Once again, I'm not a computer expert. I know nothing about viruses and codes--I'm flying by the seat of my pants and making stuff up as I go along so just go with it. Also, I'm going to give the end of this chapter a very strong R rating for sexual content so if that kind of thing offends you please just skip over it. I think it's tastefully done and not raunchy so hopefully no one's delicate sensibilities are damaged. Enjoy!

27

"Just one night! That's all I'm asking for, Mike. You're killing me here. You know that, right?" Danny and Mary had just returned from dinner and were headed up to their apartment when his cell phone had chimed. Danny plopped down on the couch, noticing with an amused smirk that Mike seemed to have made himself comfortable behind the large desk in Danny's office.

"I'm sorry, man, but this is important. We might have a name."

"WHAT? How?" Danny leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he waited for Mike to respond.

"I told you I sent the virus to my buddy at MIT this morning."

"Yeah?"

"Well…total fluke…but he recognized some of the code in the virus. He'd seen it before--in a virus written by one of his students about five years ago."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"It's a very distinct code, Danny. My friend is almost positive that the virus you uploaded was written by the same guy. His name's Chester Ford and according to my buddy, Arnie, he's a borderline genius, but he's just a few cards short of a full deck. He was working his way through school by hacking into financial institutions, siphoning off fractions of cents and funneling them to an offshore account."

"How original," Danny rolled his eyes at the thought of someone actually thinking that would work.

"So, where is this guy now? Prison?"

"When the administration discovered that he was writing some pretty dangerous virus code they expelled him. They didn't find out about the other stuff until later and he'd covered his tracks pretty well so there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute him. I've already been running checks and he seems to have floated around to a few different software companies for a couple of years and then he just disappeared about eighteen months ago."

"How did the FBI miss this?"

"Well, it was just dumb luck that Arnie happened to recognize the virus right away, but MIT keeps information like that in their database and sends updates to all the law enforcement agencies. If the FBI had really looked hard enough they should have come across it at some point."

Danny shook his head. He couldn't believe how badly the FBI had dropped the ball on this case. "Did you talk to Ed?"

"Ed knows, but he wants us to dig a little deeper before we turn this information over to the feds."

"Yeah, I think I agree. I can't believe we've finally got a real lead. So where do we start?"

"Don't worry about it tonight, man. Ed just wanted you brought up to speed. I'll finish running a few more searches—you go be with your woman," Mike said the last part in his best caveman voice and it made Danny chuckle a bit.

"Are you sure? Am I going to get a phone call in 45 minutes saying that you've got some new information?"

"I promise I won't call unless it's an absolute emergency. I'll wait to hear from you, deal?"

"Thanks, buddy." They exchanged a handshake before Danny turned to leave, "I'll call you in the morning."

---

Mary sat cross legged on the sofa clad in a pair of boxer shorts and one of Danny's t-shirts, the cordless phone cradled between her ear and shoulder as she listened to Delinda prattle on about her problems with the new bartender at Mystique.

Mary knew the minute Danny's phone rang downstairs that it was something to do with the case. She'd kissed him on the cheek and sent him on his way—assuring him that she would wait for him upstairs. Hearing about Mark's death had really shaken her and as much as she wanted to be in the loop there was no way she could handle any more tonight. She and Danny had come to an understanding and she trusted him to let her know what was going on. Mary looked up as she heard the lock disengage and watched as Danny entered the apartment, a lecherous smile on his face.

"Okay, sweetie, well that sounds terrible," Mary spoke to Delinda in her most conciliatory tone. "I'm sure you'll work it out though. Listen, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow at nine downstairs, okay? Bye." She hoped that was alright because she hadn't waited for her friend to answer. Mary quickly hit the off button on the phone and set it on the side table.

"What are you grinning about?" She asked, but she couldn't help but smile back. She had a pretty good idea exactly what Danny McCoy was thinking and her whole body tingled with anticipation.

"I'm free for the night," Danny told her, waggling his eyebrows.

"What did Mike say?" "Where are you going with Delinda?" They both spoke at the same time.

Mary gave him a slight nod indicating he should answer first. "We've got a lead, but he's going to work on it. I'm all yours until morning, baby."

"The phone's not going to ring again?" She asked, skeptical.

"I turned it off," Danny assured her as he joined her on the couch.

"And no one's going to come banging at the door with some urgent business you have to attend to?"

"Not if they value their life." Danny's mouth found hers and the kiss almost took her breath away.

"Mmmm, you didn't answer my question." Mary's brows knitted in confusion as she struggled to remember anything other than the feel of Danny's hand gently massaging her thigh as it inched past the hem of her shorts.

"Where are you going with Delinda?" Danny repeated.

"Oh! We're going shopping. It seems like I grew overnight and none of my clothes fit."

Now it was Danny's turn to look confused. He slid off the couch and kneeled in front of Mary, pulling her shirt up and out of the way so he could inspect her stomach. Under doctor's orders, and not wanting to torture themselves with any activities that might make the wait even more difficult, they'd kept things pretty G-rated while Mary was recuperating. Danny hadn't really taken the opportunity to look at her this closely in awhile. It probably wouldn't be noticeable to anyone else, but Danny knew her body better than anyone. Seeing the slight swell of her abdomen, he pressed his hand gently against her skin--still in awe of the fact that there was a tiny life growing inside. Mary's eyes filled with tears as Danny leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on her belly. When he finally looked up he was beaming from ear to ear and Mary couldn't help but laugh through her tears.

"God, you are so beautiful."

She blushed at his compliment. "Yeah, you won't be saying that in six months when my feet are swollen and I'm as big as a whale."

"I'm going to say it everyday for the rest of our lives so you better get used to it."

She rolled her eyes as Danny stood up and held out his hand to help Mary to her feet. Once they were standing he couldn't wait any longer. He pulled her to him and kissed her again. Mary's hands wound around his neck and he easily lifted her in his arms, carrying her carefully to their bedroom.

The moment Danny set her down in front of the bed, Mary went to work on the buttons of his shirt. Danny's hands gripped her waist as his mouth found its way to her neck, nipping at her skin while he toed off his loafers and unbuckled his belt. Once Mary disposed of his shirt she quickly focused her attention on Danny's pants which he'd been fumbling with for much too long. He chuckled at how anxious she was to remove all of the barriers between them—almost as anxious as he was.

Once he was finally naked before her, Mary couldn't help but run her fingers across the smooth muscles of his chest. Danny dragged his hands from Mary's hips up her sides, taking the t-shirt with him until he could pull it over her head. He immediately reached for the clasp of her bra, unhooked it with a practiced grace and pulled the straps down her arms.

"Is it okay?" he asked, almost breathlessly

Mary was confused for a moment before she noticed Danny's gaze fixed on her breasts. Finally understanding she tried to reassure him, "They don't hurt as much as they did before."

Danny's response was to immediately take one perfect pink nipple into his mouth--his hands kneading her supple flesh--until Mary moaned with pleasure. When he started to pull away, Mary's own hands found their way into his hair and held him tightly to her chest--wordlessly begging for just a moment more of contact to which he was more than happy to oblige.

Once she released her hold, Danny helped Mary sit on the bed and carefully removed her boxer shorts and panties—the last layers of clothing separating them. He kissed her again, his thumb softly caressing the side of her face, before gently urging her to lie back.

As he kneeled between her thighs, his right hand trailed from her neck, down her chest, past the curve of her abdomen until it came to rest just above her sex. Danny let his thumb gently explore her folds before he pulled Mary's leg up to rest over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers. Turning his head, he trailed hot kisses down the inside of her thigh and Mary let out a cry, somewhere between a gasp and a moan, as Danny's head dipped between her legs. It didn't take long for his ministrations to bring her to climax--her right hand blindly finding his left where it lay on the bed and entwining their finger's together.

As her breathing evened out a bit Mary scooted further back on the bed so Danny could join her. Once Danny was situated against the headboard, Mary pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses down his chest on her way to the throbbing evidence of his desire, but just as she was poised to take him in her mouth Danny stopped her.

"Mary, I really need to be inside of you right now."

"Are you sure?"

Danny was panting now with anticipation and all he could do was nod his head frantically as he struggled for breath. He wanted her desperately, but he needed her to set the pace. At this point Danny didn't trust himself not to lose complete control the moment he finally entered her. He helped Mary straddle his lap and cradled her face in his hands, pulling her closer so their mouths could join once again as she grasped him firmly and guided him to her opening.

Every time they were together was amazing, but this time Danny could feel every nerve ending in his body standing at attention as Mary slowly lowered herself until he was completely sheathed inside her warmth.

Once he felt like he could move without putting a hasty end to their coupling, Danny rested his forehead against hers. Sensing that he was ready, Mary gently began to rock her hips, her tempo increasing with each stroke. The tiny gasps and whimpers that Mary let out when he was inside of her were one of Danny's favorite things and he gently matched her downward movement by pressing his hips up in a circular motion—hitting her in just the right spot and eliciting another set of adorable sounds.

Danny's hand rested gently on Mary's neck as he brought his mouth to hers again, his tongue dueling with hers in time with the movement of their bodies. Danny knew he wasn't going to last much longer so he brought his hand to the place where their bodies were joined and gently massaged the tiny bud of nerves he knew would send Mary over the edge.

It didn't take long before Mary threw her head back, gasping in ecstasy. All the pain, all the fear, all the desire of the last few weeks suddenly bubbled to the surface and Danny nearly crushed her in his embrace as he felt her internal muscles contract around him.

Holding Danny while wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body, Mary felt his hand fist tightly in her hair as he finally found his release. After a few seconds Danny realized what he had done and he immediately released his grip and pulled back to look at her.

"I'm sorry, baby. Did I hurt you?" He was still out of breath, but his eyes were full of concern.

"No, of course not," she assured him as she kissed the tip of his nose, "But, Danny, I gotta say…wow!"

He smiled as she went on, ""That was….I mean…it's always incredible, but this time …seriously…wow! Maybe it's because I'm pregnant, but…wow."

Danny chuckled at her inability to find another word, but he knew exactly what she meant. "I never realized how amazing it could feel to love someone as much as I love you."

If words had failed her before in describing their intimate encounter she was now officially speechless. "Wow," Mary whispered the word again, this time with tears in her eyes. "I think that's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to me."

"I mean it. I love you…more than anything."

"I love you, too."