Author: Mélissa.
Spoilers: none, since it's set years before the pilot.
Date: Monday, January 02, 2006.
Disclaimers: I don't own Las Vegas and its characters, which is a good thing, because it would be called "The Danny and Mary Show" instead.
Pairing: Danny/Mary.
Author's notes: I'm completely nuts. English is not my natal language, so all mistakes are mine.
Muse-ic: "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5, "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star, "Brand New Day" by Forty Foot Echo, Lifehouse songs: "You And Me," "Into The Sun," "Walking Away" and "Everything." And not very muse-ic, but the elevator scene from "TNTLWOIV."
Mary looked at the dress she was wearing and sighed. It had been a gift from Larry and she knew it had cost very much. Still, she felt like something was wrong. Maybe because in one week, Danny would leave for the Marines. One week…
One week to convince him to stay. Or maybe one week to live all they needed to live together. But she knew he would leave anyway because he wanted to. She didn't exactly know why, but he wanted to leave Vegas. And her, for that matter.
She only hoped Danny would change his mind. At seventeen, how could he be really, really sure about what he wanted in life? She looked at her reflection in the mirror and scoffed. She didn't have the right to doubt him, because there was something she was sure to want in her life. Someone, to be more exact.
Tonight was the prom and he was supposed to go with her. Hell, he had to go with her otherwise Larry would have kicked his ass because Mary's dress had been pretty expensive. Twirling a soft curl of her red hair, she smiled, knowing that Danny would never do that to her. As soon as he heard about the prom, he had asked her.
"Are you ready?" he asked, knocking on the door. She wasn't still used to the low tone of his voice.
She turned and grabbed her silver watch. "Almost," she said, "but you can come in." The door slowly opened, revealing Danny wearing a tuxedo, except that his white shirt was two-buttons-down. A blush crept up her cheeks when she realized he was staring at her intently. "What?"
Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else
Danny shook his head as if he had been brought out of his reverie. "Nothing," he said nonchalantly, "you're just beautiful." He approached her and kissed her temple. "Here," he said, holding up a white lily, contrasting with the vibrant red of her strapless dress.
"Thank you," she said. He turned to leave her room but she grabbed his arm. "Danny," she called, causing him to look at her questioningly. "I just… you…"
His finger on her lips silenced her. "Shh, don't say it. Please." His lips found hers in a slow, lazy kiss. When they pulled apart shortly after, she followed him, asking for more. His lips met hers again, his hands resting on her hips. "We better go," he said, his voice barely a whisper when he backed away.
Mary opened her eyes and nodded. "Yeah."
The ride to high school had been silent since that kiss. She had only exchanged a few words with Danny's father who absolutely wanted to take a picture of his 'children.' The way they posed hadn't felt awkward though the kiss hadn't eased the situation. But Larry had said the picture would be perfect.
He had to smile at how small Mary seemed next to Danny, even with high heels. He couldn't understand how his son's brain worked. Danny had a wonderful girl who was loving him so much it should hit it between the eyes. But no, Danny would leave and Mary would be left alone. Not alone exactly, but the two had grown up together and now their paths would go separate ways Larry didn't know if they could live apart from each other, because as far as he knew, where Danny was, Mary was right beside him. And vice versa.
The picture was indeed perfect; Danny had his arms around her, one hand resting on her lower back and the other one resting between her shoulders. They were both smiling though Larry knew the separation to come was already on their mind. One week left, just one week and there were so many things left unsaid.
When they went back, Larry was asleep on the couch. Even if Mary hadn't been the prom queen, he knew that she was special for Danny and that she was his queen. Larry didn't really know where they stood, but he was sure they weren't together. Not that the thought of Danny and Mary being together was annoying him, because it wasn't. His wife always told him that they would end up together, but now, Larry wasn't sure of that as he watched the two of them climbing up the stairs.
Danny was exhausted, to say the least, but feeling happy. He had danced with Mary all night long and even if he knew that, in one week, he couldn't do that anymore, kissing her felt definitively good.
And even though he wanted to go further down the road, he knew that with his father downstairs and likely to go to sleep very soon wouldn't help. He was already nervous and he knew the missed occasion just a few months ago wasn't going to reappear soon.
Mary turned toward him and kissed him deeply and that was enough to make him lose his mind. Hell, he could lose his mind whenever she approached him too close. It was just as disturbing as watching her grow into a woman all of those years. It had been a weird period because at 11, what he only had in mind was beating up the other guys or playing football or things of the kind. And Mary was starting to have other interests, her body changing and her demeanor, too. But he wouldn't know at the time that her weird behavior was because of her father.
Bastard, he thought to himself. He could still remember the twenty-one days she had spent hiding in his bedroom. Even though he wouldn't admit it aloud, it had been the most wonderful days of his adolescence. And then, just two days after that, she was moving in with him. Maybe he was only 15, but he was already tall and he sure beat the shit out of her father.
Tap on my window, knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter anymore
At that moment, he only wished that her father wouldn't try to see her again while he was away because Danny then wouldn't be able to hold his promise of killing him if he ever tried to touch her again.
So why a voice in his head told him to stay?
He couldn't stay. He just couldn't. He didn't want to lose her, but he didn't know how to be with her. He was dreading the day where she wouldn't be there anymore. He knew that she was in control of his emotions and nevertheless, he wasn't ready to let go. He was so afraid that it was eating him alive. Leaving was the best option for him. Maybe his feelings for her would lessen when he would be away.
