She woke up from the best of dreams. She dreamt that she was with her dad and they were in his place and she was finally going to spend more time with him. She was in her own room, a room made for her, by her dad. Everything was perfect; her dad, the room, her bed that oddly felt softer. She looks up and sees something she's didn't notice. The ceiling was blue with puffs of clouds. The hotel ceiling didn't have blue anything. She looks at what she was holding. The hotel didn't have a pink heart pillow also. She sat up and looked around. Neither did they have; yellow walls, smaller bed nor a beautiful mural of Tuscany painted the way her father would have painted it.. That only meant one thing; it wasn't a dream. She fell back on to the bed smiling. She was awake in her dad's apartment, away from her mom. She wasn't dreaming at all.

Then she remember' something else; the nightmare before the dream. If this wasn't a dream that meant that everything that happened last night, really happened last night. She saw something, something terrible, terrible enough to make her scream to the top of her lungs. Her kuya Hector was dead. She found him last night. She was about to cry, but sat up as if the sudden movement would push the tears back. She stops herself from crying. She knew her kuya Hector wouldn't want her to cry. She wasn't going to cry. She made the sign of the cross, closed her eyes and prayed.

She prayed for her kuya Hectors soul. She prayed that his family would be all right and told him that she'll help them as much as she can. Then she prayed for her dad, both papa Jeremy and daddy Danny. She prayed that papa will be ok without her and that daddy will be ok with her. She also prayed for her dad's co-workers to find who ever did this to kuya Hector.

She opened her eyes after her little prayer. Then notices something else. She got out of bed and walked to the desk opposite of her. There was a small note. She recognized her dad's handwriting.

Magandang Umaga Bella,/

Good Morning Bella,

Habang nagluluto ako ng agahan gusto ko maligo ka na at magbihis, may pupuntahan ka./

While I cook breakfast, I want you to take a bath and get dressed. You're going somewhere.

Love, Dad.

P.S.

Ang banyo ay ang may pintuan gitna ng kwarto mo at ng sala/

The bathroom is the one with the door in between your room and the living room.

The note made her smile. She liked how much he was taking care of her. She felt a little spoiled, but she knew it was because he needed to make up for lost time. She understood. She felt the same. She listened to her dad's stories and wished she could have been there for him. She felt bad for just a second, then just reminded herself that she and Danny had all the time in the world left.

She fixed her bed then went to the closet and found a towel. She picked out her clothes for the day and laid them on the bed. She wanted to wear some of the clothes her dad had picked out. She still couldn't believe he'd go to all the trouble to do all this for her. With the towel slung over her shoulder she walked out of her room and went to the bathroom.

She opened and saw him. There, peeing standing up was a man. He was tall with dark hair, still a little drowsy, letting out a loud yawn. He was naked, except for a pair of baby blue pinstriped boxers.

"Oh my God." She exclaimed. She quickly let herself out and closed the door behind her before he was able to see how embarrassed she was.

He only heard her. He didn't even know that she was there. He turned and only saw the young lady swoosh out of the bathroom as she slammed the door behind her. His first reaction was of panic and shock, not really knowing what to do.

"I'm sorry" the feminine but slightly loud voice came from the other side of the bathroom door.

She was genuinely apologetic. She didn't mean to do something so stupid. She quietly whispered insults to herself as she started walked away from the bathroom.

"What happened?" The blond man asked worriedly as he came out of the kitchen and walked towards the girl outside the washroom.

"I didn't seen anything!" she said in a panic as she turned around to face her father.

Just then, the younger man emerged from the bathroom. Only in his underwear, he stood in the middle of the hallway between his best friend and his best friend's daughter after a very embarrassing experience.

Waiting for an explanation from anyone of them, he folded his arms and looked at the two. He sees his daughter tense up. She was looking at the walls, avoiding any eye contact and playing with her towel. So rarely was the good detective speechless, this was one of those rare moments. He was keeping his head down, avoiding eye contact and mumbling quietly as he scratched his head. Whatever happened a minute ago seemed to be something they didn't want to talk about.

"I'm sorry," She finally blurted out.

