We Have a Situation
Word Count: 5,578
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Nico/Dani
Spoilers: References something from 1x11, but goes AU in the middle of 1x06.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just break things.
Summary: She thinks he thinks everything is a situation. Trouble is, he's right. She just doesn't know it yet.
Author's Note: Long chapter again. It's just having so many things that I want to cover and wrap up properly, and this is where it leads. Well, and then there was some much needed comic relief, but I know that I am very close to reaching where I wanted to be, no matter how many detours the characters took along the way. :)

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"How is she?"

"Asleep. Everyone is. The day took a lot out of us," Dani told Nico, looking over the cleaned up but still worse for wear version of him that stood before her. After he told Juliette about her mother, he'd walked her upstairs and sat with her for a while, talking in a low voice and rubbing her back. Dani's kids had kind of looked at each other and somehow everyone decided it was bed time. "Do you always carry a change of clothes in your car?"

"Not always, but it has become increasingly more useful, so I think it will be a policy from now on," Nico admitted, running his fingers through his wet hair. Dani reached up to push it down instead of the way he usually styled it and studied him, trying to assess how she felt about that look. "I had almost forgotten what it was like to get dirty like that. Alcohol... It doesn't like to wash off. Maybe that's just me. Maybe I can smell it the way that smokers always smell cigarettes."

She leaned up against his chest. "I don't smell anything. Maybe a bit of soap. It smells good."

"Thank you. Please get off your ankle now."

She sat down again. "It is so annoying being stuck in one place, Nico. I keep needing to move, and I can't, so then I do too much. I know—I should never have gone to the stadium today. I didn't—the last thing you needed today was me showing up and accusing you of messing with my divorce."

"You had no way of knowing that my sister would leave rehab, Danielle. You can't blame yourself for that. As for the accusation—"

"It's something someone who doesn't know you. I could have made it when we first met because I didn't know you then, but I do now—as much as I can—and I know better. I know you didn't do that. I knew, but I didn't stop myself. I am really sorry."

He touched her face. "What you said to me does not even compare to my sister's words. I know why you might have thought I would do it, and there was a part of me that wanted to handle that for you. You told me specifically not to get involved when the court appointed observer was there, and I stuck to that."

"I signed the papers," she blurted out, and he looked at her. She nodded. "Yes. Technically, I'm a free woman. Which... I should have been before we started this, but life just doesn't work the way it should, and I'm still waiting for the other shoe, you know, because Lindsay and Ray Jay took the news too well."

"You could use something going easily for a change."

"But it doesn't fit my daughter. I'm not sure I know what's going on in my son's head right now," Dani admitted. She shook her head. "It is going to be different in the morning. Signing the papers changes everything. And nothing. And I don't even know. I am so confused about what to think or feel. I just need—"

"A break," he said, giving her a half-smile. She loved that smile. She really did. "You would say that I need one, too."

"You won't take one, though."

"Juliette took her mother's relapse hard. I think she may have hoped that if she could do this, her mother could, too, and she has to wonder if she can do it. She already drank once, and now that her mother has given up..."

"I know," Dani said. She'd come to the same conclusion that he had. He wouldn't leave. He couldn't walk away from Juliette. He might want to do that with Gabriella, but he couldn't. He'd gone to her and gotten alcohol thrown at him for his trouble. "My kids are going to need time to come to terms with the papers. I need time. I don't..."

She blinked, trying to force back the tears. Nico drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. She shook her head. As much as she wanted to let him hold her, to take comfort from him, he needed it just as much as she did. Someone should be holding him. He'd already held Juliette, and if what he was saying was true about what Gabriella had said to him, then he probably needed this more than she did.

She lifted her head. "Nico, you don't have to take care of me. I love it. I love being held by you. I love how strong you are. But you don't—you're hurting, too, and I was a part of doing that to you. You can be there for a person without taking their abuse."

"Like you?" he asked, looking down at her. "You took far more from me than you ever should have."

She put her head back down. "We just need a night of peace, a day when nothing happens. I don't know—that's impossible, isn't it? We don't get days like that, do we? With all you do for the Hawks, for your family—"

"You and your family. TK. Your patients. The Hawks."

