A/N: Another update so quickly? I know! Thing is, I'm going to my grandparents this weekend and I didn't want to not update because even though it's only the weekend, it'll seem like forever! hehe.
Now, for this chapter, this was not what I expected the next chapter to be, as you know, Megan. But the muse wanted what he wanted, and dug his heels in until I gave in and let him have what he wanted.I think there's the possibility that some of the details will be inaccurate as I'll admit that I was lazy and didn't do the research I could have... I just used my knowledge from the show, etc, and used my creative licence. So I mean, if anything does seem a little out there, I hope you can suspend disbelief and overlook the errors.
To answer some of your questions... I might keep you hanging about what I name their baby (although the summary totally gives it away... didn't think that one through I think...) and in regards to when Lindsay's going to have their baby... there's quite a few more chapters yet this side of her pregnancy... Sorry guys. The muse just doesn't want to let go yet hehe.
Special thank you to all of you who read (and those of you who reviewed) last chapter. I appreciate your support. Thanks to: Lindsay1234, rhymenocerous, jorizo, rapidtetv, Christina5139, Dine89, uscrocks, brendanakai, saderia, jennifer32485, dl-shipper34, messermonroeforever125, ioanhoratio and 18lzytwner. :)
I Will Not Say Goodbye – Danny Gokey
Sometimes the road just ends, it changes everything you've been. And all that's left to be is empty, broken, lonely, hoping. I'm supposed to be strong. I'm supposed to find a way to carry on.
Danny groaned as he glanced down to his watch once again. He was so incredibly late it just wasn't funny anymore. He knew, knew, that he shouldn't have sat talking to Lindsay into the small hours of the morning, but it had seemed like a fantastic idea at the time.
And really, it was quite nice being 'them' again.
Now though, after pressing the snooze button seven times, spending too five minutes too long in the shower and caving to Lindsay's pleads of 'just one more kiss', had left him weaving in and out of the masses of people as he raced to the crime lab.
Over the years he'd gotten more and more skilful at managing to swerve the New York pedestrians. He'd had to; sometimes the subway was just unreliable, and speed walking was a fine way of giving him that early morning opportunity to wake up – even better if he was trying to protect a cup of coffee as he did so.
But of course, when he was in genuine rush, his skills in weaving had disappeared. He had lost count of the amount of people he'd crashed into. He growled in annoyance as he felt his arm being shoved backwards by a person going the opposite way.
He loved New York. He did. But right now, Montana looked a lot more appealing.
He didn't think of it often, but every now and then he found himself drifting off into an alternate universe where he and Lindsay called it a day in New York and set up house in Montana. He could work for the crime lab out in Helena, and Lindsay could stay at home, at least until the kids were in school, and then she could join him in Helena.
Or heck, he could join her after the kids had grown and let her have the career.
He pictured a big house with land all around for the kids to ride bikes, horses... Have a swing set, trampoline and whatever else their little hearts desired.
He smiled as he took note of the use of their. Much to Lindsay's dismay, Daniel Messer was convinced that they wouldn't be able to settle for just one kid. They needed balance. One clone of her, and one of him. And really; in all honesty, it would be a crime to starve the world of beautiful children created by them.
Danny shook his head gently, stirring himself from his reverie, just in time as he collided with a man heading the opposite way.
"Sorry 'bout that." Danny apologised as he made an effort to get out of the other guy's way.
"Have you seen him?"
Danny blinked as his eyes focused on the thing that was being shoved in his face. Conscious of the time, Danny sighed. "Seen who?"
"My son." The stranger lamely explained. "He's been missing for over a week now, I'm desperate. Have you seen him?"
"No, but where was he last seen?"
"He had a night shift at the bar he works at. The shift finished at twelve thirty."
"Have you called the police?" He could probably be a whole lot more helpful, but the time was ticking away, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't deal with this right now.
"Yeah, but a twenty one year old is the least of their priorities when there's other crazies running around the city."
"No kidding." Danny mused. "Tell you what, I'll take the poster and I'll keep my eyes peeled, okay?" He wasn't lying. He would. His main priority right now though was freeing himself of this conversation so he could race the last block and a half to the crime lab in order to get there on time.
"Thank you." The man whispered as he handed Danny the piece of paper. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your time. I can see you're in a rush."
