A/N: Do not adjust your screens, do not get your eyes checked. Yes, this is me uploading a new story after a lengthy absence. I'm sorry for abandoning you all for the past few weeks and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. I've had a death in my family and I'm still reeling a bit from that, never mind the fact that I'm in the process of changing jobs, trying to find a new place to live in a new city and just generally up-heaving my entire life at the moment. So needless to say there hasn't been a lot of time for writing and the prospect of finding a bit of time over the next few weeks isn't looking all that promising although I remain ever hopeful :)

Anyway, after watching last night's episode I finally felt that little spark of inspiration and decided to sit down and start writing and see what I came up with; and here it is. I did have an idea for last week's episode, but it just so happened that I spent most of last week in the hospital with my family and was a bit too shaken up to finish writing it. Perhaps it will surface sometime in the near future… who knows?

This isn't much… it's probably crap, actually. But I like it and I hope you do too.

Lindsay looked up from her work of sorting through the rubble that had been Mac Taylor's immaculate office only a few short hours ago. She let out a sigh as she watched her husband processing the AK47 that had caused the destruction in which she now stood… the AK47 that had sent bullets and shards of razor sharp glass flying past her head. The AK47 that could have seen her seriously injured like several of her colleagues had Mac not found her and dragged her to safety.

Even though over an hour had passed since the shooting ended, her heart was still beating like a drum in her chest and she noticed that when she placed the numbered evidence markers on some of Mac's more personal items that had been damaged her hands began to shake. She knew it was adrenaline – first the heady rush through her system during the shoot and then the inevitable let down when it began to work its way out of her system. She felt slightly light headed and knew that she should probably take a break, maybe get a drink of juice or something to help with her blood-sugar levels. But part of her – the pig-headed, stubborn part of her – refused to let herself take a break. This was a crime scene. She had to process it quickly and efficiently. She shouldn't let the fact that she could clearly see the spot on the floor where she had fallen when the rain of bullets began bother her… but seeing the bullet hole in the floor not six inches from where she had lain and the large, jagged piece of glass that would have fallen on top of her if she hadn't moved…

She glanced at Danny again. He was frowning while he worked and she knew he wasn't happy with her right now. Relieved that she was okay? Yes, of course he was. But he wasn't pleased with her decision to remain at the scene. He'd wanted her to come downstairs to the marshalling area where staff from the 35th floor had gathered for a head count and where EMS were available to tend to injuries, and where he knew she would be safe.

"I'm staying here."

"What for?" he'd asked, a hard edge creeping into his tone.

"I'm going to get my kit; this is a crime scene."

Danny had looked at her and shaken his head as he let out a sigh. "Babe…"

"Danny, you know as well as I do that we need to process this area right away. It's our best chance of catching whoever is responsible for this mess as soon as possible."

He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, knowing that this was an argument he couldn't win… not when she'd already made up her mind. "Will you at least wear a vest?" he conceded. "Please? Just until we know this guy's no longer an immediate threat?"

Lindsay shook her head resolutely. "I don't need one, Danny. The gunshots have stopped. Mac's already on his way into the building. Whoever did this is long gone by now… and if he's not, Mac and Flack will have him in custody in a few minutes. I don't want to waste time going down to get a vest. I want to get started as soon as possible."

Danny had opened his mouth to protest but snapped it shut and shook his head. "Fine. Have it your way," he said, his tone short and tight and his expression one of immense displeasure. "Just do me a favour and try to stay out of the line of fire, okay? Stay away from the windows until we hear that the building across the way is clear."

Lindsay had grumbled something about not needing him to tell her how to do her job and he simply stared at her for a moment before he walked away down the hall, stepping carefully to avoid compromising any evidence on the floor. She'd felt so good in that brief moment when she'd been in his arms and now as she watched him go she felt like a complete ass. He was just looking out for her. Knowing full well that her focus would be on making sure everyone else was taken care of, he had wanted to make sure she remembered to take care of herself first.

"Find anything?"

"What?" Lindsay asked, startled from her thoughts by Hawkes's question. "Um… besides a whole pile of shattered glass… no. Not really. You?"

