A/N: I had a crappy day, so you all get a new story from me! Flashback one-shot featuring two characters from Cold Case. You'll probably figure out who they are, but I thought it would be cool to not name names until the end. This is a fleshed-out version of canon obtained from Episode 1x22, "The Plan."

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I'm just having fun telling their story. I also don't know much about the game they're playing, so apologies in advance for any inaccuracies.

Just Kickin' It

The teenage girl flipped a page in her magazine and blew her bangs out of her eyes yet again, welcoming the brief coolness on her forehead. It was hot. Even though the sun had sunk below the horizon, the heat it had brought during the day lingered, with not even the slightest puff of breeze to stir it. Still, she knew that being outside would be better than being inside on a night like tonight, and besides, the boys were playing stickball. She didn't know or care much about the game, but her cousin Rosalia had a crush on one of the boys who played, and since she was new to the neighborhood, she stuck closely to Rosalia's side. Lately, that meant watching a lot of stickball.

She hadn't lived on the block very long, just a couple of weeks. They'd moved that summer, her dad hoping to find a better job. She wasn't too heartbroken about leaving her old school, especially since she'd be living just three doors down from Rosalia. Born only two months apart, the girls had been best friends since birth, even though they hadn't lived on the same block or gone to the same school. She was excited about starting high school in a couple of weeks. She wasn't a stellar student, but she loved art class, and she was eager to get a fresh start in her new neighborhood.

She smiled slightly as Rosalia giggled uncontrollably at the latest thing her crush had said. The whole "crush" concept was still a mystery to her. Ever since Rosalia had discovered the wonder that was Daniel, every word out of her mouth was "Daniel" this and "Daniel" that. Daniel had on the best shirt today. Daniel talked to me at the pretzel stand. But she smiled and listened to all the chatter, because Rosalia was her family. And her friend.

On the street, the boys had named the captains and were divvying up into teams. She wasn't really paying attention, just idly leafing through her magazine, but at the sound of an unfamiliar name called for the Skins team she glanced up, and felt her heart skip a beat. Her cheeks grew warm, even warmer than they already were, as she watched the boy put down his bat and peel off his T-shirt.

His name was called first, and his heart swelled with pride. He'd been away at soccer camp for the past two weeks, and his brother had told him he'd been missed. But to be picked first, especially when he was younger than a lot of the other players, well. That made his night. Bonus for being called for Skins; it was too damn hot outside to wear a shirt. The game hadn't even started, and he was already sweating. He was taking a swig from his Gatorade when he felt more than saw someone watching him. He glanced up and saw a pretty dark-haired girl sitting on the steps, an open magazine on her lap. Who was this? He'd sure never seen her before.

She glanced down hurriedly when he looked up, a pink blush creeping into her cheeks. Slowly, though, her eyes sneaked back up toward him, and this time he was the one who looked away. He didn't have any idea who she was, but she sure was pretty. Despite the heat, he felt goosebumps forming on his skin. That was weird, he thought, but his reverie was interrupted by the voice of his brother telling him to take second base. He glanced up at the girl one more time, met her eyes for a millisecond, offered her what he hoped was a smile, and jogged out into the street.

She exhaled a shaky breath. He'd caught her looking at him, and had looked back. And smiled. He'd smiled at her! She couldn't believe it. Joy bubbled up within her as she elbowed Rosalia. "Who's that?" she asked, trying not to be obvious.

Rosalia followed her eyes to the gangly dark-haired boy at second. "Him? Oh, that's Eduardo's cousin. He just got back from soccer camp. He's really good." She stole a glance at her cousin, and comprehension crept over her features in a slow smile. "Hey, do you like him or somethin'?"

Blushing furiously, she denied it. "No," she protested weakly. "Just never seen him before."

Rosalia gave her a look that clearly said she didn't believe a word of it. "Girl, you are gone," she announced knowingly.

"Sssshhhhh," was the fiercely whispered reply, followed by a flutter of magazine pages. "Oooh, that guy from Can't Buy Me Love is in here," she said, in a sudden attempt to deflect the unwanted attention.

Rosalia rolled her eyes. "Don't change the subject," she said, and playfully elbowed her cousin. The two dissolved into giggles.