He reluctantly broke off the kiss and his fingers lingered on her cheek. "Goodnight, Mare," he whispered before walking out of her room, closing the door behind him.
He wouldn't know that the tears had started falling when he turned to leave.
This is it, Mary thought as she watched Danny zip his bag. She was sitting on his bed and he was standing next to her. He gently smiled before dropping his bag on the floor with a thud. Sighing and running a hand over his face, he sat down next to her and stared intently at her. "When does my father come back from work?" he asked, checking his watch. One pm.
"Six, you know he couldn't be there earlier," Mary answered. Danny was supposed to leave at ten.
Danny lay back on his bed, his hands under his head, Mary slowly turned. She was stunning, Danny thought when he realized that she was wearing one of his shirts. In fact, she looked more than stunning, her red hair falling in waves and her brown eyes watching him. He extended his arm and she snuggled against him. "You're leaving me," she stated, not meeting his eyes.
He knew she would say something of the kind. "Mare, we already talked about this… I have to do something in my life. I don't want to work for my father and I want to do something that I will be proud of." She didn't say anything, so he rolled her on top of him. He stroked her face, pushing her hair behind her ear and something struck him inside. Right this moment, he knew that his feelings wouldn't lessen, even being apart from her. "I love you, Mare." The words were out even before his brain registered it.
Mary stared at him for a moment. "I love you, too, Danny." He smiled, tears in his eyes though he wouldn't acknowledge this fact and the next second, he was kissing her. Unlike the previous times – except at the Duran-Duran concert – this kiss wasn't a chaste one, going nowhere with it.
Trembling slightly, Mary was fumbling with his t-shirt, sliding it out, revealing his torso and he shivered involuntarily when her hands stroked his chest. "I love you so much," he whispered against her lips.
The words were still in his mind when he lay back on the bed, rolling on his back, Mary following and nearly lying on top of him. He was shaking like a leaf and he felt so exhausted but he didn't care. He felt incredible, his hands roaming back and forth across Mary's naked back. He wanted to scream, he wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry.
This was it. His first time. With Mary.
He always wondered why he wouldn't make it with another girl. He could have slept with most of them if he wanted to, but the truth was that he didn't really wanted his first time to be with the girls from high school. In his mind, he had always pictured it with Mary though he enjoyed being with other girls. They were fun. But it was ending there. And Mary wasn't just a girl. He didn't want to hurt her even though he knew he did by deciding to join the Marines.
Mary watched as Danny stared at the ceiling, knowing perfectly that making love with him wouldn't make him change his mind. Not that she had any regrets because she didn't and it really meant the world for her. It was something that she had been thinking about for awhile now and she wondered if he wouldn't have decided to leave if they had done it after the Duran-Duran concert.
Maybe, maybe not.
She knew that Danny had been as nervous as her, but now it was done, she didn't have any fears left. It felt incredibly right, lying naked in his arms and she closed her eyes, confident that when she would wake up, he would still be there.
Danny had hard time keeping his eyes open but he had to set his alarm clock, just in case. He felt like he could sleep until the next morning. The time he fumbled with his alarm clock with just one hand, he noticed was Mary was deeply asleep in his arms, her face buried in the junction of his neck and shoulders.
Larry came home earlier and found Danny sitting on the couch, stroking Mary's bare leg as they watched something on TV. He watched them as Mary made dinner, Danny helping her and for once, she wasn't protesting. There was something definitively changed about them, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
And then, there was time to leave. Larry might not agree with his son's choice, but he wouldn't argue with it. It was his life, after all, and he couldn't talk him into doing something he didn't want to. Maybe, just maybe, one day…
He sighed as Danny took his backpack from the trunk of the Camaro. It felt weird to drive this car, because it had been his wife, and then Danny's. The three of them stood in the middle of the parking, the sun setting down on the city in a vibrant shade of orange, red and pink.
Larry pulled his son into a big comforting hug and patted his back. "Don't try being a hero, you hear me?" he said, the tears rising up but he wouldn't cry. He promised.
Danny pulled back and shook his head. "I won't." He seemed much more older than a few weeks ago at Larry's eyes but he still considered Danny as his baby. Though he didn't show it really much.
It then was Mary's turn to say goodbye. Larry was already back behind the wheels, his head turned to the other side. Her hands on either side of his face, she looked at him in the eye. "Stay, please," she asked one more time but she knew he had already made his mind about it.
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved
It looked like an old movie that they used to watch together. "You know I can't," he whispered. He leaned in and kissed her hard, circling her waist with his arms, pulling her close. He stared at her for a long moment when they finally pulled apart and he simply said, "you're beautiful." She laughed through tears and blushed. He nodded his head toward the building. "I have to go."
Mary nodded. "Yeah." She watched him go and she walked back to the car. When she heard her name, she turned, the wind engulfing in her hair and she had to push a few strands away from her face. He was there, waving at her, smiling to her. "What?" she asked.
"Good luck!" he shouted loud enough to be heard. He smiled one more time and he disappeared.
Inside the airport, he pulled out something from his pocket and stared at the picture he was holding between his fingers. The picture taken the night of the prom. He turned back to look at the parking lot, but she was already gone. She would never know that if she had still been there, he would have never left.
The End.