Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first!

A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here's the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don't own the chapter title either. That belongs to Incubus.

Chapter 14.

Love Hurts

Flack walked back to his desk, knowing that he was in for a long night. Sighing, he quickly dialed Lindsay to let her know the bad news.

"Hey Don," she answered. She shifted slightly on the couch, where she was sitting after her long bubble bath, to grab the remote to hit the pause button on her DVR. She was watching her secret vice: General Hospital. "Are you on your way home?"

"Unfortunately, no. The case has taken a strange turn and it looks like I'm working a double now," he said with regret lacing his voice.

Lindsay smiled to herself, determined to lighten the mood. "Don't worry about it sweetie. I kinda figured that would happen. After all, this is not a normal case," she reassured him.

Flack felt relief course through his body. "Are you sure?"

She laughed. "Yes. I have Sonny and Jason to keep me company," she said referring to the characters on the show. "I think I'll be fine."

"Should I be jealous? You talk more and more about those mobsters every day! And here I thought you liked law-abiding men," he shot back without thought.

Lindsay went silent. "Donald Flack, Jr. Have you been watching my General Hospital?" she asked in shock.

Flack paused for a moment, not realizing what he had revealed and then tried to backpedal. "Um, no. Of course not! Men don't watch soap operas!"

Lindsay couldn't contain herself and began to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh my god! You have been! That's the only way that you could know that Sonny and Jason are mobsters!!" She paused for a second to try to catch her breath. "Don't worry, sweetie. I won't tell anyone," she promised with her fingers crossed. This was too good not to tell Cory and Stella about.

Flack felt the tips of his ears burn as he blushed, not wanting to admit to his wife that he had become addicted to the show. "Um, so, I'd better go try to catch the bad guys," he finally said, feeling better.

Lindsay finally got her giggles under control. "Okay. And Don? You do know that you are absolutely the only man for me, right? I love you and stay safe," she said sincerely.

Flack smiled. "You're the only one for me, too. I love you, Linds. I'll see you later."

He kept smiling as he hung the phone up feeling energized. He took another look at the file, as well as the emails that Adam had printed out for him. As he read through them, he discovered that the victim, Jackson Webb, had been trying to get full custody of his son, Jacob. Funny, when I talked to his ex, Angelica, she didn't mention that. In fact, she told me that she hadn't had any contact with him. But why didn't this come up when I did the legal search?

He looked over at his computer and at the original search he'd done and realized his mistake. He had only searched for the victim as a defendant, not as a plaintiff. He mentally slapped himself upside the head, not believing his mistake. Flack, old boy, you're getting lax. Shaking his head with the magnitude of what he'd found, he jumped up to go back to the lab, thankful that they finally had a viable suspect.

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Danny sat down in the break room, his eyes burning in exhaustion. He glanced down at his watch, discovering that it was almost nine p.m. and he'd been on shift since six a.m. Yawning, he decided that he really should head home before he fell asleep on his feet. Slowly climbing to his feet, he began to walk towards the locker room, to grab his bag. Halfway there, his cell phone rang.

"Messer?" he answered, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hey sweetie," Cory's tired voice greeted him.

"Hey, bella. You sound tired," he responded.

Cory sighed. "It's been a day."

"Yeah, tell me about it. But, I think I might be headed home now," he said before looking up and seeing Flack striding towards him. "Or maybe not. Flack looks like he might have found something."

"Okay, I was just checking to see what time you were going to be here because I'm about to open a bottle of wine."

Danny smiled. "Try to save some for me and I'll get home ASAP. Ti amo, and I'll call you later."

"I love you, too. Bye sweetie," Cory said before she hung up, slightly disappointed but understanding of the job. She turned to look at the dark apartment, deciding to pamper herself with a candlelit bubble bath. Smiling, she grabbed the wine and padded towards the bathroom, eager to put her day behind her.

Danny looked up at Flack. "You found something, didn't you?" he asked his friend.

Flack smiled. "Yeah. The ex told me that she hadn't had any contact with the victim since they divorced, but Adam found emails in between them. He was going to fight her for custody."

Danny smirked. "Looks like we have a suspect. You bringing her in?"

Flack nodded. "You want to be in on the interrogation?"

