Angels Ahoy

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Spoilers: Angels Ahoy, slight mention of Angel in Love.

Disclaimers: This story is based on characters that are Copyright Spelling-Goldberg Productions. This story is meant for enjoyment purposes, and I retain only the rights to the plot, not the characters.

Rating: G

Summary: This is a missing scene from the episode of the same name, originally aired on November 8, 1978. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bosley stared at Joan Kendall in disbelief. "No," he whispered, shocked. "No!"

Joan looked at him briefly then averted her eyes, unable to face him. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

Six burly security guards came running over, guns drawn.

"What's going on here?" Their leader demanded.

"These people tried to kill Kelly Garrett," Sabrina answered, indicating the perps with her revolver.

Kelly started shivering with cold.

The leader glanced around, quickly assessing the situation. "Right," he said briskly, "we'll take it from here."

He made a motion with his hand.

The other guards surrounded the prisoners and lead them off to the brig.

Sabrina reholstered her gun and walked over to Bosley's side. "Bos, you okay?" She asked compassionately.

Bosley just stood there staring straight ahead.

"Well, I'm going to get out of these wet clothes and take a hot shower," Kelly announced firmly, trying to think of something to change the somber mood.

"I say we all go back to the party and dance the night away," Kris stated confidently, forcing herself to sound cheerful, thinking that they all needed a break in the tension.

"What do you say?" She turned to Sabrina for moral support.

"No, thanks," Sabrina declined. This reminded her too much about what happened with her and Doug O'Neil a few months ago. "I'm just going to go to bed and get some sleep."

Kris sauntered over to Bosley's other side and took his arm in hers, undeterred. "How about you, Bos? We'll be the best couple out there." She smiled brightly at him.

He smiled faintly, appreciating her efforts but not up to dealing with people just yet. "No, thanks. I wouldn't be very good company right now. I think I'll just take a walk on deck."

Kelly shrugged her shoulders minutely, not knowing what to do.

"Okay, if you're sure," Kris agreed reluctantly.

"Maybe another time," he promised.

"Kris, I think I'll join you," Kelly stated, wanting to talk to Kris alone to see if they could come up with something to make him feel better. "Will you wait for me?"

"Sure," Kris agreed readily.

The two of them walked off together, talking quietly among themselves.

Sabrina took Bosley's hand in hers.

"I'll walk with you, huh?" She offered softly.

He smiled and squeezed her hand gently.

They walked in companionable silence to her cabin.

"Do you want to come inside and talk?" She offered once they were outside her cabin door. "I'm a good listener."

He smiled sadly. "Not right now, but thanks for the offer. I just need to be alone for a while."

How well she remembered that feeling. She kissed him on the cheek. "Okay, but I'm here if you change your mind."

"I know," he agreed. He turned and went above deck.

She stared after him uncertainly for a few seconds, unsure of whether to follow him or not. She reluctantly decided that he'd talk to her when he was ready and not before. She sighed in resignation, unlocking the door of her cabin and going inside. She was wiped out both physically and emotionally but was too unsettled to sleep. She changed into her pajamas, dug out a book and began to read.

Bosley walked around the deck for a few times aimlessly, thinking of everything that had happened during the past few days. After a while he stopped walking and just stood on the upper deck of the ship and stared into its wake. He stayed there until dawn, lost in thought.

The next day they were all at Townsend Investigations.

Bosley was standing at the window, staring straight ahead, barely focussing on what was going on around him.

"What I don't understand is why Doc Harris got mixed up in something so rotten," Kelly said.

"Well, maybe giving all those sugar pills to all those dowagers drove him a little bonkers," Kris explained philosophically, not able to come up with another explanation.

"Yeah, and the good doctor was happy to talk about is little set-up," Sabrina added.

"Thanks to that ego, the police are hot on the trail of Thatcher and all the other fugitives he's helped to escape," Charlie stated confidently. "Good job, Angels. Bosley."

Bosley turned to face the Angels for a moment.

"Thanks, Charlie," he said tonelessly.

"Bos, I'm sorry about Joan," Kelly said kindly.

"We all are, you know," Sabrina added sympathetically.

"But four husbands?" Kris asked, eyebrows rising.

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Well, I guess she ping-ponged them all to death," he chuckled ruefully.

"Now that's our Bosley!" Kris stated encouragingly.

"Well, now that that case is closed I'd like to discuss another one," Charlie began.

. Sabrina got to her feet and walked over to the front door. She held it open and stood beside it.

"Sorry, Charlie, we can't!" Kris contradicted him.

"I don't understand," Charlie stated in confusion.

"Oh, we have a lunch date. A very important one," Kelly explained helpfully.

