I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while now after watching older episodes of CSI so I decided to roll with it since it wouldn't go away. It's my first attempt at a CSI fic, so there's a chance the characters may be a little OOC at times.
Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own CSI or any of its recognizable characters, places, etc. I can only take credit for the characters of Ian Culverson, Ashley Newton, Hannah Newton, and any other characters that are not originally part of the series.
"No offense, Greg, but you look like hell," Nick Stokes commented as he entered the break room.
"Thanks for noticing," Greg Sanders replied sarcastically. "You try looking good after just a couple hours of sleep and working a double shift."
Any other time, Nick would have tried to make a joke in reply to lighten the mood. Not this time. His friend was obviously not in the mood for joking. The younger man looked beyond exhausted. Dark circles under his eyes proved Greg hadn't been joking about the little bit of sleep he managed to get. Nick noticed something else off about him as Greg tried to ignore him and finish eating his lunch.
Greg kept his attention on the sandwich on the paper plate in front of him. He had only taken a few bites before Nick showed up. His appetite was long gone. It was almost nonexistent anymore. The last few days had been a struggle for Greg, and food was one of the last things he wanted. What little bit of his lunch he had eaten threatened to come back up. He desperately hoped Nick couldn't tell how much his hands were shaking. In an attempt to hide that detail, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Nick.
"You okay, man?" Nick asked, genuinely concerned. "About what happened the other day... I'm—"
"If you tell me you're sorry," Greg snapped. "I'll make you sorry."
Nick had never heard Greg sound so agitated before. Of course, Greg had every right to be annoyed. Nick knew that almost everyone had probably asked Greg if he was okay or told them they were sorry. It was almost a reflex for some after one of their own had been shot at while at a crime scene. Especially when that person was like everyone's little brother on the team. Greg truly was like Nick's little brother, and Nick couldn't shake the feeling of knowing that Greg could've been killed out in the field. The dangers outside the lab were why he had been a little scared for Greg when the younger man wanted to become a CSI.
"Okay, I won't say it then," Nick leaned against the doorframe and looked at him. "What I will say is if you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me. You're not the only one on the team who's been shot at, you know. Things happen at crime scenes that we don't have control over. You couldn't have known what would happen when you went down into that basement."
"Don't, Nick," Greg's voice shook slightly. "Don't try to make me feel better about what happened. I made a mistake that nearly cost me my life, and it did cost Ashley Newton her life. You could've done something to save her. All I did was stand there."
"Greg, you can't compare yourself to me," Nick stepped inside the room and closed the door so their conversation couldn't be heard by passersby. "You're not—"
"Not what?" Greg demanded. "Not good enough to do the job?"
"No, that's not what I meant," Nick tried to keep his voice steady when all he wanted to do was yell at the younger man to snap out of it. "You're still not accustomed to being out in the field. Other than the lab explosion, you've not had too many experiences to show just how dangerous a job here can be. It can be a lot to handle."
"So what you're saying is I'm not cut out for the job because I can't handle it," Greg said. He wasn't questioning Nick.
"That's not what I said," Nick frowned. "What's gotten into you?"
"When I froze up the other day, I thought about the night a few years ago when we had to process that bus crash," Greg's voice cracked slightly. "I've never forgotten that night."
Nick knew what night Greg was referring to. A bus had run off the road, leaving multiple injured and dead victims. A call was made for all available personnel to come help. Greg showed up despite the call being for only those with field training. Nick had been surprised to see the lab tech at the scene. Then their supervisor Gil Grissom had pointed out the major detail of the 'all hands on deck' call that Greg had failed to realize. Greg pleaded with their boss to let him help. So Grissom obliged, sticking Greg with Nick.
"The first reason I won't forget it is because of how you looked at me when Grissom said I was to work with you," Greg's voice was barely audible. "You didn't want me there. All you did was ask me about having a warmer jacket. You later told me I wasn't qualified to be out there after I froze when the bus driver started coughing up blood. I knew I wasn't qualified. I came because I thought I could at least do something useful, but all I did was prove I didn't belong out there."
Greg still saw the look Nick gave him when he pointed out that he didn't exactly have the right jacket for that cold night. Greg had been shivering so hard by the time he started taking notes for Nick that it had been a miracle his handwriting was even legible. Then when he was handed evidence to take back to the lab, Grissom had pointed out Greg should have been wearing gloves. It was all a reminder to Greg that he should have stayed in the lab.
"The second reason is what happened when we were talking to the bus driver," Greg continued when Nick never said anything. "I froze up then too when something went wrong. He coughed up blood, and you were yelling at me to go get help. But I couldn't do a damn thing but stand there!"
