A/N: Thanks to all who've read and reviewed. You make my day.
Danny groaned as a loud blaring noise emanated from Lindsay's nightstand. Turning over onto his front, Danny buried his head beneath his pillow as Lindsay groggily sat up on the bed. Picking up the offending device, she stared at it, waiting for her eyes to focus onto the display.
"Turn it off," Danny mumbled, his pillow pressed tightly against his ears by his hands in an attempt to dampen the shrill tone.
Lindsay rolled her eyes as she flipped open the phone and answered, "Monroe,"
"Lindsay, it's Mac,"
"Who do you need?"
"Sorry to wake you up so early but we need you at a scene, tell Danny to go back to sleep," said Mac.
With a glance at Danny, she chuckled slightly and replied, "Will do, where?" Lindsay made a mental note as Mac gave her the details. "Alright Mac, I'll be there in 20 minutes," said Lindsay as she ended the call and attempted to get up.
"5 more minutes," Danny groaned, his arms tightening around her.
"Danny," started Lindsay, cut off as Danny mumbled incoherently. Rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's childishness, Lindsay tried to untangle herself from his grip, giving up as he pulled her in tighter. "Baby I have to go," whispered Lindsay, turning within the circle of his arms to face him.
"Tell him you're sick," mumbled Danny, his eyes still closed.
Lindsay chuckled, "He just talked to me and I said I'll be there in 20 minutes."
With a sigh, he relented and relaxed his arms. A smile fluttered over his face as Lindsay ran her fingers through his short hair.
"Go back to sleep honey," she whispered softly, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on his cheek.
Turning slightly, Danny captured her lips between his; deepening the kiss as his hands roamed her back. Pulling back, Danny opened his eyes and grinned happily at her.
"I love you, take care of yourself okay?" he whispered, his own fingers laced in Lindsay's hair.
Lindsay nodded with a smile as she extracted herself from his arms. "I love you too," she whispered in reply, adding a groan as she glanced at the clock, it was only a little after 2am.
Walking into the bathroom, Lindsay shed what remained of her clothes and turned on the shower. Hopping under the hot spray, she waited for the hot water to wake her tired muscles; her thoughts straying slightly as she silently wondered what it would take to get Danny under the shower with her. Lindsay grinned at the thought.
XXXXXX
Heading towards the crime scene, Lindsay slipped under the yellow tape and made her way towards Flack and Stella who were animatedly talking.
"Mornin' guys," greeted Lindsay, managing a smile despite the early hour.
"Where's your other half Monroe?" Flack asked with a grin. "Where there's one, the other is usually close behind."
Lindsay rolled her eyes and slapped him on the head.
"Oww, what was that for?" asked Flack, rubbing the offended area gently.
"For being a smart-ass," Lindsay replied, sharing a grin with Stella. "He has the night off, where's Mac?" she asked, looking around.
"He had another call," replied Stella.
Lindsay nodded and turned back to Flack and Stella, the latter grinning widely at Flack, "Okay so spill; what did I miss?"
Stella continued to grin between the two as she replied, "Flack took Rebecca out on a date."
"She said yes? I need to have a word with her," replied Lindsay with a wink.
"Very funny Monroe, can we please get this done with so we get the hell outta here? I'm freezing," Flack replied, rubbing his hands together.
Stella nodded as she set her kit down and donned her gloves, Lindsay doing the same. "So what do we got?" asked Stella.
Flack motioned for them to follow as he rattled off the details, "Vic is male and looks to be around mid thirties. The rest you need to see for yourself." Leading the way behind a few bushes, they arrived at the body which had been tied to the trunk of a tree fully clothed.
Lindsay gasped lightly at the sight, her mind suddenly jolted. "I recognise him," she blurted out.
"You know him?" Flack questioned.
Lindsay shook her head and explained, "No, not personally. He works at the bakery across the street from our apartment; I can't remember his name Bradley something."
Stella nodded, "That's good; means we don't have to remove you from the case."
"Body or surroundings?" asked Lindsay.
"I just ate, you take the body," Stella replied.
"Late romantic dinner with a certain someone Stel?" teased Lindsay.
Stella chuckled, "Yeah, with Hawkes in the break room, real romantic Linds. I know you have better taste than that."
Lindsay chuckled as Stella walked off. Setting her kit down, she began photographing the body, the tree and the immediate surroundings, gathering any evidence along the way. With that done, she nodded to the officers, allowing them to cut him loose, carefully placing him onto a plastic sheet to be processed.
Lindsay smiled as Peyton walked up to her, setting her own kit down by the body. "Good morning Lindsay," she greeted.
"Morning Peyton, unfortunately it's not a good one for all of us," said Lindsay motioning towards the body.
"Unfortunately," replied Peyton sombrely as she kneeled down to begin examining the body.
Lindsay went back to processing the immediate area as Peyton determined the COD, taking samples of tree bark, soil content as well as a footprint to take back to the lab for further analysis. Noticing Peyton stand, Lindsay sealed the last evidence bag and walked over to her and kneeled beside the body.
"Do we have a COD?" she asked.
