sorry for the double post !

hey all ! (:
yes, i KNOW it's thursday, and 3 oclock at that, but my internet was down yesterday, and then when i went to go post today, someone had deleted all my files :(
i had to retype the entire thing, hope it's almost as good as what it was yesterday !

again, thanks so much for all the reviews and support !
i didn't think this story was going to get as many readers as it has, this means so much to me.

anyway, here's the next chapter.

enjoy (:
--mtc.

Chapter 18

He waited for her to settle down. Lindsay had been shaking in his arms for the past fifteen minutes. Not crying, like he had expected her to.

Shaking.

He just held her tighter and placed soft kisses to the top of her head, hoping it would calm her down. It killed him inside to feel the constant trembling of her body against his own; this bastard had hurt her, and he sure as hell wasn't going to get away with it. Once Danny had his girls safe at home, he would give Cameron what he really deserved. As numerous workers from the lab passed by, all giving them strange looks, he just glared back, warning people to mind their own business or they would have to deal with the wrath that was already pooling inside him. After Lindsay's shudders had dissipated, he wrapped an arm protectively around her shoulder and began to walk her down the hall towards her office, both of them completely silent the entire way. He dropped Lindsay at her office, Bailey immediately sensing that there was something wrong as she ran to her mother's arms.

"What's wrong mommy? Why do you look so sad?" the little girl asked with a look of concern spreading throughout her face.

"Everything's fine sweetie, mommy just doesn't feel good. Danny's going to take us home," she told her daughter, giving her a weak smile.

"Everything's gonna be okay kiddo," Danny said as the little girl peeked over Lindsay's shoulder, looking to him for reassurance. "Why don't you come with me to see Uncle Mac? I've gotta tell him we're takin' your mommy home, I'm sure he'd love to see you before you go." He knew Lindsay didn't want her daughter to see her like that, so he figured he would save them all the trouble and limit Bailey's contact with Lindsay while she was breaking down in her office.

The little girl shrugged sadly, sighed, and nodded sadly as she hugged her mother one last time before walking over to Danny.

"I guess," she mumbled with a sigh, taking Danny's hand instantly as they made their way down the hall.

They entered Mac's office, the man already sensing that something was wrong as he noticed the looks on both Danny and Bailey's faces. Danny quietly explained to Mac that Lindsay wasn't feeling well, that he would explain fully later, but they had to get out of the office, stressing that he would pull as many double shifts and take as much overtime as it was necessary to make up for all the time he and Lindsay had lost over the past weeks. Mac just nodded in response, knowing that whatever was going on, Danny would take care of it in the proper way. He knew how much Danny loved Lindsay and that little girl, and that he would go to whatever lengths to make sure they were safe. Danny nodded and gave the man a sad grin as he took the little girl's hand and led her out of the office. The walked in silence as they made their way back towards Lindsay's office. As they turned a corner, the rage that was beginning to settle suddenly sparked again inside of him. The face of Cameron Burke was staring back at his, a look of newfound bravery on his face, a stupid grin that made him look like he should be put in a mental institution. The fire inside of Danny relit, changing the color in his face to a deep red. He gripped tighter onto Bailey's tiny hand, fearing that if he didn't hold on tight enough, his little girl would be sucked in by an invisible vortex surrounding Cameron. He tried to avoid the man's gaze, but his evil glare seemed to draw Danny in; he was unavoidable. He glared up at Cameron, hoping his ice stare would cut through the man, but he seemed indestructible. As they were about to pass each other, Cameron suddenly stopped in his tracks, right in Danny's path, causing Danny's blood to run cold.

"Hey Messer, how's it goin'?" he asked in a cynical voice, causing Bailey to hide behind Danny's leg.

"What do you want Cameron?" he shot back, trying to hid the anger in his voice from the little girl, hoping they wouldn't scare her.

"I just wanted to apologize for earlier, you know, calling Lindsay out about telling you I was the father of her bastard child."

Everything in the world seemed to disappear.