"Found a few rounds in the walls here," Hawkes said, holding out small sealed evidence bags, each with a bullet contained within. "I'm gonna run them over to Danny… he's got the gun so I'm thinking we can at least get a good match on stria. Unless… you wanna take them to him?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No. I've got my work cut out for me here. You go."

Hawkes raised his eyebrows. Something must be going on between the two of them because normally they jumped at the chance to work together. "Everything alright?" he asked. "I mean… I don't want to pry. I'm just… sorry. It's none of my business."

Lindsay smiled wanly at her friend and co-worker. "It's okay, Sheldon," she said. "I just don't think I'm his favourite person right now. He's a little choked that I wanted to stay here and process the scene instead of hiding out in the lobby with everyone else."

"No one was hiding in the lobby, Lindsay," Hawkes pointed out. "It's procedure – you know that. We do a head count to make sure everyone got out alright and give the medics a chance to check you over. Even if you didn't get hit, there's always the chance you could go into shock."

"I know," Lindsay said. "I do. But I'm fine. I just don't see why he made such a big deal about it. He wasn't trying to get you and Adam to go downstairs or wear a vest."

"Yeah well, he's not married to me or Adam, is he?" Hawkes asked with a smile. "Linds, I saw him when he came up here looking for you. It's been a long time since I've seen him that panicked. Just give the guy a break, alright? He was worried about you; he hadn't heard from you and all he knew is that you were in the line of fire. I think every worst-case scenario flashed through his mind on his way over here from the scene he and Jo were at this morning. I also think it says a lot about how much he loves you that he respected your decision to stay even though he hated the very idea. Personally I was surprised he didn't throw you over his shoulder and carry you downstairs himself whether you wanted to go or not."

Lindsay glared at Hawkes with narrowed eyes. "Why do you always have to be so damn right about everything, Sheldon Hawkes? It's really annoying."

Hawkes chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? It's all part of my charm. Now, are you going to take the bullets to him or am I?"

Lindsay looked at the wreckage surrounding her. She did want to talk to Danny and clear the air but there was so much work to be done here. And she knew the importance of preserving the chain of evidence; she had started processing the room and she should be the one to finish.

"I'd better finish up here," she said with a sigh. "You go. And tell Danny… tell him…"

"How about I send him over here when he's done with the AK47?" Hawkes suggested. "Then you can tell him whatever you want to tell him yourself."

"You almost done there, Messer?" Jo asked as she packed up her kit.

Danny was just taking a few more pictures of the burnt out car for good measure and he nodded at Jo. "Yup. Just gimme a few minutes and I'm ready to go."

"Great. I'll meet you at the truck," she said. "Don't keep me waiting, Danny. I haven't had nearly enough coffee this morning and I need a fuel up before we get back to the lab."

"Right behind ya, Jo," Danny replied. A few minutes later he was done, his camera packed up in his kit and he bent to go under the yellow crime scene tape. He placed his kit in the back of the truck before walking around to the driver's side. He was somewhat surprised to see Jo sitting behind the wheel, knowing how much she hated driving in the city. She turned to him, her face ashen as she rolled down the window. "Get in. I'm driving."

"What's going on?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost. You sure you're okay to drive?"

"Get in and I'll tell you. Let's go."

Danny crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "No. You'll tell me now. What's going on?"

"Lord, Danny! We don't have time for this! Get in the damn car!"

Unsettled by Jo's words and the fear he could hear in her tone, Danny acquiesced without further argument, quickly rounding the vehicle and slipping into the passenger seat. "I'm in. Now talk. What the hell is going on?"

Jo flicked on the lights and sirens and checked her mirrors before pulling out onto the street, weaving in and out of traffic. She took a deep, shaky breath before she spoke. "I just got a call from Flack," she said. "There's been an incident at the lab."

"What kind of incident?" Danny asked cautiously. A gas leak? An explosion? A bomb threat? Any number of things raced through his mind and he tried to remember where Lindsay was going to be that morning. Was she in the field? He didn't think so. He was pretty sure she was supposed to be putting the finishing touches to the paperwork from her most recent case. "Jo… what kind of incident?" he repeated.

