csi_fiction | Bookends (8)

Title: Bookends (8)
Written by: failegaidin and rorylie
Rating: R
Fandom: CSI NY/24 Crossover
Pairings: Flack/Stella, Jack/Chloe, Kim/Tony, Danny/Lindsay
Summary: Kim is accused of a surprising crime, and the CSI's have to figure out the truth.
Disclaimer: We own nothing.

"We lost the trace," Danny muttered when Flack and Mac returned to the lab. "Almost as soon as they took Bauer and O'Brian they removed the trackers."

"What about the tape?" Mac asked.

"The tape has been run through so many different filters," Stella explained, shaking her head. "We're still working on it, but so far it's been useless."

Mac nodded. "I want to look at it myself. Ms. Hayes and Angela Edmunds are on their way back here. The paramedics cleared them on the scene. Stella I want you to talk to Karen Hayes. Lindsay, you go to the little girl. Anything they can tell us about where they were taken and the people who took them is probably going to the be the best lead we have right now."

"Does Angela know about her father yet?" Lindsay asked.

"Not yet."

"Do you want me to tell her?" Lindsay asked softly.

"Give her some time with Kim Bauer before you go in. She's the closest thing she has to a mother figure since Chloe's not around and it will be good for her to have a familiar face around right now."

Lindsay nodded and turned, walking slowly down the hall and waiting outside the door.

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"Knock, knock."

Stella looked up to see Flack standing in the doorway of her office, leaning against the frame. Her chest constricted at the sight of him – it amazed her how relieved she felt to see him standing there, unscathed. She took her time, looking him up and down. Flack flashed her a smile.

"Hey."

Stella smiled back. "Hey."

She crossed the room quickly, shutting the door that he had left open and then turning to embrace him. Don held her tightly, wrapping his arms around her as he breathed her in. They stood like that for a couple of minutes, enjoying the temporary peace that they had found.

When they finally pulled back, Don opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when Stella punched him in the arm – hard.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for?"

"For making me worry."

He sighed. "I have to do my job, Stell."

"I know," she said, playing with his tie. "But that doesn’t mean I have to like it." She looked up at him. "I'm really glad you're okay."

Don smiled. "And I'm glad you managed to stay out of trouble while I was gone."

Stella went to hit him again, but he just grabbed her hand and brought his lips down to hers. The kiss was too short for both of them, but the crisis wasn't over yet.

"Come on," he said quietly. "We have to get back to work."

"And after work?" she asked.

"After work," he replied. "I am taking you out to dinner."

"Perfect answer," she smiled.

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Kim looked up when Tony entered the room, Angela still in his arms.

"Hi sweetheart," Kim said, tentatively reaching for the girl.

"Hi," Angela said softly. "Where's my dad?"

Kim blinked, her eyes filling with tears.

"Did the bad people hurt him?"

"Yeah," Kim whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Did they kill my mom too?"

"Chloe?" Kim asked.

Angela nodded, her lip trembling as tears slid down her face.

"No," Kim said.

"Where is she? I want to see her. I want my mom."

"She went to try to find the bad guys," Tony explained, placing his hand on Kim's back.

Angela sniffled, crawling into Kim's lap as she cried.

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Lindsay closed her eyes, leaning against the wall outside the room that Kim and Angela were in. Danny reached over, placing a steadying hand on her arm.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

She wordlessly shook her head.

"I can talk to the girl if it's too much for you."

"No," Lindsay said quietly. "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, opening her eyes slowly. "That's my worst nightmare. Something happening to Mackenzie or…or having to tell her one day that you're not coming home to us again."

"I would never do that to you."

"I wasn't thinking you'd exactly have a choice, Danny."

"Yeah, well, I'm a stubborn Italian bastard," he said, cupping her face. "I would fight the devil himself and run through the gates of Hell to get back to you. And that's a promise. I'm never leaving you or Mackenzie."

Lindsay smiled weakly, kissing him softly, her lips barely a whisper against his. "I love you," she said softly before opening the door, his hand still on her arm as they entered the room, together.

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The van finally came to a stop. The sliding door was opened, and Jack and Chloe found themselves staring at a large warehouse on the edge of the East River. The men surrounding them led them on, taking them directly into the building.

Once inside, they were taken to an office, where a computer sat on a desk. There was nothing else in the room, and there were bars on the windows. One of the men roughly grabbed Chloe, pushing her down into the chair in front of the computer. They kept Jack standing.

"Ms. O'Brian," the black man said. "We have need of your…services."

She glared up at him. "You mean you want me to hack."

