Alison Reagan ran around her apartment. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail while slipping on a pair of heels. She needed to be out the door 5 minutes ago, but she was coming off a long shift and had overslept. That's what she gets for pulling an extra shift. Her family would never let her live it down if she missed today. Alison grabbed her gun and toothbrush before heading out the door. Just before it shut, she stopped it pulling the vase to the edge of the table by the door. She scanned the small apartment, taking a deep breath before heading out the door.
Alison slipped into the row next to Erin, her older sister and Nicky, her niece.
"Nice almost missing Jamie's big day," Erin said, just as the graduates started to walk out. Jamie was her closed sibling In age, but he was still six years older than her.
"Can we not do this today," Alison said before joining the cheering crowd.
"I'm just saying, Alison. Your running yourself raged ever since you got back. Let me guess you just finished a back to back double." Erin said back over the crowd. Alison pushed down the frustration at Erin.
"I just took a whole month off." Alison defined. Erin glanced at her.
"Yeah, another trip to MIT is not time off. Why are you pushing so hard." Alison ignored the ice in Erin's voice.
"There's this new guy Mac hired he's already making waves in my department. Some hotshot from Las Vegas." She hadn't met the new guy yet. Their shifts hadn't lined up yet. Messer and Stella said he was good, though, and they were not ones too throughout complements.
"Would you two stop fighting? I'm trying to watch my kid brother throw away years of college for mounting debt." Danny, her oldest sibling, said, leaning in between his two sisters' ears. Alison turned back to watch her older brother graduate from the police academy. He had told them all a few months ago that he was thinking about being a cop. Everyone thought he was crazy. Hear they were getting ready to see him walk across the stage.
After the ceremony, they all met outside the stadium. Alison squeezed Jamie's arm, smiling at him and Sydney, his fiancée. He shifted slightly like he wanted to give her a hug but settled for a nod.
"Glad you could make it," Jamie said. "Erin said she didn't think you would be here. Something about you pulling another shift." Alison smiled, glancing over at her sister.
"I wouldn't miss this for the world. Oh, Flack wanted to apologies for not being here. I saw him last shift. He picked up a double." Jamie smile looking over at Sydney. Flack was a close friend of the family.
"It's fine. He called me before we went out there." The rest of the family got in line to shack his hand or hugging him. Her dad Frank Reagan and her grandfather Henry Reagan finally made their way over and she waved at them.
"Mom's probably spinning in her grave, you giving up law and becoming a cop and all," Danny said, shaking his head.
"Danny." Linda his wife said glaring at him.
"I'm just saying he was on the fast track to Washington, and now he's just like the rest of us."
"Don't bust my chops, Danny," Jamie said, smiling.
"Excuse me, all the Reagans," Erin said, crossing her arms.
"Sorry, I'm sorry I forgot an assistant district attorney in the family." He gave Erin a side hug.
"We would have another lawyer in the family if these two would set a date," Linda said to Sydney.
"What and spoil all the fun," Sydney replied, glancing over at Jamie.
"We should get going. They won't hold our reservation forever." Frank said.
"Sorry Junior associates don't get a lunch break I was lucky they let me out for this." She kissed Jamie and left.
"She seems to be handling the whole cop thing pretty well," Erin said.
"We're dealing with it." At that moment, both Danny's and Alison's phones when off.
"That can't be easy with your brother dying," Linda said.
"Joe died doing what he loved to do." Henry, her grandfather, said. Joe was in-between Jamie and Erin before he died a year ago. Danny hung up and walked over to Jamie.
"Little brother, I'm going to have to buy you lunch another time. I got a missing kid."
"That goes for me too. I got called in to help clear the scene. Messer can't make it." Alison said, hanging her phone up.
"You too up for this," Frank asked.
"Yeah, we can take my car, Danny." She said. Danny nodded.
"I'll see you later." He said to Linda kissing her goodbye before the two of them walked off. Alison let Danny drive while she tossed her heels in the back, switching them out for her converse.
"Little girl, I don't like the sound of that," Alison said, getting her things ready. "I'm hoping she ends up at a friend's house." Danny looked over at her.
