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Prologue:

Danny Taylor pulled his fancy winter coat tight around him. The chilly New York air was nipping at his face and making his breath visible. He rubbed his hands, which were covered in expensive leather gloves, to keep them from freezing.

The heat from the dozens of lights that were flashed in his eyes kept him on slightly warm. He put on his best smug smirk for the cameras and cleared his throat. Mr. Abner Johnston was standing next to him looking puzzled, but pleased.

Danny of course could care less what Abner Johnston was feeling. He was just happy to win. Another case in the bag and it was easy. Just pointing out a few tiny slip ups and boom his client was free to do whatever he felt like doing.

Danny didn't care if the guy went out and robbed a bank. He could probably get him off again and Danny's smile widened at the thought. He was good. He knew he was good. Lots of people knew just how good he was and he didn't feel the least bit modest about it. It was good that everyone knew that he was the best.

He answered the zillions of questions from the reporters. He hated reporters with a passion, but they did help further his career no matter how much other people would claim to deny it. Word of mouth just wasn't what it used to be and Danny relied on his multitude of appearances on various evening news channels to further his name.

So he played the gracious lawyer eager to talk a big show and let the public tear into him as much as they wanted to. Danny had said goodbye to his morals a long time ago. He'd adopted a new set. A set that would allow him to sleep at night knowing he had helped save a ruthless killer from the death penalty or justice.

It wasn't often that Danny worked criminal cases. His forte was getting rich capitalists excused from cheating on their taxes or embezzlement. He had worked a grand total of eight criminal cases since he switched from the oh so lucrative business of being a ADA to go into private practices, but in six of those cases he had gotten a not guilty verdict.

He knew how the system worked and he knew where to look for slip ups. Sure it felt wrong sometimes this case being one of those times, but Danny couldn't live in regret. Danny couldn't think about how wrong it was that he was standing next to a guilty man that had kidnapped and killed at least three little kids.

No, Danny had to smile for the camera and talk about the innocence of his client and how that authorities had singled him out and how he was just a man who deserved to live his life meanwhile not believing a word of what he said. He saw as the prosecutor, Christina Rossi someone he knew personally, avoid the press all together yelling no comment to them.

He watched as she hurriedly ran down the court steps to a group of people he could barely make out. They hung their heads and looked up at where Danny was standing. Danny didn't even had to see them to know that they were giving him hateful glares. He knew they were the police, the FBI at that. It wasn't his fault that they had held his client and didn't read him his rights. Mr. Johnston had asked for a lawyer.

Danny knew the guy responsible for ignoring his client's plea. Jack Malone, great FBI agent, but somewhat of a loose canon. He'd been working with the FBI's Missing Person's unit for almost a decade now. He had two young children of his own and Danny just had a field day exploiting that fact.

Then he had hammered the final nail into the coffin. His client had asked for a lawyer and Jack had refused him one. It wasn't Danny's fault that they hadn't followed procedure. It was there's and if they felt bad, well they would have to live with it not Danny.

He pushed his way through the crowd of reporters after some time his client following behind him almost scurrying away from the reporters. Danny's face was going to be on the news tonight and it made him smile.

He could care less about the thank yous his client kept giving him. He wanted to be far away from the guy. He watched as Johnston got in his care with his driver and sped off into the New York traffic. Danny spared one last glance at the courtroom and the reporters before hailing a cab and driving off to his favorite bar.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Danny liked the peanuts at this particular bar. He didn't really know most of the people, but the dishes were always filled to the rim with peanuts. Tasty salty peanuts that were always crunchy and not stale.

The bartender always refilled them every hour on the hour and Danny always ended up eating quite a few of them maybe two or three bowls filled. Most people left him alone. It was an everybody bar. Danny didn't like the bars that seemed to be packed with cops and lawyers. They always left him feeling out of place despite his being a lawyer.

He'd drink in their presence and Danny hadn't had a drink in a good long while. He was determined never to have one again. It was so easy to drink though when everybody in the bar was getting hammered after a particularly good case of a really bad one. Didn't matter which way the blade turned you got drunk.

Three scotches for celebration three if a son of a bitch got loose. That's how it had been. Even worse he usually drank four or five. He had been a drunk most of his life. He couldn't remember a time when there hadn't been a bottle in his hand. It just seemed so normal. He was a functioning drunk. He had everything under control.

Except he didn't have everything under control and he knew it. So he had stopped drinking and it hadn't been easy. It had been one of the most difficult things he had ever had to do, but he was getting through it. Slowly but surely he was getting through it.

"Hope there's no alcohol in that." Danny looked up to see Martin Fitzgerald standing there his light brown hair cut extremely short.

He took of his coat and sat in the seat next to Danny's. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't angry or sad.

"Nope, just club soda." Danny said tapping the rim of his glass.

"Hmmm, no celebratory drink huh. Should be proud of yourself. That was some excellent work."

Martin said his hand reaching for the peanuts. Danny pushed them closer to him.

"Yeah, well, it was Jack's slip up. He had to know I was going to find out." Danny said taking a sip from his drink.

"Jack seems to think he's untouchable lately. He's gotten a little more reckless since this new girl joined. Samantha Spade." Martin said.

