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 events that transpire on the show.

The next morning, Stella and Hawkes headed over to see Walter James. He was an accountant, and he had a small office near his home.

Hawkes knocked purposefully on the door. A slightly-built man with bright red hair answered, "Can I help you?"

The two detectives flashed their badges, "Mr. James, I'm Stella Bonasera and this is Sheldon Hawkes and we're with the NYPD Crime Lab. We'd like to ask you a few questions. May we come in?"

James measured them silently for a moment, then stepped back to let them in. "Have a seat, Detectives," he said, gesturing to a small receiving area.

Stella and Hawkes sat down on the couch. James took a seat across from them and asked evenly, "What's this about?"

Stella said, "Mr. James, do you own a gun?"

James looked surprised at the question, but he answered, "Yes. As a matter of fact, I have two. I keep one here and one at home."

Hawkes asked, "May we ask why you own a gun?"

James frowned, he wasn't expecting these questions. "A few years ago, I had a run-in with a former client and he started disturbing me at home and here at the office. I decided to purchase a weapon, to dissuade him from bothering me ever again. It worked actually. The one time he came here, I just flashed the gun and he left. He hasn't bothered me since."

Stella inquired, "Where do you keep the guns?"

James replied, "At home, it's in my nightstand. In the office, I keep it in a false drawer in my desk." He frowned again, "Detectives, may I ask why you have so many questions about my guns?"

Stella and Hawkes exchanged a glance. Stella said gently, "Mr. James, what is your connection to Marlon Farber?"

James looked at the two detectives in surprise. "Marlon? He's my nephew." He rubbed his hands wearily over his eyes. "Four years ago, my sister and her husband were killed in a car accident. Since then, I've been Marlon's guardian. Why?"

This time, it was Hawkes who explained. "Yesterday, there was a shooting in Marlon's school, and the bullets used were traced back to both your guns."

James stuttered, "But that's impossible." He stood quickly and motioned the detectives to follow him to his desk. He leaned down and popped open the false drawer, which unsurprisingly, was empty.

"Dear God!" he whispered, collapsing in his chair. "Did Marlon…?" his voice trailed off.

Stella replied, "We don't know yet, Mr. James. That's what we're trying to find out."

Hawkes asked gently, "Mr. James, Marlon's only 17, which makes him a minor. Will you give us the permission to question Marlon and investigate?"

James raised unfocused eyes to them. "Was anyone killed?"

Stella answered, "Fortunately, there were no deaths. Several students were just wounded."

James stood up shakily. "If Marlon has something to do with this then do what you need to do. Just make sure that he isn't falsely accused."

Hawkes and Stella both nodded. "We promise, Mr. James. We'll make sure that Marlon won't be punished for a crime that he didn't commit."

They left Walter James behind and proceeded to HS188. Since James had already given his permission as legal guardian, it was easy for the two detectives to take in Marlon Farber for questioning. He confessed to the shooting, and named his accomplice, so they were able to close the case quickly.

The rest of the afternoon was spent filling out the reports needed to officially close the case. Pretty soon, it was quitting time and Hawkes was counting down the minutes until he could see Cassie again.

As soon as the clock hit six PM, he quickly made his way to the locker room to change his shirt and get his stuff. There, he found Danny and Lindsay, who were also winding down the day.

Danny looked up and saw Hawkes hurrying into the locker room. "Hey, Hawkes," he laughed. "Slow down, man. Where ya goin'? Hot date tonight?" he said with a teasing smirk.

Lindsay laughed at him and asked again, "What's the rush, Hawkes? You and Cassie have plans?"

Hawkes paused to answer her question. "Yeah, I'm stopping by the Trace Lab on the way out. We're staying in tonight."

Danny complained, "Hey! Didn't I just ask you the exact same thing earlier? How come when she asks you answer? Am I invisible or something?" he asked perplexedly, turning to Lindsay for help.

Hawkes had to laugh at that, "Sorry, Danny." He glanced at his watch and said, "It's a good thing I don't have to go across town to pick her up."

Lindsay laughed, "The advantages of working with your girlfriend."

Hawkes paused in his tracks, "I'm sorry, what?"

Danny slung his arm around Lindsay's shoulders and said, "Montana said, that's the advantage of working on the same building as your girlfriend. Being late is never an issue, cause you don't have traffic to worry about." He kissed Lindsay's cheek and said, "See, that's why I'm with you."

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him and said, "Is that so?"

Danny hastily said, "I'm just kidding, Montana." He flashed her his trademark cocky grin, the one she had grown to love so much.

Lindsay softened and bumped her head lightly against his, which made him laugh and tuck her more comfortably under his arm. He bent his head to whisper in her ear, "I love you."

Lindsay smiled back at him and even without saying the words aloud he read it in her eyes. I love you too.

Hawkes waved the conversation back on track, "No, I meant…" he stuttered. "What did you call Cassie?"

