A/N: Thanks for all your reviews, I really appreciate them! Most of the family stuff in this chapter is made up. It's kind of long.
Note: I re-posted this chapter with one little change to try and explain something I got a comment on.
Over the weekend, Lindsay had to work at her dad's office again and finish up a project. The next week Lindsay and Danny ate in the dining hall some days or went to Joey's office if he was out. Lindsay got some names occasionally thrown her way and a shove or two but nothing she couldn't handle.
On Thursday of the following week Danny met Lindsay in the hall at the end of the day and asked if she was busy after school on Friday.
"Why," Lindsay asked curiously.
"I just want to know," he said vaguely.
"No," she replied, "I'm free."
"Ok, then make sure you keep it that way," he said with an underlying excitement.
"Why," Lindsay asked again intrigued.
"Just meet me at the stairs after school tomorrow," he avoided. When she gave him a look he added with a smile, "Just do it." She smiled acceptingly.
Friday they ate lunch in the dining hall during which Lindsay tried to get more information out of Danny. "Please tell me what's going on," she begged.
Danny shook his head no and said, "It's a surprise, you're not getting anything out of me."
At the end of the day Lindsay did as she was told and met him by the stairs. He grabbed her hand and said, "Follow me."
He led her down to his father's office and told her to leave her bag in his office. She did as she was told and after looking her over, Danny took off his jacket and said, "You're going to need this." He helped her put it on.
Lindsay gave him a questioning look but all he did was lead her out to the loading dock where she was surprised to see a Harley.
"Is that you're bike," she asked with excitement. When he nodded yes she smiled a big bright smile.
"Come on, we're going for a ride," he said as he helped her put a helmet on. He got on the bike and instructed her to get on behind him. Lindsay was a little nervous; she didn't know what to do with her hands. "Ok, put your hands on my waist and hold on," he told her.
Lindsay put her hands lightly on his waist but he took them and wrapped them around him. "Hold on tight," he said and then they were off.
Lindsay couldn't believe how much fun she was having. She felt so free with the wind blowing, her arms around Danny and the fall colors. Danny took them around Central Park once and then pulled up to a hotel. She saw someone coming over to them and was a little confused.
"Hey Danny," the guy said as Danny pulled off his helmet. Lindsay took off hers too and after Danny got off the bike, he helped Lindsay get off.
"So this is her," the guy asked.
"Yup," Danny answered with a smile that looked almost like pride.
The guy turned his attention to Lindsay and said, "Danny told me he knew a girl from school who wanted to ride his Harley and I didn't believe him; not a private school girl." He looked to Danny who had a smug smile on his face and then back to Lindsay. "I guess he proved me wrong. I'm Dominick," he introduced and put his hand out to Lindsay.
"Lindsay," she said as she took his hand and shook it.
"This is my cousin," Danny introduced. "He works valet here and he said he'd hold onto my bike while we're gone."
"Where are we going," she asked.
"You'll see," he answered. He shook his head in mocking annoyance, "Always trying to ruin the surprise."
He gave his keys to Dominick who said, "Remember, no more than two hours." Danny nodded and then took Lindsay by the hand and walked towards the park.
As they walked through the park Lindsay couldn't help but look up at all the trees changing color. She loved everything about this moment. They took a seat on a bench and just sat in silence for a while.
Lindsay went to push a stray hair behind her ear when Danny's jacket and her sleeve must have come up because Danny took hold of her wrist and pushed them both up revealing some old scars and some fresh scabs. Lindsay pulled her arm back, pushed down the sleeves and looked down ashamed.
"You cut," Danny said. It was more of a statement than a question but Lindsay couldn't look at him. She mostly would find places to cut that were easy to hide like on her thighs or higher up but occasionally her wrists were just more convenient, now she saw her mistake.
"It's nothing," she responded quietly.
He took her hand back in his and said, "I know what it means to you…I'm not going to take it away from you." Lindsay looked up at him confused by what he was saying.
He saw her confusion and decided to explain. "My sister Giovanna used to cut. She got help and later was able to explain to me why she did it and what it meant to her." He stopped, looking for a reaction.
"I didn't know you had a sister," she commented.
He realized Lindsay wasn't ready to talk about it so he answered her comment. "Yea, she lives in California with my mother." When that got a look he continued, "My family lived on Staten Island until I was about seven; my sister was fourteen and my brother Louie was sixteen. My parents decided to get a divorce and my mom wanted to move to LA where she had family so my sister went with her. Louie and I stayed with my dad in New York. My dad wanted to move closer to his family so we moved to Brooklyn where we've been ever since. I was actually held back a year of school because of confusion with my records."
"Do you see your mom and sister much," Lindsay asked.
"Sometimes I go out there and sometimes my sister comes here but not too often. We talk on the phone plenty though," he explained.
"What about your brother," she asked.
Lindsay could see Danny's expression change from light to very dark. She wasn't sure if he was going to answer her but he did. "Louie got involved with the Tanglewood Boys, a gang of boys who get into a lot of trouble. We haven't seen much of him in a few years," he explained.
After a few minutes in silence Danny asked, "Were you born and raised here?"
Lindsay brought her head up and looked over at him with a smile. She liked thinking about where she used to live; that's where she left her happiness. "I was born in Montana," she told him.
"Montana," he said surprised. "You're a country girl" he stated with a big grin which she returned with a smile.
"Yup, that's me. I lived there until I was about eight years old. We moved here after my dad invented something really important for farming and made a lot of money. Everything changed when we came here. All of a sudden my dad wanted to go back to school to finish his degree in law. My mom was a nurse back in Montana but when she came here she decided to become a doctor and go into a private practice with a few other people. Soon, all they wanted from me was good grades, good grades and more good grades." Lindsay let out a sigh.
"What was Montana like," Danny asked.
"Big open fields, beautiful mountains and nothing but sky," Lindsay said dreamily. "I used to help my dad out with the cows and the horses. My favorite thing when I was younger was when my dad would lift me high above his head in the wheat fields." Coming back to reality, the dreamy tone gone, she said, "but like I said, all that's changed."
Danny let there be silence for a little while before he took her wrist and said, "Tell me about this."
Lindsay sighed, if she told him, it wasn't going to be hers anymore. 'Does that matter anymore,' she asked herself; she had Danny now, did she need the cutting?
She took a deep breath and then began. "It started when I was ten I think. I had gotten an eighty on a test and I started to freak about what my parents would say. I was making a snack after school and I accidentally cut myself with a knife but instead of panic…I don't know, somehow, it made me feel better. After that, whenever I would get stressed or panic, I would cut," she shrugged.
"You're parents haven't suspected," he asked.
"No," she replied as she shook her head.
He put an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "You can talk to me Lindsay, you know that right," he told her. He felt her nod and then he said, "Whenever you feel like it, for whatever reason, call me and I'll listen." He thought he felt her smile.
They sat there a little longer and then Danny moved to get up. "Come on Montana girl, we better get my bike before Dominick gets in trouble." Danny told Lindsay.
He helped her up, then walked back to the hotel and met with Dominick who went and got Danny's bike.
When Dominick came back Danny ran into the hotel to go to the bathroom. While he was gone Dominick and Lindsay chatted. "So, were you born here or somewhere else," Dominick asked. When Lindsay gave him a questioning look he smiled and said "you don't have the New York private school attitude."
Lindsay let out a laugh, "I was born in Montana."
"Ah, a country gal," Dominick said. "New York City can be a scary place for a country girl," he stated.
"Nah, I know how to rope and hog tie pigs so I think I can manage," she replied seriously.
Dominick looked shocked and then let out a laugh. "You're good," he gave her a little push on the shoulder and she laughed too. Just then Danny came back. Dominick walked to meet him and give him the keys to his bike. "She's cute Danny, kind of spunky. I like her," Dominick whispered.
Danny took his keys, smiled, gave his cousin a slap on the back and walked over to Lindsay. "Time to go Montana," he told her. She smiled as she heard him call her that.
"Do we have to go back right away," Lindsay asked pleadingly.
"Nope," he replied with a smile as they both got on the bike. He took her downtown this time and then back up to the school. She picked up her bag and before she left, Danny wrote his cell number on a piece of paper and then gave it to her.
Reluctantly Lindsay went home.
A/N: The laws for driving a motorcycle in NY are too confusing for me to understand so let's just pretend that Danny has his license and that it's ok for him to be driving one.
Also, I'm not very good with the whole time thing so I believe it should be about November in the story right now. Also, Danny and Lindsay have known each other about 3 weeks when this chapter takes place.