Gotham's Heroes is a collective story from SparkyCSI, Aphina and Axellia (please read the author bio for further information).
Whilst we own our OC's, even when we combine our savings, we are not even close to owning a percentage of CSI: NY - so don't sue us!
Gotham's Heroes
Chapter 4. A Date and a Ghost?
Carmen lay in bed staring at the ceiling as the sun soaked the room though the opening in the curtains. Her hands were tucked behind her head. She was aware that the beginnings of a problem were being to occur. She debated ringing Taylor but after glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand, she decided that nine thirty was a little too early to be calling her.
Carmen found herself deeply worried about the other girl. She was frightened that Taylor may be harbouring some sort of guilt over the bank manager despite the fact there was nothing she could have done. On top of that Carmen's own guilt was beginning to set in over the events that were beginning to unfold over Donald Flack. He and Taylor had only recently broken up and she was beginning to find herself liking him more and more as the days wore on. Taylor had saved her life back at the bank in Italy by knocking the man behind her to the ground, and Carmen wasn't about to forget that.
She tilted her head and glanced at the clock again, it had been 4 minutes since her last check. She decided to get up and go for a run to clear her head before Flack called. She wondered what she should do, make her excuses or go along with it, after all it wasn't a date he'd asked her on, just something to make her feel a little bit better about the holiday.
She sighed throwing back the bed quilt and stepping clad only in a pair of black panties and a black strap top towards the living room to put the kettle on.
The impatient knock on the door stopped her mid-step. She moved her eyes to her gun resting on top of the cabinet next to the door, before returning to her room to pick up a silk, forest green robe. She felt it brush above her knees as she tread suspiciously towards the door.
Her hand cupped the gun as the knock came yet again, more insistent than before. She took a deep breath, sliding the gun behind her back and opening the door with the chain still on. Carmen peered at the man on the other side of the door.
"Delivery for a Ms. Devine. You'll need to sign for it." She looked the delivery man up and down before setting her gun on the side and taking off the lock. He pushed the clipboard towards her, holding the rather large bouquet of vibrant colourful flowers in one arm. Carmen signed her signature before taking them off the delivery man and retreating into her apartment, locking the door automatically. She set them down on the small dining table and picked up the ivory card amongst the sweet scented flowers.
'Sorry but was called in. I'll make it up to you tonight, Princess."
The signature was illusive but she would recognize that writing anywhere. A small smile crossed her face as she felt a flush of heat run through her. She felt giddy as she picked up the phone and called Flack's number.
"Flack."
"Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful." Carmen said picking up the bobble she'd left on the table previously and pulling her hair into a messy bun.
"I felt kind of bad running out on you when I said we'd do something." Flack admitted sitting at his desk and tapping his pen on his leg gently.
"And just how are you planning to make it up to me by the way." Carmen asked playfully putting, whilst putting the cordless phone in the cradle of her neck and slipping a tea bag into her mug whilst pouring the boiling water into it.
"Well how about dinner tonight if I get off shift when I'm supposed to?" He grinned as he leant forward in his seat and rested his elbows on the desk. "I know you like Italian and I cook a great Carbonara," he continued. "I may even get you something nice for dessert if you're a good girl." His tone lowered as he spoke, making Carmen bite her bottom lip and close her eyes for a second.
"I'm finding this invitation even more alluring," she teased, stirring her cup now and emptying her teabag into the bin.
"I'm thinking my place at eight-thirty," he murmured, glancing up as Stella entered the room and waving a free hand at her.
"I'll bring the wine." Carmen offered, peering into her fridge and drawing out the milk, and began undoing the milk top.
By this time Stella was looking pointedly at Flack waving an evidence report practically under his nose. He stared at her helplessly for a second.
"Look I gotta go," he muttered as Stella crossed her arms over her chest.
"See you later," Carmen whispered before ending the call. She looked down and realized she'd spent the last two minutes pouring milk into the cup resulting in an overflow of exceedingly milky tea across the work surface.
Damn Flack. She thought as she moved to mop it up.
~G~H~
Meanwhile, across town, Cory was just waking up around eight-thirty. She stretched luxuriously in bed. A smile played across her face as she remembered how sweet Danny had been the previous night. He had driven her to her apartment and made sure that she made it to her apartment door before giving her a soft kiss good-night.
She had proceeded to fall into bed after her shower and slept for almost twelve hours. She sighed as she got out of bed, feeling rested for the first time in a week. As she walked into the bedroom, she glanced at herself in the mirror and broke out laughing. Her waist length hair was sticking out in every direction. Well, I guess I'm straightening it today.