"You listed TK and then my patients."

"TK is outside the normal sphere in pretty much every case," Nico reminded her. She nodded. That was true. She knew that if there was one thing that TK was good at, it was bringing the crazy. He did make them laugh—when she wasn't wanting to pull her hair out.

Dani heard a knock behind her, and they both turned to look over at Jeanette. She smiled at them. "Hey, lovebirds. I didn't want to interrupt, but since I don't think we're having quite the slumber party we were going to have—"

"Jeanette, you don't have to leave," Dani began, turning around but not leaving Nico's side. Jeanette shook her head, holding up a hand.

"Let me finish. I didn't say I was necessarily leaving. I just wanted to say that you can have a break. As much as I know it'll break Dani's heart, her kids are probably going to feel the need to be close to their father right now. The papers sent this message that he's done and gone, and that's not true for them. Let Ray take them for a few days. I'm not thrilled with the guy because of what he did to my best friend, but he's still their father. Dani already asked me about doing something with Juliette, and I was thinking that the best thing for her right now is a change of pace, a reward, a reason to keep herself sober... and a bit of retail therapy. Just a little. I want to take her on a bit of a spree."

Nico shifted behind Dani, and she looked up at him as he nodded thoughtfully. "I can give you access to a limited amount from the Pittmans' personal accounts if you can assure me that it won't be spent on any drugs. No alcohol. No parties."

Dani's eyes had to have been as wide as Jeanette's. "Really?"

"I never wanted Juliette cut off from the money. I was always more worried about what she'd do to get a hold of the drugs, and usually it was as bad as I feared. I made sure she had a place to live and arranged for a grocery delivery so she wouldn't starve, but I couldn't give her any money knowing where she'd spend it. I don't know if I was helping or just enabling, but I didn't want Juliette to become like her mother before she—Just promise me that the money will be monitored. Once you hit the limit, that's it. I won't authorize any more than what I'm going to give you."

"I was going to spend my money, but hey, I like spending other people's money more," Jeanette said with a grin. "Dani, kiss him for me. That is so sweet."

"Not really," Nico disagreed. Dani put her arm up around his neck but hesitated, letting him finish. "A lot of addicts trade one addiction for another. Juliette does it with sugar, but she used to do it with shopping, too. Frankly, I'd rather her be addicted to clothes than the alternatives."

"Even the sugar?" Dani asked. Nico gave her a look, and she pulled him down for a brief kiss. "What about you? What did you replace your addiction with?"

His only answer was another half-smile.

"You had a slumber party and didn't invite me? And what about my man D?" TK demanded, giving Balzarini a long look as he took in her pajamas. Balzarini had declared that she was making breakfast, and the kitchen was soon covered in pancake mix. Other than her cheek, though, she had managed to avoid it. Of course, that was the cheek TK chose to sneak a kiss on. She laughed as he got a bit of floury mixture on his lips and made a face. He recovered and gave her a big smile. "I want to be a part of the next one. What about you, D?"

"Can we play games all night?"

"We almost did," Juliette said, reaching across the table for the butter with a smile. "Lindsay and I have one level left—with Doctor Zomboss. We'll get him. I can do it on my own, but it should be easier doing it coop, right?"

"You don't need me to do it," Lindsay said, shaking her head. "Besides, you don't really want to have a sleepover with him, do you?"

Nico looked up from his coffee. "It is a bit much to assume that I was here all night."

He had decided that mornings at the Santino house were like watching chaos in the flesh. With the addition of Ms. Balzarini into the mix, the house was full, again, especially now that TK had made another early morning visit. The kitchen had been quiet only a few minutes ago, when he sat down with his coffee to wait for Danielle and Juliette to rise, but it seemed like someone had flipped a switch and everyone was awake and in the room within minutes.

"Nico, you got to be the craziest one here if you didn't stay," TK muttered, shaking his head. He pointed at Danielle. "You're a damn lucky man, and you should appreciate what you've got there. A fine woman who loves you."

