A Summer They Will Always Remember

By: K.C. Vaillancourt

Warning - I usually have a lot to say before my stories begin. If you want please feel free to skim it or skip it all together to get right into reading. There is a line break when the story begins.

Summary- Baby's path in life for the fall of 1963 and her life beyond was all planned out. Then she and her family arrived at Kellerman's where she met Johnny Castle. He took her breathe away from the moment she first saw him. Neither of them knew it but after the first dance they shared their lives would change in ways they never could have imagined.

Rating – T

Disclaimer - You know the drill…I do not own anything associated with Dirty Dancing. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, and songs are the property of their respective owners. No profit is being made from this story and no copyright infringement is intended.

Authors Notes- If you have read any of my other stories you know I don't go into great detail about certain things. I like to give my readers an opportunity to paint their own picture. I choose my words and scenes carefully so that my story is always moving forward.

I also like to warn my readers upfront. If you are a stickler for canon characters this story may not be for you. I try not to write OOC but depending on how my story flows it happens. I like to stick to the core of who I see a particular character as and go from there. However I do ask that you give my story a chance beyond chapter one.

I appreciate any feedback and listen to the opinions of my reviewers. I sometimes might incorporate ideas of my reviewers. I would love to hear from others whether through a review or PM. I respond to all my reviewers to let you know I appreciate them also to answer any questions or concerns you may bring to my attention.

Dirty Dancing has been an all-time favorite of mine since I was a teenager. Every time I watch it I want to jump through the screen and be Baby during the final dance. I recently watched it again and this story idea came to mind. I'm not sure yet if it will be a chapter story or a one shot. I guess we'll see how this first part is received and go from there.

It's my first fic in the Dirty Dancing fandom so please bear with me. As I started to write it I thought I knew the movie backwards and forwards but there could be a few things that are not 100% on par with the movie.

I do edit all my work before I post and have people read my work but there still may be some grammar mistakes. I apologize for them in advance.

Story Note – This story starts near the end of the movie when Johnny is accused of stealing the wallets. You will see some familiar dialogue. I have been trying to establish how long they were at Kellerman's at that point in the movie (I know Max says three weeks will feel like a year in the beginning but I'm not sure if that is supposed to tell the viewer how long they're staying.) So again the timing and certain scenes could be a little off. It also wasn't easy to find and there are some mixed opinions when I researched it but for this story the main characters ages are –

Baby – 17

Johnny – 25

Parts in Italics are memories/flashbacks/thoughts. Parts in Boldis music.

Enough from me, finally on to the story! Some people may like my story and some people may not that's ok. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Please review, follow, or favorite. I love to hear what people think. I appreciate all opinions even negative ones as long as the criticism is constructive.

The Secret is Out

Baby Houseman sat with her family, Neil and Mr. Kellerman in the main dining hall eating breakfast. Her elbow was casually on the table with her head in her hand. Her body might have been there but her mind was still with Johnny in his cabin.

She laid in his muscular arms listening to the music playing on the record player like she had for most of the night after they made love. When she arrived at Kellerman's with her family she never could have imagined anything like this would happen. She knew the summer was coming to an end and felt her heart begin to race as she wondered what would happen then. She wasn't ready to say good-bye and let him go. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard his voice.

"You wanna hear something crazy?" He asked. "Last night I... I dreamed we were walking along and we met your father. He said, "Come on," and he put his arm around me. Just like he did with Robbie."

She was brought back to the present and sat up straight when she heard Mr. Kellerman mention Johnny. "…walking by. So we ask him, you have an alibi for last night? He says he was alone in his room reading."

"There are no books in Johnny's room." Neil added with a smug smile.

Before she could stop herself Baby spoke up leaning in toward Neil. "There's been a mistake. I know Johnny didn't do it."

"There's been similar thefts at the Sheldrake. It's happened here before three other wallets." Neil told her.

"I know he didn't do it." Baby insisted stopping herself before she said she was with him all night.

"Stay out of it, Baby." Neil demanded.

She backed up disgusted at Neil's tone while her mind raced trying to figure out how to help.

"Wait. Don't put those tables together. Come on." Mr. Kellerman said as he got up to admonish the waiter.

Baby scooted over to take his seat next to her father. "Daddy, I need your help. I know Johnny didn't take Moe's wallet. I know."

"Oh? How do you know?" He asked.

"I can't tell you." She said and heard him sigh as he looked away from her. She was getting frustrated and wanted to tell him he can't keep shutting her out for one lie but didn't have the time. "Just please trust me daddy."

