"God dammit Adam! Where the hell are you?" Danny thought to himself as he realised his friend had been gone for rather a long time. He was leaning against a pillar in Club DNA. It was Adam's birthday and he had chosen it. Danny had called him a complete dork, but he'd convinced him to go after he explained the music was good and the booze was cheap. But that booze seemed to be taking an awfully long time to get to him. Adam had disappeared off to the bar leaving Danny to hang out alone at the edge of the dance floor. He downed what was left of his beer and clunked the bottle down on a nearby ledge. A couple of rather scantily clad - even in Danny's opinion - girls spotted him do so and smirked and waved at him. He nodded politely and turned his attention back to the heaving dance floor. Suddenly a face stuck out from all the sweat covered clubbers. A face with a huge grin and brightly coloured make-up that Danny recognised.

"Ellie." he said under his breath and he felt a smile reach his lips. However his ideas of having someone to talk to quickly crumbled. She was in the middle of the floor, amongst a lot of people. He couldn't bare to drag her away from her dancing. She looked like she was really enjoying herself. He settled on just watching her from his spot at the wall. Her hair shining all the colours of the rainbow under the flashing lights. He could almost hear her happy laugh as she whirled around with a her friends. Danny's girlfriend's scathing voice popped into his head as his eyes travelled all over Ellie's body.

"Don't you dare cheat on me." Cindy had said before he left with Adam. She sounded like she was joking, but she wasn't really. Danny thought it was cruel of her to assume he would do that to her, but as he stood watching Ellie Flack have the time of her life, he thought if there was one girl he'd go anywhere near, it would be her.

There was still no sign of Adam when Danny spotted a guy talking in Ellie's ear. He saw her raise an eyebrow at him and turn back to her friends. Clearly she didn't want to talk to him. Danny followed Ellie's curls as she disappeared into the crowd, heading for the bar.

"Fuck this!" Danny said to himself. He was sick of waiting, plus if he went looking for Adam at the bar, he'd no doubt meet Ellie there too. He quickly found Adam, talking animatedly to a girl with long, bright green hair and a lot of tattoos. He spotted the whiskey he'd ordered and a blue cocktail on the bar next to the birthday boy, the ice almost melted away. Adam's eyes widened as he noticed Danny heading his way.

"Neva mind, Cupcake. I'll get my own." The detective said, as he passed Adam with a punch to his upper arm. He'd stopped caring, Adam had obviously hit it off with some chick and he thought he might call it a night anyway. At least until he spotted a space at the bar, right next to Ellie. One more drink, then he'd go.

"Good evening Miss Flack." he said in her ear and she started a little.

"Danny! Hey! Jeez, ya scared me!" Ellie replied with a hand clutching her chest. Danny noticed her nails were painted scarlet to match the colour of her vibrant lipstick. She was the same height as him in her heels.

"So who you here with?" he asked.

"Friends from college. Girl's night out to celebrate the end of our exams."

"Nice, can I get you a drink?"

"Uh thanks, but Frankie's getting this round." Ellie indicated her friend who was leaning over the bar ordering from the tender. Danny eventually got served and Ellie soon had her hands on a bright purple cocktail.

"I better get back to it." she said, sipping through the straw in the tall glass. "Gimme a text sometime soon and we can hang out." Danny nodded as Ellie melted back into the crowd.

After losing sight of both of his friends and nursing his drink for rather a long time, Danny decided to call it quits. He'd only had two drinks and if he didn't have anymore he wouldn't have to shell out for a cab home. He dug his motorcycle keys out of his jeans pocket and went to collect his leather jacket. Once outside the club, Danny flipped open his phone intent on texting Ellie when he heard her voice.

"Where the hell did you go, Frankie?!" Ellie was on her phone. "No I'm not going with them...the dude hanging all over me was creepy and frankly, I think the other dude, Greg is it?...is on something...Fine I'm outside." Ellie tossed her phone into her bag and wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered slightly in the cool night air. Just as Danny went to head over to her from his bike, her group of friends emerged from the club accompanied by several guys, including the one Danny had seen Ellie brush off.

"Let's go Ellie! We're going back to Johnny's for a party." A blonde girl said with a high pitched giggle. The girl's all started down the street and Ellie called after them.

"I don't wanna. I'm just gonna go home." As she made to walk the opposite direction, the same guy came up behind her and grabbed her arm.

"Aw don't be like that sweetie, I'd really love it if you'd come back to mines with me." He was practically drooling all over her and Danny rose from his perch on his bike.

"No thanks." Ellie replied, pulling her arm from his grip.

"C'mon, Johnny V's used to getting what he wants, and what I want is you."

"I said 'no'." Ellie said more firmly this time. Danny was quickly striding towards Ellie as the guy grabbed her by both arms and started pulling her down the pavement.

"You're coming, there ain't no point in debating it."

"Get off me!" Ellie yelled, pulling against the guy and doing quite a good job. "Let me go!" Panic had entered her voice.

Seconds later and Danny had intervened. "You need to let go of her and get lost." He pried his fingers from around Ellie's arms and made sure she was behind him.

"Nah, pal. Its you who needs to get lost."

Danny shook his head and laughed through his nose. "If you don't get the hell outta here you're gonna be in a lotta trouble." Danny felt Ellie's hand on the smalls of his back, gripping onto his jacket.

"What do you care?! You her boyfriend or somethin'?!"

"Nah, I'm just a cop." The golden shield in Danny's hand glinted in the yellowy-orange street lights. The dark haired young man suddenly seemed to shrink before them. "Now get going before you lose your friends, little man." Danny nodded up the street. The guy gave them one last glare before scuttling after the others. Ellie gave a very audible sigh and slouched against Danny's back.

"Thank god you were there. I was just considering if one of my stilettos would make a good weapon or not."

"It was nothing, don't worry about it." Danny said as he turned to face Ellie. She threw her arms round his neck and hugged him close.

"No, Messer, I owe you one. Big time."

"How about I give you a ride home. Then you can owe me one?"

Ellie grinned at Danny. "On the Harley?"

"That's an affirmative."

And before Danny knew what was happening, Ellie was dragging him, at a run, to his bike.