A/N: I tried very hard to get this updated before Tuesday, I barely made it :P. It's so hard to edit things on iAwriter, so if there are typos or awkward phrasings, i'm sorry. I really really liked this chapter though, I hope you do too, please leave whatever comments you want. I adore them, so much :D.

Running through the streets of New York, holding hands with someone who'd pretty thoroughly coaxed a full body orgasm from you merely fifteen minutes earlier was a bit of an exhilarating experience. Especially when the wind decided to blow in off the ocean in strangely warm and humid gusts, contributing to the surreality surrounding them.

Mindy and Danny had to force themselves to slow down, and not act like over eager lunatics, still high on a mega rush of endorphins. Even with a concerted effort to slow down, they walked at a furiously fast pace, and when they finally reached the subway, they were practically vibrating with anticipation.

Mindy clung to the pole in the middle of the car, feeling a zing of pleasure shoot through her when Danny took his place beside her, slipping his hand to rest at the small of her back, steadying her further. It was a seemingly insignificant action, one that she'd barely noticed in the past, but now that she thought about it, she was hard pressed to list anyone else who ever employed such a caring gesture.

She felt heat pool in her stomach, and was surprised. A mere touch was enough? She smiled to herself. Well, a lot of touches had been enough earlier, but what surprised her was that she'd failed to notice this particular one all the other times he'd done it. It was strangely protective and affectionate at the same time.

The car jolted, and she bumped into him, his shoulder pressing against her back. Yes, this was very pleasant. Steady once more, she didn't pull away from him, but continued to lean into him, feeling almost cradled by his embrace. The giddy fluttering in her chest, the first disquieting intimation that this was slipping out of her control.

Mindy felt the humidity settling on her skin and didn't even want to think about what it was doing to her hair. They were a block away from Danny's building, their pace increasing once again. By the time they reached the front doors, their gait had transformed into a brisk walk, bordering on skipping. The idea of Danny skipping had Mindy giggling as they slipped through the doors.

Mindy's arm threaded through Danny's, her head bumping on his shoulder. She smiled up at him, feeling once again that unsettling flutter in her chest.

She opened her mouth, trying to think of smething suggestive to say, something that would distract her from this giddy feeling in her limbs.

She was saved, by an unexpected voice cutting through the atmosphere. "Chloe? I haven't seen you around here in a while."

Mindy's eyes widened, and she felt Danny stiffen at her side. They both turned around slowly, to face the voice echoing in the lobby.

Danny spoke first, his voice cracking uncontrollably as he nearly spat out his neighbor's name. "Amy? Uh, how's… how's it going?"

Amy nodded, smiling. "Good, how is… everything?" She gestured to the pair standing before her, the sweep of her hand seeming to encompass something more than just their physical presence.

Mindy, remembering the parts they'd played so many months ago, kept her arm threaded through Danny's and slipped her fingers down to his hand, interlocking them with his own. Danny briefly glanced down, the sentences forming in his mind for Amy's benefit suddenly erased.

He like the feel of her delicate fingers threaded through his. It was a feeling he didn't think he'd ever get used to. Mindy waited awkwardly for Danny to continue, and when he didn't she jumped in. "So nice to see you Amy, um, I've been really busy that's all."

Abruptly, Amy's face fell, her sweet smile suddenly replaced by a worried frown. She glanced at Mindy's midsection, nodding sadly. "Oh, hon, I'm so sorry."

Mindy didn't understand the rapid change of pace, and was even more confused when Amy took a couple quick steps toward them, throwing her arms around both of them. Her lips at Mindy's ear, she whispered, "I know everything will be fine, these things happen." She pulled back, taking Mindy's hand in hers. She looked at Danny pointedly. "You do have someone who loves you very much. If anything his adoring gaze is even more intense now than it was all those months ago."

Mindy pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to confess the whole "Chloe" charade. She felt guilt from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. It was one thing too fake a pregnancy, a la 'Days of Our Lives,' but she couldn't take the sympathy seeping from Amy's every pore. It just wasn't a situation she could fake, there had been too many times in the past when she'd had to help patients through this, it just didn't seem like something she should do, at the very least on a karmic level.

Amy turned, and was headed toward the doors. Sensing her opportunity to come clean was about to slip through her fingers, Mindy lunged forward, catching Amy by the elbow. "Amy, stop. I was never pregnant. I'm not Chloe. We're not engaged or married." She paused, looking back at Danny, noting his incredulous expression. "Or in love." She had paused before the last words, because she just wasn't one hundred percent sure anymore.

Amy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"I'm sorry. Sometimes Danny and I combined don't make the most adult decisions. He didn't know what too do about his relationship with you, since you two were clearly on different wave lengths, and I just happened to be here." She let out a really long breath. "I'm so sorry. I'm a sucker for opportunities to flex my naturally dramatic abilities. I got caught up in it, and then I just didn't want Danny to hurt your feelings. He was being kind of a psychopath about the whole thing."

"Hey-"

She cut him off. "But, I really think it's because his wife did a real number on him. Destroyed his ability to relate to women on anything other than a physical level."

"What are you-"

She continued, ignoring his annoyed interruption. She was beginning to get into her explanation, adopting her narrated-by-Mindy-Lahiri voice. "She ripped out his heart, leaving him unable to connect on any real emotional level."

Amy narrowed her eyes, clearly suspicious of the things Mindy was saying. "You're not Chloe?"

Mindy shook her head, her story telling bravado falling away once again. Amy pointed at Danny. "This is Mindy, isn't it?"

Danny's mouth dropped open, and Amy smirked. "I knew it. God, nobody talks about someone that much if they don't have feelings. I don't care if you think you were complaining, she clearly got under your skin."

"What?" This time Mindy and Danny spat out the question in unison. "I swear, most nights I'd come over after he got home from work, and he'd spend like an hour talking about his day, about you." She shook her head, a smile still on her face. "I don't know what you think is going on here, but you two should really try and figure it out. For everyone's sake."

With that Amy spun around and left the building, Mindy and Danny standing dumbtruck at the foot of the stairs. Danny in particular was shaken by Amy's words. He felt nauseated, a nervousness swirling inside of him. Amy had done it again, pointed out something he was hesitant to admit to himself.

Lust was easier. It was understandable. It had a definite beginning middle and end. He knew what to do about it. He swallowed, turning surreptitiously to peek at her. She was still staring at the big double doors, her lips still parted slightly in confusion.

Hoping to regain the momentum from earlier, he hooked his hand in the crook of her elbow, pulling her to him again. Her lips twitched up into a little half smirk. Danny felt his heart rate pick up, sending blood rushing through his veins. He was ready again. It was all he could do not to drag her up the stairs like a horny teenage boy.

He pulled her closer, leaning in for a kiss, pausing a hair's breadth away from her lips. Their breaths mingled hotly, his nose brushing against her cheek, before he plucked at her lips. "Where were we?"

Mindy smiled, giggling. She reached down to grab his hand, pulling him excitedly up the stairs. He felt a smile spreading across his face, laughter bubbling up in his chest. The woman was a mind reader.

Hair mussed, sheet clutched to her breast, Mindy stared up at the ceiling in wonder, trying very hard to string the endless list of adjectives floating around her brain into coherent thoughts. She didn't have much success, instead she tried to focus on the cadence of her breaths, coming out in short pants. "Oh, God, Danny…. wow."

She heard the matching pants beside her pause for a second, replaced temporarily by a low chuckle. She felt his arms snake around her waist, pulling her back up against his chest. She thought, briefly, to complain about his slick sweaty skin pressed up against hers, but it seemed redundant since her own was just as damp, and hell, she even found it kind of hot, in a primal kind of way. "I'm so hot."

He growled, his nose tucked into the hollow of her neck, breathing in the scent of flowers and musk. "Yeah."

She laughed. "No, well, yes I'm hot, but also, it's a hundred degrees in here. I'm burning up."

It was muggy, no doubt contributing to the moisture clinging to their bodies. One of those inexplicably warm New York City nights. Danny was drenched, and he would have been self-conscious about it, but he was just too relaxed.

She propped herself up on her elbow in search of a better view. "Is there something wrong with your air conditioner?" She squirmed around, pulling the sheet with her, careful to keep most of her body covered, leaving Danny with barely a square foot of carefully placed coverage. She swiped at her forehead with the back of her hand.

He touched her shoulder, trailing his fingers down her arm. "It's the middle of January, it's not on. What the hell is going on with the weather?" He tugged at the sheet still clutched in her hands. "You know, if you're hot, you probably don't need so much… coverage."

Mindy looked down, suddenly hyperaware of the lamps glowing on either side of his bed. Her shoulders hunched forward a little, her hair forming a curtain that obscured her face.

"Mindy?" Danny's teasing tone faded away. He reached up, brushing the hair away from her face. "We talked about this." He drew his thumb across her cheek, trailing down to her chin, guiding her gaze back to him. "You know what I think."

She let out a long breath. "It isn't about you really. Sometimes I just let little insecurities get to me." She smiled at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She snuck her hand down to his bicep, squeezing it playfully. "Not that you would know about insecurities, Mr. Smoldering Hot Italian."

Danny laughed, flexing his muscles a little under her touch. "Mindy I get it. I do."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure."

He grabbed her hand. "No, really. I do. You don't think I have insecurities. First of all, you totally zero in on them when you're mad at me, so don't pretend you don't notice."

"What?" She feigned shock.

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm sweaty, curmudgeonly." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Apparently I have disgusting feet, and I'm too short."

Mindy's expression softened. She reached over, brushing the hair across his forehead. The sheet slipped down but she didn't bother to reposition it. "Not too short, actually." She felt warm honey oozing through her limbs, settling heavily in her chest as she remembered how perfectly she tucked into him. She smiled. "But your feet really are disgusting, we should do something about that."

Pretending to be outraged he rose from the bed, jerking the sheet with him. She gasped, rising to her knees. "Where are you going with that?"

He smiled, draping one end over his shoulder like a toga. "I'm taking my disgusting feet elsewhere, Lahiri. Gonna go open some windows, try to cool down this apartment."

She hopped out of the bed, trailing after him as he flitted from window to window, unhooking the latches, pushing them up. Finally he stopped at the huge windows adjacent to his living room.

The view was amazing, hundreds of sparkling city lights glinted below them. Mindy shivered as the cooling air flowed through open window sending a cascade of goose bumps across her skin. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning into Danny's back as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "The city is so beautiful at night. Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky. I mean, I get to live here, to stand here with a hot guy, gazing at one of the most beautiful sights most people never even get to see."

He shifted slightly, turning toward her. In a swift motion he jerked the sheet off, whipping it in the air before settling it over both of them. Sure, the view below was stunning, something that he'd actually thought about when buying this apartment, but it was something he'd seen thousands of times, and would see thousands more. He couldn't tear his gaze away from her face. Her sincere enjoyment filled him with awe, his jaded heart thumped a little more wildly than usual. He swallowed. "Yeah, it is a beautiful sight."