New Cuts, Old Wounds by Shea K.

9: Family feud

Life seemed to be back to normal for Nicole and Dane. Well, almost normal. There was a bit of tension between them. They were trying to work their way through it, but there seemed to be an elephant in the room with them. Unfortunately, neither of them could figure out exactly what that elephant was. So, for the moment, they let it be. Dane often joked to herself that they were probably unknowingly feeding the damn thing peanuts too since they were not addressing it.

"When does your summer class start up?" Dane asked curiously, speaking to Nicole. They were in the kitchen for breakfast. Nicole was already seated while Danny was getting the food together on their plates.

"At the beginning of June," Nicole answered. She had signed up for a summer course when she registered for her fall classes. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was starting to think it might have been a mistake. She seriously figured that right now she needed to focus on spending time with Danny and getting their relationship back to the way it used to be. "I was thinking about dropping the class..." she decided to add.

Dane tilted her head curiously. "Why?" she asked as she brought the food to the table. She put Nicole's plate down in front of her.

"I would like to spend sometime with my girlfriend, I'll have you know!" Nicole teased, going so far as to show mock-outrage.

The antics got the desired laugh out of Danny. "Yes, but I hear she's very high maintenance and such a bore."

"That's the love of my life you're insulting, woman. She is the most wonderful woman ever and that's why I think I should spent sometime this summer with her."

Danny smiled a bit. "That's nice, but you don't have to. Your class is only for a month."

"Yes, but in that month, I could take vacation time and we could go on a trip."

An onyx-colored eyebrow went into the air. "And just how are we going to take a vacation after I bankrupted you?" she inquired, bitterness directed toward herself seeping out into her words.

"Hey, baby, you didn't bankrupt me," Nicole cooed, reaching over and caressing her lover's hand. "You know you didn't."

"Damn near."

"But, you didn't and I can make more money. That's not hard." Of course, it would be a little hard to built it back up, but she did not mind. She wished that Danny would stop making such a big deal out of it.

"No, you shouldn't be the only one making money, though!" Danny argued. Now, this battle was something that they were both familiar with. It drove Danny nuts that she made so little now and Nicole was bringing in so much money.

"Baby," Nicole said, patting her girlfriend's hand again. "We have two totally different lines of work. You do bring in money. No, it's not as much as I do, but we're not about money. Are we?"

Dane was about to argue, but she suddenly recalled why she needed to borrow the money from Nicole. Her father wanted his money back. It was always about money with him. Whenever they crossed paths, her father assumed that she required money and would taunt her with it, even though she almost never needed or wanted his money. She had no choice when growing up or when in the hospital, but other than that, she never accepted money from him.

"I'm sorry I make such a big deal about this. You're right, we're not about money," Dane agreed with a smile. There was no way that she was going to let something like money-something her father worshipped-get between her and Nicole. So, it was time to let it go, she decided.

Nicole smiled; that was easy for the first time. "I hope you mean that," she said.

"I completely agree with it. I will pull my weight, but I'm not going to argue with you about money anymore. You make more than I do. You always will. It's that simple and I accept it," Dane stated, still smiling.

"Baby, you don't know if I will always be making more money than you. You are a musical genius. You might get back to your clubs and everything. Before you know it, everyone might think I'm your groupie," Nicole remarked, giggling a bit at the thought.

"Nah, groupies are boring. No one would ever mistake you for a groupie. You could be a roadie. You're strong and in good shape," the musician quipped.

Nicole laughed again. The banter back and forth felt really good. It seemed like they had not done that in forever, but really it had only been a few days. She and Dane had been fine-by her count-up and until Christine's call Friday morning.

"But, seriously, do you think I should keep the summer class?" the redhead inquired.

"Yes, I think you should. It'll be fine. You know I want you to get your degree and whatever else you might want beyond that," Danny commented, hinting that she thought Nicole would go for the doctorate.

"You're so understanding and supporting, Danny. What did I ever do to deserve you?" Nicole's fingers gently massaged the back of her sweetheart's hand.

"Threaten me repeatedly while throwing in some sexual favors to keep me off balance," Dane joked, grinning widely.

"It's the only way to get you to do anything!"

Danny threw her lover another giant grin and Nicole was able to go to work feeling fine. The day went pretty normal. Danny taught a couple of lessons and then went back home to get dinner together. When Nicole got home, food was ready and they ate together. Cuddling on the couch, they watched a movie together and then retired to bed.

"Danny, you know I mean it whenever I say you're understanding and supportive, right?" Nicole asked, snuggling against the taller woman's body as they settled in for sleep. She doubted that they would be intimate for a few more days, not until things were absolutely normal.

"Never doubt you, Nick," Dane answered, yawning a little. She always believed Nicole and knew that no matter what the lawyer said or did, Nicole was trying to do the best for her. Too bad things did not always work out how Nicole planned them.

"Good."

The redhead sighed and put her arms tightly around Danny. The guitarist did the same, caressing Nicole's shoulder. Within minutes, they were both sleeping soundly.

---------------

Danny was washing the dishes from dinner when she heard the phone ringing. She did not think anything of it since Nicole was in the living room. The redhead put down her book and answered the phone.

"Hello?" Nicole answered the phone pleasantly.

"Um...hello, this is Christine Wolfe," the caller replied.

Nicole gulped and glanced over to the doorway that led to the kitchen. She was glad that she did not see Danny there. Hearing the sink still running, she figured that it was safe to assume that Danny was still clearing up their dinner. She wondered how Danny was going to react to the call.

"Danny's busy for the moment," Nicole said, thinking that it would be better to get Christine off the phone. "I could get her to call you back in a few minutes," she added. That option gave Danny a chance to get in contact with her mother if she truly desired to.

"I think it would be best if I spoke to you."

"I'm sure you have business with your daughter and if you have something to say to her, then you should say it to her," Nicole insisted. She hoped whatever it was included an apology for allowing Danny to be thrown out of the hospital room after all Danny had done for Russell.

"I know I should, but I doubt that she'd listen. I'm sure if you delivered the message, she would be more inclined to listen and maybe even accept a bit of a truce," Christine explained.

Nicole thought on it and was silent for a moment. "I think it would be best if you just spoke to Danny," she said. She should not get in the middle of the Wolfe family, so she could avoid fighting with Danny anymore.

"I don't want to be hung up on before I can say that Russell is home and recovering. He has limited mobility and his speech isn't very clear. He'll need some therapy, but the doctors believe he should almost completely recover. He did drop out of the governor's race, which has lowered his spirits a bit. Anyway, to celebrate his homecoming, we're going to have a family dinner on Friday. It's just immediate family, our children and grandchildren. It would be excellent if Danny could come."

Nicole's mouth dropped open. "You're inviting Danny?" she asked incredulously. That was a huge step for a woman who had never spoken to Danny until recently. She dared to think that Christine and the Wolfe family might be looking to turn a corner and accept Danny into their flock.

"Yes, Dane is invited. Of course, you are too," Christine answered.

"I'm not sure Danny is going to accept." In fact, I'm pretty sure she'll say something about 'fuck them up the ass' again or something along those lines.

"I understand that, but she is invited."

"I'll discuss that with her," Nicole said, not making any commitments, even though she wanted to just jump on that invitation. It would be a chance for Danny to get closer to her family and get the attention that Danny deserved. Thankfully, her mind pointed out that it was that sort of thinking that got her into trouble in the first place.

There was a moment of silence and Nicole was about to hang up when Christine chimed in with something else. "How is she?"

"Who? Danny? Fine," Nicole answered, now looking to get off of the phone because the aforementioned musician was standing in the doorway, watching her.

"That's good."

"Yes, she's good. Listen, I have to go, so I will discuss matters with her. Goodbye," Nicole said and she disconnected the call after Christine bid her farewell.

"Who was that?" Dane asked curiously. Nicole had gotten off of the phone rather quickly and she found that odd.

"Your mother," the redhead answered honestly.

Dane's jaw tensed. "My mother, huh? What did she want now? Did she fall down and break her hip and not know who to call?"

"What would you say if I told you that she was calling to see how you were?" Nicole asked curiously.

Dane shrugged because she actually was not sure what she would say, or if she would say anything at all. Her reactions to her mother were not easy to pinpoint since she had roughly no relationship with her mother. It was easier to figure out how she would react to her father, Michael, and Rachel. She would be hostile to them no matter what. With Adam, she would treat him like the familiar stranger she believed he was or she was be rude to him. With Christine, she did not even know where to begin or if she should begin.

"She did ask how you were," Nicole said.

Dane shrugged. "And?"

The redhead had hoped for more of a positive reaction, but decided to just continue on instead of voicing that wish. "Your father is out of the hospital. She said he has problems with his movement, but she didn't explain what that meant. There also seems to be trouble with his speech, which she also didn't explain much. The doctors said with enough therapy, he should be fine. He had to drop out of the race for governor."

"Aw, and I was so looking forward to voting against him!" Dane joked.

Nicole shook her head. "You're not even registered, my little juvenile delinquent," she pointed out. She then waved Danny over to her, thinking that the next bit of news would be better received with physical contact.

Danny smiled as she made her way over to the couch. She sat down, but knew that she would be on her way to lying down as soon as Nicole reached out for her. Nicole cupped Dane's face with gentle hands, putting Danny's head in her lap. A lazy smile spread across Dane's face before the relaxing head rub even started, but once the scalp massage was underway, she was purring.

"There's more, isn't there?" Dane asked, sensing that she had only gotten part of her mother's call.

"Your mother...she invited you to a family dinner. She called it a truce."

Grey eyes rolled. "To hell with them."

"Only your immediate family will be there," Nicole added.

"So the hell what? I'm not bothering with them anymore."

"All right," Nicole said pensively.

Dane was instantly suspicious. "Why'd you say it like that?" Ah, I'm so sick of this family bullshit!

"What do you mean? I was just agreeing with your decision."

"Yeah, but you were agreeing as if you thought I should've made a different decision. What's on your mind, Chem?" Danny inquired, even though she could guess. Has she not seen me in enough fucked up situations with these people?!

"I just thought things might be different since your mother invited you. Obviously, she wants you there and she said it was a truce. Luke and Thomas will probably be there. Maybe your father will be different too. Understanding and facing his mortality might have changed him."

Dane was so very tempted to ask her lover what the hell Nicole smoked and where Nicole bought it, so they both could have crazy fantasies together. But, that died on her tongue when she recalled the shattered, almost crippled look Nicole that appeared in emerald eyes whenever she said something intentionally hurtful. She was not interested in seeing that wounded expression at the moment...or ever if it was at all possible. So, she knew that she had to keep her jackass behavior in check.

"Nothing is going to change my father. He's a bastard today, he was one yesterday, and he'll be one tomorrow," Dane stated soundly.

"And your mother inviting you? What do you make of that?" Nicole inquired.

"Hell if I know and I don't really care."

Nicole snorted, but made sure to control her facial features, not wanting to look upset. She would hate for Christine to be reaching out and Danny throwing that away. Christine might be ready to be a mother and Nicole knew that Danny craved that. Hell, Christine was the reason that Danny got into her passion in life-music.

"Danny, your mother invited you. That should mean something. I mean, the woman hasn't spoken to you before recently and now she's inviting you to dinner. This could be an olive branch," Nicole reasoned.

"Or it could be more Wolfe family bullshit. I'm not interested in it," Dane answered.

"Danny, I find it interesting that Christine would go out of her way to invite you. She could've just left it alone."

"Yes, so interesting that she didn't want to talk to me again."

"She was afraid you'd hang up on her," Nicole explained.

"Damn right! I don't want hear from her anymore. Never been so disappointed in my whole life," Dane grumbled, folding her arms across her chest and looking like an angry child.

Nicole tilted her head curiously and scratched Danny's scalp a bit since the taller woman's head was still in her lap. "Disappointed? Do you mean to tell me that you might have some emotions toward your mother after all?"

"No. I think it's fair to feel disappointed when the woman that gave birth to you makes it her business to ignore you for twenty-five years and then calls you in the middle of the night out of the blue because she's too fucking stupid to realize she should've dialed 911 instead," the former rocker huffed.

"Danny, you're carrying a lot of baggage. Maybe this could be a chance to drop it. She's reaching out to you."

"She let me go a long time ago, Nick," Danny sighed, putting her hand through her hair, only for her fingers to run against Nicole's hand, which refused to give way. Dane sighed again and let her hand drop to her side. "I told you about the piano when I was little, right?" she asked, out of the blue it seemed.

"Your mother's piano?"

"That's the one. To this day, it's the most beautiful piano I have ever seen. It had excellent sound and she played it like she was possessed. She doesn't know it, but I used to watch her all the time. Adored the sound. One day, she caught me watching. I think I was six. Caught me and stopped playing immediately. She never played when she thought I was around again."

Nicole swallowed a lump in her throat. Why were they so cruel to my baby? I don't understand! She's so loving and caring. They should see that and they have to be trying to see it. That's why Christine invited her. That has to be why.

"I still caught peeks of her. That's when I had my first brilliant idea," Dane remarked, chuckling a bit, but it was a sorrowful, hollow sound.

"You would play the piano for her," Nicole chimed in. She knew this tale, but wished that she could forget it. It just did not seem real. None of Danny's childhood seemed real, especially after seeing Russell and Christine interact with their other children. They seemed like good parents, loving their other children and providing for them. She just could not fathom Danny's treatment, no matter how much she heard about it.

"Sat down and played. I remember it felt natural to play it, but I doubt it sounded as good as I thought it did. Eventually, he came. I turned, proud because I knew it was good. My first time touching it and I knew it was fucking sweet. He closed the lid, nearly broke my fingers. The piano was worth more than I was and I was to never touch it again, he warned me."

"But, you touched it again."

"She heard that time. I smiled when I realized she was standing there. I told her that I was gonna be just like her. With no expression on her face, except utter disgust in her eyes, she turned and walked away. Now, ask me which one of those hurt more? My father's scolding and almost taking my fingers off or her blindness and deafness toward me..."

Nicole sniffled and rubbed Danny's head to keep herself calm. "Baby, maybe she sees you now and hears you now. She called and asked for you," the lawyer said in a whisper. She had hope that Christine was reaching out for Danny and attempting to heal the many wounds inflicted on the musician at a young age.

"And maybe she wants to walk away from me again."

"Do you really think she would call you to do that?"

Dane shook her head. The phone call and invitation were against her mother's usual MO. No, her mother never went out of the way of getting her hopes up only to shatter them. Her mother was constantly and consistently ignorant of her existence. The level of indifference itself was what stung, not any teasing or taunting on her mother's part.

"Why now?" Dane's voice cracked as she asked the question.

"You helped save her husband's life. Perhaps that was the breaking point," Nicole answered.

"And you're sure Luke and Thomas are going to be there?"

"They are her only grandchildren, correct?"

"Yeah."

"She said her grandchildren would be there. I can only assume she means Luke and Thomas. Unless there are others you don't know about."

Dane sighed. "Anything is possible with that crew. At least I could get to see them again." The idea of seeing her nephews again gave her a spark, but it did not serve to put out the fire and burning sensation in her stomach.

