Thanks everyone for your kind comments from the last chapter! It does feel good to be back to writing. I'm gradually getting my 'groove' back, whatever that is. :P This chapter begins to up the Sap Factor, and will continue for the final two chapters after this. Just so you know.;)

Squashed Squash

The weeks turned into months, and Danny and Lindsay's lives grew more and more intertwined. In fact, in the overnight hours, they often found themselves physically intertwined, too.

On this morning, Danny opened his eyes and found that he couldn't feel his right arm. Lindsay was sleeping on it, pinning it underneath her, cutting off the circulation. He twisted his neck as far as he could, trying to see the time. 6:39. Damn. The alarm would go off in six minutes, and then it would be time for showers, dressing, coffee, subway – the usual morning bustle. It was a routine he had known for years, but having her there by his side somehow made it less mundane.

Using his left hand to reach out and turn off the alarm, he nudged Lindsay with the shoulder of his numb arm. "Miss Montana, time to rise and shine," he muttered. She stirred, shifting slightly, but did not respond. He tried again, clearing his throat and speaking louder. "Yo, Sleeping Beauty, up and at 'em."

A moan crept from her lips, muffled by pillow that her face was buried in. "Sleeping Beauty doesn't wake up until she is kissed," she pointed out.

"Well, you're out of luck, because I don't see any charming princes around here." He gently rolled her off of his arm, and when he sat up, it thumped to his side limply like a sack of potatoes. He rubbed it with his other hand, hoping to regain sensation.

He glanced over at Lindsay, loving how flushed and messy she appeared. She was waking slowly, the expression on her face still foggy. He remembered reading somewhere that the body's testosterone level was highest in the mornings, and his certainly validated that statistic. He growled, then leaned over to nip gently at her neck. "Maybe I can find a better way of making you alert," he teased, kissing up the side of her neck all the way to her ear.

"We don't have time," she croaked, though not moving away from his touch. "Even though I'd love nothing more than to stay in bed all day, we can't."

He threw out a suggestion he knew was impossible. "Call Mac. Tell him we're calling in horny."

This at least succeeded in making her laugh, and she propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. "This isn't healthy," she chastised.

"Sure it's healthy. It's good exercise." He positioned himself over, dipping down into a push-up. "Good for the biceps, the pecs… you like those, right?" He hovered with his lips merely a breath from hers, but as she went to kiss him, he pushed back up.

She made a face. "You tease. Anyway, that's not the kind of 'unhealthy' I mean. What I'm saying is, this has become an obsession. We're addicted to each other."

"There are worse things to be addicted to," he retorted, reluctantly leaving the warmth of the covers and her body behind as he stood and moved towards the bathroom shower.

Lindsay called after him. "Hey, it's Wednesday! It's my day to shower first!"

"Sorry, you lost your chance," he replied. "Too bad you wasted so much time trying to make a move on me." Cackling, he shut the bathroom door behind him, and turned on the hot water. It was almost impossible to remember what life had been like before she moved in – those days of loneliness seemed like ancient history now. Getting to know her through work was how he had first fallen for her, but living with her was a whole new dimension of discovery. Even when she wasn't there physically, her scent, her aura, her presence lingered in every room. He wasn't alone anymore.

--

That evening, Danny entered his apartment after work, feeling extremely tired and cranky. His bad day included the chase of a suspect that nearly gave him a twisted ankle, two hours spent digging through greasy garbage from a fried chicken joint, and it had only gotten worse when his shift ran over by about two hours.

Lindsay, however, had left work on time, and was curled up on the sofa when he walked in. "Hey," she greeted him cautiously.

"Hey," he replied, tossing his keys down on the desk and heading to the kitchen. "Damn, I need a drink."

"Wait, Danny, I need to tell you something." She was biting her lip, a classic sign of worry.

"What's up?" he asked, rather impatient.

She stood up. "You, um, you know that expensive goose-down blanket of yours, the navy blue one?"

"Yeah… the one my grandmother gave me when I was nine?". He suddenly had a feeling this wasn't going to be good.

She winced, as if his instant recollection pained her. "Yeah, that one."

"Why, what about it?" he pressed, irritated now. All he wanted to do was go drown his frustrations in an icy cold beer, and change into something more comfortable.

Lindsay looked down at her hands, twisting her fingers together. "I spilled nail polish all over it," she admitted sheepishly.

"You spilled nail polish on my blanket?" he repeated carefully, not sure he was processing this.

"Yes." Her voice was nearly inaudible. "I'm sorry."

