Losing You (series fic # 3)
SUMMARY: Danny's afraid he's losing Mac so he goes against the rules and end up in more trouble then he can manage. He goes to Adam for help but in the end Mac finds out everything and Danny is forced to confess to Mac, "I was afraid I was losing you."
DISCLAIMER: Don't own CSI:NY or CBS nor anything affiliated with the two.
A/N: I hope you like this! When this fic is done the next fic will take place with this season's premiere!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROLOGUE:
Mac and Peyton walked into the crime scene together. Danny's eyes flashed confusion and then understanding. Mac took a deep breath and waited for Danny to explode.
"You and Peyton," Danny asked calmly, "Am I the last to find out?"
The hurt was clear in Danny's eyes. Mac fought the temptation to go up and hug him; to try and make it better. He knew that at times like that Danny wouldn't be ready to listen to him; instead he would wait until Danny had processed what he'd seen.
Later that night, when the two went home for supper, Danny was ready to talk. And talk they did. After they were done Danny told Mac that he was fine and that he was happy for him.
Danny of course was lying…and Mac could tell. Mac knew he could do nothing but wait for Danny to come to him once again. 'Please don't do anything you'll regret,' Mac silently pleaded. If only dreams came true…
------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been a long, hard day for Danny Messer. The case he'd worked on with Stella had taken a bit of a toll. The case had been that of a girl, 21 years of age; a college graduate. She had been found in park; tear stains on her face…a gun by her feet. Seeking comfort Danny had gone to the one man he knew could always help him.
"Hey Mac," Danny said.
"Hey Danny; are you ready to go home?" Mac asked.
"When ever you are; are you busy tonight?" Danny asked softly.
Mac looked up, a distant look in his eyes. "Peyton wants to go see a movie."
Danny nodded his head; he could tell Mac wasn't really paying attention to him. It only took Danny a second to realize that going home was NOT what he wanted to do. "I forgot I had something to do. You can go home without me."
"I'll meet you there for supper." Mac replied.
The younger CSI nodded his head and headed out of the building where he hailed a cab. "NYU hospital," he told the man.
When the cab pulled up to the hospital he paid the driver the money and slowly made his way into the hospital lobby. He knew what room he wanted and headed straight for the elevators; as the doors opened he froze…standing in front of him where two Tanglewood boys.
The two were obviously talking about Sonny and seemed to take no notice in him. Danny hung back not wanting to be noticed. After the two men had left Danny rushed up to his brother's room. After making sure that his brother was ok he went and talked to the nurse on duty about limiting his brother's visitors.
With that done Danny sat at his brother's beside. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. Mac and I are getting along great. He took me to the movies after I was ungrounded last week." Danny frowned a little. "Did I tell you about that? I got mad and yelled at him to back off during a case. I slept on my stomach that night…I'm telling you Sonny; you need to wake up and meet the man. He's the greatest."
Danny sat back in his seat and held his brother's hands. He couldn't help but look over his shoulder ever now and then. Mac had asked that he not go to the hospital without him but after the day he had, he needed to see his brother. With another sigh, he started talking again.
"I know you'd kill me for coming without his permission but…I needed to see you. I had all these great plans for his birthday and that-that…women had to go and ruin them! It's not fair Sonny. I know he took me to the movies but that's the only thing we've done in over two weeks…and not because I was grounded," Danny added as an after thought.
Danny and Sonny may not have gotten along all the time…ok, maybe ever, but Sonny had always been a force in his younger brother's life. Now he was in a permanent state of sleep. It was a hard thing for Danny to live with but he had Mac and that was enough.
'I have him for now anyways.' Danny thought sadly.
"I better get going Sonny; Mac will have my hide if I'm late." Danny looked around and seeing nobody quickly kissed his brother's forehead. He left the same he had come…quietly.
------------------------------------------
"How was work?" Mac asked Danny.
"It was fine; Stel and I determined it to be a suicide"." Danny answered. He bit his lip before asking, "How late will you be out?"
"I'll try to be home by midnight." Mac replied. "Do you have any plans?"
Danny shook his head. Mac rose in eyebrow but said nothing. He could tell that the younger man was planning something but he didn't know what. 'Time will tell,' he thought wryly.
