which witch3

Which Witch?

by Nexxie

PART III

"Hey, Junior," Roy greeted his friend of twelve plus years the next morning. Johnny dropped J.R. off at the ranch and drove over to the DeSoto's for breakfast. He knew something was up when the other captain called the afternoon before with the invitation. Roy sounded entirely too innocent.

"Hey, Pally," Johnny shot back, his expression wary. From the loaded condition of the breakfast table he sensed his old friend was preparing to ask a big favor. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, fresh biscuits, orange juice, milk and even a couple of donuts. Okay, what gives?

"Good morning, Johnny," Joanne DeSoto said brightly, giving him a peck on the cheek before she placed a steaming cup of fresh coffee in his hand. Looking at Roy's beaming face Johnny's stomach began to knot. Whatever it is, I bet I'm not going to like it.

"Well, we certainly are cheerful this morning, aren't we?" Johnny asked the pair. "Yep. Just a picture of sunshine and domestic happiness." He smiled widely, then sobered. "All right, out with it."

"Out with what?" Roy didn't quite manage to pull off innocent surprise.

"Out with whatever it is you want from me that prompted all this...this buttering up." Johnny threw his hands wide to indicate the table groaning with food.

"Want from you? What makes you think we want..." Roy didn't get a chance to finish before Johnny leaned against the counter, his arms crossed and face set in an 'I'm not buying it' attitude. "Uh, well...have a seat. Dig in!" Roy tried and failed to maintain a jovial demeanor.

Johnny sat uneasily in his "usual" chair. Keeping his eyes on Roy and Joanne, he bit into the light, fluffy pancakes. His eyes widened. Cinnamon and raisins...this must really be serious. Roy hates cinnamon and raisins.

Taking a big gulp of coffee, Roy watched Johnny shovel forkfuls of pancakes into his mouth. "How was your shift?"

"It was fine. Nobody hurt. Quiet night. Yours?"

"Fine, fine." Roy seemed unsure how to begin.

"How did clean-up go on that supermarket fire?" Johnny poked a huge forkful of pancake dripping with syrup into his mouth as Roy's face clouded over. At last, Pollyanna was vanquished.

"That guy was a real pain in the gluteus maximus! I wanted to punch him one. How did you know?"

Johnny washed down the mouthful of food with half a glass of milk. "Oh, I got well acquainted with him two months ago. He ...uh...didn't like the water damage done to his inventory. Threatened to sue the department. Threatened to sue me too when I told him to get back before I mistook him for a speed bump."

Roy choked. "What did he say?"

"Roy, there are ladies present." The twinkle in Johnny's eyes promised a full accounting later. "Now, what is the big favor...and don't bother to deny that's what this is all about."

"Well, Johnny, it's like this, we are kind of committed to being...to going to...uh..."

"We promised and now we can't do it," Joanne rushed in. "So we were hoping you would help us out of a bind."

"It won't be all that bad," Roy added.

"And it would be such a big help."

"If you don't, Jennifer can't go," Roy threw in his hold card.

"Wait a minute! Time out! I feel like a tennis ball. What IS it and when?"

Roy looked at Joanne. She nodded back to him. He sighed. "It's like this, partner..."

Partner? Johnny thought, uh-oh, guilt trip time.

"You see, we kind of got talked into chaperoning the Halloween party at the high school."

"No!" Johnny said firmly, "absolutely not."

"But Johnny, it would mean so much to Jennifer." Joanne did the disappointed mother look.

"And J.R..." Roy added.

"What does J.R. have to do with it?" Johnny sighed, seeing himself start to cave already.

"He is supposed to be Jennifer's date for the party."

"Wait a minute. I thought she was grounded from seeing him."

"She is," Roy nodded, "except for the Halloween party...because we had promised to be chaperones."

"So if we can't be there..."

"...or you in our place..." Roy interrupted.

"they can't go," Joanne finished.

"You haven't told me yet just why it is that YOU can't go." Johnny felt himself weaken.

"It's my mother," Jo admitted. "She's giving a dinner party for my sister Eileen's birthday. We told the kids they don't have to go, but...I sort of promised Roy and I would be there."

"Then she remembered about the Halloween party," Roy added bitterly. "For once, I wish we COULD chaperone a bunch of high school kids. It would be much more pleasant."

"Roy!" Joanne pretended indignation, but knew exactly what he meant. Her mother could be a real trial at times.

"What night is it?" Johnny hoped it was for a night he already had a prior engagement.

"Next Saturday."

Johnny racked his brain for anything going on that night. Ball game? Nope. Date? Yeah, right. TV show? Not even that. He sighed. "From when to when?"

"Seven-thirty until midnight," Joanne said softly, knowing he would agree.

"Sev...that's four and a half hours!"

"Hey, Junior, I have an idea. I'll chaperone the party...and you can go with Joanne to my mother-in-law's." Roy smiled.

Johnny snorted, trapped. He'd met Roy's mother-in-law.

