A.N. Sorry guys, this is unbeta-ed, so any mistakes are mine alone and I apologize in advance. The bit about the picture is from Numb3rs. And I do believe there are only two chapters left.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Mac immediately waved Lindsay inside when she knocked on the door. Holding out a folder, Mac smiled. "DB over on Park that needs some attention."

Inside she wanted to jump up and down, scream, sing, anything. Outside, she stared with her jaw agape. "Really?"

Mac laughed a little. "Really. Go. Flack's waiting for you at the scene."

With a big grin, she whirled in a flurry of curls and practically ran to gather her kit. "Thanks, Mac," she called over her shoulder.

Catapulting out the door to his office, she skidded to a halt at the sight of Danny and Hawkes. "Hey Lindsay," Hawkes said, his eyebrows raised at her jubilant expression.

"Hey guys."

She grinned at both of them and Danny shoved his hands in his pockets a small smile on his face as he watched her. "What's that?" he asked, gesturing at the file still in her hand.

Her smile grew wider until both of the men blinked at her. "This, my friends, is a case file. My case file. And if you'll excuse me, a scene is calling my name."

With that, she pushed past them and started off down the hall. They called joking encouragements after her and she raised a hand to wave without looking at them. Today was her day. Now if she could just get Danny to ask her out, everything would be perfect.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Just do it quick," Jen advised. "Like ripping off a bandaid."

"I can't," Lindsay wailed pitiably. "Every time I try, it's like I get verbal dyslexia. Nothing comes out right."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Jen said, sipping her wine as she stirred the pasta. "But this is the man you continually question about his sex life?"

Lindsay groaned and lowered her face into her hands. "I'm pathetic."

"You're not pathetic," Jen soothed. "Just a little awkward when Danny's involved."

"How do I get him to break?" Her fierce tone was at odds with her imploring gaze.

"You know him better than I do," Jen protested, holding up the spoon.

"I helped you with Adam," Lindsay reminded her with a pointed look.

Jen snorted. "I haven't gotten anywhere with Adam, yet." Lindsay kept staring beseechingly. "Have you tried just grabbing him and kissing him?"

"With the way my words are failing? Yeah, physical comedy is a good idea."

"Linds, Danny's your friend. It shouldn't be this hard."

Sighing, Lindsay ran a hand through her curls. "I know it shouldn't. It's just frustrating. We came so close so many times and now there's this wall. This is Freddy's fault," she muttered, though she knew it wasn't. "He's the one that made Danny afraid to touch me."

Jen looked at her strangely for a moment then shook her head, turning back to the stove. "I don't want to know."

Lindsay shrugged, too upset to try and explain. Instead, she watched Jen finish making dinner and wondered at the pensive look at her friend's face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jen fidgeted as the elevator rose. 32. 33.

Usually, she was confident around guys. She knew they found her attractive, and she could hold her own in a conversation. So she'd never worried about trying to interest one. But, then, she'd always steered clear of the geeks.

34. 35.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and stepped off the elevator, dodging past some of the floor's lab coat wearing residents. Geeks were a different breed entirely. They were too smart for her, leaving her at a loss for what to say. What did she know about cellular osmosis? She'd had to ask Hawkes what part of the body an ulna belonged to.

Rounding a corner, she spotted Adam in one of the labs, hunched over a microscope. She paused to watch him, trying to figure out what she'd say to him when she got inside.

Her mind was a blank.

Seeing another lab tech, a young woman with a perfect French twist in strawberry blonde shades and a folder full of results, approaching Adam's table, Jen involuntarily stepped back. She watched as the woman addressed Adam with the kind of ease smart women had talking to smart men. He smiled and they chatted for a couple of minutes while he looked over the results.

Jen's stomach was knotted. Maybe he already had feelings for someone else. A lab rat, a woman as intimidatingly smart as he was. The night before with Lindsay, the decision to pursue Adam had seemed brave and inspired, now it just seemed stupid.

Then the redhead was passing Jen's lookout spot at the glass wall on her way out the door. She gave Jen a strange look, but Jen didn't notice. Adam was leaning a hip against the table, chewing on the end of his pen as he read.

Now or never.

Lifting her chin in the air, she put some of her usual sashay into her walk. Striding forward, she pulled the door open with a little more force than necessary, which made Adam glance up. He blinked at her with obvious confusion then smiled.

"Hey, Angell. What can I do for you?"

She knew she was smiling back, could feel her lips curve, but could only hope it was at least somewhat flirtatious. It felt goofy. "You seen Lindsay?"

Nice. Perfect way to make a guy feel like the center of attention.

But Adam just kept smiling calmly and shrugged. "Sorry. I think she's on a case with Hawkes."

"Right. That's my case. I mean, Flack's case," she amended quickly, wanting to bite her tongue when Adam's eyebrows quirked together. "What are you working on?" she asked quickly to cover.

He glanced down at the folder in his hand. "Oh, some DNA workups for Messer and Bonasera. Their vic's rape kit actually."

"Oh." She struggled to think of something to say about DNA. She wasn't even going for interesting, just something. Her mind was still blank. "You watching the Yankees game tonight?" she asked instead.

"Wasn't planning on it," he said. He smiled at her shocked expression. "I'm from Phoenix."

"Well, you're a New Yorker now, and the Yankees should be in your blood."

Adam chuckled and she felt a tingle somewhere in her belly. "I don't even have cable."

"Come to my place, then. We'll order pizza, too, get you fully immersed in the experience," she said with a smile.

Adam shook his head amusedly. "I've had pizza since I got here, you know."

"Not Luigi's," Jen countered smugly.

He blinked and looked thoughtful, as if he were actually trying to remember every slice he'd had since coming to the city. Jen didn't doubt he could remember them all. It was wrong that that made her want to jump him.

"No," he answered finally. "I don't think I have."

"Good, it's settled. Game starts at six. I'll come back here and pick you up around five." She tried to keep the triumphant note out of her voice, she really did. But she still ended up sounding smug.

Adam smiled his gentle smile and shrugged. "All right."

Victory!

Part of her couldn't believe he'd said yes. Then she started mentally flailing herself. It was just a game. She and Mike from the precinct did this all the time. Hell, she and Lindsay did this all the time. No reason to get excited yet.

"All right. See you later then," she said with a half-smirk and turned to walk out the door.

"Jen?"

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him gesture in the opposite direction of the elevators. "Lindsay just went around that corner."

"Oh. Thanks," she said.

"No problem." He settled himself back against the table, eyes on the folder, as she stepped out the door and headed down the hallway.

Great, now she had to hunt Lindsay down, too. Rounding the corner Adam had indicated, she found Lindsay and Danny standing awfully close together.

"Okay," she announced in her usual loud voice. They jumped in surprise and turned to look at her. Lindsay started to open her mouth, but Jen cut her off. "So, he's coming over to watch the game."

Wordlessly, Danny turned and walked down the hallway. Lindsay glanced at his back before turning back to meet Jen's eyes.. "That's good."

"Yeah, but I'm quickly heading into friends' territory here, Linds."

Lindsay smiled and started retracing Jen's steps down the hall. "I don't think it works the same way for guys."

Jen thought about it then nodded agreeably. "Yeah, I've had sex with friends before. But that never ends well."

Lindsay blinked, but only nodded. "Okay then. You're not out of the running yet."

Jen stuck her hands in her pockets. "What do I talk to him about?"

"What?"

Lowering her voice to a whisper, she stopped and moved closer to Lindsay. "He's crazy smart, all right? I can't talk about the things he's interested in."

Lindsay looked confused. "You're not exactly dumb, Jen."

Shooting her an exasperated look, Jen surreptitiously glanced behind her and saw Adam bent over the microscope again. He even looked smart doing that. Capable, really. Okay, so she had it bad.

Lindsay sighed. "He's going to talk about the game, not radioisotopes. Just calm down. If you don't know what he's talking about, ask him to explain. He's a nice guy, remember?"

"I don't want to bore him."

"I'm sure he has other interests than DNA and analyzing trace," Lindsay said as they headed towards the elevators.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, Jen. I'm sure it'll come up in conversation. Talk about the game. See what teams he likes."

Jen sighed and got behind the other people waiting for a downward moving car. "I only like New York teams. I don't know much about any others." When Lindsay started to speak again, Jen waved her off and moved towards the now open elevator. "I'm sure everything will work out. At least he's coming over, right?"

Lindsay watched the doors slide closed, blocking Jen from view, unable to think of a response. Even after the numbers told her Jen had reached the lobby, Lindsay stared ahead of her, a death grip on her case file. Her mind racing from one thought to the next.

"Hey, Linds."

Broken out of her reverie, she looked up and found Flack smiling next to her. "Hey," she said, smiling back.

"Daydreaming?" He grinned and pocketed his black book.

Laughing lightly, Lindsay shook her head. "Not exactly. I think the thoughts would have to be pleasant for dreams, right?"

He frowned down at her in obvious concern. "Something wrong?"

"No, no. Everything's fine," she murmured, smiling wryly. "Just woolgathering, I suppose."

"Wool gathering?" he repeated with a chuckle.

The elevator doors swung open again, and Lindsay blinked at the sudden appearance of people in front of her. Flack stepped forward, glancing over his shoulder and holding then doors open with his hand when he realized she handed followed.

"Going down?" he asked, his frown back in place.

"No," she said quietly, more to herself than to him, and turned on her heel. As she set off down the hall, she heard him drawl "O-okay" and then the ding of the elevator closing.

Walking briskly, she headed towards the A/V lab on the other side of the floor, determination in every step. Jen had taken the chance, the one Lindsay still needed to take, and she'd done it with confidence. That was the key, really. Confidence.

Outside the door, she took a deep breath before she quietly opened it and stepped inside. Danny was leaning over the touchpad podium, engrossed in whatever was on the wall screen. At the click of the door closing, he glanced over.

"Hey," he said with a welcoming half-grin.

"Hey. This the image you were talking about?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah." Quickly, he zoomed into an area of the photo. "See the fuzziness of the picture?" Staring intently, she nodded.

"Well, that's not shoddy camera work," he told her smugly. He moved to the computer next to the touchpad and typed quickly. On the screen, a second image began to separate out of the pixels of the first.

Involuntarily, Lindsay took a step forward. "No way."

"Cool, huh?" Danny asked, still focused on the screen. Without meaning to, Lindsay had stepped in front of the touchpad and Danny accidentally bumped into her.

"Sorry," they said simultaneously, pausing to stare at each other before chuckling nervously.

Lindsay smiled ruefully and edged away from the podium. "So what does it tell you about your case?" she asked, eyeing the images of the two houses.

"I dunno, yet. Give me a minute to look at it." His voice was teasing and he tossed her a grin, but embarrassment suffused her.

Taking it as a sign to get out of the conversation before she completely bungled it, she turned towards the door. Danny's voice stopped her.

"Did you need something?" he asked absently.

He appeared absorbed in his work as he rotated and clarified the images, and she knew that she could escape without his ever being the wiser about her intention. Deciding to do just that, she opened her mouth to speak then snapped it shut again, remembering Jen's inspiring courage.

Clearing her throat, she shrugged casually though he wasn't looking at her. "I was just wondering if you were going to watch the game tonight."

"The Yankees?" he scoffed. "They're not ballplayers, they're media whores."

Nodding, Lindsay took a step towards the door. "Nevermind then."

Suddenly, he seemed to realize who he was talking to. "Wait, why?"

"No reason," she said nonchalantly, inwardly cringing at how awfully her brilliant scheme had turned out. "I was going to see if you wanted to watch with me. But if you don't like them, forget it."

"What time?"

Lindsay blinked at his neutral face. "What…Game starts at six."

"I get off at three. You?"

"Same," she said warily.

"We'll watch at my place," he told her, turning back to the images. "Your screen's too small."

"My screen is not too small. Your expectations are too big."

He sent her a wicked smile over his shoulder, but all he said was, "See you at six, Montana."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Considering Danny's obvious hatred of the Yankees, she was touched that he'd chosen to sit through it in favor of spending time with her. It was the most romantic gesture he could have made, given his personality.

And, yet, she really hated him.

After the game, during which he found as many ways to unfavorably compare the Yankees to the Mets as possible, he informed her that when the Mets played the next day, the Yankees would weep.

"Why?" she asked. "They're not playing each other are they?"

"The glory, Montana. The Yankees can't compete with the glory."

Completely confused, she just smiled and sipped her wine. "Why the Mets?"

"They're the best," he said immediately, almost automatically. When she rolled her hand through the air to prompt elaboration, he shrugged. "My dad took me to my first Mets game when I was five. He caught a fly foul and gave it to me. The guy who hit it signed it for me. It's on the bookshelf."

She glanced where he gestured and saw a baseball in a special case resting on the middle shelf of his bookcase. Standing, she walked over to it and peered at the signature behind the plastic.

"Doug Flynn," she said, glancing over her shoulder at him. Surprised to find that he'd followed her.

Reaching past her, he picked the whole thing up and held it in his hand. "Second baseman and shortstop. They traded him after the next season."

Lindsay winced. "Ouch."

Danny just shrugged and put it back down. "It happens."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't suck," she pointed out.

Granting that with a nod, he moved back towards the couch. "When I was still training with the minors, I was never sure where I'd end up."

"But the Mets were the dream?"

"Of course," he said, smiling lazily. "There was this one time, I was training with a team in Chicago."

As she listened, she watched the way his eyes lit up when he told a story. His skin was bronze in the lamplight, and she desperately wanted to touch it, to see if it was as soft as it looked. With the gold of his hair, he just seemed sort of gold all over as he sat there telling a story about his college days. She was pretty sure she was losing her mind.

Scooting forward slightly on the pretense of adjusting her legs under her, Lindsay managed to bring herself within a foot of Danny. He must have noticed, but it didn't even register on his face. He was as flirty and animated as ever, but he hadn't gone past that boundary he'd set up.

She knew that she could have leaned in and kissed him herself, but he'd been so involved in his story, she didn't want to interrupt. So, instead, she just watched his eyes sparkle and tried to mentally force him into kissing her.

It didn't work. So she hated him.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I knocked over a vase."

Looking up from her trace, Lindsay raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "What?"

"With my elbow," Jen elaborated, her whisper taking on a hiss-like quality. "I don't even remember where it came from."

"You knocked over a vase in your apartment?" Lindsay surmised, eyes narrow as she tried to follow the conversation.

"Yes. In front of Adam," Jen stressed.

Lindsay winced in sympathy. "What'd he do?"

"Helped me clean it up. Then examined my elbow to make sure I hadn't hurt it."

"That's so sweet," Lindsay said, letting a smile spread over her face.

Jen groaned and leaned against the table. "Yeah, it was nice. Especially when he rolled up my sleeve to get at my elbow. He has really nice hands. Gentle, you know?" She looked a bit gooey for a moment then shook her head and dropped her face in her hands. "I'm such a spaz."

"I'm sure he knows you were just nervous," Lindsay reassured her, putting her samples in the spinner.

Sighing, Jen shook her head one last time then glanced at Lindsay. "What'd you do last night?"

Her mood turned bitter. "I invited Danny over to watch the game."

"Oh yeah?" Jen perked up, straightening from the table with an anticipatory look in her eye. "How'd it go?"

"It didn't go anywhere," Lindsay informed her, roughly punching the buttons on the machine.

"Nothing?" Jen asked incredulously.

"Not even a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night." Sighing, Lindsay turned back to Jen with an imploring gaze. "Maybe he's changed his mind."

"He hasn't." Jen's voice was firm but Lindsay's expression didn't change. "Ask him," Jen told her.

Lindsay's fear turned to worry. "I can't do that," she said, horrified.

"Why not? It's the only way to find out how he feels. And he's the one that put up this wall, you're just going to have to break it down."

Lindsay raised her eyebrow. "Wall? No, I think that was me."

"Whatever," Jen said, waving her hand through the air. "Either way, you're still going to have to be the one who does something about it."

She could feel herself glaring at the evidence she was packing back in their bags, but couldn't make herself stop. "Why?" she asked petulantly.

"Because he's not doing anything about it," Jen pointed out. Glancing down at her watch, Jen sighed and moved away from the table. "I've gotta go. Talk to him."

"You, too," Lindsay called, smiling when Jen wrinkled her nose and nodded.

A few minutes later, Adam poked his head into her lab and pointed at the lab next door. "Hey, Lindsay, your results are printing on our printer."

Lindsay blinked. "Oh, sorry." Stripping her gloves, she followed him to the other lab, wondering if she should say something to him about Jen. It seemed a bit intrusive, but she'd already set them up on an unwitting blind date and he didn't seem upset about that.

The decision was made for her when they entered the lab and she saw all the other techs wandering around. Coming to the conclusion that the moment was not right for a Jen discussion, she tossed him a smile, which he returned. His timidity was now almost nonexistent around the team, except Mac. It was nice to be able to get to know Adam.

Stepping up to the printer, she waited for the sheets to finish printing and glanced up, spotting Danny in a lab across the floor. Suddenly, her mind seemed to shut down temporarily.

Staring at him through the glass walls of the lab and break room, Lindsay felt annoyance rise in her as he laughed at something a small redheaded lab tech said. She knew it wasn't fair after everything she'd put him through to expect him to make the move she wanted, but she couldn't help it. He was a dominant person and part of her reveled in that, just as she reveled in the moments she controlled him.

She'd tried a hundred times to show him how she felt, seeking him out at work, finding any excuse to touch him. She sighed and looked back at the printer as her results came out.

Glancing back up, the paper crinkled when Lindsay felt her fists clench as she saw the lab tech touch his arm. So casually, so gently.

He didn't pull away.

Turning away, Lindsay saw half the lab glance back down to their tables. Spinning from the room, she marched—seething—down the hall to Mac's office. Without knocking, she swung the door open and stomped across the room to stand in front of his desk.

Mac blinked up at her with a mild expression. "Yes, Lindsay?"

"Quinine." She shoved the crumpled paper towards him. "Quinine poisoning. Wife's clothes tested positive for it."

"Bring her in. See if she cracks."

"Thanks, Mac," she muttered. Lindsay twirled and swung out the door again, nearly running Danny over.

"Whoa, Montana," he said good-naturedly as she tried to regain her balance. "Where's the fire?"

"Quinine," she muttered, biting her tongue to keep from shouting 'Don't touch him' at the lab tech stepped up next to them.

"Hey, Monroe," she greeted with a smile.

Lindsay recognized her from the DNA lab. She was a genius at extracting DNA from the smallest sample. Almost as good as Jane or Adam. What was her name? Kathy maybe?

"Hey," Lindsay responded, smiling tightly. Her voice was barely audible as she pushed past them and strode down the hall, pulling out her phone as she went.

"What's with her?" she heard the woman ask behind her.

She didn't hear Danny's answer, but she could feel his gaze on her back until she turned the corner. She sighed and tried to make the tight knot in her stomach ease a bit. She knew she was being ridiculous. Danny had basically told her he wasn't interested in other women. But the thing with jealousy was that it rarely made any sort of sense.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After going crazy all day, almost losing it in the interrogation room—Flack had to pull her out and ask her if she could handle it—Lindsay knew she had to do something. Sitting on her couch in the fading sunlight, she lowered her face into her hands.

She'd yelled at Adam, something she never did; he was too nice for wrath. As soon as she'd done it, she apologized, but he'd still been walking on eggshells around her for the rest of the day. Luckily, she hadn't run into either Danny or Jen—who would quite possibly eviscerate her for yelling at Adam— but she'd had to face Mac again to give him the results on the interrogation. And he was watching her like a hawk.

Suddenly, she felt determination sweep through her. She wasn't a shrinking violet. She had the power to get what she wanted, and she knew how to do it.

Grabbing her coat from the back of the couch, she was out the door and to the elevator in seconds. Outside, she headed for the subway, needing the time to think. The trip wasn't short, but she was so busy trying to plan out what she would say that she almost missed the stop.

But she was pretty sure she had the speech all worked out. She'd just explain to him very carefully that she needed to jump him. No, wait, that couldn't be right. She should probably say something about how she never really felt like herself when she wasn't with him. And how he made her feel alive for the first time in ten years; how she hadn't even known she wasn't living until she met him. There, that sounded much better than, "I'm sorry, but I have to jump you or I'll lose my mind."

Then she was standing in front of his building, staring at the steps leading to the front door. She didn't know how long she stood there, trying to gel the words together in her mind. When a man passed by, eyeing her speculatively, she forced her feet to move. The only person she wanted to talk to was upstairs.

She rang his buzzer and waited. Nothing. Biting her lip, it suddenly occurred to her that he probably wasn't home, still working on the case with Jen. She felt herself deflate and half-heartedly rang his buzzer again.

"Stupid," she muttered to herself, turning to head back down the stairs.

"Yeah?" Danny's voice crackled through the speaker.

Leaping back, she leaned on the button before she could think better of it. "Danny, it's Lindsay."

"Hey, c'mon up," he said without hesitation.

Then the door was shrieking and she grabbed it quickly. Inside, the elevator was on the fifth floor but, deciding she didn't want to climb four flights of stairs to appear at his door red and sweaty, she impatiently waited. Finally, the doors slid open and she swiftly stepped inside, hitting the button for the fourth floor several times too many.

As the elevator began to rise, painstakingly slowly, she grasped the railing. Suddenly, all the words she'd planned so carefully were gone. Completely wiped from her mind. Panic rose to lodge in her throat.

The doors almost closed on Danny's floor before she could make herself step through them. She was there now, so no turning back. In a daze, Lindsay drifted to his door and forced herself to knock.

The door swung open almost immediately to reveal a grinning Danny. "Hey, Montana."

She knew her smile was a bit shaky, but she didn't know if Danny could tell. She could hear the noise of the Mets game on the tv in the living room as Danny stepped aside to let her slip past.

Fear swept through her as she came to a halt in his hallway. She struggled to act normally, shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on the coat rack while Danny locked the door behind her.

