The Time Has Come To Settle This Once and For All

***

Sherry stormed out of her room and slammed the door behind her. She couldn't believe that Rita would stoop so low. Well, she had had it. It was time to finish this thing once and for all.

Nabiki saw Sherry coming and attempted to speak with her. Sherry totally ignored her and marched past her like she was on a mission. Nabiki noticed that Sherry was dressed in her black workout gear. "Uh oh ... something tells me there's trouble brewing," Nabiki said to herself as she headed to find the others and see if anyone knew what was up.

Sherry marched into Comm where Rita was chatting with Birkoff.

"I knew you could be sneaky, but that was downright sleazy, Rita. How dare you? Just because you want Michael to yourself. Well, you can forget it, lady. This is one fight you are not going to win. He's mine. Do you hear me?"

Birkoff was shocked. He had never seen Sherry so angry. Other operatives that were passing by heard the commotion and stopped to see what was going on. A small group had gathered, including Curlly, DL, Roy, Kathy, and Joann. Walter was watching from his station with a worried look on his face.

"Oh, get over yourself, Sherry. It was a joke. So get off your high horse. And no, Michael is not yours."

Sherry moved in closer and the group tensed, waiting for the explosion they knew was coming.

Just then Operations noticed the commotion below and barked over the intercom, "Birkoff what's going on down there?"

Birkoff began to answer, "Uh, sir, there seems to be a problem ..."

Sherry pushed Birkoff out of the way and answered herself. "I'll handle this Operations. It's none of your business."

Walter was shaking his head. He knew one of these days this was bound to happen. Those two girls were just too intensely focused on Michael. One of them was gonna get hurt if someone didn't intervene. So, he walked over to Comm.

"Ladies, I think we should all sit down and talk about this like friends. You are friends, remember?"

Sherry threw him a nasty look. "Were, you mean. A friend wouldn't stoop to do what she did." Looking back at Rita, Sherry challenged her.

"What's the matter, Rita? Cat got your tongue?"

******

"Don't answer that Rita. Now girls you know PJ Day is meant to be a fun activity to blow off steam. Not to destroy friendships." North commanded. North who had just arrived courtesy of a call from Operation that she had better get down her ASAP, tried to intervene.

Rita's eyes flashed with anger she was having no part in being quiet. "North you know very well this has nothing to do with PJ day. It's all about Michael." Rita looked at Sherry up and down wondering how this was going to end. Now Sherry, I can see you can't take a joke after all there were no rules remember. Now as for Michael being yours well I have to disagree." Rita said as she shook her head. "If he were yours he never would have come to me when I arrived. Obviously you were lacking something that I had." Rita said as she smiled.

The crowd was taken aback by that statement. A gasp escaped Nabiki's lips as she anxiously watched Sherry's face. Awaiting her next move.

******

Curlly was at the top of the stairs as Rita spoke her last words. She had already checked with Madeline, confirming the clearance she had received from George.

*****

North, seeing that her intervention wasn't going to cut it, quickly pulled out her cell phone.

"Michael, you better get to Comm immediately."

Sherry couldn't believe what Rita had just spouted at her. She knew this had been building for quite some time and it had to be come out. Now was as good a time as any.

"Well, you said one thing that was true. This has nothing to do with a joke. I can take a joke as well as the next person. This IS about Michael. You've been trying to get him away from me since the day you got here. It obviously isn't working, so you resort to that sleazy Perry stunt. Well, let me tell you one thing, little missy ...

Just then Michael arrived surveying the situation and quickly realizing things had gotten way out of hand. He knew Sherry had been upset over the Perry thing, but he hadn't realized how much. He didn't usually misread her so badly. "What is going on?" he asked. He stood away from both women, not wanting either to get the impression he was supporting the other.

"Sherry's acting like an idiot is all. She got all worked up over a joke and now she's declared war. She wants to keep you all to herself. Like that's ever gonna happen."

"Enough," Michael commanded Rita.

He turned to Sherry and waited for her side of the story. Sherry stood there staring at him for a few moments, and he realized that some of her anger was directed at him as well. He would have to be careful. If he miscalculated, she could go off half-cocked and get herself canceled. He knew she was sensitive at times, and she rarely lost her temper like this. Whatever it was, he was partly to blame.

Looking back and forth between Rita and Michael for a few moments, Sherry finally pulled an envelope out of her pocket. "Well, let me just tell you what's going on, Michael. This was delivered to my room today. It's a page from Rita's diary."

Rita gasped. Who had taken her diary? Those were her private thoughts and feelings. If Sherry read some of the things she'd written, they'd never be friends again!

