Disclaimer: I am not connected in any way with the creators of any of the CSI shows. (I wish I was though, so Danny and Lindsay would get together already.) These are just my mind's version of the show.

The Nina Anderson/DB in the alley case gets solved so the team decides to go out to celebrate.

I hope you enjoy this one! Please keep reviewing cause each review is highly appreciated. :D

Hawkes, Stella, Danny and Lindsay met to pool all their data together and see how the two murders were linked.

Danny was the first to speak. "Okay, 2 AM, Nina Anderson is found dead in her bedroom. Single gunshot wound to the head, execution style. She might or might not have been asleep when she was shot. According to Hammerback, muzzle stamp is light, which means it wasn't pressed there a long time. Bullet retrieved was run through IBIS, gun was a .38 caliber, registered to Carl Meyers."

Lindsay continued the summation, "The roommate, Anna Stevens, found Nina when she got home from a Manhattan club at 2 AM. Roommate's alibi checks out, according to Jordan. She has around 5 people to vouch for her whereabouts at midnight."

Stella then discussed what they found out. "Jimmy Wyatt. Call came in at around 2:30 AM. Coroner put TOD at approximately 3 PM the previous day. Also a single gunshot wound, but to the chest. The killer's got good aim, it went straight through the heart and punctured the aorta. Vic bled out soon after. Wallet's missing, along with other valuables, which makes it look like a mugging."

Hawkes took over. "Some of the trace we found on our vic includes a substance found under his fingernails. Cassie identified it as cooking fat mixed with an epithelial sample that also matched the DNA collected from Carl Meyers. Incidentally, Meyers works in a small diner near NYU."

Danny's brow suddenly furrowed in concentration. "Diner? Which diner? Did we get the name?"

Stella checked the file and answered Danny's question. "Yeah, we did. He works at Santino's. Why?"

Lindsay's concern mounted when she saw Danny's face darken. "What's wrong?"

Danny's swallowed, his eyes finding Lindsay's as he went back to that time in the past when the darkest corners of New York were his playground. "Nothing, it's just that I know that place. It's used as a meeting place for the major bookies of New York. Meyers is probably connected."

Lindsay followed Danny's line of thought effortlessly. "Carl Meyers could have been running a scheme involving Jimmy Wyatt. That's entirely possible but what about Nina Anderson?"

Stella gathered all the papers and stacked them neatly. "Then it's time we talk to Mr. Meyers and find out, right?"

Flack and Danny went into the interrogation room while Lindsay and Jordan watched from the viewing room. Lindsay immediately noticed that her friend looked shaken and asked her about it.

Jordan shook her head ruefully. "It's nothing. Meyers took a shot at Don and he got a flesh wound. Nothing major. He's alright now, just a bandage on his arm."

Lindsay gazed shrewdly at her friend. "But it still bugs you."

Jordan met her gaze head-on. "If it was Danny, wouldn't it bug you?"

Lindsay couldn't fault that logic. She sighed, empathizing with her friend. "I know, Jordan. The other day, I got so mad at Danny for jumping off the side of a building that I ended up trying to beat him up." She smiled wryly and said, "Later on he told me my punches hurt more than jumping off the building."

Jordan had to laugh at the image of the petite Lindsay punching Danny Messer.

Lindsay reached over to hug her friend. "I don't think we'll ever get used to the idea of Danny and Flack getting hurt in the line of duty. But I know in my heart that I wouldn't want Danny to change who he is just so I can feel safer about what he does." She shrugged. "I'm still learning to deal with it."

Jordan smiled at Lindsay. "Thanks, Linds. It's nice to know someone understands."

Lindsay patted her on the arm. "No big deal. Plus, we Montana girls gotta stick together in the big, bad city, right?"

Jordan laughed, "Too true." She motioned to the screen. "I don't know about you, but right now, I want to watch my man do his thing."

They giggled like schoolgirls and turned their attention to the viewing room.

Danny and Flack sat across from Carl Meyers. He stared belligerently back at them, unblinking.

Flack leaned on the table. "You mind telling us where you were last night, Carl?"

Carl grunted, "Sleeping at home."

Flack continued to ask, "Can anyone back that up?"

Carl answered, "I live by myself."

Danny spoke up, "We have your gun, Carl. It matches the bullets that killed Jimmy Wyatt and Nina Anderson."

Carl rolled his eyes indolently, "I lost that gun a long time ago."

Danny sighed at the man's stupidity and faced Flack. "Can I?"

Flack spread his hands generously, "Be my guest, Messer."

Danny stood up and towered over Carl. He held up a clear plastic evidence bag and waved it in front of Carl's face. "See, here's your gun, Carl. Detective Flack found it in your nightstand." He held up another bag. "This here's Nina Anderson's wallet. Her student ID's inside. It was also in your nightstand, next to your still slightly smoking gun." He placed both bags back on the table and brought leaned down to Carl's level. "Plus, we also know that you work at Santino's. And I know what goes on at Santino's, Carl."

Fear flickered in the suspect's eyes for a moment, but he stubbornly protested his innocence. "I work there as a cook. And what does that have to do with the murders you were asking me about?"

Danny let out a short bark of laughter. "See, I don't think you were paying attention when my friend and I introduced ourselves. This here's Detective Don Flack Jr. and my name is Danny Messer."

He saw the light of recognition dawn in Carl Meyers' eyes, followed by the fear that came with the realization that he was caught. There's no way he'd be able to bullshit his way out of this one. Not with the man named Messer.

Danny smiled grimly at the way his name still rang a bell with many of New York City's lowlifes. It was a stigma he tried to escape, but even he had to admit it came in useful sometimes. Like now.

Five minutes later, he and Flack walked out of the interrogation room, with a taped confession from Carl Meyers.

"So let me get this straight. Carl Meyers shot Nina Anderson because she saw him shoot Jimmy Wyatt in the alley," Lindsay said, as she reached for her can of soda. She, Danny, Flack, Jordan, Hawkes and Stella were in the break room, enjoying Chinese take-out as they went over the details of the case.

"Exactly," Danny nodded and continued explaining. "Apparently, Nina worked in the shop next to the alley and she saw Carl roughing Jimmy up cause he couldn't pay back a gambling debt."

Flack picked up the story as Danny paused to shovel in more food from his take-out container. "Carl went after Nina cause she ran, but she got away. He did manage to grab her wallet, which had her address. He went to her apartment to clean up 'the loose end' as he called it," he finished.

Stella shook her head, "It's a wonder we stay sane, with the amount of scum we see and come into contact with on a daily basis."

Hawkes agreed with her and said, "We do our part to clean it up, though."

Just then, Cassie walked into the break room to refill her mug. Hawkes suddenly felt jittery, although he tried to shrug it off and act casual. He called out to her, "Hey, Cassie. Wanna join us for lunch?"

Cassie smiled at him and Hawkes felt like he had the air punched out from his lungs. Damn. I could drown in that smile. She walked towards the table and stood next to him, smiling mischievously, "What's up, Doc?"

Hawkes groaned at her lame joke and replied, "You finished eating?"

Cassie shook her head. "No. Haven't had the time yet." She leaned her head closer towards the group as though she had a secret to disclose. "Some CSI dumped a bunch of trace samples on me and I'm still not done with them." She flashed another smile at him and said, "The ass actually told me that he needed it by 2 PM so that he could finish his reports."

Stella was taken aback at the way she talked of a CSI. Not that there was a hierarchy in the lab, but CSIs deserved more respect than that. "Who's the CSI, Cassie?"

Cassie let loose another sassy smile and tipped her head towards Hawkes, who was now reddening slightly. "I think his name is Hawkes."

Stella, Danny, Lindsay, Flack and Jordan burst out laughing.

Danny clapped Hawkes' back, "She got ya there, man." Hawkes just smiled apologetically at Cassie. "Sorry. Mac needs that report by 2 and I need your results to finish it."

Cassie patted him on the shoulder and said, "No worries, Doc. I was just kidding. I'm actually done with it." She lit up. "Tell you what, I'll run down to Trace and grab the folder and you see if you can scrounge me up some lunch from that pile. I'm actually starving."

Hawkes immediately agreed. "Sure. Anything for the woman who'll get Mac off my back," he answered, smiling at Cassie.

Cassie bathed in Hawkes slow smile. She hadn't seen him in a while. He didn't come by the Trace Lab much these days. Now that they've buried the hatchet, she was looking forward to getting to know Dr. Sheldon Hawkes. She had sensed that he might be attracted to her. But now she was confused cause he hadn't made a move. He hadn't even tried. Whatever. It was always nice to get to know the guy first, right?

"Alright," she answered. "Be back in five." Then she turned and walked out of the break room.

Hawkes watched her walk away, smiling to himself. Then he turned back to the table and saw the rest of the group staring at him in speculation.

Jordan was the first to speak. "Were you checking her out?"

Hawkes reddened. "No, I was not."

Lindsay chimed in, "Yes, you were. You were totally checking her out. Right, Stel?"

Stella answered apologetically. "Told ya, Hawkes."

Hawkes rolled his eyes to cover his embarrassment. Was I that obvious? As though answering his silent question, Danny said, "You were totally checking her out."

Flack joined in, "Yeah, man. It was totally obvious." He thought to himself for a while and added, "You know, Messer, this might be the first time we've actually seen Hawkes check out a woman."

Danny pondered it for a second and agreed. "Yeah. He's always the cool, silent one."

Lindsay arched her eyebrow at Danny and said, "And you are?"

Danny answered quickly, "The faithful one," smiling so angelically at her that she couldn't help but laugh, making Jordan and Flack laugh as well in agreement.

Stella noticed that Danny and Lindsay wore identical expressions on their faces. It was a mixture of happiness, peace and tenderness that doubled when they looked at each other. She also noted the easy way that they sat together, and the sexual tension of the last year and a half was now gone. It's about time, she realized with a smile. She quickly pushed her thoughts to the present issue. She could grill Danny and Lindsay later. Right now, she was after bigger fish.

Stella held up her hand to stop the laughter and said, "Hey, let's get back to Hawkes." She pointed her chopsticks at Hawkes and asked sternly, "So, Doc," she continued, emphasizing the nickname teasingly, "you and Cassie seem to get along now."

Hawkes shrugged noncommittally. "I just took your advice, Stel. I made nice and we called a truce." Which is exactly what happened. No need to mention that moment in the lab when he held Cassie's hand a lot longer than necessary and realized that she was a very attractive woman. Correction, an attractive woman who was dating one of my friends and co-workers, he amended mentally.

Stella squinted suspiciously, unconvinced that that was all that happened. She prompted Hawkes to continue by waving her hand, "And?"

Hawkes played dumb, "And… Now we're not fighting. Just like you wanted."

Stella kept on grilling Hawkes, while the others watched on in amusement, "Nothing else?"

Danny leaned towards Lindsay to ask, "What's Stella getting at?"

Lindsay smirked and answered softly, "She has this idea that Hawkes likes Cassie, that's why he reacted so violently to her."

Jordan overheard and chimed in with a whisper, "Just like she did when you tease her," making Lindsay blush and Danny laugh.

Flack leaned closer, "What are we whispering about?"

Jordan smothered a laugh at the curious look on his face and said softly in his ear, "Stella thinks Hawkes likes Cassie, that's why he reacted so violently to her last time."

Flack's eyes lit up in understanding, "Just like these two," he said, motioning to Danny and Lindsay, which made the two couples dissolve in laughter.

