Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: New York
Series: 'Kindred Spirits' – while most of this series can be read alone, this does contain quite a few references to the others, so you might want to read them first.
Spoilers: Minor for Lat 40 Degrees 47 Minutes/Long 73 Degrees 58 Minutes W.
Lat 40 Degrees 47 Minutes/Long 73 Degrees 58 Minutes W
Three days after Jess's 28th birthday, she rolled over to realise two things:
Firstly, and for the first time since the shooting, the movement provoked no kind of pain whatsoever.
Secondly, Don was still asleep next to her, which was a little concerning, since a glance at the clock told her that his shift started half an hour ago.
"Don!" She nudged him awake. "You're late!"
"Hmm?" Don stretched and glanced at the clock. "No, I'm not." He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back into an embrace.
"Yes, you are." Jess half-heartedly tried to pull away again, but he began trailing kisses down her neck, effectively stopping her protests. Almost. "Don, you've got a serial killer to catch …"
"The Compass Killer isn't a serial killer." Don disagreed.
"Yet." Jess finished darkly. "Come on, this has all the makings of a serial; the compass, the notes … Just because he's only killed two people that we know of."
Although she had yet to be cleared by the department psychiatrist – apparently 'shooting victims are more likely to have a psychological fallout and we must wait for that to happen or the presence of guns is likely to worsen the attack and present a possible threat to your physical well-being' (she wasn't sure what they called still tensing up and shaking in the presence of any guns or hyperventilating every time she passed the street Tillery's Diner was in) – Jess was more than ready to return to work, even if she did have to ride a desk until the doctor cleared her for active duty.
The paperwork hadn't been completed for either promotion yet, so Isobel was still unaware of her impending career shift, but Jess had it on good authority (namely Don and Lindsay) that rumours of her possible departure from the force had uniforms the precinct over speculating over who would replace her.
She also knew from experience that several of Isobel's colleagues had an inaccurate view of said officer's capabilities and she was grateful that the captain had given her the opportunity to inform her and see the impact for herself.
But right now, all she could do was satisfy her curiosity with the cases Don brought home; the most recent two apparent suicides committed by the same murderer, who had left a compass and a note apologising for something.
Although she hated to admit it, Jess was intrigued and wished she was working the case alongside him, but all she could do was offer her opinion and hope that it helped in some way.
"There's nothing more I can do unless the CSIs come up with something and …" Don grinned at her. "I managed to get today off."
"Oh?" Something about his tone of voice made Jess fight to work out what was so special about today.
Let's see … we've been together a year … but that's not for another week. My birthday was three days ago and he was off for that. On call, but he wasn't called in. His birthday's not for a few months …
Feeling a little embarrassed, she closed her eyes. "Is today something special?"
Don chuckled. "No. I just felt like spending the day with my girlfriend."
"You can't just …" Jess shuddered as his fingers traced circles on her stomach, making her lose her train of thought.
"I know." Don assured her. "But one day won't hurt." His hand slid under her shirt and up to her chest momentarily before she pulled away. "C'mon. As much as I love you, we can't stay in bed all day."
Jess pulled a face, but knew he was right. There was only one reason to stay in bed all day and at the moment that was off limits. "You got a plan, Detective?"
"Of course." Don grinned. "Pancakes or waffles?"
"Mmm, pancakes please." Jess sat up, running a hand through her hair. "Do I need to worry about what I'm wearing?"
"Nope." Don paused, pulling a shirt on. "Although if you wear that blue one, I will be eternally grateful."
Jess laughed, pushing him gently out of the bedroom on her way to the bathroom. She showered quickly and started to get dressed, as the scent of breakfast wafted through the closed door. With a fond smile, she pulled the aforementioned shirt from the closet, slipping it on.
The first time he had mentioned it being his favourite shirt of hers, she had questioned it – it wasn't particularly low cut; it was just a regular, plain, long-sleeved t-shirt – but he had just shrugged and said that it was, and she'd never bothered asking again after that.
