Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY or Lindsay or Danny. But they are my muses. Enjoy.

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The Third Attempt

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"Well, oh wise one, would you care to share the tale?" Danny said to Jade, poking her in the side.

"Maybe I should let Mum have the honor for this one." Jade said, smiling up at me.

"Oh, why am I suddenly the chosen one?" I replied, looking over at Danny who was grinning back at me.

"Because the way you tell it, it's just perfect." Jade said softly, snuggling down on my lap.

"You hear that Danny? My version is prefect." I said, mocking him.

"I feel so rejected." Danny replied, as he held a hand to his heart and feigned being wounded.

"Don't be daddy." Sam said, crawling into Danny's lap and looking up at him lovingly. "You tell the best crime scene stories. They are always grosser and more detailed than Mummy's."

"Oh really?" I said, raising an eyebrow at Danny who shrugged sheepishly.

"I think its just because she's afraid of scaring us." Sam whispered to Danny, which brought a huge grin to his face.

"Sam, you are nine, you don't need to hear those kinds of stories." I said, shocked.

"But we want to hear them. And Daddy thinks they teach us good lessons too." Jade replied, taking her fathers side, as usual.

"But Mummy tells the story about how you and she fell in love a lot better than you do." Jade continued.

"Ha." I said to Danny, poking my tongue out at him.

"Sometimes I wonder if we're the more mature ones in this family." Louie said from the foot of the bed.

"Hey mister, when you start driving us around and paying for all your clothes and food, then you can claim that title." Danny replied pointing at him.

"So can you please tell the story Mummy?" Sam asked, as she and Jade looked up with their huge brown eyes.

"Fine." I sighed, as they both broke out into huge grins.

-

"Done." I said, shutting the case folder and leaning back into my chair.

"How come you're better at paper work than me." Danny said from across the lab "It's not fair."

"If you spent more time doing the paper work than trying to look good, you'd be just as good as I am." I replied, closing my eyes slightly.

"Its just because I'm not a nerd like some people around her." Danny teased me gently from across the room.

"I am not a nerd." I replied "I just happen to like paperwork. That does not make me a nerd." I said firmly.

"Whatever you say Montana." Danny said, shutting his own file and walking over to me.

I looked up at the clock and saw that it was almost half past three in the morning. Rubbing my neck, I stifled a yawn as Danny reached me, pulling me up into a hug.

"Mmm," I said, "What is this for?"

"Because I love your nerdiness" Danny replied into my neck.

"I'm glad." I replied, looking up into his crystal blue eyes.

"Me too." Danny said, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

"I thought we said no love at work." I said, questioning him.

"Special circumstances" Danny replied, kissing me again.

-

"GROSS" Sam and Jade screamed in unison, climbing off our laps and crawling to the end of the bed with their brother.

"Can we skip the gross stuff to get to the lovey dovey stuff?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, and the stuff with Uncle Don." Jade added, nodding her head in agreement with Sam's comment.

"Ah the innocence of youth." Danny sighed mockingly from next to me, as he pulled me closer and placed a chaste kiss on my lips.

"Not again." Came the simultaneous groan from the other end of the bed.

"Not until you three leave the room." Danny said, his lips vibrating against my own, making me smile.

"Little too much info there old man." Louie said.

"Who you calling old?" Danny said gruffly.

"MUM" Sam yelled, "Can we get on with it please?"

-

"Yo" Flack yelled from the doorway "No loving in the labs, at least, not until I'm getting some."

"Night flack" Danny said, pulling one arm away from my waist to wave.

"Not yet. Still got my own paperwork to get through." He groaned, before walking down the hall.

Danny turned around and I smiled tiredly up at him.

"Can we go home now?" I asked softly.

"Yeah Montana, I think its about time we called it a night." Danny said, pulling my across the room and down the hallway.

"Good" I replied sleepily "Because there is a bed at home that has my name, as well as sleeping in, written all over it."

We slowly walked down the deserted lab hallways towards the locker room, enjoying the silence, the serenity, and one another's company.

Danny pushed the door open for me, then followed me in towards our lockers.

I reached my own locker, and pulled it open gently, retrieving my jacket, bag and keys, while Danny walked over to his own, but simply stood infront of it.

"Danny" I asked timidly "Danny, you aren't asleep are you?"

"No Montana." Came the gruff reply, that was typical of Danny when he had something serious on his mind.

"Danny, tell me right now, what is going on? You've been going crazy all night. First when dinner was cancelled, then in the car… if something serious is happening with you, I have a right to know. I'm the love of your life, remember? Not to mention the mother of your child, who, every day is becoming increasingly like you, so much so that it scares me. So for the love of god, tell me what's going on." I said as I reached him, touching him softly on the shoulder.

He laughed quietly before opening his locker and digging through the masses of junk he had, obviously searching for something.

