"I can take her."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" He looks worried, like he's afraid I think he's taking advantage of me. I smile at him and shift the little girl's weight on my shoulder. She barely twitches, and gives a sigh of contentment.

"I'm sure," I tell him. "Don't worry about it."

He continues to study me, then turns his eyes straight ahead. There are more people coming in than going out, so we're fighting the crowd, but that's okay; most people are still hanging out in the park. We're coming from Fantasyland, and there had been a long line of teenagers in white shirts in front of the Matterhorn, all part of a Winter Break trip to Disneyland, Happiest Place on Earth.

Before today, I wouldn't have agreed with that description. Sure, Disneyland was fun- for a kid, and maybe the occasional teenager trying to relive their childhood before it escaped them altogether. But I'm twenty-one years old. I had no interest in rides or expensive food or elaborate shows or asking the age-old question of how they get Main Street to smell like peppermint and hot chocolate during the holiday season. I just wanted to pass my classes and get my B.A.

But my friends dragged me here. "Snitchy," they said, "you're too caught up in your work. So come to Disneyland with us. Loosen up a little. Be a kid again."

I came just to shut them up.

It was boring, just as I knew it would be. The girls cooed over the little kids dressed as Peter Pan or Princess Jasmine, and the guys were acting like toddlers, getting excited over the stupidest things, like a sighting of Goofy in Toon Town.

Yes. They dragged me to Toon Town.

I was not a happy camper.

I drew the line at Fantasyland. "There's nothing there worth riding or seeing," I told them. "All the rides are for little kids, except Matterhorn, and that's only worth riding during the fireworks show."

They were pissed at me, to say the least, but let me go out on my own for a while anyway. I'd been a bitch the whole time anyway, and they were probably glad to get rid of me. Not that I cared. I hadn't paid for the ticket.

I sat on a bench outside Ariel's Grotto and watched the little kids and their haggard parents crawl up the line to meet what was obviously a very fake, costumed little mermaid. A couple people glanced at me, curious, but no one said anything. Not until a young guy holding the hand of a tiny blonde girl ran up into the line, panting and leaning down to catch his breath for a moment before glancing up at me.

"Hey!" He called. "Did we make it?"

I blinked, and glanced around to see if he really did mean me. "Uh... I guess so?"

"She's here 'till six. What time is it?"

I stared at him stupidly for a moment, then held up my watch. "...Five-forty-five."

"We made it, baby!" He cried, kneeling to hug the little blonde. "You get to meet Ariel!"

She squealed with delight and bounced, the hem of her pink dress bronzing with dust.

I watched them, still mildly surprised that he had spoken to me. Why me? There were other people in the line, and I'm sure that parents standing in line with their kids was a little more, ah, friendly than some college student lounging on a bench.

Once the little girl was settled on Ariel's scaled (hah, yeah right) lap, I laid back on the bench and sighed, linking my hands across my chest. The sky was still darkening, shaded violet and stained orange-red like the inside of a tangerine. I love winter, when it gets dark before it's supposed to and doesn't lighten again until late in the morning. I probably won't appreciate it for long; I'm a film production major, and less light means less hours, unless I shoot in a studio, which I probably won't. But it doesn't matter now; I'm still studying. So for now, I can enjoy it.

"Hey."

I jumped up. The guy with the little blonde girl was standing over me, smiling slightly. I hadn't noticed before, but now that he was closer, I could see his face, and he was definitely gorgeous (Hey, I'm a proud and out member of the GSA at my school. Deal with it). Dark hair; dark eyes; pouty, sensuous lips; well-defined cheekbones; tight jeans and a shirt that simply read 'Trust Me: I'm A Virgin.

Oh yes. Me likey.

"Hi," I responded, scooting over. "Sorry. I didn't think-"

"No, it's all right." He sat down next to me and scooped the little blonde onto his lap. "Thanks though." He shook his hair out of his eyes in a quick motion that made me smile. "You looked lonely, so Maggie and I thought we'd come visit."

