I own nothing but those you don't recognize. However, if I owned Flack, right now he'd be chained to my bed and... never mind.
When Zack met Flack
"He's someone I would hate to be
I got the girl and he's left with the memory.
He's a guy that you should feel sorry for
He had the world but thought he wanted more
I owe it all to the mistake he made back then
I owe it all to my girl's ex boyfriend."
-My Girl's Ex-boyfriend, Relient K
"Making friends, Flack?" Stella asked, as she, Danny and Samantha ducked under the yellow crime scene tape in front of the Foot Locker store in Times Square.
Crowds of people were gathered around. Lookie-loos as Danny called them. Chattering excitedly as they took in the action. Some of them even snapped pictures. Damn tourists. The uniforms entrusted to keep the on-lookers back were struggling with the task. Flack was yelling at the crowd to stay behind the yellow line or get your ass tossed in jail for obstruction. No one was listening. Some were even telling him to relax. That they wanted to see what was going on. They were on vacation, needed something to remember it by.
"I'll give you something to remember it by!" he snapped. "My foot in your ass! Now take a walk!"
"And give me that damn camera!" Danny snatched it out of the tourist's hands and popped out the memory card. "I'll take this, thank you." he said and slipped the cartridge into his pocket and tossed the camera back.
"Hey, man! That's our whole vacation right there! You can't do that!"
"Shoulda thought about that before thinking it was smart to take photos of a crime scene. What's wrong with you? Taking photos of a dead guy? Show some goddamn respect. You don't do shit like that."
"Now get lost!" Flack bellowed. "And all of you just back the fuck up! Thompson!" he yelled at one of the uniforms. "You get these people off of my crime scene or we'll be hauling a lot of asses out of here!"
"Having fun?" Stella asked.
Flack sighed. "Rookies. Too scared to get mean with anyone."
'What we got?" Danny asked,
"Dead naked guy." Flack replied matter of factly. "What?" he asked when he saw their eyebrows arch and the puzzled expressions on their faces. "You guys think I'm joking about this? You can't miss him. After you ladies."
As Samantha and Stella stepped in front of them, Flack fell in step alongside Danny.
"He's really naked?" Danny inquired.
"As the day he was born. Danny, we need to have a little talk."
"Sounds important." Danny said. "Business or personal?"
"It is important. Very. And its personal."
"I'm all ears." Danny told him.
"Later. When no one's around. All right?"
"Everything okay?" Danny looked concerned.
"For once, every thing's fine." Flack assured him.
Sam and Stella were standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Latex gloves on their hands. Stella was taking detailed notes while Sam began snapping pictures. Face down on the ground below, was a deceased male, grey shaggy hair and beard, arms and legs spreadeagled, his hands and feet covered in layers of dirt and callouses. And very much naked.
"Told ya." Flack said. "I wasn't joking. Our friend here goes by Dusty. At least that's the name some of the store owners around here gave him 'cause of how dirty he is. Been a fixture around here for the last ten years. Takes up residence in a cardboard condo in the alley way behind the H&M store. Scores free food from the restaurants for washing windows, stuff like that. Apparently, the walking around naked thing is not a common practice for him."
"Who called it in?" Sam asked, crouching down to snap pictures,
"Tony Hernandez. Manager of the Foot Locker. Says Dusty ran into his store, naked, yelling something about the aliens comin' for him and when security eigthy-sixed him, he just keeled over. Dead."
"They get physical with him?" Danny asked, helping Stella roll the body. "Maybe they knocked him around a bit?"
"I've got six witnesses tellin' me the guards barely touched him." Flack said. "I've got the surveillance tapes on the way to Adam to see if its the truth or not."
"He doesn't have any bruises or scratches on him to suggest anyone got violent with him." Sam commented. "Other than being dirty and having some scars that are pretty dated, he's in decent shape. And the scars are pretty minor. More likely from a hard lifestyle than anything else."
"Natural causes maybe?" Danny wondered aloud.
"Couple people mentioned he hasn't been right lately." Flack said. "Talking to himself more than usual, acting paranoid, getting the shakes."