"I hope you find him." Danny offered with a smile.
"Me too."
Sighing heavily as he took a moment to stand on the spot, he watched as the desperate father continued to hand out posters to people who just didn't care. He folded the picture and description of the young man and shoved it in his pocket.
He did care. He just didn't have the time to right now. He had places to be, crimes to solve, bosses to keep off his ass.
Picking up his pace, Danny glanced at his watch. Five minutes.
He could do this.
"You're late."
Danny exhaled dramatically as he dropped into a heap on his desk chair. "No shit."
"What kept you? Too many kisses this mornin'? Made you lose track of time."
"Jump off a bridge, would ya?" Danny panted as he tried to catch his breath. "I got held up by some father lookin' for his kid."
"Oh yeah?" Flack asked, genuinely interested. "What he say?"
"Nothin' much," Danny lied, not wanting to bring up the conversation he was trying to shove to the back of his mind. "Asked me to keep my eyes peeled."
"Optimistic." Flack said with a raised eyebrow. "What did you say?"
"Well, I took the poster and said I would."
"And how long's he been missing?"
"A week."
"That's the expectant father in you talkin', Danno. You know the odds on that kid turnin' up are slim to nothin' now."
"Maybe... but hopefully I'll never find myself in a situation like that guy is, least I could do was offer the guy a bit of courtesy and give him some faith that not everyone in New York would trample on you... like I nearly did."
"Poor guy." Flack sighed before changing the subject, sensing Danny didn't want to talk anymore about it. "Mac wanted to see you the second you got in."
"Oh yeah?... what's the deal?"
"Dunno, just told me to grab you and swing by his office."
"Let's get a wiggle on then." Danny smirked.
"A wiggle? You've been hangin' around that country girl of yours too long."
"Please," Danny's face crumpled in disbelief. "Like that would ever come out of Montana's mouth."
"Danno, a year ago I would have said the exact same about you, but look at you now. You think it's a perfectly acceptable phrase. It blows my damn mind."
"Get up you clown!" Danny chuckled as the two friends made their way to Mac's office.
I could have so stayed for another kiss or ten. Mac's got me on paperwork... after I ran all the way to work. So, I hope you're pleased with yourself I burnt my breakfast off before I even got to work. Starving now. Bring me food. ;) love you.
Danny dropped his phone on his desk after he finished his text to Lindsay. He sighed as he pulled another case file towards him. As much as he loved his job, paperwork blew. He hated reliving the case after solving it; especially the harder ones. And spending a ridiculous amount of hours typing up his notes and everything else that paperwork entailed was just a pain in the ass. It would be a lot different if he could type like Lindsay could. She could sit and be reading the case report while her fingers would be whizzing over the keyboard as if she was some kind of machine. He however, wasn't as skilled when it came to words per minute. To her hundred, he could probably manage about forty five, with spelling mistakes included.
He sighed as his eyes scanned over his latest report. He remembered what a waste of time this case had been; one junkie shooting another junkie over an argument about crack. He needed strength from somewhere. Coffee. Coffee would do the trick. But there was no way in hell he was going to sit and drink the sludge that was passed off as coffee in the break room.
He grabbed his phone from the desk and jacket from the back of his chair and shoved his arms through the sleeves as he headed out into the hallway and towards the elevator.
A nice break would do just the trick. He waited patiently as the elevator slowly made its way up from the ground floor. He shifted on his heels and let out a sigh as he stretched his back, removing the creaks and tension from it. As he did so, his phone began to vibrate in his hand. He pulled up the message from Lindsay with a smile.
I can see you ;)
Looking up and scanning his eyes all around him, he furrowed his brow when he couldn't see her.
As he looked around, puzzled, he received another message.
Look up.
As he did so, he caught sight of Lindsay stood on the overpass above the locker room.
Lindsay smirked. "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo."
"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" Danny replied, pleased with his knowledge of Shakespeare enough to be able to make Lindsay giggle.
"Goof!" The smile on her face warmed his heart.
"I thought you were still at home... What you doin' up there?" He smirked at her as he slipped his phone into his pocket. "Overseeing activities?"
"Spying on people, and pretending I'm Juliet." she giggled. "Where are you going?"
"Coffee... I'm dying."
