Once upon a time, at the beginning of the Summer of 2009,someone (we know who you are) named Laurzz bemoaned the fact that the brilliant writers had left our favorite characters on the floor of a bar for the summer, leaving us with little to do with them, but find other places to let them play. Well ... as our story continues, Lilymoonlight and webdlfan couldn't help but continue the bemoaning, until their (our) bemoaning turned into a story. And as the story began, our favorite cast had raised their glasses to the dearly departed Jessica Angell. A car drove by, the window slowly rolled down, and a machine gun fired. Glass shattered ... and everyone dove down.

Leaving them on a dirty barroom floor for the summer ...

Forgive us, we ask, if you think we lost our minds. Otherwise ... enjoy the darkness of one tragic Summer, 2009. ... Web & Lily.


Lying in Wait

Chapter 1

I spy ... nothing but dark.

Darkness had fallen across the bar where the eight of them had fallen. Glass had shattered, lay on them, around them, under them. The bar tender went home; the lights had been turned off. Danny lay flat on the floor, waiting. Waiting for a signal to get up, waiting for the next chapter in this storyline.

He thought of Lindsay first. His hand tightened around hers and he let out a breath of relief when hers tightened on his. He thought of Lucy next. She was safe at least. Then he thought of Flack, and of Jess, and the sadness that still surrounded them.

He didn't know who had shot at him; he only wished he could get up off this floor. It seemed like days had passed. Weeks. He thought possibly that it could be Father's Day, and here he was, without Lucy.

"Linds?" He voiced into the darkness.

"Danny? Is that you?" Finally. A smile spread across his face, and he grinned.

"Yeah, it's me. How you doin'?"

There was a sound of someone shifting about, and a crunch of glass, a few muffled 'ouches' before she answered a little breathlessly, "I'm… good. Yeah, good. Are you okay?"

"Great. Just great. Lying here in the dark unable to move, after being shot at…" He groaned, "Sorry, Linds, it's just…"

"I know. I miss her, too. Do you think …"

"What?"

"Do you think she's aging without us, or will she still be the same when we get out of here?"

"I don't know. You don't think she'll have forgotten …"

Her hand tightened again, and what felt like her body pressed up against his, "No. No, she'll know exactly who we are. Don't worry. Hey, is everyone else okay?"

He shrugged and frowned, "Don't know. Haven't heard from anyone. Didn't know if we were supposed to ask… He wiggled forward a bit, and bumped into something soft.

"Was that you, Linds?" He hissed.

"No! It was me." Another voice answered him. Adam. "Danny?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. You good?"

"Think so." A considering voice answered him, "Got glass in my beard, but, you know, could be worse I guess. Can't seem to see much though. Someone turned out the lights. Anyone else awake?"

"I been awake for days!" Danny muttered, "Could really use the bathroom…"

A groan met his ears, "Just… don't… mention that word. Please."

"Fine, sure, whatever." Danny huffed, "Listen, you got any ideas about this?"

"Me? No, hey, I'm just a humble lab tech. I don't get the ideas, you need the Doc, or Mac, or Stella for that."

"You spoken to them?" Danny strained his eyes, trying to see his colleague. Damn glasses, he thought. Who the hell had had the bright idea of removing them anyway? No wonder he couldn't see anything past his hand in front of his face.

"No, not heard a word. Hope they're okay." Adam replied, and there was more scrunching sounds, "Maybe I ought to crawl over there, see if…"

"No!" Danny reached out blindly and grabbed a handful of shirt, "You can't do that! We can't move, remember?"

"Uh… not really. Who said so?"

"I don't know! But, we just... can't. Okay?"

He could swear he could almost see Adam's face screwing up in confusion, "Okay… if you insist. Can I at least kind of, call out to them?"

Danny sighed, and rested his chin on the ground, "All right, fine. Linds? What do you think?"

"It's a good plan"

Her hair brushed against the side of his face, tickling him. He sneezed, and another voice answered.

"Danny? That you?"

"Doc? You okay? You get hit?"

There was a pause, and a rustling sound.

"Don't think so. Can't feel any blood anyhow, nothing hurts. Well, maybe my elbow, a bit. Think I hit Don in the ribs with it…"

"Yeah, you did."

"Hey! Don! Welcome back, buddy!"

Danny felt a smile spreading across his face, along with relief. The last thing he remembered before the darkness was Flack crashing to the ground shortly after Stella…

"Is Stella okay?"

"I'm okay." Her voice cut across the darkness, "Got some glass in my hair, but that seems to be it. Mac's okay, we were just having a conversation."

"I didn't hear you." Don's voice had a note of suspicion.

"There's a lot you don't hear, Don." There was a sound, a slight movement, and Danny could all but see Stella shrug. "A conversation doesn't have to be audible."

"Boss! You okay?" Danny wiggled further forward on his stomach, figuring it wasn't cheating to do that.

"Right here, Danny" Mac's deep voice answered him, "How's everyone doing?"

"So far so good." Lindsay supplied, and Danny squeezed her hand again. And wondered again where they were in time. Where Lucy was … and who the heck had planned this when they were just now really together and married. He could be home with his family. He could be home with his wife. He could—

"Anyone hear from Sid?" Hawkes asked suddenly.

"I was waiting for when you were going to remember me." A rather plaintive voice came from behind a bar stool, as far as Danny could tell, "Is it me, or is it very dark in here?"

"The lights have gone out." Danny offered, "Bartender switched them off when he left. Can't see a thing."

"How long we been here, Mac?" Hawkes spoke up after a few moments of silence.

"Any ideas anyone? Stell?"

"Sorry." She replied, "Lost track of time lying here in the darkness. Kind of reminded me of another time and place." Her voice sobered. There was another sound then, which, to Danny, sounded very much like his boss laying a comforting hand on a shoulder.

He cleared his throat, and decided he needed to do something to rally the team.

"So…" He shuffled forward a little further, stopping when he bumped into something again, and provoked an exclamation from Flack, "Anyone in for a game of 'Eye spy?"

Alas, our fair readers. Tis not our fault. If anything you should ponder who the pawn is in this game ... the characters, the actors or the viewers. Someone's playing a very deadly game.

Ha ha ha ha ha.

Or in other words ... we've got a theme going here. We shall continue. Soon.