Work Text:
Danielle
by Buffy
Fandom: Hustle
Rating: PG for language
Notes: I don't quite remember how the idea came about, but Python and I had two different ideas about how to treat the same situation. So, here's my take on it. Thanks to Python for the beta and encouragement, since my muses were supremely uncooperative for a while with this one.
He could hear the shouting the minute the elevator doors opened. Mickey shot a grin at Stacie, "Sounds like Danny's getting a taste of what it's like, trying to train some cocky kid to be a great con artist."
Stacie only frowned, "Danny and Billy get on well, actually. And Billy's a little less willing to be confrontational than Danny was."
Mickey cocked his head, "Are Ash and Danny having troubles?" It was the only other explanation he could come up with for a shouting match in the flat the crew was staying in, though he hated to think his old friend and his protégé might be fighting.
Albert laughed as Stacie answered absentmindedly, digging into her purse for the keys, "Hardly. I had to tell them to shag in their own room instead of on the couch yesterday."
"—Nosey little bastard—" Nothing could have surprised Mickey more than the sight of Ash standing toe-to-toe with a young man he assumed to be Billy, angry and shouting. The movement of the door must have caught his eye, because Ash wheeled around to face them, anger morphing into dismay. "Bloody hell, Mick. You would have to come back a day early!"
Danny's quiet, "Shit," and the sound of someone running up the stairs followed by the slam of the door to the roof distracted Mickey only for a moment. "Ash, what's going on?" Mickey asked cautiously, not getting too close in case Ash started throwing punches. He'd never seen his friend this angry before.
The older man ran a hand through his hair, "Ask Billy, I'm going to check on Danny." He shot the kid a glare as he took the stairs to the roof two at a time. Billy flopped into a chair with a petulant look on his face. Mickey, Stacie, and Albert took seats on the couch and the chairs by him.
Mickey watched the young black man squirm under his scrutiny. At the moment he looked more like a schoolboy in the headmaster's office than a competent grifter, but Mickey trusted Albert's judgment that Billy had the potential to be another Mickey Bricks (or Danny Blue.) Billy looked over towards Stacie and Albert for support, "How'm I the bad guy here, I didn't do anything wrong, not really."
Mickey leaned forward, "I've worked with Ash for a very long time. Except when he needed to for a con, I've never seen Ash angry enough to shout, much less loud enough to be heard down the hall. So, before he comes back from checking on Danny, why don't you tell us how you accomplished this feat."
Billy slumped down into his chair, "I saw Ash going into a restaurant with his arm around a girl. I didn't believe it, so I followed them."
Stacie interrupted, "Ash? Our Ash, cheating? I've known spaniels that could take a lesson in loyalty from Ash, there's no way he's cheating on Danny!"
Billy sat up, "That's what I thought! But I saw it all; Ash was on a date with a girl." Billy threw himself to his feet, too agitated to stay seated. "Danny's me mate, he's like a brother to me. So I was pissed that Ash would do that to him. I just . . . I just wanted to know why he'd do that to Danny."
"Obviously you were mistaken. Otherwise, why would both Ash and Danny be upset with you and not each other?"
Ash answered Mickey's question from the stairs, "Because I wasn't with a girl, I was with Danny." Now that he'd calmed down, he looked tired and a bit sad. "That's why he hiding out up on the roof. We came straight here to have it out with Billy behind closed doors."
Stacie looked like someone had slapped her, "You were with . . . and Billy thought . . ."
"You've got to admit, Ash, it's a bit of a story for us to swallow," Mickey turned towards his old friend. "I mean, we've never seen any hints of him wanting to look through Stacie's closet, you know."
Ash Sighed as he flopped down on the couch. "He ain't a cross-dresser. You know what happened the first time we went to that restaurant? Lot of people had something to say about two blokes having an evening out together. And the loud ones weren't too friendly about it, either." Ash shook a cigarette out and lit it. He looked over at Albert, "You know how Danny is, he don't deal well with that kind of attention. That wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last, either."
Mickey could almost see the dots connecting in his mentor's mind. Albert nodded slowly, "Indeed. Young Daniel has an ego, but it can be very fragile. He led the team, but he needed us to reassure him that he was the leader."
Mickey rolled his eyes, "And Danny, being Danny, somehow comes up with the brilliant idea that if one of you was a woman, you'd be able to go out on normal dates without those kinds of comments. And since you'd make an incredibly ugly woman," Mickey smirked as Ash grinned and flipped him the bird, "Danny becomes Danielle."
