Disclaimer: I don't own anything here but my own thoughts. Really, if I did do you think I would be sitting on my couch in Texas! All belongs to the fab people at CBS who bring us CSI:NY every week! I wish I was one of them!

Summary: This is a DannyLindsay story. If you don't like 'em together, don't read this. No flames as per their relationship. This is why you have a choice to read this or not:D

AN: Okay. To whoever convinced my muse to come home, I thank you very much! This was a little different than what I had planned, but I think it works! Please review and let me know what you think!

brainDamage089- I'm sorry that I cut it off there, but it was what worked with that chapter. Please don't kill me with where this chapter cuts off! Even I think it's kinda a cliffhanger. I'm glad that you liked the comparison between Danny and a bloodhound. I love bloodhounds. Their just so darn cute!

sugah sugah- Thank you very much! Hope you enjoy this one as well.

The Little Corinthian- Oh, I totally agree with you! Just imagining how he would smell keeps my mind chained in the gutter!

p3karen- Thank you! This update wasn't as long as the other update, so I hope it was soon enough for all my readers:D

chili-peppers- Diolch! Btw...I'm going to write some one shots about what happened in the six months between chapter 50 and 51 of my other story, so keep an eye out for those!

Chelliyah- Your penname is so interesting. I like it. Thank you so much! That's what I'm aiming for. Although this chapter and the next will delve a bit into the what my take on what happened after the finale was. I'm trying to stay as close to canon as possible. I totally agree. The man is completely fine! And (my big draw) he is an artist...Yum!

AkimaDoll- Touch, of course. I'm trying really had to rein my muse in for Taste. I don't want to have to change the rating to an M. But they definately will touch before they taste!

Shout out to the wonderful princessg for betaing all these chapters! I don't know what I would do without you:D

Chapter 3.

Touch

Touch. To put the hand, finger, etc on or into contact with something to feel it. To come up to, to reach or attain. To attain equality with. To affect as if by contact or with some feeling or emotion. To handle, use or have to do with in any way. To eat or drink; consume; taste. To refer or allude to. To be a matter of importance to; make a difference to. A mental or moral perception, sensitivity or understanding. Close communication, agreement or sympathy. To mention a subject briefly or casually.

(Danny's POV)

Danny had thought a lot about touch, since he met Lindsay. His mind worked around how he felt about her. The fact that his thoughts were so occupied by her was enough to having him breaking his rather heated train of thought. When did this happen. How did she touch my life so much, that I can't stop thinking about her? About what it would be like to really touch her, both physically and emotionally? What has happened to me?

Silently, as he drove away from the hospital, he tried to remember just how it happened.

Soon after they had met, he remembers shaking her hand and being surprised at her firm touch. It was a business like handshake, like anyone would give. Why, he wonders, does it send shivers up his spine?

He couldn't resist taking her hand outside of the doll hospital. This time, touching her hand was different. The electricity was there, but she seemed reluctant. He couldn't help but ask if she wanted to have lunch. He was disappointed when she pulled herself out of reach. What am I doing?

Then his nightmare came to life. He was trapped in a panic room. He thought about her. The different ways that she had touched his life. Her compassion, her intelligence, her fire. She helped his survive that day, even though he never told her.

When he found the body on the subway, he was touched by her beauty when she walked up. He couldn't help but smirk and say, "Well, hello Miss Monroe." He caught the glint in her eyes as she smirked back to him and had to restrain himself from touching her cheek. That made him stop. Dude. You've gotta back off. She ain't ever given you any sign that she wants to go farther than being coworkers.

The next case that he drew, he worked with her. He was again touched and astounded by the level of professionalism that she exuded. He admired her ability to work on a case, to search for answers. That she asked him out. He couldn't believe what he had heard, but agreed to meet her at the club. Then her insight truly astounded him. How did she know this about Mac and I didn't? Why didn't I see it before?