Lindsay squinted at him. "I called her your girlfriend." She glanced at him, then to Danny in confusion. "She is your girlfriend, isn't she?"

By now, Danny was catching on to Hawkes' confusion. "Okay, hold on a minute, man. Sit with me and Montana for a minute." He grasped Hawkes' arm and pushed him back onto a bench.

Danny started to explain. "Hawkes. You like her, right?" he raised his eyebrows at Hawkes, who nodded.

Danny continued, "Are you seeing other people besides her?"

Hawkes answered, "No."

"Do you want to see other people while you're seeing her?"

Hawkes shook his head. "Not really."

Danny glanced at Lindsay in exasperation, who just smirked and nodded her head, encouraging him to continue. "Is she seeing other people besides you?"

Hawkes shook his head vehemently, "No, and I don't really want her to."

Danny just raised his eyebrows at him and waited for his normally intelligent friend to grasp what he was leading up to.

Hawkes stared at him for a moment and said, "Ah." He smiled. "I think I got it."

He stood up from the bench.

Lindsay touched his arm in concern. "Is this what you want, Hawkes?"

Hawkes smiled gently at his friend. "Yes, Linds. I guess I was just a little surprised when you put a label on it." He grinned self-consciously. "We haven't really talked about it, but don't worry, I have no issues against her being my girlfriend." He thought to himself. "In fact, I kinda like it."

Danny grinned back at his friend as he once again slipped his arm around Lindsay. "There you go. See? Good for you, man. We're really happy for you."

Hawkes laughed and said, "Thanks." He glanced at his watch again. "I better go. Cassie's probably wondering where I am."

Lindsay smiled at him and said, "Bye, Hawkes. Have a great time."

Hawkes waved to his friends and walked out of the locker room.

When Hawkes left, Lindsay turned to Danny with an amused grin. "So, Messer. Giving relationship advice, huh?"

Danny flushed and said defensively, "What? Hawkes, our friend, the nicest guy on the planet, not to mention the smartest, looked confused, why shouldn't I give him some advice?"

Lindsay laughed as she turned in his arms to face him, sliding her arms up his chest to curl around his neck, tipping up her face to his for a kiss. "Who would've thought that Danny Messer, resident Casanova, would be the one urging Hawkes to embrace being committed?"

Danny grinned and held up one hand to make a point, "Well, let's just say I've been giving this commitment thing a go, and…" he shrugged his shoulders, "s'not as bad as I thought it would be." He tightened his arms around her to pull her closer. "See, I found this really amazing woman who makes it not only easy, but very, very natural for me to commit to her."

Lindsay smiled tenderly at him and said, "Right back atcha, Messer." She leaned up to brush Danny's lips with hers.

Danny's lips curved into a loving smile as he gazed into her warm brown eyes and said, "What can I say, Montana? You've reformed me."

Lindsay laughed softly and tugged his head back down to hers. Soon the rest of the world disappeared around them.

Hawkes walked briskly back to the Trace Lab, his mind still mulling over the conversation he had with Danny and Lindsay. It's not that he minded. He just wasn't sure how Cassie would take it. He made a mental note to talk to her about it later.

He pushed the glass door open and saw her waiting for him. He walked quickly to her side and planted a quick kiss on her cheek, smiling in apology. "Sorry I'm late. I got delayed in the locker room, cause Danny and Lindsay talked to me about something."

Cassie grinned as she stood up. "No worries, Doc." She slipped her hand into his and said, "You ready to go?"

Hawkes pulled her into a hug and said, "Ready when you are."

They turned to exit the lab, arguing about what kind of take-out to buy. Hawkes wanted Chinese, Cassie wanted pizza. They continued bickering until Hawkes held up his hand and suggested a mature way to settle the argument.

Cassie gaped at him, then threw her hands up. "Good Lord. Sheldon Hawkes, you are one of the smartest men in the city, with an IQ of 148 and your solution is to play rock, paper scissors?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Hawkes grinned at her, "Well, you have to admit, it settles the argument quite nicely. If I win, we get Chinese. If you win, we get pizza."

Cassie tried to hold on to her disbelieving look, but she found it hard when Hawkes was smiling so endearingly at her. Despite her best efforts, a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she said, "Fine."

A few seconds later, Cassie was grinning broadly. "You know, I like this solution."

Hawkes answered grumpily, sliding his arm around her shoulders to draw her close to his side, "You're only saying that cause you won."

Cassie let out a peal of laughter, mirth brightening her brown eyes. "Whatever, Doc. We're ordering pizza."

This is it for tonight. :D I couldn't help it, I just needed to insert a little fluff. I'm missing Jordan and Flack though, so they might get a little airtime in the next chapter. I think I'm going to fast forward to Moving Day, and if I estimate my timeline correctly, it's been three weeks since Jordan moved to the city, which makes it about the first week of December already. Stay tuned for the NYPD Christmas Ball. :D

Please review:D It really brightens my day when I read your reviews. :D