Cycle Continues
We Have a Situation
Word Count: 2,590
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Nico/Dani
Spoilers: References something from 1x11, but goes AU in the middle of 1x06.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just break things.
Summary: She thinks he thinks everything is a situation. Trouble is, he's right. She just doesn't know it yet.
Author's Note: First, Plants vs. Zombies is awesome. And has absolutely nothing to do with the kind of lateness of this chapter.
A part of me thinks that I should dedicate this story to my sister, who although she has never seen the show has provided me with plenty of inspiration. I love you, sis, but like Nico, I am so damn sick of this cycle.
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"So, you got busted?" Jeanette asked, laughing. Dani shot her a dirty look. She was as bad as Juliette was when she got on sugar. Without wine, though, she'd done the same thing as Juliette, and the two of them had been almost delirious when Dani got back to her kitchen. The brownie container was empty, and so were two bags of marshmallows, a package of chocolate chips, and leftover candy canes that were probably years old. That was only what was still on the table. There could have been more.
"Not busted. Xeno works for Nico, not the other way around," Dani said, rubbing her ankle. She'd really pushed it today, and she shouldn't have. She needed to let it heal. "But, yes, it was awkward. Very awkward."
"Is Xeno like Nico? Tall, dark, and scary?"
"Jeanette!"
"What?" Jeanette asked, drinking from a soda can. "I can dream, right? I want my own tall, dark, and scary."
Dani rolled her eyes, grateful that Nico had gotten a call that had pulled him out of the kitchen right away and that Juliette had joined the kids in the living room for some video game that she insisted Lindsay play. Whatever it was, they'd had a debate over it being cute and a girl's game ever since Nico put it in his niece's hands. He'd been sneaky again, just like the other day, had to have known that the game would have that effect on her.
He got his call, uninterrupted. Dani got stuck with the mess. Again. Considering what she'd accused him of earlier, she wouldn't blame him for a getting a bit of revenge by leaving her the mess. She let out a breath. She really needed-they really needed-a break. Time alone. Together.
Of course, Dani had to figure out what she was going to do with the damn papers first. She couldn't leave them shoved in a drawer forever. Her kids were bound to find them, and she had to talk to them about it before they did.
"Jeanette, I was wondering if you would be interested in having Juliette stay with you for a little while," Dani began. Her friend's eyes got big.
"Are you planning what I think you're planning?" Jeanette asked, excited. She clapped her hands together. "Oh, I am so there. I love Juliette, and I'd have her stay with me anyway, but if it means you and your man getting a little action, then I am in. Ray has the kids this weekend, right?"
Ray had the kids when Dani was in the hospital-was that really only a week ago?-and it should be her weekend with them, but... with signing the papers, maybe they'd want to be with their father. Or their friends. She didn't know. She was going to have to talk to them. She didn't know what she was going to say. She had to tell them about the papers, about the fact that her marriage to their father was... over. Completely. The papers made that official.
"What's that look?"
"Not sure I'm ready for this," Dani admitted. Jeanette gave her a look. "I know; I know. You like Nico-or this idea you have of him-and you think that I'm way past ready to take the next step with him. What Nico and I have is very complicated, and it always seems to get pushed aside to handle some new crisis, but then when I think about how long we've actually been doing this, it's not as long as it seems. Just... crazy. And when I think about the fact that I just got the papers-I know that I went out and jumped into bed with Matt, but that wasn't me. It was... It was jumping headfirst into the deep end of the pool that is my new life. I had to do it all at once, like ripping off tape or a band-aid. This, with Nico... It's not the same. I want it to last. I don't want another one night stand with a lot of almosts and maybes and regrets. Matt and I... Maybe it could have been something more. It... wasn't. I don't want that to happen with Nico. Both of us have way too much at stake here."
"Honey, every time we open up to love, it's a risk. It's huge. It's bound to be messy. Blood, tears, it all happens along the way. I should know. I've been divorced three times. I have found love, but I don't know how to keep it. You... You're better at that than me, even with how much you two fight."