"Sounds like early on set Alzheimers or Parkinsons." Stella commented. "Any one see anything out of the ordinary?"
"Stell, this is New York. Something is always out of the ordinary and no one ever sees a thing." Flack reminded her. "But so far from what I'm hearing, every one liked this guy and he had no enemies."
"Everyone has enemies." Danny said. "its just usually the people you least expect."
"Well there's nothing to suggest drugs were involved." Stella told them. "There's no track marks or burning to the lining of the nose. No smell of alcohol, either. A tox run will tell us more. And there isn't a wound on this guy and no blood present."
"Just fell over and boom." Danny said. "You take a look at his house, Flack?"
"I was waiting for you guys."
"What? You slacking or something?" Danny cajoled. "What have you been doing the last half an hour?"
"Talking to people. Getting statements. Its what I do."
"Danny, why don't you go with Flack." Stella suggested. "Check out the path Dusty took to get here and see where he lived. Sam and I will stay here and finish things up and wait for the ME's office."
"Follow me." Flack said to Danny, heading away from the scene. "Watch your step when we get back there. Hate for ya to get anything on your Steve Madden shoes there."
"Sean John." Danny corrected him.
"Whatever. Your worse than a woman with your designer shoes Messer."
"Hey, they're better than those fugly ties of yours Flack so step off."
Stella laughed and shook her head and looked over at Sam. Noticing the intense way the younger woman was watching the two men disappear through the crowd. There was definitely something more than simple co-workers lingering in the air.
"Those two are something, huh?" Stella asked. "Mutt and Jeff. They can go on like that for hours. Sam?"
"Hmmm?" she snapped out of her daze. "Sorry, Stel. Did you say something?"
"Are you okay?"
"Just a little tired." Sam replied. "I didn't get enough sleep last night."
"I've had many nights like that. Trust me. Too many glasses of wine and not enough hours to sleep it off. At least tell me you had a good time."
"I did. Best time I've had in a long while."
"Listen," Stella approached the next issue with caution. "I heard about the little incident with Lindsay.'
Sam sighed. "I knew it wouldn't take long to get around. Girl can't keep her mouth shut."
"I understand why there's some tension between the two of you."
"You mean other than the fact she has a big mouth?" Sam asked.
"You two are polar opposites." Stella explained. "She's this small town country girl and you're this big city girl. She sees the world through somewhat rose coloured glasses and you see it the way it really is. But if you gave her a chance, you'd probably really like her."
"If I gave her a chance? She's been doing nothing but bitching about me since I got here. I didn't put up with it in high school and I'm not putting up with it now. No offense to you or Mac, Stella, but what the hell were you guys thinking when you hired her? Or for keeping her as long as you have?"
"She's a great CSI." Stella replied.
"Well she's a shit ass human being. She treats people like crap. Calling my brother a socially awkward science geek? treating Danny like she does. Especially after the incident in the warehouse. He told me all about it. Her and her 'you took my shift and this is all my fault' crap. As if he didn't feel bad enough he'd just gotten the shit kicked out of him."
"I do admit she's a little..."
"Dramatic?"
"She really is a good cop. But you're an even better one and we just got you here and we don't feel like loosing you because of a problem with Lindsay. Especially when you fit in so well here."
"So what? We go to a counselling session? Try to has out our differences while trying not to kill one another? If she just kept her mouth shut there wouldn't be a problem."
"Sam, you can't go around knocking someone arund because of a stupid rumor. If you're going to do it, at least take it out of the lab. But Mac and I have decided that the four of us will sit down and see if we cant come to some sort of truce between the two of you. "
Sam snorted. "Right... she'll just tell you what she knows you want to hear and once she's out of there, it'll start all over again."
"You know that she's scared of you." Stella told her.
"She should be." Sam said, bagging the dead man's hands.
"Quite frankly, Samantha, so am I. You've got some anger management issues you need to work on. I read your file from Arizona. Every eval says the same thing. Excellent CSI but she has underlying emotional issues that require assistance in solving. You only went to one of six scheduled psych appointments."