Lindsay raised an eyebrow.
"Okay," he sighed. "I'm bored."
She shook her head. "Get to work, slacker."
"Want anything?" He smiled. "Donut? Cinnamon pastry?"
"Something cinnamon-y would go down a treat." She smiled. "I brought you lunch. It's in the fridge in the break room."
"You did? I love you!"
"You only love me because I'm your meal ticket." She smirked. "And I'm cute."
"And you're the mother to my baby... and I can't possibly function without you."
"Oh Romeo, how thy sweet talks me."
"Shakespeare's rolling in his grave, babe."
"Hush." She smirked.
"Elevators here, catch you up soon?"
She nodded and waved as she continued on her way, case files clutched to her chest as she did so.
He finally made his way into the elevator and smiled as he settled against the wall. Today was shaping up to be a pretty good day for him. Lunch from Lindsay. Quoting Shakespeare and impressing Lindsay. No strenuous work expected, other than paperwork of course, and a nice shift, ending (hopefully at five o'clock).
Only time would tell though.
"That's a straight ten dollars then, Danny."
"Ten... Petey, what's the deal? I've got this exact same order for the past six months and it was always six-fifty."
"The economy... surely Mr. Crime scene can afford ten bucks. And come on, you live in New York Danny... what do you expect?"
"I expect affordable coffee... I'm a cup off a bank loan... ten bucks for a small cup and a cinnamon bun. You're insane."
"Surely on your salary you can throw ten bucks this way."
"Not with a baby on the way... and a hungry girlfriend."
"Fine, tell you what. I'll do you a deal... for you, eleven."
"Eleven?"
"There's interest." The vendor smirked. "And your coffee's getting cold. And you're wasting my time with your ugly mug."
Danny growled as he pulled out his wallet, accompanied with a piece of paper.
Curious, Danny quickly handed Petey the eleven dollars, with an added 'Jerk' for free before unfolding the piece of paper. Between the paperwork, need for coffee and flirting with Lindsay, he'd forgotten all about the desperate father from earlier.
His heart sunk as he grabbed the paper bag and coffee with one hand and held the poster in the other and gave himself a moment to read over all of the details. A week missing really was a long time, and the look on the father's face had moved Danny. Although at the time he'd brushed him off, he could still see the desperate look in his eyes, pleading for help. Turning on his heel, Danny folded the piece of paper and placed it back in his pocket. Paperwork could wait. Right now, there was someone needed his attention more than two crack heads.
He took his decision in his stride as he quickly made his way back to the crime lab, formulating a plan of action in his mind.
"Adam..."
"Yo!"
"Move."
"Whoa, that's not very nice."
"Move your ass, please." Danny growled as he pulled up an office chair and opened the lid of the scanner. "I'm not in the mood for you to be playin' that game."
"What game?"
Danny rolled his eyes. "Adam..."
"Oh... I..." He shuffled in his spot. "I um..."
"Just go." Danny groaned. "I've got something I need to run."
"Is it... Danny... I..."
"I okayed it, Adam." Danny assured his nervous friend. "Mac knows I'm blowing off paperwork... This is... it's important okay? And nothing illegal, don't worry."
"Say no more." Adam said as he raised his hands in surrender. "I hear you."
"Thanks man," Danny smiled before turning back to his task at hand. He'd managed to multi-task through his conversation with Adam and had successfully scanned the image from the photograph on the missing poster into the system. He had decided to run it through the missing persons' database just to get the official match, and then he decided he would cross reference that to Sid's database down in the morgue to see if he found a match.
Then, if he had no luck on either of those, he'd have to think of a plan B.
He turned and stretched a little as his search began, zipping through the thousands of files stored on the system. He picked up his coffee and took a long sip of the now lukewarm liquid.
It didn't take him as long as he had expected but he'd found a match within minutes. The name on the record matched the name on the poster; John Stavos. Twenty-one. Reported missing a week and a half ago. He took a deep breath before pulling up Sid's database; wanting to find the kid, but not wanting this to be the way he found him.
He entered the criteria and sat back, waiting for a match.
Danny rest his head against his propped up hand, as his other hand pressed his office phone to his ear and let out a sigh. He was a little sick of Leona Lewis on repeat as the hold music he was listening to.
"Keep bleeding, Leona. Go on, keep on blee-"
"Hello?"
Coughing, Danny tried to find his voice. "Hi, I wanted to get in touch with a Detective Farber... I appear to have a lead on a case he was investigating."
"Oh?.. well I'm his partner, he's not in the office right now. I could try help though. Can I just ask who this is?"
"Detective Messer."
"Alright Detective Messer, I'm Detective Peterson... What's the case you're referring to?"
"Well, it was a John Doe, from about a week and a half ago... Appeared to be a robbery and stabbing..."
"I seem to recall. I remember him looking young."
"Yeah, well I have a name and a little more information for you."
"Oh, well let me just grab a pen... You work directly under Mac Taylor, right?"
"Yeah." Danny shrugged. "Well, I'm part of his team... You ready?"
"Sure."
"Okay, his name is John Stavos. He works at some bar called KGB on 85th East and 4th... He'd been working that night and his shift finished at twelve thirty that night."
"Okay, well I'm writing all this down... I'll see if we can go back to the area and pick up on something. Find surveillance we didn't know to look at previously... I have a question though."
"Okay, go."
"How is it you seem to have all this information?"
"On my way to work today the kid's father approached me, asking for help with finding his son. It's particularly slow up here today, so I figured running a search or two would kill some time. I just really want this guy to know what went down you know? Get some peace with it, because right now he's hopin' and prayin' his son will walk through the door tonight."
"Well... I mean if you want, I could sign off on you getting in touch with the father. I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing the news from you, if of course you don't mind taking that on."
"No, no that's okay. I'll make the arrangements."
"Thanks for the lead, Detective. I'll get onto this right now and see what I can do. I'll ensure to keep you in the loop."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
Promptly hanging up Danny leant back in his chair. His own paperwork was now hidden underneath print outs and an autopsy report, courtesy of Sid. He decided that he needed some lunch in order to help him stomach what he was about to do.
He was pacing back and forth in the foyer of the crime lab as he anxiously waited for John Stavos' father. Thankfully, he'd remembered him so the awkward reintroduction over the phone was minimal. Danny had asked him to meet him at the crime lab; telling him he had some information for him if he could make his way there. He cringed as he thought about it in retrospect. As they'd had lunch together in the break room, Lindsay had suggested meeting him somewhere else; not having the poor father fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, only to have those fears confirmed as he made his way to the crime lab. Danny had gone with his instincts though and disregarded what she'd said, thinking that he knew best. It was better to just get it done.
But now as he thought about it, he questioned how right his instincts were.
He glanced up in time to see the father clutching a pile of missing posters to his chest, a look of worry etched onto his face.
"Mr. Stavos." Danny greeted with an outstretched hand. "Detective Messer."
Arthur Stavos returned the handshake and offered the young man a small smile. "I bumped into the right person today apparently."
"Well, I wouldn't say the right person, but you definitely bumped into a person that could do something, and was determined to make sure something happened... I um, shall we go somewhere a little more private?"
"You found him, didn't you?" Arthur Stavos disregarded Danny's suggestion. "It's not good is it?"
Danny shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Arthur let out a laboured sigh. "Can I see him?"
"I have the ME prepping him for a viewing now."
Arthur nodded slowly. "This wasn't exactly the outcome I expected for today."
"I'm sorry," Danny whispered, astounded at how strong the father was upon hearing the news about the loss of his son. "Really, I am."
"Do you know what happened?"
"It's currently an ongoing investigation, but from what I've been told it appears to be a robbery gone bad. The suspect had followed your son from his place of work and demanded his tips and wage. John refused. We currently have a suspect with the Detectives that were lead on the case in an interrogation room as we speak."
"Sounds about right. Awkward thing he is, but God he's a good kid. Determined to pay his own way... There's no way he would have given that money up."
Danny's message tone broke the momentary awkward silence; which indicated Sid being ready with the body of John Stavos.
"Are you ready for this?" Danny asked. "I know that it's... it's sudden and a lot to take..."
"I'll manage."
"Is there anyone you want me to call for some moral support?"
"No, no I'll be okay."
"Positive?"
Arthur nodded. "Absolutely. Let's get this chapter of our lives done."