"That's right, we're going to cheer up an old friend, "Kris concluded.

Both she and Kelly got to their feet and went over to either side of Bosley, linking arms with him and ushering him out the door.

"Bosley!" Charlie exclaimed in surprise.

"Charlie, I'm being kidnaped!" Bosley exclaimed, smiling.

"But don't try to save me!" He concluded.

They all ushered him out the door and proceeded to go to DelMonico's Restaurant.

Once they were seated Bosley had ordered a scotch while the Angels decided to split a bottle of wine between them. No one was particularly hungry so they'd ordered an assortment of appetizers.

"Bos, what you need to do is go out and mingle," Kelly instructed between sips of wine. She snared an onion ring and bit into it. "It's like riding a horse. The sooner you get back on the better you'll feel."

"I don't think this is quite the same thing," Bosley objected, smiling ruefully and taking a sip of his scotch.

"Well, I agree with Kelly," Kris stated firmly, grabbing a chicken finger. "No one's saying you have to rush into a relationship, but nowadays you can go to a club and have some harmless fun." She finished her wine and poured another glass.

"I've seen some of these guys dance, Bos," Kelly added. "You're much better than they are. You should have no trouble." She, too, finished her wine and passed her empty glass silently over to Kris for a refill.

"Some of the women aren't much better," Kris added, filling Kelly's glass obligingly and passing it back to her.

Bosley laughed. "That's true."

Sabrina had finished about half of her wine and started toying with her glass, lost in thought.

"Come on, we'll even go with you," Kris offered helpfully, trying to ease him into being with people again.

"That's right," Kelly chimed in eagerly. "What do you say? That way you won't be alone."

"And we can disappear if you meet someone interesting," Kris concluded triumphantly, turning towards Sabrina with a smile. "Right, Bri?"

Sabrina's head jerked up, suddenly brought back to the present. "I'm sorry," she said, blushing. "What did you say?"

"That we'll all go with Bos to a nightclub," Kelly explained helpfully.

"Clubs really aren't my thing," Bri declined softly.

"You know, you really should be paying attention as well. This applies to you too," Kris chided, playing the mother hen. "How do you expect to meet someone if you sit home all the time?"

"How do you know I haven't met anyone?" Sabrina countered uncomfortably, gulping down the remainder of her wine rapidly. "I don't tell you everything."

Bosley sighed. In a way he felt relief that the lecturing had been diverted but guilt that Bri was now caught in the crossfire. He drank a few more sips of scotch as he tried to think of something to say.

"How could you meet anyone?" Kris demanded. "You come to work and you go home."

"I've been busy," Sabrina hedged, reaching for the wine bottle and emptying it into her glass. She put the empty bottle back on the table.

"You've been busy with work," Kris corrected, rolling her eyes in disgust. "That's not the same thing."

"If I knew I was going to be the main attraction tonight I would have just stayed home," Sabrina snapped defensively. "I'm perfectly happy with the way my life is right now."

Both Kris and Kelly stared at her in disbelief.

"I am!" Sabrina repeated in a high pitched voice, laughing nervously.

"Bri, it's just that you're a beautiful and intelligent woman," Kelly pointed out slowly, not wanting to anger her. That wouldn't get them anywhere. "You need to get out more."

"I'm fine!" she insisted, starting to sound a little shrill and wishing she could just crawl into a hole. She took a few sips of wine to try to calm down, the glass shaking slightly. She always did hate to be the center of attention.

"Besides, all men aren't like Smith," Kris added pointedly.

"Kris!" Kelly exclaimed, mortified.

Sabrina's face drained of color and she almost dropped her glass. She put it on the table very carefully. "I know that," she whispered, devastated.

Bosley's heart went out to her. "I don't think this is the time or the place for this discussion." He motioned to the waitress for a refill.

Sabrina shot him a look of gratitude.

The waitress brought another bottle of wine as well as another glass of scotch, took his empty glass and the empty wine bottle and then left.

"Well, why not?!" Kris demanded, grabbing the bottle from the table and pouring herself another glass. She turned to face Kelly accusingly. "You and I were just talking about this the other day."

Sabrina glared at Kelly, eyebrows raised in surprise and a little hurt.

Kelly blushed uncomfortably, knowing how well that was going to go over. "We were just worried about you."

The walls felt like they were closing around her and she needed to be alone. "Excuse me," she whispered shakily, getting to her feet quickly and hurrying to the ladies room.

Kelly turned to stare at Kris. "What is wrong with you?!"

"What?!" Kris snapped defensively, gulping her entire glass of wine in one shot. She didn't mean to go as far as she did but she wanted to try to make Bri realize that this was going on for too long.

