"Timbersnake!"

Justin groaned at the hearty bellow that was accentuated by several raps on his door. He was far from ready to deal with whatever it was that she was about to say to him. Gripping the rim of the toilet tightly when another wave of nausea hit him he kept his eyes clamped shut, vowing to never even so much as look at an alcoholic beverage again. Or at least learn his limit…

"You look like shit."

Why had he not learned to lock his door? Or at least lock the bathroom door? Of course he'd been in a hurry to get to the bathroom and hadn't thought that she'd come barging in. Now, though, she towered over him, hands on her hips as she stared him down in that way that was so angering, a little fear-inducing and strangely amusing. With a groan he accepted the damp washcloth she offered, sitting back on the cool tile floor when she reached to flush the toilet. "I feel like shit."

"I told you not to drink so damn much, didn't I? And not to eat so much in between drinking? Didn't I tell you all that?" Dana sighed, leaning to press another damp cloth to the back of his neck. "But no… You had to just chug down drinks like some loser frat-boy."

"Can you not talk so loud?" he requested in a harsh whisper, wincing at the echoing of her voice inside her head. Once he had wiped his face clean she was pulling him to his feet and pushing a toothbrush into his hand. "I was just having fun ya know."

"Oh, sure. Because driving the bus as soon as you get up is so much fun," she snorted.

He wanted to roll his eyes. He really did. Just like he wanted to snort with derision. But knowing that both would send his head into unbelievable pain kept him from doing so. Instead, he bent over the sink and began to brush his teeth.

Dana pulled herself onto the marble counter next to the sink. "Who were you dancing with last night?"

"Huh?"

"The redhead that Joey took to you. She looked nice. Wasn't she the bartender?"

"Uh-huh…" He could only imagine what was coming.

Dana smiled sweetly. "You two looked mighty cozy."

Justin groaned. This was not going to be good.

"Lance said you met her last week at Joey's party. I take it you've seen her since then?"

"Uh-uh."

"Talked to her?"

"Uh…" Justin stalled before answering. He took the time to rinse his mouth thoroughly, even going so far as to gargle. Wiping his mouth clean, he plucked the washcloth from his neck and tossed it aside. "…Maybe?"

"What's her name?"

He really wasn't in the mood for this. Not so early. A glance at the clock on the panel built into the wall told him it was near noon. Okay, not so soon after getting out of bed. Slipping from the bathroom, he made a move for the bed, hoping to get another hour of rest. His plans were thwarted when Dana followed him. She'd never heard of a thing called personal space; that was never more evident until now. She was actually climbing into bed with him, lying on top of the covers so he couldn't burrow beneath them. "Dana!"

"Her name's Dana? How fucking cool is that--"

"Dana Elizabeth Carpenter--"

"Fine, what's her name?"

"Her name's Johanna," he ground out, jerking on the covers until she rolled from the bed. Within seconds he wrapped himself in a cocoon of dark and warmth. But he knew that wouldn't deter Dana. Soon she was jerking the blankets down over his head. "Deck, c'mon… Don't you want to go torture your boyfriend for a while?"

"He's sleeping."

"I'm trying to."

"But he had some major sex this morning and when I finally crawled out of bed an hour ago he said not to disturb him for--"

"Deck! Jesus Christ there's nothing left in my stomach!"

"Oh c'mon, Timbersnake. Tell me."

With a groan he sat up. "Tell you what?" He was starting to whine. It seemed only she could bring that out in him.

Dana's green eyes twinkled. "Why did you kiss her and leave her alone on the dance floor?"

/*/

The moment she entered the apartment , Cassidy had a wide grin on her face. It never faded as she changed into sweats; in fact it seemed to grow wider when she stepped into the kitchen. Johanna was feeding Apollo. Cassidy hummed softly as she poured a cup of coffee, noting that her friend was in a bathrobe and her hair was wrapped in a towel. "When does Andy get here?"

"He'll be here in a few minutes. You don't mind entertaining him while I get dressed, do you?" Johanna asked.

Cassidy chuckled. "Of course I don't. He's four. All it takes to entertain him is a few flatulent noises and a couple of new terms for body parts--"

"Don't you dare!" Johanna warned.

"I'm kidding," Cassidy promised. "Does your brother know you're using his son as a guy magnet?" she asked, following Johanna into the living room.

"I'm not using Andy as a guy magnet. Justin wanted to take him with us. He's in the middle of a four day break and--"

"Wanted to take you out," Cassidy supplied.

"…Right. Anyway, we're just going to the park."

"No dinner?"

"He said that dinner would be a surprise. You know how much Andy loves the park--" Johanna cut off with a smile. "He actually asked me what Andy likes to do."

"Isn't he sweet?" Cassidy cooed.

Johanna scowled at the tone her friend used. "Cass… Let's say that… Okay," she breathed. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her robe before clearing her throat. "I'm so confused, Cass."

"About what?"

