CHAPTER 1.

"He's an ass, Derek," Melissa Rycroft, leaning down to where Derek Hough sat on the stairs, whispered. "Look at him."

Derek gave a start, not realizing that Melissa had caught him staring. His partner, Shawn Johnson, had just arrived and, for the first time all season, was accompanied by Ryan – her rumored on-again-off-again boyfriend. As they entered the rehearsal studio, Derek couldn't help but stare: the guy was handsome enough, buff enough, sure, but he had a smug expression on his face that Derek, for some reason, did not care for. Add to that the fact that Shawn was carrying two huge bags and her all-muscle hunk had made no move to help her, content as he was to look around and smile at everyone – and Derek knew an instant dislike that surprised him with its intensity.

Shaking his head both to clear the strange emotion and to appear nonchalant, Derek looked back at Melissa, who was looking pointedly at Ryan with disgust on her face. "It's her life, Mel," he said, a warning in his voice.

To forestall what appeared to be a retort from Melissa, Derek stood up, fixed the politest expression on his face and approached Shawn. He stooped to give the petite blonde a quick hug, aware that Ryan was watching him, and used the movement to sweep Shawn's bags from her hands. "Hey there, Shawnee J," he said.

"Hey," Shawn said, her smile as ready as usual, giving the heavy bags up with a sigh. "I don't think you've met Ryan?"

Derek straightened up to look the younger man in the face. "No, but hey," he said, carefully arranging his features into what he hoped was a smile, shifting the bags to his left hand and holding out his right to shake. "Welcome. You here to support Shawn for the finale?"

Ryan gripped Derek's hand tightly – a bit more tightly than was necessary, true, but Derek hadn't been lifting women into the air and spending his life dancing as a sport for nothing – so he returned the grip just as tightly. Derek watched as Ryan's eyes swept him up and down, gauging his mettle.

"Yeah, thanks," Ryan said as they let go of each other's hands, a silent battle of wills.

Derek nodded briefly. "We need to get started, but anyone who wants to watch is welcome. I'm sure she'd love for you to see her dance."

"Nah, not watching," Ryan said easily. "Just brought her over, and picking her up later." He looked around for Shawn, who in the meantime had apparently moved over to Melissa, who was whispering fiercely to her. "Hey," he said in her direction, "I'm off. Be ready by eleven, okay?"

Shawn looked back at Ryan, her face carefully composed. "Yeah, okay."

At that, Ryan walked out of the room, but not before giving a more cheerful wave and a wink at the cameras that were constantly running around them. Immediately Melissa began talking to Shawn in a quiet voice, and although no one could hear what it was that she was saying, it was obvious – with her flailing hands and animated expressions – that she was not very happy.

"What's eating Mel?" Tony Dovolani, Melissa's partner, suddenly asked.

Derek turned towards the older pro and shook his head. "She doesn't like Shawn's boyfriend."

"Yeah?" Tony looked around and, as if on impulse, lowered his voice. "Tell you the truth, he looked like an absolute douche."

Grinning at the comment – and, if he were a bit more honest with himself, agreeing with it wholeheartedly – Derek shrugged. "I told Mel it was none of our business. It's Shawn's life."

"Pshaw," Tony muttered. "I'm sure she'd be more willing to dump him if there was someone who's a better alternative." And with a hard slap on Derek's shoulder – leaving his shoulder stinging and his neck twinging – Tony walked away from him, going over to the stairs where Melissa's tirade seemed to have ended and the two girls were locked in a hug.

Too far away to hear any conversation, Derek watched silently as Tony gently disengaged his own partner from Shawn and gave her a hug himself. Melissa tenderly tucked Shawn's blonde hair away from her face and gave her one last, swift smile before turning away and going off to the other rehearsal room with her own partner.

From where she stood, Shawn looked around until her eyes met Derek's. For a beat they did nothing but look at each other, not saying a word, communicating understanding even with the room's worth of distance between them.

You okay? Derek asked silently, his brows going up in question and concern even as he lowered her bags onto one of the benches.

Shawn smiled at him, a tremulous sort of smile, and nodded.

Derek smiled back.

"What the heck is that guy here for, Shawn?" Melissa whispered fiercely. "I can't believe you're still with him."

"He wanted to come," Shawn whispered back, her eyes locked on the two blonde men who were gripping hands like they were casually trying to rip the other's off. She saw Ryan give Derek a gauging sweep, to which her dancing partner, thankfully, did not react.

After a short exchange with Derek, Ryan turned back to Shawn, his stance almost dismissive. "Hey," he said in her direction, "I'm off. Be ready by eleven, okay?"

Shawn looked back at Ryan. "Yeah, okay."

"Look at that." Melissa hissed again, watching Ryan's departing wave at the camera crew. "A while ago he looked like he wanted to murder Derek, or at least beat him up, and now he's all smiley in front of the cameras." She paused, looking at Shawn. "Answer me, Shawn. Are you still together?"

"I … I don't know, Mel," Shawn said. "We broke up, but … he said he was sorry, and he wanted to come, and I just felt, you know, maybe if we work on it some more …"

"Oh, come on, Shawn. He wants to leech off your popularity, that's all." Melissa said sarcastically.

"Oh, Mel, he's not that bad," Shawn said, feeling the need to defend Ryan. "He's just … you know, such a boy sometimes."

"Yeah? And his flirting with other women when you guys are in a committed relationship … that's just him being a boy?" Melissa snorted in disgust, her arms flailing helplessly. "Believe me, Shawn. This coming from a woman who thought she had found love because she was only too willing to close her eyes to the truth, was disappointed as a result, and humiliated on national TV to boot."

Shawn looked at Melissa then, her eyes anguished. "But at least he says he loves me."

Melissa's face softened as she gathered the younger girl into a hug. "Oh, Shawnee girl, what a guy says doesn't do anything. It's what he does … and sometimes, the things he doesn't say … those are the things that matter most."