A/N: Same disclosures apply as in all other chapters. Please enjoy and don't forget to review. I know it's been a while in between updates. I'm sorry if that's turning off some readers but life is hectic right now and unfortunately yelling stop this crazy train doesn't work with life. Thanks to all who have stuck by me and my stories; you are appreciated more than you could even begin to fathom. ;-) And, now onto…

Chapter 8

"Go to bed Montana." He repeated, "I'll be here when you wake up."

I hesitated, not wanting to leave the comfort and warmth of his arms; affair of what I would see if I closed my eyes.

"Go to bed Lindsay." Danny released me from his arms, "You're exhausted and need sleep. I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

Regretfully I disentangled myself from Danny, kissing him gently and padded down the hall towards my bedroom. I saw the light go out in the living room, a sign that Danny had laid down for the night. I wondered if he was going to have trouble sleeping as I climbed into bed. My head had barely hit the pillow before I was asleep.

I woke up at eight, after six good hours of uninterrupted sleep. I felt rested, like the past twenty four hours had been an excruciatingly bad, painful dream. Pulling my robe on, I wandered out to the living room. I was going to invite Danny out to breakfast, seeing as how we both weren't expected into work today, but to my surprise he wasn't there. The blankets I had given him early this morning were folded neatly on the couch with the pillow resting on top.

Confused, I sat down on the couch next to the small pile. Had I dreamt Danny being here last night? Had I dreamt everything? I rested my head in my hands, trying to remember when I heard the door knob jiggle; the door then opened.

"Danny." I said, relief spreading throughout my body; it hadn't been a dream.

"Hope you don't mind, I borrowed your keys so I could go get breakfast." He said, setting some bags on the table in front of me, "You were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you."

"No," I said, thinking quickly, "I don't mind at all. What's good for breakfast?"

We smiled at each other, and he leaned in to kiss me, gently. Again, it was as if he was asking for permission, something I found incredibly romantic and sexy.

"Mmm." I moaned softly.

"How did you sleep last night?" Danny asked as he brought out plates, silverware, and two hot cups of coffee.

"Surprisingly well," I answered taking a sip of hot liquid, "No dreams."

"Really?" Danny asked, cocking an eyebrow at me, "That's a first in awhile isn't it?"

I was watching him dish out the fruit on the plates. He also had bought bagels, cream cheese, and turnovers. I always suspected that there was a softer side to Danny, but I had never expected that I would be on the receiving end of it.

"Is something wrong Linds?"

I must have been staring…

"No," I said, taking the plate he was trying to hand me, "everything is fine Danny, I was just thinking."

"What about?" he asked curiously.

"When did you get your hair cut?" I had just noticed that his hair looked shorted and it made my heart race just a little bit faster, "It looks good on you, very good."

He laughed softly.

"Almost two weeks ago." He said, "It was getting long."

"Some CSI I am, huh?" I asked, winking at him, "This is good."

We continued to eat and made small talk until our plates were clean. It felt good to feel normal again, and not some freak that could fade out at a moment's notice. The case however was not far from my mind as I wanted to know why this case affected me so deeply.

"So what do you want to do today?" Danny asked, collecting the garbage from the table.

"What?" I asked, caught off-guard by his question.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked again, slowly, making sure I got the question.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I don't know," I said, leaning back into the couch, "How about we just stay here and relax?"

I realized how presumptuous that sounded, and quickly added,

"Or of course if you have something else to do…"

"Trust doesn't come easy for you does it?" He asked softly, before sitting next to me on the couch and taking my hand, "I asked you what you wanted to do today. If I had something else that I wanted to do, with or without you, I would tell you."

I looked into his eyes, seeking comfort and reassurance, finding it there allowed my mind to loosen up and let my heart take over.

"Sorry." I said sheepishly, "I feel like a broken record; All I ever seem to do is apologize to you."

"Don't worry about it," Danny said, pulling me closer, "I have an idean, why don't we go to the zoo?"

I looked at him questioningly, but said nothing. I hadn't been to the zoo since my first day at CSI on the tiger case. Danny must have seen the question bouncing around my head, because he stated.

"I know for a fact that you've only seen the tiger cage at the zoo," he said, "and I think it would be something fun to do today."

I thought about it for a moment or two, then said,

"I'm game if you are."

We sat there smiling at each other for a few moments, because Danny lowered his head to mine, our lips seemed to spark before they had even made contact with each other. Danny didn't ask for permission this time; his lips were determined, they knew what they wanted. My mind made mental notes of how his lips felt at every moment of the kiss; how tender and soft they were, yet how strong and good they felt against mine. The need for oxygen began to burn in my lungs but I wasn't ready to let go yet. I wanted time to stand still.

My hands ran through Danny's new shorter hair cut, causing shivers to not only run down my spine but I felt Danny shiver as well. I pulled back slowly, regrettably not wanting it to end.

"I'll go get dressed so we can leave." I said softly, still looking into his eyes; our faces were inches apart.

"Ok," Danny said, "Although that staying in and relaxing idea is starting to sound a bit more tantalizing."