AWWW...

yeah, so that was CH 7 & 8.

how sweet was the 2 year flash-back that abby had of her and danny???
i did it like a dream sequence, but this is actually something that happened between them. in my next story, you'll see what i mean. i just love that abby took danny to her "special place" and let him in on her secret. that shows that she truly trusts in him and believes in him and knows that he is special. (unlike lindsay!)

beautiful-nla and cricket19732000 were talking about on carmine's message board about how they should introduce a new character (sort of a love interet) for danny and i wrote back and told them that i had written a fanfic (for fun) centering around danny mostly and that i introduced a new character: abby donovan and how i just loved her soooo much! partly because she's a southern girl and partly because she's a no nonsense sort of gal. :) i also told them that i thought about pitching the idea to CBS and then going up there and auditioning for the part myself! LOL! ;)

hey, a girl can dream, right???

--mandy--

Abby opened her eyes and set up.
She glanced over at the clock on the wall--it was almost five. It was raining outside her living room window. The sound of the rain against the windowsill sounded nice and soothing to Abby's ears. She wanted to go back to sleep, but she had things to do. She pulled herself up from the couch and rubbed her eyes.
She had come home from the Crime Lab and been reading over some New York material that Horatio had given to her. She had fallen asleep on the couch, which she rarely ever did. She had been dreaming about Danny Messer--their last day together.
She wondered if things would be the same as they had been before. She wondered if she and Danny would just pick up right where they had left off. She hoped so. She hadn't really put her life on hold, to wait for him, she had just been taking things as they came. She had never really been the kind of girl who dated a lot, so that had not been a far stretch on her part to maintain.
Abby had double dated with Calleigh a couple times, but nothing had ever really come of the effort. The men that she had met through the newest beau that Calleigh was seeing had been nice enough--cute and smart and funny--but lacking something--understanding, maybe. The only man she had ever seemed to have found it with was Danny and he was so far away.
She and Natalia weren't as close as she and Calleigh were, but she had gone out for drinks with her a few times and tried to meet potential suitors. But the bar-scene just wasn't something that Abby liked to partake in.
She and Wolfe had eaten lunch together a couple times; so had she and Cooper, but they were just her friends, nothing romantic there. Delko had made a play--early on--and she had let him down gently, because really he just wasn't her type. He was too self-involved to really take the time to care for a woman's true needs. He wasn't a bad guy, by any means, just too much maintaince, she had felt.
Danny was the man Abby dreamed of. The man she wanted to be with. He was the one she thought about every day and longed for every night. He was her soul-mate and she knew this. But sometimes, she had found throughout her life, you might have a soul-mate and he might be the perfect fit for you, but that didn't mean that it was the perfect time for you two to embark on a journey together. No, she had to settle for waiting. Danny would be hers soon enough.
She just hoped he was still waiting for her when she arrived in New York City. That was what kept Abby Donovan sane these days--knowing that he was still there--and she was going to be there, too.
Abby stretched. It felt good to do that, letting the tension leave her body as she did so. She turned and padded through the house, in search of something to eat. She decided on a sandwich, because all she could seem to find was ham and cheese in her refridgerator. She took the plate back into the livingroom and set it down on her coffee table. The scratch from the door had made her instinctively move toward it instead of sitting down on the couch to enjoy her meal.
Pumpkin greeted her with a smack of her lips and saschayed into the apartment. Just as Abby was about to close the door and lock it back, a hand grabbed the side of it and stopped her. She looked up, fear gripping every inch of her body and stared into the two ocean colored eyes she hoped she'd never see again for as long as she lived.

