Don came up behind Angie as she stood at the kitchen sink. She was just finishing washing dishes. He put his arms around her, running his hands over her belly. At 18 weeks, her pregnancy was beginning to show. She'd gained back the weight she'd lost during her morning sickness, and was soft and curvy and sexy. He pushed against her, bent and kissed her neck. She leaned into his lips, then turned to face him.

"Another week of sleeping alone," she said as she tucked his tie under his collar and started to make the knot.

"You won't have to do it much longer." Now that he was married, he'd put in to stop working the graveyard shift. He'd been on the force long enough that he didn't have to work graveyard anymore. He'd chosen to do it one week a month, mostly because alot of interesting things happened at night in New York city. But now, married and with a baby on the way, he didn't want to be out all night. And Angie hated it. She got nervous and sullen the week of graveyard. She didn't like sleeping alone, and she didn't like his being out on the streets all night.

"Thanks for getting off the graveyard shift."

"I know how much you hate it. And once the baby comes, you're gonna need me here at night."

"Well, I don't know how much you'll be able to help me if I'm breast feeding."

"That's what breast pumps are for."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot about that. So you can feed him. Or her."

"Right. When did you say we could find out the sex of the baby?"

"Two more weeks."

"Are you sure you wanna know?"

"I do. Don't you?"

"Yeah. I can't wait to find out."

"Me neither." She tightened her arms around him and snuggled against him. "You smell nice."

"Just the bay rum, like always."

"And it drives me crazy, like always. And now you're leaving me alone all night."

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow. I promise."

"You better."

"I will."

"You should get going. It's past 11:30."

"I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her gently, their lips lingering together for a few delicious seconds. "I love you."

"I love you too. Now get outta here, before I rip your clothes off."

He smiled, grabbed his keys off the table and left for work.

I hate sleeping alone. I hate not having him here. Well, at least he's getting off the graveyard shift. I know he likes working it, so for him to be willing to give it up for me... that's a big deal. And I love him for it. Damn, I miss him when he's out all night. I worry about him too. I don't know if it's any more dangerous at night than it is during the day... probably not. Well, hopefully this'll be the last week he'll work this shift.

Angie hugged Don's pillow and heaved a sigh. The breeze coming in the window felt wonderful. The weather was hot as hell during the day but it cooled down at night, enough to be comfortable, more or less. They'd been putting a fan in the window at night to draw the cooler air from outside into the bedroom. The sound of the fan running was soothing, a white noise that lulled her into a state of relaxation and had a quieting effect on her restless mind. She couldn't hear the sirens out on the streets, and start wondering if Don was involved in some chase or other police action.

Don's pillow carried the scent of his skin and the bay rum he wore. She breathed it in and smiled softly. She felt like it helped her stay connected with him, as he was out there doing his job. Also, she was having trouble getting comfortable while lying down now that her belly was swelling as the baby grew. Hugging a pillow ...or Don when he's here... helped.

She was beginning to relax and get sleepy when something startled her awake.

Don's phone trilled, signaling a text message. He was out in the Park with Stella, standing over a stabbing victim, waiting for Mac to arrive. He fished the phone out of his pocket and read the message.

"Oh, dammit, I wish I was there!"

Stella gave him a questioning look. "You wish you were where?"

"At home. Look." He handed the phone to Stella. She read the message: 'Don, I just felt the baby move!'

"This is the first time. And I'm not even there. Shit."

"Why don't you call her?"

"Yeah, I think I will." Don walked a little away from Stella and keyed in Angie's cell.

"Don, did you get my message?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm callin'. I wish I was there, sweetie."

"Me too. Oh! There it goes again! Don it feels so strange, like nothing I've felt before. I wish I knew what he was doing in there."

"He?"

"Well, I'm tired of saying 'it'. He or she."

Don chuckled softly. "Playin' the drums on your belly?"

"No, it's not like that. It's kind of a fluttering, or a rolling, almost. I can't feel it from the outside."

"Well that's not fair. That means I won't be able to feel it either."

"You will soon enough."

"Can't wait. Oh, Mac's here, I gotta go. I can't wait to get home."

"Me too. I miss you."

"I miss you too. Go to sleep."

"Yes sir."

"I love you both."

"We love you too. 'night."

Don snapped the phone shut and put it back in his pocket. He couldn't help but grin as he walked back to the crime scene.

"What're you smiling about?" Mac asked.

"Angie felt the baby move for the first time."

Mac smiled. "Stella, can you imagine Flack changing diapers?"

"That'll be something to see."

"That's why I'm goin' off graveyard. I don't want to leave her home alone at night with a newborn. She's gonna be busy enough as it is. And she's never liked me workin' this shift."

"But you like working graveyard," Mac said.

"Yeah, but sacrifices have to be made sometimes."

"Who'd have thought, huh?" Mac asked Stella.

Stella just smiled.

Don entered the apartment quietly, not wanting to wake Angie if she was still asleep. He walked into the bedroom and looked at her. She appeared to be sleeping. He took off his jacket and hung it up. He removed his badge and his gun and put them in a box on the upper shelf in the closet. He'd been in the habit of storing the gun in the night table on his side of the bed, but they'd decided that now would be the time to find a childproof place to keep it. The box was easily accessible to him, but would be far out of reach of a toddler.

Angie was sleeping on her side, hugging his pillow. He smiled. She'd told him that sleeping with his pillow made her feel connected to him when he wasn't there at night. He sat down carefully on the bed and just watched her sleep. She'd pulled her hair back and braided it, but tendrils had escaped and curled around her face and neck. She was incredibly beautiful. He loved to watch her like this. He wanted to touch her, but he resisted, not wanting to wake her. He thought about how she must have felt, lying here alone in the dark and suddenly feeling the baby move. He felt a pang of regret that he hadn't been here when it happened.

As he watched her, he found himself thinking about the journey that had brought them to this point in their lives. All the times in the last year when he'd asked himself what the hell he was doing with this woman, of all the women he could have gotten involved with. Danny's reaction when he'd found out. The grief he'd gotten from fellow cops. The feeling of having betrayed his badge by being with her. No one, other than Danny, knew how this whole thing had felt to him. There'd been times when he'd been afraid she'd slip back into her criminal ways. When he wondered if she could really have changed that much. He'd kept those feelings, those fears and worries, deep inside him and let no one know about them, except Danny. And Danny, although somewhat appalled at first, had been the friend he'd always been and supported him in his relationship with her.

Strange, how love changes things. Now I understand those poetic lines about love movin' mountains, how wild horses couldn't drag someone away from someone they love. I used to scoff at that kind of thing, romantic bullshit, I called it. Now I see what they mean. Against what I thought was my better judgement, against reason and sanity, that's how I saw it at first, I couldn't be dragged away from her, I couldn't convince myself that I was makin' a mistake by datin' her. And when I knew I'd fallen in love with her, there was a moment, that no one knows about, when I saw myself at the edge of the cliff about to jump, so to speak, that I panicked, and thought, oh FUCK no, I can't do this! But it was already too late. There was no goin' back. And now? All I can say to the people who think it's a bad thing is that when you fall in love like this, when you know that person has become the other half of your heart and soul, when you can't breathe without them there, then YOU try to walk away from it because it's "wrong". And lemme know how that works for ya.

He looked at his wife, sleeping, with a baby sleeping inside her, his baby, his future, and he knew, once and for all, that he hadn't made a mistake. This woman, this volatile, emotional, stubborn, beautiful ex-con was the love of his life, and nothing would change how he felt about her. Nothing would take away his love for her.

She stirred, stretched and opened her eyes. He felt like his heart would jump out of his chest when she favored him with a sleepy smile.

"Good morning beautiful," he said, and bent to kiss her.

"No, Don! Why do always wanna kiss me when I have morning mouth!"

"Because I haven't seen you all night, and I love you, and I don't care. It's just a little kiss. Relax."

She let him kiss her, but kept her mouth closed. Jeez, it's nothin' that a little toothpaste won't fix...

"What time is it?" She asked, sitting up and throwing the sheet off her.

"A little after eight."

"I'm gonna take a shower. Would you care to join me?"

"Tryta keep me away."