I'm sorry this is really late, I went out of town for the weekend to stay with my best friend from college and haven't been able to watch the episode until now. Luckily I didn't actually miss much... Because first of all, 'that girl'? 'That girl'? 'THAT GIRL'? I'm sorry, are you joking me, TPTB? Lindsay is "that girl"? You're not doing the best of jobs right now; I'll tell you that for nothing. I don't know what the deal is, but using Lindsay as a prop for Jo's holier than thou character is getting really old, really fast. Knock it the eff off now, okay?
Oh, and another thing? Tampering with evidence, resulting in the boss having to let the employee go, for said employee to then turn mistake into obsession, to then result in death? Hi recycled storylines. I mean come on, really? Did we really need to see Aiden's storyline again? We've been there, done that... let's think of something new now folks, you're the ones getting the big bucks after all. Use those creative imaginations. Please, I beg of you. –off soapbox-.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I hope you enjoy what I've come up with. I'm not too sure about it - so I really do hope you guys like it.
Stirring the soup Lindsay was watching carefully, she let out a heavy sigh. The past seventy-two hours had been eventful to say but the very least. She wasn't entirely sure how she'd managed to get from A to B, but felt it was wise not to question it.
Although life at the crime lab was generally fast paced with high risks and constant movement, she felt like the past three days had given her very little time to catch her breath. It was times like this that she missed Montana and her allocated breathing felt like she'd been bounced from one area of the case to another, moving on from whatever she'd been working on whenever she got a lead. She'd work her ass off to find their needle in the haystack, find it, and then sit on the sidelines as Jo gallivanted off and took the glory for her discovery and break in the case.
Setting her wooden spoon on the countertop, she sighed and physically shook her head. She wasn't venturing down that childish path. They were a team, and while Jo had discovered the 'me' in team, Lindsay had yet to find the 'I'. She knew that she was an integral part of their team and without her's and Danny's break-through from earlier in the day – then they'd probably be still sat wondering about the inconsistencies.
But sometimes, just sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to run around New York with no repercussions.
From what she'd been able to interpret from Mac's voicemail left on her cell-phone, Jo had accompanied another potential victim to her apartment to obtain some evidence; unknowingly walking herself and the potential witness, Amanda, into John Curtis' nest. He'd quickly gone through the logistics of what he was aware of, and informed Lindsay that although he thought they'd be okay, to stick around past her shift ended, just in case; which was fine, really, it was... but the headache that had been forming since lunch time rejected the request from her concerned boss. An hour later, Mac had called her from the hospital, telling her to go home but keep her cell-phone close, just in case he needed her.
Jo Danville, Lindsay had decided, was sometimes hard to interpret. One day she'd be Lindsay's best friend and the next; she'd be pulling rank and barking orders towards her, which was fine... except it made for an awkward tension between the two of them. Ever since Lindsay had tried to level with Jo over her guilt for the first acquittal of John Curtis, Lindsay had felt extremely wary around Jo; almost like she'd do anything to avoid conversation and eye-contact. She felt silly, but she also felt like she needed to take a stand. Jo had been rude, confrontational and unnecessarily defensive. Lindsay hadn't been blaming Jo, but those underlying issues and grudges that Jo clearly held had fuelled what had been meant as a light conversation between co-workers and friends.
Leeway had been made since then; their shared words of support and comfort in the court room had done a little in changing Lindsay's altered opinion on Jo, but relations were still tough.
Now this... Lindsay really didn't know what to make of everything. It was with no doubt in her mind that if she ever dared to conduct herself as Jo had over the past few days, Lindsay would be on modified assignment; her badge and piece being kept securely in Mac's office, accompanied by a severely bruised ego from a firm reprimand from the man himself. Yet Jo... Jo was clearly something special. She had respect for her colleague, she did. But there was just some... something not quite there for the two of them.
"You look deep in thought," a husky voice whispered into her ear, breaking her thoughts. "It's very sexy."
Scoffing at the remark, Lindsay turned and linked her arms around her husband's neck and placed a kiss to his lips. "You'd think anything was sexy."
Shrugging, Danny pressed a kiss to the of Lindsay's nose. "Well, what can I say... you're a sexy mama."
Lindsay simply shook her head in mock-disgust. "Be ashamed, Daniel."
