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Dani was not thinking when she saw Bright was in danger and fired.
He could have died if Dani hadn't gotten there in time. He'd rushed headlong on his own again, without waiting for backup, and ended up face to face with the killer in an old, abandoned shed. The killer's weapon of choice was an axe which he was about to use on Bright just before a shot was fired, and he dropped it, leaving only a thin cut on his cheek. She could have killed The Axe Killer, but she had aimed at the top of his right shoulder. Gil and JT handcuffed him, and Dani took the opportunity to check on Bright's condition and lecture him, the latter apologizing while thanking her for saving his life. Dani Powell knew that, despite his words, he would soon forget his lesson and she would once again have to save him.
Everyone is exhausted after that week, and the police station is gradually emptying, until only Gil's team is left. Malcolm had stayed to help out, as Gil judged his recklessness deserved punishment.
Dani sighs as she closes the file she has in front of her, adding it to the pile of papers on her desk. She slumps back in her chair and lets her gaze wander, her eyes settling on Bright.
Since they met, a lot had happened. They had gotten to know each other, to appreciate each other, to trust each other, and even to become friends. Then Bright was abducted by the junkyard killer.
From that moment on, Dani was scared to death, scared for Bright, in whom she had developed a blind trust. His carelessness had almost cost him his life, and she wondered if he didn't sometimes do it on purpose. She was aware of Bright's problems and the difficult situations he was getting into only increased her concern for him. She worried too much and had come to the conclusion that if Bright ever died, there would be a huge void in her life, a void she could never fill.
And then there was Eve. He'd made their relationship official, and they'd had a perfect love for all of two weeks before Malcolm told them he'd ended the relationship. He gave no reason, and he avoided the subject. Although part of Dani was happy with the situation, she couldn't help wondering if he had left Eve because he wasn’t ready to commit. Besides, was she ready to commit herself? Sharing her life with someone scared her to death, but not with Bright. She was ready to spend every second of her life with him. But he needed time and space. Moreover how could she be sure she was the one for him? Or even that he was interested?
Dani sighs again, when Bright suddenly looks up at her. She realizes that she had stared at him for far too long.
She smiles and stands up, grabbing her coat, ready to say goodbye to everyone.
Malcolm speaks. "You're leaving already?"
Dani thinks she hears a hint of disappointment in his voice, but she quickly dismisses the idea, convinced that her mind is playing tricks on her.
"Uh, yes, I'm done. Unless you need a hand ?" she asks, hesitantly.
"No thanks Dani, you've done enough!" Gil answers.
Dani smiles, ready to go, before JT speaks up.
"Wait, Powell. Tally just texted me. She's suggesting we do karaoke later to relax a little, you guys want to come? We're almost done here, too, anyway."
Dani lets go of the doorknob, pondering, when Malcolm says, "Why not! It might be nice. Are you in, Dani?"
He wouldn't take his eyes off of her.
How could she say no to a look like that?
The brunette shrugs before accepting. She turns to Gil, waiting for his answer.
"Okay, I'm in. I'll call Edrisa, I'm sure she'll want to come."
"She's easy to convince. Just tell her Bright will be there."
JT laughs. Bright rolls his eyes with a smirk on his face.
It’s around 9pm when the gang arrives at the spot where their little karaoke session was to take place. It was a nice bar in the city centre.
They enter, JT kisses his wife who is already there and everyone greets her.
"I'm so glad you guys went along with this! It's time to take your mind off things, and... you must be Edrisa! It's so nice to meet you!" Tally declares, smiling.
Edrisa responds to her smile, adjusting her glasses. "I'm surprised JT talked about me... and happy! I talk about you all the time! I mean about JT. I mean. Not just about J.T. About the rest of the team. Can you imagine if I talked just about JT? That would be weird!" She laughs nervously as she pulls a lock of hair out of her face.
"Yeah, like we're not used to weird things, already..." Dani whispers, thinking no one could hear her.
Bright gives her a sidelong look, raising his eyebrows when she gives him an innocent face, pretending she hadn't said anything. It makes him laugh.
