Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY, but I do own Officer Isobel Wilson.
Series: 'Kindred Spirits'.
Spoilers: Communication Breakdown – everything in bold comes directly from the episode. Diligent readers might recognise the flashback from 'No Good Deed' - that's my story, not the episode.

Communication Breakdown

"Jess …"

"Mmm?" Jess didn't open her eyes, rolling over, feeling the sheets wrap tighter around her.

"I got a dead body on the seven train." Don murmured, kissing her neck. "I'll see you later."

"'Kay." But Jess didn't get a chance to fall back to sleep, because her phone began ringing and she groaned loudly.

Don chuckled and pressed her cell into her hand. "Here."

"Thanks." Jess sat up, running a hand through her hair with a yawn as she flipped her phone open. "Angell."

"Angell, it's the captain. Listen, I know it's your day off, but we got a problem on the seven train."

"What sort of problem?" Jess asked, suddenly awake. What had happened that meant that Don couldn't handle it alone.

"Well, a lot of our witnesses don't speak English. You speak French, don't you?"

"Yes sir." Jess answered. "Where am I headed?"

"Woodside, Queens. Thanks, Angell."

"No problem." Jess hung up and got out of bed. She knew that she could have refused the request – Don would get a computer translator for the witnesses who didn't speak English – but she also knew that having a detective there who spoke the language would get more information from the witnesses. "Hold up, Flack; I need a ride. Cap wants me to go with you."

It was twenty minutes later in the car that Don asked, "Why does the captain want you with me?"

"You don't speak French." Jess answered.

"You said you only spoke a little." Don reminded her.

Jess smirked slightly and shrugged. "A little … bilingual … same thing. My grandmother's French-Canadian; doesn't speak a word of English."

"You've been holding out on me, Detective." Don accused lightly.

Jess just laughed as they pulled up outside the station. Don went to talk to the CSIs and Jess found Officer Wilson, who was speaking to one of the witnesses in Spanish.

Wrapping up the interview, Isobel turned to her with a tired smile. "Morning, Detective."

"Morning. What have we got so far?" Jess asked.

"From what I've got, the man in the red jacket," Isobel pointed at him, "is either drunk or high; he was staggering through the train, generally causing trouble, until the man in the grey jacket over there pulled a gun on him. There was a shot and the victim fell from his seat, but I can't figure out if he's the shooter or not."

"No, that sounds too easy." Jess agreed. "Where are out French-speakers?"

"Over there." Isobel nodded to a group of men standing a few feet away.

"Thanks." Jess headed over to them. "Bonjour. Je dois vous poser quelques questions." She held up her shield and one of them stepped forwards, apparently the spokesman for the group. "Monsieur, qu'avez-vous vu dans la train?"

"That's the sexiest thing I've ever heard." Don murmured as he slipped past her.

Jess sighed, fighting not to blush. This was going to be a long case.

"What in God's name …?" Don muttered.

Jess followed his gaze as she got out the car. The street was filled with people and noise and music, the air shimmering with colour. "Holi."

"Bless you."

Jess laughed. "No. Holi is the main day of the Festival of Colours. People throw coloured powder and water at each other. They're a little late though; it's supposed to be a spring festival."

"Or maybe they've just all gone crazy." Don suggested. "Agra Imports is in the middle of all that."

"I hadn't thought of that." Jess admitted. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Don confirmed.

The owner of Agra Imports wasn't who Jess had been expecting and she silently chided herself for her surprise; she had come across plenty of female killers and poison was a woman's murder of choice more often than not. But it was the woman's friendly smile as she greeted them that had shaken her; as always, she forced herself to reserve assumptions until after they had talked to her.

Don and Jess worked through the interview with well-practiced partnership, continuing each other's threads effortlessly, treading the fine line between civility and accusation.

When they emerged back into the bright sunlight, they were carrying a bag filled with baleen, of all things.

"Think she's lying?" Jess asked.

"Well, he did die before he gave her the deed back." Don pointed out reasonably. "But it's up to our friends at the lab to keep the motive alive. You wanna head back?"

"Sure. But …" Jess eyed the still jubilant crowds "…mind if we go a less colourful route this time?"

Don grinned at her. "No problem. Oh, head's up." He caught her arm as she turned. "Come here; you've got some … schmutz on you."

Jess paused as he brushed the powder from her jacket, only to burst out laughing as another puff of powder hit him.

"Hey!" He moved quickly out the way and gave her a mock-glare as she fought to control her sniggers.

"Yeah." Jess grinned, brushing the mess from his shoulder. "You too."

Don brushed some of the dust from his suit and examined the colour. "NYPD blue."

Jess laughed again and followed him back to the car, this time rather wisely avoiding the festivities. "You want me to drop this off at the lab?"

"Thanks." Don responded, the relief in his voice tangible. "Danny's driving me crazy."

"Crazy how?" Jess asked curiously.

Don just smirked. "You'll see."

"Angell!"

Jess stopped in her tracks, turning to see Danny waving at her from one of the labs. Changing direction quickly, she hurried over. "What have you got?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Danny admitted. "I wanted your opinion."

"Okay." Jess said slowly. "On what?"

"What do you think about the name 'Alonzo'?" Danny asked.

Jess stared at him. "How did you get to 'Alonzo'?"

"Well, I've gone through Louie, Alfonse and Clamenza, so …"

"You hate this child, don't you?" Jess asked flatly. "I mean, Louie's a nice name, but the others? Why do you hate this child?"

"They're all names in my family." Danny protested.

"I'd count yourself lucky you ended up with Daniel." Jess commented. "You do realise Lindsay will shoot you if you even consider naming your child anything like that. What's wrong with normal names like James or Michael?"

"Michael Messer?" Danny asked.

Jess pulled a face. "Alright, maybe not Michael, but you get my point. What have you got if it's a girl?"

"Nothing." Danny answered.

Jess raised an eyebrow. "You know there's a 50% chance of it being a girl."

"My mom had two boys." Danny stated. "Her mom had three boys. I'm having a boy."

Jess smirked. "I'm not a scientist, but I'm fairly sure that's not how it works; my mom had four boys."

"A father knows, Jess." Danny told her.

"No, they don't." Jess shook her head. "And neither do mothers. I was Jacob until I was born."

Danny just smiled at her.

"Conover through arraignment?" Jess asked.

"Yes, Detective." Officer Wilson answered quietly.

Her quiet tone caused Jess to pause in her journey to the bullpen. "Everything alright, Isobel?" She had become very fond of the young officer and she knew Don had as well, as had been shown a month ago.

"Dave, I told you to leave me alone."

Jess glanced across at her partner as the voice came floating in from the entry-way. "What happened, Carter?"

"No idea." The uniform answered as he passed them. "I think it's her boyfriend or something."

"He the one that cheated on her?" Don muttered as he stood up.

"Yeah." Jess watched him take his gun from his desk and slip it into its holster. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing illegal." Don assured her.

Not feeling completely reassured, Jess stood as well, following him out just in time to stop the officer on the desk from calling security. "Don't worry, Maxwell. I think Detective Flack is going to handle it."

"Everything alright, Officer Wilson?" Don asked.

"Fine thank you, Detective." Isobel responded, turning away from her ex.

He caught her arm. "Issy, please."

"Let me go, Dave." Isobel stated, her voice shaking slightly.

"Is …"

"She told you to let her go." Don cut him off, moving between them and forcing him to release her.

Jess leaned against the wall, watching the exchange. She could certainly see what Isobel saw in Dave, but he had nothing against her partner.

Don towered over him by at least a head, arms folded, pulling the sleeves of his shirt tighter against his shoulders and upper arms, revealing every one of the muscles there. His gun and badge hung on his belt, an unspoken threat coupling with the one in his eyes, which seemed even sharper than usual.

"Witness reports, Officer Wilson."

"Right away, Detective." Relief evident in her eyes, Isobel turned and disappeared into the precinct.

"Listen closely, Dave," Don said quietly, "because I'm only gonna say this once. I know why you two broke up and I'm not surprised she doesn't want you near her. Now I've seen her in the gym; I know she can take care of herself. But if you ever make her cry again, I will make your life hell and every single person in this precinct will back me up. Am I right, Detective Angell?"

"Absolutely right, Detective Flack." Jess replied, unable to hide her smirk as Dave practically fled out the door.

"Asshole." Don muttered, stalking back to his desk.

Jess followed him, wishing, not for the first time, that they weren't at work. "You handled that very well."

Isobel was waiting for them, with the reports. "Here you are, Detective."

Don's face relaxed and he gave her a soft smile. "Thank you. You tell me if he bothers you again." He grabbed his jacket. "I'm heading to the crime lab, Jess."

"Got it." Jess smiled as well at Isobel's confused expression. "I don't think Dave will be coming back; Don threatened him with ABH if he made you cry again."

Isobel still looked confused. "Why?"

Jess shrugged, sitting back at her desk. "I think he likes you."

"Is it Dave?" Jess prompted.

Isobel smiled softly. "No. He hasn't been anywhere near me since Detective Flack spoke to him."

"Then what?" Jess asked gently.

"It's nothing, Detective." Isobel told her. "I'm being silly."

Hearing loud laughter from the corner, Jess glanced over to see two of the male uniforms talking, occasionally looking over at them. "Oh them. You're not being silly, Isobel, but you are being paranoid. You have nothing to worry about regarding them."

"Just my job." Isobel whispered.

Jess smirked. "Trust me, Isobel; I've seen the promotion board. They haven't."

Isobel gaped at her. "Really?"

"Don't get your hopes up for anytime soon." Jess warned. "With all the budget cuts, things have been pretty much frozen. But male swagger and talk only go so far. They haven't impressed anyone. You have. But you did not hear this from me."

"Hear what, Detective?" Isobel asked, a huge grin on her face.

"That's the spirit." Jess returned her smile and carried on, arriving in the bullpen to find Don reading through a report.

"Hey." He greeted without looking up.

She'd never understand how he could distinguish her presence from everyone else's. "Hey. You heading out?"

Now Don looked up. "Yeah. I just wanna run a few of these files over to the lab first. Why, you got something in mind?"

Jess couldn't stop the smirk from sliding onto her face. "As a matter of fact, I do." She snagged the translator from his desk and turned it on, speaking into it. "Passez à mon appartement plus tard et je vous montrerai le sens véritable des relations internationales."

She handed him the device, seeing the hint of desire in his eyes even without knowing exactly what she'd said, and walked away, hearing the machine translate for him. When she reached the door, she glanced back to see the desire turn to lust and flashed him a smile, before continuing to her car, wondering how long he would put up with Danny's baby-name-induced panic before snapping.

Taking into account the travel time from the precinct to the crime lab and from the crime lab to her apartment, Jess glanced at the clock as the door opened and realised that the answer to her earlier question was about twenty minutes, which was longer than she'd estimated.

"Sorry I'm late." Don called, turning to shut the door. "But …" His voice trailed off as he caught sight of her.

Jess smirked, but then she wasn't completely surprised. She was, after all, sitting on her kitchen counter in nothing but a very skimpy black negligee. "But …?"

"But …" Don repeated blankly. "But …?"

Jess nodded, crossing one leg over the other, causing her hemline to ride up a little. "Uh huh. You said 'but'. I'm wondering why."

"Oh … well …" Don shook his head and strode over to her. "Hold that thought." His hand wound into her hair and he kissed her hard, barely waiting for her lips to part before his tongue slipped between them, battling hers for dominance, a battle she quickly conceded, giving in as his other hand slid from her knee, under the material to caress her thigh.

A soft moan escaped her; his mouth parted from hers and attached itself to her neck.

"So what kept you?" Jess whispered, tilting her head back to give him better access.

"Danny wanted to name the baby 'Cosmo'." Don murmured. "I felt I owed it to the kid to intervene. Now …" He lifted his head, provoking a frustrated groan. "What exactly did you mean by 'international relations'?"

Jess smiled sweetly and leaned forwards so her mouth was millimetres away from his ear. His fingers dug into her thigh, possibly from the determination to keep the control in his possession.