"Me? Lonely?" I laughed. "I live in my own little world, buddy. I'm a social creature, but I also thrive on my own. Thanks for your concern though."

"Not a problem." He gave me a grin that involved only his upper teeth and a curling of the corners of his lips. "I'm Isaac. This is Maggie." He bounced the little girl on his knee and she giggled with delight.

"I'm Dan. Hey Maggie," I responded, giving her my hand. She blinked at me, then took it, or rather, had her own hand enveloped in it. "Who are you today?"

"Mulan." She giggled again and touched her hair. "Daddy tried to do it like she has in the movie but he couldn't." She leaned in against Isaac's shoulder. "Granma says he's too jitt'ry."

I glanced at Isaac; was she insinuating he was her father? Surely not.

But he responded with a sheepish grin and a kiss to her golden head. "That's why they call me 'Skittery', babe."

I raised my eyebrows. "You're her father?"

"Uh... yeah."

I glanced quickly at his left hand. "No ring."

His face colored, and instantly I regretted bringing it up. "Don't have to get married to have kids anymore, right?"

"Guess so." I ran my hand through my hair. "So Maggie... have you met Mulan yet?"

A pout contorted on her face, and for some reason, she resembled her father as she did this. "Noo... I met Sleepin' Beauty an' Snow White, though. Oh! An' Genie! An'-"

"Sh, baby." Isaac put a hand over her mouth, and her brown eyes blinked sulkily up at him. "You met a lot of people. You don't have to tell him each and every one."

I grinned. "She's a cute kid."

"Thanks." He put her on the ground and ruffled her blonde hair. "You want to go around with us?"

I briefly considered what would happen if my friends came back to Ariel's Grotto and discovered me missing. There would be scrambling for cell phones, someone trying to see if someone else had the number for my cell, only to then realize I don't have a cell phone.

Hm.

"Sure!" I beamed. "Sounds fun! Where we going?"

"I dunno." Isaac leaned forward and kissed Maggie's forehead. "Where do you wanna go, babe?"

She held her hands out in an adorably adult gesture. "I dunno, Daddy?"

"How about we go ride Peter Pan?"

I was proud of myself when I managed not to snicker. "Okay!"

Isaac stood up and took Maggie into his arms before turning back to me. "How're you about Peter Pan?"

"A little young." Woah, don't forget about the kid. "I mean, sure. Sounds good."

I could feel myself blushing as I stood up and grabbed my backpack, but Isaac was smirking.

"Come on. Let's head out."

So, even though I despised Fantasyland, this guy managed to drag me along with him through it. We rode not only Peter Pan, but also Mr. Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Alice in Wonderland. Then, just to twist the knife a little, Maggie wanted to go on the carousel. Okay, I had endured those little kiddie rides with their too small seats, and I guess I'd liked them, 'cause not only was I forced to sit pressed right up close to Isaac, but they were kinda fun if you were riding them with a little kid to play with.

But a carousel is taking it too far.

Isaac, apparently, needed a break and didn't want to ride it either. Maggie really wanted to "ride the horsies!" however, so he was begging me to take her. As his efforts proved fruitless, he took the cowardly route; holding Maggie up to me and making her ask.

"Pwease?" She said, in that little kid voice that's so pleadingly adorable that you have to wonder if they know they're irresistible. I threw my hands up in the air and grabbed her out of Isaac's hands.

"All right, come on, kiddo." I threw her over my shoulder like a pirate with a sack of loot, and she screeched with joy. Isaac didn't look pleased with the way I was handling his daughter, but hey, even girls like a little roughhousing sometimes.

Maggie and I waited in line together, her babbling on and occasionally letting me babble back.

I broke in at one point, setting her gently on the ground: "Hey Mags."

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about your daddy."

For the second time, she made that adorably mature shrugging gesture. "Like what?"

"How old is he?"

"Not as old as Granma."

