Section A
It had been over 5 years since Cydnei had ascended. She had graduated in the top 5 of her class and gotten accepted to Harvard Law, with Caleb Danvers. They dated, all through Law school but they got distant during their last semester. They were living together but never saw each other. After graduation they went their separate ways. Caleb stay in Massachusetts, Cydnei went to New York. She worked for a year and a half as a New York Assistant District Attorney, after that she had had enough. New York was filled with so much evil that she could do nothing about. Cydeni decided to move back to Massachusetts, she got a transfer to the Middlesex Law office, located in Boston. She moved into the small village of Chestnut Hill.
The house she bought was an old Victorian house in a gated community. It looked exactly like the house from 'Practical Magic', which happened to be Cydnei's favorite movie. It was expensive, but it was worth it. Compared to the crappy little apartment she lived in while working in New York. After unpacking everything she spent the week before she had to report in for work learning the village streets, shops and such. She drove to the office and made a mental note, 25 minutes on a good day. She had to be at work by 9 am, which meant she would have to be up by 745 at the latest. It was nice to be away from the big city, the fresh air, the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, the huge back yard she had, the swimming pool, the multi level house. Maybe it was time to get the dogs and cats she had been wanting for so long. Cydnei stopped at the local pet store. She got everything she would need for a cat and a dog. She went back the next day and got an all black kitten and a husky puppy.
"Midnight and Keya." She named them right away. It was wonderful to hear the pitter patter of little paws running all over the hard wood in the main level, down the stairs to the home theater, up the stairs to the bedrooms, out through the back yard. Some how Keya knew to avoid the gardens, which had not been gated off yet. Cydnei spent the rest of her week gating off the gardens and working with them. They weren't in that bad of shape. According to the realtor, the family that had been living there before moved out two days before she moved in, so everything was very well kept. Cydnei felt right at home. It took her animals a few nights to figure out where they wanted to sleep when mommy went to bed. They finally decided that sleeping on the bed with mommy was the best option. Monday morning came and Cydnei was up and out the door by 815, at the office by 850. Traffic had been a little worse than expected. She walked in, the heels she was wearing clicking on the marble floor of the lobby.
"Good morning, ma'am, can I help you?" The receptionist asked with a board smile plastered on her face.
"Which floor in the district attorney's office?" Cydnei asked, taking off her black trench coat.
"Seventh floor!" She pointed to the elevators. Cydnei nodded in thanks and walked to the elevators. She pushed the up button and waited.
"Cydnei?!?" Came an excited squeal from the lobby doors. Cydnei turned to find Kate walking in a rushed fashion towards her. Cydnei was actually in shock. Last she had heard, Kate and Pogue were on their 'Around the World' trip. After they had gotten married a few years back, they decided to travel the world before settling down.
"Kate?" Cydnei managed to get out as Kate rushed into her arms. "What are you doing here?" Kate smiled.
"Pogue and I moved into the gated community in Chestnut Hill. We have decided that it is time to start a family." Kate was jabbering excitedly. "Pogue bought a garage and has re-designed it into a Motorcycle shop, body shop. He loves it. I work on the forth floor in the child care department." Kate paused to take a breath. "What about you? I heard you were in New York?" Cydnei nodded. The elevator doors opened and they stepped in.
"I worked for the District Attorney's office for a year and a half. But it was too much evil for me. I moved back here, into the gated community of Chestnut Hill as well. I am working here for the District Attorney's office here on the seventh floor." Kate stifled a laugh. Cydnei looked at her. "What was that for?" Kate shook her head and motioned for her to continue. "We should meet for dinner. You can come and see my house." Cydnei scribbled her number on a piece of paper and handed it to Kate just in time for the elevator to stop on the forth floor.
"I will call you tonight, when do you get off?" Kate asked hugging Cydnei.
