A/N: I know, I know, almost everyone has written one. But here's another post Love Run Cold fic! Huge thanks to Brinchen for beta'ing (and shut up, you are a great beta ;) ) On second thought
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
"Danny," she mumbled, still half asleep, her hand searching him next to her. When it found nothing more than sheets and pillows she opened her eyes and sat up. Looking around, she realized it had all been a dream, and she buried her head in her hands, embarrassed.
"A dream," she whispered to herself, on the verge of tears. "It was only a dream. He's not here. How could I be so stupid? How could I push him away?"
She had thought she would only take him down with her, but on second thought, it was more probable he'd be able to pull her up again.
Sighing, she swung her legs out of bed and walked to the bathroom, as she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep again. Splashing some water in her face, waking up fully now, she looked in the mirror. Two red eyes in a pale face looked back at her. When she'd first moved to New York she had had trouble sleeping, as it was much noisier here than back home in Montana. But she'd grown accustomed to it, and she'd been happy here. Her apartment was nice, her job was great, her colleagues were wonderful, and Danny… Danny was… Something about him made her… different. Happier. Cheerier. Their flirtatious bantering always made her feel better. And when she'd have trouble dealing with a case, like the mermaid case or the one they were working during Stella's attack, he'd support her. He'd comfort her. And somewhere along the lines of flirting and support, she'd fallen in love with him.
And now everything was ruined. All because some sick person decided this was a good time to throw her past back at her. Right in her face. When the letter from Bozeman had come, Lindsay had instantly known it was bad news. And it was, and it only led to her pushing Danny away, right when she needed him most. She needed him to get through this.
Deciding that she had nothing left to lose, she put on some clothes and grabbed her keys. She was going to tell him everything.
--------------------------------------------
Danny groaned as he sat up. Who the hell would be here so early, knocking on his apartment door? Lindsay, was his first thought. Memories of the night before came flooding back to him and he groaned yet again, falling back into the soft mattress. No way it was her. When the person knocked again, Danny got out of bed, mumbling something about his neighbors.
Opening the door, he saw the person he'd expected last, but hoped for most.
"Lindsay?" he asked, disbelief and a bit of hurt obvious in his voice and eyes. She looked down.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, but audible. "Did I wake you?"
"No. I mean, yes, but it's okay. Do you want to come in?"
Lindsay looked into his eyes, and nodded. As she walked past him, Danny shut the door, still not quite believing she was here, in his apartment. They sat down on the couch, and for a moment they were both silent, not knowing what to say.
"Do you want something to drink?" Danny finally asked.
"Yeah, sure. I'd like some water please?" she said, gratefully.
Danny nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, giving Lindsay some time to get her thoughts straight. A minute later he sat down next to her again and handed her the bottle. She nodded in thanks and opened the bottle. After she'd drunk some, she spoke up.
"You probably have a lot of questions," she said, not meeting his eyes.
"Yes," Danny said truthfully, "but I understand if you don't want to answer them."
Lindsay chuckled softly, now meeting his eyes. "Why do you think I'm here?"
Danny smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I want to explain," Lindsay said, breathing in deep, "why I did what I did, and said what I said."
"You don't have to," Danny said, cutting her off.
"Yes I do," she stated, very matter-of-factly. "I owe you a lot. First of all, I owe you an apology. I am sorry, Danny. I'm so sorry that I pushed you away. I hope you can forgive me after I've explained some things. That's my second point. I owe you an explanation. For my behavior, for why I pushed you away." She paused. "When I was fourteen, I witnessed a crime. A horrible crime. My best friends were killed, and I, by coincidence, survived. I watched how they were murdered, and they never caught the guy who did it." She wiped away a tear.
"Lindsay…" Danny said, enveloping her in a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"You couldn't know," Lindsay said when she'd calmed down a little. God, he smells so good. "There is more."
Danny nodded silently, encouraging her to go on.
"The day before I stood you up, I got a letter from Bozeman. They have finally caught the guy, and need me to testify. I have to go back, Danny, I have to go to Montana to testify against Daniel Cadence in order to put this behind me for good."
Danny rubbed her back, comforting her. "You can do it, Lindsay. You're a strong woman, and you are going to do great, I'm sure. And… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you into something you didn't want. But I am glad you've told me, because I'm going to help you through this, Linds. I can't do it for you, but I'm going to support you the whole time. You can do this."
Lindsay nodded into his chest. "I know. But the thing is… I'm scared," she softly admitted.
"It's okay to be scared."
She nodded again and yawned. Danny smiled and looked down at the woman in his arms.
"You tired?"
"Yeah. Didn't get much sleep lately."
"Come on, you can stay here for the night."
Too tired to argue, Lindsay agreed. She let Danny lead her to his bedroom, and changed into one of his shirts he gave her. She inhaled deeply. The shirt smelt like him. When she lay in bed, she noticed Danny had left, and she called him back.
"Danny?"
Danny walked back into the room; he had probably been halfway through undressing, seeing as he was shirtless.
"Yeah?"
Lindsay glanced at his bare chest and forced herself to look at his eyes. Damn him for being so hot, she thought. She closed her eyes for a second, and then opened them again to see Danny smirking.
"I, uhh, where are you going?"
"I'm just going to make the couch ready to sleep on," he answered.
"Why? I mean, it's your apartment, it'd at least be fair to, you know, share the bed?" Lindsay asked hesitantly. She really didn't want to be alone for the night again.
"You sure? As I said before, I don't want to push you into anything that you don't want. If you don't want a relationship yet, that is fine. I'll wait as long as I have to. You're worth the wait."
Lindsay blushed. "I'm sure. Come on."
Danny smiled and got into the bed next to Lindsay. She rolled over and he pulled her close, not wanting to let her go anytime soon. He was almost asleep when Lindsay spoke up.
"I do want that, by the way," she said softly.
"Want what?" Danny asked, puzzled.
Lindsay pulled away a bit so she could look into Danny's blue eyes.
"A relationship," she continued. "If you still want to, I mean."
Danny's face lit up and he kissed her softly. "Of course," he said, a huge smile on his face. "Like I'd ever say no."
A/N: So, liked it? Didn't like it? Continue, not continue? Anyway, please review