Editors note: I know I don't have a set schedule for posting, but sorry for the delay. Life happened and then I got a touch of writer's block. I went back through some old episodes to figure out the layout of Dante's house and the man now has a new house in 3x5. (Third time his house has changed btw) smh.

I really enjoyed the focus on Marcus and his family in episode 3x5, so this chapter is going to mix in that episode and cover a lot of what I think the internal dialogue was throughout that. I think it will mesh well with ideas I have for future chapters.

Robyn lay in bed staring up at the ceiling, not quite ready to get up. Time with Marcus last night was amazing. Again, they never got around to watching a movie, but they did have another great make out session. The man was an amazing kisser and the way he could use his tongue. Phew, she'd save that train of thought for later. She needed to start her day right now.

Dee would be home from her Dad's tomorrow. She still wasn't quite sure what she was going to say yet about training her. If she did agree to train her, she was going to have to talk to Miles about it first. Considering he wasn't in the most cooperative of moods, she didn't see him agreeing to it. Especially since he was going for full custody now. Sighing, she sat up against her headboard and reached for her phone. Her stomach fluttered at the sight of a message from Dante.

Dante: Morning Robyn. Are you awake?

Robyn: I am now. Good morning Marcus.

Dante: I woke up thinking about you.

Robyn: I promise, I'm not in the bath this time, so it's not my fault.

Dante: That was just mean.

Robyn: LOL, sorry?

Dante: I'm deeply hurt that you would bring up such a graphic topic for my mind to focus on. I think you owe me a dinner date.

Robyn: Awww poor baby. Okay ... fine ... I will take you to dinner.

Dante: The Lush Lounge, please.

Robyn: 8 Friday?

Dante: You're penciled into my calendar.

Robyn: Really? Pencil? Not Pen?

Dante: Oh good call. You're right, I do have erasable pens.

Robyn: :( I'm pouting.

Dante: Who am I kidding, you're in Sharpie, Robbie.

Robyn: Try to stay out of trouble, and I'll see you later. I'll have Cedric reserve us a booth.

Dante: You spoil me.

Robyn: Someone has to. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a shower.

Dante: KILL…ING…ME...

Robyn laughed as she stood up. She might have been poking the bear a little bit with that last message. She sent a quick message to get a table for their dinner.

Robyn: Hey Ced. Can I do 8 on Friday?

Cedric: Your booth will be ready, Dolly. Accompaniments?

Robyn: Dante

Cedric: Approved. I'll have you set up.

She walked to her closet to review dress options for their dinner. From his Dolly comment, she was 90% sure Cedric was going to pull a stunt. She knew it was inevitable, so she might as well deal with it sooner rather than later. Oh, she'd still throttle him, but she'd deal with it. She quickly flipped through the dress section of her closet. Sighing, she turned back to the normal side of her closet to grab something to wear for the day. As expected, it was time to go dress shopping for the appropriate look. She had a strong desire to make Marcus speechless and she didn't have that perfect look yet. Watching him drool and stare was fun. She texted Mel.

Robyn: Shopping trip?

Mel: Of course! Any specific event?

Robyn: Date with Dante. Also … Dolly will never go away again?

Mel: Holy Shit! She's been gone forever and FINALLY a date! I'm on my way! I'm almost as excited about this as I am for dinner at your house tomorrow!

Robyn sighed again, at least she would have shopping reinforcement. It was still going to take her a bit to get used to having the walls between work and family merge.

The next morning, Dante quizzed Kyler and Stefon about financial definitions while he made breakfast. He wasn't fond of how quickly his boys were growing up on him. There were even some days when he missed the childish bickering that used to be a constant in the house, some days. The boys had their own space in the new place and it helped that they weren't always underfoot of each other. He set their plates down then went into the other room to answer the call from his father's correctional facility. He sighed when he realized he was going to have to go and see Pop's today. He walked back into the kitchen to finish breakfast before sending the boys off to school.