Figures. "Naw, sweetcake, I mean... does he go to school?"

She shook her head furiously. "No. Not anymore."

So he was older than me. Finished with college, anyway... which meant he was anywhere between twenty-two and thirty; I couldn't imagine him being too much older than that.

"How old are you, Mags?"

She looked at her hands, counting her fingers slowly, before holding up six of them for me to see. "Six years old!" she cried, just for clarification.

That was a surprise; she looked smaller, and her speech was slow and troubled. I'd figured she was closer to three. Plus, that meant Isaac was older than I had originally guessed.

"Why?"

I looked at her. "What?"

"Why? Do you like Daddy?" She was grinning. "Daddy likes you."

I blinked and picked her up again. "And how do you know that?"

"He tol' me!" Her face shone. "He said we was gonna visit you 'cause you had a big, uh... box. And he always says that about boys."

"A box?" I frowned. "But I don't have... what?"

Her face scrunched cutely as she tried to think. "Uh... a present, I think. Not sure."

Present? Box? What-

Ding! Lightbulb! "Do you mean 'package?'"

She giggled and clapped her hands. "Yeah! Tha's what he said! I didn' see one, but Daddy always says guys have big pack'ges when they really don'." Her voice lowered to a secretive whisper. "I think he's a li'l loony."

I couldn't keep myself from grinning as I set her down again and ruffled her wheat-colored hair. "He shouldn't be saying that around you."

Again, the shrugging gesture. "Tha's what Granma says."

The gate opened and we were herded onto the ride. Maggie picked out a white horse decorated in pink and gold. Inwardly I cringed, but I set her up on it anyway, and buckled her in, keeping a hold on her waist.

"Are you a daddy?" she asked me suddenly.

"Uh... no," I responded, thrown. "But my brother has a kid about half your age, and I babysit him a lot."

"Oh. 'Cause you'd be a good daddy." Her grin was full of childish innocence and truth, and I blushed from it. Kids have a lot of power; we underestimate them more than is fair. Maggie seemed to be one of the more insightful children of the world, not like the screaming brats that surrounded us.

"Well, thanks. I guess." The bell rang out, and her tiny hands gripped the pole as we started to move. Isaac sat on a bench beyond the gate, and Maggie waved excitedly when she saw him.

"Woah, both hands on the pole, kid," I said, grabbing her as she started to slip. She giggled sheepishly, and leaned forward.

"Mulan had a horse," she told me, eyes wide. "His name was Can."

"Can? You mean Khan."

"Tha's what I said!" Her insistent nature was so grown up! I'd never seen my brother's kid act like this.

"Okay, okay. Sorry." I raised my hand to wave at Isaac as we passed him again, and she quickly followed suit. "You know a lot about Mulan."

"She's my fav'rite! She fights and she wins! I wanna be jus' like her when I grow up."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You want to be butch?"

Her eyes widened and her small pink mouth formed a delicate 'o'. "Tha's what Daddy says!"

Again, I laughed, supporting her with my hand on her back. "Hey Mags."

"What?"

"Can I hug you?"

When she frowned, I could see her confusion in every feature; even her ears lifted slightly. "You don' hafta ask."

"Your Daddy might mind."

"No he wouldn'. He likes you, Mr. Dan."

The bell went off, and the ride slowly came to a stop. I grinned as I unbuckled the black strap and hugged her tiny frame. "Maggie, just call me Dan. Or Danny. The 'mister' isn't necessary."

Her tiny arms linked around my neck, and I carried her back to her father. "Okay. Danny," she said with a wide smile that struck me as oddly similar to her father's. I hadn't noticed that before.

Isaac gingerly took her out of my hands and set her on the ground. "Where to next, babe?"

"Tomorrowland sounds good," I responded. Maggie playfully scowled at me and latched onto my leg.

"Me! He was talking to me!" she squealed, apparently unaware that she had knocked me off balance and I was now falling. Isaac, however, grabbed my wrist and pulled to keep me upright. His hand lingered a little longer than necessary, and he pulled away with a blush.