"Stella, with all due respect, I don't need a therapist."
"You punched out a suspect." Stella pointed out.
"He called me a cunt!" Sam argued.
"You just cant go off half cocked because you hear something you don't like." Stella explained. I think it would do you a world of good to talk to someone. Get to the root of the problem and face it head on. Starting from when you were a kid."
Sam cleared her throat noisily and tried to hide the agitation in her voice. "What happened to me as a kid has nothing to do with the way I am now. And how so many people know about it is what I would like to know. I don't talk about my father and what he did to me and Adam and I just..." the anger and bitterness built quickly inside of her and she fought hard to control it. "I'm sorry, Stell. I just don't talk about it. To anyone."
"Well if you ever want to, kiddo, my shoulders are pretty good for crying on."
Sam smiled. "Thanks. I'll remember that."
"I really like you, Sam, and I just think it would be better for you in the long run, if you dealt with this now before its too late. It took way too long to find someone of your calibre and we can't afford to loose you."
She sighed. Relegated to the fact that Stella was not going to back down on this subject. "Fine." she said. "I'll talk. But just to you and Mac. No therapist."
"And this thing with you and Danny..."
"There is no me and Danny!" Sam snapped. "We're friends! That's it! Everyone needs to let it go already!"
"There's no rule against office relationships." Stella told her. "As long as you handle it professionally. Its not unusual for people who work together as much as we do to develop feelings for each other. I mean, we see each other more than most people see their families."
"Stel, there is no me and Danny." Sam said firmly."There will never be a me and Danny."
"How about a you and Flack?" Stella asked.
Sam hesitated before answering. "Where'd you hear that?" she asked curiously.
"You didn't deny it."
"I didn't admit it either. There's no me and anyone. And if there was, I won't be going around broadcasting it. Did you broadcast you and Mac right away?"
"No. We kept it quiet for a little while to avoid the gossip mill."
"My point exactly. But for what my opinion is worth, I think you and Mac make a pretty nice couple."
"That's funny." Stella said. "I was just thinking the same way about you and Flack. I notice the way you guys look at each other. Watch each other. The way he talks to you. Its different than the way he interacts with the rest of us. Seems a little soon, but if you guys are happy, what the hell? Go for it. And I haven't seen him this happy in... well, ever."
"Don's a really nice guy." Sam said, putting the lense cap back on her camera and setting it in her kit.
Stella found it a little odd that the new CSI didn't refer to him as Flack.Everyone called him Flack. Hell, he called told people to call him that when he was first introduced to someone. It only confirmed her suspicions that there was more to Sam's relationship with him than she was letting on.
"He's a great guy. He's got a big heart underneath all that tough guy, sarcasm armour. He's been a wonderful friend to me all the years we've worked together. He's got me through some tough times. And I've seen him through some real stupid times. He was dating this girl, if you want to call it that, and she was this rich stuck up dumb bimbo. I seriously wondered what the hell was wrong with him for being with her."
"Well, we all get lonely and need someone." Sam reasoned. "I've dated people that my family have wondered what the hell, too."
"I just don't want to see him get hurt." Stella said, watching the younger woman pack up and lock her kit so neatly and methodically. She remembered Adam mentioning his sister having a slight diagnosed case of obsessive compulsive disorder."I'm pretty protective of him," she continued."Ever since the bombing."
Sam arched a quizical eyebrow. "The what?"
"You don't know? About the bombing? How he nearly died? He never told you? No one told you?"
"This is the first time I've heard of it." Sam said. "What happened?'
"Flack and Mac were at a crime scene at this brokerage firm in Greenwich investigating the murder of a security guard. Someone had planted a bomb in the ceiling and the two of them and a few others were trapped inside when it detonated. Flack was hurt pretty bad. There were times we didn't think he was going to make it. Mac saved his life and... you know, I really think he should be the one to tell you all of this."
"Did you guys ever catch whoever did it?"
"We did. Thank God. This nut job Dean Lessing who worked the Department of Homeland Security and had been turned down by the Marines a few times. He said he was trying to make a point that our city was not ready for another terrorist attack. That we're still vulnerable."
