I don't own Crossing Lines! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. This is my very first fanfic for Crossing Lines...so I hope I'm doing it some justice ^^
This one shot is based on 2x10 The Long Way Home, so there will be SPOILERS if you haven't seen the episode yet.
The Long Way Home
'So what's your problem with him?' Eva asked Tommy as they were walking towards the house. The house looked abandoned, but there were some lights and a truck in the driveway. There weren't any houses surrounding it. Tommy had reacted so strangely when Matteo had asked what the plan was; saying that they, as in himself and her, were going to do the interview. She had backed Tommy up when Matteo didn't agree with Tommy's order to stay in the car, but she wondered why Tommy was acting this way.
'Who?' Tommy asked. 'Don Juan back there?'
Eva snickered. 'If you gave him a chance, you might find that he isn't that different,' she told him.
'Really?' he replied and Eva nodded. 'I'm a cop. He's a cop groupie, trying to get involved with a murder he had nothing to do with.'
'His brother was one of the victims,' she told him. Tommy slowed down and looked at Eva, who kept walking towards the door. He glanced over his shoulder to see Matteo sitting in the car, keeping his eye on them. Then he took a little sprint to the door and Eva rung the door bell. The ring echoed through the house. Nothing seemed to happen.
'Maybe no one is home?' Tommy suggested, leaning against the door post.
'Maybe,' Eva replied, looking up. Tommy sighed and Eva rang the bell again. Again there was nothing from the house. Tommy looked at Eva and shrugged. Just when they were about to leave, the door was thrown open. A small and skinny guy appeared in front of them, keeping the door only slightly ajar so he could see them. He seemed out of breath.
'May I help you?' he asked and his voice was somewhat high-pitched. Eva showed him her badge.
'Hello sir, we're from the ICC,' she greeted him
'ICC?' the guy asked confused.
'We're police officers,' Tommy explained, not wanting to go over that with this guy. Surprise appeared on the guy's face and he exhaled slowly.
'We're looking for doctor Javier Almora,' Eva told him. 'Is he home?'
'My father?' the guy asked. 'No...no...not right now.'
'When will he be back?' Tommy asked right away. 'We have a few questions about his vet business.' There was something strange about the guy.
'I don't know.' A creepy smile was formed and the guy stared at him.
'Could we come in and wait for him?' Tommy already took a step forward, but the guy put his hands up, keeping Tommy from entering.
'I don't think so,' the guy replied nervously.
'Why not?' Eva asked right away.
'My mother,' the guy stumbled, almost whispering. 'She doesn't like people in her house.' Another creepy smile was shown. 'But I could ask her?'
'Yes please,' Eva replied, 'that's a good idea.'
'Mama?!' the guy yelled over his shoulder, but there was no reply. He turned back at Tommy and Eva, smiling and he leaned towards them. 'Wait here.' With his creepy smile he closed the door while yelling for this mother again. Tommy looked over at Eva, with his eyebrows raised.
The guy took his time asking his mother. They took a few steps back and looked around. A red truck caught Tommy's eye. There was a sticker on the back saying Santiago de Compostela and again a scallop.
'Wait a minute...'
'What is it?' Eva asked him. Tommy glanced up and above the door was another scallop. Right away he reached for his gun. Eva mirrored his movements right away and they stepped towards the door.
'Ready?' he asked her.
'Yeah...' Tommy pushed the door open and they enter the house, gun raised and ready to shoot. The living room seemed clear. As they turned in the direction they came from, Tommy noticed the stairs up and down.
'Eva,' he said and he nodded at the stairs down. He didn't like splitting up, but with just the two of them there, they had to. Besides, it was only one awkward guy. Tommy went up the stairs, slowly and the gun pointed in front of him.
'Eva?' he asked but over his earpiece he was met with static. 'Eva? Can you hear me?' More static and Tommy became a bit on edge. The basement must be interfering, but now they didn't have a way of communicating. 'Eva?' The static irritated him. 'Eva?' As he went down the corridor, he switched the gun from his right into his left, checking room by room. 'Eva...Eva...Eva?' It stayed silent from Eva's side. He kicked in the door in front of him, entering an empty old bathroom. He entered the room to his left next and found a person lying on the bed.
'You, on the bed!' he shouted. 'On your feet!' Nothing happened. The person didn't even move. 'Up! Up!' Tension was running through his body. Being on his own didn't make him comfortable. Neither did the lack of communication with Eva. He grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it back. A corpse was revealed and Tommy was taken back.
'I got a body!' he said, even though he knew no one would hear him. 'I got a dead body!' He kept his gun pointed at the dead man. It must be the doctor, judging from the age. Tommy was startled when Eva shouted. Right away he turned back the way he came from, running down the corridor and stairs towards the basement.
