Take the Chance part 3 - All or Nothing

"Weasel! Weasel, where are you? I need to talk to you!"

Daniel's rapid footsteps could clearly be heard he ran through the hallways of the empty pizzeria. Weasel had to be here somewhere, and he needed to find her so that he could speak with her on matters of utmost importance. Matters that concerned the female animatronic confessing that she had been in love with him for two years but had kept it an absolute secret from him until just a short while ago. And though he had been deeply shocked by the revelation at first, he had sorted out his feelings in a surprisingly short amount of time and now he needed to let Weasel know how he felt about her. He just needed to find her, but where on earth could she be?

"Danny...?"

The incredulous tone of Weasel's voice could be heard from somewhere up ahead, and it spurred him onwards. He called for her again, hoping to pinpoint her location. "Weasel, where are you? Tell me where you are!"

There was a slight pause before Weasel called back a reply. "I'm close by the Safe Room. Come meet me there."

The Safe Room, of course. Weasel would be heading for the Safe Room so she could bid her father good-night before the day crew arrived. Due to his badly deteriorated condition, Springtrap was kept locked up during the daytime, because there was simply no way he would pass off as a 'family-friendly' animatronic looking the way he did. Springtrap hated being locked away and it was a huge relief to him when he was allowed out of the Safe Room at night, so that he got to be with his family and so he could stretch out his servos a bit. Now that it was morning, Springtrap would have to return to the Safe Room and be locked back inside until night fell once more. Knowing that Weasel's father was going to be there with her made Daniel feel a bit nervous. Springtrap was rather intimidating, both in appearance and in personality, and he was very protective towards his family. But because Daniel had repaired Weasel, restoring her shattered mask and patching up the damage to her body, Springtrap had taken a shine towards him and treated him in a civil manner. Even so, Daniel always regarded him with extreme caution and normally he would have shied away at the possibility of trying to talk to Weasel about extremely personal matters while her father was there, but he couldn't back away now. He took a deep breath and forced himself onward, going deeper into the pizzeria.

It was very dark in the hallway leading to the Safe Room, and Daniel wished that he had brought his flashlight. Luckily, he had his cell phone with him. Taking it out of his pocket, he turned it on so that the light from the screen could illuminate his way somewhat. But even with the light from the cell phone, he couldn't keep himself from shuddering as he navigated his way through the darkness. It was really spooky down this particular hallway sometimes, especially since the half the overhead lights had blown bulbs while the other half weren't far from it. Nobody went down this hallway very often and he was starting to get more than a bit creeped out by the unsettling surroundings, so he extremely relieved when he finally caught sight of two orange eyes glowing at the end of the hallway. Those eyes belonged to Weasel, and as he got closer he could faintly make out her familiar silhouette standing quite still, apparently waiting for him. But she wasn't alone: two eerie, grey eyes glowed in the gloom alongside hers, and Daniel felt his heart rate increase slightly. Oh crap, Springtrap was there...he hadn't gone inside the Safe Room yet. This was going to be very awkward...

"Daniel? The heck are you still doing here, boy? I thought you left ages ago."

Springtrap's deep and slightly raspy voice cut through the air like a knife, and it immediately set all the hairs on Daniel's body standing on end. Jeeze, even though the tone was only curious and not particularly threatening, Daniel couldn't help but shudder inwardly at how utterly creepy Springtrap's voice was. He had one of those voices that left you having nightmares for a week, and that was when he was being friendly.

Weasel, like the other animatronics, had superb night-vision and could see the young man approaching from the other end of the hallway. She regarded him with what could be only described as wide-eyed astonishment. "Daniel, I...I thought you would have gone home by now..." she murmured, suddenly feeling rather nervous over the fact that the man she was in love with hadn't left for home and had come looking for her, and she could barely keep herself from fidgeting as she watched Daniel pause in the hallway.

"Er, no, I didn't even leave the parking lot, Weasel. I...I couldn't let this wait until tonight, it's too important...." Daniel said softly. He was still feeling a bit jittery about talking to Weasel with her father present, but it was the sound of her voice that calmed his rattled nerves more than anything. He took a deep breath and continued forward, finally coming to a stop when he was a few feet away from the two animatronics. He tried hard not to flinch when Springtrap's next question sent trepidation racing through his body.

