A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad I amused you. Drama is coming up soon though so watch out! Characters that were less in play recently are coming back to the forefront coughDannycough ; ) Also why do you hate Peyton! She's nice, aside from being the reason Stella and Mac aren't together...now I get it ; )

Thanks again and...

Enjoy.

Wincing again as he pressed the ice pack to his bruised eye, Adam shuffled back in his seat on the hood of a disused car outside a large auto shop called 'Wheeling and Dealing'.

"Well" said Ronnie, she stood before her friend, hands on her hips and biting her lip to stop herself from laughing;

"You shouldn't have punched him. From some reason, Eddie hates when people do that"

Adam groaned "I thought he was attacking you and anyway he punched me too!"

"We were just goofing around. Eddie is like my much older... gay brother, he used to let me work in his garage in the holidays so I could afford to buy text books for college and stuff" she explained,

"Thanks for the history lesson, its really useful five minutes after the fact" he said with a sarcastic snort then looked at her suspiciously through his good eye "Are you laughing at this Flack?"

She struggled not to smile and put on a serious expression "Of course not, I'm totally feeling your pain. Ghastly business"

Adam scoffed "Yeah right. Look at you! You're practically giddy!"

Ronnie gave up and doubled over with laughter, much to his annoyance, it was bad enough the jokes and smirks he'd gotten from some of the mechanics when the whole thing was straightened out but if he knew Ronnie she'd be teasing him about the whole incident for months, his frown deepened; years even.

"Aw" she said looking at him and then sat down on the hood beside him "Come on, you'll laugh about this later. I mean I'm already laughing so you will too" she grinned and patted his back "You should have called to tell me you were coming"

"I didn't know you were here!" he protested indignantly "Everybody in the know comes to Eddie's garage. I didn't realise you two were 'bosom buddies' I just wanted to see if he could fit me in for a new paint job next week"

"If it's any consolation Ross" she said, stifling another bout of laughter "The thought that you could come and protect little ole me is very sweet."

He sighed and tilted his head to her "I know you can handle yourself I was just...I don't know" he trailed off

She rubbed his arm sympathetically "I owe you a drink"

Adam smiled faintly,moved the ice pack from his head and looked at her "Am I still pretty?"

Grinning widely she nodded "You're still pretty"

He started to chuckle then gingerly placed the ice pack back against his head, she took his hand and examined his bruised knuckles.

"Man." she whistled "You must hit like a girl to get your hand looking like this"

He growled irritatedly "Shush or I'll hit you"

"Ooo" she put on a mock stern face "You want me to get Eddie back here?"

Adam gasped, pretending to be offended "I risk life and limb coming to fair damsels rescue, receive bloody, painful injury and this is the thanks I get?"

She pursed her lips, trying again not to laugh, then moved a braid hanging from her right shoulder over to her left, revealing a thin jagged, faded pale red scar at the nape of her neck.

"I got this when D hit me in the back of the head with a hockey stick 'accidentally'...now this is a real scar" she said smugly

Adam scoffed "Lemme see that"

He reached over with his free hand and started tracing the line of the old injury, then suddenly she jerked her head away.

"Uhm, I'm going to go inside grab Eddie's first aid kit" she said, sounding a little too bright

"What was that?" he asked, staring at her curiously

"What?"

"You just jumped like a mile when I touched you"

Ronnie scoffed "I think that punch has made you a little paranoid"

He stared at her questioningly and she looked back defiantly, inwardly feeling herself growing ever more uncomfortable by his expression.

"O...kay" he said finally

She breathed out, flashing him a genuine smile "I better get that kit"

From the time it took her to get a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a plaster and then return, Ronnie had realised that she wasn't in any danger of getting over her 'crush' or whatever it was anytime soon and that was definitely bad but at least Adam hadn't seemed to have worked out what was in her head and that was good.

"That better not sting" he said peering at the small dark bottle with suspicion

"Don't be a wuss" she chided gently and moved the ice pack away from his forehead "Here, put this on your hand and sit still"

He did as she asked, not complaining once while she tentatively cleaned the wound then pressed a plaster, emblazoned with Mickey Mouse heads over the cut.

"Agh...this is not a good look" he said peering into a compact mirror she handed him when she was done

"You complain too much" she said taking the mirror back and slipping it into her purse "Come on, lets go get you that drink"

Don rapped on the door to the penthouse, completely dreading the evening he was about to have. When Orson answered he managed to force a smile.

"Hey"

"Don! Great to see you man" said Orson brightly, he appeared to have like Don; just come from work and was still in his suit

"Yeah, likewise" replied Don, trying to keep the sarcasm from his voice

"Well come in, come in" said Orson, shaking his hand vigorously, then he lead Don inside to an intimidatingly plush looking place, which was a far cry from the apartment Don shared with Ronnie.

"Nice place" he admitted, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack

Orson shrugged dismissively "I'm just renting till Georgie and I find a suitable place" he gestured over to the low lit lounge with a window that stretched around the room, giving a fantastic view of the city

"Have a seat, I'll get Georgie. White or red?"

