A/N: Please leave reviews!! How did I stay in character? Does everything make sense? Does it flow smoothly? FEEDBACK, PEOPLE!!
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There was no crime scene, just blood. So much blood in fact, she barely survived. "Found on the ground near the outskirts, a knife wound in her upper arm." The doctor said to him.
"This was was found nearby." Said an officer handing him an EVIDENCE bag containing a pocket blade, caked in blood. He removed his trademark sunglasses, and entered the hospital room. "Rin Caine." he said, trying hard not to act surprised.
"Horatio?!" she responded, not masking her surprise "I'm glad they've got someone smart on my case." she rejoiced.
"Where have you been? I haven't seen you since..." his voice trailed off as he tried to remember 9 years into the past...
One of the first ones on the scene, Horatio steps into a hotel room to see 4 bodies. A middle-aged man and woman, both with gunshot wounds; a younger man with a stab wound; and the other, alive. A small grey-eyed girl was curled timidly in the corner, seizing a knife. Horatio simply reassured her and gently took the knife from her shivering hands.
Calmly enough, Horatio questioned her about her parents last few moments. Her story came to this:
Seeming alarmed, her father handed her a defense weapon (the knife) and told her to quickly find a place to hide. After hearing screams, and the gunshots that silenced them, Rin was more afraid than ever. The intruder must've heard her sobs of fear, and began to open the closet. In an act of adrenaline, she lunged the knife into his abdomen. She then stepped between the bodies of her beloved parents and began to dial the phone.
Then, there was the pressing issue of custody. Her parents had not many outer connections, and her godparents had passed long ago... All that remained was foster care, or a children's home. Having a very caring spirit, Horatio extended a friendly hand, and took her in from the sorrowful life otherwise ahead.
One year later, at the age of 13, she was taken from Horatio on a false charge of abuse. This was a big hit on Horatio, knowing that he would never see her again, until today....
Rin's voice brought him back to reality. "You'll want to question me about this, I suppose?"
"You have stay, let the doctors finish with you first. No questions until then, okay?" he answered.
Rin nodded as the doctor walked in, as if on cue. A few needles and shots later, she was riding shotgun in a gray Hummer, on her way to be questioned.
In the interrogation room...
"So Rin, how've you been since... well, you know?" He asked her first.
"Fine Lieutenant, but isn't that a bit off topic?"
"I care, and you know that I deserve to know. Oh, and please just call me Horatio."
"Oh, sorr-" she started, but was quickly cut off by him saying,
"You don't have to apologize, now..." he stopped not knowing what name to write on the case file "Is your last name still-?"
"I didn't change it if that's what you mean." she responded.
He finished her name with a last name he knew well, his own.
"Shall we cut to the chase? Rin, did you do that to yourself?"
"What?!" she exclaimed in response, "What kind of question is that?! You know me! I would never do that, and you know it!"
"Lower your voice." he said, calmly as ever.
"Don't you have to have motive? I have not motive to stab myself!"
"Rin, your parents were killed, nearly in front of you, and-"
"And you took me in, and in the small amount of time that I wasn't thinking about my parents, I was happy." she said.
"Then you were taken. After that day, I have no idea what your life was like, but I'm sure it wasn't good."
Tears welled in her eyes after he said this, because... maybe it was true. "I was put in a horrible children's home where no one spoke to me; and after I turned 16, I was totally in the world on my own, fending for myself."
"Rin, you should've known to come back. I would not have hesitated to help you."
She continued, "I lived in a shabby apartment for 2 years, surviving on minimum wage until I graduated. I'm still barely making enough to support myself."
"This is all motive." Horatio said firmly.
"HORATIO! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!?!" she yelled, rising from her chair."The past is gone! I refuse to dwell on it, therefore I have no reason to do that and I..." her voice lowered to nearly a whisper."I just can't believe you'd think that." She sank into her chair, now letting the tears fall into streaks on her face. She avoided eye contact with him at all costs. He wanted to be strong, stronger than the day they took her away. His hand slid across the table over hers. Leaning in, almost whispering, he asked her,"If you didn't do this to yourself, why will you not tell me what happened?"
Leaning closer still, she informed him,"Test the blood the knife, and that isolated splatter on my shirt. They won't match."
"I'll have it taken care of. You can go, but not far."
"Horatio, I don't think you, or I want me going anywhere unless we figure this out."
"Do you mind telling me why?" he asked.
"After you get the results." she replied, almost as coolly as Horatio.
"After?"
"Horatio, this isn't a suicide attempt. Someone is dead."
He then nodded and went to order the blood test. Rin didn't move.
