Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Danny Messer NYPD crime lab detective was in the height of his glory at the Zoo waiting for the new investigator to arrive. He had all kinds of plans to make the new rookie feel right at home. It was like luck was smiling on him today, I mean a Vic at the tiger habitat. The Rookie was gonna be thrown to the tigers an evil glean was in his eyes.
It still felt wrong that Aiden Burn wasn't around, she had been his partner for so long and for her to just be fired like that. Yes she was wrong but to lose her like that it hurt Danny. He still kept thinking she was going to walk into the break room and tell him everything was squared away and she was back.
But that wasn't going to happen because Aiden had all but disappeared from his life, he called, but she rarely answered and when she did, it wasn't a long conversation. It had been forever since he saw her or at least it felt like it had been. Work kept him busy and with the long hours he put in it was hard to schedule a time to meet up with friends. That's why most of Danny's friends were from work.
Danny looked around the habitat at the pieces of the Vic that were left after the tiger had finished, what a way to go. Not one of the top ten ways anyone wanted to go.
Danny was looking around when he heard Mac's voice he was talking to someone, ahh must be the new investigator let the games began.
"You want me to start processing ?" the Rookie said all Danny could tell so far from her back was the new investigator was a woman she had light colored hair and wasn't from around here not with that accent. It did sound familiar though but for the life of him he couldn't remember from where.
"No, Danny's got that covered." Mac Taylor informed the Rookie. Mac was Danny's boss and someone he respected more than about anyone alive. So he knew he had play this just right or Mac would call him out on it if he was being to open about not being welcoming to the Rookie.
"That'd be me, Danny" he started to say when the Rookie turned to look at him and his breath stopped as she finished for him "Messer".
"Montana" Danny questioned as a smile broke out on his face if he wasn't all gloved up he was have hugged her when she nodded her head. If she had been beautiful when she was sixteen she was gorgeous now.
"Only to you Danny, to everyone else it's Lindsay" she smiled then turned back to look at Mac. "So where do you need me?"
"I'll need you to hold the tiger's jaws, so I can get the dental impression." Mac stated trying not to think about how Danny knew his new investigator.
"Just a take a deep breath, and don't let him know you're afraid," Danny said leaning into Lindsay side. He couldn't help but take a sniff of her hair. It smelled, so good Danny just shook his head now was not the time to be thinking things like that. "cause he can sense when you're nervous."
"The tiger's tranquilized. I think I can handle it." Lindsay replied as she tried to lean away from Danny's presence she had to think clearly right now make a good first impression with Detective Mac Taylor. Not let a ghost from her past throw her off her game. She had worked really hard to get here and would not let Danny Messer have her mess this up.
"Talking about Mac." Danny laughed then looked into Lindsay eyes, and he could see she was nervous so he sincerely said. "And make sure not call him "sir." He hates it"
Lindsay Monroe smiled at Danny "Thanks for that infor, I just want to make a good impression"
"I'm sure you will" Danny said all those plans of giving the Rookie a hard time disappearing from his mind. I mean anyone else he would have no problem playing tricks on but not his Montana. Danny knew he could be a jerk sometimes but being mean to his high-school sweetheart yeah that wasn't happening.
"Montana maybe after we get off work, you want to get together catch up on each other's lives" Danny asked. Hoping she would say yes. After Lindsay had left he hadn't heard from her again and being the dummy he was he didn't get her address or phone number back in Montana.
"I would like that" Lindsay said she knew that conversation was one long overdue and hoped it went well. By looking at Danny he didn't seem upset to see her so hopefully later when she told him all about her life and the years in-between the last time they seen each other until now. It wouldn't upset Danny too much.
Danny nodded his head and then they both parted to get to work they could and would catch up later. Right now the Vic need to be identified and if someone did this to be caught.
Lindsay Monroe held her breath she wasn't sure how this was going to play out so she had asked Danny if they could meet up outside the lab. When she first got offered the job Lindsay had wanted to say 'No' because her life was in Montana, but she knew New York had been calling to her since the last time she had been there.
So when Mac called she said 'Yes' so here she was in New York she was still looking for an apartment. If things with Danny went well maybe he could give her an opinion on the two she had neared it down too. She held a picture in her hands, she was just so nervous more so now then when she showed up for work the day before.
Lindsay knew she couldn't get this wrong, if she did well hearts would be broken. And more than likely she would be returning to Montana to stay.
"Lindsay" Danny said as he took the chair opposite to her at the table. She looked really beautiful her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She cleaned up real nice took his breath away, and he was glad he broke things off when his girlfriend of the month. He did not want anything getting in the way of rekindling things with his Montana.
