A/N: Again with the revamping. (:

Chapter Two

Emily

A few weeks went by without any thing extremely serious happen. Flack flirted with me. We found this transgender person in the men's bathroom, it was a man trying to become a woman, and Stella asked what a woman was doing in the men's bathroom and Don, being the person that I've learned him to be, says to me, "oh I can think of a few reasons. All with happier endings." I rolled my eyes at him and we went on the solve the case as is.

Then there was this case. A deranged crazy woman thought her own refection was someone else and hated it. She thought it killed her brother when in fact she accidently pushed him into the several hundred gallon tank and while Stella, a person who has grown to be a good friend of mine, cut herself on a piece of glass with blood on it. The victim's blood. If you're wondering why this is such a big deal, it's because the victim, had HIV. It was rapidly changing into AIDS.

Thankfully it wasn't. She came to me in the precinct and told me when she got the news back that it wasn't. I had gone with her to get her blood drawn and she was grateful for me. I didn't tell a soul and she knew it too. She didn't have to ask me because I know that that stuff is private.

Lindsay talked to me about the stuff that happened to her back in Montana. She's there right now testifying.

There is this case. The case that Don finally asks me out on a sort of date.

I'm observing Mac and Stella with the crime scene when Don walks in. He's so attractive with his tall, well-put together suit, blue eyes, and short black hair. I guess it was a lot longer but then he cut it and he's just so damn attractive.

"Our vic's still a Jane Doe. We're checking missing persons," Don says walking in.

"Who found her?" Stel asks.

"Night watchman. 75 years old. The paramedics are treating him for shock. Did you get a chance to talk to him, Don?"

"He gave me grunts and one word answers. But we've got enough. I'll send a uni in to get his statement. Says he left to check out the Luke Blade stunt, he came back, found the vic."

"Luke Blade. He sawed himself in half, right?" Mac asks.

"Yeah, it's part of his three tricks in three nights thing."

"Oh yeah! You and I were talking about that a few days ago during lunch. Isn't it all a big secret what he's gonna do each night?"

"I think so. It's called Luke Blade: Death Becomes You or something like that."

"Becomes me. It's Death Becomes Me." He looks at me. "What? You need to have correct information for when we present this to a jury." Don rolls his eyes smirking slightly. Stella looks at me with a knowing look.

"Could be a copycat, could be a coincidence. I'm going to check on the security guard," Don says. I stay and I watch Mac and Stella do their thing.

"Stella, transfer the body. Let's get Sid working on this as fast as possible."

"All right, guys, let's do it."

"No signs of forced entry," Danny says walking in. "Wow, I gotta say, of all the bodies, this is on the top ten 'most twisted' list."

"Yeah, it's no ordinary slice of life," I tell him.

"Have you been hanging around Mac lately?" Danny asks me.

"Just a little bit." He chuckles.

"You work around the clock last night?" Mac asks.

"I had a grand jury, search warrant hearing, then a 4:00 to 12:00, and that rolled into a midnight. I'm catching my fourth wind I'm all right."

"Check the rest of the stage," Mac orders.

"Mac what are you thinking?" I ask, croutching down next to him.

"I'm thinking that whoever did this, must have had this planned. You can't just saw someone in half 'accidentally' or because it was spur of the moment. That's not a thing that happens."

I nod, letting him get back to work.

After quiet a few hours of paper work and a few cups of coffee, Don and I were sent on another mission, to track down Rupert Lanigan. We walk into his magic shop and we stand there waiting for him to stop his magic act.

"Rise tiny creature. Rise. Go forth into the world and prosper." He waves his hand over the fly several times. "Welcome to Magic Paradise, gentleman and gentle lady, where anything is possible, if you believe in magic." It rights itself and flies off.

"Fake fly?" Don turns and asks me.

I run my finger over where the fly was laying. "Sodium Chloride. Introducing a fine, nearly invisible pinch of salt onto the waterlogged fly reestablished the salt to water equilibrium necessary to enable the fly to conduct its cellular metabolism."

"I like the fake fly theory better."

"What are you, the magic police?" Rupert asks, his accent very strong.

"That was easy to explain." I hand him pictures of the dead woman. "This is a little trickier."

"Is that Vienna? Did something happen to her?"

"She was murdered last night," I tell him.

"You think you can wave your hand over her, bring her back to life?" Don asks, being a smart ass.

"Your fingerprint was found on the wooden box."

"We sell these boxes here. They're too big to have on display, so I store them upstairs. I might've handled that one."

