AN Again I would like to thank my dear hogwartsalumni for being my beta…even if it's cause she just wants to read the chapters first. LOL I had a lot of apprehension about this chapter so I hope you all like it. I do have an idea where this going now finally. :)

Disclaimer: I haven't done one in awhile...still don't own them...still wish I did...yadda not getting paid...yadda for my own amusement...read on already. :p


Moments

Moments are flighty things. They jump in and out of lives whenever they feel like it. Some moments are unwanted and forgotten; others are desperately wanted and difficult to forget. It's these moments that stick to the memory like glue, affixing itself to the subconscious and not letting go.


Lindsay used to love sleeping. She'd relish the moment when her head hit the pillow and she could find some reprieve from life. She wasn't sure if she liked sleeping so much any more, mainly because almost every time she closed her eyes could feel Danny's breath on her. It drove her insane.

It was even worse when Jesse was there; it made her feel ridiculously guilty especially when she reasoned with herself that she hadn't done anything wrong. What kept the guilt on the surface was that fact that Danny was the one who stopped it, not her. For all intents and purposes she would have, at the very least, kissed him during that moment in the locker room.

The catastrophic thing is; she wasn't completely sure that would have been wrong.


Danny ran a hand over his face; he had hoped that over time he'd be able to put the incident out of his head. It wasn't much anyway, he tried to reason with himself, so then why wouldn't that very little moment leave his mind? This was so different for him; usually it didn't take much to get someone out of his mind. He rarely got close enough to feel their loss. Besides, where they left there was usually another one to take their place.

He was torn between wanting to know why Lindsay was different and desperately hoping that if he gave it just a bit more time her smell would rescind to the back of his mind, not continue to permeate the front of it. He couldn't compete with the stability that Jesse O'Malley could no doubt provide for her. He was reckless and spontaneous and not the settle down type by any means.

Right, maybe one day he'd fully believe that.


There was a moment in that day that Lindsay felt that fate was possibly on her side. She was meeting Flack at a new scene. Mac had called her as she was leaving her apartment for her shift so she changed her route. Since Mac hadn't mentioned it she'd just figured she'd be working the case solo.

The vic was Kristopher Wyllams, 26, a bodyguard by profession, found bludgeoned to death. She wondered who exactly he was working for, already creating scenarios for his death in her head, and even though she knew she had to follow the evidence she always liked to at least think about how the crime could have been committed.

His voice halted that thought process, like it did with most others.

"Hey Monroe," He was hoping that if he just acted nonchalant and relaxed that possibly they could get back to the casualness that was their relationship up until that moment in the locker room. "You made good time."

She bristled for a moment then inhaled and exhaled slowly. She had to work with the guy, there was no way around it so she better just suck it up and treat him normally. She turned and tried to smile, "Hey Messer, I take it we've both got this case?" Sometimes she wished he wouldn't dress so well, it was rather distracting.

Danny remembered when the lab policy had changed so that it now allowed some casual wear and he almost wished it hadn't, what with the way the jeans she was wearingwere hugging her in all of the wrong places. He kept that thought to himself and just nodded at her, "Someone wants us to think this is high profile, although Mac doesn't agree."

She looked at him curiously, "Who thinks it's high profile?"

"That would be Stan Collins," Flack's voice came from behind her, she turned so both her and Danny were facing the Detective as he continued, "Shaheena's manager."

"Sha-who-what?" Danny raised his eyebrows.

Lindsay laughed, "Shaheena, she's a new, uh pop princess I guess, she has that single on the radio umm, Want Me, or something."

"Since when do you listen to pop radio?" Danny asked, amused.

She shrugged and looked back at Flack, "Where's the body?"

"Follow me," He indicated, "And I'd better warn ya…"

"About what?" She asked.

"Not you," Flack laughed and indicated Danny, "This new pop princess or whatever she is, is, rather…uh." He was searching for words when a woman met them at the door a blur of silk, hair extensions, heels, and not much else.

She looked Danny up and down then smirked, "You two must be what they mean by New York's finest."

"Yeah, that…" Flack said with a roll of his eyes.

Danny eyed the woman with a straight face although he was amused. He didn't get a chance to say anything because a gentleman in a suit, ear piece and blackberry showed up, "Who are you?" He asked Danny and Lindsay.

