Declan was in his office, and, as usual, he wasn't doing anything school-related. This hadn't changed at all. Instead, he held a jewelry box in his hand that contained an opal ring. There was only one question on his mind. Would she say yes?
At the sound of a knock on his door, Declan quickly closed the jewelry box and put it in his pocket. He looked up, expecting to see a student, or maybe Peggy. What he saw surprised him. Miranda was there.
Declan excitedly motioned for her to come in, and she did so.
"Hi, Miranda!" Declan said, getting up from his desk and giving his friend a hug.
"Hi," Miranda replied.
"Wow, this is a surprise," he said, half to himself, "It's so great to see you."
Miranda smiled.
"So how are you doing?" he asked, "How's Texas?"
"Fine," Miranda answered to both questions.
"How'd you get here?" he continued.
"Motorcycle," she said simply.
"All the way from Texas?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered.
"How come you never told me you were coming?" Declan asked yet another question.
"How come you won't stop asking me questions?" Miranda answered with a hint of sarcasm.
"Sorry . . . " he apologized giving her a little puppy dog look.
Miranda smiled again, "It's okay," she said.
"So you wouldn't have brought Gabriel, would you?" Declan was already asking questions again.
"No, I left him with a neighbor," Miranda answered, trying to imagine what it would have been like with a dog with her on her motorcycle.
"How's he doing?" Declan asked.
"Fine," Miranda said.
"I haven't seen him since he was a puppy," Declan remembered giving the little dog to Miranda. The memory made him smile.
"Well," Miranda said, "he's a lot bigger now."
"I bet he is . . . " Declan trailed off, then got an idea, "Hey, I'm having dinner with Peggy tonight if you would want to come."
"Well, I wouldn't want to . . . " she trailed of. She had thought of finishing with 'be a third wheel' but she decided that would be too un-Miranda-like.
"Come on, Miranda," Declan pleaded, "we're working on an investigation. It will be just like old times."
"All right," Miranda said, knowing that if she hadn't conceded, he would have argued her into it eventually.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Peggy was already there when they came. She was looking out the window, so she hadn't seen them.
Declan tiptoed behind her and suddenly wrapped his arms about her waist. She jumped in surprise, but when she looked over her shoulder, she saw that it was only Declan.
It was little things like this that had made Miranda want to move in the first place. These little things that reminded her that Declan and Peggy *were* together, as if she didn't remind herself enough.
"Miranda!" Peggy exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"
"Yeah, it's been a while," Miranda said as she swallowed her jealousy and forced a smile.
Peggy looked at her watch and said, "I reserved a place for us, so they should be calling us in a few minutes . . . "
"Fowler . . . party of three," the waiter called.
" . . . or less." Peggy corrected herself.
"Let's go," Declan suggested.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"And he survived?" Miranda asked, right before taking a huge bite of her sandwich. She hadn't had any decent food for two days.
"Yep," Declan replied through a mouthful of lasagna as he handed Miranda a newspaper.
"'Twenty-eight year old Fred Janson miraculously survived being literally skewed by a tree branch.'" Miranda read.
"Listen to this," Declan said as he took the paper back, "'"I remember feeling my heart pounding against the wood," Janson said about his accident, "I was sure that I was about to die."' Can you believe that?"
"It's physically possible, but highly improbable," Miranda said in her usual technobabble.
"The tree branch missed his heart by this much." Declan said showing just how much with his thumb and forefinger, "You gotta admit, that's pretty amazing."
"Yeah," Peggy said, "but it's pretty obvious that there isn't a miracle involved. It just happened to miss his heart."
"I don't know," Declan said, "see I've got this theory,"
Both Peggy and Miranda groaned.
"No, listen to me." Declan had a slightly hurt look on his face, which faded away once he got into explaining his theory, "I think that there was something that was keeping it away from his heart."
"Like an angel?" Peggy asked.
"Maybe," was Declan's answer.
"So I guess you're going to go investigate this, aren't you?" Peggy asked.
"C'mon, Peg, it's what I do." Declan said through another mouthful of lasagna.
Miranda smiled. Declan hadn't changed at all.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Miranda was lying down in her hotel room bed, listening to the thunder. It had been such a long time since she had heard a thunderstorm, and she was thoroughly enjoying it.
The rain was pitter-pattering on the window, the lightning would sparatically burst, causing a moment of blinding light, followed immediately by the roaring thunder.
After about a half hour of this, the thunder died down, the lightning stopped flashing, and the rain's pitter-patter became more and more gentle. Miranda decided that it was time to go to sleep. She had a long day ahead of her.
