Title: Three Minutes
Rating: K+
Spoilers: None that I can remember.
Summary: The small watch that she had dug out of her gym bag sat on the toilet tank, slowly counting down from three minutes. D/L Angst.
A/N: Super big thanks to sugah and Kennedy for beta-ing this for me. Wub you two. Second part of this should be up in a few days. Also, I'm a review whore, so...indulge me.

Part 2

There was a lump in her throat, and she was once again holding back tears. She heard Danny release the breath that he had been holding. She saw him glance at her from the corner of her eye, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him just yet. She didn't trust herself to speak.

One line.

"Linds," Danny whispered. Lindsay shut her eyes and felt a tear fall, following the tracks of its predecessors. "Lindsay? Oh, baby," he said, pulling her into a hug. He held her for a moment before lifting her head to look at him. "You wanted this, didn't you?"

She didn't answer him, still afraid to speak, and pulled out of his embrace. She turned away from him, wrapping her arms around her waist. She swallowed again, taking her time before answering him.

"I-I don't know, Danny. I mean…it's absurd. Us? With a child?" She laughed bitterly before choking on a sob. "Bu-but for a second…it was there. A piece of both of us." She took a deep breath. "And I wanted it," she said, before breaking down completely.

Danny was silent for a moment, watching his girlfriend hold herself up as sobs racked her body. He couldn't think of anything to say or do to make her feel better. He'd never really seen himself as a father, having decided long ago that he'd seen enough violence to know that raising a child in New York wasn't ideal.

But when he'd found out that it was a possibility, even for just a second, that Lindsay could've had his baby, he'd been impossibly happy.

Danny took a step toward Lindsay, intending on consoling her. He wrapped his arms around her small shoulders, feeling them shake with her sobs. "I wanted it, too," he whispered into her hair, tightening his grip on her. He had to get a better grip on her after that because her knees had given way, and he lowered her to the floor before following her. He pulled her into his lap, leaning back onto the side of the bathtub. Her head rested against his shoulder, her forehead pressed into his neck. Her crying had slowed, so he moved his head to get a look at her.

The mascara that she had put on that morning was all but washed away, the make-up creating dark trails down her cheeks. Her eyes were red, as was her nose, and her cheeks were splotchy. She was beautiful. He laid her head back on his shoulder and held her closer.

They stayed like that for hours before Danny was forced to get up, lest his legs go completely numb. He helped Lindsay up, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, leading her out into their bedroom.

She was exhausted; he could see that in her face and movements. He sat her on the side of the bed before moving to the head of it to pull the covers down. He stepped back to Lindsay to help her out of her shoes. As he knelt in front of her, she looked down into his face. Lindsay's eyes were sad and tired, and it made Danny want to cry. He'd never seen anyone look as helpless as his girlfriend did at that moment.

He finished removing her shoes, and leaned her back onto the bed before covering her with the blankets. He quickly removed his clothing and crawled into bed behind his girlfriend. His arms wrapped around her from behind, and she placed her own hands over his. His head found its place behind her neck, allowing him to breathe in her sweet scent.

They had a lot they needed to talk about, but that could wait until the morning. For now, all they wanted to do was sleep; thoughts of babies and the future chased away by stray caresses and whispered 'I love you's.' Both Danny and Lindsay's breathing slowed – a sign that both were falling asleep. Danny fought for wakefulness, wanting to make sure that Lindsay hit Slumberland before him.

Danny waited until he was sure that Lindsay was asleep before relaxing into a more comfortable position. He kissed the back of her neck where her skin was exposed and whispered softly into the dark, "I love you."

Fin.