AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.
AN2: Well here it is, the final chapter of my experiment. Some things have been quite a challenge to write while making sure it stays in character, but it has been an interesting journey.
25. Scheming to Epilogue
He watched her for a moment as she reached to put her necklace on. After two failed attempts at doing it up he walked across the room and took it from her and fixed it around her neck as she lifted her hair out of the way. He couldn't resist grazing his fingers across the bare skin which was exposed. She squirmed under his touch and he wrapped an arm around her to hold her close as he continued to caress her skin with his fingers and then his lips. He stopped as she pressed herself against him and groaned, mumbling something about being late. He grinned and trailed another line of kisses across her neck before looking at her in the mirror. The sparkle was back in her eyes after the events of the afternoon and neither had been left in any doubt about the others feelings as they pushed things to the limit when they got home, of course that left them having to make up time now. The shy sixteen year old he had met nearly fifteen years before had grown into an elegant and confident swan, not that she had ever been an ugly duckling, - damned kids fairy tales, he had to stop watching stuff like that. He asked if she was ready for them to tell the team. Staring back at his reflection she had nodded. He reached out and plucked her wedding ring from her jewellery box and turned her to face him as he slipped it on her finger. With a tender kiss he let her go.
---
Scheming had been the right word. Danny and Stella had planned everything, well except for the safely guarded piece of paper they needed. When his girls had dug their heels in about changing and he'd practically flattened Danny about not seeing Nikki until the guests were assembled they'd finally been forced to admit what they had planned. Trouble was the joke was on them, Nikki and Don's silence had paid off and they were able to announce to everyone that, in fact, they had already been married six weeks and proved it by producing their marriage certificate. Afterwards he was glad his brother was there to capture the picture of Danny and Stella's faces making it worth the earlier agony over changing. Of course they still managed to coax them into performing a "first dance" and cutting their wedding cake. Which actually wasn't that bad a memory to have. After that the rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. Except for Mac and Stella watching the other's every move and trying not to appear like they were together, when everyone knew they had arrived together and Mac was making sure she got home safe after. It was just a question of time before something would happen and they would be forced to admit their feelings for each other. Everyone knew it except them, or so it appeared.
It was too good to last that they had practically escaped Stella and Danny all night. When they finally got cornered it wasn't a surprise. As they were quizzed about the details he slid his arm around his wife's shoulder, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin under his fingers and there was a lot of skin for him to feel with her in that dress. He remembered them dancing half the night in the hotel disco using any excuse to get close to her. Yeah, he was definitely drooling over her in that dress and he couldn't wait to get her home to get her out of it and drool over the rest of her, and he made it quite clear to their friends what he had planned for his wife when they got home.
----
The next ten days passed too quickly and they were soon back at work and thrown deep into some harrowing cases. Shortly after their return Danny had found himself in a situation while out with a neighbour's child. Thinking he had done the right thing by sending the boy home he took the news very badly when the boy was later found dead in a nearby alley. He shut everyone out, including Lindsay and Don and insisted it was his fault that Reuben was dead. The Christmas holidays looming did nothing to better his mood, so Lindsay, after making one last ditch effort to reach him, used her outstanding vacation and took off for Montana. Danny turned down any and all invitations to Christmas lunch and went home to his parents. With his sister and her family away, there would be no children to remind him of what he had done. Don however braved the shops and got with the Christmas spirit as he tried to find the perfect gifts for his girls.
The lab seemed to be dealing with an increased crime spree and they were all kept fully stretched. He was now fully immersed in his new role, one which kept him in the station more with paperwork than out on the street, which he didn't like much, but he had been assured it was temporary while he learnt his new responsibilities. There were plans to get him out more, use his expertise in other ways, although nothing was confirmed about how that was going to work. He knew Nikki didn't mind so much that he was more desk bound, although she never admitted it to him. He still got out for the odd case and that is how he picked up the Christmas Eve call to a body in an alley as he was about to go off duty.
