Danny wandered through the lab in street clothes, cursing the blue sling that still held his right arm against his body and wishing he could come back to work.

"What are you doing here?" a stern female voice asked from behind him. He turned around to see Stella trying to frown at him but not quite succeeding. "You're supposed to be at home resting."

"Stella," he smiled. "When have you ever known me to do as I'm told?"

She laughed and rubbed his good shoulder affectionately. "Well, don't let Mac catch you…"

"Relax," he told her. "I'm only here to grab something from my locker, I swear." She gave him her best "oh, really" look, and he broke. "Okay, I was goin' crazy at home, and Maddie's teachin' summer school, so I came in for a visit. I really do need to get a shirt from my locker, though…"

She laughed again. "That's your story and you're stickin' to it."

He grinned mischievously. "Yup."

They walked along together into a relatively empty room where Stella began to prepare slides of a sample to examine under a microscope. Danny stood and watched her for a moment before speaking again.

"Hey Stella, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure Danny," she replied peering into the microscope. "What's on your mind?"

"What was the best date you ever went on?"

Stella straightened up and looked at her colleague. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm taking Maddie out Friday night…"

She could see the color rising in his cheeks and grinned. "And you need some ideas."

He nodded slowly, trying not to look as embarrassed as he felt. "It's our first official date, and I want to do something special…"

Stella fought the urge to tease him, seeing the serious look in his eyes. "Well, let's see…oh, I know," she smiled, her face lighting up with the memory. "Joe Avery. We got take-out from this wonderful little Chinese place and slow-danced in his living room."

"Really?" Danny asked skeptically. "That's your favorite date?"

She smiled dreamily, her gaze drifting to an empty wall as she watched the scene play out in her mind's eye. "It's cheesy, I know, and kinda lame, but…it was perfect." She shook herself and looked over at Danny. "That help?"

"Yeah, thanks," he smiled.

"Good, 'cause I got work to do," she winked.

He chuckled and bid her farewell, heading out into the main part of the lab again where he ran into Aiden.

"Danny!" she almost squealed, trying to be gentle as she captured him in a bear hug.

"Aid, Aid, take it easy," he grinned. "You're actin' like I rose from the dead."

She released him, a chagrined expression on her face. "Sorry…I was just excited to see you up and around."

"Well it's good to be up and around," he agreed. "How're things goin' around here?"

"It's been pretty quiet," she began.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. No one's stealing lab supplies for a high school, or flirting with a science teacher while on duty, or settin' the lab on fire…"

"Wait a minute," he interrupted. "I never set the lab on fire!"

"Not yet," she teased. "So whataya doin' here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be on leave?"

He nodded. "I am, I just left something in my locker that I need for Friday, so I thought I'd come get it."

"What's Friday?"

The pink crept back into his cheeks and he smiled shyly. "I'm taking Maddie out…"

"Ah, first date," Aiden replied with a smirk, resuming her walk down the hall. "Where ya goin'?"

Danny frowned, keeping pace with her as she moved. "I dunno. It's a big deal, ya know? It has to be just right. Any ideas?"

"Well, there's always the usual—dinner at a nice restaurant, a show, a movie…"

He shook his head his head at the suggestions. "No…too ordinary. Everybody does that. What's the best date you've ever been on?"

She thought for a minute, then her lips curved into sly a smile. "Tommy Montoya. We ate pizza on the roof of his apartment building, lookin' out over the city…it was really romantic."

"Does Don know about that?" he teased.

Aiden elbowed him in the side. "My first date with him would have been the best one, except someone went and got himself shot…"

Danny laughed. "And you know I did that on purpose."

She stopped walking when she reached her destination and turned toward him. "This is my stop…"

"And you have work to do," he told her.

"Yeah." She hugged him again. "Don't worry too much about your date…Maddie will still love you even if you screw it up royally."

"Thanks," he smirked.

