Moonlight Adventures in Babysitting

David enters the house through the front door. He stands and surveys the room for a second, although we can only see him and not the room into which he looks. He moves his head around, staring intently, then goes back out the door, and checks the address numbers on the side of the house. He reenters, standing at the door with his hands on his hips.

The camera sweeps around. The room is hardly recognizable as Maddie's living room. There are toys scattered everywhere. The pillows from the sofa are on the floor. Magazines are strewn across the top of the coffee table, and there is a large glob of paper towels soaking up a puddle of red liquid.

The scene shifts to the town council chamber. The council is composed of the Blue Moon office staff dressed in period costumes (need to get our money's worth out of that Atomic Shakespeare garb!) The Mayor stands, back facing the room. The chatter in the room grows louder, and the Mayor whirls around and bangs on the table.

The figure in the doorway is quite unique - in fact, quite out of place in fifteenth century wherever this is. This is twentieth century David Addison. He is dressed all in black - jeans, T-shirt, and distressed leather jacket. He wears Ray Bans, and his hair (or what there is left of it) is spiked. He walks over to the Mayor and plants one booted foot on the chair next to her.

Rats start to peek their heads out of their hiding places - all kinds of rats……….fat rats, skinny rats, rats who climb on rocks, tough rats, sissy rats, even rats with chicken pox seemed to be attracted to the Piper's song. He launches into an elaborate arrangement of "Mule Train".

Mayor/Agnes: Our problem is solved. It cannot come back to hurt us again……..it was such a small task, such a small amount of this man's time…..it hardly seems worth the price he commands. The money will be better spent at our monthly meetings at the Cock and Bull. I say we offer him a portion, and he should be glad to receive it. All agreed?

At the rear of the group is the Mayor………as helpless as all the others as she is pulled towards the music. The Piper reaches the mountain, and as if by magic, a door opens in the side of the mountain. Peering inside, we see it is decorated as would be a harem, lots of flowing drapes and overstuffed cushions on the floor of the cave…….it appears to be one man's dream.

As the Piper continues, the women pass him, and enter the cave, until each of them has entered. The Piper stands in the doorway for a moment, directs a salute (imagine any kind of salute you'd like) to the men and children of the town, and enters as the door slams behind him.

In time they had to give up, and take on all the tasks their women had performed: heading up single parent families, learning to cook, clean and care for their families. And each evening, before they put their children to bed, they would tell the story of the Pied Piper, and remind their children how important it was to keep their promises.

Once upon a time, there was a great and shiny kingdom ruled by a beautiful queen. Her beauty was so great that, if not for her station in life, she would have been very sought after for the spring and fall fashion shows or to grace the covers of the just invented Ye Old Vogue Magazine. She was very tall and flaxen-haired and very lovely, but she was a lonely queen without a king. All the princes in the land were clamoring for her love, sending her flowers, candy, Hallmark greeting cards, fine jewelry, some even going so far as writing poetry verses to her, always dedicated to her luminous eyes and her charm. In one instance, a suitor had even painted her portrait and gotten her involved in art theft and murder. But that's another story…

She was the constant subject of various scandal sheets of the time, Ye old Royal Enquirer for instance, because the people of the land were very interested in her love life and speculated much about who would be her consort. Would it be Sam the Lesser, Walter the Wim- Wise, Peter the Bogdanovich?

But the beautiful queen was unimpressed by the lavish gifts and attention. She was looking for something else. Someone who would look beyond her ravishing beauty. Someone who would look into her icy blue eyes and see the intelligence behind them. Someone who would want more than a beautiful queen by his side. Someone to banter with, someone to make her slam the castle doors, someone to yell at, argue with and generally drive her crazy. Okay, I never said she was the picture of mental health.

In this same land lived a young man, David of Addison. He was just an assistant innkeeper in his father's business, Ye Old Planet Hollywood. However, he poured a mean ale and was very quick-witted. The customers loved to watch him and actually came to the inn just to hear him jest and play the harmonica. He fancied himself quite the musician-

The maidens in his village all wanted to be the object of his affection and constantly threw themselves, literally, at the feet of his donkey as he made his way down the cobblestone streets to the inn every day. And he, being not quite the gentleman, often climbed down from his ass to pick them up, dust them off and take them up to his place to enjoy ye old good time. But these maidens, comely though they were, never kept his attention much past the first date. Well, one time, there was this maiden named Jillian…but again we digress.