Tally had saved a table and they all sit down, except for Bright who announces, "First round's on me!"
After taking everybody’s order, he goes to the counter and orders the drinks, when a familiar voice interrupts his thoughts.
“Malcolm?”
He turns towards the source of the voice only to find his sister.
"Ains? What are you doing here?" he asks in surprise.
"I should be the one to ask you that! Because unlike you, I have friends to go out with!" She laughs, teasing him.
"Touché" he replies, lowering his gaze, smiling, slightly embarrassed.
"And what are we? Your bodyguards?" He turns his head to find Dani smiling, followed by JT, who had come to help carry the drinks.
"We thought you could use a hand,” Dani winks. Malcolm grins and thanks them.
Ainsley can’t help smiling, pleasantly surprised.
"Well I can see you're in good company! Have a good time!,” she says, joining her group of friends back.
Without another word, they join the rest of their group too.
"Who wants to go first? Dani?” asks Tally.
"Oh, no, I don't. I'm going to need a little more than a drink to sing!" she jokes.
"You're a wimp, Powell,” JT says.
"Oh, come on, Tarmel, I know you're dying to make your voice heard!” Dani teases, her remark making the rest of the group laugh.
He stands up, a defiant look in his eyes. "Ok, I’ll go first," he declares, walking to the microphone under the applause of his wife.
Malcolm is still laughing, next to Dani, giving her a little nudge. "Afraid?" he asks.
"No. I haven't come up with a song idea yet! But I'm looking! And I know JT puts on airs but he loves to go first!”
Her smirk and sarcastic look trigger a new wave of laughter from Bright.
The evening proceeds with clinking glasses and reddened noses. Stories are exchanged, and everybody laughs at Tally’s absurd memories of JT, and Gil’s failed attempt at karaoke. The team is getting drowsy with exhaustion and pleasure, and Dani thinks she might have escaped having to sing when JT says, "You're the only one left, Powell! Don't run away!"
"Fine!” She jokingly pouts and drags her feet to the microphone.
She’d had a song idea all along but... she can’t stop thinking about Bright when she listens to it and she is afraid everyone will understand exactly what the song means. No. It is just a song after all! Why get the wrong idea? She is going to sing it, and that's all.
"Come on, kid, make me proud!" Gil shouts to encourage her.
It makes her smile. Gil is a very important person and hasn’t stopped supporting her since the death of her father. Bright acknowledges it and finds it very touching. Gil is as important to Dani as he is to him.
The music begins. From the very first notes, Tally’s eyes widen, smiling, and she glances at Bright. JT, Gil and him don’t seem to know the song and Edrisa is smiling too, ready to hum the lyrics.
I will find the time, we will find the timing
'Cause you are on my mind, I hope that you don't mind it
When Dani's voice reaches Malcolm's ears, he is filled with shivers as his heartbeat quickens.
You know that I want you, you know that I want you next to me
But if you need some space I will step away
Dani is beautiful. Not just physically. Malcolm had never met anyone like her before. It didn't take him long to blindly trust her.
And I know it might sound stupid but for me, yeah yeah
I just gotta keep believing and I've heard
And her voice is just as beautiful. Why he didn’t know? Why he didn’t guess that Dani was an amazing singer? She is still a puzzle for him... Malcolm's smile extends to his ears.
Some say you will love me one day
And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day
He begins to take an interest in the lyrics of the song. He seems transcended by them, he feels like they are alone in the room. Just Dani and him.
Just say you will love me one day
And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day
Dani, whose eyes had been closed until now, opens them, her gaze falling on Malcolm who is focused on her. Suddenly, she can’t seem to take her eyes off him.
I promise that I'll try, that I will try to meet someone
And there's so many guys, who told me I deserve someone
Malcolm can feel the look in Dani's eyes burning through his skin. He doesn’t understand what that feeling is. Why the song’s lyrics have that effect on him? Or is it Dani?
I wanna call you up but maybe it will only make it worse
I guess that I just don't know what to do with myself
Dani is barely breathing, her eyes immersed in Bright's icy blue eyes.
'Cause I know it might sound stupid but for me, yeah yeah
I just gotta keep believing and I've heard
Bright is breathless. Dani is breathtaking.
Some say you will love me one day
And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day
Deep down in his heart, he has the impression that these words are meant for him but ... no, impossible. He shakes his head and tries to come to his senses. It is just a song.
Just say you will love me one day
And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day
Yeah, just a song. A song that Dani is singing beautifully.
Just say you'll love me one day
Just say you'll love me one day
Malcolm catches his breath, clearing his mind. He needs to calm down.
I'll give you space to the moon if it's what you need
Just say you one day will bring back yourself to me
Dani closes her eyes, seemingly putting all her concentration in the last lyrics of the song.
Some say you will love me one day
And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day
Her fingers, until then hung on the microphone, seem to relax.
Just say you will love me one day
And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day
She opens her eyes again and says the last words with a smile. Malcolm's heart leaps.
Just say you'll love me one day
She stands up under the applause of the group and Tally's complicit smile, which makes her blush. If Tally had understood, would it be possible that Malcolm... no, it is Malcolm after all. In profiling a murderer he was the best, but when it came to understanding feelings... the same couldn’t be said.
"Excuse me girl, but you can sing?! You've been holding out on us!" JT shouts, still in shock.
"It's not like I get to show you at work!," she laughs, sitting back down next to Malcolm.
"You never cease to impress me, Dani."
The brunette smiles at him, "Thank you, Gil."
"Gil's right, that was really impressive," Malcolm says to her softly, almost imperceptibly.
He seemed to come to his senses, but he couldn’t shake the heat that had overwhelmed him. Dani blushes before smiling, "Thank you, Bright.”
That weird feeling in his chest again... Malcolm can't figure out what it is.
"Well, kids, it's getting late! " Gil says as he gets up.
Everyone seems to be following suit. They put on their coats and head for the door.
"Want a ride home?" the brunette asks the profiler.
"Thank you, Dani."
They walk to the car, Dani sits behind the wheel and Malcolm seems to be unable to fasten his seatbelt.
"Do you want some help?" she asks, a smile on her face.
"It seems I've had a little too much to drink tonight... " He laughs, letting the young lady deal with it.
As she approaches him to fasten his belt, Dani's scent invades Bright and his heart skips a beat. Gradually, Bright, who seemed to deny the obvious, begins to understand the nature of his feelings for Dani. And he had never felt that way before. Not even with Eve.
“Here, tough guy, ready to go!”
“Always there to save me, right?”
“Well I guess I’m your friend AND your bodyguard then!” Dani teases him, a smile on her lips, looking at him out of the corner of her eye as she turns on the ignition.
A smile lights up Bright's face, his cheeks taking on a slightly red colour.
The drive to his house was comfortably quiet.
When they arrive, Dani pulls over and turns off the ignition, which seems to surprise Malcolm.
"You could have just dropped me off.”
"You can't fasten your seatbelt, how do you think you're going to climb up the stairs?" Dani raises an eyebrow.
“True,” he laughs before getting out of the car, Dani by his side, ready to catch him if he stumbles.
"Is there anything else you're not telling me, Dani Powell? Besides your singing skills?" he asks, a mischievous tune in his voice.
“Well, you are the profiler, Bright. You could guess,” Dani smiles. She isn’t going to make it easy for him.
"I had no idea you could sing, so I guess I'm a little rusty!,” he pauses as they come to his door. "When you were singing that song... were you thinking of anyone in particular?”
A flash of surprise passes over Dani's face, and she quickly recovers, remembering who she is facing, but Bright noticed.
"I guess that's a yes... " he smiles.
"Okay, that's enough profiling for today, no more profiling!” she tries to cut it short, but Bright is stubborn.
"Why won't you tell me? It's obvious it's not JT and Gil, so it must be someone I don't know. You know you can tell me!” The possibility that it could be him comes back to his mind, "I mean, unless it's about m-" His question is left unanswered as Dani cuts the conversation short.