Don shrugged "Whichever one has more alcohol" he said dryly, thinking he was going to need a stiff drink

Orson chuckled "I'll go and pour up" then he went off into the kitchen, leaving Don in the lounge. The detective tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and stared out at the window, there was no way he was able to compete with what Orson had to offer.

"Gives me vertigo" aid George

He looked around quickly, she smiled "It really does. I can't stand that window"

He smiled back, maybe he had a shot after all "Chicken"

She laughed, then placed a hand on her hips "Thanks for coming"

"Well I had nothing better to do..." he said with an affable grin, then he sat down on an armchair, following her lead

"So how have you been?? I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks" she said brightly, he noticed her hair was much straighter shorter and she would fidget with it a lot over the length of the night

"Two weeks actually" he replied "Guess you're now officially on maternity leave. How you handling having no work to do?"

She rolled her eyes, rubbing her much rounder stomach absently as she did "Y'know? I thought I'd hate it but it's been really good to get some rest. I guess when this one is born I won't rest till it turns eighteen"

"If then. Kids never stop worrying you" he said then went silent as he wondered what was the proper etiquette about asking someone you were in love with how their wedding to another man was going

"The wedding planning is...a little stressful" she said, saving him the trouble "I mean, every time I get a dress fitted I put on more weight. I tell you right now, Shamu has nothing on me"

He had to smile "Actually, I think you look great...you're glowing"

She blushed and fiddled with her hair again, just as Orson reappeared, holding a tray with two half full wine glasses, a wine bottle and a tall glass of what looked like cranberry juice, he handed a wine glass to Don

"Here you go man" then set the tray down and handed George the tall glass

She looked sheepish at Don's smirk "It's the only stuff I can handle drinking these days"

He chuckled "What about all your allergies? Better or worse now?"

She snorted "Worse. I live on chocolate and pizza"

"Not that you're complaining" said Orson, kissing her and suddenly bringing Don's mood down

"So...I guess we better get started" said the detective "Visitation rights"

"Don't make it sound like prison" said George, trying to keep the tone light hearted. She hated that it had come to this

"I'm just trying to be practical" Don muttered

"Of course" Orson said brightly "Well, I'm sure it won't be a problem with either of us if you wish to visit or have a schedule worked out"

"Yeah" nodded Don

"How about we have the child during the week and you have weekends? Its simply more...straightforward" explained Orson

Don sighed "Sure. What about if I'm off work in the week?"

"Well if you call ahead then we won't mind having you come over or...taking the child with you for the day" said Orson, sounding all in all very reasonable, which made it hard for Don to dislike him but then he just had to look at George and was instantly reminded of all he was losing to the man

"What'dya think George?" he asked looking at her

She appeared wearier of the conversation by the second "Yeah. Why not?"

"Okay...what else?" said Orson then he thought of something "Georgie and I would like to raise our child in keeping with our faith"

"Is that right Georgie?" Don said sarcastically

George flushed and looked at Orson hesitantly "Well no...I think that our child should make the decision themselves when they are older"

Both men seemed to accept this after a few brief thoughtful moments. Then Don started up again "Alright, since we're all being very civilised and diplomatic about it. What about baby names? First and last"

"Ah" mused Orson, tapping his chin and sipping his wine "Therein lies the rube"

Don raised an eyebrow at the man and wondered how this seriously was who George was planning to spend the rest of her life with.

"I think Flack...uh should choose. As it is his child, it'll obviously have his last name too. I mean...since we'll have the kid most of the time...its only fair" George said softly, surprising them both

Orson recovered quickly "If you want"

She stared at them both "I do" then she cleared her throat "As for the ante-natal classes I can't handle you two both trying to come so...I'm gonna go with a friend from now on? Alright?"

"But I..."protested Orson

"That's my final word on it" she said folding her arms then smiling to show there were no harsh feelings intended

Don shrugged "Alright whatever. What about doctor's appointments?"

"If you want...you can both come. You both deserve to be there" she said, feeling more and more uncomfortable, when she envisaged herself settling down with children one day in the far future, she never dreamt it would be this uncomfortable

"Great" Don stood up, smoothing down his trousers "If that's everything for now?"

"Ah the wedding! It's in a few months" said Orson, he stood up too "We'd both love it if you could attend"

Don raised an eyebrow "Yeah?" he peered at George but she was studiously avoiding his gaze

"So what do you say?" asked Orson

Don shrugged again "Sure. I'll be there with bells on"

Then after being walked out by Orson, he was gone.

"Well, he's actually quite an agreeable guy, I thought he'd be trying to stake his claim but...he was fair" commented Orson, while he cleared up the glasses

"Yeah he is" replied George, noticing that this was the first time she'd really noticed that side of Don

George exhaled and went into the bedroom, she'd hated how down Don had looked, she knew that the situation wasn't ideal but she told herself that even if she hadn't been with Orson thing would still be complicated. She shook her head, physically getting rid of her busy thoughts and picked up a wedding magazine from her dresser.

