Chapter 21
"Huh?" I said. I hadn't heard that phrase in quite some time. I hadn't had an international case with foreign contacts for years.
"Miss Windsor, do you know your ABCs?" he repeated holding out his hand. I shook it.
His accent was crisp, and he was obviously from Great Britian. But those eyes! Where had I seen them before?
Holy hell. DOC. Those were Doc's eyes.
"I'm his younger brother, Miss Windsor."
"Whoa whoa, who's brother?" Did he just . . . read my mind?
"Doc." he looked gently right into my eyes, "I'll explain later. Please come with me, before your partner's plan questions both of your safety." I didn't even think. For some reason I completely trusted him. My intuition told me that Jimmy would be safer without me. Was he really turning me in? No. He had to be lying. I decided I didn't care if he loved me or not. I loved him and I was going to protect him.
His back was turned to the window of the Deli, still feeding a transmission.
"Tuna melt on RYE!" Chan shoved a bag at the counter. "For Pretty Movie STAR!" I smiled at him, grabbed it and slipped out the backdoor with the green-eyed man in the pin-striped suit.
I didn't even know his name.
"Your name?" I asked as we stumbled into a alley filled with black suburbans.
"Brand. John Brand." he quipped, opening the door to the back of the suburban. I tried not to giggle. The guy was legendary, they based the James Bond movies around his dossier.
"You're James Bond."
"Close. I'm his son, Miss Windsor." he smiled "But do get into the car."
Chapter 22
As John Brand buckled himself next to me in the black suburban, I felt the first pang of remorse for leaving Jimmy in the deli. He probably just turned around and saw that I was missing. Chan probably just yelled 'WHAT YOU WANT!" at the confused, darling Jimmy. He probably ran his hands through his hair.
"He's fine, Miss Windsor"
Dammit. John Brand. Quit reading my mind!
"As you wish, Miss Windsor" he calmly pulled out his palm pilot and began making notes. That was a bit too freaky for me. I reached my "strange twists and creepy coincidenses of the day" level.
"Mr. Brand..." I started. "You promised me an explaination" or you could just telepathically zap it to me! I thought to myself.
"I can't telepathically zap you information"
"Oh my... okay, so you really can read minds" My head started to pound. It was rumored that John Brand Sr. had been psychic as well. Useful skill for undercover secret agent stuff.
"You're aware of Doc and Rosa." he started and I nodded, "Rosa wants the powerful protection of the agency to support her extravagant lifestyle. Her family has had a sort of mafia for years in Spain and parts of Italy, but is completely bankrupt. She went on a marrying spree for funds. Her marriage to Eduardo was the most lucrative, but the pre-nup agreements keep her from completely taking everything. She met my power hungry brother somehow" he sighed "I'm not even sure of all the details or why they started all this. But I do know my brother has had a hard time living up to the Brand family legacy, and he is especially jealous of the rest of the family success. I never fully believed him capable of such an underhanded abuse of his power. But I start to suspect it a few years back when he set up the stage to kill off his son-in-law"
"Tracy's husband?"
"He's alive. I saw to that."
"Wow. Plot thickens."
Chapter 23
I was starting to get really worried about Jimmy. As much as I hated to admit it, he was my partner, and partners don't abandon each other. But then again, why was he calling HQ, and what was he talking about to them? Was he going to turn me in? Was he really a traitor?
Noo...Jimmy couldn't be a traitor. He's in love with me, he wouldn't turn me in, right?
Anita, you can't be thinking about Jimmy now. Concentrate on the mission. Other people are on the line, and are more important right now. Rosa and Doc had to be stopped..
"Miss Windsor, I assure you that Mr. Fallon is ok and in good hands. However, what you are not aware of is that the real Jimmy was replaced by one of Doc's henchmen when you abandoned the car. Doc had a lock on your car and placed men to intercept you, replace Jimmy, and then kill you."
