FIC: Small Town 3/7 (Sports Night AU)

[ashinae]

Small Town: A Sports Night AU - chapter 3
by ashinae and linden_jay
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7


Dan groaned a little as he rolled over and burrowed closer to Bobby. He smelled... actually, he smelled like he needed a shower, and Dan was pretty sure he did too, but he didn't give a rat's ass.

Bobby murmured and wrapped one arm around Dan, sighing and keeping his arm nice and tight. Sure, they both needed a shower, but that would mean moving. No thanks.

Another little groan, and Dan smiled. "Hey," he said, hoarsely.

"Mmm... hey," he murmured, smiling back at Dan. "Sorry, wasn't sure if I remembered how to speak."

"And you can. Looks like I didn't do a very good job last night."

"I could go back to monosyllables, the way I was last night," he offered.

"You could. That was flattering."

"I thought you'd like that," Bobby said wryly. "Not that it wasn't genuine, mind you."

"I like to know that my men have a good time."

"Well, you can put me on the list as a success then," Bobby said. "Both now, and back then."

"Back then was just a warm up." Dan grinned. "I'd like to think that now's the real show."

"Well, I like to think our longevity has improved."

"Just a little. My God, were those three days that long ago?" Dan sat up, stretched, and looked down at Bobby. "Waffles?"

"God, and you make waffles too? I'm in heaven," Bobby sighed, splaying out across Dan's bed.

"We have a waffle maker." Since Bobby didn't seem to be ready to go anywhere, Dan settled down next to him again.

"You have a waffle maker. Then yes. Waffles. Absolutely waffles."

"But later I guess?" Dan's stomach rumbled angrily.

Bobby laughed. "Maybe not so much later. You sound like we burned through all your available calories and then some."

"There was a lot of exertion last night."

"Several times worth of exertion last night."

"Several times. It was kind of amazing." Dan nuzzled at Bobby's cheek.

"I'm just glad you figured out who I was before I left town. We'd have missed this," Bobby said. "And I have missed this, Dan."

"It was three days forever ago," Dan said. "We were still practically kids. You really thought about me all that time?"

"Well, not every second of every day, I do have some self-respect," Bobby teased. "But I've thought of you, yeah. I felt like we connected, even if it was three days in a crappy hotel room when I wasn't nearly as hot as I am right now." He winked at Dan.

"I mentioned how hot you are now, right?" Dan grinned at him.

"Once or twice. Maybe even as much as three times."

"You're damned hot," Dan said, and gave Bobby a kiss. It'd be hard to tell him that he wasn't going to follow him off to Halifax, but he'd get to enjoy this for a while. "C'mon. Waffles."

"Should there be pants before waffles? Or do waffles beat out pants," Bobby teased, tugging Dan in for another kiss, then standing up.

Dan had to search for something to wear that was pants-like. "There should be pants. We don't need to terrify the straight boy."

"That would be your roommate... the one you were travelling with, right?" Bobby said, finding his jeans and tugging them on. He had no idea where his underwear was, and he wasn't even going to try.

"That's him. Casey. He yelped in a very unmanly fashion the first and last time he saw a naked man in our kitchen."

"Was it you?"

"No, it was a guy I was seeing at the time." Dan tugged a tee shirt over his head, then beckoned Bobby closer. "Waffles now. Or they'll be able to hear my stomach growling in Yellowknife."

"Lend me a shirt to wear, and I'm all yours," Bobby said.

Dan rifled through a drawer and handed over a Dalhousie shirt. "Here."

He pulls it over his head, then looks at it upside down. "Nice. Your school?"

"Yeah." Dan opened the bedroom door. "Political science and economics."

"And now you're working in a sports store in small town Nova Scotia?" Bobby followed him out. "Strange the way the world works, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I join the ranks of the history majors working at the GAP, and the English major baristas."

"It happens to the best of us," Bobby said, squeezing Dan's shoulder.

Dan looked at him. "Don't tell me you're a history major."

"Well, you said not to tell you."

"Okay, for being cheeky, you don't get raspberries with your waffle."

