A.N. Sorry this is kinda short, guys. I'll post another chapter a little later today.

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The trial would start in the morning.

The knowledge made Lindsay feel as if Thumper had kicked her in the chest as she lay staring at the ceiling in the darkness of her room. Light filtered in through the gauzy curtains she'd picked out when she was fifteen, making patterns dance across her ceiling as the open window made the curtains drift in the breeze.

They looked almost threatening, really, she decided as she leaned her head to one side. Appearing and disappearing at whim. Maybe it was the dark fighting the light.

Maybe she needed to stop drinking so much coffee.

Rubbing her eyes with a sigh, Lindsay wished she could just fall asleep. The trial started in nine hours, which meant she had to be up and out the door in six. At this rate, she wouldn't even fall asleep until then.

She hadn't spoken to Danny in several days, not since their silly pizza discussion. They'd decided that she needed to do a tour of the best pizzerias in the city, just to acquaint her taste buds with the 'good stuff,' as Danny called it. He insisted that the best places to go were the restaurants no one but the regulars knew about. The holes in the wall that looked, at first glance he assured her, like they could be fronts.

As the impending trial began to hang over her head, she'd found herself unable to call him. She was certain she wouldn't be able to shake the fear from her tone and she knew he'd just worry. Her family was already watching her all the time. She knew they were all walking on eggshells around her, and she wouldn't be able to stand it if she heard the same carefulness in Danny's voice.

Rolling over, she glanced at her cell. He'd called her, but she'd ignored him. She hadn't done something so insensitive since she'd stood him up. After that, she'd told herself she would never do something so inconsiderate again. And this just served to highlight the fact that Danny wasn't meant for her. He deserved better than that.

Frustration bubbled up inside her. He deserved better than all of this crap. He deserved better than her.

She buried her face in her pillow and willed sleep to come rescue her from her thoughts. But her demons were too loud for rest, and the sky was turning pinkish grey before her eyes fell shut.

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He really hadn't expected to be called into Mac's office as soon as he set foot off the elevator that morning, but he just knit his brow and walked over to the glass door. Stella was seated in the chair across from his desk, which made Danny swallow nervously, and his confusion only increased when Mac waved at him to come in. He stepped inside and made sure the door closed behind him, then turned to face his bosses.

"Take a seat," Mac said, motioning to his couch.

Danny glanced at Stella, who smiled a little, but it wasn't a happy smile. The knot that had been sitting in the vicinity of his heart the last few days dropped like lead into his stomach.

"What's up, Mac?" Danny asked, settling himself on the edge of the cushion.

"You tell me."

Feeling the lines in his forehead deepen, Danny's eyes slid to Stella's concerned face then back to Mac's neutral one. He licked his lips. "Whaddya mean?"

Stella looked at Mac, who folded his hands together on his desk. "I mean you've been acting a bit strange for the last couple of weeks."

"Yeah?" Danny leaned back on the couch, trying to bide his time until he could figure out what Mac was really asking him.

"A bit preoccupied maybe?"

Stella had a good poker face, he'd give her that much. But the worry was obvious in her eyes and that look that he'd been avoiding for so long was lurking just beneath the surface. Knowing the jig was up, he scrubbed his hands roughly over his face.

"I've been doing my job. I haven't broken any rules. What're you asking me, Mac?" He didn't sound accusatory or defensive, just tired, which made him want to hang his head. But he never could seem to stiffen his spine around Mac.

"Is this about Lindsay?"

Danny winced at the blunt nature of Mac's question, but found himself glancing up with a half smile plastered over his face. He sounded almost amused when he answered. "Course."

Mac nodded calmly while Stella's brow creased uncertainly. "What exactly seems to be the problem?"

Danny looked nervously at Stella. Mac glanced at her, too, then cleared his throat. "Stella, could you give us a minute?"

"Sure," she chirped with a false brightness. On her way out the door, she gave Danny a reassuring smile.

Mac waited until she'd exited before speaking again. "I asked her to be here because I thought she might make you more comfortable," he explained. After a moment, the corner of his mouth kicked up. "Okay, that's not true. She's a lot better at this sort of thing than I am."

Danny just looked at him with a frozen expression until Mac shifted uncomfortably. "What's going on with you, Danny?"

He opened his mouth to brush off the concern in Mac's voice, only to snap it shut again. Mac understood everything, right? "I feel like I'm losing my mind," he said finally.

Mac was obviously trying to keep his surprise off his face. "Why's that?"

"Because," Danny said, his voice quiet but rough. "She's over there going through God-knows-what, and she won't even tell me. Which is fine," he insisted, holding his hands out as if to reassure Mac. "If she doesn't feel comfortably telling me, that's fine. But she stopped calling a few days ago, and I can't get her to return my messages."

"You've been in touch with her?"

Nodding, Danny stared out the glass watching the lab techs milling around. "Something's wrong, but I can't help. I just…I want to help her and I don't know how."

"You want to help her," Mac repeated, his expression neutral.

"Yeah," Danny muttered, running a hand over his hair.

"You're useless to me—" Mac told him. Danny's head jerked up in surprise, the knot in his stomach giving way to make room for the panic. The small smile on Mac's face seemed highly inappropriate. "—like this. I can only give you a few days, we're already under staffed, but take them."

Danny frowned. "Mac, I don't—" He stopped and licked his lips, his mind racing. "You mean, go to Montana?"

Blinking in surprise, Mac braced his hands on his desk. "Go to Montana?" he repeated blankly.

"I can't just pick up and…She doesn't want me there," Danny said finally, looking into the distance over Mac's shoulder.

"Then don't go." Mac shrugged. "But do something because you're obviously driving yourself insane here. Your time off starts as of now. Go home."

"Yeah," Danny muttered again, still staring beyond Mac. Then he blinked and came back to the room, standing from the couch. "Thanks, Mac. I'm sorry I haven't been up to snuff," he said stoically.

Mac shook his head. "That wasn't the point, Danny. You're doing fine."

"Thanks."

Then he was bursting out of the office and jogging down the steps. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Detouring to the locker room, he shouldered the bag he'd put away fifteen minutes earlier and headed back to the elevator. He could feel lab techs' eyes on him, but he didn't care.

As the elevator descended, he crossed his arms over his chest and contemplated the floor. Mac had basically ordered him to deal with the thing hanging over his head. But he couldn't do that if she wouldn't return his phone calls.

When the elevator doors slid open, he squeezed between the people trying to get in the car and hurried out of the building. A few of the officers in the lobby had been there when he stepped inside, and they all stopped talking to watch him leave. He noticed Angell and Flack pushing through a set of swinging doors, discussing something that had Flack smirking and Angell rolling her eyes in disgust.

When they noticed him, they both stopped and Flack looked at Danny questioningly. He just tensely nodded to them before he stepped outside. It was only eight, but New York was already bustling with people. He bypassed the subway and zipped up his jacket. He needed to think and jerking around with a whole bunch of other people was not the way to do it.

Sniffing in cold air, he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. He strode down the sidewalk, dodging people, with no real destination in mind. He knew that she didn't want him to interfere. She'd asked for space, and he'd given it to her.

Remembering her voice when she'd told him about the trial, he worried that he'd given her too much space. Then he reminded himself that she'd only told him as much as she had because he hadn't pushed her. She'd told him in her own time, when she felt comfortable enough to do so. He had to respect the fact that she felt she needed to work through this—whatever this was—alone.

Even if he lost his mind in the interim.

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mel60: Thanks so much for reviewing again! I'm glad the case turned out all right, I was a little worried about it; I've never really written a mystery before. And, by the way, you couldn't wear out your welcome. Please review again! Your reviews make my day.

serenity2bliss: I'm glad you're liking the story. There won't be much more Angell stuff in this story, but plenty in the sequel, which I should start posting as soon as this one is all up. Thanks for reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter.