Disclaimer: I own piles of shoes, a cat, some forensic anthropology textbooks and many other random things but nothing in this story is mine except for the plot (what little of it there is).

A/N: DnA fluff alert! I am giving you fair warning that this chapter is going to be pure, unadulterated fluff. There are no spoilers because this story can fit anywhere in the series you'd like. So you can pretend that nothing has happened in the show or everything has happened or anywhere in between, I really don't care. Enjoy!

Aiden stretched her arms above her head, arching her back and smiling at the cracks and pops that travelled up her spine, releasing some of the pent up tension. She sighed and dropped her arms to her sides, staring despondently at the photographs in front of her. They were the same case photos she had been staring at for the last hour, trying to piece together what had transpired at the crime scene. Aiden set her arms on the table and dropped her head to them, she really needed to stop pulling doubles and triples day after day. Her eyes slipped shut for what she thought was only a moment when she heard the distinctive sound of a photograph being taken, accompanied by a bright flash of light. She turned her head to see who had interrupted her moment of solitude,

"You are so dead Messer," she snarled, glancing at her watch to see that twenty minutes had passed.

"You look like hell Aid," Danny replied, showing no fear that she would carry out her threat.

"Gee Danny you really know how to make a girl feel good," Aiden clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn.

"Go home Aiden. You're not doing anyone any favours by workin' yourself into the ground. You need sleep just as much as the rest of us, an' you need food too. When was the last time you ate?" Part of Danny's brain pondered the protectiveness he exuded to his partner, the rest focused on getting her fed and put to bed for at least eight hours. Aiden sat in silence as she tried to remember the last thing she'd eaten,

"Um, bagel and a coffee when we brought that kid in for questioning," she replied, fudging the truth a little. It had been more than ten hours since she'd last eaten and that had only been half a low fat muffin and orange juice.

"Aiden!" Danny scolded, "That was seven hours ago!" He worried about her more than a partner should, he knew that, but he just couldn't bring himself to care.

"I know," she replied quietly, "I'm tryin' to lose weight for my friend's wedding anyways, missin' a meal or two ain't gonna kill me." She lied, she'd been missing more than a meal or two for the past few weeks and she knew it was dangerous but the compulsion to be skinnier was weighing heavily on her shoulders. She could hear her mother's voice every time she reached for something unhealthy, You don't need any more sweets Aiden. You're big enough as it is. No boys will like you if you're too fat. The boyfriends that had dumped her and left her feeling worthless and unloved had only made matters worse. Aiden shuddered at the memories that flooded her brain, she shut her eyes and attempted to rid her mind of the thoughts. She didn't need to lose weight, anyone could see that. Danny knew something was definitely up.

"Aid?" she jumped slightly when she felt Danny's hands on her back, massaging gently. "You okay?" he asked innocently, he knew she wasn't but if she didn't want to talk about it right then he'd have to be more creative later. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "C'mon, let's go grab some dinner, it's on me. Shift's almost over anyways," before she could protest Danny was leading her towards the locker room, pausing only to tell Mac they were heading out. His hand never left the small of her back as he guided her to the locker room and from the locker room to his car.

"What about my car?" she asked, glancing over at her parking spot and absently wondering if her car had begun to collect dust yet.

"No way Aid. You are way too tired to drive. I'll pick you up tomorrow and bring you in if you want but for now your car's stayin' here," Aiden didn't fight his logic, she simply sank into the passenger seat of his car and attempted to overcome the wave of dizziness that had struck her as they had exited the building. Traffic was surprisingly light as they were just ahead of rush hour. Danny made a quick stop at a grocery store and while Aiden napped in the car he bought enough food to feed a small country. Danny nudged her gently when they got to her place, "Hey Aid? We're here...C'mon sleeping beauty I'm not carrying you and the groceries," Aiden yawned and slowly opened her eyes, a small smile passing across her face at being called 'sleeping beauty'. Danny followed her up the stairs to her apartment, shifting the bags to keep from dropping them as he waited for her to unlock the door. Aiden collapsed onto the couch immediately, smiling sleepily at Danny as he made his way to her kitchen.

Aiden woke an hour later to the delicious smell of Danny's spaghetti drifting from her kitchen. She pushed herself up from the couch, pausing until the dizziness passed before going into the kitchen to join Danny. "Smells good," she told him from the doorway, "Almost ready?" She asked hopefully, smiling as she watched Danny place large portions onto two plates. He motioned for her to sit and placed a plate in front of her as well as a basket of warm, fresh bread. "You baked bread?" Aiden said incredulously, "In an hour?" Danny laughed,

"Yeah with a little help from my friend the Pillsbury Dough Boy," he motioned to the box sitting on the counter from whence the bread had come. The couple ate in silence, Danny not wanting to pressure Aiden to talk and Aiden not wanting to talk. They both cleared their plates and emptied the basket of bread, Aiden sighing contentedly and leaning back in her chair. She was never concerned about her weight when she was around Danny, she could eat as much as she wanted and never worry about being judged by him.

"You cooked, I'll clean," Aiden offered as they stood from the table. Danny took her plate from her hands and dumped it into the sink along with his.