Trying to ignore Shaheena as she assessed him he answered, "We're Crime Scene Investigators, who are you?"

"This is Stan Collins," Flack made the introduction; "They're here to process the scene."

"Does that mean they're gonna get that body out of there, it's messing up Shaheena's rehearsal." Collins complained.

Shaheena made her way around Flack gently running her fingers along his back as she walked then saddled up to Danny slowly like an animal approaching its prey. Suppressing her urge to bitch slap the woman Lindsay addresses the question, "We'll release the scene when we're done processing it Mr. Collins so the sooner we get there the sooner we leave."

"You intellectual types get hotter all the time," Shaheena licked her lips not taking her eyes off Danny for a second.

"And you pop starlet's get more aggressive," Lindsay quipped before she could stop herself, "Now where's the body?"

Danny turned to look at Lindsay, did she sound jealous? He must be dreaming, he shook his head and nodded his agreement.

"Follow me," Collins said with a sigh, "You get back to your dressing room." He pointed at Shaheena who dropped her lips into an exaggerated pout.

"I'm sorry Mr. Collins, I'm going to need to interview Miss. uh, Shaheena, here." Flack said.

Instantly she was smiling, "I'll let you frisk me," She winked.

Flack smirked, "Yeah I'm sure you will." He left the room with shake of his head.

Lindsay and Danny followed the manager silently onto what was obviously a main stage. The ME's assistant was there to pronounce. Collins looked at the CSI's with a sigh.

Lindsay waved him away, "You can leave us alone Mr. Collins but don't go far." He left without another word.

Danny still have a thoughtful muse on his face, "That chick was…" He trailed off.

Ignoring him Lindsay started walking around the stage taking in her surroundings. She noticed that one of the stage lights wasn't up with the other perfectly placed spots. She was so engrossed in her work she didn't even hear Danny ask her if she wanted him to go back with the body.

He walked up and tapped her on the shoulder, "Linds?"

She was standing up on her tiptoes trying to see over a speaker at the end of the stage looking at what appeared to be a footprint. She got so startled she lost her footing and almost fell off the stage.

Almost.

Danny reached out and grabbed her arm to pull her back. Not for the first time Lindsay slammed into his body and lost her breath. She looked up at him, "Uh, thanks." She seriously contemplated complaining to his mother for giving him eyes like that!

He licked his lips, something he found he did around her a lot. Why in the name of heaven did she affect him that way? He nearly forgot where they were and was close to just brushing her lips with his own cause he practically ached to do it. But he shook his head back to the task at hand and asked her again, "You want me to go back with the body?"

Why wasn't she moving? This was the questions screaming it's way through her mind but she still didn't step back, his hand still gripped her arm and her hand was up on his chest for balance. She nodded, "It's probably better unless you wanna be the next one she asks to frisk her." She indicated a huge poster of Shaheena at the back of the stage.

Finally releasing her arm but not stepping back Danny managed a strangled chuckle, "Good point, call me if you need anything."

She stepped away from him and nodded, "Sure."

He almost closed his eyes cause her hand ran down his chest before it ended contact with his body. He didn't and just maintained eye contact with her. It was disconcerting the look she gave him but he couldn't walk away just yet.

It was her who broke the contact this time turning away from him to go back to looking at the speaker. She heard him sigh and forced herself not to watch him leave. She pushed the feelings of guilt out of her mind; it wasn't time to berate herself for letting him affect her again. Jesse wasn't going to like that, yet again; she was working a case with Danny. Their relationship was mostly strained lately, but each seemed to be holding on with their fingertips in the hopes that the other would let go first.


How many moments were there? They could probably count them on their hands. The initial touch, bumping into each other in the hall, the numerous times they almost touch which processing a crime scene. This new one added to the mix, lasting longer and meaning more than the others combined.

Then there was all of the feelings involved in the 'almost' touch in the locker room. It was like a flint, spark and dry wood was involved and so very close to igniting something that neither them was ready for.

To the casual observer these sorts of things should not elicit the turmoil very apparent in each of them, yet somehow the combination made for a unique chemistry that was rapidly become difficult to ignore.