A/N: Okay just remember we've all been in relationships and they can be quite complicated at times! :)
Key West Blues
Chapter 27
She rolled to the edge, too close to the edge and jerked back, eyes on the ceiling until they focused, then slid to the right … remembering … remembering what a bed hog he was! She resisted the urge to poke him until he shifted over because her body confirmed what a glance to the left revealed to her – it was time to get ready for work. She didn't know what he had on tap for today, but she decided to let him sleep at least until she had evicted the dragon seething in her mouth, shed the previous day's clothes mummified around her body and tamed the monster inhabiting her hair.
By the time she'd showered and dressed, he'd disappeared from the bed but she smelled the coffee as she entered the kitchen … and the pancakes. He made the best pancakes; she'd missed them, she'd missed him, missed him in her kitchen, missed him everywhere around her.
She watched as he transferred the last of the pancakes from the skillet to the stack with a flip of the wrist. He grinned at her as he set the plate of pancakes on the table, wiping his hands along his thighs afterwards. "Join me in demolishing a stack, Montana?"
She sat and forked into the stack. "Gladly, you know I can't resist your pancakes."
"Bet that's not all you can't resist about me."
"Mighty full of yourself this morning, aren't you Cowboy?"
"Maybe." A grin stretched across his face. He shrugged. "Pancakes today … tomorrow ... who knows?" Leaving it there, he pointed a fork at her. "Besides you know you can't fight crime on an empty stomach."
And suddenly she didn't like the way her emotions were responding to those words, 'fight crime'. Her eyes slid past him and she bit her lip while she tried to think of something more neutral to say than what had arisen in her mind.
He cocked his head until he could meet her eyes, a note of worry in his voice as he spoke, "Hey, did I say something wrong?" She bit her lip harder and shook her head. He reached across the table and tapped a finger to her temple as he said, "Then let me in there, Montana."
Misjudging the distance to the plate, her fork fell with a clatter and she let out a shuddering breath, She was going to have to get used to doing this, needed to get used to doing this, wanted to get used to doing this … but it was just … so… scary.
He set his fork down, speaking softly, "You don't have to be afraid, it's just me, remember? Just me."
She released the vise clamp on her lip, smiling weakly. "You're right. You're right, I know you're right." Another breath, this one less shuddering, more cleansing. She tapped a finger to her temple. "It's not what's going on in here, it's … it's what's going on in here." She laid her hand across her heart.
"Okay so what's going on in there?" He tapped the hand palming her heart.
Her hands flew to her lap to begin their writhing and wringing, but at least she managed a tilt to her chin that kept her face to face with him. "Danny, I don't know if I want to … fight crime anymore, I don't know if I'm cut out for it, particularly the crime scenes, they just seem to get harder and harder to handle."
"Okay, okay, that's fair enough." He rushed to give her options, to reassure her. "I know it might be a step down for you but you're fantastic in the lab, why don't you just look for a fulltime position within the lab."
"I … I … I don't think … I mean as much as I love lab work, I don't want to be stuck in the lab all day long."
He sighed and tilted back in the chair, hands tucked into his armpits, speaking carefully. "So … do you have something in mind?"
She forced herself into calmness by palming the table, her eyes never leaving his face. "I'm considering the job at the University." He stared at her and time stretched as did her nerves. She wasn't used to this Danny, the one who was quiet, hopefully, contemplative. Was he thinking? What was he thinking? She wanted to know, but she was almost afraid to ask, afraid that he-
His chair thudded forward as his forearms came to rest on the table. "I don't know what to say except that after I screwed up, I probably deserved the irony of this situation."
She folded her hands into his. "Danny, it's not about Rand, I can assure you. I'm not interested in him in the least. But what I've been feeling about the job, in particular the crime scenes, that's … that's been happening for a while and … when this opportunity presented itself … well it's … it's like a sign."
He squeezed her hands, his eyebrows quirked above the rim of his glasses. "Like a sign, huh?"
"Yeah, like a sign."
Another sigh then he said, "I was really looking forward to being back in the lab with you, you know working the cases …"
"I know."
"But I can't say I blame you really."
"I know." She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Look I can give you more details later that'll probably put your mind more at ease but right now, but I've got to get to work before I'm late, okay?"
"Okay," He waved a hand at her. "Go on, get out of here, we'll talk later." He stabbed a fork into the stack. "Guess I'll just have to handle this stack on my own."
She laughed, "I'm sure you can handle it." She gathered her things, calling "See you tonight," just before she closed the door behind her.
"Yeah, tonight," he mumbled through a mouthful of pancakes.
--
Ty crossed his arms over the back of the chair. "So how'd that make you feel?"
Danny shook a finger at him. "I knew you were going to ask that."
"It's my job."
"Do you ever get tired of your job?"
"Yes, do you?"
"Sometimes, I guess. Honestly, I just never thought about it. I'm good at it; I enjoy it, even the tough stuff like the crime scenes. Sometimes talking to the victim's families bothers me but …" Danny shrugged. "I don't know, I mean it's all a part of the job, right?"
"So what bothers you more? The fact that Lindsay wants out or the fact that she'll be working with someone she used to be involved with?"
"She wasn't really involved with him, I mean, yeah she slept with him but she wasn't really … shit … definitely that she'll be working with him. Is that wrong?"
"It's not wrong to feel things, Danny, just wrong to act inappropriately on those feelings."
"So what should I do?"
"You're asking me?"
"Yeah, I'm asking you!"
"Okay, what if for some reason you had to be around Rikki again?"
"Uh Uh, no way, ain't gonna happen."
"How'd you leave things between you and Rikki?"
"What? Um … last time I saw her, she was upset. She was moving out and I couldn't change her mind. Said she couldn't stand to be around the memories … to be around me … since … since I was the last one to see him alive."
"Ruben?"
"Yeah, Ruben, Jesus Christ," His hand sliced through the air hitting his palm. "Who do you think I'm talking about?"
Those penetrating eyes, those dark penetrating eyes on him, he thought he'd become accustomed to those. But the only thing he'd become accustomed to is being better able to decipher the message in their depths. And this message was that he'd flunked, he'd flunked some kind of test and now he was going to do have to do something to make the grade, to redeem himself … and he was sure he was about to find out what that something was.
"Ever think about putting closure to that relationship?"
Fuck there it was. "Oh no, no, no. No fucking way. I've just patched things up with Lindsay and they're going great, better than they ever were and I'm not about to take any chances on screwing that up."
Ty reached back, grabbed the folder from the desk, flipped it open, scribbled something in it, then closed it and said, "Tell me, Danny, who do you trust the least, Lindsay, Rikki or yourself?"
"What kind of …" He threw himself back in his chair, a hand thrusting through his hair, muttering, "How did I ever wind up with you as a counselor?"
Ty tossed the file back to the desk. "You know who you can thank for that."
"Yeah, I know."
Ty stood. "Okay, well, we're out of time for today."
Again caught on his heels with the time issue, Danny protested. "Already? But I don't what to do-"
"I'm sure you'll figure it out and if not, you know where to find me. And don't forget 10 AM, Monday."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, you, me and Mac."
"Good, keep your nose clean until Monday, okay?"
"Sure, sure."
--
Sawdust swirling through the air, hammers pounding framings into place, sights and sounds of progress, of things moving along and of things moving on, as he moved through the old warehouse, spying Silas high on a ladder, shielding his eyes from the bright work lights brought in to aid in the construction, Danny said, "Hey Silas, this is looking like a real place."
Silas clambered down from the ladder and holstered his hammer in his tool belt, extending a hand to Danny, slapping him on the back with the other, pearly whites gleaming in his dark face. "Don't I know it? But I tell you Danny, lucky for me, you landed in that bit o' trouble when you did or I wouldn't be this far along."
"Yeah, I guess some good's come of it."
"You don't sound too chipper. I thought you'd be hellfire excited to get back to yo' life."
"I was. I mean I am." Danny panned the surroundings, scuffing his boot through a pile of sawdust, speaking to the place rather than the man. "It's just, well …" Then he looked at Silas again. "You ever have those days when you think you got it all figured out and things seem to be clipping along and then Boom! you feel like you're on a slippery slope again?"
"Uh huh, shore 'nuff." Silas wagged his head in that deliberate side to side motion like an alley cat on the lookout for danger. "Don't tell me, you got yo'self in another bit of trouble."
Danny put his hands on his hips, emitting a big sigh. "Nah, nah, just old trouble coming to life again-"
Jawan shouted from the doorway, "Hey Coach, you're here! We gonna practice today?"
Danny dropped his hands, striding over to Jawan. "Hey little bro! Of course we are. Big game tomorrow. Where's Jamal?"
Jawan thumbed over his shoulder. "Oh he outside with the rest of the guys. C'mon."
Danny resisted Jawan's tug on his hand for a moment longer to ask, "Silas, ya need me for anything?"
"No, no, the contractors got it from here. You just take care of those young 'uns, they the ones that need you now."
--
"Hey man, can I buy you a beer?"
