A.N. This chapter is a bit longer than usual. Sorry if it's unwieldy; I couldn't figure out a better stopping place for the chapter and I didn't want it to be really, really short. (shrugs) So you got stuck with uber long. Sorry. :-p
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Danny shoved open his locker so hard it flew into the one next to it. The near deafening clang didn't make him flinch even as it echoed through the locker room. Shuffling through the various things he had inside, Danny pulled out a clean button down, cursing Rupert Emery's very existence.
The way he brushed against Lindsay in the lab made Danny's blood boil. And Lindsay would just smile. Sure, she'd move away, but she'd just smile at the son of a—
Danny ripped open the buttons on his shirt, not even caring when he heard several of them ping off the metal lockers and scatter to parts unknown. Tossing the now ruined shirt and his undershirt down to the bottom of his locker, he set the clean one on the bench and moved towards the sinks.
Then, of course, the survivor of his case, ten year old Aaron Kresge, had thrown up on him after id-ing his parents. It was an understandable reaction for a kid. Danny wasn't even upset about it. He never would have made him do it if the poor kid hadn't literally been the only survivor of his family. And until they could get in touch with the Kresges's lawyer, they weren't even sure where he was supposed to go.
But, of course, who should he run into as he turned the corner after being the victim of a projectile vomiting incident? Montana and her new wannabe beau.
It really just figured, didn't it?
After splashing water all over himself and doing a sniff check to make sure he didn't still smell like vomit, Danny headed back out to the locker room. Halfway to the bench, the door opened and he glanced up, catching Lindsay's eye.
He saw her cheeks flush a bit, but he was too mad to pay much attention. Instead, he strode to the bench and picked up the clean polo and undershirt.
"You okay?" Lindsay asked quietly.
"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" His voice was cold and he wanted to wince as she shut her eyes, pulling the door shut behind her, but it felt good to let his anger out.
"I don't know. You just seem upset. Angry maybe."
He sent her a scathing glare that had her eyes widening. "I'm fine, Lindsay."
Crossing her arms over her chest, she studied him. "Right. I believe that and you'll tell me another."
Turning back to his locker, he tried to keep his mouth shut. "You calling me a liar?"
She tilted her head to the side. "I don't know. Are you?"
"Like hell I am," he muttered. Finally, he stopped and braced his arms against the lockers, his head hanging between them. "He was all over you."
Lindsasy came closer, opening her locker three down the row. "Emery?"
"What, you got others lined up, too?"
She sent him a wry look. "Yeah, a whole football team's worth."
Shaking his head, he straightened and slammed his locker shut. "It's not funny."
"Do I look like I'm laughing?" she asked tensely. "Danny, I have to watch other women flirt with you every day. You think that's easy for me? I mean, you flirt with Angell right there where I can see all the time."
"Oh come on. You know how I feel about you," Danny argued, his voice raising and echoing off the lockers.
"So do you!" Lindsay yelled back, frustrated into slamming her locker shut. "I told you how I feel—"
"Really? I don't remember that conversation. Was it before or after you told me we couldn't be together? Either time."
He knew he'd regret saying that later, but he was mad and needed her to hurt like he did. To his surprise, she didn't get hurt. Instead, she got steamed.
"Oh, and you were so forthcoming? Drinks and laughs, Danny." When his face froze, her body seemed to deflate. "You said that all you wanted was drinks and laughs," she stated, her voice losing its rancor. "Did you expect me to pour out my soul in response?"
He couldn't think of anything to say. Smiling humorlessly, she nodded and ducked to pick up her back. "I'll see you tomorrow."
She was already at the door when he found his voice. "I lied."
It was low and grave, barely audible really, and most definitely what she needed to hear. She stood utterly still, but didn't turn to face him.
"Lindsay, I meant it when I told you I'd wait for you."
"I won't ask you to do that. It's not fair to you," she muttered, her fists clenching at her sides.
Danny lowered his head, steeling himself for what he was about to do. He didn't want to push. He had to. "But do you want me to?"
There was a long pause, and he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Finally, her shoulders drooped a bit and her hands relaxed.
"Yes," she whispered, almost to softly for him to hear.
With that, she was gone, leaving him staring at the door as it swung shut behind her.
