Old Friends, New Enemies
Megan Winters sat up in bed, breathing heavily. The nightmare had been a bad one... but it was already fading from her memory. She sighed and felt the sweat that was covering her body. She grumbled and climbed out of bed. In anticipation of the humid night, she had opened the window and worn simply a T-shirt to bed. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on the nightmare, so all the preparations she had made were pointless.
She went into the bathroom and took a quick shower, just long enough to ensure she didn't stink the next morning, then opened her closet door to find something else to wear for the rest of the night. As she sorted through the clothing, she found a blue-and-white baseball shirt that was tucked on a shelf far in the back. Smiling, she picked up the shirt and unfolded it.
Just above the large number 7 on the back, in capital blue letters, was the name: Fawkes. She smiled, remembering the man who had worn this. She sniffed it, imagining she could smell his aftershave after all these years. She slipped the shirt over her head and turned off the light. As she crawled back into bed, she wondered what Darien Fawkes was up to after all this time.
~~*~~*~~*~~
A guy by the name of Austin O'Malley once said, "Show me a genuine case of platonic friendship and I'll show you two old or homely faces." Now, I had never been accused of being old or homely... and neither had Megan Winters. In fact, she had been the homecoming queen at our high school. And, to tell the truth, I had never wanted our friendship to be... strictly platonic. But she had always shot me down, every time I tried to get any farther than an innocent kiss...
...well, except for that one time... but I won't dwell on that. Prom does strange things to a person's hormones.
~~*~~*~~*~~
Eberts turned the page in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Wow."
"Down, Eberts," the Official warned.
The door opened and Fawkes walked in, followed by Hobbes. The Official looked up and said, "Do you know what punctual means?!"
Darien frowned. "Punctual... uh, that means inspired by Punk rock, right?"
"No," Hobbes shook his head, "Punctual... that's when someone's speaking with a lot of puns, you know... like military intelligence, bright darkness, tangible mirage..."
"Those are oxymorons."
"You callin' me a moron, Fawkes?"
"No..."
"QUIET!" The Official roared. Eberts jumped a bit. "It means you are ON TIME when I call you and you sit down immediately and hear what I have to say! NOW SIT!"
Darien and Hobbes both sat immediately. Eberts handed Bobby the magazine he'd been reading earlier. "I believe you remember Ms. Leila Bach," he said.
Darien picked up the magazine and looked at the cover. Leila was perched on a rock out-cropping, wearing a seashell dress and little more. "Oh, yeah. I remember her."
Eberts continued, "She's in town for a photo shoot and believes her life is in danger."
"In danger? Why?"
Eberts produced a black rose and several slips of paper from his suit jacket. He placed the rose on the desk and read one of the papers. "'My dearest Leila, I dream of you at night. The coldness of death can not keep me from you. I have returned to reunite with you, my love.' It's signed... Claude."
Darien looked up from the magazine. "Wait.... You don't mean Claude Escoffier?"
Bobby added, "The Chameleon?"
"That's impossible. I... I killed him. He's dead."
The Official nodded. "That's what we know. But what we know NOW, is that Leila is receiving death threats from someone claiming to be the Chameleon."
Darien nodded, "Yeah, but this isn't him. It's someone pretending to be Claude."
Hobbes turned. "How do you know?"
"These letters are hand-written."
"Good work, Sherlock. I think we can close the case, Chief."
"That's not what I meant... Leila's blind. Everyone knows that. If this really was Claude the letters would be in braille so she could read it."
The Official raised an eyebrow. "Good work, Fawkes."
"I have been doing this for almost a year. I pick up stuff."
"Yeah," Hobbes muttered, "Pick it up from me..."
The Official said, "It seems that Ms. Bach has pleasant memories of this Agency and specifically asked for Agents Fawkes and Hobbes to be assigned to protect her."
Darien smiled. "Hey, they're requesting us now... that's always fun."
---
The next day, Megan wore Darien's baseball shirt underneath her blouse and suit jacket. She entered the apartment of her employer, picking up the mail as she did. "I'm here," she announced.
The bathroom door opened and Leila Bach exited. "Hello, Megan. How are you today?"
"A bit tired."
Leila sighed. "More nightmares?"
"Yeah... It wouldn't be so bad if only I could remember what they were about."
"Maybe it's for the best... maybe you wouldn't want to remember," she made her way to the entertainment center and turned the dial, finding a soft rock station and turning it down so that it was barely audible. She turned and said, "Oh... two friends of mine are stopping by this morning. Federal agents."
"Oh? For the threats?"
