Whole Lotta Trouble
DL Set beforeduring S2 'Zoo York'. Lindsay was going to rue the day she ever set foot in that bar the night before starting her new job. Cue never-ending consequences …….
Chapter One: And You Remember It 'Til The Dream Followed Through
Disclaimer: My Muse, my imagination and my dreams are all mine (but can be rented for a high fee). I'm sure if I owned the cast and characters we would have an enormous amount of fun (but I don't. I'm just borrowing them).
A/N:- I thought I'd write something a little different……
'Whole Lotta Trouble' – Stevie Nicks
Lindsay Monroe was never late. She was never late except for today and even now most people wouldn't usually consider being five minutes early late but she had always been an at-least-half-an-hour-before kind of girl so this, for her, was late. And she was nervous. Who wouldn't be? This was her first day at a new job in a new city with new people. Finishing her second cup of coffee of the day and chucking the paper cup in the bin she couldn't help but think how desperately she needed a third.
She had run through scenarios of how this day was going to go several times in her head and none of them had included her having to take several Paracetamol tablets and down three glasses of water before leaving the house.
She had planned it so well even down to the very minute that she would put on her friendliest eager-to-please smile and shake the famed Detective Mac Taylor's hand but she had forgotten to take into account one very formidable force: Lauren Harper. Up until the moment when she had bounded into her room early yesterday evening, Lindsay had been glad that her friend had taken the time off work to come over to New York and calm her nerves about starting her new job but just as she had finished laying out the blouse and trousers she was going to wear to work, Lauren had insisted that they go out to celebrate Lindsay's final night of freedom before the routine of non-stop work and crazy shifts started. Lindsay hadn't wanted to go out but Lauren was as crazy and spontaneous as she was calm and sensible and once her friend had made up her mind she had known there was no stopping her.
Coming from a small town in Bozeman, Montana, she had only read about the 'typical night out in a big city' experience in a cheap magazine she flicked through at a newsstand and being so sensible when it came to drinking, she was sure that just because Lauren was taking her to a bar in the middle of Manhattan it didn't mean that her judgement when it came to alcohol intake would suddenly disappear…….
Lindsay rubbed her sore head with the palm of her hand whilst she waited. Last night she had experienced two things she never thought she would: the first was getting humiliatingly drunk, which she was sure she could blame on Lauren and the second …… well, the second was obviously the result of the first but she still wasn't sure that she would ever fully understand how she let it happen……………………….
It was nice of Lauren to buy her one good luck drink and even wait for her to take her first sip before she had left her to go and frolic with the large number of eligible city boys who all, as soon as they set eyes on Lauren, looked like all their dreams had come true at once. Lindsay had expected as much and she had come prepared, armed with the most comprehensive book on her new city that she could find and she had taken her glass and her book to the quietest corner in the bar and sat there studying it for half an hour before realising that her Martini glass was empty. Bookmarking her page, she headed over to the bar.
"Glass of water please." She said to the barman who nodded and started pouring her a glass.
"Reading AND drinking water in a bar. Let me guess, you're from a small country town, population 500?"
Lindsay turned to look at who was addressing her and she wasn't surprised to see it was exactly the type of guy she intended to stay away from during her time in the city: short hair, glasses, a stubble, tight fitting T-shirt, cute in a rough kind of way, confident, acted like he owned the place…… Arrogant.
"Have you been watching me?"
He shrugged. "You're not exactly hard to look at."
His confidence half annoyed her and half scared her. She shot him a look and decided to ignore him until he made it impossible to do so.
"Get this lady another Martini, Ben- and scrap the water." He ordered the barman.
"No, I-" Lindsay started to protest but it was too late. The water was gone and 'Ben' was down the other end of the bar gathering the bottles.
She pulled out some notes and placed them on the bar top.
"What are you doing?" the guy frowned.
"Paying for my drink which you so kindly ordered for me." She said with a sarcastic eye roll.
"It's a bit hard for me to buy you a drink if you're giving me money for it." The guy said with a small smile, watching her closely.
Lindsay made the mistake of admitting to herself that as the first random city guy who had tried to hit on her, he was rather good looking with amazingly blue eyes. His ego on the other hand ……. "I'm sorry did my book and request for water not make it clear enough that I'm not here to 'get drinks bought for me'?" She said hoping that her sarcasm would put an end to their conversation and she picked up her Martini glass and headed back to her table without giving him another look.
