Thankies to all those who reviewed last chapter, it means alot... :)
Heads up, the viewpoint changes half way through, it is clear enough... I think.. Well, I hope so.
--
"Would you dance,
if I asked you to dance?
Would you run,
and never look back?
Would you cry,
if you saw me crying?
And would you save my soul, tonight?
Would you tremble,
if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh?
Oh, please tell me this.
Now would you die
for the one you loved?
Hold me in your arms, tonight.
I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
And I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away."
"Hero" – Enrique Iglesias
Standing in front of my bedroom mirror, I twirl one last time. Checking whether I look okay.
Just okay? I scold myself. I didn't spend over two hundred dollars on a dress and a pair of shoes to look okay…
Glancing over at the clock, I realise he's 11 and a half minutes late. For a split second, panic spreads over me, thinking that he's changed his mind.
He doesn't want to go.
Of course, the knocking at my door makes all them fears melt away. Tripping over my feet in the ridiculously high heels I decided to wear, I rip the door open and grin brightly at him in a tux.
"Evening Monroe," he says in a thick New York accent with a smirk across his face, leaning against my doorframe.
"Move, wiseass, we're late."
"Limo was late," he shrugged, "Stella couldn't get her hair right. Damn hairsprays these days, just not what they used to be." He teases as I switch my lamp on and shut the door.
"Danny?"
"Yeah…"
"Be quiet."
"Noted," he salutes as he takes my hand, and leads us down the hallway.
--
"Well, look at Monroe, all dolled up."
I roll my eyes as I climb into the limo, "Shut up Flack"
"Commenting- is all."
"Don't," Danny scolded as he climbed in next to me, "I think she looks beautiful."
I blush lightly as Stella hands me some champagne, "How much is this costing us?"
"City's paying for it," Flack piped up, "A hearty job well done, and they're doped up on cop shows divulging into cop's personal lives."
"I love that you know there is a show that divulges into cop's lives. Means you watch it." I tease as Danny takes my free hand and intertwine our fingers together
"It's set in NYC," he shrugged, "I like to see how badly they screw the landmarks up. Can totally tell it's filmed in LA."
"They don't expect people to be watching it for errors, Flack." Danny mused as he kissed my cheek.
"Expect the unexpected." Flack declared
--
I smile at the other precincts and the lab techs that I converse with on a daily basis as Danny leads me, with his hand on the small of my back to our table.
"How did Flack end up on our table?" I ask, "Wouldn't anyone else have him?"
"He floats." Danny shrugged, "And nobody else would take him. We got stuck with him,"
"I heard that," Flack called over to us as he stood talking to one of his uniforms.
"You look nice," I smile, "Tux's suit you."
"I'm dying in it. Why do I gotta wear a red bow tie, Montana?"
"To go with my red dress, Danny." I sigh, "We have to match."
"The whole room is decorated in red – it's a Valentines Ball, I could have stood out with a tie."
"You look cute in a bow tie," I tease, tracing my hand up and down his chest,
"Easy there, Montana." He warns as he grabs my hand and walks forward, "We might be leaving earlier than expected if you carry on, 'specially with that short dress you got on there."
I shrug, "Long dresses make me look even shorter."
"Don't matter to me," he whispers onto my neck as he places a kiss on my shoulder, "You're perfect. But for the record, that short dress makes you look flawless."
I stand there for a second, watching him as he walks away from me. Danny Messer was a changed man.
--
I feel two strong hands on my shoulders and warm breath on my neck, "Would you dance…"
"If I asked you to dance," I chuckle in response in time to the song playing, "You asking?"
"I'm asking," he smiles as he holds a hand out, to where I'm sat. Taking it, I let him lead me to the dance floor; slowly filling with other couples either in a relationship or in denial, some partners in the field, the odd few married couples.
And then there's us. Danny and Lindsay. Fitting into a whole different category of our own…
He pulls me close, and wraps his arms around my waist as we slowly rock with the music. Moving my hands to his neck I rest my head on his shoulder, and let him lead. Not that he's really leading, because we aren't really dancing.
"Would you swear, that you'll always be mine?" he whispers into my hair. He isn't really singing with the tune. I'm not even sure if it's a question. But I answer anyway.
"I swear."
He kisses my temple, and pulls me tighter. Not saying a word. He doesn't really need to. It's like the song is talking for him.
Or is it bold of me to think he would want to say things like that to me?
"I hope you're listening," he whispers softly,
"To what,"
"The song," he says as he lets go, and spins me around, and pulls me back into our position before.
"I didn't know you could dance," I laugh, surprised, "That was some move, Messer."
"Not just a pretty face," he grins as he kisses the tip of my nose. "I'm glad we've made it to the other side, Montana. Me and you."
"Me and you," I smile, "Forever and ever."
"Linds…"
"Yeah?" I ask, with my head resting against his chest.
"Wanna get out of here?"
I shrug, "I really like this song Danny, and it's nearly over."
"Linds, baby. Come on… let's go. I wanna spend time with just me and you."
I sigh, and take his hand, "Walk slow at least, let me listen to the rest of it,"
"Your wish is my command," he chuckled as he leads me through the crowds. "It's only got like two verses left anyway."
"It's a beautiful song, Danny." I tell him,
"Nowhere near as beautiful as you," he smiles as he kisses me lightly.
Suddenly, I hear a high-pitched scream and what sounds like a gunshot.
"Danny?" I cry, "What was that?"
His eyes are fixated in front of us. "Don't move, Lindsay."
"What?" I whisper, "Why,"
"I said-"
All of a sudden, I'm being shoved to the floor by his body, and he falls on top of me, protecting me, as I hear another gunshot.
"Danny?" I whisper, "Danny?"
I hear him cough, and slowly he rolls off of me. I sit up, and glance at him.
That red bow tie isn't the only thing that's red anymore. "Danny? Oh my god, Danny?"
He reaches for my hand, and squeezes it. "Get Mac,"
"No," I shake my head, "No. No. No. No. No. Danny?"
"Baby, get Mac."
"I'm not leaving you."
"I'm good."
"Danny you're shot."
"I need Mac, Lindsay. Get Mac."
I have that overwhelming feeling of helplessness wash over me, and it feels exactly the same as it did 17 years ago.
I call for Mac, and instead, I get Sid.
"Sid, I – I-" I don't know what to say. I can't call 9-1-1 this time. We are the 9-1-1. In the next room.
"Sid, you have to do something." I beg
"Lindsay call 9-1-1. We need an ambulance. Call Hawkes."
I hold Danny's hand and search in his pocket for my cell phone with my spare hand. Frantically with one hand I try to control myself shaking, I call Hawkes willing for him to answer.
"Linds,"
"Hawkes, where are you?"
"In the room, what happened, I heard shots fired."
"Danny," I managed before breaking down into tears, "Foyer. Now."
He disconnects the call, and I turn to see Mac standing there. Within an instant, he is by Danny's side talking to him, and calming him down.
I look at him, and realise he's deathly pale. His oceanic blue eyes that usually shine and dazzle when he looks at me, are slowly turning a grey colour.
And there isn't a damn thing in the whole world that I can do to save him
"Don't leave me, Danny." I cry as I grip his hand, "Don't you dare. We just got back on track. Everything's right, now. You can't leave now"
"I don't think I got a right lot of choice, baby girl."
"Danny, no. No Danny. No. You have to. You can't – you have to fight. You have to," I beg him as I lean down to kiss his lips. "Please don't leave me."
"I'm your hero," he smiles weakly at me, "I saved you."
"I wish you hadn't. You'd be okay then. I – you – Danny."
"I love you, Lindsay."
"Don't talk like that, Danny. Don't you dare!"
"I'll be with you, Lindsay. I'll stand by you no matter what you decide to do. I'm here." He takes a deep breath "You made my life, you know… You made the last few years of my life the happiest I've ever been" he choked out. "And thank you for letting me have that one last chance, that one last chance to make things right with you... for letting me love you one last time."
"Danny, stop it you're gonna be fine... Mac-" I scream and cry, "Do something."
Mac stands there, looking at me, "Lindsay, I'm so sorry. I – there's- not until EMS get here, I can't…"
"Lindsay, I love you." He whispers, "I love you,"
"Don't…" I cry as wrap my arms around his head, and pull him into my lap, "Don't. Don't leave me. You swore you'd never leave me again. You made me swear I'll always be yours. You made me swear, Danny."
I feel a pair of arms, strong arms, but different arms, attempting to pull me up, "Lindsay, come on…"
"No," I shake my head, clutching onto my life on the floor in front of me. "No. You have to be okay…"
"Lindsay. Come on, EMS is here."
"No." I sob, "Danny, please. I don't want a hero. I want you Danny."
He turned his head slightly, and kissed my arm, "I'll make it better, Lindsay. I promise. It wont hurt afterwards."
Tears race down my cheek, "What do you mean? Danny?"
"Don't cry, Lindsay," he whispers as he wipes a tear away, moves his fingers to his lips, and then to mine, making me tremble under his touch.
"What can I do to make you better?" I beg as I kiss his forehead, "Tell me and I'll do it."
"Don't forget me," he whispers. "Goodbye Lindsay."
"No," I sob, tears racking my body. "No."
