Hey guys, first of all, let me just say how much I appreciate your sweet reviews from the last chapter. I must have been feeling sorry for myself at the time, judging by my A/N and you guys are just so kind and supportive. It's so sweet and I'm extremely appreciative of the kindness you all so often show. A lot of your reviews got me thinking – especially yours, Izzi, and I think Fred and I have a good idea of where we want the story to go – which, trust me, has NEVER happened; so this is exciting!

Now, Fred took a surprising turn with this one, but I'm going with the flow of it. Because we never got a definitive answer of what actually happened to Louie, I've interpreted it myself and well this would be the place to do it I guess!

On a unrelated note, I'm high fiving myself because I had written half a chapter for The Pieces….. and I lost it. I literally had no idea where it had gone so I was hugely peeved and angry with myself and as a result I #kind of steered away from it… but good news! I just clicked on a file and I must have accidentally dragged the missing chapter into that folder. YAY! So, hopefully you will find an update for that in your inbox soon enough!

Enough rambling for now though – let's catch up with Danny and Lindsay!

Huge thank you to: mckenzie, shipperheart, dannylindsayfan, gigglesforcsi, Izzi Creo, Brendanakai , 18lzytwner, Remington 700PSS, Rhymencerous and webdlfan.,

Entering the hospital for the fifth time in as many days, Lindsay sighed heavily as she hoped that today would give them some good news about Louie's stats. Two days ago he'd had a good turn and was breathing by himself… but he just hadn't woken up. The nurse had explained to Danny about Louie's body remaining in its sleeping state so that he could heal. In the time that Louie had been recovering, Danny had been on a similar journey of healing through sharing all the things that had bogged him down over the years after the breakdown of their brotherly relationship. After Lindsay had encouraged him to talk to his brother, Danny had, and it seemed that Danny felt a lot lighter; like he'd released the heavy load that had been weighing down on his shoulders. But with all that he'd told Louie, he wanted to hear a reply and he wanted it desperately. He wanted Louie to tell him that everything was going to be okay and things would improve for them from now on. In short, the waiting was slowly eating Danny.

Lindsay however, wasn't optimistic. She had a gut feeling that she just couldn't shake. She'd seen all the blood that had been stained on Louie's clothes; it was clear that he'd taken a serious beating and she wasn't sure whether his body could withstand such a brutal attack and recover in the way that Danny wanted him to. She hated herself for thinking it; but there was just a nagging feeling that she couldn't shift. But oddly enough, that hadn't stopped her from visiting Louie.

Knocking softly on the door, Lindsay let herself into the room, despite the fact that she was the only one, aside from Louie. She placed the bunch of flowers into the vase she'd brought to Louie's room. She wasn't overly sure why she'd visited as much as she had. It wasn't as if she knew Louie well. What she did know was that a part of her felt somewhat responsible. She'd been the one to process the cigarette and she'd been the one to tell Danny. She'd brought his world crashing down around him.

A part of her deep down justified her visits through her growing relationship with Danny. While they'd taken their foot off the accelerator for the moment as they waited for the dust to settle around them, things were promising between the two of them. But, with all things considering Lindsay could sense that Danny needed time to be by himself – and she made allocations for that when he was a little snappy with her. But those instances came very rarely, she argued in Danny's defence. He was very composed and focused all things considering.

As she gazed down at Louie, she could see Danny within his features. She sighed heavily as she took a seat next to Louie's bed. "Danny's still at work," she said softly, the embarrassment of speaking to a sleeping form long gone. "He doesn't actually know I've come down."

She paused for a moment and pursed her lips together. "If I'm completely honest, I don't really know why I'm here… well, I guess I do." Lindsay knew the reason why she was sat where she was. She wanted to talk to Louie, whether or not he could hear her.

"I really like Danny," she said softly. "I like him a lot. I just… I don't know whether things are going to be as smooth sailing as I'm imagining them to be. Like you, I've got skeletons in my closet, that I'm just hoping don't catch up with me." She paused for a moment and sighed. "But in the same breath, I hope they do, because that means I'm free to go, you know? Like you are now; you're free from Tanglewood and all of that. I need that feeling. I feel like I need to experience life without something hanging over me… but short of going out and looking for the bastard myself, I don't know how I'm going to manage it. It's been ten years now. If they didn't find him back then, what am I even thinking that they'll find him now for?" Lindsay crossed her legs in the chair.

