A/N: So it only took five chapters but we are finally going to learn a little more about the whole fiancée situation. Thanks to all of my readers and reviewers. You ROCK!

Disclaimer: I admit it's true. I don't own any of the characters.

Thanks to SallyJetson for the beta :)

Chapter 15: Magic Number Three

Three Days. He's leaving in three days. THREE DAYS!

That one thought had been thrashing itself on Lindsay's psyche all day, resulting in four broken test tubes, her having to rerun a sample for the GCMS five times before she finally got the routine settings right, and many, many weird looks from her coworkers either because she couldn't keep track of their conversations or from the fact that she looked at the clock every two and a third minutes.

Her shift was finally over and now she found herself in front of a door. Even though it was a different door, she couldn't help but get a feeling of déjà vu from her experience two months ago. The same man was behind this door, and this time she was going to tell him what she should have told him then, what she should have told him a year ago.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

KNOCK, KNOCK.

Danny pried himself from the couch to answer the door. He had been deep in thought planning his next move with Montana. He only had three days left to convince her that he was the guy for her instead of he-who-shall-not-be-named. Flack's newest plan was for him to simply jump her, or at least shove his tongue down her throat, but even if he avoided a potential slap, he was sure all that it could ever lead to was another one night stand and he wanted more, needed more.

He approached the door and peered through the peephole to see the brown curls and eyes he loved. Speak of the Angel. He opened the door and tried to stay calm.

"Hey Montana. Want to come in?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her heart raced as the knocked echoed through the hallway. After what felt like an eternity the door opened. The courage it took for her to come here, to come to him, left her as she stood frozen in front of him.

"Hey Montana. Want to come in?"

"Umm … sure."

She entered and he closed the door behind them.

"Nice place you have here."

"Thanks. Not exactly mine, but it does the trick. Can I get you something? Beer, water …. ummm … yeah, beer or water is pretty much it."

"No thanks."

An awkward silence filled the air as Danny stared at Lindsay, but this time Lindsay stared back.

"Danny I need to say some things and I really need you to just let me."

"Okay." Danny responded as he motioned to the couch and sat down. Lindsay, however, stayed upright and started to pace back and forth.

"I've known Jason, well... forever. His family owned the ranch next to mine and our parents were really close. I was an only child and even though my Dad loved me, and he did love me, he always wanted a boy. I mean I always did my best to help out around the ranch, but I was a girl and in his eyes there were some things a girl just couldn't do. Anyway, Jason and he were close and Jason would come over and help out. He was the son my Dad never had." Lindsay paused to catch her breath, "Is this making any sense?"

"So far it sort of sounds like incest." Danny replied with a smirk.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and decided to ignore his comment as she continued, "My mom was sort of old fashioned. She was always trying to keep me inside, and I would always try to sneak out and help my Dad, or be with the animals or go off exploring the hillsides." A smile crept up on Lindsay's face as she remembered her youth. "Anyway I guess she always had a life figured out for me. When I told her I was going to the University to study forensics she couldn't understand why. She always thought that a girl only went to University to get her MRS degree and since I already had Jason there was no need for me to go. In the end I received some scholarships which finally convinced them that maybe I should go."

"After I finished my degree I got a job at the Bozeman crime lab and Jason started coming around to see me. After a while he asked me to marry him. He wanted me to come back to the ranch and settle down with him, but I told him I wasn't ready yet... that I hadn't experienced enough, hadn't helped enough people. We agreed that I would spend a few years being a CSI, getting it out of my system, and then I would move back and we'd get married. That's why I moved to New York."

She paused as she stopped pacing and again looked at Danny. Finally she looked down and her voice was barely above a whisper. "You were wrong… you were wrong when you said I didn't love Jason. I DO love him, I'm just... I'm just not IN-love with him… and I guess I never knew the difference… not until I met you." As she finished the sentence she looked at him once again, this time with tears in her eyes,

"When I realized I had fallen for you I knew I had to go. That's why I asked Mac for the transfer, why I left New York. I never meant for anything to happen, I just meant to see you one last time and to say goodbye, but then when I saw you I just needed to know what it would be like to kiss you and then to touch you and then things got out of hand. I should have stopped it there. I should have been stronger. I should have told you the truth. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry." Tears were now freely falling down her cheeks as she continued to stare at the man in front of her.

Tears were filling Danny's eyes too, but he didn't let them fall. Instead he took the sobbing woman in his arms and held her close, whispering into her hair: "I love you too, Montana. I love you too."

He raised her chin so that he could stare into her eyes. He gently wiped away her tears. "I really do love you Lindsay." And with that his mouth found hers.

The kiss was passionate and eternal. It left them both breathless.

"I love you Danny, and I needed you to know that, but it's also why it hurts so much that I can't be with you."

Shock registered on Danny's face. "No Linds, don't do this again. We can be together. We can make this work."

"I want to, but it would hurt too many people. My Dad would be devastated. Jason has already practically taken over both ranches. My Mom would probably disown me. She thinks it's bad enough that I haven't settled down already. And Jason, I gave him my word. He deserves more then this." Lindsay explained. "I've already told him I'd move back in a couple of weeks and we'd settle down."

"What about me? What about us? Isn't this going to hurt us too? Are you really telling me that you are going to give up everything in your life, for what … so you can be isolated on some ranch, pumping out babies and cleaning up after your husband? That isn't the life you want. You need more than that Linds."

"I'll make it work. It's what I have to do. But... I need this to be goodbye Danny. Goodbye for good. I can't do it if I know you're still there. If you love me Danny, you have to let me go."

"No. That's not happening Montana." The tears that weren't shed before were falling now as he tried to find the words. "You can't expect me to just let you go after you come in here and tell me you love me."

"Please Danny. I need this. There's no other way," she pleaded with her watery eyes.

"So I'm just supposed to forget you? Forget everything that's happened, everything I feel? I'm just supposed to return to my life before I knew someone like you existed?"

"Yes." She left his embrace and headed to the door. "Forget me Danny. Move on. I hope you are able to find happiness." And with that she was gone once again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny gazed at the door for hours after she left. He felt numb and like nothing was ever going to change that. It was the third time she'd left him in the lurch. The third time he had to say goodbye. Now only one thing was for certain: the third time was definitely not the charm.