Better the devil you know

A/N: So, after four years I have decided to start writing fan fiction again, although this time it's CSI:NY. I do not own any of the characters, except the ones that I have added myself, but if the producers of the show want to get rid of any characters I would gladly take them off their hands!!!!

This is set in Series 5 after 5.09 so contains spoilers. D/L all the way!!!

**

Chapter 1 – A perfectly normal day

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Lindsay Monroe rolled over and slammed her hand down on the small, hard object that was making the offending noise, then rolled back to her previous position.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Obviously she had not hit it hard enough, so groaning loudly she flung herself over and hit the alarm clock three times just to make sure it had stopped. She stopped and listened, but once satisfied that it wasn't going to go off for at least seven minutes, she realised that she was more awake than asleep. Reaching over, she picked up the alarm clock and squinted at the numbers. 5.57 peered at her through the darkness. Lindsay pondered for a while. Should she use these three minutes to doze and daydream in a nice, warm bed? Or should she use the time to give her that little bit longer to get ready? Lindsay decided on the latter, after all now that she was carrying a little extra weight she seemed to have slowed down quite a lot.

Heaving herself off the bed, she padded barefoot into the bathroom and promptly stood on the scales. This was a ritual of hers that she performed every morning. At least, that was every morning Danny hadn't stayed over. Danny had been getting sick and tired of her weighing herself every morning, saying that she looked absolutely gorgeous and nothing would change that. Lindsay did not like feeling that she was judged, and instead of having a slanging match with him about it, she told him that she would limit herself to jumping on the scales once a week. Of course, what she really meant to say was once a week in front of him. But what he doesn't know can't harm him.

Lindsay glanced down at the number of the scales and groaned inwardly. When she had seen the doctor two weeks ago he had told her that she wasn't gaining as much weight as he would like and wanted her to be a particular weight when he next saw her, which was that afternoon. It wasn't that Lindsay did not want to gain the weight, it was just she did not have the time to sit down and eat three proper meals a day. She was a detective and a CSI for crying out loud, there wasn't much time for anything.

At the beginning of the pregnancy, when Lindsay had had her morning sickness, she hadn't really felt like eating anything anyway. Now she had past the 12 week mark, her appetite had come back along with a small bump that was somewhere between the 'eaten too much' and 'baby bump' stage. Danny had only accompanied to one doctor's appointment so far because due to his shifts, he had missed the others. Lindsay had been adamant that no one was to know she was pregnant until she had gotten the all clear from the doctor, which would be at her 12 week scan. She knew that the chance of a miscarriage was greater during the first trimester and she knew she wouldn't be able to stand the sympathetic looks if she had lost the baby. Fortunately for her, she was able to tell her co-workers that she was pregnant and now that they knew, Danny had asked Mac to have all of Lindsay's future appointments off so he could go with her. Of course, Mac had agreed and of course this meant that the doctor would speak to Danny about her lack of weight gain and he would definitely be making sure that she ate correctly.

Reaching her hand into the shower, she turned the dial to allow the water a chance to heat up before she stepped in. She stripped off her pyjamas – a pair of yoga leggings and an old t-shirt of Danny's – and got into the warm spray. Turning once, twice, three times she grabbed the shampoo that Danny loved and lathered it into her hair. The smell of lavender enveloped her and she inhaled deeply. Satisfied that all the shampoo had been removed, she quickly used her fingers to comb the accompanying conditioner through her hair and left it to soak in whilst she washed her body. Once her top half had been done, she lifted her legs up one at a time to apply the body wash. Lindsay made a mental note to herself that this was going to get more difficult over the coming months and would talk to Danny about staying over more regular, just so he could help her in the shower. Not that he would complain, Lindsay thought. Stepping directly under the water that was gushing out of the shower head, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to get immersed.

The sound of her phone ringing quickly broke through to her and she hurriedly washed the conditioner out of her hair, turned the shower off and grabbed the towel that was hanging over the radiator.

'Hey, baby. Is everything alright? You took a while to answer your phone.' Danny's concerned voice came through when she flipped the phone open. Lindsay rolled her eyes but decided to hold her tongue. She knew that Danny was just being nice but that didn't mean it didn't irritate her sometimes.