"Yeah. I tried not to worry, but..."
"You have a right to be worried, Leila. Those letters were getting weirder and weirder." She put her hand on top of Leila's. "Don't worry. I'm sure whoever it is, they're just a crazy person who needs a little medicine. The government will find them and you'll be safe again."
"I'm sure you're right, Megan. Thanks."
"Of course I'm right. I'm always right," she chuckled.
The intercom buzzed and Megan walked over and pressed the button. "Yes?"
"Uh, Agent Fawkes and Hobbes to see Ms. Bach."
Megan was at a loss for words. She finally responded, "Yeah, uh... come on up." She turned, releasing the button. "Leila... these friends of yours. Is one of them named Darien?"
"Yes. Darien Fawkes. Why?"
"Oh, God... I... Leila, I kind of had a thing with him for a few weeks in high school."
"Really? Do you want to hide out in the bedroom until they leave?"
Megan chewed her bottom lip for a minute, then smiled. "No. I'd kind of like to see his face when he sees me."
---
Darien exited the elevator, oblivious to what awaited him in Leila Bach's apartment. Hobbes reached the door first and hit the doorbell. Darien stuck his hands in his pockets and stopped. "Aw, crap. I left my wallet down in the van."
He turned to retrieve it and Hobbes said, "Don't be long, all right?"
As the elevator doors closed on Darien, the door to Leila's apartment opened and a black-haired woman stepped out. She looked Hobbes up and down and said, "Wow... you've changed."
Hobbes raised an eyebrow. "Pardon? Have we met?"
"Megan. Megan Winters? Come on, Dar-Bear. It hasn't been that long..."
He flashed his badge. "Agent Hobbes. Fawkes is my partner."
Megan's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry. Come in, please." She stepped out of the way and Hobbes walked in.
Hobbes stepped in and down the two steps of the raised entryway and looked around the spacious apartment. To his left was a plate-glass window, overlooking a park. A grand piano sat in front of the window, although Hobbes doubted anyone ever played it. To his right was a sofa, three chairs and a fireplace with a fire roaring. Soft music was playing, but it was in the background, unobtrusive. At first he thought it was weird that there was no TV to be found until he remembered what made Leila Bach so famous.
"Nice place you have here."
Leila came through a doorway that probably led to a kitchen with a huge smile on her face. "Agent Hobbes?"
"How you doing, Leila?"
"Just fine. Where's Darien?"
"Uh, he forgot his wallet down in the van. He'll be right up."
"Good. I assume you've met my assistant, Megan."
"Sure have."
The intercom buzzed again and Megan hit the button without speaking. When she released the button, she sighed, "Let's see if I can do it right this time."
Hobbes walked over to Leila and motioned at Megan. "What's that all about?"
"Megan was friends with Darien in high school."
"A-ha."
---
Darien rang the doorbell and stood patiently, waiting for an answer. The door opened... and he froze. She was just a few inches shorter than him now... she must've had a growth spurt after high school. Her long, silky black hair was tied in a loose ponytail that hung across her left shoulder. Her beautiful cobalt blue eyes shone behind the wire-rimmed glasses she wore. She was wearing a red dress that showed off the legs Darien had always admired in high school.
She smiled and said, "I guess you do remember me, Dar-Bear."
Darien was speechless. "Megan..." And, in an instant, it all came rushing back to him...
~~~~~~
1989
~~~~~~
Darien Fawkes stood outside the window to the chemistry lab, rubbing his freezing hands together. He prayed Kevin had followed through on his promise... He sighed and grabbed the window frame, heaving it upward. It slid up effortlessly. He exhaled and breathed a quiet thank-you to his brother for leaving the window open. Ever since Kevin had been transferred to this school for it's superior science programs, Darien had begged him to do this. Looks like old Kev had finally come through. He opened the window as wide as it would go and crawled through, into the lab.
His shoes made a loud thump as he landed on the tile of the school's floor and he winced. He made his way through the dark lab and found the door of the room. Turning it slowly, he pulled it open and slid through. He crouched in the hallway for a moment, shining his flashlight both ways. He had virtually memorized the lay-out of the school from a map he had gotten from the school's office and only had to get his bearings to finish his job.
He crept down the hallway, turning the flashlight off and relying on the soft-glow of the security lights that spilled in through the window. He reached a corner and cautiously poked his head around. Of course no one was there; it was one a.m. on a Friday morning. Quiet as a cat, he made his way down the main corridor of the school and found his destination: LOCKER ROOMS. He pulled the door handle, relieved to find it had been left open.