"Tell me about you and Vienna," I ask.

"I love Vienna.

"Yeah, and nothing says I love you back like an order of protection," Don says.

"She used to come into the store a lot, did Luke Blade's shopping. She was a big flirt. I might've taken it the wrong way, went a little too far."

"No, no, no. You went John Hinckley on her, Rupert. Come on, three arrests in two months?" Don asks.

"Why was she shopping for Luke Blade?" I ask.

"She was his assistant."

"What were you doing last night between 8:00 and 10:00?" I ask.

"I was in hours 15 and 16 of my anger management class listening to some bloke blame his dead ma for punching a meter maid in the face. Part of my probation. Check it out, if you'd like. Now, anything else?"

"We'll take this." I put down a Luke Blade CD and I fork over ten dollars. Don and I walk out and he turns to me.

"You think Luke Blade was involved?"

"He's connected to the victim and time of death doesn't rule him out. When mind, body, and spirit come together, anything is possible. Even murder." I tap the Mind, Body, and Spirit symbol on the corner of the CD case.

"So what was that science lesson about back there?"

"I took a few forensics and chem classes in college. Techncally, I got a degree in forensics. That's why I'm a second grade detective."

"But you were good back there. You should be a first grade."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, I bet it must be strange being back in Montana. So how's the trial going?"

"Good. At least the prosecutor says it is."

"When do you have to testify?" I ask.

"This afternoon. It's weird. I've testified in this building maybe a hundred times, but always as a forensic expert, never as a witness to a crime."

"Now you just get up there and you tell the truth. Look, I know it's tough being on the stand, but there's a few things you should remember. Make eye contact with those jurors. You're the only eyewitness, and if you can make a connection with them, if they can look you in the eye, they'll understand what you went through. And when you're on the cross- exam, keep your answers short. Don't give them any ammunition to attack you. That will allow the DA to object if necessary and your response won't have to be stricken from the record. Lindsay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I-I'll remember."

"Hang in there, Linds."

"If you need anything, give me a call."

"Thanks, Emily.

"Say hi to everyone for me."

"Will do." I hang up.

That night, Don, Stella, Mac, Danny, and I went to the last few minutes of Luke Blade's stunt where he sets himself on fire then to talk to Austin, Luke Blades illusion manager. It was odd to see someone on fire and not screaming in pain like in the movies. The crowd counts down the last ten seconds and he falls but when the smoke from the extinguishers is gone, he pulls back the hood and it is revealed that he blew himself out.

Mac gets a call in the middle of the end and him and Danny wander off and tells Stella that Austin is dead in an alley. We shuffle out of there. Stella first then me and Don follows with his hand on the small of my back. I don't think anything of it because I don't want to look into it and then get disappointed.

Don and I get in the car we came in and drive off.

"So, Em."

"Yes?"

"What would you say to pizza and some beers and a movie at my place on Friday?"

"I would say yes."

"Great," he says after flashing me a charming smile. "I'll just pick you up after work."

"Okay."

Later on Sheldon Hawkes, the coolest ex-medical examiner in the world, comes down to the precinct and tells us that we need to go talk to Rupert again with some photos of different items and ask him about them. So Don and I agree and we get back into the car and drive off toward the magic shop.

"Well, well if it isn't the great debunker. What can I do for you this time, detectives?

"We are looking for a way to make our caseload disappear, Rupert. You got that in your bag of tricks?"

"They're not tricks, they're illusions."

"Whatever."

"Actually, we're looking for these items," I say handing him more pictures. "Are they sold separately or they come in some sort of kit?

"You won't find these on any shelf. This stuff dates back maybe 30 years."

"You know where we can find them?"

"Our shop manufactured a bunch of kits, but only-only one included handcuffs. I might have one out back."

"Would you do us a favor and look?" He turns away to go looking for us.

"He likes you," Don says.

"What? No. He's just being polite because if he doesn't cooperate he can be charged with obstruction of justice."

"And he thinks you're pretty." I raise my eyebrows.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

"Pft. No," he says as a pink blush graced his cheeks and the tops of his ears. I'm about to start talking again but Rupert walks back out.

"This is what you're looking for. It has all three items you showed me in those photographs. You better return this, though. It's a collector's item. I don't want to find out you two pulled a Houdini on me." I stifle a laugh.

"Thank you." Don and I walk out and his hand is on my lower back again as he leads me to the car. He opens the door for me and I thank him. We go to the crime lab and take the elevator up. We get the magic thing to Sheldon and we are stopped in the middle of the hall by Danny. He's grown to be a good friend. He's using the nickname thing though.

