A/N: This is Part II of the Dream series. Yes, I am well aware of what happened in 4x16. But this has no connection to that, and I will do a 4x16 piece - later. So kindly keep any comments strictly about this story please? I don't really want to read reviews with nothing more than Danny and Rikki flames. I'm not happy with what has taken place nor do I want to be constantly reminded about it.
Thank you!
All mistakes are my own.
Reading "Dream" is not essential but would give a clearer perspective to Danny's strange behaviour. Enjoy the fluff!
"Are you sure you're okay, Dan?" asked Lindsay, leaning in to brush her fingers through his messy, spiked hair.
Danny forced a small smile and nodded before leaning down to place a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm just great," he whispered softly before nuzzling his face into her neck. "Just great…," he repeated again under his breath and pulled Lindsay closer, enclosing her in the circle of his arms.
Lindsay pulled away slightly to look up at him, there was a small frown on her face and her forehead was creased in thought. Danny didn't look away or she'd know; she'd know that something was bothering him, and he really didn't want to discuss the clear images of a possible future, at least, not yet.
"What?" Danny questioned softly, he added a hint of amusement thinking it a nice touch to his pretence.
"Something's different about you," Lindsay replied. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, but it bothered her, gnawing away at the pool of doubt locked in the back of her mind. "Danny…" she started but stopped when he started to move.
Danny twisted them around so he ended up beside her, propped up on one arm. He smiled at her before leaning in for another kiss. "I'm just a little tired," he said softly. "Guess you wore me out last night."
Lindsay smiled a little but was still slightly suspicious. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
Danny grinned and leaned forward once again, his lips hovering above hers. "You wanna make sure I'm feelin' okay, Montana?" he asked seductively, running a finger down her back. His grin grew at the shiver he felt run through her body.
"Guess I was being stupid," Lindsay breathed out when Danny captured her lips between his. She bit back a moan when he rolled; tucking her beneath him securely as his kisses slowly travelled to that spot on her neck that he knew drove her crazy. "Danny," she whispered. "I've got to…," she bit back a moan, "work…Danny."
With a parting moan, Danny pulled back and admired his handy work. Tracing the small hickey with his finger, he grinned and said, "There, now you're ready for work."
Lindsay rolled her eyes and accepted another kiss before Danny rolled onto his back. "Do you have to do that all the time?"
"Why? You don't like my art?" Danny asked as he turned to her with a small pout.
Lindsay kissed him again. "I'm going to have to cover it up anyway," she replied. She shifted closer and pillowed her head on his chest. She glanced at the small alarm clock sitting on Danny's bedside table and groaned. "It's already eight?" she mumbled.
"What time do you have to be in?" Danny asked as he gently stroked her back.
"Nine," Lindsay replied, "which means I'm going to be late if I don't get up now." With another sigh, she extracted herself from Danny's embrace and sat up, the sheets pooling around her waist, exposing her naked body.
"Not shy are we?" Danny asked with a chuckle, receiving a grin from Lindsay before she snatched a robe hanging on the chair beside her bedside table and slipped it on.
"Why? Like what you see, Mr. Messer?" Lindsay asked as she climbed back onto the bed to give him another kiss.
Danny smiled against her lips and groaned at the feel of her nails scratching along his chest. "I definitely like what I see Mrs. Messer," Danny replied with another moan. That was when he realised what he'd just said.
Shit.
Lindsay pulled back with a strange look on her face. "What did you say?"
"Huh?"
Giving him another weird look, Lindsay shook her head and rolled off the bed. "Nothing," she said, grabbing the dark green towel that was hanging beside the bathroom door, "I just…thought you said something. Just wishful thinking I guess," and she disappeared into the bathroom.
Danny shifted so he could lean against the headboard. He blinked a few times trying to get her his brain around her words. Wishful thinking…that was what she'd said. He shook his head and rolled out of bed.
Picking up various articles of clothing off the floor, he dumped them on the bed and picked out a pair of black BVDs he'd worn the previous night, his jeans and an old tank top from the pile. Slipping them on, he placed the rest of the clothing, mainly Lindsay's into the laundry bag sitting in the corner and made the bed. Lindsay was still showering when he was done so he padded into the kitchen, yawning and shielding his eyes as the sun's morning brightness shone through the apartment's large windows. 'I really need curtains,' Danny thought to himself as he moved to put on a pot of coffee.
Whilst the coffee was brewing, Danny walked to the front door to grab the newspaper he knew would be lying on the dark green doormat outside. It was hand delivered every morning by a boy who lived downstairs. Tossing the newspaper onto the island counter, he picked up the remote sitting idly on the coffee table and switched on the TV to check the news.
