Chapter 2

"It's getting late, guys," announced Shawn, as he pushed back his chair. He'd practically licked his plate clean. "I promised my mom I'd baby-sit tonight."

"How's J.T. doing?" asked Belle.

"He's great," boasted proud big brother Shawn, "He smiles and points to me every time I come in the room."

"That's awesome, man," said Philip.

"Hey," began Belle, rising from her chair, "I don't have any plans later. I could help you baby-sit."

Their friends watched the king and queen of denial beat around the usual bush and exchanged smirks.

Meanwhile, Shawn smiled at Belle. "Sure. I can play with him and you can change the diapers."

"Hey," protested Belle, before smacking him in the shoulder.

"See you later, guys," said Shawn, grabbing his hockey stick.

After Belle's chipper goodbye, the two set off into the falling snow.

"I guess I'd better get going, too," said Mimi, as she put on her scarf and coat. "Still got applications to finish."

"Hey, I'll walk you home," said Jason, before he rose with her and pulled on his gloves and coat.

At least, he's sober this time, thought Mimi. "Uh, sure. Thanks."

"Later, guys," waved Phil, circling an arm around Chloe's shoulders, as their friends walked out of the Pub. "Well," he began, as he turned to meet his smug but quiet girlfriend, eye to eye. "It was Mimi, wasn't it?" He shook his head, when Chloe shrugged, as if she hadn't a clue what he was talking about. "It was Mimi," he repeated, "That you guys were trying to set Jase up with. I was wondering what was up with his sudden interest in the school newspaper. Thought he wanted to look better on his applications. Now, I get it. Mimi's the gossip columnist."

Angelic Chloe turned to take a sip of her soda and smiled into her glass.

"Women," sighed an exasperated Philip. "Sweet on the outside. Damn sneaky on the inside." His dimples flashed, when she gave him an admonishing jab in the ribs. "Oooo, feisty," he grinned, but his hands held her wrists in precaution. "That's how I like 'em," he teased, before setting a quick infuriating kiss on her lips.

"You're incorrigible, Philip Kiriakis," said Chloe, trying to contain a laugh.

"Gotta love me," he smiled, as he edged out of the booth and offered a hand to her.

She placed her hand in his and pulled him down for another kiss. "Yeah."

He pulled her up to standing and held her for a second. How did she do that? Move him with a single utterance. "Come on, beautiful," he said, while he helped her into her coat. "I'll walk you home."

Fluffy white flakes drifted aimlessly from above. Enchanted, Mimi lifted her face to feel them brush her face. She was afraid to admit that such simple sensations felt sweeter now that she needn't worry about where she'd sleep or if she'd eat tonight. Home was waiting. Her very own home.

"Try catching one on your tongue," said Jason, shaking her from her reverie. "It's like a falling slurpie."

She shook her head. How did she ever have a crush on this guy? He was as deep as a puddle. In the Mojave.

Grinning, he opened his mouth to receive a fat white descending flake.

Her eyebrows raised and her eyes rolled. She'd gotten over him quick after that pool party. Sure, she was grateful that he'd defended her against that bully. But then he'd drunk himself silly and acted like a fool, when he so graciously offered to walk her home. If she hadn't caught him, he would've tripped face-first into a street sign on the way. Now, he randomly showed up at her newspaper meetings and drama rehearsals.

What game was he playing? She was after all the queen of gossip and knew by reliable source that this guy was a player. Since the party, he'd continued his string of conquests, some of which Mimi heard in uncomfortable detail, but now he directed his flirtations at her. Obviously, Mimi Lockhart was next on his list of conquests. She could almost laugh. As usual, her luck was impeccable. When she actually liked him, he barely noticed her. Now that she'd come to her senses, he couldn't pay her enough attention. Fat chance, bucko, thought Mimi. With everything she'd heard about him, he looked as appealing as liver - raw.

She blew at a flake that had landed delicately on her nose. Giggling, she turned to catch Jason watching her with fascination. Because her heart tripped, she averted her eyes and quickened the pace toward her house. It'd been so long, since a boy had looked at her that way, she convinced herself. That's why she'd been so affected by it. Jason was a pro at getting to girls or under their skirts, rather. Well, she refused to become a statistic. She once had a crush on Shawn Brady, and compared to him, Jason was fungus.

But with all her informers, no one had ever mentioned him writing. Star linebacker for the Salem Panthers used a pen for something other than ink fights? Doodles? Chew toy? Impossible. Impossible that within super jock extraordinaire burned a literary mind. What the hell would he write about? Maybe he just wrote porn comics or something.

But at the Pub, Philip hadn't joked about it. Jason's best friend and teammate treated it with respectful solemnity.

"Well, here you are, Meems," said Jason, interrupting her thoughts.

"Oh." That's the best she could come up with? For a prospective journalism major, she certainly had a way with words. "Thanks," she mumbled, as she walked the steps toward her front door.

"Hey."

She turned with key in hand. "Yeah?"

"Uh… your house looks nice," said a suddenly uncertain Jason.

"Um, thanks. We like it." Mimi turned again to insert her key.

"I mean, the curtains are new, right?" Once the words escaped his mouth, the macho sector of his brain screamed in mortification. What the hell's wrong with you, dude?

Her eyes widened in apparent confusion. "Um, yeah. My mom put them in a couple days ago." When his eyes only fluttered blankly, her head tilted. "Thanks for walking me home, Jason." Finally, she opened her door and stepped inside.

After her door closed behind her, he bonked himself on the forehead. "Shawn must've slammed into me harder than I thought," muttered Jason, convinced that the full-speed body check on the ice must've befuddled his brain. When a shy snowflake fell on his nose, he remembered her smooth face with closed eyes upturned to the sky. Wiping away the snow with a rough movement, he jogged in the direction of home.

Shawn breathed a sigh of relief. "He's asleep," he whispered, gently tucking the blanket around him. "Night night, baby brother."

Belle leaned back against the couch, with the back of a weary hand over her eyes. "Whew."

"You can say that again." He plopped down beside her. "I definitely give my mom props."

"J.T.'s a handful all right. But really sweet, especially to his big brother," she smiled.

Looking into her clear blue eyes, his heart did a gleeful flip-flop. He quickly cleared his throat. "Thanks for hanging out with us."

"No big deal. Besides, I just had to see you all domestic and maternal, tough boy," she teased, giving him a playful jab in the gut. "Just wait until I tell everyone about it: Shawn Douglas Brady - reformed bad-boy turned doting nanny."

"Oh, yeah?" With a sly grin, he wrestled her down on the couch. "Who you calling nanny, huh?"

"You," laughed Belle, as she tried to tickle him to escape. In the giggling chaos, they both rolled off the couch, landing with a thud on the carpet.

"Oh, shit," he whispered, "Please don't wake up, please don't wake up…"

They held their breath and waited for an annoyed baby's cry. They exhaled in unison, when J.T. cooed in his sleep, blissfully unconscious.

Closing his eyes, Shawn lowered his forehead to hers. "Thank, God."

Moments passed, before he realized she was pinned beneath him. His wary eyes blinked open to look into hers. Figuring it was the right, gentlemanly thing to do, he levered his hands on either side to roll off of her. Then, all thought was wiped from his mind.

Her hand reached out to tuck his hair behind his ear, then fingertips trailed along his jaw. He couldn't move, couldn't look away. He felt like he was drowning in those eyes.

"Shawn," she whispered, as she did in his dreams, and with gentle palms led his lips to hers.

Please don't wake up, please don't wake up, his mind pleaded, as he watched her eyes flutter closed and felt her slender arms wind around his neck. He was afraid to close his eyes and have her fade away to sunlight, as she always did. But of their own volition, his eyes flickered closed, as sensations flooded in, and he delved into her, feeling every curve against his angles. She tasted sweet, like he'd imagined. She felt better than any dream.

When her hand caressed his cheek, he slowly pulled back and looked down at her.

"God, you're beautiful." She smiled, and he leaned down again for another mind-altering kiss.

Then, he heard the smallest of coughs. Frozen, he looked to the crib and waited. He was about to let out a sigh of relief, when there was another cough. He scrambled up with Belle following quickly behind him. They peered nervously into the crib.

"Oh, my God. J.T.'s blue!" Shawn reached in frantically and hugged his pale baby brother to his shoulder.

Crying, Belle ran to call 911.

Shawn fought to keep his hands light, as he patted his brother's back. "Come on, buddy. Big bro's going to take care of you…"