"Like you have to ask," Danny returned, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go."

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When Adam finally left the lab, he was exhausted. The stress of the day had finally caught up with him and he only wanted to go home and sleep, but he was supposed to be meeting Allison. On his way home, he kept talking himself out of calling and canceling. He didn't want to do that since they had only been out a couple of times and he really liked her. He didn't want to keep blowing her off because of work.

When he reached his apartment, he quickly took a shower and changed into a nice shirt and slacks. After combing his hair back, he picked up his keys and cell phone, praying that there would be no interruptions. On the way to her apartment, he made a stop at a flower vendor and picked up some wild flowers for her.

A few minutes later, he nervously knocked on her door. It was his first time picking her up. When the door opened, he was speechless. She was dressed in a simple green sheath, which matched her eyes and her long blond hair was done up in an elegant bun. "Um, wow. You look—" he trailed off.

Allison smiled. "You don't clean up to badly yourself, Adam."

Adam flushed as he handed her the flowers. "Here, these are for you," he muttered, still embarrassed.

Allison smiled as she accepted them and motioned him inside the apartment. "Hold on a sec and I'll get a vase for these and then we can leave," she called over her shoulder on her way to the kitchen. He really is sweet, she thought as she put the flowers in water and then grabbed her clutch to leave. When she got back to the living room, she noticed him looking at her pictures.

Adam looked up as she walked back in. "Are these all your family?" he asked as he pointed at the pictures.

Allison nodded her head. "Yeah," she confirmed as she began to point out specific pictures. "That was last Christmas. Dad is a retired attorney, Mom still works in her bakery. And those are my brother and sisters."

Adam looked at the loving family; she obviously missed them from the tone in her voice. "How many of you are there?" he asked.

"I'm the oldest of five," she responded with a smile. "Mom and Dad decided to follow the alphabet when naming us. Allison, Betty, Carla, David and Eileen."

Adam looked shocked. "Wow. I'm an only child, but I always wanted a brother or sister."

Allison grinned. "I can't imagine life without them. We've had our disagreements, but we're always there for each other." She linked hands with him. "So what do you have planned for tonight?"

Adam smirked. "That's a surprise," he teased as he glanced down at his watch. "Which means that we need to head out." He guided her to the door and opened it for her. "My lady," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Allison just rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stepped into the hallway. "You are so corny."

"Maybe, but I'm mysterious and that's what counts," Adam shot back with a laugh as the walked out of the building and to his small car. "Here you go," he continued as he opened the door for her.

Allison smiled as she slid into the car. He is such a gentleman. It's nice to be treated like this, she thought. Minutes later, they were driving through the city, listening to the radio.

Adam glanced at Allison a few times during the quiet ride, grateful that he had not cancelled since he was feeling much better. Huh, she's helping to take my mind off of everything that happened today. Smiling, he knew that what he'd planned for this evening would be perfect. He had finally cornered Danny a few days ago and gotten the name of the Italian restaurant that he always raved about. Somehow he knew that Allison would enjoy it.

Allison liked the fact that she and Adam never felt like they had to fill the silence with meaningless conversation. She knew that she'd never felt like that before. She was comfortable with him and was beginning to feel like she had known him her entire life. She was startled out of her thoughts when the car stopped. The next thing she knew, Adam was opening her door and holding out his hand to help her out.

"Welcome to Francesca's," Adam said as he led her into the intimate Italian restaurant.

Allison looked around in interest as he led her in. "This is very nice," she said as they were led to a small table. "How did you find this place?"

Adam looked into her eyes. "A friend told me about it," he admitted. "So, you have one brother and three sisters. Tell me about growing up in San Diego."

Allison nodded. She was eager to get to know him better, so she began to tell him about her family growing up.

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Stella was getting ready to go home when she walked past Mac's office. She knew that he'd still be here, but she hadn't expected to see him taking a nap at his desk. Smiling to herself, she walked in quietly. She looked at him for a moment, loving to see him sleep.

Finally she crouched down next to him in the chair. "Mac?" she said softly as she placed her hand on his thigh. "You really should go home and get some sleep."

Mac opened his eyes quickly. "Stel?"