"Well? What is it, boy? Why are you still here, eh? C'mon, spit it out."

"I, er...I need to speak to Weasel, sir. In...in private." Daniel mumbled, his eyes flicking nervously over towards Weasel. Her mask took on a peculiar expression when she heard him say those words; it looked as though she was both excited and terrified at the same time.

Springtrap, noticing the look on his daughter's face, narrowed his eyes at Daniel in a way that set the man's knees trembling, and his questioning tone had a quiet menace lacing through every syllable. "And what do you want to talk to her about that requires privacy, eh? Anything you need to say to my daughter, you can say it in front of me as well."

Weasel turned to her father and placed a placating hand on his deteriorated shoulder. "Dad, no, it's alright. It's something personal, between me and Danny only."

Springtrap turned to look at her, his ravaged mouth working itself into a frown of concern. "Are you sure, Weasel? You two haven't had a fight or anything, have you?" He turned to look at Daniel again, his eyes narrowing even further, and it almost had the poor man peeing his pants.

"N-N-No, sir, nothing of t-the sort," Daniel stammered hastily. "I just w-want to talk to her, but it's...it's personal, like Weasel said. Is...is it okay if I c-can speak with her alone, s-sir?"

"Hrrmm...." Springtrap grunted, looking back and forth between Daniel and his daughter. It was clear that he wasn't particularly happy about being left out of the conversation, but at Weasel's imploring look he finally relented and gave a jerky nod of the head to show his consent. "Oh, alright then. But don't take forever at it, you hear me?"

"Yes sir, thank you," Daniel practically sagged with relief. He met eyes with Weasel again, who gave a faint nod before she turned to her father, giving him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek to show her thanks.

"I'll be back soon, Dad. Just wait for me, okay?" she said, giving him another quick kiss. "Love you, Dad."

Springtrap's entire demeanour changed at once at those three little words. His expression softened and he slipped an arm around his daughter to return her hug. "Love you too, baby girl. Now be off with you, the time's ticking away, you know."

"I know, Dad. Thanks again," Weasel smiled slightly, releasing Springtrap and turning back to Daniel. "So, um...where do you want to go so we can talk privately?" she asked, trying not to sound too nervous.

"Erm, the office?" Daniel suggested. Anywhere was better than this creepy hallway strewn with old cobwebs and years of dust and debris, not to mention Weasel's overprotective father listening to every word they said.

Weasel nodded to show that she was alright with this suggestion, and together the two of them went off in that direction, leaving Springtrap standing at the end of the hallway, watching them with an unreadable expression on his ruined face...

                                         . . .

Though the trip back to Daniel's office didn't take very long at all, it felt like an eternity had passed in Weasel's perspective. Her mind was racing and she was feeling increasingly edgy with every second that ticked by. Daniel wasn't a man who made hasty decisions when it came to very important matters, and the fact that he had come looking for her almost right away after she had confessed her love to him was making her feel anxious. Could he have sorted out his feelings for her already in such a short amount of time? Was he going to tell her that he loved her? Or...oh God, was he going to reject her? A sudden bubble of panic blossomed deep within her chest, and if she had possessed lungs then all the air would have been locked out of them at the thought of Daniel rejecting her as a potential love interest. If that was the case...then she would rather self-terminate than hear him speak the words that she knew would leave her feelings for him utterly destroyed.

Daniel could sense that something was amiss with Weasel, for she was being unusually quiet. A quick glance in her direction revealed that she looked every bit as nervous as he was feeling; the expression on her mask look tight and drawn, and he knew that if she had possessed the teeth for it she would have probably been chewing on her bottom lip, just like he was doing right now. He reasoned that she was probably worrying about what he was going to say to her concerning her feelings towards him, and he hoped and prayed that he wouldn't mess things up when he finally got around to actually speaking with her on the subject at hand.

They finally reached the office, and ever the gentleman Daniel stepped aside so that Weasel could enter the room first. "Well, after you, Weasel..."

"Um, thank you..." she muttered, her ears twitching with tension as she stepped inside the familiar office. Her unease only increased further when Daniel stepped in after her, closing the door behind him so that they would have absolute privacy. Now it was just the two of them, alone together, and Weasel could barely keep herself still as Daniel turned to face her.

