The Styrofoam coffee cup hit the trashcan with a gentle swoosh and almost went in, then fell to the floor. Lindsay looked at it for a moment, wondering if sheer mind power could move it. It was her third cup of the day and it was only nine, so even if minds could move objects, she definitely didn't have enough brain power for it.

She'd increased her shifts every week, working a lot of days while Adam worked nights. They were never at work together, but that meant they were never home together either. They'd been talking about putting Colton in daycare so they could have a little more flexibility, but she wasn't sure she was ready for that just yet. She was still hoping that they could find a cheap and tidy in home daycare, but that seemed to be out of the realm of possibility.

Ignoring the cup for the time being, she turned back to the stack of papers in front of her, skimming through the phone records of Cheryl Dobbins, Billy's mother. She said she hadn't had any suspicious calls in the last few weeks, but that didn't mean it wasn't an avenue to pursue. She yawned and closed her eyes tight for a moment, then snapped them back open, as if that would help. It didn't.

She figured a change would help, so she neatly stacked the phone records and moved over to the financials. Nothing stood out, even in the last year. She started to get that feeling that she always did; the case was never going to end, it would be shelved and the files and evidence would collect dust until the world imploded and all became naught anyway.

"I am getting way too cynical," she muttered, standing up and stretching.

"Hey Linds," Hawkes started, coming into the room. "I've been thinking this case was fishy from the beginning. A kid dies in the middle of the night while his mother is fifteen feet away in the next room. She doesn't hear anyone come in, has no reason to think anything is going to happen. She looked grief stricken for a while, but now she seems relieved. Her son has been gone two days and she is suddenly sporting an engagement ring."

"What?" she asked, her hands immediately going to her hips.

"Flack's downstairs interviewing her. That guy you two busted yesterday, he was dating her for a while. But wasn't it several months ago? Who is she dating now?"

"Or rather, who popped the question at such an in opportune time?"

"Certainly is an interesting avenue to pursue," he agreed.

"It's sad how easily we suspect a parent."

"Have you found anything that might support the theory?"

"No, but I haven't found anything that disputes it either."

"Think we should let Flack in on this?"

"He's going to want evidence first. But maybe we can find out who this fiancé is."

They spent the next few hours going over the unprocessed evidence, finding little of value. They were still waiting on the official autopsy report, but the tentative cause of death was suffocation.

"Hey guys," Austin said, poking her head in the door. "We've got the scumbag fiancé. Peter Collins. He's a real winner too."

"How's that?"

"Strikes me as slimy. He's laying it all on Ms. Dobbins, which I think is the mark of a wonderful life partner. He says she was afraid of losing him and thought he would walk out under the strain of being a step-parent and she asked him to kill Billy."

"That's lovely," Lindsay mumbled, the thought almost making her sick to her stomach.

"Flack got in to talk to Harvey though, who is telling the same story. Says Cheryl wanted him to get rid of Billy and he wouldn't do it. He dumped her because he was afraid she would do it herself and make him the perfect scapegoat."

"That doesn't explain the engagement ring, but quite honestly at this point that seems to be the least of her worries."

"So tell me Cheryl," Austin started, leaning against the table. "What does a guy like Peter got that makes him so irresistible?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, it has to be something really great for you to want to kill your son just to be with him."

"What? Lady, you're nuts! My son was murdered! Why are you looking at me?"

"Because, we've got the murder weapon," Lindsay answered, sliding a glossy photo across the table. "Ordinary bathroom towel. Except this one has mucus on it. Mucus from your son, in the pattern of his mouth and nose as he was struggling to breathe."

"Some psycho left that in my house!"

"Now what's interesting about this towel, Cheryl, is where we found it. Where was that again, Detective Messer?"

"In the bathroom. The bathroom that can only be accessed by passing through the living room. The room where you claimed to be, sitting up watching TV that night."

"I… I must have fallen asleep."

"Oh, so you want to change your story."

"No! I mean yes!"

"Oh, well I'm convinced. How about you, Detective Ross?"

"I don't know. I mean, she obviously cares for her son. Enough to send him out to play in the dead of winter with no coat."

"Or that time she locked him out of the house when he was two."

"I mean, it's a good thing that CPS let them fall through the cracks or she might have been deemed an unfit mother for all the stories we heard."