With a skeleton staff there was no chance to pass off the case and it meant breaking the one promise he'd made to her about working the holiday. She had accepted he was on call Christmas Day, but she had come to him a few days earlier and pleaded with him to be free for Midnight Mass. It was an easy thing to do and he noted the sparkle in her eyes as she had turned away and gone back to work.
----
As he drove to the scene he thought about them dropping by the lab earlier with Christmas cookies and mince pies for everyone still working. He'd missed the excitement there, but then she brought Amy to find him and she had called him from the squad room so he could share in their baking session. He was glad to see her happy, which was reflected in their light hearted banter and her sparkling eyes, it was all so different from the year before when they could barely speak to each other.
He had taken a big risk cornering her in the hotel that night and she could so easily have done more than just walked away, he could have found himself on assault charges, he still got a sick feeling anytime he thought of that moment. But she hadn't done either and now she was married to him and he felt like the luckiest guy alive. Things were finally falling into place. He watched her with Amy and noted how relaxed and happy she seemed.
It was going to be a good Christmas, but first he had to handle this case and tie up the paperwork before going home. It sounded like it was going to take all night from what Mac and Stella were saying as they looked over the body. That was not the news he wanted to hear. He tried to call his wife to let her know he wouldn't be meeting her at the church, but it went straight to voicemail a clear indicator that she was already there. He looked around him and sighed then looked at his watch again. It was another minute later than when he had last looked. He'd just have to live with the fall out later when he got home.
That's when the angels smiled on him, literally, and delivered Jessica Angell; within minutes she had relieved him of his memo book and sent him on his way. Luckily traffic was on his side as he drove home, then walked the couple of blocks to the church.
The priest was mid flow in his sermon when he crept into the church and stood looking for her. She had picked a seat near the back and had saved him a seat at the end of the row. He quickly slipped into it and paused for a moment of contemplation before reaching for her hand and whispering an apology. Sitting there holding her hand made him think that this is just where he wanted them to be in fifty years time, together still holding hands and enjoying these moments of peace. The chords of the Christmas carol drew him back to the present and he let her hand go and reached for the hymn book on the ledge in front of him. He sensed a change in her as they sang. She was fiddling with something in her pocket. What really caught his attention was the fact that she lost her place in the carol and stopped singing. It was her favourite one and she practically knew the words by heart. He glanced at her and watched as she slid a small crumpled piece of paper onto his hymn book. She looked nervous as she tipped her head towards the paper indicating he should read it.
Slowly he ran his fingers across it smoothing out the wrinkles so he could
read it. It looked like one of those printouts they got up in the lab when they were testing DNA or something. Her name was clearly on the top along with a list of symbols and figures. The last one had a gold circle linked to a message across the bottom. He didn't want to read this right here, if there was something wrong with her he didn't want to find out as they shared this moment, he didn't want to find out at Christmas, couldn't this wait? He looked at her, she was focused on the alter and the song, he looked back at the paper and ran his fingers across the lettering smoothing out the paper.
This means we're pregnant
He felt a knot form in his stomach and if they hadn't been in church he may well have had a few choice words. Well he did, but he swallowed them hard. This was why it had been so important to her for him to be there. She had planned this. He felt the tears cloud his eyes. He realised she must have known when he saw her earlier. He had so many questions, but was unable to ask her, he could almost feel her trembling as she stood at his side. She was nervous and probably a little scared too. After the loss of the baby a year before it had been on their minds a lot since the Brighton Beach case. They hadn't made a conscious decision to try again, but the last few months had left them in a better place. He wanted to know if she was alright, how long she had known, what he should do, but in Church on Christmas Eve was not the time to bombard her. Maybe she had known what his reaction would be, that's why she planned it this way.
