Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews. I treasure your words! Now that ff alerts are back up I will be replying again personally to everyone. This chapter is a bit of lightheartedness for you guys and I guess a 'somewhat official' beginning of the what I consider the second half fo S&W... The Relationship.

Special Author's Note: As always thank you to my wonderful Beta, Brilliant Madness and special thanks to MariaLisa for her flow control work. It is immensely appreciated! HUGS

DISCLAIMERS: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and the wonderful writers for CSI: NY. Any resemblance to scenes from the episodes is included for clarity and continuity and I do not claim any of those as my own work. However everything else is mine.

Locker Room Talk!

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

- Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest, 1895, Act I

When Danny pulled into the parking garage of the building that housed the crime lab he didn't circle the garage looking for a parking spot; instead, he pulled up to the elevators that granted access to the labs on the upper floors. Lindsay looked at him in surprise. They hadn't really talked on the drive from her apartment but she had thought nothing of it until now.

"Go ahead and I'll catch up with you in the lab," he said softly as he reached across to intertwine his hand in hers, raising it to and brushing it across his lips in a whisper of a kiss. She didn't understand what was going on here, particularly after his little talk about playing it straight with people. She looked at him but had no success at discerning his expression as the shadows of the parking garage played across his face.

"Is everything ok?" she asked in concern.

"Sure," he shrugged slightly, as he turned to look at the dashboard intently, his other arm draped casually across the steering wheel.

It was not like him to be less than forthcoming about what was on his mind. Danny was nothing if not a straight shooter… sometimes too straight. She did notice that although he gave the appearance of not really focusing on her, his thumb was tracing a small circle in her palm. She stared at their interlaced hands resting on his thigh and made no move to get out of the SUV.

After a few moments he began, "Ya know," he paused, looking down at their intertwined hands. He stopped the tracing with his thumb and gave her hand a tighter squeeze as he shifted slightly in his seat to turn more towards her.

He was glad for the dimness of the garage, as he met her soft, but questioning eyes, which were gently encouraging him to continue.

He licked his lips apprehensively before he took a deep breath and continued. "I do know a little something about trying to prove yourself but feeling like the deck is somewhat stacked against you from the get-go."

"Yeah," she said softly, nodding slightly, allowing him room for any further comments he might want to make.

"So I thought after our talk this morning… I thought… look, I don't want to make it any harder for ya than it has to be. I know how everyone in there," as he nodded his head toward the entrance of the building, "can really dish it out, even though it's all in good fun."

This was a thoughtful gesture he was offering her and she was touched. She laid her free hand along his cheek and ran her thumb over his lips.

"Danny you don't have to do this, I can handle it. I am a grown woman," she offered, with a smile, trying to dispel his worry.

Danny looked her up and down quickly as if to assure himself she was indeed as she said she was.

"I'm well aware of that Montana," the tenor of his voice changing from thoughtful concern to slight animalistic growling. Then with his free hand he cupped the back of her neck and pulled her to him for a quick, intense, kiss.

When his lips released hers he husked out, "Now get going before I do find a parking spot and make us both very late for work,"

She brushed her fingertips down his chest and smiled at that.

"Alright I'll see you in the lab then," she threw over her shoulder as she exited the SUV and shut the door.

As he patrolled the parking garage in search of an open spot he silently cursed himself again for getting involved with a complex woman. Being involved with women, before, had never made him relate to them the way he was relating to Lindsay. In his prior experience, women were all about a little conversation shared over drinks and dinner, a few laughs, and then hopefully some fun between the sheets; but not about seeing things through their eyes, and wondering about their feelings and concerns. The only other women who he'd had a deep relationship with were his mother and Aiden. His mother, loving him unconditionally, and along with baseball, had kept him out of serious trouble when he was growing up in the old neighborhood. And Aiden; well, she had always hit it head on with him, never putting up with any of his crap. She had been a true friend. But those were different types of relationships than the one he had with Lindsay. He had known that it would be different with Lindsay early on, but he was surprised by how different it was. He wanted to tell her things about himself and his past. That little bit he had revealed to her just now about 'proving oneself, when things were stacked against you' had only been the tip of the iceberg of what he felt compelled to share with her. He had never wanted to share those things with anyone, not even Mac, when he was in the worst possible trouble. And that was the worrisome part, because what he had to reveal to her might very well drive them apart! He'd never anticipated this, because frankly, he hadn't thought that far ahead to 'if and when 'he and Lindsay became a couple. All his energies and brain power had been directed toward just 'getting together with her'. Now, after last night and this morning, he felt he could safely say they were together.

Damn Messer, what are you going to do now? Don't screw this up!

He pulled into a free parking spot, wrenched the SUV into park, stomped on the parking brake and slammed the door shut as he set off for the lab.

In the locker room he quickly changed into his spare pair of jeans and his trademark shirt that hugged the well-defined muscles in his arms and chest. As he was tossing his slacks and shirt into his locker he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Looks like someone didn't make it home last night."

Damn, why him, right off the bat… Is this some kind of test?

Danny placed a hand along the top of his locker door and laid his other palm against the adjacent locker door, mentally bracing himself for the inevitable razzing. He and Flack had always engaged in locker room talk, never in great detail but little comments here and there about their escapades: 'Man, she was hot last night.' Or 'The woman was a maniac!' He didn't want to go there with Flack, or anybody else for that matter, about Lindsay. It was just too important to him that he didn't screw this up.

He let out a slow breath as he clipped on his badge and phone. He shut the locker door and turned toward Flack with a shrug. Flack was leaning causally against the opposite row of lockers with a mockingly quizzical look on his face.

"I saw Lindsay just a few moments ago and I've never seen her in higher spirits," Flack continued, obviously fishing.

Danny purposely gave Flack a blank stare as he answered, "So, what's your point man?"

Flack was not backing down so easily. "Just want an inside scoop on you and Lindsay… ya know… did you guys finally…"

But Flack did not get a chance to finish as Danny cut him off in exasperation, "Man, why do you have to get your kicks by hearing about my love life?"

Flack pushed himself off the lockers as Danny come around the end of the bench on his way to exiting the locker room.

"Now, that's very telling!" Flack smirked in triumph at Danny, as he clapped a hand on Danny's shoulder.

This paused Danny's exit. Danny flicked a sideways glance at Flack's hand on his shoulder, before looking his friend straight in his eyes. He knew he might regret going any further with this, but he wanted to shut Flack down once and for all on this matter.

"And how is that telling?" Danny replied rather drily.

"Messer, in all our years of hangin' together, you have never, ever, referred to it as your 'love life'! It has always been your 'sex life'.

Now Danny was thoroughly exasperated with Flack and couldn't really say anymore without totally giving something away; he was essentially backed into a corner. So he escaped as gracefully as he could in light of the situation.

"Flack, man, you are so full of shit!" Danny answered with a disgusted noise in his throat.

Flack laughed heartily at this, "So are you Messer, so are you… I just hope Lindsay's aware of how really full of shit you are!"

"Apparently the right kind of shit," Danny couldn't help tossing out at Flack with a smirk, as he shrugged off Flack's hand and exited the locker room.

Flack's mocking laughter followed him down the hall.

As Danny approached the office that he and Lindsay shared, he heard pealing laughter before he actually saw Stella standing in front of Lindsay's desk with tears running down her face. Lindsay was apparently relaying a very humorous antidote, in which, she was at the pivotal moment, because she suddenly leaned forward across the desk, half rising out of her seat, as Danny caught her last words, "I kid you not, Stella." She raised a palm at Stella in mock honesty and dissolved into gales of laughter herself.

Entering a room containing hysterically laughing women always carries its distinct disadvantages to the male ego, so he entered rather warily. Stella began wiping her eyes with her index fingers as her laughter began to disintegrate into breathless 'Oh my God's'.

"Lindsay, there is no way any self-respecting guy would do that, no matter how crazy he was for the woman!" she finally managed to gasp out.

Upon catching Stella's remark, Danny quickly turned on his heels to exit. He did not want to be a part of any conversation that involved laughter at the expense of some lame-ass who did something foolish in the name of love. But it was too late, because Stella caught sight of Danny and waved him over. When he was near enough, Stella grabbed his upper arm and gave it a playful squeeze.