'Tommy!' Why was this house so big? He jumped two steps a time down the stairs and entered the dark basement. It was moist and stuff were everywhere.
'Eva!' he yelled, but there was no reply. 'Eva?!' He kept running and it was like the basement never ended. He was forced to a stop when he saw a barely conscious man bound to a chair, but Eva wasn't there. Quickly he checked the guy's pulse, which was still strong. A car came to life outside and Tommy ran outside. As he ran towards the road, he saw the red truck speeding away. Tommy turned right away to their car, only to find Matteo unconscious on the ground and a flat tire.
'Shite!'
It didn't take the rest of the team long to arrive at the scene. Tommy was standing in the kitchen, waiting impatiently for anything. He was joined by Louis and Inspector Campo.
'There is no sign of them on the road,' Sebastian reported.
'I have my men searching the Ebra river,' Inspector Campo informed them. The river...the one that was kilometers long. The guy could have taken Eva to any spot along the river. He could keep driving till he found a place without cops.
'We'll find her, Tommy,' Louis assured him.
'After she's already been drowned?' he retorted.
'Tommy...' Sebastian started but Tommy ignored whatever he was saying. It could happen. They were standing here and he could be drowning her already. He ran his hand over his face. He didn't know what he would do if they had to find Eva floating somewhere along the river or when she washed ashore somewhere.
'Something in this house gonna tell us where he is!' Tommy stated. They needed to search the entire house. There had to be an indication of where he would go. Where he drowned his victims.
'Hickman and Arabela are already searching in the basement,' Sebastian said.
'And my men are trying to talk to the boy,' Inspector Campo added. 'Maybe he heard him mention something, but right now the boy is still in and out of consciousness. He got a relatively big amount of ketamine in his blood.'
The search of the house didn't give the team a location for the drowning. What if there wasn't a specific spot where the guy would drown his victims? If he had just picked a spot that was convenient for him. Outside there were the lights of the police cars and ambulances switching swiftly from red to blue.
'They're not able to positively identify him as Javier Almora,' Sebastian informed Tommy and Louis as they followed the stretcher on which the father was in a body bag. 'But he's been deceased for close to a year.'
'That's when the drowning started,' Louis noted.
'Son's name is Pedro Almora,' Sebastian continued. 'By not reporting him dead, he's been able to keep his veterinarian credentials and keep ordering the ketamine.'
'Wait,' Tommy said. 'When he wouldn't let us in the house, he said something about his mother.'
'Yeah, well, there is nobody there,' Sebastian said. Just when Inspector Campo joined them, Hickman came running towards them, followed closely by Arabela.
'Just found the mother in the basement and it ain't pretty,' he told them. 'I'm thinking her and dad died roughly around the same time.'
'So what...a parasite?' Sebastian asked.
'Maybe,' Hickman answered and he showed them a picture of a boy and probably his mother near a river. 'And then we saw this.'
'We're thinking it's some kind of baptism,' Arabela said. Tommy let the information sink in and he looked again at the picture.
'It starts to make sense,' he noted. 'Religious pilgrimage, drowning...'
'So he's baptizing them?' Arabela asked confused.
'Yeah and he looks none too happy about his own in this photo,' Hickman said, 'which makes me think it was a common occurrence.'
'May I take a look?' Inspector Campo asked and he nodded at the picture. Hickman handed the man the picture right away.
'The mother forced him to do it and now he's continuing her legacy,' Louis concluded and Tommy took a deep breath. He was staring at the inspector, hoping he would help them.
'I know this place,' the inspector said. 'It's not that far away from here.'
'Let's go!' Tommy said eagerly.
All Eva saw were shapes flashing by at high speed when she opened her eyes. Her shoulder was a little bit sore but she couldn't get her head to turn to see what had happened. Her entire body didn't seem to respond to what she wanted. Memories came flooding over her. She had been in the basement, looking for the guy, when she felt a sting in her shoulder. He had stabbed her with a syringe, pushing the liquid down as she turned. The ketamine. She felt the panic inside her rise. She had tried to punch him, but he could relatively easily overpower her and started dragging her away. She had screamed for Tommy until her mouth went numb. She couldn't form words anymore. But she heard him shout for her. He had to be looking for her. The car stopped and Eva could hear the river from afar. She tried to move, but her body wasn't cooperating. The guy got out and pulled her across the front seat out the car. The cold air hit her suddenly and it felt like a slap in the face. It made her a little more alert on what was happening.
'I don't know who you are, but I'm sure you're a sinner,' the guy panted as he pulled her arm around his shoulder. Slowly, but surely, he was dragging her to the water. She didn't even feel able to resist him. 'My mother says everyone is. The only way to get me to bathe is by baptism, you know.' His pace was fast and Eva struggled to keep up with him. She needed her feet to cooperate, but they refused because of the damn ketamine that was in her body. At the edge of the river, the guy suddenly dropped Eva on the ground. The ground hit her hard, as she had no way of catching herself and she rolled over the ground, closer to the water and facing the dirt.