The maidens loved his fun loving, carefree ways and his grin left them weak in the knees. But the young man had no respect for maidenhood, and for some reason, this endeared him even more to the maidens of the kingdom. Go figure. He felt that maidens only existed to make fools of men and he refused to be a fool, even if he was only a lowly innkeeper's son. He vowed that no mere woman would ever tame him; he would never be a one-maiden man.

David lived with his father, David the Senior, his brother Richard the Neverlionhearted and their faithful manservant, Herbert the Hairy. They were happy bachelors, living their happy bachelor life. Well, as happy as one can be in a medireview serfdom where one isn't part of the upper echelon of society and dies at the ripe old age of thirty.

Anyway, one day, while on a much needed trip into the countryside to get away from the paparazzi and visit her friend, Annie the Insipid, the beautiful queen's carriage got a flat tire, er I mean, a broken wheel. This was her plain and simple country carriage, not her silver chariot… and she was in her traveling frock not one of her magnificent gowns… and she had left her scepter and crown in her other bag. So even though she could never pass for a peasant, she appeared to be just a country gentlewoman in distress.

"Nonsense, Frederick!" her highness protested. "Lady Agnes and I are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves." Lady Agnes stood behind the queen and rolled her eyes. "Besides you are too feeble and old to ride that far. We will take the horse to town while you wait here with the carriage."

The queen and Lady Agnes took turns riding while the other led the horse. Although Lady Agnes protested that this was beneath the queen she insisted. She also prided herself on being very democratic and considerate of her subjects. All in all, the queen thought herself to be pretty darn great.

"Lady Agnes, let me do-est the talking. I don't want to draw a crowd so please do not letteth on that I am the queen. We'll never get out of here and our pictures will be plastered all over the Enquirer tomorrow morning. The way we look right now no one would ever suspect who we are unless we blowest it." Before she could help Lady Agnes down from the horse, a small hirsute man ran out of the inn to take her hand and guide her down from the horse.

Herbert led them into the inn, to a table in the back. They happily sat down, eager to wet their whistles and wipe away some of the grime from the journey. The tavern was bustling with happy hour commoners come to spend their wages and eat, drink and be merry. As she surveyed the crowd, the queen pulled Lady Agnes aside. "My name is Lady Madelyn if anyone asketh."

Just then the queen spied a handsome young man holding court in the tavern. He had a sheepskin slung over his broad shoulder, and occasionally he would fling it down to wipe the tables. She watched him carefully for a time, drawn to him although he had none of the aristocratic qualities which should have drawn the queen. His profile revealed a flat, not a pointed patrician nose such as her own, his hairline was, well, dwindling. She could hear him joking with the crowd gathered around him.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" David of Addison shook the reins of their horses and cracked his whip, hitting the hind quarters of the robber's horse. The horse reared, knocking the scoundrel to the ground. Before he could remount, David and Herbert had taken the ladies' horses by the reins and they had galloped to safety.

Days passed. The queen returned home safe and sound. But she moped around the castle day and night. She grew restless and irritable. She took to her chamber and gazed for hours out the window toward the village over the hill. Her staff couldn't understand what was wrong with her. But Lady Agnes understood. She approached the queen one night in her chamber.

"But remember how he looks in his codpiece," Lady Agnes wisely pointed out. (Lady Agnes had a way of cutting right to the heart of the matter.) "Let me take care of everything. You just make the proclamation." And with that, Lady Agnes flew out of the queen's chamber to make her plans.

One week later, it was the night of the lavish ball. Suitors were lined up three deep around the moat. The queen was behaving in a most peculiar fashion for a queen. She couldn't stop bouncing up and down and pacing around her chamber while her ladies-in-waiting attempted to dress her and fix her beautiful golden hair. She felt a very strange sensation in her stomach as well.

"He might." The queen said in a hushed tone. "But what if I don't know him. I only saw him in a dark, smoky tavern. Then when he went into the sunshine he wore those strange shades over his eyes. It's been over a month. What if he's right there and I don't recognizeth him?" she cried.

The ball was truly the most extravagant gala ever seen in the kingdom. There were fireworks, much food and drink of the highest quality, jesters, minstrels and even the biggest band of the day, Knights in White Satin, played for the entertainment of all. The nobility were there plus a fair amount of commoners, all of them straining to see the queen and trying to pick the man she would choose that night. It was certainly the place to be seen that season, and the guests would be talking about it for years to come. The queen sat above the fray, gazing over the crowd, looking for that one recognizable smile among the many in the rabble.

The men of the kingdom were instructed to line up single file in front of the queen's throne to try the shades. And quite a long line it was. The first man placed the glasses on top of his head like a hat. The queen shook her head and the man was taken away. The second man placed the shades upside down over his eyes, and again the queen shook her head. The third man folded the shades and placed them over his top lip like a mustache! The queen vehemently shook her head and the man was led away. And on it went, hour after hour, suitor after suitor, long into the night, long after the food and drink was gone and long after the minstrels and troubadours had gotten too exhausted to go on entertaining the crowds. But the queen's search continued and her heart grew heavier as she reached the end of the line with no sign of the man of her dreams.

A man broke through the crowd and approached the throne. He was dressed in very fine garments and wore a golden cape and a magnificent tri-brimmed hat with a huge ostrich feather sticking out of it. He made an elaborate show of taking off his hat and performing a sweeping bow with it.

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast, and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?

David: Alright … if it will keep you from believing this … this propaganda … this watered down Hollywood version …. First of all it was not "Beauty AND the Beast" it's BEAUTY IS A BEAST. Ok, Ok --- there was this … what? KINGDOM? a far way … as far as say Philadelphia ---

… In a land far, far way, lived a King and Queen. They were really cool. They were called the King and Queen of Tunes. Their real names were Al and Ginny Tunsdale. Music was their life, even though neither of them could carry a tune or play an instrument. But they loved music. All kinds of music: rock n' roll, blues, jazz, ballads. There was music playing throughout the castle all day, everyday. The acoustics in ever room were incredible and there was this fantastic recording studio in the back part of the castle with all the latest equipment. That's how they made their money. They'd sign musicians and recorded them and sell the records. This was long before royalties, rights and back end deals. The album library at Tunsdale Castle was second to none in the land.

The King and Queen were constantly looking for new and young musicians - minstrels they were called - to come and play for them. Minstrels would come from far and wide just to play before the King and Queen and jam with the other minstrels staying at the castle. It was a great time to be in the music business. It was like Woodstock, Haight Ashbury and the Monterey Blues Festival every weekend.

Anyway -- In the woods outside of Tunsdale lived an evil witch. Her name was Nessy - A. G. Nessy. No one ever knew what the "A G" stood for. Nessy loved poetry and words and animals and all the little things in life but --- Nessy hated music of all kinds. The speculation was that she could not carry a tune in a bucket with both hands - but that is an unsubstantiated rumor. Consequently she did not visit Tunsdale often. There was a major battle between Nessy and the King and Queen. You see, the music echoed over the castle walls, across the rivers and dells through the woods to Nessy's broken down ramshackle cottage. Her walls were paper thin. She tried earplugs and earmuffs but Nessy was never able to get back her precious sweet silence. It made her really mean. She vowed to one day to pull the plug on Tunsdale. Nessy worked her fingers to the bone to come up spells, but nothing Nessy could do would shut the music off.

Al and Ginny's had a wizard of their own. His name was Mystic V (a short hairy man) and he lived in the castle and was chief counselor to the King. Mystic V thwarted any spell that Nessy came up with. Nessy and Mystic V were students of the same Wizard Master, and V graduated TOP of his class. There is one other little thing that should be mentioned. Nessy and V … well they had had a "thing" during the school years. Suffice it to say that it ended - badly --- VERY, VERY badly. It was about Mystic V taking the job for the king … but that is a whole different story. What is important is that Nessy and Mystic V were locked in a battle of wills and egos. Scorned love and all that … you know how women are… well you will soon enogh. Anyway … many years went by Nessy blamed the king for taking Mystic V away and she got meaner and Mystic V … well he didn't change much.

Finally, one day, Al and Ginny were blessed. They had a child - a daughter. She was the sweetest, most beautiful baby in the world and was growing up to be one hel- heck of a babe. Her eyes were the color of deep blue sapphires, her skin was milk white and silk soft and her hair shone like spun gold. People said that to look upon her was like music for the eyes. But when she spoke - ah … that was a sweet treat. Her voice was like a song bird - a lark or a sparrow. And when she sang … angels wept. She was truly special. Her name was Belle Mélodie. People of course called her Belle.

Al, of course, was a very proud papa. He had visions of his lovely daughter having a very successful singing career and then taking over for him when he retired. Ginny and Al were very careful to raise her with a mind and goals of her own. She was not spoiled, or selfish or fussy. She was all that any parent could hope for: beautiful, bright, talented and with a heart of gold.

