title: Analise

author: Bambiblake007

disclaimer: i do not own CSI:NY or it's characters, i do have visitation rights, tho. oh, i do own the baby :)

rated: G

pairing(s): Danny Messer/Rikki Sandoval romantic Danny Messer/Don Flack friendship

author's note: i wrote this on a whim. i posted it at my LJ & got some pretty good reviews, so i decided to share it with the world, instead of just my f-list, lol. ok, while i do consider myself a writer, i DO NOT consider myself a fantastic fan-fiction writer, tht's for the pros & they kno who they are & they kno they do it best. i dabble, tht's all i do. but if you like my story, plz read & comment, cos feedback is love :) if you DO NOT like Danny/Rikki as a couple, plz don't read any further. you have been warned if you don't mind, then enjoy!!

author note pt 2: any/all errors are mine. i take full responsibility!!


She was the most beautiful baby Danny Messer'd ever seen.

She was a perfect shade of pink & her eyes were a deep shade of blue, much darker than his were. He'd counted 10 lil fingers & 10 lil toes, just as soon as the Doctor had handed her over to him. He'd noted that her hair was thin & a light shade of golden blond, like his own. There was no doubt in his mind that this precious gift from God was his. When he'd held her only moments after she'd arrived in the world, he'd made sure to smell her sweet baby smell & take in her perfect lil scent. He wanted the smell of his baby girl to be imprinted into his memory. He wanted to be able to detect her smell, even if she wasn't near him.

This was the first baby Danny had ever seen being born & he while he'd thought in the 9 months leading up to her delivery that he might pass out while in the delivery room, he'd done just fine. He'd held Rikki's hand, brushing a piece of her hair back from her forehead, whispering over & over that she was doing great. She'd been thru this before, birth, but Danny was new at this sorta thing. He was terrified, to say the least & had found himself, several times, wishing either Mac or Flack were there with him. He knew it was silly, wishing one of his collegues had been there with him, holding his own hand, but those men were the only 2 people in the world, besides Rikki, that he trusted more than himself.

There had been a moment there, when the Doctor had asked him if he wanted to cut the imbilical cord, that Danny had felt a bit woozy. He'd done it, after recollecting himself. He had cut the cord & had been relieved to see that he'd not broken the small crying baby lying there on her mommy's stomache. That had also been the moment that Danny had realized the baby really was a girl. Sure, the doctor had told em at one of the check-ups & Rikki had "sensed it" for sometime leading up to that particular appointment, but Danny had believed it, too but had still found himself holding his breath on the accuracy of it all.

Lying on Rikki's belly, crying with those strong Messer lungs of hers, there was no doubt that Danny Messer was the proud daddy of a newborn baby girl. She was the most perfect lil baby he'd ever seen. Even when she was all slippery with amniotic fluid & kicking at him, with this high-pitch scream that only dogs should be able to hear, he couldn't help but think about how breath-takingly beautiful she was!!

Danny was standing outside the nursery, peering inside it behind the glass. The room was sterile & she was the only baby inside it. She was sleeping peacefully now, all bundled up in her recieving blanket, looking like an angel. Danny couldn't help the tears that were rimming at the corners of his eyes. He had already removed his glasses once to wipe at em & he knew it was almost time to do so again. He'd been standing outside, in the hallway, for over half an hour, all by himself, just watching her sleep.

Rikki had been moved to her private room not long after the baby had arrived. He had gone with her, kissing her forehead all the while, telling her how beautiful & wonderful she was; how much he loved her, & how proud he was that she'd given him a beautiful healthy baby girl. She had complained of her hair being matted to her forehead & wished he wouldn't kiss her & tell her how beautiful she looked when she felt like she'd just been ran over by a mack-truck. But Danny had only chuckled, tears streaming down his face, & told her she'd be beautiful to him forever...no matter how awful she thought she looked.

Danny peered into the small nursery, watching as the nurse came over to check "Baby Messer" in her bassinet, he & Rikki had not chosen a name for the baby, yet, so the nurse had put "Baby Girl Messer" on the name tag until they could decide on something permanent. The nurse turned to the window, after a moment, & mouthed to him that she was just fine. He gave her a relieved smile & a small wave to let her kno that he appreciated her taking care of his baby while he could not.

"You gotta cigar, Papa?"

Danny turned to the sound of a familiar voice. Standing behind him, he saw Don Flack, his best friend. Flack gave him a cheeky grin & without a word, stepped forward & enveloped Danny in a warm hug.

"She's beautiful, Mess." Flack said as he peered into the nursery. "You sure she's yours?"

Danny made a face. "She's mine."

Flack's smile faded. "You kno i was just"

"I kno." Danny's eyes brimmed with tears once more. "I never knew it was possible to love someone you just met, Don."

"Babies'll do that to ya," Flack agreed.

Danny nodded. "I just wish Ruben was here to see his baby sister. I kno he'd be nuts over her."

Flack gave his best friend a reassuring smile. "Ya kno, I don't kno if there's a God or not, I like to think so, but in the line of work we're in, it's hard to really kno for sure. But I'll tell ya something, if there is a Heaven & a God up there, that's where Ruben is right now."

Danny sniffed his nose. "I kno that, Flack. I mean, I believe in Heaven & God. I kno that's where my lil girl came from & I kno that's where Ruben is now. Maybe he hand-picked her, ya kno?"

Flack pushed his hands into his pants pockets as he rocked back on his heels. "That's a nice thought there, Danny. Real nice."

Danny bit his bottom lip. "Me & Rikki figured it since we concieved her that night, ya kno?"

Flack nodded.

After a moment of silence between the two Detectives as they watched the sleeping baby in it's bassinett, Flack turned & gave Danny a grin. Danny grinned back at him, feeling warmth run through him as he did. He felt warm when he was with Flack, cos Flack knew him better than anyone else in the entire world. Sure, Mac knew a lot about him, cos he was his boss & Mac had picked him special for his team, but there were some things ya just couldn't confide in to your mentor. Flack was the go-to man when Danny felt threatened or angry or confused. Flack was his best friend. Simple as that.

"You did good here, Messer." Flack reach out & squeezed Danny's shoulder. "You guys pick out a name yet?"

Danny sighed. "I wanted Barbara, after mommy, but Rikki wasn't having that."

Flack chuckled.

"Rikki liked Madison. Mady for short."

"Pretty."

"Yeah," Danny agreed.

"So, what'd you agree on?"

"Analise."

Both men turned to see Rikki in a wheelchair, rolling toward them.

"What're ya doin outta your bed?" Danny asked as he stepped over to her, pushing her up to the window so she could see their baby.

"I came down to let the nurse kno we picked out a name so they can change the name-tag," Rikki said as she scooted herself up in the wheelchair to get a better view.

"Analise?" Flack asked.

Rikki nodded with a smile.

"Analise Messer..." Flack said aloud. "Gotta middle name?"

"Leilani. It's Hawiian, meaning: 'Heavenly Flower.'" Danny answered.

Rikki took a hold of Danny's hand as he spoke. She squeezed his arm, lovingly, not moving her eyes from their sleeping baby. "Ruben sent us a flower. A heavenly flower."

They continued to watch Analise Leilani Messer as she slept peacefully in her bassinett, unaware of the evils that lurked in the world she'd been born into. Unaware of the dangers that were right here in her own city of New York, the city she would eventually grow to love & find beauty in, everyday of her life. She was unaware of her brother Ruben & his death, unaware of the unfortunate event that had taken his life. The event that had brought about her conception, as well.

She was going to be protected, they all knew that. She would never be taken for granted, not even for a second. She would never be taken from them, they had vowed, like her brother. No, she would grow up & get the chance to live a life he'd not been allowed.

This was the beginning of something good. Danny knew that his life had meaning once more. He knew that he could no longer blame himself for the death of Ruben Sandoval. He had a precious life now to take care of. He had someone who was dependent upon him. He had Analise. His Analise.

Analise was the beginning of a new life for both Danny & Rikki. They didn't have to dwell on Ruben's death any longer, wondering what they might've done differently, cos he'd sent them a lil girl to focus all their attention on. Analise was their baby, together, the bond they could never deny. And the two of them loved her more than they had ever thought possible.