I do not own Dirty Dancing.

Chapter Five

POV Penny

Favors

"Ladies, join our hair raising wig show!" Stan called into the PA system, "Try Sandra Dee, Jackie Kennedy, or Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra wig," Stan liked to think he was funny. I didn't, and neither did most of the other people here. He was mildly amusing on a good day.

The Comedian turned to a woman who was putting on a Cleopatra wig, and with a grin, remarked, "My God, it's Cleopatra. I feel like such an Asp!" The woman paid him no mind as she continued to adjust the wig. Thankfully, he was gone a few moments later, continuing with the announcements, "Attention, teens by the pool, we have Calisthenics, then, on the West porch, we have a Symposium by Rabbi Morris Sherman on The Psychology Of Insult Comedian!"

"You look ten years younger," I tell Mrs. Schumacher, who gave me a sweet grin, one of the smiles that could only come from your Grandmother. It was a blatant lie, and we both knew it. But she was a sweet old lady, and was thankful I was trying. Most of these women would believe any lie you told as long as they wanted it to be true or were afraid it was.

I walk down to the end of the table to organize the wigs again. As I fiddle with the hairpieces, I couldn't help but notice that bastard Robbie Gould sneaking up behind the elder Houseman girl, Lisa, who was trying on a Jackie Kennedy wig, "So I say, ask not what your Waiter can do for you, but what you can do for your Waiter," He grinned. "You know, if tips keep up, I'll have enough for my Alpha Romeo,"

I glare at him. I had loved Robbie, had thought the feeling was mutual. Then he dumped me. Now I was pregnant with his bastard baby. And he was shamelessly flirting with another girl in front of me. Had I really meant that little to him? The thought made my blood burn. I'd realized his real nature far too late to fix what had happened, that was for damn sure. Lisa turned to face Robbie, "That's my favorite car," She flirted back.

"Ladies, you look very lovely," A deep voice behind me said. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Johnny Castle, shame on you!" I exclaim, "You scared me to death!" Out of the corner of my eye, I see the younger Houseman girl, Baby, I thought her name was, move. She slipped off her Cleopatra wig, exposing her curls, her most identifying trait, and smiled up at Johnny. It was a smile that was secret, and hopelessly smitten. It said that she didn't even know she was doing it. That she had a massive crush. I recall her dancing with Johnny last night. I look back to my friend, who was grinning shamelessly at having scared me. I glance between the pair. My, my. A little infatuation going, have we?

I see his blue eyes brushing the landscape with a piercing, raptor gaze. They hover very briefly on Baby, no doubt recognizing her from the party last night, then moving to where Robbie sat in the background, still flirting with Lisa. He immediately knew who I'd been watching, and brought his gaze back to me, "You shouldn't pay any attention to him. He's scum and we all know it. Smile more. It's good for you," Johnny insisted, wearing a grin at the last part.

I gave a week smile at his attempt to cheer me up. "What do you need?"

"Can you take my 3:00 today? It's the Kramers. I need to go and run some errands in town," He explained, showing me the sign up on the paper in the binder he'd brought over.

"Sure," I sigh, "But you owe me one,"

"Of course I do," Johnny answered nonchalantly, "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"I'm fine Johnny," I insist, when in reality I was anything but.

My friend sighed, and I could tell he really didn't buy my answer. "Okay. But if anything changes, talk to me, okay?" I nod. "Good," Johnny smiled, and gave me a peck on the cheek as he closed his binder. "Thanks," He said before walking away.

What pulls me from my daze is the Houseman girl standing next to me, the one infatuated with Johnny, a light smile on her face. "So you were really a Rockette?" She asked in a tone that said she couldn't believe she was talking to one of us. I nod, but don't look at her, busying myself with the wigs. "I think you're a wonderful Dancer," Baby sighed.

"Yeah, well my Mother kicked me out when I was 16," I tell her bitterly. "I've been dancing ever since. It's the only thing I ever wanted to do anyway," I almost spit, thinking about how soon, it would all be over. Soon, I wouldn't be able to dance any because of this kid. A kid I didn't want, didn't ask for, that would ruin my career.

"I envy you," Baby said softly. I snort. Envy. Me. What a ridiculous notion! Bitterly, I snap the suitcase shut, and stalk off, leaving the girl behind, ready to take the case back to the storage room.

I was the last person a girl like that should be envying.

Helplessly, I sunk down to the ground, the rough tree bark pressing into my spine. I feel hot tears slide down my cheeks as a sob escaped me.

Damn Robbie. Damn everyone.

For once in his life, couldn't he just care about somebody?! I wasn't asking for it to be me, I wasn't asking him to raise the baby. I was asking for him to take responsibility to get rid of this thing we'd made, something neither of us wanted. I didn't need him to sit by me in the procedure. I just wanted him to help with the money.

"Penny?" A voice behind the tree asked in shock. Johnny knelt on the ground beside me, and took me into his arms. "What happened?" He asked.

How could I tell him this? That I had been stupid enough to get pregnant? What would Johnny say? I sob again, not ready to tell him, burying my face in his chest. Johnny's arms tightened around me, as he soothingly rubbed my back. "It's okay," He told me, "You can tell me," Johnny insisted, but I shook my head. I couldn't tell him this, "Penny, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong,"

Here it goes. I was just going to have to say it. Like ripping off a bandaid.

"Johnny, I'm pregnant," I blurt out.

"You're what?" He gasped. At his words, I wail again as the tears start up for the second time. Johnny immediately sensed his error and hugged me tighter in an attempt to soothe me, "Shh. It's okay. It's okay," He said.

In a weak, weepy voice, I explained, "I just found out yesterday. I finally worked up the courage to tell Robbie today, and..." I broke off my words with a sob, unable to finish as I remembered his accusing the child of not being his.

"What did he do, Penny?" Johnny questioned, voice a steely quiet that only came when he was really angry. When he was about to explode.

Through my tears, I choke out, "Oh, Johnny, he doesn't even believe it's his."

I felt Johnny shift, his mind working in a thousand different ways to figure out what we needed to do, coming to the same conclusions I had. "Do you want it?" He asked.

"No," I answer. Johnny nodded.

"What are you going to do?" He asked me.

I only had one option, if I was going to keep working here. "I have to get rid of it, don't I?" I say, to which he nodded, understanding as well as I did, "Max will fire me if he finds out. It costs $250 for the procedure. None of us make that much on such short notice, even on a good month. And Robbie won't help. I already asked. Billy says that one of the Counselors knows a Doctor. He can make it one day next week, but the price..."

In that moment, Johnny said the five words I needed to hear the most, five words I didn't really believe, but still needed to hear.

"It's going to be okay,"