Title: A Ghost of a Chance
Author: Icecat62
Rating: PG13
Genre: Gen
Category: Fun
Pairings: Hinted
Spoilers: None.
Teaser: It's Halloween!

Standard Disclaimer: Emergency and its characters don't belong to me. I
just use them for fun.

A Ghost Of A Chance

By Icecat

Standing in front of the mirror, Gage buttoned the vest, then slipped on the jacket. Buffing one of his boots on the back of a pant leg, he turned sideways. Turning his back to the mirror, he looked over his shoulder at his reflection and smiled. It was perfect. All he needed now was to put on the hat for the finishing touch.

Grabbing the hat from the bedpost, he placed it on his head and tugged it in place. He presented a very rakish figure. Smiling, he knew he'd have no problem picking up a Miss Scarlett at the party.

Feeling very excited and please with himself, Gage walked over to the dresser and peeled the fake mustache from the piece of cellophane that it came in. Placing it on his upper lip, he patted it in place. He looked at the mirror again and smiled. The mustache fell off.

Frowning, he reached down and pressed it back in place. As soon as he let it go, it fell off again. "Aw man! Come on!" He picked it up from the hardwood floor and brushed off an errant piece of lint. Looking at his reflection again, he gave himself a sad look. "Now how in the heck am I gonna' find my Miss Scarlett now?"

He had this planned for months and had searched for the right clothes and hat. He even went as far as buying the correct brand of cigar so he could play the part to perfection. Now he wouldn't look like Rhett Butler, he'd look like some common cowboy or riverboat gambler.

With a resigned sigh, he walked down the stairs, through the living room and out the door. Climbing into the Rover, he started it and made his way to the Halloween party that the department had arranged. He fumed as he drove. All his plans had been flushed down the toilet all because his mustache's glue wouldn't hold.

He brightened as he thought about using super glue, then he mentally berated himself. How in the heck would he get it off after the party without ripping his lip off? He knew there would be no way he could find any of the proper glue. Halloween was last night and nothing would be left in the stores. He fumed again. Who was the idiot to suggest having the party 'after' Halloween anyway?

__________________

Pulling into the parking lot, Gage made his way to the entrance of the hall that had been rented out for the party. It was a fundraiser for the Fireman's Retirement Fund and from the number of cars that he could see in the lot, it was going to be a success.

Pushing open the door, he walked in and smiled. The place looked great. Decorations adorned the walls and ceiling, while music played loudly in the darkened room. Clapping his hands together in anticipation of a fun evening, he made his way through the crowd, looking for the rest of the gang from 51.

He spotted Roy and Joanne first. Breaking out into laughter, he walked up them, shaking his head in amusement.

Roy grinned back at him and Joanne batted long false eyelashes at him. "Sir, would you care for coffee, tea...or me?" Leaning forward, she gave Gage a full view of her cleavage that was threatening to spill over the top of the tight stewardess outfit she wore.

Blushing, Gage quickly looked away as Joanne burst out laughing.

Roy rolled his eyes. If it had been anyone else that his wife had done that to, he would have been livid, but with Gage, he knew it was only friendly teasing on her part. Clearing his throat, he tried to sound serious. "I thought you only liked flyboys, not cowboys." He patted the airline captain's pin on the breast of his shirt.

Gage frowned and jerked the hat from his head and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm 'not' a cowboy, I'm Rhett Butler!"

Joanne peered behind him. "I don't see Scarlett." She the looked at his face. "Where's your mustache, Rhett?"

With an irritated look, he dug through his pockets and pulled out the fake mustache. "It wouldn't stick."

Roy smiled at him. "You don't look right with a mustache anyway.”

Joanne gave Roy a coy look, then glanced at Gage again. "Oh, I don't know about that. I thought it made him look at least twenty-one." She snickered as Gage's shoulders drooped in defeat. Before they could tease him any more, Marco came over to them.

They all jumped back, as he lunged forward, taking a stab at them with his sword. Gage grinned at him. "Now that is a cool costume!"

The smile on Marco's face disappeared as he drew himself up to his full height and he waved a hand down his body at the Zorro outfit he wore. "This 'isn't' a costume, it was my great grandfather's uniform."

Gage snickered. "Yeah right. And my great granddad was Geronimo."

Before Marco could come up with a smart retort, Roy burst out laughing and was soon joined by Joanne.

Gage gave them a curious look. "Hey, it wasn't that funny."

Roy shook his head and pointed toward the door.

Turning, both Marco and Gage began laughing hysterically as they spied Chet and his date.

The blonde's face lit up in a bright smile as she saw the group looking over at her. She nudged Chet, who shook his head yes and she began dragging him over to them.

They were all still tittering with laughter as the small blonde stopped before them and bounced in place. "Hi everyone, I'm so glad to finally meet all of you. Chet talks about you guys all the time." She grabbed one of Chet's arms and tugged it excitedly. "Isn't his costume the cutest thing you've ever seen?"