Dante walked out of the correctional facility after his visit with his dad. He wasn't a fan of the idea of him getting out early. Climbing into his car he sat there pensively. His dad wanted to meet his boys and be a part of their lives. One of the good things about him being in jail, was that he didn't have to worry about his boys being exposed to the same experiences he had while growing up. He had mixed feelings about letting Pops meet the boys. It would be nice to let them have a grandfather, but had his dad actually changed, or would he start treating the boys the same way he treated Marcus as a kid? On the plus side, at least Pop's asked to meet them instead of just taking it upon himself to do it. As Dante turned on his car, he pressed the sequence of buttons to call his mom.

"Hey Baby," she greeted as she answered his call.

"Morning Mom," he answered. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"I don't. What's going on?"

"I'm just leaving from a visit with Pops. Sounds like he's going to be getting out soon." Dante turned out of the parking lot and started the drive home. "Are you able to come over for a chat? I can give you a tour of the new house too."

"That sounds wonderful," she said with a smile.

They settled on a time while Dante continued driving home.

Robyn pulled on her pink jacket, then ran a brush through her hair. She had a classified delivery mission for the CIA today and she wasn't looking forward to it. She'd be glad when she could finally be done with them. She didn't even know why she was needed for this mission. She went downstairs and greeted Dee and Aunt Vi in the kitchen. It's funny how the morning's conversation about dinner tonight included her earlier thoughts of her worlds colliding.

She did like the fact that Harry and Mel could be a part of her family instead of being hidden away. Mel and Delilah were already so close. It was nice to know Dee had someone else she could talk to if she needed to. Robyn also had a feeling that Aunt Vi and Harry would get along great as well. They were different versions of artistic personalities.

"And um, that nice detective," she heard Aunt Vi say. "Maybe we should invite him too?"

Rolling her eyes she replied, "Now you're just being messy." While things might be progressing forward with Dante, she wasn't quite ready for all of her worlds to crash into one. For now, she wanted to keep him to herself. As Vi and Robyn said bye to Dee, Robyn saw the look on her aunt's face about her working today.

"Aunt Vi, I haven't forgotten our agreement, but this is classified and I won't be reachable." She was actually looking forward to dinner tonight and would do her best to be home on time.

Dante took the cup of coffee his mom offered him. His mom deciding to mention his Gatling County settlement had caused him to remember flashes of one of the worst moments in his life. He knew if Robyn hadn't found him when she did, he wouldn't be here now. He would forever be grateful that she didn't give up on finding him.

"I'm sure you have mixed feelings about your father being released," his mother said. He looked at her out of the side of his eyes and bit back his retort. "I just hope you can find it in your heart one day to forgive him." He rolled his eyes as he looked away from her. One thing she was consistent on was supporting her husband. No matter how many flaws the man had, or the bad choices he continuously made. He filled his mom in on Pop's request to meet the boys and be a part of their lives.

"What did Vanessa say?" she asked.

"She's always believed family is important, wants our boys to know their grandfather. As long as I'm okay with it."

"Are you?"

"Should I be? I don't know." She knew what he had gone through, both as a child and with his feelings now. He was curious to know what she thought about allowing Big Ben access to his grandsons.

"You know I want nothing but happiness for that man, but not at the expense of yours. At the end of the day, it's a decision only you can make, baby."

She stood up and took his coffee mug for a refill. He'd basically received a sympathetic non-answer. Not much help at all. He took out his phone to send a text. He needed a level headed person that he could trust to give an honest answer.

Dante: Robyn, you around? Need to talk.

Robyn was over this mission and the day. She's escorting a hard headed prisoner who won't shut up, she's been shot at multiple times and there was something in her gut that told her something was off with this whole thing. Nothing about this transfer was even close to normal. From the prisoner, to everything that had happened during the escort process. The enemy always seemed to be one step ahead of them. She wished she had a moment to stop and gather her thoughts. Unfortunately, she had to get the package to a safe location.

"I know a place," she said.

Dante ducked the punch that came at him and countered with one of his own. Dante hadn't heard from Robyn yet so his mind was still a jumble. Being in the boxing ring usually helped to center him. Today, he couldn't seem to get his frustration under control. As he sparred with the guy in front of him, he thought back to hearing his dad yelling at him while he'd been bloody and hallucinating in Gatling County. All of these years later, his dad's words still had a strong negative effect on him. Imagining his dad in front of him now, Dante swung out in anger. Three quick punches later, his sparring partner was sprawled out on the mat and his friend and coach, Manny, was yelling at him to back off. He apologized as he helped the guy to his feet. Manny held the ropes for him to climb out of the ring. His friend seemed crankier than normal today.

"Listen to me. If you need an ear to bend, you know where to find me." Manny said.

Dante didn't want to talk about his thoughts right now. He'd come to the gym to try and escape them.

"Hey, what about you? You seem grumpier than usual."

He listened to his friend tell him that he might have to close the gym due to financial issues. The cost to keep the gym up and running was costing more than the income it made. Dante knew how much the gym meant to Manny. Hell, it meant a lot to him too. Dante had been coming to the gym since he was a kid. It had helped to keep him and a lot of the other neighborhood kids out of trouble by giving them somewhere safe to be with something constructive to do. Manny hadn't been able to find a solution that wasn't just a short-term bandaid. Dante may not be able to fix his issue right now, but he could help Manny with his.

Damn, was this day ever going to be over or get better? She'd been shot at ... again, punched, almost choked out, and now there are two dead CIA agents and a mole to deal with. So much for this being an easy transfer job. She doesn't know how she was so blind as to not see Griffin was the one feeding Mason Quinn information. She'd been the one to bring him in to help her and Bishop get Quinn. Griffin was the one that told Quinn where to find her so she could be kidnapped. He had been a part of the cover up for the dirty bomb and he had told Quinn that Bishop was on that plane. It was her fault Bishop was dead and she was going to have to find a way to deal with that.

Robyn left the warehouse and picked up her phone from the office. When she powered it on, she saw the text Dante had sent earlier. She thought about texting or calling him back, but after today, she really wanted to see him instead. Even if it was only for a quick moment. She sent him a text that she was on her way and called Aunt Vi to check in.

Dante opened the door before it finished ringing. "Hi," she said, admiring the way his sweater outlined his form. Yes, stopping by to see him in person was the right action. Just being near him was bringing her peace.

"Hi yourself," Dante replied with a soft smile. "Come in." He followed her into the house and invited her to sit down.

"So, what's going on? Your text seemed important."

He watched her brush her silky hair back over her shoulder as she sat down. He sat down next to her and filled her in on his dad.

"He wants to meet my kids. Be a better grandfather to them then he was father to me."

"How do you feel about that?" she quietly asked him.

"I'm not gonna lie, I don't love the notion." It was one of the questions he'd been wrestling with all day. "I came to the conclusion that there's no sense in dwelling in the past. I can't change that"

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

"But I do have a say on the future. My father had plenty of chances with me." He watched Robyn's face as she quietly listened to him. "He blew every single one of them, and I'm not gonna set my boys up for that same disappointment."

Robyn paused before responding to him. " Marcus," she said in a quiet voice, "your father's had a lot of time to think about who he's been." She didn't defend his dad or even offer an immediate opinion. Instead, she asked him a question that made him reflect back on his father from a different angle. "Isn't there any chance he comes out a better man?"

Dante paused a beat before responding, "It's possible."

"Well, you might want to find out, and maybe sooner rather than later. 'Cause my dad was my best friend." She stopped and took a breath. "And he was there one day, and the next ..." She swallowed, "There's nothing I wouldn't give to have one more day with him."

"Sounds like a good man," he said while she watched him.

"A great man," she countered. "Not perfect." She looked him in the eye to make sure he understood her point. She reached over and rubbed a comforting hand up and down his arm. "I got to go. To be continued."

They stood up and walked towards the front door. "Thanks for stopping by," Dante said.

Robyn stopped walking and turned to face him. She looked at him then took a step forward to run her hands down his arms and clasp his hands. Looking at him again, she moved them closer and guided his arms to circle her waist. When they were a breath apart, she looked at his mouth then up at him. Instead of kissing him, she said,"Your dad must have gotten something right, because he raised you to be the man you are today."

Dante looked at her without speaking, but his eyes held all of the emotions he didn't say. Talking to her had been exactly what he needed to calm his racing mind. Robyn leaned forward and pulled him into a long tight hug. When they broke apart, he gave her a gentle kiss then finished walking her to the front door.