He was hiding his smile. He could always depend on his daughter's honesty.

"I wasn't thinking. I just thought that it was only dad and I. I thought we were alone." She was rambling. "Not that I don't want you here Officer Flack, I do. I mean why shouldn't you be here. I just didn't think you were here. I didn't knock first… I'm sorry."

She finally looks at her father's expression. Fearing what she might see, she was surprised that she only saw a warm smile and a loving look.

He walked closer and put his arm around her and pulled her close to him and kissed her forehead. "It's ok kid."

"Yeah," the other man added. "It was only an accident. I mean, you didn't see anything right?"

"No," she quickly repeated.

"Come on" the CSI grasps her shoulder and leads her to the bathroom. "Take a shower and get dress, breakfast will be ready soon."

She walks in and closes the door behind her.

The blond man smiles to himself again and walks back to the kitchen. The other man follows him down the hall.

"Officer Flack."

The man stops and turns to where the voice came from. He sees a familiar face poke out of the bathroom. Her expression was genuinely apologetic.

"I'm sorry, again."

"It's ok." He repeats himself and smiles at the young lady. "And you can just call me Don."

She gave him a look that seemed to say, "no I can't" and before he could react she tucked her head in the room and closed the door.

Not really understanding her expression, he just shrugged it off and went to the coach he slept on last night. He put back on the same clothes he had the night before; a pair of gray trousers and a dress shirt. He left his other stuff on the coffee table and went to the kitchen where his friend was cooking.

"What's for breakfast?" he asked when the aroma of whatever his friend was cooking hit his nostrils and reminded his stomach of how empty it was.

"Her favorite; Pancakes and some bacon." He answered over the stove. "Oh, and I made coffee." He added as he nodded towards the coffeemaker on the counter.

"Thanks" he replied, took a mug and went to pour himself some.

"What was that about?" the other man asked as he flipped a pancake.

"What was what about?" he replied.

The older man just had to turn and look at him. He gave him a look that the detective only knew as "you know what I'm talking about."

"Ok," he let out a sigh. "It was nothing really. She just walked in on me… while I was… using the toilet"

"That's it?" he asked with an eyebrow up. Then chuckled to mostly to himself, but his coworker felt he was the butt of some joke and pursed his lips before he took a sip of his coffee.

"I'm sorry. It's not you." The other man apologized. "It's just that I should have expected that from her."

"Why?"

"She's a sweet girl." He explained. "She grew up in the Philippines mostly under the protection of her grandmother. She's can be a little naïve and innocent. I mean she's smart, don't get me wrong. I think she's brilliant and not just cause I'm her father. It's just that in a lot of ways she's really just a little girl." He paused and seemed to reflect to himself. "I just like knowing she's still my little girl, in a way."

The detective only smiled back to his friend. He could only imagine what the CSI must be feeling right now. He just seemed to have this complete and utter joy within him. He's never seen him like this before. He used to hold himself back. Now nothing did.

The older man went back to cooking. He was still half-dressed. He was already in his jeans and tank top, but lacking a shirt. It made sense that he cooked first before putting his shirt. The exposure of skin lets the detective notice something new with his friend. He had a patch on his left shoulder almost the exact opposite position of the other man's tattoo on his right.

"What's that?" he asked, getting the other man's attention. "On your shoulder."

"Huh?" he finally realized what the younger man was asking about. "Oh, it's a nicotine patch." He answered.

"Oh," the other man said, reacting plainly.

"Yeah, I told you I was trying to quit, didn't I?" the shorter man asked.

"Yeah, just hadn't thought of it." he replied. "Since when?"

"7 months ago." He answered.

"Oh,"

"I try not to smoke when I'm with her, when I wasn't a lot, even though I wanted to badly. So, I just thought that if I wanted to be with her so badly I'd might as well quit."

He only took another sip of his coffee. Slowly he realized that he was telling the truth. He remembered his friend change in the past few months. Nothing drastic, but definitely change enough for him to notice. He did mention trying to quit. He ate a little healthier. He drank a little less. He wasn't around as much, and they hardly talked about girls just as much as they used to. He thought it was because he was with Lindsay, but again realized that the other blue eyed man broke up with the female CSI around that time.

