A/N: Thanks so much for all the feedback. Yes, I'm afraid the sexy Danico scene was but a dream. Who's to say it won't be reality eventually though, huh? In the meantime, what does T.K. think about all this? ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 8

"You're doing well, Terrence," Dr Dani assured him as she opened the door for him to leave after his latest session. "I am glad you decided to come back here."

"Yeah, well, ain't no big deal," T.K. shrugged, as he slid his sunglasses back on, then peered over them to look at her. "You a lot nicer to look at than Rollins," he told Dani with a wink.

"Get out of here, ya big flirt!" she told him, chuckling along with him as she all but slapped his rear for being so cheeky with her.

T.K. laughed long and loud as he headed for the car, calling back over his shoulder that he'd see her again real soon. Dani watched him go with the dumbest grin on her face and she knew it. Sure, having T.K. around almost felt like raising a third child (when he wasn't being suggestive, because that would be weird!). Still, she meant what she said about being glad he was back here, working with her again. It was good for him, much better than that charlatan Lazarus had been. Besides, Dani genuinely liked Terrence King and really wanted to help him.

With a sigh, she closed the door and turned back into her office. It was one week now since T.K. came back to her for therapy. That night, he was dropped off at her back door by Nico, just moments after Dani had been experiencing the most intense dream about the fixer himself. Thinking of it now still made the most delicious shiver run through her body, and a blush come to her cheeks unbidden. It wasn't as if Dani never had an erotic dream before, or as if such a thing wasn't normal for most healthy adult women. The trouble was the other willing participant in her imagined interlude.

Matt had featured heavily in Dani's dreams since their one hot night together, even though she was a little vague on the details of that event. A combination of appletinis and getting served hadn't done much for her judgement. Not that she really regretted being with Matt. He was a good guy and meeting him had gotten her this job which she loved, Dani considered, as she headed into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge. They had only put their liaision on hold because mixing business and pleasure seemed like a bad idea. Right now she wasn't so sure that had been her only reason for backing off...

Then there was J.D. He was actually the closest thing Dani had to a boyfriend right now, though two dates and a couple of good kisses hardly constituted a relationship. He hadn't featured in her fantasies at all as yet, and she was already wondering if she even wanted to see him again. Their second date hadn't even managed to keep her attention, and she had hardly considered that she had fun, not like the first time. Maybe it was just the thrill of diving back into dating that had made their first night out such a good time. Perhaps J.D. just wasn't the right guy for her. He liked to talk, which wasn't a problem because she was a good listener and what he had to say was usually interesting. Still, his world was a million miles from hers, all trips to the Congo and underappreciated books. Dani had kids and a mother to think about, a divorce going through, and a job that took more of her time than she could ever have guessed it might. They just didn't seem to fit together, and whilst Dani was sure she should make more of an effort, she couldn't quite find it in her to want to.

As a therapist, Dr Dani ought to know that she was being ridiculous. Since her dream about Nico, she had avoided J.D. as much as she had avoided the fixer. She just couldn't look her 'boyfriend' in the eye after effectively dream-cheating on him, and that was insane. Perfectly normal, well adjusted, faithful women had fantasies about other men. It was fine, it was healthy even. Dani knew that and yet the thought of facing J.D. with those pictures still swimming around in her head felt so wrong. Plus it made her wonder far too much on her feelings for Nico.

She couldn't like him that way it'd be... impractical. Dani laughed out loud at herself the moment that thought came to mind. Feelings didn't adhere to rules that way. Impractical or inappropriate rarely stopped people from being attracted to others or even falling in love. These were the things she told other people, her friends and her patients, and yet telling herself seemed a lot tougher somehow.

Suddenly her cell phone rang in her back pocket, and Dani pulled it out, smiling sardonically when she realised who was calling.

"Oh, Nico," she said to herself or perhaps to the cell phone more than anything. "What would you think if I told you about that dream?" she wondered aloud. "You'd probably laugh," she muttered as she took the call. "Hey, Nico, what's up?" she asked in her regular voice, hoping her tone betrayed nothing of what she had been thinking before.

It seemed there was little or no time for niceties as another situation had come up at work and she was needed right away. Dani agreed easily, got her things together, and hurried out to the car. Seeing Nico right now would be strange. She'd been avoiding him as much as J.D. this past week, but the fixer had been a little easier since he didn't call and text every day asking if she was okay and if they could arrange another date. Somehow that was the part that disappointed Dani most, but she chose to ignore it, shaking off all her dumb guy-related thoughts and putting the car into drive. She had a job to do, and right now, that had to come first.


Nico Careles was not paying attention. He knew the content of this meeting already and of course he knew all about the Hawks curse that had been triggered six years ago by a man whose name must never be spoken within the grounds. It didn't matter that he wasn't listening, though it would bother him somewhat if Dani realised how much he was staring at her.

