Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: New York.
Series: 'Kindred Spirits'.
Spoilers: Minor spoilers for 6x02 Blacklist ft. Grave Digger. This is also set between Chapters 5 and 6 of Kindred Spirits.

Visitors

"Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Jess sighed wearily. "Don, you took a month off while I was in the coma and you haven't been in since I woke up. At this rate, you won't have a job by Christmas."

"I know." Don strapped on his gun. "But I can't help worrying."

Jess smiled shakily. "I'll call someone if I need something. I promise." Her eyes seemed to have been drawn to the weapon on his hip and her hand clenched on the counter-top.

Don followed her gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Jess took a deep breath. "It's just … this is the first time I've been near a gun since it happened."

Don walked towards her slowly. "You know I'd never hurt you, Jess."

"I know." Jess closed her eyes and willed her legs to stop shaking. "I know you wouldn't."

His hand touched her face and she flinched unwillingly. "You want me to take it off to kiss you goodbye?"

Jess opened her eyes again and met his, reading the concern in them. "No. No, I'm alright. Really." She cupped his face and kissed him softly. "You're gonna be late."

Don still didn't look convinced. "Jess …"

Jess sighed again. "Don, I'm not going to break if you leave me on my own. The gun thing threw me, okay? I'm fine." She kissed him again quickly. "Now go to work!"

Don smiled. "Okay. Love you."

"Love you too." Jess responded, stepping back, feeling the blood surging back through her legs as she did.

Don hesitated at the door. "You'll call me if something happens, right?"

"I promise." Jess assured him, blowing him a kiss.

Don caught it with a grin, the door swung and he was gone.

Jess let out a shaky breath, mentally scolding herself. You ever want to get back to work, Detective Angell, and you'd better get over that gun thing pretty quick. It's Christmas in a couple days and Lindsay's invited everyone over; they'll all have their off-duty weapons on them.

She straightened up, wincing slightly at the movement, but unwilling to rely on the counter for support any longer than she had to. Easing herself onto the couch, she picked up the phone, dialling her parents' number.

After waking up, she had pleaded with Don and Lindsay not to contact her parents just yet, wanting to pull herself together emotionally before dealing with either of them, unwilling to give her father any more reason to think that she couldn't do her job.

Four days was long enough, she realised.

"Hello?"

Jess hesitated for a second, her mother's voice affecting her more than she thought it would.

"Hello?"

Jess swallowed. "Hi, Mom. It's me."

"Jessica? Good Lord, are you alright? Where are you? Are you at the hospital?"

"No." Jess tucked her feet up underneath her, rubbing her scar lightly with her free hand. "I'm at Don's apartment."

"Who?"

Jess frowned. "Don. Detective Flack. You know, my partner? I assumed you'd met him."

"I guess we kept missing each other." Her mother commented. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Mom." Jess assured her. "My stomach still hurts, but I'm fine. I promise."

"You'd tell me if it was anything worse, wouldn't you?" Marie fretted.

"Of course." Jess rolled her eyes, but somehow managed to prevent the sigh that threatened to escape her.

"Are you sure you're alright not staying in a hospital? What if something happens?"

Jess smiled. "I'll probably have people popping in and out while Don's at work and when he's not … well, I only have to flinch and he'll get me straight to a doctor, even if it's one of our ME's."

"This man's more than just a good friend, isn't he sweetheart?" Her mother asked knowingly. "Hey, I'm talking to someone!"

"Which one of you boys has something to tell us?" Her father asked in his typically blunt fashion. "Rob? Matt would come and tell us in person. Will, Jamie, your wives would never forgive you."

Jess had to stifle a smile at the thought of how her father would react to one of her brother's coming out of the closet. "It's me, Daddy. Although Mom could have been talking to anyone."

There was a beat of silence on the other end. "Jessie?"

"Yeah, it's me." Now she allowed herself a smile, trying to lighten the mood as she felt her voice wobble slightly. "Between you and Mom, you'd think I never called. Put me on speaker?"

"Sure, Chickpea."

Jess couldn't help the wide grin that now broke across her face. When her mother had been expecting her, it had been the first pregnancy that Jamie – the eldest – had really understood what had been going on and had commented on the first ultrasound by saying that she was the size of a chickpea. The nickname had stuck – much to her disgust – but her father hadn't called her that in years … not since she had joined the Academy.

