A/N: Hi folks. I know I promised you all some updates for my other stories, but Fred is wanting to get this one posted and completed before I get wrapped up in my other stories. I do have chapters in the works for them though - honest! This one just has two more chapters (after this one at least!) So we're nearly at the finished point. Just tying up loose ends, if you will.

I'm really enjoying those comments you guys have left. I really appreciate the thoughts. I hope you're all still enjoying this one... In the meantime, a quick thank you to: Alice Quarantine, 18lzytwner, brendanakai, rhymenocerous, cklovesm-m and afrozenheart412. You guys are great!

Let Me Fall – Josh Gracin

I watched you wave goodbye as you rode down our drive, without one single tear in your eyes. I tried to be strong, forced a smile, said: 'Girl, go on I'll be fine; don't you worry 'bout me.' But inside I was holdin' on and prayin' that you might see I'm all you'll ever need.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"For you to do what? Sit in a hotel room?"

"Well, I..." Danny's gaze fell to the tiled floor. "I dunno, I just figure you might need someone there with you."

The hustle and bustle of the busy departures terminal wasn't about to faze Danny, or at least so he told himself. While he didn't doubt Lindsay for a second; he couldn't help but worry about the sinking feeling in his gut as he realised just what was going on. He was fully aware of what he had to lose and refused to make the same mistake twice.

"I'm a big girl Danny, I can do it myself."

"I know you are," he offered her a smile. "But I just-"

"What?" she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

Danny sighed heavily, steeling himself as he prepared to reveal all of his reserves to her. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Nervous? Why are you nervous? You're not the one that's going." Lindsay reminded him, a hint of teasing filtering through her tone.

"So?" He implored. "He was a big part of your life for a while there."

"And?" A ghost of a smile tugged at Lindsay's lips, showing the evidence that she kind of knew where his concerns were heading but had decided against helping him out.

"And I'm scared that you're gonna go back and he's gonna tell you all these great things and be really sweet to you and sweep you off your feet like he did the first time, which will mean I'm gonna lose you again."

"Danny," she shook her head as she raised a hand to cup his cheek. "You're cute sometimes, you know that?"

He visibly blushed, much to his dismay. "I wasn't going for cute, Linds."

"I know," she nodded. "But Danny, I'm going to be gone for two days and I'll be back. I'm only going to get my stuff; nothing he can say or do will make me change my mind, okay? I love you and I've already told you I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, but it never hurts to hear it," he admittedly shyly. "Just, make sure you call me okay? And if he gives you a hard time-"

"What are you gonna do?" She teased, "Hop on the next plane out to Chicago? Teach him a lesson?"

"If that's what it takes." He shrugged. "You're my girl, Montana. I don't wanna lose you, not when I've only just got you back."

"You're not going to lose me, silly." Lindsay cupped his face. "Stop worrying, okay?"

"Okay." He sighed, "But remember Linds, I'll fly out if you need me. I didn't do it the first time, so I'm sure a chivalrous plane ride following you out is in order, I'm sure I'm due one now aren't I?"

"I think the Montana red-eye bought you a little time," she tapped his cheek affectionately before standing on her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his lips. "I'll be back before you know it." She promised.

"Well, I'll be here waiting I guess."

She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I'll see you in two days, Danny."

"See you in two days, Montana."

Driving through the same streets in her rental car was surreal. She'd driven the same roads for almost a year of her life, and they'd begun to feel like home. That was until she uprooted her life and headed back to New York.

When she'd left, she hadn't really thought about what it would mean for the rest of her belongings. When she'd stepped off the plane in New York, she had one carry-on bag. One. It wasn't much to sustain her for the month she'd been home. She'd cleverly packed some work attire, but she was beginning to get sick of the glancing looks as she turned up in the same outfit, yet again. It was surprising what people noticed; especially considering she was only working at the lab part time.

The pair of jeans she'd brought with her was beginning to fade from the amount of times she'd had to wash them and Danny's sweatpants were doing nothing for her. Not to mention she'd had enough of the awkward moments when she opened the door to the pizza delivery boy and she had to fight with the waistband, stopping the oversized sweats from falling down her slender hips. When she'd opened the door to Flack and his eyes had widened in shock at the low riding garment, she'd known it was time to bite the bullet and go and collect the rest of her belongings from their apartment.

