A/N: There is a longer more detailed copy of this chapter that contains the racy bits. To protect my rating I have edited it out of this copy. If you wish to read it please pm.
"Are you sure he'll be alright," Nora asked glancing back at Robbie's rapidly disappearing head obviously worried about leaving her son.
"I promise," Daniel answered. "and Adela and the lads will be in seventh heaven looking out for him. She lost her grandbaby in the troubles, and Jake and Nick are talking about adopting." He kept his arm draped around her shoulder while they made the walk back to his car. "It's good practice."
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Well, first I thought we could go for a walk in the glen and then there is something I want you to see. After that, we'll see."
Nora leaned against the door when they reached the car studying the man she'd unintentionally given her heart too. She liked this side of Daniel, taking charge. After her run in with Ian, trip to court and then the Filsons, it was nice to just lean against him, and let his arms wrap tightly around her. And they did. Daniel pulled her snugly against him, resting his chin on her head. She felt his breath against her scalp followed by a kiss. When he pulled back, he had that dreamy expression that she had only seen in his eyes. When his eyes had that look, she felt like she could fall into them. The expression promised more than love, it promised security and safety. With his arms still around her, she watched him glance around and then lowered his head to kiss her. Despite being a short kiss, it was bolder and full of potential. She wanted desperately to be alone with him. A shiver of unexpected fear flooded her, filling her with dread.
"Hey, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked, his concern plainly evident.
"Daniel, I want to be alone with you but ..."
"But what? Nora we can go back if you want."
"It's silly," she said, shaking her head.
"You shivered, so it's not. Is it me? Am I being pushy?"
"Oh, Daniel, you silly git," she scoffed. "You know that I love you and want to be with you."
"But?"
"It's just …. I never told you about how Robbie was conceived." Nora chewed her lip, unable to look at him. "I was too ashamed."
Daniel straightened with the realisation of what Ian Filson had done to this gentle woman. He eased two long fingers through her hair, gently pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He sucked the back of his teeth and then bit his top lip to control his anger. He sighed hard before muttering his question, disgusted by his thought. "He hurt you, didn't he?"
Nora nodded but refused to meet Daniel's eyes. "With him there was never ... tenderness. One night, I came home from my internship inordinately tired and sick. Ian came home after a game all excited about their win. He was already bladdered when he walked in the kitchen and just started - pulling me to the bedroom. I was bloody sick so - I refused. I told him that I was sick, but he went ballistic. I still remember his hand flying out, backhanding me across the floor." Nora sighed. "He pushed me down on the table..."
"Don't," Daniel whispered. " Don't. I am so sorry. We can go back." Daniel whispered.
"That's just it, I don't want to. I want that ... walk. We're a mess, aren't we?" She scoffed. "You've never and since that night I've never." She pressed her forehead into his chest.
"Let's go back to the house and walk the glen. Maybe after, we can just cuddle and talk. Things will go where they go. Okay? I just want to hold you." He kissed her gently again.
Nora giggled against his mouth, feeling immediately silly. Sometimes, she wondered how Daniel had fallen into her life. "Let's go." She pulled back, reached behind and opened the car door.
The smile on Daniel's face crinkled the corner of his eyes. She reached to stroke his cheek before she stepped inside. A minute later, she snuggled against his side, closed her eyes just breathing in his scent as he started the engine. The mid-day sun filtered through the autumn foliage sending shadows across the roadway. The tension in every muscle of her body fled with every mile that Daniel drove away from the school and toward his house. When the car pulled into the drive, she hated the idea of moving away from his side. In that moment, she felt incredibly safe. She sat up as Daniel bounded out of the car, pulled her door open and wiggled his long fingers in invitation to take his hand.
"House or glen?" He grinned.
"Glen," she answered taking his hand.
With her hand tucked firmly in his, Daniel led the way behind the house and up the path leading up the hill. Nora marvelled at each long step that he made as he climbed, pulling her along. They reached the tree line. Daniel pulled her close slipping an arm around her waist as they made there way through to the glen. Daniel looked at her with a manic grin, "Betcha, I can beat you to the centre of the field before ya," he challenged.