The only people standing in the hallway at that very moment were Danny, Cameron, and his little girl. He stared at the little face standing behind him, scared and alone, a look of fear in her eyes. He would protect her at all costs. Picking her up, he carried her across the hall, towards one of the lab stations where Adam was currently waiting for a printout of results. He set the little girl on the ground, bending down so he could look her straight in the eye, reading the terror swimming behind her blue eyes.

"Bailey, honey, I'll be right back. I just need to talk to your Uncle Cameron for a second. Stay with Adam, okay?"

She nodded fearfully, not quite understanding what was going on, but knowing she had to be brave. Adam had a confused look on his face, but nodded anyway as Danny silently thanked him and reentered the hallway. No sooner had he stepped out the doorway of the lab station than his fist had collided with Cameron's face. In a fit of fury, he grabbed the man by the collar and pinned him up against the wall.

"Don't you EVER talk about my little girl like that again! You stay away from Lindsay and Bailey, and don't you EVER let me catch your sorry ass around them again, you hear me?!"

Cameron could see the veins popping out of his forehead, the sweat beading down his face, and the way his color grew redder with every word. Danny's fingers were digging into his skin, he would surely have a bruise there as well as a swollen face. He had made a bad decision.

A very bad decision.

"Do you hear me Burke?!" Danny screamed as he banged Cameron's body against the concrete. "If I ever catch you so much as looking at them ever again, you're going to answer to me. Now get your pathetic face away from me. I don't wanna see you around here again, do you hear? Get the fuck out of my face."

He released the man, giving him one last shove before he made his way back to where he had last left his daughter. He picked her up and held her tightly to his chest, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"You know I love you, right kiddo? I would do anything for you and your mommy, you know that right?"

"Of course I do Danny," she giggled back at him like he should have already known the answer to the question.

"Good," he replied, carrying her down the hallway. "Let's go get your mommy and get the hell out of here."

"Danny, don't swear," she giggled again, making him laugh a little in response. She was always there to brighten his spirits.

Always.

-----------

The car ride was silent except for the quiet sounds of the radio that had been on a low volume. Neither Danny nor Lindsay had enough energy to reach over and turn it off. Poor Bailey sat in her booster seat wondering what was actually going on. She could tell that Danny was lying from the start; her mother never looked like this when she was sick, something else was wrong. But she refused to ask, she knew it wasn't the right time or place; the truth would be told when the adults felt the time was right.

They pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex, Danny climbing out of the car first, to help Bailey out of her booster seat, putting the little girl on his hip before opening up Lindsay's door to help her out of the car. As he opened up the passenger side door, the look on her face almost had him sobbing next to her. She was obviously still pained, but she looked as if she had gone into shock. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, her arms were stiffly crossed across her body, her head was sunken low into her chest. He pulled her up into his arms and hugged her as tightly as he could with a four year old balanced on his hip. Placing a kiss to her forehead, he softly whispered into her ear.

"He's never going to hurt you or our daughter again, I promise you. I'll make sure of it."

All she could do in response was shake her head. That in itself took all of her energy to accomplish. When they entered the apartment, Danny whispered to Bailey that she should go in her room and play, let her mommy rest so she could get better as fast as possible and take care of Bailey. The little girl gave him a sad nod as she walked down the hall to her room, letting Danny focus his attention on a trembling Lindsay, who was now sitting completely upright on the couch shaking. He took a seat next to her, wrapping his arm around her trembling frame, letting her slump into his side where she fit perfectly. He ran his hand softly up and down the length of her back, trying to comfort her; anything to get her to stop shaking. It was scaring him; he had never seen her like this before and he didn't know what to do. The fact that she began speaking shocked him.

"I heard him Danny," she mustered, barely above a whisper. "He called our little baby a bastard. He called her a bastard child."

Her repetition of the words that Cameron had spat in his face earlier made him cringe. He held her tighter, it was the only thing he could think to do.

"No, don't say that Lindsay. He's wrong, our daughter is perfect and you know that. Don't ever listen to a word out of that fucker's mouth, he's just angry. You know the truth, and I know the truth. Anything he says is just a lie. Bailey is absolutely perfect, and that son of a bitch is never going to hurt either of you again, I'll make sure of it."

