From the Beginning
A/N: A big thanks goes out to Sincerly In Denial for providing me with some insight! Thanks!
Chapter Four
Eric sat in the atrium of the police department, nervously tapping his hand on the arm of the chair. Since graduation, he had been on the fence about what to do; his swimming career was out the door, and he couldn't spend the rest of his life teaching swim classes to the little toddlers, not when he had a perfectly good Chemistry degree under his belt. By some inch of good luck he had heard about openings at the Miami Dade Crime Lab. Eric really didn't see himself as much of a cop, but the work that was done in the labs was what interests him. He would , and had done everything that he could to be considered, just graduating from the academy months before, then hitting the convention circuit in forensic techniques. He now sat there, ready and willing to become a member of the CSI team that he had heard about so many times before.
He glanced at his watch then to the elevator, seeing him emerge. Eric had met Horatio when there was a bomb scare at the university some years ago, and instantly, he had liked the red head. Where people saw a pompous attitude, Eric saw the passion and determination. They had worked to get people evacuated from the building, and Eric had noticed something different about a door, alerting Horatio . Horatio kindly thanked Eric and sent him out with the others, thinking of how astute Eric had been to notice something as minute as the trip wire. Off and on they kept in touch, and Horatio had even been forthcoming about him joining the CSI unit, but at the time , Eric had wanted to keep his options open. As he stood to meet Horatio, he was glad that he had finally found a clue and put in for the positions.
"So, you came. Good man," Horatio said as he extended his hand. Eric took it and shook it, smiling widely.
"Yeah, I finally got it through my thick skull that this was something to look into. I'm supposed to meet a Megan Donner."
"She should be back in minute," Horatio responded a small smile forming. Since being put on swing shift, he really didn't have much interaction with Megan. "I'm actually on my way out."
"Out? Off today?" Eric asked with a chuckle.
"Well, let's just say, there was a change needed," Horatio replied with a sigh. Looking up, he saw Megan as she stopped to talk to the desk sergeant and then gesture towards them both. Before she could make her way over, Horatio started to walk, glancing back, " I'll be seeing you, Eric. And good luck."
Eric nodded and watched as he left through a side door. Megan came in front of him, a pleasant smile affixed to her face.
"Megan Donner," she introduced herself , extending her hand.
Eric took it and smiled heavily, his heart beating extremely fast, "Eric Delko."
"Okay, Eric, let's get started. Follow me."
Eric walked behind her, glancing around the atrium . It was his hope that he would be walking these halls soon.
/CSI/
He sat at the desk, immersed in the forensics journal, tapping his pen furiously. Tim's plan was to make it to CSI level One by the end of the year, but first, he had to conquer his proficiencies allowing him to actually work a scene. He was somewhat confident that he could do it with ease, and he figured there was no harm in doing some extra studying. Looking up at the pictures that were scattered on the desk, he saw the happiness that the couple exuded, one he thought he would never be able to experience. By nature, Tim was a lone wolf, someone who didn't require much attention, but as with anyone, happiness was something he longed to have.
Putting the pen down, he yawned and stretched, swiveling the chair around to face the trace lab, watching the tech as he performed a test in the Mass Spec. With a small smile, he envisioned himself behind the scopes, putting the pieces together, solving crimes and helping others. Chuckling he leaned in some more, continuing to watch as the tech went about his business, writing his findings.
"Soon enough," he said in a whisper.
"For what?" a voice asked. Tim turned quickly to see Sean as he stood at the door frame, a wide smirk on his face. "Taking a break?"
"Yeah," Tim responded sheepishly, " Megan said that I could use her office to study for my proficiencies. That's not a problem , is it?"
"Nah, I was just looking for her to get some info on a case," Sean said as he entered the office. "So, proficiencies? That means you are going out in the field soon?"
"I hope so. I mean, there's nothing wrong with interning, but I just want to get to work."
"Pretty boring here, right?"
"Basically," Tim snickered as he turned back to the window, his thoughts getting lost once more. "Megan says that she thinks I'm going to do well."
"And you don't?"
"Let's just say, I'm not overly confident at the moment," Tim replied with a sigh.
Sean stopped at the desk, his eyes lighting on the picture of him and Megan. He had known from first hand experience how life could deal a crummy hand, but he also learned how to work from it. Coming from a background of a broken home and no hope was hard enough, but Sean had made the best of it, picked himself up out of the ashes of a disappointing childhood and made a way. He had seen some of the long forgotten traits in Tim, but since his return to Miami, those traits seemed to have disappeared. Direction was what he needed, and now that he had it, Sean could bet anything that Tim would be the best at what he did. He only needed to slay the enemy, which was himself.
"Speed, you know you can do this, probably with your hands tied behind your back. Your problem is you short circuit yourself. Don't over think it. Just do it."
"Just do it, eh?" Tim asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Don't go there," Sean remarked, glancing at his watch. He looked back up to see the gratitude on Tim's face and nodded. " You can do this, Speed."
Tim nodded silently and refocused his attention back to the window as Sean turned to walk out, stopping to turn half way, " If you see Meg around, tell her to give me a call. I'll be at the PD."
"Sure, and Sean?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks again."
"No problem."
The door closed and Tim returned back to the journal, a wide smile forming. Tied behind my back, he thought as he began drumming the pen again. Sean definitely had more confidence in him at the moment, but he was determined not to let him down. Not by a long shot.
/CSI/
The rain poured as Rick Stetler approached the door, struggling to hold on to the box of evidence. He grumbled as he thought about his partner, who seemed to be in the wind instead of helping him. Pulling at the door, he felt the box begin to slip, thinking that he was going to lose all the evidence and be put behind all because of a red head who thought he was too important to do even a slither of work.
"Never around to do the grunt work," Stetler muttered as he shoved the box further into his arms. The door opened suddenly in front of him and he looked up to see him, reaching a hand out to help.
"Need some help there , Rick?"
Stetler seethed as he released a heavy breath, holding the door with his knee, " I got it, Horatio. But it would've been a huge help if you were at the truck to help."
"I just got in, Rick. Now, are you going to stand there , or are you going to give me the box?" Horatio asked, his voice tinged in sarcastic tones.
Shoving the box into Horatio's hand, he stood up straight and entered the building ,shaking the rain off of him. Horatio held the box out and Stetler snatched it out of his hands and began to walk away, mumbling.
"You're welcome," Horatio said simply as he shook his head. He fell into step behind Stetler and caught the elevator. The silence in the small compartment was palpable as Horatio watched the floors tick off. He knew of Stetler's irate demeanor towards him but couldn't fathom why. Horatio had just joined the swing shift only three months prior, and he didn't recall if he had done something personally to the man. Shrugging, he glanced over at a dripping Stetler and sighed lightly, "So, is that the evidence from the scene?"
"You mean the scene that we were supposed to have processed together? That scene?"
"I had an errand to do," Horatio responded, turning to face the dark haired man, who met his stare.
"An errand. And working is not important enough?"
"This was for work. Sonny asked me to go over some old case files, I didn't know it was going to take half the night."
"This is a hundred percent bullshit, Horatio. You just join the swing shift, and automatically, you become this big man on campus? Meanwhile, I've been here for almost three years, and still doing runt work."
" Your problems with the job are none of my business, Rick."
"I don't know what favor you pulled, but this seems par for the norm for you."
"Rick,..." Horatio started before the door slid open , revealing the second floor of the lab. He side stepped to let Stetler by, gaining a growl for his trouble. Ignoring that, he opened the door to the layout room and watched as Stetler placed the box down, huffing slightly. He glared at Horatio as he stood with his hands on his hips and then pointed to him, as Horatio got his lab coat and slip it on.
"There's a lieutenant spot on the promotion grid, and I intend on getting that. I don't need you around to screw that up for me."
"I have no desire to do so, Rick. Now, what do you have?"
Stetler glared at him and then gestured half heartedly to the evidence box and Horatio slipped on a pair of gloves, opening the box. As they worked, Stetler snickered some, then shook his head. Finally , he had enough, and he stopped what he was doing to turn completely towards him.
"You know, I just figured it out."
"Alright, I'll play this game," Horatio said placing the tools down. "What did you figure out?"
"You are running."
"Running?" Horatio asked, arching an eyebrow. He grinned slightly as he tilted his head some, "I've got to say, Rick, that's a good one, even coming from you."
"You are running from the truth. Your brother was dirty, and so you figure you can get your hands on the incriminating evidence, and say, dispose of it."
"That," Horatio responded, his tone growing dark at the mention of his brother, "is none of your business."
"It just seems fishy, you're never around to do your job, but you are constantly in the evidence locker," Stetler postulated. Horatio tightened his stance, the air becoming clouded with intensity. The two men held each other's glares the slight twinge of a smirk rising on Stetler's face. He had broken through the strong wall of Horatio's resolve, finding his pressure point.
Deciding to take the high road, Horatio answered, " You know, you are in the wrong field."
"What?"
"You should be in Internal Affairs, it suits you better," Horatio said as he turned away. The anger percolated at the surface, as he pushed through the door, trying to hold on to the last sliver of decency. Stetler had pushed his buttons for sure, but he wasn't going to let him push him over the edge.
/CSI/
The door opened and Megan sat up on the couch , wiping her eyes. She had made it home two hours earlier by the grace of God, being that the majority of her day had been consumed by a case in the Everglades, but as exhausted as she was, she still stayed up to wait for him. There was never a day that had went by that she never saw him during the course, but today was one of those rare occasions that they seemed to just miss each other. Days like that were murder on her, no matter what was going on with them, they always made time for each other. It was what made them click so well, and missing that, was like missing a part of her heart. He walked into the living room, an exhausted smile fading quickly as he sighed heavily. Megan frowned and got up, approaching him with caution. A bad day for a cop could present another problem altogether.
"Sean?"
"It's nothing, Meg," he replied shaking his head. He peeled his jacket off and tossed it on the chair. Megan smirked at the motion; any other time, she would've chastised him for leaving his coat around, but she knew that at the moment, he mattered more.
"It's something , Sean. What happened?"
Sean walked past her, taking a seat on the couch. He didn't afford himself the pleasure of relaxing, instead, placing his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands over his face. Whatever was bothering him, it was deep. Megan grabbed his hand while sitting, looking into his drawn expression. Years seemed to have been etched upon him, another heavy sigh escaping roughly.
"Hagen was transferred to Homicide today," Sean began, finally letting himself sit back. Megan repositioned herself beside him, running her hands through his sandy blond hair and he closed his eyes, letting the soft touches of his wife whittle away at the tension. "And word is that he is going to be partnered up with me."
"Sean, I don't see where this is a problem. It's just John."
"He was Ray Caine's partner. He was there when Ray was killed, and then there's this mess about Ray possibly being dirty. Do you think that John wouldn't have been apart of that?"
"I don't know, Sean," Megan returned, her thoughts instantly going to Horatio. Since his brother's death, she saw the change in the usually tight knit Detective, his actions two months ago being evidence of that. Her heart went out to him, but he had to learn how to separate the job from personal. She pulled herself out of her thoughts to finish, " What I do know, is that you have to make the best of this. John could turn out to be harmless."
"Yeah," Sean breathed out, " you could be right. Maybe I'm jumping the gun here."
"And besides, what would they do with Tripp? You guys have been partners since the beginning of time," Megan quipped as she smiled harder, seeing the relaxation finally settling over her husband.
"Cute," Sean replied as he opened one eye. He then turned his head, opening his eyes completely. " I talked to Speed today."
"Yeah, he told me," Megan retorted, lying back, putting her head against his shoulder. " He seemed to think that he won't pass the proficiencies."
"That kid,... He's a genius and deep down he knows this. You want to know what I think?"
"Of course."
"He's scared. Afraid that if he doesn't do well, he'll be disappointing everyone. I told him not to over think it."
"He said that you became a Nike commercial," Megan teased, the thought of the conversation with Tim running through her mind. She had reaffirmed what Sean had told him before. " I told him to do his best, and not to sweat the small stuff."
"Do you think he heard you?" Sean asked, gently caressing her cheek.
"His first proficiency is in a week. I'll let you know then," Megan returned, leaning into his touch. "Okay, no more talk of work, it's just us now."
"I kinda like the sound of that," Sean responded, taking her into a kiss. All thoughts of the previous day were abandoned as they focused on each other. That's all they had, and needed.
TBC...