"Let go of him, Maggie," he admonished gently, tugging at her arm. She released me, and he glanced up into my face. "Do you have friends you need to meet up with or something?"

My heart sank; he was trying to get rid of me. I'd been too friendly with his daughter or something, and now he didn't want to go around with me anymore.

"'Cause you look a little anxious."

My head jerked. "Sorry, what was that?"

He frowned. "You look a little anxious. Are your friends going to be worried? I have a phone if you need to-"

"No, no, it's okay." I shrugged and grinned. "Snitch Riccio is always off doing his own thing. They'll meet up with me at the hotel without worry."

"Snitch?" His lips twitched. "Is that what they call you?"

"Hey, you got a nickname too. What was it? Skittish?"

"Skittery." He ran a hand through his hair. "I got it back in high school and never lost it. Guess that's what I get for staying at home and going to community college with my friends."

I bit my lip. "If you don't mind my asking, how old are you?"

"Twenty-five. How 'bout you?"

"Uh... Twenty-one?"

"Hm." He cocked his head to the side. "You look older."

"How much older?" Hey, sometimes that's not a good thing.

"My age. At least out of college."

I swear to God, I could almost feel my pores bleeding with joy. "Nope. Definitely twenty-one. I graduate next year."

"At least you're legal."

"What do you mean by that?"

His mouth curled into a smirk. "Never mind. C'mon, we've still got an hour and a half before the fireworks. Where should we go?"

"Daddy!" Maggie shrieked suddenly, leaping from my leg to Isaac's; he was apparently used to this because he didn't even waver. "Le's go to Toon Town!"

Isaac wrenched her from his knee and picked her up. "How's that with you?" he asked me.

Somehow, even though I hated Toon Town with a firey, bleeding passion that one can't even begin to understand, I managed to smile and nod, saying, "Sure. Sounds fun."

Maggie dragged us to Toon Town and led us to Minnie's House... which was, basically, half my size in itself. I didn't want to go in, but Isaac insisted I come with, even though I'm six foot three, and I was positive I was going to get stuck.

I didn't get stuck though, thank God, and I think Isaac was vaguely aware that I had not enjoyed that in the least, so he sent Maggie into Chip and Dale's Treehouse by herself, and sat outside with me.

"Maggie likes you," he commented after a brief silence. I rubbed my neck, working out a twinge, and didn't respond. "I've never seen her latch onto someone that quickly."

"Really?" I glanced at him, still massaging my neck. "I thought she was just friendly."

"She's actually kind of shy. Not like some kids, y'know, who don't talk or anything, but definitely not as outgoing as she's been with you."

I smiled and tried kneading the muscles in my shoulders. "She's really sweet. I like her back."

Isaac watched me for a moment, then reached over and shooed my hands away. "Let me."

His fingers clutched my collarbone, and his thumbs dug into the muscle. My fingers clenched on my jeans, and I heard him chuckle slightly.

"You're tense. This from going around in that house?"

"Maybe. I think it's mostly 'cause of my backpack though."

"Ah." He moved his thumbs to the base of my neck, and I shuddered. "Dan?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you plan to have kids?"

"Never really thought about it. Dunno. Maybe I'll adopt or something one day."

His hands fell to the small of my back, and he made circular movements there with his knuckles. "Adopt?"

"Uh, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm gay."

"Didn't stop me."

I turned around at that. "Tell me this story. I figured you were gay too, but the fact that you have a kid who actually looks like you doesn't exactly add up."

Isaac licked his lips and sighed. "It's a long story."

"We have time." I gestured to the ball pit, where Maggie was beaming and playing with a slightly older, dark-haired girl. "Tell."

He sighed again. "When you realized you were gay, were you surprised?"

I actually laughed. "Yeah, right. I always liked boys better. They could take off their shirts and not get in trouble. And from the second my hormones kicked in, I knew I'd rather be staring at a picture of Emilio Estevez than of Molly Ringwald."

