DISCLAIMER - I wish I did, but obviously I don't own CSI, nor any of the characters, affiliated with the show. So instead, I give you this to enjoy!
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When news of CSI Warrick Brown being shot reached the confines of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, a virtual wave of grief engulfed every nook and cranny of the hardened concrete building, leaving in its path, a small group of mourning lab technicians seeking comfort in each other. While the rest of their team - the CSI's of the graveyard shift, had parted ways sometime earlier with all intentions of celebrating the release of the CSI who was obviously framed for murder, little did anyone know that their lives would forever be changed by a senseless crime on one of their own.
It had been an extremely stressful 48 hours.. or was it 72? It really didn't matter, but if one were to judge by the physical appearance and attitude of one very tired David Hodges, they'd bet their last dollar on 72 even if they weren't the gambling sort of person. His body lacked the much needed rest it so desperately sought, and he knew that he wasn't the only one suffering from the recent events that had transpired within the lab. His already difficult attitude was even more apparent now and he wanted nothing more then to rid himself from his surroundings and recharge his internal batteries with a little sleep and to replenish the emptiness in the pit of his stomach with something other then caffeine. Not that there was anything wrong with a shot or two of the warm liquid, but something a little more substantial was desperately needed.
Most of his night was spent sitting behind the microscope at his work station, reprocessing evidence in Warrick Brown's case as a favor for Grissom even though the night shift team was denied the right to lead and process his scene, due to conflict of interest.. meaning Ecklie and the day shift had the unfortunate privileges of working the crime scene. But that didn't stop Gil Grissom from doing his own investigation -with a little help from the crooked cop that was obviously an accomplice to the crime, which only impressed the lab technician and elevated his admiration toward his supervisor and who he considered his mentor.
Carrying with him, through the hallways of the crime lab as he made his way toward the locker room, the newfound knowledge that the CSI was now acquitted and it was determined that the man had indeed been framed, David pushed open the wooden door and dragged his feet along under his tired frame into the small room to retrieve his personal belongings. Hearing that he was obviously not alone, the man looked over to see the red eyes and tear streaked cheeks of one very upset Wendy Simms, standing in front of an open locker, holding the edge of the door with slightly trembling fingers. The first thing that ran through his head was what he might have said to the young lady during their shift to upset her but nothing seemed to stand out other then their regular banter. So then, why was she crying?
Grumbling to himself at the fact that he was about to venture into foreign territories of being the concerned colleague, something he was obviously not used to, and normally won't even bother tempting with anyone else, the trace tech took a deep breath, letting the door slip from his grip so it could return to it's original closed position as he prepared himself for the unknown he was about to embark on.
She looked around the moment the door made the familiar clicking sound when it closed, and quickly wiped her eyes when she realized who had just walked in. By her actions, David could sense that the last person she wanted to see her in such a vulnerable state was him.. the snarky trace tech that never seemed to say the right thing while in her presence. The one who would ungratefully fuel off of the vulnerability of others when the were down just to make himself feel more superior.
Taking a step toward the locker but stopping a safe distance from the young lady out of respect for her personal space -yes respect, David folded his arms and rested them against his chest and stared down at them for a moment trying to decide how to go about dealing with the situation that presented itself to him. For all he knew it was something to do with some guy other then him, which would be a major blow to his own person, and if that were the case, perhaps Mandy would be better quipped for this then he was. He didn't particularly want to be the one to listen to her as she spewed out some hellish gibberish over some other asshole that managed to successfully win her heart. He wasn't about to go down that road with her. David would rather keep the fantasy then to live with the disappointing reality.
"Okay Simms!" he paused, breaking the silence that surrounded them as she took a small step closer to her personal space to shield herself from his curious eyes. He then released his arms from the fold and gingerly tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "Out with it! What the hell did I say this time to upset the 'Queen of Sensitivity'?" He made sure that his tone was no different this time around then when they had their last encounter earlier on in the wee hours of the morning.. full of dripping sarcasm with the hints of his patented smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. But as soon as the words were out of his mouth and he actually heard what he'd said to her, David knew his very words were going to find someway of coming back to bite him in the ass. It was Wendy after all! The one person that actually stood toe to toe with him. She was no push-over. But he had a tendency to open mouth and insert foot, and it really only happened around this one particular young lady. Sure it's happened several times in the past when he addressed others, everyone had experienced it at some point in time, but he was beginning to make it a nasty little habit when it came to one Wendy Simms. Was he ever going to learn? Think about what was going to be said before saying them? What he couldn't understand was why couldn't it happen for the good for a change? It wasn't like he'd expect it every time, but a nice compliment over a snide remark would win out in the long run anytime!
