AN: Thanks so much for all the kind words everybody! It means a lot to me, especially on days with such crappy weather.

All disclaimers and whatnot still apply. And as always, thanks to my beta Kerry Blue.

Chapter Five: Rhinestone Cowboy / Glenn Campbell

Lindsay slowly walked towards the restroom she had just left minutes ago- though it seemed like a lifetime- the plastic bag in her hand seeming to weigh a ton. When she reached the bathroom, instead of heading for a stall she paused at the sinks, set the bag on the counter and braced her hands against the edge while she stared at herself in the mirror.

She didn't blame Sid and Sheldon for being incredulous at her unwillingness to accept the obvious. It was fairly irrational for her to have been ignoring for so long the facts that were staring her right in the face. And yet she still had a momentary thought of trashing the plastic bag's contents and leaving the morgue without confirming anything. That idea was quickly shot down by the rational part of her brain which pointed out that Sid and Sheldon weren't just going to forget what they had seen, not to mention the rest of the staff in the morgue that had seen her sprint away from the body with her hand over her mouth.

God, this shouldn't be such a big deal. And at first it hadn't been. For the first few days she had just been shocked at the idea considering how long it had been since the last time. But then Danny got that phone call and things started getting complicated on a whole host of levels…

Two weeks ago…

"Are we almost there?" Lindsay really didn't like keeping her eyes closed. Losing sight of her surroundings was not something she was comfortable with unless she was trying to get some sleep. But at least Danny hadn't tried to make her wear a blindfold, that would have just been too much. Fortunately he was her husband for a reason and he knew she wouldn't be too keen on the idea, so he just asked her to keep her eyes closed or at least direct them downwards toward her lap if she needed to open them for a few moments. She had done as he asked, thinking he looked so cute when he was obviously very worked up about something, but her patience was almost gone.

"Just about." She felt their department issued SUV slow down and make a right turn into what sounded and felt like a gravel driveway. Why they had to go so far for the surprise and why Danny got various family members to take care of the kids was still a mystery to Lindsay, one she hoped her husband would be clearing up very soon.

As they came to a stop, Lindsay reached out to touch Danny's arm. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Open your door first," Danny told her. "Don't worry, there's no one parked next to us on your side."

She was about to ask why he wanted her to do that first, but as she started to open the door to the vehicle she caught a whiff of a smell on the air and her eyes shot open in disbelief. "Oh my god, Danny, is that horses I smell?" It was a stupid question because the smell was unmistakable, and the sight of the barns when she opened her eyes only confirmed her suspicions.

"Well, I would say that it smells more like manure, but whatever you want to call it, darling," he cracked, even attempting a drawl on the last word that just made her laugh like it did every time he tried to tease her by adding a country twang to his New York accent.

"Why did you bring me here?" she had to ask. She loved the animals and tried to take the kids to see the horses pulling carriages in Central Park every once in awhile and occasionally even took them to the barns where the NYPD kept their horses housed, but Danny rarely came along and never suggested the idea. He claimed he just didn't like the smell and that it was too country of an activity for a city boy like himself, but she knew that while that was part of it, he was also somewhat intimidated by the large animals. Oh, it was nothing he would admit to or that most people would notice, but she could tell. And it really became obvious the first time he had seen one of his kids atop a horse.

He had come to pick her and the kids up at the NYPD barns and about flipped out when he saw Ana atop one of the horses. It didn't matter that Lindsay had assured him that the mare was about as gentle as could be and that there was a responsible, trained person next to Ana and the horse the whole time. And he didn't care that Lindsay had been on a horse at an even younger age than Ana. About the only thing that got him to calm down was when Lindsay made the mild comment that he seemed to be implying that she would let their daughter do something really dangerous. That stopped him cold, though it didn't calm his fears. They had left soon after, and when the kids were in bed that night they had had a long conversation about the whole thing and compromised on what the kids could and could not do with horses until they were older and could decide for themselves.

Danny shrugged. "We both had the day off, you've been buried under too much paperwork the last few days and haven't been outside the lab or the house except to drive between the two. I thought you should take a break and that this might help you relax." He unbuckled from his safety restraint, opened his door and got out and she followed suit, meeting him at the front of the vehicle.

"But why couldn't we bring the kids? They would have loved it and I wouldn't have let them do anything with the horses that made you too uncomfortable."

He shrugged again, putting his hands in his pockets. "I thought we should come out here without them." He waved and she turned to see a man waving them over from near the closest barn. "That's Frank. I met him during a case last week. Do you remember the guy whose murder was made to look like an accidental drug overdose?" She nodded, remembering what he had told her of the case and the report he had turned in to her. "The kid was Frank's nephew, his sister's son. Frank thanked me for not just accepting the obvious conclusion that his nephew was a druggie and for finding and arresting his killer. I assured him that it was just my job, somehow his occupation as the head guy here came up, I mentioned your love of the beasts, and here we are. I thought it would kill two birds with one stone, letting the guy do something small to 'repay' me and feel like he did something to show his appreciation, and it would give you some fun."

Lindsay grabbed his arm as they headed towards the smiling, genial looking man who welcomed them. Introductions were made and then they were given a quick tour of the facilities before being taken to the big barn where many of the horses had their stalls. Frank offered to let Lindsay ride, but she told him that was okay, she was content to walk around and meet each animal individually, gaining their love through carrots and sugar cubes that Frank provided before he left them to attend to something. She noticed Danny's raised eyebrow at her not jumping at the chance to ride one of the animals, but she wasn't about to tell him why she was reluctant to climb on. She hadn't been able to bring herself to confirm her suspicions yet, had in fact been planning to go out and buy a test to do just that when Danny sprung this surprise trip on her, and there was no way she was telling him before she knew for sure. To divert his attention, she quickly asked a question once they were alone next to a stall with a sign that read "Midnight" on its door and a beautiful black gelding inside. "So, are you ready to tell me the other reason why we're here?" she probed, smiling as he squirmed, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. She calmly waited on him, holding out a carrot to the gorgeous animal who was nuzzling her shoulder, obviously guessing that she had a treat for him.

Danny sighed and adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I wasn't going to mention it because it wasn't going to come to anything, but this guy has been persistent and I'm afraid he might eventually contact my boss, and since that's you, I thought I should be the one to let you know."

Now Lindsay was getting worried and she furrowed her brow. "Is somebody you put away bothering you? You should have told me sooner, Danny, there are steps to take when something like that happens."

He was shaking his head in the negative before she had finished speaking. "No, it's nothing like that. I would tell you if it were since it could affect you and the kids." He shifted and folded his arms across his chest. "I got a call from the state crime lab." She still wasn't understanding until he clarified a bit more. "They offered me a job."

She opened her mouth and then closed it without saying anything. She didn't know quite what she should say. "What kind of job?" was the first thing that came out.

"Uh, head of their crime lab in the city." Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't realize you were sending out applications," she commented, not yet miffed because frankly she was still a little shocked.

"I wasn't! This guy just called up one day wanting to talk about the possibility of me applying for the position. I thought about it for about five seconds, knew that it wasn't for me, and told him so. But like I said, this guy is persistent. He's been calling me and sending letters and e-mails about the position and its compensations and everything. It doesn't matter how many times I tell the guy I'm not interested, he keeps saying that he thinks I would be perfect for the job. I was afraid he would call you, not realizing that you were my wife or maybe because you're my wife, in the hopes that you would pressure me to rethink my position, which is why I finally decided I should mention it to you."

Lindsay absentmindedly stroked the horse as she looked at her husband. "Why are you so against the idea? It could be great for you, Danny, a chance for you to move up. I know you don't fancy the idea of working for the state rather than the city, but you'd still be in the city."

"That's only a small part of it, Linds. I'm not cut out to be an administrator. You know that as well as I do. It's a big part of why I had no problem with Mac offering you the job for head of the lab."

Something occurred to her. "You're not passing this up because of anything to do with me, are you? Because if it's something that interests you at all, I'll support you Danny. As much as you think that you'd hate being the boss, you know that I think you would do great. We never said that either of us would have to work for the city our whole careers."

Danny reached over, grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, shooting a wary glance at the nearby horse which almost made Lindsay laugh despite their conversation. "I'm not passing up the opportunity just for you," he insisted as he brought her body close to his and settled his hands on her hips. "I know that I really wouldn't like the job. But yeah, of course you factor in. I love working with you Montana, and it would take a hell of a job to pull me out of the lab and away from you. And more than just being able to see you during the workday, and I know this makes me sound chauvinistic but I don't care, I just…I like knowing that I'm around to help watch your back, you know?"

