A/N: Wow, I can't beleive the conclusion of this little drama is already here. Just a FYI, I've left a little diddy in this chapter that may lead to a sequel if you all want one. Thanks again for all of the great reviews. I'm really touched by all of the feedback I've recieved for this story.
A Bullet for Danny: Judgement Day
"Lindsay can I see you for a moment?" Mac stood in the doorway of his office waving at the rookie. Lab tech Adam Ross was beside him.
Lindsay stripped off a pair of latex gloves and looked at the clock. It was already ten a.m. Time for Louie's sentencing trial to begin she thought dismally as she headed towards Mac's office. She'd promised Danny she'd tried to be there but as luck would have it she was still working the homicide case she'd been assigned the night of Danny's homecoming. "What can I do for you, Mac?"
Mac circled around his desk, "I'd like for you to take Adam out into the field for a bit and show him the ropes"
"Adam's going out into the field?" Lindsay questioned. Of course she was happy for the lab tech but the announcement had thrown her for a loop, "when did this happen?"
"Adam is going to be Danny's replacement. We need some extra manpower in the field".
"Danny's replacement?" Lindsay said the words slowly as if they were burning the tip of her tongue.
"Danny's on convalescent leave until further notice. When he gets back, he'll either be back in the lab or reassigned to another location. " Mac reminded curtly. Not that he had any true intentions of letting Danny leave the lab. Mac still had to keep everything politically correct per department policy.
I know, Lindsay said silently thinking that the word replacement sounded a bit harsh. No one could replace Danny Messer, not now, not ever. "I understand" she nodded, "what do have for us?"
Mac started to hand her a file, "I want the two of you to go back over to the vic's apartment and interview some of his neighbors. It seems that he has a couple complaints from some of them that might give us a lead us towards a suspect"
Lindsay took the file and started to frown, taking Adam to rehash a crime scene would mean she couldn't be there for Danny.
"Is something wrong Miss Monroe?" Adam asked after they were out of Mac's office.
"Adam please don't call me Miss Monroe," Other than strangers that title was reserved exclusively for Danny. "And no, it has nothing to do with you, I just had somewhere else I need to be"
"The courthouse?" Adam answered in earnest tossing his thumb over his shoulder, "I heard Detective Bonasera talking to Detective Flack about Danny's brother"
"Yeah" Lindsay said slowly feeling her cheeks flame. "Danny's my friend"
"Of course," Grabbing his kit Adam followed Lindsay outside to the SUV like a little puppy.
"You know the courthouse is just blocks away from the crime scene," he mentioned slipping into the passengers side of the Denali.
" So?" Lindsay looked at the new field agent closing wondering what he was inferring before starting the engine.
"So you can drop me off and I can wait, talk to a couple of neighbors until you get back." It was just a sentencing hearing after all how long it could it take?
Twenty minutes later, Lindsay bounded up the steps towards the New York City municipal court where she made a beeline to the room where Louie's trial had been assigned. Against her better judgment she'd left Adam alone at the scene, opting to be with Danny in his time of need.
Flack was standing in the back when she came inside and politely gave her nod. Lindsay saw Danny's parents sitting towards the front clinging to one another. Panning the room, Lindsay let her eyes come to rest upon Danny as he sat directly behind the defendant's table with his gaze pensively locked on his brother.
Bravely she took a step forward and started up the aisle way until she reached the first row seats allowing Danny to catch site of her in his peripheral vision. Slowly she slid into the row of seats and sat down beside him letting her hand tangle with his open palm. It was a perfect fit she thought as he looked down and gave her a half grin.
The judge entered and Lindsay felt Danny immediately tense and before she could blink his other hand flew up resting on Louie's shoulder in a show of support. She thought she heard him gasp slightly as they stood to honor the judge's entrance into the courtroom.
"You okay?" she whispered keeping a tight grip on his hand.
Danny managed a nod and fell back into his seat.