"Jessie?" Her mother prompted gently. "This partner of yours … is he just a good friend?"

Jess grimaced. "No. I'm sorry, Daddy; I fell for my partner." Was it really almost three years since she thought those very words to herself, unaware that she would ever have reason to say them out loud? "We've been dating almost a year."

"Cliff?" Her mother asked quietly.

Jess held her breath, unsure of how her father was going to react. Maybe if they'd been having this conversation two months ago, his response would have been more predictable.

"Does he treat you properly?"

Jess blinked. "Pardon?"

"Does he treat you properly?" Her father repeated.

Jess smiled fondly. "Like a princess. You're not gonna go all overprotective on me, are you?"

"Well …"

"Let me rephrase that." Her mother cut in. "You're not going to go all overprotective on her."

Jess laughed and carefully steered the conversation away from her relationship with Don and on to slightly safer topics. She told them all about the people she worked and Lucy and a few of the stranger cases she'd solved. Eventually, they turned to family: Jamie's oldest daughter had started kindergarten; Will and his wife had just announced they were expecting their first child; Matt and his fiancée had set a date for their wedding the next June; and Rob was still sober. And then, of course, talk turned to the holidays.

"What are you doing at Christmas, dear?" Her mother asked hopefully.

"Well, Lindsay – Detective Monroe – had invited us all over on Christmas Eve." Jess answered.

"So you'll be home on Christmas Day this year then?" Her mother prompted.

Jess smiled. "Yes, Mom." She paused. "Can I …?"

"Bring him with you, sweetheart." Her mother told her.

Jess felt herself blush. "Alright. Will you tell the boys to call at some point before then? They never seem to be around when I phone." She glanced up, hearing a soft tapping on the door. "I've gotta go. Love you."

"We love you too, Chickpea."

Hanging up the phone with another affectionate smile, Jess eased herself up from the couch, steadying herself with one hand. "Just a second."

Once she was standing, the ache in her abdomen seemed to disappear again and she opened the door to find a familiar young blonde woman. "Isobel!"

Once again, to her horror, her focus seemed drawn like a magnet to the weapon on her belt and she felt her breathing quicken.

Officer Isobel Wilson smiled sheepishly. "Morning, Detective. I … er … I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Not that I'd know if you weren't, but I thought …"

"It's fine, Isobel." Jess assured her. "It's nice to see you. Will you come in?"

"No, my shift starts in twenty minutes." Isobel explained, handing her a tub. "I just wanted to drop these round."

Curiously, Jess peeled the lid off to be met by the aroma of freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. "Oh, these look delicious! I should get shot more often."

Isobel flinched. "Not funny, Detective."

Shifting the box in her arms, Jess wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry; I've got no plans to let this happen again."

"Good." Isobel returned the embrace briefly. "We were all really upset, you know. Detective Flack was the worst, but … We were all really upset."

"I know." Jess smiled comfortingly at her. "But I'm fine. Really." She released her. "Now you'd better get to work. I wouldn't let Don run late because of me; you're not going to either."

Isobel's face lit up with a bright smile. "Right, Detective."

"Jess." Jess corrected. "I'd like to think I'm your friend and not just a superior officer."

"Got it, Det …" Isobel cut herself off. "Jess. I'll see you later."

Jess waved her off and shut the door gently, setting the tub of cookies down on the kitchen counter. If the younger woman had noticed her abnormally tight grip on the plastic container, she hadn't noticed it.

Forcing herself to breathe normally, Jess opened the box again and pulled out a cookie, taking a bite. Almost immediately, her concerns about guns and consequences melted away. Isobel ever decides to leave the force, she's got a budding career as a baker. These are fantastic.

Her cell-phone vibrated on the counter and she grabbed it, seeing Don's number blinking on the screen before she flipped it open. "Hey."

"Hey babe. You okay?"

"I'm fine." Jess assured him. "Got anything interesting?"

"Just a guy killed in his car, which was then stripped around him. Mind you, we're talking deep in the Bronx so …"

"Open and shut." Jess finished understandingly. "Just one small question."

"Yeah?"

"A lot of cars get left around the Bronx without getting stripped; it must have been a nice car."

"It was." Don confirmed. "But that's not a question."

Jess pulled a face, even if he couldn't see her. "What was he doing in that part of town?"

"Well …" Don sighed. "Dammit. I miss you, Jess."

