Re: Ghosts - ch.23 -- The Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman Fan Exchange

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Date Posted: 08:35:58 04/09/03 Wed
Author: dqfan
Subject: Re: Ghosts - ch.23
In reply to: dqfan 's message, "Re: Ghosts - ch.22" on 04:36:27 04/08/03 Tue

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

"What is all this?" Peter stood in the doorway between their two bedrooms, toweling his hair dry.

"Work�" Sophie answered succinctly.

Now that she and Peter were back on track, it was time to clear Charity's name and get the heck out of Dodge - or Vegas, as the case might be.

Sophie had already dressed and was seated cross-legged on Peter's king-size bed, hers now a bit too rumpled to work on at the moment. Ben's personal belongings, Peter's laptop, and a pad of paper and pen were all spread out before her.

She was wearing a casual set of lounging pajamas with a short, matching camisole. It was a comfortable and cool outfit, not especially revealing. Still, the clingy, jersey material and intricate eyelet lace of the camisole, both in a striking shade of pale lavender, instantly caught Peter's attention.

Sophie wore that color often, even before she met him. But, ever since their first date on Vashon, when she happened to be wearing purple, her fondness for the color had only grown.

"What?" Sophie saw the look in his eyes.

"C'mon, Soph�You don't expect me to work with you in THAT?"
Between the color and the style, Peter's imagination was on overdrive and his mind was still definitely in the shower.

"It's pajamas!" Sophie countered in exasperation.

"Where'd you buy 'em?" he asked, suspiciously.

"Victoria's Secret," Sophie replied off-handedly, her nose already snooping into Ben's pocket calendar.

"Aha!" Peter snatched the calendar out of her hand.

"Aha, what?" Sophie grabbed it back.

"I cannot work with you wearing Victoria's Secret�" Peter leaned over her for a kiss.

Sophie smiled as they broke apart. "Ahem�may I remind you, Cowboy, that you're the one wearing a towel."

"Oops�" Peter feigned innocence.

"Your sweats are over on the chair." Gently, Sophie nudged his chin with her finger, noticing the new smoothness of his cheek.

"You shaved�" she sighed, the slightest bit of regret in her voice. Peter's scruffier appearance had evoked some very powerful memories for Sophie as well.

"Didn't you want me to?" he asked, surprised.

"Well, sure, it's just that�" Sophie's mind was still in the shower, too, and if she wasn't careful, her pretty pajamas would be history very soon.

"Nothing�go get dressed," she ordered swiftly, returning to the piles in front of her.

But, from out of the corner of her eye, Sophie couldn't help watching as Peter changed.

"Charity�think Charity�" she reminded herself crossly.

"So, what's on the computer?" Peter asked, tying the sweatpants around his hips.

"Well, I checked your email first," Sophie made room for him on the bed. "The school's still standing."

"That's a relief�" Peter deadpanned, shuffling through Ben's belongings.

"Now, I thought I'd do a little search on Gus and Ivy," she announced sprightly.

A sudden knock on Peter's door made them both jump. "Who is it?" Peter asked from the bed.

"Fresno�" The voice answered in a hushed tone.

"Huh?" Peter looked at Sophie, perplexed.

"It's Reggie," she replied sprightly. "Let him in."

Peter opened the door to find Reggie bearing a room service cart teeming with food.

"Fresno?" Peter repeated, curious.

"Our code word," Reggie answered matter-of-factly as he arranged the dishes on the desk.

Peter gave Sophie an exasperated look.

"It was HIS idea�" she excused, her hands raised in surrender.

"Don't you two look better!" Reggie's eyes sparkled and his mouth turned up in a devilish grin, saying nothing and everything, with a single glance.

"What'd you find out, Reggie?" Quickly, Sophie changed the subject, hoping she'd given him enough information to go on.

"Well, Celia, in housekeeping, says Gus has the sketch up in his hotel suite. Hasn't even asked for maintenance to hang it. Just has it propped on a chair, very unlike him," Reggie told them eagerly.

"Sounds like he doesn't expect to be keeping it," Peter commented with interest.

"And according to Daphne at the front desk, Ms. Wilcox spends most of her free time in Janet's morning exercise class," Reggie completed his report.

"Celia and Daphne, huh?" Peter winked his approval.

"You think you're the only one�" Reggie boasted, trying hopelessly to match Peter's rock hard abs by sucking in his stomach.

"Maybe we should try a new strategy?" Sophie considered.

"Such as?" Peter snatched a French fry from beneath one of the covered plates.

"I'll go to Janet's exercise class tomorrow and make nice with Ivy. And you can do the same with Gus," Sophie explained her plan.

"Exercise with him?" Peter wasn't following.

"Exercise�make friends�guy stuff," Sophie reiterated.

"With Gus?" Peter didn't see that the two of them had much in common.

"Talk about poker�" Sophie suggested helpfully. "Ask for some tips on the big game."

"I know how to play poker, Soph," Peter rolled his eyes and nibbled another fry.

"Peter," Sophie quipped truthfully. "You never win - unless Gracie helps you."

"Ouch�" Reggie scowled at Sophie on Peter's behalf, feeling his pain.

