Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY.
Series: 'Kindred Spirits'.
Spoilers: Some Buried Bones; mentions of Consequences.
I'd like to say now that I - thankfully - didn't lose anyone on 9-11, but I know a lot of people did. I know it's only June, but I'd like to dedicate this oneshot to all those who lost their lives that day and to the people who lost them.
Some Buried Bones
"Personal shoplifter." Danny repeated. "What the hell?"
Jess sighed. "You've heard of personal shoppers, right, Messer?"
"Yeah." Danny still looked confused.
"This woman's a personal shoplifter." Jess explained.
"So she steals to order?" Danny shook his head. "Just when I thought I'd seen everything."
"Come on, Danny; how long have you lived in the city?" Jess teased. "You can never see everything."
Danny chuckled dryly. "Yeah …"
Jess glanced at him as they left the department store, Stella disappearing in the opposite direction. He was subdued and quiet, which wasn't a good look for the normally upbeat Detective Messer, who, at times, reminded her of her young nephews when they'd had too many E-numbers. "You heard from Lindsay?"
Danny turned to look at her so quickly she heard his neck crack. "Why? Have you? What did she say?"
Jess smirked. "Calm down. I haven't heard from her. That's kinda why I asked if you had."
Danny sighed. "Sorry. I'm just … I'm worried about her, you know?"
"Why'd she go back?" Jess asked curiously.
"'Personal reasons'." Danny quoted.
"Danny, that could be anything." Jess pointed out. "I took time off for 'personal reasons' to visit my sister-in-law when she had a baby."
Danny shook his head. "She looked worried … nervous. Plus, she didn't even say goodbye."
"Maybe goodbye was too permanent for her." Jess suggested. "Maybe she's worried that her parents won't want her to come home."
"She's going back to testify, Angell." Danny said hollowly. "As a witness."
Jess stopped, somehow managing to avoid being run over by the group of children running down the street. "A witness for what?"
Danny sighed. "I have no idea."
"Look, if Lindsay wants us to know or needs help, she'll call us." Jess told him, feeling a bit like a parrot the number of times she'd said that or something similar. Her phone rang and she unhooked it from her belt, glancing at the number. She didn't recognise it. "Angell."
"Hey, it's me."
Jess froze at the painfully familiar voice and hung up. "Wrong number." She explained to Danny.
"Then why didn't you tell them that?" Danny asked with a smirk. "Avoiding someone?"
"Don't push me on this, Messer." Jess warned. "You won't like the results."
Her mind was racing. How did he get my number? I changed it.
"Who was it?" Danny prompted. "C'mon, Angell; I'm not gonna laugh."
Jess sighed. "My ex-boyfriend. Haven't seen him since I was in the Academy."
"Bad break-up?" Danny guessed.
"He cheated on me." Jess admitted.
"Want me to kill him?" Danny asked immediately.
"My brother already did that." Jess smiled. "But thanks anyway." Her phone rang again and she glanced at the screen, seeing the same number. This time, she didn't even bother answering, ending the call straight away.
"Maybe he wants to apologise?" Danny suggested hesitantly.
Jess laughed at the thought. "No. Of all the things it could be, that is not one of them. And, even if it is, I don't want to know. He's out of my life now. End of story." She took a deep breath. "So how are we gonna catch this woman?"
Danny still looked concerned, but took the subject change without argument. "Well, I think our best bet is to wait for her to get the security footage from …" He was cut off by her phone ringing again. "Oh, for …" He snagged her phone and answered it. "Listen, asshole, when someone ignores your calls, it means they don't wanna talk to you! So back off and leave her alone or I'll …" He trailed off with a wince. "Sorry." He handed her phone back. "It's your brother."
Jess couldn't help laughing at the look on his face. "Hello?"
"Who the hell was that?"
Jess flinched on Danny's behalf and covered her cell with one hand. "Could be worse. It's the oldest, not the youngest." She didn't wait for a response, moving her hand. "Sorry, Jamie; one of my co-workers …"
"Just a co-worker?" Jamie asked sceptically. "Who did he think I was?"
"Yes, just a co-worker." Jess rolled her eyes as Don approached them, raising a hand in recognition. "Look, can we have this conversation later? Honestly, you boys never call me and then you pick the worst possible time! Why did you call me?"
"It's a girl." Jamie told her, the speculation in his voice transforming into pride. "We found out yesterday."
"Oh, that's fantastic!" Jess shook her head at Danny, seeing he was about to explain what was going on to her partner, who was scribbling something in his notebook. "Congratulations; Elle must be happy. When's she due again?"
"May." Jamie answered. "Now what was all that about earlier?"
Jess sighed. "'Scuse me, boys." She brushed past them, feeling Don press a piece of paper into her hand as she did. "Philip called me today."
"He did, huh?" Jamie had left it up to his youngest brother to deal with their sister's ex.
"I hung up the first time and didn't answer the second. I guess Danny assumed you were him again." Jess explained. "And, yes, he's just a co-worker. His girlfriend's visiting her family at the moment; we were in the middle of talking about that when you called."
Okay, so Danny and Lindsay weren't actually dating, but it was only a matter of time. She glanced down at the paper in her hand, seeing a scribbled question. "Hey, Jamie, you know anything about the Kings and Shadows?"
"I've heard of them." Jamie answered slowly. "Why?"
"No idea." Jess admitted. "My partner just handed me a note asking if you know anything about them. I guess he's as lost as I am."
"They're a secret society at Chelsea University." Jamie told her. "Reportedly founded in the 19th century; linked to big names in New York. But I thought they were just a myth."
Jess sighed. "Alright. Thanks. I'll see if I can get some time off in May and come down to see you."
"Thanks, Chickpea." Jamie said; she could hear the smile in his voice. "Tell us if he starts bothering you."
