Boulevard of Broken Dreams
author: BambiBlake007
pairing(s): still none. lotsa flirting. but no significant pairings, yet :)
disclaimer: i do not own csi:ny or csi:miami. no, they still belong to cbs & zuiker, company. they still refuse my offer.
summary: in miami, abby is preparing to leave. taking care of things in her office, with her friends, etc. meanwhile, in ny, danny is still investigating the murder of chloe phillips. he & angell have gone to question sean "bucky" buckley, the vic's boyfriend.
author's note: i don't like Delko. i like Ryan. but with Delko's track-record with women & rep for being a lady's man, i had no othe way of involving him in my story. i think he'd flirt with Abby, even if just for the sake of flirting, lol. PLZ, R/R. FEEDBACK IS LOVE :) :)
Chapter 6
Abby stood on tip-toe, reaching high over her head.
Being kind of short usually worked for Abby--easy to squeeze her way through small spaces, if need be--but sometimes it could work more against her than in her favor. This was especially true when her filing cabinet was taller than she was. Abby cursed at herself for being short. She was stretching so far, that she almost fell forward on her face.
"Need a foot?" came a familiar sounding voice from behind.
Abby smiled at the lame joke before turning. The voice--and the joke--belonged to the one and only Eric Delko with his tan skin and those beautiful eyes lashes. She stepped aside and let the handsome CSI "help a damsel in distress."
"Thanks," Abby spoke softly, subconciously brushing a piece of her dark hair back from her eyes.
Delko pulled the cabinet out and set it down on Abby's desk. He was doing good, Abby mused as he moved around the desk. When he passed by her, she noticed his cologne. It smelled nice. He looked a little distracted in his eyes, but for the most part, Delko was becoming more and more like him old self by the minute. It had only been a few months since he'd been shot in the line of duty. Everything was a blur to him, but he was strong and he was doing his best to be normal again. She knew that all Delko wanted was to be treated like a normal person, he needed that in order to heal. He moved over to the door where he had been only moments before. He shifted awkwardly in place, like he had something on his mind.
Abby turned to the file cabinet. She wanted to clear everything out before she thought too much about it. She would store these files in a locker that Horatio would have access to. She would make copies for herself, and have them sent to New York with the rest of her belongings later. She would only take the ones labled: UNSOLVED or COPY-CAT strictly for reference purposes.
"Heard about New York," Delko smiled at her.
"Yeah," Abby smiled back, glancing up for a second, as she sifted through the files.
"Good for you."
"Who told ya?" Abby asked, not glancing up this time.
"Wolfe."
Abby nodded.
"So, you told Wolfe, but not me?"
"You sound disappointed. Want me to go rough him up a bit?" Abby grinned as she glanced up at him.
"No need." Delko bit his bottom lip. "You tell him bye?"
"Who, Wolfe?"
"Yeah, Wolfe."
"No. I didn't tell Wolfe bye. I didn't tell Calleigh or Natalia or Cooper or Frank or Alexx or Horatio bye either."
"I just thought--"
"What? That I intentionally by-passed you or something?" Abby asked, turning to him.
Delko nodded.
"Hey, I would never do that. You know how much you mean to me. We've been through hell and high-water together. Trust me, if I was going to tell anyone bye, it would be you or Calleigh." Abby meant it, too. He and Calleigh, along with Wolfe, of course, were the ones that knew her the best of the entire team.
"Good." Delko whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear.
Abby turned back to her files.
"You'll be an asset," he continued.
"I don't know about that," Abby chuckled as she pulled a file out to examine it a little closer.
"You know you're good, Walker. Why do you do that?"
"Do what?" Abby asked, playing along. She knew it was wrong, but she liked it when men complimented her.
Delko grinned. "You know what I'm talking about. You put yourself down--underestimate yourself. You're good at your job, but you want us to believe you don't feel
the same way."
Abby bit at her bottom lip. "Ok. Want the truth?"
Delko nodded.
"I'm excited about this. I just don't wanna get my hopes up, ya know? Because I'm afraid if I get my hopes up, then it'll all just crash and burn. I want to do good in New York," Abby sighed.
"You'll do good."
"I wanna do better than good."
"You'll do better than good."
"You think?" she asked.
"I know."
"How do you know?" Abby pushed.
"I just do."
"You lie," she smiled, playfully.
"I'm not lyin'," Delko grinned, shyly.
Abby nodded. "Think so?"
"Quit fishin' for a compliment, Walker. You know you're the best."
"I don't know about that--"
"You lie," Delko countered.
"I'm gonna miss you."
"Me, too," he told her softly.
Abby held his eye for a moment. "You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm a lil misty eyed here. What'd you think?"
"That's not what I meant. Are you ok after--ya know?" she whispered.
"I'm ok. Don't be like Ryan. He drives me crazy with all the questions. I love the kid, but he can ask a lot of questions," Delko told her.
"He's a CSI. We're taught to ask a lot of questions."
Delko snickered.
"Eric?"
"Yeah?"
"You ok?"
Delko nodded slowly as he pushed his hands into his pockets. "I'm ok. I'm learning how to deal."
"You look good."
"That a subtle attempt at flirting, Abby?" Delko grinned.
Abby blushed. She felt the red moving through her face. "Who me? Flirt with such a fine ladies man like yourself?"
Delko shook his head with an unmistakle twinkle in his eyes. "I ain't a ladies man. I just like ladies."
"Aw, I get it." Abby nodded. "But you do look good, Delko. I just hate that I'm leavin' and not gettin' to see you recover completely."
"I'll keep you posted. Promise."
"Appreciate that."
They were silent for a moment. Abby sifting through her files and Delko standing in the door, leaned back, staring at nothing in particular on the far wall.
"I gotta go now."
"Ok," Abby smiled.
"If you feel the need to tell anyone bye... Please, do not hesitate to come looking for me," Delko told her with a grin.
"I'll remember that."
Delko gave her a wink then turned to leave.
After he was gone, Abby shook her head at how he was acting. Usually Delko was so sure of himself, but when it came to her, he was like a little kid wanting a cookie but knowing he couldn't have it. She thought it was adorable. He was always trying to be the tough guy, but when he was around Abby he let his guard down and just became the sweet sensitive Eric Delko--not the Detective man that pushed everyone away and only focused on the task at hand. Or the lady's man, for that matter, cos he knew when to respect a woman. Especially a woman he worked with. He treated Calleigh, Alexx, Natalia, and Abby with the same amount of resepect, it just so happened that a lil bit of flirting found it's way in there from time to time.
Abby went back to sifting through her files. She needed to focus or else, the next two weeks would creep up on her and she would have nothing done. She needed this done before her transfer. She would miss everyone, but she couldn't think about that now. If she thought about everyone and how much she was going to miss them, she would start crying. And Abby did not want to cry. Not now. Not infront of everyone. She wanted them to see the strong Abby Walker. The one that did her job and did it to the best of her ability without breaking down in the middle of a sentence to feel.
Because if she let herself feel--she would let herself cry--and if she let herself cry--she would let herself think--and if she let herself think--she would never walk out that door--and if she never walked out that door--she would never get on that plane--and if she never got on that plane--she would never go to New York--and she didn't go to New York--she would not get to work under Mac Taylor--and if she did not work under Mac Taylor--she would not see Danny--and if she didn't see Danny--she would never be truly happy--and if she was never happy--she would never live--and if she never lived--she should have been the girl who had gotten shot that spring day and not her sister Jescyka, who would never have let her fears and uncertainties dictate her choices.
Maurice's was an Italian Restraunt in Brooklyn, near the old neighborhood.
Both Danny and Angell knew the place well. As kids, both had come in and ordered a Canole from time to time. It was much like most other places in Brooklyn--it was a restraunt by day and a seedy place for the few mobsters left to do their business. But two Detectives were not there to bust some low ended mob fellow--they were there to find Sean Buckley.
"That's our boy," Danny whispered to Angell when they were a couple yards away.
The skinny kid on the corner, smoking a cigarette, was a dead-ringer to the photograph Flack had supplied. He did not see them as they approached.
"NYPD!" Danny shouted more out of habit than actually feeling that it was necessary to do. He held up his badge.
The kid turned. Registered the two Detectives headed his way. And bolted.
Danny thrust the small kit he had been carrying into Angell's open hands, and took after him, his legs not spanning quite the distance that the kid's was, because he was well near six feet tall. Angell did not radio for back-up, because she knew Danny would gain ground on the kid before he had time to duck out of sight. There was not many people on the street at this time of day, most were in their air-conditioned offices, so it only took Danny a few meandering sprints to get close enough to grab the kid and push him up against an empty building which set dark amongst the restruants and shops.
"What're you thinkin', huh?" Danny breathed heavily against the kids' back as he pushed him into the cool glass. "You runnin' from a cop? I coulda shot ya back 'ere. What was you thinkin'?"
Angell came upon the scene, her face a little flushed. "You betta answer him, Kid. He'll just keep askin'."
"I freaked out."
"You freaked out?" Danny glanced over to Angell with a smirk. "He freaked out."
"I heard," she agreed with a smirk of her own.
"You're lucky, Kid. Jen and I are from the old neighborhood. We can see how you could've freaked out when you heard that back 'ere." Danny's accent was thick.
Angell watched as he turned the kid around. Danny let go of his arm and stepped back next to Angell, brushing against her shoulder for a moment as he took his kit from her. The kid flexed his muscles, massaging his wrist.
"I didn't hurt ya," Danny told him, his voice full of sarcasm.
The kid frowned. "What do ya want?"
"You're name Sean Buckley?" Angell asked, nodding toward the kid.
The kid smiled, slowly, taking the woman who stood before him for the first time. "Who's askin'?"
"Detective Jennifer Angell, NYPD, Homicide." Angell pushed her badge up for him to see. "You already met my friend, here, Detective Danny Messer, CSI. You're name Buckley or not? I'm not about wasting my time."
He glanced over at Danny. "She always this pushy?"
Danny nodded.
"Even in bed?" the kid asked.
"Unbelievable!" Angell threw her hands up as she turned on her heel.
"Hey, now. Don't insult the lady with your lack of maturity," Danny put a hand up.
The kid leaned back against the building that Danny had thrown him into when he had grabbed him from behind.
"I'm Sean Buckley. But everybody calls me Bucky."
"See? How hard was that?" Danny asked. "Why'd you have to be such an ass when Detective Angell asked you? Apologize to the lady."
Bucky grinned, unbelieving. "You serious?"
Danny nodded, his jaw tight from how serious he was.
"Sorry about being an ass," Bucky whispered.
"Apology accepted," Angell answered, dryly.
"What do you want anyway?"
"You know Chloe Philips?" Danny asked.
"Yeah. She's my girlfriend. Why?" Bucky asked.
"She's dead. You know that?"
The kid's face turned pale. "Ally's dead?"
Danny glanced over to Angell. "So, you called her Alice, too?"
"Well, yeah. I knew her before she was in that movie."
"How long you know her?" Angell asked.
"About five years, I guess. Met her a lil while after her and her Mom moved down here. We went to high school together. She was a year behind me. We started dating after she graduated."
"You an actor, too?" Danny asked with a smirk.
"No. I'm not an actor."
"What'd ya do, then?"
"I work at a shop down on 22nd. I rebuild engines. You two need a lube job?" Bucky winked.
Danny cocked his head to the side. "You wanna haul his ass in as bad as I do?"
"Yeah." Angell returned his smile with one of her own.
"You ain't got nothin' on me, Detectives. I haven't spoken to Ally since..."
"Since when?"
"A couple nights ago. When did this happen?"
Danny bit his bottom lip. "Were you with Alice a couple nights ago between midnight and 2 a.m. by any chance?"
The kid thought for a moment.
"Tell him, Bucky. If you don't come clean now, he'll just dig it up later and, trust me, you don't want Messer diggin' into your past, cos he'll find all kinda weird shit on ya," Angell told him, seriously, even though she was making it up as she went.
The kid sighed heavily. "Alright. I was with Ally a couple nights ago on the bridge. Me and her and Erin had gone up there to get high. Just smoke some marijuana--ya know? Mellow out. I passed out pretty early on into the night. I don't know what happened after that. I--I woke up at Maurice's the next morning. I just figured they brought me here."
"Erin a girl or boy?"
"A girl. A friend of Ally's."
"Her Mom didn't mention any Erin to me. Why not?" Danny asked.
"Probably because she didn't know her. Erin was obsessed with Ally. Always following her around--wanted to be famous, I guess, by association. She wasn't really part of the entourage, but she would just show up--ya know? And Ally didn't have the heart to tell her she wasn't invited," Bucky explained.
"I see. She was spongin' off--uh Alice?" Danny asked.
"No more than the other girls."
"And you never took a stab, huh? Content in being greasy?" Angell asked.
"Wait. You think I killed Ally?" Bucky asked. "I Loved her."
"Sure, you did. I mean, she was just busting out and making all kinds of money. You wanted a piece of the action, didn't ya?" Danny asked.
"No!" Bucky's eyes turned cold. "I didn't want anything from Ally, but her Love. We were going to get married. I asked her. She said yes."
"No ring on her hand. Maybe she wasn't as interested as you thought." Angell tilted her head.
"I couldn't afford a ring. Alright? I don't exactly make the big bucks to buy her the kind of things she has become accustomed to."
"You're a real-life K-Fed, huh?" Danny mused.
Angell snickered at the obvious insult.
"Are we finished here? I have work that needs to be done," Bucky told them, his tone cold.
"One more thing. I need yo boots."
"You've gotta be kiddin'."
"Do I look like I'm kiddin'?" Danny asked, his eyes boring into Bucky's face.
The kid glanced at Angell.
"He ain't kiddin'," she told him.
Bucky reach down and pulled his boots off. He handed them over to Danny, who in turn, handed them to Angell.
"Thank you. Now, if you will be so kind as to open your mouth," Danny began as he opened his kit.
"What the fu--"
"Don't." Angell's eyes flashed.
Danny held a swab up. "I need your DNA."
"Why?" Bucky asked.
"To rule you out. It won't hurt," Danny answered.
Bucky opened his mouth and Danny pushed the swab into his cheek. He pulled it out, placed it in a vial, closed the top, then pushed the sample back into his kit. He closed the top and smiled at the kid before him.
"Have a nice day," he told him.
The kid scoffed. Then, he turned and stalked, sock feet, back toward Maurice's Restruant.
"You think he did it?" Angell asked.
Danny shook his head. "He may be a prick, but I don't think he murdered his girlfriend."
"Why'd you take his boots?" Angell asked, holding the boots out to him.
"We found a print and Adam said it was from a boot. Seemed like the proper thing to do at the time."
Angell laughed as they headed back up the street to where she had parked her black SUV. Danny had a way of doing things that was all his own. Too bad, she thought as they walked side-by-side up the pavement, some people didn't appreciate his recklessness for how endearing it really was.
"Tell me our boys' boot matches the prints we found," Danny said as he came into the lab.
Adam turned, a little surprised by the sound of Danny's voice as it cut into the quiet that had settled over him in the small lab he used. Adam was a very quiet person by nature, because at a young age he had learned that being quiet would get him everywhere. If he made too much noise as a kid, he would have to pay the consequence. But if he was quiet and no one had to hear him, he would be allowed to do so much more than he had ever imagined possible. Now, as an adult, he still played by these rules. He was better off to be seen, than heard. Danny was the total opposite: he wanted to be seen and heard! It amazed Adam at how Danny had had such a rough childhood, yet he was able to be this way. He wished he could only be half that strong.
"Uh, no. Sean Buckley's boots do not match up with the ones taken from the crime scene."
Danny crossed his arms as he let out a breath. "Figured."
Adam smiled weakly as he turned back to his microscope. Danny lingered there for a moment, watching him closely.
"Find anything on the branches?" he finally asked.
"Talk about a needle-in-a-haystack," Adam smiled, more to himself.
"Adam?" Danny asked, patiently.
"Oh, yeah. Uh, we found blood on this bad-boy right here," he gestured to a piece of wood on the table. "It's our girl's blood."
Danny moved over to it. Adam slid the microscope over to him. Danny pushed his glasses onto his forehead to view it. He stepped back and grinned at Adam.