Placing the remote into the little wooden bowl in the centre of the coffee table, Danny sighed as the apartment began to smell of fresh coffee. He went over and poured two mugs, setting one on the counter beside a platter of fruit he'd never noticed before, and began to gingerly sip on the other. Hearing the bedroom door creak open slightly, Danny turned around to see Lindsay flattening out a few creases on the white shirt she wore beneath her leather jacket. Handing her the other mug of coffee, Lindsay accepted it with a grateful smile and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thanks, Danny," she said, sighing happily as the hot liquid warmed her from within.
"How long's that been there, Montana?" Danny asked, tilting his head towards the fruit in the usually empty bowl.
"I bought them a few days ago," Lindsay replied with a smile. "You never eat any fruits."
"I do too," Danny replied with a grin. "Just not that often that's all."
"The only reason you noticed it is because it wasn't empty," Lindsay said with a laugh. Unrolling the newspaper, she glanced through the front page as Danny listened to the TV with half an ear. Lindsay turned to Danny, slightly surprised to see him staring intently at her. "What?" He was starting to make her feel self conscious.
Brought back from his little daydream, Danny shook his head and smiled. "Nothing," he replied distractedly. Draining the last drop of coffee from his cup, he stood up and placed it in the sink before walking over to Lindsay and giving her a quick kiss. "You look great by the way."
"Flatterer," Lindsay replied with a smile, "but thanks anyway."
Danny smiled. "You better get goin' soon, Montana, or you're gonna be late," he said, taking not of the time. "It's nearly twenty to nine."
"What ever happened to 'why don't you call in sick?'?" Lindsay asked with a small smile.
"Still do-able," Danny replied with a chuckle. "Even Mac's gotta know what a bad egg roll feels like, and we did have egg rolls last night."
Grabbing an apple from the bowl, Lindsay stood up and gave Danny another kiss. "He'd still figure out I'm skipping work," she said with a grin. "Or he might call you in."
"I'm not comin' in on my day off," Danny replied seriously.
"So you've got plans for today then?" Lindsay asked curiously.
Danny nodded. "Gotta spend some time with my other girlfriend," he replied with a grin, earning him a pinch to the arm. "Oww!" he exclaimed, rubbing the offended skin. "I'm kiddin'!"
"I know," Lindsay replied with a laugh before leaning in for one last kiss. "I'll see you after shift, and It's your turn to cook dinner."
"Sounds good," Danny replied and he watched as Lindsay opened the front door. "Montana!" he called after her, and Lindsay popped her head back in.
"Yeah?" asked Lindsay.
"Just be careful, okay?"
Lindsay smiled and replied, "I will. Love you!" A fraction of a second later she was out the door.
"Love you too," Danny replied in a whisper. He shook his head and smiled, turning away from the TV to glance through the newspaper. Turning the front page over, he narrowed his eyes onto the picture printed in the centre of page three; green grass, headstones and that one lone tree that grew on the small mound in the background. It all seemed too familiar. It was the same graveyard he visited in his dream. It seems they were enlarging the lot.
Danny blinked a few times as the rush of the dream tugged on his heart. It had felt so real, so tangible that he questioned if he would have done anything different had it been real. He remembered the insults he threw left and right like a spitfire heading on a collision course with the ground. He didn't care, and without Lindsay, he didn't want to care. Every day he worked around scum that inhabited amongst the good, yet it was always the good that fall prey to the evils of the world, rarely the other way around. Danny sighed. If he lost Lindsay – he wouldn't have done anything different, he wouldn't care. He briefly wondered what Lindsay would do in his place; would she feel any different?
A knock on his door drew him out of his mental haze and Danny got up to answer. It was Carl his neighbour, an elderly man that he'd talk to whenever they chanced to share the elevator.
"How you doin'," Danny greeted with a small smile.
Carl smiled back and held up his walking stick. "Better than ever, Danny-boy," he replied with a toothless smile.
Danny cringed at the name. "You need somethin'?" Danny asked, raising his eyebrows when Carl handed him a small book. Danny took it and flipped through the pages; it was filled with pictures of horses. "This ain't mine," Danny said.
"It's Lindsay's," Carl replied. "Marge must have told her Sam likes horses 'cause she dropped it by a few days ago. Is she home?"
"Nah," Danny shook his head. "She left for the lab, you just missed her."
"Well, you tell her that we say thanks, got it? Sam loved looking through all them pictures in there."
Danny chuckled and replied with a nod, "Sure will, Carl. I'll tell her."
"Don't forget now," Carl replied with another grin. "Now I've got to get back to my pie."
"Take it easy there big guy," Danny replied. He held back a laugh as Carl turned and wobbled his way back to his apartment at the end of the hallway. Danny headed back in, locking the door behind him.
It was around ten that night when Lindsay finally walked through the door with the intention of doing nothing else but crawling into bed beside Danny and falling asleep. It had been a long twelve-hour shift and she swore to never look at glass the same way ever again after having to rebuild a sheet, piece by piece, with Adam just to be able to identify the impact marks. Dropping the duffel bag she'd brought home by the shoe rack, she slipped out of her shoes and tiptoed into the apartment. The TV was on, and judging by Danny's lack of appearance, she figured he was either engrossed in the show, in which case she'd gladly spook him, or he'd fallen asleep on the couch again. It turned out to be the latter as she rounded the sofa to see Danny peacefully sprawled along the couch with a touch of drool in the corner of his mouth.