"Will the defendant please rise?"
The foreman then read the charges stated against Louie and Lindsay heard Danny take in a s harp breath she looked down at their hands and quickly noticed his was starting to sweat.
"Louis Carmine Messer, you are hereby charged with murder in the second degree. How do you plead?"
Louie looked behind him, locking eyes with Danny for a moment. "Guilty, your honor"
The judge made a quick notation and then called upon Louie's court appointed counsel, " Mr. Denalio, it is my understanding that you and your client have in an agreement with the district attorney?"
"Yes we have your honor," the man answered politely.
"Has your client been apprised of the terms? "
"Yes I have," Louie answered stoically.
"Very well do you have the paperwork?" the judge picked up a pair of wire rim glasses and placed them onto his face as Louie's attorney and the district approached the bench each handing the man the appropriate paperwork.
The seconds that it took for the judge to sign off seemed like hours Lindsay thought keeping her gaze focused on Danny's profile. It was casting an expression she'd never seen, an angry one filled with hurt.
The judge waited for the attorney's to return to their seats and then pronounced Louie's sentence. Louis Carmine Messer you are hereby remanded to Rikers Correctional Penitentiary for a maximum of five years. Should you serve your sentence with model behavior and keep your nose clean, you'll be eligible for parole in three. Do you understand the sentence you've just been given?"
"Yes"
"Court is adjourned".
The sound of gavel was the signal of all hell breaking loose. Lindsay felt Danny jerk his hand free from hers. Tears welled in her eyes as she watched Louie turn around and embrace in his little brother in an emotional hug. Both were literally shaking and choking back strangled sobs.
"Don't worry about me D" she heard Louie say before the bailiff motioned them apart.
Lindsay touched Danny's forearm in show of support only have him pull it away as if he'd been burned with a hot poker. Without a word he sidestepped her and started out the courtroom purposely taking longer strides than what she could keep up with the pace.
"Danny!" She was just out the door when Flack reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Let him go right now, Lindsay, just let him go"
The rest of the day seemed to be at a standstill. Minutes creped along like hours in an agonizing fashion until the end of Lindsay's shift.
Back in her apartment all Lindsay could do was stare at her cell phone hoping for Danny's call. On the flipside, she called him several times, with each call being directed to his voice mail.
Finally, when she couldn't stand anymore, Lindsay grabbed her keys and jumped into her SUV. She was halfway to Danny's place when she heard the peel of her phone. "Danny?" she answered without thinking.
"No but I know where he is". It was Larry the barkeep from O'Gradys.
Thirty minutes later, Lindsay found herself entering a darkened Irish Pub on along the East River. The smoky scent inside burned Lindsay's' eyes and nose as she pushed her way past several burley looking dockworkers on her way towards the bar. "Are you Larry?" she shouted to the man behind the counter.
"Who wants to know?"
"Det. Monroe, NYPD"
"Oh" the man said flatly, "Your man's back there".
Lindsay looked passed the bartender to see Danny standing just outside the back door gripping a chain link fence. The bartender frowned sympathetically "I took his keys a couple of hours but he doesn't seem too interested in leaving. Since he's a cop I thought it would be better if I called one of you instead of just tossing him out"
"Thanks" Lindsay crossed her arms over her chest making her way around the bar and through the door. Padding she made her way towards the fence where Danny was standing.
"Hey" she said quietly.
Danny was staring dismally out into an empty field. "This is a dangerous part of town Montana, you shouldn't be here," he said refusing to meet her concerned gaze.
"Neither should you"
Danny's shifted slightly and then went back to staring at the empty lot. "That's where Louie taught me to first play ball right out there. I was just six and ever since then I wanted-". An image of little kids with baseball gloves filled his mind. He had been just six years old when his big brother Louie had shown him how to hold at bat.
"I know you wanted to play baseball professionally" Lindsay finished watching Danny let go of the fence.
Slowly he turned to face her. Tears were gathering in his eyes, "It's not fair…Louie spent his life looking after me, protecting me. Why is he the one who ends up in prison?"
Lindsay did the only thing she could and enveloped her arms around his waist feeling his usually washboard tight muscles shake as she pressed up against him. Danny rested his chin on her shoulder and sobbed freely for several minutes allowing Lindsay to catch the scent of alcohol on his breath
"Danny, let me take you home" she whispered before they pulled apart.
Danny pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, "I don't want to go home. Can't go home, I moved out of my apartment this morning."
"Then you can stay with me" Lindsay held out her hand and Danny stared at it for several seconds before flicking his tongue over his lips before taking it.
"You don't know what you're asking for here, Montana. Spending the night with a drunk man who's just lost his brother. Things could be pretty nasty"
"I think I can hold my own against anything you can dish out Cowboy"
Danny released her hand and let his arm sling around her shoulder, "Don't sound to certain of yourself Montana, you might just end up regretting it"
"Somehow I doubt that"
Once they were back inside Lindsay's apartment, she went to turn on the light only to have Danny come up behind her and grab at her hands.
"Leave that off," he whispered into her neck.
"Danny" Lindsay called out a strangled version of his name as his lips met her earlobe causing her to automatically tilt her head back. Though his head was still reeling from the alcohol, Danny still managed to capture her mouth leaving Lindsay with the sensation that she was being well kissed.
Words were no longer necessary as she turned in his arms and started to work the buttons on his blue chambray and shoved it from his masculine shoulders. She reached for his belt and Danny caught her face in his hands. The two kissed hungrily for several more seconds until he pulled away.
Danny smiled at her looking through his blue loving eyes. Slowly he bent his forehead head, to hers. "You know I have been drinking here, so If you don't want this, you'd better tell me to stop now" he said huskily watching her expression. He could see by the look on her face that she knew if they slept together this moment was going to be all about him.
A nervous smile crossed Lindsay's lips before her coffee colored eyes started to bead back and forth with increasing intensity. She had wanted him ever since she'd first laid eyes on him at the zoo. So how could she say no now? Tonight all of their waiting and filtering through awkward moments would finally come to an end.
"I want to be with you, Danny"
The next morning, Lindsay awoke to find Danny still spooned up against her, holding her tight. She glanced at the clock and noted she still had thirty minutes before she needed to get up and ready herself for work and decided to stay in bed.
Shifting she turned in his arms so that she was laying up against his chest where she laid listening to the hammer of his heart. Danny looked different in the morning light she thought noting the almost child like features that were splayed across his normally rugged looking face.
Looking up, Lindsay set her gaze on the fine looking scar that ran across the top of his collarbone and down his chest where he'd been shot. She'd seen it on the night Danny had come home from the hospital but now for some reason it looked different too.
Everything's different now she said watching Danny's face as he started to stir. She watched as he blinked trying to get her face to come into focus which was a hard feat considering he didn't have his glasses.
"What- what are you looking at?"
Grinning, Lindsay dipped her head to kiss him, "My new roommate perhaps?"
"Roommate?" Danny's arms snaked around pulling up further onto his chest, "I don't know about that. You see I'm suppose to be crashing with Flack until I get a new place and well he might get kind of jealous. You know he and I we sort got this thing going on-"
Taking his mouth, Lindsay silenced anything more he might had to say with a kiss and expertly started to grind her hips in line with his, until they started to make love. When it over Danny swept a kiss across her moist temple.
"You drive a hard bargain, Montana, but I'm in"
"I thought you'd see things my way" Lindsay let out a little laugh resettling herself into his arms. There's just one problem. What do we tell Mac?"
"We don't tell Mac nothing" Danny snorting knowing that entire office suspected he was bedding Peyton, "We go to work and do our jobs, business as usual."
"Business as usual," Lindsay repeated with a small smile.