NExSW (Northeast By Southwest) Chapter 1
A/N: My first multi-chapter fanfic! I actually decided to write this fic months ago, and somehow, I wrote and published my Power Rangers Mystic Force one-shot, "Thinking With His Heart," before I even finished the first chapter of this piece. I started this fic more or less to counterbalance the many fics out there in which Lindsay Monroe gets kidnapped, raped, beaten, and/or more or less abused. Think of this as a Marvel Comics "What If?", CSI: NY-style; title is a loose reference to the annual South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.
Rating: T (for swearing and subject matter, subject to change)
Disclaimer: All CSI: NY canon characters are property of CBS. No infringement is intended. All OCs are mine.
Chapter 1: Where Did You Go, My Lovely?
Adam Ross peered around the corner and saw Danny Messer walking his way. "Hey, Danny," he called, waving the sheet of paper he held.
"Are those my DNA results?" asked Danny. He reached out his hand and took the paper that extended from Adam's fingers. Danny skimmed over the readout. His eyebrows knitted together, and his mouth hardened into a firm line. His eyes grew hard as the hand that held the paper began to close tightly. "Son of a bitch," he muttered. He kept reading the report, and a smile began to spread across his face and he chuckled.
Adam was unnerved by Danny's rapid-fire changes in emotion and for a minute, he thought that the CSI was having a mental breakdown. "Um, uh, did I screw up something?" he finally asked.
Danny looked up, slightly startled. He addressed the nervous lab tech, "Nah, it's not you. You rock, man. Thanks." He gave Adam a light smack on the arm and continued on his way.
"You're welcome," called Adam. His shoulders slumped with relief.
o-o-o-o-o
Danny knocked on Mac Taylor's office door. When he heard "Come in" from inside, Danny turned the door handle and poked his head through the door.
Mac turned from his computer monitor. "Danny. What can I do for you?"
"Mac, have you seen Lindsay?" asked Danny as he stepped up to Mac's desk.
"You'll need to ask Perry Kenworth about her. You know that since she transferred to swing, I've got no details about her schedule or anything. Is everything okay?"
"Well, actually, she and I haven't been okay for a while now. I did find something to hopefully put us back on track, though."
Mac's brow wrinkled. "I thought I heard something about that; some old girlfriend of yours came back or something like that."
Danny grimaced. "I kinda don't wanna get into that right now. Can you tell me anything about where she might be?"
Mac thought for a minute. "No clue. And even if I knew, I think telling you would be a bad idea."
"Mac, you hurt me," said Danny. He clutched playfully at his chest.
"Need I remind you of your little trip to Bozeman a while back?"
"Oh, right." Danny rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, you told me to go home after I finished my marathon of endless shifts, but you didn't tell me what to do after I got home."
Mac chuckled. "I suppose that's 'touche' then. Still, I can't have you running off after Lindsay every time she leaves town. I need you here, especially now that we're one down. Wait until she gets back."
"Thanks, Mac." Danny sighed and turned to leave Mac's office.
"Danny." Mac's voice was stern, but sympathetic. "Things will be fine. All you need is time."
o-o-o-o-o
Danny entered the locker room and sat down on the bench. He peered at the paper that Adam handed him, reading it again, as if the printed words might have changed from what they were when Adam handed it to him. The proof was there in black and white; the proof that would help bring Lindsay back to him and make him whole again. All he had to do was wait for her to return from wherever it was she went.
"Montana, I am so sorry about all of this, and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you," whispered Danny to the paper in his hands. He looked up at the row of lockers in front of him, and all of a sudden noticed that the locker that had once been Aiden's, then Lindsay's, was empty. The nameplate that read "Monroe" had been removed from its spot on the metal door, and the door itself was ajar. Danny jumped up and slowly pushed the locker door open. The inside of the locker had been scrubbed clean; all of Lindsay's photos and knickknacks were gone. Danny felt something very heavy sinking in the pit of his stomach and his heart felt like it was slowly being shredded. He ran out of the locker room and down the hall into the elevator.
o-o-o-o-o
At 7:00 pm, Perry Kenworth had barely taken off his windbreaker when Danny rapped on the open door of his office. Perry turned and looked quizzically at Danny. "May I help you?"
Danny stepped nervously into Perry's office. "Hi, um, Perry? I'm Danny Messer, from the day shift?"
Perry smiled warmly. "Right, Messer. One of Taylor's people, right? What can I do you for, son?" A stocky man in his late 50's, Perry's voice was deep and amiable, with a hint of a drawl that suggested that his roots were somewhere in the American South.
Danny shifted his weight back and forth. "I was wondering if you could tell me where Lindsay Monroe is. I was just in the locker room, and her locker's been cleaned out."
Perry's smile wavered slightly. "Well, son, shut the door and have a seat, will you?" He motioned to the chair in front of his desk as he seated himself.
Perry's request made Danny even more nervous that he already was, but he complied.
"I can already tell this will probably be difficult for you, but Lindsay Monroe's no longer with the crime lab." Perry's smile remained, but his eyes betrayed the sadness within.
The news hit Danny like a bullet to the gut. "She's what? What happened?"
Perry put his hands up defensively. "Now, hold on there, son, let's not get all excited. It was nothing bad. She turned in her two weeks' notice, and Thursday was her last day."
Danny felt his chest tightening. He could not believe that Lindsay Monroe, his "Montana," had just left without warning. He managed to spit out, "Where did she go?"
Perry sighed. "I know this is difficult for you, Mr. Messer, but- "
"Danny. Please call me Danny."
"Danny." Perry's eyes softened. "Miss Monroe was adamant that I not divulge where she was going."
"Perry, please." Danny's blue eyes filled with tears. "Off the record, what can you tell me?"
Perry leaned forward, hands clasped. "You seem like a nice young man, Danny. I suppose I can tell you this much. She said that she felt that she no longer felt like she could work effectively in the lab. A relative of hers had helped her find a position out of state, and much as I hated to lose her, I thought that she looked like she could use the change of scenery, so I accepted her resignation."
At the words "out of state," Danny's eyes bugged out. "Whoa, wait a minute, there, Perry. You mean Montana's left New York, as in left New York State?" The feeling of being shot in the stomach gave way to that of being kicked in the head.
"Montana?" asked Perry, puzzled. "That a nickname you have for Miss Monroe?" When Danny nodded, a booming laugh escaped Perry's throat. "I like you, son! Montana... that's cute!" Perry's laughter faded. "But that's right; Miss Monroe has taken off for parts outside New York."
"Did she go back to Montana?"
"I'm not at liberty to tell you where exactly she's gone, but I know it wasn't to Montana. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."
It took all that Danny had in himself to not jump up and yell at Perry for not telling him any more than he did, but he knew that he was not in a position to demand anything. Almost completely deflated, Danny rose from his seat slowly and extended his hand to Perry. "Thank you, sir, for your help."
Perry nodded as he gripped Danny's hand in a strong handshake. "Take care, son. And good luck to you."
o-o-o-o-o
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at Bergstrom International Airport. The local time in Austin is 11:25 am, and the local temperature is 74 degrees. We ask that you remain seated until we have come to a full stop and the captain has turned off the 'fasten seat belt' sign. On behalf of our captain, Anthony M. Wagner, and all of the crew onboard, we thank you for flying Mid-America Airways and we welcome you to Austin, Texas. If Austin is not your final destination, we wish you a safe trip and hope that you reach your final destination safely."
Lindsay Monroe leaned her head back against the headrest, closed her eyes, and sighed. She was never a fan of flying, especially since it seemed that nearly every time she got on a plane, her life would be irrevocably changed. The first time was when she left Bozeman for New York City to pursue the big city life she had always wanted. The second time, she was returning to Bozeman to confront a demon that had disrupted her life in Bozeman and was threatening to disrupt her life in New York. When she boarded a plane for the third time in her life, she would never have believed that she would be returning to New York sitting next to city-boy-for-life Danny Messer.