"Beer?" he asked, gesturing to the kitchen with his thumb.

"Sure," Lindsay answered, shrugging.

He headed towards the kitchen and her mind went blank. She couldn't think of anything to say as his body moved farther away from hers. She watched him lean down to grab a bottle from the fridge, his shirt stretching across his back and arms. She had to say something, at least to get the conversation started. The whole reason she'd come here was to confront Danny about her feelings, discern where he stood now.

Biting her lip, she desperately tried to think of anything to say as he flipped the top off the bottle and started back towards her. "You all right there?" he asked with a confused grin as she stared wide-eyed and pale in exactly the same spot he'd left her.

"I'm ready," was the genius beginning that came out of her mouth. It made him stop in his tracks, confusion shadowing his face.

His head cocked to the side as he lifted the bottle questioningly. "For…beer?"

"No, I mean…I'm ready," she repeated, for lack of anything else to say. It took a moment, but she watched it sink in. He didn't answer, but his body tensed. Finally, the words started pouring out of her mouth.

"I've been trying to show you, but you haven't seemed to—And it's not your fault," she assured him, shaking her head and taking a few steps towards him. "I put up this wall between us, and you were respecting the wall."

"The…wall?" he repeated. He still wasn't moving, so she left the remaining several feet of distance between them intact.

"Yeah, the wall. It kinda resembles the Great Wall of China, so I thought I should just come out and tell you. That I'm ready," she stressed when he still didn't seem to get it.

Danny's mouth moved, but no sound came out. He looked completely flummoxed by the whole conversation. Lindsay winced and started to spell it out for him.

"I want everything with you. I want you to be the one who takes me to my first Mets game. I want to call you if I see something funny on tv. If I'm renting a movie, I want you to tease me about my love of chick flicks. I want you to be the first person I see in the morning and the last at night. You're already the one I think about."

She paused and took a deep breath. "I know all of this is kind of intense since we've never really been on a date, but I thought you should know."

The game was still loud in the background, but all Lindsay could hear was her own breathing. As Danny stared back at her, Lindsay tried to make her brain function on a level high enough to decipher why he wasn't moving, saying something. Then she sluggishly came to the only conclusion that made sense and horror swept through her.

"Oh God," she whispered, her hand going to cover her mouth.

His eyebrows twitched together and his mouth opened as he stepped towards her. Instinctively, she took a step back and he jerked to a stop, still several feet away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes dropping away from his face. "I didn't think—I shouldn't have done this. You weren't missing the signs, you were ignoring them."

Danny was shaking his head and setting her beer down, but she was too busy trying to regain her composure to notice. "I'll go."

"Montana—"

"Really, I'm sorry. So sor—I have to go."

"Lindsay. Stop."

She went rigid at the command in his voice, unused to the sound of it, all the while willing herself not to cry as she lifted her chin in the air to meet his eyes. His face was set and he looked like he was balanced between anger and pain as he came towards her. She bit her lip then gasped as he grabbed her arms and pulled her against his chest.

When his breath brushed across her lips, her eyes drifted shut with a strange impression of butterfly wings. Then his lips touched hers for the first time, and she collapsed against his chest in relief.

She wound her arms tightly around his neck and hung on for dear life as he worked his mouth over hers. It wasn't gentle, but it wasn't rough either, and she felt herself melting into him immediately without conscious thought. It was too much. She'd wondered about what it would be like for too long; she was too hungry for it. Her hopes should have been too high, but somehow he'd surpassed them just by being Danny.

Finally, when she'd forgotten how to breathe, he lifted his head.

Her lids fluttered open and she met his gaze dazedly. "So, you're not letting me down easy," she murmured.

She watched in fascination as his lips started to curve upwards. "No."

She couldn't hear the game anymore as his head lowered again. Nothing else mattered as Danny's lips brushed hers briefly and she let out a little whimper. When he lifted his head again, she heard someone clear their throat.

Blinking languidly, she turned her head to find Flack and Hawkes sitting on the couch, eyes respectfully averted. It took a moment to register what she was seeing then she tensed in Danny's arms, bracing her hands against his chest.

He let her pull away and casually shoved a hand in his pocket. Reaching over, he picked up her beer and handed it to her.

"You two need to be alone?" Flack asked, staring at the tv.

"No. Nope. We're good," Lindsay stammered, taking a swig of the cool liquid.

Danny chuckled and headed to the couch, his mind already seemingly back on the game. After a minute, Lindsay followed and gingerly perched on the couch, cradling her beer bottle in both hands. She heard Danny scoff quietly next to her, her body dipping with the cushions as he slid closer. Then his arm was around her and she felt the tension drain from her body.

Lindsay relaxed enough that, despite the pleasant tingling on her face where his beard had scraped against her, she found herself actually paying attention to the game. A few minutes later, the ref made a horrible call, ending the seventh inning with the Mets robbed of a run, and Danny took his arm away to gesture angrily while screaming in Italian.

She didn't mind the loss so much, though, since she, too, was yelling at the screen.

He didn't put his arm back, leaning forward in preparation for a shut-out inning. "C'mon, c'mon," he muttered.

"Oh come on," Lindsay cried when the ump called a ball on a perfect pitch.

Flack tossed up his hand. "That guy needs a new eye."

Lindsay snorted. "He got a new eye, he'd be a cyclops," she muttered, disgruntled.

The guys chuckled, agreeing, and Danny absently reached over to play with the small curls escaping from her ponytail at the base of her neck. When she felt her breathing and heart rate pick up, Lindsay squirmed a little in her seat and desperately hoped he didn't notice.

Throughout the rest of the game, Danny found small, casual ways to touch her. Just a brush of his leg against her thigh, his fingers glancing over hers as he handed her the beer bottle. By the time Flack and Hawkes filed out the door, she was ready to tear off her clothes.

She stood uneasily in his living room as Danny flipped the locks, unsure what to do now that she'd laid it on the line for him. She might not be good at this sort of thing, but she was pretty sure it was his move. He turned back towards her with an unreadable expression and eyed her thoughtfully.

"You hungry?" he asked.

The sudden urge to laugh made her grin uncontrollably. "Starving," she said and a smile spread across his face.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dinner was a simple affair at a little café around the corner from his house. Lindsay was shocked to find that she actually was starving and remembered she'd been too tense to eat all day. Throughout the meal, she kept looking up to find Danny watching her, a small smile on his face. But whenever he met her eyes, he'd just shake his head slightly as if he was trying to remind himself to eat and dropped his gaze back to his plate.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" he asked as they left the restaurant.

She nodded, winding her scarf around her neck. "You?"

"My case is still hot."

Buttoning her coat, she glanced up at him. "Getting anywhere?"

"Not really," he said with a tired half-grin.

"You want to talk it out?" she asked, tilting her head to the side as they dodged other people on the street.

His smile grew and he shook his head. "Not tonight," he murmured.

She could feel herself blushing as his eyes twinkled at her. Who would have thought Danny Messer—the badass cop on a motorcycle—had eyes that could twinkle? Biting her lip, she ducked her head and reached up to tuck a loose curl behind her ear.

Her breath caught as she felt his hand gently take hers. Looking at their entwined hands, she wanted to shout out to the world. Instead, she slid her fingers between his to hold him even closer.

"Let's get you home," he said quietly, so that she was the only one on the street who could hear him.

The subway was surprisingly crowded, and they found themselves squished together as they grasped the handholds. After constantly brushing against each other, Danny finally just wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into him. Dropping the handhold, Lindsay braced herself against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder for the remainder of the ride.

Though it was a sweet and tender gesture, it was also torturous. Every time someone bumped into her from behind, it pressed her body against his. By the time the ride was over, her breathing was shaky and she felt flushed all over. Danny, on the other hand, didn't seem to have been effected at all as he walked her out of the subway and to her building.

He waited patiently as she unlocked the front door and they stepped inside to press the button. As soon as her building's elevator doors shut, Danny was pushing her back against the railing and latching his mouth onto hers. She responded eagerly, part of her wished the fickle elevator would shut down as it was wont to do in far less ideal moments.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she pulled him as close as she could with her winter clothes in the way. But even that wasn't enough and she trailed one hand down from his neck to move underneath his leather jacket. Of course, he still had a sweater and shirt in the way, but it was better than being outside the leather.

When the doors dinged open on her floor, her dream of being caught between floors shattered into oblivion, but she really wasn't thinking about it anymore as Danny walked her backwards towards her door.

He leaned her against it, still plundering her mouth. She wondered if he didn't need to breathe at some point, then his tongue swept against hers and she desperately hoped he wouldn't need to. His fingers dug out her keys, his mouth never leaving hers, and he flipped the locks before dropping the keys back in her pocket.

Opening the door behind her, she tangled her fingers in his jacket and stepped back inside her apartment. One of his hands reached out and caught the door, slamming it shut behind them. But when she tried to pull him further into the apartment, Danny wouldn't budge.

She made a questioning sound in the back of her throat and he eased back, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Slow. We're going to go slow here," Danny muttered as if trying to remind himself.

Lindsay stifled a groan and nodded breathlessly. "Good idea."

She ran her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck and he brushed his lips over her cheek. Leaning back, he let his eyes run over her face, expression serious. When she bit her lip, suddenly shy, he smiled.

"I should go," he murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She reluctantly let her arms slide away from him as he stepped back. Then he grinned and she felt her stomach flip like it always did.

"See you in the morning?" he asked after he'd opened the door.

"Yeah. Morning," she repeated.

"What time are you on?" he asked, backing out the door an inch at a time.

She watched him in amusement. "Nine."

"Bring coffee?"

Pausing, she was surprised into laughter. "Sure."

He grinned again and started to close the door. "See ya, Montana," she heard just before the door clicked shut.

"Bye," she murmured. She listened for a moment, but couldn't hear his footsteps. Tentatively, she brought her fingertips to her lips and her eyes focused into the distance.

Danny Messer was quite possibly the best kisser in the world.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

qt4good: Adam needs some lovin' I think. He's just so goofily adorable. Besides, no one works a beard quite like Adam.

daytimedrama: The hot sex will be coming, sort of. (see author's note on next chapter) Definitely confusing ground, though no one who'd been through the trials and tribulations they have would fall on the side of friend rather than lover. I hope.

Kaoli: They're already nuts. But they're together now! Woot! And more fluff to come.

Murgy31: Thanks! I hope you liked the fluffy moments here. Danny and Lindsay are officially together now.

Tenley: Consider that wall broken. Mostly. I think everyone is intimidated by Jen at first, particularly as a man since she's such hot stuff. And she's being pretty aggressive. Poor shy Adam. I'm glad you liked the Mac moment. I totally thought there needed to be a reference to the conversation between Danny and Mac back in Season 1. I mean, it was such foreshadowing (though it probably wasn't meant to be at the time) for the Lindsay situation.

Marue61: Eek! I meant to write Bronx. I thought I'd written Bronx. I'll go back and change that after I post this. :-p Thanks for pointing it out! And we've taken a step forward, which I find exciting. Hehe.

chili-peppers: I'm glad you like Adam and Jen. I think it'll be interesting writing them. I have plans for them, believe me. (evil laugh)

Quintessence of Darkness: Hi! Thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad you've liked the story so far. Just a couple more chapters left and then on to the final installment! I hope the next few chapters don't disappoint.

berta101: I could never write Danny and Lindsay hating each other. The next story will have angst, but no hating, I promise. I'm so glad Freddy has a few fans. I really love him. Flack will have a bigger role in the next fic, too, despite the trouble I have writing him. Hopefully, it'll get easier with practice. :-p Thanks for sticking with the stories as long as you have. Your encouragement has been really great. I hope you like the last few chapters!

ReJo: I hope you weren't hanging for too long. And there it is, the first kiss! I hope you liked it. More to come!

Devilla: I was glad that Lindsay had a chance to be there for Danny, too. I mean, I know she was there for him during the Louie thing, but we never really saw it. And yay for Lindsay, going after what she wants! Poor Jen, though, is really freaking out. Haha.

CarolinaH.Manning: Yeah, Lindsay and Danny are the poster children for the necessity of communication. I think Jen needs a bit of sweetness in her life to offset the bitterness she sometimes exhibits, you know? And Adam will definitely supply that.

seren23: Thanks for the encouragement about Flack. I've been trying to write a Danny/Flack scene for a while now, and it just hasn't been working. Which is bad since Flack plays a major role in the next story. (sigh) But it's good to have comic relief, right? By the way, excellent job so far on Push Me. I'm looking forward to the next chapter! (You're on my alert list. :-p)

RachelHeidi: I'm so down. I've got my Kirkland all ready to go. Just give me a time and place. But the silence between them means that we have to have some D/L this week, right? They wouldn't go so long without a real scene, would they?? It definitely sounds like cruel and unusual education practices. I think a major protest is in order. Let me know when and I'll bring my Berkeley hippie friends. Adam is so great! Maybe we could leave a note requesting more Adam when we TP the houses. I adore him. And, thus, he will be getting some hot lovin' soon. Bump-chicka-wow-wow.

scoj: They will be getting it on soon! They're already well on their way. And only two chapters left! Hehe.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A.N. Just two more chapters left, guys. Hang in there!