"Wake up, beautiful," came soft whisper into her ear, causing Pamela Flipspatrick to slowly stir from her sleep. After a long Friday and an exhausting Saturday afternoon Pam had elected to go to bed extremely early, it barely being half past nine when she'd crawled under the covers. In spite of her exhaustion, Pam none the less felt quite comfortable when the voice roused her, though she was certain she'd gotten at least some sleep before whoever was speaking had arrived.
"Okay, I guess going to bed before ten on a Saturday is pretty lame, but..." muttered Pamela, rolling over and opening her eyes. Pam's voice trailed off when she saw that the person speaking to her was a brown-haired boy in a white dress shirt and equally nice black pants, though his shirt was loose with the sleeves undone. For a moment Pamela didn't even recognize the young man, but then she recalled it was Tucker Holmes, Julie Vaughn's boyfriend. Pam hadn't seen Tucker in a couple of weeks, namely since Julie had left for a little while to study at another in a short exchange program. Even when Julie had been around, Pam had maybe only exchanged a dozen words with Tucker, so his presence in her room when she was dressed only in her sleepwear was quite the shock.
"Are you ready to get this dream underway?" asked Tucker, leaving Pam all the more perplexed.
"Dream?" scoffed Pamela, sitting up. "Funny, Tucker, funny. Kelli, what's going on?" Pam glanced over at her roommate's bed, only to see that Kelli was reclined against her pillow with a magazine held in her hands, focused on the page like nothing was going on. A typical person might wonder how Kelli could seem so nonchalant about what was going on, but as a member of the Scooby Gang Pam knew that Kelli was frozen. Kelli's lack of blinking, her slightly parted mouth, her glazed eyes, even the odd position of her feet given that her right foot was resting on her left knee, though most obviously the fact that Kelli was wearing a towel and nothing else, all were signs that Kelli wasn't at all aware of what was going on around her.
"Did you freeze her?!" exclaimed Pam, springing up from her bed and looking at Tucker accusingly. "What the hell is going on?!"
"I told you, you're dreaming," insisted Tucker, pointing at the clock on the wall. "Look, look at the second hand." Following Tucker's finger, Pam looked at her clock and noticed that clock's hands were not moving. "It's your basic fantasy: time has stopped."
Frowning, Pam turned to look back at Tucker. "Time is stopped?" scoffed Pam, shaking her head. "You stopped my clock and froze my roommate with that Type-7 drug that's been popping up around campus. Nice try."
"Okay, I'll prove it to you," offered Tucker, raising his hands. "If this is a dream, and I'm your connection to the dream, I should be able to do something you want right?"
"Like a genie?" remarked Pam, going along with the suggestion. Pam was fairly certain Tucker was messing with her for some reason, but her digital clock was also frozen, reading sixteen past ten and hadn't changed yet. Pam doubted it was easy to stop a digital clock, though she hadn't done any research that could prove it one way or the other.
"Sort of," nodded Tucker. "You make a request, I fulfill it. We've done this before after all."
"We have?" asked Pam, shaking her head. "I don't remember..."
"I guess some dreams don't stick with you," sighed Tucker, pushing his hair back. "Okay, how about... I get you a fancy outfit? Would that help prove this is real?"
"So you want me to wish to be dressed like a princess?" summed up Pam, shrugging. "Okay, this should be interesting if nothing else: I wish I was dressed like royalty."
* * *
Tucker Holmes smiled as he waved the Wand of Kronos, freezing the skeptical Pamela Flipspatrick in place. Tucker was a bit surprised that the girl had so easily gone along with things, recalling stories of her fainting a lot in the past. Tucker could only guess that the redhead had become a bit braver or something as a result of her other experiences. Tucker particularly recalled the story Julie had told him about the time she'd pulled a prank on Pam and some of the other cheerleaders at the Fetishist Wax Museum.
Walking up to the frozen Pam, Tucker took a moment to admire her. The girl was a very attractive redhead, her hair currently down while dressed in white and gray plaid pajama bottoms and a dark green tank top. Pam's arms were crossed and she looked more annoyed than anything else, but given her remarks about sleep and her annoyance at Kelli being frozen, Tucker couldn't help but wonder if she'd gone from being scared to just annoyed that such a thing was happening. Whatever the reason, Tucker was just happy that his little game seemed to, for the moment, be working.
Tired of fooling around with his currently permanently-frozen girlfriend Julie and not wanting to risk so much as a fling with his ex-girlfriend Haley, who was also his current roommate, Tucker concocted the whole fake dream idea as a way to seduce someone he wouldn't normally have a shot with, and make it easy for it to be a one-time thing. Pam was someone who barely knew Tucker but seemed to be only average in intelligence, thus she might just fall for the trick. Pam mentioning Type-7 had been a surprise, but Tucker realized he shouldn't be surprised, given she was amongst those Ashley Tisdale had kidnapped back in November.
"Okay, lets make you a princess," remarked Tucker, pocketing his wand for the moment. "Don't worry Kelli, she'll be fine with me." Kelli McAdams, Pam's roommate and best friend, was wearing nothing but a towel which put her groin in full view, allowing Tucker to get a few glances in despite the fact that he'd fooled around with her and indeed Pam before. Tucker's goal was to get a woman to willingly be with him, even if she thought it was a dream. Kelli had actually been Tucker's first choice, given her reputation for being an airhead who somehow managed a decent GPA, but Pam was a redhead so Tucker was sold.