"Let's see ... oh yeah, here's part of what she says. ' Dear Diary, I have all these conflicting feelings for Michael. At times I love him with all my heart and at other times, I absolutely hate the man for putting me through all this bull with all of his other girls. Especially Sherry. She thinks that for some reason Michael is exclusively hers!! I think NOT! I am much better looking than she is for one thing and another... I am much better in bed! Oh.. How do I know this?? Well I just do that's all.'

"So what do you think of your precious Rita, now, Michael? She hates you. It says so right here in black and white. And it was so nice of you to discuss me with her! You're quite the gentleman, aren't you! I thought I could trust you!"

Suddenly the operatives around them started laughing. Sherry couldn't believe her ears. Neither could Rita. Why would they be laughing? This was serious. How could they? They were supposed to be their friends.

Sherry decided to ignore them and focus her attention back on Michael and Rita. "Michael, you and I have been together for a long time., before Rita ever came to Section I never said you couldn't see Rita. I think I've been quite accommodating actually. I've never thrown it in your face that you are spending time with her instead of me! And then you go and do something like this. I can't believe it!"

Michael opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly he too, burst into laughter. As did Rita. Sherry was utterly amazed. She couldn't believe they would treat her like this. Well, if that's the way they wanted it ... so be it. She would gather her things and move out of CLHQ immediately. Just then she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and noticed Curlly on the stairs holding a canister. She suddenly realized what was going on, and pulled a mask out of her bag. Placing it over her face, she turned her attention back to the others and announced, "I'll be moving out of CLHQ in the morning. Then you two can have all the time together you want!" Then she turned and stormed off, hearing only the sound of hilarious laughter in her wake.

***

North quickly rushed after Sherry hoping that she could make her change her mind. Trying to grab Sherry's arm she was surprised when Sherry flung it off. "Don't touch me!" she screamed. "I have had it up to here with Rita and like I said back there it might be a good idea for those two to spend some time together exclusively. Maybe then he'll see what she is really like."

"now Sherry, calm down." North made her turn to her. "I mean it. You are not now or ever going to be leaving CLHQ. First off I don't want to see you go and secondly... I don't think you would get very far. You know that Operations puts up with a lot but this might push him over the edge and I only have so much influence with him. I'm not sure I could do anything if he decided to issue cancellation orders."

Sherry took this in before responding. "Yeah I guess you're right but I don't have to like it." she conceded. "It still ticks me off with her attitude and the fact that she and all the rest of you INCLUDING Michael laughed at me... well that was too much."

"Well it was funny. Think about it... there you are in the middle of Comm, reading out of Rita's diary and seeing the look on both her and Michael's face, well really it was too much."

"Well I am glad you found it so funny. I felt humiliated."

"Come on, I'll go fix us a hot drink. I know once you calm down a bit you'll change your mind."

"Maybe."

"Sherry, no maybes. I can't afford to have my top aide cancelled and you know it as well as I."

"I'll think about it. Don't push me North."

North took Sherry's arm and headed for the kitchen....

****

Curlly pulled on her gas mask and hit a button on her panel. No one noticed but laughing gas had just been introduced into section and covert lover's head quarters.

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

She reached under her pillow, the cool metal of her gun reassuring her as the footsteps approached. She had recently returned from a long mission and was exhausted, but not so much that she didn’t hear the intruder. She waited until he was within a few feet of her bed before sitting up suddenly and leveling her gun at him.

"Xavier?" Brenna exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I got your invitation, I came at midnight, just like it said. What is that stuff?" he replied, trying in vain not to laugh.

"This is a deep-cleansing pore reducing overnight mask," she said, indicating her bright blue face. "These," she held up two slices of cucumber that had fallen off of her eyes and stuck to the mask "are meant to reduce red eyes and puffiness. This," she said, this time pointing at the plastic bag covering the slimy knot her hair had been pulled into, "is an intensive deep conditioning hair treatment. And this," she said, indicating herself, "is one very vengeful operative."

Xavier began laughing uproariously before exclaiming, "Let the games begin...or continue, as it were..."

******

Curlly arrived back at headquarters. All the girls were laughing thanks to her laughing gas. Curlly found DragonLady and Damien sitting on the floor blowing spit wads at each other laughing their heads off at the base of the stairs. Curlly stepped around them and said, "excuse me." They found that extremely funny. So since DragonLady was in such a good mood Curlly went up a few flights and pulled a balloon full of green and yellow Jell-O out of her back pack.

She aimed carefully and let it fall right between the giggling lovers. "There's a little snot to go with your spit wads!" called Curlly. Then she ran up to her room to turn off the gas. It should effect her fellow operatives for another hour.