A/N: This is going to be a long chapter – at least compared to my other chapters.
CHAPTER 4 – It's a Family Affair
Danny decided that they needed to talk before they embarked on the drive ahead of them. Lindsay was so happy to see him that she agreed to go to a local coffee house before they made it to her parents' home.
He parked in front of the coffee house, jogged over to her side of the car and opened the door for her. He extended his hand to help her out of the car. When she got out, he grabbed her left hand and intertwined their fingers. When they approached the building he opened the door for her with his other hand and allowed her to enter first. They ordered their coffee, and when they received it, they headed to a small empty table in the back. He pulled her chair out for her, sat down, and grabbed her hand across the table. Lindsay was the first to speak.
"I missed you."
"Really? I thought that when you missed someone you called them or emailed them or …"
She couldn't help but notice the slight bitterness in his voice. "Point taken. It's been…rough."
Danny nodded and sympathetically said, "I can imagine." He looked at her briefly. "It's much easier if you have someone to help you through the rough times."
"You have to understand. I was raised to be very independent. That meant not burdening anyone with my problems. Asking for help was considered a weakness. You just deal and go on." That didn't placate him. He looked away and she reached across the table to move his chin so that he had to look at her. She continued quietly, "But I can't tell you what it means to me that you came. Just seeing you there today gave me the strength I needed to go on."
"That's all I want – to be there for you when things are going great and when they're not so great. Is that asking too much?"
She smiled sheepishly. "No."
"Lindsay," he hesitantly decided to broach the issue of her wordless departure, "you should have told me face-to-face that you were leaving. I appreciated the card, but knowing that you told everyone but me really hurts."
Lindsay had hoped that he would not have brought this up, and her facial expression showed this.
He continued, "Did you think I could get over that?"
Lindsay closed her eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath while she tried to find the right words. "I couldn't face you. It was so easy to say goodbye to the rest of the team, but you have to know how difficult it would have been to say goodbye to you."
"I know how difficult it was that you didn't say goodbye to me. I watched you hug everyone and…"
"Danny, it was hard enough knowing I was leaving to testify in a murder trial! I had tried so hard to put all of that behind me, but when I got that call from the DA I just freaked." She paused momentarily and her voice softened. She tightened her grip on his hand. "You know, that's the night we were supposed to go to dinner and I stood you up. You have no idea how sorry I am for that. But when I received that call…" She began to speak animatedly, "And then the flashbacks started and I ran away from a crime scene. It was effecting my job, it was effecting my life! I wanted to be with you, Danny, I really did, but I didn't know how this trial would change me or if I'd ever be whole again. I've had to deny myself so much because of this."
Danny saw that she was on the verge of tears so he moved his chair right next to hers and put his arm around her. He kissed her very briefly on the lips and held his forehead against hers.
He tried to lighten the mood. "Now was that so hard?"
They both laughed. He was relieved when he felt her shoulders relax.
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On the way to the ranch, Danny had a more important question for her. "How come you didn't tell me that Mac and Peyton are an item?"
"You didn't know?"
"Obviously not," he said, feigning frustration.
"Even Flack knows."
"This I am aware of."
"Did Flack tell you?"
"No, believe it or not, Old Lady Flack did not tell me. I requested an ME at a scene and I seemed to have interrupted their 'date' and Mac came with her. Is there anything else I need to know about my teammates?"
"I happen to know that there is a certain former ME who has his sights set on a certain female detective."
"Hawkes and Angelle??"
"NO! Hawkes and Donna."
"Who?"
"Donna. The one who transferred from Jersey."
"I haven't met Donna. I guess I'm going to have to meet her and see if I have to give Hawkes a run for his money." He looked at Lindsay out of the corner of his eye and could tell that she was not amused. He couldn't help but laugh at her expression. He turned serious.
"Lindsay, you have me. All of me. For as long as you want."
Lindsay blushed and fidgeted in her seat, failing at her attempt to hide her relief.
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Danny took a right and drove up the driveway that Lindsay indicated. He saw "Monroe Ranch" on the connector above the open cast iron gate. When they reached the house, he parked the car and they got out. Danny went to the trunk to get his duffel bag.
"So this is home, eh?"
"It was."
Danny shot her a surprised look.
She continued, "This has always been home, but now that I'm back it doesn't feel like my home anymore. My family is here, my history is here, but my life… my new home is in New York."
Danny continued to look at her disbelievingly. She leaned into him for a kiss.
"Ms. Monroe, if you keep doing that…" his voice trailed off as he eyed the man who had just walked up to the car. They had been too preoccupied to notice him coming from around the back of the house. Lindsay's eyes followed Danny's and when she saw the man she said, "Daddy, I didn't hear you coming. This is Danny Messer. Danny, this is my father, Ed Monroe."
Ed didn't look the least bit amused at the sight of this man kissing his daughter. Danny saw this and eagerly extended his hand for a shake. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Monroe." Ed eyed him seriously and said, "You can call me Ed."
A shrill voice came out of the front door as it opened, "Who is it, Ed? Oh, Lindsay, you're home! How'd it go?" Her eyes saw the stranger being eyed by her husband. She made her way over to them.
"Mom, this is Danny Messer, one of my co-workers from New York. Danny, this is my mom, Betty Monroe."
He extended his hand to her. "Hi, it's nice to meet you, Mrs. Monroe."
"Call me Betty. Will you be staying with us?"
"That's what Lindsay tells me."
"Good. I'll set an extra place for dinner. You'll get to meet the whole family tonight. Lindsay, let's show him where the guest room is."
Under Ed's glare they entered the house behind Betty, who noticed Danny's discomfort. "Don't mind Ed. Lindsay's his baby girl and he's very protective of her. His bark's worse than his bite. You'll see."
Danny didn't want to see. At this point he wished he'd gotten a hotel room. It was clear that Ed was not thrilled to have him there.
Danny looked at all of the pictures in the house. There were lots of them on the wall, on the upright piano, on the coffee table – everywhere. As he passed he tried to spot Lindsay's pictures.
They entered the guest room on the second floor and Betty made sure the room was in order, getting him blankets and towels.
"So, Danny, when did you get here?" Betty asked.
"This morning. I caught the earliest flight I could find."
"This was a last minute trip?"
Danny hesitated before answering. "You could say that."
"I can't bear to think how much you paid for airfare."
"It wasn't cheap," he eyed Lindsay, "but it was worth it."
Noticing this, she said, "Well, I'm going to leave you two alone to talk…or whatever. I'm so happy you've come, Danny. We've heard so much about you already. I guess you're the reason she's so ready to go back to New York."
Lindsay turned red and refused to make eye contact with Danny. Even though they had kissed and talked some, they still hadn't had the opportunity to talk about possibly sharing a future together. But that would have to wait. Danny was tired, sleepy, and honestly did not want to be alone with Lindsay in Ed's house.
"Danny, you might want to shower before the rest of my family gets here. When they come, the kids have the run of the house. I'll check on you when my family shows up." Lindsay left him alone to ponder the events of the day.
Danny got his toiletries and clean clothes and went into the bathroom to shower and try to release some of the tension that had built up since the previous day when he decided to come to Montana. When he got out he smelled dinner being prepared, and he decided to take this opportunity to rest. He would need rest before dealing with Ed again. Danny laid down and set his glasses on the nightstand. In no time, he was fast asleep.
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Lindsay joined her mother in the kitchen. "Need any help?"
"You can peel the potatoes. Danny seems like a nice young man."
"He is, Mom." Lindsay knew that her mother was trying to ease into a conversation about whether she was 'with' Danny, and she did not want to encourage a discussion.
"He came all the way from New York to see about you. He must have spent a fortune on airfare. I remember when your Uncle Fred flew here from New York when Dad died, and he spent about $1,500 for a round-trip ticket. You just don't spend that kind of money to see someone if you don't care about them." She turned and looked at Lindsay. "Do you care about him?"
Lindsay turned red and, without making eye contact, said, "Yes, Mom. He's a good friend."
"Is that all he is?"
"MOM!" Lindsay felt like a teenager again.
"I'm just saying, he looks at you as if you're more than a friend. You have to see it too."
"Mom, I really don't want to have this conversation right now."
Betty looked at her daughter. "You know, you're very good at avoiding important issues."
At this point, Lindsay knew her mother was not going to drop it until she was satisfied. She sat down at the kitchen table and her mother joined her.
"Mom, I haven't really had time to sort through my feelings for Danny and whether or not I can follow through on them. I know that he cares for me and that I care for him. I honestly can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with."
"Do you love him?"
"That's a loaded question. Like I said, I haven't really had time to…"
"I heard you, and that's a load of bull, Lindsay!" Her mother was getting very impatient with her. "Do…you…love…him?"
Lindsay rolled her eyes at her mother in exasperation and said, "I guess so…YES! Okay? I love Danny Messer. Are you happy now?"
Betty smiled contentedly, got up from the table and resumed cooking, leaving Lindsay sitting there wondering what in the world just happened.
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Danny woke up and looked around, momentarily trying to remember where he was. He reached for his glasses and he felt a piece of paper under his fingertips. He put on his glasses and grabbed the note.
Danny, when you wake up, come down to join us. If you dare.
Montana
He sat on the edge of the bed and inhaled the smells wafting in from the kitchen. He really hadn't eaten since that morning, so he went to the bathroom to make sure he was presentable, he washed his face, brushed his teeth, finger-combed his hair, and headed down the stairs.
When he was told that 'family' was coming over, he had no idea how many people they were referring to. He thought maybe 5-10 people, but there were more like 30 -35 people, including quite a few children.
Betty caught sight of him and said loudly, "Oh, there he is! Everyone, this is Danny. He's from New York. He's Lindsay's… What are you two, Lindsay?"
"We're co-workers, Mom," Lindsay said in an exasperated tone.
"He's Lindsay's co-worker." She said 'co-worker' with air quotes. Those who could hear her greeted him. Danny couldn't help but smile. He wondered how Ed and Betty ever got together. Betty was so friendly and likable and Ed…well, Ed wasn't. Fortunately, Ed was nowhere in sight.
