Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY. I do own Kelly and Amy and anyone you don't recognize. Nik Nak 17 owns Niki Foxx.

Notes: Part 5 of 9. Baseball season is in full swing so enjoy.

Baseball is a game where a curve is an optical illusion, a screwball can be a pitch or a person, stealing is legal and you can spit anywhere you like except in the umpire's eye or on the ball. ~Jim Murray

The Perfect Game

Bottom of the Fifth

Four complete innings. The rate this is going, I might have to call my wife and tell her I'll be home for dinner...

It was just after six, and the sun had just started to make an appearance. Kelly had sleepily brought Mac to this café and he obliged. Around 11 the night before, he convinced her to go home and at least get some sleep. She promised she would as long as he did the same.

When she called him earlier that morning, he found himself agreeing, although he didn't really remember agreeing.

"Mornin'," she drawled out when he met her with the case report.

"Morning, Higgs," he smirked while he held the door open for her. "What're you doing up this early?"

She rolled her eyes and walked through the entrance of the café with him trailing her. They were led to a booth where Kelly plopped down and Mac slid in across from her. She appropriated the corner of his side of the booth to rest her feet up.

"Tired?" His smirk didn't leave his face.

In response, she rested her head on her hand and smiled warmly at him. He chuckled at her but didn't say anything else. He just opened the file and glanced up every so often at her.

"You call Amy back last night?" She yawned and tried to cover her mouth but failed miserably.

"She didn't answer."

She leaned back. "Well, what time did you call?"

"Around one maybe."

"Maybe she was asleep. People do that, you know. They sleep."

"Doesn't look like you do."

"Byproduct of quittin' smokin'," she yawned again.

He grinned and chuckled into his menu as a waitress came over to get their orders. She rocked back and forth as Kelly yawned through her order.

"Do y'all have any grits?"

"Any what?"

"Hash browns are fine then," Higgs sighed. "And some coffee please."

The waitress rolled her eyes after Mac gave her his order and went to the kitchen to give it to the cook.

Mac started to chuckle at Higgs when she yawned again.

"What?" She stopped yawning enough to ask him with a smile.

"You're so Southern when you're tired."

"Am not."

"What're you doing trying to get grits in New York?"

She didn't answer him, only tapped on the table as she waited for her food to arrive. He slid over some photos over to her which she happily flipped through.

"What's your theory?"

"You know I follow the evidence," he answered dryly.

She rolled her eyes. "What is it saying, Mac?"

"I don't know yet. Look at the family? Look at the father? Look at the girlfriend again?"

"The father?" She rocked her head back and laughed. "No way. Talked to him myself."

"Is that so? You've never been wrong before?" He taunted.

"You think I'm wrong?"

The waitress came back with their food and rolled her eyes. "Can you two put those away? People like eating in here."

Mac hastened to put the photos back in the folder as she put their plates down. She slammed down utensils and walked away without another word. Kelly chuckled but dug into her food. She was starving, and she wasn't going to solve this case on an empty stomach.

Across the table, Mac watched her for a second before starting his own breakfast. He was trying to figure out what it was about this case that got her so interested. Why was she so reluctant to admit that it could be the father? She could be so damn stubborn which was good normally but not when a judge wouldn't give her a warrant.

"You gonna eat that?"

"Yeah," he sighed.

"Well, a good portion of that seems to be untouched."

"We just got our food, Higgs."

"I'm just asking," she grinned and forked around on her plate for some food.

Amused, he watched her scoop some of her hash browns into her mouth with a wide smile. She poked him with her boot when he wouldn't stop. He chuckled and elbowed her boot away from him. He earned a wink from her as she put her boots back on the ground.

She cocked her head to the side and watched him finish his food as she pushed her plate away.

Their waitress returned. "So are you two cops or something?"

"We're something," Kelly answered slyly.

"Well, that's that Miguel kid, right? He and his girlfriend come in all the time. Used to, I guess."

Kelly and Mac had a silent conversation over who was going to ask their waitress to keep talking. Neither particularly cared about her attitude, but this was starting to look like a dead-end case they were working on. Mac won the silent conversation, and Kelly turned to the waitress.

"You mind if I ask you a few questions?"

She rolled her eyes. "I've got to finish my shift."

"That's fine. I can wait here until then. And then we can go to the precinct so I can start my shift. It'll be fun."

"I'll miss class."

"Then help me help you."

The waitress nodded curtly and pulled up a chair to the booth.

"Not now. Wait until we're done, please," Mac told her quietly.

She nodded and left them to finish their meal, making sure to leave the check for them. Mac fished around in his wallet for some cash after Kelly put her own money on the check.

When the waitress cleared away their plates, Mac took his leave to get to the lab.

"Call me if you get something, Higgs."

She fixed her ponytail and agreed, watching him leave with a chuckle.

