Happenstance Chapter 1: Meeting Mandy, a csi fanfic

I'm attempting another CSI story. The last one I had never got published because, if I'll be completely honest, it sucked. I hope this one turns out better, I'd like to think it will. I will try desperately to not make this a Mary-Sue type situation but I can't be a hundred percent if it will stay that way. Hope ya'll enjoy this.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs. All others mentioned are property of either themselves or Jerry Bruckheimer. I just borrowed them to play with.

Happenstance

"Man, Warrick, this part is difficult every time."

"I know but we have to, Nick." Nick sighed and walked up the house's front door, knocking once he was close enough. He waited a few minutes before the door opened, revealing a woman with light brown hair wearing glasses. Warrick looked over at Nick, who looked frozen with some sort of emotion. "Ma'am, are you Amanda Pratchett?" The woman shifted her weight, propping herself up against the door frame.

"I am." Nick felt a chill down his spine when he heard the thick Southern accent in the woman's voice. "May I ask who is asking?"

"Um, my name is Warrick Brown and this is Nick Stokes. We're with the Las Vegas Crime Lab." Nick nodded and smiled, feeling very nervous around this woman. "Do you know this woman?" Warrick showed her a picture of a blonde woman on a slab, a dead woman. Amanda took a deep breath, staggered and put her hand over her mouth in shock.

"That's…my sister, Staffi." Warrick looked at Nick in confusion but Nick wasn't paying any attention to Warrick.

"Here name is Stephanie, Amanda." Amanda shook her head.

"She changed her name about a year ago. Stephanie was her birth name but she preferred Staffi because it was 'more artistic'. I guess it didn't go through the database yet. Would ya'll like to come in?" Warrick nodded and nudged Nick inside, following him once he was inside. "Do you fellas need anything?" Warrick shook his head and so did Nick. "I know you're still investigating but could you tell me what happened to her?" Warrick went to answer her but Nick stopped him.

"Amanda, if you don't me asking, where are you from? That accent is distinctly Southern."

"Much likes yours, Mr. Stokes?" Nick looked down, feeling his cheeks flush in embarrassment. "I'm from Houston, Mr. Stokes, and I gather that you are also from Texas."

Nick smiled. "I'm from Austin, Ms. Pratchett."

"Ya'll can call me Mandy, if you'd like. Everyone else does." Warrick nodded.

"We can't get into details about an open case but we do know that she was beaten and then shot." Amanda nodded and wiped away tears. "We're very sorry about your loss, Ama-Mandy." Mandy looked up at Nick, nodding. "Is there anyone else we can notify about her death?" Mandy nodded, grabbed her phone and a pad of paper.

"Her husband will want to know about it. His name is Benjamin Donaldson; he's the owner of his own talent agency. It's how the two of them met, actually." Warrick looked at Nick in confusion. Nick turned to Amanda, ready to ask a question but she beat him to it. "Staffi was a model and a photographer. Benjamin overlooked one of her photo shoots and she swears that it was love at first sight."

"You don't believe that?"

"My sister has a tendency to date jerks who only date her because she's hot. Benjamin is no different, I don't care what he says." Nick looked at Warrick. "That sounded rude but I don't care. The feeling is mutual, to be completely honest. He's not a fan of me, either."

"Do you know where your brother-in law is, Mandy?"

"On business, probably. I don't ask many questions when it comes to Ben, but I have his number if you'd like it."

"That will help, thank you." Mandy nodded, wrote down Ben's number and handed it to Warrick. "Anyone else, Amanda? Like your parents or any other siblings or even friends of your sister."

"Our parents are dead; they died about six years ago, which is when the two of us ultimately drifted. Our relationship was strained after my brother went to prison but their death was the straw that broke the camel's back."

"Your brother is in prison?"

"Yes. They say he killed his business partner but I know he didn't do it. He was framed and unfortunately, no lawyer can prove that…at least not in Texas anyway." Mandy shifted in her seat.

"Would you like us to notify him?"