"Of what? The fact that I bagged myself a hot wife? Not gonna happen, babe." He smirked before his cheeky grin turned slightly more serious. "How you feelin' about today; I'm guessin' that's where your mind is, right?"
Lindsay shrugged as she pulled away from him to turn back to the soup on the stove. "Kind of, I'd rather not talk about it though."
"Why?" he inquired softly as he moved to the counter next to the stove and pulled himself up onto the counter.
"I'm being childish," she admittedly quietly as she stirred the concoction she'd whipped together from her mother's recipe that she'd made modifications to herself. "And I don't want you to think I'm being silly; so I'd rather keep it to myself until I can have an adult conversation about the case."
"Okay," Danny nodded as Lindsay turned to him and offered a taste of the soup. "It's good; even better than last time, needs more salt though." He informed her after his taste-test. "And, I know you might not want to tell me what's botherin' you, but I know that the second you get it off your chest, you'll feel tonnes better... so either we do this now and we can make the most of our time together, or we do it in three hours and you walk around with the hurt expression on your face that we both know kills me."
"I just don't understand why I'm such a small part in the team." She said quietly, obviously not needing much nudging in sharing her thoughts with him. "It seems stupid but I'm just feeling really down and unappreciated."
"How do you mean?" he said as he leant over the stove and turned the heat down slightly before taking her hand and positioning her in-between his legs.
"I feel like..." she sighed heavily. "I told you it was stupid."
"If it's bothering you, then it isn't stupid Linds, trust me."
"I'm just feeling down. It's nothing... I mean, everyone gets like that... it's just been a stressful few weeks."
"What you makin' excuses for?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "Do you not think I know you're bullshittin' me? I can see right through this Montana; you can't pretend with me."
"I don't even know why I try," she mumbled, loud enough for him to smirk in response. "I just... I'm glad that John Curtis can't hurt anyone else; more than you know... but I just... it makes no sense to me. How can it be okay for her to take over my case, have you taken off the case you were working on to babysit her looking over evidence for her to go and shoot him. I know it was in self-defence, and I know that deep down the world is a better place without him... but why Danny? Why does everything feel different with Jo? I really don't understand. Is it just me? Am I being too sensitive or is there something not there?"
"Things have changed," Danny agreed. "But we knew that when Stella left, the dynamic would change, no matter who took her place; we prepared ourselves for that and you knew that Linds."
"No, that's not what I'm saying..." she sighed. "Like, take for instance this case... Flack's had the cases he's taken to heart, just like you and I... but Jo just turns everything personal. It's like she loses sight that the focus should be on justice for the victim, and it's more of a case of getting justice for herself. And it annoys me Danny; it shouldn't, but it does. Serena now has to go for the rest of her life with John Curtis never facing up to what he did because Jo took it personal and made it about her. It's wrong for me to think it and it's even more wrong to say it out loud... but I just know from my own experience, that if someone had taken that moment away from me when I heard the guilty verdict, my life would be very different right now."
Danny nodded contemplatively, sensing that Lindsay hadn't quite finished.
"And what else gets me is that I was made to look like an absolute idiot in that courtroom. I just know that there were a handful of people in there that questioned my scientific ability because of Ali, and while that wasn't Jo's fault, it was Jo's fault that I got dragged into the case. I was quite happy working with you and Sheldon, staying impartial, but that didn't happen, did it?"
"Well, let me start by sayin' how proud I am of you. I don't think you realise that without you, Mac wouldn't have put two and two together about Senator Matthews. Once again, you saved the day Linds... you should be proud about that."
"That's not what I mean, Dan," Lindsay sighed as she ran her fingers over his jean-clad thighs affectionately. "I don't want people to say well done; I just want people to realise... You know what, I don't even know what I want."
"I know what you mean." He said softly. "You just want people to appreciate the input and dedication you have to the case... you want people to recognise your work towards the bigger picture, rather than yourself, and I'm proud of you for that... I also want you to know that no matter how crazy, childish or selfish you might think you're being, I'm never going to judge you or take someone else's side, okay? You're my wife and we're a team in this... and usually you're right anyway, so I've come to learn that if I go with you, I'm usually onto a winner." He winked playfully. "But in all seriousness, Linds, I understand everything you've just said."
"You do?" she implored. "You don't think I'm being silly."
