Slightly Condoned
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Rating: R (later)
Pairing: Eric/OC, Speed/Calleigh
Summary: After the death of Janet Medrano (Body Count) Elisabeth Kaytlin is hired as the new ADA. Under the condoned guide of Horatio Caine's ex-wife, Mia Dayton, who also happens to be the DA for Miami, as her first assignment Kaytlin is forced to reopen a cold case, which also happens to be Eric Delko's first case with the Miami-Dade crime Lab.
Spoiler: Tinder Box, Body Count
A/N: I *need* to take a break from Cardboard Copy.and perhaps this is a feeble attempt for your entertainment, but I just need to write an Eric fic.he's so lovable.hope you like it. Note: direct mentions from episodes will be featured later.
***
Part 1- New Faces, Old Scars
The phone ring echoed through the bedroom.
Tim Speedle rolled over and slammed the cradle lightly with his fist, in the process turning on the speakerphone.
" Yeah." He grunted and swung rolled over to see the red display digits on the alarm clock.
1:14pm.
" Rise and shine babe." The southern drawl sounded throughout the room and he grunted.
" Fuck off you turned off the alarm today and I overslept," he whined and yawned.
" Well you looked so cute, drooling there, I figured why don't you sleep in." Calleigh teased, and Speed rolled his eyes.
" Am I a sucker for punishment?" he asked with a self-pitying attitude.
" No, but then again, normally, I'd expect you to be home, sleeping besides me when I come home." Calleigh teased warningly.
" I do.every night." Speed defended with mild conviction.
" Not every night.I know for a fact that you came home last night at 3 am, and don't tell me you were pulling over time. We closed the Bennington Case yesterday."
Tim rolled over again and swung his legs over the side of the edge the bed, " Okay, fine, guilty as charged, Eric took me to some bar, I'll admit that. But I swear I didn't do anything you wouldn't. Plus I'm not the one who left the bar with a peroxide blonde in a push up bra." He quickly added.
A few seconds of silence passed on the other end of the line, and Speed was about to question the quiet when Calleigh added, " I'm worried about him Tim."
Speed didn't need confirmation to know whom she was talking about, especially when he shared in her feelings.
" Cal, I know you are, but there's not much we can do except be there for him." He shrugged empathetically, as he got up from the bed.
" I saw him at the cemetery three days ago. When I went to put some fresh flowers on Janet's Grave. It was her birthday, remember?" Calleigh pressed, and Speed nodded.
And then lamented his stupidity to remind himself that he was on the phone with her.
" Yeah, I remember," he concurred, and opened the dresser drawer, looking for clean clothes, " But what was he doing there?" Tim picked up a pair of Snoopy centric boxers, courtesy of his girlfriend, and returned to the conversation.
" Connie Wilks." Calleigh sighed heavily into the phone, making her exasperation with the situation show uninhibitedly.
That's how it always had been in their friendship and now in her infant relationship, nothing to hide between each other, ever, and that's why Tim let her buy him cartoon printed underwear.
" What about her?" Speed asked, and dashed quickly into the opened bathroom for a toothbrush.
" Her grave, he was there, talking to her. And Jesus, Tim, he didn't even know her, and now he feels obligated to be there for her. He donated blood for her, anonymously, of course but nonetheless. I just, I don't like being helpless, and that's how I feel in this situation, because you're right, there's nothing that we can do."
Speed frowned as he imagined Calleigh's beautiful lips in a frown, and her eyebrows knit together as they usually did when she wasn't feeling up to it.
This was one of those situations where patience was a virtue, and Speed could admit without shame that neither he, nor Calleigh really possessed that attribute in their personalities.
" Baby, I hate to break it to you, but all Delko needs is time, and we have to give it to him." Speed suggested, but he knew Calleigh wasn't listening to him.
That was another down side in her personality-stubbornness.
He could relate.
" I'm willing to do that, I just hope he doesn't catch anything from this 'peroxide, push up bra wearing, Blondie' he picked up last night," she commented with morbid humor, eliciting a chuckle from her counterpart.
" You're a funny girl, you know that?" Speed smirked.
" Yeah, yeah, anyway, I forgot to tell you why I called you."
" Okay, I'm listening." Speed agreed cautiously, just hoping and praying that this wasn't going to be work related.
" I just got a call from Adele Sevilla. She informed me that our DA has made an appointment at 2 o'clock concerning on of the cold cases from about a year ago, surrounding Council Woman Escalante." Calleigh explained and Tim inaudibly groaned.
" A case that we were assigned to?" Speed raised his eyebrow in question and could just picture Calleigh getting more and more antsy.
" Yeah, and I can't find Eric at CSI, would you mind calling him please, this is important," Calleigh divulged.
