Alright, I really am a long winded individual...I wanted to cut this chapter, but it's a treat because I'm in an immensly good mood. I think this is a possible way to relieve tension, but hey, it's MY FIC so you'll all just have to deal with it. Enjoy, because I really did. (Don't go thinking all creepy thought on me...). The song that is mentioned is Just a Little Bit by Liberty X if anyone is wondering at the end of this chapter.

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Enough of my self promoting, read this very...intriguing chapter. Reviews are a privilege and not a right, but I don't think understand just how badly I want to know you views on this chapter so help an author out!

Coming face to face with the entire team was impossibly hard. The first one to approach her was Coach Purnell, asking if there was anything he could do. The rest of the team has basically been that way, with the exception of Matt slouching in the corner hoping she'd take back what she'd said. As she finished off with the last Hawk, she made her way over to Vivica, who sat in the other corner, staring blankly at the doors she and Nico had come through not even an hour ago. TK had passed away over three hours ago, and yet it felt as if it had been weeks since she'd slept.

"Vivica, I'm Doctor Santino" she said gently, placing her hand over the younger woman's as she sat down, trying to release her death grip on the hospital's chair. She looked dazed when she met Dani's eyes, but burst into tears and leaned on her shoulder. Nico felt for her, having to console everyone else before even having a chance to really process things herself. He knew she'd be shaken, and how she was going to break it to her children made him wince in sympathy. He'd make sure he was there for that, knowing that it was going to be anything but easy. People like them, they didn't get easy, they got possible, but how they got there left scars that faded long after the blood dried.

As the last few Hawks cleared the waiting room, all that was left were Dani and Nico on opposite sides of the room until Matt came storming in. He saw Nico and pointedly ignored him, making his way to sit across from Dani, still in the same seat she'd been in while she held Vivica. She and Nico were able to convince her to go home and get some sleep, but she was glad that Booze had offered her the ride. She wasn't in any condition to drive, and being alone was a relentless monster at times like these.

"Dani, can we just talk?" Matt asked trying to keep his voice down so Nico wouldn't overhear. She was well aware that Nico could hear them if the look in his eyes was anything to judge it by. He looked at her cautiously, trying to gauge how she felt about Donnally trying to open wounds so quickly. He was going to have a talk about him and his lack of control at one time or another…

"Matt, I'm exhausted. I'm sad. I'm angry. And, I want nothing to do with you right now" she sighed, sinking into her chair to get some distance from him. He had a tendency to speak very close to people and it unnerved her this time.

"But Dani, I care about you. I'm here if you need me…"

"That's just it Matt, you may care, but you stormed out of here to throw a fit after I decided what was best for me"

"I didn't actually leave-"

"You literally walked out. I need someone to be my rock, and that will never be you, despite how much you want it to be"

"Then who is your rock Dani? Nico? He doesn't give a damn about you or anyone" he spat at her, making her angry at what he was saying about Nico more than anything else. With the way he took care of her and talked to TK's body, he was an amazing man that didn't warrant a jealous attack.

"My rock can be anyone that isn't you. You know absolutely nothing about Nico, now get away from me"

"You think you know him, but he's just playing you" he said as he made to get up. He froze at her words though, sagging and hanging his head.

"At least with him, I'd know I was one of the players. You seemed to add players whenever the mood struck you, or if a blond was around" she ground out, hurt at the truth in her words.

His silence was enough to prove her right, but it hurt more to know that he wasn't even going to fight it. Nico was right, no one was waiting for her, but he seemed to be the one to pick up the pieces this time. He came to sit in Matt's vacant seat after Matt had stormed out for the second time in just six hours. He sat slouched in his chair, staring at the ceiling as she removed her gaze from the doors to settle on him. He could feel her eyes bore into his body, but he let her just stare. She was mentally cataloguing the slope of his neck and the way his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed. It was the little lines around his eyes and mouth that she focused on, knowing that they proved that he smiled and laughed genuinely like the rest of the world.

"Still think you don't need a friend?"

She jumped in her chair, startled at the low tone of his voice as he kept his eyes closed, still with his head tipped back to the ceiling. She had gotten lost in the lines of his body, it calming her that he was right there with her, alive and breathing.

"I think…I need a drink" she said, blowing out a giant breath of air as she rested her elbows on her knees. Her hands supported her head as she leant forward on them to look at Nico, who mimicked actions. His head was in his hands on his knees, staring intently at her as she yawned, her eyes looking glassy without the tears this time. He could see the way her nose was tinged red and her eyes were slightly more puffy than normal. She was hurting just as bad as everyone else, but hid it well. She wasn't weak by a long shot, but everyone did need someone there for them every one and a while.

He got up suddenly, forcing her to lean back in her chair to watch him as he shrugged on his coat and standing in front of her. She looked up at him puzzled, until he stuck his hand out to help her up.

"We can go anywhere you want, and then you can rebuild" he said cryptically.

"How did you know I have to-"

"Despite that you may find it intrusive, I know you Doctor Santino. You need to rebuild to help everyone else, so we'll begin the process tonight"

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes for what seemed to be the thousandth time tonight before reaching for his outstretched hand and grasping it tightly.

"We?" she asked skeptically as he pulled her to stand directly in front of him, much closer than she anticipated. She was maybe an inch from his chest, forcing her to tilt her head back in order to see his face. She caught a gentle spicy scent when she was so close to him, reminding her of those moments at Christmas time when, even if the house was empty, you really didn't feel alone at all. It was comforting that aside from his caring demeanor, even the way he smelled calmed her. It was unsettling the way she could melt into him at a moment's notice, and that alone made her take a step back and release the hand she didn't know he was still holding. He looked hurt for a moment before hiding it, nodding to her as they made their way outside, distance between them once again.

Driving into the city didn't surprise Dani, but what did surprise her was when they pulled up in front of a huge brick building in the middle of a busy street, people all over the place and cars zooming in and out of traffic. Nico pulled into the underground garage as she saw all of the night lights disappear only to be replaced by the concrete walls that muffled the noises of the outside world. He parked and got out, opening her door and escorting her to an elevator, all the while not saying a word to the questions she asked.

"Where are we?"

"Nico, I was kidding about the drink"

"Nico I swear if you don't answer me…" he chuckled at that one, then getting out of the elevator ahead of her when they got to the 15th floor.

What she hadn't noticed before was that the walls matched the inside of the elevator, all dark wood and what looked like stainless steel. The walls had the wood and steel strips in the middle of the wall, the pattern only broken by the black sconces that held little yellow lights that made the hallway glow in a comfortable way without blinding anyone. He got out his key ring and opened the door, motioning her inside before he shut it and locked it behind her. She got three steps before she just stared in awe of what she knew had to be Nico's home. One white wall of his living room held numerous bookshelves, anything from textbooks to one book that stuck out like a sore thumb; Dating for Dummies. She wanted to laugh so badly, but with the look he threw her as he passed her and went into the kitchen was enough to make her keep it to herself.

She next noticed that with the exception of a dark gray wall in the living room, kitchen, and hallway, every other wall was white. The living room had beautiful black furniture, the sofa looking like any other sofa, but had one end longer than the rest, almost looking like a small bed. There was a leather armchair to the right of the couch and another to the left, a silver glass coffee table in the middle with remote controls on them. On the opposite wall from the book shelves was an impressive sound system, rows of CDs and records to her surprise below it. It was incased in a glass cabinet, the record player as well as the stereo system. On the lone dark gray wall there was a dark black wooden cabinet that she thought held his television, since there were panels on the bottom for what could be DVDs.

"Enjoying yourself Doctor?"

She turned around quickly, watching him watch her from the entryway of his living room while leaning against the wall. She noticed that he really was always impeccably dressed, and only realized that because he'd had on a long black coat that covered everything but his dress shoes earlier that night. Now she was able to tell that he was in a pair of black jeans and a deep emerald green turtle neck. She couldn't help but stare, until she noticed that cocky smirk on his face, then turning back to move in front of his impressive book shelves.

"Here, I thought we could use something a bit heavier tonight"

She looked back again, and this time there was a bottle of Patron, two limes, a knife, a salt shaker, and two shot glasses. He went to sit in the arm chair as she sat at the edge of his sofa closest to him, wordlessly taking off her jacket and sitting there in just her tank top and jeans. She reached for the tequila and took the top off, pouring generous amounts into both glasses, then taking the knife and slicing the lime in half, and then into thirds. Nico watched in fascination as the juice started to trail down her hand, only to be wiped away with her tongue. The action in itself was seductive, but she didn't seem to take notice.

She then picked up the salt shaker, keeping her eyes locked with his the whole time as she licked right above her thumb and shook salt over the slick area. She picked up her lime in her left hand with the salt and the tequila in her right, watching him watch her as she downed her shot, licked the salt, and bit into the lime. He was transfixed when her tongue swiped over her lips to catch any stray alcohol, her eyes challenging him as she leant to the side, waiting for him to do the same.

They continued on like this for about six shots, Dani being able to hold her liquor much better than he originally thought. She got up, albeit a bit wobbly, but managed to get back over to his bookshelf.

He came to stand behind her she could tell, but refused to let him get to her because he knew it made her nervous.

"Go ahead and ask"

"Ask what?" she said innocently, trying not to face him so he couldn't see the smile stretching across her face. She almost felt guilty for feeling anything but sad, but his hand on her back gave her other things to think about for a minute.

"The book for dummies. It was a gift from my niece"

"I think I like her already"

"Very funny. She thought I was lonely and needed help, she thought she was making a difference"

"And let me guess, you told her you didn't need it because you flew solo right?" she said quietly, the smile no longer on her face as she stared blankly at his books. She didn't want to know about his life; it was a dangerous line to cross, and she wasn't even sure that's where whatever this was headed, if it was headed anywhere.

"Actually, I told her I loved it and that I appreciated her thoughtfulness. I didn't have the heart to get rid of it all these years"

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, his gaze tender as he got her into yet another staring contest. She was beginning to think that he just liked to watch her squirm, but he changed the game when he used his finger to move a piece of hair out of her face. His finger traced down behind her ear and ended up cradling the left side of her neck, his thumb slowly caressing the skin above her rapidly pounding pulse. She could smell the alcohol on his breath when he was this close to her, and it was starting to do funny things to her stomach.

Their speech was slightly slurred and they were pleasantly numb when Dani decided to up the ante. Nico had moved away from her this time to the long part of the couch, making her sit closer to him to reach the tequila this time, and it gave her an idea. This time, she took Nico's hand in hers and slowly licked it before shaking salt over it. He watched her, transfixed before he got an idea of his own. He leant his back against the couch, just out of her reach and held the salted hand over one shoulder, refusing to release the grasp.

"If you want the salt, you'll have to come get it" he said huskily, his eyes daring her to make that move. She had had enough alcohol in her to make her loosen up, and she was tired of him thinking that she would back off every time he challenged her. This time, she was going to be the one to challenge him, and he could either push back or pull away, but it was going to be all on him.

She eyed him as she got up slowly, straddling him as he kept his left hand planted on his right shoulder. The tequila and lime were in her right hand before she separated them while he stared at her. His eyes held a mischievous challenge as she leaned into his body, making sure he watched as she got closer to his hand and downed her shot, licking the hand he instinctively brought closer to her as she bit into the lime. Her eyes held a victorious glint until he leaned up to meet her face to face. He leaned closer as he reached for the other shot and lime, the salt shaker already on his right. He set the lime down as he grabbed the salt, leaning into her until she felt his wet tongue on the right side of her collarbone. She sucked in a breath and couldn't help the quit moan she let slip as he moved away. He lightly placed salt there as he set down the shaker, picked up the salt, and downed his seventh shot.

He threw back the alcohol, but slowly leant into her neck and made a show of taking one long lick to get all of the salt before biting into the lime. Her body arched into his as he started to pull away, her body following him until she placed her hands on either side of his head, leaving only a few inches between their faces. She could smell his spicy scent again and it wasn't helping her already foggy brain. She didn't understand why she wanted Nico all of a sudden, but the fact that he was pulling her closer rather than pushing her away was an intoxicating feeling. She knew she thought he was intriguing, but the way he was holding her made her think that they could have more, if they let themselves have it.

"What are we doing Nico?" she whispered, her hair brushing his neck as his hands rested on the small of her back, bringing her closer to him still.

"We're getting closer" he helpfully added, bringing one hand up to rest in her hair at the base of her skull.

"This isn't because we're drunk?"

He really looked at her, and brought her face less than a half an inch away from his face, his lips ghosting over hers as he spoke.

"This is because I'm not strong enough to resist you when you're this close"

"I can't think with you this close" she countered, feeling him chuckle as she placed one hand over his heart on his chest.

"Then don't think. I'm not drunk, and neither are you. We're just acting on something we didn't realize was there"

"TK's dead Nico" she whispered, afraid to disrupt the quietness, only now noticing that an extremely sexy song was floating out of his stereo. Everything this man did had a purpose; she'd to give him that.

"I know, and there's nothing we can do but live here and now. I'll be here for you the entire way if you let me"

She looked down at him and saw the honesty there. She didn't know if this was what she should have been doing tonight of all nights, but the thought of being with anyone but Nico right no physically made her shake with fear. She didn't realize just how badly she wanted him at her side, and it was enough to let her give in to what she's wanted to do since being at the hospital with him.

"I'm holding you to that"

"I wouldn't have it any other-"

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, she touched her lips to his and slipped her tongue over his and he couldn't even remember what words were. They came up for air the first time of many times a few minutes later early that morning. Neither was aware that it was three thirty in the morning; all they could focus on each other.

Do they have sex? Do they just make out? That's up to me, but keep my past fics in mind; do I ever REALLY venture outside of their actual character? [No,I don't :)] Stay tuned people, more to come.