Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY or any of the characters. The only thing that's mine are Lindsay's inner thoughts, and some of dialogue that I made up.

A/N: Companion piece to 'First Impressions'. This time around, it's 'Zoo York' from Lindsay's POV. My interpretation of Lindsay's thoughts her first day on the job, moving to New York, and her lovely coworker who just can't stop teasing her. ;-) Spoilers through 2.3.

At First Glance

by SavvyAngel

"Hey Jimmy! How are you… stop it with the fake static," Lindsay said to her older brother. This was a common routine among the men in her family, one that they apparently found extremely amusing. She rolled her eyes before continuing.

"Come on, I know you're not losing the signal. Just… let me talk to Mom. Shut it… no… ugh, you are such a pain in the ass!"

She faltered as she heard the female voice that was now on the other end of the phone. "Oh… Mom, hi. No, no I was talking to Jimmy. Yeah, the flight landed right on time, no bags lost or anything. The airport wasn't too hard to figure out either, surprisingly."

She saw her aunt walk in from the kitchen. "Linds, honey, dinner's almost ready," she said. Lindsay put her hand over the phone, answering, "I'll be right there, Aunt Beth." Her aunt smiled and nodded, before moving back into the other room.

"What?" she said, turning attention back to the phone. "Oh yeah, Mom. Uncle Freddie and Aunt Beth and the twins are good. I'm so glad they're letting me stay here. Yes, I'll tell them you said hi. Yeah, I'm going to try to start looking for apartments tomorrow morning, bright and early. Don't worry, I'll be careful, Momma. Tell Daddy I love him, I'll talk to you soon."

Lindsay hung up the phone with a sigh, and ran a hand through her hair. The time difference was already taking its toll on her, and she'd barely been in New York for three hours. Already, she could feel the difference in the air, the atmosphere, and in her own life.

And the need for her own apartment.

Her aunt and uncle were wonderful, as were her twin, 6 year old nephews… but if I'm going to work in New York, I desperately need my own sanctuary in the city. She could hear every noise from the rest of the house in her temporary home in the living room.

Later, months after settling in an apartment in the heart of Manhattan, it was the noise of the city that would put her to sleep. It would become such a normality, such a part of her everyday life that any lack of it would be what kept her awake at night.

After dinner, she had pulled the couch out, and was putting sheets and a blanket on it for a makeshift bed. But, Lindsay found, she couldn't sleep when she finally lay down. She was nervous to start work at the New York Crime Lab in four days. She knew, from conversations with her former supervisor and her new supervisor, Detective Mac Taylor, that this lab was 10 times nicer, bigger, more advanced, and newer than the one she left behind in Bozeman.

And she was determined to leave everything that had haunted her in Montana behind her as well. Start a new life, in a city she'd dreamed of for years, and get away from every familiar thing in the world.

Four days later, after seeing more apartments and combing through more ads than she thought possible in the short amount of time, Lindsay had gone to the crime lab, only to be told to head out to the zoo immediately for a case. She walked toward the tiger pit area that one of the NYPD detectives had pointed her too. This should be interesting. Wonder what… well, hello, she thought, looking at someone standing close to the scene she was headed for. Now that must be a cop. No way in hell is he a CSI, because I have never seen a CSI who looks that good. She paused for a moment, just taking time to look at him. Which I should, since I'll probably never, ever see him again after this. Unfortunately.

She watched as he pushed his glasses up, rubbing the bridge of his nose while talking to another man on the scene. He smiled. 5'10", blonde hair, athletic build... and I've officially been a CSI for too long.

She almost sighed, then put back on her 'professional' face to find her boss. Looking in at the older man crouching down inside the tiger's cage, she figured that she had found him.

"Detective Taylor?"

"Yeah," he responded, barely glancing up at her. He was completely intent on the work at hand, she noticed.

"Lindsay Monroe."

At that, he raised his head to her. "My new investigator from Bozeman."

"Your office said you wanted me to come down as soon as I arrived?" she asked, making sure she had received the correct information.

"Glove up."

Wow. That was quick. "Now?"

He looked up once again. "You here to watch or work?"

"You want me to start processing?" she inquired, putting her gloves on as she did so.

"Nah, Danny's got that covered," Mac replied.

Lindsay was about to inquire about this… Danny person, but she never got the chance.She felt someone behind her before she actually heard him speak. "That'd be me, Danny Messer, how you doin'?"

