Diclaimer: Still don't own CSI NY, or American Macgee's Alice. I just have the game, I didn't make it.

Note: had to do some revising, so do not be alarmed if things seem a tad different. I didn't know you couldn't use song lyrics grins sheepishly. I'm a little saddened by that since the lyrics were a kind of foreshadowing of things to come. Oh well. And the thanks for the reviews remain! "Sniff" it makes me so happy to see so many enjoying this. It's been fun writing.

Alice: … There is always more than one to skin a cat, if you will pardon the expression.

Chashire: Most unpleasant metaphor, please avoid using it in the future. American McGee's Alice.

Ch. 3

Unpleasant Metaphors

Danny flipped through the pages of the Entertainment magazine without paying much attention to it. He would only pause on a page that made mention of some movie that was coming out, who was in it, and so on, but for the most part only looked at it to give his eyes something to do while he ate his lunch. The Unwritten Law song Save Me was playing over the small radio on the counter of the break room as people moved in and out, grabbing sacks of lunch and cans of soda.

The words of the song penetrated into Danny's brain whether he paid attention to them or not, and he knew the song would be stuck in his head for the rest of the day, playing over and over like a skipping CD.

Danny started in alarm when the song vanished to be replaced by the Will Smith song Switch. He looked up from the magazine over at Aiden who was standing by the radio, still wearing her lab coat, and moving to the music.

" Hey," Danny protested. " I was listening to that."

Aiden, still dancing some, looked over at Danny and smiled. " Sorry."

She changed the station back, then removed her coat to drape it over the back of the chair and claim a seat. She moved over to the fridge between the counter and the sink and pulled out a chicken salad, yogurt, and a diet soda. She turned to set the food on the table then turned back to the radio to change it to her song when Danny's song had ended. She decreased the volume and finally sat down, popping off the lid to her salad as she did so.

As she ate, she bobbed her head to the music. Danny watched her, taking a drink from his soda then setting it beside his half-eaten sandwich.

" You seem perky today."

Aiden flicked her eyes up at Danny in a scowl. She hated it when people referred to her as 'perky'. She ripped open a packet of dressing and squeezed it over her salad.

" I'm surprised you're not," she said, mixing the salad with a plastic fork. " Mac let us help out. We're free from the meaningless monotony of paperwork and sitting around with nothing to do until a new case pops up."

Danny studied Aiden for a moment to see if she was serious. " A little harsh, isn't it? Hoping for a new case?"

Aiden looked up at him with another scowl. " You know what I mean, Danny. We don't have to sit around. I'd be happy just to clean up the lab if it meant not having to stare at papers all day until my butt goes numb. Besides that, it also means that Mac isn't mad at me for helping you out on a case you weren't supposed to solve."

Danny returned to looking at the magazine in hopes it would give Aiden the clue to drop the subject.

" I'd think you'd be thrilled that Mac let you help," Aiden continued. " I mean he was more mad at you than me."

" No, he was just mad at me. I told you I'd take the heat and I did."

" And I'm grateful," Aiden replied, and took a bite of her salad.

Danny tossed the magazine onto the table and picked up his sandwich for a bite of his own.

" So what do you know about the whole Hangman deal?" Aiden asked. " Anything?"

His mouth full, Danny could only shake his head.

" I heard one guy say the killer's some kind of alien harvesting human fluids or something."

Laughter caused Danny to choke, and he snatched up his soda to wash down the food before it slipped into the wrong pipe. Even after getting it down he was still laughing and coughing at the same time.

" Was he serious?" he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

" I hope not," Aiden said with a smile. " Pretty sad if he thought it was true."

Danny had finished laughing but not coughing. Stella came in then, and as she walked passed Danny toward the fridge she gave him several hard pats on the back.

" Come on, Messer, get it out of there. Clear that airway." She then looked at Aiden in mock alarm. " Aiden, you were just going to sit there while Danny choked to death?"

Aiden waved dismisively. " He was fine."

Danny coughed a few more times until the tickling on the edge of his windpipe cleared away. " Hey Stella," he said in a slightly hoarse voice. He cleared his throat one more time. " What do you know about the Hangman case? Besides what you heard some wacko spout."

Stella took out a small bottle of orange juice from the fridge and snapped the cap off. " A cop supposedly died," she said before taking a drink.

Aiden looked up and Danny winced.

" Really?" he asked.

" That's what Mac told me. I wasn't really working it; I had another assignment at the time. I do know one thing. The guy was always one step ahead. That's why no one believed it was that Lynals guy, the one who was arrested for it. Too coincidental. Too easy. This guy liked to make things hard. Did you know he like to set traps?"