"State your name for the record please," Higgs ordered as she got her notebook out to start scrawling something down.

"Lauren Bautista," she answered. "I go to St. Teresa's with Miguel's girlfriend, Sophia. She's in my English class."

"What do you know about Miguel?"

She sighed and shifted in the booth, messing with her hair. Her fingers tapped away at the laminate table cover. Higgs was not exactly amused, but she wasn't going to push too hard. She had no suspects at this point. Well, no suspect they could talk to without a warrant.

"We dated last year before he broke up with me to focus on baseball. Then Sophia came around, and he was so happy."

Higgs nodded. "You said they used to come over here all the time. How often is all the time?"

"Twice a week in the mornings after he had practice. I open up the diner most mornings so I'd see them."

"What were they like?"

"Happy. All over each other all the time. Until Jason came in."

Kelly paused from writing. "Jason? Jason Black?"

"Yeah, he pitched for St. Marks."

"Okay, what happened there?"

"He and Sophia were a thing for a bit before Miguel came into the picture. Miguel was always flirting with her when she and Jason were together. Everyone used to say it was no big thing, but I always knew and so did Jason."

Higgs nodded. They knew that coming into this. She was just about to tell her that when Lauren interrupted her.

"Miguel and Jason went at it here a couple weeks ago. Flipped over some tables in their fight. The owner banned 'em after that."

"Do you know what they were fightin' about?"

"Sophia and baseball. Jason said that Miguel stole her. Miguel said that he didn't and they should settle it on the field. Jason pushed him, but then Miguel tackled him into a table."

"Anything else?"

"Miguel told Jason to have his dad back off. He said he didn't need the pressure and that the problem wasn't between the three of them, just the two of them. Then Jason told him he was going to give him a taste of his own medicine. I guess he meant hit him or something."

"So Jason's dad was harassing him?"

"I mean, maybe. I dunno. You should ask him."

"Okay, well, thanks for the help," she said quietly and handed her a card. "If you've got anything else, just call me up."

"Okay, and I'm sorry about ruining your date, Detective."

She was too exhausted to worry about correcting her so she muttered a quiet, "Don't worry about it," as she put away her notebook.

Don walked into the precinct with half of his coffee still left and a mild hangover. He had gone out the night before with Niki and left a little later than he wanted to. Now, he was feeling the consequences.

He slid his chair out and nearly collapsed into it.

"Look like hell, Don," his partner muttered.

"Don't look so great yourself, Higgs."

She rolled her eyes. "This case is gonna be the death of me."

"It's only been three weeks."

"We both know that is way too long. We need to wrap this up."

"Got a lead?"

"Yeah, you wanna go to school with me?"

Flack shook his head. "I've got a hangover so no. Why don't you get Mac to go with you? You two seem to be close lately."

She rolled her eyes again. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

He smiled and tapped his fingers to some inane rhythm that he hoped would distract her from her actual question. It didn't.

"Well, you know, you two have been getting along. You certainly don't seem to mind the extra time spent in the lab. You're not missing it, are you?"

She thought about it for a moment and twirled her ponytail around. Don smiled absently because he knew she would never admit to it. She rubbed her shoulder and looked down at some photo of the crime scene.

"What's going on between you two anyway?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stella leaves and the spot of confidante is open. You figure it's yours?"

"No, that's not it, Don."

The glare she gave him wasn't enough to send him back into his seat. He was like a dog with a bone, and now he was curious. She had spent a lot of time with Mac lately with this case.

"You know he's dating someone, right?"

"I'm well aware," she hissed.

He snorted. "So you're jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous of her? I mean you saw her."

"She was more than a match for you."

"Don't think that was the case. I have no reason to be jealous of her."

"She's dating Mac."

"That doesn't concern me."

"That's my point, Higgs. You've been flirting with him ever since Stella left. Actually, before that. You're always flirting with him, but you've really stepped it up now. Did you think that you two would happen after she left?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered evenly.

He didn't hear her tone and so he kept badgering. "Is he who you quit smoking for?"

She stood up abruptly and slammed her hands onto her desk. Several detectives looked her way and waited for whatever she was going to say. She took several deep breaths to calm herself. There was no reason to lose control over Flack obviously baiting her. About once a month he would come up with these feeling she had for the head of a crime lab. He didn't merit an angry response. Still, she couldn't avoid but flare up today.

"No. I quit smoking for me," she enunciated clearly. There was no way she would allow any room for misinterpretation. "No one else."

"Then what is up with you and him?"

"It's nothing. It's just us."

He rolled his eyes. "It's not right. He's dating someone else."

"It is entirely possible for two people to flirt and not have feelings for each oth—" she stopped midway through her train of thought, suddenly reminded of her conversation with Lauren earlier in the morning.

"What is it?"

"We need to go to St. Mark's. I think we need to talk to Jason Black."