Now she found herself rather fond of it as well; it wasn't particularly tight and hid how much weight she'd lost, as well as covered the scar on her shoulder.
Don greeted her appearance in the kitchen with a smile, a kiss and a plate of pancakes.
"Chocolate chip?" Jess questioned. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"What, I can't spoil you every once in a while?" Don handed her a mug of coffee. "This is more for my benefit; I'm dragging you over New York today. I need you in a good mood."
"Why are you dragging me over New York?" Jess asked suspiciously.
"We're taking a field trip." Don told her with a grin.
His enthusiasm was infectious and she found herself laughing with him. "What subject?"
"History." Don answered mysteriously.
"Oh, are we going to a museum?" Jess asked curiously.
"This isn't a museum." Jess commented.
"No, it's not." Don agreed, opening the car door for her.
"This is a hospital." Jess told him.
"Yes, it is." Don nodded, checking his phone.
Jess sighed. "Alright. Obviously, you know what you're doing, so I'm just going to go along with this 'field trip'."
"That's the spirit." Don stated cheerfully, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Wanna take a guess why we're here?"
"Well, the only reason I can think of for going to a hospital would be to visit someone or to have the doctor clear me for duty and … other activities." Jess grinned at him. "And since you're in a good mood and my doctor's at Angel of Mercy and this is Trinity General … I have no idea. Why are we here?"
Don didn't answer, but guided her into the lobby, past the reception desk and into the elevator, which took them up to the fourth floor, where he led her down the corridor and into … an empty room.
Jess sighed. "Now I'm completely lost. Why are we here?"
Don smiled at her. "Think about it, Detective. We're in Room 415. Sound familiar?"
Jess was about to shake her head, when a memory floated into her head.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Detective Flack."
"Room 415, Detective."
"Oh my God …" Jess murmured. "This is where we met."
"Exactly." Don grinned. "Wanna know why we're here?"
"Please." Jess requested.
"Because I wanna know how you knew I was gonna use some variation of the 'angels falling from heaven' line." Don told her.
"I could've told you that anywhere." Jess reminded him mildly. "I knew because your eyes lit up; every man I've ever met gets the same look on his face. And they all think they're being so original as well."
"I would've been original." Don told her, cupping her face. "Because I would've honestly meant it. When I opened my eyes and saw you … before I even knew your name, I thought maybe I'd died and gone to heaven."
"Stop it, Don; you're making me blush." Jess warned with a smile.
Don kissed her forehead. "And you're beautiful when you blush. Why do you think I do that so often? I knew the moment I met you there was something special about you … I never guessed how special though." His hand slid down her arm to take hers. "And, for the record, that's my favourite shirt because that's what you were wearing that day."
Jess gaped at him, realising he was right. "How did you remember that?"
"It's you." Don kissed her forehead. "How could I forget? Shall we continue?"
"Of course." Jess was intrigued now; she couldn't figure out what he was up to and she'd never been able to resist a mystery – that was one of the reasons she wanted to become a detective in the first place, because what were the cases if not murder mysteries?
"I'm surprised you haven't blindfolded me." Jess teased as they walked through the park.
"Well, then you wouldn't be able to answer when I ask why we're here." Don pointed out.
"Hmm." Jess scanned the street. It must be something to do with us …
Unbidden, once again, a memory floated into her head. "What do I do, Angell?"
"The fountain." Jess concluded. "But I don't …"
"That was the first time I asked you for advice about something not case-related." Don reminded her, taking a seat on the bench and tugging at her hand so she sat down next to him. "It was hell, realising that a man I trusted, someone I considered a friend, had … done that. You were the only one who stood by me."
Jess kissed him. "Of course I stood by you. You hadn't done anything wrong. It still amazes me how no one else did!"
"Because you're the only other sane one out of the lot of them." Don answered, although she wasn't expecting one.
"You expect me to believe that you're sane?" Jess questioned teasingly. "I'd have thought the city knocked that out of you long ago."
