Disclaimer: Not Mine

Note: Set post season 2

Tanglewood

It was about three o'clock in the morning when only the insomniacs and the graveyard shift were up. The clubbers had gone home for the night and last call had long since passed. The blizzard outside was raging. It was cold, but not freezing. A heavy, wet snow was falling. It was good for building snowmen, but a pan in the ass shovel. The wind was blowing hard and burying the city in snowdrifts.

Inside his apartment, Danny Messer was staring at the ceiling, trying will himself to fall asleep, and failing miserably at it. He sighed and rolled over. Danny found himself thinking of Aiden and Louie again, trying to make sense of everything that had happened to himself and his friends over last year. The whole team had been through a lot, and he wonder if the city and his past were conspiring against him. Danny forced the thoughts aside and shifted his gaze from the bare, white wall in front him to his alarm clock. Three thirty. The detective glanced around the dark room and coerced his brain into shutting down so he could get a few hours sleep before going back to work.

He wasn't the only sleepless one in the building that night. A young college student flipped channels on the small TV set, not really watching it but unable to sleep. He was still new to this city and felt like he might as well have gone to the moon, and while he did know somebody who lived here; they hadn't seen other since his aunt died. While she was alive they managed to be civil, but without her they didn't get along and had no reason to try. Around four, he drifted off to sleep, for a few hours, anyway. The kid was up at six everyday without fail.

When dawn came the snow had abated enough to allow the young man to grab a shovel and attempt to dig out his old Buick. The car may have been older than he was, but it never failed to get him where he needed to go. The landlord had gone south for the winter, and the plow driver hired to clear the parking lot had vanished. The only way anybody was going to get out here was by digging themselves out. Most of the other tenants had elected to hibernate instead.

He finally stopped his car, parked beside a silver SUV he recognized as belonging to his neighbor, Danny Messer. The two weren't exactly friends, but he knew snow or not, Danny would be going to work. The other vehicle was blocking him in, anyway. The cars were buried in a snowdrift. It would take a while to get them out of the heavy wet snow without help. He sighed and got to work.

Danny came out to help a little while later. "Thanks, Matt.", he said by way of greeting. His car was almost out of the snow already. "Remind me to buy you a cup of coffee later." Danny was genuinely surprised that one of his neighbors was doing him a favor. Of course, he knew Matthew wasn't a native New Yorker, and therefore far more likely to help someone out just because he could.

"Don't worry it. You're blocking me in, and you are a cop. A little snow isn't going to stop the criminals from doing what they do."

"Very true." Danny smiled at the kid and helped him dig out his own car. "That's what you drive?" The ancient Buick didn't look like it would be able to move under its own power.

"She hasn't failed me yet. Besides, I'm a poor college kid with no credit. I can barely make the rent, let alone buy a newer car." If anyone but Danny had said that, Matthew would have been offended. Danny had actually been nice to him when he first arrived here, and he knew better than to take him that seriously. For some reason, Danny felt obliged to tease the newcomers to New York, but he didn't mean anything by it.

The snow had finally stopped by time they digging out the cars, but it had left the city buried beneath a good eighteen inches of snow. That may make the skiers and the schoolchildren happy, but the rest of the world needed to go to work. The sky was a brilliant blue as New Yorkers slipped all over the roads and cursed at each other, and at the weather. Danny was almost an hour late when he reached the lab.

The other were all ready there when he finally pulled into the parking, and Danny wondered if Mac had even bothered to go home. Despite the heavy boots he was wearing, Danny slid through the slushy parking lot and entered the building.

Mac was all ready waiting for him. "Sorry I'm late" Danny greeted his boss. Mac just rolled eyes and gave him a typical Mac look. "Had to dig out my car and traffic's a mess." Danny still felt compelled to give a lame excuse, which, while true, was still just a lame excuse.

"Actually I was curious about the pile of overdue reports on your desk that need to be completed." Mac didn't care why Danny was late. He was more irritated the young CSI never got paperwork finished when it was supposed to be.

Danny sighed am went over to his small, cluttered desk in the office he shared with Lindsay. She was doing something at her computer when he walked in. "Hi, Montana. Great weather we got, huh?"

She didn't respond. Danny rolled his eyes. "Good morning, Monroe. "

"Hi, cowboy."

Danny sat behind his desk and got to work. He had about three weeks' worth of reports to file.

A/N: Started this story last night, but didn't actually type it out till this morning. I actually have outlined where the story is going first, so I should be able to update often. I spent a bit of time on this, so please read and review. Also feel free to let now if you have a better Title. I know this chapter is mostly just to establish characters and setting, so that may be difficult. I know where the story is going and still can't think of a title I like. Thanks