C.J. lay back in bed, watching the moonlight spill into the room through the slats in the blinds. Matt lay next to her, the sheet up to his waist and he occasionally moved in his slumber. He'd been asleep for a while, while they had been ironing some logistics during their alone time until he started nodding off.

She felt sleepy but wired at the same time, listening to the faint sounds of early morning traffic. Venice beach had an active party life so it had only started to unwind after midnight when people began to wander home. She and Matt had mainly spent time in this neighborhood when working on a case or two, mostly based on the nearby marina.

Back when they'd been single. He had been seeing a line of women with first names and she had gone into her relationships more tentatively than the man next to her. She never had found it quite as easy to strike them up as he had and she envied him that at least part of the time. His heart had been broken, his life in danger a time or two, he'd lost fiancés to killers and to his own lifestyle but he never stopped seeking out further relationships.

They had that in common but went about it in different ways.

She'd envied his ease at doing that because after losing Carl to her psycho stalker she had struggled with her grief. And the situation with Robert had caused her a whole different type of it but she'd gotten through it. Matt had been the constant in her life when she had needed him just as she had been for him.

Their friendship had existed longer than their marriage but the life they had shared since had been sweet. Even as they had been on the run from one chaotic moment to the next, they had built something special along the way.

She heard her phone vibrating on the stand next to her side of the bed. She gazed over at Matt who remained asleep. After reaching for her phone, she saw that Chris had texted her to look outside the front door…which meant that her friend had gone on that errand for her. She glanced at Matt again before climbing out of bed and grabbing one of his shirts to slip into before walking to the door. She hoped it was Chris and not some kind of ruse to trap her given that she was dressed in her husband's shirt and panties but damn, she really needed those tests.

Opening the door carefully, she gazed down at the welcome mat and sure enough she found an unidentified bag and picked it up. Inside were six different tests, different brands and next to it, about a pound of rich dark chocolate. A small card sat in the bottom of the bag and after plucking it out, she opened it up. Just a few words jotted in a rush by Chris about what to do and that the pound of chocolate, she would most definitely need afterward.

C.J. shook her head as she tucked the bag back closed and walked back to the bedroom. She looked at her watch and decided if dawn was only a couple hours away, she'd have to wait until she could get up and lock herself in the bathroom if necessary while taking the damn tests. She opened up one and read the instructions which sounded too complicated but then it was a test that could alter a person's life forever. Still, her law degree from Harvard didn't help her much while she tried to figure out what test to do first. Should she list them in alphabetical order, or was there some natural progression?

It hurt too much to do this much thinking this early in the morning so she tucked her bag with her things and then crept back into bed quietly. She hated keeping anything from him especially something this important. But she knew how important it would be for his focus to remain on the apprehension of Dmitri before he could get them. That's what she told herself quietly as she felt his arms wrap around her even in sleep drawing her closer to his warmth. She loved him so much, the idea of it tugged inside her so deeply, her eyes stung. Closing her eyes, snuggling into him, she fell asleep again.

Damn, she hopped out of bed, nearly tripping over her shoes or his shoes while she grabbed her bag and went into the bathroom. Matt still remained asleep, he had been softly snoring when she had woken up. She closed the door quietly behind her and after pulling the tests out of the bag and onto the throw rug, she got to work. First she had to provide the ahem, samples of the test. Now both Chris and the multi-paged, multi-language instructions had made it clear it had to be the first…output of the day. Somehow she managed that with at least four of the tests and that would have to do for now.

But oh, the waiting, and the figuring out how each one was color coded or would otherwise indicate whether during one of those days or nights they had spent together in each other's arms had led to conception. She had brought her phone with her in case of emergency consultation.

It didn't take her long to get on the line with Chris first. Her friend sounded groggy and asked her what time it was.

"It's six…okay maybe five but I couldn't sleep any longer," C.J. said, "So I'm running the tests."

