Disclaimer: I own nothing here except for my dialogue past that which is included in the show, and my interpretation of their thoughts. The song 'Look After You' belongs to The Fray.
A/N: I was listening to 'Look After You' by The Fray one day, and suddenly the plot bunnies attacked and my mind set the last 5 minutes (and more…) of 'Not What It Looks Like' to the song. Point of view in the story switches between Danny and Lindsay. Thanks, as always, to WingFetish for being my beta. If anyone would prefer to read this without the lyrics in there, let me know – I'll send you a copy without them. Review, if you'd like (read: I'm a feedback whore). Happy reading! ;)
Look After You
by SavvyAngel
If I don't say this now
I will surely break
As I'm leaving the one
I want to take
Danny listened as Flack described the flash grenade being placed at the bottom of the "I Love NY" bag that Lindsay was going to be carrying inside the building. He still couldn't believe she was doing this, putting herself in the middle of a jewelry heist gone extremely wrong. Sure, it was their job to put others before themselves on a daily basis, but not like this.
He was scared to death. Something could go wrong, and if it did, what if we can't get in there in time? He was more worried about her right now than he had ever thought it was possible to worry about anyone. And that scared him too.
He turned, walking towards Lindsay as she put on her bulletproof vest, prepping to go inside. There were a hundred things that he needed to say, but somehow he couldn't find a way to get it out.
"What do you think you're doin'?" he asked, worry written on his every feature.
She looked up, recognizing the concern laced in his voice. "Danny, I'll be fine." I hope.
But Lindsay wasn't about to sit by and do nothing. She knew this was well above her line of duty, but she wasn't going to let an innocent girl get killed because it would take over 30 minutes for an undercover cop to get there. She was nervous, and having Danny look at her like that wasn't helping.
"We have undercovers who can do this, it's not our job." He pleaded with her, his eyes being his primary messenger. I don't want to lose you, Montana. I can't lose you.
"Well, it is now. We're out of time, you heard what she said, if we don't get in there in four minutes, her friend dies." She needed more time for this, for the conversation she really wanted to be having with him right now. To say goodbye, to tell him everything she was thinking. Every thought she'd ever had about it, and more importantly, about them. The expression she saw written on his face, and the affection, the is it love? in his eyes as he held her gaze far longer than was normal for a concerned 'just' friend.
Forgive the urgency but
hurry up and wait
My heart has started to separate
He couldn't stand it. Danny loved her. He couldn't believe it had taken him this long to figure it out. As he thought about the possibilities of the situation she was running into, he felt his heart start to break. Her deep, brown eyes looked at his, more like through them, trying to make him understand why she was doing this.
Both of them looked at each other as if they had never seen something so perfect. So full of life, emotion, everything.
The blue in his eyes intensified when he was concerned, angry, and genuinely afraid, Lindsay thought. She knew the silent argument he was having with her, but he wasn't going to win this one. He couldn't understand, mostly because she had never shared her past with him, why she would risk everything for a stranger. And she could only pray as she tore her gaze away that she could come back to this. And that he would forgive her.
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh, oh
I'll look after you
"C'mon, kiddo," Danny said, sitting down next to Flack and Stella as they waited for Lindsay to go in, and drop the bag, signaling the rest of the team to get in there. He could only pray that it would go so smoothly and that she could come back to him. He listened, the headset only half on so he could get up and in there quickly if she needed him. Us, he mentally scolded himself. If she needs us.
There now, steady love,
so few come and don't go
Will you won't you,
be the one I'll always know
As Lindsay walked into the room, she took in her surroundings. Instantly her gaze was drawn to the young girl tied and blindfolded. Good, she's still alive. She tried to find anything to think about that would calm her down, make her forget that the two men in the room were carrying weapons, and all she had was a flash grenade buried beneath jewelry. And suddenly he was there: his eyes, voice, smile, and every other piece of Danny that she had permanently etched on her brain. There were so few people in her life that she could always count on, and he was one of the bunch. He kept her steady and on her toes at the same time, and she always felt like she had known him for longer than she actually had. She planned on him being in her life for a very long time.
Then, Ghedi pulled out a picture. A picture that threw her fake identity down the drain, and caused him to pull the gun up and aim it towards her head. The look of anger and hatred in his cold eyes was one that she wouldn't forget for weeks.
Danny knew the second something had gone wrong. He heard the tone in Ghedi's voice change, and could almost feel Lindsay panic through the set. "She's been made!" he yelled, throwing the headset down and running out of the trailer as quickly as he could manage.