Danny nodded as he motioned the beginnings of leading the way to the morgue; utterly devastated for the man beside him, trying to hold himself together.
The ride in the elevator was silent, which honestly; Danny was used to as the family member, or whomever else he happened to be riding with in this situation tried to gather their thoughts. If he was honest, he actually preferred the silence as opposed to offering some form of comfort and sensitive stream of words that didn't really achieve anything.
They stepped off the elevator one after the other as they finally reached the correct floor, and Danny made a move the lead them towards their intended destination.
"Say the word and we'll turn around," Danny promised. "If it's too hard..."
"I need to do this." Arthur insisted. "I wasn't there when he died. This is the only thing I can do to show him that I wanted to be there when he needed me."
Danny nodded. He stepped back, letting Arthur make his way towards the table where Sid was at. Danny averted his eyes, fighting back emotions as he heard the exchange between Sid and John Stavos' father.
Looking up at the ceiling, Danny managed to send the tears back wherever they came from as he heard Arthur Stavos let out a heartbreaking sob.
"Danny..." Sid's voice rang out hinting for him to step in.
Nodding, Danny wrapped an arm around the poor man as he sobbed. He handed him a tissue and offered him a pillar of silent support.
"I just didn't... I hoped... I never thought that this would happen."
"Sometimes the road just ends, and when it does, it changes everything you think you are." Danny began. "But it also shapes the person you grow into. Take the love and memories you have and just make him live on with you and your family."
Arthur nodded. "I just... it's going to be hard to find a way to be strong, for my wife and daughter."
"You'll find a way to carry on." Danny assured him. "You will, it'll hurt every day, but you'll find a way to function."
"I don't know how strong I am to deal with all of this. I'm not supposed to be burying him, he's supposed to be burying me, you know? I'm strong enough for this..."
"You never know how strong you can be until you need to be strong." Danny said as he patted Arthur on the back as a comforting gesture, slowly leading him from the autopsy room. He'd actually taken that from Lindsay, and God knew where she had got that from, but the more he thought about it, the more he realised how true it was. You didn't realise your strength until you found yourself needing to be strong.
"Do you have children, Detective?" Arthur questioned with a small voice.
"My girlfriend is pregnant." He fought the smile that tried to grace his lips, his way of being respectful of the situation and circumstances.
"Do you know what you're having?"
"Not yet." Danny shrugged. "Right now it's a surprise."
"Can I give you a piece of advice?"
"Sure."
"Treasure every moment, because..." Arthur choked back a sob, "Because you don't know when it'll be taken away."
Danny fought back his own tears and opened his arms, just in time to catch the older man in his arms as the sobs overtook him.
No matter what words of comfort Danny offered nothing would bring back John Stavos and ease Arthur Stavos' pain. And as he patted Arthur's back hesitantly, Danny felt tears prick his eyes as the lump in his throat grow as he came to a conclusion. No parent should ever lose their child.
"So what's happening then?" Lindsay asked as she met Danny's eyes across their desks.
"I passed it off to the Detectives that were originally assigned the case." Danny explained. "The identity gave them a fresh mind and got them a new lead. They've got someone in custody and he's waiting for a trial date."
"And the father?"
"Well, I had Sid arrange for him to see his body and get the chance to say goodbye. The ME's office have released the body and Sid put them in touch with a really good funeral home."
"That was sweet of him."
Danny nodded as he pinched the bridge of his nose as an attempt to relieve some tension building up in the form of a headache. "And this paperwork is still here... didn't disappear like I was prayin' it would...?"
"Nope, the paperwork fairy took the day off today." Lindsay smiled as she reached across the desks and took Danny's hand. "Why did you do all of that?" She asked quietly.
"All of what?"
"The case, the phone calls, the liaising with the victim's family... especially when you had so much you needed to do."
"Are you telling me you wouldn't have done the exact same thing?"
"No, I would have; without a doubt... But we both know what I'm like..."
Danny let out a breath as he faltered under Lindsay's wondering gaze. "I know what it feels like to be terrified to lose someone."
"Who? Louie?"
"No. You."
"Me?" Lindsay repeated, wanting to ensure she'd heard him properly. "Me?"
"How many times have I nearly lost you?"
Lindsay blushed. "Lost me? Like, when we've split up."
