Out Tonight
Summery: -
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI NY
A/N: This is a very dialogue-y chapter. Bear with me I've been swamped in course work. [Damn Sylvia Plath poems!]
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'He's moved me to another case!'
Flack flopped back on the cold precinct floor – that was what the Captain told her. He was almost shocked it wasn't something worse but at the same time he was glad it was nothing like suspension or something along those lines.
'Jess, that's fine. You got me worried for a moment.'
'But Don, I want to do this case – I need to do this case. I kept thinking about how I was going to be the one who would arrest this bastard for everything he's done to me.'
'Don't worry. I'll keep you updated on everything.'
Angell stopped and just looked at Flack blankly, taken back, not just by his comment but by her envy, 'Oh, so you're doing the case.'
Flack felt slightly hurt by her words but he could see she was determined – her job was probably getting the better of her at the moment. Time was ticking and he needed to get moving so he stood up and looked down at Angell trying to act professional and not emotional towards her, 'I'm sorry okay. I'd give you this case if I could but it's the Captain's choice not mine. I'll see you later.'
'No, Don. I didn't mean it that way,' she got up and grabbed his arm pulling him back. Their glance suddenly locked together as she looked into his blue eyes. He looked hurt and bruised by what she said but he brushed it off easily. 'Okay, maybe I am glad you're doing my case and not someone else – I just… I just wish I was doing it that's all.' She attempted a heart warming smile trying to convince Flack that, even though she was hurting inside that she wasn't doing the case, she was still grateful he was. He personally wasn't taking it, he knew better about her, she was probably cursing him, hating him, but she'd never show it. She'd never express hatred towards him.
Flack pulled her arm lightly and brought her into an embrace holding her tightly in a hug, smelling her peach shampoo and poison perfume he rested his chin on the top of her head, 'Everything going to be fine, we'll find out who did this together.'
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'No,' Lindsay looked shocked at Danny. 'Please tell me you're joking.'
Danny simply smiled at her back, trying hard not to laugh at her reaction, 'I swear Lindsay. They came in; bantering like an old couple would after years of practise.'
'Talk about being a natural,' Lindsay comment trying to hide her grin.
They were both leaning against the warm, light table making it look as if they were discussing the evidence scattering out in front of them but between their whispers and sudden bursts of laughter they began getting looks from other lab techs.
'But, Flack and Angell?' Lindsay began nervously chewing on her nails trying to accept everything that Danny was telling her, 'I mean I knew they were friends and all but I thought he was seeing someone?'
'Obviously not. You weren't there yesterday while we were at Angell's apartment; his eyes were all over her. I mean I thought it was just friendly concern but hell, she followed him out of there bag and all.' Lindsay shook her head in disbelief. She'd known Angell for a while and along with Stella the three had grown close – going out for drinks, giving each other rides, generally going to each other for help – Lindsay thought she knew Angell well enough to know if she was dating someone, but then again, she didn't actually know if Angell and Flack were even dating. Danny had only mentioned them walking in together to work together, talking and laughing, and them leaving together the night before. Both of them had thought the latter was because he was sending her to a hotel but it seemed they were wrong,
'You never know Danny, she might have stayed at someone else house and he'd just picked her up this morning.'
'Oh, come on Lindsay. You know Don better than that! He'd offer a room to us if we were in Angell situation. He's like that.' Lindsay thought for a moment. Danny was right, Flack was generous, just like his sister he remembered, and would have done anything to make sure everyone was alright if anything had happened.
'Oh my god, red alert,' Lindsay suddenly stood up straight and adjusted her lab coat pointing to the elevators.
'What? What?' Danny stood in a mass of panic thinking Mac had surprisingly come in to check on their progress but instead, when he turned, he was confronted by the sight of Flack and Angell walking up the lab hall way together. 'Hey, what did I tell you?'Danny smiled at Lindsay before walking past her, pecking a goodbye kiss on her check and leaving her as he continued off to his own evidence.
Lindsay watched as Flack and Angell stood in the hallway for a moment talking. For the sake of hearing what their conversation was about, she walked up to the window closest to them and pretended to be fiddling with the equipment in front of her.
'You going to be alright?' Flack said reaching out and touching Angell on the shoulder.
'Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine. Sorry about just now though,' she looked upset.
'Nah, don't worry. I would feel the same in you're situation,' Flack dropped his hand from her shoulder and gave her a small nod before walking off. Lindsay hadn't noticed but her head and eyes began to follow Flack around the corridor and into the evidence room on the other side of the floor where Danny was. Angell, in the mean time, had entered Lindsay's room raising an eyebrow in her direction.
'Everything okay?' she said snapping Lindsay out of a dream.
'Hmm? Oh yeah, yeah, fine,' she tried to act clam. She held her ground strong, attempting to prevent herself from spontaneously burst out with 'What on earth's going on between you and Don?!' - 'How can I help you?'
'We've got a case up in Mid Town. Better grab your stuff,' she tossed a smile at Lindsay before walking out of the evidence room leaving her with devious thoughts on how she'd go about this delicate subject.
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'I'd like to tell you we have something Don but this whole case is coming up in blanks,' Stella stood away from her microscope and gave an apprehensive look at him.