That's the end of part three :) Oh, and by the way, the investigation was *actually* something I saw on the news one time. I thought it was so amazing that I decided that I'd put it in a fic sometime, so I did :)
At the sound of a knock on his door, Declan quickly closed the jewelry box and put it in his pocket. He looked up, expecting to see a student, or maybe Peggy. What he saw surprised him. Miranda was there.
Declan excitedly motioned for her to come in, and she did so.
"Hi, Miranda!" Declan said, getting up from his desk and giving his friend a hug.
"Hi," Miranda replied.
"Wow, this is a surprise," he said, half to himself, "It's so great to see you."
Miranda smiled.
"So how are you doing?" he asked, "How's Texas?"
"Fine," Miranda answered to both questions.
"How'd you get here?" he continued.
"Motorcycle," she said simply.
"All the way from Texas?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered.
"How come you never told me you were coming?" Declan asked yet another question.
"How come you won't stop asking me questions?" Miranda answered with a hint of sarcasm.
"Sorry . . . " he apologized giving her a little puppy dog look.
Miranda smiled again, "It's okay," she said.
"So you wouldn't have brought Gabriel, would you?" Declan was already asking questions again.
"No, I left him with a neighbor," Miranda answered, trying to imagine what it would have been like with a dog with her on her motorcycle.
"How's he doing?" Declan asked.
"Fine," Miranda said.
"I haven't seen him since he was a puppy," Declan remembered giving the little dog to Miranda. The memory made him smile.
"Well," Miranda said, "he's a lot bigger now."
"I bet he is . . . " Declan trailed off, then got an idea, "Hey, I'm having dinner with Peggy tonight if you would want to come."
"Well, I wouldn't want to . . . " she trailed of. She had thought of finishing with 'be a third wheel' but she decided that would be too un-Miranda-like.
"Come on, Miranda," Declan pleaded, "we're working on an investigation. It will be just like old times."
"All right," Miranda said, knowing that if she hadn't conceded, he would have argued her into it eventually.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Peggy was already there when they came. She was looking out the window, so she hadn't seen them.
Declan tiptoed behind her and suddenly wrapped his arms about her waist. She jumped in surprise, but when she looked over her shoulder, she saw that it was only Declan.
It was little things like this that had made Miranda want to move in the first place. These little things that reminded her that Declan and Peggy *were* together, as if she didn't remind herself enough.
"Miranda!" Peggy exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"
"Yeah, it's been a while," Miranda said as she swallowed her jealousy and forced a smile.
Peggy looked at her watch and said, "I reserved a place for us, so they should be calling us in a few minutes . . . "
"Fowler . . . party of three," the waiter called.
" . . . or less." Peggy corrected herself.
"Let's go," Declan suggested.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"And he survived?" Miranda asked, right before taking a huge bite of her sandwich. She hadn't had any decent food for two days.
"Yep," Declan replied through a mouthful of lasagna as he handed Miranda a newspaper.
"'Twenty-eight year old Fred Janson miraculously survived being literally skewed by a tree branch.'" Miranda read.
"Listen to this," Declan said as he took the paper back, "'"I remember feeling my heart pounding against the wood," Janson said about his accident, "I was sure that I was about to die."' Can you believe that?"
"It's physically possible, but highly improbable," Miranda said in her usual technobabble.
"The tree branch missed his heart by this much." Declan said showing just how much with his thumb and forefinger, "You gotta admit, that's pretty amazing."
"Yeah," Peggy said, "but it's pretty obvious that there isn't a miracle involved. It just happened to miss his heart."
"I don't know," Declan said, "see I've got this theory,"
Both Peggy and Miranda groaned.
"No, listen to me." Declan had a slightly hurt look on his face, which faded away once he got into explaining his theory, "I think that there was something that was keeping it away from his heart."
"Like an angel?" Peggy asked.
"Maybe," was Declan's answer.
"So I guess you're going to go investigate this, aren't you?" Peggy asked.
"C'mon, Peg, it's what I do." Declan said through another mouthful of lasagna.
Miranda smiled. Declan hadn't changed at all.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Miranda was lying down in her hotel room bed, listening to the thunder. It had been such a long time since she had heard a thunderstorm, and she was thoroughly enjoying it.
The rain was pitter-pattering on the window, the lightning would sparatically burst, causing a moment of blinding light, followed immediately by the roaring thunder.
After about a half hour of this, the thunder died down, the lightning stopped flashing, and the rain's pitter-patter became more and more gentle. Miranda decided that it was time to go to sleep. She had a long day ahead of her.
That's the end of part three :) Oh, and by the way, the investigation was *actually* something I saw on the news one time. I thought it was so amazing that I decided that I'd put it in a fic sometime, so I did :)