Her classes done for the day, she hurried back to her dorm room. It had to be there. Please let it have come with the things she brought to college. Rummaging through her CD's, she breathed a sigh of relief when she got to the bottom. She was going to let some "Canned Heat" loose. She spent an hour just getting reacquainted with the things that used to be second nature to her. It was all too soon that she had to stop her homework, and get her psychology paper done. She didn't mind it as much suddenly. She understood it. After all, wasn't she a case of Multiple Personalities waiting to happen?

The next morning she woke up with a feeling of excitement. She hadn't felt that way since the days at ABA, before she developed her disorder, and her world started caving in. "This is not going to be professional," she told herself. "Just fun." The weeks started to fly. She tried to speed through her other homework so she could spend more time on her dance assignment. To her chagrin, she'd had to tone it down some, since none of the girls who were dancing with her had had near the experience that she'd had, but by dress rehearsal, there was a critic in the audience, watching the "Canned Heat" number with great interest.

He'd never really bothered to look at the college performances before. Usually he was busy with the bigger ballets and touring companies, but a cousin of his was a stage manager, and invited him to come and check it out.

"Go away," Maureen murmured as Cecilia tried to shake her awake. She opened one eye to look at the clock. It read seven a.m.

"Maureen, you have got to wake up," Cecilia insisted.

Maureen sat up. "This is a Saturday. I do not have any classes. It had better be a matter of life and death."

"How about a good review?" she asked, as she waved the paper in front of Maureen.

Mauren grabbed it. The headline read "A Sensational College Performance."

"Ack, he liked it," she bubbled. She was instantly awake and out of bed. "It's good, and I choreographed it, and it's still good," she exclaimed.

She took the paper with her opening night. Thankfully the reviewer had given the dancers as much credit as he had the choreographer. She was so proud of her girls. It took her mind off the fact that her mother was in the audience. She had gotten better with counseling, and was starting to embrace Maureen more for who she was, but it was still an uphill battle some days. On the last night of the run, there was also another member of the audience that Maureen wasn't expecting. Sitting at an angle that spoke arrogance, he watched the stage with great interest, wondering if there were any dancers in the group he might want to put in his company.

"Maureen", she heard someone call, as audience members started to drift backstage to hug and congratulate.

"Cooper Nelson. You're the last person I expected to see here."

"I want to make you a job offer."

"You heard I don't dance anymore?"
"Very funny. I wouldn't want you to dance for me anyway after that little psychotic meltdown," he said smoothly.
"You are such an ass," she said, and turned from him to look for her mom who had been in the crowd.
"Wait Maureen. I don't want you as a dancer, but I would sure love to have you as a choreographer. You heard my other one is leaving?"

"Jodie may have mentioned it. Look Cooper. I really don't know."

"Look here's my card, and the number of the hotel I'm staying at is on the back.I'm going to be here a few days at least because I recruit my dancers from college. So give me a call. We'll do lunch."

She figured it certainly wouldn't hurt to talk with Copper a little more. That's why she was waiting for him in the lobby at one of the nicer restaurants in town, and that's why she was wearing a black suit that clung to her in all the right places. Her hair was done a bit nicer than usual. "What's the occasion?" Cecilia had asked as she observed her roommates preparations.

"I have a business meeting," she replied coolly as she spritzed on a little perfume. It's still is a business meeting,' she reminded herself as she saw Cooper arrive. He was dressed up more than she had ever seen him, and her heart skipped a beat as she took in how handsome he looked. As he greeted her, she could smell his cologne. Oh, how could he be wearing the kind that made her knees grow weak? 'Business Maureen,' she reminded herself as they sat down and were handed menus. They talked about his company, and he really pounded on how beneficial it would be for her to come on as a choreographer. "I'll even let you dance if you change your mind," he promised.

Little by little the conversation started to turn personal. Cooper reported on how annoying it was that Charlie was around the studio almost every day to pick Jodie up, drop her off, or take her out to lunch. Her heart went out to him as she sensed how much pain she was in. She and Jim had broken things off, and it still hurt to think about him with the girl he dumped her for, and that had been over the summer, which had long faded into the current mid-November night, the frigid air brightened by the onslaught of holiday decorations.

It was snowing when they walked out of the restaurant after dinner. She was ready to say goodnight when one of her high heels toppled. She let out a cry of pain as her ankle twisted and she fell to the icy ground. Cooper helped her up. "Are you okay?" "I'll be fine," she said as she tried to hop to her car. "Oh no you don't. Since my hotel room is right next to this restaurant, why don't we go there, and at least put some ice on your ankle."

"What about my car? They'll tow it."

"No. I'll come back and get it for you."

He settled her into his suite, and left to repark her vehicle. While he was gone, she reflected on how different Cooper seemed to be. He still had that air of an arrogant jerk, but he had seemed to turn it into part of his charm, being much nicer than the recluse she casually knew in New York.

He came back with a DVD he had rented from the front desk. He popped it in, and settled next to her. He wasn't settling into her, but still in pleasantly close proximity. It was more boring than they expected. Before long they were both asleep.

The unfamiliar buzz of an alarm clock woke her the next morning. She opened her eyes to find Cooper cuddled next to her. He seemed just as confused as she as they sat up. "Did we sleep together?" he joked.

"I don't kiss and tell on a first date," she retorted playfully as she removed the ice pack that had formed into a bag of water during the night.

"How's your ankle?"

"I think it's well enough to drive home with. Thank you for last night."

She marveled at how comfortable that morning had been as she drove home from school for the holidays. It was like they had known each other for a lot longer and better than they had previously. It should have been awkward, but somehow it was rather on the pleasant side. Despite the fact that Cooper was in town for a business trip, he managed to fit in a movie with her the next night. This time he didn't fall asleep, but he hugged her for a pretty long time as he bid her goodnight at her dormitory.

She walked in the door, picking up instantly on the spices that filled the air. "Hello Maureen," her mom greeted her with a hug.

"Hi Mom, are you okay?"

"Why?"

"You're covered in flour."

"That's because I was waiting for you to come home and help me," she said. "I'm making us a big Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, and your father will be joining us."

Maureen was wondering if she should call her mother's therapist. Her mother never had been June Cleaver, now she was starting to remind her of her clone. The fact that her father was arriving was something she found a bit alarming. "Why is he coming? I thought you two hated each other."

Her mother turned around, and Maureen suddenly saw that she was serious. "Maureen, over the years, I've been a pretty unhappy person. That was why your father and I divorced. Then I was able to hide behind you, and when you stopped dancing, I had no more options. No more hiding places. There was just me. Your father and I have talked, and we get along quite a bit better than we used to."