Okay, this was too much. He was familiar with some of the hazards of life with a woman: her bath oil making his tub more slippery than an ice rink. Accidentally using her shampoo and spending the rest of the day smelling like a mango smoothie. Now this just drove it home - Girl Stuff was ruining his property! "How the hell did that happen?" he moaned.

Sorrowful brown eyes fixed on him. "I was on the bed, painting my toes, and I knocked the bottle over." He followed her back into the bedroom, where the blanket lay on the floor, covered in pearlescent coral spatter.

"It will never come out," he lamented, horrified. Thank goodness it hadn't gotten on the carpet.

"I tried wiping it, but it's no use. I'll go buy you another one this weekend."

"It's ruined. And it can't be replaced." He realized he wasn't really that upset about the blanket, but the long day had made him pissy and whiny. He wasn't willing to let this go easily.

"Are you mad?" she questioned in a tiny voice.

He sighed, feeling a tug at his heart by the sight of her remorseful face. He also noticed that only three of her toenails were painted. Obviously, she had been too upset to even finish the job. "No, I'm not mad. It's just been a crappy day. I need a beer, and dinner." He left her in the bedroom with the splattered blanket.

Once in the kitchen, he stared into the empty abyss of the refrigerator. He could have sworn he had one beer left, but a quick glance at the recycling bin told him that she had finished off his stash. He certainly never drank her fruit-flavored vitamin-enhanced spring water. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, then jumped slightly when he realized she had followed him in the kitchen.

"Sorry," she said from behind him. "I drank it after I spilled the polish, because I needed some liquid courage. I was going to go out to the market and get some groceries anyway. I'll go do that now." She reached for her purse, then added awkwardly, "Do you want to come?"

He nodded, agreeing only in an attempt to make peace. Choose your battles, he reminded himself. A beer and a blanket were hardly worth it. "Sure, I'll go along."

Despite the attempt at an attitude change, he remained sullen and pouty on the ride to the store. Once there, he followed her from aisle to aisle, giving little input as she collected the various items they needed.

In the vegetable section, Lindsay chose a fresh bunch of spinach and bagged it. Danny made a face. "I don't know why you buy that crap," he protested.

She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "If it's leafy and green, it's healthy."

"If it's leafy and green, I'm not eating it."

"You don't have to. But if I eat any more pizza or Chinese, I'll weigh four hundred pounds, and it won't be pretty." She stopped abruptly in front of a large bin of green squash. "Oh, zucchini. I'm going to get some."

Danny crossed his arms and waited as she went to work choosing produce. A pudgy, freckle-faced boy stood nearby, sneaking his hand into the bulk candy bins and eating one piece at a time. His oblivious mother was nearby, getting carrots. Parents should watch their kids, he thought grouchily. Stealthily, unaware that anyone was watching, the boy snagged a piece of toffee with grubby fingers, and popped it into his chubby mouth. Danny wished he had his badge on him so he could scare the kid, teach him a good lesson about stealing.

His gaze settled on Lindsay again, who was weighing her selected items on the scale. She was taking the task seriously, scrutinizing each piece. It suddenly occurred to him how childish he was being. It was just a stupid blanket. It was an accident, after all, and was it really worth it? Sure, there were inconveniences in sharing his home and his life with her, but she gave him far, far more than she took away. When he saw her there, rooting through the zucchini, he was instantly overcome with emotion. Stupid blanket. Standing a few feet from her, in the middle of the produce aisle, he couldn't hold it back anymore: "I love you."

Thump. One zucchini on the floor. "What?" She gawked at him as if he had just suggested they try tofu hot dogs.

So he said it again. He would go say it over the loudspeaker if she wanted him to. "I love you."

She just stared, her eyes as big as saucers. Thud - a second zucchini hit the floor.

The little boy wrinkled up his nose, disgusted by the public declaration of affection. "Ew. Gross," he complained through a mouthful of caramel.

"That's what you think now, Buddy, but some day you'll understand," Danny told him. He strode over to Lindsay and kissed her, against the bin of squash, for all to see.

"Yuuuuuuk," the boy said. His appetite for sweets ruined, he went off in search of his mother.

Lindsay, still stunned, began to babble. "But… I though… you were mad… the nail polish…", her voice trailed off. Despite her bewilderment, however, she was smiling. She reached up to touch his face gingerly, as if she wasn't quite sure if he was the same Danny she had known for two years.

"It's just a stupid blanket," he told her. "It was too small to share, I need to buy a bigger one anyway. One for both of us." They grinned as they held each other, surrounded by vegetables of every color, techno-elevator music drifting from the speakers. The moment was perfect.

"Danny?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you back."

He pushed her against the bin forcefully, kissing her again, not caring who might see.

Five more zucchini hit the floor. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.