Disclaimer: These characters well, Nikki, Nora, Dan, Darius, Georgia, Charlie, Arthur, Bobby and Mrs. Delaney are so not mine (damnit!), but Ann and Jill and other characters not mentioned in the pilot are (Ha!). The ones in the "damnit!" category belong to Nancylee Myatt and other's I don't know. I'm here for a bit of fun, and for this story, angst. No profit is being made here, and if it is, I'm not seeing a dime.

Oh and before I forget, music is awesome, in fact it's preferred over television, so…the story title is from Tori Amos (all bow to Tori Goddess of the Ivory Keys) and Part I of this mess is from David Cook (yes, the American Idol winner – it's actually not a bad album, a little over produced, but that's common nowadays) off the self-titled album. The lyrics nor title belong to me…and I'm glad they don't…I can't sing to save my life.

A/N: Because my beta is nifty, he got this back to me in short order. So…onward! Upward!...wait…well you get the idea…this follows along the lines of the A.U. I've concocted and is set a few days after the events in Here's to the Night. That's all I got…the disclaimer was long enough.

A Thousand Oceans

Part 1 – Avalanche

And in this rush, we are crushed,

Carry me down, rolln' in your arms,

Rolling over, I try to ignore the knocking at my front door. My apartment isn't that big. I know. But hearing Jill or Ann answer the door and talking to…my head tilts, straining to hear the timbre of the voice.

Dan!

What the hell is he doing in here?

Did he forget he suspended me for two weeks for assault on a federal agent?

I mean really it's just the icing on the damn cake.

Nikki isn't talking to me. It took nearly two days for my hearing to come back. Moving the last days few have been fun too. Then to make it all nice and better, Dan pulls some stupid shit and suspends Nikki and me for two weeks for hitting two federal agents, who in my opinion, had it coming.

Federal or not, you don't come after fellow officers like that. Unless their dirty and you're taking them down.

It's the one exception to the rule. It's the only exception to that particular rule.

Sighing, I shift in my bed and listen to Jill and Dan outside my door.

"It's good to finally meet you. Nora's mentioned you once or twice," Dan says.

"Same here. Nora and Nikki both have said some really great things about you. My Ann too." Jill replies.

"You've met Nikki?" my ex-partner turned boss asks.

"She kept me company while Ann and Nora were working together. She's pretty cool."

"Uh, well, she's one of our best detectives…," he trails off for a moment, his voice dropping as he asks, "How is she doing?"

"Her hearing came back fully last night, she can move around without wanting to punch someone. She's pissed at the suspension," Jill rattles off the list.

They're quiet, doing what I don't know, but it takes a second before a few short raps are given to my bedroom door. Jill pokes her head through gives me a smile. I scowl at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Nora, baby, you got a visitor," Jill says, pushing open the door, letting Dan walk through.

I sit up a little straighter and smooth out my wrinkled t-shirt.

"Hey partner," he smiles his Dan-like smile that usually gets me. Even on some of my worst days, he would crack a joke and that fucking smile and I would cave. Not much, but just enough so that he didn't feel like shooting me or requesting a new partner.

I can be a bitch to work with some times.

"What's up?" I ask. I really don't want to stretch this visit out longer than I need to.

Jill points to the two of us and quietly excuses herself, letting the door softly click shut behind her.

"For starters you look like shit." He looks me over, his hands resting on the hips of his charcoal grey linen suit. I hate it when he looks at me like that.

Dan and I were a great team and oddly enough, I still consider him one of my closest friends. I just never let him in enough.

He knows about me. About the Nora Delaney that people see. The Nora that I allow the public to see. I've just never given Dan the chance to get to know me – the one that Ann and Jill and Nikki know.

Guilt burns in the back of my throat and I cough before replying, "Well, Harney, if all you came to do was tell me I look like shit, like my daddy used to say, door's right there. Don't let it hit ya where the good Lord split ya."