Johnny ate in silence for a few minutes, appreciating the combination of flavors while Roy and Joanne beamed at each other triumphantly. He didn't want to cast a pall on their mood, but there was one thing he felt the need to discuss. Taking a final drink of milk, Johnny sat back and rubbed his full stomach, then cleared his throat.

"About J.R. and Jennifer..."

Roy and Joanne looked at each other in dismay. They had hoped the topic wouldn't come up.

"I'm kind of curious about what you said to him. J.R. came home looking like he'd lost his best friend."

"Johnny, I couldn't let it pass; she's my daughter."

"I know, I know. Heck, you couldn't have been any harder on him than I was. I'm just curious, that's all."

Roy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He wasn't sure Johnny would agree with his son being threatened. He wasn't sure he would put up with that himself if it was Christopher.

"I...uh...told him...that is..."

"You threatened to break every bone in his body if you caught him with your daughter again?"

"Not exactly. I said Jen is grounded. They can see each other at the Halloween party, and he could come over to dinner and visit...if you come too."

"And that's it? No 'fear of God'?"

"Well, maybe a little." Roy looked sheepish.

Gage looked at his hands for a moment. "Can I ask you two a personal question...I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Of course, Johnny," Joanne answered quickly. Roy remained silent, he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

Johnny leaned his chair back on two legs and hooked his knees under the table for stability, resting his shoulders against the kitchen wall. He paused, formulating the question in his mind and trying to rearrange the words in the least provocative manner. He lowered his eyes while the DeSotos waited and finally, hesitantly began.

"J.R. accused me of not remembering what it was like to be young and in love, so to speak. I told him...well, let's just say I told him I had a pretty good recollection. What did you two...that is how far did...? Shoot! I just think maybe we're making the problem worse by setting such rigid rules." Johnny's face was brick red.

"You want to know, when Roy and I were dating, how far we went before we got married?"

"I...I didn't say THAT!" Johnny gasped. "I just mean that, since they seem to be really serious about each other, a few kisses and hugs now and then wouldn't be so...wrong. I guess I'm way out of my league here."

"Junior, it's because I DO remember being that age that I'm so strict with Jennifer and Chris."

Johnny remembered J.R.'s inadvertant slip at the ball game. He wondered if Roy knew that Chris wasn't exactly following the same guidelines. Well, that was Roy's concern and J.R. was his, more or less.

"You're probably right. Maybe they will manage to stay in love without ever seeing each other. I don't think I could do it, though." Johnny shook his head. "Heck, I guess I'm a pretty lousy example, huh? You know, guys, I sometimes wonder if I ever will... find somebody." He wiped his face with his napkin and stood to leave. "Sometimes I'm kind of jealous of my own son."

Roy and Joanne just stared at each other guiltily as Johnny left their kitchen to go home. Roy tossed his napkin on the table and walked into the living room, no longer in the mood to tackle the many projects on the honey-do list posted prominently on the refrigerator. Joanne silently began scraping dishes and putting away uneaten food. Her day lost some of it's shine as well.

************************

With some trepidation, J.R. watched the Land Rover disappear down the quarter-mile lane toward the highway. I guess I'm just personna non grata at the DeSoto's house now, he reflected. Dad gets an invite for breakfast and I get...Corn Flakes. He turned and made his way into the house, listening with satisfaction as the screen door shut behind him with a SMACK.

After rummaging through the cupboard he settled for cold cereal, adding that to his growing list of complaints about life in general. Why is it that every time Jen and I get some time alone, my dad shows up? I know what almost happened, but would that be such a crime? I mean everybody knows I want to marry Jen as soon as she's out of high school. And she wants to marry me. We've even talked about where we want to live and how many kids we'd like to have...of course not right away. But I love her so much, and she loves me, and...it's just not fair to keep us apart all the time.

The younger Gage rinsed out his empty bowl and placed it in the dishwasher, then headed out to the barn. Dusty, the buckskin colt that Johnny had given his son, greeted the young man with a soft nicker. J.R. tended to the animals, all the while appraising them of his woes. Dancer, the chestnut mare, snorted in sympathetic outrage when he told her of the difficult situation in which he found himself. His diatribe for the moment exhausted, he turned the horses out into the corral and began the unpleasant task of mucking out the stalls, working with jerky angry movements.

"Dancer, ya know, Jen and I, we really want each other. When I touch her, I just forget all about the rules and promises, everything. I mean, I don't want to hurt her or ruin her reputation or anything. Heck, I love her. But having to wait like this is tearing me up, ya know? Of course you don't know, you're a horse. When you find a mate everybody's thrilled. They call him a stud and make big plans. Me? They threaten to..." He shuddered at the memory of Kit Crawford's knife and the carrot.

"I wonder if Jen's ever done it before...or if she even knows how. Do you suppose her mom's told her all about ...the birds and the bees?" Man, if it wasn't for Cager, I'd be totally clueless."

"You'll figure it out, kid, when the time comes," Cager had told him four years ago. His friend was amused when J.R. stammered and blushed, admitting he had no experience with girls.

The topic came up as they sat watching the campfire. "Have you ever been married, Cager?" J.R. remembered asking.

"Nope, I've always been as free as the breeze. I never wanted to be tied down."

"My parents never got married," the younger man admitted. "I've always wondered what life would be like if they had."

"It might not have lasted," Cager cautioned. Lots of times people who just get together for sex don't stay together in the long run."

J.R. remained silent for a long time, staring at the flames that crackled and sparked into the night air. The blackness of the night sky showed through the canopy of leaves overhead, the stars winking and fading as if playing peekaboo with the leaves. Finally he spoke the words that weighed heavy on his mind. "Cager, did your dad tell you about, you know...sex?" The implication was clear.

Cager smiled a secret smile. So the kid wants to know. All right. "J.R., my dad left long before I was old enough to hear about the birds and the bees. No, it was my big brother that told me the facts of life."

"When did you...when was the first time? Did you know what to do right off? Was it embarrassing? What if it's the girl's first time too?" Once J.R. realized Cager was willing to talk about things, the questions came thick and fast, impatient of waiting for the long-desired friendly ear.

The vet chuckled and threw a couple more pieces of wood on the fire; it would be a long night. "I was just fifteen and awkward as hell. I couldn't wait to try out what I'd learned with my girlfriend. We fumbled around a lot, but finally got it right."

"I've read some books," J.R. admitted, "Mom didn't know I had them. But they didn't really tell me how...how to do IT, ya know?"

"Books!" Cager snorted, "Boy, books may be good for math and geography, but sex...that just takes practice."

"Well what do you do first?" the young man blurted the question. Maybe, finally, he would have the big mystery solved.

J.R. blushed at the memory of the very frank discussion that followed, but was glad anew for Cager's friendship and the role of mentor that the man assumed. His final words on the subject stuck with J.R. but hardly filled him with confidence, "You'll figure it out, kid, when the time comes."

Finally, a rumble of distant thunder brought his attention to the approaching bank of threatening dark clouds. He let the horses back into the barn and shutting the door securely, tromped up the back steps in time to hear the phone ring.

"Gage and Gage" he responded automatically.

"John?" the breathless voice made a tentative query.

"This is J.R. Gage," he replied, slightly irritated with the woman's persistence. What could she want now?

************************

Johnny pulled the Rover up into the drive in front of his house. Dark clouds moved in and hung low threatening rain. It matched his mood at the moment.

J.R. sat on the steps, his chin resting on his palms, hair ruffled by the gusts of wind that hailed the approaching storm.

Their ride home from work that morning was made in silence, and things didn't look to become any more sociable in the near future. J.R. watched the approach of the Land Rover, a question in his eyes, then focused again on the ground at his feet.

After rolling up the windows on the Rover, Johnny exited the vehicle and joined his son on the steps, totally in sympathy with J.R.'s gloomy mood.

"So what did Mr. and Mrs. D want?" J.R. didn't really care, but it beat sitting in awkward silence.

"They want me to replace them as chaperones for the Halloween party at the high school."

"You gonna do it?" J.R. sat up, his mood improving.

"Yeah. Ow!" Johnny let his chin fall into his hands in an imitation of his son, only to be reminded too late of his injured hand. J.R. smirked.

"What did it take to talk you into that one?"

"Two plates of pancakes with cinnamon and raisins, four pieces of sausage, two helpings of scrambled eggs, a donut, two glasses of milk, and a guilt trip."

J.R. shook his head. "You're too easy. I would have held out for a piece of Mrs. D's chocolate cake."

Johnny grinned, his mood lifting. "Horses in the barn?" He could smell rain in the air.

J.R. nodded, "And the tack room is straightened. Oh, and Estelle called." He watched his father's face for any telltale interest. Estelle Barrie seemed a bit...persistent, but maybe his dad liked her.

"Did she say what she wanted?" Johnny tried to keep his expression carefully neutral, aware that J.R. was looking for a reaction.

"She wants you to call her back."

"Oh. She probably wants to know whether you're coming to dinner too."

"Me? This is the first I've heard about it. Why should I go along on your date? Unless you need a few pointers..."

"Funny! Like I need you to tell me about women."

J.R. stood up and opened the screen door. "Somebody needs to," he mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that!" Johnny followed his son into the house as the first drops of rain fell on the front steps.

The senior Gage stretched and flexed his shoulders, yawning as reaction set in from a busy shift. The big meal at DeSoto's took its toll as well. He headed for the couch and lay thinking, with no little amount of distaste, about his last experience as chaperone. How could he dodge those two old maids this time?

"Hey, J.R., what are you gonna be for the Halloween party?" Johnny watched his son select a book from the shelf in the corner and settle down to read. The younger man would soon drop off to sleep, he knew.

"I haven't decided," J.R. admitted. "Jen and I were going to go as a couple, but I figured that was out, seeing as how she would be going with her parents. Now though..."

"Don't count on it," Johnny shook his head. Joanne and Roy didn't seem prepared to relent so far as to let Jen go to the party with Johnny and J.R.

The younger Gage's shoulders slumped. "I guess I'll go as a fireman," he said.

"Now that's original." Johnny chuckled. He stared out the window at the rain as it pelted the yard and the barn. Birds flew into the loft through the upper window.

"Are you going to dress up?" his son questioned idly.

"I don't know. I hadn't even planned on going until about an hour ago," Johnny admitted.

J.R. sat brooding, the book forgotten on his lap. Johnny, stretched out on the sofa, flipped absently through a TV Guide. He noted that the "Wizard of OZ" would be playing on Halloween night, one of his all-time favorite movies. "...if I only had a brain," Johnny sang half under his breath. A flash of lightning, unusual for the area, caught his attention. He looked out the window toward the barn and his face lit up, his sense of humor surfacing to brighten the mood.

"Son, we could have a little fun with this Halloween party."

The younger Gage saw a smile playing around Johnny's lips. Pranks weren't really J.R.'s style, but with their relationship still suffering from his betrayal, Johnny's son figured humoring his father in this instance might go a long way toward fixing things between them. "What did you have in mind?"

"You know all that straw we have in the barn?"

"Yeah." J.R. could feel himself itching already.

"I think we'd make a couple of pretty handsome scarecrows, don't you?" Johnny beamed at his terrific idea.

"You mean dress-alikes? Isn't that kind of juvenile?" He saw his father's face fall. "On the other hand, it might be fun."

Johnny practically bounced off of the sofa, intent on assembling their costumes at once. With the TV Guide open to the page featuring "The Wizard of OZ", Johnny studied the scarecrow for a moment.

"The straw's easy, and the jeans---we wear the same kind and size anyway. I have some old work boots you can wear and there's plenty of gloves in the barn. That leaves shirts and hats...and make-up." His father's eyes sparkled with mischief as J.R.'s face registered dismay. Johnny recalled the fun they had pulling that "Miracle Pill" gag on Chet and the guys last spring.

Deciding a little embarrassment was worth it to make his dad happy, J.R. finally relaxed and drifted off to sleep, content to leave the details to his excited father.

The ringing of the telephone interrupted Johnny's concentration on costumes.

"Gage home, John speaking."

"Hello, John. I called earlier, but I guess you weren't home. Didn't J.R. give you my message?" Johnny wondered if Estelle ever stopped to inhale...she always sounded so breathless.

"Uh, yeah, he told me, Estelle. I was just discussing something with my son. I was going to call you back in a few minutes."

"Oh, I see." She managed to sound hurt.

"John, is J.R. coming to dinner tonight?"

"Um, let me check." Johnny laid down the phone and went to stand in front of his son's chair. J.R. opened his eyes, heavy with sleep, and raised one eyebrow in a wordless question.

"It's Estelle," Johnny explained needlessly. "She wants to know if you'll be coming to dinner tonight."

"What are they having?"

Johnny placed one hand on his cocked hip and frowned at his son's unusual display of bad manners.

J.R. remembered the woman from the beach and the young girl who stared at him with so much hunger in her eyes. He'd been uneasy at the unwanted attention. "Is her daughter going to be there?"

"Yes, I believe Kathy is cooking dinner."

With a sigh, J.R. nodded agreement. He wanted to find out what Estelle's intentions were toward his father. He feared they were altogether honorable. If Johnny succumbed to her charms, it was possible that Kathy Barrie would be his step-sister. Oh well, maybe he and Jen would be married before that happened.

Johnny went back to the phone. "Estelle? J.R. says he would be happy to join you for dinner." Johnny's crooked grin put in an appearance and was treated to a frown from J.R. in return.

"That's wonderful, Johnny. Kathy will be so pleased. She was hoping he would come."

The elder Gage was pleased as well---there's safety in numbers.

************************

"Mom, I'm home!" Jennifer burst in the door and plopped her books on the kitchen table before opening the refrigerator door. Wrinkling her nose at the lack of selection, she closed the fridge with a CLUNK and opened the cupboard. Peanut butter and jelly? No. Cookies? Nah, too fattening. Fruit? Too sensible. Popcorn? Blecch. Candy bars? Yeah, like J.R. needed to see her break out in zits... Hmmm.

"Mom, don't we have anything to eat?"

Joanne gave the ceiling a long-suffering look and headed downstairs to find out why Jennifer couldn't find sustenance in a fully-stocked kitchen.

"What's the matter, Jen?"

"We don't have anything to eat."

Joanne joined her in gazing at the shelves loaded with snack foods to appease Roy and Christopher. "Mmmm, yes, I see your problem. With all this to choose from, it must be really hard to make a decision."

"Mom!"

"Okay, I'll play. Candy bar? Oh, yeah, zits. Um...cookies?"

"Fattening city, Mom."

"Right. PB&J?...let me guess, childish? or is it that J.R. hates it, I forget."

"J.R. likes peanut butter. It's bologna he hates." Jen rolled her eyes.

"How silly of me. Popcorn? I thought you liked popcorn."

"I like popcorn...at the movies, not after school."