He knew that they had grown closer after that night. It was about a month later, when they were working different cases when she again astounded him. He had heard about her case. A woman found dead in a water tower. She suspected that the doctor had something to do with.

When he came back from whipping some kid's butt at handball to get info for his case, he was exhausted. She caught him in the locker room, getting dressed after taking a shower. He was touched when she asked him to help her recreate the scene. He had no idea what he was in for when she asked him.

When they got to the building and on top of the roof, she told him her plan. Ya gotta be kidding me? She wants me to carry her? Easily he lifted her in his arms. She feels so right here. I don't want to let her go. He decided to crack a joke to cover his nervousness. She laughed and told him to make tracks.

He tried to back off, but life decided to conspire against him. Scant weeks later, a body was discovered in Giants stadium. He had his suspicions about who it was, but decided to keep quiet about it. Until she showed him the results. She touched his heart in so many ways that day. From keeping quiet about the results until she had asked him about it, to bringing the tape to the hospital to show him how Louie protected him all those years ago. He felt his resolve wavering.

Then Aiden was killed. He looked into her eyes at the memorial service, seeing regret and sadness there. Why does she feel sad? Aiden never touched her life like she touched the rest of us? Why does Montana feel so deeply?

Questions like that were becoming commonplace in his mind. He noticed how she touched everyone around her with her cheerfulness, her drive to be perfect. How come she doesn't allow anyone to touch her?

He kept trying to figure her out, to find out why she touched him but he couldn't seem to touch her. He knew that she knew all of his secrets yet she seemed scared to act on the feelings which he knew were mutual.

Then the walls, both metaphorical and physical, came tumbling down. When he reached the scene of the explosion he felt himself drawn to her. He touched her arm, her head where she was cut to assure himself that she was okay; that she was not badly injured.

When he saw Flack being carried out on a stretcher, it was her touch on his arm that kept him from putting his fist through the wall. She brought him back to reality and for that he was grateful.

Later, at the hospital, he longed to pull her into his arms. To feel her small body against his. To bring both of them comfort. With a smile, he thought about the drive home. He left his hand on the small of her back while they were walking to his car. The electricity was shooting up his arm.

When they got to the car, he gave up his internal fight and pulled her into his arms. He buried his head in her hair, both giving and taking support from the feel of her skin. He felt her shaking in his arms, his jacket growing wet with tears. He fought his own tears off. I came so close to losing her without her ever knowing how I felt. I can't wait any longer. I have to come clean.

He pulled back slightly, gently wiping the tears from her face. "Lindsay? We need to talk."

(Lindsay's POV)

Touch, Lindsay knew, was the one sense that can help you learn. Babies learn by touch before anything else. Children learn what to touch and what not to touch by experience. Adults do the same things. When she moved to New York, she vowed never to let a man touch her life like Frank had.

Frank had said all the right things. He wormed his way into her heart then in a single sentence shattered it to pieces. She still remembered the day when he said that he didn't love her. That he couldn't love someone who preferred to chase the bad guy instead of making a home for them and their family. It was just lucky that the job offer had come mere days after they had broken up. She ran away from her pain. Tried to lose herself. She knew that it was impossible once she met Danny.

From the beginning she realized that he could touch her in ways that no person ever had. First it was just annoyance. Then it was his dedication to his job. The she realized that his self confidant smirk touched, no battered the walls she had put up.

Her first inkling that he was different was when he held her hand outside of the doll hospital. She was surprised that she did not have blisters from where their hands had touch. That was electrifying. It scares me. I can't go through that again.

The lab gossips didn't do any good. From what she had heard, he was a player. Yet his compassion still touched her. She smiled to herself when she heard that she was going to make sure that the rich restaurant owner paid for murdering the fish seller that just wanted to give his kid a chance.

When she heard that he was trapped in the panic room, his tenacity was what touched her this time. Trapped in the room, losing oxygen yet still trying to process the scene and find a killer. She had real admiration for him after that case.