The both of them stood there for what felt like ages, just looking at each other. Weasel was fidgiting nervously, and Daniel kept shuffling about awkwardly as he forced himself to maintain eye contact with her. It was so quiet within the room one could have heard a pin drop on a cushion, and the longer the silence went on the more uneasy Weasel became. What was Daniel waiting for? Didn't he want to talk to her about how he felt about her love confession? Was he having second thoughts on the whole matter? Did he want to take a chance with her, or was he going to refuse her? Oh, bollocks, the suspense was absolutely killing her right now. She was so tightly wound up that when Daniel gave a slight cough she almost jumped out of her fur. This was too much, she couldn't stand it. If he wasn't going to say anything on his own, then she might as well be the one to start things off so she could get this over and done with. But just as she opened her mouth to say something, Daniel finally spoke up on his own, and as a result both of their words got tangled up with each other.

"Didn't you-"

"Weasel, I-"

They both paused when they realised that they were talking over each other, and after a few seconds Weasel cleared her vocalizer with a nervous cough of her own. "Um, sorry about that, Danny. I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"It's alright, Weasel," Daniel murmured, lowering his eyes shyly. He pushed his glasses up further up his nose, then he managed to look up again to meet Weasel's gaze. He couldn't help but notice how much her ears were twitching in a way that betrayed her anxiety, or the tense and anxious expression upon her normally frowny-faced mask. There was no doubt at all that she was thinking about whether he would accept her as a potential girlfriend or not, and there he was standing there like a dumbstruck moron, making her stew in suspense while he tried to find the words to fully express how he truly felt about her. He took a deep breath, then before he could lapse into another awkward silence he finally began to speak, tentatively at first, but slowly gaining confidence with each word.

"Um, we both know why we're here, and it has to do with what you had said to me earlier...concerning how you really felt about me, Weasel. And...and I did some serious thinking when I was sitting in my car. I thought about how different the both of us are, and not just personality-wise, but the fact that I'm human and you're, well, not human..."

The earlier sensation of panic that had filled Weasel's chest earlier came back with a vengeance at Daniel's words. Oh frick, she knew it. The whole 'human/not-human' issue was coming into play. Was he going to reject her because of the fact she was an animatronic? Was he going to turn down the chance for unconditional love because she was made of wires and metal beneath a furry covering, as opposed to flesh and blood and bone like a human? She could already feel her animatronic heart shattering at the thought of being rejected by the man she loved, and she knew that if she actually heard him speak the words it would do irreparable damage; she would no longer have any reason to feel joy or happiness or even love, and not just for Daniel but for her family as well. She would sooner die than have herself turn into an emotionless husk, and the only thing she could think of that would stop that from happening before it it occurred would be to tell Daniel to forget all about how she felt for him, that it had been a mistake on her behalf and that he would be better off trying to find a human female as a girlfriend.

That thought was every bit as soul-destroying as the thought of being rejected, but she would learn to cope with the pain of having the man she loved move on and find another woman who could make him happy, as opposed to being turned down by him because she wasn't human and thus leaving her incapable of feeling anything ever again. She had to stop him now, and fast, before it was too late.

"I, er, I know that the differences between us are vast and all, but I...I just wanted to say-"

"Um, Danny, before you say anything else, there's something that I need to say first, and it's really kind of important and it can't wait, so you don't mind if I go ahead, do you?" Weasel interrupted, her voice a tad higher and louder than it usually was.

His flow cut off in midsentence, Daniel stared at Weasel with confusion plainly stamped all over his chubby face. "Er, I-"

"Great! I knew you wouldn't mind, Danny." Weasel cut over him, her tone overly bright and cheerful. She pasted a large smile on her mask, even though that was the last thing she felt like doing, and she adopted a rather sheepish pose, placing one hand behind her head and scratching at the fur located there. "Um, about everything I had said to you in the office earlier, about how I was in love with you and all of that, I've been doing some thinking about it myself and how you would feel about it. I mean, a human and an animatronic being together in that way, heh, it sounds really awkward, doesn't it?"

