is that what you guys were doin', playing games with Aunties? ;)

Katie: We play! :D

Maxine: No kidding. ;)

(There's a knock at the door. Maxine goes to it cautiously.)

Maxine: What's the password? ;)

Jenny: And don't say password! :P ;)

Valerie: (From the other side) What?

Kimberly: Uhh...

Daphne: *from the other side* Wouldja just let us in! :P X-(

Maxine: How do I know it's you guys?

Kimberly: Let us in, or I'll karate chop the door down! :p

Daphne: How's THAT? ;) :P

Jenny: I think it's them. ;)

(Maxine opens the door, and Emma, Lauren, Valerie, Daphne, and Kimberly troop in.)

Katie: Mama! :D (Emma takes Katie from Maxine)

Emma: (Smiles) Thanks, Maxie.

Maxine: You're welcome. She's a sweetie. :)

Emma: (Cuddles Katie) How's my little baby?

Katie: 'Kay. :)

Lauren: *flops down on the couch and is immediately piled on by the twins* Ooof! *laughs* Come on, you two, don't jump on Mommy right now.

Emma: Um, kids, Mommy's kinda tired at the moment. :p

Lauren: *mutters* I can think of a few more descriptive words. :P

Kimberly: Hey, rugrats, why don't you climb all over ol' Aunt Kim? She can take it. Mommy needs some really caffinated tea. ;)

(Kimberly plops next to the twins and Lauren. ;) )

Mick: Climb on Kim! *jumps on her* :D

Shelly: *claps* Yay! :)

Kimberly: (Laughs as the kids knock her over) Man, you guys are tough on a girl, but (picks up Mick and throws him lightly in the air) I can be a pretty tough chick. ;)

Mick: Wheeee! :D

Maxine: (As Kimberly tosses Shelly) Ok, guys, what happened? What's going on?

Emma: (Sighs and lets Katie go over to Kimberly to be tossed) We were both seduced by Alex in the bar. I don't remember much about it...or about anything until a blanket was thrown over my head. :p X(

Maxine: WHAT? X( :o

Emma: (Growls) They tried to suffocate me. (Chokes) They tried to KILL me! :o

Lauren: *wearily* I almost got to be Alex's plaything. Now I'm just trying to get over a hangover. :P

Kimberly: (Frowns as she tosses Katie) You're kidding!

Emma: Shelia has wanted to kill me for years...and Alex has wanted Lauren in his bed for months. :p X(

*Lauren just makes a face.* :P

Maxine: But...MURDER... :o

Emma: They're the Devil and her apprentice. They don't care WHAT they do to people as long as they get what they want. (Thoughtful) You know, I think this is the first time Shelia tried to out-and-out kill me, though.

Valerie: (Quiet) I know why, Em. Every time she's had you, she always had someone else there - Mike, Zero, Lauren in a better frame of mind. She's had to hold off killing you all this time because she didn't want anyone else to know.

Emma: I don't WANT her to try to kill me at all! Why can't she let go of the past? That was 500 years ago! :p :(

Valerie: She has some serious grudge problems. :p

Lauren: *resting the side of her head in one head* Because as far as she's concerned, it might as well still be 500 years ago. :P

Valerie: She wants Alex to be Zero...to be the surrogate for her uncle.

Maxine: (Puts her head in her hands) Man, this is some heavy shit. :p

(The kids are hanging all over Kimberly; all four are having a grand old time. :D)

Emma: It gets worse. Now they're trying to do something to the weather.

Maxine: (Looks up in surprise) Huh?

Kimberly: (Looks up from wrestling lightly with the kids) Yeah, didn't that nut Alex mention something about a weather machine?

Maxine: A weather machine? What is this, "Buck Rogers?" :p

Jenny: What the heck are they gonna do with a weather machine? :-/

Emma: I imagine they're going to try to maniupulate the weather, but why?

Maxine: Maybe they REALLY want good skiing weather? ;)

Daphne: Doubt it. :P

Emma: You know...I could get us the manual. I could imagine it here. I wrote it...or at least interpreted it. Maybe we could find this thing and dismantle or destroy it before they try to use it for something, if they haven't already.

Maxine: You wrote it?

Emma: (Makes a face) I was under their control. Long story I really don't want to get into now, because I don't remember half of it. :p

Maxine: Oh...KAYYY... :p

(Emma concentrates. The book appears in the room on the bed next to Emma in a dark blue light.)

Maxine: Um...how did you do that?

Emma: (Winks) Christmas magic. ;)

Maxine: That thing from a couple of years ago? :o

Kimberly: You mean, all that stuff that happened in the toy store...

Daphne: Is real.

Emma: We did it. (Looks at the others) I wish Alex had mentioned where that damn machine WAS.

Kimberly: Man, this is too much.

Valerie: Where would you put a large machine in a hotel?

Emma: I don't know...the basement, maybe?

Jenny: That makes sense.

Maxine: Yeah, it does. There's already a lot of machines down there.

Emma: It would be a good place to start.

Kimberly: (She has the twins in her lap; Katie's next to her) Hey, what about the kids?

Daphne: And Lauren. *motions to her, she's fallen asleep*

Valerie: Why don't we bring the kids and leave a note for Lauren? We could probably keep an eye on the kids. The devils are no longer here, as far as we know. Lauren could use some uninterrupted rest. :)

Kimberly: I'll keep an eye on the twins! :)

Maxine: I'll help her. There's two of them and one of her; not the best odds. ;)

Kimberly: Hey, they're being good!