Johanna's teeth worried her bottom lip. She wondered if she should even voice her worries to Cassidy. Though she was as close to a best friend that she'd ever had, Cassidy did lean to immature reactions at times. How she became an FBI agent Johanna would never understand. And she was truly scared to learn what the other woman's reaction would be. So with a sigh, she shook her head. "Nevermind. It's nothing. I'm going to dress."

She had dried her hair and was pulling a sweater over her t-shirt when she heard the familiar knock at the door. It always put a smile on her face; her nephew knocked on the door as though he were beating a conga drum. Her fault, she knew; perhaps she'd shown him one too many episodes of I Love Lucy. She paused to make sure he didn't burst into her room before brushing her hair into a low ponytail. A look out the window showed approaching clouds; she hoped it wouldn't snow. The past two days had been rather warm and sunny for New York in January. And she knew that any moisture would cause her normally wavy hair to turn into a frizzed mess.

Which was why she yanked her hair free of the band and shoved a knit cap over her head before going to the living room.

"Auntie!" Andrew squealed. Lying backwards on the couch with his head hanging upside down, he was grinning from ear to ear. "We goin' to da park?"

"Yes we are," she promised, stooping to blow a raspberry against his cheek. "We're going to the playground with a friend of mine."

"Cassy tol' me," he informed amid a squeal of laughter. With the clumsy energy of a normal four year-old he rolled off the couch. "Can we take a ride with da horses?"

"Maybe. If you're a good boy," she diverted. She had no idea what Justin's plans were after taking Andrew to the park. "Did Daddy bring your overnight bag?"

"Uh-huh. Can I watch Lucy? Now?"

"For a few minutes."

Once he was settled on the couch with his favorite blanket and an episode of I Love Lucy on the TV, Johanna went into the kitchen to find Cassidy opening packets of hot chocolate mix. "Did Dan even come in?"

"Long enough to drop Andy's stuff and tell him bye." Cassidy shrugged nonchalantly, but Johanna knew that her older brother's to the point attitude irritated her. She knew why, too, but had more sense than to bring it up. "I'm gonna skip out after fixing his chocolate, okay? Tony and I are going down to Carmine's for dinner and I need to meet him there in an hour."

Johanna nodded, watching Cassidy stir lukewarm water into the plastic mug. Cassidy wasn't going to stick around and tease her about going out with Justin? Unbelievable. Shocking. But very relieving.

/*/

"This it?" Justin asked, peering out the window at the apartment building that the car had stopped in front of. Referring to the sheet with Johanna's address on it he made sure the number was correct before reaching for the door handle. "I'll go up and get her, Mike."

But the man was already out of the car, zipping up his coat. Justin sighed when the door was opened for him. "Can't let you go up alone, you know that."

"She lives on the third floor. What can happen to me in three flights of stairs?" Justin asked with honest confusion. "Look at me, Mike. I have a big coat on and a hat and sunglasses. If you didn't know it was me, would you know it was me?"

Mike snorted on a laugh. "Just go in. I'll be behind you."

"Fine," he sighed. Once in the lobby, he looked around for the elevator. "Uh…"

"You really need to do research before going out in public," Mike told him. "Do you know which number she's in?"

"Three seventeen." Justin watched as the bodyguard stepped over to a panel of small mailboxes. He pressed a button beneath one then waited. "What now?"

"She has to let us through the door so we can go up. Don't you ever watch movies?"

"Not ones with apartment buildings," Justin muttered. When he heard a buzzing sound and a metallic click he lurched, but quickly composed himself before pushing through the unlocked door. To the left was a staircase. Taking them two at a time, he paused at the first landing. "Did you hook up that booster seat we got for Andy?"

"It just uses the seatbelt in the backseat. There's no hooking up to it."

"Joey said that this one has to be latched in with the seatbelt," Justin argued. "You'd better check. I don't want him getting hurt…"

Mike eyed him warily. "Nice try, man. Real nice try. She knows who you are, you don't have to act like she has no idea. Just go on up and knock on her door. I'll wait at the stairs."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Justin flashed a grin before hurrying up the remaining stairs.

The third floor hallway was completely bland, one nondescript door after another. When he reached Johanna's door he knocked, shifting from one foot to the other as he waited.

And waited.

What was taking so long? She couldn't have forgotten; he'd called her right after lunch to remind her what time he'd be picking her up. Knocking again, louder this time, he waited some more. Still nothing. Pressing his ear to the door, he faintly heard a TV running. Knocking louder, he yelped when the door was yanked open suddenly. His fingers clutched at but completely missed the doorframe as he fell into the apartment.

"Whoa," a voice breathed. "That was so cool!"

Justin looked up at the small figure that stood over him. His shoulder stung slightly from the fall. Legs tangled and feet sticking out of the door, he knew he made a pretty sorry sight. He focused on the small boy's face. He was grinning from ear to ear, blue eyes shining with enthusiasm. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"No. Auntie Jo tol' me to get the door 'cause she had to change 'cause I spilled my hot chocolate all over. She gave me a bath and put me in clean clothes, see?" One arm was thrust out, proudly showing off a vivid orange sweater. "Are you her new friend that's going with us to the park? Can you push me on the swing? And ride the seesaw with me?"

