TITLE: Unknown
AUTHOR: Lisa Holliday
RATING: PG-13 for now but maybe an R when finished, not sure yet
PAIRING: Nick and a newcomer

CATEGORY: Drama/Romance
ARCHIVE: Anywhere you want, just send me an e-mail with the link
FEEDBACK: I value constructive criticism but don't just tell me "this sucks!" and leave it.
EMAIL: second attempt at CSI. A new person enters the fold. Takes place some time ago since it was written some time ago and will stay in that time frame but is going to otherwise be tweaked. crosses herself even though she's not catholic but it can't hurt.

DISCLAIMER: The regular CSI characters belong to their respective owners, the ones I made up belong to me. I'm not making a dime off this; I do it for the creative exercise.

AUTHORS' NOTES: If you must know the entire back story of Darla Harrison well, one of these days I might go George Lucas on you and write a prequel.

Chapter 1

The house was in shambles. A music box was in the hallway, shattered. Darla lay curled up in the corner of the bedroom, naked. Nick grabbed her bathrobe from the chair and tried to wrap it around her. She pulled back. "Don't touch me!" she cried. He finally wrapped it around her and held her close, speaking softly. "Easy, easy, it's o.k. now, you're safe." She responded by relaxing into his embrace and began to sob.

"Let's get you to the hospital." He said gently, trying to calm her.

He stood quietly outside the small sterile emergency room at Desert Palms hospital as the doctor and nurse examined her. She was not comfortable in just her robe and a smile.

"Could I have a gown, please?"

"Sure." The nurse replied.

Nick turned his back as she changed.

"Have they found anything?" his friends and co-workers greeted him outside the exam room door.

"I don't know, they're putting a gown on her."

She had bruises and cuts all over her body—her face, chest, stomach and thighs.

"Is there a chance you were raped?" the doctor asked since there were bruises on her thighs.

She heard Nick getting angry, muttering and crying.

"I-I-I don't know, maybe." She said warily before she stared off into space.

"How did this happen?" the doctor inquired.

"Darla, how did this happen?"

She was thinking back to the beginning, because she was wondering herself. She wondered how it got so out of control. She remembered the case.