Chapter Eight
"Where have you been?" Flack asked as he stood in the kitchen and Danny walked in the door.
"At Lindsay's." Danny said with a smile taking over his face.
"All this time?" Flack asked walking into the living room where Danny was standing, tiger in hand. "You didn't."
"Didn't what?" Danny asked sitting down on the couch.
"Sleep with her." Flack said bluntly, sitting next to Danny.
"No." Danny said, hurt in his voice. "I wouldn't do that, well, 'till I knew she was ready, we were ready."
"Good, you did something." Flack said, knowing his best friend and the smile on his face.
"I kissed her." Danny said, his smile becoming wider.
"Danny." Flack said disapprovingly.
"I asked first." Danny said, but Flack just laughed and shook his head. "It's okay Flack, I didn't trick her into or anything, it was right. We're gonna date now, you know."
"What?" Flack said, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Yeah, I like her," Danny said and paused. "A lot."
"That's good." Flack said and looked at the tiger in Danny's hand. "Avery give that to you?"
"Yeah." Danny said softly, playing with the tiger. "He told me I wasn't his father. Said I looked the same but I wasn't him."
"I'm sorry Danny." Flack said.
"But, I told him I'd try to be his dad." Danny said and looked over at Flack. "I told Lindsay we could take him on some the dates with us, you know stuff like that."
"That's good Danny, Avery, he really loves you." Flack said with a smile. "You know, every boy loves his mom, but he idolizes you."
"Yeah?" Danny said with a smirk.
"Yeah, since the day he was born." Flack said. "I'm gonna head to bed."
"Night, Flack." Danny said as he watched his best friend head towards his respective bedroom.
"Night Danno."
~Crime Lab~
"Hey." Lindsay said as she walked into the locker room, smiling as she saw Danny at his locker.
"Hey." Danny said with a smirk as he watched Lindsay punch in her code and open her locker.
"What?" she said, noticing how Danny was watching her.
"Nothin', can't I just look?" Danny said with a smirk as he closed his locker and leaned against it, still watching her.
"If you want." Lindsay laughed.
"What do you wanna do tonight?" Danny asked.
"I don't know. What do you wanna do?" Lindsay asked, looking over at him.
"Anything." Danny said.
"How 'bout dinner and a movie?" she offered with a smile as she closed her locker.
"Okay, where do you wanna go?" Danny said, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I'll cook." Lindsay said with a smile, stepping closer to him.
"Okay, I'll bring over a movie." Danny said with a smile.
"Okay, do you mind if Avery joins us, I don't think I could get a baby sitter." Lindsay said shyly.
"Not at all." Danny said a placed a stray hair behind her ear. "I'll pick up a movie."
"I'll see you around five?" Lindsay said as she leaned into his hand.
"Sounds good." Danny said and dropped a gentle kiss to her lips and exited the locker room.
~Lindsay's~
"Av, can you get the door, please?" Lindsay asked.
"Okay." Avery said as he hopped off the couch. "Hi Daddy."
"Hey." Danny said with a smile and ruffled the little boy's hair. "How was your day?"
"Good." Avery said as he followed Danny into the kitchen.
"Hey Linds." Danny said as he set the movie he'd brought down on the counter.
"Look Mommy, Daddy brought a movie." Avery said as he held the movie up.
"Oh yeah?" Lindsay asked stepping towards the little boy. "What'd he bring?"
"The Fox and the Hound." Danny answered, standing next to Lindsay.
"Did you?" Lindsay asked as she peaked at the box Avery was looking at.
"Yeah, why is it bad?" Danny asked.
"No, it's really good." Lindsay said and looked at Danny who was waiting for more. "It's just one of the saddest Disney movies." Lindsay laughed at kissed his cheek. "But Avery has never seen it."
"Are we gonna watch it, Mommy?" Avery asked excited.
"Do you want to?" Lindsay asked as she dropped shredded mozzarella on the chicken.
"Yeah, thanks Daddy." Avery said and ran into the living room.
"What?" Lindsay asked, seeing the smirk on Danny's face as he continued to watch Avery.
"Nothin'." Danny said and turned towards her. "Just not used to being called Daddy, yet."
"You cried the first time he called you Daddy." Lindsay said and stepped closer to Danny.
"Cried?" Danny said, shocked.
"Not like sobbing and whimpering." Lindsay said with a smile as Danny smiled. "Just one or two tears."
"Was it his first word?" Danny asked as he rested his back against the counter and Lindsay stood in front of him.
"No." Lindsay said, shaking her head and giving Danny a soft smile. "It was, up."
"Up?" Danny questioned and looked over at Avery.
"Yeah, but he said it to you." Lindsay laughed and stepped back to put the chicken and pasta on plates.
"Chicken parm, my favorite." Danny smiled as he took a plate from Lindsay and set it on the table.
"Can you get drinks?" Lindsay asked. "Avery dinner."
"What do you want to drink?" Danny asked Lindsay as he got himself a glass of water.
"Iced tea, please." Lindsay said.
"Avery?" Danny asked and Avery looked up at him confused. "Drink?"
"Oh, soda!" Avery said.
"Milk?" Danny asked, reading the look on Lindsay's face.
"Fine." Avery said defeated.
"Stop trying to pull a fast one on your father." Lindsay told him as she cut up his chicken and Danny sat down with the drinks. "It's not nice."
"Sorry." Avery said, honestly and looked over at Danny. "Sorry Daddy."
"It's okay." Danny laughed and took a bite of his dinner. "Wow Linds, this is really good."
"Thanks." Lindsay blushed under Danny's gaze, causing him to smirk.
"Lets watch the movie now." Avery said as he put the frying pan under the oven, that Lindsay had cleaned and Danny had dried.
"Okay." Danny and Lindsay said as the three walked out into the living room.
The movie played, Lindsay cried and Avery fell asleep 3/4th the way through.
"He's beat." Danny said as he stroked the boy's hair.
"Yeah." Lindsay agreed as Danny scooped him into his arms and walked towards the four year olds room.