"I don't?" Bobby moved up behind Dan, nuzzling at his neck. "Are you sure?"

Dan leaned back against him. "There might be some way for you to convince me."

"Might that way involve my mouth?"

"It just might." Dan reached back to run his hand through Bobby's hair.

The sound of footsteps was abruptly stopped with a bit of a choked sound.

Dan rolled his eyes ceilingward. "Morning, Casey."

"I..." Casey didn't really know what would come next, so he stopped there.

"Good morning, Dan. Good morning--" Dan turned around, and stiffened. "Sally."

"Good morning, Dan," she said, very sweetly, with a smile.

Wow. Hello, tension. Bobby turned as well and offered his hand to the very tall woman. "Bobby."

"Sally," she replied, shaking his hand. "I take it that Dan was the noisy one last night."

Bobby didn't bother being shy, or coy. "Depends on which time," he said.

"Oh, God," Casey muttered. "Sally, ever hear of too much information?"

"Grow up, Casey," she said.

"I'm making waffles," Dan said. "I don't suppose I should make enough for the two of you?"

"I'm not hungry," Casey said, moving past Dan and going for coffee. Thank God for automatic coffee machines.

"You're not hungry?" Dan blinked at him.

"No," Casey said shortly. He coffee for himself, then after a moment or two of thinking of it, poured one for Sally and brought it over, handing it to her and slipping an arm around her waist. "So, I suppose you're Bobby... unless you're not and then wow, am I embarrassed."

"No, I'm Bobby," he said smoothly. "Which makes you Casey. I'm guessing I have you to thank for informing Dan that he actually has been to Missouri."

"Yeah, I'm feeling particularly proud of myself for that right now," Casey said.

Sally looked sidelong at him but said nothing.

"And let me tell you, Bobby's pleased that I realised I've been to Missouri," Dan said as he started mixing waffle batter, his back to everyone. He didn't want to have to look at Sally.

"Yeah, Danny, we're all kind of aware of that," Casey said around his coffee cup.

Bobby looked at him, then Sally, then turned back to Dan and smiled at him. "How can I help?"

"You can sit down at the table and Casey can get you a cup of coffee," Dan said. "I've got this. I am a master of the waffle maker." Largely because the mix he had for the waffles only required him to add two ingredients.

Casey gave Dan a Look that clearly said 'I am not your boy toy's waiter', but it didn't stop him from handing Bobby his untouched mug of coffee. "Here. Take mine," he said sulkily, going to pour himself another cup of coffee.

"Well, thanks, Casey," Bobby said, as though Casey'd offered him something not quite so strange as (metaphorically if not technically) used coffee. He took a seat at the table and reached for the sugar bowl.

"Casey, could you get the half-and-half for Bobby?" Dan said, starting to pour waffle mix into the maker.

"Want me to pick up some more condoms for you next?" Casey muttered as he passed him, just loudly enough for Dan to hear him, and no one else. "Bobby, anything else I can get you?"

"No, the cream should do, Casey, thanks," Bobby told him, stirring sugar into his cup.

Sally crossed her impossibly long legs, swinging one foot back and forth. "So Bobby," she said, "what brings you to our fishy little hamlet?"

"What can I say... I've got a weakness for sexy retail workers, and good pub food," Bobby said.

"I suppose I can understand that," she said, casting a glance at Casey.

"And what do you do, Sally?" he asks, stirring his too-hot coffee.

"I'm a lawyer," she said.

"Ambulance chaser," Dan muttered.

"Daniel," Casey said warningly, as though he hadn't called her that a thousand times himself.

Dan made a face, then served up waffles to Sally and Bobby first, then went back to his careful science after making sure they had fruit, whipped cream (from a can--he wasn't a gourmet chef), and syrup.

"This is better than what I was expecting to eat this morning," Bobby admitted. "I asked them if they had room service at the hotel front desk, and this woman kind of laughed at me."

"Yeah, they do that when you ask about room service," Dan admitted.

"They gave me a tiny box of cereal and a handful of creamers," Bobby said.

