A/N I apologize if responses to reviews are slow – the alerts are all screwy again and I'm even getting some responses like "no reviews" or "story not found"! sigh But bottom line, I appreciate all of you have read and reviewed, and I want you to know how glad I am that you have enjoyed my fics thus far.
I fear the updates will probably be slow in coming now. Alas, real life has reared its ugly head (got to make a living, I suppose). Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This takes shortly after First Date.
Disclaimer I have acquired nothing since my last fic. And technically, I didn't really borrow the characters. That implies asking first LOL
"Mac, you wanted to see me?" Danny asked, tapping a little apprehensively on the open door to his superior's office.
"Yes, Danny, come on in." Mac waved him in, finishing up the email he had been composing and hitting "send." "Have a seat."
The third grade detective walked inside and sat down in one of the two visitor's chairs across the desk, nervously rubbing his hands up and down his thighs. "What, uh – What's up?"
"Well, we haven't really had a chance to speak since I returned from London and you started back to work. I wanted to talk about what happened in the warehouse."
Danny nodded and exhaled a slow breath. "Right. The warehouse." His left hand reflexively reached up and rubbed at the back of his head.
Mac raised his eyebrows slightly. "How's the hand?"
Unconsciously, Messer brought his hand back down, flexing the newly freed fingers, the cast having been removed the week before. "Uh, it's good. Still a little stiff, but getting better every day."
"That's good to hear. It could've been a lot worse."
Danny was not quite sure how to react to that, so he just nodded.
"I've read the report, talked to Adam." Mac narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression serious, his tone just as sober. "You took quite a chance in there, Danny – a stupid chance. Things could have ended quite differently and –"
"Look, Mac –"
The senior officer's hand went up to silence his protégé. "I'm not finished. You took a stupid chance in there. But I'm in no position to judge, as I did an equally stupid thing in here when I chose to blow up part of the lab. Point being, what you did was also incredibly brave and it undoubtedly saved the lives of your fellow officers, Adam, and yourself. And I'm proud of you."
He was stunned into silence.
"Mac, you wanted to see …" Lindsay trailed off as she walked into the office to see him and Danny in the middle of a seemingly serious discussion. "Oh. I'll come back –"
"No, Lindsay, please, come in and sit down. I wanted to talk to both of you."
Danny's head shot up at that and he stole a glance at his girlfriend before looking back at Mac a little questioningly.
Lindsay obeyed the command and slid into the chair next to Danny a little nervously. "Something wrong, Mac?"
"There are a few things we need to discuss," he explained.
"Oh." She fought back the urge to look to Danny for a hint to what was transpiring and instead provided her boss with her full attention.
"You know, one of the things I've been most proud of during my career is this team that I have been fortunate enough to assemble. I have hand-picked each member, some not without doubt or scrutiny. However, the day the Wilder clan took siege of the lab proved that when it comes down to it, this team not only works well together to bring about justice, but we will also do whatever it takes to protect each other." Mac sat back in his chair, his gaze passing from Danny to Lindsay and back again. "That's why I get a little concerned when there's something going on that has the potential to affect my team, to disrupt the cohesive unit I have worked so hard to develop."
As he paused, Danny and Lindsay both felt on edge, both pretty sure they knew where he was going, but neither willing to admit anything in case they were mistaken.
The tension so thick it was palpable, Mac finally said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, "You know, Danny, taking a shift for your girlfriend is noble, but next time you might want to make sure you don't also take her security badge."
Lindsay's head shot sideways as she fired a glare at her guy.
"I guess so much happened that day neither of you noticed. But upon reviewing the security logs, it appears that Lindsay was in the building that morning, but Danny never once appeared. It's funny but I remember it the other way around."
Danny seemed to sink a little lower in his chair.
"Not that I didn't already suspect something was going on, but that kind of clinched it."
"Mac, I –" Lindsay started.
"Of course, my theory was proved when I paged you, Lindsay, the other night, and the return call came from Danny's land line."
She gulped, herself sinking somewhat in her own chair, an apologetic expression covering her face.
"Now, I'm not one to interfere in my CSI's personal lives. However, when they have the potential to affect the workings of my team, I feel the need to make a few things clear."
"Yes, Mac," Lindsay whispered.
"First, you will conduct yourselves in a purely professional manner when you enter my lab. That means no longing looks, no sneaking off together, no public displays in the hallways."
Danny's guilty expression deepened when he realized that all the covert operations he had been anticipating were being pre-emptively stricken one-by-one.
"Along the same vein, should you have an argument or, God forbid, you break up, those problems will not make themselves known inside these walls. I will not have the integrity of this team or my lab called into question. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Mac," Lindsay agreed, the second time in as many minutes.
Danny furrowed his brow.
As Mac looked at him, awaiting a response, Lindsay fired an incredulous look his way for his silence.
"Danny?" Taylor pressed.
"Look, Mac, I'm not trying to be difficult, or defiant. But there's something you gotta understand here. Ya see –"
"Danny!" Lindsay hissed.
He looked over at her. "No, Montana, this has gotta be said, okay?" He turned back to his boss. "Mac, this ain't just some fling, all right? I mean, me and Linds … Look, we weren't deliberately keeping anything from you. We just wanted to see where it was goin' before it turned into something public that everyone felt they could pick apart. Now, I would never even think of speakin' for Montana here, so I'll just tell you how I see it, okay? This is – I mean, it's goin' somewhere. There is no woman in this world, except maybe my ma, that I respect or care for as much as Lindsay. She matters to me, okay? And she cares about me and I consider that a gift. So I would never do anything to risk losing that. I won't do anything to jeopardize her career or ruin her reputation, and you gotta know by now that I'm not gonna do anything to risk the integrity of this lab or your respect. You got my word, we won't do nothin' to risk any of that."
Lindsay was not sure whether to feel guilty for snapping at Danny or angry that he was almost bringing her to tears in the office of their boss. She looked over at him, and for a moment, she caught his gaze. Hoping that maybe Mac's rules could wait to go into effect until they were finished, she reached over and grasped Danny's hand, giving it a squeeze. She looked at Mac then. "I don't think I have anything to add."
He nodded with a satisfied smile. "Then this will be the last time we ever have to discuss this. You're both dismissed."
"What?" Danny asked incredulously.
"He means we can go back to work now," Lindsay calmed him.
"Oh. Right."
They both stood, nodded gratefully at Mac, and headed out into the hallway.
After they had disappeared from sight, Mac leaned back in his chair with a laugh. He hated to admit it, but that had been fun. He had been waiting months for this discussion, to lead them both to the ledge before he pulled them back in. He was just sorry Stella was off today and he was going to have to wait until tomorrow to collect his fifty bucks.
Back in their shared office, Danny and Lindsay each sat down at their desks in silence, both still trying to assimilate what had just happened.
"Did, uh – Did you mean all that?" Lindsay finally asked softly.
Danny smirked slightly. "You should know by now, Monroe, I don't say anything I don't mean."
She smiled. "Too bad about the whole 'no PDA' thing."
"Ah, c'mon, Montana. Somethin' else you should know by now, I always find a way around the rules."