Trixie’s eyes fluttered softly before opening slowly to view a well-muscled, freckled male chest before her.

At first, she was overwhelmed with fear and struggled away from the man beside her, recalling the horrific events of the evening before.

Jim awoke at her sudden movement on the mattress. He sat up swiftly and looked at her with his own fear, afraid that her actions were for her regret over their actions of the night before.

"Trixie, honey, are you okay?" he asked and placed a gentle hand on her arm.

Trixie sat, huddled in the sheets up to her neck, looking at him dubiously as the memories of her attacker were gradually replaced by their sweet lovemaking of the night before.

Trixie reached up a hand and covered Jim’s hand on her arm softly. She smiled softly but with some fear into him eyes.

"Good morning, Jim," she stated softly, numerous questions swam in her eyes.

Jim moved his hand to squeeze hers tightly, reassuring her, now against the rumpled cover sheet of the mattress. "Morning, Trixie." He smiled sweetly at her and moved in to place a luscious kiss upon her lips.

Trixie sighed greatly and leaned into his kiss. He wrapped her in his arms and held her gently and lovingly against him.

"Oh, Trixie," he sighed into her hair, "I was so afraid you would regret last night."

Trixie raised her head and looked him sternly in the eye. "Never, Jim, never." She kissed him swiftly. "I only regret that we took so long to be honest with each other."

Jim cupped her face in his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "Trixie Belden, I love you!" he proclaimed with soft passion, "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier in our lives but I do, and now that you know, I hope that you don’t ever let me go."

Trixie laughed outright at this. "Are you crazy?" she quipped, "I’ve wanted to be your girl for real for what seems my whole life. I think I dreamed of you before we ever met. And once we did meet, I kept hoping that you would see me for the Cinderella I am, be my prince, and sweep me off my feet." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and hugged him aggressively. "The only way you’re getting rid of me now, Jim Frayne, is to literally detach me from your heart and from your side! I’m not going anywhere."

Jim wrapped his arms around her again and cuddled her against his frame. "Well, I guess we’re stuck together then, as I have no intention of letting you go!"

They just sat together, contented to hold each other, for some time. Eventually, Trixie pulled back, and with some embarrassment looked at Jim.

"Um, I need to, ah, use the restroom," she stated without looking him in the eye. Neither had been in this sort of situation before. Naked, after a night of true love-making, and now looking at their lover in the light of day.

Jim’s face flushed some as he understood her discomfort. He cleared his throat nervously. "Um, uh…" he looked around the room as he spoke ineloquently. With much relief, he spotted her satin robe dangled over the side of her bed’s headboard. He grabbed it and handed it to her with a light smile. "Here you go."

Trixie smiled brightly and gratefully and turned her back to him in order to wrap the robe around her petite frame. She stood up and faced him, her love for him shining from her eyes. "I think I’m going to take a shower, if you don’t mind. I might try to find an extra toothbrush for you." Trixie thought these moments were always portrayed on TV to be simple but she was totally uncomfortable and embarrassed with this morning-after thing.

Jim smiled at her, just as uncomfortable. He yawned broadly. "No problem, Trix, I think I’ll try to sleep some more. For some reason, I’m all tuckered out." His eyes laughed at her with such incredible love therein.

Trixie laughed softly and flirted with her man. "Yeah, that’s strange. It’s not like you were doing anything strenuous last night!"

Jim flopped on his back on the mattress with a groan. "Says you!" he remarked and they both laughed.

Still unsure what to do but more comfortable with the situation, Trixie leaned down and kissed him lovingly on the lips. He reached up and pulled her softly on top of him and deepened the kiss.

When the kiss ended, Trixie leaned up and looked down at her love. "I love you, Jim. Thank you for last night," she whispered, her eyes starting to fill with happy tears.

Jim caressed her face softly with his left hand. "It was my absolute pleasure, Trixie," he replied throatily, "I love you, girl!"

They shared another long and sweet kiss and then Trixie got off of him and the bed and started to head to the en-suite bathroom. "I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes," she called over her shoulder.

Jim smiled broadly at the thought of her naked body in the shower and yawned deeply again. "Take your time, hon," he called back and flopped over on his stomach to try to catch a few more winks.

He was just drifting off to sleep again when he heard the shower turn on nearby…

* * * *

In a foggy stupor, Jim tried to locate the source of the persistent ringing by the bed. With one eye open, he found Trixie’s telephone on the bedside table and picked it up without thinking.

"He-whoa," he muttered into the phone incoherently.

"Hello?" asked a male voice on the other end. "Oh, I’m sorry, I must have dialed the number incorrectly."

