A/N: I know I just updated yesterday, but I had all these ideas spring into my mind this morning, and I had to get them down right away. What better way to spend a long-weekend Monday? LOL.
So, now that we have some background info on the case, we pick up with Danny and Lindsay who are both struggling to come to terms with what has happened to them...
Mac sat at his desk, a miserable looking Danny and Lindsay sitting side by side on his couch, Lindsay's hand still clenched tightly around Danny's own. They had spent the last several minutes going over the past few days activities in detail, trying to narrow down the times that the unknown suspect had entered the building and left the gifts for Lindsay. When Mac was satisfied that he had a fairly accurate timeline, he insisted that Danny call his mother and let her know that they would be needed at the office until further notice, and to ensure that it was alright for Lucy to stay with her.
He had listened discreetly as Danny had given his mother a rough outline of the events of the morning. He couldn't imagine how the young couple must be feeling right now, and how it must feel for Danny to have to relate those details back to his mother. His heart went out to Danny and Lindsay, and he promised himself that he would do everything in his power to keep this incident from escalating any further than it already had.
When he heard Danny end the call to his mother, Mac looked up. He smiled sympathetically at the pair of them before speaking. "I just have a few more questions for you, if that's alright."
Lindsay leaned in and rested her head on Danny's shoulder, her body slumping in exhaustion, clearly not in the mood to dredge up any more details of their lives for examination by their coworkers and friends. Danny reached up and lovingly stroked her cheek before looking up at Mac. With a resigned sigh, he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, sure Mac. Whatever you need."
Mac knew from personal experience how horrible it was to have people combing through your life. When he had been suspected of killing Clay Dobson, his life had been torn apart, every detail looked into by the prosecuting attorney, and his friends and colleagues had been called to testify on his behalf. But that was nothing compared to the humiliation that Danny and Lindsay had faced today. Mac cringed at the thought of anyone seeing himself in such an intimate situation with any of the women he'd had in his life; Claire, Peyton, or even Aubrey. And having the added burden of their friends burrow through the minutiae of their daily lives was not going to be pleasant for them.
"I'm sorry, guys," he said, "But it's just a few things that I need to clarify, and then we're done for now, okay?"
Lindsay sighed and Danny nodded his head, so Mac pressed on. "The first gift you received, Lindsay. It was a single rose and a card, is that right?"
He watched as Lindsay nodded her head slightly before raising a shaking hand to wipe away a stray tear from her eye. "And what happened to the rose and the card?" Mac asked softly. "Where are they now?"
Lindsay closed her eyes, turning her face to bury it into Danny's shoulder. Danny squeezed her hand reassuringly before turning his attention to Mac. "They were thrown out," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Mac sighed. He had feared as much. "Is there anything that you can tell me about them that might be helpful? Anything special about the rose? Was it a particular colour? What about the card? Do you remember anything distinctive about it?"
"It was a rose, Mac," Lindsay shouted, startling both Mac and her husband with the tone and volume of her voice. "Just a fucking red rose. That's it. And the card was just... just a plain greeting card." Lindsay hung her head and took a shaky breath.
"Oh, Linds," Danny said, untangling his hand from hers so he could wrap his arm around her shoulder. "Baby, it's okay," he whispered into her hair.
"I'm sorry, Lindsay," Mac said, getting up and walking around his desk and sitting down on the coffee table in front of them. "I know this is difficult, but you both know better than anyone how important even the smallest details can be."
Lindsay sniffed and looked up at Mac with tired, sad eyes. "I'm sorry, Mac," she said. "I know you're just trying to help. This is all just... it's so..." she shook her head, unable to continue, once again burying her face in Danny's shoulder.
"It said Thinking of You on the front, Mac," Danny said, his eyes focused on his distraught wife as he continued to rub her back. "And... there were a bunch of flowers and hearts all over the front if it."
"Okay, if you think of anything else, let me know, okay?" Mac said, standing up and heading back to his desk.
"I'm sorry Mac," Danny said, his words causing Mac to stop and turn around.
"What? Why are you sorry, Danny?" he asked, moving back toward the couch.
"I... Lindsay threw them out because of me," he said, hanging his head. "If I hadn't been so fucking jealous..."
"Danny, don't beat yourself up," Mac said, sitting down on the couch beside Danny. He squeezed the young man's shoulder, hoping that the gesture would offer him some assurance. "Nobody is blaming either of you for what happened."
"Yeah, but..."
"Enough, Danny," Mac said, standing up. "Now, I'm going to go and check on the progress we're making with our investigations. I don't want either of you leaving the lab, but just try to relax. You are more than welcome to stay here for now, at least until Stella is done processing your office."
"Can we do anything to help?" Lindsay asked, raising her head from Danny's shoulder and wiping her eyes.
"I think it's best if you both stay out of the investigation as much as possible..." Mac stopped, seeing the look on Lindsay's face, he knew that she was dying for a distraction, something to do to take her mind off of what was happening. "You know, it might be helpful if one of you went with Stella. You could help her determine if there is anything missing our out of place in your office."
"Thanks, Mac," Lindsay said, giving him a small smile. She turned and ran her fingers through Danny's hair, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before she stood and stretched. She walked over to Mac and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said again before turning and walking out of the room.
"Danny, are you going to be okay in here?" Mac asked as he gathered his phone and the case file from his desk.
"Yeah, no. I think I'm going to go take a shower. Cool off a bit," Danny said, heaving himself off the couch. "Thanks... for supporting us, Mac. And for believing us," Danny said, giving his boss an awkward smile. "I'm sorry that you have all been dragged into this. I can't imagine that it was very pleasant for you all to see us... like that," Danny finished, blushing a deep red and casting his eyes to the floor.
Mac took a few steps forward so that he was standing right in front of Danny. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with anything that you did, Danny," he said. "No one here is judging you. There's no shame in a husband and wife being intimate. We're not after you, Danny. Remember that. We're after whoever it was that took away your privacy. Whoever lifted the veil over your intimacy with Lindsay. You're the victims here. We just want to help."
Danny nodded his head, and Mac could tell that he was struggling to keep himself composed, his jaw clenching and unclenching with the effort.
"Go cool off. Sort out your thoughts, then come and find me, okay?" Mac said.
"Yeah, thanks," Danny said gruffly before turning and rushing from the office, making a beeline for the locker room.
Mac let out a heavy breath. After working with Danny for so many years, he knew the telltale signs that Danny was quickly reaching his breaking point. The stress of finding out about the video, paired with his concern for Lindsay's safety and wellbeing was more than enough. But after receiving the note that was a barely veiled threat on Danny's life, Mac knew that it wouldn't take much. Just one little push and Danny would snap.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and dialled a familiar number.
Danny stood in the shower and let the hot water cascade down his body. As soon as he'd closed the curtain, his body had started to shake with wracking sobs, and he'd let the hiss of the running water help to drown out his cries.
Images were fighting for dominance in his mind - images of himself and Lindsay tangled together as they made love were quickly replaced by Lindsay's face in sheer panic as she read over the note found in her locker. He saw faceless people whispering behind his back. He banged his fist against the wall as another bout of choking sobs overtook him, and he had to lean against the shower wall for support. He didn't care about what people were saying about him. He could take it. Hell, he'd probably heard far worse over the years. But what he couldn't take was what people might say about Lindsay.
Hearing themselves on the tape had revealed how open they were with one another. The things that they said while making love, when revealed to the masses in the cold light of day, were mortifying. And he knew that people thought of his wife as sweet and friendly, and he had always been proud that only he had the privilege to see the other more sensual side of her. But now she was exposed for everyone to see, and it killed him to think that people might think less of her because of it.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Danny tried to push the thoughts from his mind. He reached for the soap and began to lather it over his body, trying to wash away the trials and tribulations of the day. After rinsing himself off, he turned off the water and reached outside the cubicle for his towel. Finding it on the hook beside the shower stall, Danny quickly dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist, pulling the curtain open with a snap. He gasped when he saw someone standing directly across from him.
"Fuck, man," he said, placing one hand on his chest and the other on the wall to steady himself. "You scared the shit out of me."
Flack pushed himself off the wall and gave Danny a cautious smile. "You okay, man?" he asked. "You didn't look so good earlier. And frankly, you still look like shit."
Despite his situation, Danny couldn't help but let laugh at his friend. "Thanks, Flack," he said. "You always know exactly what to say."
"I'm sorry, Danno," Flack said, his expression turning more solemn. "What happened to you and Linds... it... well, it fucking sucks, to be honest."
Danny nodded as he gathered his things from the shower and headed back to the locker. "I think that's the understatement of the year, Don," he said as he keyed in his locker combination.
Flack sat down on the bench opposite Danny's locker, waiting as his friend exchanged the shampoo and soap for his clothes. "You okay, Dan?" Flack asked, eyeing his friend carefully. "And I mean really okay. Not Ruben okay, or Louie okay."
He saw Danny's whole body tense at the mention of his brother and Ruben Sandoval. Flack braced himself for impact, expecting Danny to turn around and let him have it. He figured better him than some poor unsuspecting person out there who might accidentally set Danny off. Danny turned to look at Flack, his blue eyes flashing with anger.
