Page 96 of Caged
She smiled as she pulled back. "I need to be a great student first, but thanks. I will keep in touch. I'll call you tomorrow and make sure we have all of each other's information. I'll probably sleep late since our flight doesn't get in until late tonight."
"Whenever. I have your number if I don't hear from you." He turned to Xander. "It was nice to meet you. Thanks for all the help you gave us taking down Larry."
"We didn't do much. It was your team who got him." Xander took Danny's outstretched hand. "You take care of these guys. Don't let them get too serious. Keep them smiling, okay?"
"I will do my best." He smiled as Matt and D walked into the room.
Matt came to him. "Take care and know we are here for you if you need anything. If you get tired of these fools, you always have a place to stay in California."
D shoved Matt playfully. "Don't steal my team."
"I'd never…" Matt winked at Danny.
"Thanks for sharing your daughter with me. She's pretty amazing," Danny told Matt.
Matt wrapped his arm around Faith's shoulder. "She is, isn't she?" He kissed her hair. "I'm happy to share her with you. I'm glad she had someone to talk to while we were here and wasn't stuck with all of us the whole time."
Faith rolled her eyes.
"We better get going. The airport here can be a pain." Xander hugged D. "Stay safe."
"You too." D stared into Xander's eyes for a moment and something passed between them that Danny didn't even try to understand. The two were closer than brothers. "See you soon, right?"
"As soon as I can get away." Xander nodded.
After a short silence, Matt gripped Xander's arm. "Come on. I know you hate leaving, but we have a flight to catch."
Danny watched from afar as the three of them left. He would miss them being around, but not as much as D would. There was a connection there he found himself jealous of. He wanted a friendship like D and Xander shared. He had a good friendship with Jessica, but it was nothing like theirs, and what he shared with Marshall was on a whole different level.
"You okay?" Marshall came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Danny as he leaned his head against his shoulder.
"Yeah, just going to miss them."
"Me too. But Xander and Matt will be back soon. Xander and D make sure they see each other often."
But it was Faith who he'd miss most, and nothing would bring her back right away. She was going to college. He forced the thought back and turned in Marshall's arms. "How's Gary getting along with everyone?"
"Great. I think he'll fit right in. I can't say I'm happy about being forced to see a counselor but since I have to, I'm glad it will be him. He's been grilling Patrick about the stabbing, wanting to know everything about it. If we're not careful, Gary might end up going on stings with the guys." Marshall smiled. "You want any cake before it's gone?"
Danny shook his head. "I've had more than enough food for the night." He'd made a huge Italian dinner for everyone and had picked at the food all day as he cooked. He could probably go a week without eating again. "Did you get some?"
"Two pieces." Marshall smiled.
"Good. I think I'll tell Patrick and Rani to take it with them when they leave. Someone will eat all the leftovers at the STK house." Danny stared up at Marshall. "Do you work tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I need to go in for a few hours, but I won't be late. You can come if you want."
"Maybe." As much as he liked being with Marshall, he also loved being home to cook and take care of the house while he was gone. They were still working on remodeling the basement, so even once he had the upstairs clean, he could head down there and do what he could to pass the time. What he loved most was being able to welcome Marshall home when he came through the door each night. It was the one thing that really made him feel like they were a couple. The smile on Marshall's face each time he saw him warmed his heart and reminded him how much better his life was now than it had been.
"Did you and Faith have a good visit today?"
"That depends. It was good to have time before she left to talk, but we discussed what might happen in court and what I need to be ready for. She told me that even if Larry pleads guilty and doesn't force a trial, I need to make sure to do a victim statement at his sentencing. We talked about a lot of stuff, most of it depressing, but I'm glad she's been through it so I know what to expect. She was a lot younger than me, but what she couldn't remember, Matt and Xander filled in." His stomach churned every time he thought about being face to face with Larry again, but it was unavoidable. He had to face him or he would never move past what was done to him.
"I wish we knew what was going to happen. It's been a week. You'd think we'd hear something." Marshall sighed.
Other than the police telling them that Larry had been caught, and the media hounding them for interviews, they hadn't heard anything. The only reason they had as much information as they did was that Marshall and Jeremy had hacked into the police database and found out all they could. Larry was under guard at the hospital still, suffering issues with his blood pressure being high on top of healing from the castration. His cousin Dale was finally out of ICU and well on his way to recovery. Both men would be in jail soon, then on to prison once the trials were over. If it went to trial. Danny leaned his forehead on Marshall's shoulder. "I just want this over."
"So do I, baby." Marshall kissed his cheek.
