Disclaimer; I don't own any of the CSI characters or the cool stuff they do and have that I can't possibly describe as well as it looks on screen. Though if someone offered me Flack (or Danny, for that matter) I wouldn't say no :D

A/N: my plot bunny ran away 'cos this story was supposed to be a crossover with something else and I changed it. A CSI story is challenging enough, lol. I hope I do it justice!

Warning; not really focused on any particular pairing, but there might be some Danny/Lindsay and Flack/Stella friendship. Maybe some Mac/Stella later - what do you think? ;)


The ten year old had always thought she had become immune to fear. After seeing the things she had seen, and learning the things she knew, it seemed that nothing could affect her. She was numb. Her care and concern for others was useless; she couldn't do anything for them when they really needed her help.

But now, having been sent away from the house by her father so he could talk to his 'friends' and wandering the dark streets of New York, the unusual feeling of fear was inside her. The bright lights, the heavy traffic, the shouting and general confusion of noise in the air unsettled her. She was used to more quieter places, like the small town she had been born in. Big cities were strange and frightening to her. And being in the one city that had a reputation for being one of the most dangerous, alone, didn't help.

She absently wandered into Central Park, which was deserted at this time of night, and sat down on a bench. She had a lot of time to spare, and absolutely no idea what to do with it. Except prepare. Prepare for what would be waiting for her when she went back home.

She had almost fallen asleep when a strange noise made her sit up again. She looked around, squinting into the darkness for some idea of what had disturbed her. She froze; there was a dark figure no more than five feet away dragging what looked like a body along the ground.

He let go of the body and looked up, and straight at her.

That was enough. The girl stood and ran, propelling herself faster as she heard him chasing after her, only one thought on her mind; she had to lead him back to her father.


The brown, curly haired CSI stood over the body sadly. The dead woman was no more than 23 years old, and had been brutally murdered; cuts and bruises on her face and arms showed that she had been beated badly, her clothes were torn and bloody and there was a gunshot wound on her chest. What could such an innocent looking girl with her whole life ahead of her have done to deserve this? she wondered, kneeling down to check her pockets for ID.

'Stella,' her partner greeted as he joined her, his mouth set in a grim line as he set down his metal CSI case and knelt beside her.

'Marcy Williams, 22, a student at NYU,' the woman read out, focusing her flashlight on the identity card she had found. 'How does a college student end up dead?'

'A married student,' Mac observed, noticing the ring on her finger. 'An abusive husband?'

'Wouldn't be the first time.'

'Hey,' Flack greeted, coming up behind them as they started processing, 'don't know who found her, the PD just got an anonymous call saying there was a body here. And guess what?'

Mac and Stella looked up at him. 'No witnesses.'

The detective nodded. 'Don't you just love this city? A girl gets killed at one of the busiest times of the night in a public place, and not one person sees it.'

'Not exactly,' Stella corrected, shining her flashlight along the ground away from the body. The ground had been disturbed, and some leaves and twigs had been broken. 'She was dragged here.'

'I'll send some uniforms to the house,' Flack announced, 'got a name?'

Stella handed him the ID card. 'Lives on campus. See if she has a roomate.'

'Telling me how to do my job, Bonasera?' Flack teased, his blue eyes twinkling playfully.

'You want me to hold your hand?' the woman teased back, ignoring Mac rolling his eyes next to her, 'I know how scared you are of the dark.'

He held up the card, 'I'll see what I can find.'


Lindsay and Danny had been called to a scene only a few streets away where people had reported hearing a gunshot.

'She's just a kid,' Lindsay breathed as she knelt down next to the victim.

'Yeah well, you're in New York now, Montana,' Danny reminded her, 'these things happen. He might not even have been aiming for her,' he remarked, looking around as if he expected to see the intended victim. 'What you doing?' he asked as his partner suddenly reached for the girl's throat to feel for a pulse.

Doe brown eyes looked up at him. 'She's alive.'

'What?' he asked incredulously, checking for himself. 'Get a medic out here!' he yelled.

He looked back to see Lindsay's relieved smile. He didn't have the heart to tell her that the kid had lost a lot of blood and might not make it to the hospital - she was too happy that she wasn't dead yet.


A/N: this is my first attempt at a CSI fanfic, so any feedback is appreciated :-D please be kind!

It might not make a lot of sense now, but it gets better later on, I promise :P