CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

SIX WEEKS LATER...

DEAN

The heat between Dean and AJ was perfect. They'd been shooting promo after promo against each other, and Dean had made it clear he was coming for AJ's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. As expected, the fans had popped as soon as Dean cut his first promo, and they were cheering him left and right as he took out low-carder after low-carder. Nothing could stop him now.

This was the first Pay-Per-View event the company had held since the shooting. Most of the roster was back. The entire New Legacy stable had returned with the exception of Nicky, who was still in the hospital. Colby and Joe had gone back the second Dean did, unwilling to let him do it alone. Molly had immediately signed back on, so Keith and the others reluctantly followed, wanting to stay together. Ginny was still pretty skittish, but she never let it show until she was backstage. Her parents had insisted on returning with her. Randy had opted to stay away until he dealt with whatever demons were haunting his eyes lately, so Cody and Dean were taking turns keeping an eye on Keith. It wasn't hard to do, since Keith was nearly always with Molly these days.

The card wasn't half bad. Shane had done a decent job of putting it together. Dean was mildly impressed, given how thin the roster was. The opening match was a tag match consisting of Lucas and Gabe against the Prime Time Players. Then it was Cody against Colby, and they were both excited about it. The two hadn't worked a match together in over a decade. Joe had a match against Bray for no apparent reason, but no one minded because the other matches made more sense. Keith was wrestling John Cena. The fans were billing it as Cena vs Orton 2.0, but no one seemed to mind that it was happening even if it was hardly worth mentioning because of how often Randy had fought Cena. For the first main event, Molly was wrestling Nattie, and Dean knew it would be a great match. Age hadn't lessened Nattie's in-ring skills and he knew that unlike most of the girls, Nattie wouldn't need Molly to hold back. She could take whatever his offspring dished out. He was looking forward to watching the match almost as much as Molly was looking forward to being part of it. Dean was proud that Molly had one of the main events. What made it cooler was that he had the other.

The event was in New York. They'd all arrived the night before. Now, Dean stood backstage with everyone else. He was ready for this. He put everything else aside as they got ready to start the show.

TRIXIE

Danny was standing with her when Stephanie approached. "We need to add a match to the card," she informed them. "I think it should be a women's match. How would you like to have your first pay-per-view match today, Trixie?"

"Are you serious?" Trixie asked in excitement.

"Absolutely. It's time."

"Sure! Who's it with?"

"Brie was kind enough to offer to take the match."

Trixie froze. "Brie? Stephanie, I'm not sure that's a good idea-"

"Oh, it'll be fine. She's a professional, and a veteran. You could learn a lot from her."

"Like what? How to sleep her way to the top? How to steal the moves of whoever she's screwing? She doesn't need to learn anything from that bitch," Danny objected.

"Look, Trixie is the reason Brandon's not in New Legacy anymore. It makes perfect sense storyline-wise for Brie to seek revenge."

"Trixie's not the reason, Brandon is. He's the one who hit her."

"This doesn't concern you, Danny."

"It sure as hell does! I won't let that bitch touch her."

"Watch your tone, Mr. Huber, and your choice of words. I'm in charge here, and I need Trixie to do this."

"It's okay," Trixie said quickly. "I can handle Brie."

"She might go off-script, Trix," Danny protested.

"I'm a professional. This is part of my job."

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand," Stephanie said.

"I do... But Danny gets to be in my corner."

"What?"

"Danny gets to be in my corner, or I don't do this."

"Fine..."

"Who goes over?"

"You, of course. New Legacy almost always does. Anyway, you are on in ten minutes. Go get dressed. And congrats on your pay-per-view debut!"

Trixie looked at Danny. "It's a trap," Danny said.

"I know it is," Trixie said, "but I don't have a choice. That's why I insisted you be with me."

"I always am anyway. My character is your protector."

"And I'm your valet."

"Don't call yourself my valet. You're better than that."

"I've escorted you out for every one of your matches since I came back. I wrestle, but I also valet, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not ashamed."

"I know... It's just, everyone swears my mom was nothing but a valet, and she did so much more. She was pretty badass on NXT. That Fandango gimmick is what ruined her reputation. And then she had me and she never bounced back from that." His eyes got that haunted look she often noticed in them.

Trixie looked at him. "You didn't ruin her life, Danny. You saved it."

"I ruined her career, though. Either way, forget it. This is about you. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm not going to let Brie scare me."

"You know she genuinely hates you, right?"

