Let me explain the concept of this series. It'll be a series of D/L one shots (what else?) that are inspired by Billy Joel songs. The title of the fic will be the title of the song that corresponds. They will all incorporate the theme of the song in some way even if lyrics aren't necessarily quoted. And, I'll say it now, I don't own CSI:NY or its characters and I don't own any of the songs… yadda yadda yadda.
"Hey Danny." Lindsay entered the locker room to see her sort of, kind of, not really boyfriend preparing for the day. She wasn't sure what to call him, actually. Things had been going fine between them up until Ruben died. In the weeks that had followed the little boys' death, Danny had become distant and pulled away from everybody, especially Lindsay.
"Mornin' Monroe," Danny said half-heartedly.
Lindsay's heart sank. She hadn't expected him to address her as Montana as she hoped he would, but she had at least hoped he'd call her by her first name. He hadn't called her Montana in weeks and, as much as she hated to admit it, she really missed it. Much to her disdain, tears pricked her eyes, so she turned on her heel and fled from the locker room without putting her things away.
Danny sighed and slumped down on to a bench once she was gone. He knew he'd screwed up, he knew he was wrong, but he was too afraid, too proud, too stubborn to tell her that. What it all boiled down to was that he was terrified that he'd pour his heart and soul out to her and try and apologize and she'd tell him it was too late, he'd done too much damage for her to take him back.
Stella burst into the locker room just then, a look of rage and pure fury on her face. Danny had only seen this look a few times before, but it terrified him. "What did you do to her?" she demanded.
"What are ya talkin' about?" Danny asked, playing dumb.
"Don't give me that," Stella scoffed, "You know exactly what I'm talking about!"
"I didn't mean ta hurt her," Danny said quietly, hoping that Stella would take pity on him and her rage would magically evaporate into thin air.
"Didn't mean to hurt her?" Stella said, her voice rising with each word. "Is that the reason she's sobbing her heart out in my office right now?"
Danny's heart began to hurt. "Sobbin'?" he repeated.
"Yes, sobbing!" Stella exclaimed. "You've got to fix this Danny, you've got to snap out of it before it's too late. She cares about you and you're breaking her heart. Figure out where your priorities are and act accordingly." Without giving Danny a chance to respond, she turned and stormed out of the room.
Flack handed Lindsay another tissue and awkwardly patted her on the back.
"Thanks, Don," Lindsay sniffed. "I'm sorry I'm being such a trouble."
"Don't be, " he told her, "Danny's being a jerk. He's confused and is still blaming himself for Ruben's death. Just give him time, he'll come around."
"I've given him three weeks," Lindsay sobbed, "I've told him that I'm there if he needs to talk and he just keeps pushing me away. I don't know what else I can do!"
"Well, Stella just talked to him, so I'm sure he'll be coming around sooner rather than later," he mumbled.
"Oh no," Lindsay sighed. She had limited experience with Stella's rage, but from what she knew, Stella's little "discussion" with Danny couldn't have been a pleasant one.
"It'll be ok," Don assured her, hoping that he was right. "It'll be ok."
Lindsay held her breath while Mac went over assignments for the day. Please don't put me with Danny, she silently pleaded.
"Danny, Lindsay, I need you guys to take a DB in Central Park," Mac finished, obviously not getting Lindsay's telepathic message.
The two glanced at each other and then quickly looked away. This was going to be interesting. If by interesting you mean complete and utter turmoil, that is.
"Uh, you wanna drive or do ya want me ta?" Danny asked as they gathered their kits and prepared to head out.
"Whatever floats your boat," Lindsay said coldly. "I don't really care."
Danny didn't say anything.
Danny and Lindsay rode to the scene without saying a word. The only sounds were those of the traffic outside the car and the radio. The music selection wasn't bad, not Danny's favorite, but he wasn't about to be arguing with Lindsay after all he'd put her through already.
An up tempo chart topper ended and a familiar, melodic tune began to play. Danny immediately recognized it as Billy Joel's Tell Her About It. His eyes widened, the song having new meaning because of the current circumstances with the woman he loved. He quickly reached over and changed the station. "I hate that song," he said as a lame excuse.
Lindsay had recognized the song as well, so his point of view regarding it hurt her even more.
A few lyrics from the song that Danny had just turned off wandered into his head, much against his will.
She's a trusting
soul
She's put her trust in you
But a girl like
that won't tell you
What you should do
It was as though Billy had foreseen their relationship when writing this song. Danny grimaced and tried to force the song out of his head. But, much like the woman sitting next to him, it just wouldn't allow for anything else to occupy his thoughts.
"What's up with you and Monroe, Danno?" Flack asked as he walked with his best friend. They had just slipped out of the building for a couple of minutes to get a caffeine fix from Starbucks.
Danny grimaced. He'd been waiting for this question to be asked. "I dunno, Don," Danny started.
Don rolled his eyes. "Gimme a break, Messer. I wasn't born yesterday."
Danny looked sheepish. "I really care about her," he admitted, flushing a little. "We just seem so right together, ya know? I mean it just seems like it fits."
"Tell her about it."
Danny's eyes widened and he was sure that he'd heard wrong. "Excuse me?"
Don looked at him strangely. "Tell…her…about…it," he said, as though he were talking to a young child or someone with limited English comprehension.
"Uh, whaddaya mean?" Danny was still trying to cover his shock about hearing that phrase twice in one day.
"Don't tell me how you feel about her, tell her!" Don said, exasperated.
"Oh," Danny said. "That ain't as easy as it sounds."
"I know," his friend told him. "But it'll be worth it."
"Montana."
Lindsay closed her locker and spun around so quickly that she almost lost her balance. Danny stood there, biting his lip and looking very nervous.
"What?" Lindsay said a little more harshly than she'd intended to.
Danny stiffened. "Listen, I know I screwed up. You offered your help and I just pushed you away. I was stupid and wrong and I'm really sorry. I understand if I'm too late, but I just had to tell you that I love you." He blurted this all out in one breath, afraid that if he paused to breathe he'd chicken out.
Lindsay didn't say anything; her facial expression didn't change.
"Alright," he said, defeated. He turned and started to leave.
"Danny!" Lindsay stopped him by grabbing his forearm. He turned to face her, his arm still in her grasp. "I love you, too." A smile danced across her face and her eyes shone with tears.
Mirroring her happy features, he pulled his arm out of her grip and crushed her to his body. He almost cried when he smelled her sweet scented hair. He hadn't realized how much he missed that unique, feminine scent that was permanently embedded in his mind as Montana. He felt her tears soaking through his t-shirt and gently eased her away from his body slightly so that he could wipe away her tears with his thumbs. Once this task was accomplished, he tilted her chin so that he could look into her beautiful brown eyes. "I love you, Montana," he told her.
"I love you, too."
His lips covered hers as soon as he heard those coveted words for a second time. She locked her arms around his neck in order to pull herself closer to his hard, toned body. His hands wandered across the small of her back, where one made it's permanent residence, while the other journeyed up to the back of her neck. He stoked the sensitive skin just below her hairline with a finger and felt her shiver against him.
"Mac's gonna walk in any minute, I just know it," Danny murmured against her lips.
She captured his lips once more for a quick, yet passionate kiss, before nestling her head against his chest. All she wanted at this moment was to feel his strong arms around her, to know that he was hers. He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Let's go home," he suggested.
She smiled. "Lead the way, cowboy."
A/N Of course they made up. What kind of D/L fan would I be if they didn't? Oh, and sorry that it's kinda choppy Well, next installment coming up pretty soon.
xoxo
Lia