"That's about the size of it. And now he's worrying himself sick up there wondering how you lot are going to react."
Billy held his hands up, "Don't care, mate. Long as both of you are happy and I don't have to see you snogging, I'm fine."
Stacie reached over to scrub a hand over Billy's head, "Awww, poor dear. Was it that traumatic to walk in on them?"
Ash seemed to shake off his dark mood to join in on the teasing, "Traumatic for him, what about for us? Like having your kid brother walk in, it was."
Mickey looked over at his old mentor, "Albert, what's your thought on this?" He'd always depended on the older man to point him the right direction, and now he needed the help more than ever. Mickey agreed with Billy, he didn't care as long as he didn't have to watch, but he wasn't sure how to let Danny know that.
"None of my business what goes on between Ash and Danny." Albert had that grin, the one that usually meant he had a mark on the hook, "But it does occur to me that it might help me land a mark if I were to have a niece instead of a nephew. I hadn't brought it up because Stacie is nothing if not memorable. But a nice, quiet girl of modest looks would be just right for the part."
It took Stacie only a moment to turn over that idea before her practical side took over, "I'll have to see what kind of clothes Danny has for that. Let me know the look you want, Albie, and I'll make sure he's kitted up for it. Danny's fashion sense is good, but he doesn't have the experience I do with women's clothing."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that, Stace," Ash smirked, "His Nan picked out a few outfits. Pretty, classy kind of clothes."
"Absolutely unbelievable," Danny's Nan was a sweet old girl, but Mickey couldn't believe she'd been so accepting. Then again, she'd known Danny all his life, so there probably wasn't much he could do to surprise her. Mickey got up and headed for the stairs. He smiled and waved Ash off, "Might as well get Danny in on the plan, since he's the leader and all." Ash nodded, understanding that Mickey wanted to be the one to talk to Danny, that they needed to work out how they'd lead the crew now that Mickey was back in town.
Mickey quietly let the stairwell door close behind him, cataloging everything about the person in front of him. Not beautiful, her mouth was too thin and wide, and her nose was a bit too large for
conventional beauty, but there was nothing wrong with her body. An old-rose sweater with a cowl neck flattered her small bosom and revealed that she kept herself in good shape. A knee-length A-line skirt in a rose and green plaid added to the classic look, and the brown leather boots that came up to her knees hugged toned calves, displayed perfectly by the modest heel. Her brown cashmere trench matched perfectly, displaying taste and the money to indulge it. She didn't bother with a hat or scarf, shoulder-length dancing in the breeze.
It was funny, Mickey could appreciate that the woman he was looking at was pretty in a quiet way, nothing outstanding or memorable. Even her blond hair was subdued, what his mother would have called "dish-water blonde" rather than golden. But at the same time, Mickey could clearly see Danny under the wig and make-up. The loud, obnoxious, tenacious kid who'd badgered his way into the team and worked his way to the top. Mickey quietly walked over and leaned against the garden wall near Danny. He looked out over the city rather than meet the wary look in Danny's eyes.
"You'd better watch out. Stacie's planning a big shopping spree for you, and Albert's making suggestions."
Danny's tone was somewhere between suspicious and despondent, "What for?"
Mickey finally met Danny's eyes with a grin, "Well Stacie just loves to shop, you're just her newest excuse. Albert has decided a few of his personas could use a niece, and apparently Stacie's just too flashy for what he has in mind. So unless you want to be Eugenia or Agatha, you'd better be thinking of names."
"That's it? That's all you've got to say about it?" Suspicion won out. Mickey wondered again about the details and reality of Danny's family and childhood. Granted, none of them talked much about that sort of thing, but Danny rarely shared even the odd story about pulling little cons on teachers or bullies as a child. He'd wondered before if there was something there that made Danny so unsure of his place in a group.
Mickey stayed outwardly calm and cool, "Don't worry, we'll be teasing you about this for months. And Billy will be trying to make this up to you for longer, so I'd suggest you take advantage of it while you can."
Danny was quiet for a while. Mickey was beginning to worry he'd misjudged how to handle it when Danny asked, "Think we could use another kid on the crew?"
"Might help to have another fixer, Ash is good, but the technology is getting too much for one man to keep track of. Albert will have to retire eventually, and I'll become the roper, you'll be the inside man. Why do you ask?"
There was an unholy twinkle in Danny's eye that matched the grin spreading across his face, "Because I think Billy needs to prove himself with the Henderson Challenge."
end