"So be it. Nikki will probably be in her corner, too. I heard a rumor she's here today. Stephanie and Shane must have convinced her to come back."

"Yeah, because that's what we need... More whores."

"Be nice. Nikki almost died. Cut her some slack."

"You're too forgiving. Molly needs to give you bitch lessons... Or Ginny. Ginny's like the queen bitch around here."

Trixie had reached her locker room, so she got changed quickly and met Danny outside. They barely made it to Gorilla before her music started. She bounced out to the ring with Danny walking beside her in a protective manner.

Brie's music started and she marched out to the ring. Nikki followed behind her. She looked nervous and like she was regretting her decision at first, but as soon as the camera hit her, she put on her biggest smile and walked in like she owned the place. She might not be Trixie's favorite person, but she was a professional, and the fans were going wild for her surprising return.

When the match began, Trixie knew something was wrong. Brie looked at her with venom in her eyes. She immediately attacked her hard, not giving Trixie even a moment to prepare herself. Trixie decided she wasn't going to take that. She began fighting back, using every trick she had to try and keep Brie at bay.

Mum's backstage, Trixie realized. If Brie tried anything too serious, Saraya would kill her. She had to keep this from getting out of hand. Trixie didn't even bother trying to figure out how to stop Molly from getting involved. She knew the second her best friend figure out this match was happening, she'd come running out. That was fine. New Legacy played the numbers game better than anyone. The crowd would expect no less.

Sure enough, Molly came running out about two minutes into the match. She immediately ran at Nikki, who had tried to interfere. Danny had been trying to stop her, but since WWE frowned on men hitting women, he couldn't do much.

Brie took the opportunity to pull Trixie's hair nearly out of her head and slam her head against the hard part of the mat. Trixie saw stars for a moment as Brie hissed out, "That's for my son, you liar!"

Trixie was pissed off now. Brandon had hurt her, both emotionally and physically, and Brie was attacking her for the fact that his actions had gotten him fired? This was behavior she'd have expected from Nikki. Brie wasn't giving her room to breathe as she threw hit after hit at her. Trixie took a deep breath and waited for a brief opening before she threw a punch right at Brie's side. Brie actually cursed softly and stumbled away from her.

Nikki was down for a moment, so Molly rushed to Trixie's side. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm good," Trixie said.

Molly gave her some space. Brie thought that meant she could attack again. Trixie was ready this time, and she dodged the first attempt, but then Brie climbed up on the ropes. Back on script, she declared, "Brie Mode" and jumped down. Trixie knew she should take the bump to make it look good, so she did. Brie intentionally came down with her knees bent and landed right on Trixie's chest. It knocked the wind out of her and Brie grabbed her by her hair and started to bash her head against the mat. Trixie let out a gasp of pain and struggled to find a way to free herself.

Danny tried to get to her and so did Molly, but someone beat them to it. Brie was ripped off her and Trixie looked up in confusion, wondering who else had run out. She expected to see her Mum, but instead, it was Nikki who stood over her.

I must be concussed, she thought. There's no way that just happened.

"Enough!" Nikki shouted. "You're going too far, Brie!"

"What?" Brie demanded. "She got my son fired, Nicole!" The Bellas had apparently decided to say to hell with kayfabe, because this was definitely not how the match was supposed to go.

"Brandon got what he had coming. He hurt her. I saw the segment, and he even admitted to me he wasn't supposed to hit her, so yeah, they had to punish him. He's not even fired, just suspended, Brie."

Molly and Danny knelt beside Trixie. "Trix, are you alright?" Danny asked.

"Yeah… My head hurts, but yeah," Trixie admitted.

"What the fuck is going on?" Molly asked.

"I think the Bellas just imploded," Danny said.

"You're his family! Why would you take her side? You hate her!" Brie shouted.

"I barely know her. I never gave her a chance, just like I never gave her mom one, but guess what? I was wrong, Brianna." Nikki paused. The crowd was dead silent and confused, desperately trying to catch snippets of this conversation without the benefit of microphones.

"Nicole-"

"Her mother saved my life! My life, Brie! All I ever did was torture her, but she saved me. It made me realize…" She shook her head. "I made all of the wrong choices, Brie. Every last one. I was a terrible person, and that led some guy to try to kill me. He pointed that gun at my head. He pulled the trigger. And this girl's mother is the one who saved me! So no, I'm not going to let you beat the crap out of her. She's a good kid, and she doesn't deserve it. Brandon was wrong. I love him, but he was." She was shaking. "I can't do this." She grabbed a microphone from ringside and said, "I want to thank all of you in the WWE Universe for your love and support over the years. You've been my family, and I love each and every one of you, but today… I'm announcing my retirement from professional wrestling. I won't be coming back anymore. This chapter of my life is finally over, and I'm ready for a fresh start. Thank you all!"