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"You get in touch with AJ's legal guardians?" Danny asked, falling into step beside Angell as she exited the elevator.
"What are you, a ninja?" she muttered, her hand over her heart. When he just looked impatient, she took a deep breath and started walking again. "I talked to the lawyer, Gallagher, but he hasn't been able to get in touch with either Julie or Peter Dunlap. Apparently, they went out of the country on business a few weeks ago and no one's heard from them since. I even tried their parents, no go."
"Great. So the kid has no one in the meantime?"
Angell shrugged. "Don't know what to tell you, Messer. Everybody's on it; lawyer, NYPD, the social worker. We're trying to figure it out."
"Guess it's time to fill Mac in," Danny said grudgingly.
As soon as they turned the corner, Flack and Hawkes came tumbling out of one of the labs. "Mac's office?" Hawkes asked hurriedly, pointing in that direction.
"Yeah. What's with you two? You testing laughing gas?" Angell asked.
The two men shook their heads, obviously excited about something. Danny and Angell followed Flack and Hawkes down the hallway, nearly running into their backs when the men stalled abruptly outside the lab.
"What the hell?" Angell muttered, hands moving to her hips.
Glancing past their shoulders, Danny saw Emery standing much closer to Lindsay than a coworker should. And Danny would know, considering he got as close—if not closer—on a regular basis.
He could feel his shoulders knotting as he watched Lindsay smile gently and move away. He knew her well enough to recognize the annoyance that flickered across her face when Emery closed in again. Somehow, though, her dismissal of the detective's attentions weren't quite the balm to his temper he would have expected. Their fight yesterday replayed in his mind, and he felt the residual anger from the day before coming back to meet up with the new.
Neither Emery nor Lindsay had noticed the group clustered outside the otherwise empty lab, and their conversation was easily audible.
"What about dinner?" Emery asked. Danny itched to knock the confident smile off the other man's face.
"No. Thank you, detective, but no."
"Come on. It's just a get to know you thing."
Stella came up behind the group in the hallway with a folder in her hand. "What's going on?" she asked when she noticed the others crowding the doorway.
"Look," Lindsay said sweetly, backing away from him. "You seem like a nice guy, but there's someone else."
Danny jerked involuntarily and felt Hawkes eye him. Inside, Emery crossed his arms over his chest. "You two serious?"
"It is for me," Lindsay told him, her little chin lifting in the air.
"But not for him," Emery argued, stepping closer with a victorious smile.
Lindsay began to look more than irritated. "Doesn't matter."
"Give me a chance," the detective said smoothly. "Let me change your mind."
Lindsay slapped his hand away as it came towards her arm. "Okay, you know what? That's it."
Everyone outside the room froze, and Detective Emery quirked an eyebrow, clearly taken aback but unworried. "What?"
"I've been nice. Too nice, apparently. I let you down easy every time you asked me out. I told you, point blank, I'm not interested. I even told you that I have feelings for someone else. Yet you insist on hitting on me every chance you get. Well, I'm done playing good cop, here."
Detective Emery glanced away, his eyes widening when he spotted their rapt audience. "Uh—"
"Let me make myself perfectly clear," Lindsay said firmly, arms crossing over her chest. "You ask me out again or attempt to flirt with me in anyway, I will cut off your balls with a rusty spoon and feed them to you for lunch in tiny little pieces. Got it?"
Emery cleared his throat, his neck slightly red around the collar. He nodded.
"No, no. I wanna hear you say it. You understand me?"
Emery met her eyes, his expression cold. "I got it."
"Good."
Spinning around, Lindsay stormed over to the door, faltering as she spotted the group of people openly staring at her through the glass. Yanking the door open, she nodded at them.
"Hey guys," she said, her voice cool despite the red that stained her cheeks.
Angell recovered first. "Very nice, Monroe."
Lindsay smiled uncomfortably, her eyes darting to Danny then away again. "Thanks. I have trace," she mumbled, hurrying away.
After a moment, Hawkes began moving towards Mac's office with Flack in tow, neither of them glancing at the detective who brushed past them. As Emery neared, Stella quickly dropped her eyes to the open file she was holding, desperately pretending to be too preoccupied to have heard Lindsay's outburst. Danny merely watched the detective pass with a blank expression as Angell smirked in amusement.
