Danny's Apt., Wednesday afternoon
Home at last. Danny needed a breather, from work, from everything. His eyes were nearly crossing from working on his latest case, so he did what anyone would do, right? Got a beer and called his ex-boyfriend best friend for a laugh. Plus, he figured he still owed Don for Sunday, when he just kind of hung up on the man when his girl showed up at the door 8 hours before she was supposed to. And Lindsay was going to be at work for awhile yet. So it just made sense.
He stretched out on his couch, closing his eyes as he hit the number on his speed-dial. The phone was picked up on the second ring and he could tell exactly where Don was.. at the precinct, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the desk. "Flack."
Danny grinned. "Oh, listen to Mr. Professional. Got a few minutes to talk with an old friend?"
"Old friend, my ass. How's it goin', Messer?" Flack grinned as he finished stacking files to the side of his desk and hit save on his computer. "Throwin' in the towel and comin' home yet?"
"Me, give up? Nah. Still tryin' to get you to come up here."
"Ain't gonna happen, buddy."
Danny laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. He could almost hear Flack's grin through the receiver. "Yeah, yeah. So, you're not moving up here. Come visit instead."
"Soon as I can get some time off. Got some unfinished business with ya, but Mac.." Don's voice trailed off unhappily.
"Mac what? Had a talk with him yesterday, where he was.. Mac." Danny made a face, his foot tapping against the couch as he remembered how the other man had completely cut him down. Like he was nothing. Like he'd done something wrong when he had only returned Mac's call. Like his former boss had done to him everyday since it came out that he used to have connections with a gang.
Don sighed softly, nodding. "Man, you should see him.." He laughed softly. "Actually, be glad you're not here. Today, just blind fucking rage. I dunno what crawled up his ass and died."
"The fuck happened? Thought you told me you guys got a huge break this weekend, crimestopper."
"Yeah, Hawkes and I figured it out, gave Mac a call. Hawkes was on the phone with him for a good two or three hours that night, actually, puttin' it all together."
Danny froze from where he was about in place, his mind putting his own pieces together. Mac. Weekend. Two or three hours. At night. Lindsay alone and all dressed up instead of with flower guy. Oh, fuck. You gotta be kiddin' me.
"You still there, Danny?"
Danny swallowed hard, biting down on his lower lip. "Yeah.. Yeah I am. Don, this was what, Saturday night?"
"Yeah. He's been like this ever since. Got worse today though, I half expected him to start throwin' shit."
"Because he talked to me on the phone last night."
Flack snorted. "Right, right. Your ego that big now that you think it's all about you? Mr. All high and mighty in Massachusetts?"
"Bastard." Danny grinned and flipped off the phone. "No, no.. Okay, you know I've been seein' this girl since I moved."
"Because you were all lonely without me in your bed."
"Maybe."
"Your girl gonna let me cuddle you when I come to visit?"
"Shut up. I don't cuddle." Danny stuck his tongue out, pausing for a moment. "So, this girl. What if I tell you I think she used to be with Mac?"
He sat up impatiently, listening to the silence on the other end before it erupted in solid laughter. "How.. unless.. Monroe? You and.. Monroe?"
"Shut up."
"It is! Danny, I thought you two hated each other! Now you're.. you're what? This is just.. god." Flack coughed and obviously tried to calm down. "Do I get your stuff when she kills you?"
"Don!" Danny growled as he glared at the phone.
"I.. okay. Okay."
"Stop. Grinning."
"You and the girl, how does you and the girl equal to her and Mac?"
Danny sighed, frowning into the phone. "You're still grinning."
"Only because it's so unbelievable, Messer."
"You won't be smiling when I see you again."
"Because I won't be able to fuck you into the wall anymore."
"Oh, poor baby." Danny couldn't help it, he grinned, leaning back on the couch with his legs propped up against the couch back. "She doesn't know about you yet. Can we get back to talking about important things?"
"So, I wanna know all about this. But what's it gotta do with Mac?"
"Maybe if you'd shut up for a minute!" He waited until there was silence on the other end before sighing. "Just listen. So, she went away this weekend, right? To Boston. To hang out with some college friends. Least that's what she said."
"So you just imagined there was this other guy?"
"No! I know there was a guy. Because he sent her flowers. And y'know, we fought before she left and she accused me of being with all these cookie-cutter blondes and.."
"This hair is naturally dark, I'll have you know."
"Like I don't know. Anyway, she's just.. Mac's reaction last night, whenever I'd mention her. He kept prying and gettin' madder at me, and Don.. I think I'm gonna ask her about this."
"Be careful, buddy. Just.. be careful. I ain't comin' up there to nurse your broken heart."
"Like this thing can be broken."
"Messer. I'm bein' serious here. Girls get weird, so you watch what you say."
"Right, right." Danny smirked and took a sip of his beer. "Anyway, so how are things goin'?"
"Miss havin' you around, but it's good. It's.. fuck, I gotta go, Mac is headin' my way."
"What are you still on the phone for then? Go. Call me tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah, mom."
Danny took another drink, leaning back as he heard the connection being cut off. Careful. Yeah, he was planning on being careful. Found this thing, wasn't ready to lose it just yet. But.. Mac? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.. and the more Danny wondered how she'd ended up with him.
He stretched out on his couch, closing his eyes as he hit the number on his speed-dial. The phone was picked up on the second ring and he could tell exactly where Don was.. at the precinct, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the desk. "Flack."
Danny grinned. "Oh, listen to Mr. Professional. Got a few minutes to talk with an old friend?"
"Old friend, my ass. How's it goin', Messer?" Flack grinned as he finished stacking files to the side of his desk and hit save on his computer. "Throwin' in the towel and comin' home yet?"
"Me, give up? Nah. Still tryin' to get you to come up here."
"Ain't gonna happen, buddy."
Danny laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. He could almost hear Flack's grin through the receiver. "Yeah, yeah. So, you're not moving up here. Come visit instead."
"Soon as I can get some time off. Got some unfinished business with ya, but Mac.." Don's voice trailed off unhappily.
"Mac what? Had a talk with him yesterday, where he was.. Mac." Danny made a face, his foot tapping against the couch as he remembered how the other man had completely cut him down. Like he was nothing. Like he'd done something wrong when he had only returned Mac's call. Like his former boss had done to him everyday since it came out that he used to have connections with a gang.
Don sighed softly, nodding. "Man, you should see him.." He laughed softly. "Actually, be glad you're not here. Today, just blind fucking rage. I dunno what crawled up his ass and died."
"The fuck happened? Thought you told me you guys got a huge break this weekend, crimestopper."
"Yeah, Hawkes and I figured it out, gave Mac a call. Hawkes was on the phone with him for a good two or three hours that night, actually, puttin' it all together."
Danny froze from where he was about in place, his mind putting his own pieces together. Mac. Weekend. Two or three hours. At night. Lindsay alone and all dressed up instead of with flower guy. Oh, fuck. You gotta be kiddin' me.
"You still there, Danny?"
Danny swallowed hard, biting down on his lower lip. "Yeah.. Yeah I am. Don, this was what, Saturday night?"
"Yeah. He's been like this ever since. Got worse today though, I half expected him to start throwin' shit."
"Because he talked to me on the phone last night."
Flack snorted. "Right, right. Your ego that big now that you think it's all about you? Mr. All high and mighty in Massachusetts?"
"Bastard." Danny grinned and flipped off the phone. "No, no.. Okay, you know I've been seein' this girl since I moved."
"Because you were all lonely without me in your bed."
"Maybe."
"Your girl gonna let me cuddle you when I come to visit?"
"Shut up. I don't cuddle." Danny stuck his tongue out, pausing for a moment. "So, this girl. What if I tell you I think she used to be with Mac?"
He sat up impatiently, listening to the silence on the other end before it erupted in solid laughter. "How.. unless.. Monroe? You and.. Monroe?"
"Shut up."
"It is! Danny, I thought you two hated each other! Now you're.. you're what? This is just.. god." Flack coughed and obviously tried to calm down. "Do I get your stuff when she kills you?"
"Don!" Danny growled as he glared at the phone.
"I.. okay. Okay."
"Stop. Grinning."
"You and the girl, how does you and the girl equal to her and Mac?"
Danny sighed, frowning into the phone. "You're still grinning."
"Only because it's so unbelievable, Messer."
"You won't be smiling when I see you again."
"Because I won't be able to fuck you into the wall anymore."
"Oh, poor baby." Danny couldn't help it, he grinned, leaning back on the couch with his legs propped up against the couch back. "She doesn't know about you yet. Can we get back to talking about important things?"
"So, I wanna know all about this. But what's it gotta do with Mac?"
"Maybe if you'd shut up for a minute!" He waited until there was silence on the other end before sighing. "Just listen. So, she went away this weekend, right? To Boston. To hang out with some college friends. Least that's what she said."
"So you just imagined there was this other guy?"
"No! I know there was a guy. Because he sent her flowers. And y'know, we fought before she left and she accused me of being with all these cookie-cutter blondes and.."
"This hair is naturally dark, I'll have you know."
"Like I don't know. Anyway, she's just.. Mac's reaction last night, whenever I'd mention her. He kept prying and gettin' madder at me, and Don.. I think I'm gonna ask her about this."
"Be careful, buddy. Just.. be careful. I ain't comin' up there to nurse your broken heart."
"Like this thing can be broken."
"Messer. I'm bein' serious here. Girls get weird, so you watch what you say."
"Right, right." Danny smirked and took a sip of his beer. "Anyway, so how are things goin'?"
"Miss havin' you around, but it's good. It's.. fuck, I gotta go, Mac is headin' my way."
"What are you still on the phone for then? Go. Call me tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah, mom."
Danny took another drink, leaning back as he heard the connection being cut off. Careful. Yeah, he was planning on being careful. Found this thing, wasn't ready to lose it just yet. But.. Mac? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.. and the more Danny wondered how she'd ended up with him.