Epilogue

The funeral had ended four hours ago. After the ceremony, everyone had headed to Christine's restaurant for the wake. About an hour ago, the 'official' wake had ended, with most of the mourners heading home or to their hotels. Robert had taken Lucy home a couple of hours before everyone else left. Now, Mac, Jo, Danny,Adam, and Sid, along with Jaime and Christine and Stella sat around a large booth in their favourite bar, the one where the team always went to celebrate the end of a tough case. The same bar they'd gone to after Aidan had died. Now, here they were again, mourning another team member. But despite the sad nature of the reason they were there, as Mac looked around at his friends, he saw them chatting and laughing, sharing stories about Lindsay and catching up with Stella. He noticed with mild interest, but not surprise, that Stella and Hawkes were sat together, and that she was leaning into him. His arm was around her shoulder, and they looked very comfortable together.

Don approached with two more pitchers of beer. They were passed around and everyone refilled their glass. Mac filled his, and then glanced at Danny, who was starting to look as though, much as he appreciated this, he simply wanted to go home and be with Lucy. Mac knew the feeling. He could understand Danny's longing for some space and quiet, and most of all some time with Lucy, who had been the main reason he hadn't fallen apart through all this. Mac felt a surge of pride at how the younger man had held things together as best he could for the sake of his daughter. He'd seen Danny at his worst, almost broken, and yet here he was, still holding on. Mac knew how near-impossible and wrenchingly painful that could be.

He cleared his throat, and said, above the chatter,

'Okay, guys, it's getting late, and now that it's just us, the people who were closest to Lindsay, other than her father, of course, I'd like to end the night with a toast to her. I figured, given how unique she was, it would be nice if everyone shared one thing they'll remember most about her. Danny, would you like to start?'

Danny nodded. He looked exhausted, but he smiled as he said,

'Just one thing? About Montana? God, there are so many...'

'How about how we all know she wore the trousers in your relationship, Danny?' Don teased. Danny punched him lightly on the arm.

'Or how about how she could kick your ass?' Adam asked, earning a somewhat amused, somewhat indignant scowl from Danny.

'Shut up you guys.' He raised his glass. 'Okay, here I go. To Lindsay, and how she never once gave up on me or took any of my crap and loved me no matter what an idiot I can be sometimes.'

Don was next.

'To Lindsay, and how she was the only person who truly understood my childhood pain of being duped by a no-good, money-grabbing con man known as Laughing Larry.'

Jaime grinned,

'To Lindsay, and how she was a brilliant, kick-ass cop who showed the boys how it's done.'

Jo lifted her glass.

'To Lindsay, and how she loved and raised Lucy, who is a reflection of and a credit to her wonderful Momma.'

Adam smiled as he added,

'To Lindsay, and her wicked sense of humour.'

Hawkes contributed,

'To Lindsay, and her moments of outright geeky indulgence.'

Stella smiled warmly as she lifted her glass,

'To Lindsay, the little sister I always wished I could have had growing up.'

Sid raised his glass,

'To Lindsay, and how she always laughed at my jokes, even though I think I freaked her out on more than one occasion.'

Christine, next to Mac, said,

'To Lindsay, and the time she had to wear those huge sunglasses when Danny punked her by turning her eyes blue, and she looked ridiculous, but somehow she carried it off.'

Mac was the last one to lift his glass.

'To Lindsay, and her endless crazy experiments to prove random scientific points that no one else would ever come up with. And, to finish off, to Lindsay Monroe Messer, who was one of the finest detectives I've ever worked with. But more than that, to who she was as a person. And despite how much she hated it, I think we have to finish with one last little tribute, to end the toast. Danny, I think you know what that is.'

Danny had tears in his eyes, but he smiled as he said,

'Yeah, I think I do.'

When everyone looked at him, he said, 'To Montana,'

'To Montana,' everyone echoed, clinking glasses.

THE END.

xxxxx

Note: Okay, guys, that's it for this one. Thanks SO much again to everyone who read, reviewed and was patient with me while I was being a very naughty little fanfic writer and not updating for ages. And don't worry if you like Lindsay, this fic is another of my AU ones, so she will be in most of my other fics.

Thanks again, everyone!