I own nothing except my character though I'm sure that's obvious :p
Turns out Avenge sevenfold's Nightmare album is brilliant for this thought :D
Hope I've done this justice if not please say, also pretty hard to do a Texas voice in text when British :P
Greg Sanders was a CSI is Las Vegas, his days blurred into sleeping and working without much difference besides the crime which enabled him to separate the days. His friends began to worry about the happy rocker when he seemed more and more drained each passing day.
"Greggo, ya gotta get out man. This isn't good for ya. Come on we're all going out after work, just come this time and I'll leave ya alone?" Nick reasoned. "Fine, fine but I'll only stay for one drink" A tight lipped smile graced Greg's face as their shift started and so the long night of graveyard started with it seeming as if the bodies were piling up.
The shift ended and Nick pulled Greg to the side as he was about to leave. "I'll give you a ride to the bar. I know you forgot" With that Nick lead Greg towards the car whilst half listening to Greg's feeble attempts to get out of it. "Look Greggo, it aint healthy just working so whether ya like it or not ya coming out tonight." The look in Nick's eyes left no room for Greg's protests as he got into the car and they drove towards the bar they frequented after work.
When they arrived Greg saw the whole team had gathered there and seemed as if they were waiting for him and Nick. "See you were able to get Greg out Nicky" Catherine commented. "Only for one drink" Greg stated. "We're just glad ya agreed Greggo, we've been worried about 'cha" Greg saw the same expression reflected in their faces, worry. It had been a while since the Demetrius James incident, but since fresh in their minds. Greg didn't want sympathy he just wanted to deal with it in his own way, sure he became reclusive but he was slowly healing and wasn't that what mattered in the end? "Look guys, I appreciate it, really I do. I'm just not ready yet." With that Greg made his way to the door and left. He thought about hailing a cab but thought against it, it wasn't really that far to his apartment block and he really needed to clear his head. That's when he heard it, a high pitched scream coming from down the next alley.
Against his better judgement he ran down the alley, his gun in hand loudly announcing himself as "CSI Sanders LVPD." The sounds of quickened movement gave him hope for the female to be alive. By the time he got to the part of the alley were the noises were coming from he found a small girl curled up into a ball. She couldn't be any older than 9, her face blackened and her eyes were fearful as she looked up at this new stranger. Thinking he would be like the others she curled further into herself her back against the wall and more tears falling from her eyes. "Hey there, my name is Greg, what is yours?" he asked her. Her round eyes only widened at him, confused at why he was being friendly towards her. "I'm going to call the police so we can help you okay" Greg gave the small girl a genuine smile, the first one he had since the incident. Greg stayed with her till the police arrived and social services were called. "This lady is going to help you now, there's no need to worry anymore your safe now." The little girl only looked at Greg, round amber eyes welled up with tears and she clutched onto Greg's jean clad leg. Her podgy fingers held tight and fast and she violently shook her head. Greg bent down to her level as he tried to explain that they wouldn't hurt her but as he got onto his knees she wrapped her arms around his neck and tied her legs around his waist, burying her face deep in his chest while still shaking her face. Fat tears fell from her face onto Greg's shirt. He was surprised by her actions and had to step back to steady them.
"Come with me, little one" But the girl didn't trust the worker and merely held onto Greg tighter clearly refusing to leave Greg. "Take her back to the lab, we'll get her to talk there" Brass said as Greg started to head towards one of the police cars with the little girl and started to go to the Crime lab.
No matter how they tried to get the little girl to talk she refused and sat at in the break room next to Greg colouring and only stopping to smile and give a picture to Greg who took it without a word. "She can't stay here, the social services have waited for over 2 hours already, and they need to take her", "If she won't let them take her, can we really force it, she seems traumatised enough," "Well she can't stay here that's for sure." The rest of the team discussed outside the break room watching the exchange between the little girl and Greg, what no one said was that Greg seemed more like his old self, joking with the little girl and making her laugh seemed to bring him back from the dark place he stole himself away too. In truth they didn't want to take someone who had such a positive effect on Greg away from him, incase it was a while till he was so happy again. They left Greg and the girl in the break room and each went home.
In the end Greg took the little girl back to his place for the night with the sheriff's consent. It seems they deemed that the child was put through too much to be forced into care for the moment. When they arrived at Greg's flat he set up the guest room he had incase his mother and father or even Papa Olaf visited him in Vegas though these became few and far between as of recent. He shook his head and went back to the little girl who remained in the door way. "Its alright, come here and I'll fix you something to eat," the girl looked at Greg and smiled nodding her head and slowly walking into his kitchen area to stand by him. She didn't like it when he left her." So what is it that you want to eat? How's pizza sound for you?"
