Author's Note: It's my first attempt at Studio 60 fanfic. I watched it recently and fell just a little bit in love with these two characters. I decided to set it seven years in the future and sort of take it from there. It's a Danny/Jordan story. Let me know what you think!

XXX

Danny Tripp watched his daughter get her hair done for her party. Heather, an old hair and makeup friend, had agreed to come over and do 'perfect fairy hair' as Becky had requested. She was giggling and admiring the process in the mirror as Heather laughed along with her and curled small sections of her auburn hair.

"Come on, Jordan," Danny said as he waited anxiously for her to answer her phone, which lived on her hand most days. It went to voice mail after a few rings and he hit the hang up button.

She had been called to an out of town set late yesterday and promised to be back for their daughter's seventh birthday and party which was happening in about one hour. She'd called Becky this morning to sing happy birthday to her and besides that one time, neither Danny nor Becky had spoken to her all day. He'd left several messages, none of which had been returned.

"I have to pee," Becky said before she jumped off her chair and ran to the washroom off their main hallway.

"She's sooo your daughter," Heather said as she sidled up to Danny at the kitchen counter.

"Well, uh, yes," Danny stammered, he'd stopped explaining Becky's biology a long time ago.

"She could talk my ear off, and sometimes when she looks at me with those wide eyes, it's like a little version of you starring back," Heather said kindly as she reached for her glass of iced tea.

Danny always loved when people made physical comparisons between them. There was not one piece of DNA shared between him and Becky, but many people commented that the red in her hair came from him, or her eyes, or some of her mannerisms. The mannerisms he understood; he and Becky spent a lot of time together. But sometimes, late a night when he watched her sleep, or when she jumped into his arms after school, he could see himself. It made his heart beat a little faster each time.

He'd asked Jordan to show him a picture of the sperm donor (as he so eloquently referred to him) and she had. He had dark hair like hers, was pale like him, about the same height as him, but otherwise they had very little in common, physically. He was of Portuguese background on both sides and most of his family, Jordan explained, had darker, olive skin and even darker hair than his. And, when Danny went to visit Jordan's family over the years, he always kept an eye out for the auburn colour or even a red head to explain Becky's hair. Anyone he found had either married into the family or coloured their hair, no one, biologically speaking, could explain the predominant red tinge in his daughter's beautiful head of hair.

Becky ran out of the washroom and plunked herself back in the chair for Heather to continue her magic.

"You want some grapes, honey?" Danny asked her as he pulled some out of the fridge.

"Yes, please daddy!" Becky's face lit up. She loved grapes.

"Heather?" Danny asked as he pulled some grapes out of the bowl and started to wash them.

"I'm good thanks," Heather said with a smile. She looked down at Becky. "Do you like your red hair?"

"Yes," Becky smiled. "The only other person with it is Venti in my class. Hers is more like daddy's and mine is darker."

Jordan thinks that he willed the red into her hair with his love for her and the baby before they'd even met Becky. She had always argued, when he brought it up, that some things couldn't be explained and that maybe, Becky was always meant to be his. He liked that theory. On less lucid days, when he was tired and over-worked, he liked to think that Becky just was his, that somehow, someway, she was entirely his and not part of some Portuguese dude.

They also had not told Becky otherwise. She worshipped her father and Danny didn't want to change that in any way. The adoption papers were sealed, he had been with Jordan since before Becky was born, they had married soon afterwards and that, as far as they were concerned, was the entire story. They had agreed to re-visit sharing this information with her every four years; so next year they'd have to decide again.

"My mommy has brown hair," Becky said with a smile. "Hers is long like mine."

"Your mommy has beautiful thick hair," Heather said. "You're lucky you got that from her."

"As opposed to my thinning and retreating hairline?" Danny asked as he handed Becky her grapes.

"She got her colouring from you, skin, hair…but she should thank her mother for her thick hair, frame and great bone structure."

"Ouch," Danny said with a smile.

"It's my trade to notice these things," Heather admitted. "Only a few more pins Becky and then we can start with the butterflies and glitter."

Becky clapped her hands, her mouth filled with grapes.

Danny's phone rang and he ran to the counter to pick it up; he hoped it was Jordan saying she was close to home.

"Danny?" Matt's voice called out.

"Jordan?" Heather mouthed.

Danny shook his head in the negative.

"Let's go out to my car and get some more accessories," Heather offered as she took Becky by the hand.

"She there yet?"

"No," Danny said as he rubbed at his forehead. "Pizza is getting delivered an hour in, Rosa made up fruit trays, the fairy I hired should be arriving in about forty minutes, Heather's finishing her costume and hair and…and Jordan hasn't called since this morning."

"That's not like her," Matt noted.

"It's not," Danny said. "Becky is going to be crushed if she's not here. Why the hell did production have to shut down on…"

"She's not in control of that," Matt supplied. "You know it, I know it…"

"It's Becky's birthday and I'm about to have a house full of seven year old's and their judgemental mothers and she gets enough crap about…"

"I know," Matt conceded.

"You know what Kiera's mother said when Jordan picked up Becky from a play date last week? That she was happy to finally meet her and that she thought I was a single father…who the hell…?!"

"She was just being a bitch," Matt supplied. "You and Jordan get enough coverage…"

"Too much coverage," Danny interrupted. "See the latest?"

"The dinner where all the other executives were cut out of the shot?" Matt asked.

Danny kicked at the fridge, "Yeah, that one."

"That mother knew what she was saying to Jordan, knew who she was, knew that you weren't a single dad, and she did it anyways," Matt said with a sigh.

"I just think that in a few years, it's going to be harder for Becky to…"

"In a few years you two will be old news and too wrinkled to warrant any coverage," Matt supplied.

"Uh, thanks?" Danny smirked.

"In a few years she's going to resent that fact that her mother was away on her birthday," Danny admitted. "She's going to notice things."

"Like what? That her mother is successful in her private and work life? That…?"

"That she's not going to lunches and PTA meetings and volunteering for the play like other mothers, that she…"

"That she's showing her daughter that what you've described is not the only path for a woman?" Matt interjected.

"Yeah, maybe that," Danny said softly.

"Danny, are you upset that Jordan…?"

"No, I'm fine with it," Danny said, honestly. "She is a top executive for a major television studio and she is really good at it. And she's also really good at being a mother, in her own way. And I get more time with Becky than almost any other father I know and…and she's happy, we're happy, but there are days like today…"

"When you wish she was doing Becky's hair and there to deal with the judging mothers," Matt added. "And not get judged in the process?"

"Kinda," Danny admitted.

Matt sighed on the other end of the phone.

"You know, neither of you would be happy any other way, right?"

Danny silently nodded. He heard the front door open and then close and the animated chatter of his daughter. He walked into his office and shut the door quietly.

"It's just that she gets it from both sides," Danny said quietly. "The execs that call her a MILF behind her back, they look at her strangely when she is knitting a scarf for Becky in a meeting, or leaving early to get her from school when I can't."

"And then the moms," Matt added.

"Yeah, them," Danny said as he shuffled some papers on his desk.

"So, don't add to the judgement," Matt offered. "You are the one person in her life who gets her. Who doesn't question the last minute trip to New York, or the late night calls, or the scripts piled up around your house or…"

"I get it," Danny said.

"I know you do," Matt chuckled. "Sometimes you just need to be reminded that you get it."

Danny chuckled into the phone.

"She'll be there," Matt said softly. "She may not be there to greet the mom brigade when they arrive, but she'll be there for Becky's party."

"You and Harry?"

"We're leaving in 10," Matt said with a smile. "I'll sick Harry on them with her Holly Hunter voice if you like."

Danny chuckled. "Let's keep that one in the back pocket, in case we need it."

Danny disconnected the call and closed his eyes for a moment. Matt was right, his life was great. It wasn't what would work for anyone else, but it worked for them.

He and Matt left Studio 60 after three years and had completed one movie, had one in post-production, and had one in casting right now. Becky had grown up on a movie set with her father, and in the NBS offices with her mother where Jordan had risen to be one of the top and most successful executives for them.

There was a nanny who helped a few hours a day, a housekeeper, and then it was just them. Sure, neither of them had baked the fairy cake or handmade the invitations, but he'd been up until one in the morning hanging streamers, a happy birthday sign, and filling their living room with balloons that had mini lights in them and glowed. Jordan had called and sang happy birthday to Becky even though it probably meant that twenty people were sitting in a room waiting for her to return. And they were throwing what would, hopefully, be a fun party for their daughter, whether Jordan arrived before or during it.

"Mommy!" Becky squealed.

Danny's head popped up and he got to the door to his office in two strides and slid it open to see a rather dishevelled Jordan picking their daughter up and hugging her.

"What happened to you?" Danny asked as he took in her appearance.

"Long, long story," Jordan said as she met his gaze. He walked over to his wife still holding his girl and kissed them both on the top of their heads.

"I'm just glad you're back," Danny said softly.

"I wouldn't miss this!" Jordan said animatedly as she plunked her daughter down in her chair again. "Hi Heather."

"You like it?" Heather asked as she smiled at Jordan.

"I think the fairy transformation is almost complete, but…" Jordan said as she walked back toward a bag sitting on the floor.

"What?!" Becky asked as she watched her mother excitedly.

"But a fairy needs a wand and the one daddy and I got you was not quite right," Jordan said as she produced a wood stick with ribbons dangling from it, glitter all over it, and a beaded handle.

"Mommy!" Becky said as she jumped from the chair and took the wand from her mother admiring it and waving it around. "I love it!"

"Good," Jordan smiled down at her and then looked at Danny's raised eyebrow. "The other one was too commercial."

He smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they watched their daughter flit about the room with her wand.

"Come on Becky, we need to get your hair done," Heather called to her.

"You made it?" Danny asked.

"We hit the dollar store before getting on the train from…"

"Train?" Danny asked.

"Didn't you hear about the fog in…?"

"No," Danny said.

"I've been on a train for seven hours and…"

"Why didn't you call?"

"Uh, my phone was left of the plane I disembarked," Jordan said. "I couldn't go back, but Kenny said…"

"It's a beautiful wand," Heather said.

"My mommy made it," Becky said as she clutched it to her chest.

Both Jordan and Danny turned to smile at their daughter. Danny kissed the side of Jordan's face.

"I wasn't going to miss this," Jordan said as she looked at Danny. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help with…"

"Don't worry about it," Danny said softly. "You're an amazing mother. You made her a wand for god's sake."

"I made her a wand," Jordan turned and looked at Becky getting butterflies in her hair. "This man leant me his phone and I tried to call, but reception was…"

"It's fine," Danny said. "You're here."

"I'm here," Jordan said softly. "I better go shower and change before they arrive."

"You look beautiful," Danny said as he looked down at her admiringly.

"I look like crap Danny," Jordan laughed.

"Beautiful," he said softly before he kissed her nose.

She wanted to make a comment about getting his eyes checked and that she smelled like a coach seat on a train, but she said nothing.

"I love you Danny Tripp," Jordan said before she kissed his chin.

"And I love you Jordan McDeere," Danny said quietly. "But you are right, you need a shower because you smell like salami and I think there's glue in your hair."

"Way to woo a woman, Danny," Jordan said as she playfully slapped at his chest.

"Worked with you didn't it?" He asked with a wink as she disentangled herself from him.

"Sadly, it did," Jordan joked.

"Sadly?" Danny asked, mock hurt in his voice.

"I should have held out for poetry," Jordan joked as she walked away. "I'm just getting a shower Becky, and then we'll get you dressed, okay?"

"Okay mommy!" Becky said excitedly.

Danny followed Jordan to the stairs and looked at her as she walked up.

"There once was a woman from Virginia…" Danny started from the foot of the stairs.

Jordan burst out laughing and motioned for Danny to follow her upstairs. They had ten minutes, a shower, and a daughter currently being watched.

She didn't have to ask twice.