Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. I'm just playing with them while we wait for the sequel ;)

A/N: I just found out that they are changing Henley's . JUST NO. I am so upset about this, I won't watch a sequel without Henley, NO.

He was forgetting something. The thought filtered through the fog of Daniel's mind causing a chain re-action that resulted in him not only waking up but falling, rather ungracefully off the side of the mattress. He hit the floor with a thump, the soft carpet of the apartment barely muffling the string of curses that followed. He picked himself up groaning as his elbow throbbed in protest from where it had come into contact with the nightstand on the way down. He had woken up in enough unfamiliar places to be used to the disorientation but it still nagged at his sense of control. Taking a deep breath he cleared his mind before mentally running through his list of tasks for the day. Nothing stood out as being important enough to cause him to wake up at- he glanced at the clock and was relieved to find it was only five thirty am. He wasn't sure he could handle it if he had slept in and missed the start of rehearsals (the other Horsemen would surely give him a hard time if he ever did.) Something still hovered at the edge of his mind, reminding him that despite his best efforts he was not in control of everything. But apart from the rehearsals and going over plans for the Horseman's next show there was nothing particularly important about today.

Or was there?

His head tilted to the side as he stared off into the distance. There was something, if only he could think of what...

Crap.

The magician took a deep breath and let it out slowly, counting backwards from ten in his head and once he got down to zero his breathing had returned to normal. He had everything organised and planned right down to the last possible contingency plan (not that he didn't trust the eye but if anything happened and he could have done something to prevent it he would never forgive himself) yet somehow he managed to forget that today was one of the most important days of the year.

Henley's birthday.

Back when she had been his assistant she hadn't much cared for holidays, particularly those that were hyped up by companies out to make money but one thing she asked was that he always remembered to wish her a happy birthday (well her exact words had been 'you can at least do something to prove you aren't just an insensitive jackass') She would be sure to give him hell if he ever forgot.

Yet it was October 23rd and somehow between their show in LA and now the preparations in London it had completely slipped his mind. Suddenly he was very, very glad he had woken up early but even with the extra time it still only gave him an hour and a half at best. Not that Henley would expect a gift, she never had but every year she had been his assistant he had always gotten her something. It usually wasn't much, flowers or lipstick but this year...well he had a few things to make up for and worded apologies were never his forte. He took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders as ideas already began to form in his mind.

He was Daniel Atlas (give or take the J), he could buy a damn birthday gift.

One hour and three stores later he wasn't so sure. One thing he had forgotten to accommodate was the fact that there wasn't a lot open before nine am (and according to his own schedule rehearsal started at eight-thirty). He didn't necessarily have to give her the gift right away but he would have preferred to get it over with as soon as possible. Daniel wondered if Merritt and Jack knew what today meant but he doubted it: the only way they could have is if she told them. Which she probably did. He felt like a complete ass, something he wasn't used to except apparently when he came to her. Unwilling to dwell on what exactly that meant he increased his pace, determined to find the perfect gift.

Which once again proved futile as the last half an hour of his search ticked by (and his dignity mysteriously disappeared) and he was forced to return empty-handed. He crept into the apartment the four of them were sharing on the outskirts of London as quietly as he could, hoping that without him there to wake everyone up they would all still be asleep. But he was out of luck when he barely set a foot in only to be greeted by a far too cheerful looking Merritt.

"Well look who's back. We were beginning to worry about you Danny boy" ordinarily he would have told the mentalist in no uncertain terms not to call him that but he was too pre-occupied to notice the nickname. If Merritt noticed his distraction he didn't comment, returning to his previous task of poking a sleepy looking Jack in the shoulder, who muttered something that sounded a lot like 'piss off' in return. Henley however was no-where in sight. Passing by the pair, ignoring the questioning (and slightly smug) look Merritt sent him he made his way upstairs, crossing the boundary that separated her from the rest of them (which was pretty self explanatory, after all she was a woman.)He knocked gently on her bedroom door, hoping he wouldn't have to wake her up which was never a pleasant experience. An un-caffeinated Henley could be dangerous, particularly if it happened to be early in the morning.

