Alrighty so here it is...I don't own anything. Gum, if you're reading this: You like fluff, right? Good...

"Danny, I need to ask a favor." Mac told the CSI. Danny looked up from his desk. He hadn't had any cases the past few days, so instead had been catching up on his paperwork in his office.

"What do you need, Mac?" He replied, his accent drawled out from his tiredness. He watched as his boss took a deep breath. Danny had never seen Mac nervous before, but he guessed this was what it looked like.

"Well…you know my homicide I'm working?"

Danny nodded. Lindsay had been working the same case, and when they had gone out to dinner she had told him all about it. A fifteen-year-old (Danny couldn't remember the name) had witnessed her mother's bloody murder. Fortunately, the killer had not seen her. Mac's voice brought Danny back from his reverie.

"He…she…Okay Danny. She needs a place to stay." Mac blurted.

"The kid?"

"Yes."

"What's that got to do with me?" Danny asked.

"I've already asked everyone else. No one has room…" Mac treaded carefully. He knew that Dannymight not react well. "I know you have an extra bedroom."

"How…"

"Lindsay." Mac answered.

Danny made a mental note to talk to Ms. Monroe after this meeting…

"Mac, why can't she stay with her social worker or whoever she's been staying with for the past week?" Danny asked. It wasn't that he didn't like kids, he just didn't know how to handle them very well.

"Danny, he found her." Mac stated gravely. Danny knew what he meant immediately.

"How?"

"Nobody knows. All we do know is that last night someone went into her temporary foster home and killed both of the parents." Mac explained, watching as Danny's mouth set into a frown. "Luckily she was at a friend's house…"

"So she needs protection from him?" Danny asked. It was more of a statement than a question, but Mac still nodded. "Mac, I don't know…"

"Messer, this girl needs to feel safe. You'll do that, won't you?" Mac asked. Danny took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair, spiking it up more than usual.

"What will you do if I say no?"

"Then I'll change my attitude." Mac said, his face suddenly deathly serious. "Detective Messer, I'm ordering you to take this child into your protection, And don't mess it up." He said before exiting, leaving a stunned Danny behind. He leaned back in his chair with his hands linked behind his head.

"How am I gonna deal with living with a fifteen-year-old kid…?" He whispered to himself.

"Well let's get one thing straight."

Danny was so caught by surprise that he leaned back too far, sending him and the chair tumbling behind the desk. He began to rub his head. That was definitely going to leave a mark…

"I am not a kid." He heard the voice again. Danny looked up and saw a teenage girl leaning over the desk looking at him.

"What the…" He mumbled, quickly getting back on his feet. He instantly regretted it, feeling all of the blood rush back into his skull and making it pound.

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't do that." She said, crossing her arms. Danny slowly brought his head up, examining the teenager through his glasses.

She had on tennis shoes and worn out jeans that had a couple of tears in them. Danny saw that she was wearing an oversized zip-up sweatshirt with a tight T-shirt beneath it, and he wondered if she was trying to cover the marks.

Danny had remembered that Lindsay had also told him about the beatings the girl had endured. Apparently all of her mother's boyfriends had physically abused her.

That would explain her behavior…

"Are you just gonna stare at me?" She asked. For the first time Danny realized that she had a Staten Island accent, almost identical to his own.

"Sorry…" He said quietly, his eyes finally traveling towards the girl's face. She had wavy dirty blonde hair that went to just below her shoulders and clear blue eyes.

"You're Messer, right?" She asked. Danny numbly nodded. Those eyes…it was almost as if they could look through to his soul…

"How'd you get in here?" He asked, suddenly remembering his scare. He saw her grin madly and couldn't help but smile back as she replied.

"I opened the door and walked in." She said, chuckling when Danny's smile faded. "Detective Taylor told me to come in as soon as he left. The door didn't even close." She told him as she began to tinker with things that were on his desk.

"He just assumed I'd say yes…" Danny mumbled.

"Pretty much." She shrugged. "Mac also told me that we would be leaving immediately."

"Well he didn't tell me that." Danny said, sitting in his chair once he had set it back upright. He smiled as her mouth dropped slightly, then closed again.

"Then I'll just call him and tell him that you're not cooperating--" She said, reaching across the desk for his phone. Danny slapped her hand before she could grab it.

"Fine. We'll leave." Danny said through his teeth. The teenager smiled almost evilly as she walked towards the couch, grabbing a backpack that she had apparently brought in with her. Danny rolled his eyes as he began to gather his things.

"You take too long." She said, moving to open the door. Just as her hand reached the doorknob she was frightened by Danny's voice.

"Do not…leave…this room without me." He said. She froze in her place. She heard Danny's throwing his jacket on behind her, then felt him gently move her out of the way. He opened the door and stole a glance into the hallway before holding his hand out. Danny looked at the teenager and was surprised to see her looking down at her feet. "Well…? You're the one who wanted to leave…"

"Please don't tell me what to do." She asked meekly, avoiding eye contact with Danny. He was taken aback by her statement, but when she finally looked up he couldn't help but nod. Her previously bright green eyes were now dark and her cocky smile was gone from her face.

"Yeah…okay." He said, confused to how she was able to change her demeanor so quickly.

"I mean, I know you're supposed to protect me, but can you just…ask me to do stuff instead of telling me?" She said, this time with a small smile on her lips. Danny felt one side of his lips creep up in a crooked smile as he tried to lighten the mood.

"Would you do me the honor of leaving my office, m'lady?" He said, bending over at the waist and sweeping his arm out. When he looked up he saw that she was back to her teenage self, one eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips.

"You're a dork." She stated simply, walking past him and into the hallway. Danny nodded his head slightly as he led her to the elevator. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all…

PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE review? I'm pregnant with twins...make me happy by reviewing...