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lj_snarchiveTitle: Timeout
Author: timberwolf63
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Rating: PG-13, maybe soft R
Category: Dan/Casey; slash
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Sorkin.
Note: A sequel to “Impromptu.” But all you really need to know is that Dan and Casey have gotten married.
Casey put on his best puppy-dog face. He should’ve sent Dan to do this; Dan’s puppy-dog face was far more effective. He should know. “Come on, Dana,” he said, cocking his head a little, trying to mimic Dan’s pleading eyes. “We’ve been married for nearly two months now, and we haven’t had a honeymoon yet.”
Her expression softened but the whine was still in her voice. “I know. I just hate it when you two take time off together. Our substitute anchors are… well, they’re substitutes for a reason. None of them really inspire confidence, if you know what I’m saying.”
“So get Bobbi Bernstein,” Casey suggested, trying to be helpful. “She’s great, when she’s not working with Dan.”
“She is great,” Dana agreed. “Which is probably why ESPN hired her last month.”
“Oh.”
Dana sighed. “It’s all right, Casey,” she assured him, hand on his shoulder. “You and Dan can have the time off—finding competent substitutes is my problem, not yours. It’s fine. Go, and have fun.”
Casey grinned, gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Dana. We’ll send you a postcard from Maui.”
************
“We’re on our honeymoon,” Dan cheerfully informed the desk clerk when they checked in to the Maui Four Seasons.
“Congratulations!” she said with a genuine smile.
“It’s the Xtreme Sports Honeymoon,” Dan disclosed, leaning toward her as if he were revealing state secrets. “I’ve named it.”
“Dan likes to name things,” Casey pointed out.
“I see,” the clerk said, all dimples.
“That’s X-treme, with an X,” Dan elaborated. “Not E-X-treme, ’cause that wouldn’t be cool.”
“Got it.”
“I have it all planned,” Dan said, getting animated now, talking faster and gesturing. “We’re gonna start out on the tame side of extreme, with a little scuba diving tomorrow. See, I want to lull my husband into a false sense of security, and then bam! Zip-lining over the Mauna Loa volcano!”
“Well, I’m pretty sure you won’t find any zip-lining over the Mauna Loa volcano,” the clerk told Dan, who looked crestfallen at the news, “but I get what you’re saying. I hope you enjoy your stay in Hawaii. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to make your visit even more special.”
Dan winked at her. “As long as we have a minibar, a TV, and a Do Not Disturb sign, then we should be set.”
She handed them their keys and pointed them toward the elevator.
“She loves me,” Dan declared as they walked away from the beaming desk clerk.
“Who doesn’t?” said Casey.
The elevator was empty, and Dan got a sparkle in his eye as he grabbed Casey’s shirt and pulled him into it, humming “Love in an Elevator.” Casey felt that familiar pang in his belly, and he smiled.
By the time they got to their suite on the 8th floor, the Do Not Disturb sign had taken priority over the minibar and the TV.
*************
“Casey.” Dan’s breath was hot in his ear. Just hearing his name like that… Dan’s voice husky and full of want… it sent a shudder through him. Danny nuzzled his neck, licked against his pulse point. “Casey?”
“Hmm?” His eyes were closed. Dan was draped over him, his right hand pinning both of Casey’s above his head. It made him feel deliciously vulnerable. “More action, less talk.” He bucked his hips for emphasis.
Dan ignored his plea. “Got a question.”
“Now?”
“Don’t worry, it’s an easy one.” Dan planted a series of soft kisses along Casey’s jawline. “Where did you go on your first honeymoon?”
Casey opened one eye. “Huh? You know that, Danny.”
“St. Thomas, right?”
“Yeah. St. Thomas.” He gasped as Dan’s tongue darted into his ear. “Didn’t I send you a postcard?”
“You did. I thought it was very revealing that you wrote ‘Wish you were here.’”
Casey laughed in spite of himself. “I did not!” His hips moved again, and Dan, finally taking the hint to pay some attention to that area of his anatomy, reached down with his left hand and began to stroke, ever so lightly, high on Casey’s inner thigh.
“Was it nice? That honeymoon?”
Casey bit back a moan. “Yeah… I guess so…”
“Was it nicer than this one?”
