Disclaimer: Nothing is mine :(. The restaurant Suba does exist and is located at 109 Ludlow St. in NY.
Aiden and Danny reentered her apartment and sat on the couch. His arm never left her waist, his fingers gently stoking her side through her top.
"I really am proud of you Aid, I know that was hard for you," Danny whispered into her hair. Aiden swallowed back tears, she'd been so overly emotional the past few days that it was becoming frighteningly natural. Danny noticed her fighting her emotions, "Hey," he whispered softly, "It's okay to vulnerable Aid, keeping everything locked up inside isn't good for you." Her tears silently began to fall and Danny pulled her into his lap, his arms wrapping securely around her thin frame. Soon the tears stopped, she swallowed hard,
"Thanks Danny," Aiden whispered, refusing to meet his eyes.
"Any time, beautiful," their relationship had grown recently and Danny felt comfortable calling her "beautiful", it was true after all. Much of the rest of the day was spent on the couch, Aiden cradled safely in Danny's arms. When it got closer to dinner Danny leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Why don't you go get ready," Aiden looked up at him quizzically.
"Ready for what?" she asked.
"I'm taking you out to dinner and a movie," he replied.
"Danny you don't have to do that," she protested.
"Maybe not, but I want to," he insisted, "You go do whatever it is you do and I'll run home to shower and change and come straight back okay?" Aiden nodded and made her way to the bedroom to begin raiding her closet for an outfit. She felt a sense of loss as Danny shut the door on his way out, her apartment seemed so empty without him there. She pushed aside those feelings and focused on her closet. Aiden picked her way through her closet putting on and taking off at least six outfits before she decided on a calf length black skirt and a delicately beaded pink tank. She combed her hair, deciding to leave the natural wave in it and grabbed a black ballerina shrug just as Danny knocked on the door.
"Coming!" she called, fastening her earrings as she headed for the door. She opened the door and smiled at Danny who was leaning casually against the doorframe. He took her hand and encouraged her to spin.
"You look gorgeous Aiden," he breathed and when she was turned back around to face him she saw a potted orchid in his hand.
"Danny...It's beautiful!" she gushed, pulling him inside and taking the plant from him. She set it down on a side table and threw her arms around his neck, gently kissing his cheek. "Thanks Danny," she whispered as they held each other. Danny just smiled,
"So are you ready to go?" he asked when she released her embrace. Aiden nodded, excited to be going out on her second, official date with Danny. He led her out the door, waiting patiently while she locked up before taking her hand and walking her down the stairs. Danny opened the passenger door to his vehicle and allowed her to slide in before he shut it behind her and walked over to the driver's side. They drove in a companionable silence to Suba a tri-levelled restaurant, said to be one of the city's most sexy and romantic places.
"Danny!" Aiden exclaimed when he pulled up in front of the restaurant and handed his keys to the valet. "This place is way too expensive! I can't let you do this!"
"It's already done Aid," he replied with a smile, placing a hand on the small of her back and gently propelling her up the stairs. They entered through the Tapas Bar and descended to The Grotto a subterranean dining island perched atop a rippling pool of water. They were led to a table and given menus and as the hostess walked away Danny took Aiden's hand, "The prices don't exist, okay Aid?" Reluctantly she nodded her head, opening the menu to an immense selection of Spanish and Latin American fare. The waiter appeared and they placed drink orders, requesting a few moments more to decide on the main dishes.
By the time the drinks arrived they had both decided on the four course tasting menu, with courses selected by the chef. Once the appetizers arrived they began to eat and discussed work and once the main course, along with paired Spanish wine, arrived the conversation turned to relationships past and their newly blossoming romance.
They finished dinner and stood on the sidewalk, waiting for Danny's car to be brought and Aiden tugged gently on his sleeve to get him to face her. "Yeah Aid?" he said. She smiled softly and whispered,
"Dinner was amazing, thank you," before rising onto her toes to place a gentle kiss on his lips. She felt him smile against her mouth and his fingers found their way into her hair before they parted. "Why don't we just go back to my place and watch a movie," she offered, feeling guilty about how much he had just spent on their dinner.
"You sure?" he asked.
Aiden nodded, "Yeah an' we can swing by your place and pick up some stuff for ya incase we fall asleep." She secretly hoped he'd spend the night with her. She'd been having nightmares since the attack and she thought that if Danny was there she'd be okay. Danny smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hearing the unspoken message. They got to Danny's house and Aiden made herself at home on his couch until he was packed and changed Once they made it back to her apartment Danny chose a movie while Aiden changed into something more comfortable before joining him on the couch. "So Messer what're we watchin'?" she asked.
"Dirty Dancing," he informed her and she smiled in approval. Aiden curled up one the couch, snuggling up to Danny and relaxing as the movie played. By the time Patrick Swayze said "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," Aiden was fast asleep. Danny smiled down at her before carefully manoeuvring her into his arms and heading towards her bedroom. Danny toed open the door and walked in, laying Aiden gently on the bed. She looked so peaceful, features relaxed in sleep, hair fanned out on the pillow. Danny leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips before pulling a blanket over her. As he turned to leave she stirred,
"Danny?" her voice sounded small and fragile.
"Yeah Aid?" he turned back around to face her.
"Will – can you stay with me?" she whispered.
"Sure Aid, I'll be out on the couch if you need anything," he replied, smiling reassuringly at her.
"No –," she said as he turned to leave, "Will you stay here with me?" her voice dropped lower, embarrassed to be asking. Danny took a deep breath, contemplating his ability to spend a platonic night in Aiden Burn's bed. He sighed,
"Sure Aid," he knew he'd regret this later. He stripped out of his clothes, leaving him in boxers and a t-shirt and crawled into the bed beside Aiden who immediately curved her body around his and rested her head on his chest. Danny wrapped his arms around her and willed himself to fall asleep.
When Aiden woke the next morning Danny was staring at her, smiling when she looked up at him sleepily. "Mornin' sleeping beauty," he said, kissing the top of her head.
"Mornin'," she replied, stifling a yawn, "We better get up if we're gonna make it to work on time."
"Are you sure you want to go in today? I'm sure Mac won't mind if you wanna take another day off," he sounded worried, her heart melted.
"I'm okay Danny," 'especially with you around,' she added mentally.
"Okay," he sighed, "But one slight indication Aid..." he trailed off, they both knew the end to that sentence.
"I know Danny," she pulled herself up, "Why don't you shower and I'll make breakfast."
"Sure," he smiled at her, sitting up and pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. Aiden dragged herself out of bed and slipped into a silk robe before heading for the kitchen. Danny got up and showered quickly, finishing his morning routine in half the time it normally took him. When he walked into the kitchen he found Aiden sliding a plate full of French toast onto the table.
"Oh, good you're done. I'm gonna go get ready and I'll eat after that," Danny smiled at her, stopping her when she went to pass him to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Aiden smiled up at him when the kiss ended slipping out of his arms and heading for the bathroom. Danny finished his breakfast and got up to make more for Aiden so it would be warm when she was ready. Half an hour later Aiden emerged from the bathroom, wet hair pulled up, and smiled when she saw Danny making her fresh French toast. He sensed her presence behind him,
"Have a seat Aid, I'll bring it over." She sat down at the table, wrapping her hands around a large mug of coffee. He placed the plate in front of her and sat down beside her to drink his coffee. Aiden took a bite of her breakfast and immediately felt a rush of guilt at the sinful richness. Danny watched her covertly, noting the hesitant pleasure on her face and waiting quietly to see what she would do. A war raged inside Aiden, the French toast tasted so good but she knew the fat and calories would be astronomical. Her fork hovered over her plate as she contemplated what to do. Finally she made a decision and finished the breakfast, not seeing Danny's sigh of relief.
"I just have to go to the bathroom before we leave okay Danny? I'll meet you in the car." Danny nodded and put the dishes in the sink before heading down to his car to wait for Aiden. As soon as the door closed behind him Aiden ran to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She looked at the toilet, swallowed hard and knelt on the tiles. Tears ran down her cheeks as she fought with herself over whether or not to force herself to throw up. She couldn't stop shaking as she leaned over the porcelain bowl, her palms pressed against the rim. She didn't hear the door open and close when Danny came back after realizing he'd forgotten his keys. When he knocked on the bathroom door she was curled in the fetal position on the cold tiles, tears running down her face.
"Aiden? Are you okay?" Danny waited for a response but heard nothing. "Aid?" he began to get frantic, "Aiden I'm comin' in!" He burst through the door and stopped, taking in the sight before him. Aiden curled on the floor, the seat of the toilet up and it only took him a few seconds to process what he had walked in on. "Oh Aid..." he sighed. He walked over to her and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to bed. He layed her gently down on the still unmade bed and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry," she whispered through her tears.
"It's okay Aid," he assured her, "It'll take some time." Aiden nodded,
"I didn't do it," he could barely hear her.
"You didn't?" he looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but vulnerability and pure honesty. She shook her head, "Good," he whispered. Lying down on the bed beside her, he pulled her into his arms, holding her close and letting her cry. When she drifted into a fitful sleep Danny called Mac from his cell to tell him they wouldn't be in.
"Is she okay Danny?" Mac was concerned, this wasn't like Aiden.
"I don't know Mac, I really don't," Danny told him.
"Take the rest of the week off, both of you. Call me Sunday and tell me how she's doing," Mac told him. Stella passed his office and he motioned her in, "Stel, Danny and Aiden are off for the rest of the week so we're gonna be short."
"Are they okay?" Stella's maternal instincts kicked in, she was worried about her younger colleagues.
"Danny's fine..." Mac paused, "The jury's still out on Aiden." Stella nodded mutely and decided that after work she'd pay Aiden a visit. It was high time they talked about something Stella had suspected for a while.
Stella knocked on Aiden's apartment door at seven that night, a bottle of strawberry zinfandel and some rich chocolate brownies in a bag. Danny answered the door and Stella managed to mask her surprise. "Hey Danny...how is she?" Stella asked.
"Better I guess...there's more going on than anyone realizes Stel. I don't know how ready she is to share anything." Stella nodded, peering around Danny and seeing a pale and drawn Aiden slumped on the couch. "Aid?" Danny called and she tilted her head to look at him, "Stella's here, want me to leave for a bit?" Aiden sat thoughtfully for a moment,
"I – I don't know," she said softly. Danny walked over to her and Stella followed him in, heading to the kitchen for wineglasses.
"I'll go review some cases okay? But I'll stay in your room, so I'll be right here if you need me."
"Okay," she whispered, shutting her eyes when he pressed a kiss to her forehead. Stella stood in the kitchen doorway and watched the tender exchange, ducking out of sight when Danny rose to go to Aiden's bedroom. Stella emerged from the kitchen with two full wineglasses and a plate of iced brownies. She set the plate on the table and handed Aiden a glass, watching the younger woman's hands tremble as she took a sip. "Stella..." Aiden sighed, "I don't know where to start." Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the plate of tempting brownies.
"I know that look Aiden," Stella placed her hand over Aiden's. "When I was sixteen one of my best friends at St. Basil's died from heart failure brought on by malnutrition. She'd been suffering from anorexia for four years and one day she just gave up. She was beautiful, just like you, but she couldn't see it and it cost her her life. I don't want that to happen to you Aid." Aiden looked up at her tearfully,
"Thanks Stella," she whispered, putting down her glass and hugging her. When the embrace was released Aiden reached hesitantly for a brownie, swallowing hard and looking to Stella for strength. She picked one up and brought it to her lips and taking a small bite, moaning softly at the taste. "These are really good," she whispered, taking another bite.
"My favourite 'pick me up' when I'm feeling shitty," Stella told her. Two hours later Danny emerged from the bedroom.
"I'm going to make dinner, you stayin' Stel?"
"Actually I have somewhere to be so I think I'll head out," she told him, "Call me if you need anything Aid." Danny walked Stella to the door,
"I don't know what to do to help her Stel," he sounded desperate.
"Just be here for her, you're doing great Danny," Stella squeezed his hand gently before turning and walking out the door. Danny closed the door and turned to face Aiden.
"So what do you feel like for dinner?" he asked her.
"Mmm...pizza," she decided, blushing when Danny's face lit up in a smile.