So here's chapter two. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it so much. Thanks for the alerts too. I hope you like this chapter as well.

Special thank you to Brinchen86 for the beta and discussing it with me. I really love you for it!

And I don't own anything.

Andie

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Chapter Two: Continuous Motion

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Just as quickly as the night came, it went away, leaving the city to become a glow of sunlight and sounds. New York City, known for its dense population, was no stranger to the hectic and chaotic situations that come with the start of any work day so that particular late Thursday morning was no different.

For Danny Messer however, it was very different.

He stood still and watched as the elevator doors slid open, allowing him to step out into the hallways of the New York City Crime Lab. The moment he entered he could sense the feeling that everyone was on edge.

The death of Angell had been hard enough to deal with but in the wake of her passing, the unexpected shooting had caught everyone off guard. The whole department had been taken by surprise and no one really knew what to make of it; himself included. He had barely begun to realize that he would never see Jess again and now he had to deal with the fact that he could have easily have lost someone else. The thought scared him completely and he did his best not to think about it. He knew that he had to be strong; for everyone, for Lindsay.

Danny made his way down the hall that led to the locker rooms. He turned the corner entered the locker room and immediately spotted Lindsay seated on one of the benches.

"Hey you," he said softly, not wanting to startle her.

His efforts failed however when she jumped at the sound of his voice, her heart racing faster than it had before he walked in.

She looked up, and upon realizing it was Danny, she stood from her spot and walked over, her arms automatically going around his waist.

Danny answered by moving his to her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. He rested his chin against her temple as he let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know how long they stood that way, and he didn't care. He would have stayed that way for as long as she wanted if he had to.

After a minute or so, Lindsay pulled back yet her arms remained on his waist. She looked up at him, her big brown eyes full of question and worry.

Looking right in her eyes, Danny read her question before she had a chance to ask. "I'm fine, okay? I promise you that." He moved his hands to cup her face and moved his lips to her forehead. He placed a small kiss there and pulled back. He looked down to see her eyes closed. "You alright?"

Her eyes opened and she looked back up at him, nodding slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine. How's Flack?" she asked as she removed her arms from his waist and sat back down on the bench.

Danny stood for a moment before joining her. He sat facing forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

"To be honest with you, I have no idea, but I know it ain't good," he admitted.

"Is he still at home?" Lindsay questioned.

Danny shrugged. "Nope. When I woke up he was gone, along with his car. I stopped by the precinct but no one had seen him there."

Lindsay watched Danny with a worried expression. "Where do you think he could be?"

Danny shrugged once more, a frustrated sigh coming from his lips. "I have no clue, Lindsay. I tried calling him a hundred times and it goes straight to voicemail."

"Should we call someone?"

Danny shook his head. "As much as I would love to, I think we need to give him his space, ya know. He's gotta come back on his own terms. We can't force him to do anything."

"You're probably right," Lindsay said softly.

He watched as she sat still, looking at nothing in particular. "So, uh," he started. "I talked to my mother this morning. She says Lucy's doing great."

For the first time that morning, Danny was given the opportunity to see his wife smile. "I know. I called her too," she said. "Last I heard, she was trying to get her to go sleep, but Lucy was being uncooperative." Lindsay paused for a moment, her smile growing wider. "Your mother says she gets it from you."

He chuckled at the statement, knowing that his mother would say something like that, and also that she was probably right.

"Do you think having Lucy is too much for her?"

Danny turned at Lindsay's question. "Of course not. It's her first grandchild. She loves having Lucy over, trust me," he assured her. "Besides, she understands that a lot is going on right now."

"You could say that again. I mean, first Angell, now this. What's next?"

"What's next?" he repeated. "We find out who is responsible for the shooting and then we move on."

Lindsay sat still for a minute. She glanced over at him and tried her best to smile but was unsuccessful. "I wish it would be that easy."

Danny watched her for a minute before looking down; his eyes became fixated on a part of the floor. He knew she was right. It wasn't going to be easy. They were going to be feeling the effects of the past couple of days for a long time. He just hoped it wouldn't be forever.

Before he had a chance to say anything else, the shrill of a cell phone echoed throughout the room, causing both of them to check the phones situated on their hips. Just as Lindsay realized it wasn't hers, Danny answered his.

"Messer…yeah, okay…alright, I'll be there," he said into the receiver before shutting it. "That was Stella," he started. "She wants me down at the bar to help out."

Lindsay nodded in understanding, knowing that their job didn't pause for any personal reasons they may have.

Danny sighed as he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to him. He placed a kiss on her temple, letting his lips linger for a minute. "I love you," he whispered to her.

A small smile appeared on her face at his words. "I love you too."

Danny pulled back and stood up from his seat. "I'll call you alright," he told her.

When he saw her nod, he sent her one last smile before heading out of the locker room.

Lindsay sat and watched him go. As hard as everything was right then and there, it was a comforting fact knowing that she had Danny there.

Gathering the energy to get up, she closed her locker and made her way out of the locker room. She went up the few steps and into the hallway.

