A/N The quote is from William Congreve's play "The Mourning Bride" (1697), but is commonly attributed to Shakespeare.

Safety

Jack and Horatio made the decision to place Danny, Christina, Isabella and Tim in protective custody – stashed in a Manhattan safehouse, where they would remain until Cevallos' parole hearing. Jack's tone, when he told them, defied argument. Isabella was delivered to FBI headquarters without incident. The Moreno family was often cruel and sometimes heartless - they liked their liquor expensive, their women cheap and their guns illegal, but they'd never hurt an innocent child, no matter how much they wanted her father dead.

"I always forget how nice this place is," Danny whistled as he opened the door and placed Isabella down. She toddled off toward the large windows on the right side of the living area – laughing at her reflection in the glass.

"Not exactly child-proof," Christina grumbled as she dropped the diaper bag and took off after Bella.

The Manhattan apartment was poshly furnished with leather sofas, luxurious rugs, king size beds and marble countertops. It was often used to persuade would-be whistleblowers that life on the right side of the law was better than the alternative.

Horatio had elected to join them in the apartment – if for no other reason than to referee the inevitable battles ahead. Christina had been less than thrilled at the prospect of living under the same roof as Tim, even if it was only for a few days.

Danny collapsed on the floor in front of the window and pulled Christina onto his lap. He made faces at the glass that sent Bella into hysterics. Christina couldn't help but laugh along. Tim couldn't help but be heartbroken. He was beginning to realize how naïve it was to think his family would easily be his.

Horatio stepped up behind him and placed his hand on Speed's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here, H," Tim said quietly.

Torture

Over the next several hours, Christina ignored Tim and kept him separated from Bella as much as possible. Most were plausible excuses: "Bella needs a nap", "time for a bath", but they were designed to inflict as much pain on Tim as she could. She made dinner for all of them with the groceries provided by the FBI, but only set the table for three, forcing Tim to retrieve a plate for himself from the cabinet.

It was childish, but he also knew he deserved it. He recalled a quote he'd learned in his honors Junior English class – "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned." He'd had opportunities to confess his past to her, but he always thought there would be time. He hadn't wanted to sully one minute they had together with such horrendous memories.

Tim also knew Christina well enough to know that her anger tended to be like a bomb – it exploded, burned for a little while, and then it was over. She didn't often hold a grudge, but she'd never been wronged like this before. All he could do was wait it out and hope for an opportunity to talk to her.

"Dada and Dada," Bella said from her high chair, alternately pointing her spoon at Danny and Tim. She laughed brightly and kicked her feet against the hard plastic foot rest.

"Bella, please stop," Christina chastised.

"Huh?" Bella's ebony curls bounced as she tilted her head to the side and questioned her mother with a frown. "Huh" had recently become her favorite word. She liked to break it out any time she didn't want to listen to her parents.

Tim ate his meal in silence. He was savoring a personal victory – Christina hadn't walked out of the room when he sat down at the table. Nor did he wish to flame the fire of Christina's anger by interacting with them. He was happy to just cool his heels and watch his daughter play with her spaghetti.

She draped a noodle over her nose and turned to Danny. "Daddy, me funny!" she said happily.

Danny tried to look stern, but quickly lost the battle. He leaned over and sucked the noodle off Bella's tiny button nose. She roared her approval. "And you taste delicious!" Danny teased.

Christina blinked her eyes slowly and pressed her fingers into her temples. Tim knew precisely what was coming next. He'd seen it before, many times. She rose from the table and started to rinse her plate in the sink.

Tim could see the tell-tale lines forming on her forehead. He followed her into the kitchen and took the sprayer away from her. "You need to go take your pills and lie down."

She snatched the plate and sprayer back and sneered, "I don't need you telling me what to do!"

Tim just shook his head. "So, you'd rather be in bed with a migraine for two days than listen to me?"

"YES!" she snapped and stalked out of the kitchen. He followed her down the hall, but she slammed the door to her bedroom in his face, nearly breaking his nose.

Heaven and Hell

"Goddamn it, Christina, open the door," Tim said, the words spilling out much harsher than he'd intended.

"Go to hell," she shot back.

"Honey, I'm already there!" he retorted, trying the handle just for grins. He was shocked when it turned under his grasp. He threw the door open and stood there contemplating his next move while Christina gaped at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed.

"Something you'll thank me for later," he growled before kicking the door shut with his foot. He crossed over to where she sat on the edge of the bed and tackled her, forcing her down onto the soft suede fabric. He crushed his lips down on hers and used his weight advantage to limit her struggling. He kissed her roughly, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips, begging for entrance. She fought him for only a moment more, before surrendering and opening her mouth to his with a muffled sob.

He kissed her with all the love and passion he felt for her and more. Their tongues dueled for control and Tim fought the urge to re-claim her as his then and there. When it finally became too much, he broke the kiss. He continued to hold her while his heart raced. Her lips were swollen, her breath short, and he thought she'd never looked more beautiful.

He reluctantly rose from the bed and stepped into the attached bathroom. Christina was nothing if not a creature of habit. He located the medicine cabinet and took out the small bottle of prescription pain medicine. He shook two pills into his hand and filled a crystal glass with water.

When he returned to the bedroom, Danny was pulling back the covers for Christina. "I'm sorry, Danny," Tim heard her say.

Danny smiled softly at his fiancée. "Don't you dare apologize. If I'd had your day, I'd have a migraine too."

Tim handed Christina the pills and the water. "Thanks," she said quietly. He could tell from the deeply etched lines on Christina's forehead the migraine had already taken hold.

"Can I get you anything?" Danny asked gently.

She touched the side of his face. "You?" she answered with a faint smile. It killed Tim to see Christina's eyes light up when Danny was around.

Danny kissed her hand. "Let me get the baby to bed and we'll see what we can do about that."

He stood to leave the room; then turned to Speed. "If she's not throwing punches at you, now might be a good time to talk to her."

"Thanks," Tim said gratefully.

Danny laughed. "Don't thank me. I'm still hoping she throws you off the roof." He dimmed the lights and gently shut the door behind him.

Tim motioned to the bed with his hand. "May I?"

"Yeah," she said reluctantly.

"So," he began slowly, "how did you get out?"

Christina smiled at the memory and rested her head back on the pillows Danny had placed behind her. "One guard," she said with a laugh. "One guard taking an NYPD police detective back to her room. I guess Miguel didn't know I have a black belt in karate."

Speed grinned. "Or that you lettered in track."

"Or that I've been taking Krav Maga classes since Bella was born. It was the 'shuto' that put him on the ground."

"You've been through a lot, and all because of me," he sighed.

"How do you expect me to forgive you for all of this?" she asked honestly.

Although he'd been expecting to hear these words, they still stung. "I don't," he said with a shake of his head. "I can't even forgive myself. I just want the opportunity to show you how much I love you and Bella."

The long, exhausting day had caught up to Christina and her eyes grew heavy. She snuggled deeper into the pillows and pulled the covers up to her chin. He longed to climb into the bed with her. "I don't know what to do," she said, her words becoming garbled, "with you being alive."

Tim stood from the bed and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Don't think about it now," he said gently. "Just get some sleep."

TBC…