Ethan stared in shock as Alex stepped into the room. He hadn't seen his brother in over a year, and this, on top of the other excitement of the day, finally did him in. He felt his eyes well up with tears, and he raised his arms, ignoring the pain.

"Alex," he said, his voice breaking. "Shit, Alex. I'm so sorry. I swear I'll explain, but I promise there's a reason I cut you off, I don't-"

"Shut up," Alex said, settling into the chair Daniel had vacated. "Jesus, Ethan, shut up. What happened? I know you were involved in some shady shit, but how did you get shot? And why is Daniel here?" Ethan chuckled through his tears.

"I'm done with the shady shit. For good," he promised.

"Couldn't you have decided that before you got shot?" Alex asked, grinning.

"Trust me, I was trying," Ethan said wryly. "Honestly, though, Alex," he said, reaching out and grabbing his brother's wrist. "I need you to know, I only cut you off for your own safety. I was in with some bad folks, and they were threatening you. I didn't know what else to do." Alex patted Ethan's hand and smiled.

"It's ok, Ethan. Really. I'm here now, and lucky you, your brother's a lawyer, so I can help you out of whatever mess you're in."

"Well," Ethan said slowly, "That's actually a funny story…"

Later that night, Ethan was dozing lightly when the door creaked open, just wide enough to admit the bulk of Daniel.

"My lawyer says I shouldn't talk to you anymore," he said, pushing his way to consciousness through the pain medication. Daniel froze just inside the doorway, staring across the room in confusion. "Of course, he's also my kid brother so I reserve the right to ignore everything he says," Ethan finished, smiling a bit. Daniel relaxed.

"He's not wrong," Daniel admitted as he came into the room. "Even all the legal stuff aside, I could hardly blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me at this point." He approached the bed slowly as Ethan looked up at him consideringly.

"You came for me," he said simply. He watched Daniel open his mouth as if with an automatic reply, but he stopped, considered.

"I had to," he finally said. "It was you." He paused, shook his head. "I don't expect anything to change, if you don't want it to," he said slowly. "I didn't do this to win you back or change your mind. I did it because I realized I love you," he said simply. "I know that doesn't excuse all my mistakes and doubts, but-"

"Daniel," Ethan interrupted. "You came for me. Do you know how long its been since anyone gave a shit about me, much less put their neck on the line for me?" He paused. "Besides," he added. "I can hardly blame you for not trusting me, I-"

"Bullshit," Daniel said. "I was wrong, I can own that. I was wrong, and I hurt you, and I'm more sorry than I can say for that. You were entirely right to throw me out when you did. But if you're willing to give me another chance, I swear to you I won't make that mistake again." He paused, taking a moment to interlace his fingers with Ethan's. "When I heard you were in danger, I realized very, very quickly what was actually important to me. Coming after you was really no choice at all; it was the only thing I could do and even have a chance of living with the results."

Ethan blinked up at Daniel, in shock at the wordy confession. Daniel wasn't the verbose sort; he had always been more likely to show than tell. He'd never seen him so open and… well, raw. It was hard to imagine that 24 hours ago he'd been prepared to never see this man again, when right now what he wanted more than anything was the comfort of his body in the bed next to him.

"I think," Ethan began slowly, tightening his hand on Daniel's ever so slightly, "that my answer is in my shoulder." At Daniel's confused look, Ethan gave him a wry grin. "I'm not a hero like you, remember? I don't take a bullet for just anyone."

"I'd prefer it if you wouldn't take any bullets at all," Daniel replied, to which Ethan rolled his eyes.

"I'm saying I love you too, asshole," he said, without a trace of heat in his tone. Daniel froze, looking down at Ethan with wide eyes. It was clear he'd expected to be turned away, and Ethan regretted every harsh word they'd shot at each other. "You're not the only one who had some… unexpected revelations," Ethan explained. His eyes fell shut for a brief moment as he worked to fight off the memories still so fresh in his mind. "I never thought for a moment I was getting out of there once I woke up in that chair," he said bluntly. "And aside from not seeing Alex in so long, my biggest regret was pushing you away."

"You had every right," Daniel said, shaking his head. "I should have trusted you." Ethan nodded slowly.

"Maybe," he agreed. "But maybe I also should have been more understanding. A fingerprint is pretty compelling." Daniel lifted Ethan's hand, pressing his curled fingers to his lips. "I want to be with you," he said simply. "I want a relationship, maybe a life with you, if you're willing to try for that with a former criminal."

"I don't care what you were," Daniel said. "I love you, not in spite of your history, but because of who it's shaped you into today." Ethan couldn't take it anymore; he pulled his hand out of Daniel's, fisted it in his shirt, and pulled him down until their lips met in a passionate kiss, spilling out all the love and fear and uncertainties of the past few days into the point where their lips met. Daniel's hand cupped Ethan's jaw, his thumb brushing lightly over his cheek in a move so tender Ethan ached with it.

Ethan deepened the kiss, unwilling to pull away now that he had what he wanted, who he wanted in his arms. He teased Daniel's lips apart with the tip of his tongue, dipped inside and savored the pleased noise that rumbled up from the other man's chest.

Ethan wasn't sure if it had been seconds or hours when Daniel pulled away, but he couldn't bring himself to feel embarrassed about the disappointed noise that escaped him as he leaned forward a bit, trying to chase the lips he never thought he'd feel again.

"As much as I'm enjoying this," Daniel said, then paused to clear his throat of the huskiness that did things to Ethan's libido that shouldn't be possible in a hospital bed, of all places. "Um. As great as that was, you're injured, and sooner or later that's going to devolve into too much movement," he said, regret clear on his face. Ethan grumbled, but had to admit he had a point. Even now, his shoulder throbbed dully, complaining at the little bit of jostling it'd had to endure.

"I guess you're right," he sighed. "But…"

"What is it?" Ethan shifted in the bed, gauging the space available.

"Can you, I mean would you, maybe, be willing to stay?" he asked. Daniel's face softened.

"Of course," he replied, dragging the chair a bit closer.

"No, I mean.." Wincing at the pain the movement cause, Ethan rolled up onto his uninjured side, ignoring Daniel's protests. "Up here. There's enough room."

"Maybe," Daniel replied, eyeing the bed doubtfully, "but the nurses aren't going to like it." Ethan scoffed.

"Nonsense. Jennifer's a sweetheart, and Nancy even snuck me in a milkshake earlier. They won't breathe a word of it." Daniel laughed, the sound long and hearty in the hospital room, momentarily drowning out the various beeps and whirs of the machinery.

"Of course you've charmed the nurses, I don't know why I ever doubted you," he chuckled as he pulled off his jacket. "Alright, consider me convinced."

And of course, Ethan was right. When a nurse came in an hour later to check his vitals, she merely smiled at the sight of the two men curled around each other, and pulled the blanket up to cover them both.

Daniel pulled at his shirt, frowning at how wrinkled it was. It wasn't surprising, really; after all, he'd slept in it, in the hospital room with Ethan. He'd woken to a message from the captain summoning him to his office, and something about his tone told Daniel this wasn't something he needed to wait on.

There was a hush as he walked through the office, a number of eyes following him silently as he crossed to Captain Powell's office. He knocked on the door, and at the "come in," took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped inside.

Powell glanced up to see who it was, and straightened when he saw Daniel. "Detective Marsh," he said, his greeting neutral.

"Captain," Daniel said, inclining his head. He clasped one wrist with his hand in front of him, automatically assuming a more formal stance. He knew what he was here for.

"I'm going to be upfront with you, Marsh," Powell said, lacing his fingers together as he leaned forward on his desk. "This is a disciplinary meeting regarding your actions yesterday." He paused, as if to see if Daniel would leap to his own defense, then continued. "You disobeyed a direct order and ran into a volatile situation with no backup and, perhaps more importantly, no warrant. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"For myself, nothing," Daniel said shortly. "I freely admit to doing all you said. I believed a man's life in danger, and determined it was not worth the risk to wait. I don't regret it, but I certainly disobeyed orders. However, I would like to speak on Detective Collins' behalf. As the senior officer, he was only following orders when he followed me onto the scene, so I would request he not only not be reprimanded, but in fact be commended for his bravery." There was a long silence as Captain Powell looked hard at Daniel.

"Noted," he finally replied. "Now, as for you." He paused, shifting in his seat, before sighing. "This was a big fuck-up, Marsh, you have to know that." Daniel pressed his lips into a thin line. He wholeheartedly disagreed, but kept that to himself. He'd known this meeting was coming, and knew that no matter what happened he wouldn't regret his actions.

"If any other cop had done that, I'd be taking your badge right now," Powell continued. "However, you're one of my most distinguished officers, and… well, off the record, I can't really blame you for what you did," he admitted. "I've read Collins' report, and even your relationship with the hostage aside -- which is another matter entirely -- he made it clear that the hostage would have been killed if you hadn't arrived when you did. You saved a man's life, and the warrant did come through just in time, so we didn't lose out on any arrests. But the fact remains that you disobeyed orders in a spectacularly visible manner."

"Yes, sir," Daniel said calmly. "And I am prepared to accept the consequences for that."

"Dammit, Marsh, I've watched you work yourself into the ground for nearly ten years to reach your position," Powell said. "And yet," he added, "From my position, you seemed much happier as a beat cop." Daniel blinked in surprise.

"I'm… not sure I follow, sir." Powell shrugged.

"You've worked your way up the ladder, but you seemed much happier when you were actually out on the streets. Which is good," he said, cocking an eyebrow, "Because that's what you're going to be doing. You're demoted, Marsh."

Daniel closed his eyes, waiting for the sadness, the anger, the pain. He'd worked himself to the bone for his Detective rank, and had hoped to make Captain in the next few years. And yet… nothing. In fact, he really only felt relief.

"Thank you, sir," he said quietly. Powell nodded.

"Not often I get people thanking me for a demotion," Powell admitted. "But I hope this is a good thing for you."