Monday morning. Bright and early.
Keats woke up in partial darkness and yawned as she looked at her clock. It read 5:45 and it continued to blink, despite her best efforts to shut it off.
"…stop, damn you…" she mumbled, pitching it across the room. It slammed against her closet door with a resounding echo.
Sloane pushed the door open lazily, wrapping her pink terry cloth robe around herself.
"That's the tenth time this month you've thrown your alarm clock. You've either got to wake up quieter or quit your job." She said, snuggling into Keats' bed. Keats debated sleeping in and telling Horatio that Sloane had gone into labor, but she thought better of it.
She slumped into the bathroom and did her makeup, wincing as she heard her sister's husband cutting logs in the next room. His snores had kept her up many nights, but that was a small price to pay when she considered the alternative.
She couldn't bear the thought of being alone. She was afraid she'd miss Ryan too much.
Several months ago, Keats had taken the cowardly road and told Ryan that she wasn't quite ready to get married. But instead of asking him to wait for her…
She ended the relationship. And she'd regretted that decision ever since.
Keats strolled down the hall of Miami Dade, on her way to the ballistics lab to examine shell casings with Calleigh Duquesne.
"Morning, Sunshine. I take it these early shifts aren't your style." She said, smiling. She handed her a few photographs of the bullets extracted from the victim's body. Keats looked over them with mild interest.
No matter what she was doing, she couldn't enjoy it before seven a.m.
CSI Ryan Wolfe poured a full cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup. He stirred in a little bit of sugar, leaving it almost completely black.
"Wolfe, I never see you here before noon. What's the occasion?" Eric Delko asked, entering the break room. He discarded something in the trash and stood beside Ryan.
"Ah, nothing." He said, sipping his coffee.
"It wouldn't have anything to do with Remington being here this early, would it?" Eric wondered with a handsome smirk. Ryan stared off into space and said nothing.
"Look, I don't know what's going on with the two of you, but whatever it is, you need to check it at the door. Both of you are doing half-assed jobs around here."
Ryan stared hard at him, wanting to say something. But he thought better of it.
He took his coffee and headed toward the ballistics lab.
Keats Remington placed her findings in a file and scurried toward the door, glancing at her documents. She collided with Ryan, her papers flying every which way.
They kneeled down together, barely looking at each other. They picked up numerous papers, their hands touching several times.
It brought a slight blush to her cheeks.
"Here." He said, dumping the pile into her hands. He stormed off angrily, causing Keats to stare after him in confusion.
Why the hell is he mad at me? Nix that…why the hell is he still mad at me???
"Ryan…wait." She called after him. He slowly turned and gave her one of his famous cocky stares.
"What?" He asked. He crossed his arms over his chest. Keats sighed.
"Can you stop giving me the cold shoulder?" She said, exasperated. Ryan rolled his eyes.
"What am I supposed to do, act like I'm your friend? Act like everything's okay between us? Because it isn't." Ryan snapped.
"…what should we do about it?" Keats wondered after a heated silence fell between them. Ryan shook his head.
"I'm not doing anything about it. This isn't my problem anymore." He said as he walked away. Keats was stunned speechless.
He thinks I'm a problem…how long has he felt that way?
Natalia stood behind her a little ways and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Don't pay any attention to him. It's early and he's grumpy." She said.
"How long do we have to do this shift again?" Keats groaned.
"Just for a month or at least until the graveyard crew finishes their evaluation."
"Fabulous." She sighed.
Keats entered the computer lab and gave Dan Cooper a warm hug. He had been a lifesaver on more than one occasion, and he'd offered to come in early so she could get an extra hour of sleep.
"Cooper, I don't know what I'd do without you." She murmured. Cooper clutched her to his chest and had a hard time letting go.
"Well, now that the friendly formalities are out of the way, how about lunch at that new Greek restaurant down the street?" Cooper asked.
"Sure. But first things first. Is there a trace on that handgun?"
Ryan Wolfe pilfered through his lunch half-heartedly in the break room. Natalia Boa Vista came in a few minutes behind him, pulling a salad out of the staff refrigerator.
"Interesting case, huh?" She asked, pouring salad dressing and sitting in the seat beside him.
"Not really. But it's not surprising. Calleigh is about two minutes away from a confession." He picked at his food, barely eating a bite.
"Ryan…I hate seeing you like this." She murmured. She finished her salad in silence, throwing her things away when she was finished.
Eric Delko passed her as she left, giving her a small but intimate kiss.
"Are we still on for tonight?" He asked. She nodded with a smile.
Eric turned and stood next to Ryan, leaning toward him.
"Listen up, Wolfe. I don't like this one bit. You still care about her and you're just letting her walk. Ditch your pride and talk to her, man." He said. Ryan gave a short laugh.
"It's not up to me, Delko." He said.
"You can still talk to her. Or better yet, make her talk to you."
"How can I make her talk to me?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"I'm pretty sure this is just a phase or something. Try going out with Erica. That'll really inspire some words." Eric told him.
"Go out with Erica? You've got to be kidding me."
"Do it for Keats."
Ryan heaved a sigh, rubbing his lips with fervor.
Cooper watched as Keats was savoring her pita bread, picking it apart and popping each tiny morsel in her mouth. It was intoxicating to witness. Everything Keats did, it seemed to be quite magnetic.
"Cooper, you haven't touched you souvlaki. Is something wrong?" Keats wondered. Cooper shook his head.
"Just thinking." He muttered. Keats smiled at him and he felt a certain tightness in his chest.
"…I was thinking…what you would say if I told you I was really interested in you…" Cooper said in a soft voice. His courage had perked up a bit and he hoped it would hold out long enough to see him through.
"Interested? Cooper, why would you be interested in me? I'm crazy." Keats said with a tiny laugh. Cooper didn't laugh.
Keats swallowed hard. She was never very good at moments like these.
"You're serious?" Keats asked in disbelief. She knew she wasn't the troll that lived under the bridge, but she still had doubts about her own attractiveness.
The fact that she had no idea how appealing she was simply added to her charm.
"I'm serious, Keats…I just want to know how you feel about me." Cooper set aside his plate and stared into her bright green eyes.
Keats felt horrible for being so unsure. She was still convinced that her heart belonged to Ryan, but Cooper had always been very kind to her.
"I don't know, Cooper-"
"Take as long as you need to think about it. I've waited this long, I think I can wait a little longer." Cooper said with an ironic smile.
Keats knew she wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the week.