Summary: What if "Snow Day" went differently?

Pairing: FM/DL

Time Frame: End of Snow Day and after

DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine.

You're Still Here

Chapter 2: One Night Only

She hurried to his side, shoving the lifeless body of the slain gang member out of the way.

She knelt down beside him, her eyes searching for signs of life as she placed her fingers to his neck, silently praying for a sign of life.

She waited…. Nothing. She moved to his wrist, pressing hard, willing him to have a pulse. Still there was nothing….

"Oh God…." She whispered, unable to keep the devastation out of her voice.

Flack was right behind her, saying nothing, mostly because words escaped him at this point.

The paramedics chose that moment to rush the trailer. They moved Flack and Lindsay aside and set about trying to save a life.

Lindsay swallowed a lump in her throat. Maybe I wasn't looking for his pulse in the right place. Maybe I missed it.

A moment later, the swift movements of the paramedics halted. Their heads dropped momentarily.

Oh God… No, please… Don't…

One of the paramedics turned to her, meeting her eyes. After a moment, he spoke. "I'm sorry."

Lindsay turned to Flack, tears filling her eyes. She bit her lip and shook her head. Danny was gone.

He felt his stomach turn and his head was spinning. Tears pricked his eyes. Without even thinking, he pulled Lindsay toward him, wrapping her in his arms.

There was no hesitation on her part, she returned the firm grasp. They needed each other. Because, to each of them, the other was the only bit of Danny left.

That was how Mac, Stella and Hawkes found them 15 minutes later.

Flack saw them first. He gently coaxed Lindsay to her feet and moved her towards the group. He cleared his throat and delivered the news.

"He… He was shot. It was fatal." He said stoically, feeling Lindsay heave a silent sob into his shoulder.

"I'm taking her home." He informed them, steering her out of the warehouse, knowing that her continued presence would wreak havoc on her mental status.

Stella went to Danny's lifeless body, standing over him, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She abruptly turned and ran square into Mac, who stopped her from running.

"Don't. Don't run." He told her, pulling her into a tight hug, allowing his own pain the release it needed.

Sheldon turned, his hands balling into fists, his eyes closed tightly, he was unable to speak, to think. Danny was gone. He was gone. He wasn't going to be there anymore.

Hours later, Mac had collected himself and made the necessary calls. Danny's grief ridden mother was on her way in from Staten Island. Stella was long gone, at home. Sid had insisted on doing the autopsy himself, not even allowing Peyton to help, explaining that Danny was like a son to him and nobody else was to be trusted with such a task.

Hawkes was gone, having left shortly after his arrival at the scene, no one had seen him since.

Flack was with Lindsay still. He'd called an hour earlier. "She's sitting in the shower. I can hear her cryin' Mac. I don't know what to do." He told the older man. The pain was evident in his voice.

Mac knew Danny had been close to Flack for a long time, they were best friends as far as they were concerned. He also knew Danny had grown quite close to Lindsay in the past few months.

Danny was gone… Right now, those two needed each other. "You can be there. That's all you can do. Just don't leave her alone…" Mac told the man before they ended the call.

He turned to the window and hung his head. It was all too much. He was losing his team. Danny had been his project. He'd watched the young man come up from the callous, cocky man-child into a smart, confident and capable young man.

"I'm so sorry." A voice peeped from the door. He knew without turning around who it was. He cared deeply for Peyton, but now was not the time.

"Thank you." He choked out, still not turning in his seat.

"Can I do anything?" She asked, entering the room.

He shook his head. "Right now, I need to be alone." He told her.

Her clicking heels stopped. "Right." She replied softly. With that, she turned and he heard her heels clicking as she left.

Flack was at a loss. She'd locked herself in the bathroom, claiming she was going to take a shower. But it had been over an hour and he could hear her sobs. Mac's advice echoed in his ears.

He pulled himself off the couch and headed to the bathroom. He silently turned the knob, slightly surprised when it opened. She must've forgotten to lock the door.

He heard her soft sobs as he stepped into the bathroom. He peeked into the shower stall and saw her.

She was curled up, knees drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around her, her head resting on her knees. Her hair was matted to her head and her arms, the water splashing off her body as she cried. He felt part of himself breaking as he watched her break down.

He grabbed a big towel from the rack and reached in and turned off the shower. She barely noticed.

He slid the door open and quickly wrapped her in it. She stood, holding the towel around herself and trying to wipe her eyes as she stepped out.

"I… I shouldn't care this much. We only had one night. We'd only just started." She hiccupped softly.

"Doesn't matter Linds. It doesn't matter." He whispered as he led her out. He pulled back the covers on her bed and she sank into it, the towel still wrapped around her. After the covers were pulled over her, he took the towel.

"I could've loved him." She rasped, her eyes temporarily dry.

"You could have. He could've loved you too." Flack told her simply, unsure of what else he could say.

She nodded and turned on her side.

"The couch is comfortable." She whispered hoarsely.

She needs me to stay. He'd want me to stay if she wanted me to.

"Ok." He replied softly. He clicked off her light and shut the door.

He kicked off his shoes, grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch, and tried to get some sleep.

REVIEW

So, it's going to pick up. It's going to have some twists and turns, ups and downs. I have big plans for this story. Feel like hangin' in there with me? I hope so.

Song: One Night Only – Jennifer Hudson.

I chose this because it seemed obvious. They got one real legitimate night together, that was it. Nothing more. They both wanted so much more than that, but neither could have known what was going to happen.