"Okay…you know you have to wait a little while for the results to show up," Chris advised, "Call me back when you get them."

"Chris…I mixed up some of the instructions with the tests and I'm not sure I have them matched up right."

Chris sighed deeply.

"You're a trained lawyer and you don't know how to read a pregnancy test? Well, it might help you to know that all of them will display that you're pregnant or not, only the colors will be different…oh and they might do the plus or minus…then there's one test that gives a thumbs up or a thumbs down."

C.J.'s head spun. How had such tests grown even more complicated in the past five minutes?

"Okay…well thanks…I'll call you later."

She clicked off her phone and then punched in another number.

"C.J. is that you?"

"Yeah Carol...is it too early to call?"

"No…not really," Carol said, "I keep doctor's hours remember…what have you been up to…I heard you got married."

"Yeah to Houston….anyway, we've been traveling and well, I had a question about one of those tests."

"What tests….oh, I see what you mean," Carol said, "You and Houston aren't wasting anytime are you? What do you need to know?"

C.J. picked up one of the testing devices she had lain out in a row on the floor.

"These tests are pretty accurate right," she said, "They have a low failure."

"Yes, if they're done properly, it's very low," Carol said, "similar to our own tests."

C.J.'s eyes widened as she picked up the second stick and read it, before reaching to the next one.

"So if three of them say the same result, then that's accurate?"

Carol sighed impatiently.

"C.J., just tell me what the damn tests say," she said, "I'm a doctor after all."

"Well…."

She suddenly heard footsteps outside the bathroom door and knew that Matt had gotten out of bed even before he rapped on the door.

"C.J. are you in there…?"

She put the phone aside.

"Yeah…I might be a minute," she said, "I'm busy."

"Can't you open the door," he asked, "We are married after all."

She bit her lip thinking about it and then looking at the tests on the floor.

"In a minute hon..."

He walked away as if he left the room. After it grew quiet again, she looked at the tests and then she looked at the bag containing the pound of chocolate. Chris had been right, she would most definitely need it.

Then she remembered Carol.

"Are you still there?"

"Yeah…I'm out of bed and in the kitchen brewing some coffee before I get ready to head to the clinic."

"I…the tests, they all say the same thing," C.J. said, "Some say it in pink, some blue and one in what looks like neon purple but I'm…"

"You're what?"

C.J. couldn't even say the words. They were just too huge.

"C.J…earth to…"

"Oh I'm still here…I'm also pregnant."

There she said it, what each and every test had read once she had decoded their unique scoring systems. Somehow she and Matt had managed to create a new life while…wait she'd been using the pill when this probably happened.

"I can't be..I was on the pill."

Carol chuckled.

"Oh nothing's foolproof," she said, "I've collected quite a few 'but I was on the pill' stories in my years. Congratulations, this is great news right?"

C.J. sighed, looking back at her tests.

"Yeah I think so…but the timing…things are really hectic right now."

"Ah yes, but it's always the case with newlyweds," Carol said, "It'll sort itself out."

C.J. bit her tongue, not able to detail any of the particulars as to why it just wasn't the best time to be pregnant. But she couldn't deny that the news made her happy, almost giddy. If only…

She heard the footsteps return in the room.

"C.J. you still in there," he said, "You sure you're okay?"

She said goodbye to Carol and started scooping up the tests.

"I'm fine…I'm sorry I locked you out."

"That's okay…listen I made some omelets with what I could find," he said, "They smell pretty good."

She smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"I'm sure they're great…I'll be out in a minute."

Damn, she thought, she really needed to tell him but with everything that had been going on since they got busy, if she told him now it'd affect his decision making as far as she was concerned. He needed her to work with him and his instinct might be to place her in bubble wrap while he ran around putting himself in greater danger.

No, that wasn't going to happen because she'd wait until things had quieted down before giving him the news.

Yes, that would be a plan that would have to work, she thought as she headed to the kitchen to eat the breakfast he had prepared, wearing a smile on her face.