CSI NY Fic - What Happens After
Title: What Happens After
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Danny-centric. Danny/Angell with mentions of past Danny/Lindsay
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the CSI franchise; they are owned by Jerry Bruckheimer, Anthony Zuicker, et. al. do
Authors Notes: liam22 wanted to know what happened after Heat Of The Moment and all of a sudden this morning I woke up with this idea and just couldn't go back to sleep. Now that I've got it out, maybe I can go back to sleep.

---

He had been surprised when she said okay. That wasn't exactly the response you were expecting when you said you wanted out of a relationship. He was sure he blinked a few times, and then she laid it out for him: she'd wanted out for a little while now. Had been trying to figure out how to say it. Was glad he made the first move.

And the only thought running through his head was that he never needed to tell her about that night with Angell, which had been on his mind quite a bit lately.

And it wasn't a guilty "I never should have done that, what am I going to do now?" type thought. No, if it had been that this conversation probably would have ended with a slap at the least because he would have caved and told her. No, the thought running through his head had been something more along the "I need to end this relationship to see if I really have a chance at something better" lines of things.

So when Lindsay said okay, it was over, he was relieved. A little perplexed, but relieved.

And then the wait came. He was professional at work to both Lindsay and Angell. He knew Angell wanted to talk to him but he put it off for a week, then a couple weeks, then a month. He wasn't surprised to see her standing outside the labs one day, just waiting.

"Could have come upstairs," he said to her.

"You've been avoiding me. You would have hid out and had Flack or someone tell me you weren't there."

"Needed some time."

"Some time for what, Danny? All I wanted was an explanation. We sleep together and then two days later you and Lindsay aren't together. And she's not looking at me like it was all my fault so I was starting to wonder what in the hell had happened and you didn't say anything!"

Danny looked at her for a second. She was breathing deeply, her face looked warmed up despite the cold, and he just looked, just for a second. "I was waiting because I wasn't sure what to do."

"Yeah? Do you know what to do now?" She wasn't angry anymore, but she was still breathing deeply and she still looked...

Instinct took over again like it had that night and he kissed her. Not hard and frantic like it had been that night, but not something soft and sweet, either. Something in between, something that showed that yes, he had figured out what to do.

She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close, and they both forgot about the cold and the fact they were near the labs and that people were watching...none of it really mattered anymore, not at that moment. Nothing mattered except that kiss.