Author’s note: I know that this isn’t the usual Trixie story, but I just had the urge to write it one day and so I did. As you can probably tell, none of my stories take place in the same universe... each one stands alone. And as always, these characters belong to Random House, I did not receive money for this story, etc. Enjoy!

by Melissa Vanhanen

Dan Mangan sat alone in a pub in New York City, polishing off his third beer. He set the empty bottle down on the table and reached for his cigarettes. He had started smoking two months ago, because he needed something to do. Having a cigarette outside in the freezing cold was better than sitting alone in his apartment, and every time he started to feel sorry for himself he headed outside.

This was the first time he had been out in three months, not including when he went to work or to get groceries. Usually he sat alone in his apartment, watching TV or a movie alone. He didn’t feel like socializing with anyone, but one of his friends had told him that he needed to get out in order to feel better. So here he was, alone on a Friday night, having a beer in a pub. He decided he wanted another beer and ordered one.

When he opened his wallet to pay to waitress, the picture stared up at him as it always did. This time, however, he pulled the picture out, frustrated. It was of a very pretty young woman, Amanda, Dan’s girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend, he reminded himself. They had been together for almost three years and had lived together for a little over a year, when he came home from work early to find her in bed with another man. Dan winced at the memory, and crumpled Amanda’s picture up and placed it in the ashtray. It was about time he got rid of it, he thought, and lit his cigarette.

Dan began to think that maybe coming to this pub was not such a good idea, because it only made him feel lonelier than ever. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He would rather face his thoughts in a pub filled with people than in his apartment alone, and he had a feeling of anticipation deep in the pit of his stomach that made him want to stay.

He looked around the pub, which was getting busier by the minute. He was only twenty-six, he still had plenty of time to find another girl; maybe tonight was the night. Or maybe not tonight, maybe not ever. He shook his head and took a sip of beer. No, he couldn’t, he wasn’t over Amanda yet. At the moment, he didn’t see himself getting over her at all.

And then a beautiful, long-legged, dark-haired angel sat down at his table.

"Dan Mangan," she said, smiling.

"Hallie Belden," he replied, surprised but happy to see her, yet not bothering to smile back. Hallie was a face from the past, a face that reminded him of home although she didn’t even live in the same state. He remembered the crush he had on her years ago, and how nothing ever came of it. He couldn’t remember why. He probably didn’t want to ruin the friendship. It had been almost a year now since he’s last seen her. Now here she was, as beautiful as ever, sitting in front of him, smiling.

"What have you been up to?" she asked.

"Nothing," Dan replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Just up visiting some friends for the week," she replied. "They’re over there," she said, pointing to three girls he didn’t recognize, sitting in a booth on the other side of the pub. She waved to them and one of them waved back.

Dan didn’t say anything, and took another sip of his beer.

Hallie peered into his eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned. She could see that this was not the same Dan she had known years before, not the same Dan from the last time she saw him. This Dan seemed much tougher, more isolated than before. He looked almost angry, like there was something inside of him that was making him hurt.

Dan nodded, then shook his head. "I don’t know anymore," he said.

Hallie leaned across the table and put her hand on his arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. She seemed genuinely concerned. After all, they had been good friends when they were younger, when they did get to see each other. She didn’t seem like she had changed very much.

Dan looked at her. He hadn’t talked about his problems to anyone, not even his close friends. Maybe it was because his friends were all either married or coupled up. He didn’t think they would understand, and he felt left out whenever he was with them, which was why he started avoiding them. Even when he was younger and living in Sleepyside, he always felt like the odd one out, until Hallie came around. And here was Hallie, by herself, asking him to open up. Just like old times when they had been close friends. Maybe it was only the beer in him that made him want to talk, but Dan decided that yes, he indeed did want to talk about it with her.

"Do you remember Amanda?" he started, and when she merely nodded, encouraging him to go on, he did. He started with how their relationship began, and how they decided to move in together. When he got to that day that he came home early, he stopped talking for a moment. He finished off his beer and ordered another one before continuing the story. Hallie ordered a drink also and waited patiently for him to speak again.

Dan took a long swig of his beer, then continued to tell her about throwing Amanda out of the apartment. He told her how he’d spent the last three months by himself, not going anywhere, and how he felt so confused and hurt and alone. He explained why he couldn’t talk to any of his friends and how he almost felt worse when he was around them. The entire time he was talking, Hallie only nodded, listening.

"But that’s enough of my pathetic life," Dan finally said, managing a weak grin. "How about you? What have you been up to?"

Hallie ignored the question. "I’m glad you told me all that, Dan... I know it must be hard for you to talk about it."

Dan nodded slightly. "Thanks for listening, Hallie... I really needed that." He really had needed to talk to someone. It was hard keeping everything to himself all of the time, but there was no one he felt he could explain it to. Until Hallie came along.