Jim’s mind was clearing and he sat up in bed. "What number were you trying to call?" he asked, much clearer than before.

"555-2289," answered the voice.

"That’s this number…" Jim started but was interrupted by a suddenly angry voice.

"Wait a minute…Jim?" the voice demanded to know. "Is that you?"

Jim could easily identify Brian’s voice on the other end now that he was fully awake. "Yes, Brian, it’s me," he answered calmly.

There was a pause on the other end before Brian continued in a deadly serious tone, "Jim, why did you just answer my sister’s phone like I woke you up? Where’s Trixie?"

Jim realized that he better tread carefully against Trixie’s protective big brother. "Trixie’s in the shower right now, Brian," he stated quietly but honestly.

"I came home just now to see on the caller ID that Trixie called in the middle of the night but didn’t leave a message," Brian spoke measurably. "Jim, I don’t know what problem my sister got herself into this time, but I can’t see how any reason would end with you answering her phone in a sleepy voice!"

"Brian, it’s not what…" Jim cut himself off as he realized that what Brian thought was true but not in the unsavory manner that he was assuming. He didn’t know how to explain what happened as his heart was still swimming with the gamut of emotions from all that had occurred the night before.

Brian knew his best friend well enough to catch Jim’s correction of himself. "It is what I’m thinking," he concluded harshly. "Jim, I don’t know what happened last night but you’ve got about twenty minutes to get your story together before I get there!"

Brian slammed the phone down and the crash reverberated in Jim’s eardrum. Wearily, he moved the phone away from his ear and gazed at it dispairingly. He replaced the receiver and then sat on the side of the bed with his head in his hands, recalling all of the events of the night before, how he and Trixie had finally admitted their love for one another, and later their beautiful consummation of that love.

The sudden sound of the shower shutting off brought Jim back to the present. He was unsure how to explain his phone call with Brian to Trixie. Trixie emerged a minute later from the bathroom, wrapped in a large towel. She arrived with a soft, loving smile on her lips, but stopped short when she recognized that turbulent expression on Jim’s lips.

Suddenly unsure of herself again, Trixie bit her lip. "What’s wrong, Jim?" she asked quietly, her heart pounding in fear.

Jim looked up at Trixie with worried eyes. "Brian called, Trixie," he started to explain.

"Brian?" Trixie was suddenly worried. "What? Has something happened to him? Is he hurt?"

Jim couldn’t handle the scared look on Trixie’s face, not again. He got up and moved over to hold Trixie without a thought of his nakedness. "No, baby, he’s not hurt. He’s angry."

Trixie wrapped her arms around Jim instinctively but looked into his eyes with surprise. "Angry? Why would he be angry? What happened?"

Jim’s lips quirked slightly and a mixture of trepidation and humor lit his eyes as he looked down at his lady love. "What happened is that your protective big brother called to speak to you and I automatically answered it when I had been asleep."

"Oh!" That one syllable spoke volumes. "Oh boy."

"Yeah," agreed Jim while tightening his arms around her. "Oh boy."

A violent pounding on the door made them both jump suddenly.

"It appears Big Brother has arrived," Jim spoke grimly, not wanting to answer the door any more than Trixie.

Trixie maintained her position with Jim. "Yep."

The door rumbled again with Brian’s fist. "Come on, Jim, answer the door!" Brian bellowed from the opposite side.

Jim sighed heavily and moved slightly from Trixie. "I’ll get it, hon," he stated quietly and moved to throw on his jeans quickly. Trixie nodded silently and watched him move away. Her eyes moved deliberately down over his naked figure  and her eyes widened. Jim caught her glance and smiled at her. Trixie’s face flushed as her eyes darted away from him guiltily. Jim then moved to the door and opened it upon a thunderously angry Brian.

Brian’s eyes darted between Jim’s partially-clad figure and his sister’s wrapped in a towel and his lips formed an uncharacteristic snarl. Jim eyed Brian wearily as his mind zipped with explanations for what had occurred the night before.

Trixie suddenly recalled the horrifying aspects of the night before at the sight of her protective and heroic big brother. Her eyes filled with tears and her chin trembled.

"Brian," she croaked out and ran to him, throwing herself against his frame and breaking down into sobs.

Brian automatically enclosed Trixie’s small frame in a tight, loving hug. He was now positive that Jim had not lived up to his honorable, gentlemanly character.

"JIM!" Brian growled from some deep part of his throat.

Jim’s face flushed bright red as he could not look his best friend in the eye. He wanted to take Trixie back into his arms and quiet her tears himself, but he knew she needed the love and comfort of her big brother.

As Jim closed the door behind Brian, he thought to himself: This is going to be a LONG day.