Wake up call

It was yet another night when Dani dragged herself out of bed at three o'clock in the morning because of incessant knocking. She knew that knock, knew the pattern and the force after a year of working for the Hawks. She stumbled down the stairs as quickly as she could, trying not to break her neck. The stairs were slightly blurry in front of her eyes because of her tiredness and because she hadn't put her contacts in yet, but would never open the door wearing glasses.

"Nico…" she trailed off with a sigh as she leaned against the door and looked at him. He wore a white shirt, black pants and a black jacket. Even at this later –or early- hour his hair looked perfect.

"Good morning doctor," he said and handed her a cup of coffee before he went on, "sorry to wake you up, but…"

"We have a situation," she interrupted him and took a large sip of the coffee. "Do I need to come with you or did you bring the 'situation' here?" she asked once she had swallowed.

"He's waiting in front of your office door," he replied and she finally stepped aside and let him in the house.

"What is it this time?" she asked and tightened her silk robe before she took another sip of the liquid that would hopefully keep her awake for the next hours so she could deal with whatever the problem was.

"Vivica broke up with T.K. and now he's…" he trailed off and gestured forlornly with his hands.

"Angry? Furious?" she tried.

"Weepy and slightly suicidal?" he offered with a helpless shrug, but seemed more amused than concerned.

"T.K.?" she asked surprised and then yawned widely, simply because she couldn't help herself.

"You're tired?" he asked and sounded actually surprised.

"Humans need sleep Nico, not that you would know," she rolled her eyes and drank the rest of the coffee. "Now that my… significant other," she stressed that, because her 'significant other' hated the term boyfriend, "moved in and is an early riser as well as a night owl and I am still trying to adjust to that, meaning I try not to fall asleep in the afternoon, although a nap always sounds tempting around three o'clock," she explained to him and he nodded at her babbling.

"I'll be in the kitchen making coffee," he offered then and walked away before she could agree or disagree. He knew his way around the kitchen by now so she turned on her bare heels and padded back up the stairs to get dressed, comb her hair and put her contacts in and make up on. She needed her power suit for T.K., no matter what time it was.

"And?" Nico wanted to know when she came in the kitchen over an hour later to get herself some of the promised coffee. Nico was leaning against the island of her kitchen, reading yesterdays newspaper while simultaneously checking something on his blackberry. This man could definitely multitask.

"I have to go back in a sec. He reached the stage of anger rather quickly and I can't leave him alone for too long," she reported. "However I need some more coffee first, otherwise I'll fall asleep while T.K. destroys my office in his rage and I won't even notice."

"So he doesn't want to kill himself anymore or quit playing football because it reminds him of her?" Nico asked her and finally put the blackberry away and looked at her for more than a second.

"Now he wants to kill Vivica and play football with her… without protective gear," Dani replied and added lots and lots of sugar to the coffee she had poured herself in the largest mug she had been able to find.

"That's better," Nico nodded appreciatively.

"How's that better?" Dani asked and squinted at him.

"It means he still wants to play and that's better for the Hawks," he enlightened her and Dani squinted even more at him.

"Unbelievable," she muttered then and shook her head.

"How much longer do you need with him?" he wanted to know, unimpressed by her disapproval of his statement.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Because I need to get back to the facilities and take care of something else. Call me when you're done so T.K. can get picked up," he said and put the cup he had used in the sink and folded the newspaper neatly.

"K," she nodded and then went back to her patient, giving him a tired wave on the way.

The session with T.K. had dragged on for another two hours and only then had she been comfortable enough to let him go. He had joined her and the kids for breakfast but had been unusually quiet. Xeno had picked him up afterwards and Dani had fallen back into bed. She had slept for two more hours, then had treated some more patients, dealt with her kids, her mother and her ex-husband and finally went back to bed.

The next time she was woken up, it was by her boyfriend- or her significant other as she called him, much to the amusement of her kids. By then it was one o'clock in the morning and she had gone to bed two hours before.

"Hey," she croaked and turned over in bed so she could see him in the light of the moon that fell into the room. He had his back to her and was stepping out of his pants. He always only wore his boxers or boxer briefs to bed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he apologized quietly and looked over his shoulder as he spoke, but then switched on the small light, causing her to blink against the sudden brightness.

"I'm glad. I haven't seen you all day and I missed you," Dani told him with a small smile, her eyes travelling appreciatively over his body as he lost the shirt as well. He turned around then and faced her, his brown eyes meeting hers.

"The last time you saw me, you squinted at me," he teased her and they both knew that she only squinted when she didn't like something- or someone.

"Come to bed crazy man," she rolled her eyes and held out one hand for him. He took it and slid smoothly under the covers and pulled her to him.

"How is it that you were annoyed when I woke you yesterday morning but not now?" he wanted to know and didn't even realize that one of his hands had found its way to her hair and was playing with a strand of it, while the other rested on her waist. It had become a habit that he always played with her hair and he had messed it up more than once when they had been out somewhere.

"Because yesterday you were Mr. Fix-it Careless and now you're just Nico. My Nico," she enlightened him and pressed her lips against his for a moment. Even because of this small contact she had to close her eyes.

"You do know that I am not schizophrenic," he pointed out and stole another kiss.

"I'm the therapist here," she pointed out and placed a hand on his cheek so she could look him right in the eyes. "This morning you knocked. I know you and I know that when you knock at our door that you have a situation for me that needs fixing. So I drag myself out of bed and I find you in your black power suit, all business and no play and I just know that we have to be professional. When you knock I always know that I won't even get good morning kiss," she told him with a slight pout on her face.

"We agreed to be professional when it comes to work. And I can't just pull out my key and let myself in because no one but you, me and the kids knows that I moved in," he said and just told her things she already knew.

"I know, I know," she muttered, the pout now exaggerated, "but you could have kissed me in the kitchen. We were alone."

"By then you had your power suit on and were in therapist mode," Nico replied and she started squinting again. "However," he went on and his eyes got that special glint that never failed to make her pulse speed up, "I can kiss you now and make it up to you."

"I'd like that." She bit her lip to keep from grinning like a fool- but failed. When his lips descended on hers this time it wasn't a tame peck as the other two kisses before had been. It was a deep, passionate, open mouthed and lots of tongue kiss and they both closed the eyes and moaned as they succumbed to the chemistry between them. It had never felt like that with Ray and it had never felt like that with Matt. When Nico kissed her for the first time after Dani had ended it with Matt because of her feelings for him, Dani had known that this was the real deal and that it had been right to end it with Matt. When his lips had touched hers back then she had melted against him, right there in his office and it had taken all of her self-control not to rip off his clothes. They had done that a day later, the sexual tension between them too thick to ignore. And even now, eight months later, all it took was one simple kiss and she felt her chest swell with feelings for this man. Breathlessly she broke the kiss and looked into his eyes, knowing she would find her feelings reflected in his eyes.

"I missed you," she told him again, looking up to him, because he had rolled her under him during their kiss.

"Mmh," he only made and kissed her again. It made her even feel more when she knew he couldn't get enough of her either. He wasn't the most outspoken guy when it came to his feelings and neither was he touchy feely, but one kiss was enough and she knew that he needed her as much as she needed him.

"I love you," she upped the ante the next time they broke the kiss to breathe. He knew she was baiting him, knew that he wasn't a lovey dovey guy who told her every five seconds how crazy he was about her. However he also knew that there was a time for everything.

"I love you, too," he said this time. After all it was true and he never lied. The smile that lit up her whole face was worth the confession that still took some effort on his side. He still had problems opening up and letting her in. With the hand that was resting on the back of his head she pulled him down to her again.

"Then show me," she whispered just before their lips met again. Their tongues met, limbs tangled and clothes got tossed somewhere in the room. He groaned when he sunk into her, she whispered hoarse pleas when the rhythm got faster and then they both moaned loudly when they reached the peak just seconds after each other. She stayed in his arms, both of them sweaty, out of breath, totally satisfied and exhausted.

"I love you," he repeated and kissed her forehead, nuzzled his nose against her hair.

"I know," she smiled tiredly and snuggled more into him.

"Good, then go to sleep," he told her with a smile of his own.

"Will you be there when I wake up?" she wanted to know as she switched off the lights and then lay back down in his arms.

"I will most likely be the one to wake you up," he chuckled.

"But this time with a kiss please and not with a knock," she requested and closed her eyes.

"I think that's do-able," he grinned, pressed another kiss against her forehead and then closed his eyes as well.