Title: Siúil A Rún

Author Note: Please check my profile for a note on this story.

Disclaimer: Slash. Violence. Angst. Language.

POV: Danny

Chapter Three: Officer Blue

Flack grabs me roughly by the arm and pulls me back toward the door. "Are you out of your mind, Danny?" He whispers harshly at me.

"You're the one who brought up the question of him knowing the other night. I told you that I'm trying to save your job," I reply.

"My job is just fine. I don't think what's going on between us needs to be aired out right now. Can't it wait?" Fear is a fighting its way into his beautiful blue eyes causing them to cloud.

I shake my head, placing my hands on his shoulders. "Please, Flack, trust me on this. It needs to be done."

He opens his mouth to say something but Mac beats him to the punch. "Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Anger gives his voice a bit more edge. As thought realizing for the first time that he's in the room both Flack and I turn to look at him. "Now."

I step away from Flack and the door. I can feel his eyes on my back. If I had all the power in the world I wouldn't hurt him but this has to be done. "There's something that you need to know, Mac," I begin. It's now or never. "Flack and I are in relationship together." There it's finally out in the open.

Mac glances behind me to where Flack is standing. "Is this true?" He voice doesn't give way the feelings inside. This puts me a little on edge. Should I have kept my mouth shut?

Flack doesn't answer him right away. I turn to see him staring at his shoes. He's never been bashful before. Desperation slowly leaks into every fiber of my body. He needs to say something or Mac will think I'm nuts. Panic begins to replace the desperation when Flack steps up beside me and takes my hand.

"Yes, it's true," he finally declares. Relief washes over me. "However, I don't see why Danny is so urgent to tell you." The displeasure shimmers in his eyes. I'll probably hear all about it later tonight, if he stays.

"Because of Stella," I utter. "She keeps threatening to tell your chief and get you fired." There's no chance of me hiding the worry in my voice. Flack's disapproval melts into forgiveness than dissolves into concern.

Mac is perched on the edge of his desk, listening to us. "So you came running to me? What makes you think telling me has a better outcome?"

The dread inside causes me to go pale a few shades. "Mac?" Flack lets go of my hand and takes a step back. What's with him?

"There's no need to completely freak out, Danny." I relax at the sound of my nickname. He's not calling me Daniel or Messer; I can't be in too much trouble. Not yet anyway. "However, I have my reasons for being concerned. You have to understand, a detective sleeping with a CSI is a slight problem-"

"Is it because we're both guys?" I enquire.

Mac smiles a wee smile. "Though I may not have a problem with that, you can be assured that others will. That's not where the problem lies. It's the simple fact that one of you analyzes crime scenes and evidence while the other one questions criminals and locks them up. Danny," he gestures with his hand in my direction. "People may think that Flack is giving you certain information and thus leading you to taint the evidence. Others may think that Flack is using you to climb his way up in ranking. As you can tell, the problems that can arise from you relationship can be numerous and troublesome," he finishes.

Flack takes my wrist in his hand rather roughly. "We'll take that into consideration. Sorry for bothering you, Mac. If you don't mind I need to talk with Danny."

I swear that Mac's eyes twinkle in amusement. At least he isn't against our relationship, as far as are being guys. Flack drags me from the office, down the hallway, and into the locker room. The silence of the steel closets is drowned out by the beating of my heart. I remember the look in Flack's eyes when I actually told Mac about us. Is it payment time?

He turns his back on me, pacing. Every once and a while he looks up at me. The silence is filled with a ringing in my ears. For the first time since the roof my head is bothering me. Silently I wish for the problem to dissipate. Instead of obeying me it grows stronger. Flack has finally stopped pacing. He's studying me, a curious gleam in his eyes. My heart picks up the pace, matching the throb in my head.

"Since you don't seem to mind just telling people about us, you won't mind me doing this." He takes my chin gently into his hand and kisses me. My heart stops beating as the pleasure of his lips on mine courses through my body. The pain in my head vanishes. The world surrounding us blurs. All I sense is him. He pulls away before I want him to.

"Next time, talk to me before telling someone how we feel," he whispers. I can only nod in agreement.

