A/N: Hi guys! I know - I'm like a whole day late on this but I decided to embrace college life last night and... well, it's well over 24 hours later and I'm still feeling the VERY ill effects. But, I didn't want to let anyone down and I know how much some of you like these episode filler-inners, and I love writing them... just not when I'm dying. hahaha! So, I had a look about an hour ago and saw that no-one had written an episode oneshot, so I was like right, let's get down to it... so here we are! I hope you guys like it.

Special thank you to the lovely reviews from last time. You guys honestly have no clue how much they mean to me! Thank you! webdlfan, Sweet LIL loz, Meredith and Derek, Lindsay1234, Aveo amacus, MesserFamilyFan100, saderia, saturn567, FoxPhile, rhymenocerous, xxCrimexObsessedxPrincessxx, Hope06, Juliab24, messermonroeforever125, afrozenheart412, brendanakai, NothatRose, 18lzytwner - and last, but not least... unlikelyRLshipper!

Season 7, episode 3 - Damned If You Do

"Mommy, no bed!

"Yes Lucy, bed."

"Mommy no bed. Lucy no bed."

"Lucy..."

"Mommy!"

"Lucy!" Lindsay Messer growled at her little girl. "Please honey, you're sleepy."

"Mommy no! Me not," she attested, and then yawned.

"Baby girl, you are," Lindsay smiled and nodded slowly. "As soon as your little head hits your soft pillow, you'll be away with the fairies and princesses and you won't even know you're asleep."

"Mommy, I won't." She cried. "Me stay up!"

"Lucy, it's seven-thirty. Lucy knows that means bedtime."

"Mommy pwease."

"Lucy, Mommy said no," Danny's rumbling voice sounded as he made his way through the front door. "And whenever Mommy says no," he growled as he shut the door and locked it behind him, "Mommy means no and Lucy should listen to what Mommy says because Mommy is only doing it for your own good. Same with how you need to listen to Daddy."

"But Daddddeeeee!"

"Lucy, no." Danny shook his head. "It's seven thirty," he said sternly as he dropped his bag and pressed a kiss to Lindsay's head over the back of the couch. "And you know what that means."

"Bedtime," she whimpered sadly. "But Daddy, I don'ts gets to see you!"

"See though baby girl," Danny lowered his voice as he crouched next to his little girl on the floor. "Daddy went and spoke to Mac before he left work."

"Mac!" Lucy squealed.

"Yep, and he told me that a certain Daddy and a certain Mommy are due a day off with their baby girl. Do we think we know who he means?"

"US!" Lucy cried.

"That's right baby girl," Danny nodded as he pulled her onto his lap. "But if you want to stay up now I guess I could call Mac and tell him that Mommy and me will go into work because Lucy will be sleeping all day because she's tired."

There was silence from the toddler as she weighed up her options. She turned to her Mommy who was sat on the couch with her arms folded.

"Maybe I go bed."

Lindsay bit her lip as she shot an amused look at her husband. "Well, Mommy's glad you'll listen to one of us, Lucy."

"Mommy I go bed now."

"Oh really?" Lindsay smirked at Danny.

"I call Grammy?"

"No, no not tonight Lucy," Lindsay shook her head. "Grammy will already be in bed."

"Why?"

"Because it's her bedtime too."

"Why?"

"Because Grammy likes to get up early."

"Why?"

"Because she has lots of things that she needs to do around the house during the day."

"Why?"

"I know what you're doing here, Lucy Messer." Danny shook his head, cutting in for his exasperated wife. "C'mon, let's go. Up. Bed - you, now."

"But Daddddddeeee!"

"Lucy," Danny shook his head. "Bed. Don't make Daddy say that word again. Get up and let's go."

Sighing, Lucy lifted her little body up off of her father's lap and instantly reached for Lindsay. "Mommy up."

Pushing up off of the couch, Lindsay wrapped her arms around her little girl and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Thank you."

Lucy slumped against her mother, burying her head in the crook of Lindsay's neck, leaving Danny with a massive grin on his face as he watched his wife carry their very tired daughter to her bedroom.

"Need any help babe?" He called after her.

"Nah, it's okay," she paused in the hallway before flashing a smile at him. "I waited to have dinner, so we can o-r-d-e-r in if you want."

"Sounds good to me, babe." Winking at his wife Danny silently thanked her for using her head and not broadcasting it in front of Lucy that Mommy and Daddy were probably going to get pizza or some other yummy food while she slept and missed out.

"Say night to Daddy Lu,"

"Night night," Lucy whimpered as she held her hand up and waved pathetically at her father.

"G'night baby girl," Danny whispered as he blew a kiss to her across the hall. "Daddy loves you."

"Wub you." Lucy whispered before Lindsay disappeared into their daughter's room.