"Danny" Lindsay said then looked down at the picture in her hands. "I have thought about this moment a lot, when we would see each other again"
"Why?" Danny asked not that he wasn't flattered to know she thought about him. Because he had never forgotten her either, you don't forget a girl like Montana.
"And how I would tell you" this Lindsay said as she slowly moved her hand to pass the picture in it to Danny.
Taking the picture Danny started to feel like he was missing something big. Why was she giving him a picture, so he took the picture and looked down into the face of a young boy about ten if he had to guess, it was like going back in time. That boy smiling up at him was a twin of himself at that age all but the eyes. Those brown eyes where the same ones looking at him now from across the table searching for a response from him.
Danny opened then closed his mouth, he pulled his glasses up his nose and brought the picture closer trying to figure out if this had been photoshopped. But it didn't look like it that all, it looked like a regular school photograph of a little boy.
Looking up Danny meet Lindsay eyes he tried to say something and nothing came out. He was at a lost for words, something that never happened to him.
"His name is Daniel, and he turned eleven a few weeks ago" Lindsay finally spoke when she saw that Danny wasn't able to voice any questions. "He's my son"
"You named him after me?" Danny asked finally getting his vocal cords back. He was looking down again at the picture and had to smile he looked like a Daniel.
"Yeah you and my Dad, Daniel Robert Messer" Lindsay stated laying it all out there telling Danny he was a Father without saying it outright. She was being a chicken about this but found this way seem easiest to her. She had dreamed about this for years. Finding Danny and telling him about the little boy they had made together.
Lindsay had put it off long enough, her biggest fear had always been Danny would not want to be part of Daniel's life. It was even above Danny denying that Daniel was his son. Because as much as she loved her son, Lindsay knew he looked just like his Father. The only thing he had inherited from her were his eyes looks wise. There was no way Danny could deny the boy was his son. But that didn't mean Danny would want to be a Father.
"Messer huh" Danny mumbled that felt right hearing that his son, wow son he had a son had his last name.
"Are you okay there?" Lindsay asked as she noticed Danny was starting to look a little pale.
"I'm fine" Danny said "I just never thought I would have a kid. Is he here?"
"No" Lindsay said smiling Danny was taking this pretty good so far "He's with my parents back home, I need to get an apartment then they will be flying with him out here"
"Good, I would like to meet him" Danny said knowing he just made a decision that would affect the rest of his life. This was something he never knew he wanted but looking at the picture in his hands, Danny knew it was something he needed more than anything.
"Are you sure? Because Danny I know I just sprung this on you" Lindsay said not wanting to take the chance Danny might change his mind, she could not do that to Daniel who had been wanting to meet his Father since he knew what a Father was.
"Yeah, I'm sure, that's my son" Danny said looking up to really look at Lindsay the mother of his child. This was not how he thought tonight was going to go at all. He had hoped Lindsay might want to rekindle their relationship. Telling him he had a child never entered his mind.
"Why didn't ya call me, I gave you my number" Danny asked he had given Lindsay his home phone number all those years ago before she left to go back home to Montana when her exchange program had ended.
"I did call and got told 'No one by the name Danny Messer lives here' " Lindsay answered. "I just thought you gave me the wrong number"
"Louie" Danny spit out "I bet that was my brother. He liked to do that when people called for me"
Danny knew Lindsay couldn't have known that, that Louie would play mean tricks like that on his younger brother. But because of that he lost out on eleven years of is son's life. He was definitely punching his brother the next time he saw him.
"So tell me Montana about our son" Danny said as he grabbed her right hand with his. Usually he shied away from showing emotions but with Lindsay it was different she was different. She was the one girl in all the world he could picture himself settle down with even back then. So it was only fitting she was the Mother of his child.
"He loves baseball" Lindsay said "loves comic books, he eats more food than two people"
"Well he's a Messer of course he does" Danny laughed.
The rest of the night Lindsay told Danny all about their son, and he found himself enthralled by Daniel Robert Messer. He couldn't wait to meet him. To get that done though Lindsay needed an apartment, so Danny volunteer to help her find one. He knew the city and would make sure which one she picked wasn't in a bad neighborhood.
Lindsay also had informed Danny that once Daniel got in she wanted them to do a DNA test. Not because there was a chance anyone else was the Father, but so no one could ever say Daniel wasn't Danny's son. You would have to be blind not to see the resemblance, but the test was the proof. So Danny knew he would do it.
