A/N: I have found inspiration! I have discovered that if I want to write this story, I have to have my iPod headphones in with music. Later on, I'll just disclose a playlist of songs that help me write. Savage Garden is one, so they're automatically on the list. I really love Isabella as an OC, she's probably one of my favorite OCs I've ever done like...ever. She's spunky and she gets stuff done, no problem. I find myself laughing when I write her supposedly funny lines. A lot of her sense of humor comes from my dad, he's got a very dry sense of humor. You'd have to be pretty quick-witted to get his jokes and that's how I wanted to make Isabella. Quick-witted and sarcastic with a dry sense of humor. So anyhoo, on with the story!


So tell me right now,
You think you're ready for it?
I wanna know why you got me going
So let's go, We'll take it out of here
I think I'm ready to leap

Panic! At the Disco — Ready To Go (Get Me Out Of My Mind) [Amazing song]


Isabella ran trace through GCMS, busily working like a bee. She had a lot of catching up to do, and she wasn't about to slack. Jo came in.

"You've been at this for seven hours, you sure you're not tired?" she asked. Isabella nodded, a lock of dark hair falling into her eyes from her carefully orchestrated bun.

"I have a lot of catching up to do, but thanks for asking", she replied a smile.

"Alright, Isa-bee. I'm heading out, be safe", Jo said with a wave. Isabella waved back. She liked Jo. She was unpretentious and had a good heart. After a bit, Adam came in.

"Jo sent me in here to help you out", he said. She gave him a smile.

"Thanks, Adam", she replied, blowing more locks of hair out of her face. She slid off her gloves and pinned the wayward waves from her face with a bobby pin. Adam slid an earphone in, flicking on an iPod he had hidden in his lab coat.

"What kind of music do you like?" Isabella asked, trying to make conversation. He held up his iPod. 'Let's Kill Tonight' by Panic! At the Disco was playing.

"Panic! At the Disco, I love them!" she gasped, her eyes widening. He gave her a shy smile.

"Yeah, they're awesome. What's your favorite?" he asked. She thought for a moment.

"Nearly Witches, Ballad of Mona Lisa, or Ready To Go", she answered. She folded the shirt she was working on and slid it back into the bag, chewing on her lower lip. She was finished with trace as far as she could tell. She looked at her watch and raised her eyebrows. It was nearly two am.

"I'm gonna go grab something from the vending machines, you want anything?" she asked him. Adam looked kind of jumpy.

"Ah, no, I'm good, thanks", he replied. Isabella set down her iPod.

"You can look through it. I've got the new Panic! CD on there, you might like it", she suggested before hanging up her lab coat and walking out of the Trace Lab. She walked to the stairwell and went to the floor below for the vending machines. Out of nowhere, grief crushed her and she leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face. She sank onto the ground, letting herself cry it out.

"God, Pacino, you gotta get yourself together", she told herself, standing up and wiping her eyes. She was grateful that Flack, which she had found out his first name, Don, had listened to her. He'd even understood what she was going through. She continued her descent to the lower floor and faced the vending machines on the other side of the door. She selected a Monster and a bag of Doritos, her favorite snack foods for pulling an all-nighter. Feeling slightly guilty, she grabbed Adam a Monster and some chips and went back to the lab. She slipped the food into the crook of her arm as she scanned her ID and slipped in. She looked around and heard shuffling around in the lab. She chuckled and set down the food in the break room and went to see the hullabaloo.

"Adam?" she called, reaching onto her toes to look for her curly-haired partner in crime for the night. Isabella walked down the hall, looking through the labs to find him. She frowned. He was gone.

"Hey, Mac, have you seen Adam?" she asked, poking her head into Mac's office. He was asleep, which was odd. Mac never slept at the lab, much less on his desk. She concluded he'd crashed from a caffeine and sugar high and went back into the Trace lab where her iPod laid right where she'd left it. Adam was asleep on the floor, looking rather peaceful. That was even more unusual; Adam knew better than to sleep on the floor of the lab. Something was wrong. The shuffling. Isabella drew her gun, walking slowly down the hall. Someone was in the evidence locker in the lab, she realized. There were various lab techs, but they weren't around either. Isabella pulled out her phone and tried to think of who to call. Flack had mentioned earlier he was getting off at five am for a much-deserved day off.

"Flack", the now-familiar voice said into the phone. He sounded groggy and Isabella now felt guilty for calling.

"You're gonna think I sound paranoid, but something's wrong at the lab", she said.

"What do you think it is?" he asked, the sound of a stretch in his voice. He must have dozed off.

