"Is someone in here?" Derek asked again. "You've been here before haven't you? Last time you touched my books. This time you made a mess in the bathroom, right? Hello?"

Dani's hand clamped around her cell phone. She briefly wondered if she could use a hanger as a weapon. I'll poke him in the eyes so he can't see me and then take off running!

"I thought it was just my imagination but this is twice now," he said.

She heard the door handle squeak as Derek began to twist it open. Her mouth felt dry and she could feel the blood rushing to her head in response to her fight or flight instincts.

A loud banging coming from far away startled her.

"What now?" Derek muttered as they both heard a male voice yelling from the main hall outside the apartment.

"This is the police. Open up!"

The door handle was forgotten and Dani was able to take a sigh of relief. She heard Derek shout, "Coming! Hold onto your horses, I'm coming!"

Not wanting to stay trapped in the closet, Dani quickly escaped and tip-toed to the hall where she saw Detective Jax Michaels questioning Derek.

"Can I help you?" Derek asked, glancing at the time on his phone.

"I'm Detective Michaels. I'm here to ask you about your roommate Billy. He's been reported missing," Jax said as he spotted Dani inside Derek's apartment. His eyes widened for a second before he brought them back to Derek's face.

"Missing? Is this some kind of joke? He went out of town to visit his parents. He'll be back in a few days," Derek said easily.

"Is that so?" Jax gave a lazy smile. "Then why is he not answering his cell phone?"

"Who reported him missing? Was it that nosy freak next door? She's so weird. I can't believe anyone can just file a police report. If you want to know the truth, something's seriously wrong with her. I think she takes crazy pills or something."

Jax flashed his pearly whites and leaned in saying loud enough for Dani to hear, "Just between you and me...I agree. The reporter seemed like she was missing a few marbles."

"So why are the police still pursuing this?" Derek demanded to know.

"Because even if a total nutcase makes a report, we're obligated to follow up. Since we haven't been able to make contact with your friend...I can't just close this case," Jax answered.

"Not even if I give you my word?"

Jax gave a rueful expression, "I'm afraid not."

"The truth is that his phone broke and he can't afford a new one. Billy has been going through a lot lately. He went back home to talk to his parents about maybe giving him a loan. He goes to school and the tuition is expensive."

"He doesn't work?"

"Only part-time. I pay the bills around here," Derek boasted. "Listen, I have to be somewhere. Is this going to take much longer?"

Jax took a step back, "Am I holding you up? By all means, please go ahead and go."

Dani quickly tried to hide again, but bumped into a bookshelf. She let out a small gasp that was almost inaudible but Derek started to turn around to see if something was going on behind him.

"Or," Jax said to get Derek's attention, "I can walk with you to your appointment. You said you had somewhere else to be."

Derek turned back to Jax, "Sorry, that's not a good idea. I'm really in a rush."

"I understand," Jax said, once again stepping aside, forcing Derek to vacate his apartment since he said he was in a hurry.

"Err...right...so I'll be going now," Derek mumbled, clearly confused by Jax's decision to allow him to leave so easily. Derek took a few steps away from his apartment and looked back to see Jax, arms crossed, staring at him with a smile splashed across his face.

"I'm leaving," Derek repeated.

"Okay then. Either I or another officer will contact you if we still can't make contact with your roommate," Jax reminded him.

After Derek walked away, Jax waited a few minutes before knocking on the door again. Dani peered out of the doorway and asked, "Is he gone?"

Through gritted teeth, Jax asked, "Why the hell are you in that apartment? No, don't tell me. I probably don't want to know."

"You may want to change your mind after you hear what I have to tell you," Dani couldn't contain the smugness in her voice.

"Unless you're about to give me a really good explanation about why I, an officer of the law, should look the other way at you illegally breaking in and entering, I don't want to hear it. You're so lucky I decided to stop by after you sent me that idiotic text message about taking matters into your own hands. Are you trying to get yourself hurt? Or worse yet, killed? This isn't a game, Panda Eyes!"

