Every week, the Messer family searched their schedules and found an evening when nobody had plans—Maddie didn't have meetings or school activities, Danny wasn't working the dinner shift, and Shayla didn't have any extracurricular activities or late classes. They blocked off a few hours to spend as a family, to have dinner together, to catch up on each other's lives, to strengthen their ties to each other.

This night was such an evening. Maddie and Danny sat across from each other at the kitchen table, flanked on either side by their daughters. The television was turned off, the cheery clinking of plates and silverware filling the air instead as food was passed from one person to the other.

"So how does it feel to be done with exams?" Maddie asked, handing a bowl of mashed potatoes to Shayla.

Shayla sighed happily. "So good. I've never studied so hard in my life! And now I get a nice, long summer break."

"Not taking classes?" Danny wondered, spooning baby food into a bowl for Carrie.

Shayla shook her head. "Nope. I had a better idea."

Her mother handed her a roll. "What's that?"

She grinned proudly. "I'm getting a job," she announced.

"You're getting a job?" Danny repeated.

"Yes," the girl confirmed. "I'm getting a job. I'm nineteen now, and I haven't ever worked before…"

"There's a reason for that, sweetheart," Maddie interrupted. "With everything you went through…"

Shayla nodded. "But now my family life has settled down—thanks to the two of you—and I think it's time I started taking on a little more responsibility."

"That makes sense," Danny agreed. "And it shows how mature you already are, too."

She beamed at her father's words. "Plus," she continued between mouthfuls, "NYU is expensive, even with the financial aid I get, and money is tight around here. If I get a job, I can use the money for books or for part of tuition…"

"You don't need to worry about that," Danny countered, a little ashamed that he wasn't able to provide better for his family. "You should be concentrating on school and being a kid, not worrying about money."

"But I'm not a kid anymore," she replied resolutely. "I'm an adult now, and I want to be a contributing member to this household."

Her parents paused a moment and exchanged a look across the table. When they went back to dinner, it was Maddie who responded curiously. "So where do you propose to get this job?"

"There's a little grocery store just off campus that's looking for some extra help," she told them. "Someone to stock shelves, help with inventory—that kind of thing."

"This store is in a good neighborhood?" Maddie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shayla nodded. "There's a coffee shop next door that I stop at all the time on my way to class, one that Dantrell approved of," she smirked, knowing that fact would carry a lot of weight. "In fact, his friend Sayeeda is a cashier at this grocery store."

"That's good," Danny nodded again. "And that's the sixth precinct," he remembered. "I know a couple guys over there…"

"…who just happen to get coffee at the same shop at the same time I do every Thursday morning," Shayla winked. "I'll be fine there…if I get the job. My interview is tomorrow afternoon."

The two adults looked at each other again, conversing with their eyes and coming to a decision.

"Okay," Maddie answered for the both of them. "We'll try it out for the summer and see how it goes. But we'll discuss this again before the fall semester starts."

Shayla's eyes sparkled. "If I get it, it means you'll have to find another babysitter for Carrie…"

"We'll worry about that," Danny reassured her. "You just relax and get ready for that interview.

She grinned in response. "Done."

∞∞∞

The next day, Maddie walked into the lobby of the Crime Lab and smiled brightly at the receptionist. "Hey Margaret, how are you today?"

"Mrs. Messer," the receptionist smiled back. "I'm doing just fine. How are you?"

"I'm on a mission," she winked, leaning against the high front desk, "checking up on one of the new lab techs."

"Dantrell Baker, right?"

"Yep," Maddie confirmed. "Have you heard anything about him yet?"

Margaret smiled. "Just that he's hanging in there—and that Detective Messer's found seven different excuses to see him already today."

"Checking up on him, too," Maddie laughed. "We're a little protective of that boy."

"You want to go up?" the receptionist asked, reaching for the phone. "I'll get someone to escort you…" She stopped when a familiar face came through the entrance. "Oh, wait. Here's Detective Monroe."

"Hi Margaret," a woman about Maddie's height and age called.

"Hello Detective. Are you one your way up to the Lab?"

She nodded. "Yep. Just got back from a scene, and I need to log in the evidence."

"Would you mind walking Mrs. Messer up? She's just making a quick visit."

Detective Monroe glanced over at Maddie and nodded again. "Of course. Follow me."

Maddie waved good-bye to Margaret and headed into the elevator with the detective. She opened her mouth to introduce herself, but her guide beat her to the punch.

"Mrs. Messer, huh? You must be Danny's wife," she began.

"Maddie," she responded. "And you must be the new CSI I've heard so much about."

"Lindsay," she smiled, shaking Maddie's hand. "It's nice to meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you, too. Danny's always bragging about his family—it doesn't take much at all to get him to pull out the pictures he carries around in his wallet."

Maddie laughed. "He's a proud papa alright. He bores everyone to death with stories about the girls."

"And you," Lindsay added. "He's quite proud of you, too. It's really cute, this look that he gets on his face when he talks about you."

Maddie's smile softened. "That's my Danny." She was silent a moment, thinking of her husband, before shifting gears in the conversation. "I understand you're not from New York. How do you like it so far?"

Lindsay smiled brightly. "I love it. I miss Montana a lot, but this place is amazing, and there's so much to do!"

Maddie chuckled. "You know, I said the same thing when I first moved here."

"Really? Where are you from originally?"

"Michigan."

This time Lindsay chuckled. "Well, it's not exactly Big Sky territory, but you're a bit of a country girl, then, too, aren't you?"

Maddie grinned. "I'm from the Detroit area, so I'm more of a city girl, but some of my family lives out in the country so I know my way around a tractor, too."

"You seem to be fitting into this city pretty well," Lindsay continued.

Maddie nodded. "You just have to find someone to show you the ropes, that's all. I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of people at work that helped me out a lot." Her grin returned. "And, of course, there are the folks here at the lab. They're all really wonderful."

"They've been very kind to me so far," Lindsay agreed.

"Well, if anyone gives you any trouble you just let me know. Especially Danny—he likes to tease, sometimes more than he should. We Midwesterners should stick together."

Lindsay giggled. "Maybe we should start a support group. We could call it 'My Accent is Okay, Too'."

The elevator arrived at its designated floor and the door slid open, allowing the two women to exit together, laughing. They continued to chat as they moved down the hallway in search of Dantrell, finding him receiving a tutorial on some piece of equipment from Adam.

He grinned immediately when he saw Maddie. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Interrupting my lesson," Adam mock-whined. "But an interruption from two beautiful women is easy to forgive."

Lindsay smiled approvingly. "Your flirting is getting better, Adam."

"That it is," Maddie laughed.

"Well, I have to get back to work," Lindsay continued. "It was nice to meet you Maddie."

"You too," Maddie replied. "Thanks for walking me up."

"Anytime," she called, heading off with a wave.

Turning back to Dantrell, Maddie grinned again. "So how's the first day going?"

"Good," he told her with a wink. "Except for everyone coming in to check on me."

"I heard Danny's been here once or twice," she chuckled.

"Seven times," Adam chimed in with a frown. "I like Danny and all, but you can only listen to a guy's excuses so many times in a day."

Maddie smothered another grin. "Well how 'bout I make it up to you both. Can I take you out to lunch?"

"It's four o'clock in the afternoon," Dantrell pointed out.

"Okay, dinner later then," she offered. "I'll get the girls, and we'll all go out to celebrate after you get off work. We can even let Danny come along."

"Only if he promises to behave himself," Dantrell smirked. "No teasing."

"I'll see what I can do," Maddie promised.

∞∞∞

Word spread about the celebration dinner, and the entourage grew from Adam, Dantrell, and the Messer family to include Mac, Stella, Don, Sheldon, and Lindsay. They met up at a small diner in Brooklyn, choosing to sit in a particular section and pulling together a couple of tables. It wasn't long before the waitress came over to take their drink orders.

"You guys better be good tippers," she called as she approached.

Mac looked up from his menu and laughed. "Aiden? I didn't know you worked here."

"Come on Mac," she laughed. "You didn't really think the boys wanted to come all the way out to Brooklyn for burgers, did you?"

"The boys?" Don piped up. "How do you know it was 'the boys'?"

"Because I know 'the boys'," Aiden explained patiently. "And I know that it was either you or Danny that dragged the whole group out here."

Stella laughed. "I told you she'd know."

"So tell me quick," Aiden added, flashing a questioning look at Shayla, "before I have to get back to my other tables…how did the interview go at the store?"

The girl smiled broadly. "I got the job!"

"Congratulations!" Aiden exclaimed, hugging Shayla tightly. "That calls for a celebration."

"Along with Dantrell's first successful day at the Lab," Danny interjected.

"And Lindsay's first successful month at the Lab," Adam tacked on.

"And," Don grinned, shifting his gaze back to Aiden, "Aiden's first successful week here at the diner."

"All worth celebrating," Maddie agreed. "And you'll join us when you punch out, right Aiden?"

She nodded. "Yep. Just give me fifteen minutes, and I'm all yours."

"I'll drink to that," Sheldon smiled, raising his water glass in salute.

Don smirked in return and raised his glass as well. "Me too."

"A toast," Lindsay said, picking up her water glass, too. "It's been a hard day's night," she chuckled. "And we've been working like dogs. Here's to a nice evening off."

"Here! Here!" the adults agreed cheerily.

Even little Carrie joined in the clinking of glasses with her sippy cup, giggling. "Here!" she cried with gusto. "Here!"

"Yeah, darlin'," Danny laughed. "Here."

Aiden grinned at her "niece". "With the people that we care about most."

Her statement hung in the air for a moment before Don broke the mood with a lighter comment. "Hungry people that we care about most," he quipped.

She turned back toward the counter, swatting his shoulder on her way past with a smirk. "Comin' right up."

A/N: Yes, I know Montana isn't technically part of the Midwest, but it's close so I went with it :-) Now what are you sitting around reading author's notes for? Go reivew!