The moment she began walking in the lab, she could feel the eyes on her. Like any other workplace, news spread fast around the crime lab. Everyone knew that she was a part of the shooting. She could sense everyone staring at her, all thinking the same things. Man, I feel so bad or she just had the baby, how can she handle all of this. But she couldn't blame them. If it were the other way around, she'd be thinking the same things.

Pushing the thoughts away, she continued her journey though the lab when she spotted Sheldon along the wall.

As she got closer, she could see the exhausted expression on his face. Sheldon had been a CSI for almost four years and never before had he been in a situation like the night before. As much as he was mentally prepared with the fact that it was all a part of the job, he still couldn't shake the sounds of glass crashing and people screaming from his mind. They were replying over and over again in his head.

"Hey," Lindsay greeted when she reached him.

He turned to look at her, a small smile on his face. "Hey Lindsay. How are you doing?" he asked concerned.

She crossed her arms as she let out a long sigh. "Better," she told him. "You?"

"I'm fine," he said before turning back to look across the hall.

Lindsay followed his line of vision until her eyes landed on Mac's office. Through the clear glass walls, she had a clear view of the inside. She saw Mac sitting in his office chair, his hand moving over his face in frustration. She guessed it was because of the man sitting across from him.

"What is Sinclair up to now?" Lindsay asked.

Sheldon shrugged lightly. "Probably talking to Mac about the shooting, seeing if he knows any information on who's the target."

Lindsay's head slowly turned around to look at Sheldon. "Target? You mean, like one of us?"

Sheldon looked at her with a shrug. "I think so. I mean, what are the odds that this happens at the exact same bar we were all inside of. I mean, it's a scary thought but it makes sense. Thiings like this don't just happen for no reason."

Lindsay nodded before turning back to look in Mac's office. Not once had she thought that whoever shot in the bar had been aiming for one of them but now as she stood there, she realized that Sheldon was right; it did make sense.

Perfect sense.

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Any other day, the Rose Bar was just another venue in Manhattan, complete with the large glass window in the front and a host of regular customers. People would be laughing over jokes told on first dates, or calculating profit numbers during business meetings. Or as exhibited the night before, mourning the loss of a loved one.

But as Danny stepped out his SUV, he could see that the Rose Bar would never be the same.

The bright morning sun shone on the surface of the city, creating a large pocket of heat in the air. It became clear that that day was going to be particularly hot, despite it still being late spring. He hadn't made it ten steps yet and he could already feel the beads of sweat forming on his brow.

With a sigh escaping his lips, he swung the door shut and made his way towards the bar. As he neared the building, he could see the glass shattered all over the floor, leaving no part uncovered. The way the glass lay still along the floor allowed the sun to glisten off its surface, creating streaks of color in the air. If it wasn't for the reason behind the shattered glass, it would have been a beautiful sight.

Danny looked across the room and spotted Stella kneeling on the floor, camera in hand. Her curls fell from her head and down her neck. Even from where he stood, he could see her face and he guessed that she had never gone home. If Stella was nothing else in the world, she was definitely dedicated to her job.

"Hey Stell," he greeted warmly.

She looked up and sent him a tired smile from where she stood. "Hey Danny. How's Don?"

Danny shook his head. "I don't know Stella. I can't find him. He's not returning my calls or anything." As he spoke, he became confused by Stella's expression. It looked almost like she already knew. "Why don't you look worried?"

"I am worried Danny, it's just I understand. I mean, if it was you would you really want to talk to everyone about it?"

Danny paused for a minute, knowing she was right. "I guess not."

"Just give him time, alright. He'll come around," Stella assured him.

Just as she finished talking, the sound of footsteps came behind him and he saw a look of surprise wash over Stella's face. He frowned in confusion before turning around. When he saw who it was, his expression mirrored that of Stella's.

"Maka?" he questioned.

The raven haired woman smiled at him before speaking. Her hair hung down the sides of her face and her back. Her tall, petite frame stood in the doorway of the bar, blocking any light from entering through the opening. "Hey Messer," she greeted before looking towards Stella. "Stella," she said with a nod.

"Kaile, what are you doing here?" Stella inquired, still confused with the woman's presence.

"Yeah, I thought you were with vice now," Danny added.

"I was," she answered. "But recently I had been itching to come back here. Never thought I'd see that day that I would actually miss homicide," she explained. "Captain said you guys could use help down here so here I am."

"Wait, homicide?" Danny questioned.

Maka nodded somlemly. "A woman named Tanya Hawkins didn't make it through her sugery."

Danny let out a sigh. Having someone killed in shooting changed the entire situation, and not in a good way.

Stella nodded in understanding. "Well, we appreciate it," she said. She looked around the room. "We could use all the help we can get," she added.

Maka sent the woman a smile. "That's what I'm here for," she said before motioning towards the door. "I'm going to start with any possible witnesses."

"Alright, thanks," Stella told her.

The woman nodded before heading out the bar.

After she left, Danny turned back to Stella. "This is going to be a long day, huh?"

"Are we looking at the same room? I mean this glass alone is going to take hours to bag."

Danny looked around the room, growing more frustrated by the minute. He realized that the chances of spending time with his daughter were growing slimmer and slimmer.