Blood Ties
Disclaimer : I definitely do NOT own C.S.I – Dammit ! Though I am studying to become one. I don't own any of the food brands mentioned either. I don't own the book, ' Sin City ' in the C.S.I series by Max Allan Collins, on which this story is '
sort-off ' based.
Nick and Sara deal with a long distance murderer, each clue blowing their case open much wider. Catherine gets a little surprise – especially for her. . .
Pairings : Catherine/Grissom & Nick/Sara
Jim Brass sighed as he caught sight of what time it was - 9 p.m. already. He tried not to look at the clock often. It just reminded him of everything he wanted to do but couldn't. It was going to be long night, trying to catch up on paper work. Besides that, tonight he was supposed to be with Ellie, his sixteen year old daughter.
One of those rare nights . . .
But once again, a case had come up – Grissom and Warrick had needed a warrant to search a trailer and he had had to provide it for them, cutting dinner short. She hadn't shown any surprise. She had gotten used to it by now.
He remembered a time where she had hero-worshipped her father. She had wanted to be like him – ' a superhero ' – saving the world from crime with the help of his trusty C.S.I side-kicks. Her eyes used to fill with awe at his stories of how he had put lots and lots of ' bad-guys ' away. She had understood that he had to leave her alone with her mom at times to do that. It had been okay, Superman did that, Spiderman did that . . . Hell ! Even the Power Rangers left suddenly.
But yet there had been that tiny spark of hope that he would spend some time at home with her. But he had dashed any hope – or love for that matter – by getting a divorce. Her heart was now surrounded by a hard, icy shell. Hope turned to distrust, understanding to indifference . . . like he would ever betray her . . . but too late. He realised, he had already betrayed her by getting the divorce.
How many times had she asked him " Daddy, nothing can come between us right ? " ? How many times had he answered " Yes. " ? God! He had even pinkie-sworn to that !
He checked the clock once more. And sighed
Suddenly, the phone rang, startled, he picked it up. A voice that was trying to stay calm and controlled on the other end, said, " Daddy help ! I need you ! – We need you ! It's mom, and Robin ! They're burning ! We 're at home ! The fire, it's so hot ! Daddy HURRY ! " and with that, the call ended.
Ellie. It had been forever since she had called him ' daddy ' , now it was ' daaad ' stretching the vowel sound with a bored tone to it. He sat for a minute, still in shock before he jumped to his feet. The message playing in his head again, and again –
" Daddy HURRY ! " He had to hurry, his little girl needed him. He had to play superhero again.
He grabbed the phone and placed two other calls: one to the fire station, another to Grissom. He jumped to his feet, grabbed his coat and ran out of the office at a speed no one would imagine he could move.
He had to get to the parking lot quickly.
Grissom and his crew were waiting outside next to a Tahoe and a Taurus. All they knew was that Brass had called, and that it was urgent. They had quickly dropped everything and managed to get assembled.
They saw Brass exiting the building at a speed that would probably qualify him for the Olympics. This was definitely urgent, not to mention important. He gave them a relieved smile when he saw them.
He stopped to catch his breath, and then quickly told them the address, " You know where the Bella Rosa neighbourhood is ? ". He saw Catherine, Warrick and Grissom nod. " Good, because we need to get there now, there's a fire at no.59, now what are you waiting for – go ! "
Without waiting for more, Warrick jumped behind the wheel of the black Taurus, Nick and Sara followed suite. Clicking their seat belts in their places, they were ready to roll.
Catherine got behind the wheel of the black Tahoe at almost the same time as Warrick. But there had been hesitation as it was Grissom who nearly always drove. But he just courteously stepped aside and let her do her thing. " You know the area better than I do, " he explained as he got into the passenger seat. Brass was in the back, with their kits which they had just thrown in – thanks to his urgency. " Yeah, " she agreed after they had buckled themselves in. " Lindsey has a friend who lives in the neighbourhood, but at no.23," she started the engine, " I gotta tell ya, it's one hell of a posh neighbourhood. " She then followed the black Taurus as it made it's way out of the parking lot.
In the back seat of the Taurus, Sara was being bumped around. She'd had no time to buckle in as Warrick, - unlike Catherine who followed driving rules religiously because of Lindsey's safety - had started driving as soon as his belt was in place, not waiting for the others.
" Why do you think Brass has got his panties in a twist ? " said Nick in his rich Texan accent. The line earned him a weird look from Sara and Warrick who risked one as he swerved around a bend.
" 'Panties in a twist ?' " questioned Sara.
" Aww . . . it's just something my mom used to say, that's all, " he explained.
" Aaahhh . . . " said Warrick in the okay-if-you-say-so tone.
" Never heard of the Bella Rosa neighbourhood before, someone care to fill me in ? " Sara said as she struggled to sit properly, she had just missed the belt buckle. She was grasping around in the dark. One of their metal kit boxes rammed in to her wrist.
That's gonna bruise.
She thought as she rubbed it gingerly. She smiled as she saw Nick, though he was buckled in tight, grab onto the handle above the door as Warrick went around another bend.
" Hey Warrick ! You attempting to check us into Doc Robbins' hotel early or something ? Slow down ! " Nick yelled amidst the chaos, " Sara's not even belted in yet ! "
Suddenly the car ground to a halt in front of a red light. Sara seized the opportunity to belt in. She then set the boxes in so they wouldn't go crashing about in the back.
" Anyone gonna answer my question ? " she asked.
" Mine too ? " Nick said looking at Warrick.
He swivelled around to face them both. " When was the last time we've seen Brass like this ? The answer is never. So why now ? Because, it has to be personal - close to home. By the way, Bella Rosa is posh, designed by some fancy Spanish architect. Supposed to be really beautiful, anyways there are fifty-five houses in all. The most expensive house is no.1 and it gets cheaper goin' down. But cheap, if you're rich. The initial payment on one of the cheaper homes is about 50 000 – 60 000 dollars. "
" Wow ! " exclaimed Sara.
" I know what you mean, " said Nick.
By now the car was already moving. Nick and Sara braced themselves.
" But if it comes along a swimming pool, a great porch and backyard, it may actually be a good buy, " said Warrick.
They were close now. It was just 2 minutes away now.
Catherine was almost there now. They couldn't keep up with Warrick's reckless driving, so she had taken her own short cut at her own safe pace. Thanks to that they were going to be there within one minute. She pitied Nick and Sara's condition after the ride. She knew very well that Warrick did not let anyone else buckle in once he was done, no matter how many times she lectured him. When you gave him the command ' Get there quickly ! ', you had to make sure you had a will ready. That man could win the Olympics for how long it took him to belt himself in and start the car. Sometimes he drove without a belt.
She could hear Brass saying a silent prayer in the back. Whatever this was about, it really had him worried. And Brass seldom worried this much. He could keep him cool remarkably well when someone was going the extra mile to drive him up the wall. He could even do it through Warrick's driving. Talking about keeping your cool, her thoughts drifted to the ' King of Cool ' seated next to her, lost in thought. Probably thinking about one of his beloved science experiments. She could swear that she had never seen him sweat. Even though he wore black all the time, and it was a warm colour. He never shed one bead of sweat.
How does he do it ? she wondered.
They were there now and the car had barely come to a halt when Brass sprang out of it running towards some kind of bonfire. She quickly parked and sprang out and grabbed her kit. Grissom mirrored her actions. They hurried after Brass, each hoping that whatever had him worried, would not make him do anything reckless, that he wouldn't do normally.
" What do you think has him worried ? " she questioned Grissom.
" We'll find out soon enough, " he replied.
She saw the black Taurus pull over and Nick and Sara jump out with their kits as though their very sanity depended on it. She thought she saw Grissom half smile for a moment when he saw Sara. She felt a weird, unknown pang of emotion inside of her. She shook it off it was nothing. She'd analyse that later. Now was the time to focus on the . . . fire ?
Grissom surveyed the scene in front of him, Brass was talking to a teenage girl he who was holding a young baby who seemed to be crying it's lungs out, while another young boy stood there awkwardly – clearly in shock. It seemed to be a car on fire. The fire-fighters were putting the fire out. Neighbours were coming out to stare at the spectacle.
Gill surveyed his team. Warrick had just arrived after parking the car. " Nick and Sara talk to the fire-chief, then search the car for clues. Warrick talk to the police officer first on the scene. Catherine you're with me, we're talking to Brass and coming to the bottom of this. " He'd given everyone their assignments.