"I should've been expecting that call." Don commented, his only response to her teasing a quick jab to her ribs. "You were already my partner; we just weren't calling it that."
Jess smiled softly. "I know." She rested her head against his shoulder, as he kissed her head again. "Is there an end-game to today?"
"I can't take you out now?" Don asked.
Jess smirked. "You didn't answer my question."
Don just smiled mysteriously at her and led her back to the car. "Have a look at these before we get there." He leaned into the back seat and handed her a paper bag.
"Get where?" Jess muttered, not expecting an answer and, indeed, not getting one. Tipping the contents onto her lap, Jess was stunned to find over a dozen get-well cards, all homemade. "Don, where …?"
"Lindsay went to YMCA just before Christmas to explain how you were okay." Don told her quietly. "The kids wanted to make you cards."
"I guess that's our next visit?" Jess whispered, wiping away a tear.
"Uh huh." Don nodded. "First time I realised how lucky I was to have you as a partner and I swear I re-realise that every week. I don't know how you do it, but you remember who's had a birthday, how old they are, how many siblings they've got, who has exams that week, who's moving house …" He trailed off, shaking his head. "I promised them you'd visit when you were up to it, so I thought we'd drop in for a bit today. Okay?"
Jess smiled, squeezing his hand, ignoring the fact that he was making that judgement for her for the moment. "Very." She slipped the cards back into the bag carefully as they pulled in outside the centre and she got out the car, relishing in the fact that she no longer needed his help. (Of course, she never minded when he did things like that, but she didn't need it, and that was important).
Approaching the entrance, they could hear the shouts of children inside and shared a smile as Don pushed the door open, stepping back to let her go through first.
Jackie Watson, the woman who was in charge, spotted them immediately, and hurried over, enveloping Jess in a hug. "Jessica, how wonderful to see you up and about! How are you?"
"Fine." Jess answered truthfully. "I've been fine for a while, but Dr. Flack here has only just decided I'm 'up to it'."
Don winced at the look she gave him. "I'm gonna hear about that later."
Jackie laughed, pulling a whistle from her pocket and blowing on it sharply. "Children! Look who's here!"
There was a momentary silence as the activities ceased and the children stared at them for a few seconds.
Then some of the younger kids came racing over to her and she crouched down to catch them as they flung themselves into her arms.
Once satisfied that she wasn't going to disintegrate all of a sudden, the others flooded over as well and Jess found herself in the middle of a group hug as Don and Jackie moved back to give them room.
After a few minutes, Jackie blew the whistle again. "Alright, that's enough. She's not completely recovered."
"I'm fine." Jess assured her, straightening up again. "Now what was that about Christmas?"
Jackie smirked at Don as several of the children began talking again, elaborating on whatever shouted news Jess had asked about. "Better get comfy, Detective; you're not going anywhere for a while."
The rest of the day continued in much the same vein. After the centre – Jess managed to disentangle herself from the children after an hour and Jackie had distracted them so they could sneak out – Don took her to the warehouse where Adam and Danny had once been held hostage.
("Because it was the first time I realised I trusted you more than anyone else I'd ever worked with. Without you by my side, I was lost.")
Then, much to her amusement, he did blindfold her to get her to their next destination. When she could see again, she gasped in delight, recognising their surroundings as Cheynes. "We haven't been here since …"
"Our first date." Don quipped.
Jess wrinkled her nose. "Wasn't really a date, Don. You had a girlfriend for one thing."
Don smiled and kissed her hand. "Guy can dream, can't he?"
After lunch, he took her to The Courtyard, and they settled down on a very familiar bench.
"Let me guess …" Jess smirked. "First time you saw me in a dress."
Don didn't laugh. "No. First time I'd seen you injured. There I was, chasing after a serial killer and then that call came over the radio. It wasn't until I saw you in front of me that I even realised I'd turned around. That was when I realised I was in trouble – my partner was standing in front of me, yelling at a uni because he'd fucked up and nearly gotten her killed, bleeding from a stab-wound and all I could think about was how sexy you are when you're pissed." Now he grinned at her. "And, yeah, the dress was definitely a perk."
"I bet your partner wasn't too happy about that." Jess squeezed his hand, letting him know that she was joking, if her smirk didn't do that already. "If it's any consolation, I have the same problem with you sometimes." She blushed slightly under his gaze. "Well, I do! You should've kept running though, you know." She added seriously.
Don sighed. "I know. That's why I knew I was in trouble. I was starting to put you above everything else – and I know we're supposed to do that, but not to that extent. Not in a situation like that. And what freaked me out even more was that I was okay with it."
"I know the feeling." Jess murmured, remembering the fear that had shot through her when she'd heard about the subway train out of control. "I know the feeling."
"Alright." Don stood up and pulled her to her feet. "Onwards and upwards."
The next location had Jess almost as confused as the first. She could feel Don watching her, waiting for her guess, but she could also almost feel his smirk, so she knew it couldn't be that obvious. She stared at the restaurant for a few minutes, but she was sure they'd never eaten there, so she began scanning the street, looking for any familiar landmarks.
"Okay, you've lost me." Jess admitted. "Why are we here?"
"I'll give you a clue." Don offered. "Cabbie Killer."
Jess narrowed her eyes and then suddenly it came to her. "This was where I was on a date that night. Now you've really lost me. Why …?"
"Well, first of all, it was the first time I really accepted that you were more important to me than any other woman could ever hope to be." Don cut her off. "I mean, I already knew that, but it was the first time I admitted it out loud." He slipped an arm around her waist and guided her down the street. "And it was a wake-up call that other men had obviously noticed how stunning you are and I realised just how possessive I am."
"Ah, so threatening him with harassing an officer was more to do with your ego than my well-being." Jess teased.
"No, that was mostly to do with you." Don insisted. "But I won't lie and say that my initial thoughts weren't along the lines of "Get your hands off my girl.""
Jess stopped, turning smartly to face him, forcing him to stop quickly as well. "I wasn't."
"I know." Don grinned at her. "Took me by surprise as well." He frowned slightly. "You're not mad?"
Jess laughed. "No. You've always been a little possessive and I'm alright with that."
"I'm not that bad." Don protested, as she tucked herself under his arm again.
Jess didn't dignify that with a response.
Don didn't need to explain their new location and Jess didn't bother trying to stop the smile that spread across her face at the memory. "Our first kiss."
Pulling her back against him, Don wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder, turning his head to kiss her neck lightly. "Our first kiss. I told you then, Jess, that I hadn't been planning on it, but I looked at you and I had to take a chance. I'd never have forgiven myself otherwise."
Jess turned in his embrace to kiss him properly and he pulled her closer, both oblivious to the glances they were receiving from passers by.
Breaking away, Don pressed another quick kiss to her lips, echoing his actions from almost a year ago. "Ready for dinner?"
Jess frowned and glanced at the time. "Don, it's five-thirty."
"It'll take us a while to get there." Don told her, turning her again. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you." Jess answered, confused, as he led her away from the parking lot and towards their next target. "Why …? Oh no." She stopped dead, recognising the road they had turned in to.
It wasn't the direction she usually approached it from, but she knew exactly where they were going and it wasn't a happy memory.
"No, Don, I can't."
"Jess." Don cupped her face, kissing her forehead. "You said yourself that you just want all this to be over. It never will be unless you face this. You can do this."
Jess shook her head. "No, I can't."
"You can." Don insisted. "We've got time, Jess; take your time. We can do this."
Jess searched his eyes, leaning into his touch almost subconsciously, drawing comfort from the warmth of his touch. She knew that her fear was irrational – that the diner held more good memories than bad, that she knew most of the staff and a few of the regulars by name, that she wanted to go back – but she could feel her chest constricting and fought to get her breathing under control. She wanted to do this so much, but she wasn't sure that she could.
Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Don leaned down and kissed her softly. "I'm right here, Jess. I promise."
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Jess reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers tightly. "Don't let go?"
"Never." He murmured against her temple.
Slowly they made their way down the road. With every metre, they stopped, but Don didn't complain, rubbing her back soothingly to help her calm down, whispering words of love in her ear.
Finally they reached the entrance of Tillery's Diner. Thankfully, the repairs had accompanied a new look and the place was almost unrecognisable.
Almost.
For a second, Jess could hear the crashing of glass … the screech of tyres … the sound of gunshots …
"I love you." Don whispered. "You can do this."
It was then that she realised his breathing was a little uneven and it occurred to her that this was the first time he'd returned as well.
For some reason this thought was more comforting than unnerving and she took one more deep breath and pushed the door open.
It was like falling into an icy lake, she told Lindsay afterwards. For a split second, she couldn't breathe, fear flooding through her.
Then the initial shock of forcing herself to take that first step vanished and she could breathe normally again, a smile spreading across her face.
Don wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her over to a table. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart."
Jess turned and hugged him. "Thank you for making me do this."
"You're welcome." Don kissed her forehead.
"How come the place is empty?" Jess asked, finally letting herself look around. She refused to allow her eyes to be drawn to the place she had fallen.
"I called in yesterday." Don admitted. "Asked if they'd mind closing early; figured you wouldn't want a lot of people here. Which reminds me." He raised his voice. "You can come out now."
A familiar blonde woman came out from behind the counter. "It's good to see you again, Detective Angell."
"Hi, Felicity." Jess greeted a little shakily, accepting her hug.
Felicity pulled away, eyeing her critically. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Well, it took us about two hours to get from the end of the street to here." Jess admitted. "But physically I'm fine."
"Good." Felicity turned to Don. "Ready?"
"You hungry?" Don asked Jess in response.
With a grimace, Jess suddenly realised how hungry she actually was. "Yes, very."
"Alright then." Don pulled out a chair for her. "The usual please, Miss Jenson."
Felicity smiled. "You've never ordered this here before, Detective."
Don shrugged. "Details."
With a laugh, Felicity disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing a moment later with two plates. "Here you go, Detectives."
"Lasagne?" Jess asked with a smile. "You know me too well, Don. Since when do they serve this here?"
"Since they owe me a favour." Don winked at her.
"He got us cleared and open for business again." Felicity elaborated, returning with two glasses. "A couple more days and the economy would've sucked us under like everywhere else. We only have soda, but since you're still on meds, Detective Angell …"
"Soda's fine." Jess told her with a smile. "Thanks."
For a place that didn't serve lasagne, the diner made a good lasagne, although there was something familiar about the taste and Jess had a suspicion that Don had made it and they'd simply reheated it.
Whatever the case, it was delicious.
It was after an hour, over a slice of the diner's famous chocolate cake that Jess finally addressed the question her brain kept asking. "Why here?"
Don just smiled at her.
"I mean it." Jess persisted. "I'm grateful that we came here, that I finally got over that hurdle. But the other places we went today … they were all firsts. You said that yourself. What was this place?"
In answer, Don stood and took her hand, pulling her to her feet, before leading her over to the very spot she was avoiding. "Did your life flash before your eyes?"
Jess twisted her head to look at him, but he was staring at the floor in front of them, almost as if he could still see her lifeless body lying there. "What?"
"Mine did." Don whispered, as though she hadn't spoken. "Everything I'd never said, everything I'd never done … I'd never really thought about the future. I'd never seen myself as the kind of guy who'd want to settle down and start a family. Even with you, that thought scared me. I had to take it one day at a time … And then I ran in here that day and you were lying there … and you were just …" He took a shaky breath, pressing his face into her hair. "It was the first time I realised that I did want all that. With you. It was the first time I realised that I could say I love you out loud, but you couldn't hear me."
"But you tell me that every day." Jess reminded him. "We didn't need to be here for you to say that."
"No, we didn't." Don agreed, lifting his head. Gently he moved so she was facing him and not the spot where she almost died. "But this is the place where it could have come to an end. And I wanted it to be the place where it began as well."