"Yeah, but then why'd they call us?" They didn't say anything for the rest of the drive. Alison didn't like to guess about anything until she saw the evidence, and Danny liked to mull things over in his head. One thing was for sure they were glad they were working the case together. They were Reagans, making them the best.
Danny pulled up to the scene. Alison grabbed her badge and case then headed into the scene close behind him. Danny was talking with his partner and the reporting officer. Alison walked over to a CSI that was bending over a small doll, taking a picture of it. He had level 3 marked on his back, so he must be the one in charge.
"Is that the Victim's," Alison said, keeping her distance not wanting to cause any unnecessary shadows. It looked like he had made good time processing the scene.
"I don't know, a neighbor saw some boy's run off with a pink backpack, and this was near by," The man said, not looking up from his camera.
"What part of the scene have you processed," Alison asked, at this, he stood up, turning to look at her. Alison was slight taller the average at 5" 8 but was still the shortest out of siblings. This guy, however, was easily over 6 feet tall. He gave her a crooked smile extending his hand.
"Greg Sanders, you must be my shadow." She smiled back looking at his gloved hand. He shook his head taking it off. "Sorry." She took his hand. This was the man Mac had stolen from the big Los Vegas lab. Stella was right; he was cute with his dirty blond hair and chestnut brown eyes.
"Alison Reagan, I missed meeting you when you were here last time, but Mac said that you were a good CSI now a detective." She said, letting his hand go the pulling her sleeves down.
"We did meet you ran me over while reading a report." He replied causing Alison to blush. She didn't remember him, but she probably wouldn't. She was in the middle of looking over one of her old cases that week. The fact he did, however, made her stomach do a little flip making her feel strange. She had had that happen since…a long time ago.
"Sorry, about that so where do you need me." She said, trying to change the topic from her rudeness.
"I finished this area can you see if you can get anything over buy the curb, they might have left some trace." Alison nodded, and Greg walked over to Danny with the doll.
"You got a doll there…" Danny trailed off, not knowing his name.
"Sanders. It's one that you press, and it talks." Greg said, showing the action.
"Alright, get prints and swab it," Danny said.
"Sure thing," Greg replied, placing the doll in an evidence bag.
"Good," he looked over at Alison. "Al Be sure to get the tapes from the surveillance cameras." Alison looked up from her camera.
"I'll be sure Sanders gets them. This isn't my scene." She responded then got back to taking pictures. Greg looked over at her admiring her. There was something different about her. She seemed closed off, but when she introduced herself, she gave him a beautiful smile. Nothing like the first time they met. Her long auburn hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She tucked a few strands behind her ear that had fallen out.
"Like something you see," Danny said, Greg glance over at him smiling.
"I would have transferred a long time ago had I know the detectives here were so hot." The cops standing around them burst into laughter. He raised an eyebrow. "What," Greg asked, wrinkling his forehead. Danny walked over to him, lowering his voice.
"That hot CSI Detective your admiring happens to be my kid sister," Danny said, causing Greg to close his eyes as his face to grow red.
"Sorry." He whispered out. Greg opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Alison got their attention.
"Sanders, I got burn marks over here someone wanted out of here in a hurry. It may be the getaway car." Alison called out.
"That is my kid sister. You remember that." Danny said before walking over to the parents of the missing child. Greg took a deep breath walking over and crouching down next to her.
"I don't think that we're going to get a mark on it, but log it anyways." He said looking at.
"That's what I was thinking." He looked at her.
"Let's find that kid." With that, they turned back to their work. When they were finished, Alison walked over to one of the other officers.
"Where is my car." He looked at her.
"I'm sorry, Danny took it." Alison closed her eyes, the frustration building.
"You could ride with me," Greg called out to her. Alison froze her breath hitching slightly. She stuck her hands in her pockets. "Since we're heading back to the lab and all." Alison pulled out her phone.
"Let me tell Mac." She called over at him. Greg gave a small nod and walked back over to his car.
"Taylor," Mac answered. Alison let out a low breath.
"Danny took my car. I have to ride with Sanders." Mac let a low grown out of his lips.
"Do you want me to send someone over and get you from the list. I can even swing by and get you." Alison bounced on her toes looking around. She hatted this. She shouldn't have to do this.
"No, it's fine, I just…" She trailed off.
