Disclaimer: see chapter one.

A/N: Yes, what you see at the beginning, and sometimes end, of each chapter is a verse from a song. They are in order.

You still walk the straight and narrow
And you don't know where you are
Use the needle of your compass
To sew up your broken heart
Ask directions from a genie
In a bottle of Jim Beam
And she lies to You
That's when you learn the truth

Lindsey Monroe was beginning to think that moving to New York City was a mistake. She was beginning to feel that she was in over her head and that she was drowning. And worst than the feeling of drowning was the feeling that she couldn't save herself. That the whole of world was going to swallow her up.

Tuesday…3:48 in the afternoon.

Lindsey Monroe sat at the break room table, her hands wrapped around a cup of hot coffee. She stared down at the cream colored liquid and sighed. It had already been a long day. A long stressful day. Lindsey had spent hours going through trash bags. Bags filled with dirty diapers and chicken bones and anything else that smelled gross. She brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. "Hey, Montana," Danny said, as he walked into the room. "Good work finding the knife." Lindsey cocked an eyebrow her co-worker. The knife that Danny referred to was buried in the last trash bag she went through. Inside of a bag filled with rotting fruit.

"Easy to say when you didn't have to go through that junk." Danny gave a chuckle, and sat down at the table with her. "How come it's always me?"

"'Cause you're the…"

"New girl, yeah, so I've heard." Danny gave her a smile.

"Now, come on, Monroe, we all had to go through it. Even me." Lindsey looked over at him questioningly.

"You?" Danny nodded.

"See, it ain't just reserved for you cow polk folk type," Danny teased, earning him a slap on the arm.

"Very funny, Messer," she shot at him. He gave her a half shrug and his evil grin.

"Yeah, I thought it was." Lindsey was about to say something when Flack appeared at the break room door.

"Messer, Lindsey, grab your kits."

Tuesday…10:19 at night.

Lindsey Monroe stood in the lab, eyes pressed to a microscope. The scene that her and Danny had been called to was of a little girl. Her name was Kia Linder and she was only 4 years old. Lindsey could handle anything, but child victims were always hard. Hard to look at…hard to process…hard to accept. Lindsey stood up and rubbed her hands over her face. Her eyes hurt. And her back ached, and her feet were screaming for her to get off of them. She wanted to go home but she knew she couldn't leave yet. No way she would be able to sleep knowing that there were still evidence to look at. Kia was so young, so precious. How could anybody hurt a child? Yes, Lindsey took the death of a child hard. And Kia wasn't just dead. She had been murdered. Stabbed nine times in the-Lindsey swallowed hard- in the back. The poor child couldn't even try to defend herself. Some monster didn't even have the guts to look the girl in the eyes while they killed her. Lindsey was mad. Mad at the person who killed Kia. Mad at herself for wanting to leave-to go home and sleep. Mad at the world for allowing this little one to be cheated out of her life. "Why don't you head home?" Mac asked from the door. Lindsey jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"I've got too much to do, Mac," she answered. Mac walked into the lab and stood next to her.

"But you're no good to anybody if you're too tired to do your job right. You should have left hours ago." Lindsey shook her head.

"Just another hour," she begged. "I'm almost through."

"Go home, Lindsey. That's an order." Lindsey pinched her lips together and let out a heavy sigh as Mac left the room. She watched him walk down the hall where he ran into Danny. Mac said a few words to him and then the two men parted. She turned her attention to straightening up the table before her.

"Hey, Montana," Danny said, walking in. "Looks like we're being sent home from school."

"Yeah, Mac told me."

"Com'on. I'll walk you out." After stopping by their lockers, the two CSIs walked out of the building.

"I feel like we're letting Kia down," Lindsey said, sticking her hands in her pants pockets.

"We ain't doin' no such thing," Danny said. "We just both need a little sleep and we'll be back on it first thing in the mornin'." Lindsey shook her head and kicked at a loose pebble on the sidewalk.

"I just wish we could do more, ya know."

"We're gonna catch the killer, you know that right? We're gonna catch him and lock him away. What else do you want to do?" Danny watched as Lindsey thought.

"I want to give Kia her life back," she answered softly. Danny reached out, put a hand on her upper arm and turned her to face him.

"Ya know we can't do that, Linds. I wish we could, I really do. But the best we can do is give her justice."

"I know, Danny, it's just…" she stopped, and dropped her eyes to the ground.

"Just what?" She lifted her eyes to look at him.

"It's just that any murder is bad. It leaves you cold and sad. But the murder of a child. It's like…like going through Hell. It makes you scared. Scared to think that somebody could take a life that's just begun."

"You're right, Lindsey, it is Hell. But we've got to keep going. We can't let it slow us down." Lindsey knew that he was right, but it didn't make her heart hurt any less.

Yeah, it might have all started on Monday…but it was no better on Tuesday.

If you're going through hell
Keep on going, Don't slow down
If you're scared, don't show it
You might get out
Before the devil even knows you're there

There you have it. Chapter two. Hope it wasn't too bad. Thanks to everybody who reviewed Chapter one...it really made my muse happy!

TBC...