I do not own Dirty Dancing.

Chapter Thirty Six

POV Penny

Johnny In Love

I stand up, and pull the door open. Moments ago, there had been a knock. Now, I see that it is Johnny outside, waiting for me. His face was grim, and his blue eyes had gone stormy. They were clouded, in frustration, in anger. Something had upset him, that was clear. I pulled my friend into a hug. We were really like family, always there when the other needed them. "What happened?"

Johnny sat down in my chair, and having the feeling that this would be a while, I sat on the edge of my mattress. A sigh escaped Johnny's lungs. "You know that Baby and I..." He drew off.

"Slept together?" I ask. Was that what this was about? "Yeah. I guessed. Why?" It seemed common knowledge even before they got together that they liked each other. I knew what was happening even when they were still blind to it. I'd warned Johnny about getting involved with guests, even if I liked Baby. Of course, he'd slept with her anyway. But what could Johnny have possibly done now? And why did it concern Baby?

"I kept on seeing her," He answered. Shit. Johnny knew he could get fired for this. He knew what would happen if anyone found out. And he didn't seem to care.

"Johnny..."

"Don't start on me," He warned, cutting me off. "They don't know yet,"

Sarcastically, I respond, "Yet being the key word,"

He looked at me, eyes like blue fire. "I knew what I was getting into, Penny," He says. "You think I don't know how dangerous this is, having feelings for a guest? I know I can loose my job because of this. But I care about her too much. I know that's bad, because if any of the management find out, my ass is grass. But Baby, she..."

"She's wonderful," I tell him. She really was. Baby had worked wonders on Johnny. She was the first one he'd really opened up to in such away in a very long time. He needed to hear what I thought about her. "And if she were anything but a guest, I would approve wholeheartedly. But she's a guest," I remind him, which he no doubt had considered himself. "You could get fired, Johnny."

"I'm in love with her, Penny,"

I quiet. Johnny. In love. It was difficult to believe, but I know it is true. If there was one thing Johnny knew besides dancing, it was his own heart. If he said he was in love with Baby, he was. For him to admit it to anyone, he had to be head over heels in love. I never thought this day would come. But I know that he isn't lying. I had seen them look at each other. I had seen how he touched her. My friend had fallen hopelessly in love with Baby Houseman.

"What happened?" I ask. Johnny always came to me to clear his head. I was wondering why he was here now. What could've happened between Baby and him that would have him here?

Quietly, Johnny explained. "We were in the practice studio, and Neil came in to talk to me about the final show. He wants us to do the Pachanga, and threatened to fire me if I didn't. Baby and I ended up fighting," He explained. Johnny took a breath before continuing. "She told me to fight harder, but she doesn't understand why I can't. And then we saw her Father and Sister walking along with Robbie,"

I frowned. I hated Robbie. It was understandable after the things he had done. Now he was going to do those same things to Baby's Sister. He would break her heart. Johnny's continuing words brought me back to reality. "And we had to hide so they wouldn't see us. So I accused her of not fighting for us by hiding our relationship from her Father. When she said that she'd tell him, I didn't believe her."

"And you left her in the woods?" I asked him. Johnny gave a small nod. "Do you still want to be with her?" I knew he did, I just had to get him to say it. Baby had given him more pain in the last week than he'd felt all year. All year, I had seen him be angry, and afraid, but he hasn't shown real pain until he started hanging around Baby. Which was how I knew he loved her.

Johnny released a sigh. "Yes, I just... I don't see how this thing between us is ever going to work out," He pressed a palm into his face. Johnny had no idea what he was doing. No clue whatsoever how rough he was being on Baby. No one should be asked to choose like that. "What am I supposed to do?" He asked me. I smacked the back of his head. Johnny was being stupid. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You are such an idiot!" I shout at him. Every once in a while, he needed the sense knocked into him. "Johnny, you know that Baby loves you,"

"She's never said as much,"

"Just because she hasn't said it, doesn't mean she's not in love with you," I respond. It was glaringly obvious to anyone who looked. "And she is in love with you," I continue. "All you have to do is see it is look at how you are with each other," I touch Johnny's shoulder lightly not illustrate my sincerity. "You're as much in love with her as she is with you."

I laugh at my friend, at the irony of this. I never imagined he would ever fall in love. Never. I thought he would stay cold with everybody, but no. Baby made him melt. "You know, I never thought I would see the day when Johnny Castle fell head over heels in love. I never thought you would go completely mooney eyed over a guest. But you did. It happened. And the same happened to her."

"I don't go mooney eyed," Johnny chided, "But I am in love with her. I just can't understand why she won't tell her Father about us," My friend groaned.

I release a sigh. This was going to take a while to explain. "Here's the thing. As much as Baby loves you, she also loves her Father. Most girls... well, most girls think that there's no one out there who can compare to their Father. There's not a man in the world who's as great as their Daddy. Now, Baby's found you. Someone she loves just as much, if not more. Someone who, as little as this makes sense, is as great as her Father, who can compare.

"Because of us, their relationship started falling apart. Can you imagine what him knowing would do? What would happen if he found out?" I ask. "And here you are, asking her to choose between two men she loves. To forsake one she's known her whole life, consequences be damned, and choose someone she's only known for a few weeks, but is just as in love with. Do you have any idea just how ridiculous that is? To expect her to do that?"

Before I can delve deeper into reading him the riot act, someone knocked at my door. I stood, and opened it. Baby. Once again, these two idiots managed to be in the same place at the same time. It was uncanny. "Hi. Have you seen Johnny?" Baby asked. So that was why she was here. She knew him well, it seemed.

I open the door wider, letting her see him. Johnny stood upon seeing her, and walked over. He stopped at the threshold, watching her silently, in some sort of lover's staring contest. Finally, he stepped outside.

I shut the door behind him, giving the two a moment. This was their business. I didn't need to watch.

What was he going to do?