Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY.
Series: None.
Spoiler: Grand Murder at Central Station; slight mentions of All Access, The Box, Greater Good and The Cost of Living.
Chapter Three – Grand Murder at Central Station
Aiden stuck to her decision and refused to go near the DJ Pratt case, focusing instead on being a pillar of support for Regina. She was currently working a case with Don, Mac and Hawkes that involved a plastic surgeon being attacked with …
"Lye?" Jess repeated.
"Yeah." Don confirmed. "Anything?"
Jess shook her head. "Sorry, you never told me about that one."
"Dammit." Don sighed. "I got three people suing him for ruining their faces, all of whom have alibis. How is it not them?" He shook his head. "What you got?"
"Blind woman strangled on top of a building she didn't live in." Jess pulled a face. "How can anyone be that callous?"
"One of the first things you learn about this city …" Don began.
"Anyone can do anything to anybody." Jess recited with a smile. "Yeah, you told me that."
Don opened his mouth to disagree, but then chuckled. "Of course I did." He cocked his head to the side, observing her. "What is it?"
Jess shook her head. "Nothing." She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. "It's just … I knew there was something different about you and it was driving me crazy figuring out what it is."
"I'm younger?" Don guessed.
"No, your hair." Jess told him. "It's longer than I remember."
Don ran a hand through it. "That a bad thing?"
"No." Jess let a seductive smirk work its way onto her face. "No, it's not a bad thing."
"Huh, I'll … I'll remember that." Don leaned against the wall. "How the hell do you do that?"
"Do what?" Jess asked innocently.
"You know exactly what." Don accused quietly.
Jess chuckled and leaned in closer. "Remember, Detective, I've known you three years longer than you've known me." She murmured. "I know every single way of getting to you."
"You're gonna be the death of me." Don muttered. The phrase was painfully familiar and it must have shown in her eyes, because he nodded over her shoulder, hastily changing the subject. "Who's that with Stella?"
Jess turned in that direction. "I don't know. She said she was gonna get an artist in to look at one of Evelyn's unfinished sculptures, but …"
"That's not a professional relationship." Don murmured. "How she's looking at him … think that could be the elusive boyfriend?"
"I don't know." Jess narrowed her eyes, a sick feeling flooding through her. "But I'm going to find out." Pasting an innocent expression on her face, she jogged over to the office. "Stella! Sorry, I didn't realise you had company."
"Of course you didn't." Stella muttered. "Frankie, this is Detective Angell. Jess, Frankie Mala. He's going to finish off the sculpture for us; see if we can't figure out who it is."
"Nice to meet you." Jess shook his offered hand. "Stel, the Braille expert just got here."
"Thanks." Stella smiled at Frankie. "I'll see you later. Thanks for this."
"Sure."
Jess let Stella lead her away from her office. "Be careful."
"Why?" Stella asked.
Jess sighed. "I'm not sure. But I know I've heard his name before and it wasn't in connection to anything good."
Stella glanced back over her shoulder. "Are you sure?"
Jess nodded. "I mean, I might be wrong. It could just have been that you broke off and Don was always rather protective of you and Li … the others. He just really didn't like him." She silently chided herself for slipping and she knew that Stella had caught it. "So what are we expecting this letter to say?"
"Depends who wrote it." Stella waited until they'd entered the empty elevator and the doors had closed before confronting her. "What were you going to say?"
"Lindsay." Jess answered. "She was a friend of mine. A good friend."
"Why don't you try and find her?" Stella suggested.
Jess chuckled wryly. "I would if I had the slightest idea how to introduce myself. There's no reason for us to meet this time."
The doors opened at this moment and the two women strode out into the corridor.
"Detective Angell!" Mac called from his office. "Can I have a moment?"
"You okay without me?" Jess checked.
"Yeah, go ahead." Stella assured her.
Jess doubled back, slipping through the door before it could swing shut. "What's up?"
"Well, since NYPD got an extra detective, the lab's been given the go-ahead to hire another CSI." Mac told her, indicating a stack of files on his desk. "I was just wondering if you recognise any of the names."
"Why do you think I would?" Jess asked curiously, pulling the pile onto her lap and opening the top one. The name was unfamiliar and she returned it to its place.
"Call it a hunch." Mac told her. "You act perfectly comfortable around everyone except Aiden, like you haven't known her as long."
"You're good." Jess didn't go into details, flicking through the folders, praying that the name she was hoping for would appear. Come on …
She'd almost given up hope; she opened the last file, not expecting it to be the one she wanted, but, no – a smile spread across her face.
Lindsay Monroe.
"This one." She announced. "Lindsay Monroe. Bozeman PD, Montana."
"Really?" Mac sounded surprised. "I've seen some of her work, but I'm surprised you picked her out."
"She was one of my best friends." Jess whispered. "I miss her."
Mac smiled at her. "I'd better make that call then."
"I …" Jess stood up, rounded the desk and gave him a hug. "Thank you." She straightened out and stopped just short of skipping out of the office, almost running into Don on the way.
"What …?" Don cut himself off and shrugged at Mac. "I'll ask her later."
That evening, Jess stood outside Don's apartment, knocking quietly. She had overheard his vow earlier and, since her case was cleared up faster than his, she'd headed over.
When Don opened the door, he looked surprised. "Hey. How'd you get in?"
"The security code hasn't changed." Jess smiled. "Your spare key's in the same place as well, but I figured I'd better knock … in case you had company."
"Jess, I never bring women back here." Don told her quietly. "Except for you, apparently. Come in."
"You wanted to ask me something earlier." Jess prompted, taking a seat on his couch.
"I was just wondering what put that smile on your face." Don grinned at her. "What did Mac tell you?"
"There's another CSI coming." Jess explained. "From Montana. We're … We were friends. Mac asked me to check the files he had; see if I recognised anyone."
"And this is good?" Don guessed.
"Of course." Jess smirked. "And not just for me."
"Uh oh." Don eyed her worriedly. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing. I just miss her, that's all. And Lucy." Jess added as an afterthought.
"Lucy?" Don questioned.
"Damn." Jess muttered. "You won't say anything, will you? I don't wanna change this too much."
"My lips are sealed." Don promised. "Who's Lucy?"
"Her daughter." Jess answered a little reluctantly. "At least, she was."
Don chuckled. "You're getting Mac to ship in a CSI from Montana because you're getting broody?"
"I am not!" Jess protested, swatting his arm. "Lindsay was one of my best friends." Her earlier discomfort returned. "And, speaking of friends, I'm worried about Stella."
"The boyfriend?" Don asked darkly, catching her hand as it drew back and tugging her closer.
Jess sank into his offered embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. I just wish I knew why. I guessed you didn't like him and …" She closed her eyes, groaning as a memory came back to her. "That's who she was talking about."
"Who?" Don prompted when she didn't elaborate.
"About a year before I was shot," Jess began, "Stella was attacked in the course of an investigation. She was obviously a bit shaken up over the whole thing when I talked to her and she said that she hadn't let anyone get the better of her like that since … and then she changed the subject."
"If she is talking about him," Don growled, "I will make his life living hell. What happened to that attacker?"
"He ended up dead." Jess answered. "Stel and I set up an undercover sting – the whole thing turned into a serial-killer-slash-antique-smuggling-ring bust. You were not happy."
"Why not?" Don asked curiously.
Jess shrugged. "We were disobeying orders, we were taking risks, we were toeing the line, I was setting myself up as a client and potential victim … take your pick. That's the only real argument I remember us having." She added quietly.
"Who won?"
Jess didn't need to look up to see the smirk on his face. "Both of us. You promised to drop it and I promised to be careful."
"Sounds like neither of us one in that case." Don commented.
"I wouldn't say that." Jess smirked, remembering what had happened afterwards.
"Was it weird?" Don asked then.
"What, falling back in time?" Jess rolled her eyes. "Fairly, yes."
"No, going from friends to … something more." Don elaborated.
"Not as much as I thought it would be." Jess answered slowly. "It was like we'd been dating anyway, we just hadn't been …" She trailed off, feeling her face begin to heat up. "I do find it a bit weird that we're talking about this."
"You said we were best friends." Don reminded her. "I'd like to be that for you again, even if anything else takes time."
"Okay." Jess straightened up, turning to face him. "If we're going to have a frank and open discussion, I have to point out that you're implying that we could be something else."
"Well, frankly and openly," Don grinned, "you're stunning and, if you were any other girl, we wouldn't be talking right now." His smile softened. "But you deserve more than that and, right now, I don't know if I can give that to you. I don't believe in love at first sight – physical attraction, yeah, but love takes time. So just give me time to work out what I'm feeling, okay? The last thing I wanna do is hurt you." He leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly.
Jess smiled at him. "Baby steps then."
"Right." Don confirmed. "I was gonna order pizza; you in?"
"Sure." Jess stretched, realising how hungry she was. "Double pepperoni, extra cheese."
Don chuckled. "Girl after my own heart. You wanna stick a movie in while I'm doing that?"
Standing up, Jess ran her eye along the row of DVDs, noticing the missing titles and realising that, of course, they hadn't been released yet. She selected a comedy and slipped it in, just as Don hung up.
"Haven't seen this one yet." He commented. "But you have?"
"A lot happens in four years." Jess smirked.
"I guess so." Don agreed quietly. "So this new CSI …"
"Lindsay." Jess filled in.
"Assuming nothing changes on that front, do we know the father?" Don asked.
"Uh huh." Jess didn't elaborate, letting him pull her close again.
"And?" Don prompted.
Jess sniggered. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
AN: I hope Don's explanation make sense, because I don't want to just have them start dating again; I'd be a bit unnerved if I was in his position – he's never been in a committed relationship and that's what she's looking for. Review please!