Stella smiled. "It's after eight, Mac. You've been here for almost twenty hours. Come home with me. Get some sleep."

Mac shook his head. "I can't. Not until we solve this case."

Stella sighed, knowing how stubborn he was. "Mac? You're not going to solve this case by burning yourself out. Adam has already gone. Danny and Flack went to interview a suspect and Hawkes is going to be fine. You need sleep."

Mac looked at her, loving the fact that she stood up to him. "Okay, fine. I'll get some sleep, but I'm leaving my phone on."

Stella grinned. "Come on, you'll be able to think much better after some food and sleep."

Mac just stood up, knowing that Stella could get him to do almost anything, just by asking him. "You're too good for me, you know that."

Stella laughed. "Yes, but you're too good for me, too." She grabbed his arm, so they could walk out of the lab, ready for the rest.

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Danny and Flack arrived at Angelica Piedmont's apartment, only to find it dark. Flack knocked on the door a few times, but there was no response. Disheartened, they were about to leave when the door across the hall opened and young woman stuck her head out. "Angie's not here right now."

Flack looked at the woman. "Do you know where she went?" he questioned.

The young woman shook her head. "Nope, but she left in a hurry. Looks like she had an overnight bag with her and Jacob."

"Do you know why she left?" Danny asked.

The girl shrugged this time. "I dunno. Her best friend might. She was here before they left."

Flack lifted an eyebrow. 'Gotta name?"

"Misty something or another. Sorry, wish I knew more."

Flack just gave her an encouraging smile as she passed her his card. "Call me if you remember anything."

"Kay," she replied as she closed her door.

Danny and Flack looked at each other. "Why do I feel like we're running in place?" Danny asked as they left.

"Because we are, Danno," Flack replied. "Let's just see if we can find this Misty something and maybe she'll know where to find them."

Danny nodded, as they got in the car to return to the lab.

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Adam was laughing at Allison's story of her sibling rivalry over dessert when his phone went off. Sighing, he checked the caller ID and saw that it was Danny. "Sorry, I have to take this," he told her before answering. "Hey, Danny." He listened for a moment. "All right. Do you have the warrant because to pull the phone records, I have to have one. Okay. I'll be there in thirty."

Allison knew that he was getting called in and motioned for the waiter to come over while he was on the phone. "We need our check, please," she informed him discreetly.

The man nodded and laid a leather book on the table. "I'll be your cashier when you are ready."

Allison smiled at the man as Adam hung up. "You have to go in," she stated.

Adam smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. The case we're working right now…it struck kinda close to home. You don't mind?"

She patted his hand in reassurance. "I understand. It comes with the job."

Adam sighed in relief. "I'll just drop you at home, then head in. They are still getting the warrant, so I have some time to play with." He noticed the check on the table and shook his head with a wry smile.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled up outside her apartment building. "Let me walk you up," he said.

Allison shook her head. "No, you have to go in." She leaned over and quickly kissed him.

Adam was surprised by her gesture, but quickly intensified the kiss, only pulling back when lack of oxygen was making him lightheaded.

Allison just pulled back, her toes curling at her intense response to him. "Call me when you get off work," she said breathlessly as she climbed out of the car with a wink.

Adam nodded as he put the car into drive, his heart racing. Wow. He was still mesmerized when he walked into the lab, looking for Danny or Flack.

Danny looked up to see Adam strolling down the hall, a goofy grin on his face. He took in the good clothes he was wearing and quickly put everything together. "Hot date?" he asked the younger man with a smirk.

Adam ignored him. "You got my warrant?"

"Here it is, Adam, work your magic," Flack said from the doorway, holding a piece of paper.

Adam nodded and quickly went to work, bringing up the phone records for Angelica Piedmont. "What am I looking for exactly?"

"Her best friend's name is Misty something, according to a neighbor. After the best friend came over, Piedmont and her son did a disappearing act."

Adam nodded. "Right, look for someone with the name of Misty. Gotcha," he said sarcastically as he began to scan the most recent calls. "Okay, no one with the name Misty, but I do have an M. Macgregor."

"Can you get any DMV info?" Danny asked.

Adam made a few more keystrokes and finally pulled up a New York State driver's license. "Misty Macgregor. Here's her home and work address. Well isn't that interesting."

