False Impressions 5

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Laura, Josh, Danny and Sean are mine, but the others belong to people who are not me. Lucky them...

Comments in Italics are thoughts. Comments in [ ] are from me, and have no point in the story, really.

-

Don't care what people say
Just follow your own way
Don't give up and use the chance
To return to innocence

Enigma 'Return to innocence'

-

Dee jumped as the door behind him slammed open. Turning he was greeted by a pouncing JJ, who latched his arms around his neck. "Dee-semPAI!"

"AHH! JJ!" Dee gaped down at the cop, who, instead of the deathgrip he usually used, had settled for an easily broken hold. "W-what do you want?"

JJ grinned and held up...a candy cane. "You said you liked 'em, so I brought some in!"

"Oh. Well...uhh...thanks."

JJ let him go, unwrapping one of the candies and popping it in Dee's mouth. "See. Good, aren't they?"

Dee glared at him, looking absurd with the cane still sticking out of his mouth. He pulled it out, glaring at the laughing JJ. "What're you laughing at?"

"You just look so...glaring around that..." JJ dissolved into laughter again. Dee growled and grabbed at him, playfully swatting him in the side. "Laugh at me, will ya?"

"AHH! Dee-sempai, no tickling! No fair!"

Ryo, forgotten in the background, felt his eye twitch and his anger rising. "JJ, omae..."

"Jealous, aren't you?"

He jumped, and turned to find Danny practically nose to nose with him. "D-Danny?!"

She winked at him, sitting on the edge of one of the desks. "You're jealous of Jamie..." She laughed quietly.

"What's so funny about that?"

"Just a week ago, he was jealous of you. Kind of ironic, huh?"

"He was...Well..." Ryo trailed off, flustered.

Danny waved a finger at him. "No getting all flustered about it now. After all, it is your fault. All you need to do to get Dee-san all to yourself is admit you like him...although..." She glanced over at JJ and Dee, who were now trying to out-tickle each other. "It may be getting more complicated then that now."

Ryo sighed. "Well, it's not like I can just come out and say...HEY! What're you doing, saying things like that!" He glared, blushing.

She shrugged. "It's the truth, isn't it?...Anyway, I wanted to know if you all wanted to come over for dinner tonight."

Ryo sweatdropped. "What a twisted invitation."

"Hush...Anyway, interested? I know JJ'll be asking Dee-san any second here."

"Of course!"

"If Dee-san goes, right?"

"Well..."

"I think it's a good idea."

Ryo and Danny blinked at the speaker, who'd appeared unnoticed to hop into Danny's lap. "B-Bikky?"

The brawl in the background paused. "Bikky?" Dee was incredulous. "What're you doing he-AH!"

They all turned to see JJ pinning Dee against the wall, holding his hands over his head. "I win!"

Dee quickly kissed him, pausing JJ to start and relax a little. Dee used that opportunity to turn the tables, pinning JJ. Ryo hissed, clenching a fist so tight he broke his pencil. Danny sighed. "Much more complicated."

Bikky eyed JJ and Dee for a minute, then leaned back and cuddled up against Danny. "Hmph."

*WHOCK**WHOCK*

Dee and JJ both glared down at Bikky, who was holding his head. "That hurt! You didn't both have to hit me!"

"Don't do that!" They yelled as one.

Danny laughed, hopping off the desk. "Well, I've got to be leaving. I'll see you all later."

Ryo watched her leave, as Bikky and Dee started fighting in the background. "But you didn't tell us what time?"

* * *

"Eh? You live here?" Bikky stared at the rather worn-looking apartment building before them. "I'd expect that of you, JJ, but not Danny."

JJ glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"..." They entered the building, Bikky archly ignoring JJ. Cramming into the old elevator they went straight to the top floor. Exiting Ryo blinked. "Araa? Only one apartment?"

"Mm." JJ smirked at Bikky.

He pushed open the door and they stepped inside. Dee peered around. "Nice place."

The apartment took up the whole floor, with large open windows opposite the entrance and pale wood flooring. Three closed doors led off into other rooms from a large, combined living/dining room and an open door led to a kitchen. Bikky ran up to the couch in front of the TV. "Very nice."

Ryo frowned. "Take your shoes off, Bikky."

"Fine, fine..."

Danny wandered out of the kitchen, another woman behind her. Ryo and Dee assessed the woman quickly. She was wearing a suit, tall with green eyes and braided red hair. Danny gestured to her. "This is Laura. I'd be lost without her. She's my assistant, and does all the things I'm too busy goofing off to do."

Laura smiled at her, then turned back to them. "Jamie, remember, you have to work early tomorrow. No getting drunk."

"Yes ma'am."

Laura headed for the door. "I have to go. Late for an appointment." She looked Ryo and Dee over and smiled. "I'll see you later, gentlemen."

Danny grinned as Laura left. "You're lucky she was leaving, or you'd've gotten The Test."

