AN: Picks up right where we left of. These kids don't get a break. Warning for what could be considered extreme language.

X

Nico sat behind the wheel of his black Lincoln and watched the exchange between Dani and Gabrielle. Even though Gabrielle had a good 3 inches on Dani, he could tell by both of their postures that Dani was the one larger than life at that moment. He felt a strong sense of pride fill his chest as he watched Dani poke Gabrielle in the chest to make her point and then turn to walk towards him, a self-satisfied smirk on her face, and a gaping look of disapproval on Gabrielle's. When Dani was about ten feet from the car, Nico's phone buzzed in notification of a new email. He groaned loudly as he read it, knowing full well the woman about to join him in the car was not going to be pleased.

Dani ducked inside the car and turned to face him as she shut the door behind her, her smile faltering when she caught sight of the look on his face.

"Ugh. Do I even want to know what the new situation is?" Nico couldn't help but grin at her.

"How do you know it's a situation? How do you know I'm not upset with you for fighting my battles for me?" He tossed the question out there, knowing full well that he wasn't upset in the slightest. He just loved to tease her, especially in instances where her perceptiveness caught him off guard. Dani sat back in her seat and let slightly worried look cross her face.

"Are you? Upset?" The worry in her voice made him feel terrible for teasing her at all, let alone about a subject she was probably very unsure about. He shook his head and tucked his finger under her chin, making her meet his eyes again.

"No Danielle. I am not upset at all. In fact, I am extremely grateful. But right now we have more pressing matters to attend to. You should probably check your phone. I'm sure you have a few missed calls."

Dani looked at him confused. She reached for her little black purse and pulled out her phone, freezing when she saw 15 missed calls from Ray and 6 from an unknown city number.

"Why the hell is Ray calling me?" She glanced back up at Nico and saw him let out a sigh. That wasn't good.

"Do you want me to fill you in or do you want to call him and find out?"

Dani leaned her head back against the headrest.

"You better tell me now. If it's as bad as I think it is I'd rather hear it from someone I don't want to punch in the face." Nico chuckled.

"As long as you promise you're attitude towards me will stay that way then I'll tell you." Dani's eyes shot open and she glared at him.

"I swear to god Nico you better tell me now before I…I…Ugh! Just tell me!" Nico held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Ray Jay was arrested yesterday evening for possession of marijuana. He's been in a holding cell all night and apparently thought it was a good idea to call his father instead of you."

Dani's jaw fell open in disbelief and then she let out a hysterical laugh. She kept laughing until she looked at Nico again and saw that his face was still set in stone. Her face fell immediately.

"You're not joking. Oh. My. God. What the hell was he thinking?! I'm so going to make him wish he was never born that little-"Nico cut her off.

"Dani! Hey, take it easy. We're going to the precinct right now okay? I'll get this sorted out."

Dani grumbled as he started the car.

"Take it easy…ha. I'd like to see you take it easy if you were in my position. I'd probably be talking you out of hanging Ray Jay up by his toes from a ceiling fan." Nico scoffed at her, and flashed a small grin.

"It's nice to know you think so highly of my hypothetical parenting skills Danielle." Dani was about to roll her eyes when Nico's voice suddenly turned serious.

"Even if Ray Jay and Lindsay aren't my children, that doesn't mean that they aren't important to me. I'm pretty upset about this incident as well." Dani swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to gather her thoughts after his little confession. It didn't make sense to her though, seeing as how the only interaction he had with her kids was when he had busted them at the Hawks game forever ago. She cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I get it…Hawks assets and all. Anything bad they do is bad for the team." Her voice was quiet, not looking at his face. She felt him tense at her words and he was quiet for a moment, contemplating how best to describe the situation to her. For once he opted for as straight an answer as he could offer.

"When you first started working for the Hawks? Sure. Now? That is a very small portion of it. They are important to me because they are important to you. You have to know by now that I care deeply for you Danielle. Anything that upsets you upsets me, and that is a huge deal because I don't enjoy being upset." His eyes stayed focused on the road in front of them, his jaw clenched. Every word he had just spoken was true…and on some level that made him angry. Well, maybe not angry, but extremely frustrated. He was never this open, with anyone. It was why his marriage had failed, partially why Gabrielle had chosen Marshall over him, and most definitely why he had no friends outside of this stubbornly headstrong woman beside him. She was the only person in the world now that Marshall was gone that had ever seen a glimpse of who he really was. He was terrified of having just said out loud that he cared for her. Experience had shown that usually sent people running for the hills; and losing her just wasn't an option. But that was also why he knew that if he didn't take that leap with her he'd end up losing her in the long run anyway. Whether it be to constantly shutting her out or to another man. Both ideas made him want to punch something…hard.