“Well I don’t know, Danny. We just got here, didn’t we.” Casey had no idea how he was managing to sound so blasé. Dan’s knowing fingers were swirling, feather-light… not quite touching where Casey wanted them to touch, maddeningly close but not… quite… there. “I’ll have to compare and contrast afterward… weigh the high and low points of the first one against the high and low points of this one… maybe do a pie chart—”
Dan shut him up with an insistent, hungry, yet somehow still tender kiss. Now Casey did moan, breathing in Dan’s breath and his scent and his being. When Dan broke the kiss, he moved his mouth to Casey’s ear and whispered, “This is my first honeymoon. The only one I intend to have, in fact. Let’s make it memorable, shall we?”
And then—finally—Dan moved his fingers.
************
Casey’s hand made a slow circle on Dan’s lower back as they lay in bed, sheets tangled down at their feet, the TV on now but essentially just background noise.
“Y’know,” Dan said lazily, his eyes closed, lying there looking blissed out, as well he should, “this hotel’s name is a misnomer. Four Seasons? In Hawaii? I don’t think so. It’s like 80 degrees all year round here. They should call this place the One Season Maui. Or the Always Summer Maui. Or the Could Our Weather Be Any More Perfect Maui.”
“Danny, stop trying to rename the hotel. Relax. We’re on vacation.”
“No, we’re on the Xtreme Sports Honeymoon,” Dan corrected. He shifted a little as Casey kept up the gentle caressing of his back. “Mmmmm, that feels good.”
“Don’t fall asleep, Danny. Our show starts in a few minutes. Don’t you wanna see who Dana managed to round up for substitute anchors?”
“Mmmm,” was Dan’s incoherent reply. He sounded a millisecond away from sleep.
Casey was all set to smack Dan on the ass, thus ensuring wakefulness, when the Monday Night Football theme suddenly kicked in, emanating from the floor next to the bed. Dan jumped, his eyes snapping open. Casey reached down, grabbed Dan’s cell phone from the pile of clothing, and handed it to him. Propping himself up on an elbow, Danny accepted the phone with a sigh.
“Hello? Hey, Dad, how’s it going?” Dan hastily sat up, shouldered the cell to his ear, and pulled his boxers on, as if his dad had some magical way of seeing him through the phone. “Sorry, I don’t actually have tickets for the game on Sunday, Dad—I’m not in New York… Well, I’m in Maui right now… Yeah, the Maui in Hawaii, is there another one?” He stood up and began to pace, a common reaction whenever he spoke with his father. “… Because I’m on my honeymoon. Remember, I told you that Casey and I got married in Toronto a couple months ago?... I’m sure I told you… Well it’s legal in Canada, Dad… And now we’re in Maui on our honeymoon…” He glanced at Casey, his expression dark. Casey mouthed “tell him hello for me,” and Dan nodded. “Casey says hi… Of course he’s right here… We’re on our honeymoon…” He stopped pacing then, going stock-still, and listened for what seemed like a very long time. “Dad, is your calling me gay supposed to be meant as some kind of insult? Because considering I’m married to a man, I would say it’s more like stating the obvious.” Casey watched, helpless, as Dan shut his eyes, his mouth quivering a little. After a moment, he took the phone from his ear and shut it off, then shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant. “He hung up.”
Casey got out of bed and went to him, pulling him into an embrace. “I’m sorry, Danny. I’m sorry he’s such a shit to you.”
Dan felt tense in Casey’s arms. “Maybe I shouldn’t have been such a smart-ass.”
“I don’t think your sarcasm had much to do with it. He doesn’t accept us, Danny. I doubt he ever will.”
Dan buried his face in Casey’s neck, holding on a little tighter. “I swear, Casey, I don’t know if he ever liked me—”
“Danny, stop it,” Casey said firmly. “The problem isn’t with you, it’s with him. Stop beating yourself up.”
Dan nodded and just held on. It wasn’t right, Casey thought. That Dan’s father could do that to him, could deflate him so quickly and effortlessly. It wasn’t fair that he could ruin the first night of their honeymoon from 5000 miles away.
“I love you, Danny,” he said, because sometimes it was the only thing he could think of to say.
“Love you too,” Dan mumbled. On the TV, Sports Night was starting, but Casey barely noticed. “Their show” would be fine. It was Dan he needed to focus on right now. “Thanks, Case,” Dan said then, as though reading his mind. He pulled back and looked at Casey with shimmering eyes. “Do me a favor?”
Casey nodded. “Of course.”
“Take me back to bed.”
Tugging him by the hand, Casey obliged.
************
Dan was gone the next morning when Casey woke up. There was a note on the bedside table: On the beach.