Dinner turned into a quiet affair and soon the two were done. After cleaning up, Mac changed and said good night. Danny smiled up at him as Mac kissed to top of his head before leaving. Danny waited a half hour before dashing to his room.
------------------------------------------
A half hour later he was walking up the bar, McPhee's, dressed in baggy black jeans, a white tank, an opened button down black shirt, and a leather jacket; on his feet were a pair of plain white shoes, untied, and he'd exchanged his glasses for contacts. Taking a deep breath he opened the door, walked in, and sat at the bar.
"Give me a beer," Danny said, laying some money on the bar.
The bartender took the money and replaced it with the asked for beer. His eyes thinned a little as he looked closely at the younger man sitting in front of him. With a shake of his head he moved away; he didn't come back until the bar door opened again.
"You have to leave." The man whispered urgently.
"Why?" Danny asked his voice just as soft.
"They know who you are Daniel." The man answered causing Danny to pale.
Danny had guessed that the bartender would remember him but he hadn't counted on anyone else. He so very rarely made in appearance in the actual bar (usually sitting in the manager's office) that he hadn't expected anyone to know who he was.
He looked at the older man. "Don't draw attention to me; it'll be fine." His voice projected more confidence then he felt.
The bartender walked away and seemed to disappear from the bar for a few minutes. When he reappeared he walked over to Danny again.
"Son, I'm telling you leave now. They know who you are and they're just waiting for the right people to get here." The bartender warned.
Danny didn't need to be told again; he could feel the tension in the air. With a nod of thanks, Danny threw back the rest of his beer and headed for the door. He could hear the feet of the people following him. Danny nearly reached the alley when he was suddenly pushed to the ground.
He rolled over quickly, trying to escape the feet that had started to kick him. After a couple minutes he managed to get up and back away from his attackers. His hand automatically reached for his side; who ever had kicked him managed to get a couple good aims at his ribs and they were starting to hurt.
Danny realized he made a mistake when his back hit a wall. He managed to get a few of his own punches in but for the most part all he could do was cover his face; bruises on his face he wouldn't be able to explain.
Someone managed to punch him in the temple and Danny could feel his legs starting to give out. The punch had sent him reeling backwards and hit head hit the wall. He would have gone down, had he not been leaning against the wall. He was momentarily stunned and all he could do was try and block all the punches.
A glint in the dark caused Danny to throw his hands into the air, making an X with his arms. The knife bit down on his forearm and Danny barely managed to bite back the scream he felt coming up. Danny threw a punch but knew it was useless. He fully expected his attackers to finish what they started and was surprised when instead they drew away.
From the corner of his eyes he could see the blinking lights of a police car. He was happy to see he was about to be rescued when one name popped in his mind…Mac. Danny tensed; if he was caught they would call Mac. 'I'll never sit again,' he thought to himself in a panic.
The Tanglewood boy's who had attacked him started to run…Danny mimicked their actions. He was a block away when the pain finally forced him to stop. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of his attackers coming back to finish their job or the cops finding him.
When he was finally out of Tanglewood territory he managed to hail a taxi. He gave the driver the address of his own apartment. What he really wanted was Mac but if Mac saw him all hell would break loose and Danny wasn't feeling up to facing him. With tears running down his face he placed a call to Mac's apartment and asked to speak to the doorman with whom he was friends.
"David, its Danny; listen, I need you to give Mac a message for me. Tell him that some friends decided to come into the city and needed a place to crash so we're all at my apartment and that I may be a little late for work…thanks David."
Danny hung up the phone and allowed a couple sobs to escape. The adrenaline that had been with him when he walked into the bar had finally left him. His emotions were going haywire. Danny lay on his bed and cried; he cried for his parents, who he lost when he was young, for his brother, who would never wake up, for Mac, who he felt was leaving him, and for himself, he was in so much pain.
When at last the tears slowed he stood and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. When he done he took out his first aid kit and went to work patching himself up. He popped a couple aspirins since his ribs were stilling hurting. With all that done he lay back on his bed and went to sleep.
---------------------------TBC…--------------------------------
A/N2: Ok, for anyone wondering, I will post part 2 on Tuesday, part 3 on Thursday and if there's a part 4, on Saturday. I will post faster if I get the fic done:)