He had to suppress his surprise when Dani reached over and took the hand that had been laying on his thigh in to her hands and brought it up to kiss his knuckles.

"Thank you." Now it was his turn to not be totally sure what he was being thanked for but decided to just leave it be and simply nodded while stretching out his fingers and caressing her cheek.

"We'll continue this later. We're here." He said, pulling in to the parking garage next to the police station. Dani let out a long sigh and allowed her anger to take control of her again. Despite the overwhelming emotions she was feeling for Nico at the moment, she couldn't afford her son or her ex-husband to see her have any vulnerability right now. Angry momma bear was on the prowl.

"Let's get this over with." She nearly growled as she got out of the car and made her way towards the precinct, knowing Nico was right behind her.

Nico reached around her as they walked up the stairs and opened the door for her, his eyes glinting slightly as she flashed him an appreciative smile. Once they were inside, his senses were assaulted with the mixed smell of stale coffee and Xerox paper. If he weren't so used to being in this building every so often it would have made him gag. The main room was crammed with desks and uniformed officers bustling about doing the random everyday tasks. The reception desk stood about ten feet in front of them and to its right was a bench where none other than Ray Santino sat with his head down.

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing when Dani huffed in agitation and stalked over to Ray, her heels clicking on the tile. She stopped in front of his hunched form, crossed her arms and sank back on to one foot, ever looking the part of the impatient mother. And a sexy as hell one at that.

"Where is he?" Her voice was stern and demanding, her face unflinching as Ray's head shot up and he looked at her with surprise.

"Dani? I've been trying to call you all morning! Where the hell have you been?" Ray stood, his face turning red, his shift in mood causing Nico to walk up behind Dani and place a protective hand on her lower back; the action both offering support and making his presence known to the sorry excuse of a man standing before him. Ray's eyes flickered between the two of them and his face grew even more red, as if that was even possible.

"Who the fuck is this? Your body guard?" The tension Nico had been feeling the past few days wound even tighter inside of him and he made to move forward to relieve some of it before Dani placed a hand on his chest.

"Not that it's any of your business Ray but I was attending a funeral for my boss this morning, hence why you couldn't get a hold of me. Besides, from what I know Ray Jay was arrested yesterday…why in the hell did you wait until this morning to call me?!" Ray dropped his eyes to the floor. "And no, he isn't my body guard but I'm sure he wouldn't mind breaking a few fingers if I asked him to so you better watch how you speak to me right now because I am very tempted." Nico balked slightly when she spoke but also felt a sense of pride that she trusted him enough to use him as a weapon. He made his face neutral and leveled Ray with a steady stare.

"She wouldn't even have to ask. I'd do it merely on principle." Nico offered with a shrug and it was Dani's turn to fight off a laugh at the shocked look on Ray's face. When she had her amusement under control, she cleared her throat and continued to address her ex like he was another child for her to be annoyed with.

"So, back to my original question; where is Ray Jay?"

"He's in a holding cell. They are willing to release him until his court date if his fifteen hundred dollar fine is paid in full. I was going to come bail him out yesterday until I found out how much it was. I just don't have that kind of money so I called you." Ray's voice shrank with his admission at the end of the explanation. Dani rolled her eyes.

"I'm not surprised. Hookers and backed taxes must get expensive." She sneered. "You're lucky my portion is paid off or he would be sitting in that cell for a while…which I'm considering anyway." Dani reached inside her purse and pulled out her check book, Ray gaping at her.

"What? How?" He sputtered out. Dani glared up at him before turning to walk to the reception desk.

"Again Ray, none of your business."

Nico followed behind her and snatched the pen out of her hand as she started to make out the check.

"Nico what-"He cut her off.

"The Hawks will take care of it." He wasn't at all surprised when she shook her head in defiance.

"No. That is completely unnecessary, not to mention inappropriate." She went for her pen again and this time Nico held it up out of her reach and took a step closer to her, invading her personal space and using his new found power over her to his advantage.

"You are a Hawks employee. With that comes various…let's call them 'perks'. Trust me when I say it is far from inappropriate to accept the help." He felt her respond to the closeness of their bodies and had to suppress the urge to kiss her senseless in the middle of the precinct with her ex-husband as an audience. She sighed and took a step back.

"Accept help…have you met me Nico?" Her tone was playful but he could still see the lust in her eyes.

"Oh I have met you Doctor Santino, and believe me; I love what I've seen so far." The smile that had been on both of their faces slipped to an expression of blatant shock; the slipped admission of the word 'love' not going unnoticed. Dani opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a throat clearing.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" The receptionist, an elderly woman who looked like she had less patience than Nico, said to them. Nico tore his eyes away from her beautiful face and reached in to the pocket of his dress blue pants and pulled out his wallet.

