Disclaimer: Dangermouse and characters are property of Cosgrove/Hall productions, and I don't own them. This fiction and the characters of M6 Lori L'Amour and her assistant and other craziness the other side of the pond is my own insanity, property of me, Trynia Merin. I've been having THIS on my brain forever, and pardon the raw form of this fanfiction.
A Long Overdue Date
Conclusion
By Trynia Merin
This story takes place after Two of the Best, and Two of the Worst
**********************************************************
"Ohh, what is that rumbling?" Fifi groaned as she heard a distant vibration.
"Sounds like an organ," Bagel said.
"Blast, it sounds like Dangermouse has failed to stop them," 57 said.
"Wait, what was the weapon supposed to do, Monsieur 57?' Fifi asked him.
"Use your voice to put people into a trance," said 57. "But if you're here…"
"WE had best stop up our ears, non?" she asked. "Bagel are there any earplugs in the auto?"
"Glove compartment," Bagel said. Frantically Fifi dug through the compartment and managed to get out pairs for everyone by the time the organ tone overrode them. A vibration shook the Gail 6, and 57 tried desperately to stop it.
"Hold on ladies!" he shouted.
"WHAT?" asked Bagel.
"C'est'se?" Fifi shouted. They felt the rattling of their teeth as a sudden wave hit the car, and glanced down below to see the ground quaking beneath them. 57 barely managed to land the car as it skittered and spun out of control, then bounced on the hills below as he struggled to bring it into a landing. There came a terrific crash, and airbags deployed to stop them where they were. Slowly they struggled out of their seatbelts as the Gail 6 hissed with steam and smoke.
"Great, another 2 weeks at the garage at least," mumbled Bagel.
"What?" 57 asked.
"Never mind," Bagel mouthed as she pointed to a tall menacing shape. It looked to be a large set of speakers, ten stories high that had popped out of the side of the hill. 57 changed himself into a racehorse, and knelt down so the ladies could climb on his back. Breaking into a run he sprinted as quickly as he could toward the vibrating rumble.
***
"Now, sing my songbird, sing!" said Wolfgang.
Lori opened her mouth and looked at the Latin words. She began to sing, but her voice suddenly sounded very different as it spilled out of her mouth. Something in the melody reminded her of one of her favorite songs, and she began to sing it very loudly.
"Shout it, shout it, shout it out loud!"
"That's not the right song!" Wolfgang shouted. "And you… are not she…"
"That's right, dumb-dumb!" Lori shouted, sweeping her tail out and wrapping it around the organ swivel stool. She spun the screw, sending Wulfgang up nearly three feet then whipping the stool around so he spun like a top. The organ stopped playing, and Lori quickly moved out her feet, barely able to touch the organ stops with her feet and tail to push them off and try and stop the organ tones.
"Thank heaven for that," Penfold mumbled as the organ stopped.
"What's going on here!" Cam Elion shouted. "Wait… you're not…"
"That's right, sucker, joke's on you!" Lori shouted. "You just captured a secret agent!"
Wulfgang's stool crashed against the organ console, spilling him rudely on the keys, to play a dissonant chord that rumbled the entire hideout. Lori struggled against the clamps to get free, as Cam Elion rushed up toward her.
"M6! I should have KNONW it was you!"
"Where else for a needle to hide, except around a bunch of other needles," she said, twisting her wrists as she tried to lodge her tail into the clamps to get free. However, they tightened, and she was left trying to pull free. Dangermouse struggled to untie the strands of the net, but they were forged of titanium.
"Blast, titanium," DM shouted.
"What?" Penfold asked as DM pulled the cotton wool from his ears, and Penfold's.
"This net is titanium… I can't…untie it… unless…"
"Curse you!" Cam Elion shouted as he rushed up toward Lori. Picking up her feet she kicked him back, her legs connecting with his torso as she pitched him back into the organ console onto the already groaning Wolfgang. They landed in a heap, stars and planets orbiting the villains aching heads. Sparks began to fly from the hypnotron, and Lori was right next to it.
