Title: Ripped (8/8)
Disclaimer: (To the tune of "You Don't Own Me," by Leslie Gore) I don't own it, I'm not trying to claim it in any way. I don't own it, don't hunt me down cause I'll never pay!
Rating: R (Potty mouths, they all are! Very naughty!)
Pairings: Eric/Maria (OC), Tim/Calleigh
Feedback: Your feedback = my inspiration = more frequent updates.
____________________________________
"Yeah, we've got some prints here." Eric said, inspecting Yana's arm under a lamp.
"Super." Yana sighed. "Look, can I have my arm, or are you guys gonna need to chop it off and bag it?"
"We'll be done with you in a few minutes." Maria assured her. "Are the prints good enough to put them through AFIS?"
"We've got a couple of perfect ones." Eric replied. "The sweat and dust on her arm made some pretty clear ridges."
"Wow." Yana said. "And to think we were complaining about the heat out there, huh Maria?"
______________________
Calleigh snuck up behind Tim and slid her hands over his eyes. "So what's your pleasure, sailor?" She purred in a husky voice.
"Very funny." Tim said, turning around to face her. Much to his relief, she had changed back into her regular clothes. "That's more like it."
"You're telling me." Calleigh laughed. "So, did you hear the good news?"
"Yeah, that's great." Tim replied.
Calleigh shrugged. "It's not an arrest. Not yet, anyway. But the prints are almost perfect, so hopefully..."
"This'll all be over soon." Tim finished for her.
"I swear, I could sleep for a week after this case." Calleigh leaned against him, yawning. "Hell, I could even take a sick day."
"Damn, you must be really tired." Tim said teasingly. "You're delerious."
Calleigh moved to slap him playfully across the chest, but he caught her hand and pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply.
____________________
"We've got a match!" Eric announced.
That was enough to jolt Maria, who had been sitting on the counter behind him, fighting to keep her eyes open, out of the haze. She slid up behind his chair and peered at the screen. "Holy fuck. H, you're not gonna believe this."
Horatio looked at the screen. Even he was shaken by what he saw. "Well, that would certainly explain a lot."
"What time is it?" Maria asked.
"Almost six." Horatio said. "He'll be calling it a night by now, I'd imagine."
Maria nodded. "We'll get him where he lives. Eric, alert Hagen and the rest of the team."
"Way ahead of you."
Horatio smiled at Maria. "Looks like your plan worked out after all."
"Not yet." She said warily, looking back at the face on the screen. She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the killer's identity. "I don't be-fucking-lieve it."
________________________
"Jacqueline." Maria greeted the other young woman. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice."
"Are you kidding?" The profiler replied. "Anything to get this guy off the streets. It's sick."
"You're telling me." Maria sighed. "Cases like this almost make me wish I'd gone into accounting. So, you reviewed his records, and the case file?"
"I did." Jacqueline said.
"And we got enough to get a warrant?" Maria asked. "I mean, I know his prints on Yana's arm are pretty hard evidence, but we need to be sure he's the guy we're after. There's no room for mistakes here, and that's why I called you."
"Well, you're right, you need to be sure." Jacqueline said. "And it all fits together. Who else could have known how to clean up the evidence so well?"
"And it makes sense that he would single Maria out." Horatio spoke up, referring to the letter Maria had received. "You were the one who blew the whistle on him, weren't you?" He said to her.
"More or less." She shrugged. "I mean, I just mentioned casually to Lieutenant Walsh that it seemed like a lot of his cases were dead ends, and then next thing you know, he's under investigation for corruption."
"To him, that's probably reason enough to blame you." Jacqueline pointed out. "Of course, there's no evidence that he ever intended to harm you physically. But did he know about your family's ties to the Ripper case?"
"I don't doubt it." Maria admitted. "I didn't tell him, but he knew my whole family, he and Anton were good friends."
"Then it is entirely possible that he was targeting you in a psychological way." Jacqueline said. "Are you sure you want to be there when he's picked up? He could see it as one more reason to want to get back at you."
"No, I've seen this case through this far." Maria stated. "I'm going to finish it."
"Well then, you've got my input." Jacqueline said. "I'd say what you need to do now is take this evidence to a judge, get a warrant, and take this motherfucker down."
_______________________
"Is he in there?" Horatio asked as he and Maria got out of the Hummer.
"He's in the back yard." Hagen replied. "He's digging around back there."
"Okay, I'm going in." Maria said.
"Be careful." Horatio told her.
"Watch my back." She replied.
The gate opened easily and almost silently. The man digging in what looked like a garden bed didn't turn around as she approached him.
"Hello, Detective August."
He turned then, a shocked expression on his face. He recovered quickly and smiled. "Well, well. Officer Santiago. It's just Nate now, as you well know."
Maria smirked. "Well, Nate, it's Detective Santiago now, as I'm sure you well know. I just came by to see how you've been."
"Since you destroyed my career, you mean?" Nate snapped.
"Oh, please." Maria laughed derisively. "I can't take credit for that. For fuck's sake, Nate, you were the one taking bribes from every suspect you could get close enough to, and then putting them back out on the street. You would have been caught sooner rather than later, and you fucking know it."
"I was wasting away on the goddamn CSI graveyard shift!" Nate shouted. "I should have been running the show, not that Donner bitch, and not that asshole who's in charge now. Fuck, Maria, you of all people should know how it feels to be overlooked and underestimated. You have ten times the talent than anyone in vice, and you were stuck out on the street."
"Yeah, so I left vice." Maria said in a 'duh' voice. "You had a good career, Nate, and it was only going to get better. You had so much potential, and you blew it all out of spite."
Nate didn't answer, he kept digging in the ground in front of him. Maria knew what this man had done to three innocent women, whom he'd never met, and had no kind of history with. He had a history with her. One that, in his twisted mind, was reason enough to commit murder. And yet, she wasn't afraid of him. Quite the opposite, with every moment that passed without him making a move, she felt more powerful.
"So, doing a little gardening?" Maria asked casually. "What are ya gonna plant? Some kidney beans? Maybe some bleeding hearts?" She smirked at her own, admittedly bad, puns.
He looked at her, his eyes wide.
"Ooh, did I forget to mention you're under arrest?" Maria asked cheerfully as the gate opened and a team of heavily armed officers entered the yard, led by Hagen and Horatio. "John, H, I believe you gentlemen remember Nathaniel August." She said, calmly walking past the men and out of the yard.
_________________________
"It's been a hell of week so far, huh?" Calleigh sighed dramatically, practically collapsing onto the couch beside Maria.
Maria laughed. "Emphasis on 'hell,' thank you."
"Are you okay?" Calleigh asked.
"Yeah, now that it's all over." Maria replied.
"I wasn't talking about the case." Calleigh said. "You can tell me until you turn blue in the face and pass out that you were just using Delko to get you off whenever you had an itch, but you're not fooling anyone."
"You know, Cal, I got a lot on my mind, okay?" Maria sighed, standing up abruptly. "I'd just like to have five minutes of peace without getting the third degree about my personal life, I think I've earned that much!"
"All right." Calleigh said, shrinking back slightly. "Sorry."
"No, I am. I'm sorry." Maria sat down again and put her head in her hands. "I'm just...God, I'm just exhausted."
Calleigh hugged her. "I get it, trust me. It's okay. Listen, Tim and I were going to go out tonight, but if you want me to stay at home with you-"
"Don't even think about it." Maria told her. "You are going to go out, have a good time, and not do anything I wouldn't do, which pretty much means you're open for business."
"All right." Calleigh said. "Don't wait up."
"You kidding?" Maria asked. "I see you before noon tomorrow, and I will kick your ass."
"Noted." Calleigh laughed. She headed for the door just as Hagen came into the room. "See you later, John."
"Yeah, later Cal." Hagen replied. As soon as Calleigh was gone, he stood behind the couch and leaned over slightly, just as Maria tilted her head back. "Hey." He said.
"Hey."
"So, how's it feel?" He asked. "He's on every news channel on TV, and not just in Florida, either. And look who's right there, bringing him in." He picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
Sure enough, Nate was on the news, being led into the station through a crowd of clamoring reporters. Maria had him by his left arm, Horatio was on his right.
"Big deal." Maria said. "I get more airtime than that when I go shopping with my stepmom."
"Yeah, but it's different this time." Hagen pointed out. "You're a star this time. What do you say we go out and celebrate tonight?"
Maria rolled her eyes. "John...I'm just not ready, okay?"
"Yeah, I can understand that." Hagen admitted. He waited a moment. "How about now? You ready now?"
"Shut up." Maria laughed.
"How about now? Come on, you can't blame a guy for trying."
"I blame you for breathing." Maria replied, shoving him playfully as she stood up. Over his shoulder, she saw Eric watching through the glass door. "I gotta go. I'll see you, okay?" She made a graceful enough exit, but when she was standing just a couple feet away from him in the corridor, she found she couldn't speak.
