He woke up with her arms around his waist. "Good morning, Mrs. Rossi."

"Mmm, good morning, Mr. Rossi. Do you think they'll be upset we went and got married without them here?"

"No, I'll explain to them we simply couldn't wait for them to get back. We can throw a party to celebrate once we get news that the Director has okayed our marriage." He kissed her and she purred as his fingers thumbed her nipples to erect nubs. "What is on our agenda for today?"

"A lazy morning spent in bed, lunch at my favorite bistro, a movie, and then supper back here." She winced, touching her hand to her mouth. "One second." She crawled out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He heard her gagging and hurried after her. Once in the bathroom, he knelt as her side, holding her hair back. When she had finished, he reached over and flushed the contents away and then helped her to stand.

"Here, let me," he said, grabbing a washcloth and wetting it before washing her face free of ick.

"Thank you, Dave. Sorry I'm not too glamorous this morning. Squishy doesn't like mornings, I guess."

"You're calling our baby Squishy?" he asked as she put toothpaste or her brush, and she nodded as she vigorously scrubbed her teeth. "They're not even here and you're already giving them a complex."

"We don't know its gender yet, and won't for another two months or so. I need something to call it until then." She led him back to the bed and climbed under the covers. "I suppose we should start to think about names. Do you want a junior if it's a boy?" She curled her body up close to him, spreading her palm out over his chest.

"That would be nice, Kitten. What about if she's a girl?" He rubbed her shoulder lightly and she nuzzled her face against him.

"I don't know. Caroline or Vanessa might be nice. What do you think?"

"I was thinking Elisabetta or Lucy."

She sighed. "What about Elisabetta Caroline?"

"That sounds perfect." He bend to kiss her when her cell phone rang. Groaning, he got out of bed and dug through her purse to pull it out, throwing it to her.

"Hey, Sugar. I'm doing much better today. I guess some women have periods while they're pregnant, but the baby is fine. No, he didn't cause me too much stress. No, you will not kick his ass. I love him that's why. I'll see you in a few days, all right? I love you, too, Derek." She hung up and set the phone on the bedside table.

"He's not happy with me, is he?" She shook her head and snuggled up close to him once more.

"We're not focusing on that today, though. We are still blissful newlyweds and nothing will intrude on that." She kissed him and he returned the gesture, rolling her onto her back as he entered her pliant body.

A few hours later, they took showers and he drove her to the outdoor café she loved so. They were seated quickly and she looked over the menu while he looked at her. "What?" she asked, blushing under the scrutiny of his gaze.

"I'm just wondering how something so perfect has come into my life. This happiness is different from what I experienced with my previous wives. I can be an ass."

"I know. I was on the receiving end once."

"That was before I knew you well. Can I ask you to always try to reach me when I'm being a jerk?" She nodded and he clasped her hand, smiling at her. They put their order in and sat in silence until the food came. A delicious tension rose up between them and he leaned forward, kissing her sweetly. She giggled slightly and sat back, a bright blush on her cheeks.

When they'd finished eating, he took her hand and led her down the street. "Where are we going?"

"You need a ring on that finger, Mrs. Rossi. I want the world to know I belong to you."

"Don't you mean I belong to you?"

He thought for a moment. "How about we belong to each other?"

"That does have a nice ring to it." She stepped closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand splaying out over her stomach. "Could we invite Erin and Erik over for supper tomorrow? I want to get to know her better."

He squeezed her waist tightly as they walked. "Your heart is so tender, Kitten. If you can get her to agree, then yes, feel free to have them over." Dave thought for a moment. "You know, we haven't talked about your apartment."

"I guess I'm not going to need it any longer. My place is with you. Maybe we could have the team help us move over the things that I really want and need in my life with you. We can donate the rest." They fell silent once more and continued walking down the street. Finally, he led her inside a jewelry store and she made a beeline for the rubies.

"Don't you want a diamond?" he asked as he joined her.

"No, diamonds are too cold. I want something that reminds me of the fire in our relationship." She looked up at the clerk who had joined them. "May I see the large, heart-shaped ring in the back there?" The clerk nodded and pulled the ring out, handing it to her. She slipped it on her ring finger and found it fit perfectly. "Look, Davey, it must be a sign."

He smiled and nodded. "I guess we'll take this one." The clerk smiled at them and led them over to the register.

As he paid, he watched Penelope stare at the ring, catching the light with the gemstone. "Thank you, my love. This really is the perfect ring." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, then wrapped her arm around him. They went back outside and began to walk back to the car. Halfway there, her cell phone rang once more. "I don't want to talk to Derek right now. If it's important, he'll call back later."

"All right, but are you sure you want to ignore your best friend?"

"No, but this is our afternoon." The phone stopped ringing for a moment before beginning to ring again. "That's odd. Usually when I don't answer, he just leave a message. Maybe I should see what he wants."

"I think perhaps you should." David let go of her hand and she reached into her purse to pull out the phone.

"It's not him." She pushed a button and answered. "Hello? Erin? What's wrong? Calm down, sweetheart. I can't understand you. What? Honey, are you sure? Have you called the police yet? You have to do that, either them or an ambulance. I'm with David right now, do you want us to come over?" She clutched his hand, her eyes bright with tears. "All right, we'll be there in about fifteen minutes or so. Honey, I'll try to hurry. Okay?" She sighed, gripping the phone even tighter. "Fifteen minutes, Erin."

Penelope hung up the phone and burst into tears. Dave maneuvered her close to the nearest building and took her into his arms, rubbing her back gently as she sobbed. "Kitten, what's happened?"

"We need to get over to Erin's house, as soon as possible."

"Why? What's going on?" he asked lowly, looking into her eyes.

"Her husband's committed suicide."