Danny woke up the next morning with a full stomach and a grin on his face. The Yankees might have lost the game but he still had a great time at Lindsay's apartment.

When he got off work last night he knew the Yankee game was on and contemplated heading to a sports bar. The usual crowd would be at there and shouting at the television with the guys was almost as good an outlet as boxing or running. He knew he wanted to have a beer, watch the game but he hadn't figured he would end up on Lindsay's couch.

Whatever compelled him to show up at Lindsay's apartment was unknown to him and before he understood what he was doing, he was looking up her address at work. Before he could decide if it was a bad idea or not, he wrote down her apartment number and decided he would do whatever it took to get inside. He thought about flowers, he thought about bringing a bottle of wine but instead he decided the best way to get in would be persistence.

Don't take no for an answer, Messer, he thought.

Much to his delight, she let him in. Even better, she didn't say anything when he sat in the middle of the couch, leaving her to sit next to him. He planned it that way but he was a man, could anyone really blame him?

The first time he asked her to get a bite to eat was during the dolls case the same way he used to ask Aiden. Although, he had never asked Aiden to get some food after he had just been holding her hand. Lindsay's smooth, little hand in his was cold from the winter air but warm against his skin. Even though he might have agreed it was better to get back to the lab at the time, he was disappointed he missed a meal with her.

As he turned on the shower and stepped inside the stall he thought about the way she nervously smiled at him their first encounter. She had walked dutifully past him to Mac as he took pictures of the tiger's cage. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him after he introduced himself. Aside from the fact they were in a zoo and the remnants of a human body were around them, she smelled fantastic and he made a mental note to invade her space as often as possible.

It was too easy to get one in on the new girl. She was nervous and it was adorable. It was juvenile of him and he knew it. If Danny and Lindsay were on the playground at grade school he'd be pulling her hair or pushing her down to get her attention. Calling her Montana was just another way to get her attention, and it worked. It might have irritated her but he couldn't help liking the way she flared her nostrils and took a breath, stopping herself from snapping at him.

Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and began brushing his teeth. He thought about Lindsay's neighbour coming by after Danny had answered her phone.

The nerve of some people, he thought.

He had to admire the man's restraint. Danny would have been over in five minutes, not over two hours later.

Danny scoffed at the idea of opera tickets as a thank-you for babysitting although Danny was probably hanging out with the wrong people if it worked and Lindsay went with the annoying neighbour.

"What kind of man doesn't pick a baseball team?" Danny thought out loud with slight disgust.

Lindsay wouldn't understand how shameful a lack to a team, NY or otherwise, was until the Yankees were well in it this season. He thought about taking Lindsay to a game, a NY cap sitting on her head and of course a Yankees jacket. It wasn't long before his mind drifted to picturing Lindsay kneeling on his bed with the Yankees T-shirt he wore to her apartment last night.

Oh yeah, definitely have to take Montana to a Yankee game, he thought with a smile.

Against all preceding relationships and opposing everything he wanted to feel about her, Danny knew he was attracted to her. The way he had been thinking since she walked into that tiger cage was due to her. Things in his life might have been complicated and it wasn't like it wouldn't be more so if they were involved but his mind was racing toward the idea of her.

It wasn't like when they first met he didn't think about it. Any typical man would ponder the idea of a cute new co-worker and while Danny had never had a problem getting dates, a man like Danny didn't attract a woman like Lindsay.

Women like Lindsay went for safer bedfellows, like Sheldon Hawkes. Men like Hawkes were respectful to the rookies to the team, lived for medicine or something noble like fighting crime and with spotless records.

It was the train of thought which worried Danny about a possible relationship already happening between Lindsay and Hawkes.

"Nah," he said out loud.

Hawkes was too smart to get involved with someone at work although Danny wondered what stopped the medical examiner. He stopped himself that train of thought, realizing if he would just drive himself crazy.

Danny finished getting ready for work, grabbed a coffee on his way to the subway before getting on at his stop. Looking around the subway car he smiled when he saw his new friend with a coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

The subway came to a stop and the car emptied out, as well as a spot next to her. He made his way quickly through the car and sat next to the petite brunette and she looked up from her paper.

"Hi," she said quietly.

Danny touched his coffee to hers in a 'cheers' manner and she smiled. "Morning."

"I didn't know you took this line," he commented.

Lindsay tucked the newspaper between them and moved closer to him as an elderly woman approached them, making room for her.

"Thank you, dear," she said and Lindsay smiled.

"I don't usually," she replied "My neighbour needed me to walk his daughter to school."

"James Ivey," he guessed.

Lindsay nodded. "He had an early meeting."

"How old is Jenna?" he asked. Danny wasn't sure if he wanted to know but making conversation with Lindsay was better than sitting in silence.

"She's ten," she replied.

"Divorce is hard on kids," he noted.

"She's a smart girl," Lindsay said. "She knows it's not her fault but she doesn't quite understand why she's in the middle."

