A/N: I don't really know if there's a couch in the break room, but we can
pretend, right? Thanx for the reviews.
Rating: PG for adult subjects.
* * *
"Okay, now. Who would want to kill you?" Warrick asked as soon as they were seated in the break room. Melody sighed and tucked her feet under her. She leaned against the arm of the couch. She took a small sip of coffee before beginning.
"I started dating this guy in college. Real nice guy. He did drugs on occasion. Mainly on weekends. I didn't think about it too much. I never did it with him, so. Anyway. We moved in together after college, and I realized that he had a serious drug problem. He was dealing drugs and he'd hide them around the house, because he knew if I found them, I'd throw them out. Once a week or so, he'd have his buddies over and they'd get high and watch porn," she paused as Catherine smirked.
"That brings back memories. My that was my ex-husband's favorite hobby."
"I'm sure it was. They all seemed to enjoy it. Anyway. I was sick of it and so I was complaining at work to some fellow CSI's and they decided we should have a girl's night out. We went out and had a blast-"
"Where did you go?" Warrick asked. Melody sighed. She had been in the interrogation room many times, but she didn't like being on this end of the questioning.
"Um, It was a usual girl's night out. Alcohol, naked men, -"
"More Alcohol." Catherine said.
"Pretty much. I don't drink a lot, so when I go out, I have fun, stop when I start feeling a little tipsy. But.By then I've usually had too much." Melody took a sip of her coffee before continuing. "A colleague drove me home, because there was no way I would have made it home otherwise. So she takes me home, and Jeff- that was his name- was waiting for me. He was really pissed. I hadn't let him know where I had gone. I don't know why it bothered him this time. I'm usually gone when he has his little porno parties, but. It was the only time he ever hit me. Although after that night, I didn't give him another chance. He wanted to know where I'd been, so I told him. Of course, it made him angry. His friends were amused. I've known most of them since college, so. They didn't see me as the type to drink and watch naked men dance around a stage."
"I can't picture that, either," Warrick admitted.
"Anyway. Oh, and this was like, two weeks before I moved here, by the way," she interjected, "Um, The guys said some stupid things, I said some stupid things. I don't exactly know everything. I BSed a lot at trial. Luckily, the judge believed me, and so." Melody sighed, "I'm a private person, so this is not easy to tell."
"Take your time," Warrick said. Catherine gave him a look. He sighed, "Want me to leave?"
"Would you?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go look at the car. See if I can get prints or something."
"Okay, how much do you remember?" Catherine asked.
"Enough to know I was raped. By who, I don't know. I woke up a couple of times, but." She looked pensive, "I was in too much pain to care, honestly. When I woke up they were all gone. Except for Jeff, who passed out on the couch. I was late for work, so I hear this knock at the door, and it's a friend of mine. She's a cop. I met her at the academy. We went shooting a few times a week. She said everyone was worried about me because I'm never late. I was the Washington version of Sara. So when I was late, they wigged. I was such a mess. She came in and I told her everything. I think that was the worst part. Having all my colleagues know everything. Anyway. I helped them dig up everything we could find on these guys. I'm not the type to l put them away for assault. I nailed them on everything I could. They all went to prison for something. There was physical evidence for the ones that raped me. The rest of them were accessories. Most of them were high and they all dealt drugs. One of them even had a parking ticket he hadn't paid yet. I'm petty like that," she laughed.
"Wow. " Catherine looked at her pityingly, "They would have gotten along really well with my ex."
"Yeah. Anyway. They all went to prison for something or another. I ruined a lot of lives. They all lost their jobs, except for one who didn't have a job to begin with. The ones who were married ended up divorced. Most of them had kids, which really scares me. One had custody of his little girl, and she was sent to an orphanage. Plus, they were all in trouble with their dealers. They owed money and couldn't pay it. And of course, we all know what happens to guys who go to jail for beating their wives and raping their kids. They blamed me for all of that. I started getting threatening letters and phone calls. Then my lawyer called me one day and told me there was some kind of loophole in the system. I didn't take the time to get details. I heard they were getting out and I left."
"So that's what all these phone calls are about?" Catherine asked finally.
"Yeah." Melody nodded. Catherine thought about their conversation in the bathroom earlier in the morning.
"Mel, I'm sorry," Catherine leaned over and gave her a hug, wondering how she could ask the question she had in mind.
Melody smiled, "It's okay. I'm just hoping I can find out whose it is. Part of me doesn't want to know, but I'd at least want to be able to tell him who the father is."
"Want to be alone for a minute?" Catherine asked finally. Melody nodded silently. "I'm gonna go help Warrick. Come find us when you're ready." Catherine stood up and left quietly.
"I hate this!" she said loudly.
"Hate what?" Greg asked coming into the room.
"Nothing. If Grissom or anyone asks, I went home sick."
"Okay." Greg looked at her curiously, "How are you going to get home?"
"Have you heard about that already?"
"Yep. It looks like Starbucks is going to be raising prices again. As if their prices weren't high enough already. Now they are going to have to charge double to replace the window and those tables." He smiled, "Just remind me never to go anywhere with you. I'd rather ride with Nick. He might be the worst driver on shift, but at least he hasn't hit any buildings," Greg grinned playfully, "But there was that dog. It was a big dog, too. Great Dane."