Justin blinked, attempting to keep up with the boy's line of thought. Slowly he pushed himself up, smiling when small hands reached to help him. Once he was on his feet and the door closed he removed his sunglasses. "Yeah, I'm her new friend. I'm Justin. I'll push you on the swing and ride the seesaw with you, okay? But first you gotta tell me your name."

"Andrew Nathaniel Tucker. Auntie Jo calls me Ant 'cause she says I'm small and move all over the place but I do know how to sit still. Everybody else calls me Andy. I'm four, how old are you?"

"Nineteen," Justin answered with a grin. He reached to shake the hand that was thrust in his direction.

"Whoa, you're old. Auntie Jo is older than you. Are you her boyfriend?"

"Um--"

"Do you kiss her? Cassy said that boyfriends always kiss their girlfriends. I tried to kiss Cindy at school but the teacher said I couldn't do that. But she's my girlfriend. Ain't I supposed to kiss her?"

"Well--"

"Are you gonna kiss Auntie Jo?"

"Andrew Nathaniel!" Johanna's voice hollered from across the living room. Immediately the boy's face broke into a worried look. Justin glanced up, smiling when he saw her coming from one of the other rooms. He realized it was the first time he'd seen her in something other than the all-black clothing she wore at work. She wore a pair of jeans and a gray sweater, which he decided looked better on her than what she wore at the club. Her auburn hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders, shining in the light as she came over and scooped Andrew up into her arms.

"He's cool," he promised.

"How many times have I told you not to talk about kissing?" she chastised with a playful glare. She carried him to the couch and gently dropped him atop the cushions before turning to Justin. "Pay no attention to him. He talks more than any other kid I've ever met and I think his father lets him watch things that no four year-old should."

"He's just a kid," Justin decided, still amused at the barrage of kiss-related questions. He thought of Dana's questions a few days before. Though she had no reason to lie, he still wondered if she'd stretched the truth about what had happened after his dance with Johanna. She showed no signs of remembering any kiss. And he was certain that he would remember if he'd kissed her. Of course, he'd been drunk. But still. There was no way he'd been so drunk he'd forget kissing her. Right?

"You ready to get going?" she was asking. The TV was switched off and Andrew was dragging a coat across the floor towards him.

"Yeah, whenever you are." He stooped to Andrew's level, reaching for the coat. Helping the boy into it he quickly zipped it up before pulling the long scarf that dangled from a pocket. Winding it loosely around his neck, he playfully draped one layer over his mouth before yanking up the hood and tying it. "Problem solved! He can't talk anymore!"

"Hey!" Andrew's voice was muffled behind the scarf.

"Perfect!" Johanna grinned as she took her coat from the rack near the door.

Laughing, Justin watched as Andrew pulled the scarf down. "Oh man, he got out of it," he breathed in a horrified whisper. Leaping behind Johanna, he ducked so his head was no longer visible. "Save me!"

Andrew launched forward but quickly stopped. Dancing from one foot to the other he gave his aunt a worried look. "I gotta go."

"Uh oh." Johanna dropped her coat and reached to free her nephew from his coat and scarf. "Hurry!"

Justin leaned to pick up the discarded coat as Andrew bolted from the room. "He's cute," he told her as she turned to look at him.

She smiled in agreement. Her hands reached for her coat but he shook his head. "Justin, I need my coat."

"I was always taught that a boyfriend helps his girlfriend into her coat when they're going somewhere," he informed with a grin.

"And just who taught you that?"

"The smartest woman I've ever known." Stepping behind her, he gently eased the coat up her arms. He let his hands rest on her shoulders for a few seconds, breathing in the soft lavender scent of her hair. "But she never mentioned anything about kissing…"

"I'm going to kill him," she muttered. Then she turned to face him, forcing him to pull his hands away. "I really appreciate you doing this, Justin. Usually when he comes over we stay inside and watch TV or read. And he loves the park…"

"Does he like picnics?"

"Picnics in the park? He adores them. He likes tossing bread out for the animals and-Why?"

"Because that's what we're doing for dinner," he informed. Seeing her eyes glow with appreciation, he knew he'd made the right choice. "First we're going to hang out at the playground and let him run around until he's exhausted. Then we're having a picnic, and I had the basket packed with all the food that I could think a little kid would like. And if we can time it right, we'll be drinking hot chocolate at sunset. After that I was thinking we could do the completely corny tourist thing and go for a carriage ride."

"Oh, Justin…"

Wait, was she starting to cry? Had he figured something wrong? She was blinking fast and her lips were working but no sound was coming out. He reached to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear, wondering what he had done to put that weird look in her eyes. "Johanna, what--"

"I'm ready!" Andrew bellowed as he came rushing back into the living room.