Hello Prodigies! Welcome to my first story for the Prodigal Son fandom. I absolutely love this show so much. This is a tag for episode 1x13, Wait and Hope. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts!

After speaking with Ainsley, Malcolm goes to look for his mother. He finds her having a conversation with a group of high society socialites. His mom is the center of attention and is soaking it up. This used to be her world until Martin's arrest and then everyone ostracized and froze her out. He knew that it had to have hurt his mother immensely. All the whispers and stares, the veiled jabs. But now she looked genuinely happy. Jessica caught Malcolm's eye and waved him over.

"Malcolm, darling. I'd like you to meet a few of my friends." She latched onto his arm and practically pulled him over. "This is BB, CC and Ashley."

"Nice to meet you ladies." Malcolm said politely.

"Malcolm, you were sooo brave tonight." BB purred.

"Yes, indeed, sooo brave." Ashley chimed in and batted her eyes at him.

"Of course, he is," Jessica replied proudly. "Malcolm is a highly trained law enforcement officer. He saves lives every day." Jessica beamed at her son happily.

Malcolm ducked his head in embarrassment, his face starting to turn red.

"It was nothing," he murmured. "Just doing my job."

"Now, don't be modest dear," Jessica admonished. "You're a hero." Her smile got even brighter.

Across the room, Dani was finishing up with a witness when she looked up and saw Bright surrounded by his mother and her friends. He looked flustered and uncomfortable and when their eyes met, she could see him silently pleading with her to save him.

She smirked at him and lifted her shoulders in a "what can I do" gesture.

Malcolm's eyes widened, and he looked at her with even more desperation. Dani laughed and decided to put him out of his misery. She nodded her head and started to walk towards him.

Malcolm threw her a grateful look. "Excuse me ladies, I think Detective Powell needs me."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak to Bright. Police business," Dani said seriously, although he could see a hint of a smile forming on her face.

"Of course, dear, you go ahead. I know you have important matters to deal with." Jessica squeezed his hand and leaned in to give him a hug. In a quieter voice, she said to him, "I'm very proud of you Malcolm."

Malcolm gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Mother," he said softly.

Jessica pulled away and looked at her new friends. "Come along ladies. Let's go grab ourselves a drink and some of those canapes." The ladies followed Jessica like she was the pied piper.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Malcolm blew out a relieved breath. "Thanks for saving me." He smiled gratefully at her.

"Hey, what are friends for," she replied.

Malcolm's smile widened. "But you were going to leave me to fend for myself," he teased.

"Well it was kind of fun to watch you squirm. Very entertaining."

"That's mean, Detective Powell," Malcolm said in mock indignation.

"C'mon, I'm done here. You need a ride home?" Dani asked.

"Sure, thanks. Home sounds good," Malcolm said.

The ride to Malcolm's loft was made in comfortable silence with the radio playing softly. Pretty soon Malcolm fell asleep, his head resting against the passenger window.

Dani pulled onto Malcolm's street and turned the radio off. She put her hand on Malcolm's shoulder and gently shook him.

"Bright," she said softly. "We're home."

He let out a small sigh but didn't rouse. Dani shook him a little harder. "Bright, we're here. Wake up."

He turned his head towards Dani's voice and opened his eyes slowly. "Dani?" he asked still groggy.

"We're at your loft, Bright. Home." Dani replied. "You okay?"

The sleep cleared from Malcolm's eyes only to be replaced by embarrassment.

"You okay?" Dani asked again.

"I'm fine." Bright replied. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you…" He couldn't complete his sentence as a white-hot pain shot up his back. Everything just stopped. He let out a gasp and tears sprang to his eyes.

When Bright froze and let out that gasp, Dani was at a loss. She sees that he's in pain but didn't know exactly what was wrong. Her hand hovered over his shoulder. She wanted to offer him comfort but didn't want to make it worse.

"Bright, talk to me. What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

Bright was stiff, staring straight ahead and breathing shallowly. Was it a hallucination, a flashback? Dani didn't know and was getting alarmed.

She decided to risk Bright's reaction and gently laid her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Bright, you gotta breathe with me or you're going to start hyperventilating. C'mon, like me…in and out. Slowly. In and out."

Bright gave a slight nod and tried to follow Dani's instructions. His breathing started to slow until finally he was able to start breathing a bit normally.

Again, she asked, "Are you okay?" a mixture of concern and curiosity in her voice. "What happened?"

"I'm fin…" Bright started to reply only to be interrupted by Dani. "If you say you're fine Bright, I swear I'm gonna keep you in this car." Dani said with mock sternness. "You are not fine."

Malcolm blew out a breath and looked at Dani. "Okay," he acquiesced, "I'm not fine."

"See that wasn't so hard was it?" Dani asked.

But Malcolm continued. "It's nothing I can't handle myself."

Dani rolled her eyes. "Why don't you let me be the judge. Now spill."