When he'd disappeared around the corner, Angell laughed a little. "He needed a nice big blow to his ego. Thinks he's God's gift."
Stella glanced at her. "I hope Lindsay's okay."
"Seemed fine to me," the other woman answered with a shrug. Her phone began to vibrate and she excused herself, moving several feet away to answer it.
Stella turned to Danny nervously. "Don't do it, Danny."
His head slowly swiveled to meet hers. "What are you talking about?" he asked expressionlessly.
Stella rolled her eyes. "Lindsay handled him. He's not going to cause more trouble. I doubt he'll even want to work with her again," Stella added wryly.
Danny's face didn't change. "I wasn't gonna do nothing."
Temper flaring, Stella's eyes narrowed to slits. "Keep it that way," she snapped, stalking off to find Adam.
Angell walked back up, glancing at Stella as she stormed by. "What's with her?"
"Nothing," Danny said calmly, flipping open the file in his hand. "Mac's waiting."
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When he knocked on her door later that night, he wanted to be anywhere else. For several seconds, he didn't hear anything, no movement inside her apartment and he wondered if maybe he'd been wrong in thinking she'd already left the lab. The relief that coursed through him made him feel like a coward. Then he heard the chain sliding and the locks turning.
The door swung open and he was greeted with a tentative smile. "Hey, Danny."
"Hey, Lindsay," he muttered. He forced himself not to grimace as the smile slid off her face.
She stepped back to let him inside, looking worried. Crossing the threshold, he walked into her small entryway, unsure whether he should take off his jacket or not. He must have stood there staring at the hangers for several seconds because she cleared her throat behind him.
"Danny, is everything all right?"
"I gotta talk to you," he said quickly.
That was the ticket: do it fast, like ripping off a bandaid.
She nodded and gestured towards the kitchen. "You want something to drink?"
"Nah, I'm good. I'm good," he muttered absently, fingering his lapels before finally stripping off his jacket and hanging it on one of the pegs in her entryway.
"Okay," she murmured, starting to look nervous.
Oddly, it was Danny that led the way into the living room, and Lindsay who followed his example in sitting on the couch. They'd been sitting for a minute in silence when he shifted. "I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday."
She pulled her legs under her. "I'm sorry I yelled, too."
"I deserved it."
"Maybe," she said with a shrug. "But you were upset."
He shook his head, but wasn't really denying her words. Licking his lips, he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He couldn't seem to find his voice.
Lindsay smiled hesitantly at him. "What's wrong?"
Swallowing, Danny hung his head for a moment. "You know, after you left and you didn't call?"
Lindsay winced, but nodded. "Sorry."
"Don't be," he said, running a rough hand through his hair. He couldn't bring himself to look at her when he told her.
"Danny," she said on a nervous laugh. "Just tell me."
"Angell and I were working on this really tough case. Guy had killed a woman and her eight year old. We didn't find Abby, the kid, until a day later and it was…it was awful. That night I gave Angell a ride home and she offered me coffee."
"Okay," Lindsay said with a confused frown. As he sat there, trying to think of more words, she suddenly gasped. "Oh."
Jumping from the couch, she was standing halfway across the room before he could blink. "Danny, don't tell me this."
"Lindsay, I—"
Shaking her head, Lindsay tried to smile. "Danny, it's sweet you want to tell me, but it's none of my business."
"What?" Danny straightened, his shoulders becoming rigid.
"I didn't have any hold on you. I never expected you to wait for me."
Contrary annoyance rushed through him, and he roughly rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "You're being damned reasonable about this."
Lindsay frowned at him. "What do you mean?"
He felt like an idiot, putting so much importance on this. He'd only scrounged up the courage to tell her after hearing her turn Emery down. When he heard her admit she had feelings for him. At least, he'd thought that was what she meant at the time. Watching her fidget across the room, it didn't look like it.
Danny stood to face off with her, his arms crossing over his chest. "It's like you don't even care."
"Not care?" She stared at him in shock for a moment and he watched the anger start to boil in her eyes. "Of course I care! Is that what you want to hear? That it hurts?" she asked tightly, her voice getting louder with each word.
All the fight drained out of him. "Maybe," he said on a sigh. "I don't know."
