After leaving the hospital, Danny simply followed Lindsay for a while. She made no attempts to talk to him and rarely acknowledged that he was even walking with her. Finally, after about two blocks, Lindsay slowed her pace a little and allowed Danny to match her step and walk beside her.

"He kicked me out." Lindsay said. It was hard for Danny to pick up on any kind of emotion in her voice, making it hard to know how to respond. Lindsay kept talking, saving Danny from having to think about it too much. "He doesn't want me around when it gets hard. I know him too well to think that it's anything else. We love each other and he doesn't want me around."

Lindsay's voice finally cracked and revealed her anguish. Danny was about to pull her into a hug, when Lindsay turned suddenly and headed into a bar.

Danny was a little surprised at Lindsay's choice. He never pegged Montana as one to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Lindsay walked up to the bar and ordered a drink. She sat down and began to drink silently, completely engrossed in her own thoughts. Danny ordered his own drink and sat a stool or two away, giving Lindsay her space. This is why Danny was happy he had brothers. He didn't know how to deal with quiet, moody girls.

Lindsay caught Danny staring at her. He had been staring at her for some number of months now, but tonight he seemed unusually fixated. They stared at each other until it looked as though he intended to come closer to her, at which point she turned around and left the bar.

Danny caught up with Lindsay as she walked down the street.

"You know I'm not letting you walk around this city on your own." Danny said, attempting to sound humorous. "You want to tell me where you're going?"

"Your place." Lindsay said flatly. She had decided long ago that she couldn't go back to Don's apartment. Even though it had technically been "theirs" for over a month now, at the moment it didn't feel like home. Danny was impressed that Lindsay seemed to know her way through the labyrinth of streets and was able to make her way to his doorstep. He silently opened the door to his building and followed Lindsay up to his apartment. When Danny opened the door, Lindsay walked inside silently and walked straight to the window. She seemed to be staring out into the night, deep in thought.

"Linds?" Danny asked cautiously. He could sense the hurt radiating off of her body and could see how her back tensed up at her own name.

Lindsay wasn't sure how she'd managed to hear him. To Lindsay, the emotions whirling around inside of her drowned out any other noises that she might be hearing. She was so angry with Flack and hurt by what he had done that she felt like she couldn't focus on what was going on, and the minute her anger and bitterness and frustration got the better of her, Danny Messer showed up. Lindsay turned around to face Danny. Judging from the way his hair was a bit messed up and the fact that he looked tired and worn out, she assumed that worry and concern was wearing on him too - except his worry and concern was focused on Lindsay instead of solely on Flack.

Danny walked over to Lindsay and took her hand, forcing her to unclench her fist, something that she hadn't even realized that she had done.

"It's gonna be all right," he said. "Really."

"Really? You know that, huh?" Lindsay spat back at Danny.

It killed Danny to see Lindsay so upset. In his eyes, Lindsay was perfection. Smart, funny, independent, loving, caring… she was everything a friend, partner and girlfriend should be. Somewhere, deep inside, Danny understood why Flack was acting this way and why he was pushing Lindsay away. But, seeing Lindsay in this state, Danny couldn't help but ask himself if he would ever have the heart to put her through this if he were in Flack's position.

Lindsay tried to take her hand out of his grasp, but he wouldn't let go and in her alcohol induced haze it was just too hard. Instead, he placed a soft kiss on her palm; then, one by one, he took his fingers into his mouth, sucking on each one slowly.

He thought maybe she hated it. Not the physical action, which was already beginning to get a positive reaction out of Lindsay, but everything it implied. This, he thought, was what it had come to. The woman he had admired and loved and had somehow managed to keep his hands off all this time was now standing in front of him, vulnerable and almost willing.

In all, Danny decided, he'd rather have Lindsay out of anguish and pity. Having Lindsay in some way was better than nothing at all. Danny's desire and concern for Lindsay seemed to eclipse all the warning bells going off in his head.

"I don't get it… how could he… I love… What is going on…" Lindsay rambled, allowing her emotions and thoughts to mix and flow freely as she relaxed in Danny's presence.

Suddenly, he kissed her. Danny had needed a way to quiet Lindsay and make her forget all the troubles that she had walked away from at the hospital. Lindsay found Danny's lips on her own, and without thinking brought herself closer to Danny.

Danny found that kissing his Montana was every bit as incredible as he always assumed it would be. He would have been lying if he said that he hadn't thought about kissing Lindsay every time that he saw Flack do it. Danny descended on her mouth, almost as if he planned to devour her. He snaked his hands around her back and let them rest at her waist.

When they broke it off, Danny was smiling. Lindsay had her eyes closed, but a small grin played on her lips. Danny decided that anything that made him smile like that couldn't be all bad. It occurred to Danny that he probably shouldn't let Lindsay do this. But if she wanted to continue, he didn't know if he had the strength to turn her down.

Danny leaned in to kiss Lindsay again, tugging at her body and guiding her in the direction of the couch. Their lips were just lightly brushing the others, when Lindsay's eyes snapped open. She could taste the mixture of alcohol and Danny that still lingered on her lips. Lindsay gasped and jumped away suddenly.

"Hey, hey…" Danny said soothingly. He reached out to Lindsay, but Lindsay shrank away.

"Oh god." Lindsay said quietly. The implications of what had just happened hit her. Lindsay felt like screaming, crying and running from Danny's apartment. She struggled to catch her breath, as she began to hyperventilate. "Danny…"

"I'm sorry, Montana." Danny said honestly. He realized now, that no matter how much he had wanted that to happen, it was wrong and would tear Lindsay apart. Already, guilt was consuming him as he thought about Lindsay and Flack. "I shouldn't have… I just wanted you to relax a bit, and to forget. I didn't mean… I mean, I've always wanted to… but…"

Nothing Danny put together in his head sounded eloquent when he actually spoke. Lindsay had a look of sheer terror and panic, and it ripped Danny to shreds inside to know that he had caused it.

"I can't Danny. I, I… I have to go." Lindsay finished her sentence with a stifled sob and pushed past Danny to run out of his apartment.

Danny thought of going after her and insisting that he take her home. But, Danny wasn't too sure where Lindsay was actually headed, let alone if she ever wanted to see him again.