A/N: So…the morning after. What will it bring for our happy couple? Well, read on and find out.

Disclaimer: If they were not mine the previous 9 chapters, I'm pretty sure they're not mine now.

It was nearly eleven AM when Merri came back to the land of the living, finding the bed quite void of her man, though the sheets were still warm, indicating he hadn't left hours ago while she was sleeping. A quick scan of the room confirmed that he couldn't have gone very far. Everything but his boxers was still where they had dropped it the night before, including his phone, gun and badge on her bedside table along with hers.

Her roaming eyes swiped over the bottom sheet and landed on something yellow. It was a single tiger lily. She smiled when she picked it up, twirling it between her fingers. Typical LaSalle, not going for the usual red rose, but rather for the exotic version of the symbol of their beloved city. She loved it! A piece of paper lay underneath the bright flower. It was a small, heart shaped folded note. Curious, she opened it.

Happy Birthday, Brodelicious!

Now be a good girl and pretend to be asleep

as your knight in shining armor (me)

brings you your breakfast in bed and

kisses the princess (you) awake.

Kisses to come! Love, Chris.

p.s. You know I love you?

Because I do.

I love

You.

Merri found herself unexpectedly tearing up, then laughing at the cheesiness of the note as well as her own girlishness. Dear God, one passionate night with Chris and she turned into a sappy teenager. Must be the overload of hormones.

Yet, she knew that wasn't true. She knew exactly why she was so touched, literally as well as figuratively.

She had been raised a very private person. Not that her parents were unfeeling or even unkind, but they were not the warm, cuddling kind either. Being busy with their own lives meant that they had never mustered any interest in anything other than the academic achievements of their daughters. That and criticizing her posture. Which was not a real disaster, since the twins had each other to turn to and always did.

However, when Emily had died, it had left Merri with a void she had never known how to fill. Gone was the only person who represented any warmth and comfort in her life, the person who knew and kept all her sister's secrets and would share her own.

And with no substitute, especially on days like this, Merri had forced herself to go on believing she was a grown woman who didn't need to be mollycoddled by anyone, not even when the going got tough and not even on her birthday. For the last ten years, it had worked, mostly. She wasn't too happy with it, but managed to accept it as a fact of life.

Whenever the gap got too painful or when the loneliness engulfed her, she had allowed people, men, access to her home and her bed, but not her heart. James had come close, but then trampled on it, and then again when she foolhardily tried a second time, all the while knowing she was knocking on the wrong door.

But now, after all these years, it seemed like she had finally found the one source of comfort, of pleasure, of joy. A source that was hers for the taking and gave boundlessly and effortlessly. Finally, years after her sister's death, she found herself on one page with one significant person. One she could trust.

One she could love.

And God, she did. Her whole withered, battered, hibernating heart had awoken and come back to life and the strength of its beat overwhelmed her.

And while it did scare her, it excited and pleased her even more.

A scuttle behind her warned her of his approach. Obediently, she crawled back between the sheets, clutching the note and closing her eyes like a perfect rendition of Sleeping Beauty, all the while trying to stifle the giggles fighting a way out of her throat.

She was just so damn HAPPY!

She heard a curse as he must have tripped over a discarded piece of clothing and smothered a laugh in her pillowcase. Chris managed to gently set down the breakfast tray on the opposite bedside table and hovered over her, kissing her forehead, her nose and then finally her lips.

"Hmmm, good morning, sweet Birthday Girl of mine."

She kissed him back for some seconds; unsuccessfully trying to suppress a jolt of pleasure. Why did he have to look even tastier than the delicious looking chocolate chip pancakes on the tray, topped with syrup and surrounded by fresh strawberries? It should be made illegal for this man to walk around with nothing but his boxer briefs on. The punishment would be of a corporal kind, of course.

She turned her glance back to the tray and saw that, aside from the pancakes and the fruit, there was a bowl of whipped cream, a mug of steaming hot coffee and a glass of orange juice. And a small vase with three more lilies. So cheerful.

The scent of the pancakes, combined with the flowers, the spicy aroma of fresh coffee and the unmistakable, unique smell of Chris LaSalle assaulted her nostrils, instantly awaking her stomach as well as a few selected female body parts.

No, she spoke to herself sternly. You will eat breakfast first. Your body needs sustenance and Chris went out of his way to prepare this feast for you. The least you can do is control your primal urges and enjoy his offerings. His FOOD offerings.

"Hang on a minute," he asked her, leaving the bedroom to return with his own tray. And a small, flat wrapped package.

"What's that?"

"My breakfast."

"No shit, Special Agent LaSalle. I meant the package."

He grinned at her, almost spraying his coffee all over the sheets.