"The man of hour!" Stella exclaimed, between small fits of laughter.

Danny's eyebrows rose in surprise, "What do you mean, 'man of the hour'?"

Uh oh, Messer, this is not sounding good!

"We got two DB's over in SoHo… "Stella said, finally able to catch her breath. "I'll meet you in the garage in 10 minutes," she further explained as she strode out of the room, emitting a final laugh and then heaving a long, contented sigh.

Danny stared at her retreating back not really knowing what had just happened, but he was fairly certain now that they weren't talking about him. There had been no guilty looks passing between Lindsay and Stella when they discerned his presence. A small giggle escaped from the woman behind him and he turned to train his piercing blue eyes on her dancing brown eyes, noticing how the giggle creased the cleft in her chin. He placed his hands a little wider than shoulder width apart on her desk as he leaned across it toward Lindsay who was seated once again.

"So, engaging in a little locker room talk of your own with Stella," he teased close to her face.

I'm gonna make her blush!

She could feel his breath across her cheek and her face warmed slightly as she saucily retorted, "Actually no… just a little girl talk."

He may make me blush, but he can't fluster me!

"Is there a difference?" he challenged playfully.

I'm not letting her off that easy!

"There is," she countered softly, never breaking her gaze.

I'm not giving him 'do-da'!

"And how would you know the difference?"

Imply she doesn't know what she's talking about…that'll get her to spill!

"I have two older, very male brothers. I lived in small town and went to a small school. Locker room talk was the entertainment!"

I love bantering with him… it is a complete turn on!

"So you engage in a little locker room talk of your own from time to time?" he queried.

Damn, she looks hot, shooting me those feisty little looks!

"Noooo…only girl talk," she smiled angelically.

Crap, are the muscles in his arms clenching?

"What I'm not worthy of locker room talk?" he mocked as he stood up and crossed his arms across his chest in some archaic sign of male defiance.

She's pulling that innocent crap…I'll probably have to kiss it out of her!

She knew he was baiting her in that infuriating Messer manner but she was up to it.

"Why, Messer, I do believe your ego is showing," she smiled sweetly at him.

Damn, he is soooo hard to resist when he is acting cocky.

He had no verbal response for that, which was highly unusual for him, so he dropped one hand to the desk, as he quickly bent in closer and cupped the back of her neck with his other hand, pressing a branding kiss to her lips and quickly skirting his tongue inside her mouth before pulling back to survey her glittering eyes and slightly heaving chest.

Ha! Gotcha Montana!

She sighed with a slight smile. "That's risky behavior, Messer!"

Now what do you say to that Messer!

"Noooo, risky behavior is the supply closet down the hall with our names on it and no lock on the door," he teased with raised eyebrows and a silent challenge in his eyes.

I bet she's not brave enough!

"You only have a few minutes before you need to meet Stella."

Keep him off balance, Lindsay!

"That's enough time for me."

What do you think of that?

"I wouldn't brag about that!" she laughed.

A slice to the male ego will bring 'em down every time!

He gave a playful snort as he pushed himself off the desk and came around to her side; she popped out of her seat to meet him halfway and stop him with a palm on his chest which he completely ignored as he pressed himself flushed against her. They stared at each other unaware of the world beyond their sphere.

"How are we going to manage this at work?" Danny finally rasped out as he casually placed a hand on the side of her waist away from the revealing glass walls; not that anyone walking by wouldn't notice with a casual glance that there was something going on by their proximity to one another.

Neither one had an answer to that, only a promise in their eyes to each other to continue this after work at a more appropriate place and time.

"Hey guys," Stella's playful tone startled them back to the present. "save it for after shift!"

Lindsay quickly spoke so only Danny could hear, "Go, but be safe out there because you are absolutely the best piece of locker room talk I have ever had!"

There was a smile on her face, but the tone in her voice and the somberness in her eyes made him gulp in complete understanding. He brushed his hand along her waist as he left to join Stella in the doorway.

"Don't worry, Linds, I'll bring him back safe and sound!" Stella assured Lindsay with a knowing smile; then they were gone.