"Did I say it was a game?"

"Actions speak louder than words. So what is it then? You get your kicks out of being in dangerous situations? Huh? What if he caught you? What would you have done? Doesn't that scare you?" Jax fired the round of questions at Dani.

"This is coming from the detective that likes to take risks? Wasn't it you that pretended to spill coffee on an armed gang member when there were innocent people around? I have to admit, I'm shocked," Dani said.

Jax grabbed her shoulders and lightly shook her, "This isn't a game, Dani. It's not okay to do things like this. I don't like it."

"You don't like it? What difference should it make to you?"

Jax released her and took a step back, making a frustrated sound in the back of his throat, "I'm an officer of the law. Of course I'm going to care. Aren't you scared, Dani? If you really think Derek hurt Billy, shouldn't he scare you?"

Dani slowly shook her head, "Scare me? Every night I get to see what frightens people the most. Do you honestly think Derek scares me?"

"What you supposedly see are just dreams. They're not real Dani. They can't hurt you. A fist. A knife. A gun...even Derek. Those are all real. They can all hurt you. Even kill you. I want you to promise me you won't do something like this again."

"And if I don't?"

He stepped close enough to her so that she was less than a hand's length away, "You want to say that again?"

Dani turned her head and held up her phone for him to see instead, "Fine, it was stupid of me but you're going to think it was worth it. I snapped this."

"What am I looking at? A trashcan filled with—"

"A bloody dress shirt," Dani finished. "I was going to grab it but what if you needed it for evidence? I don't want my prints on his shirt."

Jax inhaled a deep breath before letting the air out through his nostrils, "Dani, I don't think you and I should be partners anymore."

"What? We haven't even found out anything about Billy yet," Dani pushed her phone into the pocket of her jeans and stepped in front of Jax. "Are you backing out because of what just happened? I promise I'll wait for you next time."

"Wait for me? Do you hear yourself right now? You have no idea what you're doing. You're just throwing yourself into danger and I refuse to be part of your suicide," Jax said trying to sidestep her.

"Suicide? Who said anything about suicide?"

"Isn't that what this is? You're putting yourself at risk for some answers about a neighbor who's probably safe and sound with his relatives like his roommate said."

Dani opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it, not sure how to argue with Jax.

"Why are you so interested in what happened with this guy anyway? You don't know him that well. If you did, he would've mentioned his family to you in the past and you probably wouldn't be so worked up right now," Jax said.

"You're right," Dani admitted. "I don't know him very well. The truth is that's he's just a nice neighbor. I always saw him getting bullied by his boyfriend and it bothered me. It still does. It's like Derek doesn't even care about Billy and Billy's such a sweetheart. Also, Billy said he was my friend. He promised to talk to Derek about giving me a hard time. What if they fought because of me? It hurts to know that he might be hurt or dead somewhere and nobody even cares. What if nobody but me even notices? Nobody deserves that loneliness. Nobody."

Jax watched Dani stuff her hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt she was wearing and frowned, "Dani, are you talking about Billy...or yourself?"

Dani looked up at Jax and whispered, "Both."

"Fine, we can still be partners," Jax relented, hoping he wasn't making a mistake.

"Thank you."

"Under one condition," Jax raised a finger in the air.

"Anything," Dani was quick to say.

"You can't put yourself in danger like that again. If we're partners we have to keep ourselves and one another safe. You got that?"

Dani gave a quick nod.

"I won't be around to save you all the time. I may look like him, but I'm not Superman."

Dani bit her tongue to keep herself from disagreeing with his comment about looking like Superman. Instead she asked, "Detective Michaels, don't you care about the shirt that I found?"

"I told you before to call me Jax."

"Fine...Jax. What about the bloody shirt?"

"What about it?"

"It's evidence. Should we go back and get it? I can pick the lock again if you want," Dani offered, turning back towards Derek's apartment.

Jax shook his head, "No, I don't want you to pick their lock. I didn't hear you say that by the way and I don't know anything about you breaking into that apartment."

"So what are we going to do about the shirt?"

Jax groaned, "You're not even sure how the shirt got bloodied. It's not a lot of blood either. Maybe he cut himself. Besides that, there are these funny laws about how we're allowed to get evidence. I'm pretty sure it doesn't count as evidence if you break into someone's home and steal a shirt."

"Then we'll wait," Dani smiled.

"Wait for what?" Jax asked as they exited the building.

"For trash day," Dani wiggled her eyebrows.

"You know what might be easier?" Jax said as he signaled for Dani to get into his vehicle.

"What?"

"Maybe you should touch Derek and see if you can see another nightmare," Jax suggested carefully.

"It doesn't work that way. It's not that easy. I have no control over whose nightmares I see. It's silly to even suggest."

"Silly? As if the fact that you claim to see other people's nightmares isn't silly to begin with?" Jax shook his head in confusion. "Plus, you want to be some kind of trash digger and grab a shirt you're not even sure has anything to do with Billy."

"Now you're just being rude," Dani mumbled. She looked over at Jax who had started driving and her eyes narrowed, "You still don't believe me, do you?"

"What?" Jax's voice rose. "Of course I believe you. I wouldn't be your partner if I didn't believe you."

"Your voice just got higher. That means you're lying," Dani accused.

"It did not," Jax said in an even higher-pitched voice.

"Unless you're going through puberty again, I'd say you were lying," Dani said as she pointed a finger in accusation at him.

Jax responded in an overly deep voice, "Am not. You're imagining things."

After they arrived at King's Diner, Dani entered with Jax in tow.

"Dani, are you here on your day off again?" Dolores asked in a disappointed tone. "You should be out meeting men and having fun."

Oliver smiled, "Hi Dani. Don't listen to Dolores. She's just jealous. Are you here with another customer? I mean...friend?"

Dolores' mouth opened in surprise as she noticed Detective Jax, "Are you two here together?"

"No," Dani answered.

"Of course we are," Jax said, his voice drowning out Dani's.

"You two are really dating?" Dolores giggled, clapping her hands together.

"Yes," Jax answered before Dani could, "Isn't that right sugar cheeks?"

"Sugar cheeks?"

Dolores snickered before walking away and Dani gave Jax an icy glare, "Sugar cheeks? Boyfriend? Why did you tell her that? I work with her."

"What did you expect me to say? What if I have to come here more often because of the Maestro case? All you think about is Billy. Don't forget you have to help me with the Maestro. You're seeing his nightmares so it's someone you touched, right? I need a cover. I can't tell her the truth can I? I'm here to see if there's a murderer that likes pancakes and classical music?" Jax whispered.

"Or...you could've just said you're someone that really loves pancakes."

"With this body?" Jax gestured to his physique, smiling proudly. "I don't think so."

"Conceited," Dani said under her breath, not wanting to argue. Jax really did have a nice body. She was about to speak again when the Booty Pirates entered the diner, laughing and singing.

"Dolores, my love. We need some eggs and sausage today," Freddy called out to the older waitress.

"Hi Dani," Belcher burped and waved from the stool he was sitting on. "Who's the nark you're sitting with?"

"Nark?" Jax asked, offended. He looked at Dani and asked, "Did he just call me a nark?"

"He's Detective Jax Michaels," Dani said. "He's helping me find a friend."

"That's her boyfriend," Dolores told the boys who both turned back to a blushing Dani and a cocky Jax.

"How could you Dani?" Belcher asked, heartbroken. "I even wrote you a love song."

Freddy shook his head in disapproval.

Dani was about to deny Dolores' statement when Jax's phone rang.

"Michaels here."

After a brief conversation he disconnected the call and looked at Dani, "Bad news, Panda Eyes."

"About what?"

"They found a body in that wooded area outside of town."

Dani sighed, "Is it another victim of the Maestro's?"

"No. It's a male. Early twenties. I don't know how to say this and I could be wrong...but I think it may be your friend Billy."