This is my first fanfic so we'll see how it goes. I love Danny/Lindsey but I kind of like the idea of her and Flack. This is set right after Danny forgets Lindsey's birthday after Reuben's death. Let me know if you like it and if I should continue.
Just as a small side note, Lindsey's hair is longer like it was in season 3. I like how it is now, but I liked it better longer:)
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY or anything related to it. I also make a small mention of Verizon, I don't own that either.
Don Flack was on his way to the locker room to return Lindsey's phone to her. They had just come back from searching a suspect's home and had found nothing to put the guy at the scene.
As soon as they had pulled up to the lab, Lindsey had rushed off to the locker room to get her stuff and go home. He looked down at the phone in his hand and examined it. A couple weeks ago, there had been a picture of a happy couple looking at each other adoringly as her wallpaper. All that appeared now however, was a Verizon logo where the picture had once been. Don was not unaware of the things going on between Danny and Lindsey. After all, he and Danny were best friends and not to mention that there had been whisperings and rumors going around in the lab. Being around Lindsey though, it was hard for people to tell that there was so much turmoil going on in her life. At work she was normal and composed, but he knew better. He could tell that something was slightly off; that sparkle in her eye had begun to fade a couple weeks back.
When Reuben had died, Don hadn't been surprised by the way Danny had taken it. But what had surprised him was how he had pushed Lindsey away. He was so sure that he would lean her and that their relationship would become stronger. From the way Danny talked about her, he thought that this would be the woman to tame Danny's heart. How wrong he had been.
He was so upset with Danny for treating Lindsey so poorly. He had even forgotten her birthday. Sure, guys forgot their girlfriends' birthday all the time, but they made it up to them not give them some lame excuse for forgetting.
Don wanted to be there for Lindsey; he wanted to comfort her and give her a shoulder to cry on, but they just didn't have that kind of friendship. Sure, they could turn to each other if they were in real trouble, but not for personal stuff like this. Plus, he was Danny's friend and he didn't want to meddle or take sides, even if Danny was wrong…
Before he knew it, Don was outside the locker room. With so much on his mind, he almost didn't notice the quiet sniffling coming from inside. As he looked inside, he saw Lindsey standing at her locker with her head down and her body quietly shaking.
"Hey"
"Oh… hey", she said as she quickly wiped her eyes and started to gather her things.
"You forgot your phone…"
She turned around to face him, and Don's heart broke in pieces. She looked like a beautiful disaster. Her red-rimmed eyes glistened in the poor lighting, her hair that had been tied back was now wildly spilling over her shoulders, and her sad forlorn face was flushed from crying. He didn't know had she had managed it, but Lindsey Monroe made heartbreak look good.
"You wanna talk about it?" he asked.
"No, not really"
"Well, if you ever need to talk…"
"Thanks Don", she said as she gave him a quick smile and headed for the door.
"Hey Linds, do you want a ride?"
"Oh, that's okay. I'm just gonna catch the A".
"C'mon, why would you catch the train when you can get a ride home?" he asked. "Do I smell bad or something?"
She laughed lightly at his joke and he found himself wanting to hear that sound again.
"I'm not taking no for an answer", he continued.
She smiled and waited for him to grab his things and they headed for his car.
They rode in his car in silence except for the times he asked if she was cold or if she was okay with the radio station. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it was a silence he would have liked to avoid. Whenever he looked at her, he found himself at a loss for words. He wanted to say that it was going to be okay, that Danny was a jerk and it was his loss, but he couldn't say anything. For some reason, he found himself feeling tense with his stomach in knots and he had this great urge to hold her. He dismissed it as lack of sleep and stress due to the case they were working on.
They pulled up to her apartment building and Don struggled to find something to say. He looked at her and she looked back at him.
"Well, this is my stop. Thanks for the ride", she smiled.
"Anytime", he replied.
He took a deep breath and grabbed her hand hoping he wasn't overstepping his boundaries.
"Look, I know we're not that close, but I want you to know that I'm a really good, unbiased listener and I really do care about you. I don't want to force you or anything and I know that you've got Stella, but if you ever want a guy's opinion…"
He could tell that she wanted to let it all out, to explode with what was going on inside her, and he hoped that she would open up to him. When she finally crumpled to a heap in her seat, Don knew that he had finally broken down her walls. When she fell into his arms, he knew that she trusted him. And when their lips found each other in a passionate kiss, he knew that whatever he was feeling had nothing to do with tiredness or stress.