"It's my back. I may have tweaked it a bit when I jumped out the window and re-aggravated it when I pushed George out of the way of Isabella's bullet," Malcolm said sheepishly, almost embarrassed to admit he was hurt.

"Of course," Dani thought. Bright did jump out of a 3-story window and land on top of a car. It would have been a miracle for anyone to come out of that unscathed.

"Jesus Bright, we've got to get you to a hospital." Dani started the car.

"No, no no Dani. No hospital," Bright protested. "It's not that bad. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before." Dani gave him a look of surprise.

"It's true. When I was ax throwing, I threw my back out. It feels the same. All I need is some rest, a heating pad and some muscle relaxants and I'll be good as new."

Dani still didn't look convinced, but she did turn the car off. "Okay Bright. I'll take your word for it. What can I do to help?"

Bright threw Dani a grateful look. "Help me out of the car and into my apartment. I can take care of the rest."

Dani nodded and got out of the car. She went around to the passenger side and opened the door. Bright slowly eased his way out of the care, his face clearly etched with pain.

"You good?" Dani asked. "Can you walk?"

Bright blew out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good."

The short trek from the card to Bright's apartment felt like a marathon. By the time he and Dani made it to his door, Bright was breathing heavily and a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead.

Bright fumbled with his keys and finally got the door unlocked. He made a beeline for his bed before Dani gently stopped him.

"No Bright. You can't go to sleep yet."

"But Dani…," Bright practically whined while eyeing his bed with longing.

"Nope, you need to change, take a hot shower to relax your muscles and take your medication. You'll definitely thank me in the morning. Now go, I'll make you something to eat."

Malcolm gave a small huff and grabbed some clothes and closed the bathroom door.

Dani waited by the door until she heard the shower come on. She turned and went into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she found some left over soup and got to work re-heating it on the stove. She rummaged around some more until she found Bright's medicine "cupboard". As Dani suspected it was well stocked. Not only were his prescriptions lined up on the shelf, he had a fair sized First Aid Kit along with any type of medication you might need. She rooted around until she found the heating pad and muscle relaxants. By this time, the soup was bubbling so she grabbed a couple of bowls and ladled some for Bright and herself.

When Bright came out of the bathroom she was pleasantly surprised to see Dani looking right at home in his kitchen. He couldn't help but think how natural and perfect it looked to have her in his space…how she belonged there. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Nope he wasn't going to go there."

Bright cleared his throat." Umm you didn't have to stay."

Dani turned around with a slight look of embarrassment. "I hope you don't mind but I kind of went through your kitchen."

"Not at all. You didn't have to do all this," Bright replied with a soft smile.

It had been a long time since anyone had taken care of him. When he was a kid, before everything that happened with Martin happened, his Dad would be the one to comfort him whenever he was hurt or sick. He remembered feeling safe and secure…like nothing bad could happen to him. As he had said during his impromptu speech at the Taylor wedding, there was a time that he truly believed his Dad loved him and would do anything for him.

After Martin's arrest all that changed. His mom just couldn't cope so Malcolm had to rely on himself. Not only did he have to look after himself he also had to take care of Ainsley. Thank God for the Arroyos…Gil and Jackie became his safe place. And when he left for Quantico and joined the FBI he was alone again. It was something he was used to now, but he'd be lying if it didn't feel nice to be taken care of. Especially by Dani.

"Hey you okay Bright?" Dani asked. "Bright?"

Dani's voice brought Bright out of his thoughts. He gave her a small smile and said, "I'm fine. You're right the shower did feel good." Bright slowly shuffled over to the kitchen. He was a bit hunched over and Dani could see his face pinched in pain.

Bright's hair was still a bit damp from his shower and he had changed into a loose-fitting tee and some sweats.

"Looks like I'm a little overdressed for the occasion," Dani remarked as she gestured to her outfit. She was still in her dress but had let her hair down, so it softly framed her face.

"No complaints here. You look amazing," Bright said sincerely, his blue eyes intense. Dani met his gaze and blushed. "You said that already."

"Well, it bears repeating." They continued to look at each other until Dani broke eye contact first. "I reheated some soup I found in your fridge because you're not supposed to take your medication on an empty stomach. I figured you wouldn't have had time to enjoy the lovely canapes at the wedding," she joked trying to lighten the moment they just shared.

"You didn't have to do all this Dani," Bright said again. "I take medication on an empty stomach all the time."

"Yeah, but you're not supposed to," Dani admonished lightly, "so just humor me and have some soup." She joined him on the other side of the island and picked up her spoon. She gestured for him to do the same.

With a sigh, he picked up his spoon and they both started eating in companionable silence.

Dani finished her soup first and noticed that Bright still had half a bowl left. He was just stirring the soup around without actually eating. Knowing he wasn't going to eat anymore, she bumped him in the shoulder and asked, "You done?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Bright replied as Dani began gathering their bowls to bring to the sink.