Stella finally noticed that they were not helping her grill Hawkes. She glared at the four laughing detectives and said threateningly, "And what are you four lunkheads laughing at?"

Danny answered defensively, "Nothing!"

Stella narrowed her eyes at him and pointed her chopsticks at him and growled, "I'm not done with you yet, Messer," which made Lindsay laugh harder. Stella pointed the chopsticks at her also and said, "You, too Monroe. You're next."

Danny and Lindsay just smiled at each other. Flack smiled smugly at Jordan and wagged his eyebrows at the two. Stella caught the action and turned to him, "And don't think I didn't notice what's going on between the two of you," she retorted, waving the chopsticks between him and Jordan, who turned pink as she smiled at Flack.

Hawkes was saved by Cassie's arrival. She dragged a chair over and squished herself between Stella and Hawkes. She plopped the folder in Hawkes' lap and asked brightly, "So you guys got anything left? I'm not beyond eating leftovers right now. I'm totally starving and I'm sure you guys don't have any diseases cause Mac wouldn't let you in this lab if you did."

Everyone immediately started plying her with various food items. The rest o the lunch hour was spent in laughter and jokes. Pretty soon, they all had to go back to work. As they stood up to make their way back to their offices, Stella suggested, "Anyone up for Sullivan's tonight?"

Danny glanced at Lindsay, who nodded immediately. "We're in," Danny stated, motioning to Lindsay.

Jordan also nodded, which prompted Flack to say, "Us, too."

Stella rolled her eyes in exasperation, "What is with everybody pairing up?"

Lindsay laughed, linking her arm with Stella's. "Come on, Stel. Be happy for us?" she cajoled, smiling sweetly at the woman she considered to be her big sister in the city. Unconsciously, Danny and Flack also smiled pleadingly at her, although they both knew that Stella would definitely be happy for them.

Stella's smile softened and she said, "Of course, I'm happy for you guys." She hugged Lindsay and pulled Jordan into the circle. She put her arms around the two Montana girls and smiled archly at Flack and Danny, who were also smiling contentedly. "Don't let these two go."

Danny and Flack said at the same time. "We won't."

Stella smiled, satisfied. "So let's just meet up there after shift, okay?"

Jordan answered for her and Flack this time. "No problem. Don and I will meet you guys there." They waved goodbye and made their way to the door, Flack's hand resting comfortably on the small of Jordan's back.

Danny glanced at his watch and said, "Come on, Montana. We got reports to finish." Lindsay nodded and waved good-bye to Stella and Hawkes and the two ambled leisurely back to their office.

Stella paused on her way out the door and asked the two remaining people, "What about you two? You game later?"

Hawkes nodded. "Yup, I'm in."

Cassie answered, "Sure. That'd be great."

Stella smiled and said, "Good. Cassie, don't forget to invite Adam, too, okay?"

Cassie gave a mock salute and said, "Yes ma'am!"

Stella laughed and added as she walked away, "I'll call Mac, Sid and Marty and ask them to join us, too."

Hawkes' excitement was a bit dimmed at the thought of Cassie's new boyfriend joining them, but he shrugged it off. Come off it, Hawkes. You should be happy for them. Guess it's just not for me. He sighed again.

He suddenly realized that only he and Cassie were left at the table. He flashed an uncertain smile at her which she returned. He cleared his throat nervously and said, "Well, I gotta go too, Cassie. Thanks again for the lab results. I guess I'll just see you later." He waved at her and walked out of the break room.

Cassie was strangely disappointed at Hawkes' polite but hurried exit. I guess I was wrong about him being attracted to me. Oh well. Guess it's just not for me. Sighing in disappointment, she trudged back to the Trace Lab.

Find out what's up with Hawkes and Cassie in the chapters to follow. Please don't forget to review cause I live for your reviews:D I hope you enjoyed this one and don't forget to check back in for the next chapter, which should be up by tomorrow. :D