From the Beginning
By: Speedfanatic05
A/N: I have more stories that need attention, but this one just wouldn't let me go. I found it intriguing that we know next to nothing, except what we are given by canon, about our team from Miami. This is just a take of their past , through my perception.
A/N #2: This takes place before a few years before the first episode of Miami, which would put the time around 1999, working forward, of course, however, I am taking liberties with the information. If there are mistakes, they are mine only.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Miami, all of that is the expressed property of CBS, and JB.
Thanks to Crimelab.NL for supplying me with background info!
Summary: Every story has a beginning...
"To know one's future, one has to learn from one's past..."
Chapter One
New York -1999
The door opened and she walked through, her long brown hair put up in a messy bun as she eyed the slabs to her right. With a sigh, she walked slowly to the back, placing her bag on the racks that held an assortment of lab coats and scrubs, each of them holding the simple script of the New York City morgue , stitched across the right side. Picking the pair that had her initials on them, she turned and walked into the changing room, a feeling of despair riding her every move. If only she had said something, made notice of the error that would ultimately cost someone their life, and her the career she loved and desired the most , she would still be doing that job. Now, she had been cast down, sent to dwell in the bowels of New York to toil away at lives that were no longer viable. No matter what Alexx Woods had to do ,however, she attacked it with fervor and compassion, and just like she had become the top of her field in medicine, so she would in pathology. Besides, the only difference between the two was that one was healing the living and the other was tending to the dead. Both instances held a high regard with Alexx, for a life, lived or still yet to be lived mattered to her, and it was with this respect that Alexx walked through the doors of the morgue every morning for almost four years. Her job was still the same, helping others find peace.
Coming out of the changing room, she pulled a stray hair from her face, making a mental note of her procedures, grabbing the clipboard that hung near the rows and rows of slabs that housed the city's dead. Walking through her domain, she started up the machinery and placed the clipboard back , completing her walk through.
"Well, all that remains is the arrival," she sighed as she glanced at the clock. Eight thirty. The first arrivals would be bursting through the doors any time now.
Like clock work, the doors swished open and a gurney appeared first, followed by two morgue techs and a tall man, his hair wavy, and his brown eyes dancing with delight. Alexx smiled as Sheldon straightened up and glanced her way, smirking some as well. Since her arrival , Sheldon Hawkes had taken a fast liking to the woman, realizing her potential when he witnessed her with her first case. It did kind of freak him out that she talked to the corpses, but her keen observation, and her fortitude of skill outweighed that. As far as Sheldon was concerned, what the medical community had chosen to throw away, was the crime investigation community's gain. He gave her five more years to be at the top of their profession.
"Dr. Woods," he said softly with grin, " I see you are here early. Want to try and beat the rush hour?"
Alexx chuckled as she shook her head, gesturing towards the covered body, " Just making preparations for our first visitor."
"Oh, this guy? He's not going anywhere anytime soon," Sheldon quipped as she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms around her. Sheldon took note and stepped back, "hey, just making polite conversation." He unzipped the body bag and pulled it back, revealing the mangled body. " I give you, Troy Masters. Found at the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge, several contusions about the body, and from what I can tell," he said as he moved to the head of the gurney, pointing to the head, " GSW to the skull."
Alexx gazed into the face of the decedent, her demeanor instantly changing. Putting on a pair of gloves, she placed her hands on his face, lightly touching his cheeks, the flesh almost instantly coming off in her hands. With rush of breath escaping her lungs, she took in the severe decomposition that was present , certain that she could help him.
"A tad bit early to say, Shelly, but I think you might be on to something," Alexx said as she smiled sadly, looking back at his face, "Troy, baby, we are going to get to the bottom of this."
Sheldon watched as the two morgue techs pulled the body bag and then set the body on the slab. They stepped away and Alexx stepped forward, her mind now sharply focused on the poor soul who now lain there. Silence hung deeply as she began her ritual of first preserving any evidence and then bagging. Once she had the preliminary done, she filled her hands with the scalpel and poised it at the left shoulder.
"Tell Mac that I will have COD in an hour," she intoned softly. "I am so sorry , Troy."
Sheldon watched for a few moments later as Alexx began her work, at times speaking as if Troy would respond. He just shook his head and turned to walk out, leaving her to do what she did best. He was fairly certain that Alexx would make this right.
/CSI/
Miami
The wind whipped around him, tossing his copper tinted hair about as he stared at the man before him, the dark sunglasses perched upon his neck. The intensity that swam in his expressive blue eyes were focused on the brown younger ones that stared back at him, just as intense. For the moment, the conversation had stalled, and the older man glanced away at the caps of the Atlantic. For so long , Miami had been his home , a place to come back to when there was nothing left for him anywhere else. Miami was where he made his life, his career and there was nothing that could take him away from it.
"I'm doing my job, Horatio," the younger man's voice said, bringing him out of his stupor. Horatio turned to him and smiled faintly, glancing at the ground, trying to find the right words. His brother would never listen to reason, always the first to fly off on a great adventure. What he was trying to make him understand was that they were no longer boys playing in the streets, and that the business that they were both in now was of the dangerous kind.
"Ray, Narco isn't the best field to go into," Horatio stated as he regained his attention to his younger brother, observing as he slacked in demeanor. "It's a dangerous game."
"Oh, and you're telling me that the bomb squad was just a day in the park, huh? There's nothing dangerous about taking apart a bomb."
"Ray," Horatio sighed, moving closer to him. Their gazes met and he could see the rebellion that dwelled in his little brother, " Ray, you have a family now. They need you to come home every night, to be there. You would be making Yelina a widow. And I left the bomb squad , remember?"
"I knew this was about her," Ray returned, turning away, putting his hands on his hips. Another swift movement turned him around once more, the fire burning deep within. He knew that before he married Yelina Salas, his brother had a relationship with the Columbian detective, causing him to question at every turn, his big brother's motives. Every time they were in each other's presence, Ray could swear he saw the flame between them, one that never seemed to extinguish even with the fact of her marriage to him. "It's always about Yelina."
"Ray, this isn't about Yelina. It's about you finally taking responsibility for your actions. Narco is filled with..."
"With what, H? Temptation? Dirty cops? Greed?"
"With deceit," Horatio finished as he looked at his watch. As important as this was, he had a job to get back to. "Ray, what's wrong with staying with Homicide?"
"Why, so you can keep tabs on me? Horatio, the last I checked, I was a grown man and Mom's been dead for almost thirty years. I can take care of myself."
The cell in his pocket rang, stopping him from replying, instead, he grabbed the phone and pressed the button. After a moment, he replaced the phone in his trouser pocket, turning back to his brother, the defiance still dancing in his eyes. He had sworn to his mother that he would always look after Raymond, but it was a promise he had been hard tasked to keep. If he would just listen.
"I'm sure you can, Ray, but just think about it, will ya? I've got to go, but this will continue."
"There's no need, Horatio. I start tomorrow."
"Ray..."
"Go, Horatio. Just go."
He gazed at his brother before returning his gaze to the sea, the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore calming him instantly. Pleading hadn't fazed the younger Caine any bit, and Horatio was out of options. He was going to have to keep a close eye on his brother, to ensure the safety and longevity of his family.
/CSI/
Megan paced the office, deep in thought, her eyes never leaving the carpet that was in front of her. For a week now, she had seen this young man coming in and out of her lab, following one of her investigators. At first, she didn't see the harm in him coming; Jack was probably just showing the kid the ropes, but one glance in the stranger's dark , intense eyes, caused Megan to see differently. She knew the difference between damaged and lost, and this guy was clearly lost. Sighing heavily, she stopped pacing and faced him , her eyes gravitating to meet his stone gray eyes.
"I don't know what the problem is, Meg. He's harmless, Jack said so himself," Sean Donner said as he sat back in her chair, swiveling it around to face the ominous windows that encased her office. The window was a clear view into the trace lab that sat below them, and occupying it at the moment was the man in question. "He's a friend of Jack's nephew, you know, the one who died in New York?"
"Yeah," she said absently as she refocused her sights and thoughts to the carpet. "But , don't you think there's something about him? I mean, I've never seen anyone his age nearly as attentive as he is. Almost like he was born to do this."
"Well, if you feel this strongly about it, recruit him."
"What did you say?" Megan asked, directing her line of sight to the trace lab, watching as the older man directed the younger to the table. She could see the methodical way he moved, almost as if he was sure about what he was doing.
