I…..have no excuse….I am a very horrible person. * hides in shame *

Ok, so, this chapter is dedicated to two of pitbulllady's dreams that she had told me and others about.

Disclaimer. I don't own Monsters, Inc or any of the characters in the movie.

Chapter 6

Liss looked at Randall funny as he squirmed. The purple lizard monster was sitting on her couch in her apartment in Baton Rouge not five blocks away from the campus. He and Danielle had spent the night as Danielle was finally graduating. She had decided to drop being a veterinarian and move on to working at the zoo as a veterinary technician. She had sat down in March and decided this. She had been in collage for six years and only part time and had struggled the entire time. Having worked as a volunteer at the city's zoo for seven years, the other volunteers and the employees knowing her and she knowing the working of it; she had talked to the zoo curator and discussed her desire for an internship and so having more then the required two-year program and a focus of the in the elective courses of exotic animals the zoo was more then willing to take her.

So in April she had took the certification exam, the National Veterinary Technical Exam. Having gotten word in the beginning of May that she had passed, she began to get things set up for her graduation and application in at the zoo. Having been hired, as soon as she graduated, she would go in as apprentice still needing a substantial amount of on-the-job training as well

So now, so that Randall could 'attend' the graduation, Danielle and he had spent the night at Liss's. That morning after breakfast and as Danielle took a shower and got ready Randall had been squirming. In fact, his purple scales were duller. It was something Danielle had noticed right off but the monster had brushed it off, telling her that he was fine. He seemed slightly grumpy and irritable, but Liss and Danielle decided it was due to possibly being around a large crowd.

But the way he was now squirming and rubbing his back against her couch made it seem that he was very itchy. "Those Louisiana crabs getting to you Randall?" Liss snickered.

Randall stopped and sneered at her. "You'd know all about that wouldn't you?"

Liss rolled her eyes and picked up her wooden backscratcher and passed it to him. "Here. Didn't know that Monster Lizards could get fleas."

Randall grabbed the backscratcher and got to town on his back. "No…. but I wouldn't put it past the Furs to have them."

Liss snorted in amusement. She started to say something when the door opened and Danielle came out. She looked a bit uncomfortable having had to wear dressy formal clothes under the smoky purple gradation gown that seemed to match Randall's main color and hat and gold tassel. Her long red brown hair was curled on the ends and she had a bit of powder on her face to take the shine away. She looked uncomfortable, but also excited and proud.

"Looking good D!" Liss said as she snapped a picture of her.

Danielle laughed, "Aren't you like going to get more later?"

"Yeah! But I get the first picture before you get all rumbled." Liss clicked another picture as Danielle rolled her eyes with a smile. Her brown hazel eyes went to Randall who had his green eyes on her. He was still scratching however. "Randall…. are you sure you're fine?"

He gave her a half smile and stopped scratching. "I'm good Toots. So, how do you feel?" he asked smiling.

"Happy, scared, excited...what don't I feel?" She giggled in nervousness.

Randall chuckled, "You look very nice." He lifted the purple gown. "You look very good."

She smiled at him and looked at the time. "Oh boy…Mom and Dad and the rest of the DeMarshes will be here soon…if not already there…."

"C'mon, I'm gonna drive you to campus. I'm sure that you and Randall are going to have some celebrating to do afterwards." Liss nudged Danielle and Randall's side.

"I'm sure we will." Danielle said with a blush and then glared at a grinning Liss and Randall.

Snickering, Randall slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek giving her a small nuzzle.

Danielle shook her head and put her hand on Randall's wide flat head. Her eyes widened. "Randall! Your skin…. it's really dry!"

"I know. It's why I'm so itchy!" He leered at her playfully, "Maybe you can rub some of that lotion of yours in later."

Giggling, Danielle rolled her eyes, "Maybe…." She jumped then when Liss popped up behind her and Randall and pulled them close.

"Say cheese!" Pointing at the camera she had set up on the counter. The blinding flash had both Danielle and Randall seeing spots.

XXX

Standing on the stage in the lovely purple gown alongside her fellow classmates, Danielle fidgeted. She could hear her heart beating, and anxiety began to sweep over her. She was graduating…

Her gaze wandered around the area; numerous parents were sitting in their seats, tears pricking at their eyes. Her father was one of them, of course. The very tall man with his dark brown hair that showed the red in it only in the sun was holding her stone faced mother's hand. The short stocky red headed woman had mix of pride and annoyance. Pride that her youngest was graduating and annoyed she had been denied seeing her daughter's mysterious boyfriend. Liss was beside them and even Margot and her children and Danielle's niece and nephew was there.

Suddenly, her thoughts were shattered, as something caught her attention. Danielle's brows knitted together, as she stared behind the rows of chairs to find a shadow moving about. While she was handed her diploma, she faintly smiled at him, but kept her gaze locked on the back of the room. The shadow had halted its smooth steps, as a pair of green eyes found hers.

Suddenly, as abruptly as the shadow had arrived, it swiftly vanished in a mere five seconds. Danielle smiled. How she wished, he could be right there with her. She knew there would be difficulties about being with Randall. She could not even enjoy something like this with him, but Danielle was determined not to let it get her down.

The ceremony felt like it went on forever. Finally, caps were thrown and celebration was running wild through the gym. After the processional back out of the gym…must everything be so choreographed? Danielle thought as she was finally free to run from her family in the crowd to sneak a kiss to Randall who was in Liss's car. Her friend was going to taking him back to Danielle's house and join up with the DeMarsh family at the restaurant. Again she felt horrible but the understanding look in Randall's eyes only made it worse.

