"No," came from a determined looking Derek Rayne as he walked into the castle library, briefcase and suit coat in hand. He stopped across the table from his colleagues. Nick Boyle, chief of house security and the person responsible for Derek's response, didn't bother to hide the grin pulling his mouth slightly to the left. Rachel Corrigan joined in the attempt to bait their friend and employer.

"Care to share with us why you can't be here to greet the delegation?" Rachel asked from her place at the table.

"Yes." Derek put his briefcase on the floor, avoiding the highly polished surface of the large conference table. "I made a promise four months ago that I intend to keep.  As soon as I can arrange for a baby-sitter, I'm taking my wife out for dinner and dancing."

"Finally!" Nick lifted his hands toward the ceiling in supplication.

"What do you mean by finally?" Derek asked.

"Your tactlessness has become more frequent of late, telling me that you, our illustrious leader, need to have a serious make out session with our favorite teacher."

"This house is just too damn small," Derek mumbled as he flopped down in the nearest chair. "Also I need to speak to my wife about her being your favorite anything."

"Jealous?" Nick goaded.

"No." Derek stated. "I haven't had time to be jealous."

Nick slid off the tabletop and into the chair next to Rachel.

"I've only had time to be tired..." Derek laid his head back on the chair and closed his eyes.

"And frustrated," added Rachel.

"As I said before, I'm too tired to do anything but be tired. Besides I don't get frustrated." Derek said with an air of haughtiness.

"I call four months of celibacy being frustrated." Nick added with a wink at his teammate.

"It's more like being temporarily hampered." Derek shifted in the chair, surprised that he was embarrassed by the truth of his colleague’s statements.

"Who's being hampered?"

An automatic smile brightened the reddish tone of Derek's skin at the sound of his wife's voice. He turned slightly in his chair to watch her walk toward him. Each time he saw or thought about her, he was amazed at the depth of his emotional and psychic ties to her. A sudden sadness filled him at the thought that he'd been too tired to feel her presence in the house. Today had not been the first time it had happened.  He frowned at the thought that they might be drifting down different paths. They'd known each other for almost eleven years, married five of that time.  He promised himself that all the emotional bits and pieces that had brought them together and kept them through the years would not be lost.

He focused again on the woman looking down at him. Alexander Moreau Rayne with a smile at the others gave her husband a quick peck on the forehead before moving on to the man sitting at the end of the table.

"That's all I get?" Derek protested his arms outstretched. He put them down quickly feeling a little foolish and needy.

"Patience Dr. Rayne, I'm about to begin sensitive negotiations."

Nick looked puzzled as Alex took hold of his hand. "No! uhuh! Whatever, you think you're going to talk me into I'm not doing."

"You haven't heard what I have to offer."

Nick looked pass her to Derek, "I'm totally innocence here."

"Right," Derek snorted.

"Come on Mr. Boyle, we have business to discuss." Alex waited for Nick to stand.  Wrapping his arm around her own, with a wave of her fingers she escorted Nick out of the room.

Derek grunted as he rose from the chair. "Watching those two would give me a complex if I didn't have a healthy self-image and legal documents."

Rachel comforted him with a smile of understanding. "Since your wife has walked off with your security specialist, you now have time to review and okay tomorrow's agenda and finalize the panel discussions.”

Derek wore, a look of resignation on his face causing Rachel to laugh. "Poor Derek Rayne, no rest for the leader."

"None at all," He agreed.

Folder in hand Rachel guided Derek to the holo-gram wall hiding the Legacy control room and his office.

*****

"That's it, unless you want to include anything else." Rachel made several notes on the pad lying between her and Derek.

"I have nothing else. Just keep them on task." Taking several steps from his desk Derek bent down to touch his toes, stretching the kinks trying to form in his back and legs. Stretch finished he leaned on the edge of his desk near Rachel. "Thank you so much for handling everything."

"You're welcome.  It's good to see you relax just a tiny bit." Rachel mimicked how much tiny was with her thumb and forefinger.

"Everyone is a comedian today." He sighed.

They both paused at the knock on the office door. Alex stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Sorry for interrupting."

"You're not. We're finished," Derek said.

"Good." Alex walked forward until she stood chest to chest with her husband. Derek adjusted his stance to have more of her body against his. "You look tired.  We can cancel and stay in."

“I have a promise to keep.”

Alex leaned into his embrace hugging him as tightly as she could worried about the man holding her in his arms. Being the parents of a newborn was more of a struggle that either of them could have predicted. It was stretching their endurance as well as their expectations of each other. Even though AJ was finally settling into some type of routine, their lives were still chaotic at times. The less time she had with Derek the more she felt like they were not becoming a family, but separate entities occupying some of the same spaces. She stared into his face, hoping to read his true feelings. Tears filled her eyes at the emotions shinning back at her. Love, understanding and amusement.   Laying her head against his chest, she wrapped her arms tighter around him and released her fear.

"If you need a baby-sitter," Rachel spoke softly from the corner of the room. "I would be pleased to take Ajene home. Kat's been asking to spend some time with him.

Alex released his grip on Derek.  "Oh, Rachel. I'm sorry but I made arrangements with Uncle Nick."

"Sure you want to do that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"You know it's going to take years for the baby to unlearn whatever bad habit Nick teaches him."

Derek released Alex long enough to reach for his office phone.

"No, Derek."

"I just want to explain to Mr. Boyle, the seriousness of taking care of an infant."

"Nick knows." Alex took the cordless from him.  "You, sir" Alex kissed the dimple in his chin, "have approximately one hour to pack a duffel, select your attire for tonight, shower, shave, brush teeth and hair, shine your shoes and be ready to spend," she looked at her watch. " Twelve hours satisfying your wife in as many ways as I can think up."

Rachel grinned at the look on Derek's face. She couldn't resist one last comment as she picked up the legal pad and folder of papers. "I may be able to get a research paper out of this. Think I'll title it the 'The Care and Feeding of Postpartum Parents'."