Disclaimer: I am not connected in any way with the creators of any of the CSI shows. (I wish I was though, so Danny and Lindsay would get together already.) These are just my mind's version of the events that transpire on the show.
It was a fun-filled limo ride to the hotel where the NYPD Christmas Ball was being held.
Five minutes after the car pulled away from Stella's building, Lindsay looked smugly at Danny and said, "Guess what?"
Danny asked, "What?"
Lindsay couldn't resist smirking as she cupped her hand around his ear and whispered, "Flack asked Jordan to move in with him."
Danny exclaimed loudly, "They're moving in together?!"
Beside Lindsay and Danny, Flack looked down at Jordan and said dryly, "I'm assuming they're talking about us."
Jordan choked back a laugh and said indignantly, "Yeah. Couldn't even wait until we're not around."
Danny turned to Flack accusingly and said, "You only asked her to move in just now?"
Against his will, Flack reddened. He looked back and Jordan and twined his fingers with hers as he said, "Well, I've been thinking about it for a while now. But yeah, I only asked her today."
Danny groaned and smacked the palm of his hand against Flack's head. "A while? How far back are we talking about here?" Lindsay laughed at his reaction.
Flack shrugged, his gaze still fixed on Jordan's face. "I don't know. About a week after you and Lindsay moved in together?"
Danny growled, "A week after we moved in together? That was before the fifteenth! You should have asked her then!"
Flack and Jordan stared suspiciously at Danny, puzzled by his strange reaction to their news and the self-satisfied expression on Lindsay's face.
"Wait a minute," Jordan said. "Why does it matter when he asked me?" She turned her gaze sternly to Lindsay, who was trying to school her face into an innocent expression.
"What?" Lindsay hedged. "I'm happy for you, but Messer here's being such an ass as always."
Flack was also starting to catch on. "Oh, Messer being an ass? I agree with you there, Monroe. But something tells me that there's more to this than that."
Mac regarded Danny and Lindsay formidably and they crumbled under his gaze. They ducked their heads like a couple of chastised schoolchildren and both flinched when Mac spoke. "How much did you guys bet?"
Danny and Lindsay looked up in surprise and saw Mac struggling to hold back a grin.
Danny sighed. We're not getting out of this one. He jerked his thumb at Lindsay and grumbled, "Me and Montana had a bet about when Flack would ask Jordan to move in with him."
Stella was already chuckling. "Who bet on what?"
This time, Lindsay answered, "Danny said that he'd ask her before the fifteenth and I said Flack would wait. Since he asked her just today, it means I won and Danny can't get over it," she finished, unable to keep another triumphant smirk off her face.
Hawkes asked with great interest, "So what does Lindsay get, Danny?"
Danny sighed again and muttered, "Fifty bucks and bragging rights."
The rest of the limo burst out laughing. Lindsay joined in after a while and said, "You owe me fifty bucks, Messer."
Danny growled and pointed his finger at Flack, "There is no way I'm helping you guys move furniture. Go ask Hawkes to help, he's never helped before."
Hawkes raised his eyebrows and looked at Cassie, "How did I get dragged into this?"
Cassie sighed and said, "Don't really know, Doc. But Jordan already asked me if we could help them move and I said yes, so you're helping."
Beside her, Hawkes groaned while the other occupants of the limo burst out into laughter. he rolled his eyes, "Fine, but you're making it up to me."
Cassie just slid a wicked glance his way. You bet, Doc, she promised with her eyes.
From where she was cuddled under Flack's arm, Jordan spoke up with a grin, "Y'know what this reminds me of?"
Flack answered, "What?"
Jordan chuckled and said, "Prom night."
"Yeah, it kinda does, doesn't it?" Cassie mused, linking her fingers with Hawkes'. "Hanging out in a limo with friends, all dressed up with your dates and stuff."
Just then, the limo driver pulled up at the driveway of the elegant hotel.
Mac was the first one out of the limo, offering his hand to help Stella alight from the car. After them, Hawkes and Cassie followed, then Flack and Jordan and lastly, Danny and Lindsay.
