Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made. Nevyn is original, though her background is based on a girl from work, and personality is kind of based on my sister.
A/N: Heh, thanks for the praise guys. This a fast enough update, Umbrella? Nevyn's been poking me in the brain for the last few days. Next chapter to come up… at some point after a wake up today. And no, I won't kill you – I was just making a point that by now, you can't blame me if I spoil an episode.
Also, speech within asterisks like *this* is in a foreign language. In this case, Spanish, since it's Yelina and Ryan talking.
Warnings: Nudity and some bad language on the part of Nevyn.
-DT-
The smell of bacon filled Ryan Wolfe's nose as he drifted awake. He frowned and rolled out of bed. Bacon for breakfast meant that his housemate was about to take off. Again.
He wandered downstairs and into the kitchen, where he could hear Nevyn singing some rock song in German and dancing around in her underwear. Her waist-length black hair flew around her as she danced, setting off her lightly tanned skin and dark blue eyes. As she spun, she showed the tattoo on her collarbone, similar to the one on Ryan.
Ryan watched her antics for a moment with a smile, then entered the kitchen and started grabbing plates and cutlery.
"You know," he informed his friend, "you should really cover more skin when you're frying food."
"Yeah, probably," Nevyn responded in her thick Scottish accent, "but I couldn't be bothered finding a shirt."
"Of course," Ryan nodded. Really, he was lucky that she was even wearing underwear – quite often, she wandered around the house naked. It had happened so often that it hardly fazed him anymore, though if he brought a guy home it could cause trouble.
"So, you heading off somewhere?" He asked as the girl served up a bacon sandwich each.
"Yeah, India. Should only be a month or two, so don't sell off my stuff."
"Right," Ryan smiled as he carefully cut his sandwich in half and began to eat, leaning over his plate so as not to make a mess. Nevyn, on the other hand, ignored the plate he'd offered her and just chomped away at her breakfast.
"You apply for that transfer yet?" She asked around a mouthful of bacon. Ryan shrugged.
"They just lost a team member, I'm not sure if now's such a good time."
"Why the fuck not? They're gonna need someone, why shouldn't it be you?"
"I don't want to be a replacement," Ryan tried to explain. "From the sound of it, the guy worked there for a long time. And I have no experience in a lab."
"I call bullshit," Nevyn glared at him. "You're just scared. Go talk to that detective you like and ask her to put in a good word for you."
"You have such a sweet way with words, Nevyn."
"Yeah, I know. Now, you'd better have applied for that job by the time I get back. If not, I will be extremely disappointed in you. And will disorganise your closet and book collection."
"Now that's low," Ryan pretended to glare at her. "But okay, I'll do it."
"Good. Now go get ready for work, and I'll see you in a couple of months."
-DT-
It had only been a couple of weeks since Speed's death, and Horatio still caught himself looking for the younger man at crime scenes. He knew it would be a long time before he really let go of his co-worker and friend.
He sighed and got to work, discussing the latest body with Alexx. The poor girl had been hit by a Metro Bus, and definitely came out second best. As he looked around, he noticed a young patrol cop approach him with a notebook and raised his eyebrows.
"Lieutenant, I'm officer Wolfe." The young man appeared to be trying to make a good impression. Horatio looked at him over the tops of his sunglasses, a closed, nearly hostile look on his face. It didn't seem to deter the officer though. "I ascertained that there were no surveillance cameras, so I canvassed the witness to see if there was any camera or video equipment that might have filmed the incident. Got a couple of names, sir."
"Thank you," Horatio was mildly impressed. Patrol didn't usually go to these lengths at a crime scene. "We'll take it from here."
Officer Wolfe nodded and turned away. Eric looked after him, then turned back to Horatio with a half-smirk.
"He's thorough." Apparently Eric liked the kid too.
"Yes. Follow up, please."
"Will do, Lieutenant," the CSI threw a mock-salute to his boss, who graced him with a chuckle.
-DT-
*Detective Salas?* Ryan called out to Yelina as they passed in the hall. He'd always liked the Latina, ever since he'd been rotated to Miami, and had worked with her several times. The fact that he spoke fluent Spanish and could converse with her in her native language seemed to have helped.
*Yes, Ryan. What can I do for you?*
*I, uh… well, I know that you're close to Lieutenant Caine, and I've been thinking about putting in for a transfer to CSI.*
*Really?* Yelina raised an eyebrow.
*Yeah. So, I was wondering if, maybe, you could put in a good word for me? I really want to be a criminalist.*
*Okay,* Yelina nodded. *You have the relevant education; I'll set up an appointment with Horatio. I can't guarantee anything though,* she warned him as he beamed at her.
*Oh, I know. I really appreciate this, Detective.*
*Not a problem.*
-DT-
Yelina looked up from where she and Horatio were interrogating the sneak-thief and noticed Wolfe waiting outside. Right on time, she nodded to herself. She noticed that Horatio was already looking curiously at the young man, which was a good sign.
"Horatio."
"Yeah?"
"Your appointment's here. Ryan Wolfe."
"First officer from the Metro Bus case," he murmured. He remembered Wolfe, another good sign.
"He's asked me to put in a good word," Yelina admitted. Horatio raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"So he's not shy." He'd already known that really. Yelina smiled.
"Look, he's got a Bachelors in Chemistry, and he works patrol until he finishes his masters in genetics." Even Yelina had been impressed when she'd found out what Ryan was studying.
"Sounds like I should talk to him then," Horatio said as he turned to leave the room. Yelina shot a triumphant smile at the back of his head, before following him out and standing some distance from the men.
Outside, Ryan got to his feet as Horatio approached.
"Lieutenant," he reached out and shook Horatio's hand. "Thanks for meeting with me."
"Not a problem. Step over here, Wolf." He led the young officer further away from Yelina's gaze, to an empty cubicle where they could sit against the desks. "So Detective Salas tells me that you're thinking about a career change."
"Only if I can be a criminalist," Wolfe seemed certain of what he wanted. "I've done a dozen ride-alongs with Homicide, aced quantitative analysis, hit seminars. I'm ready."
"Okay, so no more patrol." Horatio felt there was something a little off in the young man, but decided to ignore it. He was probably just balking at hiring someone new because that would mean that Speed was really gone, and not coming back.
"Patrol's great," Ryan hastened to explain his position, "but there's no follow-through. Dispatch calls, you move on. CSI, you stay till the case is solved, victim's buried." Horatio could see the enthusiasm in Wolfe's eyes, and found himself warming to the young man. One final hurdle.
"Okay. Let me see your service pistol."
"Sir?" Wolfe was a little taken aback. It was an odd request for a job interview.
"Your weapon," Horatio smiled. "Let me see it." Wolfe still looked a little puzzled, but handed over his pistol. He'd been trained to follow orders, after all.
"Thank you," Horatio murmured as he inspected the gun, which was spotless. "Clean this every week?"
"More," Ryan admitted. "I'm a little OCD. Drives the watch commander crazy." He smiled to cover his nervousness. It had also been why he'd lost his last job.
Horatio looked up and noticed Yelina nodding. She liked the boy, but he did have a problem controlling his OCD at times. She just figured that it would make him a better criminalist – forever double-checking his results and following procedures.
"Okay," Horatio nodded back. "Let me see your backup."
Ryan handed it over, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't see Yelina from his position, and was very concerned that he'd just blown it.
Horatio inspected the backup revolver, which was also immaculately clean. He raised an eyebrow at the hopeful applicant in front of him.
"That is quite a case of OCD, Wolfe." He handed back the weapon, and Ryan closed his eyes, sighed and nodded.
"Did I just lose this job?" His voice was a curious mix of hopeful and resigned. Horatio smiled internally, though he didn't let Wolfe see it.
"You know what? I need to think about it. Have a seat over there." He nodded to the waiting area, deciding to let officer Wolfe squirm for a bit.
Horatio sighed as he looked over at Yelina, who was sporting a wide grin. She already knew that Horatio would hire young Ryan, and she was glad of it.
-DT-
"Horatio," Calleigh called out to her husband as she walked into the police department. He looked up and smiled at her.
"Hey, Sweetheart." The smile faded when he caught the look on her face. Kenwall was with her too. This couldn't be good. "What's going on?"
"My dad has come to turn himself in. I thought Detective Tripp would be best."
Frank looked up from where he'd been reading a report. Who was what now?
"My car was involved in an… an incident last night," Kenwall clarified. Horatio could smell his breath from where he stood, and winced.
"Sir, is the Scotch on your breath related to that incident?"
"My dad took a drink to calm his nerves before he came in. I witnessed it." Horatio looked at her, knowing that this was pushing things.
"So, the blood alcohol test is not gonna help us then." Calleigh just looked back at him. "You do realise that you're riding the line on this, right?" She nodded, pleading with her eyes for him to help her clear her beloved father. Horatio sighed. "Okay, Frank please?" He turned to the detective, who stood up.
"Yep." Frank knew what was going on now, and was prepared to help out.
"You'll take the lead on this. Hey, Wolfe?" He called out, and the young man stood to attention. "You're hired. Get your gear."
After all, they needed someone who wasn't biased toward Calleigh or her father.