Thanks goes out to Anne for helping me edit and to the ppl who inspired me to make more Dan stories. I hope more people will write :)
Want To Dance?
by Moon-Spinner
It was a cold Christmas night as the Beldens made their way up the hill to the Manor House. The sky held a hint of snow, but so far none was forthcoming.
Celia met them at the door and took coats and hats, then directed them into the living room where the rest of the party was congregating. This year everyone from the Belden, Lynch, and Wheeler households, not to mention Regan, Mr. Maypenny, and Mr. Lytell and many various other guests from Sleepyside and beyond were at the Wheeler’s formal Christmas party. It had become a traditional event, with dinner, gift giving, and afterwards a holiday dance.
When Trixie Belden entered the room she immediately made her way over to her boyfriend, Dan Mangan. The two of them had belonged to a secret club, the Bob-Whites of the Glen, in their High School days, and now they worked together to solve highly classified international super crimes along with Honey Wheeler and Diana Lynch, two other members from the club. Honey and Di were busy talking excitedly in a group with other Bob-White members Mart and Brian Belden (Trixie’s brothers), Jim Wheeler (Honey’s adopted brother), and non Bob-White, Linnie Moore.
Mart and Brian occasionally helped Trixie, Dan, Honey, and Di out on their assignments, but their official jobs were a Biologist and Medical Doctor, respectively. Diana and Mart had been engaged for a year now. Jim ran a private school for orphaned boys on the site of old Ten Acres and Linnie Moore was a teacher there.
After all the guests had finally arrived, Ms. Trask called them into the dining hall for the feast. While dinner was being served, and Mart and Di were beginning to scarf down food, Jim stood up to make a toast, his hand resting lightly on Linnie’s shoulder.
He smiled nervously at his gathered friends and family and began to speak. "I have an important announcement to make," he said. "Linnie and I have spent a lot of time together over the last couple years it has taken me to get the school up and running. She’s been very supportive, and always optimistic, even when I thought it would be impossible and my dreams would never succeed. She’s also pretty cool and doesn’t get lost in the woods. We’ve become very close, and well, we’ve decided to get married." As everyone began to get excited and scream and yell and dance on the table (in Mrs. Wheeler’s case), and welcome Linnie to the family, Jim cleared his throat again and said, "And you may also like to know, that we’re expecting our first baby in late July..."
The room grew eerily quiet as everyone’s mouths dropped open in shock, and the Cranberry sauce Mart had just begun to chew fell out onto his white linen napkin in his lap, and quite a bit down his chin too. Mrs. Wheeler stood still in a funky chicken pose atop the table, her feet in her high heeled shoes on either side of the Christmas turkey. Then suddenly everyone began to talk at once, asking questions, congratulating and reprimanding and jumping up and down and sitting by in shock. Dan casually glanced over at Trixie to see how she was taking the news. She looked overjoyed, if a little shocked by the baby announcement, and when she noticed him watching her, she smiled and winked and slid her fingers into his hand under the table.
"When will the wedding be?" Honey finally managed to make herself heard over the confused hubbub. She was ecstatic about being an aunt. She had already choked Brian with an excited hug, and the poor man was close to fainting in his seat next to her at the table. No one paid attention to him, though, they were too interested in the wedding and Jim knocking up Linnie.
"New Year’s Eve," Jim said, looking nervously at the Wheelers. They exchanged glances while the rest of the room sat in shock. Linnie watched nervously as Mrs. Wheeler managed to climb down from the table and resume her normal seat next to her husband.
"That’s not much time to plan a wedding," she commented. "But, under the circumstances, it’s probably for the best. Tell us how to help you and Marge and I will do our best. We’ll fly your family up immediately Linnie. I’m sure your mother will want to be involved in this. It can’t be impossible to put a wedding together in a few days." She shot Honey a look that clearly said, "If you ever do something like this to me, I’ll smack you with a frying pan."