"Tread lightly there," he advised. "Too involved and suddenly you're being subpoenaed to testify by a divorce lawyer."

Lindsay looked up at Danny and leaned into him. "Speaking from experience?"

"I don't like to testify and tell," he teased and she nudged him playfully.

The car jerked and the car suddenly went dark. In an attempt to catch her balance, Lindsay clutched onto his knee. Instinctively, he put his arm around her shoulders, holding her to him. Danny tried to ignore the feeling of her nails digging into his leg through his jeans and he gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

The lights in the car came on and she looked at him with an embarrassed smile.

"You all right Montana?" he asked, still holding her shoulders.

"Subway nerves," she said letting go of his knee.

Danny propped his elbow on the seat behind her and left his fingers lingering on her jacket. "Is that like fear of flying?"

She smiled at him and took a sip of her coffee. "You big on flying?"

Danny shook his head. "No reason to fly anywhere. This city has it all."

"You wouldn't be interested in a trip somewhere tropical?" she asked. "Jamaica or Hawaii?"

With a boyish smile he squeezed her shoulder. "You askin'?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Are you sure there's room enough in this car for us and your ego?"

Danny gave her a nudge and they shared a laugh.

The elderly woman next to Lindsay cleared her throat. "Would you and your boyfriend mind telling me when we get to Lexington?"

Danny smiled, leaning over Lindsay. "No problem."

The next stop arrived and the elderly woman left the cab and Lindsay gave Danny a nudge.

"What?"

"You should have corrected her," she said quietly.

"This isn't a small town, Lindsay," he reminded her. "One old woman calling me your boyfriend isn't going to end up in the newspaper."

Lindsay smiled. "Old habits die hard."

"I'm not saying everything isn't connected," he theorised. "But you gotta learn to relax."

"Making sure everyone has their facts straight was a big deal," Lindsay replied. "Propriety is big where I'm from."

"This is New York," Danny reminded her as their car pulled to their stop. He put his hand on her lower back as they made their way through the crowd "You've got to understand we're at a higher standard but no one cares if two people in the lab are involved."

"Wouldn't Mac?" she asked.

Danny shrugged one shoulder. "I don't think it's ever come up among any of us."

"You mean he and Stella never..." Lindsay waved her hand back and forth between them. "Before Frankie?"

Danny grinned. "You kidding me?"

"I get a really intense vibe from them," she said with grin. "They're close and I get the feeling there's something underlying. Maybe it's respect or admiration but I get a vibe. You don't get a vibe?"

In all honesty, he did but he didn't think he should entice Lindsay to snoop into the past. If Mac wanted to be open about his love life - and that would happen when hell froze over - then Danny would ask how it's going. Although now that she brought it up, he was curious.

Danny watched her throw away her empty cup and he nodded his head toward the coffee shop they were approaching. "You want another?"

Lindsay nodded and Danny lead her into the coffee shop. He ordered for them and as they waited at the counter she gave him an expectant look. Maybe it was the way she was looking at him, maybe it was the crowded coffee shop or the fact that they were standing so close but Danny had to suddenly fight every urge in his body not to kiss her.

"You never answered my question," she said, moving slightly closer.

Danny shook his head. "I don't know. Stella is a fire cracker and I think she was good for Mac after he lost Claire."

"I read about him in the paper but I've never spoken to him about his wife," she commented, brushing her leg against his slightly as she picked off some lint from his jacket. "Did you meet her?"

Danny blinked a few times and licked his lips. He couldn't believe it but she was actually flirting with him. It was so subtle. Most women would say flat out what they wanted from him and what they wanted to do with him. Lindsay was being coy and something told Danny the petite brunette in front of him was doing it on purpose. It was getting to be irresistible.

"Not really. She and Stella were friends," he said, his voice low.

The girl in the smock put their coffees on the counter and Danny knew he had to get some city air into his lungs to clear his head. If they didn't have work, he would have hailed a cab and pulled her up to his apartment to do primal and wild things with her.

It occurred to Danny that Mac must have known how Danny would react to Lindsay's arrival. It might not have been at the top of his concerns but he must have known. Mac knew it was only inevitable for Danny to tease and give Lindsay a hard time. Their boss also knew he'd find Lindsay's go-getter attitude annoying but charming. He also knew that he'd like a woman who was up for anything and interested in tasting everything about the city.

Dammit Mac, Danny thought.

"I think Stella knew how to handle Claire's death better than any of us did," Danny contemplated. "He never really let it affect his job. Mac's a great teacher."

"He is, I'm learning so much already," she replied. "Sometimes it's hard to keep up."

"For what it's worth, he only picks the best of the brightest," Danny replied. "He wouldn't have you move out from Bozeman if he didn't think you had the chops."

Lindsay blushed at the compliment and Danny put his hand between her shoulder blades, giving her a reassuring rub as they approached the building.

"C'mon, if you're good I'll buy you a donut later," he teased.