Disclaimer If I owned him I wouldn't spend my time writing about him believe me! As for the rest of the CSI:NY cast they of course belong to whomever they belong to, and it sure as heck ain't me. I'm just borrowing them...however all the originals are mine.

Shooting Pool

Danny fought the urge to slam the interrogation room door harder than he already had. His face was tense, he had just hit a wall with a suspect and it pissed him off cause the fucker knew they didn't have anything to hold him. A hand touched his shoulder; he shrugged it off, "Don't." He snapped.

"Shake it off Danny." Stella's voice held concern and warning.

His face twitched it was so tense. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders then walked away. "I'm done for the night." He said with a wave of his hand.

Stella shook her head and looked at a slightly shocked Lindsay, "Don't worry, he'll work off the steam and be fine."

"You sure?" The younger woman was genuinely concerned.

"Positive." Stella said with a reassuring smile, "Danny wouldn't be Danny if he didn't get affected by stuff like this."

Phoenix entered the unimposing building and smiled at the firing range attendant, "Hey Jimmy." She signed the sheet he offered her.

"Well hey Nix, haven't seen you in awhile! Are you coming to give me another set of bullseyes?" He pulled out some targets for her and handed her the protective equipment.

"That's the plan." She accepted what he handed her, "I'm going down to the end kay?"

"Suit yourself Nix; you're the only one here." He said with a nod.

"Thanks Jimmy." She called. Putting the first target in the clip she pushed the button and let it back seventy-five feet. Placing her ammo and gun on the ledge provided she put on the protective gear. Once she was ready she loaded her gun and took aim.

Danny entered the building and nodded, "Jimmy."

"Rough day at work Danny?" the attendant knew the detective usually only came to the firing range to let off some steam.

Danny just grunted, "Who's here?" He asked noticing an impressive target coming back from seventy five feet.

"A citizen, you wouldn't know her." Jimmy had wanted to ask Phoenix out for weeks but had never had the courage, now all of a sudden he got a sinking feeling and he didn't know why.

Shrugging Danny didn't even care, "Whatever. Thanks Jimmy." He got set up then cracked his neck again, not enjoying the tension that was building there. He put the target back and took aim. He always felt the tension leave through each bullet, especially if it was someone in specific that had pissed him off. Usually it was Mac; today it was the frustrating suspect.

Phoenix changed to a new target and set it back a hundred feet, satisfied with the success of her last one. She reloaded and took aim again, this time it didn't work so well at least not as well as she would have liked. She grunted she always liked to push herself a little further than she was able. She liked a challenge. She pulled off the ear protection and brought the target back. She didn't have enough ammo to try again so she figured she'd do it next time.

She packed up just as the person in the stall next to her set up another target. She watched that target suffer the same fate as the last one. Sighing she stepped up to walk past that stall when the person in it stepped back. She slammed into him, "Oof, I'm so sorry."

"Fuck." Was the only thing he said as he bent down to pick up the gun he'd dropped.

"Danny?" She was flabbergasted to see him and quite pleasantly surprised.

He turned around, "Nix," He smiled for the first time since before the interrogation. "You aren't too bad." He observed the targets she was holding.

"Yeah well, in between cow tipping I'd take target practice." She said with a smirk.

He actually laughed something he had not expected to do that night, "Is there anything you can't do?"

She thought for a moment then, "Pool." Maybe he'd catch the hint.

"What you can't swim?" He was being intentionally dense.

Maybe not, "No, I can't play pool," She explained.

"No kidding." He smiled while bringing his target back; he had a better idea to ease his tension, "Lucky for you I'm a good teacher."

"I didn't realize I'd asked for lessons." Her heart was starting to beat at an abnormal speed again; she really wished it would stop doing that.

"You didn't," He put a hand on the small of her back leading her passed Jimmy, "but I'm offering anyway." Jimmy's courage plummeted to his feet; he didn't have a chance now.

She smiled at him as they exited the building, "Well then I guess I gotta learn some time."

They were already into their second game when both of their phones rang. "Hey Teeg." Phoenix recognized the number on her call display.

"Messer." Danny answered his.

"Where are you?" Tegan asked her friend.

"I hear you almost broke an interrogation room door." Flack wasn't sure how Danny would react to his call.

"Playing pool." Phoenix answered.

"Almost, what do you want Flack?" Danny said with a laugh.

"Are you kidding?" Tegan was incredulous

He was laughing Flack thought this was good, "Just checking up on you. What are you doing now?"

"No I'm not kidding I'm playing pool." Phoenix laughed.

"Playing pool." Danny grinned at Phoenix, they both realized they were having pretty much the same conversation and nodded a silent agreement.

They gave each person on the phone the address of where they were and hung up, "So what's your friend's name?" Danny asked as she set up her next shot.

"Tegan." She said before making her shot.

He laughed, "Do you have any friends with normal names, like Jane or Mary?" He moved around the table trying to decide where to shoot.

"Didn't you call your friend Flack?" She asked as she set up, "That's far from normal."

He took the shot then looked up at her, "His first name is Don."

"Yeah well mine's Elizabeth, my middle name is Phoenix I liked it better." She said as a retort then grinned when he raised his eyebrows.

Flack and Tegan both showed up then, "I had no idea you could play pool!" Tegan exclaimed giving Phoenix a hug, "Damnit, if it isn't Spice Boy what haven't you been telling me?"

Phoenix pinched her friend then introduced her, "Tegan this is Danny Messer and his friend…" She trailed off momentarily forgetting the guy's name.

Flack grinned and offered each of them his hand, "Don Flack and you are?"

"Phoenix Carter." She smiled, "You can call me Nix."

"So I'm thinkin' guys against girls." Tegan said once everyone had been introduced.

"How is that remotely fair?" Flack asked shrugging off his jacket and pulling a cue off the rack on the wall.

"It's not, we have the advantage, but I promise we'll be gentle." She said with a wink at him.

"I think your friend is going to have mine for dinner." Danny whispered into Phoenix's ear.

She grinned and looked up at him, "It would seem that way wouldn't it?"

They left the pool hall after four games made a tie. Danny walked Phoenix to her apartment, "You know," He said leaning up against the wall as she unlocked the door, "I was supposed to be in a bad mood tonight."

Propping open the door with her foot she regarded him, "Why is that?"

"A suspect stone walled me and it pissed me off." He said simply.

"Hmm," She just looked at him, "It gets to you doesn't it?"

He licked his lips, he wasn't going down this road, "Yeah, but running into you made it all better." He took a step closer to her.

She knew she should go into her apartment now, but she couldn't move. "Actually I think it was me who ran into you." She just watched him get closer.

"Technicalities," He was getting dangerously close, when his cell phone rang. They both froze then he inhaled deeply and stepped back, "Messer."

"I found something Danny, I think we got him." Stella sounded excited.

He nodded, anticipation and hope daring to hit him, "Great, I'll be right there." He hung up the phone, "I'm sorry."

Having regained her composure Phoenix nodded, "I understand," She put a hand on his arm, "Go do your job." She leaned up and gently kissed his cheek, "I hope you get him."

He watched her step into her apartment and shut the door. He shook his head, "How did I let this happen?" He asked himself then headed back to the lab.