Disclaimer: As much as I love CSI's characters, they're not mine. I can dream though, so here they are, along with a few of my own characters.
AN: Pooches Gracias to Boleyn for her expert cross-Atlantic beta-ing (All three versions too, you deserve a medal for tolerance)

Lost Identity

Chapter 1

Six o'clock on a Friday night, and Lindsay Monroe was waiting at a train station on the New York/Jersey border, the autumn breeze ruffling her hair. Shivering, Lindsay pulled her black Burberry jacket tighter around her. She'd been teaching a course on crime scene analysis every Friday for the past six weeks, and finally her contract was over. Mac had been great, giving her paid leave to teach, and those college kids had just loved her. The experience had taught her a lot, and would look great on her résumé. If she had to take a break from being a CSI, she decided that teaching about it would certainly be worth considering. Now that her time was up, she couldn't wait to get on that train and get back to Danny and her friends in Manhattan. She loved Manhattan almost as much as she had Bozeman. She'd had her heart set on living there since she'd first set foot in New York, saving her pennies by crashing on Uncle Freddy's couch until she had enough money for a deposit on her own Manhattan residence. She loved Manhattan's places, she loved Manhattan's people…actually, she loved one Manhattan resident more than any other. A smile spread across her face as she thought of Danny Messer. She'd made him wait for months before she finally agreed to go on a date with him. Lindsay had lost count of the number of times the girls in the lab had told her to avoid him, and how he'd never be able to commit. The thing was, he'd been worth every minute of waiting for. Even in one of America's more notorious cities, Lindsay still felt overwhelmingly protected when Danny put his arms around her. He was nothing like the rugged country guy she'd always thought she'd spend her life with, but something in her mind lit up when she imagined spending the rest of her life with Danny. Not that she ever told him – this was the first time he'd been in a relationship this serious, and she figured she'd scare him off, so she just occupied her mind by daydreaming about it instead. A lot. Her favourite scenario was her and Danny, living in one of those amazing townhouses a few streets from his apartment, with two children and an adorable puppy. Her family would fly over from Montana, and his family would visit – ah, that reminded her. Danny had mentioned something about having his brother Louie over for dinner. Lindsay knew Danny did a great curry, and decided to run by the local Indian supermarket to pick up some fresh herbs. She looked for a safe place to cross the busy road.

Five-thirty on a Friday night, and Caitlin Morris was not having the best day of her life. Her job in a home for senior citizens was definitely on the line after she'd been accused of stealing from one of the residents. Five years of faultless service for terrible pay and zero employee benefits, and suddenly she was inches from food stamps and social security handouts. It wasn't even like she enjoyed her job; she left work feeling miserable every evening. Caitlin was heading home to New York, where her teenage son was failing all his classes, and her husband's job as a carpenter meant that his income was sporadic at best. Definitely not the life she'd imagined for herself when she was a young girl. Biting back tears of self-pity and wiping away images of a large beachfront house with a landscaped garden, Caitlin got into her car and started the long drive home. She turned on the air conditioning and the radio to try and keep herself awake after her twelve hour shift. Caitlin knew that she wasn't supposed to work such long hours, but the overtime pay rate meant that her son could go on the field trip with his classmates. All she had to do was keep her eyes open for another hour or so, right? Choking back a sob, she turned into the main street, leaning over to the glovebox for a Kleenex, and adjusted the radio.

Thud.

Ten past six on a Friday night, and Danny Messer was walking through the streets of New York with a smile on his face, having just left work. Hawkes had found a piece of evidence which would solve the case of the month, and he knew it would put him in line for a record-breaking pay rise. He plugged himself into his iPod, listening to the album he'd bought earlier in the week, and mentally planned which gadgets he'd buy with that pay rise. Maybe he'd get the air conditioning fixed in his apartment; Lindsay always said it was too hot there. If he made it bearable for her, she might stay over more often. He rewarded his ingenuity with a cheeky smirk. His destination was Grand Central Station, and more specifically, whichever platform Lindsay Monroe's train arrived at. Danny had finally convinced Lindsay that he deserved a chance about six months ago. It hadn't just been her who'd needed the convincing though – he had a reputation as a bit of a ladies' man, and he'd had serious doubts about whether he could actually handle commitment. Lindsay had made it easy though. Maybe it was because she was from out of state and, unlike the New York girls he met, Lindsay still believed that everyone was capable of good. She had this great sparkle which he couldn't stop himself falling for, every time he saw her. She got to him in a way no woman ever had, and he'd never tell her in case it scared her off, but he couldn't imagine being without her now. Besides, who else would put up with so much from one guy, without a single word of complaint? He told bad jokes, had too many flirtatious female friends, the craziest brother on the planet, and she still loved him. She really was perfect for him. He just wished his country girl had shown up in New York five years earlier.

Six fifteen, and Caitlin Morris had pulled up by the side of the road, hyperventilating and unable to drive any further. The window was wound down, and she was replaying the whole awful event in her mind. Anyone who's ever hit an animal will tell you what a distinctive sound it makes. The unmistakeable thump on the front of the car. The terrible noises which follow. The squeal of the brakes on the vehicles behind you. The realisation that you've changed nature forever. All of these factors combined can make hitting an animal a horrible experience. After all, Caitlin mused, that was surely all it was, right? A fox, or a stray dog or something. No way was that a person who she'd just bounced off her hood at forty miles an hour. A person would surely make more of an impact. Those ambulances headed in the other direction were probably for something else, something totally unrelated to any kind of road accident. No reason for all this hysterical shaking at all. She turned the key in the ignition, flicked her turn signal on, and pulled back into the traffic.