Title: A Different Kind Of Proposal
Author: Diane
Pairing: Danny/Lindsay
Rating: Teen Rated
Disclaimer: I don’t own a thing!
Spoilers/Warnings: This is set after 5.11 ‘Forbidden Fruit’ but before 5.17 ‘Green Piece’.
Summary: “Listen, there’s... uh, something I want to talk to you about later. It’s nothing bad,” he quickly added when he saw her face fall. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about and I wanted to ask you what you thought.”
Lindsay reluctantly let go of her boyfriend’s hand so she could unlock the front door to her apartment. Once they were inside, she felt his presence behind her as he helped her slip out of her coat and, turning around, she watched in comfortable familiarity as he hung it up on the nearby coat-stand before removing his own jacket.
“So, what would you like for dinner?” he asked.
“Danny, I told you on the way here, I can make us something. I’m pregnant, not an invalid.” Trailing her fingers over his stubbled cheek, she pushed herself up onto her toes and popped a lingering kiss onto his lips.
“I know, but it’s been a long day and I thought I could at least try and make it a little easier for you.” Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her in close to his body, feeling her baby bump pressing into him.
“I really appreciate it but you’ve had just as long a day as I have so—”
“Yeah, but I’m not the one carrying a little person around,” he interrupted, slipping his hand between them and tenderly caressing her protruding stomach.
“Hmm, that’s true,” she quipped, resting her palm over the back of his hand. “Okay, fine, you can make dinner for me.”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “Thank you. So, what do you feel like?”
“I wouldn’t say no to some of your mom’s lasagne. I think there should be at least one dish of it left in the freezer from the batch you brought over last week.”
“Okay, I’ll see to that while you get changed.”
“Thanks.” Lindsay went to walk away when she paused and turned back to him. “I really appreciate you looking after me... us,” she said, rubbing her hand over her belly and smiling warmly up at him. “You know that, right?”
“Yeah,” he whispered. Ducking his head, he covered her mouth with his own and kissed her softly, gently sucking on her bottom lip before retreating. “Listen, there’s... uh, something I want to talk to you about later. It’s nothing bad,” he quickly added when he saw her face fall. “It’s just something I’ve been thinking about and I wanted to ask you what you thought.”
“Okay, sure. Can we eat first though ‘cause I’m starving?”
“When aren’t ya?” Danny teased, quickly moving away before she could hit him. For a tiny thing, she sure packed one helluva punch.
“I’ll get you for that,” she sing-songed as she made her way towards her bedroom.
* * * * *
A couple of hours later, once they’d finished eating and the dishes had been washed and put away, they sat facing each other on Lindsay’s couch.
Taking her hands in his, Danny rubbed his thumbs along the backs of them in a soothing, comforting gesture.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” she prompted when several minutes had passed and he still hadn’t spoken.
“Remember when I proposed to you?”
“Of course I do; I’m not likely to ever forget it,” she said softly. As much as she knew that she’d done the right thing in declining his proposal, a big part of her had wanted to say yes. Danny had been so sweet and attentive since she’d told him about the pregnancy that it took everything in her not to tell him that if he was to ask her again now she’d more than likely say yes. But, deep down, she knew it still wasn’t the right time and there was that little niggle in the back of her mind that kept asking whether he was proposing because of the baby or because he really wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
“Okay, well I was thinking that... uh, instead of marrying me now, that maybe you’d consider us moving in together.”
Lindsay’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She definitely hadn’t been expecting him to say that. Wow! “I... I don’t know what to say.” It didn’t happen often but she was truly lost for words.
“You could say yes,” he suggested, a half-smile tugging at his lips.
She smiled back at him. “I wasn’t expecting you to come out with that.”
“I know it’s a shock, Linds, but it’s all I’ve been able to think about this past couple of weeks. I love how much time we’ve been spending together but I hate the few nights we’ve spent apart. I keep wondering about how you are... how the baby’s doin’ and I know you’d call me if you needed me but I... I want to be with you. To know that I’m coming home to you after work and that you’re coming home to me. I’d marry you tomorrow if I could but I know you still feel it’s not the right time for that and I just figured that this could be the next best thing until you are ready.” Gently squeezing her fingers, he added, “We’d probably be skipping a few of those baby steps we agreed on but I think it’d be worth it.”
Lindsay had to bite her lip to stop herself from immediately blurting out ‘yes’. Her heart felt full to bursting when he said he’d marry her tomorrow if he could but he was right about her feeling it still wasn’t the right time so maybe his idea of them living together was the answer.
“What do you think?” Danny asked.
She could hear the nervousness in his voice and lacing their fingers together, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth firmly against his. Her free hand cupped the back of his neck, holding him steady as she gave herself over to the sensation of him kissing her back; his tongue teasing the seam of her lips which she instantly parted to grant him access. The way he kissed her... the way his arms held her tightly, protectively... the way his hands lovingly stroked her tummy where their unborn baby was growing inside told her everything she needed to know about Danny Messer and how he felt about her.
“Lindsay?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Really?”
Lindsay nodded, smiling shyly at him. She squealed when a moment later, he pushed her backwards onto the couch and sealed his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply and telling her without words how happy she’d just made him. “Danny!”
“Sorry,” he replied, not sounding sorry at all if the grin gracing his features was anything to go by. “You’re serious about this, right?”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers idly playing with the hairs at his nape, she said, “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“I’m very serious. I want this... I want you so much.”
“Me, too. I just need you to be sure ‘cause I don’t think I could take it if you decided you’d made a mistake.”
Nuzzling his nose against hers for a brief moment, Danny looked into her chocolate brown eyes which were glassy with unshed tears and stated, “I couldn’t be any more sure. I love you and I love our baby and I want us to be together... I want us to be a family.”
“We’re already a family,” she told him. “We don’t need a piece of paper for that.”
“I know but... I want that, too, Linds. I want to be married to you.”
Running her thumb along his cheekbone, she nodded. “It’ll happen, I promise. I just... I need a little more time before I’m ready to take that step.”
“Okay.” Bracing his weight on his forearms, he smiled down at her. “So we’re really doing this? Moving in together?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “I can’t wait. What you said before about hating the nights we’ve spent apart, I hate them as well. As soon as you’ve gone I miss you and there’ve been more than a few times when I was tempted to jump into a cab and come over.”
Danny smiled knowingly. “I know the feeling. You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve spent pacing the street outside your building after we’ve said goodnight, debating with myself whether to come back up. We’re so pathetic,” he joked.
“Well, now we can be pathetic together.”
He laughed. “Definitely.” Lowering his head, he kissed her again and when their kisses grew increasingly more passionate, he drew back from her and asked, “You wanna move this into the bedroom?”
Giggling, she ran her palms over his shirt-clad chest and quipped, “Why, you feeling tired all of a sudden? I might have to change my mind about us living together.”
“Tired? Oh, I’ll show you tired...” Climbing off of her, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her towards her bedroom; the sounds of their laughter filling the air.
Fin