Title: Our Family
Author: daytimedrama
Rating: K
Pairing: Danny/Lindsay
Content Warning: Fluff/Romance
Summary: Fluffy follow up one shot to 'Sierra'. Danny, Lindsay and Sierra are back in New York visiting his mother with big news.
A/N: Another follow up one shot to 'Sierra'. This is post, "Another Chance" but before "Ask". Thanks kcaitlin as usual.
"Hi Nonna!"
"Oh my beautiful little girl, I've missed you so much!"
"I missed you too Nonna! Did you get me a present?" Sierra bounced from foot to foot.
"Sierra, is that anyway to greet your Nonna? Sorry Catalina, I think she left her manners back in Nevada," Lindsay said.
"Oh she could be a Tasmanian devil and I'd still be thrilled to see her. You look wonderful, Lindsay. I hope Danny's treating you right," she hugged Lindsay tightly and winked at me.
"Always," Lindsay glanced back at me. She knew I was nervous. I was worried that my mother would always sneak me disappointed looks. I knew how hard it was on her too, she had missed out on the years with her granddaughter. I hoped our newest announcement would sate her for the time being, but I knew that the mention of a new baby, while thrilling would bring up the topic of marriage. I knew I wanted to marry Lindsay. I already had the ring, but I couldn't get the courage to ask her. I didn't think I had done enough atoning yet. I was happy with how things were, but I was a coward. I thought that if I did anything to upset the happy balance we had, I might lose them.
We shuffled inside; Sierra was already clinging off the side of my mother, clinging and wrapped around her leg as she tried to walk. I chuckled and inhaled deeply, I could already smell my mother's amazing lasagna as it cooled in the kitchen.
…
After lunch, Lindsay and I sat next to each other on the bench; we watched Sierra and my mother garden. Sierra was up to her elbows, literally, in soft brown dirt. From where I sat I could see her sneakily find and pick out worms and place them in a pile. I wondered what she was saving them for. I smiled softly as my right thumb gently rubbed the back of Lindsay's hand. I caught her eye and she smiled sweetly at me. I took my left hand and placed it over her small stomach before I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Guess what Nonna? I have a secret," I heard Sierra start.
"Well maybe if it's a secret you shouldn't tell"
"I'm getting a brother or sister!" she interrupted giddily.
My mother gasped is surprise, and looked towards us for confirmation. "Danny? Lindsay? Is it true? Are you having another baby?"
"Yes it is Ma, that's our big news. We wanted to tell you in person. Thanks kiddo for keeping the secret," I said but my grin threatened to split my face.
I watched as the tears welled in my mother's eyes, and I looked over towards Lindsay who was wiping away her own tears. It was touching to see how excited my mother was for her newest grandchild.
While she kept busy with her church group and book club, she loved her family most of all. With Louie who hardly recognized her when she went to the home to visit him, and my Dad who died of a heart attack a few years back, we were really all she had. I asked her once if she wanted to move to Las Vegas to be closer to us, she said she had thought about it but couldn't leave Louie, and he was settled and happy in his home. So we often sent tickets for her to visit us, and we used our vacation time to come to New York, always a welcome sight for the team at the crime lab, and my Ma who always kept two spare rooms ready for us.
"I'm really excited. I know all about babies. I just wish Mommy was having more than one. Jasper's wife, Priscilla, had four baby bunnies at once. But Mommy says that human babies are big so it's better to only have one at a time. Can I have another cannoli Nonna?" I could hear Sierra chatter away.
"Of course sweetie," my mother said. I watched her stand up slowly. She struggled to straighten up from the uncomfortable flower bed.
"Come on Sierra, I'll take you inside to wash the flower bed off your hands. Please leave the worms out here," Lindsay said leaving my mother and I outside.
"So Ma, what do you think about our news?" I held my breath.
"I'm thrilled Danny, and I hope this means you'll finally ask that girl to marry you. She's a wonderful mother to your children and she deserves a ring on her finger. That's if she'll have you, which he has apparently decided to."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ma," I did know she was teasing but it stung a little.
"You know I love you Daniel. Sure you fudged up in the worst way, but she's forgiven you and given you the best gift ever. I hope you aren't planning on going anywhere. You won't find anyone better than Lindsay," she said sincerely.
"I'm not going anywhere. I just…I'm just…I can't ask her…not yet…it's just…it's just complicated…really complicated, and things between us are really good right now, I just don't want to mess anything up. We've never talked about marriage, and it's just that I love her and Sierra so much. I don't want her to think I'm just asking because of the new baby. I think about it all the time, I actually bought a ring a few weeks ago…." I was rambling, I was like a geyser, and all the things that had been running around my mind for weeks, months even finally flowed over. All my fears and insecurities finally rose to the surface in no particular order. My confessions spilled out and I looked to my mother to beg for penance, understanding, or reassurance.
"Daniel, you love her and that's enough. They're your family, and you love them, that's the most important thing." She kissed my cheek before walking towards the door that led to the house.
I thought about what my mother had said to me until I heard Sierra's tiny feet jumping down the porch stairs.
"Daddy. Daddy! Mommy says you used to play baseball nearby. Is it true that there was a raccoon family that lived behind the dugout? Do you think they are still there? Can we go see them?"
"I think that would be okay, you maybe wanna play a little catch with your old man while we're there."
"Sure Daddy!"
"Montana, you wanna come with us?"
"I think I'm better off here. I remember how you screamed like a girl when that raccoon startled you at the ranch. Don't worry Sierra will protect you. Won't you sweetie?"
"Yep Mommy! Don't be scared Daddy. They are just like Tiger, but with black and white stripes and big teeth and shifty eyes," Sierra giggled then she continued describing raccoons to me, taking special care to describe just how big a raccoon's teeth were.
"You're hilarious Montana," I said, I leaned down to Lindsay, kissed her cheek, before whispering "I love you."
…
After looking for raccoons behind the dugout, only for me to be surprised by one jumping out of a trashcan, Sierra and I played catch. Soon she was all tuckered out. It was funny to see her get tired; it was always quick onset exhaustion. As if suddenly the battery that kept her fast paced and talking nonstop just suddenly gave out. I balanced her on my hip and juggled our two mitts in my other hand. We walked slowly back to the house. I looked around, realizing how lucky I was. I was so far from the wannabe punk kid who once ran through these streets. Here I was holding my child, protecting her while she slept. I held her closer to my chest as I softly walked up the stairs to the porch. I had to slowly open the screen door, reluctant to jostle and wake up Sierra. While I softly closed the door, I could hear my mother and Lindsay talking in the kitchen.
"So how are things really Lindsay? You tell me if Danny steps out of line, he may be grown up, but I can still put the fear of god in him."
Lindsay's soft laugh filtered down the hallway before she said, "Things are…really wonderful. I was scared at first to tell Danny about the new baby. Then after I told him I realized how silly I was being. He was thrilled. He really is amazing. He is such a good Dad."
"He loves you and Sierra so much," my mother added, "and he loves the new baby."
"I know he does and I know how hard it is to let the past go. I also know it's even harder for Danny to forgive himself for not being there but we are a family and we aren't going anywhere."
My heart soared hearing Lindsay's words. Sierra started to shift and stir in my arms so I had to continue to walk into the kitchen. My soft footsteps on the linoleum alerted Lindsay to my arrival. When she smiled to me in greeting, her brown eyes sparkled. I knew I would follow her into fire if she asked. She was my family; she had given me everything I ever wanted; now I just needed to get the courage to propose.