"You don't have to clean up after me," Bright said hastily as he tried to stand. A stab of pain shot up his back and he couldn't help the hiss of pain that escaped his lips.

"It's no big deal Bright. Just a couple of bowls to rinse out. Now, you go to the couch and sit." Dani's tone meant no arguments. "And take your heating pad."

"Yes, ma'am," Bright said and gave her a mock salute.

Dani's response was just an eyeroll and a small smirk on her face.

Bright slowly made his way over to his couch and carefully sat down. He wrapped the heating pad around his middle and turned it on. Slowly the heat started to relax his body and his muscles. That coupled with the sounds of bowls clinking in the sink was enough to lull Bright into a light doze.

Meanwhile Dani was at the sink washing their bowls and the pot. It wasn't long before she had finished and was putting everything away. She took the pills and a glass of water and walked over the couch.

She could see that Bright's eyes were closed and she didn't want to wake him. The man got so little sleep, but she knew the pills would help him. So, she sat down next to him and gently shook his shoulder. Bright's eyes immediately popped open.

Dani held her eyes up. "Hey, it's just me with your muscle relaxants. Take these. They'll help."

Wordlessly, Bright popped a couple of pills into his mouth and chased them down with a drink of water. Dani looked at him and shook her head fondly.

"What?" Bright asked as he couldn't read her expression.

"Only you could throw yourself out a 3rd floor window and still work a full day, solving a Monte Cristo inspired murder."

Bright let out a small laugh. "It's a gift," he responded. "Thanks Dani," Bright said to her warmly.

"You've said that already and what are friends for?" Dani replied.

Bright let out a sigh and looked down at his hands. "You've been a better friend to me than I have been to you. You're constantly taking care of me." Insecurity crept into his voice.

"Listen to me Bright. Friendship isn't a competition. You don't keep score. And you've helped me plenty of times even when I didn't want it."

Bright nodded. It was so easy to talk to Dani. She always said the right things to ease his mind. Realizing that he had taken up most of her evening, he said, "You don't have to stay." The medication was starting to kick in and he was feeling a little drowsy. "And I promise I won't operate any heavy machinery," he joked.

Dani chuckled as she rose from the couch. "As reassuring as that sounds," she held out her hand to pull Bright up, "I just want to get you into bed." As soon as the words left her mouth, Dani realized what she had just said. A hot blush rose up here cheeks and she wanted the floor to swallow her up.

"Oh God! That's not what I meant," she stammered her cheeks getting redder. "I mean I do want you in bed, but not like that! I want you in bed, resting," she further tried to clarify.

Bright looked at her in amusement. He was grinning from ear to ear. Dani was always so in control and unflappable. It was kind of fun to see her like this. "Why Detective Powell are you propositioning me?" Bright teased, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

"In your dreams Bright. In your dreams," she returned, her face still flushed.

"C'mon." She held her hand out again. Bright grasped it and Dani pulled him slowly from the couch. The walk-more like shuffle-was slow but Bright wasn't in too much pain. The muscle relaxants coupled with the heating pad seemed to have done their job.

They reached Bright's bed without incident and he gingerly laid down. He stared up at Dani as she started buckling him in for the night. Dani could feel his eyes on her. She quickly swung her eyes to meet his. "Don't stare," she murmured.

"Sorry," he sighed. "I can't help it." He blinked up at her drowsily, his eyes finally closing.

Dani had finished buckling him in and patted his arm. "Get some rest Bright." Just as she was about to get up, she felt Bright grab her hand. "I have a confession to make."

With his eyes still closed, he said, "I lied, you know."

Confused, Dani couldn't help but ask, "About what?"

Bright's eyes remained closed. "When I was about to get blown up, what I wanted to say to you had nothing to do with the profile."

Dani stared at him, a curious expression on her face. When Bright didn't continue speaking, Dani asked softly, "What were you going to say?"

Bright finally pried his eyes open. The force of sleep was pulling him under, but he needed Dani to hear this. "I, um, didn't want to die without telling you, without you knowing that you're my best friend. Thank you for always being there when I need you."

Dani didn't know what to say to that. Bright misinterpreted her silence and quickly continued, "I know you don't feel the same way. And it's okay. I didn't say it just, so you would say it back." He looked embarrassed and turned away. "Sorry, I just made things really awkward," he mumbled.

"No, no, it's fine," Dani reassured. "I'm glad you told me. You never have to hide your feelings from me."

Bright's eyes started to close and again he forced them open. "I just….," he trailed off losing his train of thought. The pull of the drugs was too strong, and he blinked one final time before succumbing to sleep. His body relaxed, and his breathing evened out.

Dani sat there for a couple of minutes watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. She was trying to process her feelings and truth be told, Bright's words scared her. She had issues with trust but knowing Bright these last few months made her think that she could let go of the fear and learn to trust again.

Even though he couldn't hear her, she softly whispered to him, "You're my best friend too." Maybe one day soon she would be able to say it to Bright directly but for now it was enough for Dani to admit it to herself.