It had almost been a full week since this hell came upon me. My body was aching from working and barely sleeping, only getting about 8 hours this week so far. I get out of the clothes that I had been wearing these 4 days straight, and I climb into my bed.

For 3 hours, I stared at nothing but the corner of my bed next to the window. Her scent still remained on that side she fancied so much. Those nights that she came, after a simple phone call and three words said. "I need you" were a many. Yet this comfort is now in jeopardy of ceasing for all of eternity.

I held it in as much as I could, though now knowing I was in private I could let it out.

I clutched the pillow in my hand, muffling the cries that escaped from my throat, taking in what I've lost so dearly, the tears soaking up the sheets.

My heart broke bad, though never in this way.

The phone rings then, bringing me back into reality.

"Danny. We have something. Meet me at your brother's grave"
---

Everything went through my head as I walked past the headstones. From bracing myself to finding Lindsay dead, to Louie's grave being defaced or even worse.

I find Mac, and a few other CSI's milling around my brother's headstone.

Looking down, I see not a body, but blood and an NYPD Detective's badge. Lindsay's badge. Lindsay's knife was laid there, covered in blood.

"It's her knife Mac, he hurt her. It's her blood, I know it."

"We also found this note. I'd guess you'd know what this means"

Opening the note, I read.

"Shelby, Lou, Daisy, Marie, we loved them and we had to leave them. Alone. We need to finish this."

"Chop shop?" Mac asks me.

"No. That one year he came by to stay for the summer, we went on….well.." I felt ultimately embarrassed.

"Go on.." He pushes.

"We had a bet who could have the most one night stands, during the summer and we'd bring them to this warehouse just out of the city."

"Alright, now we're getting somewhere."

"I need to go alone Mac."

He finally agrees, though obviously I knew that there was going to be a contingency plan in place.

"We're going to get Lindsay back." He puts a reassuring hand onto my shoulder

--

"Remember, we need him alive. Detective Monroe is somewhere inside. Take due care of your shots, if you have a clear shot to disable him, don't take it until I give the green light. Detective Messer will enter the building from the north corner, and as soon as he has her, you will move in. Not before. Got it?"

Swat and the other uniforms nod in unison.

I sat down in the Tac van, letting the tech wire me for sound. Knowing Lindsay was only a few hundred feet away, I itch for this nightmare to end. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mac approaching me.

"Danny, make sure you get her out safe. Let swat do their job, don't do anything heroic."

I shake out the last bit of nervousness in my body, and I head inside.

--

"--Lindsay!"

Memories of my days of being immature, stupid, come back to me in a horrid faded dream, the further I walk into this building. Memories I wish I didn't inhabit at all.

"--Danny! I'm over here"

I find her sitting in a chair, her leg soaked in blood. She looked exhausted beyond hell.

"You're hurt."

I take the keys to my cuffs, and begin to release her. Lindsay holds on to me tight, with the last bit of strength in her body.

"Danny Messer! Nice to see you again!. I was just telling her the stories of our summer here with the girls"

Luka comes out of the darkness, with Lindsay's gun pointed at me.

"She's got nothing to do with you"

"She's got EVERYTHING to do with you Messer"

When she was finally free, Lindsay opted to remain in the chair. I stand between her and Luka.

"We finally know how to get to the great Danny Messer. Tanglewood's unofficial member….True..his family is up there, but HER."

Like a clichéd scene in a Hollywood movie, he circles us weaving a story of memories in the past.

"Since when did YOU, Danny Messer ever cared about a woman? You're a love 'em leave 'em kind of guy. What makes this broad so special?"

"She is."

My voice trembled at the vulnerability she gave me. I keep my eyes on him, knowing that he could start shooting at any second

"Danny." Lindsay calls me, I look back at her, and that was my mistake again.

Luka barrel swiped my head as I turned away. I fell to the ground, like a train went over me.

"Bad move Messer."

I shake myself back into reality, not caring about the trickle of blood coming down the side of my face.

He had her in a choke-hold with the gun pointed at her head. Lindsay looked tired, wanting this to end. Her eyes were closing shut as he dug the gun deeper and deeper into the side of her head.

"You have a better change of living if you let her go. SWAT will take you out, no doubt. You're holding one of NYPD's finest Detectives. They don't have a liking for that."

"You're bluffing"

Seeing her like that made me hurt so bad, that I fell to my knees.

"Danny….no." Lindsay protests.

"Please…I beg you. Just..Just let her go. You want me."

Luka releases a roar of laughter, obviously marveling at the sight presented in front of him.

"Danny Messer! Begging! Oh…what Sonny would give to see this"

When we hear.

"NYPD! Don't move! Don't move! Don't move!" Luka turns to fire at the forthcoming SWAT members.

In a heartbeat, I see Lindsay break free. I run to her, I kiss her, I comfort her.

"I'm so sorry Lindsay…I pushed you away when I shouldn't have. I brought this on you."

Her embrace was like a drug, I missed it so much. I hold her like tomorrow was never ever going to come.

'She's safe.' I thought, when her hold tenses. That's when I realized too late what was happening.

"NO!"

"Danny!" Lindsay breaks from our embrace, and with everything that was left in her, she turns me around.

"BANG"