"What about Lindsay?" he asked the blonde.

"What about her?" he asked as he turned around and placed another pancake on the serving plate on the table in front of his friend.

"I just remembered that you were with her for some time a few months back." He explained.

The other man just nodded and went back to cooking.

"Is she why you broke up with her?" the detective asked.

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "Not completely."

"Does she at least know?" he asked after a sipped of his coffee.

"Did who? Know what?" a sweet voice asked as it's owner walked into the kitchen with a smile.

She was wearing a pretty cerulean sweater her dad bought for her, which she found in the closet. Under the sweater was a plain white shirt, with gray jeans and a pair of flats. She gave both men a smile. Then sat on a stool adjacent the detective on the table.

"No one." Her dad quickly answered, placing a plate with silverware and a glass of orange juice in front of her. "Eat your breakfast."

Then took a deep breath, smelling what her dad had cooked for her. Her smile only broadened was she saw what he had placed on the table. It was her favorites. She had two pancakes and four strips of bacon on her plate. The smell just instantly made her hungrier.

"Hmm… my favorites." She exclaimed. "Dad you're spoiling me." She added, picking up the fork to dig in.

"Let me." He replied as he put the rest of the food on the table.

He offered his best friend a plate with a couple of pancakes and a few strips of bacon. Got some for himself and sat opposite his daughter. For a while only the noise of utensils against plates and sounds of their satisfied reaction to the food was the only sound in the room.

"Officer Flack?" she speaks politely.

He was swallowing his food as he turned to look at the young lady adjacent him, to his right.

"Would you pass the maple syrup?" she requested.

He looked to his left. A bottle of maple syrup stood between him and the other man. He took it and gave it to the girl. She takes it, giving him another smile.

"Thank you." she politely says.

"No problem. But would you mind not calling me Officer Flack or Mr. Flack? The only one I know who's called that is my father." He replied. "Just call me Don, or Flack."

"I can't do that," she said with a blush.

"Why not?" the equally raven-haired man asked.

"Cause she was raised better than that." the other man on the table entered the conversation.

The younger man looked at him quizzically.

"She doesn't just call us grown ups by our first names or just our last." He explained.

"Again, why not?"

"It's disrespectful." She answered for herself.

"Her grandmothers teachings." The other man added.

He only puckered his lips and made a face that said "oh I see." Then took another sip of his coffee.

"But if you want…" the girl added. "I could call you kuya Don."

"What does kuya mean?" he asked as he lowered his mug.

"Well, it's like saying big brother." She answered.

"Oh,"

"If that's ok with you of course?"

"With me?" he asked rhetorically with a smile. "Of course it's ok. Why wouldn't it be?"

She gave him a smile. The blond looks as two important people in his life were slowly getting to know each other. He hides it was he drinks his coffee, but he smiles at how well his two worlds were colliding.

"Ok. Kuya Don it is" she says. "I mean. I'm pretty sure if I grew up with dad and everything went according to plan, I'd be calling you that by now." She added, thinking of how it could have been.

The statement makes her father think of it too. Recently, he's wondered of the many possibilities, so many "what-if's". The deep thought pushes him to silence for the rest of the breakfast. Leaving the other two in pleasant conversation, they talked about; Danny mostly and a few things about New York and even a few things about the detective.

They finished dinner and everyone tried to help with the cleaning up. But when Rubella tried to help, her dad just took the plate and glass from her hand. Leaving her curious, she quirked her head and looked strangely at her dad.

"I'll handle this," he says. "Go back to your room and wait for me. We have to talk."

She shrugged her shoulders in acceptance and walked back to her room, while the other men cleaned up the dishes. She waited there. She sat on the bed facing the door. The two came with in 2 minutes, guessing they just left the dishes in the dishwasher. The taller detective stood and leaned on the doorframe. Her dad stood a little bit closer and was giving her a knowing smile, a smile that she knew only meant that he had something else up his sleeve.

"Look under your bed." The bespectacled man told her.

She raised an eyebrow, but then slid down to the floor next to her bed. She lifted the covers and noticed that there was no under-the-bed. It was just more wood, just a part of the bed. Then, she noticed two bars on the wood. Within closer observation, she finally noticed what it was. It was a drawer under her bed, almost just as large. She pulled it out and saw what her dad's been hiding.

It was a drawer full of gifts, lots and lots of gifts. There were small ones, big ones, with ribbons and all wrapped up with different wrapping paper. Some were wrapped for a baby, some for a child, a few looked like Christmas gifts, some even looked like Hanukkah gifts. She really felt that she was being spoiled. None looked completely alike, but she noticed all of them had cards. They were all for her, from him, and next to her name was a date. A lot were her birthdays other's were some holiday in different years, all the years she and her father were separated.

She turned around and looked at him with a bewildered smile. He was pretty sure he surprised her pretty well. He was just glad that she didn't discover the compartment earlier.

"They're all yours." He said stepping closer. "Every birthday, Christmas and all eight days of Hanukkah I ever missed."

She just gave him a quirky smile, not really believing all of this was for her.

"Don't you remember?" he asked her.

"Grandma is Jewish." She finished his sentence. "I remembered you telling me a couple of months back. I just didn't think…" she was a lost for words.

"Don't get any idea." He teased. "You're not getting them all right now, not yet at least. But I'll let you open one today."

He sat on the floor right beside her. He looked in the drawer, scanning for one special gift he recently bough for her. He spotted it. He looked at her and nodded towards the gift's direction. It took a couple of failed attempts but she finally got the right one out of all the other presents. It was a small square red velvet box. She held it in her hands, feeling the fabric covering it. She looked at him, silently asking permission if she could see what's inside.

"Open it." He told her with an equally large smile.

She opened the box. Her jaw dropped. His smile grew bigger. She looked up at him and gave him an even bigger smile than jumped to her knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. The other man just hugged her with just as much affection.

The quick and joyful movements of the two gave the detective a better view of what was inside of the box. It was a necklace. It was a delicate silver necklace with a heart pendant with a couple of blue stones encrusted on it. It certainly looked pretty.

They finally loosened their embrace. She looked at him still with giddy smile and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Oh my God." Was the only thing she could say.

"Happy thirteenth birthday. I know I'm a little late, but I hope you like it." he said.

"Like it?" she asked rhetorically. "I love it. Thank you."

She gave him another hug. She looked at her gift again, now more carefully. She took note of every detail. The chain was silver with a simple clasp. The pendant was a heart. Three Aquamarine studs decorated on it. She traced it with her index finger.

"Read the inscription." He told her.

She took the delicate medallion between her thumb and index finger. She turned it around and read what her father had meant.

Along the underside of the heart was engraved with a few words.

"My Bella. My heart."

She smiled again, and gave him another hug.

The hug lingered a little bit longer than earlier. Danny wanted to remember everything about this moment. This is one of those times he just had to take a mental picture of for the photo album in his head. He cherishes every memory he has of ever being with Bella, especially when he's able to make her happy.

She takes out the necklace and dangles it a bit to see it sparkle under the light. The baby blue stones twinkling, knowing full well that they weren't just the exact shade of their eyes but her birth stone as well.

He takes it from her. He holds it by the clasp, silently asking her if he can put it on her. Her only reply was to hold her hair up like a ponytail so he'd have an easier time to put it on her. He does. She lets the pendant fall on her own heart and smiles at how it felt around her neck.

Accidentally, the man standing in the doorway changed footing loud enough for the man on the floor to break his attention he so focused on his daughter. He looks at his co-worker and best friend and give each other a smile. His earlier fear dissipating, knowing that she'll be safe in the good detective's hands.

"Bella," he whispers and nudges her to back off just a little bit. She does, just enough for the two to look each other in the eye. "You'll be spending the rest of the day with Don." He informs her.

She turns to look at the other man in the room. He was standing just a few feet away, giving her a friendly smile, which she returned. Then looked back to her dad.