"Wow, you got creamers? They've stepped things up a notch."

"I'm so not in Kansas anymore," Bobby sighed.

"Yeah, well, not everywhere can be Halifax, can it?" Casey snarked.

"Bustling metropolis that it is," Sally said.

"I just haven't spent much time anywhere rural lately," Bobby said, as though Casey hadn't said anything at all.

Sometimes, it was best to pretend Casey hadn't said anything. "So where have you been spending your time?" Sally asked.

"Pretty much anywhere in the Maritimes and Eastern Canada that's big enough to have a SportChek," Bobby said.

"Right... you're the competition," Casey said. Maybe this was all a big production to get to find out stuff about the store. That's it. Just some business related... stuff. Maybe.

"Are you trying to drive our local boys out of business?" Sally asked.

Bobby laughed softly and shook his head. "To be honest, the store, and your town, is a little small to be of much concern to us."

"Wow. I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted," Casey said dryly.

"Possibly both?" Sally suggested. "Casey, will you come and eat?"

Casey started to protest that he wasn't hungry, but the growl in his stomach from the smell of the waffles answered before he did. Chagrined, he joined them at the table, sitting where he could see Dan.

Under the table, Dan hooked his ankle behind Bobby's. "Waffles good?" he asked. "Do you need more syrup?" He took the bottle from in front of Casey and passed it to Bobby.

Casey hadn't put any syrup on his waffles yet, and he scowled at Bobby, but didn't say anything.

"Thank you, Dan," Bobby smiled at him, pouring more syrup on his waffles, then offering the bottle to Sally.

"Thank you, Bobby," she said, taking the syrup. She poured some on her remaining waffle before passing the bottle to Casey.

Casey was pissed at Dan, so he practically snatched it from her hand, dumping a bunch onto his waffles before anyone else could take it.

"You're welcome, Casey," said Sally, more than a little coldly.

"What? Oh. Thank you," he muttered.

"So, Dan... what's up for you today?" Bobby asked him, running his foot up along the back of Dan's calf.

"I probably need to make an appearance at the store," Dan said, "but after that, I think it's safe to say I'm all yours."

"Hey, Casey--do you mind if I leave you to run the store while I take another short day? No, Dan, go for it--you work hard and deserve the break," Casey mimicked, getting up and leaving his plate still half-full. "I need a shower."

Sally wiped her mouth on a napkin, then pushed back from the table. "Excuse me," she said, and followed after Casey.

"If you don't mind me saying," she said, just loud enough for him to hear when she caught up with him, "I think you're a little overly invested in your roommate."

"You know what, Sally? I actually do mind you saying," Casey said, not caring just how rude he sounded. "I don't think Dan and my relationship is one of your areas of legal expertise."

"You invited me here, Casey," she said, "I think the least you could do is show me a little respect."

You invited yourself here. But instead of saying it out loud, Casey just sighed. "You're right. Okay, you're right, I'm sorry. I'm a jackass. Let me make it up to you."

"You'd better," she said, and tossed her shirt to the ground as soon as she stepped into the bathroom.

"How about I help you work off some of those waffles?"

*

Eleven-thirty on the dot, Natalie walked into Sally Sasser's office and plunked herself down in the chair across from her desk. "Hi," she said.

Sally looked up from the notes she was making and turned the page over on her legal pad, smiling at Natalie. Even if she didn't have the faintest clue why she was there... probably something to do with the store. Or a pre-nup. God knows if Sally was going to marry someone like Jeremy, someone who made good money like a pharmacist had to, even in a tiny town like this one, she'd insist on one. "Natalie... how can I help you?" she said.

"You're sleeping with Casey McCall," said Natalie. No point in not jumping right to the point, both feet first. And it wouldn't hurt to try to throw Sally a little bit, too.

Sally's expression didn't flinch. "And if I was, which I'm not prepared to confirm or deny right now, how is that any of your business, Miss Hurley?"

"You should stay away from him. That'd be for the best." Natalie smiled sweetly.

"Is this a threat?"