"She the pretty blonde?"

"Yup, that's her. Anyway I think they're having an affair. I don't know though. Things with him and Marie have died out. Too bad for the girls too. Jack only sees them on the weekends." Martin said.

"That right. So it's not an affair. If him and this 'Samantha' are having sex then it's not an affair."

"It's still kind of wrong. He's her boss. You're not supposed to sleep with the boss." Martin said pushing the peanuts back to Danny.

"Well maybe she really likes him. Maybe Jack will be happier this time around." Danny said grabbing some peanuts. He put them into his mouth and licked his fingers of excess salt.

"Yeah well, Viv thinks it's unprofessional." Martin said. They were quiet for a few moments before Danny sighed.

"Three years and you want to talk about some stupid case." Danny muttered.

"Figured it was the easiest thing to talk about."

"Yeah well if you've come to berate me, don't bother."

"I'm still trying to figure out what happened to you. You never gave me a straight answer. One day I come home and you're just... you're different."

"If you'd been paying attention you would have known that I was changing."

"I didn't want to know. Why weren't you happy with your other job? You're the bad guy now, Danny."

"Why am I the bad guy? Because I helped a guy get away with murder... alleged murder." Danny said.

"You know as well as I do that Abner Johnston was guilty." Martin said.

"No I don't. He's innocent. A jury of his peers said so." Danny said sarcastically.

"What do people know? They fell right into your little dog and pony show. What'd you do? Flash them your bright smile. Laid on some of your classic charm?"

"I just presented the facts as they were. It's not my fault you screwed up. You want to get the guy, get him by taking the right courses of actions. Do it lawfully." Danny said.

"Lawfully? Was it lawful what that guy did to three innocent little kids? Little kids Danny."

"I'm sorry that it gives you nightmares, Martin, I am. I was there for your nightmares remember, but everyone deserves a fair trial. That's what I gave that guy. That's what he deserved."

"He deserves a needle in his arm." Danny sighed.

This had been the argument that had bridged such a big gap between him and Martin and Danny sometimes wondered if it was worth it. Was his nice comfy life worth it? Was being the best worth giving up Martin? He'd been able to fool himself for the last three years into thinking that it was because Martin had just left one day.

Danny had come home and Martin's things had been packed up and were gone. Martin was gone and his key was left on the kitchen counter. Danny had held that key in the palm of his hand and had squeezed it. He still had a scar from where it had dully punctured his skin.

There had been no need to see Martin. They could live in the same city and still not see each other. New York was a big state. This had been the first time Danny had seen Martin in three years and damned if he didn't look good.

If he didn't looks so fucking good that it hurt Danny to look at him. There was nothing different about him except for the extreme hair cut, but he looked gorgeous to Danny. He'd always looked gorgeous to Danny. There hadn't been anything that Danny wouldn't have done for Martin.

"What happened to us? What happened that day that you left? I just... you were gone Martin. Everything all packed up like you were never there. You didn't even give me a chance to stop you." Danny said looking over at Martin with a hurt look.

He tried to look at Martin's eyes those ever expressive eyes. Martin always let his emotions play out in his eyes.

"I didn't stick around because I knew you would stop me. I knew you'd convince me to stay. You are a lawyer, Danny. Convincing people is all part of your talent. I just... I knew I had to get away from you."

"Why?"

"Because. You weren't the guy I fell in love with." Martin said. Danny looked over at Martin and smirked.

"I wasn't the man I used to be. What was that Martin?"

"You... it was about money with you. Power. It was never about that before. All of a sudden you're coming home drunk. After years of being sober and you're coming home drunk. Talking about position and stuff like that. I was secondary to you." Martin said.

"What did my greed remind you too much of your father." Danny muttered. He wasn't sure if Martin heard him or not, but he continued to talk.

"I'll admit the drinking was bad. I mean... I shouldn't have been drinking, but I did. People make mistakes. I grew up, Martin. Wasn't as idealistic as I used to be." Danny said.

"I didn't agree with the change. For what it's worth... it did hurt to leave. Still kind of does hurt." Martin whispered.

Danny finished his drink feeling slightly uncomfortable with Martin sitting next to him staring. He couldn't say anything to that. Couldn't tell Martin how much his leaving hurt. Because there were times after Danny had come down from the incredible feeling of winning a case that Danny wished Martin was around.

Wished that Martin was there to intently listen to Danny tell the story of how he won his last case hand gestures and all. They'd curl up on the couch and share soft kisses and meaningful touches and Danny missed that. Missed that closeness he had with Martin. He'd only ever really had it with Martin. He'd tried to start relationships in the past, but none of them worked. None of them were Martin.

Danny stood up and put a few bills on the bar counter. He turned and faced Martin one last time. He couldn't help that his hand had reached to run his fingers through Martin's short hair. He smiled at the peach fuzz feel.

"You know, this hair does nothing for you, Fitzie." Danny said moving his hand away. He began to walk out of the bar, but turned halfway to the door.

"For what it's worth, not that it matters much now, but I just... I want you to know... you were never secondary to me." Danny said as he walked out of the bar and into the New York night.

Chapter 1

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