The wooden thwack of bat on ball echoed off the buildings. Damn. That ball was high. Really high. And it was arcing toward him, slowly, surely. Keep your eye on the ball, he coached himself. Eye on the ball, eye on the ball, eye on the ball. He sprinted toward the spot where he was pretty sure the ball would land. Eye on the ball.Eye on the ball.

Crap! He'd gone too far. The ball was about to fall. Ortiz was rounding second, racing toward third. It'd be at least a triple if he didn't do something. Eye on the ball. He stopped and instinctively stretched his arm out as high as it would go, leaning backwards, starting to topple, starting to fall…

His hand stung as the ball smacked it. It started to bounce out. Eye on the ball. He wrestled it back in, clutched it to his chest. His heart pounded. He'd caught it. Out number three!

His teammates cheered, and he heard the girlish shrieks from the stairs. But he only cared about the reaction of one person. He scanned the crowd for that pretty brunette he'd seen earlier. There she was. She was whispering something in Rosalia's ear, still had that magazine open, but her eyes were on him. She'd seen that! He beamed with pride as he tossed the ball to the pitcher and gave the shortstop a high five.

The game dragged on. Traffic swished on the nearby highway, and the thuds of boom boxes and car stereos competed with one another and with the wails of distant sirens. Moths clustered around the streetlights, but thank God the mosquitoes weren't too bad. Her sister had tried to get the girls to come get ice cream with her, but she and Rosalia wouldn't budge. Rosalia's eyes were locked on Daniel, and hers? Hers were locked on the new boy.

The game wasn't going well for their team. Shirts two, Skins zero. It was the last inning, but the Skins were starting to rally. Daniel had hit a single, the next two had struck out, and then Eduardo had reached base as well. She looked down to see who was batting next, and her heart raced as the new boy stepped to the plate. His dark eyes sparkled as he glanced up at her, then hurriedly looked away after their eyes met. He busied himself with swinging the bat through the air, warming up, getting ready.

He took a mighty swing at the first pitch offered and the ball smacked harmlessly into the catcher's hand. "Strike one," the boy who was serving as umpire called decisively. She offered the batter what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but he didn't look her way.

Rosalia elbowed her. "Daniel would have hit that," she teased.

"Shut up," came the hissed reply. Rosalia backed off. Her cousin was completely and totally nuts over this one, that was for sure.

The next pitch came. She waited with bated breath, her heart pounding, praying silently for bat to connect with ball. She gritted her teeth and groaned softly as the ball again fell into the catcher's hand.

Rosalia looked at her with surprise. "For somebody who don't care nothin' about stickball, you sure are into this game," she giggled. No response. Rosalia took her cousin's hand and squeezed it.

She balled up her other hand into a fist, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palm. She was on the edge of her seat, along with the rest of the spectators. A few people offered some cheered encouragement, but most seemed as on edge as she was.

Her heart was pounding as she watched him sling the bat over his shoulder, awaiting the next pitch.

Chagrined, he scuffed his feet on the pavement. He should have had those first two, and he knew it. He'd have hit 'em, too, if it weren't for that girl on the steps. He was finding it nearly impossible to concentrate once he'd seen that sweetly dimpled smile of hers, those shimmering dark eyes. Dammit, get your head in the game, he reprimanded himself, and clenched his jaw.

He stared the pitcher down with what he hoped was a menacing glare, but his opponent didn't even blink, just wound up and hurled the ball through the air with a grunt, putting all his weight behind it. Keep your eye on the ball…eye on the ball….eye on the ball…

His muscles tensed and his grip on the bat tightened. Wait for it…wait for it…NOW!

He swung with all his might.

The sharp crack of bat on ball was the sweetest music she'd ever heard. She leaped to her feet, along with all the other girls, cheering as the boys ran the bases. The ball was still arcing through the air when Daniel, who had been on second, crossed home plate. She glanced at her cousin, who was screaming and jumping up and down. She grabbed Rosalia in a hug, and the two girls jumped up and down as one as they urged the rest of the Skins to follow suit. Shirts two, Skins one.

Run, he coached himself. Don't worry about everybody else, just run. He was just rounding first when the cheer from the crowd told him he'd driven Daniel home. One run wouldn't be enough, though, and he willed his legs to move a little faster. Another cheer from the crowd reached his ears, and he congratulated himself. Tie game. Even if he got thrown out, they'd get 'em in extra innings.