Oh no...Oh no, what had I gotten Jimmy into? I shouldn't have gotten into that agency car, shouldn't have gone snooping around...now, I had probably gotten Jimmy Fallon killed. Poor, adorable Jimmy Fallon....
"As I said, Miss Windsor, Mr. Fallon is in good hands. Being Doc's brother, I knew what his next move was, and I set up my own trap for his men to fall into. Jimmy was taken back and is now in a secure, undisclosed location. However, the fake Jimmy is probably getting quite a surprise when he realizes that you have disappeared..."
"But, Mr. Brand, how did they replace Jimmy? I know Jimmy, and I would have known if he had been replaced!" I couldn't believe how stupid I must have been. Those damn drugs clouded everything.
"Not to worry, Miss Windsor, you have not been drugged up so much you cannot even tell who your precious Jimmy is. Have you ever seen Mission Impossible? Remember those facemakers? Most people thought they were just Hollywood magic, but not really. They are a top secret weapon of secret agents, so secret that only people like Doc know about them. However, they are quite dangerous when put into the wrong hands, well, faces, haha.."
So, Brand had a sense of humor. Haha.
"I note you are not in the best shape. We best pick up Jimmy so this mission can be completed." Brand said, and not for the first time in the last few days, I was extremely grateful I had a partner. How had he grown on me so quick?
Chapter 24
The suburban slowly pulled into a parking garage. It was otherwise empty, except for a couple of sedans and a teal mini-van.
�Where are we?� I unbuckled myself and hopped out of the SUV.
�We are at *our* headquarters. This is where my men have been monitoring the agency�s activity. Your partner is waiting, comfortably, upstairs. Come along.� We shuffled into an old shaft like elevator and slowly rose to the 12th floor. I felt my heart jump when I heard the typical �ding�. Brand pulled up the gate and I raced into the jumble of computers, wires, furniture, and agents. I looked around, every which way, and finally spotted Jimmy sitting on a beige upholstered couch.
�Ah, Fallon, it�s nice to meet you. I�m John Brand.� Jimmy stood at the sound of Brand�s voice and extended his hand. The two men introduced themselves briefly, and Brand continued over to a table, topped with four large computers. I slowly walked towards Fallon, then not so slowly threw my arms around him. I felt him hug back...but tensely. I was dangerously close to kissing him when I realized....the whole Jimmy and I making up thing had never really happened.
�Oh...� I moaned, rubbing my forehead, as I plunged on the couch. I was surprised to feel Jimmy sit next to me. As I involuntarily stared down at my pants, processing all of my emotions and thoughts, I noticed the tears hitting my lap. I was crying and didn�t even realize it. I took a deep breath and looked up, but away from Fallon. I�d better get used to calling him that, I thought, as I dried my eyes with my sweater�s cuff.
�I take it that that Brand guy explained everything to you?� Fallon suddenly broke the silence.
�Uh, yeah...he did.�
�Good...good. Uh, I just can�t believe all of this about Doc. I never suspected him of anything.�
�Yeah...big shocker. It leaves one absolutely devestated.� I looked directly at him when I said this. If he only knew what he was putting me through. Why was I even worrying about him, anyway? So many malicious thoughts flew through my head. After another moment of silence, I calmed down some and managed to say, �Jim, you know that what I said to Doc was absolute crap....�
�I know,� he cut me off, �And I�m sorry that I freaked out on you. I just want to forget all of this.�
�What are you saying?�
�I�m saying....� Just then, Brand walked over and announced that we needed to prepare for the mission. Damn him. We walked with him into a supply room, retrieved �just in case� weapons and wired up. Jeez, this was more dangerous than I thought.
[5 minutes later in a black suburban]
�Are you ready?� Brand questioned, as he turned slightly in the passenger seat.
�As we�ll ever be,� Jimmy replied, buckling his seat belt.
Yet another moment of silence.