Nicole smiled, letting Danny know that the lawyer thought she made the right decision. Underneath it all, she knew that she was setting herself up. A lifetime of hate and indifference did not disappear in a course of a couple of weeks, no matter how generous her act was seen. But, there was hope. Always hope.

---------------

Dressing for dinner had not been the event it had been the last time the couple went to the Wolfe home. They both threw on what they considered casual clothing. Of course, for Dane that meant a tee-shirt with a sleeveless shirt over it and some shorts. Her ever-present chain hung from her hip, connecting her empty wallet with her pants.

Nicole was dressed in burgundy slacks with a cream-colored sweater. Her shoes matched her pants. There was no effort in the outfit. It was something that she would have grabbed out of the closet if she needed to run an errand. She was following Dane's lead, trying her best not to make a big deal out of the dinner.

The ride to the mansion was made in silence with soft music playing to keep the quiet from driving them both mad. Nicole was quiet because she was not sure what to say. She did not want to do anything that might make Danny change her mind and turn back. She also did not want to give away how much she thought the meeting was a good idea because she was certain that the family was reaching out to Danny.

Dane was much more subdued and definitely more suspicious. She tried her best not to let her negative thoughts fill her mind. No matter what, she would be able to see Luke and Thomas. The boys managed to light up her day, no matter how crappy the day might be. She was not sure why, but she utterly adored them, so they would make the trip worth it. No matter what happened. They are worth this.

When Nicole pulled into the driveway of the house, the sun was setting. A valet took the keys from her and parked the car for her; she was surprised that the valet service was the norm there. A maid opened the door for the couple and they entered the house, waiting for directions to the rest of the family.

The Wolfe family, minus the alpha male, was in the sitting room. Luke and Thomas were performing again. Danny and Nicole stood in the doorway and watched the show. Luke was reciting a poem again while Thomas "dancing" to it. The adults were watching as if it was the most fascinating thing that they had ever seen. It was all fine and well until Michael noticed his baby sister.

"Did someone forget to take out the trash?" Michael remarked, sneering in Dane's direction.

Dane rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes, that's terribly clever." So much for a truce.

"DANE!" the young boys yelled with joy and charged over to the taller woman.

The musician chuckled as the boys hugged her around the legs. She patted them on their backs, knowing that if she bent down to return the hug, it would take her a while to get back up thanks to her bum leg. She did not want her family to know that her leg was in a bad way. Maybe it was paranoia or maybe it was just survival instinct, not wanting predators to know that she was injured.

"Are you going to freestyle today?" Luke immediately inquired. It was just about his favorite thing of all time and he decided that Dane was the coolest person on the planet when she first did it.

"Maybe later," Dane replied.

"Play band?" Thomas asked with more interest than his brother. He loved banging on imaginary drums. He hoped that one day to own an actual set, but his parents were not ready for the noise.

"Later on. I'm not too good with an audience," Dane answered, glancing over at her family.

The boys nodded, showing that they understood that. They noticed that Dane never did play when there were other people around, except maybe their father. They considered that she might be shy, as were many girls they met; of course, those girls tended to be their age.

Dane and Nicole took seats away from the family. Luke and Thomas went back to their performance. No one spoke over the show, but there were some words exchanged among the Wolfe family. None of those words were directed at Dane or Nicole. Nicole was a little stunned that Christine did not make some move to speak with Danny or at least interact with the musician, but then again, the night was young.

Honestly, Dane considered the night to be good so far. No one said anything to her, except for Michael's opening remark. Everyone kept their opinions about her and Nicole to themselves. There were the occasional glares from Michael, Rachel, and Sharon, but nothing that Dane could not handle. Nicole did not even seem to notice because her attention stayed on Luke and Thomas. Despite the forced civility, Dane refused to believe that anyone was really trying to mend any bridges.

The show did not go on for much longer as they were informed by a servant that dinner was ready. They marched into the dining room, situating themselves at the long table. Nicole noticed that Dane sat at the end furthest from her family. She frowned at that.

"Danny, if this is an attempt to get close to you, you should meet them halfway, which means sitting closer and trying to start a conversation," Nicole said in a low tone.

"You seriously think they want to get close to me? Yeah, that's why they just spent the last ten minutes looking at me like something smelled bad," Dane snapped, wondering if she and Nicole existed in two different realities. No one wanted to be close to her, save her nephews. If the boys were not there, she would have walked back home to get away from her family.

"Baby," Nicole said in a soothing tone, hoping to avoid fighting about the things, especially since she truly believed that the Wolfe family was trying.

Luke and Thomas charged down the table. They stood before Dane, smiling up at her. She arched an eyebrow when she noticed them, but she smiled back all the same.

"Dane, may we sit with you?" Luke requested with a cherubic grin.

"Luke, Thomas, you have to sit down here," Sharon ordered, trying her best to make it sound gentle. She did not want to upset the children much, but she did want them away from the former rocker.

Luke glanced over at his mother. He could see how serious she was. Pouting for a moment, he turned back to Dane.

Luke then changed his request. "Dane, will you join us?" He went as far as to bow to her.

Nicole chuckled a bit, already seeing Luke developing the Wolfe charm that she was sure everyone in the family had when they put their minds to it. Dane, on the other hand, looked up the table rather than watching her nephew. Sharon did not seem very pleased with the request, but she would not be sitting next to Sharon if she did sit down there with her nephews.

"Please, Dane!" Thomas added in, throwing in some big, begging eyes.

Danny sighed. How was she supposed to say no to those eyes? Glancing over at her lover, she could see that Nicole was tickled by the whole situation. Shaking her head, she sighed again.

"I would be delighted to sit with you," Dane informed the boys. It was the truth.

Sharon growled and glared at Dane as she stepped over with the children. Luke and Thomas sat in between their mother and Dane, unknowingly acting as a buffer. Dane was not too sure if it was going to work well, but she was willing to try. Nicole sat down by Danny.

Thankfully, Danny found that she was not sitting across from anyone since she was in the fifth seat on the right side. There were only four people on the other side; Christine, Michael, Rachel, and then Rachel's husband. On Dane's side, the line started with Adam, Sharon, the two boys, Dane, and Nicole. Apparently, the head of the table would be left for their father, whenever he showed up.

Moments later, Russell was brought into the dining room in a wheelchair. His grey gaze was not as sharp as it once was and flared out over the table as soon as he was in his proper place. Immediately, he noticed Dane and glared hot daggers at her. She puffed out her chest a little, like a proud soldier awaiting her execution.

"What..." Russell started and had to pause, gritting his teeth as he did so. "She doing here?" he growled, eyeing Dane. His speech, so forced, made her arch an eyebrow.

"Russell, Dane is here to celebrate your recovery with us," Christine said, putting her hand on his and caressing his fingers with her own to help keep him calm.

"Celebrate my recovery?" he echoed, gritting his teeth again. It seemed that he was trying to control his speech by using as little of his mouth as possible. He jerked his head a bit before continuing. "More like celebrating my disability," he growled.

"Russ, I invited her," Christine insisted. Everyone knew that she had invited Dane, yet their eyes widened as if it was a shock.

"And she probably came running," he said, pausing again. He jerked his head to the side again before continuing. "Smelled money and sniffed at it like a horny dog," he snarled.

Dane snorted and rolled her eyes, but decided not to say anything. She was sick of arguing with the man. No reason to argue with someone that was not listening. Besides, ever since she paid him his money, she counted him out of her life. He was persona-non-grata to her, she told herself.

"Sounds just like Dane," Michael chimed in.

"Oh yeah? What the fuck do you know about me?" Dane inquired, quickly forgetting her stance on arguing with people who did not listen. She was just tired of the slander from people who did not know a damn thing about her.

"Hey, can you watch your language? There are children present," Sharon huffed, frowning at Dane.

"Dane comes back, sniffing for inheritance money. You think the old man is going to die? Is that why you suddenly jumped up to help Mom that night and tricked her into inviting you here? You thought you could ooze your way back into his will?" Michael demanded.

"That's just vile! So very much like you, Dane," Rachel added her two cents, looking at Dane as if she was the worst thing on Earth.

"Yes, because you all know me so well," Dane huffed. "I don't need this shit. I just came here to see Thomas and Luke."

"And you're ruining them just like you ruin everything else," Sharon declared, holding her sons to her body, so they would not hear anymore swearing.

"Can we please just eat dinner?" Christine sighed, sounding tired and sorrowful while shaking her head.

Dinner was brought out and the meal was eaten with much tension aimed at Dane. Glares came her way and snide remarks muttered under their breath. Dane pretended not to notice, eating her food as quickly as possible. She never tasted a bit of what she suspected was a rich, delicious meal. Pushing away from the table, Dane left without saying anything.

"May we be excused too?" Luke requested, leaving the table before he even got an answer. Thomas followed his brother, who chased after Dane. Nicole silently followed behind the trio, not wanting to stay at the table.

As soon as they were away from the table, the insults came a little louder than they had been before. The accusations that Dane was after money flowed like water. Even the declarations that she was just waiting for Russell to die came as if they were the stone-cold truth. Dane had heard them all before and she also heard the silent agreement that came with them before.

Despite the fact that her mother had called her for help, everyone had ordered her to give blood, and her mother had invited her to the dinner, Dane was not surprised that the woman was silent. Christine said nothing on Dane's behalf after her initial protest that she had invited Dane. Adam was also quiet, which Dane expected. Her eldest brother did not know her and most of the time, she figured he believed whatever the rest of their family said. She knew that was the case with Sharon too.

Dane tried to ignore all of the fuss and instead hung out with her nephews. Finding out that all of the loud rock music had not made her deaf, she could actually hear some of the insults and terrible accusations from the dining room. She drowned it out, pretending to be in a rock band with her nephews. She was on the air-guitar and Thomas was on the air-drums while Luke was the lead singer.

Nicole stood back and focused solely on them. They are so adorable! No matter what happened with the Wolfe family, Nicole would take away how great her lover was with children and how much Danny clearly loved her nephews.

Dane could hear things getting even more heated in the dining room. Sharon was raising her voice. A few minutes later, Adam inched into the room and called for the boys. Dane could guess why he was there and calling them. Sometimes, she wondered what Sharon thought she was going to do to the boys, but she was actually scared to ever find out. Sharon had a very low opinion of her and she would hate to find out what depravities her sister-in-law thought she was capable of.

"Boys, come, your mother wants you for dessert," Adam said, unable to even look at Dane as he spoke.

"We don't need dessert," Luke answered and Thomas nodded in agreement.

Adam sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, at a loss as to what he should do now. He did not want to bark at the boys, knowing that would only upset them. He also did not want to tell them the truth that their mother just wanted them away from their aunt because that would lead to too many questions. Also, he was hoping to spare Dane's feelings in finding out that Sharon did not trust her.

"Come, you'll like the dessert," Adam tried to assure the boys.

"We don't want any dessert, unless Dane is going to have some too," Luke declared, taking Dane by the hand.

"Dessert?" Dane echoed and glanced back at Nicole. The lawyer shrugged, not sure what to make of anything going on right now.

Dane shrugged and turned to Adam, wondering if she should make his life easier. Thomas rushed over and took Dane's free hand, which answered the scenario for her. She could tell the boys wanted the treat, but they were also worried about her leaving while they were having it. She had run out on them often enough.

When they got back to the dining room, Sharon looked like she was able to have a heart attack. Shooting up from her seat, she snatched her boys hands out of Dane's and pulled them to her. Dane was starting to understand what Sharon feared she might do to the boys if touching them was a problem. Turning to Adam, he looked away and marched back to his seat, saying nothing to Dane. Always saying nothing.

"Dane, don't you have some place to go?" Rachel inquired. "Drugs to buy or something," she remarked.

Dane chuckled and smiled. "You know, I had been planning to shoot up later on tonight, but I thought I'd put that on hold for dinner with my wonderful family," she replied, easing back into her seat. Sharon pulled Luke and Thomas away from Dane as soon as those words left her mouth. Nicole sighed as she sat down with Danny.

"That's why you're here, isn't it? You need money for drugs," Michael accused her.

"I don't believe I ever needed money for drugs," Dane answered smugly. "Just like I never needed money for girls either, unlike some people," she countered, smiling as she one-upped her brother.

"No, you just prefer to overpower them and take what you want, right?" Michael stated.

Dane growled for just a second. "If that's what you want to think since I had your fianc�e," she said with a wicked smirk.

"I don't think this is an appropriate conversation to have with children present," Adam informed his siblings, cutting off the argument.

"No, but Dane wouldn't care about that. Not like she had morals or values," Rachel pointed out. "Stealing women left and right from family members, beating them up, ruining their reputations," she continued on, glancing over at Nicole.

"Not my fault Wolfe men don't know how to care for their women," Dane replied.

"No, not their fault for letting you lie to anyone and everyone who would listen. You're worthless," Rachel spat.

Dane smiled. "I see you're taking after your father quite nicely. Now, if you could only have a stroke like him and lose your ability to speak and walk that would be great," she stated. When Nicole gasped, she knew that she had crossed the line, but honestly, she did not care. Fuck the line and fuck them.

"Danny, I think it's time for us to go," Nicole said sharply.

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea," Christine finally said something.

"Of course," Dane sighed, climbing to her feet. She turned her attention to her nephews. "Hopefully, I'll see you guys around. High-fives?" she requested, leaning down and getting high-fives from both boys.

Dane walked off with Nicole by her side. They were silent as they returned to the car. Danny was very aware that Nicole wanted to scold her for her behavior, but she really did not care. Halfway through the car ride, Nicole could not hold it in any longer.

"How could you say such things, Danny? The man just had a stroke and you mock him and your sister by saying she should have one too?" Nicole inquired.

"Oh, so you just missed all of the shit they said to me, huh?" Dane riposted.

"No, I heard all of that, but you didn't have to rise to the occasion and try to beat them. Why didn't you try reaching out to your mother? Like I said, she invited you and she might have appreciated hearing from you."

"Fuck her! This is the same bitch that sat there quietly while they accused me of being after Russell's money when she was the one that called me! I'm supposed to go crawling to her now? Fuck her!"

"Danny..." Nicole sighed, shaking her head. "She wants to know you."

"Fuck her," Dane repeated in a hard, cold tone.

Nicole was tempted to tell Dane that she needed to let go of the past and try with her mother, but she could see it would be met with hostility. Danny was not in the mood to talk about her family. Nicole was not in the mood for an argument, but she was upset with Danny's actions. To her, Danny handled the whole situation incorrectly, which really surprised her. Usually, Danny was great with acting mature and like an adult, but she had really lowered herself at the dinner table.

The rest of the trip was done in silence. When they got home, Danny disappeared into the dark den. She remained there for the rest of the night without any disturbances from Nicole. When she was ready for sleep, she did go up to the bedroom, but she barely whispered a "good night" to her lover. Nicole's response was just as curt. There was tension in their bed for the first time in their relationship and they left it at that. Apparently, that elephant in the room was now sleeping in their bed too.