When I'm losing my control,
the city spins around
You're the only one
who knows, you slow it down
Lindsay froze completely, forgetting about the grenade for a few moments as she tried to formulate a plan that wouldn't involve her or the other girl getting shot. Her control was gone for half a minute, all thoughts and semblance of logic evaporated.
And then her senses kicked back in, and she hurriedly dropped the bag on the floor, diving towards the victim and pulling her to the ground as a bright flash of light from the device in the bag blinded her.
The room was spinning; hell, she felt like the whole city might just be spinning at this point. She heard Stella and Flack's voices as they came in, arresting the two men. She kept her ears covered – the sound was too loud, and the light too bright for her to focus on anything, and she thought the world might just slip out from under her.
Then, she heard him. She'd recognize the accent anywhere, the way he said 'Lindsay'. She looked up quickly, searching for his familiar face. "Danny!"
He heard her before he saw her. He had been frantic running into the room, praying that she had gotten to safety before anything had happened. He quickly put his gun back into its holster, walking towards her.
As Danny pulled her to her feet, Lindsay found that the world wasn't spinning anymore. He was all that she could see, all she could focus on. The minute he pulled her into his tight embrace, everything slowed down. She pulled back, looking into his eyes, telling him that she was safe.
"Alright?" he asked as she looked at him.
"Yeah," and then she fell back into his arms.
As long as he kept holding her there in his arms, she was safe.
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh, oh
I'll look after you
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Danny heard Stella calling his name. Maybe even calling Lindsay's name too. But his only thoughts revolved around the woman in his arms. She was alive, safe, out of danger, and he knew that he was going to do anything to keep her that way. He sent up a silent prayer to whatever God had been listening to him.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. A hand that didn't belong to the man who was currently the center of her world, the only steady surface she could find. Lindsay looked up to find Stella's concerned eyes on her, but the older woman was talking to Danny.
"Danny, get her outside. She needs to be checked out by the medics, ok?"
She felt him nod against the top of her head. She pulled back, still in his grasp, ready to go outside, but not quite ready to be away from him.
Danny kept his arm wrapped around her as he led her outside. He wasn't ready to let go of her just yet, but he needed someone else to tell him that she was really alright. She leaned into him just slightly.
If ever there was a doubt
My love, she leans into me
This most assuredly counts
She says most assuredly
She kept her eyes trained on Danny the whole time the paramedic was looking her over. He was only a few feet away from her, but it felt like a mile. He was looking around, talking to some of the officers on the scene, sneaking glances back at her whenever he could.
He watched as Lindsay turned her head towards the medic, listening to what he said and assuring him that she knew her name, the date, and various other essentials. Then, he saw Stella walking towards him, Flack following close behind.
Danny took a deep breath, looking toward Lindsay one more time before facing Stella. He hoped the detective wasn't going towards her, looking for a statement or anything similar, because there was no way in hell anyone was getting near Lindsay. No way is she gonna have to relive this already. He was going to keep her safe for as long as he could, even if it meant telling Stella exactly this. Hell, I'd probably send Mac away at this point.
Flack held out keys to one of the department vans they had driven over. Danny furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, turning to Stella for an explanation.
"Get her home, Danny. I want you to make sure Lindsay gets inside the building, inside her apartment, and make sure she's safe," the older detective instructed him. Danny nodded, taking the keys from Flack and looking down towards the ground. Stella laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to raise his head up to meet her glance.
"I'll get her home, guys. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, throwing a half-hearted smile towards them and walking back to Lindsay.
He was always going back to her.
Lindsay got up, and turned to find Danny walking towards her. She was still slightly dazed, but he was her focal point.
"You ready to go home? Stel told me to get you back…"
"Yeah," she responded, glad for the steadying hand he placed on her back.
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh, oh
I'll look after you
They sat in relative silence on the drive through the city to her apartment. Lindsay stared out the window, letting the images of the bustling city take her mind away from her complicated thoughts. Stills of Ghedi, the huge flash of light, and Danny's comforting arms flashed through her mind. She shivered unconsciously.
Danny glanced at his partner out of the corner of his eye. He gently laid his right hand over her left. C'mon Montana. You're all right. I'm here – I'm not going anywhere.
Instantly, she felt safer. Why… what is it about him that does this to me? She felt her heart swell at the many answers racing through her mind.
As he pulled up in front of her apartment building, Lindsay felt the sudden urge that she didn't actually want to go in. She didn't want to leave his side.
"C'mon, Linds," he said, opening the door for her. She hadn't even noticed that he'd gotten out of the car.
She opened her mouth, ready to protest. But he wouldn't let her.
"Nope. Stella said to get you inside the building, and I'm making sure you get in there. Safe."