"Will do." Jess assured him. "Love you."
"Love you too."
Hearing the dial tone, Jess hung up and hooked her phone back onto her belt next to her badge.
"What was all that about?" Don asked when she reached them.
"My sister-in-law's having another girl." Jess told him with a smile. "Kings and Shadows are a supposed myth, a secret society at Chelsea University, formed in the 19th century. That's all he knows."
"Yeah, I knew you were talking to your brother; Danny told me that much." Don told her. "And I'm not surprised he doesn't know anything else; I've never heard of them and I grew up in Long Island. When's she due?"
"May." Jess answered. "I'm gonna see if I can get some time off to go and visit."
"You shouldn't have a problem." Don assured her. "Just tell the captain early. Why were you telling your brother that Danny was just a co-worker?"
"How'd you know I was talking about Danny?" Jess smirked.
"I told him that much." Danny admitted.
Jess shrugged. "It's nothing. I answered the phone, Danny said something to me, Jamie was his annoying older-brother self."
Don didn't look convinced, but he didn't push the subject. "Alright. What've you two got?"
"A professional shoplifter we can't seem to catch." Jess sighed. "You've got a mythical society?"
"Dead guy in a maze." Don corrected. "But according to Mac's stepson, he was doing an exposé on the Kings and Shadows."
"Whoa." Jess stopped him. "Mac's stepson? When did this happen?"
"When Truby was arrested." Don answered stiffly, though she knew it was because of their ex-colleague and not her question.
"He was following Stella." Danny elaborated. "Thought she was Claire … Mac's wife. She gave him up for adoption when she was a teenager."
"What happened to her?" Jess asked softly.
"9-11." Danny answered.
Jess nodded understandingly as the three cops lapsed into silence, even in the busy street. She could still remember, clear as if it was yesterday, the moment someone had run into her class at the Academy, shouting that the World Trade Centres had collapsed, and then the moment of stunned silence afterwards, before all hell broke lose, everyone scrambling for cell-phones and PDAs, trying desperately to reach friends and family who had been in the building.
"Am I the only one who thinks they did that on purpose?" Jess asked eventually, breaking the tension.
"What, fly a plane into the twin towers?" Danny rolled his eyes. "Probably."
"No." Jess shook her head. "9-11. 911. Emergency number. Do you think they did that on purpose?"
"Wouldn't be surprised." Don muttered. "Bastards."
Jess and Danny both nodded in agreement. "And now we've reached a point we can't get out of without dismissing the whole subject callously." The latter commented.
"I'll do it." Don offered. "What are you gonna do about that shoplifter?"
"Oh, thanks for reminding me." Jess checked her watch. "I've got to get that security footage. I'll meet you back at the lab, Messer."
"Angell!" Don called as she retraced her steps. "You wanna talk whatever was bothering you, you know where I am."
Jess didn't turn back, but waved a vague hand in recognition, even as her phone rang again. She glanced at the screen and saw the same damn number. She was tempted to turn back and let Danny deal with him, but held her ground, deciding to nip it in the bud.
"Hello?"
"Why'd you hang up on me, baby?"
Jess gritted her teeth. "I haven't talked to you since the beginning of 2000. When someone hangs up on you and then ignores your calls, it means 'leave me alone', not 'keep calling until I give up and yell at you'. What the hell do you want? And if the next words out of your mouth are anything to do with getting back together, you'd better think of another answer, because that is never going to happen."
"Ex-boyfriend?"
Jess started as Don's voice sounded millimetres away from her ear and nodded, letting him lead her to the side of the sidewalk out of everyone's way, and she realised that she'd stopped walking mid-rant.
"Come on, Jessie, you don't mean that."
"Okay, first of all, don't call me that!" Jess snapped. "Secondly, I do mean that. I never want to see you again and I never want to speak to you again. So I suggest you forget you ever found this number." She hung up and turned to Don. "And, no, I don't want to talk about it."
"Alright." Don looked concerned. "Just …"
"I know you're here." Jess smiled, resting a hand on his arm. "I didn't mean to snap at you just now. I just don't want to talk about it." She groaned as her phone rang yet again. "I'm going to kill him!"
"That a disconcerting thing to hear from a cop." Now it was Don's turn to take her phone and answer it. "She told you she didn't want to speak to you again. I'm her partner. I don't give a damn why you broke up; she doesn't wanna talk to you. If you call Detective Angell again, I will find out and arrest you for harassing a cop. Stay the hell away from her." He hung up and handed her phone back. "I think that might have worked better if I told him I was your boyfriend …"
Jess chuckled. "At least you got him. Danny yelled at my brother."
Don laughed. "I knew there was another reason behind it." The smile faded from his face. "You alright?"
Jess nodded. "Yeah. I just wasn't expecting him to suddenly call out of the blue like that. I haven't spoken to him in six years."
"And I don't suppose you're gonna tell me why?" Don guessed.
"Eventually." Jess promised. "Just give me time."
"Take as long as you want." Don squeezed her hand. "I'll see you later."
"Sure." Jess watched him walk away, her fingers tingling. If the call had come a year ago, she hated to admit, she probably would have given in.
But it had been a few months since the thought of him conjured up an ache in her chest and even longer since his face didn't appear in her mind in the middle of lonely nights.
She couldn't quite pinpoint when it had happened, but somewhere in the last six months, that man had changed.
5'9 grew to 6'2.
Fair hair became dark.
And brown eyes had slowly turned to blue, which were less warm, yet somehow more comforting.
It was only now she let herself admit that she knew who he was and that she wished it really was her partner holding her, rather than a vision in her head.
AN: She will tell Flack eventually, I promise. I'm trying to hold out until Right Next Door for obvious reasons.