It had taken her a while, but she'd gathered the courage and called him to ask if she could collect her things; which was admittedly an awkward conversation. Patrick had initially been excited to hear from her, but when the true intention for the phone call became apparent, his demeanour changed significantly, thus breaking Lindsay's heart a little. Even though he'd told her to go and follow her heart, the impact it'd had on him still filled her with guilt. He'd been nothing but wonderful to her and she'd left with the first chance she got.

Physically shaking the thoughts from her mind, she pulled into the building's underground parking and scanned her key-fob, allowing her to gain access. She wasn't entirely sure whether to expect Patrick or not. He'd told her to let herself in, considering it was just as much her place as it was his, but she still felt rude; like she was breaking an unwritten boundary that came with breaking up. As much as it was her place, she'd almost forfeited her right there when she left. As she pulled into what was technically still her parking spot she felt dread in her gut. He was home from work; his car was parked in his own parking space.

What had been collecting her belongings had now changed into a goodbye. A proper goodbye.

It was now or never.

Slipping her key into the lock, she took a deep breath as she turned the key and listened for the click that told her she'd successfully unlocked the door. She cleared her throat as she balanced the many boxes she'd somehow managed to haul into the elevator with her. She could hear movement from somewhere in the apartment and she felt nervous butterflies flutter in her stomach. She'd barely spoken to him, and hadn't seen him since they broke up. She'd moved on... and she really hoped that Patrick hadn't taken it too hard. Maybe even moved on himself?

She'd sent a quick message to Danny on her way up in the elevator, letting him know that she'd arrived at the apartment and for him to hold off on calling or texting while she was there because she wanted to get it over and done with as soon as she possibly could, to which he'd replied with an okay, good luck and that he loved her. She'd sensed he'd wanted to say more but had obviously decided against it. Of which she was thankful for.

"Patrick?" she called out softly, making him aware of her presence.

"I'm in the bedroom, Linds." He replied with a nonchalance that gave Lindsay a sense of Déjà vu. They'd said the same words to one another numerous times throughout their eighteen months together. She shut the door softly and made her way through the apartment. While she'd been rebuilding her life in New York, Patrick had kept their apartment surprisingly clean with nothing out of place and very little mess. Although really, she should have expected as such; he'd always been meticulous with the way that he presented their living space.

She ended up leaning against the doorjamb of the bedroom and offered him a soft smile as her eyes fell on him gazing down at a picture. "Hey." She said as a way of making him aware of her presence.

He looked up and she could see him physically exhale. He placed the picture on the bed next to him and stood. He crossed the bedroom floor with ease and let out a sigh as he stood mere inches from her. "Would it be too weird to ask for a hug?"

She offered him a soft smile and shook her head. "No," she said, opening up her arms and closing the distance between them. "Hey," she said once again.

"Linds," he sighed as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "It's good to see you."

"You too," she said sadly, noting that he felt thinner in her arms. "How have you been?"

"Okay," he said against her skin. She could feel his lips lingering on the crook of her neck; an area he'd kissed countless times before. She held her breath and could only hope he didn't; not because she'd be tempted or would feel like she couldn't trust herself, but because she had subconsciously hoped on some level that Patrick had been able to move on. Even just a little. Kissing her in an intimate area screamed loud and clear that he was far from moving on.

As the seconds passed, she realised their embrace was bordering on longer than just a hello greeting and she began to move away subtly. He released her with little resistance and Lindsay spied a few unshed tears in his glistening eyes. "Sorry," he instantly apologised when he saw the look of concern and discomfort splashed across her face. "I didn't realise how hard this was going to be."

She nodded slowly, and reached out to stroke his arm affectionately. "I know, and I'm sorry." She apologised not just verbally, but with her eyes too.

"I know you are," he whispered with a shrug before clearing his throat. "So listen, I started packing some stuff up. I got your email about the shipment of your stuff. I called the movers to confirm for you, I knew you probably had anyway but thought I'd double check."

"Thanks," she smiled and squeezed his arm. "You didn't have to start packing things though Patrick."

"I know," he shrugged. "I just wanted to help you."

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh as her words hit her hard in her chest. He really was just a good guy; a good guy who'd had his heart broken.