"Yes. We're here to pay the fine and procure the release of Raymond Santino Junior." His voice was steady, all business, betraying none of the panic he was feeling inside. He couldn't believe he had slipped like that. Especially here of all places, in the middle of bailing her son out of jail. He felt her eyes on him and he fought the need to squirm under her analyzing gaze.

"What?" He questioned as they followed the receptionist to the cashier's desk. Dani just shook her head at him.

"Nothing for now Nico." He sighed heavily.

"Don't think I didn't just notice the 'for now' part of that." She smiled.

"Good. That was the point."

They arrived at the cashier and Nico produced a credit card and ID, the receptionist telling them she was going to let the officer on duty know to release Ray Jay. Dani shook her head.

"You have a company card?" Nico smirked.

"How else do you think I bail half the team out of random situations all the time?" Dani shrugged.

"You know, I never really thought about it. The first time you ever mentioned making things 'disappear' I kind of put it in the back of my mind."

The cashier handed Nico back the plastic cards and he turned to face Dani.

"Now we both know that isn't true. You've been very vocal about not agreeing with my methods."

"When we first met? Absolutely. And still on occasion I do have objections." Nico opened his mouth to speak but she held up a hand to stop him. "But, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate what you do. Everything you do is to help the team and I've slowly come to understand and accept that."

"You never cease to amaze me Danielle." He whispered and moved to pull her in to a hug when they heard Ray Jay's voice behind them.

"Mom? Nico? Where's dad?" Dani peeked around Nico's shoulder and took a look at her son. He had dark circles under his eyes and he looked exhausted from anxiety and fear. She couldn't stop herself from thinking 'good'. Dani walked over to Ray Jay and tugged his arm towards the reception desk where she had to sign his release papers.

"You. Sit." She pointed to the bench where Ray had resumed his seat from earlier. Nico leaned over and whispered in Dani's ear.

"I'm going to get the car. Meet me outside when you're ready." Dani nodded at him and shot her son a glare before turning her attention back to the paperwork.

Nico walked out of the precinct and towards his car, unlocking it from a distance. Once he was parked out front he pulled his phone out to check his messages. He was surprised when he found a missed call from Juliette. He hadn't expected to hear from her at all when Gabrielle had told him she was still on some remote island living it up. He immediately hit the send button and tapped his foot impatiently as the line rang twice before she picked up.

"Nico?" Her voice was filled with despair and he felt his heart squeeze. She may not biologically be his daughter but he sure as hell loved her like one.

"Juliette, what's wrong?" She sobbed in to the phone and he heard the intercom and bustling noise of an airport in the background.

"Oh nothing besides my mother being the world's largest cunt." Her tiny voice broke down in to sobs again. Nico couldn't help but be confused.

"What did she do?" His question earning a tearful sniff.

"The spiteful bitch told me my dad's funeral wasn't until tomorrow morning so I figured I'd catch the flight in today and rest from the jet lag tonight. Imagine my shock when I land and see on the TV that it was this morning. And now she won't even answer her phone. I just don't know what to do Nico." She broke down again. Nico's hand gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles began to protest. He had known anger before, sometimes bordering on fury, but nothing came close to the absolute rage he felt towards Gabrielle right at that moment. He couldn't even believe that he had loved her at one point in his life. He took a deep breath to steady his voice.

"Do you have any money on you?"

"Yeah like thirty bucks." Nico nodded to himself.

"Take a cab to my place. I have some things I need to take care of but I will be there as soon as I can. I'll text you the code to get in." He heard her sigh and sniff again.

"Thank you Nico." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The headache he was getting from containing himself was becoming crippling.

"If you run in to any problems call me." He hung up and immediately dialed Gabrielle's number from memory. He wasn't shocked at all when it went straight to voicemail.

"You better hope and pray I don't find you any time within the next forty eight hours." Just as he hit the end button, Dani and Ray Jay opened the passenger side doors and got in to the car. He tried to smooth his face in to an impassive mask but one look from Dani was all it took for her to see right through it.

"What happened?" Her eyes were wide; the tension rolling off of Nico was so thick she was surprised he didn't choke on it.

"Juliette. She's in town and going to be at my loft. I'd rather discuss the details later." His eyes looked at the blonde teenager in his rearview mirror. Thankfully Dani didn't press him and just nodded her head. Nico put the car in drive and headed back to her house.

"So, Ray Jay, care to let me in on your partner in crime?" Nico questioned. He fought to keep his face straight when he saw the shocked expression on the boy's face.

"How did you know there was someone else?" Dani scoffed at her son.

"He's Nico. Enough said." Nico shook his head.

"No, I just know you aren't stupid enough to do something like this on your own. So who was it?" Ray Jay shook his head and smiled.

"It's creepy how much you know man. Seriously." His smile dropped when he caught Nico's stern look in the mirror. "Um, Tyler…his name is Tyler."

