It Had To Be You

Pairing: Danny/Mary
Disclaimer: I don't own Las Vegas. Things would be a lot different if I did. Also, I was not alive in the 60's so if anything is not historically accurate then I apologize.
Summary: This story takes place in 1962, immediately following the 60's portion of the episode Everything Old is You Again. It's a bit of fluff about a budding romance between Danny and Mary with some mobster drama thrown in for fun.

Rating: PG-13

-7-

Mary was dead on her feet. She'd had to fire two cooks and a waitress on Monday for stealing from the till, so on top of being especially busy for this time of year she was now understaffed as well. Hiring anyone new during the holiday season had proven problematic so she'd been working double shifts all week to cover.

"Hey, Mary, you off soon?" Delinda asked as she breezed into the coffee shop.

"Yeah, I've just got to finish up a few things and then I'm headed home to change," Mary told her as she finished filling a tray of sugars.

"Oooh, big night, huh?"

"Yeah, Danny's coming home today. I just want to look really special," Mary said, a small smile dancing across her lips. She was so lost in thought that the jar she was filling overflowed and spilled all over the counter.

"Mary, you really should play a little hard to get," Delinda gently chided as she helped rearrange the containers so Mary could wipe underneath. "You're supposed to be mad at him, remember?"

"I know, Delinda, but I just miss him so much. Besides, you're dad told you he was miserable, right?" At Delinda's nod Mary continued, "I think he's suffered enough and I'm just not good at all these games. I just want to be with Danny—that is, if he still wants to be with me."

"Oh, he does--trust me. Daddy said he's about ready to strangle him with all his brooding and pitiful looks."

Their conversation was interrupted by Delinda's assistant from the dress shop, "Ms. Deline, Mr. Burton is waiting for you."

"Thank you, Helen," she told the girl before turning back to Mary. "I better go. Harry wants me to help him pick out some dresses for his new girlfriend. Have fun tonight. Don't do anything I wouldn't do… or anything I would," Delinda said with a wink.

---

As soon as Mary's shift was over she headed out of the Jubilee. The casino was packed with holiday revelers so she decided to exit through the employee door on the side and cut across to the bus stop. She was hoping she could change and be back before Danny and Ed returned.

Mary smiled as she thought of seeing Danny again. He'd sent her flowers everyday since he'd been away—each bouquet accompanied by a note that read simply 'I miss you. D.' There was no doubt in her mind Danny had gotten past whatever fears had sent him running Christmas Day—she just hoped that those fears were gone for good.

Suddenly, Mary was jolted from her thoughts by a different kind of fear. A strong arm grabbed her and pulled her roughly into the alley behind the hotel—a hand covering her mouth before she could scream.

"Don't say a word, dollface," the man whispered in her ear and Mary knew instantly who the voice belonged to. She squeezed her eyes shut as they began to sting with tears. Her meager attempts at struggling were stopped altogether when she caught the flash of a switchblade close to her cheek.

"Ah, ah. Be a good girl now and I won't have to mess up that pretty face of yours," her captor said as he slowly ran the blade under her chin.

When he realized he had her full attention he slowly moved his hand from her mouth to her neck. He turned her to face him and slammed her forcefully against the side of the building, his hand never leaving her throat. Mary was dazed from the blow to the back of her head and she choked out a sob as she stared into the cold, black eyes of Bobby Beals.

"Please don't hurt me," she begged.

Bobby laughed as he pocketed the blade and leaned forward--forcing his tongue into her mouth. When Mary turned her head from him he pulled back and hit her hard across the face and then kissed her again. She whimpered as his hand began to pull at her uniform, ripping the top two buttons completely off.

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a distant voice could suddenly be heard. Bobby turned to see a young man in a cook's uniform coming out of a door at the end of the alley.

"I'll be back, dollface," Bobby whispered harshly, "and if you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll make sure little Danny boy ends up just like your old man."

With those words Bobby threw Mary to the ground and headed for the street, disappearing into the crowd of tourists lining the strip.

---

Danny practically sprinted into the lobby of the Jubilee. He was so excited he was bursting at the seams as he headed for the elevators.

"Danny, wait up!"

"No time, Mike. Big plans tonight," he told his friend as he stepped on the elevator and pressed the button for his floor. Ed had given him the night off and he planned to spend every moment of it showing Mary exactly how much she meant to him.

"Danny, stop!" Mike's voice was firm as he stepped inside and pressed the button for the 4th floor. "I don't want you to worry, but something happened this afternoon."

At Danny's blank look Mike continued, "Mary was…"

Just the sound of her name sent Danny's heart straight to his shoes. "She was headed for the bus stop and some kid tried to grab her purse. He roughed her up a little bit, but she's gonna be okay. The doc's with her right now just making sure. It's this way," Mike told him as they stepped out and headed towards one of the guest rooms. "She didn't want to go to the hospital, but she was pretty banged up so Doc Manning said he'd come take a look. He and Delinda are with her now."

"A kid? Are you sure?"

"That's what she said. Didn't get a good look at him though."

Before Danny could voice his doubts the doctor stepped out of a room at the end of the hall.

"Hey, Doc. How's she doing?" he asked anxiously.