"I'm sorry Baby. I can't." He replied not even looking back in her direction.

"This Danish is pure protein." Mr. Kellerman said returning to the table.

"Mr. Kellerman look, uhh, maybe Johnny didn't do it." Baby said. "Anyone could've taken it. Maybe it was, uhh…" She looked away flashing back to when she and Penny were on their way to get her dressed for the Sheldrake performance. They'd stopped to help Mrs. Schumacher when she dropped her purse. "You. You know it could've been that little old couple the Schumacher's. I saw her with a couple of wallets."

"Sylvia and Sidney?" Mr. Kellerman asked.

"Baby, you don't go around accusing innocent people." Dr. Houseman admonished her.

"Ya but I saw them. I even saw them at the Sheldrake." She looked at Neil. "Didn't you say something was stolen at the Sheldrake?"

"I got an eyewitness and the kid has no alibi." Mr. Kellerman told her. "Come on, Neil. You'll learn what it's like to fire an employee."

Baby knew what she had to do and spoke up before she lost her nerve. "No, Mr. Mr. Kellerman wait a minute. I know Johnny didn't take the wallet. I know because he was in his room all night." She took a deep breath feeling everyone's eyes on her. Here we go. She thought. "And the reason I know, is because I was with him." Baby looked at her father and began to feel sick. "Excuse me." She said leaving the table before anyone could stop her. She walked as fast as she could out of the dining room to find the nearest restroom. She burst through the door and barely made it before getting sick.

A few minutes later she stared at herself in the mirror. Her forehead glistened with beads of sweat, she looked pale, and the dark circles under her eyes she tried to hide with makeup were showing. She splashed her face with water and rinsed out her mouth. "It must be all the stress that's making this a daily activity." She whispered. She finished freshening up and went back to the room she shared with Lisa to redo her makeup.

What's going to happen now? She wondered as she applied the concealer under her eyes. The secret about her and Johnny was out. She knew employee and guest relationships were frowned upon but she couldn't let Johnny be fired over something he didn't do. As she was going through her things looking for lipstick she stopped when she came across the pads she'd packed realizing there were more left than there should be.

She sat down on the bed and began to count back in her head. No, that can't be right. She thought shaking her head. She wasn't what you'd call regular but fairly close and by her count she was at least two weeks late. "It has to be everything that's gone on while being here this summer." She whispered. Sure she was more emotional and tired than usual, her breasts were hard and a bit tender but that happened sometimes right before. It was the all-day nausea and daily breakfast evacuation that was troubling her. She pulled on a sweater and left the room to look for Johnny dismissing her suspicions. She had to tell him what she'd done before the gossip found him. She knocked on his door but got no answer. He never locked it and when she walked inside it was empty. She thought she heard Penny say something yesterday about having to teach a dance class so she didn't think he'd be in her room. She turned and left starting to search any other place she could think of.

When she got to the run down dining hall that the staff converted into their party house she sighed. Did they find him already? She thought and wiped away tears that were still falling from the one-sided confrontation she'd had with her father while looking for Johnny. Before she came to Kellerman's this summer she thought she knew all about the world and the people in it. As she got to know Johnny, Penny, and other's from the staff she realized she'd been living in a bubble of nativity created by her father. She felt like everything he ever told her was a lie. She felt her tears starting to fall faster. "I'm so glad I bothered to fix my make-up." She said as she wiped her eyes with a napkin. She walked up to the bed in the corner. It looked so inviting and she felt exhaustion setting in from her day so far. As soon as she laid down and closed her eyes, she was sound asleep.

Meanwhile Johnny paced back and forth in Penny's room. "They came right up to me and expected a confession on the spot. Like I would put this job in jeopardy for a few bucks."

"I know." Penny said watching him from her seat on the bed. "Do you think it could be Robbie trying to get back at you for…."

"Robbie's just a punk kid." Johnny cut in. "No. I'm thinking it was Vivian Pressman who fingered me."

"Why would she do that?" Penny asked even though she already knew the answer.

Johnny sat down next to her running his fingers through his hair. "She was pretty pissed when I turned her down the other day. You know what they say about a scorned woman."

"You stopped it because of Baby didn't you? That's why you couldn't give them an alibi, you were with her last night." Penny took Johnny's silence as a yes and now she was the one pacing. "Jesus Johnny!" She nearly yelled crossing her arms in front of her. "Everybody knows about the trysts and affairs that go on around here but the rule has always been that's as far as it goes. You don't get mixed up with them. That's what you've told me every summer since we started working here. You know you need this job if you don't want to work with your dad and…"

"I know." Johnny said interrupting her rant. "It's not like I meant for it to happen."