"Okay, Bright, no more profiling! You need to get some sleep. Besides, it's going to rain soon, I have to go." Her tone sounds hurried, so Malcolm doesn’t insist, only opening the door.
"Okay, sorry. I won't keep you.”
Once the door is open, he faces her, smiling one last time.
"Good night,Dani.”
"Good night, Bright."
As she is about to leave, he calls out to her once more, the words of the song she had just sung coming back to his mind.
"Oh, and Dani."
Some say you will love me one day
And I will wait, I will wait to get your loving one day
"If I'm right, you don't have to wait any longer.”
He gives her a last smile before closing the door, leaving her there in the corridor, thinking about those few words.
What the f* did it mean ?!
She tortures her mind all the way to her car, standing still in front of her door until the rain starts to fall, immersed in her thoughts.
But what do those words mean?
Bright had changed and put on a grey T-shirt and black sports pants to be more comfortable. He had brushed his teeth and was ready to go to bed when he heard the rain falling outside. He drinks some tea and walks to Sunshine to say good night before jumping on his bed and grabbing his restraints. He is ready to put them on when he hears someone knocking on his door. Frowning, he stands up with curiosity.
Grabbing the key from the counter, he inserts it into the keyhole and unlocks the door before opening it.
“Dani ?”
The brunette stands on the landing, soaking wet from head to toe, her pretty curls falling in front of her face, wet from the rain. In Bright’s eyes, she is even more beautiful.
"What are you doing here? You dropped me off 20 minutes ago, you should have been gone. Don't tell me you've been standing in the rain this whole time?” Curious at first, he is starting to get worried. She is going to get sick.
But Dani doesn’t even seem to listen to him, still in her thoughts. She doesn’t understand what he meant by that, and even if she has an idea, it is far from clear and it upsets her more than anything else.
"What did you mean, Bright?" Her voice is hesitant and shaky. Bright looks into her eyes; he sees the incomprehension and the urgency to know.
He hesitates .
"I don't understand you. You're always like this. Always so "Bright", always so cryptic! Nothing's ever simple with you, and I've never been bothered by it, but right now I need to know. I need you to be clear, Malcolm!” Her voice wavers, tortured by her thoughts and the need for truth.
Malcolm's heart is pounding and he can’t take his eyes off her. His name, which he had too often associated with his father's voice, sounds so good in her mouth. He wanted her to say it over and over again. He couldn’t get enough of it. He wanted to hear her whisper his name, he wanted to hear her scream his name...
As Dani's face falls, the brunette sighs, determined to finally go home. As she turns, heading for the stairs to get back to her car, she feels pressure on her wrist and doesn’t have time to think. Malcolm pulls on her arm and draws her to him, putting his lips on hers without thinking further. One hand lands on her cheek, caressing her face, neck and hair, while the other still hold her wrist firmly.
It takes Dani a few seconds before she realizes what is happening and responds to the kiss. She puts her arms around his neck to draw him closer, wanting to feel his body against hers.
Briefly letting go of her wrist, Malcolm pulls her inside and roughly slams the door behind Dani. He pushes her against it and leans closer to her, his lips pressing more fiercely against her own as the kiss become more and more passionate. He growls as Dani runs her hands through his hair.
The lack of air interrupts them and Malcolm moves away, placing his forehead against hers. He breathes with difficulty, panting and trying to catch his breath, his eyes immersed in Dani’s who is in the same state.
"Is that clear enough?”
Dani smiles before putting a light kiss on his lips.
"I hate you, Malcolm Bright.”
“No, you don’t” He smiles, his gaze passing from her eyes to her lips.
"Oh and how do you know? Because of my profile?” she teases him.
"No. Because of your eyes and the way you’re looking at me right now.” And on those words, he kisses her again, lifting her up to sit her on the kitchen counter, Dani wrapping her legs around his waist.
He puts her down on the counter and stares at her face, caressing her cheek.
You know that I want you, you know that I want you next to me
But if you need some space I will step away
"I don't need space, Dani Powell. All I need is you.”