New Cuts, Old Wounds by Shea K.

13: Crash

Ow. There was an intense ache throbbing through her body and that was Dane's first conscious thought. Everything hurt, including her eyelashes. She was sure that even her hair was in agony. She wondered what happened to cause her such extreme and unending ache, but thinking proved painful.

"What happened?" a voice Dane barely recognized as her own asked. She sounded so low and dazed. Her throat was dry, making her voice sound much more coarse than she thought possible. She was certain that she had split her lip just from talking, but since she did not taste blood, she supposed it was not so bad.

"Oh, thank god you're awake! I'm so sorry I hit you! I didn't see you until too late! You just came out of nowhere!" a female voice reported in a panic.

The voice did not sound familiar and it definitely was not Nicole, the musician noted. She was not sure what the voice was talking about either. Really, she did not care. All she could think about was the torment coursing through her body.

"Shhh..." Dane begged, feeling each tiny sound smash against her brain like a flung brick to her forehead. "Headache..." she explained weakly. Her head was killing her, along with every other nerve-ending in her body.

"Oh, sorry. That's my fault too," the voice explained, speaking much lower this time.

Grey eyes fluttered open, making her head pound more so than before. Her eyesight was blurred, so she could not tell where she was. But, she could feel the light and it was like a thousand needles in her eyes, making her head pound more so than before. Underneath the headache, she was able to smell the area just a bit and she could tell what that antiseptic scent was. All hospitals held that odor. Just what I need, another hospital bill.

She took a moment to try to remember what happened that would land her in the hospital. Nothing was coming to mind. All she could recall was blackness engulfing her and searing pain. She figured that she might need to get herself together before she could tax her brain, especially since it was still throbbing in her skull.

"Water?" Dane requested, voice cracking as she asked. She tried to turn her head, hoping to locate the water on her own, but she could not even manage that small movement. She hoped that the water provided just a little relief to her dry mouth.

"Oh, yes, of course!" the female voice squeaked.

Vision still blurred, Dane could barely make out the person standing over her, but she could feel the straw at her lip. Once she captured it, she took a seemingly endless gulp from the cup. She did not pull away from the straw until there was no liquid flowing into her mouth. As soon as she pulled away, the cup was put back down.

"Why am I in the hospital?" Dane asked weakly. Her throat felt better now that she had some water, but her voice still sounded foreign to her own ears. She hoped it was not something permanent. Her final connection to music was the fact that she could still sing rather well.

"Um...like I said...that was my fault. I hit you with my car. You just came out of nowhere on that bike! I'm sorry! I tried to stop, I really did, but you were just too close and I couldn't stop in time," the woman explained, sounding much more calm than before, but there was still a bit of nervousness underneath her tone. She also made sure to keep her voice low.

Dane groaned. "Damn."

"How are you feeling?" she asked shyly.

"Pretty much like I just got hit with a car," the musician answered bluntly.

There was a yelp. "Stupid question, I guess. I'm sorry."

"Got that the first time, but it's not your fault," Dane informed the mystery woman. Bits and pieces of what happened slowly came back to her. She could not remember the accident, but a little of what she was doing before the accident filtered into her head. She knew that she had been riding her bike with her brain in the clouds. She recalled almost crashing into a tree; she guessed that happened before she stepped up her game and crashed into a car.

"Of course it's my fault. I hit you."

"I wasn't paying attention. Lot on my mind," Dane replied with a groan. She certainly had made a mess of things, she thought.

"Okay, how about we just agree that it's both our faults and move on?" the woman proposed, sounding a little happy with that arrangement.

Dane forced out a laugh, making her whole head throb. "Sounds like a good idea."

"I called the ambulance for you and followed you here after I spoke with the police. I wanted to make sure you were all right. The doctors said I broke your leg when I hit you."

Danny was silent for a moment, chuckling on the inside. Her poor legs, she thought. One day, she would wake up to find that the limbs had left in rebellion to the harsh treatment they were receiving in such a short lifetime.

"Why does my shoulder hurt then?" Dane wondered aloud. "And my side..." Really, everything hurt, but those things hurt much more than everything else.

"You landed on the wind shield. Busted it up pretty good," the woman let out a dry, emotionless laugh. "Bruised yourself up pretty good. You dislocated your shoulder and cracked two ribs."

"They sure are disclosing a lot of my medical problems to you."

There was a nervous laugh. "I told them I knew you, so they wouldn't throw me out and you'd have someone with you when you woke up. No one knew who to call for you because your wallet only had a driver's license and a picture of two kids in it. The address on the license was contacted, but whoever answered hung up."

Dane snorted. The Wolfe family address was on her license. "My family. They don't care. Had you told them I was dead they might've stayed on the line a little longer." Her voice was groggy and weak, sounding like she was taxing herself by talking so much.

"Is there anyone I should call? The father of those two boys maybe?" The hazy figure sounded concerned and eager to help.

"Nah, those aren't my kids. My nephews. Cute little buggers, huh?" Dane inquired, smiling proudly, wanting to stall for time. Who was there to call? She was cut off from everybody. Her family did not care and she recollected quite vividly how she manhandled her lover. She considered that she could just have her benefactor call Crow for her. Crow would come and get her.

"They are cute," the woman agreed. "Um...so...who should I call? The doctors are going to want a lot of information on you I don't know and your wallet certain isn't offering."

Yeah, like money, Dane thought. She guessed that she had no choice, she was going to have to get in touch with Nicole. She hoped that Nicole ignored her. It would serve her right and she would be left to fix her own mess. Not that she knew how she would get out of this mess without Nicole.

"So, who should I call?" the woman pressed.

Dane sighed. "Nicole Cardell." She ran off the number for the woman and tried not to think the different ways that call could go.

"All right. I'll be right back."

The tall woman sighed and decided to dwell on the agony tearing through her body to keep her from thinking about Nicole. Briefly, she wondered if her bike made it. She doubted it since it felt like she had been run over by a truck. Well, the bike had led a full life, she thought with an amused smile. Better to have died then get pawned as she knew she would have eventually had to do considering the mounting debt that she was in. I might have to fake my own death to get out of this. Although with my luck, I'd end up dead trying to fake it. But, then again, I don't have life insurance anyway.

For the moment, she decided to just be happy that she was alive...not that being alive was much of an accomplishment, she thought. She had made a beautiful mess of her life, after all. Shaking those thoughts off, she tried to not go down that path, vaguely recollecting that she had been meandering down that road when she shot out into the street and threw herself in front of a car apparently.

"I made the call," the now familiar voice reported as the woman approached Dane.

Danny was now able to get a good look at the woman that mowed her over and then called an ambulance. She was a tall woman with blond hair that was cut very short and stylish brushed to the side; Dane suspected that they had almost the same hair length. The woman was thick, but looked powerful. She was wearing a plain black tee-shirt and well-worn jeans. Kind and concerned sky-blue eyes stared down on her, making Dane feel almost guilty for getting hit.

"I wish you would've said she was your girlfriend. I would've tried to phrase things more gently. Not that I'm too good with that," the woman admitted with a sheepish expression. Her bright blue eyes showed her embarrassment more so than any of her other features.

"I didn't know if she still was my girlfriend," Dane replied, sounding subdued and a little bewildered, even though she felt clearer now than when she first woke up.

"And it would've helped to know she calls you Danny," the blond continued, still looking quite sheepish. It was obvious that she had a tough time with the phone call, but Dane appreciated it.

"And it would've helped if I was watching where I was going," Dane chimed in with an amused smile; she had to force the expression out and it hurt to do. "But, I think you can gather I'm not the best at managing things correctly."

The woman chuckled, at ease since Dane seemed to have a sense of humor about everything that happened. "I'm Terri, by the way."

"Danny. I'd shake your hand, but moving right now doesn't seem like the best idea and I'd like to think I've wasted all my bonehead moves for today," the musician quipped.

Terri smiled. "Do you mind if I stay and wait until Nicole shows up? I don't want to leave you alone. Between you and me, I don't trust hospitals too much," she confessed, whispering that last bit.

Dane nodded just a little. "Appreciate it. I know how you feel. In one of my many hospital stays, an overeager doctor tried taking out my tonsils when I was just there for a tetanus shot."

Terri snorted. "Damn hacks."

"Yeah. So, how did Nicole sound? Really mad?" Dane inquired curiously. She hoped that Nicole did not sound too fed up with her.

Terri shook her head. "No, she sounded really concerned. I hope she doesn't get into an accident rushing over here. I had to assure her that you're not dead and that you're up and talking. Still, she promised that she'll be up here as quick as she can. I'm sure she'll be happy to know I didn't knock your sense of humor loose and your face should heal okay," she teased a bit.

"Oh, yeah, because she's definitely with me for my good looks," the injured woman remarked sarcastically. She doubted that Nicole was even still with her.

"She has to be since your biking skills suck."

Dane laughed at that one and Terri smiled again. Terri was pretty helpful, Dane noted. She was great, especially considering she was talking to a person that she had just hit with a car. Hell, Dane was pretty sure it was her fault and from the way Terri sounded when she first woke up, she thought that she might have traumatized the blond. So, Terri was beyond great helping her out and trying to comfort her.

They started a conversation, surprised to find how easily they got along. Apparently, they had similar senses of humor, making fun of each other and themselves for their current predicament. It helped take the edge off for Dane, forgetting about the pain that she was in and the fact that Nicole would be there any minute and she would have to own up to the fact that she had hurt Nicole. It was nice to laugh before she had to go through that.

The time came to be face to face with Nicole sooner than Dane thought. She and Terri were sharing a laugh when the blond woman suddenly looked up. Dane turned her head to see what had Terri's attention and she noticed it was Nicole, standing right on the opposite end of her bed.

"That's your girlfriend?" Terri asked in a whisper. Danny could only nod and the blond smiled. "You lucky devil."

Nicole stood still for a moment, taking in the sight of her lover laid up in a bed in the emergency room. She knew that Danny would be moved soon to a proper room in the hospital. She wanted to burst into tears of joy to see that Danny was alive and apparently well enough to laugh with some strange woman. Nicole felt odd, like a tremble went through her chest and stomach thanks to the sight.

"Danny, baby," Nicole said, walking over to the bed. Tears gathered in her eyes as they scanned her sweetheart's prostrate form.

"I'm okay," Dane said to ease whatever discomfort Nicole might be feeling. She knew that she did not accomplish her goal because how weak her voice was and the distress was almost tangible in those glistening green eyes.

"I've seen you okay. This isn't okay," the redhead argued, voice edging on quiet panic. "What happened?" she begged, struggling to keep the tears at bay. Crying isn't going to do either of us any good.

"I hit her car with my bike," Dane said, pointing to Terri as best she could. "Damn cocky bike thought it could take on the car. Man, did that car show it," she remarked, trying her best to sound normal and amused. The jokes did not seem to be working on the lawyer, if her face meant anything, though.

Nicole blinked in confusion before turning her attention to the blond. "You hit her?" She could not help wondering why the person that hit Danny was now standing at her bed and sharing laughs with the guitarist.

"Yeah, she and my car had a disagreement," Terri answered, an embarrassed and ashamed blush colored her creamy cheeks. She rubbed the back of her neck. "She came out of nowhere and I didn't have time to stop. I broke her up pretty good and I think I knocked her brain out of her skull," she teased her new friend, even though her voice showed her anxiety over the accident. A sigh escaped her throat as soon as she stopped speaking while she glanced away for a second.

Dane scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Stop acting like you almost killed me. It was my fault. And I'll have you know my brain's been knocked around a lot harder than that and hasn't oozed out of my ear yet," she boasted, trying her best to sound all right. The last thing she wanted to do was worry Nicole and she did not think that Terri should be bothered when her carelessness had been the cause of the accident. The humor worked on Terri since the blond did not know her, but Nicole was not buying it.

The redhead blinked hard again, utterly perplexed by the camaraderie between victim and perpetrator. She knew that she had to tread carefully, not wanting to offend Danny's new friend, but she was understandably enraged that someone had hit her girlfriend with a car. She was relived that Danny was all right enough to joke around and smile, but still, she was lying in a hospital bed with several broken bones. Little did Nicole know, Danny was doing the smiling and joking for her and Terri's benefit because it was causing her a lot of pain to try to reassure them.

"So, Nick, are you springing me from this joint?" Dane asked with a hopeful smile.

"Sorry, baby. You're going to be moved to a room and you're here for a few days," Nicole reported, reaching out to brush Danny's hair out of her face to help offer her some comfort.

"Damn," Dane pouted and then turned, giving Terri a mock-glare. "This is all your fault."

"Weren't you just swearing up and down this wasn't my fault?" the blond inquired, somewhat serious and somewhat joking.

"That was before I found out I was trapped here for a few days. Now, it's all your fault," the guitarist declared, forcing out a smile because she could tell that Terri was a bit put off by the idea that Danny blamed her.

"Turncoat," Terri playfully huffed, turning her nose up at the bedridden woman. Internally, she let loose a sigh of relief, so happy that she had not killed this young woman. Silently, she decided that she was going to keep up with Danny and make sure that she did not do any long-lasting damage, just in case. Besides, Danny seemed like a fun person to know; unless, of course, that was the painkillers joking around with her.

Nicole swallowed, pushing down a burning sensation in her chest. To keep herself from dwelling on the strange friendship, she sprang into action to make sure that Danny got the best treatment possible. By the time Danny was moved to room, Terri had to leave, but was comfortable enough with Danny to say that she would be back tomorrow. Danny had not been awake when the statement was made and Nicole did not feel right telling the woman no. After all, she seemed to be a friend of Danny's and Nicole did not think that she had a right to keep Danny from having friends.

The redhead pulled up a chair to Danny's bed, which was by the window in the room. A curtain split the room in half and the other bed was by the door. Nicole took Danny's hand and squeezed. The action earned a smile from the musician, who Nicole actually believed to be asleep.

"Baby, I am so sorry for everything," Nicole said, leaning down to kiss caramel knuckles.

"You don't need to apologize," the younger woman said in a low tone. She had been sleeping thanks to some powerful painkillers that she had been given before being moved to the room. "I blew a fuse and totally lost it. I don't remember everything that happened, but I know I hurt you. I didn't..." Dane took a deep, nervous swallow. Her voice quivered as she continued. "I didn't hit you, did I?" she inquired.

