Now counting down to the last few chapters...there should be four more chapters after this one...hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Chapter Eleven: Reliving the Past

Danny and Lindsay tried not to think of the fire that was already beginning in the lab as they conversed. But finding a subject to talk about was hard, they found themselves going over the day of the fire, remembering each thing they had done. And they found out about the fire spreading through the crime lab from the same exact person: Stella Bonasera.

"What's going on?" Lindsay asked nervously, though she already knew what was happening.

Danny would have expected Stella to say, "Don't you know what's happening?" only because of his presence, but instead she replied, "There's a fire. It started on this floor, but how it started, we don't know."

Danny and Lindsay nodded, remembering that had been exactly what Stella had said the last time there had been a fire in the crime lab. They followed Stella to the hallway of Audrey's office, where Mac's old office used to be. Lindsay immediately asked Stella, "Has Mac made his way downstairs?"

"I don't know, he had been talking with Detective Mayor…" She screamed as she saw the fire progressing down the hallway within seconds.

"Come on!" Lindsay said, grabbing Stella's hand. "If we hurry, we should be able to get to him."

The words came out so suddenly, though he hadn't meant to say them: "I don't know, Linds." Lindsay gave him a questioning look, and then quickly took off running towards Audrey's office with Stella right beside her. Even though he already knew what was going to happen, he couldn't help himself from being scared. Of course, how couldn't he be, especially when this repeat of the fire would show them whether they had died or not? He prayed, hoping that this time Lindsay wouldn't get trapped in the flames. He heard the familiar voice of Don Flack's and turned around instantly.

"Danny, what are you standing there for?" he asked. "The fire's in that direction!"

"Stella and Lindsay went to see if Mac was in Audrey's office," Danny replied.

"The Mac Taylor?" asked Flack, sounding astonished. "What's Mac Taylor doing here?" He paused in a moment of thought, and then said, "Oh, yeah, he came here…I actually talked to him. But why did he come here?"

"Flack!" Danny yelled. "This isn't the time to discuss why Mac Taylor is here!"

"But, Danny, Mac's already outside," said Flack. "We need to get out of here before the fire reaches us!"

Danny turned around to see the fire increasing towards Audrey's office. He had to make sure he got both Lindsay and Stella away and safe from the fire. He wouldn't let Lindsay get trapped in the hallway by the fire again. They would all evacuate the building safely. He broke into a run and hurried over to Audrey office; both Lindsay and Stella had entered inside the office.

"Lindsay!" he yelled. "Stella!"

They both turned around to look at him.

"Mac's already outside, Flack just informed me about it," he explained. "The fire is making its way down towards the office, we have to hurry and get outside."

Stella sprinted outside the office like she was running a marathon, while Lindsay walked more slowly towards the door, looking as if she was unsure if she should listen to him. Danny took her hand and pulled her towards the door, but she stopped him before he could put his hand on the handle. "Danny, I can't go with you."

"Why?" he asked, now confused.

"Remember what Audrey said," she replied. "We have to redo everything that happened on Monday, we have to relive the past."

Danny shook his head. "No, I'm not letting you get trapped in the blaze."

Lindsay looked up into his eyes. "I need to do this. Trust me, Danny, everything's going to be okay."

He fought back tears as he said, "Okay, Montana, I trust you. I love you."

"I love you, too," Lindsay said.

He gripped the handle of the door and opened it for Lindsay, and she nodded to him before walking out. He followed her, letting the door close behind him. With one last glance at Lindsay, he ran over to Stella, just as the roof above fell and caught fire, trapping Lindsay in the blaze.

"Where's Lindsay?" Stella asked as he ran over to her side. She looked behind him and then shot him a furious glare. "You left her there?"

"No!" Danny yelled. "Just get out of the building! Both of you! I'm staying here with Lindsay."

Stella hesitated for a minute, looking from him to the fire. She then nodded and said, "Be careful, okay?"

Danny nodded and turned back towards the blaze. He scanned the area, but he already knew there wouldn't be a fire extinguisher in sight. More of the roof fell and a frantic scream came from Lindsay. "Don't worry, Lindsay, I promise both you and I will make it through this!"

"I trust you!" Lindsay yelled. "I know we'll make it out alive!"

