Disclaimer: If possession is nine-tenths of the law, what exactly is the other ten percent? I feel I should know in case I can use it in my bid to one day own the characters. But until someone can let me know I guess we'll just stick with the standard "don't own them."

Spoilers: I guess general season two.

Author's note: I have been trying to weed out the wip's from my life, and thought this was as good as any to continue with. I gave up CSINY after about five episodes of season four although I did get all spoiled about the season so I'm trying not to let that whole thing influence me. Thank you all so very much for the amazing reviews I received for this. I am humbled.

If I haven't replied to your review please let me know. I try to stay on top of these things and I would feel awful if you thought I was slighting you purposefully.

A: I feel like it has been so long since I saw your initial grace my inbox, but I have a warped sense of time passing so that could just be me. Thank you for your review, I enjoyed reading about the aspects of the chapter that you liked. I offer you my most humble apology for not responding to this sooner.

Denise: Thank you! I will finish it, I promise. I'm thinking only one or two chapters at the most are left. I'm so sorry it took me so long to post and thus reply to you!

Vipercharmed: Hee hee. I like reading that my reviewers get all hot and bothered so your review made me grin! Thank you very much for taking the time to read and review and I apologize for the delay in my response!

On with the chapter…

When she opened the door to him later that night her nerves were almost frayed. She had no idea how her subconscious had talked her into this, but it was sure to be a catastrophe of epic proportions.

"Hi," she greeted him with a small smile as she gestured him inside and over to the couch. She sat down and laced her fingers together and turned to him, waiting until he sat facing her before she began to talk.

"I feel like I should warn you that I'm probably going to abandon all pretense of tact here. I have no idea how to ask you anything about this so I'm just going to play it by ear. When did this whole thing start?"

"The night I was attacked."

She blinked. For some reason she had thought that maybe this was a lifetime thing for him. But learning the truth brought up a whole new set of issues, most importantly it meant that he was still new at dealing with all this, and she vowed to keep that in mind if the conversation turned confrontational.

"Ok…so what happened that night? I know what's in your report but there must be something else you know now."

He nodded and settled back into the cushions.

"Well after I left the club I was walkin' back to my truck. I heard a noise from the alley and I grabbed my flashlight. I could just make out shapes and it looked like maybe an assault or somethin'. So I yelled and they bum rushed me and I got bit and stuff and I passed out. When I came to I called you and thought that I had just been attacked, nothin' major."

"When did you first realize what had happened?"

She was surprised to see him blush. He tipped his head down for a moment.

"When we were, uh, you know…"

Her eyes widened.

"Really?" She thought about it for a moment and her eyes got even bigger. "Is that why you looked so weird for a second there?"

Danny nodded.

"Sort of. I mean, I had felt somethin' weird with my teeth earlier but I just thought it was the meds or somethin'. When I felt them while we were in bed they were so goddamn sharp I knew somethin' was up, I just didn't know what. Then I decided to forget about it, and, um…"

He trailed off; thinking of what he had been about to say and unsure if it was going to doom him.

"What is it, Danny?"

He heaved a giant sigh.

"I decided to forget about it and just focus on the fact that I was in bed with you and it was un-fuckin' believable."

Lindsay blushed to the roots of her hair.

"But I kept havin' this thought that I needed to get closer to you. And I didn't know how that could happen so I leaned down to kiss your neck and uh," he broke off again and looked at her.

Lindsay was pretty red but she nodded at him to continue. Their mutual embarrassment over this topic was nothing compared to the peace of mind that the answers would give her, she assured herself.

"When I kissed your neck you tilted your head so I could kiss more and it made me smile. My teeth touched your skin and the next thing I knew I had bitten you."

She nodded and leaned forward for a moment, hoping to cool her cheeks. As long as she lived she would never forget that sensation.

"What's it like?" she asked in a near-whisper.

"What? The whole vampire thing?" he responded and Lindsay smiled at him, amused that he had used the same phrase that kept appearing in her thoughts. He shrugged.

"Weird, for the most part. I mean, it's taken a lot to get used to it and at times I'm still not entirely sure that the last few weeks haven't been some sort of dream."

And then she asked him the question that had begun to plague her lately.

"Have you eaten a lot since that night?"

Part of her didn't want to know the answer. Part of her wanted to believe that she was the only one to have experienced that perfect moment of pleasure mixed with pain with him. But she knew that there was pretty much no chance that was the case. More likely than not he had fed off other people…most likely women, if she had to hazard a guess.

