Boulevard of Broken Dreams

author: BambiBlake007

summary: danny & lindsay question erin fowler about her relationship with the vic. meanwhile, abby has an unwelcome visitor.

pairing(s): none yet.

rating: M, just to be safe.

disclaimer: i do not own csi:ny, csi:miami, or the characters. they belong to zuiker & company over at cbs. i do however own abby walker.

author's note: all mistakes are mine. i take full responsibilty for em.

author's note pt2: while i was proof reading this chapter, i was also IMing my bff, so i got a bit distracted. sorry if anything doesn't make sense, lol. plz R/R. feedback is love!! :)


Chapter 9

Erin Fowler was a pretty girl by her own right.

She was petite with cherry colored hair that was cut short to her face. Her eyes were a deep set of blue and she had Angelina Jolie lips. None of this made sense. Danny and Lindsay had expected to meet an over weight girl with greasy hair, pimples, and very low self-esteem. But she was the total opposite of that. She was confident, pretty, in shape, and didn't have a blemish on her face. Why did she need to follow Alice Langston around like some kind of lap-dog, hoping to be noticed?

The two Detectives set across from her at the small plastic table, next to the indoor pool. Erin was wearing a bikini and nothing else.

"You know why we're here, don't cha, Erin?" Danny asked.

She smiled. "You talked to Michelle, Ash, and Kris--didn't ya?"

Danny nodded.

"They don't like me. Did they tell ya that?" she continued.

Danny nodded once more.

"I bet you was a looker in high school," she turned her attention to Lindsay.

Lindsay shifted uncomfortably. She glanced over to Danny who offered nothing in return much as she had when he had been hit on by Ashley DuGray.

"Com'n. You're so pretty--simple, yes--but pretty. I bet all the boys were after ya," Erin continued, not moving her eyes from Lindsay as she spoke.

Lindsay cleared her throat. "I was average looking, I guess."

"Modest girl. You're not from here, are ya?"

Lindsay shook her head. "Montana, actually."

Erin nodded, thoughtfully. "Now, we know why she's so modest," she turned to Danny.

Danny nodded in agreement.

Erin licked her thick lips. "You're from here. I can tell."

Danny tilted his head. "I am."

"You have that look about ya. I bet you've broken a few hearts in yo time, huh?"

He glanced over to Lindsay. "A few, I guess."

"Uh, I see what's goin' on here. You two have somethin' brewin'."

"We have nothing brewin'!" Lindsay cut in, her annoyance showing over her face.

Erin set back, putting her hand up. "He's hot, I don't blame ya."

"Miss, this is an investigation into a murder. Do you understand what that means?" Lindsay asked, keeping her composure as she spoke.

Erin nodded.

"Then, would you be so kind as not to hit on my partner while we're trying to ask you questions?" she demanded, her voice rising slightly as she spoke.

Erin grinned. "I think it boosts his ego."

"I think you need to stop--now!" Lindsay shouted.

Danny put his hand up. "Ladies. Corners."

Lindsay and Erin looked at him: Lindsay looked annoyed; Erin looked amused.

After a moment, the younger woman reach into her bag and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Do you mind?"

Lindsay said nothing and Danny shook his head.

Erin took the cigarette out and lit it. She took a slow drag, closing her eyes as she did so. She opened them after a moment and smiled at Danny who was still watching her. Lindsay had turned her attention to the pool, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Want one?" Erin asked, gesturing the pack to Danny.

Any other time he would have taken one, but he didn't want to over-step his bounds. Lindsay had taken Ashley's blatant flirtation with him quite well, but with Erin, it was different somehow. She didn't trust this girl and she didn't like that was trying to be sweet as pie to Danny. Like, he would just break down and do whatever she wanted. Cha, right. That was not the way Danny Messer played the game.

"No, thanks," Danny waved them away. He wanted one, but he wasn't about to piss Lindsay off any more than she already was.