"Congratulations, son, and welcome to the family Linnie," Mr. Wheeler shook Jim’s hand and hugged Linnie, then the room returned to the Christmas feast. The rest of the conversation through dinner was about the wedding and baby names. Everyone was shocked when they learned that if the baby was a boy, Jim and Linnie had decided to name him ‘Bubba Joe’, and if a girl ‘Bubba Anne’. ‘Critter’ for short. When she heard this, Mrs. Wheeler had to take some aspirin and a shot of Everclear, but after that she was all right, if a little giddy. She quickly excused herself from the table and the rest of the party moved into the living room and around the giant tree where they continued to discuss wedding plans while opening their gifts.
After the presents had been opened, they all made their way into the den/ballroom to listen to the jazz band play Christmas tunes and enjoy each other’s company. Celia was busy putting out a light after dinner buffet of hot cider, eggnog, trays of Christmas cookies, shrimp cocktail, oysters on the half shell, screw drivers, rum and punch, ham, pheasant, potato casserole, lasagna, fried bologna sandwiches, Chinese stir-fry, neck bones, hot wings, apple pie, BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, and deviled eggs, as the other guests alternately danced and stood around talking. Mart and Di immediately began to load up plates for a light after dinner snack, sampling at least one of everything on the table. Mrs. Wheeler quickly downed three screw drivers and some eggnog while her husband wasn’t looking.
"I never got a chance to give you your gift during all the excitement before," Dan said to Trixie. They were with the guests dancing to the jazzy version of "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree." In all honesty, Dan hadn’t wanted to give Trixie his present during the excitement. It was something he wanted to do in a more private environment, just the two of them. Now he steered Trixie outside to the patio lit by thousands of white Christmas lights. The light made Trixie look like an angel in her white dress, blonde curls, and clear blue eyes. She was so beautiful that Dan caught his breath and felt a moment of insecurity. Had he noticed before how lovely she looked tonight? Would this go over well? What if... (Meanwhile Trixie was busy thinking, DANG, he’s hot in that suit.) Shaking it off, he quickly put his hand in his pocket and brought out a small, nicely wrapped box.
"Honey wrapped it for me," he explained as she took it in surprise. She smiled and sat down on one of the cold, stone benches as Dan stood watching her, hardly daring to breathe.
She slowly took the top off the box and gasped in surprise. Nestled in some white tissue paper was a small, elegant crystal star on a silver chain. "Oh Dan," she exclaimed, "how beautiful! You got me tissue paper!"
Startled, Dan grabbed the box and then sighed in relief to see that she had just been teasing. He looked up and met her eyes, smiling happily at him. He slipped the necklace into his hand and offered to put it on for her. She nodded happily and turned so he could fasten it around her neck. When she turned back to him the star caught the light and a flicker of rainbow moved across her neck.
"How do I look?" She whispered.
"Beautiful," Dan replied, looking deeply into her eyes.
"Thank you, I love it," she glanced shyly at him and met his steady gaze.
"I hoped you would," he said, never taking his eyes from hers.
He raised his hand and gently brushed her cheek, reveling in the feel of her silky skin. She smiled beautifully at him and moved a step closer, tilting her face up to his. Dan smiled back in response and bent down and brushed her lips tenderly. He pulled back and looked into her eyes again, and it suddenly began to snow. Startled, they both looked up at the soft whiteness appearing in the black sky, the Christmas lights reflecting and making everything dazzle. Dan spontaneously laughed and looked at Trixie.
"Want to dance?" He asked, grinning boyishly.
Surprised and delighted, she nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. They began to slowly sway back and forth in the snow, not even noticing the cold or lack of music.
Inside the ballroom, Honey, Brian, Diana, and Mart stood watching Trixie and Dan dance and gaze at each other. The boys turned away and headed for the buffet table again, feeling slightly sick at the sight of their sister falling in love, while Honey and Di both sighed happily and watched the oblivious couple kiss once again in the snow.
The End