Hi guys! This is to let you know that I'm not dead. I've just been working on my Sonic fanfic and short Sonic stories. I did some digging and found this one, which is the first one that I ever wrote for the fandom. Anyway, I actually wrote this for a contest back in October (hence the Halloween theme). Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own Zoey Stevens.
"Hello? Is anybody here?" Zoey Stevens called out into the normally busy crime lab.
When she received no response, the young woman frowned and headed further into the lab. She was NEVER the first one to arrive- she always came in with her adoptive father, Ryan Wolfe. That morning, however, she had woken up to find that he had already left for work. He had taped a note to the refrigerator saying that he needed to go in early and talk to their boss, Lieutenant Horatio Caine, about some very important matters.
What does that even mean? Zoey wondered as she turned down another hallway. Very important matters that he couldn't discuss with me? Hmm... I wonder if he's still talking to Horatio...
She paused by her locker to drop off her coat and purse. She also took a moment to stop in the bathroom to make sure that her hair and makeup were still okay. Once she was satisfied, she headed towards Horatio's office. As she walked, she realized how eerie the lab was without a single soul in sight. She had never been a fan of quiet spaces. She had watched too many scary movies by herself in her teenage years.
Makes me wish that Ryan had woken me up a bit earlier so we still go in together, Zoey thought a bit irritably.
Once she found herself outside of Horatio's office, she paused. She put her ear to the door and listened for any voices or movement. When she didn't hear any, she knocked on the door. To her surprise, it swung open as soon as her knuckles made contact with the polished wood. She ignored the sudden butterflies in her stomach as she stepped into the office...
... and found Horatio lying on the floor in a pool of blood with an axe in his head.
The young CSI screamed and almost fell back against the door. She ran over and knelt down by her beloved boss, her sapphire eyes widening in absolute bewilderment as the sight of the blood. She glanced around helplessly for any indication of anyone else being there. When she concluded that the lab was truly empty, she turned back to Horatio and started to examine him.
That's when she heard the sound of breaking glass and the door of the office closing.
She froze. Then, very slowly, she reached for her gun. With shaking hands, she aimed her gun at the door. She gradually walked forward, wincing slightly as the heels of her boots clicked against the floor. Once she was in front of the door, she stopped and swallowed. With a minor burst of confidence, she opened the door and poked her gun out into the hallway first. Then she came out and looked both ways.
Then she heard a snicker come from her boss's office.
Irritation replaced the fear that had been shearing her nerves. Somebody was messing with her. She stepped back into the office and rubbed her temple. "... Okay, guys. Really funny."
No response. She'd figured as much. She shook her head and turned her attention back to the floor...
... and found Horatio's body gone.
She emitted an odd squeak and fell back against the door once more. Now she was definitely freaked out. Prank or not, it had gone on far enough. Taking a deep breath, she stood up straight and clutched her gun. She swallowed again and almost tripped over her tongue as she spoke.
"Come on, guys... this isn't funny anymore. You all know that I hate pranks," she called out.
She heard another snicker. This one, however, was a bit muffled. It sounded closer as well, which meant that someone could be able to jump out at her. She looked around, checking every possible hiding spot for any sign of, well... anyone or anything. After a few minutes, she noticed the door to the conference room was cracked wide open and the lights were off. She lowered her gun to brush her hair away from her face. Then she raised it again and carefully walked towards the polished door.
Oh, God... just what or who could be waiting in there? Maybe I should have called in sick, Zoey thought as her stomach churned.
Then she shook her head. She was being foolish. She was a CSI now, not a fifteen-year-old girl watching the old classic horror movies. She HAD to get over her insane fears, or she wouldn't last in the field. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the conference room.
"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR RRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" several people yelled as the lights were flipped on.
Zoey screamed and almost whacked the nearest person with her gun, which happened to be Sergeant Frank Tripp. He was covered what appeared to be blood and was wearing a zombie costume that seemed a bit tight on him. He also wore a fake eye that bulged out of its socket and made the zombie costume a bit more convincing.
He grinned at the startled CSI. "Don't you know that guns don't work on zombies?"
