Disclaimer: you know the spiel.
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: Boo : :
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Kids were running the streets screaming at the top of their lungs, Masks on their faces, toilet paper in their bags, and shaving cream in their hands. "Good God." Lindsay shouted at the door to Danny's apartment slamming it shut.
"What's up Montana?" Danny asked, concern lacing his voice,
"The delinquents are out in force tonight. That's what." She cried turning around and finding Danny topless in a pair of low slung sweat pants and a bowl of cereal in his hand.
"Yup." Danny laughed taking a seat in front of the tube. "Glad I ain't on tonight."
"Mischief night—sucks." Lindsay said plopping down next to him taking his cereal and eating a few bites.
"Feel better, after eating my dinner?" The sarcasm that leaked out of his voice was evident, but so was the fact that he was trying not to chuckle.
"Actually, yea." Lindsay giggled, "And that wasn't dinner."
"It wasn't huh. What'd ya have in mind?" Lindsay raised her eyebrows and gave a little smirk.
"Well I was thinking." She mused with a seductive hint to her voice, "we could order take out," she crawled over to him and began to kiss her way up from his chin to his ear. "Make that poor Chinese guy that stiffed us on the crab Rangoon last time pay and make his way through these crazy streets."
"Mmm hmm, interested." Danny moaned as Lindsay nibbled on his ear. "And while we wait?"
"I think you know." Lindsay husked into his ear. Danny wrapped an arm around her waist and in on deft movement had her pinned against the back of the couch. His hand cupping her face, he kissed her with purpose. That was until there was a loud thud at the door.
"What the fuck was that?" Danny asked. It sounded like a deer ran into the door.
"I don't know, we haven't even ordered the food yet." Lindsay shrugged. She reached for her phone and began dialing the Chinese place a few blocks away and watched Danny move to the door, undo the locks and poke his head out. There was no one there, nothing at all. Damn Kids. It wasn't a deer more like a 70 lb 10 year old.
Lindsay gave him a curious look upon his reentering of the apartment, he gave a shrug. "Kids, I'll get em next time." He walked across the apartment to where she was hanging up her cell phone and pulled her into a hug, his hands resting low on her back. "So."
Lindsay let her arms link around his neck "Food will be here in 20."
"Whatever will we do with the time?" He smirked devilishly. He knew exactly what they would be doing with the time. He leant down, but the moment he captured his lips there was another loud thud at the door causing both Danny and Lindsay to jump and biff each other.
"Oh, Owe." Lindsay laughed rubbing her face where she and Danny collided.
Danny growled. "Ruben, is a dead kid."
"Ruben? The kid from down the hall? How do you know it's him?"
"Who else could disappear that quickly, don't know many of my other neighbors."
"Haven't you lived here like 7 years?"
"Yea, and you know your neighbors?" Danny asked. Peeking out the door to see Ruben's starting to open.
"Well, there's Connie, the guy upstairs that has sex on the hardwood, then there is the ginger guy-he does not like to be called Rusty, then there is the gay couple with the cats, and…"
"You don't know them." Danny brushed off, "I'll give you Connie."
"Fine." She paused and looked at the door. "You know we could get him back instead of catching him."
"I'm intrigued Miss Monroe. What'd ya have in mind?"
Lindsay thought for a moment. "I'm thinking a bucket, some string, and a bag of powdered sugar."
"Powdered sugar?"
"It tastes good, and is easier to clean up than flour, or water,"
"Okay, you string that up, I'll work the diversion."
"And how are you going to do that?" Lindsay asked, it was the one part of her plan that she really hadn't thought through. Danny was rifling through his cabinets until he found what he was looking for: Candy.
"I'm not home tomorrow for him to trick or treat, I'll just bring his candy over now, how long do you need me to stall him and his ma?"
"10 minutes."
"Done."
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Lindsay watched Danny disappear into the apartment. Once the door was closed she grabbed her bucket of tricks and set to work. First hanging a removable hook, then attaching string to the bucket and testing the distance for the door knob. She filled the bucket with all the powdered sugar Danny had in his apartment, hung the bucket, and retreated to Danny's apartment.
"Happy Halloween Ruben." Danny called "Bye Ricky." He slipped out the door and fit the looped end of the string around the door knob careful not to pull at the bucket it was attached to.
He met Lindsay in his apartment. "You think it will work?"
"It should, at least it did the last time I pulled it." They watched out the door which was cracked open. 2 minutes passed before the door creaked open, he must have been eyeballing the hall. He must have decided the coast was clear for he flung the door open with the intention of sprinting, throwing himself into Danny's door and sprinting back, however he was stopped with a flump of powder sugar hitting him in the head and clouding out.
"MOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!" He cried. Danny came out of his apartment and crossing his arms he leaned against his doorframe.
"Learn your lesson kiddo?"
"Danny!" The little boy shouted. "Not cool!"
"Oh I beg to differ." Danny laughed. "Next time ya know not to ding dong ditch especially when she's around." He nodded to Lindsay who was watching from the door.
"Who's she?" he asked "Your Girrrrrrrl Friennnnd?" he tried taunting.
"Yea." Danny smirked,
"But she's a girl she couldn't have done this!."
"A girl with 3 older brothers." Lindsay laughed "I know my pranks."
"Really, what's the best one?"
Lindsay thought for a moment "I made it look like a jumped off the roof of the barn and played dead to get my brothers in trouble for daring me to actually jump off the roof."
"How'd you do that?" Ruben asked curiously.
"I tossed a shoe up there, then jumped up and let myself hit the ground hard, cried out and just lay there."
"And they fell for it?" Danny asked skeptically
"My mom was crying for an ambulance." Lindsay gloated proudly. "P.S. Never pull that shi-stuff on your mom. They don't like it."
"Okay."
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"Ey Linds, You scare easy?" Danny called across the lab to where Lindsay sat talking to Stella in the bull pen. A big bowl of candy in between them, it was only about 5pm, which was early for murder on Halloween, give it another hour or so.
"I'm dating you aren't I she called back."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Danny shouted back. The few heads that were in the lab were turning to watch the interaction. Stella was laughing.
"Well there are the womanizing rumors, the vd rumors, and then just you."
"That hurts, and not the point."
"So what's the point?" Lindsay laughed
Danny smirked, "Grab your stuff we got a multiple homicide in Amityville."
"Ooooo, Amityville." Stella said getting chills, "I'd much rather see what the wackos of this city come up with."
"Stel, we still have another SAW movie to watch this year." Lindsay grinned grabbing her case and heading out to meet Danny in the hall.
"Well that's just funny." Stella shouted back.
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Little Rose came out of surgery no problem, they were on their way to get her statement, if that's what you want to call it. Lindsay was quiet the first part of the ride to the hospital. She just stared out the window in a complete daze. Danny had tried several times to get her attention. "Linds, Lindsay, hey you!" nothing worked. They finally got stopped at a light. Danny reached over and cupped her shoulder, "Linds, Babe."
"What" Lindsay jumped at the sudden contact. "What's up Danny?"
He gave her a half grin. "I was going to ask you the same question. Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked attempting to hide the insincerity in her voice. Yes this case was getting to her in some ways, in others it scared her how okay she was doing with parts of the case.
"You kidding me?" Danny asked, eyebrows raised. "This case is getting to me, I can only imagine what's going on in that pretty little head of yours."
"I'm fine Danny."
"I call bullshit." Danny said checking the status of the light. "I saw the look you had when we were examining the scene. I haven't seen that look since your testimony in Montana." He said stepping on the gas as the light changed. "You may not like it, but I know you Sweetheart."
"You know, right back at ya." Lindsay laughed, trying to keep the situation light. They were on their way to a very heavy conversation with a 6 year old. "Okay, some parts of this case are a little unnerving, and reminiscent of….well, you know. But it's one of the reasons I got into this job. So let's find this S.O.B. "
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"Well, looky here, the Messer's are back from playing house out in suburbia." Don gloated seeing Danny and Lindsay step off the elevator looking tired, loaded down with new evidence and in desperate need of a shower. "look hot and sweaty Danno, the Mrs. have you cleaning out the garage?" he teased.
"Not now Flack." Danny brushed his friend off.
"You turning him against me now too!" he asked flabbergasted to Lindsay. Lindsay laughed, Danny was in an iffy mood, but Lindsay could play along. "Sure am, oh and it was the attic he was cleaning out."
"Nice, but all kidding aside, what's up with him?" Don nodded towards his buddy,
Lindsay looked toward Danny who was now logging evidence; she let out a sigh thinking back to the car ride. "His brother called."
"His brother, I thought they were doing better lately." Don asked a little stunned. Louie had spent months in the hospital recovering from the nearly fatal beating a year and a half ago. After the rehab was done, he relocated, or re-relocated back to Boston.
Lindsay shrugged, "They are, or were, I don't know, you or me: who's he going to talk to first?"
"I've got ten bucks on mom." Flack said out the side of his mouth making Lindsay laugh.
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"Det. Monroe?" Rose asked cautiously,
"Call me Lindsay Rosie."
"My mommy calls me that." She said with a little smile, but tears were slipping. "I miss them."
"It gets easier Sweetie." Lindsay moved from the chair she was sitting in to the side of Rose's hospital bed. She slowly stroked the little girls back.
"How do you know? For sure Det. Lindsay?"
"Because, it happened to me too." Lindsay said honestly.
"Do the bad dreams go away?"
"After awhile. I can tell you this, you don't need to have nightmares, we caught the monster, and he's never going to get out of jail, ever. Your dreams can be only memories, just tell yourself that, and instead of seeing those bad images, you'll dream about the happy times."
"You promise."
"I promise."
"But what if the monster gets out."
"Then you call me up, and I'll fix it."
"How?"
"You're Aunt and Uncle have my number if you ever need me, just ask."
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Lindsay walked out the automatic doors of the hospital wiping tears from her eyes. She saw so much of herself in little Rose. A happy occasion turned to tragedy thanks to a mad man and a shot gun. But he was behind bars, and Rose was being swept up into the arms of her loving Uncle, and an Aunt that had always wanted a little girl but was instead gifted with 3 screaming boys. She would be taken care of, loved, and protected. That was good.
Lindsay looked up when her eyes found the curb. Good thing too, as an ambulance went speeding past, sirens beginning to wail. It passed and her eyes fell on a familiar figure. Danny Messer. She smiled and crossed the street to him. "How'd you know where I was?" she asked when she was a few feet away. He wrapped her up into a big bear hug. It was really just what she needed. She had someone to protect her too. She had Danny.
"I had a hunch." He whispered in her ear. Her fingers gripped him a little tighter. He knew her demons; he had been there for her the last 2 days. She knew it with every little look, every slight touch. He was there, reassuring her, supporting her. He had been her rock.
"Thank you." She muttered into his t-shirt.
"I'm here for you Babe, you know that." He placed a kiss to her forehead.
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There was a knock at his door, he put down his beer and went to the door. Who could possibly be at his door? Lindsay was passed out in his bed. Flack was still wrapping up his Zombie case, and everyone else called before showing up. He looked out the peep hole, no one, but the knocking continued. Ruben. "Hey Kiddo." Danny said letting the little boy in.
"Hey Danny!" he said plopping down on the couch. "Ready for the game."
"Sure Rub, but we gotta keep it down, Lindsay is asleep back in my room."
"Does she live here now?" he asked curiously.
"Nah, not yet, she just spends the night sometimes."
"But it's early! It's not even my bed time."
"It's been a hectic couple of days buddy."
"Oh, so she's really your girlfriend? Danny? She's pretty."
"Yea she is my girlfriend, why did you doubt I could get a fox like her?"
"How long have you been dating?"
"About 6 months."
"Wow really!"
"Yea." Danny looked at the little kid, he was just full of questions today.
"I thought you were just alone, or working, I was gonna make you date my mom!"
"Thanks for the thought kid, but a bro doesn't date another bro's mom."
"Oh, is that a rule?"
"Yea, write that down. And what's with all the questions tonight? You got your eye on a special Gal?"
"No…..well, maybeeeee…"
"Nice."
"Do you love her?"
"I don't know. Maybeeeee." Danny smirked giving Ruben a little shove, really he had never been in love, not really. But this was Lindsay his Montana. If he didn't love her now, well he was well on his way to it.
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