AN Okay so it's Dream again, I have been recently inspired to endeavour into another Danny story. I am working on the last bit of 'Sleepless' so don't think I've forgotten it, but this lil plot bunny wouldn't go away. NeverMind and I have been dialoguing about it and seeing as she was so cruel in 'Rebound' I hope I can rectify that. Anyway it may start off slow, but be patient...it gets better. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer If I owned him I wouldn't spend my time writing about him believe me! As for the rest of the CSI:NY cast they of course belong to whomever they belong to, and it sure as heck ain't me. I'm just borrowing them...however all the originals are mine.

By Chance
© Dream 2005

Registration

Side Stage was a little known theatre deeply imbedded in downtown New York. It was what you would call, off, off, Broadway. Most of the plays done there were written by artists who had been trying to get ON Broadway for longer than they were willing to admit. Danny liked it because the only person who knew him there was the owner, Niles Carter. He didn't have to think about work, let alone anything else when he went there. At Side Stage Danny Messer could be anonymous and sometimes he needed to be anonymous. There was no chance anyone from the lab would find him there, because for the most part he let them believe he was an uncultured former jock who wouldn't know art if it hauled up and slapped him in the face.

Funny thing was he really did know quite a bit about theatre and that's what drew him to it. He liked the idea of being enthralled with a story that didn't involve him. If it was a tale about murder, he didn't have to solve it. If it involved a victim of any kind it wasn't his problem and that fascinated him. Plus, Niles got some raw material at that place, and if raw was culture, Danny loved culture.

Phoenix Carter had been working for her cousin, Niles, at his small theatre for almost a year now. It wasn't exactly the job she'd always wanted, but it was away from Wisconsin so that's all that mattered. She'd decided on moving to New York for two reasons. It was at the other end of the country from home and Niles was the only member of her family who wasn't consistently pestering her to get married. She didn't get it; she was only 26 for God sakes! Although in her mother's, and every other female she shared blood with, mind that her biological clock was already ticking. She was sure if she'd stayed home any longer she may have actually been persuaded to marry some boring schmuck.

New York called to her; there was a type of anonymity there that allowed her to just be swallowed up into the crowd. She was never noticed and she liked it that way. Instead of the small town where everyone knew her, in New York she could just melt into the masses and only exist to those she chose. Even at the theatre most of the actors that went through there hardly remembered her; she was just another stage hand who made their job easier. She loved that, plus she could watch the plays for free.

Phoenix peered out the side curtain and watched the audience as they filtered into the room. Shaking her head she let out a sigh.

"Eye Candy not out there tonight Nix?" One of the guys who worked the lights and rigs teased her.

"Screw you Cliff." Phoenix couldn't help but smile though.

Cliff winked, "I think if you did you wouldn't be jonesin' to see your eye candy every night."

"I think if I did your wife would have me for lunch." Phoenix countered.

"Touché, so here's an idea, why don't you talk to him?"

She knew she was blushing and looked down to try and hide it, "He doesn't even know I exist."

"Yeah I know, hence the reason to go talk to him." Cliff rolled his eyes.

"I prefer my vantage point thank you." Besides, she thought to herself, he kind of frightened her, but in that way that made her want to ravage him in the best way possible. He was a bit of a mystery, always sat at the far left of the third row, close to the exit. He always came alone and always left during the final curtain call.

"All righty then miss voyeur." Cliff laughed, "I won't tell you his name then."

Phoenix spun around, "What? How do you know his name?"

"I overheard Niles talking to him last time he was here." Going back to changing the filter on a row of lights Cliff kept a peripheral eye on Phoenix.

"And?" She prompted.

"I thought you liked your vantage point."

"Don't make me kick your ass Cliff." Phoenix was scanning the crowd again, her heart started thumping just a bit faster, and there he was! He looked especially scrumptious tonight, why did wool overcoats look so hot on him?

"Danny." His voice was just over her left shoulder.

Phoenix clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her scream then smacked a laughing Cliff in the back of the head, "Don't DO that!"

"First you tell me you don't wanna know, then you wanna know, now I'm not supposed to tell you. You're indecisive Nix."

She wasn't listening to him though she'd gone back to watching him slide into his seat. "Danny." She let his name roll off her tongue, yeah that would do, she liked it. She also liked watching him when he was in the audience. He'd sit forward at all the intense parts resting his elbows on his knees. Sometimes his arm would be on the rest and he'd lean on his hand. He'd never take his eyes off the show; the people around him seemed to not even exist. There were even times when people would try to talk to him, mostly women, and he would always shoot them down. The conversations rarely lasted longer than a couple of minutes; yet another reason why he frightened and simultaneously fascinated her.

"Hey Nix, get Kevin, he's on in ten minutes." Niles called.

Phoenix reluctantly pulled her gaze away from her eye candy and groaned. Kevin was one of those actors who thought he was some sort of Hugh Jackman creature and he really wasn't. Unfortunately Phoenix only found that out after she had slept with him, something he never let her forget.

He rarely looked at the crowd, just scanned the program and waited for the curtain to rise. Tonight wouldn't have been any different if hadn't recognized her laugh. He sank down in his seat and looked over his right shoulder. Damn, it was Stella and that sculptor she was pretending not to be dating. If he had seen them anywhere else he would have called her on it, but there was no way he was being caught by anyone at work in this place. Making sure she wasn't looking in his direction he ducked out the side exit, one of the main reasons he always sat in that spot.

Phoenix heard the door open but was focused on the man in front of her, "I'm just out here to call you in Kevin, that's it."

"Admit it Nix you still want me." Kevin had this thing with believing that any woman who slept with him couldn't get enough of him. In reality, the only one who loved Kevin was Kevin himself.

"Not even in the slightest." She turned to go back inside when Kevin grabbed her arm and propelled her around till she was up against the wall.

"I can remind you." He said against her mouth.

Danny stumbled across this interaction in his haste to leave the building. He was milliseconds from doing something when Phoenix kneed Kevin in the groin and pulled a gun from the back of her jeans. She trained it on the man not even noticing Danny was there.

"This is a warning Kevin, next time I'll pull the trigger do we have an understanding?" She really didn't think Kevin had it in him to rape someone; he was too stupid he'd just go for the next pair of legs that wanted him. She did want him to know that he needed to stop messing with her and apparently brute force was the only thing that'd work.

"You can get a restraining order you know." The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

Gun still trained on a very in pain Kevin, Phoenix spun to look at Danny, "What makes you think I need one of those?"

"I was actually talking to him." Danny said with a smirk, "You can put the gun down I'm pretty sure he got the point."

Lowering her arm Phoenix tried to clear the cobwebs out of her head. She'd never heard him speak before. His whole demeanour screamed that he was native to New York so that didn't shock her, but for some reason the accent coming out of his mouth was all kinds of sexy.

Kevin slunk into the building muttering 'bitch' under his breath. He didn't even act like he'd seen Danny there.

Phoenix silently put the gun where it had been and went to follow the route Kevin had taken. "I hope that's registered." He was still talking to her!

She held the door open, "What difference does it make to you?" She asked then walked into the building not waiting for an answer. She had to lean against the door for almost five minutes waiting for her heart to start beating normally again.

Danny stared at the closed door his mouth open in some type of smart ass retort that he promptly forgot when he realized she'd actually just left. He shook his head and made his way out of the alley. "Women."