She nodded, thankful for his company. Thankful that maybe, just maybe he wasn't ready to leave her side either.
It's always have and never hold
You've begun to feel like home
What's mine is yours to leave or take
What's mine is yours to make your own
He walked inside the building with her, guiding her into the elevator. He noticed that every move was almost mechanical, something she'd been doing for so long that it required little to no thought.
Every step she took was a challenge. She knew where she was going, but it was his presence at her side that was throwing her off. God damn it, Danny. She wanted to shove him away and pull him closer at the same time. She didn't really know what was happening to her.
As the elevator stopped on her floor, they both went to move at the same time. His hand brushed hers again, this time accidentally. A wave of something passed through them both. They stood outside her door for a few moments before she realized that she would need keys to get in. Her control wasn't quite back up to full form just yet.
Lindsay fished her keys out of her pocket, throwing glances at Danny as he leaned against the wall. As she went to put the key into the lock, her hand shook uncontrollably.
Danny saw the movement, instantly coming to her aid. He gently pulled the keys from her hand, fitting her apartment key into the lock and letting them inside. He reached inside, flipping on the light switch that was just on the inside of the door.
"I… thanks."
It was the first thing she'd said to him in awhile. Since they'd left the scene, he thought. And it meant everything to him. But she was here with him, not with him, and Danny seemed to keep forgetting.
"No problem."
She walked in, feeling his warm blue gaze on her as he followed her into the apartment. Lindsay took her coat off, throwing it haphazardly on the couch. She was fine, safe, everything else, and she didn't need him at her side anymore. Or, at least, she shouldn't need him there. The truth was, she was beginning to realize, Danny was what made her feel safe, not being home. He… he is home.
Lindsay turned back to face Danny, who had just shut the door behind him. She didn't know what to say – 'thank you' hardly seemed sufficient to describe everything he'd done for her today, but there was nothing else. She couldn't find the words to tell him everything that he meant to her, so she settled for just looking at him.
"You can tell Stella you got me home safe, right?"
He looked up from the interesting pattern he'd been studying in the small rug on her floor. There was something in her eyes that she wasn't saying – maybe, was unable to say – and he didn't know what to do. He knew what he wanted that look to be, but he wasn't sure.
"Yeah. Look, Lindsay… I didn't just get you back here because Stella told me to. I wanted to make sure you were ok, I mean I almost…" the words died on his lips before he got them out.
Lost you, she finished in her mind. She bit her bottom lip, trying to concentrate hard enough to form a coherent sentence.
"I know. I… I'm ok. I promise," she said, a half-hearted smile playing at her lips.
He nodded, taking this as his cue to leave. "Ok. Get some rest, I'll talk to you soon." He turned, getting almost to the door before he felt her small hand on his forearm.
Lindsay didn't know why she did it. She reached out to him, refusing to let him go this easily. As he turned his head around, looking at her with his irresistible baby blues, she knew she was a goner.
She reached a hand up, tracing his chin with her fingers, moving closer to him. She leaned up, closing her eyes as she felt herself kiss him gently.
He couldn't believe she was kissing him. And damn it if he wasn't going to savor this moment, frozen in time. Danny placed his hands on either side of her face, responding to her gentle touch.
As they broke apart, Lindsay kept her forehead against his. Now she really didn't know what to say. Or think, for that matter.
He pulled back, looking at her one last time before leaving. "Try to get some sleep, ok?"
"I will. Danny, I…" she paused trying to find any semblance of a thought she could say to him.
"Night, Lindsay." His heart was hers, he knew that. Wishing there was a way he could let her know that too, without scaring her off, Danny looked at her, opening the door behind him with one hand. "Look, if you need anything, call me. Phone's always on, any hour, any time, for anything."
She nodded, and watched him lean in this time, placing a gentle, barely grazing kiss on her forehead. As he left, she locked the door behind him, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. On the other side of the door, he did the same thing.
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Be my baby
Oh, oh, oh
I'll look after you
Lindsay leaned against the door, slowly sliding down until she was sitting on the floor, head back on the door. More emotions than she knew existed hit her simultaneously.
He kept one hand on the door, wondering if she knew he was still standing there. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and pushing back off the door. He was so deeply in love with her, so absorbed in his thoughts of her that he barely made it to the elevator.
Neither one knew they were thinking the same thoughts, replaying the last few hours over and over in their minds.
Lindsay knew one thing, and only one thing for sure – she wanted him around. If this was what it felt like to be safe, she wanted nothing more than for him to take care of her for the rest of her life.
Danny knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that it didn't matter what happened from here on out. He was going to look after her for the rest of his life.
I'll look after you…