"You look happy," he said, breaking her silence. "I'm guessing you made the right decision going back."

"We don't have to talk about that." She shook her head, instantly feeling uncomfortable. "The last thing you want to listen to is me talking about Danny."

"You said that on the night I met you." He smiled sadly. "I might surprise you."

"I really don't want to go into it, Patrick." She reiterated. "It's not fair on you; I feel guilty enough as it is and I'm not about to subject you to that."

"Just let me know two things." He said.

She sighed and crossed her arms as she leaned against the frame, letting it take her weight. "Alright fine," she sighed. "Two things."

"Has he changed?"

Lindsay exhaled and fought the smile that crept to her lips. "So much, he's a different person now."

"How so?" Patrick pressed.

"Well, he's attentive and he cares and he realises exactly where he went wrong." Lindsay offered as an explanation. "And he's a lot more open about things too. He's everything I wanted him to be and more."

Patrick smiled sadly and nodded. "Does he love you?"

Lindsay licked her lips and took a deep breath. "With all of his heart."

"That's all I wanted to hear." Patrick rubbed her arm affectionately. "I'll get out of your way so you can get your stuff packed up. Everything's where you left it, and don't even worry about going through my stuff to check; go ahead. I'm gonna run to the store for a bit. Do you need anything?"

"No thanks," she smiled as he moved past her to leave the room. She turned as he walked past her and watched him make his way to the door. "Patrick?" she called out to him, making him stop in his tracks instantly.

"Yeah?"

She felt it bubbling through her and she couldn't stop it. She knew she shouldn't say it. But she did. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Linds."

She was regretting it, but she couldn't help it. She just wanted to be gone. She'd deal with creased shirts and slacks later. She just needed to make it as painless as possible. She needed to make it as quick as possible.

She'd managed to clear out the majority of the closet before she heard the key twist in the lock, indicating Patrick's return from the store. She offered him a hello as he made his way to the kitchen with his two bags of groceries, but when she didn't receive a greeting in return, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. So, she grabbed the remaining articles of clothing and pulled them all off their hangers abruptly and shoved them into her bag, zipping it up. She stood and heaved the heavy bag onto her suitcase, enabling her to transport the bags easily down to her car in the parking garage.

She wheeled the two bags through the apartment silently and let herself out; letting her deal with her thoughts in the time it took her to ride the elevator down and pack her bags into the trunk of her car. She had been under no false pretence that everything today would be easy. She'd anticipated some resurfacing feelings that unnerved her; after all, she still cared for Patrick. She'd spent a lot of time with him; most of it being simple one on one time after they'd moved to Chicago. She had no one else really, and he only had the people he worked with; who had already formed in a tight knit group, which effectively made him an outcast.

They'd gotten on spectacularly from the first night they'd met and they'd quickly become the other's best friend. So for her to go from him being her everything to not seeing him, not talking to him at all had hurt her heart, even if she dared not to admit it out loud. Those kind of feelings had landed her in this situation in the first place. She was making a habit of playing with people's feelings and she refused to carry on going down that path. She loved Danny and she always had. She belonged with Danny. With Danny, she was at home. But she couldn't deny the way she still cared for Patrick.

It was the feelings that were frustrating her. They had been non-existent until she'd seen him again. She hadn't even paid him a second thought really. She'd thought about him now and then, wondering how he was; she'd debate picking up the phone to call him and check in. But then she'd be wrapped up with something else and she wouldn't. Or her thoughts would then drift to Danny.

Danny. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. God, she missed him. Since she'd returned to New York, she'd barely spent a second away from him. Making up for lost time, was what they'd affectionately labelled their obsession to be with the other. And it was a nice feeling. And what astounded her the most about the way things had gone was that they hadn't even really been that intimate with one another. They'd fooled around countless times, but both of them had abruptly stopped it before it could get any further. While it would do no harm to them, and they could both benefit from the connection, they both realised that last time they'd slept together, it hadn't been on the best grounds. This time, they wanted to do it properly. They wanted to make sure they were both in the right place before fully committing themselves with everything they had to one another.

