Title: Isn't Someone Missing Me?

Disclaimer: Angst, violence, slash, and language.

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Chapter Twenty-One: Listen to the Rain

When he rolled over in the bed he let his arm reach out, searching for the warm body that he'd fallen asleep beside. Only the other side of the bed lay empty. Flack opened his eyes, gazing at the spot where Danny had fallen asleep just hours ago. The blanket was pulled back, the sheets exposed. Danny wasn't there. Maybe he was taking a shower or making breakfast. He listened, hearing nothing but the whimpering of Widget as he dreamed in his sleep. Danny wasn't in the apartment. Sitting up, Flack swung his legs over the side of the bed and just sat there. When had he left, and why hadn't he said anything? He got up to take a shower, the ring still on his finger. A few hours ago it felt right. Now it felt like a sore reminder. Slowly he got dressed. He vaguely remembered feeding the dog before grabbing his keys and leaving the apartment, locking the door behind him.

He would have thought last night was a dream if he had not woken up wearing the ring. He never wore it to bed. Instead, he always placed it on the nightstand and slipped it into his pocket each morning. No, last night had happened and Danny had left without as much as a note. He pulled the band of metal from his finger and placed it in is pocket. He didn't need the extra help in remembering the blissful hours they spent wrapped up in each others arms. He sat at his desk letting the morning hours pass while he filled out reports in hopes that being busy wouldn't allow him to think of anything else. It worked, for the most part. He had thrown himself into his work, forgetting about the team of scientists all together. That was, until his phone rang.

Someone had found a body.

Sighing, knowing that the call had also been sent to the lab, he pulled on his coat and headed out into the cold weather. The sun was visible fooling the people inside into believing that it was warmer than it actually was outside. He hated the winter months. He hated the cold. Why did he stay in the city? For the same reason he kept doing his job even when things got really bad. Danny. He frowned as a picture of the younger man flashed in his mind. He didn't know what to think anymore. He wanted to think positive. Perhaps Danny had left early to return home so that he could shower and change into something fresh. Yet, this nagging feeling that everything had gone wrong persisted, making him feel worried.

When he got to the crime scene he found two patrol officers busily holding back the growing crowd. The great American bystander, he thought as he climbed from his vehicle. The lab had already sent people over and he could see two bodies at the end of the alley processing the crime scene. Mac breezed by without saying a word, a grim look on his face. With his hands in his pockets he followed after him. He would have to gather information from potential witnesses and the two patrol officers but he wanted to see the crime scene. He wanted to know what he was working for. As he drew closer he realized that the two CSI's that had arrived before him were Danny and Stella.

Danny.

He stopped dead in his tracks. There was no way he was going to go down there. He couldn't. Stella and Mac would know that something was up instantly. He opted to start gathering names and statements. Let the scientists do their jobs. He had other things to worry about. Returning to the sidewalk he talked to one officer and then the other. He began to talk with the witnesses. Few of them had seen or heard anything. Most of them were just curios about seeing a dead body. He had the misfortune of looking over his shoulder and spotting Danny when the coroner's van rolled up. Danny looked at him for merely a second before turning away. Flack had not been able to read his expression. Before he could watch Danny drive away he turned and headed back down the alley. With luck he found that Stella was still there.

"What's wrong?" she asked the moment she saw him.

He blinked. "What are you talking about? Nothing is wrong."

"You're a bad liar, Flack," she said. "I saw the way you stopped as you came down the alley earlier. You weren't expecting to run into Danny. Well, don't worry about it. He's no longer part of the case."

"Why?" he asked, worried that maybe Mac had been right to worry about Danny's mental health.

"The dead man is one Dante Giovanni," explained Stella as she closed up her kit. "Also known as the missing photographer, the man with the scare. Danny identified him immediately as the man from a few years ago. It looks like Dante died from an accident but we'll have to wait until Sid is done with his autopsy." Flack had nothing to say in response. He was happy that the third man was dead, and he shouldn't have been. Life was a precious thing. "Flack, what is bothering you?"

"I think I messed up," he admitted. "I think I let things go too far last night. We crossed the line and now everything has changed, and not in a good way."

They stayed in the alley and talked for an hour. No one came to bother them. No one called looking for them. Flack told her about Danny and the way he felt for him. He told her about their time together without going into detail. She expressed her sympathy trying to console him. It didn't work. Especially when he found out that Mac was being pressured to let Danny go and find a replacement. The city found him to be a liability. Even though he had been proven innocent his connection to recent dead bodies was making the city officials uncomfortable.

Flack went home with a heavier heart than he had when he left that morning. It didn't help matters that the beautiful sunny day had turned gray and rainy. The raindrops were as cold as ice as they fell from the sky. He dashed to his apartment building and slowly made his way upstairs. The only one to greet him when he opened the door was Widget. He gave him a loving pat before feeding him his dinner. Aside from a light in the kitchen he kept the place dark, like his mood. After changing into something dry and warm he went to sit by the window and look upon the city. Maybe he would start making plans to move. Maybe it was time to relocate and forget about Danny. It was time to let go. As he listened to the rain on his window he watched the people on the sidewalks below. Standing under a streetlight was a lone figure, not wearing a jacket or carrying an umbrella. He thought he was going crazy because it looked like Danny.

"It's just my mind playing tricks on me," he mumbled to the dark apartment. But the longer he sat there the more it began to sink in. That lone figure was Danny.