A/N: It's weird - i've actually missed writing these post-ep oneshots. Damn it, PTB for not giving me anything to work with really in these past episodes. Oh well, I'm sure I'll get over it... Cause *squee* Baby ep next week!!. Lindsay's home. Danny's spending time with his new wife.
All is good in the world.
Hope you enjoy, x
He sighed heavily as he shoved his key into the apartment door. Not for a second did he regret what he did – he didn't think about stopping when he was doing it, and he would certainly not regret it for as long as he lived.
But for all the love in the world, it pissed him off.
He pushed into the apartment and all the 'pissed off-ness' he was feeling melted away at the sight of the suitcase sat at the door.
Lindsay was home.
He never really thought of himself as an excitable person. Well, on the job he was known to be a little hot headed and jumped with both feet, however at just the sight of the suitcase he felt a bubbling 'jump around the room screaming and shouting, with arms flailing' feeling every time he looked at it.
He was quite willing to leave the suitcase there until well… forever.
'Cause that suitcase showed that Lindsay, his new wife was home. To stay.
He furrowed his brow as he tossed the keys onto the kitchen counter and instantly shuddered at the loud noise. If Lindsay was home to stay, shouldn't he want to unpack the suitcase so that all of her stuff was laid around marking it's territory?
"Why do I care?" Danny laughed to himself as he made his way through the messy apartment. He wasn't going to lie, since Lindsay had gone to Montana, he had let himself go in the general cleanliness of the apartment. The bedrooms were tidy, and ready to go. The living room – not so much.
Bedrooms.
He'd surprised Lindsay with the pink room the minute they had walked through the door from the airport the night before. He couldn't contain his childlike excitement to show her what he, Hawkes and Adam had managed to finish in just one afternoon, and what they hadn't, Flack had chipped in after his 'morning and afternoon time' with Angell as she left him to go on shift. Lindsay had cried as she ran her hand over the guardrail of the crib. "You did all this for our baby girl?"
He had smiled proudly and pulled her into his side and wiped her tears before pressing a kiss to her temple and said "I did it for my girls."
He kicked his converse off his feet and placed them on the shoe caddy Lindsay had bought months previous when they had moved her in. So much had changed in the past year. But he would do it all again if it meant that he ended up on the same side as he was now.
He tip toed into the bedroom and smiled at the sleeping form of Lindsay laid on the his side of the bed snuggled up to a pink bunny rabbit that she had clearly stolen from their daughter's room.
He pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose, which made her scrunch her nose up. He smiled warmly at the memory of their first night on the pool table, wherein he had prodded her nose, and received the same reaction.
"Baby." Danny whispered. "Wake up."
She cleared her throat and slowly opened her sleepy eyes. "What are you doing home?"
"I decided to take two weeks off to be with my girls."
"You got suspended then?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
Danny sighed. "Two weeks, no pay."
Lindsay shrugged as she sat up slowly. "Well, the two weeks couldn't have come at a better time if you ask me."
"You're not mad?"
"Mad? If I wasn't as pregnant as I am, I would have been holding the guy down for you to smash his face sufficiently."
Danny laughed as he pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I love your new hair."
Lindsay furrowed her brow as she raked her fingers through her messy locks. "It's just longer."
"No… I mean I like it. Like it's a new Lindsay style."
"I kind of miss my curls to be honest." She admitted. "I don't know why I cut it in the first place."
Danny smiled. "You eaten yet?"
Lindsay shook her head. "Me and baby girl were sleeping off the jet lag."
"Naw," Danny smirked, "You two were just being lazy and waiting for Daddy to get home to make breakfast."
"It's three- thirty Danny." Lindsay deadpanned.
"So?"
"In the afternoon," she added. "It's jetlag."
"Not the fact you're like days away from your due date, no?"
Lindsay shook her head. "Me? Tired while pregnant? Please now... I'm super mommy."
"Well yes," Danny smiled. "This is true."
Lindsay returned the smiled. "I went over the revised 'get Montana to the hospital' action plan you left on the counter last night. I think it works."
Danny smiled. "Good. So we know the plan of action on the off chance you're not with me, and you've been a bad wife and not listened and gone to the lab like I've told you not to."
She rolled her eyes.
"I mean it Lindsay… What it says on there. Anyone but Adam is to drive you to the hospital."
She sighed. "Yes sir."
"Messer?" Danny asked in confusion.
"No." She laughed. "Yes… Sir…"
"Oh." He laughed. "I thought you were saying Messer."
"Apparently." Lindsay laughed. "Have you spoken to Hawkes?"
Danny shook his head. "He's probably on his flight now."
Lindsay nodded. "Well when you do, let him know I'm thinking about him. That we're all thinking about him." She said as she rubbed her belly.
"How's my baby girl doing in there?" Danny asked as he kissed Lindsay's protruding belly.
"Good." Lindsay smiled. "She's good."
"You always knew it was a girl, didn't you… from day one."
Lindsay smiled. "There's just something about you and your baby girl that makes me melt."
"Let me guess the whole big strong man with iddy biddy tiny baby girl on his chest, asleep together."
Lindsay smirked. "That and you topless in her bedroom at 3AM trying – trying to do the feed but failing."
"Hey, at least in your head, I'm nice and try to let you sleep."
"And you're not gonna do that?" Lindsay gasped as Danny shifted and sat with his back against the bed frame as he took her feet into his hands and began rubbing them.
"I didn't say that." He defended himself. "What I meant was…"
"Never mind." She laughed. "You just redeemed yourself by doing that." Lindsay gestured in the general direction of her feet. "I'm so looking forward to seeing those again."
Danny laughed. "Hey! I'm a pro at applying nail polish now though…"
"Not something to boast about." Lindsay sign-songed as she laid down on the bed.
