Hey, all. Welcome to the sequel of Breathe Me. I would recommend reading that one first. However, if you've stumbled upon this story by accident or something, I can assure you, you won't be too lost. I decided to delete this story originally and resubmit it, with some format reworked, so any reviews submitted from the first time will have to be resubmitted (if you want.)

For those of you who did read Breathe Me (and I am indebted to you who did; thanks for reading, reviewing, and the love), I made a few minor changes. I figure, if J.K. Rowling can decide she wishes she could have changed things after publishing thousands of copies of the Harry Potter books, in 67 languages, I can definitely do it in fanfiction. I won't make excuses why. None of the changes require re-reading on your part, I made sure of that (don't want to waste your time; but if you want to, have at it!)

The changes are very minor and as follows:

1. I added a bit of dialogue and action into chapter 2 of "Breathe Me." It won't affect the sequel at all, so you don't have to read it; I just thought you'd like to know. It's inspired by "Law and Order: SVU" episode "Swing."

2. The "protection detail/house arrest" in chapter 2 of "Breathe Me" has been expanded upon, but not changed. Thanks to TheCountessLotze for her help on that!

3. I included a mention of Dr. Luria in chapter 2, but didn't write it out. I just like her too much to leave her out entirely. I wish she had stayed on for the entire series!

4. I just recently realized I had totally left out the "Jules taking secret photos of Adele and Spike" bit from chapter 6. I plan on bringing it back into the sequel somehow.

5. Adele is not a paralegal anymore. She is an animal control warden. The former profession rubbed me wrong after a while, so I changed it to something I like better.

I think that covers it. Here is chapter 1. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Birthdays and Losses

Spike rolled over and gazed down at the sleeping young woman beside him. Her tousled brunette hair lay splayed across her pillow, her arms laid up by her face. He gazed at her face, his eyes resting for a moment on each small-but-deep scar that smattered her otherwise-pretty face. His eyes came to rest on the deepest scar, on her left cheek, caused by her head hitting the driver's-side window in whiplash.

Spike would never forget the day of the accident as long as he lived. His sweet, loving, kind Adele had been smashed into by a drunk driver, on her way from the bank to a team family dinner. The twins, Lewis and Kanya, had been with her. The driver had walked away with just bruises; Adele's injuries had been much more serious.

Fortunately, the twins hadn't been hurt, and after several weeks and extensive rehabilitation, Adele had made a full recovery.

Adele refused to do anything about her scars— she believed scars made people beautiful, that they expressed that people had stories to tell. Adele had never even been one to wear much makeup.

Lying there gazing down at her, Spike remembered the first time had had confessed to her that he loved her. He had just met her family, and afterward, she had broken down and admitted to him that she worried about him every day, about whether or not he would come back to her at the end of the day. That she was falling in love with him. Despite her worries, he had told her there was nowhere else he'd rather be. On the team and by her side. That he was falling in love with her too.

She had responded by loving him in return and being there for him when he needed her support the most: the following week, Lou had been killed in a landmine explosion. Spike had shut down and shut Adele out for a long time, but she hadn't given up on him; in the end, that was what had saved their relationship. Their relationship had blossomed and he had proposed to her on Christmas Eve, 2009. She had said yes, and they had been married on June 19, 2010. Kanya and Lewis— named after the late Lewis Young— had been born the following March.

Now it was March 11, 2012, the twins' first birthday.

Spike gently caressed her face and she stirred. She smiled as she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Good morning," Spike said, smiling down at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, once I took my headache meds," said Adele.

Despite that her cracked skull had healed completely normally, occasionally Adele endured debilitating headaches that sometimes left her laid up for hours, even a day or two, at a time. But the medication she took daily, along with weekly chiropractic adjustments, usually kept the headaches at bay. Usually, but not always.

"Good," Spike said, kissing her cheek, then kissing her nose, before meeting her lips with his.

Adele giggled. "I love the way you make me feel."

"I love making you feel good," Spike said, nuzzling her face. "If you are good, then I am good."

Adele smiled. "As good as I am, I am also hungry," she pointed out.

As if on cue, they heard cries coming from the bedroom next door.

"Sounds like we're not the only hungry ones," Spike said, smiling. "How about you bring the twins downstairs and I'll start making breakfast? You know what today is."

"I sure do. I like that idea," said Adele, smiling and kissing him again, before they both got out of bed.

They left the bedroom hand-in-hand and entered the twins' room next door. Spike took Kanya out of her crib and Adele picked up Lewis, and the babies stopped crying.

"Good morning," Spike said to the infant girl. He kissed her chubby cheek. "Happy Birthday. How's my little girl this morning?"

Happy to be in her father's arms, Kanya smiled and giggled.

"Did my little man sleep well last night?" Adele asked Lewis, who crooned and touched her face with his pudgy hand. "Happy Birthday, baby boy."

Spike kissed the top of her head before they headed downstairs to make breakfast. Adele smiled reminiscently. There were moments every day where her life seemed still surreal to her; here she was, married to the love of her life, who had given her two beautiful children, living in a wonderful home, with a job she enjoyed. Her life had changed much in the past three years.

Spike preheated the oven and started frying sausages for pigs-in-a-blanket in one pan, while scrambling eggs in another pan. In between feeding the twins baby food, Adele cut up fresh fruit.