The fans began responding with a variety of reactions. Nikki was loved by some and hated by many others, but no one had expected this. Finally, the crowd settled on chanting, "Thank you Nikki!" Trixie watched as Nikki began to cry and put the microphone down.

"Tell your mother I'm sorry. Genuinely. And thank her for saving my life. Can you do that for me? Please?" Nikki asked her.

Stunned, Trixie nodded. "Yes," she said.

Nikki nodded. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for the shit I put you through. You didn't deserve any of it… Maybe one day, you'll even forgive me."

Molly mumbled something that sounded like "Fat chance," but Trixie did what she did best. She put the past aside.

When she hugged Nikki, the fans began chanting, "Yes!" and "Hug it out," unaware that this wasn't some scripted angle. Nikki stood stiffly, confused by Trixie's reaction.

"You're trying to be a better person. Do it. I believe you can change," Trixie said. "Good luck."

Nikki was too shocked to speak. She simply nodded and finally walked away as her entrance music began to play. Brie ran from the ring, either too embarrassed to stay or simply not sure how else to save the angle from there. Molly and Danny helped Trixie leave the ring and head backstage.

"Get a trainer," Molly said to Danny. "We need to make sure she's not concussed."

"I'm okay," Trixie insisted.

"It's better to be sure of that. I'll be right back," Danny said. He left to find her a trainer. Trixie was still stunned by what had happened, but she sincerely hoped it stuck and Nikki genuinely tried to become a better person.

CAYLA

She'd been home from the treatment center for nearly a week and was watching the pay-per-view from her couch. She hadn't expected to see Trixie, but she was glad her daughter was making her pay-per-view debut. Then she'd realized the Bellas were up to something. It had stunned her when Nikki turned on Brie and delivered a retirement speech.

When her phone rang, she knew it was her daughter. "Baby, I saw… Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine, Mom. No concussion, just a small cut on my head. The trainer wants me to take it easy for a day or two, but it's nothing serious. Brie's all bark and no bite," Trixie said.

"She means all bitch and no bite," Molly chimed in from nearby.

"Tell Molly hello," Cayla said. "Was any of that scripted?"

"Not very much of it. All I knew was I was supposed to go over. It was a last-second thing. And Brie had no idea Nikki was going to turn on her. I don't think Nikki planned to… But Mom… She apologized. To me, and to you, for everything she ever put you through. She's grateful you saved her life, and apparently, she's questioning every choice she's ever made because of it," Trixie said.

Cayla raised an eyebrow at that. Maybe one small amount of good had come from all of this after all. "I'm glad, Trixie… Just be careful, alright? Try not to overdo it."

"I will." Trixie paused. "How are you feeling?"

Cayla had expected the question. Trixie asked her that several times a day now. "I'm good," she said honestly. She'd worked through a lot of her emotions in treatment, and even though she was still devastated by the loss of Show, she wasn't blaming herself anymore. "And before you ask, yes, I've eaten today. Twice, actually."

"Mom, that's great!" Trixie declared. Cayla could hear the relief in her daughter's voice. She was relieved, too. She hadn't been sure she'd ever be able to get back to this point again.

"I love you, Baby. I'm proud of you. You did great today."

"I love you, too, Mom… I have to go, though."

"Go. We'll talk later." She hung up and returned to watching the pay-per-view, taking a bite out of the apple in front of her and relaxing now that she knew Trixie wasn't seriously hurt.

Nikki's being nice, she thought. I bet you never expected that one, Show. She often had conversations like this in her mind. After her mother had died, she'd believed the people you loved could hear you even after they were gone, and now she found it comforting to occasionally send thought to Show, too. She had a feeling that, wherever he was, he was laughing hard at this unexpected turn of events. That was how she liked to remember him; laughing and smiling, and full of joy. It had taken weeks, but she'd finally gotten to a place where that was what she saw when she thought of him, not the blood or the pain. She knew she was finally going to be okay.

MOLLY

Nattie was a great opponent, and Molly was ready for a fight after the shit Stephanie had pulled booking Trixie against Brie without telling anyone. The match was long, too, because it was a main event. They had a twenty-three minute slot, which was unheard of for a women's match.

