Things went normally for most of the day, and he got so involved in his work, as usual, he became oblivious to the fact that he even had a life. This tended to happen a lot. He tended to throw himself into work, and he usually needed a friend around to snap him out of it. Andy had become that person. If it weren't for Andy, Conan probably would have had a heart attack years ago.

Andy could tell right then that Conan was way too wound up, so he grabbed him and took him to lunch, forcing him to drink a beer and tell him what's up. Conan didn't respond.

"Is it Lynn? Did you guys fight?" Andy pressed.

Conan shook his head. "No, nothing like that......it's two things, actually."

Andy waited patiently for him to go on.

"I guess I'll start with the more normal one.....there's this girl...."

Andy tried not to, but he laughed. "Oh really? What kind of shit are you up to?" he asked, grinning.

Even Conan smiled "It's not like that......I just met her yesterday. She is amazing.....the problem is, she's only 21......."

Andy cracked up again. "21? Who is she, one of those adoring fans that hang out outside your office?"

Conan closed his eyes, preparing to be laughed at again. "Yes....."

Andy heard a twinge in Conan's voice and stopped laughing. He was getting pissed, and that was never a pretty site. He lit a cigarette and stared at Conan. "So what, are you in love with this chick?" he asked, exhaling loudly.

Conan waved the smoke away from his face "No. And we haven't gotten to the other part yet."

"Oh yeah. What else is wrong?"

Conan glared at him "If you don't care, why the hell are you asking me?"

Conan's glare tended to have a bad effect on Andy. Either Andy would give in or start an argument at this point. He made the mistake of arguing. "What are you talking about? I brought you here to talk about what's bugging you, and you tell me you have a crush on a little girl? What the hell happened to you, Conan? A while back the thought wouldn't have even occurred to you. Are you finally changing? Turning into your own monologue joke?"

Conan was shaking now. "Me change? Me? What about you? What happened to my friend? I used to always count on you. What are you now? Mr. Andy Big-Shot Fucking Richter? Don't you have a photo shoot or something to go to?

The bartender discreetly approached them, mentioning something about keeping it down or taking it outside. They left, walking back to the building together. Conan felt guilty, of course, as he did about everything. But he wasn't about to make the first move.

So finally Andy did. "What's the other problem?" He asked, opening the door to the lobby.

Conan looked at the ground. "Well, I'm not absolutely positive, but I think somebody is stalking me."

Andy nodded. "I'm not surprised. You've got some serious fans."

Conan nodded. "What should I do?"

"Well, what's happened so far?"

Conan explained the message and the note, and Andy agreed there was nothing he could really do but wait. He swore to keep on the lookout for anything weird.

The show had ended some time ago, but Conan still sat at his desk on the stage.

Or rather, on the desk, Indian style. The studio was dark except for a light here and there from other rooms. Once in a while a security guard would look at him funny, but would not disturb him.

After about an hour of sitting, Andy sauntered in to the studio, eyeing Conan. He was still a little mad at what Conan had said, and he felt guilty for what he had said. He went up to Conan and sat on the corner of the desk next to him. "What's up?"

Conan looked up at him, red eyed. "Oh, I don't know. Just a little freaked out......listen, Andy, I'm sorry about what I said....."

Andy waved him off. "It's cool. I'm sorry too. What's wrong with your eyes?"

Conan pulled a small silver flask from under his jacket and grinned. "Are they red?"

"Very. You look like......well, you look like your drunk, which ain't sayin' much, since you're sloshed......" Andy joked, grabbing the flask and opening it. He sniffed it and raised his eyebrows at Conan. "Vodka?"

Conan grinned again " It was all that was around."

Andy realized with a start that though he'd been drinking, Conan was fine. He wasn't drunk at all. Maybe a little too happy, but that was it. He began to question him. "So what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Got another note. It was in my office. That's why I'm out here." Conan gestured around the studio."We've got such great security. Somebody was in my office, Andy. Nobody goes in my office."

He and Andy came to a mutual understanding that Conan was a little afraid to go back to his office, and that he would never admit it."Well, c'mon, you've got to either go home or get to work....and you need to go home. I'll drive ya."

Conan nodded "I gotta get some stuff....."

"Fine, we'll stop by your office."

Conan gave Andy a grateful look. He did not want to go in there alone. He hopped off the desk, a dumb thing to do since he wasn't thinking straight. He stumbled and nearly hit his head on the desk before Andy caught him. Conan was up like a shot, fully recovered from his fall in 2 seconds.

Andy rolled his eyes. Conan couldn't even to making a mistake when he was buzzed.

Conan muttered a thank you and was on his way. Andy realized that he had been right the first time. He was drunk, but he could sort of control it. And he did fine, until he passed one of the pages, a pretty girl in her 20's, and did his trademark "Rowl" at her.

The page grinned. "Oh, Conan. You're so silly."

"Silly in love, baby." he joked, kissing her hand. He began humming "Burning Love", and the page took this as a cue to leave before he started dancing with her. He looked at Andy. "Dance?"

Andy cracked up. "No thanks. Maybe some other time." They kept on their way to the office, Conan now singing at the top of his lungs. At a particularly high note, one of the local news producers stepped into the hall and stared at Conan.

"Conan, we're taping a segment, could you keep it down?"

"Sorry." Conan muttered.

The producer left and Conan grinned mischievously, then ran down the remainder of the hall to the elevator singing.

" I don't know about you." Andy chuckled.

"Sometimes neither do I." Conan murmured. The elevator stopped and they went in to his office, where Conan immediately sat down and checked his voice mail "You have, one, new, message." said the mechanical voice. Conan listened to it, hoping it wasn't that person......

"Um, hi Conan. It's uh, Tori, from the other day? Well, you told me to call, and I was wondering, maybe we could have lunch or something? My number is..........."

Conan looked at Andy guiltily. "Is that her?" Andy asked.

Conan nodded, punching in the number she had left. Andy watched, amazed, as Conan asked a 21 year old girl out right in front of him. Conan talked smoothly, even a little flirtatiously, which Andy had never seen him do...he was usually shy with women. When he got off the phone, Andy was angry.

"What the hell was that?"

Conan shrugged "I don't know."

"Christ, you have changed!"

"No, I haven't changed......."Conan sounded like he was trying to convince himself. A look of realization came over his face. What he realized frustrated him so much that he pounded on his desk so hard that his coffee mug flew off and shattered.

Andy stood back a little. Conan looked wild eyed. "I haven't changed, right?" he pleaded Andy. "I'm still the same guy."

Andy talked in his most soothing voice. "No, your're not......Conan, you've got to get over this obsession with changing.....you've changed, I've changed, and neither of us for the better." The words were like poison to him. He was talking to himself, too." I guess we both have to face it......"

Conan began to calm down. "All I ever wanted to do was be the same guy......"he looked around his office, at the pile of head shots sitting on his desk for autograph wishers......"I guess that's just not possible in this business, huh?"

Andy nodded, pretty sad about it himself.

"Andy, swear to me you won't tell anyone about this girl."Conan pleaded.

"I swear.....as long as you swear to be yourself. Don't struggle to be somebody you aren't anymore." Conan nodded, and they shook hands, sealing the deal.

"This never leaves this room?"Conan asked.

"Never."

Conan got home later than usual, and Lynn was worried. "Where have you been?"

Conan was irritated at this-he allowed himself to be. "Just having a few drinks."he said, a little too defensively

Lynn gave him a strange look, but didn't question him further.

*******

The next day, without the slightest hint of guilt, Conan picked up Tori and brought her to dinner. She seemed overwhelmed at first, but after a glass of wine she began to loosen up, and Conan started having fun. He was dating. He had forgotten what it was like.

The two spent dinner talking and laughing, then went for a walk around SoHo. Conan missed the neighborhood. Tori was now chatting away, and Conan was quietly listening. Suddenly Tori stopped walking and smiled sheepishly.

"What?" asked Conan.

"This is my building."

Conan looked up. So it was. "Oh...."

They were both silent now, unsure of what to do next. "Well....I had a great time....."Tori muttered.

"Yeah, me too."Conan said quickly. He realized he was being rude, so he went to kiss her cheek. That was his intention, anyway. But at the last second he changed his mind and found her lips. Tori let out a small surprised sound, but quickly warmed up to the kiss. Right there, for the world to see, Conan O'Brien was kissing another woman.

And as if that weren't enough, he excepted her invitation up to her apartment.