"Next time Flack and me go out for drinks, you are so joining us!" Danny told him as he slid the evidence back to him. "You're a freakin' genius, Adam!"
Adam blushed from the compliment as he watched Danny push his glasses back down.
"Did you find any prints?"
Adam shook his head, his smile fading. "No. He wore gloves. The blood is all that connects our vic with an attacker. This branch was used to kill her, but no prints. Any luck with the semen?"
"I took a sample from the boyfriend. I have to check in."
The two of them were silent for a moment. Adam turned back to some other samples he had on his table. Danny watched him for a moment longer. He was so dedicated to his work. He deserved to have some fun. Danny might have otherwise shrugged off his earlier statement and forgotten it when it came time to follow through, but he would not do that to Adam. He would ask him to come along when he and Flack went out for drinks like they usually did on the weekends.
"Remember: next time we go out for drinks, you're comin', too. Alright?" Danny asked, pointing at him like that sealed the deal between the two of them.
"You don't have to, Danny. I know you were just being--"
"I never kid, Adam. And I never pity anyone, either. Got that?" Danny asked.
Adam nodded.
"'Aight. Later," and with that, Danny turned and headed out the door.
Danny walked into the Coroner's Office, expecting to be greeted by Sid, but instead, he was greeted by Sheldon Hawkes. He was a young black man, around the same height as Danny and same age, too. He had once been an ER doctor, but had been with the NYPD for quite sometime. He was now in the process of training to become a CSI. He was smart and serious. Danny liked that about him. He was also very thorough, so Danny knew that if he had found anything out of the ordinary, he would be sure to tell him. He was trust-worthy, to say the least.
"Sid got you working the stiffs?" Danny asked with a grin.
Hawkes shook his head. "I volunteered. Sid was swamped."
"I bet Mac misses ya."
"No more than he misses you. You're his right-hand. You know that," Hawkes countered.
Danny smiled, slyly. He knew that was the truth. And Danny never argued when it came to something that had to do with him and was the truth.
"You're one cocky individual, Messer. Anyone ever tell ya that?" Hawkes asked, noticing the smug look over Danny's face.
"Everybody. Atleast once a day."
Hawkes chuckled as he covered up the body he had been examining.
"Got something for me?" Danny cocked an eye brow up as he watched Hawkes grab a report from a pile on Sid's desk.
"Sid's results from the rape kit he did your vic."
"And?" Danny asked.
"They do not match the boyfriend's DNA you brought back," Hawkes shook his head sadly as he spoke.
"Strike three!" Danny grimmaced as he reach up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He used baseball analogies a lot.
Hawkes nodded, trying to feel what Danny must have been feeling at that exact moment. Unlike Hawkes, Danny got emotionally involved in his cases. He knew better, but it was hard for him not to be this way, considering how emotional he was about everything else in his life. It was just the way Danny Messer was, and whether you felt it be right or wrong, really didn't matter. Danny was that kind of guy. He had been searching for understanding for most of his life, and now with each and every case that came his way, he found himself searching for more than just understanding, he was now seeking the cold-hard-truth. He needed to get involved in order to feel alive. In order to feel anything, it seemed. Danny would never admit it outloud, but he was afraid that if he didn't let himself get involved--and feel--then, he would never feel anything; never truly feel alive.
"Got Tox, too," Hawkes continued, pretending he didn't see the disappointment in Danny's eyes. He handed Danny the report.
Danny scanned it for a moment before he spoke. "Boyfriend said they were up there smoking pot. Looks like they were drinking alcohol, too."
Hawkes nodded. "You think it's possible the boyfriend got drunk and killed her in some kinda drunken rage?"
Danny shook his head. "No. I believe the kid when he said he didn't know anything."
"Then who's the real killer?" Hawkes asked, more to himself.
Danny handed the reports back to him. "I dunno. I've got a vic who wasn't killed by a fan. A boyfriend who I believe didn't do it. And a mystery woman."
"What now?" Hawkes pushed.
"I need to go talk to some girls now..."
"You always gotta go talk to a girl!" Hawkes shouted to him as Danny headed toward the door.
