Steed hung up the phone. "Creswell gave us instructions that Mrs. Peel and
I are to meet him at his old house near Risely-Dale. He says if we bring
anyone else, Esteed will be killed."
"Then there's only one thing to do," Mrs. Peel replied.
Steed nodded. "Tara, do you have a few spare wigs?"
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
"You see, Steed and Mrs. Peel will be here in about twenty minutes. And, since I have charged you with broadcast power, once they touch you to release you, all three of you will be killed, instantly."
Esteed rolled her eyes. "Hasn't that been done? And the last time you tried it, if I recall correctly, Steed saw right through your plan, and freed Mrs. Peel without getting fried, and killed your little henchman."
Creswell's fist came down on the table to which Esteed was now tied. "Don't ever bring that up again!"
"Still sore? I would have thought you'd gotten over it by now."
"No father gets over losing their own son."
Esteed gasped. "Peter was your son?"
"Only the best would have done for my experiment."
"Then why did you have different names?"
"Haven't you ever heard of an alias?"
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
Steed and Mrs. Peel pulled up in front of Creswell's old house. "Ready, Mrs. Peel," he emphasized the name ever so slightly. Mrs. Peel smiled, and took off the scarf she had tied round her hair. They walked into the house.
"Dr. Creswell," Steed cried out.
Creswell stepped out from behind the door, holding a gun. "I should have known you would have figured out it was me. I was hoping to surprise you, ah well. But, for curiosity's sake, how did you know?"
"It was really quite simple," Steed explained smiling, "You were the only one of our enemies who was out on parole."
"Yes, that does make things simple," Creswell mused. He motioned them to go through the doorway into the next room. There sat Esteed, tied to a long strip of metal. "If you don't behave," Creswell enlightened them, "All I have to do is press this button, and broadcast power will surge to the metal strip, electrocuting her."
Steed sighed. "Back to broadcast power, are we?"
"He was going to tie me to a table, cover me with greasy makeup and aluminum foil, and electrocute all three of us when you tried to untie me," Esteed piped in.
Creswell pointed the gun at her. "Why don't you just shut up?" His voice sounded crazed. "Ever since you came here, it's nothing but talk, talk, talk, blather, blather, blather. You're driving me insane!"
Esteed frowned. "I haven't yet? Darn. I'll just have to try harder."
Creswell muttered something, then turned back, just in time to stop Steed from knocking the gun out of his hand. "That wouldn't be very nice, Mr. Steed." If you and Mrs. Peel would like to sit down next to the girl," he waved his gun toward Esteed.
A loud crash came from the other room. "What was that," Creswell demanded.
"The wind," Esteed suggested.
"No, it's not windy at all," Steed informed her. "Do you have a cat?" He questioned Creswell.
Creswell made a noise of impatience, and called his goon. "Joseph. Go see what that noise is." Joseph left to go look in the other room. Nothing. What had happened to all the lights? It was as dark as a tomb in here. Joseph let his guard down as he went over to the light switch and flicked it. The lights came on, but Joseph realized as they did, that not only was he surrounded by a group of five people, not only that four of them looked just like Mrs. Peel, but that one of them had his gun.
Bang! Peter hit Joseph on the back of the head with his gun. Whap! One of the Mrs. Peels hit him in the face with her purse, for good measure. Peter stared at her wonderingly. Tara grinned and took a brick out of her purse.
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
Creswell was starting to get annoyed. "Joseph," he shouted. "Joseph where are you?"
Peter, Tara, Cassandra, Alexis, and Verena burst through the door.
Creswell visibly jumped. Then he collected himself. "Not a step further, or Steed, the girl, and Mrs. Peel will all be killed."
Tara stepped forward. "I believe you were looking for me," she said in a remarkably good imitation of Mrs. Peel.
Creswell dropped the gun in astonishment. "It's not possible," he muttered. "There can be only one Mrs. Peel." Suddenly, everyone seemed to realize that he had dropped the gun, including Creswell himself. Everyone jumped for it.
Creswell grasped the gun just as everyone rushed at him. "Hold it," Creswell aimed the gun very carefully. "Since it appears that I will not be able to dispose of everyone, I will be taking one person will me." He carefully backed up to Esteed. "The person who ruined my plans."
"I thought you were mad at Steed and Mrs. Peel because they killed your son."
"What?" Everyone shouted together.