Almost an hour later, she had finished with her hair. She glanced in the mirror and felt much better about herself. She had been replaying the previous week in her head, not willing to admit she had actually had a premonition about the bank robbery.
Suddenly, she stopped. A thought raced through her head. "Crap. I wonder how Tay is. She is not used to what we went through. Crap. Crap. Crap. Why didn't I think about this last night?" Cory rolled her eyes at herself as she made her way to her room and her cell phone.
Punching in a number, she called Taylor and prayed that she would answer the phone. Her heart sunk as the voicemail picked up. "Hey, Tay. It's Cory. I was just calling to check up on you. Call me when you get this. Maybe we can meet for lunch? Please."
She sighed as she put down the phone and began to unpack the carry-on bag that she still had with her. She unpacked the gifts she had gotten for her friends and was about to toss the bag aside, when she saw a small package at the bottom.
A confused look crossed her face, when she realized that she had found it after they had gotten back to the hotel from the police station. Carefully, she unwrapped it and was startled to see a knickknack of the Pantheon. Where in the hell did this come from? She wondered.
~G~H~
In contrast, Taylor's morning was nowhere near as pleasant.
She had finally fallen asleep at some time around six (a while after Marty) still curled up with him, but when she awoke, she was alone on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her.
She was trying to stretch the crick in her neck out when she shivered. The room was freezing. As she pulled the blanket around her, she spotted her friend in the corner of the room.
"Good holiday?" Maddy asked. She and Maddy had been best friends since the seventh grade. Maddy was a petite woman with an all year tan, thanks to her mother who was Cuban. She had started dying her hair platinum blonde in the tenth grade. Although Maddy was originally from New York City, she had transferred to the same school in San Diego Taylor attended and the two had been inseparable ever since – they had even gone to NYU together. And now, even though Maddy was dead, the two had remained close. It was probably due to with the fact that whenever a ghost came to Taylor, it was accompanied by Maddy.
Taylor arched an eyebrow at her ghostly friend. "Why do I get the feeling you already know the answer to that question?"
Maddy shrugged her response.
"Lei deve fermare loro."
Taylor frowned. "Stop who?"
"Lei deve fermare loro," the ghost repeated.
Taylor sighed impatiently. "I can't stop anyone unless you tell me who they are."
"Lei deve fermare loro."
"It is such a good thing you're already dead," Taylor muttered under her breath as she rose to her feet. "I'm getting a shower, and I'm getting dressed." She glared at the ghost before she noticed the clock. It was after four in the afternoon. No wonder Marty wasn't there.
"Lei deve fermare loro."
"I get the frickin' picture already," Taylor shot as the ghost as she stalked into the bathroom.
~G~H~
"Lei deve fermare loro."
Taylor threw her toothbrush at the ghost, cursing when it sailed through him and hit the wall on the other side. The ghost had followed her through the door and periodically told her she must stop them in Italian the entire way through her shower.
"Maddy, get the ghost out of my face," Taylor told her dead friend through gritted teeth.
"Maybe what he has to say is important," Maddy shrugged.
"I think I got that impression after the thirtieth time he said it," she growled.
"Fine." Maddy grabbed a hold of the ghost and the two disappeared, leaving Taylor to throw on a clean pair of combats (black) and a fresh camisole (cerise) before she dashed out of the door, running the short distance to the crime lab.
~G~H~
Madison Bellows – Axellia here… look, I do actually do something! Lol. Well, it's nice to have worked myself into oblivion, had no idea what's going on with this story, and come back to see such fantastic reviews! I'm not going to give anything away… but the bad feeling – well, Taylor's certainly on to something. Sparky here...Taylor's feelings are usually spot on, so look forward to a lot of action! - Aphina - lol I love your reviews, I loved reading the luggage scene because I can so imagine Taylor doing it!
meadow567 – Axellia...We're trying hard with this story, so you've just going to have to be patient. Sparky... (:p) I'm not going to reveal all the secrets! - Aphina- It would no fun if you weren't going to be surprised.
miss wizard of oz – Axellia...Taylor's stuck with Flack in WTECS. In this fic, well, I have no idea what the reaction is going to be, but I've had fun writing what's going to happen (:p). Sparky...You changed your pen name! We really talked over how we were going to work the whole, Taylor and Carmen were both with Flack in 2 of the stories. We compromised. :D I'll admit it was fun going back to the beginnings of Cory and Danny's relationship. - Aphina - My stories not for everyone, so no probs. I have to agree with sparkycsi, I loved writing a different beginning to Flack and Carmen's relationship. Trust me it's an interesting compromise.