"Errr..." Daniel's brow furrowed as he listened to her ramble, wondering where on earth Weasel was going with this. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Her behaviour was unnatural, with a fake smile on her mask and a forced cheeriness in her tone...Weasel had never acted like this before and it all felt wrong to him. His confusion suddenly gave way to alarm as she continued on in that falsely bright voice:

"I imagine anyone would be thrown for one hell of a loop if they had an animatronic confess that they were in love with them, and I realised that you would probably feel way too uncomfortable with the idea of having a robot animal as a potential love interest. I mean, sure, we're best friends, and that's really awesome, but the thought being together in a romantic relationship, that's probably way too much to handle, right? Hahaha, yeah, I thought so." Weasel laughed, and it sounded forced and fake, just like the smile on her mask. "So maybe the best thing to do would be to just forget about everything I said, and we'll just stay as friends, okay?"

Daniel actually reeled with shock. He gaped at Weasel with wide eyes, his mouth falling open as he realised what was going on. She was backing out on him! Weasel was actually backing out on her feelings for him, right after she had confessed just how much he meant to her. Why was she doing this? He hadn't even told her his own thoughts and feelings on the matter. No! He couldn't let her do this! He had to make her stop and listen to him!

"Weasel, don't-" Daniel started, but was instantly cut off again by Weasel.

"I mean, we have a really good thing going on between us already as best friends, but asking for more than that is probably a bit too much to handle, right?"

"Please, listen-"

"Yeah, I thought so. I shouldn't have put you in such an awkward and uncomfortable situation. You never function well under pressure, after all. I mean, jeeze, you damn near passed out when I told you I was in love with you, Danny! I can't let you be under that kind of pressure if it stresses you out that much."

"You're not-"

"Not to mention there's the chance of the other employees finding out. I mean, Christ on a bike, imagine the SCANDAL that would cause if they found out you were getting cuddly with one of the animatronics at the workplace. They'll think you're a freak, and I can't allow that. I care about you too much, as a friend, to have you made into a pariah just for my sake."

It was hopeless. Before Daniel could get more than two words in edgewise Weasel would cut him off, her louder volume easily overriding his own softer tone. She seemed absolutely determined to keep him from voicing his opinion on the matter, and it was starting to make him angry. He refused to give up. He had to make her stop, he had to make her listen to what he had to say. So he did the only thing he could think of in order to silence her...

Weasel was still rambling on in that falsely cheerful voice, oblivious to the change that was coming over Daniel. "So yeah, I think we should both should just forget about trying for a relationship together, and you should stick to human girls instead. I mean, surely you'd prefer a beautiful woman over something like me, an animatronic rabbit that can barely pass as female on any given day. I think that's the best course of action, Danny. We can stay as friends, and you can find yourself a nice human girlfriend who'll appreciate you for the man that you are. I just know that there's a girl like that out there for you somewhere, so-"

"WEASEL! WILL YOU STOP IT AND JUST LISTEN TO ME?!!" Daniel yelled at the top of his lungs. But he didn't stop there; he lurched forward at the same time and seized Weasel by the edges of her mask, forcing her to look into his eyes.

The seconds that followed afterwards seemed to last a billion years each. Weasel was instantly struck dumb by Daniel's sudden outburst, and she gaped at the man with eyes as wide and round as saucers. Holy crap...Daniel had actually shouted at her. Not once, in the two years she had known him, had she EVER heard him raise his voice. It was absolutely shocking to hear him speak like that, with so much force and volume behind his words. And the way he was looking at her...oh frick, it sent shivers racing up and down her spinal strut. He looked so angry and determined, with his eyes narrowed and locked directly into hers without any sign of them wanting to look away, and his teeth were bared in a fierce scowl that looked so out of place on his normally good-natured features.

Oh God....Daniel Weatherby looked HOT when he was angry. Weasel would have swooned out of her fur if she hadn't been so deeply stunned by the man's sudden transformation, and when he started up again in the same forceful tone she could only listen in absolute silence as he gave her a piece of his mind.

"What do you think you're doing, Weasel?! Why are you acting like this, right after you've spilled your heart and soul to me about how you've been in love with me for two years, but had been afraid to tell me your feelings all of this time up until now? You had said so yourself how much the act of me repairing your damaged and broken state meant to you, and how it resulted in you falling in love with me, but now you're trying to tell me to forget about your feelings, when I can see with my own two eyes how much I mean to you?" Daniel ranted at her, his eyes blazing. "How can you tell me to forget everything when you've turned my whole world upside down after you've told me how you much you truly feel for me? You can't just expect me to forget the fact that you're in love with me! And what about that kiss, huh? There's no way in hell I'll ever be able to forget that kiss, Weasel! That kiss has burned itself into my memory and my skin both; I can still feel the sensation of where your lips were pressed against mine, and...and it felt so right to me, Weasel!"