"Six." Cydnei waved as Kate walked away. The doors closed and Cydnei was left to think. What were the odds of them moving into the same community after all these years? Something about that bothered Cydnei and she could not understand why. The ding of the elevator brought Cydnei back into the present time. She walked up to the reception desk and asked where her office was. The receptionist told her that she would be sharing an office with another ADA. Cydnei walked in and put her stuff on the empty desk. Someone came by and grabbed her for the early morning briefing. Cydnei walked into the conference room and sat down. People began to file in the one by one. Cydnei was too busy preparing for note taking to notice Tyler Simms and Caleb Danvers walk into the room. There was too much excitement for anyone to pick up on the others presence. When the DA walked in, everything went quite.
"Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen." The DA said. Everyone muttered a 'Good Morning'. "First order of business I would like to introduce the newest member of our team. Cydnei Gauge?" Cydnei's head popped up. Caleb's heart skipped a beat and Tyler shot him a glance. All the colour had drained for Caleb's face. Neither one of them had been in the field of dating since they ended their relationship about two years ago. If anyone were to asked Reid or Tyler, Caleb loved her. Though they never said it to each other, they would never date anyone else. The excuse was always work. "She had come to us from the New York District Attorney's office. She had never lost a case and we are thankful to have her." Cydnei's eyes wondered the table of six other people and her eyes locked on a pair of deep brown eyes that she never thought she'd see again. Her heart stopped as she realized she was looking into the face of Caleb Danvers. She nodded to the rest of the people and walked back to her seat. The rest of the meeting passed quickly. It was all about the recent cases, unsolved cases, cold cases and such. Cydnei headed back to her officer quickly to unpack and set everything up that she would need in order to be successful in the office. Caleb being here was simply nothing, she refused to admit that something was there. She didn't have time to fall in love. Of course she didn't have time back in Law school but some how she managed to do both. Suddenly the door clicked shut. She looked up to find a ver grown up and very buff Caleb looking at her.
"What are you doing in my office?" were the first words out of her mouth. She didn't mean for it to sound so rude.
"It is my office too." He motioned to his desk, Cydnei had failed to looked at the other desk in the office. Caleb's name was displayed on a nametag that sat on his desk. Cydnei swallowed. There was a very uncomfortable silence.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to sound so rude." She said, going back to unpacking her stuff. The inbox and out box, the hanging files for the file cabinet behind her desk. The coat hangers for the closet, her colour printer and finally her laptop. She opened the top of the notebook laptop and booted it up. "How are you?" She asked, Caleb had simply sat down in his chair and watched her.
"I am doing fine and you?" he asked, watching her type furiously.
"I am better now that I am here." She said, not meaning to reveal so much in one simple sentence.
"New York was that bad?" he asked, booting up his laptop.
"There was too much evil and not enough to do it about it." She said simply, connecting her laptop to the Internet. Their office went silent. The heavy knocking on the door caused both of them to jump. The DA entered shortly after.
"Caleb," He nodded to Caleb and Caleb nodded back. "Miss, Gauge, I have your first assignment." Cydnei stood and took the files. "You have three days to verse yourself on this case. The attorney who had been working this disappeared, we can't find her anywhere. Trial begins in three days. All of her notes, contacts and other things you might need are in there." Cydnei nodded. She scanned through everything. Homicide, heat of passion. DA wanted a 25 to life conviction. "Welcome to the team." Cydnei took his hand and shook it. "Good grip." He paused, winking at Caleb. "Good sign." Caleb felt himself colour and he just shook his head. The DA looked back at Cydnei, who was completely absorbed by the paper work. He smiled, they needed another hard worker like Cydnei. Since the disappearance of ADA Harlot, things had been a little off. The DA shut the door, leaving Caleb to his cases and Cydnei to her case. It was six o'clock before Cydnei knew it. Caleb was packing up to leave before Cydnei realized she had not talked to him the entire day.
