Author's Notes: I was asked in a review if this was a Flack centered piece. Even though Flack seems to be playing a pretty big role in the last couple of chapters (and will still have a big role in the next couple of chapters), this is still a Danny and Lindsay story. I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story. This may be one of my favorite chapters ever. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: CBS, Anthony E. Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn, and Ann Donahue own all rights to the characters and premise of the show. I am making no money off this story and it is for entertainment purposes only. However, this particular story is my creation and should not be used without my express written permission.

Begin Anew
Chapter 10

Lindsay set her mug on the counter and engulfed Flack in a tight hug, relieved to see that he was okay. He seemed a little surprised but returned the hug. After a moment, Lindsay pulled away, as if remembering not only that he'd made a request but that there were other people worried about him. "What do you need?"

He reached in his pocket and pulled a saran-wrapped pastry. "I need you to analyze the composition of these donuts - and no jokes about me trying to find someone's secret recipe."

Lindsay accepted the covered donut with a puzzled expression. "I think you have me confused with Danny. I'll analyze it but while I do so, you need to send Mac a text and then call Danny to let them know that you are okay. You've had us all worried since you wouldn't answer your phone."

Don reached for his phone but shrugged. "Hard to have a good internal debate with yourself when you are constantly being interrupted by the phone ringing."

As he made the calls, he followed Lindsay down the hallway to the Trace lab. She kept glancing up at him as she prepared the specimen for the mass spectrometer. Her curiosity was aroused as to why Flack wanted her to test the donut but figured he'd give her an answer soon. As she listened to Flack's side of the conversation with Danny, she could tell her husband must be giving their friend a hard time about being unreachable. Once he hung up, she waited a minute before starting her gentle questioning.

"Care to give me an idea what you think I'm going to find?"

Flack sighed, sitting down on one of the nearby stools. He shook his head. "To be honest, I hope that all you find is flour, eggs, chocolate, and whatever the hell else you normally find in chocolate donuts."

Lindsay nodded. "And yet if you were sure of that, I wouldn't be here testing it. Nor would you be having some sort of internal debate. What's going on, Flack?"

Flack sighed. "Last night I couldn't stay out of the bathroom - sorry, I know that's probably more information than you wanted; I thought I had some sort of stomach virus or something. Then I got to work this morning and discovered that everyone who worked yesterday was sick. Those donuts were the only thing we all had in common and the guys in the hospital right now are the guys who ate the most of them."

The machine beeped that it had the results and Lindsay looked down, her brow furrowed. Flack sighed. "Well?"

"Flour, eggs, sugar, all the normal things you'd expect to find in chocolate donuts except there is no trace of any chocolate."

With a frown, Flack shook his head. "Are you kidding me? Of course there's chocolate in them…"

Lindsay shook her head. "No chocolate but plenty of sennosides."

"Do I need a translator or can you put that in English?"

"X-Lax. Someone put enough laxitive in these donuts to unstop an elephant. Flack, if you know what bakery these came from, we can send a team in to question everyone there. Maybe we can find out who's responsible."

If anything, Flack looked sicker. "They didn't come from a bakery. Damn it, Lindsay, are you sure?"

Lindsay joined him at one of the lab tables and sat on the stool closest to him. She reached out and touched his arm. "The results are pretty clear. Flack, where did the donuts come from? Why the internal debate?"

"The cop in me couldn't deny what the facts were telling me but I just couldn't accept it. Suspecting Miss Myrtle of giving us tainted donuts is like suspecting my grandmother. Hell, I'd rather suspect my grandmother. Every cop who has ever worked at the 1-2, especially my dad, is going to have my hide if I bring her in for questioning. I don't expect you could forget about those results, could you?"

Lindsay shook her head. "You know I can't. Who is Miss Myrtle?"

