Author's Note : Hey,... Since I'm showered with smiles and daisy petals, this one is for unlikelyRLshipper, afrozenheart412 and rapidtetv. Thank you and I hope you'll like this one too.

Disclaimer : CSI NY. I don't even own the tiger.

Summary : It's Danny and Lindsay's day off. What more can I say? Just read. Hehehhe!

XOX

6.00am

Knock, knock, knock.

"Forget something Messer?"

"Just..."

"This?"

Lindsay grabbed his shirt front and proceeded to kiss him like he did just before he ran to catch his plane back in Montana, last week. The kiss had caught her by surprised. She had not expected him to kiss her like that. Especially not in the middle of a crowded airport and in front of her two brothers.

His arms that were resting against the door frame supporting him while he waited for her to open the door two minutes after she closed it, wrapped themselves around her. Losing himself in her kiss, only the discreet cough of the elderly gentleman next door, forced him to stop.

Still hugging her while acknowledging Lindsay's elderly neighbor as he walked pass, Danny tried to suppressed his groan as Lindsay nuzzled his chest. She behaved as soon as the lift door closed.

He smacked her butt lightly.

"That's naughty Monroe."

"I didn't know he was there. Anyway, that'll stop him from wanting to introduce me to his nephew."

"Want me to arrest him for you?"

"No thank you. That won't be necessary. Yet." She tiptoed and peck his lips. "So, what was it that you forgot?"

"My jacket." He yawned.

"Danny," Lindsay pulled him closer. "Why don't you just take a nap here. We are going out later anyway. And we were up all night last night talking. We'll get up later, go over to your place for you to change and then we'll go out." She shook him. "What do you say?"

"A very tempting offer." He sighed and pulled her close. "Ok. On one condition."

"What is it?"

"Promise to try something while I sleep." He smirked with half closed eyes.

"Sure Cowboy." She played with his shirt buttons. "I'll try to kick your butt every time you snore!"

He chuckled as he kicked off his shoes and allowed her to pull him towards her bedroom. She pushed him gently on the bed, took off his glasses, tapped his nose and ordered him to sleep. He was out by the time she entered the bathroom to change.

By the time they left the lab last night, it was already late. They deposited her bags in her apartment before going out for supper. At her craving for pizza, Danny had brought her over to his uncle's pizzeria. His uncle was just closing when they arrived. Seeing his nephew and his lovely companion, he made them the house special and told them to stay as long as they need.

They talked endlessly. Laughing, crying, sharing little kisses or just holding hands under the table. At times, his uncle joined them while he prepared for the next day's sale.

It was 5.30 in the morning before they finally left for Lindsay's apartment.

XOX

10.30am

"Didn't you sleep?" Danny woke up to the smell of coffee and the sight of his Montana already dressed in jeans and plain white shirt. Comfortably sitting and leaning against his raised knee on the bed.

"Three solid hours." She smiled.

"That's enough?"

"How about if I get sleepy later, we sit on a bench somewhere and I take a nap on your lap while you feed the pigeons or something."

"Like when we were in Montana?"

"Something like that. Only I was feeding the chickens then."

"I don't believe I actually slept on a bale of hay in your Daddy's barn."

"Messer if I had let you, you would have kept the cow company all night." She rested her chin on his knee. "Didn't you sleep at all before you flew there?"

Reaching to interlace her fingers with his. "No. I figured the day would fly faster if I don't sleep and work continuously. You were there every time I closed my eyes. It was kind of depressing to open them and knowing you won't be there."

She raised his fingers and placed a kiss on them. "Coffee?"

"Thank you."

He frowned when Lindsay took a sip out of the mug in her hand. His intended comment however flew out the window when Lindsay leaned forward and captured his lips. She surprised him further when she transferred the coffee that she had in her mouth to his. He could feel her smiling against against his lips at his groan. She licked his lips before leaning back.

"Coffee hot enough for you?"

For once in his life, Danny Messer couldn't think of an appropriate comeback. He couldn't even remember his own name.

XOX

1.45pm

"You cold?"

"Cocooned between your legs, your warm chest behind me and your arms holding me close? Not a chance." She purred.

"We can leave if you want."

"But you said you'd take me to the beach."

"In summer." Danny squeezed her.

"But that's more than six months away and I hate crowded beaches. Now we have it all to ourselves." She played with his fingers. "What's more, with the job we have, it's hard to plan."

"Yeah. That's true." He sighed deeply.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Danny." She turned slightly and took his jaw in her small hands to make him look at her. "What is wrong?"

"I was just thinking if we would be here if I hadn't flown to you." He pursed his lips.

"I thought a lot of you while I was there. In some ways, you helped me to be strong. Danny, even after I told you that I couldn't be with you. You were still there for me. Always. I wanted to tell you so many times. The night before I left for Montana, I wanted so much to tell you. I really needed you that night. I needed my friend to tell me that everything was going to be alright."

"Why didn't you?" He wiped the tear that threatened to fall.

"Cos I was afraid that," She looked down, "if you knew about me, you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me.I dare not even say goodbye to you. That's why I left the card."

"You said you thought a lot about me?"

"As the trial progressed, I felt caged. Fear mostly. Then I realized that no matter what happens I still have a life to live. I can't let my secret hold me forever. I work with the best. The finest. And no one had ever cared for me like you all do. Like you do.

"I told myself to be strong and fight to get over my past. I need to get over it, if I want to give myself a chance be with you. I almost failed, until you walked through that door."

Danny held her closer.

"So, you are saying, no matter what the outcome you wanted to be with me?"

"Yeah."

"That's good to know. But know what?"

She shook her head.

