Disclaimer: See Prologue

Thank you so much, all of you who reviewed! I'm going to start making a list in the next chapter or so and start thanking you publicly. I don't have much time now, so I'll just give out a general thank you!

Thanks!

Allison

Chapter 3

Crystal forced down another shot. "I can't do this anymore!" She said to Amy. "How do you stand it?"

"Next time a guy buys you a shot..." Amy said, picking up a shot. "Follow it with a beer! Like so!" She chugged the shot and took a drink of the beer. "See?"

"I don't get it..." Crys said.

"I don't drink the shot!" Amy explained. "I spit it back into the beer bottle! Here, you try!" She handed Crystal an empty beer bottle and a full shot glass. Crystal took the shot, putting it into her mouth, and then she carefully spat it back into the beer bottle.

"Just keep track of your spittoon!" Tiff added. "Michelle served hers to Ty once by mistake...big drama."

Crystal laughed and moved down the bar to ask a guy what he wanted. "I'm just waiting for Tiff." He said.

"Now, now..." She flirted with a smile. "This is a no parking lane, then...if you're gonna sit at the bar, you've gotta order a shot."

"Okay..." He said, slowly. "I'll have a water."

"Right." Crystal turned to get him his water...when Michelle cut in.

"He just ordered a water? You know what to do." Crystal looked up at her before picking up the megaphone.

"Hey everybody!" She called. "This guy just ordered a water! Do we serve water in this bar!" She sprayed him as the crowd began chanting. 'Hell no, H20!"

"LONDON!" Tiff came running. "What are you doing? Stop!"

"Nobody orders water in your bar..." Crystal said, still spraying.

"He's the FIRE MARSHAL, London! He can order whatever he want!" Tiff turned to the man. "I'm so sorry, Mike! She's new! Do you want to talk outside?"

"Please!" The man sputtered. Crystal, devastated, hurried back to the bathrooms. Thirty seconds later, Amy walked in.

"What's wrong, Crystal?"

"I can't do this..." Crys said, her forehead against the wall.

"Sure you can!" Amy said, "You'll learn! Besides, cheer up! There's a nice young man out at the bar asking about you."

"What?" Crystal looked up.

"Yeah...he said his name was Draco Malfoy! Boy is he a hottie!" Crystal stared at Amy, dumbstruck. "Well? Go on!"

Crystal laughed and walked out. Halfway to the bar, an angry Tiff cornered her. "The firemarshal threatened to shut me down. Instead, he fined me $250." She said.

"Tiff, I'm so so..."

"I tell you what." Tiff cut her off. "You find a way to make me $250 tonight, and I'll let you come back tomorrow." She stormed off. Crystal sighed and continued to the bar, sliding over it and beginning to serve out drinks. She suddenly came face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"Wow...you found me." She said, lightly.

"Yeah...a friend of mine has been here before...he told me what the bardancers were called." The blond said, ordering a whiskey. She served it to him and continued serving out drinks.

"Well, take a good look...I think I'm going to be fired." Crys said, dejectedly. "I have to make Tiff $250 by the end of the night."

"Well..." Draco began to dig in his wallet.

"I don't want your money!" Crys exclaimed. Then, she was hit with an idea. "However, if you really want to help..."

"Just tell me what you want me to do." He said, earnestly.

Crystal smiled and lifted the megaphone. "Okay, Ladies! Coyote Ugly is going to have a once in the lifetime opportunity! Starting at just twenty five dollars, you could bid on a date with this hot, sexy, fully trained, house broken stud here!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Draco hissed.

"You said you wanted to help!" Crystal hissed. Into the megaphone, she said. "Turn around, sir! Let them get a good look!" Reluctantly, Draco turned.

"Twenty dollars!" A woman shouted in the back.

"Twenty five!"

"Thirty!"

By this time, the whole bar was watching...and as a song began to play, Amy and Michelle pulled Draco up onto the bar to dance. He began a sexy strip dance...and soon...

"EIGHTY!"

"ONE HUNDRED!"

"ONE HUNDRED FIFTY!"

"ONE HUNDRED SIXTY!" And on and on until finally one desperate woman in the back shouted.

"TWO HUNDRED FIFTY!"

"SOLD!" Crystal shouted. The middle aged woman ran up and climbed onto the bar, cash in hand, and began kissing Draco. He glared at Crystal.

"You owe me for this..." He said, handing her the money. She laughed and watched them walk out of the bar, turning to Tiff and handing her the money.

Crystal said goobye to Amy and walked out. She stopped short, however, when she saw Draco waiting...leaning against a camaro.

"Her name was Rachel Lee. A divorsee with three grown kids who hasn't been out on a date in years."

"Ah, see? You were doing a good deed!" Crystal said, laughing. Draco walked up to him.

"You still owe me!" He said.

"Alright...what do you want?" Crystal arched an eyebrow.

"I want what every man wants at this time of the night." At her suspicious look, he laughed. "Breakfast!"

"Sorry...my baby's at home with the sitter. I hope to start making enough soon to hire a nanny...but until then..."

"Later today, then!" Draco said. "You can bring the wee one with you!"

"I'll think about it." Crystal said, after some hesitation.

"Great! Here's my hotel number!" He handed her a card with a room number scrawled on it. Crystal looked at it and mentally made a face. What the hell was she getting herself into?

...Still, he had been her best friend...

She knew. She'd known from the moment he'd asked her to go, really...she'd known that she would go. Despite the fact that he called her fat and left her without her best friend to lean on when she'd needed him most, the fact still remained that he was her best friend. So she would go. She would let him see and know her son, even though he would only know him as Cody Rogers...the son of Crystal Rogers, who was a bardancer at Coyote Ugly.

To her credit, Crystal didn't cry when she watched him drive away.

When she walked into her flat, she saw Andrew on her couch, snoring, a line of drool running down his chin. She made a face. "You are SO doing my laundry for me this week, Drew..." She muttered as she locked the door, put the chain in, and headed into her room to change for bed. She peered into Cody's room and smiled, seeing her son hugging the gigantic teddy bear that his nana had sent him as he slept. She closed her eyes, considering. Cody made life worth it. Without friends, without anyone to turn to, he had been the one to keep her going. Could she really put that in jeopardy just because she was homesick?

As soon as she woke up, Crystal picked up the phone and, reading off of the card, she dialed the number to Draco's hotel.

"Hello?" Bags, but she'd missed his voice!

"Hi...Mr. Malfoy? It's Crystal...Crystal Rogers from Coyote Ugly."

"Oh! Crystal! Call me Draco, really!" She heard the joy in his voice at her call. "Did you decide you wanted to come to lunch?"

"Yes..." She looked into the living room, where Cody was playing and watching cartoons. "I did." She smiled. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "But first, I have to make a few arrangements. Say...Billy's Diner at twelve thirty? That'll give me time to finish up everything and get Cody ready."

"Sure." Draco said. She could hear the smile in his voice. "That'll give me time to call home anyways...I'm sure they're missing me now."

"Great!" She grinned and hung up before calling her mom.

"Hello?"

"Mum, how soon can you be packed and ready to come to America?"

"Well...what do I need?"

"No furniture...you won't need it."

"I wasn't planning on it anyway, darling."

"Other than that, almost anything you want. You've seen my flat. What doesn't fit in it will fit in storage, easily enough." Crystal said.

"Do you want anything from your other flat?" Anne asked.

"No, thanks though Mum. I know you'd like to go in and tidy up...but I'm just going to leave it like it is. This is my home now. I rebuilt my life, centering on Cody."

"I can be packed by tomorrow evening." Anne said.

"Okay...I'll have you a ticket for Thursday afternoon, then, to give you time for whatever you may need. Andrew MAY have to pick you up, depending on whether or not things get busy at the bar." Crystal said, softly.

"I still don't know if I like this idea of you working at a bar, Hermione."

"Mother! It's CRYSTAL!" Crystal said. "Cody will grow up to know me as Crystal. How confusing will it be for my poor son when people call me Hermione!"

"I suppose you're right..." Anne said, softly. "Just...I miss my Mione-Girl."

"I know, Mum, but that girl grew up and had to move on. Oh, hold on, I have a beep." She hit the flash button. "Hello?"

"Crystal? It's Draco. Hey, do you mind if I bring a couple of friends? They're in town with me and they'd like to meet the hottie that I keep talking about."

Crystal laughed. "Sure, sure. Listen, I'm on my other line, long distance...so I'll talk to you when I see you?"

"Sure thing." She hit the flash button again.

"You still there, Mum?"

"Yes. Hold on, H...er...Crystal. I've another call." Anne hit flash. "Hello?"

"Ms Granger?" Severus Snape's courteous voice came over the reciever.

"Oh hello, Severus." Anne said, pleasantly. "How are you?"

"I'm...doing okay. Listen, I was just wondering if we were still on for tea on Thursday afternoon."

"Oh! Of course, Severus!" Anne said.

"And...has Hermione gotten in touch? At all?"

"I'm sorry, Severus." Anne hated lying...but... "I haven't heard from her since the morning she disappeared..."

"I just thought I'd check. I'll see you on Friday. Goodbye, Ms. Granger."

"Goodbye, Severus." Anne said, softly, hitting flash. "You still there Crys?"

"Yes?" Crystal said, dusting a shelf.

"I can't go Thursday. It'll have to be Friday. I'm meeting S...a friend for tea on Thursday."

"Okay. I'll let you go and book the tickets now, then. They'll be in the mail for you by tomorrow." Crystal hung up and called the travel agency.

At noon, she walked into Bill's Diner, across from her apartment complex, pushing Cody in his stroller. She walked up to the counter. "Hey, Bill."

"Oh, hey Crys!" Bill said cheerfully. "You came just when I'm about to get off." His portly wife walked up beside him.

"Oh! Hey, Maureen!" Crystal said.

"Hello, Crys." Maureen smiled, looking down at Cody. "Hey there, Little Guy!" She smiled. "How about a popsicle?"

"Yeah!" Cody cried. Crystal laughed.

"How about after lunch?" She said, pointedly. Maureen nodded and, though he looked a little disappointed, Cody nodded as well.

"Oh, Crys..." Bill said. "I almost forgot. Some Draco character called and told you to get a table for four...he said he's running a little late and he and his friends will be here soon."

"Okay." Crystal said. "Is my usual booth free?"

"You know it is, Cryssie." Maureen said, smiling. Crystal laughed and wheeled Cody back to the booth, setting up a high chair for Cody. She didn't put him in it right then, letting him play a little in the mostly empty diner as she waited. Cody ran over to Maureen, untied her apron, and ran back to his mom for protection. Crystal would have stopped him, but Maureen had already expressed her delight about having a baby to play with, and the whole thing was so comical that the toddler's mother was doubled over with laughter when the bell on the door rang. She glanced over, tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, and the smile fell from her face. She stood, squaring herself off in case of a fight.

Draco Malfoy stood there with Ginny Weasley and Blaise Zambini, and the latter two were staring at her as if they'd seen a ghost.