For a while, they just threw tricks at each other. They each did their best known signatures and even tried some of their finishers. Nattie trapped her in the sharpshooter at least twice, but Molly got to the ropes the first time and actually managed to escape it the second time, kicking Nattie off of her. She slammed Nattie against the ring post and brought her knee against her stomach, hitting her hard. Nattie took several hits before she reversed it, flipping Molly around so she was against the post and beginning to chop her hard. Molly welcomed the chops. It felt like she was finally wrestling someone worthy of her time. She loved that she didn't have to hold back on Nattie out of fear of breaking her, and Nattie didn't hold back, either.

Finally, close to the end of the match, Molly pulled Nattie into the sharpshooter. Nattie nearly tapped out, but she made it to the rope after a long struggle and Molly had to let her go. That was when Nattie hit her with Dirty Deeds, something that shocked the fans. Molly went down for a two and a half count, but kicked out at the last second. She then climbed up on the ropes as Nattie stood throwing a fit and oblivious to the fact that she'd gotten up. She dove off of the rope onto Nattie, hitting a perfect hurricanrana. Nattie went down hard and Molly pinned her, picking up the win.

Nattie stood up after a minute and shook Molly's hand, then pulled her into a hug. The crowd cheered in appreciation of the sportsmanship. Nattie left, allowing Molly to have her moment as her music played. Keith ran out to meet her in the ring. "That was amazing!" He declared. "I'm so proud of you!" He pulled her into a kiss. It wasn't scripted and it took Molly's breath away with its intensity.

Somewhere, Creative is having heart failure, Molly thought with a laugh as she continued to kiss him. When he finally released her, she looked into his eyes and decided it was time to do something else that wasn't scripted.

"I love you," she proclaimed. She didn't care who knew, or how scary the words were in this context. She'd said them before, but she'd never meant them quite like this. She kissed him again as the fans cheered, then led Keith backstage.

"Sorry," Keith said. "I got caught up… It was just so great to see you that happy, having a real match without having to hold back…"

"Don't apologize. That was one hell of a kiss," Molly said. She paused. "Keith… I know you and I never set any ground rules for what we are, because you respect that I'm not a monogamous creature, but… Well… With you, I don't think monogamy would be the worst thing in the world. I haven't been with anyone else since we decided to do whatever it is we're doing, and I realized… Well, I don't want to be."

"What are you saying?" Keith asked.

"I want to be exclusive with you. I love you, Keith Orton. And I think I'm okay with that now."

Keith grinned and swept her into his arms for another kiss. As she lost herself in his embrace, Molly was certain she'd made the right decision.

SARAYA

She'd been backstage for the entire show with some of her new recruits, as well as Faye. It wasn't until Stephanie and Shane walked into the back room that she let her anger take control. "What the bloody hell were you thinking, doing that to my daughter?" She demanded.

"Saraya, it was just a storyline-" Stephanie began.

"It was a terrible idea," Shane interrupted her. "I didn't know until it was already happening. And I'm sorry we put Trixie in that position, but she handled it beautifully. Thankfully, she had backup, and Nikki saved the entire segment… Although I'm sorry she retired. We were hoping she was okay to be back, and she went and retired publically without telling us first. Either way…"

"Way to throw your sis under the bus," Saraya said. "I approve."

"So, introduce us to your guests!" Shane said before Stephanie could respond.

She pointed to the girl with glasses and long, slightly frizzy dark brown hair that had random rainbow streaks in it. "Well, this is Kristy, the brightest little wrestler I've ever met. She's literally brilliant. Graduated high school at fifteen and college earlier this year, but she devotes all of her time to wrestling because of how much she loves this business."

"It's an honor to meet you," Kristy said. She shook their hands.

Saraya pointed to Faye and said, "You already know Faye. And this is Riley Archer." She pointed to the tall, athletically-built girl with long black hair and eyes that seemed to change color depending on the light.

"Hi," Riley said. To Stephanie, she added, "We met once before, when I was a kid."

"Riley's a newer wrestler. She started about a year ago, on her eighteenth birthday," Saraya explained. She hesitated before continuing. "And, well, these two gentlemen are very special indeed…"

The twins turned around. Shane's jaw hit the floor. Stephanie looked like she was about to kill. "You did not bring them here!" She said.

"So you know who we are?" Scotty asked.

"Our reputation precedes us," Toby added.

"No, but I don't need to know who you are. You're both the spitting image of your father," Stephanie said.

"Actually, they are, but they have their mum's eyes," Saraya said.

Stephanie glared at her. "What are they doing here?" She demanded.

