Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of "CSI:NY"-they belong to Anthony E. Zuiker and CBS. "Speak Now" title and lyrics belong to Taylor Swift.

CHAPTER SIX: Forever Hold Your Peace

T-minus 2 weeks to the wedding…

The days flew by and as the wedding date got closer, Danny realized more and more that maybe this wasn't the brightest decision he'd ever made. Rikki involved him with everything, though she did push for very specific things. He wanted something small and simple, and she had just invited over 150 people on her side of the family. He'd made a guest list, and she'd crossed out the name Lindsay Monroe with a flourish. But then, he guessed he understood. It would be just as awkward for Lindsay as it would for Rikki to have his ex-girlfriend there.

Elena Messer loved her son. But Danny noticed she wasn't such a fan of her future daughter-in-law. Oh, she treated Rikki fine, but he got the feeling she didn't particularly care for her.

Rikki's mother Lydia was an overbearing pushover who was a wedding planning Nazi. Everything had to be just so, and God forbid the groom had any input. Rikki brushed it off. "Oh, Mom's just like that. Besides, the bride and her mother always make a huge fuss over these sorts of things." She kissed him on the forehead. "How about we just elope?"

He went online and found cheap tickets to Las Vegas, but she laughed, "Oh honey, I was teasing you. You'd break my poor mom's heart."

Cruel of me, but at this point, I don't really care, Danny thought to himself. He loved Rikki but this was getting a little ridiculous. Not to mention that nobody was really sympathetic to his plight. Hawkes and Adam, hell, even Sid made it a point to only speak to him when work dictated. Stella brought up Lindsay's name every chance she got. Lindsay was on his side, but very distant. Jess Angell spent most of her time when they were at crime scenes together giving him a death glare. Flack went with him to tux fittings, but had informed Danny he wasn't making a speech.

He hadn't really heard anything from Mac until about a week before the wedding. He and Mac were on a scene. Inbetween snapshots, Mac spoke up. "How late are you working tonight?"

Danny thought about it. "Midnight."

"How about I take you out for breakfast after?" Mac offered. "You seem like you could use an ear."

"Not if that ear comes with a mouth and an opinion," Danny muttered. He glanced up at Mac, waiting for the "Talk". But Mac had moved onto the blood spatter on the wall, the picture of professionalism. The two worked in silence for the next few hours, combing the crime scene, bagging relevant evidence, and then got into the company truck. They turned the evidence over to Adam and Hawkes and then Mac walked Danny down to the café on the 10th floor. Once they'd gotten their food, they went over to a table in the corner.

Danny kept waiting for Mac to launch into it, but his boss and friend simply ate his scrambled eggs. "I know everyone thinks me marrying Rikki is a bad idea," Danny said, unable to take the silence anymore. "But you know they say that tragedy can bring two people together." He poked his toast with his plastic fork. "We need each other," he said. "We've shared something that nobody else has. We're all each other has."

At that statement, Mac raised an eyebrow. Danny realized what he'd just said, but it was too late to backtrack. "Anyway, it doesn't matter what everyone says. I love her, Mac, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Is it love?" Mac asked after scraping the last of his eggs off his plate a few minutes later. He stood up, plate in hand. "Or is guilt keeping you with her? There's a big difference between going to spend the rest of your life with her….and wanting to."

Danny didn't respond. He didn't know how.

All he knew is deep down….he was starting to doubt this idea.