"Wait, I feel inspiration coming!" Joanne held her index fingers to her temples as if conjuring up a vision. "Aha!" She reached into the cupboard and removed a box of saltines, then opened the refrigerator for a plate of cheese. She handed both to Jen and waited.

Jennifer giggled and kissed her mom on the cheek. "Perfect! Thanks."

After filling a glass with cold milk, Jen sat down at the table and proceeded to stack cheese and crackers into small sandwiches. She had done it just that way, meticulously arranging all her snacks on a plate, since she was a small child. Joanne could remember her daughter scolding Johnny Gage for eating cookies from the cookie jar instead of putting them neatly on a saucer first. It was the only time she could remember Johnny guiltily putting a stack of cookies on a plate and nibbling them one at a time instead of just stuffing a handful in his mouth. The memory brought a smile.

Actually, there probably wasn't anything John Gage wouldn't do for her kids, including attending a high school dance as a chaperone. He'd done it once before for Chris---hence the reluctance this time.

The girls' gym teacher, Miss Fisher, took charge of the Sweetheart Dance two years ago. It was a 50's style hop. With "Happy Days" still popular on television, the kids' enthusiasm ran high, and Johnny decided to try and 'fit in'. Most of the kids came as look-alikes for the TV Show cast, but Johnny, his hair slicked back, wearing biker leathers, dark glasses and boots, presented a better than fair imitation of Fonzie. He'd even borrowed a motorcycle for the occasion.

Chris' Uncle Johnny was a real hit...especially with two unmarried teachers, Miss Fisher and Miss Brody. They pursued John Gage relentlessly all evening until, gunshy, he hid in the boy's restroom. Johnny, Joanne recalled with a smile, prefers to be the hunter rather than the prey.

"I wonder what he'll do this time," Joanne mused aloud.

"Who?" Jennifer asked between sips of milk.

"Huh? Oh, your Uncle Johnny. I was wondering what he would dress up as for the Halloween party.

"He's going to a party? Where?"

"He's replacing your dad and me as chaperone at the high school this coming Saturday."

Jennifer nearly choked. Her eyes sparkled. "Miss Fisher and Miss Brody are going to love that! Do they know?"

"Not yet," Joanne admitted. "We didn't get a chance to talk him into...er to ask him until this morning. Your dad and I have to go to Aunt Eileen's birthday dinner."

"Oh yuck! I bet Dad would rather be a chaperone. Hey! If Uncle Johnny goes, J.R. will be riding with him. They can pick me up and..."

"No."

"Why not? Uncle Johnny will be there."

"The agreement was that you would meet at the party and stay within sight at all times."

"We'll still be 'within sight'. Even more so, because we'll be riding together."

Joanne paused. Jen had a valid point. Even so, she doubted Roy would go for it. "You ask your dad. If he agrees..."

Jen's face fell. Her dad wasn't in the mood lately to agree to anything. Still, having Uncle Johnny as their watchdog would be better than her parents. Her uncle wouldn't spend the evening glaring at J.R. Besides, Jen's eyes took on a speculative look, if he was too busy dodging the Misses Brody and Fisher, she and J.R. might have a few minutes to themselves.

"What are you going to dress up as, Jen?" Joanne asked.

"I don't know, maybe a French maid?"

"No." Good thing I asked ahead of time, Joanne thought, it gives lots of room for negotiation.

"What about a flapper?" Jennifer remembered the abbreviated costume her mother wore several years ago to a costume party.

"What about Raggedy Ann?" Joanne countered, "J.R. could go as Raggedy Andy. You two would be cute as a button. I have enough time, I think to sew..."

"Mother, please. I don't want to be 'cute as a button', and neither does J.R. I'm seventeen, not seven. What about a harem girl? J.R. could be the sheik."

Roy wandered into the kitchen and pilfered the cupboard, coming up with a hand full of cookies. He listened with interest to the ongoing conversation.

"What about...uh Smurfette?" Joanne tried to be creative and conservative at the same time.

"I know, hula dancers. J.R. is still tanned from the summer and..."

"Young lady," Roy interrupted, "if you leave this house wearing an immodest costume, J.R. may go as an accident victim---with genuine injuries if he lays a hand on you."

"Daaaaddy, I refuse to look like a baby. It would be so humiliating!"

"Why not, you'll be standing with 'Baby Gage'; you could be a matched set."

"Daddy!" "Roy!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I know he hates that." The temptation had been too great, Roy admitted to himself. He left while the going was good, snagging the bag of cookies on his way to the den.

Joanne struggled with her own amusement. To say truth, Jennifer was acting like a spoiled brat at the moment, determined to wear a costume that would make her look years older. And, Joanne admitted, her own suggestions would make Jen look years younger. It was hard to let her daddy's Little Girl grow up. A compromise would be in order.

"What about a rock star?" Joanne cringed at her own suggestion.

Her daughter looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, J.R. wouldn't like that. Lady Godiva?" she offered impishly.

"In your dreams," her mother replied. She mentally reviewed the contents of her sewing room. "Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz?"

"Mother, get real." Jen knew she'd gone too far then. Disagreeing with Joanne DeSoto was one thing. Rudeness was definitely another.