---------------

10: Out of tune

Nicole had never been so happy to go to work in all of her life. The tension that she and Dane brought back from dinner with the Wolfe family had stayed with them for the entire weekend. It was crushing and she had no idea how to mend it. She hoped that Mina or Clara had an answer for her.

Sitting at her desk, she found it difficult to focus on her work for the first time in a very long time. None of the words on her computer or in her files made sense to her because all her mind could settle on was Danny and the weekend. The horrible, horrible weekend.

"She barely spoke to me..." Nicole pouted, lip trembling with sorrow.

Ever since the dinner, Danny had barely said ten words to her. It was daunting because it had never happened to them before. In fact, Danny had barely looked her way, even when she had come into the bedroom last night fresh from a shower. All she had been wearing was a towel and Danny had not spared her a glance. It was hard to accept that since Danny usually went wild if all she did was show a little bit of leg.

"It seems like forever since we've made love and now she doesn't even want to touch me," Nicole muttered in sorrow.

They had not been intimate since the night Christine called about Russell. At least after that she had been able to cuddle into Dane's body when they slept. She dared not try that over the weekend. Dane had slept with her back to Nicole, as if putting up a wall between them in the bed. She supposed it could have been worse. Dane could have always slept in the den, which Nicole had feared would happen since Danny had spent much of her weekend tucked away in the little room. It was like she was hiding in there, shutting Nicole out of her life.

"What should I do? I don't think I was wrong in scolding Danny for her behavior toward her mother. Christine was trying to connect with her and Danny just shut her out. I'm sure if Danny just gave it a chance, they might be able to form some kind of bond. Why doesn't Danny see it?" Nicole sighed, shaking her head.

She was so sure that Danny wanted Christine's love, wanted the love of a mother, but seemed to shun any chance of it with Christine. She had a prime opportunity at dinner, but instead chose to get into petty arguments with her siblings and even wished ill on her sister. That had actually been the most shocking part for her.

Nicole never thought that she would hear her sweet, gentle Danny wish ill on someone, especially her own sister. And then to make it worse, Danny had gone so far as to mock her father's misfortune. That was not the mark of a good person, she thought. It was rather heinous actually.

"Have I been mistaken about Danny all of this time?" Nicole mused aloud, fear racing through her.

Is Danny just like everyone else? Abrasive and abusive to those that disagree with her? Shaking her head, she quickly put that thought out of her mind. There was no way that Danny was anything like her previous lovers, she silently tried to assure herself. She put it out of her head and attempted to get back to work. She figured that she would really need to talk things over with Mina and Clara. They would help, she was sure of that.

Never before had Nicole been so happy that lunch had arrived. She rushed off, nearly running to Mina's office. People in the hallway stared at her, but did not say anything as she went by, bursting into her friend's office. Mina was at her desk, still working. She was a bit surprised when Nicole entered her office after knocking.

"Someone is eager to have lunch with me," Mina remarked with an arched eyebrow. She chuckled a bit at her own comment, but did not get a smile out of the redhead.

"I need your help," Nicole said bluntly.

"I figured as much if you're beating me out of the office. Let me finish this sentence, we can get Clara, and you can tell us both why you look like you're about to go out of your mind," Mina replied.

Nicole sighed, wishing that she were not so transparent. Mina smiled a bit before climbing to her feet and grabbing her jacket. They were off, collecting the final member of their trio before going off to their favorite caf�. They went through all of the usual pleasantries before Mina thought that was enough nonsense.

"What's wrong now, Nicole?" Mina inquired bluntly.

"Danny and I are fighting again," Nicole sighed miserably, covering her face for a moment.

"Again?" Clara echoed in confusion. She had not been privy to the first time.

"I hope the cause isn't the same," Mina said while glancing at Clara, quietly assuring the honey-toned woman that she would explain it all later. Clara nodded to that.

"I think that Danny might be a little less...than I thought," Nicole said, not quite sure how to fill in the part that she trailed off.

"A little less what?" Clara asked, looking rather puzzled.

Mina sighed, sounding almost exhausted. "Does this have something to do with her family again?"

"She openly told her sister to go have a stroke like their father just had!" Nicole growled in anger. "Her mother invited her to a family dinner, probably wanting to get closer to Danny and she spent the time arguing with her idiotic siblings rather than taking the attention from her mother that she has been craving her whole life! What is wrong with her?" she huffed, throwing her hands out in frustration.

"More family stuff. I told you to step away from this crap. Danny's family is Danny's business," Mina stated, shaking her head.

"It's not her family that concerns me. It was her behavior toward them. I mean, what kind of person wishes that their sister has a stroke right after their father had a stroke?" Nicole inquired in disbelief.

"Maybe a person with a shitty father and an equally shitty sister," Mina pointed out.

"Wait, wait, wait, what is going on?" Clara inquired, wanting to be caught up on the situation, so that she could add in.

"Nicole is having trouble minding her own business. Danny seems to have issues with her family and Nicole is taking it upon herself to try to unite parties that seem to have no desire in getting along," Mina informed her.

"Issues? Wishing ill on your own sister isn't an issue. It's cruel, especially if your father just had a stroke," Nicole argued.

Clara leaned for a little, appearing thoughtful. "I will say it is a harsh thing to let slip from your mouth, especially when you've seen it happen, but what did her father and sister say to her to bring her to that point?"

"That's not the point!" Nicole hissed.

"How is that not the point? I know I've only been around Danny a handful of times, but she doesn't strike me as the type that let's words fly for no reason at all," Clara commented.

"The point is that she wished serious illness on her sister and she meant it," the redhead declared in a heated tone.

"And this is something that the great, all-mighty Nicole would never do," Mina remarked, sounding tired and bored now. "I told you not to try holding Danny up to your standards. Her family is not your family," she riposted, tapping the table to emphasis her point.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that Danny mocked someone that was seriously hurt and wished the same thing on another human being. Making it worse was that she was serious. How does a decent human being wish harm on another?" Nicole asked, sorrow coating her voice. Her eyes drifted down to the table and she had to take a moment to gather herself before looking up again.

"I do it all the time," Mina admitted. "In fact, I used to do it almost daily when those lazy bastards at the firm used to take advantage of you. Sure, I never went so far as wishing one of them had a stroke, but I guess I make up for the severity with the quantity of how often I used to do it," she informed them.

"Did you say it to their faces?" Nicole inquired.

Mina shrugged. "At first, but I've found telling our coworkers that I hope they fall down a flight of stairs doesn't faze them much and it only served to frustrate me when I finally noticed I wasn't getting to them. I'm sure Danny just needed to vent to her father and sister. If it came true, she would probably feel bad about her words, but since it probably won't come true, she was just letting her sister know how she felt about her at the moment. Is this seriously what the fight is about?" the chocolate-eyed attorney asked incredulously.

"It's part of it and it disturbs me a bit that she could say such a thing to her sister, especially when her father just had a stroke," Nicole informed them.

"I don't think it's that serious," Mina said.

Clara nodded and motioned to Mina for a second. "I have to agree with her. This doesn't sound like something you'd want to fight with your lover about," she concurred.

"Especially when it's none of your business," Mina added.

Nicole sighed. "It doesn't matter. I didn't like it and I told her I didn't. She got all huffy and has been avoiding me ever since. She hasn't spoken to me since Friday. She spent the whole weekend in the den, listening to music from her headphones and strumming her guitar. She wouldn't even touch me this weekend. I don't even mean in a sexual way, just in general."

"She might be a little pissed with your holier-than-thou attitude," Mina remarked, trying to keep her voice light to avoid hurting Nicole's feelings.

"I'm not being holier-than-thou. You cannot sit there and tell me that it's fine for someone to wish ill on their own sister!" Nicole huffed.

"While it's not a good thing to say, it seems like a silly thing to fight over. Danny is a peach and you shouldn't be ready to throw your relationship away with her just because she doesn't get along with her family," Clara reasoned. It seemed like a rather crazy reason to ruin the best thing that had ever happened to Nicole personally speaking. Clara could not believe they were actually discussing the matter. It should not even be an issue.

"Her treatment of her family... It's so harsh. How can I be with someone like that with her family?" Nicole wondered aloud.

"Are you fucking serious? Nicole, I will personally kick your ass if you let this thing ruin your relationship. You have never in your life for as long as I've known you been with someone that makes you light up, someone that encourages you every step of the way, someone that so clearly loves you that it makes me sick to my stomach sometimes to see you together," Mina proclaimed, ticking off each point on her finger. She then tapped her finger on the table as she began a new message. "Now, you listen to me, how Danny gets on with her family is none of your goddamn business. You've already said that her father abused her, so it's safe to assume that she has some grudge against him and perhaps the rest of her family for allowing the abuse to go on. Her family is not your family, so stop acting like they are. Her family has no bearing on you or how she treats you. Hell, it doesn't even have a bearing on how she treats your family. So, you step away from this shit and stop acting like this is the make-or-break moment in your relationship. If you think Danny deserves a loving family, stop trying to push her toward a family that doesn't seem to care of her and that she doesn't seem to care for," she commanded her friend.

Mina dared to consider that Nicole was now trying to sabotage the best relationship that she ever had. She was not sure why Nicole would engage in such self-destructive behavior, especially since she was very much in love with Danny, but she had a few suspicions. Nicole did not know how to have a loving relationship, considering all of her past relationships. She was probably scared to find herself in a loving relationship and was now looking for a way out. Or Nicole thought that her dream relationship would come to an end anyway, so she might as well speed up the process, so it would hurt less eventually. Either way, it was madness to Mina and she was not going to stand for it.

"You know," Clara started with a thoughtful expression on her face, her hand on her chin.

Nicole sighed, feeling a bit overwhelmed and double-teamed. But then again, she was aware that she brought it on herself. She had just hoped that they would either tell her how to fix her problem or at least side with her. Instead, she felt like Mina was just attacking her.

"If you think that Danny deserves a family so much, why can't that be you?" Clara asked, feeling like she was offering a grand solution.

"Me?" Nicole echoed, pointing to herself and scrunching up her face in confusion.

"You. Danny obviously cares for you very deeply, much more than it sounds like she cares for her family. You are her life. Why not be the family you want her to have? The support that you thinks she needs? I know you do that anyway, so just accept being her family and end it there," Clara explained.

Nicole sighed again. "It's not the same thing. I can't be her mother or her sister or anything like that. Danny should have that, but she's throwing it all away with her horrible behavior. I never knew she was even capable of many of the things that she's been saying to them."

Mina sighed impatiently, rubbing her face with her hands. "Nicole, not everyone wants the same things you want. Why are you trying to punish Danny for not wanting something that you want for her? You can't force these things on her. If you just left her alone, I am willing to bet that everything would smooth over," she stated.

"So, it's all my fault? Nothing Danny did was wrong?" Nicole inquired in disbelief.

"Nicole, she got upset, she said something. She didn't say it to you, so why does it matter? You're just going to keep pushing her until she does say something to you and then hurt both of you?" Mina countered with a huff.

"Nicole, Mina is right. Not everyone is going to get along with their family. I can vouch for that. My relationship with my mother is awful and I prefer not to see her than be in the same room as her because I know we're going to have a fight," Clara informed her friends.

That new information turned all attention to Clara. "You don't get along with your mother?" Nicole asked.

"Not in the slightest. She's a miserable woman, who only wants to make others miserable. She was always jealous of how close I was with my father and she treated me like a redheaded step-child," Clara remarked, ruffling Nicole's hair a bit.

"Well, what if she had a change of heart and decided that she wanted to get to know you?" Nicole asked.

"I probably wouldn't trust her. I've had too many problems with her to think that she can suddenly change. I don't think she's the type of person I would want to know. Now, maybe it's like that for Danny's whole family. This isn't something you can understand because your family is close and even though Kate is overbearing, she's not spiteful toward you. Your parents treasure you and in turn you treasure them. The same with your extended family. Not everyone is like that and not everyone can be like that," Clara explained patiently.

Nicole sighed for what felt like the billionth time and stared at the table. She did not understand and she did not like that one bit. For Nicole, family came first because they were always there and would always be there. Family was loving, kind, affectionate, and supportive. Yes, there were disagreements, but that deep, familial love overcame everything. Danny deserved to have that, but was fighting against it and making a mess while she did it. Sure, Danny's family was not perfect, but her mother seemed to be reaching out for her and Adam did not seem to be too bad.

"...Why?" the redhead muttered.

"Nicole, do you really want to lose Danny because she doesn't get along with her family? It's not even your family. It's her family," Mina pointed out.

"I don't want to lose her at all. I just didn't know she could be so harsh and fight against her family like that," Nicole said.

"It's her family, Nicole. Not yours. In fact, I remember you ready to pick Danny over your own parents if they stood in the way of your happiness with her. Now, you're going to lose her over her family. And it's not even like her family is pushing for her to break up with you or something like that. No, you're going to lose her because she doesn't get along with her family and you think she should. What the fuck?" Mina inquired, her face contorted because of her disbelief. She had never heard of anything like this.

"I know, I know. I don't even know what I'm so worked up over anymore. Was it because she rejected her family? Because she was so rude to them? Was it because they won't accept her? I don't know now," Nicole admitted, shaking her head. Her brain felt like it was swimming.

"Nicole, I love you and I really don't want to see you ruin the best relationship you have ever had. I like Danny and I think you're both good for each other. Please, don't let this come between you," Mina implored her friend, reaching over the table to caress Nicole's hand.

"I concur with Mina. Danny is very good for you, Nicole. She takes very good care of you and she loves you. Don't let the fact she doesn't like her family bother you so much. You said she got along with your family, so obviously it's not that she doesn't like families at all. It's just her family and she probably has a very good reason to not like them. Let her deal with them the best way that she can. Don't let her behavior toward them effect your relationship with her," Clara added in, hoping to get through to their friend.

Nicole nodded to show that she was listening, but she was still troubled by Danny's behavior. It was not just the way that she had treated her family. There was also the way that Danny was now treating her. It hurt. A lot.

"She's avoiding me," Nicole muttered, glancing away with worried eyes.

"Maybe because she doesn't want you to judge her anymore," Mina reasoned. She knew if she had to put up with sharing a space with someone that thought she was wrong for something that did not seem like a big deal, she would try to avoid them too. Well, she would probably scream first, but if screaming did not work, avoidance would be her next choice.

"I'm not judging her," Nicole argued, lightly hitting the table to make her point. The gesture caused Clara to look at Mina, as if imploring her to not push too much. Mina ignored the look and the hit.

"You are. You think that there's something wrong with her because she's pushing her family away. Her family sucks. You should just leave it at that. I'm sure if you go to her and talk it out, then everything will smooth over," Mina stated. Danny was very reasonable, after all, especially when it came to Nicole.

The redhead nodded again to show that she understood. Sighing, she wondered if things could go back to the way they were, but she was willing to try. She hated fighting with Danny, especially if the way Danny was going to fight involved the silent treatment. She would rather they scream at each other until they were both spent and everything got out in the open. An argument was something that she could handle... It was also something that she could win. She could not do anything with the silent treatment, though, except agonize over it. The silent treatment was like a punishment more than anything else.

