A/N: Mmm, I think I'm gonna have to up the rating for this story… Enjoy!

Chapter six

"So… Mom? I'm going to Winter's now." Lindsay hovered in the doorway to her mother's office, where Dani was going over some client records.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Okay, honey, have fun!" She smiled at her daughter, who still seemed hesitant to go. Dani gave her a worried look. "Something the matter?"

"Um, I was just wondering if you and I are really… okay? You know, because of last night." Lindsay glanced down at the floor. "I mean, you're not angry or anything, are you?"

"No, Linds… Sweetie, of course I'm not angry. Come here, sit." Dani pointed to the couch and Lindsay gave her an uncertain smile, then sat down. Dani sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against Lindsay's, and they just sat there for a moment. "I am so sorry that I couldn't be happier for you last night, Linds. And for, you know, lashing out at you the way I did. It's just that… well, I didn't see it coming, though I know I should have. After all, you are eighteen and you are going to college… And I'm just gonna miss you so much!" Dani tightened her arm around Lindsay's shoulder. "I mean, when you're gone, who am I gonna yell at for not cleaning up their room? Huh?" Lindsay giggled, and the sound made Dani smile.

"Well you could always think about getting a pet... Or, you know, starting something with a nice guy?" Dani knew Lindsay was just teasing her, but for a moment she imagined what it would be like to have a man around the house again. One man in particular came to mind… She shook off that thought before it could fully form and tried hard to keep a pleasantly neutral expression on her face. But when Lindsay gave her a stunned look, she knew she hadn't succeeded. "Mom, are you… dating again? You are, right? That's great! So, is he…"

"Whoa!" Dani held up her hands. "No. No, I'm not… dating. Although I do have a, well, a date-like… thing tonight…" Dani could not believe she was having this conversation with her eighteen-year-old.

"A thing." Lindsay repeated.

"Yes. A thing. It's… complicated, okay? Can we leave it at that?"

"But Mom…"

"No buts! Go on now, off you go, Winter's waiting for you!"

"As long as you know that you're not off the hook, Mom!" Lindsay said, getting up.

"We'll see about that. Now shoo, before I decide to lock you up in your room for the rest of the weekend and make you really clean it!"

"Okay, okay! I'm leaving already! Love you Mom!" Lindsay smiled and blew her mother a kiss before she walked out the front door.

Dani finished going over her records and then went to get the mail out of the mailbox. On top of the stack was a white envelope that immediately caught her attention because it only had her name on it, and nothing else. Still standing by the mailbox, she tore it open right away. Inside was one single sheet of white paper, with four neatly printed words in the center: Stay away from SBG. Dani blinked. She really didn't know what to make of it. Was it a threat or a warning? And who had it come from? Full of questions, she turned an headed back to the house. She put the note on the bar in her kitchen and studied it, until the house phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Mom!"

"Oh! Ray Jay, hi! How are you?" Just like that, the note was banished to the back of her mind, as she took the phone over to the familiy room and settled on the couch for a nice long talk with her son.

The man with the grey eyes used his phone to snap a few pictures of the Santino girl as she and her friend got out of the car and walked across the parking lot towards the shopping mall. This morning, just after he had dropped the note into Santino's mailbox, he'd seen the girl come out of the house and get into her car. He had been a bit surprised, because he hadn't known that she had a daughter. Then again, how could he have known? Although they'd had to deal with each other professionally, the relationship between him and the good doctor had never been of the warm and friendly variety. They had never spoken to each other about anything other than work related stuff, and even that had only happened a handful of times. But now that he knew that she had a daughter, he also knew that she would be no problem. The note he'd left her this morning may not be enough to keep her away from SBG, but a threat to her daughter? Well, that would probably do it…

After she had spent over an hour talking to Ray Jay, Dani decided she might as well take the next step in moving forward and try to get in touch with Abby Bruce. Of course there was a chance that Abby wouldn't pick up her work phone on a saturday, but if Dani had read Abby correctly, which she was almost sure she had, she figured that chance was small at best. She looked up Abby's businesscard and punched in the number for her cellphone.

"Hello?" Abby answered almost immediately, which didn't surprise Dani in the least. What did surprise her was the slightly nervous tone of Abby's voice.

"Abby? It's Dani Santino."

"Oh… Uh, hi doctor Santino…"

Dani frowned, as Abby's voice now held a note of disappointment. "Is everything okay?" she tried.

"Oh, yes… I'm sorry, I was just… expecting um, someone else."

"Oh. Well, I'll make it quick, then. I just called to tell you that I've decided to accept your offer. If it's still valid, of course."

"Uh, that's great to hear, Doctor Santino…" In contradiction to her words, Abby's voice held little enthusiasm. Dani could hardly believe she was talking to the same woman that had all but begged her to come work for SBG only days ago.

"Okay then… So, when would you like me to start?" There was no answer. "Abby? Hello? Are you still there?"

"Yes, Doctor Santino. I'm sorry, I just have a lot of things going on right now, and… Anyway. Maybe you could come to my office monday morning around nine? We can work out the details then."

"Sure. But Abby… are you sure you're okay?" Dani couldn't help but asking.

"Yes, Doctor, I'm fine. Now, if you'll excuse me? I have… other things to do now."

Dani didn't even get a chance to respond before Abby broke the connection. Stunned, she looked at her phone. "Well. That was weird…" she said to the empty room. Then she walked back into the kitchen, where the note was still sitting on the bar where she'd left it. She picked it up and read it once again. Was it just a coincidence that the note made her feel about just as welcome to SBG as her conversation with Abby did?

Nico parked his car in her driveway and shut down the engine. Then he just sat behind the wheel for a moment, remembering the cool reception he'd gotten last time she had invited him here. As soon as she'd opened the door for him, she'd made it clear to him that it was all business, no pleasure. He knew that tonight wasn't about business, of course, but he couldn't be entirely sure there would be pleasure involved either. Only one way to find out, right? He got out of the car and walked up to the house. He hadn't taken more than a few steps when the front door opened, as if she'd been waiting on the other side. She appeared in the doorway, dressed in black pants and a burgundy turtleneck that clung to her body in a way that should be illegal. As Nico walked up to her and looked in her big brown eyes, he lost his breath at the barely concealed desire he saw in them. Then her tongue came out to lick her lips in a nervous gesture, and he couldn't help but groan at the sight of it. Her eyes widened at the sound – and that was it. Damn the consequences. He was done fighting this. Nico Careles did the only thing he could do. He closed the distance between them and pulled her body flush against his, as he took her mouth in a scorching kiss.

All coherent thoughts fled Dani's mind for a while as she kissed him right back, holding on tight to his black leather jacket, simply reveling in the feel of his body against hers, his mouth on hers, his hands roaming her face, her shoulders, her back, her sides… God, this feels so good… He backed her up against the door. Feeling the hard surface against her back made her come to her senses again. She broke the kiss and leaned heavily against the door, her eyes still closed, breathing hard. She felt him taking a step back. "Oh my God," she breathed, then opened her eyes and looked at him. "I really think we should talk first…"

The man with the grey eyes watched as they went inside and the door closed behind them. The good doctor didn't seem particularly scared. And from what Bruce had told him when he'd called her this afternoon, Santino wasn't planning to stay away from SBG as he'd suggested either. On top of that, he now also had Careles to worry about. Judging by that kiss, the man wouldn't simply step aside to let him do what he needed to do...

A/N: (*Ducking for cover*) Hope you can forgive me for cutting this a little short... I'll try to make up for it in chapter seven!