Lindsay walked over to him just as a man approached him. She gave the man a warning look and said, "Danny, this is my brother Mark. Mark, Danny." The two men shook hands. Mark gave Danny a half smile. He must take after Ed. Another man approached and she said, "Danny, this is my other brother, Brian. Brian, Danny." Brian shook his hand and gave him a genuine smile and greeting.
"So, how do you like Bozeman?"
"It's different. It's quiet. I haven't seen much of it yet, so maybe Mont-, umm, Lindsay will give me the grand tour."
"You'll like it if you don't compare it to New York. Slow pace, fresh air."
"I'll try to keep an open mind," Danny said with a smile.
Lindsay brought him around to introduce him to everybody, then let him sit on the sofa while she went back to the kitchen to help her mother. For some reason the children clamored for Danny's attention. Brian's 4-year-old daughter actually took a liking to him. "What's your name?"
"Danny. What's your name?"
"I'm Katie and I'm 4." Just then, Katie's little brother, Justin, climbed up on Danny's lap. "This is my brother, Justin. He's 1." Danny became 'Kid Central' as the other kids noticed the fun that Katie and Justin were having playing with Danny.
Betty noticed this and whispered to Lindsay, "And he's good with kids, too."
Lindsay rolled her eyes and muttered, "Well, that didn't last long," and moved away from her mother and headed to the living room where the family was gathered. Brian's wife, Tracy, shooed the kids away from Danny so that he could breathe and have some adult conversation, while Lindsay picked up Mark's crying baby to change his diaper. She put him on the floor, grabbed the diaper bag, and proceeded to change him. He continued to cry, so she sang to him in a high-pitched voice. This did not escape Danny's notice. He watched her intently as she changed the baby with facility while not missing a beat singing the song. Something inside of him clicked and he knew with certainty where his life was headed. Lindsay picked up the baby, who was now laughing and rose to her feet and bounced him and continued to play with him.
When Danny came back to his senses, he saw Ed standing across the room staring at him. When their eyes met he said, "Danny, meet me outside."
Danny got up and walked out the front door, closing it behind him. He had forgotten his jacket, but he was pretty sure that whatever Ed had brought him out there for would have him burning up anyway.
"Can't take your eyes off of her, can you?"
Danny didn't respond, he only looked Ed in the eye, with his hands in his pocket, wondering where this was going.
"When you look at her, what do you see?"
Without hesitation, Danny replied, "My future." For the first time, he could see himself as a husband and a father, thanks to Lindsay Monroe.
"Danny, what are your intentions with my daughter?"
"I want to spend the rest of my life with her – if she'll let me."
"She'll let you. Don't you worry about that. Leave it to me."
"Ed, I don't want you to make her do something she doesn't want to do."
"You know Lindsay. Could anybody make her do anything she doesn't want to do?"
"You've got a point."
"If I could make her do what she didn't want to do, she'd still be living here with her mother and me."
Ed looked around and shifted nervously from one foot to another and asked Danny in a hushed tone, "Are you sleeping with my daughter?"
Danny was shocked and embarrassed by the question. "Wha...no… I don't… No! Ed, no!"
Ed held his hands up to calm Danny down. "Okay, okay. I saw you two kissing earlier and I guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion."
"Today was my first time kissing her. I swear. Yes, I'm in love with your daughter. I've never been in love before, but she took me by surprise – I didn't know what hit me. Next thing I know, I'm on a plane to Montana…"
"So you came all the way to Montana to see her and there's nothing going on?"
"Ed," his voice became a little higher than usual, almost pleading with him, "I can't even get her to go out on a date with me. The only time she agreed to go to dinner with me she stood me up."
An uneasy silence ensued.
"She's very happy that you're here. You know, this trial has gotten to her. You should have known her before all of this happened, before she closed herself off. I see a glimpse of that when she's around you. You're good for her."
"Thanks," Danny said weakly. Maybe Ed wasn't all that bad.
Ed's eyes began to glisten. "Has she met your parents?"
"No. Not yet. My ma can't wait to meet her, though. I promised I'd bring her by when we got back to New York."
"Look. Just promise me that you'll take care of my baby girl. Always. Don't ever hurt her. You already know that you don't want to get on the bad side of a Monroe."
"Don't I know it," Danny said under his breath while rubbing the back of his neck.
"I'll only ask for one thing: when the time comes – and it will come – you two get married in Montana with her family around."
"Yes, sir."
"I've tried so hard to protect her from all the bad in the world, but she seems to find it wherever she goes." He noticed the hurt look on Danny's face and added, "Not you, Son. Not you. I mean what happened to her years ago with her friends. Then she went off to college. I wanted her to live at home where I could watch over her, but she wanted to live on campus. She wanted to study forensics and investigate crimes. How could she want to do that after what she went through? Then she moved to New York."
"Ed, I promise I will never let anything happen to her."
Ed dismissed him with the wave of his hand. Both men, having reached an understanding, re-entered the house.
A/N:
I jumped around in this chapter. It wasn't quite as cohesive as I would have liked. It was so long and there was so much to cover. I still didn't get to everything. The next chapter has some more family stuff going on, so I should get it all in.
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