'I was just in the shower. What's going on?'

'Mac rang me and he's got a crime scene for us – body found at 14th and 8th. If you want I can swing by and pick you up?' Danny's voice had a hopeful hint to it.

Lindsay thought for a second. Yesterday, Danny had offered to pick her up but she had been feeling rough so had knocked him down. The hurt look on Danny's face when she met up with him had been pretty horrible to look at.

'I will get into your car if there's a blueberry muffin and a hot chocolate inside.'

Danny chuckled and said that the three of them would be round shortly. Lindsay waited until the call had disconnected before she closed her phone and chucked it down onto the bed while she decided what to wear.

**

Twenty minutes later Lindsay was sitting next to Danny eating her breakfast. She sighed happily when she inhaled the chocolate aroma and Danny smiled, picked up her hand and gave it a little kiss. Lindsay knew that she had not been the easiest person to be around the past few weeks so Danny had been really glad when she returned to her normal self.

'Did Mac tell you anything?' Lindsay asked. She had now finished her hot chocolate and was checking her face in the mirror.

'No more than what I told you,' he replied. 'Just there was a body found 14th and 8th. Flack's meeting us there. Man, this sun is bright today.'

Lindsay murmured in agreement and reached into the glove box to grab a pair of sunglasses that she kept there.

'Speaking of Flack, what's going on with him and Angell?' Lindsay glanced sideways at Danny.

'What do you mean?' Danny tried to feign innocence but his red cheeks were giving him away.

'Come on, Danny, I'm not stupid. He has totally fallen for her. In fact-' Lindsay trailed off.

'In fact what?' Danny asked. He swung the car around the corner to be confronted by the familiar yellow tape and three police cars. He stopped the car but instead of jumping out immediately, he turned and looked at Lindsay, waiting for her answer.

'Well...' Lindsay was trying to stall, but the look on his face said he wasn't going anywhere. 'Stella said that he reminds her of you when you were following me around like a lost puppy.' She leant over and planted a kiss on Danny's open mouth and then opened the door, hopped out the car and went to the boot to grab her kit.

Danny appeared next to her ten seconds later looking quite affronted.

'I did not follow you around like a lost puppy.' He told her indignantly. Lindsay just smiled at him and opened the rear passenger door to get her coat. Despite it being bright there was a distinct nip in the air.

'Whatever,' Lindsay buttoned her coat. 'I think it's quite sweet.'

Well, Danny thought to himself. If she liked it then he guessed he could live with it. Grabbing his kit from the car, he lowered the boot and pressing the button on the key fob twice, locked it. In front of him Lindsay was showing her ID to the police officer and signing herself in. Danny quickly followed suit and together they ducked under the yellow tape and made their way over to Flack who was standing by the body.

'Hey, if it isn't Mummy and Daddy.' Ever since Flack had found out about Lindsay's pregnancy and Danny being the father he took every opportunity to call them that. 'Are you going to be good today kid and not make Mummy throw up on my shoes?'

'I warned you not to get too close, Flack.' Lindsay said as she snapped her gloves on. 'But he's perfectly happy because he wanted a blueberry muffin and that's what he got.'

'He?' Flack asked, looking at Danny who shrugged his shoulders. 'Do you know the sex then?'

'Nope. I just have a feeling – women's intuition. I don't want to find out until the baby's born. Besides, it doesn't feel right to call the baby "it".'

'Fair enough. OK, so here's what we know. At about six a.m this morning someone placed an anonymous 911 call saying that he heard two gunshots in the area and heard a car drive off. We've tried to trace the call but it came back to a disposable cell.'

'Killer with a guilty conscience?' Danny wondered.

'Maybe,' Flack agreed. 'Or maybe he has a partner in crime that's trying to get him in trouble.'

'He?' Lindsay asked looking up from her position on the ground. She had started to photograph the body.

'Just a feeling – men's intuition.' Flack said with a grin. Shaking her head slightly, Lindsay sat back and surveyed the scene.

'It looks like this was a body dump. Look at the way the body is laid out.' Lindsay gestured with her hand and Danny knelt down to get a closer look. 'Also, there doesn't appear to be much blood.'

'You're right, Montana,' Danny agreed. 'From what I can see there are two entrance wounds. I'd expect there to be a lot more blood. But wait – Flack didn't you say that someone heard two gunshots at this location?'

'That's right.' Flack checked back through his notebook. Lindsay looked at Danny.

'Maybe they're trying to throw us off the scent of where the murder really took place.'

'Maybe. Or maybe there's a second body out there somewhere.'

'I'll canvass the surrounding buildings.' Flack pointed to the high rises surrounding them. 'See if anyone else heard or saw anything.'

'Great.' Lindsay leaned on Danny's shoulder and pulled herself to standing. 'I'm going to take these photographs back to the lab. Can you get a ride in with Flack?'

'Sure, no problem.' Danny quickly stood up next to her and gave her a squeeze. Ever since he had found out about the baby he had been a lot more affectionate. However, at work he was a lot more discreet about it. Especially since Mac had mentioned in a meeting once. Everyone had laughed and Danny had sunk lower and lower down his chair, his face going bright red.

Waving goodbye, Lindsay ducked under the yellow tape and made her way back to the car. Climbing in, she started the engine and immediately changed the radio station. Once she was satisfied with the tune that was coming out of the speakers she set off, pausing briefly as the lights changed from red to green.

**

It took Lindsay half an hour to reach the crime lab. It was now rush hour and Lindsay had crawled along. It was partly her fault, she had forgotten they were doing roadworks and so had to double back on herself. She parked in the garage and took the lift up to the 35th floor. There was a gently ding and the doors slowly opened.

'Detective Monroe?' A voice called to her as she passed the reception desk. Turning back, Lindsay saw Andi, a vibrant woman with long, dark, dread-locked hair and a slight Jamaican accent looking expectantly at her.

'Yes, Andi.' Lindsay was still in two minds about whether she liked Andi or not. Andi had arrived four months ago and some people thought that she was quite loud and brash. On the other hand, she was also a great listener and had a great shoulder to cry on when Lindsay had discovered she was pregnant.

'Someone has been phoning and asking for you non-stop since I arrived this morning.'

Lindsay glanced at the clock. 'You've only been here twenty minutes.'

'Exactly!' Andi's hands slammed down on the desk, causing Lindsay to jump slightly. 'He's rung at least four times and-'

She was interrupted by the shrill sound of a telephone. Andi tutted and rolled her eyes.

'That's probably him now.' She picked up the receiver. 'New York Crime Lab, Andi speaking. How may I direct your call?'

Andi listened for a moment then handed the phone to Lindsay. 'It's for you.'

'Hello? This is Detective Monroe.' Lindsay's face changed from confused to delight. 'Nate! How are you?....Mum told you did she?' She glanced down at her stomach, smiling. 'What? You're coming to New York? When?....No, no. Don't stay in a hotel. You can come and stay with me....Yes, I'm sure....Danny won't mind....What time does your plane get in next week?' Lindsay motioned to Andi to hand her a piece of paper and a pen. She hurriedly wrote down the details. 'Uhuh...uhuh...And that's JFK?...Newark, alright. Well, I'll see you then...Bye, Nate!'

Lindsay handed the receiver back to Andi who was looking at her as if she was trying to read her mind.

'Nate's a friend from Montana. We've never dated or slept together.' Lindsay new that if she didn't straighten it out then it would be around the lab in twenty minutes.

Andi held up her hands in a 'I wasn't going to say anything' gesture. Lindsay nodded, not entirely believing her and wandered in the direction of her office.

Hanging her coat neatly on the back of the door, she made her way over to her desk and turned her computer on. Sitting on her swivel chair, she flung herself round five times as she waited for the system to boot up. This was a ritual of hers that she did every time she sat at her desk for the first time. It was her way of getting any silliness out of her system and it helped her to focus. Danny had laughed at her the first time he saw her do it but she had just smiled and dared him to have a go. For the next five minutes they had swung themselves round on their chairs, laughing, only to be interrupted by a stern looking Mac who had said there was a time for play and this wasn't one of them. Danny had retorted that it had been Lindsay's idea but Mac's reply was that Danny must have brought it on himself, which earned a snort from Lindsay.