"You spoil us so much," said Adele, as she set out cut strawberry pieces for the twins.

"I'm Italian," said Spike, smiling back at her. "Food is the answer to everything."

With the twins well within reach, they finished making breakfast and sat down to eat. Adele made Spike coffee and herself non-caffeinated lemon tea.

"You know," Spike said, as he alternated between giving Lewis and Kanya strawberries, "maybe that tea is the reason you talk in your sleep."

Adele looked surprised. "I do not!" she said, laughing.

"You so do," Spike teased her, grinning at her. "But it's okay. Sometimes I stay up and watch you, trying to interpret the conversations I know I'll never understand, trying to figure out what you're dreaming about."

Adele smiled, blushed, and turned her attention back to feeding Lewis.

A moment later, she looked back up at Spike, and saw him staring at her.

"What?" she asked softly, looking around. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're beautiful," Spike said, smiling dreamily at her.

"People always get used to beauty, though," said Adele.

"I'm not used to you yet," Spike said, leaning in to kiss her.

After breakfast, they coaxed the twins into spring jackets and took a walk to the nearby park to play. Spike and Adele held hands as they pushed the twins in baby swings and played in the sandbox.

Upon arriving home, Adele froze as she entered their house to find it covered in decorations, balloons, and a piñata, and gifts sitting in the living room.

"What the...?"

"Surprise!"

Spike and Adele turned with the twins in their arms, to see the team standing around the kitchen table, upon which two cakes sat, ready to be devoured.

"You guys!" Adele said, smiling and blushing. "When did you do all this?"

"I work fast," said Jules, smirking. Adele smiled.

Adele and Spike set the twins down on the floor and they ambled over to Jules and Ed's open arms. They all sat down at the table and enjoyed watching the twins smash their cake before eating it.

Jules and Sam got the twins push carts, a green one for Kanya and a blue one for Lewis. Ed and Sophie and Wordy and Shelley got the twins some cute themed spoons, forks, sippy cups, plates, and other feeding supplies. From their parents, the twins received more children's books; Adele was an avid reader and read to them every chance she got. And from Greg, the twins got shape sorters and foam blocks.

All too soon, however, it was bedtime for the twins. Hugs went around and Adele and Spike thanked everyone for coming, then they left. Spike and Adele took the twins to their room and laid them down to sleep, before going to their bedroom and winding down for bed themselves.

March 20, 2012, turned out to be one of the hardest hot calls they would ever have to make. In a complicated case, circumstances turned from protecting a frightened daughter and mother from the estranged father/husband, to the daughter turning into the shooter. Mae Dalton threatened her father with a gun, shooting at him three times, before Ed was finally forced to take the Sierra shot that ended her life.

The case would haunt Ed Lane for the rest of his life.

Every time he shot at a golf ball, he saw the back of Mae Dalton's head, as she fell to the ground.

Every time he looked through the crosshairs, he saw Petar Tomasic running into the line of fire.

He saw Goran Tomasic on the pavement, blood seeping from his shattered skull, the life snatched from his body, following the Sierra shot that had barely missed hitting his son.

However, these tough cases had their effect on the rest of the team, too. It took its toll on them all. In Mae Dalton's case, especially Spike.

Adele was writing in her journal when Spike walked slowly through the front door.

"Oh, hey, babe," she greeted him, standing up from her desk and going over to kiss him hello. She could feel how tense he was when she met his lips with hers. She leaned back slightly and looked up into his eyes. "What is it? What happened?"

"Ed killed a girl today," said Spike. "And she was young." His voice began to break. "She was much too young..."

Adele's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh no. That's awful. I'm so sorry."

They set the twins in the playpen, then sat Spike down on the couch to talk with her.

"What happened, Spike?"

"Two estranged parents couldn't get their act together and their daughter died because of it," Spike said vehemently.

Spike filled her in on the day's events.

"But I don't understand," said Adele, confused, "how does that directly involve you? You didn't do anything wrong. Why are you so upset?"

"She was right beside me in the truck, Adele," Spike said, rising angrily from the couch. "How could I not have seen the gun she had?"

"No. Spike, no," Adele said firmly, shaking her head as she looked up at him. "You did nothing wrong. She didn't deserve to die, but once she pulled out that gun, the protocol, everything, changed. She was an active shooter and you have rules to protect the victim. You know that."

"We lost Raf because of today," said Spike, his voice softer.

"He resigned?"

"Yeah," said Spike, coming back over to sit next to her. "Said he didn't want to be on the team anymore. That it wasn't what he had expected it to be."

"I'm sorry," said Adele. "That's unfortunate, but it's his choice. It's not for everyone."

Spike looked at her sadly. "I can't lose any of the others, Adele. With him, it's different. He's only been with us for a year. I can't lose Ed... or Sarge... or Jules... or..."

"Spike, I'm not going to say that's not going to happen," Adele said, lifting his chin so he looked her in the eyes, "because it is in the nature of the job that sometimes it does. But all you can do is hope that it doesn't; and in the meantime, try to keep that life as separate from this one as you can." He laid down and she held his fatigued body in her arms. "You still have me. You still have Lewis and Kanya. We're here. We're not going anywhere. And we're not gonna let you go anywhere, okay?"

Spike nodded, listening to her heart beating in her chest. "Okay. I love you."

Adele kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair. "I love you, too."

So it begins...