Guess people really do say that in New York. "Hi," she said with a smile, turning to see the man who had spoken with the intensely thick accent. And then she recognized him… as the guy she'd been staring at only two minutes ago. She tried to avoid checking him out again, since she'd already done it without knowing who he was. Ooh. Guess he is a CSI then, lucky for me. And the close-up view's even better – guess those glasses serve to frame gorgeous blue eyes. And could you have found a tighter shirt to wear… Lindsay, stop. Not an option here.

"I'll need you to hold the tiger's jaw so I can get the dental impression," she heard Mac say in some corner of her mind. The rest of it was focused on something else.

Whoa. Have you even heard of personal space, buddy? Little close for comfort here… not that it's bad or anything… work. Here to work. Tiger jaws, right.

Then, he leaned in even closer, and whispered in her ear. "Just take a deep breath, don't let him know that you're afraid, 'cause he can sense when you're nervous."

She nearly shivered from the closeness, but it was his tone and words that prevented her from doing so.

What? she thought, internally rolling her eyes at him. I know I'm new, but the tiger's out like a light, I'm not that much of an idiot.

"The tiger's been tranquilized," she responded, throwing confidence into her voice that she didn't really feel. "I think I can handle it."

"I'm talking about Mac," he countered. Oh… oh crap. This – that's not good. "And make sure you call him 'Sir,'" he finished before walking away.

She nodded slightly, a tinge of fear for her new boss now residing within her, and adding to the nervousness she already felt. Awesome. A tiger, a hot guy who doesn't understand the concept of a personal bubble, and a boss I need to be afraid of. This is great.

But she wasn't going to let this get to her, no way. Girl from Nowheresville, Montana or not, she was a good CSI and was planning on making sure everyone knew it.

And they would. After only a few weeks at the lab, they would see that the newest detective was a force to be reckoned with. Even Danny would admit, though not to her, that he was impressed.

Lindsay walked into the cage, leaning down and holding the tiger's jaws open, watching as the older detective poured plaster for the prints.

"You know, petting a cat has been scientifically proven to lower your blood pressure." What?? Lindsay, what… where the hell did that come from? You're such a…

Mac looked up at her, a placating smile on his face. "Maybe the vic heard the same thing."

Freak. He thinks you're a freak.

"Tiger stripes are like fingerprints: no two tigers have the same stripes."Stop. Stop talking, I'm begging you. Stoooooop. "Females range eight to nine feet long."

Mac looked at her, an almost amused look on his face. "I'm sorry, sir. I recite meaningless trivia when I'm nervous." No. I'm sure he didn't get that at all, she thought. Even her inner voice was being sarcastic now.

"This is a male," he said.

She looked at the other end of the tiger. Oh. Oh wow. Now, not only do I look like a babbling, nervous rookie, I look like a babbling idiot. "Right. Should've checked first, sir."

"And don't call me sir," Mac finished.

Lindsay tried to avoid turning a deep shade of red. So now, not only do I look like a bumbling moron thanks to that meaningless trivia thing, now I look stupid thanks to...

Her face changed, from embarrassment to anger quickly as she realized, she really wasn't to blame for the second half. Why that friggin' jerk! She threw her glance to Messer standing outside the cage with a look she hope conveyed how much of an asshat I think you are. Ugh. He had clearly been watching the exchange, for after catching her eye, he quickly turned away. Apparently good looks and attitude do come in opposite proportions.

As they all moved inside the tiger's cage, continuing to process and search for answers, it seemed that Danny wasn't about to let up any time soon.

"Sure you never seen anything like that up in Montana," he said, talking about the collection of tiger dung Mac had just ordered to the lab.

"Ever seen what a full grown black bear can do to a man?" she countered without really looking at him. Even you probably couldn't stomach that one, smart ass.I mean really: who the hell does he think he is? she thought, staring for another moment at her new partner. Great. Bastard.

Seriously, if that's any indication of this… New Yorker's personality, it sucks, she thought.

They returned back to the lab a short time later. And although she had explored a little, Lindsay had almost no idea where anything was. Especially not where the supplies were in the lab she was currently in.

Come on, where are you? she thought, searching for the roll of tape she knew must be lying around. She opened cabinets, looking through them in her search, and had rifled through half of them before the other occupant of the room spoke.

"Can I help?" she heard the blonde detective say from the table behind her.

Oh right, she thought, mentally rolling her eyes at him. Like I need more of your 'help,' you cocky, arrogant, little…

"No thank you, you helped enough already this morning," was what actually came out of her mouth, laced with the irritation she was feeling towards him. Bastard.

