Okay, so EVERY D/L shipper heard Mac say it- "Lindsay told me you heard the tape" and there have been a few request for someone to write a fic about exactly how Lindsay knew Danny had heard the tape. As well there have been many fic by wonderful writers on their take on what happened so this is mine. I remind firm in my belief that my muse is a D/L shipper along with the rest of us, plus she is apparently a slave driver. I own nothing andI am still a review whore; your nice, inspiring reviews help me write. I'm toying with a second chapter idea to this one depending on how many reviews I get and you all know I like LOTS so make sure to leave one (or two) for all my hard work!

To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved

-George MacDonald

Standing By

Lindsay pushed her black bag higher on her shoulder, holding it there with one hand like it was full of gold when in reality it held much more and holding the flowers in her other hand. She walked the generic white halls like she was on tiptoes, making sure to be a quiet as possible. She'd always done that in hospitals, always made sure not to disturb anyone, always tried to blend in. She slowed as she neared the room, nervous about what she may walk in on, scared to become a bother. She froze where she stood, entertaining the thought of turning and leaving but she knew she had to do this; plus Flack had seen her.

She smiled at him as he pushed himself off the wall outside the room and moved towards her. He was a good friend, still watching over Danny even thought Sonny Sassone had been arrested, and she knew he'd continue standing outside the hospital room until Danny didn't need him anymore; Mac's orders weren't even a factor.

"How is he?" she asked, nodding in the direction of Louie Messer's room. Flack knew right away what Messer Lindsay was referring to; he shrugged his shoulders.

"Um, he's been better," It wasn't much of an answer, it was almost exactly what Danny himself had told her when they'd brought his brother in, but it was the best Flack could give her and she knew that.

"I should go," she looked up at the taller detective, question and uncertainty clear in her eyes and he picked up on it.

"I was hoping to grab something to eat from the cafeteria. It's been a while since I've eaten anything, would you mind staying with him till I get back? Please, I promised Mac I wouldn't let him out of my sight but I'm real hungry and he'll be safe with you. I won't be long." He wasn't going to let her run away she observed, because he knew she'd never say no. Dark blue eyes, much darker then Danny's, twinkled at her as she nodded her head; he'd won.

"Thanks, Lindsay." He gave her a little wave and a smile as he disappeared the way she'd come, leaving her no choice but to move closer, leaning in the doorway to watch Danny. She took in his dejected form sitting, head down resting in his arms, beside his brother's bed and she knocked; Danny's head snapped up.

"Hi," for some reason she found herself whispering as he stood and wiped at his eyes. Lindsay looked away because it wasn't fair for him; he didn't trust her enough yet to cry in front of her but he couldn't really stop himself.

"Hey Montana," he also whispered, his voice horse from crying as he waved her in and met her halfway.

"How's your brother?" there were few things Lindsay hated more then the sound of a hospital with its cheerful nurses, eerie quiet hall and beeping machines; especially the beeping machines. She didn't say anything. Danny shrugged his shoulder; much like Flack had minutes ago, and shoved his hands deep unto his pockets as he rocked on the back of his heels.

"Louie's been better, you know, but at least he's breathing; could be worse." The both knew precisely what he meant by 'worse'. She nodded, that was much more then she ever thought he would have given her.

"I'm sor-" but he held up his hand and swiftly silenced her with a small wave of it.

"Don't, don't, just…" he trialed off, turning away from her and pulling a hand through his messy hair. She stood rooted to her spot, not wanting to upset him more then she just had. He seemed to forget she was still there and again the idea of leaving popped into her head; she could talk to him later when he'd had more time to deal. Plus she never promised Flack she'd stay in the room and watch him just that she'd watch him which she could do from the hall till the young cop returned.

"I'm going to go, I just wanted… never mind, I'll see you later." She moved past him, placing the flowers she'd brought on the windowsill; they would get plenty of sun come morning. Still he stood ridged in his spot when she turned and headed for the door, patting his shoulder comfortably as she passed him; his hand shot out to catch her wrist.

"No; what did you need?" she shook her head, giving him a small smile as he tugged her wrist and pulled her to stand in front of him.

"It's nothing that can't wait Danny." Unwillingly she glanced down at her bag and his eyes followed. She saw the spark in his blue orbs that told her he was going to find out one way or another. She sighed and reached into her bag before he could try. Carefully she pulled out the tape recorder that Mac had used to with Sonny. The recorder that housed the tape which was the reason that Louie was laying in the hospital bed in the first place and handed it to the man before her.

"Careful, it's our key piece of evidence." Danny nodded, recognition in his eyes as if he knew exactly what was on the tape, and as if he understood now why his brother had been beaten. Maybe he did understand, she thought, she didn't know him as well as she thought she had and word around the lab was that he knew all about the Tanglewood boys and they knew all about him. And everyone knows what happens to someone who confronts a gangster while wearing a wire; you just don't do it. But Louie had done just that to save Danny and Lindsay liked the older Messer all the more; after all blood was thicker then water. Danny gulped in a breath of air as he pressed the play button. Louie's voice filled the small hospital room and Danny tensed right away; she started to go, she shouldn't be there.

