Chapter 2: Man in pink, lady in red

The next morning, Ryan woke up with a headache, which probably came from his lack of sleep. "I really need a day off, and soon." He muttered to himself. Working as a CSI was the greatest job ever, but it really took a lot of time and energy. He got up and after a long hot shower, got dressed.

He knew some people liked to criticize the way he dressed, but he actually liked his flashy shirts a lot, so he didn't really care. So, just to keep people talking, and also because he thought that it looked good on him, he decided to wear his pink shirt and tie. Satisfied at his reflection, he grabbed his keys and locked his front door. He would grab something to eat on his way to work.

He had barely made it inside the lab when he got a phone call from Horatio, telling him to join him at a crime scene on the beach. Ryan swallowed what was left of his breakfast and went back to the hummer.

As soon as he reached the crime scene, he noticed that the new girl was there and not Alexx. He sighed and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He really had to make a better impression this time. Trying to forget about the headache which was still bothering him, he put on a friendly face, grabbed his kit and left the car.

Hayley was already bent over the body of a woman who looked to be in her forties, informing Horatio about what she could see. She was wearing a black hoodie with bright red jeans which made Ryan cringe. Way too flashy for his tastes. Her red hair was in a high ponytail, which made her look even younger than she already did.

"Hey H, Hayley. What have we got here?" He grinned at Hayley when she looked up at him, her dark brown eyes taking him in. Unlike last time, a small smile actually reached her lips.

Horatio stood up and put his glasses back on. "Mrs. Carter will tell you all you need to know." And he left. Ryan watched him walk away for a second before turning his attention back on Hayley. He bent down to her level and flashed her another smile. "I'm all ears!"

Hayley grinned, her eyes never leaving the victim. "Well, Mr. Wolfe, seems we got a classic case of strangulation. See the marks on her neck..." she pointed at a dark line on the vic's throat, "Someone wrapped something very large, like a belt or something else like it, around her neck."

As Ryan followed Hayley's description of the victim's body, he couldn't help noticing how serious and professional she sounded. He had to agree with Delko's comment, she was very cute. Sure her red hair and her clothing style DID make her look a lot younger than she probably was, but he couldn't help finding her very attractive.

"Helloooo?! Earth to the pink panther! Are you still in there Mr. Wolfe?" Hayley was trying to get his attention, which was clearly miles away from his job.

"What did you call me?" Ryan frowned; did she really call him that?

She waved a hand at him. "Well, your shirt is really… wow." Hayley grinned maliciously. "It's not often I get to see a guy wearing so much pink. Let's just say it's… refreshing."

Ryan frowned and straightened. "You're the one to talk Mrs. Carter. You actually look a little like Astro Boy with your red pants." He crossed his arms on his chest, quite proud of his comeback.

Hayley grimaced and looked down. "Well, I guess I deserved it." She took off her latex gloves and brushed her hands over her pants. "I'll see you back at the lab cotton candy man!" And with that she winked at him and left towards her vehicle.

Ryan sighed and scratched at his eyebrow. That girl really was annoyingly cute... but so not his type. Looking at Hayley walking away one last time, he shook his head and went to work. He never even realized that his headache had disappeared.

XXXXX

When Ryan walked back in the lab later that day, the first thing he heard was laughter coming from one of the DNA labs. Curious, he walked towards the sound and was surprised to see the young redhead laughing with Valera. He got closer, but wasn't fast enough to know what they were laughing about.

Ryan reached the entrance and leaned against the door frame. "My my, we're having a lot of fun here! What's going on?" He smirked and cocked his head to the side.

"Oh, Hayley and I were just talking about… stuff. Nothing you need to know." Valera winked at Hayley. "Well, I got to get back to work. Hayley, I'll talk to you later 'kay?"

"Sure, no problem." Hayley waved at her, turned and stopped, staring at Ryan. "You're still here? Don't you have work to do? Bad guys to catch? Other people to annoy?"

Ryan forced a laugh and shrugged. "I'm on my break. What's your excuse?"

Hayley rolled her eyes and walked in the little space left between his body and the door. "I've got to go eat something. I'm starved."

He turned and started walking with her towards the break room. "Well, I'll go with you then, since you seem to enjoy my company so much!" Ryan knew sarcasm wouldn't get him anywhere, but he just couldn't help it when that girl was around. She was just so much fun to annoy.

They walked in silence for a little while and Ryan couldn't keep himself from glancing at her. She really did look too young to be working in a police department. Her hair, which was still in a high pony tail, swung from side to side at every little step she made.

"So how old are you anyway?" The question was out before he even got the chance to stop it.

Hayley grinned and shook her head. "The age question again. I really can't help it if I look young. In a few years, I'll be happy about it though. And no, I won't change the way I dress. I'm 26."

Ryan stopped and put his hands up in surrender. "Hey you don't need to go all defensive on me, it was only a question."

Hayley, who had stopped when he did, smiled and put her hands on her forehead. "I'm sorry, it's just that so many people have asked me the same question already, it's really getting on my nerves."

"It's alright." They finally reached the break room and Hayley went to the refrigerator to get her lunch. Ryan made himself a cup of coffee and sat at the table with her. "So, you're obviously not from Miami," he grinned at the look she gave him, "where are you from exactly?"

Hayley smiled and put her bag of little carrots between the two of them. "I'm from the United States of America." She chuckled. "No, seriously, I was born in New York, but having the mom that I have, I never really got to stay anywhere for a very long time. The last place I stayed at was New Jersey, where I went to college. And after that, just a few weeks ago, I decided to move to Miami."

Ryan took a little carrot and put it in his mouth, chewing with a frown. "Why Miami?"

"Why not? The weather's nice, the guys are extremely sexy and it's too far for my mom to visit every day."

"What's wrong with your mom?"

Hayley smiled and swallowed her bite. "Everything's wrong with my mom. No, really, she can be nice, sometimes, when she really feels like it. And I do love her. She's just overly eccentric. We get on each other's nerves so fast. It's like one second, everything's fine, and the other, she says something that makes me lose it."

As Hayley went on about her relationship with her mom, Ryan couldn't help but notice how her dark brown eyes sparkled. He could see she really loved her mom. "You miss her."

Hayley looked down and grinned sadly. "I do. We're completely different. We fight all the time. She's extremely annoying. But I miss her. She's the only family I have." Sighing, she took another bite out of her sandwich and chewed silently.

Ryan took a sip, thinking. "How about your dad?"

Hayley covered her mouth and laughed. "Do you really think any man would be able stand my mom? I don't know who he is… and frankly? I don't want to know, judging from the types of men she attracts."

Ryan emptied his cup, took a handful of little carrots from the bag between them and stood. "If it can make you feel any better, I don't think you're that different from your mom. You seem to have gotten her annoying gene." He smiled and shoved three carrots in his mouth.

Hayley opened her mouth, almost insulted. "You're the one talking! That'll teach me to open up to you." She pointed at the bag of carrots. "By the way, take the bag. You should eat more of these from now on; you look fat in those suits."

Ryan laughed and shook his finger at her. "I'll let you keep them; I hear carrots can make you grow taller."

Hayley laughed, picked a carrot and threw it at the door. Ryan was gone before it hit him. 'Man, that guy's sooo annoying.'