Author's Note: Before we begin, I have to take the time to say that I DO NOT own "Perception" or any of the cannon characters that may appear in this piece. Also, it needs to be noted that this is purely a work of fiction and I have no handle on what actually happens on the show. Thirdly, this takes place after "Shadow" but before the season finale. Since I am kind of on a role right now, I don't really see myself changing it to fit with the season finale. After all, it is fanfiction, which is something completely beyond what is happening in the story. As of right now, there are no warnings to go along with it. I gave it a "T" rating simply as a precaution. If it changes you will know the chapter before the change is made. And FINALLY, reviews/comments/suggestions are ALWAYS welcome. Feel free to slip them in the review section or leave me a PM. You are a BEAUTIFUL person for reading this, thank you so very, very much.

~P

When Darkness Fell

Chapter One: Initial Breaking Point

It had been two days…two very long and very hard days for FBI Agent Kate Moretti. The case was going nowhere, and she had no help from Daniel whatsoever. This wasn't like Daniel, she noticed after the first time he didn't call with striking evidence of some kind. When one day passed and then another, that is when Kate became most worried. She was pulling up to his house to tell him that Reardon was pulling the case, she wanted to closed officially tomorrow morning before she stepped foot into the office the next morning. Sighing, Kate straightened her jacket before making her way up the steps and into Daniel's porch.

"Daniel! Daniel, it's me, Lewicki!" She listened as Max screamed at the doctor. From the slight gap in the curtain, she could see that Daniel was coming out of whatever trance that had a deep, powerful hold on him. She let herself in and stood there, watching the two men in the middle of the living room.

"Kate!" Daniel exclaimed, walking over to her. She was about to ask if everything was alright, but instead was caught off guard by the loving embrace Daniel wrapped around her. "Thank God you're okay! Why didn't you meet me at the park?" He asked. Shaking her head, Kate questioned him.

"What park, Daniel?" She asked. He sighed and shook his head, running his hands through his dirty hair. Kate could tell is had been a couple of days since his last shower, and the way he was standing around in just his t-shirt and boxers concerned her as well. But, then she listened as Daniel explained the entire situation. Nothing he was saying made sense, but she still tried her hardest to listen to every word he was saying. If there was one thing Kate swore she would never do around Daniel was openly doubt him. He was too sensitive for that and right now it seemed, more than never, that he needed someone to just believe him.

When she started shaking her head, though, is when she knew she had to pull them back to reality.

"Daniel, I haven't seen you since Wesley Sumpter's murder." She said. "I dropped you off at home that night, asked if you would be okay without Max here, and you sent me on my way." The crushing look behind Daniel's light blue eyes is what killed her the most.

"Come on, Doc," Max said, "Let's go get you cleaned up."

Daniel sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. How could this…well, he knew the answer to that question, now didn't he? Everything was so real it was almost impossible to believe that it wasn't. But, that's what happens when you're in his situation.

"She feels awful, you know…"

Daniel turned around to see Natalie leaning against the door.

"What do you mean she feels awful, there was nothing she could do, she had no idea what state of mind I was in at the time-"

"That's the point, Daniel. She thought that you would be perfectly fine, and now she comes to find you literally broken down, at one of your lowest moments? Daniel, she thinks she should know all of your signs by now, but she doesn't and-"

"That's what hurts her the most, I know." Daniel sighed, before turning around and opening the medicine cabinet.

"It's a little too late for those now, don't you think?"

"It's never too late,"

"Daniel…I think you're a little beyond this point." Daniel turned around to watch the figment of his imagination. "This breakdown is telling you something Daniel, and I know you're smart enough to figure it out." Daniel knew he was, too. He also knew that the number one way to tell you have a problem is to admit it. He sighed and pressed his forehead against his, and for a moment, it felt as if she was actually there.

"There's only one way you're going to get over this, Daniel….You have to let me go." And that is when he officially snapped. His walls completely crashed and he nodded, simply letting the tears fall from his eyes. She was right, and he hated every second of the realization. She reached on her tiptoes to kiss his forehead before she was gone….forever.

"He's just lucky you got home when you did," Kate said, looking over the articles with Lewicki in the living room. The TA simply nodded and followed Kate's eyes.