However - Belle developed more independence than her parents expected. She loved her parents and the people but ruling the kingdom was not her dream job. She loved music and singing and it touched her deep in her soul. She loved the attention that her beauty brought, but at the same time she loathed the fact that people were tongue tied when she spoke to them. What she wanted above all was to be young and have friends and laugh and play and to love and be loved in return. Since Belle was the princess - and near goddess material - most people were very nervous around her. Al and Ginny knew that Belle longed for a more normal life, but there was not really much they could do. Belle spent much of her time alone reading.

One day - about a week before Belle's 18th birthday, Belle met a boy - real boy - not a prince or hero of one of her novels - but real flesh and blood boy. Actually it was more of a young man - well man. He was tall and thin and dark, with eyes that were deep blue pools enough to drown in. He was exciting and fun and made Belle laugh. He was not tongue tied around her - in fact he was more familiar with her than she had ever experienced before. They met the day King Al was auditioning a band called OUT TO LUNCH. Belle could not take her eyes off him. He was the bass player - his name was C'awFord (pronounced See-Ahw-Ford).

Belle and C'awFord would talk for hours about books and music and whatever came into their heads. To Belle, it was all very innocent, but not to C'awFord. C'awFord was married and had no intention of divorcing his wife but a notch on his belt a big as the virgin princess of Tunsdale and an IN with the Tunsdale Recording studio was too great a carrot. Naturally Belle wanted him … but she did not know what that meant. All she knew was that she enjoyed his company and she liked herself more when she was with him.

King Al witnessed their time together on several occasions. He would have been happy to write it off that Belle had found a new friend that got her out of her library but … he saw something that he could not get out of his mind. One day Belle and C'awFord were walking in the park below the King's window. They were talking about music and bands that would be playing at the festival for Belle's party. It all looked innocent until Belle did that HAIR FLIP thing that women have been doing since the beginning of time and "dropped" her scarf on the ground in front of C'awFord. He retrieved and took the liberty of demanding a kiss in return for the scarf.

Al went ballistic. He of course banished SPACE COWBOYSfrom the kingdom and tore up their record contract, all without Belle's knowledge. But that was not enough to calm King Al down. He was worried - no he was more terrified that Belle was going to fall for some musician - some lousy bass player or drummer - if not that one then another. How many men would break his little girls heart before she found someone worthy? Father and musician son-in-laws have never been a match made it heaven. I wonder if it started with the Tunsdale's? At any rate the only thing in Al's mind was how to keep his daughter away from musicians.

That night Al discussed his feeling with Ginny. She tried to soothe his mind but nothing she could say had any effect. Al tossed and turned in bed. He couldn't get the image of Belle and that scum from the band out of his mind. He flashed forward on her miserable life waiting at home for this low life to come back from the road with god knows what disease he picked up from the latest groupie, how could she ever know if a man truly loved her or was just trying to get a record deal? Then he'd flash back to holding her as a young child. Ginny finally kicked him out of bed at 3AM and told him to walk it off.

That night the king met the old woman (who by now you know is Nessy) outside the west gate. He led her in silence to his daughter's room. He handed the old woman the lock of hair, and the locket that he had gotten from his daughter earlier that night. She assured him that all would be well and using that Siren-like voice she sent him back to his room with sweet restful dreams.

The old woman stood over the sleeping girl and was over come with hate. This beautiful young child could be and have anything she wanted in this life. Her future was open and full of possibilities. Nessy took great delight in knowing that she would be the ruin of this girl and consequently the entire kingdom.

At noon, her mother called for her and Belle came directly. The party was in full swing. The hall had been decorated and there was food aplenty, singing and dancing and games and joy were coming in from all parts of the castle. Finally the King and Queen announced Belle Melodie as the new Queen. Al and Ginny were retiring and allowing their daughter to run the kingdom. This was a total surprise to Belle - quite frankly she would have preferred a sweater or a book or something else for her birthday. The formal swearing in ceremony was completed and Belle was the New Queen.

A look of panic crossed Belle's beautiful face. Gasps from all over the castle could be heard. Her voice - her sweet and lyrical voice - was as harsh and chilling as nails on a blackboard. No one was more surprised than Belle. She covered her mouth with her hands. She tried to recover and spent many minutes clearing her throat. Finally she spoke again. "Excuse me - I … I -." The voice had not changed. Every time she tried to speak it became worse - the sound was shrill and ear-piercing … it was a nightmare.

