That night Dani opened her door,
“Get dressed we’re going out.” Joey said and Dani looked at him,
“Who’s we’re?”
“A good friend of mine as well as we, they’re and us. Now go, you’ve got fifteen minutes.” He said looking at his watch,
“Okay! Okay!” She said and went into her room.
Fifteen minutes later there was another knock on her door,
“Man these guys are really punctual when they want to be.” She muttered to herself as she opened the door. Lance was standing there with Justin hopping behind him,
“You ready?” Lance asked casually and she looked up behind him,
“What’s with the bunny rabbit?” She smirked as she grabbed her purse,
“He’s not with me tonight.” He answered and she laughed as she closed her door,
“I’m good to go.” She said. Dani decided on a short red skirt, knee high boots and a black halter tank top. She looked styled but comfortable. “Just where are we going?” She asked when they met up with the rest of the crew,
“To a club I know.” Joey answered and she smiled to herself. ‘What a surprise?’ She thought to herself.
The club was thumping with Missy Elliot’s, ‘One minute Man’ and Dani nudged Joey’s arm.
“Look Joey they’re playing your song.” She teased,
“Hey! That wasn’t nice!” He shouted and grabbed her around the waist, “For that you have to dance with me now.”
“If I must.” She said and let Joey drag her to the dance floor.
JC slightly scanned the club from his position in the VIP section. He saw Joey, Chris, Justin, Lance was sitting with him…where was Dani? He scanned the room again and still didn’t see her. His heart skipped a little and his brow furled. Why wasn’t she with one of the guys? Where did she go off to?
“C, man what’s wrong?”
“I can’t find Dani.” He shrugged, “She’s not with any of the guys.”
“Uh, probably at the bathroom. She’s fine.” Lance said but JC still didn’t relax,
“Oh, yeah I forgot about that.” He said not taking his eyes off the dance floor. Lance stared at his friend,
“What’s up with you and Dani?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve never seen you act this way with a girl.”
“I’m gonna ask again, what do you mean?”
“You’re worried that you can’t find her, you’re always watching her and you spend a bunch of time with her.”
“She’s a good friend. She’s basically my sister, of course I’m worried about her.” He scanned the club again. WHY couldn’t he find her?
“I just never, I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it with you two.” Lance said and JC sighed,
“Lance, you’re over analyzing the whole situation. We’re close and I guess I feel like I have to take care of her when Tony’s not around.”
“She’s a big girl, she’s not that much younger than you.”
“A year and a half and sometimes she needs it.” He said point blank, “Why are you going off on Dani and me? You never said anything about any other girl and me before.”
“I know, I know, I just…I don’t know I have a gut feeling about you two.”
“Okay Lance, you do that. I’m gonna go and dance.”
“You mean go and find Dani.” He teased,
“I said dance, not Dani.” JC said walking away and cursing Lance silently. He WAS going to find Dani. He just had and eerie feeling and he knew that if he could see her, he’d feel better.
JC made the rounds on the dance floor without any luck. He couldn’t lose Dani, Tony would kill him if something happened to her. Hell he’d beat himself up if something happened to her. That was just not something he was prepared to deal with.
JC found everyone of the guys except Dani. Was she even in the club? He even went as far as to check the bathroom line before going back up to their table. Each of the guys was there now. Justin moved over so that JC could sit down.
“You couldn’t find her?” Lance asked and JC shook his head,
“No, it’s like she’s not even here.”
“Who C?” Joey asked,
“Dani.” Lance answered for him, “He hasn’t seen her and he’s worried.”
“She’s around somewhere, you know she is. I just saw her on the dance floor like twenty minutes ago. Then she went to the ladies room.” Justin said,
“I checked the line and she wasn’t there.”
“Uh, she was probably INSIDE.” Joey pointed out, “Dude, why are you so worried?”
“I just have a weird feeling about her, that’s all.” He said glancing out into the crowd, praying for a glimpse of her.
“Hey guys! Did ya miss me?” Dani said brightly and JC jumped up,
“Where the hell have you been?” He asked sternly and she brushed her hair off her shoulder,
“Um, bathroom?” She raised an eyebrow at him, “Why are you so freaked out?”
“I didn’t know where you were. From now on I want you to stay with one of the guys at all times.” He ordered and she brushed him off before walking over to the table. She slid her way onto Lance’s lap.
“Hmm, I think I’ll stay close to you.” She winked and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Lance smiled placing an arm around her waist.
“JC, thank you, I mean it, thank YOU.”
“I mean it Dani.” JC warned crossing his arms and she rolled her eyes at him,
“Okay dad, I won’t let Lance take his hands, oops, I mean eyes off of me.” She said making the guys laugh. JC huffed and walked away and she got up following him. He was standing, gripping onto a railing, glaring into the crowd below. Dani put a soft hand on his shoulder as she slid in next to him,
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” He grumbled and she swung her hair to the side as she leaned against the railing,
“Try that on someone who doesn’t know you.” She said lightly and he sighed,
“Everything’s just a big joke to you isn’t it?”
“No it’s not. Come on Chip, why are you so pissed off? What happened?”