Staring in confusion at the flames coming from a fifth floor window, Don jumped out of his car and ran up to the front of his apartment block where a loud, excited crowd had gathered alongside an ambulance and a police car. He flashed his badge at a fireman.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, dreading the answer, in all the stress of the situation with George, he couldn't remember when he'd last spoken to his sister, and he was now praying that she wasn't up there

The fireman pointed up to the floor "Yeah some guy in 5G was cooking, left to answer the phone, the next thing you know his place is on fire"

Don couldn't help feeling relieved that it was not his apartment (5B) or his sister that was in trouble. "Uh thanks" he muttered and stood back to let the fireman get on with his job.

"Don!"

He shot a look over his shoulder and beamed when he saw his sister hurrying over to him. She hugged him tightly "Thank God, I thought you were in there"

Don nodded "Same here. Is anyone else up there?"

She shook her head "There were a couple of people but the firemen got them out. Mrs.Barber, y'know 5H? She called me and Adam dropped me off"

She gestured over to the crowd where Adam was stood amongst them, also watching as the team of firemen attempted to put out the blaze.

"Aw, y'know. I can't have that turkey sandwich I wanted" said Don with a weary sigh

Ronnie looked sheepish "You wouldn't have been able to have that anyway. I may have eaten it"

Don sighed, trying not to smile "You're a greedy sob"

She shrugged "Yeah but I'm family and you love me really"

Don ruffled her hair "I'm glad you're okay" he glanced over at some of the police officers keeping the small crowd back "I better go see if I can help. You stay away from the fire alright?"

She nodded and waved him off, then the two siblings separated. She went over to Adam who had moved a little away from the crowd and was sat on the side walk typing something into his Side Kick.

"Hey" she said smoothing down her skirt and sitting down beside him

"Hey" he said putting the Side Kick back in his jeans pocket "Did you talk to your brother?"

"Yeah, he's gonna see what he can do to help" she sighed miserably "They said that until they clear things out and see the extent of the damage, people are going to have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight"

Adam rubbed her back sympathetically "You can stay with me. I must warn ya, I talk in my sleep and I don't cook ever. It's always take out for me"

She smiled faintly "Aw you don't have to offer...I know you have work tomorrow"

He squeezed her shoulder "I mean it. Come on, you can even use my toothbrush"

His comment had the desired effect as she burst out laughing "You get creepier every day Ross"

He stood up and held out his hand, helping her up "Fine. Don't use my toothbrush your majesty" he said pretending to be offended

She smirked "You're an idiot. Look, I'll just tell D and give him your number in case he needs me"

Adam nodded and waited patiently till she returned a few minutes later where they then walked the few blocks to his apartment complex.

Once up in Adam's apartment Ronnie collapsed on the couch, exhausted by the night's events.

She looked at the wall clock "It's nearly one. When is your shift?"

"At four" said Adam with a weary yawn he sat down next to her, watching her concernedly "You want something to drink or eat Flack?"

She shook her head "It's okay. Get some rest"

He let out another involuntary yawn "Alright. You don't mind having the couch?"

"Nah, I think I'm going to be up for a while anyway. I guess I'll watch TV or something"

Getting up and stretching, he yawned once more " You can have the bedroom when I'm up. Keep the noise down."

"You too sleep talker"

He smiled wryly and headed into his bedroom.

At three thirty in the morning, Adam rolled out of bed, feeling as if he'd just got to sleep, he scanned his watch and grimaced at the time.

He shuffled into the lounge and turned on the lights where he saw Ronnie through the window, she stood there on the fire escape shivering. He sighed wearily, walked over to the window and opened it.

"What the hell are you doing?" he groaned rubbing his eyes

She looked sheepish "I wanted to have a smoke then I dropped my pack and I realised the window had shut on me"

He started to chuckle "I really wish I had a camera all of a sudden"

Ronnie pouted "Are you going to help me in or what?"

Adam sighed and pushed the window up, making sure the latch kept it there "I thought you were quitting?"

She shrugged and gave him another sheepish smile "Give me a break"

"You're insane you know"

"Just give me a hand"

He chuckled again then held out his hand and she gripped it after that, she hesitantly stepped through the window almost slipping once but he caught her quickly, propping her up by grabbing her waist to steady her.

She blushed, her hands on his shoulders "Thanks" she was suddenly very aware of how loud her heart was beating, he must have noticed, but he seemed oddly distracted.

"No problem" he said quietly then leant forward and kissed her, pulling her up to him, she stood on her toes, staring in surprise when he stopped all too quickly

"Sorry, I really should stop doing that"

She made an incomprehensible sighing noise. God he's a good kisser she thought as she reciprocated,wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss.

"What time is it?" said Ronnie, they had been stood there by the window kissing, every so often briefly stopping to catch their breath then they would start all over again, as if catching up on all the time they wasted not kissing each other.

"Ugh. I think it's nearly four" he muttered and nibbled her ear lobe

"Shouldn't you get ready for work?" she said, trying to move away, not that she managed it or really wanted to

He raised his head "I think so. Unless I skip the shower which means we can make out for another fifteen minutes"

Ronnie suppressed a giggle "I like the sound of that"

Adam smirked and lowered his head again "Now, where was I..."