Title: As Long As I Don't Lose You
Summary: The ceiling of the local cinema falls in, almost crushing everyone inside. When Danny finds out his sister is involved he insists on being part of the case, even if his boss doesn't approve. There are three fatalities and many more injured. So what turned a day at the movies into a real-life horror film?
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY. I would seriously love to own Danny, Mac and Flack though.
A/N: No Flames! Not accepted.
2nd A/N: I have given Danny a sister; I don't believe he has one, just his brother, Louie. So Bella is purely fiction. Also this is before Lindsay and Danny get together and before Jessica Angell and Flack get together.
Detective Danny Messer fumbled on his bedside table for his cell as it beeped, waking him up. He groaned and rolled out of bed. He yawned as he showered and rubbed his hands over his face, then he remembered what today was. His little sister's birthday. Isabella Messer was 19 today. She was also preparing to join the CSI team, however she was starting tomorrow. So she could do what she wanted today and she'd made Danny promise he'd go to the movies with her. He paged her as he got dressed saying he'd be there soon to take her to the theatre. When he pulled up outside the flats where she lived, she was sitting on the steps, a packet of crisps and a plastic bag with other things in it. She wasn't going to waste money on her food when she could bring her own.
"Happy Birthday Beautiful." He said as she got in he placed a kiss on her cheek and she grinned, returning the kiss.
"Thanks Danny." She said settling into her seat and she shared one of their secret smiles with him.
"So what movie are we seeing today?" He asked as his phone beeped. He reached into his pocket and handed the cell to her, Bella's face fell as she read it. Danny knew then exactly what it was before she repeated the code he knew too well.
"It's a 125-25 Danny. A homicide." She said, he sighed. He had to leave her by herself then, he wasn't happy about it because since his family had all died or moved further away from New York she was all he had.
"I'll drop you off then continue on ok? I'm sorry Baby girl." He said, she shrugged.
"It's your job. I can't expect you to have a quiet day at work. We'll have plenty of time to do stuff anyway." She said. He nodded. He dropped her off at the cinema and waited til she was inside before driving away. He had to get to Midtown.
It was a relatively easy case to solve, the evidence spoke for itself and the killer had been sloppy. So it was over and done with sooner than they all thought. Soon enough another call came through though. A cinema in Brooklyn had its ceiling collapsed. Danny felt his heart clench. Bella was at a cinema in Brooklyn. When he was passenger to Hawkes on the way out there, he felt his heart stop when he saw that it was the very same cinema that he'd dropped Bella off at. He was out of the car before it stopped. He ran to the edge of the rubble and stared at it. Hawkes was beside him in a second.
"Danny…man what's gotten into you?" He asked putting an arm around Danny's shoulders.
"My sister, my baby sister…she's in there somewhere Hawkes. Her movie hadn't finished yet." Danny said, tears making their way into his voice. Hawkes nodded and told Danny not to move that'd he'd be back soon. When Mac found out he wanted to take Danny off the case, but the younger man refused to be anywhere but on the scene. Mac reluctantly allowed Danny to stay. It seemed a lot like an accident but that didn't make it any less painful for Danny. He was wringing his hands as they started to bring out the bodies. Three Fatalities, none were Bella. Good. Danny relaxed a bit. But as the survivors came out with various injuries ranging from serious to critical to minor he started to worry again. He watched as the workers lifted about five bodies out of the rubble. The fifth body he knew so well, he knew what Bella had been wearing and her hair, that blonde/brown hair was unmistakable. He rushed forward and she stumbled off the rubble, he wrapped her in his arms tightly and held her to his chest, she buried her head in his chest and let him hold her.
"I thought I'd lost you Bella. You scared me to death." He said brushing her hair back from her face gently. She laughed softly, he loved that sound. It was muffled by his chest but he still heard it.
"You couldn't lose me Danny, not even if you wanted to." She smiled at him.
"I can't tell how much I thought I'd never see that smile again." He whispered pulling her in to him again. As far as Danny cared she could do whatever she wanted as long as he didn't lost her again. He watched as the paramedics checked her blood pressure, and put a few butterfly stitches in her arm, where a small but deep gash had appeared. She looked at him and smiled. He hugged her again when the medics were done and she whispered something in his ear that made him laugh. When Lindsay curiously asked what she had told him, he just laughed and spoke in perfect Italian: "Non sto andando mai svilupparmi in su con voi sono io? Meaning I'm never gonna grown up with you am I? she'll always be my baby sister. So she knows she'll never grow up. Not as long as I can keep her little." Danny smiled as he watched Bella talk to Don Flack about the ceiling. She obvious told him mostly the same as the other witnesses, but she did say something new, because he wrote it down. To Danny it didn't matter if it was an accident or a malice act, all that mattered to Danny now, was that Bella was safe. That was all that mattered.