Author's Note: This is something I came up with on a whim. It's dedicated to my special friend who lives with me in a romance novel--you know who you are.

The Night: Rated M for sexual situations, even though in all actuality, it doesn't go farther than kissing.


She was actually wearing white.

Danny smiled as he thought the thought for what seemed the millionth time that night. In his mind he could still see the arch above the doorway, dark red roses wound around it. And beneath was Sam—the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, in a corseted gown of white muslin. Placed on her head was a crown of black and red roses. In her hands was a bouquet of the same. She'd looked amazing.

She still looked amazing.

She was standing on the balcony of their suite, leaning over the railing. A breeze was making her skirt and hair sway, and Danny thought she looked like an angel. She turned to him then and smiled, and he knew that he'd made the right decision. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her.

He walked toward her, his hands shaking. He was afraid. Danny laughed at himself for that; after all the ghost fights and the world-saving, he was afraid of Sam—or, rather, what he was about to do. But it was the truth. He'd dreamed of this night so many times, and now that it had come, it scared him witless. They were still young—only twenty-three, and sometimes Danny wondered if he was ready for the pressures of real life. But when Sam looked at him that way, her eyes full of innocence and intelligence, he knew that together they would make it.

He finally reached her, placing his fingers on her hips. They were still standing apart, but that touch alone brought a bright blush to his cheeks, and he smiled shyly. He thought back on all the trials they'd had to face before getting to this point—denial, discomfort, foolishness, and even failure at times, but they hadn't given up. They couldn't have given up. The truth was…

They were meant to be.

He had such bright hopes for the future. A home, a family, a job at NASA, and so much more. He knew that some of the hopes wouldn't come true, but he also knew that as long as Sam was by his side, he'd be happy with anything. His grip tightened on her hips and he pulled her forward, pressing his mouth to hers. Sam's arms lifted around his neck and she kissed him in return.

This has to be heaven, he thought as her lips parted beneath his. He'd kissed her before, of course, but now… she was his wife. She was a part of him, just as he was a part of her. And tonight, that bond would be complete.

Danny pulled back and smiled, seeing the same Manson features her grandmother possessed. The woman had looked very much like Sam when she was younger. With a grin he remembered the old woman's words to him at the reception.

"You, boy, will take good care of her."

It hadn't been a question, but he answered anyway. "Yes, I will."

Her head had tipped to one side, eyeing him speculatively. "In my time I've seen many people who thought they were in love, some who were in love and didn't know it, and a precious few that were in love and acknowledged it fully. You two are in those precious few. You're part of a world that doesn't understand love, Daniel. And there will be times when you don't understand it, either. You'll fight," she told him matter-of-factly. "There's no escaping it. But when you do, remember the world.

"Remember those who came before you and managed to make it through the trials and tribulations. Remember the people who were tender and kind and seemed to know exactly what they were doing; exactly what they were talking about. Also, remember that everyone who has taken this journey has faced problems. Think about those yet to come, who will be falling in love and getting married and trying to form a life with someone else. One day you'll have children, Daniel." As his face paled, she'd snickered. "I know it is scary now. But it will happen.

"You'll be teaching them just as I am teaching you now. Commit these words to memory, and your marriage will be a success. I may be old, but I'm not completely senile yet."

And with that, she'd rolled away.

She could tell his mind was elsewhere. He was looking at her, but his eyes were just a little vacant as he thought of something in the past, or maybe imagined something in the future.

Whatever it was—it was happy.

Sam leaned up and kissed him again, and he came back to earth. His grin was lopsided and charming, and she couldn't help but smile back. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped into his arms.

"Carry me into the sunset, my hero."

Danny laughed and carried her back into the room slowly. "The sunset; is that all? I can take you to the moon."

"Even on our wedding night you think about astronomy?" she asked with a roll of her eyes.

He shook his head. "The only stars I see right now are in your eyes."

Sam scrunched her nose. "Cheesy, Danny."

"And 'carry me into the sunset' wasn't? I think we're entitled to be a little cheesy at this point."

He laid her on the bed and bent over her, one arm braced beside her head. He was very close; all Sam had to do was breathe deeply and she'd touch him. The mood changed suddenly, and like lighting her heartbeat was quickening. She'd never seen before the look Danny had in his eyes then. It made her feel strange, like there was a weight on her chest and her mouth was far too dry.

As if in answer he kissed her, and little waves of happiness ran down her spine. One of his hands moved shakily to the clasps of her bodice, and undid one.

Then another.

And another.

Danny's mouth trailed down her neck and over her collarbones, moving to the skin he revealed. Sam's eyes fluttered shut as he slowly uncovered her, making fireworks dance behind her eyelids.

Her heart belonged to him, and she knew his belonged to her. They were one in so many ways, and now they would become one in another. It thrilled and scared her at the same time, and part of her was jittery enough to tell her to back out. But she loved him, and she knew that even if she truly wanted him to stop—which she didn't—she probably wouldn't make him. He was giving her a gift, one she would cherish for all time. Sam sighed and took the gift, her shoulders shifting as her body became warmer than usual.

She took.

And then she gave.

This was Danny: her friend, her hero, her husband…

Her lover.


From this point on only the first five people to get the SagePoint right in the "Life Imitates Music" series will actually receive the point. I did this to eliminate the possibility of people looking into the reviews and just taking someone else's answer. So, only the first five, people!

SagePoint: This song is from the former Broadway musical, "Once on this Island."