"No. I'm heading back there this weekend so I'll make sure to tell him." Nick furrowed his brow in confusion. "This weekend is my mother's birthday so I go back home to," Mandy shifted again. "Visit. Anything else you gentlemen need?"

"Is there anyone that would want to hurt your sister?"

"Not that I know of." Warrick's phone went off and he excused himself from Mandy's living room.

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents, Mandy."

"It's been six years, Mr-"

"Call me Nick, please." Mandy smiled and shifted in her seat again.

"Well, Nick, it's been six years so it's less painful than before."

"So what made you move to Las Vegas?"

"It seemed to be a place where everyone can start fresh and my parents loved it so much so I figured I would see what they liked about it. I came here, started working at a zoo before I opened my own practice."

"Your own practice?"

"I'm a veterinarian, Nick."

"Oh. Should I be calling you doctor, then?" Mandy laughed.

"Mandy will do fine, Nick."

"Where is your practice, Mandy?"

"About three miles off the strip." Mandy's phone started to buzz so she excused herself and answered her phone. Nick stood up from the chair when he heard what sounded like a revving engine. Nick turned and looked out the window, his eyes widening when he saw a Ford F-350 in Mandy's driveway with it's tires spinning.

"Uh, Mandy?"

"Yes, Nick?"

"Are you expecting anyone driving a Ford F-350?"

"No. I don't even know anyone who drives one of those. Why?" Nick walked over to Mandy.

"Because there is one in your driveway right now." Mandy hung up her phone and looked in her driveway, obviously confused at the mystery truck in her driveway. Nick looked to see where Warrick was, taking his attention off the truck. In a split second, the truck went from spinning its tires to flooring it towards Mandy's house. Nick turned his head just in enough time to realize that the truck was on a crash course with Mandy's house. "Mandy!" Mandy turned to see Nick pushing her onto the floor, just as the F-350 plowed through the front of her house. Nick jumped up, drew his weapon and aimed it at the driver's window. "LVPD! Put your hands up!" Nick approached the window to find the driver slumped over the wheel with blood coming from his head. Nick checked his pulse; the driver was dead.

"Nick?" Warrick popped his head out from behind the wall with his gun drawn. "Everything okay in here?"

"I don't know where this guy came from, Warrick. He just plowed into the front of the house. I checked his pulse and he's dead." Nick holstered his weapon and went to check on Mandy. "Are you alright, Mandy?" He helped her up, brushing the broken glass and wood off her shoulders.

"I think I'm okay." She went to stand up but quickly dropped to her knees again.

"Mandy, what's wrong?" She looked at her hands and noticed the cuts on her palms. "Oh geez. Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yeah, it's in the kitchen." Nick quickly helped Mandy to the kitchen and propped her up against the counter. "Cabinet on the bottom, closest to the fridge." Nick nodded, opened the cabinet and found the first aid kit. He opened the kit and quickly started to take care of Mandy's cuts on her hands. He looked at Mandy's face and saw the rather large cut on her forehead.

"Oh man, that's a pretty big cut." Mandy looked at Nick, unsure of what he was talking about. She watched as he put peroxide on a gauze pad and went towards her forehead. She jumped at the pain but Nick gently held her down. "I'm sorry. I don't want it to get infected."

"It's alright, Nick. It…hurts." She hissed at the pain from the peroxide. Nick placed a gauze pad and band-aid on her cut.

"There. That should help until the paramedics can take a proper look at it." Nick felt something stir inside of him when Mandy looked at him with her blue eyes.

"Hey Nick. You okay man?" Nick cleared his throat and turned his attention to Warrick.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Did you call it in?"

"Yeah. Brass and the team are on their way now." Nick nodded and turned his attention back to Mandy. Warrick walked up to Mandy and scanned over her, keeping an eye on the way Nick looked at her the entire time. Warrick smiled to himself. Nick was due for some good lovin' and Warrick had that feeling that Mandy would be the right girl to give it to him.

-FIN-

I hope that wasn't too much for a first chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter. Reviews are appreciated. : )