His stomach plummeted into his feet and he felt a terror welling up inside of him he hadn't felt in a long, long time as Jo outlined the scant details she'd managed to get out of Don Flack. He scrubbed his face with his hands and tried to tell himself that everything was going to be alright. Don would have said if Lindsay or any member of the team was injured, right?

Unwillingly, his mind flashed back over the years. He could clearly remember the first time the cold grip of fear had taken hold of him nearly seven years ago. He had been sitting at his desk when Stella came barrelling into the room and told him there'd been an explosion at a crime scene where Flack, Mac and Lindsay had been working. And while he'd been worried for his two male colleagues, the mere thought of Lindsay in danger had almost made him physically sick to his stomach. He'd driven like a maniac to the scene, Stella in the passenger seat of the department-issue truck yelling at him to slow down, telling him that he wouldn't be doing anyone any favours if he got them all killed. But it hadn't mattered. Nothing mattered more than getting to her as fast as possible.

He'd slammed on the brakes, throwing the truck into park and jumped out, tearing off across the street to where a crowd of people had gathered, frantically scanning the sea of faces for her warm brown eyes. And finally he saw her. Stella had found her first and they were standing over by the ambulances. She had a nasty cut on her forehead and he had to smile when she attempted to swat away the medic who was trying to tend to her wound, gesturing instead to the civilians that she felt were more in need of medical attention.

He hadn't realized it until that moment, but Lindsay Monroe was more than just a friend to him. At least he hoped she was, or would be one day. As he weaved his way through the crowd to where she stood, he breathed deeply, trying to mask the terror he'd felt since he'd heard about the explosion. He'd had only a few seconds with her to make sure she was okay, and to tell her to stop being such a stubborn ass and let the medic do his job and take a look at her head. Then he was whisked away inside the tremulous building to help search for survivors, including Mac and a gravely wounded Flack.

Once the chaos was over, the culprit safely locked away in a mental institution where he belonged, Danny had begun to examine his feelings. He'd been worried about Flack - God, he'd been so worried - and about Mac too. But the sickening feeling of dread that had built up inside him at the prospect of Lindsay being in danger made him consider for the first time how he really felt about her.

And as Jo pulled to a screeching halt in front of the lab, that dread welled up inside him once again; only this time it was a million times worse. She was his whole life now… his best friend and confidante, his lover and the mother to his child. He took a moment to calm down, bracing himself for what he might find when he went inside the building.

Seeing Jo and Danny arrive, Flack had pulled them aside and explained what he knew and what the plan was. He could see the panic in Danny's eyes and he knew by the way his friend was bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet that he was itching to get inside.

"I heard from Mac, Danny; Lindsay's fine," he assured his friend. "Everyone's a little shaken up, but as far as I know, she's not hurt."

"Thank God," Danny breathed. "Can I go in?"

"Yeah. But take one of these with you," Flack said, tossing Danny a bulletproof vest. "We don't think the guy's still up there, but until we're sure it's better to take every precaution."

"Thanks man," Danny said, pulling off his sport jacket and strapping on the vest over his shirt. "I'll see you inside, Jo."

The elevator couldn't move fast enough for him and he paced back and forth inside the small box as it ascended to the 35th floor. When the doors finally slid open he gaped at the mass chaos that awaited him. Shattered glass was everywhere, people were scurrying here and there and Mac's office… Jesus. Mac's office was a mess. His eyes scanned the scene before him, looking for any sign of his wife. He saw Hawkes and Adam helping some of their injured colleagues out of harm's way and he approached them after they had deposited a young woman with a gunshot wound to the arm with a member of the ESU who was to escort her downstairs.

"Hey, you guys alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," Hawkes assured him. "Lucky for us we were on the other side of the lab when everything went down."

"That's good," Danny said. "How you doing, Adam?"

"I'm good now," Adam said. "But I was scared shitless when I heard the gunshots. I was so worried, but everyone seems to be doing okay."

