Author's Notes: Wow, thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. It means so much to me. There are a few more curse words in this chapter than what I usually write but they just seemed to fit where they are. As always, any feedback is appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still can't claim them.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Chapter 2

Jo slapped Flack's arm. She knew he hadn't meant for Danny to misconstrue his phrasing but it was obvious how badly it had come across. Of course, it wasn't going to be any easier telling him what actually happened. What do you say 'Don't worry, Danny; your wife isn't dead – not yet at least.'? Kneeling in front of him, she made sure she had his eye before she spoke. "Lindsay is alive, Danny. What Flack meant was that she was taken hostage when the bank robbers left."

Slowly Danny nodded, indicating he understood, his heart once more beating but still a little rapid. He looked around the bank surveying the massacre. "This like the other three?"

Flack nodded grimly, feeling like he was just forced to deliver a death sentence to his best friend. He felt bad for causing Danny to fear the worst but this was an impossible situation. He was scared for Lindsay; he could only imagine it was ten times worse for his best friend.

For just a moment, Danny covered his eyes with the hand that wasn't wrapped around Lucy in order to compose himself. His heart was hammering in his head and he wanted to completely lose it. His wife was missing and she was injured. No, she wasn't just missing; she'd been kidnapped by five men known for torturing and murdering their hostages. He didn't want to completely lose it; he wanted to beat someone's head into a bloody pulp. But he had to keep it together. If he stood any chance of helping to find Lindsay before it was too late, he'd have to remain in control. Besides, Lucy was depending on him; she was obviously upset by the experience and would only be more upset if she knew he was.

Removing his hand he looked Lucy over carefully. Blood was on her cheek but it didn't look like she was injured. Lucy had said that Lindsay needed a bandage so the blood was probably her mother's. He cupped her face in his hands. "You okay, Lucy? Those bad guys didn't hurt Daddy's little angel, did they?" His voice was deceptively calm not betraying the terrible agony he was currently feeling.

She shook her head. "I not hurt. Mommy told me to hided an I hided so good nobody found me 'cept Unc'a Flat."

"Really? Where did you hide that was such a good spot?" Danny tried to keep his tone light. Lucy pointed to the island that had been her sanctuary. The only thing that stood out about her hiding spot when Danny looked at it were the bullet holes that pot marked the wood. His heart did a double beat as he squeezed her against his chest. The idea that bullets had gotten anywhere close to his daughter filled him with cold terror. She squirmed in his grasp.

"Daddy, I no breathe." He instantly loosened his hold with an apology and a kiss to her forehead.

"Sorry, Sweetheart. Daddy's just real proud of you." He looked at Jo, Flack, and Sheldon; his eyes almost pleading. "I'm not stupid guys. I've been working this case from day one and I know so far we've got squat on these guys. Tell me they made a mistake this time."

Jo gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. She wished she could tell him that they knew the identities of the thieves and currently had officers enroute to rescue the hostages. Instead, she offered him what little hope she could. "Oh yeah, they made the biggest mistake in the world. They've taken one of our own. Now it's personal and we won't rest until we find them and get Lindsay back."

Danny's eyes flashed fire. Any trace of composure was quickly disappearing from his voice as it rose with every word. "That's the best you've got? Because it's personal they don't have a chance? To hell with evidence and clues? Great, if it being personal is all it takes to catch the bad guys, let's go get Lindsay right now cause it don't get any more personal for me. Damnit, Jo, don't hand me some platitude like it's going to make it better. I need the truth."

Lucy's eyes got wide at his angry shout and she buried her head into his shirt. Inwardly, he swore and took a deep breath, rubbing Lucy's back reassuringly. "Sorry, Baby. Daddy didn't mean to yell." Then he looked at Jo. "Sorry Jo, I get what you mean but I know how reality works. No matter how much we want to find them, unless they leave us something to wok with, it won't just happen. So did they?"

Sheldon sighed. He still couldn't believe this was happening. It was like some surreal nightmare that he couldn't wake up from. "Not yet. Danny, I know you are worried; hell, we all are. I don't want Lindsay in this mess any more than you do but it could work in our favor. Lindsay is tough and smart. She'll figure out a way to send us a clue if there's any way possible."

Danny shook his head and let out a bitter laugh that lacked any sign of humor. "Yeah, you know; you're absolutely right. No problem. Between being beaten, burned, and God knows what else they'll do to her, she'll just slip us the case breaking clue. Maybe she'll put it in the pocket one of the bodies of the hostages that will be dumped tomorrow. Is that what you are expecting?" Again he took in a ragged breath and stood. His body was fairly shaking with pent up rage and fear. "I gotta get out of here. I love you guys and I know you're trying to help but it's doing just the opposite."

Sheldon shook his head. "Danny, we didn't…"

"I know, Doc." Danny's voice was hard and just below shout level. "I just can't do this right now. I just can't. Leave me alone and let me take care of Lucy. It's almost noon so let me get her some lunch and the I'll get her settled at Ma's. After that, I'll come back to the lab and maybe by then all the platitudes won't piss me off so much."

Without waiting for their reactions, he turned to walk out. Jo shook her head. "He doesn't need to be alone. He's a ticking time bomb."

Flack nodded. He hated to see what this was doing to Danny. Hated how helpless the entire situation was making everyone, especially himself feel. At least when he was watching Lucy before Danny arrived, he had felt like he was doing something productive. "I'll go with him. I can't be much help here; maybe I can keep him from self-destructing or at least be there for Lucy if I can't." He followed his friend out of the bank.

Sheldon looked at Jo, concerned etched in his dark brown eyes. He'd seen Danny lose control before but something about this one was almost too much to bear. "Is Danny going to be okay?"

"Not by a long shot." Jo predicted. "Not unless a miracle happens and we find Lindsay unharmed."

Outside the bank Danny was standing at the rear passenger side door of the Avalanche, strapping Lucy into the built in child restraints. Once she was safely secured, he closed the door with a little more force than was needed. The anger and helplessness he was feeling had to have an outlet and he found himself kicking the truck's rear tire three or four times. He cocked his fist back and was about to plow it through the side glass when he caught himself. Instead he put his whole forearm against the glass and rested his head on top of his arm breathing heavily. Tears filled his eyes and his chest was tight with pain.

"Feel better?"

Danny turned to see Flack standing not two feet away watching him silently implode. He was just about to yell at his friend for not giving him what he asked for. He opened his mouth to scream, cuss, and rail at the world in general when his anger left leaving him suddenly exhausted. He leaned against the truck, embarrassed. "I'm sorry about in there. I shouldn't have unloaded on all of you like that. You all care about Lindsay as well and don't deserve my crap."

"Don't apologize, Danno. We all get it. We'd be more worried if you were taking this calmly. Get in and I'll drive."

Danny ran his hand through his short brown hair. "Nah, I'm okay to drive. I don't want to talk cause I'll just explode again. That's only going to upset Lucy more. I just need to be alone for awhile."

"So we don't talk. This is nonnegotiable, Danny. You are not okay to drive; you're barely holding it together and who can blame you? You're right, Lindsay is our friend and we're scared shitless but she's your wife and that trumps anything we may be feeling. I'll drive and if you need to explode, say the word and I'll pull over and let you out. You can step away from the vehicle and I'll watch Lucy until you get it back together again."

Reluctantly Danny nodded and climbed into the front passenger seat to tired and worried to argue any more. Recognizing just a small victory, Flack ran around to the other side and got behind the wheel. Fastening his seat belt, he looked over at Danny who had buried his head in his hands. Instead of asking where Danny wanted to go, Flack just drove aimlessly, no clear direction in mind, giving his friend time to decompress. After about ten minutes, Lucy piped up from the back seat.

"I hungry."

Flack looked at Danny not wanting to break his promise about not talking but having to address the current problem. "All I got are suckers which she seems to like but I think she probably needs something a little more substantial. Got any suggestions?"

Danny didn't answer but Lucy had her own ideas of what she wanted for lunch. "Can I have pizza, peas. Mommy promised."

Danny winced at the mention of Lindsay. He twisted in his seat to look at his daughter. "Lucy, how about we wait for pizza 'til Mommy's with us again? You know how much she loves it too." He could almost hear Lindsay chastising him for the promise he couldn't be sure he could keep. If they weren't able to find Lindsay in time, would he never let Lucy have pizza again? He cursed inwardly ready to give in if Lucy pressed the issue.

For a moment Lucy looked like she might pout about not getting the promised lunch. Her lip poked out and trembled and one large crocodile tear appeared at the corner of her eye. Then, as if sensing it wouldn't be a good time, the pout disappeared completely. "May I have a Happy Meal? Peas, I eat all my chi'ken b'for I play with the toy."

"Yeah sure, Baby. We can get you a Happy Meal." He looked at Don. "You mind?"

"Mickey D's it is. I could go for a Big Mac myself. What about you?"

"Not hungry." Danny said nothing else but turned to stare out the window. Flack wanted to argue with him, convince him that he needed to eat to keep up his strength but said nothing. Getting Danny through this crisis, no matter how it turned out was going to be more of a war than a one time skirmish. Winning the war would mean picking his battles carefully. If Danny didn't want to eat right then, he wouldn't push him. But he would make sure he ate something before the end of the day.

It didn't take Flack long to pull through the drive-thru and get a Happy Meal for Lucy and a Big Mac for himself. He ate as he drove, glancing up to the rearview mirror every now and then to see Lucy happily eating her chicken nuggets and fries. It amazed him that despite her abject fear earlier at the bank, she seemed to have completely recovered from the experience. He didn't kid himself; the longer Lindsay was missing, the harder it would be on the toddler but for now she believed her father when he said it was going to be okay.

By the time he pulled in the driveway at Danny's parents, both of them were through with their lunch and Danny hadn't said a word the entire trip. A quiet Danny scared him more than a volatile Danny but Flack kept to his word and didn't push his friend to talk.

Danny opened the console between the front seats and pulled out a package of Baby Wet-wipes. Flack raised an eyebrow and Danny looked a little sheepish. "Lindsay insists that we keep them in here just in case. I don't want my Ma to see the blood on Lucy. She'd only panic." He got out of the Avalanche and opened the back door. He made short work of cleaning up the blood, sticky sucker, and remnants of McDonalds with the aid of a couple of wipes. When Lucy was clean, he unfastened the straps and picked her up. He looked at Flack. "Can you wait here at least? The news is going to scare Ma enough as it is. If you come in, it's only gonna make it worse."

Flack promised and watched Danny carry Lucy up to the house. Twenty minutes later, he was back in the truck. Flack tried to ignore the tears he saw Danny wipe away. "Lucy okay to stay?"

"She was pretty upset with me for leaving. I tried to explain that I had to go find Mommy but I don't know if she really gets any of this. I don't know if she understands that Lindsay was forced to leave or if she believes Lindsay just left her."

Flack pulled out of the driveway and started back toward the crime lab. After his admission of concern about Lucy, Danny said nothing more. For awhile, Flack was okay with the silence, ready to listen if Danny wanted to talk or just be silent if he didn't. After about ten minutes, he couldn't take it any more. He didn't want to push things but he felt sure that his friend needed distracting before he exploded completely. "So I have to ask. Lucy is usually pretty close with her mispronunciations but how in the world did she get popsicle from hospital?"

He was glad to see a ghost of a smile momentarily cross Danny's features. "My fault actually. You remember a couple of months ago when Lucy fell at preschool and cut her head?" Flack nodded. He'd been working a crime scene with Danny when he got the call that he was needed at the emergency room. The young father was completely frantic as he left the scene. "Well, by the time I arrived, they had stitched her up and were ready to release her. I said something like 'let's blow this popsicle stand' not knowing the nurse had given Lucy a popsicle after they finished stitching her head. So now Lucy thinks the hospital is a popsicle stand. Lindsay was so mad at me. You know how she is about Lucy learning the proper names for things even if she doesn't pronounce it just right." His voice broke and he looked a bit frantic. "Pull over."

"What?" Flack looked around. They were crossing the Verrazano Bridge. He couldn't just pull over. "Dan…"

"You said all I had to do was say the word and you'd pull over. I'm saying the word, damn it. Find a way to pull over or I swear to God, I'll open the door and jump out."

With a deep sigh, Flack turned on his hazard lights and blue lights and pulled over as far as he could. The vehicle had barely stopped when Danny barreled out of the Avalanche and went to the side of the bridge. He shoved at the concrete as if he could move it and then sank to the ground. A sob burst past his control and he buried his face in his hands.

Flack joined him and sat beside him. He felt guilty; he'd hoped to distract Danny not upset him further. After a few minutes Danny wiped his face with the crook of his arm and looked at Flack. "I wasn't there that day when Lucy needed me. I was at a crime scene. I wasn't there today when both my girls needed me because I was at another damn crime scene. What kind of father or husband am I that I'm never there when it matters?"

