Author's Notes: A one-shot, written because there is just not enough Danny angst in the world and there never will be.

Redefine this Life

Six months ago, if someone had told Martin Fitzgerald that this would be his life, he would have thought them insane. Six months ago, everything in his life was nice and orderly, just the way he liked it. His career was both challenging and satisfying and his personal life - well, that was near perfection. Samantha has turned out to be everything he had ever thought and hoped she would be. She was intelligent, dedicated, and witty. Tough-as-nails when needed, she could also be kind and warm and generous. All that and the fact that she was both beautiful and a wildcat in bed . . . Martin was in heaven.

But that was all before his co-worker and friend Danny had disappeared; sending his life into a tailspin and changing it irrevocably.

Everything had started out innocuously enough. They had all been working on the disappearance of a 28-year-old father of two with strong ties to the church.

Danny had arranged to meet one of the parishioners who claimed to have information regarding the case. Danny had told them that the man only wanted to meet with him. Alone. That had raised eyebrows. It was less than ideal. But they had been busy. And so Danny had gone alone.

He did not return.

They searched for him tirelessly (him being one of their own), working his disappearance as well as the other young man's.

After 48 grueling hours, both men were found. The young man whose disappearance had been the catalyst for everything was dead. Danny was alive.

He was naked, tied cruelly with twine to an old four poster bed, obviously beaten, the blood sleek against his skin. But alive.

Martin had run into that dirty basement, almost pushing Sam aside to get to Danny, He had rushed to the bed and immediately began to undo the binding knots around Danny's wrists, nearly crying when he saw how chafed and bruised they were.

When finally freed, Danny had thrown his arms around Martin, clinging to him desperately, his breathing harsh and uneven against Martin's neck.

He had whispered, "Get me out of here," over and over again.

Martin had soothingly told him that the EMT's would be there soon, and that they would look him over and get him out, but Danny had pleaded with him to be taken out of the basement. Martin had looked at Danny's haunted eyes, grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around his friend, and got him the hell out of there.

It wasn't until the ride in the ambulance to the hospital that Danny had begun to cry. Martin had held his hand, trying to stay unobtrusive to the working paramedics, and told him that everything was going to be all right.

But it hadn't been, not by a long shot.

After being released from the hospital, Danny had clung to Martin, much the same way he had clung to him in the basement, as if drawing strength from him.

So Martin had begun spending less and less time with Sam and more and more time with Danny - holding him after the nightmares, talking him out of reaching for the scotch, renting and watching stupid movies with stupid titles just to bring a smile to Danny's face...

It got to the point where his time with Sam was more a memory than anything, yet somehow he just couldn't feel too sad about it.

Four months after the "incident", he and Danny had been talking, laughing, and messing with each other like they used to do. It had felt so good, to smile and to have Danny smile back. The other man had the most infectious smile. And then Danny had impulsively leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

He had looked so scared, as if afraid of what Martin would do or say. But Martin merely kissed him back; a quick feather-light, easy kiss, and they had resumed their teasing as if nothing had happened.

It had been as simple as that.

And now, six months after he and Danny had both walked through different versions of hell, he was holding Danny tightly in his arms, smoothing back his hair and telling him how beautiful he was.

Danny smiled, seemingly content, the demons temporarily held at bay.

No, six months ago he would never have imagined this. Not in his wildest dreams. But that was ok, he was more than willing to go with the flow.

For Danny, he was more than willing.