"Detective Monroe?"
Lindsay turned round apprehensively and saw a tall, Greek-looking lady with bouncy curly hair walking up to her with a large smile on her face. "I know you were expecting Detective Taylor but unfortunately he's out in the field so you've got me to welcome you to the team instead." She said, holding out her hand. Lindsay smiled and took it and the lady stepped forward and gave her a quick embrace. "I'm Stella Bonasera the other Senior Agent, Welcome to the team." She said, handing over the department issue badge, I.D and gun.
"Thanks." Lindsay smiled, fastening the items to her belt and pocketing her I.D.
Stella led her through a couple of doors into the main corridor of the CSI department. "I can't tell you how glad I am to have another woman on the team with me again. The guys – they're great as you'll see, but it's always nice to have some female company."
"I know what you mean." Lindsay replied, glad that she could rely on getting on with at least one person on the team. Looking through the glass windows into the labs as they passed, she was amazed to see the facilities and equipment this place had. It was certainly going to be an experience working here.
"How are you finding New York so far?"
"Very different from home." Lindsay said, trying not to think about last night again. "Think it's going to take some getting used to."
"Yeah but I'm sure you'll learn to love it here like the rest of us." Stella said, stopping outside of an empty office that read 'Det. Mac Taylor.' "I've got to check in and see if we've got any new cases for a minute. Not everyone's in yet but if you head over to the breakroom Danny, another CSI on our team, is in there and I'm sure he'll be happy to show you where we keep our coffee."
"Thanks." Lindsay said gratefully at the mention of coffee. She walked across the corridor and into the breakroom. The room was empty except for a guy sitting on the sofa. She froze as soon as she saw him and as they made eye contact a large smirk began to grow on his face.
Lindsay instinctively took a step back towards the door.
"This is NOT happening to me." She groaned disbelievingly.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you the best way to experience New York was to see it, not to read about it." The guy said, slipping into the seat next to her.
Lindsay gave him a look over the top of her book and then twisted round, trying to see if she could see Lauren anywhere, dying for her to come and save her. "If you want, I could show you the sights." He said, reaching over and shutting her book.
"That line actually work for you?" Lindsay said, not even looking at him as she reopened her book.
"You'd be surprised."
Lindsay decided that the best course of action was to ignore him and pray he would get bored of her and go away but apparently she misjudged this guy and he wasn't in a particular hurry to 'get lucky' tonight.
"How long are you in town for?" he asked, sipping his beer.
"If you don't leave me alone then not for long." She retorted.
The guy chuckled. "And if I do leave you alone?"
"I've just moved here." She replied, still keeping her eyes on her book but she was finding herself reading the same sentence about the Guggenheim Museum over and over again.
"Bozeman got a little too claustrophobic for you?"
Lindsay looked up at him sharply. How did he know where she had come from? He was staring at her with a triumphant grin on his face pleased that he got one up on her. Then she remembered what she had been using as a bookmark, "You read it from my boarding pass. Smart." She said holding up the slip of paper.
"I'm more than just a pretty face. You got a boyfriend back home?" he asked casually.
Lindsay bit down on her bottom lip and swallowed a few mouthfuls of her drink.
The guy leant back in his chair with an air of satisfaction. "I'll take that as a no then."
"What is it going to take for you to leave me alone?" She glared, losing her patience. God he was frustrating and it irritated her that he was pretty intuitive as well.
He shrugged. "You could sit here and make idle conversation and act like you're not completely repulsed by me and after a suitable amount of time has passed I'll go away and leave you to your book."
Lindsay sighed and slammed her book shut. "Fine." She said, catching sight of the back of Lauren's head a little way away and thinking of a number of profanities she wished she could throw her way right now.
"Good. Let's start over." The guy said, standing up and then sitting down again. "Hi I'm Danny." He said. Lindsay just sat there looking at him, willing him to leave. "You have a first name Miss Monroe?"
Lindsay cursed the day she ever decided to use her boarding pass as a bookmark. "Lindsay." She told him reluctantly, wondering how many other Lindsays he'd met in this bar.