"Dishes can wait Aid, let's go pop in a movie and relax for a while," she needed sleep, they both did, but Danny knew she wouldn't give in that easily. Danny retrieved a bottle of wine from the fridge and poured a glass for each of them before going to join Aiden on the couch. He placed the glass on the coffee table in front of her before scooping up the DVD case, "Pretty Woman again Aiden? Haven't we watched this like twelve times now?"

"Six," she corrected, taking a sip of her wine and nestling into the couch cushions. The movie had been playing for no more than twenty minutes when Danny felt Aiden shifting positions until her head finally came to rest on his shoulder. She sighed contentedly when he changed positions so that he was supine with her between his legs, her head now resting just above his heart. Aiden allowed the slow, steady rhythm to overtake her and she was soon asleep. For a moment Danny considered moving her to bed but considering his current position he doubted he would be able to do so without waking her. Danny gave up trying to determine a way to move her and simply joined her in a blissful, dreamless sleep.

Aiden's eyes fluttered open to an unusual sight, two empty wine glasses on her coffee table, backlit by the blue glow of the television screen. As she fought off the last vestiges of sleep Aiden realized that she wasn't alone on her couch...in fact she was lying on top of someone . For a panicky moment her heart rate climbed until she recalled Danny bringing her home and feeding her the night before. She'd never admit it to anyone, but waking up in his arms gave her the most incredible feeling she'd ever experienced. Of course having one of his hands on her ass helped a bit.

"Mornin' sleepyhead," Aiden could feel his voice reverberate through his chest, tickling her cheek. She felt his hand leave her ass to rest on the small of her back, just above the waistband of her jeans.

"Mornin'" she replied, "Thanks for last night Danny, I really needed that."

"No problem Aid. No whaddya say I go make some breakfast for us and you go have a shower, then when we're finished we can swing by my place so I can shower and change."

"Deal," she agreed, making no move to get up.

"Uh Aid that would require you to move..." Danny didn't want to let her go but he knew he had to or they'd both be late for work.

"Ten more minutes?" she begged like a petulant child.

"Fine," he gave in, "But if we're late, you're the one who's explaining it to Mac."

"'Kay," she yawned and snuggled closer to him, allowing herself a few more moments of peace before getting up. As she stretched Danny sat up,

"Damn! My leg's asleep! Shit that hurts!" he complained. Does he think I'm fat? Is he trying to say it but be nice? The hurt look that flashed across Aiden's face as these thoughts ran through her mind was not lost on Danny. "Aiden..." he started.

"It's fine Danny," she turned on her heel and stalked towards her bathroom, not hearing Danny come up behind her. Aiden jumped when she felt his hand on her elbow, she tried to pull away but stopped when Danny began to murmur into her ear,

"I did not mean it like that Aiden."

"I know," she whispered back, wrapping her arms around her midriff as though it would protect her.

"Then why did you react like that? You've never been this insecure before Aid, what's goin' on?" As he spoke he had led her back to the couch, showers and breakfast would have to wait. Aiden shrugged, "C'mon Aid...talk to me...please?"

"I dunno Danny. I just...sometimes I feel..." Aiden sighed, "I just feel like I'm not pretty enough or skinny enough or anything enough, ya know? I mean I can't hold a boyfriend for more than like ten minutes and...I guess I just feel like if I can change myself maybe I'll get a boyfriend that'll stick around." Aiden refused to meet Danny's eyes even as he brushed her hair away from her face.

"Aid..." Danny lifted her chin but she dropped her eyes shyly, "Aiden look at me...please?" She raised her eyes to his, surprised to see tender affection and care in the steely blue. Danny swallowed, his hand still under her chin, tilting her face to his, "Any man who doesn't want you for who you are does not deserve you. You are the perfect weight, you are absolutely beautiful and anyone who doesn't see that is blind." A single tear slipped down Aiden's cheek and Danny's free hand came up to wipe it away and his other hand moved to her shoulder, his thumb gently stroking the back of her neck. Aiden's eyes closed and she let out a small sound that was reminiscent of a purr, causing Danny to chuckle slightly. Aiden opened her eyes to find Danny studying her face intently, "You okay Aid?" he asked. She was touched by his concern, she smiled at him,

"Yeah. Thanks Danny." Neither moved, Danny's hands rested on her shoulders and they stared silently into each other's eyes. "Danny?" Aiden whispered, never breaking eye contact.

"Yeah?" came Danny's distracted reply. He could get lost in those coffee coloured eyes of hers. He wanted to kiss her, but held back, not wanting to take advantage of her emotional vulnerability.

"Never mind," she trailed off. She wanted to kiss him but she didn't want him to think she was a slut and that she would kiss any guy who payed her a compliment. The pair was rudely snapped out of their reverie by Aiden's alarm clock going off in the next room. Danny removed his hands from her shoulders and she rose to go shower. After a moment of indecisiveness Aiden bent down and kissed Danny on the cheek, allowing her lips to linger just a little too long for the kiss to be construed as friendly. It was a short, chaste kiss that spoke volumes and set Danny's mind reeling, searching for an explanation to her action.

TBC? Lemme know what you think!