"Nicole, do the right thing," Mina said, clapping her friend on the back.

Nicole nodded again; she was starting to feel like one of those bobble-head dolls. When they went back to work, Nicole thought about what her friends advised her on. Did they have a point? She was judging Danny by her relationship or lack there of with the Wolfe family, even though she knew that the Wolfe family was nothing to write home about. She had heard enough stories and dealt with Tyler enough times to know that the Wolfe family was not that great. She had even seen behaviors that proved they were sub par.

Still, they were Danny's family. She thought that it would heal Danny a little if she could make peace with her family and Danny did deserve a family. Sure, it was not the best of families, but it was still Danny's family. And they were not all bad. Danny loved being with her nephews. Adam seemed perfectly normal and Christine seemed like she was trying to reach out. Nicole could not understand why Danny was turning her back on that. Family was special and wonderful and Danny deserved to have that.

Not thinking, Nicole grabbed the phone and dialed the house. It rang for a while and she worried that Danny was not picking up because she saw it was Nicole calling. Her heart clenched tightly in her chest at that thought.

"Maybe she's just out, teaching a lesson," the lawyer muttered, trying to sooth her wounded heart.

"Hello?" Danny answered the phone.

"Danny?" Nicole yelped in surprise.

"Yeah, you were expecting someone else?" the former rocker asked, sounding a bit bemused.

"No, no, no. It's just that...well, we haven't been talking much lately, so I thought you might not answer when you saw it was me calling."

Dane sighed deeply. "Chem," she said the nickname with such disappointment that it hurt Nicole's chest.

"I know, I know, I'm being silly. I just thought that since we haven't spoken much in the past couple of days that you wouldn't want to talk to me. It's nice to hear your voice again," Nicole said, smiling as she spoke.

Dane made a noise, something related to a grunt. "How you doing? Don't sound too good."

Nicole bit her lip before deciding to just admit her problem. "We're fighting again and I don't like it," she confessed, sniffling as she felt tears trying to gather in her eyes. Shaking her head, she hoped to get rid of tears before she ended up weeping.

"We're not fighting," Danny insisted.

"Yes, we are! Why are you even denying that? You've hardly looked my way since Friday night and you actually want me to believe that we're not fighting? What do you call it then?" Nicole huffed. She could envision Danny running her hand through her hair, which was what the musician was doing. Nicole was beginning to suspect that her girlfriend did not know what it meant when a couple was fighting, but then again, Danny had not been in a real relationship to know such a thing.

"It's just a difference of opinion. We'll sort it out eventually," Dane answered, sounding a bit unsure about that. The uncertainty in her voice made Nicole gulp.

"Danny, how is this a difference of opinion? You're not even talking to me for us to sort anything out."

"We will. I have to go. Lesson in ten minutes. Love you."

"I love you too," Nicole said, but was hurt to find out that Danny was gone before she even finished that phrase. "This is just one big mess and I don't even know where to begin fixing. Hell, should I even fix it? If Danny can't even get along with her family and can say some of the most awful things to them, how do I know she won't eventually do it to me?"

Nicole shook that thought away. Danny had been nothing but good to her until the thing with her family started. Danny was a good woman. They just needed to work through this because she did not want to lose Danny, no matter what insignificant doubts popped up in her head because of their fight.

"I've been without her before. I will not do it again," Nicole vowed. She already knew the complete and crippling agony that being without Danny meant. No matter what thoughts plagued her, she was not going to let Danny get away.

Deciding to bite the bullet because she was losing sight of what she was actually upset about, Nicole made a stop on her way home. She brought Danny a small bouquet of flowers, knowing that despite her lover's tough rocker image, the taller woman actually appreciated such gifts. She also picked up a small chocolate cake, hoping that they would share it and make up.

"Danny, are you home?" Nicole called, stepping into the house. Everything was quiet, which was not unusual. Danny could be asleep on the couch or in the bedroom. Or she could have beaten Danny home. Green eyes glanced toward the den. Or she could be...

Going toward the den, the lawyer sighed when she saw Danny sitting on the floor with her guitar in her hands and her headphones covering her ears. She was bobbing her head slightly while playing her favorite instrument.

Instead of trying to shout over the music, Nicole went in for the start of her apology. Walking over, she leaned down and kissed Dane as soon as the caramel-skinned woman noticed her. Dane returned the kiss and Nicole noted that nothing felt different about the show of affection. It was just as sweet, loving, and passionate as any other kiss that they shared in the past. Maybe everything will be all right between us.

"Just got in?" Dane asked as they pulled away for air. She took her headphones off of her head and stopped her MP3 player.

"Yes, my classes started today," Nicole answered, explaining why she was in so late.

"I wasn't sure when you were coming in, so I didn't start dinner yet."

"It's fine. I got these for you," Nicole said, presenting her lover with the flowers.

"Oh." Dane moved her guitar out of the way and accepted the flowers. It was only the second time that she had ever got such a present and she smiled in gratitude. "Thank you. They're beautiful," she said and then locked eyes with Nicole. "Just like the woman that gave them to me."

Nicole blushed and chuckled a bit. "Flatterer."

Dane smiled. "Can't be flattery if it's the truth."

"It's part of my apology. As I said, I don't want to fight anymore, Danny."

"Then can we just bury this crap with my family? I mean, I don't think we're fighting, but I do think the tension that's with us is because we have different opinions about my family. Can we just leave it alone and move on?" Danny requested.

"If that's what it takes to end this, then yes," Nicole said.

Danny nodded and accepted that response, even though she felt like she had heard it before. It was not that along ago either. But, she let it go for now because it was quite a silly thing. For her, the last thing she wanted was something that she did not care about-her family and their opinions-to wreck her shot with the woman that she so desperately loved.

"What's this other thing you got here?" Dane asked curiously, glancing at the box that her lover was holding.

"Chocolate cake. I was hoping we could share some of it after dinner," Nicole answered.

"Sounds good. As soon as we figure out what dinner is."

"Something simple and quick. How about spaghetti?"

Dane nodded and got up to make pasta. Nicole was going to offer to make it, but she knew that would start a real problem between them since Danny felt like it was her job to do the household chores. Nicole went to take a shower and wash away the grim and trouble of the day while Danny made dinner.

"She didn't even say what she was apologizing for," Dane replied as she put her flowers in some water. "She just wants to stop fighting. Stopping just because she's tired isn't going to solve anything," she grumbled. But, then again, she supposed that her way of not talking about things at all was not helping much either.

They had to do something about their lack of communication. She had completely shut down because she did not want to say anything hurtful while Nicole was just apologizing for the sake of apologizing. That was no way to build a healthy relationship and they both knew that.

"But, if this thing with my family goes away, maybe it won't matter," Dane figured as she started on dinner. "No, but something else might come up and we treat it just like we've done with this, we're as good as finished. We really need to talk this over and get everything out in the open. I can't lose Nick, not like this and certainly not to this. After dinner, we'll sit down and really talk this over."

She liked the sound of that plan. Finishing dinner, she only had to wait a few minutes before Nicole joined her at the table. They had a marvelous dinner and then Nicole cut them a slice of cake. They were going to eat in the living room and attempt to find a movie to watch afterward, but the routine was put on hold when the phone rang. Danny answered it since Nicole was busy with the cake.

"Hello," Dane said, wondering if the caller ID was right or if her nephews had miraculously found her phone number. She was hoping like hell that it was the latter.

"Hello, may I please speak with Dane?" Adam asked, showing that the caller ID was very accurate.

"Speaking," she grunted.

"Hey, Dane, it's Adam."

"I know," she stated. Unlike him, she could remember a voice.

"I was wondering if I could come over and maybe talk with you. Apologize for everything that has happened lately."

"You just did and I'm not interested. Goodbye," Dane said, hanging up the phone and flopping down on the couch.

"Baby, who was that?" Nicole asked curiously as she entered the living room with their cake. It was one big slice and one fork. She thought it might help them recover if they took turns feeding each other. That certainly appealed to her.

"Nobody," Dane grunted, trying not to let her brother sour her mood. She and Nicole were trying to make things right and they were about to share cake. That was a good start, she thought. Then, they could have their serious discussion and hopefully move forward.

"All right," Nicole decided to accept that, not desiring to start anything.

The redhead cut the first bit of cake and went to feed it to Danny, but the phone ringing distracted her. She was closer to the phone now, so she decided to get it. She grabbed the phone and checked the display.

"It's your brother, Adam," Nicole informed her girlfriend.

"Don't answer," Dane dismissed him.

"Why not? It could be important," Nicole pointed out. Something might be up with her nephews, after all.

"He just called. It's nothing important. He's probably pissed that I hung up on him."

"Hung up on him? Why would you do that?"

"Because he said what he had to say and what I had to hear. No reason to drag it out."

Nicole opened her mouth, about to put her foot in it for sure. Quickly, she closed her mouth and decided to just listen for once when it came to Danny and her family. She put the phone back in the cradle and then fed Danny the cake on the end of the fork. Danny then took the fork and did the same. They barely made it through half of the cake before there was a knock at the door.

"I got it," Dane said.

"You sure?" Nicole asked.

"Just don't eat the rest of the cake while I'm gone and I don't mean just that slice either," Danny teased.

Nicole released a coy smile and Dane went to get the door. Checking to see who it was, she was tempted to return to the couch, but the knocking persisted. She opened the door and was face to face with Adam.

"Forgot you live like fifteen minutes from here," Dane grumbled.

"Dane, I really want to talk to you. Hanging up doesn't help," Adam pointed out.

"It helps me not have to listen to you," Dane countered quite honestly.

"I guess I deserve that. Can I come in and we talk?" he requested.

Grey eyes peeked into the house, going in the direction of the living room. No matter what Nicole was going to eventually find out that Adam as at the door. She was either going to end up investigating, which would lead to a scolding for Danny, or Danny could just invite him in, avoiding the reprimand.

"Come on in," Dane sighed, motioning into the house.

"Thanks," Adam said, walking into the house. Dane pointed him in the direction of the living room. He followed her hand and made his way into the living room.

"Adam," Nicole said in surprise as she climbed to her feet. "Nice to see you." She reached out a hand for him to shake, which he did.

"Nice to see you too, Nicole. Sorry for just popping up on you like this," Adam replied warmly.

"No problem. Here to speak to your sister?" Nicole guessed.

"More like grovel at her feet and apologize for being an ass," he answered honestly.

"Then I'll leave you two alone," Nicole said, retreating into the kitchen. It took all of her self-control to avoid grinning like a fool. She sincerely hoped that this was the turning point that Danny needed to gain at least part of her family.

Dane watched Nicole leave the room and could guess what her lover was thinking. Shaking her head, she wondered what it would take for Nicole to give up this desire for her to be close to her jackass family. Letting that go for now, she turned her attention to Adam.

"So, you wanted to apologize?" Dane prompted him.

"Not just for me, but for Mom too," Adam started.

"Oh, she's got you acting as her messenger. Funny how she can talk to me when there are no other options, but now she's strangely silent," Dane commented.

He balked, as if that was the most outrageous thing he had ever heard. "Her? You're the one that won't talk to her. You're hanging up on people trying to talk to you."

"Oh, yes, it's all Dane's fault. Brilliant apology," she snorted.

Adam huffed and ran his hand through his hair. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that Mom can't talk to you because you won't talk to her."

"Yeah, just like Dad never starts with me until I fuck up, right? Just like Sharon didn't worry about the boys being around me until I molested them, right?" Dane asked in a baffled tone, throwing her hands out. "Why the fuck does anyone ever bother if it's always me?" she demanded.

"Damn it, Dane, you're putting words in my mouth. I wanted to apologize for not standing up for you at the hospital. You did a good thing and Dad kicked you out without knowing everything you did for him. I didn't know you knew about the thing with Sharon, though," he muttered sheepishly, running his hand through his hair.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Ah, yes, and because I don't know that makes it all right. Look, I'm tired of the family drama that comes along with being near the Wolfe family. I'm not going to do it anymore. So, you don't need to apologize because it doesn't mean anything to me."

"You can't do that! The boys would be crushed if they never saw you again!" he pointed out, throwing his arms out as he spoke.

"Like Sharon is going to let me see them much anymore. It doesn't matter. When she barks, you move. She tells you to take the boys from me, you take them. Russell labels me worthless, I must be worthless. Christine cries that I'm not talk to her then it must be so. I can't deal with this shit anymore. Like you once told me, I've got my own life to live, kid. Deal with it."

"Dane, I was an immature kid when I said that! I didn't mean it. Don't close yourself off to all of us because I was a jackass fifteen years ago," he implored her.

"No, it's because you all continue to be jackasses. Don't need the stress and bullshit," Dane stated soundly, waving him off.

"Dane, I understand that you want to distance yourself from us. We haven't been the best people to you. I finally realized that after Sharon and I had a fight over you being around the boys. She would love nothing more than for you to stop seeing them, but I know you're good for them. You get them in a way that we can't because we don't get the poetry and music and all that stuff that they think is cool. I can't take that from them. And I can't punish you for something that never happened. I know you would never do anything to hurt them. I know you're not the horrible person they all make you out to be and I'm sorry for never speaking up for you. After all the crap we put you through, you still came through and we let you down after that. What you did for Dad was incredible and I know you would do even more for the boys, so I can't take you from their lives. Please," Adam begged.

Over the weekend, he and his wife had had a lot of debates about Dane and it got him to thinking about his little sister. Everything that his wife said about her, everything that he used to hold true about Dane seemed to be gone. He knew that even before he saw her at the celebration for their father running for governor. He knew that because when she got out of the hospital after her accident, she had stayed with him. He saw glimpses of a person that he never heard about in all of the stories-a good person. Yes, underneath all the apathy and despair had been a good woman, coming out on occasion to interact with and entertain his sons.

"Dane, I know you're not the person you once were. You're not even the person you were when you first met the boys. You're someone better. You're a good person and I know you love the boys. I can't just let you walk out on them and I can't go on pretending that the way everyone treats you is all right," Adam continued on.

Danny sighed and her hand went through her hair. "Now all of sudden you give a shit? Spare me and spare me the bullshit that Christine cares too. I know she wouldn't apologize. What is this, some new ploy to get me to that house, so you guys can have another round at Dane? Fuck you," she stated. She could not trust him.

"Dane," he pleaded with her.

"Fuck you," she said slower since he did not seem to comprehend it the first time. "I'm not interested in what you have to say. You should be familiar with that. Now, get the hell out."

Adam frowned. "I had hoped you would have grown up some by now," he growled.

"I had hoped you would be walking through the fucking door by now. You don't go twenty-five some odd years not caring about what happens to someone and then suddenly give two fucks about them because they helped your father and get along with your sons. I'm not interested. So, get out."

"Look, Dane, I'm trying to be upfront with you."

"And I don't buy it. Now, get out before I throw you out. I might be a cripple fuck, but I can still kick ass when necessary," she stated.