"Really, those skinny legs have no power. I run every day." She grinned in response.
"You ready?"
Nora looked at him and then took up a starting position. "One."
"Two," he teased.
"Three!" she shouted. Laughing at him, she sprinted toward the middle of the field.
Daniel easily caught up, swooping her off her feet. Both landed in the middle of the dried grass in a heap, sending a flock of birds in the air protesting their disturbance. Nora rolled over on her back, glad that Daniel leaned across her blocking the sun. The effect gave him a halo broadening her smile. She reached up to push his hair back.
"I love your new haircut," she said.
"It's more of a restyle. The barber said that it made me look more professional." He stretched out next her leaning up on one elbow to shelter her from the sun. "Can I tell you something?"
"What?"
"You are so remarkable. I never thought I could love someone like this."
"You loved Rose?"
"Yeah, I did. I do, but this - is different. I wish, I could explain it, but please believe me, after what happened the last time that I said those words, I wouldn't say them again unless I meant it. I'd made up my mind never to love anyone again. But you just kept talking to me. I woke up one day, and no longer thought about Rose first, I thought about you." He traced a gentle line down her cheek.
"And Robbie, today for just a minute, I pretended that he was mine. It was a great feeling. Does that make me sound possessive? I don't mean to be. He looked so happy up on that float. After the weekend for him to trust me..."
The gentle expression on Daniel's face held Nora's attention more than his rambling words. He always tended to ramble when he felt unsure. Shadows played across his face highlighting the side of his nose. The slight hint of a five o'clock shadow hid the small mole on the edge of his jaw. Freckles scattered across his cheeks gave him such a boyish look. So different from Ian's rugged good looks that she thought once she couldn't live without. Daniel' gentle face hid a steely inner reserve. His eyes gave witness to the moral code he lived by. How in the name of sanity had she ever lusted after Ian? But then, Daniel had lusted after Rose. The thought that they were both misguided idiots widened her smile. He stopped speaking, looking at her with a quizzical expression that made her chuckle. Nora leaned up to meet his face and kissed him. Her heart raced as he deepened the kiss. Its warmth spread through her body as her fingers laced through his hair. He'd changed his toothpaste since their last kiss. Daniel lifted her up into his arms then settled back against the dried grass. Her legs opened, letting his right leg rest between. He left her mouth trailing kisses down her throat. His hand started under her jumper sending a shiver of desire through her when suddenly, he stopped.
"I'm so sorry, I should have asked," he huffed sounding terrified that he'd hurt her.
"I kissed you, numpty. But I was sort of wondering, could we do the house - go to the house? Can we go to the house?" she panted heavily. A flock of birds flying over head sent a long shadow trailing across them.
"Yeah, house. Can we ..."
"I think we might," she answered.
Daniel kept an arm snug around Nora as they crossed the field and skirted the tree line, stepping over fallen logs. They made the walk back in contented silence listening to the sounds of the woods. Fallen, dried leaves crackled underneath their feet. A field mouse hunting for fallen pine nuts scampered across the ground in front of them. Above them, squirrels chattered at each other as they jumped tree limb to tree limb. Daniel held her securely as they took Daniel's hand laid steps down the hill and through the gate. Their sudden proximity to the house brought on a fit of nervous giggles from Nora.
"What?" Daniel asked with his own chuckle.
"What will the dog think?"
"I literally have no idea, but I am not taking pictures." Daniel laughed, hugging her closer.
Finn met them at the door, excited to see his people home. Daniel ruffled his ears and sent the dog to lie down. He glanced up the stairs, drew a breath and looked down at Nora. "C'mon, I want to show you something," he said stopping at the bottom of the stairs long enough to remove the picture of the TARDIS, and then led her up to the office. Other than a new security monitor, little had changed. Still clutching her hand, he led her to the larger terrarium that now housed the baby coral. "It's grown," Nora murmured awed by the delicate organism that had tripled in size since she'd first seen.
"Remember this?" Daniel showed her the sketch he'd drawn of the TARDIS.
"Yeah, but you've added to it. Daniel, this is beautiful. It should be in an art gallery."
"No," he scoffed. "Please, don't think I'm demented, but I've wanted to tell you what this actually is for weeks. I want you to understand this part of my world. This isn't just a piece of coral, it is alien. John gave it to me on the beach," he half lied.
"Excuse me?" Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"It will eventually mature into a sentient machine called a TARDIS. It is a living time machine. Well, I say living; it's alive like coral is alive. When it's grown, it will be able to configure itself however, it wants and will be mildly telepathic. If you close your eyes and quiet your mind, you can feel her presence. It is irreplaceable, so you can't tell anyone outside the Torchwood family. Someone could get the wrong idea and try to hurt or destroy it.
"What?" She stepped back startled.
"She doesn't speak with words; it's more subtle than that. When she's grown, she'll try to anticipate what her pilot wants. At the moment, all she can do is feel your emotions and try to reflect peace. Give it a try. Just close your eyes and let go. Tell me what you feel."
Nora clutched his hand and did as Daniel asked despite wondering if this was a joke. She pushed away the worry and fear and simply said hello. For a moment, nothing happened and then a look of wonder spread across her face. She squeezed Daniel's hand as tight as she could. She felt a tendril of gold weave itself through her mind, leaving her feeling warm and safe. It lasted just a second and then was gone.
"Daniel?" she asked, in awe.
"I just wanted to show you." He caressed the coral with such a delicate touch that his finger seemed to glide over its surface.
Nora turned to cup his face in her hand. "You are the most remarkable man. You understand the stars, teach kids everyone else writes off, accept me and Robbie with all our baggage and you create art like I wish I could. You are …. Come here you." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I am so lucky that you walked into my office."
Daniel kissed her again and then led her out to the hall. He froze there, unsure of what to do. He ached for her, but the last thing that he wanted was to make her feel rushed or pushed. Nora ended the pain of his uncertainty by taking his hand. She led him to the bedroom, and once inside, closed the door. Without a word, she slipped her hands under his jumper, encouraging him to strip it off. When he did, she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans. There was no longer doubt or fear, there was only love. Daniel dropped the jumper, kicked off his trainers and stepped out of his jeans. He moved to help her pull her jumper over her head. His hands slid up her back, lightly scraping her skin and feeling her tremble as he unfastened the white cotton bra. Jake's words, 'Let her show you what she wants to do,' echoed in his head.
His own skin shivered when Nora traced a line of kisses across his chest, taking a second to tease his nipples. Daniel groaned with pleasure. When she looked up, her smile alone sent a rush of heat through. Nora turned and pulled him to the bed. God, Daniel thought, this is real. He was sure the tentative grin on his face made him look mental. Nora pulled the covers back, slid her knickers off and crawled under the covers. Daniel stood there, still unsure, feeling his y-fonts becoming increasingly uncomfortable.
"C'mon, Daniel, it's alright," Nora encouraged him.
"I don't want you hurt," he replied, his voice raw with desire.
"I'm fine."
Daniel crawled under the covers, feeling Nora's bare skin brush against him. Her hand slid under the covers to the edge of his pants, "These come off." She giggled.
As he chivvied out of his pants, he reminded her of Robbie getting caught doing something terribly wrong.
o0o
Rose stared out at the warehouse office window at the boats sailing the River Clyde. Every bit as wide and busy, the river was almost as beautiful as the Thames. Alternating bridge lights in shades of purple, blue and green shimmered off the black water reminding her of the London Eye back home. That was another thing this world lacked, a proper observation spot for the whole of London. There were so many tiny little differences between this side of the divide and the other fueling the moments of loneliness that still ate at her.
But not tonight.
Tonight, for the first time in years, she was a peace with her self and the world. She'd had a long heart to heart talk with both Daniel and her mum and then spent the day exploring the city with Don. He wasn't bad - for a Canadian. She liked that he was not only funny and intelligent, but filled with common sense. Other than occasionally holding her hand, he never tried to hit on her. And that was nice. He didn't make her feel guilty for not climbing into bed with him. Truth told, she'd had enough of that in the Ukraine. She looked up at the stars twinkling like fairies' light against the night sky and asked the universe to protect her Doctor - where ever he might be.