Life hadn't been easy for her, but she wasn't one to openly admit that. It was hard to admit it to herself. Back when it all happened, the majority of the grief stricken community used to comment about how well she was dealing with it. But, with the majority, there was always a minority. Some were slightly sceptical, and others pointed fingers of blame at her. Calling her a coward for not trying to do something sooner to save her friends – but what sixteen year old could challenge a crazed, pent up, shot gun wielding mad man, unarmed and completely devastated and terrified. She'd done the right thing in staying put that night… because by doing that, she'd been able to bring justice to those people who weren't as lucky as she was. She had a purpose in life, and that was what had gotten her through some of her tough times. She had a baton to carry for the girls. She had to take one for the team.

She had to get them justice.

She looked up and blinked as she realised she'd been staring off into the distance. Across from her was a very confused Danny, watching her carefully.

"Hey," he said softly, realising that he wasn't going to scare her by announcing his presence. "You looked a million miles away then, I didn't wanna scare you."

She plastered a smile on her face in acknowledgement, not trusting herself to keep the big, dark secret that was desperate to bubble out of her. "I don't know where I was," she said softly. "You got off work early?"

"Well, not exactly," he looked down to his feet. "I wanted to stop by quickly before visiting hours finished. I've been pushing it with the nurses' station and I didn't want to get refused entry later on tonight."

Suddenly, Lindsay felt a twinge of red flush her cheeks, she didn't really have a place here. Louie wasn't her family… and there Danny was, skiving off work because he really had no other choice and wanted to see his brother. An idea struck her.

"Listen, I'll go and finish off the rest of your shift, okay? Stay here with him until visiting hours end. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Montana, you've already done too much for me. I'm only here for a few minutes, and then I'm heading back to work."

"Yeah well, the plan has changed. I'm going." She stood from her chair and rounded the bed. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a hand on Danny's chest to steady herself. She then pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his cheek before settling back down on her toes. "I think you need this time together, right?"

"Linds, I don't know whether I like this. You've already done your own shift, you don't need to be doin' mine too."

"It's not up for discussion," she smiled softly. "I'll see you later, okay? We could go get dinner if you're hungry later?"

"I should be saying that to you," he sighed as he glanced down at his brother. "Are you absolutely positive you're okay with going back to work?"

She nodded convincingly. "Like I said, I'm not taking no for an answer." With that, she turned away from him and began the short distance to the door leading out into the hallway. Before she could get far however, she felt Danny's warm hand grab hers, tugging her back towards him. In one, swift motion, he tugged her into his arms and nuzzled his face into the crown of her head. Initially, she was slightly confused by the outward display of affection, but after a moment, she settled into his embrace and wrapped her arms around his torso tightly. She felt him press a series of kisses into her hair and she couldn't help but nuzzle her face into his neck, seeking some solace in him from her dark thoughts just moments previous.

The solace she found in Danny was something that she hadn't actually had before, and when she felt him considering moving, she tightened her arms around him, squeezing him tight. She wasn't ready to let go of him yet. Enveloped in his arms made everything seem a little safer; things felt right in the world, even though Louie was lying three feet away from them, in a comatose state. She could see herself with Danny for a long, long time; she didn't know whether that thought scared her, or excited her. She had a sneaky feeling that it was a little bit of both.

Yawning heavily, Lindsay felt herself falling asleep in the elevator. Mac hadn't been best pleased when she'd returned to work, explaining that she was taking Danny's shift so he could deal with personal stuff. She had already been skating on thin ice, and Mac had instructed her to be on Danny's paperwork for the afternoon until a case came in.

Now, paperwork was bad enough, but Danny's paperwork? Mac must have been seriously pissed. Danny's notes were… interesting, to say but the least. So when a call had come in a few minutes after Lindsay had settled at Danny's desk, she'd thanked her lucky stars.

But that one call had turned into an eleven hour shift. On top of her own eleven hour shift. Two hours sleep in the past twenty two hours really wasn't floating her boat. She'd completely forgotten about dinner until she was already on the way home and hoped that Danny had forgotten too. Based on the lack of a phone call from him, she assumed he had, and he'd probably just gone home after spending the time with Louie. As the tiredness hit her in it's full force, she thanked the heavens that Mac had given her the day off and told her to sleep off the effects of the past week because she looked 'tired' – which Lindsay knew meant like shit, just in a more polite manner. So, in keeping to his request, she was turning her phone off, her alarm off and was going to sleep the entirety of… whatever day it was now… away.

The elevator dinged it's presence on her floor and instantly her eyes widened at the form of Danny slumped in front of her door. Her heart instantly began to race, fearing the worst. She could smell the remnants of some form of alcohol in the air, but she hoped it was just her boozy neighbour, enjoying the evening again.