" Oh alright, I'll see you at work in about half an hour kay?" Speed confirmed.
" Yeah, okay, talk later." Calleigh was about to hang up but Speed stopped her, " Fine, Cal, just, don't worry about Delko okay?"
" Some one has to." Calleigh said and hung up.
Speed groaned, as he pressed 2 on speed dial.calling his best friend.
***
" I can make you some coffee before I leave." She offered but he wasn't up to it.
" No, it's okay Andie, you've already done enough." He said, helping her into her coat.
" Oh, your too kind, all I did was stick two pop tarts into the toaster." She replied humbly, but with loud conviction, unaware that her words flew by just as quickly as their time together had been.
" That alone has caused me a guilt trip, you're great." He said genuinely, and she kissed him.
" Maybe we can get together again sometime." Andie suggested, tucking a loose strand of her unhealthy looking blonde hair behind her ear, as she blushed.
" Maybe." He said unconvincingly and escorted her further through his hallway, to the front door.
" Okay, well you've got my number."
" I do." He said, as he opened the door for her.
" Use it." She blew him a kiss and disappeared from his vision.
Eric rubbed his eyes in exasperation and walked into the kitchen.
Not only was he sporting a slight hangover, but also on his first day back to work since his week off, he was deathly late.
Thinking he would grab a quick shower and chow down some Tylenol before leaving to work and apologizing profusely to Horatio, Delko's train of thought was interrupted when the phone rang.
" Hello." He grabbed it on the third ring, letting the person on the other line, that he wasn't pleased to be getting this call.
" Hi there, my partner in crime, who got me in trouble with a certain southern belle who doesn't like going to bed alone."
Eric rolled his eyes, and descended to the kitchen, to make himself the very same thing he denied Andie.
Coffee.
" Is she really pissed off?" Eric bit his lip, and took out the instant 'shit' that he kept in cases like this.
Sensing that Speed wasn't calling to congratulate him on a great lay Eric wasn't as enthusiastic about caffeine endorsement anymore.
" Nah." Speed paused, and wanted to add, " She's worried though."
But didn't, because knowing Delko, it would start a whole different branch of a conversation, and Speed really didn't think they had time to debate that topic.
" God, I wouldn't want to be the cause of trouble in paradise for the both of you." Delko admitted genuinely, but with tad bit bitterness.
Speed wondered wordlessly about that but didn't question it.
" You're not, but I hate to inform you that I might have to rain on your parade with Andrea." Speed said, trying to remember if that was the blonde's name.
" It's Andie, and what's up, hurry I need to get to CSI before Horatio hunts me down." Delko reminded as he filled up the electric kettle, and burnt himself on the pop tarts that came out of the toaster.
He cursed under his breath and listened as Speed told him why he'd called.
After he was finished, Delko seemed to be less than pleased, " Shit, do you know if they're thinking of reopening it?" He asked, getting an antsy feeling at the pit of his stomach.
" I know just as much as you." Speed admitted and Delko sensed that something was nagging his friend from the tone of choice.
" You want to face the music together?" Eric asked eagerly, but dreading the interview with this DA.
" Sure, I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes, and condone the fact that your car is still in the parking lot of that club." Speed teased.
" Thanks mother, I'll see you soon." Delko smirked and hung up, wondering just what the hell was about to go down.
***
Eric and Tim strolled into the layout room where the meeting was to be held.
Speed was about to ask Delko something when his beautiful girlfriend walked in looking less than enthusiastic about being the same proximity as them.
Her hands were resting just above the waistband on her jeans, as she crossed the room and leaned against the opposite wall of the conference room.
"What's with you?" Eric asked reflexively.
"Oh, just that our two CSIs were late this morning and I was rolled on a case with John Hagen again, he's as neurotic as ever." Calleigh said, distastefully.
"Sorry about that Cal." Eric was genuine in his apology.
"See that it doesn't happen again." She gave him a smile as Horatio and a woman he didn't recognize walked in.
"Hey guys. Let me introduce you all to Elisabeth Kaytlin. She's the new ADA who's replacing Janet Medrano."
Horatio looked at his CSIs, and sought out Calleigh for a moment, asking her wordlessly for a side bar.
Calleigh moved from the wall she'd been leaning against, and followed Horatio out of the office, while introductions had been made.
" Calleigh, before you say anything, in spirit of my deepest apologizes that you have to go through this, courtesy of my bitter ex wife, and Council Woman Escalante, I'm going to take over the case John and you have been investigating." Horatio explained preamble.
" Horatio it's not your fault. I'm sure this is important anyway, I'll talk to you later." Calleigh turned to leave and then realized her mistake, " Thank you." She added after her boss's retrieving form, and he waved her off without turning around.
She walked in on the tail of the conversation.
" Hi, I'm Calleigh Duquesne, I don't believe we've met." The blonde ballistics expert shook hands with the new ADA before she could address Eric's earlier confirmation that she would be working for Mia Dayton,
"Yes, and we are reopening the Amber Gale case. If I'd be so inclined to ask. That was your first case with this department, correct?" Elisabeth asked, as she set the files Mia laid out for her back at the office on the lucid tabletop.
" I concur." Eric replied with a bit of sarcasm, and Calleigh rolled her eyes behind him, unaware that Elisabeth saw her, and shared in her feeling.
"Why are we reopening a cold case?" Speed asked, feeling like his judgment and actions on the case were being called into question, probably a mutual feeling at that point.
"Because everyone deserves justice." She answered, not taking her eyes off of Delko.
He basked in the silent attention she was giving, but realized that she was probably not given the choice of whether to accept or decline this assignment, and the faster she could finish the better she'd be off.
"Fine. What do we need to do?" Calleigh transpired, sensing that the men on her team weren't highly enthusiastic about reopening this case. And not that she didn't share in their disliking, however her distaste for this case reached a personal level, she just couldn't shake off the feeling that it should've been Janet standing in front of them right now, and reciting Ms. Dayton's requests.
"All the evidence needs to be reexamined and retested. Detective Delko, since you were the primary CSI on this case, and Duquesne and Speedle were just there are back up, I need to speak with you about everything that you remember from the case." Elisabeth told him.
"Fine. When do you want to do it?" Eric asked, not liking this situation at all.
"Right now is good for me, if there are not more pressing matters that you need to handle." Elisabeth muttered to him sarcastically.
She knew her resentment was ill directed but she didn't care. If she was going down, she was bound to drag these people with her.
"No, like you said, everyone deserves justice." Delko recalled simply, and sat down across the table from the ADA.
" I'm glad you agree." Elisabeth replied, and forced a smile, which Eric returned tenfold, and Elisabeth found herself staring at his pearly white teeth and the lips encasing them.
Calleigh and Speed swapped bemused looks through this exchange and wordlessly battled on who would have to cut in.
Calleigh lost, and Eric's smile faded as she asked, " Ms. Kaytlin, is there anything in particular you'd like us to do?"
Elisabeth took a moment to reconcile with her thoughts, and shake her gaze away from Eric's mouth, long enough to reply, " Well, firstly, I'd like to be on a first name basis with you Calleigh." She took a brave step, and was glad that the older woman relaxed and smiled, " Of course, Elisabeth."
" Thank you, but not to wear out your tongue, you can call me Liz." Elisabeth added, " If you'd like."
" Definitely, Liz, this is Tim, but he likes to call himself Speed, and that's Eric as you already know, but he likes to be called Delko." Calleigh introduced, and didn't miss Elisabeth's amused expression.
" Don't ask." Calleigh winked, and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
" Hey, there is nothing wrong with our nicknames." Delko defended and the two women grinned.
" C'mon Eric, your never gonna win." Speed said with exasperated sarcasm, and received a painful nudge in the ribs from his girlfriend.
" Be nice children, we've got work to do." Calleigh chided them, and Elisabeth cut in, " Yeah. Right. Well while I interview Delko? Why don't you guys get all the physical evidence from where ever it is that you keep it."
" Okay, that'll take up approximately ten minutes of our time, do you think you'll be done by then?" Speed wondered, as he looked between the new team member and his best friend.
" Well, it depends on what Detective Delko is going to tell me." Elisabeth explained.
"Whoa. Why don't you just call me Eric, okay?" Delko suggested modestly, and Calleigh restrained her chuckle, as Speed pulled her out of the room, giving his other colleagues privacy.
" Well, isn't your nickname Delko?" Elisabeth raised a knowing eyebrow and took a moment to study the man sitting across from her.
" That's only if you get on my good side." Eric said sarcastically, but his words never quite reached the Assist. DA's ears are she studied him.
Witty brown eyes, and even darker hair, through the muscle shirt he wore Elisabeth could see that he spent most of his time at the Gym, and although the excited her, she knew it was wrong.shaking her head again, freeing it from the images that invaded, she tucked an auburn curl behind her ear and returned to the conversation.
" I'm sorry what did you say?" She asked again and didn't miss the trail of disappointment mirroring his handsome face.
" Nothing, nothing at all." He replied back less than earnestly and Elisabeth let it pass.
" Okay, so what can you tell me about the case?" Elisabeth began by taking out her legal pad and tapping the ballpoint pen against the leaf of paper.
" Aside from it being my first one?" Eric made sure and Elisabeth nodded her consent.
" Well, uh, I remember at that particular time, Horatio was running a two week old investigation on a triple homicide and especially pulled Calleigh out of it, so she could monitor me while Speed was the other CSI on that case." Eric began.