"Hell of a way to do it." Sam said wryly. "No one tries petitions and letters any more? That's what the world's come down to? Killing people to make a point. I tell you, this world is full of crazies."
"So are you admitting it? That there's something going on between you and Flack?"
"We're friends, Stella." she said, standing up and stretching noisily. "That's it."
"Mm-hm." Stella regarded her skeptically. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Not even Mac. Just don't hurt him, okay? He doesn't deserve to be hurt."
"I'm not going to hurt anyone." Sam assured her. "I'm out to make sure I don't get hurt."
"I'm sure he has the best of intentions." Stella said. "I think our work here is done. Why don't you run around the corner and see if the guy's need help and I'll stay here and wait for the ME. Just leave your kit here. You can work out of Danny's if need be."
Sam nodded in agreement and headed over, ducking under the crime scene tape that was held up for her by a young uniform who couldn't resist staring at her ass as she walked by.
"Quit lookin' at it!" she called without looking back. "Its not going to talk to you."
Stella smirked and shook her head and made her phone call.
Sam paused at the corner and looked around. Suddenly filled with this overwhelming sense of dread. Something didn't feel right. It felt as if someone was watching her. She'd felt it since they'd left the lab but it had subsided a little when they arrived at the scene. But now... something was up. Something was very, very wrong.
From a car parked across the street he watched her. Saw her pause at the corner and slowly glance around at her surroundings, studying it closely, a frown on her face. Traffic was busy. Both automobile and pedestrian. She'd never see him in a million years surrounded by all that activity. When she started to move once again, satisfied that everything was fine, he gathered the gun out of the glove compartment and climbed out of the car.
"So what's up, Flack?" Danny asked, as they walked side by side down the garbage strewn alleyway. Homeless people poking their heads out of their boxes and hastily assembled tents or even just a blanket or two, watching them pass both curiously and warily. Cops in that neck of the woods was never a good sign. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Samantha." he answered simply.
"All right. That's a pleasant topic of conversation. What about her?"
"You got some kind of plan on going after her as more than a friend, Danny?" Flack asked.
"I won't lie to you. She's real cute. Smart, funny, killer curves. Way different than anyone I've ever been with. And I'm interested and now that Lindsay and are on the outs, again, I was seriously considering it. Why?"
"I need you to stop considering it." Flack said "I'm asking you, as your best friend, to back off."
Danny frowned. "Why? You thinkin' of asking her out? You planning on trying to hook up with her?"
"I already have. Which is why I need you to back off. I don't care about the friend thing, but I need to know that you're not going to try anything else."
"When did this take place?" Danny asked. He couldn't say he was overly surprised. The way she'd been asking him all kinds of questions about Flack, the obvious way the two of them had been checking each other out the last couple of days.But he wasn't too impressed with the idea either.
"Some things happened when I went over to her place two days ago after work and..."
"Whoa... whoa... you went to her place? Why?"
"She needed some help with something and I..."
"And she just called you? Out of the blue?"
"I'm helping her out with some personal stuff." Flack explained. "And things got said between us and last night I got this phone call and... look, we just decided we're gonna try having a relationship."
"Kinda quick don't ya think?"
"You didn't see me saying that when you were gonna try and hook up with her." Flack said defensively.
"Thought you weren't the the date someone you work with type of guy?"
"Funny you said that. That brings me to something else. Why didn't you tell me you and Sam were talking about me/'
"Nothing to tell. She asked a couple of questions and I answered them. No big deal."
"You coulda told me she was asking about me."
"Why?" Danny asked. "You found out for yourself that she was interested so why did I need to tell you? Gotta say, you work quick, Flack. Thought maybe I'd get there ahead of you. Guess you're gonna take home that pool at the precinct, huh?"
"Why are you being so hostile about this?" Flack asked.
"Whose being hostile? I'm just saying you move quick. She's more than a lay, I hope."
"What?" Flack wanted to cuff Messer upside the head."Give me a break, Danny. It goes way beyond that."