"I would hate to see what it would've been like if I was even five minutes late,"

"He would be searching for me," Kate nodded. "He truly believed that something bad had happened to me and he didn't like that at all. So, he would've come to find me, and when he didn't…" She simply shrugged because she didn't even want to dare think that far. Lucky for her, she didn't have to. Footsteps descending the stairs took her attention away from her own thoughts. Daniel, wrapped in a sweater, looked at his TA and his partner with worried eyes.

"Would someone please escort me to the hospital?"

The entire ride to the hospital was rode in silence. Max was in the back, typing away on his iPad, emailing the Dean and the associate professor that was set to take Daniel's place should something like this ever happen. Kate kept her focus on the road, because she if looked at Daniel right now all of her walls would break, and he needed someone to be strong for him right now. Walking into the hospital was one of the hardest experiences of her life, and Kate had some experiences in her time. Stopping right at the entrance, she watched as Daniel took a deep breath.

"May I help you?" The nice nurse asked, looking between the three of them, eyes never settling. Kate knew she knew though, but was appreciative of her kindness. Daniel looked down at her for a second and she nodded, giving him as much encouragement as she could muster. Did she really want this to be happening right now, no, but she was going to what she had to do for him, and that was to be strong. It took him two steps to get to the desk, and after a deep breath, he sighed.

"My name is Doctor Daniel Pierce, I am a paranoid schizophrenic and I need to be admitted…."

Two weeks….two very long, very hard, very lonely weeks. Daniel needed this, he knew he needed this, but that didn't make it any easier. The only visit time he got was a ten minute discussion with Lewicki over the phone to make sure the notes he had prepared for the sub were correct and ready for lecture. Other than that, the nurses and the two doctors he saw where his only source of contact. He chose to have a room with no television, and one that was on the second floor. He would never attempt suicide at a hospital, but he didn't want to watch people come in and out every day, that would just make him that much more miserable.

When his first day of visitations came, Daniel was honestly not expecting to see anyone. But, of course, Lewicki made his way in. Complete with his cassette player and headphones and a couple of notebooks for random writings, Daniel was starting to feel right at home. It was when he was being called down for a dinner visitation that he was really surprised.

"What do you mean someone's asked to join me for dinner," He asked one of the residents as he made his way down the stairs. "I didn't think I was allowed to have dinner visitations yet."

"She's a special case, Doc." The younger man said, before opening the cafeteria door for him. After simply walking a few steps, he saw her. Sitting in the back corner in that simple, elegant purple dress, was Kate. A small, neat table was set with whatever was on the hospitals menu that night, and though Daniel knew it was going to be terrible, he just couldn't get the thought out of his mind.

"She's here," He heard himself whisper. The younger doctor smiled and patted Daniel on the shoulder.

"She's been impatiently waiting for about twenty minutes now; I would go to her before she gets up to leave." He said, before walking away. Daniel sighed and nodded. This was his chance, he realized, taking slow steps towards her. Everything was going to work out for him after all, he thought. He was a mere two feet away from the table when he heard the infamous shrill of her cell phone go off, and he stopped moving for a moment.

"Moretti," She answered. "No, I'm sorry. Not today, Deputy Reardon." She said, before quickly hanging up her phone. When she looked up, her eyes locked with Daniel's and she stood up quickly.

"You didn't have to do that," He said, coming over to her as quickly as he could and wrapping his arms around her.

"You're so much more important to me than my job right now, Daniel." She sighed, and pulled back a big to get a better look at him. "Besides, there are some newbies who would be thrilled to take a case as simple as a shooting with the perp already in custody." She shrugged. Daniel smiled and moved a stray piece of hair out of her face.

"I, uhm, bought us dinner." She turned, blushing a bit. "I mean, it's hospital food, so it may not be the best but-" She turned her head to continue explaining herself but instead her words were swallowed by the warm, comforting lips of one Dr. Daniel Pierce. The kiss was comforting almost, the way the two of them moved together. Sliding his tongue ever so gently across her bottom lip, she moved to let him in, but he pulled away.

"Don't worry," He started, moving to pull out her seat for her. "Everything is perfect."

Author's Note: And again, I just wanted to thank you so much for reading and remind you to leave reviews and comments, in the words of John Green, in the dooblydoo!

~P