Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY. I do own any characters you don't recognize.

Notes: Part 2 of 9. Mac continues to see Amy. The team continues to look for a new CSI. Thanks to Nik Nak 17 for the encouragement and for reading this. Like always, enjoy.

Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off. ~ Bill Veeck

The Perfect Game

Bottom of the Second

What a smooth first inning! This pitcher has got his stuff today…

Yellow crime scene tape greeted the two of them that Wednesday morning as they walked up to the scene. St. Mark's Catholic School was a staple of the neighborhood. Danny lifted the tape gingerly to allow Lindsay underneath. She thanked him with a smile as she set her case down and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. She looked over at Higgins who shrugged in response.

Danny spoke up. "So what happened here?"

"Miguel Sanchez, age 17, was found this morning around four by a janitor. Higgs already interviewed him. She said that he told her that he found Miguel on the ground with someone else over him. When he came closer, the other person ran, and he didn't get a good look at him. Also, he didn't touch him, and he's pretty messed up after finding him like this," Flack answered as he gestured to the young man, bruised badly around her face.

Sheldon looked quite sullen over the death of this kid. "Dammit, I want to catch this guy. This poor boy was beaten to death. Sid'll have to tell us for sure, but I'm betting I'm right. He's got a broken orbital and the occipital bone is smashed."

Lindsay shook her head. She hated these cases. They always reminded her of her own friends whose lives had been cut short. She swallowed her anxiety and pushed through her memories. This kid needed her here, and he needed her best efforts.

"We'll get him, Doc," Kelly spoke up. "It might take a while though. You look a little short-handed."

At this, Mac stood up from where he was photographing evidence. "This isn't the place, Higgins."

"It's exactly the place, Taylor. It's my job to make sure you're doin' your job. I just want to know how the search's goin'," she said quietly so only he'd hear. He walked up to her to continue their quiet conversation. "Have you even looked at the files?"

"I have."

"And?"

"I've looked at them," he said impatiently. "Right now, I have a crime scene."

She grabbed onto his lapel and whispered, "Mac, do you really think a relationship is a good thing right now?"

He shoved her hand off of him and walked away, shaking his head. In that moment, he felt so irritated with her. Even though he knew why she was doing this – messing with him – it still aggravated him. It was going to be on his terms when he picked a new CSI.

Lindsay watched with amusement as Mac walked back to where he was. He looked so flustered or probably just frustrated. She decided it was a little of both. She didn't miss the look between Kelly and Don where the former grinned and the latter rolled his eyes.

She shook her head. "What do we know about this kid?"

Don answered grimly, "Star athlete. He was St. Marks' ace pitcher. Rice was looking at him and so was Cal. He was a bright kid. Father Jacobson wants to perform his last rites." He nodded to Father Jacobson who was standing by a uniform, praying over Miguel.

"We need to look at his locker after we finish this scene. Get a uniform over there," Mac told Don who nodded sharply and signaled over a young officer to find the locker and, in essence, tape it off.

"We've got Detective Lawson tellin' Michael's parents. They'll come by autopsy later today when we get him back," Don told him morosely. He looked at the ground and shook his head. He hated – they all hated – these types of cases. A kid with so much promise, just at the beginning of his life, killed.

Mac nodded once and returned to photographing what looked to be a large splinter of wood near Miguel. The tip was dark brown, but the rest was a light brown, practically khaki in color.

The rest of the scene seemed oddly barren. Danny remarked about how he felt there should be more blood at the scene. The poor boy had been beaten severely, and there was in fact a lack of blood.

"So we're looking for a second crime scene," Lindsay answered. "But where? We have no idea who this kid or where he was before he died."

"That's not completely true," Flack answered for her as he hung up his phone. "Michael's mother said he was out late working on his pitching at the field at school. Lawson's still with her. He says she doesn't know anyone who would hurt him."