Adam sighed. "Okay, I don't want to upset you or fight about this. I'll give you a little time to cool off. I understand you not believing me. I just don't want you to punish the boys because of me."

Dane did not say anything and Adam marched back to the door. She shut the door as soon as he was over the threshold. As she walked back to the living room, she saw green eyes watching her from the kitchen entrance. She and Nicole stared at each other.

"Why didn't you hear him out? Why didn't you-" Nicole stopped talking when Dane turned around and went right to the den. "Damn it," the lawyer growled. There went her hard work, she knew. She just hoped they could recover again.

---------------

11: Bridge

Dane put her headphones on and cranked up the metal that she was listening to. Just in case Nicole came in and wanted to talk, she wanted to make sure that she did not hear. She was not in the mood for any more judgmental damnation about how she should give her family a chance since they were trying for her. They were not trying, like Nicole believed anyway. She did not want to give them a chance. She wanted them to go away before they did any more damage to what she was trying to build with Nicole.

Yes, she understood how crazy that seemed since she was now avoiding Nicole-again. But, she was sure that she and Nicole would eventually get things worked out. That would not happen if her family kept popping up at inappropriate moments and doing things that made her seem like some sort of ogre to her beloved. No, it was best to just severe all ties with her damnable family and call it a day. Not like they ever done anything good for me.

Yes, she had stayed with Adam after she had gotten out of the hospital after being beaten to a pulp by those gangsters, but he had not been incredibly warm with his welcome and she had been desperate. He had not even inquired about her condition when she limped into his house. He had given her the same couple of days as anyone else in their family had given her. Those days had not been extended when he saw how much Luke and Thomas got along with her. In fact, when he had put her out, he had not even let her bid the boys farewell. She had stayed with him again a couple of months after that and even though the boys seemed more attached to her, her brother continued to treat her like the familiar stranger she was. He would not even tell the boys that she was his sister or that she was their aunt. She did not see why she should believe he suddenly changed.

Having faith in Adam had gotten her nowhere in life, except for heartache at a young age when he let her know just where she stood with him. Yes, he might have matured as the years went by, but he showed no signs of caring about her as one would care about a sister. Hell, it was only recent that he seemed to notice she was even a human being. She refused to believe that suddenly just because she called an ambulance for his father and gave a little bit of blood that he gave a damn about her. And she did not want to hear Nicole try to say something contrary to that.

Nicole did not know what she had been through. Nicole did not know what her family had put her through. Nicole did not know anything and she wished that the redhead would just accept that, so they could move on.

She understood that Nicole thought that family was important and she could understand where Nicole would get that idea. Nicole had come from a good family and if she had come from a similar situation, she supposed that she would act like Nicole. If her family was anything like Nicole's, she would probably try to hold onto them with both hands, firm and tight. But, she had not come from a family like that and she resented that Nicole did not seem to comprehend that. Instead, Nicole was burdening her with people that did not want her, that she did not want in return, and straining her with a guilt that she knew she should not feel just because she could not get along with those bastards.

She figured that she would just hide out in the music room until she cooled down. Right now, she was all too aware that if she and Nicole discussed anything, she would say things in a tone that would not be appreciated and in a manner that would be hurtful. She might throw in a few insults just for the hell of it too. That would be counterproductive since she was not trying to destroy her relationship with the redhead. So, she needed to calm down before anything else.

Unfortunately, as time ticked by, she felt the fury continue to fester, tearing at her. Thinking that it might just be the music feeding into her emotions, she changed from the metal to some smooth R&B. Tapping her good foot to the beat, she sang each song under her breath, but not really feeling much better.

In fact, it felt like her heart was breaking as she listened to the love songs and the breakup songs. She wondered if she would ever write another love song again considering what she and Nicole were going through. She dreaded thinking that she had a lifetime of breakup songs ahead of her, knowing that if Nicole left her, her muse would forever be her despair of losing her angel.

"I can't..." Dane whispered, wiping her eyes of unshed tears. She could not lose Nicole. There would be no reason to go on without Nicole. She would become numb again, she would become a phantom again, and she would be without pride or dignity again. Nothing would matter. The world would be gone as far as she was concerned. So, no, she could not lose Nicole.

She was just going to wait until she felt comfortable talking to Nicole, she reminded herself. Once she calmed down and the anger finally settled down, she would talk to Nicole and they would start moving forward, instead of stagnating as they had been. It did not happen that night because Dane stayed parked on that floor, waiting for her emotions to calm. She fell asleep with trouble churning in her belly and her music blaring in her ears. Nicole found her in there, leaned up against the wall.

"All she needs is a sign 'will hold guitar for money' and a cup," Nicole murmured to herself in regards to Danny's position. She could not believe that Danny actually fell asleep in the den with her guitar in her hands.

Nicole had wandered downstairs when Danny did not come to bed. It tore at her insides to see Danny sleeping on the floor in the den. Things seemed to have gotten so bad that Danny preferred the floor to their bed. Things were not looking good.

"Well, if this is where she wants to be. I should respect that," Nicole said, speaking aloud as if the words would make the hurting cease. They did not.

Going to the closet, she retrieved a blanket and used it to cover her lover from the cool night air. She also removed Danny's guitar from her lap and took her headphones off. After a gentle kiss to Danny's forehead, Nicole left her girlfriend there and returned to the bedroom.

How did things come to this point? Nicole wondered and she had no answer for herself. All she knew was that she and Danny were drifting apart so quickly that it felt like she was literally being torn in half.

Nicole tried not to think too much on it. She just knew that she was going to try best not to say anything else to Danny in regards to her family. It was not worth losing her lover, even if Danny said things that she thought was wrong or made decisions that she did not agree with. She was going to keep all of that to herself, no matter what.

It's her family. I have to let her deal with them as she sees fit. It's like Mina said, it's none of my business, especially if I want to keep Danny and I damn sure do. So, I am not going to say anything else about her family.

---------------

Dane groaned as she started to regain consciousness. Her lower back had a dull ache in it and she thought that she might have slept on top of something. She was not too sure about why she had a crick in her neck, though. Opening her eyes, she saw it was not so much that she slept on top of something as it was that she slept against something-against the den's back wall. That explains the pain.

"Can't believe I fell asleep here," she muttered, throwing out her arms to stretch. A long yawn escaped her throat.

About to get up, Dane noticed the blanket draped over her. For a moment, she smiled, thinking that her angel was taking care of her, but that thinking quickly changed. If her angel was really taking care of her, then Nicole would have woken her up and took her to bed, she reasoned. No, putting a blanket over her when she fell asleep on the floor was telling her to keep her sorry ass in the den.

"Damn it," she growled. Just when she thought that she might be able to talk things out, she was outraged again and knew that speaking with Nicole would do nothing more than dive bomb into an argument, complete with petty insults.

Climbing to her feet, she tried to put things out of her mind. Humming to herself to keep herself calm, she folded the blanket and returned it to the linen closet. She did consider that she might need it again, but left it where it belonged. After that, she decided on a nice, hot shower, thinking that might it be what she needed to face her lover. If nothing else, it might help ease the tension out of her neck and back.

Ascending the stairs, she went to the bedroom and did her best to ignore the sleeping body in the comfortable bed. She made sure to tiptoe, making less noise than a cat on a carpet. Grabbing fresh clothing, she swiftly left the room, not glancing at Nicole again. She used the bathroom at the end of the hall for her morning routine. Thankfully, she had a toothbrush in there.

Despite the terrible feeling coursing through her, Dane went about her typical chores. Doing her routine kept her from thinking, so she started on breakfast while listening for signs that Nicole was awake. By the time the lawyer came down, Dane had waffles and scrambled eggs made.

Their morning was as silent as a grave. Nicole hoped that they would not be burying their relationship in that grave. She knew that she needed to say something, but she was not sure how to begin. She was not sure what to say. She was not even totally sure what she had done that was so wrong. She had not gotten out ten words the day before and Danny walked away from her as if she was the vilest creature in existence.

"Baby..." Nicole started out, but a caramel hand halted her words.

"Please, can we not do this right now? I don't trust myself just yet," Dane informed her girlfriend, her tone fatigued, almost trembling.

Emerald eyes glanced down at the table. "Oh...Okay..." she agreed, not even sure what Danny meant by her comment. She just knew that Danny was not ready to talk and she was not going to push. Pushing was one of the things that got her into this mess, she realized.

The pout on Nicole's face tugged at Dane's heart a little. She did not want Nicole to leave thinking that they were going to be beaten by their current troubles. She grabbed Nicole into a tight hug, cradling Nicole's head to her shoulder. The redhead practically sobbed into Dane's shoulder. The sound rippled through Danny's body and made her hold on tighter.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Nicole muttered, not too sure what she was apologizing for.

"It's okay," Dane whispered, kissing soft, auburn locks. She was not too sure what Nicole was apologizing for either, but she was almost sure that Nicole was overwhelmed and unaware that she was even talking.

"I hate this," Nicole admitted.

"I do too."

"Will we work through it?" the voice that asked the question was so tiny and frightened.

"Of course we will, angel. Told you plenty of times, I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to. We'll work through it," the taller woman promised.

Nicole sniffled a bit. "When?"

"Soon. We could talk about it, but you have work."

"And you're not ready."

"Right."

"You'll be ready soon?" Nicole wished out loud.

"Should be. Later tonight maybe."

"Good."

Dane sent Nicole on her way feeling a little better about herself. Of course, Dane did not feel much better. She could only wonder, if Nicole was having such a hard time with everything, why had the redhead left her sleeping on the floor? Well, she could be punishing me for hurting her. It was plausible, but she doubted that was the case. Nicole was not like that, after all.

"Maybe she thought I wanted to sleep there. Not like I haven't slept in the den before," Dane considered, running her hand through her hair. She was not sure what to make of last night. "Just let it go. Talk about it tonight and move the fuck on. Like Nick said, I hate this. It really fucking sucks."

Sighing, Danny moved to go wash the breakfast dishes. With that out of the way, she collected laundry to work her way through that. After that, she sat down to make a shopping list. She made sure to put chocolate-chip cookies on the list as that would be a perfect peace offering to her distraught lover. The phone ringing distracted her. She picked it up without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Yeah?" she answered the phone. Some of the manners that she showed when Nicole was around went right out the window when her girlfriend left the area.

"Dane?"

"Damn it, Adam, what the fuck do you want from my life now?" Dane huffed. She was sick of her brother.

"Dane, I'm trying once again to apologize," the eldest Wolfe sibling replied. His aggravation was so clear that she would not have been surprised if it slapped her through the phone.

"Didn't we go through this already?" she retorted with a snort.

"I know we did, but you're being unfair! I don't want the boys to lose a good friend because I've been an ass to you!"

Dane sighed. "A good friend?" she echoed. He could not even call her their aunt. She frowned in disgust, close to hanging up already.

"Dane..." he sighed now, sensing that he had done something wrong.

"So, what you want me to do is to stick around, so you can be more of an ass to me and for your wife to be an ass to me? Not to mention, for me to occasionally see the rest of my so-called family, so they can be asses to me also?" she inquired incredulously. No one in her right mind would stick around for that sort of abuse!

"Dane, I'm trying to no longer be an ass toward you. Yes, Sharon doesn't want the boys around you for a lot of stupid reasons, but I am willing to put my foot down because I think they need someone like you in their lives. They adore you and I can tell that you'd never hurt them."

"Oh, thanks for that vote of confidence," she scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Dane, are you going to stay so bitter? Are you going to punish Luke and Thomas for my actions?"

"It's not a punishment and you're still being an ass for using them to try to sway me. I know if I try to let them in, it's going to be the same bullshit as always. I'll get some time with them before Sharon starts barking about whatever-the-hell she thinks I'm going to do to those kids and then you'll be dragging them away from me like the hen-pecked bastard you are."

"Dane, I think that's uncalled for."

"No, you know what's uncalled for? It's uncalled for to drag the boys away from me every time we're alone for three seconds. It's uncalled for to lie to them and to me about why you're doing it. It's uncalled for that every time Sharon has one of these little paranoid fantasies you back it up because you take the kids from me like whatever she thinks is true. So, don't talk to me about uncalled for. You say you want me in the boys lives? For how long, about five minutes every other week? What good could that do? So, once again, this is bullshit and you, sir, are full of shit," Dane proclaimed.

Adam blow out a breath. "Okay, I guess you have a point...several actually," he reluctantly admitted.

"I know I do," she replied smugly. She had been going through all of the crap for too long not to make a point.

"Okay, so how about I concede that I can't make up for what I did or didn't do for you, but I do want you to be there for the boys. Like I said, they adore you. Thomas runs around here all the time talking about how he wants to play the drums because you played them for him one time. I don't even know how he remembers it since I know it was years ago. Luke wants to grow up and be a singer all because of you. You have a strong influence on them and I can tell you want it to be a positive one."

Dane was quiet for a moment. "I'd like to be in their lives and if they want to play or sing, I would love to teach them," she confessed. Music was her passion, coming behind her love of Nicole, and she would like to share that with her nephews. She did not want to punish them because the Wolfe family treated her like she had several contagious diseases.

"They would really like that, Dane."

"But, I can't do that if you're not going to trust me around them."

"I do trust you. I'll try to work it out with Sharon, but I'm not going to let you fall out of their lives. They were asking about you since the dinner. They heard everybody saying some negative things about you. Well, everyone except Mom. Dane, you really should talk to Mom," he informed her, bracing himself for what he thought would be an explosion.

"She has the number. It's a proven fact," the musician countered, sounding tired. She was sick of hearing about her mother.

A long sigh echoed through the phone. "Dane, you really should-" he was cut off.

"Adam, I will not travel down this road with you. That woman has my number. If she wants to talk, she can call. She's done it before. Now, let's get back to the matter at hand before I hang up," Dane told him quite seriously.

"All right, all right. I'll let Mom fight her own battles. So, are you willing to be around for the boys?"

"The boys, yes."

"And do you think there's a chance for me and you to one day be okay?" he asked curiously. He was a decent man-he liked to believe anyway. He knew that he could not make that claim honestly, though, if he could not make things right with his baby sister. He had done her wrong in life and he was all too aware that. If he could not make things right, he figured he would walk through life with a heavy weight of guilt and shame on his shoulders.

"I don't know about that, Adam. Right now, I don't mind how things are with you. Sharon gets on my nerves, but I don't mind you," she told him. Being familiar strangers was better than any other relationship that she had with a family member. Hell, the only adult family member she had a better relationship with was their Uncle Pierce and that was only because Pierce tried to get to know her.

"You don't mind? Dane, we're like two people who take the same bus everyday!"

"Better than two people that want to take a knife to each other."

Adam sighed again. "Can't argue that. Do you think that it'll get better?"

"Don't know, but it can if you don't feed Sharon's paranoia," she conceded. If she was going to be around her nephews, she figured there was a chance that she and her brother might be more than what they were. It all depended on how he acted.

"That makes sense. Look, I'm going to take the boys out today. They want to go to the park. Think you could meet us there?"

"Don't they have school today?"

Adam laughed. "They're not in school all day, Dane. They have to get out eventually. After school, I'm going to take them to the park. I think you know which one."

