AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.

14. Stressed

Nikki was in the locker room when Don found her. He knew she was upset, sat with her head in her hands, her hair loose hanging across her face. He sat down next to her and reached to brush her hair back, "Nik? ... I saw the flowers, we will stop him"

She looked up, "I can't do this now ... just leave me alone!" She jumped up and headed for the door. Don called after her, but she didn't stop or look back. She returned to her office and started sorting the files she had left earlier, she was kind of relived that Sheldon had removed the flowers. Danny was at his desk. "You ok? Flack was looking for you." Nikki ignored him and continued sorting through the files "Nikki, I get the feeling something's wrong, you wanna talk?"

"No, Danny I don't, I wish everyone would stop fussing!" She dumped all the files on the desk and stormed out.

Danny was still at his desk when Don turned up a few minutes later. He looked up, "You two have a fight?". Don scowled at the CSI "... how can we if she won't talk to me?" Don tried dialling her phone as he walked out.

He returned to Mac's office and brought him up to date on the latest developments. Mac explained what they had discovered in the package and that he was preparing to tell the rest of the team. He asked how Nikki was.

Don ran his hand through his hair. "She's bad Mac, ... I haven't seen her like this for a long time, she's avoiding me and ditching my calls, I have no idea where she is."

Mac took his phone and dialled Nikki, he heard it start ringing, but the line got cut off. He looked at Don sympathetically. "Where would she go if she wants time out?" Mac asked.

"... no where specific, somewhere quiet, probably not far away" He replied as he thought about times before when she was upset. Mac told him to go look for her.

It was Lindsay who actually found Nikki a while later sitting in one of the department SUVs in the garage. Nikki was oblivious to Lindsay's approach as she sat with her head on her hands against the steering wheel. Lindsay tapped on the window, startling Nikki. Lindsay asked if she was ok. Nikki nodded. "Flack's looking for you, he's worried about you" Lindsay told her.

"...tell him to leave me alone, I don't need him" Nikki replied.

"Maybe talking to someone would help, and you know Flack best." Lindsay suggested. Nikki turned to her, "How is it that everyone knows what I want right now, what I think? I just need everyone to back off! You of all people should understand that, the way you ditched Danny!" Nikki stopped, swallowed hard and took a breath. "I'm sorry Lindsay, I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I know you've got problems of your own." Lindsay acknowledged the apology. "I know what its like, having someone watch your every move. I wish these guys could have been there 10 years ago. They will find him."

Nikki's phone rang, after checking the caller ID she cancelled the call.

"... I thought I'd dealt with all my emotions from before, but with everything that's happened, I've realised I haven't I'd just run away. Now I don't know what to do."

Lindsay's phone rang and she answered it. She kept the call short just answering yes or no to the caller on the other end of the line, then hung up. Offering to go for coffee with Nikki she picked up her case which she had just collected. Nikki shook her head. "... I'm fine, I just need some space, time to think"

Lindsay nodded and walked towards the elevator which opened as she reached it and Don came out. Lindsay pointed him in the direction of the SUV and entered before the doors closed. Don ran his hand through his hair and approached the vehicle. He opened the door and she looked up and shook her head at him. He understood, she didn't want to talk, he could see the strain in her eyes, she looked so vulnerable. "OK Princess, I'll just take you home, we can talk when you're ready." She had no energy to argue. She couldn't think straight, she just wanted to feel normal again. Nothing had felt right since leaving California; except for a few minutes in Sullivan's after Jason's funeral. She looked into Don's eyes, they needed to fix things, but it didn't seem at the moment like that wasn't going to happen soon. Maybe she had been wrong to come back, to think that they could repair their friendship. Too much time had gone, she should have made this trip 2 years ago, sorted things out then. He had left San Francisco after their row, returned to New York and they hadn't spoken since, until that day they met when she walked into the Lab. He held out his hand to her. "Let's go, .. no pressure, just a night in, you don't even have to talk if you don't want." She nodded. He guided her out of the vehicle and over to his squad car.

Stella and Mac were still in the Lab with the photos and decided to call it a night, as they were still coming up empty, but she was back the next day and that was where Don found her when he came to get an update on what they had found. Stella looked up as he entered. "You look as bad as Nikki, what happened?"

Don sighed, "We had a row ... she told me I was being overprotective among other things" Stella, could feel the tension, he'd not been his normal self for a few weeks, and she was sure it was connected with the way Nikki had been too. They were both stressed. She was tempted more than once to get them locked in the store cupboard so they could do whatever was necessary to sort things out. The last week had been really bad. Now Stella could understand why, the whole stalker thing was creepy. "Don, I know you two were close, but you have been hovering over her ever since she came back. Let her breathe, give her some space"

He shook his head "You make it sound so simple, but it isn't. She's staying with me. The creep broke into her house last week and Mac won't let her go back." Stella looked up at him, "She's living with you? Is that a good idea?"

"Stella, staying with me, she's in the spare room, there's a difference." Stella nodded. "Would it be better if she came to stay with me for a while?" Don half nodded, "maybe, you need to ask her." Stella made a mental note to go find Nikki and talk to her. Don turned to leave as his phone rang. Not the normal ring. Stella laughed, Don looked mortified as he rushed to pull the phone from his pocket and answer it.

Ok folks, What amusing ring tone could he have?

I'm stuck on what made Nikki programme it and when could she have done it taking into account that they had a row the night before.

Please give me some suggestions ...

The stalker thing is going to move on a bit faster now ...