Della rarely visited the District Attorney's office. She rarely had reason to, but on this particular day Perry and Paul were both indisposed and feeling the pressure of Father Time breathing down their necks in the hunt for evidence to clear Perry's current client. It had fallen on Della to track down Perry's courtroom nemesis, Hamilton Burger to deliver the message.

The stunning brunette called Burger's office, but he had stepped out to lunch; and if Della was honest, she'd feel better if she'd delivered the message to Hamilton in person. Clerical staff often dealt with any number of distractions that could delay the delivery of a message. It wasn't that she didn't trust his staff or other secretaries in general, but this was important and she didn't want to chance the message not making it to him in time.

Since it would be an hour or so before the ginger haired prosecutor returned to the office, Della decided to take the opportunity to have lunch herself and so she meandered out to a little mom and pop place she knew near the building Hamilton worked in. Entering the establishment, she spotted Hamilton actually having lunch there himself. Inwardly she cheered fate for this chance meeting when it benefitted her and her task most, but Perry Mason's girl Friday also registered surprise at the fact that Hamilton was alone and reading the paper as he waited for his food to come out. She would have assumed Tragg, Andy, any of his other fellow attorneys or friends might have joined him. She reminded herself that she didn't know him well outside of the courtroom. Perhaps he enjoyed the hour of quiet. She knew he wasn't married and had no children so maybe he preferred to be alone when possible. Still, she had a task to carry out and the sooner the better so she'd have to interrupt him. And maybe it was high time she got to know him better anyway. Maybe outside of work he was a pleasant man.

Della motioned to the server approaching to seat her that she was going to visit Hamilton and when the server nodded her acknowledgement, Della padded her way over to his table.

"Excuse me, Mr. Burger?" She smiled warmly.

He looked up from his newspaper, eyebrows raised in curiosity. His bright blue eyes widened in surprise at the familiar face, though he shifted a bit uncomfortably. He'd had to cross examine her on the witness stand a few times after a few of Perry's questionable actions so there was some tension between them that Hamilton wasn't quite sure how to address. Her loyalty was obviously to Perry Mason so having to be grilled by the district attorney on the witness stand in ways that might potentially get her boss in trouble didn't make Hamilton Della's favorite person. But how to make her see him as a human being and not the devil incarnate was a whole other fish to fry.

"Hello, Ms. Street," he greeted her politely. "Here for lunch or here to see me about something?" He had mentioned to his secretary and receptionist where he'd be in case of an emergency so he didn't really wonder how Della had found him.

"Both actually," she admitted with some amusement.

Folding up his paper, Hamilton motioned for her to take the seat across from him. "Have a seat then and we can discuss it over lunch. My treat."

"Oh, I couldn't let you do that, Mr. Burger…"

"Please, I insist. I rarely have an opportunity to have lunch with a beautiful woman, even if she is my courtroom nemesis' loyal secretary. Most of my lunch buddies look like me. Worse even," he joked in that self deprecating way he had.

Della blushed despite herself. It was especially noticeable against the snowy white of her blouse. "Well, thank you, Mr. Burger. That's very kind of you."

Hamilton passed her his menu since he'd already decided on what he wanted and Della looked over it briefly, hoping the server would wait just another moment before making a beeline for them. He had beaten her there so she was sure she didn't have much time, but she really didn't want to have to ask another moment. They both had their work to get back to soon.

Mercifully, she was able to make up her mind just before the server returned and she and Hamilton regarded each other again after said server hurried off to put their orders in. An awkward silence hung between them for a moment, but Hamilton leaned forward in his chair and adjusted his body language to something more open and welcoming.

"So what can I help you with, Ms. Street?"

Della noted how warm and pleasant his deep voice was. He rarely used these tones in court, but occasionally and more often than any other prosecutor she'd ever observed. It hadn't escaped her that he knew when to use a softer approach with the more difficult and vulnerable witnesses. She realized she'd often judged him too harshly in the past when there was evidence right in the courtroom that the man had a gentler side. Even the term prosecutor made Hamilton sound like a bully though in actuality he was aiming to achieve justice even as her own boss did.

She described the situation and what Perry had in mind with Hamilton and reluctantly he acquiesced. Had Perry been present, the district attorney might have fought for his own position a little harder, but he wasn't one to make a woman's job harder if he could avoid it. To make Della the middle 'man' or woman in this case in a back and forth of messages wasted time and would likely solve very little. And Hamilton had learned over the countless courtroom battles that more times than not, Perry was on to something productive when he asked for what Della had just asked him.

"Alright Ms. Street, you win," he said as their food arrived and grinned. "But tell Perry that just because sending his secretary won this time that doesn't mean it will next time."

Della visibly relaxed with a smile as she realized he was just joking with her and dug into her food. Mr. Prosecutor really wasn't so bad after all.