Dane nodded, figuring out that her brother meant the one closest to her. "I'll think about it."

"Oh," Adam could not hide the disappointment in his voice. He thought he had her. "Okay, well, if it helps, we'll be there at about 2:30, okay? Sharon won't be there. She works until five."

"Okay." And with that, Dane hung up. Not bothering with a farewell of any kind because she did not care.

Dane ran her hand through her hair as she started thinking about if she wanted to go or not. It would be pleasant to see her nephews. She loved the little guys. She did not understand them, but they were cute and they liked being around her. If she could be in their lives and watch them grow up, she thought that would be wonderful.

"Does this mean I'm going to go then?" Dane asked herself. She thought that it did.

She considered the cons of going. She supposed that it could be a trick of some kind from her brother, but Adam was never that sort of person. He had always preferred to ignore Dane than anything else, something like their mother, but not to the severe length as Christine. So, it probably was not a trick. She hoped that he was telling the truth that Sharon was not going to be there.

Sharon was really the problem between her and Adam right now. Adam did not mind her being with the boys and she knew that from his behavior in the past. As long as Sharon was not there, she knew that she would be able to have a good time with them. Grabbing the phone, Dane dialed a familiar number.

---------------

"Hey, baby," Nicole said, smiling brightly since Danny was taking the time to call her. She thought that had to be a good thing. Maybe they had finally gotten over the hump and things were going to get better.

"Hey, Nick," Dane greeted her.

"It's nice to hear from you, love," Nicole purred and smiled. It was great to be on speaking terms.

Dane chuckled a little, enjoying the way her lover's voice washed over her. "Glad I could make your day. How are you feeling so far?"

"I'm fine. Work is work, you know. To what do I owe the honor of the call?"

"Oh, I wanted you to know that I'm going to be at the park in the afternoon and then I have a couple of lessons, so if you call the house and I'm not there, it's because I'm out," Dane explained. She knew that Nicole panicked and worried easily when it came to her and her whereabouts. She liked to keep Nicole posted to make sure the redhead did not stress herself out over nothing.

"The park? How long are you going to be in the park?" Nicole asked. She wished that Danny would wait for her and they could take a nice stroll, maybe even have that discussion that they needed to have while doing it.

"Don't know. I'm hanging out with Luke and Thomas. Adam's going to bring them over there."

"Adam? I thought you two just had an argument," Nicole pointed out.

"We did, but he still wants me to see the boys and he wants them to see I'm all right. Apparently, they've been worried about me since the dinner. So, I'm going to hang out with them and do stuff. Maybe I should bring bread. They might want to feed the ducks!" Danny chirped.

Nicole laughed a bit, knowing that Danny loved to feed the ducks. The laughter ended when she recalled why it was Danny enjoyed feeding the ducks now. No one had ever bothered to let her do it when she was a child. Danny's family had left her to her own devices as a child. But, Nicole thought, Danny seemed to be making steps and at least Adam seemed to be trying too. Maybe the pair could emerge from things looking more like brother and sister than uneasy acquaintances.

"Okay, have a good time with them," Nicole said.

"I will. I'll be home by the time you're out of class, okay?"

"Good. Do you think that maybe if it's still warm, you'd like to go back to the park? We could walk around a little and talk?"

Dane grinned. "I'd like that. It's about time we talk, huh?"

"Yes, please."

"Then we'll do that. Sounds good."

Nicole smiled broadly and merrily. "Good. So, when did you speak with your brother?" she asked curiously.

"Few minutes ago. I'm gonna let you go now, Nick, so you can finish up your work. Make sure you eat lunch and the snack I packed for you, okay?"

"You know I will. If not, your attack dog Mina will badger me for you."

"I like Mina so much," Danny remarked with a laugh. She was able to get Mina to check on Nicole for her often, making sure her lover did not overwork herself, allow people to take advantage of her, and make sure that she ate properly.

"Careful, she has been talking about adding you to her harem."

"She'd have to take you too to get me."

Nicole chuckled. They bid each other farewell and Nicole felt pretty good about herself. She went back to work, breezing through it. She was not surprised when Mina entered her office.

"Ready for lunch? Danny already called me and told me it was my job to make sure you ate today," Mina announced. She remembered the first time she got a call like that a couple of months ago. She already held Danny in high esteem, but the level that Danny went to look at for Nicole, going so far as to call Nicole's best friend to make sure Nicole took care of herself, made Danny sky-rocket to the top of Mina's favorite people.

"I had a feeling she would."

"She didn't pack you lunch?" Mina asked curiously. It was known to happen; it was one of the things that led to Danny calling her that first time a couple of months ago.

"No, she packed me a snack, but no lunch."

Mina smirked. "You distracted her again?" she asked. She was very aware that the leading cause for Nicole not getting a homemade lunch had to do with her and Danny going at it like bunnies most of the time.

"I wish," Nicole muttered. It felt like eons since she and Danny made love. She missed having that long body pressed against her.

"Oh?" Mina arched an eyebrow. "Oh, god, are you two still fighting?" she asked incredulously.

"Um...sort of," Nicole answered. She was not totally sure what they were doing anymore. "Last night, we had a little problem. I'm not entirely sure what it was, but Danny was talking to her brother and she had an argument with him. He was trying to apologize from what I could tell and Danny spoke very rudely to him. I was about to say something to her, but she just walked away and ended up sleeping in the den."

"God, Nicole, you have got to stop this! You're pushing her away by butting in on how she deals with her family."

"Maybe before, but I was right this time. She spoke to him again today and apparently she's meeting up with him and his sons at the park," Nicole boasted.

"His sons?"

"His adorable little boys. Danny's nephews. She loves them," Nicole explained.

"So, maybe she's going to the park for them and not for her brother. Nicole, you really need to stop this, seriously. I know you mean well and I'm sure Danny knows you mean well, but that doesn't mean you're not screwing this up anyway. You know what they say about the road to Hell," Mina declared.

Nicole sighed and nodded to show that she understood. If she was honest with herself, even though she thought that she was right since Danny was meeting up with Adam, it was not a very sweet victory. Being able to tell Danny "I told you so" seemed very meaningless, especially if she lost Danny to this whole mess.

"You're right, Mina. I just...I just..." Nicole tucked her head down and rubbed her face a little.

"I know," Mina cooed and she went over to her best friend, cradling Nicole's head against her.

"I know they would love her if they gave her a chance. She's such a wonderful person. I know they would be able to see it," Nicole muttered.

"They might not want to see it. You're only hurting Danny by pushing this. You're hurting yourself too. You're a mess over this. Just let it go, please," Mina begged.

"I just want her to have that support and that love that I know she deserves."

"I don't think they're going to give it to her. This is where you have to step in, Nicole. It's like Clara said, you should be Danny's family. And, if she gets along with your family like you said she did, share that with her. Stop trying to push her own family on her or her on them. It's not working."

"But, she's meeting with her brother..."

"Then leave it at that. Let them build from there, but you need to step away and stay far away from it. Okay?"

Nicole fought down the urge to argue and just took in her friend's words. She knew that Mina and Clara had been right all along. She was just blinded by her desires for Danny. She wanted so much for Danny to know the love of family, but her wants were apparently clouding her judgment and she was just done with it. She just wanted things to go back to how they were before.

"It would be nice to be that support for Danny," Nicole whispered.

"You were already that. You just didn't recognize it. Now that you do, all you have to do is step up and do the right thing," Mina replied.

"When did you get so wise?" Nicole teased, trying to get herself together.

"I minored in wisdom in college," the chocolate-eyed attorney joked.

"Yet you never used it back then."

"I never used those philosophy courses back then either and that was my damn major, so I don't think usage is a good judge of things."

Nicole giggled and straightened herself out. They left the office after that, going to lunch. The redhead had a renewed sense of duty and was determined to set things right with her beloved.

---------------

Dane stood at the edge of the park. She could see Adam was there already with Luke and Thomas, running around in the playground. She scanned the area, making sure Sharon was nowhere in sight. It would seem that Adam was on the level, so she approached the trio.

"Dane!" Luke spotted her first and practically tackled her before she even set foot in the playground. Thomas was right behind him and he hit her at about the same force.

"You guys should play football," she remarked, trying to catch her breath, which had been knocked out of her. She suspected that she would be icing her knee when she got back home after spending sometime with her nephews.

"Hey, are you going to play with us? Are you going to stay?" Luke inquired with excitement.

"And not leave?" Thomas added in, just in case their aunt did not know what it meant to "stay."

"I am going to stay and play with you guys," Dane confirmed. That got her a loud cheer from the boys.

Luke and Thomas yanked the musician toward the playground. She noticed a few moms and babysitters watched her carefully as she entered the sacred, children's area. They all seemed at ease since she was being pulled around by the two boys. Luke and Thomas had to direct Dane on what to do, which other children started doing too. They made a game of it, seeing how much they could get Dane to do. Dane did her best to keep up with the requests, enjoying the smiles and laughter she was bringing to the children's faces. Thankfully, none of the children were malicious and did not ask anything truly dangerous, but the activities started adding up.

After a while, Danny had to escape because her leg just was not up to all of the activity. The children protested when Dane informed them that she had to go, but that did not keep her in the playground any longer. She bid all of the children farewell and they did the same. Hobbling away from the playground, Luke and Thomas followed her like two faithful sidekicks. Adam trailed behind, not wanting to disturb their moment.

They ended up by the pond, where the boys did want to feed the ducks. Dane grinned because this was one of her favorite things to do. They had to go buy something to feed the ducks, though. There was a hot dog stand close by, so Dane went over and brought three hot dogs. She and the boys ate the hot dogs, but saved the buns for the ducks. Adam watched the whole thing and smiled.

Adam stood back while the group slowly picked their buns apart and tossed the bits of bread to the ducks. As soon as they were out of bread, Thomas took notice of the dogs running around not too far from the pond.

"Oh, puppies!" the younger boy shouted with joy as he took off toward the dogs. Dane was on the case, grabbing him up before he charged into a potentially dangerous situation.

"Hold on there, dog whisperer. You can't just run into a field of dogs," Dane cautioned him and Luke as they calmly walked toward the meadow.

"Why not?" Thomas asked curiously, tugging on Dane's hand a bit, trying to get her to speed up. He wanted to get to the dogs quickly.

"Dogs can get scared easily. If you scare 'em, they might attack you. You don't want a dog to bite you. Even if you don't scare them, you might surprise them and that could get you bit too. So, you have to be careful," Dane patiently explained.

The boys nodded, showing that they understood. Danny scanned the area, searching for people that looked familiar. She did not have any friends, per se, but there were people that she recognized and that recognized her as someone who frequented the park. It was not difficult to spot someone with a friendly dog, so Dane took her nephews over there.

"Hey, do you mind if my two twisters pet your dog?" Dane asked, pointing to her nephews.

The familiar young woman smiled and nodded. It started out with the boys petting her very affable and energetic husky. Before long, the boys were running and tumbling with the canine. Dane smiled a bit and only joined in when the boys and dog ran over to her. She then petted the dog and laughed with the boys before they ran off again.

"They're going to want a dog after this," Adam sighed, shaking his head, reminding his little sister that he was still there.

"Ah well. Dogs are cool," Dane replied.

"It's like having another kid. You have to feed it, bathe it, train it, take it to the doctor, and all of the stuff," he argued.

Dane shrugged. "I think it would be nice."

"You say that because you don't have one."

Giving her brother a sidelong glance, she snorted. "I think I could handle it. Nick would be there too. We could handle it," she stated. Part of her wondered if she meant that they could handle having a dog or a child, but then again, if Adam was saying one was like the other then she guessed that she meant both. And she was surprised to find that she truly believed that.

Adam appeared skeptical, but Dane did not address it. She was used to the condescending attitude from her family. She was not surprised by it since Adam was under the impression that he knew her fairly well, even though he would readily admit that they were mere acquaintances.

"Sharon is going to be pissed over this, isn't she?" Dane stated.

"She's already pissed. I can't do anything about that. We argued about you spending time with the kids already. It's just something we're going to disagree on."

"And you're going to go behind her back on," she pointed out.

"Until her fears prove founded, then yes. It's not like something like this is going to break us up or something. We'll argue, say some things, and then cool off. After a while, it'll turn into one of those things we don't even argue about anymore. She'll just get pissed whenever you see them, but she'll accept it."

"Are you sure?"

Adam nodded. "It was like that when you stayed with us a couple of times. First, she was pissed and we argued a lot. The second time, yeah, we argued again, but not as long and she accepted it. The third time, she didn't even argue."

"It was the last time."

"She didn't know that, though. It was just something that she knew we wouldn't see eye to eye on. It's happened a few times with us. You have to pick your battles. I mean, there are things that she does that gets on my nerves that we used to argue about, but don't anymore. I still get annoyed by them, but I don't cause fights over them. That's marriage and that's raising kids. You fight, you argue, you compromise, and sometimes you just bite the bullet."

Dane nodded and hated to admit that she had just learned something from her brother. "Are you sure?"

"Sometimes, the fighting is worse depending on the issue. This thing with you around the boys is a bit tough. She takes the fight all around the world there. She says some hurtful things, but I know it's because she's worried about the boys. The last argument we had over the weekend was so bad, I had to go out to a bar for a couple of hours and cool my head. Her heart is in the right place, but her mouth makes it hard to understand."

Dane nodded again. "Never figured married life could be so complicated."

"Yeah, well, you don't know anything about it, so I guess that makes sense."

The musician rolled her eyes; once again, her brother was being condescending. Letting that go, she turned her attention back to the boys. The day was calm for the most part. She did not try to talk to Adam much. At one point in time, she glanced behind them and noticed a figure in the distance.

For a moment, Dane thought Sharon had found them, but the figure did not approach. Glancing again, she figured out that was Christine Wolfe. Since her mother kept her distance, Dane decided to pretend that she was not there. She did not even look at her mother when she passed within ten feet of the woman on her way back home. Christine had reached out, but pulled her hand back. She opened her mouth, but did not say a word. Dane just kept on walking.

All in all, it was a good day. The boys enjoyed themselves, begged to see Dane again, and she felt good about herself. She hoped that she would be able to stay in their lives. They were worth having to be around her brother and possibly interacting with him. They were worth quite a bit. And, she figured, she might even learn a thing or two about deep relationships if she listened to her brother.

The one thing that she did not think about was her mother's appearance. She guessed Adam called their mother, but she was not sure why. It could be that he was trying once again to push her toward her mother or he could have just invited Christine to be around the boys, like he had done with her. She did not care why Christine was there and decided to brush off as just a concerned grandmother, who probably assumed that she would hurt the boys too. Nothing to get worked up about and nothing to ruin her day.

Smiling to herself, Dane figured now it was time to set things right with Nicole. If she could do that, then the day would be perfect. Her smile broadened. Things were going to be perfect.