"Well, it does," she snapped, hugging herself tightly. Danny grimaced at the vulnerability in her voice, but she didn't stop. "Danny, I didn't ask you to wait for me to be ready for you, and I never expected you would. I've heard the rumors; I've seen how women look at you, flirt with you. I knew you'd date other women."
She swallowed harshly. "And I knew all that when I told you I wasn't ready."
A weird sense of déjà vu was running through him. They kept running in circles here. "Montana—" he tried, stepping forward.
She shook her head, stopping him in his tracks. "I just didn't think it was going to be someone I'd have to watch you with," she finished, looking anywhere but at him.
"Nothing's going on between us," Danny told her. "Nothing even happened that night. I kissed her, but I couldn't…She wasn't you."
Lindsay's arms tightened around her body. "Then why would you tell me?" Her voice was rising again.
"Because she told me she wanted something to happen," he explained quickly, holding up his hands as if to ward off her wrath. "I just thought you should know that I don't have any interest in her."
Lindsay dropped her arms and blew the wisps of hair off her face. "Danny, you kissed her, you must have some interest," she said, trying to sound calm and reasonable.
The worst part of all of this was that she could actually picture Angell and Danny together. She was beautiful, smart, and knew how to put on makeup. With her innate sexiness, she probably knew how to tie a man in knots. She was, basically, the female Danny. The thing that made Lindsay's stomach twist was that she and Danny made so much less sense than he and Angell.
Danny laughed at bit, as if he couldn't help it. "I really don't. It wasn't like that." Lindsay's brow furrowed, but she kept her gaze on the floor. "You weren't here, Lindsay. You didn't see that kid. It was horrible. I just wanted to forget."
He'd never been good at talking about his feelings, so everything came out sounding stilted. "If you had been here, it would never have happened."
He didn't say it like an accusation, because, really, none of it had been her fault. How could he blame her for not being there for him? Still, it was the simple truth. Had she been in New York, he would have called her. Maybe he would have spent the night on her couch with a beer and a stupid tv movie. More likely, she would have met him at the lab to help him process until they were both too tired to stand. They'd never know exactly what would have happened, but he knew that he would never have seen the inside of Angell's apartment that night.
He couldn't help himself. Just thinking about her being gone made him itch to get closer, to touch her. So he did, moving forward and cupping her cheek in one hand. "You have no idea how sorry I am it happened," he murmured to her.
Lindsay's eyes slid closed and she leaned into his hand, letting out a shaky breath. They stood there, frozen, only connected by the hand on her cheek, but somehow it felt more intimate than a mere touch.
"Danny," she whispered, her eyes opening and locking on the buttons over his heart.
"I know," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets. They were quiet for a moment. "I should go."
He was surprised to see her wince, but she hid it quickly. "You work tomorrow?" she asked, leading the way to the door.
"Afternoon shift. You?"
She was cradling his jacket in her hands. "Same." Finally, she looked up and met his gaze.
He searched her eyes, but couldn't find any indication of what she was thinking. So, he eased the jacket out of her hands and slipped it on, all the while gazing down at her. She never even blinked. Then he was in her hallway, wondering why he didn't feel any lighter after telling her.
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When Angell walked into the lab the next day, Lindsay couldn't look at her. Instead, she kept her eyes cast down at the clothing spread out across her table.
"Where you been, Monroe? Haven't seen you all day," Angell said, leaning over the table for a second, then pulling back to rest a hip against the counter behind Lindsay.
"Around. Running trace mostly."
Angell was quiet for a minute and Lindsay felt her eyes like lasers on the back of her head. "Something wrong?"
"Nope. Everything's peachy." Knowing she'd given herself away, Lindsay's shoulders drooped and she sighed.
"Seriously? Peachy?" Angell asked wryly as Lindsay turned to face her. "Even you can lie better than that, Monroe."
Lindsay tried to think of a lie that would explain her behavior then gave up. She hated lying, and she wasn't good at it anyway. "Danny told me he kissed you."
It was a little surprising to see Angell's cheeks grow red at the words. Glancing away again, Lindsay rubbed her forehead. "I know it doesn't really matter and it's none of my business, but I can't help it."
"You're jealous," Angell said as the red staining her face faded a bit. "It's the usual reaction, I'm sure."
Lindsay let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "Yeah."
"You know it didn't mean anything, right?"
The worry in Angell's voice forced Lindsay's gaze back to the figure across from her. Suddenly, she felt horrible for having avoided the other woman all day. "I know."
"Good. So, go kiss him."
"I can't do that," Lindsay protested, wide eyes flying back to Angell's.
"Why the hell not?" the other woman asked, tossing a hand in the air. "You want him, he wants you, what's to think about?"
"It's not that—"
"Lindsay, the man turned down a completely string-free one night stand for you. And the entire precinct knows he has no aversion to those." When Lindsay squeezed her eyes shut, Angell sighed again. "I'm sorry. That came out wrong."
"Don't worry about it. It's none of my business who Danny does or does not sleep with." Her voice was mechanical and she wondered if she'd ever feel more comfortable saying it. Or feel more comfortable with Danny's sexual past.
"Bull shit," Angell almost yelled at her. "Look, I'm sorry, Lindsay, but I don't get it. The man has been pining after you for almost a year. And you obviously feel the same way. So, why are you doing this?"
"Because I can't be with him right now," Lindsay burst out, ripping her gloves off and throwing them in the trash. "If I could, I would be, Jennifer, but I can't."
"Why not?" Angell insisted as Lindsay collapsed against the table next to her.
"I have to deal with things on my own right now."
"Isn't that something boyfriends are supposed to help with? I mean, call me crazy—"
Lindsay shook her head fiercely. "If I let him make this better for me, I'm afraid that…" She paused to swallow. "I'm afraid that when he leaves, I won't be strong enough on my own. And everything will get even worse."
Straightening a little, Angell lowered her voice. "When?" Lindsay winced and looked away, arms crossed tightly over her stomach. "The man adores you, why would he leave?"
Lindsay shrugged. "I don't know. Why do men ever leave?"
Brow furrowed, Angell kicked idly at the floor of the lab. "Danny knows all of this?"
"He knows that I need to work through some issues and he knows what they are. That's why he's not pushing."
"I was wondering about that," Angell murmured. "He's not the type to sit back and watch. He goes after what he wants."
"Oh, he went after me," Lindsay agreed in a more normal voice. "And I stood him up."
"Wait, what?" Angell asked, laughing incredulously. "Messer got stood up on a date? Classic."
"It's not funny," Lindsay told her irritably. "I still feel like a jerk."
"Oh, you should," Angell assured her. "But I didn't think there was a woman in the world that would stand up the dating king."
Dropping her head into her hands, Lindsay groaned dramatically. Angell just chuckled a bit more, still marveling over the unexpected information. Finally, when Lindsay's head didn't emerge, Angell calmed herself.
"Linds, if he didn't give up on you after that, why would he do it now?"
"I still have mystery right now," Lindsay mumbled through her hands. "If we date, that's gone."
"Honey, you have very little mystery left if you've been working with him for two years."
Two brown eyes glared up at Angell. "I have mystery."
"Sure, sure," the detective said soothingly. "Had dinner yet?"
"No," Lindsay answered, surprised by the topic change.
"Good. Let's grab something. My treat."
"What? I can't let you—"
"Hey, least I could do for propositioning the love of your life."
Lindsay's eyes fell shut, and she groaned as she let Angell tow her out of the lab and down the hall. "I can't believe you just told me that."
Angell smiled wickedly. "Honesty is the best policy, my friend."
Shaking her head in grudging amusement, Lindsay glanced to the side and saw Danny coming down the hallway. She'd been avoiding him, too, and she knew the moment he spotted her. His face froze as he continued down the hall towards her until she smiled. Then, his eyes cleared and a smile curved his lips.
Their gazes stayed locked until he turned the corner and then Lindsay looked down, breathing hard.
"You should hurry up with those issues," Angell murmured as they stepped onto the elevator.
"Yeah."
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Lindsay felt an incredible sense of relief as she stripped off her work clothes. Her case with Emery was finally over, and the next day of work no longer promised immense discomfort. It also meant she could spend some time on the chores that had been piling up for the last week or so.