"Yes."

Shaking her head, Chloe crossed her arms. "Well I won't do it."

He smiled. "Please, Ms. O'Brian. It would be in your best interest –"

"To what?" she interrupted. "To help you hack into something you have no right to so that you can hurt innocent people or steal lots and lots of money. Sorry. Not happening."

His smile faded. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

"Very well."

He stepped back, and two of his men dragged Jack into the middle of the room. There was an almost imperceptible nod, and one of the men slammed his fist into Jack's face. The other joined in, and together they proceeded to beat him. With his hands tied behind his back, there wasn't much Jack could do, and he knew that fighting back could endanger Chloe's life as well. Fists slammed into his face and his stomach, and he felt a ring break skin on his cheek.

Chloe watched in horror. She told herself that she needed to stay strong, that Jack wouldn't want her to give in just because they were hurting him. But as she continued to watch the beating, her mind flashed back to his stay in China. He had gone through hell for eighteen months over there, and she had spent the time furiously looking for him, to no avail. She hadn't been able to save him from his tormentors then – she could now.

"Stop!" she yelled, surprised to hear the emotion and pain in her own voice.

The man turned to look at her. "You want them to stop?" he asked. "Then agree to help us."

"Fine," she said. "Just stop hurting him."

He nodded to his men, and they backed away from the bruised and bleeding Jack. Then he lifted a pair of shackles out of a box and walked over to Chloe, kneeling in front of her.

"I am sorry for this," he told her. "But I can't have you escaping."

He shackled her feet, and then chained them to a ring in the floor that she hadn't noticed before. When he was done with her, he motioned to his men to carry Jack over. They brought him to the chair next to hers and restrained his feet in the same way.

He and his men moved toward the door. "I'll be back in a little while to give you your assignment."

The door closed behind them, leaving Jack and Chloe alone. They sat in silence for a long time, neither entirely sure of what to say. But as the minutes passed, Chloe grew even more uncomfortable than usual.

"Are you okay?" she finally asked.

"You shouldn't have done that."

She frowned at him. "What was I supposed to do? Let them beat the crap out of you?"

"Yes."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jack. I'm not going to let them –"

"We don't negotiate, Chloe!" he interrupted. " Whatever they want, you can be sure that they shouldn't have it. You can't help them just because of what they might do to me. My life doesn't matter –"

"SHUT UP!" she snapped. "Just shut up, Jack! I can't do this again. I can't sit by while people hurt you. This time I could stop them – last time I couldn't. I couldn't save you when you were in China. How could I just sit back while they hurt you in front of me? I can't do that, Jack, I just can't…"

Tears were streaming down her face, and Jack's heart broke at the sight. He never knew how much it hurt her to watch from the sidelines, to not be able to help him. Wincing at the pain in his body, he slid his chair as close to hers as he could get. He couldn't hold her with his hands tied behind his back, so he leaned his head in, placing a gentle kiss to her temple. Chloe stiffened at the contact, but Jack just continued kissing her face, wiping away her tears with his lips. When he finally reached her mouth, he hesitated, unsure of what her reaction would be. But as his eyes met hers, he saw something in her gaze that settled him. Closing the distance, he brought their lips together, kissing her slowly.

When he pulled back, Chloe was staring at him in disbelief and…he thought he saw hope flair in her eyes. He gave her a small smile – just enough to reassure her that it was okay.

"We'll make it through this…right, Jack?"

His smile grew as he kissed her again. "We always do," he whispered.

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"Where are you off to?" Mac asked as Stella came out of her office.

"You wanted me to interview Karen Hayes, right?"

He stopped. "You haven't done that yet?"

Stella shrugged. "She and her husband needed some time, Mac. The last time they had seen each other, she was being dragged off by armed men, and he was lying in a burning house with a bullet in him. They deserve a few minutes of peace before we make her relive that."

Mac sighed. "I know. I just…we don't have any real leads right now. We have no idea where Bauer and O'Brian are, if they're even alive…"

"We'll get 'em, Mac," she assured him. "And I don't think those two will go down without a hell of a fight…"

A sudden explosion from their right threw them both to the ground. Mac immediately covered Stella with his body, his gun out. Rolling her eyes in frustration, she pushed him off of her, drawing her own weapon.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded.

Before Mac could answer, the sound of gunfire reached them. Through the smoke and the haze, they saw men pour into the lab, masks on their faces, and automatic weapons in their hands.

As the officers and C.S.I.s returned fire, no one saw a short brunette woman sneak into the lab, heading down one of the corridors and toward the holding rooms.