"Recruit him. He looks to be about twenty four, that's what age they graduate college nowadays isn't it?" Sean asked with a grin. If he knew anything about his wife, he knew that she was always on the look out for new talent, her main desire being to build the best CSI team in Florida. She had one piece of that puzzle already , with Horatio Caine joining up a few years back , transferring from the bomb squad. With his keen observational skills and his ability to think ahead of the problem, he was sure that Horatio would be an asset to her team.
"You can't be serious, Sean. He's a stranger, off the street, no less."
"Never judge a book by it's cover , my dear. You'd be surprised of what you will find, if you only ask."
"Alright , Confucius, how do you suggest I go about that? I'm sure that the Chief wouldn't be so happy about spending the tax payer's dollars to babysit."
"Meg, just go and talk to him, see what he is about."
Megan looked between Sean and the trace lab, nodding her head, " Alright, I'll go talk to him."
"Good girl. I'll be at the PD if you need me," Sean responded as he leaned in to give her a kiss. She completed the kiss and smiled as he pulled away, seeing the sly grin. " Don't be too hard on 'em , Meg."
"Soft as a feather," she returned, looking back down at the lab. A knock on the door pulled her attention and she saw as Sean opened it, letting the red haired CSI enter. Moving towards the door, she handed him a file, "Horatio, I need fresh eyes to go over this file. Take Jack with you to the layout room and see what we've got."
Horatio held the file in his hand and nodded, turning to go out of the room, heading for the trace lab. Megan glanced towards Sean as he gestured towards the door, holding it for her. She smirked as she passed him, smelling the faint aroma of his cologne.
"Go get 'em, tiger," he quipped as she walked, continuing down the stair case.
"You owe me dinner if this goes south," she called back. Sean laughed and headed for the elevators, his thoughts already back at the PD. He was sure that she knew what she was doing.
/CSI/
He was in trouble, he could see it in the doctor's eyes when he entered the room, the troubling news hanging about him like a noose. Eric Delko sighed heavily as he sat up straighter, feeling the overwhelming desire to bolt, not wanting to hear what was going to be said. As soon as he felt his arm pop while doing a training lap, he knew that it was over. His dreams of swimming professionally were now drifting away, now being replaced with the thought of a career in science, being that he was going to graduate in the spring with a Chemistry degree under his belt. If he couldn't do the one thing he loved, he thought that he could supplement it with another equally intriguing dream of his.
"I guess you already know, Eric," the doctor started off with a light release of his breath. " You've torn a tendon, leading to the Teres Major."
"Yeah, kinda figured that," Eric replied, his heart deflating. Until he actually heard it from the doctor, he was holding on to that slight chance that his swimming career could be salvaged. He was an eternal optimist that way. "So, what's the news?"
"You will swim again, just not professionally. The strain that would be put on it would be too much, possibly causing more damage as time wears on. It's my recommendation that you don't pursue this any further."
Eric chuckled somewhat as he nodded his head, " Okay, alright. But this injury won't hinder me from recreational swimming ,will it?"
"I don't suppose so. The point is that the stress level in competing is very large , you don't want to do anything to cripple yourself."
"You're right, Doc. So, we are done here?"
"Yes, Eric, we are," he said as he held out his hand, making sure that Eric could shake it with his free hand. "And I'm terribly sorry about this."
"No problem , Doc. I will just have to find something else to do with my time," Eric responded with a huge grin as he released the hand and walked towards the door. The world now held new possibilities for him, he only needed to reach out and grab them.
/CSI/
"Hey, Horatio," Jack greeted as he noticed the red head standing at the door. His companion, lifted his head, and gestured his greetings. Horatio moved inward, glancing inadvertently to the young man then back to Jack, placing the file on the work desk. Jack chuckled as he slipped his gloves off and flipped through the file, shaking his head. "Let me guess, Megan?"
"On the money. She wants us to look over it in the layout room," Horatio stated, catching the younger man's eye sight. "So, who's your friend?"
"Oh, him? Don't pay any attention to him, it's just Tim. He was a friend of my late nephew, God rest his soul," Jack answered with a nonchalant wave.
Tim stepped up and offered his hand, " The name's Tim Speedle."
Horatio took his hand and shook it , noticing the firm grip and clarity in his eyes, " I'm Horatio Caine, CSI level three. Do you have an interest in forensics?"
"Not really, I just thought I would crash in on Jack here and see what he was up to. But, I have to say, it is very interesting work that you are doing here," Tim responded with a small smile. "What I wouldn't give to be able to do something with that Mass spec."
