This story is written as a shout-out to the Locker Room groupies at CSI Files. Prior to stumbling upon the Locker Room, I had no idea so much time and energy could be devoted to the mindless discussion of one actor's amazing good looks. Now the Locker Room is my first stop on the internet each morning, even coming before issues that truly matter, and serves as a never-ending source of amusement to me.

I was also unaware of the existence of fanfics prior to visiting the Locker Room. "Hoop Dreams" by ASKessler was the first fanfic I ever read. I was completely intrigued, shocked and excited all at the same time. The "slash" writings of ASKessler are what drew me to fanfic, but it wasn't until reading the masterful dialogue of the collaborative efforts of NeverMindDream that I decided to take a stab at this myself.

Please read and review. However, I've decided to forgo the customary "This is my first fanfic, so be kind" remark. I prefer honesty to kindness.

Inadmissible

Chapter One

Lexi Taylor was having a very, very bad day. And to think the morning had started out so full of promise. Prior to entering the courtroom, Lexi had surveyed herself in the ladies room mirror. She was stunningly beautiful, even she had to admit that sometimes. This morning was one of those times. She had the sophisticated, East Coast old-money look found in Ralph Lauren ads, but her year-round fake tan and blonde highlights over a brunette base gave away her California roots. It was an odd combination, but somehow it worked for her in a sort of understatedly sexy way. The fact that she kept herself in remarkable physical condition and her clothing draped from her slender frame as if custom made didn't hurt either. She looked good today and felt even better.

Lexi had been in particularly good spirits as she stood in the courthouse this morning because she had finally taken the big plunge and made a career move she knew she would be proud of. After six years in civil private practice at a top-tier law firm where she routinely assisted negligent Fortune 500 companies in escaping liability, she made a move most attorneys wouldn't consider. Tired of the 60-70 hour workweeks and feeling her victories were always somewhat bittersweet, she had accepted a position as an Assistant Deputy District Attorney. Technically this was a step down as it was entry-level, but she didn't have any criminal trial experience so wasn't in a position to negotiate. More than anything, she was just looking forward to prosecuting the bad guy rather than defending him.

Today was Lexi's first day in her new job and she was making a routine court appearance to oppose a defense motion to exclude evidence at trial. Evidentiary hearings of this sort weren't common in her civil trial practice, but she was confident she had nothing to worry about. Her trial record was undefeated. She was sure this case, The People of New York v. Stanley Jones, would not change that. The accused had shot and killed his pregnant wife, then weighted her body down with concrete cinder blocks and tossed her into the Hudson River. The body had somehow freed itself of the concrete and washed ashore. Crime Scene Investigators later discovered the bullet, which had been a through and through, lodged in the sub-flooring of Mr. Jones' home, where they also recovered the murder weapon. This was sure to be a slam-dunk conviction.

Lexi walked out of the courtroom shaken, for the first time in her career. She fought back bitter tears of anger, frustration and defeat. Apparently, the CSI who removed the bullet from the sub-flooring of the Jones' home and processed it had inadvertently damaged the bullet beyond recognition. The defense argued that because the bullet had been so badly damaged, it would be impossible for defense experts to examine it and attempt to discredit the CSI's finding that the bullet was a match to the accused's gun. The judge agreed. The bullet had been ruled inadmissible as evidence on the grounds that admission would be prejudicial to the defense.

Lexi was at a loss as to how this could have happened and furious at the CSI who had so ineptly processed the bullet. She scanned her files for the name of the CSI responsible. Who the hell was Danny Messer?