Disclaimer : They're not mine...except in my own little world, with its plaid skies and paisely grass...

Oh...right..."Uptown Girl" lyrics courtesy of Mr. Billy Joel. In hindsight, I don't know if any of the CSI:NY characters would ever admit to knowing the lyrics to this song...but strangers plots have been known to happen...


Uptown girl
She's been living in her uptown world
I bet she never had a back street guy
I bet her mama never told her why

Flack eyed Lindsey through the glass walls of the lab. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to visualize the links between the evidence lying on the table in front of her. Gently, her gloved fingers unwrapped a wad of cloth, revealing a blood stained shirt, patched with colours of fabric.

Colours.

Flack wondered if she understood the significance of colours for gangs before coming to New York City. He wondered if they even have gangs in Montana…beyond those that rounded up cattle and horses. He wondered if plaid could be considered a colour.

The tall detective's eyes flicked over to the man across the table from Lindsey. He had watched these two for a year now…dancing around each other, taunting, tormenting, arguing…everything but admitting that there was some chemistry between them.

For a couple of CSI's, the detective realized that they'd forgotten the baser of the sciences…primitive, instinctual recognition of their other half...otherwise known as biology.

He smiled wryly wondering how Lindsey would react if Danny just reached across the table, grabbed her and took what he wanted. His grin became broader as he imagined Lindsey's mother's reaction to her daughter telling her how her day at work went including Danny reaching across the table, grabbing her and taking what he wanted.

Danny looked up and saw Flack watching them work on the evidence for his most recent case.

The grin from the taller man worried him.

He scowled at Flack.

Flack shook his head, smiling at some joke Danny didn't know, and walked away.

I'm gonna try for an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

Danny noticed how they had started to feed off of each other when piecing evidence together. How one of them would start the train of thought…and the other would pick it up…only to have the other continue…and so on.

It worried him.

He and Aiden…they had done that, too…but not with such an awareness.

He wondered if it was a one-sided awareness. Could awareness be one-sided? If it was only one-sided, wasn't more of a perception then?

He shook his head and focused on the shoe in front of him, waiting for his examination.

Lindsey watched the dark blonde hair of her coworker shake.

She assumed it was frustration. The evidence really wasn't fitting together all that well…and no amount lab re-creation was going to help them clear their minds.

Crimes in Montana happened…but they never seemed quite so complex as they were here.

In fact, her whole life just seemed much more complex in this city.

She needed someone to help make things more simple.

Dark eyes met light ones across the table…and there was awareness.

And when she knows what
She wants from her time
And when she wakes up
And makes up her mind

That's what Mac liked about Lindsey…her steadfasted determination to her decisions. It wasn't that she was closed minded, but once she made a decision, it would take a mountain of evidence proving her contrary to even make her consider she was wrong.

He reviewed the file on his newest CSI and mentally congratulated himself on making the right choice. She was young. She had much to learn. She also had much to offer. She proved that she was willing to take chances by coming to the large city and that she could take care of herself in this new environment.

She made smart choices. She could be the student to his mentor. Prodigy to all that he had to offer and then some.

Yes, Mac like Lindsey…she had potential to be great.

She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love with an uptown girl
You know I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all her presents from her uptown boys
She's got a choice

In the end, he knew she'd gone to the opera with those other men…and musicals on Broadway…and fancy restaurants with food written in a font he couldn't read, let alone a language he couldn't say.

In the end, he knew she'd dressed up for them, smelled nice for them, flirted with them…and it ate at him.

He wasn't one for glitzy evenings or fancy-schmancy suits…he wanted down-to-earth fun.

Across the lab table, Lindsey yawned and stretched, opening the gap on her white lab coat. Beneath the CSI "uniform", a faded green t-shirt with unreadable lettering and pair of comfortable jeans revealed themselves to him.

What could be more down-to-earth than that?

"Hey, Montana." Danny said, looking at her across the table of evidence.

She pulled her arms down from her stretch and looked at him questioningly.

"Do you like baseball?"

Uptown girl
You know I can't afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She'll understand what kind of guy I've been
And then I'll win

They were standing over evidence and he was asking if she liked baseball!

Lindsey frowned.

"Cuz, you know, I was thinkin'…" Danny paused and wondered what he was doing.

Lindsey's forehead smoothed out. This was new territory. The infamous ladykiller charm of CSI's resident playboy seemed absent.

"…that when we're done processin' all this, we could grab a drink together and watch the game. Yanks are home tonight."

Brown eyes widened.

"I mean, nothin' fancy…it's not like it's a date or anthing…just a drink…relaxin'…"

Lindsey smiled softly and nodded.

"Sounds good to me, Messer."

And when she's walking
She's looking so fine
And when she's talking
She'll say that she's mine

"Who would have guessed that the girl friend's hair would have been found on the vic's shirt?" Lindsey pondered out loud as they made their way to the bar.

"She saw a change comin' in the structure of the neighbourhood and decided it was time for her to upgrade from one boy to the new toy." Danny admitted, thinking that that kind of allegiance was becoming all too common in today's society. People were loyal, but only to point. He hoped that he was better than that.

"But did she try to warn him about her boyfriend coming after him? Is it from a past encounter? Did she kill him? Did she set him up and decide that she'd try to turn things into her boyfriend's favour?" Lindsey's eyes took on that faraway look as she tried to imagine how the evidence would fit into the final story.

"Flack'll find out. He's on his way to interview her now."

"I can't believe you found the hair, Danny."

"I probably wouldn't have if you hadn't called me over to look at that blood pattern."

"You know, Messer." Lindsey linked an arm with him, happy at the solutions discovered that day. "We make a good team."

Danny smiled and tightened his arm, pulling Lindsey in closer to him as they continued to walk.

She'll say I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love
With an uptown girl
She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

The light had changed and little man in the yellow box meant that they could cross the street.

Danny hesitated…something in his gut said that all was not right.

Lindsey continued forward, oblivious to her partner's confusion.

Suddenly, she found herself yanked backwards into a warm, solid wall. Looking up, she saw Danny scowling at a taxi shooting down the road.

Folks stopped for red lights in Montana. Not, apparently, in New York.

"You okay, Montana?" He asked tightly, his gaze still on the disappearing taxi.

"Yeah, thanks." Lindsey tried to extract herself from Danny. He had saved her from injury, maybe worse. "You can't shoot lasers from your eyes, Danny, so let him go."

Danny brought his distant glare towards Lindsey, softening it as his gaze raked over her. He ran his hands up and down her arms.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"I'm fine." Lindsey paused. "Thank you…for…"

"Buy me drink, Montana, and we're even." Danny said, grinning at her.

"Not even close, Messer." Lindsey admitted.

"Well then, whadya have in mind to even it all up?" He asked, giving her a knowingly look.

Awareness…she suddenly felt aware of him, of them…could one person be aware if the other was not?

"I'll buy you two." She proclaimed quicklyand dragged Danny across the road, checking last minute to make sure the little man in the yellow box said they could.

Uptown girl
She's my uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl

"Yanks are up by 4 on Seattle." Lindsey said as Danny settled in beside her. "Where did you disappear to."

"Had to make a phone call to the cab company." Danny replied, moving their empty mugs to one side.

Lindsey frowned. "You going home already?"

"Nope." Danny used his finger to push a peanut around in circles on the table. "Reported the cab that nearly hit you."

"You got his license?"

"Why do you think I was staring?"

"Oh." Lindsey blushed. "Thank you."

My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I'm in love
With an uptown girl
My uptown girl

Mac, Stella and Flack walked in to the bar and immediately spotted their two coworkers in a corner. They had a clear view to a set showing the game and while their bodies were turned towards the television, their heads were facing each other.

"They're not fighting." Stella whispered in awe.

"Please don't tell me she's decided that he's okay. Please don't let Danny be one of her decisions." Mac thought, wincing as realization dawned on him.

"Looks like they do understand science, after all." Flack mused quietly.

The three made their way over to Danny and Lindsey, who graciously made room for their friends at the table.

Danny looked at Flack.

"Well?" He prodded. "Why are you here so soon? What happened?"

"The GF confessed…turns out her love for what she already had was stronger than for all that the new guy offered." Flack grinned, rolling his eyes melodramatically.

"Just goes to prove that sometimes you don't have to look far for what you want…it could be right beside you." Mac stated simply.

Lindsey shifted, her knee brushing up against Danny's thigh.

"You get that from a fortune cookie, Mac?" Stella asked.

"Nope. Claire used to say that to me when I couldn't find the butter in the fridge. It was usually in the door, by my hand,while I was staring far into the back of the fridge."

Stella chuckled softly.

Danny looked at Lindsey beside.

"What do you think, Montana?" He asked softly, exploring unknown grounds. "Think that sometimes everything we want is right here?"

She shrugged, her eyes never leaving the game on television.

"It could…but sometimes, a person has to travel across a few states to find it sitting beside her."