"It's only been a few weeks. We've only been... dating for a little over one of those weeks. This is... I don't know. I push too hard, and I push too much, and today I accused him of interfering in my divorce. I got lucky. He didn't take my head off. He had every right to."
"Oh, sweetie," Jeanette said, coming over and hugging her close. "You're mixed up right now, and that makes sense. For me, it's simple. You're free, you move on, and you take this new man and new life and embrace it with everything that you've got. I know that it's not that simple for you. Don't put any pressure on yourself. Not now. You need time to figure out how you feel and what you're going to do. You know what we should do-and you can still take some time away whenever you want-but tonight... Tonight is a girl's night. We're going to have a slumber party."
Dani pulled back and looked at her. "It's okay, Jeanette. You don't have to stay."
"Sure I do. We both know that a certain special someone is not going to," Jeanette said, touching Dani's face. "Besides, who better to be with you as you go through your first divorce than me? I'm going to make popcorn. Can I borrow some pjs?"
"Sure," Dani agreed. She started for the door, and then she stopped, turned back and grabbed the pen off the counter. She pulled the divorce papers out from where she'd stashed them earlier and signed her name to them. She let out a breath. "Oh, damn, I feel sick."
Jeanette came up behind her and hugged her again. "It's going to be okay. It really is. But I think we'll wait on the popcorn."
Dani let out a shaky laugh. "I can't believe I did that."
"Did what?" Ray Jay asked as he walked into the kitchen. He went toward the fridge, took out a bottle, and stopped, frowning at them. "Mom, you okay? You look kind of... off."
Dani didn't know what to say. "I'm..."
"She signed the papers, sweetie," Jeanette explained. "Big step, and she's kind of feeling it."
"Jeanette," Dani hissed, elbowing her friend as her son dropped the bottle on the floor. She'd meant to prepare both Ray Jay and Lindsay for this-tomorrow. After she'd had time to process it herself. She was not ready for this.
"You signed the papers?" Ray Jay repeated. "So... you and Dad... completely... done."
She nodded, though it was not nearly as simple as those words made it sound. "Yes. Except the completely done. We're not married anymore, but I'll still talk to him, still have ties to him, because of you and your sister and because I did love him."
Ray Jay picked up the bottle and looked at it for a long moment. "You sure you want to tell Linds? I think she's gonna wig."
"I'm going to tell your sister. We'll all sit down together, okay? I don't want you to feel that you can't talk to me about this or that you can't... This is big, like Jeanette said. I'm still trying to figure out how I feel. We'll get through this together. The three of us."
"Hello, five," Jeanette corrected. "Unless... I don't get my slumber party and should take Juliette with me now?"
Dani looked at Ray Jay. He shrugged. "I... don't know. I guess we should see how Lindsay reacts first."
Dani wasn't sure why they all found this particular game so amusing. As far as entertainment value went, she really thought that there were dozens of other video games that would have been more fun to watch, but for some reason, they were all in the living room, cheering on Lindsay and Juliette as they worked as a surprising team to drive back the zombie horde. Normally, with a "slumber party" like she and Jeanette were supposed to be having, they'd be watching so-called chick flicks and drinking bottles worth of wine. It was an adjustment, having a dry house, but it hadn't been bad. Not really.
"Butter, now! Put butter on that one," Juliette cried. "The big one, not the one with the cone!"
"I'm trying. Put one of those cabbage things over there," Lindsay said, pointing to the screen frantically.
Dani looked over at Jeanette. Her friend pelted her with popcorn. Ray Jay grabbed a handful from the bowl and sat back. Dani smiled. "I think I figured it out. It's not the game. It's watching them play it."
Ray Jay laughed, shaking his head a little. "They are pretty entertaining, but took you long enough to figure that one out, Mom."
Dani made a face, but she had to smile. The night was still going better than she'd expected, especially after the revelation that she'd signed the papers. She'd sat down with Ray Jay and Lindsay, told Lindsay what happened, and gotten a blank stare for a good twenty minutes before Juliette interrupted-walking in and pouting dramatically because the zombies had eaten her brains and completely derailing the conversation. Still no screams, no hysterics, no I hate you, mom followed by door slamming. Juliette had offered Lindsay the controller, and that was pretty much it for the night. Dani expected to hear something tomorrow, when the shock and denial had worn off, but she liked this. She shouldn't. Lindsay and Ray Jay-even Dani-weren't dealing with how they really felt about her signing the papers, but they were getting along for a change, and that... That was priceless.