"Ooo-k," he responded, clearly trying to back off.

Good, you better start sounding like you're sorry.

Finally, she found the tape she had been searching for in the bottom cabinet.Yes! she thought, priding herself on not needing Danny's help. Victory dance… ok, now let's get to the – oof, she thought as she nearly ran into a very solid wall of Danny.

She just looked at him, really not ready to fight on her first day. He motioned for her to go by, saying, "Alright. After you." Oh yeah, real chivalrous. And like you're the one who should be annoyed right now.

Lindsay kept sneaking glances at him as they processed. I'm not checking him out. Nope, definitely not, no way in hell. I'm…she tried to think of a way to talk herself into believing it. I'm seeing if he's actually good at his job. Ha.

She could feel his eyes on her every so often. Pssh. Probably trying to see if I'm doing this right. Of course I am, you… jerkface.

Lindsay looked up at him, catching his eye at the same second he glanced at her. They both stared at each other for a moment before going back to concentrating on the work before them.

Whoa. Talk about those blue eyes again. They look like… a stormy ocean, I think – gorgeous, definitely. God, I've never seen someone with such an intense gaze.

Huh. Wonder what he looks like under that lab coat? she thought, eyes wandering back to him. Oh my LORD – Lindsay Monroe – get a grip! It doesn't matter what he looks like, he is an absolute ass!

It wasn't for months that she realized she might have been somewhat wrong about this particular aspect of her partner. He might've acted like an arrogant ass, but after they'd been around each other long enough, she saw a different side to him than the front he put on for everyone else. His tough exterior hid a painful past, and a softer heart than he would never even think about letting on.

Plus, it's not like that shirt he was wearing earlier left much to the imagination. Really, it's no wonder everyone stares at him… like you're doing right now. Stop it, she scolded herself, getting close to the point where she thought she might actually have to slap herself.

A few minutes later, Lindsay walked into the break room, looking for oh my GOD caffeine, thank you thank you THANK you. She held the files from their current case in one hand, trying to pour herself a cup of coffee with the other. As it poured out, the coffee began spilling over the edge. Stupid… freakin'… hell.

And suddenly, a cloth was being handed over her shoulder. Lindsay looked behind her and saw that the detective who had instructed her to head down to the zoo earlier was handing it to her. Lindsay had never been so grateful to someone she barely knew than in that moment.

"Thanks," she said, throwing a smile towards Stella? That was her name right?

"No problem," the woman responded with a smile of her own.

"My feet haven't touched the ground since I clocked in," Lindsay said, giving an excuse for her complete idiocy in thinking I could multi-task. It would suck if that's really not her name, how much of a tool will I look like if I get it wrong? Great first impression, Linds.

The older detective waited until Lindsay had finished wiping up the spilled drink, then moved to pour herself a cup. "Well, welcome to the crime lab."

There was none of the smug tone that she might've expected. After all, it was all she had been getting from Mr. I think I'm so awesome and talented and gorgeous throughout the day. "In Montana, they gave us breathing breaks," thinking more out loud to herself than actually talking.

She opened the refrigerator to get cream for her coffee, and heard Stella respond. "Let me give you a little tip: protein bars, comfortable shoes, and at least four hours of sleep a night," she said. It sounded like advice that had been tested and tried many times over.

"Well, that's not going to help me today. Mac wants these now," Lindsay continued, pouring the cream into her cup. And if what Messer says has any truth to it, he's scary if he doesn't get what he wants.

"No, Mac wants them done right. That's all that matters," countered her Greek coworker.

Huh. You know, I'm probably better off listening to this woman than Jerkface Boy. She seems like she knows Mac pretty well.

But Lindsay was still afraid that she was going to screw something up.And there's no way I want to do that… especially not on my first day. "I just don't want to slow things down," she said, moving to quickly exit the room and track down her boss.

"Hey," she heard Stella say, and turned around. "In the McGinty killings, the Bozeman county attorney got his prosecution based on your work."

"McGinty was convicted because he was guilty."

"Well, it was your interpretation of the blood splatter that broke the case wide open," Stella responded, not buying into Lindsay's attempt to downplay her role. "That's what put you on Mac's radar – your attention to detail."

"Thanks."A compliment? This is… new. Oop… better go find Mac, she thought as she threw another grateful smile at her coworker.

After her conversation with Stella, and checking in with DNA to make sure the results weren't back yet, Lindsay headed towards the room Mac had told her to meet him in. "I found blood and flesh and some kind of a sawdust compound on the vic's shoes, sent it to DNA. And AFIS is definitely a no-go," Lindsay said, walking in and explaining everything to Mac.

"So he's a John Doe for now. Grab a bib," he responded. Lindsay went and took the apron-like item off a hook, watching as Mac pulled a sheet off a hanging pig. Oh my lord, she thought, smiling wide. Cool.

"I've heard about these reconstructions. I've never done one before," she said, the excitement of an eight year old at Christmas obvious on her face.

Mac smiled at her. "No better way to start your first day on the job."

"Well, the tiger was pretty good," she admitted.

Mac explained what they would do through the reconstruction, and they began impaling the various weapons through the pig.

This is kind of amazing, actually, Lindsay thought. For the first couple times.

"Well, I'm done eating bacon for life," she said as Mac tested the last weapon. He only laughed, and she heard someone enter the room just behind her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, and saw Danny standing there, glancing at the scene, and at her. Please tell me he picked up my results from DNA.

"So, uh, only the victim's DNA was on the tape around his wrists. The shoes, however are a different story. The flesh that Montana, here found…"

Lindsay didn't hear the rest of the sentence. Did he actually just call me Montana? Is he freaking KIDDING me??? Lindsay thought, giving Messer the best death glare she could manage under the surprise of the nickname.

He winked. He winked at me when I glared. How… much more irritating can he get?

This pissed her off more than half of the other things he'd done already that day. He didn't know the memories that got dredged up when he called her that, and she knew he'd probably never know.

But he would. A year and a half later, he would know more about her than almost everyone else she'd ever known. And the nickname wouldn't bring hurt and embarrassment anymore – it would be almost a prayer to her ears, a show of affection that he never gave anyone else.

She tuned back in to hear Mac ask about a pattern.

"Sawdust, animal flesh, a meathook. We might not know the victim's name, but we know where he's from," she responded, trying to prove that she hadn't just been completely focused on her partner.

"Meatpacking district," Mac said, completing her thought.

After arriving and discovering the victim's name and relation to the place, they began wandering around, looking for anything that could assist in discovering his murderer. Lindsay's eyes traveled around the room, focusing in on the sawdust and meat lying around, trying to find any details that could help them. As the three walked back into the freezer, Danny looked around.

"It's a lot of hamburgers," he said, looking at her.

"Back home, people keep this much meat in their basements," she responded with a smirk. No really. My Uncle Joe? I'm pretty sure he could feed the entire state for a week with all the meat in that basement of his.

"We do what we can," he threw back. Lindsay noted that he returned her smile with a complacent and forced one, and there was a tiny bit of coldness in the response, as if she was insulting him. Ooo-k. So, not with the friendly joking yet. Right. God, it's not like I asked to take your old partner's place.

She bit back her frustration with him.

"I'll do it," she said, after Mac declared that they would need a sample of the mysteriously defrosted meat. She whipped out a pocket knife, slicing off a piece.

She could feel Danny's eyes on her, and saw that they were widened in amazement. He turned to Mac. "Country girl," he noted in explanation, pointing to her with an appreciative smirk.

Lindsay returned one of her own. That's right, city boy. I'm not some cute, little, innocent country bumpkin who can't do anything. Score – 1 for the cowgirl.

As Lindsay walked with Mac toward the address they had been given for Ryan Knight, she stopped quickly, pulling out a pen and pad of paper when she saw an "Apartment to Share" sign. Maybe I'll get some luck with this one. She felt Mac back up a few steps, coming to stand beside her.

"You still haven't found a place yet?"

She shook her head slightly. "Still looking."

"You look in Brooklyn, Queens…?" he inquired, a genuine interest in trying to help.

She smiled. "This girl's heart is set on Manhattan. 'Til then, it's Uncle Freddie's couch in Terrytown." Plus, I'm pretty sure Mom would tell Uncle Freddie to get me on the next flight to Montana if she heard I was even thinking about living in Queens.

She began climbing the stairs, but stopped again when she saw Mac walk over to a man carrying a duffel bag down the street. She watched as the man turned, then swung the bag at the detective's head, throwing him off balance as he ducked to avoid the hit.

Oh come ON. What an idiot. Try to knock over a cop, good job buddy. Lindsay reacted purely on instinct. As she saw the man she assumed was Knight running towards her, she backed up a step, then ran at him, throwing all her weight into his side and knocking him into the car. She kept pushing him down, helping Mac hold his arms back.

