Authors Note: Not much of a plot, really. Just Danny and Aiden. Also, dialogue is most certainly not my strong point, so please bare that in mind. Haven't seen that many episodes, so they might be a little out of character.
Disclaimer: CSI:NY is the property of Jerry Bruckheimer, Anthony Zuiker and anyone else who owns it. This story is strictly for my own personal pleasure. Any similarities between this story's plot and any others is purely coincidental. No plagiarism is intended.
Spoilers: Nada. Absolutely nothing related to any episode of the show, so far as I have seen. You never know. Maybe they will do a sick scene with Danny…. Maybe they already have. Damn this country.
Drag this lake.
Glancing around the lab, Aiden wondered for the first time why she hadn't seen Danny around yet. Finished with what she was doing, she noticed Mac passing the door, and, after taking off her gloves, hastened out to meet him.
"Hey Mac, you seen Danny around?" She was already half way through her shift and still no sign of her partner, who usually by now would have randomly showed up behind her either with lunch or some cynical comment about cops and clichés.
"Hmm?" Glancing up from a case file, Mac noticed the younger co-worker for the first time. Unfortunately, while engrossed in the folder he had completely missed her question. "Aiden, I need you to run this sample in trace." Handing her the small bag of evidence, he began to make his way past her when he noticed her expression. "Yes, what is it?"
"I already asked you."
"Asked me what?" He frowned, trying to think of a previous conversation where she could have asked him something, or perhaps a request he had yet to read that even now lay dormant and untouched on his desk under the pile of paper work that never seemed to shrink or become any less bulky, regardless of the ebb-and-flow of crime at any particular time.
"Where's Danny at? Haven't seen him all day."
"Danny called in sick about half an hour before shift." He made to return to his file when he was again interrupted.
"Well, what's wrong with him?"
"I don't know." She gave him an incredulous look. "Why don't you find out - after shift." Leaving Aiden in the corridor, he continued on to his office. Mulling it over for a second, she decided to do just that. She about-faced and brought the evidence bag down to trace.
A little over three hours later, Aiden stood outside Danny Messer's apartment, brown bag full of a few videos and the microwave popcorn she knew he liked bundled under one arm, waiting impatiently for him to open the door. Just before she could knock again, a bleary eyed Danny opened the green door. Dressed in a white t-shirt and blue pyjama pants, he had to focus to see Aiden without his glasses, giving him a sleepy look. His face broke out into a grin when he recognized who was standing on his door step.
"Hey, Aid. What you doing here?"
"I'm here to see you. Now you gonna let me in, or what?" Stepping aside to let her gain access to his apartment, he picked up a flyer that someone had left on the floor in front of his apartment and flung it in the trash as he shut the door behind him. Aiden looked around and noted how clean it was, apart from an empty coffee mug on the glass table in front of the television, and the half-read Isaac Asimov book laying open and face down beside it. The kitchen was separated by a stainless steel counter, covered in a bluish grained MDF. It looked like the kettle was on.
"You want tea or coffee?" he asked as he grabbed the mug and put it in the sink. Aiden took off her coat and placed it over the back of the couch before asking for tea.
"So, what's wrong with you, anyway?"
"Nothing much. Just a headache."
Handing her a mug, he motioned for her to sit down on the couch, and moved to sit beside her. Taking a sip, she caught sight of the cup. It had a picture of Darth Maul plastered along its side, yellow horns disappearing over the top.
"Star Wars, Danny? Aren't you a little old?"
"The battle against good and evil, broken down into some of the most basic stereotypes possible? And I'm not including Anakin Skywalker here, 'cause he's just your typical 'will he, won't he' confused good guy who's made a few wrong choices. That's something that's relevant in every stage of life, regardless of age." The seriousness with which he said all this caused Aiden to laugh.
"Right, you keep telling' your self that, Messer, and see how far it takes you." They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Aiden took the time to give a once over of her partner. He had the makings of dark circles under his eyes, and his skin was slightly paler than usual. He intermittently rubbed the bridge of his nose between the fore-finger and thumb of his right hand. His hair was dishevelled and, to be frank, he looked like shit in the cutest sense of the word.
"You okay, over there? You look like you could use some rest."
"You think I don't know that? I can't sleep. I've tried" He put his head in his hands and roughly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Elbows still resting on his knees, he nodded his head at the bag lying between Aiden's feet.
"I thought you could use some company, so rented some videos from the store. Take your pick." Selecting one, Danny noticed the popcorn and smiled. He seemed to do this a lot around Aiden, though it was rare for anyone else to see anything but a frown gracing his features. Aiden popped the DVD into the DVD player while Danny heated the popcorn. Pouring it into a clear bowl, he resumed his seat beside her and placed it between the two of them.
From the onset of the piracy warning the two kept up a steady flow of mockery, reducing what was supposedly a top-notch film to a little less upstanding than a low-grade B-movie. The graphics and sound effects may as well have been those used in Evil Dead.
Taking the empty bowl and placing it on the table, Danny moved a little closer to Aiden. He seemed kind of dazed, out of it, and Aiden used this as an excuse for his uncharacteristic behaviour when he leaned over and hugged her tightly.
"Thanks, Aid."
"No problem." Disengaging himself from her, he turned to face the television screen again as the film reached its climax, but he remained where he was on the couch, close to her.
Aiden glanced over at her partner when the credits began to role, to find him out like a light. Well, he can sleep now, she thought. Unfolding the throw-over on the back of the couch, she placed it over Danny and flicked off the television. Standing up, she put on her coat as she watched Danny sleeping. Checking that he had turned off all the electrical appliances, she left his apartment, closing the door softly behind her.
A/N: I have an idea for a more CSI related plot- involving Danny and Aiden, of course. Should I quit while I'm behind, or actually make a go at some kind of story? Thank you for taking the time to read.
Kai.