This plot bunny decided to hop right over to me and sit at my feet. My muse Odina and I contemplated what to do with the bunny for quite a while, until finally we decided that it must be set free and unleashed to the world. And thus, this story was born.

In traditional fashion, I decided to write a Christmas story, mainly because I started humming "The Twelve Days of Christmas", and then was attacked by a fluffy plot bunny. So, no angst (just a bit of discussion about Lindsay's past). Hoorah! Anyway, Odina is the one pushing me to do this, so I should probably listen to her. If you think this will be a cute story and you want me to continue it, please leave a comment after you read this chapter. I promise, things will get very interesting in the chapters to come! For now, just read and review and enjoy! And never fear, faithful "Chasing Hope" and "Observe This" readers – I am simultaneously working on all three stories. Haha.

Disclaimer: One – I do not, under any circumstances own the characters of CSI:NY. I wish that I did, but that is another matter altogether. I do, however, own anything that you do not recognize, including extra characters, so don't take them or I will send many caffeine induced furry bunnies after you. Two – I assume that if you read this story, you have seen everything up until 3x12, because I might incorporate things from this s2 & s3 into this story.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree.

December 13th, 2006

Naomi and Lindsay sat and stared at the object in front of them. Naomi heaved a sigh and furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Lindsay remained in the position she had been in for the last ten minutes – her face cradled in her hands, elbows propped up on the table, staring puzzled at the object.

"And you're sure that you have no idea who dropped this off?" Lindsay Monroe asked her companion. The other woman shook her head, a mass of black curls framing her perfect face.

"All I know is that I came home from work today and it was sitting in front of my door. This is so weird. Who would give something like this to you?"

Lindsay looked at Naomi and shrugged her shoulders, examining the gift in front of her. It was beautiful, that much the women could agree on. But it was odd, all the same. On the table in front of the women sat a beautifully crafted ivory sculpture. About eight inches tall, it was simplistic and elegant. The sculpture was of a tree, with winding, twisting branches which bore dangling ceramic pears. On one of the branches was nestled a bird, whose beak and wings were tinged with gold. The sculpture in itself was beautiful and simple, and would sit perfectly on Lindsay's coffee table.

"So, do you know anyone who would send you something like this?" Naomi asked her friend. She had uncrossed her arms and pulled the sculpture towards her, and was in the process of examining it. Lindsay shook her head, and brushed auburn curls away from her face.

"No, Naomi, and that's what's puzzling me…"

"And why would they put it in front of my door?" Naomi continued, frowning. She slid the card to Lindsay, who read it over for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"I hope that you enjoy this little bit of Christmas," Lindsay read aloud. She turned the card over in her hands. There was no signature. She slid the card back across the table to Naomi. "I just don't understand who would send something like this to me…and why they would put it in front of your door instead of putting it in front of mine," she said, sighing.

Naomi's face broke out into a wide grin. "Maybe you have a secret admirer," she suggested with a quirky raise of her dark eyebrows. Lindsay laughed and blushed.

"No, I don't think so," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Her eyes focused on the sunlight that was scattering across her kitchen table, creating shimmering golden patterns over the ivory sculpture. Naomi noticed her companion's absentmindedness and smirked.

"You like someone, don't you?" she probed. Lindsay snapped up.

"Oh, no, no…" she replied hurriedly. Naomi grinned. "…no, I don't…I mean, I don't think so…no…" With every 'no', Lindsay's voice became more and more uncertain, until finally she squeaked out: "Maybe?"

Naomi clapped her hands together giddily. "I knew it!"

Lindsay looked away bashfully. "It's not a big deal, Naomi, it's just one of those things where you're –" Lindsay looked up with passionate eyes. "It's not going to happen anyway," she muttered in frustration, "so why even bother talking about it."

Naomi frowned and shook her head. "Lindsay, you are more than good enough for any guy. In fact, there is some guy out there perfect for you – someone who will care about you and love you. And I am sure of that fact, because you are beautiful and talented and God knows you're smart…so don't beat yourself up about this, okay?"

Lindsay sighed. "I just…I don't know. I'm not supposed to feel this way about – about him."

Naomi tilted her head to the side, urging Lindsay to continue. Lindsay sighed again. "It's just…I haven't had a steady relationship with anyone since I left Montana…"

"…and you're afraid that you never will again?" Naomi offered. Lindsay nodded sadly.

"Yeah, and I guess that since I've been out of the dating game for so long, I just think that maybe I can't do this whole…relationship thing." Lindsay let out a frustrated sigh. "Ugh. I don't even know what I am doing anymore, Naomi." And with that, Lindsay promptly walked over to the couch and buried her face into a pillow. Naomi smiled and attempted to suppress her fit of giggles.

"Lindsay," she started, placing a hand on the young woman's arm, "there has to be someone that you have in mind, or else you wouldn't be rambling like this."

Lindsay pulled her face out of the pillow for a moment and then nodded.

"Well, you can trust me, Linds, you know that right?"

Again, Lindsay nodded.

"So," Naomi urged, sitting down on the couch next to her friend, "who is he?"

Lindsay took a deep breath, buried her face in the pillow, and mumbled a name. Naomi rolled her eyes and laughed, pulling the pillow away from Lindsay's face.

"Nice try," she remarked. Lindsay smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she said with a huff. After pausing for a moment, she took a deep breath. "His name is Danny. Danny Messer."

Naomi appeared to be deep in concentration, and suddenly, a light bulb went off in her mind. "You mean the same 'You promised me drinks for this, but I think I'm gonna need some dinner too?' guy? You mean, the same Danny Messer who held you and wouldn't let you go after you went undercover? You mean the same Danny Messer who you turned down? That guy?"

Lindsay cringed a bit at the last part and nodded. "One in the same."

Naomi furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, I'm confused. If you like him, then why in the world would you turn him down?"

Lindsay eyed her friend. "Do you really have to ask that? After all, you're the one who's supposed to out-and-out psychoanalyze me. You're the shrink," she pointed out.

Naomi huffed indignantly. "I believe that the correct term is psychiatrist, Miss Lindsay Monroe," she answered back with a roll of her blue eyes.

Lindsay played with the pillow while Naomi stared at her. "Does this have anything to do with what happened in Montana?" Naomi asked curiously. Lindsay abruptly stopped fiddling with the tassels on her pillow and, without looking directly at Naomi, nodded.

Naomi placed a soothing hand on her companion's shoulder. "I know that this is hard for you Lindsay, but whether you take this advice that I am about to give you as coming from a shrink, or coming from a friend, just hear me out, alright?"

Lindsay nodded, and Naomi continued.

"What happened years ago in Montana scarred you and tormented you. That much I know. And I know that you watched some of your best friends die, Lindsay, a terrible and cruel death. And I know that now you still suffer the fallout from that tragedy. Are you still having those nightmares?"

Lindsay nodded her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "Yeah, and they're more frequent."

Naomi's face softened and her voice lowered. "Are you having those hallucinations again too, sweetie?"

Lindsay nodded and choked out a sob. Naomi wrapped her arms around the younger woman and let her cry. Stroking the CSI's hair, Naomi found herself on the verge of tears. This poor girl has been through so much, she thought, talking to Lindsay in a soothing voice, She's been the sole survivor of a mass murder, she's blamed herself for living, been blamed by the mothers of her friends for being the only one to make it out alive, she's started her life over in a new, huge city, and now she's struggling to decipher her own true feelings for someone. Naomi shook her head sadly. The poor girl had been through so much.

"Hey, Lindsay, it's Christmastime – look at me."

Naomi lifted Lindsay's chin up so that she was eye-to-eye with the CSI. "It's Christmastime, and I will not let you sit here and fight your demons by yourself. Christmas is about love, and peace, and happiness – and I am going to bring you all of that even if I have to be attacked by crazy old women in lines at toy stores – I will do whatever it takes to make sure that you enjoy your Christmas this year. And I will help you fight those demons of yours."

Lindsay smiled genuinely and wiped her eyes furiously. "You really mean it, Naomi? Are you sure that we can – "

Naomi cut her friend off. "Sweetie, I have tons of friends who would be more than happy to offer you any sort of advice in dealing with this. You're still experiencing PTSD, from what I can tell."