Mac nodded. Kelly waved Officer Sanchez over. "I need ya to come with us for a bit. We –" she gestured to herself and Mac "- are gonna go check out the field."

She waited for Mac to follow her before saying, "I saw it drivin' in."

He nodded but didn't say anything to her. He didn't mind the silence between them. She seemed anxious to talk to him about something, but she never got around to actually talking.

"If you don't mind, Higgs, I've got a crime scene to get to."

He passed her, and she laughed. "Taylor, I'm not lettin' you go to a scene that hasn't been secured yet."

He answered gruffly, "What would I do without you?"

"Not make it to your date this weekend," she answered sourly. He gave her a dark look to which she merely shrugged. "Mac, you didn't think I wouldn't know about it? You've been so distracted lately ever since St-"

"I'm not distracted," he interrupted her fiercely, and she knew that the conversation was finished.

She wanted to ask why it was he never talked about Stella, but she already knew the reason. It hurt too much. There was too much betrayal between the both of them. Part of it was his fault. Part of it was Stella's fault. All she knew was that Mac pulled some weight to get her the job in New Orleans, and Stella wasn't happy about that. Then again, Mac had his reasons. Neither was particularly innocent in what happened.

Her thoughts didn't occupy her for long. Soon, Lindsay joined her with a grin on her face. A couple of uniforms followed behind her

"What do you need me to do, Mac?" Monroe asked in a chipper voice. She turned to Kelly. "Don wants to talk to you." The other woman nodded and walked away without a word.

"Look in the dugout. I think that's where our second scene will be."

"Are you sure? He was a pitcher after all. I'd think he was on the mound."

"I found a sliver of wood or something similar. Now I'm thinking it could be a bat."

She frowned and shook her head. "There's a problem with that."

"Yeah?"

She walked into the dugout and pointed to the metal bats hooked into the fence. "High school uses metal bats, Mac. I don't see any wooden bats here. I don't think a bat was the murder weapon."

He nodded and looked around them, as if suddenly unsure of himself. He didn't know if this was the crime scene anymore. He didn't want to feel so unsure. It was unlike him really. And he knew why he was all in a tizzy over this.

Like clockwork, Lindsay guessed it too. "I really do miss her, Mac. I try to tell myself that I don't, but it's a lie. She was – still is – my best friend."

Again, he only nodded in response.

"Tell me I'm not the only one," she pleaded.

His reaction was mixed, and she couldn't quite read him. At first, he seemed willing to agree with her, but then he remembered his pride and frowned at her. She wanted to push further, but something kept her from saying anything else. She wasn't like the others; she didn't want to push him. They had a good working relationship, and it wasn't worth risking for a cause that she believed was lost. He was going to take his time with finding a new CSI, just like he took his time doing everything else.

A camera flash stole her from her thoughts. There was still a crime scene in front of her.

A couple of hours later, Mac decided that the dugout had been cleared of all possible evidence. Lindsay sighed, exhausted already. This case was going to be hard to get through, but somehow, she figured, they'd manage. They always did.

It was about noon when they left the crime scene. Danny and Hawkes were still processing the first scene. Miguel had been transported back to the morgue with Sid only a little while after they started processing the dugout.

Lindsay watched as Mac carefully weaved his way through the summer traffic. Normally, when Mac would drive, there would be some sort of conversation, but right now, she couldn't find any words to say. All of a sudden, she felt guilty. She was supposed to be talking to Mac about Stella right now. They had all agreed on it.

"The team wants me to talk to you about Stella," she admitted finally. "They think it'll help you choose another CSI."

With a clench of the steering wheel, he made his opinion on their conversation known. She felt like she was betraying him. He hadn't done anything to merit this. He was a good boss and was kind, often looking over her and Danny's many indiscretions.

She normally wouldn't press him, but the others were right. Stella leaving was eating him up. He just wasn't ready to admit it.

"Mac, I know you miss her too despite what happened," she proceeded cautiously, not wanting him to shut down completely.