Peyton nodded as she motioned for Lindsay to come closer. "COD was asphyxiation. The bruising on the victim's neck suggests strangulation," she explained.
"Pockets aren't turned out or empty and there's still a wallet full of cash. That rules out a robbery; this was pre-meditated," said Lindsay with a frown before moving to get up but stopped as Peyton continued.
"That's not all," said Peyton, "I found this in his throat," she continued, handing over an evidence bag containing a handkerchief written on with blood.
"His throat?" asked Lindsay, furrowing her brows in thought. Holding her flashlight over the cloth, Lindsay's mouth dried as she read the message on it. Her eyes flicked back to Peyton, who frowned sadly.
Standing up, she looked around and called Stella over.
"Find something Linds?" asked Stella, noting Lindsay's pale face. "What is it?"
"I think I have to be taken off the case," said Lindsay as she handed over the cloth, watching Stella's face drop as she read the message.
"I think you're right," said Stella solemnly, taking out her phone and dialling.
Nodding silently, Lindsay turned as her sight rested on the vic's face, her thoughts flying at a million miles per hour. What had she done?
Closing her eyes, the message appeared in her mind;
Lindsay Monroe,
You've hurt him, again and again. Now it's my turn to hurt you.
It's a promise.
Lindsay jumped as Stella placed a hand on her shoulder, offering a sheepish smile in apology, "Mac says to go home and get some rest. You can't work this case Linds."
Nodding silently, Lindsay bent down to pick up her kit only to be stopped by Stella, "I'll get it, don't worry."
"I just don't get it," Lindsay muttered. "Why?"
"We'll find out kiddo. We'll catch whoever did this," said Stella reassuringly. "Come on, I'll get someone to drive you home."
"Thanks Stel," Lindsay replied meekly.
Stella nodded and led them towards Flack, keeping a supportive arm over the younger woman's shoulder.
"Don, I need someone to drive Lindsay back to her apartment," said Stella.
His eyes met Stella's in confusion, nodding slightly at the look; 'Don't ask, I'll tell you later.'
"Rodriguez," Flack called out, motioning for the petite female officer to come over.
"Yes sir?"
"I need you to escort Detective Monroe home, this is her address," said Flack, scribbling Lindsay's address on his notepad, tearing it out and handing it over.
"Aye, sir," Rodriguez replied. "This way Detective," she said, turning to Lindsay.
"Thanks," Lindsay whispered softly, following the petite officer to her car.
"Lindsay," Stella called out, watching her stop and whirl around slowly.
"Tell Danny, he needs to know," said Stella reassuringly. "We'll catch whoever is behind this."
Lindsay nodded and gave another meek smile before turning back and entering the car.
As car drove off, Flack turned to Stella, "What was that all about?"
Stella sighed and handed Flack the piece of evidence, his face falling with every word he read.
"We have to catch this guy," said Don through gritted teeth.
"We will," replied Stella. "Let's get to work."
XXXXXX
Stopping in front of her building, Lindsay thanked Officer Rodriguez as she opened the car door.
"It's no problem; would you like me to walk up with you?" she asked.
Lindsay shook her head, "No thanks, I'll be fine. Thank you again."
Closing the door, Lindsay stood back and watched the car drive off. Walking into the building, she all but ran to the elevator, tears prickling behind her eyes. She needed him to hold her, to tell her that it would all be okay. She needed to hear him say it; he never lied to her. As the elevator took her up, with every passing second the image of the note appeared in her mind. She wracked her brains, trying to figure out what wrong she had done. She had hurt a lot of people sending their loved ones to prison, that was part of the job. This person seemed to have taken the grudge a step further.
As the elevator doors opened, Lindsay ran to their apartment, no longer afraid of being seen. Jamming her keys into the lock, she ran in, locked the door behind her and bolted towards the bedroom. Passing the doorway, Lindsay let out a breath, taking a moment to admire Danny's sleeping form. Dropping her jacket, Lindsay quickly changed into her tank top and sweatpants as she slipped under the covers. Moving as close to him as possible, Lindsay shut her eyes, subsiding the tears for the moment, calming slightly as she felt the warmth his body provided.
Feeling the bed dip, Danny peeked open his eyes to find Lindsay lying against him. Moving slightly, his arms encircled her body, pulling her closer to him. He watched her flinch slightly as he touched her, immediately getting worried.
"You're back early," whispered Danny, his face now buried in her hair.
"Mac sent me home," Lindsay replied weakly.
Danny leaned up slightly, stroking her hair back with one hand and placed a kiss on her temple. "Baby, what happened?"
Lindsay trembled slightly as the memory of the note fluttered across her mind once more. Turning in his embrace, she buried her face into his chest, "Just hold me Danny. Just hold me."
His heart broke at her voice of pain and fear. Pulling her tightly against his body, he placed another gentle kiss on her temple. "Always baby, always."
A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Please review and tell me what you thought.
There's a new twist to this fic, and a new story arc to boot. In addition to that, if you are a D/L shipper, please sign the official "We support D/L" petition.
Additional information on 'A Life With You' and the petition on my profile.
Thanks for reading,
Messermonroe