He turns on his heel and leaves me standing alone in the hall of steel. I promptly fall onto the old wooden bench. My head in my hands, I hear someone open the door. Looking up I see Lindsay. She graces me with one of her lovely smiles. A smile that is not even a match compared to the fire of Flack's smile.

"I just Flack leaving, was he here to see you?" How does she always manage to sound happy with a job like hers?

I nod.

"Oh, you two making out in the locker room?" The teasing in her voice is light.

I feel myself blush deeply.

She giggles. "You two make a cute couple. I'm kind of jealous though."

"Why?"

"Well," she sits beside me. "Both you and Flack are handsome guys. I could have easily fallen for either one of you. Figures that you would fall for each other." The entire time she says this the light never leaves her face. She truly is a happy person. How could I have been mean to her for so long?

"Don't give up, Lindsay," I mutter with sorrow in my voice.

She frowns, the light finally gone. "What's wrong?"

"I believe I've upset Flack. I went ahead and told Mac about us without talking to Flack first. He looked positively pissed."

She places a hand on my shoulder. "That does seem like a bad move. Don't let it get to you. Flack has a right to be mad but he'll come around. Just give him time to cool off. Things will be fine."

"I hope that you're right." I chuckle slightly. "He was my ride to work today. If he's mad at me I don't know if he'll pick me up. Or if he'll even show at my apartment."

Surprising me, Lindsay gives me a hug. "Things will be fine. He'll be here to get you and you'll have a great evening together. We can do dinner another night."

Dinner with Lindsay, oh no. I look at her. "I forgot about our dinner plans. Lindsay, I am so sorry."

"Hush, it's not a problem. I don't think we should bother with it tonight. You smooth things over with Flack, okay? Promise me you will?"

"Okay, I promise."

I don't wait for Flack at the end of my shift. I'm too afraid that he won't come to pick me up. I bum a ride from Hawkes. When he asks me how I get to work I tell him that I took a cab. He doesn't question any further. Knowing him he's already figured out that it's a lie. He leaves me at my building, wishing me a good night. Ha, a good night. With a heavy heart and a painful head I make my way to my apartment. By the time I reach the familiar brown slab my head is killing me. All I can think about is the bottle of pain medication in the drawer of my bedside table.

Open up, Danny, let the darkness in. Come on, let it in. The darkness always takes care of you. It wraps you in comforting arms and cradles you until the pain is gone. Just let it in...

I hear the lock give under the turn of the key. What I don't hear is the person walking up behind me. I don't hear them breathing. Or the rustle of their clothing. All I hear is the all too familiar snap of a gun being cocked to fire. Then I feel the biting metal on the back of my neck.

"Open the door. Don't make a fuss or I'll blow your brains out," my surprise captor whispers in my ear.

"Okay," I croak out.

He follows me into my dark empty apartment. Without moving the gun from my neck he closes the door. Flicking on the light chases away the dark but not my captor. I can feel him relax when he sees that we're alone. With a shove of the gun against my neck he urges me farther in.

"Don't move, unless you think you'd be better abstract art instead of human being," he warns. For a few fleeting seconds the gun is removed from my flesh. I hear the click of the lock. Locking out Flack. Keeping the world at bay.

No one can hear you scream…

The kiss of the gun barrel returns to my neck. He pushes it against me. "Walk to your bedroom. Don't turn around or you'll be looking at six feet of dirt."

I walk toward my room, keeping calm on the outside while inside I'm fighting off utter chaos. The dread feels like dead weight in my stomach. The pain in my head is forgotten. There are more important things to worry about. I stop a few feet into my room as he commands me to. The light laughs at me as it takes over the darkness. My captor shoves me forcefully. Not expecting it I stumble and trip. On the way down I whack my hand against the wooden footboard of my bed. There's no way to surpress the cry of pain that comes.

My captor laughs. "You think that hurt, just wait until I'm finished with you. You'll wish that your mother had never had you."

I close my eyes as the tears come. He grabs me off the floor and throws me on the bed. Laughing to himself he crosses the room to turn the lights off again. My eyes open, I see the evil insanity revealed in his face by way of the moonlight.

Wonder what Heaven is like…