Natalia BoaVista slowly removed the shirt from the bag, looking for th 'isolated' spot of blood. It wasn't hard to find. The entire back of the shirt was covered in blood,(from when she was lying in her own blood) and there was one spot the size of a tennis ball on the front. That must've been it. Slowly she took samples from the spot, and from the knife. The results she got were the ones expected.
A dark haired man sat in an eerie hideout. What the hell? he thought, I stab the girl and Ed, suddenly...sirens? The cops had began to show up instantly, he'd barely had time to escape without being seen. Ronaldo Cruz. He wanted that money, how was he going to get to her now? In cop's hands even! He was going to get whathe wanted, and take out whoever got in his way. Even if it was Lieutenant Horatio Caine.
"Alright Rin, now you have our attention." said Horatio as he walked in, examining two different results.
"You mean more than I already did?" she sassed, flipping her shiny curls cockily.
"The sample from the knife matches you, but the patch from your shirt, a man named Eduardo Cruz. Just as you said. Now you owe me a story."
"What do you know about hits?" she voiced quietly.
"Hits? Quite alot, I'm afraid. If we're thinking the same thing."
"There's a price on my head. I heard the two men that took me talking about it."
"So... two men. Names?"
"Not sure. One was the Eduardo guy that you mentioned."
"And you killed him?"he shot.
"There you go assuming again! Why would I do that?"
"Self defense." he answered steadily, "You don't get in trouble for that."
"No, I didn't kill him, why can't you trust me?"
"So what did the men look like? Did you get a good look?"
"You're avoiding the question."she snapped back.
He suddenly felt weaker than her. Hating this feeling, he hid it.
"Rin, we have to talk about this. If you didn't kill him, who did?"
"The second man, or will you not believe that either?"
"Listen to me, how did you come to have his blood on your shirt?"
"Eduardo was stabbed shortly after I was. As I was on the ground in agony, they (The 2 men) got into an argument over the money they were going to get for my death. The unidentified man eliminated his problem, stabbing him with a second knife while standing practically over me. A lot of Eduardo's blood dripped onto me just before the other guy threw him aside. I heard sirens, and he took Eduardo's body with him as he ran [Ed is very short.]. That is when I pulled the first knife out of myself, and they busted through the doors, accusing me of attempting suicide. Now, whether you believe me or not, that's how it happened."
"Interesting." Horatio said, nodding.
"I knew it. I knew you wouldn't believe me."
"I never said that."
"You don't have to! You've lost your trust in me for some reason." Getting quieter, she continued, "Not that I blame you. Where the h*ll has trusting anyone got me? Just screwed over and hurt."
Horatio was silent. He had never heard her talk like that. Even after her parents were killed, she was never this... pessimistic. Rin stood, "I need some air." She began to walk out. Horatio knew she was hurt. He quickly got out of his seat in time to catch her at her door, and wrap her in a tight embrace.
Ryan sabatoged thier moment, by bursting in excitedly. "We've got a lead on where Eric might be! I'm about to head to the scene with Calliegh, we're gonna need you to come take a look."
"I remember Eric... What happened to Eric?" Rin asked wonderingly."
Horatio turned to her,"Eric dissapeared from an accident scene not long ago. I have to go."
"Wait." she said, "Take me with you, please."
He saw her eyes glazed over with fear. This was different for him, she'd always been strong, almost never afraid. Now she was like a child in the dark. She continued,"They're coming for me. I don't want to die, Horatio."
"Okay." was the simple answer.
In the H-mobile...
Horatio started conversation,"You've changed so much."
"Hmm?"
"Well, when you were 12, you would always looked to the future with hope... now, you're not the optimist you used to be. Still as quick-witted though."
"You mean, I'm still a smart a**, right?" she responded. Horatio nodded, smiling.
"I'm not 12 years old anymore, Horatio. I had to stop believe that everything would be okay. I realized that that's just not how it happens."
In the event of an awkward silence, he said,"This is it, we're here."
At the scene Calliegh and Ryan, stood conversing. Calliegh looked distraugt, Horatio had been surprised (yet not) when Calliegh hadn't wanted to take time off. "What do we have here?" Horatio asked. He barely had time to get the question out before shots were fired. All of the CSI's (and Rin) hit the ground and drew thier guns (exept for Rin, who had no gun). A black car, containing about 5 men began to shower the scene with bullets. Rin! Thought Horatio. He then dove at her, pinning her to the ground. He stayed there (still firing shots) until the car fled. Thankfully, only one injury resulted; Ryan was grazed on his side, but was quickly bandaged. Horatio then saw what this was; they didn't come for him, or Calliegh, or Ryan. They came for Rin, and he had to do something about it.