“I was fucking worried about you, that’s what!” He said looking at her,
“I’m fine, I’m all in one piece.”
“I know but I didn’t know that before and I just had this awful feeling.”
“I think you and Tony should go into counseling.” She teased and he rolled his eyes,
“Thanks Dani.” He muttered and she put a hand on his arm,
“Why don’t you or Tony think that I can handle myself? I am an adult and I’ve done perfectly well on my own. I don’t need a baby sitter.” JC ran a hand through his hair,
“It’s more than that Dani! God, you know who I am and there are crazy people out there. I just don’t want anything to happen to you because of me or the guys. I could see everyone but you and I just got really scared that something awful had happened to you. Then you brush it off like it’s no big thing, but it is to me!”
“I’m sorry. I was just trying to make you smile because you don’t have to be the ‘big daddy’ with me. You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack if you worry like that.”
“I can’t help it.”
“I know and I do appreciate it, but it makes me wonder, who worries about JC?” She asked and he looked at her silently, not knowing what to say, “Someone needs to take care of JC or else there won’t be anyone to take care of everyone else. Lighten up, have some fun.”
“I have fun.”
“Have you tonight? No, because you were worrying over me.”
“I just needed to know where you were.”
“If I promise to stay near one of the guys will you lighten up and have some fun?”
“I think I can do that.”
“Alright then, come on.” She said taking his hand and leading him back to the group. JC lightened up considerably after that, mostly because Dani was with at least one of the guys all night long.
“Whee!”
“Dani, quit it! I mean it this time!” JC growled,
“Okay.” She said but two seconds later she was doing it again. “Whee!”
“DANI!” JC scolded as they reached his door. “She’s staying here tonight because I’m not doing that all the way to her room. Hold her while I open my door.” He instructed Justin and Dani saluted him,
“Yes, Captain Chip!” She said and broke down into laughter. “Whoops!” She yelled and JC opened his door before turning around to see Justin and Dani on the floor laughing in hysterics. Dani raised her hands, “Look! No Chip!” She said sending them into fits of giggles once again. JC shook his head with a slight smile and pulled Dani to her feet.
“Come on drunk girl, time for bed.”
“Okie!” She said and JC looked to Justin,
“Can you make it to your room?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it.” He laughed and rolled to his side. JC rolled his eyes and pulled Dani into his room.
“You can sleep on the couch.” He said and she nodded,
“I’m gonna…brush my teeth…yeah…” She said stumbling towards his bathroom
“You don’t have a toothbrush here…” He tried to tell her but she was already in the bathroom. He sighed and placed blankets and pillows on his couch for Dani.
He heard the bathroom door open,
“Dani, the couch is ready.”
“Mmph.” Was her response and he turned to see her snuggled under the covers of his bed.
“Dani, you’re sleeping on the couch.” He walked over to her and found her completely passed out. “Great.” He grumbled and pulled on some pajama pants, before settling in on the couch. “She so owes me.”
“Dani?” He called out to her but didn’t hear a response. He got up and went over to the bed to see her curled up into a little ball on one side of the bed. “Dani hon, are you okay?” He knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. She sat up straight,
“No!” She yelled out, pushing JC away and gasping for air.
“Dani, it’s me, JC.” He said gently and she looked around to room before pulling her knees up to her chest and putting her face in her hands. He slowly crawled over to her,
“Are you okay?”
“I had a bad dream, I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry.” She said not picking up her face. He rubbed her back gently,
“How bad?”
“Just bad.” She said evasively, “I’m fine.” She said still not looking at him. JC felt her shaking and knew that it was a lot worse than she was letting on.
“Do you want a cup of water or something?”
“Actually yeah, that would be great.” She said lifting her head only slightly. JC got up and quickly got her the glass of water.
“Here you go.” He said handing her the glass and she drank it down,
“Mmm, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Dani looked down and saw what she was dressed in,
“Could I bother you for some pjs?” She asked timidly and he smiled warmly,
“Yeah sure Dani.” He got up and grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from his bag. “Here.” He said handing them to her.
“Thanks.” She got up and went into the bathroom. Shortly she came out from the bathroom and moved towards the couch, “Sorry I monopolized the bed, I’ll take the couch and you can have your bed back.”
“Dani.” He called out to her and she turned,
“Yeah?”
“Come here.” He said patting the bed next to him and she climbed up next to him,
“What’s up?”
“Just wanted to make sure you’re okay from your bad dream.”
“Nightmares happen.” She shrugged, “Can’t do anything about them but forget them and move on.” She sighed and looked at the couch sadly.
“What happened?”
“Don’t know.” She said distantly, “Kind of forgot already.” She looked back at him, “Can I ask a huge favor?”
“Yeah sure.”
“Can I stay in the bed with you? If you don’t mind.”
“No, come on.” He said and moved under the covers. Dani quickly situated herself next to him, cuddling into his side.
“This okay?”
“Yeah totally. You sure you’re okay?”
“I am now. I guess I do need someone to take care of me.” She sighed,
“Everyone does at one time or another.”
“Goodnight Chip.”
“Goodnight Dani.”