A/N: FINALLY I can deliver the last chapter of Five Firsts & Ten Seconds! I'm sorry it took so long for me to finish it. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for continuing to read! :) xoxo

"Danny, where are my toaster strudels?!" Mindy cried, digging frantically through the freezer.

Danny sighed and shook his head as he watched the scene before him. "I threw them out. Min, do you know how little fruit they actually have?"

Mindy whimpered and turned around to glare at her boyfriend. "Danny, no one eats them for their nutritional value! You know I like to draw smiley faces with the icing, then smother it all over the pastry!"

Danny rolled his eyes and brushed Mindy's hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, babe. I'll buy you some more tomorrow."

"Morning." She emphasized.

"Yes, tomorrow morning. I'll even paint on the smiley face myself, so you have something nice to wake up to."

Placated, Mindy stood up and pecked Danny on the cheek. "I already have that," she beamed, smacking Danny's butt with a wink. He jumped in pleasant surprise, following her over to the couch.

Mindy patted the seat next to her. "Come on, you know it's Freddie Prinze Jr. Friday."

Rolling his eyes, Danny plopped down on the couch. He yelped and jumped up, rubbing his butt. "What the – "

"My curling iron! You found it!" Mindy cheered, grabbing it from between the cushions.

"Yeah, with my butt," Danny replied, miffed.

"Sorry," Mindy winced. "Beyoncé was on Good Morning America and I wanted to curl while watching it…you know how it is."

"No, thank goodness, I don't," Danny sighed before double-checking the cushion for any other rogue styling tools. "Let's just pick the movie." He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and clicked over to the DVR. "What is this crap? Say Yes to the Dress, Project Runway, Mystery Girls? Where are my recordings of Blue Bloods?"

"Well, Charlie St. Cloud was on, and you know how I always miss the beginning, so I wanted to record it, and you only had enough room left for one of them – "

Danny groaned, rubbing his face. "You know what, it's fine."

Mindy eyed him suspiciously. "No, Danny, you want to say something. What is it?"

Danny sighed and fiddled with the remote. "Forget it, it's not worth fighting over."

Mindy crossed her arms. "Oh, now I'm interested. Come on. Tell me."

Danny held up his hands. "Fine, you wanna do this? Let's go." He shifted on the couch so that he could fully face her. "You're taking over my apartment!" he cried, holding up a scented candle for effect. "All of a sudden, my space has become Mindy's!"

Mindy's head snapped to her left. "Come again?" She backed up a little on the couch, openly glaring now.

"I mean the DVR, and the curling iron and two-pound jar of Nutella in my closet – who needs all that?"

"Me, Danny! I do! One day I'm going to bake delicious Nutella cookies and you will swallow your words – literally!" She exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. "I'm sorry I was integrating myself into your life, Danny. I just thought that that's what normal couples do, but silly me." She stepped over his legs, stomping over to the pantry and grabbing her curling iron on the way.

"Min, come on, don't be that way," Danny groaned, following after her. "You just don't respect my space. That doesn't mean I don't love you, that I don't want you in my life."

"Well, it's abundantly clear you don't want me in your pantry!" Mindy hissed, digging out several boxes of fruit roll-ups and tucking them under her arm. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna find a churro to dip in my 'huge, obnoxious' jar of Nutella," she replied, shaking it vigorously.

"Fine! Have fun!" Danny shouted, huffing with his hands on his hips.

"I will!" Mindy replied and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

You just got in a fight with your girlfriend about TV. She really has had an effect on you, Castellano. Danny shook his head and nodded his thanks towards the barista, grabbing the warm cup from the counter. Now you're walking the streets of New York, trying to find a crazed doctor wielding a curling iron. Life sure isn't what it used to be.

He paused at the corner to think. If I were Mindy and upset, where would I be? He had already tried Forever 21, as well as the coffeeshop she swore she saw Ryan Gosling at. Where else could she have gone?

He glanced across the street. A little girl was tugging on her dad's coat sleeve, pointing at a teddy bear in the glass. Beside her, another girl stood in awe of the Barbie dollhouse. No movement, just purely mesmerized by the bright colors and pretty dresses.

And that's when it clicked. Danny knew exactly where Mindy was.

"Thought I'd find you here."

Mindy turned to see Danny, bundled up in his winter jacket and scarf.

"I'm sorry, am I taking over the sidewalk's space now, too? Can't a girl stare at some diamonds in peace?" She asked, turning back towards the window.

Danny chuckled and motioned towards her Nutella-covered churro. "A new take on the classic, I see. Dessert at Tiffany's. I like it."

Mindy shrugged, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Yeah well, the bagel guy refuses to serve me anymore – something about 'doing me a favor' - so this was my only option." She finished her snack, stuffing the jar into her pocket. She turned back to stare lovingly into the glass, the gems sparkling back. "At least here I don't get chastised for my eating habits. Diamonds are a girl's best friend, you know."

"I do," Danny nodded, holding out his cup. "Mint hot chocolate?"

Mindy looked doubtful for a moment, trying to restrain herself before reaching out and taking the drink. "Thanks," she conceded, sipping carefully.

They were standing there, both looking at the display when she turned to Danny. "You know, you are, too."

"Hmm?"

"My best friend. You, and diamonds, and the period tracker app, I mean, that's just a God-send – " Mindy stopped herself. "That's why it hurt me that you were so against my life becoming a part of yours. You're supposed to be my best friend. Best friends tell each other everything, they have pictures and ticket stubs and stuff that's all mixed together. They keep certain foods at their houses, because they know it's your favorite, and you record stuff for them that they haven't watched. And that may be 'disrespecting your space', but that's how I feel. I need a partner who will share their space with me, not cut me out of it. "

Danny frowned. "I know, Min, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I mean, I'm not gonna say I like finding your curling iron in my couch, but I can get used to it."

"No, you can't," Mindy smirked, taking another sip. She took a deep breath to face Danny. "But it'll be okay, because I'm gonna be better. I'm sorry, too." She glanced up at Danny. "I know that it's your apartment and that I shouldn't take it over completely. We each need our own space. I just so happen to need a lot more of it than you."

Danny chuckled and shook his head. "You can say that again."

Mindy rolled her eyes. "Okay, I think once was enough, bub." She paused. "I guess no one's ever stuck around long enough to get annoyed with me taking over their place. Usually they have it all packed in a box by the door by now."

Danny softened. "Oh, Min, no. We just had a fight about stuff. That's all it is – stuff. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

Mindy glanced down. "But how will I know you won't freak out over finding my bobby pins all over the place, or the way I leave my shoes wherever I want? How do I know you'll love all of me, even the parts that annoy you?"

Danny moved a step closer, holding back a smile now. "You know how they say you can tell who a person is within just thirty seconds of meeting them?"

Mindy scrunched up her eyes, questioning. "Yeah, but I don't see what that has to do with us."

Danny held her free hand, his intense gaze boring into her eyes. "It only took me ten seconds to know you. Your observant gaze, how gentle you are with your patients, your passion for your work. In those ten seconds, I knew you were an amazing woman. And even after hours, days, years of knowing you, I still see those same things, despite the shoes and the curling iron and the toaster strudels. That's how I know I'll love all of you. Because I have, for a long time already."

Mindy coughed and wiped away a tear, nodding. "That was uh, that was a nice speech there, Castellame-o. Where'd you get it? Some rom com I haven't seen yet?"

Danny smirked and shook his head. "Made it up myself. Rehearsed it about a thousand times on the way over here," he admitted.

"Well, the delivery was great. Phrasing could use some work, however." She smirked. "Don't worry, I can give you some pointers later."

Danny rolled his eyes. "So. Are we good?" He looked at her hopefully.

Mindy pretended to think about it for a second. "I dunno, I'm still a bit hurt you judged Say Yes to the Dress like that. Not to mention Project Ru-"

Danny cut her off, dipping her low into deep kiss. A flash went off behind them, and a familiar voice called "got it!"

"Morgan?" Mindy stood up quickly and peered into the crowded sidewalk.

"Got the picture, Dr. C. Don't worry Dr. L, I'm gonna get my friend Rocko to blow this up real big for me so that I can hang it in phlebotomy," Morgan said, holding up a disposable camera.

Mindy turned to Danny. "Explain?"

Danny shrugged. "Just wanted you to know I love all of you, even your obsession with romantic clichés. I wanted you to have one of your own."

Mindy beamed, kissing him again before looping her arm through his. "So. We go home, get a little less…space between us? I still have some Nutella left…"

"Let me get us a taxi." Danny hopped-to, hailing one to a screeching halt.

"Dr. C? Can I get a ride too?" Morgan waited by the curb. Danny threw a twenty-dollar bill out the window, not wanting to waste even ten seconds.