Flack couldn't look at her. "The sweetest old woman you could ever hope to meet. Her husband was a captain at the 1-2 when my dad was there. She cooks for us once a month - we even mark the day in red on the calendar cause it's such a treat. Nobody scheduled to work that day ever takes the day off we look forward to it that much, and everyone not scheduled tries a figure out a way to work overtime. There's no way she'd try to hurt us."

"Maybe there's a good explanation." Lindsay offered gently. It was easy to see how much this was hurting him. "What if instead of interrogation we make it a casual conversation. You and I could pay her a visit, nothing really formal and maybe get to the bottom of everything without causing a big uproar."

Flack looked up, almost hopeful. "You really think we can find out how the X-Lax got in the donuts without making Miss Myrtle feel like she's apart of an investigation?"

Lindsay winked at him, happy to see him looking just a little les morose. "I know the two of us can play a pretty good case of hardball in the interrogation room but I'm pretty sure we can do subtle just as well. Come on, let's go pay her a visit; you can tell me more about her on the way."

- CSI: NY - CSI: NY - CSI: NY -

Lindsay waited until they were in Flack's car headed toward Queens before asking the questions she was curious about. "I take it Miss Myrtle is important to you."

Flack nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. "She's important to all of us. Everyone loves her, even those none of us think are capable of loving anyone. You know Brickman on third shift?" Lindsay shuddered in response to the surly officer's name. They had questioned whether the man's own mother could stand to be around him. Flack continued. "All of a sudden about ten months ago while we were all eating whatever it was she'd brought us that month, Brickman stood up and said we should all be ashamed of ourselves. Said we all looked forward to Miss Myrtle filling our bellies but we did nothing for her in return. Said he was going to stop by her house on the next Saturday and see if she needed any work done around the house since she didn't have anyone who would help her make repairs and such. Ask who would be willing to go with him. Then he started the Miss Myrtle fund; put $100 in a jar and encouraged the rest of us to put in money when we could to help pay for repairs she needed and for her cab rides each month. Now we all take turns stopping by to help her. There's nothing we wouldn't do for her and here I am on my way to accuse her of making us sick."

"She doesn't have any family?" Lindsay pressed, hoping to turn him away from his guilt once more.

"Not anymore. It's really sad actually. Captain Godwin and Miss Myrtle had one daughter who grew up, got married, and had a little girl. When the baby was about two, the daughter was diagnosed with cancer. I don't know what kind;-I wasn't even born then but Dad's told me the story- but it was bad and aggressive. The husband left her and the baby after the diagnosis so her parents took her in. After the daughter died they adopted their granddaughter and raised her as their own." He didn't add that Don Flack, Sr. had told him the story while Flack was recovering in the hospital from the explosion. He could still remember the day he woke up to hear his father crying. He'd never seen his father cry before and it seemed almost surreal seeing it then. When Senior had realized that Don was awake he'd brushed the tears away and said he'd never understood why Captain Godwin had seemed to age ten years in a day while his daughter had been dying but after watching his own son at death's door, he now understood. Told him that no parent should ever have to worry about their children dying first. "Captain Godwin died about five years ago. By then their granddaughter-turned-daughter Pam had also gotten married and had two sons. Pretty good kids although one seemed to spend more time with his grandparents than the other. Last year Pam was killed in a car accident and her kids quit visiting. Her husband doesn't have anything to do with Miss Myrtle either despite the fact that he lives right here in New York."

Lindsay shook her head, feeling sorry for the elderly woman. If, God forbid, anything every happened to Danny, she couldn't imagine turning her back on the Messers. And even though her own parents lived further away, she was sure that Danny would make sure that Lucy, no matter how old she was, still visited them from time to time. "She's lucky to have all of you to keep an eye on her."

Flack shook his head. "We're the fortunate ones. It's not about the food she brings us - although it is phenomenal - it's the love she puts into the effort. I'm telling you, Linds, I can't explain how someone could accidentally put that much X-Lax in donuts but I know she didn't do it on purpose."

"And we'll get an answer to it. I mean, it's not like she's going to be the one that fired on us or threw that Molotov cocktail in the patrol car."

