Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot.

AN: Time to backtrack to Thursday and Lindsay. From here, my chapters are going to be bouncing between the events in New York and Montana. So as the chapters switch, I'll mention what day it is somewhere in the chapter so as not to confuse people. I apologize for the late update, been busy, and I just needed a kick in the butt to get uploading. Sorry, but enjoy!

Town scents intermingled vastly with the smells of the outdoors. Montana. A place that brought Lindsay comfort as she stepped out of the rental car she'd picked up when she had landed at Gallatin Field Airport, but also a sense of trauma and dread overlaying it. And she could trace it all back to one man.

Shutting the car door, Lindsay made her way to the front porch; gravel crunching underneath her boots. She made the right decision. While in the air, Lindsay couldn't count the number of times she had questioned her rash choice; would New York still have a place for her when this was all over? Lindsay violently shook her head, trying to rid herself of the picture of a blond-haired, blue-eyed man. Focus, Lindsay, focus. Holding the screen door, she knocked.

A pitter-patter of feet, a loud female voice, and the door swung open to reveal Hannah Monroe, her sister-in-law with Jessie at her heels.

"Lindsay." Hannah looked surprised for a moment before the brunette embraced her. "You didn't tell Evan you were coming! We could've prepared a room for you! Come in, come in!" The hug had a slight desperation to it.

"Aunt Lindsay!" Jessie jumped up to wrap her arms around Lindsay's stomach.

"Hey little one. Whoa though, you're not so little anymore are you?" Lindsay greeted her only niece with her special nickname. She fondly ran a hand over Jessie's silky brown hair and smiled. "How are you and things here?" She directed the question to Hannah, who smiled painfully.

"We're holding up. The whole city's behind this. We got tons of volunteers showing up everyday from other counties too. Evan makes a trip everyday to the control center that Chief Carter set up at the base of the mountain. But so far..." Hannah tried to maintain a happy face in front of her daughter.

"Yeah."

"Linds?" Her brother looked stressed and tired and if she looked hard enough, Lindsay could probably spot a few new gray hairs. "Hey. You didn't - "

"I know. My coming was a sudden decision, didn't have time to call you before I boarded the plane."

Jessie tugged on her hand. "Aunt Lindsay gonna help look for grandma and grandpa with uncle Noah too?"

Lindsay looked at Evan. "Noah's here?"

He nodded. "He's still conferring with Chief Carter. He arrived this morning. The control center is set up at the Matoskah Lodge with another post up at Deer Park Chalet." He rolled his eyes. "Mayor Bellamy issued a statement on Tuesday saying that he was 'going to put all of his effort into finding mom and dad, using all of his power and connections', but then he refused to let the police set up post at Jim Bridger Base Lodge for fear of scaring tourists." Bozeman after all, relied somewhat on tourism for economy.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and handed Jessie to Hannah, saying in a low voice as she stepped closer to Evan. "As if anyone's going to want to go up a mountain where two escaped inmates are roaming." He agreed.

"I'm just going to set up a room for you, Linds, all right?" Hannah said, ushering Jessie off.

"Yeah sure." Lindsay faced her brother and said apologetically, "I'm sorry Evan."

He frowned crossly. "What for? For this happening?" Evan shook his head. "Linds, you don't have anything to be sorry for."

"It's because of me - "

"That's a lie. You were only doing what needed to be done to put this murderer away. It's not your fault that he escaped; it's the cops that were supposed to be watching them. It's their fault. I don't blame you for mom and dad, Noah and Hannah don't either. So stop feeling so damn guilty." Evan studied his sister and gave a resigned sigh. "You're going to do what Noah wants to do, aren't you? You want to go up the mountain," he explained when Lindsay looked at him.

She shrugged. "We spent a lot of time hiking up there when we were younger. I still remember most of the paths and I'm a trained shooter. As much as I appreciate the search and rescue teams scouring out there, most of them aren't trained marksmen."

"Linds," Evan said exasperatedly. It had been like this all his life as the older brother trying to, with vexation, watch out for his younger brother and sister. He was even more vested in this as it was almost entire family wandering around the mountain.

She moved further into the familiar house, eyes carefully averted from the family pictures hanging on the wall and Lindsay seated herself on the worn brown couch in the family room. "Bill Sorell told me mostly everything I needed to know yesterday. Have there been any sightings?" she asked Evan, who had followed her.

He shook his head silently. "Although Noah could probably tell you more."

A new voice cut into the conversation. "I could, if there was anything to tell." Noah Monroe had arrived, looking tired but somewhat satisfied. "Linds." He moved into the room to wrap his little sister in a tight lasting hug.

Being only a year apart, the closer of the two Monroe siblings gathered strength from each other before drawing apart. Evan, with a soft smile, vanished to check on his own wife and daughter. The brother and sister settled on the couch and Noah began giving a more detailed report, something that came as naturally as it did for Lindsay. Being a CSI out of San Diego, California, Noah's presence went a long way to alleviating all the fear coursing through Lindsay. Her brother had this calming protective presence that, to Lindsay, had always screamed, 'I'm here now. There's no need to worry. I'll take care of everything.' In some ways, he reminded her of Mac, but with a wicked sense of humor too. He was the one she had always depended on growing up and it made him a wonderful CSI. Lindsay had not been surprised when Noah made the decision to become a forensic investigator like her; seeing the pain his sister had gone through in their younger years and then having the blow of not being able to find the bastard who did it, had rankled him too. It had been hard the first few years when Noah had gotten a post in San Diego.

"And so," Noah continued, "I spent the greater part of an hour arguing with Uncle Charlie about why I should be allowed to join a search team. He was really adamant at first, but with my charm and solid points, I wore him down." He grinned at her with his brown eyes. "The party leaves early tomorrow. Of course," he peered at her, "now that you're here, I know you'll be wanting to tag along."

Lindsay shot him a look. "'Tag along'?"

Noah leaned back and ran a hand through his brown hair that shared Lindsay's curls. "But of course, I'm the older brother and you're the little sister tag-along. Takes me back, it does."

"Little?" Lindsay arched an eyebrow. "I'm only a year younger than you, don't get cute."

Noah raised his hands. "Hey now, I'll have you know that a lot of experience can be gained in a year." Noah ducked the pillow she threw at him.

"What, that sneaking one or two of Ripley's treats wasn't such a good idea? Yeah," she snorted as Noah looked at her, surprised. "Mom told me she used to catch you trying to eat the dog food."

"Guess that explains why he is the way he is," Evan dryly commented from the doorway, holding Jessie's hand, who was dressed in pink fuzzy pajamas.

Noah threw his hands up. "Ah come on now! Where's the love?" He turned to five-year-old Jessie and smiled at her. "What about you Jess? Got anything to say to Uncle Noah?"

She looked at him solemnly with inherited Monroe brown eyes and then moved toward Lindsay. "I love you Aunt Lindsay."

Noah groaned as his brother and sister broke out into laughter. The atmosphere lightened for the first time since the tragedy had started.