Disclaimer: Same as last time – characters belong to CBS, etc. The story is all fiction, unfortunately. Song and lyrics belong to Miranda Lambert, from her song "Bring Me Down".

AN: This one is for all of us who need 'Messer Rehab'. Thanks for all of your confidence-boosting reviews. Now, don't hate me after this cliffhanger. evil laughter I promise all the build-up will be worth it.

The Night Before

Lindsay walked in to her apartment, tossing her keys on the table and plopping on the sofa. She flipped through her mail and was disappointed to see nothing but junk. The red light on her answering machine glowed steady, no new messages. She stretched out on the sofa and rubbed her temples. What a day! It had started out before dawn, and as the sun rose Lindsay was treading through a pool of lube in a strip club. Then she heard about Danny being locked in a panic room at a crime scene, with the victim's body. She didn't press Mac for any further details, not wanting to appear obvious. Though she sometimes felt Mac could read her like a book, anyway. There was plenty of gossip in the lab to keep her updated. That's why she stayed late at work, pretending to do paperwork but mostly eavesdropping. She had even debated calling his cell phone, just craving his voice, but decided against it. What would she say? "Hi Danny, look I know you're in a bit of a bind right now, but I wanted to confess my feelings. I forget to breathe when I'm around you, and knowing you were in danger made my stomach knot up." Truly, it did. Aside from the flirting and teasing, Lindsay really had grown to care deeply about the guy.

Thinking back to her own case, she wondered if the pool simply reused the lube from each night. The thought made her feel dirty, and she decided a nice hot bath was the way to go. In her bathroom, she turned on the water and waited for the tub to fill. A little self-pampering always relieved her stress.

She soaked in a bubble bath for half an hour, the blanket of warm water soothing her. The steaming fragrance of lavender calmed her frayed nerves. Shadows from a flickering candle danced on the walls, and the radio played soft music.

"Sweet like a kiss

Sharp like a razor blade

You find me when I'm close to the bottom…"

"As I'm putting out the flame, somebody brings up your name…"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. Was there no escape from these feelings? She needed to check in to Messer Rehab. Even the radio station seemed to read her mind.

"Baby, baby, baby, bring me down

I want to be right where you are

Baby, baby, baby, bring me down

You can look me in the eye and break my heart…"

Groaning, her arm flung out to hit the 'power' button. She did not believe in feeling sorry for herself. Like a mantra, she said to herself out loud: "I do NOT love Danny Messer!" But never in her life had she swooned over guy with this intensity. Not even when she was a dorky sophomore at Bozeman High, with an innocent crush on the senior football captain. There had been other guys throughout the years, but they never made much of an impact in Lindsay's life. None left her with stars in her eyes. Until now. She hoped she could just chalk it up to being vulnerable, with all the recent changes in her life.

Stepping out of the tub and drying off, she wrapped her scarlet-colored silk robe around herself. It usually made Lindsay feel sexy, but tonight that thought made her chuckle. Working in a lab all day, in a new city, with no close friends yet was hardly sexy. Her current social life certainly left much to be desired.

Strolling into her kitchen, Lindsay opened a bottle of Merlot she had been saving for a special occasion. No time like the present! Drinking directly from the bottle, she again wondered about Danny. If he had gotten out, how he was. Not seeing him today left her literally aching for him. Stop worrying about him, she scolded herself. It's not like he spent his whole day thinking of YOU. Still, a little part of her liked to imagine that he had. She tossed back her head and gulped more wine.

The relaxing bath and slight buzz from the wine made her drowsy. As she went into her bedroom, she lit a candle and turned down the covers. The bed was practically calling her name. However, a banging on her front door made her stop. Her heart quickened as she rushed for the door, then she chastised herself. Stop. It's not HIM.

An older lady who lived on the same floor was often losing her cat. Actually, she didn't even own a cat. But all of the residents felt sorry for the lonely woman and played along. So when Lindsay saw the pale, wrinkled face and large frightened eyes, she hid her smile.

"Have you seen my little cat?" the woman squawked, in a near-panic. "She just slipped out the door!"

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't. But your door is wide open, maybe she ran back in?" Lindsay suggested. The woman nodded her head and scurried off.

Now, where was I? thought Lindsay, clicking the lock shut. She continued flipping off lights and preparing to go to bed. Within a minute, a knock sounded on her door again. She was usually a patient person, but it was near ten o'clock and she was exhausted mentally and physically. Opening the door only a crack and trying to hide the irritation in her voice, she called out, "Sorry! I still haven't seen your cat".

The familiar voice that filled her dreams and made her breath stop responded:

"I don't have a cat."

Swinging open the door, Lindsay froze. Only one word escaped her lips.

"DANNY".