It wasn't fair. After all that work in getting to know those around her and getting into a routine at the lab, to finally almost feel she belonged – it all went up in smoke. Lindsay opened and closed the door behind her in her apartment.

Moving towards the kitchen she dropped her keys in her purse and her purse on the breakfast bar. Shedding her coat and hanging it over one of the tall chairs, she finally reached the kitchen's entryway. Sighing, she walked over to the counter and started making coffee.

While her Mr. Coffee worked its magic, Lindsay let her mind roll over the last few weeks. Stella's incident, the Mermaid from Montana, DJ Pratt, Aiden Burns…. Danny… Lindsay groaned and rubbed her tiered eyes and mentally edged the coffee maker on to go faster. She didn't know what she was going to do about him.

'What can I do?' she thought dejectedly, 'crazy, infuriating, amazing, city-boy…" Her thoughts traveled back to the mermaid case a few weeks ago and his remark about the view from the pier as compared to the view of hay fields.

She smirked recalling his dumbfounded look at her question about every seeing hay fields, then today… She sobered and poured herself a cup of the now done hot liquid, added vanilla creamier, and moved to her living room with it. It wasn't going to do any good to think about this now.

'I should think of how I am going to avoid the looks in the lab. I swear if one more tech looks like I shouldn't…' Her cell went, the "Sweet Home, Alabama" ring tone giving away a family member calling. Groaning and grinning, Lindsay put her coffee down on the floor and raced to fetch the little phone before the song ended.

Checking the caller ID Lindsay had to smile. It was the only person in her family that might kinda know what she was going through. Flipping the phone open, she answered.

"Hi, Nicky, how's Vegas?" Lindsay inquired cheerily.

"Non-too-horrible…how's NYC?" the voice on the other end, "staying out of trouble?"

"As much as you are…"

"Whoa! Do I need to call your Mama?" Nick teased.

"Do I need to call yours?" she teased back.

"I think we need to move along…" she heard him swallow, "You just get off? Kinda surprised I caught ya'"

"Yeah, crazy night," she didn't want to think about that, "what about you aren't you do in?"

"Night off! Lucky me!"

"Yes, indeed."

"You okay?" She mentally sighed; he really too damn smart sometimes, "Lindsay?"

"Yes and No, but nothing that can be really discussed over the phone."

"You can tell me all about it in a two weeks," this surprised her.

"Why? What's in two weeks?"

"My vacation to the Big Apple…"

"I thought you were going to see Aurie?"

"I am. She will be in town for a big exhibit at the New York City Public Library and Natural History Museum. Their having some big gala thing one of the nights and she needs to be there. Apparently, the woman who was supposed to go decided she would give birth to her first child, rather then some fancy party. So we decided that I would meet her there and while I'm there, I am also, hopefully, going to see my fav little cousin – if you can find the time off."

"I might have at least one, maybe two if I'm good," 'okay, bad mood officially gone and excitement setting in.' she thought.

"Great! I…oh hold on, I got another call…it's Grissom. I know it's Grissom," he moaned aggravated and defeated.

"I'll hold," she knew what he was going through."

"Thanks, one minute," a beep and then silence. Holding the phone to her ear, Lindsay reached down for her now lukewarm coffee.

During the conversation with Nicky, she had moved into the living room again and was sitting on the couched wrapped in a fleece blanket. She really did miss Nicky. The last time she had seen the Las Vegas CSI, was after his buried-alive ordeal. He wanted to take some major time off and no one argued. He had gone home to Texas for few weeks and then bounced north to Montana to visit his mother's sister and cousins.

She still had been working with the crime lab in Bozeman at the time but had gotten a weekend off to visit with him. She really missed him, him and Aurie.

Aurie Larson was a friend she met while studying abroad in England and had brought home to meet her family and to visit awhile between college semesters. That also happen to hit around the time that Nick had been promoted in his lab and he and his parents had been visiting to celebrate the move. Nick and Aurie had hit it off right away and Lindsay could really see a future for them. Aurie worked for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

But the hook for Lindsay, and eventually Nick too, was the University of Pennsylvania Archeological Science BA, Information Technologies BA, and Forensic Science minor. She was working her tail off in York when Lindsay had arrived to study there from the University of Montana. She didn't think much of her until she asked where she could find one chem. book; the girl had no English accent. She was a small town girl from America – Pennsylvania!

They hit off right, and realized how great it was to find someone who knew American football, hot dogs, Thanksgiving Day mishaps and high schools without uniforms. Lindsay had a girl who could help with the craziest bits of history and literature and Aurie was more then willing to share.

Lindsay got to see a lot more of the English society through Aurie's contacts and encouragement. Plays at the Globe Theater in London, trips to and through the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Wordsworth's House, and an in depth look at the Scottish castle in Edinburgh and its treasures. Some of the places were touristy, but if Aurie knew the right person they usually got to see or do something that no one else really could.

Lindsay was almost giddy at the though of seeing her friend again and her cousin…

"Hey, you still there?" Nick's voice suddenly came through, causing Lindsay to jump a little.

"Yeah, still here…You have to go?"

"Yep. I knew a night off would too good to be true; some DB turned up at a wedding…or something, I won't know til I get there."

"Well, have fun and be careful…"

"I know and you too. I'll see you physically in two weeks!"

"Wouldn't miss it!"

"Excellent. See you, then chicky!"

"Buh-bye, cowpoke." They shared a laugh.

"See-ya," he was leaving.

"Bye." he was gone. Sitting there a moment longer, Lindsay decide that she really needed sleep. Taking her cup back to the kitchen she quickly cleaned up her coffee pot and reset everything to start in to morning. She opted out of the regular stuff and decided to try some of the special good stuff that Nick had sent for Christmas.

Once the timer was set, Lindsay finished cleaning up and slipped into bed. With the lights turned off and the covers pulled tight, Lindsay realized something. In the twenty minuet conversation between her and Nick and finally getting into bed – she never once thought about Danny.

"Oh, so close….."