Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of it's characters. I do own Crystal.
WARNING: This story contains Graphic Femmeslash, many pairings unmentioned right now, illegal acts, bad habits galore, coarse language, violence, nudity... All the good stuff!
Author: Uriel Falcon
"You know something is alive if it responds to stimuli."
Sara's eyes scanned the streets as she drove, the rain pounding down quite hard on the hood of her old school Corvette, the blue paint seeming to be a dreary grey in the depressing weather. This was her way home every night. Hookers and prostitutes lined her street, considering it was little more than a large alley between apartments. They were huddled in the door crevices, just trying to keep warm. She kept her eyes straight ahead, and turned down her high beams so that she wouldn't blind anybody.
She always felt a wave of sympathy for the girls who had no choice of what they were. Sometimes, life just didn't hand you any good cards, but you had to play with what you were dealt. And there was nothing that the CSI could really do to help. Finally, she pulled past them into the parking lot, and locked up her car in a special surveillance area. She deserved to finally relax after a long day on the job.
For one, she had been processing for hours on Grissom's request. It was a typical arson case, but he made her go over EVERY piece of evidence that even looked like it was involved. The teen had confessed hours ago, but Grissom still insisted that she work on it. He was still trying to judge if she was a drunkard or just plain careless. After years of learning little tiny pieces of her, he thought he could simply control the main aspect of her life, thinking it would save her from her depressing life.
The main thing that pissed her off was his blatant audacity in the matter. How did Grissom know she had a shitty life? Hell, she could be out with friends that he never met, partying with strippers and getting laid every off shift for all he knew! But alas, she wasn't anything like that. She was much more reserved, but she was comfortable in her life. She had come to terms with her solitary lifestyle, why hadn't anyone else?
She walked up four flights of stairs before she reached her apartment, which had a window view and was slightly larger than the other apartments. She opened up good old number 89, and walked in, tossing her keys onto the kitchen table. She closed the door behind her, and flopped onto the couch after kicking off her muddy boots.
She looked around her apartment, feeling the heaviness of the day weigh down on her eyes. Her electric guitar gleamed in the corner in front of her amplifier, the red making her smile. Her CD racks lined the walls, her speakers placed around the room in strategic areas. Her home was filled with little mementos of her life, like the walls painted to resemble a chess board. Her curtains were drawn, to keep out prying eyes, even though she was four flights up. The balcony door was locked, the plants outside being 'watered' by nature.
Her medium length, deep chestnut hair was kept in a neat ponytail, with a few tufts sticking out in front of her ears. She wore dark blue jeans and a red boy beater top, her midnight blue overcoat already slung on the coat hanger. She didn't even feel like changing right now, even though she was considerably soaked from the short run to her building.
Sara thought back about the day she had, and remembered Grissom's main words to her. You need to find a distraction... Distraction, huh? She had plenty of distractions. She could do something if she wanted to. She didn't NEED anything. She'd find something to tell him, to get him off of her back. But not now. She listened to the rain, closing her eyes for what she thought was a moment, and drifted off into a deep sleep, completely oblivious to the crack of lightning and the heavy thunder.
"Excuse me, may I please use your-"
"No! Get away, you filth! Use the streets!" Slam. Crystal sighed, and turned away from the 88th door she had tried that night. She just needed to use the bathroom, but it seemed that when you're in a hooker's uniform, getting to use the bathroom is just too trying for people. And they seemed to be getting increasingly ruder to her. Hey, it wasn't her fault she was like this! She was trying to get a job, a decent one! But when you don't live in a house... You can't really get phone calls, can you?
Crystal continued down the hallway, her black boots clinking heavily and squeaking with rainwater. Her high leather skirt and panty-hose protected little against the cold, and her black tank top was soaked. Her long, blond hair was about the most protective thing she had, and it wasn't working very well. She knocked on door number 89, and waited silently in her own sadness.
