Missing Moment from TCOT Sinister Spirit
A/N: for the fun of it, not the profit. Enjoy, Elena
Perry Mason and his secretary Della Street shared a connecting door between their rooms in the cavernous hotel. Della had been sent away twice that night and was feeling out of sorts by it all. Surely Perry knew how she felt about him. He was her life, always had been. She had been on nearly every case he had tried and in on nearly as many investigations. She felt left out, that was it, left out. Here they were on a fresh great adventure, and he'd sent her to her room. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Even though she lay perfectly still in a very comfortable bed, sleep was not an option as she fumed.
A soft knock came to the connecting door. She glowered at the clock, which read half past one in the morning. She glowered at the door.
A second soft knock came to the door. Della turned away from the door and pulled the covers over her head.
A third soft knock, "Della?" he called quietly. "I know you. You're awake. Please let me in."
A fourth soft knock, "I'm not going away, Della."
Della flicked the covers back and went to the door. Her hand hesitated at the knob before turning it. She stood stock still in the door, hair a mess, chin up. Perry looked at her with deep affection. She did not move.
"Are you going to let me it?" he wondered.
"No," was her flat, anger-tinged reply.
Perry closed his eyes for a moment and composed himself. This was worse that arguing a case before the Supreme Court. He began to knead his hands.
"Della, you know how I feel about you…" he began and was promptly cut off.
Della's hand flew up, "I don't want to hear it!" and she turned to shut the door.
Perry stuck his foot in the door, "Della, we need to talk. We promised each other never to go to bed angry."
Della was not moved.
"I don't want to go to bed with you angry at me," he tried again.
She was still not moved.
Perry adopted his crushed look, "All right, I'm sorry. I apologize."
Della thought about it for a long moment, then she relented and opened the door. She turned quickly on her heel. Perry took a quick breath while he could. She fumbled for the light on the table. She offered him a chair and tucked herself in the one opposite. Her arms were folded tightly across her chest. Perry stared down at the table trying to figure out how to begin, where to begin. He knew that being fussed at inside was better than being outside in abject silence.
"Della…" he hesitated. "Where do I begin?"
"Why did you shut me out?!" she snapped. "You shut me out twice tonight! You sent me to my room like an unruly child! I resent that, Perry! Where you go, I go. We agreed to that a very long time ago. We blew it for eight long years, and then we reaffirmed it. You shut me out tonight – twice. Why?"
Perry gazed down at the table; he could not stand to look at the hurt in her eyes, "You're right on all accounts." He looked up, "Della, I could not risk you."
"What on earth are you talking about, Perry?"
"You are not 40 any more," he began.
She was not finished steaming, "So? Neither are you. Besides I'm younger than you are!"
"That's the problem – I'm not 40 any more. I can't protect you as I once could," he confessed.
"Protect me? From what, Perry?"
"The chandelier that fell…"
"It fell. It was over. You pushed me away," Della hammered back.
"I couldn't be sure of that. I couldn't risk you, Della," Perry responded earnestly.
"What on earth are you talking about, Counselor? How can a thing fall twice?" she demanded to know.
Perry started to begin then sighed, "A few nights ago, Jordan sent me the book. He asked that I read it. I got almost to the very end and fell asleep."
Della looked at him quizzically.
"I had a dream that I was in the book," he continued.
"Is that why you gave the chandelier a funny look when we first checked in?"
Perry nodded, "Deja vu. In the dream, I had been investigating and was on to something, Then as I passed under it, I looked up at it, then the chandelier fell on top of me. But then I awakened to Jordan's phone call."
"And?" she encouraged.
"And tonight, it was all happening just like the dream."
"Except I was there. You didn't say if I was there in your dream," she offered.
"No, you weren't in the dream. But, Della, you were there tonight. Your voice calling out to me prevented me from being right under it when it fell. All I could think was that you were now in terrible danger from whomever was trying to kill me. I thought the safest place for you was back up here," Perry's head drooped. "I could not afford to lose you – not you, not now, not ever."
Their hands met in the center of the table.
Della's head tilted, "Oh, Perry. I'm so sorry I was angry with you. I felt so left out."
Her hands moved to caress his face and beard. "You never used to leave me out of anything."
"Sure I have," Perry smiled at her. "You remember that little house zoo full of gorillas and other creatures that I would not let you enter?"
She gave a throaty chuckle, "And here I thought you just wanted to make sure that one of us was around to call Tragg, if need be."
Perry stood up and drew Della up into his arms, "Well, that was only part of it."
Della's head rested on the big man's chest. She loved listening to the beating of his heart, always had. She looked up at him and smiled. He stroked her face lovingly and dipped down to kiss her lips softly.
"I love you, Della Street. Always have, always will," he reaffirmed.
"And I love you. Always have, always will," she drew him closer and reveled in his kiss and embrace.
"Never go to bed angry," they said in unison.
Della began to help him slip out of his jacket, "Come to bed, Counselor. It's time for some sleep."
Still holding Della's hand, Perry, wicked grin on his face, reached over and shut off the light.