Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY.
Series: 'Kindred Spirits'
Spoilers: DOA for a Day – everything in bold comes directly from the episode - ; possibly Time's Up as well.
DOA for a Day
Jess had never been as grateful for her tactical training as she was right now. Suspect X was the sort of killer she hated; someone who didn't care who she killed, possibly not even for money, given that Dr. Kirkbaum paid her back by performing cosmetic surgery on Katie Mann and his 'target' was killed several months before Suspect X appeared on NYPD's radar.
"You okay, Jess?"
"Just thinking." Jess glanced over at her partner as they pulled into the empty lot outside the 'hospital'. "What is this woman after? Is she just so obsessed with killing that she's willing to do everyone else's dirty work?"
"I don't know." Don admitted, opening the door. "But I doubt she'll go quietly. Danny and Lindsay on their way?"
"Yeah." Jess looked around, hoping to see their headlights. "Hopefully with a warrant."
Don wandered over to the building, peering through the dark windows. "Can't see any movement. Looks like this place is deserted."
"Maybe it is." Jess suggested. "His car might be here, but he could've made a run for it; got wind that we were on to him."
"Yeah, but just in case …" Don popped the trunk and pulled out his Kevlar vest. "We'd best be prepared."
"Never took you for a boy scout." Jess teased, slipping her own vest on and doing it up. When she got no response, she looked up to find him following her example, his gaze fixed on her. "What?" She asked warily, wondering what she had stuck on her face.
"You look good in a vest." Don stated matter-of-factly.
Like you don't. Jess's head responded, but she refused to let the words escape her. Instead, she smiled, thankful for the darkness hiding her blush, and turned to watch Danny and Lindsay exit the car that had just pulled up.
"What do we got?" Danny asked.
"Kirkbaum's car's parked outside." Don answered.
"Snooped around; doesn't look like anyone's home, but the basement door's unlocked." Jess added.
"You bring anything with you?" Don prompted.
Lindsay held up the warrant. "All access pass."
"Nice." Jess smirked, but there was something in Lindsay's voice that bothered her. Her friend was troubled by something; she just couldn't put her finger on what.
"Alright, you two take the downstairs; we'll hit the upstairs." Don instructed.
The four pulled out their guns and torches and made their way into the building. At the stairs, Lindsay and Danny split off, making their way down to the basement.
Don and Jess searched the ground floor, finding nothing but old machinery and a lot of dust. Finally, they reached the stairs and made their way up.
"Joseph Kirkbaum, NYPD!" Don called, as they emerged onto the landing.
"Something tells me this isn't used as a hospital anymore." Jess muttered, watching a couple of rats scamper past her.
"Yeah, not really the sort of thing you wanna see in a place like this, are they?" Don agreed.
"Flack, Angell, we've found him." Danny's voice crackled over the radio. "He's dead. She beat us to him."
"You sure it was her?" Don asked. "It could've been suicide."
"Close-contact wound to the forehead, no defensive wounds." Danny listed. "Plus the interesting extra of a camera replacing his right eye."
Jess and Don exchanged a disgusted look. This woman needed to be stopped before she upped her game even further.
"You look good in a vest."
Don's voice was still echoing in her head, combined with the striking image of her partner in his own Kevlar vest.
"Jess?"
That voice wasn't in her head.
Jess cursed under her breath, keeping her locker door open as a barrier between the two of them, hoping to hide the blush that had spread over her face. "Yeah?"
"You dressed?"
Jess sighed and glared at her reflection, deciding to just get it over with. "Unfortunately." She slammed the locker door closed, allowing him to see her undercover guise for the first time, brushing imaginary dust from her dress to avoid meeting his eyes. "Go on, Flack; laugh and get it over with."
Her own first reaction upon seeing the short blue dress had been to snicker, partly in sympathy for the undercover, only for Mac to ask her to do it; she was not going to let this opportunity – the opportunity to be involved in the apprehension of a serial killer – pass her by.
When several minutes passed with no comment from her partner, Jess allowed herself to look up, only to find Don looking at her with a very strange look on his face, reminiscent of the look he'd had outside the hospital. "Don? Flack, snap out of it!"
Don blinked and shook his head slowly. "Damn, Jess. You look…"
"Ridiculous?" Jess suggested, slightly scathingly.
"Stunning." Don finished quietly.
Jess laughed. "Yeah, right."
"I'm serious." Don insisted. "You look amazing, Detective."
Jess decided to just take the compliment, hoping that her blush would remain transparent. "Thanks. I wish I could say the same for you, but what the hell are you wearing?"
Don glanced down. "I'm a maintenance worker. You can't hide a gun on you, so I'll be nearby just in case this all goes wrong."
Jess nodded, smoothing her dress down, trying to hide her apprehension. "It doesn't feel right, Don; walking out there without a vest. I mean, what if she's guessed?"
"Hey!" Sparing only a quick glance around the locker room, Don slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "That's why I'm here. You just gotta trust me to have your back. Can you do that?"
"You're my partner." Jess reminded him, leaning into him. "Of course I can do that. Doesn't stop me from being nervous."
"I'm not surprised." Don stated. "We're using you as bait to catch a serial killer who's murdered anyone who got in her way. Hell, I'm nervous." He loosened his grip slightly so he was looking down into her face. "But it's a crowded street and she thinks she's meeting a client. You'll be fine."
The door swung open and the two moved apart quickly as two uniforms came in, deep in conversation, not paying any attention to the two detectives.
Jess moved back to her locker and opened the bag again. "Remind me again why I have to be blonde?"
"Hey, take it up with Adam; he created the emails." Don shrugged.
Jess pulled a face, pulling her hair up into a firm twist, before slipping the wig on. "Okay, now be honest; how ridiculous do I look now?"
"It's weird seeing you with blonde hair." Don grinned. "Doesn't suit you."
"Yeah. Hold still." Jess put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she slipped her shoes on. "You'd better be on the ball if she runs, Flack; I'm not getting anywhere fast in these things."
An hour later and his words still echoed in her head, this time of a very different nature. You'll be fine. You'll be fine. You'll be fine.
Even in the crowds of people milling through the street, Jess could see Don nearby, sweeping up leaves from the sidewalk.
She perched on the edge of a bench, a cup of coffee in her hand.
"Got movement coming in." Don's voice murmured. "Just say the word."
"Nobody move." Mac stated. "It's too easy."
The woman sat down next to Jess, who offered her a nervous smile. She wasn't sure if this had anything to with Suspect X or not; if she didn't, she could cause a bit of a problem.
Then, without a word, the woman slipped a note into her hand, stood up and disappeared into the crowd.
"It's not her." Jess told them.
"What's the note say?" Mac prompted.
Jess unfolded it and glanced down. "Don't move."
"She sent somebody in first to make sure it wasn't a trap. Have somebody pick up the decoy and stand by. I got a visual."
Another woman in black, wearing dark glasses and a hat, approached her, her stride confident and decisive.
"That's our girl."
Her heart suddenly racing, Jess waited, hoping that her emotions didn't show on her face. Then…
"Uni? Who the hell is that; where'd he come from?"
Jess took her eyes off Suspect X for a second to see a uniformed police officer wandering towards them.
"I dunno, Mac; he's not one of ours."
"He's gonna spook her."
Trying to ignore him, Jess looked up as Suspect X stopped beside her. The woman seemed to hesitate, eyeing the officer as though deciding whether she could risk it, before moving to sit down. Then, almost in the same movement, she took off running down the street.
Automatically, Jess stood to follow, but it wasn't her heels that stopped her.
It was the pain in her side.
It caught her by surprise and she gasped aloud, her hand moving to the area, only to draw back wet and sticky with blood. Suspect X must have had some sort of knife on her and tried to divert attention away from her departure.
"Flack!" Jess stumbled slightly, collapsing back onto the bench, her eyes scanning the crowd for her partner.
"Ma'am, are you alright?"
Jess rolled her eyes, pulling the wig off. "No, kid; I've just been stabbed, so do me a favour and call an ambulance."
The uniform pulled his cell-phone out. "I'll need your name, ma'am."
"You want something done right …" Jess snagged the radio from his belt and switched it on. "This is Detective Angell; I need you to send a bus to the north side of the Plaza; officer injured."
"Copy that, Detective. Which officer?"
"Me." Jess responded. "One stab wound to the side." She switched the radio off and handed it back. "In future, check your emails before you go on the beat."
"I did." He protested, now looking a little sheepish.
"I see." Jess raised an eyebrow. "Did you read the one about the undercover sting to catch a serial killer?"