"I know, you'll go as an absent student who would have been there, but ended up staying in her room because she couldn't watch her mouth." Joanne left the kitchen and headed upstairs. She could feel a headache coming on.

Jen, no longer in the mood for her snack, dumped the rest in the garbage and started on her homework. The way she felt at the moment, writing a paper on crime and punishment for junior government class was right up her alley.

************************

"Kathy, how is dinner coming?" Estelle Barrie stepped into the kitchen as Kathy finished filling the serving dishes preparatory to setting them on the table. The Gage men could arrive at any time. Estelle fussed with the flowers on the hall stand and checked the living room for last-minute details. Everything looked fine.

"Dinner is ready," Kathy told her mother. "I just hope they don't recognize pasta from Don Carlo's. Mom, why on earth did you tell John that I'm a good cook? I can't even boil water."

"You'll have plenty of time to learn," Estelle told Kathy as she scooped up the take-out boxes and tossed them into the trash can outside the back door.

"Yeah?" Kathy challenged her, "Then how come you never did?"

"Don't be smart, dear, it isn't becoming." Estelle took a last look in the hall mirror and patted her perfect hair. Gracefully casual in linen slacks and print silk blouse, Estelle looked the perfect hostess. Kathy, was allowed to look a little windblown...she'd just cooked a scrumptious Italian meal. Or so their guests were to believe. The sound of the doorbell brought a smile to her face. Early! They must be eager.

Johnny and J.R. waited just outside the front door. Johnny, his hands in his pockets, rocked on his heels and smiled at his son. J.R. adjusted his shirt collar and shook his head. He hoped his father knew what he was doing.

"John, J.R., please come in. I'm so glad you could join us." Estelle took an arm of each of the men, revelling in their height and good looks, and escorted them into the living room. Both wearing slacks and dress shirts with the sleeves rolled up, the Gage men resembled a pair of very attractive bookends as they took seats on opposite ends of the sofa.

"Well, John, I was very surprised to find that you are a captain. How long have you been in the uh...how long have you been a fireman?" Estelle plastered a look of rapt interest on her face as she prepared to thoroughly grill her guests.

"Well, I joined the department when I was twenty years old, Estelle, worked at search and rescue, then became a paramedic. I did that for eleven years before becoming a station captain. Altogether it's been about sixteen years now, I guess."

"That's wonderful," Estelle smiled, totally lost. She rested one perfectly manicured hand on Johnny's knee. "You must be very...handy with all that experience."

J.R. just barely kept himself from snorting. He wondered exactly what Estelle imagined his father was handy at.

"And you, J.R., are you in college somewhere? Kathy said she didn't think you were a student at Carson High."

Johnny frowned at Estelle's choice of words. It was a sore spot with J.R. that he hadn't been able to attend college. His son's smile was insincere when he answered, but Estelle appeared not to notice.

"No, ma'am," J.R. replied, "I'm a firefighter too. I graduated fire academy early last spring and have been working out of Station 15 since then."

"I see. So are you a...a paramedic too? or just a regular firefighter?" J.R.'s father winced. The woman seemed to be doing her best to rub his son the wrong way.

"No, ma'am, I'm just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill firefighter. I leave the fancy stuff to my dad." J.R couldn't help the tinge of sarcasm that entered his voice. She was miffed to be addressed as ma'am, he could tell. Good.

Estelle returned her attention to Johnny. "It must be very gratifying to have your son follow in your footsteps. Have you always encouraged him to be a fireman?"

She's batting a thousand, John thought, still amused. "No, actually, Estelle, I never laid eyes on my son until last spring. My former partner got a call stating that I was in the hospital. That was pretty funny, since I was sitting on his deck at the time."

Their hostess looked back and forth between the two men in confusion. "I don't understand. Why would they call your former partner...?"

"Well, you see," J.R. grinned, "we're both firemen, both named John R. Gage, but he has a real talent for ending up in the hospital. I think it has something to do with the nurses."

Estelle missed the narrowing of Johnny's eyes as he glared at his son.

"And it was you in the hospital instead of John. Didn't the hospital know to notify John Sr. that John Jr. was there?"

"Well, that would probably happen now, but you see, I'm not John Junior; I'm J.R."

"But I thought..."

"It is confusing, Estelle," Johnny came to her rescue. "But Marnie never named him John Junior. She just gave him the same name as mine...John Roderick Gage, and left it at that."

"I'm sorry, John, I assumed you were a widower. How long have you and your ex-wife been divorced? It doesn't sound like it was amicable if she never let you see your son."

Johnny frowned. Estelle was entirely too inquisitive for such short acquaintance. This was a subject he'd just as soon not discuss.

The younger Gage tried to keep his manners intact and still let his hostess know she was out of line. "My mother loved my father very much up until she died of cancer almost four years ago. It's a really painful subject, Ms. Barrie, and I would rather not talk about it if you don't mind."