"I was mad at them," Creswell explained. "Until I met you."
Esteed smiled. "Someone wants to kill me! Oh, wait. That's a bad thing, isn't it."
"In your case, I'm afraid it is," Creswell informed her. He looked back to the group. "Wasn't there another one of you?" He counted again. "I only count four Mrs. Peels-" He was cut off as Alexis' hand shot out and rendered him unconscious.
"Good job," Steed congratulated her.
Alexis beamed, and she turned to Verena. "Steed likes me best, Steed likes me best," she chanted.
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
Tara, Peter, the soon-to-be ex-Mrs. Peel, and Steed had all gathered to bid Verena, Cassandra, Alexis and Esteed good-bye. Esteed got the remote out of the tuba.
Peter's eyes widened. "You mean you had that thing the whole time," he demanded.
Esteed smiled and nodded vigorously.
Tara smiled and patted Peter's arm. "It all worked out for the best, didn't it?" Peter grudgingly acknowledged that it had.
"When is your wedding," Verena inquired.
"More important, when are Steed and Mrs. Peel going to get married," Cassandra interrupted.
"Both couples smiled happily. "As soon as the divorce is final," Mrs. Peel informed them.
"Come and visit," Steed smirked. "Just not too soon."
"All right," Esteed said, "Everyone hold hands." Once again she pushed a button, only this time, she pushed the red.
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
The girls were all laying on Esteed's couch.
Cassandra was the first to open her eyes. "Interesting dream," she commented.
"I had an interesting dream, too," Alexis admitted. "We went into the Avengers,"
"And Esteed got kidnapped," Verena added, "By the guy from,"
"The Positive-Negative Man," All four said together,
"It must have been because we fell asleep while watching that episode," Cassandra logically pointed out.
"That's probable," Verena said, pointing to the screen. It was the last scene of The Forget-Me-Knot. "Then the tape just kept running."
"Maybe," Esteed didn't sound convinced. She kept her eyes on the tape. "Look," she pointed. All four girls looked at the screen as the person they had assumed was Peter turned around. It was Steed and Mrs. Peel driving off into the sunset.
"That's never happened before," Alexis pointed out.
AN: It's finally finished!!! Thanks for all of your great reviews, I'll try to update the Twelve Days of Christmas really soon.
"Then there's only one thing to do," Mrs. Peel replied.
Steed nodded. "Tara, do you have a few spare wigs?"
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
"You see, Steed and Mrs. Peel will be here in about twenty minutes. And, since I have charged you with broadcast power, once they touch you to release you, all three of you will be killed, instantly."
Esteed rolled her eyes. "Hasn't that been done? And the last time you tried it, if I recall correctly, Steed saw right through your plan, and freed Mrs. Peel without getting fried, and killed your little henchman."
Creswell's fist came down on the table to which Esteed was now tied. "Don't ever bring that up again!"
"Still sore? I would have thought you'd gotten over it by now."
"No father gets over losing their own son."
Esteed gasped. "Peter was your son?"
"Only the best would have done for my experiment."
"Then why did you have different names?"
"Haven't you ever heard of an alias?"
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
Steed and Mrs. Peel pulled up in front of Creswell's old house. "Ready, Mrs. Peel," he emphasized the name ever so slightly. Mrs. Peel smiled, and took off the scarf she had tied round her hair. They walked into the house.
"Dr. Creswell," Steed cried out.
Creswell stepped out from behind the door, holding a gun. "I should have known you would have figured out it was me. I was hoping to surprise you, ah well. But, for curiosity's sake, how did you know?"
"It was really quite simple," Steed explained smiling, "You were the only one of our enemies who was out on parole."
"Yes, that does make things simple," Creswell mused. He motioned them to go through the doorway into the next room. There sat Esteed, tied to a long strip of metal. "If you don't behave," Creswell enlightened them, "All I have to do is press this button, and broadcast power will surge to the metal strip, electrocuting her."
Steed sighed. "Back to broadcast power, are we?"
"He was going to tie me to a table, cover me with greasy makeup and aluminum foil, and electrocute all three of us when you tried to untie me," Esteed piped in.
Creswell pointed the gun at her. "Why don't you just shut up?" His voice sounded crazed. "Ever since you came here, it's nothing but talk, talk, talk, blather, blather, blather. You're driving me insane!"
Esteed frowned. "I haven't yet? Darn. I'll just have to try harder."
Creswell muttered something, then turned back, just in time to stop Steed from knocking the gun out of his hand. "That wouldn't be very nice, Mr. Steed." If you and Mrs. Peel would like to sit down next to the girl," he waved his gun toward Esteed.
A loud crash came from the other room. "What was that," Creswell demanded.
"The wind," Esteed suggested.
"No, it's not windy at all," Steed informed her. "Do you have a cat?" He questioned Creswell.
Creswell made a noise of impatience, and called his goon. "Joseph. Go see what that noise is." Joseph left to go look in the other room. Nothing. What had happened to all the lights? It was as dark as a tomb in here. Joseph let his guard down as he went over to the light switch and flicked it. The lights came on, but Joseph realized as they did, that not only was he surrounded by a group of five people, not only that four of them looked just like Mrs. Peel, but that one of them had his gun.
Bang! Peter hit Joseph on the back of the head with his gun. Whap! One of the Mrs. Peels hit him in the face with her purse, for good measure. Peter stared at her wonderingly. Tara grinned and took a brick out of her purse.
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
Creswell was starting to get annoyed. "Joseph," he shouted. "Joseph where are you?"
Peter, Tara, Cassandra, Alexis, and Verena burst through the door.
Creswell visibly jumped. Then he collected himself. "Not a step further, or Steed, the girl, and Mrs. Peel will all be killed."
Tara stepped forward. "I believe you were looking for me," she said in a remarkably good imitation of Mrs. Peel.
Creswell dropped the gun in astonishment. "It's not possible," he muttered. "There can be only one Mrs. Peel." Suddenly, everyone seemed to realize that he had dropped the gun, including Creswell himself. Everyone jumped for it.
Creswell grasped the gun just as everyone rushed at him. "Hold it," Creswell aimed the gun very carefully. "Since it appears that I will not be able to dispose of everyone, I will be taking one person will me." He carefully backed up to Esteed. "The person who ruined my plans."
"I thought you were mad at Steed and Mrs. Peel because they killed your son."
"What?" Everyone shouted together.
"I was mad at them," Creswell explained. "Until I met you."
Esteed smiled. "Someone wants to kill me! Oh, wait. That's a bad thing, isn't it."
"In your case, I'm afraid it is," Creswell informed her. He looked back to the group. "Wasn't there another one of you?" He counted again. "I only count four Mrs. Peels-" He was cut off as Alexis' hand shot out and rendered him unconscious.
"Good job," Steed congratulated her.
Alexis beamed, and she turned to Verena. "Steed likes me best, Steed likes me best," she chanted.
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
Tara, Peter, the soon-to-be ex-Mrs. Peel, and Steed had all gathered to bid Verena, Cassandra, Alexis and Esteed good-bye. Esteed got the remote out of the tuba.
Peter's eyes widened. "You mean you had that thing the whole time," he demanded.
Esteed smiled and nodded vigorously.
Tara smiled and patted Peter's arm. "It all worked out for the best, didn't it?" Peter grudgingly acknowledged that it had.
"When is your wedding," Verena inquired.
"More important, when are Steed and Mrs. Peel going to get married," Cassandra interrupted.
"Both couples smiled happily. "As soon as the divorce is final," Mrs. Peel informed them.
"Come and visit," Steed smirked. "Just not too soon."
"All right," Esteed said, "Everyone hold hands." Once again she pushed a button, only this time, she pushed the red.
**************************************************************************** ***********************************
The girls were all laying on Esteed's couch.
Cassandra was the first to open her eyes. "Interesting dream," she commented.
"I had an interesting dream, too," Alexis admitted. "We went into the Avengers,"
"And Esteed got kidnapped," Verena added, "By the guy from,"
"The Positive-Negative Man," All four said together,
"It must have been because we fell asleep while watching that episode," Cassandra logically pointed out.
"That's probable," Verena said, pointing to the screen. It was the last scene of The Forget-Me-Knot. "Then the tape just kept running."
"Maybe," Esteed didn't sound convinced. She kept her eyes on the tape. "Look," she pointed. All four girls looked at the screen as the person they had assumed was Peter turned around. It was Steed and Mrs. Peel driving off into the sunset.
"That's never happened before," Alexis pointed out.
AN: It's finally finished!!! Thanks for all of your great reviews, I'll try to update the Twelve Days of Christmas really soon.