Chapter 13: One More Hurdle

Sara frantically searched her closet for the fifth time that morning trying to find the perfect thing to wear. The countdown to the Fashion Awards had begun, and she only had eight hours left before Darren arrived to take her to the event. “If only I knew what he was wearing,” she mumbled, throwing another bunch of clothes onto her bed.

A few minutes later, Sara heard the phone ring in her living room. As she rushed to answer it, she tripped over a hanger and flew across the floor, landing right beside the coffee table where the phone sat. She reached up and panted, “Hello?”

“Sara? Is that you?” Darren replied. “You sound a little out of breath. Are you okay?”

“I just slid across the floor and ran into the coffee table. Of course I’m okay,” she retorted, sitting up and running her hand through the tangled mess she called her hair.

“Oh, my God! What were you doing?” he asked almost sympathetically.

“I was ransacking my closet, that’s what I was doing. I can’t find a thing to wear tonight. And on top of that, who the hell is supposed to do my hair and makeup?” Sara snapped.

“Whoa, love. Calm down. I’m sure you’ll find something,” Darren serenely replied.

“Why did you call?” Sara questioned.

“Well, I wanted to know what you were wearing for the show, but I guess I won’t be getting my answer.”

“What do you suggest? A nice outfit? Leather? A dress? Anything to help me narrow my search,” she desperately said.

“A dress, preferably,” he replied. Then, almost all too suddenly, Darren had an idea. “Oh, my God! I know! I’ll be right over,” he said, hanging up.

“Darren? Darren!” Sara yelled, but all she heard was the dial tone. She didn’t know whether to be scared or happy that he had an idea. Instead of contemplating it any further, she decided to clean up the mess in her room. The clothes were still scattered everywhere. It would take at least an hour to reorganize her closet after giving it such a thorough inspection. ‘As long as it passes the time,’ she thought.

*~*~*

Darren stood outside Sara’s apartment door almost an hour later with a large bag in one hand and a dozen red roses in the other. He knocked and waited, growing a little impatient when she yelled, “Give me a minute!”

Sara threw the last of the clothes into her closet and ran to the door, still clad in a pair of boxers and a tee shirt. She quickly smoothed out her hair then grabbed the door knob. Darren stood there with flowers and a huge bag. “You really didn’t have to,” were the first words out of her mouth as she took the flowers.

“It was nothing,” he replied. “Here, this is for you. I hope it fits.”

Sara took the bag that Darren handed to her and opened it. Her eyes became wide with surprise as she gasped. Inside was the red dress that she had seen in one of the flashes she shared with Darren only a week earlier. It was a princess line strapless red dress made of peau de soie satin. Holding it up against her body, she remained speechless.

“Darren,” Sara merely whispered, the awe evident in her voice, as she looked into his deep blue eyes.

“Red is so becoming of you, Sara,” he answered. “Try it on. I’m dying to see what it looks like on you. And don’t forget the rest of the stuff in the bag; the scarf, the shoes, and the choker.”

Sara walked into her room, shocked that Darren even cared enough to buy this for her. She slowly put on the dress, careful not to rip any seams or hems. Returning to the bag, she found the matching red scarf, the three inch red stilettos and the beautiful Swarovski crystal choker. It took her a while to put everything on, but when she was done, the transformation was incredible.

Darren had taken a seat on Sara’s couch as he waited for her. He knew his impatience was growing as he started to twiddle his thumbs. He laughed at himself for being so nervous, but the wait was worth it. The moment he heard the clicking of heels coming towards him, Darren turned around immediately. Sara stood before him, even more beautiful then he had imagined. She looked perfect in the red dress, especially when she walked into the sunlight that streamed in from the window and reflected off her choker. It was his turn to be speechless.

“What do you think?” Sara shyly asked as she spun around, the dress flying with her.

“You look…” It took Darren a couple of seconds to pick the right word to describe her. “You look stunning,” he finally mumbled, his eyes never straying once from her body.

“Thank you,” she replied, a bright smile appearing on her face. “Now, if only you could say the same about my hair and makeup.”

“Oh, shit. I knew I forgot something,” Darren said. Then it hit him. “Wait, what about your friend, Vicky, was it?” Sara nodded. “Can she help you?”

“I don’t know. There’s only one way to find out.”

*~*~*

Jake sat at his desk that Monday afternoon, a pile of work atop it. He was still trying to figure out why there were still a few holes in Sara’s story, but then again, this was Sara, and holes in her stories had become almost typical. He shook his head as he put the file down and reached for the stale coffee beside his stack of folders. Looking up, he saw the beautiful girl in the red dress standing at the main desk talking to one of the receptionists.

“Who’s the hottie?” Jake said aloud, prompting Danny to turn in his direction with a questionable expression on his face.

“What? Hottie?” he asked. Jake simply pointed to the girl at the desk. Danny almost laughed. It wasn’t everyday someone in that type of outfit walked into the homicide department. For a moment, he thought it was a joke.

“Excuse me,” Jake replied as he stood up and started to walk towards her. “I have an appointment to make.”

Danny laughed at his cockiness. “You go do that,” he called after him.

With a cool and confident attitude, Jake slowly approached the woman. Even from behind, she was a tantalizing sight to look at. Her dark hair flowed over her strong shoulders and down her back. He gently tapped her shoulder and said, “Excuse me, I don’t want you to think this is ridiculous or anything, but you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I just wanted to tell you that.”

*~*~*

Sara stood at the reception desk of the homicide department waiting for someone to page Vicky. There were only about four hours left before the show started, and she still didn’t have her hair or her makeup done. If she didn’t find somebody quick, she knew she was screwed.

The minutes passed as Sara waited, her impatience growing. Almost everyone had stopped whatever they were doing and were staring at her. A couple of the guys even came up to her and dropped a line, which she laughed at each time. It felt strange to be picked on, but at the same time, it also felt good. She liked the fact people thought she was gorgeous. But just as she thought the pickup lines were finished, one more cocky guy had to come up to her with the winning line.

“Excuse me, I don’t want you to think this is ridiculous or anything, but you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I just wanted to tell you that,” he said. Sara immediately recognized the voice and turned around to make sure her assumption was right.

“Well, McCarty, I must say, that was probably the best line I’ve heard all day,” she replied, waiting to see the expression on his face when he realized who he had just dropped a line on.

Jake simply stood still as his jaw dropped and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Pa… Pa… Pez?” he stuttered, almost too surprised to speak.

“Yeah, it’s me. Now stop staring, it’s freaking me out,” Sara said as she used her hand to close his mouth. He looked her up and down, wondering if what he was seeing was real or not. With his index finger, Jake gently poked her again. “Okay, Jake. Now you’re scaring me. Come on, it’s just Pez, your partner and friend. I just look a little different today, that’s all,” she added.

“A little different?” he laughed. “It’s practically not you! It’s unreal. I hope that this is just a phase, because I don’t think I’d ever get used to it.”

“I take it you’ve never seen me in a dress,” she replied. “Well, you’d better find a camera quick because this is the first and last time.”

“But why?” Jake asked.

“You know what tonight is, right?”

“No, what?”

“The Vogue Fashion Awards. Darren asked me to go with him. He had an extra ticket.”

“You’re pulling my sleeve, right? Because I thought you’d never be caught dead at one of those events.”

“That’s what I said about pop concerts, but I went to one of those just last week. Besides, what’s wrong with trying something that most people don’t expect you to try? Why the hell not yank a few chains in this department? The guys need something new to talk about around the water cooler,” Sara joked as she started to walk away.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Jake asked as he followed her down the row of desks.

“Since it seems like nobody wants to page Vicky for me, I thought I’d go and find her myself,” she answered.

“Hold on, I think there’s one more person who needs to see you before you leave.” Jake dragged her towards her office where Danny was still reading the case file for the roadie murders. Jake walked in, motioning for Sara to stay outside.

“Did you get that appointment?” Danny asked without looking up from the file.

“Sure did, she’s standing outside,” Jake answered.

“Who is she?”

“Oh, I think you two have met.”

Danny looked up as Sara walked in. “Pez?” he nearly squeaked, the folder slipping out of his hands. Nothing had prepared him for this. “What the…?”

“Hey, Danny. Just thought I’d come in with a dress looking like a total bimbo to scare the hell out of a few people, one of them being you,” she sarcastically remarked.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early for Halloween?” he asked, still a little astonished by the transformation his friend had gone through.

“Actually, I’m going out tonight with someone. He made me dress this way,” Sara answered.

“Who? Where?” the questions kept coming.

“The Vogue Fashion Awards with Darren Hayes.”

“The guy with all the murdered roadies?”

“Yeah, basically. We kinda hit it off last week. Jake can explain it to you. I have to go find Vicky. If there’s one thing she knows better to do than I do, it’s hair and makeup,” Sara said as she left the office. She descended the stairs to the morgue to find her friend working on another case.

Vicky looked up, sensing that someone was watching her, and found Sara standing at the door wearing the red dress. “Holy shit! What are you doing in a dress?” she asked.

“I’m going to the Fashion Awards with Darren tonight,” Sara simply replied. “And I’ve had enough with all the comments. I just want you to help me with my hair and makeup.”

Chapter 14: A Fairy Tale Finish

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