Disclaimer: This is by no means an attempt to steal characters from Glen Gordon Caron or from Picturemaker Productions and ABC Circle Films. This is an attempt to fulfill a personal obsession and craze! All true Moonlighting fans will know what I mean!

Thanks to Jen for her fantastic Beta services and to Bonnie Tyler for singing the song “Total Eclipse of the Heart”. Weren’t the 80’s great?

Eclipse of the Heart

Familiar voice#1: Hello…hello…Bert, did you turn it on? I can’t hear anything…I don’t see anyone

Familiar voice #2: Push the button, sugar plum!

Agnes: Hello…OH, hi everyone…Bert---they’re back!

Bert: Sure looks and sounds that way, doesn’t it!? See, I told you they would come back. I have searched high and low with these superior detective skills and I have sharpened to the utmost professionalism our—

Agnes: Bert!

Bert:Yes sweetums!

Agnes: We have no time for this. We have to get busy right away! We have so much to tell them!

Bert: You mean we have to do that? Aw…I thought O’Neil and MacGillicuddy were doing that part. Besides, they will be glad to know that MacGillicuddy—

Agnes: Bert! This is no time to whine your little smarty boots off!! We are supposed to be the ones to tell them. Don’t you remember? We were always the ones to tell them what was going on at Blue Moon. So, quit your griping and let’s get on with it!!

Bert: Oh all right Agnes, but how in the world do we begin? This is not exactly your everyday case of mystery and murder-

Agnes: Bert! They don’t want to know all about the case. I mean we will get to that. Right now, all they want to know about is them.

Bert: Them?

Agnes: Yes, them. It was always about them. It’s all that really matters. (Big sigh) Love is a wonderful thing, isn’t Bert?

Bert: (scowling) Yes honeybunches, but why do WE have to tell about all of that stuff? Why don’t THEY come out here and face the masses? We never did anything-------

Agnes: Because Bert!! They are busy shooting other scenes right now and Mr. Caron asked us to do it.

Bert: Mr. Caron!! Agnes, well why didn’t you say so in the first place!! You go first sweetie pie!

Agnes:Ok. Well, to start off … maybe the best way… (Big sigh) How do I…?

Bert: Come on Agnes, we don’t have all day. I have to—

Agnes:You know, if those two could have just stopped nitwitting around to figure out how much they meant to each other we would not be here doing this...

(Another big sigh and Bert puts his arm around her)

Reconciling their nitwit issues was not a battle to be fought and won by the time Blue Moon closed its doors some 20 years ago.

Bert: Yeah, but that did not last very long. We re-opened----

Agnes:Bert!! Shhhush it! You are going to spoil everything. I will get to that!

(Rolls eyes and sighs again)

Anyway, Blue Moon ceased to exist in the spring of 1989 because the plug was pulled from all operations. And, unlike what a lot of people hoped, David and Maddie did not get married and live happily ever.

SPRING 1989—Blue Moon hallway

The elevator ride seemed to get slower and stuffier as David finally reached the 22nd floor. He was in no real hurry anyway, but why was it so damned hot!? He loosened his tie and took his jacket off, wondering why he bothered to do his usual morning grooming. It wasn’t like he and Maddie were going to go see clients today…or tomorrow for that matter. He still could not believe Blue Moon was closing operations. They had a month to get things squared away, financially, legally, and from what he could tell from Maddie’s attitude lately, emotionally as well. He still did not know where he stood with her. At times he thought maybe he was doing things right for a change. God knows he was trying. And at times he felt like Maddie was too. She’d give him that look that only she could give and then the next thing he knew she was…just not there; like a disconnection. He was feeling more and more like they were two people standing on two different marooned islands, looking across the vast waters at each other with no way to connect…or was that in his dreams?

The elevator doors opened and he just stood there, lost in thought. The doors started to close again and then he realized he should be getting off. With a foot and a hand he stopped the doors and they opened again. He stepped out and headed down the hallway he had once chased an icy blonde some 5 years ago.

Rounding the corner he approached the Blue Moon window and stopped. The office was quiet, with everyone moving around, boxes packed with this and that. Agnes had her desk packed and ready and had already taken care of David’s office. She knew he would never do it. Only she knew what closing Blue Moon would really do to him. He put up the tough act around everyone, and she admired him for always doing that, but she knew he was not taking it too well. The only thing she had to do was clean his refrigerator.

David just stood there and watched. He could almost hear the slamming doors, the bantering. Memories flooded his mind. Then he saw Maddie step out of her office. Still as beautiful as that day she slapped him in front of the elevator. With her entrance, he snapped out of his little trance and entered the Blue Moon office for the last time.

All eyes turned to him as he waltzed in like he would be back tomorrow.