Silence. He wasn't going to talk. That was fine. She was going to talk.

She drummed her fingers on the side of her leg as she tried to find the words she needed. "And despite what happened, you can't let how things ended with you two affect the team like it is right now." She took a deep breath. "And you can't let it prejudice you against any newcomer. We need another CSI."

He nodded and put on his blinker, before making a left into the crime lab garage. She opened the door as soon as he stopped the Avalanche. Neither said a word as they grabbed the boxes of evidence and headed towards the elevator.

"I'm sorry, it's just that everyone wants me to talk to you, and I kinda agree with them, Mac. You're distracted. It may not be affecting your work, but it's definitely affecting ours."

Silence.

"We're worried about you."

The doors to the elevator opened quietly, allowing them entrance. Three floors into the ride, Mac broke his silence.

"Whose idea was it?"

She smiled coyly. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing. You're talking to me about Stella since you two were close. Higgins is pestering me into finding a new CSI. I'm sure Danny, Don, and Sheldon are all waiting their turn," he explained impatiently.

She held her ground, however. The team had prepared her for this. "You have quite an imagination. I'm just telling you that we're concerned."

He shook his head. "Lindsay, I am looking for a new CSI. The files you gave me were not what I was looking for."

"Even Jack Johnson?"

He laughed and knew like he knew for everyone else that she picked him. He could tell who picked each of the candidates. "Especially Jack Johnson. I'm still looking for a new CSI, but it won't be from those five." He shifted the box as he talked to her. "Believe it or not, I've chosen every single member of this team, and this one won't be any different."

"It is different," she protested. "Stella's different than replacing someone else. We just want to help."

"You're flirting with a thin line, here, Lindsay. This isn't your job."

And that was it. The conversation was decidedly finished, and she knew better than to push anymore. So she let him leave and log the evidence.

It was nearly lunch when Danny and Sheldon joined her in the lab. They unloaded their evidence and sighed.

"It's been a long day," Danny grumbled.

Sheldon shook his head. "It's not even noon."

Lindsay frowned before she spoke. "Mac's not happy."

"I take it you talked to him," Sheldon supplied sympathetically.

"No, I talked at him, and then he snapped. I just can't take getting chewed out by him. I'm not like you guys."

They smiled sympathetically. "We don't like it, but you could always do what Kelly does."

"I am not flirting with my boss," she said with a defiant look on her face. Her look soon faded at the look of the other two. The three of them broke into wide grins that turned into fits of laughter.

Sheldon was the first to stop laughing, and he gave a look to the chuckling CSIs. They continued to smirk as he just shook his head. "Come on, guys, maybe we should get working. I don't want to work on this case any longer than I have to."

Across the lab, Mac was busy taping up pictures onto his glass walls. He wanted to transport the scene around him because he knew somewhere in these pictures was the clue that would connect the little evidence they collected together.

"I thought you'd be here."

"It is my office," he retorted dryly. "What do you want, Higgs?" He was still peeved with her over her comments that morning.

She smiled. "I'm just here because Miguel's parents are coming by. They had trouble accepting the news."

He nodded and relaxed

"What'd you think of Johnny Feldman?"

He chuckled. "He's your pick, isn't he? He's too opinionated. I see why you like him though."

"Why's that?"

"He's opinionated."

"You like opinionated too."

He frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"You like me," she laughed and eyed him as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Some days."

"Most days," she corrected and played with his shirt collar.

He was tempted to roll his eyes. "Not today."

"The day is still young, dear."

"There's not enough time in the world for you to undo this morning."

She looked around at the picture of the baseball field and grinned. "Maybe it's good that we're lookin' at this. It makes explainin' a bit easier."

"Explaining what?"

"Well," she started with a smile that he thought looked good on her, "if I succeed just three out of ten times, I'm batting three hundred, and that's awesome. So if you like me most days, that's like batting six hundred. That's unheard of. I must be your favorite player. I'm unbelievable."