"No, it's just the way it is," said Natalie. "It's making things complicated."

"Making things complicated," Sally repeated. "You do know that Casey is a grown man who can make his own decisions, don't you?"

"Of course he is," said Natalie. "But what you're doing with Casey is hurting both of them."

"Hurting... okay, this is just ridiculous," Sally said, standing up, towering over Natalie in her heels. "I think you should go," she said, pointing at the door.

Natalie smiled sweetly up at her. "Dan's in love with Casey, and you're not what Casey needs, and now with this SportChek guy in the picture, the whole situation is terribly complicated." Then she frowned a little. "I suppose I need to get rid of Billy the SportChek guy, too."

"Bobby," Sally corrected, turning around and looking at the wall of books, focusing on that instead of Natalie. "This is insane," she murmured to herself. "You came here to tell me that I need to stop seeing Casey. That I'm ruining his life, and apparently Dan's. Have I got that right?"

"Yes," said Natalie. "They're my boys and I have to protect them. I can't let this go too far, or they'll implode, and I don't think any of us can clean that up. They've been best friends since the McCalls moved here when Casey and Dan were seven."

"I really don't think you need to worry as much as you are, Natalie," Sally said, still not looking at her.

"Casey yelled at one of his part-timers yesterday," said Natalie. "Some seventeen year old kid who just likes to play hockey. He never yells at his staff. Something's wrong, and it started not that long ago. So I think I have to worry."

"Well, that's because it's not just that Dan's in love with Casey. Casey's in love with Dan," Sally said.

Natalie bounced up onto her feet. "See, I'm not the only one who knows that."

"Well, Casey doesn't. But then, he also doesn't like me very much," Sally added quietly. "So I don't think I'm that much of a threat, Natalie."

That made Natalie deflate just a little bit. "I'm sorry," she said.

Sally looked back at her, a wide and artificial smile on her face. "It's okay. I mean, plenty of other fish and all that, right? I'm fine," she said. "I just don't think I'm what's standing in the way of Dan and Casey, considering Casey."

"I'll have to work on that," said Natalie. And her work was cut out for her. "Okay, well, I'm glad we're on the same page here. I'll let you get back to work." She turned and headed back for the door. "Sally?"

She lifted her head and looked over at Natalie, a bit of a vulnerable look on her face for probably the first time Natalie'd ever seen it. "Yes?"

"I have it on very good authority that Seth--the volunteer firefighter?--has a crush on you." Natalie gave her a little smile, then slipped out of the office.

Sally watched her go, then shook her head, unable to keep from smiling a little. "Everyone in this town is a little nuts," she murmured, going back to her desk and sitting down... and looking up Seth the volunteer firefighter's number.

*

Dan put a cupcake down on Casey's desk. "I'm not going to run away to Halifax or wherever with Bobby," he said. "So maybe you could make an effort to be social?"

Casey looked up at him. "You said you were thinking about it."

"Well, yeah, but how could I really leave all this behind?" Dan waved a hand.

Casey turned his head, looking around the tiny office they shared. "By whatever method got you out of here as fast as humanly possible?"

"You think I'm gonna leave you, and everybody, behind here just 'cause of some hot guy?"

Casey sighed and set down the papers he was reading. "I think it's a great opportunity, and you'd be an idiot to pass it up. The hot guy is a bonus, and I've been being a prick for two days."

"Casey, I don't wanna leave," said Dan, going to the safe to get the bank deposit and reports from yesterday.

"I know. Maybe that's the problem."

"What do you mean?" Dan settled in behind his desk and started to sort the credit card and debit slips, not looking over at Casey.

"What is there for you here, Danny?" Casey said. "Longshoremen and a job where JJ doesn't think you should get paid even close to what I do. You've got a chance to go somewhere where you could make something of yourself. Find someone real, even if it turns out that it's not Bobby. And you're going to stick around here because it's where you grew up? That's just stupid."

Dan looked up at him, MasterCard slips clutched in his hand. "You think I should go," he said. Should he feel betrayed? Did he? He had no idea what he felt at all. "Don't you want me here?"

