LOVE ALWAYS MATTERS

Angst/Romance

Story Summary: Danny and Lindsay have broken up and they struggle to at least be friends again. Is it possible? Is more than friendship possible? I wrote a one-shot that was totally angsty ("Two Words"). I'm definitely going to leave it as is, but this multi-chapter fic is based on that one. This is a bit more in-depth, but has a much happier ending.

A/N: I hate having two stories going at once. This one is going to be short. I refuse to write another 16-chapter fic any time soon. I don't think I have it in me. But then again, I never keep my word, so this might turn into a 30-chapter fic (just kidding!) I want to keep it short or I fear its tone will change. I'm thinking about five chapters. The weird thing is that while I was writing this, Laurzz posted a story that was just like it, and she did a great job, too! I hope you enjoy mine as well  BTW, thanks for your input, Laurzz!

CHAPTER 1 – Cold and numb

It was getting easier for them to work together. She didn't avoid him anymore and working with him no longer threw her into a panic. She was getting used to not being part of the dynamic duo, but she had to admit that their names still flowed together: DannyandLindsay. There was no more Danny and Lindsay in that way. They were just coworkers.

It was very hard on her when they broke up, but she knew that it was for the best. Men like Danny Messer have a short attention span unless a woman has all of the bells and whistles she didn't feel she had. But she knew that she was enough for someone and she made no apologies for not being enough for Danny Messer. When she thought about it, he didn't have enough to offer her, either. She wasn't asking for forever, but while they were together she demanded his complete attention. If they actually did have a shot at having a long-term relationship, he had blown it and had relegated himself to being a temporary fixture in her life.

She'd be lying if she said she was glad they were through. Although they were two very flawed individuals with a lot of emotional baggage, for the short time they were together they fit. But over time she could see that he was pulling away; she was not getting a return on her emotional investment. And Ruben's death signaled the death of their relationship, or what was left of it. When he pushed her away after that, she gave him the time he said he needed, but he never reached out to her for comfort. He was doing much better now, so he had received comfort from someone, but not from her.

She had been through break-ups before, but she wasn't able to make a clean break this time since she still had to see him at work. The hardest part was that it was so well-known that they had been a couple but no one knew that they had broken up, so someone was always asking about the other or making jokes about being in love, or finding Mr. or Ms. Right, or something that was equally painful to someone with a fresh emotional wound.

CSI:NY

Please let me know what you think!