Danny headed toward the locker room, figuring he probably ought to get the shirt he came for before he forgot it. Halfway there he heard someone call his name. Turning around, he discovered it was Don.

"Hey man, what're you doin' here?" he was asking.

Danny smiled, wondering how many more times he'd have to answer that question. "Left somethin' in my locker," he explained.

Don nodded. "The shirt you need for your big date."

"You talked to Aiden already…"

"Just for a second, but yeah. And Stella. They mentioned your plans with Maddie on Friday."

Danny sighed. "If I can figure out what the hell we're gonna do."

"Best thing I can tell ya is to relax," Don advised. "I went crazy trying to get reservations at that snobby restaurant we went to and it backfired. We had a miserable time, left early…then you got shot…"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Seems I've heard that once already today," he informed his friend.

"Sorry," Don smiled. "My point is, that the time we spent walkin' around and at the Empire State Building were the best parts of the night, and they weren't fancy or elaborate or even planned."

"That's true," Danny agreed. "And Maddie's taste is pretty simple…"

"'Cept in men," Don quipped. "I'll never understand what she sees in you."

Danny laughed. "As long as she sees it, I don't care."

"Well, say hi to her for me," Don replied. "Duty calls…"

The two friends parted ways, and Danny finally made it to the locker room. He found his locker quickly and pulled open the door, looking for his favorite button-down shirt. He spied it immediately and grabbed for it, hearing a voice behind him.

"Detective Messer!"

He whirled around, ready to explain himself yet again to whomever questioned his presence, but the words died on his lips. "Mac…"

Mac saw the startled expression on Danny's face and smiled good-naturedly. "How's the shoulder?" he asked innocently.

Danny grinned. "Gettin' better."

"Good," Mac replied. He gestured toward Danny's open locker. "You're not planning on working, are you?"

Danny shook his head vigorously. "No, I know better than that. I just needed to get something from my locker…"

Mac smiled again. "For the big date on Friday."

"Ya know, for people who deal with confidential information every day, we really suck at keeping secrets," Danny frowned.

Mac laughed. "News certainly does travel fast around here."

The two were quiet for a moment before Danny broke the silence. "Hey Mac, do you remember your first date with Claire?"

A soft smile spread over Mac's face and his eyes took on a distant look as his mind traveled back over the years. "I'll never forget it. I wore the only suit I had, hoping to impress her," he chuckled. "I had a new shirt on, my best tie, the whole nine yards."

"Where did you end up going?" Danny asked.

Mac chuckled again. "We went to the movies."

"In your suit?"

"Yep," Mac nodded. "Her favorite movie was playing at a theater close by, and it happened to be my favorite movie, too. So we went, just on the spur of the moment, even though I was all dressed up." His lips curved into a smile and his eyes crinkled up as he continued to remember. "I was so nervous I kept playing with my tie during the movie and it was driving her crazy. She just took my hand in hers and held it for the rest of the night…"

Danny smiled as Mac's voice trailed off. "Sounds like a nice evening."

"It was," Mac agreed. "And it didn't matter what either of us was wearing or where we went…it was nice to just be together." He sighed and brought himself back to the present. "So what's on tap for Friday?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm startin' to get some ideas," Danny grinned.

"Well, whatever you do, enjoy yourselves. And give Maddie my best," Mac added, patting Danny on the shoulder as he turned to leave.

"I will," Danny promised. He grabbed the shirt from his locker and pushed the door shut with his elbow, cursing the blue sling again as he made his way back to the parking lot. He climbed into the car and fumbled with the keys as he tried to turn the ignition with his left hand. He drove back to Maddie's apartment, knowing she should be home from teaching summer school by now, and wondering what they could do on Friday. Along the way he passed a street vendor who was hocking tiny plastic versions of the Empire State Building, and Danny winced, remembering the last time he'd been up there. It had not gone well, but perhaps he was being given a second chance. "Now that's an idea…"