A/N: This is a short multi-chapter fic told from Danny's POV.

He was kissing her and running his hands all over her body. This was Amazing…

"Danny. Danny. Danny! Wake up!"

Danny jumped. "Huh. What's going on, Min. Where are we?"

"We're home, Danny. Back in New York City! The greatest city in the world!"

Danny sat up in his airline seat and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he looked out Mindy's window and saw New York City in the horizon. It suddenly dawned on him that it was just a dream. He hadn't gotten out of his seat and walked back to the galley where she was standing after the turbulence hit. He hadn't actually kissed her. And he certainly hadn't confessed that he had un-lamp-like feelings for her!

Instead, he had sat paralyzed in his seat until she returned moments later with bottled water, stupid, plain ole' bottled water.

The kissing seemed so real and yet it wasn't.

"I'm sorry, Danny. They didn't have any tonic water. Since I know you don't like seltzer water with the whole spitting up in the car incident yesterday, I brought you back this." Mindy stated as she handed him regular bottled water.

"Thanks." he whispered.

"I'm beat." she said, while letting out a big yawn. "Writing that love letter to Cliff…well, okay, typing up your words really took it out of me. I'm going to try to get some sleep before we land. Night, Danny."

"Good night, Min."

Danny was internally kicking himself, wondering why he didn't get out of his seat. He realized that he had let his chance to make a grand romantic gesture to win her heart before they landed and she fell into the arms of Cliff slip by him. Instead of seizing the moment like in one of those movies Mindy liked to watch so much, he just sat in his seat like an idiot unable to make himself get up.

For a man who prided himself on acting like a man most of the time, he sure knew how to act like a big sissy when it really counted.

He looked at her and sighed. She looked almost peaceful when she was sleeping. Beautiful really. He reached down and brushed some of her hair out of her face. She stirred a little bit but didn't wake up. He sighed again. She was right about one thing, pouring out your heart and soul can really take it out of you.

His eyelids were getting heavy. He needed to get some sleep too. Maybe I'll come up with some bright idea of how I'm going to get myself out of this mess while I'm sleeping, he thought.

He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.

The dream was so vivid. He didn't usually remember his dreams but This One was seared into his brain and it made him realize just how much he wanted her. He stole a look out of the corner of his eye. Mindy was looking down and studying her phone. She had turned it on as soon as they landed much to his chagrin.

"Oh God, Danny! He's here."

"Whose here?" he asked. He knew she was talking about Cliff, but he didn't want her to know that he knew.

"Cliff. Who else? Seriously, Danny! Sometimes you can be so obtuse."

His stomach dropped. "That's great, Min. That's what you wanted, right?" The statement being more of a question then he intended.

She didn't respond. She was too busy reading the subtext to whatever text Cliff had sent her.

Danny couldn't bear to look at her again. He was staring straight ahead, watching as each row ahead of them began to exit the plane and, with each new row, his opportunity to make a move was dwindling. In less than five minutes, he knew it would be too late.

He stood up to retrieve their bags from the overhead compartment, taking his time before he handed her bag to her.

"Thanks," she said as she grabbed it from him and began walking down the aisle towards the exit.

"Mindy."

She turned around and looked at him expectantly. He didn't say anything. He wanted to say something but he was finding it very hard to form words at the moment – any words, in fact. His brain was screaming out everything that he wanted to say but the words weren't making it to his lips. Damn you lips, he thought. All he could do was just look at her.

I could do it right now, he thought. It wasn't too late – was it? She wasn't with Cliff yet. I could just kiss her right here and right now and tell her how I feel and then deal with the consequences of my actions whatever they may be.

His heart was beating so fast. He was sure you could see it pounding out of his chest if she just looked close enough. He could feel tiny beads of sweat starting to form on his brow.

While he was quickly turning into a sweaty mess, he couldn't utter the words that he so desperately wanted to say. Not knowing what to do and not wanting her to get off the plane, he just kept looking at her, hoping he could convey everything he was feeling in that look.

Maybe, just maybe, I don't have to say anything, because she knows exactly what I am feeling just by the way I am looking at her, he thought.

"What Danny?" she asked in frustration.

And maybe not. "Your mascara is smudged," he blurted out.

"What? Oh, God, Danny. I can't believe you let me almost walk out there to meet Cliff looking like a hot mess." She began digging in her purse, looking for her compact.