"I think that you should think of what's best for you for once, that's all," Casey said, ignoring the way he didn't want to have this conversation. The way it was making him feel sick to his stomach.

Dan looked down, realised he'd completely crumpled up the slips, and started trying to smooth them. He couldn't look across at Casey. "Maybe I will," he said. "After all, I could always send money back. Help you buy the store."

"Dan, don't you get it?" Casey tossed his pen across the desk. "You need to get out of here. You need to just... get out of this town and get it out of your head. Build a life, find a boyfriend, all of those things that aren't going to happen for you here. You're too stuck in who everyone else thinks you are. Go be who you can be."

Dan flinched, sitting back in his chair as though Casey had just struck him. "I've gotta go see if Alyson needs change," he said, hoarsely, abandoning the deposit on his desk. He was pretty sure he was going to throw up.

"Danny..." Casey half got up out of his chair, watched him go, then flopped back down in it again, rubbing his hand against his forehead. "Fuck," he muttered, closing his eyes. He felt like he was going to be sick. It's for his own good. You can't keep holding him back when he's got a chance like this. He kind of wanted to punch his inner thoughts in the neck.

Dan didn't say a word when he returned to crouch in front of the safe; some fives, a couple tens, roll of quarters, and he was off again. The next time he came back into the office, he sat quietly at his desk to finish the bank deposit, the only sound in the tiny room the buttons on his calculator.

He didn't look at Casey. He couldn't. He was afraid that if he did, he'd beg Casey to take it all back, to tell him this was all some sort of weird joke, that Casey wanted--needed--him to stay. But if Casey was saying it--if Casey said he had to leave--if it was for his own good--then it must have been for his own good.

"You should go for lunch," he said, a while later. "Alyson'll be wanting her break soon."

Casey should tell Dan it was all a mistake. He should tell him that he didn't mean it, that even if it was true, even if it was a great opportunity, fuck it. Stay. Buy the store with him. Live in Port Bowmore, share a house with him until they're old men sitting out on the front porch talking about how Kim was still kicking everyone's ass on the curling rink. But that wasn't fair to Dan. Even if it felt like he was ripping something out of himself.

"Right," Casey murmured, standing up and collecting his coat. "Can I get you anything?"

"Coffee, if you remember," Dan said. "Otherwise I'm okay."

"I'll remember," Casey promised. He headed for the door, stopped in the entrance and turned to Dan, ready to take it all back. Instead, he bit the inside of his lip and headed out the door.

Dan swallowed hard as he looked up to watch Casey go. So that was it. Decision made. Fair enough. He reached out for the phone, dialled without really paying attention to what he was doing, and waited for Bobby to pick up.

"Bobby Bernstein."

"It's me."

"Me? Oh, it's Dan, isn't it? Hey!" Bobby could be heard smiling through the phone. "How's it going?"

"I'll take the job." Why did saying it feel like someone had just punched him in the gut?

"You will?" Bobby sounded delighted. "Dan, this is great. You won't be sorry. I've got just the store all lined up. You'll be in Halifax, to start, which just so happens to be where I'm based out of. Sound good?"

"Sounds great." Dan got up and closed the office door and leaned against it, tilting his head back, closing his eyes. "Will I see you tonight?" he asked.

"I was thinking I'd take you to dinner to celebrate. Is there anywhere here in town that you can get food that isn't battered and deep fried?"

"Yeah, one or two places," said Dan. Then he dropped his voice. "And afterwards, I need you to take me someplace and fuck me through the mattress." Make him forget everything else. Make him feel something other than the hole in his chest.

"Take you someplace? You don't want to go back to your house?" Bobby checked, voice dropping lower too. "Because I'm definitely interested."

"No, my house works," said Dan. "It definitely works. The restaurant's not far from your hotel. I'll meet you there at six?"

"I'll be waiting for you. Dan? I'm really glad you said yes. I was starting to worry you wouldn't," Bobby admitted. "You won't be sorry."

"And you'll be around, right? When I get homesick and freak out?"