"NO!" Nicole quickly and vehemently replied. "Why would you even think that?" she demanded, eyes shocked and heated. She clutched Dane's hand a little tighter, as if that would help convey the truth.

"I remember grabbing you or something, but my mind is kinda jumbled. It's making me think that I hit you, but I don't really remember. Are you sure I didn't hit you?" she begged to know. Opening her eyes as best she could, which was half-mast, she focused on Nicole, needing to see her to know what really happened.

"Baby, I promise you that you didn't hit me. You screamed a lot. Yes, you were angry with me and you grabbed me by the chin, but you didn't hurt me. I know you would never do anything like that," the redhead insisted, reaching across Dane with her free hand and lightly stroking the young woman's abdomen.

Dane's brow furrowed and she swallowed hard, trying to gather her thoughts and make sense out of what was going on in her mind. "Why does it seem like I hit you then? I remember feeling like I was going to throw up and there was such pain in my heart..." she groaned a little, head lulling to the side.

"You just suffered a traumatic event, Danny. You have various injuries, which includes a concussion. So, excuse your memory for a moment, okay?" The lawyer patted Dane's hand, which got the dazed musician to turn back to her.

Dane nodded. "Okay, I didn't hit you. I screamed at you, though. Sorry about that."

Nicole shook her head. "No need to be sorry. You needed to scream at me and I needed to be screamed at. I haven't been being fair to you at all these past few weeks. I just wanted so badly for your family to see you and accept you and for you to have that sort of family bond that I have," she explained.

"I know you were trying to do what you thought was best for me."

"Not anymore, though. I'm not going to push this family issue anymore, especially not after what you told me. I see how this all gets on your nerves and I don't want to go through that ever again. I don't want to lose you over something like this either," the redhead stated, holding her lover's hand a little tighter.

"You weren't going to lose me over this. Hell, I thought you were going to leave me because I hurt you."

"I told you, you didn't hurt me, sweetheart. You got my attention, which you needed to do. I'm not going to hold that against you."

"Good..." Dane let out a long sigh.

"Still sleepy?" Nicole asked with a small smile on her face. She caressed Dane's knuckles again, bringing some comfort to her girlfriend.

"Yeah. Did the doctors say anything while I was out? How long I'd be here and crap like that?" Dane asked.

"At least three days. You're really banged up. Oh, and they wanted to talk to you about your leg."

Dane nodded, figuring that the doctors would tell her that she would never be able to use the right leg again, which she was not prepared for. She could not believe that she had broken her right leg for the second time in two years.

"Do you know why?" Danny asked curiously.

"Something to do with the way your leg healed the first time around," Nicole answered.

Dane nodded again. She drifted back off to sleep while Nicole settled back into her seat without releasing the musician's hand. When she was certain that Danny was out for the night, she went and took care of a few things, which included going home to get Danny some clothes, eating something, and taking a shower. She then returned to the hospital, not wanting to leave her lover alone for too long in case she did wake up. She did not want Danny to think that she abandoned her in her time of need.

Her sleep was difficult, but she expected that from sleeping in a chair. When she woke up, she yawned and stretched. Suddenly, she took in a familiar face in the doorway. Christine was standing at the threshold, looking as if she did not know if she should come in or not.

"Good morning, Christine," Nicole said cordially. The sound of her voice seemed to snap Christine out of her conflicted reverie.

"Oh, good morning, Nicole," Christine replied, eyes focusing on the redhead.

"Are you here to see Danny?" Nicole asked and then she realized that in all of her worry, she had not called anyone last night to tell them that Danny was in the hospital. She also had not made a call that she would not be in to work that day. She made a mental note to start those things as soon as possible.

"I am," the older woman confirmed. It surprised Nicole how easily that was admitted and, despite the fact that she knew how to hide her emotions in certain situations, the shock was written all over her face now. Christine chuckled as she took in the expression. "I know you must think I am the worst mother on Earth as far as Dane's upbringing went and you're probably right," she said.

Nicole then realized that she was showing exactly what she thought, so she schooled her features into a more neutral expression. "My opinion on the matter doesn't matter one way or the other," she replied diplomatically. Inwardly, she smiled, finding it easy to take her first step away from Danny and the Wolfe family.

"Hmm..." Christine nodded before glancing over at the unconscious Dane. "Would you believe me if I said I've always been at her bedside when she was in the hospital?"

"Doesn't matter what I believe either. How did you know about this, though? It didn't even occur to me to call anybody last night," Nicole stated.

"One of the doctors here recognized her and let me know she was here again. She's graced the halls of these hospitals a few times," Christine explained.

"How many of those times were caused by your husband beating the shit out of her?" the lawyer growled.

Christine turned away, shame slicing into her gaze. "More times than I care to admit." Her eyes then went to Dane. "How is she?"

"Broken leg, cracked ribs, bruised shoulder, but she'll live," the redhead answered.

There was a nod and a brief smile. "This child if nothing else, she is resilient."

There was a moment of silence before Nicole decided to speak up again. "You know, she probably won't be happy to wake up and see you here."

"No, I don't suppose she would," Christine agreed, but she did not make any moves to leave the room. "The last time she was in the hospital she wasn't too happy to see me when she regained consciousness."

"Can you blame her? You've ignored her for her entire life and you only show up when something bad happens. I doubt you ever say anything to help her get through the bad times either. Don't you think it would be a bit easier if you just apologized for being a spineless bitch and then told her that you cared?" Nicole inquired. She gathered that Christine cared a bit for Danny. Maybe it was not motherly love, but Danny's family had to get the idea from somewhere that Christine would appreciate it when family members had taken in Danny for that time that she was homeless. There had to be something there too if Christine showed up when Danny was injured.

Christine sighed. "I suppose you make a point, but things are complicated."

"How? How are they complicated?" Nicole demanded to know. "She's your daughter. All she ever wanted from you was a sign that you knew she was there," she pointed out. It took all of her self-control to not yell at the older woman.

"You wouldn't understand."

"I should hope not. I would never want to be able to comprehend how a person could ignore her own daughter just because of the way she looks. Okay, Danny's black, but then again, so are you."

"Is that what Dane thinks?" Christine let out a hollow chuckle. "I suppose once upon a time I had disliked how dark she came out. I'm sure that was initially what bothered Russell so much also."

"And things just progressed from there, huh?" Nicole snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I suppose they did. It became a habit to not see her." Her tone was oddly remorseful and something in it told Nicole that she was not telling the entire truth.

"Or maybe it was easier to pretend that you had the habit of not seeing her," Nicole figured.

Christine ducked her head. "You're perceptive, I'll give you that. Honestly, I didn't know what to do with her. I still don't know what to do with her."

"I guess loving her and helping her would've been too easy," Nicole spat venomously. Now that she could let go of her foolish wants for Danny and accept Danny's feelings, she could see how disgusting Danny's family truly was, how much they hurt her lover physically, mentally, emotionally, hell, even spiritually.

"Your opinion has certainly changed since last we saw each other," Christine noted.

"I was blinded before. I thought you and your family would finally see how wonderful Danny was and accept her and love her, but I realize no matter what, she isn't going to be embraced as one of you. Why? Why do you hate her so?" the redhead asked, sounding infuriated and perplexed.

Christine glanced at Danny and she had her own epiphany. "I can't explain what happened. I honestly don't know the reason. Maybe it's just that she's different. It started with her coloring, but it's far beyond that now. I never knew how to deal with her, how to approach her, or what to do. Acting like she wasn't there seemed like the best thing to do."

"For you. It helped save your marriage, didn't it? Russell wouldn't have liked it much if you actually cared for the girl that he's so sure isn't his daughter, despite what two paternity tests say."

"She certainly keeps you informed," Christine said bitterly, yet still bordering on enviously. "Despite the monster she would lead you to think I am, I was the one that got her all of her precious music lessons. I purchased her first guitar for her."

"And do you know why she wanted music lessons? Because she wanted to connect with you. She saw you playing the piano and she thought you played beautifully. She wanted to be like you," Nicole growled.

Again, Christine's eyes sought refugee anywhere around the room. Her eyes fell back to the resting form of Dane. She could hardly believe that, but in the back of her mind, she recalled a tiny child, sitting at a piano, smiling at her before she walked away. Her memories went far enough back to recollect the heavenly music that drew her to the piano in the first place. It was in that moment that she realized Dane was probably a musical prodigy and decided to get the girl lessons. Unfortunately, that was all she had done.

"I bet you never even went to a recital," Nicole continued. It was a bet that she would win.

"What do you want me to say? Yes, I admit that I was a horrible mother to Dane, if I can even be called that. You know, I didn't want her. The pregnancy was an accident. I thought I could easily cast her out of my heart. I spent much of my life trying and every time I thought I could succeed in that something happened that reminded me I still cared for this child. She would end up in the hospital and I would worry myself sick until she was released. When I first found out that she was on drugs and she nearly overdosed on cocaine, I cried, thinking that she was going to die. I wept when she was beaten and left for dead. When she left the house for good, I worried everyday, wondering when some police officer was going to call the house to let me know that she was dead. Yet, none of this moved me to stop what was happening to her or to try to pull her closer to me. I don't know why I didn't do this. I don't," Christine stated with frustration, letting out a long and heavy breath.

"Do you want things to always be this way? You can only be there for her when she doesn't know it? Do you enjoy that?"

"Of course I don't!" the older woman huffed, raising her voice a little. A glare from Nicole reminded her that Danny was sleeping not even five feet away from them. A contrite expression quickly coated Christine's face. "What else am I suppose to do at this point?"

Nicole sighed. "I don't have any advice for you. At this point, I doubt Danny cares much about how you feel one way or the other. Neglect isn't easily forgiven."

Christine wanted to say something biting, just something to make it seem like she was not so horrid, even though she knew that was not true. But, she was too aware that no matter how many music lessons she paid for or instruments that she bought, nothing would make up for what she did, was still doing, and would probably continue to do to her youngest child.

"Regret is tough to live with," Christine whispered. "I feel hollow knowing that nothing I do will ever make up for what I never did. But, I still must do for her when she absolutely needs it."

"What do you mean?" Nicole inquired.

"Well, the hospital stay for one. While Dane has changed much while living with you, I know she still doesn't have health coverage. I can pay for it."

"Why? So you can stick Danny with another monstrous bill that you know she'll never be able to pay back?" the lawyer sneered.

Christine stared in startling confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Danny was forced to pay back Russell the money for her last hospital stay as well as the cost of housing her for the first fifteen years of her life," Nicole replied in disgust.

"He...made her pay him back...?" Christine inquired, completely baffled. Her voice almost sounded as if she did not comprehend the language that she was speaking.

"Yeah."

"Oh, god. That will never do. Listen, Russell has no say over that money as it is my own. I will give Danny back every cent."

Nicole wanted to argue and tell her to stuff the money up her ass, but manners prevented that. Also, it would be nice to have that money back and she could tell that Christine was sincere. Spending time with Christine made her feel sorry for her. Not because she had squandered a chance to get to know her daughter, but because she was foolish enough to continue to do so. It was so pathetic.

"I don't have to tell you that Danny probably isn't going to want the money since I'm sure you know that. I can tell you that you don't have to worry about medical costs this time around. Danny is covered," Nicole informed the older woman.

"Oh," Christine yelped, gathering what the redhead was telling her. She was not sure what to say after that. Suddenly, she felt unnecessary and entirely superfluous to her youngest child. It was feeling that she did not enjoy, especially since she knew why it was. Nicole could now take care of the things that she once handled. Now, any and all excuses she had to be close to Dane dried up in an instant.

Silence reigned over the room after that. They both turned their attention to Dane. As soon as it seemed like she was waking up, Christine made an excuse to leave. Danny was not even aware that her mother was there and for the time being Nicole saw no reason to upset her with the news.

"Morning..." Dane greeted her with a small smile.

"Afternoon, actually," Nicole corrected her with a smile of her own.

"Either way, it's nice. For a moment there yesterday, I thought I screwed everything up."

"It wasn't your fault, Danny. It was mine. I was the one pushing, but can we not dwell on that for now? Let's focus on getting you out of here and then getting you healthy," Nicole said.

Dane smiled and nodded. Nicole went to get a nurse, wanting to get Danny some breakfast. After she ate, her doctor showed up, wanting to ask her a few questions.

"Good afternoon, Danny," the doctor said, showing that he had spoken with Nicole before by using Nicole's name for her.

"Good afternoon. So, come to tell me I can leave as long as I take care of myself and blah, blah, blah?" the musician inquired.

"Actually, I have some questions for you that Nicole was unable to answer," he informed her, motioning to the redhead.

"Oh," Dane pouted. "What would you like to know?"

"Your leg. Going through your medical records, I know you've broken it before. I also know your knee was injured at the time and had surgery. You should have recovered. Nicole tells me you walk with a limp, even though it should have healed well. She also tells me that the leg and the knee are very weak, even after months of physical therapy."

"Yeah..." Dane answered, glancing over at Nicole, wondering where he was going with that list.

"I wanted to know if you might have started walking on it before you should have and didn't let it heal properly."

"Uh..." Dane looked down. "I might have done that, yeah."

"I thought as much. You have nerve damage in your leg and in your knee. Surgery would be able to correct some of it. I'm afraid you might always have the limp now, but it would strengthen your leg."

"Surgery?" she echoed. "Sorry, can't afford it right now," she admitted. She could not afford much right now.

"Baby, you're covered, so you wouldn't have to pay for all of it," Nicole chimed in.

"Covered? Since when am I covered?" the younger woman asked curiously. She knew she was not covered through her job since she was self-employed and she had never filled out any paperwork to be insured through anything else.

"Ever since you showed up lying on my front lawn looking half dead. You wouldn't let me take you to the hospital because you weren't covered and that worried me. As soon as I went to work, I put in paperwork to include you in my plan," Nicole explained.

"You could do that?"

"My firm covers domestic partners. All we had to do was live together for six months and I could include you. So, you're covered."

Dane smiled and turned her attention back to the doctor. "She takes such good care of me, except when I wander out of her sight," she remarked.

"I'm guessing this is one of those times you wandered out of her sight. You don't have to have the surgery today. It's just something to think about. I also wanted to make sure that with this broken leg, you take it seriously and let it heal properly," the doctor stated.

"I'll be seeing to that this time," Nicole informed them both.

Dane chuckled. "Guess I'll be letting it heal properly this time."