"Caleb?" she called his attention. "Are you doing anything tonight?" She asked as Tyler walked into the room. They both shook their heads. "I ran into Kate this morning and we were planning on having a dinner tonight. Would you two like to join?" The two of them paused and looked at each other. Then nodded. "If you can get a hold of Reid and he is in town, tell him to stop by."
"Reid lives here." Tyler said. Cydnei felt her stomach drop. "He has his own business here. Just like Pogue." Cydnei was afraid to ask but she needed to know.
"Do all of you live in the Chestnut Hill gated community?" There was a silence in the room that could not be defined.
"You moved into the old Mansion on the top of the hill, didn't you?" Tyler asked. Cydnei nodded. Tyler didn't seem as bothered by that news. "We all live in there. What time should we be at your house?" he asked, slugging Caleb, who didn't even flinch.
"830." She said, finishing her packing up. The three of them walked out and ran into Kate on the way out. Cydnei told her the plan and Kate seemed so excited.
"Pogue and I will be there!" She said, waving as she got into her car. Tyler drove out after her, leaving Caleb and Cydnei standing at her truck.
"So, after all this time, we are all in the same area." Cydnei said. Caleb nodded.
"Makes one wonder." They nodded. Again came the uncomfortable silence. "I will see you tonight." Cydnei nodded and watched Caleb get into his same old Mustang and drive away. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.
……. 825 pm …….
Cydnei finished the pasta sauce she had made from the herbs in her garden. The doorbell rang and Keya went nuts, she had never heard the doorbell before. But her meek little bark was more adorable than anything else. Everyone filed in. Midnight sat on the stairs and just watched all the new faces coming in.
"Nice protection on this place." Reid said, kissing Cydnei on the cheek and headed into the kitchen. Everyone was introduced to the animals. Midnight just sat on the stairs, not sure if these people were to be trusted. Keya on the other hand was all over the attention she was getting. The first thing she did was grabbed her tug-of-war toy and started throwing it at the guys. The night was filled with laughter and stories of the past couple years. It was around 1130 before everyone realized that it was time to leave. It was not college anymore, everyone had to be to work in the morning. Caleb was the last to leave. Cydnei and Caleb sat in the living room, in front of the roaring fire, just looking at each other over the cups of tea.
"It's nice to see you again." Caleb said, breaking the silence. Cydnei smiled.
"Just when I got use to the thought of never seeing you again." Cydnei joked. Caleb smiled. He knew what she meant. She had been on his mind for a year after they ended things. He was just getting use to the thought of 'We had our fun'. But it was so much more than that. He loved her. He knew that, but as with most things. He feared rejection. If all she wanted was friendship, he could do that. Better friends than nothing at all.
"I should go." Caleb said, looking at his watch. Cydnei nodded. They stood up and walked to the door. Cydnei did something impulsive at the moment they were saying good night.
"See you at work." Cydnei said, kissing Caleb on the cheek. He smiled.
"See ya." He said, walking to his car. Cydnei watched as Caleb drove away. She shut her door and turned the alarm on and turned off her lights. Keya was so worn out, she could not make it up the stairs. Cydnei picked her up and carried her up to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. Midnight was already curled up and sleeping. Keya went and curled up with Midnight and fell asleep. Cydnei smiled, she went into the Mater bathroom and went through the motions of getting ready for bed. 10 minutes later she was in bed and slipping into sleep.
……. Three days later …….
"We the jury find the defendant guilty." Read the foreman of the 12-man jury. The courtroom erupted with happiness. The family of the victim embraced each other and then turned to Cydnei.
"I am sorry we doubted you." Said the father. Cydnei nodded.
"I understand. After ADA Harlot disappeared, I am sure the last thing you wanted was a new attorney on the case. I am sorry for the hardships that you and your family had to endure for your daughter to get the justice she deserves." The mother embraced Cydnei over the railing.
