"Why am I nervous?" Danny whispered to Lindsay as they walked towards her apartment the following evening.

"It will be fine." Lindsay squeezed his hand. "Just remember if you run out of things to talk about he likes baseball and he's a big Cowboys fan."

"Cowboys?"

"I told you my Dad's from Texas. He doesn't like ice hockey or basketball."

Lindsay gave him a quick kiss before she pulled out her keys to unlock her apartment door.

"Mom? Dad?" Lindsay called.

"Hey Pumpkin." He father came and gave her a hug. After almost forty years living in Montana, he'd lost most of his Texan accent but there were still hints there.

"Daddy, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Danny Messer, Danny this is my father Ben Monroe." Lindsay made introductions.

"Nice to meet you sir." Danny shook his hand.

"You too."

"Where's Mom?" Lindsay asked.

"Trying to get her hair right. You know how she gets when she goes to the big city."

"I'll be right back." Lindsay told Danny.

Lindsay disappeared into her bedroom to find her mother.

"Hey Mom."

"Lindsay. You didn't leave Danny with your father did you?"

"He'll be fine." Lindsay replied. "I told him to stick to baseball and football."

"He'll give him a hard time because he's your father it's only natural."

"Dad tries but he's not that good at it, he's too nice. Which is why Adam and Clay and Becky to an extent always looked over my shoulder."

Lynne smiled as Lindsay backed up so she could peak out the door.

Danny and her father were just stood there not saying anything much.

"Men." Lindsay muttered. She walked over to her dressing table and picked up the baseball that sat there.

"I have been meaning to ask you about that." her mother said.

"It's Danny's he caught it at a game he took me to." Lindsay replied as walked to the door and opened it. "Danny, catch." She tossed the ball to him. "Tell him where you got it and we'll be ready in a minute."

CSI NY CSI NY

"They seem to be getting on okay." Lindsay commented to her mother as they were in the bathroom of the restaurant.

"They'll be fine. Although your father maybe asking what his intentions are. I still remember his face when Daddy asked him that, it was the funniest thing I've ever seen. Ben spluttered and couldn't get any words out, and then he blurted out that he wanted to marry me. So your grandfather patted him on the back and said it was about time he got me off his hands."

"Pops said that?" Lindsay questioned.

"Yes. Although I did feel a bit like a cow up for auction to the highest bidder and your Daddy did wait four months before he asked me. We got married a month later and your brother was born ten months later."

"I didn't know that."

"Well it took me a couple years to get him to stop thinking of the boss's daughter who he had to keep his hands off. I wore ridiculous short cut offs and tight tops and given this was the late sixties."

"I love you Mom." Lindsay said.

"I love you too honey." Lynne gave her daughter a hug. "Let's get back."

….

They were waiting for their deserts when Lindsay's cell phone rang.

"Sorry." She apologised as she pulled it out of her purse. "Monroe." She answered. "No he's here, hang on a second." She put her hand over the phone. "Do you have your cell phone?"

"It's on vibrate in my jacket pocket." His jacket was hung over the back of the chair.

"Hawkes has been trying to get a hold of you for ten minutes." Lindsay handed him her cell phone.

"Hey Hawkes… I put it in my jacket pocket and I don't have it on… Where?" Lindsay handed him a pen and paper so he could scribbled down the address. "I'm only a few blocks from there; I'll be ten minutes… Bye." He hung up. "Thanks." He handed Lindsay back her phone and the pen. "I'm sorry I have to go. I'm on call tonight." He apologised.

"It's okay." Lindsay assured him.

"Ben it was nice to meet you." Danny said as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"It's okay I've got this." Lindsay told him.

"Are you sure?" Lindsay nodded. Danny gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Lynne it was nice to excuse me, goodnight."

Lindsay watched him leave fingering her necklace.

"Does that happen a lot?" Ben inquired.

"Dad being a cop isn't a 9-5 job, being a CSI is even worse hours. We're only on primary call twice a week and secondary call once a week. I did it a couple days ago, leaving Mom with Danny and Carrie. It happens."

"What did you think of him?" Lynne inquired.

"He seems nice enough." Ben stated.

"High praise." Lynne smiled.

TBC