The only thing protesting her constantly being with Danny was her bank account. When she'd arrived back in New York, she'd decided on renting a fully-furnished apartment on a month to month lease just to have somewhere to call home while she re-settled herself and gathered back her furniture and personal items.

The further she got lost in her thoughts about Danny, the less angst and upset she felt. She felt her longing and heartbreak seemingly evaporate from her person; which left her with only one option. She pulled out her cell phone and began typing Danny's name, bringing up his number on her screen. She pressed the green call button, and held the phone to her ear as she waited for him to answer.

"Messer."

"Hey Danny," She sighed as she leant against the wall, deciding against ascending up the stairs for now. "It's me."

"Hey baby, how's it goin'? You done already?"

"No, not exactly, I just got the last of my clothes in the car. I've got little bits around the apartment that I need to box up."

"Ah got'cha, well, is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said, splitting the syllables of the word. "Yeah, things are okay I guess."

"You guess? Tell me the truth, Montana."

"It sucks." She admitted. "I wasn't under the impression we'd get on like a house on fire or anything, but I just... I feel really guilty."

"I know baby," he sighed. "And I'm sorry that you've gotta go through this; that I put you through this. Is he being okay with you though?"

"Yeah, yeah." She assured him adamantly. "He's being really nice all things considering. He's even packed a few boxes up for me. He called the shipping company to confirm and stuff. He's trying even though I know it's hard for him."

"Classy guy." Danny commented.

"Danny!" she chastised him. "Come on, I need your support, not you mouthing off. Don't be a jerk about him. He works differently than you do."

"Babe, I'm not mouthin' off!" he protested her claims. "I'm being serious. He seems like he's bein' classy about it. Not givin' you a hard time, tryin' to help, you've gotta give it to the guy. I think I'd have taken more of a childish route. I can just see me unpackin' your stuff as you pack it."

"Well that's you, and we both know what you're like." She giggled. "I guess I just needed to hear your voice, that's all. There's a lot of emotions I didn't realise I had and they're scaring me a little bit."

"Well, I'm right here," his accent filled her with butterflies. "I'm here and I ain't goin' anywhere, k? And it's okay to be sad and upset and all that, you were with him for a long time, and you probably'd still be with him if it wasn't for my stupid ass messin' with your head."

"Probably." She smirked when she heard him huff down the line. "I'm kidding." She sing-songed, lightening the mood. "You know I love you, Danny."

"I love you too, sweetheart. Keep your chin up and it'll be okay."

"Okay." She smiled. "I'll speak to you later; I better go because the quicker I get this done-"

"-The quicker you can get out of there, I know." He chuckled. "Give me a call later on, k? I got outta work, so I'm free whatever time you call."

"You're out of work already?" she gasped. "What?"

"Yeah, there was jack all to do other than paperwork so I grabbed a whole bunch of files and asked Mac if I could head out and he was fine with it."

"Lucky for some!" she growled. "You always get the easy end of the stick. What about the rest of the team? Did Abby escape?"

"You're stalling." Danny's tone dropped slightly, "are you sure you don't need me there, Linds?"

"It'd be nice, don't get me wrong," she began. "But there's no need for you to waste your time, not to mention money! I'm only here for today and tomorrow. It's no big deal."

"A simple yes or no would have sufficed." He teased her lightly. "If you need me, just text me okay? I'll be on the next plane out."

"I know." She smiled. "Thanks Danny."

"Anytime baby," he said. "I love you, a lot, you know that right?"

"I do, and I love you too."

Lindsay made her way back to the apartment with a small smile on her face. She didn't have to do much more before she could leave. The shipment company would be picking her stuff up tomorrow afternoon and she'd receiving everything in New York by Friday; giving her a lovely task on her next day off of unpacking and arranging everything in her apartment.

She went for the handle of the front door and sighed as she realised she'd left her keys inside. She knocked her knuckles against the wood, listening for Patrick's footsteps. Within a few seconds he'd unlocked the door and was opening it wide enough for her to be able to make her way inside. She cast her eyes to his hands as he was carrying something worn and tattered; something she hadn't seen in a few months.

"Can I keep this?" Patrick asked, holding up the battered baseball mitt that he'd once inquired about when they were packing up Lindsay's apartment back in New York.

"That?" she blinked her heart racing in her chest as he closed the door behind her."Why?"