---------------

12: Explosive

Nicole entered the house and was feeling pretty optimistic about things...again. She hoped it was not another false start. She reminded herself what she needed to say and how she needed to act. It was time for her to stop acting like she knew what was best for Danny, even if she only had Danny's best intentions in mind. Her intentions did not excuse her behavior, she reminded herself. Besides, it was like Mina told her, the road to Hell was paved with good intentions.

The house was silent. She was not surprised by that fact, but she did wonder if her girlfriend was home or not. The first place that she checked was the den. Anxiety seized her heart and caused it to beat heavy, knowing it would not be a good sign if Danny was in the den. Thankfully, the room was empty.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nicole checked in on the living room. Dane was lying face down on the couch, arm and leg dangling over the side. Nicole smiled a bit herself and left Dane on the sofa while she went to take her shower. When she came back down, Dane was up and making dinner.

"You started dinner already?" Nicole asked, even though it was quite obvious. She was not sure what to make of the action because she thought they were supposed to be going to the park to walk and talk.

"Figured I'd get it out of the way and then we can go for our walk. We can eat when we come back. Cool?" Dane proposed. This way, they could take all the time they needed, not having to worry about any chores back at home.

"Sounds good. What are we having tonight?" Nicole asked, just wanting to keep her lover talking. She missed the sound of Dane's voice. The serious talk could wait for the stroll that they had planned, though.

"Beef stew with rice, black beans, and whatever vegetable you'd like to go with it," the taller woman answered.

"Yum!" Nicole smiled. "Can you just put carrots in the stew? I like when you do that."

"Carrots in the stew, no problem. Potatoes too?"

There was an eager nod. "You know me too well, sweetheart."

Dane smiled a bit; her day was still going quite well. Her mind was dancing at the thought of taking a nice walk with Nicole, clearing the air around them, and then having a very good dinner. She was already imagining cuddling up to Nicole, missing that immensely. And even more so, she missed when things were good between them. When they enjoyed being with each other instead of having disagreements over practically everything. She missed when it did not seem like they were perpetually annoyed with each other.

So, she imagined how great it was going to be when everything was back to normal. She would be able to hold Nicole and just delight in the feel of the redhead pressed against her. They would be able to do things again. They would be able to make love again. That would be wonderful.

And then the phone rang, interrupting her daydream. Dane growled, not liking the device of late. Nicole chuckled before going to answer the phone herself. Seeing Adam's name and number coming up, she thought it was safe to answer since Dane seemed to have made some kind of peace with her eldest brother. Well, she assumed that Dane made peace with him since she went out with him and his sons earlier.

"Hello?" Nicole answered the phone.

"Damn it, Dane, you son of a bitch!" a female voice screeched.

Nicole yelped and yanked the phone away from her ear because of the terrible noise. "Excuse me?" she snapped, insulted that someone would call her home with such rudeness.

"Dane, I swear-" Nicole did not hear the rest of the message because Danny took the phone out of her hand. Green eyes turned questionably to her lover.

"Heard her screaming. I don't think it's for you," Dane commented, going so far as to smile. She then put the phone to her ear, interrupting whomever was hollering. "Hello, sunshine," she said in a mockingly cheerful voice.

"Goddamn it, Dane, you listen to me!" a booming voice that Dane recognized as Sharon screamed loudly into the phone. She guessed her afternoon with the boys had not stayed a secret meeting for very long.

"I'm listening," Dane sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You stay the fuck away from my children and you tell your cowardly fuck of a brother to get his ass back here right now!" Sharon commanded in a shriek.

Dane's face scrunched up in bemusement and scratched the end of her nose. "What the hell are you going on about? You act like I stalked Luke and Thomas and suddenly showed up."

"I know that stupid idiot Adam brought them to you, now you tell him to bring his ass home and own up to his fucking mistakes before I change the goddamn locks!"

"What?" Dane said again, confused. She was tempted to just hang up, but glancing at Nicole, she resisted that urge. She recalled the last look she got when she hung up a phone in Nicole's presence.

"Adam! I know you're hiding him! He's not answering his fucking cell phone, but you two seem to be peas-in-a-goddamn-pod lately! So, I know you know where the hell he is! Tell me where the hell he is and then tell him to stop being a coward and answer for his actions!"

"Sharon, I don't know what the hell you're talking about and I didn't know about Adam being gone until ten seconds ago when you told me. Adam is a grown-ass man. He can take care of himself," Dane reasoned.

"He's never done anything like this before. He would at least answer his phone. He's been acting different since being around you. Now, tell me where the hell he is!" she roared, voice loud enough to make Dane wince.

"Don't know, don't care. Stop screaming at me," the guitarist calmly ordered, not sure if her ears would survive much more abuse.

"I know you know!"

Dane rolled her eyes. "Don't know, don't care. I'm hanging up now," she informed the hysterical woman. She silently decided that she was sick of panicky females.

"Dane, don't you dare!" And the call was disconnected.

Danny put the phone down and carefully watched Nicole. The lawyer was quiet, but her teeth were firmly locked together, grinding against each other. Smoke-colored eyes dared Nicole to say something.

"Um...what was that about?" Nicole asked, wringing her hands together, trying her best to sound unconcerned.

"Sharon is looking for Adam. I suspect they had a fight and he ran out. She's worried because he's not answering his phone," Dane answered in a measured tone, still daring her lover to say something.

"Do you think everything's all right? Does he usually do things like this?" Nicole asked, concern easily coming out of her voice and clouding her eyes.

"Relax, Chem. Adam's a big boy." Besides, she had no clue what her fucking brother did "usually." She did not keep up with him or his habits. Hell, she barely spoke to the guy before recently.

"Well, that's true. But, she sounded terribly worried. I mean, maybe this isn't something that he usually does. If it's something out of the ordinary, then I can see why she would be so concerned," Nicole stated.

Dane shrugged. "She sounded more pissed than worried. Adam said the last time they had a fight, he went to a bar for a while. That probably just happened again. Nothing to get bent out of shape about," she replied, sounding rather disinterested in the whole matter. Even if her sister-in-law was "terribly worried," she would not care enough to listen to the woman screaming.

"Are you sure? I mean, it could be serious if she called here. I know she just yelled at you and everything, but that could be worry setting in," Nicole figured.

"Babe, stop trying to stress yourself out. My brother is a grown man."

"I know, but his wife is worried. I would think it's with good cause. I know if you vanished and I couldn't get in touch with you, I wouldn't think 'oh, she's grown.' I would be scared that something happened to you," Nicole explained, a tremble in her voice. The idea of Danny going missing simply made her nervous, so she could feel for someone whose spouse might actually be missing.

Dane shrugged. "Okay," she said, not sure what her girlfriend's point was.

"Maybe we can do something for her. Call around and try to find him," Nicole suggested.

"No, and hell no," Dane replied sharply. "We're going to sit down, eat dinner, and mind our own damn business. They're fighting over their own problems and getting involved just means trouble."

"This isn't about fighting. This about Adam missing."

Grey eyes rolled. "You're being a little dramatic, Chem. It's not that serious."

"It could be, though."

"Nick, really, you're being way too dramatic. Now, can we just forget about it and do our day as planned?" the musician requested.

"But-"

Grey sighed, cutting her lover off. "Look, they probably just argued, he ran off to blow off some steam. Do you always assume something bad happened because you can't reach an adult for an hour?" she huffed.

Nicole decided to give up there, believing that Danny made a good argument. They were about to get back on track with their night when the phone rang again. Dane glanced at the phone and assumed that her sister-in-law was calling back for round two. She ignored it, but Nicole answered.

"It could be important. Something could have happened," the redhead explained.

"Between the last minute and now? I doubt it," Dane stated with a frown.

"Hello?" Nicole answered the phone.

"Damn it, how dare you hang up on me!" Sharon hollered at the top of her lungs.

"How dare you call in such a manner," Nicole countered. "Now, I understand that you're upset-"

"This isn't upset! This is livid! Now, where the hell is Adam?!" Sharon demanded, voice still booming through the phone.

"Screaming isn't going to help. Has he ever done anything like this before?"

"Don't play games-" The order was cut off when Dane reached over and hit the "end" button.

"Danny!" Nicole huffed.

"What? I'm not going to let some bitch scream at you over the phone, especially if you're trying to help her. Fuck Sharon. I can see why Adam took off if he has to put up with that bullshit just because they're fighting."

Nicole snorted. "At least they're talking."

The musician knew that crack was aimed at her. Instead of responding to the snap, she turned her attention back to dinner. The phone ringing kept Nicole off of her back, even though she was annoyed that her girlfriend answered the phone again. When the hollering reached her ears once more, she reached over and disconnected the call again. She ignored the glare from green eyes that was cast her way.

"It could be important," Nicole stated with a growl.

"Or it could be bullshit. Considering who's calling, I'll go with the second choice. You do know that she's just going to keep calling and screaming, despite the fact that we have no fucking clue where Adam is, right?" Dane pointed out. It gave her a headache just thinking about it, but it would irritate her if Nicole kept playing into Sharon's hands by answering the phone.

"One of the calls might be something important. What if something happened to your brother?" the lawyer said. "It's possible that something serious could have happened, especially if this was not normal behavior for Adam. That could be why Sharon was so out of sorts."

Dane ran her hand through her hair. "What does it matter? What does it have to do with you?" she asked, even though she knew what it mattered. Nicole's bleeding heart was basically spilling out on the kitchen floor.

"Your brother could be in trouble! Imagine if you ignored the call when your mother called about your father!" Nicole pointed out. Yes, there was a chance that the calls would just be Sharon screaming, but there was also a chance that one of the calls could hold news about where Adam was and if he was all right.

"My life would be much better," Dane muttered and wanted to bite her tongue completely off after the words left her mouth. The look in those emerald eyes told her that was certainly the wrong thing to say.

Nicole looked aghast and offended. "How can you say that! Your father could have died!"

For a moment, the musician was silent. Her hand went through her hair as she considered what she should say next, if she should say anything. She decided "fuck it." They were going to argue. They needed to just get it out of the way. They needed to get everything said, so they could find some middle ground and move on with their lives. She was just too sick of the tug of war, so she shrugged as the answer to her father dying.

"So what?" the guitarist said in a cavalier manner.

Nicole gagged, almost as if she was choking. She certainly had not expected such indifference to human life from her gentle lover. She also could not understand how someone could be so nonchalant about her father possibly dying.

"How can you say that! This is your father we're talking about! I know he wasn't the greatest father ever, but he's still a person! So, how can you be so uncaring about his life?" Nicole demanded, stomping her foot and making tight fists with her hands to avoid pulling her own hair out.

Another casual shrug. "It's not that I'm uncaring about his life. Actually, no, I am," she admitted. She did not care if her father lived or died. Neither meant anything to her life since he did nothing for her.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Danny! This is your father we're talking about!" Emerald eyes flashed with indignation and fury. How the hell can my Danny be so blas� like this?

Dane snorted and pointed to herself. "Yeah, my father! The man who hasn't claimed me since I was born! Do you know the space where it says 'father' on the birth certificate? Mine is empty! He's not a father! Not to me! There's not one picture of us together, not one good memory between us, and definitely no love! So, stop trying to make me feel something for him because I frankly don't give two shits about the man!" she bellowed, raising her voice much louder than her lover had ever heard.

"Danny..." Nicole whimpered, reeling back a little and regarding her lover as if she did not know her.

"What! Oh, now, you're upset! You wanna know what's upsetting?!" Dane continued to explode, throwing her hands out to her sides. In the background, the phone rang again, but no one moved to answer it that time. "The fact that you keep hitting me with this bullshit about my stupid fucking family, especially my father! Just because the man can reproduce does not give him some certain sacred place in my fucking heart! What the hell do I have to do to make you understand that he's nothing more than a fucking heartless bastard?!"

"He's still your-" The attorney yelped as she was cut off by a fierce noise.

Dane snarled like a wild beast to the point that it made her lover flinch. "Having a child doesn't make you a father! Loving the child and caring for it does! He doesn't love me! He's told me to my face that I mean nothing to him! I am nothing to him! Do you think those little taps you witnessed when he was here was anything?! Oh, yeah, he grabbed me and pulled me to the ground. That shit was nothing! Let me tell what that man has done to me!" Dane moved her hands, so she could start ticking things off of her list. "Let's start young, he always batted me away like a bad puppy if I was anywhere near him. A nice swat to the head got Dane out of his way. He used to throw bottles at me and chuckled when they landed. He's strangled me to the point of blacking out a number of times. God forbid I was in his fucking way after he lost a case or a client didn't do what he said or a fly just flew in the house because then he'd really kick my ass!

"He's punched me in the face, kicked me while I was down, thrown books at me, and took great pleasure in repeatedly beating me with a belt buckle or a shoe or whatever the fuck was close by. My first few trips to that fucking hospital that saved his wretched life were thanks to him! And you know, my last trip to the hospital, he actually made me pay him the money back for that! He said I owed him and he wanted that money back! Money that he knew I didn't have and I had to borrow from you because I'd rather owe you my life than owe him a single cent! He actually went so far as to want money back for keeping me for the first fifteen years of my life! That's what I needed all that fucking money for, to pay him back for having the nerve to be a-fucking-live. The man is scum, pure scum!" Her face was turning bright scarlet thanks to the rare shouting fest.

"Baby, I'm sorry you went through that..." Nicole said in a low, tearful voice. She was not too sure what else to say. It really did not matter because her lover was not done yet.

Another snarl. "I didn't tell you that for your fucking pity! I'm telling you, so you can get this stupid fucking idea out of your head that just because someone is your father or just because someone is your family, you need to feel something for them! I don't! Those people aren't my fucking family! Russell is not my fucking father! Christine is not my goddamn mother! I don't need to care about these people because they don't care about me! Why don't you ask me to care about all the strangers of the fucking world while you're at it?! And why don't you ask me to care about the gangsters that broke my legs when Bryan ran out on me?! Hell, why don't you ask me to care about Bryan while I'm at?!"

"Baby-"

"No, you don't get to talk anymore! You get to fucking listen!" Dane hollered, marching over to her girlfriend, backing Nicole up into a wall.

Nicole gulped from the blazing look in stormy steel eyes. Dane growled at the sound, so fed up with her lover to the point that she could care less that Nicole was anxious or even scared. Both their hearts raced as Dane snorted through her nose, breath actually hitting Nicole in the face, and then she continued on in a dangerously low voice.

"Let me tell you about this precious fucking family you're so eager to make me take on. This fucking family that you want me to fucking love and care about. Let's started with the guy you're so fucking concerned about-Adam. One day, Adam saw his father beating the living shit out of me and when I say beating, I mean fucking beating. I was on the floor bleeding and crying, reaching out for him. And do you know what he did? He turned and walked away. I always saw his back! He told me I didn't matter, he had his own life, and he didn't care what happened to me because I wasn't his problem. He ignored me almost as well as his mother did because he didn't have time for me. He could walk away with the best of 'em. Proud gait, head held high, baby sister bleeding and crying in his wake. He was good at that, real fucking good," Dane growled, her lip curling up like an annoyed tiger.

