A/N: Babies and fluff :-) Of course, Green Eggs and Ham belongs to Dr. Seuss...and children everywhere.

Eames finally settled the car in its place against the curb and turned off the ignition. "Wasn't that fun?"

No answer. She looked over at him, half expecting him to be sleeping. But he wasn't. He was looking out into the swirling snow, hand pressed to his mouth, lost in thought. "In case you're wondering, the answer is 'no, Alex, it wasn't'."

He turned to look at her. "What wasn't?"

"Driving." He looked confused, and she smiled. "It wasn't fun, Bobby. You missed the first half of the conversation."

"Oh...sorry." He looked around, surprised. "We're home."

"Yes, we are."

He sighed. "I'm sorry. I-I was thinking."

"Yeah. I noticed. Come on. You need to get changed and play with your kids for awhile before you crash."

He sighed. "That's not going to be long," he muttered.

He had slept for more than an hour in the emergency room while waiting to be stitched, but it had done little to re-energize him. He was exhausted and he felt it in every muscle of his body. He also knew that come morning, he wasn't going to be able to move without feeling it everywhere.

"Do you want me to fill that prescription?"

"No. I don't want you going anywhere. I'm all right...more sore than in pain."

She studied him for a moment, then reached her hand toward his and whispered, "I love you."

He smiled as he raised her hand to his lips. "I love you, too."

She got out of the car and walked around to the sidewalk as he shut the door. They headed into the building.

Logan turned the water on to boil and pulled a can of sauce from the cabinet. Maggie asked for "s'getti" and Tommy had concurred. It had been a long day and he was exhausted. Barek had taken great delight in joining the kids when they ganged up on him out in the snow. She was lucky he was such a good sport. He might complain about it to her-and he would-but he was inclined to let those kids do anything they wanted with him. He was such a sucker for a 'please' from either of them...and Tommy had quickly learned the value of the word please with both Daddy and Uncle Mike. Logan liked being Maggie's favorite uncle and he was happily gaining that same position with her little brother.

He was impressed with Tommy's ability to keep up with his sister and he felt a pang of sympathy for Eames. No, not sympathy. Empathy...they ran him into the ground, too. Both kids definitely had their father's energy. Fortunately, Goren wasn't one to leave anyone hanging when it came to taking care of his kids. Still, Logan had to laugh every time Maggie ran her dad ragged. Now he had two of them to keep up with. Logan had no idea how he did it, but he respected him because he did.

He heard the door open and went to the doorway. Frowning, he moved into the living room, looking from Eames to Goren. "Geez, Bobby, you look like hell. What happened? Don't tell me she got off."

Eames shook her head. "No, she didn't get off." She gave Goren a gentle shove toward the bedroom. "Go get changed."

He handed her his overcoat and headed down the hall. Logan looked puzzled. "What's wrong?"

She hung up their coats and crossed the room toward him, following him into the kitchen. "Where are the kids?"

"In Maggie's room with Carolyn, playing."

She looked at the pot on the stove and the spaghetti and sauce on the counter. "Let me guess...Maggie chose dinner."

He smiled. "She knows me. I can do spaghetti and not a lot more. Maybe hot dogs."

She laughed. "We have to teach you to cook a couple of other things."

She went to the refrigerator and opened the door. Grabbing a beer and the carton of orange juice, she set them on the counter and kicked the door closed as she reached for a glass. After pouring a glass of orange juice, she handed the carton to Logan, who put it away. By the time she left the kitchen, Goren was back from the bedroom. She handed him the beer as he sat on the couch. Logan approached and frowned darkly. "So, tell me what happened." He noticed the stitches on Goren's head. "And what happened to your head? You guys get in an accident?"

Goren sighed heavily and scrubbed his face wearily with his hands. "Um, Wallace...tried to escape."

"You've got to be kidding me."

He shook his head. "She got the bailiff's gun...and...killed a man...but she was aiming for me."

Eames met Logan's eyes and saw that he understood what that meant. Logan sighed. "Don't carry the burden of her actions, man. That wasn't your fault."

Goren turned to look at him. "She was in my custody. That makes it my fault."

"She was in the bailiff's custody," Eames corrected. "You were helping him, but he was responsible for her. And it was his gun she grabbed. You have enough of your own demons, Bobby. This one isn't yours."

He sighed, not in the mood to argue. Logan examined the stitches on his head more closely. "And what happened to your head?"

"I got grazed. It's not a big deal."

"Really?" He glanced at Eames. "In my book, getting shot is always a big deal."

Goren's face turned dark. "It's not, ok, Logan?"

"Whatever you say. But you did get her back in custody, right?"

"Alex did."

"Sort of," Eames added. "She ran in front of a car and now she's in the prison ward at Bellevue."

"In the middle of a blizzard she managed to run in front of the only car on the street?"

Eames laughed. Logan sure had a way of putting things. "Not quite the only car, but close. The poor driver was really shaken up."

"She gonna be okay to finish her trial?"

"I don't know," she said. "I'll call Carver after dinner and find out."

Quietly, Goren said, "They want Maggie back on Monday to clarify some issues. Shaeffer tried to convince the jury she was coached and Carver wants to make it crystal clear that she wasn't."

Logan shook his head slowly. "I have never before wished I had shot someone and finished 'em off. I don't like feeling that way, but I do."

He headed back to the kitchen to check on the water. They heard a door open down the hall. "Uncle Mike? Is the s'getti ready yet? Tommy's hungry an'..." She stopped in mid-sentence when she saw her parents. "Mommy! Daddy!"

Eames caught her and gave her a hug, then released her so she could run to her father. She jumped at him and he lifted her onto his lap, where she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed. Tommy came charging out of the room too quickly, bumping into the wall opposite the bedroom door. He bounced off the wall and landed on his butt, then got back to his feet and ran down the hall toward his mother. Laughing, she caught him and lifted him into her arms. Barek followed him down the hall. "The little monkey's exhausted. He refused to take a nap."

"He does that sometimes. He doesn't want to miss anything and he tries to keep up with his sister."

"That's a tall order for anyone. Mike and I together are hard-pressed to keep up with her." She looked from Eames to Goren and back. "What's wrong?"

Eames turned Tommy toward the couch and he squealed, "Dada!"

She set him down on Goren's lap and motioned for Barek to follow her to the kitchen. Eames explained what had happened. Logan looked up from where he was opening the sauce can. "His shoulder? What's wrong with his shoulder?"

"That was the grazing injury he got when the other man was killed. He got hit in the head outside in the storm. She was aiming at anything that moved, and she got lucky."

"He got lucky she didn't take his head off," Logan muttered as he poured the sauce into the pan. He shook his head. "He needs to be more damn careful. I understand wanting to protect you guys, but if he gets killed doing it, where does that leave you...and us? I can't take the place of Maggie's best guy, and I never want to."

"You explain that to him, then, Mike, because he won't listen to me."

"I'll explain it, okay."

Barek grabbed his arm. "Not right now and not in front of the kids."

"Get Maggie on his case. Maybe that'll get through his head."

Eames leaned up and kissed his cheek, then she left the kitchen. Goren was laying on the couch now, with Tommy curled up on his chest, asleep, and Maggie sitting on his abdomen, reading Green Eggs and Ham. He had read that story to her so many times, she knew exactly what words went with which page. His eyes were half-closed, but he was still listening to her. Eames leaned over the back of the couch and kissed the side of his head. "Great. He'll be wide awake at ten o'clock and looking to play."

Goren smiled wearily. "I'll get up with him."

"I know you will. But you need to rest tonight. Don't worry. Mike and Carolyn are staying. We'll take care of him."

"I never thought you wouldn't."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. I don't mind. I never did." He shifted his gaze toward Maggie, who had stopped reading and was patiently waiting for her parents to finish talking. Goren smiled at her. "Sorry, mouse. Go ahead and finish the story."

She returned his smile. "Thank you, Daddy." She continued with the story.

Goren shifted his eyes toward Eames and smiled. She gave him another kiss and went back into the kitchen. Logan was just finishing draining the spaghetti. He dumped the noodles back into the pot and added the sauce. "Viola...dinner."

Both women laughed. Eames dished out Maggie's dinner and set it on the table in front of her booster seat. "Maggie, dinner's ready."

She expected a shout from the living room, but heard only silence. She looked toward the couch as Maggie lightly slid from her father's lap and set her book on the coffee table. She bounded quietly into the dining area and said, "Shhh. Daddy and Tommy are sleeping."

Eames smiled as she set her in her seat. Logan glanced toward the couch, sat down and muttered, "Yeah, sure, now the little whirlwind goes to sleep. Two hours we tried to get him to settle down and nap. But no...he wants to play. He crawls up onto his father's chest and he's out like a light."

Barek set a cup of milk in front of Maggie and sat down. "Quit grousing, Mike. That's something he's always been able to do with both of them. At least someone can get them to settle down."

"He's very comfortable," Eames said with a laugh.

"I'll take your word for that," Logan replied.

After dinner, Eames took the baby and set him in his crib. Then she cleaned Maggie up and got her ready for bed. Before she could settle her into her bed, Maggie crawled up onto her sleeping father and snuggled into the hollow of his shoulder. Eames left her where she was, knowing she'd be asleep in no time. She dropped down into a chair and sighed heavily as she pulled out her phone and called Carver's home number. "Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Carver. This is Alex Eames."

"Thank you for calling, detective. How is your partner?"

"He's fine, thanks."

"I'm glad to hear it. I do need for you to bring Maggie in Monday to clarify her testimony for me, but the trial is going into postponement until Ms. Wallace recovers sufficiently to resume."

"When do they think that will be?"

"Probably at least a few weeks. Right now she's in critical condition, but she's expected to recover. If the car had been going much faster, we would have no further need of a trial."

"Damn," she said softly.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, Mr. Carver." She sighed. "What time do you want us to bring Maggie in on Monday?"

"9 am."

"Okay. Oh, how is the bailiff?"

"He's in stable condition. He'll be all right."

"Good. We'll see you Monday morning. Have a good weekend, Mr. Carver."

"Thank you. You, too, detective. I'm glad Detective Goren is all right."

"Thanks." She closed the phone and sighed. "Apparently, Wallace is going to be all right."

"I swear she's got nine lives," Logan said from where he sat on the floor, leaning back against the chair Barek was sitting in.

"The only reason I'm glad she's not dead is that poor guy that hit her. He was really shook up. He had no idea who he'd hit; he just knew it was a person."

Logan looked at the beer in the bottle he held and shook his head. "I guess."

Barek ran a hand through his thick hair. "Cheer up. She's going to prison."

"Forgive me if I hold my breath until they lock her cage. I don't trust her..." He nodded his head toward the couch, where Goren still slept. "...and neither does he."

Eames nodded. "I know. And it's with good reason. Maybe now they'll increase security on her, knowing she's a flight risk."

"I don't know. Goren still underestimates her, and he's been profiling her for ten years. It's hard for a good person, even one who understands the criminal mind, to comprehend just what an evil person is capable of."

That was very true. Most criminals were not totally evil. And she knew from long experience that Bobby liked to believe there was good in everyone. But the good that had once been part of Nicole Wallace succumbed long ago to bitterness and jealousy. Now there was nothing left but evil and hatred...and those depths were unfathomable, even to a brilliant profiler like Goren.

With a sigh, Eames got up and lifted her sleeping daughter from her father's chest. She carried her to her bed and tucked her in with her bunny. Returning to the living room, she watched as Goren shifted on the couch and opened his eyes. He looked confused for a minute, but the confusion cleared quickly. "The kids..."

"In bed, which is probably where you should be...unless you're hungry."

He shook his head. His stomach still felt uncertain and he now questioned the wisdom of the beer he'd put in it. "Um, no...I think I'd better just go to bed."

"Want to take bets on which kid will be in between us come dawn?"

"I've got even money on both."

She laughed as he got up from the couch. He muttered good night to Logan and Barek, kissed his wife and headed down the hall. But when he started to open his bedroom door, he heard a little voice alternating between 'Mama' and 'Dada', and he smiled. Eames heard him, too, and started toward the hallway. Goren waved a hand at her. "I'll get him."

She sighed, but didn't argue. Logan had moved from the floor to the couch. "Why doesn't he just go to bed?"

"Because he's Bobby. He's known that Tommy was his from birth, and when you guys went out west last year, he missed being here for the three of us. He's been making it up to us ever since."

"Does he ever let anything go?"

"Not easily."

"Doesn't he see that Tom loves him as much as Maggie does?"

"I don't know. I would hope he does. I gave up arguing about it. It's not worth it. It's a lot easier just to let him do what he wants and simply appreciate the fact that he does it."

When Goren came out of the bedroom with the baby, Logan grumbled something neither woman understood and got to his feet. He met his friend in the hallway and held out his hands to the baby. "C'mon, Tom. I'll give you your spaghetti. Let Daddy go to bed."

"Mike..."

Logan took the baby and gave Goren a gentle push toward the bedroom. "Go. Your wife may not argue about it anymore, but I will. Don't make me push the issue."

Goren smiled and kissed his son's soft head. The longer his hair got, the more curl it had to it, but it was still soft and wispy. Tom's smile widened. He reached his hand toward his father and said, "Dada."

He kissed the baby's hand, making him giggle. Logan shook his head. "I still can't get over how friggin' happy this kid is. That's something he doesn't get from you."

"No," Goren agreed. "I've always said that's all his mother. John said she was a happy baby. I have no idea what I was like."

Logan kissed the side of the baby's head. "The happy tornado."

Gently poking the baby's belly, Goren gave him another kiss and headed for the bedroom. Logan brought the baby down the hall into the living room. Barek grinned at her partner. "Who would ever believe it?"

"Believe what?"

"How quickly you two big, tough cops turn to mush over these two kids."

"You're funny, Barek." He set the baby in his high chair and went into the kitchen. When he came back out and set the small bowl of spaghetti and sippy cup of milk on the tray in front of him, he looked at the two women, who were watching him. "What?"

"Did you cut up his spaghetti?" Eames asked.

"Of course."

She looked at Barek and they both broke out laughing. Annoyed, Logan asked, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Mike," Barek assured him.

Logan looked at the baby. "If you ever get them figured out, tiger, let me know."

Tommy turned his bowl upside down and set it on his head, giggling and waving his arms up and down. Logan couldn't help laughing. He pulled a strand of spaghetti off the baby's nose and leaned down and kissed him. Eames and Barek looked at each other and smiled as Logan pulled up a chair and played with the giggling baby until all his spaghetti was gone and they were both covered with sauce.