"Because..." he trailed off.

"Why though?" she implored as she picked up a box and moved into the living room, picking up ornaments and wrapping them in newspaper. She cast her eyes up to Patrick and watched as he ran his fingers over the material thoughtfully, trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy her. As he did so, she continued to wrap up her belongings in last week's newspaper and arranged the assorted items in the huge shipping box she'd picked up on her way over to his apartment. Although she wanted an answer, she gave him the space she needed. The silence also gave her the chance to come up with a reason as to why he couldn't keep the one thing he was asking for.

Finally, he broke the silence. "I... I know this means a lot to you, and I figured you would want to take it back with you, but I saw how your eyes lit up when I asked you about it in your apartment and I knew that it was special to you. That's why I insisted we put it on display out here in the living room. I know it's stupid, but I just... I know you've moved on, but it's proving to be a little harder for me."

"Patrick," Lindsay sighed, realising what her answer had been the entire time. "I have to be honest with you, I really don't think you want that."

"Why wouldn't I want it?"

"When I told you that was my brother's... I might not have exactly told you the truth."

Patrick grimaced as he glanced down to the tattered mitt. "This isn't your brother's, is it?"

"No," she shook her head.

"Wasn't there someone you mentioned about baseball and the minor leagues?" Patrick closed his eyes as he tried to recall the conversation they'd once shared. By the time a few seconds had elasped he'd opened his eyes and she could see the realisation in his eyes. "Danny was a minor league baseball player wasn't he?"

She nodded.

"It's Danny's, isn't it?"

She nodded again.

He threw the mitt into the box she'd been placing her belongings in with a growl. "I can't believe you lied to me." he said with a low voice, clearly full of betrayal, with what she could only assume was hurt too.

"I know," she ran her fingers through her hair, "And I'm sorry but I couldn't part with it, I wasn't ready to let it go."

"Wasn't ready to let go of the memories, or wasn't ready to let go of him?"

"Does it matter anymore?" she asked him, her tone soft.

"It matters." He said quietly. "It matters to me."

"Honestly?" She paused. "I don't think I was ready to let go of him."

Patrick sighed, his chest heaving as he inhaled and exhaled heavily. Clearly that hadn't been the answer he wanted. "So what stopped you from telling me the truth?" he implored.

"Nothing, I had no reason to tell you that it was my brother's. That wasn't fair of me. I trusted you enough with the truth about everything else and you were fine about everything so I should have just told you. I know you would have been fine about it now; I just didn't want to push my luck. There are only so many things you can say before you start getting on your own nerves, and I'd gotten to that point, you know?"

"I don't know, actually." Patrick shook his head. "I think I've been pretty understanding about all of this Linds, but this draws the line. There was no reason to lie to me. I never gave you any reason to feel like you had to lie to me, did I?"

"No, and it was a bad call on my part," she admitted. "You've been amazing, and we both know that and I shouldn't have done that to you. You didn't deserve that. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. You caught me off guard and I didn't want you thinking I was still hung up on Danny when I was about to move in with you in a completely different state."

"But you were still hung up on Danny," He pointed out. "So maybe we would have dodged a load of problems had we realised then."

"Maybe," she admitted. "But we wouldn't have had those months together that we did."

"It just hurts," he said quietly. "It hurts to know that you lied to me. I thought we were better than that. We were always honest with one another, or at least I thought we were. What else did you lie to me about?"

"Nothing," she said. "And you know that."

"Do I?" He implored.

"Yeah," she nodded, staying calm. "You know that."

"I like to think so, but now I'm not too sure."

Lindsay sighed as she turned back to the ornaments on the shelf.

"Don't you have anything to say?" he inquired to her back.

"What do you want me to say?" she returned, continuing on with her mammoth task of collecting together picture frames, statues and other little miscellaneous items that she'd collected over the years.

"I don't know, that you're sorry? You wish that you hadn't made the mistake of moving out here? You haven't said anything other than you miss me. Not really. I mean talk about mixed messages, Lindsay."