"I like Molly Ringwald?"

"Redheads aren't my type."

He grinned slightly. "Well, how did your family feel?"

"Dad passed away before I told anyone. Fucking two packs a day killed him. My mom, though, was happy for me, and my brother thinks it's funny." I shook my head. "He got my nephew to call me 'Aunt Dan.'"

Isaac laughed, louder this time. "Well, you're lucky, then. Me, however? My dad wanted to kick me out of the family when I told him, and while my mom talked him out of that, she still avoids the subject. She refuses to talk about it, and if we do, she always mentions Maggie. She thinks that since I did it once with a girl, I'm perfectly capable of doing it again, even though she knows I only did it that once to try and prove myself wrong." He leaned forward and put his face in his hands, sighing yet again. "Even though I only ended up proving myself right."

He was quiet for a minute, sitting there in that arched form, pitiful in its obvious guilt and frustration. I cautiously lifted my hand and put it on the back of his neck. He shivered and lifted his head.

"Maggie's mom was a woman I met at the grocery store where I worked. I was nineteen and she was twenty-eight. I guess she was pretty... blonde hair, green eyes, long legs." He paused. "You know what it was? She should have been pretty. But she was messed up inside, and it showed in her eyes and how she held herself, so she really wasn't pretty. You know what I mean?"

I didn't, but I nodded anyway. "I guess."

He stared at me for a moment, then continued his story. "She asked me out at a really awkward time; I'd just come out to my parents the week before, and their reaction confused me. When she asked me out, I said yes. When she invited me to her place, I said yes. I don't even remember how I managed to get it up. I think that, like, the Backstreet Boys were on TV or something and I pretended she was Nick Carter."

"You like younger guys, don't you?" He looked at me and grinned.

"I like guys. I don't care how old they are. I have a major crush on Richard Gere."

"Who doesn't?"
He laughed at that. "Anyway... She showed up at the grocery store some weeks later and basically slammed the E.P.T. box in front of me. 'I hope you're happy,' she said. I told her to come back when it said she was pregnant. She came back the next day. She said she was going to have an abortion if I didn't live with her and help her support the baby. Now I've always been against abortion, especially since I now understood that I was gay, and there were lots of gay couples out there who would want to adopt kids. So I agreed."

He leaned back against the bench and looked up at the dark sky. No stars were visible, of course, not in a place like this, but the various lights from various rides and play-places shone on his skin, lighting him red, blue, green, all in succession. His eyes were wet, and his fingers laced over his trim stomach as he inhaled slowly. I leaned over and rested my head on his shoulder. After a minute's consideration, he responded by putting his arm around my waist.

"Maggie's mom had major drug issues. If I hadn't moved in, she wouldn't have needed an abortion; she would've killed Maggie with alcohol, pot, crack, and all the others. I got her to stop, or at least when I caught her or found her stashes, I'd yell at her or toss the shit down the toilet. She wasn't going to kill my baby. But I mean, have you noticed? She's six, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to put her in school yet or not. She's not ready. The drugs... they messed up her mind. She doesn't learn like other kids. And she's so tiny. She's not growing right either." I could feel his fingers digging into my skin, and I looked up at him in surprise. Now he was sweating, obviously frustrated. "I just... I can't..."

"Isaac, calm down." I nuzzled my cheek against his shoulder and brushed my fingertips with his. He briefly squeezed my waist and shut his eyes. "She's a beautiful little girl. There's nothing wrong with her."

"But..." He opened his eyes and looked at me. Then he sighed, and continued:

"After Maggie was actually born, I thought maybe her mother'd calm down, but nope. She went out a lot more, and I was left to take care of Maggie, even though I was supposed to be the one bringing in the money. One night I caught the bitch shooting up with some of her friends, with Maggie sleeping in a crib right near her, and I just saw red. I called the cops, and Maggie's mother was arrested, for drug use and child endangerment. They wanted to give Mags to my parents, but I fought that, and I won. Maggie's mine." I could hear the smile and fondness as he spoke. "My baby."

Across the street, a gaggle of girls screeched with delight as they opened the fixed door, and a boy presented his girlfriend with a stuffed, smiling flower. I nestled closer to Isaac, shutting my eyes and placing a hand on his chest. He laughed slightly, a low sound that made the skin of his neck vibrate against my hair.

"You're getting awfully comfortable."

"I don't see you protesting."

His hand squeezed my waist, and I felt a sudden weight on my skull as he rested his head on mine. "'Cause I don't mind."

"Good."

Teenagers, adults and children passed by us, sometimes noticing, sometimes not. It didn't matter. I moved my hand to Isaac's waist, shifting closer, and his hand closed over mine. It had been a while since I'd actually cuddled like that, but the guys I tended to go with weren't like Isaac. No one was like Isaac. Isaac was gentle and friendly, understanding, full of strength because of his defeat of the difficulties placed in front of him.

And he had Maggie.

It had only been an hour or two, but I already adored them both, and wouldn't regret getting to know them better.

I don't know how long Isaac and I sat on that bench; I almost felt as if I was sleeping. I remember shivering once, and Isaac responding by tugging me closer, but otherwise, we didn't move. Not until Maggie finally tired of playing in the treehouse and came back to us, tugging on her daddy's jeans: "Daddy, le's do somethin' else."

"Come up here." She crawled onto Isaac's lap; I briefly moved my hand from his stomach, resting it on Maggie's shoulder when she leaned up against his chest. "Are you sleepy, baby?"

"No," she responded with a yawn.

"It's almost time for the fireworks. Let's go find a place to watch those, then we'll leave after they finish."

"Okay." She nodded slowly, and Isaac smiled as he stroked her hair.

"Do you want to watch them with us?" He asked me. I sat up and stretched.

"Yeah. C'mon."

The best place to watch the fireworks (except while riding the Matterhorn, of course) is the little courtyard outside It's A Small World. That's where it snows, plus the fireworks are set off right behind Small World, so you're right up close.

Isaac carried Maggie out there, but she protested when he tried to set her down. "Mags, I'm tired. I can't carry you anymore."

"I can." They both looked at me, and Isaac blushed.

"You don't have to."

"Really. It's no big deal." I reached for Maggie and lifted her up, resting her against my shoulder. She sighed and stuck her thumb in her mouth, sucking it gently.

"Baby, don't-"

"Aw, c'mon, Isaac." I grinned. "I'm in college, and I still wake up with my thumb in my mouth." He raised an eyebrow. "On occasion."

Isaac glanced at Maggie, sighed, and said nothing.

The crowd around us started to thicken with parents, teenagers, and some grandparents. I shifted Maggie to my other shoulder and reached for Isaac's hand; he surprised me by leaning into my chest and sliding his arm around my waist.

"You really are tired," I told him, smiling.

"Shush," he responded as cheesy music started to ooze out of the speakers overhead.

The three of us stood together in the crowd, and Maggie gasped in my ear when the first colorful blast went off above the smiling clock. "Pretty!" She gushed, before squealing and burying her head in my shoulder at the explosion.

Isaac laughed. "It's just noise, baby." She whimpered and dug further into my shoulder, her tiny hands clutching at my shirt.

After a moment, her grip slackened and her breathing evened out. I glanced at her and grinned.

"Isaac."

"What?"

"Is she a heavy sleeper?"

He blinked, then turned to look at her. "Oh, Jeez... I'm sorry Danny, here, I'll take her..."

I pulled back, gripping Maggie closer. "No, it's okay. It's nothing. Really."

He raised his eyebrows, and stared at me curiously. The music changed, and the creepily good chorus started singing what I knew had to be the finale song. The way the fireworks aligned with the music sent a shiver down my spine, and Isaac leaned forward, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Danny? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." His hand created a warm orb by my neck. "I'm... I'm fine."

