Disclaimer: I do not own anything! If I did, you would know! Danny and Lindsay would have been together long ago, same with Mac and Stella, and as for Peyton...wait, who's Peyton? ;)
Lindsay Monroe laced up her skates after she completed her stretching routine and stepped out onto the nearly empty ice. There were only a few people skating, as it was late on a weeknight, and they kept to themselves. She skated around the rink a few times, warming up and working out the kinks in her legs. It always felt good to be on the ice, especially after a difficult case, or a tiring day at work. She came here at least three times a week, no matter how tired she was, so her body wouldn't forget how to move while skating.
She twirled into a sit spin, came up to a camel spin, and slowed to a stop. That's when she saw Danny and Flack headed from the skate rental booth, each toting a pair of skates. She skated around a bit as she waited for them to come onto the ice, then glided up to them when they did.
"Hey, guys."
"Hey, Montana. Didn't know you were here." Danny said, skating around her. Flack flashed her a smile in greeting.
"Likewise. Do you come here often?"
"Every now and then. Wanna race, Flack? Ten bucks says I'll kick your ass."
"You're on, Messer. Ten bucks. Hey, Linds, you mind refereeing?"
"No problem. How many laps?"
"How 'bout two?" Danny suggested, not seeing Lindsay's smirk.
"Good." Flack said. "Start here, finish here." He pointed the spot where Lindsay was standing. Danny nodded in agreement. Lindsay skated back a few feet from the starting point.
"Take you places, gentlemen." she instructed, and they moved accordingly. "I want a clean race. No skating backwards if you're ahead, no hitting, tripping, poking, shoving, biting, tickling, grabbing—"
"Alright, alright, we get it Montana! Get on with it!" Danny said, only pretending to be annoyed.
"On your mark, get set, GO!" Lindsay shouted. The other skaters, hearing Lindsay and seeing the two men racing along the edge, moved to the middle of the rink to watch from a safe distance.
The two men jumped forward, and started skating as fast as they could. Lindsay watched them closely, making sure they didn't cheat. The short race ended uneventfully, and Danny gleefully snatched the ten dollars from Flack's reluctant hand after winning by less than a foot.
"Amateurs." Lindsay muttered.
Danny heard her and turned to her in surprise. "Amateurs? What do you mean, Monroe?"
"Nothing." She replied, rolling her eyes.
"I don't think so, Montana. I know that look. You have somethin' to say."
Lindsay rolled her eyes again. "Fine. You call that a race? Please. You went around the rink twice, and you barely won!" she poked Danny in the chest. "In Montana 6 year olds do better than that. As I said. Amateurs."
"Okay, Monroe. If you're so good, show me whatcha got. How many laps we doin'?"
"Seven." she said instantly. "Loser buys Flack and me hot chocolate."
"Don't be so cocky. But you gotta deal." Danny put out his hand and Lindsay shook it. "Flack, you get to referee this time. You wanna head start, Montana?"
"Only if you want to be humiliated even more when I win." she shot back, and skated up next to him at the starting point, and leaned forward, crouching slightly, the way speed skaters do.
"Ready, guys?" Flack broke in, before they started sparring again.
"And waiting." Lindsay said.
"Yep." said Danny.
"Go!" Flack said suddenly.
"Crap—!" Danny said, and launched after Lindsay who somehow shot ahead of him.
Lindsay made sure she kept the race close for the first three laps, then let Danny pass her in the fourth lap.
"Gettin' tired, Monroe?" Danny asked as he passed her with a smirk. She smiled to herself when she saw sweat gleaming on his forehead, and let him get two yards ahead of her.
A few minutes passed and they were half way through the sixth lap. Now comes the fun! Lindsay thought, and sped up and started gaining on Danny, swinging her arms for momentum. She passed him as they entered the final circuit.
"Later, Messer!" she called over her shoulder, matching his earlier smirk. When she was a two yards ahead of him, she spun around and continued skating, backwards.
"Hey, Monroe, you're breaking your own rule!" Danny yelled at her as he tried to catch up, and Lindsay laughed out loud at his outraged face. She turned around again and a minute later she sailed over the finish 'line' , winning by a good fifteen feet. She scraped to a stop just past Flack, sending up a shower of ice and leaned against the sideboard, grinning, her breath only slightly heavy.
"That was amazing, Lindsay!" Flack exclaimed, and they slapped hands.
Danny stopped next to her half a moment later, breathing hard.
"Damn, Lindsay! Where'd you learn to skate like that?" he asked, astonished.
She laughed at his expression. "My dad was a professional speed skater. He would have made it to the Olympics, but he broke his ankle skate boarding. He could have entered after it healed, but he never got the chance again. Life kept getting in the way. Anyway, Dad taught my siblings and I everything I know. My youngest brother's won several competitions and has his heart set on competing in the Olympics when he's old enough."
"Ya coulda told me." Danny grumbled.
"Why didn't you compete too?" Flack asked.
"I did. I have four blue ribbons and a few lower place ribbons. Dad always said I could have made it to the Olympics, but it wasn't really my thing."
"Wow." Danny was still shocked. "I'm just glad no one else from the lab was here to see this. I haven't had my ass kicked so bad by a girl since...since...never."
"Thank God for camera phones." Flack said, and held up his small cell phone. "You know they even take videos?"
Danny stared at him for a second, then lunged at him, trying to grab the phone. Lindsay took Danny's arm with both hands and hauled him away from Flack, spinning him around. He jerked his arm from her grasp, not angrily, but it threw her off balance, and she grabbed the front of his jacket to keep from falling. This yanked his upper body down, so he was leaning over her, and she went to her knees anyway.
He put his hands on her waist and helped her stand.
"Thanks." She said unsteadily.
"No problem. Are you hurt?" He looked in her eyes, searching for sign of pain.
"I don't think so." Not that I'd notice if I am.
"Good."
He was staring at her, and she felt her face begin to flush under the intensity of his gaze, but stared right back. She saw him moving closer, and realized he was about to kiss her.
"Hey, Messer, you owe us a hot chocolate!" Flack said, effectively braking the moment and completely oblivious to the fact that Danny was holding Lindsay. The latter stepped back quickly.
"Yeah, Danny, I beat you, fair and square. Now pay up! I'm getting cold."
Danny grinned at her, took her hand and pulled her off the ice. "Ya want marshmallows on that, Montana?"
The End (for now)
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it! FYI, I don't know if Lindsay has a younger brother, if her dad is still alive, or if any of her family are speed skaters. Now all you have to do is push the little blue button in the corner and tell me what you think! Reviews make my day! Oh, and yes, I'm going to write a sequel! Did Lindsay mention that her mom was a figure skater?