CSI:NY The Saints Aren't Coming

Hole In My Heart

Chapter 17: Hole In My Heart

It was over a week before Gus made her way back to homicide. Over a week of sitting in court, hating feeling trapped by the halls of justice. Over a week of feeling cut off from the team and the real world. Over a week of Gus coming up with a thousand scenarios of Flack and the redhead. Over a week of rumors flying around the pit about Gus coming to the hockey game with Thatcher and leaving with a firebug.

Over a week of Flack sitting at his desk trying to not listen to the rumors and trying to make sense of them. Over a week of Flack finally discerning that Gus was not back with that cheating bastard Colin Murphy, but might be seeing one of his fellow engine boys. Over a week of unanswered calls in both directions, as life had managed to come between them yet once again. Over a week of silence between the two formerly intertwined partners. Over a week of calls from the very persistent Devon Maxford.

Over a week of Flack finding himself intrigued with the idea of seeing how the other half lived, especially since he had a willing tour guide, especially since Gus had made it clear that she was moving on. Over a week, may as well be a lifetime, Gus thought as Flack's phone went to voice mail once again.

Giving up, she dug a NYFD card from her bag and called up the station house.

"They finally sprung ya, huh?" Parker asked as Gus entered the pit the next day.

"Yeah, finally. Another bench in the courthouse with a permanent imprint of my ass on it," Gus said, sitting down across from Flack and noticing he hadn't looked up.

"I'm doing great, Flack, how about you?" Gus snipped after she took all she could of his silent treatment.

"Sorry, busy, working hot cases you know," Flack said, and then feeling guilty about acting like a jerk looked up at her, "how did the trial go?"

"Guilty on all counts," Gus said with a small smile, "what have you got?"

"A hit and run, revenge drug kill and everyone has been told to read up on the latest string of burglaries with the uptown set," Flack said, shoving some papers at her.

"Burglaries? Has anyone been hurt?" Gus said, taking the dossier.

"Nope, seems pretty harmless all and all, but some pretty powerful people have been hit, including Sinclair," Flack shrugged.

"Ah, so it is political, huh?" Gus said, recognition sparking in her eyes.

"You know the drill" he replied.

"You have been a pretty hard guy to get a hold of, blue eyes, what have you been up to?" Gus asked, trying to sort out everything she had to get done that day.

Flack looked at her for a long beat before she realized she had used a far too intimate term.

Blushing, Gus stammered, "I just mean, we have been playing phone tag and I know you hate to talk by voice mail and I-" Gus forced herself to shut up, partially because of the bemused look on Flack's face.

"Just, ya know, this and that. What about you, heard you hooked up with another firebug?" Flack hoped he sounded as casual as he wished he was.

Gus gave a small sniff, "I don't think the term hooked up is in any way applicable to my life. Though I can only imagine how reality may have gotten twisted with Thatcher as the messenger. But yeah, I met a firefighter, seems like a good guy, so I don't think you have to play Sherlock on this one. What about you, how is your girlfriend?"

Gus tossed the question out, despite not wanting to know anything at all about the redhead she had seen him with at the hockey game. In fact, Gus was perfectly content believing that the rink had swallowed the other woman and Flack had lost all memory of having met her.