Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: NY.
Series: 'Kindred Spirits'.
Spoilers: Sweet 16; Consequences.
Sweet Sixteen
"Okay, Stella, thanks for letting me know." Jess glanced up as there was a knock outside her apartment. "Gotta go."
Hanging up and tossing her phone onto the counter, Jess jogged to the door and opened it to find Don standing outside, leaning against the door-frame looking utterly exhausted.
Wordlessly, she let him in, silently feeling relieved that he was done hiding; she'd seen the way the rest of their colleagues were ostracising him over what happened with Truby, but he'd been pretending he didn't notice.
It looked like that was over.
He sank onto her couch, rubbing a hand over his face.
"You want a drink?" Jess asked quietly.
"No thanks." Don responded, his voice hoarse. "We lost an FBI agent today."
"Oh God …" Jess dropped down next to him. "What happened?"
Don shook his head. "We had a dead skydiver, who was killed by poisoned racing pigeons, who had come from a loft where their owner had been killed by the stepfather of the boy who helped him out."
"And that was the house that Jack built." Jess finished dryly. "So where'd the FBI agent come in to it?"
"Our vic …" Don hesitated "… the pigeon guy, not the skydiver – had been in the Witness Protection program. Agent Broadbent was helping Mac on that line, back when we thought that might've been the motive." He sighed. "It was something to do with IRA terrorists."
Jess groaned. "How was she killed?"
"She was executed." Don stated bluntly. "Took one between the eyes."
"Dammit." Jess muttered. She leaned back and tilted her head, eying him curiously. "Still pissed off about Truby?"
"I should've known." Don sighed. "The signs were all there … it was obvious …"
"Yeah, I've been there." Jess muttered.
"You had to deal with a dirty colleague back in Jersey?" Don guessed.
"Hmm? Oh, no." Jess shook her head. "Sorry, I was thinking aloud. Different situation, totally different. I'm just saying, I know how frustrating it is to realise something that should have been painfully obvious."
Against her wishes, a painfully familiar face floated into her mind, warm brown eyes, dirty blond hair falling over them.
"What do you mean you can't make it?"
"Sorry babe; something came up. I had to work late."
"I'm home … Oh, my God … What the hell are you doing?"
For the first time, in a long time, she realised that the memory of coming home to find her boyfriend screwing her room-mate no longer hurt her.
In fact, she didn't feel anything.
"Jess …" Don's voice cut through her unwanted memory. "You wanna talk about it?"
Jess shook her head. "No. It's not important and not worth the time. Besides it was a long time ago. Are you okay?"
"I don't know." Don admitted. "I know I did the right thing, but no one else seems to get that."
"I get that." Jess told him quietly, putting a hand on his arm. "I do."
"That, I do know." Don smiled weakly. "But it's getting a little depressing. You're the only person at the precinct who's talking to me right now, unless they absolutely have to."
Jess couldn't help the twinge of pain she felt at the hurt in his eyes and didn't hesitate in shifting closer to him and offering a silent hug, which he accepted gratefully.
The two stayed like that in silence for a few minutes without speaking, like they had in the locker room, Jess simply allowing him to take comfort from her arms. After a few minutes, she realised that her fingers had started running along the strong muscles in his back and shoulders and forced herself to stop, but, if he'd noticed, he didn't say anything.
She really should come up with more reasons to hug him, she thought to herself. She had long-since decided that trying to not fall for her partner was futile and that the best way to handle this was to just go along with whatever happened.
"Is Lindsay okay?" He asked finally. "I heard something happened at your scene."
"Snake bite." Jess confirmed quietly. "Stella just called; she was treated with anti-venom and released."
The moment broken, Jess loosened her embrace, but his arms tightened in response, pulling her closer.
"Sorry." He murmured into her hair. "I just really need a hug."
Jess smiled into his shoulder, shifting slightly to make her positioning a little less uncomfortable; though she was certain she could never be uncomfortable in his arms, she didn't want to take that chance, not for a second.
"Yeah." She agreed in a whisper. "Me too."
AN: As I believe I mentioned in The Triangle, I will go into details about the boyfriend, probably in Right Next Door, so bear with me. Review please!