A/N: I won't bore you with the way real life just kind of took over the past week or so, but suffice it to say, I not only celebrated my birthday on Friday...the celebration has continued through the weekend. It's all fun stuff...hanging out with my niece and other family members - but it took away from my computer time. Well worth it, though. Reviews make great belated birthday presents...I'm just saying, LOL.

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Danny only napped for an hour or so before he awoke, thankful that Kono was still asleep. He made his way into the living room to check his messages and found a voice mail from Dr. Lau, letting him know that if he felt concerned, then he should bring Kono in; but since she wasn't having any symptoms, most likely she would be fine. Regardless of what he decided, she let him know that she would call back later this afternoon and see how Kono was doing.

He heard stirrings from the bedroom and headed in to check on Kono. He found her curled up on her side, staring at the wall.

He knelt down in front of her and brushed a piece of hair from in front of her face. She glanced at him briefly before turning her gaze away from him. Danny continued to stare at her, trying to figure out what was going on in her head.

"How are you doing? Do you want something to eat?"

Kono shook her head lightly. "Danny, I'm sorry. I'd just rather be alone, if you don't mind."

He debated whether to argue with her. He knew that she was shutting herself off from everyone, which was normal according to Dr. White. He also knew that she couldn't hide forever. He decided to let her have some space, at least for a little while.

He decided to try to work as long as Kono was in her room. He puttered through a few files, not satisfied with the way that the investigation into Adam's death was going. The damned Yakuza were way too good at covering their tracks. He made a mental note to talk to Steve. Maybe he or Chin had something new to add by now.

After a few hours, Danny decided to check on Kono again. He found her in the same position as before, still staring at the wall. He sat on the empty side of the bed and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder. She barely moved. "Kono, I'm going to fix dinner. What do you want me to make?"

She was quiet for a few moments before answering him, "I'm not hungry. You should just eat without me."

"Kono…"

"Danny, please. I'm not hungry and I just want to be left alone. I appreciate all that you are trying to do for me, I really do. I'm just…miserable right now, and I don't want to bring you down. I hate that I can't control my emotions. One minute I think I've got a handle on things, the next minute I'd rather not get out of bed because it hurts too much to live."

Danny physically rolled her over so that she was facing him. He waited to make sure that she was looking at him. "Kono, I hate seeing you like this. I know we've talked about this before, but I hate that I can't fix this for you. Most of all, I hate having to say that he's gone. I'm guessing that you're probably not ready to hear that, and I'm truly sorry."

"I know." Her voice was barely a whisper. Danny had to look at her to make sure that he heard her.

"Kono?"

She paused before looking into his eyes. "He's gone, Danny. I know. That's why it's so hard right now. I had been holding onto every last hope that he was still alive. I didn't want to admit that he was gone because that meant that he wasn't coming back. I've pretty much accepted it, but it doesn't mean that I like it. In fact, I hate it with everything that I have."

Danny understood where she was coming from. He knew that she would have given anything to have Adam with her presently.

"I just…I don't know what to do. I know I need to take better care of myself…it's more than just me right now. But there are times when I can barely breathe, much less know how to move forward. Is it stupid that I really wish Adam was here to hug me right now?"

He pulled her into a bear hug. "Will this do for now?"

She squeezed one arm around his middle. "You have no idea, Danny."

They stayed lost in their thoughts until they were disturbed by the ringing of the doorbell. Danny hurried to open it, leaving Kono where she was. He greeted Steve at the door, thankful to see him. Steve pulled him into a brief hug as he came into the living room before letting go and setting the files on the coffee table.

"How is she doing?"

Danny glanced towards the bedroom and blew out a breath. "It was a rough morning, to say the least. She wanted to work out, so I put on the pads so she could do a little sparring. In the middle, though, it was like she was talking to Adam…screaming and pissed at him for dying. Her body didn't like the emotional dump, and she ended up sick again. Since then, she hasn't come out of her room all day. I think that for the first time, she has accepted that Adam isn't coming back, and it's killing her."

Steve looked at the door with sadness in his eyes. He wished for the day that his teammate would be happy again. Danny glanced at his watch for a moment. "Steve? Can you stick around for a little while? I think that I'd like to go for a run to clear my head a little, if you don't mind. I don't want to leave her, but I'm starting to feel like I'm coming out of my skin, for some reason. Maybe you can get through to her? It's worth a try, right?"

Steve nodded, knowing that his best friend was probably feeling some anxiety right about now. And Danny was right. Steve felt like he had failed so many people in the past…he wanted to make sure that he got it right this time.

Steve headed to Kono's room, waving a quick good-bye to Danny as he left the house. Kono was still on her side, awake but lost in thought. Steve approached the bed and sat down cautiously. "Hey, sweetheart. Danny went out for a bit, but I'm here if you need anything, okay?"

Kono barely nodded before slowly meeting the worried gaze of her friend. Her eyes were watery with a sadness Steve hadn't seen in her before. Wordlessly he gathered her into a hug, holding her as she cried, her heart breaking for what she had finally accepted.

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Danny gradually settled into a jog, his feet pounding a steady rhythm on the pavement. The sun was nearly down, the dusk blanketing him as he ran. He was glad to see that the streets were relatively empty, grateful for the feeling of privacy. He had no particular destination in mind, and he figured he'd end up where he was supposed to end up.

As he ran, he found himself carrying on an internal conversation with Adam, which was so far beyond weird; he couldn't even believe that he was doing it. "So, things are pretty screwed up with you gone, you know that? Kono's a mess without you. Don't get me wrong. She's as strong as they come, but she is barely hanging on here. God, she misses you so much, Adam, and it kills me that I can't fix things for her." He swallowed a few times, trying to regain control.

He took a deep breath, trying to regain his rhythm. The last thing he needed to do was stumble and jack up his knee. "I'm not sure what to do, man. I'm trying to be strong for Kono…to help her figure out how to live through your death, but it's so hard. I hate that you died. I hate that we haven't been able to catch the people responsible for this to give her closure. I hate that you didn't even get to feel the joy of finding out she is pregnant."

He never wanted Kono to feel like he regretted helping her, but at the same time, he knew Dr. White's drill. He knew that he needed to finally get this out, and supposed there might be a bit of guilt that he hadn't taken time to really get to know someone so important to Kono.

His footsteps slowed until he was just walking, trying to catch his breath. Completely spent, he stood up to head back to the house. Seeing a sign out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't help but grin. Should he? What would she think? Finally making up his mind, he turned and headed down that street, hoping he was doing the right thing. Even though he was tired and sweaty, he had one stop to make before he headed back to Kono's house.

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Kono had cried in Steve's arms until she could cry no longer. She sat up, embarrassed at the large wet stain on his shirt. He glanced down in wry amusement. "Don't worry about it, babe. It'll dry." He got up to get her a cold wet washcloth to soothe her swollen eyes.

She thanked him with a small smile. "I think I liked it better when I was numb. At least then I could pretend that he was coming back. I could imagine that this was all some huge mistake. It's not, though."

Kono tucked her feet up under her legs before continuing. "Can I ask you something?"

Steve seated himself so that he was more comfortable. "Of course you can."

"Do you think that he felt any…?" She found that she couldn't actually make herself say the words to ask what she wanted to know.

Steve interrupted her thoughts. "Kono, no. Given his injuries, I'm sure that he didn't feel any pain. The Yakuza would have taken care of things quickly."

Kono tossed the washcloth on the floor and reached over to squeeze his hand. "Thanks. As fucking twisted as that is, it means a lot to me. I guess I was just afraid that, I don't know…I just needed to know that he didn't suffer."

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, followed by a muffled curse as something hit the floor. Steve and Kono made their way out into the living room to see Danny coming out of the spare bedroom looking like he was desperately trying to hide something.

Steve tried not to smirk. "Everything all right?"

Danny nodded quickly. "Yep, things are good. Everything is fine, why do you ask? Does it look like things aren't all right?"

Steve rolled his eyes. The torment was his for the taking. Danny was starting to babble, which given the look on his face, meant he was up to something. Steve paused for a moment before deciding to let him off the hook. He had stepped up and been a good friend to Kono. Whatever he was hiding was his own business.

"Danny. Kono. I'll just see myself out."

They watched him leave, not noticing the smirk on his face. Steve knew that Kono would be okay. Whatever Danny had planned would make sure of it; he had no doubt.

Once the door shut, Kono whirled around to face Danny. "Okay, spill. What are you hiding?"

Danny feigned innocence, his hands held out in front of him. "Who, me?"