"Babe-"

"NO! I'm still talking!" Dane roared, putting her finger in Nicole's face and dragging it down her cheek for a moment in a somewhat taunting manner. "Now, back to your dear Adam. Wonder why Luke and Thomas call me 'Dane'? Because they don't know I'm their aunt. Sharon didn't want them to know and Adam rolled over like the fucking dog he is and went with it. They think I'm just their dad's weird friend and he's okay with that. Sure, he let me see them a few times, but until he let me stay with him before, I had never spoken to them before. I barely knew what their names were. Is that what family does?! Is it? You purposely exclude people and lie by omission to children?!" she demanded, eyes begging for answers that she already knew.

"Danny, baby..." Nicole reached out for her obviously overwrought lover, only to have her hands pushed away. She whimpered as her hands were forced to her sides.

"No, stop it! I'm not finished yet! Do you know that for most of her life Rachel didn't even know I was her sister?! She thought I was just some random kid living at the house because Russell didn't acknowledge me as his child and made it a point to let everyone know he only had three children! A story Christine backed up with silence. Sometimes, Rachel would look at me and fucking tell me go home. You have no idea how many times she tried to send me off with one of the servants, first thinking I really belonged to one of them and then later on she'd do it just to be cruel and be rid of me because she thought I was the reason that her precious father was upset! She's even hit me sometimes because she thought it would make her fucking father happy or just because she felt like it! Is this the family you want for me?! You think family is so fucking important that I should bite the bullet and put up with them!"

"Baby, I didn't know..." Tears gathered and quickly fell down Nicole's olive-toned cheeks.

"Damn right you didn't know, yet you still wanted me to be with them! Pushing your values because you think they're right! Well, here's some more news for you! Your little buddy Michael, he's the worst of them all! Fucker actually tried to kill me! I was so starved for attention from these fucking people that one day when that fucking monster started talking to me I just ate it up! He smiled at me, gave me some goddamn candy, and then dared me to drink bleach! I was ten! I didn't know what the fuck it did, but he was sixteen! And he stood there and watched me, his ten-year-old sister drink bleach!"

Oh, god, Nicole thought, almost bawling now. She almost vomited to hear about such evil, but she managed to keep it down. She could not even fathom the things her lover was telling her. Yes, she knew child abuse existed and she was even aware that sometimes offspring got involved in it for various reasons, but she had never been this close to it before. She did not know what to do, what to say.

"What did you think? It was just a few slaps around and they never remembered my birthday? So, they left me with the cook much of the time just because we were both black. That's no big deal, right?" Dane inquired, mocking her lover now. "Even if it was just that shit, I shouldn't be made to endure those fuckers if I don't want to. Just because your family is fucking wonderful doesn't make your opinion more valid than mine when it comes to my fucked up family, okay?"

"I know..." Nicole said quietly.

Dane snarled and moved to the side sharply in an almost feline-like manner. "You know shit," she hissed and she grabbed Nicole by the jaw, forcing the crying woman to look her dead in the eye. "You don't know a goddamn thing," she growled, still clutching onto the lawyer's face.

A whimper escaped Nicole and the sound seemed to knock Dane out of her huff. Grey eyes focused on the hand on Nicole's jaw and then suddenly widened with terror. Quickly, Dane let go of Nicole and then she turned around. Dane ran out of the kitchen as if it was on fire.

"Danny, wait!" Nicole screamed, knowing that her girlfriend was bolting out of fear that Dane had actually hurt her. No, that whimper had not been one for physical pain, but empathy and sorrow over her lover's childhood.

The lawyer chased after her lover, thinking that she would easily be able to catch Danny; after all, Danny only had one good leg, even after months of physical therapy. Still, Danny made it to the porch first and she was able to get on her bike, riding off into the setting sun on the rusted, squeaky cycle. Tears pouring from her eyes as she did so.

"Danny, please, you didn't hurt me!" Nicole tried to tell her as she ran down the porch steps, but Dane just kept riding.

For a second, the redhead stood there-at a loss. And then she remembered that she had a car and it was certainly faster than Dane's bike. Running back into the house, she grabbed her car keys and ran back outside. Hopping into her car, she peeled out of the driveway, figuring that Danny could not have gotten far. She quickly learned that even if Danny had not gotten far, the former rocker knew how to disappear.

"Damn it!" Nicole screamed at the top of her lungs, banging on the steering wheel.

Not ready to give up yet, Nicole drove around blindly for a while; she was not sure how long. There was no sign of Danny. It was like she vanished into thin air. Nicole was not surprised by that; she was willing to bet that Danny learned how to disappear from when she was living on the streets. She doubted that she would be able to find Danny if the younger woman did not want to be found. So, she returned home, the phone shrilling loudly as she opened the door.

A snarl torn out of Nicole's mouth as she went to the phone, knowing it would not be Dane calling her. Unfortunately, her lover still did not have a cell phone, so she would not call until she was good, ready, and there was a phone nearby. No, the caller ID told her that it was the same person that had been calling for the last half-hour.

"AH!" Nicole grabbed the phone and yanked it-along with the cradle-out of the wall. She flung it across the living room before throwing herself on the couch, bawling her eyes out. "I ruined everything!"

Nicole was certain that Danny had just ridden her bike out of her life. She could not believe that things had really come to the point where she doubted that she would ever see Dane again. Sure, the musician had left her stuff behind, but she knew that Dane did not need much to move on.

"Why couldn't I just leave it alone? I knew her family was horrible. I knew they didn't really want her, so why did I push? Why couldn't I just accept that they're assholes and they'd never accept Danny, no matter how great she is?!" Nicole cried, screaming into the sofa cushions.

Looking back on it, everything that she did seemed so utterly stupid. Yes, she wanted Danny to know what it was like to have a loving family, but she could not believe that she really thought the Wolfe family would be it. Okay, Dane got the company of her nephews out of the deal, but by the first visit, she should have given up on everyone else, Nicole figured. No one else seemed to care for Danny. She had witnessed Russell's abuse for crying out loud! Why the hell would I want Danny to get along with someone like that?! What the hell made me think that Danny would want to get along with him?!

She knew that she was blinded by what she wanted for her lover and she could not see beyond that, even when her friends were telling her to back off. Plus, she thought that she was making progress when Danny showed signs of enjoying her nephews' company and Adam invited her out. She also thought it was progress when Christine invited them to dinner, but obviously, Danny did not care about any progress. Dane did not want those people-her family-to want her because she did not want them.

She should have known better, Nicole mentally scolded herself. She had already known that her family and Danny's family were two different things. She just did not want to accept that before because she thought that they might not be as bad as she heard and as Danny said they were. Well, she accepted it now.

"Why couldn't they just be kind and decent people? Danny really does deserve a good family and they'll never be able to give her that. They don't want to and she doesn't want them," Nicole moaned wretchedly.

Now, she had allowed her stubbornness on the matter to drive Danny away. First, she had made Danny madder than she had ever seen the mellow guitarist. It upset her to know that she drove Danny to the point of screaming. Of all the people on the world, she had caused Danny enough pain and suffering that Danny snapped at her. To the point where Danny had scared herself.

"I made Danny think that she hurt me when really I hurt her-more than I thought possible if that look in her eyes meant anything," the lawyer sniffled before going back to bawling.

She was aware that the thing that made everything worse was the fact that she loved Danny-possibly more than anyone else on Earth-and she had pushed such an uncomfortable and undesired thing onto Danny. She was supposed to support and protect her lover. She felt like she betrayed Danny.

"Danny probably feels the same way and that's why she left. She's probably gone for good too!" Nicole hollered, clutching her stomach as she felt agony rip through her at the thought that Danny left her. The love her life had left her.

For the first time in her life, Nicole was distressed that her partner was gone. Usually, she had lovers that were so annoying and obnoxious that she was all too happy to see them leave when she finally tired of them using her. But, of course, Danny was nothing like that she and already knew that she wished to spend her life with Danny.

"So, why did I have to ruin this whole thing? Did I do this on purpose? Subconsciously sabotage this relationship because I don't know how to be in a healthy, loving, caring relationship?" Nicole wondered aloud. "No! I would never purposely push Danny away! I love her and I want to be with her! I just wanted a family for her so badly that I ignored all the good advice and the signs from Danny that she didn't the same thing. How could I be so stupid?! God, everyone thinks I'm so freaking intelligent, but I'm obviously an idiot for doing this!"

Nicole flailed around on the couch, not knowing how else to vent her frustration beyond crying, beating the couch, and screaming her head off. She could not do much else, especially since she did not know where Danny was in order to talk things over with her. She promised herself if everything ended in some favorable manner, she would never push things onto Danny again. She would never act like she knew better than the musician about what Danny wanted and deserved in life. She would never act in a condescending manner toward Danny either. She would just step away, like Mina told her to do.

She realized that her friends had given her very good advise and she should have listened to them. They knew about being in healthy relationships better than she did. Hell, Mina had been married for almost half the time that they had known each other and the marriage seemed be going strong, so she definitely should have heeded Mina's advice. And then there was Clara's advice.

Clara told her to be the family that Danny needed. She had not even considered that advice when it was given to her. She kind of thought it was silly. She could not be a mother, father, brother, and sister to Danny. That was ridiculous. But, now, she was starting to think about it seriously, which she knew she should have done when Clara first said it.

"I should be her family. I want to be her family," Nicole declared, her voice sounding strong for the first time that evening. "I want to be Danny's family!" It was the truth. She wanted to be all of those things that she felt Danny deserved. She just needed to let Danny know that. "I need her to come back..." she whimpered, tears cascading down her face again.

---------------

The scenery whipped by Danny as she pushed herself as far from the house as possibly could-as far away from Nicole as she could...and as far away from that monster in her skin as she could. Growling to herself, she mentally tore into herself for touching Nicole in a less than loving manner.

"Fucking monster! Fucking worthless monster! I can't even live with the woman I fucking love without hurting her! I can see why my fucking family never wanted me! I am just worthless! And Nick knows that now too!" Dane snarled into the air cutting past her face.

Taking the bike through a small patch of grass, she jumped it down some stairs while trying her best to not think about how she grabbed Nicole. Her mind was against her, though, replaying the scene over and over again in her head. She was certain that her tough grip had left a bruise marring her lover's perfect skin. She doubted that she would be able to live with herself, knowing full well that she had physically harmed and bruised her beloved.

Then, her mind flashed to almost ten years ago when she punched a girl that she slept with in the face. They had been arguing and the girl called her a "monkey." Having been called a monkey all her life by family members, she snapped when the girl said it and her hand was in the air before she realized what happened. She had never forgiven herself for such a disgusting display, knowing the girl had not meant it the way she took it and having hurt someone who meant her no physical harm. She actually considered if domestic violence-even though the girl had not been her girlfriend or even living with her. And she had always feared that it might happen again.

Soon, her mind was superimposing Nicole for the girl and she could see herself punching Nicole. The vision made her feel sick to her stomach, causing her to dry-heave, but that did not stop her brain from showing her the illusion again. Her entire body shook and the front wheel wobbled thanks to the disturbing images assaulting her mind. Because of the momentary loss of control, she nearly slammed into a thick tree. Catching herself just in time, she dodged the tree and paused for a second to try to gather herself.

Breathing hard, she righted herself on the bike and peddled off. Well, the near collision at least got the haunting image of hitting Nicole out of her head. Instead, her thoughts wandered to her family. Seeing them lately reminded her that they were actually a good family unit to each other. It was just her they could not stand.

Her father provided for all of his children-the ones that he acknowledged. He even spoiled Rachel, who was Daddy's little girl if memory served her correctly. In contrast, he treated Dane worse than one would treat an unwanted animal. He made it no secret that he disliked her and sometimes Danny knew it was not even about the color of her skin. No, it was that she was different, which was shown first in the color of her skin. But, it grew as she grew. Whatever it was, it made him hate her. Seriously hate her from the moment that she was born.

"Is there something so wrong with me?" Danny asked herself, but of course she did not have the answer. At that point, she had no doubt that there was something wrong with her, but she doubted that there was something wrong with her when she was born. Of course, she had no way of knowing since there were no baby pictures of her.

She was not surprised that Rachel adopted Russell's attitude toward her. Russell was Rachel's daddy. Michael was also no surprise since he admired Russell. So, Dane dealt with abuse from them. She used to wonder why they did not like her, but now she kind of understood. Of course, she did not excuse it, but she could understand. When she was a child, it made no sense to her.

Often as a child, she would try to get Rachel or Michael to notice her and to spend time with her. And as she told Nicole, that desperation had led Danny to actually drink bleach on a dare. It had led to other stupid decisions, but nothing more severe than when she ingested bleach. Everything was such a blur after that and she did not even remember who cared enough to take her to the hospital. She did remember Michael laughing, up until the point that she swallowed. It seemed he realized that his "little" prank had gone too far then.

Rachel had never gone close to that extreme, but she was cruel in her own way. Often, she hit her little sister for no reason. Maybe she was angry or bored or had just seen their father do it. Whatever the reason, she had bruised Dane and blackened her eyes a few times too. Danny used to wonder why, but now did not think about the reasons.

"A whipping girl. That's all I was. I was the little chick with the black spot. The baby bird touched by a human," Dane muttered. These were creatures abandoned by their families, just like she was. "And I let that bullshit ruin what I had with Nicole because I let it seep into me like the fucking poison I know it is."

That was what was wrong with her, Dane figured. She let the poison corrupt her and let it make her who she was, not just as a child, but as an adolescent, as a teen, and even now as an adult. It affected her relationships or lack there of with people through out her life. It was why she could not get close to people before Nicole and now it was why Nicole would never want her again, she thought.

"I've taken the worst parts of everything they taught me and kept them close to me like a good poker hand," Dane snarled. She held onto all of the wrong things, she realized.

She held onto the anger and fury that her father, Michael, and Rachel had instilled in her. She brandished those as her weapons, but worse than that was what she clutched to her body as a shield. She had taken her mother's indifference and Adam's disinterest with her and used that to stay away from people. It led her to think the worst in people, that no one cared about her or what she did, and for her to not care about them in the slightest. It led her to use people and to let them use her. It made her discard people like objects and made them invisible to her, made their emotions invisible to her. It made her view all people-including herself-as mere things.

"I let them turn me in this monster, into this thing and I walked around so proud of it for so long. Too stupid to realize they won," Dane growled, furious with herself for being such an ignorant asshole for so long. She had never felt more disgusted and outraged with herself.

The urge to vomit rose hot and heavy in her throat as the thoughts rolled around her mind over and over again. She was just some monster that Russell and Christine managed to create and her siblings helped cultivate the evil inside of her. She was such a filthy creature that she managed to hurt and harm the one person that cared about her. She had let her family win, let them turn her into what they thought, and then she merrily went along to ruin her own life. She felt so unworthy of being on the planet for agonizing her angel, the kindest person that she had ever met.

"I should just-" Dane's disgusted words were cut off as she rode off a curb. A horn blared. Tires screeched. The sound of metal impacting and twisting around other metal echoed through the air. Dane remembered the sound of glass breaking and feeling a searing pain before everything went black.

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Next time: find out if Dane just died.