"I was ready to drop everything and be there with you. Be damned if you throw me back on the next plane. But I just had to be with you. I had to make you see that even if you don't want it, you still have me as a friend. Someone to be with you no matter what."

Placing a kiss on her forehead, he gently cupped her face to rest under his chin.

"Don't cry Baby. It's all over. We are here now and that's all that matters."

XOX

4.10pm

"Wanna a bite?"

"No thank you. I work tomorrow. Hickeys are not part of the uniform."

"Wiseass. You are on leave remember?" Danny chided as he held out the over-sized burger for her to take a bite.

"Hmmmm," She moaned after taking a bite, "That was so so good."

"If this is how you show you appreciation to good food, should I worry about taking you to a restaurant Linds?"

"Why? You are afraid that I'll get all excited and eat you instead?"

"Not an image I want to visualize now Monroe." He eyes actually darkened.

"Just because we are sitting by the duck pond and there are children about?"

"Exactly." He winked. He would have said further if his phone hadn't rang.

"Linds, could you get my phone out of my pants for me?" He signaled that his hand was holding the burger.

"I thought you said there are children about?" She smiled devilishly and put her hand in his pocket.

"That. Is. Not. My. Phone. Montana." He glared at her.

"I know." She growled and fished his phone out of his pocket. Looking at the ID is showed Flack calling.

"Flack" She mouth before pressing the answer key and holding it to Danny's ear.

"Messer."

Holding the phone up with one hand and another hooked into his belt loop to hold him close, Lindsay she took another bite of the burger in his hand.

"Hey Danno. Busy Bro?"

"Sort of." He squinted when Lindsay licked her lips. "I'm off today."

"I know."

Lindsay picked a small pickle out of the layers and put it inhis mouth.

"Then why'd you call?"

Lindsay wiped the sauce off his chin with her thumb.

"I have a minute to spare and I just thought to inform you."

She put her hand in his back pocket to take the piece of napkin that he pushed in there earlier.

"Inform me what?"

"That you and your girlfriend could be arrested for behaving indecently in the presence of children!"

"WHAT!" Danny quickly scanned the area. "Where the hell are you?"

"Five o'clock. Traffic light."

Danny turned to the given direction to see Flack in his car, waving. He tilted his head so that Lindsay could see their friend. She blew Flack a kiss and waved back.

"Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Not until the lights change."

"Get out of here and stop spying on us!"

"Get a room than maybe I wouldn't accidentally spy on you. Green light. See you Bro!"

Lindsay ended the call and placed it back in his pocket.

"What did he say?" She asked.

"To get a room." Danny told her with a straight face.

"Now?" She replied. "But I thought you said we go see the tiger after this!"

"You are a real comedian Monroe."

XOX

5.43pm

"Could we stop for a minute?"

"Now? You kidding me!"

"Danny. You said you wouldn't push."

"I know. But we have a time frame here."

"We still have about fifteen minutes or so."

"How about if I carry you?"

"I'll only slow you down more."

"Come on Linds. It's only a little bit more. We are almost there."

"Fine! You shouldn't have fed me too much Messer."

He bent and kissed her suddenly.

"What was that for?"

"Kissing burns off calories?"

"Really?"

"I don't know. I just made it up."

"Tsk. Anyway, I love your growl. Very sexy."

"Hate to break it to you Linds. That wasn't me."

"What? Oh! It means... Danny look! It's them!" She pulled his hand. "Hey! Kitty Kitty!"

"Those are tigers Montana. Not your neighbor's cat."

"Can you believe this was the place we met?"

"Better this than a dumpster somewhere. Oww! That hurts."

"Baby!"

"So, did you notice me when you first walked on to the scene?"

"You had your back to me. You were taking pictures. Dark jacket, khaki pants... your hair was shorter."

"Was I hot?"

"No. I had already seen Flack and ... ooooh! Danny! You caveman me..."

"Seen Flack?"

"You're growling. You always gonna be like this when I say something nice about Don?"

"Don?"

"Here's a tip Cowboy. Don is hot. But you are hotter than hot. And you are the one that I want."

"Right from the start?"

"At the start I wanted to feed you to the tigers. But you have your moments and you are the one I thought of at the end of that first day and the days after that."

"Good or bad?"

"Good coz you distract me from my living nightmares of that night at the diner. Bad, coz I was afraid that if you ever became a friend, you'd leave once you knew."

"Come here. I'm your friend now. More than just a friend. We are taking it slow, I know. But till then, I'm here. I ain't going nowhere. Ok?"

"Ok."

"You ready to say goodbye to the tigers?"

"You mean, Manny and Mindsay?"

"Just say goodbye Montana."

XOX

11.47pm

"I had a wonderful time today. Thank you."

"Me too Linds."

"You start at nine tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Wanna meet for lunch?"

"You wanna do lunch? With our kind of hours?"

"I guess you are right. You'll be ok?"

"Yes. Only that I'll miss you."

"I'll call once I'm off. And Linds?"

"Yes Danny?"

"I'm missing you already."

"Dan.."

"Slow. We are taking this slow. I know. Night Lindsay."

"Night Danny."

Lindsay ended their call and laid her phone next to her. She settled more comfortably down on her bed and hugged the pillow that Danny had used that morning. His scent was still there and she it hugged it closer. She heard some movements out in the hall but she smiled, turned off her night light and closed her eyes.

Danny ended their call and laid his phone next to his glasses on the coffee table. He got up to check the doors and windows one more time before settling back on couch to settle for the night. He turned his head just in time to see Lindsay's room darkened. He smiled and closed his eyes.

THE END

xoxoxoxoxoxo

I hope that was how their off day went. Sigh. Thanks for reading!