Spoiler Alert: Spoilers for Seasons 2 & 3, up to and including "Silent Night".

A/N: Thanks goes out, as always, to all my reviewers who argue and push and question me, and to the readers who keep coming back. You all keep this story, and this writer, going.

Disclaimer: No infringement of copyright is intended. All characters originated with CSI:NY; all song lyrics are from The Beatles.

It's A Long Journey Home

Chapter 45: Taking Her Away

You're going to lose that girl

I'll make a point

Of taking her away from you, yeah

The way you treat her what else can I do?

Lindsay took one look at Danny's frozen face and buried her face in her hands.

"No, no, don't cry. Lindsay," Danny put his hands around her face and coaxed her to look at him, "What exactly did you tell him?"

"He said I should go with him, that he could keep me safe. He said that whoever was after me would go after you first, try to get you out of the way. He said he knew a place where we could be safe, and you could go back home and I wouldn't have to worry about you…" Lindsay's exhausted voice ran out as Danny's mouth came down on hers.

It was gentle, it was loving, and it really shouldn't, Danny considered, have made Lindsay cry harder.

"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, and nothing is going to happen to me." He whispered it against her lips as he ended the kiss.

"He just kept saying it." Her eyes were wide, drowning in tears, as she looked into his. " 'You don't want Messer to end up like the rest, do you? You don't want him to end up dead trying to protect you, do you? Not like Cam. Not dead like Cam.' Finally, I told him I was going away."

"Did you tell him where?" Danny asked calmly.

"No," her hand came up and caressed his cheek. "He asked. I said I didn't know, just that it was somewhere safe."

"This is important, Lindsay. Did you tell him who you were going with?"

She closed her eyes, obviously playing back the conversation. "He said I should get out of the hospital and go into hiding. I said that was the plan. He smiled and said he had the perfect place, and that he would arrange to get me out of the hospital today. I said the plan was already underway, and that I needed him to stay in Bozeman and work the case. He said he was the best person to take care of me, and that I should just let him deal with everything."

She opened her eyes and looked into Danny's face seriously. "He said he should be the one to look after me because he loved me. He said he had always loved me."

She touched Danny's cheek again, smoothing away the pain she saw on his face.

"What did you say?" Danny forced himself to ask the question.

"I laughed. John McKim never loved me, Danny. Liked me, sure. Happy enough about working with me, okay. But love me? Not now, not ever. Even when he was saying it, there was nothing there. I looked into his eyes and they were just blank. Not cruel, not angry, not loving, not even – you know – wanting. Just … nothing."

She shuddered, and crept a little closer to Danny's warmth, tucking her head into the crook of his neck. He felt her soft breath on his throat, and felt her body yielding against his. He wrapped his arms around her and held on.

And just like that, the feeling of floating in outer space ended; his feet touched the earth again, and he was back on solid ground.

"Wait a minute. What was it McKim kept saying? Something about dying to protect you? Something about Cam? Did he mean Cameron? Cameron Johnston?" Danny pushed Lindsay's face up to look at him again, trying to see her eyes.

She blinked sleepily, "Yeah. Cameron Johnston. He was my boyfriend in high school. He was shot, right in front of me. He was trying to push me behind the counter, so that Forbes couldn't shoot me. Forbes shot him in the head." She had started to shake so hard that Danny gripped her tight, afraid she would fall apart.

"His blood … brain matter. All over me." She made a little mewling sound deep in her throat and dug her head back into Danny's shoulder.

"I know. I know, baby. I am sorry. So sorry." He rubbed her back and made soothing noises until she had calmed down a little, then as gently as he could, he said, "Did John McKim know Cameron Johnston?"

She murmured low, eyes closed and breathing deep, "Of course he did. Cameron was his nephew."

"His nephew?" Danny said, surprised.

"John's dad was, like, twenty when his sister, Cameron's mom, was born. So John was an uncle when he was two years old. Cameron was a senior when he was … when he died."

Danny narrowed his eyes. So how did the picture change now? Maybe not at all, but it was another piece of evidence to send off to Mac and the NY team. Could this be another piece of information 'everyone knew', so didn't write down? Or was this important?

Lindsay made a little distressed noise, and he noticed the pain on her face. "Let's get out of here, okay? We have a long way to go yet." He smoothed her hair back from her face.

"Danny?" Her voice dragged, as if she was nearly asleep.

"Montana?" He mocked her gently.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

She relaxed against his body, and he realized she had gone completely limp against him. Alarmed, he looked into her face, but quickly realized she really had just gone to sleep. With a wry grin, he moved carefully out of the booth, pulling her gently to the edge of the seat with him, then turned and lifted her into his arms, carrying her towards the door of the restaurant.

She had lost weight, he realized, since the first time he had lifted her in his arms and carried her across a roof, even since the last time he had lifted her in his arms and swept her to her bedroom. She seemed too small suddenly, more child than woman. When he looked at her face, he saw the crime scene photos taken thirteen years ago: a teenage girl who looked years younger than her age.

Jamie leapt to open the door, "What happened?"

"Cried herself to sleep. She told McKim she was taking off, Jamie. If he's the one," he made an impatient noise as both Jamie and Mick shook their heads, "Yeah, yeah, I know – he's her friend, he wasn't here when it happened, blah, blah, blah. I just found out he was also Cameron Johnston's uncle. In my family, that means something. I need Mac Taylor to know that too, and anything else we haven't been told because 'everyone knows that'."

He glared at them impatiently as they shared doubtful looks. "Are you willing to risk her life on McKim? Trust him enough to risk her?"

The brothers followed him out to the parking lot, where there were two trucks side by side. Jamie quickly opened one door, and helped Danny put Lindsay into the back seat, pulling the seatbelt over her, and then tucking pillows and blankets in around her to keep her comfortable.

"No," Mick finally admitted, as Danny turned back and glared at him. "I don't trust him enough to risk her."

"Okay, then. I need you to go back as soon as possible and keep an eye on McKim. John knows I don't trust McKim, but he thinks that's more … personal. Thing is, Lindsay isn't sure about him either anymore. Tell John, okay? That's two votes. Can I find this place on my own?"

Jamie and Mick looked at each other, then reluctantly nodded. "With directions, yes." Jamie said. "But there's snow coming. I don't think it's a good idea."

Danny turned to look him full in the face, "No, it probably isn't. But it's the only idea I have at the moment. I need to get her away, and I need you guys to run interference. There's something weird going on here; you guys have a better chance at finding out what it is than I do. Are all the supplies in this truck?"

Mick shook his head, "Not quite all."

"Let's move them then, and I'll go. You get back and help your brother. This can only end one of two ways, boys, and we definitely want the riding off into the sunset ending here, right? I'm not equipped for the shoot out at the OK Corral."

While Mick moved supplies, Jamie drew a quick map showing Danny the roads to take. "It's a small cabin just outside of Yellowstone National Park. There is some limited cell service in the park, so you may be able to access it if you go a few miles down the road this way," Jamie drew an arrow on the map, and handed it over along with the keys to the cabin.

"Okay. Any tricks with this cabin I need to know about?"

"Wood stove, electric light: this is the phone number if you need to give it out to anyone. It's fully stocked with emergency supplies; it's a hunter's cabin in the season. You'll be okay." Mick's voice was more confident than his eyes were.

"And if I'm not, I got Montana to help me. Take off, boys. Keep McKim off my back. I don't know what game he's playing, but there is more going on here than the obvious. Stay in touch with the team in New York; they'll be able to do more than the Bozeman office, even if everyone in it isn't dirty as last week's laundry."

"That reminds me," Jamie handed Danny the fax from Mac, which had arrived just after Ted and Danny had left the ranch. It was several pages long, and Danny folded it up to look over later.

Mick tossed him the keys, "Tank's full, and there're places to fill up. You got cash?"

"Yeah, lots. We go off grid as far as possible as of now." Danny started to get into the truck, then turned back to Jamie and Mick. "I'll take care of her. I promise."

Mick said gruffly, "That a guarantee, Messer?"

"Solid gold, man."

"Good enough. Try to stay in touch if you can. Otherwise, we'll let you know if there are breaks in the case."

Danny nodded, not trusting his voice enough to speak again, climbed into the cab, and started the engine. He glanced down at the map on the seat beside him, checked on Lindsay in the back seat, then pulled out of the parking lot, giving a small salute to the Monroe brothers as he did.

Mick clapped Jamie on the shoulder after the truck disappeared down the road. "Come on. Let's get back. They'll be okay."

Jamie looked at him seriously, "I can't help but feel we just shoved them off on a desert island or something."

"Well, let's go see who gets voted off the home island next, shall we?" Mick shook him a little and grinned.