"Well, yes... But not in that sense. I don't mean my own doing... I mean physically."
"I'm not sure I understand? When did you nearly lose me? I don't remember."
"When you went to do the drop for the Jewellery heist," Danny recalled. "Do you know how close I was to losing you that day?"
"Well yeah," she said, splitting the syllables of the word. "But she would have died."
"And I love that you were so insistent that you did the drop, because you effectively saved that girl's life. Granted she's spending the rest of it in some prison somewhere for the heist, but she didn't die. Hell, you saved two... her and her friend. And for every second you were in there, my heart was racing and I just couldn't deal with that terror."
Lindsay blinked at him, completely astounded. "I didn't realise... I mean I guess I had always just figured you didn't want to lose another partner. One being fired, and then me potentially dying... in such a short time too."
"No Lindsay, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. Not my partner; you. Although it was different circumstances, I've felt what that Arthur felt with his son, with you... not knowing what was going to happen to you, where you were or what it was you were doing. I just... I had to do something."
"But that can't be the only reason," she pressed. "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, the similarities are quite the stretch, Danny."
"I can't get nothin' past you, can I?"
She smiled. "So why else?"
"Two years ago I wouldn't have."
Lindsay raised an eyebrow. It wasn't quite the answer she had expected. "Huh?"
"Two years ago, I wouldn't have done all that I did today when I had other stuff to do. I just... I could see how much the kid meant to him, and I didn't want him to suffer any more than what he had to."
Lindsay narrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "I think you're wrong."
"Wrong?" A blush swept over Danny's cheeks, a little upset at what she appeared to be getting out. "How do you mean wrong?"
"I think you would have done all of this two years ago."
"You do?" His face changed.
She nodded. "You underestimate the person you used to be Danny. I can't vouch for you before I started at the lab, but in the years I've known you, there's not a doubt in my mind that you wouldn't have used your initiative to do this for this family. You care about people's stories... and when his father approached you, deep down you knew that you were going to run a sneaky search to see if you could come up with anything. The only thing you did differently was that you let Mac in the loop before you did it."
"I guess you're right." Danny shrugged. "Wasn't the outcome I would have liked though."
"It was the outcome you were expecting though right?" Lindsay said, sadly.
"Missing for a week? It isn't usually promising."
"I know..." She nodded. "But I'm proud of you."
"Proud of me?"
"Yeah," She nodded as she wheeled her chair towards him and positioned herself in front of him. "You were the reason this case was solved, Danny. A murderer who was free is now waiting a trial, and that family has closure. All because you took it upon yourself to give this guy a moment of your time to run a few searches so you could give him the answers he needed. He can find the strength he needs to carry on because you gave him the closure he needed."
"I just... I wanted to help him out. I could see how desperate he was. I could just tell he was broken... He was hoping for a miracle, and I knew he wasn't going to get it. So I mean even though I've broken him even more, hopefully that empty feeling he had is filled a little because he knows what happened, and he's not going to sit for the next twenty years wondering if his son is ever going to call or walk through the door."
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. "So proud."
"And all it was, was a days' work... not bad, especially considering you're bursting with pride... makes it even more rewarding."
"Rewarding?"
"Well, giving Arthur Stavos closure, but also... knowing you're proud of me is like, the best feelin' there is.. as cheesy as that sounds."
"Cheesy? I don't think so." Lindsay smiled as she pressed a kiss to his cheek and pulled him up from his seat and onto his feet. "Come on, let's go."
"It's not quite the five o'clock finish I was gunning for." Danny glanced at the clock that read ten-thirty. "But, I better get these impromptu extended shifts in before I'm Daddy."
Lindsay smiled as she moulded herself into his side. "Let's go."
Danny smiled. "Eager..."
She nodded and smiled as she handed him his jacket with her index finger. "I want to show you how proud I am of you today."
Smiling, he linked their hands together and let out a breath. "Could do me a favour?"
"Sure, what?"
"Take me home and kiss me to sleep. I was quite the fan of that, and honestly, all I want right now is to feel you and just let go of everything that happened today."
"That, I can do." She promised.
I hope you guys enjoyed this one, I know there were a lot of scene changes so I hope that wasn't too confusing.
Thanks for reading - and any thoughts and comments are, as ever, very much appreciated! :)