"Excuse me, but I'm still here," Bosley reminded them pointedly.

They both stared at him guiltily, indeed both had forgotten that he was there.

"We're sorry, Bos," Kelly said contritely.

"We just got off on a tangent," Kris added. "But who's right?"

He wasn't going to touch that one with a ten foot pole. "I'm not the person to be asking right now."

"Oh, gosh, that's right!" Kris blushed.

Kelly rose to her feet. "I'll be right back. I just want to check on Bri." She went off to the ladies room.

Sabrina had gotten inside and collapsed wearily on the couch in the lounge, grateful that she was alone. She hugged herself, feeling shaky and nauseous. If she weren't the only one with a car she'd just go home. She closed her eyes and tried to put the past few minutes out of her mind, forcing herself to concentrate on the peace and quiet.

There was a gentle knock on the door. "You okay?" Kelly asked softly, coming inside cautiously.

Sabrina turned away from her and sighed, unable to deal with any more 'good intentions' right now. She nodded her head silently, wishing Kelly would just leave.

Kelly sat beside her and took her hand.

"Bri, you know how Kris is," she said gently. "She didn't mean that the way it came out. She really is sorry."

Sabrina opened her eyes slowly. "I know. And she's right. I just ... can't ..." she broke off, staring at the floor.

"Hey, look, everyone has to handle things at their own pace," Kelly interrupted kindly. "You'll know when you're ready."

Sabrina looked at her gratefully, realizing that she was sincere. "Thanks."

Kelly smiled as well, relieved to see that things were all right after all. "I think maybe we'd better go back and rescue Bosley. What do you say?"

Sabrina smiled wanly. "I think you're right. Let's go."

They both got up and went back to the table and sat back down in their seats.

Kris has been going on about what Bosley should and shouldn't do since they'd left.

Bosley shot them a pleading look as they sat down. He glanced over at Sabrina and saw that a little color had returned to her cheeks. "You okay?"

Sabrina nodded and picked up her glass of wine, taking a few sips to steady her nerves before plunging back into the fray. "So when are we going out dancing?"

Kris smiled brilliantly. "You'll come?! Gosh, Bri, that's great!"

"I started thinking that you might need a chaperone," Sabrina announced teasingly, forcing herself to get into the spirit of things.

Kris made a face at her.

"She might need a chaperone?" Kelly giggled, playing along. "And who'll chaperone you, may I ask?"

They all laughed.

"I don't know all the new dances," Bosley pointed out ruefully.

"Oh, I can teach them to you, they're easy," Kris said nonchalantly, finishing her wine and pouring herself another glass.

"Jill already taught me how to hustle," he conceded reluctantly, finishing his scotch.

"Hey, that's right!" Kelly exclaimed excitedly.

"So what do you say?" Kris concluded, batting her eyes at him. "Do we have a deal?"

"I'll think about it," he promised evasively.

"Think you can handle all three of us?" Kelly asked throatily, finishing her wine and glancing at him over the rim of her glass.

"Kelly!" Sabrina exclaimed in surprise, blushing.

They all laughed.

"What did I say?" Kelly asked innocently, glad to get a smile out of her friend. She'd been down for far too long and she didn't know what to do to get her out of the funk she was in. "All I wanted to know was if he could keep up with all three of us as dancing partners."

"I'll check out all the local clubs and pick out a hot one," Kris promised eagerly before he changed his mind altogether. "We'll have fun. You'll see."

Bosley glanced at his watch. "Look, I'd better get going."

"What time is it?" Kelly asked, checking her watch. "Gosh, I didn't realize how late it was. I'd better go too."

She and Kris made short order of the remaining bottle of wine.

The waitress brought the check over.

Sabrina went to take it.

Bosley deftly removed it from her hands.

"Bosley!" She protested.

"No, this one's on me," he stated firmly, looking at them all affectionately. "It's my way of thanking you all for everything."

"But we wanted to..." Kelly began.

"It's my treat," he insisted, interrupting. "It can be your turn next time."

They all nodded reluctantly and said their thank you's, then got up and made their way outside.

"Bos, promise me something," Kris said, going over to him and hugging him affectionately.

"What?" He asked warily, not knowing what to expect.

"Promise you won't wear polka dots when we go dancing."

Bri and Kelly laughed.

"But I like polka dots!" He objected indignantly.

"Just what it is with you and polka dots?" Kelly demanded curiously.

"I don't know," Kris conceded. "They're just so...square."

"I thought they were round," Kelly pointed out.

They both burst into gales of laughter.

"I think I'd better drive," Sabrina observed wryly.

"I think that's a good idea," Bosley agreed, smiling as well.