"Good. That's good," Danny said, his eyes still looking around into the various labs and offices that lined the hallway. "You guys… you seen Linds? She alright?"

"Last I saw her she was with Mac," Adam said. "She… she was in the hallway behind his office when the shots started and he… he pulled her out of harm's way."

Danny said a silent thank you to his boss for getting his wife out of danger. "I'm gonna go find her. Let me know if you need some help."

"Will do, Danny," Hawkes said. "Give her a hug from us, okay?"

"Yeah. I will."

He scoured the lab for her for what seemed like an eternity, coming up empty with every room he searched. When he finally found her crouched over a fallen co-worker in ballistics his heart leapt into his throat. She was alright. She was really alright.

"Hey," he said, catching her attention and holding his arms wide for her.

"Oh, honey!" she breathed, collapsing against him.

He cradled her head in his hand for a moment before pulling her tightly against him while her arms wrapped around his torso. "Oh my God. Are you alright?" he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah. I'm good."

"You're sure?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. Pulling back from their embrace, he took a moment to look over her and his pulse quickened when he saw the blood smeared all over her chest and marring the shoulder of her jacket.

"Oh babe, there's blood all over you," he lamented and Lindsay quickly assured him that it wasn't hers. "Is anybody hurt bad?" he asked once he was relatively satisfied that she appeared to be unharmed.

She glanced at the carnage surrounding them before turning back to him, avoiding the question altogether. "What do you know?"

He briefly outlined what Flack had explained to him down on the street.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked.

"I have no idea," he admitted. "But come on. We should get downstairs; let's go."

"No. I'm staying here."

"What for?" he demanded.

"I'm getting my kit; it's a crime scene."

Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing that would do no good. He loved his wife, he really did. But sometimes her tendency to put the needs of everyone else ahead of her own safety really did a number on his nerves. He'd tried to get her to at least put on a vest, but she'd flatly refused, confident that they were no longer in imminent danger.

"Fine. Have it your way," he snapped. "Just do me a favour and try to stay out of the line of fire, okay? Stay away from the windows until we hear that the building across the way is clear."

He was stung when she rolled her eyes at him and muttered that she knew what she was doing and didn't need him to tell her how to do her job. He bit back the sharp retort that had been poised on the tip of his tongue – he knew she was good at her job; he'd never meant to imply that she wasn't. But he had just spent the past half an hour worried to death about her. The least she could do was wear a damn vest, if only for his peace of mind. He knew it was probably a combination of nerves and adrenaline that made her react that way, but it still hurt. He turned on his heel and stalked away down the hall without a backward glance in her direction.

After several tedious hours of labelling, photographing and taking samples from every surface of Mac's office, Lindsay was exhausted. Exhausted and frustrated. Every time she and Danny had been in the same room together today there had been an awkward tension between them and it bothered her. She knew that work wasn't exactly the best place to air their grievances with one another, but she had hoped that they would have at least gotten the chance to talk for a few minutes sometime during the afternoon once things had calmed down a little.

As luck would have it, that wasn't meant to be. Just as she had finished with the office she'd seen Hawkes and Danny talking with Mac out in the hall. She was about to go and see if Danny had a few minutes to spare for her when he took off toward the elevators with Mac.

"I thought you were sending him to talk to me when you guys were done," she said as she sidled up next to Hawkes.

He grimaced apologetically at her. "Sorry… we got caught up with the evidence and I completely forgot."

"You guys find something?"

"Yeah," Hawkes nodded his head. "We think Harris stowed his gun and ammo in his old apartment; found traces of asbestos, gypsum and copper on the bullets and inside the barrel of the gun. And Danny traced the gun back to a shooting from 1994 in which Harris was a suspect," he explained. "He and Mac have just gone to check it out; they think Harris might be hiding out there."

Lindsay felt her chest constrict. She'd seen firsthand the kind of destruction that Raymond Harris was capable of… and that was when he was aiming from a building across the street. The thought of Mac and Danny walking into a location where he was possibly armed and in close proximity made her stomach turn. She desperately wished she'd had a chance to make things right with him before he left… she hated the thought of him putting himself in harm's way while he was upset with her. Deciding to extend an olive branch, she quietly slipped into her office and dropped into her chair before she pulled her phone from her pocket and typed in a message. It was short and to the point; something that they said to one another whenever the other was going into a potentially dangerous situation.