Even after she told him that she needed her space, Danny had waited patiently for her. When Lindsay had sat up on the stand at the Gallatin County Courthouse, struggling to keep her composure, Danny had entered the courtroom and given her the strength to recall the events of the day that shattered her life and recite them for the jury. When the hammer of justice crashed down, sending one Daniel Katums to prison for the hell he had caused Lindsay and the families of her friends, Danny was sitting next to her, his hand entwined with hers. From that moment on, Danny had rarely left her side. About the only time that they would be apart would be when Mac assigned them to separate cases, but they made the effort to always find time to be together; whether it involved being curled up against him as they watched a movie, swapping stories over dinner, or falling asleep in Danny's bed with him after a blissful night of lovemaking. As the weeks lengthened into months, Lindsay thought that finally, her life was perfect.
And then she sashayed back into his life and ruined it all. Lindsay felt the teardrops forming under her lashes and quickly wiped them away. No, don't think about that, she chided herself. Danny obviously made his choice, and it's not you. Just forget him. You're in Austin now.
Ping. The "fasten seat belt" light blinked off, and all throughout the cabin, seat belts were undone, the "clickety-click" sound like a chorus of uncoordinated tap dancers. Lindsay unclasped her own seat belt and stood up, waiting for several people to pass her before stepping into the aisle and reaching up to pull her carry-on bag from the overhead compartment. She shuffled along behind the passengers in front of her. She ignored the flight attendants who stood at the aircraft doors, cheerily bidding goodbye to everyone as they passed. As Lindsay emerged from the jetway doors, she looked around.
"Lindsay!" A tall young man with shaggy brown hair waved at Lindsay. He strode forth briskly, and before Lindsay knew it, he had wrapped his arms around her and had swung her around. "Lindsay Monroe, you haven't changed!" The young man set Lindsay back on her feet and held her out at arm's length. "Let me look at you. You look great, but didn't they feed you in New York?" He shook his head.
Lindsay laughed and swatted the young man playfully on the chest. "Screw you, Rich. You look great, too." She reached up and rumpled his hair. "And what the heck is this?"
Rich smirked. "Thought I'd try growing it out for a change. You like?"
Lindsay winked at Rich. "I do, actually. Didn't think it'd be all wavy like that. Kind of cute, actually." She sighed and reached out to embrace Rich again. "It is so nice to see you again."
"I know. We have so much catching up to do. Let's go get your stuff." Rich held out his arm, bent at the elbow, and Lindsay took hold. Together, they marched happily towards the baggage claim.
o-o-o-o-o
Rich shook his head. "No way! What an asshole." He drained the last of his cappuccino.
Lindsay shrugged. "Yeah. But you know what? I'm not here to talk about him. I'm here to get away from all that and start again, and hopefully, it'll finally be for good. I want to find out why you love this city so much. After you sent me that e-mail back then about not ever coming back to Montana, I knew that Austin had to be something really special for you to change up what we said that we'd do."
"I know. I hoped that I'd eventually get the chance to show you what it's like here. It's definitely a really happening place, but it still has a bit of that small town feel. I don't know if I could do L.A. or New York anymore." Rich leaned back in the booth.
"New York was fun for the most part. You should at least visit it once or so," said Lindsay. "We should do that sometime, take in a show or something. I might even introduce you to my old friends at the lab. Well, all except for him."
Rich smirked. "I thought you weren't going to talk about him."
Lindsay balled up a napkin and at threw it at Rich. "Shut up." She sighed, then grinned sheepishly. "You're absolutely right. So let's get out of here, and you can show me what I'm getting myself into."
Rich nodded, wiped his mouth on his napkin, and slid out of the booth. "Let's go." After he paid the cashier at the front, he and Lindsay stepped out into the street.
Lindsay looked all around her, at this part of the new city that she would call home. "So where to first?" she asked.
Rich answered, "Well, since we're right here, let's get you acclimated to your new workplace." He pointed at the street corner two blocks away.
"Let's go!" Lindsay smiled. Across the street was the campus of the University of Texas, where the gilded faces of the clock tower kept watch over the students and faculty that milled about the grounds. She looked down at her right hand, curled her middle and ring fingers down to tuck under her thumb tip, then held up her hand thus, with index and pinky fingers standing straight up. "Is this right?"
"You catch on fast, cuz!" Rich smiled and raised his own hand in the same gesture. "Hook 'Em Horns!"
Reviews are much appreciated; Chapter 2 is in progress!