Horatio's eyes lifted as he looked to Jack, seeing the older man shrugging his shoulders, "Interested?"
"Mostly in your procedures," Tim answered as he shoved his hands in his pockets. The only time he didn't think about his reasons for being in Miami in the first place was when he had come to the lab with Jack. He suddenly found himself quite content in it's surroundings.
Horatio could sense something deeper in the man's demeanor, but a sound from behind him tore his focus and he turned to see her standing there expectantly. Megan entered the trace lab and smiled politely as Jack and Horatio made their way out with no words exchanged. Tim moved to go with them, but Megan stopped his forward motion with a hand and a stern gaze. Tim sat back down on the stool, already planning his route out of Miami.
"So, I see that Jack is playing tour guide again," Megan said as she took a seat next to him. She studied his body position, his line of sight and his demeanor. Narrowing her eyes, she continued, her voice crisp, " What are you running from?"
Taken aback somewhat by the question, Tim dropped his head and then raised it, a small scowl on his face, "Who says I was running?"
"The eyes say everything..."
"Tim," he offered as he sat up a little more. "Tim Speedle."
"Tim," Megan repeated ,a smile coming easily. "Like I was saying, the eyes say everything about who we are as a person, what we've experienced, what has disappointed us. It's impossible to escape that. And what your eyes are telling me is that you are searching for something. Now , what I don't know, but I also see a determination to do something."
"I had that determination, but I lost it."
"How?"she asked propping her elbow on the table, placing her chin on her fist. "And if I'm prying, let me know."
Tim sighed heavily as he broke eye contact with her. He hadn't spoken at length about Christopher to anyone, save Jack, but now it felt right. Gathering all he could, he looped his fingers together and started talking, his voice at first, a whisper.
"Chris and I were best friends, did everything together. There was nothing that we couldn't do without the other knowing about it. We were in the top five percent of our class in high school, we applied and were accepted to Columbia for college, he was going to be a chemical engineer, and I was going for Biology. On the spring trip, we went to the mountains. I thought that we were safe..."
"Tim, you don't have to do this," Megan said as she reached out to him, seeing the toll of telling his story. His shoulders slumped more and the strong demeanor was diminished with the thoughts of the past.
"I think I need to," he returned as he looked at her, the sadness hanging about him. She smiled more and he relaxed, sitting back on the stool, gazing at the microscopes. " We got into an accident, he was paralyzed from the neck down. At first, I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to do something to help him. I started hitting the books, realizing that if I finished school, I could possibly find some way to help him. Chris never made it past the first year, he died after a procedure."
"I'm sorry, Tim..."
Tim let a rush of air out of his lungs placing his hands flat on the table, steadying himself, "I ran, I didn't finish school, didn't want to. My sole purpose for continuing on was gone. So I thought to myself, what's the point. I wandered around for a bit until I made my way here, remembering that Chris had an uncle who lived in Miami. And well, here I am."
Megan nodded her head as she changed positions, "Here you are. So, what are your plans from here?"
"I'll tell you when I find out," he quipped, grinning.
"Okay, so, how about getting a job, here? The pay is okay, the hours are murder, but the upside is that the work that we do, puts a lot of minds at ease. The victims never go voiceless here."
"You are offering me a job, ...right now?" Tim inquired, his eyebrow lifted. He couldn't lie to himself, he found the work that Jack was doing intriguing and the thought of doing something to help someone else was paramount. If he couldn't help Chris, maybe this was the path way to healing and understanding.
"Well, you'd have to finish school and intern for a while, but yeah. Why not, it's not like you are hard pressed in doing anything , right?"
Tim laughed at the statement and glanced up ,seeing Jack as he stood at the door, waving him out. Megan turned her head to see Jack Seegar walking in their direction and quickly got up. Tim followed suit and walked through the door, just as the IAB agent turned the corner. With disaster adverted, Jack threw a cautious glare to Tim and he nodded , moving away from Megan. Stopping in mid step he turned back to her.
"You were serious?"
"Yes. Talk to me when you finish your degree. You will have a position here waiting for you, Tim."
"It's Speed," he answered back with a wide grin. "My friends call me Speed."
Megan smiled as she watched the two men walk out of the lab, having a feeling that she would see the dark haired young man again.
TBC...