Smiling, Lindsay gently sat down beside him and ran a hand through his hair. Danny's eyes flickered open and he turned to smile up at her. Lindsay smiled back and shifted to lie down beside him.
"Hey," Danny greeted sleepily. "What time is it?"
"Just after ten," Lindsay replied. She smiled when Danny's arms circled her waist and she felt his breath warm against her neck. "What've you been up to today?" she asked whilst running a finger up and down his arm.
"Nothin'," Danny replied. "Carl gave back your horse book."
"My horse b- oh! Did he say anything else?"
"Yeah," Danny replied, "Sam loved it. You have their thanks."
"That's good," Lindsay said. "Marge told me Sam loves horses."
Danny mumbled an incoherent reply and buried his face into Lindsay's hair, savouring the feel of her against him, and her scent that drove him crazy.
"Danny, are you okay?" Lindsay asked with concern. She turned in the circle of his arms to face him, pressing their front together as their legs entwined.
"Just tired," Danny replied with a small smile. He tried to make her smile with a grin but it did nothing but narrow her frown. "It's been a long day," he said softly, "full of thinkin' an' my head hurts."
Lindsay didn't move but Danny could see in her eyes the silent words she spoke to him; 'Talk – now'.
Danny sighed and shifted slightly to let Lindsay pillow her head on his chest, which she did, and proceeded to tell her about the dream, distracting his wandering mind now and again by running his fingers through her hair. "I lost you," he whispered the final word and remained silent as he waited for her to say something.
"This morning," Lindsay started after gathering her thoughts, "it wasn't a dream was it? You called me Mrs. Messer."
Danny nodded.
"How did it…"
"Happen? Don't really know…you were shot," Danny's voice cracked slightly, "on the job. You…you died in my arms."
"I'm right here," Lindsay reminded him with a tight hug, "and I'm not going anywhere." Danny remained silent, content with his face partially buried in her hair, and her scent keeping him rooted to her presence. Lindsay smiled as Danny nuzzled his way down to her neck, a habit of his, one which he never failed to follow.
"I love you, Montana," Danny whispered affectionately from beneath her curls, and he tightened his arms around her, pulling her smaller frame against his so he could feel every familiar contour against his body.
"Love you too, Cowboy," Lindsay replied with a smile. She gave him a moment to settle before climbing out of his embrace. She stood up and turned to look down at him with a smile.
Danny held back a protesting whine and looked up at her in confusion. "What?" he asked slowly and she extended her arm to him.
"Come on, I'll make us some dinner."
Taking her hand, Danny contemplated on pulling her down to him but thought better of it. He sat up and let her lead him to the kitchen. He sat down at the counter and watched as she made her way around with ease.
"How do you know I haven't eaten?" Danny asked with a smirk.
"The apartment doesn't smell," Lindsay replied as she put a pot of water onto the stove.
Danny snorted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The apartment always smells till the next morning of pasta sauce when you cook dinner, sweetie," Lindsay replied with a bright smile before dumping a packet of spaghetti into the pot of water. "This needs to boil faster, I'm starving."
Danny chuckled. "I'm sorry I fell asleep. It was my turn to cook wasn't it?" Danny said sheepishly. Stepping around the counter, he gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Leave it alone," he said with a laugh and placed the lid onto the pot.
Lindsay laughed and bumped her hips against his. "I knew it wouldn't take that long for you to get up," she said and ducked when he tried to fling his arms around her. They shared their laughter between kisses, and Lindsay got started on the sauce with Danny hovering around her offering help and tips now and again before he was banished to the counter.
"Stay," Lindsay commanded, but her smile undermined the tone of her words. Danny rolled his eyes.
"Funny, Montana."
Lindsay laughed and turned back to the sauce. "Did Don call you today?"
"Not that I remember, why?"
"He said the game's back on if you can make it on Sunday," Lindsay replied. "I told him you had the day off."
"I'll talk to him at work tomorrow," Danny replied and looked up to see Lindsay's pointed look. "What?"
"You don't want to go?"
Danny smiled and shook his head. "Nah, just thought we could spend our day off together," he replied sheepishly. "We haven't had one in weeks."
"It's only going to be a few hours, Danny," Lindsay replied with a smile. Turning the heat down to a simmer, she walked over and planted a kiss to his cheek, smiling at the blush spreading across his face. "We can still do stuff after."
"Or you could come watch," Danny suggested with a smile. "It'd be fun, and I always wanted my own cheerleading squad."
"Can you taste this?" Lindsay asked, holding out the sauce-covered wooden spoon. "And I'll think about it."
"Think you could…"
"No, I'm not wearing the outfit."
A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Please review and share them.