"Well people, I'm back. Hopefully you're all ready for the next installment of my little story, something I like to call 'Danish: From Beginning to End'. So sit back, pop a beer, and enjoy.
"This takes place a few days after the disaster of a talk that Dana and I tried to have. We tried playing the 'I avoid you, you avoid me, and maybe this will go away' game. Kind of hard to accomplish when you have the same close group of friends. Oh yeah, and when your best friend slash new love interest's fiancee decides to throw her a surprise birthday party."
A few days later, Alice and Shane were once again at The Planet. Shane had her feet propped up on the table reading a magazine while unconsciously tapping her coffee stirrer on the table. Alice was staring at her laptop, occasionally tapping a few keys.
"Dammit." Alice muttered
"Huh?" Shane responded automatically
"I just can't concentrate on this article." Alice sighed and closed the laptop. "Whatcha reading?"
"PEOPLE. What are you writing about?"
"Me editor asked me to write an article about women's underwear. Different fabrics, different styles, lingerie…. You know, stuff men want to know to invade in women's lives even more."
"That doesn't sound hard. Why are you stuck?"
"Because I means that I have to try different underwear in order to write an accurate article."
"And?" Shane prodded
"I don't wear underwear Shane." Alice smirked
Shane looked up from her magazine. "Gross Al."
"I'm fucking with you. I'm writing an article about what music is hot right now."
"You're odd." Shane looked around. "Where is everyone?" She looked accusingly at Alice. "Ever since you were late the other day, everyone else has been showing up late."
"It's called other responsibilities Shane." Bette said as she walked up behind Shane and put her hand on Shane's shoulder
"I don't know the meaning of that word." Shane smiled lazily. "Oh fuck." She muttered, glancing at the door
"What?" Alice asked and followed Shane's eyes. "Shit." She sighed
Bette chuckled as Tonya walked up to the three and began spewing the latest gossip. Tina, Jenny, Helena, and Carmen all trickled into the café as Tonya continued to talk.
"…and then I heard that she went all Carrie on everyone and- Honey! Over here!" Tonya stopped mid sentence to wave Dana over
Dana looked at Alice and hesitated, tempted to run out the door. Taking a deep breath, Dana headed to the table, her head held high. "Hey guys." She said with a smile
"Hey Dane." Alice said with a soft, sad smile
"Hey." Dana repeated to Alice
The girls all made small talk for a while, and finally fed up with trying to avoid Dana's gaze, Alice stood up. "I really should get going. I have some stuff to do in the office today."
"Come on Alice, it's only 9:00." Tonya semi-whined
Alice, shocked by Tonya's way of begging for her to stay, automatically sat herself back down.
"I have to pee. Be right back." Dana said a few minutes later
"Jesus! I though she'd never leave." Tonya giggled as soon as Dana was out of earshot
Jenny shot Tonya a funny look. "Did you guys fight or something?"
"God no! We're great!" Tonya said quickly. "The reason I wanted you to stay Alice is because Dana's birthday is on Friday."
"Yes. We know." Shane said
"My point is, I want to throw her a surprise party." Tonya continued, excited. "I need everyone's help."
"What would you like us to do?" Helena asked
"Well, I was going to ask if we could have the party at your place Helena." Tonya said
"Of course." Helena smiled. "I never get to have people over and my house gets quite boring for being so big without any real use."
"Great!" Tonya smiled. She turned to Carmen. "Could you DJ?"
"Dude, you don't even have to ask." Carmen laughed
"Bette, Tina, could you please help me figure out who else to invite. I need to send out the rest of the invitations."
"Wait, you already planned it all out and even sent out invitations?" Alice scoffed
Tonya smiled sheepishly. "Kind of. I figured you all would help. I mean, you all are Dana's best friends. Jenny, Shane, could you help me prepare the food?"
Shane winced slightly. "Of course. Anything for Dana." She deadpanned
Alice stifled a giggle. Dana began walking back to the table.
"Shit! Al, I need you to pick her up and bring her to Helena's Friday." Tonya said quickly under her breath to Alice. "Hi Honey!" She smiled as Dana walked back over to the table
"Hi?" Dana said hesitantly
Mother fucker. That's so not cool. Alice thought and groaned inwardly at the task Tonya had given her.
Tonya looked expectantly at Alice, and Alice raised her eyebrows in question. Tonya slightly nodded her head towards Dana, and realization dawned on Alice that she needed an excuse to hang out with Dana on Friday to get her to Helena's.
"Hey Dane, dinner on Friday?" Alice asked
Dana looked at Alice startled. "Huh? Oh, um…Ton, don't we have dinner plans for my birthday."
"Dammit Pookie, I forgot to tell you. Something came up and I cant make it to dinner. Why don't you go have a good birthday dinner with your best friend." Tonya said convincingly
"Ton! It's my birthday!" Dana whined. "Cant you cancel whatever it is?" She asked desperately, not trusting herself to spend an entire evening alone with Alice
"I can't Dana. Go with Alice on Friday and we'll go another night." Tonya said firmly
"Yeah Dane, Alice doesn't bite." Carmen joked
"Not unless you want me to." Alice muttered under her breath, Bette shooting a surprised glance at her
"That's my cue to go and get some work done today." Bette smiled and stood up. "Bye everyone."
