Chapter 2: What happened in Las Vegas

A few month's later.

The next few months flew by as I settled in to my new job. I spent time out in the field and working in the Lab. I knew that everybody had accepted me as part of the NYPD and I felt happy about that.

While out in the field checking out a B&E gone wrong, Detective Flack was shot. It was a month later and he was back to work. I don't know why but I felt safe when he was around.

"So Flack, how many phone numbers did you get?" I asked him casually.

"Look, Taylor, I'm the main man of the hour. I'm a hero, what does it matter to you how many phone numbers I just got?" He replied, acting a bit like the cat-that-got-the-cream.

"It doesn't matter to me. I'm just wondering if they knew that you got shot trying to protect me? Which that protection was lousy 'cause I still hit my head of the table, might as well have been shot!" I added, sticking my tongue out as I finished.

"It's my job to protect people and for you're information my protecting is just fine. And you know what Zoey, just shut up and get on with you're work!" He all but shouted.

"Yes sir!" I shouted back adding a small salute in. Don just smiled and I got back to my job, photographing a stab victim.

"So how many phone numbers did you get?" Mac Taylor asked as he walked up to join us.

"Three but who's counting?" Don replied.

"Apparently you," My Dad said, anyone there could tell he wanted to laugh, "So what we got Zo?"

"Female, mid-20's. Stab victim, stabbed in the chest. Not sure if it was directly in the heart, waiting on Sid's diagnostic. Could it be a crime of passion? You know knife to the heart?"

"Maybe." Was the simple reply Dad gave.

"Well I'm hoping to get some fingerprints off of the knife, the son-of-a-bitch left it in for us!" I saw my Dad mentally wince at the choice of words I used. He was never really big on me swearing in front of him.

"Right well we had better get this body to autopsy see what Sid can find for us," my Dad then became Detective Mac Taylor and took the lead in all things Crime Scene.

I nodded and added "Yeah tell him that I want that knife once he gets it out as well!"

"Will do," was the simple reply he gave as he retreated.

"Only in this job do you get a female so exited by knives. Wanna lift back to the precinct?" Don asked.

"Yeah sure, just let me get packed up and I'll join you in the car." He nodded and walked towards his car and I tried to get packed up as quickly as I could then turned to join him.

"Make sure you secure this crime scene," I added to the young uniformed cop standing behind the tape.

The car ride back was quiet, and as we entered the car park of the precinct my radio crackled to life.

"Zoey, Mac say's Sid's got the knife you wanted." Danny Messer said.

Reaching around past my gun I grabbed it and spoke into it: "Yeah thanks Danny, I'll be right there."

"No problem, Zo." Was his simple reply.

Hours past and I couldn't seem to get a break in this case; it was a clean knife to the heart which killed the young girl. No fingerprints on the knife. I couldn't find her anywhere: CODIS, Missing Person's, etc… So I finally decided to call it a night and head to Charlie's which is where most of the team was.

Walking into Charlie's, I saw instantly Danny and Lindsay looking very married couple like, laughing and joking. My Dad and Jo flirting and drinking. Sheldon, Adam and Sid were missing from the pack. Overtime I guessed. I was looking round for somewhere to sit, and my eye's finally rested on Don. He was sitting at the bar, alone, sipping a cold beer. I joined him, and ordered my usual: "Vodka and coke please Joe."

As I waited I noticed the calendar dates were crossed off and it was the March 14th.

"Shit, is it the 14th today?" I asked Don.

"Yeah, why? What's so bad about March 14th?"

The question I had been dreading for the past six months. I hadn't even told my dad what really happened in Vegas only that I had lost Dan.

"Erm, a year ago today, my fiancé was murdered." I said, just as my drink was handed to me.

"Whoa! Go back a bit, you can just say that between ordering a drink and pass the nuts Zo! What happened?" 'Yeah my fiancé was murdered right in front of my eyes, the bastard then killed the uniformed cop with us and I was left sitting alone with Dan dead in my arms…' 'No Zoey, you can't say that, he has as well lost his girlfriend'

"I'll tell you, just not here, wanna go for a walk along the park?" My mind was screaming at me 'Please say no Don. I really can't face this!'

"Yeah sure," Don put a $20 bill on the bar grabbed his coat and we headed out towards the park.

"Right if I tell you have got to promise not to tell anyone else on the team and I mean that Don, otherwise you will have me dissecting places which you don't want dissected, trust me on that one!"

Don looked down towards his pants and suddenly looked up and said "You have my word Zoey; I promise you I won't tell anyone."

We were strolling along central park, when I noticed a park bench and went to sit there under the moonlight. Don joined me, being very quiet and I knew he was ready to hear my story.

"Right well, I was 22 when I joined the LVPD after studying Forensics at NYU. It was my first CSI job and I was so excited. I was partnered with Daniel Stokes, another CSI who had worked there for 3 years and was 6 years older than me. And we hit it off straight away both professionally and personally." I looked up at Don and he was focused on me and my life story. "A year after I started working for LVPD Dan proposed and I accepted and we moved in straight after. Then the week after our two year anniversary we were sent out on a trash run. We were standing talking to the uniformed cop on the scene, when Dan got shot in the back of the head." Don moved slightly to put his hand on top of mine as silent tears started to fall from my eyes. "Apparently Dan was dead the minute the bullet impacted his scull. You know all I can remember from then is all the blood and brain tissue on my hands and face? The bastard then killed the uniformed cop with us. I still don't know why I'm still alive and they are dead. Anyway, when CSI finally got to the scene I couldn't let go of Dan. I sat for three hours with him. I don't know why, his face was disfigured and he was covered in blood. But all I could think was that he was mine forever and I couldn't let go of him. When Grissom, my mentor, finally came he had to actually drag me off of Dan. Then after Dan's funeral, I started having abdominal cramps, and I went to the doctor's. They told me that I had had a miscarriage most likely caused by the shock of losing Dan. Then I asked if I could get transferred back to New York and when I got home with my Dad that was when I finally broke down. It took me 4 weeks to break down! And now I find out that it's been a whole year since that day, god time flies eh?"

When Don finally spoke his voice was thick and I could swear that his eyes had been filling with tears. "Does you're Dad know?"

"Yeah, well most of it anyway he doesn't know it all. Just the basic's you know? I couldn't tell him the full story. So far you are the only one who knows the full story!"

"Well that makes me feel so happy(!), come on I'll walk you home."

And we walked in silence through central park in the moonlight. Hands holding together and Don rubbing soothing circles along my thumb.

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P.S. This is my first fanfiction so please let me know what you think. New chapter soon.