Prompt: Fresh
After Mac was released, it was all hands on deck to find the mysterious "Joe." It was a case Mac was determined to solve and he did so in less than two weeks, but by then everyone was exhausted and just a little sick of him in general.
Danny figures that's the reason that Mac let Lindsay have two weeks vacation time to visit her family in Montana.
Two freaking weeks.
She left without saying good-bye to him, not that he deserved any less, but hearing that she was gone came like a sledgehammer to the gut.
It also came with one great big fear.
What if she didn't come back?
It was possible. Montana was her home, had been all her life until a few years ago and now, well, now he'd hurt her and fucked up and maybe she'd get home and see her parents, and breathe the fresh, non-polluted Montana air and never come back. She'd marry some farmer or rancher or whatever they were called named Joe and have tons of babies with him and forget all about New York and him.
He forced himself to breathe. That probably wouldn't happen. Lindsay loved New York and she wasn't one to let any man scare her away, even him.
She'd be back. She would, and when she got back, he intended to be waiting in top form.
Which lead to the haircut.
"Seriously?" Don asked, "You're finally going to get something done to the raccoon that's grown on the top of your head?"
"What are you….my personal stylist? Yes, I'm getting a haircut, at a barbershop like a real man."
Don rolled his eyes, "Hey, not all of us have gorgeous girlfriends. I pick up all the time at those salons."
Danny looked away at that. Everyone at the lab knew isomething/i wasn't right with Danny and Lindsay. After all, they were trained investigators, but none of them knew how bad it was. None of them, not even Flack knew what he did. He appreciated that Lindsay was too much of a professional to tell anyone, even Stella, and deep down it gave him a little bit of hope. Maybe she wasn't telling them because she didn't want them to hate him after she forgave him.
Which she would…eventually…at least he hoped so.
&
Lindsay got back on a Tuesday. She came in looking better than before. The fresh air of her home state had obviously done her a lot of good. She looked rested and happy. Her hair had grown and it was just beginning to curl in the way that he loved. He remembered what it was like to curl his hands around that air and his hands clenched at the memory.
She stopped short at the sight of him and he hated that the peaceful look left her face. He moved closer and she smiled as she looked up at him, "You cut your hair."
He nodded, struck momentarily dumb by the sight of her smiling at him, "Yeah, I'm….yeah." He was a moron, "You cut yours," he said, and reached out to touch her curls. It was a full minute before she seemed to realize what he was doing and jerked away.
"Sorry," he said, shoving his hands into his lab coat and cursing himself, "Sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Its okay," she said, "I overreacted. I should," she pointed to the side, and held up the evidence in her hands, "Get to work."
He nodded, "Right work." She turned to leave, but he called for her, "Hey, Montana."
She turned slowly, surprised to hear that name after so long, "Yeah?"
"I, uh, I missed you."
Lindsay nodded, "I missed you too."
Danny's heart lifted just hearing that, "Do you want to….we could get coffee later?"
Lindsay smiled, "I did miss my latte while I was away." She nodded, "Okay, coffee," she pointed at him, "But you're paying."
"Whatever you want, Montana," he said, smiling one last time and practically skipping away.
Maybe they could do this, a fresh start, just maybe they could.