Gage fanned himself with his hat as he tried to catch his breath. "Chet...you...man you..." He couldn't control the high-pitched giggles that emerged from him, drawing the stares of the people around them. They looked first at Gage, wondering what had him laughing so hard. When they turned their attentions to Chet, they knew why as they too began
laughing.

Chet waved a paw at them, the anger in his eyes clearly visible. "Kelly, I told you I'd look like a dork!"

Marco stopped laughing for a moment, his eyes widening behind his black mask. "Your name is Kelly?"

Gage whooped in laughter, doubling over.

The blonde next to Chet pouted as she place her hands on her hips. "And what's wrong with my name?"

Marco snickered. "If you two got married, your name would be Kelly Kelley."

She looked blankly at him, causing Marco's laughter to ebb, then finally stop. She didn't get it.

Gage was still giggling. "So, Chet...what're you supposed to be?"

Kelly's pout brightened into a toothy smile. "I'm Goldilocks and Chet is one of the three bears! Isn't he cute?"

Chet looked more like a miserable teddy bear as he dropped his eyes to look down at the floor.

Gage grinned maniacally. "Ohhhh yeah. He's really cute." He reached out and grabbed one of Chet's cheeks and pinched it. "You's just the cutest little bhear."

Chet smacked his hand away and glowered at them all. "I told you we should have worn something different."

Kelly ignored him. "So where are the others?"

Chet looked around them. "Yeah, where's Cap and Mike?"

Gage pointed to the empty space next to Chet. "Mike's right there."

Chet looked to his right and saw nothing. "Quit messin' around, John. Where's Mike?"

Gage pointed at the space again. "I told ya' he's right there! He's the Invisible Man."

The group groaned and Marco spanked Gage on the butt with his sword, causing him to jump. "Mike couldn't make it. Darlene's sick and he didn't want to leave her alone."

Gage rubbed at his butt, glaring at Marco. "Man that suc...I mean, that's a shame. He's missing a great party."

A voice called out loudly behind the little group. "Aye and a good party it is me lads!"

Turning, they all grinned. Cap and his wife stood behind them dressed as a pirate and his wench, although Cap's wife Angie looked less of a wench than Joanne's stewardess.

Cap's attention was drawn to the door and he froze. He lifted his eye patch and stared. "Well will you get a load of that!"

They all turned and stared as Dixie made her way in the building and began walking toward them. She was with a person who looked exactly like Groucho Marx. She sauntered over to them and winked seductively, her voice husky. "Hi ya, boys...ladies."

Groucho wiggled his eyebrows at Chet whose mouth was hanging open. "Hey, Teddy, you keep eying her like that and I'll havfta' turn you into a rug."

Chet's mouth slammed shut and Kelly slapped him hard on the arm. He smiled weakly back at her, grateful for the padding that the bear costume gave him.

Gage stared openly at Dixie's chest that was stuffed into a low cut bodice. He glanced at Joanne and then gawked at Dixie. The older woman of the two had way more cleavage, making her an impressive image to behold.

"Man, Dix...they're some..." He eyed her chest and shook his head. "I mean, that's some costume you have."

Dixie smiled and Groucho snickered. "You just remember, Johnny, she's a harlot, not your Miss Scarlett."

Everyone gaped at the man dressed as Groucho. Roy was the first one to speak. "Doctor Early?"

Groucho smiled and wiggled the cigar in his hand. "You said the secret word."

Everyone began talking as once, making comments on the outfit that they had chosen. When Brackett walked up to the group, he looked down at his suit and tie and frowned. Maybe he should have worn a costume. He felt a little out of place, but then again, he thought dressing up in a goofy outfit was ridiculous. They were adults, not children.

Dixie smiled at him as she finally noticed the un-costumed doctor. "Nice outfit, Kel. I see you went to a lot of trouble getting ready."

He frowned slightly at her, noticing the way that Groucho stood close by her side. He squinted, trying to figure out who it was. Groucho waved his cigar at him. "Hi, Kel."

"Joe?"

"Normally I'd say yes..." His voice changed and he held his hand out to Brackett. "You can call me Groucho." He roughly shook Brackett's hand up and down eliciting laughter from the group.

Gage looked past Brackett and started laughing. Roy peered past Gage, his eyes widening. He covered his mouth and tried to look away, but he couldn't. Morton sauntered over to the group and gave them a formal nod. "Gentleman. Ladies." He looked at Brackett, reached over and straightened his tie, then he straightened his own tie.

Dixie lost it. "Oh my...you aren't telling me...your..." She pointed at Brackett as she tried to catch her breath. Morton raised a haughty eyebrow at her and adjusted his jacket.

Brackett stared at Morton feeling his face turning red.