" Traps?" Danny and Aiden said as one.

" That's what Mac said. He's going to fill us in on the rest. The city wants everyone in on it and I'm telling you now I think this is going to be one Hll of an investigation. The FBI might even play a part, but that could just be a rumor."

" Rumors are never a good thing to listen to, Stella," Danny said, then took another drink.

Just then, Mac stuck his head in the door. " Hey Danny, I need to speak with you a moment. My office." Then he was gone.

Danny almost choked on his soda this time. Setting it down, he wiped his mouth, looking nervously from Aiden to Stella.

" Uh-oh," Aiden whispered with a grimace of pity.

" I'll watch your lunch," Stella said, sitting adjacent to Aiden.

Danny got up and pointed at Aiden, giving her a meaningful look. " Make sure she doesn't eat any of it."

Aiden just smiled and Danny knew that he would be returning to fewer chips and less sandwich.

Outwardly, Danny tried to walk with casual ease as though inside his spine was not really stiff enough to snap. He had stuck by his decision to finish the homeless-man statue case, and would continue to stick by it. That did not mean the fact that he had gone behind Mac's back to do so did not make him squirm. He had been in the wrong, so Mac had every right to be upset about it no matter what Danny's reasoning.

Danny entered Mac's office, his heart picking up a quicker beat. He could not say if this were about the case or not, but feared it was and that some further reprimand was about to be laid out.

" Sit down," Mac said, his tone and face unreadable, though Danny could have sworn he saw a hint of anger in Mac's eyes.

Danny dropped into the seat to lean forward with his arms on his knees and his hands folded loosely together. A muscle in his back twitched with tension.

" Yeah Mac?"

Mac slid a thick file toward Danny. " That's everything there is to know on the Hangman murders. Read up on it, memorize it, know it like the back of your hand."

Danny sat up to take the file, looking from it to Mac. He smiled as the tension leaked out of him. " That's what this is about? Is everyone getting their own file?"

Mac sat back in his chair, causing it to creak. " Yes. But, no, that's not what this is about. Things are going to be handled differently this time. A CSI is going to be assigned to each detective and whoever else is on the case. You go where they go, come when they call, that sort of thing. You've already been assigned."

" Yeah? To who?"

Mac looked Danny straight in the eyes when he next spoke. " Detective Stan Mavin."

The name struck a chord of familiarity but Danny could not recall from where. " The name rings a bell…"

" He was the one on the ATM case. He came looking for you last week."

It finally came back to Danny. His heart seemed to plummet into his gut, while at the same time his blood boiled with anger. " The one who thought that meat-head on the paper was actually me? Who the hll assigned me to him?"

He wasn't going to accuse Mac of it. He knew Mac wouldn't have done that.

" Mavin did, actually," Mac said. " He wouldn't take anyone else. He just wanted you."

Danny sat back in the chair, rubbing his mouth then the back of his neck. He looked about in agitation, wondering nervously what Mavin was up to and if it had anything to do with what happened last week. If the man held grudges, then Danny might have a lot to be nervous about.

" Did he say why he wanted me?" Danny asked looking back to Mac.

Mac shook his head. " Not really."

They fell into silence though it was obvious from the troubled look on Mac's face that there was more to be said. This made Danny's heart sink a little further. He already knew what a scumbag Mavin could be so there shouldn't have been any more to say on the matter.

" Danny," Mac finally said, sounding subdued. " I'm not going to lie to you. The guy's a creep. He's also cold, uncaring, and may run you ragged before even a week is up. I didn't work with him directly, but the few times I did I regret. He likes to talk trash, and he likes to get under your skin. I can tell you now this is not going to be easy. But I know you can handle him. You're not a push over and you know what to put up with and what not to. But if you find yourself unable to deal with him anymore then tell me and I'll assign you to someone else if I can. Just don't let it end with you knocking him flat and ending up on probation."

Danny nodded. He could do that. He knew how to handle trash talk and guys who couldn't learn when to get out of another's face.

" Is that why you don't like him?" Danny asked curiously. " Because he said something?"

" Let's just say he made things difficult, and actually ended up causing someone to quit though I'm not sure what was said or done to make it happen. He also blames us for Detective Myers' death."

Danny leaned forward again. " The cop who was killed? Was she his partner?"

" She was in charge of the case. She had set up a sting, sending out female cops undercover to clubs and bars to see if they could lure the guy into the open. It went on for two months and didn't work. Then Myers didn't show up for work in two days. She was found hanging from a tree in her back yard with her throat cut like our latest victim. Mavin said this wouldn't have happened if we had dug deeper, gone farther. I was never certain what he meant by that. We went as far as we dared and ended up losing one of our own."