Sara snapped awake, leaping over the couch with her gun in hand by instinct. She looked around, and saw no disturbance. She tucked her gun back in her side holster, and walked to the door. She gazed through the peep-hole, and saw a hooker looking down at her feet. She was soaked to the bone and looking depressed. Sara unlocked the door and opened it.
"What seems to be the trouble?" Sara asked, watching as the girl snapped out of whatever reverie she was in. She looked very nervous, and slightly shy. She was twiddling her fingers slightly.
"Sorry to bother you miss, but may I please use your bathroom?" She asked quietly, feeling different around this person. The woman before her had a powerful aura of comfort and strength, and it made Crystal feel safe, for whatever reason. But there was no chance she could know or remember exactly why, as she couldn't remember anything before the streets. Sara blinked, slightly confused at why the girl would travel up so many stairs just to knock on her door. She leaned against the door frame, gazing down at Crystal.
"How many doors did you knock on?" She asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. Crystal blinked, clearing her mind. The deep, husky voice of the woman was reverberating through her sternum, warming her heart. But this was no time to be thinking of how attractive and charismatic this woman currently was, considering it was probably just courtesy. Crystal eyed the gun on the woman's hip, and felt a shiver fly up her spine. God, please don't let this lady be a violent creep...
"88, not including this one or the front desk." Sara blinked wide again, bemusement turning quickly into astonishment. Geez, I didn't know my neighbour's were THAT big of pricks... Sara thought.
"Sure, go ahead. Just down the hallway, you'll see it." Crystal nodded thankfully, pulling off her boots as fast as she could without making a fool of herself, placing them on the small mat. She turned down the hallway, moving quickly towards Sara's neatly kept bathroom. Sara heard the door click shut, and laughed quietly. That was quite quick... She doesn't really seem like the run of the mill hookers that are around here... Sara mused as she dug deep into her fridge, searching around. Finally, she emerged with two bottles of beer. Crystal came back from the bathroom, looking around as to see where Sara went.
"Um, Miss?" She called from the living room, looking around like a lost puppy. Sara laughed from the kitchen, standing up from her crouching position behind the kitchen counter.
"Over here, and call me Sara.. Do you want a beer?" Crystal smiled shyly, and walked into the little kitchen. Sara was a few inches taller than she was, and now that Crystal saw her in the light, she looked friendlier than before. Her high cheekbones and deep, emotional eyes were her main features, along with a gap between her two front teeth.
"Um, sure, thank you. My name's Crystal..." Crystal replied quietly, still not sure of being in the apartment. It was the safest and most comfortable place she had ever been welcomed in. Sara turned around, and handed Crystal a beer after popping the top of with her thumb (a neat party trick she learned a while back). Crystal followed Sara to the couch, where they sat down on the black leather. Sara took a gulp of her drink, and then pulled out a sketchbook from under the coffee table. She began moving her pencil across the page.
"I haven't seen you around here before. How long have you been working the streets?" Crystal placed her drink down on a coaster after having a small sip, and put her fingers together in a motion to think.
"Well, I don't really remember... Less than a few months. They say they found me lying on the road with glass in the side of my head. I don't remember anything before the streets... I don't even know my own age." Crystal explained, taking another sip of her drink. The only sounds in the room were breathing, the rain, and the scratching of the pencil.
"You should have reported it, we would have investigated. At least, I would have." Sara answered, looking up for a minute at Crystal, studying her face. Crystal's face still held a certain roundness to it, so she must have been between eighteen and twenty-five years old. Her eyes were a deep blue with a hazy grey outline. Her complexion was soft and smooth, a light cream in colour. Her cheekbones weren't too high, and her hair was let long, looking dulled from the rain. She was slightly dirty, and probably hadn't had a shower or a decent meal in a while.
"I couldn't, really. I didn't know what was going on. Now I'm stuck doing what I do, with no home, no friends and no money. I'd get out of this all if I could, but when you don't live at an address, it's hard to get phone calls or letters back from employers." Crystal explained, taking another swig of her beer. Sara finished her quick sketch, tossing it back underneath the table. She took a drink of her beer, still watching the fairly quiet Crystal. She was gazing around the room, her large doe eyes seeming to take everything in.
"Where are you staying tonight?" Sara asked, leaning casually against the back of the couch, her arm on the top, almost over Crystal's shoulders. Crystal felt her toes beginning to warm up, wiggling them slightly. She felt a blush rise to her face, feeling Sara's arm almost radiating behind her. She looked at Sara, admiring the face belonging to the deep, husky voice.
"Um, a couple blocks down, behind the convenience store. There's a little bit of an overhang there, between the alley and the store. I should really get going, I'm intruding your space. Thank you very much-"
"Nonsense, you're not intruding anything. And I'm not going to let you stay out in weather like this. You're welcome to stay here, you can take a shower, borrow some of my clothing. We'll get you cleaned up. Unless you want to go back out in the rain..." Sara offered, interrupting Crystal before she managed to excuse herself. Crystal looked straight into Sara's eyes, trying to judge if she was really sincere about her offer. Crystal only saw compassion, and felt herself break into a large smile, her eyes beginning to tear up.
"Really? Thank you so much!" Crystal cried, throwing herself into Sara's arms in an enthusiastic hug. Sara felt herself grin, hugging Crystal back.
"Really, it's no problem. Now, let's get you out of those wet clothes, you're going to catch a terrible cold. Here, I'll get you some loose clothing, I'll be back." Sara stated, standing up, and going into her room. Crystal stood up as well, and walked towards the bathroom, stepping inside. Sara came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Crystal felt her knees buckle slightly under the heat. She looked up, taking the clothing that Sara handed to her.
"I'll come in later and grab the wet stuff. Feel free to use whatever you'd like." Sara gave Crystal a friendly smile, and walked out, closing the door. Crystal let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. This had to be a dream. Finally, a chance to escape this stupid life, and move on to something better.
How was she going to thank Sara?
Sara seated herself back down on the couch, stretching out languidly. She had no idea what had compelled her to offer her home to this girl, but now that she had, there was a chance she could help Crystal. Maybe this sparked the beginning of something to distract her from her job. And it was something Grissom couldn't put a halter on. She would help Crystal, somehow.
When Sara heard the water click on for a few minutes, she walked into the bathroom, grabbing Crystal's soaking wet clothing. She tossed them into the dryer, knowing she would start it later. She walked back to the couch, and flopped down, feeling her eyelids droop again. She closed her eyes completely, falling into another nap.
Crystal padded out of the bathroom, feeling better than she had in months. She wore some slightly large sweatpants and a tank top, both a light blue in colour. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she smelled of strawberries. Crystal walked into the living room, and spotted Sara lying on the couch, snoring softly. Crystal reached out, letting her palm glide over Sara's cheek. Sara's eyes opened, looking up at Crystal.
"Hey. Feeling better?" Sara asked, sitting up slightly. Her voice was deeper than normal, and slightly raspy from just waking up. Crystal felt her heart flutter, her body feeling slightly electrified. She nodded, and sat down on the edge of the couch beside Sara.
"Yes, thank you so much. I don't know how I'll ever repay you for your kindness." She whispered. Sara grinned, waving it off.
"Ah, no biggie. Anyway, you get some sleep. Take the bed in the end room, left side. I'll wake you up before I have to go to work tomorrow. I might be able to find you're old family, if you had any." Sara pointed down the hallway. Crystal looked back to Sara.
"I couldn't take your bed, I can sleep on the couch, it's no trouble at all." Sara waved her off once again.
"Nonsense, I insist. I'm good on the couch. You need a better sleep. Now, no more discussion on this. Have a good sleep, Crystal." Sara forced, her voice demanding the end of the conversation. Crystal nodded.
"Alright, thank you. Goodnight, Sara."
Slow start, I know. But Review anyway... You know ya wannnna...