AN I apologize profusely for the ever long wait here…honestly I had the first bit of this chapter done months ago but for some reason I couldn't get past one part and didn't know where I wanted to take it…anyway…here it is…there are a couple more as I kinda wanna align them with the season and such…we'll see how it goes.

Anyway there are 'Cool Hunter' spoilers in here if you haven't seen that ep yet…thanks in advance for all your patience.

Habit

It can be an addiction or a compulsion. Habits can be bad or good and they are formed every day. One could probably think of many people who, bit their nails, smoked, drank coffee...it didn't take much for a habit to form.

Lindsay had a habit of nibbling on the thumb of her left hand when she was concentrating or reading a file. She'd also run that particular thumb over her bottom lip sometimes leaving it there as she read.

It drove Danny crazy.

Danny would drum his fingers when he was thinking. Sometimes he tapped his knee, other times he'd run his fingers on the arm of a chair as though playing them like an instrument. The best times though were when he'd inadvertently run his fingers on her arm or her thigh if he was sitting next to her, while they were working.

He claimed it was innocent, but she knew better.

Now if only they could get out of the habit of letting work take over their lives.

Lindsay ran into Danny in the locker room while they were both working separate cases. He was quite dressed down for being at work. The light jacket hung open on his shoulders and he was wiping his face with a towel. If she hadn't been sure she was at work she'd have thought he'd been working out.

"Is there a new office dress down policy I haven't heard about?" She asked looking him up and down mentally reminding herself that while they had established that they wanted to see each other outside of work, it still hadn't happened yet. Him standing there sweating in a white tank top, casual pants and sneakers was making it glaringly obvious to her that this needed to happen soon.

He reached into his locker and pulled out a bottle of water to take a drink before answering her, "I will have you know that I just kicked a kid's ass three times at handball to get a witness testimony for my case. Plus," He held up a pair of gloves, "I have a reference point to some trace we found on our vic's shirt."

"Well then aren't you dedicated to getting the job done." Good lord he looked good.

"Whatever it takes," He said with a grin, he saw what she was doing, subtly wasn't really her strong point right then not that he cared, if she wanted to stare at him she was welcome to.

"Good then I need you for an experiment," She said walking into the locker room to take the bottle of water out of his hand and drink from it. She had to move, do something, he was making her fidgety.

He watched her and shook his head, he hated when people did that, how did she make it cute? "Experiment?" He looked intrigued, "Why don't you get Mac to do it, isn't he on the case with you?"

"Because," She handed him the water, "You fit the profile and I frankly would rather it be you."

He raised his eyebrows, "What's in it for me?"

"The satisfaction of helping out a co-worker." She suggested.

He smirked at her and reached into his locker for the stuff he'd need to take a shower, "I'm suddenly feeling my schedule fill up."

She leaned in and whispered precariously close to his ear, "Does the idea of drinks, on me, clear up your schedule?"

He looked down at her and licked his lips then reminded himself that they were at work he nodded and cleared his throat, "Uh yeah, yeah all of a sudden I have tons of time."

She stepped away from him and patted his arm lightly, "Meet me at my crime scene in half an hour." She walked out of the locker room with a big smile on her face; he hadn't even asked what the experiment was.

"You want me to wear these shoes?" He asked accepting them from the tech they had brought with them.

Lindsay nodded and started explaining their case to him as he tied up the shoes. "I need you in Dr. Zimmer's shoes because the plaster casts that I got from the suspect's footprints were about half an inch deeper in the heel than they were in the toe, which is odd."

He nodded and looked at the box. He was starting to figure out what she had him here to do. He looked over at her then couldn't help but smile when she stepped toward him and put an arm up on his shoulder. Oh so he had to pick her up, interesting. He did so.

Most of her mind was reminding her that she really, really had to focus on the case, "I weigh about the same as the victim, you weigh about the same as," She looked at him, gawd he was close. Do not focus on kissing him Monroe, she berated herself and continued, "Dr. Zimmer," She paused again as the tech put the weight on her lap. "Thanks," She smirked at the look Danny gave the guy, "extra weight makes it exact." She explained.

Danny looked over at the planter, "Look, you promised me drinks for this, but I think I'm gonna need some dinner too." Not that he was minding at all, he hadn't held her in any capcity in way longer than he cared to think.

Lindsay smiled at him, "I'm not gonna give you anything if you don't get going, make tracks cowboy."

Oh yeah he was gonna get something for this. He set her down after he had carried her over the planter, "Cowboy?" He smirked, she just smiled and reached for her camera just as his cell rang, "It's Hawkes, are we done here?"

"Yeah," She nodded, "For now."

He winked and started walking away, "You let me know when I can collect my payment." He pointed before pulling open the door to get to the bottom of the building.

The tech gave Lindsay a look, she shrugged, "I need another battery for the camera." Focus on the job, that's all she had to do for now, focus on the job.

She called Danny later and left him a message to meet her at water hole regulated by their office. She left work without seeing him again and wondered what it was she was doing. She found the more she was around him the more comfortable she got and it was rather unnerving.

Danny met up with Hawkes at the lab after he and Stella had brought in their killer. "You wanna grab a beer?" Hawkes asked, "Celebrate getting this guy in record time?"

"Can't," Danny said heading for the locker room, "I have a date."

Hawkes leaned against the door frame, "Who is it this time?"

"Lindsay." Danny said matter of factly as he reached for his jacket and shut his locker door.

"Monroe?" Hawkes' eye's shot up in surprise.

"This shocks you?"

"Well kinda, I never pegged her as the type to fall for your..." Hawkes trailed off.

"Charm?" Danny asked with a grin.

"Game." Hawkes said instead.

Danny frowned and walked passed his friend, "This isn't a game." He said and headed out. He was nervous, way more nervous than he had been when he was meeting her at Cozy's. This was entirely different, what exactly was he allowing himself to do?

Many focus on habits that are bad trying desperately to break them so as to better their life. What happens when a habit is beneficial to you? For Danny and Lindsay the habit of spending time together, talking to each and opening up was changing their prospective views of the world. Little did they know that in the coming weeks they were going to need each other like never before. The habits that they were forming were going to be the staple for them to get through situations they never thought they'd have to face.

AN I know it's ambiguous...I really do have a plan...just trying to stay in the game here. lol