"What's wrong?" she asked, pouting.
"This is--I couldn't ask for anything better than this... But--"
"But what?"
"If we don't stop now, Abby. We'll end up doing something we'll both regret in the morning."
"No. No, we won't," Abby pulled him toward her once more.
He let her lips move over his own, but he did not kiss her back. She pulled back when she saw that he wasn't participating.
"Don't you want me, Danny?"
Danny chuckled. "God," he whispered as he nuzzled his nose against her cheek. "You make me so damn hot, Donovan. It's not the lack of wanting you, believe me."
Abby smiled up at him. "You want me?"
Danny tilted his head to the side. "You know I do."
"Then why are you trying to push me away?" she asked, feeling uneasy.
Danny brushed a piece of her dark hair back from her forehead. "You know why. I'm leavin' tomorrow. New York is a million miles from here."
"But I want you to be happy," Abby whispered. "I want you to remember your visit."
Danny smiled down at her. "I'll remember. How could I not? You brought me here."
Abby sighed, heavily, reaching up and pushing her hand against his cheek. "I like you."
"I like you, too."
"I wish you didn't have to leave tomorrow."
"Me, too."
"You'll forget me," Abby told him, matter-of-factly.
Danny shook his head. "Hey. No, I won't. I'll never forget you."
"You say that now, but when you get back to New York and have all of those beautiful women falling all over you, you'll forget all about me." Abby looked away as she spoke.
"You just want me to feel sorry for you, Donovan. That's not attractive."
Abby looked up at him. He understood her. She felt it when she looked into his soft eyes. "Promise me."
"What?"
"That you'll never forget me."
"I promise."
"You mean that?"
Danny bit his bottom lip. "Promise me you'll never forget me, huh?"
"I promise."
"Ya mean that?"
Abby bit her bottom lip this time. "I do."
"Then, you can't question me."
She laughed softly beneath him. After a moment, she lay her head back and stared up at the sky over-head. Danny rolled off of her and buckled his belt back. He lay beside her, once more, only inches from her warm wanting body.
"You think this is perfection?" Abby asked after a moment.
"I think it might be..." Danny answered, reaching over and taking her hand. He kissed it, then, pulled Abby over to him once more, wrapping his arms around her as he did so. She was perfection, as far as he was concerned...

Danny grinned at her for a moment. He wasn't sure if he should really make a move on her. She might have been bluffing. She was, after all, a criminal profiler and that was her job, to get inside people's heads and make them break. She could have been teasing him. But was it worth the humiliation to taste her? Danny thought about it for a moment and came to the conclusion that it was!
He didn't warn her of his intentions as he grabbed her wrist and pinned her down beneath him on the grass. Her dark eyes widened with both shock and excitement as he did this. He pushed his weight down on her, being careful not to hurt her. He grinned down at her, wickedly. She bit her bottom lip, passion in her eyes as she stared back up at him.
He leaned down, slowly. He brushed his lips against her own, without pressing them into a kiss. She pushed herself up to him, his hands still pinning her own down above her head, and tried to kiss him back. She whimpered beneath him when he did not return her gesture. Instead, he nuzzled his nose against her face.
"How ya doin'?" he whispered against her cheek--his accent thick.
"Hey, there," she whispered back, in her sweet Southern drawl.
He moved his lips over her face, slowly. She closed her eyes, inhaling him as he did this. She wanted to touch his hair, his face--every part of him. She could have sworn he read her mind just then, because at that moment, he unpinned her arms. She leaned into him, her lips brushing against his ear lobe. Danny pressed his mouth against her neck, letting his tongue flick out and linger there for a moment. A groan escaped from his mouth as he did this. She tasted sweeter than he had ever imagined a woman could taste. Her sweetness was not just from personality, it was all over her.
When he pulled back to look at her, she took the opportunity to reach up and brush her fingertips over his face. "Prickly."
Danny wiggled his head a little to the side as if to say, I know.
"I like it."
"Most women do..." he told her with a grin.
Abby leaned up and licked at his chin.
"Easy now..." he told her.
Abby smiled, seductively. She reach up and tugged at his hair as she did this. He listened to her silent plea, and leaned down to her lips once more. This time, he kissed her, really kissed her! It was slow and passionate. Sweet and wanting. They both wanted to taste each other--completely. They fought to hang onto the moment, both of their mouths opening wider as they tugged on one another for more. They kissed for a long moment, tongues exploring the crevises entirely as they did so, barely breathing--both moaning into one another because they so desperately wanted more.
The flesh wanted what the flesh wanted. Danny gently pushed her legs apart beneath him. Abby did not fight; she let him do this. Her breath quickened into a slow gasp as he pushed his knee into her. She ground back into him, wanting to feel more. As Danny did this, causing her head to spin with extasy, his hand moved up to her left boob. He moved his hand over it and felt the globe as it came to life, through the material of her shirt, beneath his touch. Following suit, Abby's hand moved from his hair, which she had been tugging on the entire time, down his side and to his belt buckle. She was just unbuckling it, when Danny's mind snapped from the haze that had settled over them and back to reality.
Instinctively, they both knew that it would not be right to give into the temptation that was floating through the air. But Danny was the first to break away.
He relunctantly removed his hand from her breast, then, reach down and moved her hand away from his belt buckle. He said nothing as he pulled back from Abby and stared down at her. She tried to reach up for him once more when she realized what he was doing, but he stopped her.

