A/N: So, is Dani pregnant? Is T.K. okay? Will Vera Dade get anything she wants? Read on and find out! ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 21

Dani didn't notice she was being watched until a tap on the window caught her attention. She looked up through red-rimmed eyes to see Nico standing there, looking so worried at the sight of her tears. She honestly wasn't sure how long she had been sitting here or what happened between her spotting Nico with the other woman and now. Dani knew she wasn't going to find out just sat here staring.

"Hi," she said shakily as she wound the window down.

"Hey," he replied. "Dani, what happened?"

He looked so worried about her, and not guilty at all. She knew it was wrong to think for a moment that anything had been going on with her guy and the beautiful woman across the parking lot. She had to be crazy, but after the news she just got at the doctor's office, Dani wasn't exactly thinking straight or feeling especially good about herself.

"Get in," she urged Nico, unlocking the passenger door and closing up her window.

She tried to clean up her face some and calm down. Dani had some explaining to do and it had to be now. She wasn't sure how understanding Nico would be. She guessed very, since he usually was, but this affected the both of them. Plus she had kind of been keeping secrets the last couple of days, nothing that really mattered now, but she still wasn't happy with herself for doing it.

"Dani, you're starting to scare me," admitted Nico as he sat beside her, waiting for an explanation that didn't seem forthcoming.

Pushing her wasn't fair when she was clearly so upset, but he needed to know what he was dealing with. If there was something he could fix, he wanted to do it, and sooner rather than later. If not, he at least wanted to offer any comfort that he possibly could.

"Is it Jeanette and the baby?" he asked. "Or one of the kids in trouble?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that," she promised him, her voice breaking just as soon as she attempted to speak. "I'm so sorry, Nico, I'm being pathetic..." she cried.

"Hey," he pulled her closer across the gear shift and hugged her as best he could. "You may be a lot of things, Danielle Santino, but pathetic is never one of them," he promised, kissing the top of her head.

Dani found a smile for that comment, but it was weak and watery at best. Swallowing hard, she found some composure and pulled out of Nico's arms. She made herself face him and took a deep breath so she could explain herself.

"I, er... I went to see the doctor today," she admitted. "Because there seemed to be a chance that... that we were having a baby."

Nico wasn't sure what the best thing was to say when that information was given to him. He and Dani had discussed children barely a week ago and absolutely agreed that they didn't plan on having any together. Only one question came to mind.

"Is that why you asked me if I ever wanted kids?" he asked. "Because, Dani..."

"No," she interrupted fast, shaking her head. "No, that wasn't specifically why I brought it up. Honestly, it was only when we went to the hospital with Jeannette and her scare that I even did the math. I had no idea if I really was pregnant, not until this morning when I took a test," she wavered a little but held herself together by a thread. "The test was positive," she admitted, reaching to hold onto his hand.

"Okay," replied Nico nodding slowly. "Er, then we have a lot to discuss" he considered, running his free hand back through his hair.

He really hadn't been ready for this. On top of everything else, it was kind of a shock and an awful lot to take in. They were always careful, he couldn't imagine how this happened, and yet he was a man of the world and all too aware that no contraception was one hundred percent full proof. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it would be fine, being a father...

"Maybe not as much to discuss as you think," said Dani, with a shaky smile. "Nico, I went to see a doctor and he said the store bought test was wrong."

Those words ought to have been a relief in a lot of ways, Nico knew, and yet his chest tightened in the worst way at the sound of them. If Dani wasn't pregnant, and was instead terribly upset, his mind began to race with a hundred and one possibilities for the truth, all kinds of diseases, conditions, and maladies.

"Dani..." he prompted her to explain and fast, which thankfully she did.

"It's not just that I'm not having a baby now," she said, the tears coming back to her voice and her eyes all at once. "I can't ever have one again."

Nico's eyes fell shut as he expelled a long breath. Now he understood, and it genuinely was a relief this time. She wasn't sick, his darling Dani wasn't ill or about to die of some awful disease. Still, he understood why her heart was breaking. She was too young for menopause really, but it did happen. A woman who could no longer bear children, whether she wanted to or not, it could be tough, he supposed, much like a man who lost the ability to father a baby.

"I'm sorry, Dani," he told her, drawing her back into his arms.

It didn't matter how awkward the position was in a car, Dani needed this right now, she needed his embrace and his comforting words. Nico promised she was no less of a woman to him, that he would help her through this transition and they would be okay. Of course, she would never be thrilled by the news she received today, but she did believe her boyfriend when he promised it'd be okay. As long as he was here and he loved her, she would always feel better about things, however upsetting. That didn't mean she knew how to stop crying right now. It had all been such a rollercoaster of emotions and in such a short space of time, she just needed a few minutes to let out all the tears. After that, hopefully, she would feel better.

