Chapter Nine

At 9'oclock the next morning, Danny and Stacie woke up in each other's arms, something they thought would never have happened.

"Good morning." Danny said at a whisper.

"Good morning," Stacie replied, a satisfied smile spread across her face. Danny lent down and gave her a kiss, something he had wanted to do every morning for the last three years.

"I can't believe you're still here," he said, "I was sure last night was a dream."

"A good dream, I hope" she whispered.

"A very good dream." Danny moved into a sitting position. Stacie lent against as she did the same thing. He moved his hand up to her face and stroked it gently. "You're so beautiful."

Stacie let out a girlish giggle at Danny's comment. "Thank you. You're not too bad yourself." She said placing a zealous kiss on his lips. The kiss soon became a passionate kiss, similar to the one they had shared the night before. Stacie had soon positioned herself on top of Danny to enjoy the closeness of their bodies, at which point they hadn't notice the person who had entered the room.

Stood in the doorway was Mickey, who had a somewhat shocked look on his face. "Uh-um" Mickey let out a small cough to identify his presence.

Danny and Stacie both jumped at the unexpected noise. When they saw Mickey, Stacie moved from her previous position. She sat to the side of Danny who had now gone a lighter shade of red.

"Mickey, you should've knocked." Stacie said, shock and anger lining her voice.

"I did." Mickey defended. "When you didn't answer, I was worried."

Stacie and Danny looked at each other. They weren't prepared to be discovered so early.

"So, what's going on?" Mickey asked.

Stacie stood up and started to move towards Mickey. "Um…. Danny and I… uh…we…."

Stacie was cut off by Mickey. "Look, get dressed and tell me over breakfast." Mickey turned around and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Stacie turned towards Danny who had a blank look on his face. Stacie sat back down on the bed and reached for Danny's hand. "Don't look so worried Danny. It's gonna be alright."

He lifted her hand and kissed it softly. "I know." He replied. He stood up and walked to Stacie's side of the bed. "I'm gonna take a shower, be ready for Mickey's inquisition." He kissed Stacie's forehead and walked back towards the door. Danny gave her one last smile. "I'm really glad this happened Stace."

She returned the smile. "Me too."

Danny opened the door and left. Stacie flopped backwards onto her bed, her smile growing bigger and more satisfied.

It was almost ten when Danny and Stacie finally appeared, and they immediately sat down next to each other. Ash and Albert were already sat in the lounge, small grins spread across their faces.

"I'm guessing Mickey's already told you about this morning." Stacie said, noticing the looks on their faces.

"Afraid so Stacie." Ash replied.

"By the way, where is Mickey?" Danny asked.

"He's getting us some breakfast." Albert answered. "Should be back any minute."

Albert was right. As if by magic, Mickey appeared about a minute later, bags with pre-made tuna baguettes in his hands. He handed one to everybody and then took his seat next to Ash. "Ok, so this morning, do either one of you want to explain exactly what I saw?"

Stacie and Danny looked at each other and smiled. Stacie reached for Danny's hand and interlocked her fingers with his. "Well, Danny and I, we uh, kinda like each other. A lot."

Mickey, Albert and Ash all looked at each other. They knew that Danny had always had feelings for Stacie but had always thought that Stacie was in love with Mickey. They had no idea that the feelings had be mutual between the two. They had always noticed the flirting and the banter, thinking it was meaningless.

Danny and Stacie looked at each other, their contentment obvious on their faces. Mickey looked at them, a twinge of jealous invading his brain. "Stacie, can I have a word please."

Stacie nodded and stood up, her hand lingering to be with Danny. "What is it Mickey?"

When he knew they were a safe distance away from Danny he began to talk. "How'd this happen Stacie? I though you said you weren't interested in Danny that way?"

Stacie's smile soon faded from her face. "Jealous, are we?"

"No." Mickey said, his voice calm. "It's just I'm worried. If you two don't work out, you know what will happen don't you?"

Stacie folded her arms. "This isn't just some fling that will be over in a few weeks Mickey. Something that I needed to pass the time. Danny and I are for real. What's your problem?"

"I don't have a problem." Mickey replied. "I know what Danny's like. He'll only hurt you, Stace."

"Yeah, well I know Danny too and he's not like that." Stacie paused. "Why are you saying all this to me Mickey?"

"I didn't mean to upset you Stacie. I just wanted to know how you really felt. I didn't mean anything by it."

Stacie rubbed Mickey's arm. "I know. It's just you didn't need to do it this way. I would have just told you."

"I'm sorry, Stacie. And I know that Danny's not really like that." He said apologetically.

"It's alright. I know you're just looking out for me." She moved forward and placed a small kiss on Mickey's cheek. She turned and walked back towards Danny. She lent down and placed a tender kiss on his lips.

"Ok, I didn't need to see that." Ash said, feigning a disgusted look.

Mickey also rejoined the group, a small smile on his face. He looked at Danny, who gave him a small nod and a smile.

"So" Mickey began. "Now that we know about the new couple, let's get back down to business."