"So, is it the first time you've lived in a big city?" Danny asked, finishing off his beer.
Lindsay looked at him. He had one of the most intense stares of anyone she had met. It looked like he was staring through her not at her. "Is it that obvious that I'm a country girl?"
"Well I think your natural beauty, the fact you've been dragged to a bar, your decision to try and talk to no one this evening and the way you're finding it really difficult to be mean to me shows you haven't been brought up in New York or LA." Danny smiled.
"Being mean seems to be a skill I've picked up on remarkably easily since meeting you."
"Yeah, but let me guess, if you were at home I would be getting a polite rejection instead of the frosty reception I'm getting now?"
Lindsay looked at him steadily. "This 'let's try to get her wound up because she'll suddenly find me attractive' thing you've got going on really isn't working out for you."
"Ah you say it isn't but I think you're warming to me." Danny said, a large grin on his face.
Lindsay was saved from replying by the fact that at that moment Lauren came bounding over. Her friend seemed surprised to see her sitting with a guy and stalled for a minute.
"You going to introduce us?" Lauren purred flirtatiously.
"Lauren, Danny; Danny, Lauren." Lindsay said with a sigh.
"Nice to meet you Danny. I'm just going to have to borrow Lindsay from you for a minute." Lauren said taking Lindsay's hand and pulling her up out of her seat.
"Thank God. It took you long enough. That guy's ego is so big I'm surprised he …" Lindsay trailed off as Lauren led her up to a table surrounded by a group of guys who were looking her up and down and checking her out even as she approached. "What's going on?"
Lauren turned to her. "Remember how on your 21st birthday you drank half a glass of whisky? Straight?"
"Erm yeah. And how I got hopelessly drunk, spent the whole of the next day throwing up and swore I would never do it again? Yes."
"Well, these guys don't believe that country girls can take their drink so I told them I would prove them wrong." Lauren explained.
Lindsay glanced at the guys who all looked too cocky for their own good. Normally she wouldn't mind taking them down a peg or two but she wasn't completely stupid. "Well you're going to have to prove them wrong all by yourself Lauren. I'm starting a new job tomorrow and there's no way I'm going to drink a suicidal amount of anything tonight." She said turning to go and walking straight into Danny. "Great." She muttered, irritated.
"I don't believe anyone from Montana's ever drunk that much whisky before but there's something about you that tells me you'd do it." He said throwing down a twenty dollar bill on the table.
"Twenty says that she can't do it." One of the guys said, putting down another note.
Danny met the guy's gaze confidently. "Forty says she'll down it in one go."
"Fine." The guy said as more money was put down on the table.
"You guys can stop right now because I'm not going to do it." Lindsay said starting to walk away. Groaning broke out at the table and Lauren grabbed her arm.
"Come on, look how much money guys you don't even know are willing to bet on this. You can't disappoint them now. Screw work tomorrow, live for the moment."
Lindsay wasn't sure whether it was due to the fact she'd already had a couple of drinks or whether it was because it was the challenging look Danny was giving her right now that made her agree. "Fine on two conditions: some one else is buying." Several guys stood up to go to the bar. "And secondly, you and you have to do it as well." She said pointing to Danny and the man who thought she couldn't take it.
They agreed without even taking a second to think about it and the whisky was brought over.
"300ml in each glass." The guy announced. "You've got to be insane to do this."
Lindsay shrugged and after clinking her glass against the guys' she threw her head back and began to swallow the burning liquid. The pain really began to hit after the second gulp and it seemed that everything from her mouth down to her legs was on fire but with true harsh resolve and determination she soldiered through the pain and refused to give into the gagging feeling and she slammed her glass back down onto the table only a few seconds after the guys. The whole table and everyone else who had gathered round to watch erupted in cheers.
"This is the last time I ever go out with you." Lindsay said to Lauren as her friend wrapped her arms around her.
Lauren laughed. "Look there's a chance that I'm not going to make it back to yours tonight…"
"There's a surprise!"
"You going to be okay getting home?" Lauren said concernedly.
"Sure. Don't worry about me."
Lauren glanced over her shoulder. "Your guy seems cute." She smirked.
Lindsay glared at her. "He's annoying. And he's not my guy." She said before pushing her friend away from her playfully and heading back to her table. She could feel the whisky going straight to her head and it was a real effort to walk in a straight line.
She had only been sitting back at her table for a few seconds before she was joined by her unwelcome companion. "I hate you." She muttered, slouching in her chair and closing her eyes, not having the energy to tell him to go away anymore.
"You won me quite a bit of money there Montana. We should celebrate." Danny said happily.
Lindsay just sat there with her eyes closed and she could tell that he was smiling at her pain. "Need to get this nasty taste out of my mouth." She moaned. She heard Danny wave Ben over and order two vodka martinis. Once she heard the glasses be put down she opened her eyes and reached for her drink taking a large sip whilst deep down acknowledging the fact that she should be drinking water right now not alcohol. "I can't believe I've got to get up early for work tomorrow."
"So do I."
Lindsay moved her head slightly to look at her drinking companion. "I got dragged here tonight. What's your excuse?"
"Do I get sympathy points if I use the 'my girlfriend just broke up with me' line?" Danny asked with a cheeky look.
Lindsay shook her head and then immediately regretted it as the dizziness increased. "I don't believe it. You're far too confident to have just been dumped."
"Okay well how about because I heard that this country girl was going to here downing a large amount of whisky and I thought I'd turn up to see the show?"
"Stop teasing me." She groaned reaching out and hitting him with as much strength that she could muster. The whole room was spinning and she knew she ought to think about calling a cab.
"You know I've been to Bozeman before." Danny said, moving closer.
"Really?" Lindsay said disbelievingly.
"Yeah…. I got there and it was closed."
"You're not funny." Lindsay retorted but then she burst out laughing all the same. Danny laughed with her and then grew silent and just sat there looking at her. "What?" She asked.
He shrugged. "You have a beautiful smile." He said sincerely.
Lindsay looked away, pretty sure that his comment shouldn't have caused her as much pleasure as it did. "Stop hitting on me."
"Why? You're drunk, I'm hot, I think I've got a good shot." He said, putting his arm around the back of her seat.
"If I wasn't so tired and I hadn't had so much to drink I would run out of here right now." Lindsay said lethargically. "I need my bed – and I want no smart ass innuendos." She said before Danny could say a word.
"I wasn't going to say a thing." He smirked, running his thumb lightly down her thigh.
She involuntarily felt a shiver run through her at his touch and she knew the alcohol had made her barriers dissolve so much that she was beginning to enjoy all the attention he was bestowing on her. "You're getting too close for comfort Daniel." She said, looking directly at him. He was close, so close and he was just too good looking for his own good. He was looking at her as if he was challenging her to resist the temptation and she surprised herself by realising just how attracted she was to him in that moment.
Suddenly her cell phone rang, bringing her back to reality and she pulled it out of her bag and then everything changed as she looked at the Caller I.D ….. Tim. Why was he ringing her? Wasn't he with Susan or Lucy or whoever now? He hadn't said a thing when she'd announced her plans to move to New York so why was he contacting her now? Now of all days ….. Lindsay dropped the ringing phone back into her bag and shoved it under the table.
"You not going to answer that?" Danny asked, concern in his voice.
"Nope." She said bluntly, finishing her Martini before taking his and finishing what was left in his glass, it didn't seem to do anything to quell her anger though and she reached over for a half finished bottle of wine someone had left on their table when Danny grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Come on, no guy can be worth pushing yourself so far over the edge that you won't even remember the rest of the night." He said.
"What do you care?" She retorted. "How many drunken girls have you taken home in your life eh?"
Danny dropped her arm and somewhere through her drunkenness she sensed that she had been to harsh with her insinuation and she bit down hard on her bottom lip before apologising. "I'm sorry I just ………. First day of a fresh start and …."
Danny watched her closely before taking her hand in his and played with her fingers gently. Her head was heavy and she knew she had definitely had too much to drink when she let him move closer and rest her head on his chest.
"You seem like an amazing person Lindsay Monroe and New York is a great place to turn over a new leaf and start afresh so you should just forget about anyone or anything from your past that's hurt you because you obviously deserve better." Danny said quietly, softly trailing his fingers through her hair before running them down her arm.
Lindsay smiled in spite of herself. Danny was exactly the kind of guy who was dangerous to be around after the amount of alcohol she had consumed.
"And although we've obviously both had a little too much to drink, trust me when I say it's not just a line."
Lindsay turned her head slightly to look him in the eye. He held her gaze but made no attempt to make the first move which surprised her. She tried to shake the alcohol from her mind, trying to analyse whether this was something she really wanted to do. She was pretty sure that the Lindsay Monroe who had woken up this morning would have fainted just at the thought that she was even considering doing this but it was surprising how alcohol, an ex-boyfriend and a charmingly annoying but sexy city guy could cause her to change. "What's your story?"
"I don't have a story."
"Sure you do. Everyone has a story." She said with a sigh.
"Is this where I make up some deep dark past which all girls find sexy?" He asked with a teasing smile.
"You can make up something if you want but there's not a hope in hell that I'll find you sexy either way." Lindsay drawled. She marvelled at the fact that Danny wasn't even remotely slurring his words whilst she was pretty sure she was sounding desperately 'wasted'.
"Okay." Danny said his fingers softly stroking her hair. "I was born and brought up in the Bronx. My family didn't have a lot of money and we had a bit of a rough upbringing. My brother got mixed up in the wrong crowd, a member of a gang and such and I nearly did too but I decided that I didn't want that life and now I lead a very respectable life and have a job that I think would surpass even your standards."
"Hmmm." Lindsay said a faint smile on her face. To be honest he could have been telling her the wildest pack of lies and she wouldn't have noticed. Just hearing him speak …. He had such a sexy voice … that rough New York accent and the way he ran his tongue over his top lip as he thought. "Danny…." She started.
"Yeah?"
Lindsay reached up and cupped his face in her hand, her thumb running over the stubble on his chin and she slowly pulled his head down towards her. She had crossed the line, going over her boundaries and there was no going back now. She kissed him softly at first and then she moved back and looked him in the eyes. Something about them drew her in and she let her self control go…….
He kissed her back with as much passion and force as she gave him and they didn't break apart until she thought she would almost pass out from lack of oxygen. In the few seconds she was apart she shifted and sat up, sliding onto his lap properly, pinning him in the corner against the back of the bench and the wall. Fifteen minutes later, Lindsay was on fire. Danny knew what he was doing and he was touching her in all the right places, stroking her in the soft piece of skin around her hip teasingly, making her want more.
"It's getting late." Danny said, pulling away eventually. "What time do you have to be up tomorrow?"
Lindsay groaned, and hid her face in the crook of his neck. "Don't even want to think about it."
"How about you give me your number and we continue this tomorrow night?" Danny suggested, sucking on her neck softly.
He was sending shivers all throughout her body, she had no idea how she managed to pick up his cell phone and scroll through the numbers with a somewhat clear head but suddenly something clicked as she saw the numbers flashing on the screen in front of her. Something at the back of her mind about Tim, other women and a randy lady's man from the city nagged at her and she pulled herself away from his grasp. "I'm surprised you haven't already got a Lindsay on here." She said tossing his phone back at him.
"What makes you think they're all numbers of girls I've dated?" He said quickly with a frown, trying to pull her closer.
"Oh please." She huffed before pulling herself up and stumbling across to the bar. "Glass of water please." She asked the bartender. As he went to fetch her one, Danny suddenly grabbed her from behind and pinned her against the bar, kissing her passionately.
"Give me your number." He said, his voice deep and husky.
She kissed him again. She knew she should be thinking about getting away from him as soon as possible but there was something electric about him. She pushed the thought of his other conquests out of her mind and gave into the temptation. "I've been warned against mixing up with guys like you." She said in between kisses. Then the bell for closing time rang and they pulled away from each other.
"Let me take you home." Danny said, pulling her over to their table and gathering their stuff. She couldn't argue in between giggling and attempting to stand up straight. They stumbled out to grab a cab and in what seemed like to her no time at all they pulled up outside her apartment block and Danny was pressing her up against a lamppost, half to stop her for wriggling out of his grasp and half to stop themselves from falling over.
Lindsay had never had a night quite like this one which had started out so innocently and ended with her acting so out of character she could barely recognise herself.
"So …"
"So …"
"This is where I leave you and say goodnight." Danny said softly.
