In the Night (I)

Summery: -

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI NY

A/N:

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'Jess?'

She turned and looked at him, forcing herself to stare hard into his blue eyes, 'I don't know. I don't know much anymore… You think you're scared? I don't know how to feel. Should I be afraid? Should I hide until you catch him?' she stopped trying hard to stop the tears from falling. 'I don't know what to do now, Don. I woke up believing everything was alright but now… I scared to leave because I don't know what's out there.'

Don watched from the other side of the locker room. He felt helpless under the burning light, one single tear falling down her cheek now. She was trying hard to fight away the tears; he'd never seen her like this. Helpless, scared, confused.

'I thought this was all going to brim over quickly, that nothing major was going to come out of it but I don't know… what happens if he tries it again Don? What happens if you're not there? What am I meant do? Now, right now – what do I do? I'm scared okay, I'm scared.' She lifted her hand and wiped away the tear that was trickling down her skin. Trying to keep calm he could see her staring to shake. Closing her eyes another set of tears streamed down her face.

Taking two brave steps forward he wrapped him self around her. Holding her tight he could feel her crying into this shoulder. He didn't know what to say. It was his fault; he'd decided not to tell her, he'd decided it was going to be better. Everything would have been better if everything was as straight forward as it was. He didn't think it was going to take that long to catch the guy, he didn't think there would be this much problem. All he wanted was for her to be safe; he didn't want her to worry.

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'Okay, what do you want me to do?' Jess sat at the cold metallic table surrounded by the CSIs and Don. In front of her was the spread of crime scene photos and packet evidence.

Mac leaned over Jess, one hand on the back of the chair one on the desk in front of her, and said, 'We need you to look at all our evidence. Tell us if you see a connection or if you know someone with a connection, anything that might lead us to a suspect.'

Jess picked up the crime scene photos first and flicked through them. She was looking at the crime scene, Jessica Miller's crime scene. There wasn't much there, a body lying in the middle of the room, with a bullet hole in her back. The rest of the photos were the chaos her apartment had turned into.

'No, there's nothing here,' Jess shook her head and looked back up at Mac.

'Maybe one of these names look familiar?' Lindsay handed her a set of papers, 'They were suspects in Jessica Jones' case. Family members, friends, random members of the public.'

Jess flipped through the book but shook her head again, 'None of them stick out.'

'Wait,' Don was towering over Jess reading from behind her. 'Diego Davros Thomas,' he said reading off the paper. 'That was the guy we brought in. Who was he?'

Lindsay took the paper off Jess and flipped through the pages, 'He lived in her apartment block. Apparently was the last person to see her alive.'

'How do you know him?' Jess turned to ask Don but Mac replied.

'We got an anonymous call. Some lady saying Thomas had something to do with the shooting. We brought him in but he gave us nothing.'

Jess gave an upsetting smile and began filing her way through the evidence.

'Where did you get the photo developed?' Stella asked when Jess stumbled on her own photo.

'I used a digital camera but I got a few shots printed specially. The shops down the road think. That camera/ photography at the end of the street. There was a guy there,' she stopped, trying to remember, 'I can't recall exactly what he looked like but he gave me the creeps and kept asking me irrelevant questions about my photos and stuff.'

'What did he look like?' Don asked this time.

'Medium height and build, average guy, Mexican maybe.'

'Latino-ish?'

'Possibly,' Jess nodded her head thoughts somewhere else.

Don shot a glance towards Danny who nodded and left the room quietly. 'Why, what's going on?' Jess asked.

'Don't worry,'

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'Mr. Thomas didn't come into work today,' Danny entered the quiet metallic interrogation room after a good half hour. Walking to the table he threw down a brown file, paper spilling out. Pulling one of the sheets Jess saw a face.

'I know that guy,' she mumbled softly to herself but was obviously over heard. 'I think he lives in my apartment,' she commented louder for the rest of the team to hear.

'Yeah, two floors above you. Know anything about him?' Don asked.

'No, I didn't really socialise much and he seemed pretty quiet.'

Don turned to Danny, 'Address?'

'Just Jess' apartment.'

'Okay, we'll go collect him see what he has to say now,' Don leaned off the wall and walked out of the room.

There was a moment of silence again before the clattering of someone knocking on the windowed door of the interrogation room. Adam stepped in sheepishly.

'I've traced the number that called Mac and it came from a pay phone outside of Angell's apartment. There's no surveillance in the surrounding area so no idea who exactly the caller was but they had to have known Mac's extension because it didn't pass through the operator. That's all I've got.'

Adam stood silently for a moment. The room felt grim. Everyone was looking down, trying to sort out everything without saying anything. Jess mind ran wildly with all the information she now knew but nothing seemed to connect any better than it did before. Who was this Diego Thomas and what did he want with her?

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'Mac, he's gone. The apartment was empty and there wasn't much there in terms of living quarters either. Thomas must either have another residence or lives really damn simply.' Don spoke over the phone. It'd been 30 minutes since he'd left and it didn't take long to drive to Jess' apartment, get the super to open the door and for Don to realise there was no one home. 'Does he have other known addresses?'

'Nothing we know of.'

'Okay, I'm heading back.'

'No, luck,' Mac said pocketing his handphone. 'Is there anything else Jess?'

She shook her head still biting her lips and hating herself. They were going round in circles again. She'd looked through all the evidence, several times, and come to no new conclusions. She didn't know who Jessica Jones was, she didn't know who Diego Thomas was, and besides Thomas working at a photo shop she'd never seen him. The anonymous tip had hit a dead end and there was no other evidence to go on. If Thomas doesn't confess to the crime then they are at the start of the investigation all over again.

'Listen, why don't you go back? There is nothing more for you here and it's getting late. We'll up date you if anything so leave you're cell on,' Mac walked to the door and opened it. There was no one else in the room, they'd either been sent off to do other cases or they were trying, in vain, to piece together this unsolvable case. 'Officer Landry will escort you back to Detective Flack's apartment and wait with you until he arrives back.'

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'You know, when I got home I didn't expect a uniform to be waiting outside,' Don smiled as he leaned against this bedroom door watching Jess exit the bathroom dressed in a bath gown.

'Hello to you too,' she smiled at him and turned to face the mirror on the wall. Don watched her, slyly, as she began to dry her hair.

Jess watched his reflection in the mirror as Don shook his head and began stripping himself of his jacket and tie. To any outsider looking in on Don's apartment it would have seemed so innocent. The act of a man and women who, although they weren't, acted in a fashion at read happily married couple. The ease and air around both of them was almost natural however to them it was false. They were two people pretending because in reality they were still just two friends, two colleagues, two people who were in need of each other.

Don sat on the edge of his bed facing Jess. Her back to him as she sat at his dresser, towel in hand. Standing she walked over to a chest of draws and fumbled in one which Don had specially allocated for her stuff.

'You trust me, right, Jess?' he finally said in the darkness of their room.

Jess turned around, still clutching her bath gown, 'Yeah, why?' she looked serene, happy, happier than that morning when she'd confronted him in the locker rooms. She'd come to terms that what Don did was in her best interest, it was to protect her, he just wanted her to be safe and obviously losing her would do more damage to him that anyone could imagine.

Don stood up and walked closer to Jess now only a few inches between them she took a step back and crashed into the draws behind her. 'I just need to know you trust me,' he said before raising his hands and placed them on either side of her, pulling her that last little bit closer. Staring down into her brown eyes he savoured the moment, watching how the glistened and danced in the moonlight that seeped in through the curtained windows. Then he kissed her. One of the few joys he'd found in the world, she tasted still of cheery lip-gloss and smelt like apricot soap. Just like how he'd always remember her, from the day they'd met until now nothing about her changed, she was prefect and golden in everything she did.

As her hands looped around his neck his hands dropped lower, reaching for the ribboned belt that held her gown closed. Between kisses he could hear a mild squirm on protest but he held on tight.

'You trust me right?' he said one more time. With his eyes closed he could hear a murmur of yes escape her lips so he continued, stripping her down of the fluffy bath gown until he could see every bit of her. Tracing his hands along her curves, they glided along her smooth, porcelain skin. Her hands were travelling up his already shirtless chest, fingers tracing into every line and contours of his battle scared body.

And it continued, the rest writing it's self as they carried on, taking that one step further into the relationship they weren't sure of at the start. And as they travel towards the bed, locked in each others embrace the night carried on. People roamed the streets and carried on with their lives while Jess and Don's stopped, for that one moment, frozen in time a memory worth keeping for he'd never expect to think it might be their last.

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The light was flickering on and off in his bedroom. The uniform had recently left, so they were alone, in each others company but still very much alone. And now, now was the right time, now was the perfect time, the exact time, the moment every event leading up to this had created. This was the precise, ideal moment for him stop step forward and stop everything, help them end the investigation that had haunted their mornings and nights for days now. He would make his move… tonight.

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A/N: You have no idea who sorry I am for a late chapter I mean I REALLY REALLY am… I've been unmotivated and busy and I just want the end of exam week to come NOW… PLEASE! Well, enjoy and tell me what you think. I tried to make to gripping at the end so you'd come back for more but I feel I have failed myself… But STILL… reviews are love people and I am in need of some lovin'!