"Mommy," Lucy whispered just as Lindsay plugged in her daughter's night-light. "Mommy, tell me a stowy."

"A story?" Lindsay pondered. "What story do you want?"

Reaching out of her toddler bed, Lucy picked up a discarded book that lay on the floor. "This!"

"That?" Lindsay narrowed her eyes to try and see the title of the book in the dark. "But Lu, we read that yesterday, remember?"

"Mommy..."

"Alright," Lindsay sighed heavily, trying to remind herself that the time she spent with Lucy now was precious because it wasn't often she got to be home for Lucy's bedtime. "One story..." she said as she turned the lamp on that sat next to Lucy's bed.

She took the book from Lucy's little hands and settled on the floor next to her daughter, trying to avoid sitting on the masses of dolls, toys and tea-set that was littering the little girl's floor. Clearing her throat, Lindsay began reading the story. "Plop was a baby owl. He lived with his Mommy and Daddy at the top of a very tall tree... Plop was just a regular, ordinary baby owl – as regular and as ordinary as a baby owl ever was... except for just one thing..." Lindsay trailed off, letting Lucy take the lead.

"Plop was 'fraid of da dark." Lucy finished from memory.

"He was," Lindsay nodded with a soft soothing tone to her voice. She closed the book for a moment and turned to her little girl. "What's Lucy afraid of?"

"Da dark," She whispered. "I don't likes the dark, it makes me sad."

"Aaaww, sweetie," Lindsay ran her hand up and down Lucy's arm. "It's a good job you have your night-light then, isn't it?"

"Mhmm!" Lucy nodded. "What are you 'fraid of, Mommy?"

Lindsay thought about it for a moment. "I think I'm afraid of not having you and Daddy in my life." she whispered as she pressed a kiss to her little girl's temple. "You two mean a whole lot to me and I don't ever want either of you to go anywhere without me, because that would make me very sad."

"Me?"

"You." Lindsay smiled. "And sometimes, when Daddy makes Mommy mad, you mean more to me than Daddy... but shush, it's our little secret..."

"Shush," Lucy giggled as she pressed a finger over her little lips. "Secwet."

Lindsay smiled brightly at her little girl before turning her attention back to the book. "'I don't want to be a night bird,' Plop told his Mommy, 'Dark is nasty'."

Leaning on the wall just outside his daughter's bedroom, Danny let out a contented sigh as he listened to his wife tell his daughter a bedtime story.

It was times like this that made him appreciate all that he had in his life.

He had an amazing wife, a beautiful little girl... an apartment that was incredible... in New York City no less. He had a fantastic job; granted the hours weren't the best, but it was a job he loved and a job he was good at. He had friends that he would do anything for, and vice versa.

Danny Messer, over the past few years had really transformed. He was a far cry from the bachelor with the pool table in his living room. He would have never thought that a few years down the line from that purchase that he'd share quite the night of passion with the girl that would eventually be his wife and mother to his child.

He pushed up off the wall and took in a deep breath as he basked in the comfortable silence of the apartment. He and Lindsay had done a fantastic job in finding a new place so soon after everything that had happened. It had been extremely difficult in trying to come to terms with having to let their first home that they'd gotten together so quickly and so easily, but it had been something they'd just had to do. He knew that there was no way that he could step foot back into that apartment after everything that had happened that night, therefore her couldn't expect Lindsay to either.

It had been him though that had packed up all of their belongings. Lindsay hadn't asked him to, or even hinted at it – but he knew her, and he knew how much the thought of going back to the crime scene killed her.

And it was then that he realised that they were doing the right thing. Their home wasn't a home anymore – it was a crime scene. It was a place where they'd been victims – where work had come home for the night. Home was supposed to be the one place that they could escape everything that haunted them at work. Home was supposed to be a base where they could raise Lucy without a care in the world.

And it was then that Danny realised that home could be anywhere – so long as he had his two girls with him.

So he'd pulled his socks up, taken a deep breath and meticulously gone through every single item that their apartment had held. He'd been brutal in deciding whether to keep items or not. Anything that reminded them of that night was gone – meaning a whole new re-decoration for Lucy's room in the new apartment – but in the long run, it was what both Danny and Lindsay wanted. Both knew she wouldn't remember a thing, but they would... and they knew that they wouldn't be able to deal with looking at the same items that sat in her room, knowing that they had once been stained with the blood of Shane Casey – the one person that had come so very close in taking everything away from them.