After a shower, Casey made some coffee, poured it into two travel mugs, and headed out to the beach. It was early, but the sand was already warm under his bare feet. Maybe it was always warm here. The ocean was a crystal-clear deep blue… stunning, Casey thought. Almost as stunning as his husband.
His heart did a little twirl when he spotted Dan, sitting on a beach chair almost at the water’s edge, his toes buried in the sand. He had sunglasses on and he was trying to look discreet, but he was clearly watching a couple of guys nearby… a couple of guys who were, even to Casey’s naïve, white-bread eyes, obviously engaged in a drug deal. Brazen, to be sure, but not really something worth gawking at.
“Dan?” he said as he approached and handed over one of the mugs. “What’re you doing?”
“Shhhh,” Dan whispered, pulling Casey down onto the sand next to him. Pointing toward the duo he was so obviously spying on, he said, “Casey, that’s Allen Iverson over there. And I think he’s doing something shady.”
“Oh stop the presses,” Casey said with a roll of his eyes. Then he took a good long look at the guy in question. “Danny, that’s not Allen Iverson.”
“It sure as hell is.”
“Not even close. He’s too short, for one thing. Iverson may not be our largest NBA player, but I can assure you he’s taller than that guy.”
“Casey, seriously, this is big. If that’s Iverson, we’ve got a breaking news story on our hands—”
“This is not breaking news and that’s not Iverson. Look, he doesn’t have enough tattoos to be Iverson.”
“Tattoos can be removed.”
“Danny, listen to me.” Casey’s voice was hard. He cupped Dan’s chin and turned his face toward him. Saw his own reflection in the mirrored sunglasses. “It’s basketball season. Allen Iverson has a game tonight—in Philadelphia. He’s not all the way over here in Maui, buying a couple ounces of pot from some derelict, out in the open like this. Trust me.”
Dan turned to look at the guys again, then looked back at Casey, who shook his head. Dan opened his mouth as if to argue further, but he was clearly out of ammunition. His shoulders actually slumped and he sat back in his chair. “OK,” he said.
Casey reached out and took hold of Danny’s hand… the left one, the one with the wedding band. He laced their fingers together. “OK,” he echoed. “So we’re on the same page, then.”
“Yeah.”
“No breaking news for the intrepid sports anchor on vacation.”
“On his Xtreme Sports Honeymoon,” came the inevitable correction.
“Right.” Pause. Then, cautiously: “Any particular reason you’re seeing cornrowed NBA players where there aren’t any?”
Dan only shrugged, ran his thumb over Casey’s knuckles.
Casey tried again. “You want there to be a breaking news story here because…? Why? You want to escape into your job because it would give you something to think about other than your dad. Am I close?”
Dan shrugged again, but Casey knew he was more than close. He was dead-on.
“Shit, Danny. To hell with your dad. I mean, I’m sorry that sounds so callous, but for Christ’s sake, we’re on our honeymoon, and you shouldn’t be upset. I don’t want you to be upset.” He turned Dan’s hand over and kissed his palm. “I want you to be happy.”
Dan nodded, his mouth working a little. “I am happy.”
“It would be more convincing if you weren’t looking so damn miserable as you say it.”
“Sorry, Case.”
“So your dad’s an ass. This is news to you? I don’t know why you keep thinking that someday he’s going to change. He really isn’t. Doesn’t matter, though—you don’t need his approval. If he can’t accept his son for who he is, then the hell with him.”
Dan stared out at the ocean, not speaking for a few minutes. When he finally did, it was simply, “Yeah.”
“I wish I had something more positive to say,” Casey admitted. “I wish I could snap my fingers and make it better.”
Dan took off his sunglasses and turned to look at him then, gratitude in his expressive eyes. “You do make it better. Just by being here.” He leaned over and kissed Casey softly on the mouth.
“‘I promise I’ll always be there for you,’” Casey quoted. “I’m pretty sure I said that a couple months ago, in that cute little church in Toronto? And I meant it. I’m with you, Danny, no matter what. From the small stuff, like your emergency writer’s block—”
“That wasn’t small!”
“To the big stuff like your father treating you like shit. I’m right here. Got it?”
That earned Casey another kiss, this one slow and sweet, with some tantalizing tongue. Dan’s mouth was as warm and fresh as the morning air. “Got it,” Danny said. “And you’re right. This is our honeymoon and we’re here to celebrate our marriage. Enjoy some extreme sports...”
“Relax and recharge...”
“See the sights...”
“Turn off, tune out...”
“Get a tan...”
“And have lots of decadent sex.”
“All of the above, yes,” Dan nodded. “And dammit, that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.”
Casey felt his shoulders relax. Danny was finally starting to sound like Danny. “Good. Now, what’s on today’s agenda? Didn’t you say scuba diving?”
Dan’s mouth curved into a truly evil smile. “I lied. That was just what I wanted you to think.”
“Parasailing?” Casey asked with fervent hope.
Dan shook his head no, still with the diabolical smile. “Swimming with sharks,” he said gleefully. “I’ve already got us booked.”
*************
Thirteen days later, they were back at the anchor desk. Miraculously, they’d survived the sharks, not to mention all the other death-defying activities Dan had scheduled during their time in Hawaii.
In their ears, Dave counted down, “Four… three… two…”
The red light of camera two blinked on. A bronze Dan looked straight into it, smiled, and said, “Good evening, from New York City, I’m Dan Rydell alongside Casey McCall. We have returned from our honeymoon in Maui and we’re refreshed and happy and eager to get back to delivering your sports news. Isn’t that right, Casey?”
“Totally refreshed and happy, that’s right, Dan.”
“Our thanks to substitute anchors Rich Abrams and Leslie Hollings for doing such a wonderful job filling in for us. Our producer, Dana Whitaker, still has all her hair and no apparent facial tics, so everything must have gone smoothly in our absence.”
“And that’s a relief for us all,” Casey confirmed. “In other news, some kid named Tiger Woods gears up for the Masters, Brian Rolston and the Boston Bruins blow away the Maple Leafs, and Allen Iverson leads the 76ers to a win with a game-high 35 points and certainly no shady dealings on the side. You’re watching Sports Night, so please… stick around.”
Author: timberwolf63
Pairing: Dan/Casey
Rating: PG-13, maybe soft R
Category: Dan/Casey; slash
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Sorkin.
Note: A sequel to “Impromptu.” But all you really need to know is that Dan and Casey have gotten married.
Casey put on his best puppy-dog face. He should’ve sent Dan to do this; Dan’s puppy-dog face was far more effective. He should know. “Come on, Dana,” he said, cocking his head a little, trying to mimic Dan’s pleading eyes. “We’ve been married for nearly two months now, and we haven’t had a honeymoon yet.”
Her expression softened but the whine was still in her voice. “I know. I just hate it when you two take time off together. Our substitute anchors are… well, they’re substitutes for a reason. None of them really inspire confidence, if you know what I’m saying.”
“So get Bobbi Bernstein,” Casey suggested, trying to be helpful. “She’s great, when she’s not working with Dan.”
“She is great,” Dana agreed. “Which is probably why ESPN hired her last month.”
“Oh.”
Dana sighed. “It’s all right, Casey,” she assured him, hand on his shoulder. “You and Dan can have the time off—finding competent substitutes is my problem, not yours. It’s fine. Go, and have fun.”
Casey grinned, gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Dana. We’ll send you a postcard from Maui.”
************
“We’re on our honeymoon,” Dan cheerfully informed the desk clerk when they checked in to the Maui Four Seasons.
“Congratulations!” she said with a genuine smile.
“It’s the Xtreme Sports Honeymoon,” Dan disclosed, leaning toward her as if he were revealing state secrets. “I’ve named it.”
“Dan likes to name things,” Casey pointed out.
“I see,” the clerk said, all dimples.
“That’s X-treme, with an X,” Dan elaborated. “Not E-X-treme, ’cause that wouldn’t be cool.”
“Got it.”
“I have it all planned,” Dan said, getting animated now, talking faster and gesturing. “We’re gonna start out on the tame side of extreme, with a little scuba diving tomorrow. See, I want to lull my husband into a false sense of security, and then bam! Zip-lining over the Mauna Loa volcano!”
“Well, I’m pretty sure you won’t find any zip-lining over the Mauna Loa volcano,” the clerk told Dan, who looked crestfallen at the news, “but I get what you’re saying. I hope you enjoy your stay in Hawaii. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to make your visit even more special.”
Dan winked at her. “As long as we have a minibar, a TV, and a Do Not Disturb sign, then we should be set.”
She handed them their keys and pointed them toward the elevator.
“She loves me,” Dan declared as they walked away from the beaming desk clerk.
“Who doesn’t?” said Casey.
The elevator was empty, and Dan got a sparkle in his eye as he grabbed Casey’s shirt and pulled him into it, humming “Love in an Elevator.” Casey felt that familiar pang in his belly, and he smiled.
By the time they got to their suite on the 8th floor, the Do Not Disturb sign had taken priority over the minibar and the TV.
*************
“Casey.” Dan’s breath was hot in his ear. Just hearing his name like that… Dan’s voice husky and full of want… it sent a shudder through him. Danny nuzzled his neck, licked against his pulse point. “Casey?”
“Hmm?” His eyes were closed. Dan was draped over him, his right hand pinning both of Casey’s above his head. It made him feel deliciously vulnerable. “More action, less talk.” He bucked his hips for emphasis.
Dan ignored his plea. “Got a question.”
“Now?”
“Don’t worry, it’s an easy one.” Dan planted a series of soft kisses along Casey’s jawline. “Where did you go on your first honeymoon?”
Casey opened one eye. “Huh? You know that, Danny.”
“St. Thomas, right?”
“Yeah. St. Thomas.” He gasped as Dan’s tongue darted into his ear. “Didn’t I send you a postcard?”
“You did. I thought it was very revealing that you wrote ‘Wish you were here.’”
Casey laughed in spite of himself. “I did not!” His hips moved again, and Dan, finally taking the hint to pay some attention to that area of his anatomy, reached down with his left hand and began to stroke, ever so lightly, high on Casey’s inner thigh.
“Was it nice? That honeymoon?”
Casey bit back a moan. “Yeah… I guess so…”
“Was it nicer than this one?”
“Well I don’t know, Danny. We just got here, didn’t we.” Casey had no idea how he was managing to sound so blasé. Dan’s knowing fingers were swirling, feather-light… not quite touching where Casey wanted them to touch, maddeningly close but not… quite… there. “I’ll have to compare and contrast afterward… weigh the high and low points of the first one against the high and low points of this one… maybe do a pie chart—”
Dan shut him up with an insistent, hungry, yet somehow still tender kiss. Now Casey did moan, breathing in Dan’s breath and his scent and his being. When Dan broke the kiss, he moved his mouth to Casey’s ear and whispered, “This is my first honeymoon. The only one I intend to have, in fact. Let’s make it memorable, shall we?”
And then—finally—Dan moved his fingers.
************
Casey’s hand made a slow circle on Dan’s lower back as they lay in bed, sheets tangled down at their feet, the TV on now but essentially just background noise.
“Y’know,” Dan said lazily, his eyes closed, lying there looking blissed out, as well he should, “this hotel’s name is a misnomer. Four Seasons? In Hawaii? I don’t think so. It’s like 80 degrees all year round here. They should call this place the One Season Maui. Or the Always Summer Maui. Or the Could Our Weather Be Any More Perfect Maui.”
“Danny, stop trying to rename the hotel. Relax. We’re on vacation.”
“No, we’re on the Xtreme Sports Honeymoon,” Dan corrected. He shifted a little as Casey kept up the gentle caressing of his back. “Mmmmm, that feels good.”
“Don’t fall asleep, Danny. Our show starts in a few minutes. Don’t you wanna see who Dana managed to round up for substitute anchors?”
“Mmmm,” was Dan’s incoherent reply. He sounded a millisecond away from sleep.
Casey was all set to smack Dan on the ass, thus ensuring wakefulness, when the Monday Night Football theme suddenly kicked in, emanating from the floor next to the bed. Dan jumped, his eyes snapping open. Casey reached down, grabbed Dan’s cell phone from the pile of clothing, and handed it to him. Propping himself up on an elbow, Danny accepted the phone with a sigh.
“Hello? Hey, Dad, how’s it going?” Dan hastily sat up, shouldered the cell to his ear, and pulled his boxers on, as if his dad had some magical way of seeing him through the phone. “Sorry, I don’t actually have tickets for the game on Sunday, Dad—I’m not in New York… Well, I’m in Maui right now… Yeah, the Maui in Hawaii, is there another one?” He stood up and began to pace, a common reaction whenever he spoke with his father. “… Because I’m on my honeymoon. Remember, I told you that Casey and I got married in Toronto a couple months ago?... I’m sure I told you… Well it’s legal in Canada, Dad… And now we’re in Maui on our honeymoon…” He glanced at Casey, his expression dark. Casey mouthed “tell him hello for me,” and Dan nodded. “Casey says hi… Of course he’s right here… We’re on our honeymoon…” He stopped pacing then, going stock-still, and listened for what seemed like a very long time. “Dad, is your calling me gay supposed to be meant as some kind of insult? Because considering I’m married to a man, I would say it’s more like stating the obvious.” Casey watched, helpless, as Dan shut his eyes, his mouth quivering a little. After a moment, he took the phone from his ear and shut it off, then shrugged in an attempt to appear nonchalant. “He hung up.”