The image of that did draw a slight chuckle out of Flack. Pleased to see him look a little less worried, Lindsay decided to change the subject for the last little bit of the drive. "Did you get a chance to look for a past call on 43rd Street that could explain why our suspects are targeting that location."

Again Flack shook his head. "Miss Myrtle was just arriving when I got the station yesterday. I took her home and discovered she had a couple of things that needed a quick repair. After I finished those, she insisted on cooking lunch for me. By the time I finally was able to leave, my stomach had started to do funny things so I just went home. You know the rest."

Lindsay nodded. "Once we get this straightened out, we'll see what we can find out."

Flack pulled into a driveway and turned off the car. As he stared up at the modest but neat home, he once more looked like a man awaiting a firing squad. Lindsay reached over and gave his hand a squeeze before opening the car door. Almost reluctantly Flack got out of the car as well and followed her up the steps to the house. He reached out and pressed the doorbell and shuffled uneasily as he heard a faint once announcing that she was coming.

The door opened to reveal Miss Myrtle. Her face went from a polite half-smile of greeting to a wide, beaming smile complete with teeth. "Donnie, two days in a row. If you aren't careful, the neighbors are going to start talking about me having a hot young boyfriend." Then she noticed Lindsay for the first time and her eyes fairly danced with glee. "Donnie, you finally brought a girl over to meet me. Bless my soul, I was beginning to think I wouldn't live to see the day. And what a beautiful young woman. You two will make beautiful babies one day. My dear it is a pleasure to meet you; I'm so sorry for that silly talk about Donnie being my boyfriend."

Don had turned red but Lindsay simply stepped forward and shook the elderly lady's hand. "Mrs. Godwin, I'm Lindsay Messer…"

"Mrs. Godwin was my husband's mother, please call me Miss Myrtle. Now, come in the both of you and sit down. I want to hear all about how the two of you met. Are the two of you getting married or just living together? Donnie, don't look so shocked; I may be old but I know how things work between couples now-a-days."

The two officers followed her into the house. Since Don seemed to have lost all ability to talk, Lindsay took up the conversation. "We actually met at the zoo near the tiger exhibit; the same place I met my husband, Danny. Miss Myrtle, I work with Don; we're not a couple."

Miss Myrtle shook her head. "Are you sure? The two of you really would make beautiful babies. What about your husband? Is he as handsome as this one?"

With a warm smile, Lindsay reached into her purse for her wallet. She could see why everyone loved this elderly woman. She flipped through her pictures until she found a good one of her, Danny, and Lucy. "That's my husband Danny and our little girl Lucy."

Miss Myrtle looked at the picture carefully, nodding approvingly. "He's not a bad catch either and little Lucy is definitely a beautiful child. Do you have a sister that might be interested in a tall dark and handsome officer like our Donnie here?"

Lindsay shook her head, amused by how embarrassed Flack still looked. "No, Ma'am. I have a whole lot of brothers but no sisters."

Miss Myrtle handed back the wallet. "It must be so exciting being an officer. I always thought I would like to solve crimes; I grew up reading Nancy Drew books but in my day women just didn't have jobs like that. Now, since you've burst an old woman's dreams that Donnie here is finally settling down, what brings the two of you all the way out here."

"I wanted to meet you. Don has told me so much about you and I just had to meet you in person. I hope you don't mind us just dropping by without calling first."

"Posh, of course not." Miss Myrtle shook her head. "About the only company I get these days are those sweet boys from Henry's station coming to check on me. My grandson Tanner used to come by quite regularly but every since his poor mama died he just hasn't been the same. They were both in a wreck you see. Tanner lived but they couldn't save both him and my Pammie. Poor boy blames himself."