"Of course. Please forgive me. I had no desire to cause discomfort." Estelle was truly frustrated. How could the man's ex-wife love him and keep his child from him? Or for that matter, if he was widowed only four years ago, why did he just meet his son this year? Her curiosity was aroused. She would worm it out of John somehow.

An uncomfortable silence settled on the room as Estelle searched frantically for a new topic of conversation. J.R. took the opportunity to glance around the living room. There was something odd about it, he felt.

"You have a nice house, Estelle," Johnny complimented the pretty blonde. She preened at the praise.

"Thank you, John. We do all right for two single gals. I'm afraid it's probably a trifle feminine for your taste."

"No...it's fine," Johnny assured her, "very nice. Very...nice." Conversation lagged again.

Kathy Barrie, listening from the kitchen, could tell things weren't exactly going her mother's way. She'd been careful to rattle a pan every now and then to make it sound as if she was preparing the meal. Now would be a good time to rescue her mother, she decided.

"Mom, gentlemen, dinner is ready. Please come to the table."

Relieved, Johnny and J.R. stood and followed their hostess around the corner to the dining room. This room felt odd too, J.R. mused as he stood behind Kathy's chair and seated her. He glanced at Johnny, who had just finished performing the same office for Estelle. The two men sat down across from each other, the Barrie ladies on either side of them.

The stuffed pasta smelled heavenly, J.R. admitted, and the vegetable dishes could have been done by a professional chef. On the server, a chocolate cheesecake waited patiently for them to finish the rest of the meal.

"I saw you at the game, J.R.," Kathy ventured as Estelle began serving up the pasta. "Do you like football?"

"Not as much as he enjoys the cheerleading," Johnny joked. He grinned as his son's face turned a dull red.

"Well, you know, Kathy is on the cheerleading squad. It was so nice that she got voted in right away. Of course she was a cheerleader at her last school, so she had experience. And natural talent."

J.R. silently ate his pasta, trying to identify the different flavors in the sauce. If Kathy Barrie made this, she had a real future as a cook.

"This is really good, Kathy, is it your own recipe?"

When Kathy hesitated, Estelle hurriedly replied for her, "It's an old family recipe, passed down from Kathy's grandmother. We love to share the dish, but promised never to share the recipe." Kathy wondered how her mother got so good at lying.

Johnny watched his son enjoying the meal, and trying to figure out the contents of the sauce. Estelle managed to make small talk that remained impersonal and amusing. J.R. remained silent, and ate more and more slowly. He began to break into a sweat.

"J.R., are you okay?" Kathy asked, becoming concerned. J.R.'s face was bright red and he seemed to be squinting.

With a muffled exclamation, Johnny came to his feet and hurried around the table. "Kathy, what's in the pasta sauce?"

"We can't give out that information, John, it's a family secret." Estelle was alarmed, but determined to maintain the charade.

"At least tell me this, is there bay leaf in the sauce?"

Mother and daughter looked at each other in confusion, and remained silent.

"Kathy, is there bay leaf in the sauce?!!" Johnny asked again.

"I don't know," Kathy whispered.

Johnny shook his head impatiently, "J.R., where's your epi pen?"

The younger Gage began gasping for breath and shook his head, indicating he didn't have the medication with him.

"Estelle, call the paramedics!" Johnny said sharply, helping his son to the couch. A-Shift from 99's should be on duty in this area, he knew. "Tell them the victim is having an allergic reaction."

The petite blond hurried to the phone and searched frantically through the phone book for the number. Johnny saw the fumbling and moved her out of the way, then dialed dispatch. He gave the address and got an ETA from Sam Lanier.

A few minutes later the paramedics bustled into the living room. Johnny explained the situation and gave them J.R.'s pulse rate and respiration. One contacted Rampart while the other took J.R.'s blood pressure and checked his pupilary response. Joe Early, on duty at Rampart, gave the paramedics the go-ahead for epinephrine, then instructed them to start an IV with D5W, TKO, monitor vitals and transport.

All the excitement unnerved Estelle. She clutched Johnny's arm in a pincer-like grasp and held on for dear life. It was with difficulty that the senior Gage extricated himself and made his way to the Rover.

Kathy stood beside her mother as the ambulance doors were closed and convoy-like, the emergency vehicles and the Land Rover pulled away from the curb and headed toward Rampart Emergency Hospital.

"Well that went well, don't you think?" Kathy Barrie commented wryly to her mother. With a dirty look, Estelle re-entered her home and glared at the dinner table, still full of very expensive food. Muttering an extremely unladylike epithet, she stomped off to her room, leaving the mess for Kathy to clean up.

************************

On the way to Rampart, J.R. was able to breathe a little better and the swelling to his face diminished enough to make opening his eyes possible. The sway of the moving ambulance made his already upset stomach even queasier. He was conscious of the paramedic seated across from him talking on the biophone, and the disembodied voice that answered registered as belonging to Dr. Early. The bp cuff on his arm tightened and pinched as the parmedic from 99's checked his vitals and gave the report. Finally the ambulance stopped its forward motion and he could feel it move in reverse before stopping altogether.