If there was one benefit from the whole ordeal, it was that it had done wonders for his and Lindsay's relationship. For them, their entire outlook on things changed.. There was no more arguing and going to bed with things unresolved. There was a lot more time spent together as a family. There was a lot more declarations of love ... and they'd become a hell of a lot closer. And a part of Danny thought he knew why – because he'd been able to step up to the plate when Lindsay had really needed him. She'd desperately needed a pillar of support throughout that time, and he'd been able to be that person that she needed to lean on when things got too tough for her to handle. She was able to rely on him to take care of her – and in retrospect of everything that they had been through, it was a breakthrough. In all their years as a struggling couple, it had been Lindsay taking the weight of Danny's troubles and burdens, but this... this had been a burden they'd shared together, and through the most part, Danny had kept Lindsay upright when she was faltering and needed some form of support. He could see it in her eyes too... that she found a new form of love and respect for her husband as time passed and she realised that he was really there for her. That he wasn't going anywhere.

He suddenly felt two slender arms wrap themselves around his waist and a familiar figure press herself up against his back. "What'cha doin'," she teased, trying to scare him.

"Nothin'," he smiled as he turned in her embrace to see that she was stood on her tip-toes in order to get close to his shoulder, where she had been resting his chin. "Just comin' to check on my girls."

"Ahhh," she smiled as he wrapped her in his own embrace.

"Hungry?" he inquired.

"Starving," she gasped.

"Dinner?"

She nodded desperately. "You get the menu, I'll get the phone... meet on the couch in two?"

"Plan," he chuckled as he turned on his heel but stalled for a moment. He turned back and cupped Lindsay's cheeks with his hands, bringing her close, and then sealing their lips together in a loving kiss. She responded instantly, but couldn't hide the growling of her stomach. They broke away, a grin plastered across his face, and tint of red sweeping across her's.

Silently, he turned and headed off to the kitchen, leaving her with butterflies in her stomach at the way he could make her feel at the smallest gesture of love.

Twenty minutes later they were both settled on the couch, him resting against the arm of the chair, and Lindsay's back pressed up against his chest.

"I absolutely love us being home like this," Lindsay smiled as she snuggled into Danny's warm embrace. "Our little girl asleep, no work commitments... it's like we're an actual married couple, not some superheroes out saving the world."

"No, you're just my superhero." He whispered as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Lindsay blushed before turning and pressing a kiss to his jaw.

"I was thinkin'," he began. "Maybe it'd be better if we waited."

"For what? The pizza? Danny... I'm starving and we ordered it like ten minutes ago..."

"No, no not that," He chuckled. "I meant wait to have another baby..."

"Really?" she glanced up at him. "You seemed adamant that we started trying immediately last week."

"I think I was just... well, perhaps there was something in the water that day."

"That's a lie," She giggled, "Either that or there's always something in the water."

"But what I'm tryin' to say is," he tried again, ignoring her smart remark. "Is that I want to enjoy what we have right now, rather than add another little someone, ya'know?"

She nodded slowly, and if he was facing her – he'd be able to see the look of uncertainty on her face. "I'm not sure I understand though... did the case today make you change your mind, because Danny, you don't have anything to worry about."

"No," he shook his head. "No, it's not the case at all; I was just kiddin' when I said I'd changed my mind... when I was listening to you read a bedtime story to Luce, I just... I'm greedy and I want my two girls to myself right now. We have the rest of our lives to add to our little family... but right now, I just want my two girls, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," she smiled. "But..."

"Oh God, don't tell me you're pregnant and I just said all of that..."

"No, I'm not," she rolled her eyes playfully. "I was going to say that you're not the only one that wants the two most important people in her life to herself."

"You too?"

"No," Lindsay shook her head. "Lucy."

"Lucy." Danny smiled.

"I don't think it would be fair, working the hours that we do and adding another little one to our family when we really don't have the time we'd like to spend with Lucy. It's unfair to her, and it would be unfair to the baby. It broke my heart earlier when she said she didn't get to see you, and she's right, she hardly ever does get to see us."

"Hence why I went to see Mac after you left and asked to take some days off. He wasn't exactly happy, but he could understand."

"Days?" Lindsay asked, picking up on the use of the plural.

"Yep, we got three days off but I didn't wanna tell Lu 'cause she won't sleep tonight otherwise," he chuckled, "Mac rearranged some shifts and stuff and Adam said he wanted a few extra shifts because he bought some wild technology gadget that needs paying off, so it was a win-win."

"Why'd you ask him for some time off?"

Shrugging, Danny wrapped his arms tighter around his wife. "Because I feel like we're missing out on each other. We only ever see each other passin' in the hallway and I hate that. I want just a good few days to remind myself that I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"You need reminding of that?" Lindsay huffed.

"No silly, I don't need remindin' of it... I just wanted to spend time as a family, especially after everything that happened this past year. I just wanted to sit in our apartment, order pizza delivery and not do anything or go anywhere. Just us being us."

"That sounds perfect," Lindsay smiled as she snuggled into her husband's body on the couch. "Absolutely perfect."

... and perfect it was.

Well, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. :)