"Yeah, I was keeping an eye out for him!"
Jess rolled her eyes again. "Suspect X is a woman, genius! The same woman who just stabbed me and took off running!"
"Jess!"
Jess glanced up to see Don sprinting back towards her. "You alright? I just heard the radio call; you said you'd been stabbed. Hang on." He turned back to the uniform. "We send those memos out for a reason, kid; you mess up like that again and I will personally make sure you're on desk duty for a month."
"Don, he's a newbie; go easy on him." Jess chided gently. "I'm fine; it didn't go that deep."
Don looked up as the EMTs arrived. "Yeah, well you're not walking to them." He wrapped one arm around her back and slipped the other under her legs, lifting her into his arms.
"I'm fine!" Jess insisted.
"Did you or did you not call for an ambulance?" Don asked, carrying her over to the team.
"I did." Jess answered wearily. "Alright, I see your point."
"Did you see what she stabbed you with, Detective." One of the technicians asked, as she sat on a stretcher.
"No." Jess pulled her shirt up slightly to expose the wound. "I didn't even realise she had until I stood up." She looked up at Don. "For God's sake, Don, you've got a serial killer in the wind; don't just stand here!"
By the time the team arrived back at the precinct, Suspect X was dead. Jess was a little disappointed that she wouldn't pay for the things she'd done, but it was better than nothing. She and Don had only just reached their desks – both determinedly ignoring the comments and whistles being thrown at them – when the door to the captain's office opened.
"Flack! Angell!"
Jess groaned. "Can't I change first, sir?"
"As much as I'd like to say yes, this is important." The new captain - James O'Hara – wasn't anything like Gerard – now Deputy Inspector – had been and Jess knew that he wasn't doing this to be difficult. With a resigned sigh, she changed direction, flinching as she moved too quickly.
"Okay?" Don asked quietly.
"Fine." Jess responded, glad he was no longer making a huge deal over it. As soon as they reached entered the office, however, her mood changed abruptly.
Cliff Angell stood behind the captain, off to the side, disapproval shining in his eyes as he looked at his daughter.
O'Hara didn't seem happy about his presence and seemed to have decided to act as though he wasn't there. "Take a seat, you two."
Following her boss's example, Jess ignored her father and did as she was told, carefully arranging her dress as she did.
"Detective Angell, I heard you were injured today?" O'Hara asked, concern written on his face.
"One of the uniforms decided to disregard the memo sent round." Jess explained. "As a result, Suspect X got spooked and ran, but decided to leave me with a parting gift in the form of a stab-wound to the side."
"You saw an EMT?" O'Hara checked.
"Yes, sir." Jess nodded.
"Good. Detective Flack, did we apprehend the suspect?"
"She was killed in the resulting shoot-out, sir." Don answered.
"Right." O'Hara sighed. "Detective Angell, your father is insistent that there was no way you should have been in that situation today and I need to ask you: have you completed and passed a tactical training course?"
"Yes, sir." Jess stood up. "I have the paperwork in my desk. Should I go and get it?"
"In a moment." O'Hara told her. "Who sponsored you?"
Jess hesitated, her eyes flickering to her father, who looked utterly furious.
"I did." Don answered for her.
"Why?" Her father demanded. "What would possibly…?"
"Detective Sergeant, please!" O'Hara interrupted. "You are not only retired, but you are out of your jurisdiction. Detective Flack, you realise that it would normally be a higher officer than a first grade who would complete the sponsorship?"
"I do." Don nodded. "However, it was becoming apparent that that just wasn't going to happen for some reason. Detective Angell is my partner and a damn good detective. Call me selfish if you like, sir, but if I'm in a situation where our tactical training has come into play, I'd rather have her watching my back than anyone else in this precinct."
O'Hara nodded as well. "Detective Angell, could I see that paperwork?"
"Certainly." Jess left the office and went back to her desk, feeling slightly sick. When Don had offered to sponsor her, he hadn't mentioned the irregularity of a first grade taking that step. She rummaged through her drawer, not needing to look very far, and pulled out the certificate, taking it back to the office.
O'Hara took it from her and raised an eyebrow at the number, before glancing at Don. "Detective Flack, you know why first grades don't usually complete the sponsorships?"
"It takes a more experienced eye to make the distinction between who can and cannot handle the training or carry it out." Don responded quietly. "Sponsoring someone who cannot do either can be considered career suicide."
