The Best Option
A Flack/oc story, because I think there is a big shortage of them.
And all the talk about the forms and immigration in this story is made up, I have no idea how it's really done. Other than that enjoy and don't forget to comment if you like it or I won't post the ending.
(And this story happens before CoTP)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or anything from CSI:NY, only Amy, Holly and Tammy.
(Noticed now they all end with 'Y's, funny how that happened)
csi:ny
"You done with your hit and run?", Danny asked as he poured himself a coffee.
Stella looked up from her own cup, "yeah, just having a quick once over on the report before I hand it in, and you?"
"Oh yeah, didn't have to do much, the girl practically confessed the second she realized we were cops", he laughed as he sat down next to Stella.
As they chatted Amy came into the break room looking all hot and bothered.
Danny leaned towards Stella to whisper, "watch it, she's in a hellish mood".
"Have you asked why?", Stella quietly asked him,
"No, I figured if she wanted to talk she would you know" he said and shrugged his shoulders.
Stella glared at him, typical Danny, avoid any confrontation possible.
"Amy, something bothering you?" Stella asked in a sweet tone. Stella was a good listener and sometimes that was all people needed.
Amy flopped down on the chair opposite Danny and Stella and heaved a big sigh, "I got a letter from immigration this morning, it wasn't exactly the letter I've been waiting for." She hanged her head.
"What do you mean?", Danny asked.
"They can impossible reject you now, you've worked so hard!", Stella felt outraged.
Amy, being from the United Kingdom had been working as a CSI in the US on a work visa for the past year now, but after a year you have to apply for American citizenship, and Amy had done just that. The paper work had taken over a month to complete and for the last week she, and her friends, had been waiting for the letter that confirmed she was a legal citizen of New York.
"I know, but apparently I missed one form, and I think I know which one.."
"Well get a new form and go get some stamps!", Danny said relaxing a bit, "problem solved", he smiled leaning back in his chair.
Amy laughed at him, but her laugh was short lived, this was too serious to laugh about right now.
"It would have been nice if it was that simple, but if you miss one you have to start from the beginning, stupid really."
Stella, taking it much more seriously then Danny, asked the more important question, "How much time until your work visa expires?"
Amy looked up, "two weeks.." her response was barely a whisper, "and there's no way I'll be able to re-submit all those forms and the citizenship test is only once a month, it's looking real bad for me right now…I don't really know what to do…"
"So...does this mean you'll be deported?" Stella asked putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"I 'm not sure, either way I lose my job, if I'm still here when my visa runs out I'm an illegal immigrant which means I'll have a record and you're can't have record if you're CSI…"
The three of them sat in silence, not knowing what to say, what could you say?
"You could always marry an American, nice and simple!", Danny would always be the one to try and lighten the mood, with a success rate of ninety-nine percent.
Both Stella and Amy smiled.
"No seriously, marry a guy for as long as re-submitting the forms takes and after you get your citizenship you get an annulment, it's easy. It would only be for a month", Danny was talking as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I'm not going to marry a complete stranger Danny, nice try though"
"Out of curiosity, which form did you forget?", Stella asked to change the subject from ridiculous back to serious.
"I don't think I did forget any of them…"
"But you said…"
"I gave Mac the supervisors' confirmation form, he said he would send it after he finished it"
"Well, go ask him. You'll have to talk to him anyway since it looks like you might lose your job", Stella got up and put away her coffee cup, "He's in his office now. Who knows, maybe he has some super solution for this and can save your job", she smiled at Amy, "this will work out, you'll see".
"Thanks Stell".
Danny got up too, "Well I'd better write our report, and I think my idea is your best option", he patted her on the shoulder as he left.
csi:ny
"Mac, do a you a second?", she spoke as she poked her head around his office door.
"Sure, come in", he answered without looking up from his papers.
She sat down opposite him and waited for him to tare his eyes off the papers and look at her.
"You can talk, I'm listening", he said as he glanced at her before again staring at the work before him.
"Yes,..yes..", she felt a bit annoyed that he didn't give her his full attention but continued, "I was wondering if you sent that form I gave you, the supervisors confirmation form?".
Macs hand stopped abruptly shuffling papers and he finally looked up, but not at Amy, at the wall as if trying to remember something. The emotion on Macs face didn't give Amy much hope.
Mac then, with one elbow on the desk, put his forehead in hand and cursed quietly.
"I'm so sorry Amy, I completely forgot about it…but I'll get hold of a new form and post it today, don't worry", he then went back to shuffling his papers.
Amy knew that it meant to get up, thank him and leave the office, but she sat glued to that chair. Mac again looked up, "Anything else Amy?"
