A/N: Okay; I'm figuring out the dabble thing. Less than one thousand words. My mother-in-law makes kransekake; and it is to die for! Absolutely amazing, she usually makes us one for Christmas. As always thanks to everyone for reading my little dips into the literary pool: afrozenheart412, and goddessthunder (for the inspiration and words).
And afrozenheart412 my husband was called Montana all through college; I think he was the only person from Montana at our school which probably contributed to it a little. He never minded it.

Chapter 7: Kransekake

Adam bounced into the lab where Lindsey was examining fingerprints. She looked up; he looked like a little kid sometimes. Acted like one too. "Lindsey, Lindsey, a box came for you." He looked down at the FedEx label. "It's from Montana."

"Yeah; if my mom ships me stuff here it is a lot cheaper than to ship it to my apartment." She set the box on the table gently petting it.

"What's in it? Come on you gotta tell me; it isn't everyday someone gets a box overnighted to them here." Adam bounced in place; he really just wanted a break. He'd spent the whole morning staring at lines of code trying to get the simulation he'd been building to work.

"Huh?"

"You gotta tell me what's in the box."

Lindsey smiled at Adam; he really reminded her of her cousin Jake. Full of wide-eyed innocence and wonder. "Kransekake."

"Krans… k aka?" He scrunched his face up. "Sounds like buffalo dung or something."

"Kransekake. Kran – say – ka – ke. Almond ring cake. It's my favorite. Mom made it for my birthday."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Almond ring cake. Why couldn't you just say that? That at least sounds good."

"Because in Norwegian it's kransekake."

"Okay." This Montana stuff was weird: ranch dressing on chicken wings, fried meatballs on sticks, and lef… lefse. That was the word; he'd heard about that stuff from Danny. Apparently Stella and Lindsey had talked about; which Danny had overheard Stella telling Mac. And then he'd heard about it from Danny.

Lindsey grabbed the box and headed out of the lab. Adam wouldn't it rest until he tried a piece; it had been the same thing when Irina one of the techs had brought in cookies for a baby shower she was going to after work. Hopefully mom had put two cakes in the box – one she could share at work; and one she could take home.

'You're gonna share right?" Adam trailed after her; right on Lindsey's feet.

"Yes; Adam I'll share with you." Lindsey entered the breakroom and started looking aroundfor a knife to open the box. Adam handed her a box cutter that he'd brought with him; it never hurt to be prepared. She gently opened the box and saw two very well wrapped cylinders surrounded by green foam packing peanuts.

Adam reached into the box and grabbed a peanut. "I love these! They're the biodegradable ones." He dropped it into someone's abandoned coffee cup and watched it dissolve.

"Nice Adam." Lindsey gently pulled the bubble wrapped cylinder from the box, and pulled off the layer of bubble wrap. Inside the bubble wrap was a tightly Saran wrapped cone shaped with e in the noodles and more bubble wrap keeping the delicate cake safe. "Adam grab a plate and a sharp knife."

He handed her a paper plate from the cabinet by the sink. Everyone in the lab contributed a couple bucks every month or so to buy plates, napkins, plastic flatware and other niceties that the City wouldn't spring for; any extra went to the office holiday party. Lindsey gently placed the thirteen layer cone on the plate with a flourish.

Adam stared at it in fascination. "Is it supposed to be a tree?"

Lindsey laughed and gently drew a sharp knife through the separation between the top ring and the next one down. "No it's actually a wedding cake made out of graduated rings of almond cookies drizzled with an almond glaze."

"Wedding cake; are you getting married?" He asked as Lindsey broke the cookie into two pieces and bit into one. Her eyes closed as she savored the flavors of home.

"No silly boy. It's a traditional Norwegian wedding cake; my grandmother used to make it for everyone's weddings and at Christmas." She handed Adam a piece of the rich, moist, almondy and flaky.

He bit into the cookie, tasted the sweet powdered sugar almond glaze. Tasted the moist almond paste based cookie. "Wow, this is really good."

"Yeah, it is."

"Can I have another piece?"

Lindsey cut the next layer off and handed a second piece to Adam. "We have to save some for everyone else."

"Mmm…. Hmmm…" He grabbed a third piece and on his way out the door called over his shoulder. "I'll tell everyone that there's Montana wedding cake."

Lindsey rolled her eyes at him and yelled after his disappearing form "Kransekake. It's Kransekake."

She drifted into her memories for a couple seconds as she checked the second cake to make sure it wouldn't wiggle around and break on her way home. The cutting of the kransekake at Ginny's wedding. Pretty much the entire extended family had been there; about three hundred people. There had been a band that played everything from Led Zeppelin to polka to the traditional folk dances the old people liked. Right before they cut the 'normal' cake they'd cut the kransekake that she'd helped mom make. Ginny and Tom were blindfolded and spun around to a lot laughing and giggling. She'd actually been the one spinning Ginny around. Then with Greg (another cousin) they'd positioned the newlyweds with a sharp knife at the table with ring cake. The goal was for the newlyweds to slice the cake horizontally and that was how many kids they'd have. Except Ginny being the complete klutz she was managed to cut the real cake. It was three full feet away; how could anyone do that?

"Linds. Linds. Lindsey." Danny broke into Lindsey's memories. "You get anything on those prints yet?"

Lindsey shook her head no. "You want a piece of cake?"

"Food. I'm starving; missed breakfast this morning." He took the piece Lindsey offered. "This is good; what kind is it? It's more like a cookie."

Lindsey smiled and stood up. "Kransekake. My mother mailed it to me."

Jamming the piece in his mouth Danny followed her out the door back to the lab.