The younger doctor was wearing a suit with a white lab coat over it. A stethoscope hung around his neck and tongue depressors mingle with pens in his breast pocket. He also had on a black wig with long sideburns glued to his face. He was dressed exactly as Brackett would have been if he were on duty at Rampart.

Brackett gritted his teeth as he spoke. "Very funny, Doctor Morton."

Morton spoke smoothly as he looked back at him. "I don't feel that it's funny at all. I mean honestly, did you expect a well respected doctor such as myself doing something as ridiculous as dressing in a...in a..." Morton smiled as he finally figured out who Groucho was. "Let's say...in a Groucho Marx costume? It's all rather childish, wouldn't you agree?" He waited for Brackett to say something. Instead, the dark haired doctor
turned and walked away from them and out of the hall.

Early tried to keep the laughter out of his voice. "You were a little hard on him don't you think?"

Morton shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, it's a Halloween party. He needs to learn how to relax and have some fun."

Gage gave Morton a surprised look which wasn't lost on the usually stern doctor.

"Hey, I may be a doctor, but it doesn't mean I have to walk around with a bug up my a...it doesn't mean I have to be a professional twenty-four hours a day."

Dixie's voice had warning tone to it. "Be nice."

Morton gave her a look, then he stared at her chest. When he looked up, he grinned at Early who said nothing. The smile wasn't lost on the rest of the group. Morton knew something that the rest of them didn't know.

Morton cleared his throat. "I think I'll go get a beer. Anyone else want one?"

To everyone's surprise Gage stepped forward.  "Sure, I'll go with you."

As soon as Morton and Gage left, Chet and Kelly went to the dance floor. Dixie and Groucho excused themselves to go hit the food table. Cap looked at Joanne who wore the same smile as his wife. "What's going on?"

Joanne and Cap's wife nodded at each other as Joanne spoke. "I think Groucho and the Harlot have a thing going."

Marco, Cap and Roy all looked shocked. Roy searched out the pair in the crowd, unable to find them. He looked down at Joanne. "You mean Joe and Dixie?"

Joanne smiled. "Isn't it obvious? They came together and Kel left in a huff."

Marco frowned. "I think Doctor Brackett left because Doctor Morton was making fun of him."

"I don't know about that, Marco. I saw the look he was giving them."

"What look?"

"You know. 'The' look."

Marco stared back at her, totally not getting it. Joanne stared back him, wondering why men were so dense when it came to relationships. Roy didn't want to be involved in anyone's business. All he wanted to do was have a good time. It wasn't all that often that he and Joanne got a chance to go out without the kids.

"Jo, do you want to dance?"

Joanne immediately forgot about Joe and Dixie. Roy hardly ever wanted to dance. "Sure!"

They left Marco with Cap and Angie. Cap motioned a hook-covered hand at the dance floor. "Wench, I feel like dancing too."

They left Marco standing by himself. Looking around, he spotted Gage and Morton by the beer stand and he headed their way. As he approached them, they looked up and Gage grabbed a beer. The moment Marco reached them, the beer was thrust in his hand.

"So, Marco, you think Joe and Dixie are a couple?"

Marco frowned and took a sip of the beer. "Johnny, I really don't think it's any of my business. If they want to date, then that's up to them."

Gage and Morton looked at Marco like he was nuts.

"Morton said that they've been seeing each other for some time now. He thinks it's serious."

Marco shook his head. "I don't know, John."

Morton grew animated...well it was animated for him at least...as he gestured with his hands. "Kel and Dixie haven't gone out for months. I figure they decided to just be friends. Okay, that's fine and dandy, but now she's seeing Joe. Now 'that' is going to cause all sorts of problems."

Marco was lost. "How so?"

Gage gave Marco an impatient look. "Marco...Dixie dumps Brackett and now she's with Early. There's bound to be some hard feelings over it."

Morton waved a finger at Gage. "She didn't dump him, they just stopped dating."

"Yeah? Then how come when a nurse 'stops' dating me, everyone says I've been dumped?"

Morton grinned slightly. "That's because you're a hose jockey. Hose jockeys get dumped, doctors just decide to not date."

Gage sneered at Morton. "Whatever! It's the same thing."

Marco stood in silence sipping his beer and nodding his head yes or no when he felt it was appropriate. He didn't want to get involved with the discussion between Gage and Morton. He started to get concerned when the two men began agreeing with one another and that 'never' happened.

Placing his cup down, Marco made a slow getaway, hoping to lose himself in the crowd. He came to the party to have fun not gossip. His expression brightened as he spied Chet and his date Kelly. He snickered as he thought of her name.

Standing next to them was a very pretty girl in a fifties outfit and it looked like she was without a date. Straightening his hat and mask, he strode in their direction. Maybe if he were lucky, he'd have a ghost of a chance of having a date for the rest of the evening.

You decide . . .