Lifting Pam up and onto his shoulder, Tucker carried the immobile cheerleader out of her room, passing several more frozen people as he headed for his car outside. One of Tucker's rules for the fake dream story would be that time had to always be frozen, but luckily with it being past ten traffic wasn't so bad. Arriving at his Ford Focus, Tucker placed Pam in the passenger seat and made sure to buckle her up before starting to drive. "Your wish is my command," quoted Tucker with a chuckle as he drove.
* * *
Finding some jewelry that would make Pam look like royalty wasn't that hard; Tucker knew of more than a few jewelry stores on the way to the boutique he'd picked out that would even carry diamond tiaras. The accessories Tucker had taken were easily worth ten million, but since he wasn't going to keep them after that evening he wasn't worried about any reports of theft. Now Tucker was pulling into a boutique he knew well, though he hadn't visited there in a few months.
"Wait here, I just want to check inside," Tucker told Pam, who remained frozen in his passenger seat with her arms still crossed. While wanting to wait and win her over when she could move, Tucker did indulge himself slightly by giving Pam a kiss on the cheek before stepping out of his Focus and heading into Vicky's.
Given it was late at night, Tucker didn't expect the boutique to even be open, but none the less the lights were on and a beautiful sight was hovering just in view from the glass door as Tucker moved to open it. Wanda Beck, a notoriously rude employee, stood frozen while reaching towards what looked like the switch to the neon 'OPEN' sign. Wanda's brown hair hung low, resting on her shoulder area but still cropped to stop before the breast area. A brown blouse with several top buttons open was Wanda's choice of top, pantyhose and a short black skirt were on her legs along with black leather pumps on her feet. Wanda's left hand was reaching for the wall switch while her right rested on her hip, almost looking like she was practicing for the catwalk, or at least trying to make flipping a switch look sexy.
"Been a while," remarked Tucker as he entered the boutique, recalling some past fun he'd had at the place. Vicky Sandrosi, the person the boutique was originally named after, had been taken by Tucker's sort-of-friend Chloe Noi a few months back. According to Maggie Yen back when she and Tucker had been on speaking terms, Carla Gomez had since bought the place and changed very little, given it had been her favourite hang-out and she was rich enough to keep it open even if it didn't make any money at all, though that appeared to not be the case.
Past Wanda was Carla, the Latina beauty frozen while holding a cordless phone to her right ear with her matching hand, her left hand on her hip. Carla seemed a bit annoyed as her parted lips were furrowed down as was her brow, her head even looking down slightly. Carla's long light-brown hair was in a Dutch braid and she was wearing a red turtleneck with a neon-green and pink plaid skirt. Looking down, Tucker also saw Carla wearing pantyhose and stiletto boots, though they had low tops. "I thought you'd close by nine at the latest, why are you open so late?" Tucker asked the frozen Latina, then shrugging and heading further into the boutique.
"Well that explains it," muttered Tucker a moment later, seeing that there was still a customer in the store. Frannie Motek, the boutique's resident tailor, was hovering around a second blue-eyed blonde with a tape held around the second woman's waist. Frannie's right hand was pulling the tape away from the other woman's waist while her left thumb held the rest of it in place, showing thirty inches on the nose. Frannie's hair was up in a French twist and she was wearing an non-tucked light blue blouse with the sleeves also rolled up, white dress pants below and tan sandals on her feet. Frannie was on both knees atop her small, slightly elevated measuring area and was gazing intensely at the number displayed by the measurement.
The woman Frannie was measuring instantly made Tucker question his decision to not fool around with anyone else, given his mission to seduce Pam. The woman had large breasts, a spectacular figure, and a seemingly perfect tan; even with her having a somewhat glazed expression, Tucker really wanted to just make out with the woman for hours. Recalling a recent fashion function Haley had gone to, Tucker recognized the gorgeous woman as Audrey Burke, an Australian super-model that he was certain had made it on Main Street's list of the fifty most beautiful women in the world. The blonde model currently stood as if posing for a magazine, her legs neutral but her arms behind her head with her elbows pointed up and a pout-like expression on her face. Audrey's lips were parted to show a hint of teeth and her gaze, in spite of looking a bit glassy, was sharp; her hair was in a pinned-up ponytail. The model was dressed down a bit, wearing a pair of black bicycle shorts that only went halfway to her knees and a matching spandex halter-top with a white Stone Enterprises four-corner diamond logo just above her left breast.
"Sorry ladies, I need the space," declared Tucker, taking great delight in slowly removing the measuring tape from around Audrey's waist and then lifting up the barefoot model by her waist, carefully carrying her over past some of the clothes to the changing room. Feeling his resolve weaken, Tucker did kiss Audrey as he put her down and even began grabbing her firm rear-end but eventually stopped, leaving the blonde in the room and closing the door. Frannie was then placed in another change-room and in spite of her also being attractive, Tucker managed to resist doing anything with her, even leaving her on her knees.
Now having some space to work with, Tucker retrieved Pam from his Focus and stood her up on the small platform Audrey had been on, removing her sleepwear and posing her with her arms above her head. That done, Tucker retrieved the jewelry he'd picked up earlier and placed it on the boutique's main counter, right in front of Carla, and got to work hunting for a dress. It would be tricky; he needed something that would properly fit Pam, but he figured he could pull it off given the boutique's great selection. None the less Tucker couldn't help but crack wise when he was at one point next to the counter. "You're not help at all," Tucker told Carla with a chuckle. Carla didnÕt move a muscle.
* * *
Pamela blinked and felt disoriented, there were things that pressed against her skin she hadn't felt a moment ago. Additionally Pamela wasn't in her room anymore but standing in a fashion boutique, one with a woman clearly frozen behind the counter, given she was blatantly talking on the phone but not saying a word. Standing just to her right was Tucker, whom she turned to face.