Weasel's mouth fell open in a silent gasp, and if she had been capable of blushing her entire mask would have flushed scarlet. Oh God, Daniel had felt it, too? How utterly natural and right their kiss had felt, despite the fact his lips had been made of soft, warm skin while hers had been made of cold and hard porcelain? She was distracted from this stunning revelation as Daniel continued his tirade, making her eyes widen even further with every word that he spoke.

"I don't know how or why the kiss felt that way, but I do know that you poured all your feelings into it, and perhaps that was the reason why it felt as good as it did. You love me, Weasel. You love me so much, and I feel like such a jerk for not realizing sooner how deep your feelings for me really were." He took a deep breath, then continued on in a more softer, reasonable tone as his anger started to fade. "I...I care for you as my best friend, and up until this point, I've only seen you as my best friend. So to hear you confess that you were in love with me, it was shocking. I wasn't prepared for it, so I ended up reacting the way I did back there. And the fact that you're an animatronic and I'm a human, it just complicated the issue further.
"I got scared, at first. I felt so torn and confused over my feelings for you after your confession; you're my dearest and most treasured friend, and I've only seen you as a friend. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to return your love. It...it would have been utterly cruel if I tried to be in a relationship with you and not be able to return your feelings for me. It would have hurt you so much, and that's something I couldn't bear living with. And I also thought about what would happen if anybody found out about us. I would most likely lose my job, and if that happened...I would never be able to see you again, Weasel. And that thought just terrified me so much that it just wasn't worth the risk..."

"D-Daniel..." Weasel's voice wavered as she attempted to speak, but Daniel silenced her by moving one of his hands over to her mouth, his fingers pressing lightly against her lips. The anger was gone from his face, but there was still a determined glint to his eyes that Weasel had never seen before. An inaudible moan escaped her vocalizer at the sensation of his soft, warm fingers against her mask, and she stood there trembling against him as he resumed speaking, his tone back to its normally soft and gentle low pitch.

"But even though my mind was telling me that this would never work out between us, my heart told me otherwise. You...you mean everything to me, Weasel. You're my best friend in the whole world, and you've always been there for me. You've helped me so much in learning to deal with my flaws and socially awkward tendencies, and I can never thank you enough for that. You...you helped me to learn to like myself, and that's something nobody has ever managed to do before.
"I've always hated the way I looked because of my weight. I always felt so self-conscious about myself whenever I went out in public, and I felt that people were constantly staring at me because I'm fat. I always felt as though they were judging me for it, and it made me afraid to look into other people's eyes because of it...and it has grown into a habit that I fear will never truly be broken. And add the fact that I was already painfully shy to begin with, I pretty much considered myself a disaster when it came to trying to socialize with other people. My mother worried about me almost constantly; how on earth was I ever going to be able to function in life with these issues weighing me down like a ton of bricks? She tried to send me to a psychiatrist for help, but it didn't work out, and I felt like such a failure for not being able to learn to overcome my issues.
"But when you became my friend, you changed my life, for the better. You supported me and guided me, helping me to slowly but surely learn to cope with all my flaws and personal issues, and the improvement is definitely obvious even to me." Daniel gave a wobbly smile, his eyes filling up then spilling over with tears. "You accepted me for everything that I was, and I'm so grateful to you for everything you've done for me these past two years."

Weasel's eyes began to scrunch up, and the bottom lip of her mask trembled against his fingers. She would have given anything to have been able to shed tears and cry with him. She lifted one of her hands and, slowly and carefully, she cupped her palm against Daniel's cheek, watching as his tears absorbed themselves into her fur. In response, Daniel let his other hand that had still been holding on to her mask drop, and he moved it so that the top of his palm covered hers, keeping her hand pressed against his cheek. He closed his eyes and just seemed to enjoy the feeling of her soft, furry palm against his skin. After a moment or two, he opened his eyes once more and looked up at her. He cleared his throat slightly before continuing where he had left off. "You've done so much for me, Weasel, and you never asked for anything in return. Your friendship means more to me than anything in the whole world...but it could become so much more...."

