Next day
The next morning Lulu sighed as she sat up in bed, she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before from all the noise coming from Daniel's room, all she heard from Danny's room all night was the incessant giggling of a highly annoying girl (she assumed it was some of his one night stand) and the occasional laugh of Daniel. No matter how many times she yelled at her brother through their rooms, they wouldn't shut up.
She headed downstairs and into the kitchen to grab quick jucie and then get out of the mansion, so she was incredibly surprised when sitting at the kitchen table, wearing nothing but one of Daniel's shirts was a woman she'd never seen before. She had one leg crossed over the other and was smirking at Merritt as he eyed her up. But the strange woman isn't what shocked her, it was the fact that her right arm, and left leg looked as though they didn't belong to her, her skin was a light russet but the skin of her right arm and left leg was far lighter than the rest of her. Lulu couldn't see the majority of the woman's arm but in Daniel's shirt she could practically see her whole leg and spied a set of scars four inches above her knee, which made it look, for all intensive purposes, as if her leg had been sewn on. But that wasn't all, her leg and arm looked as though they had been heavily tattooed with swirls of black tribal like designs that covered most of her skin.
"You know, it's rude to stare," the woman spoke, moving her eyes from Merritt to the brunette stood in the doorway.
"And who exactly are you?" Lulu asked rudely, she already didn't like the woman and hoped that Daniel would hurry up and throw this woman out before she had to.
The woman smiled and set down her mug of coffee and brushed back the dark hair that had fallen in her face"I'm a... friend of Daniel's," .
Lulu sneered that the woman, "Danny doesn't have 'friends'."
"Well with friend's like you it's no wonder," she replied and Merritt chuckled in amusement, "In any case, I've got to head back upstairs, things to do you know?"
Jack and Dylan walked into the kitchen.
"Who was that Dylan?" Lula asked as they sat down in the lounge.
"You're asking me? Danny and I haven't been like friends after Macao, how should I know?." He replied.
"Well in case you forgot, you are the leader of the team and Danny brought a stranger here!"
"Look," Jack said interrupting them, it wasn't often that he was the mediator in the family but it appeared in this situation he was going to have to be, "regardless of who was walking around when, we should probably find out exactly who that woman is, because let's face, I haven't seen Danny smile like that since the Macao, and that's just plain weird."
Merritt sank into an armchair and looked out of the window at the grounds, "Surprisingly you are right Jack.''
Dylan watched the couple as they laughed he was struck by a strange clawing, burning sensation in the pit of his stomach. So accustomed was Dylan to getting what he wanted in life that it took him a full two minutes to realize that what he was feeling was jealousy.
Merritt watching the young couple as they laughed and looked at each other as though they were the only people in the room ,they had huge smiles in their faces and their feelings were on the surface but their smiles disappeared when Lula walked to them.
''Who are you?''
Daniel and Leya turned to see the woman standing next them with expressions of curiosity, Leyla and Daniel looked at each other but they decided to behave civilized without punches and threats.
''Dylan ,Lula ,Jack and Merritt this is Leyla Cox' 'said Daniel without taking his eyes off the woman and the others noticed that but they decided not to comment without having all the information.
Jack held out his hand, face blank. "It's good to meet you."
"You too." Leyla said quietly as she shook his hand.
'Leyla, Lula ,Jack ,Merritt and Dylan' 'the man continued, and the woman was greeted with the three new arrivals.
''Why you are here?''asked Jack with curiosity in his voice.
''None of your business''She snapped back.
Danny knew why.
FLASHBACK
''Your father is dying''
Leyla kept looking at him, waiting for Danny to say something. But he couldn't. What could he say? Why she told him? Why now?
''And you said that to me because?''
Dylan kept waiting, waiting for more, waiting for Leyla to laugh and say just kidding, waiting for the moment to be but a dream. It didn't happen. This was real.
''He wants to see''his brain unhelpfully supplied, "-me?"
Leyla smiled bashfully.
''Your father had some dizziness and headaches. We thought that symptoms were tiredness because of work but when he was at work ,he felt tired and faint. They brought him to the hospital and I did the diagnosis " Daniel looked up at her. "He has a fourth-degree cancer, he has two months of life.''
"So," Dylan shot back. "He kicked me out of the house because I was homosexual and and now he that is going to die ,he wants to see me?''
"I know you don't have a relationship, really, with him," Leyla sighed, "but he is your father."
"Exactly,"Daniel bit back, "he's my father! Not yours!"
Leyla flinched at Daniel's tone and looked down at the counter top, trying to hide the fact that tears were welling up in her eyes.
Daniel closed his eyes and winced, "Leyla-"
"I have job to do," Leyla turned away, still not looking at him, "it's been a long day."
END FLASHBACK
"So, what next?" Danny asked, stopping the previous conversation in its tracks. They all looked to him, the other Horsemen with frowns and Rhodes with a raised brow. "You say that we're in now, so what does the Eye want from us?"
The others also turned to face Rhodes, curious about what would happen now that their instructions had run out. They had all wondered about the Eye, what kind of things they did, what their grand purpose would be once they passed their trials, and now they would finally find out.
"Just trying to see what would work. I just can't decide."Dylan said.