Catherine and him walked over to Brass and the two kids. As they got closer they heard him murmur " Don't worry Ellie . . . it'll be okay .
Ellie ? Why did that name ring some kind of bell ? Ellie . . . he'd heard that somewhere . . . but where . . . ? This nagged at Grissom's mind, he hated when he couldn't remember small things like this.
Brass looked up as they approached. He whispered something to the teenage girl who nodded and headed towards the boy, still carrying the baby. She spoke to him and they both walked over to the lawn and sat cross-legged on it.
" Care to do some explaining Jim ? " said Grissom.
" Yeah I guess so . . . " sighed Jim for the third time that night.
He herded them over to some lawn furniture. Catherine and Grissom shared a deck-chair and Jim sat facing them. Head in hands he recapped the phone call, and for the benefit of Catherine: the divorce and how much Ellie probably hated him now.
Catherine sympathized with Jim, she really did. She just wished she could be a better mom to Lindsey.
" I personally don't know what happened here. But she does, so we're taking her, Tyler and Declan back to the lab, for questioning and stuff, " said Brass.
Neither Grissom nor Catherine questioned who Tyler or Declan was. Obviously, one was the boy and one was the baby, but they figured Brass would explain in his own time.
Grissom nodded his agreement, " Tell them to grab any clothes or stuff they want. They should stay at your house for now, " he said.
Brass nodded and headed back to Ellie and the boy and the baby.
" Wow, " said Catherine, " He's really shaken by this. He really loves her huh ? " she thought about Lindsey.
As if he'd read her mind, Grissom turned towards and said, " That won't happen to you. She'll never hate you, you love each other too much. "
She gave him a grateful smile, " Thanks. "
" Welcome, we'd better check on Sara and Nick now, " he said.
With that he turned in the direction of the two C.S.Is.
Again, Catherine thought, he had referred to Sara first, then Nick. And he had half-smiled at the sound of her name twice already. She felt that weird pang again.
Focus Catherine ! There is a really important job at hand ! Work always comes before play.
She tried to shake the feeling off. But it didn't leave.
" Excuse me chief, " said Nick as he waited patiently for the man to stop talking to another fireman.
The chief jumped at the sound of Nick's voice. He turned to face the young C.S.I.
" I'm Crime Scene Investigator Nick Stokes and this is my partner Sara Sidle, we need to ask you a couple of questions. "
" Sure, " replied the fire-chief.
Nick estimated that he was about fifty-two, but he couldn't tell anything else because of the smoke and lack of light.
" Did the fire have an accelerant ? " questioned Nick.
" Yes, there was no way it didn't. For one thing, it had an orange flame, then we saw some kind of liquid next to the car, and the girl over there," the fire-chief waved his hand in indication at a teenage girl Brass seemed to be talking to, " well she said that it exploded when some Robin-fellow, started the engine. "
" So we could be talking arson here ? " asked Nick.
" Probably . . . but it all comes down to what your department finds, doesn't it ? " replied the fire-chief.
"Okay, can we have a copy of your report on this fire? " asked Nick handed him Brass' business card. " Fax it to him. And finally, what is your name ? "
" O'Leary. James O'Leary. "
" Thank you sir, " said Nick quite cheerfully.
He headed over to Sara who was using sniffer to sample gasses produced by the fire. The sniffer absorbs and identifies odorants.
" Looks like we've got the starting point of the fire, " she said pointing at the driver's seat.
Nick had already whipped out his flashlight, and was combing the remains of the car with it. The ambulance had already taken the bodies to Doc Robbins, who Grissom had instructed to start work on immediately.
" I found some weird liquid on the ground, " replied Sara as she swabbed a sample of the liquid and put it into the kit. " There are other stains beside it, I can make out what they are. It's all this damn smoke and the shadow of the car. "
" Well, looks like we need to get the car towed back to the lab, " said Nick. " There's a lot burnt plastic, metal and leather here, I'll need to sort it out back at the lab. " Suddenly he spotted a key chain in ignition. " Where there's a key chain, there's always a key ! " he murmured to himself. He leaned into the car and tried to pull it out – it was jammed ! He tugged it one or two times, before he gave it a nice, good tug, by mistake he turned the key into ignition.
All of a sudden there was a noise that sounded like the engine and fire shot out of the engine. He jumped back in shock, tripped and landed on the driveway on his bum. He had nearly burnt his arm. Shit ! The car was on fire ! There was more evidence waiting to be found in the car. " We need some help here ! " he yelled as he picked himself off the ground.
One of the firemen, grabbed a hose and signalled to another to switch it on. Within a few minutes the fire had been put out. Sara walked over to his side. " Looks like we've found where the cause of the fire was, " he said, dusting himself.
" Not to mention what probably caused the fire. It definitely had something to do with the ignition, " she added.
Grissom and Catherine had joined them now.
" Hey Nick, hope you didn't drop anything or scream this time, " said Catherine.
She gave him an angelic smile as she did so. It took a minute for the intended pun to hit Warrick.
" Nice ! Good one, Cath, " he said before proceeding to laugh and high-five her.
Nick turned a nice bright red.
" Aww . . . cut that out you guys . . . " he gushed, with embarrassment.
Am I missing something ? thought Grissom.
" Could someone fill me in ? " asked Sara. She didn't like being left out of the loop.
My sentiments exactly agreed Grissom.
" Oh yeah . . . you guys weren't on that case with us . . . " said Warrick.
He was recovering from his fit. But the occasional giggle did break through here and there.
" We were working on an arson case, and Nick told us about this date he had when he was in high school and- "
" I was a freshman in college. "
Nick corrected Catherine.
" Anyway, he and his date were in a cabin up in the mountains and he was barbecuing sausages and then she came along and they started making out. They were, really making a lot of progress, so, they forgot about the sausages. When he was getting undressed, one of the sausages exploded and fell near his feet, causing him to scream because he thought he lost his . . . " Catherine couldn't continue because she was laughing too hard. Warrick was in fits by now. Nick turned to a shade of red that Grissom didn't think he'd ever seen before. Sara started to giggle as she tried to hold it in. Grissom smiled at the way all of them were interacting with each other. Catherine had to lean on Grissom in case she collapsed.
" What did you find ? " asked Grissom, after clearing his throat.
When they had finally recovered, they got back down to business.
" Well it's definitely arson according to the fire-chief, " stated Nick, " there was an accelerant present. He'll fax Brass his report. "
" Good. Stay here then. Get the car towed and comb the rest of the scene for clues. Once you're done head back to the lab and give your results to Greg, then start analysing the car. Jim, Catherine and I are heading back right now we have an interrogation with the two kids and besides, he got a call. There is another case, we just got a call, " he pointed at Brass who was on the phone a little further away. " The three of you are officially on this case now. "
Warrick had just joined them. He nodded his agreement.
" Grissom, according to Officer Jacobs when he reached here, the car was already burning . . . the girl, her name is Ellie Rodericks, told him her mother and step-dad were still in the car. Then the baby started crying so that's all he could get out of her. "
With that, Grissom and Catherine left.
They met Brass in front of the house. He was waiting for the kids to pack up some their belongings and to lock up. Within a few minutes they were out.
" Hurry up Tyler ! " Ellie gently chided, " I've got to lock up. "
That answers the question of who is who. thought Catherine as she identified the young boy as Tyler. He seemed to be around twelve going on thirteen. He was carrying at least three bags as he hurried after her.
" Umm hmm . . . " he replied.
" Here let me help you, " said Grissom. Tyler silently handed him a bag that looked like a school bag stuffed with as much stuff as possible: most probably clothes.
The baby, who Catherine now figured was obviously Declan, still hadn't stopped crying yet.
" Here let me help, " said Catherine, motioning that Ellie hand over Declan to her, after all she had had some baby experience with Lindsey. Ellie looked hesitant about handing Declan over to her.
" Don't worry I won't hurt him, " she said trying to convince Ellie.
" Fine, " Ellie consented, then handed Declan plus his little, white baby blanket to Catherine.