Bobby couldn't imagine why anyone'd get homesick for this place, but he still answered immediately. "Of course. And you can always call me anyway... you've got my cell."

"Yeah." Dan's eyes were still closed. "So I'll see you at six?"

"At six," Bobby repeated, a huge smile on his face. "I can't wait. See you later, Dan."

"See you later, Bobby," Dan said, then lowered the phone from his ear when he heard Bobby hang up.

He was going to be sick.

*

"C'mon," Dan said, "just one drink. The food was great, but wasn't the wine terrible? One beer each--" he leaned in, and whispered in Bobby's ear, "and then you can fuck me till I scream."

Bobby groaned, tugging Dan in and giving him a kiss. "You're a terrible influence on me. But you're right--I think that was actually vinegar, not wine. One beer, and your ass is mine though," he warned him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Dan lied, and tugged Bobby into the pub, making a beeline for the bar, plopping himself down on a stool. Everybody else seemed to be here, but he was determined to pretend that they didn't exist tonight.

"Everyone's still staring at me," Bobby said, settling in next to Dan, pulling the bowl of peanuts over to them as he ordered beer for them both. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it for another day or so."

"Yeah," said Danny. "Then I'll follow you out to Halifax and people can stare at us there."

"I think in Halifax most people will have better things to do then mind their neighbours' business," Bobby said, taking his beer and clinking it against Dan's. "To opportunity. And new beginnings."

"Opportunity and new beginnings," said Dan, then leaned in to give Bobby a quick kiss before he took a sip of his beer.

He hoped Casey was watching.

Casey was watching. He shouldn't be--he was completely ignoring everyone at his table, but he couldn't help it. He stood up abruptly and dropped some money on the table, only thinking about trying to get around the crowd and head for the door.

The door opened the same time he was trying to go through it, and he nearly collided with Sally. "Casey," she said, and tried to step around him.

He looked at Sally, then reached out to gently grab her arm, stepping into her space and kissing her.

She looked very surprised by the kiss. "What was that for?" she asked, one hand coming up to adjust the collar of his shirt.

"For being an ass earlier. And the day before that. And... I think you get the picture." And because Dan's right over there with Bobby, and he's going to leave me, and the idea of being alone scares the shit out of me.

"Well now," she said, "isn't that almost civilised of you."

"It's a start, isn't it?" he said. "I know I screwed up, but hopefully you're not too much of a lawyer to hold it against me."

"Maybe you can prove your remorse to me," she said with a half-smile.

"Buy you a drink, or something more interesting?"

"Something more interesting," she said--particularly because Natalie was watching from across the pub.

"Then let's go," he said, offering her his arm. At least he'd be home before Dan brought Bobby home. And hopefully well distracted.

This was all wrong. The entire world was wrong! Natalie looked around in distress, then suddenly jumped up from her chair to hurry to the bar, saying, "Dan? Danny--"

"Gotta go to the bathroom," he said, standing abruptly, and brushing past her. He couldn't talk to Natalie right now.

Natalie watched him go, and did not, at all, stomp her foot. She looked back to Jeremy, Dana, and Sam at their table. Dana did not meet her gaze. There would be punishment for that, somehow, later.

Bobby frowned when Dan got up and took off for the bathroom. His food was settling fine... maybe Dan's wasn't. He got up off his bar stool to follow after Dan and make sure he was all right.

Natalie stepped out in front of him, looking up at him with a bright smile. "Hi! You must be Bobby."

"Um... yes. Yeah, I am," he said, smiling at her, looking around her in the direction of the bathroom. "Sorry, I was just going after Dan..."

"I'm Natalie Hurley."

"That name is familiar to me somehow."

"Dan's one of my best friends. He's like a big brother to me."

"He's a great guy," Bobby said, giving her a huge smile. "I know he's really going to miss everyone."

Her smile faltered as her stomach dropped down into her adorable shoes. "What?"

"Well, Halifax isn't that far. Compared to Toronto or Montreal, anyway. But it's not a day trip," Bobby said.