"What do they feed you up there in Montana?" Mac questioned as he handcuffed the suspect.

She only laughed. Hey, three older brothers who were all 6 foot tall varsity football players? I learned to run and tackle, or I got tackled.

Later in the lab, Lindsay was completely focused on the handprint they had discovered in the meat. Suddenly, she felt someone approach from her side. Who the…

"So, Montana, I hear you tackled the kid Mac's talking to right now, huh? Nice."

She shut her eyes for a moment, rolling them underneath the eyelids.Please don't let that be a permanent nickname. She looked back at him, and saw the teasing nature of his sparkling blue eyes, and the half-smirk crossing his mouth.

Lindsay let out a smirk of her own. "It was nothing. You run after enough farm animals and you can catch and tackle anything," she responded.Farm animals, brothers… same difference.

He let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I bet."

You know, Messer, maybe you're not so bad.

"So, what caused the meat to defrost?" he asked.

Wow. Still being friendly… I'm almost impressed. "Whoever handled this meat had salt on their hands."

And after a few more meetings, with lab techs and others working around the lab, Lindsay had gone back out to pick up more evidence to put the gardener away for Venetti's murder. And when they arrived at his apartment, finding it empty, but clearly mid-frantic packing, she was completely frustrated. They had gone over every inch of the place at least twice, and found very little by the time she arrived back at the lab. Mac had told her that they had Angelo in custody, and that she could head on home since they weren't likely to find anything else that night.

She walked into the office she would be sharing with Danny, stopping when she saw him sitting at his desk. He was looking at something, but she couldn't see what. Oh God, he probably doesn't even want me in here. Lindsay sighed, and took tentative steps, gathering everything on her desk and dropping the folders she had been carrying onto it.

She furrowed her eyebrows, thinking everything over in her mind. She looked towards Danny, mouth moving to tell him… something.

Forget it, she thought, closing her mouth again and holding her head high to stop any tears that had even been thinking of entering her eyes. She began to walk back out of the office when she heard Danny call.

"Hey, Monroe?"

She stopped, turning back around, surprise written on her face that he had spoken to her.

"Yeah, Danny?" Please, please don't make fun of me. Seriously. I'm just tired –

"Nice job out there today," he said. She could hear in his voice, and see in his expressive eyes that he was being completely genuine. A smile began to form back on her face as she felt some of the confidence she had originally had coming into the job make its way back into her system.

"Thanks," she responded, and moved towards the door again before turning once more to him. "You in tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yeah. 11:30 'til whenever the hell Mac decides to send me home."

Her smile grew again. See? See how easy it is to be friendly, Mr. tough-ass detective? "I'll see you, then," she said, finally walking out of the room.

Lindsay walked down the hall, heading toward the elevator. Well, overall, I'd say the first day wasn't so bad, she thought with a half-smile playing on her face. She stopped, pressed the down button and waited for the car to arrive. She absently played with the necklace around her throat, a nervous habit she'd had for as long as she could remember. As the doors opened, and she stepped in, she heard someone shout from down the hall.

"Hey Monroe! Hold the elevator for me, will ya?"

She put a hand against the door, preventing it from shutting as Danny rushed in beside her. "Thanks," he said.

Good lord, you really don't know the definition of personal space, do you? she realized as he stood next to her, only a hair's breadth between their arms.

There was an awkward, but not uncomfortable, silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "So, Monroe, you get the grand tour of the lab yet?" Danny asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eyes as they stood in the elevator.

"Grand tour?" Lindsay responded. "I don't think I've seen anything for more than three minutes except the lab. And that's only 'cause I was forced to work there."

He smirked. "Well, you got one essential at least. We'll take care of the rest over time, don't worry about that. And we'll have to get you caught up on all the stories around here."

"Stories?" Lindsay responded, turning to look at him only to find his eyes already focused on her.

"Oh yeah. I've got some pretty good ones if you're interested… Montana."

He added the nickname as a sidenote, she noticed. Not that that makes it any better. "You know, I do have an actual name," she said to him as they stepped off the elevator.

Danny smiled again. He put a hand on her elbow, and she turned to look at him. "You know, there's some coffee in the break room if you want to grab some and I can show you around for a few minutes before you head home."

She smiled back. "Only if it's nice and strong."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Hey, if Flack made it, it'll be like drinking tar, I promise you that."

Lindsay laughed, walking next to him toward the break room. You know, I guess you're really not too bad, Messer. Maybe. I'm thinking that this just might work out pretty well.