CSI:New York : Who Are You? (Don Flack/OFC fanfic)

Live By The Sword...

Danny let out a long, loud yawn as he and Olivia made their way through the brightly lit corridors of the crime lab the next morning. They were on their way to Autopsy to see what Doc Hammerback could tell them about their faceless guy.

'Rough night?' Olivia commented as he scrubbed a hand over his face.

'I might have indulged in one too many cold ones. Thought you might have showed at the Tiger.'

'An old friend was in town.'

'Right. I remember Flack mentioning something. A guy?'

'Does it make a difference?' His blue eyes were looking at her with a touch of amusement and something else that she couldn't put her finger on. 'What?'

Danny shrugged and turned his eyes front again. 'Nothin'.'

'Don't give me that. Spill.'

'I really don't think it's my place.'

'Like that ever stopped you before. Don't fold now you've got my attention,' she said as they rounded the corner onto the corridor that lead to Autopsy.

'Why you always gotta play hard to get, Duke?'

'Because you're just too easy to resist.'

He slid her a grin. He was beginning to enjoy their bouts of verbal judo. Of course he would never admit it. 'Okay, look, we were just hangin' out at the Tiger, same as usual and y'know, Flack just sorta casual-like dropped it into the conversation that you were out with some guy.' Danny rubbed at his chin and yawned again. 'I think it was botherin' him, that's all.'

'That I went out with a friend?'

'Who's a guy.'

Olivia sighed. 'He needs to lighten up.'

'He's vibin' you, Duke. And I could be wrong, but maybe you only wanting a casual thing - '

'You his life-coach now, Messer?' Olivia turned her gaze onto him. 'And he told you that? That our thing was strictly casual?'

'Despite taking the emotionally inarticulate route there're occasional times when guys talk.'

'I thought he understood I wasn't looking for anything heavy. I'm not on the market for that and why am I telling you this?'

He tossed her a playful grin as they reached Autopsy. 'So I can rag on you later, why else?'

Olivia just rolled her eyes as they pushed open the swinging doors and went inside. The faint strains of Chopin assaulted their ears and in the hollowness of the high-ceiling room it sounded pretty incredible. Doc Hammerback was bending over their faceless guy, flourishing a make-believe conductor's baton in time to the music. Danny and Olivia shared a look of amusement.

'Hey, Doc,' Danny said, 'nice tunes, but don't you have anything by Aerosmith?'

Sid lifted his grey head and looked at them both over the top of his thick-framed glasses and smiled. 'Aerosmith...interesting choice. In the words of Steven Tyler...walk this way.'

Danny and Olivia shared another look. 'Guy knows his rock music,' Danny nodded.

'C'mon then, Sid, tell us what you know about our faceless friend.' Olivia moved closer to the steel Autopsy table and Danny joined her. They both grimaced. The guy didn't look any better today than he had yesterday.

'Did you bring him back to life so he can tell us who sliced his face off?' quipped Danny.

Sid only smiled. 'You know how chickens will keep running around for a while even after they've had their heads cut off?'