Title: The Actor's Nightmare

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Michelle Madsen, Donnie James, Michael Stover, Jason Reynolds, and Pete Reynolds are my creation. Ryan Wolfe, Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, and Eric Delko are the property of the writers of CBS and CSI: Miami.

It was karaoke night, and CSI receptionist Michelle Madsen had invited Ryan Wolfe to come along with her, her best friend Donnie James and his partner Michael Stover. They were celebrating the opening night performance of a community theater production that Michelle, Donnie, and Michael were in together. It was Ryan's first time in a gay bar, and he wasn't exactly digging the scene. He kept his arm around Michelle, pretending that he was with her, in an attempt to ward off any unwanted attention. She snuggled close to him and played along, loving every minute of the charade. Ryan enjoyed himself as well and by evening's end was hoping the charade might lead to something authentic.

Donnie and Michael paid their tab and headed out to their car. Ryan and Michelle were right behind them. As Ryan helped Michelle with her coat he thanked her for inviting him and for looking out for him.

"No problem. I had fun being your date for the evening," she smiled, cupping his chin, "even if it was only for pretend."

"Well, maybe we can do this again for real sometime," Ryan smiled.

"I'd like that," Michelle replied, brushing his lips with a gentle kiss.

The two exited the bar, and the happy mood of the evening abruptly changed. They saw two dark figures–one hovered over Michael, who was on the ground, and the other slamming Donnie against the building.

"Donnie!" Michelle screamed.

"Chellie, stay back," Ryan cautioned, pulling out his gun and firing it into the air. "Miami Dade Police!"

The two assailants took off running. Ryan fired three shots after them, but none connected.

"Damn this eye," he swore. He turned and saw Michelle slowly approaching Donnie, who lay motionless and bleeding on the ground.

"Chellie, Chellie honey stop. Don't touch him. This is a crime scene now, " he said softly, drawing near to her and wrapping his arms around her, preventing her from getting too close to her friend.

"Is he dead?" she asked, trembling.

"I don't know, sweetheart. Let me call for a medic and get the kit from my car. You stay right here. Talk to him, let him know you're here. But don't touch him okay?"

"Okay," Michelle sniffed.

"Okay. I'll be right back," Ryan whispered, kissing Michelle on the forehead. He called for a medic and fetched his kit. Donnie had died from his injuries. Michael was alive but badly injured. Ryan processed Michael and learned that the two figures came out of nowhere and began beating on them. They were dressed in dark clothing and wore ski masks, so Michael couldn't identify the assailants. When he was finished with Michael, he looked up and saw that Michelle was still kneeling next to Donnie. He walked over to her, knelt down beside her and put his arms around her.

"Chellie, honey, why don't you come sit in my car where it's warm. We're almost done here. I'll take you home then, okay?"

"He's dead, isn't he?" Michelle asked, not moving. "Who would do this?"

"Right now it looks like a hate crime," Ryan said. "Beatings like this happen a lot outside of establishments like this."

"Why? Why do people have to hate so much?" she asked tearfully, looking into Ryan's eyes for an answer.

"I don't know, Angel. I don't know," he whispered, pressing her head to his chest and leaning his head against hers. He held her for a moment, breathing in the sweet scent of her hair as she cried in his arms. As her sobs subsided he helped her up and led her to his car. "C'mon, I'll take you home," he said.

The next morning Calleigh and Delko arrived back at the scene to gather more evidence. They found tire skids in the parking lot, which they photographed in order to identify the car's make and model. They also found a black ski mask near the skid marks, as though one of the assailants had removed his mask in order to see better to drive, and dropped the mask as he entered the vehicle.

Michelle had the day off, but came in to the lab to give her statement to Ryan.

"Can you think of anyone that you, Donnie, and Michael know that would want to hurt them?" Ryan asked. "Anyone from the show perhaps have a beef with one of them?"

"Well," Michelle began, "Jason would always complain about how Donnie got the lead all the time, but other than that I can't think of anything."

"Jason? Who's Jason?" Ryan asked.

"Jason Reynolds, Donnie's understudy. He a talented guy, he just not...Donnie, y'know? Donnie has...had something special about him. You don't think Jason had something to do with this do you?"

"We found DNA at the scene that matches a Jason Reynolds and also a Pete Reynolds. Does Jason have a brother?"

