Disclaimer: I am not connected in any way with the creators of any of the CSI shows. (I wish I was though, so Danny and Lindsay would get together already.) These are just my mind's version of the show.

Thanks for all the great reviews:D This chapter will be about the team's night out. I'm trying to give Cassie and Hawkes more interaction and maybe a little more detail on Jordan as well. :D Oh, well, let's see how it goes. :D

Word of the plan to get drinks after shift spread through the members of the Crime Lab. By the end of shift, they grabbed their stuff from their lockers and made their way to Sullivan's. It was the regular place for the CSIs to go and unwind after shift. More often than not, these "unwinding" sessions ended in someone doing something horribly embarrassing.

That night, Stella, Hawkes, Danny, Lindsay and Adam crowded together in a booth, waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive. They started on a round of beers and joked around about their day, needling Hawkes mercilessly about that incident in the Trace Lab.

Hawkes, for his part, was remarkably calm about the whole situation. He kept insisting that they just both lost their tempers and was trying to interest the team in a discussion of the upcoming NYPD Christmas Ball.

Lindsay laughed at Hawkes' pathetic attempts to divert the subject. "I cannot believe you are obsessing about the Ball. It's…" she thought for a while, "a month and a half away!"

Hawkes let out a sigh and focused all his mental capabilities on willing himself to become invisible. Nope, no such luck.

But Stella was not yet done with the topic of Cassie Simmons and she asked Adam to tell the group a little bit more about working with the new girl. Stella teased, "Did you give her the new girl crap that Danny gave Lindsay?"

"Hey!" Danny protested. "I did not give her crap! I was just… welcoming her, that's all!"

"Ha!" Lindsay snorted from beside him. "If that is how you welcome people, then I can't wait to see how you deal with someone you don't like!"

At that, the group let out a roar of laughter at Danny's reddening face. They quickly discovered that nothing was more entertaining than watching the rookie cut the big, bad Danny Messer down to size.

"I don't know why I hang out with you people!" Danny threw up his hands in mock exasperation and quickly took a big swig from his beer.

Stella reached out across the table to pat his arm. "That's cause you loooove us!" she smirked.

"Hey! I do not love all of you," Danny pointed out, tilting his beer bottle in emphasis of this point. "I love some of you."

Without meaning to, Lindsay's face colored as she grasped the hidden significance of Danny's words. She wasn't the only one at the table who noticed Danny's head tilt slightly towards her as he said the last part.

Stella broke the significant silence that ensued by prompting Adam, "Hey, Adam! You never answered my question. What's Cassie like?"

Adam took a gulp of his beer before answering. "Well, she's nice, I guess. Works hard. Really quick on her toes and she really knows her way around a trace lab. The girl can talk though," he finished, with a slight nod towards Hawkes, who glowered at him.

"Yeah, Stella and I met her in the break room and she was really friendly," Lindsay interjected.

Just at that moment, Danny caught sight of Flack and Jordan. He gently nudged Lindsay and pointed towards the couple weaving their way through the crowded bar. "Montana, say hi to your friend."

Lindsay looked up from her engrossed study of the beer bottle in front of her. After Danny's remark, she suddenly developed an interest in the alcoholic content of the beverage she was ingesting. She needed the time to collect her thoughts after Danny's subtly worded avowal scattered her brains.

As luck (good or bad) would have had it, she ended up being seated next to Danny in the crowded booth. She suspected that it wasn't an accident: Stella most likely planned it that way and Danny took advantage of the opportunity to be close to her. Not that you mind, Montana. That voice again. In her head, she had taken to calling herself Montana. You know you don't really mind being pressed up close to Danny. You like everything about this guy: the way he feels next to you, solid and strong, safe and warm, the way he smells, the way his body would unconsciously lean closer. Yep, you're enjoying this.