Erin shrugged as she took another puff of her cigarette. "You got questions?" she asked, after a moment.

Danny glanced over to Lindsay. "You want me to take this?"

She nodded, standing up and walking across the room to the entrance. After she left the two of them alone, Danny turned back to Erin.

"Oh, something I said?"

"Cut the shit, Erin."

"You talk to all the girls that way?" she shot back.

Danny chuckled. "Only the ones that get under my skin."

"Mission accomplished..." Erin laughed.

"Hardly." Danny pulled the picture of Chloe Phillips out and set it on the table top. "You know her?"

"That's Alice. Yeah. I know her."

"You seen her in the last few days?"

"A couple nights ago, I guess. We went up to our spot with Bucky."

"You and Alice have a spot?" Danny asked, cocking an eye brow up.

Erin smiled slowly. She took one last puff of her cigarette then ground it out on the table top. "You know what they say, love is blind."

"You and Alice were--"

"Sorta."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"That means, Detective, that we liked each others company. I liked her. She liked me. Bucky liked us both," she answered.

Danny nodded, slowly. "I see. You three were really good friends."

"Friends with benefits."

"Um... Yeah... So, tell me about the night on the bridge," he coaxed.

"We went up there to get high. We had been drinking some, I guess, and that just wasn't doin' it for us. We needed something a lot more fun to do. We had never had sex in the park, so we went there to do that. Anyway, Bucky passed out before we really got the party started, ya know? All I know is that one minute we were all three in the car, having a good time, getting all hot and what have ya, and the next, I was passed out, too. That's all I remember. I woke up and Alice wasn't in the car, I just figured she decided to walk home, because she did this a lot. And I drove Bucky to Maurice's. That's all I know," Erin explained.

Danny nodded, unsure. "Quick question: you sure, you didn't hear anything?"

Erin's eyes blazed. "I told ya that I didn't. I passed out. I was taking X."

"The tox came back positive on Alice that she was only drinking and smokin' pot."

Erin sighed as she reach up and scratched her eye brow. "Alice wasn't into X."

"Bucky take any?"

"He gave it to me... Probably..."

"Why wasn't Ashley, Michelle, and Kris with you guys?" Danny asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Alice was gettin' real tired of the three of them. Ash wants a boob job, Michelle wants a nose job, and Kris wants lypo. Alice told them she was against plastic surgery, but they wouldn't listen. They were hell-bent on getting the work done and wouldn't take no for an answer. She didn't want them to come along. They were crampin' her style, if you catch my drift," Erin told him.

"Oh... Yeah... I guess so..."

"Well, all I know is what I heard."

Danny nodded.

"You need anything else?" Erin asked, sweetly.

Danny glanced over at a bag that was lying next to the window, a silver colored strap sticking out of it. "Those your clothes?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I need to take your shoes," he answered.

"Ooh. Kinky," Erin giggled.

Danny blushed, even though he knew better. "I can't disclose any information right now, but I need them for the investigation."

"Oh. Sure," she reach over and picked the bag up. She set it down on the table top and pulled out the sparkling silver shoes that were very similar to the ones he had gotten from Michelle, Ashley, and Kris. "Here ya go."

Danny took the shoes, noting the broken heal that was sticking up from the bag. He reach in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, pretending to check it for messages, as he took a quick picture of the broken heel. Erin didn't notice him do this.

"Break a heel? Bummer..." Danny pushed his cell phone back into his pocket as he spoke.

Erin looked down, noticing the heel for the first time; she proceeded to push it back into her bag. Still oblivious to Danny snapping the picture to have Adam look over when he and Lindsay got back to the lab.

"Yeah. It sucks." Erin smiled sweetly. "I just--I meant to throw it away. The shoe was a total loss."

Danny nodded, putting the shoes in a paper bag he had brought along. After a moment, he stood up. "Thanks for your time, Miss Fowler. I'll get these shoes back to ya as soon as possible," he told her, putting on the charm.