Be safe.

She waited with her phone clutched tightly in her hand, hoping that Danny would reply. Finally, after what seemed like forever, her phone chirped and a small smile lit her face as she read his response.

Always am.

Those two little words instantly made her feel better, although they were usually spoken in person and came as part and parcel of a quick embrace and sometimes even a sneaky peck on the lips just for good measure if no one was watching. But Lindsay would take it in writing today and even considered it to be a small victory; at least she knew that Danny wasn't completely averse to speaking to her.

She pocketed her phone and returned to layout where she'd begun to sort through the debris from Mac's office, grateful to have the distraction of Hawkes and Adam's company while they toiled away at the tedious task. Not long after, Jo entered the room, her expression grim.

"We just got a call in to a new scene," she said. "The apartment where Mac and Danny thought Ray Harris might be hiding…"

"Did they find him? Are they alright?" Lindsay asked, her words tumbling out of her mouth in a rush.

"I don't know," Jo admitted. "Dispatch just reported an officer-involved shooting at the address where they were headed. I don't know what happened, Lindsay. I'm sorry. Neither Mac nor Danny are answering their phones."

"Oh my God," Lindsay breathed, her legs beginning to shake and she clutched at the edge of the layout table to steady herself. "Oh, Jesus. Danny…"

Jo was at Lindsay's side in an instant, her arm wrapped supportively around the young woman's shoulders. "I want you and Hawkes to go to the scene; Adam and I can finish putting this stuff away."

"No… I-I can't… the evidence…"

"Go," Adam said with a sympathetic smile in Lindsay's direction. "Get out of here."

She was a nervous wreck on the ride over, dialling and redialling Danny's number over and over again, each time her call going to his voicemail. "Shit!" she sighed after Danny's voice informed her yet again to leave a message after the beep. "Dammit! Why isn't he answering?"

"I don't know," Hawkes admitted. "Maybe he turned off the ringer. If they were trying to surprise Harris, he wouldn't want his phone going off."

"Well then he should have turned it back on by now!" Lindsay wailed, trying hard to keep her cool. Just then her phone chirped, notifying her of an incoming text message. With trembling fingers she pressed the keys to bring up the message.

I'm fine. Mac's fine. Talking with IAB and can't answer my phone. Stop calling me you stalker.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lindsay passed on the news to Hawkes that both men were safe before typing in a message of her own.

You're an asshole. I've been so worried.

It was a moment before she got a response.

You're the asshole. At least I was wearing a vest. Not so much fun being on the other side of things is it?

Lindsay gaped at her phone. Had Danny just called her an asshole? She reread his message and felt the guilt from their encounter earlier that morning welling up inside of her again.

No it's not. You're right. It sucks and I'm sorry. I'll wear a vest 24/7 from now on if it will make you happy.

Danny's answering text was almost immediate;

Kinky. I like it.

She let out a relieved giggle at his response, pocketing her phone and leaning back against the headrest. Within minutes Hawkes had pulled up in front of the nearly derelict building and he and Lindsay piled out with their kits in hand. They flashed their badges at the uniformed officer standing guard at the end of the hall and made their way down the narrow and dimly lit corridor. Danny was standing off to the side across from the only open door in the hallway and he smiled when he saw the pair of them coming.

"Hey man," Hawkes said, patting Danny on the shoulder. "Had us worried there for a bit. Good to see you're alright."

"Thanks, Doc," Danny said before turning his gaze on his wife. "Mac's inside finishing up with IAB. You can probably go in and start working on the body if you want."

Taking his cue from Danny's none-too-subtle dismissal that he wanted a few minutes alone with Lindsay, Hawkes nodded and headed into the apartment. Their earlier text-bantering notwithstanding, the awkward tension between husband and wife prevailed once again now that they were face to face. They regarded one another silently for a few moments, each of them searching for the right words.