Flack turned around. "What do you mean by interesting?"

"She works at Alabaster Laboratories. They work with the Department of Defense," Adam responded.

Danny looked at him. "And you know this how?"

Adam grinned sheepishly. "Um, before I got the job here, I interviewed with them. They wanted me to help maintain their security firewalls." He looked embarrassed. "But, I realized that I wanted more than to keep up someone's security system."

Danny smiled. "Believe me I understand. Do you know what they exactly they do there?"

"That's why it was interesting. They specialize in biological weapons."

Flack and Danny looked at each other, both feeling like they had more of an idea of what was going on. "Lab quality Ricin," they said together.

"I'll see if I can get any more info on Macgregor," Adam said.

"And we'll go pay her a visit," Flack said as they left the room.

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Lydia tossed and turned through the night, unable to completely fall asleep. Finally, at four a.m. she made her decision. She was going to tell Hawkes that they needed a break. She knew that it wasn't fair to him to continue to be with him while she was sorting her feelings. Feeling a weight lift off her chest, she packed her clothes. Once it was a decent hour, she called her parents to see if she could stay with them for a while. She knew the answer would be yes, but thought it would be polite to actually ask them before she showed up on their doorstep.

Gathering her courage, she made her way to the hospital. She sighed softly as stood outside of his room, not wanting to go in. She finally opened the door, to find Hawkes awake and alert.

Hawkes smiled as he watched Lydia walk in. He had talked to the doctor earlier, who had filled him in on what had actually happened. He felt lucky to be alive. "Hey sweetheart," he greeted her as she sat down. "I'm sorry to worry you, but nothing in his apartment led me to believe that Ricin was present."

Lydia smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I understand; that's the nature of the job."

Hawkes noticed the distress look on her face. "Lyd, I'm going to be fine," he said as he stroked her hand softly to reassure her.

Lydia bit her lip slightly. "It's not that, Shel," she responded softly.

Hawkes looked at her. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him. "This is such a bad time. God. I feel awful for doing this," she muttered under her breath. She was quiet for a moment. "I think we need a break," she finally said softly.

Hawkes looked at her, not sure if he'd heard her correctly. "Why?" he queried.

"It's not you," she rushed to reassure him. "I recently came back into contact with my ex. He's consulting with us on a case and it's made me realize that I have some unresolved feelings for him. I need some time to work this out and I don't want to hurt you."

Hawkes looked at her, pain encompassing his heart, but he was determined not to show it. He drew in a slow breath before nodding. "Okay, I'll be honest with you. I love you, Lydia. But, I understand if you need time to sort this out." He brought her hand to his lips and softly kissed it. "I'll respect your decision, whatever it may be."

Lydia felt herself tear up. "You're such a good man, Sheldon Hawkes. I don't know if I deserve you," she choked out before fleeing the room.

Hawkes just stared after her, trying to figure out what else could go wrong in his life.

AN: Y'all know, when I started this case, it was just a filler case for a chapter or so. Had no idea that it'd take over the plot like it did! Anyway, I feel bad for Hawkes right now, but hopefully things will work out for him. My muse is not letting me end on that secret. I can promise that the next chapter will end the clown case (but I am waiting for my beta's to get it back to me) and I would love, love, love to have at least 5 reviews for this chapter!!!! Please??? (I'm on my knees--which makes typing hard--and begging!). Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!!!!

Soccer - I'm glad. I'm eager to move on with this case!

Maddy - I'm glad that I'm weaving them in well. I plan on having the whole team there soon. I can't wait for Garcia and Adam to meet! How's life going for you? We're expecting a pretty strong cold front, but that's kinda expected this time of year....And I'm totally going through withdrawal on your stories!!!! :p

Axellia - Bad internet explorer! Bad! You channel Cory just fine! I promise you. I love what you've done with her in WTECS. I can't wait for the next part of that story with her in it. :p Etienne is going to be sticking around for a while, so you'll keep learning about him. Especially once Alistair gets off his high horse and comes clean (maybe around chapter 20-25...I don't know how that's going to play out yet). I understand how Vodka is realted to the chapter. You're giddy and reading this made you realize that you needed to send it back! lol.