His mouth quirks a little, the right side straining to go upwards. He's good at stoic. But I know him. The twinkles in his eyes give him away.

Finally I smile, showing him it's okay to and he cracks. My partner turned boss caves like a cheap chair and sits on the end of the bed.

"We need to talk, Nora." He sighs and fiddles with his jacket before taking it off and draping it on the foot board of my bed. He licks and sucks in his lower lip, gnawing on it lightly. I watch him as he tries to figure out what he wants to say.

Dan's always been good at choosing his words carefully. Especially with me. I've been told I have a tendency to be prickly.

"There's a few things that…I was pissed at you Nora. I'm still a little sore, but I've gotten over it – mostly." His face drops and he rubs the back of his neck.

What the hell is he talking about?

When his head swings up, we lock eyes and he says, as evenly as possible, "I know. I know about you and I know about you and Nikki." He moves to put a hand on my blanket-covered shin and I react. Drawing my legs into my chest, I rest my chin on my knees and look at him. My eyes burn while my chest tightens.

"Nora, please I'm trying to do the right thing here." His voice is low, wounded almost and I can't…what I want to say and what I should say is a jumbled mess in my head. "Let me get this out and then you can say whatever you need to. A few points and I won't take up much of your time. First, well, we got that out of the way. Second, I'm pissed you never told me. I understand," he stops and runs a hand over his head. "No, that's not right either, I don't really understand, but it's not really for me to understand. It's what it is." His eyes soften and he shakes his head, "It's who you are."

He shifts then, drawing a knee up on the bed while the other leg remains planted on the floor. "I'm pissed 'cause you and I were partners. You could have come to me with stuff like that. I'm also pissed because you and her are carrying around under my nose, in my division, breaking one of the cardinal rules of partnerships."

My mouth drops open to say something in defense, like if I had accepted his invitation to drinks and sex we would have been the same position years ago. But the retort dies as I realize he's really just trying to be my friend.

Something I was never horribly good at with him.

He looks me over and bulldozes onward, "As your partner, Nora, I'm still hurt, but I'll get over my ego. Besides, the fact that you're gay is a lot more appealing to think about than you not being hot for this." His usual cockiness comes out in a lascivious grin.

I can't help but snort.

"Now," he says sobering, "You now I'm pissed, keeping secrets from me. The rest I'm saying as your and Nikki's boss. If it comes down to it and others find out, I'm gonna play the fool. I don't know, I didn't know and this conversation you and I are having now – It. Never. Happened."

Huh?

Am I missing something?

Am I still having hearing problems?

He smiles at me; actually, it's more like a grin.

"If you're happy, and honestly, you seem to be happy working with Nikki and uhm, working with Nikki, than I've ever seen you. You two are a great team." He points a finger at me and warns, "If you repeat this, it will be denied, but you two are the best team S.C.U. has. Hell, you two might be better than us together. Which is why, under these circumstances, ignorance is bliss. I don't know that you two are knockin' boots." He winks at me and smiles that damn smile.

My cheeks flush. In fact, I think all of me is red.

"You, uh, well…" I stammer.

"Words, they're called words Nora. You're usually good at using them," he jokes.

"Why?" is all I manage.

He shrugs. "I have a list of reasons for this. Not one I'm going to repeat. Keep it way below the radar and I'll see you two when you both come back to work. I don't want to split you two up. I don't think the division can afford to, but I will if it becomes necessary." He stands abruptly, grabbing his jacket and slips it on.

He steps towards me, tentatively, before leaning down and placing a kiss on the top of my head. "We're family, in a way," he whispers, "we protect each other. I've got your back. And your girlfriends too."

He right's himself and moves to the door, opens it and looks back, "Don't make me regret it, partner. See you in a week and a half."

With that, he breezes out the door throwing a goodbye to my friends in the living room.

I sit.

It's pretty much all I'm capable of right now.