"Sanders is a good guy. I wouldn't have assigned you with him if I didn't trust him." Alison took another deep breath.
"Alright, I'm fine. I'll go with him." Alison hung the phone up, walking over to the car. Greg smiled at her.
"You ready to roll." She didn't say anything getting into the car.
"I hope you don't mind. I like listening to music." Greg said, turning the car on. It filled with heavy mettle. Alison turned the music up higher.
"I don't mind." Greg laughed.
"You Reagan are the woman of my dreams. Everyone at my old lab hated my music." Alison looked over at him.
"Welcome to New York."
The Mayor walked into Frank's office. It was late, and he should have headed home hours ago, but he had work to do.
"We got to find this girl alive." Frank turned to look at him.
"I know." The Mayor stepped forward.
"What's this I hear that your son is the lead detective and daughter is the assisting CSI."
"Do you mean detective first grade Reagan and Detective CSI Level 3 Reagan," Frank said, walking over to his desk.
"Do you think that's wise, Frank? To be exposing yourself to all kinds of scrutiny if it goes south. You're popular with the public, but I don't have the tell you, you don't have a lot of friends in high places to back you up." The Mayor said
"I don't spend a lot of time worrying about that," Frank said, taking off his glasses.
"Well, maybe, you should. Oh yeah, and another thing. The attitude with the press and that little sound bite about how since you've been chief and the crime stats decreasing. There is no future in that kind of grandstanding. Just ask your old man."
Alison sat at her desk, looking over the report when her phone rang.
"I need the doll." She stood with the file in hand.
"Why Greg didn't pull any prints or DNA from it." She said scanning the report.
"There's no prints, no DNA, no nothing. Why?" Alison banged on the window of her office, motioning to Greg, who was walking by her office to come over. He looked puzzled but ducked into her office, standing in front of her desk. She put the phone on speaker so he could hear Danny.
"I have Greg with me, Danny." She said. "He's wondering why the doll is so clean." She explained Greg nodded.
"Maybe they were wearing gloves," Greg said.
"But why, why would they have it," Alison asked. There was a loud thud on the other end of the line.
"They were using it as bate. We need to find out who makes it and where is it sold." Danny said Greg didn't wait. He ran out of the room.
"Greg's on it, Danny." She gave him the rest of the report, and about a half-hour later, Greg can run back into the room. He walked over to the phone.
"Danny, the doll it's not for sale yet. It's a prototype, and only three people have this type of doll." Greg said into the phone the smile back on his face.
"What are their names," Danny asked, and Greg pulled out a piece of paper. This could be the break they needed.
Alison and Greg pulled up behind Danny and his partner. They walked up to them. Danny had asked if she wanted to ride with him. She decided she was fine riding with Greg. Since he wouldn't be likely to leave her behind like Danny often did.
"We confirmed that one of the dolls is in China," Greg said to Danny. They made their way down the ally. Danny and his partner leading the way, and Greg and Alison following closely behind. They all had their guns ready to be pulled.
"Police open up," Danny called. The door opened, and a guy with dirty hair stood there.
"Are you Oliver Peele." The guy looked confused.
"Yeah." He said slowly.
"We need to look around your house." Danny leads them into his apartment. There were dolls everywhere. Greg and Alison scanned the room for the doll while Danny and his partner talked to Oliver. Greg tapped her arm and pointed toward the back of the small room. She looked and saw what he was pointing at.
"Danny It's not him." He turned at that spotting the doll. Greg used a gloved hand to press the doll, making it talk. With that, the four walked out of the apartment.
"That leaves one more person," Alison said, running to Greg's car. Danny pulled out his phone and call in their results while they go in the car and headed to the other address. "You sure you don't want me to drive." Greg glanced over at her.
"What you don't like my driving." Alison blushed, looking over at him.
"No but I have lived here all my life. I know the short cuts." Greg pulled onto the road following Danny.
"If I let you drive everywhere, I'll never learn my way around." Alison shrugged her shoulders.
"Fine, have it your way."
Greg and Alison sat in the car while Danny and his partner went to talk to the wife of the other person that had a doll.
"So, he's your brother," Greg asked, needing to pass the time. Alison seemed fidgety. So he did his best to keep the conversation going while the music was off.