Declan wasn't too heavy, Catherine judged him to be eight or nine months. She gently swayed him from side to side and then gave him a gently lift upwards. She followed this rhythm again and again. While doing this she gently murmured " Sh . . . sh . . . sh . . . " as they walked towards the car. Like magic, he stopped crying. " Do you have his bottle ? " she asked the kids. Tyler nodded and reached into what seemed like Declan's baby bag and handed it to her. " Thanks, " she said with a smile. She started to feed Declan, who seemed quite happy for something to eat. Brass seemed amazed and the kids were still in shock, but they recognized that she had calmed their younger brother down.
By now they had reached the car, and Declan seemed to have taken a shine to Catherine. " How the hell does she do it ? . . . " muttered Brass, as he got into the back seat of the Taurus. Neither Brass nor Catherine saw Grissom smile as he got into the driver's seat. He had seen the effect Catherine had on kids in many of their cases. She seemed to some kind of kid magnet. He didn't know what she did, but whatever it was, it was one of the reasons she was a great mom – Lindsey adored her.
They put the bags and kits in the boot of the car. Catherine sat in the passenger seat of the car, while the kids were in the back with Brass. Declan refused to go back to either Ellie of Tyler despite all the coaxing. He seemed instantly attached to Catherine, even she couldn't convince him to go back.
" It's probably just because he senses that the atmosphere is sad because your parents are dead and that you guys are in mourning right now. Babies generally prefer to be happy. That's why they cry for food or to change their diapers, it makes them comfortable and that equals to happiness, " she reasoned.
" That's an interesting theory, " said Grissom.
Declan seemed to like her hair as he seemed to be playing with it. He gave a small baby giggle as he gently tugged it. As he gently tugged repeatedly, he kept giggling, it seemed he was content with this however small and pointless game. As he giggled he buried his little head in her shoulder. She ruffled whatever little, red hair he had.
As they waited at a traffic light, Grissom paused to take a glance at Catherine. She was playing with the little fellow. He giggled every time he heard ' Boo ! ' , after a while he covered his eyes with his little hands when she went ' Peek – a – ' , and opened them at ' Boo ! ' . She seemed to enjoy it as much as he did.
Fascinating . . . She's like the ' Pied Piper of Hamelin ' when it comes to little kids . . . there has to be a reason for this . . .It would be an interesting study. . . I mean . . . The way the moonlight just gently bathes all her features . . . God, she's beautiful ! . . . Wait ! How on earth did that thought get in here ! Okay . . . Calm Down Grissom . . . analyse this later . . . work comes first . . .
" Hey Griss ? "
Catherine's voice broke through his reverie.
" Huh ? . . . " he mumbled confused.
" The light – it's green, " she reminded him.
" Oh . . . yeah ! " he said weakly.
Damn It ! I was staring at her ! . . . Did she notice something ?
" Griss ? "
Once more she broke through his train of thought.
" Yeah . . . " he mumbled, just staring straight ahead at the light. He knew it was green, it just didn't seem to register.
" When the light is green, the car is normally supposed to move, " she said with a teasing smile.
He accelerated forward.
Did she just tease me ? I think she teased me . . . It was so subtle . . . I love it when she does that . . . Wait a second . . . Where is this train of thought leading ? This is new territory for me, I'm all about my cases – my experiments – I'm not cut out for matters of the heart . . . I need to get back to this later. . .
Grissom seemed to be on auto-drive or something, Catherine noticed. It started after he had stared at her with a weird look in his eyes. He must have had theory or something . . . but did she inspire it ? She'd have loved to think that look had been more than him putting something together . . . that maybe it was about . . . her ?
Yeah right ! This is Grissom, not Romeo or something . . . he doesn't do falling in love. He specialises in dead bodies . . . and weird experiments . . . and brilliant theories . . . and not knowing what to do when it came to moral and emotional support. He doesn't know how to comfort someone when they are sad – holding someone else's hand when they are in grief or are sad mystifies him.
They had arrived now, and both, Grissom and Catherine, completely lost thought, got out automatically. Declan was tired out and almost asleep, yet he refused to leave her. Ellie and Tyler, silently got out, followed by Brass. They grabbed their bags, Brass carrying one of them : Declan's. Grissom carried Catherine's kit as well as his. They followed Brass without thinking. He led them to the rec. room, " You can stay here until you are interrogated, by Nick or Sara, " he told the kids, " Actually I'll be back soon, just give me a moment. "
He looked at Catherine and Grissom, " Meet me in my office, " he said and left.