"Look, if you're happy, Flack, and you're serious about having a real, actual relationship with her and not a repeat of Devon, then I will back off and not persue anything more than a friendship. But you break her heart, I break your face. Kapish? Which mansion is the one we're looking for here."
"Second one, on the left." Flack gestured in the direction. "The one with the hot tub and sauna."
"Cute, Flack. Cute." Danny sat his kit down and put on a fresh pair of gloves and grabbed his flashlight. He crouched down and pushed aside the dirty blanket that acted like a door and peered inside. "Anyone home?" he called.
"Just get your ass in there." Flack said. "And don't expect me to follow ya. You're on your own for this one."
"Wouldn't want ya to mess your suit or your fugly ties."Danny said and shimmied his way through the door.
"Leave my ties alone." Flack said. "And make it quick in there."
"Be a while." Danny called out. "This place is a goddamn palace."
"Messer, just shut up and get to work." Flack responded with a smirk.
Sam walked down the busy sidewalk and was just about to turn into the entrance of the alley way when someone stepped out of a recessed doorway and blocked her path. She tried to step around, offering up an apology, whey they grabbed her roughly by the arm.
She jumped back when she saw who it was. Yanking her arm out of his grasp. Visibly shaken, her heart pounded in her chest and her stomach churned.
"Aren't you happy to see me, sweetheart?" Zack asked "You seem surprised. Didn't your doting daddy call you and let you know I was on my way?"
"How did you find me here? At a crime scene?" she took a step back, her hand going instinctively to her gun.
"I've been following you since you left the lab." he replied. Whose your new boyfriend?"
'What? Who?"
"The cop with the glasses."
"He's a co-worker. Not like its really any of your business. Why are you even here? Why did you come to New York?"
"To get back what's mine." he replied simply.
"I am not yours." she informed him. "I haven't been yours in a long time. You had no right to come here."
"No right?" he spat. "You were going to be my wife! You walked out on me! That ring you sold and the money you took, my money?That tells me I have every goddamn right in the world to come here!"
She backed up again. "Don't come any closer to me, Zack." she warned.
"What? What are you going to do? Shoot me?"
"I left you because you're a disgusting, pitiful excuse for a man."she hissed. "And what I did with my ring and the money in our account is my goddamn business! Its over! I am done with you! I won't be treated like that. I deserve better than that!"
He took a lunging step towards her and his hand shot out and grabbed her around the neck. Forced her into the recessed doorway of an abandoned store. "You were nothing when I came along!" he spat in her face. "You're nothing without me! Just some fucked up mental case Brooklyn girl that no one else will ever want. Who needs to be slapped around once in a while and chained up like a dog to keep her in line! You'll never find anyone as good as me. You are going to get your ass in my car and I am taking that sorry, pathetic ass back to Arizona where I swear to God you will never see the light of day again!"
Sam's cell phone rang. She reached down to grab it. S.BONASERA the call display read.
"Don't even think about it." Zack warned her and snatched the phone from her hand. "Now you listen to me you little bitch. No one leaves me. No one. And you're going to pay for your stupidity. Understand? You're not going to get away with it. So you get your hand off of that gun there and come with me like a good girl and I promise you, I will make it quick and not too painful." he grabbed her by the arm once more and yanked her out onto the sidewalk.
Danny had finished his search and had come up with several wads of rolled cash he and Flack estimated at close to ten grand and some old newspaper clippings that gave a name to their dead guy and a reason for why he'd had so much money and may have had some serious mental problems.
His real name was Robert Vernon. He'd once been a highly successful and well respected investor in the city. Ten years ago, his wife and only child were killed in a car accident and he soon dropped out of the public eye and family and friends lost all contact with him.Danny assumed the grief over loosing the most important things in his life may have drove the man crazy. Caused him to loose all faith in humanity and seek a simpler, easier way of life for himself. Not that living on the streets was easy. But maybe he'd seen it as an escape from the pit of despair he lived in every day.
Stella called. Asked if they were done. And if Samantha was there. Yes and no, Danny had replied. Stella thought that that was odd considering she'd sent Samantha back there fifteen minutes ago and now she couldn't get a hold of her. She'd called her three times and it just rang. Could he try calling her and then attempting to find her? Danny tried calling himself and got the same result.