"Your wish has been granted," declared Tucker, indicating Pam's body with his hands. Pam was puzzled but then looked down, seeing what she was now wearing. The elegant dress showed a generous amount of cleavage but had shoulder straps, albeit thin ones, and was a golden yellow in colour. The skirt portion of the dress was clearly shorter at the front than at the back, allowing Pam to see she was wearing golden yellow platform heels, which were her favorite kind. The dress itself also had golden lines that all reached towards the centre, almost like an artistic vision of the sun, and as Pam touched the material she was certain it was silk.
"Amazing," breathed Pamela, but Tucker then pointed to her left. Turning around, Pamela got a good look at herself in a full body mirror and saw that the outfit went beyond the dress and shoes. Pamela hadn't noticed but she was wearing a beautiful necklace with a large red ruby in the center, diamonds rimming the outside. Pam also had golden bracelets on, two on her left and three on her right, all studded with diamonds. Atop Pam's hair, which had been teased into mild curls and was up in an elegant-looking braided bun, rested a diamond tiara, matching small earrings on either side of her head just past the few loose locks of hair that helped frame her face. The shock of seeing herself in such an amazing outfit stunned Pam, causing her to suddenly feel faint and fall backwards. Gentle hands caught Pam as she fell.
"Easy there," offered Tucker, gently helping Pam stabilize herself. "You know I'd have thought seeing time being frozen would have caused you to do that, not this."
"After all the weird I've seen, that was nothing, but I have to say that this wasn't," breathed Pam, steadying herself and then turning around, flashing Tucker a giant smile. "I believe you. No way you could have done this for real. It's like... magic."
"Hey, that's the power of your mind," Tucker told Pamela, gently touching her forehead with his right index finger. Pam, appreciating the touch, took Tucker's hand as he touched her, lowering it to her right cheek.
"I think when I wake up I should get to know the real you better," mused Pam, feeling Tucker's hand in hers. "Then again, why spoil this?"
"Exactly, so why don't we go someplace?" suggested Tucker, nodding along with Pam. Her suggestion that she should talk to the 'real' Tucker had been another test on Pam's part, wanting to see how he reacted to the suggestion. While Pamela was fairly certain it was a dream, given just how elaborate her outfit was and the amount of real-time it would have taken to do it all, some of the stuff she'd seen since the fall had made her cautious.
"Dinner at a high-class restaurant would be nice," thought Pamela aloud, letting Tucker's hand go and placing both of her hands on her hips while smiling. "Okay: I wish I could have the best meal of my life." His flick of the wand caught her expression of wonder and hope as she was frozen in time again.
* * *
Tucker wasn't sure how much time he'd spent dolling up Pam, but he figured it in the neighborhood of two hours. It had taken nearly a quarter of his time just to find and get Pamela into the dress, plus finding shoes to match it, another quarter to get the jewelry on right and easily an hour to get her hair the way he wanted it. Pam did seem like a girl who valued her natural looks, wearing a subtle shade of lipstick and not much else, though Tucker did note her roots were a bit more brown than the rest of her hair, suggesting she used an understated dye. Now with Pam all dressed up, Tucker needed to find her a place to go, and luckily he had a few ideas.
"I'll see you ladies later," Tucker told the statue-still women of Vicky's, giving Wanda a peck on the cheek as he walked outside while carefully carrying Pam. Once by his car Tucker was extra careful in loading Pam into the passenger seat, making sure the tail-end of the dress wasn't caught in the door and not even allowing her head to bump into the roof or headrest. Once she was buckled in, Tucker drove off, but he had a restaurant in mind so he wasn't going far.
Since Vicky's wasn't far from Santa Monica, Tucker decided to head to the Stilton Hotel along the beachfront, knowing its dining room would have some of the best food around. The drive was a bit over three miles but Tucker was able to make it in only a few minutes, having gotten extremely good at weaving through time-stopped traffic at night.
"I really shouldn't keep carrying you," mused Tucker as he pulled up in front of the hotel, seeing one valet frozen while taking the keys from a larger woman in a cocktail dress who'd just stepped out of a Mercedes. Luckily Tucker saw a baggage cart nearby and headed over to grab it. Soon enough Tucker was unfreezing the automatic glass doors leading to the lobby with Pam balanced on the gold-rail cart, her arms still on her hips with a serene smile on her face.
Unfreezing the elevator, Tucker was then surprised to see people inside it, still not used to his wand being able to unfreeze the machine but not those inside. For the second time that night Tucker was confronted with temptation, a gorgeous blonde woman standing in the moving box with her arm around a handsome-looking man. Recognition once again set in, Tucker realized the woman was Annette Landry, a famous three-time Academy Award-nominated actress, the man with her most likely being her husband Marc Landry.
"This is just not fair," grumbled Tucker as he wheeled the cart into the elevator and let the door close. Selecting the top floor, Tucker let the elevator start moving as he eyed Annette. While over fifty, the woman was a knockout, possessing blue eyes and curly blonde hair that went just past her shoulders. The actress had a smile on her face and was wearing a deep blue strapless cocktail dress, a black leather purse slung over her left shoulder while her right arm rested on her husband, who just stood idle with his hands in his pockets. Tucker knew Annette was a mother, he remembered reading that once on her Wikipedia profile after seeing her in a movie, and now actually wondered if it was his friend Colette Landry. Tucker knew Colette was French-Canadian, as was her dad, and she was young enough to be Annette's daughter.
"Here we are," sighed Tucker as the elevator reached its destination, allowing him to wheel Pam and the cart out of the elevator. Tucker then froze the elevator, leaving the door suspended while open, and hurried back in, copping a feel of Annette's chest as she wobbled in place.