Lindsay tore herself from her inner musings to wave to the two detectives. Flack was guiding Jordan by placing his hand on the small of her back. Beside Lindsay, Danny noted the telltale action and raised his eyebrows suggestively and Lindsay had to choke back a laugh.

"Hey, Flack, Jordan!" Lindsay greeted them. "Flack, introduce her to everybody."

Flack touched Jordan's arm and started to point around the booth. "Jordan, this is Sheldon Hawkes, formerly M.E., now, he's one of the lab dudes. This is Stella Bonasera, and you remember Danny and well, you know Lindsay, and that's Adam Ross. He's one of the lab techs." Everyone took their turns raising their bottles to Jordan in a salute. "Everybody, this is Jordan Addison, formerly LAPD, now she's one of New York City's finest."

"Hey, Addison!" Danny called out. "Nice to see you made it through the day. Flack didn't give you a hard time now, did he?"

"Nope. Takes more than that to get me down. Plus, Don's been really great, what with showing me all the ropes," Jordan replied, flashing Flack a small smile.

Flack's lips curved in a gloating smirk and said, "See, Messer, I know how to be nice to the new girls."

Danny's mature response to that comment was to snort and raise his beer bottle to his lips.

Flack pushed Adam farther down the circular booth to give Jordan room to sit and plopped down beside her. There was more than enough room, although the booth was rapidly getting crowded. The arrival of two more people was pushing too many people together, including Danny and Lindsay.

For his part, Danny didn't really mind. To accommodate Flack and Jordan, he was forced to sit back with his arm draped over the back of the booth, half-turning his body towards Lindsay.

In turn, Lindsay's pulse rate rose significantly at the new and improved seating arrangement. She was now squashed against Danny's side with his arm around her. If she were to be completely honest with herself, she didn't really mind it. In fact, she enjoyed the warm cocoon that his arm provided and she found herself leaning more comfortably against him.

When Lindsay snuggled deeper into his side, Danny was a bit surprised but he recovered quickly. If Lindsay wanted to come nice and close to him, he wouldn't be the one to stop her. By now, his hand was three inches from curling around her shoulder and he itched to curve his hand around it to pull her closer. He took a deep breath and just enjoyed the fact that his Montana was pressed up against him and she wasn't pulling away.

Down the table, Jordan was also squished companionably against Flack. He leaned his head to ask her what she wanted and she found herself staring at his impossibly blue eyes. She was again surprised by how much she liked looking at them, so it took her a few milliseconds to understand what he was asking her. "Oh, a beer would be fine," she answered, smiling ruefully as she fought to redirect her thoughts. Lord, he really was a nice man to be squished against.

Flack signaled for two beers and turned back to his friends. "Where's Mac?"

Stella answered for the group, "Catching up on paperwork. According to a little birdie, he needs to finish a stack of papers so we can get our Christmas bonuses."

Danny perked at the thought of a Christmas bonus. The other day, he found the perfect Christmas gift for Lindsay. He knew that it was a long way off, but hey, a guy had to be prepared right? "Bonus! There's the magic word! So we getting them soon? Who's the 'little birdie' who told you?" Danny demanded.

Stella laughed, "Mac."

At that, the entire table burst out laughing.

Flack caught Jordan's quizzical expression and leaned his head towards her to answer her unasked question. "Mac is the head of the NYPD Crime Lab. He's the boss of these guys," pointing his bottle to the other occupants of the table. "He can't be here tonight, cause he's all buried in paperwork."

"I see," came Jordan's response. "Well, I guess, I'll meet him some other time then." She smiled at Flack.

Flack's breath caught at the simplicity of Jordan Addison. He really had lucked out when she was assigned to become his partner. He looked down at her, and he was close enough to notice how clean she smelled. Even after a day on the field, chasing down some of the scummiest criminals to walk the earth, she looked fresh. Her brown eyes shone as she laughed with the other people in the booth. Flack couldn't help it, he stared.

Flack didn't notice Danny lean closer to Lindsay and whisper in her ear, "Hey, Montana. Look at Flack. He's all spaced out." Lindsay turned her head to see what Danny meant and was delighted to notice that Flack had indeed spaced out. What made her smile wider was the fact that Flack apparently spaced out because he was staring at Jordan. She of course, wasted no time in pointing that fact out to her partner in crime. "Yep, and guess why he spaced out?" Here, Lindsay made the mistake of turning to face Danny. His face was so close to hers that she could make out the smoky outline of his irises. His blue eyes were fixed firmly onto hers and she jerked away before she drowned in the blue depths.

Danny cleared his throat and shifted a bit. He was always shaken by how easily Lindsay got past his barriers and unsettled him. To divert everyone's attention, he decided to put the spotlight on Flack, who was still gazing at Jordan.

"Hey, Flack, what's the matter? You've never seen a good-looking girl before?" Danny questioned, smirking at Flack. Stella, Hawkes and Adam burst out laughing when Flack was jolted out of his reverie, sliding a glance at Jordan, who blushed when she realized that Flack was staring at her.

"Looks like you're enjoying having a partner, Flack," Stella joined in the teasing.

Everyone noticed the subtle reddening of Flack's face. In an attempt to draw the attention away from him and Jordan, he asked, "Why are you lab rats picking on me today? Didn't anything interesting happen today?"

Stella suddenly remembered that Flack still didn't know about Hawkes' incident. She unwittingly rescued Flack by regaling him with a narration of how Hawkes yelled at the lab girl.

Hawkes groaned as the table chortled with mirth. So it's back to me again.

Stella was slapping the table in amusement. "You should have seen him, Flack. He had this folder and he was waving it around and he was soaked in coffee and he was yelling at this girl who was just absolutely tiny!"

Jordan looked in amazement at the seemingly mild-mannered Hawkes, sitting morosely in the booth. "You yell?" she asked incredulously.

Flack was just gaping at Hawkes. "But you never yell."

Hawkes heaved a long-suffering sigh and resigned himself to his friends' teasing. "We just both lost our temper that's all. And it's not like I was picking on a helpless little baby. She was yelling right back at me."

Flack turned to Stella, casually imitating Danny's position and draping his arm around the back of the booth, subtly leaning closer to Jordan. "So what's this chick like?"

Cassie then chose to appear at the table, accompanied by Marty Pino. "Hey, everyone. Guess who I picked up on the way here?"

Stella and Lindsay waved to Cassie and motioned to Hawkes to move over so that Cassie and Marty could slide in. Hawkes shot her an annoyed glance and begrudgingly moved over. Stella took over the introductions this time. Cassie flashed a bright smile at each new person until her eyes clapped on Hawkes. Upon seeing him, her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms. Then realizing that there was nowhere else to sit, she reluctantly slid in next to him and gestured to Marty to sit down next to her.

Danny leaned across the table and whispered to Flack. "That's the chick." He fell back into his place beside Lindsay and smirked as Flack looked over the woman who made Hawkes lose his temper.

Lindsay and Stella exchanged amused glances as Hawkes expression darkened. But he knew that if he said anything, pretty much everybody would give him hell for it. So he just signaled to the waiter to bring him one more beer.

Cassie's nose wrinkled in distaste. Damn. If I knew he was here, I wouldn't have come. Cassie never really took any crap from anybody and when Hawkes had flared up this morning, she flared right back. She never really expected him to yell back. Apparently, what happened this morning was something like headline news at the lab. If she learned one new truth on her first day in the NYPD Crime Lab, it was this: Sheldon Hawkes never yelled, but he yelled at her. She thought back to what happened on her first day.
Flashback:

Throughout the day, Adam kept sneaking nervous glances at her. She supposed it was because he was semi-scared of the girl who made the gentle doctor yell. By noon, she had gotten fed up and asked Adam if something was on her face. Adam had stammered out an explanation. He looked so scared that Cassie couldn't help but laugh and point out that she didn't bite. Adam replied to that by saying, "But you made Hawkes yell!"

Cassie had gritted her teeth and said, "Adam, I'm not yelling at you. So why are you so scared of me?" She was quite proud of herself because her explanation was so logical. Adam just stared wide-eyed at her and said. "You made Hawkes yell!"

At that, Cassie threw up her hands and decided that she would just have to wait for time to show Adam that she wasn't scary at all. Except that the truth is, girl, you ARE scary, she mentally berated herself. Sighing, she went back to her work and lost herself in the intricate process of getting answers from seemingly random bits of material. But that didn't stop the wheels in her head from analyzing herself and her situation.

Her physical stature belied her inner personality. See, Cassie was small. She was only 5'2" and she had really petite bone structure, which made her look more delicate than most people. So she made up for her size by having a big, booming personality.

She was the type to command attention wherever she went. In high school, even though she wasn't one of the blond and popular ones, she was well-known. She had a talent for making people do things, being sugary sweet when needed and playing hardball if necessary.

She was also aware of the fact that men found her attractive. She always had a steady stream of admirers. She had the look that guys went for: wavy brown hair, smooth milk chocolate skin and big brown eyes. She also had a pretty nice figure, given the fact that she used to be a cheerleader. Even after high school, she kept up a rigorous exercise routine that kept her body toned. But beyond being beautiful, she was also intelligent. She had an IQ of 145, which made her smarter than most of the people she knew. But because she was small and pretty, people forgot that there was space in her small head for an amazing brain. In college, she decided to devote that brain to studying chemistry, getting her degree and earning her place in the Boston Crime Lab as a Trace Lab Analyst.

Cassie had also learned long ago not to take any crap from anybody. Most of the time, people found it hard to take her seriously because she was so… well, cute. So she learned that she had to make people take her seriously. She learned how to bulldoze her way through life. She usually scared people until they took the time to get to know her and discover her quirks well enough to not be afraid of her.

She let out a sigh. Oh, well. I guess time will have to work its magic and Adam will just have to be scared for a while. I do take some getting used to.

Despite resigning herself to that fact, Cassie made a vow to herself. Okay, I guess I DO have to start being less scary. Alright, I'll be nice. Then she remembered the incident from that morning and winced. Easier said than done, Cass. Oh well. Let's take it a day at a time then.

Looking at Hawkes once again, Cassie thought to herself. Well I don't have to be nice to EVERYONE, right?

Her eyes found Marty. Now, him I could be nice to. Marty caught up to her in the locker room and invited her to join the team for drinks. She had smiled at him and told him that Lindsay and Stella had already invited her. So Marty gallantly offered to keep her company on the short walk to the bar.

On the way, they had a lot of fun, laughing at the most mundane things and getting to know the basic details about the other person. She told him where she came from, why she transferred and what her favorite movie was. By the time they got to the bar, she and Marty were gabbing like old pals. Of course, it didn't hurt that Marty was cute in a boy next door way.

So far, everyone in the lab had been nice, welcoming her into the fold and making her first day as painless as possible. Except for him. Cassie couldn't figure out why he irritated her so much. It also didn't help that he seemed to be as aggravated by her presence as she was by his.

Cassie shrugged it off. If she couldn't figure it out now, it will come to her soon enough. In the meantime, she was in a crowded bar with her fun-loving co-workers, a beer in her hand and a cute guy by her side. She laughed along with the others as Danny told the story of the time Lindsay tried an assortment of exotic meals made up of bugs. Yep. It doesn't get any better than this.

Stella gazed out at the three younger men in front of her. She had known Danny, Hawkes and Flack for a while and she loved them as brothers. Seeing as how they were the closest things she had to siblings, she was often very protective of them, especially when it came to women. But right now, she knew enough to see that her boys had finally met their matches.

Danny and Lindsay were looking more and more comfortable in the booth. As the evening had progressed, Danny's arm had moved from the back of the booth to curl around Lindsay's shoulder. Lindsay didn't seem to mind being plastered to Danny's side. At one point in the evening, she unconsciously wiped a bit of tortilla chip clinging to the side of Danny's lip, an action that did not go unnoticed by Flack.

"So how's your night so far, Messer?" Flack inquired, waggling his eyebrows cheekily.

"S'not so bad, Flack. How's yours?" Danny rebutted, subtly inclining his head to point out that Flack's own arm was curled around his partner. Jordan merely laughed and settled more comfortably against Flack's side, grateful for the fact that the crowded booth gave her an excuse to stay near Flack. This small gesture was also intercepted by Stella Bonasera's uncanny ability to sense how people felt about others. Yep, she likes him. And judging by the way he doesn't let go of her, he likes her too. Wonder when he'll figure it out?

Flack and Danny had been friends for so long that this kind of teasing had become commonplace. Flack smoothly caught the ball of the conversation and passed it to Hawkes. "Couldn't be better, Messer. Although I can't say the same about Sulky here," he answered, jerking his thumb at Hawkes, who spent the night alternately staring daggers at Cassie and at Marty, who were obviously having a good time of their own.

Hawkes just grunted at the two of them. Danny and Flack, of course found this hilarious.

By nine o'clock, it was a boisterous group that wrapped up the evening. It had been an enjoyable one, with banter traded back and forth and the team alternately teasing Flack, Danny and Hawkes. But they were Mac's good little troopers and they were on call tomorrow, except for Stella, so they all called it a night and decided to head home.

Stella, being the big sister of the group, made sure that the girls had a way home. Danny immediately volunteered to take Lindsay home, prompting a snicker from Flack.

Stella then turned to Jordan, "How about you, Addison? You need a lift?"

Jordan was about to accept when Flack interjected. "It's okay, Stel. I'll take her home."

Jordan laid her hand on his arm and asked, "Sure it's okay, Don?" Flack smiled at her and replied easily, "Of course."

Stella relented and turned to the next one. "How about you, Cassie?"

Cassie answered with a smile, "Thanks, Stel, but Marty already volunteered to take me home." She turned to the M.E. and let him pull her out of the booth.

Outside Sullivan's, the group went their separate ways.

As Stella walked to her car, she reflected on Hawkes' moodiness. Just as I suspected. He couldn't have been more pissed every time Cassie laughed at what Pino said. Stella concluded that it would take more convincing to get Hawkes to admit he found the new lab tech attractive. But the evening wasn't a total waste. She was certain of how Hawkes felt. The evening together was just the first step in pushing together the two. She estimated that by the time the Christmas Ball came around, things would have worked out between Hawkes and Cassie.

Danny and Lindsay walked the way to her apartment in companionable silence. On the subway ride home, she was constantly jolted against him by sudden movements of the train but after the first two times it happened, she didn't move away anymore. Danny felt like his heart was beating double time at her closeness and it took all his will power not to pull her closer.

Slow and steady, Messer. Just cause she's not so skittish around you anymore doesn't mean she won't bolt if you come too close, too soon. Danny cautioned himself. He was more than willing to wait and put in the extra effort to convince Lindsay that she was meant to be with him. Although he would never admit it to anyone except her, it had finally sunk in that he loved Lindsay Monroe. And he would do whatever it took to be with her. In fact, he kind of looked forward to the idea of taming his tough and guarded Montana. And his plan was about to go into action.

All too soon, they reached her apartment building. Danny ignored Lindsay's protests and walked her upstairs to her door, to make sure she got in safely. As much as he hated for the evening to end, he was also glad that they were at her place already, so he could give her his offering for the day.

Lindsay stopped outside her apartment. Throughout the walk back to her place, Danny had been silent. But his silence was contemplative and she enjoyed the quiet time to just be with him and feel his presence. She was altogether too disappointed when they finally reached her door because it meant that he would go his way soon.

She turned back to Danny to thank him for walking her home. Suddenly shy, she fumbled for her keys and smiled at him. "Thanks, Danny. You really didn't have to go all this way just to walk me home."

Danny grinned back. "You kidding me, Montana? I'd never let you walk home by yourself. You have any idea what kind of creeps walk around New York at night? What the hell do you do for a living anyway?"

Lindsay cracked up at that. "Well, I guess when you put it that way…" Her voice trailed off and she just kept on smiling at him. "You want to come in?"

Danny hesitated, tempted by her offer. But then he decided that he'd rather give Lindsay a little space, not to spook her too soon or crowd her too much. He smiled regretfully at Lindsay, "I'll take a rain check on that, Montana. You're probably tired and you need to get your rest. We're both on tomorrow, right?"

Lindsay nodded, both surprised and disappointed by Danny's reaction to her offer. "Okay, Danny. I guess… I'll just see you tomorrow?" She couldn't control the questioning tone in her voice.

Danny just smiled reassuringly at her, as though he could sense her confusion. "You can count on it, Montana. Want me to swing by and pick you up tomorrow?"

Lindsay hesitated and then smiled. "Sure. Stop by early, I'll make you breakfast before we go to work."

Danny grinned back, privately elated at getting a little morning time with Lindsay before work. "Sure thing."

As she went inside, she heard him call out, "Montana!"

Lindsay poked her head out the door and looked at him, "Yeah, Messer?"

Danny was holding something in his hand. "I almost forgot to give you this." He smiled almost boyishly and handed her a small brown paper bag. "Night, Montana. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Danny. Thanks again for walking me home."

"My pleasure. Go on now, close the door, so I know you're safe."

Lindsay smiled at him one last time and closed the door.

As he made his way down the hall to the elevators, his phone beeped. Hoping and praying that it wasn't Mac, he flipped it open. He smiled when he saw the screen. Message from Montana. Open now? He clicked "Yes". Let me know when you get home?

Danny chuckled softly to himself, warmed by the memory of having Lindsay pressed against him in the bar earlier that night. You're worth the wait, Montana.

Lindsay leaned against her door and typed a quick message on her phone. Send message to Danny Messer? She clicked "Yes" and flipped her phone closed with a dreamy sigh.

Humming to herself, she laid her keys on the counter and curled up on the couch to open the mysterious present that Danny left for her.

Inside the brown paper bag was a small bag of Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses. Lindsay let out a delighted gasp. She remembered two weeks ago, when the team was arguing about which kind of candy was the best. She also recalled mentioning that Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses were her favorite.

Smiling softly at Danny's thoughtfulness, she pulled another item out of the bag. It was a small compact disc. Inside the case was a small envelope that had "Montana" written on the outer flap. She pulled a small piece of paper out of the envelope and read the message inside.

Montana! Pop this into your CD player and think of me. Love, Danny

Lindsay pulled out the disc and made her way to her small credenza, where her CD player was housed. She put the disc inside and sat back down on the couch, opening the bag of Kisses as she went.

She wasn't really sure what she was expecting, but she was surprised to hear the opening notes of the song in the disc. She sat there and listened to the song, to the words.

I won't talk, I won't breathe
I won't move till you finally see
That you belong with me
You might think I don't look
But deep inside the corner of my mind
I'm attached to you

I'm weak, it's true
Cause I'm afraid to know the answer
Do you want me too?
Cause my heart keeps falling faster

I've waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited
This is true

You don't know what you do
Everytime you walk into the room
I'm afraid to move

I'm weak, it's true
I'm just scared to know the ending
Do you see me too?
Do you even know you met me?

I've waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited
This is true

I know when I go
I'll be on my way to you
The way that's true

I've waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited
This is true

As the notes of the song faded, Lindsay sat there on the couch, hearing the echo of the words. She knew what it meant. This was Danny's way to gently remind her that he was there, that he would wait until she was completely ready to be with him. She also realized that that was the reason why Danny didn't take her up on her offer to come in earlier. He wants me to be sure. A smile curved her lips and felt her heart lift.

Still smiling softly to herself and humming the melody of the song, she made her way to the bedroom where she got ready for bed. She changed into cropped sweatpants that clung comfortably to the curves of her body and a white tank top. She curled up on her bed but couldn't sleep. Danny still hadn't called to let her know he was home.

Lying there in the darkness of her bedroom, Lindsay allowed her mind to remember the evening she spent with Danny. Being nestled in the crook of his arm was one of the most pleasurable things she had ever experienced and she shivered at the memory.

On the nightstand, her phone beeped and she reached for it. Message from Danny Messer. Read now? Lindsay smiled and clicked "Yes". I'm home, Montana. Sweetest dreams.

Lindsay replaced the phone on the nightstand and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

On the other end of town, Flack walked up the stairs with Jordan to her apartment. On the way home, they stopped by for a bite, since they hadn't eaten much at the bar. Just like the entire day, dinner was filled with fun and laughter. She and Flack got to know each other and shared some stories about their childhood. At the end of the evening, she felt completely welcomed to New York City.

As they reached her apartment, she turned and smiled shyly at Flack. "Well, this is me."

Flack glanced at the door and made a mental note of the apartment number. Well, I gotta know where my new partner lives right? What if there's an emergency? Having satisfactorily convinced himself that what he was doing was not stalking, he smiled back at Jordan.

"I guess this is where your first day ends," Flack remarked. "Good one for you, I hope."

Jordan laughed and said, "Yeah, it was great. The people from the lab are fun."

"I know. Messer annoys me sometimes but I love hanging out with them," Flack replied. "Don't tell them that, though."

This earned another peal of laughter from Jordan and Flack's eyes danced with amusement. She had a great laugh. Light and airy and it made you want to laugh along with her.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," Flack self-consciously stuck his hands inside his pockets. He honestly did not know why he was suddenly so aware of the fact that it was just the two of them in the hallway.

Jordan seemed oblivious to his discomfort. She just stepped inside her door and said, "I'd love to invite you in, but the place is a mess." She waved her hand towards the inside of her apartment and Flack caught sight of a mountain of boxes. She obviously hadn't finished moving in.

Flack swallowed and offered tentatively, "Well, if you need help moving in, just let me know okay?" I'll swing by and lug a few boxes for you and all you have to do is feed me."

Jordan chuckled. "Sounds like a good offer to me. Maybe on our day off, if you have nothing better to do?"

Flack responded eagerly, "Sure!" Glancing at his watch, he added, "Let's talk details tomorrow. It's getting late and we have a busy day tomorrow. We have to question that suspect from the Petersen case."

Jordan smiled. "Alright, Don. I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks again." With one last wave, she slipped inside and closed the door behind her.

Flack turned away and headed down the hall to the stairs. On the way down, his phone beeped. Message from Jordan Addison. Read now? Flack wondered why Jordan was messaging him. Take care. Let me know when you get home?

Flack grinned happily as he made his way down to the car. Whistling to himself, he thanked his lucky stars again for getting Jordan Addison as his partner. Why he was so happy, he didn't want to examine that now. For now, it was enough that he was happy.

I hope this satisfies everyone's curiosity about Jordan and Cassie, as well as our satisfying those who like me, are going through serious D/L withdrawal. I know Jordan seems a little too delicate and sweet to be part of NYPD, but she's really supposed to be like that. When we see her on a case, that's when her toughness and grit will show and Flack will like her more for that. She's the kind of person who is a bit shy on the outside, but does what is needed to get the job done.

I deliberately didn't put much conversation in this one, just to focus more on the inner workings of the minds of the characters. Let me know what you think. :D

P.S. Another disclaimer: The song on the disc is "True" by Ryan Cabrera. It is not my song and it doesn't belong to me, but it's a great D/L song anyway.