Zoey put her gun away warily. Once she recognized everyone, she put her right hand on her pounding heart and started laughing. "Holy shit, guys... you scared the living daylights out of me!"
"That was the point," Natalia Boa Vista spoke up from the center of the room. "It's a tradition to scare the newbie good on Halloween."
Zoey had to suppress a chuckle. "And you being a cat adds to the scare level, how?"
Natalia grinned and mimicked a cat slash. "I am a demented cat!"
"Sorry to say, Natalia, but you're not that scary," Calleigh Duquesne snickered.
Zoey turned to the blonde detective, who was dressed to kill in a crimson dress, matching three-inch heels, a pair of devil horns, and a red trident. "Calleigh, you look scary AND sexy. I've got goosebumps."
"I agree completely," Eric Delko smirked as he slid his arm around Calleigh and engaged her in a brief kiss.
Zoey tried not to laugh. Eric was dressed up as Darth Vader. He had the mask, the cape, the costume, and a light saber strapped to his back. "I'm not sure if you count as scary, Delko... maybe if I was five."
The others whistled as Eric stuck his tongue out at the young CSI. "Burn," Walter Simmons called from the left side of the room.
Walter was dressed in a black priest robe and held a Bible close to his chest. What was striking about his costume, however, was the amount of fake blood all over it and the Bible. When Walter caught Zoey's gaze, he grinned. "God punishes the nonbelievers and I bathe in their blood."
He emitted a weird cackle. Zoey laughed. "Okay, that's a little scary... moreso creepy, though."
Her sapphire eyes then fell on Horatio, who was lying on the floor. He still had the axe in his head. When he caught her gaze, he smiled and waved. "Hi, sweetheart."
"Seriously, I think that scared me the most," the young woman laughed as she knelt down and touched the plastic weapon.
"The fact that I was a dead body that suddenly vanished?" Horatio chuckled as he stood up and removed the axe.
"Well, there was a lot of blood! And from where I was standing, you couldn't tell that the axe was fake," she protested.
Natalia grinned. "If you think that was scary... wait until you see Ryan."
"Did someone say my name?" a voice called from the vending machine in the back of the room.
Zoey turned her attention to the owner of the voice, and her eyes widened in surprise. Her adoptive father, Ryan Wolfe, was standing there holding a bottle of water. He was wearing a blonde curly wig, a blue shirt with white and pink flowers splattered all over it, four different-colored leis, a straw skirt, and blue flower flip-flops. His nails were painted a deep green, and he was wearing a noticeable amount of makeup!
"Oh my God," she managed before she started cracking up.
Ryan grinned as he walked over to her. "I'm Malibu Barbie!"
Tears started streaming down the young woman's face as she clutched his arm for support. "That isn't... scary... that is... freakingHILARIOUS!"
He smiled and pulled her into a close embrace. "I'll take that."
"So where's Zoey's gear? She's the only one that isn't dressed up!" Walter called out.
Horatio smiled and went to the back room by the vending machines. A moment later, he emerged with a cute little waitress costume. He smiled softly as Zoey accepted it with a gleam in her eyes. "Calleigh and Natalia will help you. Use the bathroom down the hallway."
"Now c'mon!" Calleigh sang as she dragged the young woman out the door.
"Calleigh, watch the wall!" Natalia yelled as she followed them.
Zoey was too busy laughing to notice or care. She managed to calm down by the time they reached the bathroom. Calleigh let go of her and shooed her towards the biggest stall. "Hurry up! We don't have all day!"
Zoey smiled as she closed the stall door. As she undressed, she heard Calleigh and Natalia putting stuff on the sink and giggling and saying things under their breaths. She couldn't hear them over all of the clanging, so she didn't bother to eavesdrop. Once she finished, she opened the door and strutted out like a model.
"You look so cute!" Natalia squealed.
The youngest woman laughed and tugged on the dress. "Thank God it reaches above my knees. If it was one of those hooker maid costumes, I would have smacked someone."
"Yes. Now hush, Natalia and I have to do your makeup," Calleigh said as she ushered Zoey against the wall.
Zoey giggled as Natalia did her eyes. "That tickles."
"I know, but you have to hold still or else it won't look right," Natalia smiled.
"What's going on, anyway?" Zoey asked.
"You'll see. Now hold still, I have to do your mouth," Calleigh laughed as she pulled out a pale pink lipstick.
The youngest woman obeyed and didn't move a muscle as the blonde CSI brushed the lipstick across her mouth. Natalia moved on to blush and dabbed a bit of it on Zoey's cheeks. Then Calleigh dabbed at the edges of Zoey's eyes and smiled. "There! Perfect."
"Mirror is right there," Natalia said before Zoey could open her mouth.
Shrugging, the youngest CSI turned to the mirror and almost fell backwards. Calleigh and Natalia had worked wonders with the makeup. She looked gorgeous with it and the maid's outfit.
"Oh, and you need these," Calleigh said as she handed Zoey a pair of black heels.
Smiling, the young woman kicked her boots off and slipped on the heels. It gave her an extra couple of inches in height. She twirled around and giggled. "I love it! Thanks, you two!"
"You're quite welcome. Now let's go back to the conference room," Natalia grinned as she linked arms with Aliana.
Zoey grinned as well and linked arms with Calleigh. The three strutted back to the conference room. The guys stared in astonishment as the girls walked in. Then Ryan walked over to Zoey and cupped her chin in his hands. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb and smiled.
"You look amazing. Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?" he joked.
She laughed. "Very funny, Ryan."
"He's right, y'know. You look amazing," a voice said from the doorway.
Everyone turned to see a tall figure covered in a white sheet. Part of the top had been cut so it could be removed to expose the head underneath. Horatio chuckled and shook his head. Natalia, Ryan, Calleigh, Eric, and Walter started laughing. A huge smile curled Zoey's lips as she walked over to the figure and lifted the top part of the sheet. Short blond hair, a pair of deep blue eyes, and a grin were revealed to her.
"Hey, you," she grinned as she hugged the figure.
Kyle Harmon hugged her back and kissed the top of her head. "Hey."
"What's up with the white sheet?" she asked teasingly as she pulled back.
"I got word of this last minute, so I didn't have much time to pull off something elaborate. Be glad that you got me at all," he said softly.
"Don't worry, I am," she smiled as she reached up to kiss him.
"Can you two save it for later? We have to do something," Walter called out.
The young woman turned around to find Horatio setting up a digital camera. "Is that what the hustle and bustle was about? To get a picture?"
"It's another Halloween tradition, to get a picture of the gang dressed up," Eric said with a grin.
Zoey shrugged and smiled and Kyle. "Shall we?"
"We shall," he said as he extended his hand.
She took it and gave it an affectionate squeeze. Then the pair made their way over and stood in the middle of everyone. Horatio was on the other side of Kyle while Ryan was on the other side of Zoey. Then Walter and Natalia were beside Ryan while Calleigh and Eric were beside Horatio. Everyone held hands and grinned at the camera.
"On the count of three, guys," Horatio said as he pressed a button that was connected to the camera.
"One, two, three... HAPPY HALLOWEEN!" everyone shouted.
The flash went off. Everyone let go of each other as Horatio walked over to the camera. He looked at the picture. "That's a good one."
"Cool! Now can we leave for the haunted house?" Walter asked.
"Is this another tradition?" Zoey laughed.
"Yep. Let's go!" Calleigh said as everyone made for the door.
Zoey was at the back with Kyle and Ryan. Then Ryan tapped her shoulder. "Can you hang on one second?"
"Sure. I'll catch up, Kyle," she replied when her boyfriend glanced at her questioningly.
He nodded and followed his father down the hallway.
Once it was quiet, Zoey turned to Ryan. Her adoptive father smiled softly. "I just wanted to say that you look beautiful... your mother would be proud."
She felt her eyes prick and blinked a couple times. Then she smiled. "Thanks, Ryan..."
With a grin, he pulled her into a close embrace. He kissed the top of her brown curls and rested his chin on her head. "Happy Halloween, sweetheart."
"You too, Dad," she whispered into his shirt.
Yay! In case you were interested, I won 2nd place with this piece c: