Disclaimer: Yes, yes. I own the situations but not our beloved characters.

Spoilers/Warnings: Nothing past early season two so there you go.

Author's notes: Thanks ever so much to those who continue to find this worth their time. I'm thinking this is the penultimate chapter, btw. If I haven't left you a review let me know—it's usually the last thing I do before I go to sleep so it's always a possibility that I have missed someone and I'd like to make it up as soon as I can.

Liquorish—You crack me up. I love being haunted by you.

ODDIE33325—Thank you so much for your lovely review. I too was disheartened (still am) by the show's treatment of this OTP but then I reminded myself that I could take solace in fanfiction and indeed get a thrill from writing non-canon like I do for some other fandoms. Anyhoo your review made me smile from ear-to-ear and I appreciate it and you very much! Thank you!!

v—Yes, this was not soon so I apologize. And I thank you for taking the time to check in with me. Thanks!

tori 2190—Thank you! I'm so pleased you're enjoying this!

SR—As you can see, no, it is not! Thanks for asking!

On with the chapter…

Lindsay sighed as she unbuckled her heels and flexed her pained toes which had adamantly protested their confinement. She couldn't believe her night. More specifically, she couldn't believe that she and Danny had begun to make out only to somehow find the strength to stop before they moved on to sleeping together. Which considering they were outside at the zoo may have ended up being somewhat awkward, to be sure, and there probably would have been scratches and abrasions in sensitive areas to boot. But somehow she couldn't help but think it would have been worth it to be able to currently be basking in the afterglow instead of home alone sexually unfulfilled.

Apparently Danny did not share this sentiment as it was he who had somehow possessed the willpower to push her away and to lead them over to the picnic. To be honest she barely remembered the rest of the night, short as it was. It seemed to be an unspoken agreement that they would calm their racing heartbeats as they ate and then Danny would take her back home. Honestly if he had tried to take her somewhere else after putting the kibosh on the sex then Lindsay would have ended things right there.

To be told that they were waiting for a free 24 hour period was one thing, but then to be expected to focus on something else instead of thinking about all the sex they could fit into that 24 hours? Well that would have been insulting. She would have been furious if Danny had been able to switch his focus off of her, since she couldn't take her mind off of him.

Maybe he wasn't as into her as she was into him? She suddenly wondered. She thought she had presented a pretty tempting picture for him tonight but maybe not. Could it be that his ability to stop them from having sex stemmed more from a desire to avoid it rather than a desire to indulge in it? Was he happy to keep their relationship as it had been? Admittedly earlier he had confessed that he wanted to see what could happen between them but maybe her kiss had killed the fire, instead of stoking it higher?

Well there was only one way to find out. Actually, there were probably more ways but this was the one that involved an orgasm so being that she was still pretty worked up over their date she chose to call Danny to see if he was up—pun fully intended—for another round of phone sex. She already knew what she'd say and he wouldn't know what hit him…after all, she'd been planning this earlier as payback for his non-asking her out. Was it her fault that his subsequent actions added to the need to seek retribution and to possibly flavor their conversation with a different kind of spice?

"Hey I was just about to call ya," Danny said in lieu of a greeting when he picked up.

The confession brought a smile to Lindsay's face and even though she still fully intended on making him pay she decided to indulge in Danny's choice of topic for the moment.

"Oh yeah? And what were you planning on saying?"

"Well I thought I'd start off with the traditional stuff. You know—hello, how are ya? Before I moved on to the main purpose for the call."

"Which was?" She could hear him shifting around and it pleased her to think he was settling in for their conversation.

"To tell you how much I enjoyed our date, and how much more I regret having to stop when we did."

Well that statement certainly went a long way as far as assuring her that Danny had indeed been as in to her as she had hoped.

"Oh? And why do you regret it?"

"As soon as I left you at your place I realized that I was a class-one mook. Who turns down a beautiful woman like that? I shoulda just made ya walk funny tomorrow, damn the consequences."

"Speaking of consequences, Detective…" It really was too perfect an opening for her to pass up, "I have a wet noodle, and I'm not afraid to use it."

For a moment there was silence and then she heard Danny positively guffawing with laughter. She smiled and let him indulge his amusement.

When Danny was finally able to catch his breath he wiped his eyes and asked, "What kind of dirty talk is that, Monroe?"