Flack swiveled around on the barstool, grabbing Danny's hand, clapping him on the back with the other. "Messer! I knew your sorry ass was bound to surface again. How the hell are ya?"
"Doin' alright I guess. Mostly relieved you're not gonna deck me."
"Hell no, man, I figure you've already been through enough shit. Plus Lindsay's been sporting smiles for the last several days so I figure you've been redeeming yourself somehow."
"Yeah we've seemed to weathered the worst of it, I think."
"I don't have to tell you man, you're one lucky sonofabitch."
"Yeah, yeah I guess I am. Listen thanks for being there for her when … when I was being such an ass and all. I really owe ya for that."
"Yeah, you do … so …"
"So … what?"
Flack grinned. "I'm waiting for the apology."
Danny grinned back. "Fuck you, Flack!"
"That's good enough for me. Let's drink!" Flack straddled his barstool at his pronouncement.
Danny straddled his, "Couldn't said it better myself," and hailed the bartender. "Jake, bring us a round."
Jake threw his towel over a shoulder. "No can do, Messer. You haven't paid your tab from last month."
Danny splayed his hands across his chest, "C'mon Jake, I've been out of work this month but I'm good for it, you know I am."
Jake shook his head, "Sorry, house rules, man."
Flack nodded at Jake, "My tab."
Jake turned his attention to Flack. "House draft's on special, that okay?"
Flack circled a hand in the air. "Fine, fine, just keep 'em comin'," then turned toward Danny. "By the way, where's Lindsay tonight?"
Danny propped an arm on the bar while he grabbed a handful of nuts with the other. "She's pulling a double. A multiple surfaced on the east side and ..."
Jake set two mugs in front of them.
Flack grabbed his. "And?"
Danny swiveled the mug around until he could slip his fingers through the handle, pulling it across the bar, "I wished I could be out there …" submitting his wish to the amber depths as he stared into the mug. "You know take up some of the slack."
Flack picked up his mug, looking over the rim at Danny. "Missin' the job or are you worried about her?"
"Both actually. But she admitted she's losin' her stomach for the crime scenes. Wants to get out, take another job."
"Sounds like a plan to me. You have a problem with that?"
Danny swiveled the mug back and forth between his palms. "No … yeah, yeah I do!"
Flack set his mug down with a thunk. "Messer what's with you?"
Danny pushed his mug back as he hunched over the bar. "She wants to work for the University."
"Oh … with Silsbee I take it."
"Yeah, besides the fact the man's an ass he's also got a thing for her."
"No more an ass than you are, Messer."
Danny stared over his shoulder at Flack. "Yeah, believe me that thought's crossed my mind … how she could definitely do better than either of us but …" He looked back at his mug, finally picking it up, taking a gulp, then setting it down to swivel it between his palms again, "Well we finally got things ironed out between us and … now, with her job offer and this other issue that got tossed at me today."
"Other issue?"
"Rikki."
"Shit, don't tell me she's-"
"Hell no, actually I don't know. I mean she shouldn't be, but … but I haven't spoken to her since she moved out."
"So what are you gonna do?"
Danny stared at his reflection in the mirrored wall behind the bar. "I'd like to bury my head in the sand about it but it seems that Ty thinks there should be some closure to the relationship."
Flack quirked his eyebrows as his mug met the twist in his lips. "Ty? Closure?"
Danny trained his eyes on Flack. "Fuck you, man. I'm working my ass off to get my job back and if I don't tow the mark with this Ty character then Mac's gonna pull the plug on me."
"Jesus Christ, Messer. Have you talked to Lindsay about this … this closure?"
"Hell no … I mean I'm fucked no matter what I do. Talk, job; no talk, no job; talk, no Lindsay; no talk, Lindsay."
"So whaddya gonna do?"
"Guess, I'm gonna talk to her."
Flack flipped-flopped his hand. "Which her?"
Danny slapped his hands on the bar. "God dammit, Flack!"
Flack threw his hands wide. "I'm just asking!"
Danny sucked in a breath then let it out with intent. "It'll have to be both, but it's gonna be complicated. Lindsay's working tonight, so I'm not sure if she'll make it to the game tomorrow and I know she's on again tomorrow night, so that buys me some time, some time to figure out how to approach all this."
"Okay but you can't afford to fuck this up, Messer."
"Okay, Detective Genius, did your mama tell you were that smart or did you figure it all by yourself?"
"You're such an ass, Messer."
"C'mon man, you're making me nervous, let's just watch the game."
"Fine by me!" Flack flipped his hand in the air, "Jake, another round."
