Under the Stars

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age, Ice Age II, or any of the characters. They belong to Blue Sky Studios and Twentieth Century Fox. The names Millie and Wallace (Wally for short) belong to Funkywatermelon. I suppose anything else belongs to me. Go ahead and use whatever you want, just mention my name please!

Summary: In a single moment of bravery, Manny captures Ellie's heart, once and for all. He offers her love, security, and a family. What could be better?

Author's Note: (you can skip this if you want) Sorry there's so much junk before the story. I just want to say really quickly, thanks SO MUCH to Funkywatermelon! You inspired me incredibly, more than you could believe. I finally did get to see the new Ice Age Meltdown movie and it was AWESOME. I loved the expression on Manny's face right as the water came up. So full of love and concern for Ellie more than it was fear of death. So combine those two things together, and you have an insane fanatic who just wants to help others see the joy in the Ice Age movies. Ok, this IS my first fic, so PLEASE R&R, but no flames please . . . OK, ON TO THE STORY!

Chapter One: "She Completes You"

They're the perfect couple, thought Diego. He looked at the two mammoths holding each other tightly. They had been in the valley for only three days, but it was obvious that by now they were head-over-heels for each other.

Crash and Eddie were both bouncing around the poor saber. He wasn't annoyed, however. Within the few days of them traveling together, he had actually grown to like the rodents.

"Aren't they cute?" asked Crash, clasping his hands together.

"Yeah," Eddie said, nodding in approval of his sister's choice for a mate. A sly smile formed at the corner of his mouth. "You're next Diego!"

"Whoa no," he said. "There isn't any way."

"Aww, sure there is," said Crash, hopeful and inspired by Eddie's idea. "We'll help you!" And without another word, the two rushed off, glancing back every few seconds to see if Diego was following. He chuckled a bit, then turned his head back toward Manny and Ellie, still embracing.

---

"I really love you, you know," Manny whispered in Ellie's ear. "I hope you never forget that." Ellie laughed lightly.

"I love you too," whispered Ellie. Manny pulled back, unsure of what to say next. "What's wrong, Manny?" she asked, gently.

"I don't know," he said, unsure. "We finally found each other, but what comes between this and being partners? I don't want to rush into anything." He paused, remembering the previous occurrence in which he had mentioned the subject. "Like last time," he added. A small look of shame crossed his face.

"Oh, honey," she said softly. "Don't worry. I'm ready for it this time." Manny smiled happily. She smiled back with a smile only Manny could interpret.

---
---

:Sorry this is so short readers! I really wanted to meet the deadline of May 1st for Funkywatermelon, and I hope you all liked it... I promise I'll finish it, but it might take some time... I'm working on Chapter two as I write this... "What Ho? A Foe?"

And for any of you great writers out there, here's an idea for you: Why was Manny so grumpy at his entrance in the first movie? That's what I would really like to know! I might write about that someday, but I want to finish this before I start another project. SOMEBODY ELSE WRITE ABOUT IT FOR ME! I really want to know why he was upset!

Thanks again Funkywatermelon for everything! I want to be part of your MannieEllie community please!