I kind of feel like a first time fic poster all over again- it's been quite a while since I've posted hasn't it?

I really wanted to post before Christmas, a Christmas/New Years story since the first D/L story I ever posted was a Christmas story but alas I was swamped with school exams and my muse decided to use her vacation time just then. I fired her. Now I seem to have a couple muses, all auditioning to be my 'top muse' and this is the produce of the muse who supports D/L. This fic is a one-shot was inspired by the little 'beer and buffalo burgers, Messer' scene in last weeks episode (3.19- A Daze of Wine and Roaches).

I hope you guys like it, remember it's been a while which equals I'm a little rusty so please review and tell me what you think.

So Much More

She didn't need to tell him that she was about more then beer and buffalo burgers; he already knew that. She was strength and laughter and the air he craved but he never told her that. He'd much rather have her pretty little head as oppose to the swelled head his compliments would likely give her- that and he was scared to tell her. Not that he could complain, slowly but surly she was letting him in again and that made everything perfect.

"Hey Montana-" for some reasons 'Montana' seemed so much more natural then Lindsay, seemed like she belonged to him when he called her that because only he called her that. There was that one time when Flack tried and Danny still didn't know if his best friend was joking or trying it out, but after that one time it had never happened again. Danny had made sure of that.

"Hey," she unclipped her gun, shoving it into her locker before wrapping her scarf around her neck and grabbing her jacket; it was her first day back and it had been draining.

"You heading out?" he asked, following her lead and unclipping his gun too.

"Yup; what do you say to some drinks- on me of course?" She smiled warmly at him and he nodded before he could completely register her offer.

"But how about dinner, I'm starving?" Blue eyes pleaded with her, the way a little child pleads for McDonalds and Lindsay schooled a smile as she nodded.

"What the hell," she winked at him and waited for him to gather his stuff before they moved towards the door only to be stopped by Stella as she came barreling in.

"Oh thank god, I thought I'd missed you," she gripped Lindsay's shoulders lightly and the two younger CSI's tensed- usually this meant a gruesome crime scene that needed the whole team's attention.

"Overtime again?" Danny asked dropping his head and rubbing his eyes; Stella shot him a look.

"No nothing like that I just wanted to see Lindsay," she laughed, pulling the younger girl into a hug. Lindsay smiled as she returned it; Stella felt safe the way a mother does. "It's good to have you back kiddo."

"Note for next time Stel, try not to come storming in here. That tends to put people on edge." That earned Danny a smack upside the head.

"Watch yourself Messer," Stella locked him with green eyes that dared him to say something; Danny was smart enough to keep his mouth shut so except for a small 'ouch' he said nothing about it. "So where are the two of you off to?" Stella pulled open her locker, unable to see the light blush on both Danny and Lindsay's faces.

"Nowhere," they both blurted out, receiving an odd look of question from Stella before she brushed it off.

"Good; we want to take you out for welcome back drinks. That team that is." Stella grabbed her purse and closed her locker. "How about we'll meet you two at Sullivan's; I've got to go round up Mac and Hawkes who both have the same problem with leaving work… in general." She shook her head and laughed as she disappeared the way she came, leaving the two of them alone again.

"Well, there goes that idea," Danny sighed, Stella had this uncanny ability of going from happy to pissed to excited in seconds and sometimes, but only sometimes, it had a tendency to make his head hurt.

"Sorry," Lindsay shifted from one foot to another; this was usually the part where they pretended nothing had happened and took two steps back in the dance they seemed to always be doing.

"What for- not you're fault." Danny smiled at her, stepping up and gently brushing a piece of hair out of her face. "I'll make you a deal- I pay for your drinks tonight if you promise me dinner on you tomorrow?" In all honestly he'd pay for everyone's drinks tonight if it meant dinner with her tomorrow--- and he'd still pay for dinner with her as well. Lindsay ducked her head, ever since Montana touch was virtually non existent between them; that was mostly her fault. "Would that adorable blush be a yes Monroe?" his voice dropped, her breath hitched; the two of them were quite a pair.

"What if I work tomorrow?" she looked up at him- he fingered a piece of her hair.

"You don't- I checked." He licked his lips and she smiled.

"Then I guess I'm all out of excuses. Dinner tomorrow night it is." His smiled was brilliant and she'd known that before but now, well now it was like waking up again.

"Hey are you- whoa sorry I didn't---" Flack stopped, taking in their current position and started to backtrack quickly but Danny stopped him.

"Hey, hey, hey- hold up; what did you need?" Tentatively he dropped the piece of Lindsay's hair he'd been twirling and Lindsay in turn stepped away from him to face Flack. Flack froze and turned back in the doorway, throwing Lindsay an apologetic smile before continuing.

"I was just wondering if we were all on for drinks, I couldn't find Stella?" he scratched the back of his head, mentally reminding himself to always, always just take the time to find Stella from here on in.

"Yeah, Sullivan's- me and Montana are just headed there now," Danny shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked forward on the balls of his feet.

"Would you like to share a cab with us Flack?" Lindsay asked, damn polite country girl; Flack looked once again at Danny and shrugged his shoulders before nodding.

"Well at least one of you was raised with manners," Lindsay laughed before pushing past both of them and moving out of the locker room.

"Hey, are you trying to say something about my mother Flack?" she heard Danny say as they followed her.

"Your mother Messer? No. You're mother is a saint- it's you who had the learning disorder or something." Lindsay smiled; they were like two little boys- all the time.

"Funny Flack," she heard Danny grumble before she pushed her way out of the front doors and relished in the loud sounds of New York; she had missed this.

The three of them arrived at Sullivan's just minutes before Stella, Mac and Hawkes did and the six of them pushed two tabled together before Stella order them all a round. They sat there talking and laughing and ordering one round after around; catching up. But they never talked about Montana and her trial or Danny's little visit- as proud as they all were of her for standing up this wasn't about that; not tonight.

It was some time later when her and Danny stumbled up the stair to her apartment- he had insisted on walking her up to her door; she was pretty sure she laughed at him but let him anyway.

"Thanks again Danny, for making sure I got home okay." She struggled with the keys in her hand until he reached around her, placing one hand on her hip and the other over her hand and helped her unlock the door.

"You're much too good at this," she mumbled, all but falling into her apartment had it not been for his hand on her hip steadying her as he followed her in.

"Well thank you- you'd be surprised at what else I'm 'much too good at' Lindsay." He turned her to face him, not even being slightly drunk could stop her from catching the innuendo in his words; she'd have to be dead to miss it.

"Danny," she warned him, blinking up at him; how was one man so damn beautiful?

"Lindsay," he mocked stroking her hip and making her shiver, "Tell me to stop," he dared her as he leaned in but she shocked them both and instead of pushing him away she pushed herself onto her tiptoes and kissed him. Danny stumbled back before he caught himself and kissed her back. She tasted like beer and the fruity drinks Stella had bought her and vaguely like chocolate and it was a taste he never wanted to taste on anyone but her. Ever.

"Maybe you should be telling me to stop?" she mumbled against his lips and he suppressed a laugh.

"No way in hell," he answered; he couldn't think of anything he'd wanted more for almost two years. Lindsay fit against him perfectly and he pulled her as close as he could until he could feel her every curve against the solid expansion of his body.

"User," she laughed but she made even less of an attempt to stop then he did. Lindsay Monroe was unlike any woman he'd ever been with and he knew, probably from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her at the Zoo, that she was going to kill him slowly. Like burning from the inside out; Lindsay Monroe was what 'slow burn' referred to.

He shuffle stepped her backwards, down the hall and towards her bathroom and he was thankful that most New York apartment were more or less set up the same. Lindsay let him; she was too preoccupied with trying to rid him of his shirt. This, she felt, had been a long time coming.

"This shouldn't be this hard," she growled. Danny Messer had been plaguing her from the moment she used his shoulder to steady herself as she slipped on her shoe in the doll case and she felt it was high time she found out just what his shoulder looked like sans shirt. Or pants.

"Let me help," he helped her pulled the shirt over his head, hissed deep when her small fingers grazed his stomach in the process. Her eyes flicked from his chest to his eyes, asking his permission and he nodded before she kissed his collar bone tenderly. Danny tangled his hand in her hair; Lindsay moved lower. She trailed down, leaving open mouth kisses just above his heart and then his right side and then, gripping his hips she kissed just below his belly button and he groaned.

"Perfect," Lips moved against his skin, sending vibration through him and he stilled as she flicked open the button of his jeans before gently pulling her up.

"You sure know how to flatter a guy Montana," he pressed her back against him, the material of her shirt feeling cold against his bare skin. She kissed his neck as his hands worked on removing her shirt; it was only fair. Lindsay raised her arms above her head and Danny smirked as he pulled the offending material over her head and let it flutter to the ground. He took her in, she was pale and smooth and glowing in the moonlight. He couldn't do this; Lindsay meant so much more to him then sex.

"Lindsay," he ran a hand down his face, not believing what he was about to say, "We can't do this." The smile dropped from her face and embarrassment filled her eyes as she bent to pick up her shirt.

"Oh," her voice choked but before she could turn away, he gripped her hips, bring her in to him, and lightly digging the undone button of his jeans into her.

"Hey, hey, don't get me wrong we're going to do this. Believe me," he almost groaned out, "we're going to do this, but not today- not like this." He placed his hand on the sides of her face, thumbing away the few tears that had fallen before he tilted up her face and kissed her forehead; Lindsay melted into him. "I want to be absolutely sober when we do this; I want you to be absolutely sure." She nodded against his chest before glancing up at him.

"Thank you," she peppered a kiss on his chin before pulling him towards the bed, "stay the night away." He smirked and climbed into bed after her, pulling her body back against his and dipping his head into the curve of her shoulder. He breathed her in deeply as her breathing evened out. He was surprised when she moved and pulled his hand up to her mouth to kiss his thumb. "I think I came back for this."

"Back for what?" he mumbled into her, kissing the junction when her neck met her shoulder.

"This, right now, pressed into you with the prospect for waking up beside you in the morning. I don't think my life would be complete if I never once woke up beside you, at least once- I think I came back for that."

"Just as long as you came back Montana--- and don't worry, this waking up thing, I can guarantee it will be more then once." Danny whispered; did she know that her not coming back had been his biggest fear? Probably not and he held her tighter because she fit so well here, perfectly against him and he never wanted to know what it felt like without her again.

END

-Girlygirl