Notes: This chapter is mostly just for fun, but there's a little substance. Thanks for the reviews. They keep me writing this. As always, thanks to Mariel!


It was Saturday. Danny didn't have a case, and Katie didn't have any classes to prepare for or papers to grade. When they woke up together and realized they didn't have any plans, they both smiled and proceeded to stay in bed for most of the morning. They would have stayed that way all day, but hunger pains, a need for coffee and the bright sunshine streaming through the window convinced them to do otherwise.

"You have two slices of pizza that I'm pretty sure we ordered last week, and an apple in your refrigerator. When's the last time you went grocery shopping?" Katie asked, glancing over at him. Rubbing sleep out of his eyes with one hand, he sat down at the bar stool by the counter. She couldn't help but smile at his appearance. His hair was truly out of control and the look in his eyes when he first wakes up had always reminded her of when he was younger.

"The answer to that would be: when's the last time you went grocery shopping?" he answered as he absently tried to tame his hair.

"Awww. Have I been neglecting you?" she asked as she walked to him and put her arms around his bare shoulders.

"Definitely not. And it's not your job to take care of me, but you are the only one of us who seems to take the time to make sure we eat. Before you, most all my dinners were of the takeout variety."

"What if I want the job of taking care of you?" she asked, planting a kiss on his shoulder.

"I could handle that," he said as he turned to kiss her. "In the meantime, why don't you let me buy you breakfast?"

"You mean lunch, right? It's almost noon. Somebody wouldn't let me get out of bed this morning."

XXX

An hour later, they found themselves walking through the park after having eaten brunch. Katie smiled as she felt Danny's arm tighten around her shoulders.

"So, what are we going to do today? We could go to a movie, or—"

Glancing over at him, Katie interrupted. "I think we should just do this."

"What? Walk? All day?" he asked in an exaggerated voice.

"No. I mean, we should do nothing. We shouldn't make any plans. We shouldn't think of something we've forgotten to do and do it. We shouldn't do grocery shopping or clean your apartment. In fact, I think we should sit down right here and just talk," she said as she stopped at a park bench that overlooked a reservoir.

Looking at her skeptically, Danny asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing and everything. We never just talk anymore. Remember when I was in London? I'd find a phone and we'd spend two hours just talking. Those phone calls almost put us into bankruptcy, but they were fantastic. We don't do that anymore. Every conversation seems to have some kind of purpose. Today, I think we should throw purpose out the window, and just let go."

Danny's skeptical expression didn't falter, but he sat down next to her on the picnic bench anyway. "So, I'm still a little confused. What…what do you want to talk about?"

Smiling, she took Danny's hand in hers. "How's work going?"

His expression went from skeptical to curious. "Work? We always talk about my work. When I see you at night, you always ask, 'How was your day?" and I say 'Good," or 'It sucked," or 'I don't want to talk about it.' I'd say that conversation always has a purpose because then I ask you how your day went," he rambled.

"That's not what I mean. I'm not talking about your latest case. I mean, how are the people you work with? How do you feel about your job? Are still feeling like you don't want to pursue law?"

Sighing dramatically, he responded, "I think you need to cut down on your therapy sessions. They're making your overly analytical. Things are fine at work."

Shaking her head, Katie rolled her eyes. "There's that word again. Every time things aren't fine, you say they're fine. It's your pattern – in my personal analysis of your psyche."

This time, Danny rolled his eyes. "My pattern? You're killing me, Dr. Mason."

"How's Vivian doing? Is she okay?" Katie asked, still pressing.

He hesitated for moment before responding. "Viv's better than ever," he sighed, finally resigned to playing Katie's game. "Last year, her world was falling apart, and now she's back to the same Viv. She's one of the strongest women I know."

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"It wasn't hard. It just seems pointless."

"How's Jack doing since his Dad died?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"All right, I guess. I don't think they were all that close, and his dad was pretty sick there at the end, so maybe it was blessing. His father's suffering ended. But with Jack, you never know. He didn't even ask us to come to the funeral. He's enigmatic like that. I don't think he really understood the condolences behind my sending him that deluxe fruit basket," he said with a sheepish grin.

Katie smiled. "Like I said when you ordered it, it was a very sweet thing for you to do, but what would he do with ten pounds of fruit?"