Maxine: Now. ;)

Jenny: Yeah. ;)

Valerie: We'll ALL keep an eye on them. Lauren can take her much-needed nap. :)

Emma: (Writes a note for Lauren and picks up Katie) Come on. Why don't we blue-light down there?

Valerie: It's much faster that way. ;)

Maxine: What about us?

Kimberly: (Takes the twins' hands) We can't do that blue light thingie!

Emma: We'll do it for you. ;)

Daphne: *nods* No sweat. ;)

Emma: (Smiles; she and Katie pull a blanket over Lauren) There. Now we're ready. :)

Katie: Nighty-night, Auntie Laur'n! :)

Jenny: Aw. :)

Shelly: *waves* Night, Mommy!

Mick: Night-night!

Emma: NOW we can go. ;)

(Three different blue lights in two different shades surround the group. When it subsides, they're standing in a large, dark room filled with machines, machine parts, tools. furnature, pieces of furnature, and stacks of boxes.)

Emma: Ok, we're going to need light. Who volunteers to look for the switch? ;)

Jenny: I'll do it. ;)

*Jenny starts along the wall, running her hand over it. Finally, a bare bulb comes on. She grins.*

Jenny: Found it. :)

Katie: (Gazing at the mountains of odd shapes and forms) Wooow! :o

Emma: Man, we're never gonna find this machine! :p

Maxine: Hey, does anyone know what it looks like?

Daphne: Em?

Emma: Should be in the manual...wait a minute... (Opens the manual and flips through it) No...no...words...ahh! (Goes to the other girls with Katie in tow and shows them the book) Here it is! This big, weird, boxy thing with all the wires sticking out of it! :D

Valerie: Yup, that looks like something Alex would create. ;) :p

Daphne: Typical. :P ;)

Emma: Now we've just gotta FIND it. :p

Katie: (Takes her mother's hand and pulls it over to a machine that looks like the one in the picture) Here! :D

Emma: Good girl, Katie! You found the machine! :D

Katie: Yay! :D (Claps)

Emma: Definately yay! (Claps) :D

*The twins also clap.* :D

Maxine: Ok, we found it. What are we going to DO with it?

Valerie: Well, I guess a good place to start would be turning it off.

Emma: (Opens the manual) According to this, the buttons should be on the panel on the left side.

(The girls all go to the left side. The twins wander around the back, unseen.)

Maxine: Which button? Man, there's TONS here, in every size, shape, and color! :p

Jenny: Man, this is ridiculous! :P

Emma: Oh, man, the words are covered with Wite-Out and I must have never typed over them, or they're smeared or something, because I can't read them! :p

Valerie: Everyone, just push a button until you find the one that turns this thing off! :o

(This kicks off our next romp, "The Girl I Knew Somewhere." Emma pushes a yellow button. The clouds briefly part and the sun comes out, along with a few chirping birds.)

(Valerie pushes a dark blue button. The clouds return and it starts to rain lightly.)

*Jenny pushes a red button. The sky clears, and a sunset appears.*

(Maxine pushes a white button. Clouds cover the sky and it starts snowing lightly again.)

(Emma pushes a gray button. The snow becomes heavier. :p)

*Daphne pushes a green button. The snow melts, and flowers pop up.*

(Kimberly pushes a pale blue button. The wind picks up and howls fiercely.)

(Valerie pushes a black button. It starts to rain heavily, and we hear thunder and see a little bit of lightning.)

*Daphne pushes the yellow button and the sun comes out again.*

*Suddenly, as the song winds down, all of the weather phenomena stop, leaving the day as simply a bit cloudy. The twins come out from around the opposite side, Mick holding the electrical plug.* :)

Maxine: Smart kids. Whew, that was nuts!

Kimberly: You think anyone noticed? ;)

Jenny: Nahhh. ;)

Emma: Well, now we know what it does...but we don't know why it's here, or how to get rid of it or at least render it useless for the moment.

Maxine: Does anyone here know how dismantle heavy machinery?

Jenny: With or without a sledgehammer? ;)

Kimberly: (Grabs a couple of wires and tugs; there's a pop, a fizzle, and the machine becomes completely dark) That should do in lieu of a sledgehammer. ;)

Jenny: *snaps her fingers* Darn. ;)

Kimberly: Do you want to go rooting around for a sledgehammer in here? :p

Jenny: Ahh, never mind. ;) :P

Emma: With that, ladies and children, I suggest we adjourn to our rooms to quickly decide what to do next.

Valerie: Good idea. The Devils may be back any minute...and I'd still like to know where they went in the first place. :p

Kimberly: (Takes the kids' hands) We've got to get the rugrats something to eat, too, and I'm sure they'll want to get out and play in the snow before the next storm comes. :)

Jenny: Ditto that for me, too. ;)

Daphne: *nods* Food sounds good. :)

Emma: We'll come back here in an hour or so, when the kids are refreshed and Lauren is feeling more up-to-par.

Valerie: (Nods) Right. For now, let's eat. (She closes her eyes; there's three blue lights in various shades, and everyone disappears...but the manual remains on the panel where Emma left it. ;) )