As she got closer, she realised that Danny was asleep, his cheeks stained with… tears? Oh God, she thought to herself. This is it, this is what you've been dreading,

She knelt down on the floor and placed her hand on Danny's cheek softly. She stroked the side of his face, stirring him from his restless slumber. As he stirred, her eyes fluttered at the undeniable pain that she could see in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked softly. "I'm sure you have an apartment of your own."

Danny opened his mouth to speak, but shook his head and closed his mouth again before reducing into what Lindsay could only assume was another batch of sobs. She knew it in her heart and her gut; something had happened to Louie and the outlook wasn't as positive as it had been earlier in the day.

Realising that her hallway wasn't the best place to have the inevitable conversation, Lindsay struggled as she pulled Danny to his feet and wrapped her arms around him. Once they were both steady, she opened her apartment door. Pushing it open roughly, she ushered him in and kicked the door shut behind her. When she turned she watched Danny as he absentmindedly made his way over to the couch and sunk down on the comfortable cushions. She followed and settled next to him, taking his hand and squeezing it tight, letting him know she was there for him while he sat in his new surroundings as he prepared to share whatever had happened in the time that she'd been at work.

"Louie," Danny's voice was quiet. "He-"

"Listen," Lindsay whispered, running her thumb over his hand. "You don't have to tell me right now, it's okay."

"I have to," he returned the whisper. "I need to tell someone."

Lindsay licked her lips as she searched for answers in Danny's face. As she studied him closely, she realised that he'd not touched a drop of alcohol. His eyes were watery from his unshed tears and she could tell that he just needed a little nudging for the floodgates to open fully.

"Did something happen?" she asked softly.

He nodded. "I was gone for fifty seconds," he whispered. "I just went to the bathroom. I wasn't gone long."

Although he was alluding to it, Lindsay couldn't be sure. "Has Louie-?" She couldn't bear to say the words, but figured her loaded question would indicate the answer she was looking for to Danny.

Staring at the blank TV screen, Danny licked his lips before exhaling heavily. "He had a stroke," Danny whispered. "I was gone for a minute, maybe less. And just like that. It was like he was waiting for me to leave the room. I just… I had so much to say to him. So much I still didn't say. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Feeling the strike to her chest, Lindsay shifted closer to Danny and pulled him into a tight, comforting embrace. She squeezed him tight as the unshed tears in his eyes hit her shirt. She could feel him sobbing in her arms and she squeezed tighter as he grew louder with his cries. She wanted nothing more to take the pain away from him, but knowing she couldn't do that, she wished for the next best thing. She closed her eyes, and imagined herself in the hospital room with him earlier; she'd felt so safe and comforted in his arms that she spent every single bit of energy left within her in trying to recreate that embrace with him.

"He knew," she whispered into his hair as she held him close while he cried for the loss of his big brother. "He knew that you loved him, he knew that you forgave him, Danny."

Although his tirade of tears had subsided for the moment, she could feel his grip tightening on her. She threaded her fingers through his hair in a soothing motion, willing for him to gain something from her being there and giving him everything she had to offer.

"I didn't know where else to go," he whispered. "I'm sorry, you must be exhausted, I just… I really don't wanna be by myself right now. I really needed you."

Lindsay closed her eyes as she fought the tears that had settled in her eyes, although she hadn't felt the pain of losing a brother, she'd felt the pain of losing a friend; four of them to be exact. She knew the feeling of loss, grief, guilt, regret; anger… everything that came with death. But to be Danny's pillar of strength in his tough time filled her with something she couldn't identify. It made her feel important and useful. She took a deep breath as she tried to put her thoughts into words.

"I don't know what to do." He whispered. "Although he hasn't been there for a hell of a long time, he's always been there, you know? And now, he's gone. I don't know how to handle it, Montana."

Lindsay nodded as she watched Danny's bloodshot eyes begin to close slowly. She could see the exhaustion etched on his face; but knew that the second his head hit the pillow, sleep would evade him and he'd be left to mull over the last two weeks' events.

Releasing the hold that she had on him, she stood from the couch and reached for his hand. She pulled him from the couch and led him through her dimly lit apartment. He followed her into her bedroom and watched her as she shut the door and turned the dimmer light on, ensuring that a bright glare didn't blind either of them.