The four couples walked arm-in-arm to the far end of the hotel, where the ball room was.
Flack commented, "Wow! They went all out this year."
Beside him, Danny nodded his head slowly and said, "Well, I guess the mayor's office is loving us this year."
At that moment, the mayor himself walked over and clapped Mac affectionately on the back. "Taylor!" the mayor greeted.
Mac shook the mayor's hand, "Good evening, Mr. Mayor."
The mayor chuckled. "I've been hearing good things about that team of yours. Makes me want to meet them. Are they here?"
Mac nodded and gestured behind him. "Mr. Mayor, these are the members of my team at the NYPD Crime Lab."
Keeping his arm firmly encircled around Stella's slim waist, he continued, "These are Detectives Stella Bonasera, Danny Messer, Lindsay Monroe and Sheldon Hawkes." He motioned to Cassie, "And this is Cassie Simmons, our new Trace Lab Analyst from Boston." Handshakes were once again exchanged throughout the introductions. He continued, "And I'm sure you already know Don Flack Jr. He's with the NYPD."
Flack stepped forward and said, "Good evening, Mr. Mayor."
The mayor shook his hand and jovially said, "Good evening, Flack." He noticed Jordan and asked, "And who is this lovely young woman, Flack? Your date for the evening?"
Flack nodded, "Yes. She's also my partner, Jordan Addison. She used to be from LAPD." Jordan warmly shook the mayor's hand and said politely, "How do you do, Mr. Mayor?"
"LAPD huh? Welcome to the city, Detective Addison," the mayor replied with equal warmth. "I trust that our city has been good to you."
Blushing slightly as the smiled at Don, Jordan replied, "It certainly has, Mr. Mayor."
The mayor glanced significantly in Flack's direction and chuckled. "Well, then. That's good to know."
He turned back to Mac. "I really wanted to be able to meet your team, given all the high profile cases that you guys have had the past year, with Henry Darius and the Tanglewood boys, that Central African diamond smuggler and of course, Shane Casey."
Beside her, Lindsay felt Danny tense at the mention of all the things that had happened to the team in the past year. Aside from the Henry Darius case, all of the others were cases wherein Danny had played a big part.
As though sensing his sudden disquiet, Lindsay subtly leaned closer to him and squeezed his waist gently. At her touch, his ghosts fled and he relaxed. He smiled softly down at her and tightened his arm around her shoulders, reassured by her presence at his side.
Danny took the time to study her as she stood beside him. In the beautiful dress that she was wearing tonight, Lindsay was glowing. But Danny knew that he would say the same thing even if she was dressed in a pair of his sweats and his old academy shirts.
No, he decided. Lindsay was beautiful not because of what she wore, but because of who she was: a smart, caring woman who deserved his trust and respect and love.
He thought back to all the times she had stood by him when his world had crashed around him: first with being suspended during the heat of that case with the body in the Giants' Stadium, through the worst moments of Louie being in the hospital, through Aiden's death, to Flack's near-death experience last May and all other horrendous experiences in between.
Yes, Lindsay Monroe was a woman for keeps and he wanted her in his life forever.
Danny stood stock still for a moment, letting that new knowledge settle in his mind. There was no need to let it settle into his heart. He had known that from the moment he sped out of the surveillance van outside an apartment building, in a desperate race to reach the room where Lindsay held at gunpoint by a man with a greed for diamonds.
He suddenly remembered Stella's comment from that afternoon. You guys sound like a married couple.
He realized how good it felt to know that people identified him and Lindsay as one unit now, and to know that even after only two weeks of dating, they had settled into a sync that made them seem like they were married.
Me and Montana, married. Danny thought to himself. He turned the name over and over in his head. Lindsay Monroe Messer... Lindsay Messer... Detective Lindsay Messer... Mrs. Lindsay Messer... Mrs. Danny Messer... I like the sound of that. He gazed down once again at Lindsay's smiling face and warm chocolate eyes and felt himself melt.
