A/N: I know what you're thinking. Don't you have other stories to update?

Yes. Yes I do. But hear me out, okay? This has been in the works for a while as it was a request from a friend and loyal reader waaaaaaay back when. And I've been stalling and stalling, putting it off and using my other stories as an excuse. But guess what? It's finished! Yay!

So basically, it's a two-shot (part two is currently being fine-tuned and edited. Patience, my pets. Patience) that kind of builds up to every D/L fan's favourite game of pool in the history of the world. Don't know what I'm talking about? Pshaw. Stop reading right now, go watch Season Three and then get back to me, alright? Trust me, you won't regret it. :D

This fic is dedicated to afrozenheart412 who has been patiently waiting for months, giving me not-so-gentle reminders every once in a while… surprise! Welcome back.

** Warning: Spoilers for Sleight Out of Hand and Snow Day.

Disclaimer: They're not mine. Yadda yadda yadda. They belong to CBS. Blah blah blah.

"Bad day, Montana?"

Lindsay lifted her head from its resting place on her desk giving Danny a wan smile.

"You have no idea, Danny," she replied, sighing as she sat up straight in her chair. "It's just been one of those days, you know? The kind where you wish it was over before it's even really begun."

"I hear you, Linds," Danny said, pulling out his own chair and sitting down, giving her an encouraging grin. "You off the clock yet?" he asked hopefully.

Lindsay turned her wrist, looking down at her watch and letting out a soft sigh as she saw the time.

"Ten more minutes," she said as she pulled a long-forgotten file over to her so that she didn't feel as though she was being a complete slacker for the last few minutes of the day.

Her eyes were on the case file in front of her, but her mind was elsewhere. Specifically, her mind was on the man sitting only a few feet away from her, his attention apparently focused on his own case file as he sifted through the paperwork laid out in front of him.

"Whatcha gawkin' at, Montana?" His question caught her off guard, and she quickly snapped back to reality, realizing that her gaze had drifted up from her desk and she had been caught staring at him. "See something you like?" he asked, looking up from his own paperwork and grinning at her.

"Yeah. Flack is standing right behind you," she replied, laughing as his head spun around to look over his shoulder.

"Very funny," he said, as he returned to shuffling through his papers, trying to appear nonchalant. "Ha, ha."

"Seriously, Danny," she said, "He was right behind you, blowing little kisses at me. You just missed him."

"Uh huh," he said, rolling his eyes as he tucked his paperwork away for the day. "Well, I was gonna see if you wanted to hang out, maybe grab a beer or something… But if you're going to be mean to me, then I'll just have to find someone else to spend my time with. Someone who appreciates me."

"Danny, don't sulk," she said as she shoved her own paperwork into her drawer and grabbed her sweater from the back of her chair. "No one likes to see a grown man pouting. It's very unattractive."

Danny gave her a sidelong look, and she saw a mischievous glint in his eyes that made her insides do little cartwheels.

"So, you're saying that when I'm not pouting…"

"Finish that sentence, Messer. I dare you," she replied tartly, giving him a playful smile.

She stood up and made her way out into the hall as Danny packed away the remainder of his stuff before grabbing his own jacket and following her out of their office.

"You pleading the fifth, Montana?" he asked. Although he was walking in step just behind her, she could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

She smiled to herself as she pushed open the locker room doors, Danny still hot on her heels. She turned to face him, surprised at his close proximity. She could feel the heat generated by his body as she stood next to him. He was staring down at her, his wide blue eyes ablaze with mischief.

"Maybe," she said, answering his question. She looked up at him alluringly through her lashes. "Or maybe I just don't want to hurt your feelings, so I'm avoiding the question all together."

Her heart skipped a beat as he stepped forward, right into her personal space, his face mere inches from hers.

"Go on," he challenged her softly. "Answer the question, Lindsay."

She swallowed hard, trying to buy herself time to calm down the maelstrom of emotions currently swirling around inside of her. She stared up at his face and she could see her own brown eyes reflected in his glasses and for a few seconds, her mind went completely blank.

"Um… what was the question?" she breathed.

A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his lips and Lindsay's breath hitched in the back of her throat as he started to lean in toward her. And just as she had back in the courtroom in Bozeman, she felt drawn to him, closing her eyes and lifting herself up on her tip toes, her body trembling at the prospect of his lips against hers.

"Danno! You in here?"

Lindsay's heart sank as she heard the locker room door slam open and Don Flack's voice calling out to his friend. She opened her eyes in time to see Danny give her a hesitant smile before he answered Flack.

"Yeah, Don," he said. "Over here." He stepped back from Lindsay turning to his locker and keying in his combination before pulling the door open. As she heard Flack's footsteps drawing closer, Lindsay quickly moved to her own locker. She unlocked and opened it, digging through the contents to find her purse and jacket. She snuck a peek over at Danny and she swore she could see a small frown on his face as he carefully placed his gun and badge on the top shelf. He turned his head and saw her looking at him, giving her a little wink and a smile before turning his attention to Flack, who had just rounded the corner.

"Hey man. Oh, hey, Monroe," he said as he leaned against the bank of lockers. "We're all heading over to Sullivan's for some drinks. You in?"

Danny looked casually over at Lindsay, giving her a questioning glance. "Montana? You up for a few?"

She gave him a small, nervous smile before nodding her head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm in."

"Great!" Flack said, rubbing his hands together in glee. "This is gonna be awesome. I don't know about you two, but after such a shitty day, I think we could all stand to let loose a little."

"Amen to that," Lindsay replied as she closed her locker. She followed Danny and Flack out into the hall and as the three of them stepped into the elevator, she felt the back of her hand brush against Danny's. She held her breath, her heart beating in her chest as she waited for him to pull his hand away.

Fuck. His friend had the shittiest timing.

Danny fumed silently at Flack as they walked from the locker room to the elevator. The moment had been perfect, and he was going to do it. He was finally going to kiss Lindsay Monroe, the woman who had been in his every waking thought for months now. He had wanted it so badly, and he could tell that she wanted it too by the way she had leaned into him. He had been so close. And then Flack had barged into the room and ruined it. Fucker.

As the elevator doors opened, Danny stepped inside followed closely by Lindsay. As she turned to stand beside him, his breath caught in his throat as her hand brushed against his own. The electricity that coursed through his body at the faintest touch from her made his head spin and he bit his lip, waiting for her to move her hand. After several seconds, it became abundantly clear that she had no intention of pulling away. He hazarded a quick glance over at her and he smiled to himself as he saw her staring down at their hands, a beautiful blush on her cheeks.

After the elevator doors had opened, Lindsay, Danny and Flack had exited the building, quickly walking the few short blocks to Sullivan's. As Danny held the door open for her, she saw that they were the last to arrive. Mac, Stella, Adam, Hawkes and Sid were all sitting around their regular table with drinks set in front of them. She sat down beside Stella, her friend giving her a warm, welcoming smile. After removing her jacket she leaned back and listened to her friends and co-workers discuss their days, the struggles they'd faced and the difficulties they'd overcome during their shifts.

But Lindsay's thoughts were elsewhere. In her mind she was back in the locker room with Danny. But this time there were no interruptions. No obstacles. When he leaned in to kiss her, she had wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes, their lips a hair's breadth from touching as she felt his arms encircle her waist, pulling her closer.

"Hey, Linds."

Lindsay's mind was jolted back to reality as a voice interrupted her daydream.

"What?" she snapped, annoyed that she couldn't even catch a break in her fantasies. She turned to see Danny lowering himself into the chair beside her, a startled look on his face. She blushed as all conversation at the table ceased and she could feel all eyes were on her.

"Uh… your drink?" Danny said almost apologetically as he slid her Caesar toward her. Mortified, she closed her eyes, letting out a soft groan and wishing that a crack would suddenly open in the floor and swallow her whole.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I was… thinking. And you… um…" her voice trailed off and she shrugged her shoulders, giving him a shy smile. "I'm Sorry?"

"S'okay," he said, smiling timidly at her. He sat down, scootching his chair a few inches closer to hers and resting his arm casually on the back of her chair. Conversation soon picked up again, and Lindsay let herself start to relax. She shifted slightly so that she could feel Danny's arm against the back of her shoulders and sipped her drink, making a conscious effort not to let herself drift off again. She joined in a few conversations, but the truth was, she couldn't concentrate.

She was so torn. She knew that she wanted Danny. She had wanted him for a long time. But she had pushed him away and she knew she had no right to hope that he still had the same feelings for her.

When she had left for Bozeman, she had been so sure that she had missed her chance with him. If truth be told, getting on that plane had been the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. Not only because of what she would be facing as a witness against the man who had murdered her friends, but also because of what – or rather who – she was leaving behind.

She had been at her very lowest, about two inches above rock bottom, when she heard the courtroom doors creak open. In the midst of her testimony, she drew her gaze up from her tightly clenched hands to see who it was that had entered the room. She stared at the man in front of her, unsure if she was seeing things or if he was really there in the flesh. He was supposed to be thousands of miles away. Why was he standing in front of her?

Danny had stared back at her for a moment before giving her a small encouraging nod and moving to find a seat in the crowded courtroom. She had needed a minute to collect herself, and suddenly, all the words she had been struggling to find, all the memories she had been fighting to repress, came flooding back. The testimony that she had been nervously struggling to give was suddenly effortless as the words she had desperately searched for only a few moments before now came so easily to her.

She had sat, her hand held tightly in his as the Forewoman read the verdict. He had pulled her into a tight embrace after Daniel Cadence had been declared guilty and led away in shackles to prison for the rest of his natural life. And when the courtroom had cleared, he had turned to leave, but she had been drawn to him. She had stood on her tiptoes, leaning forward, pulling him toward her, their lips nearly touching.

The flashes had been blinding and she and Danny had both realized that this was not the right moment for a first kiss – surrounded by clamouring reporters and photographers looking for a juicy story. He had taken her hand firmly in his and led her out a side door, back to his rental car.

She smiled to herself as she remembered. He had been so adorably tired, his voice low and gravelly as she'd bought him a coffee before he had to catch an evening flight back to New York. She'd asked him to stay longer, to meet her family. But he'd had work the next morning and needed to get back, get some sleep. She'd watched him try to stay awake long enough to hold a conversation with her over their coffee, and had smiled warmly at him each time he'd jerked himself awake, spilling coffee all over himself in the process. This wasn't the Danny Messer she had first met back at the zoo all those months ago. But it was the Danny Messer that she quickly found herself falling for.

"Earth to Lindsay!"

Jarred once again from her thoughts, Lindsay looked up to see her group of friends standing up and tugging on their coats. Clearly, the evening was over and everyone was getting ready to head home. She turned to see Stella staring back at her, a look of concern on her face.

"Hey, you okay, kiddo?" she asked. "You've been quiet all night. Something on your mind?"

Lindsay smiled at her friend. "Yeah. Something like that," she said. "I'm fine, Stella. Just tired. And frustrated. It's been a long day."

"You alright getting home?" Stella asked. "Do you want to share a cab? Or you can stay at my place?"

Lindsay shook her head. The last thing she wanted right now was to have Stella worriedly hovering over her, making sure she was alright. She was fine, she just needed some time to think. To sort things out in her head.

"I'll take her home, Stell."

Lindsay looked over to see Danny approaching the table, having paid his tab at the bar. Stella's gaze shifted back and forth between the two. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she gave a satisfied nod of her head.

"Good," she said. "Then that's settled. Have a good night, you two."

"G'night, Stell," Danny said. He turned to Lindsay and held out his hand to help her up. "You ready?" he asked.

He helped her into her jacket and held the door open for her as they stepped out into the cold night air. She shivered slightly, snuggling down into her warm jacket and shoving her hands deep into her pockets. She felt Danny's hand on the small of her back as they walked along the crowded Manhattan sidewalk toward her apartment.

"You have fun tonight?" he asked as they meandered slowly through the throng of people heading the other direction.

"Yeah," she said. "But I wish the pool table had opened up. I wanted to win my money back from the last time you kicked my butt."

Danny grinned at her. "Yeah, you wish, Montana," he scoffed.

"One day I'm going to make you eat those words, Messer," she said.

"Oh yeah?" he challenged her. "You wanna bet? I gotta pool table back at my place. We can settle this right now. Best of three, winner takes all."

"You have a pool table?" she asked. He grinned, nodding his head. "In your apartment?" Again he nodded. "But… your place is so small!"

"What? I'm one person. How much furniture do I need?"

"Ugh. You are such a guy," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"If you've got cold feet you can just say so," he taunted her. "Really, I would understand. I'd be scared of getting my ass kicked too."

"That's it. You're going down, Messer," she said.

"Alright! That's my girl," he said as he stopped in the middle of the street, turning and heading in the direction of his place.

As soon as they had entered the apartment, she had dropped her coat on a chair and watched as Danny expertly racked the balls on the table. After the first game, she had asked for a drink, telling him that she needed something to wash down the bitter taste of defeat. He had grinned at her and broken out the tequila.

After her inhibitions had been loosened a bit by the tequila, Lindsay was surprised to find herself winning the second game, but not by much. She kept getting distracted as she watched Danny make his moves on the table. She longed to reach out and rest her hand on the swell of his backside, to let her fingers drift under the fabric of his shirt and feel the heat of his skin as he leaned over the table to make a particularly difficult shot. It had taken every ounce of restraint she could muster not to do so.

As she sunk the eight ball in the corner pocket, she had turned to Danny, smiling as she wiggled in a little victory dance. He grinned good-naturedly at her and gave her a congratulatory hug. As she pulled away, she wobbled on her heel and tripped, falling back into his arms, their faces inches apart. She stared up at him and he gave her a small smile before leaning in toward her.

"I have to go to the bathroom."

Danny froze and she mentally kicked herself. What was wrong with her? She wanted this. She had been thinking about it all day. For days, actually. Months even. And now that there were finally no interruptions, she had ruined the moment. She looked up at him, seeing the confused and hurt look on his face as he stepped back, nodding his head down the hall. She gave him a timid smile before turning to stride quickly into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and letting out a soft groan as she leaned back against the door. After collecting herself, she stepped forward, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Does he really want me? she asked herself. Why would he? I pushed him away. Kept him at arm's length. I missed my chance. We're just friends - good friends. We don't want to mess that up… right?

She glanced back at the door, picturing him standing alone and confused in his living room. She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality. She ran her fingers through her loose curls, turning away from the mirror and pushing her doubts to the back of her mind.

Turning on the tap, she collected a handful of water and splashed it over her face. As she replaced the hand towel on the hook by the sink she heard a soft tap at the door.

"Montana? You okay?"

"I'm fine, Danny. I'll be right out."

Lindsay took one last look in the mirror. Who am I kidding? she asked herself. I want him. More than I've ever wanted anyone.

Grabbing the doorknob, she opened the door and stepped out into the hall, ready to pick up right where she had left off.

So? Did we like? Yay? Nay?

Like I mentioned… there is another chapter coming. And seeing as we didn't get to *that* scene in this chapter… well, I'll let you figure out what's coming up next!

As always, reviews are more than welcome. I love to hear back from readers, so please don't be shy about leaving a quick note to let me know what you thought!