He was a grown man for God's sakes, not a teenage boy with a crush, and yet every time Nico was around Dani lately his concentration lapsed. The head doctor had certainly gotten inside of his head, though she was uninvited and surely not doing it on purpose. Dani could hardly help it if she was a good person and a feisty woman, both of which he found eminently attractive.

It was a long time since Nico felt this way about a woman. There had only ever been one other and up until recently he would still have had to give serious consideration to if he were still in love with that previous lover. Now he was gaining a little clarity on what it truly was to care about someone, to want to be in their life, and have them always in yours. Nico had a horrible feeling he was falling in love. He was pretty sure both his choice for the target of his affection and his timing could not have been worse.

"So, you see the problem, Dr Dani," Coach Parnell urged her. "I need you to make this birdy fly away, pronto, before my team start to panic even more than they already are."

"I will see what I can do," she sighed heavily, clearly not really believing in this curse business any more than Nico did, and positively exasperated by not even being allowed to say her new patient's name.

As the meeting ended, Nico cut past Matt when he made to walk out with Dani, encouraging her to follow him in the opposite direction. Though she seemed startled at being practically side-swiped, she went with the fixer, leaving the trainer to look both baffled and a little pained, truth be known. Neither Dani nor Nico really noticed.

"You need something, Nico?" the good doctor asked in all innocence, at least she hoped it came off that way.

The truth was she feared him asking anything that might lead her to saying something stupid or embarrassing herself somehow. Of course there was no way he knew about her dream. She had told no-one, not even Margot, not even Jeanette on the phone the other night. Still, somehow he always seemed to know everything. Dani didn't think for a moment he could actually read minds, but she did believe just about anything else was possible where Nico Careles was concerned.

"I get the feeling that you're avoiding me, Dr Santino," he told her, voice low as he watched a couple of players pass by down the hallway. "I just wondered if there was reason, if perhaps I've done something to offend. I don't want it affecting our work..."

"It won't, it's not," she cut in, only realising afterwards that it was a little rude. "I'm sorry, but honestly, Nico, you did nothing wrong, nothing at all," she promised him, stopping short of her hand making contact with his arm.

The fixer wasn't much for touching at the best of times, and yet she had been in his arms just a week or so before, finding comfort when Jeanette had said she was leaving. Still, perhaps it was Dani herself that wasn't in a place where she could just be so free and easy right now, not with that dream still floating around her in mind.

"Is everything okay with you, Dani?" Nico asked then, all full of concern. "I mean, as much as I worry about your work being affected, I... I do care about you too."

It took a moment before she really knew what to tell him, how to answer such a thing that could be taken as anything from a simple statement of friendship to a full on declaration of feelings. Dani closed her eyes and shook off what she thought to be her own stupidity. She was reading things into what Nico was saying, and that was no good.

"I've been busy lately," she admitted, the truth in one of its forms at least. "Lots going on, balls in the air, y'know?"

"I suppose having Terrence back on your rosta of patients is making life... interesting," he smirked a little as he said it. "Plus balancing the kids with the new guy in your life. It's J.D., isn't it?" Nico asked, as if he didn't know all too well!

"It is," Dani agreed, "but honestly, I..."

She didn't get a chance to finish as her cell began chiming a signal that she had received another text.

"Excuse me a second," she said, pulling it out of her purse to check the screen. "Huh, talk of the devil," she smiled a little as she opened the message from J.D. himself.

Nico tried to resist the urge to read over her shoulder, but failed miserably. Though he saw only a few words, those he took in were significant. Definitely 'weekend' and 'hotel' were in there.

In an instant, a hot feeling of anger went through the fixer. How dare this guy presume that Dani would want to go away on some dirty weekend with him? But then, Nico was making the assumption that Dani didn't want to. For all he knew they might already be sleeping together, finding themselves practically in love.

"Oh, I need to make a call here," said Dani, looking up at Nico then. "I'm sorry, were we done?"

"Yeah, sure," the fixer agreed with a forced smile, before turning to walk away.

Dani watched him go and sighed. Now she had to do what she had been trying to avoid all week; face J.D. and tell him her decision about their relationship. Facing Nico hadn't been so hard, maybe this would be okay too. The fact was it was wrong to lead J.D. on and he clearly had the wrong idea about where their relationship was heading. A weekend away was out of the question, for more reasons than she could count right now. Still, if she was going to let him down easy, he deserved a face to face conversation.

"Hey, J.D.," she smiled as she called him, mostly just so it sounded like she was happier than she was. "Yeah, I got your message. Listen, could you maybe come over to the house later, I need to talk to you about this trip..."

Around the corner, Nico couldn't help but listen in. It sounded as if Dani was awfully pleased about her invitation from J.D. All he could really want for her was to be happy, and yet, here he was in the hallway, practically wishing he could bang his head against the wall so he could forget he ever got any kind of close to Dani Santino. It seemed that what he thought before was true - the two of them were just not meant to be.

To Be Continued...