"You know what? No," Danny said, shaking his head, his voice cold. "I'm not fucking okay, Don. I woke up this morning feeling fantastic because I'd just had the best sex of my life last night with my wife. Then I show up here, and every fucking person in this goddamn lab has seen us together... and heard us. And Linds is a fucking mess, she's so upset. And to top it all off, I get a nice little death threat from some whack job that has a hard-on for my wife. And now? The people that I work with, that I have to see every goddamn fucking day, are poking and prying into my private life. So no, Don. I'm not fucking oay."
Slamming his locker shut, Danny stomped off to the change room, leaving Flack standing alone, the metallic sound of Danny closing his locker still ringing in his ears. He leaned back and rested his head against the wall behind him. Mac had called him about twenty minutes ago, telling him that Danny was not handling things well, and that he was one small step away from snapping. Flack hadn't needed Mac to say anything more. He had quickly made his way to the lab, checking in with Mac, who told him that Danny had gone off to have a shower.
Flack had pushed open the locker room door and the first sound he heard was running water. As he rounded the corner into the shower room, he'd heard something else, another sound that barely carried over the water. But it was a sound he'd been dreading to hear. The sound of his best friend sobbing in the shower. His throat had constricted at the heartbreaking sounds he heard, and he had leaned up against the wall and waited. And waited.
Finally, after 15 minutes, the water had stopped and Danny had emerged from the shower looking only slightly better than he had when Flack had last seen him. There was anger and sadness etched into his face, and Flack knew that those emotions had to come out before Danny would be any use to the investigation, or to Lindsay.
The sound of the change room door opening brought Flack back to the present. He pushed himself up off the bench, watching as Danny approached his locker, a foul-tempered scowl on his face. "You still here?" he snapped.
"Dan, I'm only looking out for you," Flack said. "I'm worried about you, you and Lindsay. You guys are like family to me, and we want to catch this guy for you. But Danno, you gotta pull yourself together man." Flack held up his hand as it was clear that Danny was about to speak. "Just hear me out, okay. I know you gotta lot of anger in you right now, and you're probably scared. Fuck, if it was me, I probably would have shit my pants by now. But you gotta get those feelings out of your system, and soon. So, I'm gonna take you down to the gym and let you loose on the punching bags for a while, alright? We can spar a little, get your mind off things, help you clear your head."
Danny stood staring at his friend. Flack was looking at him with that same stubborn look he'd had back in that alleyway with Rikki all those years ago. The look that said You know I'm right. And eventually you're going to do what I want anyway so just pull your head out of your ass, Messer, and do what I say.
Danny sighed. He gave his friend a sidelong glare before turning to his locker and pulling it open, shoving his towel back inside and pulling out his shoes and socks. "You're such an asshole," he muttered as he sat on the bench beside his friend and pulled on his socks.
"Yeah, but I'm an asshole who's always right," Flack said, grinning at Danny.
"Fuck you," Danny said, unable to keep a smirk from spreading over his face. He got up and was just walking to his locker to put the last of his stuff away when the locker room door opened and the voices of two males carried through the room toward them.
"Fuck, did you see the tits on her? Messer is a lucky man."
"No shit, and that mouth. I mean, holy shit, I wish my wife would talk dirty to me like that. God, I'd give anything to tap that."
Flack's head snapped up as the words registered in his brain. Fuck. Danny was gone before Flack even knew what was happening. He could hear the sounds of a scuffle coming from the other side of the room, and Danny's voice rang out loud and clear.
"You got something to say about my wife, you fucking prick?" Don winced as he heard the unmistakable sound of fist meeting bone. "Fucking say it again, you cocksucker."
"Danny, stop!" Flack shouted as he rounded the corner to see one white-coated lab tech cowering in the corner with a bloody nose. The other was pressed up against a bank of lockers, Danny's forearm pressed up against his throat.
"What about you? You got something to say? Huh?" Danny pressed, leaning harder on the man, who's face was contorted in terror. The man shook his head.
"No," he managed go croak out.
"I didn't think so," Danny said as Flack grabbed Danny's shoulders, pulling him away from the man who promptly slumped to the floor, gasping for air.
"Alright, Dan," Flack said, trying to calm down his friend who was still straining against him, fighting to get free. "It's alright, come on. Let's get you out of here."
With one hand clenched the collar of Danny's jacket and the other grasping his upper arm tightly, Flack dragged Danny out of the locker room to Mac's office.
So, I'll be delivering this note from under my bed where you can't find me. *hides*
Yay? Nay? Let me know! I did warn you that things were going to get uncomfortable... Oh God, please don't hurt me!