Elisabeth didn't interrupt him, even though she already knew this information and something stopped her from telling him to speed this up.
She ignored it, and continued to listen.
" I had no idea that the Council Woman was involved, nor did I figure into the fact that this witness would later admit to me in private that Gale's last words would be accusing to Escalante."
" This witness's name was Herald Dorn correct?"
Eric nodded as Elisabeth took out the file of that particular witness.
" And he was having a welcome back dinner with his daughter Norma who came home from College for Christmas." Elisabeth read off the file, and expected a response but got none, and raised her eyebrow across the table to Eric.
Rubbing his forehead profusely, Delko frowned and then let out something close to a nervous chuckle, " Look, I don't remember what happened, all these small details. You gotta understand that this was almost a year and a half ago." Eric said with candid subtleness.
" I do understand." Elisabeth muttered under her breath, but it was apparent that Eric didn't hear her, so she placed on her tough exterior again and said, " I don't believe I can sympathize however, you need to understand, that I don't want this trial run of mine to go cold as well." Elisabeth explained cryptically and Eric's eyes shot up to meet hers.
Brown on green, and green on brown, and Elisabeth seemingly tensed.
No one spoke for a few seconds, which seemed to stretch on like hours for Elisabeth, and finally Eric broke the silence.
" I figured you got ambushed into doing this."
" Yeah, well, from first glance Mia doesn't seem to be the kind of person who will hesitate to fire me. I can't duly reason with her."
" Oh, Mia really isn't a peach of a person either." Eric commented a little sardonically and Elisabeth raised her perfectly arched eyebrow at him.
She knew her boss acquainted herself with Horatio, and even Speedle and Duquesne, but not Delko, she was already divorced when Eric joined the team.
" You've met her?"
" Yeah, a handful of times, but nonetheless that was enough to stir a tint of resentment for that woman inside me."
" I gather not only you feel that way about her." Elisabeth sat back in her chair, and dropped the pen.
" I'd hate to say it, but only Calleigh was ever civil with her." His voice trailed off, as if he'd realized some mistake that he'd found in sharing this with her and it dawned on the ADA why the only female CSI that she met was only nice to Mia because of Janet.
" Because of Janet Medrano." Elisabeth finished for him and he visibly tensed, but nodded.
" You know, you can say her name, I'm not a griever, I didn't even know her." Elisabeth said a little coldly but ingenuously and Eric gave her credit for that.
" If I can be candid with you, I'd like to just forget her name, we don't use it around here anymore."
" Because of Calleigh?"
" Yeah, she uh, she didn't take her death really well." Eric stumbled on his words not finding the right ones, and also not knowing why he was telling this personal tale to some one he'd met about fifteen minutes before.
But then he looked at her, really looked at her, and realized that when he did so, he couldn't help but trust her.
Not only were she beautiful, but something about the way her lips curved upward in a smile made her appear trustworthy, and although Eric had his share of situations which taught him to doubt that.
Appearances could be deceiving, he knew that much.
But that didn't stop him from trusting her.
" Is that how her and Speedle got together?" Elisabeth asked, curiosity getting the best of her, and as well as Eric's perplexity.
" How.how'd you know that?" he asked, tracing an invisible circle on the tabletop.
" Oh just that look he gave her when Caine introduced me as the new ADA. Plus I wasn't completely sure until now." Elisabeth smiled, but it wasn't returned.
" Damn.all you lawyers are sneaky." Eric said, realizing he'd walked into a semi trap.
" It's our job to be sneaky, it's how we get information." Elisabeth said with a playful glint, but her joke didn't come through.
Eric's frown deepened, " Is that how you plan to wheedle info out of me, about this case. By being less than honest. Trust me it's not gonna get you anywhere." He said getting up.
" Delko." Elisabeth stopped him, but he continued, " I don't have to do you any favors Ms. Kaytlin, because you see, here at CSI we have something we call common courtesy and if you cant learn that then there's no place for you here." Eric said accusingly.
And suddenly something inside Elisabeth snapped as well, she was trying to be civil but Delko proved that he couldn't handle that.
She didn't know why, but she honestly didn't care. Eric was half way out the door when she stood up.
" Listen to me Mr. Common Courtesy. I came here to work as an Assistant District Attorney, to work as lawyer defending the people, speaking for the majority, not to reopen a closed investigation of a poisoned Co-ed with references to the Council Woman.and I certainly didn't come here to make friends. I came here to make a difference."
She justified, and triumphed silence filled the air, until Eric turned to her, the expression on his tanned face unreadable, and Elisabeth didn't relaxed until he replied, " Well, I guess you and I have something in common then,"
And then he sat down and Elisabeth smiled.
