Geez, I completely forgot about this story. I must have been somewhere else for the past few days. Anyway, please enjoy this little chapter. I'm going to take this opportunity to rant. I'm SO mad that Molly is going out in the field. She's trying to replace Calleigh (who seriously just scraped dirt out of a dead guys hair and then was gone for the rest of the episode) while also RUINING RaiN. Ever since "SIM", I was sure that was the direction TPTB were going in. He was caring, he brought her home, and even Eva La Rue said in an interview that she believes Natalia will fall for Ryan because he stuck with her throughout her hearing loss. But now they're making Molly the star of the show. I think Calleigh/Natalia had 2 minutes of screen time collectively. You can't just bring a lab tech with no proper training out into the field and have her parade around like a bimbo. I feel bad for the very talented actress who clearly deserves a less horrible character. CBS, you disappoint me. Woops… sorry about that… anyway, enjoy, and R&R!
Behind These Hazel Eyes- Chapter 11
They had searched for two days. Every seedy bar, broken down warehouse, resort basement, restaurant kitchen and beach side was scoured and wiped clean of the grime that clung to it. Natalia had not shown up for work for two days, and with a heavy heart Horatio announced her as missing and presumably deceased. Calleigh had attempted to comfort Ryan, rubbing his back as he sobbed into his hands in the break room, but found she was blaming him subconsciously and berated herself for hating him. Horatio did not relent in his search, hopeless as the situation seemed. The image of his team-member's strangled form lying amongst the tall grass on the lawn of their next victim flashed through his mind. Many sleepless nights greeted the lieutenant, and his age eventually caught up to him. For the second time in a period of one month, Horatio requested a break, and the concerned board agreed that whatever time was needed to get the older police officer back on his feet was well-deserved and helpful. Ryan noticed the shift in the lab almost instantly. Without the sunny voice of Natalia, nor the strong righteousness of Horatio, their team was granted little hope, efficient as Calleigh was. What hurt the team most was the anger. Both Ryan and Calleigh had become testy and irritated- the latter out of genuine concern, the former out of guilt. While the lab agreed that it was no longer Ryan's fault that Natalia had been snatched, a strange air of mistrust laced the lab surrounding Ryan's transgressions. Molly had recently displayed her pregnancy, not only due to her baby bump, but also her frequent trips to the bathroom and her cravings during work. Calleigh had been considerate enough, despite the two's run-ins, and had allowed Molly to take the mornings off and show up at about noon. Morning sickness, Ryan learned as he stayed at her house, was what a liar called it. Molly was vomiting day and night, after eating and before. Ryan had left Molly's house the day after Natalia had stormed out angrily, and had been living at his condo for a few days now. He knew that helping Molly out with the impending birth would probably be the best way to get his mind off of Natalia, but truthfully he just didn't have the patience for her mood swings and cravings. He came by every day to help her out with some household projects and would make her lunch when she was well enough to take down food, but every day he would also rush into the lab, running through reports on serial killers in hope that one of them would fit the MO of Natalia's kidnapping. None showed up, and Ryan was left in the lab nearly in tears every afternoon while Calleigh rubbed his back and soothed him with comforting words.
Ryan had returned home one day to find a letter on his coffee table. He peeled open the envelope and stared inside, immediately knowing that he should get this to QD.
I have her, but I will not kill her. She is of use. All's fair in love and war. Always.
It was not signed, and Ryan was immediately suspicious of the rather large cursive handwriting. The last time, the letter had been typed, presented discreetly, rather than placed on his couch. He's getting more daring, Ryan thought. He's been inside my house and touched my things… touched Natalia… Ryan's thoughts rambled and he slapped himself mentally. Don't think about that, Ryan berated himself.
Calleigh had reacted well to the news. Instead of letting concern for her friend get in the way, she calmly took the letter, told Ryan to wait in the break room, and sent it straight to Cynthia, who gave an immediate report to Walter, who had been walking by the lab at the time. He grabbed the file and handed it to Calleigh, who was waiting nervously in her office, clicking her pen and chewing nervously on her nails. Calleigh looked quickly over the reports. There was a knock at the door, and Calleigh motioned for Cynthia to enter.
"Miss Duquesne?" Cynthia asked shyly, unsure of her.
"Please, call me Calleigh," Calleigh grinned, and the young tech blushed.
"I wasn't sure, you are getting up in the ranks."
"Much as I'd love to catch up, Cynthia, we'll have to save that until after work. What do you have for me?"
Cynthia turned a deeper shade of crimson, but continued. "You'll notice the slight slant towards the left. That implies that this letter was written by the lefty. That's true for about 86% of the time, and we really can't afford to get nitpicky, if you don't mind my saying."
"Keep going," Calleigh answered, curious.
"Well, recovering documents isn't the easiest thing, and this guy is good. I sent it to Mr. Delko for fingerprints, and he said it came up completely clean. If I were you, I would plan on checking out that small watermark. It's created during the processing of the paper. Generally, the watermark may indicate the company that purchases this paper, or the manufacturer. I'd look into that if I were you. And lastly, there is a cluster of latex trace that Molly analyzed for me on the left corner, which again lends itself to the fact that this man must be a lefty. Just a few observations."