"Yeah one of my brothers." She smiled.
"I thought the last name was a coincidence like the commissioner being named Reagan." Alison had to fight a laugh.
"Really, I thought that cat was well out of the bag at the lab. No, no coincident, he's my father. Around here, Reagan's bleed blue. Danny and I were late to the scene yesterday because we were coming from my other brother's graduation from the academy." Greg looked at her.
"Two brothers and both police officers and your dad a commissioner. Your family does bleed blue." Alison gave him a chagrined look.
"It's worse, my grandfather was the commissioner before my father, my sister is an ADA, and my other brother before he died was also a cop. What about you what made you go into CSI." Greg smiled over at her.
"I got my first Chem set when I was 7, and it was all downhill from there. While I was at Stanford, I did an internship at a crime lab and decided that I was going to be a lab guy. Fast forward, and now I'm here in New York solving crimes with the commissioner's kids." Alison smiled, looking over at him.
"You not the normal CSI." Before he could respond. Danny and his partner came running back to the car. Greg put the car in drive and followed them as best she could. They pulled up behind a blue van. Greg was the first to get out. He looked it over.
"This has been painted recently. "Danny pulled out a knife and scraped the side.
"It used to be white." He ran up to the font of the car, trying to look through the window. He ran to the back and broke the window.
"What are you doing," Greg yelled.
"There is something inside." Danny snapped unlocked the door. There was a bag inside, Alison grabbed his arm before he could grab it. Greg stepped forward with gloves and her with a camera. Greg looked it through it. Allowing Alison to get the pictures that she needed.
"It's a communion dress and candles that haven't been lit." He said, pulling everything out.
"You two finish up here we will check inside," Danny said, leaving the two to log the evidence. After a few minutes, Danny's partner came out. His face red and eyes full of anger.
"He may be your brother, but I don't know how long I can put up with this." His partner barked walking over to his car. Alison took another picture not paying any attention to him. Greg glanced the cop and her.
"What's he talking about." He asked, Alison looked up from her camera noticing the confused look on his face. She bit her lip, not wanting to say anything, but he would find out anyway. The department was large but her family was always talked about.
"Let's say that Danny has a reputation. Not the nicest one either. Especially when it comes to people that mess with kids." Greg looked in the direction Danny went.
"I don't blame him." He said just as Danny came out of the building with a bruised man. Greg was shocked by what he saw but quickly whipped the expression off his face.
"Alison, we need to go I know where she is." Greg looked at her holding up the bag on evidence.
"We can't break the chain of custody." She looked over at Danny.
"Go, she doesn't have long. We can't leave this evidence behind." Danny rolled his eye and got in the car pulling away. She turned back to Greg concern filling her eyes. "We need to find what we can in this van. Something tells me that everything else is going to get thrown out." Greg looked at her.
"And he is the commissioner's son." Alison didn't say anything as she walked into the apartment. There was blood where Danny had clearly gotten in a fight with the suspect. She took a deep breath.
"I know it makes our job all the harder." Greg at the toilet that had blood on it from the looks of it Danny shoved his head in it.
"Sorry to hear that. I'll give Mac a call and let him know that we are going to have a second location." Alison nodded, bagging another piece of evidence.
"Let him know that most of this is probably getting tossed out." Greg gave a small nod.
Alison was walking up the steps to the house when Danny met her.
"Any luck on the Van." He asked she shook her head.
"No and the apartment is getting tossed out." Danny shook his head.
"We found the girl. What difference does it make." Alison grabbed his arm, stopping him. She let go is it quickly sticking her hands in her pockets.
"Yeah, you found them, but Danny, he could walk away from this." He opened the door cutting off the conversation. They walked in dining room just as they finished saying grace taking their seat.
"I'll tell you where it got me. I got a clean conscience, and I can sleep at night." Grandpa said.
"Where what got you?" Danny asked.
"Mom's mad at him because he took your side," Nicky said.
"Okay, Nicky, stay out of it, please." Erin said in between bites
"Oh, your mom's riding around on the high horse again." Danny said.
"Don't make this about me. I'm not the one that slapped some guy around and stuck his head in a toilet." Erin shot back.
