A/N at end.

She was going to face one of her biggest fears. The noise and the bustle of the people around her did not make her lose focus on what she was about to do.

The first time she was so nervous and anxious, she almost threw up. It was her first time up there; everything went wrong and she never wanted to do it again.

The second time was worse because she knew what was coming. She knew the procedure. She knew the feelings she would go through before it was over.

As she got more accustomed to being up there, she started figuring out tips and tricks:

Don't think about the event until right before

Remember the first few minutes are the worst.

Relax…you really have no choice.

Lindsay stood, shouldered her small carry-on bag, took a deep cleansing breath and boarded the plane. She really hated flying.

**

Danny trudged into the lab ready to analyze the substance that they found on the edge of the skateboard. He wanted to focus on anything other than the idea of going home to an empty apartment eventually.

Taking a sample of the material, he started to run it through the GCMS and grabbed his coffee cup while he waited. In the process of moving around, he knocked something on the floor.

He didn't know what it was until he had it in his hands. The plain white envelope had his name written on the front in her perfect educator handwriting. His fingertips brushed slowly over his name knowing that her hand had delicately written it. It was such a simple thing, but his stomach flipped and tightened at the sight of her script. It was unique to her. He enjoyed watching her write things out long hand; so many had lost the art of letter writing. It was all texting and e-mailing. Letters used to be little surprises in the mailbox and holiday staples. He was amazed how his name penned in her hand affected him.

Smiling at himself, he slid the flowery card out of the envelope and ignored anything that was written on the front and went straight to anything that she'd written inside.

"Dear Danny, I'm not good at long goodbyes. Or short ones for that matter. But Montana calls and the cows are heading home. MOO – see you soon. – Montana."

Again his stomach fluttered at her writing and he loved the message. What he couldn't figure out was the "MOO". Was she calling herself a cow? And she signed it 'Montana."

He was still wearing the biggest grin on his face when Mac walked in and asked about the case.

With card and envelope still in hand, he explained what was found. Mac's eyes followed his hand.

"Wait…what is that?" Mac pointed at the objects.

The smile that appeared on Danny's face would have lit up Times Square at midnight on New Year's Eve.

"It's a note from Linds. I have no idea how she got it up here." He shook his head and read the inside again. Mac snuck a peek and read the note and laughed.

"What?" Danny tried to throw as much of his attitude in that one simple word.

"She said MOO." Mac said.

"Yeah, so what?"

"Whenever Claire said 'MOO' she meant 'my one and only'."

Danny took another look inside the card t what she wrote to him. "My one and only."

**

The wheels finally hit the ground and she let out a breath she'd been holding since the fasten seatbelt light came back on. The flight attendant came on and gave the normal info about local time, weather and where to find information about connecting flights. She knew that her father and/or mother would be waiting in baggage claim, but beyond the doors of the airport, all the ghosts of her past were waiting to haunt her.

**

He finished his case, he worked with Stella on a few things, and he finished every piece of paperwork that was on his desk. When he started hanging out in the trace lab just to talk to people, Flack knew that he was avoiding going home.

"Hey, Mess, you done here?" He hung off the door handle and watched his friend.

"Yeah, you got something for me?" Danny jumped off the stool eagerly.

"Yeah, a choice. You can either come out and have a drink or let me take you home."

Danny cringed at the thought of going home.

"Drink it is, Danno. Let's go."

**

Country nights in winter were as quiet and cold as she remembered. There were no sirens, no traffic noises, nothing. When she looked out the window, there wasn't a light to see for miles.

Pulling out her phone, she hit speed dial.

He yelled, "Messer." There was a lot of noise and loud music. She didn't want to yell a conversation at him so she hung up and sent him a text. "Call me when you get home."

Flack stared at his buddy across the table. There was only a third of the liquid gone and Danny had stared at it for so long that he could probably do a quick chemical analysis on it. Flack watched Danny, he was motionless, but then something happened.

Danny's eyes got big, he started checking his pockets, and he pulled out his phone and yelled his name into it. Then he looked at it again and jumped out of his seat.

"Come on Flack, lights and sirens, take me home." He was out the door before Flack knew what hit him.

**

The window seat was her place to dream when she was growing up. She watched the seasons change, read 'Little Women' over and over, and now she was sitting here again dreaming of a guy. A guy she hadn't been without for over a year. She was empty inside and hollow without him near. She felt as silent and still as the landscape out the window.

Her phone alerted her to his call. "Hey cowboy."

The two words came out breathy and he could hear the smile in her voice. His heart soared at the sound. "How's it going out there?"

"It's going alright, but it's going to get busy. The trial has been sitting and waiting for so long. It'll go fast as soon as it starts."

He heard the distance in her voice that was more about where her mind was and not the thousands of miles between them.

"You holdin' up?" He asked

"Today, yes."

"Tomorrow?"

"I don't know."

**

To: DMesser, MTaylor, SBonasera, SHawkes, ARoss, SHammerback, DFlack, JAngell
From: LMonroe
Subject: 1-28-2007 Update

Hi New York,

Wanted to let you know what's going on here. I ID-ed the guy. It's a lot harder on the other end. As a cop, we stand with a victim at that window waiting patiently for them to look at each person's face. We stand there hoping that the right person is standing there; hoping that at some point we can make it right. But as the victim its much different. In each face you look for some mark, some flash of familiarity so that you're 100% sure that your have the right person, but you have to try and put each face at the crime and relive every moment…anyway I ID'ed the guy.

The DA had had this case ready for years and wants to fast track it. I could be out here for a while. I'm staying busy and can't wait to get back to Sullivan's for a drink.

--Lindsay.

Her mailboxes filled up with responses from everyone. They sent words of encouragement in their short notes back. Everyone wanted her back, but none more than Danny of course. His work and sleep were being affected. He tried to call her but her phone was off or out of range.

He sat down at his computer that night and looked at their family picture above the desk. Thinking about how close they all were, he started an e-mail to her.

**

Lindsay walked the well worn path down to the barn after the sun fell below the horizon. It was a path she knew like the back of her hand. A wind blew around the corner of the structure and she secured the jacket tighter around her shoulders. Inside the barn she would find a warmer retreat.

She turned on the small light inside that her father installed years and years ago. She took in the familiar surroundings. This was one of her childhood hangout. She spent hours brushing her horse and mucking the stalls. She looked up to the hay loft. The rickety ladder had long been replaced with steps; most of the animals' stalls had been removed. Her father's ranching days had been over for a while and then barn had become a storage shed. Yet, a few stalls remained at one end.

"Hey Stranger." Lindsay approached the last stall. Her horse came to the Dutch door and bars at the sound of her voice. There was nothing unique or different about the plain brown horse in the last stall other than it was hers. The two shared a moment of reconnection before she started speaking. "I'm home again. Same reasons." Lindsay caresses her best friend, looking for comfort. "I think this time, it will be done. All those days and night you had to listen to me cry and carry on about what happened. It may be coming to an end." She looked around the barn. "It's getting late, but I want to go for a ride before I go home." She must have said something wrong because the horse pulled away a little. "This isn't home anymore. I'm just here to finish some business and then I'm going home to New York." Sadness over came her, but she didn't know why.

**

She got back to her room and flipped open her computer for her daily rounds of e-mails. To her surprise there was a nice long e-mail from Danny.

To: LMonroe
From: DMesser

Montana, did you know that Mac has a son? Well not really. It's Claire's son that she had before she met Mac. He and Mac are slowly forming this strange relationship.

I miss you. I want you home. I can't remember what I was like or what I did before you came into my life. I want to know how things are going. I want to ask how you are but that's always what we talk about and I'm sure that you need a break from trial and case talk so I don't know what else to talk about.

So, tell you what…give me a topic, ask me a question, start a conversation…

Before she could read to the end of the e-mail an IM box popped up.

(DMess): You come here often?

She laughed at him and his attempt at humor and the cheesy pick up line.

(DMess): If I said you had a beautiful body would you hold it against me?

She laughed again.

(DMess): Hey, I didn't know angels flew so low

(LMonr): Didn't I see you in GQ?

(DMess): I may not be a genie but I can make your dream come true.

(LMonr): Can I take a picture of you so I can show Santa just what I want for Christmas?

(DMess): Let's make like a fabric softener and snuggle

(LMonr): Did you fart? Because you just blew me away

Danny laughed out loud for a few minutes before he could type properly again.

(DMess): Nice one Monroe. How's my girl?

(LMonr): Better now, thanks to you.

(DMess): Just doing my job.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************

I have finally reached the point where what I write long hand is what I publish almost the next day.

I am writing feverishly to keep updating on a regular basis. However I am doing end of year assessments at school, please be patient. From the ideas that I have Valentine's Day and Heart of Glass will be a major focus of the next chapter. I am in the middle of writing and typing it.

Please, please please let me know what you think and review.