"Thank you, Cynthia."
"You're welcome… Calleigh?"
"There you go," Calleigh smiled genuinely, and the young technician hurried awkwardly out of her office. Calleigh put her head in her hands, rubbing her tired eyes with her soft powdered white hands.
"Hey, babe, I got those…"
Eric stopped in the doorway and saw her disheveled appearance. Calleigh looked up, red streaks across her eyes from the overflow of her sinuses. She had been crying. "Okay," she spoke, a congested rasp echoing in her chest cavity. "Why don't you just set those down by the heater and I'll have a look when I get the chance."
"Calleigh, honey, you're taking on too much," Eric reprimanded, and she shook her head angrily.
"No, Eric, I want to find her! I want to find my fucking girl and you can't stop me," Calleigh snapped and stood. She wiped her eyes again and turned to her boyfriend. "I'm sorry, Eric, but I don't have time for sympathy." Calleigh walked towards the door, but grabbed the handle before she left the room. "I love you," she whispered, and Eric chuckled. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back against his chest and kissing her softly on the top of her blonde head.
"I love you too, baby," he whispered.
Xxx
"This is not a negotiation. Each time you refuse, we take something away." No, no, no, NO, NO! Ryan awoke, drenched in sweat, smashing his head against his headboard in anger. Calleigh had ordered that he stay at Molly's for a while longer, because she believed Ryan's house was no longer safe, due to the fact that the serial killer was aware of Ryan's position and had a way into his house.
"Ryan?" came the soft reply from the other room, followed by a light flicked on and Molly's shadow moving slowly across the living room, like a dancing darkness.
"Yeah," he replied, rubbing his forehead. Molly appeared in the doorway, in a maroon robe and slippers. Her green eyes flashed with concern.
"What happened?" She asked, sitting on the edge of his bed. She knew this broke all boundaries, but at that point she didn't really care. Molly knew he was just as afraid as she was.
"Just banged my head. Nightmare, is all," Ryan, responded, massaging his eyes.
"Okay. Well, you scared me. Want to talk about it?"
"Not really. You wouldn't really understand. Not your fault."
"Okay. Let me know if I can do anything," Molly offered and stood to leave.
"I don't think I should stay here," Ryan blurted, and she turned, surprised.
"Why not, Ry?" she asked, and Ryan winced at the nickname. That's what Natalia calls me.
"I'm putting your life on the line for no reason. I can take care of myself. And no offense, Molly, but if a serial killer somehow got in your condo, I doubt you'd do much to stop him."
Molly shuddered at the thought, and Ryan could tell this visibly upset her. "Ryan, stop that. You're scaring me."
Ryan instantly noticed his mistake. "Oh, Molly, I'm sorry, you'd know I'd protect you and our baby."
The words tasted like vinegar on his tongue. He'd said our. As grammatically and contextually correct as it was, it stung even him. He could tell that Molly didn't really catch the sudden exclamation, as she was too emotionally shaken, but it meant a lot to him. Ryan hadn't thought that he'd consider the baby as theirs. He'd known that at some point, when the child was older, it would fully understand the situation its parents had been in, but Ryan didn't think that he'd ever come that close to admitting that despite his love for Natalia, Ryan found himself falling slowly in love with Molly. As pure and beautiful as it was, it was killing him.
Xxx
"Good morning, beautiful," came the drawling voice. Natalia's eyes struggled open. She was met with absolute darkness.
"Morning?" she whispered, her voice creaking with tiredness.
"A good one," came the reply. Natalia could only see the figure moving in the blackness. She could still taste his life on her lips and it burned to the touch. She was disgusted, and felt abused, dirty, and broken. Natalia suddenly had the urge to vomit. "I'm going to throw up," she stated calmly but firmly, "and you need to get a bucket."
"Just do it on the floor, bitch!" he snapped.
Natalia hurled on the ground, her lips sour and her taste buds inflamed in disgust. "What do you want from me!" she screamed, and his drawling laughs echoed.
"You'll see," he replied. "I'm thinking of a new victim. How about Ryan Wolfe? Not quite my normal victim, maybe it will lead your little friends off on a chase?"
"NO! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!" Natalia screamed.
"Protective, eh? How would you like to know that he's living with another woman?"
Natalia stopped whimpering in sudden anger, but composed herself with reason. "It's precautionary. I was living there too- you must remember."
"You're protective. I like that in a woman."
Natalia heard the same crunching zipper. "GET OFF OF ME!" she screamed as he bared himself to her, and the rest she forgot as her mind blanked, the only sound his moans of pleasure and her screams of disgust. It was not a good morning.
Oh god, they're not any closer to finding her, are they? Don't worry; we'll finish this one up soon. Expect this guy to be behind bars in around Chapter 15… but how well off will everyone be? Haha… Reviews, please!
