Lea sighed with a mixture of relief and resignation. She had just been released from the hospital. Now she was walking back into the house she had never wanted to see again.

Dean helped her into the living room. Once she was sitting down and comfortable, he carried Alexa up to her room.

Each evening he had come home for a few hours. He had bought and assembled a crib, changing station, and chest. Roman had stopped by the first night. Helping him carrying the large boxes up to the nursery.

Dean had to do this by himself. So he had asked Roman to suit with Lea when he was gone. Since Seth had revealed his true feelings towards Lea, Dean had refused to talk to him.

They were still teaming together but before and after the shows, Dean refused to even be near Seth.

As he laid his daughter in her bed, he gently kissed her forehead. Breathing in her unique scent. Sure, like most newborns, she smelled of baby powder and formula. But she also smelled like honeysuckle and lavender. An unusual combination that tickled his nose.

He tucked her covers around her and turned to leave. Lea was leaning against the door. She had a soft smile on her face.

"You look so natural. Like you've done that exact thing a million times."

"It's easy to want to be gentle with her. The first time I held her, she looked so tiny I thought I would break her in half."

"Do you think she knows how much we love her already?"

"I think she does."

Not quite sure how to continue with her intended conversation, Lea stood up straight and awkwardly adjusted her loose clothing.

She was still heavier than usual. But her maternity clothes were too loose. She yearned for the day she could start working out again.

Dean walked closer and tilted her chin up.

"What's wrong kitten? You look so sad."

Gripping Dean's hand, she led him to their bedroom. Dean's bedroom. She wasn't really sure what to call it anymore.

"We need to talk. We can't sweep everything under the rug. Act like everything is okay."

Dean pushed a hand through his unruly hair. Dropping onto the edge of the bed. He knew Lea was right. But fuck it all, he wasn't ready to end the charade. Face reality.

"What do you want me to say? That I'm still angry? That I'm hurting inside? That I love you but I'm not sure I'm able to forgive you?"

"If that's how you feel, then yes. Dean, we have to work this out now. I don't want to pretend everything is okay. Not anymore. I left. You almost commited suicide. I was in a coma. We have a daughter. That's a lot of things to have happened in a very short period of time."

Dean lowered his head. He didn't want to dissect and analyze their relationship. At least not tonight.

"Look. We've had a lot of traumatic events happen lately. But today is a good day. We brought Alexa home. So let's not do this today. Let's just celebrate tonight. Tomorrow we can deal with the ugly."

Reluctant but not wanting to pick a fight, Lea agreed.

"Are you hungry? I can make some lunch."

Dean yawned and laid back on the bed.

"How about we take a nap. Enjoy the peace and quiet. I'll go get some take-out later."

Lea changed into one of Dean's shirts. She certainly wasn't going to change into her lingerie. Now was not the time or place.

She laid down on the bed. Staring at Dean. He always looked so peaceful when he slept.

Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. She closed her eyes and immediately fell asleep.

Dean waited until she was sound asleep before he got up from the bed. He walked down the hall and into the guest room. He wasn't as ready to pretend as he had thought.

Somehow sleeping next to Lea before they resolved their issues felt like he was cheating on her.

He set his phone's alarm to go off in an hour. Hopefully Lea would still be asleep. While he was out getting lunch, he would stop by the gym. Sweat off some of his frustration.

An hour later, his phone went off. Jerking him out of a deep sleep. He walked into the guest bath. Dunking his head into the sink. Hoping the cold water would shock him awake.

He peeked in on Alexa. She was still sleeping. He scribbled a quick note, left it on Lea's table, and left.

Once he pulled away, he called Roman. He needed a spotter and more importantly he needed a friend.

Lea was jerked awake by the sound of her daughter crying. She hurried down the hall. Judging by the smell, Alexa needed a new diaper bad.

Giving her a pacifier, she set to work. Dean had forgotten to buy a trashcan. So she folded the soiled diaper up, set it aside, and secured the new one.

She searched for a new onesie. She didn't see a laundry basket anywhere. She began to make a mental to-do list. Or in this case, a to-buy list.

She would do it discreetly. Dean had worked hard to furnish the nursery. No need to let him know that he was missing a few things.

Sitting down in the rocking chair, she pulled out her breast. She was trying to ween Alexa off formula and onto breast milk. She had always wanted to breast-feed her babies.

She sent a quick text to Dean. She needed to eat something. She felt famished. The nurses had told her that she needed to continue eating frequently. After all, by breastfeeding she was still essentially eating for two.

At the gym, Dean's phone began to vibrate. He yelled over to Roman that he needed to leave. Roman told him that he'd stop by later with his wife and visit.

Dean swung by their favorite restaurant then hurried home.

"Lea, I'm home."

Not hearing a reply, he jogged up the steps. Lea was still feeding Alexa. He walked over and watched.

"She eating okay?"

"I had a little trouble getting her started, but she's doing good. We're almost finished. If you want to shower, I'll carry her down to the kitchen. Did you find the bouncy chair?"

"No. I'll go get it."

"I never unpacked her things. So it should be easy to find."

Neither looked at each other. They were getting into a uncomfortable conversation. Neither acknowledging the reason why the bouncy chair had been packed into the moving truck.

Dean went to get the chair. He found it after a quick search. Once he unboxed it, he set it on the dining room table.

Feeling pissed off at the situation, he stormed up to the bath and showered. He was ready to discuss a few things.

Lea wiped the tears off her cheeks. She knew she had hurt Dean unintentionally. Reminding him that not only had she left, but she had taken his child with her.

As she burped Alexa, she fixed her bra and buttoned her shirt. She had a feeling Dean was going to have a few things to say after his shower.

She placed the baby back in her crib. Not wanting her to hear them yelling. One thing she knew about Dean, he never "discussed" things quietly.

She braced herself and walked down to the kitchen. Unbagging the food, pulling out condiments and drinks.

She was cherishing the last few moments of quiet before the storm. She prayed that she would remain calm and not lose her temper also. She didn't want to say something out of anger that she couldn't take back later. That wouldn't help the situation.

She could hear Dean walking down the steps. She thought about pasting a fake smile onto her face. Delaying the conversation. But she was not a chicken. She wouldn't break tradition now.

"When I got to my cabin in Tennessee, I realized that I had screwed up in more ways than one. One of the most obvious was that I couldn't even unpack the truck by myself."

Dean grunted but remained silent.

"I wasn't trying to keep Alexa away from you. It wasn't about punishing you. Shutting you out. I just knew I would need all her things once she was born."

Dean braced his hands on the counter. Trying to bite his tongue. He didn't want to raise his daughter in a hostile environment. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge and twisted the top off.

Guzzling half before he slammed the bottle down on the counter. Unfortunately, he used to much force and the bottle shattered.

"Fuck."

Dean stared at his bloody hand. Lea quickly pulled him over to the sink. They needed to examine the cut. See if he needed stitches or had glass in the cut.

"One of these days, you're going to have to learn to control your anger. What if I had brought Alexa down with me? She could have been cut."

"I would never put my daughter in harm's way. I would die for her. Just like I would die for you. When I thought you were might die, I bargained with God. My life for your life."

"You don't believe in God, Dean."

"I would pray to every God in the universe if it meant you lived. I can't survive without you. Please don't ever leave me again."

Lea stroked his cheek.

"I promise. I'm not going anywhere without you."

Dean nodded his head once. As if coming to a decision. Dean nuzzled her neck, scooped her up into his arms, and carried her upstairs. He needed to hold her in his arms. Feel her heart beating. Reconnect with her. Worship her body with his lips since she was still healing from surgery.