Maddie paced the floor of her living room, waiting anxiously for Danny to arrive. He had called earlier and tried to beg off tonight, having worked an especially long shift that day, but she had insisted that he come over. Since they were both pretty understanding of each other's schedules, her firmness told him something was up, and that it was important.

He finally appeared, using the key she'd given him to unlock the door and let himself in. He sighed tiredly as he pushed the door open, but found himself smiling the instant he laid eyes on her. She was leaning against the window sill wearing a faded pair of blue jeans and a camouflage tank top, her feet bare and her hair pulled into a curly ponytail. To anyone else she may have appeared rather plain, but to Danny she was breathtaking.

He pulled off his suit jacket and left it on the back of the couch as he passed it, walking into the living room and gently sliding his arms around her waist, kissing the scar on her neck. "Hey beautiful…"

She nearly jumped out of her skin. "Oh, Danny! You scared me!" She turned in his arms and gripped his shoulders, trying to steady herself.

"Didn't you hear me come in?" he asked, tightening his arms around her.

Maddie shook her head. "Lost in thought, I guess."

Danny grinned. "Glad to see you found your way back."

She returned his smile and kissed him hello. "Me too."

He kissed her again, longer this time, feeling her relax in his arms. Her fingers played with the hair at the base of his neck and he felt a shiver run through his body. He pulled away and tried to look accusingly at her.

"You always do that to me," he said with mock annoyance.

She laughed a little and kissed him briefly once more, nibbling on his lower lip. "I love that I still have that effect on you."

He brushed a hand over her cheek, tracing a finger down her neck and over her scar. Her breath caught in her throat and his grin returned.

"And I haven't even gotten to any of the fun parts yet," he chuckled.

She laughed a little and pushed him away playfully. "Yeah, yeah, you've made your point."

He grabbed her hands and pulled her against him, leaning in for another kiss. She turned her head but he was undeterred, planting his lips on her jaw, her cheek, and her ear before she reluctantly stopped him. "Danny…"

He kissed her lips one more time. "Okay, okay…"

"How's Don doing?"

Danny shook his head. "He's a mess still. He finally stopped crying at work, but I know he still does at home and he can't spend more than five minutes at a time in the lab. Aiden's leaving really did a number on him."

"It's hard to find out that the person you love most in the world doesn't trust you enough to talk to you," she replied.

"Aiden might not have felt like she had to leave if she'd have been able to talk to someone." He paused, pulling her closer to him and caressing her face. "I'm glad we trust each other…that we can talk to each other…"

"I love you for that, you know."

He smiled, kissing her softly. "I love you, too."

She rested her hands on his chest and took a breath. "So I guess this is where I trust you enough not to freak out at my news."

That got his attention. "Why would I freak out?"

"Just promise me you won't," she repeated. "Please?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. Alright, I'll try not to…"

She looked up into his blue eyes and knew that he'd be there for her no matter what. It was a comforting feeling and made her news a little easier to break. "I'm late," she told him as matter-of-factly as she could.

"Late for what?"

A nervous smile spread over her face. "Why do guys always ask that?"

Danny's eyes widened. "That kinda late…"

"Yeah."

He took a moment to absorb the information, then, like any good investigator, started talking out the situation.

"I thought you were on the patch…"

Maddie nodded. "I am. You wanted to peel it off with your teeth that one time, remember?"

He grinned at the memory. "Oh yeah. But I didn't…"

"No, you didn't," she agreed.

"And you didn't take it off."

She shook her head. "Nope."

"But you're late…"

"Yeah," she said a second time.

"Does that mean…?"

"I don't know yet," she replied. "I wanted you to be here when I took the test. I don't think I can do it alone."

He still wore a surprised expression, but kissed her lightly on the forehead. "You won't have to. Ever."

Maddie smiled gratefully at him, knowing he wasn't ready for a family yet, but loving him so much for his readiness to stand by her anyway. "Thank you," she whispered, sliding her hands down his chest. She slipped into the bathroom, grabbing the home pregnancy test she'd bought off the kitchen counter.

She emerged a minute later carrying the little plastic stick from the test. "Now, we wait," she told him.

"How long?"

"Three minutes."

She set the timer in the kitchen and left the plastic stick on the counter beside it, then settled herself in beside Danny on the couch.

He took her hand and tried to be reassuring. "It's gonna be okay, you know," he told her. "No matter what happens, we'll deal with it. You and I, we're partners."

She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled softly. "Yeah, we are."

They waited out the remaining time in silence, leaning against each other, fingers laced together, minds wandering.

Ding!

"Time's up," Maddie said, rising from the couch and walking into the kitchen.

Danny stood as well, but remained in the living room, allowing her to dictate the pace of events for the next few minutes. His eyes followed her into the kitchen, watching her snap off the timer and pick up the pregnancy test stick. He unconsciously held his breath, waiting for a sign.