"Terrence," Nico began, shooting him a dark look. He did realize that talking about Santino's sex life in front of her children was completely inappropriate, didn't he? No, because Terrence King had the common sense of a five year old. "This is not a conversation we are going to have, now or ever."

"What, there some rule against you having a good night and some good loving?"

Lindsay bolted from the room, and Nico glared at TK. Danielle started to get up, but Ray Jay held up his hand. "I'll go talk to her."

"I'll help," Juliette added, following him out. She stopped, turned back, and grabbed Devin. "On second thought, I think I'll show you a game where the violence is all cute and cartoon. Nico—he's a football player. Go easy on him."

Nico considered the things he could say to that, but she had pulled Devin from the room before he settled on one. TK frowned. "What is going on? What's with the running? And the looks?"

"I think you know, Terrence," Nico told him. He turned to Danielle. "Would you like to handle this or should I?"

She pretended to think about it. "You should."

"Dani!" Balzarini cried, and Danielle shrugged, giving Nico a slight push. He started to get to his feet.

"Okay, Nico, really, I didn't mean anything by it, and I don't—easy now, you're supposed to protect the Hawks assets, not hurt them," TK said, holding up his hands in protest. "Uh, Jeannie, you want to help me out here?"

Balzarini looked at him. She gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, honey. You're cute and fun, but you need to learn to watch what you say. The kids all had a rough night last night, and this was really not the time."

TK turned desperately to Santino. "Doctor D! Come on, please! Don't let him hurt me."

Nico looked back at her, though if he had really intended to harm TK, nothing that she could say would have changed his mind at this point. He had to admit that he was tempted, but if he gave in to every time he was tempted to do TK harm, the man would have long since been dead.

"I can't look," Danielle said, ducking her face behind her hands. "Just tell me when it's clean again. And when everyone's gone."

TK took another look at Nico and ran from the room.

"Mornings around here are exciting," Jeanette said, giggling after TK had left the room. "I should come over more often. Of course, that would mean I'd have to get up before ten, and that's a crime against nature."

"You're up before ten now," Dani reminded her, trying not to look at the kitchen. It was a complete disaster again. Maybe even worse this time. "I think I need new locks and a security system and—why is it that anyone can get into my house, Nico? Where is your paranoia there?

She watched him as he stopped to refill his coffee. "All the security measures in the world can't protect you if you open the door—or one of your children does. Technically, he was invited in. Maybe the children felt they needed him to keep their minds off of the events of last night."

Dani nodded. She let out a breath, reaching up to rub the back of her neck. "I should really talk to Lindsay. She hasn't said a word about me signing the papers, and that does not feel right. I keep expecting hysterics."

"You can't predict how she's going to act," Jeanette told her. "Tall, dark, and scary, can you get out some plates? Or—no, I take it back. I was going to go tell them that breakfast is ready, but you should do it. Scare them right to the table."

"No one will have an appetite," Nico warned her, and she shrugged. Dani rolled her eyes. "Very well, I can make sure they all sit at the table, but I have my doubts as to whether or not consumption of any food will occur."

Jeanette smiled at him as he left the room. She took some plates out of the cupboard and brought them over to the table. "I want one of those."

"You could have TK," Dani told her, and Jeanette laughed. "What? I think he's taken with you."

"Maybe. And he's cute. But he's got a lot to work on, and I'm not really looking for someone like him. I don't want to have to wait for him to grow up. I did that with Rudy, and it never happened. I'm not doing it again," Jeanette insisted, going back for the pan. "I can handle being alone. I've got you—and now Juliette. She's like my... lost twin or something. I just love that girl to pieces."

Dani smiled. "You've been great for her, Jeanette. I don't think you have any idea what you mean to her or how much you've helped her."

"She's worth it," Jeanette said, putting the first finished pancake on a plate. "She's so sweet under all that damage, and I love seeing that side of her. And did you see her handle Devin back there? That girl's got sense. She might not use it all the time, but who does?"

"Not you," Dani teased, and Jeanette made a face. She turned back to the stove as the room got loud again.