Back at the station... Ryan, Rin, and Calleigh all sat in the break room as Horatio paced nervously...
Ryan spoke first,"They were speaking Russian. Not to be racist here, but they could be from the mob." Horatio sighed,"We are done with these people. We've got to find out who's putting out the 'mob hit'."
"We realize that. Calm down now. Heh, I can't believe I'm telling you to calm down."
"Rin, this isn't funny, you almost died again today. Did you recognize any of the men in the car?"
"I didn't. You know what that means right?"
"That this isn't a mob hit?" Calliegh filled in.
"And that more than one group of people is out to kill Rin."
"So that means, we've got to find out who's offering the money," Rin said
"And why," Ryan said.
"And we have to get rid of them." Horatio concluded. Ryan and Horatio left to regroup, but Calliegh stayed. Rin felt horrible. Ryan told her that Calliegh and Eric had something going on, and Rin just barged in and pulled them away from that to help save HER life."I'm sorry."Rin uttered when her and Calliegh were alone. "Sorry? For what?"
"Eric meant alot to you guys. But I pulled everyone's attention away from him. Ryan told me that you were having a hard time since then, and this is making it worse because all of MDPD's attention should be on Eric."
"Don't feel bad. People tried to kill you today, and you don't even know why. Eric could be already gone. We should focus on saving who we can." Tears filled her eyes as she said this, but she didn't let them fall. This is when Ryan walked in, sabotaging(?) yet another tender moment. "H wants to know if you're taking college courses."
"I'll go talk to him." Rin muttered leaving the room. "Yes?" she said as she found Horatio in the hall.
"Do you go to college?" he asked.
"I don't know how I'd afford that. I also don't want you feeling sorry for me if that's why you asked."Rin looked troubled.
"If it's any assurance, these few years have been sh*tty for me too." Horatio reassured.
"Elaborate?"
Horatio explained his past few years to her, the friends he lost (Speed etc.), losing his wife (Eric's Sister). He also explained the good things, like finding out that he had a son. Rin felt bad yet again, for talking about her problems. She spoke up when he was finished, "You and I have been through more in the past few years than anyone should have to go through in their entire lives. Especially you." She sympathized.
"Who's feeling sorry fo whom?"
She smirked at him and silence fell.
After regrouping, Horatio and Rin settled into one of the meeting rooms. Moments of silence went by before Rin broke the silence,"Horatio, what do you propose we do about this?"
This question made Horatio feel unsure. He hated this feeling, people look to him for fearless leadership;and when he doesn't know what to do he feels...powerless. "I don't know." he finally admitted.
"Well if you don't have an idea, then there's no hope for the rest of us." Horatio breathed a hopeless sigh. He couldn't bear to look at her saying these things. She'd always been strong, and in his eyes, she was crumbling.
Rin spoke up,"We have to lure them to us. We're smarter than them, now it's time to show it."
"A trap?" he said, looking up.
"I suppose so, but for a trap, we'll need suitable bait."
"Rin, no. I wont let you do that. If these people want you dead, they wont take bait. They'll just kill you. I'm in no position to lose you again."
"How else then? If we don't solve this, you will lose me."
"I know." he said quietly before getting up, and leaving the room.
"Bullets rained down on a local CSI investigation today." proclaimed the news lady. It then cut to a clip of Caine and... the girl! She was still with the police! He still had his chance to be rich.
"Lt. Caine, do you care to talk about the attack?"
"No." Caine slid into his vehicle with the girl, and the clip cut away. The overly-makeuped news lady came back,"It is assumed that twenty-one year old Rin Caine was the target of the attack." What?! Someone else is after the money? Ronaldo fumed with anger. He wanted that money and he was going to get it, no matter what.
"Take this." Horatio put a gun in Rin's hand. "Do you know how?"
"Trust me, I know how.I've seen a lot os sh!t." she responded.
"Well then, I guess we're ready." he mumbled.
An eerie warehouse. Rin waled slowly, cautiously. She took a breath and pushed open the door. "Don't move!" she said, aiming the gun."Put the gun down, or I'll shoot." she warned.
"You don't have the guts to shoot me." Said Ronaldo, as he began to approach. Rin cocked the gun.
"She has the guts to shoot you... and so do I."Horatio stepped out of the shadows, gun ready. "Now drop the gun."
Three loud pops.....
"He's not the best shot." Rin said as doctors worked on the bullethole in her leg. "Is he alive?" she asked Horatio.
"He has to be if we want to find out who's offering the money. Nice shot by the way."
"Thanks, you too." she said with a smile. He put his hand on her's again, but this time, something interrupted their hands. He moved his hand out of the way so she could see the badge he'd handed her. "Welcome aboard."
Fin