�Okay, since we have a minute, Fallon...what were you saying?�
�Well, I�m saying...� he leaned over and kissed me. He kissed with so much passion that I was forced up against the seat and window. I wanted to shove him off because I was still upset with him...and, our conduct was completely inappropriate. But, instead of making a sane decision, I slid my arms around him and let go of everything. Our little moment of �zen� was cut short when John Brand cleared his throat. Jimmy pulled away and smiled.
Chapter 25
Brand hadn�t told us exactly where we were headed, so I was a little surprised to pull up in front of 30 Rock.
�Whoa...I don�t go back to work for like another month,� Jimmy protested, half sarcastically.
�That may be the case, Fallon, but this is where it all ends. Right now, Rosa, Eduardo, and Doc are upstairs, along with a lawyer. �
�Why?�
�They want Eduardo to revise the pre-nup agreement. If he doesn�t, they kill him. Doc is oblivious to the fact that Rosa plans on killing Eduardo, anyway...and him.�
�Wow...bitch----party of one.�
�Exactly. We must be careful, though. I wouldn�t be surprised if she has henchmen all over the studios.�
�Ah, just a few flying monkeys. But, one question. Why here?�
�I should probably mention that Rosa�s father is on very good terms with a select group of Russians who have access to nuclear weapons. If she doesn�t get her way, not only will she kill Doc and Eduardo...she�ll wipe out the city of New York....and virtually all of New England. I�m guessing that she�s going to give some kind of 30 second warning...�
My blood turned to ice. Wow, this Rosa was one screwed up bitch. We had to do something quickly. Oh God, I thought. What if we were too late? What if the countdown had already begun?
�Shit, let�s go!� Jimmy threw open the door and hopped out. I followed, and Brand, too, got out of the car. Just then, another suburban and two Lincolns pulled up. Our back-up. Brand opened the front doors, and Jimmy turned to face me.
�If...� he started, swallowing his words. �If anything happens, just know that...um...I love you.� He then leaned in and kissed me. I wanted to cry because it wasn�t a sweet kiss...no, not at all. It was tragically more of...a goodbye kiss.
�I love you...� He squeezed my hand and we entered the building.
As we ran up the multiple flights of stairs, my stomach sent me many warnings. I�d almost forgotten that I�d been shot. Finally, Brand retrieved his weapon, and kicked open the door to 8h, revealing Eduardo, Rosa, Doc, and the lawyer.
Chapter 26
There was a moment of shock and silence before anyone moved. Doc pulled out his gun, aiming it at Brand. Brand did the opposite. Rosa retrieved a small gun from her bag, aiming it at me. Jimmy pulled out his weapon and aimed it at Rosa. (***side note: i KNOW how wrong that sounds...�pulled out his weapon and aimed it at rosa�..lol...sorry) I pulled out my gun and aimed it at Doc. The lawyer ran into the shadows. Eduardo was bound to his chair, but loose enough so that he could sign the paperwork.
�It�s over, Rosa.� She let out a cruel laugh.
�I don�t think so.� She retrieved a small metal device with a typical red button. It was a detonator of some sort. Great, I thought. This is the kind of shit that happens in every spy movie. But, the only difference is that I can just shoot Rosa and Doc. Why hadn�t I thought of that before? As I contemplated whether or not I should pull the trigger, I heard three gunshots, and the entire room went black.
�Anita!� Jimmy shouted. Suddenly, the lights returned, and I saw Tracy standing over the bodies of Rosa and Doc. The detonator lay on the floor. I walked over to pick it up, as Jimmy shakily untied Eduardo, and Brand took hold of Tracy.
The bodies were taken away, Tracy was taken to HQ, the detonator was deactivated, and it was all over.
[40 minutes later at HQ]
Everyone sat in silence. There was so much that needed to be asked and explained, but no one knew where to start.
