UPDATED A/N 27 JANUARY: I've taken the rating down to T for now, because there were some readers that couldn't find this story anymore. But be warned: my next update (which will be tomorrow at the latest), will take the rating up to M again. If you like (tasteful) sexiness, hit the follow button so you'll be able to find my story again after the M rating. If the sexiness is not for you, then rest assured that the story lines will all end well, and thanks for sticking with the story so far!

A/N: I'd like to dedicate this chapter to someone who's loved her own hero – and who's lost him twice. You know who you are :)

Also, thank you once again for all the wonderful reviews and love for this story. And another special thanks to the person who suggested that Grey Eyes is none other than everybody's favorite earwax fetishist! Though I'm pretty sure it's not Stuart, I had a lot of fun imagining where the story would go if it was him.

As promised, I wanted to make up for cutting it short in chapter six, so this chapter is the longest one yet. Ready… Set… Go!

Chapter seven

Wow, Nico thought as he followed Dani to her office, talk about pleasure… He was still reeling from the way she had responded to his kiss. But she'd been right to break it up too. He'd promised himself before to keep his hands off her tonight, at least until he'd heard what she had to say. What this woman did to his once ironclad self control…

Nico sat down on the sofa, while Dani opted to sit in the recliner she usually sat in when talking to her patients. He couldn't say he blamed her for keeping her distance after what just happened. She sat there for what seemed an eternity, looking down at her fingernails, her shoulders hunched. Finally she raised her head and Nico's heart twisted as he saw the agony in her eyes. She cleared her throat, then spoke in a soft voice. "You… really hurt me, Nico."

"I know." He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees raking both his hands through his hair. Then he looked at her again. "Dani, I know. But I never meant to."

"But see, that's the thing… How can I be sure about that?" she whispered, shocking him to his core.

"You really think I would… intentionally hurt you?"

"No! Nico, no. Of course not. I meant what I said on the phone last night. I trust you. But…" She shrugged helplessly, then sighed heavily. "You say I know you, but then… well, then your wife shows up, and…" her voice trailed off and she threw her hands in the air.

"Dani, I'm sorry about Alex… She just came to give me the divorce papers."

"Nico, don't you get it? This isn't about Alex – although it would've been nice if I'd known about her sooner…"

"Dani…"

"No, let me finish. Please. I need to get it out, okay?" He nodded and she continued, "It isn't even about the fact that you were married," she rolled her eyes, "Although, again, it would've been good to know that before I met her. What I'm trying to say is… I may be a therapist, but that doesn't mean that I can read minds, Nico… And yet that is what you seem to expect from me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you never tell me anything…"

"I've told you more about myself than anyone else!" he bristled.

"Yet you forgot to mention that you had a wife," she shot back.

"I thought this wasn't about Alex?"

"God! Nico, it's not!"

"Then what is it about, Dani? Because damned if I understand!"
Nico couldn't just sit there anymore. He got up and stalked over to the window, turning his back on her. As the silence stretched out between them, he stared out into the dark yard without actually seeing anything and waited for her to start yelling at him. Waited for her to kick him out. When none of those things happened and there was only more silence, his own anger deepened. Who the hell was she to say he never told her anything? Like she was always so open? She was the one that had thrown his life upside down, then stomped off and then left him hanging for more than a month! And why couldn't she understand that she knew all the important things there were to know about him? Besides, hadn't he told her over and over again that all she had to do was ask him what she wanted to know? And she still thought she didn't know him? After he'd tried to show her, God knew how many times, what kind of man he really was? He'd thought she understood, now it turned out that she didn't. Even though he'd always been there for her when she needed him, even at those times when she hadn't really trusted him. What the fuck did she want from him?
He tensed when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Look at me," she whispered, but he couldn't. "Nico, look at me," she repeated more forcefully. He turned to her, expecting to see anger in her eyes, surprised when he saw that there wasn't. "Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?" Her voice was soft, but the question cut through him like a knife.

"Dani… No." The words came out so hoarse, he almost didn't recognize his own voice. His anger started to subside.

"And do you feel safe with me?"

"Yes." As he said it, he realized it was true. She made him feel safer than anyone ever had. The realisation made what was left of his anger die down.

"Then you should also know that you can tell me… anything." Her hand came up to cup his cheek, and he couldn't help but lean into her touch.

"I do," he whispered, but part of his mind immediately started reminding him of all the things he could never tell her. Some of those things must have shown on his face, because she put her arms around his neck and hugged him to her. He closed his eyes and hid his face in her neck as his own arms slid around her and he grabbed on tight.

"Nico… You don't have to hide," she whispered, stroking the back of his head. They stood there like that for a long time.

Later, Dani led Nico to the kitchen, where she poured them each a glass of red wine. He stood silently at the bar behind her, but he seemed less tense now. She carried their glasses over to the bar and handed him his, shivering a little when their fingers brushed. They both took a sip of wine, and then he cleared his throat. "So, what happens now?" he asked.

She knew what he was really asking, but she also knew they would both need time to process what just happened in her office. So she answered, "Well, I was thinking we could go and sit in the family room." She gave him a smile and stepped past him to lead the way.

He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "What I meant was…"

"I know what you meant, Nico," she said, raising her own hand to give his a little squeeze. "But for now, let's just go sit and relax, okay?"
They sat down on the couch, sipping their wine in silence. After a few minutes, Dani pulled her feet up and rested her head on his shoulder. He stiffened a little, then relaxed again. She closed her eyes and just tried to enjoy the moment. But of course her mind wouldn't settle down that easily, and she found herself wondering how she could have thought that he'd been his usual cool and composed self when they'd run into each other outside the DA's office. When she looked back now, it was obvious that he had been trying to conceal his emotions just as hard as she'd been trying to hide hers. Which reminded her… "So, why didn't you go to Dallas this time?" she asked, and she felt his muscles tense again. She kept her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed and tried not to hold her breath as she waited. Finally, he let out a sigh and although he didn't completely relax, she felt some of the tension give way.

"Because of that night." She didn't have to ask which night he meant. Even back then, a part of her had known that he wasn't gonna leave. Still, she'd wondered.

"I'm glad you didn't go."

"I'm glad you're glad." She felt his lips brush her hair and then they both fell silent again, although the silence was a much more comfortable one now.
Just when Dani started to wonder if he'd fallen asleep, Nico said, "So… more wine, doctor?" She opened her eyes and saw that her glass was indeed empty. Sitting up, she moved to take his glass from him, but he held it out of her reach. "Sit back. Relax. I'll get the wine." He stood up and went to the kitchen. She leaned back and closed her eyes again, her legs stretched out in front of her.
When she heard him come back in, she sat up and took the glass from him. She realized she was tired, and just wanted to have a conversation of the less intense variety with him. "So something weird happened today…" she said after swallowing a sip of wine.

"What?" He seemed okay with the change in subject, relieved even.

"Well, I called Abby Bruce, you know, to tell her I'll come work for SBG, but it was a very strange conversation."

"Why?"

"She sounded… stressed. And, you know, not at all happy to hear from me."

"Maybe you caught her at a bad time."

"Well yeah, that's what she said. And I might have believed her, too. But that wasn't the only strange thing that happened today. I also received a note, telling me to, and I quote, stay away from SBG."

"Abby Bruce sent you a note?"

"Well… I didn't say it was from Abby, now did I? Although I suppose it could have been from her. You know, since there was no name on it." She watched his jaw clench as she gave him that last piece of information.

"Show me the note. And the envelope." She went to retrieve the note from her office, where she'd put it after she got tired of studying it, and handed it to him.

"Sorry, I think I threw the envelope away," she said as she watched him study the four words and then turn the note over to see if there was more on the back. "Weird, huh?"

"I wouldn't use the word weird." There was a hint of anger in his voice as he continued to stare down at the note.

"Really? How would you describe it then?" She knew the answer before he gave it, and he didn't disappoint her.

"A threat…" He looked up at her. "Maybe you should stay away from SBG."

"Why? I thought you said they were legit?"

"I said Abby's story checked out. There's a difference, doctor."

"Well, yeah, but she wouldn't have gone to the FBI if SBG had anything to hide, right? I mean, they would have looked into that, wouldn't they?"

"Probably. But that doesn't mean that there aren't any… rotten apples within the company that she doesn't know about." He studied her for a minute, then sighed. "Seems to me the person who sent this doesn't know you very well."

"Huh?"

"Well, you've already decided not to stay away. Despite the note. Or maybe even because of it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Weren't you the one who told me that you never walked away from a fight?"

"Mm." He had her there. And although she'd also once told him she didn't like riddles, mysteries and secrets, she had already made up her mind to get to the bottom of this particular one. Because bad apples or not, there were also people at SBG that she cared about… Her thoughts were interrupted by another heavy sigh from Nico.

"Dani, just promise me you won't sign anything until I've had a chance to do a little more digging on SBG."

"And how long will that take?"

"Depends." She had to resist rolling her eyes at his characteristic reply.

