A/N: Same disclosures apply as in chapters 1-7; Please don't forget to review after you enjoy the story!

Chapter 8

Danny watched the door for several minutes after she left. He sat down on the bench and looked at the address she had given him. It wasn't that far from the lab or from his place, which surprised him. He looked at his watch, well, better get my act in gear if I'm going to get over there in an hour at most, he thought. He stood up, looked around the locker room, played the memory in his head again, and headed out the door.

Meanwhile at her apartment, Lindsay was hanging up her coat. I can't believe I invited him over, Lindsay thought. Lindsay went into her bedroom and tried to pick something comfortable, but not overly comfy that might give the wrong impression, to wear. It's funny, Lindsay thought again, Danny was the first person that gave me a hard time in New York but he's also the one that I felt the most comfortable with and made me feel like I belonged…sort of. She finished changing and looked at herself in the mirror. She had let her hair down, so it was resting soft against her shoulders, an oversized sweatshirt from the University of Montana, and a pair of black flannel pants. Comfortable, informal but yet, respectful, she thought. She walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. She thought about ordering something to eat, but wasn't sure what she wanted let alone what Danny would want so she decided to wait until he got there. She went back into the living area, and looked around. She couldn't believe that she could actually afford a place like this, two bedrooms with a gorgeous view. She stood looking out her living room windows for a minute thinking; she could remember the feel of his lips on hers. They were soft and gentle, and she wanted more of them. She started to play the moment they had in the locker room over in her head when a knock at the door snapped her out of her reverie. She walked over to the door and looked through the peep hole. Danny would probably have a fit if she just opened the door, she laughed to herself, probably would make me do it over correctly.

"Hi." She said simply after she had opened the door, smiling at him. He must have changed at the lab, noting his more casual jeans, tee-shirt, and flannel over shirt. "Come on in to Casa de Monroe"

"Hello yourself," Danny said stepping over the threshold, "These are for you." He handed her a bouquet of white and red winter roses.

"They're gorgeous Danny, you didn't have--" Lindsay was cut off by Danny's lips meeting hers. The kiss was slow and meaningful. When they finally broke apart, Danny took Lindsay's free hand in hers and closed the door behind him.

"So should we put these beauties in water?" asked Danny.

She guided them to the kitchen, where the smell of Chocolate-Raspberry coffee filled the kitchen. She grabbed a vase from the cupboard and filled it with lukewarm water. He watched her while sitting at the kitchen table, as she clipped the ends of the stems and put them in water. When she was finished, they kind of just stared at each other.

"So…" Lindsay started, "Do we want to order dinner? Or would you like some coffee? Can I get you anything?" Lindsay knew she was babbling, what was it about this man that made her so nervous?

Danny just stared at Lindsay; she looks exquisite, even barefoot and in lounge clothes he thought, barely hearing what she was saying. That sweatshirt made her look so tiny, not that she looked big in her work clothes; he just never realized how short she really was.

"Danny? Hello Earth to Danny…" Lindsay broke into his thoughts again.

"Sure." Danny answered, not exactly knowing what he was agreeing to.

"Ok, the phone is on the counter next to you, go ahead and pick a place." Lindsay said, smiling slyly. She knew he didn't have a clue what she was asking him to do. He had this glazed over look on his face, like he had gotten lost in his thoughts.

"Um, what am I doing again?" Danny asked sheepishly. He flashed a smile to her. "Sorry…I was too busy staring at you. You look nice, ya know?"

Lindsay blushed and looked away. She didn't think Danny would even notice what she was wearing, it wasn't exactly flashy or something that one would wear to be noticed.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," She smiled, "But as I was saying do you want to order something to eat? Or I could try and cook something. Is there anything you want, to drink or snack on?" She was pouring herself a cup of coffee, anything to calm my nerves, she thought.

"We could order out, I know a couple of good places in this area, or if you would like I could whip something up, depending on what you have in the fridge." Danny was still staring at her, "What are you in the mood for?"

Isn't that a loaded question, thought Lindsay quietly. She felt like her mind and body were screaming for Danny's touch, the warmth and strength of his arms around her, the feel of his lips on her skin.

"Well, what are my choices?" Lindsay asked.

"Well, there's a good pizza joint around the corner and they do all sorts of stuff. Other than that, there's a Chinese place just up the street, Tai a few blocks away, and a Mexican style place too." Danny answered her, "Messer's Pizza would be the place of my choice."