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay slowly regained consciousness. Awareness came back to her in stages. First she was aware of sound. She could hear their captor yelling something at them but her brain wasn't processing the sounds into words. After that she was aware of motion or rather the lack there of; apparently the van had stopped moving. With her head enclosed in the heavy hood, she wasn't sure about her sight because everything was just dark. Consciousness came back fully with the awareness of pain. She couldn't decide which was worse - the pounding in her head from being hit or the painful burn in her stomach from the taser. Both were leaving her more than a little nauseated and she said a silent prayer that she wouldn't throw up while wearing the hood.

"I said get up you little Bitch." Hands tightly grabbed her arms and pulled her roughly to her feet. She wobbled, trying to regain her balance. The contents of her breakfast threatened to come back up but thankfully she managed to keep it down.

Walking with her hands secured behind her back in her disoriented state wasn't easy and several times, Lindsay felt herself being prodded along with a painful jab to her shoulder. She felt certain there would soon be a bruise there. The thought made her want to laugh. She knew what more than likely was in store for her and she was worried about a little bruise.

As if he were finally tired of urging her along, her captor slammed her against the wall. Her hands were pressed between her body and the wall and as her fingers brushed the concrete, she could tell the paint was flaking. Instinctively she tore off a piece of the paint, holding it in her fist. She had a DNA sample of one of the suspects under her fingernails from where she had scratched him earlier and now a paint chip of her current location. She didn't know what good either would do her but it made her feel better to have it; powerful, like she had some control over what was happening.

Hooded, she never saw the blow to her stomach until the wind was knocked out of her. She grunted in pain and reflexively curled inward but strong hands pushed her backward. A low voice growled. "You trying to piss me off, Bitch?"

"Trying not to fall down actually." Lindsay quipped before she thought about the consequences. Immediately as the words left her mouth she braced for another punch or retaliatory action. Silently she cursed her impulsive tongue for reacting without thinking. However, the blow she was waiting for never came. Instead, her captor merely laughed and his voice came right at her ear.

"I can see already I'm going to enjoy breaking you." He shoved her forward again.

At long last the herding came to an end and the hoods were removed. Lindsay blinked past the intrusion of light in her now sensitive eyes and tried to take in her surroundings. They were in what appeared to be a large warehouse. Checking on the others that were hostages, Lindsay saw that one of the men had a goose egg of a bruise on his right temple but the others appeared uninjured. One older woman was staring across the room and Lindsay followed her gaze and swore.

The five hostages from the previous robbery were sprawled on the floor in the middle of the room. No hoods but their hands were bound the same way hers were. Three of them were unconscious and only the slight rise and fall of their chests gave away the fact they were still alive. The one male of the group and a young blonde female were conscious but barely. She and one of the unconscious women were barely clothed anymore. Blood and bruises told the story of the sexual abuse they had endured at the hands of their captors. The man's face was swollen and bloodied. His right arm was horribly burned as if it had been roasted over a roaring fire. The visible injuries Lindsay was seeing were too horrific to catalogue. Had she been on duty at a crime scene, she probably could have stayed detached and unemotional. However this was too personal. Her body began to shake uncontrollably as she realized in just a few days that could be her lying there. The breakfast she'd so valiantly tried to keep down won the battle and she threw up on the floor next to her.

She had wondered after the second set of hostages had been found why the thieves had waited a day after the next robbery to dispose of the bodies of the previous hostages. Now she knew. It was just another form of torture for the new hostages. Giving them a glimpse of what was in store for them. She hated the five men who were holding her and the others hostage. Hated them for the power they wielded, for the helplessness they instilled in their victims.

"One week ago today, these five individuals were standing right where you are standing." The same man who had announced at the bank they were being taken hostage was now speaking from his place besides the other set of hostages. He appeared to be the leader. "Some, like yourself, already a little battered and bruised; some only witnesses to a glimpse of what we were capable of. They have provided us with great entertainment in the last week. Some, more than others."

Leaning down, he pulled the conscious female to her feet and kissed her brutally. Again, Lindsay realized it was mild compared to the other sexual offenses the woman had endured. The woman's body trembled but she didn't fight back; apparently she had no fight left. He broke off the kiss and pointed his gun at her head. Lindsay stiffened, anticipating what was about to happen. The leader grinned at their horrified expressions. "They have, however, outlived their usefulness."

Without another word, he pulled the trigger.