'Nothing at all. No name? Witness? Half a finger print or a bit of hair?' Stella sadly shook her head before walking over to a computer on the other side of the room.
'We did collect this from the alley way but I don't think it means anything,' she said just to give Flack a little bit of reassurance. On the screen was a scanned in corner of a piece of paper. It seemed more like a photo from its composition but there wasn't much off of it.
'Boom,' Danny cried from the other end of therooml. 'We have a hit!' Danny rolled his chair over to Stella and placed on the table a sheet of paper with a photo and address. 'Jessica Miller, that's your victim. Aged 28, works as a consultant at a dietary company on in Brooklyn, lives two floors above Angell.'
'How'd you find her?' Flack asked looking at the photograph of Jessica Miller a little closer. He hated to admit but it was true, he dark brown eyes, high cheek bones, red lips – they all looked similar to Angell's features. In the photograph her hair was red but it was still curly and wave in the same places.
'Her employers filed a missing person's case on her when she didn't turn up for work two days in a row.'
'Wish someone had told them she was in the morgue,' Stella mentioned.
'This still doesn't give us any link to Angell's B and E,' Flack ran his fingers through his hair frustratingly. He knew he should treat each case with the same amount of interest as the rest but Angell case seemed to catch his attention more. He didn't want to sound selfish but it just seemed as if he didn't care much for the dead girl in the Laundromat as opposed to finding who did this to Angell.
'Let's build on a theory here that the two cases are possibly connected. Say someone was out to get Angell due to a past case or something along those lines – well, as long as the killer knew Angell's first name was Jessica he could have barged into the Laundromat, called out Angell's name to which our victim would have replied. Now if he was holding a gun to her it makes sense why Angell heard a scream first. Our vic screaming would have made the shooter freak out then shoot her possibly by accident,' Stella gently swung her chair from side to side pondering on what she'd just said.
'Yeah, but then that doesn't give us any connection to her burglary,' Danny said as Stella nodded in agreement.
'How about, when he ran out into the street he went around the block and back into the apartment knowing Angell was going to be still in the Laundromat. So he went to her apartment, which was conveniently unlocked and stole what he needed,' Flack tossed around the idea before getting reassuring nods from his colleagues.
'I'm going to work on your theory and get Adam to go back over the tapes from the lift lobby and entrance,' Stella jumped and up walked out of the lab and into the AV room where Adam was sat analysing another piece of evidence leaving Danny and Flack alone.
Embraced in a moments silence they stared at each other.
'So?' Danny suddenly mumbled. He decided to take this opportunity of silence to ask Flack about him and Angell – something which has been itching to come out for ages now.
'Yeah,' Flack wasn't focused though; he had brought out his cell and was scanning through messages.
'What's up with you and Angell?' Danny couldn't help him self, curiosity was digging deep into his gut and the one way to release it was by letting it all out.
'Sorry?' Flack was being polite. He had heard what Danny said – he didn't want to answer it though. He'd made it so far keeping all his coffee evenings with Angell a secret he couldn't see why he could still do it while she was staying over. He did know that sooner or later the whole department would catch on but if he was going to tell anyone he was going to tell them all at the same time…. And with Angell by his side.
'Oh come on. You, Jess – leaving together, arriving together – don't tell me you thought I wouldn't notice.'
'No, Danny this is you we are talking about. You wouldn't miss a thing,' Flack said slightly sarcastically as he put his cell back into his pocket casually trying to not make it seem as he had nothing to say.
'Don, we're friends. Tell me.'
Flack gave a heavy sigh, 'Tonight.' And walked out of the lab leaving Danny alone.
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'Come on!' Lindsay was trailing after Angell at their crime scene. It was in the middle of a local park and the victim was spread across the grass. 'Tell me.' She was getting agitated at Angell. She'd popped the question the car on the way there and since that moment Angell's kept her lips firmly shut. Though out of the corner of her eye Lindsay could swear, every time she mentioned Flack's name a smile was leak out.
'I have nothing to tell you Lindsay,' Angell wasn't running away from telling Lindsay anything - she was just trying her best to keep her back to Lindsay while the blushing in her cheeks subsided. She couldn't help it though; it was most probably the thought that Lindsay suspected something. Angell had confided in Stella about her thoughts for Flack but never in Lindsay. It wasn't that she didn't trust it, she did, it was mainly because of her close connection with Danny and Danny wasn't someone she wasn't to share this information with for her own personal reasons.
'Oh, stop living in denial, Jess!' Lindsay stopped and placed her hands in a fist and onto her waist. 'I'll find out soon enough.' She began tapping her foot, waiting for Angell to turn around and she knew she would soon.
Angell tried to hold her breath counting slowly from 1 to 10, calming her nerves. She didn't want to tell Lindsay, not because she didn't like her but because she didn't think she was ready. Her and Flack hadn't even talked about anything yet. They were still friends – friends who happened to be sharing the same apartment at the moment but they were still friends none the less.
'What are you doing this evening?' Angell finally spun around to a childishly cheerful Lindsay.
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A/N: Ahh, too much dialogue in that chapter and not enough inner emotion. I am getting SO sick of English at the moment – Coursework due tomorrow, poetry competition entries due Friday, two short story competition due… okay in March but still, I have to starting think about it now right. AH, and MOCKS in January… I think I'll just die now!
