Disclaimer: I don't own NUMB3RS, it's characters, or anything like that. I'm not making any money off this, no copyright infringement intended, so please don't sue.

A/N: This story just sort of popped into my head and I started typing. This story is set about 2nd/3rd season. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 1 - Dad?

Don was sitting at his desk, checking his email. It had been an uneventful morning so far. They didn't have a new case, and for once they were actually caught up on their paperwork.

"Excuse me."

Don looked up when he heard the tentative voice. Its owner was a young dark haired teenage girl holding a baby and carrying both a backpack and a diaper bag.

"Can I help you?" Don questioned, standing to face the girl.

"Are you Don Eppes?" she asked brusquely.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Veronica Hanson," she introduced herself, shifting the baby to her other arm so she could extend her hand to him in greeting.

"Nice to meet you Veronica," Don replied politely, shaking her hand.

"Roni," she corrected.

Don smiled a little. "OK, Roni. So, what can I do for you?"

"I think you might know my mother, Jennifer Hanson," Roni started cautiously.

"Oh, yeah, I know Jennifer," Don agreed, recognizing the name. "I haven't seen her in about a year though. How's she doing?"

"She's fine," Roni answered dismissively. "You two dated, right?" she asked hastily.

Don raised an eyebrow at the teenager's tone, but slowly nodded. "Yeah...We dated for about a month. Why?" he asked, curiously.

Roni took a deep breath. "Well, this," she started, nodding to the baby in her arms, "is my little sister April. She's your daughter," Roni told him bluntly.

Don's eyes widened slightly. "What?" he questioned shortly.

Roni sighed and handed April to him, ignoring his protests of holding the baby.

"Wait a sec-" Don started, but Roni cut him off after pulling a piece of paper out of the diaper bag.

"This is April's birth certificate," she stated tersely. "According to this you're her father."

Don glanced down at the content looking dark haired baby girl in his arms and back up at Roni. He opened his mouth to say something else, but once again she didn't give him the chance.

"Look, Mom took off this morning," Roni told him. "I woke up, and she was gone. No note, no nothing. April was still in her crib, everything else was just like normal except Mom and all of her stuff were gone," she continued calmly. "Now, I love my sister, but I'm fourteen, I can't take care of her. You're her father."

Don's mouth had dropped open slightly during Roni's explanation, and now he was in a state of shock. Unfortunately, Roni wasn't giving him much time to get past that.

"Here's all of her stuff, I put her birth certificate, medical records, all that stuff in here too," she informed him, setting the diaper bag on his desk. "Now I gotta go to school. Bye April, I love you," she whispered to the baby, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Take care of my sister, OK?" Roni told him firmly before turning to leave.

Snapping out of his shock for a moment, Don went after her.

"Hang on a second," he called after Roni, who glanced back but didn't stop walking. "You can't just come in here and hand me a kid, telling me it's mine."

Roni rolled her eyes. "You are her father, just look at the birth certificate. If you don't believe that then get a paternity test," she retorted. "And she's not an it, she's a baby girl. But she's your daughter, and since Mom decided to quit the parent gig, it falls to you to be her parent."

Don grabbed Roni's arm in annoyance to stop her from getting on the elevator. "Look, just because I may be this kid's dad doesn't mean you can just walk in here and hand her to me and expect me to automatically be a parent," he snapped, though not as harshly as he normally would because of the baby still in his arm. Roni opened her mouth to protest, but Don continued before she got the chance. "No, listen. If, if I am her father," he started firmly, but calmer. "There are ways to do this, OK? But this isn't one of them."

"Hey Donnie."

Don glanced over, with a pang of unease, at his father who had just stepped off the elevator. Roni too was looking at Alan, having followed Don's gaze.

"Hello," Alan greeted politely to Roni, but then turned to the baby in Don's arm. "And who is this?" he asked sweetly.

"That's April," Roni answered with a smile that Don didn't like one bit. "Is this your dad?" she asked Don, who sighed.

"Yes," he answered slowly, with a warning laced in his tone that he hoped Alan wouldn't catch but Roni would.

Roni did catch it, but smirked and turned to Alan anyway. "Hi, Veronica Hanson, but you can call me Roni," she introduced herself, shaking Alan's hand.

"Nice to meet you Roni," Alan replied, looking slightly confused.

"April is your granddaughter, I was just dropping her off with Don," Roni told him.

Don closed his eyes in apprehension. He was still in shock, and the fact that his father now knew that April might be his wasn't helping him any.

"Don has a daughter?" Alan repeated in slight disbelief.

Don opened his eyes warily to see Roni nod.

"Yeah, apparently he dated my mom about a year ago, and well, three months ago April came along," she answered.

Alan gave Don an incredulous look, but Don tried to ignore it.

"Roni-" Don started, trying yet again to protest what she was doing, but she ignored him.

"Well, I need to get to school, I'm late enough as it is," she muttered. "See ya," she waved, getting onto the elevator. "And I meant what I said, Don," Roni called before the doors shut. "Take care of my sister."

And then the elevator doors shut and Roni was gone, leaving a still shocked Don staring at the spot where she had been, with April still contently resting in his arms, and Alan watching his son with astonishment.

A/N: Well, I hope you liked the first chapter! I'll try to upload the second one soon. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!