She studied the box, then shifted her gaze to the plastic stick. When she lifted her eyes to Danny's, he knew.

She smiled weakly. "So what're ya doin' for the next nine months?"

"It's positive," he breathed.

She nodded slowly and looked down at her hands. "I'm pregnant."

They sat together on the couch and talked long into the night, exploring every possible way to handle the situation. As the sun rose over New York City, they decided to mull things over for a few days and make a decision when they were a little less emotional.

Later that week, Danny found himself calling Maddie a second time to tell her he was working too late to come over. She knew that when he had an especially hard day he would seek her out, needing her love and support to help deal with life. She had felt that need herself, craving his presence to make her world right again, so she waited up for him anyway, parking herself on the couch in front of the television in case he changed his mind.

When her eyes began to close of their own accord she decided to call it a night. She switched off the TV and took a few empty dishes into the kitchen, leaving the light on over the sink. She padded softly into her bedroom, opening the window and pulling an extra blanket out of the closet to ward off the cool autumn air she was letting in. Flipping off the light, she crawled into bed and drifted quickly off to sleep.

Danny slipped his key in the door and pushed it open as quietly as he could. The apartment was dark except for the little light over the kitchen sink. He smiled to himself—that was her welcome home signal.

He locked the door behind him and crept slowly into the bedroom, turning off the light in the kitchen and pulling off his suit coat as he moved. He shivered when he reached the end of the hall and smiled again, remembering all the times he'd teased her about sleeping in the cold. He slid his shoes off and dropped his jacket beside them as he moved over to the bed, lying down carefully beside her on top of the comforter. He wrapped an arm around her and gently kissed her forehead, trying not to wake her.

She smiled at his touch and blinked her eyes open anyway. "'Bout time you showed up," she said sleepily.

"Traffic was murder," he whispered back with a half-grin.

She kissed him and a sly smile spread across her lips. "So are you going to get undressed and get into bed with me, or what?"

"You only want me for my body," he replied, his grin widening.

She giggled. "Damn straight."

He laughed and kissed her tenderly. "Good thing I'm such a stud then," he told her, rising from the bed and unbuttoning his shirt.

"Amen to that."

He laughed again, peeling off most of his clothes and crawling under the covers beside her, leaving his glasses on the nightstand next to the bed.

"I'm glad you came," she told him, cuddling up next to him.

He held her close against him and kissed her again. "Me too." They laid together in silence for a while, each listening to the other's rhythmic breathing. Then Danny spoke again. "You still awake?"

"Mmhmm," Maddie returned.

"I was thinkin' 'bout us today…"

"Me too."

"What'd you come up with?"

She looked up into his eyes and ran a hand softly over his cheek. "I want to keep the baby," she said quietly.

He smiled, running his fingers through her brown curls. "Me too." They lay there grinning at each other for a moment, allowing the enormity of their decision sink in. But Danny wasn't done yet. "And I think we should get a place together…"

"Did I hear you right?" Maddie asked, the mocking tone creeping back into her voice. "Daniel Messer, the king of non-commitment, thinks we should live together?"

"The king of non-commitment? Who gave who a key to his apartment?"

She laughed. "After I gave you one to mine."

"I was waiting for the right moment," he replied, feigning indignation. "And you only beat my by like ten seconds…" He chuckled a little and asked her again, "But what do you think of the idea? We hardly spend any nights apart anyway," he reminded her, "and if we're gonna be parents we're gonna do it together…so whatdaya say?"

Her eyes twinkled in the faint moonlight that filtered in through the curtains. "Okay. I'm game."

He laughed joyfully, tightening his arm around her as she snuggled back into his chest. "That's my girl!"

When they had settled down again, Maddie ran a hand softly over the scar on his shoulder. "We're gonna be parents," she whispered to him.

He kissed her hair and smiled in the darkness. "Yes we are."

They lay awake together, too excited to sleep, arguing over where to live, whose furniture to keep, and even debating a few names for the little one.

"When can I start telling people?" Danny asked.

"That we're moving in together or that I'm pregnant?"

"Both."

She grinned. "When do you want to start telling people?"

"I'd do it right now if it wasn't two o'clock in the morning," he told her proudly

She laughed. "Gotta tell everyone how good your little swimmers are, eh?"

He smiled gently, tracing a finger over the faded scar on her neck. "Gotta tell everyone that you picked me to have a family with."

She kissed his lips softly. "For that I'll let you keep your couch…"

He laughed and pulled her close against him, kissing her again. "Can I keep my favorite chair, too?"

"Not a chance…"

They bartered for a while longer before falling into a comfortable silence.

Maddie buried her face in Danny's chest and yawned as she began to drift off. "You know, I always thought we'd start out with a puppy or somethin'."

He chuckled. "But we went ahead and jumped in with both feet…"

"…and no parachute." She looked up at him. "Will you hold my hand on the way down?"

He smiled softly. "All the way."