Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY.
Series: None.
Spoilers: Summer in the City; Heroes; Run Silent, Run Deep.
Chapter Two – Summer in the City
Don stared at her for a few seconds. "What?"
"He's gonna kill her." Jess repeated, her voice breaking. "He attacked a friend of hers twice. She'll keep working the case on her own time and he'll lure her into an alley and … and beat her to death. You have to stop her."
This time, he didn't hesitate to comfort her, wrapping an arm around her. "We'll stop her, Jess. We have to."
She nodded into his shoulder, forcing the brunt of her tears to stay back, because they had nothing to do with Aiden and everything to do with the aching hole in her chest.
Although it was Don holding her now, things would never be the same again. And she wasn't sure she could cope with that.
But then again, maybe things weren't as different as she thought; he pulled away, brushing the hair from her face. "You miss them, don't you?"
Jess nodded, avoiding his gaze again. "I know it sounds stupid …"
"You said we were partners?" Don prompted.
"And best friends." Jess couldn't help the soft smile that crossed face. "You knew me better than anyone."
"And vice versa, I bet." Don murmured.
Jess nodded. "I'm sorry, by the way. About your brother. I never really got a chance to tell you that."
"I told you about Mikey?" Don asked.
"Not what happened." Jess elaborated. "Just that you were 19 when he …" She cut herself off abruptly. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have mentioned it."
"No." Don caught her hand as she pulled away. "I've never even told Danny that … But I told you."
"Yeah …" Jess shrugged. "We were talking about your sister and you'd mentioned a brother before so I asked."
Don gazed at her for a second before saying, "I really need to get you that transfer."
"Why?" Jess asked curiously, not that she minded at all.
"Because there's something about you, Jessica Angell," Don told her softly, "and I want to know what it is."
"You're falling for a crazy woman." Danny Messer stated confidently.
Don rolled his eyes. "Jess is not crazy." He glanced over his shoulder. "And I'm not falling for her."
"Yeah, you are, Flack." Aiden Burn disagreed. "There's no way you'd be buying this story otherwise."
"Well, I don't know about the falling part," Dr. Hawkes spoke up, cutting off Don's comeback, "but she's definitely crazy."
Don sighed. "Danny, how many siblings do I have?"
"Two." Danny answered, sounding perplexed. "Samantha's a bartender and you never talk about your brother."
"Right." Don nodded. "And yet Jess knows what happened to him. I know I never told her …"
"Okay." Mac Taylor held up a hand. "Just stop, all of you. At the end of the day, time-travel is impossible."
"Theoretically, travelling forward in time might be possible." Hawkes corrected. "But backwards is …"
"Impossible, ludicrous and just a bit unbelievable." A female voice finished. "Just like my story. But I swear I'm telling the truth."
Don turned to smile at newly-appointed Detective Angell, who leaned against the entrance to the conference room, looking tired.
It had taken her several hours to convince her parents and Captain Gerard that she wasn't crazy and would be more help in New York, but she had managed it. This wasn't going to be so easy.
"Hey Jess." Don pulled out the chair next to him and she sank into it. "Guys, this is Detective Jessica Angell; Jess, this is …"
"Mac Taylor, Stella Bonasera, Danny Messer, Aiden Burn, Sheldon Hawkes." Jess finished for him, nodding to each one. "I know."
"Right." Don turned back to them. "She's not crazy. Aiden, does the name Pratt ring any bells?"
Aiden nodded. "DJ Pratt. He raped my friend, Regina; she couldn't go through with testimony and he was acquitted. Why?"
"He's gonna attack her again." Jess stated quietly. "Just don't let it get to you this time."
"Get to me?" Aiden repeated. "Why …?"
"And you should really call your brother, Danny." Jess added, not meeting his eyes. "1991 was a long time ago."
"How did you know that?" Danny asked quietly.
"Don told me." Jess answered.
"I never told him." Danny shot a confused look across the table at his friend, who shrugged.
"That's because he doesn't know yet." Jess finally looked up. "That kid in the back of the car … they shot him."
"Who pulled the trigger?" Mac asked immediately.
"I don't know." Jess admitted. "And I don't know where he is. You'll get a tip-off and the DNA at the crime scene will implicate Danny. It was Louie who cleared him. Not us. You." She corrected. "I didn't work here yet. Except I will be …" She groaned, letting her head fall into her hands. "My head hurts."
Stella reached across the table and touched her arm lightly. "Detective Angell … I know this is gonna sound strange, but … do you happen to know anything about my mother?"
"She was a restoration artist. Worked for a Greek museum." Jess lifted her head. "Came here with an exhibit when you were two; was killed in a car accident shortly after. I'm afraid I don't really know anymore than that." She hesitated. "Just that Professor P isn't 100% one of the good guys. And you might wanna do something about that painting in your office; there's a museum looking for it."
"I believe her." Stella told the others.
"Me too." Danny seconded.
Mac nodded. "Alright. As impossible as this is, apparently, you're right. You've travelled back in time."
"And stuck here." Jess added quietly, before plastering a bright smile on her face. "We might as well take advantage of it."
"The captain's gonna give case info to Jess first." Don explained. "If she remembers it, either she'll take it or I will."
"None of the other detectives know." Jess explained. "And I'd rather we keep it that way."
"I don't blame you." Aiden commented. "But why don't you want me to let it get to me? You didn't see her the first time!"
"Because, if you do, it's gonna kill you." Jess whispered.
Within a week or so, Jess had forgotten her warning to Aiden; no one had asked her to elaborate and they'd been called out on another case almost immediately.
"Jess, you know anything about a climber falling from a skyscraper?" Don called, catching up to her at the crime lab.
Jess sighed, shaking her head. "Don, you'd know if I did. I read about it in the papers, but other than that …"
"Jess!" Aiden called from one of the labs. "You got a minute?"
"Sure." Jess doubled back. "What's up?"
"You were right." Aiden sighed heavily. "Son of a bitch raped her again. I can't let this go, Jess; I can't."
"You have to." Jess stated firmly. "I'm not watching them go through that again, Aiden. Let someone else take the case; it's a conflict of interest anyway …" She choked back tears, remembering Don's mostly alcohol-induced description of the murder. "Please, Aiden; don't let him win."
"Aiden …" Mac trailed off, seeing Aiden's stricken expression and Jess's tear-stained one; he hesitated, but only for a second. "You wanted to see me?"
"I want …" Aiden faltered. "I want you to keep me away from the Pratt case, Mac. Jess is right; it's gonna kill me."
Mac smiled at her. "I think that's a good decision, Aiden. I'll clear up this skyscraper case and then I'll take over, okay? I wanna make sure we get him this time."
"Thanks, Mac." Aiden glanced at Jess and nodded towards the hallway. "So what's happening with our case?"
"The diamond our vic choked on was a fake." Jess reported. "Danny and Stella went to pick up the lingerie model's bodyguard … something to do with the trace on the vic's shirt."
"But there's no way he stole the diamond." Aiden commented. "If our vic didn't even know it was stolen, how did he? And thank you."
"For what?" Jess asked.
"I don't think exhaustion or frustration was COD when you said it was gonna kill me." Aiden stated calmly. "I think you just saved my life."
AN: Seriously, if you're reading this, review please, so I know whether to continue or not.