A/N: okay, here's the new chapter! I'm gonna try really hard to keep up with my updates, but if I can get a couple reviews, it would really help. As always, I do not own any of the CSI:NY characters.

Lindsay was just entering the lobby when she saw a familiar shock of red hair bobbing at the reception desk.

"Karina!" she called, and the woman in question turned around, annoyance flashing in her green eyes.

"Lindsay! Grazie al cielo!1 I need your help." She said, moving away from the receptionist, who was giving Karina's back an icy look.

"What's with her?" Lindsay asked. Karina glanced back and rolled her eyes.

"Bloccato fino cagna.2 Just ignore her. Can you get away for a little? I need some help." She replied. Lindsay nodded as Stella walked in behind them.

"What's up?" she asked the two women.

"Sheldon asked me to dinner tonight." Karina said, causing the two CSI's to break out into smiles.

"So what's the problem?" Lindsay asked.

"My spesso a capo3 cousin only packed a pair of sweats and this suit in my bag. I don't have anything to wear on a date." She explained. Stella looked at the women with a familiar glint in her eyes.

"Lindsay, I think we can get away for a few hours of shopping with Karina. After all, it's for a good cause." She said, the glee in her voice obvious. Lindsay gave a mock groan and pulled the two women to the elevators.

"Let's go tell the guys where we'll be." She said.

"She can't go up there!" the receptionist cried, her tone snippy. Stella turned and focused her icy glare on the girl.

"And why is that? You do realize this is Detective Flack's favorite cousin, right?" she said. The snippy woman blanched a little, but held her head up.

"I've been told not to let unauthorized personnel in." she replied, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Then you should realize that I gave her authorization an hour ago." Mac's voice cut off the retort on Stella's lips. He was standing in front of the elevators with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The receptionist visibly deflated under Mac's scrutiny. Karina looked at him, confused.

"Cosa?4" she asked. Mac turned to the trio of women.

"Flack and I convinced the department to hire you as a forensic artist on a temporary basis." He explained, ushering them into the open elevator. Stella and Lindsay grinned.

"Fresco.5" she managed.

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In the lab, Adam and Danny were going over surveillance tapes in A.V. when Adam looked up, spotting the gorgeous redhead walking with Stella, Mac, and Lindsay.

"Whoa. Major hottie alert." He said. Danny's head shot up.

"How hot?"

"On a scale of one to ten, three thousand." Adam said, his eyes still locked on the red haired beauty. Danny saw who he was looking at and began to laugh.

"Adam, man, you better hope Flack doesn't catch you staring like that. She's his favorite little cousin." He said when he could breath again. The look of sheer terror on Adam's face as he imagined what Don Flack Jr. would do to him set Danny off again.

"What are you cracking up at?" Flack asked, causing Adam to jump three feet in the air. By this time, Danny was laughing so hard he fell from his chair. Flack looked from Danny, clutching his sides and roaring with laughter, to Adam.

"What's with him?" he asked. Adam's eyes were wide with fright as he scrambled for words.

"He..um, well he…I was just-"Adam stuttered, before Flack cut him off.

"Forget it, I don't want to know. When he picks himself off the floor, Mac wants to see you both." He said, turning and waking out the door, muttering about his crazy best friend. Adam visibly relaxed, and hauled Danny to his feet.

"You heard the man. The boss is calling." He said, and headed for the former marine's office, Danny on his heels.

In Mac's office, they met with the rest of the team.

"For those who don't already know, this is Karina Santoro. Karina, meet Adam, Kendall, and Sid Hammerback, our ME. Karina is our new forensic artist. She's also Flack's cousin." Mac introduced. Kendall reached out and shook Karina's hand, smiling warmly. Adam shyly waved at her.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Santoro." Sid said, clasping her hand gently.

"Il piacere e mia.6 Thank you." She said. Hawkes grinned a little.

"Okay, now that the introductions have been made, we ladies are on a mission. If you need us, page us. Please, don't need us." Stella said, ushering Lindsay and Karina out the door.

"I always need you Stella." Mac teased. Everyone began to chuckle as Stella blushed, heading after the other women. Karina's warm laugh filtered back down the hall as they left.

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"How about this one?" Stella asked, holding up a wine colored dress. It was strapless, with a very short skirt.

"Stel, if she shows up with that dress on, she'll make the poor man's brain shut down." Lindsay laughed. Karina was shut away in a dressing room, trying on whatever Stella and Lindsay passed to her. Lindsay picked up a deep jade halter dress that came to about two inches above the knee. She pushed it over the dressing room door to Karina.

"Try this one." She said.

"e bella!7" Karina cried. Stella laughed and the two women sat down to wait for Karina.

"So, what did Mac say to make you blush so hard?" Lindsay asked.

"It was nothing, just a joke." Stella said quickly, a small note of regret in her tone. The younger woman fixed her with a hard stare.

"Stella, why are you so quick to dismiss anything that even hints at your feelings toward a certain former marine?" she asked. Stella bowed her head.

"It's complicated." Stella said. Karina stepped out of the dressing room, and Lindsay and Stella looked up. The dress made Karina's eyes stand out, and her hair seemed even more vivid.

"Stella, for a CSI, you don't seem to notice what's right in front of you." She said, the skirt of her dress swaying as she walked to the mirrors.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. The redhead smiled as she twirled before the mirrors.

"E pazzesco circa voi.8 I think this is perfect." She said, grinning. Lindsay smiled widely, very glad Danny had taught her some Italian.

"Great. You'll knock his socks off with that outfit." Lindsay said. Karina smiled at her reflection.

"Definitivamente.9"

Translations:

1. Thank heavens!

2. stuck up bitch

3. thick headed

4. what?

5. nice.

6. The pleasure is mine.

7. It's beautiful!

8. He is crazy about you.

9. Definitely

A/N: Next chapter is the date, and of course, Flack's reaction.