Dedicated to Cmguysgirl. She wanted to know how Erin and Dave got Carlo home.

"We're sprung!" Dave flashed Erin a winning smile, he grinned like a giddy teenager as he adjusted Carlo in his arms. Carlo blinked slowly up at his parents and Dave felt an uncomfortable twinge of guilt that the only light his son had ever really known, came from the harsh light of the hospital.

They'd spent the last two weeks testing Carlo's bloodwork for elevated levels of bilirubin. Dave was pretty sure the kid's heel was permanently bruised. Finally, after 14 days of taking shifts with Erin in the NICU, Carlo's levels were down and stable.

"About time," Erin took a sip of her second cup of coffee and sat down beside them. If she never had to see the inside of a hospital again, it would be too soon. "It's a six-hour drive home."

"We'll make it eight," Dave said, laying Carlo on his shoulder. "Precious cargo, here."

"So you'll obey all the speed limit signs and stop at every single red light?"

"Of course." He nodded and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. He could have sat like this forever, one arm around his son, the other around Erin… he had everything he wanted and a trio of bonus kids who were already halfway to adulthood…. that was plenty more than he deserved.

Erin beamed and kissed his cheek, the caffeine hitting her bloodstream, "I thought so." She crossed her ankles, dressed in a stretchy, black cotton dress. Her hair was twisted in a clip, and the only jewelry she wore was her engagement ring. She twisted the ring nervously on her finger and took another sip of her coffee.

"We made it, Babe," Dave said and tightened his arm on her.

She nodded and reached over to run a hand down Carlo's back. She was proud of him, after all, they had been through, Carlo was coming out the other side. This experience in the NICU didn't destroy her relationship with Dave as it could have. They were both exhausted but they were doing their best to take care of each other. "We did."

When a nurse finally ushered him out of the NICU, Dave brought the Lexus and Carlo's car seat to the New York City Fire Department and asked the firefighters to install the seat. Dave could have done it himself, but he wanted to ensure that it was installed correctly. He was careful not to give the captain too many details about their situation, he didn't even bother flashing his badge. For now, he was a civilian bringing his baby home from the hospital. Once the seat was installed, he drove back to the motel to finish packing. They were finally leaving their New York City nightmare behind.

Two hours later, Dave was finally participating in the time-honored tradition of pulling the car around to the entrance of the hospital as Erin was wheeled out, with Carlo in her arms. He got out of the car, opened the door to the back seat, and buckled the baby in the car seat. He wasn't too surprised when Erin opted to let his mother take the passenger seat, she slid in beside Carlo and got comfortable. He had filled up the car, washed the windows, and gotten snacks and drinks for the ride. Bottles of water, iced coffees, and Red Bull sat in the cooler in the back, along with a grocery bag full of snacks.

"Are we going to eat at some point today?" Mrs. Rossi gestured to the clock on the dashboard as Dave pulled the car onto the interstate. It read, 3:15 PM.

"Once we're out of the state," Erin answered, from the backseat. She reached around the seat and pulled out the bag of snacks. She took a small bag of trail mix from the stash and passed the bag up to Carmelina. "Help yourself. I want to get some distance between us and New York City. Nothing good happens here."

Dave nodded, without a word. Erin wasn't wrong and he didn't blame her for not wanting to linger in New York.

"What do you think?" Carmelina laid one hand on her son's arm, cajolingly.

"Erin's right." He flipped the blinker and checked his mirrors before smoothly changing lanes. They drove on, mostly in comfortable silence. Erin kept herself busy by fussing over Carlo, adjusting his straps, making sure they fit snuggly… but not too snugly. She slid a pair of sneakers on his feet, they were a mite too big and he wiggled, kicking them off. Erin gave up, instead, she looked out the window or played on her phone. Still, she kept one hand on Carlo's chest, making sure he was breathing.

Carmelina was busy comparing the GPS instructions to the map that Dave kept in the glove compartment.

"How's it going back there?" Dave tilted the rearview mirror to catch Erin's eye as the traffic began to stall.

"He's asleep." Erin took another sip of her gas-station coffee. It wasn't great but she was immune to bad coffee. Her foot jangled, she couldn't settle down if she tried.

"Sleep when the baby sleeps." Dave said, "we're still a long way from home." But Erin didn't sleep, she kept a vigilant gaze out the window. When they stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel, Dave parked the car and got out. He went around to the back and grabbed Erin's door. When she got out, he counted at least 3 bottles of iced coffee and an empty can of Red Bull on the floorboard.

He lifted Carlo's seat with one hand and held Erin's in the other, her hand trembled slightly. The caffeine jitters had a hold on her.

"Are you going to puke?" Dave asked, they stood at the back of the car, waiting on his mother.

"Maybe," she hitched the diaper bag on her shoulder. Carlo fussed uncomfortably in his seat, the adults weren't the only ones hungry. "Probably not."

Dave made a mental note to have a conversation with her, once they were home and alone. He patted his side, for his service weapon, Erin wasn't the only one on edge but he tried not to show it.

"Talk to no one," Erin said, as Carmelina came out of the car. "Give your order, be polite, but no details."

Carmelina wanted to tell her that she was being paranoid, but thought better of it. She had a good reason. "I promise not to give total strangers my whole life story," Mrs. Rossi said glibly and Erin knew where Dave got his attitude. She fought back the urge to roll her eyes at her mother-in-law, she wasn't Dave.

He made his way through the barrage of knickknacks and country couture, up to the counter, flashing a megawatt smile at the attendant. If she recognized him, she didn't show it. Then, in a move, he wasn't prepared for, asked for a table for four under a new name. Santino, his mother's maiden name. They flipped through the various knickknacks and old-timey candy but stayed in a tight-knit group.

Once they were seated at a table in the middle of the crowded dining room, Dave took the seat that let him watch the door. Erin sat beside him and sat Carlo's car seat on a chair beside her.

"I'll be right back," Erin patted Dave's shoulder and lifted Carlo from the seat. "Would you order me a coffee?" She grabbed the diaper bag and took off for the restroom. When she was gone, Carmelina saw her opportunity.

"How are things going?" Carmelina leaned forward across the table. "Are things… a little tense between you and Erin?"

"Nope," Dave said evasively. The waiter came around and took their drink order.

"I thought Erin wanted coffee," Carmelina pointed out, pulling an old-fashioned green and blue candy cane from her shopping bag.

"She doesn't need coffee." Dave said as the waiter added glasses of lemon water to the table. "She's probably in the bathroom puking her guts out. She needs to calm down and get some sleep." He could count on one hand the number of nights they'd slept in the same bed. Most of the time, she was in the NICU at night. While Dave took the morning shift.

"You know," his mother looked at him as if she were staring right through him, with her penetrating gaze. "My boy, you don't get to decide what she drinks."

"I'm not deciding, Ma. If she comes out and orders it, I won't stop her."

Carmelina nodded, "always toeing the line, Davey."

Dave nodded, still studying the entrance. "That's how I make my bread and butter."

"Want me to go…" she made an off-hand gesture towards the bathroom. "What's going on with her?"

Dave shrugged, "If I had to guess, I'd say she doesn't want to fall asleep." Just then, Erin came around the corner with Carlo on her shoulder. She'd changed his clothes and had a fresh bottle of formula in one hand. Still, Dave stood up and took the baby from her. She seemed a little gray and her hands still slightly trembled. Just then, the waiter appeared and took their order. Erin didn't ask for more coffee. She didn't sleep the rest of the way home either.

Two hours later, Dave pulled off the interstate for gas and bathroom breaks. Carlo was screaming in the backseat while Erin fumbled for a bottle of water and a can of formula.

"What's going on back there?" Dave pulled the car into the truck stop, parking the car at the gas pump.

"Just give him the bottle," Carmelina complained, with one hand on the door handle.

"Working on it," Erin screwed the nipple on the baby bottle and lightly shook it. Before unhooking him from the car seat.

"You don't need to hold him every time," Carmelina threw out as if she knew better.

"He'll choke," Dave said, getting out of the car to top off the tank.

"He won't choke," Carmelina said.

"I held a gun on my mother for him," Erin reminded her, then situated Carlo in her arms and gave him the bottle. Nobody told Erin when she could hold her baby.

Mrs. Rossi stayed quiet and got out of the car. A wise choice.

A second later, Dave rapped lightly on the window. Erin rolled it down, and he leaned forward and leaned down to talk to her. "You guys okay?"

"Fine," Carlo had finished his meal and Erin laid him against her shoulder, patting his back.

"Need something?"

Erin shook her head and started changing Carlo across her lap. "We're okay."

"Do you want to swap with my mom? Stretch your legs?" He tried coaxing her into the front seat, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Are you going to let me back there with my grandson?" Carmelina came around to Erin's side of the car.

Erin strapped Carlo back into his seat and tossed her trash in the can beside the gas pump. "Help yourself."

Erin fumbled with her keys as she hitched Carlo's car seat higher on her arm. The air was hot and thick, even in the dark. She wanted to get the baby out of the heat.

Ms. Rossi stood behind her, while Dave grabbed their suitcases from the back of the Lexus.

"Trade me," Dave sat their suitcases on the porch and held out his hand for the car seat. Erin didn't hand over the baby, instead, she turned the knob allowing them inside.

"We're home!" She called out, stepping over the threshold, she half-expected to see the kids come barreling down the stairs, but they were with Peter and the dogs were being generously cared for by Agents Morgan and Garcia. There was no one to hear her announcement. She cut off the security system and sat Carlo on the floor of the living room beside the sofa. He was sleeping and couldn't care less about where she put him. Then she grabbed her suitcase and disappeared upstairs, making a beeline for the bathroom. Leaving the one downstairs for her mother-in-law, Erin was considerate like that.

"Good to be here," Dave said, moving their bags inside the house. They would unpack them later. For now, he slipped Carlo out of his seat and brought him upstairs. "Erin?" He called out, stepping into the bedroom.

"Hmm?" She was seated on the edge of the bed, tossing her sandals in the walk-in closet.

"You okay?" He sat down beside her, with Carlo in the crook of his arm.

She nodded, rubbing her eyes in a way that told him she was crashing from all the caffeine. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, it was well past bedtime. "Come on," he patted the mattress, "get some rest."

She shook her head, "Pete's bringing the kids home and I want to see them."

He crossed the room, grabbed a diaper and another outfit for Carlo and passed him to Erin, who laid him on the bed and started changing him.

Dave shook his head, "it's almost midnight…"

"Right," she put a fresh diaper on Carlo then grabbed her phone off the nightstand, keeping one hand on the baby at all times. "Let them sleep."

Dave nodded and took over with Carlo, "and we can sleep… I'll make a big breakfast in the morning and have Morgan and Garcia bring the dogs home."

She nodded because that made the most sense. Then took Carlo back and laid him on her chest.

Dave watched her interact with him, suddenly she was the picture of motherhood. She looked at Carlo with a softness Dave hadn't seen before. She was attentive and affectionate, kissing his head and meeting his needs. Exactly how he knew she would be. "You love him, huh?" Dave asked softly.

"I'd step over you." Erin said and kissed Carlo's plump cheek again.

"I'd expect nothing less." Dave toed off his boots and sat with his back against the headboard. Just as they started to relax, Dave's cell phone rang in his pocket. "Yes, Mama?"

"Is someone going to bring me my grandson, or what?" Carmelina helped herself to the contents of the refrigerator, holding the phone to her face.

"It's almost midnight, Ma." Dave said. "He's sleeping."

"He's cuddling with his mom," Carmelina clicked her tongue. She doesn't let you near him."

"I'm with him plenty," Dave said, he wanted to roll his eyes. "You can play with the baby in the morning. I'll come down in a few minutes."

"With my grandson," it wasn't a request.

Dave hung up the phone and said, "My mother wants to say goodnight to the baby."

Erin reluctantly passed him over and kissed Dave on the cheek. "I need a shower anyway. Once Dave and Carlo were safely down the stairs, Erin slid off the bed and started unpacking.

When Dave came back, he started the shower, they were both sticky with sweat. Road trips were great but coming home to a hot shower and your own bed was even better. The baby monitor sat on the dresser, across from the en-suite bathroom and Carlo was downstairs being doted on by his grandmother. Still, Erin kept the door to the bedroom cracked so she could keep an ear out. Carlo was officially three weeks old now and they were finally able to bring him home.

"They're fine, Erin." he hung fresh towels on the rack that hung on the back end of the shower and passed her a new bar of soap.

"I know," but it came out in a tone that said she wasn't so sure. As she shrugged out of her clothes and tossed them in the hamper.

"He's home," Dave laid a hand on her shoulder as the small bathroom filled with steam. "We're okay." He soothed, moving to massage her neck and shoulders.

"Are we?" She let out a long exhale, relaxing in his embrace.

He kissed her temple, then led them into the shower.

"We're so good," he stepped out of his pants and offered her his hand as they walked under the spray. His hand splayed on her back, as he slipped the soap down her neck as she reached for the shampoo on the shelf and lathered up her hair.

"We're so good," his mouth found the column of her neck and his hands wrapped around her waist.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" She didn't pull away as he worked the shampoo in her hair.

"I've been thinking…" he said, as she stepped under the water and rinsed off. "They say the first six weeks after a baby are the most fertile…."

"What's your point?" Erin stiffened, feeling him bob against her thigh. Her eyes went wide.

"What if we didn't use condoms for a while?" He threw out the idea, half expecting her to agree. "What if we had a little girl?"

She caught the note of sadness in his voice. He wanted a family of his own and she couldn't blame him for that.

"No!" She pulled away, eyes wide as his body reacted to the cool breeze floating in through the central air unit. "Dave, please-"

"Listen to me," his voice was hard and serious as they stood in the shower. The water had turned cool and beat across his back.

Erin wrapped her arms across her chest, warding off a chill, hiding herself from his gaze. "If Carlo wasn't kidnapped- if the entire pregnancy wasn't a complete nightmare-" Her voice turned shrill and panicked as she blinked back the hot tears in her eyes, feeling like a complete failure and disappointment. She stepped out of the shower, ignoring the fact that she still felt…un clean somehow. She wrapped a towel around herself, just as Dave stepped out of the shower, coming up behind her.

"It's me," he grabbed a towel and secured it around his waist. If his penis was the problem, he'd take it out of the equation. Still, she backed away from him, putting as much distance between their naked bodies as possible.

"I'm sorry-" she said. "Dave I'm sorry."

"Why?" He caught her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"You want your own family, I can't give you what you want."

"And I have that," he pointed out. "All I was saying is that we could add to it."

She nodded, "I still can't do it… Dave." Her throat bobbed as she swallowed tightly. "I'm not ready."

"It's okay," he pulled her into his arms, "just don't run away from me." He kissed her hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I don't want to go through that again," she said, against his chest. "How the hell could we consider having another baby, when we can't even throw a party without the caterer trying to kidnap our kid the day after he's born?"

"It won't happen again," Dave said. "Nobody is going to come near our kids."

"We don't know that."

"I know." Dave said in a hard voice. "I know that our kids are going to be safe. But if you don't want another one-" he let the sentence hang.

"I didn't say that…" She didn't want Carlo, until he was here and planning another baby so soon after his birth… it didn't feel right.

"We're not making any decisions tonight," Dave walked into the bedroom and pulled back the covers on the bed, tossing their numerous throw pillows onto the floor. "Come on." He went around to the other side of the bed and picked up the pillows, stacking them in a neat row in the middle of the bed.

"A pillow wall?" Her eyebrows flew into her hair

He went to the closet and retrieved a long body pillow, laying it in the middle of the bed. "Compromise," he nodded towards his handiwork. "The thought of my penis freaks you out and I don't want you hightailing it to the guest room."

"Your penis doesn't freak me out," she went to the dresser and pulled on the Chicago Cubs jersey, without panties. "It's what you do with it."

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Whatever makes you feel better. Are you going to go get Carlo from your mom, so we can put him to bed? Or do I need to put on pants?"

Dave tugged on a pair of pajama pants and grabbed a handful of Erin's ass. "Please don't bother with the pants."

I have an idea for a second chapter if anyone's interested. Let me know? Also, check out my page on A03 (same name) At some point there's going to be more adult content over there.