"Thank you," Peter nodded to Reggie, after being forced to swallow his pride and his French fry in a single bite.

"Talk to Gus," Sophie softened her voice, aware she'd wounded Peter's male ego. "He said something to me at breakfast about someone wanting what he had. Could be the painting�or maybe money? Maybe he's being blackmailed?"

Sophie thought these were all wonderful ideas, however, Peter's brain had stopped listening right after the part about breakfast�

"You had breakfast with him?" Peter could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge.

"Okay, think I'll be going!" Reggie piped up, wary of the sudden tension.

"Thanks for coming, Reggie," Sophie acknowledged with a sigh.

"Remember�" Reggie pointed to his belt.

"I know, beep you if we need you," Sophie smiled wanly.

Peter spoke as soon as the door closed shut. "You had breakfast with Gus?" he questioned again.

Sophie took a deep breath. "Peter, I thought we were past all the jealousies."

"We are," Peter assured her, approaching the bed. "But that doesn't mean I have to like him or trust him."

"So, what happened?" Peter asked without rancor, as he sat down beside her.

"Gus happened to be out running this morning on the same trail I was," Sophie explained.

"Happened?" Peter was immediately suspicious.

"I know," Sophie nodded. "I thought the same thing."

"But he was nice and we had breakfast out on the terrace. He's feeling a lot of pressure, Peter," Sophie relayed the conversation. "Whether it's the painting or the hotel, I don't know; but, his stakes are very high."

"So, he didn't put the moves on you?" Peter asked doubtfully.

"Well, I didn't say that exactly�" Attentively, Sophie wiped a speck of French fry from the corner of Peter's lip.

"I hate him�" Peter pouted, grabbing her hand and kissing her finger. "Please? Can I hate him?"

"Yes, Sparky," Sophie leaned in to kiss Peter fully and deeply on the mouth. "You can hate him."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Reggie had been organizing the room service cart outside Peter's door when the elevator opened and Gus Leighton appeared, heading straight for Sophie's room.

"Ah, Mr. Leighton, Sir�" Reggie greeted him nervously. "Remember me? Reggie�from this morning�"

"What? Oh, yeah, Reggie, right, how are ya, Kid?" Gus said without breaking his stride.

"Fine, thanks, Sir," Reggie panicked, stepping in front of him. "Just got in from FRESNO a few days ago," he replied, emphasizing the word "Fresno" at the top of his lungs.

"First rule of the hotel, Kid�" Gus rolled his eyes. "Try not to wake the guests."

^^^^^^^^^

"What is going on out there?" Sophie wondered, hearing voices in the hall.

Peter placed his ear to the door. "Sounds like Reggie�and Gus!"

"Yikes, he's coming to see me!" Sophie shrieked.

"Go, go, go!" Peter motioned as Sophie shot off the bed and back into her bedroom, making sure to close but not lock the adjoining door.

^^^^^^^^^^

"Damn, she's still got the Do Not Disturb sign out," Gus fumed. "You haven't seen her, have you?" Gus asked Reggie.

"Not since this morning, when she told me she was going to sleep," Reggie answered flustered.

"A long sleep, she said," he added.

"Why I knew a woman in FRESNO once who could sleep for days!" Reggie was in a virtual panic, unable to stop talking.

Thankfully, Sophie's door opened, effectively halting Reggie's blabbering.

"What's going on?" Sophie asked, feigning a slight yawn.

"Did we wake you?" Gus worried, shoving Reggie unceremoniously to one side.

"Well, yes�" Sophie answered succinctly. "What time is it?"

"After one o'clock," Gus replied, breezing into Sophie's room with charm. "I came to see if you'd like to have lunch with me?"

Sophie stood at the doorway and mouthed a single word to Reggie, who was still in the hall.

"Help."

^^^^^^^^^^^

Reggie waited until Sophie's door had closed to race back to Peter's room. He rapped urgently on the door.

"Fresno�Fresno�Fresno�" he whispered in rapid succession.

Peter left his listening post at the adjoining door for a split second.

"Oh, for crying out loud, get in here!" he stormed, grabbing Reggie by the sleeve.

And together, the two men eavesdropped on Sophie and her unexpected guest.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"Gus, I think I'll skip lunch. I really need to catch up on my sleep." Sophie scrambled for an excuse.

"We've got to get him out of there!" Peter whispered, having a very bad feeling about this.

"I've got an idea�" Reggie enthused, a light bulb obviously going off inside his head. "Keep them talking�"

Reggie was out the door in a flash before Peter could ask for details.

"I've been so upset and tense lately, Gus," Sophie apologized, as Peter listened in.

"And then that massage was just�" Euphoric, Sophie stopped in mid-sentence as if no other explanations were needed.

"Miguel's massages'll do that to you," Gus chuckled, eyeing Sophie's rumpled bed.

"Boy, you're a restless sleeper," he teased, causing Sophie to blush for her own private reasons.

Gently, Gus placed his hand on Sophie's shoulder, caressing her bare skin, fingering the thin spaghetti strap of her camisole.

"And a beautiful one, too," he added, moving closer.

