A/N: More steaminess in this chapter, at the end.

The day of the custody hearing finally came, and Kate was a bundle of nerves. She dressed in a business suit with a skirt and pulled her dark brown hair up in a tasteful twist. As she finished off her make-up in the mirror, she looked at herself for several long moments. Did she look like a capable mother? Like someone who loved her daughter more than anything in the world? Would a judge look at her and decide to take away some of her custody so a low-life like her father could be in Madeline's life?

As she was doubting herself, Lin walked in and stood behind her, putting his hands on her hips. He knew she was terrified of what would happen today. He couldn't imagine raising Madeline single-handedly for four years then all of a sudden have someone swoop in, wanting to share custody. It must be tearing her up inside. He planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You're gonna be fine," he told her, making eye contact with her in the mirror. "Whatever happens, you're still Maddie's mom and she adores you."

Kate let out a breath. That wasn't enough. She couldn't imagine waking up in the morning and Madeline not being there. Instead, being across town with Jason. It made her feel sick.

"Just because he contributed the sperm, he's probably going to get at least some visitation rights," she complained. "Never mind he's been MIA for two years."

"But Maddie wouldn't exist without him," Lin pointed out. Kate sighed and turned around to face him. He put his hands on her hips and stepped in a little closer.

"Take some deep breaths," he told her. "You're gonna do great."

Kate tried to take his advice, but it was so hard. She couldn't keep calm when her daughter's welfare was in jeopardy. Jason knew nothing about how to raise a four-year-old. He thought good parenting meant catering to her every whim. McDonald's for dinner every day and staying up late. Maddie was such a good kid and she didn't want him to screw her up.

Lin leaned forward and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, jogging her mind away from her worries temporarily. She closed her eyes and gently kissed him back. She was so lucky to have him in her life.

"Call me as soon as it's over," he told her. "And I'll come over tonight."

She nodded and he gave her hip a supportive pat. The hearing was in the afternoon, so she had all morning at work to worry. The hours passed a snail's pace. She could barely eat anything for lunch, but forced herself to swallow down a little something.

Finally, it was time to head to the courthouse. Like she'd heard, there was a lot of waiting around. The case was supposed to start at 1:00, but it wasn't until 1:45 they were called in. Jason was there, dressed up in a suit, looking responsible with his lawyer. She took a seat at her own table with her lawyer. The judge walked in and we all stood, then sat down. As she took a seat, she realized her hands were trembling. She sat on them.

"We are here today to rule on the custody agreement of the minor child Madeline Elizabeth Groves," the judge announced. Kate hated that Madeline had his last name, but we'd been together at the time. Semantics. She didn't belong to him.

"Mr. Jason Groves is petitioning for joint custody," he said, looking through his paperwork. "And Kate Hamilton would like to retain full custody."

Jason's lawyer was allowed to speak first. They went through all the usual mumbo-jumbo about the fact he was Madeline's biological father and that he had every right to see his child. He was gainfully employed and had a suitable residence. No criminal record.

When it was her lawyer's turn, she pointed out that Kate had raised Madeline single-handedly for most of their daughter's four years. Jason had been completely absent from his child's life for several years, and the child barely knew him. At the tender age of four, it would be cruel to take the child away from her mother for 50% of the time.

Kate and Jason were both questioned by the judge. Kate tried to push through her discomfort and force her voice to sound confident and capable. Inside, she was shaking. It was all a blur. She was sure she answered the questions, but she had no idea what they were or what she'd answered.

Finally, the judge called a recess, so he could make a decision. It was the middle of the afternoon so there was nothing really to do but sit around and wait. A couple hours later, everyone was called back in. They again went through the motions of rising and sitting for the judge.

"After weighing both sides, I have come to my decision. Since Madeline has been entirely in her mother's care, I feel it would be traumatic to the child to be taken away from her mother half time. Therefore, I'm ruling visitation rights to the child's father, Jason Groves. Sir, you will be allowed custody of your daughter every Wednesday and every other weekend. Court is adjourned."

Kate let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want to be away from her daughter at all, but this was the best possible scenario. She thought Madeline could handle one night away a week and a couple weekends a year. Kate thanked her lawyer and they were all free to go. She made her way out quickly, so she wouldn't have to talk to Jason.

Kate caught the bus and as soon as she was sitting, she texted the good news to Lin. He was relieved as well and promised to take her out to celebrate. Kate got home and Maddie ran to her. Her mother had been watching her for the afternoon. Kate realized she needed to sit her daughter down and explain what was going to happen. She needed to frame it in a way that wasn't scary. She'd talk with Lin tonight after Maddie had gone to bed.