She found herself daydreaming about him. What the hell are you doing? Why are you thinking about him like this? Look where it got you last time. That's it, girl. Time to find a distraction.

She was successful for all of a week. Then she walked into the subway and saw him a Mac processing a dead body. This was when she realized how dedicated he was. Dedication was a good way to gain her respect.

She was still struck by how much of a father-son relationship that he and Mac had. She knew there was a deep bond there. She knew that he thought that she knew Mac better than she did. In many ways he was right. But he doesn't have to act so damn superior about it!

She found away to try to wipe the smug grin off of his face. She took him to Cozy's. After he had realized it was about Mac, he was good natured about her 'I told you so.' When they walked home that night, she wondered what it would feel like if he put his arm around her. Stop thinking about that girl, stop thinking about it!

About a month later, she got a chance to see what it felt like to be held by him. She couldn't resist. She could have asked any other guy in the lab to help her, but she chose him. She didn't want to admit the reason to herself. She wanted, no she needed to feel what being in his arms would be like.

As he easily picked her up, her breath hitched in her lungs. Wow. This is…Wow. She was lost in the feeling until he made the joke about buying him dinner. She just smiled sweetly and said, "Make tracks, Cowboy." When he chuckled, she could feel the vibrations from his chest.

Then the world seemed to fall apart. She started at the DNA results. How could I have been so wrong about him? This can't be right. Later that night, she watched him as he listened to the tape. That was when she realized that she was losing her battle with her feelings. She didn't know if he knew exactly how touched she was when he blindly took her handed when listening. She knew that he loved his brother very much and it was touching to see him talking to him. Even if Louie was in a coma. Little did she know that her presence was comforting to him.

A mere week later, she realized that he had a chance to repay her for her kindness. She was having a hard time dealing with the fact that Stella had been attacked. She had her reasons, reasons that no one else knew about why she was so affected. She looked into his eyes as he tried to comfort her. Telling her that Stella would want them to close the Russo case. She sighed. He was right.

Then her nightmare came true. The young woman, Sarah, from Montana was just killed for no reason. His willingness to act as her sounding board touched her deeply. Just once, she wanted to give in to impulse and take the physical comfort that he would provide. It wouldn't be so bad. To be held in his arms. That thought soon led to more heated thoughts and she shook her head. Girl, just yank the reins in another direction. That is the path to heartache.

Then her world crumbled. She was in shock outside of the smoldering building. Staring at the ruins, she could still feel the explosion in her bones. When he walked up, it took all of her self control not to throw herself into his arms. She needed the comfort, but still couldn't let herself crumble.

When Flack was carried out of the building on a stretcher, she saw the anger and rage on his face. She knew that he was about to explode. She put a comforting hand on his arm. To let him know that she was there for him.

When she went to the hospital with the rest of the team after the bomber had been caught, she knew that the walls around her heart had been blown away as well. She followed him into the hall outside of Flack's bedroom. As she stood, looking at Flack she made a decision. What if that had been me? What if that had been Danny instead of Flack? Would he even know how much he had touched my life? How he made me feel whole again? I need to tell him how I feel.

She longed to through herself into his arms after seeing Flack, but controlled herself in front of the rest of the team. She felt his hand at the small of her back, guiding her to his car. When they got there, they just stood for a moment. Then her jaw almost dropped in amazement as he dragged her into his arms. Feeling his arms around her, feeling his giving her strength brought the last of the walls down.

She broke down. She began to cry uncontrollably. She felt his hands stroking her hair, running up and down her back giving her comfort. He was shaking, too. She knew that this was as much of a release for him as it was for her. Reluctantly she felt him pull away after she had stopped her tears.

"Lindsay? We need to talk."

She nodded her head. She gave him a watery smile. "Yes, we do. But not here. Would you like to come up to my apartment when we get there?"

He nodded his assent and they both got in the car for the drive to her place.

AN: Okay. I'm evil. Please don't throw anything at me! I promise. The next chapter will definitely include what happens at her apartment. :D