She took a deep breath, "Well, Mac, it's too late for that. I got a letter this morning from the department of immigration telling me that I had unsuccessfully sent in all my forms for my citizenship, meaning that I have to re-submit all the papers in the space of two weeks, which isn't gonna' happen !", Amy quite upset and with a slightly higher pitch to her voice continued, "So I'm going to lose my job and the wonderful life I have here, well that's unless I take Dannys' advice and marry the homeless guy who sleeps outside the coffee shop across the street!", she abruptly stopped talking not realizing she had even raised her voice at him, even though she was angry at Mac she still had utter most respect towards him.
Amy now had his complete attention, "Oh…I'm really sorry Amy, I really am", he said after a moment's silence.
Amy could read in his face that he felt regret, "and I don't have a better excuse than that I've been overwhelmed with paper work…is there anything that I can do?".
This would have been the moment he would come up with a plan to get Amy out of this situation, but since he was asking if there was anything he could do that surely meant there was no plan. Amy had half hoped Stella was right; that Mac would come to the rescue but today just wasn't her day.
"No, not unless you have a time machine..", smiling a weak smile she slowly got up, "thanks anyway..".
"Take tomorrow off Amy, perhaps with a little more free time you can find a solution". Amy nodded and closed the door behind her.
csi:ny
After getting her coat and bag from her locker she made her way home, on the stairs to the lab she bumped into Don Flack.
"Amy, Danny told me, I'm so sorry", Amy made a mental note to tell Danny not to tell everyone about her dilemma.
"Thanks Don" she straightened her scarf, it look like it was going to rain any second.
"Going home?", Amy nodded, not really in the mood to talk anymore, "I'll walk with you a bit", he started walking. There was no un-rude way to tell him she wanted to be alone besides, he didn't live far from her place anyway so she followed him.
They walked in silence, listening to the sky rumbling and the sounds of the city. The silence wasn't awkward, Amy had never had trouble talking to Flack, but he understood she would talk if she wanted to.
A few seconds later, it started to pour down. They ducked into a door way, both just staring at the rain.
"Being from the UK this probably doesn't bother you much eh?" he asked as they stood there.
"No, not much…and in a few weeks I'll be seeing this every day practically..".
There was a few seconds until any of them spoke again, "I don't want to leave Don," she said suddenly, "I like it here, I love my job and I've got great friends", she said smiling at Don.
"You know, I went to see Mac hoping he could fix this, childish really, thinking he could perform magic and whoop-di-da, problem solved!".
Don didn't know what to say to comfort her; just like Stella he always felt a need to help others.
"Come on, it doesn't look like this is gonna' clear up any time soon", they stepped out into the rain and continued walking, again, in silence.
Don knew where she lived and saw they weren't far from her building now; he wanted to say something comforting since he knew she would spend the rest of the day sitting in her apartment thinking about her depressing dilemma.
"You know, Danny told about his idea, you should really consider it", he saw Amy smile.
"I haven't got a boyfriend to marry Don and like I said to Danny, no way I'm going to grab a stranger and elope".
"If you did have a boyfriend, would you have done it then?"
"If I did, then I would consider it, so yes.". They had stopped in front of Amy's building.
"Well, you do have a lot of friends who are boys you know"
"What are you saying? That I should marry one of you guys?", Amy started rummaging in her bag for the keys, "Right, 'cause that makes sense", she laughed a little.
Don just stared at her as she looked for the keys.
"Marry me".
Amy looked up, "Say what?"
"Look it's logical and simple Amy, like you said, you would consider it if you had a boyfriend and I'm your friend and I happen to be a boy too", the tone in his voice was the same as if he was explaining how to change a light bulb. "And besides I want to help, none of us want you to leave".
"Don, that's really nice of you, but you don't have to. And besides don't you have a girlfriend…um, Sara right?"
"Sara was a girl I had one casual date with ages ago and you know it. Sheldon's got Tammy, and you can't ask Danny since we're all hoping he and Lindsay will get together, so that leaves me", he smiled that big smile. "Look, think about it, my offer still stands. I just think it's a shame you have to leave all this because Mac forgot one piece of paper", he gave her a hug and said good bye.
Amy stood frozen to the spot; one of her friends had asked her to marry him, what a weird situation. But, as her mind began to function again, she realized the logic he was talking about she had wanted a quick and easy solution and there it was. She began rummaging in her bag again pulling out her cell phone and dialling Dons number.
"Flack"
"Yes"
"See that wasn't so hard", she could hear him laughing.
"Ok, you better get back here, we have to plan how were going to do this…and Don?"
"Yeah?"
"…Thank you, I mean it, you're a life saver. I don't know how I'm ever going to re-pay you for this."
"No problem Ams, one thing at a time".