He knew Christmas was important to her, that she was infecting Amy with the magic of the festive season. She always had a way of surprising him. A smile slowly spread across his face as he looked at her again. Anywhere else and he would have been yelling, telling the world, he could barely keep it in. The knot it his stomach tightened and he balled his fists for a moment to channel the excitement that was raging inside him. Pregnant? They were going to have a baby. He wondered why hadn't he noticed her being sick? He slipped his arm around her waist and drew her close. She remained impassive. He kissed her temple and whispered to her. She had told him in the one place where he had to take things calmly, he couldn't show her how he really felt. His stomach was churning, his head spinning. He was glad when a buzz of voices echoed around them as people greeted each other. He swept her into his arms and planted a deep kiss on her lips. He ignored the murmurs of disapproval from the old folk around them. He didn't care, he needed her to know that it was good. Now the questions came. She chided him quietly about one of them, but the sparkle in her eyes told him she was OK with things, it was a complete opposite reaction from the year before. He looked at her and asked if she was alright. Scared of the answer she might give, but she smiled back and assured him she was fine and that he should pay attention to the service. The little old lady he turned to next scowled at his overt display of affection in church. He took her hand warmly as Nikki explained his exuberance. It was enough to change the look on her face and they exchanged a few words as she wished them well.
Sitting through the next thirty minutes of the service was torturous, all he wanted to do was talk to her, get all the information, but she made him sit through it all. He was relieved when it was over and they were leaving. It had been a magical moment, she had certainly made it memorable. He reached for her hand and watched as she descended the steps. He watched her, unable to conceal the grin which he felt was permanently plastered across his face. He wondered for a moment if he had just dreamt it all, he needed confirmation, he needed to know it all. He questioned her and all she did was to whisper "Happy Christmas". He couldn't resist capturing her lips in a deep intense kiss before taking stock and staring into her eyes looking for signs of panic and fear, like he had seen the year before when Peyton had told her of the test results. But they were gone, replaced with a soft sparkle as she smiled back at him. This time she was in control and she seemed happy.
He was a little disappointed when she confirmed she had already made two trips to a doctor, but he couldn't hold it against her, after the last time she needed to be sure for herself and for him. To know that this time things were going to be OK. He had missed out when she was pregnant with Amy, he had not seen her the whole time until the day before his daughter was born. He would be there this time, every step of the way. Taking care of her, nothing this time could go wrong. She talked him through the basic care plan, and eased his fears at the timings, assuring him it was routine, but also assuring him that things would be watched closely to ensure things didn't happen like before. He silently vowed that there would be no repeat of before especially if he had anything to do with it.
He kept her arm linked through his as they walked home in the softly falling snow talking about the baby and his responsibilities. She had teased him about panicking and assured him that he only needed to be himself. They talked of how things had been with Amy, how she felt he saw it as a duty to take care of them, not because he had wanted to. He once again tried to lay those ghosts to rest and told her that the first time he held Amy in his arms was when he knew they should be together, that the night she had been conceived was not just a one night stand.
This time was different, she was ready, he was scared shitless over what he needed to do for the next few months to support her. But she had been right it had been a magical hour and they were going to face it all together, as a family. Nothing was going wrong this time.
----
Once they got home he found it hard to take his eyes off her. The figure hugging dress clung to her just right, her hair hung down her back. He was blown away again at how stunning she looked. The thought that she was carrying his child and this time was so happy about it just churned his stomach, he just wanted remember this moment. She knew he was checking her out, he could tell by the pink flush to her cheeks as she looked up at him. She turned away, but he stopped her, snaking his arm around her and pulling her close, her back to him. He smoothed the dress over her stomach, wondering what it would be like as the baby grew, how it would feel. He was totally in awe of what was going on inside her, what they had created.
He never had the chance to feel all this with Amy, but he was determined not to miss a minute of this baby's development. He wanted to know what to expect, when he could feel it inside her. He asked if she wanted a boy or girl. Her answer didn't surprise him. She guessed he would want a boy, but the truth was he really didn't care as long as this baby survived and mum and baby were both OK. He didn't know if either of them could survive if they lost this one too. He was happy she was in a good mood as they bantered about the unspeakable things he did to her on their honeymoon which had lead to this moment. He was buzzing that she had finally put her past behind her, that she had accepted him and was finally getting comfortable with the intimate side to their relationship and while she may have taunted him about locking her in their cabin, the truth was she had enjoyed it as much as he had.
As she turned in his arms and he let his hands glide over her dress he noted she was looking tired and insisted that she went to bed while he played Santa for their daughter. She tried to argue, but he wasn't going to hear of it. He was going to make sure she took no unnecessary risks that could jeopardise the safety of herself or their child and with his uncertainty at this alien situation he pleaded with her to indulge him and when she agreed he swept her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom before she could change her mind.
-----
Next morning he found it hard to take his eyes off his beautiful wife, still amazed that she carried another piece of them, a brother or sister for Amy. It was his daughter who seemed to notice first and she told him off about watching his wife. He grinned at being caught out by a five year old and turned his attention to her. She asked to go to the park, how could he turn down that angelic face? Simple answer? He couldn't so he sent her to get ready while he wandered into the kitchen to talk to the mother of his kids. She looked just as stunning as she had the night before in another figure hugging dress, which for now showed no signs of what was to come. They debated about how long it could remain between them and they hoped for a while, at least until her first scan at around ten weeks. She assured him she was fine to be left alone, that she felt good, that the doctor had told her things were going well. She started to push him out of the door, but not before he seized the opportunity to sneak a kiss, which was all he got as Amy thundered into the kitchen squealing at him for being gross. The kid had a lot to learn, but it wasn't a lesson he needed her to know until she was well into her thirties. He was somewhat relieved when she declared that she would never kiss a boy. As he dismissed her to finish getting her coat on Nikki took great delight in dropping in the thought about the questions she would ask about the baby when they told her. That was a conversation he was not having with a five year old. When his wife insisted that the questions would come and they shouldn't lie to her he calmly advised that it was her job to have that talk with the kids, but she had been just as quick to remind him that they were both responsible.
----
He was shocked when he got back from the park to discover his newly pregnant wife was carrying chairs down stairs, so before his Mother-in-Law could finish her sentence he had gone flying up the stairs. His stomach started to settle a little when he realised the chairs in question hadn't moved from where he put them a few days earlier. But the relief was short lived when he found her sitting on the floor of their en-suite bathroom looking deathly pale. Dropping to his knees at her side he hurriedly brushed her hair from her face and checked her over as she tried to assure him she was fine. Yeah, how could she be fine sitting on the damned bathroom floor looking like a ghost? He asked why she was there and with her reply their plan of a little more time to prepare themselves went out of the window. How could she be morning sick at lunchtime? He had a lot of catching up to do about all this pregnancy stuff. As he helped her from the floor and vowed to protect her from her mother she twisted away from him to deliver another prayer to the porcelain God.
It wasn't a surprise when he was quizzed about his disappearing act once he reappeared in the kitchen. He tried to dodge out of it, but Maggie knew, she lectured him on how tough her daughter was, that he didn't need to be so over protective. Only she didn't know it wasn't only her daughter that he had been thinking of, but the child growing inside her.
All too soon the moment arrived and with a quick glance the girls were there and he watched in awe as she told Amy the news about the baby. The slight puzzled expression from Amy and the smile of joy from Maggie played out almost as she had said it would. The stupid grin he had worn since the night before was still plastered on his face, but it wavered a bit when Nikki looked at him, with a knowing expression as Amy asked the dreaded questions. He watched as she took their daughter's tiny hand and placed it over her abdomen and encouraged her to talk to her baby brother or sister.
He followed his daughter back to the lounge a few minutes later to give the older women time alone. What he hadn't expected as Amy played with her new doll was the tirade of questions which came out. After the fifth or sixth one he admitted to not knowing the answer to, he sent her to ask her mother. He'd barely got his own head around the fact that there was a baby, let alone how big it was, whether it could suck it's thumb yet, was it going to have blue eyes like them? All things he hadn't got the first clue about answering.
He heard his girls come to join him and Amy bounded into his lap as he wallowed on the couch mulling over all the questions. Soon his wife joined them and gave them each a present. He saw his daughter enthusiastically tear off the paper and soon joined her, finding himself holding a book The Guy's Guide to Surviving Pregnancy, Childbirth and the First Year of Fatherhood. He was a little amazed that such things existed after all she was the one carrying the baby. He wondered why she had gone to the trouble, after all there wasn't a lot for him to do. Right?