TBC.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Rating: R (later)
Pairing: Eric/OC, Speed/Calleigh
Summary: After the death of Janet Medrano (Body Count) Elisabeth Kaytlin is hired as the new ADA. Under the condoned guide of Horatio Caine's ex-wife, Mia Dayton, who also happens to be the DA for Miami, as her first assignment Kaytlin is forced to reopen a cold case, which also happens to be Eric Delko's first case with the Miami-Dade crime Lab.
Spoiler: Tinder Box, Body Count
A/N: I *need* to take a break from Cardboard Copy.and perhaps this is a feeble attempt for your entertainment, but I just need to write an Eric fic.he's so lovable.hope you like it. Note: direct mentions from episodes will be featured later.
***
Part 1- New Faces, Old Scars
The phone ring echoed through the bedroom.
Tim Speedle rolled over and slammed the cradle lightly with his fist, in the process turning on the speakerphone.
" Yeah." He grunted and swung rolled over to see the red display digits on the alarm clock.
1:14pm.
" Rise and shine babe." The southern drawl sounded throughout the room and he grunted.
" Fuck off you turned off the alarm today and I overslept," he whined and yawned.
" Well you looked so cute, drooling there, I figured why don't you sleep in." Calleigh teased, and Speed rolled his eyes.
" Am I a sucker for punishment?" he asked with a self-pitying attitude.
" No, but then again, normally, I'd expect you to be home, sleeping besides me when I come home." Calleigh teased warningly.
" I do.every night." Speed defended with mild conviction.
" Not every night.I know for a fact that you came home last night at 3 am, and don't tell me you were pulling over time. We closed the Bennington Case yesterday."
Tim rolled over again and swung his legs over the side of the edge the bed, " Okay, fine, guilty as charged, Eric took me to some bar, I'll admit that. But I swear I didn't do anything you wouldn't. Plus I'm not the one who left the bar with a peroxide blonde in a push up bra." He quickly added.
A few seconds of silence passed on the other end of the line, and Speed was about to question the quiet when Calleigh added, " I'm worried about him Tim."
Speed didn't need confirmation to know whom she was talking about, especially when he shared in her feelings.
" Cal, I know you are, but there's not much we can do except be there for him." He shrugged empathetically, as he got up from the bed.
" I saw him at the cemetery three days ago. When I went to put some fresh flowers on Janet's Grave. It was her birthday, remember?" Calleigh pressed, and Speed nodded.
And then lamented his stupidity to remind himself that he was on the phone with her.
" Yeah, I remember," he concurred, and opened the dresser drawer, looking for clean clothes, " But what was he doing there?" Tim picked up a pair of Snoopy centric boxers, courtesy of his girlfriend, and returned to the conversation.
" Connie Wilks." Calleigh sighed heavily into the phone, making her exasperation with the situation show uninhibitedly.
That's how it always had been in their friendship and now in her infant relationship, nothing to hide between each other, ever, and that's why Tim let her buy him cartoon printed underwear.
" What about her?" Speed asked, and dashed quickly into the opened bathroom for a toothbrush.
" Her grave, he was there, talking to her. And Jesus, Tim, he didn't even know her, and now he feels obligated to be there for her. He donated blood for her, anonymously, of course but nonetheless. I just, I don't like being helpless, and that's how I feel in this situation, because you're right, there's nothing that we can do."
Speed frowned as he imagined Calleigh's beautiful lips in a frown, and her eyebrows knit together as they usually did when she wasn't feeling up to it.
This was one of those situations where patience was a virtue, and Speed could admit without shame that neither he, nor Calleigh really possessed that attribute in their personalities.
" Baby, I hate to break it to you, but all Delko needs is time, and we have to give it to him." Speed suggested, but he knew Calleigh wasn't listening to him.
That was another down side in her personality-stubbornness.
He could relate.
" I'm willing to do that, I just hope he doesn't catch anything from this 'peroxide, push up bra wearing, Blondie' he picked up last night," she commented with morbid humor, eliciting a chuckle from her counterpart.
" You're a funny girl, you know that?" Speed smirked.
" Yeah, yeah, anyway, I forgot to tell you why I called you."
" Okay, I'm listening." Speed agreed cautiously, just hoping and praying that this wasn't going to be work related.
" I just got a call from Adele Sevilla. She informed me that our DA has made an appointment at 2 o'clock concerning on of the cold cases from about a year ago, surrounding Council Woman Escalante." Calleigh explained and Tim inaudibly groaned.
" A case that we were assigned to?" Speed raised his eyebrow in question and could just picture Calleigh getting more and more antsy.
" Yeah, and I can't find Eric at CSI, would you mind calling him please, this is important," Calleigh divulged.