Pulling her hair back in a ponytail, Lindsay moved into the kitchen, wincing at the stacks of dishes in the sink. She knew where to start, at least. Twenty minutes later, she was soaked to her elbows and nowhere near finished. But if she wanted to cook anything at all, she'd have to finish cleaning all her pots.
The sudden buzzing of her intercom made Linsday jump about a mile, nearly dropping the glass she'd been holding. Carefully setting it back in the sink, she wiped her hands on her ratty old cotton shorts and hurried into the small entryway.
"Who is it?" she asked, pressing the button.
"Hey, Montana. Buzz me up?"
Surprise had her pausing for a second then she shook herself and held the buzzer down. She hadn't seen Danny in days; their shifts hadn't crossed at all. And she'd been so wrapped up in her case she hadn't even set foot out of the lab for more than a trip to the break room in almost a week.
Waiting at the front door for his knock, she gasped and froze in horror as she realized what she was wearing. Running into the bedroom, she shimmied out of her shorts and the practically see-through tank top she'd donned for chores.
She was still wiggling into a pair of jeans when she heard him knocking. Buttoning the pants, she grabbed the first shirt she saw in her drawer and whipped it over her head as she jogged back towards the door.
Flinging it open, she was greeted by the sight of Danny and a very large, delicious smelling pizza box. "Hi," she said, staring at the pizza box confusedly.
"Hey." He waited a beat then added, "You gonna let me in?"
"Oh, sure. Sorry."
She stepped back and he moved past her into the apartment. As she closed and locked the door, she heard him head to the living room.
He was setting the pizza on the coffee table when she caught up with him. Smiling at her, he somehow produced a DVD out of seemingly thin air. "All right, Montana, let the pizza tour begin."
She laughed and stepped up next to him to peer down at the box. "Pizza my heart?" she read.
"With almost everything. I know how you feel about anchovies, which, by the way, is a strange aversion for someone who eats wasps."
"Ate," she corrected, watching him fiddle with her DVD player. "One time."
He grinned at her over his shoulder, and she shook her head. Feeling flustered at having been caught staring, she quickly made her way into the kitchen, coming back out with plates, napkins and beer as he pressed play.
Handing him a bottle, she settled on the couch with a suitable distance between them. Danny took a swig before flipping open the top of the pizza box. She watched warily as he expertly wound the extra cheese around the slice. When he handed it to her, she hurriedly held out a plate and he stared at it.
"A plate?" he asked dryly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Food. Plate. Do the math."
"No. Put the plate down. Move away from the plate." He indicated the table with his chin.
Picking up a napkin instead, she sighed. "I happen to like plates."
"Must be a country thing. Rule number one of pizza night: No plates."
Laughing quietly, she turned to the tv and cocked her head to the side. "What are we watching?"
"Hoosiers."
She stopped in mid-bite. "What?"
"Hey, you made me watch that math chick flick," he said warningly, pointing a finger at her.
"Proof is not a chick flick. And you picked it out," she reminded him, her voice more defensive than she would have liked.
"Least of the evils."
She choked back a laugh as the credits started and finally brought the pizza to her lips. Pure, pizza joy suffused her mouth and she moaned unconsciously.
Hearing Danny snicker, she glanced to her left and saw him watching her with a grin. "That good, huh?"
She swallowed quickly. "Oh my God," she told him seriously.
He laughed and nodded. "Not the best, though."
"There's something better than this?" she asked incredulously.
Glittering eyes found hers for a long minute then turned back to the screen. A strange fuzziness settled over her brain. She spent the next few minutes wondering what they'd been talking about.
By the time the movie ended, they'd polished off the large pizza and several bottles of beer. Lindsay felt so content with her life, she wanted to curl up against Danny and wrap her arms around him. Instead, she pressed herself deeper into her corner of the couch and folded her legs under her.
Danny pushed himself up and turned off the tv. "Whaddya think, Montana?"
"I prefer chick flicks," she said primly.
He tried to glare at her, but she smiled widely and he couldn't help but chuckle. "All right, all right."
She had to stifle a sigh when he reached for his jacket, hanging on the back of the couch. Swallowing, she stood to walk him out. She wanted to ask him to stay, but her mouth wouldn't work, which was good, she tried to convince herself.
"Next time, Mama Leona's," he said gravely.