It took an awkward moment of silence before Wendy peered out from behind the cheapened metal of her locker door, with a look of complete disgust. Her grasp on the flimsy rectangular object intensified as the color of her slender digits turned from a deep shade of red before opting to turn white as she finally let out a sigh that clearly stated that she didn't find any of his juvenile ribbing the least bit amusing. More importantly, at a time like this. Talk about being the master at bad timing.
"Just when I am about to give you the benefit of the doubt... again, you turn around and prove once again just how much of an insensitive bastard you can really be! God Hodges, what is wrong with you?" She stopped briefly to take in a much needed breath and wiped a single tear that managed to escape and trickle down over her cheek, before concluding with a roll her eyes and a defeated sigh. "I'm convinced that you have no concept of actual human emotion so why would you even care?" With that, the young DNA tech slammed shut the door to her locker, but instead of pushing past him in a fit of rage just to get out of his line of site, she remained where she was to as if frozen in place, staring straight head.
David let the smirk drop from his face. Okay, so that was a terrible start, and her response made him realize that his comment was uncalled for and that he deserved exactly what he received. Feeling sorry for what he had just said, the man dropped his chin as though a child being scolded for doing wrong. Should he apologize? Would she even believe he was sorry, given his track record with her? Given his track record with anyone in the lab? What was the use, she'd never so why bother. Hell she'd probably laugh in his face upon hearing those two little words that held an enormous amount of power for everyone except for David Hodges.
There was no win, win situation for the trace tech at this point. Had he'd just walked past her without saying a word, to collect his rightful belongings and leave, he probably would have gotten somewhat the same response from her... that he was an insensitive bastard for expressing no concern for her welfare as opposed to what he had indeed said. Women, they were so impossible to read and understand!
Ultimately deciding to slowly move toward his own locker, David knew it would have been wiser to just leave it at that and not say another word to dig himself any deeper in her eyes, but for the man who seemed to thrive on getting the last word, he couldn't bite his tongue and hold back. "And here I thought those tears were over me!" He chuckled to himself, making light of the moment, as he stepped past Wendy to get to his own locker. He really didn't expect those sheded tears to be for him. No one ever cried over him before so why would anyone start now.
"Sorry to disappoint you... you conceded moron, but believe it or not, not everything revolves around you!" She sniffed several times and cleared her throat, avoiding making eye contact with the man occupying the room with her. "But incase you weren't aware, word just came in that Warrick was shot twice in the neck and is in route to Dessert Palms Hospital. They don't think he'll make it." With that the young lady broke down once again, not caring this time if he seen her cry or not.
The news of Warrick's shooting hit an unknown nerve and surprisingly enough, it was devastating to David despite the attitude he possessed at that moment inside the confines of the locker room, but what right did she have to tell him how he felt or didn't feel? She didn't know him, no one did! They all went on their own speculations of the trace tech and formed their own opinions on the man without taking the time to consult him on the matter nor did they even take the time to make any attempts to get to know the real David Hodges.
But seeing the woman of his affection in a tearful state awoken an unfamiliar feeling David never knew existed within his body... compassion. Well he knew it was there, just never had a good of enough reason in his lifetime to use it. Until now. Sure she'd probably push him away, be totally disgusted and tell him off for it, but the man seemingly didn't care at that point. She needed someone and he just happened to be there. He'd deal with the unfortunate consequences of her possibly hating him later. She needed comfort now.
Taking a deep breath, David closed his own locker as quickly as he'd opened it, momentarily forgetting about his belongings and hesitantly moved toward the young DNA tech, not sure exactly how to go about this comforting bit. Gently placing his hand on her shoulder he half expected her to shrug it away, but to his surprise... and probably hers too, Wendy turned and found her way into his outstretched arms, looking for the awkward comfort he was offering. As she settled into the crook of his neck and pressed herself against the man's chest, David carefully wrapped his arms around the brunette, reaching up with one hand to gently caress his hand down over the crown of her head while the other found it's resting place between her shoulder blades.
What the hell does someone say in a situation like this? It wasn't like David was a seasoned pro when it came to comforting the opposite sex and the last thing he wanted was to say the wrong thing, for a second time within five minutes to the young lady who was now seeking a shoulder to cry on. The one man who thrived on challenges and rarely left without words was suddenly faced with a challenge he wasn't sure he was going to be able to solve and at a loss for words.
Was it selfish and wrong of him to be mildly enjoying the moment of embrace with the young lady he was so fond of for so long given the circumstances of the moment? As much as he didn't want to think that at a time like this, but David couldn't help entertaining the thought. No he wasn't taking advantage of an unfortunate event even though one would probably think that, he really was concerned... really!
Allowing her sometime, well, more so giving himself a little time to figure out what he could say, the man knew the odds of surviving a bullet to the neck, let alone two... they were not good. The first thing that popped into his head to say was; "be realistic Simms, you know the survival rate of any bullet to a vital part of the body, let alone two to the neck," but he quickly rid the negative thoughts and the sarcasm that was bound to make its way to the surface, opting to search for another. One that was at least a little more on the positive side, even though there was nothing positive about this news. There was a slim chance that he could be wrong, but the possibilities of that happening were slim.
When he felt her fingers crawl up over his back from beneath his arms, looking to perch on either shoulder, the trace tech knew he was going to have to say something and say it soon. Closing his eyes and quietly exhaling, the words suddenly came to him as if they were tattooed on the inside of his eyelids all along. "I'm sure they're doing all they can for him." He breathed into her hair, referring to the more then qualified group of CSI's and Lab Technicians working in the Las Vegas Crime Lab, as he let his words filter through the strands of hair to find her ear. "You know Warrick won't go down without a fight and he has a great team backing him." David concluded knowing fool well that it was probably already to late for the man, but any sort of condolence had to be a help. It was better then none.
The vivid image of Warrick sitting in Grissom's office seemingly very pissed at whoever he'd been talking on his cell phone somehow managed to plague David's mind made him tense up a little. It had apparently effected him a little more then he was willing to admit. Sure it had nothing to do with him, and that he really shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but the deed had been done and there was no turning back now. Only then did it really sink in that, that brief moment would be the last time he'd probably ever work with the CSI. The sobbing lady must have felt the tightness creep into his shoulders for she lifted her head to look up at him mere seconds after the thought had entered the man's head.
Giving a suspicious look through her watered eyes, the young lady suddenly clued into the present situation of being in the arms of the very man she considered her nemesis of the lab and quickly withdrew herself from him. Wiping each cheek clean, Wendy diverted her eyes, in the process, turning her body slightly to one side. "Why do you always do this to me?" She questioned in a semi-monotone manner, as she began digging into her pocket for a tissue. "I mean, you act like an arrogant asshole, yet you turn around almost in the same motion and show me a side of your personality that I never, in a thousand years, would have believed that you were capable of expressing. Frankly, I'm beginning to get tired of trying to figure you out."
"What can I say? I have to keep you on your toes." David said with a grin seeing the hints of a smile creeping into the corners of Wendy's mouth. Her smile alone was a thing of beauty and was probably one of the few things left in his life that reminded him of how it actually felt to be human. Years of strategically building a tough exterior often times made him forget the simple joys in life. Things like... wait a minute! God, she was turning him into a softy yet the woman didn't even know she was doing it! How the hell did this happen? Better yet, when? And heaven help him if she ever found out. Well that would probably be the last of the cynical and pompous trace tech known to the LVPD.
As a fresh stream of tears seemed to engulf the already watered and red rimmed eyes of the DNA tech, David quickly found himself more at ease with the situation. Okay, so it was the second time around in as many minutes and he was just following suit from the first encounter, but remember, this was David Hodges, a man built on sarcasm and callous, and not to forget having the pleasures of being blessed with the socially inept gene.
Quickly reaching for his own jacket, he tossed it over one arm and placed his free hand in the middle of her back, splaying his fingers as he found himself gently rubbing her back in small circles of comfort. "Be it for me to suggest the most sensible of ideas, but perhaps you should go home and get some much needed rest. You'll probably have a better grasp on all the recent news after a few hours of sleep."
"I can't drive like this!" She quietly sobbed, making David lean in a little to even hear what she said.
Hesitating on his response with the knowledge that what he was about to say was probably going to surprise the young lady, David placed his hands on her shoulders, slowly turned her back to face him and lifted her chin up with his index finger and thumb just enough so that she could look at him. "Hey, what are friends for if they can't be there when their needed the most?" He gave her a little arch of an eyebrow and a smirk then nodded his head toward the doorway. For once he really meant what he'd said. Yeah he liked her, but she needed a... friend first and who knows, perhaps it something could go from there.
The look Wendy gave him in response was a mixture of shock, disbelief and panic all wrapped up in one neat little package. He was sure that if she didn't know what to think of him before, she sure as hell didn't know what to think of him now after that little comment. After a little hesitation of her own, Wendy finally sighed, accepting the suggestion made knowing he was probably right... as usual -unfortunately, and with a small grin she gathered up her belongings.
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A/N: Depending on the outcome of the season premier in a couple of days, this story may be altered in the future chapter(s).