"I dunno, but everyone's asleep. I mean, everyone. There's no lab techs awake and running around, Adam passed out on the floor in Trace, Mac fell asleep at his desk", she replied.

"Wait, Mac's asleep too? I'm on my way", he said, hanging up. Now just to hold on until he reached the lab. Isabella stayed outside of the evidence locker room and poked her head in. Someone was definitely poking around where they shouldn't. She heard the elevator ding and minutes later, she heard someone calling her name. She slipped towards the elevators, holding a finger to her lips. They passed the sleeping Mac's office, Trace where Adam still lay, and lab techs littered the tables of AV, benches, and the floor. She lingered outside of the evidence room and nodded in. Don drew his gun as well, pointing it inside. He flipped on the lights and saw someone diving onto the floor.

"Stop, police!" Isabella said, pointing her gun at the suspect. It was Thomas Maxwell. She looked around the room. No canisters. She was sure he'd doused the place with sleeping gas. How he'd gotten into the lab, she didn't know. Thomas Maxwell stood up, holding his hands up.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Why the hell aren't you asleep?" he countered. She gave him a smirk.

"I'm impervious to sleeping gas", she said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. Don walked in.

"I think we've got him on breaking and entering, don't you think, Rocky?" he said, his frost-blue eyes glimmering with amusement. Her smirk evolved into a half-smile.

"Why, yes, I think we do", she agreed. Don turned Thomas around and cuffed him, shoving him out the door. A phone started chiming. Isabella let out a laugh as she recognized the ringtone. 'Umbrella'.

"Is that seriously Rihanna?" she asked as they went down.

"It's my sister, hold on, I gotta take this", he replied, nodding. He flipped the phone open and answered it. When the doors opened, Isabella nudged Thomas out of the elevator to give Don privacy. She set him into the cruiser and got into the passenger seat. She'd gotten the perp out and didn't endanger any lives. Don slid into the car.

"Sorry I got you up at such an ungodly hour, I didn't know who else to call. Mac was on his desk", she explained, looking at her lap.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm glad you called me instead of doing something reckless, like going in alone. That would've been bad", he replied with a shrug. They pulled out of the parking spot and drove down the street. It wasn't jam-packed like it was during the day, but it wasn't empty.

"This is more of the streets I'm used to", she said, looking out at the traffic.

"Wilmington doesn't get crowded?" he asked.

"I didn't say that. We get our share of crowds, but nothing like the city", she responded with a soft smile. She did miss Wilmington. Looking out at the bay and seeing the U.S.S. North Carolina and some other battleships from previous wars, going to the beach and sitting on the pier to listen to the waves. There was nothing like it.

"So what do you do on your days off back home?" Don asked. Isabella shrugged.

"Lots of stuff. The best thing about Wilmington has got to be the food. Rayer's Place is the best burger and hotdog joint ever", she replied, her mouth watering at the thought of the hotdogs her hometown was famous for.

"Lies. Steak Shack is the best burger and hotdog joint ever", he said, shaking his head.

"You say that because you haven't tried Rayer's. Philip Rayer is actually opening a store here in New York sometime this year. Trust me, Rayer's food is the best. He makes his own hotdogs", she replied, holding up a finger. He chuckled as they pulled up to the station. Don got out of the car and pulled Thomas out, walking him into the station. He came back out, empty-handed.

"Want me to run you back to your hotel?" he asked. Isabella shook her head.

"Can you run me back to the lab? I'm still clocked in", she replied. He nodded.

"Thanks for the ride, by the way", she said with a chuckle.

"Stop thanking me, really", he replied as they drove down the street.

"You kiddin'? Flack, I'm twenty-eight years old, and my mama still smacks me over the head if I don't say 'please' and 'thank you'. Manners have been drilled into my head", she said with a laugh.

"Lemme guess, with all the 'ma'am' and the 'sirs'?" he asked. They drove up to the lab and Isabella got out.

"See ya later, Flack", she called. He waved and drove off. Isabella swiped her ID card and let it take her to the 35th floor of the lab. She opened windows and let the breeze roll in. Slowly, she watched as everyone stood up, bewildered. Adam came out of the Trace lab, looking at her.

"You okay, Isabella? I can't believe I just fell asleep like that", he said, yawning. She smiled.

"It's okay. Where's Mac? I gotta talk to him", she asked. Adam pointed to Mac's office where he was groggily lifting his head. Isabella knocked on the door. He waved her in.

"What happened?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. She smiled.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, honestly", she replied.