I heard him 'ah ha' a few moments later, which meant he'd found the object of his desires. He whipped around; almost knocking me onto the floor, a triumphant, almost manic look on his face.

"You said it Montana. You said everything that I was going to say." He said, as he sat me down onto the bench, before kneeling infront of me.

"Danny, you are beginning to scare me. Which doesn't happen very often, in fact, it's only happened three times since we've been together, when I told you about Louie, before he was Louie…when" But I was silenced by his hand.

"I love you more than life itself Lindsay, but sometimes you talk to much." He said, smiling gently and taking his hand from my mouth, rubbing my chin gently.

"Lindsay… Montana. I, well… I…"

"What are you doing down on the floor Messer?" Flack said, pushing open the door, followed by Stella, Mac and Hawkes.

"I'M TRYING TO ASK LINDSAY TO MARRY ME!" Danny screamed.

He was met with silence. Until Mac thought it was appropriate to intervene.

"Well, I think you better get on with it then." He said, pulling Stella close, who melted into the embrace.

I looked down at Danny, who grinned sheepishly before pulling out a small black box.

"Lindsay Monroe, I love you, so much more than I ever thought possible. You are perfect, in every single way. I want to marry you and have many perfect little Montana's and Messer's, just like Louie. I want to grow old with you by my side. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He asked, opening the box and revealing a simple, plain diamond ring, which was more wonderful that I'd ever have imagined.

A single tear escaped, and rolled down my cheek as I nodded, unable to form words, for pure happiness. Danny grinned the wonderful Messer grin up at me, before scooping me up in his arms and twirling me around in circles.

He set me down, and brought his lips to my own in a wave of happiness.

-

"Wait," I said, "You don't want to hear this."

Jade and Sam looked up at me, shaking their heads slightly.

"No Mummy, we love this part the most." Jade answered for the both of them.

"Okay." I said, taking Danny's hand and continuing.

-

Danny broke away from the kiss, wiping away the tears that were now falling freely from my eyes.

"I love you Lindsay Monroe." He said softly, placing the ring on my finger.

"I love you too, Danny Messer. Even though you drive me insane. Even though…" I began, but was cut off by Danny's finger on my lips.

"I've told you that you talk too much, right?" He smiled down at me, before kissing me again.

-

"And then Uncle Mac, and Auntie Stella, Hawkes and even Uncle Don, they all gave us their congratulations, and Stella, she called dibs on being bridesmaid." I finished, as I looked up to see my three children all lying on one another, content, dreamy looks on their faces.

"It's so romantic" Jade sighed.

"I love the part where he screams at Uncle Don." Sam giggled from next to her.

"Speaking of which" Danny said "Isn't he still asleep in the lounge room?" He said, nudging Jade and Sam into their favourite sport, waking up Flack and getting him to make them pancakes for brunch.

"That's right" Sam said, looking rather evilly at Jade "How do you think we should wake him up this morning?"

"I don't know" Sam said, pulling Jade up off the bed with her "But we better be quiet. Come on Louie, we're going to need your help." Jade said, tugging on Louie's hand.

He smiled one of the Danny Messer, 'I've got something serious on my mind' smiles at us, before standing up and picking his baby sisters up in his arms.

As I curled into Danny, whose arm instinctively wrapped his arm around me, I remembered something.

"Louie" I said as I snuggled further into Danny's arms. He, Jade and Sam stopped in their tracks and all turned around to look at me.

"Yeah Mum?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe, and for a moment I saw Danny.

"Who is the girl you've got a crush on?" I asked sneakily, as he blushed bright red.

"Promise you won't tell anyone." He said to Danny and I, before turning to his sisters "You keep this secret to the grave, yeah?"

They both nodded, before doing their little sibling handshake thing.

"Uh, its, Claire Taylor." He said quietly.

"Good luck with that." Jade said solemnly.

"Not a chance in hell." Sam replied honestly, as she and Jade skipped out of the room.

"Third times a charm." Danny said, winking at our son as he groaned, quickly walking out of the room.

"Did you ever think you'd live to see the day where Mac would kill?" Danny asked, turning to look at me.

"More to the point, did you ever think you'd live to see the day where he killed his god son?" I said seriously, sitting up and looking at Danny.

He shook his head.

"Nope, but that is what's going to happen when he finds out Louie has fallen for his daughter." Danny replied.

"Oh my god." I squealed, jumping out of bed and pulling on a dressing down.

"Hey, what about Montana/Messer quality time?" Danny asked, pouting.

"I've got to call Stella. She's going to love this. Her daughter and my son, it's just so adorable."

"Women" Danny muttered under his breath as I ran to the phone.

"Stella" I said, after the phone picked up "You'll never guess what Louie told me…"

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AN: Squee. Yay. Hope you liked the ending. Thanks for the reviews, you guys rock so much :D