Casey got out of bed and went to him, pulling him into an embrace. “I’m sorry, Danny. I’m sorry he’s such a shit to you.”
Dan felt tense in Casey’s arms. “Maybe I shouldn’t have been such a smart-ass.”
“I don’t think your sarcasm had much to do with it. He doesn’t accept us, Danny. I doubt he ever will.”
Dan buried his face in Casey’s neck, holding on a little tighter. “I swear, Casey, I don’t know if he ever liked me—”
“Danny, stop it,” Casey said firmly. “The problem isn’t with you, it’s with him. Stop beating yourself up.”
Dan nodded and just held on. It wasn’t right, Casey thought. That Dan’s father could do that to him, could deflate him so quickly and effortlessly. It wasn’t fair that he could ruin the first night of their honeymoon from 5000 miles away.
“I love you, Danny,” he said, because sometimes it was the only thing he could think of to say.
“Love you too,” Dan mumbled. On the TV, Sports Night was starting, but Casey barely noticed. “Their show” would be fine. It was Dan he needed to focus on right now. “Thanks, Case,” Dan said then, as though reading his mind. He pulled back and looked at Casey with shimmering eyes. “Do me a favor?”
Casey nodded. “Of course.”
“Take me back to bed.”
Tugging him by the hand, Casey obliged.
************
Dan was gone the next morning when Casey woke up. There was a note on the bedside table: On the beach.
After a shower, Casey made some coffee, poured it into two travel mugs, and headed out to the beach. It was early, but the sand was already warm under his bare feet. Maybe it was always warm here. The ocean was a crystal-clear deep blue… stunning, Casey thought. Almost as stunning as his husband.
His heart did a little twirl when he spotted Dan, sitting on a beach chair almost at the water’s edge, his toes buried in the sand. He had sunglasses on and he was trying to look discreet, but he was clearly watching a couple of guys nearby… a couple of guys who were, even to Casey’s naïve, white-bread eyes, obviously engaged in a drug deal. Brazen, to be sure, but not really something worth gawking at.
“Dan?” he said as he approached and handed over one of the mugs. “What’re you doing?”
“Shhhh,” Dan whispered, pulling Casey down onto the sand next to him. Pointing toward the duo he was so obviously spying on, he said, “Casey, that’s Allen Iverson over there. And I think he’s doing something shady.”
“Oh stop the presses,” Casey said with a roll of his eyes. Then he took a good long look at the guy in question. “Danny, that’s not Allen Iverson.”
“It sure as hell is.”
“Not even close. He’s too short, for one thing. Iverson may not be our largest NBA player, but I can assure you he’s taller than that guy.”
“Casey, seriously, this is big. If that’s Iverson, we’ve got a breaking news story on our hands—”
“This is not breaking news and that’s not Iverson. Look, he doesn’t have enough tattoos to be Iverson.”
“Tattoos can be removed.”
“Danny, listen to me.” Casey’s voice was hard. He cupped Dan’s chin and turned his face toward him. Saw his own reflection in the mirrored sunglasses. “It’s basketball season. Allen Iverson has a game tonight—in Philadelphia. He’s not all the way over here in Maui, buying a couple ounces of pot from some derelict, out in the open like this. Trust me.”
Dan turned to look at the guys again, then looked back at Casey, who shook his head. Dan opened his mouth as if to argue further, but he was clearly out of ammunition. His shoulders actually slumped and he sat back in his chair. “OK,” he said.
Casey reached out and took hold of Danny’s hand… the left one, the one with the wedding band. He laced their fingers together. “OK,” he echoed. “So we’re on the same page, then.”
“Yeah.”
“No breaking news for the intrepid sports anchor on vacation.”
“On his Xtreme Sports Honeymoon,” came the inevitable correction.
“Right.” Pause. Then, cautiously: “Any particular reason you’re seeing cornrowed NBA players where there aren’t any?”
Dan only shrugged, ran his thumb over Casey’s knuckles.