"Silly? No." He shook his head. "Worryin' over nothing? Maybe a little... What Jo does shouldn't concern you. I know that it does and sometimes you can't help it... but I think you need to sometimes take a step back and remember that you're only human and sometimes it's okay not to be okay."
"That's very poetic." Lindsay smiled up at him.
"It's true." He insisted. "You know how much I adore you, don't you?"
She nodded with a blush to her cheeks.
"Okay, so you know that I'm usually biased to what you think and say, right?"
"Well, I'd like to think that you'd be able to be honest with me if it was necessary." Lindsay said softly.
"And I would," he nodded. "But Linds, you're spot on with everything you just said. I'm not gonna lie, Jo can be the biggest pain in the ass in the world. We've had big changes in the crime lab since she's arrived; some that haven't been that necessary, but change happens..."
"Everything happens for a reason," Lindsay muttered to herself.
"Exactly," Danny nodded. "And we might not know why right now, but sooner or later, it'll make sense."
"I hope it's sooner, rather than later." Lindsay sighed. "I don't know whether I could deal with the suspense."
Danny chuckled as he released her, so she could get back to stirring her soup. "The thing is with Jo, she's been carryin' this burden since we met her, you know?" he began carefully. "Kind of like another girl I used to know."
"That was a little different." Lindsay said quietly. "That affected me directly, Jo involved herself in this."
"Sweetpea, I'm not sticking up for her. Not for one second... but I just want you to think about the bigger picture. She's been carryin' the responsibilities and guilt around with her for a-"
"Nah-ah!" Lindsay implored, wiggling her index finger in his face. "If you say that, I'll be forced to question your scientific integrity."
Rolling his eyes, Danny grabbed Lindsay's hand and pulled her towards him. "You're a goof." He shook his head. "Seriously though Linds, we may be surprised... she could be a different person now that this weight is off her mind. He can't rape anyone else. If anything good has come out of this, it's that."
Lindsay nodded adamantly. "I just feel like there were other, more professional and less dangerous ways to go about getting him off the streets."
"There were," Danny agreed. "But when your face is being smashed against a mirror, I don't think many other options spring to mind. I think I would be right in saying that Jo could learn quite a bit about resilience from you, baby. Don't feel unappreciated, okay? I know it's easier to feel like your efforts are cast to the side at work, but I notice. I may not comment and make it known, but I know the time, dedication and effort you put into the theories you come up with and the reconstructions you create, and I appreciate them. Always remember that, okay?"
She nodded softly; a small smile stretching across her rosy lips.
"Try not to worry about this, okay?" He said softly, cupping her cheek and running his coarse fingertips over her delicate skin. "That's why they pay Mac the big bucks, alright? Not you. It's not in your job description; so in future, sit tight with me while we watch the storm pass."
"That was a good analogy." she praised her husband. "Poetic phrases and great analogies... I'm impressed."
"Yeah, we've weathered quite a few storms together, haven't we?" Danny nudged her softly. "We're a good team."
"We sure are." She smiled up at her husband.
"You know what Linds," he said, breaking their brief silence. "Have a bit of faith; things are gonna get easier. They always do, don't they?" he said before continuing on. "In fact, I think goin' through all that we have has made us stronger; so take a breath, everything's over now... and we're onto the next case now. And maybe, just maybe you'll get a thank you from Jo, and it'll make everything seem not so hurtful and upsetting."
Lindsay smiled and simply met her husband's lips in a soft and loving kiss.
While things weren't easy at work; and Jo was being a massive pain in the ass - having Danny to put things into perspective made things seem a lot easier. And she was positive that their weathered storms strengthened their bond, love and dedication to one another. Because when things tumbled to their feet, they'd become experts in restructuring everything back together, supporting each other and making sure that nothing stood in their way of being the couple that they knew they could be.
I hope I got my point across there... It seems a little bit of an off ending, but it's been a lonnnnnnng weekend and it's after three-am now. I'm not the hardcore girl anymore that can do all nighters. Twelve o'clock is a good bedtime usually, so... you'll have to overlook any spelling errors/inconsistencies for me.
I really hope that you enjoyed it, and again, I'm really sorry it's late. Any thoughts or comments about the episode/Jo/Lindsay, etc are always appreciated. I love reading what you guys think about the episode! hehe :)
Anyway, thanks for reading guys!
