Authors note: This started off as a one shot but got a bit too long so I'm going to put it into chapters. It's not going to be an epic story of tens of thousands of chapters but I'm using it as a practise run to see if I can keep people in character. This is my first Silent Witness fanfiction so it will be awful but practise makes perfect. Thanks to LadyDalek for persuading me to put this up, I hope it's not as bad as I think it is!

Leo pulled into the car park on a gloomy winter morning. The air was still heavy with the night's previous downpour and there was a bitter bite to the wind that morning. He reluctantly stepped out of the warmth of his car and pulled his coat around his to try and keep warm as he made his way over to the lab. As he was walking the short distance, something out of the corner of his eyes caught his attention and he paused despite all his senses begging him otherwise. In the furthest corner of the car park, nearly tucked out of sight there was what Leo could only guess was a pile of clothing, it wasn't until he looked again that he saw it was the form of a body curled up in a tight ball barely moving

With his heart in his mouth he decided to move in to investigate further. As Leo got closer he was relieved to see the body rising and falling as the form took in each shallow breath

"Hello?" Leo said crouching down beside the small form. The ball uncurled itself slightly apparently shocked at the interruption. Leo saw a young female face staring up at him; she didn't appear to be in a very healthy state. Her face was pale and drawn with dark circles under her eyes, contrasting with her ashen appearance. Her dark hair was lank, wet from the rain and tousled by the wind. She had numerous cuts and bruises over her face and he could see bruising on her bare arms all of these injuries looked fresh

"Leave me alone" she muttered forcing herself into a sitting position. She shivered as the wind whipped around her, in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt both sticking to her, clearly soaked through from the rain, she was hardly dressed for winter weather.

"I can't do that" he said gently "What's your name?"

"I said get lost" she stood up suddenly trying to bypass the question, she paused and seemed to sway on the spot, her eyes glazed over and her knees buckled, Leo moved just in time to grab her before she hit the ground.

"It's ok, you're ok" he soothed gently as he helped the girl sit back down

He took off his jacket and gestured for her to take it. She paused for a moment looking him straight in the eyes, as she was weighing up her decisions. Eventually she took it and Leo breathed a sigh of relief as she wrapped it around her shoulders

"You're going to freeze if you stay out here any longer"

"I don't care" she spat

"I do" he said gently "Look, I'm not going to leave you out here for you to solidify. Will you come inside with me just to get warm?" he held out his work pass to show her "I work here, my name's Leo, I'm a doctor of sorts and if you stay out here you're going to become ill and I don't want to let that happen…."

Slowly she nodded her head "Five minutes but no name" she said and he nodded

She gingerly got herself to her feet with Leo lending a supporting arm. He watched her movements and saw her joints were clearly stiff with the cold and now the shivering racked her body as she tried to control it.

He led the way and soon they were in the warmth of the reception to the lab. She started to take his jacket off but he stopped her

"Keep it on for the moment, you need it more than I do" she murmured something in reply which was almost inaudible but hr assumed it was some type of thank you. He was about to open his mouth to speak again when the door to the reception opened again and a man hurried in eager to get out of the cold, the girl started in shock and moved behind Leo

"Leo?" Harry asked questioningly as his gaze shifted for the professor to the young girl

He motioned to Harry to move to a safe distance where the young girl was out of earshot

"I found her in the car park. She's in a bad way; I couldn't leave her out there to freeze. I managed to get her to come inside for five minutes to warm up"

"I didn't know you were in the habit of picking up strays"

"I couldn't just leave her there…."

"I know" Harry's voice softened "What's your plan?"

"We're going to have to phone the police but my main concern is trying to get her warm again. She soaked through to the skin and she's freezing, she nearly collapsed earlier…" Leo's voice trailed off as he looked back at the young girl who whose body was shuddering with each shiver that racked her body.

"Are you taking her down to the labs?" Harry asked casting a wary eye over the girl who was now watching them intently
"I think I'm going to have to, it's warm down there and she can hardly stay here all day with all the comings and goings"

"If she wants to stay that is" Harry said sceptically

"She's going to have no choice unless she wants to end up in a coffin"

Harry sighed and then nodded "Do you know her name?"

"She wouldn't tell me…"

"I know you're talking about me" the young girl cut in, her tone was strong but the two pathologists could hear the exhaustion in her voice "I'm going now…don't try to stop me"

She shrugged off the jacket and made a start for the door, she was nearly outside when Leo called after her

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know and I quite honestly don't care" she said stumbling forward

"Well we'll probably be seeing you in a few weeks"

"Excuse me?" she turned around, her fists clenched into balls by her side

"We're pathologists…we perform post mortems…"

"Yeah I know that, how stupid do you think I am?" she said scowling

"And by the looks of you, in a couple of weeks it might be you we see on the slab"

"….Like I care" she said defiantly, however the slight hesitation before she answered was enough to let Leo know he had the advantage

"You're dizzy and fatigued, clearly malnourished and showing signs of hypothermia…I'd give you about a month if you carry on like you are"

She turned to face him and Leo saw a defiant glare in her eyes "Maybe this is the path I'm destined for"

Leo shook his head "You're in charge of your own life. You're destined only where you decide to go. Now you can either decide to come with me and we can get you dry and warm, or you can go back out there and freeze, your choice"

She paused and closed her eyes. Leo and Harry watched her closely, after a few tense seconds she moved towards the two pathologists and Leo gave a sigh of relief. He wrapped the coat back around her and with Harry's help gently led her towards the lab, each wondering how one earth the girl had gotten herself into such a state