Sometimes he made it way too easy.

"Oh, you were expecting something more along the lines of, hmm, I don't know…"

She let a beat of silence follow her statement in order to help heighten the sense of anticipation that had begun to build.

"You don't think you deserve any lashes with a wet noodle? Really? Because I think that I'd like to see you in a position where I could spend all the time in the world treating you like the naughty boy you are."

He laughed again but this time it wasn't filled with amusement. She could hear how she was getting him turned on, and when he spoke it bled into his voice even more and Lindsay was very happy to hear it.

"Well well well, seems I'm not the only one with a dominant kink, am I, Miss Monroe?"

"So you've come over so we can watch some porn together," she said and almost giggled when Danny made a choked noise.

"Say what now?" he asked but Lindsay ignored him.

"But when I break out the padded cuffs you think we're just going to skip that part of the evening and I can tell you don't mind. You're a little surprised when I tie you up, not that we've never done it before but it's been long enough that I suppose you think I've lost interest in it. And really, it's a bit insulting that you don't know better. More so that you didn't see this coming. I mean did you really think you were going to be such a tease, end up denying me, and just get away scot free?"

Danny swallowed hard. He should never have kissed her tonight. No, that wasn't right. Of course he should have kissed her. He should have never stopped kissing her, is more like it. Because obviously Lindsay was displeased by the lack of follow-through and fully intended on taking it out on him…he held his breath as he waited for her to continue, praying that whatever she said wasn't going to be something he couldn't see them doing or else he was screwed.

Actually he wouldn't be screwed, ever. And that was just too depressing to contemplate.

"Once I have you tied up," Lindsay went on to say, unaware of Danny's fretting, "I go ahead and let the tape play."

And this was unfair, Danny thought to himself. She would leave him tied up while there was porn playing and he couldn't do anything to her or himself?

"What kind of video do you think I chose?" Lindsay asked and then continued without giving Danny a chance to speak. "Maybe you thought I'd put in your favorite threesome video but tonight it's a new one. This one features a male submissive and his female master."

Lindsay smirked to herself as she heard Danny's strangled attempts to speak. She didn't feel anything but determined about her course of action. There was no hesitation that maybe she shouldn't do this, maybe they weren't ready for what she was doing. He had left her questioning their relationship, questioning her appeal, so she'd be damned if she took it easy on him.

No, best he understood that such behavior was unacceptable, and that he would in fact find himself subjected to some kind of punishment if it ever happened again.

Danny found himself gulping in great quantities of air. This was a new side to Lindsay and damn if her willingness to test his acceptance wasn't hot. Truth be told he'd never been with a woman who really wanted to take the reins. Sure, there was the occasional light spanking and bondage but never a case where she just took control completely and left him no choice whether or not he was going along for the ride.

"You're tied spread-eagle on the bed and just like the woman on screen I spend the next 10 minutes touching, licking and kissing pretty much every part of your body that I want. And speaking of the action on screen guess what the master does? As soon as I lift myself up we look over and can you guess where her fingers go?"

If she could have seen Danny's face she would have cracked up and would have been unable to speak. His eyes were as wide as they could go and he couldn't form a coherent thought. Was she talking about…? He couldn't even bring himself to ask.

"How long has it been since you had your prostate examined?" Lindsay whispered.

Oh damn. She was talking about…he thought with a shudder. When she heard Danny's sputtering cough Lindsay did indeed start laughing.

"Oh, Danny, I bet you're wishing you hadn't been such a bad little boy now, aren't you?" she asked with a dirty chuckle that just lit Danny up despite himself. "But maybe part of you is grateful as I climb on top of you and slowly slide down, taking you into me. And I bet an even bigger part of you—the biggest, hardest part of you, actually—is happy when I ride you until we both come."

Danny just groaned in response and Lindsay tutted.

"Mmm, that's not quite the reaction I was hoping for. But thankfully I know how to treat bad little boys like you and so I get you on your hands and knees so I can properly punish you. The first smack echoes for a moment followed by your sharp intake of breath. I give your ass a few more swats, slowly increasing the force but making sure to constantly change location and speed so you won't know where or when the next one is going to land. As the swats get harder you become more vocal for me, telling me how sorry you are, how you'll never do it again, and sometimes all you can do is moan."

"As soon as I'm done with your spanking I reach between your legs and jerk you off, nice and quick. It never takes you long after a punishment and I go get something to eat and drink while you recover. When I come back I rub your poor little red ass, knowing it'll get you hard again to feel that perfect combination of pleasure/pain sparking through you."

Good goddamn, Danny thought. It was abundantly clear to him that he should have taken Montana to bed. Before he could get further on that train of thought she kept speaking.

"And when I have you nice and ready I remove the restraints and…" she trailed off and Danny waited, helplessly bound to the hope that she was merely teasing and would in fact continue.

He heard her breathe and was prepared for her to hang up. He was not, however, prepared for what she said next.

"The end."

And then the phone clicked off. Danny stared at it for a long moment before it finally came to him what she had meant. The end…as in no more of that fantasy. She was telling him he could not continue it and was practically daring him to try to disobey her. And while he was secure enough in his sexuality to let Lindsay be in charge he wasn't secure enough in his inability to keep from whining like a girl if he let her take charge while she was pissed.

His mama didn't raise no fool.

Lindsay, meanwhile, was feeling positively giddy. She absolutely got off on the power play she had just instigated and while it may be something that remained purely a fantasy at the very least she had shown Danny that she wasn't as vanilla as he might expect. Grinning like the cat that swallowed the cream she quickly brought herself to climax and slipped into sleep, ready for the next day's adventure, whatever it was.

She was still smiling the next day when Danny sought her out.

"So do you think we can maybe meet at O'Malley's tonight?"

Lindsay had been pretty well focused on her work when Danny's words reached her ears and it took her a minute to process what he had said. He wanted to go to a bar? She looked up and it only dawned on her then that he was across the room from her. Securing her tools she eyed him with interest and sauntered over to his side, leaning up to his ear.

"You know, I really don't need alcohol to get in the mood to be with you," she purred, and he clenched his fists to ensure that he didn't haul her into his arms.

"And I can't tell you how much I don't need anything but you to get me going, Montana," he drawled, twisting to face her. "However, I am thinkin' about you, and I was merely tryin' to suggest somewhere public for us to meet."

"Somewhere public?" she grinned and leaned back against the workstation. "Do I need to fear for my safety when I'm with you, Detective Messer?"

"No, I need to fear for my sanity, Miss Monroe...it's killin' me not to touch you, and we need to stay in public if I'm gonna have any chance of showing restraint."

Oh, she liked the sound of that. Knowing he wanted her was quite the aphrodisiac. She blushed but quirked an eyebrow and he peered down at her and smirked.

"Of course, I got no objections to moving past the whole date thing and gettin' to the part of the evening where I have you in my arms and you're makin' all those hot little noises you make when I touch you," he murmured, "but I want to show you a good time, too."

And he did. He shook his head at the novelty of that notion, and decided he must still be feeling a bit of the residual shock that still laced his system after his bout of self-reflection last night.

He had been lying awake in his bed, tossing and turning and thinking about Lindsay, as per usual, when it occurred to him that maybe she was so good at this whole phone sex thing with him because she had done it with someone else before.

It was admittedly late in the game for him to be just now having the thought, but before he'd been thankfully occupied with enjoying the sessions rather than analyzing their source.

But now that the thought entered his brain he couldn't shake it, or the sick feeling of jealousy that followed swiftly on its heels.

He only tried to deny it for a moment, the scientist in him recognizing how the data led to the inevitable conclusion.

It was typical of him to have bailed long before a relationship got to this point, and so he was understandably shaken to discover himself already past the point of no return so quickly.

Although really, his inner voice piped up, was it that rapid a development? It's not as though she were a one night stand. They were co-workers, then friends, then whatever the hell they were before they kissed, and now they were…

What the hell were they?

He felt like such a girl for devoting even a minute to the thought of labeling their relationship, but was unable to shake it.

His stomach clenched as he recognized that the motivation behind these thoughts was a desire to be in a relationship with Lindsay.

A real relationship, with everything that entailed.

He wanted Lindsay to be his own with a possessiveness that shook him to his core.

It was enough to chase away sleep for the remainder of the night.

So now as he stood before her, asking her to meet him at O'Malley's, he fought the urge to ask her to clarify where they stood with one another.

End of chapter