Next time. Excitement coursed through her at the words. She tried to hide it as Danny slid his arms through the sleeves on his leather jacket. "Mama Leona's?"
"Round the corner from my place. Hole in the wall."
"What happened to Bernie's?" she asked as he lingered, his hand on the doorknob.
"Changed my mind. I think you need to work up to that level."
As she rolled her eyes, he smirked and pulled her into a hug, so casually it made her breath catch in her throat. She squeezed him back gently and almost sighed when he pulled away.
Winking at her, he opened the door and slipped through it. "See ya, Montana."
Her heart was beating hard against her breast bone, so she placed a hand over it, trying to calm it down. Had she just been on a date with Danny? It had felt like a date there at the end. But surely a date implied going out somewhere. Right?
She could still smell his cologne lingering on the couch as she cleaned up. She had a sinking suspicion that Danny was getting antsy. Because it had definitely felt like a date.
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Ashley Booth: As one of the smaller people in the world, I, too, have become the butt of many a height-based joke. But I felt vindicated when I watched my friend walk into a low hanging chandelier (he wasn't hurt, so I could laugh). Being small definitely has its perks.
HillHaperHOT: Thanks for reviewing! Lindsay definitely needed some more friends, especially now that she's trying to get over everything that's happened. And I think Angell is going to be a good foil.
scoob2222: I'll try to keep posting in a timely fashion. We're only about halfway done.
berta101: Yay! I'm glad you're liking the story! Makes me happy. :-)
chili-peppers: I'm having so much fun with the A/L goodness! It's about to become really important how close they are, too, so I'm glad it's coming across believably.
specialfrog: You were right, Danny has partially broken free. Let's see where he goes with it now. Angell and Lindsay are becoming closer and more comfortable with each other, which I hope came across in this chapter. Their friendship is important for Lindsay, especially since the Danny-awkwardness between them is now gone.
The Little Corinthian: I usually shudder when she's on the show, too! I never liked her character much. I didn't exactly hate her, but…No love was lost on her. :-p I like how she's Lindsay's voice of reason when it comes to Danny. Unfortunately, Pretty Danny didn't make an appearance here. I think he learned his lesson the last time and will only break out Danny the Pitbull in desperate situations. Emery might make another appearance soon, though, not sure yet.
qt4good: Girl talk is an essential part of any shopping experience. And watching Lindsay and Angell bond is very fun for me.
Devilla: I think Hawkes just forsaw the awkwardness and/or anger that would arise when Danny found out about Emery. The man is sort of caught in the middle when he's working cases with one or both of them. And Emery did jumpstart Danny, or, I guess, Lindsay's reaction did. Maybe both.
Trixie7: In addition to the age gap between them, I thought there might be a weird dynamic between Stella and Lindsay because Stella is one of her bosses. With Jen, Lindsay doesn't feel the need to hold back info on Danny or anything else, even if it could potentially affect her job. (shrugs) But that's just what I was thinking when I chose Angell. I think Danny is very empathetic, so he knows how much it would hurt Lindsay to find out. Unfortunately, the conversation made her insecurities resurface.
serenity2bliss: Thank you so much for the encouraging words! I'm not sure how much more we'll see of Emery. He might pop up a couple more times, though I'm not really all that taken with him myself. He's a little smarmy. :-p It might be fun to see what happens when we shove Emery and Danny together…an explosion probably.
messermonroe: Funny thing-When I first started writing Jen in as a friend interest for Lindsay, I was feeling a little uncomfortable because of the kiss. So I wrote this little side piece where I shoved Jen towards someone else. Haha. Maybe I'll post it or include in the storyline somehow.
Tenley: I love that Jen is becoming such an expert on Lindsay so quickly. I think it has to do with the fact that she is so much like Danny; I think it makes Lindsay more comfortable around her. Emery is…ew. I made him, but I don't like him. Everyone knows about Lindsay and Danny, dammit. What's the fool doing?
hurricanerosie: Hehe. I can assure you, Angell has no ulterior motives. She likes Lindsay way too much to do anything that would hurt her. Hopefully that will become clear over the next few chapters.
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A.N. We're almost to the point in the story where I will no longer have chapters finished, just bare bones. So updates might slow down a bit, but I'm writing as fast as I can, guys!