A/N So, here is another DL one-shot. A natural progression from my first FanFic posted yesterday entitled The Sand Lot. Thanks to all who read and reviewed. You inspired me to follow my muse and try this again.

Disclaimer – Again, please, if I owned anything, I wouldn't be resorting to writing FanFics. Carmine and I would be very happy somewhere LOL

"Is this like the whole watched pot thing?"

Lindsay looked at Danny a little incredulously. She was not really in the mood for jokes and he quickly picked up on this.

He pulled her up to her feet. "C'mon, five minutes is going to feel like five hundred if we just sit here and stare at the thing. I can think of a few things I'd rather be doing."

She giggled and he felt triumphant. "I bet. That's what got us here in the first place, if I recall correctly," she kidded.

Danny grinned. He studied her for a moment then, seeing a look in her eyes he was not sure he really recognized. "You know, either way, it's gonna be okay."

"I know."

"I mean, if it's positive, then that means all of our hard work paid off. And if it's negative, well, damn, I just have to keep makin' love to you. It's a sacrifice, but take one for the team, that's my motto," he teased her.

"You are so bad. God help us if we have a son."

"Hey, we have a girl and she looks anything like you, Montana? She ain't allowed out of the house until she's at least thirty-five."

She smiled. "I can't believe we're actually talking about this, that this could actually be real."

He nodded, his expressing sobering somewhat at the thought.

"This could change everything."

"Yeah."

She bit her lip. "You're happy, right? I mean, if it's positive, you're really okay with this?" she asked, her tone betraying some uncertainty.

"Of course. Hey, I want this. I think I've wanted this since I first laid eyes on you that day at the zoo."

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Okay, now I know that's not true. You were so mean to me then."

"I wasn't mean. I was just – Ya know, it was just a kind of initiation rite."

"Hmm. Right. Sure. Telling me to call Mac 'sir.' "

"Oh, c'mon, looking back, it's kinda funny, right?"

In spite of herself, she shrugged, giving just a little.

"It was like me pulling your pigtails," he pointed out.

At that she laughed. "You're such a boy, Messer."

He caught her glance over her shoulder at the bathroom vanity, where the pregnancy test was sitting. Looking at his watch and seeing they still had a couple minutes, he took her hand and practically pulled her out into the living room of their apartment. He sat her down on the leather couch and sat down beside her, trying to distract her. "When did it happen for you?" he asked once they were settled.

"When what?"

"Ya know, when you knew you liked me and had to have me." He grinned at her and her heart quickened the way it always did when he looked at her like that.

She took his hand, tracing circles on his palm a little absent-mindedly. "I'm still waiting," she deadpanned.

"Funny, Montana. Real cute."

She smiled at him then, contemplating the question. "Honestly? I think it was when we were working that weird doll hospital case. When you took my hand outside on the sidewalk, it freaked me out a little that it seemed to physically affect me."

He nodded knowingly. "I remember that. That was the first time you shot me down."

Her eyes widened. "Please! You asked if I was hungry. That was hardly an invitation. Besides, I was just getting to know you then, just starting to separate fact and fiction. I wasn't about to become another notch on Danny Messer's bedpost."

His hand flew over his heart, feigning hurt and indignation. "I'm hurt that you would think I was only tryin' to get you into bed!"

"Weren't you?"

"Okay, maybe just a little back then. It's not my fault that I knew we'd be incredible together."

Her eyes moved over his shoulder, over to the pool table and she could not help the smile that crossed her lips. She looked back at him. "I was really wrong about you, and – and once I figured it all out, I wasted a lot of time."

"Hey, you had a lot of stuff to deal with. I wish you'd felt you could confide in me, but I understand why you didn't. And bottom line, we're here, right? So, what do you say, Mrs Messer? Want to go see if we're about to become parents?"

There was just a hint of apprehension in her nod.

Danny took her hand again and gave it a squeeze. He was suddenly feeling nervous, but it was a good kind of nervous, a more eager anticipation. He stood up and drew her up to her feet. But instead of leading her back across the apartment to the bathroom, he wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and he saw her eyes flutter shut and a smile play on her lips. "I love you, baby. And no matter what, that'll never change."

She sighed happily.

He leaned down and kissed her, gently at first before he felt a sudden need to deepen the kiss.

"Hold that thought," Lindsay finally said a little breathlessly as they broke apart. "We may need to draw on that …"

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Ya ready?"

She took a deep breath, almost getting lost in his clear blue eyes. "I think I'm just about ready for anything with you."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and they crossed the room and headed down the hall into the bathroom. They both stopped in the doorway, looking at each other.

"You do it," she finally said.

"Uh, why me? You're the one who peed on the stick. You check," he shot back, suddenly more anxious than he had ever been in his life.

"Yeah, well, you're the one who insisted on doing it in all those weird positions because of some crazy Italian old wives tales."

"I didn't hear you complainin' at the time, Montana."

"Would you just go look?"

He sighed. "This kid better inherit my calm, cool and collected nature."

"You believe that and I've got some property in Wyoming to sell you that's got a great view of the Pacific. Calm, cool and collected my ass."

"Do you want me to check the damn thing or not?"

She broke out laughing then, and he soon followed, both realizing their nerves were getting to them. "Just like a bandaid," she said, quickly covering the distance between where they stood in the doorway and the vanity. She picked up the test and just gaped at it for a moment.

"What?" Danny asked, the suspense getting to him.

"God really has a twisted sense of humour."

Danny felt his heart sink. He walked over and wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. "It's okay, Linds. We'll just keep trying. Next time –"

"No, I mean – I mean, uh, He's actually letting us become parents," she announced, seemingly in utter shock. She held up the test for him to see. Sure enough, there in the window was a clear, pink plus sign.

He looked at the test in disbelief. Positive. It was positive!

She turned around in his arms and looked up at him for a reaction. His shock mirrored her own, but he was soon grinning like an idiot. And she just relaxed into him, realizing they were sharing the same joy.

"I don't think I have ever loved you as much as I do at this moment," he said into her hair as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Danny."

He pulled back a little then. "Wait, what's the efficacy and reliability on that thing? Maybe we should –"

"You're such a geek, you know that? I don't need another test to tell me what I already know – I am carrying your child. And for that, I can never thank you enough." She tugged on his hand, dragging him out of the room. "But maybe you'll let me try …"

"Okay, but I don't think we should do that thing anymore, where you –"

"Oh, sweetie, I have some other tricks you've never seen. C'mon."