Come on, come on, come on, run, run, run, run, she chanted inwardly. Daniel and Eduardo had both reached home, and had turned around to urge on their teammate. All eyes in the street were fixed on that new boy, the one whose smile made her heart skip a beat. The ball had hit the side of an apartment building with a resounding thwack, causing the light within to flick on and an irritated face to appear at the window, but nobody cared. The Shirts player nearest the building was trying his hardest to guess how the bounce would go, to corral that unruly ball. He guessed right, because the ball landed in his outstretched hand, and he whirled around and threw with all his might at home plate.
Crap. He caught it. He actually caught it. Ramirez NEVER reads the bounce right, and the one time he does is now. Crap. He picked up the pace, ran even harder, felt like his lungs were going to explode. He was only feet away from home plate, but Ramirez had thrown the ball hard. Too hard. Too fast. There was no way…

With one last burst of energy, he leaped toward home and touched the manhole cover a full half a second before he heard the slap of the ball in the catcher's hand and felt it touch his back.

"Safe!" came the call, and she erupted in a shriek of joy, hugged Rosalia, and continued to jump up and down. The other girls were too busy with their own celebrations or trying to console each other, depending on which team they supported. Daniel and Eduardo were giving their teammate high-fives, and the Shirts were shuffling off, muttering to themselves. The other girls gradually drifted away, some with the boys, some on their own, until it was just she and Rosalia still there. She stayed rooted to the spot, sitting on the steps, hoping, praying, that he'd come up and talk to her, but absolutely terrified that that very thing might happen. What on earth would she say to him?
The high from the game still lingered as the elated Skins began to head for home. He chugged some Gatorade and toweled off with his T-shirt, then threw it over his shoulder, picked up his bat, and started to head out with Mendoza. Something stopped him, though, and he glanced up out of the corner of his eye. That girl from earlier was still there. She hadn't left yet. Amazed, he stopped dead in his tracks. He should go talk to her, go meet her, go find out who she was and why in the world he'd never seen her before. But he couldn't move. He stood rooted to the spot. His mouth went dry, and his heart slammed against the wall of his chest. You chicken, he chastised himself.

Mendoza called to him. "Oye, amigo, you ready?" He looked up, from Mendoza to the girl, who was smiling shyly, back to Mendoza, back to the girl. "I…I'll be there in a minute," he blurted out.

Mendoza followed his friend's gaze to the brunette, and comprehension dawned. "Comprendo, mi amigo. Say no more," Mendoza grinned, as he turned to leave.

It was now or never. Slowly, tentatively, he approached the stairs, the girl's face growing more beautiful with each step.

Oh my God oh my God oh my God. He was coming her way. He was COMING her WAY. She had absolutely no idea what she'd say to him. How was her hair? Did she have anything stuck between her teeth? Nervously, she fiddled with a few of the wayward wisps that had sprung from her ponytail and smoothed her tank top, praying that she looked okay. She turned to ask Rosalia, but her cousin was deep in conversation with Daniel, far too distracted to notice anything else.

He stopped a few feet in front of her. "Hey," he said shyly.

"Hi," she said, with a nervous giggle, then added, "Good game."

His heart pounding and his voice sounding strange to his ears, he managed to introduce himself. "I'm Scotty," he said, extending a hand to her.

"Elisa," she answered softly, taking his hand. A jolt of electricity sparked where his hand touched hers, and traveled in a wave throughout her whole body. She smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Scotty."

"Nice to meet you, too, Elisa," he replied. They stood there for a few seconds, smiling at each other, hand in hand, neither one knowing what to say. Elisa's decision was made for her by a shrill voice calling her in for the night.

"My mother," she said shyly. "I gotta go."

"Yeah, me too." Elisa. What a beautiful name. Scotty never heard a name so beautiful in his whole life. He didn't want to let go of her hand yet, didn't want to lose that wonderful ache that was beginning to bloom in his heart. He had no idea what it was about, but he knew he liked it, and he didn't want it to end.

Finally, she pulled her hand from his and turned to leave.

"I'll see you tomorrow night?" he called hopefully, smiling. Elisa turned back to look at him, and answered, "Yeah….I'll be here."

Scotty watched her go, then turned to leave, exhaling a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. With a light heart and a bounce in his step, he headed for home.