"The Test?"

JJ nodded. "Laura always tests Danny's friends."

"They'd be safe. She only actually tests my boyfriends. Well, and you."

"Oh..." He paused, thinking. "Why was she here anyway? Don't tell me she was testing him?"

"OK. I won't then."

Everyone, except Danny, jumped at the sudden intrusion. JJ glared at the man standing in the doorway. "What're you doing here?"

Josh pouted and held up a bag. "Danny sent me to get some last-minute groceries."

"..."

"Ummm..." Carol blinked. "Who's this?"

Josh grinned. "I'm Josh. Josh Raven...Eh? Laura's gone?" He made a face. "And she was so nice too."

JJ glared. "..."

Danny beamed. "Josh, this is Randy-san, Dee-san, Carol and Bikky."

"Nice to meet you...Where should I drop these?"

"On the counter, with everything else. I hope you all like hamburgers?"

"Sounds good to me." Carol smiled. "Can I help?"

"Thanks. That'd be great."

"I'll help too." Ryo offered.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Dee asked.

"That'll be OK Dee. The three of us can handle it. Keep order out here, would you?"

"Sure." He grinned. "Anything for the pretty girl."

"Or guy." She winked.

Josh sweatdropped. "Do you know any straight people?"

"Hey, I'm straight!" Bikky protested.

"Me too!" Carol refused to be left out.

"...Over the age of 18."

"..." Danny thought. "Actually..."

JJ blinked. "Isn't Laura straight?"

"Laura doesn't count...Other than her, no."

Josh shook his head. "You people are all very strange."

"But that's what makes us so interesting!"

"Perhaps..."

"Umm... Shouldn't we start cooking?"

* * *

Dinner was eaten, the dishes were soaking, so everyone was lounging around the TV eating chips and watching Football. Danny and Josh were sprawled in one of the large chairs, Bikky and Carol inhabited the other, and Dee was between JJ and Ryo on the couch. Dee, who actually liked Football enough to be watching the game with interest, kept missing the frowns and stares JJ and Ryo threw each other, as they inched closer to him. Danny was ignoring them, for once, trying to figure Football out. She'd never actually watched a game before, so didn't understand any of the rules. Josh was trying to help her out, despite not knowing much about the game himself. Bikky was half-heartedly watching the game, as Carol read a book she'd grabbed from Danny's collection.

"He fumbled it?" Dee gaped at the TV. "How could he fumble that? It went straight to him!"

Danny was totally lost. "What's going on here? They're just running around hitting each other and dropping the ball."

"That's the problem. They're supposed to hold onto it." Josh shrugged.

"...This sport's stupid."

"I know."

Dee stood, grumbling. He walked off to the kitchen, leaving JJ and Ryo to stare each other down. "I need a beer."

Sparks flew as JJ and Ryo tried to out glare each other. Bikky and Danny, bored with the game, watched with wide eyes. "Scary..."

Dee returned a minute later, carrying three beers. He tossed one each to Ryo and JJ, sitting back down between them. JJ locked his arms around Dee's neck as Ryo sputtered. Dee snorted, turning and falling back so he was lying tucked under JJ's chin, Ryo held against him. Ryo smiled, closing his eyes, wrapping his arms around Dee's waist.

"Aww..." Danny cooed. "How cute!"

Bikky snorted. "You look like you're falling off the chair."

Danny, who did indeed look as if her continued presence on the edge of the chair was a rebellion against gravity, made a face at him. "I'm comfy, thank you!"

"I'm not complaining." Josh had one arm wrapped around her to steady her, the other held his beer.

Ryo was going to say something when he felt JJ poke him in the neck. He squirmed to get away from the fingers and to glare up at JJ. Instead of JJ, however, he faced Dee. "What's up Ryo? Somethin' wrong?"

"Uhh...No..."

Nothing's wrong, really. It's just that you're totally, unbelievably sexy when you look through your bangs at me like that...

Ryo blushed. Where'd that thought come from?

Wasn't me, this time. The old voice said. Might it be...hormones?

Ryo sighed. He was going insane and the voices in his head were taunting him.

"O-ho? What's this?" Dee grinned. "Ryo's blushing."

"I am not!" he turned even redder.

JJ snickered. "Ryo-sempai, you look like a tomato."

"I do not!" Ryo fumed.

"It's cute." Dee pronounced. JJ immediately stopped laughing.

Ryo frowned. "It is not cute! I am not blushing!"

"I know a way to remedy that!" Dee proclaimed, then pulled Ryo closer and kissed him.

Ryo struggled weakly for a moment, then relaxed into the kiss. Josh sweatdropped, JJ looked fit to kill, Danny sighed, and Bikky...

Well, Bikky, being Bikky, hopped off the chair, walked over to the couch and nailed Dee in the knee with a kick. Dee cursed, attempting to reach for Bikky and grab at his ankle at once. Since he was all entangled with Ryo and JJ, this had some rather interesting contortional affects. Josh's sweatdrop grew. "...I think I better be going?"

"Already?" Danny smirked knowingly at him. He nodded helplessly. "I... have a busy day tomorrow?"

"Sure..." She stood. "I'll go get your coat."

Ryo managed to extricate himself from the mess. "We should be going too."

"Already?" Bikky and Carol protested.

"You two have school. And I have to work."

"No fair!"

Danny hmmed. "Well, I suppose this is a good time to break everything up. You all are free to come back whenever you want."

"Really?" Bikky and Carol chorused, little faces excited.

"As long as you warn us." JJ qualified.

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Bikky..." Ryo warned.

Dee grinned at Danny. "Had fun. We'll be back, don't worry."

"Good." She smiled. "Jamie, help me get them their coats."

"OK."

Josh and JJ locked gazes for a minute, and both frowned. Danny, going off to get Josh his coat, completely ignored the frosty stares being exchanged. Returning she handed Josh and Ryo their coats, whacking JJ on the arm. "You aren't being much help."

JJ shrugged, wandering off to get the rest of the coats. Dee hmmmed, and leaned over to whisper in Ryo's ear. "Wonder why JJ doesn't like Josh..."

"I don't know. You think he might be jealous?"

"She didn't say anything about him not liking her other boyfriends..."

"True..." Ryo shrugged. "Doesn't really matter though, now does it."

Dee shook his head. "I can't help but think it does." He watched as Danny said goodbye to Josh, smiling happily. "Something's going on here, and I don't like it..."

* * *

Someone was knocking...

Danny pulled her pillow over her head, closing her eyes, trying to will the annoying noise away. When it didn't cease, and possibly grew even more frantic, she turned to whining. "Jaaaamiiiieeee!!!" She ignored the fact JJ was probably asleep too, and unlikely to hear her. "Get the damn doooooor! Jaaaaaamiiiiiieeeeee!"

Nothing...

"DAMMIT! Jamie! That's it, no breakfast for you." Throwing off her covers Danny stumbled sleepily towards the door. "Who the hell dare disturbs me at this ungodly hour of..." She eyed the clock. "SIX AM! Shit! This better be good."

Pulling the door open she was almost run over by Sean. She stared as he stumbled in, hair and clothing wild. Sean was even more fussy about his own appearance than he was about hers, she'd never have guessed that his hair or clothing would even dare look so slept-in and worn, even in the privacy of his own home. "What's going on?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"I had dinner with friends last night until almost 11, I didn't hear much of any news."

"It happened around midnight, actually." He jumped up, grabbing her in a hug. "Thank god you're all right, I've been calling all morning!"

"Sean, it's six am. I'm never up this early. You know that."

"Yes, but...but... I figured that Jaime at least would be...since he's so... you know."

"So what?"

Sean coughed, muttering something that sounding like 'overprotective'. "So you really have no idea what happened last night?"

"No, I really don't. What happened?"

"...The murderer struck again."

"Aw, hell, that's bad. But people die all the time in New York, why'd you try beating down my door over it?"

"Danny, he killed Sarah."

"All right, so he...Sarah?! Our Sarah?"

Sean nodded, face serious. "They found her this morning, with her throat cut. Said it happened around midnight."

"That still doesn't explain why you rushed over here. Shouldn't you be at the studio?"

"Bill called me. He was scared to death, since you weren't answering your phone or pages or anything."

"I was asleep."

"How can you be so calm?" Sean looked on the edge of a heart attack. "Some psycho is going around killing models, and he killed Sarah, and you're wondering why I'm here?"

She sighed. "Sean, sweetie, no-"

"Jamie can't protect you from everything! What if they knock him out?"

"Never gonna happen." She was adamant. "...Look, you're a mess. You need some sleep, OK?"

"But..."

She guided him over to the couch. "Here, I'll go get some more pillows and a blanket. You sleep here today. That way, if anyone tries to get in, you'll know, OK?"

He considered that, then relaxed a little. "All right..."

She quickly set up the couch and put him to bed. After he fell asleep she walked over to the nearest door, opened it, and stepped inside.

JJ started as she sat beside him on his bed. "Nnn? Wha?"

"Sarah's dead..."

"Danny? Wha...oh...Who was at the door."

"Sean. I put him on the couch. He was scared half to death."

"Mm...Well...I suppose this is kind of a good thing, in a way."

"How?"

"No one from the same agency's ever been hit twice."

"But..."

He pulled her down onto the bed, spooning up behind her. "Don't worry, Danny. I won't let anything happen to you."

She smiled and nodded. "I know..."

They lay in silence a few minute, drifting off to sleep, until Danny couldn't resist but say. "Unless, of course, Dee-san asks you to."

"Mm. I dunno...but..." JJ buried his face in her hair. "He won't. So we don't have to worry, now do we?"

"No. I guess we don't."

End pt 5