Everyone else went their separate ways soon after, Alice and Dana not looking at each other again.
"So that was at the beginning of the week. Dana and I avoided each other the rest of the week. The next thing I knew, Friday was right around the corner, actually, the next day, and I decided I needed to probably talk to Dana about our 'dinner plans'.
"Have I mentioned how much I hated Tonya for that? Well, I did. But how was she to know about me and Dane?"
Dana was just walking out of the locker room after training when she spotted Alice pacing back and forth by the door. Shocked to see Alice there, Dana froze like a deer in headlights.
"Alice?" Dana finally said softly
Alice literally jumped with surprise. "Dana! Hey. Sorry, kinda spaced out."
"I noticed."
"Umm…you want a ride?" Alice suggested
"Sure." Dana said hesitantly
The girls were silent most of the car ride.
"How'd you know I didn't have my car?" Dana finally asked, curiosity getting the better of her
"I called your house and Tonya told me. I offered to pick you up so we could talk." Alice said
"Oh. Ok."
"So where do you want to go tomorrow night?"
Dana looked at Alice warily. "Are you serious Alice? We've been avoiding each other for a week now, and you all of a sudden want to go to dinner? Alone."
"Well, it's your birthday. You're my best friend, so I figured we should go out and celebrate together."
"Fine. If you're so insistent on spending and entire evening alone together, we need to set ground rules." Dana said firmly
"Rules? Are you fucking kidding me?" Alice laughed
Dana raised an eyebrow at Alice. Rolling her eyes, Dana placed her hand on Alice's upper thigh.
Alice gasped and jerked her car over to the shoulder and slammed on the brakes. Alice stopped the car and turned wide-eyed to Dana. "What the fuck was that?" Alice asked loudly
"I told you we need rules." Dana said with a smirk
"Right. Rules."
"First rule, no more coming to my house at 4 a.m." Dana joked
"Dane, if you're just going to joke about what's going on between us, then I'm going to say fuck this avoiding each other thing and take you right here." Alice growled
Dana choked out a laugh, her heart pounding with desire. "Rule one, never be alone together."
Alice couldn't help but chuckle.
"Al!" Dana whined. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"The reason we're making these 'rules' is because we're going to be alone together tomorrow. Don't you think that setting the number one rule as 'never be alone together' is just setting us up for disaster?"
"You're right. Let me think." Dana said, biting her lip
Alice's eyes swept over Dana's lips, aroused at the sight of Dana's lower lip caught between her teeth. Her gaze sweeping lower, Alice almost moaned at the sight of the sweat gleaming off the top of Dana's tanned breasts. Taking a deep breath to control herself, Alice looked back out the windshield and began to drive.
"I cant think of any rules; none that we'd be able to keep anyway." Dana sighed. "Dammit Alice!" She said loudly
"What!"
"Why the hell did you have to kiss me? Why couldn't you have done it before I was engaged?"
"Dana, you and Tonya were engaged after like a week." Alice pointed out
"How long have you been attracted to me?"
"Who said I'm attracted to you?" Alice asked defensively, earning an eye roll from Dana. "Ok, fine. Since we met."
"Me too." Dana whispered after a moment
"Why the fuck didn't either of us act on it? I mean, we could have been together for years now!"
"You want to be with me?" Dana asked shyly
Alice pulled up to Dana's condo. With downcast eyes, Alice whispered huskily, "More than anything."
"Hey Al?" Dana said softly, trying to get Alice to look at her again
"Yeah?" Alice finally looked up
Dana swiftly moved across the seat, closing the gap between the two and caught Alice's lips with her own. Sliding her tongue against Alice's lower lip, Dana deepened the kiss. Their tongues battling for dominance for a few minutes, Alice tugged at Dana's lower lip with her teeth, making Dana moan into her mouth. Alice broke off the kiss as Dana's hand tugged on her hair, making it almost impossible for Alice to control herself any longer.
"Shit. Al-"
"Dane. It's ok." Alice interrupted
"No. Actually, this is really fucked up." Dana leaned her forehead against Alice's. "I'm sorry."
"It's ok." Alice repeated in a sad whisper
Dana brought her lips to Alice's once more in a small kiss. "Pick me up at 6 tomorrow." Dana mumbled against the blonde's lips and was gone
Alice sighed and placed a hand to her lips as she watched Dana walk away, Dana's kiss imprinted on her lips.
FRIDAY
"Tonya is driving me insane." Shane grumbled over the phone to Alice in Friday afternoon
"Shane, we have bigger problems." Alice huffed as she shoved some clothes aside on her bed
"What?"
"What the fuck am I supposed to wear?" Alice moaned as she laid back on her bed
"Al, our styles couldn't be more different. I have no idea what you should wear." Shane chuckled
"Should I really take Dana to dinner before? What time should I bring her to Helena's? What the hell is my excuse gonna be?"
