Nico's heart was heavy. Marshall wasn't a good friend. Being Marshall Pittman's cohort and "best friend" was like trying to be best friends with a tempest. A tempest with a temper and a looser and looser grip on sanity as the days had passed. And one that ravaged Nico's favorite harbor and made it his own. So yeah, Marshall hadn't always been the best friend, but he was still Nico's best friend. And Nico wasn't the kind of guy who actually had that many friends in life. Actually, he could count his truly trustworthy friends on one hand. And one of them was a cat. Cats made for good friends though, they never shared secrets and they were good about keeping their distance if they were going to be cranky. Unlike people. Unlike Marshall.
Damn it. Nico missed that man already. That crazy man and his tempers and playing chess with him on the board and off the board, and it wasn't fair that Nico wasn't even able to slap him silly for being a jackass and tapping Dani's office. Nico and Marshall had always been like oil and water. Marshall loved games, loved winning, and Nico liked avoiding the spotlight and he liked fixing situations, but Marshall just made them. Maybe that was why they worked together. Maybe Nico was more like vinegar. Together they added spices and made salad dressing.
And now Marshall was gone. Nico was numb. He couldn't believe it. All the time that the plane had been missing, he'd just been so sure that Marshall had faked his death. That was what he wanted to believe. Even now, part of him wondered if his boss, his former boss, had just gone and found a body double for this elaborate plan, but no. At this point, they'd do a DNA analysis just to be sure. Nico's heart was heavy indeed.
Situations, Nico could fix. People, and bodies however, he could not. If he was honest with himself - which he always tried to be, even more than he was honest with everyone else, which meant he was very honest with himself indeed - that was why he liked Danielle so much. She fixed people. It was better than magic. A special kind of science that took heart, soul, kindness, and a rare goodness people just didn't often have anymore. And quietly, somewhere in the back of his mind Nico wondered if she could fix him too. Or if he could at least help fix her problems, so that she could go fix other people in an endless circuit of problem solving.
Speaking of Doctor Santino, he needed to get over there and tell her the news in person. She'd been so fierce about wringing out Pittman, that it had even tempered Nico's own desire to throttle his supposed best friend. Best friend. That really was Dani now. Danielle. Doctor Santino. It was strange how well she knew him. She understood Nico in ways Gabrielle never could. Possibly because she saw Nico for Nico. A person, a friend, an ally, a puzzle. But never dollar signs or as a chess piece. Marshall saw everything as games, to be sure, but at least he usually saw people as the players, not the pieces.
When Nico reached Doctor Santino's house, he was surprised to see her outside on the porch. She was crying, and maybe he could give her some closure with the originals of the tapes. "The package from Pittman was for you," Nico told her as he sat down on the bench beside her and offered her the opened box.
"The tapes?" she stopped crying, and a look of hope flickered over her face.
Nico nodded and glanced at the fish bowl. He remembered that blue betta fish, Mr. Fishy, the one Danielle called "Little Dude" and would talk to when she thought no one was looking. His death was a good reason for tears. Funny, but even though Nico couldn't bring himself to cry about Marshall - nor did he want to - if he lost Onyx on the same day he figured he'd probably be in even more dire straights too.
"You lost your friend?" Pets were friends. Good friends. Loyal friends who listened even when things were bad and didn't expect anything except food and life. And attention. But when you gave those things, they didn't get all complicated about it and try to steal the person you loved. Or something. It was her turn to nod. "So did I." He hung his head, unable to look at her. Even sad, she nearly glowed, like a full moon. Nico himself wasn't sure how he looked. Usually he was good about staying stoic, but Dani was good at seeing through people and right now, she would surely be able to see through him like saran wrap.
"Marshall is dead." It still didn't seem possible, and Nico shook his head, trying to rid himself of the disbelief. She set down the fishbowl and instantly gave him a hug. He needed that. He hadn't even realized he needed it until it was there, warm and comforting, safe, soft, and nice. "He was the only one who knew me. Except you."
She pulled back and gave him a look. Puzzled, bemused, surprised even. It was adorable. "But I don't know you."
Did she really think that? Doctor Danielle Santino who could unlock any person's secrets in a matter of weeks so that she could fix them. If she could get this much out of Nico, mysterious Nico, a puzzle to everyone and too aloof to get close, and still think she didn't know him, how well did she unravel everyone else? She truly was amazing. "You know me," he told her simply, because it was true, and because he knew that she would know it to be true, because Nico never lied. And Danielle understood that. She definitely knew him.
She leaned closer to kiss him then. The last time she'd leaned so close he'd walked away. But back then he hadn't wanted to take advantage of how confused and emotional she was. Back then she'd told him to leave and he'd refused so that she knew she wasn't alone. Back then it would have been wrong. But oh, how he'd wanted to. Now? She needed him as much as he wanted her. He kissed her back without too much thought and instantly tried to drown out the sorrow of missing Marshall. He'd always known he'd miss Marshall more than Gabrielle, that was why time and time again, he chose that man. And now he had neither. It was almost freeing, but it felt more lonely than not. Like the dark side of the moon, where not even the sun's rays could reach and bounce off of.
Dani tugged Nico even closer, and he was more than willing to oblige, holding her just as close in strong arms as they locked lips. She was soft and strong, fierce and vulnerable, a bundle of contradicting ideals and thus utterly perfect. She was like him, only better. She could fix people, the one thing he couldn't. She kissed him more, and ran her fingers through his hair and Nico was keenly aware of how alive he felt in that moment. He pulled her into his lap until she was straddling him and he kissed down her cheeks, behind her ears, down her neck.
"Oh..." she moaned absent-mindedly and rolled her legs over his own, hips to hips. He was going to lose it. Right then and there on the front porch. She was warm and soft and needed him, needed this, he was going to erase all thoughts of Donnoly from her mind forever, and they were going to temporarily erase all thoughts of the Pittmans from each other's minds together. He couldn't work his fingers over her breasts, not here, not in relative public when Ray Jr. was due to return anytime now, so Nico settled for kissing her instead and letting her feel his erection between her legs. To let her know just how much he wanted her.
Her soft red, shining lips pulled back from his and bit down his jaw line and this time it was Nico who let out a small groan. That felt perfect. Her teeth lightly scraped his scruff and suddenly Nico realized why Matt had grown that ridiculous facial hair some months ago. Dani had a way of making it feel good. Better than that, incredible. Nico wanted more. He needed a way to pay back some of the pleasure she was giving him and he subtly let his hands roam her body in places that looked innocuous enough, but would set her nerves on fire with desire.
"Nico," she whispered in his ear, practically squeaked, high-pitched and desperate, and she moved as if to drag him inside.
He couldn't smile yet, but he shot her an appreciative look as she climbed off him, all curves and beautiful, glowing in the porch light. Nico wasn't good at comforting anyone, he wasn't good with people in general, at least not in a normal sense that didn't involve seeing through manipulations, in a sense where they were like chess players. It was one of those things he and Marshall had in common and had always understood about each other. Still, Nico had seen his fair share of women cry. Not always for real either. Dani looked surprisingly good in spite of all that though. Like the salty tears had just been much needed release, same as the kisses. Like they'd been there to scrub her face the way tides shaped the sands.
She took Nico's hand and he rose to his feet to follow her inside, to follow her anywhere. He grabbed the fishbowl and brought it inside to the kitchen, constantly kissing, never breaking apart. He took off his blazer in the kitchen, his hands ran over her shoulders, his fingertips practically absorbing her soft skin through the summer blouse. Soon it'd be autumn, getting colder and she wouldn't wear the summer clothes anymore, so it was best to take advantage of it while he could. He left the fishbowl with the blazer on the counter, and only made it halfway up the stairs before kissing her deeply, using her boosted height from the stairs to his advantage.
Truth told, he couldn't ever remember feeling this excited with a woman. Not even Gabrielle. Danielle was smart, funny, gorgeous and kept up with him in every way. More than that, she was his friend. His best friend, and right now, Nico wasalmost sure she was his only human friend. If he wasn't in love with her yet, it wouldn't take much to push him over that edge.
And then her cell rang.
In that moment, Nico now understood why Terrence King was constantly chucking cell phones through things or at people.
Both Nico and the Doctor took a glance at the caller ID on the phone. "If this isn't important..." she growled threateningly, cutely, fiercely. That even got a grin out of him. A small one.
"Hello?" she began uncertainly, and started listening. Then rearranged her clothes and smoothed them out. Her face flickered like candlelight, from glowing to more and more furious. Nico watched her body language intently and the more it went, the more it became clear that they were not going to be sleeping together tonight. Nico sighed and went back to the kitchen to get his blazer. Whatever the damage, it seemed like he needed to be ready to roll.
"Fine, I'll be right there," she frowned, sounding weary, and hung up before turning to Nico. "Ray Jay's been arrested for having pot plants in his car. I don't even know what he was thinking." She started getting more furious and her tone was growling again. Clouds were back over her eyes and her voice was like thunder, her eyes like lightning. "I'm going to kill him. Is there a term sentence limit for grounding? I'll make sure he's grounded well into the next life!"
Nico's own face flickered. He was worried for her kid, but more for her. He needed to school his face back to calm, she needed calm right now, he could tell. "I'll call him a good lawyer," he kept his voice steady and briefly adjusted his own clothes with one hand. It was either lucky or just telling of his love-life that they hadn't gotten very far yet. Then again, Nico also tended to pick clothes that didn't rumple from such things too easily as well. "Community service, no jail time." Pot? Ray Jay? That seemed out of place. The kid liked to push the line, but he was nowhere near as bad as Juliette's steady stream of terrible exes.
"He should get jail time," she growled fiercely. So adorable. "Letting his stupid friend convince him to grow plants in MY backyard?!"
Ah, that explained it better. Adam was an idiot, and one of those Long Island punks who deserved no respect. Hopefully this would wake up Ray Jr. into realizing he could do better. Then again, that was like hoping for Juliette to realize she could do better than her idiot ex-boyfriends. Hope springs eternal, however insanely unlikely. Nico shifted through his jacket pockets to make a few quick phone calls and gently kissed Dani's cheek. "It'll be okay," he reassured her.
She nodded numbly staring at her fish, practically shell-shocked. Really it was a lot of stress for one day. "I don't have time to bury Little Dude," she frowned quietly.
Nico didn't explain as he got out a ziplock bag and filled it with crushed ice before handing it to her. She was smart enough to understand and it would buy her more time to get to a proper funeral. Besides, Nico didn't want to think too hard on bodies lost to waters. Was Marshall cold when he went down? Did he at least know that Nico still loved him even if Marshall had been falling apart mentally? Fish and water, it was thoughts for another day.
"Thank you," she bit her bottom lip softly to hold back tears. This time it was Nico who made the first move to give her a hug to cheer her up, though he had to hold his distance a little. Too close and he'd probably melt under the glow of her brightness.
"It'll be okay," he insisted again, firmer this time and genuinely calmer.