"Awesome," chuckled Tucker, then patting Marc on the shoulder before leaving the elevator. "You are one lucky guy." His fun finished, Tucker got a good look at the dining room he'd taken Pam to. Since it was late only a few tables were occupied, all of them sporting red tablecloths and having very nice chairs. The outer walls were essentially all windows, one side overlooking the beach. There were a few waiters and waitresses frozen going to and fro, all of them in black tie and a couple carrying trays with silver lids on top. Scanning the area, Tucker picked a table near a big white piano that was on an elevated area with grey marble tiles, the area giving whoever sat there a good look out at the ocean. Satisfied with his choice, Tucker carefully wheeled Pam over to the spot.
Sitting Pam at the table proved a bit easier than getting her into the car. Tucker planted her into the chair with the piano behind it and moving her hands from her hips to her lap. The table was already set but there was no food so it was Tucker's next task. "Be right back," Tucker told the still-frozen Pamela, giving her a quick peck on the forehead.
Circling the floor, Tucker decided to just see what the two blonde women sitting further down the row had gotten. Sitting beside the window were women that looked like sisters, one having a few years on Tucker while the other looked to be just his age. Both were attractive, the older one having a rounder face with some body curves and blue eyes while the younger one was more slender and had green eyes. Both women had purses hanging from the backs of their chairs and had their hands on either side of their empty place, focused on the tray that had just been opened before them by an older African-American waiter with a shaved head. The older woman had her hair in a bun and was wearing white pants with a multicolor tube top, expensive rings on her fingers. The younger girl's hair was in a half-ponytail and she was wearing a black denim vest with matching pants, her top a simple white T-shirt but her earrings clearly being emeralds. Out of curiosity Tucker decided to check their wallets, just on the off chance he might want to visit them later, but was disappointed to see that they, the St. Claire sisters, were from Houston.
"Thanks for the meals anyway," sighed Tucker, once again questioning his decision to not fool around, though he did assure himself as he headed back to his own table that it would be worth it. Tucker knew returning the dress and jewelry as well as fixing anything he had changed would be a pain as well, but the prospect of laying down with a willing woman none the less continued to drive him back to Pam. Glancing at the food he'd taken, Tucker saw one plate had what looked like duck, though it could be turkey as Tucker wasn't an expert, atop a bed of rice while soaked with a sauce that seemed to contain peppercorn and dried cranberries. Alongside the cooked bird and its bed was a small golden potato with cauliflower and glazed carrots. Tucker placed the first plate in front of Pam, figuring she might prefer it as the latter was lamb on rice with Greek salad taking up the rest of the plate. Tucker also happened to love lamb, so he figured his selection would work out for both of them.
"And now the wine," announced Tucker, going back to the table the St. Claire sisters occupied and collecting their drinks. The women had ordered a Pinot Noir, which Tucker was fairly sure went with duck, and that was all he cared about. Returning the wine to his table, Tucker then realized he'd also need to grab water and worried that having the bottle right on the table would be awkward. It was then that Tucker suddenly smiled as an answer came to him.
* * *
"Wow!" exclaimed Pamela, suddenly witnessing Tucker sitting across from her in what appeared to be a fancy restaurant, just as she'd wished. Glancing around she saw a glass of red wine in front of each of them as well as ice water, a beautiful view of the beach and what looked like duck on rice served in front of her. More surprising was that, to her left, a beautiful older woman stood there with a silver tray in both hands, smiling blankly as she looked past the table and out at the ocean. Atop the silver tray was a jug of water as well as an open bottle of Pinot Noir and a couple of grinders, Pam figuring one was for Parmesan and the other was for black pepper. The woman holding the tray looked vaguely familiar to Pam, though she couldn't place her face, instead admiring her blue strapless dress.
"As you wish," smiled Tucker, getting a smile back from Pam as she continued to be impressed by what she was now certain was a dream. A geek like Tucker couldn't be as charming as he was now in real life, even if he'd managed to hook up with Julie Vaughn. Pam also doubted she could be so easily transported from one place to another if magic wasn't involved, and since magic wasn't real she finally felt relaxed.
"I wish all my dreams were like this," sighed Pamela, picking up her glass. "To fantasy," she offered.
"To you," replied Tucker, finishing the toast and connecting his wine glass with hers. The two then drank their wine and Pam eagerly began to dig into her meal, pausing only to use a napkin to cover her dress.
"It's funny, I know its a dream but it feels so real I feel compelled to act like I normally would," noted Pam as she prepared to take her first bite of her meal, Tucker having already done so with his. "This dress isn't really real, yet I don't want it to get dirty..."
"Even your imagination can be grounded by logic," remarked Tucker. "You wonder why someone who has a great power, like stopping time, doesn't just use it to solve all of their problems. They just might not think of how to properly do that because you can't wrap your head around such an illogical concept."
"You know even now I'm thinking of how to improve my wish," mused Pam, her mind aflutter as she continued to eat. "Would be fun to have a celebrity at the table, even if they're frozen too."
"So you want me to conjure you up another dinner companion?" asked Tucker, pausing from his own meal. Pam actually started to wonder about that, Tucker eating. If Tucker was just a construct of her dream, why would he need to eat? Pam then dismissed the thought; confident that it was impossible to do what he'd done thus it had to be a dream. The idea of the impossible cemented in Pam's mind, and she decided on her next wish.
"I wish that April Moon was sitting at the table with me," announced Pam, indicating to her right.
"As you wish," replied Tucker, and a moment later Pam was about ready to jump as a new figure was sitting next to her at the table. April Moon, who played the lead super-heroine on a show called Savior, remained still as a waxwork with her forearms resting on the table and locked together at her hands, her gaze focused on Pam as she took another bite of her dinner. The television actress had only a few years on Pam in terms of age, possessing silky brown hair as well as vibrant brown eyes, her skin smooth aside from a couple of beauty marks on the left side of her face. April's long hair was draping down her shoulders with a great deal of shadow around her eyes, her outfit a teal satin dress that fully covered the front side of her body but consisted of three large strips at the back. Pam also noted that April's dress was a long V-shaped collar that descended right down to the middle of her cleavage, then looking back up to see that the woman seemed to be eager to say something as her lips were slightly parted.
"Now that's a good dinner guest," laughed Pam, her initial shocks at the wishes coming true now turning into amusement. "She just sits there and looks pretty, doesn't say anything and doesn't eat anything." Pam then decided to have some simple fun, taking a forkful of her food and sticking it into April's mouth, then manoeuvring her utensil to be empty when she pulled it out.
"Like a more adult version of a doll tea party," remarked Tucker, Pam just shrugging.
"Seemed rude to not have her eat anything," replied Pam, causing her and Tucker to chuckle a bit.
After the laugh the meal continued for a bit in silence, Pam taking the time to enjoy her food and assuming that Tucker was created by her dream to react to her, not act by himself. "You know I really like this, having a quiet meal in a romantic restaurant with no fears of harassment or danger," mused Pam, thinking back on her life.
"Danger?" asked Tucker, nearly done his meal.
"When I was a kid nothing every really went wrong for me," explained Pam, almost done her own food as only a bit of rice remained. "Good grades, no family drama, no bullies, no major injuries, nothing. The worst I'd cried was when I was eight and scraped my knee while riding a bike. Then when I was seventeen, I went to my first big party and..."
"Something happened?" suggested Tucker, urging Pam to continue. Pam hesitated; knowing that in spite of the fact that she was in a dream that she had never shared the story. Still, Tucker was just a part of the dream and it provided the comfort of telling the story with none of the repercussions.
"A girl at the party, she..." Pam continued, trailing off and pouring herself a bit more wine. "A girl drank too much and nearly drowned in the pool. I was one of two people that was with her and I froze up when I realized what was going on. If the other girl hadn't been there..."
"Pretty rude awakening to life," nodded Tucker, standing up. Pam watched Tucker move around the table and kneel next to her, putting his hand on top of hers. "You reacted the only way you knew. It happens to the best of people."
"After that though, I started to become scared of everything," revealed Pam, sighing but managing to hold back tears. "I read about all kinds of horrible things on the Internet and for part of my senior year in high school I was afraid to go nearly anywhere for fear of something bad happening to me. I managed to cope by becoming even more social online but... I don't think I've gone a month without fainting since that night."
"The upside is, you didn't faint when we first met," pointed out Tucker, squeezing Pam's hand. "You're brave Pamela, and you're starting to realize it." Pam looked down at her hand and then at Tucker, feeling touched by his warmth. Smiling, Pam put her other hand on top of Tucker's.
"I sure can dream them," laughed Pamela, getting a chuckle in response. "This has been good, but how about a little fun? I wish I was at a Hollywood party."
* * *
After the wish to find a specific actress, Tucker was glad that Pam's current one was much simpler. April had luckily been on set at the studio where Savior was filmed, working late on a Saturday for some reason. Pamela's current wish, to attend a Hollywood party, would be easy since there was one going on just over in Venice.
Pam had once again been frozen right after stating her wish; Tucker was finding it harder than before to freeze Pamela without her noticing the wand. The redhead was looking at Tucker with a happy smile on her face, her hands wrapped around Tucker's right while looking down at him a bit since he was on his knees.
"As much as I hate to fool around when things seem to be going well, I can't stand by and let poor April Moon choke," declared Tucker, carefully pulling his hand out from Pam's and then standing. Raising April's clasped hands above her head Tucker sat on the actress's lap and began to kiss her, albeit awkwardly as he was trying to suck up the forkful of food Pam had placed in the woman's mouth. It took Tucker a bit of time but eventually his honed tongue confirmed April's mouth was empty of duck and rice, allowing him to stop.
"I should really visit your show again someday," Tucker told April as he got up and put her on his shoulders. "I mean, your character gets frozen once an episode minimum. I bet no one would bat an eye if I froze you around there." Finding the cart he'd brought Pam in on earlier, Tucker loaded April before going back for the redhead. With the women he'd need to move loaded Tucker pushed the cart into the elevator before heading back into the restaurant, just for a moment. Tucker took care to clean up the table setting so it was more or less how it was when he'd arrived, minus the consumed wine and food. Tucker also made sure to return Annette to the elevator, having used her to hold the wine tray since he found her very attractive.
Returning to his car, which thanks to Pam's last wish was only at about a quarter-tank now, Tucker slid April in the back and once again rode with Pamela in the front. The subsequent drive to Venice from Santa Monica gave Tucker some time to muse over Pamela's confession to him. Tucker had known Pam was a fainter but never realized why that was; now he was feeling a bit guilty for having dragged the truth out of her. None the less Tucker was convinced it would work out for them both, her getting a vivid fantasy that also allowed her to get some things off of her chest while he'd get a somewhat genuine romantic interlude with a woman he'd never interact with otherwise. Tucker's rationalization was thus that since Pam would never know that the events weren't a dream and they'd never talk in real life there was no harm in staying the course.
Tucker managed to get to the Soft Blue Loft Inn fairly quickly, taking Nelson Way straight from Santa Monica until it turned into Pacific Avenue. The beachfront hotel had a nice area for Tucker to pull up into, given its valet service. Upon exiting his car Tucker was also delighted to spot a baggage cart, meaning once again he'd be able to transport Pamela without incident.
"Yeah, I'd say there's a party here, though I'm not shocked," noted Tucker, glancing around as he moved to grab the cart. The Soft Blue Loft Inn hosted major Hollywood parties every weekend, its rear ballroom usually having at least one A-list celebrity in it on a Saturday night. The hotel got big parties so often Tucker noted they had specific equipment in place to allow them to roll out the red carpet with incredible ease. Velvet ropes were currently cutting off several people with cameras and such from getting inside, but Tucker noted a familiar face within the time-stopped crowd of motionless people.
"Lauren?!" laughed Tucker, approaching the familiar face. Lauren was a blonde around thirty that Tucker had used more than once as a model for T & M Productions, she having a great body thanks to being a dance instructor. Lauren currently was standing in a violet-colored dress, one with a big frilly skirt that stopped halfway down her thighs and only one shoulder strap, while her hair was styled to look feathered, being parted down the middle and covering her ears. Lauren was frowning while clinging her black purse at her waist with both hands, Tucker then glancing down to notice her pantyhose and black kitten heels.
"I'll tell you what, I'll do you a favour," Tucker told the silent blonde, carrying her over to the cart and leaning her against the back of it before heading back to his Focus to collect Pamela. Upon retrieving his quasi-date, Tucker casually wheeled past security and dropped Lauren off inside. "You owe me," Tucker insisted, giving Lauren a kiss on the cheek before departing.
The entrance to the rear ballroom had a somewhat bored-looking blonde guard standing near it, her arms crossed, her hair up in a tight bun while dressed in a black suit. Where Tucker in a playful mood he might have checked out the guard, whose ID read 'Whitney,' a bit more closely, but instead Tucker just parked the cart with Pamela on it nearby and unloaded her.
"Now lets just explore this place together," suggested Tucker, standing Pamela up and carrying her from behind just past Whitney. A quick scan of the room allowed Tucker to note there was access to the beach, a small stage with a singer holding a microphone, and caterers frozen whilst walking to and fro. Tucker even recognized one caterer that was nearby, a brunette he knew as Tabitha, who was frozen with a tray with hors d'oeuvres on it balanced in her right hand. Tabitha, like the other caterers, was just wearing a simple white and black outfit, thus he was certain it was just a second job for her and not related to the restaurant she worked at.
"Funny little coincidences tonight," noted Tucker, shaking his head. "Okay Pamela, here we go..."
* * *
"Your wish is granted," came Tucker's voice in Pam's ear as she realized she'd been transported yet again, this time to a room full of frozen people.
"Amazing!" exclaimed Pamela, looking around in wonder. It was a fancy hotel ballroom with a stage set up, noted singer Karen Wilkins up by herself with a microphone held in her right hand. A woman dressed like a waitress was nearby and, seeing what looked like a mushroom cap on her tray, Pam happily snatched one up before moving forward through the crowd.
"Wow, look, its Angel Jenly!" exclaimed Pam, spotting the famous actress. The brunette's hair was in a half-bun and she was frozen mid-laugh, her arms raised up as if about to slap her knees. What surprised Pam was that Angel was wearing a loose-looking yellow sundress, not something she'd have pegged the actress to wear.
"Look at that," offered Tucker, gesturing past where Pam was looking. Actress Jessica Alfa, wearing what looked like a fairy tail princess dress, given its long skirt, conservative coverage of her chest and pink colour, was frozen in the middle of slapping director Nigel May. Alfa looked visibly angry and May was knocked to his right, Jessica's own right hand having struck him.
"I bet he asked her to be in RoboForce: Dark of the Sun," chuckled Pam, amused at the frozen scene. Near the pair was Jennifer Lone Fluit, who looked like she was trying to make wine drinking sexy as her left hand was on her hip while her right gently tipped her wine glass into her mouth. Jennifer had her hair in a loose beehive, also wearing a green dress that looked like it was right out of the sixties.
"Huh, Anna Karakova, didn't expect her at a Hollywood event," observed Pamela, spotting the famous tennis player. Anna was even dressed like she was about to play on the court, sporting white shorts and a tank top with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Anna was posing for a photo with another blonde woman, Anna's right arm around the woman's shoulders while her left held a tennis racket aloft. The woman who was with Anna Pam couldn't place by name to but she was wearing a strapless red dress with plenty of skirt, her hair loose but slightly teased.
"She's with Kathryn Summers, the new head of Models Inc.," explained Tucker, causing Pam to stop and glance at him for a moment. Pamela was sure Zoe Hollander was the head of Models Inc., but then remembered she'd recently retired. The information then clicked in and Pam knew Tucker was right.
"Good memory, I didn't clue in until you told me," remarked Pamela, moving to stand on the right side of Kathryn. "You know, I know itÕs a dream and all, but can you take my picture anyway?"
"Of course," nodded Tucker, moving to the photographer who had a camera aimed at the athlete and agency head. Pam watched Tucker press down on the stud and, to her surprise, heard a click, but figured her dream, her rules.
"Awesome," laughed Pamela, stepping away from Kathryn only to then move over to Anna. "Actually... I have an idea." Taking Anna's tennis racket, Pamela led Tucker back to Jessica Alfa and Nigel May. Pam carefully wrapped her arms around Jessica's waist and lifted her, carrying her a couple of paces backwards. That done, Pam then placed the tennis racket in Jessica's slap-hand, curling the actress's fingers around the sporting tool to make sure it wouldn't be dropped.