"Pancakes from the lovely Jeannie. This I can't wait to try," TK said. He caught their look and shrugged. "I'll be eating. My mouth will be too full to cause any more problems. Word of honor, ladies."

"Oh, cool, you made them in funny shapes," Devin said, looking at the plate on the table. He sat down in the chair, and TK handed him the syrup. "Thank you, Miz Jeannie."

Jeanette grinned and kept cooking. Dani shook her head. Her friend was working overtime to help, and she didn't have to. She wasn't really a part of any of it, but she still cared enough and had enough strength left to pick up the pieces that Dani and Nico couldn't. Jeanette was a woman in a million and a good friend, and Dani owed her more than she could ever repay.

"Pass the syrup," Juliette said, drenching her pancakes in the dark liquid. The plate was more syrup than pancake, and Dani didn't miss the look on Nico's face when he saw that. She smirked, but he ignored it and went to get his coffee.

"Uh, Mom," Ray Jay began as he sat down at the table, looking at the pancake in front of him suspiciously and then over at Jeanette. "Linds and I were thinking that maybe... Maybe we could go to Dad's this weekend? I know it's not his week, but with all that's going on, we just kind of..."

"I understand," Dani said, and her heart did ache when she looked at them. It was hard any time she sent them to Ray's, but this time was different. This was after she'd signed the papers. She knew that it was for the best—they needed to be with their father and remember that he was still a part of their lives even if he wasn't married to Dani anymore, and she also knew that if she was going to get a break from everything that was going on, the kids needed to be taken care of. She didn't want it to be Ray, but he had never been a bad father to them, only a bad husband to Dani. "No, I agree. You should go. You should spend time with him. Why don't you give him a call and make sure he doesn't have work or anything, and you can go there after school today?"

"Who are you and what did you do with our mother?" Lindsay asked, sitting down next to her brother. She glanced over at Nico, and Dani rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Mom. I just... need a couple days. The weekend. It's just... different. You're not married anymore, and that's a lot to wrap my head around."

Dani nodded, reaching over to squeeze her daughter's hand. "I know."

Lindsay gave her a slight smile and picked up her fork. She was about to take a bite when she her phone beeped. She took it out and frowned at it. "Gross. I think I lost my appetite."

She pushed the plate away and started to leave. Nico got in front of her, holding out a keychain with a small black box on it. "Here. Though I thought you handled the situation yesterday very well, if he's still bothering you or you need help, push the button. Someone will be there shortly."

She took the chain, studying it for a second, and then looked up at him. "What happens if I push it now?"

"Then you're stuck with me. And I'm certain you're familiar with the story by Aesop," Nico told her, turning to pick up the coffee he'd left on the counter again. Lindsay closed her hand around the key chain and smiled.

"Thank you."

"No fair," Ray Jay said, mouthful of pancake. "I want one."

Nico took a second keychain from his pocket and tossed it to Dani's son. Ray Jay held it up with a grin. Dani looked at Nico and curled a finger at him. He stayed where he was, taking a sip of his coffee. "It's seven-thirty."

"We're going to be late again," Lindsay cried, rushing out and up the stairs for her bag. Ray Jay shoveled another bite in his mouth, waved to TK, and took off after his sister.

Dani looked at Nico. "What was that all about? With the keychains?"

"We can discuss that later," Nico said. He picked up the discarded plates and took them over to the sink, rinsing them off. Dani sighed. Clearly, he wasn't going to tell her anything until he was ready, and she didn't like it. She didn't want to fight about it—and the man was doing her dishes, at least as far as putting them in the dishwasher.

Devin finished the last bit of his pancakes. "Oh, hey, Doctor D, did TK tell you I start my new school today?"

"No, he didn't," Dani said, forcing a smile for the boy. "That's exciting. You don't want to be late, though, so maybe you and TK should hurry?"

TK looked up from his pancakes. "You kicking us out, Doctor D?"

"Just keep an eye on the time, TK," she cautioned. She really was ready to have an empty house again, and she knew that she'd probably never get a boundary back in place with him now. "It's a big day for Devin, and Cherise isn't with you, so you should probably go pick her up first."