"What's 'it'?" Jess asked quietly.
"The rest of our lives." Don answered with a smile, lowering himself to one knee. "Jessica, will you marry me?"
She hadn't been expecting that. "Wh-What?"
Thankfully, he knew her well enough to know that that was in no way a refusal. He pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a stunning engagement ring. "Marry me."
"Oh my God …" Jess whispered, a smile spreading across her face. "Yes!"
With a grin that could have powered the whole city, Don stood and pulled her into a deep kiss, to which she all too gladly responded. Finally, oxygen became a necessary requirement and they were forced apart, breathing heavily but still grinning like idiots. "I love you." He murmured, slipping the ring onto her finger, before linking his hand with hers.
"I love you too." Jess leaned against him. "I'm glad you did it here."
She felt rather than heard his sigh of relief. "I knew it was risky. But it's pointless pretending that it didn't happen. So I thought I'd make it so you didn't think about it every time you come in here."
Jess smiled, running a hand through his hair. "And that's one of the reasons why I love you."
"Along with my good looks and all-around charm, am I right?" Don joked.
"There are many reasons why I love you, Detective." Jess kissed him. "Although those two do factor in. How 'bout we go home and I can tell you about the others?"
Don rested his forehead against hers. "Definitely one of your better ideas, Detective." He pulled away from her and turned towards the kitchen. "Hey, Felicity, we're heading off!"
Felicity emerged from the kitchen again. "Did you? Did she?"
"She did." Don grinned.
With a squeal, Felicity hugged both of them. "Congratulations!"
"How many people knew about this?" Jess asked.
"Erm … most of the nurses at Trinity; the maitre d' at Cheynes; Jackie, of course; the captain …" Don shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "And Felicity, of course. I left the Crime Lab up to you though." He grinned at her. "Didn't want to steal your thunder."
Jess rolled her eyes, but was grateful nonetheless.
"Oh, and your father." Don added as an afterthought.
"You told my dad?" Jess asked in surprise.
"And Matt." Don nodded. "Figured they'd never forgive me if I asked you to marry me and didn't tell them."
Jess laughed. "Well, I've never been one for old-fashioned gestures, but you've got a point."
"Good luck, Detectives." Felicity said sincerely. "Now go home and celebrate."
Don saluted. "Yes ma'am!"
Jess sniggered. "Come on!" She tugged him out the door. "Thanks Felicity."
"You gonna call them?" Don asked.
Jess stared at the phone in her hand. "Call who?"
Don shrugged. "Whoever you're thinking of calling. You've been staring at the phone for five minutes."
Jess shrugged, dropping it on the side. "Er, they can find out tomorrow." She nestled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around.
"So did I surprise you?" Don asked.
Jess laughed. "Yeah! I honesty didn't see that coming. I mean, I knew you were up to something, but … I had no idea that was it. I know you said you were going to, but I was expecting … I don't know what I was expecting." She admitted, realising she'd started rambling a bit.
"I thought I'd wait a bit longer." Don kissed her head. "But we never know how long we have. I'd never forgive myself if …"
"Ssh." Jess shifted to straddle him, pressing a finger against his lips. "Don't think like that. Not tonight. I wish …"
"I know." Don ran his hands up her thighs, stopping to grip her waist. "I know. But we can't. Not until …"
Jess kissed him, effectively cutting him off. "There's more than one way to celebrate, Don."
"Hmm, good point." Don stood up, still holding her in his arms. "Bedroom then, and you can lose that shirt."
"I thought you liked this shirt." Jess teased.
"I do." Don dropped her lightly on to the bed. "But I prefer it on the floor."
"So do I, as it happens." Jess pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it over his shoulder. "I love you."
Don kissed her, his lips caressing hers as their tongues danced in a familiar routine, no longer battling for control, just silently re-establishing the bond between them that was so strong. He pulled away, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you too, Jess."
AN: And now you can all tell me how unbelievably cheesy this was. Or not. As long as you review please!!