Disclaimer: see chapters 1-16.
A/N: Final chapter! I want express my thanks to EVERY single review writer out there. You've been so patient. I've learned a lot about writing long-term pieces. I was more focused on storytelling rather than quality of writing. Originally, I had intended it to focus more on the road trip itself (Kerouac-esque), but my interest evolved as the characters on the show did. Recently it has been a struggle, because the characters on the show have changed in their relationship from when I first started writing it (Wasted) to now (Charge of this Post).
Thank you for all the support over the months. Keep spreading the D/L love!

Ch. 17 - Moving On

When Lindsay awoke on Tuesday morning, the sky was still pink. She burrowed deeper under the quilt, savoring her last Montana sunrise. Danny was still sleeping, and the only sound was the distant hum of a snowplow. As ready as she was to return to the city, she still felt a bit blue. The past week had seemed more like a month, and she had priceless new memories to take with her. Lying there, she thought of squabbling over the maps, the Chicago hotel room, the flat tire, finding another "Secret Sophie", Danny riding a horse. It would all be forever emblazoned in her mind. However, she knew that more memories would be made, and that she had a lot to look forward to.

This was just the beginning.

----

As Danny and Lindsay toted their luggage out the front door of the ranch house, Lindsay snatched up the bouquet of yellow tulips that Jake had given her the day before. Thanks to an overnight soak in water, they were still perky and bright. They would come in handy for what she had planned.

The case of the Monroe estate had made the front of the Bozeman Daily Record, which lay on the front steps. Danny scooped it up as they walked to the car. Steve Marks' newest article was located just below a shot of Lindsay accepting congratulations from a crowd of people. The headline read, Always a Montana Girl.

"So," Danny asked as he put the key in the ignition. "How many miles to Vegas?"

Lindsay's coffee mug nearly slipped out of her hands.

"What did you just say?" she asked. She recovered after realizing that Danny had only been teasing, and then played back: "Are you proposing, Mr. Messer?"

He grinned. "Maybe someday, eh?"

At the end of the driveway, Lindsay directed him left. "I need to make a quick stop before the airport," she said.

----

The sign read, "Red Bluff Memorial Gardens".

Danny pulled up to the entrance, but made no move to accompany Lindsay. He sensed this was something she needed to do on her own. Untying the yellow tulips from the bouquet, Lindsay grabbed five of them.

"I'll be right back," she told Danny as she climbed out of the car.

She hadn't been here since her grandmother's funeral in the fall. She was the only visitor this Tuesday morning, no other sets of footprints had tainted the snow. The graves were all topped with a cap of snow, but the letters were still visible. The Monroe plots occupied an area in the center. First, Lindsay stooped in front of her father's grave. She was at a loss for words. Never in his life had they shared a close relationship. Even now, he felt like a stranger to her.

"I hope I make you proud, Dad," she said finally, setting one tulip down gently.

Her grandparents graves shared the same headstone. Where words had failed her only a few seconds ago, they now came pouring out.

"I miss you so much," she told the granite marker, as tears began to fall. "Throughout this whole case, I know you knew the truth, I could feel you urging me on." She paused to wipe the dampness from her cheeks with a gloved hand. "And even though it's hard to leave, it's something I have to do. I can't stay here."

Two more tulips were placed.

"And I can never thank you enough," she added with a whisper, moving on to the last grave in the Monroe section.

Michael.

"Hey little bro," she whispered, depositing the fourth flower along with several teardrops onto the stone. "I wish you could be here, I wish I could talk to you. I want to know if you'd look like me. I wish you could meet Danny."

She looked above her at the sky, where the sun had finally made its entrance. Lindsay thought of how a new day brought possibilities, promises. It was time.

"And I want you to know that I don't blame myself anymore. I'm so sorry about what happened to you, but I can't carry that guilt."

She stood and looked one last time at the granite blocks that represented her family.

"I'll make you all proud," she said softly. This was her goodbye.

As she walked back to the car, she noticed that there was one flower left in her hand.

My mother, she thought.

-----

Danny didn't question her decision to stop at the lake, nor try to follow her down to the shore. Once again, he could tell she needed privacy in order to find closure.

Lindsay looked out across the ice for just a brief moment. She didn't know where on earth her mother was, physically. But this was where her mother's spirit had remained.

"I forgive you," was all she said before turning back to the car.

And on the shore of the lake, one yellow tulip dotted the white snow.

----

"Now boarding, all passengers for American Flight 331 to New York City."

The stewardess's announcement was cheerful and bright. Still, Lindsay shivered as she slung her carryon bag over her shoulder. It was time to board. She hated airplanes, they were too confining and she hated the lack of control she felt while on them.

Danny looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Lindsay shrugged. "I'll be okay once we're in flight. It's the takeoff that I hate."

"Come on," he urged gently. "After everything you just went through, you can handle this." He reached over and squeezed her hand, not releasing it, but intertwining her fingers with his as they walked. They boarded the plane, found their seats, and buckled in. For the twenty minutes until takeoff, Lindsay tapped her fingers nervously on the armrest. Once they began to move, she shut her eyes and tried to focus on pleasant thoughts: she visualized herself riding Timber again, Danny at her side. She pretended to hear the clop of the horses' hooves, smell the dampness of the forest.

The plane started picking up speed, forcing them back in their seats as it made its ascent. Lindsay kept her eyes closed, gripping Danny's hand. Once the plane stabilized somewhat, Lindsay willed herself to relax, with little success. She became aware of Danny's breath in her ear.

"Open your eyes," he whispered.

Lindsay peeked out the window reluctantly, and found the view breathtaking. They were still going up, but it seemed to be moving slowly. She could see the mountains, the curving line of a river, the green of the forests. Moment by moment, the ground became more blurred and distant. She watched the city disappear through the clouds. She had done the same last fall when she left Montana, but this time: she was truly leaving.

Danny reached over and touched her knee reassuringly. She looked back at him and smiled. It had all been worth it: everything had come full circle, everything made perfect sense.

In releasing her past, she had found her future.

FIN.