The king let out a cry that can still be heard echoing through the hills as he realized that it was his fault. The spell that Nessy had cast was to change her voice from enticing to repelling - no one would fall in love with her, heck no one could stand within 5 feet of her when she spoke. No longer did she sound like a lark - rather she sounded like at cat being sent through a grinder, or breaking glass or a car alarm at 3AM.

King Al fell to his knees. Mystic V was immediately at his side demanding to know what was going on. The king - who could not take his eyes from the old woman - explained all to Mystic V. V of course recognized Nessy immediately. He loved the turn of her neck and the way her ratty gray hair blew in the breeze. (Oops sorry … that again is the other story.)

Belle was screeching for the noise to stop. The band finally silenced and the crowd hushed. Nessy knew and so did Mystic V. The punishment for breaking a promise to a witch was the same fate that others suffered -- 10 fold. It was rule number 8 - there was nothing that Mystic V could do.

King Al pleaded with Mystic V do to something, but nothing he could do would reverse the spell. Finally King Al told Mystic V all that had happened. When he mentioned the locket Mystic V realized that the only way to save Belle and reverse the spell was to get that locket back. Mystic V discovered that Nessy had cursed (or blessed depending upon what side you are on) the locket with a love spell - a real love spell -which is tougher to break than a True Love Spell.

True love is a love from afar the kind that makes a man attempt feats that he never believed he had the strength for. We all have seen these loves: Prince Charming and Cinderella, Prince Charming and Sleeping Beauty, Prince Charming and any of the fairy tale bimbos that turn a prince's head. We all know how superficial that kind of love is and how ridiculous it is to expect a "happily ever after" and how easily it is to believe that love is true when there are dragons to slay and witches to fight. Nessy kicked the LOVE SPELL up a notch; she added REAL LOVE. Nessy knew was that the prince, the man, the guy … would need to love Belle purely - in spite of her curses. He would need to return the locket to her freely without any knowledge of what the outcome would be to allow the spell to be broken.

The details of the next few years are very involved - covert operations, pleading, cajoling, heck even Mystic V tried to woo Nessy again - but all was to no avail - the locket could not be retrieved. A call went out for men from all over the land - with a promise of Belle's hand if the locket could be returned. In the beginning many stepped forward but none succeeded; the rest were driven away by her voice.

Belle's condition grew worse - or maybe it was just her attitude. All music in the kingdom was silenced. No one spoke above a whisper. Since Belle was now the Queen she was forced to rule - there is no reversing the passing of the crown. She could not forgive her father … even if he were allowed to forgive himself. Al and Ginny banished themselves to the outskirts of the woods - well Al did, but Ginny followed as a dutiful wife.

Belle's temper was impossible to manage, and her rulings were short and decisive but always fair. Many of the people moved away, the recording studio was shut down and the castle fell to ruin due to lack of money and attention. Belle's self-imposed solitude weighed heavily upon her and turned her already sour temper to curdled milk. Those people who were left in the town started calling Belle the Beast of Tunsdale - Beast for short - hence "Beauty is a Beast."

Mystic V never gave up trying to counter act the spell, but he was also banished from the castle. The Beast … well Belle lived entirely alone - in silence with her books and her writing. Of course she could not bare the sound of turning pages - it was like a base drum - and sound of her own pen scratching on the page caused indescribable pain. The hey day of Tunsdale was now a story to be told to children - whispered to children. The Beast of Tunsdale was the bane of all who remained.

Two decades went by … painfully slowly. One day a man came looking for Tunsdale. He was devilishly handsome - in his own mind and incredibly talented - again from his point of view. The truth of the matter was that he was tone deaf and could play only a mouth organ … harmonica. His name was Harmon E. He was the leader of a band called Tres Pat Harmon E. His band mates were Tres and Pat. He had heard of the King and Queen Tunsdale as people who could make or break a career, and Tres Pat Harmon E were sorely in need of a break.

They approached Tunsdale from the west edge of the forest and followed the river toward the castle. They came to a ram shackle cottage in the woods and hoped to find someone living within. They were very hungry. The three entered the cottage, but no one was home. It looked as if no one had lived there for many years. Over the hearth was a picture Belle with the locket draped from the edge of the frame. The guys of course did not know it was Belle or that they were in Nessy's cottage nor that this locket was Nessy's most valuable possession.

They did not get to the castle until late the next afternoon. When they arrived it was not the reception they were looking for. People spoke in hushed tones and it was dirty and dingy. The rumors of music and dancing in the streets and a constant jam session was far from the truth.

Harmon E found some old man and started questioning him about what was going on in Tunsdale. The old man told him about the Beast Queen that rules over the land. There hadn't been music in Tunsdale in more than 20 years and it was because of the BEAST - the only thing worse than her voice was her shriek when anyone spoke above a whisper. When the Harmon E questioned him about the King and Queen Tunsdale and the record label … the old man said nothing.

Harmon E found his way to the old recording studio in the back part of the castle. 20 years ago the equipment was state of the art and it could hold it's own in the current market as well. Along the walls were pictures of artists dating back many, many years. Al, Ginny, and Belle with every musician that came through Tunsdale. It was a who's who of the music world.

Harmon E found Tres and Pat eating and drinking at the local pub. The place was strangely quiet. No one spoke above a whisper and the juke box had been unplugged. Harmon was totally jazzed about finding that demo tape of Belle's and discovering that the equipment still worked. Harmon E had yet to put together that the woman that kicked him out was Belle and that Belle was the Beast. He joined his friends and was talking a mile a minute. Finally the still of the room overcame him.

The next day Harmon E snuck back into the recording studio. He was sure this time to lock the doors and make sure the sound was only coming out of the head phones. He played everything he could possibly find to play … it was like dying and going to heaven. He must have listened to Belle's demo tape at least 18 or 20 times before he found the actual records of her voice. He could not get enough. He studied each of the pictures and listened to her voice for hours. Finally he made a resolve … to find this BEAST and convince her that the music in Tunsdale library should no longer be hidden from the world and particularly Belle's voice needed to be heard. If truth were told, he fell in love with Belle.

Harmon E found the chancellor and demanded an audience with the Beast … Queen. Harmon E would not take "NO" for an answer and was thrown in the dungeon. Very late that night - after much debate and lots of yelling - Belle showed up at Harmon's door. He could not see her and thought that she was the Beast.

Harmon E of course did not leave town. Instead he started wooing Belle. First it was with his lyrics written on paper, and then he would read them in a hushed tone to her. Belle could not figure out why she just couldn't turn away from him. She avoided him as much as she possibly could but somehow he would always find her. She was mean to him and more than a few times did not hush her nasty voice or temper. But Harmon kept coming back for more. She shared her writings with him and he wrote music for the poetry. Eventually she told him most of the story about her Father and Nessy. He was more than sympathetic but was more interested in moving forward than gaining retribution. She of course did not mention the locket.

They spent much if not all of their time together. They talked - well whispered -- about music and words and life. Slowly over many, many months Belle was able to tolerate soft music from another room. Together they rigged up some head phones that would block out the highs and the lows so that Belle would not feel like her head was being ripped off. Belle enjoyed the attention and Harmon made her laugh - she hadn't laughed in more than 20 years.

"I don't know … maybe I just want to have an opportunity to record with the Tunsdale Label." She smirked at him. "Maybe I'm a nice guy." She shook her head again. "Maybe it's because you are so easy on the eyes I would do anything to be close to you." She looked away believing that to be very close to the truth. "Or maybe I really … like you?"

Harmon reached out to take Belle's hand. A shock went down her spine. She leaned against him and they kissed. It was a sweet seductive kiss - one that neither had ever experienced before. Belle pulled away quickly and ran back to the castle. Harmon was just about to chase after her when Nessy reappeared.

"You are wrong - and you know it. Yeah, you're easy on the eyes and can be pretty tough on the ears but that is only a part of you. You are warm and sweet and good and kind. It was in your music and it is still in your eyes. You are smart and funny and have a way with words that is incredible. I have never known somebody who could so completely live in their head and in the world at the same time."

"I'm saying that I love you. And if you'll have me - a mediocre musician and composer, with better than average looks and a heart that is as true blue as your eyes - then I would spend my days and nights making you the happiest woman on earth. I am pretty clear that I can cover the nights - the days will take a little more work." He grinned and stretched his hand out toward her.

Terri and Walter gathered up a sleepy Wally who was begging to come back the next night for more stories. Terri apologized for the major mess that the living room was in and Maddie assured her that David would clean it up. They said their good nights and made arrangements to meet for dinner the following weekend.

David walked Walter and Terri out and Maddie was surveying the damage to the living room. It was a nice night and she really enjoyed seeing David with Wally. It felt very natural. She was smiling to herself when she realized where her next thoughts were going to take her. She shook it off and pushed those thoughts away just as David re-entered the house.