Danny shrugged. "It was the only thing I could think of at the time. I just wanted him to know that I was really sorry."

Reaching out, Katie laughed as she laid her palm on his cheek. "You're the enigma, Danny."

Smiling, Danny kissed her palm, and they gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments before Katie finally remembered what they were talking about.

"What about Samantha?"

"What about Samantha?" he questioned as he eyes narrowed into a deep frown.

"What's your relationship with her like? I've always kind of wondered about that."

"What do you mean?" he shrugged, frown still firmly in place.

"She's really beautiful. Did you ever hit on her?" she asked in almost a mocking tone. "I mean, back before she and Martin had their thing."

"No. Absolutely not," he said emphatically.

"Why not?"

"Why not? Why not? Because…because it never occurred to me. I've never been a 'mix business with pleasure' kind of guy. It makes things way too complicated and besides, it was never like that between me and Sam. When she first started, she kind of gravitated toward Jack. They had this connection."

Raising an eyebrow, Katie looked intrigued. "Really? Did they—"

"I don't know what happened between them. I mean, something happened, but it's none of my business, and they never let it affect their work. That's all that matters."

"What a soap opera!" she exclaimed. Knowing better than to probe deeper, she asked, "So, after Jack - she and Martin?"

"That happened much later. Martin always had a thing for Sam. I guess it kind of grew into something between them, but that didn't last either. Sometimes, I feel sorry for her. She doesn't know what she wants, or maybe she does know, but she doesn't think she deserves it. I actually understand that feeling. It took me a long time to realize that I deserved someone like you."

"Mmmm." Smiling, Katie leaned in and they kissed for a few moments. Pulling away, she continued. "Would you say you and Sam are friends?"

A perplexed look returned to Danny's face. "What is this? Where are going with this?"

"It's just a question."

Sighing again, he answered. "I would say that when you work that closely with someone, you become friends by default. But there are always boundaries. I don't know much about her outside of the office. She wouldn't know much about me, either, except that they helped me when we looked for Rafi, so that kind of laid everything out on the table. The thing about Sam is that sometimes I think she doesn't understand my sense of humor. I made some comment the other day when we were looking for that teacher. I said something about her and that kid going on a romantic getaway. Sam didn't think it was funny. She was icy the rest of the day." He shrugged. "I just don't really know how well she and I know each other."

"Defense mechanism," Katie mumbled.

"What?"

"You use humor as a defense mechanism. You've done it for as long as I've known you. Sometimes you can come off as downright insensitive, but I know you don't really mean it. You would be just as horrified as Samantha if that woman were really seducing that kid. But that's how you cope. That's how you do that job everyday. You want everyone to think that those things don't affect you. When in actuality, they are tearing you up inside."

"Are you going to be charging for this session, or do you plan on taking it out in trade when we get back home?" he joked.

"There you go again," Katie responded quietly.

"Where are you going with all of this?"

"How's Martin?"

Leaning back, he sighed. He should have known this was coming. This is what Katie had been leading up to ever since they had sat down.

"We haven't talked about him or the shooting in a while. Are things back to normal?" she continued.

"What's normal? The way they were before? No. I don't think they will ever be that way again."

"Would you say you and Martin were friends – before the shooting?"

"Yes."

"And now?"

Danny shrugged. "I don't know. When he helped me look for Rafi, there was something so unconditional about it, like he'd be there no matter what. I mean, Jack and Sam helped, too, but Martin…," he trailed off not sure how to complete the thought. "It still bothers me that he got hit that night and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I think he's still suffering from the effects of it. It's not fair."

"You still have nightmares about it. I can always tell. You get so restless. You two need to talk about it to bring closure. Have you ever tried talking to him?"

Shaking his head, Danny answered, "Not exactly. But I would talk to him, if I thought he wanted to. I'm actually kind of worried about him. There's something not quite right, but he says he's fine."

"There's a shock," Katie replied quietly. "Men! I don't think either of you will truly be fine until you get things out in the open. You don't trust a lot of people, Danny. It would be a shame if you let this distance grow."

"Me? It's not me. It's him."

"I bet he looks at you, sees that you seem unaffected, and doesn't want to bring up the past. But what happened last spring will never really end, unless you deal with it."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

Katie shook her head. "Not until I know you're really fine."