Kate's mom left, and Lin arrived shortly after. Madeline instantly began using him as her personal jungle gym, climbing up his legs and jumping on his back. Lin gave her a piggy back ride down the subway as they headed out to dinner.

Lin ordered them a bottle of wine at the restaurant to celebrate and they all got dessert. Kate realized that may have been a mistake on the way home when Madeline was giggling uncontrollably, completely slap-happy. When they got home, Lin played with her hard, helping her to get her energy out. We were finally able to wrangle her into the bathtub to scrub her down, then Lin read her a couple bedtime stories.

Kate poured them both a glass of wine while he read stories, then sat on the couch. Lin joined her a few minutes later. She sat back and put her feet up in Lin's lap, relaxing.

"So how do you feel?" Lin asked me as we sat in the quiet.

"Relieved," Kate said as she swallowed some wine. "I mean, I'd rather he just disappeared, but this was the best possible outcome. Having a break from her one night a week could be nice."

"We can have some alone time too," he reminded Kate, and made his eyebrows dance up and down. Kate laughed.

"I'm a little worried about what kind of father he'll be," Kate admitted.

"How so?"

"Well, every time he takes her out they go to McDonald's. I don't know if he plans on enforcing a regular bedtime, but she needs one. I'm just not sure if he's prepared to actually parent her and not be the fun guy who takes her out to dinner."

"It'll probably be a lot more work than he realizes," Lin said. "I'm here part of the time and she exhausts me."

"She adores you," Kate said. Lin smirked and put his wine glass down on the table. He began massaging one of her feet. She let out a groan of pleasure and closed her eyes. She'd been in heels all day. "Don't stop."

Lin continued to work at her foot, then switched to the other, sending her into relaxation. He watched her face, glad that he was able to put her at ease after an incredibly stressful day. It looked like she could possibly fall asleep, so he stopped and patted her leg.

"How about a bubble bath?" He suggested.

"That sounds nice," she said. Lin gently guided her legs off his lap and they walked back to the master bedroom of her apartment. He found the bubble bath in the cabinet and started to run a bath. Kate found her pajamas and some fresh undies then walked into the bathroom to strip down. Lin peeled off his shirt, then his jeans and boxers. They climbed in together, Lin sitting behind Kate. She reclined against him as they let the scent of the bubbles further relax them.

They laid there for several minutes, just enjoying the feel of the hot water and each other's bodies. Lin's hands rested on her belly, but he allowed them to travel up to her breasts, fondling them gently. She moaned as he gently worked them in his hands, his nose resting just behind her ear.

"You're beautiful," he whispered to her, planting a kiss to her hair. Lin let his right hand travel down her belly between the apex of her thighs. Kate let her legs fall apart a bit more, giving him more access as his fingers began to work at her clit.

Kate moaned as his strong fingers stroked her gently, patiently. His nose nuzzled her ear and he occasionally planted a kiss on her hair. He let one finger work its way inside her, curling it back as he worked. His left hand went to her breast as her face began to become flushed with pleasure.

"Lin," she whispered as he pushed another finger inside her. He gently stroked and rubbed at her, his finger gently brushing against her clit. He felt her tighten a bit and her sounds changed as she got closer to orgasm. His fingers began working a bit harder, faster and her breathing increased. Finally, she arched her back and he felt her walls clamp down around his fingers as her orgasm hit. She called out in pleasure as his fingers took her over the edge. As she relaxed against him, he took out his fingers and gently stroked at her folds. She giggled a little and turned her head so they could kiss.

"You're good at that," she told him, biting her lip. He grinned and reached for the soap, beginning to rub it over her tummy and breasts. She took it from him and began to soap up his legs, then passed it back and sat up. Lin worked the soap over her back and then between her legs, then soaped the rest of his stomach and chest. After they were clean, they sat back for a few more minutes as the water began to cool.

Finally, Kate reached for the plug and pulled it. She stood up first, and Lin admired his view of her backside as she stepped out. They both toweled off and Kate reached for her panties.

"Uh-uh," he stopped her, grinning. Lin took the panties from her hand and tossed them on the floor. He then gently led her backwards towards the bed. They were both already naked – it would be a shame to let such an opportunity go to waste. Kate giggled as he guided her to lay down on her back on the bed and they began to kiss deeply and passionately. She grinned as she reached down to stroke him and found he was already rock hard.

"Lin-Manuel," she teased him, and he leaned down to capture her lips in his. They passionately made love on the bed, and soon fell asleep in each other's arms. It all felt right.