" Oh alright, I'll see you at work in about half an hour kay?" Speed confirmed.
" Yeah, okay, talk later." Calleigh was about to hang up but Speed stopped her, " Fine, Cal, just, don't worry about Delko okay?"
" Some one has to." Calleigh said and hung up.
Speed groaned, as he pressed 2 on speed dial.calling his best friend.
***
" I can make you some coffee before I leave." She offered but he wasn't up to it.
" No, it's okay Andie, you've already done enough." He said, helping her into her coat.
" Oh, your too kind, all I did was stick two pop tarts into the toaster." She replied humbly, but with loud conviction, unaware that her words flew by just as quickly as their time together had been.
" That alone has caused me a guilt trip, you're great." He said genuinely, and she kissed him.
" Maybe we can get together again sometime." Andie suggested, tucking a loose strand of her unhealthy looking blonde hair behind her ear, as she blushed.
" Maybe." He said unconvincingly and escorted her further through his hallway, to the front door.
" Okay, well you've got my number."
" I do." He said, as he opened the door for her.
" Use it." She blew him a kiss and disappeared from his vision.
Eric rubbed his eyes in exasperation and walked into the kitchen.
Not only was he sporting a slight hangover, but also on his first day back to work since his week off, he was deathly late.
Thinking he would grab a quick shower and chow down some Tylenol before leaving to work and apologizing profusely to Horatio, Delko's train of thought was interrupted when the phone rang.
" Hello." He grabbed it on the third ring, letting the person on the other line, that he wasn't pleased to be getting this call.
" Hi there, my partner in crime, who got me in trouble with a certain southern belle who doesn't like going to bed alone."
Eric rolled his eyes, and descended to the kitchen, to make himself the very same thing he denied Andie.
Coffee.
" Is she really pissed off?" Eric bit his lip, and took out the instant 'shit' that he kept in cases like this.
Sensing that Speed wasn't calling to congratulate him on a great lay Eric wasn't as enthusiastic about caffeine endorsement anymore.
" Nah." Speed paused, and wanted to add, " She's worried though."
But didn't, because knowing Delko, it would start a whole different branch of a conversation, and Speed really didn't think they had time to debate that topic.
" God, I wouldn't want to be the cause of trouble in paradise for the both of you." Delko admitted genuinely, but with tad bit bitterness.
Speed wondered wordlessly about that but didn't question it.
" You're not, but I hate to inform you that I might have to rain on your parade with Andrea." Speed said, trying to remember if that was the blonde's name.
" It's Andie, and what's up, hurry I need to get to CSI before Horatio hunts me down." Delko reminded as he filled up the electric kettle, and burnt himself on the pop tarts that came out of the toaster.
He cursed under his breath and listened as Speed told him why he'd called.
After he was finished, Delko seemed to be less than pleased, " Shit, do you know if they're thinking of reopening it?" He asked, getting an antsy feeling at the pit of his stomach.
" I know just as much as you." Speed admitted and Delko sensed that something was nagging his friend from the tone of choice.
" You want to face the music together?" Eric asked eagerly, but dreading the interview with this DA.
" Sure, I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes, and condone the fact that your car is still in the parking lot of that club." Speed teased.
" Thanks mother, I'll see you soon." Delko smirked and hung up, wondering just what the hell was about to go down.
***
Eric and Tim strolled into the layout room where the meeting was to be held.
Speed was about to ask Delko something when his beautiful girlfriend walked in looking less than enthusiastic about being the same proximity as them.
Her hands were resting just above the waistband on her jeans, as she crossed the room and leaned against the opposite wall of the conference room.
"What's with you?" Eric asked reflexively.
"Oh, just that our two CSIs were late this morning and I was rolled on a case with John Hagen again, he's as neurotic as ever." Calleigh said, distastefully.
"Sorry about that Cal." Eric was genuine in his apology.
"See that it doesn't happen again." She gave him a smile as Horatio and a woman he didn't recognize walked in.
"Hey guys. Let me introduce you all to Elisabeth Kaytlin. She's the new ADA who's replacing Janet Medrano."
Horatio looked at his CSIs, and sought out Calleigh for a moment, asking her wordlessly for a side bar.
Calleigh moved from the wall she'd been leaning against, and followed Horatio out of the office, while introductions had been made.
" Calleigh, before you say anything, in spirit of my deepest apologizes that you have to go through this, courtesy of my bitter ex wife, and Council Woman Escalante, I'm going to take over the case John and you have been investigating." Horatio explained preamble.
" Horatio it's not your fault. I'm sure this is important anyway, I'll talk to you later." Calleigh turned to leave and then realized her mistake, " Thank you." She added after her boss's retrieving form, and he waved her off without turning around.
She walked in on the tail of the conversation.