"Congratulations kid." The DA said, shaking her hand. "Your first win with our office. I am impressed. I was not sure if you could pull it off in time." Cydnei smiled. She was use to being under estimated. It was part of her battle plan. When she arrived back at the office she was greeted with a big celebration.
"We celebrate every win, but it is bigger for the first win with the firm." Caleb whispered handed her a piece of cake. She smiled and blushed a little. In New York and win was a win and nothing more. It was not a celebration. It took about an hour for the members to wind down and go back to work. Caleb and Cydnei were in their offices. He had a trail tomorrow, so he was finishing his final prep. Cydnei was putting her first closed case file in the drawer for closed cases. She had boxes of her closed cases from New York at home in the attic. The DA entered the room and broke the silence.
"Caleb, Cydnei. I have a case for you two." Cydnei and Caleb looked up. A joint case normally meant a big case. "We think there is a Serial in the area." That statement made Cydnei's jaw dropped. She had tried with only two Serials before in New York. They were bad news.
"How do they know it is a Serial?" Caleb asked. He had never dealt with one before. Sure, they had worked scenarios in Law school but never the real thing.
"So far, 5 girls from Boston College went missing. Two of the girls bodies where found in the Reservoir, weight down. Here are the autopsy photos." Cydnei took the file and flipped it open Caleb joined her. He could barely look, it was gruesome. Cydnei didn't even seem to flinch. She paused on one photo, frowning she looked up at the DA.
"You said 5 girls have been reported missing?" She handed the file to Caleb, who closed it and put it on her desk. The DA nodded. Cydnei went to her computer and pulled up the Nation Crime Information Center (NCIC) database. She entered the elements of the crime and hit search.
"Cydnei, please don't keep me in the dark here." The DA said.
"This picture, sir, looked familiar." She pulled out one of the Crime Scene photos. "In a Psychology class of mine, we looked at Serial Killers in history. We spent a fair amount of time on Jack The Ripper." She paused, showing them the photos. "This photo looks exactly like one of the Ripper victims." That was the worst thing Cydnei could have said.
"A Ripper Copycat?" The DA asked.
"A pretty damn good one." Cydnei said. "I have seen the cheap imitations but this.." she motioned to the photo. "This is exact, down to the details. But the water is new."
"What kind of Psychology class did you take?" The DA asked.
"Psychology of Serial Killers." She answered simply, looking at the photos. "I think I still have my text book with the pictures. I will take this stuff home tonight and compare." Caleb made a face. A murder this gruesome was not something he was use to.
"After court tomorrow, Caleb I want you working with Cydnei on this." The DA moved to go out the door. "As far as I am concerned, this is your only case." Cydnei nodded, going back to her computer. The door to their office slammed shut.
"Cyd?" Caleb's voice was soft. She looked up at him. "How many Serial cases have you worked?"
"Worked?" she asked, he nodded. "I have been a part of six cases. Two of which I was the trial attorney." She said, looking aback at her computer. She was not really in the mood to talk about those trials. She was under a protective detail, 24/7. It was not a fun way to live ones life. The last case, someone had gotten a gun into the courtroom and she had been grazed by a bullet. The scar could be seen on her upper thigh a few inches below her hip bone. The only people who knew it was there were the trauma nurses and doctors and her. The gunman had been killed by a US Marshal. About three months after she had been attacked in open court by a member of the gang the defendant was a part of. That had been her tearing point. She had been trained in all manors of self-defense. Not to mention her abilities warned her ahead of time. She had gotten a black eye and a cut in her eyebrow, which had turned to a scar. She had put her transfer request in, it had taken two weeks for it to go through and two more for it to be approved.
"Cyd? Cyd are you okay?" Caleb's voice brought her back into the present. She had been unconsciously rubbing the bullet wound. "You dazed out for a minute." She nodded.
"Sorry. After the case tomorrow, would you like to come over and we'll get started on this." She waved the Serial folder. Caleb nodded, right now, he had to focus on his current trial.