He lay back then, settling in the grass. For a moment, Abby didn't move. She missed his scent, but she said nothing about it. She didn't want to complain. He reach up and tugged her down next to him, as if he knew she was missing him already. Abby lay her head down on his chest, as he intertwined his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes, letting herself inhale him once more, feeling his chest as it rose up and down to the rhythm of his own heart-beat. Abby was content for once in her life. Danny had his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head--fingers still in her hair.
"The sky is so clear here," Danny breathed.
"I know. I couldn't imagine the way it looks anywhere else," Abby answered.
"I think I've fallin' in love with Miami," he told her.
"It's easy to do," she agreed.
Danny nodded, but said nothing as he did so. Abby stretched against him, suddenly. Danny liked the feel of her body against his own. She was warm and smelled of strawberries. Her breath was even against the skin of his arm. It almost sounded like she was purring over his chest, and he had to admit, he liked it very much.
This was a nice feeling, Danny thought, having someone in his arms like this and not having to worry about her giving him a headache. Abby was special. She was pleasant and he liked how easy it was to talk to her. There was a real connection taking place between the two of them.
Abby's dark eyes began to close as she lay with her head on Danny's chest, just above his heart. She was drifting off into sleep, between the haze of awoken reality and dream fantasy. She didn't want to let go of this feeling she was feeling deep within her soul. She wanted to hang on to it for as long as she possibly could. He was warm, but more than just a man who happened to be lying beneath her. He was someone she could see herself with forever.
"You think you could ever move from here?" Danny cut into her bliss.
Abby opened her eyes, fighting the need to sleep, and moved against his hip. He felt something perk to life inside of him, but he tried to ignore the excitement that ran through his body when she had subconciously rubbed against him. This was more than sexual what he and Abby shared. He wasn't going to ruin this connection, just because his body was screaming something entirely different should be taking place.
"I dunno. Maybe."
Danny smiled to himself. "To New York?" he ventured.
Abby turned herself toward him, pushing her hand against his chest to prop her chin up on. Danny moved his hand down her back, settling just at the base of her spine. She stared up at him for a moment. She wanted to remember his face: his nose, his chin, his cheeks, his lips, his eyes, his forehead, his jawl line, and his ears. She wanted to remember everything about him. He smiled at her. She melted.
"Ya think ya could?" he coaxed.
"You want me to?" she shot back.
He shrugged. "A Southern girl in the big bad city? It never ends happy."
"That's true." She moved up to his face. She bit her bottom lip as she stared down at him, pure innocence in her eyes. "You really gonna miss me, Messer?"
He nodded, not moving his eyes from her face.
"You wanna kiss me?" she asked, sounding more like an innocent child than ever.
"What if I do?" he shot back.
"I dunno. You have to tell me if you want to, first," Abby whispered, moving her fingertips over the words that were written on Danny's t-shirt.
"Is this for real?" he chuckled.
"I think it might be."
"You want me to, Donovan?" Danny asked, after a moment, his blue eyes full of mystief.
Abby shrugged. "You think you're man enough to do it?"
"I think I might be."
"Then... What's stoppin' ya?" Abby asked, her dark eyes flashing, all innocence melting from her face.