"On what, exactly?"

"On what there is to find."

"And do you have any ideas on what that might be?" Dani had a hard time keeping the impatience she felt out of her voice, and judging from his expression she hadn't succeeded completely.

"Well, for one, there may be remaining ties between SBG and V3 Global."

"Oh." She hadn't thought of that yet, and now she wondered why. V3 New York may have closed down, but she'd read in the paper that the other offices were still in business although they were having a hard time dealing with the fallout of the scandal. She didn't want to get caught in the middle of that again.

"Yeah, oh. So will you promise me now?" Nico tilted his head and raised his eyebrow at her.

"Oh, allright, I promise not to sign anything before I have all the facts. There. Happy now?"

"Reasonably." He studied her face for a moment, then reached out to put his hand at her nape and pull her closer to him. "I just want you safe, Dani," he said in a low voice, right before putting his lips on hers for the second time that evening. Dani gladly opened her mouth to grant him access. At first the kiss was different from the one they'd shared earlier that evening. In fact, it reminded Dani more of the very first kiss they'd shared almost two years ago. This kiss held the same tenderness, as they gingerly explored each others mouths. But then she heard him groan softly in the back of his throath and at the same time felt him gently pull up the hem of her sweater. She shuddered at the first touch of his hand on the bare skin of her lower back, and then the kiss simply… exploded, the world around them fading away for a while as they both tried to get as close to each other as possible, their hands seeming to be everywhere at once.
Eventually though, they had to come up for air. As Dani leaned her forehead against his she gasped, "Nico… I really think… We should take this slow…"

"Slow sounds good…" He leaned into her again, but she gently pushed him away and sat up.

"No, listen… Nico!" She swatted his arm when he tried to pull her back. "Really, hasn't your mother ever taught you that you should, well, you know, wine and dine a lady first?" She rolled her eyes and laughed when he pointedly looked in the direction of their wine glasses on the coffee table. "I'm serious though." She glanced down.

"What are you suggesting?" She finally heard him ask.

"Well, you know, we never did have any official, uh, real dates…" He seemed to think about that for a while.

"You sure that lunch the other day doesn't count as one?" he tried. Smiling, she shook her head. "Well then, doctor, allow me to take you out on our very first date then. How about dinner tomorrow?"

"Sounds great."

"Allright, I'll pick you up at seven."

"I can't wait," she smiled, then let him pull her in for another kiss.

"I'd better go now," he whispered. "Before we ruin our chances of taking it slow…" She nodded reluctantly and blew out a heavy sigh. They got up and walked to the front door. He stepped outside, then turned back to her. "Thank you, Dani."

"Huh? For what?"

"For giving me… us… a second chance." With that, he turned and left.

When she lay in bed alone, Dani kind of regretted her decision to let him walk away when all she'd really wanted to do was drag him up to her bedroom and have her way with him. But she also still thought that it had been the right thing to do.
Remembering that moment in her office when she'd watched all the blood drain out of his shocked face when he thought she believed that he would hurt her on purpose, her heart twisted. She wondered if he was even aware of the fact that in that moment he'd given her the missing piece of the puzzle that was Nico Careles. She also wondered how she could have missed it before, especially given her professional background. You know what kind of man I am, he had once said to her. He'd been right, she did know. He was an honest, loyal, deeply caring man. And, as he'd shown her over and over again, he was a protector. But he was also a terrified man. He really believed that he was capable of hurting the people he cared about… deliberately. His shutting her out had never been about protecting himself, it had been all about protecting her. Whenever she got too close to him, he started driving her away for fear of hurting her, not realizing that in the process he was only achieving the exact thing he wanted to avoid.
Thus her decision to take it slow this time. Though their physical chemistry was off the charts hot, giving into it was also a way for Nico to keep their relationship in safe waters. After all, when they made love, there was no time for delving into anything more complex than their primal needs... Dani sighed, praying that she would have it in her to somehow muster up the self control it was gonna take to keep her hands off him until he was ready to leave his comfort zone and face his deepest fears.

Nico once again sat in his dark living room with a glass of scotch, thinking about the depth of the anger he had felt tonight. He still marveled at the way Dani had responded to that. Instead of being afraid of him, as she should have been, she had walked right up to him and hugged him, saying that he didn't have to hide. And he wanted to believe her, he really did. But having spent what seemed like a lifetime hiding, he wasn't sure he knew how to do anything else.

A/N: Everyone still there? Good. Now for the bad news… I won't be able to do much writing this weekend, so the next update might take a little longer than usual. But I'll try not to make you wait too long!