" So then what led you to Lynals?" Danny asked next.

" He was at several of the clubs our undercover officers staked. We'd also questioned him earlier about his neighbor, our fifth vic. We went back to question him and found him dumping the box. But that's just a summary. Everything you need to know is in that file and trust me when I say you had better have it memorized. Mavin was the most adamant about Lynals not being our guy. He never believed it and I don't think he ever stopped searching. He'll make life miserable for you if you're not on top of things."

Danny briefly wondered if this were some sort of strange punishment for not listening to Mac. However, Mac appeared genuinely worried, and that made Danny worry. There was probably more to Mavin than Mac was saying, but it was nothing that could be put into words, only witnessed.

" So… um… when does this little pair up start?"

" Depends on whatever happens next. He'll call you."

Danny's heart sank once more, faster than led in water. " He's got my number. Great."

Mac wore a sympathetic expression as he regarded Danny. " Not much of a choice in the matter. I offered to go with him myself but he wasn't up on the idea. Look, Danny, I'm sorry if I seem like I'm trying to scare you. But I'm not; I'm just warning you. It isn't going to be easy working with Mavin. It's not like he's psychotic, he's just… a jerk, which is the only way I can put it."

Danny shrugged indifferently though inside he was already seething at the prospect of having to face Mavin again. He'd probably start in on Danny never having joined the Tanglewood boys and surviving it.

" No problem. We put up with what we have to in order to get the job done, right?"

Looking apologetic, Mac inclined his head in agreement. It was most likely time to end this conversation before Danny was given any more to worry about.

" We done then?"

Mac inclined his head again. " Yeah. You sure you don't have a problem with this?"

Danny stood up from the chair, still holding the file. " Not really, but I'll deal. It's not like it'll kill me to work with the guy, right?" He flinched inwardly at his own words and quickly left, mumbling under his breath. " At least it sure as hll better not."

CSINY

Mac watched Danny leave through the window, then stood to head out and have his own lunch, feeling a slight inkling of guilt buzz at the back of his mind. No one should have to work with Mavin, especially on this case. He was even more obsessive than Danny. Mac recalled clearly times when Mavin would burst into the lab or the morgue, demanding information, even verbally abusing people if they didn't hop to his commands or have what he needed when he needed it. It had been bad, and that was when Mavin had been heaping his anger on the multitudes. Mac could only imagine with a knot of unease growing in his stomach what it would be like for Danny as a target for Mavin's spontaneous rages. Danny would not back down, Mac was certain of that. So the only other alternative would be that it would lead to violence. Mac trusted in Danny, but Mavin had a way about him that at one time almost brought Mac to decking the man a few times himself, and Mac had always thought himself the disciplined type.

As Mac left his office Flack joined him.

" Going to lunch?" The young detective asked.

" Something quick. Care to tag along?"

Flack shook his head. " Naw, just ate. Hey, I saw Detective Mavin leaving when I walked in a while ago. He assigned already?"

" Yes."

Flack looked at Mac with a slight squint. " You don't look too happy. What'd he say?"

" Nothing. He just wanted a CSI at his beck and call, that's all," Mac replied with apparent distaste.

" Oh yeah? Who's the unlucky one?"

" Danny."

Flack winced. " Ouch. I feel sorry for him already. Mavin's gonna skin him alive, I'm telling you now."

At this, Mac stopped only a few feet from the building's entrance, turning to look at Flack.

" What do you mean 'skin him alive'?"

Flack scratched his head, looking toward the doors and into the bright day.

" I don't know Mavin personally, but we all know him as the guy who can't keep a partner worth his life. His recent partner, Detective Diega, never works with him. Mavin has a way of…"

" Getting under the skin?" Mac asked.

" Kind of. More like disturbing everyone. There's talk that goes around saying that Mavin handles suspects with violence, he has no consideration for his partners, tends to leave them behind. It's like he's always on the brink of something bad but knows how to keep from going over the edge. He does things his own way. And he's always rough on the new guys, treats them like dirt, ends up making them request a transfer. Mavin calls it picking the strong from the weak. Skinning - he breaks them down, lays them out, tests them to their limits, and if they quit it's because they weren't meant for the job. I'm not sure exactly what it is he does to them, and they never really stick around to explain it. I don't know Mac. The guy's weird. Always has been, at least since I joined the force. It can't really be explained what it is about him, except to say that he probably should have retired already."

Mac sighed quietly. " Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

" Because Mavin generates bad feelings?"

" Any positive aspects about Mavin?"

Flack laughed. " I'll have to get back to you on that one. May take a few hundred years to find out."