YOU I KNOW

SARAH watched as Dane paced the dressing room he was sharing with, well, everyone. His long legs and body taunt as he prowled like the caged tiger that he was.

They'd been under virtual house arrest since his television appearance, which didn't really worry either of them. They were homebodies anyway and they were nesting with their new baby, totally and utterly besotted (not that Sarah would tell you that). But the main problem was the weather was getting warmer and Dane itched to run. He had always run, run to think, to forget, to run off nervous energy, to feel whole. And even at his most famous so far, he'd never really been bothered by anyone as he pounded his way through the nearby park but it wasn't really worth the risk at the moment and he was finding the situation oppressive. At first he couldn't go for his usual run for fear that the paps might see him and follow him home. Of course they'd found her place eventually and although there weren't photographers camped outside 24 seven it always felt like there might be someone in the bushes, lurking with a long lens. Not that there were a lot of bushes around but it was the thought. So it had been a relief to come here to Stratford two days ago, to move into her little flat together.

Well kind of together.

It was two bedrooms and they were using both.

It felt weird. At home they'd continued to share a bed out of necessity. Margaret had the spare-room, Dane was too long to fit on the lounge and he'd have hung over the end of any stretcher bed. So he'd stayed. Sarah didn't admit to anyone, least of all Dane, that it was nice to have him there. Not that she wanted him for snuggling purposes- she wasn't asleep long enough to snuggle. No she enjoyed the second pair of hands and ears, the security of having him around. That was all. She was still terrified she'd be a bad mother that she'd sleep through and forget to feed Lysander or he'd get uncovered and die of hypothermia and so having Dane in the room was a comfort.

Yes, she was still angry with him but more to the point she was still terrified that he'd realise his mistake, realise that he was sacrificing his career for them and hate them, hate her. He hadn't asked for this, whatever he said, she'd never given him the choice, well not really. And while he said he wanted them now, what if, now that reality was kicking in, he suddenly decided that he was losing too much because of them? Or what if he got bored playing happy families with her?

So she kind of kept him at arm's length (as much as she could with Dane), she didn't want to get use to being a family only to have the rug pulled away. For that reason the past three weeks had been like riding a rollercoaster with a faulty safety harness, wondering when she was going to plummet to earth with a resounding thud.

Wondering where the thunderbolt would come from that would tear them apart.

Dane's fans and management had been in an uproar after his admission. And suddenly she was the partner of a movie star. Not that he was really a movie star, he wasn't really the type – a bit of fame a bit of the highlife but not so immersed in it that it took over his life. He wasn't really the movie star type. He was an actor and when he wasn't acting he liked to potter around the house, read and research and listen to music. The limelight, away from what he did for a living, wasn't who he was and in some ways he was still the Dane she'd met all those years ago at her uncle's estate. Still slightly goofy, a natural show-off but still with moments when he was serious and shy – still the total contradiction he'd always been.

He liked books and his own company more than going out to too many swanky parties and he was taking to fatherhood more naturally than she was embracing motherhood. And that scared her too – but it was also something special.

More than once she'd caught him sitting in the comfortable chair in her room reading a script or a novel to their son.

Yeah it was times like that she realised she had a heart – who knew – but those boys of hers had melted it, doing nothing more than just sitting. Dane reading Shakespeare and Lysander, eyes drooping, lying in his Daddy's arms; even if they hadn't been her boys it probably still would have been pretty much the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. If she hadn't still been healing and too dog tired and hormonal to care, she'd have grabbed him, dragged him to bed and had her wicked way with him for an hour or two. But of course in her current hormonal big dipper instead she'd cried quietly and grabbed her phone to take a few shots.

And she wasn't the only one who thought he was sexy as fuck in daddy mode – oh no, so far Lysander Hilditch was proving to be daddy's little chick magnet – big time.

She hadn't thought when she Instagrammed the pic of Dane reading the collected works of Shakespeare to their son that anyone other than a few of her history buff fans or members of their family would see it. It was stupid not to check how many new followers she had on the social media site now.

The picture, captioned "Never too young to start, Dane reads Shakespeare to Lysander" had gone viral – suddenly her profile was inundated with new followers and comments – most of them OMG or variations (a few calling her a cow but not many).

They'd been lucky really, somehow very early on the story had got out that Sarah had wanted a baby and everybody assumed her best friend had done what a best friend should do – given her a helping "hand" so to speak and provided the raw materials. Of course this had been her original story to friends, family and workmates and Sarah was sure that someone (probably at the library) had made a bit of money out of selling said information. But it didn't matter now – whoever it was (and she had her suspicions) had done them a favour. A big one.

The story had emerged and Mark hadn't denied it, in fact he'd worked the media in their favour. There had been some backlash against them – she was trying to trap him, she was his beard, she was a fat troll (that was the only one Sarah almost agreed with - it certainly felt like it not being able to get out and run) and it was all a publicity stunt.

However the vast majority of reactions had been positive, fans still saw her as Dane's best friend and their relationship as plutonic, so they still saw him as single and could put themselves in her place in their minds. This suited the independent Sarah right? They WERE just friends, friends who had a baby together. But it stung the ego and Sarah had an ego, a pretty healthy one, she always had. It was a little hard not to be a little irked by the fact that no one saw her as a threat, someone that Dane might actually love and want to spend his time and life with; someone who put up with him stealing the frigging blankets and muttering in his sleep.

But it was a small price to pay wasn't it? Because so far the story had done nothing to harm his career in fact, other than the odd "Hilditch cheated on his girlfriend with hot Historian" headline (Sarah kind of liked the Hot Historian tag though Dane had taken his life into his own hands and laughed – "but that's what you do when you read I'm the sexiest man alive" he'd protested) things were looking good. They had been made even better by some "pap" snaps of Sabine and Sarah out shopping for baby things (the tabloids had a field day with that one) – Dane left home to babysit while his "girlfriend" and best friend bonded. Things were going better than either of them expected on the media front.

In fact, the publicity Sarah, Dane, and their baby had generated probably helped make this night (and most of the screenings in theatres around the world) a sellout. Everyone wanted a glimpse of Daddy Dane– not even a couple of "candid' shots of him rehearsing with Lysander strapped in a papoose or the infamous Shakespeare book shot, had quelled the interest.

So here they were - preparing to go on stage - Dane as Henry V and Lysander as the baby in Ages Of Man. As responsible parents (and yes they could be responsible parents- they'd proved it, Lysander was alive and growing after three weeks!!) they'd tossed up if they should do this, put him on display. He was still tiny, still vulnerable to diseases until his immune system kicked in and they weren't about to take chances. This meant Lysander would be at the theatre for just a few minutes before being deposited back with his grandmother, who had just arrived at the flat with Aunty Thena (which meant Dane would be back on Sarah's bed through no fault of her own).

So Sarah had snuck in late – just minutes before she and the baby were due to walk on (in complete Edwardian matron's costume and baby christening gown) and found the most experienced acting member of the family just about having kittens.

She'd never seen him this nervous, well not for a very long time, not since his earliest performances when she'd held his hand and the bucket.

He was really bricking it, so much so that Sarah, if she hadn't known him so well, might have been a little worried he wouldn't be able to go on. Not a good look seeing tonight's event was sold out and the screenings around the country and around the world had also sold like the proverbial.

"It will be fine," she said trapping him in the corner mid pace before he could turn around again and wear more of a groove in the floor. A reassuring hand went to his arm and she repeated herself.

"It WILL be fine!" she said a little more forcefully. He stopped, turned, smiled and kissed his son's head before looking up with worried eyes.

"I don't belong here, I only got this job because of you!" he sighed, his eyes bright blue crystals. He looked so much like the frightened lost little boy she'd crawled into bed with so long ago. They'd shared so much since then, so many firsts, so many moments. First kisses, first lovemaking, first child, he'd held her when her father died – all night in her little bed at Cambridge – they'd opened their school results together, rung each other when they got their first jobs, consoled each other after each heartbreak, they'd shared their lives together for more than two decades. She knew him so well and what the hell – loved him so much. He was an extension of who she was, that one person that just got her completely.

And, what the rest of the world was oblivious to (and she had been as well until that moment) - he needed her, she understood him, knew him intimately and totally.

She choked down the emotion. The heady realisation of what they meant to each other - what they really meant and just did what she did.

"Well yes it helped that you were sleeping with one of the head honchos," she joked nonchalantly. But while her words were flippant her actions spoke volumes. She moved her hand up from his arm to touch his face. He'd grown a goatee for the event and he looked so much like a medieval king, all cheek bones and nobility that he was breathtaking but she pushed that down too – he was Dane, goofy Dane.........her Dane.

She took a deep breath and spoke again.

"But as far as not belonging here, that's a load of bollocks and you know it," Sarah said quietly. "YOU aren't a little boy dreaming of being an actor, we aren't two kids dreaming of working together on Shakespeare; you're one of the best in the world, one of the best I've ever seen."

He smiled weakly "not that you're biased or anything".

"No, not that I'm biased," she repeated with a smile, kissing his lips then, very gently, very slowly and very deliberately, trying to impart all the mushy stuff that she didn't really want to say.

She sighed into his lips, giving in as she looked up into his eyes.

"I love you Dane Hilditch – I have since I climbed out of that tree at Uncle Harry's and you smiled at me. And I believe in you otherwise I wouldn't have let you anywhere near my bloody show," she whispered against his skin and he laughed then, a deep rumbly laugh that woke Lysander who was nestled in his mother's arm and now pressed between both parents. The baby stretched and yawned dramatically and promptly went back to sleep.

"And as you can see Lysander doesn't care how you go tonight, you're his world, his Daddy and he loves you even if you totally tank and are shown up by all the other amazing actors!" Sarah added.

Dane laughed again.

"With friends like you," he shook his head.

"Yeah yeah I know and yet you keep me around."

He kissed her this time and rested his forehead on hers.

"I really don't know what I'd do without you Sarah," Dane said softly as he broke away disturbed by a coughing at the door.

"Put down your girlfriend, two minutes to curtain Mr Hilditch," Sabine said cheekily from the doorway.

"I thought you were his girlfriend?" Sarah quipped.

"Not this week!" Sabine smiled.

Dane sighed; he really was surrounded by strong, smart arsed women. He and Lysander would have their work cut out for them. 

He kissed Sarah on the cheek.

"Just as well I love you," he added as he finally started pulling himself away from them.

"So you say!" she retorted as he walked out the door.

"I do, I love you so much Fox Huntington that one day I am going to actually talk you into marrying me," he said loudly giggling as he started to disappear down the hall. She followed him calling out the door "Yeah Yeah not tonight Will I've got a headache!"

He was still laughing as he made it to the side of the stage ready to wow the audience with the best Henry V of his life.

SIX MONTHS LATER.....................

Margaret Hilditch was getting the grand tour of Dane's house. It wasn't that this was the first time she'd been here, no she'd been here plenty of times before but it never looked like this. It was always stark white walls and fairly pristine. Not now though – now it looked, well it looked lived in. Sarah's stamp was everywhere, as were pictures of the two of them. 

This wasn't a bachelor pad, a family lived here. Her family - her son, grandson and Sarah, who she had long considered as her daughter. Sure they were an unorthodox family – she didn't REALLY know if they were a couple or not. They didn't talk about it and she and the rest of the family kind of assumed they had settled into their friendship again. There were no announcements, no engagements and no real signs of affection between the two.

But this house spoke volumes of their commitment to each other and to their son. There were bright walls and playmats and playpens, kids toys and a bright mural in the third bedroom where Lysander was now sleeping. The second bedroom housed Sarah's bed and her desk while Dane's bedroom was the only place that didn't look like a blend of the two. It saddened her a little but at least they were making things work; even coping with Dane being gone for a month and Sarah having to fly to the US for work.

The tour, which hadn't included the family bathroom where Sarah was showering, concluded back in the lounge room.

Cries of "da, da, da" greeted them and Dane picked a very vocal Lysander, who was growing like topsy and starting to develop a massive mop of curly blonde hair, out of his playpen and handed the infant to his grandmother. Margaret had taken a seat on the lounge and was more than happy to cuddle the ball of energy as his father headed off to put the kettle on.

"I'm so proud of how you and Sarah have handled this whole situation," Margaret said bouncing her seven-month-old grandson on her knee as Dane arrived back and put her tea cup out of reach on the coffee table. Lysander smiled a gummy baby smile, gurgling in delight at his grandmother's attention, his two new little bottom teeth giving him a cheeky grin very reminiscent of his dad at the same age and his green eyes sparkling with mischief like his mother.

"I mean it would be lovely if you were a couple or married but I've been so amazed at how you've put this little man first. He's such a happy beautiful little chap. It's just a shame he won't have a little brother or sister," she sighed before turning her head towards the door way where Sarah stood rolling her eyes and laughing at Margaret's comment.

Waving a small stick in her hand she entered the room more fully, not bothering to contain the smile on her face.

While Sander was completely oblivious and happy to gnaw on the rusk his father had handed him, both Margaret and Dane's eyes widened as they realised what Sarah was brandishing.

Dane wasn't close enough to see the two blue lines on the pregnancy test but he was sure they were there. They'd both suspected there was a new addition on the way ever since their stolen weekend in New York during a break from filming and academic endeavours.

"Yeah about that!" Sarah laughed before Dane, who had moved stealthily across the room, kissed her soundly, not caring that his mother was there.

AND THE CURTAIN FALLS....................

 But it's you I know and no one else will do
Yes it's you I know with all you put me through
When I was driftin' down you pulled me up again
And it's you I know, you'll love me to the end...........You I Know - written by Neil Finn performed by Jenny Morris.  

Epilogue and thank yous to come.