Jess sat down again, giving him a look that promised payback later.
O'Hara sighed. "Flack, you're damn lucky you've got a good eye. Detective Angell, this is one of the highest scores I've ever seen; congratulations."
Jess smiled. "Thank you, sir."
"Alright, you can both go and change now, then get back to work."
Jess stood up, feeling relieved. But her father wasn't going to let it go that easily. "Now just a minute; you've just stated how irregular …"
"Father." Jess interrupted. "Detective Flack wouldn't have been in that position if you hadn't used your own influence to stop anyone higher from sponsoring me. If you want to direct your anger at someone, I strongly suggest you direct it at me, because I was the one who actually took the course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get this outfit back to Vice."
Jess stalked towards the locker room, the annoyance on her face enough to keep even the most brazen of her colleagues quiet.
By the time Don caught up with her, she was back in what she had been when she came to work, fixing her holster on over her belt.
"You okay?" Don asked.
"You didn't tell me you could have lost your job." Jess stated, slipping her gun back into its place. "And, yes, I feel a hell of a lot better now."
Don grinned. "Jess, sponsoring someone who couldn't handle tactical training probably would have lost me my job. But I knew you could."
Jess didn't respond for a few minutes, focusing more than she needed to on folding the dress neatly, partly to give her time to formulate a response and partly so she didn't get distracted by the fact that her partner was now shirtless. "You really had that much faith in me?"
"Jess."
The reproachful tone in his voice made her glance up, to see that he was safely back in his suit. "What did I say?"
"Of course I have faith in you." Don told her. "How could I not? I have seen you work, remember?"
Jess felt her face heat again. She was becoming far too susceptible to him; a simple compliment from her partner should not make her feel like that. "Speaking of having faith in people, how's the girlfriend?"
Don pulled a face. "Don't even go there."
"Come on; you still haven't ended it?" Jess asked. "That's …"
"Jess?"
Both turned towards the voice, their view of the door blocked by a row of lockers.
"Yeah?" Jess called.
Lindsay appeared around the corner. "I need to talk to you."
Don closed his locker. "You okay, Linds? You look upset."
"I'm fine." Lindsay responded, but with a slight sniffle that betrayed her.
Don frowned in thought. "Uh oh. Danny forgot your birthday, didn't he?"
Jess scowled and shut her own locker. "I don't know why you sound so blasé about that; that's a very serious matter."
"I know!" Don protested. "Believe me, Jess; I know. It's just … Danny and dates go together about as well as Mac and sleep. Couple of years ago, he forgot his own birthday."
"Am I being selfish?" Lindsay asked. "I mean, everything with Ruben …"
"No!" Jess told her. "No, Lindsay; don't do this to yourself. You've done everything you can to help Danny and he's still pushing you away."
"Jess is right." Don agreed. "I mean, Danny's my best friend, but he can be such an idiot sometimes. You've just … Soon enough, he's gonna realise that you're the best thing that's ever happened to him."
"And what then?" Lindsay asked. "What do I do then?"
"We can't answer that, Lindsay." Jess told her.
Lindsay nodded. "Okay. I'll let you two get back to work."
Jess checked her watch. "My shift finishes in an hour. You wanna grab a drink or something?"
Lindsay smiled tightly. "Thanks, but I promised my mom I'd phone her so we could have a proper conversation for once."
Jess winced in sympathy. "Oh, been there."
Don watched her leave. "Do you think she'll be okay?"
"Eventually." Jess sighed. "Her heart's breaking."
Don followed her back into the bullpen. "How do you know?"
"Because she loves him." Jess answered, lowering her voice. "And no matter what she's done, he's pushed her away, shut her out, turned to everyone else for comfort but her … it's breaking her heart."
Don scowled. "Well he'd better sort this out soon, or I'm gonna knock some sense into him for her, mourning or not."
"You know Lindsay can look after herself, right?" Jess checked.
"I know, but she's like my sister." Don shrugged as they reached their desks. "If it was Samantha, I'd already be beating the guy." He picked up a stack of paperwork. "Damn; only problem with catching a serial killer."
Jess laughed. "Here; give me half of it. What's the age difference between you and your sister?"
"Five years." Don answered. "And a hell of a lot must've happened for her to be the way she is."
Jess smiled. "Give her a break, Don; it's not easy being the youngest and the only girl. Don't you have a brother as well?"