"They're two of the best wrestlers in the world right now, and I figured we could use a shock for the fans… Come on, they finally stopped chanting CM Punk every time we showed up, and now they're going to get to see his sons!"

"This is-"

"Wonderful, right? I mean, you said I could do whatever I saw fit, Stephanie."

Stephanie looked like she had a retort, but Shane said, "You did agree to that. This is on you. I say we give the boys a chance. Nice to meet you… What are your names?"

"Scotty and Toby," Scotty said quickly.

"Right. Welcome."

Joe and Colby rushed by. "Dean's match is up next," Colby said. "Have you seen him?"

"He's in Gorilla already," Shane said.

"Great. Come on-" Joe began, but then he froze. Saraya followed his gaze to see what he was staring at and realized it was Riley. "Gracie?" He asked.

"I go by my middle name now, actually, so it's Riley, not Graciella," she said cooly. "And hi, Dad. Surprise?"

Joe looked like he might faint. "Baby… What are you doing here?" He asked.

Saraya tried to wrap her head around this. He'd called her Gracie… Years ago, before his ex had left him, he'd had a daughter named Graciella. She wasn't around much because her mother hated the business, and when they'd broken up, she'd ripped Graciella away. They'd left the state and ultimately, the country, and even though Joe had desperately tried to track her down, he'd lost her. Graciella had only been six, so it was no wonder Saraya hadn't recognized her as an adult.

"I decided when I was a legal adult Mom couldn't stop me anymore, and I found my way back to you… I became a wrestler," Riley explained.

Joe pulled her into his arms and sobbed in a rather undignified manner. No one else was speaking, so Saraya felt the need to break up the silence. "Well, this is a nice shock," Saraya commented casually. "Anyone else a Legacy who didn't tell me?"

"I'm still just a random nerd girl," Kristy reassured her.

Colby laughed. He'd taken Kristy under his wing just as Saraya had hoped, and the two hit it off like they'd known each other forever. It was cute seeing him have a little sidekick.

"You guys need to get out to Gorilla," Shane said suddenly. "Dean's match is on in a minute, and you're supposed to be in his corner."

Joe didn't seem to want to let go of his daughter. "I'll be here later," Riley promised. "I missed you, Dad."

"I missed you, too, Baby Girl," Joe said. He finally released her. "We'll catch up later."

As he left, Saraya looked at Stephanie and said, "I guess this means you won't have an issue with Riley being on the roster. It's apparently in her blood."

"Sorry I didn't tell you," Riley said. "I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to know."

"You're part of the Samoan dynasty. You could have gotten your golden ticket right away," Saraya said.

"I wanted to earn it… To prove myself."

"Well, you've done that." Saraya shook her head. Riley had been reluctant to sign on with NXT. She'd had to work to convince her it was a good idea. Now Saraya suspected it was because she'd been afraid of facing her father after all of those years.

Well, I wanted a good distraction, she thought. NXT is turning out to be that and more.

DEAN

He saw the look on Joe's face and was immediately concerned. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Colby said. "He's just in shock. Gracie's backstage! Apparently, she's one of Saraya's new recruits, but she goes by Riley now."

"Graciella's here? How? Are you okay, Joe?"

"I… Yeah, I'm fine… Stunned, but fine. She's… She's so big, Dean," Joe said. "She's all grown up." He was trying to clear away the last of his tears.

"We have to head out," Dean said as the music started. "Are you good or do you need to bail? I'm okay either way."

"I'm not missing this," Joe said. He took a deep breath and shifted into professional mode.

With his two best friends by his side, Dean headed out. AJ came out right after, holding the title high. The match began and Dean had to put everything out of his mind. It was hard, especially knowing Joe had just been reunited with the daughter who'd been ripped away from him so long ago, but he did it.

The match wasn't as great as he wanted it to be. It wasn't that he couldn't handle it, but Shane had insisted they not push him too hard. He'd beaten up the jobbers with ease, but AJ was a tougher opponent. Shane refused to risk Dean injuring himself. The match lasted twenty minutes, making it even shorter than the women's main event. It mostly went by in a blur as Dean and AJ hit each other with the signatures they were known for. Dean did a lot of street brawling, throwing wild hits in quick succession that AJ couldn't quite get out of. AJ hit him with his own crazy moves, and he even hit the Styles Clash, but Dean kicked out just in time. Dean retaliated with Air Lunatic, taking AJ down. Then he hit Dirty Deeds and it was all over. Dean pinned AJ clean and the crowd cheered wildly as he was announced the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Colby and Joe stood by his side, celebrating with him. Molly ran out and joined them, and he realized he was on top of the world. It had been a crappy couple of months, but finally, things were starting to look up.