She could feel his breath tickling her face and she found herself wishing that he wouldn't go. "Do you want to come up?" She asked before she even had time to process the consequences of what she had just said.
He grinned and planted kisses along her jawbone. "Trust me I want to come up." He said, his voice deep and raw. "But I'm not as drunk as you so I get to call the shots and show you what a gentleman I am and turn down your offer and instead ask you for your number." He said, fishing out a pen.
Lindsay stared at him for a moment. She hadn't expected him to say no - but then again she hadn't expected herself to even suggest asking a guy she barely knew up in the first place. After the adrenaline rush and the kissing had died down she was beginning to sober up and she was thankful that he hadn't acted how she thought he would have. She took his pen and grabbed his pen but instead of writing down her number she wrote 'I'll call you' in block capitals before placing a light kiss on his lips and heading inside before he had time to read what she had written and come after her.
As she threw herself into bed hoping to get a couple hours of rest and sleep off the alcohol before she had to get ready for work she was glad that although she had acted stupid and foolish tonight, at least she wouldn't have to face her consequences the next morning.
"Well, well, well Lindsay Monroe. I have to say I'm surprised ….. I put you down to be an accountant or a lawyer." Danny said, standing up and strolling up to her with the same cocky air that she remembered he had when he first approached her at the bar yesterday.
Lindsay rubbed her head. She had been drunk last night but she could clearly remember how the events played out ….. trying to get rid of him, the whisky, the sudden change, the making out ………… and now, now HE was standing right in front of her. "Trust me, I did not put you down to being a CSI either." She said, propping herself up against the wall.
"Coffee." She groaned as the smell from the coffee machine reached her.
He poured her a mug before handing it to her. "Looks like I'm going to get your number after all. And your landline. And your home address. Just for safety reasons you understand …." Danny grinned.
Lindsay glared at him before sipping the hot caffeine-fuelled liquid. It irked her that he was staring at her like he had last night just before she had drunk all that whisky. Apparently the drunk-Danny was the kind and sensitive one and the sober-Danny was the one who had irritated her so much. "Can we please just forget about last night?" She asked.
"I'm not sure if I can do that." He smirked, stepping closer…. Dangerously close if anyone walked in.
Lindsay moved. "Look it's my first day at a new job, I don't want last night hanging over my head. Just pretend we've never met until now."
"And just forget that we kissed passionately for over an hour last night and that you invited me up to your apartment?" He said, knowing he was making her very uncomfortable.
Lindsay put her mug down on the work top and twisted to face him, arms on her hips. "Last night I was drunk. Don't tell me you've never said some things which you normally wouldn't have if you'd been sober. If I'd known we were going to have to work together 24/7 then I obviously wouldn't have done or said any of that stuff no matter how far gone I was. Can we PLEASE just forget about yesterday and act normally?!"
"I don't know …… can you keep your hands off me?" He questioned, his head tilted to one side, his eyes sparkling.
Then Stella walked into the room saving Lindsay from having to run out before she exploded with frustration.
"Mac wants you both to head over to the zoo to help him with his case." Stella announced, handing over a file to Danny. "Make sure you show Lindsay where we keep the equipment and help her settle in." She said to Danny.
"I sure will." Danny grinned shooting her a suggestive look.
Lindsay groaned. It didn't look like he was going to take any notice of her request to just forget about last night. "Shut up Messer." She growled before stepping out the door, resigning to the fact that she wasn't exactly going to make the first impression she wanted on the team.
"You managed to annoy to new girl already?" Stella laughed, curiously.
"We'll just have to take her to the bar soon Stel." Danny said, holding Lindsay's pleading gaze challengingly. "Apparently she only likes me when she's drunk."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lindsay grabbed the folder out of his hands and slapped him with it on the side of the head. "You are UNBELIEVABLE." She said exasperatedly, before stalking off down the corridor.
"You can run but you can't hide Montana." Danny called after her, obvious enjoyment in his voice.
Lindsay cringed inwardly. Looked like her new job was going to turn out to be more of a challenge than she would have thought possible.
A/N:- OMG I can't believe that was nearly 6000 words. Wow, if you made it to the end then you have my admiration! I don't know where the idea came from but it was a lot of fun writing. One shot or multi-chapter? I don't know at the moment.