"All right. You're going to be here for at least a couple of days for observation. We would like to make sure the healing process begins correctly. Make sure you don't do anything to make matters worse, even though I am sure those busted ribs will trouble you enough to stay in bed," the doctor commented.

Dane only nodded to that one. Every inhale and exhale reminded her of how she almost killed herself by not paying attention. Each inhale and exhale also reminded her of how she screamed at Nicole and treated her rather poorly. Sad grey eyes turned to Nicole, begging to talk once they were alone. Nicole noticed and nodded.

"I'll be back to check on you as soon as I can," the doctor informed the patient and he left the room. Nicole and Danny turned their attention to each other.

"Thanks for all of this, Chem," Danny said.

"No need to thank me, baby. We are partners. We take care of each other," Nicole replied with a smile, moving to take Danny's hand in hers.

"I haven't been doing a very good job of that."

"Honey, it wasn't your fault. I was the one pushing you to be around your family. I know you didn't want to, but I acted like I knew better than you, so it was my fault," Nicole argued.

"No, I should have told you. I just kept taking what you were giving, even though I didn't want it. I should've spoken to you about it. I'm learning about being in a relationship as we go, so I'm going to make a few mistakes. Do you think you can bear with me while I make 'em or am I asking too much?"

"I know you're going to make mistakes, sweetheart. It happens. We're humans. I made mistakes too. I'm new to this too. You have to remember, before you, all my relationships were with people who didn't respect me or didn't even care about me. People I eventually stopped caring for. You're not like that. For a while, I thought subconsciously I ruined us on purpose. I was scared because I am just so in love with you, Danny." She kissed Dane's hand to drive home her point.

The musician smiled a little. "That's why I let you pull me through all that with my family. I love you and I was scared to lose you by saying anything about it."

"Danny, relationships are about compromise and communication. If we want to stay together, we have to talk. You can't just follow me because you think saying something will cause a problem. Not saying something causes a problem too because you're silently suffering. You could end up resenting me too, which I really don't want. So, please, tell me if I ever get like this again."

Dane nodded. "Understood. I will do my best."

"And I will do mine. I want us to make it, Danny. I want us to look back on this ten, twenty, thirty, hell, fifty years from now," Nicole declared.

"I would love that too," Dane concurred with a grin. "I would very much love that."

"Then we have to be willing to work at it. Okay?"

"Okay."

Dane smiled and that got a smile out of Nicole. The air seemed to clear and the sun that shone through the window seemed a little be brighter. Nicole kissed Dane's knuckles again, feeling like the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. Dane settled into her bed, even though she was stuck in the hospital, she felt at peace for the first time in a long time.

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

14: Reset

Dane was resting in her hospital bed with her eyes closed. She could feel someone watching her. She would have assumed it was Nicole, but her lover had just left, running home with the desire to take a shower and promising to bring back some goodies for both of them. As she felt the person come closer, she decided to look and see who it was. A frown cut across her face when her mother sat down at her bed side.

Grey eyes focused on the ceiling. She was a little surprised to see her mother there. Not because her mother never came when she was hospitalized, but because her mother had not come to see her this time around-as far as she knew anyway. Nicole had not told her about Christine's visit when she was first placed in the room.

For some reason that Dane could never figure out, Christine always came to see her when she ended up in the hospital. She did not know why and did not care why. She wished the woman never did it, though. Her presence always felt like salt on Dane's wounds. Sometimes, she wondered if Christine was coming to check and see if she had died. I won't being giving her the satisfaction any time soon.

Christine licked her lips and opened her mouth, but she quickly shut it. She was not sure how to start a conversation with Dane and she knew that if she messed it up, it would only make things harder for her.

"I'm glad to see that you're awake," Christine commented, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat to make sure that the next thing that she said did not sound like it was being said by a boy going through puberty.

Dane blinked and turned, stunned that her mother spoke. She looked around the room, thinking that they probably were not alone. There was no one there. She then considered her mother just might be talking aloud to no one in particular.

"Are you all right? You look confused," Christine said, even though she knew why that was. Dane had no clue that Christine was talking to her. "Dane, just to be clear, I am speaking to you."

Dane snorted. "Since when and so what?" Grey eyes rolled.

The blond took a deep breath. "I want to try..." she started, but trailed off because she was not sure what she wanted to try and she was not sure how to put anything that she was feeling into words. "I just want to try," she sighed, running her hand through her hair.

"In all honesty, I don't," Dane stated bluntly. She was sick and tired of everyone with the last name Wolfe, unless they were under the age of ten.

"Please, just hear me out," Christine begged, going so far as to pressing her hands together. Her plea did not move the bed-ridden musician.

"No."

"Dane, please," the older woman implored her. "I'm begging you here. Begging you to hear me out."

"No, I won't hear you out. I don't want to hear a damn thing and I don't care what you have to say. I think it's cowardly of you to come here, knowing I can't leave and try to talk to me. I don't care what you have to say. Everything is not going to be done on your terms or when you want to do it," Dane stated. As much as she always longed for her mother to at least acknowledge that she existed, a large part of her resented that her mother would come to her now, would dare speak to her now. She suspected that part would always exist and even if her mother wanted to try, she would never want to. It was a bit depressing, she thought, because she would never connect to her mother if that was case, no matter how much Christine might want to.

Christine sat quietly, eyes focused on the floor. She knew that she should have expected that reaction. Twenty-five years of neglect was not going to go away with one conversation. Now, she had to decide if Dane was worth the trouble that she was going to have to go through if she did want to make up a little for what she had done. In the past, that decision had always been easy to make; Dane was never worth the trouble. It was always easier to ignore her and turn a blind eye to whatever evils were being cast upon her. Most of the time, she considered herself wonderful for just making sure Dane did not die, but that was all a delusion. A horrible, horrible delusion and speaking with Nicole the other day helped her realize that.

She had done absolutely nothing for Dane, except condemn both of them. She had never considered herself a saint, but only when she stopped and thought about how she had treated her own daughter did she start to consider just how low she had fallen. Yes, she had started it because she had worried about her marriage. Despite everything, she loved Russell and never wanted to lose him. Since he had a problem with Dane, she had a problem with Dane, but that did not last.

While she doubted that she felt a motherly love toward Dane like she did with her other children, there was still some connection there. Unfortunately, she had never pursued that connection beyond a very few minor things. Even when Dane was baby and she spent time with the child, she did her best to keep her distance, but that connection somehow remained. Now, years later, the connection was still there and chained her down with regret and grief.

She could only wonder if Dane felt the connection anymore. Maybe there was no reason to try because Dane had severed whatever she might have felt, Christine considered. Even if Dane had not severed it, the connection could have just withered away on her end. It was not like Dane had any reason to try to keep the connection alive.

Sighing, Christine finally spoke, opening with the only thing she could think of that did not sound extra pathetic. "I understand that your father took a large sum of money from you that he had no business taking. The money is in a bank account under your name. I will give you the numbers and you can decide what to do with it," she stated. She figured the only way for Dane to get that money back would be to force it on her by putting in the bank for her already.

Dane growled and the words "shove it up your ass" were on the tip of her tongue, but those were words for her father. "Keep your money. I don't want it," she replied. She was done with her parents and would never be in debt to them ever again.

Christine kept her composure, even though she was a bit annoyed that Dane was ready to shove away so much money. It was amazing that Dane resented her so much to turn away so much money. "Then give it away. I will not take it back because it's not mine. It's not your fathers either. It certainly was not his to demand from you," she pointed out.

"Oh, so now all of sudden you give a shit about what that bastard does to me?" Dane let loose a mocking laugh. "What a fucking joke. Really, Christine, what the fuck do you care about me? I'm supposed to be grateful now? Do you know what I would be grateful for? You getting the hell out," she stated, nodding toward the door.

Christine opened her mouth, ready to argue, but she decided against it. She had laid the groundwork...kind of. She did not want to really grate on Dane's nerves. Especially if she was not sure if she wanted to go through the trouble of trying to fix a connection that might not even be there anymore.

So, the blond rose elegantly to her feet and bid the injured woman farewell. Dane did not say anything. She sucked her teeth when she was sure that she was alone.

"Fuck her," Dane proclaimed, even though a part of her dared to ache that her mother had left her yet again. The confusion that ate at her just pissed her off more because she suspected things were always going to be like that if her mother reached out to her again.

Deciding to just let it all go, she waited for Nicole and news for when she could leave. She hoped this was her last day in the hospital. At least at home, she knew that she would not be getting any surprise visits from her mother and even if she did, she would not have to let her mother in.

"I just want to go home," she groaned.

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

Nicole set the living room up as Danny's temporary space since she had a cast on her leg. The redhead figured it would be best if Danny had to do as little as possible, including climb the stairs. It was a lot of work since she had to move the coffee table, which was fairly heavy, and find new places for her plants to get them out of Danny's way. She went so far as to put a cooler there for Danny to have snacks close by for when she was at work. With that out of the way, she trotted back to the car and back to the hospital to pick up her lover.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Nicole asked as she entered Dane's room. The musician's face lit up when her lover came in.

"Fine and very ready to go home," Dane answered with a grin. She weighed her options on telling Nicole about Christine's visit and figured it would be best to talk about that on the way home. That way, her day would not really be brought down because she would be happy as soon as they got home.

"Then I shall take you home," Nicole replied with a small smile. She already had everything that she needed to know in caring for Danny, so she just needed to get the younger woman down to her car.

Dane grinned quite merrily, going so far as to thrust her fist in the air. Nicole giggled a bit at the celebration. A nurse helped out with moving Dane. She assisted in getting Danny in a wheelchair while Nicole took charge of the crutches that Danny would need for almost two months. Nicole had to wheel her car around. Danny was cautiously placed in the backseat, making her to put her leg up.

"I'm going to drive slow, so you don't have to worry about your arm or your ribs too, okay?" the redhead said, turning to look at her lover.

"I don't care, Nick. I'm just so happy to be out of that place! I am never going to get hit by a car again," Danny declared.

"I certainly hope so. I don't think I could take getting another phone call like that."

"Sorry. Terri said she's not good with that sort of thing and wasn't entirely sure how to put it. She thought it was just enough for you to know I was alive."

"That was enough," Nicole assured her. She could not blame Terri; she knew there was no positive way to deliver such news. It was better than getting a phone call from a police officer, she supposed.

"Well, make sure you tell her. That's all she does is apologize. It's kinda annoying for her to come up everyday just to apologize over and over again. I finally got her to stop saying sorry she hit me. We already agreed it wasn't her fault, but she kept going and going," Dane complained. Terri had come to visit her every day while she was in the hospital. Yesterday was her last visit since she had work today, but they had exchanged phone numbers. She suspected that Terri wanted to make sure she healed properly to keep away anymore guilt. Dane did not mind; she did not want her moment of carelessness to haunt someone who seemed to be quite cool. Unless something went wrong, she figured that she and Terri might make good friends if Terri kept in touch.

Nicole nodded. "I do hope you learned to pay attention when you ride your bike again."

Dane snorted; what bike? Terri had assured her that her bike was pretty much just a weird piece of modern art now. Danny could believe that since it was a piece of junk before it was hit by Terri's car. Of course, Terri said her car did not fair much better, but that had a lot more to do with Danny landing her "fat ass" on the windshield than anything else.

"Baby, we'll get you a new bike," Nicole added on since she could tell that was what the snort was all about.

"No need to rush. Not like I'll be going anywhere, right?" Danny pointed out, nodding toward her leg.

"Danny," the lawyer sighed.

Dane flashed her girlfriend a smile to settle her. "I'm not bitter or anything. It's a little upsetting that I have to put my life on hold for this. I mean, no lessons or anything. I was going to try to get some more shows and everything, but now I can't do that until I get this cast off."

"You can still do the lessons. You arm won't be in a sling for long, just until your shoulder is better. You can have your students come to the house," Nicole proposed.

Dane smiled a bit. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Not really. I mean, I'm always at work or class when you do lessons."

"Oh, speaking of class, I noticed you haven't been there...since you've been with me..." the musician commented, not to sure where she was going with that beyond it being an observation.

"Don't worry about it, baby. I spoke with the professor. As along as I do well on my tests, I'm fine. And if not that, he's willing to let me make up a grade if necessary. He was very nice and flexible about things when I explained the situation to him."

"That's good." Danny let a beat of silence pass before she started a new topic. "My mother came to see me this morning."

Green eyes blinked in shock. "Did she now?"

"Yeah. I'm not totally sure why she did, but she spoke to me and everything. I was kinda rude to her," Dane admitted.

"It's understandable that you would be," Nicole said. She wondered how Danny would take her new stance on the family issue.

Dane smiled a little because she had not been reprimanded for being rude. "I didn't hear her out to find out what she wanted to talk about. She did say she put the money I gave Russell into a bank account and won't take it back. Do you think I should keep it?"

"It's your money, baby."

"Technically, it's your money. Do you want it? If not, maybe I can withdraw it and then just leave it on their doorstep," the younger woman said.

Nicole laughed, even though she knew that her sweetheart was serious. "How about we leave it there for the moment? It's not going anywhere, after all. We have other things to worry about. How did having Christine speak to you feel?" she asked curiously.

"Mostly pissed. How dare this bitch talk to me now, and crap like that. But, underneath the pissed, I felt sad. Why did it take her so long? Why does she have to wait until I actually don't give a damn now? Where was she twenty years ago? Ten years ago? One year ago? Why now?" Dane answered honestly, pouting a bit as she spoke.

"I wish I knew, sweetheart. But, I don't understand her at all to answer those questions. Hell, I can't even form a theory really because your mother is just a strange sort, I realize. What do you think you're going to do?" Nicole inquired.

Dane glanced at her leg. "Nothing for right now. It might have been a fluke. If not, I'll deal with it later. I doubt it means anything anyway. I will tell you one thing that woman has taught me in life, Nick. Never get your hopes up when someone has already dropped you a bunch of times in the past."

Nicole nodded, mostly because she did not know what to say. She felt that was awful, but she knew it was not Danny's fault. Christine had neglected Danny for too long. She wondered if Danny ever would be able to accept her mother, if Christine tried anyway. Nicole now considered it was entirely possible that Christine would not try or she might just get Danny's hopes up. All she knew was that she would not get in the middle of it unless Danny asked her to.