"Lindsay," I feel two arms literally picking me up and holding me close, "Let the EMS do their thing. There's nothing you can do."
"No Flack," I say, beating against his chest. "Let me- I need to do something."
"Monroe." Flack says, "There's nothing any of us can do. It's down to Danny."
"That's not good enough, Flack. I need him," I cry as I rest my head on his shoulder, "He's my Danny. I need him. I can't live without him, Don."
"You can," he soothed, as he held me like Danny did across the rooftops, "Just let the EMS do their jobs,"
"He can't leave," I say, writhing trying to get out of Flack's stronghold grip. "I need him to stay. He can't die for me."
"He's dying to protect you, Lindsay." Flack whispered, emotion overtaking him.
"He isn't dying." I scream at Flack, correcting him. "He can't. I don't want him to. I want him to stay with me. Why does he have to go?"
"God needs him to look after you."
"Yeah, well, god's taken one too many people from me, I need Danny. He doesn't. He has my friends. I need someone Flack, what about me? What about Danny and me? We- I – Don, why are they covering him up. Why? He's not…"
"Flack, get her out of here," Mac bellowed across the room,
"No," I scream, "No. Put me down. Put me down NOW."
"Lindsay, come on, stop it, don't make this harder for me, let me-"
I look up at him, and see the tears falling down his face. I clutch onto Flack's shirt and sob. While muttering the same thing over and over again.
This isn't happening.
--
--
"Linds, Lindsay… Lindsay… Montana…"
"Mac, no. Don't let them. He's not gone. Keep trying, make them save him."
"Save who, Lindsay?" I ask shaking her, "Baby, you're having a nightmare, wake up."
She shoots up in bed, and within seconds, starts sobbing. "I want you back, Danny."
"Baby, I'm here," I say as I twist to turn the light on, "Baby, you're dreaming. Calm down."
She blinks, and bursts into tears, "You – at the – You died, Danny."
I pinch myself and shake my head, "Still here, Lindsay. I haven't gone, you're gonna have to try harder than dreaming that you killed me…"
"I thought…" she trails off.
"That is the last time I feed you marshmallows Lindsay Monroe." I tease as she's sobbing next to me, "Baby, it's okay. It was a dream. Is all, just a dream."
"It was so real," she cries, as she grips my arm. "You, you died."
"I might have, in the dream. But I'm still very much alive, honestly."
"But, it was so real."
"Dreams sometimes are," I reason, "They hurt sometimes. But, I'm here, and I can make it all better."
"Don't leave me," she sobs clutching onto me, "Swear and promise you'll never leave."
"I swear and promise," I say, slightly worried at how hysterical she is. "Lindsay, sit up. I need you to sit up so I can hold you."
"Make the images go away, Danny." She says quietly. "Just – just make them go away."
"Look at me," I say, holding her face with my hands, "Look at me Lindsay. I'm here. Calm down. I'm safe. Okay? I'm not leaving you. I'm not dying. I'm here."
"But…"
"No but's Montana." I scold. "Now, take a deep breath, alright."
She nods and breathes while hiccupping. "It seemed so real."
"It might have, but it wasn't."
"It made me realise how much I love you. And I can't lose you."
"Everything happens for a reason," I muse, "Even if it means killing me."
She sniffed and clutched the blanket that had been covering us. "Did we…?"
"We did," I nod, "You don't…?"
"No… God no…" she assures me, "I just, my heads a little all over the place. But did we use…"
I nod "We did. I made sure we were responsible… I wasn't sure whether you were still on the pill. And, I didn't think-"
She nods silently, adding the information to the masses going around in her brain.
I lay back with her in my arms and place kisses to her temple, neck and shoulder, trying to calm her down.
"I'm glad," she said after a few minutes
"Glad about what, baby?"
"Glad we reconnected like that. Re-established that part of our relationship. The emotional connection."
"You okay, sweetie?" I ask turning her in my arms, "You're…"
"I love you," she smiles, "A lot."
My heart flutters slightly, "A lot?"
"Yeah, a hell of a lot." She admits, "So much so, it actually hurts."
"That doesn't have to be a bad thing…" I smile, "It's good to love someone that much, and the feeling be mutual, like how it is with me and you..."
She wiped her tears and smiled warmly at me, "You take my breath away,"
"Yeah well," I shrug, "heroes can do that sort of thing…"
--
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Honestly, you guys have no idea how hard this chapter was to write. Few tears were involved here and there... cough LOL. But the muse simply wouldnt let go of it... And i'm dragging BEG75 and Twinkeyrocks down with me.
They made me do it. ;)
Hope you liked it.
R&R? It's muchly appreciated.
Please don't pitchfork me for scaring you all. LOL. ;)