Goodnight, Beautiful.

Fighting the butterflies and tears, Bristol tested her nerves and grasped the unlocked handle of Daniel’s apartment door. It was five in the morning; she had gone back to her hotel after leaving Consol to pack her bags and waited on standby all night at the airport until they were able to get her on an earlier flight to Philly. Despite the begging in her gut, Bristol knew she couldn’t leave Dan. Not right away any way. The least Bristol could do was rationally explain to him what had happened between she and Danny the night before Pittsburgh. She felt terrible for taunting him in front of his teammates and bringing down all their moods. It was a special night, a night that should have been full of celebration. They had crushed the Penguins.

Closing the door with her foot, Bristol didn’t bother locking it. Daniel would be home in a few short hours. Tossing her keys into the dish atop a small and tall table, she dragged her feet to the bedroom. When she opened the door and flipped on the light, her nostrils filled with their scent. She dropped her bag onto the floor and plopped down on the bed.

Scratching the top of Chief’s head with her long nails, Bristol’s breath came out thick and crackled. “I really fucked up this time. He hates me.”

Nudging her hand off his head, Chief licked her hand in comfort. He may have only a dog, but he could always sense when Daniel was upset or angry and he had grown quite fond of Bristol. He wanted to offer some affection and get rid of her tears.

“Alright, no more tears.” Bristol lifted her hands and wiped the salty tears from her face. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were blood-shot. Had it not been for the fact she couldn’t stray from the American Airlines desk at the gate last night, she would have spent the night crying in the bathroom. Instead she shed most of her tears during the flight while most of businessmen around her slept.

Hoisting herself up off the bed, Bristol stepped over the threshold into the bathroom. It still smelt of the Pin-Sol she had scrubbed it with a few days before. Light flooded and stung her sensitive eyes as she pulled open the glass door to the shower and turned the water on hot. Before she even stripped and stepped in, steam had already begun to fog up the mirrors.

She held her breath for a small second as the hot water stung her skin. It didn’t take long for her to become used to the scolding water. Wrapping her fingers around the rack which hung over the shower head, Bristol rested her head against her forearms and let the water slid down her tired body. The knotted muscles relaxed in her neck and with beads dripping down her face, no one would be able to tell she was crying again. After her hair was washed and conditioned and her body was scrubbed clean, Bristol stepped out.

The plush bath mat felt comforting under her feet as she wiggled her toes. Ripping her towel off the towel bar, Bristol dried her face first before tying it around her frame. After dressing in a pair of his sweats and one of his tees, Bristol headed into the kitchen and put on the kettle for tea. Her head pounded from the lack of sleep and she knew it would be another few long hours before she got any again. Whether it would be in bed with Daniel, she didn’t know.

Her stomach panged with hunger, but she had no apatite and nothing sounded good and worth digesting. Holding the hot cup with both hands, Bristol sat on the couch Indian-style and flipped on the television. She didn’t have the mental capability at the moment to be hold interest in reality TV but, the silence was about to make her snap.

An hour later, the door opened. Daniel was shocked to find it unlocked and even more surprised to find Bristol sitting on the couch. Her hair was damp, thick and curly and he thought she looked as beautiful as ever dressed down in his sweats. He stood in silence for a minute. Tossing his bag down on the ground. There was no need for anymore fighting, he concluded and decided to take the high road.

“I’m not going to waste anymore of your time with sorry’s Bristol, because you know I am.”

She leaned forward and placed the empty mug on the coffee table. “I know,” no matter how hard she tried to keep them in, Bristol felt the tears spill from her eyes. “But, how can I even expect you to apologize when I’ve done something twice as worse? I’m the one who’s beyond sorry.”

Her words were choppy from the rapid breaths she was taking. Realizing he couldn’t stand by the door like an idiot any long, Daniel moved to the sofa and pulled Bristol in closer. She dropped her head on his chest where her tears dampened his shirt. There was no doubting the hurt he felt in his heart but it wasn’t because of Bristol or self-pity. He was hurt that his own teammate would take advantage of his girlfriend while she was in a vulnerable state. Danny Briere knew Brittany was no longer a part of Daniel’s life, but he chose not to tell Bristol that. He played it to his full advantage and made Daniel look like a cheating son-of-a-bitch.

He may have offended many women in his past, but, Daniel Carcillo was not a cheater. Daniel wondered if he was being stupid by forgiving her so easily, but the way she had collapsed in his arms last night after he reveled the truth about knowing gave him a slight relief. Relief that she sincerely felt terrible for what she had done.

Bristol lifted her head up and tucked her hair behind her right ear. Her red eyes were wet and glassy and her cheeks were stained. Daniel kissed her forehead after wiping her tears away with his thumb. She sucked in a brave breath. “What I did is unforgivable. I was raised better and I know better and I understand if you don’t want me around anymore.”

Daniel pushed Bristol off him so he could get off the couch. She had taken it as a bad sign and immediately covered her face with her hands. Embarrassed and angry with herself, Bristol wanted to crawl into a ball and wish she could change it all.

As she waited for Danny to come back from wherever it was he had gone, Bristol began to think over plans of moving her stuff back to Chicago. Maybe coming out to Philly was a bad idea. Things hadn’t been so bad there.

Walking back into the front room, Daniel takes the place he had previously occupied. Pulling Bristol in, he wrapped his arm around her and kept her close. He could smell the cucumber melon soap on her skin. Holding his hand out, Bristol picked up the object which had been resting in his palm.

“What’s with the key?” Panic fluttered through her heart as she became lightheaded.

Daniel rested his head against Bristol’s. “I bought a townhouse. For you and I. The rent for this place is up at the beginning of April and I thought long and hard. I’m ready to start my life you, Bristol. Just you and I.”

She played with it in her fingers, stunned and at a loss for words. “Dan, I, I don’t know what to say.”

Moving in together was a big step, a step Bristol wasn’t sure she was ready for. Daniel kissed her temple, relieved for the first time in almost nine hours she wasn’t crying or upset. “Say you’ll move in with me. Tell me you want to start a life with me, too.”

Placing it on the table, Bristol planted her feet on the floor and rubbed her temples before settling back in his arms. “Where’s it at?”

“Philly.” He laughed at what he was about to say next. “You and I aren’t meant for the suburbs with house and white picket fence. We’d piss off the neighbors with our loud music and I just don’t see you becoming one of those suburban housewives. A member of the tennis club and baking cookies for the school bake sale.”

Bristol tried to imagine herself dressed in a light blue dress and pumps with a white apron tired around her waist. She laughed at the idea.

“You wouldn’t fit in well either. Most of the husbands have all their teeth and don’t beat the crap out of anyone who irritates them.”

“Touché,” Dan tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “So what do you say, Bristol? Will you move in with me?”

“Yes, I will move in with you.” Turning to face Dan, Bristol cupped his cheeks in her hands before brushing her lips gently over his.