"Shut up!" Melody laughed before leaving.
Rating: PG for adult subjects.
* * *
"Okay, now. Who would want to kill you?" Warrick asked as soon as they were seated in the break room. Melody sighed and tucked her feet under her. She leaned against the arm of the couch. She took a small sip of coffee before beginning.
"I started dating this guy in college. Real nice guy. He did drugs on occasion. Mainly on weekends. I didn't think about it too much. I never did it with him, so. Anyway. We moved in together after college, and I realized that he had a serious drug problem. He was dealing drugs and he'd hide them around the house, because he knew if I found them, I'd throw them out. Once a week or so, he'd have his buddies over and they'd get high and watch porn," she paused as Catherine smirked.
"That brings back memories. My that was my ex-husband's favorite hobby."
"I'm sure it was. They all seemed to enjoy it. Anyway. I was sick of it and so I was complaining at work to some fellow CSI's and they decided we should have a girl's night out. We went out and had a blast-"
"Where did you go?" Warrick asked. Melody sighed. She had been in the interrogation room many times, but she didn't like being on this end of the questioning.
"Um, It was a usual girl's night out. Alcohol, naked men, -"
"More Alcohol." Catherine said.
"Pretty much. I don't drink a lot, so when I go out, I have fun, stop when I start feeling a little tipsy. But.By then I've usually had too much." Melody took a sip of her coffee before continuing. "A colleague drove me home, because there was no way I would have made it home otherwise. So she takes me home, and Jeff- that was his name- was waiting for me. He was really pissed. I hadn't let him know where I had gone. I don't know why it bothered him this time. I'm usually gone when he has his little porno parties, but. It was the only time he ever hit me. Although after that night, I didn't give him another chance. He wanted to know where I'd been, so I told him. Of course, it made him angry. His friends were amused. I've known most of them since college, so. They didn't see me as the type to drink and watch naked men dance around a stage."
"I can't picture that, either," Warrick admitted.
"Anyway. Oh, and this was like, two weeks before I moved here, by the way," she interjected, "Um, The guys said some stupid things, I said some stupid things. I don't exactly know everything. I BSed a lot at trial. Luckily, the judge believed me, and so." Melody sighed, "I'm a private person, so this is not easy to tell."
"Take your time," Warrick said. Catherine gave him a look. He sighed, "Want me to leave?"
"Would you?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go look at the car. See if I can get prints or something."
"Okay, how much do you remember?" Catherine asked.
"Enough to know I was raped. By who, I don't know. I woke up a couple of times, but." She looked pensive, "I was in too much pain to care, honestly. When I woke up they were all gone. Except for Jeff, who passed out on the couch. I was late for work, so I hear this knock at the door, and it's a friend of mine. She's a cop. I met her at the academy. We went shooting a few times a week. She said everyone was worried about me because I'm never late. I was the Washington version of Sara. So when I was late, they wigged. I was such a mess. She came in and I told her everything. I think that was the worst part. Having all my colleagues know everything. Anyway. I helped them dig up everything we could find on these guys. I'm not the type to l put them away for assault. I nailed them on everything I could. They all went to prison for something. There was physical evidence for the ones that raped me. The rest of them were accessories. Most of them were high and they all dealt drugs. One of them even had a parking ticket he hadn't paid yet. I'm petty like that," she laughed.
"Wow. " Catherine looked at her pityingly, "They would have gotten along really well with my ex."
"Yeah. Anyway. They all went to prison for something or another. I ruined a lot of lives. They all lost their jobs, except for one who didn't have a job to begin with. The ones who were married ended up divorced. Most of them had kids, which really scares me. One had custody of his little girl, and she was sent to an orphanage. Plus, they were all in trouble with their dealers. They owed money and couldn't pay it. And of course, we all know what happens to guys who go to jail for beating their wives and raping their kids. They blamed me for all of that. I started getting threatening letters and phone calls. Then my lawyer called me one day and told me there was some kind of loophole in the system. I didn't take the time to get details. I heard they were getting out and I left."
"So that's what all these phone calls are about?" Catherine asked finally.
"Yeah." Melody nodded. Catherine thought about their conversation in the bathroom earlier in the morning.
"Mel, I'm sorry," Catherine leaned over and gave her a hug, wondering how she could ask the question she had in mind.
Melody smiled, "It's okay. I'm just hoping I can find out whose it is. Part of me doesn't want to know, but I'd at least want to be able to tell him who the father is."
"Want to be alone for a minute?" Catherine asked finally. Melody nodded silently. "I'm gonna go help Warrick. Come find us when you're ready." Catherine stood up and left quietly.
"I hate this!" she said loudly.
"Hate what?" Greg asked coming into the room.
"Nothing. If Grissom or anyone asks, I went home sick."
"Okay." Greg looked at her curiously, "How are you going to get home?"
"Have you heard about that already?"
"Yep. It looks like Starbucks is going to be raising prices again. As if their prices weren't high enough already. Now they are going to have to charge double to replace the window and those tables." He smiled, "Just remind me never to go anywhere with you. I'd rather ride with Nick. He might be the worst driver on shift, but at least he hasn't hit any buildings," Greg grinned playfully, "But there was that dog. It was a big dog, too. Great Dane."
"Shut up!" Melody laughed before leaving.