"To be, or not to be. That is the question" -Shakespeare


As Flack tightened the knot on his tie, someone began knocking on his door.

"Don. Open up," a familiar muffled voice was saying.

He buttoned his collar and walked over to the door. He peered through the peep hole, and saw it was Danny.

He opened the door, and Danny saw Flack on the other side, dressed for work.

"Hey Don. Is Lindsay okay,? Where is she staying?" he immediately fired at him.

"Come in a minute," he said, stepping aside to let him pass.

Danny's eyes scanned the room, but froze when he saw a woman, with familiar brown curly hair, snoozing in Flack's bed. He froze in shock. Maybe this was just a misunderstanding. Flack, his best friend, wouldn't do this to him. Maybe it wasn't her…

He pushed past Flack, making a beeline for his room.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Flack, tearing after him.

Before he could enter the room, he heard Danny swear loudly from inside. He rampaged out, shutting the door to the bedroom behind him.

"Who would have known!" he sneered, his eyes as cold as steel. "My own friend stabbed me in the back!"

"It's not what you think Danny-"

"I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS!" he yelled with such force it made Flack step back slightly.

"This is all a big misunderstanding! Me and Lindsay didn't-"

"You're a dead man Flack," he growled, before lunging at him. He threw a well aimed punch, but Flack dodged it and Danny's fist thumped him on the shoulder.

"Dammit Messer!! Hear me out!" shouted Flack, dodging the never ending barrage of punches.

"Danny? What the hell?" interrupted Lindsay, who had just emerged from the bedroom. She pushed Danny off him, and stood between the two.

"I was only staying here because I've got no where else to go! Flack slept on the couch!" she said, exasperated.

"Wha-"

"Yes you idiot. Stop jumping to conclusions," she said, her voice lowering.

"Don, I'm sorry-" Danny began, but Flack cut across him.

"It's okay, don't worry." He pulled on his jacket. "I have to be in for work. Errr…. I'll see you two later?"

"I'll drop by and give you your key," said Lindsay, as Flack headed out the door.

They looked round at each other awkwardly.

"So… do you want to go for a coffee or something? And maybe we could talk?" she asked carefully.

"Just talk," he replied simply.

"I'll meet you outside Starbucks in twenty minutes?" she said, looking at her watch.

"Sure. See you then," he said, heading for the door.

As she heard the door click as it shut, she hoped that this talk would be the beginning for them both.


"Danny."

Danny jumped, and looked down to see Lindsay standing in front of him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," said Lindsay, as they stood outside the coffee shop. Danny shifted uncomfortably, from one foot to another.

"It's fine. Shall we go in?" he said, pointing to the entrance.

"Is there something wrong? You were just staring into space," she asked quizzically, looking up at him. He didn't meet her gaze, but scanned the street as if he was looking for someone.

"Danny? Are you even listening?" she said, starting to get irritated. He continued to scan the streets, in the direction Lindsay had come from.

"Daniel Messer!!" she snapped, waving a hand in front of him.

"Yeah?" he said, peering around the street. He looked at her again, and gestured for her to enter first. She shot him a 'what the heck is up with you?' kind of look, before entering. They took a seat by the window.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Uh, sorry. I thought I saw…" He didn't finish his sentence, but started to look out the window.

"Danny, are you trying to ignore me? If you are, you're doing a brilliant job!" she said sarcastically.

His head snapped around again. "Has anyone been bothering you or anything?" he asked, out of the blue.

"What? No. Why are you acting so weird?"

He paused. He had thought someone was following her. A man in a black hooded top had followed her up the street, but when she met up with Danny he turned into a alleyway. The man was acting quite suspicious, turning and looking back, and fidgeting. Maybe it was just his mind going strange.

"Sorry Linds. I'm… tired. Can I get you a coffee?" he said changing the subject.

"Okay. Thanks," she said, the frustration draining from her.

He brought back two coffees some five minutes later.

"Here's your coffee Montana." He handed it over to her.

"Thanks Danny," they both took a sip of their coffees. "How have you been keeping, since I've been away?"

He paused, and said, "Fine."

"Danny. Truthfully please." He smiled internally. She knew him so well, she could read him like a book.

"Not so great. I've missed you… and I was worried too."

"I thought you were mad at me?" she asked in a small voice, looking down into her half empty coffee cup.

"Montana."

She looked up, into his brilliant laser blue eyes. "I'm trying to understand why you did it. And I do. You were scared, and you did what was best for you. All I want is what's best for you." He slid his hand across the table and took hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He give her the Messer Grin, and she felt her mind turn to mush, and her knees turning to water. His grins always had that effect on her. She smiled back at him, and they stared at each other for a few seconds.

"So are we okay?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, grinning again.

His cell phone interrupted them.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Messer," he said into it. He paused for the other person on the line to speak, and than sighed slightly.

"Okay I'm coming now."

He hung up and looked at her remorsefully.

"I'm sorry Montana, but I have to go into work. There has been four homicides at a house across town, and Mac has to have everyone in."

Lindsay felt a pang in her chest. She really missed work.

"Everyone?"

"I take it that you wanna to come too? You miss work, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, I really miss it," she said, thinking back.

"How about I put a word in with Mac and I'll call you later?"

"Okay. I'll go looking for an apartment I think," she said.

"I'll see you later then? "

"See you later," she said, as he grinned at her again. She felt her knees go weak again. As he walked out of the café, she lifted a newspaper that someone had left behind them. She checked it was today's paper, and pulled a pen from her bag when she saw it was.

"Better get started," she mumbled to her self, flicking to the back of the paper where the advertisements were.

Three hours later, Lindsay had poured through several papers, with no luck. All the apartments had been too far away from the lab, or too expensive to rent.

"Damn," she said, closing the latest one over, frustration getting to her. Danny still hadn't called her, and she was bored stiff sitting in the café. She decided to go to the lab, so she stood and stretched her stiff knees. She then finished her coffee and left the café.

R&R?