Weasel made a small gasping noise, her eyes going wide again. Oh frick, did he mean....?

Daniel could feel his heart beginning to pound faster within his chest as he gazed into Weasel's wide astonished eyes, and he could also feel the skin on his face heating up in a fierce blush. This was it, there was no turning back; once he said the words, he knew his life would never be the same ever again. It was all or nothing...and he had made his choice.

He took a deep breath, then with every ounce of courage he possessed he took the plunge and went for it.

"You care for me so much, Weasel, and I care about you, too. You're my best friend, but I want my feelings for you to grow into something so much more than friendship. I...I want to fall in love with you, as you fell in love with me. I don't care that you're not human, it doesn't change the fact that you love me with all your heart. And all I ever wanted...was for someone to love me for who I am, flaws and all. So please, please don't push me away. Please give my feelings a chance to blossom for you. Let me fall in love with you, because...because I want to take the chance with you..."

"O-Oh....Oh, Daniel!" Weasel sobbed, unable to keep silent for a second longer. She threw her arms around him and pulled him close, hugging him tightly to her body as all her emotions threatened to completely overwhelm her. She could scarcely believe that this was really happening, that Daniel Weatherby actually wanted to try for a romantic relationship with her, even though she wasn't human. Loud sobs, not of distress but of pure joy, spilled from her mouth, which she tried to muffle by burying her mask into his shoulder, and when she felt his arms wrap around her she only cried harder against him. His arms felt so good around her, he was so soft and warm and gentle...she loved him so much, and knowing that there was a chance that he could love her back caused a warm ray of hope to shine brightly within her, chasing away all her fears and worries about being rejected by the man she loved.

Daniel kept his arms wrapped around Weasel until her sobs quieted down and she was able to regain control of her emotions somewhat. She sniffed and straightened up again, but she seemed reluctant to remove her arms from around him. Though this degree of closeness between them made his face grow very warm, he did not feel uncomfortable or awkward about holding Weasel like this. It just felt so...natural.

He gave her a shy little smile, one that set Weasel's animatronic heart fluttering, and he said rather bashfully, "So, does this mean that you're going to stop trying to convince me to keep looking for a human girlfriend, Weasel?"

Weasel's mask broke out into a wobbly grin as she nodded her head. "Absolutely. And about that, I'm sorry about the whole one-eighty freak out back there. I just...got so scared over the possibility that you would reject me because I'm, well, you know..." Her grin faded and her head tilted downwards as her mask took on a downcast expression, her ears drooping sadly for added effect. "The thought of you not being able to return my feelings because I'm not human, it both scared me and hurt me so much that I couldn't bear the thought of hearing you actually speaking the words of rejection. So I figured that if I pushed you away myself, it wouldn't hurt so much. But I was wrong...all those things I said back there was killing me on the inside. I felt as though I was dying from heartbreak, with a stupid fake smile on my mask the whole time...."

Seeing Weasel like this sent a pang of sorrow through Daniel's heart. He reached upwards and tilted her head back up so that he could meet her gaze. His tone was soft and sympathetic as he said, "I understand, Weasel. And I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

The corners of Weasel's mouth twitched slightly. "It's okay, Danny. I'm alright now, because now that I know that you want to try for a relationship with me...it makes me so happy. More than you'll ever know..."

She leaned forward, and for one heart-stopping second Daniel thought that she was going to kiss him again. But instead she just rested her forehead against his - her mask felt cool against his skin, and her eyes were close enough to cause his glasses to reflect the soft, orange glow that they emitted. Her arms were still wrapped around him, and it made Daniel feel so...treasured and wanted.

"I-I hope that this will work out between us, Weasel." Daniel whispered, his voice so soft as to be barely heard. I...I know that there's some risk involved, and I've never had a girlfriend before, so I'm new to all of this, but, um, I just want you to know that if things do work out...I'm happy that you'll be my first."

Weasel practically melted when she heard those softly spoken words, and for another heart-stopping second she seriously considered the idea of kissing him again. But in the end she decided that she could wait...she could wait until Daniel fell in love with her. That way, the next time she kissed him, he would be able to return her embrace with the same level of feeling that she felt for him.

