AN: I don't own any of the CSI:NY Characters or any of the show's storylines that I may refer to from time to time, but the rest of the plot is mine.

3. Past and Present

Holding the photo of him and Laura, it had been taken shortly after they met. He'd never met anyone quite like her. He thought about their first meeting.

He entered the gym. Several physiotherapists were working with people around the room. He leant against the wall while his therapist, Suzi, finished with the woman with her. Suzi was as tough as any cop on the street, even though there was hardly anything of her, but it was the woman she was working with who caught his eye. She was slim and athletic looking, her blond hair tied up in a pony tail. She was wearing grey sweat pants which sat on her hips and a close fitting navy t-shirt. She was trying to swing across the monkey bars and with her arms stretched above her head her top had ridden up exposing her stomach, which Don noted was well toned.

"Shit Suzi, you want me to break it again?!" She barked as she dropped from the bars and rubbed her wrist. He grinned at her reaction, he had some sympathy for her, Suzi pushed him too, sometimes more than he thought his body was ready for, especially after the sessions, when he was in agony from the workout his muscles had just had..

"My next appointment is here, you want to take a breather and practise some more and I'll check on you after" Suzi nodded at Don acknowledging his arrival.

"I couldn't do it before I broke it what makes you think I'll be able to do it now?" The mystery woman moaned.

"Yeah well if you want back on active duty you need to meet the requirements and for that you need to go across here. Laura, I know you can do it" Suzi replied.

"Doesn't look like I've got a choice …..OK"

Laura went over to the bench next to where Don was standing and picked up a bottle of water and drank some.

"I'm glad she doesn't just pick on me … what happened?" Laura looked up at him, her eyes were blue, not the same as his, they were paler with flecks of grey, he thought they were beautiful and he found it very hard to take his gaze away from them to listen to what she was saying.

"Bad fall taking down a pervert, broke my wrist …. You?"

"How about I tell you over coffee after?" He offered, just maybe coffee and conversation with her would take his mind off the agony his muscles would be in after the session.

She grinned at him, and nodded. "Anything's better than desk duty, they can manage without me a bit longer"

Suzi approached them. "Don, how have things been? You set?"

A door banged in the office and he looked up and lay the photo down on her desk. Laura was standing by the desk he could tell she was fuming. Her eyes were hard and determined.

"I'm off the case! Doesn't matter that I'm the only link to what's going on, they're sending me home!" she snapped, not really at him, but he just happened to be there.

She opened a drawer in her desk and removed a folder then started to leave. Don followed her in some ways sending her home was good, she was exhausted, but if she was the only link on this case then they needed her. He started to follow her as she stopped in the doorway.

"I've been told to keep a low profile, stay at home … this is my case!"

He sympathised with her frustration, he'd seen this sort of thing happen enough times around his own precinct. He had to pick his words carefully or he would end up a target of her temper too. He guided her out of the squad room and to a corner of the reception area.

"They do have a point Laura." She shot him a look which made the hair on his neck stand up, as her eyes turned her anger to him. He rushed to continue. "Hear me out. You're as involved in this case as Charlotte and Mark were … you could be their next target. … I agree with them about keeping a low profile, but you're not going home. If they track you they'll know where you live, we'll head back to the lab and talk to Mac first. … You've got to admit that this is not your usual case. This is what I do. … Let us handle it, we'll get the guys responsible, but we'll need your help."

She looked up at him his eyes pleading with her, she half collapsed against the wall as the adrenalin rush from her anger gave way and she knew what he said made sense. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, I do. I know what you're working on is sensitive is there anything you can tell us?" She shook her head, "they told me not to discuss the case with anyone. I tried to tell them, they just wouldn't listen" She sighed.

"They'll listen to me, I'll talk to your Captain and straighten this out on one condition." He watched her closely and she gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head. "Back at the lab you get some sleep, I'm sure Mac will let you crash on his sofa ….. If you're gonna help I need you awake and alert." Laura closed her eyes in acknowledgement. She was almost asleep on her feet. "Everything will be OK babe" He tried to reassure her. She nodded as she slid into a chair next to her.

Don went back into the Squad Room.

Later back at the Lab Don, Laura, Stella and Danny descended on Mac's office. He sensed trouble and put down the file he was looking at. "What's up guys?"

Stella began filling Mac in on the details they had so far. "We think there's a link to our 2 cases and Laura has inside information about the operation they were running." Mac looked concerned. A brief glance at the detectives in front of him told him this was going to be a bad case for everyone and that he might get drawn into division politics, a game he hated. He didn't realise then just how bad things were going to get in the next 36 hours. He sighed. "You'd better start from the top."

AN: More of the team and case in the next chapter.