"Crumbs DM…" Penfold shouted. "What do we do…"
"Blast it…" DM wrestled with the titanium wires. "I can't… quite… Lori, use your tail to get free…"
"I can't," she shouted. "These clamps are too… hard…"
"There must be a switch," DM shouted. "Feel about with your telescopic tail!"
"Ohh chief hurry, I think that smoke doesn't mean anything good!" Penfold whimpered.
***
"Over that way, smoke!" Bagel pointed to Agent 57, who was breaking a sweat as his hooves pounded into the ground. They covered the hill rapidly; dodging past a series of lights that had suddenly flown around them.
"Mon dieu, UFOs?" Fifi gasped, hanging on.
"No, Cam Elion's firebugs, and each has a laser… watch out 57!" she cried. No longer needing their earplugs they pull them out as 57 dodged each laser, panting.
"This is dirty pool what?"
"Do you have a mirror?" Bagel asked Fifi.
"But of course… I see what you are thinking," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the compact mirror. She had stuck it into her pocket quickly thinking to powder her makeup. Bagel grabbed a compact mirror out of her pocket as well, and both of them deflected any lasers sizzling their way up into the glowing swarm.
"Last stop, villains, secret plots, and finish line!" 57 shouted as he bolted up between the speakers and rushed to the source of the smoke. "End of the line!"
"C'mon we have to find them, I have a bad feeling they're down there somewhere…"
"You'll have to go through me first," said Nevermore as she landed before both women agents. Her nunchukas whirled wildly as she advanced on Fifi and Bagel.
"Sacre blue," Fifi gasped.
"OH really?" asked someone, and she glanced over their shoulder to see a menacing shape rise, with a roar. A huge bear suddenly gnashed its teeth at her and she glanced up in disbelief.
"You think THAT scares me? Get real," she sniffed as she looked up.
"No, but this does!" Fifi shouted as she hauled back her fist and clocked Nevermore in the face. It was a sucker punch, but it felled the raven flat on her back. Before she could recover, Bagel grabbed the cuffs that Lori stashed on her belt and snapped Nevermore's wrists behind her back while Fifi threw the weapons away.
"WHERE IS DANGER MOUSE!" Fifi snapped as she put her foot on Nevermore's chest. "If you don't' tell me now... I shall be exceedingly angry!"
"You can't threaten me…'
"Is that a non?" Fifi asked, and then started to sing a very loud piercing note, enough to shatter glass, right in Nevermore's ears. Bagel and 57 clamped their hands over their ears.
"No…no…s top, anything but that!" Nevermore shrieked.
"Then tell us WHERE they are now!" Fifi said angrily. "Or I'll be forced to do an ENCORE!"
***
Inside, Cam Elion and Wolfgang were still unconscious. DM struggled in vain with the fibers, and Lori couldn't find the release switch with her tail. She desperately glanced at the two agents in the net and shouted, "I can't find it…"
"BLAST and botheration!" DM shouted. "If only I had my wire cutters on me…"
"Need a hand?" someone asked as a large and angry bear busted the door down.
"Agent 57!" shouted Dangermouse. "Just in the nick of time! We've got to get free… and Lori…"
"I can't reach the switch!" she cried. 57 rushed over and quickly smashed the console with a large bear claw, and freed Lori.
"Allow me," he said, helping her down.
"Thank you," she panted, glancing up at him. "Now DM…"
Bagel and Fifi rushed in, and she gasped when she saw Dangermouse and Penfold in the net snare. "What do I do?" she asked.
"There's a switch or a button somewhere," Bagel said, showing Fifi where the console was. They pressed all the switches before the net dropped, and 57 knocked them clear of the large sterno can.
"Fifi, what on EARTH are you doing here?" Dangermouse gasped. "It's too dangerous…"
"Rescuing you!" she cried.
"Penfold, are you all right!" Bagel shouted as Fifi and Bagel dragged them free of the net.
"OH thank goodness," he gasped rushing over to her and almost knocking her over with a hug.
"Save the arguments for later, we have to get OUT of here!" Lori shouted. 57 grabbed the unconscious villains and threw them over his massive bear back, as Lori pushed DM and Fifi before her, and Penfold and Bagel ran after them, hand in hand. Grabbing Fifi, DM picked her up and ran as fast as he could, while Lori grabbed Bagel and Penfold, running at top speed as the complex exploded to pieces around them. They stopped running at a distance to see the whole thing go up ion flames and explosions.
***
For miles around the blaze momentarily lit up the countryside. All agents gasped as they watched the aftermath. "Good grief," said DM, still holding Fifi in his arms. She drew in her breath as she saw the fire and smoke rising into the night.
"Oh crumbs, the mark III!" cried Penfold, as Lori set him and Bagel down on the grass. "It was back there… it'll be smashed to pieces!"
"Not quite," DM said, gently putting Fifi down and hitting his wristwatch. Suddenly the shape of the mark III rose up from the pit, almost unscathed except for a few dings and smoke damage.
"That's a lucky break," Lori said, and then turned to 57. "Thank you for saving us… you were terrific…"
"All in a day's work," 57 smiled as Lori leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"Lori, thank heavens you are al right!" Fifi said as she rushed over and hugged Lori. The two cousins rocked back and forth hugging tightly.
"Cor, that was magnificent," Penfold said glancing at Bagel, who smiled at him. "57 to the rescue, with the gels, who would have thought it!"
Fifi and Lori released one another and turned to the others. DM glanced at Fifi, who was standing there, with her arms folded over her chest, and Bagel turned and said, "Danger Mouse, don't' you have something to say to her?"
"I… em… I'm sorry I underestimated you, my dear," Danger Mouse said slowly to Fifi, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I was only trying to protect you… and I do apologize…"
"Mon Coeur, you were only doing your job," she said as he turned her around and looked at her with sadness in his face. She reached up to brush the smudges of smoke off his face, and smiled slowly.
"Do you forgive me? I mean this wasn't QUITE what I had in mind when I suggested…" DM said.
"Shh," Fifi laughed. "It was most… interesting…"
DM coughed and took her in his arms. He sighed and decided the heck with feeling self-conscious. Drawing her close he felt her arms go around her neck, and she gave him a kiss. Penfold and Bagel looked on as Lori and 57 did as well. Their kiss continued, and Penfold said, "Er, I hate to bring this up, but how are we going to get back to London in just the mark III…"
"I do apologize for appropriating your vehicle," 57 said as he tied up the villains with a length of rope in the mark III. "I did borrow it from you…"
"The Gail 6?" she asked. "You mean it's fixed?"
"Ah yes," he nodded, handing her watch back to her. She held up her wrist to put it on, and he did so. She then leaned up and threw herself up into his arms and gave him another kiss on the cheek. Despite the fact he was a huge grizzly bear he momentarily forgot h himself and wrapped her in his arms to return the kiss to his cheek, then set her down when he realized that Penfold and Bagel were watching and laughing. Lori blushed.
"Isn't that sweet?" Bagel laughed. As she watched the scene before her, Penfold got up his courage and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and she blushed.
"Thank you for saving me life," he said awkwardly.
"You're welcome," she smiled, and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Poor Penfold blushed and then keeled over in a dead faint.
"Poor chap," said Danger Mouse as he broke out of his embrace, and looked at Penfold lying there, and Bagel desperately trying to fan his face, as he lay unconscious.
"Let's go home… there is STILL much of the night to be spending together," Fifi said to him, and he nodded.
"How badly IS the Gail 6 busted up?" Lori asked him.
"Well, you might need a new paint job," said Bagel, glancing up as she patted Penfold's hand and waved her handkerchief in his face.
"Oh,' she said, and glanced up at a very mortified master of disguise. "Well at least it wasn't us…"
"Let's go home," said Danger Mouse. "After I call Colonel K and get someone to mop up this mess…"
"You and your date go on ahead, I think we can manage here," said Lori with a smile, nudging 57.
"Quite right," he nodded.
"But poor Penfold…" Bagel groaned. "I feel so awful…"
"C'mon, let's bring him along… he's had enough excitement for one day," DM smiled as Bagel helped him pick up Penfold and put him in the back seat of the car. She sat down next to him, and Fifi and DM got into the front seat. 57 and Lori watched them fly away toward London and then turned to look at one another.
"It's going to be a long time before they show up," 57 said, with a cough. "I do hope that I wasn't… too forward in my… demonstrations of affection…"
"Why don't we talk about it while we wait?" Lori said with a smile. "Besides, I think I'd like to hear just HOW you became a master of disguise…"
It had been a long time since anyone but his co agents and DM had known, but he figured it was as good a time as any to tell someone else. Especially the young American agent who seemed to be very interested in him as well as his career. This could be the start of a very beautiful friendship, a very deep and intense one. 57 smiled and said, "Well, it's a bally long story, m'dear… but it all started…"
****
The Mark III pulled up to HQ, and stopped to drop Bagel and Penfold off. Slowly he came round, and saw Bagel looking down into his face as he lay on the sofa, concern in her eyes. "Ohh heck…"
"I'm sorry to make you faint," she apologized.
"Don't mention it, I rather enjoyed that…" he laughed nervously.
"First kiss huh?" she asked.
"If I say yes, are you going to be cross with me?"
"Of course not, I think it's sweet," Bagel said with a smile. An awkward silence came between them, and they both blushed.
"Well, ahem… would you care for a spot of tea?" Penfold said, wringing his hands.
"Now that's the perfect end to a first date," she smiled. "And you can tell me about your Auntie in the states… and I can tell you about the crazy trip my parents took to the Caribbean…"
"Cor, can you show me how to make that apple tart?" he asked.
"Apple pie," she corrected as Penfold got up off the sofa, and helped her up. They walked off to the kitchen as they heard the Mark III roar off, and knew they were alone in the HQ.
As Penfold boiled water and searched for tea, Bagel began to get the ingredients down. Both were still shy from the kiss on the cheek they had given one another and both were unsure of how to proceed. What made matters worse was that DM and Fifi had left to continue their date elsewhere, leaving them with the whole run of the place. She knew that the kiss he'd given her on the cheek was sweet, and he must still be terrified, and terribly shy. So they had to take careful steps to see what would happen next.
"Um, you realize that DM's up and left?" Bagel asked.
"That means we have the telly all to ourselves," Penfold said as he put out the tea service and Bagel continued to knead the crust for the apple pie. She took a rolling pin he handed her and began to roll out the dough as he grabbed some flour to toss over it, and a pie tin she could throw it into. Adding the glazed apples to it, she waited as he turned on the oven and helped open it for her as she stepped up and tossed the pie in.
"Now, what shall we watch?" she asked, feeling the awkwardness abate somewhat. What better way to see how things went then to just keep things as they were, then see what developed later? AS the pie baked, both of them sat on the sofa with various treats and tea, laughing at the late night comedy shows. They both talked on about their families at length, simply comparing notes, and trying to avoid shy glances. For now they were just comfortable spending time like this, like old friends. Just what would happen next they would just wait and see, and both nodded in silent understanding that this felt rather comfortable as it was… for now.
***
DM and Fifi stood together in Hyde Park, holding hands and looking at the stars. They turned to one another and smiled. As their bodies pressed close and their hearts beat, they knew that they had seen each other far less then they wanted. And Danger Mouse whispered the silent question, "How long will you be in town?"
"A few weeks before I return to Paris…" she whispered.
"I am sorry I misjudged you, but it's only because… I care for you so much and if anything was to happen to you…"
"I know mon Coeur," she whispered, kissing his cheek. "But if something were to happen to you, I would be equally grief ridden… so we must make each moment count…"
"Indeed," DM said slowly. "And I do intend to do that…"
She took his hand and they sat down on the meadow together, simply enjoying their closeness as they relaxed, and the night wore on. They didn't' cross the line that most would have been tempted to, but their lips found one another's, and their hands clasped tightly as they spoke of their future together, and the next time they could see one another. Still Danger Mouse kept the one question that might seal them together as one from his mind. IT wasn't now. Because he'd been badly shaken in almost facing death, and he knew that the right time would come. Not tonight, but not too much longer. There was so much to consider first…
But the long overdue date was finally ending in a way that they both wanted… and as the morning sun rose on the two sleeping figures curled up in the Mark III they knew they would face it together… in some way. Even if they were miles apart they were just right for one another. But a deeper commitment would have to wait till Danger Mouse could breach the subject they both wondered most about.
The end… for now…