"You sure you're okay?" Lindsay asked, finally breaking the silence while her eyes roamed his body for any sign that he'd been injured in any way. "You didn't get hit?"

"No. I didn't get hit," Danny said. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken up."

Her expression softened and she set her kit down on the floor at her side before she stepped forward and opened her arms to him. Without missing a beat he stepped into her embrace, each of them wrapping themselves around the other protectively.

"I love you so much, Danny. I'm sorry I was so horrible this morning."

"It's okay, Linds," he replied. "I love you too. And I'm sorry if you felt like I was trying to smother you. I just… I don't deal with the thought of you being in danger very well. I'm trying though. I know that you know what you're doing and I didn't mean to make you feel like I don't."

She smiled, burying her face in the crook of his neck and tightening her grip on him. "I know you didn't, baby. Thank you."

He held her for a moment longer before releasing her and gently cupping her face in his hands. "We good?"

"Better than good. We're great."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he stepped back, breaking their physical contact completely and gesturing to the open doorway leading into the apartment. "You'd better head inside. I'm sorry to stick you with processing another shoot out after what happened this morning, but I can't touch anything inside; me and Mac are too involved."

"I know. It's okay." She smiled at him and he winked at her before grabbing something from a pile on the floor beside the door. "What's that?"

"You promised," he teased, holding the bulletproof vest out to her, "Remember?"

"Danny…" Lindsay sighed. "The suspect is dead and if I know how IAB operates, you and Mac have had your weapons confiscated. I think I'll be fine."

Danny rolled his eyes, tossing the vest back into the pile beside the door. "Wow. It took you all of ten minutes to break your promise. I think that's gotta be a new record."

"Shut up!" she grinned, giving him a playful shove. "You didn't actually expect me to wear one around the clock, did you?"

"Can't blame a guy for hoping, can you?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye before he turned to head into the apartment. He stepped aside to let a young woman with long, sandy blonde hair pass by him, the two of them exchanging curt nods as they passed. When he disappeared through the door, she heard him mumbling something to Mac about the woman having a bug up her ass and she smiled, knowing that must have been the rep from IAB he'd met with earlier.

She remained in the hall for a moment to collect herself. The day had been a series of ups and downs and she was already exhausted but there was still so much work to be done. At least she knew that she and Danny were back on firm footing with one another which made her feel more at ease and less out of sorts. She made a mental note to make sure that the next time she found herself in a perilous situation she would remember the feeling of dread that had coursed through her body during those few moments when she hadn't known what had happened here in this apartment and whether or not Danny was safe. She'd do better at taking care of herself, if not for her sake then for his. Because with their jobs she knew it was only a matter of time before one or the other of them would be faced with a hail of bullets or an explosion; the past was proof that even ordinary circumstances could quickly turn deadly. She reminded herself to be thankful that she had someone in her life that worried about her, fussed over her, and had her best interest at heart during these dangerous times.

So there you go. The title for this one was taken from the 1984 song Lovers in a Dangerous Time by Canadian folk/rock legend Bruce Cockburn (get your minds out of the gutter people… it's pronounced Coe-burn. Jeez.) and also wonderfully covered by the Barenaked Ladies. In case you're unfamiliar, the lyrics are as follows:

Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by?
We never get to stop and open our eyes.
One minute you're waiting for the sky to fall
The next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all
Lovers in a dangerous time…

These fragile bodies of touch and taste
This fragrant skin, this hair like lace
Spirits open to the thrusts of grace
Never a breath you can afford to waste
Lovers in a dangerous time…

When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel as if your love's a crime
Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight
Got to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight
Lovers in a dangerous time…

Danny's flashback to 2x24 - Charge of this Post has actually been written for months now and I was just waiting for the right place to use it. I think it works pretty well here and I'd love to know what you all thought of this one. There are probably some errors in grammar, etc in this because honestly... I couldn't really be bothered to edit it too much so please don't hold that against me! Thank you so much for those of you who have been gently prompting me to show my face on FFNet again. I appreciate the support and encouragement more than you know.

*rhymes*