The girl raised her head and smiled at the strange haired man. Ever since he found her she took a liking to him immediately as he reminded her off her strange auntie who had eyes as amber as her own and hair even stranger that this man's, but she smiled as easily as this man did and that's what made her feel so safe with him after what had happened. She nodded and pointed to the pizza of her choice on the menu and the smiled up at the man again. She then followed him to the sitting room when she then seated herself on to the wore leather sofa and watching him order. She thought back to how she got to this moment but she found it difficult to remember everything. She remembered waking up in her bed and having her toast and orange juice just like every morning. She talked to her mother before going to school in the warm Las Vegas air and by the time she finished school, her mother wasn't their, she wasn't at the gates like usual and she didn't arrive after all the others have gone. She then set off home herself thinking that perhaps her mother forgot but she wasn't there and the door was locked, the only neighbour she was allowed to talk to Mrs. Lyons was not in either so she made her way towards her auntie's knowing she would be home and help her, but something happened something went wrong and she ended up lost and alone in an alley where them horrible men had showed up and hurt her for not showing them respect. It wasn't her fault, not really she just couldn't talk to them. A nine year old with vast knowledge but she still had her flaw. She couldn't speak, even since she remembers she has never uttered a word. No one truly knew if she couldn't talk or if she chooses not too, as a baby she was unusually quiet and didn't cry. She always remembered her mother got upset about it, the fact she wouldn't speak but she didn't know what to say or if she could speak so she stayed quiet. Yes she smiled and she laughed but she couldn't truly form the words to speak to another. Because of her own mother's inability to love her whether she spoke or not she never truly bonded with her. Not like her auntie. She smiled at that. Her auntie used to say that the family was so unusual that her inability made her unique to her own family. She used to love hearing that as it made her feel loved even if she wasn't like the other children with her mind and the unusual family eyes passed down to her such as they hadn't to her mother. She used to imagine leaving her mother to be with her auntie as her auntie always made her feel better but she just assumed that mothers' never truly loved their daughters no matter what but on their own terms of course till she started school, where she realised that it was only hers. Where was her mother? Was she even worried? This made the little girl feel worse and her smile fell letting the fat tears make their tracks again.
Greg heard the sniffling as soon as he put down the phone and walking into the living room. Seeing the girl curling up again made his heart feel heavy, no one that young should be subjected to what strange men did to young girls at night. Sure he had no really idea what happened, but passed crime were enough for him to know it was never a good thing. He looked at her and sat next to her passing the remote to her incase she wanted TV. He felt proud when he saw the smile. "Are you going to tell me your name? I have to call you something" She looked up at the man she knew as Greg and smiled then picked a pen and bent over and then wrote a single word 'Tanya'.
"Tanya is it?" the little girl smiled and nodded. "Okay then Tanya, how come you were in the alley?" Greg stared at Tanya as her face fell; Greg then decided to hold Tanya as her tears fell. When she felt ready she grabbed the pen again and wrote, 'My mother wasn't home and I was lost trying to get to my Auntie's' "What is her name?" Tanya looked at Greg and smiled 'Sian Armstrong'. Tanya looked at Greg again hopefully and he understood her look and smiled. "I've set a room up for you, then tomorrow we'll get in contact with your auntie and try to sort you out, now you better get to sleep." Greg led the girl upstairs to show her the room she was staying in. Greg then grabbed the phone and dialled. "Brass" "Hey I got a name from the girl, he name is Tanya and her auntie is called Sian Armstrong." "Are you sure?" "Yeah the girl wrote the names down." "Okay we'll look into it." When the conversation was over Greg went to his own room and went to sleep.
After a while little feet padded across the floor and pushed the door open. A little hand reached up and podgy fingers poke at Greg forcing him to wake up. Bleary eyes looked at amber eyes and golden hair. "Tanya? What's up?" his fist rubbed his eyes and he looks at her as she looks at him with teary eyes. "Bad dream?" she nodded. "Did you want to sleep here?" the teary eyed girl nodded and curled up next to Greg and both fell asleep quickly.
The next day Greg took Tanya back to the crime lab. The little girl seemed much happier walking with Greg as she followed him to the lab itself and sat in the break room. The paper and crayons still on the table where Tanya went back to drawing. "Hey Greggo, how come the little girl's still here?" "Tanya" "What?" "Her name's Tanya, her aunt should be coming to get her today, she stayed with me last night." Nick looked at Greg strangely he seemed to have gotten attached to the little girl very quickly. How would he be if she left? "Hey Greg" "Yeah Brass" "I got a reply from the aunt, she's on her way here and will be here soon" "Oh okay Brass thanks." With that Brass left Nick and Greg in the break room doorway watching Tanya. Greg seemed to have saddened a little at the news of Tanya leave, he started to get used to the kid. "Are ya going to go tell her?" "Huh?" "Tanya" "Oh yeah" With that Greg entered the room and sat next to the girl and smiled at her which she returned in full. "Hey Tanya, I got some good news, your aunt's on her way here so you can go soon" Tanya smiled and nodded to Greg before writing, 'are we still going to be friends?' "What do you mean" 'Will you come see me when I'm with my aunt? I'm sure she won't mind and she'll like you.' Tanya smiled again and Greg nodded, "Tell you what when your aunt gets here we'll ask her. No promises though" Tanya just smiled and hugged Greg making him chuckle too.
"I'm here for a Tanya Armstrong?" a disembodied voice floated through to the break room. "Who would you be?" the familiar voice of Julie the receptionist replied "Her aunt, Sian Armstrong"