By 9:30 the guests were all seated by the Christmas tree tearing open presents. Marilyn Specter had arrived around 8:30 with her husband and two children after a fun time at her mother's. She and her husband Freddie were now lounging on the couch with some cookies and coffee enjoying the scene as their children helped Bikky and Carol open baby Grace's presents. The older kids had already opened their presents with a few saved over for Christmas morning and the party guests had opened theirs from Ryo and Dee and vice versa.

"Okay here's a present from Uncle JJ!" Ryo said as he held the baby in his lap and reached over for another present. Grace just babbled as her little hands and the hands of the older children tore off the paper. There inside was a pair of snowflake footed pajamas and an electronic book Grace can touch and hear all sorts of different sounds.

"Oh JJ thank you!" Ryo said happily. "This will definitely help with her development and she can never have enough pajamas!"

JJ blushed.

"Actually Drake-sempai helped me pick it out. He had gotten it for his nephew last year and suggested it for me!"

"Reaalllly?" Dee said.

Now it was Drake's turn to blush as he scratched his head.

"Yeah well, JJ helped me pick out my gift to her so I reciprocated!"

Ryo smiled mischievously.

"Well then let's see Uncle Drake's present then!"

Marilyn's 8 yr. old Maggie went under the tree and found the present. Once again the paper was torn to bits thanks to the kids.

"Hey that's one of those activity blocks I am always hearing about!" Dee noticed as Ryo held up the box. It was a plastic square that had sliding beads, large shape pieces you put into same designed holes, spin dials and much more.

"This is awesome!" Ryo exclaimed. "She'll definitely have fun with this! Thank you Uncle Drake."

A little while later after all of her presents had been opened and Dee took the annual Christmas Bow on Baby's Head picture did little Grace begin to cry.

"Ohh what's wrong baby girl!" Ted's girlfriend Amanda asked.

"She's just getting cranky!" Dee said as he kissed his daughter's forehead. "It's way past her bedtime."

Ryo nodded as he bounced Grace in his arms.

"Yeah, I think someone is partied out and ready to hit the hay. He then wrinkled his nose. "And a diaper change. Come on Gracie we'll do a quick goodnight to everyone then get you to bed."

"Oh Ryo-sempai may I help you get her ready!?" JJ asked.

"Me too if possible?" Evan asked with a slight blush.

Ryo smiled as Marty's fiancée Natalia gave Grace a good night kiss.

"Of course."

The three ventured to the nursery while Dee and Drake headed out to the fire escape for a cigarette. The rest stayed behind and chatted happily with one another.

"Holy fuck I think my balls are gonna fall off from this cold!" Drake said as he took a drag of his cigarette. "JJ's right, I gotta quit these things."

"So is Ryo." Dee said as he wrapped his arms around his body. "He won't let me smoke in the apartment because of the kids."

Drake laughed.

"You really have softened up since you and Ryo got hitched and started playing house."

Dee glared, but then hmmphed.

"I suppose so." He said. "I mean I still get my kicks out of pissing off the chief and causing overall downfall at the precinct, but as far being what I was…I mean sleeping late, getting drunk, pretty much being a hard ass, that's all over for me. There is nothing satisfying in that anymore. It's weird, but in a good way."

Drake nodded.

"So what's satisfying to the former bad assed Dee now?"

Dee smiled lightly as he thought.

"Waking up early in the morning with Ryo asleep in my arms, playing basketball with Bikky, being with Grace. I dunno, I just feel like sometimes I hit the lottery even when times suck. It's almost surreal sometimes, that everything good you didn't think would happen to you does, you know?"

Drake blew out some smoke as he looked up into the night sky.

"Not really." He said. "Then again I haven't really experienced what you have."

Dee stubbed out his cigarette.

"You will one day…hell you date enough women to at least find out what it is you want. Speaking of which, no date this year?

Drake shook his head.

"I just…wasn't interested this time ya know. After Gretchen dumped my ass because of the hours I was putting in at the precinct I just didn't feel like going out hunting for a new one. I mean Christ how much longer can I keep going trying to pick up a future wife when they keep dumping me because of being a cop?"

Dee looked at his forlorn friend and thought about JJ.

"Maybe you are looking in the wrong places and not looking at the right person."

Drake looked over at home.

"But how do you know that the one you are with is you know…THE ONE?"

Dee smiled remembering how he knew that Ryo was his soul mate.

"You just feel it, not just in your body, but your whole self. You just…know."

Drake just sighed and continued looking out at the city.

"Oh wow, what a cute nursery!!" Evan exclaimed as Ryo laid Grace down on the changing table.

Ryo grinned as he got Grace out of her dress.

"Thank you!" He turned to JJ who was admiring one of the many pictures on the wall. "JJ would you mind grabbing me a pair of Grace's PJ's from that top drawer?"

JJ happily nodded as he went into a small set of drawers.

"Grace has such cute clothes!!" JJ said as he pulled a red footed pajama from the drawer.

Ryo nodded as he pulled off Grace's tights and went about the task of changing her dirty diaper. After it was done and her bottom was clean, Ryo took another wipe and gave her a quick wash done with it.

"I didn't know baby wipes could also be used on her body?" Evan said.

"Oh these are wipes that can be used as a diaper cleaning and a quick clean up. I always like to use these, especially if we can't give her an evening bath. The scent is nice and seems to help her get to sleep."

Evan nodded as his eyes scanned the room. The walls were adorned with pictures, some were paintings, and others were pictures of Grace, Ryo, Dee, Bikky, Carol, and family from both of her fathers' sides.

"That was a painting my mother did." Ryo said noticing Evan admiring one particular picture of an ocean landscape. "She loved to draw and paint. It was one of her stress relievers."

"She's amazing." Evan said. "What wonderful technique. May I have her number, I would love some of her work to be in my hotel!"

JJ's eyes narrowed and Ryo sighed kind of hard as he pulled the pajamas onto Grace.

"My mother died as did my father, over a decade ago." He said.

Evan felt like a complete tool.

"Oh Ryo, I am so sorry!" Evan said. "I didn't know, I didn't mean to bring up anything sad!"

Ryo shooed him off.

"That's alright!" He said. "I am just surprised the Commissioner never told you, being so close and all. It was a case of ours not too long ago that involved their assailant."

Evan sighed.

"Berkeley doesn't go into specifics about what goes on at work. And I see now with good reason. When we are together, I guess we just want to forget about all the bad stuff in the world and focus on the good. He does bottle things up though that I wish he didn't, but we do communicate well."

Ryo chuckled.

"I'm glad." He said. "I think you two are great pair and I hope it continues to grow."

Evan blushed slightly.

"Me too." He whispered.

JJ's heart fell.

"You two are so lucky!" He said putting his hands on his hips. "You both got a special someone and here I am stuck single. What's a man gotta do to find him a decent guy like you two found!"

Ryo smiled as he rocked Grace to sleep in the rocking chair.

"Don't hunt so hard." He said. "For all you know the one you have been waiting for all your life can be right under your nose."

"Yeah JJ." Evan said. "I met Berkeley by chance and I wasn't even going for a guy at the time. But we just clicked!"

"And it took Dee and well...mostly me…a few years to find out the love we really had for each other." Ryo said. "And you know we have been partners at the precinct since the very day I transferred!"

JJ pouted cutely and shrugged. Ryo chuckled.

"Don't worry JJ, I really have faith that you will find your true love when you least expect it!" He said as he took the now sleeping baby and placed her in her crib with a kiss.