"After the night at the Sheldrake I told you stop…" She reminded him.

"Yeah Penny I know and at the time I thought I knew what I was doing. There's, there's just something about her."

Penny sat down next to him. "What's gonna happen when the summers over huh?" Johnny was silent. "It's not a hard question. What happens when you and Baby have to go your separate ways?"

Johnny looked down staring at a knot in the floor deep in thought. His heart started to race at the idea of saying good bye to Baby and letting her go. He'd never felt that way about any woman before. He was a no strings attached kind of guy. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt Penny's hand in his. "You're in love with her, aren't you?"

"What?" Johnny said trying to brush off her question as ridiculous.

"You can lie to yourself Johnny Castle but not to me. I saw the way you looked at her when she came to check on me or when you defended her after Robbie insulted her. I can see it in your eyes right now. You've fallen in love with her."

Johnny closed his eyes and sighed thinking about the time he'd spent with Baby since he met her. "I guess I just didn't want to admit it but you're right. I'm in love with her." After saying it out loud he felt an urgency to see Baby. He wasn't sure what he was going to say or where it would lead but he had to find out. He stood up and pulled Penny into a hug. "I gotta go." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, for everything."

"Anytime." Penny said and smiled as she watched Johnny leave. She'd come to like Baby after all the time she'd spent with her. She was good for Johnny, but she was also young. Penny doubted she even knew what love was. Johnny loved her but did she love him or was it just a young girl's summer crush? What about his job? She thought. She felt herself overcome with worry wondering what was going to happen when the truth came out.

Outside Johnny rushed down the steps making his way toward the guest's rooms. He was so deep in thought he nearly walked right into Mr. Kellerman and his spoiled wimp of a grandson. "Johnny." Mr. Kellerman said annoyance clear in his voice. "We've been looking for you…"

"Look if this is about the wallets I already told you…" Johnny tried to say.

"You're out of the woods on that one." Neil cut in.

"Who did it then?" Johnny asked hoping they would hurry this along. They were looking for him for a reason and he wasn't stupid enough to think it was too apologize.

"We don't know, yet." Mr. Kellerman responded. "But you can thank Baby Houseman for clearing your name."

"Baby Houseman? Why would…" Johnny said trying to sound confused.

"Save it Johnny." Neil said. "When she heard we thought it was you and you were going to be fired she immediately jumped to your defense. I guess out of desperation she told us she was with you last night."

Johnny took a deep breath but remained silent. It quickly became clear why they were looking for him.

"You knew the rules when the summer started Castle." My Kellerman said pulling an envelope out of his jacket pocket. "Payment for the rest of the summer along with your bonus." He stopped before handing it to him. "Provided you leave discretely and by the end of the day."

Johnny held back a laugh as he glanced at Neil who was trying to hide his anger behind a satisfied grin. It was no secret to the staff that Neil had a crush on Baby since she arrived. It must be eating him up inside knowing Baby chose to be with a nothing like me instead of a rich kid like him. He thought before shifting his gaze to Mr. Kellerman. He was always looking for a reason to fire him since his first summer. He knew the only reason he kept having him come back was because he drew in the female spouses of wealthy couples. At the moment he didn't care he was being fired. What surprised him was what Baby had done for him. It would do more damage to her life then his. He took the envelope from Mr. Kellerman. "Once I pack. I'm gone."

"Good choice." Mr. Kellerman said. "Don't expect to come back next year either."

"Never even crossed my mind." Johnny said and walked away pocketing the envelope.

"Want me to make sure he goes?" Neil asked watching Johnny disappear around a corner.

His grandfather shook his head. "He may just be a punk dance kid that the ladies like but he'll go, besides we still have a thief on this property to find."

"You think Baby might have been right about…?" Neil tried to ask.

"The Schumacher's?" Mr. Kellerman shook his head. "I can't imagine Sylvia and Sidney doing anything like that but today has been a day of surprises. We might as well check it out."

It had been over two hours and Johnny was still rushing around Kellermans looking for Baby. He began to wonder if because of what she revealed her family had left. He noticed a few stares from the staff as well as guests but didn't pay attention to them. When he was in the main dining hall he heard a few people talking about the Schumacher's being the one's responsible for the wallet thefts. He went back to the staff grounds and ran into Billy who told him what happened. He thanked him and took off to continue his search. When he walked into the staff party hall he smiled when he saw Baby sound asleep.

He slowly walked up to her throwing his leather jacket over a chair. He hesitated to wake her when he saw how peacefully she was sleeping but bent down and gently shook her thigh. As soon as she opened her eyes she smiled up at him. "I have been lookin' for you all over." He said as she sat up and froze for a moment not sure what to say. He could feel the walls that baby had helped breakdown rebuilding as he looked at her and decided to start by telling her what Bully told him. "They found the Schumacher's. They fingerprinted their water glasses. Found out they were wanted in Arizona and Florida and they made a fortune here this summer." He tried to hold back a frown when he saw the relief wash over her face and her smile widen.

"So then, so then it's all right! I knew it would work out. I knew they'd have to apologize..." Baby said and tried to hug him but was surprised when he shrugged her away.

"I'm out, Baby." He said more harshly then he meant too and looked at the floor.

Baby stood back shocked for a moment. "They fired you anyway because of me."

"And if I leave quietly, I get to keep my summer bonus." He told her making it sound like they were doing him a favor but he knew Baby saw through it from the sarcastic tone of his voice.

"So I did it for nothing." Baby said walking away as her relief disappeared and anger flared inside her. "I hurt my family." She yelled stomping across the floor. "You lost your job anyway. I did it for nothing!"

"No, no, not for nothin', Baby. Nobody has ever done anything like that for me before." It's one of the reasons why I love you so damn much. He thought but couldn't bring himself to say the words.

Baby stopped and turned around leaning on a wooden nook with a wall of windows behind her. "You were right, Johnny. You can't win no matter what you do."

"You listen to me." He said walking over to her. "I don't wanna hear that from you. You can."

Baby looked past him. "I used to think so." She felt her anger turning to sadness as she looked back at Johnny realizing what him losing his job meant.

He looked back at her and saw the sparkle that was usually in her alluring brown eyes replaced with unshed tears and defeat.

They stood together in uncomfortable silence. Baby fidgeted trying to hold back tears that were pooling in her eyes clouding her vision as she stared down at the floor. Her heart was shattering into tiny pieces and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. She felt sick and a bit dizzy but stayed where she was. The reason she'd been looking for Johnny earlier was the furthest thing from her mind as she focused on staying on her feet. I did this. She thought. I knew how much Johnny needed and loved this job but because me it's gone. Mr. Kellerman hated Johnny. How could I have been so naïve to think he wouldn't use me as another reason to fire him?

Johnny looked out the windows staring at nothing then to the floor then back out the windows. He never thought he would see the day that Baby Housemen, Miss Fix-it he remembered calling her at one time, would give up. He could see that fire to change the world he came to love about her was diminishing, and it was because of him. Now he knew why he stopped himself earlier. They'd only been together a short time and he was not only damaging her life but breaking her heart. I'm just a no good bum from the streets dancing to get by in life. He thought. I'm no good for her.

The weight of what losing his job meant started to settle in. He had to leave, their summer was over. How could he drop a bombshell like that on her only to leave her? He thought she felt the same way he did but didn't really know for sure. He figured there was no point to the conversation now. She was going to college in a couple weeks and had a bright future ahead of her. He was an unemployed nobody with no idea where he was headed next. He had nothing to offer her, there was no place for a man like him in her life. She deserved better. He could only think of one thing to do for her before he left, try to clean up the mess he made of her life. "Listen." He whispered. "They want me out of here today so I, uhh, need to go pack my stuff."

Before Baby could say a word he grabbed his jacket and left. She stood where he left her trying to ignore how she felt physically and sort through all the jumbled thoughts in her mind. She thought about what she suspected was going on with her. Then one word repeated in her mind, pack. Johnny had left to go pack his things. He was leaving her. She sat back down and couldn't hold back her tears. Her world was coming apart at the seams and she didn't know what to do. She felt so angry she wanted to find Max Kellerman and scream at him for ruining her life and firing Johnny but she knew it wouldn't do any good. All she wanted to do was curl back up on the bed and sob.

She could feel her instincts screaming at her to stop rationalizing and admit what was really going on inside her body but she pushed the thoughts away. It could still be stress. She reasoned while wiping her tears away and forcing herself to get up. She only knew one thing for certain, Johnny was leaving Kellermans. She pulled herself together and ran out of the hall. She had to see him one last time, to say good bye.