He stepped into the locker room and kicked something, which clattered across the floor. He cringed, dropping to the floor and grabbing what he had kicked. When it had grown silent once more, he shone his flashlight on his hand and saw a chain. A chain which had obviously been cut through with a handsaw.
Darien stood and looked deeper into the locker room. Directly in the beam of his flashlight was the object of his affection. A green, six-foot tall Bear, enclosed in a glass case. More precisely, the Townsend Bear, the mascot of the Townsend, California, football team. A team which needed a win that night. He walked forward, placing his hand on the glass. It was the championship game... his final one of high school... and he was going to make sure he won. He reached for the panel to open the glass case...
...and was immediately tackled by someone. He fell forward, smacking his head against the wall, and hit the ground. His attacker rolled over him, then sat up, straddling his chest. Darien shined his light up... into the beautiful face of a teenage girl. "Aw..."
"Crap," she finished. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to steal the bear!"
"Wrong, buddy. I'm going to steal the bear."
"Over my dead body."
"It can be arranged," she hissed.
"Look," he suggested, "What high school do you go to?"
"JFK."
"Me too! What if we BOTH brought in the bear?"
She laughed quietly, keeping her voice low. "Are you kidding me? The person who brings this bear is going to be a legend! Why should I share that with you?"
"There are lots of legends about partners. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid... Bonnie and Clyde..."
"Julius and Ethyl Rosenberg."
"They were put to death."
"My point exactly. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bear to steal." She crawled off of him and walked over to where the bear was hanging. Darien stood and glanced towards the door. The beam of a flashlight played on the floor and he could hear footsteps. He grabbed the girl and pulled her away from the bear, sliding behind a locker. She began to protest, "What the hell--"
He covered her mouth with his hand and shushed her as the door opened and a man walked in, keys jangling from a ring on his belt. It was a janitor. He swung the flashlight around, illuminating different corners before settling it on the bear suit. He finally gave up and walked back to the door, bending to pick up the chain. He muttered, "Damn kids..." He closed the door and they could hear him tie the doors shut once more, locking it with a new padlock.
When his footsteps retreated back down the hall, the girl got up and ran to the door. As Darien had suspected, it was locked tightly. She cursed and stomped her foot. "Great. Now how do we get out?"
Darien stood. "I know a way... but we'd have to leave the bear suit."
"No way. I came for that suit and I'm gonna get it."
Darien grabbed her arm. "You want to explain what you're doing locked in here to whoever unlocks that door in the morning? Now you can either come with me... or stay here. Either way... you ain't getting that bear suit."
She chewed her lip for a moment, then finally gave in. "Fine. How do we get out?"
Darien walked across the locker room and found Locker number 101. He pulled it open and peered inside. A black box was laying in the back, and he reached in and pulled it out. "Good ol' Kevin..." Popping the latch on the box, he withdrew a screwdriver and walked to the large air vent on the wall. Kneeling next to it, he unscrewed the panel and pulled it away. "The air vents are bigger because they need more air circulation in here after games... they turn them off when the room isn't in use because it uses too much power."
"How do you know all this?"
"I'm training to become a cat burglar when I grow up." He crawled into the vent and she reluctantly followed.
A few minutes later, they found themselves standing on the roof of the school. "There's an access ladder on the other side of the building we can go down that."
"Not this time, handsome," she said, leaning forward and kissing him hard on the lips. "Maybe we'll see each other at school." She winked and ran to the side of the building, jumping over the edge. Darien ran over and looked down. He saw a covered walkway just below him and the girl was running down the metal cover. When she reached the end, she shimmied down a support and hit the ground. She looked up at him and smiled before running across the tennis courts... to freedom.
~~~~~~
Present Day
~~~~~~
"Megan..."
"You gonna come in, or are you just going to say my name over and over?"
Darien blinked and entered, his eyes not leaving Megan as he did. "Wow... I, uh... I thought we'd never see each other again."
Hobbes smirked, "Didja know, Dar-Bear?"
Darien winced. "Aw, man. Did you have to tell him about Dar-Bear?"
"Yep," she laughed. "You wanna tell him where it came from?"
"No. What are you doing here?"
Leila answered, "She's my new personal assistant. Now, if I had known she knew you... we could've had all kinds of interesting conversations."
Darien held up his hands, "All right, all right... My personal life is off-limits as of right now, okay? Can we please deal with the situation at hand?"
Megan stifled another laugh and said, "Of course... Down to business... I'm not sure I like the new Darien."
"Well get used to him, sister. He's here to stay." He winked at her and picked up the death threats off the table.