At that point, she turned and dropped the few sheets of newspaper she had left to the top of the slowly filling box. "Well, I even now don't think I made a mistake in moving out here. I think I made a mistake in how I went about leaving. I was very irresponsible and I'll admit that. I dropped everything and didn't even think about the bigger picture; but I'm not sorry I left. I wasn't happy here and I was lying to myself, and to you. Danny was the one I wanted to be with and that wasn't fair on you. You deserve to be someone's everything, not my second best. So yes, I'm sorry for what I did to you, and I'm sorry that you have to go through this now, but I don't regret anything. I don't regret our relationship and the time we spent together."

"You're not mad about wasting the time with me that you could have spent with Danny?"

"I didn't waste my time with you."

"You would have preferred to be with Danny." Patrick snapped. "And don't tell me otherwise, Linds. We both know it."

"Maybe in my heart I did, but we both know that staying with Danny would have been the worst decision I could have made. Maybe I shouldn't have jumped in a relationship with someone else, but I'm glad that I did because the time I spent with you was special."

"But I wasn't ever the one you pictured yourself with."

"Actually, right up until the very end you were always the one I pictured. I loved you Patrick, I did. I just loved Danny more."

"Have you slept with him yet?"

"What?" Lindsay cried. "Patrick, that's way personal and absolutely unnecessary."

"Have you?"

"Patrick!"

"Linds, just answer the question."

Sighing, Lindsay shook her head. "No Patrick, it's got nothing to do with you."

"Yes it does," he said. "Just tell me, I want to know."

"Why? To torture yourself a little more?"

"I just need to know." He shrugged. "I need to know whether, whether... I don't know what I need. I just need some type of closure, Linds. Can't you give me that?"

"And you'd get that by finding out I'd slept with Danny again?"

"I won't know until I find out."

"Alright then," she shrugged, her initial resistance in sharing intimate details slipping away at as she absorbed his pleading eyes. "Honestly, no we haven't. And not that it's any of your business but we wanted to wait to make sure that we were both in the right place before we start sleeping together again. I don't know what kind of closure you need Patrick, but I hardly think that's it."

"You're right." He said in a tone she'd not heard from him before. "I don't wanna hear it; I'm just torturing myself here."

"Patrick, you asked me to tell you, so I did and I'm sorry that wasn-"

"That's enough Lindsay, just leave it."

"Patrick!" She cried. "You said th-"

"No, not that; just leave it." He cut her off as he gestured to the wall unit. "Everything, just leave all of it. I'll do it, just go Lindsay."

"I can't ask you to-"

"No, but I'm telling you to." Patrick interrupted her. "I thought I could deal with this, seeing you, seeing you smile and be happy. Hearing you say that you love him; talking about sleeping with him again and seeing that excitement in your eyes... that's what I thought I wanted for you, but I can't. I can't deal with seeing you, Linds. It still hurts. I still miss you. So I'll pack this up. I promise. I'll make sure all of your stuff is there, and ready to be shipped, and if I miss anything I'll forward it on to the address you give them, okay? Just, do this for me, please?"

"But why?"

"Because," Patrick cried. "I can't do this. I can't watch you pack everything away. I can't see you moving on when I'm not ready yet! I loved you with everything I had, but it just wasn't good enough." His tone had dropped an octave, returning to his usual tone of voice as he lamely attempted to reign in his emotions. "I'm just sorry you couldn't love me the same way that I loved you."

"Patrick-"

"Don't Lindsay," he whispered. "Just let me be mad with you, okay? Let me be hurt."

"But Patrick-"

"Every time I hear your voice Lindsay, I can't get mad. I can't get myself riled up like I want to be, so just stop okay? I want to get mad and I can't do that because I can't be mad with you. When you called and said you were wanting to come back to Chicago, my heart stopped. I thought that you were up for giving us another chance, that maybe you'd made a mistake... but then when I realised it was to get the rest of your things, it was like I'd lost you all over again. I really hoped that I would be the one you wanted, but I'm not and I get it now. I really want to let you go, and the only way I can do that is to paint this image in my head of you being something that you weren't. If I convince myself you were this horrible vindictive little thing then I think I could do it. I think I could let you go again. But, I've been trying and I just – I can't. I thought I could do this, but I can't. You need to go."