The couple was silent for the rest of the short ride. When they got to the house, Nicole parked in the driveway and quickly moved to help Danny out of the car. She was grateful that Danny did not put up a struggle, wanting to do things herself. Nicole grabbed the crutches first and then assisted her girlfriend out of the car. They had a little trouble getting the crutches underneath Danny, but they managed without hurting the younger woman.

"I've got you, baby," Nicole assured her girlfriend, as she supported the side with Dane's injured shoulder.

"I know," Dane replied with a smile.

As they entered the house, Danny's eyes went to the stairs. She groaned, thinking that she was going to have to climb them. Nicole chuckled at the look of dismay on her love's face.

"Honey, you know I would never be so cruel as to make you climb those stairs. I've got the living room made up for you. If you don't like it there, I'll fix up the den for you," Nicole proposed.

"I'm sure the living room will be fine." Living anywhere in the house would be fine, but the first floor was preferred for the moment.

Nicole helped Danny into the living room. The taller woman was a bit shocked to see how the living room was arranged, just for her. Leaning down, she placed a quick peck to her lover's lips.

"What was that for?" Nicole asked with a small smile.

"You being so good to me," Dane answered.

The redhead smiled wider. She hoped that she could continue that. She had a lot to make up for in her opinion and she knew that even though she and Danny claimed that they were all right that could easily change. Over the past few weeks, they had fought and made up, only to fight again. She wanted things to go back to the peaceful state they were in before she started pushing Danny toward her family.

Easing down onto the sofa, Danny sighed and placed her crutches off to the side. She rolled her shoulders, wanting to work the stiffness out of her joints. The rotation hurt her injured shoulder, but that was no big deal to her. She was tempted to ask for a massage, but doubted that she would get the one that she really wanted, so she decided not to tease herself.

"Can I get you anything?" Nicole asked.

"Some water and then some company," Dane replied with a smile.

The redhead nodded, finding that to be a simple request. Fetching the water, she then curled up on Danny's left side-her uninjured side. They were quiet for a while, just reveling in the other's presence.

"You know, if I keep on like this, my whole body'll be able to tell when it's going to rain," Danny remarked in a low tone, her fingers brushing over Nicole's hips.

"I don't think that's very funny, love," Nicole replied, her own hands minding their manners. She did not want to get Danny worked up since they were not going to be doing anything.

"I want you to be comfortable, Chem. I'm no worse for wear."

"Says the woman in a cast, sling, and crutches by her side."

"All right, all right. I'll stop talking about it, okay?"

Nicole nodded. "I would appreciate that greatly."

Their time together only lasted for a few more minutes before a knock at the door caught their attention. Nicole moved to answer while Dane shifted on the couch, trying her best to see who was at the door without having to stand up. Nicole opened the door and let out a surprise gasp.

"Adam, what are you going here?" Nicole asked, even though if she was not surprised she would have figured out instantly.

"I have it on good authority that you brought Dane home today," Adam answered.

"I did, but we've only been here for like a half-hour. How did you know we'd be here by now?" Nicole inquired. It was almost creepy at how quickly he turned up.

"My mother. Her friend at the hospital called her the second you left. She passed it along, thinking her grandsons would like to see Dane," Adam explained.

"I'm sure she would be very happy to see them," Nicole stated with a smile and then she turned her attention to the two children. They were dressed almost formally, which Nicole had come to expect from them. Luke was holding a bouquet of flowers and Thomas had a white teddy bear dressed like a doctor and holding a sign that said "get well."

"Hello, Miss Nicole," the boys chorused together, sounding very much like it had been rehearsed.

"Hello, boys. Are you here to help cheer up Danny?" Nicole asked with a grin.

"We're here to see Dane," Luke answered, looking a bit perplexed.

"I'll take you to her then," Nicole replied. She hoped that this little visit meant that the boys would be coming by and spending time with their aunt. She knew that would mean the world to her lover.

The three males entered the house and Nicole shut the door behind them. She then stepped into the living room with the trio right behind her. The boys immediately noticed Dane and rushed over to her.

"Whoa!" Dane put her good hand-funny enough, her left hand-up to get the boys to stop. "I'm in no shape for you guys to cling to," she informed them.

"What happened to you?" Luke inquired as he and Thomas took in the broken form of their aunt.

"I sort of fell out of the sky onto someone's car," Dane answered, hoping that would keep them from getting hysterical. She did not want to worry the boys, especially since she was all right.

"Why'd you do that?" Thomas asked curiously. It sounded like a silly thing to do in his opinion.

"I was being silly and not looking where I was going," she informed him.

"That is silly. Daddy said you should always look where you're going," Thomas said, almost as if he was chastising her, complete with shaking his index finger at her.

Dane could not help laughing. The brothers then presented her with their gifts, which she thanked them for. They then went on to tell her how they spent their day and what they planned on doing for the summer. Adam inched in and took a seat in one of the armchairs. Nicole, ever the dutiful hostess, went to the kitchen to get some refreshments for the unexpected guests.

"You don't have to do all of this," Adam protested as Nicole brought out a tray that had cookies and nacho chips on it along with some juice boxes that she had purchased; she planned to put the juice boxes in the cooler in the living room for Danny to use when she was away. It would keep Danny from having to move around on her leg.

"I don't mind. I want them to be comfortable since they have her full attention," Nicole said. She also wanted the boys to have a good impression of the house, so that they would want to come back and visit Danny.

Danny certainly did seem to be enjoying the boys' visit. Nicole sat down after the kids noticed the treats. After a few minutes, she figured that she could give Adam a tour of the house, so that Danny did not have to feel like she was being watched by her older brother.

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?" Nicole offered.

"That would be great," Adam replied.

The tour was quiet and tense. Adam noticed and he also noticed that the tension was new. Nicole was not the same as when he first met her. By the time they got to the upstairs of the house-the second half of the tour-he decided to say something.

"You know, I'm not the dick I used to be," Adam said, randomly as far as Nicole was concerned.

"I haven't said anything," she replied, putting on her diplomatic tone.

"No, but you're not as receptive and friendly as you were before. I figure Dane finally filled you in how we used to be. Look, I'm not proud of the way I treated her, but I'm trying to mend that," he stated, pointing to himself.

Nicole sighed. "You sound very much like your mother. Two people so ashamed of themselves that they never change. Don't you think trying to mend what you did would mean letting your sons know that Danny is their aunt and not some random woman who used to sleep on your floor? Don't you think mending it would involve you standing up to your father after he kicks her out when she's the reason he's still alive? I'm not receptive and friendly toward you because we are not friends. I was never trying to be your friend. I was hoping to give you a chance to get to know your sister, but as much as you claim to want to mend how you treat her, you're not treating her much better," she calmly pointed out.

Adam nodded and ran a hand over his cropped hair. He knew that she had a point, but that did not change anything. He could only get as close to Dane as she could let him, but then again, he probably was not trying as hard as he claimed. After all, his sons did not know that Dane was even their aunt. Yeah, Nicole definitely had a very good point.

"What's so bad about her? I understand you were practically grown by the time she could do anything beyond sleep and cry, but what pushed you to the point where your sons don't even know that's your sister?" Nicole inquired. She could not fathom such a thing and she could not think of an excuse for it either.

"She's not my sister. That's the point you don't get. Up until two years ago, I didn't even know her. Admittedly, I didn't want to know her, but we're at least acquaintances now."

Nicole nodded. "That's your business," she stated. Danny's family was very strange, she thought. And it was a good thing that she was backing away from it because she did not understand it at all.

"I suppose you're right about that. I don't have anything against her, which is why I don't mind her seeing the boys. They love her. One day, I'll let them know just who she is and it'll be up to them to decide if they want to call her 'aunt,' but I know it won't change how they feel about her. They love her."

"She loves them too."

"I know. That's the other reason I don't mind her seeing them."

The pair finished off the tour; the tension did vanish after that talk, even though Nicole still did not comprehend him or his relationship with Danny. When they returned to the injured woman and two boys, they found the boys performing for Danny. Adam and Nicole watched, but could not figure out what the boys were doing. Dane seemed quite aware and clapped when they were done.

After the show, Adam told the boys that it was time to go; after all, he had to get home and get yelled at by Sharon for taking the boys to see Dane. He promised to bring them back in a couple of days, after Dane was settled in. Luke and Thomas hugged Dane before Adam ushered them out of the door and the house was silent again.

"Wow, that was fun. I'm glad they came over!" Danny confessed with a grin.

"I could tell," Nicole commented as she started cleaning up what was left of the snacks. Pretty much everything was gone, except some crumbs and the tray.

"I hope Adam does bring them back. But, then again, I guess it's a good chance since he brought them today. He even told them to be careful around me because of what happened," Dane explained with a smile. She was not used to such courteous behavior from her brother.

"That is good. Very considerate."

"Yeah. I wonder how he knew."

"He said Christine told him."

Dane grunted, but she did not say anything further. Nicole let the subject drop. Returning to the sofa, she curled up with Danny. They turned the television on, ready to relax for a little while, but a knock at the door stopped that.

"Popular today, eh?" Dane said, forcing out a half-smile.

"You are," Nicole stated, having a good feeling that the next visitor was for Danny too. Getting up, she went to the door and was shocked once more to see who was there. "Hey, Daddy, Mommy," she greeted them as she opened the door.

"Hey, is the invincible one in yet?" Raymond asked with an amused smile. He was holding candy; he thought it would be a more practical gift for the recovering musician.

"She's on the couch. Looking a lot better than she looked when you saw her in the hospital," Nicole replied.

"Hell, her being conscious would make that happen," he remarked. He and Kate had gone to see Danny in the hospital the day after the accident. Danny had not been awake for the visit, which Raymond was glad for because he did not have the best of reactions when he saw her. First, he winced in pain just from the sight and then he vowed to sue "the bastard that hit her." He had no idea that she was friends with "the bastard" until Nicole told him after his little rant. Of course, that did not mean he was not going to pursue the insurance company to compensate Danny.

"Well, then I guess you're all set," Nicole quipped.

Raymond went into the living room. "Nikki was right, you almost don't look like shit," he teased. Danny had grown on him somewhat since he could tell that she really made his little girl happy. He really could not ask for more; Kate took care of that.

Danny laughed. "At least I have an excuse, I was hit by a car. What about you?"

He practically guffawed at that. "I brought you some chocolate since I know you like it almost as much as Nikki does. Don't let her eat the whole thing," he said, handing the box over.

"Daddy!" Nicole feigned shock. She knew that she probably would eat the whole box, but then again, Danny would probably feed it to her. If she was lucky anyway.

Raymond chuckled a bit and flopped down next to Dane. He took charge of the television and Danny was forced to watch baseball. She was used to it now since Nicole watched it too, but that did not mean that she had learned to appreciate the sport. Kate did not say anything to her, but Danny and Nicole thought that they might have noticed relief in her usually hard eyes.

Things really took off when Mina and Clara showed up out of the blue...or so it seemed. Raymond had actually given them a call to let them know that Danny was home. They showed up with pizza. At that point, it looked like a party, so Dane called Crow to let her know that she was fine and invited her over. Crow was all too happy to show up, especially since it meant that she could see with her own eyes that Dane was better than when she saw the guitarist in the hospital a couple of days ago. By the time everyone left, Danny was ready to pass out and Nicole was right there with her.

"I am ready to sleep for the rest of the week," Dane declared, laughing a bit. She never thought there would be a time when she was partied out, but she was definitely done for the night.

"Well, my dear, your bed awaits," Nicole said as she finished making a very comfortable bed on the floor for Danny. She had gone out and gotten an air mattress for her lover. It was now fill and set up with everything that Danny would need to be comfortable.

"Um...are you going to sleep down here too?" Danny asked curiously.

Nicole blinked, stunned by the question. It seemed like a no-brainer until she realized they had not shared a bed before Danny was in the hospital. "Do you want me to?" she countered in an unsure tone. It would be a boost to her confidence if Danny wanted that.

"Of course I want you to. Things are really fine, Chem," she tried to assure the lawyer.

Nicole nodded, even though she was suddenly reminded of how badly she had wreaked havoc on their relationship. She started wondering if things were as good as they seemed. Was Danny really going to talk things over with her if they started having problems? Or was Danny just being quiet like before and enduring her presence? Needless to say, Nicole did not get much sleep that night.

While Danny slept soundly, exhausted from the day and the fact that her pain pills knocked her out, Nicole was left to her worries. She thought about all that she put Danny through and the more that she thought about it, the more she found it hard to believe that everything was fine just like that. Things had been too screwed up lately for everything to so easily be fine, especially after Danny had her meet-and-greet with a car.

"I need to trust that this is going to work. Danny and I will keep going. We're fine. We're going to be fine," the redhead promised herself. Still, her heartbeat never settled as she rested against Danny's left side.

In the morning, Nicole made breakfast for the first time in a year. It was nice, especially when she got to serve Danny for once. She made waffles; Danny loved them. Pure delight lit up Danny's face when she saw breakfast.

"I need to get hit by-" Dane started to say, but remembered that Nicole did not like to hear jokes about her accident. "Thanks for the waffles, angel."

"Think nothing of it." Nicole smiled proudly. "Now, you make sure you stay here and keep off that leg."

"Don't worry. I will," Dane promised. She did not want to say that she did not have much of a choice because she could not really balance herself on a crutch with her right arm in a sling. She needed Nicole to help her get up and move about.

"Good." Nicole leaned down, going in for a kiss. She was about to kiss Dane's lips, but changed her mind at the last moment, not sure if things were all right enough between them for her to kiss Danny on the lips. The kiss landed on her cheek.

Danny pouted, but fixed her face, figuring that Nicole just did not want to get her worked up since it was not like they could do anything when her entire right side was out of commission. Teasing would not be good for her right now, she supposed. Still, she would have liked a better goodbye kiss. She guessed that would have to wait for later since she was not going to call Nicole on her way to work complaining about the kiss.

After a couple of hours, Dane got bored. She wanted to call Nicole and just talk, but she knew that would be bad form. Nicole made exceptions to her rule of having only business at the office when she took calls from Danny. So, she could not call Nicole because deep ennui had set in and the only friend that she had was Crow, who she knew was also working.

"Damn it," she groaned. And suddenly the phone rang and it was her salvation from boredom. It was Terri. "Hey," she answered the phone with some hope in her voice.

"Hi, I'm looking for Danny," Terri said.

"That's me."

"Hey, how you doing?" Terri inquired.

"Better every day. I am bored out of my mind."

"Want company? I was actually calling because I was bored." Well, that, and she had some spare time, so she wanted to check on Danny to make sure that her recovery was going well. She never admitted that aloud and she was growing fond of Danny each time they spent time together.

"Shit, come on over and save me before I start figuring out how to play tunes on the damn carpet."

"Okay. Do you play video games?"

"Yeah, but you'll have to bring your system. I don't have one over here."

"No problem. I will need an address, though."

Terri was over pretty quickly with her video game system. It took a lot of work for Dane to get up and answer the door when she showed up, but the chance of having fun company was motivation for the injured woman. Terri grinned when the door swung open.

"Wow, you do look a lot better. Or maybe it's just the lighting," the blond teased. Internally, she breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Danny move around and everything. She was thankful that Danny looked much better now than she did then when she was in the hospital.

Dane snorted and motioned for her new friend to come in. She nodded in the direction of the living room where Terri went and set up the gaming system. Ten minutes later, they were no longer bored. Danny was thankful that she could hold the controller in her right hand despite the sling.

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

Nicole came into the house to the sound of the pair grunting and growling. Furrowing her brow, she marched into the living room and was surprised to see Terri on the couch with Danny. They were intensely focused on the television. Nicole turned to see what was so fascinating only to find out they were playing some fighting video game.

"Hey, Chem. How was your day?" Dane asked, leaning over a little, offering her cheek to Nicole. She was rewarded with a sweet peck on the cheek.

"It was normal," Nicole answered before swallowing hard. It bothered her that Danny had offered her cheek to her. She guessed that she did the right thing by kissing Danny on the cheek that morning.

"Cool," Dane said and then suddenly she yelped. "Oh, damn it, you're a cheater, Terri!" she accused the blond.

"No, you're just not paying attention. And you got your ass kicked," Terri teased, smiling proudly. She then turned her attention to Nicole. "Hey, Nicole, I've been keeping this clown company. I hope you don't mind," she said. She had actually forgot that her main reason for coming over was to just check on Danny.

"No, if you keep her out of trouble, I don't mind at all," Nicole lied. She was just a little disturbed to find Terri in the house, sitting so close to her lover, but she knew that she would sound out of her mind if she brought that up.

"I'll keep her out of trouble by kicking her butt!" Terri declared with a chuckle and then suddenly yelled as she realized a new round had started. Dane was beating the crap out of her. "Hey, you're cheating!"

"No, you're just not paying attention," Dane said smugly.

Nicole, having no interest in video games really, decided to leave the duo alone. She went to handle some schoolwork in the library. After a couple of hours, she could still hear the pair, barking and taunting each other over the game. By the time it was dinnertime, Nicole was a bit annoyed that Terri was still there. Doesn't this woman have a home of her own?

"Terri, will you be staying for dinner?" Nicole inquired, managing to sound civil.

"Dinner?" Terri glanced at the time. "Holy shit! I didn't realize it was that late. I'll check you later, Danny," the blond said, getting up for the sofa to pack her things up.

"All right. Get home safe," Danny said, quite understanding. She actually had no idea it was so late either. She was surprised that she and Terri had hung out for so long. She had not spent that much time with someone who was not Nicole for a while, not counting Crow anyway.

Nicole saw Terri to the door and then went to make dinner. Danny yawned and stretched as best she could. Nicole returned to the living room once everything was on the stove cooking. Danny quickly put her arm around Nicole and pulled the redhead to her. Comfortable sighs escaped both women.

"I missed you today," Dane said.

"Really?" Nicole asked, sounding a little unbelieving. If she was so missed, she wondered why Danny did not call. Of course, she now knew why Danny had not called her that day; Danny had been having so much fun with Terri.

"Yeah, I was going to call you a bunch of times, but I knew I'd just sound like a was whining."

That's a decent explanation and she didn't even know I was thinking that. "Is that why you called Terri instead?" Nicole asked, pleased with herself for not sounding pathetic or snappish.

"I actually didn't call Terri. She called here. It was her day off and she was bored. We decided to be bored together."

"You guys are getting close," Nicole noted, hoping that she did sound as unsure as she felt.

"Terri is cool. I know most of the time, she pops up to make sure she didn't really kill me or permanently injure me, but she's still cool. I didn't know she was cool enough to hang out with for hours like that, but it flew by thanks to the video games. It's been a long time since I felt all right being around a person that long. I think you deserve the credit for that," Dane stated with a smile.

The attorney blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It's because of you I know everyone isn't an asshole and I don't have to be suspicious of every single person I meet. I mean, had Terri hit me a couple of years ago, I would've been screaming my head off at her before kicking her the hell out of my life. But, thanks to you, I was able to see that she was sorry for hitting me and she's really worried about me. I know everyone isn't an asshole thanks to you. I got to know her and found out that she's kinda cool. You made that possible, Chem."

"Yay me," the redhead grumbled under her breath. "So, you two are getting along all right, huh?"

"We get along all right, yeah. Her sense of humor really gets to me. And it's nice to have someone I can see eye to eye with," Dane remarked. Terri was actually a couple of inches shorter than she was.

Nicole nodded, missing the joke. Nicole shifted the conversation, not wanting to hear anymore about Terri, before Dane could continue on. Nicole just hoped that the fact that she decided to back away from the family issue would be enough to save their relationship. She hoped that Danny honestly still wanted her and wanted them to make it. If that was the case, she would know that she was just being idiotic about Terri.

Eventually, the couple had dinner and finally got to watch a movie together. Afterward, Nicole helped Danny to the bathroom and assisted her in bathing. Danny went to bed then, wearing basketball shorts and a plain sleeveless tee-shirt. Nicole then took her own shower and prepared for bed. Crawling into bed, she cuddled into Danny, who wrapped her healthy arm around the redhead. Danny kissed the top of Nicole's soft auburn locks.

The next day saw pretty much the same thing as yesterday. Terri came over, wanting to check on Danny and cutting into Danny's tedium. When Nicole came in, she was greeted by the sounds of the friends playing video games again. Not too sure what to do, Nicole retreated to her library after making sure Danny had everything that she needed and semi-playing hostess to Terri by asking if she needed anything. Terri requested something to drink, which she got and then Nicole was gone.

"Nicole is cool," Terri said, making sure to keep a good grip on her controller and maintain concentration on the game.

"Damn right she is. That's my angel," Danny declared proudly.

"Lucky ass," Terri replied.

Danny smiled, still looking quite proud. She did notice something odd about her angel, though. She noted that her lover stayed in her library-her sanctuary-for quite a while. It was not like Nicole to hide away and be antisocial. Unfortunately, she could not check on Nicole thanks to her injuries. She was going to have to wait.

"Terri, are you staying for dinner?" Nicole asked as she made her way out of the library to go into the kitchen.

"Nah, I should get a move on," Terri replied.

"Later, dude," Danny said, reaching out her good hand.

"If I can, I'll come back tomorrow for a little while and keep you company," the blond proposed. She noticed that Danny seemed very upbeat when she came over and she figured that would help the healing process. Besides, she liked hanging around the guitarist.

"Sounds good. I'll whip your ass at some more games. Can't do much else yet," Danny chuckled. She was thankful for Terri. Nicole and Crow could not keep her company through the day since they were at work and she got so bored being immobile, so Terri was really a godsend to her. Unfortunately, Terri worked tomorrow, so she was not sure what she would do if the blond could not make it over.

Terri nodded. "See later, Nicole. Thanks for offering food."

"No problem," Nicole replied.

Terri was gone quickly. Nicole walked her to the door and was very polite. She then went to make dinner. Joining Danny in the living room for the meal, Danny moved closely to Nicole.

"Chem, do you have a problem with Terri by any chance?" Danny asked curiously.

The question caught Nicole by surprise. "What? No. Why do you ask?" she countered, doing her best to sound sincere.

"Because you don't stick around when she's here. You're not usually like that. You tend to be very friendly and a great hostess. When Terri is here, you hide out in the library and you don't really do all the little hostess things with her," Danny explained.

"I just want to give you space with your friend."

"Really?" Danny was skeptical and it showed on her face. "Are you sure you're not still blaming her for my accident? It was really my fault. I came out of nowhere on that bike and she was really freaked out by it."

"I know, I know." She was very aware that Terri was scared by the accident, but that did not explain why she was spending so much time with Danny now. Danny was fine and did not need someone checking on her everyday, unless that someone was Nicole anyway. "It might just take me some time to get used to Terri," she said, feeling like she was being honest, but she was not too sure. She wanted to get used to Danny's friendship, but it felt threatening to her.

"Okay. She likes you, you know," Danny said, thinking that would help Nicole warm up to Terri.

Nicole nodded, not too sure what else to do. The night went on and then turned to day again. The couple started working up a routine. They both noticed that the routine lacked serious physical affection. Nicole always kissed Danny on the cheek when she left for work and they only shared a peck on the lips at night before going to sleep. For a while, Danny chalked it up to Nicole not wanting to work her up, but after several days of it, she was getting frustrated by it.

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

"Terri, if I was your girlfriend do you think you would kiss me passionately?" Danny asked, leaning back on the couch. They were taking a break from kicking each other's butts at video games and just relaxing.

Terri gave her a sidelong glance. "I dunno. You're not really my type," the blond remarked with a teasing grin. "Now, Nicole..." she added, clicking her tongue and wiggling her eyebrows.

"You keep your hands to yourself and stop eyeballing my angel. I'll break my cast over your forehead."

"Don't worry, not like Nicole is giving me a second thought. As for you, there's not much she can do with you. You're like half a person, even without the sling. Your ribs are still busted and your leg is too. What do you want from the girl?" Terri pointed out.

Danny shrugged. "I guess you're right," she sighed.

"Of course I'm right! Look, you couldn't even fend me off and you want your girl to possibly break you," Terri teased and then she attacked her friend, tickling her. She was not sure where the urge came from, but she just went with it since she was trying to make a point.

Danny screamed like a girl as Terri assaulted her. The blond was very careful, but she did not let up, especially as Danny screamed more. They made so much noise that they did not hear the door open. Nicole walked in on the scene and her mouth practically hit the floor. Emerald eyes locked with slate ones and there Danny saw it. In an instant, the musician knew what the problem was.

"Hey, Nicole," Terri said. "I was just teaching your ingrate of a girlfriend to appreciate you," the blond commented.

"Yes, I'm sure," Nicole muttered, having trouble hiding the fact that her voice wanted to break. "Um...can I get either of you anything?" she offered, wanting to just run and hide in the library.

"No, we're good," Danny answered. "In fact, Terri has to go. She needs to be somewhere," the guitarist lied.

"I do?" Terri looked surprised.

"Yeah, you do. See you later," Danny said, trying to rush her friend out of the house, so she and Nicole could have a long talk.

"Uh...okay," Terri replied. "Later, Nicole," she added in. "I can see myself out." Terri then rushed to the door before Nicole could walk her out.

"Chem, please, sit down," Danny implored her lover.

"Danny, you didn't need to do that," Nicole said, motioning to the door.

"Do what?"

"Run Terri off."

"Yes, I did have to do it. Now, please, sit down," Danny said.

Nicole sighed, knowing the time had come. She eased down on the sofa and Dane moved next to her. Reaching over, Danny took Nicole in her arms; she was able to freely move her right arm since she had gotten the sling off yesterday. Nicole whimpered and started to cry.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Dane asked, even though she knew now.

"I'm sorry. I thought things were going to be normal between us after I backed off from your family, but I know it hasn't and I know I blew it," Nicole answered, weeping into her lover's good shoulder.

"Nick, what the hell are you talking about? How did you blow anything?" Danny inquired, sounding more than a little bemused.

"I didn't back off soon enough. I know you're still upset. You're going to leave me for Terri, aren't you?"

"Uh...hell, no," Dane answered strongly. "I would never do something that stupid! Contrary to what Terri says, she didn't really knock my brain out of my head when we had that accident." She then gently took Nicole by the chin and lifted her head, so they were looking eye to eye. "Nick, baby, you are now and will always be my angel. I don't want anybody else and I never will. Now, we agreed that we were going to talk about things, but you're walking around here silently suffering and afraid that something's going to happen. What happened to talking?"

"I'm sorry. I got so scared that I really blew it," Nicole sniffled.

"You didn't, but it's like you said, we have to have communication. This isn't going to work if we say we're going to do one thing and then do something else. So, no more running away for us and no more just taking it on the chin. If there is a problem, we talk it out, starting right now, okay?" Danny said.

"Okay," the redhead agreed before sniffling again.

Tender fingers wiped away the tears. "No, this one has to be serious. It can't be like last time. We have to mean it," Dane stated.

"I do mean it, Danny. I never want to lose you. You mean so much to me. I promise that I will talk things out with you," Nicole vowed, her voice strong and her eyes sincere.

"And I promise to talk things out with you, starting with right now. I like Terri as a friend. She's just like Crow, just a friend. And it's because of you that I'm able to make friends. Before you, I never would've trusted someone enough to be their friend. You gave me that strength," Danny stated soundly.

Nicole nodded. "You give me strength too, Danny. It's because of you that I can go to school everyday and I can finally put up with work. I love you so much and this has just been driving me crazy. Plus, I'm just so worried about you getting better. I can't spend the same amount of time with you as Terri can and when you're with her you're always playing games, which I have no interest in."

Danny chuckled a bit. "Terri can spend so much time over here because she doesn't have a real job. Well, it is a real job, but she can get everything done early and apparently just vanish for a while. Now, I doubt you want to suddenly become a delivery person just to spend time with me, so don't think anything of it. I don't hold it against you. She's just keeping me from going stir crazy. But, like I said, she's just a friend. You are my lover, my partner. I want it to stay like that," she proclaimed, taking Nicole's hand in her own and holding it tightly.

"I want it to stay like that too," Nicole said, giving Dane's hand a firm squeeze.

"So, we're agreed that we're stuck with each other?" the younger woman inquired with a smile.

Nicole smiled too and nodded. "Agreed."

"Then kiss me like you mean it, woman!"

The redhead grinned and complied. Danny moaned as soon as her lips were touched by Nicole's sweet mouth. And in the first time in what felt like forever for them, they exchanged a passionate, beautiful show of their deep affection. The kiss held their promise and asserted their love for each other. When they pulled away, they felt like they were in heaven.

"I missed that so much," Dane whispered.

