"So you two were okay after that night?" Lindsay pulled one of Danny's old tee shirts over her head, shaking her light brown locks as they came free of the neck. Danny nodded wordlessly, watching her. He remained in bed, hands tucked behind his head and covers barely reaching his navel. There was a distance in his gaze, yet he was strangely focused on every little detail about her. Lindsay felt her cheeks grow warm with the steadiness in his eyes. She tugged the shirt down with one hand and smiled. "What?"

Slowly smiling, he shook his head, rising up on his elbows with a groan. "Nothin'. Just thinkin'." He sat up all the way, running his hands down his face. "What time is it?"

Lindsay looked around for her phone, her face creased in a slight frown. "I don't know just yet." She surveyed the room. "We made a mess."

Danny laughed and climbed out of the bed, stretching. Instantly, the warmth returned to Lindsay's face, but this time it crept over her neck and headed south. She bit her lip in appreciation of the fine specimen of manliness before her. Grabbing a pair of boxer shorts from the floor, Danny pulled them on swiftly, followed by a cotton pair of pajama pants the boxers had previously been lying on. "Linds, there's never not a time when my place isn't a mess." He caught his breath as he realized the hidden meaning in his words and his eyes collided with hers before he smiled sheepishly. "I mean I suck at cleaning."

Lindsay giggled. "S'ok. I understand what you mean." She sighed. "But I guess this means we can never be together, for I am a complete neat freak."

In one fluid motion, Danny stood in front of her, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. "I'm allergic to bullshit, Linds. I've seen your desk." He grinned cockily down at her and Lindsay couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I am a firm believer of never bringing work habits home with me. My apartment's spotless, thank you very much."

Danny snorted. "You are so full of it."

Lindsay smiled and pulled away from him. "Thank you, I try."

He pulled her back to him and was leaning down for a kiss when the loud ringing of a cell phone went off. Danny didn't recognize the tune, but Lindsay's eyes grew wide and she scrambled to locate the device. Danny rolled his eyes and followed her as she searched for the phone. A triumphant "Ha!" and Lindsay held up the small cell, pressing talk. Danny shuffled into the kitchen as he recognized the tone of voice with which she answered. Thanks for callin' right now, Stel. I appreciate it. Mentally, Danny kicked the sarcastic little voice for speaking up. It wasn't Stella's fault; the two of them were getting up anyway. Still, the disgruntled feeling that the woman who was almost a sister to him had bothered to call now, when he was at such a crucial point with Lindsay, just wouldn't go away. He sighed and stuck his head into the fridge. "I…need to go shoppin'," he mumbled, stretching out the last syllable into a long groan.

A giggle behind him and Danny turned to Lindsay leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, a blanket around her waist. "Talking to yourself? That's the first sign of insanity, don'tcha know."

He stretched and flashed her the familiar Messer grin. "Guilty as charged." Feigning innocence, he crossed his arms. "Who was that?"

She smiled at him, stepping further into the kitchen. "Stella. She wanted to tell me that she got a list of people who had visited the cemetery… one of them might be our suspect."

Danny nodded, watching as Lindsay crossed to the countertop and hoisted herself up. "Good. This whole thing should get wrapped up quick, I hope."

"Me too." Lindsay held out her arms and Danny moved into them gladly, resting his arms on her hips. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, grinning as she sighed. "You okay?" He asked quietly, leaning against her so that their foreheads were touching. Lindsay nodded, her brown eyes somber. "Danny, you remember how you told me you'd tell me your tragic story in exchange for mine?" He nodded and Lindsay took a deep breath. "Well, I think I should probably tell you now, while I've still got the courage."

"Not if you don't want to, Linds-" he started to protest, but a finger against his lips cut him off. She smiled faintly. "You tryin' to be a hero, Messer?" she quipped, copying his brogue perfectly. "I want to tell you. You've let me in on so much, it's only fair."

"Fair? You wanna be fair?" Danny smirked. "Since when?"

"Danny, I'm serious." Lindsay rested her cheek against his shoulder, feeling his warm skin against her cool face. "Mine's not nearly so romantic or chivalrous as yours though. When I was sixteen, me and three other girls went driving to the next county. We stopped at a gas station to get something to drink, and the next thing I know, we're on the floor with guns pressed to our heads. We had walked right into a robbery. They held us hostage for thirteen hours, then shot my best friends." Her breath caught and Danny tensed, puling away for a moment to look at her. Lindsay eyes were dry, but her face held so much pain in it that his heart broke.

"They killed those three girls in cold blood, and they would have gotten me too, except the manager of the store pressed the silent alarm when the second girl died, and the cops showed up as they turned the gun on me." She shuddered. "There was so much blood, and people were crying. The worst part was when the parents showed up just as the paramedics put me in the ambulance." Lindsay put her face in her hands. "The fathers were silent, staring. The mothers were the worst: crying and holding one another. I've never seen so much agony in one face."

"What were their names? Your friends." Danny rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. Vanilla and something else, something fruity he couldn't quite place.

"Moira, Kelly, and Jenna." She sniffed. "When I got to the hospital, my parents were there and they kept everyone away. You know how Allie was always there to comfort you?" Danny nodded slowly, wondering if maybe there had been a guy who kept Lindsay sane. He felt a twinge of jealousy, but squashed it swiftly. Now was not the time to be passing judgment one a guy when Lindsay was here, in his arms. "My best friend, Rory, was always like that. She could brighten a whole room simply by walking into it. She sat by my bed night and day, and then she sat next to me at the funerals." Lindsay shook her head, feeling her throat contract with tears. "She was the only one."

"Sometimes that's all it takes," Danny whispered, placing a loving kiss on Lindsay's temple.

She looked up at him, brown eyes confused. "What do you mean? Oh," a look of understanding crossed her features. "You mean, Allie?"

Danny grimaced and smiled shyly, suddenly feeling very warm. "Well, yeah, but even then there were moments when she was distracting me more than offerin' comfort and support." He poked Lindsay in the side, causing her to squirm. "Don't change the subject. I wanna hear more about this Rory character."

"You may get to meet her someday. I don't wanna ruin the surprise." Lindsay grinned and wiped her eyes. "Who's changing the subject now? Tell me what you mean by she distracted you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You don't want to hear about that."

"I do so!" Playfully slapping his shoulder, Lindsay bit her lip. "Tell me? Please?"

Never able to resist a begging woman, Danny shrugged. "Okay. It was after the Hoffa thing, and I was pissed…"

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A/N: Short chapter, I know… but the next one is really long, and, well, interesting… so stay tuned!