Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY. I own anyone you don't recognize.

Notes: Came up with this watching How I Met Your Mother, but really it has more to do with baseball than anything. I just got the idea from the show, but here we go. This follows a relationship through a perfect game. Like always, enjoy.

"Baseball is the most perfect of games, solid, true, pure and precious as diamonds. If only life were so simple. Within the baselines anything can happen. Tides can reverse; oceans can open. That's why they say, "the game is never over until the last man is out." Colors can change, lives can alter, anything is possible in this gentle, flawless, loving game." – W.P. Kinsella

The Perfect Game

Bottom of the First

Here's the first pitch. A breaking ball inside. Strike one!

The faint smell of cigarettes lingered at the entrance of the bar, but he pressed on towards it anyway. She was just outside the bar, holding a newly-lit cigarette when he stopped.

Giving her a look of utter disapproval, he told her, "I thought you gave it up."

"Last cigarette ever," she grinned. "It's hard to quit, and, honestly, I don't have a reason to."

He shook his head. "I don't want to see an autopsy on you because of this."

"Think you'll outlive me, Taylor?" She puffed on her cigarette, laughing in the unusually chilly air.

He grinned. "At this rate, yeah."

She frowned and flicked some of the spent cigarette onto the ground.

Sensing the need for a subject change, he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked around for some inspiration. "Who's here?"

"Danny and Don went to get some smokes. Sheldon and Lindsay are inside. I think Shel's thinkin of killin' me before this little guy does," she laughed. He humored her with an awkward chuckle before taking his hands out of his pockets. "So have you found a new CSI?"

"Looking for your old job, Higgs?"

This time she laughed. "No, not me. I'm just wonderin'."

"I'm still looking."

She shook her head. "Mac, she's not comin' back."

"I know, but there isn't anyone qualified." He didn't meet her gaze but instead drifted to her arm where a spider was busy crawling. Immediately, he swiped it away.

She flinched, quite obviously, when he touched her arm.

"Sorry, there was a spider."

She coughed and answered hastily, "Yeah, those things freak me out." And then, as if on cue, she turned red as a result of her reaction. "It's their legs," she added. "They curl up weird when they're dead."

"Yeah," he said half-heartedly.

"Thanks."

"Yeah."

She shook her head and laughed, flicking more ash on the ground.

"You really should quit."

"I told you. I don't have a reason to. There's no one I want to quit for."

He shook his head. "You'll find someone. I know it doesn't matter, but I really hope you quit." And with that, he left her outside as he went to meet his team for some drinks inside.

Just like in an old film, he knew as soon as he saw her that she was going to be special in his life. Her glasses were bookish but chic, and her ruby lips shimmered even as she sipped her beer. She had blue eyes and dirty-blonde hair. She looked about 42 years old, but that was nothing against her.

"Scotch," he ordered as he sat down next to the woman, ignoring looks from his team. Normally, he'd stick with beer, but for some reason, he felt like he needed something hard to talk to her.

She coughed when he sat down. "Long day?"

He nodded and sipped his scotch.

"I thought so. I'm Amy by the way."

"Mac," he answered immediately with a grin.

"So, Mac, what was it about your day that made it scotch-worthy?"

He laughed. "It's the nature of my job."

"Scotch-taster?"

Once again, he laughed. Shaking his head, he answered, "No, I work for the crime lab."

"What do you do there?"

"I run it actually."

"Oh, Mister Big Shot."

"Something like that. So what do you do?"

She shook her head, blonde curls cascading down. "Nothing very important. I'm a chef."

Their conversation lingered as another conversation took off across the room. Sheldon set down his beer and sighed. Fixating his hand on the personnel file in front of him, he set about looking through it.

"I don't know about this guy, Linds" he told her after reading over it.

She frowned and sipped her beer. "His arrest record is over ninety percent with an eighty-seven percent conviction rate. That's unheard of."

"Yes, but he's from Waco, Texas. That's nowhere close to the size of New York City. He'd be overwhelmed. Also, he's had three complaints on his file – all of them are legitimate too."

A brunette sat next to him and chuckled. "Have somethin' against Texas, Doc?"

"No, just against this Jack Johnson."

"Jack and Mac. Sounds like a winner," Kelly laughed, "but I have someone better than him."

"You haven't looked at the file yet," Lindsay countered. "His arrest record is phenomenal."

There was no rebuke of that. After all, Jack had a phenomenal record, but Sheldon was correct. This guy was trouble to any department.

Sheldon took a long drink of beer, realizing this was going to be a long night. "No way. Mac won't hire this guy. He's had too many complaints."

"Not to mention he's currently suspected of mishandling evidence. I lost my job over that," Kelly pitched in.

"Among other things," Lindsay laughed.

She shook her head. "Even though I didn't mishandle anything, it's still a sore spot. I think Jack's a no." To add to her point she leaned forward and gathered them closer. "Y'all remember when Shel didn't tell Mac about that girl having his number?"

With a nod of her head, Lindsay replied, "I don't think we're going to find a perfect person. He's good enough."

Sheldon shook his head. "Good enough won't replace Stella."

"We can't replace her," Lindsay answered sullenly. "God, why'd she have to take that job in New Orleans? She should've stayed here. I need her here."

The table was silent. No one really wanted to answer the rhetorical question, but both knew the real answer. Lindsay did too, but they all avoided talking about it. Kelly made herself busy swirling her beer around in its bottle while Sheldon found himself finishing his own. Eventually deciding that he wanted another, he got up and headed to the bar.

Moments later, Danny and Don joined them with a round of beers in their hands.

"This isn't going to work," Don said adamantly. "He's too damn stubborn to take our advice."

Danny snickered, "And he's too busy mackin' on that chick over there." No one laughed at his pun so he busied himself with his drink.

Finding his seat again, Sheldon let out an exasperated sigh. "So who all do we have? Jack Johnson's out. I have Freddie McCormick."

"Johnny Feldman."

"Katherine Smith."

"Sam Carter."

They compiled their files on the table in front of them, filling each other in on each aspect of these people. Freddie McCormick lived in Boston and was the daughter of the Chief of Detectives in that same city. Her family name had gotten her the job at the crime lab there.

Danny piped up immediately. "Hell no!"

"She's good," Sheldon argued. "Despite the family name, she's got a solid arrest record, and she's good in court."

"But her specialty's physics which is Mac's. We don't need two of them," Lindsay sided with Danny. "We need someone to spice up the team."

Don sat back and listened to the three team members bickering before answering. "She's too young. I don't think she has enough experience."

"She does though," Kelly countered a little callously. "Her track record's self-explanatory. Plus, she's very good in chemistry which we need at the lab."

Lindsay snorted. "What do you know about what we need in the lab? You just couldn't wait for Stella leave, could you?"

"You think I want my job back? I like working in the precinct! I don't want to work under Mac," she rebutted fiercely.

"I know something else you want to do under Mac," Danny whispered suggestively. His remark caused two pairs of eyes to glare at him.

"Hold on," Don started smoothly, "before we start jumping down each other's throats, let's calm down. We all miss Stella. We aren't trying to replace her. Linds, you were right: we do need someone to spice up the team."

"Let's just give her file to Mac. It is his decision after all," Danny conceded. "Who's next?"

Kelly handed him Johnny's file. He specialized in chemistry like she had. For the past five years, he had run the crime lab in a Chicago suburb.

"No," Sheldon shook his head. "This guy's anti-military. He's had several complaints about it."

"I wouldn't call it anti-military at all," Danny snorted. "He's just anti-everything it looks like so I'm going to say no."

"He's opinionated for sure," Don laughed.

Higgins rolled her eyes. "Mac likes opinionated. It keeps him sharp."

"Why don't we look at Katherine?" Danny asked. "She's a solid lab tech."

"Just solid?" Hawkes asked. "Why is everyone just solid? Why can't we find anyone extraordinary who doesn't have any baggage?"

"Sam Carter's good," Flack argued. "He's been in the field for a while and just switched to the lab. My friend in Jersey says he's the best CSI he's seen in a while."

Lindsay looked over the file and frowned. "He's too green. He has ten months of lab experience. That's not going to cut it. Guys, I think we need to add Jack back into the mix."

"He's too rogue. Mac won't go for him."

"He's still a viable choice, Danny," Lindsay argued. She sighed and looked at her watch as she found herself frustrated by this turn of events. "It's been an hour, and he's still talking to her. I'm calling it a night."

Don nodded. "He's been distracted lately. It's not like him."

"Maybe it's a good thing," she laughed hollowly. "Maybe a little distraction will get him back to doing his job."

"I don't know," Kelly countered a bit defensively. "He needs to start looking for a new CSI."

The team quieted down after that. An hour had in fact gone by, and Mac had not met them like he insisted he would (mostly to get them to stop asking). First, Lindsay had left with Danny close behind her.

Don yawned after they left. "Well, as much fun as this little party is, I'm gonna go. I got myself a hot date." He smiled and left the table with a bounce in his step.

Sheldon laughed. "How do you feel about him dating your friend?"

"I'm sick of feelings right now, Doc."

He frowned and took a final sip of beer. "Think you can give Mac the files?"

"Yeah. Go have fun. I'm just gonna read over these one more time."

He patted her shoulder and left the bar. She sat there for a good ten minutes, watching with intrigue as Mac talked with Amy.

"Here's my number, Mac." She slid her number into her hand. "I have to be up early for the food shipment. Good night."

She sauntered out of the bar, and he couldn't help but watch her walk out with a smile on his face.

Tony, the bartender, set a new glass of scotch in front of him.

"I didn't order one," he rebutted immediately.

Tony just laughed. "It's from the brunette at the end of the bar." He nodded towards Kelly who sent Mac a knowing look. The next thing Mac knew, Tony had set a set of files in front of him with a note on top. When Mac looked up, she was gone.

He looked at the note.

M,

I know how much you like a good scotch. After another drink, these files will look as pretty as that woman you were chatting up.

XOXO

K

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this first 'inning.' Please review. I hope you have a wonderful day :)