She cuddled into his chest, feeling a sense of reassurance from his touch, and began to drift off to sleep. The entirety of the situation had drained her out completely. Danny felt the weight of her sleep against him and let out a sigh. Maybe resting would calm her down a bit. He kissed her forehead gently and quietly removed himself from under her slumbering figure so she was now lying on the couch. He covered her with one of Bailey's Disney Princess blankets that was draped across the back of the couch and kissed her once more, then stood there staring at her, smiling at how cute she looked when she was sleeping. He figured he would give her some time alone to rest and made his way down the hall to check on Bailey.

When he entered her room, he expected to find her playing with her toys or dancing like a ballerina, typical things for a four year old to do. Instead, what he saw startled him a bit. She was sitting quite still on the edge of her bed, a photo album clutched in her hands, staring down at a photo that was out of his line of sight. He leaned in the door frame, waiting for her to see him. Surprisingly, it took her quite some time to notice his presence. She was obviously deeply engrossed by the photo, but he eventually noticed her head twitch, then move completely in his direction, sadly smiling up at him.

"Hey Danny," she said with a sigh.

"Hey kiddo." He made his way over to her bed, sitting down next to her and pulling her onto his lap. "Watcha lookin' at?"

"Just some pictures."

His eyes ventured down to the photo album in her hand. On one side of the pages that were open was a picture of Bailey and Lindsay, where exactly it was taken he couldn't make out. But the picture that he assumed she had been intently observing was on the opposite page. It was a photo of Bailey and Cameron, taken not long before Danny had come back to town. They were both so happy, yet the current look on the little girl's face was so sad.

"Danny, can I ask you something?"

"Sure kiddo, what's on your mind?"

She sighed again softly before speaking again. "What's a bastard?"

It was Danny's turn to sigh. "You heard that huh?" he replied, rubbing her shoulder soothingly. Just like her mother, the little girl slumped into his touch.

"I've heard that word before, but it's always when someone's mad at someone else. Is Uncle Cameron mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no you didn't do anything wrong kiddo. Your Uncle Cameron, he's…he's just angry in general right now. He didn't mean what he said, he's just in a bad place and he didn't know what to do. He shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Okay. But I don't want him to get in trouble. Is his mommy gonna give him a time-out? Because if he's gonna get in trouble because of me, I'll feel bad."

Danny chuckled lightly. In the worst of moments, his little girl could always make things seem better than they were. "No, he won't have to go to time out. But he should have to apologize for making you feel sad," he mumbled to himself.

She thought long and hard, and then looked back up at him. "Okay, I have another question."

"Shoot."

"Mommy's not really sick, is she?"

He sighed again, heavier this time, and turned the little girl around in his arms so she was now facing him. "Well, she's not sick like you are when you get the flu. Her heart is sick because it's sad that your Uncle Cameron is so angry."

Bailey got her thinking face on and then presented Danny with her idea. "Well maybe if you give her a kiss it'll make her feel better. I know I said kissing was gross, but I'll just pretend I didn't see it. If it'll make mommy feel better, I guess I'll let you do it just this once."

He chuckled again at his baby girl's innocence. "I don't think a kiss is going to make this better sweetheart."

"But a kiss always makes things better," she protested. "Like in Sleeping Beauty when the prince kissed Aurora, she was all better. And in Snow White, the prince kissed her and she woke up. You're kind of like my mommy's prince, right? If you kiss her, everything will be all better, right?"

He thought for a moment before responding. "If you really think it could work, I guess I could try."

"Okay!" she said excitedly, jumping out of his lap and grabbing his hand, dragging him down the hallway towards the living room. She dragged him all the way to the couch, inches away from her sleeping mother.

"Go on, kiss her already," she whispered, shoving him closer towards the couch.

He laughed quietly as he bent down towards his princess, lightly kissing her lips. He pulled away and watched as his little girl stared intently from him to her and back again, waiting for something to happen. She jumped a little when the sleeping figure of her mother began to move, her eyes blinking a few times before they opened, smiling at the two people standing in front of her.

"Danny, it worked!" Bailey shrieked with excitement.

"What worked baby?" she laughed, sleep still lingering in her words.

"I told Danny that he was your prince and that if he kissed you, it would make everything better, and it did!"