"Fais-moi l'amour." She breathed with a wicked smirk. "J'ai envie de toi, ne me fais pas attendre."

"Are you gonna speak French all night?" Don asked huskily, his accent getting stronger as it always did at moments like this.

Jess laughed quietly, pulling back to meet his eyes. "Mais oui!"

Don swallowed and she smirked, uncrossing her legs so he could move closer, feeling him against her. "Translation?" He whispered.

"Yes." Jess complied, her smirk growing.

"Even I know that." Don grinned shakily. "Earlier."

"Oh." Jess feigned surprise and ran a hand through his hair. Leaning forwards again, she kissed the skin just below his ear, running her tongue across it, feeling a rush of satisfaction when he shuddered and whispered her name. "Make love to me … I want you … don't make me wait."

His hands contracted almost painfully on her thighs for a split second, then they slid back, lifting her into his arms as his lips landed on hers again.

I love being bilingual. Jess thought lazily, stretching slightly before nestling into Don's side, the negligee somewhere on her bedroom floor. As she dozed off, something her boyfriend had said earlier suddenly sank in. "Tell me he's not gonna name the baby Cosmo!"

"Nah, he got a text from Lindsay." Don smirked. "It's a girl."

Jess grinned triumphantly. "I knew it! He was so convinced it was a boy that it had to be a girl."

"Yeah?" Don asked. "Why's that?"

Jess shrugged. "Because. Haven't you ever noticed that if Danny's convinced that someone did it, it's usually not them? And if he's convinced they didn't, it usually is? We may as well solve cases by just doing the opposite of what his gut tells him."

"Like when?" Don challenged.

"Like when?" Jess repeated. "Alright … Shane Casey. I know it's a low blow and I'd never bring it up to him, but Danny picked him out of everyone at that party as being the only sane one there; the only one who couldn't have done it."

"Well, you've got a point there." Don admitted. "I just hope he lets Lindsay name the kid. Did you hear some of the names he was coming out with?"

"Alonzo." Jess remembered. "Alfonse. Clamenza. I don't need to hear any of the others. Louie wasn't bad if it was a boy …"

"His brother." Don stated quietly. "Louie was his brother."

Jess tilted her head back. "Danny has a brother?"

"Had." Don corrected. "Danny had a brother. He got caught up in Tanglewood as a kid; Danny was implicated in a murder involving them. Louie wore a wire and got himself beaten into a coma to get a confession to clear his name. They turned off the life-support a month later."

"Damn." Jess whispered. "Poor Danny."

Don pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "That didn't come from me."

"What didn't?" Jess asked sleepily.

"That's my girl." Don murmured.

Jess had always been independent; she didn't like the idea of 'belonging' to someone. And yet when Don referred to her as 'his' girl, she didn't seem to mind it so much. Then again, she was his girl, so maybe that was why.

"Jess?" His voice was quiet and serious and she shook off the thin veil of sleep that had descended to pay attention.

"Yeah?"

"I …" Don faltered and she shifted to prop herself up on her elbows so she was looking down at him in the dim light. He was gazing at her with a mixture of devotion, apprehension and …

Love? Is that what that is? Jess held her breath, not wanting to break the spell that seemed to have fallen over them.

"I can't believe you never told me you spoke fluent French." Don finished quietly.

Jess searched his eyes, seeing the hint of irritation that told her that he hadn't intended to say that. She didn't call him on it, but smirked. "What can I say, Flack? I like surprising you."

"Well, you did that." Don pushed her hair out of her face and pulled her head down to his, kissing her deeply. "Night, Jess."

"Night." Jess whispered, settling down again. Within a few minutes, she felt his breathing even out and smiled softly, kissing his shoulder. "Je t'adore."

If only I could tell you that while you're awake.

AN: As I may have mentioned before, I'm not bilingual. I do speak a little French, but not a lot and I'm relying on the internet, so if anyone does happen to be bilingual and correct my French, please go ahead.

Also, I've created a new C2 called Walking with Angels, specifically for anti-Pay Up stories, so if anyone has any suggestions/wants me to invite them as staff, please let me know in your review!