Title: A Friend in Need

Author: LaTeNiGHTSLiGHTS08

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I love CSI, but i don't own it. Lord how i wish i did though. I don't own Raye either, though i pretty much will after i'm done with this.

Summary: After much persuasion from one of my friends, i decided to write this down. She asked me to write a one-shot for her featuring Adam and a shower in the CSI locker room. (I'm only doing this because she promised to take me to get coffee and a chocolate chip muffin everyday before school for the rest of the month!)


Adam walked into the lab with a slight bounce in his step. The earphones to his iPod were firmly in his ears and for a moment, nothing else really mattered. Turing the small device off, he walked into the break room with a small smile on his face, expecting to see his best friend.

The entire team was there, including Flack and Angell, and everyone was silent. Adam's smile faded as he realized that she wasn't there, and at the suddenly uncomfortable tension the room had just gained.

"Hey guys, have you seen Raye? We usually grab a muffin before going to work." Raye was his best friend. She had joined the team not long after he had, and the two quickly became close. They often were seen joking around and flirting with each other in and out of the labs.

At the mention of her name, everyone shifted uncomfortably and gazed anywhere but at him. This caused him to frown even more. "What's going on?"

"Adam, have you read today's case file yet?" Stella spoke up from her spot next to Mac.

Adam shook his head. "No, Me and Raye usually go over them together. Why?" Flack cleared his throat from across the room.

"It's a stab victim, lots of witnesses. Her car wasn't that far away from the little shop where she was killed. Adam... Her name is Tessa Daniels. She's Raye's sister."

The granola bar in Adam's hand fell to the floor. He shook his head quickly, hoping that he heard wrong. Tessa wasn't dead, she couldn't be. She was meeting Raye for dinner that night.

"That can't be right. It has to be a mistake, Tessa can't be dead." His voice sounded strange, even to him. He quickly looked from Flack to Mac, hoping that his boss would say that it was all a practical joke, and that Raye and Tessa would come walking into the room together.

They didn't.

"Where's Raye?" He was looking at Lindsay as he asked. The two women were close also. They often talked about growing up in small northwestern towns as Raye had lived in North Dakota til she was 13, before moving to New York. The small woman looked down at her hands tearfully. She had known Tessa too.

"She ran into the locker room. We haven't seen her leave." Adam was out of the room before she had even finished her sentence. The group of friends watched as he almost ran to the CSI locker room.


The door swung open, and Adam peered inside. Her locker wasn't open, but he saw steam pouring from one of the shower stalls. Walking inside, he closed the door behind him and walked past the lockers. Her coat lay forgotten, tossed into the bench. Her shoes had been thrown across the room, and the brunette man bent to pick them up. He placed them by her coat and without hesitating, took off his own jacket and shoes.

Cautiously, he opened the door to the glass stall and looked in. It was there he saw her, fully clothed and curled into a ball on the floor under the rush of steamy water. Raye's dark hair was plastered to her head, and her jeans and tee-shirt stuck to her skin. The look in her eyes was one he had never seen before, and he didn't like it.

Adam walked into the shower stall with her, closing the door behind him. Without a second thought, he sat down on the wet floor and pulled her into his arms. Raye struggled for a moment, but after realizing who it was, she stopped squirming and her walls crumbled.

The water was scorching hot, but he just sat there rocking her as she cried into his chest. Rubbing her back, he told her to just let it all out and she did. She released all of her sadness and he even shed a few tears too.

And that was how the team found them 20 minutes later when they went to check to see if the two lab techs were still alive. The water was now lukewarm, and most of the steam had gone so you could see through the glass door of the shower stall.

Raye was no longer crying, but was just sitting in Adam's arms as he continued to rock her gently. Mac opened the door, and behind him was Stella, Danny, and Lindsay. The brunette man looked up at them for a moment.

"Raye, Stella and Lindsay are gonna help you get changed, then I'll take you home. Okay?" She nodded numbly in his arms and untangled herself from him. She stepped out of the shower and into a towel that Stella had opened. The three girls walked over to Raye's locker, grabbed her extra clothes and walked over behind a row of lockers to get her changed.

Adam turned off the shower and took the towel that Danny handed him. Quickly, he changed into the extra set of clothes he always kept in his locker, before waiting with Mac outside the locker room door.

"I knew her. Tessa, I mean." He was staring at his shoes, while Mac stared at him silently. "Me, her and Raye would go out to dinner once in a while. She and Raye had dinner every week, to gossip and just have a sister's night, really. Last week it was Tuesday. Wednesday, for today. And it was supposed to be Thursday next week."

He looked up and stared through the walls, watching the other people move about their business.

"Adam, it's a pretty open and shut case. Everyone in the shop saw who stabbed her. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Mac continued to stare at the young lab tech.

"You know why Raye can't work this case. And I don't want you working it either. I want you to take care of her." Adam looked over at his boss, confused.

"She's gonna have a lot of time off, for mourning. I can only give you two weeks, four tops. In that time, I want you to help her through this. She needs you now more than ever."

The door opened then, and Lindsay lead Raye out. She hugged the young girl, promising to come over that night after her shift. Raye just nodded. Taking the plastic bag of his friends wet clothes, Adam wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they started for the elevators. Pressing the button for the down floor, Adam chanced a look back. The entire team stood there, sans Flack and Angell, and he gave them a small nod. He would do as Mac said, and take care of her... He had to.


2 years later...

A soft breeze picked up the brunette's hair, making it fly around her face. Raye cleared away leaves from the surrounding area, and in their place, set down a bunch of white roses. The head stone was of a light coloured marble, and polished to a shine.

Tessa Joy Daniels

May 8th, 1975 - March 28th, 2009

Beloved Daughter. Thoughtful Sister. Wonderful Friend.

You will be missed.

Sighing, the brunette woman prayed a silent prayer. After, she crossed herself and sat back on her heels.

"I miss you Tess. Everyday." She kissed her finger tips, before brushing them against her sister's name. With help from the headstone, Raye stood up carefully and took a few steps back.

A hand reached for hers, and their fingers interlocked. Raye smiled up at Adam, before placing a hand on her growing belly. With his hand still holding the one from his wife, Adam knelt down. Kissing his fingertips, he did the same thing as Raye and brushed them over Tessa's name.

He stood up and wrapped his arm around her waist. Raye thoughtfully glanced up at the sky for a moment, before smiling as Adam led them back to the car. In two months, Mercy Tessa Ross would be born, and Raye knew that her sister would be with her daughter ever day of her life.


There you have it!

Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think!