Well, if you're wondering "Why the sudden change of pace in this chapter?", then I'll tell ya with just one word: Titanic. That's right, I have finally seen, uninterrupted, the epic 1997 romance-thriller staring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. This, my friends, is the reason for the so called 'change in pace.' You see, when I'm watching something, my brain will automatically start coming up with ideas for a new fic, and as it just so happens, Titanic started the moment I began working on chapter 2.

And before you ask, no, I'm not going to put everyone in early 1900's attire and place them on the ill-fated ship, just to die a tragic death. But if someone says something, I might make an AU Bleach/Titanic fic. :)

This will take place one month after chapter 1.

BTW, If anyone hasn't recently read my profile, I am now an official IchgioxRukia fan, all the way. 'Cause I mean, seriously, she lives in the guy's closet for crying out loud! (In the anime, not my story)

Sighing, Rukia looked at the framed picture that sat on the dresser in the room she and Ichigo shared. The picture had been taken only one month after Takeshi had been born. In it, it showed Ichigo, a proud smile adoring his face, with his arms wrapped around Rukia's waist from behind in a protective hug, his chin resting on top of her head. Leaning against his chest, Rukia was holding their son, the small baby snugly wrapped in a blanket.

Rukia continued to button up her pajama shirt, continuing to look at the photo, despite the fact that it was almost pitch black in the room. It had surprised her how much Takeshi had looked like Ichigo. Aside from the black hair and dark blue eyes, the baby had practically been a mini version of his father. There were some traits, however, that Takeshi had not inherited from Ichigo, like sleeping. Ichigo, who, unless worked all day without rest, would take somewhere from two to three hours to at least doze off. Takeshi, on the other hand, was quick to fall asleep, frequently taking naps during the day before immediately falling into a deep slumber once put in his crib.

When it came to voice volume, Ichigo shot off the scale compared to his son. Takeshi was generally very quiet and content, and wouldn't fuss unless he considered it an emergency. Ichigo, especially when he was pissed off, was loud, obnoxious, brash, and downright annoying. On a very rare occasion, he would keep his "inside voice" while growling at the poor victim stupid enough to incur his fiery wrath. That unfortunate soul was almost always Renji, who didn't even have an "inside voice."

Rukia was pulled from her thoughts when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against a firm, hard chest. "I'm back." Ichigo whispered, his hot breath drifting to the side of Rukia's neck.

"I didn't hear you come in." Rukia moved her arm up and rubbed the back of Ichigo's neck with a small hand.

A slight smile graced the orange haired man's face. "Figured the baby would be asleep when I got back, so I did my best to keep quiet." His sigh turned into a yawn, and he placed a light kiss on the side of Rukia's neck.

"You sound sleepy. We should probably go to bed." Rukia turned in Ichigo's arms.

Hesitantly releasing his grip, Ichigo walked over to the bed and collapsed onto it, his hand lazily scratching underneath the collar of his white button-up shirt. "Guess you're right. Had a rough day at the hospital. Bad accident down at the intersection, another one near downtown during rush hour. Got pretty busy." Fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, he successfully managed to open it most of the way, resting his hand on his stomach and closing his eyes.

Feeling a warm body pressed against his side, Ichigo cracked open an eye and looked at Rukia, who was curled up next to him. He turned onto his side and propped his head up with his hand, his elbow making a crevasse in the pillow. Leaning his head down to Rukia's ear, he whispered breathily. "Wanna do something tonight?"

Suppressing a shiver, Rukia held back a small smile. "What do you mean by that?" She asked as she turned to face him, even though she had a pretty good idea as to what he meant.

"Oh, I don't know." Ichigo replied sarcastically, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "Maybe something, oh, fun." The smirk was prevalent now, the last word of his sentence spoken as if it held some hidden meaning.

"Like what?"

A wide grin now adorned his face. He moved his hands up to Rukia's stomach and began to tickle her. Rukia franticly grabbed at his hands, unsuccessfully trying to stop Ichigo from furthering the laughing fit that she was currently engaged in. "I-Ichigo, st-stop." She managed to gasp out in between the bouts of laughter.

Ichigo, who was laughing almost as hard as Rukia was, felt himself fall forward when she finally grabbed his hand and pulled it out, causing the upper half of his body to collapse on top of hers.

After a moment of silence, Ichigo softly chuckled once he realized the position they were in. "Kinda awkward, huh?"

Gently caressing the side of his face, Rukia softly replied. "Not at all."

Smiling, Ichigo lowered his head and kissed her, the familiar warmth spreading throughout his body. Breaking off the kiss, he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around Rukia and closed his eyes. He opened them again when she turned in his embrace to face him. "Ichigo?"

"Hmm?"

"Promise that you won't leave me."

The demand caught Ichigo off guard. "Why would I leave? I learned my lesson, and I won't make the same mistake again. Alright?" A small smile graced his face as he felt Rukia nod against his chest. He leaned his head down to her ear and whispered softly. "I love more than anything, and I'll never do that again."

Well, whatchya think? (Pokes readers) Okay, I'll stop that before someone stabs me. :) Hope you all liked it!

Review pwease!