Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: NY.
Series: 'Kindred Spirits'.
Spoilers: A Daze of Wine and Roaches; mentions of Sleight Out of Hand.

A Daze of Wine and Roaches

Jess was in a hurry as she ducked under the crime scene tape. It had been a crazy day already when Don had called asking her to cover.

"Took you long enough." He called, approaching her.

Jess pulled a face. "Sorry, Flack; I got held up talking to Gerard about my niece."

"He signed you off for leave?" Don guessed, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, two weeks." Jess confirmed. "Why is that strange?"

"It's not; I knew you'd get it." Don shrugged. "It's just that he's acting as captain and deputy inspector at the moment; throw in the UN case …"

"I got you." Jess nodded. "What do we have here?"

"Alec Green." Don answered. "Chef and owner. Stabbed with a corkscrew."

"He was screwed to death?" Jess asked straight-faced.

"Danny's already done that joke." Don told her. "You pulled it off better. They're in the wine vault."

"Thanks. You on the UN case?"

"Yep. Woman killed by a guillotine." Don shook his head. "Can't wait for the explanation on this one. The UN's making a fuss, saying we can't take the body yet, so I gotta go calm the waters."

Jess grimaced sympathetically, knowing how much he hated dealing with politicians. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Don called over his shoulder.

Jess chuckled, making a mental note to catch up with him after their cases were closed to find out what had happened. She hurried down into the vault, the stench of red wine reaching her making her grimace. She had never liked that smell, although it no longer made her feel sick, as it had when she was a child.

Lindsay and Danny were crouched next to the body, staring at something. The latter looked up at her approach. "Hey, Angell, get a load of this."

Warily, Jess approached them, knowing from experience that anything that got the two of them this interested wasn't likely to be … "Oh God … Is that what I think it is?"

"If you're thinking it's a cockroach," Lindsay carefully extracted the creature from the victim's mouth, "then yes."

"Okay, I have officially seen everything." Jess stated, pulling a face.

"Never say that." Lindsay advised, taking a Petri-dish from Danny and dropping the cockroach into it. "I thought I'd seen everything until Mac told Danny to fly across America to join me in Montana."

"Really?" Jess asked with a smirk, drawing out the word. "That's odd, because I could've sworn Mac's exact words were, "You're running on empty, Messer; go home and get some sleep.""

"Thanks, Angell." Danny muttered as Lindsay looked up.

"Really?" Lindsay asked him.

Danny turned slightly red. "Yeah."

Lindsay fitted the lid on and stood up, kissing his cheek as she did. "That's the sweetest thing any guy has ever done for me."

"Linds, I think that's the sweetest thing any guy's ever done period." Jess corrected, unable to keep from smirking at the colour he was turning. "How was Montana, by the way? You know, aside from the obvious." She added, as Danny muttered something about getting his kit. "I guessed they convicted him, but …"

"Four consecutive life sentences." Lindsay told her with a grin. "It won't bring them back, but …" She shrugged with a sigh. "At least they can rest in peace now."

Jess gave her a hug. "You did good."

"Thanks, Angell." Lindsay pulled back, observing her shrewdly. "You know, something's been bugging me. You must have a first name and I get why you won't tell the precinct, but when have us lab rats ever treated you any differently."

"Danny finds out and it'll be over the city in seconds." Jess answered with a grin. "Looks like Montana did good as well."

"What do you mean?" Lindsay asked, sounding confused.

"Since we met, it's been like half of you was in New York and the other half was back home with your friends." Jess explained. "Now that son-of-a-bitch has gone away, it's like … it's like you've got a whole new lease on life. It's a good look for you."

It was. She'd often heard about how a strange crime scene would stick with Lindsay and something would appear in her face as she tried to solve it (mainly from Danny, admittedly), but she'd never seen it and she'd put it down to his imagination.

But now, as Lindsay smiled and lifted the dish to examine the blood-covered cockroach, she saw the light in her eyes and realised that this was the Lindsay Monroe Danny had fallen for.

"Is it possible to hate a fifteen-year-old?" Don asked, before Jess could even greet him.

Jess didn't need to ask to know that this case had gotten to him and didn't say anything, stepping back to let him into her apartment, noting the tenseness of his jaw and shoulders.

"That girl," he continued, "is a sociopath. There's no other word for her. She's …"

"Don." Jess cut him off. "Slow down and explain."

Don sank onto her couch. "Evie Pierpont." He elaborated.

Jess thought back. "She was the girl throwing the party, right?"

"Yeah, Simone DeLille was her tutor." Don sighed. "She didn't have a visa."

"So you got the body." Jess concluded with a nod. "Evie killed her?"

"No, her lawyer did." Don corrected. "He was embezzling funds into an account with her name on it; she demanded her cut and he killed her."

Jess frowned. "Then what's wrong with the girl?"

"She told Simone what he was up to. She also sent a note to Simone telling her she knew she didn't have a visa and made Simone think it was her boyfriend, who she then shot." Don explained.

"She uses her intelligence to play with the people around her." Jess realised. "And there's not a damn thing we can do about it."

"It's not a crime to be a manipulative sociopath." Don muttered. "Unfortunately." He frowned. "What happened to your arms?"

"Hmm?" Jess glanced down and winced, realising her skin was red. "Oh, I just got had a shower."

Don looked concerned. "Jess, did something happen on the way home?"

"No." Jess was confused. "Why?"

Don touched her arm softly. "I've seen this before."

Jess looked down again and suddenly realised what he meant. They'd both seen it before; women scrubbing their skin raw to get the memory of abuse and violation from their skin.

"No!" She shook her head. "No, Don, nothing like that; I promise. We picked out perp up in his apartment; didn't realise until it was too late that it was overrun by cockroaches." She shuddered. "I hate them."

Don still didn't look convinced.

"I swear on my badge, Don." Jess said softly. "I'd tell you if it was anything else."

Don breathed a heavy sigh and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You scared me for a minute."

"Sorry." Jess murmured, feeling a slight thrill at the thought.

It was wrong, she knew, that she did. She was an independent woman and a competent, well-trained detective and she shouldn't be glad that he was worried about her.

But she knew that, as her best friend, he knew that she could take care of herself.

So when he admitted that he worried anyway, she could let herself believe, if just for a second, that he might feel something more.