Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything relating to CSI: NY. Anyone you don't recognize is my own creation, though.
A/N: Inspired by Lonestar's song of the same name, which I recommend listening to (or at least reading the lyrics to). It just fit perfectly with my idea of Danny and Lindsay in the future. Thanks go to WingFetish for the beta, and to my plot bunnies who are just way too cute to ignore sometimes. Happy reading!
My Front Porch Looking In
by SavvyAngel
From the time he was five, Danny's favorite view, his favorite thing to see in the world, was the Manhattan skyline. Every time he saw it, it reminded him of home, of everything he knew and loved. And later in his life, when that skyline had been broken and changed, it had hurt him. It was something that had always been a constant, in a world of ever changing things, and the missing towers reminded him that even the most constant thing could be tampered with.
He had realized, a year or so ago, that his favorite view was no longer the skyline set against the sunset, one that he could now see from their porch looking out. Instead, it was the view through the front window, looking in, that always brought a smile to his face.
Danny had just come off of his shift at the lab. Tonight, he'd opted to walk the few blocks from the subway, instead of having someone drop him off. As he walked up to his home, he glanced in to his favorite scene. The three most important people in the world were there, in various spots of the connected living room and kitchen.
"Hannah!" Lindsay called into the hallway to a pigtail of brown hair, carrying their son into the living room and placing him on the floor among his toys. "Daddy's gonna be home soon, you wanna help me with dinner?"
He saw their daughter turn and run full speed into the room, grabbing Lindsay around the knees for a hug. "Yeah!" she said, looking up with a big smile on her face.
He laughed looking at his daughter's wardrobe. She had recently decided that she was going to dress herself, which usually ended in a colorful assortment. Today, he saw, she had on an old cowboy hat of Lindsay's (where did she find that?), mismatched (one blue, one pink) sneakers, each on the wrong foot, green pants, and a bright purple shirt. She looked exactly like Lindsay – same hair, face, and walk. She even took on her mother's accent on a couple of words. But her eyes were Danny's, her accent at all other times was his as well (especially on the word 'Montana'), and he knew that she was a New Yorker, through and through.
The little girl was as stubborn as both he and Lindsay combined, he thought with a smirk. And if it's this much fun now… I can only imagine the teenage years.
He watched as Lindsay moved to sit on the couch for a minute, picking up a little after the kids and watching their son play with his blocks.
The wheatfields and sweeping open skies of her home state that he remembered from two visits there couldn't hold a candle to the Montana sitting on the couch. It didn't matter what she was doing or wearing – every time that he saw her, he thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world.
Lindsay moved back into the kitchen, walking up behind their little girl and tickling her into a hug. They both laughed with complete joy – a sound that was music to Danny's ears.
He saw his little boy taking shaky steps, holding his milk in one hand, the other stretched out for balance. He'd just started to walk on his own, without the help of furniture or his parents, a few weeks ago. Danny smirked at the boy's strawberry-blonde hair that was becoming more and more like his father's every day. His dark brown eyes had the same light as Lindsay's. He stumbled on his feet, falling forward, but catching himself with his hands. He stood back up, smiling widely, and looking proud that he'd managed to stay upright.
Danny heard Lindsay ask, "You ok, baby boy?" The boy turned his head towards his mother, nodding furiously and smiling to show his skills at staying up, and almost falling over again in the process. She laughed again at his glee, then turned attention back to the little girl.
He remembered back to when they had gotten engaged. Flack had made fun of him mercilessly when they had first announced it to everyone else at the lab. Asked what had happened to the permanent bachelor status that Danny had claimed since he was 23 years old.
But on the side, once everyone else had finished giving their congratulations, Flack pulled his best friend aside, and clapped him on the shoulder. With a big smile, he told Danny, "It's about damn time, Messer. Who knew the best thing that's ever happened to you would be Little Miss Country?"
Danny's smile widened at the memory. Essentially the same thing had happened after the announcement of both of Lindsay's pregnancies. Don, who'd once professed that he had no interest in kids and wasn't good with them, had quickly become Uncle Flack. And, in the process, had become wrapped around Hannah and Brian's little fingers.
But, Danny thought, so had everyone else at the lab. When he and Lindsay were on the same shift and at least one was going to be on lab duty, or if they simply couldn't find a babysitter, the kids would come in and hang around Auntie Stella, Uncle Mac (or Uncle Mac Sir when they wanted a laugh from everyone), and Uncle Sheldon. Even Adam and Sid, when they were out of the morgue and wandering around the lab, were great with the two of them.
"Ok, Hannah," he heard his wife say as she turned from the stove towards the cabinets to get plates. "Let's set the table so we can get dinner out."
He watched as his daughter carried the plates to a table she could barely reach the top of. She placed the plates at different angles, completely out of line with the chairs and silverware. "Done, Mommy!"
Lindsay looked over to her and beamed. "Awesome job, sweetie."
Brian got up, slowly wobbling over to his mother and sister. He tugged on Lindsay's pantleg until she looked down. "What's up, little man?"
"Mama… Daddy home?" he asked.
Danny saw Lindsay melt at the sweetness in the question. His own smile grew as well.
"He'll be home soon, sweetie."
Danny figured that he had watched the scene, and kept them waiting for long enough. He took his keys out, walking to the door and opening it. He called, "Anyone home?" with a smile, after hearing the patter of feet already barreling towards him.
"Daddy!" was the last thing he heard before turning around and catching his little girl in his arms. Her own arms clung around his neck in a hug, before he pulled back to look at her.
"Well, Miss Hannah Aiden Messer, how are you today?"
She giggled at his use of her full name. "I'm good, Daddy. We made supper!"
Brian came running up to him as well, only slightly stumbling on the way. "Dada!"
Danny laughed before leaning down to pick up his son as well. "You did, huh?" he said, kissing the boy on the forehead. "Just you and Brian?"
"Noooo Daddy… He's too little!"
"So it was just you then?"
She laughed, and Lindsay chose that moment the walk out of the kitchen. "Well, if she could, I think that'd put me out of a job around here," she teased.
Hannah climbed out of her father's arms. "No, Mama, you can still work with Daddy and Uncle Mac and everybody."
Lindsay and Danny both laughed, and he set Brian on the floor.
"Ok guys, go wash up for dinner," Lindsay said. Both children ran to the other room to do so.
Danny sighed. "Yes, Ma'am," he said to her, moving to walk in the same direction as the kids.
She grabbed him as he started to walk past her. "Not so fast, Cowboy."
He smirked at her before pulling her close for a kiss. Sweet, simple, passionate – all meshed together in that one kiss. A kiss like they would do it every day for the rest of their lives.
She finally pulled back, still encircled in his arms. "Hey there."
"Hey, Montana," he said. "How was your day?"
"Good. Entertaining to say the least," she said. He snickered at the thought of the adventures of the day. "How bout you? Did you end up getting the guy in the Cohen case?"
"Yeah. Turns out the perp left his car right out front at his ma's place, so me and Flack picked him up. Guy confessed to the murder in less than 15 minutes."
She gave him another peck on the lips, then moved to intensify the kiss.
"Mooooooooom. Come on, it's dinner time," came the voice from the kitchen. It was followed by Brian's, "Dinner!"
Danny laughed, looking thoughtfully at Lindsay as he rested his forehead against hers.
"What?" she asked, catching the look in his eye when he pulled back.
"I was just thinking about how lucky I am," he responded. "I love you, Montana."
She smiled. "I love you too, Danny. C'mon," she said. "We've got two hungry kids who've been waiting to tell you stories all day."
She took his hand, leading him to the kitchen.
He looked out the window towards the skyline once more. Then, he peered into the kitchen, where everyone was sitting.
Best view in the world, he thought.