Ever since Mac had found out about the pregnancy, Lindsay was limited to the layout room and the A/V lab. If Danny had his way then she also wouldn't be allowed to do field work but Lindsay had stuck fast, saying that she wasn't incapable of doing field work just because she was pregnant. Danny finally relented after a few days of cold shoulders and mournful looks on Lindsay's part, on the agreement that she would stop once she was too large to manoeuvre easily and if he accompanied her.

Lindsay knew that there was no point in looking at the photographs she had taken until Danny returned and the body was back. She quickly checked her e-mails, finding one from Mac about the upcoming lab meeting and one from Danny which should not be read by anyone, especially your boss.

'Lindsay?' A voice said softly from the doorway. Lindsay looked up to see Mac standing there.

'Mac. What can I do you for?' Lindsay glanced sideways at her computer screen to make sure the e-mail from Danny was not visible.

'Where's Danny?'

'He's still down at the crime scene collecting evidence and waiting for the body to be collected. Do you need him?'

'Nothing that can't wait. What did you find?'

'Flack said there was an anonymous phone call from a disposable cell saying they heard two gunshots and a car driving away from the location. But on inspection of the body it looks like it was just a body dump and that the primary crime scene is somewhere different.'

'So, what do you think, Lindsay?' Mac asked.

'Well, we thought that either there's a second victim out there somewhere or that they're trying to throw us off the scent. When Danny returns I'm going to go and look a the photos of the scene in the layout room.'

'Very good, let me know what transpires.' Mac turned to leave. 'Oh, and why don't you go down to the morgue and find out what Sid knows later.'

'Will do, Mac. Thanks.' Lindsay was grateful to be able to do something. She sometimes felt so useless being on limited duties at the lab.

**

Flack and Danny arrived at the crime lab forty minutes later. The body had been picked up by the coroner and Sid would have the results of the autopsy that afternoon. However, any evidence would be ready for collection shortly. Lindsay, who had gotten bored waiting for Danny and started to go over the crime scene photos anyway, decided that she would go and speak to Danny about her friend Nate. Walking the short distance to the trace lab, she knocked on the glass.

Danny looked up and Lindsay beckoned him to come up. Securing a piece of evidence that he had found a short distance from the body, he snapped his gloves off and made his way out to her.

'What can I do you for, Montana?'

'You haven't forgotten the doctor's appointment at 3 o'clock have you?'

'Of course not. You have reminded at least six times. Besides, I knew that if I forgot I'd be sleeping by myself until after the baby was born.'

'Too right you would.' Lindsay replied with a smile. 'So, we need to leave here by quarter past 2 at the latest. You know what traffic can be like.'

'Whatever you say, babe.' Danny looked at her. 'Is there anything else?'

'Yes. You know my friend Nate?'

'The one in that picture on your sideboard?' Danny was referring to a picture of Lindsay and a man sitting on two horses.

'Yes, him. Well, he's coming to New York next week for a week or so. I said that he could stay with me. Is that alright?' Lindsay looked at him, slightly worried.

'Why would that not be alright? He's your friend isn't he?'

'Yes, but I thought the fact that he was a guy and staying in my apartment...' Lindsay trailed off.

'Look, Lindsay,' Danny placed his hands on her shoulders. 'I'm not the kind of guy to get jealous of friends that you have, whether they are male or female. But I do become jealous if they start making a move on you.'

'Does that include my female friends?' Lindsay asked with a giggle.

'Depends.' Danny said with a slight shrug. Lindsay gave him a questioning look. 'Depends if I could watch or not.'

Lindsay gave Danny a playful slap on the arm and then turned to head towards the lift.

'Where are you going?' Danny called after her.

'To see a man about a horse.' Lindsay called back, stepping into the lift and pressing the button to take her to the morgue.

**

To be continued.

A/N: Well, there you have it – the first chapter. If you like it, please read and review!