"I did too. I never want to be without that," Nicole replied.

"Love you so much."

"I love you too, Danny."

And those words felt very real to both of them. They were both assured that they had finally made it through their first serious rough patch as a couple and if they could make it through that, then they could make it through anything. As long as they stayed together and remembered how to communicate. And as long as they remembered they truly loved each other and wanted to be together for the rest of their lives.

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

Epilogue: Celebrate good times

Nicole grinned to herself as she made the final arrangements for tomorrow. Closing her cell phone, she wanted to click her heels. Entering the house, she called for Danny. Going into the living room, she saw her lover was knocked out on the couch with her leg up to elevate her broken limb. She was still in the cast and it would be there for at least another two weeks. Her ribs were healing nicely, but those too would probably not be completely healed for another couple of weeks.

She could not wait for those two weeks to be up, so she could stop being reminded of how Danny was almost taken from her. She hated remembering that she had come so close to losing Danny, not just their relationship, but Danny could have died. Making matters worse, their last moments together would have been an argument and over something that Nicole now understood was ridiculous. Of course, something good came out of it after so much pain and sorrow.

She and Danny had learned to better communicate with each other. Their relationship was stronger than ever. She was glad for that, but she wished it had not taken Danny almost dying for things to come to that. Shaking her head, she stopped thinking about those things.

Nicole leaned down and placed a chaste, sweet kiss to Dane's slightly parted lips. After that, she had to place a large box in the refrigerator and then went to get comfortable before she woke Danny up. Dane was taken from sleep in one of her favorite ways, feeling Nicole's fingers caressing her scalp. Smiling, Dane purred before opening her eyes.

"Hello, baby," Nicole greeted her lover.

"A better hello is said right here," Dane remarked, pointing to her lips.

Nicole chuckled and leaned down to give Danny the kiss that she wanted. Dane started to rise up, wanting to make the kiss deeper. A moan escaped Nicole as Dane's tongue stroked her own. She began pulling away, needing air and not wanting Danny to get carried away, as she had a habit of trying now.

"Baby, calm down," Nicole said in a breath, managing to escape her amorous lover.

"Why? No pressure on my ribs or leg, so why calm down?" Danny teased. She and Nicole had not really been intimate, now mostly because of her injuries. Nicole did not want to risk damaging her body in any way, which she thought was sweet, even if it was forcing celibacy on her, which she thought was cruel and unusual punishment. She could not wait for a clean bill of health and she promised herself that she was going to be very careful from now on.

"Don't try to reason your way into my pants, young lady. Now, tomorrow is someone's special day. Is there anything that she wants? Aside from me naked anyway," Nicole inquired, going back to stroking Dane's scalp.

"You don't have to be naked. I'll take a bow," Dane quipped, wiggling her eyebrows.

Emerald eyes rolled. "You can have that present when the cast comes off and the doctor clears you for such activities."

"What?!" Dane huffed, even though she knew that was coming. They had had that talk several times.

"So, what else do you want?"

Dane scratched the end of her nose. "Nothing really. I'll be happy with just a nice night with you."

Nicole did not seem to believe that. "You don't want to go out for dinner or anything?"

"Nah. Can we watch some movies and just cool out?" Dane requested, glancing down at her leg. For a very brief moment, she frowned at the cast.

"We always do that. Honey, I know this cast has you hung up and everything, but you don't have to live on the couch," Nicole pointed out. Since Danny seemed content to just laze around because of her leg, Nicole had actually taken steps to get her to move around the house at least since she was not totally immobile anymore. She had put the air mattress away, so now Danny had to sleep upstairs, which Danny was actually thankful for. Nothing beat the bed for sleeping.

"I don't really know what to do. We can't go to any of my clubs with my leg like this," Dane stated, motioning to her leg. She would have liked to celebrate her birthday like they did last year, but she had the stupid cast on. They could not do much thanks to it.

"You're right about that," Nicole agreed. She knew what she was going to do for Danny the second she got her cast off.

"I really don't know what I want to do. I liked it last year when you surprised me. I never really thought about my birthday much before that. So, I don't know what to do," Danny explained with a shrug.

Nicole nodded. "All right. I can accept that," she said.

The musician smiled, happy to just be cuddled on the sofa with her lover and for everything to be all right. Her birthday was the next day, but she really did not want anything beyond Nicole's company, which she got. Nicole took the day off and made Danny breakfast in bed. They stayed in the bed for most of the day, kissing and cuddling, before Nicole suddenly got dressed.

"Chem, you going somewhere?" Dane inquired as she watched her girlfriend slip into one of her many sundresses.

"Just downstairs and so are you. Get dressed, darling," Nicole gently insisted, fixing her dress.

Dane was a little distracted; Nicole was wearing one of her favorite dresses. Because of that, Danny had not really heard what her girlfriend said. The attorney did not say anything, but pulled out some clothing for her lover. She helped Danny into a pair of her favorite black shorts, a short-sleeve blue shirt, and a black vest. Danny looked down at the clothing as she put it on.

"You sure we're not going somewhere?" the younger woman asked, sounding a little confused. She felt a little formal for just going downstairs.

"I am very sure we're not. I just want you to look nice for our lunch date," the redhead answered.

Dane blinked a couple of times. "We have a lunch date?" This was the first she heard of it.

Nicole giggled a little and smiled. "We do now. In the kitchen. Will you accompany me?"

"You don't have to ask me twice!"

The couple made their way downstairs and Nicole made them some tuna sandwiches. Everything seemed pretty normal, but the doorbell interrupted their light lunch. Nicole went to answer it and returned with a large bouquet of flowers.

"Happy birthday, baby," Nicole said, presenting Dane with the lovely floral decoration.

"Thank you, Nick," Dane replied, accepting the flowers with a happy grin. She had gotten bouquets of flowers a few times since her accident, but Nicole had been the first person to ever give her flowers on her birthday last year. She wondered if Nicole was working her way into making it a tradition.

Nicole smiled and leaned down for a kiss, which Danny was eager for. The kiss did not last as long as either of them would have liked because the doorbell interrupted them again. Nicole left to answer it, pulling away rather suddenly and leaving Danny in a daze. The daze was short lived as she was attacked out of the blue by her favorite boys.

"Happy birthday, Dane!" Luke and Thomas chimed in together, hugging her, even though she was sitting down.

"Hey, guys," she grinned, leaning down to return the embraces. The boys pulled away suddenly and stood proud before her.

"We brought you a gift," Luke announced, presenting her with a wrapped box.

"And a card," Thomas added, holding up his bounty of an envelope.

Danny did not get to make any inquires because right after the boys, Crow showed up. Minutes later, Mina and Clara showed up; Clara brought her son along since she knew Luke and Thomas would be there. Raymond and Kate entered the house right after that. Even Terri showed up within a half-hour of everyone else and Danny realized that she was having her first ever birthday party.

They did everything that Dane suspected happened at a normal birthday party. They played games. Most of the games, Danny had never heard of, but had a lot of fun playing. They all talked and had food. They even got Danny to sing a bit for them, which everyone agreed was wonderful. Adam actually looked like he was about to cry.

"Dane, I didn't know..." Adam trailed off, not too sure what he wanted to say.

"You didn't know this girl could blow?" Mina asked in disbelief, pointing her thumb at Danny. She knew Danny did not keep her talent a secret.

Adam's sienna eyes looked away in shame. "I didn't know she was so talented," he admitted.

"There are many things you don't know about me, Adam. Try to remember that," Danny informed him, maintaining a civil tone, but he picked up on the bite underneath that.

Adam opened his mouth, ready to hit her with a smart remark, but he thought better of it. He knew that he did not know Danny, but he wanted to know her. He wanted to know this woman who sung with a voice that was smooth like silk and sweet as honey and who had friends that would come to an almost childish birthday party for her. And he was very aware for that to happen, he had to open himself up to her and he had to stop acting like he knew everything about her. Plus, he had to take another step toward her.

"Hey, Dane," Adam approached her when she was relatively alone, getting herself something to drink in the kitchen.

"What?" Danny replied, leaning on her crutch to keep her balance as she poured some lemonade.

"You sing beautifully. I never knew."

"Hard to know if you never cared to find out," she pointed out. He did not even know she played an instrument until she showed his sons a couple of years ago.

He had to nod to that one. "This is quite true. I'm glad I know now. You know some good people too. They're all very nice."

Dane sighed. "Adam, is there a point in here? I'm not good with small talk." In fact, she had never been good at small talk.

He blew out a breath. "Obviously. Fine, I'll take the hint and stop trying to get you to open up through pointless conversation. How about I start with an invite? Come to my house on Saturday. We're going to have a little birthday party for Luke. You know he would love that."

"And Sharon?"

"Will have to take it. The boys love you and you are their aunt. She has to deal with that. I have to put up with people in her life that I don't like. She can learn to do the same," he stated with conviction.

Dane chuckled at the blunt way her brother put that. "You say I'm their aunt. When do you think you're going to tell them that?"

"Dane, whenever you want to," he promised. "Look, Dane, I know you're angry. You have a right to be. But, at what point are you going to let it go? We're going to be seeing each other a lot because of Luke and Thomas. It would be best if we could at least get along."

Dane shrugged. "You make a point. It's just going to take a while. You ignoring me my whole life...my feelings on it won't disappear in a day just because you're trying. I don't know why you expect it all to go away just because you say it should. That's just arrogant," she said, which was very much like her eldest brother.

Adam nodded and then he regarded her with perhaps the most remorseful expression she had ever seen on someone in her family. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "Sorry. I understand what you mean. We both need to get used to each other. I would like to apologize again, Dane. I was a horrible brother. I don't know if we'll ever get to the point where you accept me as a brother, but I would like us to at least be friends." He went so far as to hold his hand out for her.

Dane glanced down at his hand and then shook her head. "It'll take time," she informed him. "More time than a couple of birthday parties."

"I'm willing to try," he vowed, putting his hand in his pocket since she was not going to shake it.

"Then only time will tell."

He nodded again and their conversation was cut short as the boys charged into the kitchen, begging for juice to help cool them down. Adam took care of filling cups for them and then they ran off, going back to the backyard. Dane and Adam then rejoined the party in the living room.

Dane's favorite part of the day was when the birthday cake was brought out. It was a huge cake that was beautifully decorated. The message on the cake was simple: Happy Birthday, Love. Two candles sat atop the cake; they were shaped in the forms of the numbers two and six. She actually cried when they sang "happy birthday" to her and she blew out the candles, making the wish that things remained as they were. No one questioned her tears; most knew about her never having a proper birthday party and those that had no clue-Adam and Terri- did not want to ruin the moment by asking anything.

"Okay, now it's time for the best part!" Mina announced, shoving her gift into Dane's lap.

Dane did not contradict the attorney, even though she disagreed. "There are children around. Is this something appropriate?" she asked to tease Mina.

"Don't worry, I figure the inappropriate things should go to Nicole for her birthday," Mina quipped.

"Well, if you're shopping, I really like how satin feels on her," Dane said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Danny!" Nicole gasped, glaring at her lover for saying such a thing with her parents present.

The birthday girl just gave an innocent smile before opening her gift. Mina had given her some perfume, which was not really something she wore, but it would come in handy. Nicole liked the aroma and she could wear it to formal affairs.

As the gifts rolled in, Danny noticed a theme. Opening one of the gifts from Raymond and Kate, she received the video game Guitar Hero. Terri's gift ended up being the guitar controller used to play Guitar Hero. And lastly, one of Nicole's gifts was the game system for Danny to play the games on. Once the kids saw that, they wanted to play immediately. Giving them cake placated the children for the moment.

Danny was able to get through her other gifts without the children bugging anyone. She was surprised that Raymond had gotten her more than one gift. The second present was a keyboard. Crow had been kind enough to get her two tickets to a music festival and showing that she knew Danny was not only about rock music, it was a jazz festival. Clara had gotten Danny a new MP3 player, which she very much needed.

"You guys are the best!" Danny declared with a happy grin. She doubted that there were words that could express her happiness, so she just hoped her expression did her emotions justice. From the way the party-goers regarded her, she believed that they understood what she could not say.

Everyone then had cake while Danny thanked them all over and over again for the presents. After having cake, they all decided that it was about time for them to start leaving. They claimed it was getting late, but really they wanted to give the couple time alone.

"Dane, don't forget about Saturday," Adam reminded her as he grabbed Luke and Thomas to head out.

"I won't," she promised.

Nicole saw everyone out while Danny hobbled into the living room. The couple met on the couch. Nicole then pulled Danny to her and the musician snuggled into the redhead for once.

"Chem, you are the sweetest person on Earth to throw all of this together for little me!" Danny declared with quite the content purr.

"Birthdays are a time for family to get together. I realized that this is the making of your family, baby. These are the people that love you," Nicole stated.

"I hope you didn't tell Kathleen that," Dane joked.

"I'll break the news gently to Mommy when she's already figured it out. But, you can't tell me Daddy isn't your family now," Nicole commented, grinning.

"Are you kidding me? That was about the greatest keyboard I have ever seen! I can't believe he spent so much money on me," the younger woman proclaimed. Raymond had given her an expensive and grand keyboard, knowing that she played the piano, but did not have an instrument to play. He did inform her that he expected a concert on it when she was completely healthy.

"I think he upset Clara because she thought that she had the perfect gift until that point," Nicole said.

"She did! I needed a new MP3 player. I can't believe she spent so much money on me," Dane replied.

"She likes you. They all like you," the redhead assured the birthday girl, caressing Dane's arm as she spoke.

Dane nodded and nuzzled her lover's neck. "You gave me extended family, angel. You are the greatest gift I could ever receive," she whispered before placing a gentle kiss behind Nicole's ear.

Nicole's breath hitched. "I want to give you so much more than that, though, Danny. Do you think you could wait here for a moment while I go get my other gift?"

"You got me something else? More than the fact that you bought me an expensive game system, just threw me my first birthday party, offered me an extended family, and can speak to my brother enough to get him to let the boys come over? Oh, speaking of the boys, Luke's having a birthday party Saturday and I said I'd go, but I want you to come too, okay?"

Nicole smiled and nodded. "I have so much more and, yes, I will go with you on Saturday. Wait here, okay?"

"Can't go many places with my leg still done up like this." Dane motioned to her cast. It was shorter than it was when she had the accident, but she still was not very mobile in it.