"Messer's Pizza?" Lindsay asked curiously, "Any relation?" He had her attention now.

"My uncle's place, best pizza joint in the city, atleast in my opinion. But I might be biased, who knows." He finished the sentence by standing up from the kitchen table and closed the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck. He loved how she smelled like fresh raspberries, and he loved being able to take the smell in as deeply as he wanted. She wrapped her arms around his waist as well. She loved how safe he made her feel, how strong she felt in his presence, and how happy he made her. She pulled back slightly, so they were still touching but could look in each other's eyes.

"Well, Daniel Messer, what do you recommend from Messer's Pizza?" She smiled at him, "Sooner we get it ordered the sooner we can eat and then the sooner we can decorate for Christmas!"

He laughed at her. She reminded him of a little kid the way she ended her last sentence. He pulled her close again, just enjoying being close to her.

"And the sooner we can talk about this," he said and he felt her nod. "So you trust me to order for you?" He felt her nod again. "How's a chicken finger pizza with medium wings and a sampler platter sound?" Again he felt her nod against his chest. He reluctantly let her go so that he could go order.

"Could you ask for extra bleu cheese?" Lindsay asked at his retreating back and she heard him answer yes. She sipped her coffee again. She could get used to this, how comfortable it felt.

An hour later

Danny and Lindsay were sitting on her couch, munching on pizza and wings. They had been talking about minor stuff, nothing exciting. Danny was telling her how beautiful the city was at Christmas time and how everyone seems to go out of their way to light things up, or decorate, or acknowledge the holiday in some spectacular way. Lindsay had asked about the tree in Rockefeller Center and Danny told her that it was huge, and how they brought the tree in from Vermont every year. Soon they were stuffed, though Lindsay reached that point long before Danny.

"So what is going on with us?" Lindsay asked before she could stop herself, "What are we doing?"

The question, while expected had still caught Danny off guard, due to the fact that he thought she would want to decorate as soon as they got done eating.

"I don't know Lindsay, I really like you." Danny answered honestly, "But I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything. I would like us to be more than friends, but if friends is all you want, I'm willing to except that." He looked her in the eyes, not hiding anything of himself.

"Danny, I like you too." Lindsay said, "I…I want to be more than friends, but won't this complicate things at the lab? We'll never see each other outside of work…" Her voice trailed off, but her eyes never left him.

"Lindsay, I've never met anyone like you. You're so different than any girl I've ever met, and you intrigue me, you drive me crazy sometimes, but I want to be with you." Danny finished simply.

"Danny, what happens if we don't work out? How would we handle it then?" Lindsay wanted to be with Danny more than anything, but all of her insecurities started to surface. "Would we avoid each other? I mean as much as you irritate and frustrate me more than anyone I've ever met, I wouldn't want to lose the friendship we've developed."

Danny took her plate from her and set it on the table in front of them. He turned her to face him completely, so he could look deep into her eyes.

"Lindsay I'm not saying we have to get married. I just want to see where this will take us. Believe me, I've fought this as hard as I possibly can, and I'm tired of fighting it. If something happens, we'll cross the bridge when we get to it." Danny held her hands in his, and stared at her with intensity, as she had seen him do that day in the Ballistics lab.

"Ok," Lindsay couldn't fight it anymore either, "but do we have to tell everyone just yet? I kind of like making them wonder and I want to make sure we've have some time with just us before letting the whole world know." Lindsay paused at the look of shock on Danny's face. "I'm not saying we can't tell people if they ask, I'm just saying let's not shout it from the rooftops yet."

Danny nodded, and closed the gap between them again. He pressed his lips to her forehead, then to the bridge of her nose, and her lips. He was making a trail of kisses down her face. He nuzzled her neck kissing the soft flesh between her shoulders and chin line.

Lindsay moaned softly, she had her arms wrapped around Danny's waist as they leaned back onto her sofa. They spent the next 20 minutes kissing and enjoying finally admitting what they had been denying for weeks. Lindsay finally pushed Danny gently away.

"Danny, as much as I am really enjoying this, I would really like to get my Christmas stuff out and hung up. You did say that you would help me." A smile broke out across her face.

Danny pouted, but then smiled. "Ok, where do we start?"