The doorbell rang, and Dani started to get up. Jeanette held up a hand. "I'll do it. You stay where you are. No more abusing that ankle, okay?"
Dani sighed. She waited until Jeanette had left before she got up herself. She caught Ray Jay's look and held up a hand. She was fine. Really. It wasn't that bad. It wasn't broken, after all, just sprained, so she'd be fine. She limped to the doorway and then to the table, taking hold of it to steady herself as she saw Nico in the doorway. She hadn't really expected it to be anyone else.
"I should just give you a key," Dani called to him, and he frowned at her again. No, she might not have been in trouble because Xeno "busted" them, but she was in trouble with Nico, at least. "So you don't have to knock? You wouldn't have to stay. You're welcome to, of course, as long as Juliette is here, at least."
Jeanette forced a smile and ducked past Dani as she went into the living room. Dani frowned after her and turned back to Nico. It wasn't like she objected to being alone with Nico, but Jeanette didn't have to make it so obvious. "Really, a key would make things simple."
"I could have picked the lock, but ringing the door bell is polite."
She gripped the table harder. "Okay, yes. I thought after the whole accusation-freak out thing and then the kiss that Xeno walked in on and then the phone call that you were... done for the night."
"Unfortunately not."
"Unfortunately?" she asked, watching him cross the room to her. Was he about to pick her up again? No. Not going to happen. She didn't need to be carried. "Nico-Wait a minute. Why do you smell like a brewery?"
He held up a hand immediately. "I'm sober."
She winced. She actually hadn't thought of that. Even before she knew that he was a recovering alcoholic, she just didn't picture Nico and a lot of beer and drinking together. It didn't fit him. "It wasn't-I didn't accuse you of anything this time. I swear."
He shrugged, dismissing it like it was nothing when it really wasn't. "It would be a logical assumption. I may even be slightly affected by the amount that's currently on my clothing, but I didn't drink anything."
He walked past her, and Dani shook her head as she followed him into the living room. He looked at the tv screen and the two girls arguing over what they needed to do to pass survive the zombies and shook his head. "Juliette, I need to talk to you."
"Just a second, Uncle Nico. After the level's done."
He looked like he wanted to tell her no, but he slowly nodded. Dani sat back down next to Ray Jay and Jeanette. Her friend gave her a look, and Dani shook her head. She didn't know what was going on, and she was trying not to freak out again. Yes, now that he'd mentioned it, a part of her did doubt that Nico was only wearing the alcohol, and she didn't like that part of her very much. She watched the girls finish, high-fiving each other and laughing. Nico looked surprised to see them getting along.
"Wow. I think I could get high off your coat, Nico," Juliette told him. She plugged her nose and waved a hand in front of her face, but the humor died quickly. "What happened to you? Don't tell me you threw away fifteen years. Please?"
He shook his head. "I didn't. It was thrown at me. That's not important, though if I'd realized it would be this much of a distraction, I would have stopped to change. It was already late, so I had decided not to delay further, but I should have."
"Nico, what happened?"
He sighed. He glanced toward the others in the room and started to move away again, but Dani rose again, and his niece caught his arm. He lowered his head for a moment and then looked at her. "Juliette, your mother... She left rehab."
Dani winced, sitting back down. She knew that Nico hadn't been very optimistic about it, but they'd all kind of thought that with the divorce, Gabriella would last longer than this.
Juliette shook her head, fighting tears. "I don't understand. I thought she had to stay. I thought she really would do it this time. She said she wanted the divorce. It should have kept her sober. It should have."
Nico put his arms around his niece. She leaned against his chest, curling her fingers in his coat. "It's not fair. It's not. It... I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I should have known. I should have listened to you. You were right."
He combed his fingers through her hair. "I wanted to be wrong. I really did."
Chapter Thirty-Eight