Myrtle rose and crossed to the fireplace mantle and picked up a framed photograph and handed it to Lindsay. A tall, good looking teenage boy of about 16 stared back at her, his expression so carefree and boyish. He looked vaguely familiar to Lindsay but she couldn't figure out why. She handed the frame back to Myrtle who set it on the coffee table. Lindsay could understand that survivor's guilt only too well; she just wished he didn't have to hurt his grandmother in the process.

Myrtle pulled a handkerchief from her dress pocket and dabbed at her eyes and then forced a smile at the two officers. Don had recovered somewhat from his embarrassment but sensed that Lindsay was handling the conversation quite well without him so he let her continue. Myrtle shook her head suddenly.

"What a horrible hostess am I. Would the two of you like some coffee and cookies; the cookies are only store made, I'm afraid. I did all my baking for my boys Saturday but they aren't that bad for being store bought."

Lindsay saw this as an opportunity to broach the subject of the donuts. "Don was telling me what a fabulous baker you are. He says everyone at the station goes on and on about your donuts. I've tried to make them before but let's just say it wasn't pretty. Lucy even called them yucky and she loves chocolate anything. Do you use cocoa powder or chocolate chips? If you don't mind sharing your secret recipe…"

Don stared at his friend. He had to admit; she was good. Myrtle reached over and patted her knee. "Of course I don't mind. Barbara loved for me to teach her things in the kitchen but Pammie couldn't stand to be in the kitchen. It'll be nice to be able to teach someone else. I don't use powder or chips. I use baking chocolate; I get it in bars and melt in a double boiler. I still have some left over from making donuts Saturday; come with me into the kitchen and I'll show you what you need."

Exchanging a glance with Flack, Lindsay rose and followed the elderly lady into the small kitchen. Flack followed. Myrtle opened a cabinet door and pulled out a package but stared at it in dismay. It was a package of X-Lax. She looked from the package to the two officers, obviously confused. "What's this doing up there? This should be in the bathroom cabinet. Sometimes an old body like mine needs a little help getting regular, you know. I must have put it in the wrong place when I did the shopping last week. I can't believe I didn't notice it Saturday when I was cooking."

Suddenly the color drained from her face and she reached out to grab hold of the counter to steady herself. Almost immediately Flack was at her side leading her to the table. She gripped his arm. "Donnie, please tell me I didn't use that stuff instead of my usual chocolate. Oh my stars in heaven, did I make people sick?" Tears filled her eyes.

Now Flack felt even worse about bringing the donuts to Lindsay to analyze. It was obvious by how shocked Miss Myrtle was that she hadn't done it on purpose - not that he ever really thought it was possible that she had. But was it any better knowing that she had absolutely no idea of the mistake she'd made. "We're going to be okay, Miss Myrtle. It's okay."

She shook her head. "No, it's not. You boys down at Henry's station are all I have left in this world and I did this to all of you? If I'm starting to get so senile that I can't tell the difference between a laxative and baking chocolate, then maybe it's time I find myself one of those old folks homes. I'm so ashamed. I wouldn't blame you boys if you never wanted to see me or my cooking ever again."

Flack took her hands in his and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "Miss Myrtle, we love you. If you never cooked us another morsel, we would still want you in our lives, but if you baked another batch of donuts tomorrow, we'd devour them just as quickly as we always do. This one mistake doesn't change how we feel about you. Please don't beat yourself up over it."

Removing her hand, she patted his cheek tenderly. "You are such a sweet boy. But still, this wasn't some small mistake; I could have seriously hurt you boys with my mistake. How can you be so nice about it? I'm just a crazy old bat that should hang up my apron…"

"Stop it!" Flack's voice was sharp. "I don't want to ever hear you put yourself down like that. Lindsay asked you earlier about your secret recipe; well the truth is your secret ingredient in anything you cook is not something that can be bought in any store. You pack everything you cook full of love and that's why we go crazy over your treats each month. I for one would miss it terribly and I don't think I'd be the only one. So please, put this behind you; I know I am."

