((A/N: OH GUYS! I am SO sorry! But medical problems came up and sadly real life interfered and I was completely taken away for FAR too long! Won't happen again. Unfortunately this'll be the last chapter for this little hoo-haw but there are plenty of others in the works so have no fear. It might take a little bit to decide which ones to put up first but it'll be soon. Thanks for all the great reviews again!! And all the support!))

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Danny left the hotel room and sighed softly.

He hadn't told his wife where he'd gone. What he was going to do. This was just something she wouldn't understand. The tension lately in the loft was….well….tight. There were plenty of nights lately where they went to bed without much more than a stifled 'good night' and far too many of those nights later, Danny had found himself sitting up in the living room staring out the windows at the city that he'd grown up in…learned in….protected….

Only to figure his life was now falling apart.

Standing in the hallway, he reached up and took off his glasses, pinching his eyes together and looked over his shoulder at the door once more before he headed to the elevator. Pushing the button to head down to the lobby, he waited till the tone sounded and the doors slid open easily.

"Mr., Ms. Monroe…I'm really sorry for your loss. Truly."

"You're trained to say that." Lindsay's mother said flatly.

"No, ma'am. Well, I mean yes we are. But this time it wasn't because of…protocol…or whatever." Blue eyes studied the emotionally worn faces of the parents as Danny sat on the chair. "I really mean it. I…knew Lindsay. Yes we used to go out. But things happened and you know as well as I do that sometimes things between two people don't work out."

Mr. Monroe sighed softly and looked at his wife. "He's right. We shouldn't have done this."

"No!" his wife nearly shouted at them both. "Our daughter deserves better!"

"What do you want me to do?" Danny said, nearly in tears. "It was over. It had been for a while before I even met Ryan." He'd gone to the hotel to try and talk sense to the parents since there didn't seem to be anything else to do and this whole thing was tearing him apart. It was bringing up demons and he knew that he couldn't just 'wait' for someone else like a judge to decide.

"My baby wouldn't be like that. She even called me the night before. She told me you called her. You invited her to come back!! You lured her there!!" the old woman snapped before her husband placed a hand on her arm to still her. She threw off the gesture and turned her cutting gaze back to Danny. "We trusted you with her. We welcomed you into the family. And to do….this….to her. We will never…forgive you!"

Danny winced at the sharp words and closed his eyes for a moment. He didn't think it was going to go well but he also didn't think she wouldn't see how it all went down for real. Even armed with the police reports he wouldn't have had a chance. Even if there had been video or if he'd done a re-enactment of the – wait. And he reached into his pocket and pulled out the keychain present Ryan had given him a month before the…...

The keychain with his son's DNA on it and a copy of the last sonogram.

And he held it up to her.

She took it with a blink as she wiped away the tears and then her eyes narrowed as she looked at the young CSI. "What's this?"

"My son." Danny said softly, desperately fighting the tears. "That night….when Lindsay came shooting in the apartment….she shot Ryan. In the interim she killed my son. So you think you've lost a lot that night? What do you think I did?"

That had been the last thing said until she handed the keychain back and stood, leaving the room. Mr. Monroe escorted Danny to the door and promised the young man that he'd take care of everything and to go home and just….take care of his daughters.

When Danny walked into the loft and heard the squealing fits between Charley and Boo, he smiled and locked the truck, heading inside. Tossing his keys on the small table by the door, he walked into the living room and over to the playpen, scooping up Charley who's shrieks echoed bringing RJ out from the laundry room.

"Oh hi, sweetheart!" she said, a bright little grin and a lean over the back of the couch where he'd planted himself after snagging his youngest, and a kiss to his temple. "How was your meeting?"

Danny sat Charley on his knees facing him, bouncing her gently, and smiled, feeling the emotional weight lifting and sniffling once before answering softly. "Went fair. Got the ideas resolved." A nod.

"Good." RJ said and straightened up, finishing folding the towel she'd carried out. "I'm gonna finish the laundry. Mind watching the monstrosities? They've been completely horrible this morning while you've been gone," she said, turning and heading back to the mudroom.

Danny nodded even if she didn't see it, holding on to Charley's little hands and continuing bouncing her amidst the squeals and giggles. He couldn't help but grin and feel his heart jumpstart a bit when she looked up at him with the largest crystal clear blue eyes. His…eyes.

"Yer not gonna grow up to be some jealous little ……." And he sighed as he stopped. "And definitely no guns. But we're gonna stop that….since I'm gonna definitely find that monastery on the hill in Naples or something." Holding her up like an 'airplane' and hovering her over his head before lying back on the couch and laying her on his chest.

"Da!" Charley squeaked and looked up at him again.

Danny ran a hand over her head and pulled her close, kissing her forehead before tucking one arm under his own head to watch her as she yawned and lay down, slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Oh yeah….nice safe monastery. Run by nuns. Not even monks allowed. Anywhere near." He slowly mumbled, just the sound of his voice and his heartbeat sending the baby off to dreamland.

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((Yeah so that was how it was going to be. At least for now. No one said raising twins was going to be easy, though, hm? Danny just might find that out as we go along. More on Life with the Messers I promise…..stay tuned, gang))