I spent three hours wandering in circles around the parking lots and streets surrounding Robinson Park in anticipation of finding my car, hoping that it contained my girlfriend. However, I found nothing, and only just managed to avoid Pam as she returned home. At the moment, I wanted nothing to do with her, but I knew I would have to face her and her anger eventually.

Back at the warehouse, I found Benny and Trigger alone once more, devouring a pizza. Though I really wasn't hungry, I helped myself to a slice and sat down with them. Sarah had promised to return the next day to finish cleaning. I looked around, and realized that the place was going to need far more than just fresh paint to get rid of the presence of Nina and Diedre.

"Boys, tomorrow we're going to be renting a truck, and we'll go around to get new furniture. So first thing in the morning, I'd like you to get a truck..."

"Boss, we've already got a truck lined up, and a couple trustworthy friends to help us move everything," interrupted Trigger.

Well, that was a surprise. Keeping a cool exterior, I nodded. "Good. Now I know you two don't get along with her, but I would like Dee to come back. You both know she isn't like the others, and she is an excellent addition to our gang..."

Now it was Benny who interrupted me. "Um, Mr. Nigma? We want you to get her back. We, er... We like her. She treats us good, and doesn't yell at us like the others. That's why we're working so hard to get the place back to normal." He shrugged his enormous shoulders, as I sat in shock, the slice of pizza hanging from my hand, mouth open.

"We even decided to pay for our own furniture so that you could get something better for your room. You know... Something that will impress her and..." Trigger began.

"Enough. Stop right there. What goes on between Dee and me is our business, and I don't want to know that you two have put any thought into making it better for us. No." I squeezed my eyes closed and pinched the bridge of my nose with my free hand. "I appreciate the offer, and the thoughtfulness. I wouldn't have expected it from you two."

"If I may be blunt, Mr. Nigma, you don't expect much from us. We stay loyal to you because you do treat us fairly, but you don't always realize that we're capable of more than you think," said Trigger. "But ever since she came around, you've been letting us do more things that we've been wanting to do; trusting us more. We like it."

I stood up and set the pizza slice back in the box, in one piece. This was too much in one day. My faithful, usually slobbering mutts were showing signs of being nobler than a purebred. I began to think that I had perhaps gotten a bit of bad steak at lunch. Turning to them, I opened my mouth to say something, decided against it, and turned to go to my study.

Closing the door behind myself, I shook my head, wandering over to my desk. Far too much in one day. First it was Nina and Diedre showing up. Then it was Dee walking in on something she had perceived as an orgy, and looking back, she had every right to think that's what it was. The crowning glory was Pam telling her about the night she had seduced me, forcing me to obey her command, though I doubted Pam mentioned the pheromones. I didn't care about Doris and that idiot Clurissa being mentioned. Those were easily explainable. Harder to explain would be the other girls. There really weren't as many as Pam, in her oversexed mind, believed. Benny and Trigger's behavior was the last thing I could handle after this day.

Settling into my chair, I put my feet on my desk, and soon fell asleep. After what I had seen in my bedroom, there was no way I was going to be sleeping in there until it was cleaned and the new furniture in place.

~ ~ ~

As we started taking things out to the truck early the next morning, it became apparent that the girls had done more than damage the furniture and paint the walls. On the carpets were stains that were best left without description. In addition to taking the destroyed furniture, we pulled up all of the carpets, rolling them and shoving them into the truck. I had to admit that the boys had chosen the truck wisely. Even with all of the furniture and rugs, there was still room left over.

Very early Sarah showed up, bringing with her some very sleepy looking family members from both her family and Benny's. I left them with enough money to cover the expense of any food and additional supplies they might need. The night before, Benny and Trigger had gone out and purchased enough paint to paint the entire hideout. Without instruction, the younger members took up the drop cloths, spreading them out, covering the savable furniture in the center of the room. Before we had finished moving things out, the painting had started.

Our first stop was at a flooring store where we purchased enough carpet for the rooms and hallway. I left out the bedroom that had been Dee's when she first arrived, planning on making the room into something for her tiger instead. While I waked to a nearby furniture store, I had the boys run the carpeting over to the hideout.

By noon, we had replaced almost all of the furniture. Almost. I still needed to find a bed for my room, and I knew it would take a while before I found a chair to replace the one I had lost. The guys had been correct that I needed something that would impress her in a way that told her I did care about her. Something that said, "I did this all for you." It was at the fifth store we went to that I found the right bed. It was four poster, and solid cherry wood, the headboard carved with a simple scroll. She had made a point of mentioning how much she liked the bed that we had slept in while at the Monroes; I knew she would love this one. I didn't care about the price I just bought it.

The truck loaded down with our purchases, we headed back to the hideout. The place looked amazing. The walls were all freshly painted and spotless, they were just finishing laying the carpet, and the entire place was clean. Giving instructions on where everything was to go, I then pulled aside one of Benny's sisters.

"Sandy, isn't it?"

"Yes, Mr. Nigma. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked.

"Yes, there is. I need you to... I need help getting new linens, and I'm not certain where to start," I told her, somewhat embarrassed. I had chosen her, because I remembered hearing the guys talk about how good she was with redecorating. And I needed all the help I could get with that.

"Not a problem, Mr. Nigma," she smiled. "We can go now, if you'd like? That'll give us time enough to wash everything before it gets too late."

So I took more money out of the safe, and left with Benny's sister. I have to admit the woman put me at ease immediately. She knew exactly what to get, and how much to get. We ended up with a stack of new towels, sheets, blankets, throw blankets, pillows, and a few very nice comforters. I found a blanket that I insisted upon getting. It was thick, fluffy, and green. Dee was always getting cold, especially when she was tired, and I wanted her to have a warm blanket that was just hers.

"The guys tell me that you're trying to get your lady back," she said as she continued to browse through the store.

"They did, did they?" Couldn't anyone keep their mouth shut anymore?

"They did." She smiled a strange, secretive smile. "If you really want to wow her when you finally get her to come home, you're going to need these. Lots of these," she said, taking two boxes of votive candles and dumping it into my arms. "Now you'll also need holders for all of that. Is there anything she likes?"

"Um... She's fond of Chinese..."

"Oh! Asian stuff is all the rage! No problem! We can stop in Chinatown on the way back and pick up a few things."

I winced. There was a place I didn't want to be setting foot in without her. "How about I give you money to buy whatever you need from there, and you go and bring it back? I really should be getting back to the warehouse and work on a few things."

Sandy shrugged. "Sure. As long as you trust me."

"You've done a wonderful job so far. I trust that you'll do just fine in bringing things back."

As we drove back, she turned to me. "You know what else you need? Flowers. Lots of flowers. Get a ton of her favorite flowers and put them all around. And if you really want to stun her, I suggest rose petals."

"Rose petals," I repeated, tonelessly.

"Yes! Sprinkle them all over the bed, and make a trail of them to the bed! I guarantee she will come back to you if you do this. And make her dinner. Make her a nice, romantic dinner!"

Why? Why did everyone see fit to suddenly give me advice on my relationship? Before that, it was ridicule. I needed a drink. I made the excuse of going out to buy her something, and left for the Iceberg. On the way, I placed a call to Kittlemeier and asked him to make replacements of the lost clothing items. Nina and Diedre had left nothing of Dee's untouched. Remembering that Dee had all of her undergarments made for her, I found the number for Madame Hsia's in Chinatown. I asked the woman to please make new garments for Dee. I was surprised when the woman readily agreed, saying that she could have the items to me late the next day. She also agreed to be discreet about the whole thing.

At the Iceberg, my mind somewhat settled, I proceeded to imbibe more scotch than was wise at the moment. It left me dizzy, and rambling, but I didn't care. The bartender took away my scotch bottle after a while, pushing food and water at me. Not wanting to end up in Oswald's drunk tank, I ate the offered food, sobering up a great deal. Before I left, I asked the bartender to pass the word around to the other employees that if Dee set foot in the club, they were to call me immediately.
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