Disclaimer: I am not Anthony Zuiker, Ann Donahue or Carol Mendelsohn. All the characters of CSI: NY are not mine…I'm just borrowing them for a little bit. I promise that I will put them back, exactly the way I found them when I'm done….Oh, Cory Reid is mine and I will take credit for anything she does. :)
A/N: Okay, still in Dallas! We'll be here for a while. I must thank Axellia for this chapter title and the idea behind it. It was too great of a mental image to pass up! As always, please, please, please R&R! My muse loves the attention!
Chapter 42.
Where are the brakes on this thing?
It was either late Friday night or early Saturday morning when a crash of thunder woke Danny up. He shot up in the bed next to Cory, automatically reaching for his gun.
Cory felt him move and murmured sleepily, "What's wrong?"
Danny felt a little embarrassed as he jumped with the next crash of thunder. "Sorry, the thunder woke me."
"It's alright. Go back to sleep, it's nothing."
"How can you say that it's nothing? It's like the lightning is hitting right next to us!"
Cory fought off her sleepiness. She sat up in the bed. "Danny. This is Texas. Storms like these are normal in the spring and fall. Trust me, the only time I'll worry is when the wind stops and I hear the sound of a train. Go back to sleep, baby. Trust me?"
Danny looked at her, still nervous about the weather. He decided that she was right about the weather and gathered her back into his arms. It took him a while to fall back asleep. It was only when the worst of the thunder had died down that he felt easy enough to close his eyes.
(Morning)
Cory snuggled in bed. She had left the windows slightly ajar and completely open in her bedroom, since it was protected from the rain by the trees. The temperature had cool considerably and as a result was quite chilly in the bedroom. As she became more aware of things, she noticed that Danny was stroking her hair. "Mornin'."
Danny looked down at her and smiled. "Mornin' to you to. I guess that cold front moved through!"
Cory couldn't help but laugh as she remembered how nervous Danny was the previous night. "Yup. They tend to blow through like that in the spring and fall. It's part of living here. At least there wasn't a tornado, although we get the majority of those in the spring. What time is it?"
Danny looked at the clock on the bedside table. "A little after nine. What are your plans for today?"
Cory thought for a second. "I was planning on going and exercising my horses. You're more than welcome to come."
Danny thought about it. "Okay. I'd like to see you in your natural environment."
Laughing Cory got out of bed to take a shower and was surprised and pleased that Danny joined her.
(Triple R Ranch)
Cory parked her SUV by the stables. Grinning, she got out and put on her Stetson. Danny got out a little more slowly. He was feeling very much like an outsider. He'd never been on a horse before and the thought was making him nervous.
Cory grinned like a small kid at Christmas. "Come, slow poke! Hurry up!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the stable. "Hey, Pete! How's it going?"
Pete smiled when he heard her come in. "Not much, Cory. Which one are you exercising today? Who's that with you?"
"Pete, I'd like you to meet, Danny. He's a….close friend from New York. If you don't mind, I'll exercise Sampson and can you saddle up Delilah for Danny?"
"Sure, not a problem." Pete turned to Danny. "So, Danny. Have you ridden much?"
Danny decided that honesty was the best policy. "No. I've never been on a horse in my life."
"Alrighty, then. Let me introduce you to Delilah. She's a sweetheart."
Danny looked nervous as Cory left him to walk into a small room. Quickly he turned his attention back to Pete as they drew up to a stall. "Oh, wow. Is this her? She's huge!"
Pete laughed at his naiveté. "Not really. She's really on the small size for a quarter-horse. She's only 14.3 hands tall (author's note-this is about 58 inches tall). Now Sampson, on the other hand, stands about at 15.1 hands tall (author's note-this is a little of 60 inches tall). He's really tall! Let me introduce you to her."
Pete led Danny into the stall to get acquainted with Delilah. Danny watched in wonder as Pete easily saddled the mare and led her out of the stall. He was still explaining to Danny about what was necessary to remember when riding a horse. Danny listened attentively. He did not want to fall on his face in front of Cory. Pete had just successfully walked Danny through mounting his horse when he saw Cory walk outside. He took a moment to appreciate how great the tight jeans looked on her.
Cory smiled when she saw that Danny was sitting on Delilah. "Ya look good up there, Messer. You gonna to be alright?"
Danny, whose confidence was bolstered by the fact that Delilah was a very placid beast, smiled and said, "Of course. I can handle anything!"
"Okay, cowboy. Let's see what you're made of!" Cory mounted Sampson easily, making Danny feel like a dunce. She guided Sampson to the gate at the corral. Delilah followed automatically.
Danny was nervous as Delilah began to walk. He felt himself moving easily with the animal and it boasted his confidence. Grinning like a fool, he followed Cory out of the gate and into the pasture.
Cory chose the most gently of the exercise paths for her and Danny. While she really wanted to have Sampson burst into a gallop, she knew that Danny would fall off Delilah if she went anything over a trot and Danny did not have experience to keep Delilah from following Sampson.
They rode for about fifteen minutes when Danny looked at her. "Can we go any faster?"
Cory raised her eyebrows and looked at Danny. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Okey-dokey. Lightly touch her sides with your feet. Gently squeeze. Don't kick or she'll start galloping and trust me, you ain't ready for that."
Cautious, Danny followed her suggestion and gently squeezed the horse's sides. He was rewarded by her starting to trot. Not knowing what to expect, he began bouncing up and down on her back.
Cory couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Sweetie! Watch me." She urged Sampson into a trot and she showed Danny how to post while trotting.
Danny studied her intensely. He started to mimic her movements and soon he was moving with the horse like a pro. He grinned at his accomplishment. "This isn't so bad. This is kinda easy!" Suddenly, he accidentally kicked Delilah. She took it was the intention to begin to gallop. As she began to move faster, Danny gripped the pommel of the saddle in a death grip. "Cory! Where are the brakes? Where are the brakes on this thing?"
Cory saw Danny begin to gallop and thought to herself, "Oh, shit." She leaned over Sampson and urged him to catch up with them. She drew aside them and shouted over to Danny, "Pull back on the reins. That will slow her down." She sighed in relief as the pair slowed down. "Danny. You have to be careful. She's a quarter-horse. They are the fastest horses in the world."
With shaking hands, Danny brought Delilah to a halt. "Wow. That was scary. I didn't mean to!"
Cory rolled her eyes. "Just remember, just like a car, the horse will respond to the slightest thing. It's your job as a rider to give her the correct signals. Okay. Lecture over. Are you alright?"
"Other than a racing heart and a sore butt, I think so. Is there anywhere I can get off for a little bit?"
Cory smiled.Theywere close to the stream and if she remembered correctly, this part of the trail had some picnic tables. "Follow me."
She led them to the stream and dismounted. She pulled the reins over Sampson's head to ground tie him and went over to Danny to help him dismount. She smiled as he ungracefully dismounted. "Why don't you sit down for a bit?"
Danny stretched his legs. "Now I know why cowboys walk all funny. Damn, my legs hurt!" He noticed that she had just pulled the reins over the horses' heads, but did not tie them up. "Don't you have to tie them up or something?"
Cory shook her head, no. "They been trained to be ground tied. All I have to do is pull the reins over their heads. They won't stray far." She watched as both horses went to the stream and took a drink. "So what do you think of riding so far?"
Danny got a mischievous grin on his face. "I think it explains some things about you and our nocturnal activities!"
"Danny!" Cory felt the heat rush to her cheeks.
"I love makin' you blush, Cory. It's so much fun."
Cory just rolled her eyes as she lightly punched him. "Whatever. I am so relaxed now. Riding always does that to me. I get relaxed and invigorated."
Danny raised his eyebrows. He decided not to say the first thing that came to his mind.
Cory sat down next to him. "Danny? I'm glad you came down."
Danny put his arm around her. "Me, too. I liked the CD that you made me."
"Really? I was hoping that it would not be too sappy for you. Some of the songs were…"
"Cheesy? Yeah, but it was still good. I really liked hearing "My Immortal", although I liked hearing you singing it."
Cory shut her eyes in surprise. "Thanks." She leaned over and put her head on Danny's shoulder, closing her eyes. They sat like that for a long time, before she felt her stomach rumble. "I'm hungry. Are you?"
"A little. What were you thinking about eating?"
"How about some Mexican? There's this great little Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth, Joe T Garcia's. How about I call my best friend and her husband and you can meet her."
"Sounds like a plan!"
They gathered the horses, mounted and road slowly back to the stables.
(Joe T Garcia's)
Danny and Cory arrived at the restaurant just minutes after Henry and Nicole. The two women greeted each other with a hug and then Cory made the introductions.
Once seated at the restaurant, Danny and Henry began to talk about baseball. Nicole leaned over to Cory and whispered in her ear "Girl, he is hot!"
Cory giggled as she pulled back from her. The waiter stopped at the table to take their drink order. Both of the guys ordered beers while the girls ordered Dr. Peppers.
Then they ordered their food.
While munching on chips and salsa, Nicole decided to grill Danny. "So, Danny. Do you like being a CSI?"
"Yeah. I like solving puzzles and I help put criminals in jail."
"Why did you decide to become a CSI?"
Danny looked a little uncomfortable at that question. Cory just shot a look at Nicole. After thinking for a moment, Danny decided to answer as honestly as possible. "I saw the aftermath of people who do not respect the law."