It was a long two weeks before Lindsay had her two-bedroom apartment ready for Daniel to come too. She had been scared that Danny would change his mind during that time about being a Father. But if anything he was more determined as the days went by. So the night before Daniel was to get on the plane Lindsay finally told her little boy she had found his Father.
Daniel was quite at first then he started to cry and Lindsay hated that she wasn't there to hold him. She heard her parents comforting their grandchild. But Daniel said he was happy and couldn't wait to meet his Dad.
Danny himself was on the balls of his toes as they waited at the airport for Daniel's flight to arrive. He had to switch shifts with Hawkes to be able to be here today. But meeting his son was more important than having a good shift time. He was going to be covering Hawkes late night shift instead.
All those years ago when he had met Lindsay, she had been an exchange student a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl from Montana. He was eighteen and playing ball was his whole world. They had met at a party her first week there, and hit if off right away. He started calling her Montana and Danny was ashamed to admit it even now he never did get Lindsay last name back then.
She had told him she had to get away from Montana for a while, Lindsay had confiding in Danny she had been the only survivor all her friends had died, but she lived. Danny remembered wiping the tears away from her eyes by kissing them away. He never got the entire story of what happened, but knew that Lindsay felt guilt that she lived and they didn't.
They dated the four months before she left to go home, and on a few nights they spent them wrapped up in each other. He had been her first something he still was proud of. Danny couldn't help but wonder which of those few times they had been together had they conceived their son?
"Danny there here" Lindsay said as she pointed to an older couple with a young boy with them. His eyes landed on his son and time seem to stop. Daniel took off running towards his Mother, in a few seconds they were in each other's arms hugging.
Danny stood to the side and went to greet Lindsay parents which was a bit awkward. Him being the man that got their daughter pregnant and made her a single mother these last eleven years.
"Mr. Monroe" Danny said shaking the man's hand. Robert Monroe made sure to squeeze Danny's hand hard.
"Mr. Messer" was the curt reply he received from Lindsay's Dad.
"Mrs. Monroe" Danny said then was surprised when she pulled him into a hug.
"None of that now" Betty Monroe said "I'm Betty and welcome to the family, after all you are my grandson's Father, so we should be on a first name basic"
"Just call me Danny, Betty, and I'm happy to meet you" Danny said smiling at least Lindsay's Mom was nice. He really couldn't blame her Father for not liking him. He wouldn't like himself either if Lindsay was his daughter. I mean he deflowered the man's daughter, and she came home pregnant. Yeah, Robert Monroe had every reason to hate Danny Messer.
"Danny" Lindsay said turning Danny saw Lindsay and Daniel walking towards him.
"Hi" Danny said suddenly very shy "I'm really glad to meet you" this Danny said as he walked up to his son.
"Can I call you Dad?" Daniel asked as he eyed the man before him up. It was like looking into the future he could see so much of himself in his Father.
"If you would like to yes" Danny said "but if I don't answer to it right away just called out Danny. I've never been a Dad before so it might take a few days being called that before I get the hang of it"
"So Dad" Daniel began "Mom says you guys work together"
"We do" Danny answered "and your Mom is excellent at it. I'm pretty sure in no time flat she will be outranking me"
"Danny" Lindsay said then turning to her parents "don't let Danny fool you he is a great Detective"
Mr. and Mrs. Monroe along with Lindsay went to grab their luggage, Daniel and Danny were making their way to the exit doors so they could all meet up and get into the SUV they borrowed from the Crime Lab. As they walked Father and Son were getting to know each other.
"So Mom said you played baseball" Daniel said as they're waiting for the others to get there.
"I did I was in the minor leagues playing when I got injured couldn't play any longer" Danny shared with his son. It just blew Danny away here was his son a living breathing little person he helped make all those years ago.
"I'm going to play for the Colorado Rockies" Daniel informed his newly found Father. It had been his dream since he was little to play major league baseball.
"Since you're going to be living here now, why not dream of playing for the Yankees" Danny asked. Knowing if Daniel played anything like he used to playing for the Major league wasn't so far off the bat.
"I don't know" Daniel said with a shoulder shrug "I've never really been a fan of them"
Danny's eyes widen his son not a fan of the Yankees. Well he was just going to have to fix that, next game day when he wasn't working he would take Daniel with him to the ballpark let the kid see the team in action.
"Me and you kid" Danny said as he saw Lindsay and her parents coming with their bags "next game day I get off work we go to the field and watch a game."
"Nice" Daniel said sounding just like the man before him.
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