She was going to protest his pleas, but when she looked him in the eyes, she sighed and realised she couldn't deny him what he so obviously wanted. She knew him being home from work was odd, and obviously he'd wanted to see her. He'd wanted some form of closure from their relationship; which made sense considering the harsh and abrupt nature to which it had ended in. But it appeared now that his form of closure was going to be packing up her things. She laid her set of keys on the coffee table and let out a sigh as she ran her eyes over the living room one last time.

She opened her mouth, but promptly closed it. Instead of offering him a verbal goodbye, she ran her hand over his face and cupped it affectionately. She rubbed her thumb over his rugged cheek and let out a sigh before turning on her heel and picking up her purse from the couch. Silently, Lindsay made her way through the apartment and shut the door behind her.

And if she trained her ears, she could hear Patrick's soft cries from behind the door.

Driving back to the hotel, Lindsay felt numb. She hadn't seen Patrick cry throughout the entire time they'd been together, and he'd held his tears off until she shut the door for the final time on their relationship. Hearing his cries had really driven their breakup home, which had in turned sparked tears in herself. While she was completely happy with her decision to be with Danny and didn't question it for one second, she couldn't help but feel sad at what hadn't worked out. She'd unwittingly inflicted a lot of hurt on someone who wanted nothing but to love her. Patrick hadn't deserved the heartbreak he'd ended up with. But he had. And even though she desperately wanted to fix it for him, there was nothing she could do. He had to do this by himself.

It didn't stop her from feeling like utter crap though.

She'd ignored a few calls from Danny and had decided against going back to the hotel straight away. She'd taken a detour and had driven past the various haunts that she and Patrick had frequented in their time together in the city. She'd ventured towards the Deli that they loved, their usual Chinese take-out. She drove past the coffee shop that was half way between where she worked, and where he worked so that they could share a cup of coffee together at some point in the day. She'd driven past the restaurant he'd taken her to, to celebrate her getting a job with the lab. She'd then parked up and made her way towards the Willis Tower, sitting on a nearby bench and had simply stared up at the skyscraper, as she basked in the memories that the sight held for her.

Admittedly, she shed a few tears as she remembered the memories that the building held. But then she dug a little deeper and realised that actually, those warm and fuzzy feelings that were resurfacing weren't entirely true. At the very top of the building she realised that her heart was with someone else. And in the Deli, her order had always been a Turkey club, with all the trimmings; which had always, always been Danny's sandwich. When they had gotten take-out, she'd always eaten it with a fork, like Danny had; despite her ability to eat with chopsticks. In the coffee shop, she never put cinnamon on her coffee like she loved just because it reminded her of all the times that Danny had brought her some coffee as a sweet and thoughtful gesture and he'd added just a touch of cinnamon because he knew she liked it. When she looked at skyscrapers, she saw Danny. Danny was in everything that she did; she just hadn't realised it at the time. So while all the places she'd been to held special memories for her, they were always undermined by a memory connected to Danny too.

Patrick had been exactly what she needed right when she'd needed him. But it hadn't been enough. In the long run the person she'd needed was, and always had been Danny.

She quickly straightened her outfit as she stood from the bench she'd been sat on. She wasn't going to be sad anymore. She'd decided on sending a card to Patrick after she received her stuff from him on Friday, thanking him for his kindness, his love and whatever else happened to come to mind once her pen touched the paper.

And until then, she was going to focus on herself.

And Danny.

"Oh, Ms Monroe, a quick word."

Lindsay double-backed from where she'd been headed to the elevator that would take her up to her room, she approached the front desk and smiled politely. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, everything's fine. There was a message left for you while you were out. From a Mr. Messer?"

"Oh," she smiled brightly. "What did he say?"

The girl tried to fight her huge smile, her professionalism clearly slipping. "That he has looked into red-eye flights and they're currently holding a sale, so if you need for him to fly in, he's ready to go."

Lindsay couldn't help the giggle that bubbled out of her. "That won't be necessary." She answered. "Thank you, I'll be sure to call him. I hope he didn't give you a hard time."

"Oh no, not at all." The receptionist smiled. "He was quite charming actually. In fact, he's arranged a little surprise in the dining room. I can have those bags sent up to your room for you Ms Monroe."

"Are you sure?" she glanced down to the two huge and overstuffed items of luggage.