Nico was tired, in fact he was beyond tired, he was exhausted. Today had been a very big day. There seemed to be a lot of those lately, but this one in particular had taken it's toll. Tensing imperceptibly had left his shoulder aching, in spite of the fact it was well-healed by now. His head pounded with a pain he was not usually prone too, but a quick mental check proved he really hadn't made sure to eat or drink enough today. So much for a celebration over the court case tonight, neither he nor Dani felt up to it.

Dani herself had called her mother to explain, and then in less detail imparted the news to the kids. They understood she might be tired or moody sometimes, but ultimately she was fine. Jeanette was being all kinds of sympathetic and apparently feeling guilty too. Nico understood why she felt awkward, being pregnant when Dani just found out she never could be again. It was an odd situation, since they had established that neither of them ever wanted a baby, but Nico supposed there was a big difference, especially for a woman, between knowing you had made that choice, and knowing it had been made for you.

The girls had all gone to bed. Nico was still up, tidying and waiting for the aspirin he just took to kick in. There was no way he was ever going to get any sleep until the pounding in his head stopped. The slamming of the front door sure didn't help any, and he walked out of the living room to see a red-faced young man in the hall.

"Ray Jay?" he checked. "Is everything okay?"

"Why are women so damn complicated?" he asked, his voice full of frustration.

It was almost amusing to Nico, though he did his best not to smile. Teenagers in love were perhaps the most temperamental of creatures. All people in love were a little much to handle sometimes, but young ones in particular.

"C'mon," he told the teen, putting a hand to his shoulder and encouraging him towards the kitchen. "I'll make some tea and you can tell me what happened," he told him. "I can't promise I'll be any help, especially if you want a literal answer to your question, but I'll try."

Ray Jay started to explain before they even reached the kitchen. Nico listened intently, glad to be able to keep his back to the boy as he made the tea, since it was hard not to smirk once or twice. Poor Ray Jay. Olivia had really done a number on him, but he hadn't really helped himself either. There was little advice Nico could really give that would help, except the old standby cliché that there were plenty more fish in the sea.

"Women are a law unto themselves, Ray Jay," he explained, pushing a mug towards the young man. "Not that us men are exactly straightforward all of the time."

Ray Jay scoffed at that, took a drink from the mug and winced. He didn't really drink tea as a rule. Coffee would have been fine, but he wouldn't complain. He wasn't exactly thirsty anyway, he just needed a fellow male to vent to. Nico didn't seem to mind, so that was cool.

"How can she be with me all this time and then just dump me like it all meant nothing?" he asked frustrated.

"Because some people, male and female, are just made that way," said Nico, thinking pointedly of Gabrielle, and unfortunately of Juliette too at times. "There are people in the world, Ray Jay, that get what they want and then move on to the next thing or person that they see. What you have to hope is that eventually you'll find someone who truly cares about you, that couldn't ever imagine walking out on you, and that you wouldn't want to leave for all the world."

Now he was talking about Dani, and even Ray Jay seemed to realise it. He smiled some as he looked at his mother's boyfriend, wondering at his own acceptance of a new guy in the house. Nico never tried to be his father, just like a friend somehow. That was kind of cool.

"Thanks, Nico," he told him, putting out a fist for him to bump.

He did so, even though he felt kind of stupid doing it. Ray Jay hopped off the stool then and declared he was heading to bed. He stopped in the doorway and turned back with a frown on his face.

"Is T.K. alright?" he checked. "I mean, you saw him at court today, right? Everything was cool?"

"The shooter was found guilty and jailed; T.K. seemed pleased with that, as we all were," said Nico vaguely. "Why do you ask?"

"It's probably nothing," Ray Jay shrugged, but all the same he came back into the room brandishing the cell phone from his pocket. "I got this weird message..."

He handed the phone to Nico who read the text and started frowning himself then. It was all badly spelt, but that was just text language or laziness on T.K.'s part, he supposed. Still the subject matter was troubling as it was asking Ray Jay to come over, and bring 'the good stuff'. Below that, Ray Jay asked what he meant, but T.K.'s reply was a short, sharp 'never mind', and that was that.

"I wouldn't worry," said Nico, handing the phone back. "It probably wasn't meant for you anyway."

"That's what I thought," Ray Jay nodded, feeling better for having asked. "Good night."

Nico barely answered, his mind already whirring. He meant what he said to Ray Jay, T.K. probably did text the wrong person, but the reference to the 'good stuff' was a little concerning in any case. He needed to have words with Terrence King tomorrow, that was for sure.

"No, that's fine. Okay, Ty. I'll see you then," smiled Dani as she hung up from her call and shoved her cell into her purse.

It was nice to smile. The last few days it hadn't really come easy but finally Dani felt like things were getting back to normal. The kids seemed happy, and she and Nico were solid as ever in spite of the house guests, court cases, and menopause. It was still a little strange to realise how much their relationship really could withstand. It was great, but yeah, strange too. When they first met, Dani never would've guessed that she could fall for a guy like Nico, and she certainly never thought she could learn to trust and rely upon another person like this, not after Ray, but here they were. She was genuinely happy with so many areas of her life now, she had even managed to find a positive spin on the end of her womanhood, as she thought of it. She didn't want anymore children, and her 'condition' wasn't life-thretening or anything. Sure, it had come earlier than she expected, but what was happening to her was perfectly natural and she could cope, as she did with everything else that life threw at her. Right now she was juggling far less balls or flaming batons or whatever else had been flung in her general direction the last few months. There were still stresses and strains, but it was getting a whole lot better.

Later, Dani planned to meet with a young bull rider and his fiancé, and with a little luck she would be able to help make them happier in their relationship and their lives too, at least that was the plan. For now, Dani was headed through the hallways of the Hawks facility, looking for Nico. She heard his voice before she ever saw him.

"Really, Ms Dade? I'd appreciate if we could be professional about this," he said from around the corner.

Dani stopped walking and just listened. She had found out recently that the name went with a face she had already seen but not recognised. The woman from the parking lot, that was Vera Dade, and she worked for the league. She was investigating some trouble, and Nico was supposed to help her, though he had told Dani he was pretty sure she wasn't all she seemed. Dani had felt compelled to ask if he found her attractive.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Dani, she's certainly not unattractive, but she's of no interest to me. I have you, and you're all I want or need," he had promised.

Dani wanted to believe him, but having seen the sexy Ms Dade for herself, and feeling as unwomanly as she had lately, she had to wonder. This was why she waited around the corner instead of walking right up and getting in the middle of whatever moment this Vera was trying to start. She just needed to see what happened and so she leaned towards the corner a little and peeked around.

"C'mon, Nico," said Vera, leaning in close to him, all long legs and fluttering eyelashes. "There's no need to be so formal, or so coy. We can both get what we want out of this," she told him.

Dani bit her lip, watching the scene like a peson watches a car wreck - wishing they could tear their eyes away but unable to do so. She felt a smile come to her face when Nico grabbed Vera's hands that were about to wander and pushed her gently away.

"Ms Dade, let me make myself perfectly clear. If you need some information about this team, I will try to help you, but I have no interest in anything you have to offer me."

He was very serious about it, so much so that the charming Ms Dade, didn't even try to press her luck anymore. She had barely walked away when Dani decided to show herself, appearing around the one corner as Vera disappeared around the next. Nico got a bit of a surprise, he had no idea his girlfriend was there. Before he could even speak to her, she reached up and grabbed his head, pulling him down into a deep kiss.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" she asked, smiling widely when they parted.

"I'm sure you have," he smiled right back. "But it's always nice to hear."

He kissed her this time, the pair of them like a couple of kids in the empty corridor, but they didn't care. It was nice to be carefree, even if only for a few minutes, before their busy lives kicked in all over again.

"Unfortunately, this is only a flying visit," she admitted then as they headed down the hallway with their arms around each other still. "I just wanted to see if you knew what time you'd be home for dinner tonight, and then I was going to check on T.K. Y'know he missed his last session."

Nico frowned a little at that news, even as he told Dani what time he hoped to be home. First there was the text Ray Jay had shown him a few nights ago and now Terrence was skipping appointments with Dani again. He really should check in with the guy himself and find out what was going on. He suspected it was nothing worse than partying too hard, but he had been cleaning up his act so well before the shooting. Nico hated to think the wide receiver had slid back into very bad habits.

"...and I saw Matt with that reporter on my way to find you," Dani was saying when he turned back into the conversation. "Honestly? What is he thinking? I know it's none of my business but I personally would've thought that's a little like playing with fire."

"It might be," Nico agreed. "But trust me, I'll be keeping an eye on that, for the team's sake, if nothing else."

He walked Dani out to the field where the team were practising, and it was a relief to see T.K. participating. If he was so out of it or off the wall, he wouldn't be able to run like he currently was doing. Of course, just moments after they started observing the session, things went awry. Terrence didn't make the play he was supposed to and his team-mates were not happy, neither was Coach. A fight erupted on the field and though Dani wanted to rush into the fray, Nico advised against it, moving forward himself. T.K. was on the ground and not exactly getting up quickly when the fixer got close.

"Terrence, what is going on?" he asked, looking down on the guy who was staring up at the sky still, not even bothering to move himself.

It was only then that Nico noticed the wide receiver was shaking. Just his hands and feet really, but they were definitely moving all by themselves. T.K. seemed to notice it too, but after Nico, and immediately he fought to stand himself up. He wavered terribly and yet when Nico met his eyes, leaned in close to check his breath, there was no signs of alcohol.

"You okay, Terrence?" he checked, already knowing he really wasn't.

"Fine, dog!" T.K. told him crossly. "Just... just get out of my face, okay?!"

He was off the field before anyone could say another word, throwing his helmet aside as he went. Something was definitely wrong here.

To Be Continued...