Don't own the show, blah blah blah. I'd love to see these two together! Only gonna be a two shot, possibly three...but maybe another story separate from this.

Opening her door once again in the dead of night had her nerves frazzled more than usual. With Ray J's injury and Lindsey writing about killing her with a brain tumor, Dani really wasn't at the top of her game. Sulking in her kitchen was becoming a ritual since it was almost always interrupted by Nico's incessant need to solve problems after the sun sets.

She opens the door after hearing the brief knock, knowing exactly who'd be at her door. Leaving the door open behind her, she ignores his need to fill her in as she walks back to her kitchen and her wine. Hearing the door click and Nico appearing in the doorway a second after that, she sighed as she leaned back against the sink.

"Alright Nico, what is it tonight? Hockey star that needs to quit smoking or TK singlehandedly throwing himself under a bus yet again"

"You always assume the worst" he replied smirking, and watched as she huffed and pulled out another wine glass. She slid it gently towards him across the island as well as the bottle, silently giving him permission to make himself comfortable.

"Well what else am I supposed to do? The last client I was given was being watched by the mob"

"They knew better than to harm you, you were never in any danger" he answered mysteriously, sipping his wine as he leaned forward on her island.

"See? You say things like that and I wonder just what you had to do to make that happen"

"Who said I had anything to do with it" he said as he put the glass down, standing straight as his hands made their way into his pockets.

"Really Nico, you're a fixer; you fix things you can control. I knew you did something"

"Like you said, I fix things. It's what I do, and I did what needed to be done"

"What had to be done? I'm not asking for a detailed diagram, just something beyond the usual vague comment"

"Everything is fine, stop worrying"

"Stop worrying? How do I do that when you constantly put yourself in danger for-"

"How are Lindsey and Ray J?"

He abruptly changed the subject before she could really get rolling, knowing that once she was set on something, she never let it go. She scoffed as she took another sip of her wine before putting down and leaning forward to meet Nico's stare head on.

"You tell me"

"Well, no one's in jail"

"Not funny"

"How's Matt?"

He knew it was a low blow, but she was getting too close. She kept looking at him in that way that would have made a lesser man squirm, so the natural thing to do was to throw her off balance.

Bad move. He saw the way her eyes squinted as she left the kitchen and made her way into the living room. He followed, watching as she sat at the far side of her couch with her feet on the coffee table and motioned for him to join her. She sighed as he sat a good foot away from her, staring at the ceiling because it was easier than facing that assessing gaze he had.

"Is Laura as perfect as she seems?" she whispered skyward as her head turned towards Nico.

"Dani, no one's perfect. She may be a power hungry woman with a need to step on any and everyone to get to the top and no real ties here but Matt, but even she's got a past"

"Why Matt?"

"In regards to her, they have history and she's a woman her never truly got over. In regards to you, you thought there were still decent men in the world after getting cheated on by Ray. Matt may not be the guy you thought, but he does care about you. Many people do"

"Yeah? He has a funny way of showing it, and the only other people that care are my mother so she isn't homeless and my kids so there's someone to give them lunch money"

"They love you, don't doubt that. And we wouldn't do half of the things we do if we didn't care for you"

"We?" she asked, meeting his eyes as he turned to look at the ceiling this time.

"You know, everyone"

"We insinuates you're included as well"

"Of course I care, if not I wouldn't be good at my job"

"Is that what I am, another part of your job?"

He turned to look at her, and watched as her eyes danced with unsaid emotions as she waited for his answer. He let his eyes take on that soft quality when it came to her, letting her know that she was different.

"No, you're not just part of my job"

He leaned in closer to her, draping his arm on the back of the couch just behind her neck.

"Then what am I?"

Dani tilted her head to the right as she leant in to level their eyes only a few inches away from one another. Nico took his hand that had rested behind her and gently lifted her chin as he slowly closed the gap between them. Just as his nose bumped hers and he dipped his head to meet her lips, they heard a crash that had Dani scrambling off the couch before his hand even hit the cushion. He heard yelling in a high voice that he recognized as Lindsey and a door slamming as Dani made her way slowly back down the stairs minutes later. Her eyes met his across the room and he moved towards the front door before she could offer apologies for the almost kiss that would just damage his carefully constructed walls. As he reached for the door, Dani reached out and touched his left arm keeping him from leaving.

"Look, about all of this-"

"No harm, no fowl. I need to get going"

"Nico, just give me a minute"

"No need, I'll see you in the morning Dr. Santino"

And with that, Nico vanished into the night much like he always did, this time leaving a gaping hole in his wake.

"What is wrong with you?"

Dani rolled her eyes as she closed the door, turning around and leaning against it.

"No more than usual Ma. I thought you were asleep? Lindsey still claiming I'm ruining her life?"

"I meant with Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome. Lindsey will get over it, she says this every week"

She waved her mother off as she made her way back into the kitchen, noticing Nico's half full glass of wine across from her empty one.

"You were drinking with him" she asked skeptically, picking up the empty glass and looking at her questioningly.

"That was mine Ma, this was Nico's and he only had a sip. And since when do I need to explain everything? I'm not 16 anymore" she replied as she decided not to let good wine go to waste as she drank Nico's glass. Her mother's eyes widened as she watched Dani drain the glass and put it in the sink.

"Don't let that one get away, he's good for you"

"Ma, I'm not even divorced yet!"

"So? He's always around; let him know you like it"

"Ma!"

"Yeah Yeah, go to sleep you look tired. Night"

Dani just stood in her kitchen as her mother made her way back up the stairs, letting her thoughts wander. Nico had almost kissed her, and she almost let him. It's not that Nico was unattractive, in fact he was very much attractive, but she didn't know if this was what she wanted. He got her kids out of trouble and did everything he could to make life easier, then goes and just complicates it again. She knows using her professional title was a way of distancing himself, but it hurt to know that she let this happen.

He's a fixer, and she needs this to be fixed. She knew exactly how to fix this, but it had to wait until tomorrow. Nico needed to be needed, and damn her; she needed him more than she thought possible.

Like? Review or don't, I like this pair a lot.