"Stay," she stilled, looking back at him as he stood at the foot of his brother's bed looking at her. "Please, would you mind staying?" Stunning, sad, clear blue eyes begged her and she nodded; she would have done anything he asked her at the moment.

"Sure," she moved back to stand in front of him as he sat at the end of the bed and as they both listened to the confession Danny reached out and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers. This, she knew, would never be talked about, it would be forgotten the second she walked out of the room, and they would act as if it had never had happen but right now was different. She watched him as he pushed himself to get to the end of the tape, to listen to every piece of it up until the point were it went dead after the attack on his brother had begun and it killed her to see him like that. He never let go of her hand, even when it was over, even when he was handing it back to her and she was slipping it back into her bag. Danny rubbed small circles with his thumb on the pulse point of her wrist which was funny since she was the one who should have been comforting him. He didn't look up at her.

"Thanks," he mumbled; she'd just shed a whole new light on his relationship with his brother, on why Louie had done what he'd done and treated him the way he had for so long. Then he stood suddenly, causing her to stumble back surprised but she caught herself and didn't say anything; this wasn't the time or place.

"Yeah, I found it among your brother's personal effects and I really thought that you should hear it." She gave him one of her half smiles, not that he noticed, as he moved to stand beside Louie at the head of the bed. Danny gently reached for his brother's hand, intertwining their fingers like he had with her and pressed a kiss to his brothers bandaged and bruised forehead. Again she turned away to allow him some privacy; this wasn't her place nor her honor to witness.

"Look, if you need anything Danny, anything at all I'm here okay?" she told him softly but she didn't move towards him. Finally he looked up at her, taking her in, assessing that she meant when she was saying and he nodded that he understood. He was killing her with his tired eyes and defeated stance, this was much, much different from the strong and lively Danny she was use to. To the Danny that pushed her buttons to see how far he could go before she bit back yet was always concerned for her at the same time. "Right," she muttered, turned and leaving him to his sorrow so that he could watch his brother in peace but he stopped her at the door.

"Lindsay," it was a shock and she almost didn't catch it; it was strange to her ears and yet she loved how her name sounded coming from him.

"Yeah, Dan-" she jumped when she turned back to find him inches away from her in the doorway. Without a word he reached out, hooking his finger through the button hole on the collar of her jacket and pulling her into his arms. He buried his head in her shoulder, hiding his face in the dark curls there and she wrapped her arms around his middle to hold him. She could fell the toll this was taking on him, feel the exhaustion in his body through the muscles in his back. She wished she could take it all away but nothing short of Louie waking up was going to do that she knew.

"Thank you." He breathed into her neck and she just nodded, rubbing his back as they stood like that, silently for a few minutes.

"No problem," he pulled away slowly, fingering a curl before moved back completely and turning back to his brother; he wasn't sorry and neither was she. She stepped out of the room and found Flack leaning against the far wall smiling at her with a bag of chips in his hand.

"I guess I was right, he was safe with you, thanks." She smiled at him knowing that Flack had seen what had just happen between the two CSI's. He offered her a chip and she reached into the bag to grab one.

"Isn't that what you do; protect your own?" she asked, popping the dill pickle chip into her mouth and looking at him with knitted eyebrows; Flack nodded.

"Yeah, but there's a difference between protecting someone and making them feel safe Lindsay. It takes trust for someone to feel safe, and you made him feel safe. That's quite the honor; Danny doesn't trust with many people." Flack knew this for a fact. It had taken a long time for Danny Messer to trust him and they had been friends for years now. But then the petit brunette in front of him had gone to great lengths to prove her trust; she had disobeyed protocol by showing Danny those results first. Lindsay blushed, ducking her head for a second before looking back up at Flack again.

"How can you tell, that he trusts me I mean?" she wondered; she needed some evidence- she was a CSI after all; Flack grinned.

"I've been standing here for two days, sleeping on that chair whenever Danny passes out beside his brother's bed and he hasn't said two words to me." Lindsay followed Flack's pointed finger to the chair that sat just inside Louie's room before looking back. "Then you walk in and he's talking again and hugging you; if you don't call that trust I don't know what is?" He left her like that to think about what he'd just told her as he moved to sit in the chair inside the room; Danny had passed out with his head resting near his brother's hand on the bed.

Lindsay blinked once, twice, three times, before her feet started towards the exit. If there was one thing she knew for sure, she knew that she wasn't ever going to do anything that put Danny's trust in her in jeopardy because from what she'd heard Danny's trust was a hot commodity and she'd been lucky enough to earn it.

-Girlygirl