For a short moment, we could only stare at each other. The fireworks crashed and the music tinkled along in the background; Isaac's face was flashing green, gold, white, and as I leaned forward, he moved to meet me halfway.

The kiss was short, hesitant, and sweet in its caution. I wondered how many men he had kissed in his life, if he had kissed any, then decided it wasn't my business; I was the guy he was kissing now; I was the guy holding his daughter; it was me.

He smiled when we pulled apart, and invited me to come back to his hotel room for pizza and TV while Maggie slept; I grinned back and accepted.

As the soapflakes that passed for snow out in California-land started to fall, Maggie stirred and briefly opened her eyes.

"Danny," she whispered, "it's snowin'?"

I nodded. "Shh, baby. Go back to sleep."

She giggled. "You soun' like Daddy."

And as the crowd started its mass exodus to the park gates, she closed her eyes and drifted away again.

Hence where we are now. Maggie is still sleeping on my shoulder, Isaac walks quietly at my side, holding my hand and staring at the ground as we maneuver around stupid people and their stupid strollers. I chance a glance at the ice cream and candy shoppe on the other side of the street and see my friends standing outside, joking around.

"Isaac?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I see your phone?"

He raises his eyebrows, but pulls the phone from his pocket and gives it to me. I dial my friend Emilio's phone.

"Yo?"

"Hey, Itey. Tis I, your Snitch."

"Dude, where are you? We've been looking all over!"

"I'm right across the street. Look! I'm waving!"

"... What's that on your shoulder?"

"Maggie. See my friend?" I turn to Isaac and tell him to wave. "See him? Maggie's his kid."

Emilio's voice is sly. "Did you meet someone?"

"Maybe."

"You go, chico!"

"Never say that again."

"Okay, fine."

"Anyway, I'm leaving without you guys."

"I bet you are."

"Shut up. Eat, drink, and be merry. I'll see you later."

"Ciao."

"Bye." I beep the phone off and give it back to Isaac. "Thanks."

"Your friends sound nice."

"You'll meet them later and change your mind."

He laughs and places the phone back in his pocket before taking my hand again. "Where do you live, Danny?"

"San Francisco." I hadn't thought of the possible distance; California's a big place. And what if he isn't even from here? Disneyland isn't just for Californians. "You?"

"Santa Rosa."

My heartbeat speeds up; that's only about an hour's drive away. "Good. I was scared for a minute that you lived in, like, New Jersey or something."

He looks scandalized. "I would never bring my daughter up in Jersey!"

"Dude, I'm kidding."

"Oh. Okay." A grin appears on his face. "So am I."

He squeezes my hand; I squeeze back. Maggie shifts on my shoulder, turning her head away as Isaac leans in to kiss my cheek. A group of high school girls passing by gape at us, then turn away, giggling and gossiping shrilly about what they just saw. Isaac chuckles at them, and I shake my head.

"C'mon, Isaac." I nuzzle my nose against his cheek. "My shoulder's going numb."

"I can take her."

"No." I smile and hug Maggie close. "It's okay."

.::AUTHOR'S NOTE::.

So nothing will ever be as good as last year's fic for Dee's birthday. I had a better idea of something I wanted to write, but I got it, like, this morning, so there wasn't enough time. I'll do it eventually though.

So yeah. This, basically, sucked. I have no idea what was wrong with me during this whole thing. There are a few parts I like (i.e. Skittery talking about Maggie, Snitch's insights about Maggie, Maggie in herself... I really do like Maggie. Honestly).

OH YES. ANYONE WHO CAN GUESS WHY HER NAME IS MAGGIE IS SO MY BEST FRIEND FOREVER. AND PEOPLE WHO I TOLD ALREADY AREN'T ALLOWED TO GUESS. MWAHAHA.

Okay, I'm going back to the baseball game now. GO SOX!

P.S. HAPPY 29th BIRTHDAY TO DEE!