I will be doing a few song suggestions so, maybe listen to Troublemaker by Olly Murs ft. Flo Rida with this chapter? It works. :D
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Danielle Collins. Peter Burke's niece. The girl who always showed up for work, not in a skirt, nor a pantsuit but ripped skinny jeans, t-shirts and biker boots.
"Who's that?" Neal Caffrey asked, gesturing towards the tall girl... no, woman, walking around the office with studded biker boots hitting the ground and the chain on her waist...Her belt, jingling as she walked.
Peter looked up from his paperwork. "My niece." He said.
Neal did a double take. "You have a niece?"
"Yeah. Stay away from her." Peter said, looking at Neal's expression. Neal made a noise and shook his head.
"I wasn't...Yeah I was." He said while grinning. Peter looked at him.
"Stay away from her." Peter warned, standing up and making a motion with his hand and the jingling got louder as the woman walked in.
"Yeah?" She asked. Peter handed her the paperwork he held.
"Make two copies of each document and then return the original to me." He said. The woman nodded. Neal followed her while looking at Peter and made an excited face. Peter rubbed his neck, glaring at Neal.
The woman looked over her shoulder. "Do you need something?" She asked him.
"Dani!" She heard, Dani snapped her head towards the voice and made a sharp turn.
"Yeah?"
"My computer froze...It won't-"
"Did you try turning it on and off again, Jeff?" She asked. He scratched his neck and shook his neck.
"No...Hey it worked! Thank you!" 'Jeff' said.
Dani walked back to where she was and started walking towards the copier, holding Peter's file.
"So, Dani." Neal said, catching up with her. "You help with computers and copies?"
Dani nodded. "And I'm the coffee girl." Dani stated, stopping in the copy room, Neal standing next to her. She put in her copy code and set it all up, moving fast. Neal watched her.
"You're Peter's niece." He started.
"And your his ex-con." Dani cut in.
Neal chuckled, leaning against the wall, knowing she was watching him. He smiled charmingly and watched her. Dani made her copies and looked at him. "Seriously though," Dani started. "Do you need something?"
Neal was about to say 'Your phone number' but grinned at her. "Coffee, sometime. With you?"
"No. I thought you meant with Caspar the friendly ghost."
Neal's brain was telling him to just go away and leave her be but something else was telling him to go with it. "C'mon." He said, pushing himself off the wall and walking to stand next to her. He looked at her, they were about the same height, with her boots on.
Neal kept smiling, he looked at her and reached out and took hold of her hand. "It's just coffee." He stated. Dani sighed.
"Okay." Neal smirked in victory and was about to walk out when Dani grabbed his sleeve. "Don't even dare tell my uncle."
"Why not?" Neal asked, furrowing his eyebrows innocently.
''He'll have me sent somewhere else and he'll have you under house arrest for life." Dani said.
Neal shrugged. "It's just coffee." And he walked away, knowing full well it isn't just 'coffee'. Dani sighed, quickly walking to Peter's office and handing him the original and a copy. Then she went to the clerk room and filed the other copy. Dani walked into the small lounge type room and sat down, putting her feet up on the table and plugging in her ear buds.
Turning on "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance. She was drumming her fingers when Peter walked in and smacked her boots. She rolled her eyes and removed her feet from the table. "What?" She asked, turning down her music a little bit.
"El said to call you and say she needs a little help with dinner, if you aren't busy." Peter replied.
Dani looked at him with an "Are-you-serious?" look. He glanced at her. "What?"
"Do I look busy to you?" She asked.
He scoffed. "You always seem to." Peter stated,
Dani mumbled something inaudible and went to stand up when her chair started to fall backwards and someone caught it. Instead of turning around to look she just bent her head back and looked up. The back of her head almost touched his belt buckle and she felt Peter's glare. Dani stared up at a one tall, dark and blue eyed Neal. She stared up at him and Neal down at her.