'So be happy,' the guy said and he took a hold of her arms, dragging her into the water. As the water first hit her, Eva's breath hitched. The water was freezing and rushing passed her body, soaking her clothes immediately. Breathing became instantly harder and hers sped up. Fear and panic were flooding her body. Where was Tommy? Where was the rest of the team? They needed to come!
'...the Savior sat down His apostles and said to them "go ye teach all nations"...' the guy started. His voice went in and out of her ears over the loud volume of the ice cold river. Focusing became harder and harder for Eva. All she felt was cold. She wanted to warm herself but still struggled to move her body. '...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have...' Sirens were heard in the distance and it became Eva's focus point. They were coming. They were coming! The guy looked around, but there appeared no stress on his face. He simply continued. 'Now, with God's permission...' Eva knew what was coming and she took a deep breath, fearing the worse. 'I baptize thee in the name of the Father...' Eva had no time to react as water rushed over her. The ice cold water stung in her face and she felt like she was staying under forever. Just before she was sure it would be over, she was met by oxygen and she could hear the sirens again. She took another deep breath. '..of the Son...' Water was once again all around her, freezing her face. Eva felt tears in her eyes and they disappeared in the river water as they left her eyes. She didn't want to die! She wanted to breathe, to live, to warm up. The grip released and she was pulled up again, meeting the fresh, much needed air. But she knew the end was close...soon there would be no more. '...and the holy, holy God!' As Eva went back into the water, she knew that this was it. His grip felt so strong and her lungs were burning. She knew she wasn't getting out.
The team arrived at the spot at the river that was shown into the picture. Even before the car had come to a full stop, Tommy jumped out. Louis yelled something after him, but he didn't hear him. He saw Pedro standing in the water, holding Eva under water. He prayed he wasn't too late.
'Stop!' he shouted, running down the hill. 'Don't move!' Running into the water, he grabbed onto Pedro, ready to pull him away. But Tommy was met by one of Pedro's elbows and right afterwards a punch in his face. He staggered on the spot, disorientated by the punches. The next attack didn't come. Tommy felt Louis rush past him and saw how the major tackled Pedro into the water. When Tommy found his balance again, he went for Eva, who was floating.
'Eva!' he shouted, getting hold of her. He could see she was still alive and relief flooded him. She did seem to have trouble to keep her head above water. He grabbed her arms and tried to lift her up, but she was too heavy because of her wet clothes. She and his own wet clothes weighted him down. So he had to drag her towards the land. A primal scream made him stop dead in his tracks. As he turned, he saw Pedro running towards him, armed with a knife. There was movement behind Pedro and suddenly a loud bang. A gunshot. Pedro fell into the water, face forwards. In shock Tommy started at Louis, who had his gun raised. Tommy took a deep breath and continued dragging Eva towards the land. They needed to get out of the ice cold water. He laid her down gently on the side.
'Breathe,' he panted and he pushed against her chest a couple of times. 'Breathe!' Eva started to cough violently and water escaped her mouth. Tommy put her on her side, making sure she couldn't choke on the water.
'You're alright,' he assured her and he stroked her wet hair. 'You're alright.' Eva stopped coughing but her breathing still sounded a bit labored. Tommy gently guided her head to be looking at him and he gave her a smile. She was going to be okay.
'Tommy,' she stumbled and she grabbed his arm.
'Ciao, bella,' he smiled at her. He felt her relax and her eyes closed. 'Eva, stay awake a little longer.' Her eyes opened again and locked onto his. He was relieved to see that she was okay. When they arrived and he could only see Pedro, he had feared they were too late. That she was already gone...but she was still here.
Tommy followed the stretcher into the hospital. Eva had asked him to come with her in the ambulance. She didn't want to be alone in the hospital and he didn't even need to think about it. A doctor came rushing towards him and the EMTs started to explain in Spanish whatever they needed to explain. Tommy stepped next to the stretcher and took Eva's hand. He gave it a little squeeze and she smiled at him. A hand was laid on his arm, pulling him away.
'You have to wait here, señor,' a nurse told him. Reluctantly Tommy let go of Eva's hand and watched her being rolled into the Emergency Room. 'Are you okay? I will get you a towel and some dry clothes.' The nurse walked off and Tommy stood dripping in the middle of the room, not knowing what he could do. Maybe he should call the team...or he should wait till he got an update about Eva.
'Señor, if you can follow me,' the nurse said as she returned. 'You can take a shower if you would like.' Tommy nodded. A hot shower sounds very nice right now. Just like warm clothes. He had gotten a blanket wrapped around him when the EMTs had arrived but he was still chilled to the bone. She led him to a bathroom, showing him a towel and a stack of warm clothes. He gave her a quick thanks and she left. His clothes were heavy and hard to take off, but he managed somehow. The first rays of water were heavenly. The warmth was exactly what he needed. If he could stay here, he would be happy. Unfortunately it wasn't possible. He had to go and see Eva. See if she was truly okay. So he stepped out of his heavenly shower and dried himself. As he had his new warm clothes on, he headed out, in search of a nurse.
'I'm sorry, I'm looking for the woman who was just brought in?' Tommy asked at the nurses' station. The nurse behind it nodded at him. Before she told him anything, she handed him a warm cup of tea.
'The doctor is almost done,' she told him. 'But the woman said she would like you to be there. I will take you there.' Tommy nodded and followed the nurse. They had to step aside for another stretcher that was being rushed in. When Tommy saw Eva, another wave of relief hit him. She was holding her arms up in the air, still struggling to keep them up for long and the doctor nodded.
'Okay, Eva, seems like the ketamine is wearing off,' he said and he wrote something down. Tommy sat down next to Eva and took her hand. She smiled at him. 'It seems you were lucky. Your partner came at the right time to get you out. If you had been in the water longer, you wouldn't have been so lucky. For now I don't see a reason to keep you here. You can leave when you want. All I recommend is get some rest and keep warm...the both of you should.'
'Gracias, doctor,' Eva smiled and the doctor left the room. She turned to Tommy. 'Are you okay?' Tommy guessed she saw the bruise that was forming beside his eye from Pedro's elbow.
'Nothing I can't handle,' he assured her with a smile. 'Are you warm enough?'
'Yes,' Eva replied and she looked at him. 'Thank you...for saving me.'
'Of course. You know I got your back.' A nurse walked in and gave Eva a cup of tea as well, to warm up some more. Tommy got himself a refill. They sat in silence for a while, drinking their tea. No words were spoken. Both were lost in their own thoughts.
'Tommy, can we go?' Eva then asked and Tommy looked up from his empty cup. 'I would like to leave the hospital now.'
'Are you sure?' he asked. Maybe it was better if they stayed a little longer. Just to be sure. He saw she sometimes still struggled a little with movements. They didn't know the effects of ketamine. It was safer to stay in the hospital then.
'I'm sure,' she answered. 'I'm already feeling much warmer. The tea and the dry clothes helped. Right now I just want to go home.' Tommy hesitated, but then he nodded. It was her choice after all.
'Okay, I will call the team,' he said. 'So they can pick us up here and head home. I will be just outside. You stay on the bed, get some more rest as the doctor told you.'
'Thank you,' Eva smiled and Tommy left the room.
Eva still felt cold, but she didn't like being in the hospital. She would be able to warm up and rest at home, with her own clothes and in her own bed. Here she still felt the cold. The ice cold water had frozen her to the core. She stepped of the stretcher
'Shouldn't you be resting?' Eva turned around startled, but smiled when she saw Mateo standing by the entrance of the room. There was a big bruise on his forehead from when Pedro had knocked him to the ground. but he didn't seem bothered by it.
'I do not like hospitals,' she told him. 'Besides, I will get plenty of rest soon.' Matteo slowly nodded. As he did, he stayed at the entrance. He didn't come into the room.
'Thank you for your help,' he told her while he wasn't looking at her. 'I got a hell of a story to write...' He looked up. 'Listen, you want to grab some food? I will buy...' Eva averted her eyes, not sure of what to answer to his question. 'Not like...not like a date..unless you want it to be. If not...' She glanced at him.
'I'm sorry, Matteo...' she started and Matteo weakly smiled.
'It's okay,' he assured her. 'It was just a suggestion...' Eva shifted and glanced at the empty cup on the side table, feeling uncomfortable. A set of footsteps could be heard from the corridor and Eva glanced up. Tommy walked in, clearly surprised to see Matteo standing in front of her room. He looked over at Eva, with his eyebrows raised.
'Are you ready to leave,' Tommy asked. Eva felt Matteo's eyes on her.
'Umm, yeah,' she replied. 'I'm ready to go.' She walked over to him. Just before they left, she turned to Matteo. 'Goodbye, Matteo.'
'Goodbye, Eva,' Matteo said, forcing a smile on his face. Tommy coughed and Matteo's eyes left her face. 'And goodbye, Tommy. It was nice meeting you...'
'Yeah, very nice,' Tommy replied and Eva couldn't help but laugh at his clear sarcasm. She gave him a little nudge in his side and he smiled at her. 'Come on, the others are waiting outside for us.' Eva could feel Matteo staring at them as they walked away, but it didn't bother Eva that much. She was on her way home, exactly what she needed right now.
The End
I hope you liked it and thank you for reading!