"You're my slugger," he answered and was pleased to find that he added enough sarcasm even for her.

She laughed. "More like your DH. Especially if you don't find someone."

"Keep talking like that, and I'll bench you."

She practically purred, "I'd like to see you try."

"Don't you need to be in the morgue?" He rolled his eyes and showed her to the door.

She paused at the door. "Aren't you coming?"

He took a look at the case file, and decided that he did need to talk to Sid about the high profile nature of this case since it was a minor who was the victim. He knew the doctor wouldn't divulge any information anyway, but he wanted to make sure.

She explained to him that Flack had gone back to the precinct to compile their reports. Lawson had driven the parents to the morgue, but he was needed in court so she would escort them out.

He watched her breathe deeply before stepping out of the elevator. He knew this was a detective's worst nightmare – telling the parents that their child wouldn't come home. The second worst was going with them to identify the body. Trying to comfort the parents was impossible. Every detective knew that the pain they were feeling was unimaginable.

The morgue was still. Even the movement of the MEs and assistants made no difference. The place had died when Miguel was rolled in on that gurney.

He didn't envy Kelly as she walked over to the parents. Once Lawson saw her, he excused himself and took the elevator downstairs. Mac made his way over to Sid. He could just hear the conversation between the parents and Higgins.

"Hello, I'm Detective Higgins. I'm working the case with Detective Lawson –"

"I am sorry to interrupt, Detective," Rosa Sanchez sniffed quietly, her Hispanic accent quite evident, "but my husband's English is poor."

"Si, Señora," Higgins started in Spanish, and after that, Mac lost track of their conversation and started his own.

"Sid, I just want to make sure that we're on the same page here. I don't want this investigation in the headlines."

He nodded. "I hear ya, Mac, but I only expect the same from you. I wouldn't let that young Johnny Shirley near the case. He's been known to talk after a few drinks."

Mac nodded, knowing how the young lab tech loved to be the center of attention. "I'd keep Doctor Skillman off this one. Actually, I would really appreciate it, if you would do this autopsy yourself."

The older man nodded and undid his glasses, placing them on his chest. "I need to start this autopsy." Without another word, he walked over to where the parents were anxiously waiting to see their son.

Higgins stayed where she was and steeled herself against the oncoming reactions. She glanced back at Mac for support, but he knew better than to come in now. He wasn't good with this situation so he gave her what he hoped was a sympathetic and/or encouraging nod.

Rosa Sanchez buried her head into her husband's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. He ushered her out of the morgue with the detective on their heels. She handed the husband her card and offered to escort them downstairs. He nodded curtly.

After they left, Mac watched Sid begin his autopsy. The doctor took the upmost care with all of his patients but especially when children were involved.

"Sid, I want that report as soon as it's done."

The ME nodded but didn't look up from his work.

It was then that Mac realized that this was not going to be an open and shut case. He had this feeling that the first forty-eight hours wouldn't matter like they normally did. His team would work themselves to the bone for those two days, but he ended up being right. They were no closer on Saturday than they were that Wednesday at the crime scene.

In fact, he went off to his date feeling as frustrated as he did before he left the lab that day.

Feeling utterly un-date-worthy, he stood outside the restaurant and hoped that she wasn't too late. He would have picked her up at her apartment, but she had insisted.

"Hey," Amy said softly, and he turned around to face her. "Long day?"

He nodded in reply, and she smiled.

"You can tell me all about it over dinner."

He led her inside and felt relieved that they were seated immediately. She sipped her wine and looked at him intently.

"So what happened? Are you working a case? What's it about?"

"Amy," he started slowly, "I can't talk about the case."

"Oh."

Suddenly, Higgins popped into his head.

Mac, do you really think a relationship is a good thing right now?

As if he were still talking to her, he thought:

Yeah because I'm going to make this one work.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review! I'd love to know what you think! Have a great day! :)