When Danny had arrived at the station, she greeted him with a sweet smile. She reach out and took his arm, tugging him along like you would a small child, he had not resisted her in the least, and she liked that feeling of control over him. She glanced over her shoulder at Calleigh and Natalia, who both stared back at them, their mouths opened slightly revealing the jealousy that they were trying their hardest to conceal.
Abby showed him everything Miami had to offer. He acted amazed: oohing and awwing over the smallest of things. He compared most everything to New York, though, swearing it was better up there. He had told her several times throughout the course of their day that she needed to come up to New York and see for herself. He told her about all the places she would just love to visit if she loved what she saw in Miami.
Abby had laughed when he made his comments on New York, because he had sounded so serious and looked so darn cute when he had turned and grinned at her.
They held hands as they walked down the board-walk, by shops that sold CD's, puka-shell jewelary, and sunglasses. His hand was soft to the touch, but he held her own in a firm grip as if he were telling her he would never let her go. She had let herself get lost in the moments that they shared. They ate on the board-walk: hotdogs that Danny had complained about because they were called New York Style. He had assured Abby that those were definitely not New York Style hotdogs and that whoever advertised such a travesty should be shot.
After they had soaked up the live entertainment down by the waterfront, Abby had taken Danny to her favorite spot. It was a couple miles up from the board-walk. Just a sandy beach with a stunning view; kind of secluded which gave them plenty of privacy. It was not late, but the twilight was settling down on the two of them and for the first time, in a very long time, she did not care. She wanted Danny Messer all to herself and she was going to succeed in her venture, even if that meant being out after dark.
They had set down on a grassy knoll just up from where the water met the sand. The salt from the ocean drifted about them in a cloud of exstacy.
Danny stared out at the ocean, knees up, resting his elbows on them. He had on a pair of light colored jeans, ripped at the knee, and a black t-shirt with a band name on it that Abby did not recognize. His dirty blond hair was tossled about his head from the wind. He did not wear his glasses like Abby had become accostumed to--instead, he held a pair of sunglasses high on his head. He was barefoot now, because he had taken off his flip-flops, which he had been wearing for the day. He had told her that he never got to wear them in New York, and that he was going to take full advantage of the fact that it was September and flip-flops were a kind of prerequisite when in Miami.
Abby had slipped on her own pair of flip-flops that morning, worn in well, but had now kicked off, reaching her toes out to the sand and letting them move over the cool surface. She wore a thin white shirt with a hoodie, a matching white speghetti strapped shirt underneath it, and a pair of capris. She felt comfortable enough around Danny that she could just relax and be herself. She didn't have to dress up for him. He liked that she was simple. She wore her dark hair pinned back in the middle, letting most of it fall down about her shoulders. She didn't wear make up because this was something she rarely ever did, unless it was absolutely necessary.
"This is amazin'," came Danny's voice from her right.
Abby nodded, feeling the excitement in the pit of her stomach. "I told you it was."
Danny licked his lips. "Yeah. But I didn't believe you."
Abby nudged him playfully.
"What?" he laughed, trying to rebalance himself.
"You think I'd lie to you, Messer?"
Danny shrugged, cutting his blue eyes over to her, mysteviously. Abby was still moving her toes over the cold sand, enjoying the feeling of it between them and enjoying the banter she was sharing with this perfect boy.
Abby shook her head, avoiding his eyes. "You're lucky I'm not packin' heat."
"Are you threatin' my life, Donovan?" Danny challenged.
"Maybe..."
Danny turned back to the ocean. A thoughtful expression came over his handsome face. "You think the Heavens are out there, watchin' us?"
Abby shivered beneath the cold wind that had suddenly started to blow around them. She tucked her legs beneath her as she fixed her own eyes on the ocean. "I like to think so. Why?"
"Sometimes I stare out at the sky in New York and I don't see anything beautiful..."
"Not like this, huh?" Abby asked, slowly.
Danny bit his bottom lip. "No. Not like this."
Abby leaned over to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't move away. He smelled clean and fresh. She liked the way he smelled. She wanted to taste him, because she was sure that he would taste a hundred times better than he smelled.
"I'm not going to shoot you, Danny..." she whispered, against his shoulder.
"Everybody wants to shoot me, Abby. I'm used to it by now."
"Oh? You're a bad-boy?" she asked, trying to hid her smile. Abby had always had a soft spot for bad-boys.
Danny shrugged. "I've had my moments."
They set in silence for a moment. They listened to the waves as they crashed on the rocks just over from them. They listened to the kids that were laughing and having a good time just beyond the rocks. They listened to each other breath.
"I'm glad I met you," Danny whispered.
"Me, too."
"You goin' a miss me?"
Abby nodded. "I will."
"I'll miss ya, too," Danny told her softly.

