So this idea came to me last fall, I think and has been sitting on my computer within sentences of being finished. This is told through Mac's POV, but it is a Danny/Lindsay story. It takes place in between Grand Murder at Central Station and Zoo York, as Mac looks for a replacement for Aiden by finding someone to be the partner he thinks Danny needs. So ... is Mac Taylor a matchmaker? Read on and see what you think...

Mac Taylor sat at his computer, his fingers idly tapping the edge of his keyboard. He was numb to it all, he thought. Numb to standing there, watching Aiden hand him her badge, not numb to the feeling of justice she felt was missing. In the back of his mind, there was a part of himself that was angry with her,a larger part that understood the fear, the temptation. He glanced again at the folder that sat on his desk. His promise to her.

And yet, he still needed a complete team. He could ask for any number of people to be transferred from other teams, other departments. He'd been approached with a number of resumes and acquisitions internally. He'd even received a few contacts from people outside the state. Word traveled fast.

Still, there was something in him that sought more. He didn't just want a good forensic scientist, he needed a solid team.

And there was one particular weakness that he wanted to ... support. It had become very clear in this last year.

He clicked a link on the internal network, going through the system until he reached personnel. They had a database full of potentials, where people submitted their query online for any number of positions that were open at the NYPD. He ran a search for the crime lab, detective, and then a separate search for other menial things.

Personal had already gone through and sorted the files. It had stripped those that were completely unqualified and others were flagged with comments. He could ignore the red flags. Those didn't matter. He'd hired someone who'd been flagged on several counts after he started the process. There were those that still frowned down on Danny Messer.

The fact was he needed someone to partner with Danny, a match for his temperament, passion and limitations. Stella and Hawkes could handle anyone. His team of lab techs were ever changing and were trained to do what they were told. Aiden had been a great member of his team, but her personality did nothing to settle Danny down.

Mac stopped the search and added a few perimeters, limiting it even further. He didn't want a New Yorker, or even someone who'd grown up in the city. That would definitely limit their experience, but not the mind that came with them. Danny needed someone with a softer side and at the same time, someone who could stand their ground. Push back, if need be … push him back in the right direction.

Aiden could stand her ground, but she didn't always push Danny to look at things differently.

The right person would, Mac believed, draw something from Danny's inner core. Soften him. Or, at least, make him aware of a softer side. He had that with Stella … but not enough of it. And Hawkes didn't use the softer side of his heart on Danny. He used his own core. It mellowed Danny some, but … not enough.

Hawkes was a good addition to his team, but he wasn't a partner for Danny.

Then there was Flack. He and Danny had formed their own bond. He pushed Danny, but Danny simply pushed back. Danny needed someone who would cause him to stop and think before he pushed.

The computer beeped, signaling a quick end to the search. Mac's list had been narrowed down from the thousands to hundreds. It was still a lot to go through.

He stared long and hard at the computer, then saved the results before further limiting them. He wanted someone with experience, but not too much. Danny needed someone he could trust, but he also needed someone who would believe in him, who would respect him. He needed to be able to use his intellect and he needed to guide, to see that part of himself, and understand that he needed to be able to lead people.

Besides, too much experience would put Danny on the defensive. That was something else that he needed to grow out of, but it would come in time. And maybe it would come as he understood experience himself.

As the computer signaled another round complete, Mac studied the three profiles that fit his limited perameters. He pulled up a collection of crime scene journals and began to search, glancing at articles, reading here and there.

He'd found her. She fit his list, was published, and profiled in a recent journal for her work on a case. And there were other articles indicating that she a witness of a grisly crime. He read through her thoughts and observations, and then through the personal nightmare she'd been put through in her teens.

She had an understanding as a victim and a witnesses, a mentality which could balance out Danny's understanding of the criminal. From the article on her case, a revisit back to the unsolved crime, he saw a vulnerability in her that would weaken Danny's defenses, and a sense of justice that would push him past the easy answer.

Her name was Lindsay Monroe. She was from Montana.

Though it had gotten late while he reading up on her, Mac reached for the phone. She was two hours behind New York time. He wanted to call her supervisor and ask a few questions.

Stella, a native New Yorker, would question him about his choice. He was sure had all the right answers. She was young, but she was qualified. Her articles showed her intelligence and the brain behind the process. He printed the articles she'd written and would encourage Stella to read through them later. The more personal articles of the unsolved murder, he left alone. That, he didn't believe, was for him to share.

Stella might not realize the specific perameters that had narrowed his choices, but she would know he'd found a good fit for their team.

Mac smiled. Danny wouldn't know what hit him.

As the line began to ring, Mac glanced over at a set of photos he kept on his shelf; one of his parents, another of Claire.

He thought of partnerships. Finding the right partner wasn't about perfection, but it was was about balance.

After he hung up with her supervisor, Mac was sure the CSI from Bozeman fit with his team. She was what Danny needed. Maybe Danny was even what she needed. It would be harder for her. She would have to get her feet wet in New York before she could understand him. But maybe his rough edges would help her. She had her own wounds. She needed her own healing.

And, in time, if there was something more between them ... Mac just had a feeling it would all work out.

A/N: I have not seen all of season 1 and so my observations of Aiden are based on the limited shows that I have seen. But, then, I was a Danny and Lindsay fan before I ever saw a full episode of CSI NY, thanks to Youtube, so everything is probably filtered through that bias.

Based on the conversations Mac has had with Danny from season 1 on, I kind of like to think he played a little match maker with Danny when he found Lindsay. Maybe.

As for the "publishing" ... on NCIS Abby talks about getting published, so I kind of saw that as how Mac would have found the blood splatter information that was mentioned in Zoo York. Besides, I think it sounds like a Lindsay thing.