"Oh, I didn't think about that," TK said. "Come on, D man, we gotta go get your moms."

Devin climbed out of his chair and followed TK out of the room. Dani leaned back with a sigh. That took care of TK and Devin and Lindsay and Ray Jay, but the room still felt crowded. She knew that was only because Nico was holding out on her. She didn't really want Juliette or Jeanette to go.

"Nice," Juliette observed. "You're almost as sneaky as my uncle."

"What? I didn't—"

"You're not fooling anyone, sweetie," Jeanette said, finally sitting down with her own plate. "It's important for Cherise to be there, sure, but you wanted TK gone from the moment he walked in. He did make things crazy and even a bit funny, but after last night, I think you're just tired. You still need the time to deal with the whole signing of the papers thing."

"You're probably lucky that TK didn't say something about you and Nico now that the divorce is done," Juliette agreed, reaching for her juice. "Like now the two of you can get married."

Dani choked on her coffee. "We've already been through this—"

"Relax," Juliette said, looking over at her uncle. His back was turned to them, so Dani had no idea what his reaction to that statement had been. "I don't recommend marrying into this family. Ever. Even if you love my uncle, don't. It's gotta be some kind of curse, right? You might end up a drunk like the rest of us."

"Juliette—"

She put her glass down and got to her feet. "What, Nico? It's not like Dani doesn't know. All of us from the Careles side, we have issues. Most of them with alcohol. I'm surprised we don't all beat the crap out of kids like Grandpa and Great Uncle Nick did—though I thought your uncle did it sober. It's why you go by Nico instead of his name even though you were named after him."

Nico took a deep breath. "Juliette, I know your mother's choice hurts. It always will. Disappointment... hurts. Don't do this. Lashing out at me is only going to make you feel worse later. I should know."

She bit her lip, looking like she was going to cry. Jeanette got up. "Hey, sweetie, I wonder if I could talk to you about something. See, I'm thinking of taking a little trip, but I don't like traveling by myself, so maybe you'd like to come with. I need a woman, after all, since this is about fashion..."

She put an arm around Juliette's shoulder and guided her out of the room. Nico leaned over the counter and sighed. "I'm starting to think your friend deserves hazard pay."

Dani let out a strangled laugh. "You could put her on staff. Or give her Xeno's number."

"Xeno?"

Dani winced a little, thinking of that moment in Nico's office. Xeno was probably not a good name to mention right now. "She thinks he might be like you. And she wants a man like you for her own. You don't have a cousin or... Never mind."

"Even if I did, we're too much trouble to be worth it," Nico said, pushing away from the counter. Dani watched him for a minute, wishing she was closer. She wanted to help him, wanted to help Juliette. Her children. Herself. She felt so damn helpless right now. She couldn't do anything for anyone. "Did you sleep last night? You look... tired."

"I'm the one that stayed. You didn't. Did you sleep?"

"I'll take that as a no," he said, crossing the room to her. "You need to rest. You can't help everyone when you're run down."

"Do you ever take your own advice, Nico?"

He kissed her forehead. "Rarely."

"Where are we going?"

"Are you worried that you'll end up at another building that should have been condemned and injuring your other ankle?" Nico asked, looking across the car at her. She let out a breath and looked at him somewhat guiltily. That answered that question. "I can promise you that this particular location is up to building code."

"But you won't tell me what it is?"

"It is... a place where I believe you can clear your head," he told her, and she frowned a little at the vague answer. He knew that she wanted him to come out and say it, but he did not really want to, knowing that it would ruin the effect. He had selected this place out of all the Pittman Group holdings, a long since forgotten venture that only remained part of their continued holdings for its tax write-off value. It was a place, he thought, that suited her in some ways—yet would challenge her as well.

"Nico, you made Jeanette give you every single detail about where she was taking your niece and when and who they'd be with," Danielle began. "It's really not fair of you not to disclose any details about where you're taking me."