Grissom nodded and waited for Catherine to finish putting Declan to sleep. A few minutes later she was done.
" Sorry about that , " she said with an apologetic smile. She handed Declan to Tyler.
" It's okay, " said Tyler.
" Yeah, " agreed Ellie, " In a way you helped us. It'll be easier now, you know, to answer questions, without having to worry about what he's up to. "
" It'll also be easier to grieve, he won't sense that we're really upset about something, he probably won't realise anything at all, " the young boy had just said what was on everyone's minds.
" We have to go now, because we have another case. Nick and Sara are in charge of this one. They'll be here in a little while. You're father is going to fill us in on another case, so we're going to go now. When Nick and Sara arrive they will probably want to interrogate you, so don't worry. In case you are hungry, just go down this hall in into the second room on your left – it's a lab – ask for Greg. Tell him Grissom sent you, and that you are hungry. Okay ? " instructed the C.S.I supervisor.
The kids nodded.
" Bye, " said Catherine with a small wave as they left.
In the hallway, Catherine questioned him, " ' Tell him Grissom sent you ' ? "
Grissom just gave her a smile and said " I've always wondered how I would sound saying that. "
They had shared a short laugh over it.
" You didn't sound that bad, you just need practice, that's all, " she commented.
He was lost in thought.
" Now to more serious matters – what was that theory you came up with in the car ? "
" Huh ? " he asked.
" In the car, you had this intense look on your face. The one you get when you come up with a theory – your ' thook ! ' or ' leory ' "
" What ? " he asked baffled.
" When you get a theory, you get this weird look on your face. We call it a ' thook ' , or a ' theory – look ' and then there's your ' leory ', or ' look of theory ' . So what about the theory ? "
" What theory ? "
" The one in the car ? "
She thinks I came up with a theory, that's better than suspecting I may have been thinking about how beautiful she looked. Oh no. my mind is drifting back to that territory. Even if I do - and it's not that I do – she'd never be interested in me. She deserves a WHOLE lot better than me. She just considers me a friend . . .
He sighed.
" Earth to Grissom. Come in. Come in. I think I'm losing you. You're drifting away . . . NO ! "
Once again her voice broke through his day dream. Catherine was in front of him waving her hand in front of his face. He remembered the question and quickly made up something.
" Oh ! That one ! I thought about it on the way here, and it's not that great a theory, it's not possible. "
" Well, what is it ? "
" I don't feel like talking about it. "
" Okay . . . Who do you think is going to look after those kids ? "
" Huh ? – Perhaps some appointed guardian or god – parent. If there is nobody, Social Services will probably take them to live with another family member. Either that, or they will be adopted either separately, or together. "
" That'll be a shame, maybe Brass will take them in. Ellie is after all his daughter. "
" But don't forget, she is around seventeen going on eighteen so she may not want him to, " she gave him a weird look, " I know, it doesn't sound good, but don't forget she feels he abandoned her back then. And she may feel like he may abandon them all. Only her, then it's okay, she can handle it. She is going to graduate anyway. But she is responsible for two younger siblings as well. She will have to be responsible about this. "
" You're right, " Catherine agreed.
By now they were there. Grissom knocked on the door as they walked in. Brass looked up from his paper work.
" Hey, take a seat, " he motioned for them to sit down. They sat. He continued, " You know Tenet Street ? It's on the outside of town, near a place called ' Paradise Hotel ' , it's a strip club, " Brass looked uncomfortable as the question had been slightly directed at Catherine. Grissom didn't even show any discomfort he may have felt.
Catherine rolled her eyes and sighed. " Yeah, I worked there as a stripper, " she said in reference to her past before she became a C.S.I.
" And no, I don't mind it, " she answered before the question was out of Brass' mouth.
" Well, " he explained, " there was a murder near there in an alley way close by. Here is the address, " he handed the address of the alley way to Catherine as she and Grissom, stood up.
Before they left, Catherine looked at Brass. " Don't worry about the past, just be there for her now. She needs that. She'll forgive you in time. " With that she left. Brass headed off to talk to Ellie, Tyler and Declan.
This was my first chappie, hope you like it ! More Nick/Sara coming up. As well a little more Warrick and a little more Greg. R/R.