Danny was thankful for Lindsay's reassurance, but he couldn't help feeling scared at the moment. The smoke was filling his lungs, and he knew at any minute he could die—no, he would die, just like Megan had written in the article. He would never get to living his old life; nothing would ever be the same. Suddenly, the voice he had last heard before he lost consciousness sounded in his ears again: Stella.

"Danny!" she was calling. "Don't worry, Danny, just hold on!" She grabbed him in her arms before he could fall to the ground, spun him around, and pushed him towards Flack. They started running, but Danny didn't move from his spot. "Danny, come on!"

"No," he said. "No, I'm not leaving Lindsay behind!"

Stella took his hand. "Help's already coming to rescue Lindsay." She turned him around again. "Look!"

Danny looked to the direction in which she was pointing to. He saw the fire had begun to diminish, for now it was being washed away by the powerful force of water from a hose. Firefighters were now on the scene and as one passed by him, he saw Lindsay in his arms, being taken away from the blaze.

"Danny, she's going to be okay," he heard Stella say. "You need to worry about getting out of here now, okay?"

He took one last look at the fire that could have claimed his life and then nodded, following Stella outside to safety. The sight outside was more overwhelming than the fire that had been inside the building. Police cars, ambulances, news reports, and crowds of the evacuated people stood outside. Everyone was here to gaze upon the fire that destroyed a place where, for many, was a place close to their hearts. A place where Danny could call his second home.

"How'd you know?" a familiar voice asked. "I mean, did you know this was going to happen?"

Danny turned around to see Aiden, who was excitedly waving a newspaper in his face. He looked at it and realized it was the newspaper with the article about the New York Crime Lab burning down in flames. He glanced at the crime lab and decided that it wouldn't burn down completely, but the thirty-fifth floor would be damaged and under repairs for a while. He looked up at Aiden and said, "Well, whoever wrote this was very good at predicting the future. The person who wrote it may have never known this was going to happen, though."

"But did you know this was going to happen?"

"Oh, well I guess my answer wasn't exactly helpful," said Danny. "I had no idea that this was going to happen. Like the article, this fire was a complete surprise."

She nodded. "Thanks, Danny. I have a story to write about now."

"You might want to change the fact that Danny Messer and Lindsay Monroe die, because that isn't true."

"Of course," Aiden said, walking away to join some of the news reporters. "Don't want to write something false in the paper!"

As he turned around to catch up with Stella, he saw that she had stayed where she was. "Danny, I'm sorry about everything I said to you. It wasn't true, any of it. I just didn't want you to be around me when I was with Mac." She looked down to the ground and then back up at him. "I love him, and I thought if you were always tagging along with me, he may think you and I were dating."

Danny gave her a look of surprise.

"I know it sounds stupid, but it's true. Mac had the idea that we were together when he first met you."

"Its okay, Stella, you're not going to have to worry about that," he said. "I love Lindsay, so I don't think Mac will get the idea that we're together."

Stella looked down at the ground again, her cheeks slightly red. She immediately looked back up again when Mac walked over to them. "You made it out of the fire," he said.

Danny nodded. "If it hadn't been for Stella, I would still be in that building."

"Really, Danny, it was nothing," she said. "Flack was worried about you, so I thought I'd come and get you away from the fire…"

"The guy who wanted to give you a ticket was worried about you?" questioned Mac. "Well, some people can change quickly…"

"So I was worried," Stella admitted. "But at least I was caring unlike Flack."

Mac nodded and then turned to Danny. "Flack and the others that you told to come to the crime lab were all going to meet up at Hammerback Café later tonight. Do you want to come?"

"Maybe," Danny replied. "I want to first make sure Lindsay's all right."

"Actually," Mac said, glancing over to Flack and the others, "I think she may be okay."

Danny saw Lindsay over by the others and rushed to her side. Once he was gone, Stella crossed her arms. "No invites for Stella?" she asked. "I could just not come…"

Mac smiled. "Stella, would you like to come to dinner with me at Hammerback Café tonight?"

"Why, yes, I'd love to come," she said, taking Mac's hand and walking over to the others.

Danny pulled Lindsay into an embrace. "You're okay," he whispered.

"We made it through the fire," Lindsay said, "just like you said. We didn't die, the article was a lie."

He nodded. "Dinner at Hammerback Café?"

"Sure," she replied. "Sounds like a lovely idea."

They turned back to look at the crime lab once more, and hopefully, tomorrow, they would both return back to their normal lives, finally knowing the truth to what happened after the fire.