Lindsay cocked her head to the side slightly. "Do you really think so?"

Naomi nodded her head slowly. "From everything that I can gather, you are probably still suffering the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"Is that uncommon, I mean, to be still feeling this way years afterwards?"

Naomi shook her head. "No, actually, it's quite common to have an event trigger the PSTD. As morbid as this may sound, Lindsay, you will probably experience PSTD for the rest of your life – but, the good news is that it doesn't have to control your life. These thoughts and memories may occur, but you can learn to not let them affect you as much."

Naomi rose from the couch and Lindsay followed her back to the kitchen table where the ivory sculpture was resting. The pair stared at it for a moment before Naomi's face broke out into a triumphant grin.

"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…" she sang merrily. Lindsay stared at her companion for a moment before her chocolate eyes widened.

"…a partridge in a pear tree!" Lindsay concluded with a beaming smile. Naomi sat herself back down in a chair and examined the sculpture closely.

"Wow," she remarked after a moment, "it actually is a sculpture of a partridge in a pear tree." Naomi looked up at Lindsay, a bemused grin on her face. "Whoever sent this to you must really like you," she replied. After thinking for a moment, she added: "A lot."

Lindsay turned a brilliant shade of pink and twiddled her thumbs together before heaving a sigh and slinking down into a chair. "Yeah, but who on earth would even think of sending me something like this?"

Naomi was still grinning. "Well, I think we both know who you want it to be."

Lindsay rolled her eyes and laughed, before seriously studying the sculpture again. "But do you really think that Danny could pull something off like this? I mean, this is Danny Messer we are talking about here."

Naomi shrugged. "They say that love makes us do crazy things."

Lindsay's eyes widened. "Did you just say…love?" she asked tentatively.

Naomi's bright blue eyes smiled and the woman nodded thoughtfully. "It's a definite possibility, dear."

Lindsay looked from the sculpture to Naomi, and then fixed her chocolate eyes on her hands. "I mean, I don't think that he actually…well, you know. He's not the kind of guy who would…and I've heard that…"

Naomi hushed her friend with a gentle shake of her head. "You told him that you liked him a lot, and you know what? I think that he feels the same way."

"So, it's possible that this could be from him?"

Naomi shrugged her shoulders. "It's possible that it could be from him. But then again, if it was from him, then why would he leave it outside of my apartment door instead of yours. For goodness sakes, I live right next door to you. It would have taken less that .01 of a second to put it in front of your door instead."

Lindsay bit her lip and thought for a moment. "That is sort of odd. It's not exactly the kind of thing that Danny would do. He's pretty straight-forward. Unless the person who dropped them off didn't know which apartment was mine, and accidentally put the gift in front of your door…"

Naomi yawned and rose from her friend's kitchen table, stretching her hands above her head. "Well, if you get any more of these presents, they will hopefully end up in front of the right door, otherwise, I just might be tempted to keep them," Naomi replied with a wink. Lindsay laughed and rose with her friend.

"Thank you for everything Naomi," she replied genuinely. "Thank you for being my friend as well as my shrink."

Naomi smiled and hugged the woman. "It's not a problem sweetheart. And just remember that you can have control over these thoughts. Don't let them control you."

Lindsay nodded. "I'll remember that."

Naomi stepped outside into the hallway and sighed. Lindsay Monroe was a special girl, indeed, and she was glad to have been her supporter. When the psychiatrist entered her apartment, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed, smiling.

"Flack."

Naomi grinned. "She got the gift."

Flack smiled on the other line, putting down the pen that he was writing with and settling back into his chair. "And does she have any idea who it's from?"

"Not a clue," Naomi said with a little laugh. "She thought it was Danny at first, but I think I kind of threw her off of that."

"So, she's clueless?" Flack asked.

Naomi nodded. "Oh yeah."

So, what's going on here? Who's sending Lindsay presents? Is it Flack? Is it Danny? Is it someone else entirely? And how does Naomi know Flack? Well, we shall continue our little endeavor, IF you reply and tell me what you think!