"I know you want us to spend time together. I want that too." He starts to explain. "But right now we can get into a lot of trouble if your mom finds out that you're with me. So, it's better for you to go with Flack, just until everything cools off. Ok?"

The teen nods in approval.

"Ok." He smiles. "Now, I want you to be good. Don't give Don any problems, ok? He'll take you to the precinct. There you'll see Mac and maybe Stella again. They'll just ask you a couple more questions about last night, and I want you to just tell the truth. Ok?"

"Dad, I know better not to lie to cops." She quipped. "Especially not to Mac, after what you've told me about him." emphasizing 'him'

"Don't worry." He gives her a comforting smile. "He's a lot nicer than he seems. Oh, and I'll be in the lab for most of the day. Just call me if you need me."

She only smiles back. There's a pause that just seemed like the two were taking each other in. They were taking their time trying to soak everything about each other. It was the first time since last night that they were able to just realize everything that has happened in the past 12 hours. She only smiled at the thought of being with her dad. He loves being with his daughter, finally, but the frightening thought crept back into his head; someone is trying to kill his child. For a fraction of a second, just thought this just might be the last time he'd be with her again. He pushed those fears away and reminded himself that he, along with his friends, was here to protect her.

"Ok," he broke their silence. "Where's your bag?"

"On the desk." She replied.

He stood up, reached out his hand to help her stand as well. She stands beside her. He walks to the desk and picked up her bag and jacket. He walks back to her and hands her her bag.

"Ok." He starts. "You got everything?"

"I think so." Holding her bag.

He opens her jacket, making it easier for her to slip right on. She takes his help and slides her arms through each sleeve.

"You got your cell phones, both of them; the one for your parents and the one from me?" he asked

"Yes." She answers. "I've got them right here." She added pointing to her bag.

"Ok." He repeats himself.

They both turn to the other person with them. He was patiently waiting for them on the hallway. They walk towards him. Then all three made there way out to for the door.

"How about your wallet?" the CSI asked.

They were just in the hall leading to the front door.

"It's right here." She answers, pleasantly irritated by her dad's worrying. "I have everything."

The two; Ruby and Det. Flack, were just about to leave.

"Wait." The other man stops them, hurriedly walks towards them.

They turn. They notice the blond reaching for his back pocket and taking out his own wallet. He takes out $80.00 and hands it to her.

"Here." He says. "Think of it as allowance."

"Dad, you know you don't have to." she refused.

"I know I don't have to." he replies. "I want to." he insists handing her the money.

She takes a step back and shakes her head. He then takes a step forward and gently grabs her wrist. He pulls her close and put the money in her hand.

"Take it." he says.

She looks at it like she's never seen money before.

"While you're with me." He added. "Let me take care of you."

It almost sounded like a plea. She only smiled at him, but this actually reminded her of all the rest of the time they've spent together. He's always spoiled her. She always thought it was just to win her over. But now she fully realizes that it wasn't just about that. He still feels as if he needs to make up for lost time. He still feels responsible. He wants to be her father so badly.

"You're taking good care of me." She informs him.

The detective opened the front door and signaled that it was time to go. She looked at him and silently asked for one more second to be with her dad. She practically jumps to him and wraps her arms around his neck, giving him a fierce hug. He only hugs her harder.

"I love you dad." She says with a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you too baby." He replies kissing her temple.

They let go and gave each other one last smile. She turns and walks to the door where the taller man waited for her patiently.

"We'll see each other tonight ok." He added as she walked out of his apartment.

"Oh Don," he calls his friend, as he was just about to close the door behind them.

He stops short and pokes his head back into the apartment.

"Yeah Dan?" he questioned.

He looks at his friend. His hands were on his hips and with a clenched jaw. He was biting his lips. His baby blue eyes more alive with worry and fright behind his glasses. Just by looking at him, the detective didn't need an answer. He knew what his friend was about to tell him.

"Don't worry Dan." He reassures him. "I'll take care of her."

They give each other a one last polite smile. The blond nods in agreement. The younger man steps out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. The other man just stands there, staring at the closed door, still nodding to what his friend said.

"I know you will Don."