"What do you know about it," Danny said. Jack looked over at his dad, surprise on his face.
"I know you're supposed to be enforcing the law, not making it up as you go along," Erin said.
"You have no idea what goes on. You only know what you think, you know." Danny said around a mouth full of food. "If you had to deal with what Al and I had to, you would be singing a different song." A lump formed in Alison's throat, making it hard for her to swallow. As images filled her mind.
"The laws are there for a reason," Erin said, ignoring Alison's shift in demeanor. There Father, however, noticed his youngest pull back from the conversation.
"Yeah, to protect the criminals." Grandpa chimed in.
"No to protect society from a police state." Alison pushed her chair back.
"A lot of good that did me. In two more years, it won't matter what happened because your DA won't do anything." She stood up and walked into the kitchen. Needing the space to breathe.
"Now look what you did, Danny," Erin shouted.
"Me it was…" that was all Alison heard before she closed the kitchen door. She walked over to the sink grabbing the side of it trying to steady her shaking hands. The noise filled her mind. She tried to block it out, but it wouldn't. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed the item that she kept with her. The noise in her head got louder, and she closed her eyes. Reaching out with shaking hands, she turned the water on. The door behind her open, and Linda walked over to her.
"Hey how are you doing." She asked Alison whipped her eyes. Staring into the water that crashed into the bottom of the sink.
"Fine, you think that I would be over it." Her hands were shaking. Linda leaned against the counter, being careful not to touch her.
"Take a deep breath and live in the here and now. It understandable it's only been four years." Alison took in a deep breath turning the water off. She turned to look at her sister in law but moved to quickly. There was a sharp pain in her side and she let out a low breath. Linda grabbed her hand steadying her. "How long has this been happening." Alison gave a small smile.
"Since it happened. The doctors can't give me anything, so I have to live with it." Linda looked at her.
"May I see them." Alison slowly lifted her shirt reviling her side. Linda closed her eyes, clamping her mouth shut so she wouldn't gasp.
"I'm sorry…" Alison's phone went off.
"Reagan…be right there… I'll bring him with me." She hung the phone up pulling her shirt down. "I have to go. We got the evidence from Florida." Alison ran out the door calling for Danny to follow her.
Greg knocked on Alison's office door.
"I just got a call for the DA. We are to send down the neckless and all the untainted evidence down to Florida." Greg said, causing Alison to look up from her computer.
"Good less stuff for us to worry about." Greg sat down across from her. He tipped his chair back, lacing his fingers behind his head.
"How do you feel about how things are done here." He smiled.
"It's different than Las Vegas, but I think that I'll adjust. I assume you know I'm going to be your office mate." She smiled, glancing behind him at the empty deck behind him.
"Yeah Mac told me." He leaned forward.
"Can I ask you something since we're going to be roommates." She thought about it then gave a small nod.
"Sure, what do you want to know." He stared at her trying to get a read.
"I know your family bleeds blue, but how did you end up here." Alison did her best, not the flinch. Her eyes falling on one of the pictures on her desk. It was the last picture before her mother died.
"My brothers catch the bad guys. My sister puts them away. I make sure that there is nothing that prevents point A from getting to point B. Sometimes I even get to help with point A." With that, she turned back to her computer, typing up her report.
"So, what happened 4 years ago." Her finger hovered over the keyboard.
"Sanders, you can ask me about a lot of things, but that is not one of them." She said around tight lips.
"Sure, thing Alison. Sorry to bother you." He said standing up. "I'm going to probably move my stuff in tomorrow." Alison was grateful for the change in topic.
"Sanders!" She called out stopping him at the door. He looked over at her. She pointed at the bookshelf behind her. It was full of books and most of all Yankees Memorabilia behind her. "If you bring any Red socks stuff past that door, we're going to have a problem." Greg smiled at her.
"Sure thing Reagan. Besides, I'm a Dodgers fan." Alison raised her eyebrow.
"What!" Greg smiled.
"I lived in Las Angelas long before Las Vegas. The Dodgers are one of the few teams I really care about." Alison picked up the tennis ball on her desk. Greg ducked out the door sticking his tonged out at her as he walked past the window. She scrunched her nose up then started to laugh. Sanders was certainly not who she thought he was.