Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:NY.
Series: None.
Spoilers: All Access; Open and Shut.
Warning: This was not my favourite episode, not even close. As such, I don't think I've done too good a job on this chapter, but I think it's about as good as it's going to get, so don't expect miracles XD
On a side note: I'm on 300 reviews! Thank you so much, everyone, keep 'em coming!
Chapter Twenty Four – All Access
Sometimes, work got so hectic that Don and Jess only got to see each other for a few minutes a day. So, when both cases were closed, and they finally had some time to themselves, each second was precious.
So, of course, once again, they had been interrupted by a phone ringing.
"Ignore it." Don advised, nibbling on her neck.
"Can't." Jess gasped out, biting her lip. "Might be important."
Don sighed. "You're off-duty, Jess."
"It's Stella." Jess stated, checking the ID. "Until that boyfriend of hers is out of the picture, I'm never off-duty."
At this, Don stopped complaining, although he did shift in his seat and adjust his pants. "Fine."
Jess rolled her eyes and answered her phone. "Hey, Stell."
"Jess, you were right. He's a complete bastard."
Jess stood up and took the call to the kitchen, ignoring Don's puzzled look. "What did he do?"
"He posted a movie of us on the internet." Stella hissed. "Having … Well, you know."
Jess scowled. "What a sick … Who does that?"
"I know!" Stella agreed. "And then he turns up at work wanting to know why I've been ignoring his calls."
Jess shook her head. "Unbelievable. He's gone then?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm not staying with someone like that. He …"
Jess nodded understandingly, despite the fact Stella couldn't see her, but there was still something bothering her. She couldn't see Stella confiding something like this in Don – not unless she actually wanted Frankie dead – so why would Don hate him so much? Unless her being there had changed whatever it was or stopped it from happening or …
"Jess."
Jess stiffened, hearing the sudden tremor in Stella's voice. "What's wrong?"
"There's someone in my apartment."
"Stella, correct me if I'm wrong," Jess said, her voice low, "but you don't tell guys where you live so you have somewhere to go home to, right?"
"That's right." Stella confirmed.
"Right, don't hang up." Jess told her, slipping her shoes on. "Pretend you have, but don't. We're on our way."
"Jess?" Don questioned.
"Shoes." Jess said bluntly, opening the lock-box where she kept her weapon. "Quickly. You know Stella's address?"
"Yeah, of course." Don hurried after her, reciting it almost automatically. "What's happening?"
"I don't know at the moment." Jess admitted, keeping her phone glued to her ear. "But I'd rather be proven paranoid than right."
"Get the hell out of my apartment."
As they jumped into Don's car, Jess gave him a look previously reserved for I want you right now, so get us home before we get arrested for indecent exposure.
It now had a completely different meaning, one she didn't have to vocalise, but the only change in his reaction was that he pulled the portable police lights out of the glove compartment and set them on the dashboard, turning on the siren, before breaking the speed limit.
A scream came through the phone and Jess started. "Stella? Stella?"
A low ringtone came through the line, signalling that the call had been cut off.
"Stella?" Jess hung up. "I lost her, Don."
Don swore under his breath and they sped up, cars pulling over to the side of the road to let them through.
Jess dialled Mac's number, her heart racing.
"Taylor."
"Mac, Stella's apartment, now!" Jess stated. "No time, just get there." She hung up again, not bothering to wait for a response, and promptly dialled the radio code."This is Detective Angell; we have a possible 10-34, domestic, 2344 Lexington Avenue, officer involved, apartment 12 Charlie. Detective Flack and I are en route."
"10-4. Copied to all units."
Jess hung up. "I just hope we're not too late."
"We can't be." Don murmured. "She wouldn't have been on the phone to you the first time, would she? If anything, we should get there faster, right?"
"I don't know." Jess sighed. "I hope so."
They could hear echoes of their own siren floating from every corner of the city, but when they pulled up outside Stella's building, they were the first on the scene.
Don had barely killed the engine when they both jumped out, hands on their weapons.
When they reached the apartment, it was ominously quiet and Don hammered on the door with the palm of his hand. "Stella?"
There was no response.
"Lucky we've got cause for concern." Jess murmured, stepping back. "You wanna do the honours?"
Don didn't answer, kicking the door in. "NYPD!" He didn't wait for an explanation, knocking the knife out of Frankie's hands.
Jess pretended not to notice that he slammed Frankie's face into the wall a little harder than was really necessary. Her only focus was on the woman lying face-down in her own living room, her hands bound behind her back with plastic ties.
Bastard.
Like most cops, Jess kept a knife on her at all times, as well as her service and back-up weapon. She slid the blade from her pocket and carefully cut through the plastic, snapping a quick picture with her phone. It was a poor substitute for a camera, she knew, but it was better than nothing and she wasn't about to leave Stella like this until Mac or another of the CSIs got there.
"Shut the fuck up!" Don snarled, as Frankie continued protesting. "Angell, I'm taking him down."
"Got it." Jess rolled Stella on to her back and pulled her phone out again, dialling the radio code once more. "This is Detective Angell, the 10-34 is confirmed; situation under control, but I need a bus to the previous address, stat."
"10-4. 10-6 copied to all units."