"What are you talking about?" Natalie asked, her voice not quite as loud and upbeat as before.

"Didn't you know? Oh, damn, did I just step in it?" Bobby winced.

"Danny's leaving?" Her voice dropped down into a whisper.

"I offered him a job... GM of a SportChek in Halifax, and he took it," Bobby said. "I'm really sorry--I thought he'd have told everyone. Or that he'd have told Casey and it'd have spread through the town--he said that... hey, you're Natalie! That Natalie, I'm guessing. He said that things that were secret didn't stay secret for long here."

She stared up at him with very wide eyes for a moment, then turned and yelled loud enough to be heard in Charlottetown: "Dana!"

Bobby blinked at her, then turned to flee to the bathroom. The tiny woman with the amazing shoes was scaring him.

Dana looked calm and cool as Natalie ran back to their table. "What is it, Natalie?" she asked.

"Dan's leaving," Natalie said. "Danny's leaving to go manage a SportChek in Halifax!"

"What?" Jeremy said, looking very confused. "Dan? Dan's leaving? I thought he'd barely left, except to go to college, and now he's going to Halifax?"

"Dana, do something!" Natalie pleaded.

"What am I supposed to do, call his mother?"

"Yes!" Natalie's hands were curled into tight fists on the table. "And--and--Dana, he can't leave!"

"I don't think calling his mother is going to help," Jeremy supplied. "From what you told me, he didn't listen to his parents much at the best of times."

Sam took another sip of his beer, but even he looked vaguely troubled by this.

"He's in love with Casey," said Natalie.

"He's been in love with Casey since he was fifteen," Dana said, very gently.

"And Casey's in love with Dan," Natalie added.

Now, that? Made Dana blink. "Natalie--"

"He is, Dana. He's secretly in love with Dan, and Dan's not-so-secretly in love with Casey, and they're meant to be together, and we have to stop Dan from leaving." Natalie took a breath.

Jeremy looked at Natalie, and slowly edged her drink away from her, and moved it in front of Sam. It was possible that Natalie might have had enough. More than enough.

"Please, we have to stop Dan leaving," Natalie said, looking between the three of them. And then she took off and ran to the bar, and around it, and into the back, and then into Isaac's office. "You're here!" she cried.

"Am I about to wish I weren't?" Isaac said, looking suspiciously as though he already knew the answer to that.

Natalie sat down across from Isaac's desk, tugged the chair as close to it as she could get, and reached out to put her hands down on his paperwork so he couldn't carry on. "Danny's moving to Halifax to manage a SportChek and we can't let that happen."

"Is this a riddle?" Isaac said. "Or one of those things where I answer a certain way and I end up needing to chase you with a cheese grater?"

"Isaac!" One of the reasons Natalie had retreated into his office was because she was so angry, hurt, and frustrated that she was afraid she was going to cry. "Dan's leaving with that Bobby guy to go to Halifax, and be the GM of a SportChek. He's leaving us. He's leaving Casey."

Isaac looked at Natalie, then got up from his desk and went to close the door. "Come here," he said, stepping toward her and opening his arms.

She looked up at him for a moment, then got up and flung herself at him, arms wrapped around his middle. "Why didn't he tell me?"

He patted her back gently. "Because he knew you'd be upset," Isaac said. "And if there's anything Danny can't handle, it's hurting anyone, you know that."

"But keeping it a secret--just up and leaving--that hurts everybody too." She squeezed her eyes shut. "We need to stop him."

"We can't stop him," Isaac said, tilting her head up and starting to speak again before she could protest. "Danny was always going to leave, one more time. Before he came back home."

"How could we know that?"

"Because some people just belong here. Whether they were born here or not. And Danny's one of them. He'll be back, Natalie," Isaac promised her.

"But Casey's in love with him," she said. "He'll break Casey's heart."

"Casey doesn't know that. And you know I love Casey, right, Natalie?" he said, "but the boy needs a kick in the pants."

She gave a choked little laugh. "Can I do it? I'll do it."

