Title: No Reason Author: Gaelen Kerr Fandom: CSI:NY Pairing: Danny/Lindsay Genre: Romance Rating: T Summary: It's when you don't need a reason that you realise how important they are. Disclaimer: I own nothing. Warning: Spoilers for 4x13. ----------------------------------------------------- With bare hands, Lindsay opened the oven door and slipped in the casserole which she hoped would turn into a tasty lasagne in 45 minutes time. A grateful smile graced her features as the porcelain dish connected with the metal rack with a reverberating, loud, clang. She sighed softly and straightened after lifting up the oven door to a close. Eyeing the empty, yet used pots of sauce sitting on the stove above with an ounce of irritation, she placed her arms on her waist and sighed, heavier this time, after realising that no matter how long she glared at the them, the dishes simply wouldn’t clean themselves. Her eyes then switched to the contraption sitting next to her fridge on the other side of the small kitchen. It was supposedly a dishwasher but the only thing she had managed to do with it was create puffs of dark grey smoke. There was also a scent of burning plastic to it. She had already lost patience with her landlord after many empty promises made to fix the damn thing and had long decided that washing her dishes by hand was simply less stressful. But she had been on her feet for the entire day, sifting through boxes after boxes of evidence, and the last thing she wanted to do was dishwashing. In fact, the only thing she wanted to do was eat, then curl up on the couch, maybe watch a movie and then happily fall asleep knowing that she wasn’t on call and she had the day off tomorrow. She had just about 36 hours before her next shift and was planning on spending as much of it as she could off her feet, doing absolutely nothing. The oven timer continued to tick as she puttered around the kitchen, rinsing the pots, wiping the counters and putting away anything that was out of place. There was a loud ‘pop’ as Lindsay opened the last bottle of red wine she had, and she poured herself a glass, proceeding to nurse it as she swayed, in the middle of the kitchen, to a familiar country tune softly crooning from the radio. A sudden knock at the door startled her, and she placed her half empty glass of wine on the kitchen counter before walking to her door, wondering who it would be at this of night. Lindsay opened the door slightly, the security chain taut. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before she closed the door, removed the chain and opened it wide. “Danny…” Lindsay said softly. “What’re you…” Attempting a smile, Danny shrugged and looked down the hallway, in the direction he had arrived. “I went for a run and…ended up here,” he said lightly. Suddenly realising his intrusion, he turned and met her eyes. “You’re not busy are you?” he asked, his voice laced with an underlying need for her to say ‘no’. “I thought we could…you know…hang out?” In truth, he craved her company – needing to feel a single speck of acceptance from someone. The thought of Rikki made him hate himself and Don had simply been pressing the wrong buttons lately, but Lindsay… it wasn’t a conscious decision to distance himself from her, from everyone, but nevertheless he had done so. He could only hope that he hadn’t hurt her – too much. “I was about to have dinner, but come in.” Danny watched her stand aside, but hesitated for a moment. He didn’t know if she was only letting him in out of kindness or because she actually wanted him there. The sound of her voice made him jump. “You know I’m not carrying you in, right?!” Lindsay said. Her smile was like a burst of sunshine to Danny. He grinned and stepped into the warm apartment. “Are you hungry?” Lindsay asked as she closed the door behind her. “I’m making lasagne. It probably isn’t as good as what you’re used to but I think I did okay.” Danny wasn’t really paying attention to what she was saying, instead concentrating on the smile that curved around her words. He lost himself for a moment until he realised those lips he had been staring at had bent the other way. Mentally shaking himself, Danny smiled and nodded. “Sure.” Lindsay smiled and followed Danny as he kicked his shoes off and slowly walked down the hallway, looking at the pictures lining the walls as he passed. Danny grinned and smiled at the photos, some of which he recognised and some he even took. “Do you want something to drink?” Lindsay asked politely. With her arms clutched in front of her, she stood with a nervous stature, as if waiting for his judgement on her apartment. “I just opened a bottle of wine.” Danny found a picture he’d been particularly attached to: it was one of the two of them, laughing at a joke Don had managed to butcher after he was served by a particularly busty waitress. He remembered that night well, he remembered the way her body fit perfectly next to his in the cramped booth, and he remembered her red face when he kissed her goodnight outside her apartment. He turned around to Lindsay and smiled. “Ice water would be good.” Lindsay returned the smile and Danny watched her walk into the open kitchen and root through her freezer for some ice. He then turned back around and sat down on the soft, black leather sofa, a set of 3, in the middle of the room, opposite the TV which he found particularly large for a woman. He grinned. It dawned on him that this was actually the first time he’d actually been inside her apartment, and he felt like a complete idiot for being there. Not only had she not invited him over in the first place, he’d interrupted her dinner and he was feeling more stupid by the reason. It took Lindsay handing him a glass of ice water to pull him out of it. He forced a smile when she sat down, closely, beside him. “I saw you eyeing my TV,” said Lindsay cheekily. She winked at him and put the glass of wine she had in her hands on the glass coffee table. Danny chuckled and replied, “I never knew you were into big screen TVs.” “It was the landlord’s,” Lindsay admitted. “I got with the apartment.” “I thought so.” Their grins faded into an awkward silence as the wind outside continued to churn. Minutes passed and the clock’s second hand soon became audible, a series of ticks and tocks piercing the muteness between the two of them. Lindsay sat with fidgeting fingers, her heart heavy with sympathy for the turmoil she could sense inside the man sitting beside her. She knew he would hate it she pushed him, so she didn’t. Instead, she placed her head on his shoulder, taking both of them by surprise, and wrapped her hands around his arm. Shock registered on Danny’s face before it disappeared, giving way to a look far deeper than mere lust. He bent over and kissed her. When they parted, each searched the face of the other, looking for something, anything that could at the very least tell them why their situation felt so awkward and yet so right at the same time. Lindsay smiled but didn’t pull away. Instead, she returned her head to his shoulder. “What was that for?” “Do I still need a reason to kiss you?” Danny asked in reply. “I don’t know, do you?” Danny sighed in response, knowing very well that the question had been his own fault in the first place; ever since Reuben’s death, their relationship has become seemingly non-existent. He had become withdrawn, and had no intention of talking to anyone just to see the look of thick sympathy and pity in their eyes. He couldn’t handle that – so he avoided everyone. But Lindsay – she needed to know… “I still want this, Lindsay,” he said softly as his fingers caressed the soft skin of her cheek. “I know I’ve been –” Cutting the rest of his sentence with a finger to his lips, Lindsay smiled and shook her head. “Then you don’t need a reason.” Danny grinned, a small weight on his heart lifting as their foreheads bumped and their noses touched. He didn’t know why, but the innocent contact between them made him feel… loved, made him forget, and made him feel alive once again. Lindsay’s voice drew him back from his thoughts. “Danny?” “Hmm?” Lindsay bit her lip softly before asking, “When was the last time you took a shower?” “Funny, Montana,” Danny replied with a chuckle. “I told you, I went for a run.” Chuckling, Lindsay couldn’t help but give him a slight shove on the chest. “Why don’t you go take a shower? Dinner won’t be ready for another twenty minutes.” “Kay.” “Last door on the left, there are fresh towels on the rack,” Lindsay told him as they both stood up. She picked up their now empty glasses and headed to the kitchen when she stopped and turned around. “Danny?” Having only gotten past the sofa, Danny turned around and raised his eyebrows. “Yeah?” he answered softly. “You’re welcome to stay here…whenever you need to. You know – if you don’t want to stay at your apartment.” Danny smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Montana.” Lindsay returned the smile and turned back to the kitchen, only to be called back, this time by Danny. “Montana?” She turned around. “Thank you.” “For what?” she asked. Danny paused for a moment, what did he want to say? He was glad she didn’t push him, glad that she treated him like she normally would, without the looks and annoying speeches about how it wasn’t his fault – but he needed to say so much more. So he said it. “Everything.” ----------------------------------------------------- A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Please review and share them. -----------------------------------------------------