" Hi, I'm Calleigh Duquesne, I don't believe we've met." The blonde ballistics expert shook hands with the new ADA before she could address Eric's earlier confirmation that she would be working for Mia Dayton,
"Yes, and we are reopening the Amber Gale case. If I'd be so inclined to ask. That was your first case with this department, correct?" Elisabeth asked, as she set the files Mia laid out for her back at the office on the lucid tabletop.
" I concur." Eric replied with a bit of sarcasm, and Calleigh rolled her eyes behind him, unaware that Elisabeth saw her, and shared in her feeling.
"Why are we reopening a cold case?" Speed asked, feeling like his judgment and actions on the case were being called into question, probably a mutual feeling at that point.
"Because everyone deserves justice." She answered, not taking her eyes off of Delko.
He basked in the silent attention she was giving, but realized that she was probably not given the choice of whether to accept or decline this assignment, and the faster she could finish the better she'd be off.
"Fine. What do we need to do?" Calleigh transpired, sensing that the men on her team weren't highly enthusiastic about reopening this case. And not that she didn't share in their disliking, however her distaste for this case reached a personal level, she just couldn't shake off the feeling that it should've been Janet standing in front of them right now, and reciting Ms. Dayton's requests.
"All the evidence needs to be reexamined and retested. Detective Delko, since you were the primary CSI on this case, and Duquesne and Speedle were just there are back up, I need to speak with you about everything that you remember from the case." Elisabeth told him.
"Fine. When do you want to do it?" Eric asked, not liking this situation at all.
"Right now is good for me, if there are not more pressing matters that you need to handle." Elisabeth muttered to him sarcastically.
She knew her resentment was ill directed but she didn't care. If she was going down, she was bound to drag these people with her.
"No, like you said, everyone deserves justice." Delko recalled simply, and sat down across the table from the ADA.
" I'm glad you agree." Elisabeth replied, and forced a smile, which Eric returned tenfold, and Elisabeth found herself staring at his pearly white teeth and the lips encasing them.
Calleigh and Speed swapped bemused looks through this exchange and wordlessly battled on who would have to cut in.
Calleigh lost, and Eric's smile faded as she asked, " Ms. Kaytlin, is there anything in particular you'd like us to do?"
Elisabeth took a moment to reconcile with her thoughts, and shake her gaze away from Eric's mouth, long enough to reply, " Well, firstly, I'd like to be on a first name basis with you Calleigh." She took a brave step, and was glad that the older woman relaxed and smiled, " Of course, Elisabeth."
" Thank you, but not to wear out your tongue, you can call me Liz." Elisabeth added, " If you'd like."
" Definitely, Liz, this is Tim, but he likes to call himself Speed, and that's Eric as you already know, but he likes to be called Delko." Calleigh introduced, and didn't miss Elisabeth's amused expression.
" Don't ask." Calleigh winked, and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
" Hey, there is nothing wrong with our nicknames." Delko defended and the two women grinned.
" C'mon Eric, your never gonna win." Speed said with exasperated sarcasm, and received a painful nudge in the ribs from his girlfriend.
" Be nice children, we've got work to do." Calleigh chided them, and Elisabeth cut in, " Yeah. Right. Well while I interview Delko? Why don't you guys get all the physical evidence from where ever it is that you keep it."
" Okay, that'll take up approximately ten minutes of our time, do you think you'll be done by then?" Speed wondered, as he looked between the new team member and his best friend.
" Well, it depends on what Detective Delko is going to tell me." Elisabeth explained.
"Whoa. Why don't you just call me Eric, okay?" Delko suggested modestly, and Calleigh restrained her chuckle, as Speed pulled her out of the room, giving his other colleagues privacy.
" Well, isn't your nickname Delko?" Elisabeth raised a knowing eyebrow and took a moment to study the man sitting across from her.
" That's only if you get on my good side." Eric said sarcastically, but his words never quite reached the Assist. DA's ears are she studied him.
Witty brown eyes, and even darker hair, through the muscle shirt he wore Elisabeth could see that he spent most of his time at the Gym, and although the excited her, she knew it was wrong.shaking her head again, freeing it from the images that invaded, she tucked an auburn curl behind her ear and returned to the conversation.
" I'm sorry what did you say?" She asked again and didn't miss the trail of disappointment mirroring his handsome face.
" Nothing, nothing at all." He replied back less than earnestly and Elisabeth let it pass.
" Okay, so what can you tell me about the case?" Elisabeth began by taking out her legal pad and tapping the ballpoint pen against the leaf of paper.
" Aside from it being my first one?" Eric made sure and Elisabeth nodded her consent.
" Well, uh, I remember at that particular time, Horatio was running a two week old investigation on a triple homicide and especially pulled Calleigh out of it, so she could monitor me while Speed was the other CSI on that case." Eric began.