"You've seen my package, Merri. Lots of times, up close, as I recall. Played with it too."

She playfully nudged his ribs. "Pervert! That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Do I? What other package could you mean?"

"The one on your tray, doofus."

"Hey, be nice or I'll never let you play with my package again."

"You wouldn't last a day."

He grinned again and softly stroked her thigh underneath the sheets.

"Neither would you my dear."

Gasping, she pulled his hand away before it could venture up any closer.

"Breakfast first, LaSalle. Then my gift, then we can play."

"So now you think this is yours?"

"What, you have more lovers who celebrate their birthday today? Wait, on second thought, don't answer that."

All she got was a shrug, but after she finished her last bite of pancake (Yummy!) and washed it away with her last sip of coffee, he handed her the pretty gift-wrapped parcel and placed a sweet but rather chaste peck on her cheek.

"Happy birthday, my sweet Merri."

Giddy as a small girl, she tore off the shiny blue paper. And gasped again at what was revealed. It was an obviously antique, delicate silver picture frame, engraved with the fleur-de-lis. The picture inside was one of the two of them, taken at the opening of Pride's bar. True, they weren't dating at the time, they themselves still blissfully unaware of the rapidly growing attraction that was now impossible to deny. Yet, whoever had taken the picture (Merri's guess was Loretta), had captured their closeness as they leaned into each other to share a private joke.

She had wanted to ask him why he hadn't given her this the evening before when she had also received the chocolate box, but now that she held the picture and could see the obvious; she didn't have to.

This was too intimate a gift to share with coworkers.

"How could we have missed it?" She wondered out loud.

"Missed what, Merri?"

She caressed his cheek, then the picture.

"This. I mean, we look like we're in love, even when we weren't. Or at least when we didn't know we were."

He took the picture from her, seeing what she saw.

"I guess we were meant to be. Eventually. But I don't regret being good friends and partners with you first. Not treating you the way I treated a lot of women right after Savannah died."

It came out apologetic, as if he felt somehow ashamed of his behavior, which she may not have likes, but which she couldn't condemn him for either. It had been and frankly still was none of her business really. She caressed his cheek again.

"They consented, Chris. Don't judge yourself too harshly for the way you coped with her death."

Straightening his shoulders and setting the picture aside, he took her in his arms and kissed her properly.

"You're right, sweet Merri. No more sad talk. It's your birthday and we should celebrate it for all its worth."

Grinning slightly, Merri let her hand venture South underneath the sheets, stroking his already half hard member until she got his full attention, pun intended.

The remainder of the day was spent lounging around the house. With the weather taking a turn for the worse and the rain splashing against the windows, there was nothing more satisfying than spending all their time indoors, staying warm and close as they found new ways to play and love and explore. The shower, the couch, the coffee table, the dinner table, the kitchen counter; they would never be the same.

With their playful sense of humor restored, it was the happiest birthday Merri had had since her childhood. Realizing her sister would have been the most happy for her, reassured her it was okay, more than okay to want this, to have this and to enjoy it to the fullest.

Sunday morning found them at the breakfast table (after waking up to another incredible romp in bed; which was continued in the shower), looking out on the patio which glistened in the sun as it chased the last of yesterday's rainclouds away.

"Beautiful day today," Merri announced from behind her cup of coffee, humming appreciatively at the taste of the warm beverage. Her new boyfriend had many talents and certainly making a mean cup of java was one of them.

"Yup, it is. Wanna go outside, find some fun?"

"You didn't have fun inside? Pun intended?"

He almost spat out his own coffee as he burst out laughing, wiping his chin when droplets of the liquid threatened to drip down.

"I love it when you talk dirty to me, Merri. And yes, I sure had my fun playing inside, but Honey, we ain't teenagers no more. I need a break before my equipment wears out."

"Pussy."

"No, sweetlips, that's your equipment."

Grinning like the lovesick idiot she was, she nodded.

"Touché, LaSalle. But okay, let's venture into the city. Work up some apatite."

Still smiling at each other, they gathered their clothes and got dressed with a minimum of distraction by groping hands and wandering lips.

An hour later, they were walking hand in hand down Bourbon Street where despite the fact it was a Sunday, there was as always enough to do and see and explore.

There was a crafts market going on and Chris bought her a set of beautiful hand painted bowls. She thanked him with a soft kiss; the first they shared in public. After that, he kept buying her every small trinket she set her eyes upon, until she stopped him, claiming she now had enough paintings, statuettes and pottery to decorate a mansion.

"Well, maybe one day we'll have one. With the basketball team we're gonna create, we'll need all the room we can get."

Merri's face fell a little and Chris stopped his future dreaming to look at her.

"Merri, my sweet, I put my foot in my mouth didn't I?"