Nicole saw the look that Cory shot to her and decided to change the subject. "So, what did you think of Cory when you first met her?"
Danny smirked at the thought that popped into his head. "I thought that she was kinda cute for a Southern girl. I was impressed that she knew the type of gun that was used in a shooting just by the sound."
Nicole laughed. "It's an unusual talent that she has. It comes from the fact that her dad collects guns and she been shooting them since she was 10 years old."
"Really?" Danny looked at Cory. "What type of gun did you shoot when you were only ten?"
Cory smiled. "It was just a small .22 revolver. I didn't get to shoot the big guns until I was 16. Then I got to start shooting the .357 and the double barrel shotgun. Dad and I still got shooting once a week when I'm in town."
Danny's eyes opened wide at the thought of her learning how to shoot from her Dad. "I guess we do things a little differently in New York. I didn't learn to shoot until I was in the academy."
Just then, the waiter came up with their food. Cory watched Danny's face as he took his first bite. It lit up. "Wow. This is amazing! We don't have anything like this back home."
Cory just smiled.
After they were done eating, Nicole and Henry said that they had to go home. Cory looked at her watch and was startled to see that it was almost 9 pm. The men said that they would take care of the bill, so Cory and Nicole walked outside.
Once outside, Cory turned to Nicole. "So? Does he pass your inspection?"
Nicole smiled. "Yes. But I do have one question. What was with the look you gave me about why Danny decided to become a CSI?"
Cory leaned her head to one side. "Let's just say that his decision to become a cop was very disappointing to his father and leave it at that."
Nicole nodded her head, understanding that if it was necessary, Cory would fill her in later. "Okay. I like him. I think that he's good for you. You have a light in your eyes that you haven't had in a long time. I'll miss you when you move to New York."
Cory looked up, stunned at Nicole's statement. "What do you mean, when I move to New York?"
Nicole looked at Cory in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. Cory, if you don't move to New York to be with him, I will tie you up and ship you to New York myself. You two are meant to be together and if you throw that away, I'll….I'll…."
"Nic. Calm down. Why should I have to be the one that gives up my life for him?"
Nicole blew out a breath in frustration. She decided to change her angle of attack. "Okay. You can transfer to New York, right. Didn't Agent Michaels say that you were always welcome up there?" Cory nodded in agreement. "You made some great friends up there. Granted, it's not me…." Both Nicole and Cory laughed at that. "Anyway. You have made a life up there. You wouldn't be starting over fresh. You can always come and visit. And you know that I'm only a plane ride away."
Cory looked like she was about to say something, but Danny and Henry walked outside. Danny came over and kissed her on the cheek. "Ready to go, bella?"
Cory smiled. "Yeah. Nic. Henry. We need to do this again. Thanks for coming out." She leaned over and gave Nicole a hug.
Danny shook Henry's hand. "Henry and Nicole, it was good to meet you. It's nice to get to know Cory's friends. I hope we get to go out again before I leave."
Cory and Danny walked to her car. As she got in, Cory was still thinking about what Nicole had said. Only when Danny touched her arm did she shake herself out of her daze. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"
Danny looked at her with concern in his eyes. "I just asked if you wanted to catch a movie or if you wanted to stay in. Are you okay?"
Cory nodded. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about the trial on Monday. A movie sounds nice."
Danny nodded. "Let's go."
Cory drove them in the direction to of the theater, so they could enjoy the rest of the evening.
A/N:
the little corinthian- My muse says hi! Maybe you can keep her in line, I'm certainly having problems doing that lately:D I'm glad you liked the proposal...It wrote itself!
pnkrckprncss- There is definately more fluff coming, interpersed with angst (I mean, trial!)...Don't cry. I have a sort of idea for a sequel, but if I write it, I'll only updated once a week (or I may write it completely during school and then once school is out, updated daily). But, I'm not sure if I'm ready to write it yet!
chili-peppers- I've had the proposal planned for a while, but the way my outline went (that has so gone out the window now) it was the final chapter! I'm glad you had happy tears! Diolch!
screaming-poetically- I don't know if it will be a big wedding...I see Linds with a small family (only a couple of sibs) but I want the wedding to be special! I must say that while I am used to the hot weather we have here (26 days over a hundred this year so far and August is our hottest month!), I am not used to cold weather. Of course that has something to do with the fact that when it gets cold here we get ice!
aphina- Glad to see you caught up! I'm glad you liked the chapters, they are definately getting a little mushy now that the main part of the case if over. I've been planning to have him propose on top of the Empire State Building ever since they watched Sleepless in Seattle, but I had planned for that to happen in the final chapter! I have no clue why it showed up early...but I don't mess with my muse or she leaves me all by myself!
axellia---where are you? (get some good OT, girl...you deserve it!)