"Here, let me." Danny reached up and touched her face, swiping his thumb across her cheek while wiping away the smudge of mascara that had run down her face as she slept. He let his hand linger on her cheek for a little bit longer than he intended to or was necessary, while he looked directly into her eyes.

She looked down to the floor and bit her bottom lip. "Thanks," she whispered as her cheeks became rosy. She immediately turned around and headed for the exit without looking back at him.

Danny let out the breath that he had been holding in this whole time. "What the hell Castellano!" he whispered to himself. That really was his last chance and he knew he had blown it by not saying anything. Feeling resigned, he tossed his leather duffle bag over his shoulder and headed for the exit.

She wasn't waiting for him when he stepped off the plane and he wasn't really expecting her to in light of that very awkward encounter. She would have headed to baggage claim to retrieve her bags before tracking down Cliff. Danny didn't have any checked baggage, so he could have easily left and headed home without saying goodbye. He knew it would be better for him to leave without saying goodbye and without having to witness her reunion with Cliff. But in spite of everything, he found himself heading towards baggage claim to see if she needed a hand.

I'm an emotional cutter, he thought.

As he made his way to baggage claim, he saw Cliff first. He was standing at the bottom of the escalator, holding up a sign that read, I'm so sorry, babe. Please forgive me.

Really? Danny thought. That's all this dimwit can come up with. Mindy had poured out her heart in that letter. Okay, okay, so he was the one that had poured out his heart, but Cliff didn't know that, and all this guy can come up with is, I'm so sorry, babe. Please forgive me.

Pathetic. He doesn't deserve her…

Didn't Cliff know that this was his chance to create that romantic comedy moment that Mindy was always talking about? He should have brought her flowers and candy and a marching band! Something that really showed her what he meant to her.

Danny would have done that and more if she had sent that letter to him.

"Hey." Danny gruffed in his New York accent.

"Hey Danny! Have you seen Mindy?"

"She's probably just getting her bags. You know how she likes to pack for every occasion." Danny replied.

"I wanted to surprise her and pick her up from the airport. We had a big fight. I don't know if she told you about it. I made a huge mistake and almost let the best thing in my life right now go. Well, I've come to my senses thanks to Morgan and Peter and a letter she sent me last night. She's persistent." Cliff smiled sheepishly.

"I can see that." Danny said as his eyes darted down to Cliff's pathetic little sign. "If you hurt her again, you'll have to deal with me."

Cliff looked at him surprised and Danny wondered whether he could kill someone with a look. He hoped so because he was giving Cliff his best Clint Eastwood stare down.

Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?

Before Cliff could respond to Danny, Mindy walked up, dragging her bags behind her in one hand and holding a doughnut in the other. She was clearly struggling to manage it all, but there was no way she was not going to eat that doughnut even if it fell on the floor. Danny smiled in spite of himself. The five second rule existed because of her!

"God, I love doughnuts! I was starving and made a beeline to the Dunkin Donuts counter. Sorry I didn't wait for you, Danny." She said while studying her chocolate-covered doughnut.

"Hi Cliff." Mindy said bashfully just as she was about to hug him.

"Well, I'm going to catch the subway home. I'll see you later." Danny stated loudly without meeting her eyes.

"Do you want to share a cab with Cliff and me? You don't want to take the AirTrain and then the subway home. It will take you over an hour!" Mindy responded indignantly. Danny noticed that Cliff clearly looked disappointed that she was suggesting that he join them.

"Nah. I'm good. I've had enough of cars and open spaces for a while. There's nothing like getting on a crowded subway train to make you realize your home. Besides, you kids need some alone time."

He couldn't believe that he had just said that. Nice, good job, he thought to himself.

Cliff silently mouthed, "Thank you."

"Danny." She stated as she looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, Min."

She took a small step towards him, searching his features to see if everything was alright. "I'll see you at work later today?"

"Yeah, of course, I'll see you later."

He walked toward the AirTrain, gritting his teeth the whole way. As he walked away from them, he silently kept telling himself over and over again, Do not look back, do not look back, do not look back...

And he didn't.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! I've had this idea that the kiss was just a dream in my head for a while now. I wouldn't mind if it ended up being true because I enjoy pinning Danny, as evident by this chapter.