"I told you then that it was okay," Nick cut in. "And in your defense, I probably shouldn't have yelled at you. You'd never experienced something like that before. Greg, I don't get why you're bringing that up now. That was a long time ago. You've come a long way since then."
"I still manage to find ways to screw things up," Greg heaved a sigh. "I could've saved Ashley Newton."
"Or you could've ended up in the morgue too," Nick commented darkly. "Look, it was a horrible situation you were in. You can't blame yourself for what happened to that girl. Ian Culverson was an evil bastard who, thankfully, is dead now. He's the one responsible. It's just a shame he took an innocent girl with him as his last act."
The events from three days before hit Greg like a train. He closed his eyes in an attempt to keep his emotions at bay. That was the wrong thing to do. Everything about the case crossed his mind.
Nineteen year old Ashley Newton went missing while returning to her apartment after a night out with a couple friends. When she didn't show up for work the next aafternoon, a friend knew something wasn't right and went to the police station to report her missing. The police later received a tip that the person who was possibly responsible was someone tied to a kidnapping case that went cold due to lack of evidence two years prior. The crime lab then dug out the files from the older case to figure out if there was any way the suspect then—Ian Culverson—was indeed involved. Nothing gave them any leads.
Twenty-four hours after the girl was first reported missing, the big break came in the form of surveillance footage from the service station across from the apartment complex. It showed the teen walking along the sidewalk in front of the complex shortly after midnight. A car rolled up beside her and stopped. The driver got out and walked around to the girl. He roughly grabbed her by the arm and aimed a pistol at her. He forced her into his car and drove away. The footage was just good enough to get the license plate number. The car belonged to Ian Culverson.
Police were dispatched to Culverson's home on the outskirts of Las Vegas. Once they searched the premises and determined Culverson wasn't home, it was up to the crime scene investigators to search the home in hopes of finding a clue that could lead them to wherever Culverson had taken the girl. Grissom had sent Greg along with fellow CSI Warrick Brown on the search for evidence since Greg since the team were all stretched pretty thin working on various cases. Plus, it would give Greg a chance to prove himself since he had recently passed his final proficiency test to become a CSI. Three police officers were waiting outside Culverson's home. Greg noted that the car they had seen in the surveillance footage wasn't in the driveway. In fact, no car was in the driveway. The officers told Warrick and Greg that there were no signs of Culverson or the missing girl.
Warrick and Greg split up once inside the two-story home, with Greg going to check out the rooms downstairs as Warrick went upstairs. It was pure luck that Greg stumbled upon the door that led to a basement. It was located in a back room that, to anyone else, would have looked like an ordinary office. The door opened from the opposite direction behind the wall and was hidden behind a bookcase that had almost unnoticeable furniture movers under each corner for easy movement. It was left just far enough to the left to allow someone on the other side of the door to reach a few fingers beside the shelf to slide it over. Greg would have missed it if it hadn't been for one thing. The faint female voice that cried out for help from behind the door. Greg reacted without thinking, easily shoving the bookshelf aside to run down the stairs on the other side of the door. Once at the bottom of those stairs, he came face to face with a nightmare in the barely lit room. Ian Culverson stood in the middle of the room with an arm around Ashley Newton's neck and a pistol pressed to her temple with the other hand.
Greg tried to reason with Culverson even though he knew it was futile. Culverson knew he was cornered, which was why he had hidden in the basement. Ashley cried out as Culverson pressed the barrel of the gun harder against the side of her head. Greg couldn't move from his spot at the bottom of the stairs. Ashley looked at him as though she thought he would save her. But Greg couldn't save her. He never carried a gun with him. He had no weapon to even try to take Culverson down on his own.
"Please, do something," she cried plaintively. Her strength was almost gone and she couldn't even make an attempt to get away on her own. "Please… help me. He'll kill me if you don't."
Still, Greg couldn't do anything. He couldn't even reply to her pleas for help.
"What's the matter," the man studied Greg, reading the name on his CSI vest. He leaned in closer to the teen's ear. "Girl, you should remember the name Sanders. That's the name of the man who was too afraid to save you."
Before Greg could even formulate a reply, Culverson fired a shot. At first, Greg thought he had shot Ashley, then he realized the girl was still alive. It took a split second for his panicked mind to register the pain in his upper left arm. Greg staggered a step back in shock. The gunshot alerted the officers on the scene as well as Warrick that Culverson was indeed on the property.
"Please, CSI Sanders," Ashley's voice was barely audible. The teen was scared out of her mind. "Please, save me."