"I hope things will work out between us as well, Daniel." she whispered back to him. "You mean the world to me, and I only want to make you happy. You're my best friend, and I love you so much. I would do anything to be worthy of being loved by you..."

"Weasel..." Daniel was deeply moved by her words; he could feel tears coming to his eyes once more. Not trusting himself to speak, he simply held onto her, one hand gently rubbing up and down along the small of her back.

He had no idea how this would play itself out, but he knew that he would never be able to turn back now that he had poured all of his feelings towards her. Weasel was his best friend, with the potential to become so much more, and deep in his heart he knew that he had made the right choice.

Though Weasel would have happily remained within Daniel's arms until the end of time itself, she knew that the young man had to get going; her internal chronometer warned her that the first of the day crew would be arriving soon, and she didn't want them to catch her and Daniel together like this. She straightened up and slowly unwrapped her arms from around him, giving Daniel a true, genuine smile of warmth and affection. "You better get going now, Danny. It's almost seven-thirty and the day crew'll be showing up at any minute."

Oh, crap! Daniel had almost forgotten about the day crew. Not to mention his mother was probably wondering what was keeping him. And right on cue his cell phone, which he had stashed in the left breast pocket of his shirt, vibrated and gave off a loud ring simultaneously.

"Ah, shoot!" Daniel yelped, fumbling to take out his phone so he could answer it. He succeeded in fishing his phone, which was a folding model so it could fit easily in his pockets, and he flipped it open and hit the answer button before putting it to his ear. "Hello? O-Oh, hey Mom....where am I now? I, erm, I had to turn back, I left my phone in the office and I had to go back to get it, that's why I'm not home yet....yes, Mom, I know. I'm coming home right now....yes, I know, you don't have to worry so much...I'll be there in twenty minutes, okay? Yes, Mom...don't worry, I'll make sure Jazz and Janie'll get their breakfast when I come home. It's Saturday, so they'll probably just watch cartoons until I get there...yes, Mom, I'll make them something healthy and I'll make sure they'll eat it. They shouldn't be eating all that sugary cereal anyway, it's bad for them...yes, okay. I'll see you when you get back home later tonight, okay? Okay, love you, Mom. Bye...."

Weasel had stood by in silence, watching Daniel with a slight grin on her face as he conversed with his mother over the phone. He flipped his phone back shut and turned back to her, looking slightly embarrassed. "Um, sorry about that, Weasel. I better run, Mom's on my case about me getting home right now because she needs to leave for work, and she doesn't want the girls to be left alone in the house by themselves for too long. Not to mention they haven't had breakfast yet, so they're bound to be hungry by the time I get there."

Weasel's grin softened into a gentle smile as she regarded the man. "Okay, Danny, I better let you go now so your mom can stop being such a worry wart, and your sisters can get a nice breakfast. I'll see you again tonight, okay?"

"Okay, sure. I...look forward to it, Weasel." Daniel smiled shyly, feeling his heart flutter at the sight of that smile on Weasel's mask. Her smile took on a whole new meaning to him, now that he knew just how much she cared about him. "You and the others take care until then, and I hope you'll have a good day today, Weasel."

"Thank you, Danny. Today is already a good day, all because of you," Weasel said, and she couldn't resist slipping her arms around Daniel to give him one last hug, causing him to blush heatedly. "I'll be missing you until you return. Drive safely, okay?"

"Okay, I will," Daniel promised. He was still blushing when Weasel let go of him, and he shuffled nervously for a few seconds before finally giving Weasel a small wave. "Bye now, I'll see you later."

"Bye, Danny..." Weasel waved back, and she watched as the young night guard paused for a few more seconds before he he finally turned and opened the door to the office. He lingered in the doorway, giving her one last shy smile and a goodbye before he slipped away. She waited for a few moments until she could no longer hear his footsteps, before she erupted into a fit of high-pitched giddy squealing, wrapping her arms around herself in a hug as she went over everything that had happened between them in the office.

Daniel hadn't rejected her. He was going to take a chance with her, despite all the risks and huge differences between them. He wanted to fall in love with her, and knowing that there was a chance for her to gain all of Daniel's unconditional love sent Weasel into ecstasies. Even though it meant more waiting on her behalf so that Daniel's feelings for her could have a chance to potentially bloom into love, it was a sacrifice she was more than willing to make. All for the sake of being loved by the man she loved with all her heart and more.