We all have our ideas about this movie, about Della's testimony, about her engagement to Michael Domenico. I still don't really agree with the common opinion that Perry didn't know about it. Here are some missing moments of what I think happened.

I fully enjoyed myself writing this, adding lots of fluff and romance. Maybe you'll enjoy it too. Let me know what you think.

This came up while working on TCOT Envious Enemy, I'm getting back to that one as soon as I finished this. Three chapters. Have fun.

! SPOILER ALERT ! SPOILERS FOR TCOT MURDERED MADAM !

TCOT Murdered Madam: The past is present

( Della comes back to Perry' s hospitalroom, after having breakfast with Tony Domenico)

Going through the mail together, he told her which letters needed to be answered and how. When they were finished he lay back, eyes closed, one hand under his head on the pillow, and the other hand lingering on her thigh, stroking the fabric of her new dress.

" I like the dress. "

" I thought you would…"

" I don't like it you're wearing it for another man. For breakfast. "

She rolled her eyes. " First, Mr. Mason, I'm not wearing it for another man, I'm wearing it for me, because I like it. Second, 'the other man' isn't another man, it's Tony Domenico, you saw him. And he's 15 years younger than I am. And he's married. "

" So? He has eyes, hasn't he? " Perry opened one eye to her. " Let's just say, I don't like his last name…"

She rolled her eyes " Oh, please, Michael Domenico and I were engaged, what, 47 years ago….. I was eightteen. "

" I know. "

" And he died twenty years ago. "

" I know. I'm just teasing you. I hate being stuck here in a hospitalbed, and not being able to take you out for breakfast myself. " He shifted a little. " You do look lovely today. "

" Oh, I like the sound of that. " She moved towards him on his bed. " Say something nice again…"

" I love you dearly…"

" And...? "

" And, I don't get it you still like to be around an old crippled man, with bad knees and arthrosis…"

" I like it actually. I can be quite sure you're not going anywhere without me being able to keep up with you. " Then her gaze softened. " Though I don't like the pain it causes you. "

" It's all right. I just need you near me. " And he playfully added " Beautiful. "

" I can never get enough of you saying that sort of things, you know... "

He wrapped his arms around her, as far as his position would let him, held her close to him and firmly nuzzled her neck to whisper to her. " You are beautiful, classy, lovely, and so sexy, and so very tasty. I would want to eat you right here and now, if it wasn't for…"

" ...Tony? "

" ... yes, and doctors and nurses walking in and out of here.….and the damned knee " he lay back again, as his face showed he was in pain. " I miss you, these stupid hospitalbeds are nothing compared to our bed, and you next to me, or... well…. "

" Behave, dear. You'll never get out of here if you don't…"

####

His deep concentration on the documents she had handed him, was real. But while he wrote down his remarks, his left hand lingered from the back of her knee up under her skirt and tickled her at the lace border of her stocking. She tried hard to ignore it, then caught his wrist and pushed him away. He hadn't looked up from his papers, he only snorted softly.

She felt he watched her from over his glasses when she walked out of the suite. Shaking her head, she tried a stern voice. " One of these days, Perry Mason…"

" Sure. One of these days, Miss Street, I'm getting Tony Domenico off the hook. "

" Are we doing okay? "

" Well, I think so. But we have a tough judge. For the sake of time, I asked for a two hour lunchbreak today and I didn't get it. "

" And a tough D.A. …. "

" And a tough D.A.. Reston is good." Mason confirmed. " It might be good if we could buy ourselves some time…somehow..."

" Well, there is a way, Perry…" She walked back to his desk.

" No. "

" Yessss, there is. "

" I know. But no, I don't want it. " It wasn't his tone, but his firmness that irritated her.

" Oh, come on. I can be a character witness, and let them spend some time to interrogate me, investigate on me."

" No. "

" Why not? I can do it. "

" I know you can, but I won't have it. "

" Perry…" she purred, "...it's for Tony. "

" I don't want Reston and his guys sniffing around in your past, Della. " he raised his voice just a little, but she heard it. " You know they will dig into everything they can possibly find, and I don't like it." He pointed at her with his pen. " And the press will be all over you. "

" It's my past, and I don't mind. "

" No. I'm not putting you on the stand. No matter what you say. " He watched her pout, and sighed. " Della, baby, what if they start digging, and they find out? About Michael? About Angelina? "

" They won't. And if they do, Reston will find it irrelevant, and he won't use it. "

" And if he does use it, Della? "

" I'm sure you'll raise your voice to him and bash Objection, irrelevant. "

" This is not a game, Della. " He sighed again.

She crossed her arms in front of her. " I of all people am very aware of that. But I want to do whatever I can to help Tony out. You just won't let me." He just stared at her. She tilted her head. " I can step forward myself, you know…"

" No. " he stated firmly.

