"See skating isn't that bad," Danny said to Lindsay as they went along, only to have Danny notice that she was staring at a pair of little girls in front of her. "Linds?" She stumbled and fell back into him. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she replied, as she brushed her hair out of her face and looked around. "I think I'm going to sit down for a bit, my feet hurt."
"Okay." Danny helped her over to where you could sit down and she sat down. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yes, Messer, I'm fine," she replied, as she looked up, only to spot Flack and Hawkes skating towards them. "But you won't be if you're standing there in two seconds."
"Why?" He asked as he looked over his shoulder and quickly moved to beside her. Flack, with the intention of taking Danny down, missed him, and fell to the ice. "Nice one, Flack. Skate much?"
"You're going down, Messer," Flack said, as he looked up at him and growled. "You did that one purpose, Monroe."
"I did not," Lindsay said, as she bit back a smile. "I just warned my partner that you were coming. Commend courtesy, that's all."
"Sure, it is," Flack muttered, as he got to his feet and brushed his clothes out. "Now Monroe, are you going to race me?"
"Not on your life," Lindsay replied, as she looked up at him. "I'm not that good on skates."
"Hmm, you grew up in Montana, surrounded by snow, you should know how to skate."
"But I don't really know how to skate." Lindsay then looked up to see Stella and Mac making their way up behind them. Hawkes shot them a smile, as Mac came up behind Flack and gave him a slight push. The young detective went forward but this time caught himself so that he didn't end up on the ice. "Okay, who shoved me?"
"That would have been him?" Danny replied, as he got to his feet and pointed to Mac.
"So Mac, taking me up on my challenge?" Flack asked, as he turned to face him. "Little race around the rink?"
"No, but I will play you one on one some time," Mac said, as he looked over at him. "Then you'll be more on my level."
"Ha." Flack said, as he turned to face Hawkes. "We still have to finish our race."
"Of course we do," Hawkes muttered.
"I'll be back," Danny whispered to Lindsay, as he took off to go up behind Flack and gave him a not so gentle shove. "Come on, tough guy. You grew up around here. So you're quick on your feet."
"Ah, so you're going to race me."
"No, didn't really say that." Danny said, as he skated around Flack, making him turn sharply to keep his eyes on the CSI. Soon he was getting dizzy and he fell. "Just was wondering how balanced you were Flack, and it turns out not that well." He reached out his hand and helped him up. "But you'll get better."
"I'll take you up on the one on one game along with Mac," Flack said, as he looked over at him. "All you guys think alike."
"And that's a bad thing?" Stella asked, as she came up to his side and took up his arm. "Come on, speed demon. Skate with us for a while. We need to talk about the new case."
"Okay." Flack then skated off with Stella and Mac.
"Wow, I didn't think that would work," Danny said, as he watched them skate off. "Thought he would for sure, drag you in another race, Hawkes." He shot a glance over at Hawkes to see a wave of relief rush over his face. "You all right?"
"A bit tired, but I'll be okay," he replied, as he skated over to Danny's side, as he went back over to Lindsay's. "So how ya doing, Linds?"
"I forgot why I hated skating," she muttered, as she looked up at them. "My feet are killing me."
That got both of them to laugh, as they moved to sit down next to her. "So what is the next new case."
"Oh, nothing new has come up really," Hawkes replied, as he watched as Flack took off away from Stella and Mac. "And he just realized that."
"So Stella just pulled him away for what reason?"
"To get him to stop picking on us. See Flack is very competitive. And well so are we, but we are supposed to be having fun today."
"So that was her way of telling him not to be so competitive."
"Probably." Flack came to a stop in front of them. "Hey, Flack, how ya been?"
"Oh, very funny," Flack answered, as he looked over at where Stella and Mac where. "You guys got me in trouble."
"Well," Lindsay began, as she looked up at him, as she blew across her fingers. "That's what we do. We tend to get people in trouble."
"Ha, ha, ha." Flack crossed his arms his chest, and glared at them. "Don't worry, I'll get you guys back.
"Like how? Lock us up?"
"I just might." The CSIs exchanged looks then broke out into laughter. "Oh, don't worry, I'll get you all."
"Yes, You're evilness," Danny said, as he looked up at him. "We know you will. It's to you natural. Something bad happens to you, so of course you have to do something bad back."
"So Lindsay, you ready to get back to skating?" Hawkes asked her, as he turned to face her.
"Yeah, I'm ready," she replied, as she got to her feet and took up his hand. "Danny you coming?"
"Yeah, I'm coming," he responded, as he got up and joined them on the ice. "Won't want to miss this for the world." They then took off skating, keeping a careful eye out for Flack.
"So what do you think he's going to do?" Lindsay asked, as soon as they were far enough away from him.
"We have no idea," Hawkes replied, as he turned so that he was facing them. "But I'm sure it's not going to be pretty."
"Probably not." Lindsay looked over to see Stella and Mac watching them and they both smiled. "But it was worth seeing him get pulled into skating with Mac and Stella."
"Yeah, it was," Danny said, as a body slammed into him from behind and he crashed froward. Lindsay slammed into Hawkes and he turned so that they didn't fall to the ground. "What the heck?"
"Danny?" Lindsay asked, as she looked up from Hawkes' chest, to see that he was slowly getting up from the ice. A small child, about seven, had collided with him. "We better help."
"Yeah," Hawkes replied, as they skated over to Danny's side. Hawkes went over to the child's side while Lindsay went over to Danny's. "Hey, you okay?" he asked the child, causing the little boy to quickly look up at him. "It's okay. I'm a doctor."
"I'm sorry," the boy said, as he looked up at Danny. "I didn't mean to hit him and knock you guys down."
"It's okay, he'll be fine," Hawkes replied, as he quickly checked the boy over. "You feel okay?"
"Yeah," the boy answered, as he looked up at him. "Are you sure you're a doctor?"
"Yeah, kid, he's a doctor," Danny replied, as he slowly sat up with Lindsay's help. "Maybe ice skating wasn't the right choice for us."
"You guys okay?" Mac asked, as he, Stella, Flack, and a woman came up to their sides.
"I've been better," Danny replied, as he put a hand on the back of his head. "I think I hit my head."
"I'm sorry," the boy replied.
"What happened?" Flack asked, as he looked down at the sight in front of him.
"We were skating, and I was taken down, by young..."
"Zachary," the boy added, as he looked down at his mittens in shame.
"By young Zachary."
"You were taken down."
"Yeah, and you fell on your own, Flack," Hawkes pointed out, causing him to shut up. "But young Zachary is okay. Danny on the other hand, might need a few aspirin and an ice pack."
"I'm sitting on ice, Hawkes. I don't think I'm going to need an ice pack, what I need is to get off the ice."
"Right," both Hawkes and Lindsay replied, as they quickly went to help him up. Hawkes quickly helped young Zachary to his feet.
"Okay, young man, you having fun skating?" Mac asked Zachary, as Danny brushed off the ice and snow off his pants. Lindsay put a hand on his arm to keep his balance.
"Yes, sir," Zachary replied, as he looked up at them. "Are you guys cops or something?"
"Why would you ask that?" Flack asked, as he shifted on his skates and lost his balance and would have fallen if Hawkes hadn't caught his arm. "Thanks."
"He's got a badge, so does she, and she, and he, he," Zach answered, as he pointed to the badges at their belts. "They say NYPD. That means cop, silly."
"Zachary," the woman hissed, as she came up and put her hands on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, he's obsessed with cops."
"And to think he knocked one down," Flack said, as he looked over at Danny. "Good, job, Zachary. I give you credit."
"Thanks, I think," Zachary said, as he looked up at Flack. He then looked over at Danny. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'll be okay," Danny said, with a smile. "I've had worse."
"Cool." His eyes got wider with the mention of violence.
"Zachary, we gotta go pick up your sister from dance," his mom reminded him, and his smile faded. "Thanks for everything." Then they were gone.
"Nice kid," Stella pointed out, as they watched them go and she then turned her attention back to Danny. "Are you sure you're okay? You went down pretty hard."
"For the last time, I'm fine," Danny said, as he ran a hand through his hair. "I've taken harder falls than that before. I'm sure that I'll live. If not, you'll see me in the morgue in the morning."
"That's not funny," Stella said, as she came up to his side and turned him around. "Come, we're going to skate." They then took off.
"Now, that's funny," Flack said.
"Flack, grow up," Lindsay said, as she rubbed her elbow that she had hit when she had helped Danny sit up. "Go skate. You need to burn off all the extra energy."
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, as he did as he had been told.
"Wow, he did as he was told," Hawkes said, as came up next to her. "You all right?"
"Why you ask?" she asked, as she looked up at him.
"You're rubbing your elbow."
"Oh, I hit it when I helped Danny up. Nothing big. You're too observant for your own good, Hawkes."
"I don't think I've ever been told that before."
Just then a pair of hands settled on their shoulders and they turned their heads to see Mac's face. "Come on you two," he said. "We came here to skate. Not stand on the ice and talk, but skate."
"Yes, sir," Lindsay said, as he took of in front of them. "Come on, don't want him to get angry and have to hold our hands."
"No, we don't want that," Hawkes replied, as he took a hold of her arm and gently pulled her along. "Come on slow poke."
"Oh, don't you start."
TBC
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