"Push, ma'am."

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?!?"  Cassidy bellowed.

"Cass, calm down."

"Calm down?!? You try pushing a cannon ball through a straw and tell me how it works for you!"

"I know baby."

"You know?  Then you have the next baby."

"You know I would if I could."

Cassidy bit her lip painfully hard.

"Shhh...come on honey...only a little more.  And our son will be here."

"One more good push, ma'am."

Cassidy pushed, forcing back fears.

"It's a boy." The doctor washed him up, wrapped him in a blanket, and handed him to Cassidy.

"Garrett Spencer III." Garrett whispered, looking at his wife and son.

Cassidy kissed the baby's forehead, counting fingers and toes. "He's perfect," she declared.

"Of course he is." Garrett kissed Cassidy's forehead. "You did well."

"Thanks... I didn't cry. Just screamed."

"I know. You screamed loudly."

"I know."

"My hand is sore."

Cassidy gently kissed his hand.

"Thank you, love."

"Thank you... you helped too."

"I didn't."

"You did. I didn't make him all on my own."

"True." Garrett laughed a little. "But I hope he takes after you."

"He looks like his daddy."

"Well he's a boy. He should."

Cassidy gently smoothed down some soft yellow fuzz from the baby's head. "He's so sweet... and so quiet. At least right now."

"Hopefully he'll stay that way. If he takes after me he will."

"You were a quiet baby?" She gently rocked their new son back and forth. The baby slept on, drooling a little bit.

"Of course. I knew discipline from the start."

Cassidy kissed him softly. "Would you like to hold him?"

"No. You hold him." In truth, this was the one thing Garrett Spencer feared. Being a father, raising a child...if he dropped the kid, what then? No, Cassidy could hold him.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright." Cassidy looked down at the baby.

He woke up and made a little noise. Cassidy held him so he could see Garrett. "See Daddy, little boy?"

"Wow..." Garrett commented as James walked in. "You look worse than I do."

"I've had a week and a half longer."

Garrett laughed. "Now whatever could you be talking about?"

"As if you don't know, Chief."

"It sucks, doesn't it?"

"Honest to God, I don't know if I'm going to make it."

"So go find someone else."

"Don't think that'd go over well. Don't think it'd go over well with your wife either, as a matter of fact."

"It wouldn't go over with my wife. But I, unlike you, am married."

"Still don't really think it's right."

"You honestly think she's faithful to you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Yet again James was finding himself just wanting to strangle the man, but he knew damn better than to try.

Garrett laughed. "Right." He rolled his eyes. "You know what's the worst about all of this? I swear Cassidy doesn’t even feel the deprivation."

"Well hate to be blunt, but I'm sure the Mrs. is very aware of the fact that not so long ago when you did that, she wound up 'pushing a cannon ball through a straw,' as I believe she bellowed at you."

"Yes, but I also think she's just too enthralled with little Garrett."

"I know where you're coming from there."

"How's life as a daddy for you?”

"Good. She's cute, even though she doesn't sleep - ever - and I actually like helping take care of her. You?"

"I let Cassidy take care of most of it."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of your kid."

"Me? No."

"You'd be closer to him if you, y'know, held him every once in a while."

"I do..."

"Honestly, have you held him once since he was born, Chief?" There was no accusation in James's tone.

"Have you held your daughter? What kind of question is that, James? Sit down."

He sat.

"I have a job for you."

James waited.

"I want you to kill Aidan Callahan."

"Do we know his whereabouts?"

"Not yet."

James nodded.

"Once Cal is back up to snuff maybe she can help you."

"Yeah. She might be able to help on the intel even now."

"See what you can do...and try not to die before the six weeks are up."

"I'll give it my best effort."

~*~*~

Cal was waiting in her and James' room. She practically tackled him when he came in, jumping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist as she kissed him deeply.

James laughed a little bit and pulled her close. "Hi, beautiful."

"I saw the doctor today… and it seems I have magical healing powers....seems that everything is good down there..." She kissed him again.

James kissed her back. He'd been meaning to ask for a while... "Marry me?"

Cal blinked. "What?"

He pulled the ring box he'd been carrying around for about a month now from his pocket. "Marry me?" He repeated, opening the box.

"Oh James...." She kissed him deeply once more. "Yes..."

He kissed back firmly, then slid the ring onto her finger.

"I love you..." She whispered, kissing him again.

"I love you too, beautiful." He whirled her around, holding her close. "Baby sleeping?"

"Yes sir."

"Good news for us." He picked her up and carried her to the bed.

"God I've missed you..."

"I've missed you too. I've got an assignment but the first part will take place here, so you can plan a wedding while I work."

"Oh...right...we have to have a wedding don't we..."

"As big or as small as you want it to be. Whatever you want."

"Right...what mission?"

"I've been ordered to kill one Aidan Callahan."

"Good. I hope the bastard suffers."

"I'll do what I can within reason."

"Rip his dick off."

"I'll return it to you in a box if you really want."

"The only dick I want is...right here..." She laughed, her hand sliding south.

"All yours, beautiful." He kissed her firmly.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

~*~

Cassidy was sitting in the rocking chair feeding the baby when Garrett appeared in the door. She looked up. "Hi."

"Hey." He kissed her and then sat on the bed, facing her.

"You want to burp him? He's just about finished here."

"No that's okay. He looks happy with you."

"He should get used to you too. He's not going to break, I promise."

"It's fine."

Cassidy got up, bringing the baby to his father. "Here, hold him against your shoulder and pat his back a little bit."

"I thought you didn't know what to do with a baby." He said, pulling back a little.

"I didn't, I watched Cal. But it's... natural. You just sort of know. It's alright, Garrett, he's not going to bite you. And you aren't going to hurt him."

"I will...just...you hold him."

"Garrett, you're sitting. You won't hurt him any. You're not going to drop him or anything."

"I might."

"Well I might too," Cass pointed out. "You won't drop him far right now, anyway, and the bed's soft."

"Okay..."

She kissed his cheek and gently handed the baby to Garrett. "Just be careful to hold his head."

Garrett did so. "He's adorable..."

"He's sweet. And he likes you, look at him."

The baby made a soft cooing noise, looking up at Garrett with wide eyes.

"Yeah...he is."

"Mommy and Daddy love their little boy," Cassidy told her son.

Baby Garrett made the noise again.

"How did we make something so tiny?"

"He'll get bigger," Cass assured him. "If he'd been born much bigger I think I'd have exploded."

"He's perfect."

Cass smiled. "He settled right down for you."

The baby yawned.

"Aww...he's tired."

"He usually is after he eats. He sleeps until he needs to be changed and then he'll want attention."

"I'm not good at this...here take him."

"You're very good at this," Cass replied.

"Take him."

She complied, gently rocking the baby to sleep and humming softly, then put him down in his bassinet.

Garrett lay back on the bed. "He adores you."

"He loves you too." She stretched out next to Garrett. "He's six weeks old today..."

"Yeah I know."

Cassidy kissed him. "You know what that means?"

It took Garrett a second and then quickly he was on top of her, kissing her deeply.

She laughed a little bit, tangling her fingers in his hair. "You didn't think I didn't miss it, did you?"

"Of course not.”

"I've missed it. You're the best lover a woman could want."

"Oh I know I am."

"All the others tell you the same thing?"

"No."

She closed her eyes. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

She wasn't sure what to say so she settled for kissing him firmly. "I love you."

"I love you."

To The Next Part