"I really don't know," Michelle replied. "C'mon, Jason couldn't do this. It's not like this is Broadway, this is community theater. If Jason wasn't getting the parts he wanted he could easily audition at another theater. Besides, the understudies get to perform one night a week, so Jason gets his moment in the spotlight. I can't imagine Jason killing Donnie over this."

"Maybe Jason's jealousy of Donnie was for more than just the spotlight. What was Jason's relationship with you? Any signs that he might have interpreted it as more than friendship?"

"Well, he does hang around a lot, but I never saw that as unusual. He brought me flowers last night, but on opening night everybody brings each other flowers. He did ask me if I had plans for last night a couple nights ago, and I said that I was going out with Donnie and Michael and a friend from work, which was you. I said he was welcome to join us, but he declined. I just let it go without a second thought," Michelle said.

"Probably once you mentioned Donnie he figured it was a waste of his time," Ryan replied.

"But he knows Donnie and Michael were together, and besides you ended up being my date," Michelle retorted.

"Well, even though you and Donnie obviously weren't romantic with each other, you spend a lot of time together–on stage and offstage. Maybe Jason just got tired of waiting in the wings," Ryan said.

That night Ryan and Horatio attended the performance. Ryan had brought a rose for Michelle, partially to show his affection for her but also partially to see how Jason might react. When Ryan gave it to her, she thanked him with a kiss, which Jason seemed not too pleased about.

"Mr. Reynolds," Horatio said, "it seems we have DNA which places you at a murder scene last night. Care to explain?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jason stammered. "After the show I went home." He looked over at Michelle and saw her standing next to Ryan, his arm around her. "Who's this guy?" he asked her.

"Never you mind that," Horatio said. "We have evidence that you struck a man in the face, a Mr. Michael Stover. Name ring a bell?"

"Yeah, he's in the cast. He's friends with Donnie."

"Donnie James, the man who was killed last night. Let me see your hands please, palms down," Horatio said.

"What for?"

"Just do it," Horatio demanded. Jason showed Horatio his hands. On his right hand was a slight discoloration. Horatio scraped at it with a swab and theatrical makeup came off, revealing a nasty wound on his hand. "That, my friend, is called a fight bite, and it looks mighty infected. Covering it with makeup didn't help I'm sure."

"That confirms the DNA trace found on Michael. When you punched him, you left skin cells called epithelials behind. That places you at the scene and makes you an accessory to murder," Ryan said.

"You...how could you? You hurt Michael and you left Donnie there to die? Why?" Michelle asked, moving towards Jason to confront him.

"Look, nobody was supposed to die, okay? I just wanted to rough him up a little so he would miss tonight's performance and I would get another night on stage," Jason said.

"So this was your idea? Who helped you?" Ryan asked.

"My brother Pete. He wasn't supposed to kill Donnie, but he got carried away. When he saw those two leaving together he started muttering some stuff about gay people and then went ballistic," Jason answered.

"You unleashed your bigoted brother on my best friend just so you could be on stage?" Michelle yelled tearfully. She slapped him across the face, then backhanded his face in the opposite direction. "You selfish bastard. You could have just gone to another theater if you wanted a lead role. You didn't have to kill him for it!"

"But then I couldn't be with you," Jason stammered. Michelle raised her hands to strike Jason again, but Ryan grabbed her and held her back.

"I can't even stand to look at you! Let me at him," Michelle yelled, struggling with Ryan.

"No, Chellie baby, I can't let you do that. I know you want to, and I don't blame you, but I can't let you do that. C'mere, it's alright now. " Ryan whispered, wrapping his arms around her as she sobbed.

"Don't worry miss, where he's going he'll get what's coming to him in spades," Horatio said. "Good work Mr. Wolfe."

"Bright and early, H?" Ryan replied.

"Bright and early, Wolfe," Horatio answered, leaving Ryan alone with Michelle.

Ryan held Michelle tightly against him, running his fingers through her auburn hair.

"You were wonderful tonight," he whispered. "You're a real star."

"You've never really struck me as a theater person," Michelle said between sobs.

"Oh I was in a couple plays in high school and college. Actually played Romeo once in high school," Ryan replied.

"You? I should have known," Michelle smiled. "Well, it just so happens that auditions for the Shakespeare Festival are coming up, and Romeo and Juliet is on the docket."

"Nah, I'll leave the showbiz to people like you who actually have talent," he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Can I take you home?"

"I don't want to be alone tonight," Michelle whispered.

"You won't have to be. C'mon," Ryan said, wrapping his arm around her as they left the theater together.