Danny squinted into the setting sun. He was sitting on Mac's roof with a content smile on his face and a pair of strong arms wrapped around him.

"What are you smiling at?" Mac asked, nuzzling the smooth skin behind Danny's left ear.

"Nothin' in particular," he really wasn't, he was just…ok, "I do have a question, though."

"Shoot."

"Why are you doing all this for me?"

"Because, losing you would hurt too much. I just…can't, ok?" Mac laid his head on Danny's shoulder.

"Mmmm…'kay," Danny wasn't near done with this conversation, "So, why'd you become a CSI?"

"Long story."

"Not going anywhere, remember?"

"Yeah. After I got out of the Corps., I still wanted to do something for the city I called home, so I got a degree in criminalistics, applied for the job and wound up here. Long story short, I just wanted something to do and this sounded cool.

"Hmmm…wish I could say the same."

"Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. Now, come on. It's getting cold." Mac stood and offered his hand to Danny. When the other man was standing, he turned toward the stairs.

"Wait up." Danny called, jogging toward Mac. He stepped in from of the older man, put one hand on either side of Mac's face and kissed him thouroughly.

"What was that for?"

"Just a thank-you."

"Do I get more downstairs?"

"Maybe," Danny headed for the stairs. He heard Mac chuckle, "You gonna come find out or what?" he said, smiling.

"Coming, dearest." Now it was Danny's turn to laugh. When Mac caught up, he slipped an arm around his waist. When they got back to Mac's apartment, there was a girl waiting outside his door.

"T.J., what are you doing here?"

"You've got mail," she pulled a small package out of her pocket, "Careful, it's heavy." Mac took it.

"Thanks. Uh, T.J., Danny. Danny, T.J."

"Hey, Mac's told me a lot about you. I guess he finally snagged you, huh?"

"You could say that…"

"T.J.!" a call came from down the hallway.

"Gotta go. Nice work, Mac." As T.J. walked down the hall, Danny turned to Mac.

"Who is she?"

"T.J. is a girl, who is interested in forensics, is in a foster home, and has a single foster mother that works from 6-8. I watch her when she gets home from school. She's good to bounce theories off of."

"And she knows about us."

"Relax, Danny. She's OK with is. I have a suspicion that she's bisexual anyway. Either way, she's pretty open-minded."

"Whatever you say."

"C'mon, get inside." Mac said as he opened the door. Danny backed Mac up against the wall when they got inside. He kissed Mac slowly, savoring the moment. When the primary need for oxygen made itself apparent, Danny pulled back, staring into Mac's eyes. He could see all the emotions running through them.

"I love you, Mac. Really and truly, I love you." Mac kissed him.

"I love you back." Another kiss and a light push toward the bedroom was all it took to get Danny moving. They made love twice that night. Not quick sex, this was meaningful, slow and loving. They took their time, opening their souls to each other.

When Danny woke up the next morning and Mac wasn't next to him, he started to panic. Then, he heard Mac's voice from down the hall. Mac's figure appeared in the doorway, his cell phone pressed to his ear. Between nods and murmurs of "yes" and "no", his face stayed steady, concentrating. After the final "uh huh", Mac hung up and turned to Danny.

"Good to see you're awake." Mac said.

"Mornin'," Danny said while stretching, "So, what's up?"

"Nothin." Mac said, but he could tell Danny wasn't convinced.

"Mac…tell me, what's up?"

"You remember that package from last night?" a small nod from Danny, "It was a very small, but still deadly, bomb. It wasn't finished, but there was a note, a warning, more specifically.

"Mac, why didn't you listen to me when I told you to just stay out of it?"

"That isn't up for discussion, Messer. All that matters is you staying alive."

"Fine. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Promise, now come on. Up. There's breakfast in the kitchen." at the mention of food, Danny was up with his glasses on and heading toward the kitchen.

"Holy…did you cook all this?" Danny was looking at an omelet, OJ, toast, pancakes, and syrup.

"Would you believe me if I told you I did?"

"No."

"There's your answer. Good to see your deductive skills are sharp as ever. There's a place down the street that delivers."

"Really…"Danny had a mischievous smile on his face.

"Danny, you ok?"

"Yeah. Perfect." He kissed Mac, sat down, and started shoveling food into his mouth. Mac chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Danny, whatever you say." He sat down and started eating his pancakes.