Author's Note: Sorry about the lack of writing for the last few days. I can't believe I went from 5,000 words a day to two chapters in 3 days. I suck. Let's just say I've been exhausted and leave it at that. Let's see how many chapters I can post today! Go Team! (or some other appropriate sports-like reference).

Chapter Thirty-Six: Interrogations

Lindsay felt much more human after her shower. She'd had to spend the first half of it sitting in the bathtub as the water poured over her because she just wasn't physically capable of holding herself upright on the slippery surface. By the time she got out, though, she felt almost human again. The palliative effects of a long, how shower are truly astounding. She dried her hair quickly with a towel, then wrapped one around her body and padded to her room to get dressed. I swear, it's like spending half an hour under running water actually washed off my hangover… as well as the smoke, sweat and vomit that were all making me feel so very wonderful. She shuddered again, remembering that she'd actually slept with bits of vomit in her hair. Ew.

She put on some pajama pants and a tank top and went out to see her roommate for the second time that day. This time, however, she wouldn't be able to escape "The Talk."

Holding up one finger as she crossed through the living room to the kitchen, she said, "Not without coffee and food."

Jess closed her mouth and waited patiently for Lindsay returned before saying in a flat, incredulous tone, "Danny kissed you."

"Yes."

"Danny Messer. The incredibly hot guy, whom you constantly claim to detest, kissed you, and you somehow neglect to inform me of this fact? Did you think I wouldn't find that, I don't know, incredibly fucking fascinating!"

Lindsay wiggled a finger in her ear, "Could you maybe take it down about 50 decibels? I think they heard you in Brooklyn."

"You kissed Danny, Lindsay! They probably care about it in Brooklyn!"

………

Danny waited until Flack left for work, then finally disentangled himself from his protective blanket of fear. He'd been surprised when that trick had worked, but then he'd realized that he hadn't so much escaped interrogation as simply delayed the inevitable torture of his friend's ruthless questioning. He's knows my weaknesses. This is not good. He's gonna make me crack. Bastard.

Shuffling into the bathroom, he risked a glance at himself in the mirror and immediately regretted the action. It was not a pretty sight. Wiping a hand across his face and through his hair, he realized anew how very bad his breath tasted. With no toothbrush handy, he squeezed some out on his index finger and rubbed it around his mouth and over his tongue. It'd have to do. He stepped into the shower, very glad that he was on call today and praying that his beeper wouldn't go off. Please, God, just let me have one day of prep time before I have to face everyone at work. Please?

Twenty minutes later, he stepped out of the shower again and was toweling himself off when he heard the telltale noise of the instrument of his doom. He picked up his beeper and sighed, then he stared up at the ceiling and mute appeal.

"This is because I don't go to church enough, isn't it?"

………

"That's it?" Jess asked, disappointed.

"That's it." Lindsay confirmed.

"So, it was basically a nothing kiss in completely explicable circumstances with absolutely nothing elicit or passionate behind it?"

"Yup."

"Well, that sucks."

"What?"

"C'mon, Linds! He's the office hottie? ... You're the pretty, new girl from the country? … You argue, but you also flirt? … It's like the most obvious match on the planet!"

Lindsay picked up her friend's coffee mug and sniffed it.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you're drunker than I was last night."

………

"Hey Stella. I got your page. What's up?" Danny asked, trying to behave normally in the hopes that she'd forget what she'd heard last night.

"Follow me, I need your help with something," she said without looking up from the folder she was reading.

"Sure, no problem." Danny fell into step beside her, waiting for the details on the case.

"We've got a white male suspect, late-20's early-30's, real tough guy. He's denying everything. Flack's out on another case, and Mac's in a meeting with the mayor. I need someone to get this guy to crack, and I figure you might be able to do something." She finally looked up from her folder. "I need to get this guy, Danny."

Danny nodded. "I'll do it."

He walked into the interrogation room and spotted Flack, immediately. Behind him were Mac and Hawkes. He whipped around to see Stella closing and locking the door.

"Shit."

………

"So… if I'm not allowed to talk about Danny anymore, can I at least talk about Chris?" Jess asked, slightly snippishly.

Lindsay stuck out her tongue. "Yes, you can talk about Chris. What about him?"

"Do you have any memory of, oh I don't know… talking on the phone last night?" Jess asked casually.

"Phone… phone… I remember someone laughing at me over the phone. Why?"

"That was Chris. He was laughing because you told him you were drunk and suggested that he should get drunk, too. Remember anything else?" She was having trouble hiding her smile.

Lindsay's brow wrinkled in the effort of recollection. "I think… did he say something about doing something today?"

"Good, good. Now… do you remember what activity you suggested?" Jess sat on the very edge of her seat, biting her bottom lip to keep from howling and wrapping her arms around her ribs to stop herself from quaking with the internal struggle to contain her amusement.

Lindsay paused, looking up at the ceiling and squinting. She replayed in her mind the bits of the conversation that she could remember. Jess could see her lips moving faintly with the words. Ever so slowly, the light of awareness washed over her face. Jess couldn't help but notice that it had a slightly greenish hue to it.

"…Oh. Oh God. Did I really say that to him?" Please, God, tell me I didn't actually say those things out loud. And please tell me that Jess didn't over hear them.

"Say what? That you wanted to have lots of sex with him? Or that you wanted to have lots of sex with him because he's really good in bed?" Jess could no longer keep the gleeful smile from her face. She was practically bouncing in her chair.

Lindsay covered her face in her hands. This is because I don't go to church often enough, isn't it?

………

Flack paced around the room. He raised his index finger. "Fact! You, Daniel Messer, have been preoccupied with one Lindsay Monroe ever since she moved here."

"I wouldn't say…" Danny sat at the table, spreading his hands in attempted equivocation. Flack gave him a hard stare and raised a second finger. Preoccupied is an overstatement. Idly curious, maybe. Occasionally interested, sure. But Preoccupied? No way.

"Fact! You, Daniel Messer, frequently seek out the company of one Lindsay Monroe, even when her company is neither required nor freely given."

"Again, I don't think…" It's not freely given? Seriously?

"Fact! You, Daniel Messer, have remarked in private that one Lindsay Monroe is…" Flack paused to flip through his notebook, "… 'the killer combo' wherein you meant that she is both physically attractive and extremely intelligent."

"Hey, I did no such …" At least, not out loud.

"Not in so many words, but I'm a detective, and I know how to detect shit like that. Plus, you have a crap poker face," Flack grinned cockily. "Fact! You, Daniel Messer, have kissed one Lindsay Monroe."

Danny squirmed in his chair.

"What? No denial this time? Cat got your tongue there, big guy?" Flack placed his hands flat on the table and leaned down into his friend's face.

Danny crossed his arms and glared. "I'm not sayin' another thing 'til I get a lawyer."