"That is different. Juliette is a recovering addict. You are not. Other than your somewhat reckless care of your ankle, you can be trusted on your own," Nico began, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Juliette needs a stable environment and someone who will keep away the type of people that she seems to attract. I have come to appreciate your friend's value and I am grateful to her for what she has done for Juliette—but there was no way I could let her go without getting as much detail as possible. I worry every time I leave the room without her. In the past, I have kept her under surveillance. I'm paranoid. I want to control things. I have been over and over everything I did with my sister and tried to avoid making the same mistakes with Juliette. It's not something that just... shuts off. There are reasons why I don't take days off. I don't find cutting these ties easy or simple. A part of me feels that if Gabriella has left rehab, then I have no business being anywhere but close by her."

"You can't always swoop in and save her. Maybe if you don't, it will be the wake up call she needs."

"You can hit rock bottom and still not see it."

Danielle frowned at him. "You're worried. I mean, of course you are. I just... Do you think her husband's going to use this relapse against her, use it to his advantage and divorce her, taking everything?"

"He would never get everything, not without a prenuptial agreement, and I made sure that she didn't sign any of those," Nico explained, taking the turn off to the dirt road. She reached up for the handle above the door. He knew that she'd been in a race car with Billy Rhodes. Surely this was not as bad. "You pointed out a fact that I believe my brother-in-law has come to recognize over the years."

"That you're invaluable to the Hawks and the whole Pittman Group, right?"

"Yes," Nico agreed, though he felt a bit uncomfortable with the term. "He will prepare as much of the legal end that he can, but he knows the minute he acts against my sister, I'm out. That threat will hold him back until he has someone he feels can take my place. In the meantime, he'll try and keep me where I am for as long as possible."

"You sound very certain of this."

"He offered me co-ownership of the Hawks as an incentive to remain with the organization when my sister left him."

Danielle stared at him. "I—Wow. Nico, do you have any idea how much the team is worth?"

He nodded. "Of course. But no matter how much it is, it's not enough for me to turn my back on my sister or my niece."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to say that you should. I'm just... stunned."

"When you're as rich as Marshall Pittman is, money is a commodity easily offered and too often leveraged. I have seen a considerable amount exchange hands, usually ensuring a silence that should not be bought," Nico admitted. He turned into the long driveway and continued past the trees and the first buildings on the lot.

"Where are we going? Did we just pass the house?"

"Yes, and the garage. There's something I think you should see first," he explained, stopping the car at the end of the driveway, near the storage facilities. He frowned, not certain about the last time they'd done maintenance on them—they were pretty much vacant and forgotten these days. "We'll stay out of those buildings, though. They might not be in as good a shape as the rest of the facility."

"This is a facility?" she asked, frowning. He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door for her. He helped her out and led her forward, supporting her ankle until they reached the fence. "This... isn't what I'd call a facility, Nico. Farm, maybe or ranch or something... It is beautiful here. So... open. And remote. Definitely remote."

He turned her toward the north. "There. I hoped they'd be in one of the close fields. This time of year, they do tend to stick closer to the buildings, even though they don't use them."

She stared, watching the herd as they raced across the hill and down close to where the two of them stood. The ground shook, and the sound was like thunder. She almost reached out a hand to touch them, but drew it back. They were not close enough and were going far too fast for that. "Are they... wild horses?"

"Yes. A while back, Marshall got it in his head he was going to breed racehorses. He had this place purchased, built to his specifications, and then took a hit in the stock market. The place was sitting empty until Gabriella read about the wild horses. The herd was too large and having trouble finding grazing land. Some of the locals didn't like it, had even killed a few of them," Nico shook his head at the memory. "She came to me in tears, told me we had to do something about it, and the land was given over as a nature preserve."

"Your sister saved these horses?"

"I think that woman might be long gone by now, Danielle, and I didn't bring you here to show you another side of her. I wanted you to see the horses themselves. They're strong, beautiful, intelligent creatures. Like you. I thought this place was the best choice. The house has no stairs, easier for you with your ankle, and here you can take time—uninterrupted time—to sort out how you feel about the end of your marriage."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Nico."

The herd disappeared over the ridge. "Come. We'll get you settled in the house."

"Wait. You're not planning on leaving me here, are you?"