Erin stood up and smiled at Danny. He noticed for the first time that she had her belly button pierced. He couldn't help, but stare at it. There was just something about a girl with a belly ring that got Danny to take notice. Such a barbaric ritual, he had often thought, but that was a contradiction in itself, because he couldn't help but find it to be equally as hot.

"Like it?" Erin asked, noticing his stare.

Danny looked up. "Sorry." He was blushing now. "It's nice. Did it hurt?"

She fingered the dangling dragonfly that hung from her belly button. "Just a little bit."

Danny nodded as he stepped around the table.

"You and that Montana girl really together?" Erin asked, eying him sheepishly.

"We're friends," Danny answered, even though he didn't have to indulge any information to her.

Erin nodded. She reach out and touched his chest, softly. "You ever wanna have a fun time, call me, Big Boy."

Danny snickered. "Tempting. But I don't think so."

Erin pushed her hands against her hips as if to say: You don't know what you're missing. Danny ignored her advances and headed across the room to Lindsay. When he got to her, she smiled at him.

"Cooled off?" he asked as he opened the door.

Lindsay glanced over her shoulder, at the girl who was now wading into the pool. "She just irked me."

"You didn't like her flirtin' with me," Danny told her as they headed up the stairs.

"I just--"

"Oh, ya find me irresistible. I know, Montana," Danny grinned.

"I do not!"

"You're jealous, Montana. Admit it," he told her, playfully.

"You got hit on by two girls half your age, Danny, in a matter of twenty-four hours, come on."

"You're so jealous, Montana."

"You wish."

"It's sweet," Danny told her, as he opened the door to the parking garage.

"Get over yourself, Danny. Really. If you think I'm jealous of those girls, then you're due a rude awakening."

Danny smirked at her. "It's nice to see you're not taking advantage of the situation at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it, Montana, if you were the kind of girl who got off on this kinda thing, you'd milk it for all it's worth," he answered.

"This does not get me off, Danny. I think it gets you off."

"Having girls half my age hit on me?" he asked.

Lindsay nodded.

"That's perverted, Montana." He paused for a moment. "You're not to talk to Flack anymore."

"Is that right?" she asked, stifling a laugh.

"Yeah. I don't like the influence he has on ya."

"Afraid he'll tell me your deep dark secrets, huh?" Lindsay smiled back, innocently.

Danny thought about that for a moment. "Don does have a big mouth."

Lindsay laughed at him as they headed across the parking area to their black SUV. All the anger she had felt toward him about his possessiveness over her when it came to her talking to Flack and the fact that he was actually enjoying the fact that two young girls had found him attractive, had somehow melted away. Danny had that effect on people, he could make you fighting mad, then, turn around, and just smile at you, causing all the frustration you felt toward him to just melt away in a single swoop. He was so charming--even when he didn't mean to be--and it came through so easily at times.

"You wanna join me for a sandwich after we drop this off at the lab?" Danny asked, as he opened the driver's side door.

Lindsay climbed into the passenger's side. "Sure," she agreed as she buckled her seat belt.

Danny turned the key and the cab filled with the Rolling Stones. Lindsay groaned.

"What?" Danny asked with a grin, pretending he didn't know what the groan was about.

"Nothing. Just drive," she answered as he backed the truck out of the parking space. No more fighting.

...

Abby tried to close the door, but he grabbed the side of it and forced it back.

She gasped, her head spinning, as she stumbled back from the force of the push he had inflicted on her. Her face paled as she watched him stroll into her apartment like he owned it. It had been five years since she'd last seen this man. Five years of hiding and he had found her. Five years, that felt like a lifetime ago.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" she demanded, her stomach churning.

His eyes softened a bit. "Now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

His accent was the same. Slow and Southern like a Georgia stream. It had once excited her to hear him speak, now it made her skin crawl. Abby stepped back once more. The room was no longer spinning. She took him in for the first time: he was still tall, still had muddy-river colored hair and ocean colored eyes, still had some kind of spark about him, but he looked older somehow, mostly in his face--what she could see of it beneath the tattered baseball cap he wore.

"You're not my friend..." Abby reminded him through gritted teeth.

He chuckled. "That's right. I was a Lover."

Abby swallowed hard. He was right. Damn him she may, but he was right. His name was Brady Hooper. He was a lot older now, mid thirties, but back in the day--10 or so years ago, to be exact--he had been Abby Walker's boyfriend, her one and only! Sure, she had just been a kid (barely 18) and he had been well into his twenties, but it was love. At least, that was what Abby had thought at the time. Now, she knew that she was just blind. She was blinded by someone who was evil. She had sworn to never be that foolish again. He had lived more in twenty years than she had lived in her entire life. He had gone to prison and she had decided right then and there that she would never be with him again, no matter what line he tried to use to seduce her back into his world.

"Brady, I want you to leave," Abby whispered.

Brady grinned, ignoring her pleas. "You were not easy to find, Abby. When you wanna disappear--Damn, Girl, you disappear."

Abby smirked at him. "I like to be a mystery."

"Oh, I know what you like..." He moved toward her.

Abby stepped back once more. She was running out of room. "Don't."

"You don't wanna play?" Brady asked, his voice dripping with a bit of Southern hospitality, if it hadn't have been tinged with sarcasm to boot.

Abby shook her head.

He stepped toward her once more.

Abby put her finger up. "I mean it, Brady. You better leave."

"I drove so far, though. All the way from Tennessee. I thought you'd be there, but you weren't. I did have a nice talk with your folks, though. They told me to leave you alone, too," he answered matter-of-fact.

"My Daddy should've shot you," Abby whispered.

Brady smiled, slow and wicked. "You know you don't mean that, now."

"I do."

"You would have your ol' man kill me?" Brady asked, innocently, stepping forward again. "I thought you loved me, Abby."

Abby hesitated. "I don't love you anymore, Brady. I've moved on. I think you aught to, too."

Brady laughed. "I did 5 years, Abby. I did 5 years for a crime I didn't commit. Just because they couldn't find the real killers. I think you owe me more than that."

Abby's eyes flashed. "I don't owe you damn thing! And you could have told the police who did it when they asked you. You could have told them who killed Jescyka."

"And what would have happened to me then? Hm? Would they have just let me go? Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? I would have been put through the ringer by the cops and then... Killed by the men who offed your sister," he told her.

"All I wanted was the truth. You treated me like I was nothing more than a good roll in the hay. How do you think that made me feel?" Abby demanded.

There were only inches between the two of them now. She could feel the tension as it rose between them. She didn't like where this was going. She feared that she might not be able to stop it. He had a power over her that she had never been able to shake free from. Sure, he was heartless and knew exactly who had murdered her sister, but Brady had been someone special to Abby once in her life. And now--Seeing him, after all the years they had spent apart, just brought back all of the memories she had been trying to forget.

Brady tilted his head to the side. "I loved you. That's why I didn't tell you who was after me."

"Yeah. And look what it got me. I lost you to the prison system. I lost my sister in cold-blood. I lost my father because he couldn't handle being on the police force anymore, knowing that Jescy's killer was out there somewhere and there was nothing he could do about it. Look at what your love got me!" Abby shouted.

Brady chuckled under his breath as he reach up and wiped his mouth. "You came and saw me when you were 23, remember that?"

Abby nodded.

"You told me that you would never forget me. Remember?"

"I haven't."

"Why not?" he stared into her eyes. "Because you still love me?"

"I promised myself I'd never forget you because of what you did to me. You taught me that love is only a four-letter word," she answered.

His face fell. "You miss me."

Abby shook her head. "I don't miss you. I sure as hell, don't want you, Brady. I don't want you now. Never again."

"You don't mean any of that, Abby. You're just confused, is all. I know you. I've been inside you. What we shared--It was good--wasn't it?" he spoke as he stepped toward her, closing the gap a bit more than she cared for.

There was no where for Abby to go. If she ran, he'd just follow her. She was trapped. She felt him as he brushed his fingertips up her arm. She could see his face; he looked older than he should have. Prison would do that to ya. It aged you carelessly. But his whole face wasn't clear beneath the baseball cap he wore. She smelled alcohol on his breath. Very distinct. Brady Hooper could be dangerous when he was drunk. She glanced around the living room for her gun. Damn, it was in her bag, which was in her bedroom. She'd never be able to get to it in time.

"Go away..." she whispered.

"I can't..." he whispered back.

Abby watched as he leaned over to her. He brushed his lips against her neck. She felt chills run down her spine, but she wasn't sure if they were from excitement or fear, she hoped they were from fear. His breath was warm against her skin--almost inviting, if she closed her eyes and remembered the way he used to be. She opened her eyes, remembering that this man was not the same man she had loved so long ago. Abby tried to move away, but he held her in place, pushing her back against the wall. She felt him push his weight into her. She felt something else brush against her leg. Abby was only wearing a thin t-shirt with grey shorts she had cut from a pair of old sweat pants.

"I've dreamed about you for so long, Abby. I missed you so badly. Every night I was in prison, I dreamed about you. And when I got out, I dreamed about you. I couldn't take it anymore. The dreamin' just wasn't enough. I had to come here. I had to find you," Brady whispered close to her ear. He nibbled at it as he spoke.

Abby didn't answer; she tried to move away from his mouth.

"What are you doin' here?" he continued. "Why ain't you in Tennessee with your folks? Why are you stayin' here where the worst thing in your life happened? Huh?"

"I have a job to do. I protect people from monsters like you," she answered.

He moved back a little from her, his eyes flashing. He studied her for a moment, then he grinned like a small child who knew a secret. His teeth were tinted yellow, probably from years of smoking. She tried to look away, but he tipped her chin up to him.

"I'm not a monster, Abby," he told her, his eyes looking sincere underneath the bill of his cap.

Abby snickered. "Really?"

Brady nodded.

"Yeah." She chuckled underneath her breath. "Looks like old habits die hard."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, confused.

"You still lie."

"You still talk too much..." he countered, his voice cold.

"I'm a Profiler. It's part of the job description."

"What do you profile?"

"Killers."

"Found your sister's yet?" Brady asked, leaning down next to her face, still holding her chin.

Abby pushed her head back against the wall with a dry laugh, she was becoming annoyed. "You're a bastard for talking about her like that."

"I have a father, Abby. I don't appreciate you talkin' about me in that way."

"Your father wanted you to confess. What does that say about you?" Abby smiled. She knew what pushed his buttons. Talking about his father would surely do the trick to piss him off.

He pushed her hard against the wall, then pushed his knee between her legs. She gasped feeling his knee as it pushed into her middle, harder than she'd care for. "You're a bitch, Abby. You know that?"

"Stop, Brady. Please..." Abby whispered.

"I did what I thought was right when it came to your sister." He pushed his knee in harder. Rolling it against her, applying pressure as he did so, parting her legs a bit wider. "I tried to help your family as best as I could, but I couldn't give them the names. Do you understand? Those men were after me and I had to do what I did in order to survive."

Abby groaned beneath his grip, tears spilling from her eyes from the pain he was inflicting on her down below.

He looked down. "You used to enjoy this."

Abby spit on him. "You killed her!"

"No. That's where you're wrong, Abby. I didn't kill Jescyka. You should have been home that night. They were looking for you, after all. If you'd been there, instead of Jescyka, then, you'd be the one six foot under," he corrected, ignoring the fact that she had just spit in his face.

Abby sobbed, choking it off before it got out control. She would not succumb to his abuse and let him know that she was in pain. She would survive. He was a criminal. Criminals were what she knew best.

"You still haven't come to grips with that?" he asked, sounding shocked.

Abby didn't answer.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Is this why you have a sick fascination with death?" Brady pushed her against the wall once more. It hurt like hell, hitting the back of her head when he did it, but Abby gritted her teeth and took it. "You always did have a sick imagination..."

"I'm not fascinated by it. I solve crimes."

"Sure you do. Tell yourself whatever you need to in order to sleep at night, Sweet-heart. I know you better than that, you fancy it. You thrive off it." He brushed his fingertips down her chest as he spoke. "I bet you enjoy this, too."

"I--"

"What?" Brady leaned over toward her once more, loosening his grip for the first time since he'd started.

"I don't like this."

"Sure you do, Baby. You always liked it rough. I remember. I was there with you."

"I was stupid then."

"You were fun..."

"You were a bad influence," Abby whispered.

"What do you want?" Brady asked, slowly.

"I want you to leave now."

"I can't leave. The party's just started."

"I'm going to call Horatio, if you don't leave."

"Caine? Really? How is that old fool?" Brady laughed.

"Don't talk about Horatio like that." Abby stared at him for a moment. Pleading in her eyes.

Brady watched her for a little while longer, enjoying the hold he had over her, then he let go of her, moving his knee from between her legs as he did so. He moved back. Abby let out a sigh of relief as she tried to catch her breath, her middle still sore from where his knee had been. She felt loose there, and she didn't like that feeling at all.

"Please leave," she whispered after a moment.

Brady glanced down at the coffee table. He looked up at Abby. "You goin' somewhere?"

Abby's mind raced. "No."

"You're lyin'."

"I'm not."

"You are. You touch your eye brow when you lie."

Abby moved her hand down from her eye brow. How could he have possibly remembered something like that? Something so trivial.

"I'm just--I'm thinkin' about there, is all."

"Really?" Brady smiled at her. "It's been so long since we've seen each other--what 5 years? We need to spend some time together. Catch up. You can't go to New York."

"You and me, we're not catchin' up."

"Can't I spend the night? I don't have anywhere to go or any money to rent a room with. Couldn't you give me that much?"

"No. I will not let you stay here."

"I need you. I miss you."

"I hate you."

"I still love you, Abby. Don't you see? I want to make love to you."

"You need help, Brady. You're sick. You don't deserve to be with anyone after what you did to my sister."

Brady sighed heavily. "I told you, I didn't kill your sister."

"You same as pulled the trigger when you wouldn't give up the names of the two men who were looking for you. You should have been with them. I bet you would have had a grand ol' time."

"I liked your sister, Abby."

Abby scoffed. "Of course you did."

"Why won't you forgive me?" Brady asked, slowly. Almost convincing, if it hadn't of been coming from him.

"Why are stalking me?" Abby demanded, her voice cold as ice.

"I'm not stalking you!"

"I'm not forgiving you!"

Brady stared at Abby for a moment longer, open mouthed.

"You enjoyed feeling me between your legs. I know you did."

Abby folded her arms over her chest. She glared at him, but said nothing. She didn't want him anywhere near her. He was lucky she hadn't hurt him. He was lucky was just letting him walk away.

Without another word, Brady turned and headed toward the door. He stepped through it; then, turned to her.

"You'll be sorry..." he warned.

Abby didn't answer. She stared at him, trying to convey as much hate as she possibly could through her eyes alone. He must have gotten the hint, because he left, slamming the door behind him.

After he was gone, Abby ran across the room, and locked her door back. She headed into her bedroom to get her gun and call Horatio. He told her that he was on his way and not to open the door until he got there. She hung up from her boss, feeling a little easier knowing he would keep his promise. But there was something else that hung over her, a new kind of fear. Brady Hooper knew where she lived. And she knew how determined Brady could get when he wanted something he could not have. He would stop at nothing to control her life once more.


and the plot thickens, hmm??