It was half past nine o'clock before he finally made it to her apartment. After buzzing him up and then opening the door to greet him, she watched as he rounded the corner to her hall. Before he could see her, she noticed he had a deep frown on his face. He wearily rubbed his eyes before finally looking up.

As soon as his eyes met hers, his expression changed from sadness and worry to clearly being happy to see her.

"Hey," he greeted with a soft smile as he approached her at the door.

"Hola," she said as she reached out to take his hand. "Are you feeling ok—"

Before she could finish the question, Danny dipped his head down to capture her lips with his. The kiss, deep and hungry, practically took Elena's breath away. When he stopped, he stayed closed to her – pressing his forehead to hers.

"I've wanted to do that all day," he said, before gently kissing her again.

"Mmmmm…me, too," Elena responded with smile. "Come in," she said as she pulled him into the apartment. "Are you hungry? I kept some pasta warm in case you were."

Danny first instinct was to decline, but his empty stomach and aching head told him otherwise. "Um, yeah, actually, that would be really great."

Pleasantly surprised that he'd accepted her offer, she went to the kitchen and took the plate out of the oven. They sat down at the kitchen and she placed the meal in front of him.

"You're not going to join me?" he asked, lifting his fork.

"I ate with Sophie."

"Oh," he said as he took a bite. "This is great. You really are a great cook, you know?"

Raising her eyebrows, she sighed heavily. "Why are you always so surprised that what I make tastes good?"

Danny shrugged as he took another bite. "I don't know, I just never pictured you as someone who spent a lot of time in the kitchen."

This made Elena laugh. "Well, I don't, but my mother would mortified if I grew up in her house and turned out to be a bad cook."

"Lucky for me," Danny said as he continued to focus on the meal in front of him. .

Watching him, Elena saw that he wasn't quite all there with her. There was something obviously on his mind. Deciding to take a chance, she asked, "How…how did your meeting go?"

Looking up at her, a surprised expression crossed his face.

Feeling like she'd overstepped a boundary, she quickly said, "Should I not ask about it? I'm sorry. It's not my business."

Putting his fork down, he reach over to take her hand. "You can ask me anything. There's just not a whole lot to say."

While squeezing his hand, she laid her other hand on the back of his neck. "It just seems like something is bothering you. Usually when you come here, we always talk about me and my problems. I just want you to know that you can talk to me. I can be here for you just like you've been here for me."

Danny smiled warily as he took her hand from his neck and held both of her hands in his. "For the record, I like talking about you. You're quickly becoming my favorite subject," he said as he leaned down and kissed her hand lightly. Looking back up at her, he sighed lightly as he tried to formulate his next words. "And I…I…know that I can talk to you, but it's hard to explain because there's really nothing wrong. I mean, there's nothing specifically wrong. I was pissed off this morning because Jack was being….Jack. And then the case today was a waste of time. So as I was driving back to the city, with Jack, I felt more and more like the walls were closing in. I had this thought…this thought to tell Jack that I needed to drop him off at the building because I needed to run an errand. But really, it was like this plan I was hatching so that I could get a drink."

Elena tried, but failed to hide the surprise on her face.

Noticing her expression, Danny let go of her hands and nervously crossed his arms across his chest. "That's something you don't know about me…that I still struggle with it. And I do. Like today. And then I realized that I hadn't been to a meeting in almost two weeks. I never do that. I never miss, but—"

Leaning forward, Elena interrupted, "It's because of me, yes? You come here after work. You stay here so late and then you're too tired. I'm sorry—"

Reaching out to cup her cheeks, he cut her off. "It's not you. I swear it's not you. I can be here for you and still follow my routine. I just let things get out of whack, that's all. And I hate telling you this because I'm sure the last thing you want to do is get involved with someone like me, especially since you have Sophie. But at the same time, you need to know. You need to know that this is who I am and what I deal with. I completely understand if…if you can't handle this…I—"

Raising her hand, she stopped him from continuing. "I can handle it. You're allowed to have a bad day. Danny, for the last few months, you've been my rock almost every day. Don't beat yourself up because you have a moment of weakness."

"I just don't want you to think that you can't depend on me," he replied, his voice brimming with insecurity. "I know you could never depend on Carlos, and I don't want to bring that kind of thing to your life again."

Elena gave him a sympathetic smile. "What do they say in AA, one day…one day—

"One day at a time," Danny finished.

"Right, one day at time. I kind of like that philosophy. With everything that's gone on in the last year, we just need to take things slow. We'll keep getting to know each other and we'll find out all the things that drive us crazy about each other, and then we'll see what happens."

Danny smiled in agreement, even though in his mind he was thinking that he already knew everything he needed to know about her. He was crazy about her and it was all he could do not to tell her.

"Okay?" Elena said.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Danny replied as he picked up his fork and started to eat again.

After finishing dinner, they moved over to the couch to continue their conversation, but Danny took the opportunity to start kissing her neck as she continued to talk.

"Could you believe our missing guy today? He just wanted his family to miss him? Crazy."

"Mmm-hmm," Danny murmured as he moved her hair out of the way to nip her earlobe.

"I mean, I think I talked to fifty people today, all for—" she stopped suddenly as she felt Danny's hand slip under her t-shirt. That couple with what he was doing to her earlobe rendered her momentarily speechless, except for a light moan that almost sounded like a purr.

Danny's hand traveled up to her breast as his lips travel from her ear to her to lips. With his free hand, he pulled her into his lap in one easy motion.

Elena felt a mixture of ecstasy and apprehension. When her brain caught up to her libido, she pulled away from him slightly. "So how did it go on your end today?" she asked breathlessly.

Frowning, Danny looked at her. "What end? What are you talking about?"

"The case? How was it working with Jack today? You said he pissed you off?"

Shaking his head, Danny laughed as a removed his hand from under her t-shirt. "Is the point of this to kill the mood, because mentioning Jack is one big way of doing that?"

Elena smiled as she planted a kiss on his lips, still straddled against him. "I'm just not ready for you to distract me yet. I'm worried about you, querido."

"I told you, it was just a bad day, baby. But we could end it on a really good note," he said he snaked his hands around the curve of her hips.

Tilting her head, she said, "Before you and I got together, you and Jack were fine."

Danny shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. Jack and I have had issues in the past. We've been working together for a really long time…maybe too long at this point."

Sighing sadly, Elena leaned forward to put her head on his chest. "Don't say that."

Not wanting her to worry, Danny back-pedaled as he ran hands up and down her back. "I'm just frustrated. It'll pass. Jack never changes, but that's why we all love him. Everything will be fine."

Looking up at him, she kissed him and then she took his hand and guided it back to where it had just been. "You sure you're okay," she asked one more time.

"Si," Danny answered as he pulled her closer and kissed her passionately.

They kissed like that on the couch for almost a half hour, Danny repositioning them so that they were lying against each other. Just as he was about to get to a point a no return, he pulled away. "Um, I should probably go before…"

Looking up at him, Elena placed her hand against her cheek. "Quedate."

His eyes widening in surprise, Danny responded. "What…what about Sophie?"

Elena smiled as she moved from under him, forcing them both to sit up. "I had a little talk with her tonight," she said as she stood up and extended her hand.

Giving her his hand, he got up and started to follow her to her bedroom. "A talk about what?"

"I think its safe to say that I'm way out of touch with what's going on in Sophie's friend's homes."

"Mommy?" Sophie asked as she lay on her pink princess bed.

"Si, mamita," Elena answered as she took an outfit out of Sophie's closet and laid it on a chair for school tomorrow.

" Do you think Danny would want to come to my ballet recital next week?"

"I don't know, sweetie. We'll see. But even if he can't, maybe we can invite him over to watch the video. We could make popcorn and have a little viewing party," Elena suggested, fearing that there would be a scene if Carlos showed up with Danny there.

"That sounds good," Sophie replied as he held her doll close.

Walking over to Sophie, Elena sat down on the bed. "I'm glad you like Danny so much."

Sophie smiled. "He makes me laugh."

"He makes me laugh, too, mamita."

"I know he does," Sophie said. "That another reason why I like him, you smile when he's here."

"Don't I smile when he's not here, too?"

"Yes, but you smile even more when he's here."

Elena's stomach knotted at the thought of approaching the next subject, but she knew this was as good a time as any. "Sophie, baby, what would you think if I wanted to spend a little more alone time with Danny?"

"You mean like go out on a date with him?"

"No, baby. It's hard for me to go on dates with him because we work so much and I treasure the time I have with you. I'm talking about maybe him being here, at night, while you're sleeping."

"Like a sleepover?" Sophie asked, eyes full of innocence.

Wincing at the term, Elena nodded. "Yeah, a little like a sleepover. I just don't want you to be alarmed if he's here late at night. Like when you have a bad dream."

"It's okay, mommy. Rachel's mommy has a sleepover friend. Rachel says he sleeps over so much that he may move in with them. Will Danny move in with us?"

"No, no baby. He's not moving in. I just didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."

"So if he's here at night, can I still sleep with you?"

Elena shook her head. "Not when he's here, baby."

"But what if I have a bad dream?" Sophie asked, eyes wide and innocent.

"If you have a bad dream, all you have to do is call for me, and I'll come sleep with you!"

"That sounds too easy," Danny said after Elena relayed the story. "If it's still too weird for you—"

"It's not. I want to spend the whole night with you. I want you to actually get some rest instead of leaving here so late."

Smiling seductively, Danny reached out and put his hands on her hips. "Spending the whole night together and getting some rest? I'd say that's a contradiction in terms," he joked as he pulled her flush against his body.

Biting her lip for moment, Elena smiled as she enjoyed the feeling of their bodies so close together. "Baby steps, mi amor. Sophie is right across the hall."

Nodding, Danny kissed her forehead. "I understand. So we just sleep tonight?"

"Si," she replied as she pressed her lips to his for a gentle kiss. "I know you want more—"

Silencing her with another kiss, Danny whispered, "I just want you."

Stepping away from him, Elena unbuttoned his dress shirt and pushed it off his shoulders as he removed his pants and then his undershirt – leaving him clad only in his boxer briefs. Then Elena grabbed a night slip from the chair next to the window. Danny watched as she removed her top and casual knit pants, leaving her naked except for a pair of black boy shorts. Before she could put on the nightgown, he stepped towards her and pulled her against his chest.

"You're beautiful, baby," he said as he ran his hands up and down her bare back.

Rising on her tiptoes, she kissed him passionately – enjoying the feel of skin on skin. She felt Danny take the nightgown from her as they kissed, and then he pulled away from her. Without words, she raised her arms and then he put the nightgown on her. This moment between them, for some reason, felt more intimate to Elena than their previous sexual encounters. Reaching out her hand to his, she guided him to her bed. They lay down next to each other and then she reached over and turned out the light. Laying her head against his bare chest, she felt his arm tighten around her. For the first time in months, she felt completely safe.

He watched the two shadowy silhouettes through the lit window. The curtain obstructed the view, but he knew exactly who was with her – his tall, lanky frame unmistakable. They kissed and touched and seemed to undress each other before she guided him out of the view of the window to what he could only assume was her bed.

Angrily, he tossed his cigarette to the ground and stubbed it out – imagining Danny's face while doing it. He couldn't get near Elena or Sophie without being arrested, but he sure as hell could make Danny pay for the ultimate betrayal of bedding his daughter's mother while Sophie slept in the next room.