"Oh man, if only this were real, it would be on Youtube by the morning," sighed Pamela, taking in the sight of Jessica Alfa smashing Nigel May with a tennis racket. "Just being here though... itÕs SO amazing. Thank you."
"Thank yourself; you wished for it," Tucker told Pam, placing his hands on her shoulders. The touch felt good to Pam, soothing...
"Hey," Pam told Tucker, putting her hands on top of his. "I've got a new one for you."
"Go ahead," replied Tucker, speaking softly against her ear.
"I wish we could be dancing while Karen Wilkins sang a song," revealed Pam.
* * *
"Shit," muttered Tucker, having frozen Pam with the wand. As soon as she'd said the wish Tucker had slid his right hand down Pam's back before using it to retrieve and use the wand. Unfortunately Pamela had now made a wish Tucker would be hard-pressed to make happen. Glancing around however, Tucker realized he just might be able to pull off granting the wish; that is if Karen would fall for his ploy.
First, Tucker carefully moved Pam to an open area on the floor, a good place to dance near the stage. Next Tucker went around the ballroom and unfroze all of the equipment Karen would need to amplify her voice, which did take a while but eventually was done. The big trick, now, was to unfreeze Karen and convince her of what was going on.
"Man I hope you're clueless," muttered Tucker, stepping up in front of the singer. Karen Wilkins was a gorgeous blonde, her long hair teased and in a half ponytail. Karen's dress was a slippery white number that did a V-shape through most of her cleavage, a bow at an angle just below where the line stopped. One part of the bow went up and over Karen's left breast while the other went down and touched Karen's right thigh. Taking a breath, Tucker quickly tapped her to unfreeze her before shoving the wand behind his back.
"Oh, hello," greeted Karen, clearly surprised to suddenly see Tucker in front of her. "Why is it so quiet?"
"You hear of flash-mobs?" asked Tucker, cutting off Karen as she began to look around the room. "Well, we're doing a charity video. We wanted you to sing a song while a couple dances and everyone else is freezing."
"This is a bit last minute, don't you think?" the woman's Welsh accent pointed out, leaving Tucker looking a bit sheepish.
"Yeah, sorry, but if you're in just start singing when the redhead over there and I get into a dance position," offered Tucker, indicating Pamela. "Any song you want."
"Well, I guess it may a good a time as any to experiment a bit," shrugged Karen, clearly a bit annoyed but also oddly pleased. "There's a song I've wanted to do for a while. Go ahead, we're doing this."
"Thank you so much!" exclaimed Tucker, practically jumping off of the stage and moving to stand in front of Pamela. With extra care Tucker tapped Pam with the wand, unfreezing her as he began to put his arms around her waist. Pam looked up at the stage and saw that Karen was getting ready to go before looking at Tucker.
"Your wish is granted," Tucker whispered to Pam, causing her to put her arms around his neck.
"Thank you," whispered Pamela as the sound system began to do its stuff.
From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on
Tucker and Pamela danced as Karen sang, her beautiful voice managing to handle the song quite well.
From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on
Pamela shifted a little closer to Tucker as they continued to dance, her chest now firmly pressing against his. Tucker's gaze remained locked with Pam's.
I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you, can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you
Pam's fingers moved up, just for a moment, and touched the sides of Tucker's face. Tucker didn't flinch but Pamela ultimately moved her hands back down.
From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on
Pam's hands moved up once more, this time staying while touching Tucker's face. Tucker in turn raised his arms to rest on Pam's shoulders, both of them breathing slower.
You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you
Pamela was the one to lean in first but Tucker reciprocated, their lips meeting as they continued to dance.
From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on
The dancing had stopped but Pamela and Tucker continued to kiss, Tucker barely remembering to use his wand to freeze Karen before she could ask why no one had started to move now that the song, and thus the reason for the supposed flash-mob, was over. Tucker was still worried what Karen would remember him but at the moment he didn't care, as kissing a woman who was kissing him back was something he'd greatly missed, even if it had only been a few weeks since Julie had been frozen.
"I..." began Pamela, finally breaking the kiss and looking at Tucker with soft eyes. "You know... there's one wish I'd really like to make right now..."
"Wish away," whispered Tucker, leaning in and giving Pamela a kiss on the neck.
"I wish..." muttered Pam, emotion thick in her voice. "I wish we could... make love on the beach." With that cue Tucker used the wand to freeze Pam once more, Tucker then lifting his lips form her neck and looking at her. The redhead's eyes were watery, possibly with tears of joy, and Tucker once again felt a pang of guilt. None the less Tucker glanced around and quickly swept Pam up and into his arms, carrying her towards the beach access.
Tucker headed out onto the sand, the lights of the hotel showing the suspended ocean waters outside. On the way out Tucker had passed Carla Sparks and Hayden Carriere, the former interviewing the latter for P! News, but Tucker didn't care. Pam was ready and willing, and Tucker wasn't about to disappoint her.
* * *
"Your wish is granted," Tucker told Pamela as she found herself laying on the sand, her arms wrapped around Tucker's neck as he lay on top of her, his arms supporting him so he wasn't directly pressed against her. Pam noted that both of them were naked but it wasn't cold at all, feeling oddly comfortable.
"Yes it is," giggled Pamela, pulling Tucker towards her. Pam had been with men before, even dared to kiss a girl once in high school just to get the idea out of her system, but no one had ever made her feel like Tucker had. Pam knew it was a dream and that the real Tucker Holmes probably wasn't as magical as the one she was kissing, but it didn't matter. As the foreplay began Pam desperately wished that she'd remember the dream come the morning, giving her a little something to fantasize about every now and then.