XXX

"You've never skated at Rockefeller Center?" Katie asked her voice full of surprise. They'd moved from the park bench and were now in a coffee shop. It was a sunny day, but the chill in the February air had gotten to them. They'd moved to more lighthearted topics once inside the coffee shop. Now Katie was quizzing Danny on his favorite New York moments. She'd gotten the idea from a movie.

"We worked a missing kid case there once, but I didn't have the opportunity to actually skate. Jack probably would have had a problem with that," he joked. "Besides, look at me, do I look like someone who'd be caught dead in skates? I don't think so."

"How can you say that this is your city, and not participate in the wonder that is Manhattan? Ever been up to the Empire State Building?"

Tilting his head back, Danny thought for a moment. "I've been in the building, but never as a tourist. I bet I know what your favorite thing to do in the city is."

Katie smiled. "What?"

"Shakespeare in the Park. Shakespeare at the theater. I still remember going to my first play with you. That's definitely at the top of my list of favorite New York moments because it made you so happy."

"I wanted us to go to Shakespeare in the Park this summer, but we didn't get the chance. You're almost right. That's my second favorite thing to do."

Frowning, Danny asked, "What's your first if it isn't that?"

"Spending the day with you."

Danny laughed. "Good answer. We'll definitely do the park thing next summer. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Agent Taylor. So what about Florida? What was your favorite part of living down there, besides the weather?"

"It's funny, because I don't remember a lot. I remember bits and pieces, but I don't have solid memories. I remember playing baseball at the park outside our apartment building from morning until night during the summer. I remember my mom taking me and Rafi to the beach after the early mass on Sunday. Those were probably the best moments. She was really happy on those days. Looking back now, I know she was just trying to keep us out of the house until my father could pass out," he said with a pensive look in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head as if to erase the bad memory.

"Hey. I think we should end this day with a lasting New York memory of our own," Katie said as she took his hand.

"What'd you have in mind? I kind of liked the memories we created this morning," he responded as he leaned in to give her a lingering kiss.

"I'm talking about a new memory, something you've never done before," she said as she stood up from the booth and pulled him up with her.

XXX

"I'm not doing this," Danny said in a definitive tone.

Rolling her eyes, Katie paid the attendant as he handed over two pair of ice skates. They'd made their way to the skating rink in Central Park.

"You can't make me go out there. I'll make a fool of myself," he stated emphatically.

"You'll do great, Danny. I promise."

"Can you promise I won't fall on my ass?" he said as he took the ice skates from her.

"As long as you fall forward," she said with a sarcastic grin.

"Ha-ha. I'm serious, Katie. This is not my thing. I'll go to the top of the Empire State building; I'll go to any play or musical you want to take me to. But this, this will be disastrous."

Katie didn't budge. After helping Danny tightened the laces on his skates, she guided him out onto the ice. She laughed as she felt his death grip on her arm.

"I have to say this is a new side to Danny Taylor," she said as they got their balance.

"What side is that? The scared to death side? Are you enjoying this?" he asked, his voice cracking with nerves.

"Your vulnerable side," she said as she skated in a circle around him.

Taking a firm grip of both his hands, Katie guided him with baby steps around the rink. She laughed when she saw the smile come to Danny's face as he started to get the hang of it Katie wasn't surprised. It was Danny, after all. Within a half an hour, they were skating side by side as they held hands.

XXX

They ended the night by stopping by her apartment so she could get a change of clothes for the next day. As they started to walk toward to the subway, Danny suddenly stopped her.

"Hey," he said as he turned her to him.

"Hey," she said smiling up at him.

"I had a great time today," he said genuinely.

"Not too much psychoanalysis for you?" she asked in a hesitant tone.

"No. It was all good. Every moment. Every moment with you is amazing. I've never been this happy before. Not ever," he said in an almost disbelieving tone.

Biting her lip, her smile widened, but she didn't say anything.

"I love you," he said as he brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"I love you, too."

Danny looked down nervously and tightened his lips into a thin line. "Move in with me," he said finally as he leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.

Her eyes widening, Katie took a deep breath. "Are…are you sure?"

Nodding, Danny kissed her. "Positive. The way we've been living is crazy. This day was amazing. I want every day to be like this."

"Me, too," she said as she leaned up to kiss him again.