Disclaimer: Again, nothing you recognize is mine, and probably never will be. It's the property of CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer, while the song lyrics belong to the Moody Blues.

Spoilers:A good knowledge of what is happening in the episodes is helpful.

A/N: Okay, so here we go again. It's pretty late as I'm writing this, so there may be more mistakes than usual, I've checked and re-checked, but staring at a computer screen while I'm tired may not be the best way to edit. And all mistakes are mine as I have no beta. Anyone interested in the job can let me know. This is my last supply of stocked up chapters, so they will probably take a little bit longer to be posted. Don't worry; I won't keep you waiting too long!

My love is burning, like a forest fire.
My heart is yearning, I feel a warm desire.
And now I'm lonely I want to tough the fire
So deep within you.

Danny fidgeted as he sat in Mac's office, wondering why he had been called there. Didn't Mac realize he had a lot on his plate right now, and that he needed something to do, something to keep his mind off of the case that could destroy his life? Of course he realizes; he just doesn't care. Said a bitter voice in Danny's head, and he immediately felt ashamed. Mac cared about him a lot; whether or not he would ever admit it or not was a different story. So Danny just sat there, wondering what Mac needed to talk to him about.

"Ah, Danny, there you are, please sit down." Mac told Danny as he stood up to greet him.

"What's up Mac? You said you needed to talk to me about something?"

"Danny, I need you to listen before you say anything, okay? This will not be easy for you to hear, and I think you need to hear me out. Can you do that?"

Danny nodded his head, suddenly wishing Lindsay was there. He needed her hand on his to make him settle, his heart was beating so fast at the moment that he was sure he was going to have a heart attack. Why didn't Mac get on with it? It had to be about the case after all, so why didn't he just say it?

"We apprehended a suspect today, who Flack just finished speaking to. The man's DNA was found on a laceration on the victim's hand, and his name was also listed several times on the visiting log for Sonny Sassone." Danny swallowed with some difficulty. Suddenly his throat didn't feel like working. God, he wished Lindsay were there, he had a feeling of dread. He really didn't want to know who the suspect was. He just wanted to go home, and wake up tomorrow, next to Lindsay, while realizing that it was all a dream. But that wouldn't happen. As he looked up into Mac's eyes, he saw that the truth had to be told. He had to know, even though it was going to hurt. So he braced himself, stared at Mac and waited with baited breath for the suspect's name.

"Danny, the man – he..." Mac tried again. "The suspect in Figlioni's murder is your father."

Danny didn't move. Mac was surprised. He expected some type of reaction, whether rage, disgust, frustration, confusion, something. But Danny did nothing. He just sat there, staring at Mac. Then, without warning, he collapsed onto the floor, out like a light. Mac freaked. He called Hawkes, told him to get up to his office, he called Lindsay, told her to meet them at the hospital, he called an ambulance, and he called Flack. This was not the usual stony-faced Mac Taylor. This was the genuinely scared-for-a-friend Mac. Danny had passed out after hearing that his father was somehow involved in all of this. Mac knew the two of them weren't very close, but a blow like that, it would make anyone tremble, especially if your father was involved in organized crime, like Danny's was suspected to be.

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Mac could feel his headache get worse. This case was breaking apart his team. All of them were working long hours, and all of them were overly stressed because of how Danny was feeling. They were like family, when one person was unhappy, the rest felt the consequences, and Mac feared that his lab was going to spiral out of control quickly, before he had any chance to bring them together again. Mac grimaced, hands kneading his forehead in an attempt to assuage the pain he was feeling. He glanced up, looking over to the hospital bed where Danny lay. Sheldon had monitored Danny until the ambulance had arrived and taken him to the hospital. Then Lindsay had come rushing in. Face white and wringing her hands she demanded that Mac tell her what had happened. He had simply pointed her in the direction of Danny's bed, and she had gone rushing off to see him. They now lay together on the bed, wrapped in each other, each holding the other so tightly that it became difficult to tell which legs were whose.

The doctor had told him that there was nothing dangerously wrong with Danny. He was suffering from over-exertion, sleep deprivation, and stress. When combined, the simplest thing for Danny's body to do was shut down. The doctor's orders were simple. "We'll keep him overnight for observation, and release him in the morning. Keep him out of the workplace, it's simply too stressful for him. He needs someone to watch over him as well. Get somebody to stay with him. Oh, and don't let him do anything that will over-exert himself. In other words, don't let him do anything rash. Take it easy."

Mac closed his eyes. Lindsay was the obvious choice for watching over Danny, he would be surprised if she hadn't been planning on staying over anyway. Danny needed her, and she cared deeply for him, Mac could see that. Only problem was during the day. Lindsay was still on the case, and could not take the time off that she would need to keep an eye on him. Danny was obviously off work indefinitely, and that would already leave him a CSI short. It was time to call in a favour, somebody Danny could stand being around for a day...

---------------

Lindsay lay next to Danny on his hospital bed, arms wrapped tightly around him. The fear that had coursed through her body was excruciating, an actual physical pain when she had received the call from Mac. He had simply told her to meet them at the hospital; that Danny was being taken there by an ambulance. Wild theories and impossibilities chased themselves around Lindsay's mind, each more outrageous than the last, until she had finally been told that it was not serious; Danny was simply too stressed for his health. This, unfortunately, didn't make Lindsay feel much better. He was so stressed out that he was collapsing at random periods. This was almost worse than him having a diagnosable, treatable illness. There was no set recovery time for this. Then Lindsay corrected herself. There was a set recovery time. However long it took for her to wrap up the case, tie off the loose ends, and close Danny's past. Lindsay grew cold at the thought. This was going to be harder than she thought.

---------------

Danny woke up in a cold sweat, but didn't open his eyes. He felt someone stir next to him, and for a moment, just a moment, his heart swelled with joy. He was at home, with Montana next to him. There had been no murder, no incident of Mac telling him the suspect was his father. It was all a dream. Satisfied with that answer, he opened his eyes. And his insides turned to ice. He was in a hospital room. His heart sank. It had all been true. Every bit of it. He rolled over and his Montana was lying there. But not the way he had imagined it. She was curled into him, holding on desperately, and Danny could see the stains on her face that her tears had left behind. He realized she was asleep, and felt his heart sink. She had been crying over him, for him. She was at his side, there for him like he was there for her at the trial. He could only wonder what she must have thought, hearing that he was in the hospital. Nice one bucko. She was working hard, trying to be there for you, and you mess it up by passing out in your boss's office. She was probably terrified out of her fucking mind. Brilliant. A voice in Danny's head was driving him crazy, although he grudgingly admitted it had a point.

He looked at her once more, and realized that he had never cared for someone so much in his life. He was deeply in love with her, something he hadn't realized until this moment. Usually this thought scared the hell out of him, but thinking about Lindsay being the one girl for him didn't make him feel scared. It made him feel complete. Without her, he was missing a part of himself. He made a vow to himself. From now on, he would not let his past affect her. He would listen to the case and not let it affect him like this anymore. The tearstains on her flushed cheeks were his motivation. He hated seeing her cry, and would do anything to prevent it. He would do anything for her, including bury his past. From now on, he was going to be the perfect gentleman, putting Lindsay before anything else, and making sure that she was never hurt again. He closed his eyes, pulled her close, and drifted back into sleep.