She shrugged.

"I'm forty, Chris. We'd be lucky if, by the time we're ready to think of a family, I could give you even one child."

Tears were pooling quickly in the corners of her doe eyes with the crushing feeling that this relationship she so selfishly wanted was doomed before it had even begun. Chris was young enough to start the family he always wanted, full of screaming little LaSalles wreaking havoc. He would make a great father. But not if he stuck around her. Sure, she knew that, sometimes with a little assistance, more and more women over forty could and did conceive. But she also knew the risks involved. A higher chance of miscarriage. Of complications during birth. Of giving life to a child with all kinds of deficiencies or handicaps. She didn't think she would love a none-perfect child any less (and neither would Chris, she knew all too well), but with their lifestyle as it was, was it worth it?

She had waited too long. Even James hadn't waited for her and had gotten another woman pregnant. Her twice ex-fiancé now had the family she would most likely never have.

Maybe it was time to face the facts. Cut this sweet, honorable man loose and live her life an old spinster. Maybe she should get a cat instead.

"Merri…MERRI!"

Snapping out of her increasingly somber mood, Merri looked at the man next to her, whose face was filled with love and concern as he knew all too well which direction her thoughts had taken. He gently grabbed her upper arms and forced her to look at him.

"Sweet Merri, listen to me. Yes, I have always wanted kids. But I want to make you happy and be happy with you even more. If we can have one kid, I'll be the happiest guy in the world. If we can't have any of our own, we can look into alternatives. We can adopt, make room for foster kids like Loretta did. There are dozens of options. But most important is that I want to explore them with you. Whatever happens, I'm with you. I love you. You hear me?"

Yeah, she heard him. And he was delusional. Still in the throes of their passionate weekend. But eventually, his bubble would burst and he would see the facts as they were: that he was wasting his time with an older woman while all this time; he could have set up the family he had always dreamed of. He would come to resent her and she would see the hurt and feel responsible for it. It would be intolerable for the both of them. She wanted to spare them the agony of a blank future. Not when he deserved so much more than she could possibly give him.

"Chris, I…"

His face fell, his eyes clouding over at the sad sound of her voice.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

She believed he believed it, but was it enough?

"I want to, but…"

Suddenly angry, he lashed out.

"But nothing, Merri. Either my word, my promise is good enough for you, or we might as well fold our cards and call it quits right now."

Oh no. Oh dear God no. Call her selfish, call her temporary insane, but the moment she realized how close she was to actually seeing him walk away then and there; she knew she couldn't take the pain. Not yet. Not now. They may not have forever, but…she wanted him. At least for as long as he would have her. Even if the forever he seemed to promise her, promise them, was not meant to be in the end. But the end could not be now.

Not yet.

Not getting an answer from her, Chris was about to draw his own conclusions. Feeling his heart crumble into dust (was it really over before it began? Had he lost her already?), he nodded and turned away, only to hear an almost animalistic cry coming from her throat as she propelled herself forward, the momentum smacking him into a wall and temporarily knocking the wind out of him. Crying hysterically, she clung to him, begging his forgiveness. Not knowing what else to do, he tried to calm her as best as he could, rubbing her back in soothing circles, repeating the same sentence over and over again until she calmed down somewhat.

"It's okay, sweet Merri. I ain't leavin' ya. I'm right here. Not goin' anywhere. Stop cryin' please. It's all okay, my Sweet."

When her waterfall was reduced to a mere trickle, he gently lifted up her face from where she had it buried against his chest, soaking his shirt in the meantime.

"You okay again?"

She nodded, a little embarrassed at her outburst of emotions.

"Yeah, I…I think so. I'm so sorry, Chris. I just…I have this weird tendency not to believe in my own happiness. I always dread the moment it comes crashing down on me. It has happened so many times before already."

"I know the feeling, sweet Merri. But we have to fight for this, for us. The world is a scary place when you're down on your knees, I know, but I still got some fighting days left in me."

He traced a stray tear streak from her cheek.

"I need you to have my back though. Can you do that? Can you fight for the happiness we deserve?"

Could she? She didn't know. But he was right; the alternative was to let the big bad world drag you down and knowing he would willingly go down with her, she knew she had no other option but to fight for their future.

"I'll give it my best shot."

He grinned.

"See? With your aim, we can't possibly fail."

He hugged her close.

"We can do this. I know we can."

Hugging him back, she actually felt the weight of her breakdown being lifted from her shoulders; his willpower and positivity rubbing off on her. So with a lot less trepidation in her voice, she echoed his statement.

"We can do this."

Phew, crisis averted. But something's on the horizon that will turn their lives upside down…stick with me and find out. In the meantime, your reviews are most appreciated.