He chuckled to himself. You're a goner, Messer. This woman's got you whipped.
Right then and there, Danny made a decision that he knew would change his life forever.
The evening passed by quite enjoyably for the rest of the team. The buffet spread was top notch and there was an open bar, which they took advantage off shamelessly.
Later that evening, most of the higher-ups had already gone home. The people left were mostly the younger policemen and CSIs.
The three younger couples were clustered around a small table, while Mac and Stella were dancing to a slow song.
Lindsay, Cassie and Jordan were whispering to each other furiously, emitting a small giggle every once in a while.
"Awww… Look at them," Cassie said, a dreamy smile on her face.
"They do look good together," Jordan commented, tilting her head in consideration.
Lindsay was grinning to herself. First, she wins that bet with Danny and now, Stella and Mac were slow dancing. Damn, this is one of those days when I can't be wrong, she thought, smiling in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Hawkes had noticed three NYPD cops their age who had been trying unsuccessfully to be discreet about stealing glances at the three women. Hawkes had to admit, the way they were standing together, in the muted yellow light of the ballroom, it made a pretty picture.
Hawkes cleared his throat and glanced significantly at his friends. "Guys," Hawkes whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
Danny and Flack had been watching the girls with indulgent smiles on their faces, so they didn't hear Hawkes.
"Guys!" Hawkes whispered again, more urgently this time, making Danny and Flack's heads whip around to look at him.
"What's wrong, Hawkes?" Danny asked, squinting at his friend in concern.
Hawkes titled his head slightly in the direction of the three guys who had been staring at their girlfriends for the past few minutes. "They've been eyeing the girls for quite some time now," Hawkes explained, a slight smile on his face.
Flack swore under his breath. "They must be from another shift. Practically everyone in the station knows that Jordan and I are together."
Danny's mouth twisted into a crooked smile. He waved his hand dismissively, "Nah. The girls won't let them try anything, especially not my Montana." His eyes brightened. "Although it would be fun to see them try."
Hawkes and Flack chuckled beside him. "Okay, so let's wait and see where they're going with this," Danny countered.
They stood casually off to the side and pretended to talk about nonsensical things like sports while the three cops kept sliding surreptitious glances towards Lindsay, Jordan and Cassie, who were too wrapped up in analyzing Mac and Stella to notice.
Suddenly, the three cops gathered their courage and walked purposefully towards the three beautiful women.
Flack muttered, "Incoming," making the two other men shift slightly so that they could see what was happening.
Lindsay, Cassie and Jordan suddenly felt the presence of three men behind them. Mistakenly assuming that Danny, Hawkes and Flack had come to join them, all three turned with inviting smiles on their faces.
They were startled to find three unfamiliar men in tuxes grinning shyly at them.
One of them held out his hand and said, "May we have this dance, ladies?"
The three women glanced at each other. They spoke simultaneously, with gracious smiles on their faces. "We're with them," pointing behind the three guys.
The three guys turned around to find Danny Messer, Sheldon Hawkes and Don Flack Jr. grinning at them, with slightly predatory gleams in their eyes.
The three cops quickly backed off, not wanting any trouble. "Sorry," one of the men said charmingly. "Didn't see the 'sold' signs."
it reminded Flack of what the blonde at Sullivan's said a few weeks ago. He grinned humorously at the three cops and mimicked what Jordan said to the blonde. "Maybe you should look harder the next time."
With that, Danny, Flack and Hawkes whisked the women away to the dance floor.
That's all I got for the NYPD Christmas Ball. Things to look out for in the chapters to come: Danny takes Lindsay home to meet his family, Lindsay and Jordan go back to Montana for a reunion and they take Danny and Flack with them.
I'm still thinking of a story for Hawkes and Cassie, but if you guys have any ideas about scenes that I could write for them, that would be great. :D
Please don't forget to review! I really appreciate all the reviews and it inspires me to write more. :D
Thanks and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :D