As Danny and Lindsay said goodnight she didn't think she had ever felt so awkward. This would normally be the part of the night where he would have her pressed up against the nearest surface, clothes would be coming off at an astounding rate and they would be making out like teenagers. That was one area of their relationship which hadn't needed any work. They were so in tune when it came to what happened in the bedroom, or living room or bathroom for that matter.

As he pulled up at her building she looked over at him and they both immediately blushed deep crimson. She could tell he had been thinking along the same lines as her.

'Come on, I'll walk you to your apartment,' he smiled.

Lindsay got out of the car and made her way into the building. Through sheer force of habit she grabbed his hand as they made their way to the elevator. As soon as she realised what she was doing she dropped his hand as if she had been burned and crossed her arms over her chest.

'Sorry Danny, old habits die hard,' she blushed again.

'Don't worry about it,' he did his best not to smirk. The couple of seconds her hand had been in his, everything in his world felt right. He could tell he would have trouble sleeping tonight again.

When the doors closed in the elevator they were both silent, both deep in thought. On numerous occasions this elevator had featured heavily in their sex life. On the way to her apartment, unable to wait, this would often be the starting point of a wild night. They had almost been caught a couple of times but that had barely slowed them down. Danny was fighting the urge to take her face in his hands and kiss her like a man possessed. She had always loved when he was rough with her. He pushed these thought from his mind as he could feel he was very close to embarrassing himself.

They got out and walked silently to her apartment door. She turned around to face him and he knew that the day was over. He really hadn't expected her to invite him in but he couldn't help the twinge of disappointment he felt. It was short-lived; however, when he reminded himself of the great day they had just had together.

'Thanks Danny, I had a good day,' Lindsay said with a tight smile.

'You're welcome Montana; it was good to spend time with you again. I've missed you,' he said sadly.

Lindsay started to get defensive, thinking he was blaming her for not being around.

'You didn't have to Danny, I was always here,' she said with an icy tone.

'Wow, where is this coming from? I wasn't blaming you Lindsay; I know it's my fault.'

'You're damn right it is!'

She suddenly deflated as she realised Danny really hadn't meant any offense, the hurt look in his eyes told her that much.

'Sorry Danny, I'm just tired, it's been a long day,' she sighed.



'It's OK, you don't have to apologise to me. '

'Right, well, goodnight Danny,' she said softly as she fished her keys out of her purse.

'Listen, when I move to Flack's we're going to have the team over, a few drinks, take out. Will you come?' he asked shyly.

'OK.'

'Goodnight Lindsay,' he smiled. Taking a chance he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek and walked away.

The next day Lindsay was clearing up some paper work when Mac called her in to his office. She nervously took a seat; it wasn't every day that Mac asked to talk to her in private.

'What's up Mac?'

'Lindsay, I want to loan you to the New Jersey lab for a while if that's alright. Quinn was impressed with you when she came here and they are severely under staffed at the moment. They have someone new coming in but not for another month. How would you feel about that?' Mac asked cautiously.

Lindsay took a few seconds to think before replying. This may be a good opportunity. She was starting to get confused about her feelings for Danny and being away from him for a while might help clear her head. She had a lot on her mind, her dad was going into hospital for surgery soon and she could do without the Danny complication right now.

'Sounds good Mac, it might be good experience for me. I might also get to sleep in once in a while without the sounds of the New York traffic.'

'Good, I'm glad Lindsay. The lab will be putting you up in a hotel for the duration of your stay and it's only a half hour journey back to New York City if you need to come back for any reason. Can you be ready to leave on Monday morning?'

'Sure Mac, is there anything else?'

'That's it for now Lindsay, we can finalise the details tomorrow.'

'Thanks Mac.'

When she got back to her office Danny was already there, finishing up for the day.

'Hey, what's got you smiling, you get a pay rise or something?' he joked.

'Nope, I'm going to New Jersey for a month,' she stated happily.

Danny's face fell. His plans for spending time with her would take a serious hit if she left. Why was she so happy about this?

'Are you kidding me? Why would you go to New Jersey?' He asked sharply.



Lindsay looked at him shocked.

'Quinn needs someone in the lab until the new CSI can start and she asked for me? I decided now might be a good time to get away for a bit,' she spat back at him.

He realised how hi questions might have sounded and quickly back tracked.

'I'm sorry Linds, it's just a shock. I just hoped that maybe we could spend some time together. We can do that when you get back though, right? Or I could come and visit you on our days off?' he was starting to sound a little desperate.

Lindsay sighed at the prospect of having this conversation right now. She looked in his eyes and saw the hope there and hated to squash it, but she had to be honest with him.

'No offense Danny but I think now it might be good to spend some time apart. The last few months have been so full of drama and I just need to get my head straight. I need some time away from you to decide what I want for the future.'

Danny tried to get his head around her words but couldn't quite manage it.

'Are you leaving because of me, because of what I did?' he asked sadly.

Lindsay sighed. 'Yes and no. I just feel like you're more interested in spending time with me now than you were even before Ruben died. Maybe your guilt over sleeping with Rikki is making you jump in to this and you'll regret it later. This time apart is for both of us Danny, so we can be sure what we want.'

It was the first time she had said it out loud though she had been thinking it for a while. She looked down at the floor wishing she could avoid this confrontation.

'Is that what you think?' he whispered. 'Lindsay, the happiest I've ever been is when we were together. Spending time with you is the best part of my day. I'm sorry it took me so long to realise it but that's just a matter of bad timing. I want to be with you Lindsay, I am already sure,' he was begging now but he didn't care.

Lindsay looked him straight in the eye and whispered 'But I'm not, Danny.'

His face fell and he knew that he would lose her for a month, maybe forever.

'I leave on Monday; you should come over for dinner on Sunday night. I will miss you Danny.'

She walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. His arms automatically embraced her and they stood like that for a while. His hand moved to her head and he started moving her hair away from her face. She tilted her chin up towards him and he kissed her soundly on the mouth. She sunk in to the kiss as she felt his stubble scratch against her face, she had always loved that. Suddenly her mouth was prised open and his tongue was in her mouth. The feeling was so familiar yet so exciting, she moaned into his mouth and her hand went to his chest, rubbing up and down his abs. She could feel the kiss all over her body as her nipples hardened against his chest. He pulled her as close as possible, crushing her body against his and she could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her stomach.



As if only just realising where they were, they ended the kiss and stepped away from each other, breathing heavily. Her face was flushed and her chest was heaving and he wanted to do so many things to her at that moment, things they would get fired for.

She was slowly starting to come back to reality and decided now would be a good time to leave.

So much for trying to get her head straight, she was more confused than ever. 'So, will you come over on Sunday?' she asked.

'Sure,' he smiled, relieved that the awkwardness between them seemed to be lessening. 'I'll bring the wine.'