"Come in" she muttered and he breathed a sigh of relief, pushing the door open. She was sitting on her bed riffling through a small bag, cursing when she presumably couldn't find whatever she was looking for. Henley was already dressed for the day in a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and white blouse that brought out her hair colour and he swallowed, finding himself becoming increasingly distracted. Damn the woman and the effect she had on him. Why did she have to look so good? She had paused her search and he realised too late he had been staring. When he met her eyes she was smiling smugly at him but he was pleased to note the slight blush on her cheeks. She liked the attention, she always had even if she wouldn't admit it. He gave her his best charming smile (which may have been slightly sub-standard this morning) and wished her a happy birthday in the most cheerful tone he could muster. She laughed and he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips. He wasn't always the best when it came to saying the right things but he had made her smile and he counted it as an achievement.

"You remembered" she was smiling, the one she reserved just for him and he preened a little in response (he couldn't help it, she had that effect on him.)

"Of course I did kitten" his smile dimmed a bit with the lie, feeling far more guilty than he would ever admit. But when he looked back at her she was glaring at him hot enough to bring even the toughest of men to their knees. He frantically backtracked, wondering how he could have managed to insult her within five minutes. And then the word came back to him, the stupid little nickname he had given her years ago.

Uh oh.

They had been renting an apartment together (to save on costs of course) and on a particularly sunny afternoon when both of them were sleepy and perhaps a little unguarded she had curled up next to him on the couch, snuggling in and letting out a contented little sigh. Before he could filter it the thought slipped out, how she reminded him of a kitten curled up next to him. She hadn't taken too kindly to it, reminding him that a kitten had claws and she could just as easily turn into a predator. That had been then and although he had tempted fate many times, uttering the nickname just to wind her up it had never been mentioned since fate slipped a card into their pockets, once again bringing them together in the name of magic.

If the look on her face was anything to go by she did not like it, not one little bit. Despite the imminent danger he remained stationary (though the smart thing to do would have been to apologise and leave). Whenever she was angry her cheeks would burn the same red as her hair, little puffs of air passing over her lips as she straightened to her full height, focusing all that energy on him. It was sexy, dangerous but undeniably hot. He met her glare despite the alarm bells going off somewhere in the back of his mind and she stalked closer until there was hardly any space separating them. He could feel her angry little breaths against his neck and even though she was shorter than him without heels she still made him feel as if she was looking down on him. He swallowed, finding that suddenly there wasn't enough oxygen in the room. She will only sense fear he reminded himself. Only he wasn't afraid. Oh no, he was completely, utterly turned on. And that was so much worse. If she knew what he was thinking she wouldn't hesitate to hurt him (despite her size she was more than capable of inflicting harm.) He swallowed again, throat suddenly dry. If she kept looking at him like that his self control was going to snap. In some cruel twist of fate her tongue dated out to lick her cherry red lips and that did it.

The kiss was fast and he backtracked almost as soon as his lips touched hers, fearing her re-action. She looked confused for a moment, brows drawn together adorably before she met his eyes. Hers held fire and he wondered for a second if she was going to slap him but she rose up on her toes, meeting his lips again, softer this time. Hesitant. He kissed her back just as gently, winding a hand through the soft tresses of her hair to keep her close. They broke apart and he rested his forehead against her whispering 'happy birthday' into the air between them.

It was then he noticed they weren't alone, wolf whistles sounding behind the pair. He reluctantly tore his eyes away from the stunning redhead in front of him to glare at Merritt and Jack who had somehow found their way upstairs at just the right moment.

"About time there was some action around here" Jack said, grinning at them (and looking a whole lot more awake than he had before.)

"And here I thought this day would never come" Merritt added, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. One look from Daniel and Henley had the pair high-tailing it out but not before one last whistle. Daniel made to go after them but only made it two steps before Henley tugged on his arm, bringing his attention back to her.

"Do you want this?" she asked, her eyes downcast. He could tell she was nervous and he squeezed the gloved hand in his.

"You deserve better" he replied, looking away unable to hold her gaze. But once again she surprised him.

"That's not what I want"

And just like that whatever had broken between them that night was fixed. He felt lighter than he had in a long time, happier.

"But Daniel" she warned, her tone suddenly serious. He nodded and she gave him a pointed look before continuing.

"As long as we are together you will never, ever call me kitten again" He couldn't help the smile, despite her warning glare.

"You love it"