DANNY

After the pay-per-view, Danny decided to take Trixie by his house. He hadn't been to see his mother since they'd been in New York, and he knew she would want to see him. As he expected, she lit up when she opened the door. "Danny!" She said, hugging him.

"Hey, Mom… I just figured I'd swing by," Danny said. "Is it okay that I brought Trixie with me?"

His mother noticed Trixie then. "Of course! Come on in. Good to see you, sweetie! How's your mom?"

"Much better," Trixie said.

"I'm so glad. I was worried. Let me go put on something we can snack on."

Danny rolled his eyes as she hurried off to the kitchen. His mother wasn't exactly Holly Homemaker, but she was putting on a show for Trixie.

Suddenly, an unexpected issue came up. He was just looking at the floor when he started flashing back on his mother, bleeding on the ground, her wrists slit. He was shaking, unable to make the image disappear. That had happened in this house, and he hadn't been back here since Nicky's suicide attempt.

"Danny?" Trixie called gently. She touched his arm and he focused.

"Sorry… It's just… That's where she…" He decided not to finish the sentence.

He didn't have to. Trixie understood. "Oh, Danny… I'm sorry. I can imagine how hard that was for you… I mean… I get it, only it was my cousin."

"I'm fine," Danny insisted.

"You're upset. It's okay to be upset, Danny."

"Forget it." He still couldn't fully shake the memories.

Trixie stared into his eyes and he wondered what she saw there. It was like she could read his soul. Then, to his shock, Trixie kissed him. It wasn't a quick, chaste kiss either, but a passionate one he hadn't expected. Danny got caught up in it quickly, kissing her back hard and intensely, desperate to connect to her on this new level. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she hesitated for only a moment before she slid hers into his.

Slow down, he scolded himself. She's a virgin. She's probably never even kissed a guy like this before. Trixie didn't try to stop him or pull away, but he somehow managed to control his impulses and slow things down before they went too far. He wanted to do more. He wanted to be his usual self and pull her into any room with a lock on the door so he could strip her and do the usual things he did with girls, but he didn't do it. He didn't care if Trixie never slept with him, as long as she let him stay by her side.

Holy shit, he thought as he realized how he felt. He had never been the type to wait for a girl. He wasn't his father. He was no rapist, and if a girl said no, he stopped, but that didn't mean he'd stick around. He tired of games quickly and if a girl didn't put out, she wasn't of much use to him. But Trixie… Trixie was different.

When he finally broke the kiss, Trixie was breathless. She smiled at him. "Wow," she whispered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah… Wow," Danny echoed.

"Are we…? I mean… Okay, I'm lame, so be patient with me… But what does that mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean, Trixie."

"I…" She blushed and tried again. "I'd like it to mean we're together, Danny. Me and you… A couple."

Danny looked at her and said, "You deserve better, you know."

"You are better." She kissed him again, a sweet, simple kiss this time. Then she said, "You're a good guy, Danny. One day, you'll admit it."

"You're crazy, Trixie. But… Well…" He sighed. He might as well put it all out there now. "You swear I'm a good guy, and I know I'm not, but sometimes, when you say it… I really wish it was true."

"Danny-"

"You make me want to be the person you swear that I am… And that's insane, because I've never cared what anyone thought before."

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I don't understand it. You're not the type of girl I'd ever go for, but… I think… Fuck it. I think I'm in love with you."

Trixie looked stunned, and then incredibly happy. "That's okay," she said. "I think I feel the same way about you." She kissed him again, and for a minute, he forgot where they were.

Only when his mother's voice interrupted did he remember. "Oh! Sorry! I… I can come back?" She asked with a laugh.

"Sorry, Mom," Danny said quickly as Trixie started blushing harder.

"Danny, you finally brought home a nice girl! I'm so proud of you!"

"Mom, stop!" He was slightly mortified, but he couldn't care for long. Looking at Trixie and realizing she'd just somehow become his girlfriend, he was too happy to focus on much else. That was an unfamiliar sensation for him, but the more time he spent with her, the more he was getting used to it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're getting very close to the end of this fic! And in case you were wondering with all of the new characters coming in, yes, I recently began planning one final sequel, making this a trilogy. I hope to post the end of this fic very soon.(There will probably only be a couple more chapters.) Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far. I appreciate it so much more than you know!