"What's up?" Flack asked, seeing the concerned expression on his best friend's face.
"Sam's gone awol. Stel's been trying to call her and there's no answer. She wants us to try and find her."
"I swear that woman needs detailed lessons on how to use that phone." Flack said jokingly.
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Sam said, fighting against the strong hand around her arm.
"Don't make things any worse for yourself." Zack told her, dragging her down the sidewalk. "And behave yourself. You're going to draw attention to yourself."
"You're fucking crazy, Zack! You've always been crazy! What the hell do you think your doing!"
"I told you. Taking back what's mine."
"I am not your's you sonofabitch!"she yelled and brought her free arm back and punched him in the face. It was only enough to startle him slightly, then get a backhand across her cheek that nearly knocked her off her feet.
"You fucking bitch!" Zack raged, and was about to grab a hold of her again when he was tackled from behind and sent sprawling face first onto the sidewalk.
"That's assaulting a police officer mother fucker!"Flack yelled,filled with indescribable rage. He firmly placed his knee in the startled, winded man's back. "A female officer at that! You come all the way to New York to knock around your ex-girlfriend and expect to get away with it?"
"That's assualt by a police officer!" Zack gasped and found himself lifted up slightly and thrown onto his back. "I'm a cop too, man! Take it easy!"
"Take it easy?! Buddy you're damn lucky we're in public or I'd beat your ass beyond recognition. I know who you are. I know all about you. Everything. How you like to smack around women half your size. Makes you feel like a big man, doesn't it."
"You okay?" Danny asked Sam, who had tears streaming down her face and was holding a hand to her throat.
She nodded.
"Lucky for you Flack and I just got to the end of the alley when we saw him draggin' ya off? Want me to call EMS? Have them look t you?"
Sam shook her head. "Let him go, Don." she said. "He's not worth it!"
"Get your ass up!" Flack grabbed Zack by the front of his shirt and yanked him roughly to his feet."Now this can either go two ways. I either lock your ass up or you get the hell in your car, go back to whatever piss ant motel your staying in, get your shit and get the fuck out of my city! What'll it be?"
"How about you take off your badge and your gun and I lay an ass whuppin' on you?" Zack retorted, stepping forward so he and Flack were eye to eye, chest to chest.
Flack laughed. "Don't tempt me, buddy. Danny, take Samantha back to the lab. I'll catch up."
"Let's go." Danny said to Sam and put an arm around her shoulders and led her away.
"See the little bitch is up to her old tricks, huh?" Zack laughed ruefully and shook his head. "Spreadin' lies. She likes to do that. Make shit up when she's all spiteful and angry. I never smacked her around."
"Yeah? Well hospital records don't lie. So why don't you back up a couple steps before I put you in the hospital."
"I don't know which one of you guys she's fucking, but I'm warning ya now, you'll pay for it. She'll make you suffer. Trust me."
"You don't get out of my face and you'll be suffering." Flack warned him.
"Big tough New York cop, huh?" Zack laughed.
"Want me to show you just how big and tough? Is that what you want?"
"Here I am, boss. Want a shot at me? Take it? Defend the bitch. It'll be the last thing you do. Go ahead. I said take your shot."
"And I said step the fuck back."
"You want a piece of me New York? Tell ya what? I'm staying at the Regency. You take off your badge and your gun and you and your buddy there come and find me. Room 807. Will see just how tough you are."
Flack smirked. "You're free to go." he said and stepped away. "Go.Get out of my face. Don't let me see you around her again."
Zack snorted and turned to walk away.
"Just to give you a fair warning," Flack called after him. "I'm off at eight. And its only a ten minute drive from where I am."
Danny pressed end on his cell phone. It was twenty two minutes past eight. Sid had called with official TOD on Robert Vernon AKA Dusty. Massive brain aneurysm. Natural cases. Which meant their job was over and it was up to someone else to track down the family.
"Wish they could all be that simple." Flack said, as he killed the ignition and they sat in the underground parking lot of the Regency.
They were both clocked out. Badges and guns off. Now they were just two pissed off guys looking for a little revenge. After the incident, Mac had had Samantha checked out by Hawkes. Other than being shaken up, she suffered from little more than a slightly bruised trachea, a massively bruised upper left arm, and a busted knuckle from punching Zack in the nose. He'd sent her home, letting Stella go with her for as long as she was needed. The last time Flack had called to check on things, Samantha was sleeping and Stella was on the way home.
That was an hour ago.
"Lets do this thing." Danny said and stepped out of the car.
Flack followed. They took the elevator up to the eight floor. Neither of them spoke a word. They didn't need to. It was the kind of friendship they had.
Several rounds of pounding on the door to 807 got them no response. They knew Zack was in there. The television was up full blast.
"Know how to pick a lock?" Flack asked Danny.
"Do I know how to pick a lock? What kind of question is that. It was Louie's speciality. Taught me a few of his moves." Danny took out his wallet, pulled out his credit card and slipped it in between the door and the frame. He wiggled it back and forth a few times and there was a loud click. "Nothing like a little B and E." Danny said and pushed the door open.
The room was trashed. All the sheets had been ripped off both double beds and the dresser and nightstands had been tipped over and the lamps shattered on the floor along with every picture that had been hanging on the wall. It reeked of alcohol. Zack was passed out, half naked, spreadeagled on his back, an empty twenty-sixer of JD on the floor by the bed along with a half empty two four of beer.
"Poor baby." Danny said sarcastically, taking in the busted nose.
There was an ice bucket on the floor at the foot of the bed. Flack picked it up and tossed the entire contents all over Zack's pathetic, drunk, prone form. The man gave a startled cry and sat up, quickly, mumbling curse words and looking around the room in confusion.
"Remember me?" Flack asked.
"Hey... New York..." Zack slurred when he recognized the face. "Did ya bring the bitch with ya? Maybe the three of us can have a little fun, know what I'm saying?"
"Danny." Flack said, as he unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled up sleeves.
"I'll leave you two alone." Danny said and left the room. "I'll be in the car." he called out before the door clicked close behind him.
Flack returned fifteen minutes later. His knuckles bruised and blood on his shirt that didn't belong to him.
"Well?" Danny asked, as his friend climbed behind the wheel and started the ignition. "You fuck him up or what?"
"Let's just say he won't be bothering Sam any more." Flack replied. "Or eating solid foods for a while."
He dropped Danny off at his apartment and then drove to Queens. It was close to ten when he was knocking on that apartment door, praying she would answer. And felt an enormous sense of relief when she did.
She'd been asleep on the couch. In a pair of black yoga pants and a red tank top for pyjamas. Her hair pulled into two pig tails. No make up on her face. To him she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.
"You okay?" he asked, concern in his eyes and his voice.
She smiled sleepily and leaned her head against the door. "I am now." she replied.
"I woke you up, didn't I." Flack said.
"Its okay." she assured him. "I was hoping you'd come by." she took in the blood on his shirt and his swollen knuckles and frowned, brow furrowed in concern. "What happened?" she asked.
"I needed to see you." he said. "I had to see you."
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"The blood's not mine. That's all you need to know."
She just nodded. She didn't need to ask who it was from. She knew.
"I really needed to see you." Flack repeated and stepped closer to the door.
She smiled and twisted the front of his shirt in her hands and pulled him closer and down for a long, steamy toe curling kind of kiss that made his hair stand on end. Among other things.
"Really, really badly." he said.
"In that case," she said with a wide smile and yanked inside the apartment. "You better come inside."
Aphina: a little bit of fluff is coming up soon! Enough with torturing the poor guy! Well, maybe just a bit longer
laplandgurl: happy to hear from you! I'm glad your enjoying
Madison Bellows: The Doctor is on the way!
Forest Angel: more Sam and Carmen hi-jinks to come! I'm glad you like the story! Welcome!
Eddiesgirl: Glad you like the Monroe bashing. Personally, I love it beyond words! LOL!