Lindsay paced back and forth in frustration. This apartment was far too small for the four of them. It was a reasonably sized apartment, but seeing as nobody had been aloud to leave it for three weeks, it seemed much smaller than it really was. The break-in at the Messer's apartment, it seemed, had just been the beginning of their worries. Either somebody really wanted Cori dead, or they wanted Danny and Lindsay dead. Or all three. Death threats had followed the break-in; these ones were much more severe and had more weight to them than the ones Danny had received following the Max Moreno case. After that had come the shady looking men lurking around the crime scenes Danny and Lindsay worked, the station and their apartment building. When Lindsay had received a razor blade in the mail and sliced her hand open, Mac finally insisted that they all go to a safe house.

So there they were. Lindsay, Danny, Cori and Sophia all crammed into one apartment indefinitely. It hadn't been too bad at first. In fact, the first few days had been rather fun. Lindsay and Danny had gotten to know Cori better, and the couple enjoyed all the time they had together and with Sophia. Cori had grown rather attached to the youngest Messer in hiding and Sophie seemed to take quite the shine to Cori as well. They watched movies and challenged each other on the Game Cube and had picnics on the living room floor. The fun lasted about five days. Once the novelty wore off, they all became intensely bored. And, with little to no contact with the outside world, they were growing very tired of each other.

"You ok?" Danny entered the bedroom that he and Lindsay had been sharing and saw the frustration etched on her face.

"I feel claustrophobic," Lindsay said flatly. "I need to get out of this apartment."

"It's for your own safety." Danny reminded her, putting his arms around her from behind and resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I know," Lindsay stared longingly out of the tinted window. "I'm just going stir crazy in here. And I miss the outside world."

Danny led her to the bed and sat down next to her. "What do you miss?" he asked, absent-mindedly stroking the raised scar that stretched across her palm.

Lindsay thought about it for a moment. "I miss Chinese take out and walks in the part and talking to Stella. I miss feeling the wind in my face and the warmth from the sunshine and going to the movies." She stopped. This was depressing her.

Danny put an arm around her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "We'll be out of here soon enough." he said that to make both of them feel better. In truth, he had no earthly idea when he was going to get out of the safe house.

Lindsay sighed and glanced at the clock. "Well, I supposed I should stop feeling sorry for myself and start getting dinner started."

"Why don't you go play with Cori and Fee. I'll make dinner." Danny volunteered.

Lindsay smiled. "This is why I love you." She rewarded him with a gentle kiss.

"I know," Danny smirked mischievously, leaning in for another kiss.

"There are children in the house," Lindsay said breathlessly after pulling away when the kissing got a little too steamy.

Danny scoffed. "When aren't there children in the house?" he teased.

"If we keep this up, there will be more children in the house," she said in a challenging voice.

Danny pretended to think about it. "I think I'll risk it."

Lindsay groaned good naturedly, but allowed him one more kiss. "Ok," she said as he nibbled on her lip, "Enough." Danny didn't listen. "Danny, I'm serious. We have got to stop this right now."

"I don't wanna."

"Stop whining. We have to stop."

"Don't you want more kids?" Danny asked, halfway serious.

Lindsay paused, taken aback by his question. "Yes, Danny, I want more kids, but now is not the time."

"How many more?"

"Are we seriously having this conversation now?"

"Yes, Montana, we are. How many kids do you want?"

"I don't know. Four, maybe?"

"You sure you want four little Montanas runnin' around the house?"

"I know I wouldn't mind four little Danny's running around." she laughed. "How many do you want?"

"However many you plan on givin' birth to. I think it should be your decision, mostly. I have the easy part." he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Daniel Messer!" she pretended to be shocked and offended. She shoved him off the bed. "Go start dinner!"

"Yes, ma'am." he saluted and sauntered out the door.

While Danny cooked up trouble in the kitchen, Lindsay settled on the floor of the living room where Cori was playing with Sophia. "She adores you, you know," Lindsay told Cori.

Cori blushed. "She's a cutie herself. I always wanted a kid brother or sister, but my mom and dad didn't want anymore kids after me." In the weeks they'd been together, Cori had opened up and even mentioned her parents occasionally without breaking down into tears. She shrugged like it was no big deal.

"I have a younger half- sister," Lindsay said, a bit forlornly. "She's not much older than you, actually. Seventeen. We never did get along well."

"Half-sister?" Cori questioned. She wasn't prying or being nosy, she was simply curious.

"My mom died when I was about your age. My dad married this woman, LeeAnne literally weeks after my mom's funeral. LeeAnne had my younger sister Becky not too long after."

"Oh. That's terrible." Cori blurted out. "I'm sorry!" she apologized immediately, her facial expression stricken.

"No, it's ok," Lindsay laughed slightly. "I thought, and still think, the same thing. My dad and I were really close until Becky came along. Then he ditched me for a newer model, I guess. We fought my entire teenage years, and then I got out of the house the second I graduated. We started getting along better after that. I have no clue why. But then LeeAnn and Becky ruined everything by refusing to come to my wedding…." she trailed off. "You probably don't care about this."

"No, I like hearing about it. My life is so boring."

"And mine's not?"

"No, it's not. You have a husband and a baby and you're a CSI!"

"None of that is too glamorous." Lindsay pointed out.

"Glamour isn't all that great," Cori admitted. "Being rich kind of sucks, actually. Everybody thinks you're a snob and your parents get all caught up in social status and forget your exist sometimes. You're reduced to nothing more than a name brand clothing wearing, top notch private school attending spoiled brat. Seriously, I think that our housekeeper, Loretta, knew more about me than my mother and father did."

Lindsay felt a pang of pity for the girl wash over her. "I'm sorry." she said, unsure of what else she could say.

"The truth is, I'm almost happier here than I have ever been anywhere else."

"Wow. That's…" Lindsay searched for the right word. "…interesting?" It came out as a question, not a statement. "Don't you miss your friends, though?"

"I don't really have too many friends. I mean, there were girls I hung out with at school and stuff, but we were never really friends. We just hung out because we were the same – rich girls who got basically whatever they wanted. We had money in common, but that's about it."

"So I assume there's no boyfriend in the picture?"

Cori sighed. "No boyfriend."

"Don't worry. You're pretty and sweet and smart and funny. Some guy is bound to fall head over heels in love with you any day now. I had basically given up hope myself until I met Danny."

"You ladies talkin' about me?" Danny yelled from the kitchen upon hearing his name.

"No!" they answered in unison.

"Like I believe you!" he shouted back.

The girls giggled. "Anyway…" Lindsay said, not liking the lull in conversation after Danny interrupted.

"When I get married, I want to have a relationship like you and Danny have," Cori confessed. "You guys seem so happy. I mean, I guess my parents loved each other, but they didn't act like you guys do. It was almost like being married was a routine, or a hassle or something. Like they were tired of each other."

Lindsay hoped that would never happen to her and Danny. Although, come to think of it, she found the idea of ever getting tired of Danny absurd, impossible. She doubted it would happen. "Just remember that you aren't necessarily going to be just like your parents." Lindsay said, trying to choose the right words so that she didn't sound like she was bashing Cori's mom and dad. "I mean, look at me and LeeAnne. True, she's technically not my mother, but she did help raise me, and she has been in my life for over half of my lifetime. LeeAnne is controlling and manipulative and I'm just not like that. And then my dad is a complete pushover and can barely make a decision for himself. I like to think that I'm somewhere in-between the two, personally."

"I just want to be happy," Cori said, tears brimming in her eyes unexpectedly.

"And I'm sure you will be," Lindsay smiled. She was beginning to love Cori like her own. She felt a connection with the girl that she couldn't quite explain, yet, oddly enough, she didn't really try to figure it out. She truly regretted the day when Cori would have to have other living arrangements that did not include the Messers. She sighed. There wasn't any use worrying about it at this point.

"Dinner's ready!" Danny called from the kitchen, "Come get it while it's hot!"

Lindsay and Cori smiled at each other before scooping up Sophia and heading towards the kitchen. They all settled down at the table and gazed at the Italian feast that Danny had prepared for them.

Cori smiled to herself. So this is what a family feels like.

A/N So…what are your thoughts? I have no clever little comment to make today…. I'm leaving them all up to you!

xoxo

Lia