"I'll get you one of those neon ties the next time I'm shopping," Kelly promised, going to his other side and patting his shoulder comfortingly.

They all walked outside to Bri's car.

"You're all crazy," Sabrina chuckled as she got into the drivers seat.

"Hey, I could get him the suspenders to match," Kris pointed out. She had no intention of doing that but she just wanted to yank Sabrina's chain a little.

"Bos, if you wear neon suspenders I'm going to pretend that I don't know who you are," Sabrina announced sharply.

"Don't be that way, Bri," Kelly added. "I'll pick you up a matching jacket." She knew full well that conservative fit her friend to a 'T' and that Bri would never be caught dead being seen with someone wearing a neon jacket, much less wearing one.

Sabrina rolled her eyes in exasperation as everyone else burst into laughter. It was going to be a long drive home.

Kris and Kelly got in the back seat, Bosley in the front and they all drove off.

Sabrina had dropped Bosley off last. They both went into his apartment.

She sat on the couch wearily. "Do you have any aspirins?"

"I was about to get some myself," he chuckled. "At least they mean well."

She smiled. "That's true."

He went into the bathroom and came back with a bottle of aspirins. He went into the kitchen, poured two glasses of water and came back to sit next to her. He handed her one of the glasses.

"Thanks," she said, taking the glass and taking a sip of the water.

He opened the aspirins and passed two of them to her.

They both took aspirins and water and then sat there silently for a few minutes.

Sabrina looked over to him and took his hand. "Bos, are you okay?" She asked sympathetically.

He just shook his head, not looking at her.

"Want to talk about it? Maybe I can help."

He tried to smile. "I'll be okay."

She squeezed his hand affectionately.

"It just hurts so much, you know?" He whispered after a few seconds. "I never expected to feel this way again after my wife died."

"I understand," she whispered, nodding. She understood exactly what he was going through.

"Do you know that I can't even get drunk?" He confessed. "Believe me, I tried. I can't eat, I can't sleep." He stared at the floor, unable to look at her. It was hard for him to talk about his feelings. "This is worse than when Anne died. I mean Jean was a murderer."

"It'll be okay. I promise." she said, fidgeting uncomfortably. She was never good at dealing with her own emotions, let alone someone else's. Besides, she knew from experience that there really wasn't anything anyone could do right now other than to just be there.

He looked at her then. "I loved her so much," he whispered sadly. "I didn't even realize it until I saw her..." he broke off.

She pulled him close to her, realizing that he needed to be held. "I know you did, Bos. Suddenly she felt a little shaky herself and she swallowed hard. The last thing he needed was to see her fall to pieces.

He glanced at her and saw the haunted look in her eyes. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry," he stated guiltily, realizing that this situation had to be almost as hard for her as it was for him.

"Hey, it's all right!" She reassured him quickly, lying. The last thing he needed was to feel guilty. "You just have to put it behind you."

He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, actually feeling a little better than he'd been for the past few days.

"I never expected to ever feel that way again," he confessed hoarsely, leaning into her embrace and welcoming the warmth of a friend nearby. He rested his head on her shoulder.

She leaned over and hugged him tightly, unable to speak past the lump in her throat.

"Sometimes I wonder if I'll be alone for the rest of my life," he confessed softly, admitting something to her that he'd never admitted to anyone before.

She cleared her throat and fidgeted uncomfortably again. He was hitting too close to home with his admissions and knew she knew she wouldn't be able to take much more. They were becoming far too morose and she had to do something before they both fell apart. "Hey, what are you talking about?" She chided gently. "You're not alone. You have us."

"It's not the same."

She started stroking his back tenderly and rocking him back and forth. "You just need a little time. Everything'll be all right. You'll see."

They both sat that way for a few hours until they fell into an exhausted sleep.

A few hours later he was awakened by movement beneath him. His eyes blinked open sleepily in confusion, not knowing what was going on. After a few seconds he realized what must have happened and he started to chuckle. He glanced around the room and saw Sabrina shifting uncomfortably in her sleep.

"Bri," he whispered softly, not wanting to startle her. He shook her shoulder gently. "Wake up."

She turned her head away from him, moaning in distress.

He shook her a little harder. "You're having a bad dream but you're safe here. It's all right," he said reassuringly.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open and her eyes darted around the room anxiously. She was breathing heavily. "Where C what happened?" She asked, disoriented.

"I think we fell asleep," he answered, yawning. "You okay?"

She nodded, trying to catch her breath.

"Want to talk about it?" He offered sympathetically.

She shook her head. "No, thanks. It's nothing." She stretched and tried to stand, feeling sharp pains in her legs and wincing. "Mmmmmm...What time is it?"

He glanced over at the clock, stretching. "2 am. It's too late for you to drive home. Why don't you spend the night here? I'll take the couch."

She blinked sleepily and yawned. "I can sleep here."

"Come on. I'll fix us some tea while you're changing into a pair of my pajamas. I have an extra toothbrush."

"Sounds good." She was too tired to drive as she could barely keep her eyes open. She stretched again and tried to get to her feet.

"My legs fell asleep," she admitted sheepishly, staggering.

"Sorry about that."

She smiled tenderly, never seeing him this awkward before.

"I think I'll live." She took a few more steps. "Ooooh!" Suddenly she yawned again.

"Let me get you those pajamas and you can get comfortable," he said guiltily.

She dutifully followed him into the bedroom.

He took out a pair from the bottom drawer. "Here you go." He studied her for a minute. "Would you rather skip the tea and go back to sleep?"

Actually she didn't think she could go back to sleep right away after that dream but she didn't want to upset him. He had more than enough on his mind right now. "I'm fine. Just let me go splash some water on my face, okay?"

He nodded and then took her hand. "Thanks for listening, Bri. It means a lot to me."

She hugged him tightly. "That's what friends are for, remember? I'll be right back."

He nodded. "The tea will probably be ready when you come out."

She hugged him again. "You're a very special man, John Bosley. Don't let anyone ever tell you any differently," she whispered softly.

He smiled. "That's very sweet. You're pretty special yourself."

Suddenly she shivered from the cold.

"Go on, get changed into something warmer. I'll be outside in the living room."

She smiled. "Yes, sir!"

She took the pajamas and went into the bathroom.

He took a blanket and pillow from the closet and went back into the living room. He dropped the bundle of bedclothes on the chair and went into the kitchen, turning on the kettle. He took two mugs out and put a teabag in each one, then pulled out a bag of oreos from the refrigerator and put them on the table.

Sabrina came back into the living room in his pajama top. "Can I help with anything?"

"Nope, I'm all set."

She nodded and sat back on the couch, shivering. She leaned over and grabbed the blanket from the chair and draped it around herself tightly, still a little unnerved from her dream earlier.

The kettle started to whistle.

Bosley poured the tea, added a little milk and then carried both mugs into the living room. He handed one to her and sat beside her.

She took a deep sip. "Thanks."

He indicated the oreos. "Cookie?"

"No, thanks. I'm not very hungry," she demurred.

He took a few sips of his tea and observed her for a few seconds. "Comfortable?" He asked, smiling faintly.

She nodded, smiling sheepishly.

"Good. When you get too tired I'll walk you into the bedroom."

"Aye aye, sir!" She teased, finishing her tea. "That hits the spot."

He drank a little more tea and put his mug on the table.

"I bet I know what you were dreaming about earlier," he said, trying to get her to relax.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise and panic. He couldn't know, could he?

"Kris showed up to work wearing a red neon hat with matching suspenders."

She smiled. "How'd you guess?"

"And Charlie liked it so much he decided to make it the new company uniform."

She giggled at that image, relaxing. "And you had to wear a neon tie to match," she concluded.

He nodded agreeably. "With neon polka dots."

"Neon squares," she corrected, laughing. "Kris will never let you hear the end of it if it's polka dots."

He laughed. "You're probably right."

"Bos, will you promise me something?" She yawned, putting her empty mug on the table.

"Hmmmm?"

"If that ever happens will you just take my gun and shoot me?"

He laughed. "If that ever happens I'm right behind you at the unemployment office."

She nodded, struggling to keep her eyes open. "You've got a deal." She nodded towards the cookies. "Aren't you having any?"

"I'm not very hungry," he admitted.

"You have to eat to keep up your strength," she reprimanded gently.

He stared at her, eyebrows raised.

She blushed. "I know. I'm the last one to give that advice, right?"

"I'll make you a deal. I'll try if you will."

"Fair enough." She yawned hugely. "I'm so sorry."

"Come on, I'll walk you to bed," he offered.

"I can sleep out here. I don't mind."

"I could always wait until you fall asleep and then carry you in. And that looks like it'll be in about five seconds."

She struggled to sit up straighter. "Will you be all right out here?"

He got to his feet and took her hand, helping her stand. "I'll be fine."

She stood up and staggered sleepily with him into the bedroom. "Are you sure?" She really was worried about him.

He helped her into bed and covered her, kissing her on the forehead. "I'm positive."

"All right," she conceded, barely able to keep her eyes open much longer. "But you come get me if you need me. I'll be right here."

He smiled. "I promise. Good night."

She was sound asleep.