Payback

(A/N: takes place after my story, Tunnel of Love. Just a shorty had rattling around while traveling.)

It had taken Della four months before she had completely healed from the wound she had received when the McClure Tunnel collapsed during an earthquake. She and Perry had been trapped, along with several others, including an escaped murderer. In all the confusion during the attempt to find a way out, Della had been shot.

Faced with Della most dying, Perry had finally declared his love for her and Della had reciprocated with a declaration of her own. During the time she was recovering, Perry had seldom left her side. One day while they were relaxing on the beach, Perry had promised to buy a boat, so they could spend more time together.

Perry had bought a 33-foot Pearson Vanguard sailboat. He kept it moored at Bolero Beach so that they could visit with Della's Aunt Mae more often. They tried to take at least one weekend a month out on the ocean.

They were on one such weekend, but things were not as happy as they should be.

Perry and Della were coming off a particularly difficult case and to make matters worse, the one person Della disliked most in the world, had made an unwelcome visit - Laura Cavanagh.

She had come to Los Angeles for a lawyers conference and upon hearing of Perry's experience in the tunnel had proceeded to throw herself at him declaring she could never have lived if he had been hurt. And as usual, totally ignoring Della.

Perry had managed to keep contact with her to a minimum, but it still angered and upset Della. Now they sat at opposite ends of the boat.

Mae was in the galley fixing lunch, trying her best to stay out of the way. She loved Della as if she were her own daughter and she adored the tall, handsome lawyer. Seeing the two of them at odds made her very unhappy. But she learned long ago not to interfere in matters of the heart.

Up on deck Perry had finally had enough of Della's silent treatment. He furled the sails and dropped the anchor. Walking to the bow where Della lay back in a deck chair, he stood over her, casting a shadow over her. Casually dressed in pink shorts and matching cashmere top, she looked so beautiful.

"Della?" She pushed her sunglasses up on top her head, glaring up at him.

"You're blocking my sun. Please move."

Perry leaned down, placing his hands on the arms of her chair.

"Enough of this Della. We are supposed to be enjoying this weekend. All you've done the entire trip is sulk."

She sat up, pushing her hand against his chest, but he didn't move. "Well if you're not happy with the company, maybe you should have invited Miss Cavanagh. I'm sure HER company would be much more pleasing to you."

Perry stood up to his full height. At the stormy look in his eyes, Della realized she had gone too far this time.

"Perry, I'm sor...".

Perry leaned down, scooping Della up in his arms. "I think it's time you cooled off, Miss Street."

Della kicked and screamed in his arms, knowing what he intended to do. "Perry Mason don't you dare. If you do this, you'll get yourself a new secretary. I'll..."

Perry continued until he reached the side of the boat. "Enjoy your swim." And with that he tossed her over the side, listening to her scream and watching as she landed with a splash in the cool water.

Mae, upon hearing their raised voices and Della's scream came up from the galley. "What on earth is going on up here? Where's Della?"

Perry calmly lit a cigarette, motioning over his shoulder to the water. "Cooling off."

Mae put her hands on her hips. "Perry Mason! How dare you!"

Perry had the decency to look ashamed. "Mae, she needed..."

Mae stepped forward, pushing her finger into his chest. "You listen to me, mister high-and-mighty lawyer, more than half of this is your fault." She kept pushing against him. "If you'd keep that red-headed witch away from you and my Della, you wouldn't be having this little spat and..."

As Mae had continued stabbing his chest with her finger, Perry had been taking steps backwards across the deck, until with the last step, there was no more deck and he went sailing over the rail into the water, splashing down next to his madder-than-a-wet-hen secretary.

Mae leaned over the rail, looking down at the two. "I think that's a perfect place for the two of you to work this out. I don't want to see either of you on this boat until you kiss and make up." With that she turned and went back down into the galley to finish lunch.

Perry reached out to Della, who splashed as much water as she could at him. He finally managed to grab her hands with one hand, then putting his other hand on her head, pushed her under water. When she came up sputtering, he did it twice more.

As she came up the third time, he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her deeply. When she put her arms around his neck and returned his kiss, Perry knew the worst was over.

Breaking the kiss, he looked into her eyes. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I was wrong, about so many things. Please, please forgive me."

She reached up and brushed a wet curl back from his forehead. "Maybe."

At the quizzical look on his face, she reached out a shoved his head under water, holding it the for the count of ten.

When she let him surface, he shook his head like a dog. She smiled at him. "Now we're almost even."

She started making her way to the ladder on the side of the boat, Perry followed close behind. "Almost?"

When they had climbed back to the deck, Della turned. "After you replace my outfit, buy me the most expensive lobster dinner on the beach, and..."

Perry had grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her. "And?"

Della's grin had just a touch of malice. "And go apologize to Aunt Mae."

Perry dropped his forehead to rest against hers. "I guess what they say about payback is true."

With a gentle kiss on her lips, he walked slowly across the deck and down the galley steps.