A Walk Down Memory Lane
Summary: When Lindsay was going through some old stuff in the attic, she found some sticky photos that she and her friends took the day that they were shot. She took a trip down memory lane in hopes of being able to completely let go of this tragic incident. Will she succeed or not? Who will be there to help her? One-shot, slight Dantana.
A/N: I have no idea if sticky photos even existed back then, but since I just took some today, I decided to use the idea. Just bear with it. For those who read Hanging by the thread and The Secret, I swear I will update really soon. So, I hope you enjoy this story. Dedicated to AddictedtoReadingJC and Bianca tabbycat for giving me such an awesome half-term break.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable in this story. They all belong to CBS.
*A Walk Down Memory Lane*
Watching her daughter run around the large fields in her old home in Montana, Lindsay could not suppress the smile that lit up her face. With Danny chasing after her, this was definitely Lindsay's favorite mental picture of them together. It was not often that she and Danny could take time off their jobs together and take Lucy somewhere else, but they had managed it somehow.
Shaking her head, Lindsay headed back up to the porch, where a few boxes were sitting there, waiting for her to look through them. Her parents had cleared out the attic a few weeks ago and had packed all the things that belonged to her into those few boxes, letting her decide what things were to be kept, and what were to be thrown away.
Opening the first box, she saw some old toys that were still in decent shape, which could be donated to charity. Lindsay was not one to waste materials, and anything that could be donated, would be donated. She also found some old shirts with holes in them, which had to be dumped. Clearing away the second and third box, she turned her attention to the fourth and last one.
Taking the lid off, she realized the box was the one that held all her memories of her friends. Lockets, gifts and photos were all stacked neatly in the box. She took out each item slowly, remembering the history behind each individual one.
A golden locket – Her friends had all contributed their money into buying this particular locket for her. Inside was a photo of them all, with large smiles on their face.
A beautiful handmade card – made by Kelly and signed by all of them. It was given to Lindsay on her birthday. They had all thought that the ones in the store were all too dull, and a handmade one had always been much better.
Taking out a small silver box, Lindsay unclasped the lock and peered inside. Laid carefully inside, was a small stack of sticky photos.
Lindsay sat down on the porch, her hands still holding the sticky photos carefully, as if they would fall apart at any moment. She still remembered the day that they were taken – it was the very day that her friends were shot in the diner. Even though it happened over a decade ago, every detail of that day was still imprinted in her mind.
*Flashback*
Giggling madly, the four girls entered the shop, arms linked, where they knew they could get great sticky photos taken. Kelly was going away on a long trip and they wanted to have a memory of their time together until she got back. With over ten machines standing there, they debated quickly and chose one of them to get into first.
Dumping their bags at the side of the booth, they went in quickly, selected all the necessary options and started making all sorts of silly faces. When the photos came out, they all laughed happily together, joking about their faces.
'This is awesome!' Kelly grinned, her eyes shining happily.
''Yeah,' Lindsay answered, pushing her brown hair out of her eyes, her face a little red from all the laughing.
'I'm going to treasure these forever and ever,' Denise swore.
'Yeah. If anything should happen to us, we would still have memories,' added Jessica.
They all nodded, but the thought of it possibly happening never crossed the others mind.They had no idea that their lives would change so drastically that very night.
Realizing it was getting dark, they decided to head to their favorite diner for a meal. When they got there, they immediately placed their orders and started chatting with each other.Even when the food arrived, they could still continue to gossip, until when Lindsay got up and went to the toilet as nature called. It was then when her friends' lives came to an abrupt end and hers changed.
After the incident, she had become a mere shell of her former self. She was no longer the chatty, bubbly girl that she was. She became quiet and withdrawn, and without her friends, she rarely interacted with other people, allowing schoolwork to become her only companion. It was then when she discovered her love for forensic science. She took it seriously, and vowed that she would become a cop, and the man who did that to her friends would be placed behind bars.
*End Flashback*
"Lindsay, babe. You alright?' Danny called, finally getting her attention. When Lindsay did not respond to him, he was worried. Catching Lucy quickly, he went over to her, but only after tapping her shoulder did she seem to come back to her surroundings. She looked up at Danny, with her tears still streaming down her face. Although her mission was fulfilled, and the man who did the unthinkable to her friends was in prison for life, she still has not been able to let go and move on. Showing him the sticky photos in the small silver box, she saw that he immediately understood without any words. He sent Lucy into the house to be with her grandmother and embraced Lindsay tightly, allowing his wife to sob freely into his arms. He did nothing to attempt to stop her from crying. He knew that releasing her emotions would be able to get rid of the hard feeling in her throat, and she would need to have a good, long cry.
Gradually, the sobbing subsided. Danny ran his fingers along the back of his wife's back, letting her know that he was there and was not planning to let go at all. However, he was surprised when Lindsay made a request.
'I want to go to their graves tomorrow,' Lindsay stated quietly.
'Linds, babe, are you sure?' Danny asked, worried.
'I need to do it, Danny. I need to let go,' Lindsay answered softly. 'Please?'
'Of course, Montana, of course,' Danny answered immediately. 'Do you want Lucy and I to come along?'
'Yes, please,' Lindsay begged. She knew that Danny would agree, but she could not help herself but beg him to go along with her.
*A Walk Down Memory Lane*
Walking down the path that led to the graves of her former best friends, Lindsay held onto Danny and Lucy's hand tightly. Lucy did not understand the graveness of the situation, and continued chattering about the cookies that she made with her grandmother that morning.
Reaching that area, Lindsay looked at the tombstones of her friends, with their names clearly etched on the top of it. Kneeling down, she honored them before doing anything else.
Lindsay walked up a small hill, where she knew that a big lake was located. Taking out three pieces of paper, she folded three small paper boats lovingly. She then took out three small objects out of her bag, one belonging to each of her friend. She placed them carefully in the paper boats and lowered them all gently on the lake.
She gave the boats a gentle push, and let them sail away, taking away the pieces of her friends that still clung onto her, letting the past go and allowed herself to move on with her life. As she watched them sail away, she murmured under her breath.
'I'm letting go of the past now, but that would not mean that you will be forgotten. You will all always be in my heart.'
She turned around, feeling completely free and light for the first time in over a decade, as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Walking back to her husband and daughter, they went back to Mr. and Mrs. Monroe's home, placing all troubles behind them, moving forward and ready to accept the challenges that they knew would be thrown in their direction.
A/N: So, here you are. This idea came to me as I was having a farewell coffee with two great friends of mine. We had just finished taking sticky photos, so I guess that was where it came from. I hope that you all like it.
Reviews will be much appreciated. No flamers please, but criticisms are highly appreciated.
Zoe tabbycat