"Absolutely," she smiled, clicking her fingers above her head, indicating for a concierge to transport Lindsay's bags to her room. "You'll be directed to your surprise once you reach the dining room. Enjoy." She finished with a smile.

Lindsay, quite baffled, turned on her heel and listened to her heart race as her heels clipped over the tiles of the hotel's lobby. She had no idea what on earth Danny had planned and she dreaded to even think of possible things that he'd arranged all the way from New York.

She arrived at the Dining room and glanced into the vast room, trying to gain some indication of what this surprise was.

"Ms. Monroe?" The maître-d inquired to which she nodded enthusiastically, perhaps going as far as too enthusiastically. He managed to hide a smirk well and held his arm out, directing her into the hotel's high-end restaurant. "You have quite the surprise. We've imported it from the East Coast it seems."

She had her suspicions but instantly shook them from her head. Getting her hopes banked up on Danny being there was only going to land her in a big pile of disappointment. She'd told him not to come and as much as she would have liked him here tonight to offer her hugs and kisses of comfort and support, she knew that she'd done this herself, and she couldn't expect him to be there.

"Your surprise is just around that corner. Enjoy."

She offered her thanks before she rounded the corner. A male was sat at the table she'd been told to aim towards and as her eyes soaked the image in, she couldn't help but smile. She knew that little bald patch and leather jacket from a mile away.

"Daniel Messer." She shook her head and raised her voice, making him turn so he was facing her with the biggest grin she thought she'd ever seen on him. "I could kill you! Are you genetically programmed to ignore everything I say? Do you ever listen to me?"

He stood from the table as she, without shame, jogged towards him and collided with his chest. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, squeezing him and peppering his face with kisses in her excitement to see him. He managed to pry himself out of her death grip and winked playfully at her as he settled her in the seat opposite him. "Hey baby. I missed you too." He said smoothly, dropping a kiss to her temple before taking his own seat.

She simply shook her head. "What the hell are you doing here?" she inquired, reaching across the table for his hand and linking her fingers through his. "I told you that you didn't need to come."

"I know," he sighed, "But see, like I told you, I got off work early and I was wracking my brains, tryin' to come up with somethin' for dinner but I couldn't think of anythin'. So then I started thinkin' about goin' out to eat, but there wasn't anythin' I wanted there either."

"So you came to Chicago for dinner instead?"

"Somethin' like that." He smirked. "I hear that the pizzas are impressive... wanted to see whether they beat New York's."

Running her thumb over his hand, she couldn't help the constant string of giggles that flittered out of her. "I can't believe you."

"Neither can I! Anyone would think I've got a thing for airports."

"I think you do." she quipped. "It's a borderline obsession."

"Well, I gotta keep chasin' after you, so ya win some, ya lose some." he whispered as he raised her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "I missed you way too much and I figured that because I was too chicken to fly out and bring you back with me last time, I needed to make up for that this time."

"I told you before though that you didn't need to do that, Danny. It's a long way for you to come just for one night."

"What's a long way when it's you I'm doing it for? And hey, I only had to come to Chicago this time... It felt like a breeze compared to Montana." he squeezed her hand. "Just don't get any ideas, alright? Don't be flying off to Australia or anythin' like that. I draw the line at international flights."

"Noted." She smirked at him. "So, you just took off just like that? Booked a ticket and left New York?"

"Somethin' like that," he nodded. "Lucky for me I had two days booked off work. What a coincidence, huh?"

"Hmm, that is lucky." She glanced at him through her lashes. "Anyone would think you'd planned it."

"I wouldn't do such a thing. Premeditated plans are far too romantic. I prefer spur of the moment romantic gestures. " He smirked at her, his features telling her something completely different to what he was verbally claiming. "So, what do you think is good here?" he questioned picking up the menu and opening it with his free hand.

Lindsay shook her head as she too opened her menu with one hand and let her eyes scan the wide array of culinary masterpieces on offer. She had to admit, as much as she had protested her requirement for him to join her in Chicago, after today she realised that she could really do with a little support. He was after all the reason why she was here. And as she soaked in his tired face, she knew that deep down, he knew that too. If she had to dig up her past and pack it up in boxes then it was only fair he was here for that too; offering her the support he hadn't the first time.

And although she'd had a tough day, she knew for a fact that her night was about to get a hell of a lot better.