Her stomach clenched at the thought. She could just imagine Danny feeding off some gorgeous model type; actually she had imagined it with an annoying frequency since the thought had first occurred to her.

And although she patently refused to label her behavior as jealousy she had to know the answer if she was ever going to come to any conclusions.

Danny gave her a strange look.

"Um, yeah, I guess. I mean I don't know what you mean by 'a lot' but I grabbed a sandwich while I was waiting for Trace to kick out my results earlier. I'm not starving to death or anything."

She gave him a bashful smile as she realized her wording.

"That's not what I meant. I meant have you, uh, fed, I guess is the term, a lot since then?"

His eyes widened slightly as he realized what she was asking.

"Oh."

He was silent for so long that Lindsay was afraid that he was either never going to answer her or he was trying to think of a way to break it to her.

"No."

She nodded, unsure whether or not to feel relieved.

"That was the only time."

Her jaw dropped.

"Are you kidding me?"

He shook his head, convinced that the relief he saw in her features was due to the fact that she believed he would be out hunting people or something.

"Isn't that dangerous for you?"

He was taken aback by the question. What was dangerous was the fact that her unexpected concern made him feel warm all over, he thought to himself. He lifted a shoulder.

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"Huh."

As conversations went her comment certainly lacked but she couldn't help it. She was fixated on the fact that she was the only one Danny had fed from. Knowing she had been the only one made her feel irrationally possessive of him and suddenly she didn't want to share him with anyone.

"There's something else you should know," Danny broke into her thoughts and she lifted her eyes to him.

"I don't know how to say it, exactly, but it seems as though this whole thing came with an ability to tap into your feelings."

"My feelings? Like ESP or something?" She squeaked. She was horrified at the thought that he had seen some of her more detailed thoughts about the two of them. He shook his head.

"No, I can't read your mind. I can just feel what you feel, if I let myself. At first I couldn't control it at all but now I'm pretty good at shutting it off, so you don't have to worry although I'll probably slip every now and again."

Lindsay wondered what that would be like. To be near someone and to have their emotions thrust upon you. While it was probably easier than having to listen to their thoughts, it was undoubtedly no less uncomfortable. In a moment of insight she realized that it was probably very lonely for Danny now. He had said that he had learned how to shut it off, and she wondered if the cost for shutting it off was turning his own emotions off as well. She voiced her thoughts.

"That must be hard, having to shut out everyone around you to keep from being overwhelmed by their feelings."

He cleared his throat before pinning her with his gaze.

"It's not everyone, Lindsay. It's just you."

Her jaw dropped. That was unexpected, she idly thought.

"Me?"

He nodded.

"It's actually the first thing I noticed that was different. When you found me I could feel how concerned you were, how much you wanted me to get better, and it was like I took that feeling inside. When you came to the hospital the closer you got to me the better I felt…" he trailed off and couldn't help the desire that clouded his eyes at the memory, "But I didn't believe it was happening until that day in the kitchen."

"That day in the kitchen you could feel, you could tell?" she sputtered, embarrassed beyond words.

He had known that she wanted him.

Was that the only reason he'd slept with her?

Aware only that he needed to reassure her that he hadn't been bothered by the discovery, Danny pressed on.

"We were talking and suddenly it hit me like a tidal wave, about damn near knocked me over. I mean, I'd wanted you for so long but I convinced myself that nothin' was ever goin' to happen, that I wasn't your type. But then I felt you wanting me and I just thanked god and seized the moment."

Lindsay stared at him for a moment before she stood up and began to pace in short strides.

"That might explain…but that's not…how could it?" she muttered to herself and finally Danny broke into her thoughts.

"What is it, Linds?"

She looked at him and stopped pacing.

"I thought I was imagining things, that I was being stupid. But when I touched your skin that night it was like it was vibrating almost. I swore that I could feel how much you wanted me. God it sounds so stupid."

"No, it doesn't."

Actually it sounded pretty reasonable but Danny realized that they needed to end this conversation. Lindsay had received enough startling news for one day, not to mention that all this talk of them wanting each other and what not was starting to affect him. He stood up and wiped his hands on his pant legs. Lindsay looked up at him in question.

"I'm gonna take off. You need some time to think about all this. I'll see ya at work, okay?"

She nodded at him mutely and walked him to the door, giving him another small smile as she shut the door behind him.

End of chapter