Danny leaned in and kissed me. His bare arms were tan and stronger than ever, scars and all, as the wrapped around my body and drew me closer to him.

            I pulled away and studied his face for a moment, in a state of absolute euphoria. I looked at his neck and saw the scar from the metal, a deep line along the left side.

            "Oh," I murmured, touching it and feeling the heat that it emanated. I moved my mouth to the scar and tenderly brushed my lips over it.

            "Lord," he gasped with a soft smile, "That feels good…"

            "You won't leave me again?" I whispered, pushing him against the bureau.

            "Never. I'm staying right here for the rest of my life," he panted, lifting up my dress.

            Danny picked me up easily and brought me into my room, same place as it had always been. He gently laid me down on the soft, rosy comforter and kneeled between my bent knees, staring down at me.

            "I love you, Suze."

            "I love you, too."

            He bent down and kissed me again, easing his body down onto mine. He began to kiss my neck, his hands caressing my shoulder and hip simultaneously as I gasped for air. This was incredible, surreal. I brought my leg up and wrapped it around his waist, pushing my hips up towards his. I buried my face in his soft, dark hair and grasped it with my hands. He came back to my face and looked me in the eyes.

            "Are you sure?" he asked, sweat dripping down his face.

            "You asked me that a long time ago," I breathed, my body trembling with desire. He smiled and kissed me lightly, then looked back into my eyes and never moved his gaze again until it was over.

            He thrust once, and I gasped. It had been so long. We began to move rhythmically, our bodies like one as we gazed at each other. It was nearly silent; we only needed the satisfaction of knowing that we were together again to be fulfilled.

            Afterwards, we lay on my small bed, side-by-side, and wide-awake. He stretched out beside me and stared at me, grinning like a little child. I smile back.

            "What?" I asked, giggling.

            "I feel like it was just yesterday that I first kissed you," he laughed, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his mouth for a second.

            "I remember that, it was down on Stanley Road and Rafe was drunk."

            "Yea, and you were thinkin' about the stars." He sighed and ran his fingers through my hair. "Do you ever think of them anymore?"

            "Not so much, I haven't had the time lately. But when you were gone, I used to go out and sit in the field and look up at them. I wondered if you were up there."

            "I did the same thing in China. Only the view wasn't as beautiful as it is here."

            "It is gorgeous from here, no lights to crowd the skies; jus the stars and the clouds and the moon…I wish I could look at them more often."

            Danny bolted up and grabbed me.

            "I've got an idea," he announced, pulling me too my feet and wrapping a blanket around my shoulders. "Put somethin' on real quick, and I'll be right back."

            He ran out of the room and down the hall and I threw on my nightie. I piled my hair up in a messy bun and stood in the doorway.

            What in hell is he up to? I wondered, smiling to myself. It doesn't matter; he can do whatever he wants. I got my miracle.

            Danny came back out, wearing an old pair of slacks and his undershirt. He grabbed my hand and led me outside.

            "It's after midnight!" I said, surprised.

            "All the better," he laughed, pulling me down the porch steps and out into the field. He pulled me down in a small clearing and flopped backwards onto the ground. I laid down beside him and looked at his face for some sort of clue.

            He turned his head and gazed at me.

            "You said you wanted to see the stars again," he whispered. "What better time than now?"

            I wanted to cry at his sweetness, and it all reminded me of a time long past…a time I'd almost forgotten…

~*~*~*~*~*~

            "Rafe! You gotta be more quiet," I hissed, pushing him along out the porch door. Danny stood outside, his overalls rolled up to his knees and no shirt underneath them.

            "You guys ready or what?" he asked impatiently. After all, he was only fifteen-years-old...time was money.

            "God dammit, Danny, hold your horses," I snapped. "Rafe was just tripping all over everything so we had to take our time."

            "I was not!" Rafe responded with a shove. "I'm just tired is all."

            "So when is this thing happenin'?" I asked, trying to catch up with Danny and Rafe as they pushed their way through the field.

            "It's a meteor shower, Suze," Rafe barked. "You can't predict the exact time their gonna start. We just gotta wait."

            We sat down on the grass and waited. Danny lit a cigarette and passed one to Rafe who, in turn, passed one to me.

            "What if they hit us?" I asked, exhaling deeply.

            "They won't," Danny answered with a shrug. He patted my shoulder and smiled at me. "They aren't gonna come over here. They're gonna fly right past the earth like this…" He whizzed his hand past my cheek and I laughed. "…And then they're gonna go flying off to some other planet and land there."

            Rafe laughed and put his arm over my shoulder.

            "You're gonna be just fine, kiddoe," he smiled, kissing the top of my head. He had always been the best when it came to comforting me. Even though he tried to act tough, it always fell through when I was around. "I gotta pee." He stood up and walked away to find a good place to whiz.

            I flopped down on the ground and looked up at the stars. They were beautiful.

            "So," Danny began, "Are you excited to see this? It's not everyday you see a meteor shower."

            "Yea," I answered. "I love the stars. I wanna see a shooting star someday…you can wish on those, ya know."

            He laughed and mussed up my hair with his hand. "Meteors are shooting stars, Suze. And tonight you can make as many wishes on them as you want."

            Rafe stumbled back and laid down, resting his head on my stomach. As we all fixed our eyes on the sky, beams of light began to streak across it.

            "Well would ya look at that," Rafe muttered in disbelief as Danny drew in his breath and I smiled widely.

            I wish there could be more nights like this, I wished, resting my hand on Rafe's forehead.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Danny watched as single beam on light flew over our heads.

            "I don't believe it," he murmured with a small laugh. "A shooting star."

            "I remember when I first saw one of those," I whispered happily. "I saw it with you and Rafe."

            He sat up and pulled my head onto his lap, running his hand along my cheek.

            "I'm gonna ask you something," he said seriously. "Something I've wanted to ask you for a long time, but never got the chance to."

            I caught my breath and looked up at him.

A/N: Ohhhhh what's he gonna ask her?!? Hehehe, you might find out later tonight ;) I have the whole house to myself tonight, so you can bet your butts I'll be writing the next chapter. I'm really proud of this one here, please tell me what you think? Next chapter, they're going out to town and someone brings up jack, Danny gets jealous, then later (either the next chapter or the one after it) Rafe and Evelyn come home with the kids. What's Danny gonna do?!? PLEASE REVIEW!! It only takes a second, and I'd really appreciate it…think of it as my Christmas present!