Across the room where she'd been standing at the cabinet, Lindsay wiped at her eyes, touched by the loving way Flack was handling the situation. She looked up at the opened cabinet but everything else seemed quite normal even well organized. Something about the situation was bothering her but she couldn't figure it out.

"Will you tell the boys how sorry I am?" Myrtle asked, a pleading to her tone that was heartbreaking. Flack smiled and nodded before leaning over and kissing her wizened cheek.

They stood up and Flack told her that he and Lindsay needed to get back to work. Myrtle nodded and went back to Lindsay and hugged her. "I hope your husband is as much of a catch as that one right there would be. You may not be Donnie's girl but you're my girl now and I want you to feel free to drop by anytime."

Lindsay smiled and returned the hug. "I'll do that. I'll even bring my daughter with me."

The elderly woman's eyes lit up with pleasure. "Oh how wonderful. It's been way too long since I've had a toddler running around here. I'd love to meet Lucy - Danny too if you can get him to come with you."

Lindsay promised to try and she and Flack made their goodbyes and returned to the car. She put her seat belt on but Don continued to stare at the house. "You think it could be Alzheimer's?"

Lindsay looked over at him and shook her head. "No, I don't. She seems to sharp for that. She remembered both Lucy's and Danny's name after I mentioned them only once."

Flack sighed as he turned the key in the ignition and backed the car down the driveway onto the street. "Yesterday, she got me confused with my dad. I didn't think anything of it then…"

"That doesn't mean anything." Lindsay assured him. "Granny Coleman had a mind like a steel trap until the day that she died yet whenever I was around her I began to believe my name was Mary Ruth Linda Lindsay cause she always had to call roll until she got to my name. I can't explain it but I don't think she accidentally confused X-Lax with her baking chocolate but I also don't think she did it on purpose either. I know that doesn't make sense but I've got a strong feeling."

Don cut a glance her way. "You got your Mac on this morning?"

Lindsay smirked, glad to see he was back to his normal joking self. "Something like that. I don't know Flack; I know Miss Myrtle wasn't in that car but I can't help but feel like this was another attack just like the two that happened on 43rd Street."

They grew quiet after that as turned onto Jewel Avenue. A dark Chevy Malibu pulled in front of Flack driving almost too slowly. Lindsay looked at it for a moment; her eyes widened as she realized it was missing a tag. "Flack, that's the car that shot at us. I'm sure of it."

Flack nodded. "Call it in. I'm just going to follow discreetly until back-up arrives."

Lindsay picked up the radio and called in their location and that they had spotted the suspect vehicle in the attacks. No sooner had she cleared the radio, her cell phone rang. She answered, not surprised to see that it was Mac.

"Do not attempt to make the stop until back-up arrives." Mac ordered without preamble.

"Don't worry Mac; we are following only." Just as the words were out of Lindsay's mouth, the Malibu suddenly sped up. "Damn, they've spotted us. Sorry Mac, doesn't look like we can wait."

Flack flipped his blue lights on and sped up as well. They weaved in an out of traffic for several minutes as they got nearer and nearer to the Grand Central Parkway. Traffic got heavier and Lindsay was starting to worry that they might crash into another car. She knew Flack wanted to catch the suspects but it wasn't worth possibly injuring someone else. She looked over at him and saw that his face was a mask of total concentration.

"Flack, maybe you should slow down a little." She suggested lowly.

He frowned. "I wish I could. Lindsay, make sure your seat belt is secure. The brakes are gone."

- CSI: NY -

Author's Note 2: Okay, watched the season premier tonight. Great episode but I'm very confused about what happened to Claire. She was out of the building when the second plane hit. Maybe I've missed it for all these years but I don't recall hearing about people dying on the street when the planes crashed into the building. What happened to her? I'm confused. I loved the scenes between Claire and Mac, wish we could see more of that. I like Danny in a uniform but I'm not too sure about the mustache. I'm glad we got to see a kiss between Lindsay and Danny even if it was fleeting and in the background. These season has definite potential.