"You sound like my ex-boyfriend..." Danny said before sitting up from the chair he was in & covering his mouth with a surprised look. Danny had been muttering stuff while dozing off -but not anything rude or off hand- however his reaction & what he said made the others look at him confused.
"What?" Jack asked a little surprised yet sounded like he was kind of laughing. Danny just looked away blushing like mad from what had happened. Merritt, Lula and Dylan all looked shocked at what had been said while Leyla was just looking at everyone else.
"I never knew you swing that way."Merritt said breaking the silence, Danny wanted to hit something from how embarrassing the moment was.
"So was the lucky man?" Lula asked having gotten over her shock. Jack followed suite now trying to hide back his laughter.
"I! UH, UMM..." Danny said stumbling over his words before looking at Leyla for help. Leyla gave him a hidden smirk that meant "You're on your own. I'm watching."
"Yes, Daniel why don't you tell everyone about Stefan?" Leyla said in an amused voice. This made Danny look back at everyone else before jumping over his chair to make a run for it as everyone chased him. All but Bruce remained, who was still smirking.
'Just because I'm a doctor doesn't mean I can't enjoy watching chaos happen... Especially when it embarrasses the showman.' She though.
Dylan was very intrigued by the lawyer. Upon reading the very likeable, Leyla Cox ,is the head of general surgery at Wilson Gilbert Memorial Hospital. Her parents Lola Cox was a teacher and Nick Cox was a lawyer. After their death ,Leyla was put in the foster care system. Lived in four foster homes by the time he was adopted at age six by the Finleys. By the time she started college she had been to twelve different schools. She went to college at Dartmouth, and despite excessive drinking and partying, she graduated. She got arrested twice for weed and because she beat a man in a bar because he tried to stole her.
He could not find a connection between the doctor and Dylan. But he wasn't jealous, he didn't get jealous.
But the way Danny and Leyla looked at each other at breakfast. The man could not help himself but had been attracted to Danny since their first interaction. There in one of the FBI's non-descript interrogation rooms, even when Danny was no one to him but an obstacle to overcome, the attraction was there. He didn't delude himself though, attraction was just attraction, fate had greater things in mind for Dylan Shrike.
In the months that followed Danny spent time with all of them. Working on acts, perfecting their abilities, learning to work perfectly as a group. There was no special attention, no stolen touches or glances between them. There were many conversations, countless conversations, but Dylan simply put it down to their similar personalities and that they were both natural leaders. Decisions about their smaller shows were made mostly jointly.
His thoughts were interrupted by the man he had left in his dreams and his thoughts from the first moment he knew him but this time ,Dyaln was different with his clothes.
''Leyla and I..''begun Danny said and the the air had never felt so cold on Dylan's exposed jaw. He clenched his teeth and ignored the heated jealousy flooding through his veins.
''We have some businesses to do''
Dylan sat up in sofa.''But we have a new trick''
There was barely a pause, but it was there. It was enough. "Yes. But Leyla is more important, I'll be home in a few hours''
"It's—"Dylan sucked in a pained breath, gripping the sheets hard. Daniel was lying to him. Daniel was lying. Why would he lie? Why would Daniel need to lie about where he'd been and what he'd been doing? "It's alright. I understand."
It wasn't alright.
''Who Leyla is to you?''asked Dylan.
''The only person I will listen to completely."he said jokingly.
He held Dylan's gaze and asked boldly, "Oh really?"
He saw the glimmer of a daring smile in Dylan's eyes, "Huh-huh."
Danny blinked and tried to hold in the smug smile that was trying to come to his lips. Dylan mirrored him giving him a half-smile.
Leyla groaned, "Oh why don't you two just get your cocks out and suck each other off and get it over with?"
Dylan's gaze darted to Leyla in surprise and Danny glared, "Leyla!"
Leyla grinned unrepentantly, "I'm just saying, you know you want to."
He returned his gaze to Dylan, who then raised an eyebrow at him. That was actually a great idea. There were a lot of things he and Bruce could experience together now that Dylan was clear headed and in his right mind.
Danny licked his dry lips, as Dylan returned his gaze. He wondered if Dylan was thinking the same thing. Leyla coughed to gain their attention.
''I apologize for my earlier behavior but I do not like when people involved in my job''Leyla all but purred. I'm not here to cause to see an old friend'' Leyla gestured to the showman.
"Leyla Cox." She introduced as she held out her hand. Dylan took it as he glanced to Danny.
"Are any of your friends not women?" Dylan asked before returning his attention back to the woman, "Dylan Shrike. A pleasure to meet you ma'am."
"What can I say? My friends make things interesting."
"Dylan Shrike?" Leyla let a smile cross her face as a glint passed her eyes, "So you're the man Daniel talks about so often."
"What?" Dylan glanced to Danny in question, "Oh, uh. Please, Dylan is fine."
"Only if you call me Leyla." She replied with a smile. "Have to give you that Daniel, sure is a cutie."
"Leyla." Danny was giving her a look and Dylan felt like he was missing something. Deciding not to dwell on it for a while Dylan turned to Daniel.
She grabbed Dylan's hand leaving Dylan alone in the room.
Danny had lied to him. Danny was lying to him.
Danny never lied to him.