Kono glared at him, her hands on her hips. "Danny Williams. Don't mess with me. I'm tired, cranky and the baby has decided that it is in serious need of chocolate. I'll ask you one more time. What are you hiding?"

Danny pondered his options, finally realizing that he had only one. "I'll tell you the truth, but you have to go sit on the couch, okay? And promise not to get mad?"

Kono smiled and sat down on the couch. She knew Danny would cave. She heard him fumbling around in the spare room and wondered what in the heck he was up to. Finally, she heard footsteps in the hallway. He poked his head around the corner, satisfied to see that she hadn't moved.

"Kono? I got you something. A present. I bet you wish it was new dishes, huh?"

Kono shot him a glare and rolled her eyes. "Smart ass."

Danny laughed to himself. "Damn straight. Now close your eyes."

She hesitated briefly, but figured that she might as well play along. She closed her eyes tightly, trying desperately to suppress the urge to peek. She trusted Danny, and she knew that he would never…what in the ever-loving hell was that?

Her eyes flew open as a tiny pink tongue licked the tip of her nose. Danny was holding the most adorable little caramel-colored bundle of fluff directly in front of her face. Before she could blink, the puppy licked her again. She reached out to take him…her…it from Danny. Immediately, the puppy nestled itself in the crook of her neck and started chewing on her hair. "Danny…?"

"Kono, I hope this is okay. I know that you had mentioned a while back that you were looking to get a dog. I wasn't sure if this was the right thing to do or not, but I just thought that with everything that has happened, you deserved something that would make you happy. I know it's a lot of work, but I'll help out."

Danny couldn't help but smile at the sight on the couch. Kono was beaming as the puppy squirmed in her arms, letting out an occasional bark as she acclimated herself to her new home and to her new owner. "So, any ideas on what you'd like to name her?"

Kono couldn't speak for a moment. She felt something other than crushing sadness, for the first time in a while. She couldn't believe the lengths that Danny would go to make sure that she was okay. "Danny, first of all, you need to know that I don't need a puppy to make me happy. Your friendship does that, even though I haven't had a lot to be happy about lately. Second of all, thank you. This means more to me than I can say. You have been such a good friend through all of this, and I couldn't have gotten through this without you. You know that, right?"

Danny deflected, as he sometimes did when the attention was fully on him. "Well, you know…none of us wanted you to go through this on your own. Steve and Chin…we all care about you."

Kono gave him a soft smile. "You, Danny. I appreciate what Steve and Chin have done…I really do; but you went above and beyond. I can never thank you enough." She giggled as the puppy began tugging on the hem of her shirt. "She's a little feisty. I like that." Kono picked her up to hold her in front of her face, laughing as the puppy cocked her head to the side and let out a little growl. She tucked her back in her lap. "Anyway, when I was little, I read this story about a little girl who had a puppy. It was the cutest little dog. I remember begging my parents for a puppy just like the one in my book…I think that's where my obsession with having a dog started."

She paused as the puppy was now headed for Danny, who had sat down on the couch beside her. She grinned as she watched him cuddle her to his chest. "I think I'm going to name her Bailey, because she kind of is the same color as the Baileys that Adam and I had the night he proposed." Bailey chose that moment to give a little 'yip' of affirmation, as if she understood that she had been given her new name. Kono smiled, not even realizing that she had mentioned Adam without feeling like she had been stabbed in the chest. "Well, I guess that settles that. So, where did you find her?"

Danny stretched his legs out to put his feet on the coffee table as Bailey settled down to sleep in his lap, her head resting on her tiny paws. "I was on my way back from my run, and saw a sign that advertised the puppies. She's a six-month old cockapoo, and is housebroken already, which should help your stress level at first. The owner, Mrs. Yamimoto, sent some supplies with me, so she's got food, dishes and toys. I'll set her crate up in your room later on."

Kono glanced out of the corner of her eye at Danny. He met her gaze with one of confusion. "What?"

She couldn't stop the smile from forming. "You're a good man, Danny Williams. This has to be one of the best presents I have ever gotten. Adam would…" She trailed off, the light leaving her eyes for a brief moment. She took a deep breath and looked at Danny, a fond smile back upon her face. "Adam would have loved her too."

The rest of the evening was spent reminiscing about Adam in between bouts of puppy-therapy. There were a few tears shed, some happy and some not, but for the first time in a while, Kono wasn't reduced to complete sadness at the mention of his name. Maybe things were finally looking up.