A/N: My plot bunnies finally emerged from hibernation! They united with my muse and hijacked my brain and this is the lovely result! It's short and sweet...and I kinda like it! Lol! Kate hon, thanks for the proposal question that put this idea in my head...Mer-bear, hope you enjoy this ficcie even half as much as I enjoyed yours, and Aud my fluffy wub, our ship made it, we're canon babes! So D/L buddies, on Talk, on DLChem, and every where this is for you...our ship is CANON y'all!

So yeah y'all know the deal...read, enjoy, review...I likes reviews! ;)

The sun was barely starting to peek up over the horizon when he awoke. He shifted in the bed just enough to see out his window, but not enough to wake the woman currently asleep in his arms. He studied the sky for a moment, watching as the darkness withdrew, fading from a deep amethyst to a blue tinged with peach and finally to the sky blue that his eyes were often compared to. He loved mornings like this, when he woke before the city. There was something about those few moments before the hustle and bustle of the day began that he had come to cherish. When or why he wasn't certain, but that it had everything to do with the woman in his arms, of that he was sure. His gaze slid from the morning sky and came to rest on her, his eyes caressing the contours of her face, beautiful as she slept. As he listened to her soft even breathing he found himself wondering how he had ever survived without her.

"You know it could happen to you"
"What? Marriage"
"No, love"
"Don't even joke about that Mac, that's not funny!"

Yet looking back on it, Danny could not help but laugh at the irony. Here he had been so set on not falling in love that he did not even see it coming until he was too far gone to care. It had come on so slowly, so gradually at first. At first, she had just gotten under his skin, this new girl who was so good at her job and so gullible to his teasing. Then it had become a game, to see how riled up he could get her before she snapped. And then somewhere along the way, they had become friends, and the teasing turned playful and flirty. He started to open up to her, rely on her, trust her, need her.

He knew if asked he could pinpoint the exact moment he realized he loved her. It had burned a permanent hole in his memory. She had heroically volunteered to go undercover to get the bad guy. He remembered watching her walk into the building, bullet proof vest on and bag of explosives in hand. It had taken every ounce of his strength not to run in there after her and forcibly remove her from harm's way, carrying her out over his shoulder if necessary. Instead he had sat frozen in the surveillance van, his hand gripping the headphones, listening intently as Lindsay attempted to con the con man. He had heard the question, the accusation in the man's voice and suddenly he knew. Even as his body went into overdrive, shooting out of the van as if by a rocket, his mind held one thought. It hit him as squarely as if he had been physically struck. He loved her, he loved her and she was in danger.

It had taken him almost a week after that to work up the nerve to ask her out, and then another several months after that before they actually got to go on a real date. But Danny had been content to wait. It had hurt when she had stood him up that first time, but he understood how crazy the past could make someone. And he also knew how important it was to resolve those issues before starting something new. So he had waited, impatiently at times, yes. But he knew she needed to be ready and he was certain that when she was, it would be worth every second he had spent until then.

Danny grinned to himself as he softly stroked her bare arm currently draped across his chest. How right he had been. She was worth waiting a lifetime for. That first night on the pool table, he had never been more nervous or excited in his entire life. It had felt like his first time all over again, and in many ways it really had been. For the first time in his life he had wanted nothing more than to please the woman before him, for the first time in his life he had held the woman of his dreams in his arms. And for the first time in his life he knew that if he could only stay there forever he would be perfectly content. They had become inseperable in the months that followed, content most days to simply go home from work and spend their time together. Danny glanced at the skyline again, today marked 4 months to the day that they had woken up together that first morning on the pool table. 4 short months and yet Danny was more certain than ever that if he could only spend every night sleeping tangled up in Lindsay's arms and wake up every morning to her sleepy smile, he would be the happiest man alive. He drew in a breath, it was now or never. He loved her, he was certain. The sparkle in her eye when she teased him, the musical lilt of her laughter, the depth of her heart, the sharpness of her mind, her passion for her work, for her friends, for him. She showed him in so many ways every single day that she loved him, soft smiles, gentle touches, loving words, kisses, unending passion. She made it clear that he was hers and he loved her for that. Danny leaned down and softly brushed his lips over her forehead, it was time.

Perfectly reminiscent of their first morning together, Danny gently pressed the tip of his index finger to Lindsay's nose to wake her. He waited a moment, watching her eyelids flutter rapidly before finally opening. Brown eyes found blue ones and an easy smile slid across Lindsay's lips.

"Morning," God he loved her morning voice.

"Mornin'" he smiled back, watching as she yawned and snuggled a little closer to his chest.

Heart ready to burst, he nudged her forhead with his nose, "Montana..."

"Mmmmmm..." she was halfway back to dreamland.

Danny drew a breath, "Marry me..."

Brown eyes flew open and collided with his, and the infectious grin Danny adored flew across her face, "I would love to, cowboy..." Lindsay slid up and kissing him softly, whispered again, "I would love to."