He pushed her chair forward, carefully, and let go of it. He smirked. "You okay?"
Dani nodded. Moving her head forward and she yelped in pain. Neal looked at her, a few of her long brown hair, the ends of it, stuck in his buckle. He carefully removed it and glanced at Peter. Who was full on glaring and giving Neal a look.
And if looks could kill, Neal would be laying on the ground. Dead.
But sadly, for Peter anyway, they couldn't. Dani thanked him and quickly got out of her seat. "I have to make a coffee run..."
"We have a whole pot." Jones said as she rushed out of the lounge.
"Real coffee." She replied, grabbing her leather jacket and backpack. Neal looked out the window and say her walking down the street. He smirked to himself till Peter chuckled.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Peter asked, a glare evident in his voice. Neal looked at Peter.
"Whatever are you talking about?" He asked.
Peter crossed his arms over his chest. "What part of stay away from her do you not understand?" He asked, holding back some anger.
"I don't see what the big deal is." Neal said. "Why can't I catch her chair?"
"Because it isn't just chair catching! It'll become that, the coffee, then the next thing you know you're involving my niece in some heist that'll get her killed! All because you turned on the charm!" Peter shouted.
"Just have some faith in me." Neal said.
Peter shook his head, pointing his finger at Neal. "No. No, I will not 'have some faith' in you, Neal! I don't want Dani involved with you!" He said sternly.
Neal rolled his eyes. "Peter-"
"She's too young for you!"
"How old is she?" Neal asked.
"...Twenty nine but look-"
"Whoa, she's twenty nine? She doesn't look a day over twenty three..." Neal said.
"Ne-"
"How is she your niece if she's that old- You are thirty six how is she-"
"She just is! Just- Just stay away from her!"
"That makes about...hm, zero sense. Peter, how is she your niece? And her last name...That's only a seven year age gap-''
"She took her mom's last name and my older brother..." Peter cut in. "He uh...He is ten years older than me. He uh...Ask Dani. She might tell you. Never mind, don't. Stay away from her."
Neal looked at him and sighed. He heard small cheers and looked outside. "Coffee!" He shouted. He ran out and got a cup, sipping it and thanking Dani, who, in turn, kept looking away from him. After Peter got coffee, and everyone was either sipping coffee and eating bagels or muffins or doing all three, Neal grabbed Dani's sleeve and tugged her towards the meeting room.
Dani stared at him. "Need something?"
Neal nodded. "Tomorrow, seven A.M. I'll pick you up."
"Do you know where Peter lives?"
"Yeah." Neal said.
"I'll be there. I usually crash there when I can't sleep."
Neal smiled. "Okay."
Dani smiled back and walked away.
-xXx-
Dani had gone home, to the Burke's anyway, early to help Elizabeth with dinner. They had been cooking and laughing, sipping wine while doing so.
"So how's work?" El asked.
"Good." Dani said. "It's good."
"How's Peter been?"
"Good."
"Meet anyone?" El asked, stirring some pasta sauce.
Dani was about to shake her head when Neal popped into her mind. She hid a smile, because his charming, gorgeous smile made her smile. El glanced at her.
"Someone come to mind?" El asked, grinning.
"Not really." Dani answered.
-xXx-
After Peter, Elizabeth and Dani all ate; Dani did dishes and went upstairs. She changed and got into the spare bedroom's bed. Her body sunk into the fluffy bed and warm blankets. Dani was halfway happy to being able to have coffee with Neal and upset because she knew Uncle Peter would be angry with her if he found out.
Dani kept thinking what Peter might do, just because she'll have coffee with Neal. She hated to think he might shoot Neal over something as stupid as a cup of Joe. She knew Peter didn't want her being near the con man but she didn't care. His charm had worked its way under her skin, in a good way...She guessed.
Dani rubbed her forehead, her racing mind slowing to a steady pace as she drifted off to sleep. Her soft breathing making not a noise in the dark, quiet room.
~XxX~