�I killed my father...� Tracy suddenly sobbed. �But...I had to. When I found out what he was doing...and that he�d lied to me, he had to be stopped...�
�Tracy, I told you to stay with my wife,� Brand responded; �So you�d be safe! You knew that the agency would take care of everything.�
�I was just worried...I acted on hate and blind impulse. I�m sorry if I�ve screwed anything up...�
�No, you haven�t screwed anything up. If anything, you�ve pretty much resolved all of this. I�d never planned on killing Doc and Rosa, though.� Brand went on to say that the case wasn�t completely closed, but there was no longer a need for Fallon or I. For once in my life, I was glad to be left out.
�Thank you, sir.� Just then, there was a knock at the door.
�Mr. Brand? There�s someone here.� Tracy�s husband walked into the room. They were soon joined by their son. I could see Jimmy getting a little choked up as the three embraced, and I couldn�t help but smile. Everyone was dismissed a few moments later, and I approached Tracy.
�Tracy?�
�Anita,� she smiled as she wiped away a few tears.
�If you ever want to talk...here�s my number.� I handed her the piece of paper.
�Thank you.� We hugged goodbye and I left with Jimmy in tow.
Final Chapter
"Anita" Jimmy whispered into my hair. I turned to face him. The weather in New York had been unseasonably warm this winter, probably due to the incredible hotness of my partner. Yeah, that was bad. But what can I say? You try not staring at him for hours.
At any rate, the first few flakes of snow had started to fall, making the streets of the dark city sparkle. White snowflakes had nestled in Jimmy's hair, making him look absolutely angelic (oh I knew better!), but for a few seconds I was breathless in this hyperreal movie-perfect scene.
"Jimmy?" I whispered back as he smiled. Just like an angel! My heart leaped just looking at him. And that was my finicky famous actress super top secret bad ass agent heart to boot.
"Anita?" he said a little louder, licking a snowflake off his lips, a small giggle escaping.
"Jimmy?"
"Anita?" he looked deep into my eyes, completely serious now.
He continued "Anita, I'm pregnant."
I burst out laughing. "It better be mine."
"Um . . . eh . . . that's the thing . . .It could be Chris's" meaning Chris Kattan. Of course, who in some strange irony, had been set up on a blind date with me like 7 years ago. I had canceled at the last minute due to a case-load deadline. But that's not really important.
"Oh okay, I'm pregnant too" I lied, with a straightface.
"By who!!?" a flicker of panic hit his face.
"The purple Pleasuremaster2000"
Jimmy stuck out his tongue to capture some flakes, as we kept walking. "Wait, stop . . . do you hear that?"
I paused and listened.
"No way" I whispered, as Jimmy shushed me.
Playing faintly in the background of the city noises was that damn Van Morrison romantic-comedy movie song "Someone Like You."
He grabbed my gloved hand and led me down the corner where the song was playing louder. "ha ha! That's so weird" he grinned. "And I was just thinking it was totally like a movie."
"You know what this means?" I quipped.
"What?"
"Happily Ever after" The snow kept falling gently, catching the lights of the street lamps.
"Not yet" he leaned in, our cold noses touching, for the briefest softest fluttering kind of kiss, almost unsure of how perfect everything suddenly was. I quickly wrapped my parka-clad arms around him and drew him in for a long, hard, and distinctly not-in-public kind of kiss.
In the distance I heard a hot dog vendor shout "Hey KIDS! Get a ROOM!"
Though we were both on the ground, and the corniest romantic song was wafting through, and the hustle of New York at night was brushing past, it was like being one mile high.
"Hey Fallon" I said, reverting back to our sexually-charged banter, after our kiss ended.
"Yeah Winsdor?"
"Let's go get a room"
"Not a hotdog?" Grinning, he ran his hand through his hair, brushing off some of the snow that had fallen in it.
"Only if you provide the buns . . . er, and the weiner" I giggled at how awful my joke was.
The hot dog vendor snickered and randomly blurted at us, in his thick Boston accent "They only cost a dollar!"
I leaned in closer to whisper "You know, I do have a dollar"
"I've got five" he exclaimed, already having hailed a taxi cab and flung a handfull of not-yet blacked snow from a tree planter at me.
