AU Summary: Really... This is kinda the beginning of the AU and explains most of it for you. Andrew, Randy, and Danny were all friends in high school, Danny a freshman, Andrew a sophomore, Randy a senior. Right now, Danny is about twenty years old.


Danny really wasn't sure what he had been expecting. Logically, he knew that he had invited Andrew and Randy to stay at his apartment while they were renovating, and he knew they were spending the night, but for some reason when he woke up, he hadn't been expecting them to still be there in the morning. But when he had rolled over to start on breakfast, he had ended up rolling right into Andrew, who groaned, "I see you're still a morning person."

Danny couldn't help a wince as Andrew started to raise his head and look at him. "Yeah. Sorry, Didn't mean to wake you up, just-" Danny rolled the other way and expected to roll into Randy, but he just rolled into… Empty space. That was when he smelled it and frowned. Danny rose from the bed slowly and walked barefooted from his bedroom to the kitchen.

There Randy was, making breakfast with the first rays of sunlight settling across his tanned skin and setting him aglow in an entirely different way than Danny ever could. "Randy?" He watched Randy's head jerk up to look at him before the man smiled and relaxed again.

"Danny. It's okay that I made breakfast, right? I just thought I'd save you the trouble-"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," Danny said quietly, walking closer to him. "I just didn't expect it, but… Thanks." He smiled back at Randy. "Need any help with anything?"

Randy gave him a sheepish smile. "I would have made Annie's breakfast as well, but I'm afraid I don't much know how to mix a bottle of formula."

"Don't worry, she doesn't get up for a little while, yet. I like to have her bottle warm and ready when she's up." Danny did get her bottle out and set on the counter next to the formula, though, to remind himself when he heard her monitor go off. "So, I didn't realize you had turned into such an early riser. Did you sleep good?"

"Yeah, I did," Randy told him with a nod as he flipped… pancakes? He made pancakes? He didn't realize he'd had all the ingredients to make pancakes. Well, they smelled good, at least, though it didn't seem Randy had made very many. "Your internal A/C works wonders, you know," he said with a sly grin, an obvious reference to Danny's ghostly core. "Andy and I often end up overheating each other and crawling away in the middle of the night."

"Oh, uh, thanks? I think that's a compliment, at least." Danny walked over to watch Randy, and to see what all he'd made. "How long does Andy normally sleep in- Oh, is that bacon?"

"Yeah, there's a batch in the microwave already done, go ahead and have as much as you'd like. I might have run to the store earlier this morning, too."

Danny laughed as he opened the microwave and took out a few pieces of bacon, eating them heartily. "Why is it that I get the feeling you mean that literally?"

Randy chuckled, moving enough to bump his hip teasingly against Danny's. "I like to get a morning jog in before Andy gets up, is that so wrong?"

"I guess not." Danny leaned gently against Randy's arm. "I'm glad you two are happy. Where is your house, again? North side, right?"

"Yeah, with a great look at that big hill we all used to love when we were younger?"

Danny glanced out the window to his early morning view of cars and business buildings surrounding him, windows reflecting the sunlight directly into the kitchen. "Yeah. Sounds nice."

There was a moment's silence between the two of them before Danny felt Randy nudge him. "When it's all fixed up, you'll have to bring Annie over so we can return the favor. Don't worry, we'll only be here a month, then we'll get out of your hair."

"Yeah, hey, don't worry about it," Danny said quickly. "You guys are practically family, right? I'd do the same thing for Sam and Tucker."

"Thanks, Danny. That means a lot." Randy hummed as he went back to putting the finishing touches on their breakfast. Andrew, surprisingly enough, was up and out of bed just a few minutes later. He yawned as he stumbled out into the kitchen, wrapping an arm around Randy's waist with a quiet huff. Randy only leaned over and pressed a kiss to his hair. "Morning, sleeping beauty."

Andrew whined, "Why is it that you two always have to be up so early? The bed was empty and cold."

Danny couldn't help but to laugh, shaking his head at the two of them. "Here Randy was telling me that you two liked a nice cold bed."

"Well, sure, but mostly it was empty."

"Andy's never dealt well with being on his own for long," Randy 'whispered' to Danny as though this were a closely held secret. "He gets so clingy if I'm away just for a few hours."

"I do not!"

Danny winced at their volume. "Hey, guys, do you think you can keep it quiet? I don't want Annie waking up before she's ready."

Both of them looked sheepishly at each other before nodding. "Right."

"Sorry." Andrew cleared his throat. "How'd you find her, anyway?"

Danny smiled. He'd told the story probably a million times over already, but he did still love to tell it. "Well, you know how I volunteer with some of the kids at a group home, or two. Annie was placed in one of the homes, and… It was kinda like love at first sight. I looked at her, and I knew that…" He glanced back to her nursery door. "I knew she was my little girl."

A hand gently rest on Danny's shoulder. "Danny, that's incredibly mature of you."

"Yeah, we're really glad it's been seeming to work out for the two of you," Randy commented.

As Andrew sat down, he continued. "I'll admit, when I'd heard that you were moving out and adopting all at once, I was worried because, well… You've always seemed a bit lacking in some aspects, maturity primarily. But… This place is wonderful, and Annie seems happy and healthy, so… Obviously you're doing something right," he said, glancing around the apartment.

Danny smiled as he sat down as well. "Thanks, Andy. That means a lot. Sam and Tucker have worried about me and Annie, too. But… I really can do this."

"We know, Danny," Randy told him, getting out plates to serve them. "One thing you've never been is incapable. Now, how about this breakfast?" Breakfast sounded good, just then.