Chapter 75

Eddy closed the door behind him as he entered the dance hall, pondering Lindsay's reaction to his words. After a few seconds of thinking, he turned his attention to the crowd, dispersed around the hall once again after the conclusion of dinner.

A quick glance around the hall yielded positive identification of his two best friends, Ed and Double Dee. The two boys were standing at the edge of the dance floor, immersed in a fun-filled conversation. Marie, May and Nazz had taken their leave to the girls room in an effort to relieve themselves, and to perform modifications and readjustments to their hair and make-up ensemble, leaving the boys to their own devices for the next ten minutes or so.

After a quick stop at the counter for a cup of punch, Eddy took a deep breath and proceeded to make his way toward his friends. The small boy was quite nervous, as he felt somewhat responsible for the events that had occurred the previous day; he felt quite guilty for handling things the way he did despite Double Dee's warnings.

Nevertheless, he eventually came within speaking distance of his friends, taking his place standing next to Ed with a melancholy expression.

"Hey boys..." said Eddy in a quiet manner, prompting his friends attention.

In an instant, Ed's face transformed into an exuberant smile. He then reached out and grabbed Eddy in a tight bear hug, much to the short boys surprise.

"Eddy!" yelled Ed, "You made it! Boy oh boy how I missed you! I can't wait for you to see how pretty May looks. And guess what? I even danced! And you said I had two right feet."

Ed giggled dopily at the conclusion of his statement, at which point Eddy decided to reply.

"Good for you Ed," said Eddy, "I wish I could say my night is going as good as yours."

Ed placed Eddy back down onto the floor, adopting a saddened expression as he and Double Dee listened to Eddy explain himself.

"I'm sorry guys," said Eddy, "I messed up real bad. All of this fighting and stuff really got to me, and this stupid big mouth of mine only made things worse. That and the fact that I tend to make stupid choices that only make things worse when I'm desperate really screwed things up. I tried to make things better, I've been working over the last couple weeks to get Lee a custom ball gown. I secretly called that Green Clover Store, gave them her measurements, and asked if they could whip something up in green for her. I managed to get it done, and I'd thought I'd surprise her with it at her house tonight, but then all that bullshit happened yesterday and it ruined it. I knocked on her door with the dress earlier tonight, but Lee refused to come to the door, saying she was too upset to talk to anyone. Tabby tried to get her to come out, but she wouldn't budge."

Eddy glanced towards the floor.

"I know Lee's pretty stubborn, but in this case I can't blame her," said Eddy, "All of this is my fault. I got you and Rolf caught up in all of this because I tried to take the stupid way out instead of just letting things happen. It's just, I want to see Lee happy, but I went about it all wrong. If only I could go back in time...if only I understood from the get go."

Eddy glanced back toward his friends.

"But now it's all ruined," said Eddy, "Lee probably doesn't want to be with me anymore, let alone speak to me. But at least I was able to apologize to Rolf...and possibly set things up to make her life better in the long run, even if it doesn't involve me anymore."

At that moment, Double Dee approached Eddy and placed his hand on his friends shoulder

"It's been quite the overwhelming week, Eddy" said Double Dee, "But, I most certainly would not be so hasty in taking all of the responsibility for this unfortunate mess. While you do manage to consistently escalate problems due to your hotheaded nature, in this instance, it is quite easy to see that you had nothing but the greatest intentions. However, you could have benefited from listening to your friends. You should know by now that I am always willing to assist with problems in the most efficient manner, and I knew that your plan to use Rolf against Lindsay would eventually backfire, it was merely a matter of time."

"I know," said Eddy, "I'm sorry, I should have listened from the get go."

Double Dee smiled.

"Apology accepted," said Double Dee.

"Really?" asked Eddy, "That's it, even though I pretty much ruined Christmas."

"Eddy, I hardly doubt that Christmas is ruined entirely," said Double Dee, "Have you forgotten what the season is about? Love, good will, hope, and cheer. You have the love of your friends, and demonstrated good will by attempting to atone for your actions by procuring Lee a winter ball gown. In addition, I have no doubt that you will eventually regain your overconfident, somewhat silly antics, without which the show and this fanfic would surely be quite the bore."

Double Dee leaned down to meet Eddy at eye level.

"The only thing missing right now my dear friend is hope," said Double Dee, "And if Ed and I have anything to do with it, you and Lee will be back on good terms by Christmas Eve. I'm sure Marie and May would be happy to assist as well."

Eddy stared into Double Dee's eyes for a few moments, after which he cracked a smile.

"Thanks pal," said Eddy, "Why are you so good to me, even though I always seem to be a jerk."