"Any time you need to talk, Dan, you can call me. That’s what friends are for," she said, reaching into her purse for a pen. Not for the first time, she wondered why nothing had ever grown between them. She had certainly wanted it, and she had been almost positive that Dan had wanted it too, but somehow neither of them had made a move. She looked at Dan and noticed yet again how good-looking he was. She grabbed his hand and wrote two numbers on it.

"This is my number while I’m in the city, and this is my number at home," she said, and put the pen back in her purse.

"Thanks," Dan replied. "How long are you in the city?"

Hallie told him that she would be there another week, and started talking about her friends and her job and her life at home. The two of them chatted for a long time, not watching the clock, right up until the pub was about to close for the night.

"Well, I guess I should be going," Hallie said uncertainly, standing up and looking around for her friends. Dan stood up too, and helped Hallie into her coat.

"I should go, too," he said as he stood up, not wanting the night to end. He found his jacket and put it on. "I’ll walk you to the door,"

"Thanks," she said, part of her wishing that she could stay longer. The two of them headed towards the door and out onto the street.

Out in the cold, both Hallie and Dan stopped walking and stood. Hallie spotted her friends, who were trying to find a cab. She turned to Dan.

"I guess this is it," she said. "See you,"

As she started to walk away, Dan grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. Without realizing what he was doing, he kissed her. Then he let go, about to apologize, when Hallie leaned in again and kissed him back. They stood for a moment on the street wrapped in each other’s arms, kissing like they would never meet again. Dan finally pulled away.

"Come back to my place," he said softly, tucking a strand of Hallie’s hair behind her ear.

Hallie looked up at him and nodded. "Okay," she replied. She quickly ran over to her friends to tell them where she was going, then came back to Dan and took his hand. "Let’s go," she said.

Dan hailed a cab and the two of them rode the five blocks to his place, holding hands the whole way. Neither of them spoke a word until Dan opened the door to his apartment.

"Come in," he said, holding the door open for her and then taking her coat. He grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses from the kitchen, then led her into the bedroom and closed the door.

* * *

Dan awoke the next morning to sunlight peeking around the curtains in his bedroom. The room was dark, yet bright, and there was something different about this morning than other mornings. He rolled onto his side and looked at Hallie, who was still sleeping peacefully, with her back to him. All the memories of the night before came flooding back to him, but all of a sudden having Hallie here didn’t seem as right as it did the night before.

Dan sighed, confused again, his thoughts travelling from Hallie to Amanda and back to Hallie again. His feelings for Hallie were growing, the same feelings he had felt for her when he was younger, yet his feelings for Amanda were still there, along with those feelings of hurt and anger. He sighed and got out of bed, quietly slipped on some jeans and a t-shirt, and headed into the kitchen.

When Hallie woke half an hour later, she was surprised to find herself alone in the bed. She felt a little confused, but hoped that Dan was still in the apartment. She wrapped herself in the comforter and went into the living room. There was no sign of Dan; everything was quiet. She peeked into the bathroom and then headed into the kitchen. Dan wasn’t there, but there was a note on the table. Hallie walked over to it and picked it up.

I’m so sorry, but I can’t be here when you wake up, the note read. I can’t begin to explain to you why. Please forgive me. Dan.

Hallie sat down at the kitchen table, feeling stupid for have coming home with Dan in the first place, after all the things he had told her last night. He obviously wasn’t ready for a relationship yet, and she knew in her heart that that was what she wanted with him. She dashed away a tear. She had known Dan was emotionally vulnerable, yet she had let herself get caught up in her childhood fantasies. No, she didn’t regret it, she just felt foolish.

She sat there a few minutes before getting up. She was still a little confused about Dan, but she was pretty sure she knew why he had left. She picked up a pen and wrote on the bottom of his note: Just call me angel of the morning. Hallie. Then she went back into the bedroom to get dressed.

Dan was outside on the street having another cigarette, his second that morning. He felt bad for leaving Hallie alone in the apartment, but knew that he had no other choice. He couldn’t face her that morning. He inhaled deeply and started walking up the street, not caring where he was going.

Hallie, without knowing it, made Dan realize last night that it was time to stop moping over his lost relationship with Amanda. If he never moved on, he would be denying himself all those things in life that he wanted, things like spending time with someone like Hallie. He had to force himself to move on. He had spent too many nights alone feeling sorry for himself, and last night was the first night in a long time that he hadn’t felt that way, at least for a little while. And that was because of Hallie.

Hallie. Just thinking her name made Dan feel almost happy, but this feeling was quickly washed over by a feeling of guilt. He shouldn’t have left her alone this morning; he didn’t mean to hurt her. But yet at the same time he had to so he could sort himself out. He stopped to put out his cigarette, and suddenly decided to throw the whole pack in the trash. Dan still had feelings for Hallie after all those years, and he was pretty sure that she felt the same way. But she deserved more than he could give her right now, and he knew that. He just hoped that one day, when he came around, she would forgive him.

And he hoped that day would come soon.