Jess hooked her phone back on her belt and straightened. Now that Don had taken Stella's ex downstairs, the apartment was strangely quiet. She pulled her weapon once more and checked the other rooms, mentally scolding herself for not doing it earlier.
Just because you've got a hunch doesn't make you infallible.
Thankfully, the rest of the apartment was empty and she returned to Stella's side, hearing footsteps running up the stairs.
"Mac?" She called.
"It's me!" He confirmed, appearing in the doorway. He stopped short when he saw Stella, his face draining of colour. "Shit."
"Yeah, I think that about sums it up." Jess agreed, wiping some of the blood away from Stella's face. "She's alive. I'm not a doctor, but it looks like she just took a hit the wrong way."
"Just?" Mac repeated sharply. "What happened last time?"
"I don't know." Jess sighed. "But if it was just this, Stella would have told me. She alluded to it several times, but … I never asked."
"You're like me." Mac said quietly. "We assume that if people want to talk, they will."
Jess nodded. "The few times it almost came up … I could see it in her eyes that she was regretting it …" She trailed off, remembering a case that had cut Stella so deeply that she had almost lost sight of the evidence.
A young woman, who had been found shaking, having shot the man who had murdered her husband in their apartment, only to be proven a liar and a cold-blooded killer, having bludgeoned her husband to death and then framed an innocent – dead – man. She could probably have gotten away with it too … had she not managed to commit said murders just as police were responding to the hotel next door, which meant they were on the scene in minutes, leaving her no time to hide the evidence.
Oh God … what if that's what happened last time? What if she was left with no option but to shoot him?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft groan from the woman on the floor between them.
"Stella?" Jess called softly, holding up a hand as Mac automatically moved forwards. "Just wait. Trust me."
Stella's eyes shot open and she grasped the hand Jess offered her. "Frankie?"
"He's gone, hun." Jess soothed. "On his way to the precinct. And given the mood Don's in, I don't envy his chances in interrogation."
Stella managed a weak smile and accepted Jess's help to sit up. "Mac?"
"I'm here." Mac knelt at her other side and took her hand. "Are you alright?"
"Shaken." Stella admitted quietly. "I'm sorry, Jess, I should have listened to you …"
"Hey," Jess interrupted gently. "This isn't your fault, Stell. I'm sorry I couldn't be more specific."
"If I'm not allowed to blame myself, you aren't either." Stella told her as sternly as she could, which wasn't very at the moment.
"Ambulance?" Mac asked.
"On its way." Jess told him.
"Guys, I don't need …" Stella began.
"You're getting checked out." Mac told her firmly. "And then you're coming to stay with me."
For a second, it looked like Stella would argue with him, but then she nodded weakly.
"You want me to pack a bag for you?" Jess asked softly.
Stella shook her head. "No. Thanks for the offer, Jess, but I need to do that."
Jess nodded, understanding that Stella needed to regain some control over the situation. "Alright. I'll head down and wait for the ambulance then?"
She received two nods and let herself out of the apartment, finally letting the tears fall. She took the elevator down to the first floor, allowing herself time to get herself composed.
By the time she exited the building, the only sign of her distress was the redness of her eyes, which no one would have noticed.
Except Don hadn't left. He was leaning on his car.
"What are you still doing here?" Jess asked in surprise.
"Have you been crying?" Don responded, his voice concern.
Jess waved him off, brushing his hand away from her face. "I thought you were taking Frankie to the precinct."
Don scowled. "As much as I'd love to, Jess, I could guarantee that I wouldn't take a swing at him. And I want him to go away for this, without hiding behind a lawyer. Now have you been crying?"
Jess wiped her eyes. "I shouldn't be." She said in a low voice. "I'm fine. I just wish …"
"You did all you could, Jess." Don told her softly. "This could have been so much worse. And I'm willing to bet it was the first time. She's staying somewhere else, right?"
"With Mac." Jess confirmed.
Don smiled weakly. "Think they'll finally get off their asses?"
"They didn't the first time round." Jess commented. "And it's hardly the time to be thinking about that."
Don sighed. "You're right. Sorry."
The ambulance pulled up beside them, the EMTs jumping out. "Where to, Detectives?"
"Apartment 12C." Jess answered. "She's conscious now, but we'd all feel better if she was checked over."
"Roger."
"Roger?" Don repeated as soon as they were out earshot. "Who uses that anymore?"
"Military do." Jess answered absently. "Quite often. Are we all done here?"
"Think so." Don confirmed. "You going to the hospital with them?"
Jess shook her head. "No, if it were me, I'd want as few people fussing over me as possible. She's got her partner, she'll be alright." Her phone beeped with a text and she glanced down to see a message from Mac.
Go ahead. I got it.
"Mac says to go home." She said.
"Alright." Don pushed himself away from his car and opened the door for her. "My lady."
Jess chuckled. "You're a dork sometimes, you know that."
"'S why you love me." Don reminded her, bending down to kiss her.
"Only one of the reasons." Jess smiled, as he closed her door.
"So what now?" Don asked, when he was sitting in the driver's seat.
"We go home." Jess answered. "I've got a new appreciation for just how lucky I am."
AN: Here I am self-plugging again: I've started a blog – unrelated to CSI:NY, but it'd be great if people could check it out, maybe comment so I know people are reading it – crazystudentteacher(.)weebly(.)com