"Well as they say, friends stick together through thick and thin," said Double Dee, "Besides, we've been through much worse than this little pickle, haven't we?"

Eddy simply smiled at the conclusion of Double Dee's statement. A few seconds passed, after which he adopted a saddened demeanor once again.

"I just wish I could have saw her in that dress," said Eddy, "Green is her favorite color, and it looks really nice on her with that beautiful red hair and freckles. The lady at the dress shop said the same thing when I described Lee to her. It's funny, I worked my ass off to earn the money to buy that dress, but when I went to pick it up, the lady said that somebody donated a dress with the exact description to some kind of holiday program that gives girls free prom dresses and ball gowns, so I didn't have to spend a penny."

"Interesting," said Double Dee, "I suppose the holiday spirit is on your side after all."

"Either way," said Eddy, "I brought it here with me on the off chance that Lee decided to eventually show up. It's a long shot, but like you said there's always hope."

Eddy turned back towards the dance floor, observing the hoards of young men and women moving their bodies to the music.

"I guess all's we can do now is try to have a good time," said Eddy after which he took a sip of his punch.

The three boys stood in silence, awaiting the return of the girls while contemplating the situation at hand.

Meanwhile, back at the Kankers residence, Tabby had just completed the task of pouring batter into a series of three trays, designed for making her famous vanilla frosted cupcakes. The red headed woman had pre-heated the oven, and after donning a pair of blue mitts, opened the door and placed the tray inside.

Upon removing the oven mitts, Tabby grabbed her cup of coffee from the kitchen counter and made her way back into the living room. She placed the steaming mug down on the coffee table, after which she retrieved a cigarette from her pocket book, as well as a match.

Just as she was about to strike the match, a series of five knocks emanated from the area of the front door, indicating the presence of a visitor. Expecting a visit from the Christmas Carolers, or a charitable organization, Tabby placed her cigarette and match down on the table. She retrieved a few dollar bills from her pocketbook prior to approaching the door.

As soon as Tabby opened the door, an expression of surprise suddenly overcame her. In lieu of meeting a charity spokesperson at eye level, she was greeted with the sight of a maroon designer fur coat, her head being at the level of the occupants chest. In a flash, Tabby glanced upward, eventually meeting a pair of blue, chestnut shaped eyes that conveyed an air of concern.

Standing on the stoop was none other than Lindsay, who had changed into her ordinary clothes. Her hair was once again placed into her standard style; long loose waves separated from her bangs by a blue head band. Her large golden hooped earrings hung from her ears, bouncing slightly as she moved her head.

"Hello...um...Ms. Kanker?" said Lindsay.

Tabby paused for a few moments, staring up into Lindsay's eyes prior to responding.

"Yes," said Tabby, "Hello Ti...ime for a song I suppose, you're a Caroler right!?"

"No," said Lindsay, "We've never met before, but I'm an old friend of Annalee's from the city. I just moved here a few months ago. My name is Lindsay."

"Well Lindsay," said Tabby, "Great to meet you, you can call me Tabby."

"Great," said Lindsay rather nervously, "Is Annalee home?"

Tabby bit her bottom lip as she turned towards the interior of the house, glancing toward the area of the stairs.

"Yes she is," said Tabby, "But she's feeling a little under the weather right now."

"Would you mind if I came in and talked to her for a minute?" asked Lindsay.

"I'm sorry," said Tabby, "But I don't think she wants to see anybody right now. She didn't even want to see her boyfriend earlier, and they are very close."

At that moment, Lindsay placed her hand on Tabby's shoulder.

"Please Tabby," said Lindsay, "Let me try to talk to her. I think I can help her get out of this funk."

Tabby paused for a few moments, staring into Lindsay's eyes with a neutral expression. A few seconds passed, at which point she nodded, and proceeded to move to the left while signaling Lindsay to enter her home.

"Thank you so much," said Lindsay as she made her way into the Kankers house, carrying her favorite purple handbag on her shoulder.

Tabby closed the door behind her, after which she turned around to face the living room. She observed the tall, thin frame of Lindsay make her way towards the stairs, walking with her characteristic arched back. After climbing the five stairs towards the upper level, she turned down the hallway towards Lee's room, disappearing from view.

Tabby sat down in her chair with a slight grin on her face. As she finally lit her cigarette, she uttered a few words to herself.

"Looks like fate has come full circle," said Tabby as she glanced toward the stairs again, "She's a spitting image, those Bette Davis eyes tell the whole story...she even sounds just like her."

Tabby took a draw of her cigarette.

"The stage is set," said Tabby "It's all in the hands of God now."