Lindsay laughed as she grinned up at Danny, who could only return her actions, giggling as she reached up to place her hand on his cheek.

"Well thank you, my prince. I feel much better now. How about another kiss?"

"Hey, this was a one time deal!" Bailey interjected. "Kissing is gross, remember? No kissing in front of Bailey!"

Her parents laughed as they turned their attention towards their little girl, grabbing her and showering her with kisses as her shrieks of laughter filled the apartment. As soon as the giggle fest was over, Danny came up with an idea.

"What do you guys think about me makin' you dinner?"

The girls looked at each other and smirked back at Danny, who was waiting patiently for their response.

"Umm, no offense Danny, but can you cook? You're a boy," Bailey responded.

"Yes I can, little Miss Monroe. I happen to be the best damn spaghetti cooker in all of New York," he scoffed back.

"Danny, don't swear!" she retorted, giggling.

"I'm sorry," he laughed back. "But whaddya say? Spaghetti, Messer style?"

Bailey glanced back at her mother for reassurance. When Lindsay gave her a nod, she returned to Danny.

"I guess. But mommy, you'd better order a pizza Just in case."

Danny stuck his tongue out at her before making his way into the kitchen, his girls leaning over the back of the couch to watch him work his magic.

-----------

An hour and a half later, an apron-clad Danny had finally finished transferring the excess marinara sauce from the pot on the stove to a gravy boat, setting it on the table next to the giant serving dish of spaghetti that was already covered in the delicious looking red sauce. He put a heaping amount onto both Lindsay and Bailey's plates before serving himself, then removed his apron and sat down himself.

"I don't know Bay, it looks kind of poisonous," Lindsay joked, getting a laugh out of the little girl.

"Yeah, what if Danny's trying to kill us?!" she laughed, putting her hands around her neck as she pretended to joke. Lindsay laughed while Danny sat with his mouth agape, appalled at what his daughter was doing. In response, he spun a hefty amount on his own fork and stuffed it in his mouth, exaggeratingly chewing and licking his lips to prove his point.

"Tastes pretty good to me," he shot at her jokingly.

"Danny, don't talk with your mouth full," Lindsay joked back.

"Yeah Danny, don't talk with your mouth full," Bailey repeated, sticking her tongue out as Danny wiped the sauce off of his face.

Lindsay spun the pasta around her fork, laughing as she noticed the look of terror on her little girl's face.

"It's okay baby, I'll be fine, I promise. Eat your dinner." She took a bite of the spaghetti, nodding in approval as Danny grinned at Bailey, nodding at her plate, indicating that she should try it as well. Reluctantly, she picked up her Batman fork, putting a single strand of spaghetti on it, and slurping it into her mouth. As she chewed the food, her eyes lit up and her fork flew back to her plate, piling on more and more pasta until the majority of her plate was now on her fork. Contrary to the size of her tiny mouth, she managed to stuff the entirety of the spaghetti into it, licking the sauce off of her lips as she smiled in delight.

"Mmm!" she grinned in approval. "You're right Danny, you do make the best damn spaghetti in all of New York!"

As Lindsay's mouth dropped, Danny's head hung as his laughter filled the kitchen.

"Bailey Louise, you know that's a bad word!" Lindsay scolded her.

"He said it first!" she replied, pointing her tiny, sauce covered finger at Danny, who was still dying of laughter across the table. He managed to contain his giggles to apologize.

"I'm sorry Bailey, I shouldn't be setting a bad example," he said in between giggles. "Your mommy's right, it's a bad word, don't repeat it."

"Okay," she replied, giggling. She reached across to the basket of bread. Taking a piece of bread, the sauce in the gravy boat, and the parmesan cheese on the table, she made herself a pizza bread, and proceeded to stuff her face.

"Hey, that's pretty clever," Danny chuckled as he watched her eat the concoction. "Wanna make me one?"

"Sure," she said, reaching across the table to make Danny one of her creations.

"Wait, you didn't poison this, did you?" he asked as she handed him the gooey bread.

"Danny, I'm only four, how would I know how to poison you?"

"Very true," he responded with a chuckle, popping the bread in his mouth. He chewed it thoroughly, torturing her purposely while the little girl stared at him, waiting for his approval.

"Mmm," he mimicked her. "Delicious." Her big blue eyes lit up at his words.

"Really?!"

"Really really," he responded. "Best pizza bread I ever tasted. You should sell this to a restaurant, you'd make big bucks."

The grin on her face was the biggest it had been all night. As Lindsay noticed this, she grinned at Danny, rubbing his arm in thanks. He returned her smile, then returned his gaze towards their daughter who was now dangling a strand of spaghetti over her mouth, slurping it up and sending spaghetti sauce flying everywhere.

"Bay, why don't you go take your bath, you've go more sauce around your mouth than in it," she told her daughter with a laugh. Without protesting, she jumped down from her chair, both Danny and Lindsay thinking she was heading towards the bathroom. Instead, she second guessed herself, turning towards Danny, a mischievous grin on her face. She beckoned for him to come down to her level, and as he did, she placed a big, wet, saucy kiss on his cheek, causing Lindsay to laugh, and Danny to lift her up and place a raspberry on her stomach, the little girl erupting in giggles, finally surrendering and jumping down from his grasp to go take her bath.

When they were alone, Lindsay reached across the table and wiped the sauce from his cheek, then kissed the rest of it off, causing a chill to run the length of him. Four years later and she could still do that to him.

"Thank you for the dinner," she said as soon as she had cleaned him up. "I haven't had Messer's famous spaghetti for so long. You've still got it in ya," she joked.

"Not a problem," he laughed back, tucking a curl behind her ear.

"Why don't I clean up the kitchen, you go read Bailey a bedtime story," Lindsay suggested out of the blue.

"You sure? I made the mess, least I can do is clean it up."

"I'm sure," she replied, placing a kiss on his cheek where the sauce had previously been. "Go enjoy your daughter."

The words warmed his heart. He still couldn't come to grips that the amazing little girl in there was his daughter. Getting up from the table, he gave Lindsay a warm smile before heading towards his little girl's bedroom.

-----------

She was surprised at first to see him sitting on her bed, a book in his hands, but no sooner was she confused than she was quickly jumping into lap, ready for him to read her a story. He opened up the book and began reading, Bailey hanging on to every word that passed through his lips. The story was over much too quickly for either of them, but they both knew it was getting late and that Bailey needed her sleep. He placed the book back in its place on the shelf, then returned to her side to tuck her in. As he was about to turn out the lights, she interrupted him.

"Since you're dating my mommy, does that mean you're gonna get married?"

He smiled sweetly back at her. "I don't know kiddo. We'll just have to see how things go."

"I hope it does," she replied with a sigh. "If you guys got married, that would make you my daddy, and then I would be the happiest girl in the whole entire universe."

He bent down and placed a kiss to her forehead. "And if you were my baby girl, that would make me the happiest man in the whole entire universe."

"Really?" she asked him wide-eyed, fighting back the sleep that was tugging at her eyes.

"Really," he replied softly, a smile plastered on his face. "You'd better get some sleep though."

"Okay," she said with a yawn. "Goodnight Danny."

"Night Bailey, sweet dreams."

He shut the lights off in her room and walked towards the door, not noticing that Lindsay had been standing against the doorframe the entire time, a smile spreading across her face. She opened her arms as he accepted the hug, pulling her into his embrace.

"She wants you to be her daddy," Lindsay whispered against his chest. He nodded, pulling her chin up to place a tender kiss on her lips.

"Danny, I think it's time we tell Bailey the truth."

Her words startled him, but he was soon smiling against her lips.

"Are you sure? Do you think it's the right time?"

"Did you hear what your daughter just said to you?" she giggled. "She wants you in her life Danny, we have to tell her."

He pulled her into a tight hug, the smile on his face only growing wider. "So when can we tell her?"

"How about tomorrow? We both have the day off; the sooner we tell her, the better."

He grinned down at her, as she smiled back up at him.

"Tomorrow," he repeated, trying to convince himself that it was actually happening.

"Tomorrow."

---

Next Week in Come Back to Me...

"Bailey, Danny and I have something to tell you."