Danny sighed as he carried his little girl through the apartment. It had been an absolutely hellish day, and the feel of his daughter in his arms was almost enough to bring him to tears. He tried to push away the crime scene images, tried not to imagine Cassie laying dead in the park, but it was all he could do to just put one foot in front of the other.

He reached her bedroom, and carried Cassie inside, setting her down gently on the bed. As he watched her sleep peacefully, the tears came again, and this time he couldn't stop them. Toeing off his shoes, he laid down next to his daughter, holding her close.

"Daddy?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Yeah, baby," he whispered hoarsely. "It's me."

"Did you have a bad day?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, sweetheart. Daddy had a bad day."

Tiny arms snaked around his torso and Cassie squeezed him tightly. "Don't worry, Daddy. I'll take care of you."

He couldn't say anything to that; he just held her tighter and they both drifted off to sleep.

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The apartment was silent when she came in, and for a moment Lindsay was alarmed. She forced herself to breathe, though, and when she saw Danny's keys and Cassie's jacket on the counter, she knew that they had made it home safely.

Moving quietly, she went down the hallway, peeking into her daughter's room first. When she saw Danny and Cassie snuggling together, she smiled, leaning against the door frame. Her day had been long, but she knew it was nothing compared to what Danny had been through. He had purposely kept her away from the case, protecting her from the grisly images that no mother wanted in her head.

Lindsay came all the way into the room, and slipped into the bed on the other side of Cassie. Reaching out, she ran her fingers through her husband's short hair.

"Montana?" he mumbled, slowly waking up.

"Go back to sleep," she whispered.

He reached for her, letting his hand sneak up her shirt to rest on her bare side. "You're home."

"And you're snuggling." She sighed happily. "It's pretty hot, you know. What a great father you are."

Danny smirked, his eyes still half-closed. "Yeah? How hot?"

"Hot enough that I think a shower for two would do us both some good."

His eyebrows shot up at that. "I like the sound of that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But Montana..." He hesitated. "Can we just stay here for a little longer?"

Her eyes softened, and she noticed the tight hold he had on both her and Cassie.

"Of course," she whispered, stroking the side of his head. "Close your eyes, Danny. We'll take care of you."