Don glanced up. "When did I say that?"
"You had the time-traveller; I had the death-by-orgasm." Jess reminded him. "You said that if you could go back in time, you'd go back to your mom's corn beef Wednesdays; something about enduring your brother's insults again for one more slice of heaven?"
Don gaped at her. "Do you remember everything I say?"
Jess sniggered. "No. You'd just never mentioned a brother before, that's all."
"He was two years younger than me." Don explained. "He died in a car accident when I was nineteen."
"I'm sorry." Jess offered.
"Don't worry about it." Don told her.
They went back to their paperwork in silence, before Jess said, "My oldest brother, Jamie, is eleven years older than me."
"Really?" Don asked. "I didn't realise the gap was that big."
Jess shrugged. "Yeah. Will's eight years older, Rob's five years older and Matt's two years older." She glanced up as her father left O'Hara's office and made his way over to her. "I don't wanna talk about it."
"That's alright; I'm not going to." Cliff told her shortly. "Have you talked to your brother recently?"
"Which one?" Jess asked. "Jamie's in California and never has time to phone. Will's in Detroit and can't be bothered to phone. Rob's in Michigan and always forgets to phone. And Matthew's living with you, approves of what I'm doing and is therefore not allowed to phone."
"That's not true, Jessie …" Cliff protested.
"Dad, when I came to visit you on my birthdays, you used to tell me you were working and didn't have time for personal conversations." Jess reminded him. "Same applies here. I'll phone Mom this evening."
"They all agree that what you're doing isn't safe." Her father told her.
"They also agree that you're being hypocritical." Jess added, not looking up. "Look, we took down a serial killer today; you know how much paperwork that generates."
Sighing, Cliff looked over at Don. "Detective Flack, would you please tell my daughter that she is not cut out for this work?"
Curiously, Jess looked up to see what her partner's response would be.
"Sir, you were in the office when Captain O'Hara asked me why I had sponsored your daughter through tactical training." Don stated calmly. "With all due respect, sir, you obviously don't know her; Jessica's the best detective I've worked with since I graduated the Academy. I understand that you worry about her, but she's more than capable of taking care of herself."
"She was stabbed today." Cliff protested.
"Yeah, and spent the wait for the EMT giving the uni hell for not following orders." Don added without hesitation. "Before telling me off for hanging around to make sure she was okay. What happened today could have happened to anyone, but I doubt they would have handled the situation as well."
Jess smiled and mouthed a 'thank you' in his direction. "Look, Dad, I really do need to get this done; if you weren't you, someone would have asked you to leave already and I'm running out of ways to do that nicely."
Cliff sighed. "Alright. I'll talk to you later, sweetheart." He stooped to kiss her head and made his way out of the precinct.
Jess sighed wearily. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it." Don repeated, this time for a different reason.
Once again, they slipped into a comfortable silence, each focusing on the work in front of them.
A metallic noise split the air between them, audible even over the noise of the bullpen, Don grabbed his phone, grimacing at the message. "Damn. I was hoping I wouldn't have to open another case before my shift ended."
Jess checked her watch. "My shift, on the other hand, did just end, so good luck." She signed the form in front of her and slipped it into her out-tray. "See you tomorrow." She missed his response as she slipped into the locker room, distracted by Maka congratulating her on her role in the sting operation.
Several minutes later, she stood in front of the mirror in her locker, letting her hair down from where she'd pinned it up earlier. As she ran a brush through it quickly, her partner's reflection appeared behind her. "Shouldn't you be on your way?"
"I will in a minute." Don told her. "You don't believe what your dad said, do you?"
"I used to." Jess admitted. "Back at Jersey PD. It's difficult not to when your colleagues are getting big cases and you're getting the paranoid lady on 33rd who thinks the people on her TV are out to get her."
"But you don't anymore, right?" Don checked.
"No." Jess slipped the brush back into her locker, grabbed her jacket and closed the door, turning to face him. "Why?"
Don grinned at her. "Because you were born to do this work, Jess. You bleed blue. Just like me."
AN: I know Jess wasn't stabbed in the show, but I found it weird that Flack was a few feet away and Mac was on a rooftop, but Mac caught up with Suspect X first. For those of you wondering why Devon is still around, she will be gone soon, I promise; I just have a few things to work out. As always, please review!