Author's Note: Do you suppose I should put another disclaimer, or do you all understand that I'm too cheap to own them? *smirk* Did you all enjoy the little cliff-hanger I put in there? Sean VS Shane... rarrr all the way!

~~~~~

Sean grinned and stood directly in Shane's way. He could see the anger on his face, dark and red, and they had never gotten along before- why should he let him have an easy night? "Something wrong?" he asked, holding back laughter with a confident smirk.

Darkened eyes met Sean's, and Shane forced his anger under control. He could easily turn this into a physical fight, but that wouldn't be worth the trouble. "Nothing that pertains to you, and nothing you could begin to understand." He gave Sean a cocky grin in return and glanced around the hallway. No one was there, and he was finally going to have a chance to give Sean a piece of his mind. It was long overdue, and both men were ready for a fight- whether they wanted it or not.

"What exactly are you trying to say? And, why don't you actually be a man and say it to my face?" He shrugged and looked right at Shane, eyes challenging and just as determined. That one insult to his intelligence wasn't going to get under his skin, he could find a comeback any day.

They had never been friends for a day in their lives, never had even been social enough to see things on the same page. Their main disagreement, no surprise, was Danielle. Sean had dated her- and wouldn't mind another night with her- and Shane was jealous of him. But, Shane had a closeness to her that Sean could never even hope to achieve. They both wanted the same woman, but they were so different and had despised each other since day one.

Shane rolled his eyes and looked at Sean with a hint of disgust. The self- proclaimed stud and so-called 'every woman's dream' had an ego that begged to be burst. "I'd have no problem saying it in more simple terms- if you didn't get the message the first time." He narrowed his eyes and moved nose- to-nose with Sean. "I was trying to say that you are too much of a jackass to understand what I was thinking about."

"Oh, really?" Sean replied, leaning against the wall casually. "I'll bet you it has something to do with... let me see... a tall redhead. About 5'9, 5'10, really nice body, and fantastic in bed." He paused and then smirked. "Never mind, you wouldn't know that."

Shane watched him bitterly, feeling the urge to give him a black eye or broken jaw. Was that all he saw when he looked at Danielle? Wrestler or not, Shane was in a mood where he could win a fight regardless. He fought for his calm and managed to give Sean a cool glare. "Wouldn't I? And how would you be so sure? Dani hasn't laid a hand on you in a VERY long time."

"For a McMahon, you're so damn naive," he responded with a sigh. "Me and a drunk redhead, out partying, you do the math." Shane swallowed thickly, and Sean grinned. "Would you like that in black and white? Or maybe red?"

"You don't think I believe that, do you?" He raised his eyebrows and gave Sean a confident look, trying to hide his doubt. "Dani has better taste than that, she'd never be caught with you- even if you had her drunk."

"And you think she wants you?" Sean laughed and stood up straight, angry. "Just because you kissed you parents ass to get her hired, it doesn't mean she pity's you enough to screw you. Let alone give you what you really want out of her."

Danielle had just walked out into the hallway in time to hear Sean's last words. She froze, they both didn't see her, and watched the look on Shane's face. He was beyond pissed off, and he looked like he was about to attack Sean. Sean probably deserved it too, she thought, he was so arrogant sometimes and the look on his face was unmistakable. Condescending, anger, and that pure male confidence. He deserved what ever Shane did to him.

She watched them for a few more seconds, and the rigidness of Shane's shoulders became more apparent. He's going to do something stupid, he'll regret it. I can't let Sean do that.

Walking up to them noisily, both men turned and she didn't falter. Sean gave her a charming smile, and Shane only gave her a passing glance. She ignored Sean completely though, and walked up to her angry dinner date. She smiled reassuringly and threaded one hand through his hair. He looked at her, surprised, and she winked.

"I wanted to thank you for last night, it was the best night this week." She grinned and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek before turning and leaving.

Sean was left dumbfounded, and Shane gave him a cheerful smile- completely faked. He was grateful to Dani, she could be the best at being a bitch sometimes. "Like I said," Shane said with a casual shrug. "She has better taste than what you think." He walked away with a half strut and brilliant grin, enjoying the look of jealousy he'd gotten out of Sean. He owed Dani big time, but their earlier fight was far from forgotten.

~~~~~

The face in the mirror grinned at her. Well, I'm officially 26 years old. But, I can already drink and smoke legally- what's to celebrate? Danielle sighed and ran the brush through her hair another time. She'd gotten up early, just in case Stephanie showed up to "surprise" her, and was now fixing her hair.

She had on a pair of flame-patterned pants, a plan black t-shirt, and was planning on leaving her hair down. her eyes were still somewhat sleepy and had slight- or not so slight- circles around them, but she was smiling enough to light a room.

Sean had gotten what he deserved, Danielle had know doubt about it. All of the details were still unknown to her, but she hoped Shane would tell her sometime soon. And she hoped he wasn't still angry with her. They had fought, in a way, the night before... but it wasn't the worst argument they'd ever had. Danielle shook her head and glanced at the mirror on last time. I can think about that later, I've got to go and get some coffee and breakfast. And maybe find Shane.

~~~~~

Danielle's cheerful mood was gone by the time she arrived in the hotel lobby. She had gotten a 'happy birthday' congratulation every ten feet, and was getting tired of a forced smile and pretending to be excited. Stephanie had a party planned for her, two people had "accidently" told her before she got to the elevator. That made her feel better and smirk a little, at least she knew what was going on.

Everyone always made a big deal out of birthdays and anniversaries, to Danielle they were just another day. She had told Stephanie not to make a fuss out of July 23rd, her birthday always turned out badly and she just wanted to end the tradition.

Danielle's 17th birthday, the same day when she got mugged for the first time in Halifax. Her 20th birthday, her first real night of drinking alcohol before getting busted for being too young. Her 22nd birthday, the day when she fell down two flights of stairs and broke her ankle- for the third time. Yeah, she thought dryly, I wonder if something I'll really remember will happen this year.

The lobby and dining hall were quieter than usual, but it wasn't too much of a shock- it was only about 8:23am. She got herself a cup of coffee- double double, as usual- and went into the almost empty dining hall. Someone had moved a piano in, and a short blonde woman sat there, playing quietly. Danielle sat a few tables away, un-noticed, and listened.

The melody was slow and haunting, with slow deep notes and a run of higher ones. It was beautiful in it's simplicity, and Danielle half smiled as she sat transfixed. Another pause in the music, and then the unknown pianist started another string of notes, with increasing speed. The entire song was a mix of high and low tones, and varied from a slow dramatic speed to a fast running pace. It lasted for mere minutes, and then the notes hung in the air.

Danielle smiled and started to applaud. The blonde turned around for a second, embarrassed and flushed, and then hid her face by facing the piano again.

"I... I didn't know anyone was in here," the woman said softly, hands resting on the large ivory keys without making a sound.

"You don't have to be modest, that was amazing. You're very talented." Danielle stood up and took her coffee with her, over to the piano. She walked to the side of it, so she could see who the mystery musician was, and couldn't meet her eyes. No answer came from the shy woman, and Danielle offered her hand. "I'm Danielle, and you are...?"

The blonde blushed and finally looked at Danielle, gently shaking her hand- like she was war and unsure of her intentions. "Morgan Johnson." Her voice was soft and had a song-like quality to it, matching her face- hidden beneath small glasses and long bangs.

She looks so shy, Danielle thought in disbelief. No one around here is shy, she must be from away. "Nice to meet you, Morgan. Are you a professional?"

Shaking her head, Morgan grabbed the sheet music in front of her. "I just like to mess around on the piano, I'm not good enough to be a professional." She picked up a bookbag from the floor and pushed her papers in quickly.

"Could've fooled me," Danielle replied, drinking from her coffee. "Anyway, catch you later, Morgan." She gave her another grin and started to walk away, allowing herself to shake her head when she was out of the dining room. That girl is so quiet, like she's afraid. And, Danielle added mentally, she kind of acts like a mouse. The kind of thing you'd get in a pet store.

There was something familiar about her though, but Morgan didn't seem to recognize her. Danielle dismissed it, she knew plenty of people who played the piano, it was probably just that. And blondes, who doesn't see a dozen of them a day?

Danielle was walking up to her room again without realizing it, and she only stopped when someone called her name and she heard it. She turned, and there was Sean, running to catch up to her.

"Hey babe!" he said, giving her a slight smile. "We've got to talk, about a certain 'best night this week.' " Sean was hiding his irritated tone, but she could see it in his smile. His skin was pulled to taunt to be cheerful too, and his eyes were everything but happy.

She sighed as he guided her to the side of the hallway, resting his back against the wall as he watched her. Danielle shrugged. "There's nothing to talk about," she replied. "You were being an ass and got what you deserved."

Sean lowered his eyebrows at her. "Is it true then? Did daddy's boy become a man?"

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Danielle walked past. "You know, Sean, you can be a real prick," she said back to him. She didn't wait for a reply as she went back to her room. She was sick of him being such a child.

"Happy birthday," he called after her. She pretended not to hear him.

~~~~~

"What?! Who told you?"

Danielle grinned and pushed her sunglasses further up onto her nose. Stephanie was angry- to say the least- that she had found out the time and place of her surprise party. She watched Stephanie pace in her high heels and flail her arms, and had to laugh. "I'd tell you, really I would... but then I'd have to remember so many names."

Stephanie stopped and looked at her, mouth open. "God, how many people did you bribe? It's supposed to be a surprise, Dani! You're not supposed to know about it!"

"Yeah," Danielle said with a nod. "That's usually what a surprise is." Stephanie glared at her and fell into the chair opposite her with a sigh. "Besides," Danielle added. "I didn't bribe anyone. They kinda just... said it by accident. Really."

With an angry pout, Stephanie folded her arms and sighed again- just for effect. They were in her hotel room, Danielle noticed it was bigger than everyone else's, where Stephanie was trying to convince Danielle they should go to the dining hall that night. Around nine, she said, because there were some interesting decorations that she wanted to look at.