“Agnes, where is the party music??!! Aren’t we having a party? Let’s get this party rollin’ gang o’ mine!! Where are the refreshments? Let’s drink up folks!!”

And with that, the office had new life. Music was going and plastic cups were dispersed and so the partying began.

Maddie watched and was thankful he had changed the atmosphere. Everyone seemed so…sad. The place was like a funeral parlor when she had arrived earlier. And she got the feeling everyone was mad at her for the demise of Blue Moon. Well, it was not her fault…at least not entirely. She had given the business everything she had, certainly by financial means. Yet, there was a lingering feeling that she could have done more. She hoped the office did not feel that way, especially after she gave them what she could of a severance package, if you could call it that. So, why did she feel so exhausted?

She watched David as he clinked cups with a few of the men. Everyone was glad that MacGillicuddy had not really died! He and Bert were still laughing at that part of the script from last month. And the fact that no one knew that once Bert had carried him down the hallway that day, limp and dead, he dumped him on the floor and knocked over half of the set. They had watched the outtake on that scene on Bert’s handheld TV more than once while pretending to be looking at casework at their desks. Maddie just let them have their fun. She was too tired to worry about their office antics.

The sale of Blue Moon was official. Lou LaSalle had bought it for much more than Maddie ever thought she would get. Doing business with him again felt a little like a betrayal of sorts, but he made an offer that she could not refuse. She handled all of the legal work for the sale with her lawyer. On her desk sat the paperwork with two checks attached made out to Madolyn Hayes and David Addison. She had not told David how much the business sold for. He just never wanted to talk about it when she brought it up. It was like he did not care. As if he did not think she would actually go through with it. Well, at least she could walk out the doors knowing he had 6 months of paychecks and his check for half of the profits from the sale would be mailed to him once his part of the contract was signed and delivered. She was proud that Blue Moon had actually grown and was worth much more than what it was when she first took the reins. Her half was going to be used to move on.

David watched as Maddie went into her office and closed the door. He thought she would at least have a few drinks with the office crew, and maybe say a few words. How could she be so…what’s the word?…oh, yes, ambivalent! Well, fine. He had about all he could take of being the hero in the office place. He made his way into his office, closed the door and turned, putting both hands on it. He felt like slamming it to hell and back.

He went over to the bar in his office and saw that Agnes had already packed the bottles and the glasses. He looked around the rest of the office and saw that Agnes had indeed read him quite well. Boxes were on top of his desk, along with his briefcase and a file folder sitting on the corner by itself. He walked over and picked the folder up, wondering why Agnes had left it out. Maybe she had overlooked it. He opened the folder and there on top was the picture of him and Maddie on top of the clock tower. It was like the picture froze him. Earlier he was hot and sweating in the elevator, now he had frozen lump in his gut.

Agnes knocked on the door. “Enter.” he said with very little enthusiasm.

Agnes came into the office and quietly closed the door. “Mr. Addison, I hope you did not mind me packing your office. We have to have everything out by this afternoon and well, I know you have been busy, busy, busy, what with you and Ms. Hayes…I mean I know you have a lot of…well…”

She stopped as she felt she was being a buttinsky again.

David had made his way over to the refrigerator and noticed 2 plastic cups from the party sitting on top. He looked inside and found a lone carton of chocolate milk.

Quietly, she said, “Mr. Addison, I was waiting to unplug the fridge until---“

“Agnes, let’s make a toast,” David interrupted. He knew she was only trying to be nice, but she was starting to sound too sympathetic and that in turn made him feel pathetic, so he had to stop her. He took the 2 cups and poured the last of his chocolate milk and gave a cup to Agnes.

“Here’s to you, Ms. Dipesto,” he said. David clinked her cup and gulped his milk down. Agnes took a sip and just watched him.

David looked back at her and mustered up a smile the best he could. “Agnes, thank you. You have been a really good friend. And I think Ms. Hayes would agree.” Her eyes turned misty and she smiled back at him.

“Hiding the good stuff, huh?” Maddie stood in the office doorway. How many times had she come through those doors ready to take another swing at him? She was beautiful mad and she was beautiful just the way she was that day, simply standing in the doorway.

Agnes turned to see what had drawn David’s attention. “Oh, Ms. Hayes, I was just telling Mr. Addison that I packed his stuff. I would have packed yours, but you beat me to it.”

“Thank you Agnes. And yes, I would agree with Mr. Addison,” she said. “You have been a wonderful friend and terrific office manager. I don’t know what we would have done without you…with all of your rhyming rhymes and…all the other stuff you---”

“Oh, Ms. Hayes.” She reached out and engulfed Maddie in a big hug, letting Maddie off the hook trying to verbalize how important Agnes had been. Maddie looked over her shoulder at David with a look of surprise at such a huge show of affection. David watched and wished he could trade places with Agnes.