"Will you chill out?"
"Ooh. I have this shirt I could wear!" Alice jumped off the bed and quickly fell face first on the floor as her foot got caught in a skirt that had been thrown on the floor
"Al?" Shane asked quickly as she heard a loud thump. "Alice are you ok?"
"Yeah." Alice grunted as she picked herself up off the floor. "Fine. I'll see you later." Alice hung up the phone
Glancing at her clock and seeing that it was 5:15, Alice squealed and hurried into the bathroom. "Fuck!"
At 6:00 on the dot, Alice rang Dana's doorbell.
"Coming." Dana called out
Alice shyly stepped back from the door and took a deep breath.
"Hey." Dana smiled as she opened the door
With a sharp intake of breath, Alice's eyes trailed up and down Dana's body.
"What?" Dana asked nervously. "Alice!"
Alice met Dana's eyes with her own. "You look beautiful."
Dana smiled shyly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Really?"
"Really really." Alice smiled big
"You look great too." Dana said as the two got into Alice's car
"Thanks." Alice blushed
"So where are you taking me?"
"I'm not telling."
"Al!" Dana whined
"Dana, quit whining and trust me." Alice chuckled as Dana pouted. "Oh, and Dane…"
"Yeah." Dana grumbled
"Happy birthday."
"What time did Alice say she was bringing Dana?" Tonya asked Shane
"Around 8 I think. She's taking her to eat before hand." Shane shrugged
"Will you please call her and check." Tonya commanded more than asked
"Of course." Shane deadpanned and picked up her phone, dialing Alice. "Alice, it's me."
"Yeah?" Alice responded
"Are you taking Dana to dinner, or are you guys just going to fuck till you need to be here at 8?" Shane joked
Hearing tires squeal in the background, Shane sat up straighter as her eyes widened. "Christ Alice! Are you ok?"
"Never better. Never better." Alice answered. "Gotta go Shane." Alice said and hung up
Shane looked at her phone. "Huh."
Carmen came over to Shane and sat herself on her girlfriend's lap, giving Shane a kiss. "What's wrong baby."
"Alice. She's acting really weird."
"How weird are we talking? Jenny weird?"
Shane chuckled. "Definitely not that weird."
"I heard that, and I resent it." Jenny smiled as she poked her head around a corner
"Shit. Sorry Jen." Shane laughed
"Fuck Alice! What the hell was that?" Dana asked after Alice almost ran them off the road
"Nothing."
"What is up with you? Why are you acting so weird."
Alice sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out."
"Because of me?"
Alice sent a reassuring smile at Dana. "No. I just have a shitload of work I have to do, and I don't have time to turn it all in before their deadlines."
"Then why are we going out? Why don't you get your work done and then we can go out another night. I'll just go home and put on my pj's, open a bottle of wine, and watch a movie until Tonya comes home."
"Dana, it's your fucking birthday. I'm taking you out." Alice said
"But-"
"Shush!" Alice said loudly
Dana looked at Alice, mouth agape. "Did you just 'shush' me?" She squinted her eyes at Alice in an angry gesture. "I can't believe you!"
"Oh yeah? Well what are you going to do about it?" Alice stuck her tongue out at Dana and smiled
"Hmm… I don't know." Dana smirked
"Ok. We're here." Alice said as she parked her car
"You're car in park?"
Alice pulled the keys out of the ignition. "Yep. Why?"
Dana got a mischievous glint in her eye. "You shushed me."
"I believe we established that already."
Dana reached over and began tickling Alice's sides, making the blonde shriek with laughter. Alice slapped Dana's hands away and hurriedly jumped out of the car. Dana laughed and hopped out of the car to follow Alice.
"Stay away from me Fairbanks!" Alice giggled
"You're no match for me Pieszecki!" Dana said in a goofy voice
Running around to Alice's side of the car, Dana pinned Alice against the car and continued to tickle her.
"Stop or you won't get your birthday gift!" Alice gasped in between giggles
Dana paused for a moment. "This is better than gifts." She laughed and went for Alice's sides again. "You're so-"
Dana was cut off by Alice's lips on hers, a kiss full of desire and passion. Dana's hands moved from Alice's stomach to her breasts, and Alice moaned into Dana's mouth as Dana ran her fingers over Alice's nipples through her shirt.
Alice suddenly shoved Dana away, almost pushing the athlete to the floor with the force of the shove.
"I thought of a rule." Alice said breathlessly
"Ok?" Dana said as she caught her balance
"Don't ever touch me again." Alice shook her head and walked towards the restaurant, leaving Dana completely confused to follow her
"Well listeners, my boss is signaling me that my time is up for today.
"I know it seems like me and Ms. Fairbanks have gotten closer to a relationship, but that just isn't so. You'll find another make out or two before the real juicy stuff pops up. Actually, it's really not that far off. Just keep in mind that Dana is still engaged, which poses a problem.
"We all know it doesn't work between Dana and Satan, and we all know that Dana ends up with me, but the story is still a doozie. I guarantee you wont be disappointed. "