"Does this Tyler have a last name?"

"Hoffman. Tyler Hoffman. We go to school together." Dani spun around to look at her son.

"You mean that little shit that got you suspended for cheating on that history test a year ago? Why are you still hanging out with him?"

Ray Jay shrunk back in his seat.

"Because I'm a teenager and it's in my nature to disobey the wishes of my parents?" The way he posed the answer as a question making Nico snicker. Dani shot him a glare and his smile quickly fell, and then returned when she faced Ray Jay again.

"Seriously, enough with my psychology books. You are grounded until I say otherwise and you will work your ass off around the house doing whatever tedious task I can think of to pay back that fine. Do you understand me?" Ray Jay lowered his head.

"Yeah." The car was quiet as they drove along the highway, the silence broken only when Ray Jay leaned forward and stuck his head between the driver and passenger seats.

"Mom? I really am sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. You've got so much sh- crap on your plate already and I don't do anything but add to it. I had a lot of time to sit and think last night and I just…I'm just really sorry. For everything." Dani stared out the windshield, her eyes brimming with tears. She nodded once and patted Ray Jay's hand that was resting on her shoulder. When he sat back and gazed out the window himself, Nico couldn't help but glance at him in the rearview mirror and think 'good one kid.'

X

Twenty minutes later Nico pulled in to Dani's driveway. He parked the car and turned off the ignition but made no move to get out. He needed to get to Juliette.

"Ray Jay go inside please. I need a minute with Nico." Ray Jay nodded and opened the door. Before he got out the whole way he leaned back in.

"Thanks Nico. And nice uniform." Nico offered him a sad smile and looked down as the boy shut the door behind him and walked towards the house. The minute he had his back turned, Dani reached for Nico's hands and turned to face him.

"What's wrong? What happened with Juliette?" The genuine concern in her voice made his heart swell. She cared about everyone without ever meeting them. It astounded him how she always saw the good in everyone…how she apparently saw the good in him. He sighed and squeezed her hands tight, reveling in the contact.

"Apparently Gabrielle lied to her and told her Marshall's funeral wasn't until tomorrow. She didn't find out the truth until she landed in New York about an hour ago. She's at my loft right now." He tried his hardest to keep his voice from shaking but he failed miserably. Dani let go of one of his hands and brought hers up to cover her mouth in shock.

"Oh my god. Is she okay? Do you need me to go with you?" Nico shook his head even though he wanted to say yes so badly. He needed her more than anything else right now, but she had her own problems to attend to.

"I just need to get over there now. She's not okay but I'm going to do my best to make it as right as I can. You have things you need to deal with right now too." He looked at her then, his eyes full of determination. She offered him a small confident smile.

"You'll take care of things as only you can Nico. That girl is lucky to have you. And so am I." Without a moment's hesitation he tugged on her wrist and pulled her to him, his lips meeting her half way in a hard kiss. It started off rough and passionate but slowly turned languid and soft, filled with so much emotion it brought tears to her eyes. He finally pulled back when they were both breathless.

"I don't deserve the confidence you have in me." Dani shook her head, her nose rubbing against his.

"You deserve that and so much more. I just wished you believed that." He closed his eyes and inhaled her sweet scent of perfume, shampoo, and something that was just purely Dani.

"Maybe one day I will with the help of this amazing therapist I know." That got her to smile.

"Should I be jealous of this therapist?"

"Probably. She's one of the greatest women I've ever known." The blush that colored her cheeks started thoughts running through his head that were totally inappropriate considering the conversation. He leaned forward and gave her lips a soft kiss.

"I promise once everything settles down we'll have time for just the two of us." Dani sighed and leaned in to him.

"That would be fantastic. In the meantime, go do what you do and I'll go try my best to do what I do." She kissed him briefly again, not wanting to get out of the car but forcing herself to reach for the door handle anyway.

"I'll call you later?" He offered.

"You better." She teased and closed the door behind her. Nico was backing out of her driveway before she even reached the front door. He slammed the car in to gear and made his way back in to the city, breaking just about every traffic law on the way.

X

Author's Note: I just want to apologize for taking so long to update. I am in the process of switching careers and it's hard to find time to just sit down and write. Everything should even out here in the next week or so hopefully. As an apology, I offer you this extremely long update! Even if there aren't as many Danico fluffy moments as I would have liked. I tried to focus more on the two of them interacting in their usual way but with the subtle intimacy added here and there. I hope I was successful in that. I have the next chap already started and am hoping to get it out to you tomorrow afternoonish since I suddenly have a fuck ton of free time at work.

Anywho, yet another ENORMOUS thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed! You guys are fantastic. Seriously. I love each and every one of you.

Follow me on twitter for updates and randomness! At NicAm13.

See you next chap!

Nic