Peter didn't like the sound of this. Not one bit�

But Sophie didn't flinch. "So, what happened to you this morning? You ran out on me." Lightly, but with just the right touch of feminine pique, she adroitly changed the subject and stepped away from Gus' reach.

"Good girl," Peter complimented, relieved - for the moment.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that," Gus grumbled.

"Really, really, sorry," he muttered under his breath.

"But I had a business meeting I just couldn't miss," he added, still wincing.

"Something serious?" Sophie delved pointedly. "Trouble?" she asked with sincerity.

"Just a�'complicated' transaction," Again, Gus chose his words carefully. "It should be over soon."

"Thanks for caring." Gus' smile was genuine.

"So, can I make it up to you, please?" he begged.

Sophie paused to carefully consider her reply.

"Yes, you can."

Sophie's response took Peter by surprise. And, while his face gave no expression at all, the tightness in his chest was undeniably due to the fact that he'd forgotten to keep breathing.

"You can take me to see Casablanca tonight," Sophie continued cheerfully, before Gus could propose a different alternative.

Grateful, Peter started breathing again.

"I saw it's playing at The Strand," Sophie blurted, hoping Gus would agree. She'd noticed the old movie house on the cab ride into the city.

"I love old theaters," Sophie prattled on, flitting about the room, preferring to be a moving target.

"Not quite what I had in mind," Gus grimaced, his eyes still fixed on Sophie and how she looked in her pajamas. "But, I guess, it's a start."

"Is there anything else I can do for you - before the movie tonight?" Gus was inching increasingly closer and Sophie was running out of floor space.

"Maybe tuck you in?" he whispered in her ear.

"Gus, I'm just not ready yet," Sophie answered shyly. "My husband�"

"Is a fool." Gus finished with his own assessment - one that sent Peter's blood pressure sky high. "I'd never let you get away."

Sophie feared that statement might be very, very, true.

"Forget about him�" Gus cajoled with suave insistence. "Let's talk about us," he smiled, placing his arm around her, leading her toward the bed.

"Us?" Sophie gulped. She was definitely running out of time�

Suddenly, Sophie's phone began to ring. With a sheepish shrug, she moved away from Gus once again, opting for the desk phone as her safest choice.

The voice on the other end of the line was vaguely familiar to her�

"I hate him," Peter hissed through gritted teeth.

"Oh, hi, thank you for calling�" Sophie made herself quite comfortable at the desk and pulled out a pen and paper - her every action indicating to Gus that this would be a very long conversation.

"I really hate him," Peter informed her again, just in case there was any doubt.

"Yes, aha, I knew that," Sophie replied appropriately. "So, what action are you taking?" she asked, pretending to be speaking about a problem student.

"Reggie has an idea," Peter answered her question. "Just don't hang up this phone!"

"Oh, I won't�" Sophie muttered, wondering if this was worse than that time in Morocco when the Ali Khan kept insisting she be his sixth wife.

"By the way," Peter grumbled into the receiver, totally infuriated by Gus' 'Forget about him, let's talk about us' remark. "Do you have any idea how old that line is?"

"Lacks originality�probably lacks talent, too," Peter insinuated in a huff.

"Uh-huh�" Studiously, Sophie continued the pretense of taking notes.

"That's good to know," she nodded again, wondering how long she could possibly keep this farce going.

Gus was growing tired of waiting. He did have a hotel to run and Sophie had at least agreed to see him tonight. Hearing his beeper chirp just confirmed it. Extension 23� He was wanted in the casino.

"I have to go. See you tonight�" Gus spoke softly to Sophie, gesturing toward the door.

Meanwhile, in her other ear, Peter was proudly extolling what he felt were his own vastly superior powers of seduction. "Petrocles and Sophiclius - now, that was creative!"

Sophie's head was spinning so fast she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, she just nodded in agreement, effectively answering both men at the same time.

Gus closed the door on his way out, the sound echoing to the next room.

Sophie took a deep breath and sighed, enjoying the momentary silence.

"Is he gone?" she heard Peter ask over the phone.

Stunned by the chaos of the last few minutes, Sophie put down the receiver and walked slowly back into Peter's room, staring at him in disbelief.

"That was the best you could do?" she commented incredulously. "Rescue by telephone?"

Peter looked at the phone, still in his hand, and had to agree. "It was either that or kill him," he offered as his only defense.

Again, there was a rapid knocking on Peter's door. "It's Reggie�I mean, Fresno�" the voice whispered, agitated.

"Did it work?" Reggie gasped for air, having made it downstairs and back in record time.

"Did what work?" Peter and Sophie asked simultaneously.

"Extension 23�the casino�" Reggie was still panting.

"Reggie, what did you do?" Sophie asked with hesitation.

Innocently, Reggie looked back and forth from Peter to Sophie unsure of why they were both looking at him so strangely. There'd been a problem to be solved. That's what concierges do, right?

Reggie was beaming from ear to ear�

"I beeped him."

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Replies:

Re: Ghosts - ch.24 & 25 -- dqfan, 09:56:27 04/10/03 Thu
- Re: Ghosts - ch.26 & 27 -- dqfan, 11:43:42 04/11/03 Fri