Casey tried again. “You want there to be a breaking news story here because…? Why? You want to escape into your job because it would give you something to think about other than your dad. Am I close?”
Dan shrugged again, but Casey knew he was more than close. He was dead-on.
“Shit, Danny. To hell with your dad. I mean, I’m sorry that sounds so callous, but for Christ’s sake, we’re on our honeymoon, and you shouldn’t be upset. I don’t want you to be upset.” He turned Dan’s hand over and kissed his palm. “I want you to be happy.”
Dan nodded, his mouth working a little. “I am happy.”
“It would be more convincing if you weren’t looking so damn miserable as you say it.”
“Sorry, Case.”
“So your dad’s an ass. This is news to you? I don’t know why you keep thinking that someday he’s going to change. He really isn’t. Doesn’t matter, though—you don’t need his approval. If he can’t accept his son for who he is, then the hell with him.”
Dan stared out at the ocean, not speaking for a few minutes. When he finally did, it was simply, “Yeah.”
“I wish I had something more positive to say,” Casey admitted. “I wish I could snap my fingers and make it better.”
Dan took off his sunglasses and turned to look at him then, gratitude in his expressive eyes. “You do make it better. Just by being here.” He leaned over and kissed Casey softly on the mouth.
“‘I promise I’ll always be there for you,’” Casey quoted. “I’m pretty sure I said that a couple months ago, in that cute little church in Toronto? And I meant it. I’m with you, Danny, no matter what. From the small stuff, like your emergency writer’s block—”
“That wasn’t small!”
“To the big stuff like your father treating you like shit. I’m right here. Got it?”
That earned Casey another kiss, this one slow and sweet, with some tantalizing tongue. Dan’s mouth was as warm and fresh as the morning air. “Got it,” Danny said. “And you’re right. This is our honeymoon and we’re here to celebrate our marriage. Enjoy some extreme sports...”
“Relax and recharge...”
“See the sights...”
“Turn off, tune out...”
“Get a tan...”
“And have lots of decadent sex.”
“All of the above, yes,” Dan nodded. “And dammit, that’s exactly what we’re gonna do.”
Casey felt his shoulders relax. Danny was finally starting to sound like Danny. “Good. Now, what’s on today’s agenda? Didn’t you say scuba diving?”
Dan’s mouth curved into a truly evil smile. “I lied. That was just what I wanted you to think.”
“Parasailing?” Casey asked with fervent hope.
Dan shook his head no, still with the diabolical smile. “Swimming with sharks,” he said gleefully. “I’ve already got us booked.”
*************
Thirteen days later, they were back at the anchor desk. Miraculously, they’d survived the sharks, not to mention all the other death-defying activities Dan had scheduled during their time in Hawaii.
In their ears, Dave counted down, “Four… three… two…”
The red light of camera two blinked on. A bronze Dan looked straight into it, smiled, and said, “Good evening, from New York City, I’m Dan Rydell alongside Casey McCall. We have returned from our honeymoon in Maui and we’re refreshed and happy and eager to get back to delivering your sports news. Isn’t that right, Casey?”
“Totally refreshed and happy, that’s right, Dan.”
“Our thanks to substitute anchors Rich Abrams and Leslie Hollings for doing such a wonderful job filling in for us. Our producer, Dana Whitaker, still has all her hair and no apparent facial tics, so everything must have gone smoothly in our absence.”
“And that’s a relief for us all,” Casey confirmed. “In other news, some kid named Tiger Woods gears up for the Masters, Brian Rolston and the Boston Bruins blow away the Maple Leafs, and Allen Iverson leads the 76ers to a win with a game-high 35 points and certainly no shady dealings on the side. You’re watching Sports Night, so please… stick around.”
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Date: 2009-03-08 07:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 11:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 04:22 pm (UTC)Very cute. Thank you for posting this!
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Date: 2009-03-11 10:36 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
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Date: 2009-03-11 09:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 10:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-15 03:33 am (UTC)Loved their honeymoon, even though Dan's father is an absolute ass!
Jeanine
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Date: 2009-03-15 01:25 pm (UTC)http://community.livejournal.com/snarchive/154950.html
Yes, poor Danny, having to deal with an ignorant dad. :-(
I'm glad you liked the story... thanks so much!
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Date: 2009-03-16 02:15 am (UTC)Apparently, I read it in December. Nice to read it again, though :).
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Date: 2011-05-18 06:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-18 12:21 pm (UTC)