Ryan Wolfe strode up to the front desk of Las Vegas Police Department. It had taken him nearly two hours to find it but he finally made it.
"CSI Ryan Wolfe, Miami Dade, P.D. I'm here to see Ms. Remington." He said, showing his badge to the receptionist. The receptionist gave him an odd look, calling up someone on the phone. She mumbled into it softly, giving him weird glances every once in awhile.
"Please wait here. Dr. Grissom will be with you in a moment." She said as she hung up. Obviously they didn't get visitors very often. Ryan casually stood near a bulletin board, checking out the pics from the Las Vegas Most Wanted list.
"Agent Wolfe, what a nice surprise. Are you here on business?" Grissom said, shaking his hand. Grissom had been forewarned that Keats had transferred due to personal reasons.
"Is K.J. Remington on duty? I'd like to talk to her, if you don't mind." He replied. Grissom cocked his head to the side and nodded. He motioned for Ryan to follow him.
Keats yawned and laid her head down on her little work desk. It had been a long day what with applying for the transfer, packing in a hurry, flying to Vegas, and working a straight 12-hour shift. She had a break coming and she was going to take it.
She closed her eyes, feeling her muscles relax. She tried not to think about the crime scene, but somehow her thoughts became surrounded by it. She could see nothing but red and she felt a strong wave of nausea. A slight jolt of pain in her neck caused her to wake up with a start.
She was sweating and gasping, frightened out of her mind. Especially when she turned and found Ryan standing next to her with a grim look on his face.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. He came after me…I feel so…funny inside.
"I should be asking you that same question, Keats. This place is not for you. You're having nightmares…Come back to Miami with me." He said, leaning closer to her. His face was fierce and determined.
"We're through, Ryan. I can't just go back at the drop of a hat." She returned to her pile of paperwork and tried to get busy, knowing damn well she couldn't with Ryan breathing fire down her neck.
"This has nothing to do with us. Miami Dade lost a great criminalist yesterday and I want to make sure we get her back." He said, inches away from her face.
"I'm coming back for my sister's wedding…but this is where I work right now. I made a choice and I have to stick to my guns." Keats said, standing to face him head-on.
"We'll see about that. Let's talk. Have a few drinks…we'll just see if you won't change your mind." His voice dropped to a very low register, his eyes boring into Keats with ardent passion.
"Fine. I'll have a few drinks with you. But you're wasting your time."
A strawberry daiquiri and two Shirley Temples later, Ryan sat across from Keats in a smoky bar two miles from the Las Vegas Strip. After graduating from malt liquor (or the non-alcoholic Shirley Temple), the pair ordered a bottle of gin. Ryan set out two shotglasses between them and stared at her expectantly.
"Let's play a little game." He said, filling each glass full to the hilt. Keats sighed, more than a little troubled that her reserve to fight him was crumbling. She nodded submissively.
"It's called 'truth or truth.'" He said, the side of his cheek resting on his fist.
"That's original." Keats said, laughing. What am I doing? Abandon ship!!!!
"I'll go first. Truth: Did Natalia say something to you about me?" He asked, pushing her glass forward. Keats lifted the glass nervously and tossed it back. Ugh.
"Yes." She said. It was an answer of complete surrender and she felt ashamed for lying to him. He gave a nod of satisfaction.
"Your turn." He said, holding his shotglass up to his lips. Keats racked her brain trying to find a question that wasn't controversial.
"Um…okay. Truth: Are you jealous of Cooper?" Keats asked. You call that 'non-controversial'? Whatever…
"Yes." He said without missing a beat. It was a straight-up answer that Keats wasn't expecting. He drank and slammed his glass down. He pulled Keats' glass out of her trembling fingers and sat it down beside his own, refilling both of them.
"Truth: You transferred because you're in love with me…right?" He asked. Keats' eyes widened. The game was getting far too intense for her liking.
"How do you figure that?" She asked him, trying to act cynical.
"If we were still in Miami, I bet we'd be in my bed at this very moment. You didn't want to have to deal with the temptation did you? God, Keats. I can read you like a book." He said, leaning back in his chair.
Keats drank from her glass and set it down. Not wanting to answer, she poured some more gin into the glass and kept drinking until Ryan grabbed both of her hands.
"Answer the question, Keats."