Elisabeth didn't interrupt him, even though she already knew this information and something stopped her from telling him to speed this up.
She ignored it, and continued to listen.
" I had no idea that the Council Woman was involved, nor did I figure into the fact that this witness would later admit to me in private that Gale's last words would be accusing to Escalante."
" This witness's name was Herald Dorn correct?"
Eric nodded as Elisabeth took out the file of that particular witness.
" And he was having a welcome back dinner with his daughter Norma who came home from College for Christmas." Elisabeth read off the file, and expected a response but got none, and raised her eyebrow across the table to Eric.
Rubbing his forehead profusely, Delko frowned and then let out something close to a nervous chuckle, " Look, I don't remember what happened, all these small details. You gotta understand that this was almost a year and a half ago." Eric said with candid subtleness.
" I do understand." Elisabeth muttered under her breath, but it was apparent that Eric didn't hear her, so she placed on her tough exterior again and said, " I don't believe I can sympathize however, you need to understand, that I don't want this trial run of mine to go cold as well." Elisabeth explained cryptically and Eric's eyes shot up to meet hers.
Brown on green, and green on brown, and Elisabeth seemingly tensed.
No one spoke for a few seconds, which seemed to stretch on like hours for Elisabeth, and finally Eric broke the silence.
" I figured you got ambushed into doing this."
" Yeah, well, from first glance Mia doesn't seem to be the kind of person who will hesitate to fire me. I can't duly reason with her."
" Oh, Mia really isn't a peach of a person either." Eric commented a little sardonically and Elisabeth raised her perfectly arched eyebrow at him.
She knew her boss acquainted herself with Horatio, and even Speedle and Duquesne, but not Delko, she was already divorced when Eric joined the team.
" You've met her?"
" Yeah, a handful of times, but nonetheless that was enough to stir a tint of resentment for that woman inside me."
" I gather not only you feel that way about her." Elisabeth sat back in her chair, and dropped the pen.
" I'd hate to say it, but only Calleigh was ever civil with her." His voice trailed off, as if he'd realized some mistake that he'd found in sharing this with her and it dawned on the ADA why the only female CSI that she met was only nice to Mia because of Janet.
" Because of Janet Medrano." Elisabeth finished for him and he visibly tensed, but nodded.
" You know, you can say her name, I'm not a griever, I didn't even know her." Elisabeth said a little coldly but ingenuously and Eric gave her credit for that.
" If I can be candid with you, I'd like to just forget her name, we don't use it around here anymore."
" Because of Calleigh?"
" Yeah, she uh, she didn't take her death really well." Eric stumbled on his words not finding the right ones, and also not knowing why he was telling this personal tale to some one he'd met about fifteen minutes before.
But then he looked at her, really looked at her, and realized that when he did so, he couldn't help but trust her.
Not only were she beautiful, but something about the way her lips curved upward in a smile made her appear trustworthy, and although Eric had his share of situations which taught him to doubt that.
Appearances could be deceiving, he knew that much.
But that didn't stop him from trusting her.
" Is that how her and Speedle got together?" Elisabeth asked, curiosity getting the best of her, and as well as Eric's perplexity.
" How.how'd you know that?" he asked, tracing an invisible circle on the tabletop.
" Oh just that look he gave her when Caine introduced me as the new ADA. Plus I wasn't completely sure until now." Elisabeth smiled, but it wasn't returned.
" Damn.all you lawyers are sneaky." Eric said, realizing he'd walked into a semi trap.
" It's our job to be sneaky, it's how we get information." Elisabeth said with a playful glint, but her joke didn't come through.
Eric's frown deepened, " Is that how you plan to wheedle info out of me, about this case. By being less than honest. Trust me it's not gonna get you anywhere." He said getting up.
" Delko." Elisabeth stopped him, but he continued, " I don't have to do you any favors Ms. Kaytlin, because you see, here at CSI we have something we call common courtesy and if you cant learn that then there's no place for you here." Eric said accusingly.
And suddenly something inside Elisabeth snapped as well, she was trying to be civil but Delko proved that he couldn't handle that.
She didn't know why, but she honestly didn't care. Eric was half way out the door when she stood up.
" Listen to me Mr. Common Courtesy. I came here to work as an Assistant District Attorney, to work as lawyer defending the people, speaking for the majority, not to reopen a closed investigation of a poisoned Co-ed with references to the Council Woman.and I certainly didn't come here to make friends. I came here to make a difference."
She justified, and triumphed silence filled the air, until Eric turned to her, the expression on his tanned face unreadable, and Elisabeth didn't relaxed until he replied, " Well, I guess you and I have something in common then,"
And then he sat down and Elisabeth smiled.
TBC.