A/N: See first chapter for disclaimers. This is pretty much pure fluff. Please don't get too sick on the sweetness. Please R&R. It makes me happy. Thanks for reading.

Tess let loose a squeal from the dressing room. Bette pushed back the curtain and looked at her. Tess wordlessly turned her phone toward Bette. Bette's mouth dropped open.

"What the hell is that?"

"Supposedly jewelry. Don was telling me about this stuff. He and Danny spotted it crawling out of some DB's mouth."

Bette raised her eyebrows and planted a fist on her hip. "And he sent you a pix message of it?" she asked incredulously. "And what is a DB?"

Tess dropped her phone back on top of her tote. "Actually, he sent a vid." Tess glanced away. "And a DB is a dead body," she mumbled.

A sick look passed over Bette's face. "Yer cop sent ya a pic…video of a piece of roach jewelry that came crawling outta some dead guy's mouth?" Bette shook her head. "And you're only mildly grossed out by it. I don't believe you two." Tess just blushed a little. She spun around in the dress she was trying on.

"The verdict?"

"You honestly expect me to comment on your dress after showing me that. I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks." Bette shivered slightly and turned a critical eye toward the dress. She clucked her tongue. "It is completely not fair. I'm gonna look like a cow when I'm pregnant. You have that glowy thing all going." She tilted her head. "What do you think?"

Tess rocked back and forth making the dress swish. She tugged at the top. "It's a little tight up here. I feel like I'm going to pop out any minute."

"Sure rub that little fact in too." Bette shrugged. "If you feel uncomfortable, don't take that one. I mean it's cute and all that, but I doubt they're gonna shrink before the wedding." She pushed the curtain back again. "I'll send your handler in. I'm goin' back to the comfy chairs where I can properly enjoy your little fashion show," she called over her shoulder as she headed out.

"Oh sure, run off and abandon me."

"I wouldn't have come back here in the first place if you hadn't been making noise." Bette left and Tess looked in the mirrors again. The color was right, the style. She tugged at the top again and sighed.

Tess turned to the assistant. "I need something like this one, but with more room…" She waved at her chest. The assistant nodded.

"But you like the color, the length? Everything else?"

"Pretty much." The assistant nodded and helped her out of the dress. Tess slid on the wrapper and tied the belt around her waist. The assistant and the cloud of cloth drifted out of the changing room. While she waited Tess looked her body over carefully in the mirror. She pulled the cloth of the wrapper tight over the bump that was forming. She ran her hand over it. Hello in there. Tess looked at her reflection and smiled. You might not have been planned, but you are loved. Tess dropped her hand as the curtain started sliding back.

"Okay, miss. I think you will find this dress to be more what you're looking for." Tess shed her robe and let the woman help her into the dress. When it was settled into place and zipped up, Tess smoothed her hands over the fabric. She looked in the mirror and breathed in sharply. Her eyes prickled and Tess bit her lip to keep tears from falling. The assistant smiled, nodding her head. "You like the dress?" Tess nodded, not trusting her voice. "Go and show your friend. I don't think even she's going to find something wrong with this dress." Tess grinned at the assistant's comment.

Tess carefully stepped from behind the curtain. She walked toward the seating area, the toe-length skirt swaying like a perfect bell. Bette looked up from the magazine she was paging through and grinned.

"You just might convince me that I need to have a wedding jus' so I can look like you do." Bette shook her head at the look on Tess' face. "No way. You an' yer goofy hormones are not gonna burst into tears." Bette's smiled deepened and she shook her head again. "Turn around. Lemme see the whole thing." Tess turned in a slow circle. The cream colored skirt belled a little more. Bette clucked her tongue a little. "You're gonna knock his socks off."

"Thank you," Tess said softly. She traced her fingers over the appliqué flowers on the skirt. She looked in the mirror at her reflection. "I think I might even have a shawl that would match, in case it gets cold." Tess ran her fingers over the petaled band on the dress. "It's so perfect, I'm afraid to ask the price."

"It's a discontinued style. Only this floor model is available. It's deeply discounted and we will send it out to be cleaned." The assistant appeared at Tess' elbow.

Bette frowned at her. "You can go ahead and whisper the price in my ear. I'll decide if yer gonna ruin my best friend's perfect dress."

The woman raised her eye brows at Bette. "I assure you that you will not find a dress of equal quality at a lower price," declared the woman haughtily.

Bette met her gaze with the same distain. She planted a fist on her hip and shook her braids. "I wouldn't take that bet." She looked at Tess who was staring in the mirror fingering the dress. "Tess, why don't we go and see what some of the second-hand stores…"

"No! You don't know where those clothes come from." Tess sighed. "I'm not against buying tings second hand. I just…I just… This is my wedding, Bette. It's already messed up enough." Tess looked at the assistant. "Just tell me how much the dress costs."

"Eight hundred and fifty dollars."

"You have gotta be kiddin' me," protested Bette.