Nicole only smiled and got up, walking toward the door that led to the basement. That caused Dane to arch an eyebrow because during the party she had noticed Nicole go down there several times. The stairs were too steep for her to follow with her leg in the cast, so she suspected it was a great place to hide her present.

A strange sound caught her ear as she waited. She quickly found out what that sound was. A little ball of nearly white fluff padded into the living room followed by Nicole. Dane's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"A puppy!" Dane hollered with joy. She reached for her crutches, wanting to get up and scoop up the dog.

"Danny, wait there. Don't get up and hurt yourself," Nicole said, picking up the canine and carrying him over to Danny. As soon as she was within distance, she passed the pup to Dane, who hugged him tightly.

"Oh, my god, Nick. Oh, my god!" Dane just held the dog underneath her chin and grinned like never before.

"I take it you like the gift," Nicole said dryly. Internally, she felt immense pride at being able to put such an expression on her girlfriend's face.

"I do, I do, I do! He's so adorable!"

The redhead nodded and smiled. "That's what I thought when I saw him."

"Where did you get him? When did you get him?" Dane inquired, unable to keep her enthusiasm down.

"One of my more friendly coworkers' dog had puppies. A lot of puppies. He certainly couldn't afford them, he said. As soon as they were old enough to part with their mother, he was telling any and everyone that he had puppies for sale. He actually gave me first pick."

Dane looked down at the puppy in her hands, trying to figure out what made Nicole pick him. He appeared to be rather small and happy. He licked the end of her nose while she studied him and she giggled-yes, Danny giggled like a schoolgirl.

"If you want to know, I waited until all the puppies were gone. He was the last one and it seemed like no one wanted him," Nicole explained.

"Of course you would do that, Nick. I think he's perfect, though," Dane declared.

"Yeah. That's what I thought when I saw him and I couldn't figure out why no one wanted him. My coworker said the little guy wasn't friendly to anyone else, which I thought was weird. He certainly seemed friendly to me. And to you too, apparently," Nicole quipped as the pup cuddled underneath Dane's chin.

"How did you hide a whole dog from me?" Dane asked in amazement.

"Mina brought him over here for me today. She held onto him for a few days, so he wouldn't end up being an early birthday gift for you. I think she might end up getting a dog from the way she was with him. She took the time to explain to me that he's not really just a gift for you," Nicole said.

"No?" Dane tilted her head curiously and turned her attention completely to Nicole, not wanting to miss this explanation.

"No." Nicole shook her head and put her hands on Danny's. She then looked her lover directly in the eye. "He's my promise to you that I'm going to be here for you, to help you care for him, and to be your family, Danny. We're a family. I'm here to support you in every way possible. I am committed to you," she vowed.

Dane was speechless; Nicole was the only person that could rob her of words. A kiss seemed to be the only way for her to express her approval and elation. Nicole accepted the kiss and returned it. She had to stop it once Danny pressed for more, even though Dane knew that she was not in any position to do more.

"Now, what should we name our proud son?" Nicole remarked, laughing as she rubbed the pup's head.

"Hmm...we should name him something that reflects both of us. Something that we both have in common."

Nicole nodded and it seemed easy enough. They liked music and since that was really Dane's passion, she thought that they should name the pup something to do with music. It took a while, but they named him Haydn.

Before the couple could get any further with the newest member of their household, the phone rang. Nicole was closest, so she grabbed it. Checking the caller ID, she saw it was a private number. Shrugging, she answered.

"Hello?" Nicole said, watching Dane continue to hug Haydn close.

"Hello, may I please speak to Dane?" the caller requested.

Nicole recognized the voice. "Hold on," she replied, covering the mouthpiece. "Danny, sweetie, it's your mother on the phone," she informed the infatuated musician.

"So?" Dane replied, confused as to why she should care.

"Baby, she wants to talk to you. Do you want to talk to her or not?" Nicole asked.

"Not really. It probably has to do with that stupid account or something," Dane figured. She and Nicole still had not touched the money that Christine put in the bank for Dane. They were not sure if they ever would touch it.

"Should I take a message?"

Dane thought on it for a moment and then shook her head. She put her hand out and Nicole handed her the phone. "What?" she asked, sounding a little frustrated. Her mother was taking away time that she could be using to play with their new puppy.

"Dane, I was just calling to wish you a happy birthday," Christine said, trying her best to sound normal.

"Why? You never have before. I'm surprised you know what day I born," Dane pointed out.

"Dane, I am trying," Christine sighed, sounding exhausted already.

"Yeah, well, good luck with that." The call was then ended and Danny passed the phone back to Nicole.

"You okay?" the lawyer asked as she placed the phone back on the cradle.

"Called to wish me a happy birthday. She's got nerve. So much nerve," Dane snorted.

"Are you okay?" Nicole repeated, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

Grey eyes glanced down at Nicole and a smile lit up Danny's face. "Of course, I'm okay. I'm sitting here with my family. Why wouldn't I be okay?" she countered, sincerity in her gaze.

With that answered, the couple turned their attention back to Haydn. He was a tiny white shepherd and did little aside from sniff the two women for the rest of the night. He seemed quite content to be cuddled and petted by Danny and Nicole. Nicole was not sure if she would be able to part the pair, especially when Danny carried him up to their bedroom.

"He is not sleeping in the bed," Nicole stated firmly. Yes, he was adorable and everything, but he was an adorable ball of fur that would get all over the bedspread. The idea was not very appealing to her.

"But, why? He'll be lonely on the floor!" Dane argued, clutching the pup to her chest.

"He'll be fine, honey. He has to get used to it and we need to train him as early as possible, not just with the sleeping arrangements, but with everything. Sleeping arrangements especially, though. I mean it, he's not sleeping in the bed with us," Nicole said in her strongest voice.

"But, he's our son!" Dane replied, grinning now. Never in her life did she think that she would utter such words, especially about a dog. But, then again, she never expected to have a dog. It was a great feeling. Only now did she realize how much she had always wanted a dog.

"He's on the floor, babe. I'm not changing that. I'll get him a pet bed tomorrow if it makes you feel any better, but he's not sleeping in the bed with us. We have to be firm with him and like I said we have to start training immediately without pampering him too much."

Danny pouted, but for once it did not get her anywhere. Nicole was kind enough to make Haydn a bed with a blanket. It seemed to be enough for the dog because he curled up in the fabric as soon as Nicole put him down.

Once the puppy was asleep, the couple went about their usual nighttime rituals. Dane needed some help because of the cast, but having to live with it for so long, she could do most things on her own. As they settled down into bed, Danny pulled Nicole as close to her as possible.

"Thank you for a wonderful birthday, angel," Dane whispered before placing a gentle kiss to Nicole's forehead.

"Get used to those, Big Dog."

"Then you get used to these." Dane leaned down, giving her lover a heated kiss. Nicole pulled away when she started getting overzealous.

"Sweetheart, you know we're not going there until the cast comes off and you're completely healed, so don't tease yourself. Besides, didn't you just point out our son is in the room?" the redhead teased.

Danny laughed, but she backed off. She cast their "son" a glance and grinned. She felt giddy just looking at Haydn. She held Nicole close to her and continued looking at Haydn. Nicole smiled, knowing that Danny truly appreciated that gift. It felt like the right thing and Haydn turned out to be the right pup for them.

He was very affectionate and bonded with both women quickly, loving to curl up with them whenever he could. They both enjoyed holding him and cuddling him. He liked nuzzling them and giving them "puppy kisses."

Nicole had to take him for walks and everything at first, but Danny was itching to get her cast off, so she could do the same. The guitarist wanted to take care of the pup too, which was why the redhead held off on buying many things for Haydn until Danny could go along with her. Danny did often play games with Haydn in the house, mostly fetch and tug-of-war. When they started training Haydn, Danny made sure to do her share, not even thinking about the cast. She just wanted to be there with Nicole for Haydn every step of the way and she wanted to know how to properly care for him just as much as Nicole wanted to know. They quickly became proud and caring parents toward their little puppy.

Haydn was quite the content and satisfied pup, having a very good life with his two owners. Later on, people would assure Nicole and Dane that they spoiled the pup. He did help bring his owners closer together, though. Somehow, he helped them see the world in a whole new light and gave them a different perspective on many things. It felt like his presence had taken their relationship to a new level and they were very pleased with that.

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

Danny grinned widely to herself as she moved about the house, working as quickly as she could. She was moving about with ease, so glad to have her cast off. Her ribs were healed and her leg was healed. All the bones had mended perfectly too; she was inclined to give Nicole credit for that since the redhead had been a dutiful nurse. Dane was the picture of health now. She had even agreed to get the surgery to fix her knee and leg as best it could. That appointment was a couple of months away, though, and far from her thoughts. Right now, she only had one thing on her mind-preparing the bedroom.

She had to be done by the time Nicole came in. The only thing that proved problematic was Haydn. She needed to get him out of the house, but with no car and no bike anymore, she was at a bit of a loss. But, Crow came through as usual and saved her ass on that. Sometimes, she wondered what she would do without Crow, but the Gothic woman always waved that off. Apparently, it was not something that she had to worry about.

So, now that she did not have to worry about Haydn, she was able to finish up her labor of love. By the time Nicole came home from work, Dane was there to greet her at the door. Leaning down, she welcomed Nicole home with a deep kiss. For once, Dane pulled away first.

"Happy anniversary," Dane whispered against Nicole's soft lips.

"It certainly is. If you'd step outside, I'd like to show your gift," Nicole replied in a low tone of her own.

Dane grinned; she certainly liked getting presents. Nicole tugged her lover outside and in the front yard Danny saw her anniversary gift-a brand new bike. Her mouth was pretty much on the floor.

"You got me a bike?" Dane asked in disbelief, eyes going from Nicole to the bicycle to Nicole and back to the bicycle.

"You need the exercise, baby. As much as I like this," she paused to grab Dane's slightly pudgy sides. "I don't want it to get too out of control. And your leg needs the workout too. I know how much you love biking." The redhead smiled.

Dane nodded eagerly. "Yes, I'm going to ride this tomorrow when I take Haydn for a walk. See if his little short legs can keep up with me," she declared.

"You better not overwork our precious pup," Nicole pretended to scold her.

Dane smiled innocently before going over to the bike. It was sitting pretty in the driveway and she circled a few times. Nicole would not have been surprised if Danny did a dance around the bicycle the way she moving so giddily around it. Nicole watched as Dane mounted the bike, testing it out by peddling only a couple of times.

"It's perfect!" the younger woman proclaimed.

"I'm glad you like it," Nicole replied, smiling.

"Like it? I love it!" Dane hopped off of the bike and rushed back over to Nicole, taking the redhead in her arms. "And I love you," she whispered, before dipping her head and taking Nicole into a heated kiss.

"Danny, baby," the lawyer said, pulling back a little. "As much as I love you, I don't like sharing it this much out on the front lawn," she remarked.

Danny chuckled and took Nicole by the hand. She led Nicole back into the house; it was safe to leave the bike out in the yard. She then directed Nicole into den, which the redhead thought was odd. Turning on the light, Nicole saw a dress draped across the couch.

"You change into that for an early dinner," Dane instructed. "I have to go get my own clothes on."

Nicole nodded and Dane limped out of the room, looking as giddy as she felt. Nicole changed quickly, even though she wished that she had been able to take a shower before doing so. She always felt more relaxed after having a shower. But, if Danny wanted an early dinner, then they would have that. She could always have her shower later.

Nicole was dressed before Dane and waited in the den, just in case Danny had surprises around the house. She would prefer that they stay surprises because she liked it when Danny was romantically shocking. When Danny returned, she was looking quite dashing; it was almost hard to believe that she had prepared herself on her own.

"My, my, my, our anniversary actually warranted a brush," Nicole remarked, running her fingers lightly through Dane's brushed and combed hair. Her usually wild onyx mane was managed and shining, her natural blond highlights popping out.

"I needed a quick tutorial from Terri on how to use the damn thing," Dane quipped. She had asked Terri for advice since their hair was practically the same length.

Nicole laughed, but thought that Danny did a wonderful job on her hair. She already knew that she was going to spend a great deal of time playing in the soft, short locks. She then took the time to take in Dane's outfit. She was wearing cream pants with a matching vest and a long-sleeve lilac shirt. The aroma coming off of her seemed to be the scent of lilac.

"You're wearing the perfume that Mina bought you," Nicole realized.

"I know you like how it smells," Dane answered, blushing just a little.

"It is intoxicating," Nicole admitted, moving to bury her face in Danny's neck. When the sniffing turned to kissing, Dane pulled away.

"Tsk, tsk. There'll be plenty of time for that later. Right now, we need to have our anniversary dinner. Well, actually we need to do something before that," Dane stated.

"Something before dinner?" Nicole was intrigued.

"Come."

Nicole nodded in agreement. She offered Dane her arm, which Danny readily took. Stepping into the living room, Nicole noticed that things had been rearranged, so there was a large empty space in the middle of the floor. While green eyes scanned the space, Dane grabbed a small remote and pressed a button. Soft music invaded the cozy area, causing the shorter woman to turn her attention back to Danny.

"May I have this dance?" Dane requested, leaning down to kiss Nicole's fingers.

Nicole smiled. "Of course."

Dane grinned and moved her hand to Nicole's hip. They glided through the open space as much as it would allow as the music played. Nicole pressed herself into Danny, resting her head against the musician's shoulder. A content sigh escaped the attorney as her eyes drifted shut.

"Danny, this is wonderful," Nicole commented, swaying with her lover.

"I figured you'd like dancing and I don't mind it when people can't see how bad I am at it," Dane remarked with a cheeky expression, not that her girlfriend could see.

The redhead snorted. "Okay, you stop talking now. You're ruining the moment and I want it to last for as long as possible."

Dane chuckled, but did as ordered. She savored the moment too, closing her eyes and resting her cheek against soft auburn locks. They moved together for the whole song, holding each other close and taking each other in. When the song ended, they kept moving, not realizing it was over for a while.

"Danny," Nicole whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I think the music stopped."

Dane's head popped up. "So, it has. I suppose we should stop dancing then."

Nicole cuddled closer. "Only if you want to."

"Well, dinner will get cold if we just stay out here, dancing to nothing," Dane pointed out.

A long sigh escaped the redhead. "I guess we can stop...you know, for the sake of dinner."

"You'll enjoy dinner," Dane promised. "Come on."

Nicole nodded and once again allowed her sweetheart to lead her off, both of them smiling like two happy teenagers all the way through. They went into the kitchen where dinner was set up on the table. All Dane had to do was light a candle for the right atmosphere and then motioned for Nicole to sit down. The couple smiled at each other from across the table, eating and feeding each other the rich meal that Danny had prepared.

"Baby, you outdid yourself with this," Nicole moaned as she swallowed down a juicy piece of chicken breast.

"I wanted to tantalize your taste buds," Dane replied with a wicked smirk.

Nicole smiled, but relished the delicious meal as best she could. She tried her best not to hurry through dinner, but paced herself in the same manner that Danny was. They went back to feeding each other until the meal was all gone. Nicole then got up and went to sit on Danny's lap, but was stopped.

"You should go take a shower while I get these dishes and things up," Danny suggested, a happy glint in her eyes.

Nicole pouted. "You mean there's no dessert?"

Snickering through her nose, Dane smiled and rubbed her hands together. "You'll get it once you get out of the shower. Oh, and use the bathroom at the end of the hall, not the one in the bedroom."

The redhead nodded instead of arguing, wanting to see what Danny planned next. Nicole marched off, swaying as she moved because she knew grey eyes clocked her as she left. Dane growled as she watched Nicole sashay out of sight. The movement of those hips and that ass got her moving to get to the next part of the day.

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

Nicole was of like mind on wanting to get to the next part, especially when she saw what was waiting for her in the bathroom. Danny had left the undergarments that she wished for Nicole to wear after her shower. Waiting for her to wear were white lace and ivory silk and she shivered in anticipation. She wanted to give Danny time to set up whatever she needed, but she could not stay in the shower for long. Once she was done, she strolled down to the bedroom, where the door was slightly ajar.

From the crack, she could tell the room was bathed in the expected candlelight, but she was not sure what else awaited her. Taking deep breath, she opened the door and immediately turned her attention to the bed, which was covered in shattered rose petals. Resting on top of the linen like some kind of big cat, Dane was reclined, hands across the pillows at the head of the bed, in all of her naked glory. She beckoned Nicole closer with a simple crook of her finger.

Nicole moved, swaying all the way, teasing her lover's senses. Once she got to the bed, she climbed up and moved on all fours toward Danny, not stopping until she was astride Dane's body and they were face to face. Unable to resist each other, their mouths drew together like opposite ends of a magnet and they stole each other's breath away. They did not pull apart until it was absolutely necessary.

The redhead was about to lean in for another kiss, but was halted when Dane presented her with a ruby red strawberry covered in whipped cream. So that was dessert, Nicole thought. Nicole had to make a show out of licking the cream off before taking the fruit into her mouth, twirling her tongue around it and sucking on it. It was not until Dane groaned in envy of the fruit did Nicole finally eat the strawberry.

"I hope you don't have many of these. I'm in the mood for a different sort of dessert," Nicole remarked with a smoldering gaze.

"No one said we had to eat them now," Dane commented with a smirk.

"Then let's save that for later and get to the real treat."

Dane nodded in agreement and Nicole's lips returned to hers. As they eagerly explored each other's mouths, Dane leisurely caressed Nicole's body. Her hands ran up and down Nicole's side, over her back, and eventually inside her silk gown. Nicole shuddered in pleasure as soon as her lover's tender hands were on her heated flesh.

"Take it off," Nicole begged, voice quivering, lips hovering right above her beloved's mouth.

"Your wish is my command, but for that to happen, you need to roll over," Dane bargained.

Nicole nodded in agreement and quickly moved so that she was lying on the bed. Danny moved over Nicole. It had been months since they had been able to be with each other like this. It was only recently when Danny's leg was able to support her and she loomed over Nicole in a way that made the redhead shiver with anticipation. She could not wait to feel Danny against her.

Danny peeled Nicole out of her gown and flung it somewhere at the foot of the bed while leaning in for another kiss. Nicole wrapped her arms around the younger woman and tried her best to touch Danny everywhere. Dane purred from the attention, but moved a bit every time Nicole touched her shoulder. Nicole did not think too much of it, figuring Danny was just eager. Dane returned the attention by stroking Nicole's breast.

The redhead moaned in pleasure, trying her best to press herself as much as she could into Danny's hands. All of the movement made Danny groan deep in her throat. It felt like it had been an eternity since they had felt their bodies together. It was almost a religious experience and they had not done more than kiss yet. They were both a little skeptical that they could survive a complete sexual session if a simple kiss was making them see stars. Of course, it was not going to stop them from trying.

Before long, Dane's mouth was mobile, kissing and licking her way down Nicole's body, reveling in the taste of her lover. Nicole hissed and arched her body into Danny's when the musician nipped at her neck; they both knew there would be a mark there later. Dane growled when Nicole's body rubbed up against hers, reminding her that she still had clothing to take Nicole out of.

"While you do look incredibly sexy in this, you're wearing too many clothes," Dane admonished the lawyer.

"You wanted me to put them on," Nicole reminded her, panting already.

"Silly me."

Danny moved to correct her mistake, reaching around Nicole to unclasp the bra. She smoothly removed the piece and flung that behind them. Nicole arched her body as soon as she was free, pressing her torso to Dane's body, causing them both to moan. They took a moment to enjoy the feeling of their naked torsos touching before Danny went back to kissing all over Nicole's sweet form.

Nicole clung to Dane as she moved. Throwing her head back, she howled when Dane's lips attached themselves to her left nipple. Delighted by that action, Dane applied more pressure while her right hand went to occupy the other sensitive gem. Nicole bucked against her and she groaned as she felt Nicole's center press against her thigh.

"Oh, angel, you are soaked for me," Dane realized, feeling the moisture against her leg.

"You know that your body against me like this drives me wild," Nicole replied with a feral growl. "And it's been so long," she added. Too long! I need her so much right now.

"Maybe I should just take the edge off for you. I want this to last," the musician said in a low tone.

"Just keep going, baby. Don't worry."

Dane responded by that switching breasts and rolling Nicole's nipple around with her tongue. Nicole mewed and wiggled, making sure to keep her grip on Danny, silently letting Danny know to stay close. The only time Danny left her was to slide her panties down her legs. Danny then kissed her way back up Nicole's body, pausing at the apex of her thighs.

"Don't tease me, baby. Please, don't tease," Nicole implored her lover, shamelessly pushing herself into Danny's face.

The younger woman kissed Nicole's most intimate area and then placed an almost shy lick to the same space. Nicole whined, which turned into a long moan as Danny's tongue stayed with her, explored her, mapped her center with tender care. Nicole's body moved with Dane's mouth and the musician needed to hold onto Nicole's leg to keep her steady. A long, almost-wail like moan escaped Nicole as Dane worked her tongue in, out, and around her core. Dane knew that she was doing everything right thanks to that strange noise.

"Danny, up!" the redhead ordered, knowing she would not last long with this attention, but she wanted to feel Danny's body against her when she climaxed.

Dane complied with one final nip, kissing her way up Nicole's body. Their lips met as Danny slipped two deft fingers into the warm, moist canal, making Nicole's breath hitch. The redhead arched and whined, waiting for her lover to do something. But, for a long moment, Dane was still, taking in the moment, reveling in the feel of Nicole gripping her. Nicole took that moment to slid her leg in between Danny's legs and the sudden presence jumped started Dane's brain. Slowly, Danny began to play her favorite song.

Nicole eventually broke the kiss, panting and growling as Danny moved within her. "That feels so good, baby," she murmured, moving to keep pace with her lover.

Dane did not respond. She kept her mouth occupied by nipping at Nicole's neck and collarbone, pausing only to whimper from the feel of Nicole's thigh against her. She was about to move back to Nicole's mouth when she felt the telltale signs of Nicole's peak. Nicole threw her head back, screaming in pure ecstasy. As muscles clamped down on her fingers, Danny did not stop, did not want to stop.

"Oh, god, Chem," Dane whispered, having to close her eyes for a moment and just take in what was happening between them.

The feel of those tight muscles gripping her long digits caused Dane to groan and she moved with more fervor against Nicole's thigh, falling off the edge herself. Even as she reached that apex, her fingers did not cease. Nicole soon was crying out again, tears dipping down the corners of her eyes.

"No more," Nicole begged in a small voice.

"One more," Dane countered, continuing on. She figured that she would be able to crest again too if they could just go a little longer. "I need to stay... You feel so good... One more..."

Nicole locked eyes with Danny and then nodded. As Dane picked up where she left off, the redhead leaned forward wanting another kiss. The kiss did not last long as Nicole tossed her head again, calling Dane's name as it felt like her body exploded in complete and total bliss. She clutched Dane tightly, forcing the younger woman harder onto her thigh and Dane joined her in that explosion. Clinging to Danny, Nicole tried to get her breathing under control as she felt Dane ease out of her. She whimpered a bit, almost feeling lonely without Danny's fingers.

The loneliness was forgotten as she watched Danny bring her fingers to her mouth and suck them clean. She moved and grabbed Danny's hand, pulling the fingers away. Dane was confused for less than a second as Nicole slipped the fingers into her mouth. Dane made a noise between a moan and gasp as Nicole's tongue ran up and down her digits.

"All clean," Nicole purred as she released Danny's hand.

"That was intense," Dane muttered, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow. She had almost forgotten that making love could be like that since they had been somewhat limited with her broken leg and busted ribs.

"That was only half of it," Nicole remarked, her fingers lightly trailing down Dane's body.

Dane chuckled a bit and glanced down, trying to see what her lover's busy fingers were up to. "I can't wait for the other half then."

Nicole smiled before pulling Danny down onto her, initiating another kiss. One her hand trailed up and down Dane's torso while her other swirled around Danny's bellybutton, purposely teasing her. The taunting stopped when Dane rocked her hips against Nicole, earning a groan from the redhead.

Nicole decided to get Danny back and moved her free hand to Dane's breast. Kneading the globe with great care, Dane let loose a long moan into Nicole's mouth. While Danny was paying attention to that sensation, Nicole's other hand slid to where it was wanted the most. Danny had to break the kiss and as moan mixed with a deep growl tore out of her throat. She was moving before Nicole's fingers were and Nicole had to settle her down because the redhead did not want a hurried pace.

"Slow down, baby. We're here all night," Nicole pointed out in a hushed down. All Danny could do was nod, thinking about how Nicole's fingers were so much better than her thigh.

With each stroke, Danny felt like she was falling apart and being pieced back together. She moved to kiss Nicole again, but Nicole decided at that moment to change pace and twist and crossed her fingers. Dane's head dropped to Nicole's shoulder and a voice she was certain was not hers groaned as euphoria rushed through her. Panting in Nicole's ear, the redhead took the heavy breathing as a plea for more and smiled as she moved faster, curling her fingers and massaging her lover from the inside out. A strangled bellow accompanied Dane's fall over the edge that time and she collapsed on top of Nicole, no longer able to hold herself up.

"I give. You win," Dane remarked as she caught her breath.

"I always win, baby," Nicole teased.

"That you do," Dane agreed. They were silent for a while before she had the strength to roll over. In the move, Nicole noticed something quite new on Danny's back.

"Honey, when did you go out and get a new tattoo?" Nicole inquired, only seeing a glimpse of the new artwork just now.

"A couple weeks ago," Dane answered with a strange smile. She had hoped, but had not thought, she would be able to keep it a secret that long. But, she managed to pull it off.

Nicole made a curious noise. "That explains why you kept wearing shirts with sleeves and wouldn't let me take a shower with you. May I see?"

"Of course."

Danny sat up and turned her back to Nicole. While the redhead focused on her new tattoo, she reached over to the nightstand to grab something. Nicole could not believe Dane had gone out and gotten a tattoo of angel wings on her shoulders. The wings flanked her other tattoo of the word "demon" down her spine. Inside of the wings at the top, on the right was the word "chem" and on the left were words "love forever."

"Danny, you didn't have to do this," Nicole whispered, voice mixed with awe and disbelief.

"No, I did have to. Just like I had to do this," Dane replied and she turned around to present Nicole with a ring.

"Danny...?" Nicole said, voice trembling as she looked down at the jewelry. It was a simple ring of a gold band and a row of small diamonds. Her body started to shake a little, not sure what to make of the gift.

Dane reached out and stroked Nicole's cheek, calming her down. "This isn't a proposal, Chem. I don't think I'm in the best place to propose to you just yet. I do have growing to do and you have growing to do, but this is a promise that I will forever be committed to you, to our relationship, and to our family. This is a promise that I will be ready to marry you soon. This is a promise that there will be a proposal in your future. This is a promise that I'm not going anywhere, no matter what. I promise that I will always be there and I promise that I will always love you," she vowed as she slipped the ring on Nicole's left ring finger.

Nicole could not even speak as tears welled up in her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Dane reached up and wiped away the tears before leaning down for a kiss. Nicole returned it with as much passion as she could muster.

"I have to go out and get you one of these," Nicole remarked as they broke apart for air. Tears still slid down her face as she held up the ring to admire it. She doubted that she had ever felt so overjoyed before in her life.

"Since I know I can't say anything to stop you, I'll just accept whatever you give me," Dane replied with a small smile. She was glad that Nicole had such a positive reaction to the ring. It gave her a boast of confidence and led her to believe despite their hardships, she was doing fine at this relationship. She just wanted to do better and be everything that Nicole deserved.

"I promise to always be there for you, Danny. I will always be your support and your shoulder. I will always love you too," Nicole vowed. She was flattered that Danny thought so much of her, going so far as to mark her body for Nicole. It made her feel more secure and it also made her feel like she had to better herself to be all that Danny deserved. "And don't think that you might not be the one with a proposal in your future," the lawyer added with a smile.

Dane did not dispute that. She just sealed the pledge with another kiss. They were willing to fight for each other, to keep each other, and they would always be willing to do that. They would always support each other. They would continue to grow individually and together. They would be all that both deserved and they would make it. They were sure sometime in the future they would be ready for a real engagement and then a marriage. They both wanted it and they knew if they worked for it, then it would be so. Looking at each other and seeing nothing but love, they knew that it would be so.

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The end.

Once again, contact the lunatic at starving.lunatic@gmail.com and lemme know what you think. Thank you again for reading my work. I hope you enjoyed the story! If so, find more of my insanity here for fanfics: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/932292/ and for more original work here: http://www.fictionpress.com/u/576301/