A/N: This is a CSI:NY crossover. I know the timelines don't line up, so sue me. 24 is Post-Day 5, and CSI:NY is just after season 1. Depending on the responses, I may continue this as a Danny/Chloe story. As Day 5 continues, I'm getting so pissed with TPTB that it's hard for me to write J/C anymore.
Chloe had no idea how she came to be eating cannolis in Central Park with a stranger whose smile was broken. The taste of chocolate and ricotta coated her mouth. As if reading her mind, he handed her the bottle of water they were sharing. Cool liquid eased the dryness the sticky filling caused. She gave him a weak smile, which he returned in kind.
"You got a name, blondie?" His accent was so thick she was fairly sure she could cut it into chunks and use it to flavor the pastries.
Nodding, she replied, "Chloe. I'm from LA. Who are you?"
The stranger hesitated for a moment, then answered. "Danny, from Staten Island."
The crisp shell crunched between her teeth as she considered him. Neither wanted to say anything, unwilling to break the strange, fragile thread that ran between them like gossamer strand. He handed her a second cannoli before taking another for himself.
Comfortable silence had settled into place. The water bottle was passed back and forth, and Chloe couldn't bring herself to care she was trading salvia samples with a complete stranger. It was nice being with someone like this. No expectations, no worrying about saying the wrong thing, just two people enjoying being near someone else. Not to mention the cannolis were great.
"Chloe," Danny's question was hesitant, "I know this is nuts, but I guess I just need an outside opinion."
Shrugging, Chloe replied, "Go ahead. I don't mind."
"Am I a bad person?"
It seemed to be important to him, so Chloe honestly assessed her answer. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'd like to think you're not. But I just met you in the park and only know you like cannolis." They both considered this for a moment. Figuring it was good a time as any, Chloe asked, "Danny, is there something wrong with me?"
"Hell, no." His violent protest startled her. "You're just fine, and saner than a lot of people I know." Grinning, he added, "Despite the fact you eat cannolis with strange men in the park."
That made her smile. "You're not a strange man anymore. After all, I know you're Danny from Staten Island, you like cannolis, and your guilt complex rivals Jack's."
Continuing the joke, Danny replied, "And you're Chloe from LA, you like cannolis, and your dating prospects are all idiots. Who's Jack?"
A wry grin, "One of my dating prospects."
"Oh, he's an idiot then. If he wasn't, he wouldn't let you eat cannolis with strange men."
"In the park," Chloe reminded him. The banter had made the thread more tangible, but no less fine. They reverted back to munching, splitting the final cannoli. Ever the gentleman, Danny let Chloe drink the last of the water.
Without the food, there was no reason for them to stay here together, but both were loathed to leave. It was no longer about the crisp pastry with sweet filling, or the water to rinse away the cloying aftertaste. Two people, tired of being judged and ostracized, just wanted a campanion for a time. Not for long, just a little bit. Long enough to find some measure of peace from their hurts.
As Chloe watched, the thread thickened slightly, but remained ethereal and delicate. It looked as if a sudden breeze would snap it in half. She didn't dare so much as twitch, fearing to loose the hold, no matter how insubstantial it was.
Seeing the change as well, Danny remarked, "Spider silk is one of the strongest materials in the world." Tension seeped out of Chloe's shoulders. With a final smile she picked up her bag and walked away into the crowd.
The connection twisted and glittered, stretching to follow her, in the broken light that trickled through the canopy. A strand of spider silk binding two strangers with nothing in common except lonely pain and cannolis.