Tess ignored her and turned back to the mirror. She took several deep breaths and let them slowly out. She stood staring, her fingers worrying the fabric. She closed her eyes and opened them very slowly. There had be somewhere else she could save some money. "Okay. I want this dress."

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Tess walked out of the shop. She took a deep breath. Bette clucked her tongue.

"I cannot believe you paid that much for a dress. I'm gonna elope."

"Bette, you won't even take Peter to meet your parents. I don't think you're ever getting married."

Bette shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I want our kids to grow up together." Tess narrowed her eyes speculatively at Bette. Bette burst out laughing. "Uh-uh. I am not pregnant. Only you, honey. I was just talkin' out loud." They started walking toward a subway station. "So you can stash the dress at my place when it comes in." Tess nodded absently, pulling out her phone. "You cannot tell your cop about the dress."

Tess rolled her eyes. She started writing a text message. "I'm not. I'm just telling him I have one picked out and that he'd better be making an appointment for Danny and him to be fitted."

"You goin' to the tux shop with him?"

"No, I trust Don to dress himself."

"Tessie, have ya looked closely at his ties?"

Tess sighed and looked up, snapping her phone shut. "I think his ties are fine."

"Uh-huh."

Tess raised her eyebrows. "I like Don's ties. Really. And it's not like he's going to pick out some 70s monstrosity."

"So ya think."

"Bette. His taste is fine."

"So you say." Tess just rolled her eyes.

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"Come on, Danny. Tess is about ta skin me for not draggin' ya here and gittin' this done sooner." Don headed for the shop with a reluctant Danny in tow.

"Not even married yet and she's bossin' ya around."

"She ain't bossin' me. It's jus' somethin' that's gotta be done. Actually, she's been really good about all of this. Mostly, she's been draggin' Bette around."

"You've left this all up ta Tess and Bette?"

Don scowled at Danny. "Hold on a minute. First yer callin' me whipped…"

"I didn't call ya whipped."

"Oh, yes. Ya did."

"I didn't. I said ya were lettin' Tess boss ya around."

"Semantics, Danny."

"You said I called ya whipped. I didn't."

Don sighed in frustration. "Whatever." He opened the door to the shop. "She's been great. Ya know that things have been kinda crazy and she hasn't been yellin' because I haven't been around to help."

"And Bette hasn't been givin' ya a hard time?"

"Not in front of Tess. I can handle Bette. All of her grief? It actually means she likes me."

"That means she likes ya? What does she do ta her boyfriend? Have ya booked her for assault yet?"

Don laughed. "Ya don't have ta worry about Peter. Bette's all bark and Peter knows jus' how to handle her. Anyway, why are you so interested? Gonna stop moonin' over Lindsay and chase Bette instead?" Don guffawed at Danny's stricken look. "I'll take that as a no." Don approached the counter. "Hi, I'm Don Flack, this is Danny Messer. We've got an appointment for a tux fittin'."

"Yer fiancée ain't wit' ya?" inquired the salesman.

"No. She had some other stuff ta take care of," said Don a little defensively. The man at the counter looked a little surprised. Don rolled his eyes and pulled out a sheet of paper.

Danny burst out laughing. "Oh, she trusts ya so much. She sent a list."

"Shut up, Danny." Don looked over at the man. "Can ya show me somethin' that fits this, but comes with a gag?"

The man looked at him mildly. "We don't carry those kinds of things here, but I could give you a referral. A friend of mine owns a shop."

"Gee, Don, maybe I should get yer wedding gift there."

"Shut up, Danny." Don turned back to the salesman. "Ya understand what I'm lookin' for?"

The man nodded. "Let's take some measurements first." He dug in a drawer finding a measuring tape and a clipboard. Then he came out from behind the counter. "Come on over here." He waved his arm at Don and Danny.

"Tess and me looked at tuxes online. She had ta send some info ta her brother. I'll get him the exact details when we're done. "Don shook his head. "Adam was a little miffed he was gonna hafta rent an' not jus' wear a tux he owns."

"Her brother owns a tux?"

"Three. Needs them for concerts."

The salesman stopped in front of a trio of mirrors. "Take off the suit coat and unstuck yer shirt." He waved at Don. "Please." He moved around Don efficiently taking measurements and making notes. When he was done, he turned to Danny. "Next."

Danny balked a little. "I dunno…"

"For God's sakes, Danny. Git over there. Let's jus' git it done and then we can both git home."

"I usually git a beer first," commented Danny. The salesman just rolled his eyes.

Don snorted. "I don' think yer his type, Dan."

The salesman finished and turned back to Don. "I'll bring a couple of things ta try on. Jus' examples. They're not gonna be a perfect fit."

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Don and Danny headed out of the shop. Both had a look of relief on their face. Don straightened his suit coat as they loped down the street.

"How come we gotta go back for another fitting?" whined Danny.

Don sighed. He wasn't exactly thrilled either. "Ta make sure that the things fit. Come on let's git a beer and head home."

"All I'm sayin' is that I ain't goin' through all of that. I'm eloping'."

"So you finally hooked up wit' Montana then?"

"Well…"

"Uh-huh. Ya ain't goin' nowhere." Don's phone rang. He fished it out and thumbed it on. "Hey, Sweetheart." Danny made a whipping motion. Don threatened to punch him. Danny just laughed.

"All set?"

"Yes, finally all set."

"Danny give you too much trouble?"

Don glared over at his friend. "Oh, Danny was no trouble at all. His usual charmin' self."

"Whack him up side the head for me. Tell him to quit giving you grief. He's just jealous."

"I'll do that. I'll be home soon."

"No hurry. Enjoy your beer."

"How did…? Never mind. I really don't want ta know how you know." Don shook his head. "I'll be home soon."

"I love you. No hurry. I've got papers to grade. I'll just be glad to see you before I go to sleep for a change. Bye."

"Love ya too." Don put his phone back in his pocket. He hit Danny in the back of the head.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"A present from Tess," laughed Don.

"Tell her thanks a lot."

"Quit givin' me grief, she says. Let's grab a beer."

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Don came in and smiled at the back of Tess' head. She had her iPod on and was busy concentrating on the stack of papers on the coffee table. Don quietly put his gear away and headed for the shower. He showered, changed and went back into the living room. He snuck up behind Tess and kissed the side of her neck. Papers went flying as she jumped in surprise. She yanked the earbuds out of her ears.

"Oh my God! When did…" She peered at him "Is your hair wet?"

Don grinned. "I coulda dropped a bomb in here and ya wouldn't have noticed."

"I wasn't that absorbed," mumbled Tess.

Don raised his eyebrows. "Sweetheart, I came in here, stowed my stuff, showered and snuck up on ya. Maybe ya should turn down the iPod."

Tess sighed heavily and leaned back against the couch. "So, what happened with the knight in shining armor?"

Don dropped on the couch and shook his head. "It was a death pact. Four terminally ill friends."

Tess looked away. "Oh. Wow."

"Yeah." He held his hand out to Tess and pulled her up next to him. Don buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of cloves and oranges. "So I finally made it ta the tux shop today."

"So you told me."

"The info is all in my wallet. I'll dig it out later so ya can email Adam." Don pulled Tess across his lap. She winced slightly. Don carefully slid her back and sat up. Concern creased his face. "What? What did I do?"

Tess smiled reassuringly. "Nothing. Muscles get looser and sometimes things shift wrong. Thank and I was sitting on the floor too long."

"Yer okay though, right?"

"I'm fine." Tess ran her fingers along Don's face. "You'd better grow a thicker skin. Things just get crazier from here."

Don shook his head. "I'm not gonna ignore things when ya look like yer in pain."

Tess laughed. "Don, you are in so much trouble when I go into labor."

"I don't even want to think about it."

"It'll be fine. I'm not made of glass."

"And I'm not made of stone."

Tess shook her head and ran her hand over her stomach. "Poor baby, you're going to be an only child."

Don looked over at Tess. "You wanna have more kids?"

Tess grinned. "Don't you think we should get done having this one before we plan any others?"

"Well, we haven't really talked about it."

"I think we've been a little preoccupied."

"But do ya? I mean I don't really know if ya wanted ta have any kids."

Tess shrugged. She brought her legs up to sit cross-legged on the couch. "I always thought I'd get married and have kids. Then I turned thirty and had no steady guy in my life."

"Well, now you're gonna have husband and a kid. All before ya turn thirty-one."

Tess looked down. "Yeah. I am."

"So ya weren't plannin' on havin' kids?"

"That's not what I said. I just said I had pushed it aside after Alex broke up with me."

"So ya were plannin' on havin' kids?"

"And a husband."

"A lot of kids?"

Tess looked up with a mischievous grin. "A dozen or so."

Don rolled his eyes. "Well, ya started a bit late for that."

"I don't know. I have several years left and if we just keep getting pregnant one right after…"

"Very funny." Don pulled her carefully back onto his lap and ran his hand over her belly. "I don't think I can keep ya barefoot and pregnant all the time."

Tess turned so she could see his face. "Oh, I think you could. It's physically possible. But would you?"

Don turned Tess back around and brushed his lips over her ear. "The thought is tempting," he whispered.

Tess elbowed him hard. "Pig."

"Hey! Yer the one who brought it up."

"You want to take it seriously."

"Settle." Don brushed his lips over Tess' ear again. "Yes, I think we should have another baby, but I also agree we should finish having this one first. Then we can see where things go."

"Well, at least we're good at seeing where things go. Planning is not exactly our strong suit."

"Don shifted her into a more settled embrace. He rested his chin on Tess' head and closed her eyes. "But we're working on that. Things aren't so disastrous."

Tess took a deep breath and released it slowly. She sat there, just enjoying the comfort of Don's arms. "That's all we can ask for, I guess. No great disasters."

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