She shed her clothes quickly, pulling on her soft blue pyjamas before moving to where he stood, still on the spot. She unbuckled his belt and his buttons on his jeans before tugging them down his legs. He automatically stepped out of them, letting her discard them in her laundry basket. She then made a move to tug his shirt over his head, leaving him in just his wifebeater and boxers. He raised a brow at her, and she smiled softly at him. "You're tired; we'll lie here for as long as you need. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, okay?"

He took a moment to consider her words before taking her hand and letting out a heavy sigh. "Thanks Montana," he whispered. "For being here."

"There's nowhere else I'd be. Right here is where you need me; I'll always be here."

"It means a lot," he whispered as she took his hand and settled him on the edge of the bed. "Which side do you usually sleep on?" he inquired.

"You've stayed at my apartment before." She pointed out to him.

"Well yeah," he nodded, "but we've never directly discussed which side is your side."

"Well, which side is your side?"

"I asked you first," he managed a small smile.

Sighing, Lindsay pointed to the side closer to the wall. "Is World War Three about to break out?"

"Nope, we must be a perfect match; this side is my side." He smiled at her.

"How convenient." She smiled, noting lightly that Danny had brushed off his traumatic evening extremely quickly. "I thought things might have gotten ugly then."

"Nah," Danny shook his head as he lifted the corner of her duvet and slid into the bed. "I would have been a perfect gentleman and just got used to the other side."

"Liar," Lindsay smiled at him as she too crawled into bed. She felt her heart racing slightly, despite the fact that she and Danny had already shared a bed on numerous occasions. It seemed a little more formal tonight. Well, not formal, she argued with herself, but it seemed more official.

Settling on her pillow, and banishing the thoughts from her mind, she turned her attention to Danny who was laid, staring up at the ceiling. She frowned sadly as she saw the creased lines of stress and anguish consume his features.

She scooted closer to him and leant her chin on his shoulder softly. "It will be really hard for a while," she began, "But after a while the pain numbs and it becomes normal. It's always there, but the feeling of loss won't be as strong."

"It's the shock," Danny said quietly. "Louie and I were never close, it's just the shock of him going. The shock of never fixing the relationship. I'm not sad that I've lost the brother I had, I'm sad that I've lost the brother he could have been." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "I don't mean that,"

"It's hard," Lindsay acknowledged his internal battle. "Although it seemed he didn't care, he probably spent most of his life making sure you stayed away from the path he'd taken himself."

"So that means that we had a better relationship than I always thought; just because I didn't know what was going on in his corner, doesn't mean we didn't have a good relationship."

"He was your brother and he always will be your brother. Sometimes you don't realise what you have until it's gone. He just experienced that about ten years ago."

"Yeah," Danny nodded absentmindedly as he shifted slightly in his position and wrapped an arm around Lindsay, pulling her close. "I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, I bet you're exhausted."

She shrugged as she settled on his chest, "I don't know, sometimes it gets a bit lonely, being in this big old bed by myself."

"You mean you don't have New York's finest bachelor's loitering around outside, waiting for their ticket number to show up? I mean, I've seen you in a dress, Montana."

"Why would I need a ticket system when I have you?" she pursed her lips together strategically.

"Point well made, Miss Monroe." He offered her a smile before it dropped slightly. "It'll keep hitting me, won't it?"

"Yep," she nodded sadly. "Every now and then you'll get a pang of a mix of feelings right about there," she pointed to his stomach, "and it'll remind you that life sucks sometimes."

"You seem to know a lot about this," Danny said.

"I've had my own fair share of losses." She said, her heart racing, praying that he didn't dig any deeper than the answer she had provided him with.

"Well, hopefully we won't have to go through many more." He said. "I think I've hit my quota; my brother is enough for a hell of a long time."

"Well, whatever happens, we'll work on it together. You and me have proven that we're a pretty good team, right?"

He nodded.

"So, when things are good we'll celebrate them together, and when things are tough, we'll work through it together. Deal?"

She watched him as he turned his eyes away from the ceiling and downwards towards her.

"I think this is gonna be one of the best deals I make." He offered her a smile and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You don't worry about me, k? You sleep, I'm gonna just lay here for a while and let things sink in okay?"

"Danny," she sighed.

"I'll wake you up if I need you," he interjected quickly. "I promise; deal with it together, right?"

Yawning, Lindsay managed a soft nod as she settled on Danny's torso and let sleep take over.

There we have it, another chapter done and dusted. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I'd love to know what you guys think; let me know. Lots of things are going to happen in the next few chapters as I am going to go along with the flow of the show... just with some slight artistic additions on my part, so I hope y'all come back then! Thanks for reading.