The little bell above the door jangled, and Don looked up to see Stella walking towards him. He automatically smiled at the sight of her, and she returned the gesture, sliding into the booth across from him.
"Morning."
"Morning," she murmured, leaning over the table and kissing him softly. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic's a real bitch this morning."
Flack shrugged. "If you lived with me, we coulda come together."
Stella narrowed her eyes. "Is that an offer?"
"More like a request."
Her mouth suddenly dry, she stared at him. "You want me to move in with you?"
He leaned over, taking her hand in his. "I do."
Stella continued to stare at him. "I...I don't know what to say." Looking into his eyes, she saw the hope that had flared in them slowly begin to burn out, and the hold he had on her hand loosened just a little. Swallowing her fear, Stella tightened her grip on his hand, and raised the other to cup his cheek. "Yes," she whispered.
Don's eyes widened. "Yes?"
She smiled. "Yes."
Unable to think of anything to say, he just leaned in and kissed her over and over again, moving away from her lips and kissing her cheeks, her eyes, her ears, her neck. Stella laughed, amazed at the decision they had just made. Don finally stopped kissing her and pulled back slightly, smiling at her all the while.
"Let's order," he said. "I owe you breakfast."
Stella frowned. "Don, you paid me that breakfast months ago."
He shrugged. "I like getting breakfast for you."
She smirked, raising her eyebrows. "Maybe next time it could be breakfast in bed."
Don grinned and leaned in for another kiss. "Yes, ma'am."
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"I think I like New York," Tony said as they sat down on a park bench.
Kim smirked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye as she took a bit out of her hot dog. "Even though it's the home of the Yankees?"
Tony frowned. "Yeah. You understand, however, that the Yankees are still evil."
She gave him a mock serious expression. "Of course."
They both chuckled at that and continued to eat their hot dogs. It was perfect weather to be sitting out in Central Park, watching people as they walked by. After a few minutes of companionable silence, Tony shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe we could still go to a game, though."
Kim laughed, her eyes wide. "You would go to a game in Yankee Stadium?"
"Well, they'd have to be playing the Cubs."
"So you would make me go to a Yankees game and root for someone other than the Yankees?"
He shrugged again, his eyes locked on his hot dog. "It was just a thought."
Kim stared at him for a moment before bumping his shoulder with hers. "I'd love to."
Looking up, Tony smiled. "Yeah?"
She nodded, taking another bite of her hot dog. "Yeah."
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"What do you think?" Chloe asked nervously, watching Jack's face as he toured the apartment.
"The view's amazing," he murmured, staring out the window out over the city. "How'd you find this place?"
"Stella lives a couple of blocks away, she knew about it."
Jack grinned. "The two of you becoming friends?"
"Sort of," Chloe said, shrugging. "I guess we bonded or something. They're alright. Anyway, there's a good school for Angela, and a park nearby, and it's close to Kim."
"Then it sounds like the perfect place for you."
She bit her lip. "What about you? Do you think you could live here?"
He smiled at her. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"
She shrugged. "I just figure we've wasted enough time already. I don't want to spend any more time away from you. I was kind of hoping you'd feel the same way."
He glanced around the apartment again. "I think I could be happy here." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. "I think I could be happy anywhere, as long as I've got you."
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Lindsay felt like she didn't sleep the entire time Danny was in the hospital. She sat by his bed, felt like everything had drained out of her as she watched him sleep, unsure that he would ever wake up. She thought that maybe they had always been connected, two sides of the same coin, two halves that only became whole when they came together. She thought that maybe they were so connected that if he died, she would too, that when he was lying there bleeding it was her blood.
And then Mac brought Mackenzie and placed her in her arms and she knew that she would get up and walk out of the hospital, no matter what happened, for their girl, with her father's bright blue eyes and her mother's nose.
Lindsay barely slept when Danny got to come home. She would watch him sleep, the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest calming her. She was afraid that it would stop if she closed her eyes, if she wasn't right there watching him. Every time she fell asleep she woke with a start, her heart pounding against her chest as the memory of how close she'd come to losing him came rushing back.
She finally learned to sleep with her head over his heart, the steady, reassuring beating lulling her.
Lindsay opened her eyes slowly, surprised to see sunlight pouring through the open windows. She glanced up at Danny and found him smiling at her.
"Morning sleepyhead," he said softly.
"Good morning," she murmured, stretching as she sat up. She climbed out of bed, padding down the hallway to the nursery. She returned moments later with Mackenzie in her arms and snuggled down in the bed next to Danny. Mackenzie bounced around them, snuggling with both her parents as Lindsay's fingers slowly traced the scar on Danny's chest.
"It's starting to heal," Danny said absently, scooping Mackenzie up into his arms and kissing her cheeks.
"I think we're all starting to heal," Lindsay said softly, smiling at him. "Finally."