CH 8

Two Years Ago

It was a warm day in mid September.
This was to be Danny's last day in Miami. The next morning, he and Mac would be heading back to New York City. But for a few hours, yet, Danny was going to remain in Florida and that meant for a few more hours, he would be all Abby's--to do whatever she pleased with him. And she was going to enjoy every moment they had left.
The case had been solved. Marshall Griffin was already on his way back to New York, where he'd be serving two consecutive life-sentences for the crimes he had committed between New York City and Miami; the two of them had been granted a day off. Abby usually didn't take advantage of time off, because that meant that she wouldn't be in the lab testing samples or in her office milling over case-files that she had long ago forgotten about in order to put the dots together in her latest case. But when she had found out that it would be a full day with Mr. Danny Messer--then, well, she just couldn't help herself! (She owed it to herself to spend the day with him...)
He had requested her, after all. Horatio had not left that part out when he had told her that she was to escort him around the city. For some unknown reason, Danny wanted to see everything there was to see in Miami. Sun--Sand--and Surf... And he wanted to do it with Abby Donovan by his side.
She obliged, pretending that it meant absolutely nothing to her that he had wanted her to specifially take him on the tour of her home-town. She couldn't help but smile, to herself, when Natalia and Calleigh had seen him meet her at the front entrance to Miami-Dade Crime Lab. The envy in their eyes was enough to satisfy Abby for years to come. She knew she had Danny--hook, line, and sinker--and she was not too proud to parade it around in her friends' faces.
The pool had been set, early in the introduction of the two CSIs, on how many days it would take the two of them to fall for one another. Cooper had started it, mostly as a joke, but as the days passed and tension rose between the two of them, it looked as if there might be some truth to the rumors, after all.
Calleigh had bet it would take a week.
Wolfe said three days, tops.
Natalia had speculated that it would be during the first weekend.
Delko had grinned when he chose twenty-four hours.
Cooper had said it would happen five minutes after the two of them left the prying eyes of Horatio Caine and Mac Taylor.
And Abby? Well, Abby had told them that nothing was going to happen between the two of them, because they did not know each other and she was not that easy. Truthfully, she had wanted to be alone with him from the first moment she lay eyes on the sexy boy. Now, she had her chance. Good thing she had gone by the lounge and chosen this particular day before Danny had arrived for their "date" that morning.
Yep, Abby had decided she would get the last laugh when it came to her and Danny's budding relationship, not her partners. Besides, the pool was up to $300 and she needed the cash.

"Erin wasn't slated to be in the movie. Only us. When she found out that Alice had not pleaded with the director to include her, she went ballistic. She told us that we were just using Alice to further our own careers. She said that Alice was tired of always having to put in a good word for us with the directors or photographers she worked with. We all knew it was just her jealousy--Not really Alice who had felt this way. So, when she didn't get her way, she went to Alice and talked her out of doing it, too. I'm not sure why Alice listened to her, but she did. And that's why we were here, alone, rehearsing our lines--And Alice was on that bridge," Michelle explained.
Danny glanced over to Lindsay. She nodded.
"Does Erin have a last name?" he asked as he pulled out a notepad and pen.
"Fowler," Michelle answered. Danny jotted the name down.
"Can you tell us where to get in touch with Miss Fowler?"
"Try her Dad's place on 112th Street. Her step-mom's a monster, but she'll tell ya if she's there or not," Michelle told him.
Danny jotted that information down as well.
"Ladies, would you mind telling me where you got those shoes?" Lindsay asked, eying the shoes they were wearing.
"Alice got them for us... Last Christmas." Kris whispered, her face scrunching up as she spoke.
"Why?" Ashley finished.
Lindsay didn't answer her question, instead she continued with her own questioning. "Did she buy Erin a pair, too?"
"No. Just us," Ashley answered quickly.
"Does this have something to do with Alice's death?" Michelle asked, turning toward Danny as she spoke.
Danny chewed his bottom lip. He nodded.
"Did you find a pair at the scene or something?" Ashley asked, her voice rising a little.
"We can't release that information to you, Miss. I'm sorry," Lindsay told her.
Danny hated what he had to request next. "Do you mind if Detective Monroe and I take them for a little while? We'll get them back to you."
"Why do you need our shoes?" Ashley asked, turning her own attention on Danny, hoping he would fill her in where Lindsay had not.
"I can't tell ya. I just have to take them into the lab. Do you understand?" Danny asked.
The three girls looked at one another. Was that panic in their eyes? Guilt? Fear?
"They need 'em, Girls. We have to cooperate," Michelle told them, softly.
"But Alice gave them to us, Michelle. We just can't--" Kris sobbed.
"I know, Kris. But if this will help find who murdered Alice, then we have to turn them over to the police," Michelle told her.
That was all it took, the three girls gave the shoes to Danny and Lindsay without protest. The Detectives promised to return them later and they left the house in search of Erin Fowler.

Danny cleared his throat, glancing back at Lindsay. He had enjoyed the attention from the young girl, at first, but now it wasn't as flattering as it had been only moments earlier. Now it was border-line stalking. So wrong. He pleaded silently for Lindsay jump in at any time with his eyes. She just smiled sweetly at him with a shrug. She knew he had let things go too far. He would have to fix it himself.
"Miss, as flattered as I am that you find me to be..." It was hard for Danny to admit. "You find me attractive, this is a serious police matter. I have to conduct this with professionalism. Do you understand?" Danny asked, staring into the young girl's face.
She nodded.
"Good." He reach up and rubbed his chin. When he noticed the excited look creeping over Ashley's face once more, he stopped. He turned to the other two girls. "You three were friends with Chloe Philips?"
Michelle glanced over at Kris, who had not spoken since the two Detectives had arrived. She began to sob lightly. Her shoulders heaving uncontrollably beneath her sweater.
"We were Alice's best friends..." Michelle whispered, reaching over to comfort Kris.
"Where were you two nights ago, between midnight and 2 a.m.?" Danny continued, keeping his eyes on Michelle as he spoke.
"Um, we were here. Working on some acting material of our own," she answered, not moving her eyes from Danny's set.
"Alice wasn't part of the project?" Danny grinned. "Thought you guys were BFF."
Michelle's face fell. "We are--We were. Alice was our best friend. If it hadn't have been for her wild dreams, we wouldn't be here in New York City. We'd be in Boston--going to some community college."
"Why wasn't Alice in the project?" Linday asked.
Danny gave her an odd look. Better late than never, she had always thought.
Michelle sighed. "It's Indie. It was Alice's movie. I mean, she planned on being in it. She was the one the director really wanted. Lo and behold, Erin got her way--AGAIN!"
"There's that name again. Erin a ghost or somethin'?" Danny grinned.
"We'd never get that lucky..." Ashley mumbled.
"Ash!" Michelle snapped.
"What?" she demanded, turning to her friend.
Michelle glared back at her.
"What? You know you hate her just as much as me and Kris," Ashley answered, folding her arms.
"You hate Erin?"
"Not really--"
"That's such a lie, Michelle, and you know it!" Ashley cut in.
"Let Michelle answer the questions, Ashley. God! You're just makin' it worse," Kris spoke, her voice cracking.
Ashley set back once more in a huff, obviously out-numbered.
"Continue Miss Lehman," Lindsay coaxed.
"Ok. I didn't trust Erin--None of us did." Michelle glanced from Ashley back to Kris. "I guess I never really liked her much. She just showed up one day, out of the blue. She instantly became best friends with Alice and tried to be our friend, too. But Ash, Kris, and me? We saw right through her. God, even Bucky saw her for the phoney that she was. But Alice was a nice girl. She wanted to make everyone happy. She didn't want to leave anyone out. So, she let Erin hang out with us when we went out to events or just vegged out here. She just--Couldn't say no to her. But we all knew what Erin was really up to. She just wanted what she could get off of Alice. Ya know? That was all Erin wanted--A way in."
"Ain't that what you guys are doin'?" Danny asked, seriously.
"No. Alice wanted us to be in this movie with her. She asked the director if we could do it. She told him that if he didn't let us in, too, she would walk. That was the way Alice was. She wanted everyone to have a chance. She knew that Ash, Kris, and I wanted to be in the movies, too. She knew that. We all dreamed of it," Michelle explained.
"But she made it, didn't she? And you three haven't..." Lindsay told them.
"That's not it at all. We got the parts. This is our chance. Why would we be angry with Alice?" Michelle whispered.
The three girls were quiet for a moment.
"What about Erin?" Lindsay asked, breaking the silence this time.
"What about her?" Michelle asked.
"Did she get to be in your lil movie?"
Michelle glanced over to Ashley, who offered nothing, then to Kris. There was a look in her tear-rimmed eyes, that made Michelle go on. Danny and Lindsay both saw it. They knew something.

* * *
The three girls set on the couch, eying the two Detectives who were seated on the love-seat.
Ashley DuGray, the one on the right, was a blond. Her hair was short, cut into a bob, and streaked through with a copper color that matched her eyes perfectly. She was dressed in a tight blue sweater that accented her curves perfectly with a short denim skirt that was tattered at the bottom. On her feet were silver colored strappy shoes.
In the middle was Michelle Lehman. She was tall and slim with reddish brown colored hair. She wore a similiar outfit to what Ashely had on, except that hers was a mint green color and she wore black colored leggings that stopped just abover her ankles. On her feet, were a pair of silver strappy shoes, like Ashely's pair.
On the left side of the couch set Kristine Whitmore, who everyone had been calling Kris since she was a little girl. She might have had a tom-boy name, but she was far from a tom-boy by the looks of things. She was dressed like the other two in pink. She did not wear leggings or a denim skirt, she wore a black one, instead. She had blond hair, obviously dyed, because her dark roots were showing through. She had on the same kind of shoes as the other two girls: strappy and silver.
Danny took note of the three girls' shoes. The mystery girl had been wearing a pair of shoes that had silver glitter on them. Adam had found the glitter in the imprint. Was one of these girls their mystery woman? The mystery woman who had watched?
"You three knew Chloe Phillips, then?" Danny asked, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen over them.
Ashley crossed her legs, seductively. She leaned over toward the young Detective. "Are you really a cop?"
Danny nodded, instinctively licking his lips. It was a terrible habit he had, but he couldn't seem to break it. He did it so much, it had become part of who he was.
"Ooh. Sexy lips..." Ashley purred.
Danny blushed, even though, he didn't mean to do it. She was just a kid. What was he thinking--leading her on like this? Making her think that he liked the way she was looking at him; the way she was speaking to him.
She moved her fingertip up her leg, letting it linger just below the hem of her skirt. She liked this. She liked to make boys sweat. This was not a boy, though, this was a man. A hot--ruddedly handsome man, who had a lot of life-experience under his belt (and probably something much more tasty beyond it) She giggled softly, as that thought went through her mind. Naughty Girl.
Danny tried not to look at Ashley's fingertip as she moved it up her leg, but he was a man--a red blooded man--who enjoyed the game as much as the pleasure that would follow. He knew that if this were some girl--an older girl--he would play along and get the reward at the end of the night. But he had to remind himself that this girl was barely legal--and part of an open murder investigation. He might not of played along with her game--even for a secong--if he had not been angry with Lindsay. He knew, deep down, that he was being unprofessional by letting the girl think--even for a second--that he was interested in her. Or that he enjoyed her sexual advances, no matter how blatantly subtle they might have been.
But he wanted to piss Lindsay off because she was being completely ridiculous about the Montana thing. The nerve of her to go behind his back and talk to Flack about everything that she was going through--hiding from everyone around her--and leave him there in the dark, like some Love-sick fool. Danny only wanted her to feel foolish, even if for only a moment.
He knew it was mean of him to be acting like come junior highschooler, but he couldn't help the way he felt. He just wanted retribution for what she was putting him through. Make her squirm a bit under the cold stare of ridicule.
He cut his ice blue eyes over to Lindsay. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, staring daggers at the oblivious girl across from her as did so.
"You're too hot to be a cop," Ashley continued, not moving her eyes from Danny's face. She bit her lip, her eyes betraying her, showing that it was lust she was trying to hide behind them.
"Ash! Stop actin' lika a slut!" Michelle cut into her friend's fun. "Alice is dead."
"Like I don't know, Michelle!" Ashley turned to her friend, and stared at her, a cold look over her soft features.
"Then, do us all a favor and stop hitting on the nice policeman," Michelle told her through gritted teeth.
"Look at him, Michelle." Ashley whined as she turned her attention back on Danny. "He's like sex-candy."

CH 7

Danny stopped by his office to call Lindsay.
He needed her to go with him to interview Chloe Phillips' friends. He felt that if he brought a girl along with him, they would be more apt to answer the questions. He would have called Angell, but she had already done enough for the time being. Besides, this was his and Lindsay's case. She might've gotten offended if he didn't call her.
Just as he was about to dial her number, Lindsay appeared at the door. Her face was flushed. She seemed distracted.
"Hey! I was just 'bout to call you," Danny told her as he snapped his cell phone shut.
Lindsay didn't reply.
"Where ya been?"
Lindsay avoided his eyes. "With Flack."
Danny nodded, not pushing for details. "We gotta go talk to Chloe's friends."
Lindsay nodded, still not meeting his eyes.
"The boyfriend is a no-go. His DNA doesn't match up with the perp's semen."
"You found him?" Lindsay asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yeah. Me and Angell tracked him down." Danny moved around his desk. "You ok?"
Lindsay looked up, blinking. "Huh? Yeah. I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"You seem kinda out of it. Have ya been cryin'?" Danny leaned down toward her as he spoke.
Lindsay shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm just--I'm fine, Danny. Ok?"
"Ok. I just thought--"
"You can't be my Knight in Shining Armour all the time, Danny! I have other friends, ya know."
"Whoa, Montana! I just asked ya if you was ok. You have got to stop biting my head off everytime I ask you that."
"Maybe you shouldn't ask every five minutes," Lindsay answered, coldly.
Danny stepped back. "What were you and Flack doin'?"
"Nothing. Working."
"Anything else?" Danny asked, suspicious.
Lindsay's eyes widened. "You've gotta be kiddin' me!"
Danny didn't answer, keeping his serious eyes trained on her.
"Nothing is going on between me and Flack! God! Could you be any more childish?" Lindsay threw her hands up in disgust.
Danny pushed his hands against his hips. "I know Don."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lindsay asked.
"He's charming, Linds. He's... Don Flack. You do the math," he answered.
Lindsay shook her head in disbelief. Sometimes Danny could be so damn impossible. Sometimes he could be insanely jealous--for no reason at all--and just expect her to accept that. Sometimes he could be annoying in the way that he jumped to conclusions--outlandish ones at that. She wanted to strangle him when acted this way. He thought he owned her sometimes, and she liked the thought of that, most of the time, but sometimes she just couldn't deal with his possessiveness. It was like she could push him away and he'd just retaliate by smothering her even more. She knew it was not his fault intirely, because she had a bad habit of letting him get too close and then running away from his advances. She wanted to Love him, but it was not that easy for her to let her guard down and just let herself fall like that.
"Flack and I were working on a case, if you must know. We had to wait for some lab work and decided to get a cup of coffee. We were just talking," Lindsay told him.
Danny snickered sarcastically.
"That's not fair, Danny."
"What did you two talk about?" Danny asked, innocently.
"Stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Montana."
"Oh, Montana?"
"Danny--"
"No! That's fine. I get it. You can talk to Don about Montana, but not me. That's cool, really," Danny cut in.
"You know why I can't talk to you about what happened in Montana, Danny. It's just too hard..."
"Because I'm not Don Flack. Ya know what? You don't have to talk to me about Montana. I just want you to talk to me... About something," he reminded her.
Lindsay sighed heavily. She hated confrontations. "Are we done here?" she asked, after a moment.
"I guess we are. We have work to do." Danny pushed past her and headed down the corridor without another word. Lindsay followed behind, a headache coming on.