"It's not true!"

"It is. You see, it might have been the perfect crime. But you weren't counting on something. When you put that towel over your sons face, and you pressed your hand over it, you left a mark. The mark of your hand as it snuffed out his life. We found that mark and we matched it to you. Where do you want to go with that, Cheryl?"

"I couldn't take it anymore! He always needed something. I didn't have my own life anymore. I can't do anything without thinking about him first. It's not fair! I just wanted to be happy, but he was in my way. He was always in my way!"

"And you decided that your happiness was more important than his life?"

"No, no! I didn't know what I was doing! I went crazy!"

"Lady, you'd been planning it for months. You didn't just snap. You'd been calculating this for the better part of a year."

"But I-"

"You're under arrest for the murder of Billy Dobbins…"

It was a long rest of the day, filled with paperwork and legalese, not enough coffee and too much lost faith in humanity. It was, however, still light out when Lindsay decided to call it a night and head home, happy that Adam was off. She really would rather spend the evening snuggled up with him and Colton on the couch than anything else she could think of at this moment.

"Hey dude," Austin said, meeting her as she came off the elevator. "Going home?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Well I would be, but I called Danny and he said he's over at your place watching the game with Adam."

"What game?"

"I don't know. They always manage to find a game. You never should have gotten the ESPN full package added to the cable for Adam's birthday."

"I was getting bored of all the cartoon stations I added for Christmas."

"Well anyway. Both men watching sports while they're supposed to be watching the kids is a recipe for disaster."

"In that case, I think the kids might take better care of themselves."

"Let's go. Pick up some Chinese on the way because I bet you they haven't eaten."

"Probably not."

They went out to the parking garage and got into the car, immediately rolling the windows down.

"Are you guys still going to Arizona next month?" Austin asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes. In the middle of August. Because we're smart like that or something."

"His parents have a pool and air conditioning, right?"

"Yeah. They even have a ceiling fan out on the back deck. I still don't know why we couldn't have waited until October though."

"If he brings me back a half melted best friend, I'm going to have an issue with that."

"I'll let him know."

"Hey Linds?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for almost dying with me yesterday."

"No problem. I don't almost die with just anyone, you know."

"Would you laugh at me if I admitted that I was just a little scared yesterday?"

"No. I was too. Having a kid at home makes everything a little scarier."

"It does. She was all I could think about, you know? What if I don't come home?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't get easier?"

"Nope. Definitely makes you think twice before you do things though."

"I'm glad you don't think I'm crazy. I said something to Flack and he just looked at me weird."

"Flack always looks weird, Aust."

"I know, but he made the same face he made when I told him that I was only going to the dance with him if I could wear a suit."

"Aust… you're one of a kind."

"Thanks."

They stopped quickly for Chinese food, ordering one of almost everything, then headed home. When they opened the door, they expected to see some kind of sports game blaring on the TV. What they found instead was Adam and Danny fully enjoying an episode of Phineas and Ferb.

The girls looked at each other, not quite sure what to think.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this," Austin muttered, setting a bag of food on the counter.

"It might give them ideas," Lindsay confirmed. "Hey boys, you know that cartoons aren't real, right?"

"We put this on for the kids!" Danny countered.

"I would buy that if they were four. And if they were in the room. What did you do with them?"

"They conked out about an hour ago. We stuck them in the crib."

"Together?" Austin asked with a raised eyebrow and a slightly amused look.

"Yeah, so?"

"Starting 'em young, huh?"

"Hey, you two already have their wedding colors picked out."

"It's only in negotiations," Lindsay tossed over her shoulder, heading back to the nursery. She opened the door slowly while Austin joined her, both of them walking quietly towards the crib. The kids were both awake babbling quietly at each other, and looking quite happy with each other's company.

"Mama!"

"Hey goober," Lindsay greeted, reaching down into the crib to pick him up. "Did you have fun with daddy and uncle Danny today?"

"Dada Mama."

"Yeah, we know you love us."

"Hey, how come every time I'm over here you guys have some new nifty nightlight?"

"Because Adam spends a lot of money online. And then he switches out the night lights every week."

"I liked those multi colored jar things you had last time."