Danielle had put her out of her misery then and told her that they really shouldn't miss the party. Even in her down mood, Danielle found things amusing from that moment on. Stephanie's reaction... it made her smirk just to think of it. She just loved chaos.

"Can you pretend to be surprised?" Stephanie asked, a hopeful grin covering her disappointment.

Nodding, Danielle started to make silent faces. Exaggerated visions of shock, delight, and modesty so unbelievable that Stephanie had to laugh.

"You're so weird," she muttered, still smiling. She sighed then and leaned forward to rest her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. "I guess the 'faking surprise' idea is out. Just... how many details do you know?"

"Surprise party, nine-ish. Dining hall." Stephanie's face shot up, surprised, and Danielle shrugged. "You can be happy now, 'cause that's all I know."

"That almost makes up for you knowing the other stuff!" Stephanie nodded- she did the same McMahon grin, full of ideas- and stood up. She looked at Danielle and motioned toward the door. "Get out, I've got things to plan."

Danielle shook her head and started toward the door. "Things to do... strippers to hire... booze to buy... secret party to plan..."

~~~~~

Eventually returning to her room around 2pm, after more "enjoyed" congratulation, Danielle fell onto the cough with a yawn. Just relax, she told herself, take the rest of the day off. She grinned and reached for her bag on the floor. She found her cell phone and dialed a familiar number, waiting for an answer and hoping for good reasoning skills. She might need them.

"Hello?" A gruff, male voice answered, sounding stressed and tired.

Danielle found her nicest voice, maybe this wouldn't be too hard if he was already in a bad mood. "Hey, it's Danielle. I was wondering, can I skip out on my session this afternoon?" She heard Kel, her personal trainer, sigh. She hurried for a good reason. "C'mon, I'll do double tomorrow!"

He was silent, thinking, and he laughed softly. "Fine, but you are going to regret this then. And, I'd better not hear any whining when you pass out from exhaustion."

She knew she was going to hate her choice, but it was worth it- at that moment. She hung up after thanking him again, and tossed the cell phone back onto the floor. It didn't find her bag, but she didn't care. Slowly rolling onto her back, she turned the television on and started at the ceiling. She was grateful for the background noise and the convenient remote control, what would she do without them?

Drifting between sleep and consciousness, Danielle eventually found the topic of Sean. He had such an attitude lately, but she couldn't completely understand why. There had always been bad blood between him and Shane, but lately it had come to a boil. The previous night's fight had the possibility to be bad, and she was sure it would happen again. What would happen though, if no one was around to stop them both from acting like fools?

Danielle groaned in frustration and covered her eyes with one hand. Damn men, she thought. I should've let them tear each other apart. Maybe then it would be the end of it, and life could go on.

This birthday was going to be different, Danielle had to admit that. She always had someone on her birthday who would stay with her after the celebration, just to help her wind down with a hug or a few jokes, and quiet. That person, for the last four or five years, had always been Sean Morley. Her date or her friend, the line was always blurred. But, this year wouldn't be like that- not with their current arguments. It didn't bother he as much as it should have.

She remembered her last birthday, a night out at an exclusive club. Sean and her had a few too many drinks, but she could still clearly remember dancing, all night, with him. Being tired and contrary by the time he helped her to his hotel room, he knew just to leave her on the couch with a kiss and a glass of water. That was why she could never stay mad at him. Whenever things were serious and she needed something, he knew it and wouldn't ask too much of her. It always made up for the times when he was a jerk.

But he'd been so different lately. His flirty attitude hid something less cheerful and more demanding, almost frightening. And the way he looked at her had changed. His eyes used to be so teasing, full of laughter just waiting to come out. Now, they were always filled with a possessiveness that was starting to make her worry. It wasn't the friend she was used to, and she hoped it wouldn't last.

Danielle sat up slowly and rubbed her forehead. Of all the things to help her anti-celebration mood... Sean wasn't one of them right now. She turned off the television mindlessly and stretched her arms above her head. They made a satisfying crack and she yawned.

A loud knock on the door stopped her mid-yawn, and any hope of sleep was gone. "Just a minute!" she called out, standing up and slowly going to the perfect white door. She opened it and peered out into an empty hall. Leaning out the door, no one could be seen. She shrugged and stepped back- tripping over a flat box underneath her.

It was blank and unwrapped, nothing more than a white box. She raised one eyebrow and reached for it, someone must've meant to leave it for her... probably Stephanie. Danielle had to smirk, she was still desperate to make something about the party a surprise.

Opening the box, she pulled out a piece of clothing, folded into a neat square. She held it up in front of her, letting it fall into it's normal shape as she shook her head. It was a dress, coloured different shades of red, with a simple spaghetti-strap style. Not too short, it would probably fall to her knees, and it looked like it would fit snugly. There was a note lying in the box, and she recognized Stephanie's handwriting.

Happy birthday! 9pm, dining hall, you already know when and where. Smile!

Rolling her eyes, Danielle lay the dress on the couch and walked toward the bathroom. Might as well get dressed, got a birthday to celebrate. I wonder if it will go as wonderfully as every other year....

~~~~~