Actus Reus
By Shaz1
Disclaimer- none of the recognised characters belong to me, they are all the property of CBS and the actors that portray them.
Rating wise there are some naughty words in this, there are some potential disturbing subject matters touched upon and some violence as this is more action based than my last story so if any of these things offend you please don't read any further and no offence will be taken!
Thank you so much for the wonderful support and loyal following of my last story- for those that don't know the title was Latin for 'To hang by a hair'. The title of this story translates to 'Guilty Act'- it is a well-known phrase for those in the legal world, and very fitting to the CSI realm.
This follows on immediately from my last story, although it can be read just as easily as a standalone. As usual please review, as I love seeing them flash up in my inbox!
Actus Reus
Detective Mac Taylor sighed as he sat back in his office chair for the first time in a month. It was the longest time he had ever been away from his crime lab and he had missed it. He looked at the pile of paperwork stacked on the edge of his desk and sighed again- that he did not miss. His team had been beside him every step of his recovery from the almost fatal head injury he had sustained after being struck across the head by a hapless bank robber. If he had ever doubted there love and loyalty before he certainly wouldn't have been now. No he was a lucky man to be surrounded by such support and he would be forever grateful for that.
"You doing ok?" his partner questioned as she stepped into his office quietly.
"Apart from drowning in paperwork I'm fine Stella", he replied with a small grin. Stella Bonasera, his partner, his long term friend and a damn fine detective had practically moved in with him after his release from the hospital and refused to leave until a week later. Even then she had still visited every day to check he wasn't doing anything he wasn't supposed to. He had stuck rigidly to his promises- taken every dose of medication and not left the apartment and most importantly in his partner's eyes he had not returned to work even a minute before he had been told he could.
"The guys are talking about going for a quick beer after work, celebrate your return to work if you feel up to it" she told him with a smile. Mac chuckled lightly at her choice of words.
"Stella I am fine" he replied. "And yes if I get done in time I will swing by for a beer" he told her, the gleam in his eyes telling her that he didn't really mind her concern. She nodded before leaving and Mac found the smile remaining on his face as he watched her go. She certainly was in full protective mode still. Sure he still got headaches, the sort that came on suddenly and almost blinded him- but he they were becoming rarer and shorter. He knew that he still tired easily and was nowhere near back to full strength, but he was all right- he just needed to make sure that his friends and colleagues knew that. With one last shake of the head he reached for the file on the top of the mountainous pile and began reading through it.
CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI
Lee O'Leary sighed as he grabbed the last bag from the trunk of the family car. He hated doing the shopping, but with the birth of their second child looming his wife, Laura, just couldn't manage it anymore. He smiled at the thought, any day now their happy little family would grow slightly bigger and he was be the happiest man alive. Balancing the bag on his knee, he reached up and grabbed the edge of the trunk pulling it closed and managing to prevent the bags from plummeting to the floor at the same time. Without another thought he headed into the house that they had bought shortly after marrying and would soon have outgrown. Pushing the door open and stepping into the hallway the sight that met his startled eyes caused the bag to drop to the floor, a silent scream to leave his throat and his heart to shatter into a thousand pieces.
CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI
"Boss is back huh?" Danny asked Adam softly as he walked in behind the clearly flustered lab technician.
"Yep, first day back and he has already had suggestions on three cases that no one else had noticed" Adam replied in awe for their boss.
"You know Mac" Danny replied with a grin "he has that knack of seeing in a second, things that nobody else would spot in a lifetime". Nobody knew how the marine did it, and he still never failed to surprise them with the leaps that he would just suddenly make that usually lead to the offender being not only identified but successfully prosecuted.
"Yeah, I just wish I didn't always feel so dumb around him" Adam muttered, he had nothing but respect for the head of the crime lab, but the natural air of authority that the older man gave off always reduced Adam into a flustered teenager making him say things that he would never normally come out with.
"Hey man, don't be so hard on yourself. You are far from dumb" Danny told the young man reassuringly with a manly pat on the shoulder before lever the tech to it. Adam smiled as he left, it was nice to feel part of this close knit team. With a flick of the volume switch for his iPod he turned his attention back to the microscope in front of him to follow up the new leads that his boss had made him aware of.
CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI-CSI
"Here's the last of your messages" Lindsay told her boss lightly as she handed him the last handful of letters and memos. Stella had been taking most of his mail to his apartment so that it wouldn't stack up, but no one had realised quite how much the head of the lab actually had.
"Thanks Lindsay" he told her taking it and adding it onto the pile on his desk- barely glimpsing at the letters in his hand and so not noticing the letter on the top of the pile that was written in a loose handwriting scrawl that he would have instantly recognised if he had the chance to look.
"We're finishing up in thirty minutes, are you joining us for a beer?" she asked him with a soft hopeful expression on her face that made him forget that she was now a seasoned detective that was more than capable of looking after herself, there was something about the young Lindsay Messer that he found hard to say no to. He sighed dramatically.
"Well I don't suppose I'll get much peace if I don't" he replied with a soft smile to take the sting from his words.
"Nope none at all" she replied with a cheeky grin before heading back to finish up the lab. Mac chuckled to himself, signing the file in front of him, and quickly looking through his e-mails also ready to wrap up for the night.
End Chapter one
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