"I'm right here." Jess reminded him.

"I miss working with you." Don amended. "If you'd been here, I'd have figured that out ten minutes ago. Anything happened on your end?"

"I called my parents." Jess answered. "Mom wants to meet you at Christmas."

"My parents have wanted to meet you for the last two years." Don hesitated. "Mind you, they think we're still just partners. Do they know …?"

"Yeah, Mom figured it out." Jess smiled. "Apparently, I'm rather transparent."

"That's why we love you." Don sighed. "I've gotta get back to work."

"Alright. Be safe." Jess told him quietly. "And, if you see Officer Wilson, tell her that the cookies are delicious and that she should bake more often."

"She dropped round cookies?" Don asked, audibly perking up. "Can't we just adopt her?"

Jess laughed. "Get back to work, Detective."

"Yes, dear. Oh, Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Jess smiled. "I love you too, Don." The dialling tone kicked in signalling that he'd hung up and she did the same. Almost immediately, there was another knock at the door and she opened it to see Captain James O'Hara, one of the last people she'd expected. "Captain. Come in?"

"Thank you." O'Hara stepped inside and she shut the door behind him, moving back, once again fully aware of the concealed weapon in the room. "How are you feeling, Angell?"

"Well, it hurts if I move too quickly or bend in a strange way." Jess admitted. "And I've got an appointment with a physical therapist in a few days."

"What about psychologically?" O'Hara prompted.

Jess sighed. "Well, between you and me, sir, I'm having trouble breathing when I'm around a gun."

"All guns?" O'Hara questioned, glancing down at his own.

Jess nodded. "Even the holstered ones. I managed to convince Detective Flack it wasn't that bad this morning, but …" She sighed. "I guess there's no point in pretending that Don and I aren't dating?"

"You'd be right there, Angell." O'Hara grinned at her, taking the offered seat at the kitchen counter. "I've known for months. You've never let it affect your work, so I've never said anything."

"Thanks, sir." Jess opened the tub of cookies again. "Want one? Officer Wilson dropped them round this morning."

O'Hara took one with a smile. "Speaking of Officer Wilson, what's your opinion of her?"

"She's a very capable officer, compassionate, observant; doesn't have a lot of self-confidence, but it's still a lot when you look at some of the people she works with." Jess listed. "Why?"

O'Hara sighed. "Truth is, Detective Angell, as much as I hate to admit it, you're going to be off work for a while and I can't just leave your job open."

"You replacing me, sir?" Jess asked with a smile, but couldn't hide the waver in her voice.

O'Hara chuckled. "No. I wouldn't shoot NYPD in the head." He pretended not to notice that she flinched at the word 'shoot' and she pretended that she hadn't. "Cooper is on the brink of retirement."

Jess nodded understandingly. "Next person on the promotion grid gets moved up and I take their spot. Got it."

"Something like that." O'Hara stood up. "Would you like to inform Officer Wilson of her promotion?"

Jess grinned. "I would."

"Excellent." O'Hara moved towards the door. "I'll let myself out. Oh, and Detective Angell?"

Jess glanced up. "Yeah?"

"You are the next person on the grid." O'Hara told her. "Congratulations."

As the door closed again, Jess gaped at it, in a sort of stunned state of shock. Her phone rang again and she answered automatically. "Angell."

"Lose your Caller ID?" Don teased. "Listen, I'm gonna be later than I thought; we have a cyber-murderer on our hands. You were right earlier; someone hacked his GPS and sent him to the Bronx. You okay?"

Jess's face broke into a grin she knew he couldn't see. "I think I just got promoted."

AN: Okay, I'm not entirely sure whether I'm happy with this or not, but I've written it and rewritten it and it doesn't seem to want to cooperate, so here we are.

PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO READ THIS NOTE!

Once again, I have a poll on my profile as to other episodes I should include in this series; I will continue into Season 6, but I'm not sure if I'll completely rewrite the episodes with Jess in them, or do like I did in this and just vaguely mention them. At the moment, the next fics that should come out of me are 'Sleight Out Of Hand', 'Personal Foul' and 'Point of No Return', but not necessarily in that order and providing I don't suddenly get struck by inspiration, because that's the way the poll stands at the moment. So, if there's another episode you'd like to see, visit my profile for the poll (and if you've got an idea for a fic to go with it, PM me to let me know). And, as always, review please!