Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Heavy Rain. I make no money from this story.

Madison Paige Mars sat up slowly in bed. She brought her hand to her stomach as she glanced at the alarm clock. She stifled a groan as she winced. The moment passed and she let out a quiet sigh.

'Damn, it's only one-thirty in the morning.' Madison looked over at Ethan, who was finally asleep. Her husband had been working incredibly hard on his latest project. It was great that he'd landed the contract, but there was a lot of work to be done. It meant a lot of long nights, so that he could spend time with both Madison and Shaun. 'I can't wake him up now; he's only been asleep a few hours. I'll just get up and walk for a bit. Maybe a cup of hot tea would help.'

Madison eased herself out of the bed, careful not to wake Ethan. He rolled over on his back, still snoring lightly. She stepped out into the hall, turning on the light. She made her way slowly, being quiet. As she went by Shaun's door, she stopped to peek in at her stepson. The sight made her smile; he'd managed to kick off all the covers, and was sprawled out on his back. She went in, her bare feet making no noise. She bent at the knees, pulling Shaun's sheets up under his chin. He stirred, and shifted positions, not waking at all. She took that as her cue to exit the room, closing the door softly behind her.

As Madison made her way to the kitchen, she thought back to how she and Ethan had come to be together. It had started out as business, with only a little bit of personal interest. She'd been working on a story that could make her a household name. The kind of story journalists dreamed about. But as the events had unfolded, she'd started taking a real interest in Ethan Mars. His raw courage and determination had intrigued her. This father, who'd already lost one child tragically, was willing to do whatever it took to see his younger son home. The hard journalist part of her had slowly melted away, and she'd felt emotions that had long lain dormant rising to the surface. Feelings she'd wondered if she was even capable of having towards a man came into play. And it felt natural, for reasons she still did not understand.

After Ethan had shot the drug dealer, he'd been a wreck. Both his body and mind were in torment. All Madison had wanted to do was to comfort him, but how? She hadn't known what to do or say. What do you say to a man, who'd taken another's life? Even though it had been for a good reason, that didn't make the guilt any easier for Ethan to bear. In the end, it had all been worth it. They'd saved Shaun, the killer was dead, and Ethan's name had been cleared.

Two years had passed since that showdown in the warehouse. Two very good years, Madison thought. She turned on the kitchen light, shutting off the hall light to conserve electricity. She wanted a warm drink to settle her nerves, and hopefully let her get a little more sleep. She loved the orange tea, but the caffeine would not help, especially at this time of the night. She sighed, finding the box of chamomile tea. She prepared the drink, filling the kettle. She was still tired, but not feeling sleepy.

When the water was boiling, she grabbed the kettle before it started whistling. She poured the water into her mug, watching the water turn darker. Then Madison made her way into the living room, pausing briefly. She grimaced for a moment, as if in pain, and then continued on her way. The recliner in the center of the room looked incredibly inviting. She headed over to it, sinking into the plush chair. She sipped her tea, letting the hot drink soothe her nerves.

Madison tried not to dwell on the trip to the hospital after the warehouse. She'd been hurting, from everything that had gone on. She'd had several near misses, with the crazy doc and the killer's apartment. She, Ethan, and Shaun had all needed medical treatment. Ethan and Shaun went in one ambulance, and she in the other. Special Agent Jayden had wanted to talk to her on the ride over. She noted the forensics unit that had arrived, and did not envy them their task. That crew got the lucky detail of picking out the bits of Scott Shelby from the bloody mess. Looking at the blades of the grinder that seemed to be a messy task.

Madison shuddered at the unwelcome memory, trying to focus on the good that had come from their ordeal. She and Ethan had been married for a year and a half now. He'd recovered well from the trials, and rarely ever complained about the phantom pain in his left pinkie finger. As a result of their shared ordeal, Shaun and Ethan were closer than they'd been in years. There had been issues with Grace in the beginning, but even those had eventually been ironed out. It wasn't a perfect situation. Life never is.

Madison had very few complaints with the status quo. Her insomnia had improved remarkably. It hadn't been an instant cure; she still did get night terrors. They had been especially bad the first nights after they'd saved Shaun. After a while, thankfully, the dreams had faded. Madison was certain it was due in part to Ethan. It was much easier to fall asleep and stay that way with his arms around her. He could even bring her out of the bad dreams now. His voice gently broke through her terror, bringing her back to reality. His presence helped ground her, making her feel safe and secure.

Unfortunately, there were still a few nights when sleep was difficult. Madison sipped her tea as she noticed the time. It had only been an hour since she'd woken up. She picked up the remote, turning on the television. She didn't expect to find much on at this time, but maybe a little white noise would help her to doze for a while. And after finishing her tea, it did.

Madison slept fitfully in the recliner. She woke up a few times, with a startled intake of breath. Then her eyes would slowly close again. Seven o-clock eventually rolled around and she woke up again with a start. When her eyes focused enough to see the time, she slowly got out of the chair. Morning had come, and she needed to get a start on the day.

She picked up her empty cup as she walked back to the kitchen. Her mug went into the sink as she started to prepare for breakfast. She stopped again suddenly, trying to breathe normally. After a few minutes, and eternity in her own mind, she was able to get back to what she was doing. She pulled the eggs out of the fridge, and started to scramble them. Shaun loved scrambled eggs, with bacon and toast, and she didn't want to disappoint him.

From the bathroom, Madison heard the shower start running. That meant her stepson was awake. That was good, right on time. One less thing for her to worry about today. She stared the bread toasting, listening to the sizzle of the bacon. She stirred the eggs, looking at them in the pan. 'There should be enough for both Shaun and Ethan. Maybe if I add a couple more eggs.' She mused. She didn't have an appetite this morning. Too much nervous tension. She listened to the water stop, and was glad breakfast was almost done.

Madison leaned on the counter for a moment, as Shaun appeared in the kitchen. He had a big smile on his face, and was sniffing the air appreciatively as he walked in.

"I smell one of my favorite. . ." Shaun's voice trailed off as he noticed Madison's expression and posture. His smile faded, and he looked at her with worry clear on his face. "Madison? Are you okay? I'll get Dad. DAD!"He shouted loudly. She forced herself to straighten up. Before he could run off and wake Ethan, she put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, Shaun. Just eat your food before it gets cold. You know how you hate cold eggs." This wasn't exactly a lie. Everything was going to be fine. Shaun's face said he wanted to argue, but he obediently sat down and started eating anyway. Madison reminded him,

"Don't forget, your mom is picking you up from school for this weekend. You have your things together, right?" Shaun nodded, since his mouth was full. She turned around so Shaun wouldn't see the look in her eyes. She made herself relax, as she didn't want to worry her stepson. When she turned around, Shaun swallowed.

"Yeah, I know. My backpack is ready to go." She gave him a smile, ruffling his hair, still damp from his shower.

Back in their bedroom, Ethan slowly woke up. He wasn't sure why he was awake, but as he looked at the clock. He had slept a little later than he'd meant to. That was probably because he'd been up fairly late. It seemed Madison was already up. 'Probably feeing Shaun already' He thought. He threw on his robe and headed to the shower. The hot water felt wonderful waking him up nicely. After he did his morning rituals, he felt much more ready to face the day.

Madison heard the shower start again, and knew her husband was up. She had mixed feelings about that; she would welcome Ethan's company and knew he wanted to see Shaun off to school, but he needed his sleep. She finished Ethan's breakfast, and set it on the table as Shaun finished eating. He put his empty plate in the sink.

Ethan finished getting dressed and headed down the hall. He could smell eggs, bacon and toast. Then his nose picked up the one smell that promised a good morning: coffee. His smile widened as he entered the kitchen, and saw his two favorite people in the world entire. He patted Shaun's head as he walked to his wife. She looked exhausted, and he could guess why.

"Morning, both of you." He leaned close to kiss Madison. Shaun made a gagging sound.

"You two are gross! I just finished eating." Madison and Ethan laughed. Shaun was definitely in that 'girls have cooties' stage. But now it was more for show than anything. All in all, it was a typical morning in the Mars residence. Until Madison stiffened slightly, thankfully Shaun was on his way to his room, shaking his head in mock disgust. Ethan noticed, of course, and turned to his wife, his concerned blue eyes meeting her dark brown ones. His hand came to rest on her shoulder.

"What's wrong? Should I call the doctor?" He asked quietly, not wanting to alarm his son. She shook her head.

"Not now. Shaun's bus will be here soon. Eat your breakfast." Ethan looked like he disagreed with her, but Madison's face was determined. He was going to say something, but Shaun came out of his room and made a beeline for the television. Ethan reluctantly sat down to his meal, while Madison walked into the living room to sit on the couch with Shaun. He was watching some cartoon. She'd seen it before a few times.

When Ethan finished his food, he joined his family watching TV. He walked over to Shaun.

"Hey buddy, we need to get down to the bus stop." Shaun shrugged, but started to get up from the couch. He leaned over to give Madison a quick hug. She hugged him back, knowing he would outgrow hugs all too soon.

"See you on Monday, after school." Madison nodded. Then he and Ethan headed out the door. She leaned her head back, hoping Ethan would be home quickly. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She reached out for the remote, changing the channel to the morning news. It seemed to be business as usual. She found it hard to pay attention to the mundane, everyday events. She felt restless and impatient, a dangerous combination for her. It was in moods like this where she would go into a potential killer's home.

The taxidermist, who wasn't the Origami Killer, but he was a murderer. And he'd very nearly added Madison to his "collection". Then there was the ex-doctor, with his operating table in the basement. If her reflexes hadn't been sharp, who knows what would have happened? Scott Shelby's apartment had also very nearly been the end of her. Three times, while on that story, she'd almost been killed. All three times, she'd walked/limped away. Thankfully, her marriage to Ethan had helped to curb her impulsive streak. She had responsibilities now, which meant no more sneaking into killer's homes on a whim.

Ethan watched Shaun get on the bus. His son waved goodbye to him quickly as the yellow bus rumbled nosily on its way. He knew all too well that soon, Shaun wouldn't want to be walked to his stop. Even now, he didn't want to give a hug in public. Eventually, even kids who are close to their parents start to believe it's not cool to be with them. With a sigh, Ethan headed home. He was a bit worried about Madison. She'd seemed . . . off this morning. He hoped everything was okay. He started walking a little faster, not quite jogging.

Madison bit back a groan. The sensations were growing steadily more intense as time passed. She was glad Shaun was on his way to school. She didn't want him worrying about her. The door opened, and she called out, hoping she could keep her voice even.

"Ethan?" She heard him approach, his steps seeming hurried. Ethan sat down next to her, one hand going to her back naturally. The other hand gently caressed her face. She leaned closer to him and they began to kiss, passionately. They broke apart to catch their breath. While they did, Madison winced suddenly, and that made up Ethan's mind. He eased her arm over his shoulders, before looking her in the eyes.

"Let's get you to the hospital." He half expected her to argue with him, claim she didn't need the hospital, but to his surprise she nodded. She got ready to get up, and noticed how rubbery her legs had gotten.

"My legs feel like jello." Madison stated. Ethan just smiled at her.

"I remember a few times when you carried me along. I know I'm heavier than you are. And now I get to return the favor. It took them a few minutes to get to their feet, and get balanced. Then they made their way to the bedroom to get ready quickly. About twenty minutes later, they were in the car, on road to the hospital.

To Be Continued.