"She'll be fine, but she hit the back of her head pretty hard. She's got some mild dizziness and a bit of nausea so I want her to take it easy for a couple of days," Dr. Manning told them as he shook Mike's hand first and then Danny's. "Nice seeing you guys. I'll stop by tomorrow to see how she's doing—assuming you can keep her here. She's pretty insistent on going home."

"Thanks, Doc. I'll walk you out," Mike said as he led him towards the elevator.

Danny glanced down the hall and then back at the door. This wasn't exactly how he'd pictured their reunion, but he was desperate to see her. He had to know for himself that she was okay. Without warning, the door swung open and Danny was face to face with Delinda. She glared at him for several long moments—a glare that made Danny feel as if he was a smudge on her shoe.

"Delinda," Danny began cautiously.

"Hmmph," she shushed him with a raise of her hand before speaking, "I'm still mad at you, Danny."

"I know," he responded, his voice contrite.

"And if it was up to me I'd kick you to the curb, but I'm sure she'll want to see you," Delinda acquiesced.

At Danny's hopeful look she couldn't help but smile, "go on in." Delinda ushered him inside before closing the door and leaving him alone with Mary. She lay on the bed, her head turned towards the window and her eyes closed. Even the angry bruise across her cheek couldn't mar her peaceful beauty.

Danny slowly approached the bed and sat down gently beside her. When he reached up to push a stray piece of hair away from her face, Mary finally opened her eyes.

When Mary felt themattress shift she slowly opened her eyes—expecting to see Mike or Delinda again. When she was greeted by Danny's warm gaze she quickly looked away.

"The doc says you're gonna be fine, Mare," Danny's voice was soothing as he gently brought her hand to his lips, but she still couldn't look at him. Mary had agonized for the last hour over her decision, but it was the only way she knew to protect him. The minute she'd opened her eyes all she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and let him hold her forever, but instead she gently pulled her hand from his grasp and turned her body away from him.

"Danny, you need to go," she said, her voice laced with a conviction she didn't feel in her heart.

"I know you're tired, honey, but I just wanted to make sure you're alright. We can get together when you're feeling better. I have something really special planned for us," he told her excitedly as he leaned forward to place a kiss on the side of her head.

At the excitement in his tone and his lips on her skin Mary's heart nearly shattered, but she had to be strong—for both of them. "No, Danny. I….I can't do this anymore. I… don't think we should see each other again."

"What?" Danny asked in disbelief. "Mary, sweetie, I know I messed up, but please…please give me another chance," he begged.

"I'm sorry. I can't," her voice broke, but she refused to back down. "Please just leave me alone."

Danny was stupefied. He'd been so worried these last few days that he'd lost her for good, but just before they'd left San Francisco Ed had assured him that it wasn't too late. He had been filled with a renewed sense of hope and had spent the better part of the trip thinking up the perfect way to make everything up to her, but now his worst fears had been realized. He'd lost the one girl he'd ever really loved.

"Danny, please go," Mary said again when he hadn't made any effort to move. Still in shock, he leaned forward one last time and kissed her softly on the cheek. "I love you," he whispered into her ear before standing up and hurrying out of the room.

Mary pulled her legs up to her chest and sobbed quietly. She knew she'd done the right thing, but it didn't make it any easier. Trying to ignore the pain in her head, she stood gingerly from the bed--still a bit unsteady on her feet--and reached for her coat. The only way to protect Danny was to put as much distance between them as possible. Mary slipped on her shoes and carefully opened the door. When she was sure no one was in the hallway she headed for the stairway that would lead her out of the casino and out of Danny's life.

---

Delinda was hanging up a new shipment of dresses when she noticed Danny walking through the casino.

"Hey," she called out to him, "why aren't you with Mary?"

Her question was met with a pained expression and a quiet reply, "She said she doesn't want to see me anymore. I guess I really screwed up."

"Well, I agree with you there, but still…," Delinda trailed off, a puzzled expression settling over her face, "when I talked to her earlier today she was so excited about you coming home and now you're telling me she doesn't want to even try. It just doesn't make any sense. I mean, a girl's allowed to change her mind, but that's a pretty big turnaround."

Danny's brow furrowed as he thought about what Delinda was saying. If what she said was true and Mary really had been excited earlier that day then he was more confused than ever. What had happened in the last few hours to change her mind so drastically?

"It must have been something about what happened with the purse snatcher," Danny mumbled to himself, but Delinda was quick to reply.

"But that's exactly my point, Danny. She's been a real trooper, but Mary had a pretty big scare this afternoon. Why would she push you away now when she probably needs you the most?"

Suddenly, it all made sense and the thought that had been simmering in the back of Danny's mind since Mike had first told him finally became clear. Danny raced out of the shop and back towards the elevators. It was too big of a coincidence that Mary would be the victim of some random attack when there was someone out there who actually wanted to hurt her. It had to be Bobby and Danny was willing to bet that the gangster had made some pretty serious threats. That was why Mary had pushed him away.

The elevator doors finally opened on the 4th floor and Danny sprinted down the hall. He used his pass key to open the door and barged into the room.

"Dammit, Mary," he cursed to himself as he stared at the empty bed, "where did you go?"