"Oh, my dear," Culverson chuckled. "He won't save you. He's too chicken shit to do anything. Such a shame you were found by the most cowardly member of the LVPD. Look at him. He'd be shaking in his boots if he was wearing any."
Culverson suddenly raised the gun to his own temple and pulled Ashley's head closer to his. The girl had no fight left. Greg heard his backup running through the house toward the door that led to the hidden basement and sent up a silent prayer they could help diffuse the situation and save the girl.
"CSI Sanders," Culverson grinned wickedly before laughing derisively. "You know, I might've spared her life if you hadn't come down here. Hell, I might've actually given her a chance if you'd made some sort of attempt to save her. The scar from that gunshot wound will be a perfect, permanent reminder of what a failure you were tonight. Say goodbye, Ashley."
Greg finally snapped out of his daze. But it was too late. One more shot fired.
"No!" Greg screamed as both Culverson and Ashley dropped to the floor in a growing puddle of blood.
The officers rushed past. Everything became a blur. Someone wanted to know why the house hadn't been cleared properly. Another voice demanded to know what the hell happened. Greg felt a hand on his shoulder. Someone asked him about the blood on his left arm. All Greg could do was stand there, looking at the two people on the floor. Culverson had fired a shot through his head and the bullet had gone through Ashley's too. His last act was a murder-suicide that had played out just feet in front of Greg.
"I didn't alert Warrick or the officers on the scene that I found the door," Greg said bitterly. "I heard her cry out for help, and I ran down those stairs without even thinking. I saw him with that gun aimed at her head, and I froze. I couldn't yell for help. I couldn't do anything."
Greg's right hand moved up to hold onto his left bicep. Nick hated to see him so shaken up. Only a couple weeks as an official CSI, and Greg had already been shot and witnessed something that nobody should ever see. Despite being told to take a few days off, Greg showed up for his night shift the next day after a psyche evaluation from the department psychologist. Nick felt for his younger friend. He knew how hard it was to deal with such difficult situations. While everyone else had tried to get Greg to go back home instead of coming into work, Nick was the only one who really agreed with Greg's decision. Sometimes being home alone, with nothing but thoughts as company, wasn't the best idea. Being back at work retained that bit of normalcy for someone after a traumatic experience.
"I'm surprised Ecklie didn't just fire me when I came in yesterday morning," Greg laughed quietly to himself. "We all know he's wanted me gone since the first day I got here. He knows that I went down those stairs both without alerting anyone and unarmed."
Nick scoffed at the mention of the assistant director of the crime lab. Conrad Ecklie seemed to have a dislike of nearly everyone and had recently split up the team in a move that Nick felt was to spite Grissom. He knew how much Greg's crazy antics had driven Ecklie crazy when Greg was still the resident DNA lab tech. While Greg had driven Nick crazy on multiple occasions when he first arrived, Nick had to admit that he didn't mind. Greg had always been able to make them laugh no matter what kind of case the team was working on.
But now, Nick wasn't sure he would ever see Greg laugh again.
"About that…" Nick frowned. "When are you going to start carrying a gun with you? Because by now, you definitely know that a CSI can be a target too. You'll eventually get to work a scene solo. How will you defend yourself if something happens?"
"I've got two guns right here," Greg held up his arms, flexing his muscles in an attempt at a lame joke. Nick noticed the lack of a smile that Greg normally had when making such horrible jokes.
"Man," Nick shook his head and managed a small laugh. "I've seen praying mantises with more muscle than that."
Greg lowered his arms and stared down at the table. Nick walked over to where Greg sat. He rested a hand on the younger CSI's shoulder.
"Are you sure you're okay enough to be back at work like this?" Nick questioned. "There's no point in running yourself into the ground. You look like you could use a break. Why don't you go home for a while and get some rest?"
"Why won't you all leave me alone?" Greg suddenly stood up, pushing Nick away.
He headed for the door. All he wanted was to get out and get away from everyone who tried to get him to talk about what had happened. He had talked enough about it with the department psychologist before he was cleared to return to work. However, he kept some information to himself because he knew that it would have only resulted in more required trips to the psychologist and probably more time off work.
"Greg," Nick warned. "If there's something you need to say about what happened, you can tell me. I swear to you I won't tell anyone else. It'll stay between us."
Greg never answered. He heard Nick call his name as he left the break room, but he didn't stop walking. All he wanted was to get away. He expected Nick to follow him, to keep trying to get him to talk. A quick glance over his shoulder proved him wrong.
Yeah, I know this seems like it ends in an odd place. But the truth is this chapter was so long that I had to find somewhere near the middle to split it. Reviews are greatly appreciated!