" Yes, I can. "

" Yes, you can. But you won't be allowed. "

" Why? "

" Because you need the prosecution and the defense to allow the testimony... "

" And? "

" The defense won't accept it. "

She took in a deep breath. " Ow, you…"

" Yes, me…" He looked down at his documents. " It's final, Della. No. "

" Oh, you're so … male. " She narrowed her angry eyes to him.

" I thought that's what you liked about me…"

" Oh, and that is even more male. " She rushed out, nearly bumping into Paul Drake who came in, and watched her leave.

Mason frowned and blew out a deep breath of air. " Damn…"

" Ow, marital affairs, right? " Drake threw his papers on Mason's desk.

" We're not married, Paul. " Perry grunted.

" Yeah, sure. Perry, the only thing that makes it you're not married, is just that you two never put an actual signature next to eachother on a piece of paper…."

Mason just gave him a dark stare. Then looked away, because he knew Drake was right. " What have you found out? "

" Well, Suzanna Domenico was surely, what we call a 'madam'. About ten years ago, she had a brothel."

" So, it was true... " Perry picked up the documents and went completely into the case with Paul Drake, getting into the details, possible other perpetrators, alibi's, motives. There were three or four possible strategies for the courtsession, all of them without Della testifying. In the back of his mind Perry noticed that, as well as he noticed the sounds in the room next door, where she was typing out his notes and made phonecalls.

Paul Drake sat back in his chair, en laced his fingers behind his head. " So, now, what's up with Della? "

" She said she wants to be a character witness…"

" She wants to testify? " Paul asked in disbelief.

" Yes, she does. " Mason said thoughtfully.

" I sure hope you told her she can't. "

" I did. "

" And? "

" You saw her walking out. She's angry with me, because I won't let her. "

" Yeah, well. If I were you, I wouldn't let her either. "

" I know. Now I just have to find a way to convince her why she shouldn't even consider. "

" Do you want me to talk to her? "

" No…" He watched Drake's worried look. " We'll be fine, Paul. Don't worry. We've been through these kind of things before. "

" Perry? " Della's voice came to them from behind the opening door. " Tony is here to go over tomorrow's session. "

" All right. Let hem in. "

They all sat down in the familiair setting. Perry behind his desk, Della in a chair with her notepad and pencil, Paul Drake sat lazily on the couch, and Tony paced through the room. He was nervous, and watched Perry.

" Before I tell you which route we're going to take tomorrow, I want to talk to you about something else… I have found another possible witness, I want you to consider, Tony. " He felt Della's angry stare, but continued in a stern voice, ignoring her eyes. " Della wants to testify for you as a character witness. "

" What? What good will that do? " Tony turned to Della.

Perry started to answer the question. "She could be… " But Tony cut him off.

" I want Della to tell me…" Tony kneeled down in front of her. " Why? "

" Well, I can tell how you really are, that you're a nice, kind man, with a right and healthy sense of justice. I can tell that you were madly in love with Suzanna, and that you would never be able to kill her. "

" Yeah, sure. And then they ask you about your engagement to my Uncle Michael, right? Or worse, they will ask you about Angelina, then what? You tell them? Della, are you out of it? No way. You are not going to testify for me. " Tony adressed Perry with frantic eyes. " You didn't tell her to do this, right? "

" No. "

" Good. 'Cause I don't want it. "

" But Tony, they won't ask. It's not relevant." Della explained to Tony, while she stood up.

" It could be." Perry added.

" Why are you so impossible about this? " Della sighed to Perry, and sat back against the armrest of the couch.

Her attitude made him angry. " Damn it! " Why couldn't she just understand he was protecting her? " Della, that's because I would use it, if I were the D.A.. It tells how tied you are to the Domenicofamily, what you did for them, and how you are connected forever. To show you might even have the same temper…"

" I can't believe that Reston will go there…"

" It's a definite 'no' , Della. " Perry grabbed his crutches and went to stand in front of her. " From me, and now you heard it from Tony…This is final. "

Paul Drake was holding his breath. He had never seen them like this, this wasn't just a small difference of opinion. The way they stood opposite of eachother was close to frightening, even for him. Della stood straight up, her arms crossed in front of her watching the big man with her fierce eyes. Perry Mason had his steel stare on, and used his imposing posture to underline his statement. Paul had seen him doing that a number of times, but never against Della.

" You knew Tony wouldn't want me to testify. It's quite low to use Tony against me this way…" the low tone of her voice held an accusation in itself.

Tony Domenico watched them silently. He wanted to say something, but somehow sensed this wasn't the right time to interfere.

" I'm better low and safe, than sorry, if it involves you…" Perry's voice came out softer than would be expected. The booming courtroomvoice he had used before was gone.

Della lost the battle. Paul saw her shoulders sinking in a bit, her face grimacing into a formal expression. " I'll be next door if you gentlemen need me…" She turned on her heels, and walked away. Her past as present to her as to him.