Danny laughed before sighing. "I think Sheldon thought I was a little irresponsible again."
"Why's that?" Lindsay asked as she peeled her eyes open to look at him.
"Well there was the whole blue flu that we disagreed on… Now this…"
"Danny, you were sticking up for him. Standing up for what you believe in. Both times. I agree with you what you did. Regarding both the blue flu, and this. It's not in your character to just sit back and watch things happen. You act. You're involved. You care. That's just who you are. Not saying that Sheldon doesn't care, because he does. He just… he has different ethics and deals with things differently. It pains me to say this, but I'm sure he's had to deal with other forms of racism – granted not to the same extent as this, but he will have a dealing mechanism. We all do. I have one for mothers, and you have one for…"
Danny rubbed her bare legs and sighed. "You can say it…"
"Dealing with what happened with Ruben Sandoval."
"I know that Linds… I do…" he pinched the bridge of his nose. "But sometimes, I just think he's right… I have a family to support and what the hell am I playing at – two weeks suspension with no pay. My daughter is going to be here in mere weeks, and what are we going to do?"
"Danny," Lindsay said as she reached forwards and grabbed his hands. "We're fine. You said it yourself, you get two weeks with your girls without having to be called in for this that and the other. Think of this as a blessing."
"I can think of some other things that are blessings."
She smiled warmly at him as she placed his hands back on her legs. "All I'm saying is you did what you thought was right. Mac didn't give you a bitchin' out, did he?"
Danny shook his head.
"Chances are, Danny… If Mac had been there, he might have done the same."
"Mac Taylor…" Danny snorted. "Please now Lindsay, you've always claimed you know him better. Mac wouldn't do something so royally Danny Messer-ish."
"Ask yourself that question, Danny. Wouldn't he… You don't think he would stand up for Sheldon?"
"Lindsay I rammed the bastard's head into the floor more times than I can remember."
"You don't think while Mac was stood in interrogation he didn't want to exactly that?"
Danny shook his head.
"I think you're underestimating Mac, Danny." Lindsay said. "He wouldn't stand there and let some low life insult and spit on a member of his team. Hell, his family. Yeah, okay – he wouldn't have bashed the bastard's head to the floor a few times, but you can be for damn sure he would have laid the beats on regardless. In his own Marine Mac way."
"I don't like it when you get all deep and justify things." Danny sulked. "You're making me think I did the right thing… Linds, our baby… She…"
"Is going to have her daddy round for two whole weeks on top of your paternity leave. That's what matters. What does she need that she hasn't already got, Danny? We have everything to last us until she's a toddler. What with my mom, your mom and Stella. We decided I would breast feed her, so there's no need to be buying formula, and we have masses of diapers stored. This isn't the end of the world. You did what you thought was right, and I'm proud of you. Period. And I think if Hawkes weren't going through what he's going through, he would feel the same. He's going through a tough time, Danny. His uncle meant a lot to him."
"I know that." Danny sighed.
"I don't think you realise what you standing up for Sheldon will have meant to him. Sure, it would have been more beneficial taking the high road…"
"That's what he said."
"Great minds think alike." she smirked. "But, at the end of the day, everything happens for a reason. I have no doubt in my mind that your already strong relationship with the good doctor is now unbreakable and you just got two whole weeks off with me. We can make up for lost time. That's why this happened. Don't see the bad Danny, look for the good in this."
"Lindsay Monroe, ever the voice of reason."
Lindsay cleared her throat.
"Sorry, Lindsay Messer, ever the voice of reason. And a nitpicker." He smirked as he ran his index finger down bottom of her foot, making her shiver.
"That tickles!" She shrieked.
"Which is why I did it." He smiled at her before frowning. "We're gonna be okay, right? You, me and the baby. We're gonna be good, aren't we?"
Lindsay smiled and nodded slowly. "The best we can be. We've got love, and I think that's all that matters."
"Love and people around us who care." Danny added. "Sounds like a recipe for success."
"Speaking of recipe," Lindsay giggled, "how's about you get off your butt and make mommy and baby over here something to eat. I missed my Danny meals."
"Why?" Danny laughed, "I thought you loved your momma's home cooking."
Lindsay sighed. "I missed your constant panic of everything I put in my mouth and whether it was dangerous or not for the baby."
Danny shrugged and smiled, looking pleased with himself as he stood up off of the bed. "Well, I just want the best for my girls."
Lindsay stuck her tongue out as he helped her off the bed. "How do you want to spend your two weeks with me then?" she asked as he wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss to her temple.
"I don't care, as long as you're there."
"Maybe we should get suspended more often." Lindsay suggested.
"Be the rebel parents of the lab? That works." Danny snorted. "We've got to set good examples now, Montana… remember. There's that baby coming that's gonna look to us for guidance for the next fifty years?"
"And we'll be ready." Lindsay assured him. "Me and you, badass."
Danny snorted at her. "God I've missed you."
She smiled. "I've missed you too, badass."
Danny shook his head. "Wiseass."
"Badass."
"It's a good job you're pregnant." He muttered as he followed her out of the bedroom.
"Oh yeah?" Lindsay smirked over her shoulder as she waddled through the apartment. "Why's that?"
"'Cause I would be showing you how much of a badass I really am right now." He winked at her.
"You should be so lucky." Lindsay snorted. "Make your girls food, Daddy." She demanded. "Pronto."
"Yes Mommy." Danny smiled as he sat her on the barstool and made his way round into the kitchen, "Messer's pancakes?" Danny suggested.
"Why not?" Lindsay smiled. "Messer pancakes."
He smiled over his shoulder at his beaming wife and let out a contented sigh.
These two weeks were the start of the rest of his life. And he wouldn't change it for the world.
R&R? I'd love to know what you thought! :)