Closing her phone Delinda turned around and walked back into the suite. As she walked in she saw Danny sitting at the desk next to Ed. They had been talking about something, whatever it was it was good. Danny had smiled briefly and Delinda glowed as soon as she saw the unmistakable smile. Danny was still in nothing but the blood stained army pants he had worn the night before. Delinda slowly walked over to the couch in the other room and pulled something out of a bag. As she walked over to Danny he stared at what she was holding."

"Danny…" she started.

"No." he said very quickly.

"Danny." She said walking over to him placing her hand on his cheek. "You need to change out of those pants." Handing him the pair of shorts, she moved her hand from his cheek to his bare back guiding him to the bathroom. Before entering he turned around to look at Delinda and Ed.

"Thanks." He said sincerely and then turned around and entered the bathroom closing the door behind him. Delinda then turned around to her father and threw her arms around him crying into his neck.

"Daddy what are we going to do? I can't bear to see him like this and Mary…" she started and then trailed off again. "…Mary… I just can't grasp the concept that she is gone." She said still crying into her father neck.

"I know." He said holding her tightly in his arms. As the two separated from their hug they heard the shower turn on and looked from the bathroom door to each other. "Thank god, that was faster then I expected. Then again I got to him three days late." Ed said with a relieved look on his face.

"I don't understand expected what?" she said, looking very puzzled.

"Most times when guys come back from over there and they experience something like that they go through a really hard time. Now I knew that Danny was going through something like that when he came back, but when this whole thing with Mary happened I didn't know how long it would take him to start to get back to the Danny we know. Then I thought to myself well Danny said he hadn't slept in three days so this had been going on before he came home to us, but still I didn't expect him to progress this rapidly. I think that you had a lot to do with that." He said putting a hand to Delinda's face. "Now I am not saying that when he steps out of that shower he will be back to normal, it's just the beginning, but this is a big step for him."

"Daddy…" Delinda looked at Ed with a look of sorrow in her eyes. "What happened to him over there?" Ed looked down at his feet well aware of the fact that Danny didn't want anyone to know what happened.

"When the time is right and Danny's ready to tell you, he will. You just have to give him some time." He said still not looking into Delinda's eyes.

"Daddy…" she said again. "…did you…" she started, her eyes filling with tears again. "…were you ever in a position like Danny was? I mean did you ever think that you weren't coming back home?" She said looking from Ed down to her feet. Ed's heart sank at the sight of his daughters face. He moved his hands to her face and lifted her head up so that he could look into her hazel eyes filled with tears. As he did so he could feel the tears begin to build up behind his own eyes. He then pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"…" there was a long pause as Ed tried not to let Delinda see him weeping. Ed pulled himself together and out of the hug. "I am not going to lie to you. There were times when I had to do things, as Danny did for example, that were just very dangerous. But I had something that was just a lot stronger then any weapon." He said not taking his gaze off of Delinda. She looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"I uh…I had this little girl back home with the love of my life and that just made me feel like I was bullet proof, and nothing was going to stop me from getting home to them." He said beginning to feel the tears build back up.

"Oh Daddy…" Delinda said crying again and throwing her arms back around Ed's neck. The two stood there in a deep hug for a few moments when the sound of a door opening caught Delinda's attention. Not letting Ed go she talked to Danny while looking over her fathers shoulder.

"Have a nice shower?" she asked sincerely.

"Yeah" Danny said looking at Ed and Delinda still engrossed in their hug. As he turned around to enter the other room Delinda pulled out of her hug and went after Danny. She came into the room as Danny was sitting down on a sofa pulling on a pair of ankle socks that had been sitting on the couch socks.

"How you doing?" she asked sitting down next to him putting a hand on his bare back. Danny turned to look into her eyes and then looked back down at his feet and shook his head. Delinda couldn't help but think how many times he had done this since he had come home. After a long pause Danny changed the subject to something that wouldn't involve much thinking.

"How did you get the shorts from my apartment?" He questioned. Delinda looked at Danny, smiled, and then replied.

"Daughter of a spy hello." She giggled.

"Oh right" Danny let another small smile escape.

"No but really I got the key from Daddy, the one you gave him before you left." She said in a more serious manner.

"Well I don't mean to be unthankful, but by any chance did you bring a shirt or some shoes to go with these shorts?" he said in a slight smart-alecky tone.

"Danny, this is Delinda you are talking to. I live for clothes. Of course I brought you a shirt and shoes." She said still smiling. She got up and walked over to a table in the corner of the room and pulled a shirt out of the bag and chucked it at Danny playfully.

"Thanks" he said letting out another smile while catching the shirt. Ed walked into the room hanging up his cell phone as Danny was putting his shirt on.

"Hey, how you doing?" Ed asked directing his question at Danny.

"I feel a little better now that I took a shower but…" Danny started and trailed off. He stopped putting his shoes on and just froze for a minute to look at Ed.

"I know" Ed said

"Well are you ready to get out of here?" he asked. Danny and Delinda both turned their heads to look at him as if asking where they were going.

"Well Delinda and I have to get changed and take a shower and you need to get some proper clothes and not just a pair of gym shorts." Ed answered reading the looks on their faces.

"Yeah then I guess I am ready." Danny said getting up from the sofa in a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt.

"Good, I just got off the phone with Jillian, she's expecting us." Delinda got up and started to head out of the room with Danny close behind. She then stopped abruptly and entered the bathroom getting the pants Danny had changed out of. Danny ran into the bathroom and grabbed the pants out of Delinda's hands, quickly searching through pockets for something.

"It's not here. Where the hell is it? Delinda did you take it? Where is it? I need that." Danny was rambling off questions and Delinda had no idea what he was talking about. He looked as if he was having another panic attack. He stormed out of the bathroom and started searching the room. It was then that Ed came back into the room to see what was going on.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Ed asked Delinda still staring at a panicked Danny.

"He freaked out when I picked up his pants in the bathroom. He accused me of taking something. I don't what's going on." Delinda had an unsteady voice and had her arms crossed. As soon as the words left Delinda's mouth Ed rushed over to Danny in the bedroom.

"Ed I can't find it. I need it. Have you seen it?" Danny was spouting off questions again. Ed tried to grab Danny's shoulder with his hand.

"Danny…" Ed started but Danny brushed his grip off. "Danny" Ed said again using both hands to grab Danny this time. "Is this what you are looking for?" Ed said reaching into his packet and pulled out something that immediately caught Danny's attention.

"Oh thank God." Danny said grabbing the picture of him and Mary that he had carried with him all throughout his time in Iraq. "Where did you find it?" he looking relieved.

"It fell out of your pocket while you were sleeping. I saw it when you got up to take your shower this morning."

"Wait how did you know what I was talking about?" he asked looking puzzled.

"Buddy, I have been in your shoes. The one thing that you can hold on to over there is your family. I had a picture of Jillian and I holing Delinda after she was first born. I was so attached to that thing. I still have it actually. I carry it in my wallet. I get it." Ed clapped Danny on the back headed out of the room. The three of them made their way through the lobby to an employees exit to avoid any attention. They got out to the parking lot where Danny saw his bright yellow and black Camaro. He made his way over to the driver's side of his car and got in. Gripping the steering wheel tightly he looked to the passenger side to see Ed sitting there.

"What's the game plan?" Danny asked feeling a little more like himself now that he was in his car.

"Well Delinda's going to take my car and follow us back to my house where we'll get changed and then we're gonna go to your place and we'll play the rest by ear." He said giving Delinda the go ahead signal.

"How'd my car get here?" Danny asked looking puzzled.

"I had Mikey drop it off." He stated. "The three of us couldn't fit in the Aston Martin."

"Ok." Danny said putting the car into drive. There wasn't much said on the way to the Delines house. Danny just thought of Mary and how much Ed and Delinda had helped him get through this. Before he knew it they were pulling through the gates of the Delines property.

Danny put the car in park, shut off the engine, and got out of the car. As he stood up and stretched his legs he saw Jillian open the front door and run towards him. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank god you are ok, oh thank god, I am so sorry that I didn't get to say goodbye, oh Danny I am so sorry about Mary." She finally stopped rambling for a second and pulled out of her hug to get a good look at Danny, once she saw his eyes she pulled him back in for one more quick hug before pulling out and running over to Ed.

"Ed, he's back, he's back just like you said he'd be." She said

"Honey, I know I trained the kid remember." Ed said smiling holding his wife tightly in his arms. "Just like when I'd leave and I always told you that I'd be back and I always came back. You remember?"

"Yeah I remember" she said tightening her grip around him. Just then, as Ed and Jillian half let go of each other, Delinda pulled in, in the Aston Martin. She got out of the car and walked over to the group. Ed and Jillian walked into the house with their arms linked with Danny and Delinda close behind.

The four entered the home and went into the kitchen.

"Well I am going to go upstairs and get cleaned up. Delinda what are you going to do?" Ed said

"Well I guess I can use the downstairs shower. Oh and mom can you make something to eat? That bagel I had wasn't all that wonderful." She asked smiling.

"I know I thought the same thing." Danny said in agreement.

"Sure." Jillian said smiling as she watched her family disperse into the living room. It was just her and Danny now. Jillian turned around to get something out of the cupboard while Danny was sitting on a barstool at the breakfast bar. "What do you feel like Danny?" She asked

"Whatever you make will be fine." Danny replied politely.

"Well as nice as that is to hear, I am sure that there has been something that you have been craving while you were over there." She said smiling at him.

"Well, actually I have been craving eggs benedict and Ed and Delinda are always raving about how good yours is." He said smiling at her.

"See I knew there was something you were craving. When Ed used to come home from an assignment he would always have me make him pancakes. It didn't matter what time of day he got here it was always pancakes. That man always had a craving for pancakes." She said smiling while preparing the eggs benedict.

"I'm sure that's wasn't the only thing he had a craving for." Danny said playfully looking at Jillian. Surprised at the remark Jillian quickly looked up from what she was doing and giggled at Danny and snapped the dish rag at him jokingly.

"Danny! I can't believe you just said that." She said still laughing to herself.

"I know I know I am sorry." He said laughing to himself.

"What's all the laughing about in here? I could hear you guys from upstairs. Your not hitting on my lady are you Danny?" he said jokingly.

"No we were actually talking about…" there was a short pause and Jillian glanced over to Danny teasingly. Danny shook his head in a joking manner. Jillian made her way over to Ed and put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "We were talking about what he wanted to eat." She said finishing her sentence.

"Well the kid better have said pancakes because I am famished." He said pulling out of his hug and putting his hands to his stomach.

"Well he didn't. He wants eggs benedict and he's gonna get eggs benedict." She said walking by Danny putting a hand on his shoulder. "He's the one who has had to endure that horrible military food for the last six months." Ed looked at Jillian as if he was pouting.

"Aw look at that lip. Jillian I think he's gonna cry." Danny said teasing Ed.

"Oh yeah." Ed said walking over to Danny "How's this for pouting?" He said grabbing Danny in a head lock giving him a noogy

"Ok, ok" Danny shouted laughing. Ed then let Danny go and looked at Jillian who was staring at the both of them glowing.

"Don't worry I'm making pancakes too." She said to Ed still smiling to herself.

"Mom…" came Delinda's voice. Danny looked around and saw no Delinda.

Jillian turned around and walked over to the intercom by the fridge.

"Yeah" she said pressing in the button.

"What happened to those jeans that I left here? They aren't in my room." Delinda asked.

"Oh uh sorry I burrowed those. If you go into by closet they are sitting on the shelf nearest the door on your left." She replied and walked away. A few minutes later Delinda came walking into the kitchen. Looking towards the kitchen table she sighed in relief.

"Thank god. I am so hungry."

"Delinda it's ok honey. You don't have to refer to me as god." She said smiling at Delinda.

"Ha ha, good one." Delinda said in a smart mouth tone but still joking.

"Ok well now that we are all here can we eat?" Ed asked impatiently. As soon as the words left Ed's mouth a phone rang. Ed sighed and sat down at the table.

"Eddie that's your phone." Jillian said pointing towards the lit up phone on Ed's belt.

"I know I'm hoping that if I just ignore it, it will go away." He said taking his knife and fork into his hands. Danny laughed as he was sitting down next to Ed at the table.

"You know I don't think that I have ever seen you ignore a phone call before." Danny stated.

"You know what I have been married to you for thirty years and I don't think that I have ever seen you not answer your phone either. What's wrong? Do feel ok?" Jillian question playfully as she walked over serving Ed with two pancakes then putting her hand to his forehead.

"It's just Mike. I'll call him after we eat." Ed said smiling at his wife.

"Here you go Danny. Eggs benedict, just like you asked." She said laying down a plate in front of him.

"This looks delicious. Thank you Jillian."

"No problem." She answered back. She made her way over to her seat lying down a plate of eggs benedict in front of Delinda on the way and then sitting down in her own chair with a plate of pancakes. "Oh shoot I forgot the milk." She said sounding tired.

"I'll get it." Both Ed and Danny said simultaneously getting up from the table. Delinda and Jillian just sat at the table smiling at the two of them. Realizing what they had done the two froze smiling.

"I'll get it Ed. Just sit down." Danny said to Ed who was looking like he was debating whether or not to argue with him over Danny telling him to sit down. Finally he gave up and sat down. Danny fully pushed back his chair and walked over to the fridge grabbing both the milk and the orange juice.

Sitting down he put both on the table. "Delinda you don't like milk right?" he said passing her the orange juice."

"That's right." She said taking the carton of juice from Danny.