"In Five," Carol Williams directed. Carol now alternated with Dixie McCall as head nurse in the ER. She smiled at J.R. remembering the times she'd seen young Johnny Gage looking up miserably from a gurney. It seemed history was doomed to repeat itself.

J.R. felt himself lifted and placed on an exam table and then a rush of air as the ambulance attendants swiftly exited with the gurney.

"How are you feeling, better?" Carol's voice held concern and a little bit of affection.

J.R. struggled to swallow and rasped, "A little."

"Good. Dr. Early will be right with you, okay?"

J.R. nodded slightly, then his swollen eyes widened as he struggled to sit up. Quick on the draw, Carol moved to thrust an emesis basin beneath his chin and support his shoulders with the help of the paramedic. She was fast, but not fast enough.

Johnny walked into the treatment room as Carol and the paramedic were removing his son's shirt. "I'll help with that if you need to be somewhere else, Carol," Johnny said tactfully. He knew J.R. would be mortified by the mess he'd made.

Carol nodded and left the room. J.R. let out a breath of relief and submitted gratefully to the ministrations of his father and 99's paramedic, Burt Something-or-other, who removed his soiled shirt and covered him with a sheet.

"Thanks, Burt, take it easy." J.R. heard his father bid goodbye to the paramedic. The patient fussed with the irritating nasal canula then closed his eyes, throwing an arm across his face to shield them from the bright florescent lighting.

"I thought you always carried that epi pen," Johnny addressed his son. It was a mild rebuke as well as a question. Johnny couldn't find it in his heart to lecture his son right now. J.R. looked miserable and somehow small on the exam table. The white sheet only served to emphasize the pallid skin and pinched look on the young man's face.

"I guess I just forgot," J.R. croaked. "We haven't eaten out in a while, and everybody else knows about my allergy. I do remember to take it when I work overtime at another station."

Johnny nodded and let the issue drop. He checked J.R.'s pulse and looked at the clock. ER was busy for that time of evening. With J.R. out of danger, Dr. Early could deal with more seriously ill patients first. The senior Gage found a stool near the drug cabinet and sat down, resting his face in his hands. It would be late, he knew, when they finally got home.

"Dad, did you notice anything...odd about the Barrie's house?" J.R. asked, his voice hesitant and uncertain.

"Like what?" Apparently he hadn't.

"It was just a feeling at first, like something was missing. I started comparing it to our house, and DeSoto's and Riley's and even Konnitsky's apartment. Dad, it was like they really don't live there, you know? Everything was picture perfect, nothing out of place.

"Maybe they tidied it up before dinner."

"Maybe. I don't know, I mean we're neat, relatively. We keep the house clean and stuff put away. It was more than that. For example, all of the pictures on the walls looked like they came from a gallery. There were no photos, no trophies, nothing personal of any kind."

"What, do you think they're from Stepford or something?"

J.R. snorted. "I don't know, it's just weird. And in the dining room, no pictures at all. No decorations, everything was done in beige and it all matched---perfectly. Even Mrs. D has a few dishes she uses that don't match the others."

"Son, your imagination is working overtime. They aren't aliens or anything. They were probably making sure everything matched and looked perfect in order to make a good impression."

"Maybe," J.R. conceeded. "It sure would be boring to live there, though."

With that Johnny agreed. Estelle's wide-eyed admiration and breathless wonder at everything became tedious after a while. She is definitely not someone to consider as more than a friend. Even if she is pretty and clingy and soft...

"Hi, John, J.R." Dr. Early opened the door to Treatment Five and entered, quietly approaching the exam table. Gentle and softspoken, Joe Early made a perfect foil for Kel Brackett's nervous energy and sometimes gruff exterior and Mike Morton's impatient acerbic personality. As doctor's go, he was Johnny's favorite.

"You two must really miss us. Mike said you were in here a couple of days ago." Joe Early smiled as he checked J.R.'s pulse and adjusted the drip on the IV.

************************

J.R sleepily reached for the alarm clock, fumbling in the dark until he knocked it from the nightstand. Five-thirty came early after spending three hours in the emergency room with an IV and nasal canula. They made it home sometime around eleven p.m. with J.R. sporting the energy level of a wet dishrag. The only good thing about the whole night was the conversation he had with his dad...that and the fact that it got them away from the "Barrie-cudas" as J.R. began to think of Estelle and Kathy.

The alarm clock shut off abruptly as it hit the floor. Must have landed on the stem, J.R. thought groggily. I should get up; I know there's some reason...in a little bit...I'll...zzzzzzz.

Johnny heard J.R.'s alarm go off as usual at five-thirty, but his son didn't stir. Well, after last night, he could use the extra rest. Besides, I'll be getting up in forty-five minutes anyway. Johnny closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

At six o'clock the phone rang downstairs in the kitchen... and rang. Unanswered, after six rings, it finally went silent.

Puzzled, Jennifer DeSoto hung up the phone in Roy's den and went back upstairs to get another forty minutes of sleep. "No answer?" Chris' sleepy voice drifted from his room as she passed the door.

"Shut up, dork!"

ON TO PART IV