CSI New York belongs to CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer. Still borrowing the characters to play with for a while.

Thanks again for all the lovely comments - they were all very much appreciated.

Third and final chapter

Follows Fall Out and Long Road. Hope you enjoy.

COMEBACK

by Eryn Grant

A loud scream woke Danny with a start. He sat up looking wildly around his bedroom trying to get his bearings and realised with a sudden dread that it had been him screaming. His heart pounded, his breathing was rapid and he could feel the sweat running down his back. The light from the street slipping through a gap in his curtains played tricks on him as shadows danced up and down the walls eerily. He closed his eyes against the scary images that his mind conjured. "Messer... you're losing it," he scolded himself as he concentrated on soothing his breathing.

After a few minutes and feeling slightly calmer, Danny opened his eyes squinting towards the clock on his bedside table - 3.00 a.m. Sighing he flopped back down onto the bed pulling the comforter up to his neck like he had done when he was a small child frightened of the dark.

The familiar nightmare, as usual, had seemed so real. He was back in the subway, could hear screaming and the sounds of trains. He could hear himself shouting that he was a police officer and he could see Mac shaking his head in disappointment. Flack was there and so was Aiden; he reached out to them, but they couldn't help him. The uniformed officers were shooting at him and he couldn't make them hear him. He always awoke, terrified, as the first bullet hit him.

Danny shuddered - he thought that he had beaten that particular nightmare. Many others haunted him visiting him during the night to keep him awake as he paced his apartment alone in the darkness. He shook his head deciding he didn't want to go there. He knew that the shooting of Officer Minhas would stay with him forever joining the other ghosts that tormented him in his sleep. So many open wounds, but he knew he had to get on with his life as best he could so he buried his demons deep hiding behind a front he had developed over many years. Danny had become proficient at hiding himself from all around him. Deep down he knew it wasn't the answer, but it was the only way he knew how to survive. Trust came hard for Danny. He had trusted before and had been let down badly. Learning the hard way, he had vowed he would never repeat the mistake.

Danny thumped his pillow into shape and rolled over snuggling under the comforter. Danny sighed to himself - he couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt where Mac was concerned. More afraid than he had ever been in his life and in a moment of utter despair and desperation, he had mustered up the courage to ask Mac for help. That had been over a month ago. And Mac had helped - he had called regularly to check up on him and visited when he could to let Danny know that he was available, day or night, if Danny needed him. Just knowing that Mac, someone he desperately wanted to trust, was a telephone call away had given him the courage to confront his demons and start to get his out of control life back together. He knew that Mac was disappointed that he hadn't asked for more help, but his survival instinct had kicked in and he hadn't been able to relax his guard enough to entrust Mac with his innermost secrets.

4.00 a.m. - Danny rolled over turning his back on the clock. Tomorrow would be the final test. Mac was taking him to the firing range. If he passed the proficiency test, he was back in the field. "Good as new," he pushed the nagging fear to the back of his mind as he closed his eyes waiting for sleep to claim him.

"You OK Danny?" Mac glanced across to his silent passenger.

"Yeah fine," came the quiet reply. "Just taking in the view."

"OK," Mac turned back to concentrating on the road. He sighed inwardly. Danny was one of the most frustrating and intriguing people that he had ever come across. He was a talented and inventive CSI who went with his gut feelings; he had a tendency to ignore the evidence which infuriated Mac most of the time but there was no doubting or mistaking the passion Danny had for his work.

Mac still felt guilty believing that he had let Danny down over the Minhas shooting, but he had tried to make amends by offering to help an obviously troubled Danny. At first his approach had been angrily dismissed but finally Danny had sought him out and asked for help.

And Mac was still waiting to help. He should have known better - it had been naive of him to think that Danny would suddenly open up to him. So Mac had taken it upon himself to call Danny at home and visit his apartment when his shifts allowed in an effort to let Danny know that he wasn't alone and that he was there when Danny was ready. Mac's persistence had been rewarded on a few occasions, but it seemed that just having Mac's offer was enough for the younger man to start to get his life under control. Mac had witnessed the transformation - Danny gradually changed from the pale and tired looking shadow of himself back to the Danny they all knew and cared for. He just wished that Danny could get it into his thick head that people cared about him and wanted to help. He definitely wanted to do more, but Danny still stubbornly resisted. But over the years Mac had learned patience.

He glanced sideways at Danny. He was still staring out of the window lost in thought. Mac sighed again. Danny remained a complete mystery to him. Over the last few weeks, he had read and re-read the psych report trying to gain an insight into the younger man. He had eventually admitted defeat and filed the report away in his cabinet. It had given him no answers to the complexity and insecurities that was Daniel Messer. Danny always seemed so alone surrounding himself with an invisible shield allowing no-one past his carefully built up defences - people only saw the Danny Messer he wanted them to see. The secret and real Danny Messer was out of bounds, a closed book. His precious Claire, Mac smiled at the memory, would have described Danny as a cactus - prickly and tough on the outside, but soft and vulnerable on the inside.

The loud cracking sounds seemed to fill the air and Danny flinched slightly. He'd forgotten how noisy a firing range could be and he looked up hoping that Mac hadn't noticed his jumpy reaction. "Come on Messer," he said to himself. "Pull this off and you're home clear," Danny flexed his wrist. A slight twinge reminded him that he had only been out of the bulky cast for a week.

"We're all signed in," Mac tossed a pair of orange ear defenders and protective glasses towards Danny. Nervous, Danny caught the glasses but dropped the ear defenders. Mac frowned as he watched Danny fumble to pick up the equipment. He decided to ignore the action. "We're over there," Mac waved towards one of the booths.

With a deep breath Danny trailed after Mac to their designated booth. Not wanting to pressurise Danny Mac decided to shoot first. He put on his glasses and ear protectors and silently loaded the gun in front of him. Taking careful aim, Mac fired at the target - his bullets hit in a perfect circle around the target's chest area.

Danny couldn't help himself - he flinched at every discharge of Mac's gun. His palms were sweaty, his mouth was dry and he felt sick. "Daniel Messer," he thought sternly to himself. "Don't lose it now."

Mac pulled off his ear defenders turning to Danny. "Your turn," he waved at the firing range. He could see that the colour had drained from Danny's face and he was trembling slightly. "You can do this Danny," Mac said firmly as he removed his glasses. Danny looked sideways at him pulling a face. "I know you can do this," Mac persisted.

Danny half-nodded, wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and pulled on his ear defenders and glasses. He stepped slowly up to the wooden counter and looked down at the weapon and ammunition. Danny reached out his hand hovering over the weapon. His hand shook visibly as he hesitated.

"Do you want me to load for you?" Mac offered stepping up to the counter. He reached for the ammunition and the gun.

"No," Danny replied sharply. "I can do this," he looked sideways at Mac. "I have to do this."

"OK," Mac moved his hands away from the counter and stepped back.

Danny stared down at the ammunition and weapon again. He was terrified, but determined at the same time. He wasn't going to let this beat him. This test stood between him and the job he loved so much. Danny reached down and picked up the gun the cold steel icy in his sweaty palm. Slowly and determinedly he loaded the bullets one by one desperately trying not to drop any of them.

Finished, Danny glanced back at Mac who was silently watching him. Mac nodded encouragingly as he put his ear defenders back on. Danny stared at Mac for a moment before looking back down the range at the target. He pushed the stray thought that it was Officer Minhas from his mind. Shifting his weight slightly, Danny straightened his arms out, the gun clasped tightly in his hands. "Too tight," he silently chastised himself. Loosening his grip. Danny squinted lining up his first shot. His heart pounded and his hands trembled slightly as his finger stroked the trigger. Danny took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. He couldn't help himself, his eyes closed as he pulled the trigger. The gun seemed to recoil in his hands and he jerked his shoulders back; he knew immediately that it had been a lousy shot. He opened his eyes as the bullet hit the target an inch off to the right of the chest area. Still clutching the gun, Danny dropped his arm to his side and stared miserably at the target. "Sorry Mac," he mumbled.

"Try keeping your eyes open next time," Mac couldn't help teasing. He moved forward patting Danny on the back. "Knew you could do it," he smiled. "And," he added. "That was your practice shot."

Danny was a happy man. He was back where he belonged at a crime scene. With Mac's help, he had passed the proficiency test and true to his word Mac had put him back in the field. The gun in his belt holster felt heavy at his side serving as a constant and deadly reminder of his recent nightmare. Danny pushed the thoughts down deep and began to whistle to distract himself as he carefully skimmed his brush along the broken glass display case looking for evidence of finger prints.

"Got anything?" Mac squatted at his side peering at the glass Danny was dusting.

"Lots of smudges," Danny glanced at Mac. "But I got a partial just here," he pointed at a piece of glass. "And there," he pointed to another part of the glass case with his gloved finger. Danny looked around the jewellery store. "How much did they get away with?" he asked curious.

"A million and a half," Mac answered. "Flack says it's the third hit this week," Mac got to his feet looking around him. The store was a total wreck, the tops of glass display cabinets were smashed and broken glass was scattered all over the floor. He looked up, bullet holes peppered the ceiling and a glass chandelier had crashed to the floor adding to the general chaos. "Same MO. Two men just walk right on in... nice and easy," he continued. Threaten the staff and customers with automatic weapons. Then smash the glass cabinets and grab the diamonds. In and out in under ten minutes."

Danny whistled looking along the length of the glass display cabinet. "Slick," he muttered as something caught his eye. He got to his feet moving away from Mac.

Mac continued to circle the store flicking his torch up, down and over every surface looking for evidence that would help them catch the thieves. A movement to his right interrupted his examination. "What's up?" he asked as Flack hurried towards him gun drawn and a worried expression on his face.

"Just found out that the place hasn't been secured," Flack answered glancing around him.

"What?" Mac shouted his hand automatically searching and finding his holster. He drew his gun as a precaution.

"Two rookies took the call. Got here in less than five minutes of the silent alarm going off," Flack explained breathlessly. "They just told their sergeant they hadn't checked out the back." He looked around him again. "And I just talked to the store owner and a couple of the witnesses. None of them saw the perps leave. Uniforms are round the back now checking it out."

Danny hadn't heard Flack and was still inspecting the wall at the far end of the store. "Danny," Mac called. "We're out of here."

"Hey look at this," Danny turned towards Mac and Flack pointing his torch at the wall.

"Out," Mac ordered. "Now."

"OK. OK," Danny murmured responding to the urgency in Mac's voice. He started to amble forwards. "What's the hurry?" he asked puzzled.

Before Mac could answer and without warning a concealed door to Danny's left burst open knocking him back against the wall. The back of his head connected with the wall and Danny slipped to the floor momentarily dazed.

Two men charged out automatic weapons in hand. Mac and Flack dived for cover as the men fired their weapons at them. The glass of the display cabinets exploded into millions of tiny pieces as a volley of bullets hit them. Tiny shards of glass flew upwards filling the air. One of the men aimed his weapon at the ceiling hitting a second chandelier. It crashed down inches away from Flack's hiding place. He cursed loudly as he was showered with small fragments of glass that cut his face. The uniformed officers outside the store dodged for cover as the second gunman fired directly at the store window destroying it completely in a burst of gunfire that saw the glass blast outwards onto the sidewalk.

"Hold your positions," Mac yelled above the chaos not wanting the situation to spiral out of control. He rolled to his left to avoid a spray of bullets. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danny getting to his feet still shielded by the door. He rolled again ready to make his move.

Pulling him quietly to his feet, Danny shook his head to clear the fuzziness. The two gunmen hadn't noticed him and the door was now shielding his position. He watched as they continued to fire at Mac and Flack's positions. Danny shifted slightly peering cautiously around the door - he could see that the police officers outside the store were unable to make a move because of the danger of Mac and Flack being caught in the crossfire.

The sound of the gun shots and glass shattering filled the air and Danny winced. He was afraid, but he knew what he had to do. Dropping his hand to his holster he fingered his gun. He had hoped that he would never have to draw his gun again. "Yeah right," his mind tormented him. Determinedly he pulled out the gun checking that the safety was off. Mouth dry, Danny forced his legs to move taking aim at the taller of the two gunmen. He could see that Mac had seen him and was rolling over ready to back him up when he made his move. He waited for the right moment.

The gunfire suddenly stopped and silence filled the air. "We want a truck," the taller man yelled. "Now. Or we kill the cops," he threatened.

"Now," Danny encouraged himself silently as he cautiously stepped out from his hiding place. A shiver ran down his back and he fought to control himself. "NYPD," he shouted. "Drop your weapons," his hand wavered as he fired a warning shot in the air. "Now," he ordered in a loud but shaky voice.

The taller of the two men swung around surprised. He brought his gun up aiming at Danny. Suddenly feeling calmer than he had for months and without hesitation, Danny fired hitting the man in the shoulder. With a yelp of pain the gunman dropped his weapon before he could return the fire. He grabbed at his shoulder and dropped to his knees moaning. Distracted by his partner's cry, the second man lost concentration and found himself looking down the barrel of Mac's weapon. He immediately dropped his gun to the floor and put his hands in the air. Flack, face bloody, leapt out from his hiding place to cover the two men.

Danny moved forwards slowly. He kicked the automatic weapon to one side with his foot. "Lie down on the floor, " he ordered as he fumbled to get his handcuffs out of his belt.

"How's Flack?" Mac asked Danny.

"Got a few cuts from the flying glass," Danny answered. "The paramedics are checking him out now."

"And you?" Mac narrowed his eyes at Danny. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah," Danny managed a small grin. "Just a headache," he rubbed at the back of his head. "But I've got a hard head." He was being deliberately evasive knowing what Mac was really asking.

"No," Mac persisted. "I mean... are you OK?"

Danny avoided looking at Mac and stared into the distance. He knew, deep down, that he would never be all right about firing his gun. The spectre of Officer Minhas would probably continue to haunt him. But he also knew that carrying a gun was part of the job, a job he loved and was good at. He turned back to Mac. "Yeah. I'm good," he replied.

Mac narrowed his eyes at the younger man again. They both knew it was a half-lie. "OK," Mac finally said. "Make sure you get that hard head of yours checked out too," he ordered. "And," Mac put a hand up to stop Danny's protests. "Before you say anything. That's an order."

"Yes boss," Danny replied with a small mock salute. He turned to go. Changing his mind, he turned back to Mac. "Thanks," he mumbled shyly. "For... for well you know."

"I didn't do anything," Mac shrugged.

"Yeah... you did," Danny insisted staring at Mac earnestly. "You were there," he turned away sauntering towards the paramedics.

Mac couldn't help smiling to himself as he watched Danny talking to Flack. "A small victory," he thought to himself. "Good enough for now." His pager bleeped interrupting his thoughts. He looked down. Despatch was paging them to another crime scene. "Danny," Mac called. "When you're finished there, we've got another dead body waiting for us."

End