Nixie
Disclaimer: I don't own any Numb3rs characters (unfortunately) but I do own Jack Wilson, Miriam Wild, Phoenix and any other miscellaneous characters you don't recognize.
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Chapter Seven: Closing Time (Semisonic)
"Hey 'Nixie, ready for bed?" Don called to his daughter using the pet name that he had developed for her—she loved it and Don loved watching her face light up every time he said it. She'd never had a name before, much less a nickname.
Phoenix nodded with enthusiasm as she bounded into the bathroom where Don was getting ready to brush his teeth. She wore basic cotton pajamas—yellow in color of course—and bright pink socks. Don looked down at her and smiled as he ruffled her hair. All the paperwork was complete, Nixie was in his custody and they were going to be leaving New York the next morning, and heading back to L.A.—Don planned on taking his time; at some point he'd have to call his father and Charlie and tell them about Phoenix and Don was going to take his sweet time getting there after he called. Maybe do some sightseeing on the way back—for Nixie.
"Did you brush your teeth?" Another nod.
"Are you sure?" Don asked, feigning suspicion as Nixie giggled and nodded again.
"Hey let me see…" Don leaned forward and pretended to examine Nixie's teeth as she giggled harder, "Well quit squirming, I have to make sure you got all the fuzz off…" Don smiled as Nixie pushed at him playfully, still giggling. Don held up his hands like make-believe claws and growled—Nixie squealed in laughter as Don 'chased' her around the hotel room until he finally caught her, picking her up in his arms and putting her over his shoulder.
"Time for bed!" Don said as he gently tossed her on the bed, Nixie giggling manically all the while.
Don helped her under the covers and prepared to do the usual kiss on the cheek and hug, when much to Don's surprise she held out her arms to him. She hadn't done this before—previously she merely sat and waited for Don to hug and kiss her—Don felt his face split into a huge grin, as he reached down and hugged her firmly. He kissed her on the cheek and felt like he would burst into tears of happiness when she kissed him on the cheek back.
"C'mon, lay down now." Don ushered her under the covers, his voice only slightly thick with emotion. Nixie smiled up at him. Don affectionately brushed her hair out of her face with his hand.
"Good Night kiddo," Don murmured faintly as Nixie started to slip off into sleep, her large eyes drooping with fatigue. Don sat on the edge of her bed watching her until she fell into a fitful slumber. Don carefully kissed her forehead before getting up and lying down in his own bed.
Don stared at the ceiling; smiling as he replayed what happened in his head, until he too, fell asleep.
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Don woke suddenly in the middle of the night, not knowing why, just waking up and feeling that something was amiss. He listened—there—Phoenix; her breathing wasn't regular and slow like someone sleeping. She was awake. Another nightmare…Don thought as he sat up in the darkness.
Nixie had seen a lot of bad things happen when she was with her mother—so while she was never physically abused she was still haunted by the memories of the crimes she witnessed which were some of the most horrendous kind. Human Trafficking was no small matter. It was brutal and would even give Don nightmares.
Don got up quietly and moved over to his daughter's bedside. He eased down onto he edge, as his vision adjusted to the night. He reached for her and felt a small hand grab on to his—he held her hand and reached for the rest of her. She leaned against his chest and Don could hear her shaking gasps and he could feel the tears that ran down her face. Oh, how he wished that he could take this pain from her—take it for himself so she wouldn't have to feel it. But he couldn't and he hated to see her cry. He just did the best he could—holding onto her, cradling her in his arms and wiping away the tears as they fell. He held her until she fell back asleep from utter emotional exhaustion like he did nearly every other night and just like every other night, once he was sure that she slept soundly, he gently eased her back under the covers and tucked her in.
Don lay in bed awake for a long time afterwards, just like he did nearly every other night Nixie had a nightmare. Nixie had hugged him and kissed him for the first time tonight; a huge step for a neglected child—yet she still had the nightmares. Don hoped that once she opened up this far that the nightmares would stop. It would take more than just one night of affection, sure, Don knew that; he just hoped that after a while, since she began to show affection that maybe the nightmares would end. That this new thing, this better thing, would end the old bad thing—or something like that, Don hoped.
He also thought about how he felt so protective of her, about how much he was really beginning to hate Miriam, about how he still didn't know what he was going to say to his father and brother when he called them, and about many other things.
It was a long time before Don slept.
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A/N: just a short in-between chapter to kind of show how there's emotional highs and lows. R&R! Constructive criticism welcome!