XXX

Danielle walked into the house and leaned against the door in exhaustion. Her cap was on her head and her gown was in her hands as well as her certificate and a few gifts.

"I remembered my own graduation….I think I had the same face. 'Thank god it's over…'" Randall snickered from the couch.

Danielle giggled as she walked over and sagged down beside him. "You read me that easy?"

Randall grinned. "That…and I went through almost the same thing." Randall then held up a cup of coffee, "Let's hear it for Doctor Danielle DeMarsh!" he said "Who finally kicked some serious ass and finished all her schooling…and because of me!"

Danielle stole his mug and took a sip before he could. She handed it back sniggering, "And there's your ego again. I just gave in. Besides…it'd be smarter then keep on struggling when I had all the credentials for a vet tech. and since I know the zoo like the back of my hand…and they still want one year of residency…and I will never have the Dr. title…"

"Do you regret it?" Randall asked running his hands though her hair.

"Well…. it would've been cool to be called Doctor…but it's a small regent…I'd miss the zoo…and well…my math was still below what they wanted for a full veterinarian. I'll go for second best." Danielle leaned back against Randall. "And I already have a job now at the zoo! But now…for two weeks…I can recharge my much-depleted battery!" She looked up at Randall, as she was leaning against him, not making him look taller then she being an inch taller, "And don't think that I've forgotten how you cut off most of my coffee supply, Mr Boggs," she said with only mock ferocity. "I had a feeling I would've finished even sooner if you hadn't cut me off and made me sleep."Randall grinned knowing full well that she was not angry with him. "I had to, Miss DeMarsh...I was getting twitchy just looking at you.""Were not," Danielle said sheepishly."Were too," he nodded, "And you could catch up on your reading and read those novels you brought over from the Monster World...but never got a chance to read," he added."And...other things..." Danielle said softly with a small both knew what she meant. She and Randall had a very healthy sex life since they started 'dating'...always in the mood and hardly able to keep their hands off of each other...but when Danielle had started her two and half months of cramming and tests and plus work and volunteering still at the Zoo, they were lucky if they had sex once a week, soon dieing off to were there was none.

And they both knew that though she had graduated, she would still be working two jobs and start her year residency, her and Randall's sex-life may became non-existent for awhile, making them both glad that she had a two week vacation because they was hanging on to their self-control by a very thin thread. It surprised Danielle to no end, never really caring for the intimate part of a relationship, to the part she had dreaded having sex…but with Randall it was all different…because not only was they lovers…. they were friends still. Hugging Danielle from behind, Randall nuzzled her shoulder and then neck, feeling her shiver before he finally could not take the waiting anymore. Leaning in, he murmured softly into his human girlfriend's ear. "Bedroom?" There was a soft growl to his voice and it sent shivers of delighted anticipation down Danielle's spine, her exhaustion disappearing in cloud of smoke"Bedroom," Danielle eagerly agreed.

XXXX

As was habit Danielle, though she was off for the next two weeks was up at 8 the next morning, Randall still asleep. However she had plans for a nap maybe later. She smiled as she made the coffee. Ah the luxury of a nap, she thought with a blissful smile. Her hazel eyes moved over to the post-it note on the calendar. It had a phone number to a cabin by a lake up in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. It was in a gated community and a cabin that Liss and her family always go to, as it was very private. It was open for them if they wanted it for a week and half. Liss would go as she sweet-talked her parents to give her the key. Danielle was tempted, it would be a wonderful break and Randall just may enjoy it. It was a long drive…but would be worth it. She'll talk it over with Randall later.

After feeding Bread and Butter and picking up a muffin and pouring her coffee she started to go into the living room when she froze, her eyes wide. She knew her jaw dropped making her look like an idiot as she stared in mouth-open shock. "Randall!"

Randall was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He obviously just woke up and still had his sleepy eyed look. But that's not surprised Danielle.

He had huge sheets of peeling white dead skin hanging all over him, just like a lizard. He squinted at her, "What? You act like you've never seen a guy shedding his skin before!"

"You're shedding…"

"Yeah? Itches like hell too." He grumbled as he scratched.

Danielle put her coffee and muffin down, walking over to him. She lightly touched them. "Wow…. that's why you've been itchy and your scales dull…I never…."

"Thought I'd shed like this…well I do…" He said turning pleading eyes on her, begging with his eyes.

"Guess I have to wash sheets today…" Danielle was saying. She saw his look. "What?"

"Can you give me a hand?"

"What?!" She stared at him.

"A hand…to peel this shit off of me. It'd go a lot faster and your fingers are slimmer then mine." He heaved a sigh. "Please Toots? It really itches! I mean come ON! I don't see why it's such a big deal!"

Danielle giggled then and went and got a damp washcloth and she began to help him peel the skin off, running the cloth over his scales in some spots. "It's not that it's a big deal…just surprised me. But YOU will pick up your own skin."

He chuckled as he pulled a large sheet off of his chest. In the past it took almost two the three days and he never left the house. It was too embarrassing, and his past girlfriends never helped him. He remembered on saying it was gross and demeaning and just eww.

Females.

But now, he sighed in pleasure as Danielle straddled his back as he lay on his belly on the bed. It had took all day almost, but they had gotten it all off and she was now rubbing lotion into his much brighter scales. She was incredible. Sure she had gotten a laugh out of it at times, but she wasn't grossed out at all. He was a very fortunate lizard indeed.