Suddenly realizing that she should probably let Ms. Hayes go and be on her way she said, “Well, I should be going now. Bert has taken the party to our house. You’re both welcome to join us, that is, if you are not busy doing business…or something…”

Agnes looked at David who was looking at Maddie.

“Well, I should be going…” she said again.

She walked over to David and gave him a hug. She gave another hug to Maddie and with another hesitation, as if she were going to say something that was probably none of her business, like something about nitwit relationships, she sighed a big sigh and walked out of Blue Moon.

Maddie, looking around and said, “Well.”

“Well.” said David

“I guess we should be going too,” she said uncomfortably. “The movers have been instructed to take my things to my house and yours to your apartment. I hope that is okay, David. You never told me exactly where you wanted your stuff.”

Why did she seem so…what’s the word? Oh, yeah…ambivalent. It was like she had no regrets for how Blue Moon was ending. How could she not? He knew she had battled the tough times, both with the responsibility of running a company and her own personal demons with their on and off again relationship and the loss of the baby. Actually he could say that the latter was not really dealt with from either of them. But couldn’t she see how much she had changed in the 5 years she had taken over Blue Moon? Or maybe it was just him that had changed. Or maybe he just knew her better than he realized. Better than she realized.

“That’s fine Maddie.” He turned to throw his cup away in the trash can, shooting it like a basketball, banking off the wall and in. Maddie watched his nonchalant attitude. Why did he act like that day was no big deal? He was shooting hoops with a cup like that day had no meaning. She knew it partially meant that she would not be seeing him every morning, like usual, and was not sure what that would do to their relationship. Surely he realized that and surely he still cared about them.

So why did he seem so…ambivalent?

David picked up the folder he had been looking through earlier and put it in his briefcase. He took another look around and decided the time had come. Maddie made her way to her office to retrieve her briefcase and the paperwork that she had left on her desk. She still needed David’s signature on the last page of what seemed like a book of documents. For some reason she had not been able to bring herself to ask him to sign it. She had signed her part and felt many things when she did so and still it brought her no closer to what she thought she needed in her life. Well, that will change soon, she thought.

She picked up her briefcase and turned to see David standing in the doorway watching her. The man knew how to stand in doorways. She knew she would miss certain parts of Blue Moon. Maybe those parts were David standing in the doorway, eyes sparkling. It certainly was not the parts where she had to worry about caseloads, or the lack thereof, and employee paychecks. She had given it her best shot, hadn’t she? Then what the heck was missing? She thought this was the moment she had been looking forward to the last month.

“You ready?” they both said together. Grinning and shaking his head he continued to look at Maddie. “Mediocre minds,” they said together again.

They both walked through the outer office, turning off lights as they passed through. David unplugged the answering machine on Agnes’s desk and wound the cord up.

“You know, Maddie, I think I am going to miss ol’ Agnes’s rhymes.”

“Me too, David, but let’s not tell her. She might start calling us at home!” They both smiled at the thought and turned to go. David opened the door. The last of the lights were turned off and only the hallway lights shone on their silhouette. They stood there a moment, looking into each other’s eyes, neither wanting to be the first to step out of Blue Moon. And besides, they knew they looked good that way. Maddie made the first move out the door and David followed. He stopped briefly to salute the window of Blue Moon.

Maddie made it to the elevator and had already pushed the button for the parking garage. She held the door for David, still preoccupied with the idea of getting David’s signature on that last piece of paperwork. David gave her an inquisitive look as he boarded the elevator. Something was still on her mind, but he was not about to ask what it was. No telling where that would lead. It was still hot in the elevator, although he could argue that the heat was from being in the elevator with his co-rider. He dismissed that thought from his mind, but started sweating again. While watching Maddie he took his tie off and stuffed it in his coat pocket he had hanging over his arm. The doors opened and David waited for Maddie to exit. She just stood there, lost in a trance. What is it with this elevator, anyway?

“Maddie?”

“Oh, sorry. Let’s get out of here,” she said, a little embarrassed. “Why is it so hot?”

“You really want me to answer that?” he said with a smirk.

“What?” she said, looking confused.

They continued walking and stopped in front of the BMW. While Maddie tried to get the courage to give him the contract of sale for Blue Moon, David was lost in a back flash: The memory of their first kiss. He could almost taste it and smell her scent from that day. God, he was a mess then. Kind of like right now.

Maddie interrupted his thoughts. “David, I still need one last thing from you. I would have asked earlier, before we packed up, but you have been kind of hard to pin down the last few days and--”

“What is it Maddie?”

Putting down her briefcase she looked at David and handed him the thick packet of papers.

“Maddie, what is this? You know I am not going to read all of this, if that is what you want.”

“It’s the final papers on the--”

“I know what it is Maddie!” In reality, he had actually been avoiding her because he knew what she needed to finalize the bill for Blue Moon. Agnes had been telling him for weeks that she needed to see him regarding legal issues. Somehow he thought if he didn’t touch or lay his eyes on anything that resembled something legal that she would somehow change her mind or this whole thing would just go away. He knew better.

“You know, Maddie, all of this doesn’t mean you and I--”

“There are actually two copies, one for you to keep and the other one I need to send to my lawyer with your signature.”

He just looked at her. There it was again; that quick change in attitude he had seen during the last month. What happened to that moment they shared in their last few minutes in the office? He had felt a connection, like she did care about what was happening that day. And now it was gone. Saying nothing he looked down at the pages and thumbed them. It was that or send them flying through the garage.

“Gotta pen?” he said without looking up.

“Huh, oh, yes, I think so.” Maddie, surprised that he was going to agree to the last issue so easily, searched through her huge handbag for a pen. “Here ya go.”

He looked up and took the pen, not taking his eyes off of her and holding her hand with the pen in it for a little longer than he intended. They locked eyes again and then Maddie was the first to look away. Shaking his head he managed to get that glib looking smirk across his face and let go of her hand, taking the pen.

Maddie watched as he separated the mountain of papers, searching for the X that marked the spot. Placing the stack on the car, he hesitated a moment and then turned and looked at her again. “Is this what you want Maddie? I mean, when I sign this it doesn’t mean that you and I—“

“Once your part is sent to the lawyers, you should be receiving a check for your share of the profits of sale.”

David was not sure how to interpret her tone. He knew she had been trying to get this last bit of work done. He just wanted to avoid it and the conversation that would lead to the future of their relationship. And now that she had him cornered in the garage, he was ready to talk and all she could seem to do is be blunt and cold. That was not the woman he knew who liked to talk everything to death.

He knew he needed to speed this little scene up and get the hell out of the garage.

So he signed.

“David, I do hope—”

“--That I take my share and make good sound investments. I know Maddie. Put a little bit away for when I grow up,” he said with a little edge.

Maddie felt the sharpness of his voice. “Well, that isn’t what I was going to say, but--”

“I think I have made a huge investment over the last 5 years. But hey, you lose some, you win some. Time to move on to other things and let bygones be bygones.”

Maddie looked at David and decided that this would be a good time to let all things be, for now, and collect her things and go. Dealing with his glibness at this point felt futile. She would tell him about her plans another time.

“Do you want a ride home?” she said, trying to match his ambivalence.

Hell, no!! “No, thanks. I told Pete from my bowling league we would meet up tonight for a few drinks. In fact, I really need to get going,” he said with a pounding heart.

Maddie opened the door and climbed in the car. “Okay, well, I guess I will talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay”. Just go.

David closed her door. She started the engine and was on her way. He stood in the garage as she pulled out, papers still in his hand. Once the BMW was no longer in sight he looked down at what he was holding, as if he had forgotten what it was. Once the realization hit him, he took the check that was attached and put it in his pocket and then began tearing up the packet of papers into strips and pieces. He meandered over to the garbage can that was across the way and put the papers in it. Standing there a few seconds he stepped back and kicked the can as hard as he could. Pain went through his foot and up his leg. He let out a gasp, picked up the garbage can and heaved it as hard as he could across the parking lot. Its contents exploded with a crash and it rattled and rolled until it stopped in front of a big concrete pylon.

A beer bottle and a couple of cans rolled out on the concrete. And among the garbage were flying bits of paper strips.

Maddie made it around the corner before she realized tears were running down her face.

“Let bygones be bygones.” she told herself.

Right.

Bert: Agnes, this is really depressing. And I hate to tell this story without confirming the details of…

(Overlapping dialogue….) Agnes: Herbert, if you don’t get on with this I’m gonna give

their story with them.................you confirmed details that will cause more than a depression…

I mean how do we really know…......We are the ones that have to…

if this is really what happened…........tell the details because we’re supposed to...

without confirming the facts?................tell the details...

How can that be good?...............Because it’s what we do good!

Well, maybe it could be okay........ It will be okay.

It could be fine.............................It will be fine.

They both look at each other and a silly grin start to spread on Bert’s face that matches the face of Agnes. This reminds them of all of the “Goods” and “Fines” and door slammings they had overheard many times at Blue Moon. Bert forgets that he has an audience and starts to lean in and give Agnes a kiss.

Agnes: Ahem…Bert!

(Points to audience)

Bert: (stops abruptly and blushes) Ok, so where were we….

Agnes: I think you were going to give the details on Mr. Addison.

Bert: Right. Okay, so…Mr. Addison, in an attempt to just keep beer and chocolate milk in the fridge and to escape having to actually think about what he was going to do with himself, began living the fast life until one day…