"I like those ones too. And as much as I love Star Wars I'm not really digging the light saber he's got in there now. I guess he'll change it in a few days."

"I've always wondered if he played the Imperial March to your stomach when you were pregnant."

Lindsay snickered.

"A time or two."

"Translation?"

"Pretty much every night. But I have to admit we played The Shins and some Mozart and Garth Brooks and Elvis and Pavarotti."

"Surely he is going to have an eclectic taste in music," she said, lifting Isa out of the crib.

"That's what we're hoping for."

"This is the wettest diaper I have ever felt," Austin commented, wrinkling her nose. "Did your father forget to change you today?"

"It must be a guy thing because this one is toting quite the cargo as well."

Austin sighed and rooted around in the diaper bag that Danny had tossed into the rocking chair.

"Guess who didn't pack diapers."

"You're kidding," Lindsay snickered, finding a new diaper for Colton and taking the old one off.

"Do you have any small ones laying around?"

"We might have some left overs. If not I'm sure we could rig a contraption of a big diaper and some Saran wrap, at least until you get home."

"I am never leaving Danny with diaper bag duty again."

"Here's a small one."

"That should fit her non-existent butt."

Soon both babies were dry and happy in the arms of their mothers, and headed back out to the living room.

"So did anyone in here do anything productive today?" Lindsay asked, sitting down next to Adam and smiling when he folded her into his arms.

"Productive?" he asked. "The kids are alive, aren't they?"

"We worked all day and brought home dinner and all you manage to do is nurture your offspring?"

"Yeah."

"As long as we're on the same page."

"You said something about bringing home dinner?"

"It's in the kitchen."

Adam and Danny got up off the couches and went into the kitchen while the girls rolled their eyes.

"So tell me, how was it having Taylor around?"

"It was good. I forget how much I miss her until I'm with her for a while. And it's nice, you know?"

"What is?"

"To be needed like that. To know that she hasn't… I don't know, grown up enough to not need me anymore."

"I think she'll always need you, Linds."

"Yeah. Probably."

"Are you only happy when you're everything to everyone?" she asked with a slight tip of her head.

"What?"

"That wasn't supposed to be as mean as it sounded. It just feels like you always have this need to fix people's problem or make things better. And I wonder how many times your problems have fallen by the wayside because you spent more time on other people than you did on yourself."

"Maybe it used to be that way, but not anymore. Adam makes sure."

"Good."

"Hey, do you two want food?" came a shout from the kitchen.

"What do you think?"

"Coming up."

They emerged a moment later, plates piled with food.

"Colton, must you always eat off of mama's plate?" Adam asked, pulling his son's hand back. "Here, have some kung pao tofu."

"Adam!"

"He likes it."

"He likes it because it's food, not because it's not burning his mouth."

"Was that a double negative?"

"I think I contradicted myself."

"Well either way he seems pretty happy."

"Mmm!"

"No more, I was just going to tease you with a bite."

"You'd better go find him something to eat or he's going to try and push your plate out of your hand."

"I know."

"So are you going to get up?"

"I guess."

"Why do we have this argument every single night?" she sighed, standing up and going back into the kitchen.

"Because what else would we do with our time?"

"There are some days that I hate you. Like today when I find a half gallon of milk sitting in the same place that it was sitting when I left this morning. Why do you do that? What in your past renders you incapable of putting the stinkin' milk in the stinkin' fridge? Was there some kind of tragedy at a dairy? Were you kicked in the head by a fully uddered cow? Did someone swap your two percent for fat free and leave you subconsciously resenting milk in any form for the rest of your life?"

"It was the third one babe," he called back, smirking, then dropping his voice so she couldn't hear him. "I actually do things like this because she says funny stuff when she's mad."

"Like fully uddered?"

"Exactly."

"I love you Adam," she said, returning to the room with a handful of baby crackers for Colton. "But I think I need to retrain you."

"Hey, if his only fault is that he's a milk whore…" Austin trailed off with a shrug.

"I guess you're right."

"Any clue?" Adam asked Danny.

"Not a one. So hey, did you guys solve your case today?"

"Yeah, but not the way we wanted to. Don't want to talk about it."

They exchanged a look of mutual conviction, that tonight they were each going to hold their kids just a little bit tighter.