She did know. She felt the same way about him and she would probably worry somewhat if he worked in a different department or a different agency altogether, despite knowing how good he was at taking care of himself and how well trained others were that could be there for him. While anyone who loved someone else would have protective instincts for that person, their situation was somewhat unique in that they had met at the lab and were partners before they were lovers. Watching each other's backs had been a professional thing for them before it had ever been personal and relinquishing that job was hard for both of them even temporarily when they didn't work cases together.

But she wasn't about to let him dismiss this so quickly. "It's just that I don't want you to feel like you have to sacrifice your own ambitions for me, Danny. You deserve to succeed just as much as I do."

He cupped her face with one of his hands and gave her that smile she knew he only used with her. "When I was a kid all I ever dreamed about was becoming a professional baseball player. Every night visions of being under the bright lights danced through my head, scenarios playing out that usually involved my winning the World Series with a clutch homerun in the bottom of the ninth with two outs." She was mesmerized as so much passed through their locked gaze. "When that dream was gone, I didn't think much about the future anymore. I lived day to day, not planning very far forward. Until you walked into my life."

He smirked. "I know I've said this before, but you turned my life upside down, Montana. And I think the first indication I had of that was the return of my ability to dream about the future. All of a sudden I had thoughts about where I wanted to be in a year, or five or ten, and you know what? Not one of those dreams then or the ones I have now have anything to do with my career." He used his thumb to wipe at the tear running down her face. "Every single dream I've ever had since you came into my life has revolved around you. Okay," he admitted, "maybe I've had one or two for the kids since we've become parents, but even that wouldn't have been possible without you."

He pulled her closer and she laid her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Right where I am career-wise is right where I want to be. Sure, I wouldn't mind the bigger paycheck and if we were in worse financial shape I would consider the position a little more, but we're doing fine, and I can't think of one other reason why I should take it beyond the moving up the ladder aspect that I don't care about. My ambitions don't extend beyond wanting to put as many bad guys away as I personally can by working in the field, and to being the best husband and father that I can be, and I don't think I can accomplish any of that by complicating our lives with a new job. Moving up was great for you and I'm glad you took the opportunity, but it's just not for me."

Lindsay was still at a loss for words. It was just too much. And God, if he thought a new job would complicate their lives, what would he think if she told him what she had been suspecting for nearly a week now? She quickly pushed that to the back of her mind. Looking up at her husband's face, she just smiled and hugged him tightly around his neck knowing that he would understand what she wasn't saying. It was just a little too much for her to verbalize at the moment around the lump in her throat.

They hung around the barn for a couple more hours, Lindsay even getting Danny to pet a horse or two and feed a carrot to one, though that was almost too much for him. On the way home Danny mentioned faux casually how the kids weren't scheduled to be home for several hours and Lindsay shot him an encouraging smile, which only led to more confusion on his part when they reached their house and she ran upstairs, shouting down that he should order some takeout for them. She knew he had to be wondering what in the world was going on, but an idea had formed in her head and she wanted to surprise him as wonderfully as he had her that day.

Digging through the back of their closet, she finally found what she was looking for. She heard the doorbell and the muffled sounds of Danny talking to someone as she finished getting ready. Moments later the front door closed and she recognized the sound of Danny coming up the stairs. "Hey, Montana, you in there?" he called, knocking on the door before starting to open it. "The food's here…" His words trailed off as he caught sight of her.

Lindsay smirked at his shocked face. She supposed she couldn't blame him, what with her standing there in nothing but her old cowboy boots and cowgirl hat and holding in her hand the rhinestone studded cowboy hat she had bought him as a gag gift years ago. She walked over and put it firmly on his head before placing a finger over his lips that were opening and closing like he was trying to say something but couldn't figure out how to speak. "I know you're a city boy, so much the native New Yorker that you probably know every crack in the city's sidewalks, but I thought maybe, just this once, you'd like to be a little country and join me in our own personal rodeo."

Danny quickly got over his shock and crushed her to him. "Yee haw!" he declared, and they were out of the gate and on their way to a first place finish.