He smiled at her and gave her a kiss right on the top of her head. "Everyone's always thought Dan was the one who refused to grow up. But it's always been Casey who needed to. He just hides it better."

"He's got his store," Natalie said, "and he's got his girls, and he's got his Dan, his shadow. He's happy with that, isn't he?"

"He doesn't have his store--it's still JJ's store. And he doesn't really have Danny, because Dan's with everyone but him. He's not happy. He just doesn't know why."

She took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders, and looked up at Isaac. "So he's just going to need a kick in the pants."

"He is. And most of it's going to have to be self inflicted, Natalie. I'm sorry," Isaac said.

"Casey's got to realise the truth," Natalie said. "I'll help him with that."

"Can you do it without steel toes?"

"Do I have to?"

"You know how stubborn Casey is when someone starts telling him what to do."

"We also know how stubborn I am."

*

"Damn. Dammit." Dan turned his face to rest his hot cheek against the cool pillow, gasping for breath, fingers still white-knuckled and clutching at sheets. "Damn. I think I'm dead. Am I dead? Is this what dead is like?"

"I don't know... but if it is, can I just say that I like heaven?" Bobby gasped against Dan's back, licking his lips and tasting sweat.

Dan wriggled his hips and groaned. "That was amazing."

"God, don't move, you're gonna kill me," Bobby groaned too, nipping at Dan's shoulder. "So... was that what you were looking for?"

Biting down on his lip, Dan moved his hips again. That was nice. Lots of residual niceness there. "Uh huh. And we'll do that some more once I move, right?"

"I think we'll be doing a lot of that a lot of the time," Bobby said, grinning at him. "It might take awhile to get to Halifax."

"They say something about absence..."

"Making you a lot hornier? Because if you're going to try and keep me all chaste in the hopes of having me fuck you like that again, I promise, it's not necessary."

"You planning on getting a lot of ass while we're apart, Bobby?" Dan asked, casually.

"I was thinking when I come back to get you," Bobby said. "Between now and then, I think I'm going to be taking a lot of cold showers."

"So'm I." Dan smiled a little. "I don't think anybody's ever fucked me like that before. I'm not going to be able to stand."

"Who says you need to any time soon?" Bobby said, wrapping around Dan. "I'm leaving soon... do you have to be in a hurry to go anywhere right now?"

Dan tilted his head back against Bobby's shoulder. "No," he said, as the volume of obscene noises in the other room got louder. He didn't cover his ears. That'd be juvenile.

Bobby eased back, ditching the condom, then rolled Dan onto his back and wrapped himself around him all over again, kissing him hard. "You couldn't have found a house where the bedrooms didn't share a wall?" he said wryly.

"We liked this house," said Dan, plaintively.

"Still..." He looked over at the wall, where he could swear the noises were getting even louder. "Putting some money into soundproofing might have been a plan."

"Hindsight's always twenty-twenty," Dan muttered, burying his face against Bobby's neck.

"If you're not hungry, I could always distract you," Bobby murmured, rocking up against Dan. Sure, they weren't in their early twenties anymore, but properly motivated....

Dan groaned and buried his hands in Bobby's hair, dragging him in for another kiss. "More of this in Halifax, right? You're not just going to set me up and dump me on my very attractive ass?"

"A lot more of this in Halifax," Bobby promised. "As good a manager as you are, I didn't come all the way to Cape Breton for a GM."

"Good."

Sally screamed.

Dan wanted to punch something.

Wow. Either she was really good, or she was trying really hard to prove a point. Either way, Bobby didn't care. He kissed Dan, then started to kiss his way down his chest.

Dan closed his eyes tight for a moment, then looked up at the ceiling. Maybe one day he'd take down the glow-in-the-dark stars. Maybe they'd still be there when he left and Casey turned his bedroom into a home office or a gym or a sauna.

That? Those noises, right there? Casey. Dan moaned faintly and ran his fingers through Bobby's hair. What he wouldn't give to make Casey sound like that, to make him get so loud he could be heard through walls. Embarrass and scandalise their deeply Catholic neighbours. Casey.


| Chapter 4 |