So, I decided to come back! I'm sick as hell, but it was something to do while not going to class today. I gotta point out, I have the most amazingly loyal reviewers that come back, and a great thanks to all the new ones I've gotten. I think I'm getting back into this story, so keep on the lookout for a new chapter around Saturday. I think this was a chapter I liked writing, kind of showing a different side to things in a way.

Enjoy, Read, Review, whatever. I think we all kind of need a mid-week something to get us through.

Walking up the stairs, Dani was mentally exhausted. Nico had stayed behind with Terrence to help clean up while Annette went to lie down. Dani was pushed out of the kitchen by Nico, sent to relax while he and TK took care of the work down stairs. As she climbed to the top, she pushed the door open and fell backwards on the bedspread. The questions hadn't been as invasive as she first thought, Annette being a wonderful buffer that TK seemed to actually listen to.

As she continued to star at the ceiling, Nico came in, closing the door behind him as he dropped back on the bed beside Dani. She scooted away from him to give him space, but ended up being pulled back into his chest as he rested his head against hers. She relaxed into his side, throwing her arm over his stomach and turning into him as he stuck an arm under his head.

"I was thinking…"

"You do know that any time something like that comes from you, I worry for my life" Nico remarked teasingly as she poked him in the ribs.

"No! I was just thinking that…we're adults Nico"

"Yes, being over 40 tends to signify that…"

"Smartass. I just meant that we're entitled to our own secrets, right?"

"I'm pretty sure I've kept secrets since age five, but yes usually"

"So, if I decided not to tell someone something, it's my prerogative because it's my business, right?"

"Dani, if this is about us-"

"We aren't doing anything wrong Nico. Ray Jay and Linds know and there's not much else I need to keep a secret. All of New York will most likely know once we get home"

"So you're bringing this up because…" he said as he turned over to face her, his head propped up on his hand as she did the same. Their faces were mere inches apart, but she continued to speak.

"What do we say when we go to work? TK knows how to keep a secret, but chooses not to"

"Are you afraid of how it'll look to everyone else?"

"I just…don't want anyone assuming I'm with you for the job. I know everyone thought that with Matt"

"Yeah, but with Matt, people thought they had the right to say anything they wanted. With me, people usually just avoid eye contact" he said and she laughed, knowing it was true rather than for someone to stand up to him.

"Sleep Dani, we have brunch with his extended family in the morning, and you'll want to be awake for that"

"Will Angela be there?" she asked as she turned away from him, but felt herself being pulled into him agian as his head settled behind hers.

"Yes, and so will Tony. I'm not worried, so you shouldn't be either"

Dani and Nico were sound asleep when he started to turn away from her, ending up on his stomach with his knuckles grazing the floor of the bedroom.

Dream

"I need to tie bells around your neck I think…" she mumbled under her breath before letting a high pitched squeak give way to giggles as Nico grabbed her by the waist and quickly lifted her off the ground and quickly hid them in a conference room.

He dropped her gently on her feet again, and let her catch her breath as she walked a few feet away from him to lean against the conference table.

"Seem familiar Nico?" she asked innocently, as she watched him stalk towards her in a predatory manner.

She saw the way his eyes darkened with recognition as he stood close to her, pressing her body into the table as he forced her to lean back. He caged her with his arms and brought his face next to hers, running his nose gently from behind her ear down the column of her throat. She shivered and he smiled smugly, this time brushing his lips over the same path his nose had taken.

"Absolutely" he breathed before his lips captured hers in a searing kiss.

She held herself up with one hand on the table as the other came up to run along Nico's scalp, causing him to press her harder into the table before he lifted her on the table. One of his hands remained on the table as she pulled him closer with her thighs. He brought both hands to tangle in her hair, tilting her head back to allow him to deepen the kiss. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and instead of melting under his touch; Dani fought him at every turn.

She was matching each slip of his tongue and bite of the lip, and it made Nico realize just how much he still wanted to learn about Dani through hands on experience. Files weren't nearly as fun as this.

As they continued to lick and kiss one another, Dani started to unbutton Nico's dress shirt, revealing a white tank top underneath. Just as she was about to slip the shirt from his shoulders, his fingers made contact with the bare skin of her back. She gasped as she pulled him closer, attacking his lips with a new vigor as he pushed her top up her back. His fingers created a path of heated skin as she slipped his shirt off of him and onto the floor. Her fingers dug into his shoulder as he pulled her close, nearly dropping her as the door flung open.

They froze, Nico protectively wrapped around Dani, shielding her from view despite the fact that she was still fully clothed. Their eyes were wide as the door was slammed shut and they came face to face with the last person they would have wanted to catch them.

"Terrance?" they said in unison, seeing the terrified look on his face before it morphed into a look of pure glee.

He locked the door behind him as the pounding of the person on the other side shouted something, but none of them were listening. He waltzed over to a seat across from Dani and Nico still intertwined, resting his hands in front of him in an innocent manner.

"Terrance…" Nico said warningly as he slowly backed away from Dani, going to pick his shirt up off the floor. TK whistled suggestively as Nico shoved his arms through the sleeves, forgoing the buttons as he took a seat next to Dani. Dani had gotten off the table and fixed herself, smoothing her hair and pulling her shirt down as TK stayed unusually silent. As they both sat still, he started in.

"Hey man, it's not my fault you're gettin' freaky with her at work again"

"Terrence!" she shouted, turning an impressive shade of red in under three seconds.

"Hey, yall should close doors completely before divin right in ok?" Dani just shook her head, still feeling hot.

"By the way Dr. D, I'd suggest you get your nails cut. Wouldn't want our dear Nico here unable to take off his shirt without showing off those red nail marks now would we?"

Nico ran his hand under his shirt and over his shoulder, wincing slightly as he felt the raised marks. He smirked and sat back as he buttoned his shirt, much to Dani's disappointment.

"What did you need Terrance? Hiding from someone…"

"You're one to talk, newlyweds"

End Of Dream

Nico's eyes shot open as he pulled Dani towards him before he had a chance to stop himself. His chest was covered in sweat and he could feel her cool skin against his overheated body. She sighed and swung her leg over his hips to get more comfortable in her sleep. He was going to die of Dani overload if he didn't get out of bed. He slid out from under her, hearing her sigh as she rolled over onto his pillow as he opened a window.

He'd had the same dream for the last week or so, but Dani's comment about him sneaking had brought it back full force. He knew they were planning on giving them a try, but he couldn't help feeling like he'd let her down. He wouldn't be open enough, he'd be too vague. He'd protect her and make her upset; there was a multitude of things that could go wrong.

He knew the consequences and went ahead and pursued her anyway. It was something he couldn't control, his attraction to her that is, and it made him realize that there was another side to him that he really hadn't explored yet. Dani brought out that side in him.

"Nico, come back to bed"

"I can't sleep"

"Nightmares?"

"No, I assure you I'm just fine. Go back to sleep"

"Ok fine" she replied sleepily as she turned over.

He looked at her reflection in the moonlight, mesmerized by the content expression that seemed to take over in her sleep. She was a truly magnificent woman, and he couldn't think of someone better to fall in…like with. It was almost comical that she assumed, even in her sleep, that things were bad. That was one of the best dreams he's had for a while, but the fact that to get there was the hard part. He had no problem believing he could confide in her about most things, but his past is spotty with things he'd rather forget but looking at her made him think he could do it. As he was lost in thought, he felt a pair of thin arms wrap around his torso as he felt her head lean against his back.

"I can hear you thinking, what's the matter" she said in a husky voice, still trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. He turned to pull her full into his arms, her head resting against his chest. He felt cared about, and that was a new feeling. They hadn't even slept together, and he already got lost in her scent-

"Nico…" she said drawing out his name, unknowingly looking up at him through her eyelashes with an unintentional seductive stare. He tightened his hands around her back as she leaned into him more. He had flashes of his dreams as he walked her backwards toward the bed, Dani being surprisingly cooperative. She pulled on his as she leaned back, bringing him with her as she fell on the bed, Nico hovering above her as her hands made lazy patterns on the smooth skin of his back. He'd forgotten he didn't have a shirt on, so the gentle scrape of her nails on his skin sent his senses into overdrive.

He took one of her arms and slid his hand down until he reached her fingers, holding her hand above her head as the other played with locks of her hair. They were content to just stare at one another until she stopped making patterns on his skin, and flattened her palm against his side. He froze, the warmth flooding him as she slowly and purposefully slid her hand up his side and around to the front of his chest to rest above his heart. The hand that played with her hair stopped, only to rest directly over her hand. They could both feel his pulse race despite his calm demeanor, and that's when she threw caution to the wind.

"I think now's a good time..." she whispered as Nico looked confused, then recognition dawned on him.

She used her stomach muscles to pull herself up and meet Nico's eyes, kissing him chastely as she pulled her hand from his chest. He took that same hand and put it under her back, holding her to him as he lowered them against the mattress. He continued to kiss her, alternating between her lips and her jaw. He was surprisingly gently when he placed his lips over hers, never trying to deepen the kiss. It was the first time in years that she'd felt that this wasn't just the means to an end, but an event in itself. She wasn't even sure when they'd be ready to go there, and once again, Nico knew that and accommodated to her needs. They kept kissing for a few minutes before Dani quickly swept her tongue along his lower lip, Nico's breath hitching as he pulled away from her. She looked up at him confusingly as his eyes rested on their hands still above her head, him caressing the skin of her wrist as he spoke.

"It's not that I don't want to kiss you deeper and more passionately…" he said as he met her eyes, the hazel looking dark brown as he tried to control himself.

"But you're not ready for this" she was about to interrupt him when he placed another chaste kiss on her lips, silencing her, "You said to wait until we got home"

"When we're ready for all of this, there will be no hesitation. I want you to feel completely safe with me" he admitted, and it brought tears to her eyes. He was saying he didn't want her to regret it, regret them.

"Believe me, when the time's right, it'll be perfect for us" she said, kissing him once more before he rolled off of her and laid on his back, staring at the ceiling again.

She did the same for a few minutes before her hand sought out his in the dark, intertwining their hands on his chest. He kissed her knuckles one by one, then her fingers, and finally the inside of her wrist as they settled to sleep again. Nico felt close when with Dani, and she felt safe with Nico, something neither of them had felt in any of their past relationships. They could feel the difference with one another, and that made the days seem less vague; they knew they'd und up somewhere, and they knew it could be together.

Yay? Eh, I already have next chapter kind of plotted out in my head, so give me a couple of days to crank that out.