* * *
After the love-making session Tucker and Pam had cuddled for quite some time before Tucker finally froze his gorgeous companion, then taking a moment to get some sleep. Upon waking up Tucker had been forced to start his clean-up act, which had been quite the process. First, after finally removing his condom, Tucker had gathered up the clothes he and Pamela had been wearing, having taken extra care with Pam's clothes since he'd be returning them. Tucker had also moved Karen to the bathroom and placed an empty glass of wine in the stall with her, hopefully making her think she'd imagined what had happened thanks to alcohol. Just to take extra care Tucker also put Karen to sleep but unfroze her, then setting his unfrozen watch's timer to alert him to when she'd be awake, giving him a window to run his errands before he'd have to unfreeze time.
Leaving the hotel, Tucker headed to Vicky's and returned the dress, nearly leaving with Audrey before he stopped himself. After that Tucker returned the jewelry he'd taken as well as April, putting her back at the set where she belonged. Finally Tucker was free to return to Malibu, having spent two hours correcting everything and, by his estimation, having four hours until Karen would wake up.
Arriving back at the dorm, Tucker quietly carried Pamela inside with her naked on his shoulder, her pyjamas in his other hand. Kelli naturally didn't so much as bat an eye when Tucker entered the room and sat Pam down on her own bed, then dressing the redhead for sleep. Finally Tucker posed Pam so she was ready to sleep and pulled out his wand, tapping her twice to unfreeze her.
"What..." muttered Pam, looking around in surprise.
"The night is done, and I'm afraid this dream is too," Tucker told Pamela, gently stroking her hair as she lay in her bed. "You will wake up soon. Good morning..."
"No, not yet!" exclaimed Pamela, only to slump over as Tucker cast the spell to put her to sleep. Tucker sighed a bit as he watched Pam's chest rise and fall, a sad expression on her lips. Knowing she wouldn't stir, Tucker leaned in and gave Pamela one last kiss on the lips before synching her with time, freezing her in her sleep.
"Thank you, you were... amazing," offered Tucker, rising to leave. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."
* * *
Light from the window warmed Pamela's face as she yawned and stirred, surprised that morning had come so quick. Sitting up, Pam then remembered her wonderful dream, including the dinner, the dress and the sex on the beach. Pamela then remembered whom she'd been with, her face turning red at the memory.
"About time," remarked Kelli, who was already dressed in her cheerleader outfit, her hair in a ponytail while she sat on her bed, typing away at her laptop. "It's just past eight. Practice is in an hour."
"Wow, good dream," groaned Pam, stretching and turning so she'd be ready to get off the bed. "You want to hear it?"
"Just give me the basic details, I've got to finish this assignment before practice," offered Kelli continuing to type. "I miss Rachel. Michelle is great, but she's a bit of a slave-driver..."
"Well, I dreamed that time was frozen and a guy from school was like my dream genie, making any wish I made come true," revealed Pam, glancing up at the ceiling and smiling at what she recalled. The sex in particular felt very real, her crotch even feeling a bit warm at the recollection of the fantasy.
"I bet you wish time was frozen right now," chuckled Kelli, continuing to type. "I know I do." Kelli then stopped typing for a moment, looking up at Pam with a puzzled look on her face.
"What?" asked Pam, trying to figure out what Kelli was staring at.
"Your hair," commented Kelli, shaking her head. "I can see bits in it. You might want to use some dandruff killer when you shower today." Frowning, Pamela got up, smacking Kelli with her pillow in the knees as she did, before moving to enter the bathroom.
"Sorry, but its true," called Kelli, continuing to work as Pamela looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair did have flecks in it, but as Pam picked a few out they felt too hard to be dandruff flakes. Holding them up to her eye, Pam's heart skipped a beat as she realized they were flecks of sand.
"Kelli, can you go onto Youtube?!" shouted Pam, her heart fluttering as she rushed out of the bathroom and plopped down next to her roommate on her bed.
"Sure, just about done the assignment," agreed Kelli, minimizing her paper and calling up the website. "What do you want me to look up?"
"Type in Jessica Alfa and Nigel May," suggested Pam, her face starting to sweat cold bullets. Kelli did as was requested and moments later there was a video that had just been uploaded an hour ago.
"Play it," insisted Pam, Kelli shrugging before doing obliging. The video showed Nigel May collapsing after what looked like a blow from a tennis racket, one Jessica Alfa was holding in her hand. Kelli burst out laughing, but Pam's stomach just churned.
The End - until the birthday bash...
CAST
Pamela Flipspatrick - Rachel Hurd-Wood
Tucker Holmes - Drake Bell
Kelli McAdams - Kellie Pickler
Wanda Beck - Mandy Moore
Carla Gomez - Sandra Echeverria
Frannie Motek - Emilie de Ravin
Audrey Burke - Nicky Whelan
Annette Landry - Michelle Pfeiffer
Marc Landry - Nicholas Campbell
Meredith St. Claire - Kirsten Dunst
Tabitha St. Claire - Dianna Agron
April Moon - Brooke Adams
Lauren Powell - Sarah Wright
Whitney Boyler - Beth Riesgraf
Tabitha Lemier - Lauren Mayhew
Karen Wilkins - Katherine Jenkins
Angel Jenly - Angelina Jolie
Jessica Alfa - Jessica Alba
Nigel May - Michael Bay
Jennifer Lone Fluit - Jennifer Love Hewitt
Anna Karakova - Anna Kournikova
Kathryn Summers - Jennifer Morrison
Carla Sparks - Carmen Elecktra
Hayden Carriere - Hayden Panettiere