It had been a busy day and Goren carried his sleeping toddler up to his apartment. He had always cherished every moment he got to spend with Maggie, and he worked hard to suppress anything he felt about her mother's absence from their outings. Most of the time, when Maggie was with him, Eames was with Ricky. Now he was having to readjust everything because when he spent time with Maggie, Eames was there, too.

He waited while she unlocked the apartment and he followed her in. Carrying the baby into the bedroom, he laid her in her bed, pulling off her shoes and covering her with her favorite blanket. He kissed her softly and left the room.

In the living room, Eames was looking at a picture she had never seen before. "Where did you get this?"

"Logan gave it to me."

It was a picture of her and Maggie, playing in the grass in her father's backyard. "I've never seen it before."

"I know."

"When did you put it out here?"

"Yesterday."

"Where was it before then?"

"In the nightstand next to my bed."

She set it back on the bookshelf and walked over to him. Without hesitation, she stepped into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. It felt good to be able to do this, finally. He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "Um, I need to tell you something, Eames."

"Go ahead."

"I'm going to get a bigger apartment."

She kept her head resting against his chest. "Okay."

"I have a friend who offered me a good deal on a three bedroom not far from here. I, uh, I told him I'd take it."

"A bedroom for each of the kids."

He'd spoken to his friend Friday night, after the divorce hearing. He had no control over whether Eames was going to stay with him or not, though he hoped she would, but he had two children to provide for now, children who would always be there, always be his. "Yes."

She let her fingers caress his skin just above his belt. "For now, I am going to stay at Dad's."

"I didn't mean anything..."

She tightened her arms around him. "I know. I just want to give you time, and I need time, too, so I can adjust. I don't want to rush anything, and it has nothing to do with how much I love you."

"It's fine. Take your time. Just promise me you won't run off and get married again."

She gave him another squeeze. "I'll tell you what, Goren. I won't marry anyone unless Maggie approves of him first."

"It's a deal. I guess that pretty much narrows your field down to me and Logan."

She laughed. "Pretty much...and I have no plans to marry Mike."

He placed a finger under her chin and tipped her face up toward his. "Does that mean you do have plans to marry me?" he whispered.

She answered him with a kiss, and it was all the answer he needed.

He held her close, committing to memory the taste of her kisses, the sweet scent of sweat on her skin, the feel of her body pressed against his, the sound of her deep even breathing, the welcome sight of her perfect body laying naked in his bed. So this was what happiness was. He could get used to it.

She shifted in her sleep, snuggling closer with a sigh that reassured him. She seemed happy and content. And yet, in spite of his own contentment, he couldn't sleep. His hand roamed over her abdomen, coming to rest on the gentle, barely noticeable swell where his baby grew within her. His baby. That still filled him with awe. As his fingers absently caressed her, his mind turned to Maggie. He missed her, even though he knew she was fine at her grandfather's. But they had a very early day tomorrow, so she stayed with him while they stayed in Manhattan.

His mind went back to dinner that evening. It was his task to tell Maggie that he was her father, and he was working up to that. He wanted to do it just right. So he told Eames it was her job to tell her about the baby. He only hoped he did as well when his time came to tell her what he had to say.

During dessert, Eames had stirred Maggie's pudding for her and asked, "Maggie, what would you think about having a baby?"

"A baby what, Mommy?"

Goren almost choked on his pie and Eames gave him a look that said he could wait in the car if he couldn't behave. He found himself hoping his talk with the little girl went better. Eames hid her own amusement and turned her attention back to Maggie. "A baby brother or sister."

She looked thoughtful and Eames wondered how she ever could have missed her resemblance to her father. "A baby would be okay, but I think I'd like a puppy more."

Goren had to take a walk after that. When he came back to the table, Eames said, "Maggie has decided this baby is hers."

He nodded. "That's a good thing. She can teach him to fetch when he's a little older and she won't need a puppy."

Eames threw a look at him and said, "Don't give her any ideas, Goren."

"I don't have to. She gets plenty all on her own."

"Well, don't help her."

He was glad it had gone so well, and his thoughts returned to Maggie's paternity. When Ricky had demanded paternity testing, he had been furious. Eames had asked him if he would go with her to take Maggie to the lab to have her blood drawn, and he hadn't thought twice about it. He held her in his lap and distracted her while the technician did his job. He had been confident it was a waste of time and angry that Ricky would doubt Alex's fidelity. But when the results came back, he didn't know what to think, what to feel...until his mind finally grasped what the test results meant. Maggie was forever safe from Ricky Waters. And since Maggie was the only existing link between Eames and Waters, that meant that Eames was free of him as well. That was all that really mattered, until he started trying to figure out who Maggie's real father was. He still had trouble comprehending that he was that man.

He was so deeply lost in thought he didn't notice that she was awake until she kissed him, teasing his lips with her tongue and stirring a response from him. "What are you thinking about?" she whispered.

"Did she ever tell you that she wanted me to be her daddy?"

"Yes. She thought I could fix it."

He nodded. "Same here."

"She's been wanting that since she was old enough to understand what it meant. She never took to Ricky."

"I can't blame her. He never gave her a reason to. But what concerns me is that all this time I've been telling her that it wasn't something I could fix. Now—how do I tell her I was wrong? I don't want her thinking I have ever been dishonest with her, or that I didn't want to be her father. I-I don't know how to explain this to her."

"Did I ever tell you that you think too much? Just tell her. She'll be fine."

"And what do I say when she asks me why I never told her before. The world is a much simpler place for her than it is for us. She sees black and white. She hasn't learned to see the shades of gray in between yet. She won't understand."

"What's to understand? You are making this a lot more difficult than it is. All she's going to understand is that she has wanted you to be her daddy for as long as she can remember, and now you are. That's all she's going to care about. She hasn't learned to analyze things to death the way you do."

"You really think I'm worrying too much?"

"Absolutely. Just tell her, Bobby. She's going to be fine...and so will you."

"I want to do this right. I don't want to just blurt it out."

"You are going to do fine."

He tipped his head forward to look at her in the dim light that filtered in through the window. "You will be there, won't you?"

"If you want me to, yes."

He settled his head back and sighed in relief. She laughed and poked his ribs. "Glad you think this is funny, Eames."

"Actually, I do. I know you are worrying for nothing."

"Thank God I won't have to do this with the baby."

She snuggled her body closer, enjoying the feel of her skin against his. Her fingertips lightly grazed his chest and he shuddered. "Go to sleep, Bobby, and stop worrying. Maggie adores you. She's two...all she'll care about is that she's getting her way, which should come as no surprise to her since it's coming from you."

"Very funny. And she'll be three on Sunday."

"I stand corrected. Go to sleep."

He nuzzled her forehead. "I'm not tired."

She laughed and turned her face up toward his for a kiss. "I guess I'll have to wear you out, then."

"I dare you to try it."

"I accept the challenge."

She slid her body up onto his and kissed him, and eventually, he did go to sleep.