"Hey Seattle, I want you and Flack to do something for me."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Tell Mac that I'm going away for a few days. I'm going to Montana to visit Lindsey."

"The court thing right?" He nods. "Does she know?"

"Nope. Could you not tell her? I know you two are growing close."

"Yeah, no problem. We will tell Mac right away and then I won't mention a word to Lindsey."

"Thanks Seattle." He reaches around my shoulders for a hug and I reciprocate it.

"Anytime Danny." He walks away and we head on over to Mac's office. I knock on the glass door. "Hey Mac,"

"Emily, Don. How are you?"

"Irritated and tired," I say. "I'm sure Don is the same way, right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty beat. You're gonna have to drive me home one of these days."

"Good luck with persuading me to do that." I chuckle and he smiles down at me. I look back up at Mac and he's got the same look Stella had in her eyes when we found the body and Don and I were talking about the Luke Blade stuff. "Anyhow, Danny told us to tell you that he's taking some time off. Going to Montana."

"Lindsey's trial, right. Stella has been talking to her. She says it's going good."

"That's good. I just hope the jury convicts this guy. He's doltish and a bunch of different and worse adjectives but still." Don looks at me with that same wonder in his eyes as when I gave the science lecture at the magic shop earlier. "I was an English freak back in high school."

"I've just never heard of the word doltish until now." I laugh when he repeats the word I said.

"That word and that accent just don't mix." He laughs as well. "All right well Mac, I think we are gong to head out. Apparently I need to drive him home. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early."

"So I'll see you at ten o'clock?"

"If you're at the precinct when I get there, then yes Mac. You will." I smile and take Don's arm, leading him away.

"You know, I'm going to get off before you do tomorrow, right?" Don points out.

"You are?"

"I get off at four."

"A whole two hours, all right. I can manage that. When do you want to do dinner?" I ask him as we step into the elevator.

"Does eight work for you?"

"Yes."

"Then that's when we'll do dinner." I smile as does he. "By the way, you don't have to drive me home. It was a joke."

"I know. If you ask at anytime, I will though. It'll save you cab fare cause no one wants to pay cab fare."

"Exactly."

The next afternoon when I come back to my desk with a fresh cup of coffee, Don gets a call from Stella asking him to track down Luke Blade. I help at every chance I get. Two brains is better than one. When I find something, Don and I are up in a flash running to the crime lab.

We run into Mac's office and he starts. "We've got to move. Em found out that Luke's people reported one of their trucks missing. LoJack just pick it up on the corner of 23rd and 11th, next to the warehouse where Luke stores his stuff."

"Showtime." Don and I get in one car and Mac and Stella in the other. We get there in record time and Mac shoots the glass container holding water and a woman, Luke's adoptive mother who gave him back. He starts screaming no and Stella and I point our weapons at him telling him to freeze and Don gets him to the ground with cuffs on his wrists. Stella and I still have our guns aimed at him when backup gets here and they get him in the back of a police car.

"That was crazy," Don says to me.

"I know. He has fetal alcohol syndrome though. It's normal for violent outbursts and tantrums to be thrown. I took child psych when I was a freshman in high school before you ask," I tell Don when I recieve a look from him.

"You are just about the smartest detective I've ever met that doesn't work in the crime lab."

"Really?"

"Most of us just have a high school diploma. Me included."

"You're a good man, Don. You're intelligent as hell too. Plus you don't curse. At all! I have a toilet mouth and I know it but you don't. You find alternatives to say what you mean. If I were you, I'd pride myself on being respectable."

"Thank you, Em."

"You're welcome." We walk away from the scene. "You know, you're the only person who has called me Em since my dad died. He was the only one to ever call me that. It was his nickname till he died. Everyone always knew, don't call Emily by her shortened name, she'll break out into tears. I kind of like hearing it come out of your mouth."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Well in that case Em, let's go get dinner and watch a movie. You deserve a little time off. You've been a great detective the past couple of days." I smile and I let him lead me away from the crime scene.

We get two pepperoni pizzas and beer. His apartment is nice, smaller than mine, but nice. His couch is super comfy too. We pick out a comedy and laugh the whole night away. It's fun and it's nice to stay in and watch a movie as a date instead of going out to dinner. We watch another movie after the one we do watch and that's when I fell asleep on Don's shoulder.

When the movie is over, I'm still sleeping and Don had fallen asleep too. We are sitting there on the couch sleeping somewhat on each other and we don't wake up until early in the morning.