MALICIOUS INTENT

A/N: This story takes place in Season Five, between the episodes 'My Name is Mac Taylor' and 'The Box'.

Disclaimer: In an alternate universe, Adam and CSI NY might be mine. But sadly, not in this one...

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Chapter One

Adam Ross would never admit it to anyone else, but lightning storms still frightened him. In the drylands of Arizona, where he grew up, they had rolled around the open sky, revelling in their power. Here in Manhattan, they tore through the city, a power surge in a giant circuit, wild and out of control. He feared them, but he also felt compelled to watch them, wide-eyed, from the relative safety of the 35th Floor.

Pressing his forehead against the glass, he gazed out across the skyline and wondered what it would feel like to be out there, riding the thunderclouds. Behind him, the lab receded, as his mind reached out through the first drops of shuddering rain...

"Adam!"

He jumped, and banged his head. The noise made Stella wince.

"I'm so sorry." She hurried towards him, down the empty corridor. "Are you okay?"

"Oh... yes. I'm fine." He ducked his head and flushed, as he gave a shy smile. "You startled me, that's all." Adam gestured to the scene outside. "I was distracted."

"So I see." Moving to stand beside her friend, Stella glanced at him sharply. The twinkle was back in his eyes, but there was also something deeper - a hint of fear. Rather than embarrass the man by questioning him further, she turned and stared out of the window. "I love storms," she said.

Adam bit his lip as lightning flashed across the sky once more, sharpening the planes of her elegant profile. Watching the woman instead of the storm, he thought he understood why such an elemental force attracted her. Like calling to like, sighed the man, wondering what kind of weather he would be.

Probably fog.

Another jagged bolt threw Manhattan into stark relief. Stella counted under her breath. When the distant rumble came at last, she turned and smiled at Adam. "It's going away now," she told him.

"Oh," said the lab rat, trying to seem unconcerned and failing miserably. He could see that Stella wasn't taken in, so he offered a halting explanation. "I was left... um, caught in a storm once. When I was a kid. It was... well, I didn't really enjoy it." Catching her eye, he giggled nervously. "I looked like a drowned rat. Not a pretty sight."

Stella shook her head. "No need to explain." With a neat change of subject, she looked down at his restless hands, which were toying with an empty mug. "Finished your break? I need you to run a search for me." She handed him a folder.

"Oh - sure. No problem." Forcing his breath past the bottleneck that seemed to have formed in his throat, Adam offered up a foolish grin.

"Thank you." Stella dragged herself away from the window with some reluctance and set off down the corridor, smiling briefly over her shoulder in lieu of a goodbye. The lab rat stared after her without really meaning to. Stella was so far out of his league, it was ridiculous. But he couldn't help admiring her. She was the highlight of every day, and that was enough for him.

Dumping his mug in the kitchen sink, he scurried along to the AV lab and plonked himself down on the seat that he had come to regard as 'his'. It rolled to the side, and he grabbed the desk, halting his slide before he crashed into the window. Luckily, Adam was all alone, so no one else witnessed his near-disaster. Across the corridor, Mac sat in his office, delving through mountains of paperwork with a 'do not disturb' expression. Adam sighed, full of sympathy. Sometimes, sitting here, he felt as though he were watching over the boss - not that he would ever admit as much to Mac. Computer searches were long and dull, leaving the lab rat plenty of time for quiet observation...

Mac looked up.

Instantly, Adam lowered his head and tried to look desperately busy. As a result, he missed the tiny smile that flitted across the older man's face. Reaching out for Stella's folder, he pulled it towards him. Beneath it, something else came too, dropping to the floor with a tiny thunk. He glanced at it, puzzled.

Where did that come from?

The envelope was red and square. Bending down, Adam snagged it between his finger and thumb. It felt thick, and was clearly made from quality paper. On the front, written in smooth black ink, were two bold letters.

A.R.

Adam Ross.

For a moment, his heart beat faster as he wondered if it had fallen out of Stella's folder, left there for him to find. Foolish, Adam, he scolded himself. That's not even her style. Oh well - only one way to find out where it had come from. Tearing neatly across the top, he pulled out the two sheets of creamy white paper that nestled inside, and unfolded them.

Moments later, he dropped them back on the floor, pale-faced and trembling.

They lurked there, full of poison, taunting him. He didn't need to read them again. The words were already burned into his brain - the curse of an excellent memory.

On the first sheet were a couple of lines, brief and deceptively simple:

You watch them.

So do I.

You crawl and squirm,

desperate for their friendship.

I see who they really are.

Do you?

The next page was far worse.

Goddess? Or Gorgon.

Perhaps you think she cares about you.

She tolerates you because she has to.

Takes what she needs

and placates you like a child

with sugary words and easy smiles.

Queen B stalks the corridors,

forcing her opinions onto everyone.

'Do as I say, not as I do.'

Selfish, reckless.

Arrogant.

Pride comes before a fall.

Adam felt physically sick. Who could have written such malicious words - and why, oh why did they send it to him, of all people?

One thing was certain - he couldn't let Stella see it. Shame burned across Adam's cheeks, as he snatched up the hated letter and shoved it into his pocket. The envelope followed quickly. He leapt to his feet and darted from the room. The sudden movement caught Mac's eye. Watching the lab rat disappear, he shook his head and gave an indulgent sigh.

Typical Adam.

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A/N: I had better make it clear right from the start - this spiteful letter does not express my own opinion! I'm very fond of these characters. Writing mean things was so hard when I actually came to do it.

Adam's unspoken feelings towards Stella are based upon a subtle thread that runs throughout Season 5, making it clear that they care a great deal for each other and culminating, of course, in that moment at the beginning of Season 6.