Attention was soon on Amy as she poured over her own books, one about being a big sister, the other helping to explain in simple terms what was happening to her mother. Of course this was the one she got straight into. He listened as Nikki explained things and pointed at relevant pictures. He watched over his daughter's head as they both took in the details, even if the imagery left a little to be desired. And from those loopy pictures came the baby's nick name. The Alien.
---
The rest of their Christmas Day was filled with laughter with friends over dinner, after they had been cornered about Nikki's welfare after almost passing out when Stella and Mac arrived. So the news was out. He made it quite clear to Stella that any idea of baby showers had to wait for another six months. Nothing was going to happen until they were clear that the danger period was over. One thing was clear though, everyone would be looking out for her, and Mac was sure to find her safe jobs to do to avoid any risk. That he wasn't sad about.
Trouble was the worry cut both ways and he realised it after she took that phone call announcing one of his guys had been shot. With Mac and Hawkes he prepared to head out to the scene, knowing little more than there had been a shooting and Harris, the former rookie, had taken a round to the shoulder. He saw the look on her face and assured her he would stay safe. She told him it was the hormones talking when she was almost in tears knowing he had to go. It was one of the hardest things he had ever done when a few minutes later he walked away from her. He just hoped things weren't as bad as they appeared and he'd be home soon.
-----
Her relief was clear to see when they all returned home safely a few hours later and they were able to enjoy the rest of their day. It was getting late when their friends left and they retired to bed. However it wasn't to be the quiet night he hoped for. He was certain she had fallen asleep quickly, but something had woken him. The bed beside him was empty and he glanced at the numbers glaring from the clock. He couldn't hear anything, the lights were all out. After calling her name quietly a couple of times he decided to see where she had gone. Emerging from their room he had seen her standing in the doorway to Amy's room watching over their daughter as she slept.
She looked up as he stopped behind her and he wrapped his arms around her, resting them on her stomach. He questioned why she was out of bed at 2am. She told him she couldn't sleep, too much on her mind. He offered to talk and take her back to bed, but she declined. He persisted. The name alien had stuck and it seemed to amuse her when he used it. Amy had been right, that's what the baby looked like just then.
Back in bed and cradled in his arms, he liked the feel of her head on his chest. He relaxed, happy that she was doing ok and that things were going well. A new baby was going to be a challenge, but this time he'd be there every step with her, not just flying in at the last minute having found out she was eight months pregnant. This time life was good. He knew she was still awake, as long as she stayed where she was he had no intention of digging into what was keeping her awake. She probably thought he was asleep, but he wasn't. He let his mind wander over the last 6 years of their lives.
He wished she had confided to him about what happened with Jason, the infidelity which initiated her broken heart, but then again maybe it was good she hadn't, she knew he would have taken off to give the guy a talking too, and it wouldn't have been all verbal. The thought that the love of her life had betrayed her so spectacularly made him seethe. That he had been having a fling behind her back in the weeks leading up to the wedding was something Don would never have forgiven. Instead he was forced to watch the agony and guilt which almost destroyed her in the years after her husband's death. That was all over now. She had started again. A roller coaster journey accompanied her return to the city. Their on off relationship a side effect of the feelings which she never got to address with the lying, cheating scumbag she had married. But now that was all over, they were married now and making a life for themselves and their daughter. The news that she was expecting and that she was really OK with it had been the best Christmas present ever. Things were finally coming together and the future looked brighter.
He sighed and felt her shift as she kissed his bare chest lightly and roll over. He rolled with her letting his arms snake around her, pulling her close and laying his hand protectively on her stomach as he planted a kiss on her shoulder, feeling her shiver at the sensation. Life couldn't get much better. He knew she was finally ready to sleep.
This was where she belonged.
She was finally home.
Thanks to Lily Moonlight for the chats and for the sanity checks in proof reading the last few chapters.
I also couldn't leave them here, a new chapter of their lives is unraveled in "Beacons of Home" which picks up about a month later.