"I'm glad you're all right." Eric spoke first, his voice not betraying any emotion.
"Thanks." She said. "Uh, I better go, Anton's leaving in a couple hours."
"Maria, this isn't just going to go away." Eric said as Maria started to walk away. She turned back, and he continued. "I don't think there's anything you could do or say that would change how I feel about you."
"Why?" Maria asked, choking back tears.
"Damned if I know." Eric admitted. "I mean, you are the single most frustrating woman I have ever known in my life. And if you'd ever met my mother or even one of my sisters, you'd know just how bad that is."
"Well, you are the most clueless man I have ever known." Maria shot back. "And you have met my brothers, so you should know how bad that is."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Eric struggled to find the right words. "I just don't get what you do to me. I don't get you, or know you. But I still fell in love with you somehow." He paused and took a deep breath. "Look, maybe you'd better get going. Your brother's waiting, and anyway, I don't think I can be around you right now. It's just too raw."
"Yeah." Maria agreed. She started to walk away, then turned back once more. "You know, Eric, this probably doesn't help, but...the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, in any way."
"It's not your fault." Eric admitted. "I should have realized I was getting in too deep."
"So...what now?" Maria asked.
Eric shrugged. "No idea."
"Yeah, me neither." Maria said. "So...I'll see you."
"Yeah."
With that, he was walking away, and she managed to walk in the opposite direction, willing the tears that were threatening to start to just hold off until she was outside to her car, away from prying eyes.
When she finally made it to the light blue convertible, she slumped over in the driver's seat, and finally let the tears fall.
"Ah, shit." She muttered. She took a deep breath before she wiped her eyes, and reached into her purse to find her car keys.
___________________________
Next time:
"Something's wrong, I can't wake her up!"
*****
"I just keep thinking about what would have happened to her, if we'd been just a few minutes later than we were."
*****
"I just want to know the truth. Tell me what he did to you."
_____________________________
Stay tuned...
Disclaimer: (To the tune of "You Don't Own Me," by Leslie Gore) I don't own it, I'm not trying to claim it in any way. I don't own it, don't hunt me down cause I'll never pay!
Rating: R (Potty mouths, they all are! Very naughty!)
Pairings: Eric/Maria (OC), Tim/Calleigh
Feedback: Your feedback = my inspiration = more frequent updates.
____________________________________
"Yeah, we've got some prints here." Eric said, inspecting Yana's arm under a lamp.
"Super." Yana sighed. "Look, can I have my arm, or are you guys gonna need to chop it off and bag it?"
"We'll be done with you in a few minutes." Maria assured her. "Are the prints good enough to put them through AFIS?"
"We've got a couple of perfect ones." Eric replied. "The sweat and dust on her arm made some pretty clear ridges."
"Wow." Yana said. "And to think we were complaining about the heat out there, huh Maria?"
______________________
Calleigh snuck up behind Tim and slid her hands over his eyes. "So what's your pleasure, sailor?" She purred in a husky voice.
"Very funny." Tim said, turning around to face her. Much to his relief, she had changed back into her regular clothes. "That's more like it."
"You're telling me." Calleigh laughed. "So, did you hear the good news?"
"Yeah, that's great." Tim replied.
Calleigh shrugged. "It's not an arrest. Not yet, anyway. But the prints are almost perfect, so hopefully..."
"This'll all be over soon." Tim finished for her.
"I swear, I could sleep for a week after this case." Calleigh leaned against him, yawning. "Hell, I could even take a sick day."
"Damn, you must be really tired." Tim said teasingly. "You're delerious."
Calleigh moved to slap him playfully across the chest, but he caught her hand and pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply.
____________________
"We've got a match!" Eric announced.
That was enough to jolt Maria, who had been sitting on the counter behind him, fighting to keep her eyes open, out of the haze. She slid up behind his chair and peered at the screen. "Holy fuck. H, you're not gonna believe this."
Horatio looked at the screen. Even he was shaken by what he saw. "Well, that would certainly explain a lot."
"What time is it?" Maria asked.
"Almost six." Horatio said. "He'll be calling it a night by now, I'd imagine."
Maria nodded. "We'll get him where he lives. Eric, alert Hagen and the rest of the team."
"Way ahead of you."
Horatio smiled at Maria. "Looks like your plan worked out after all."
"Not yet." She said warily, looking back at the face on the screen. She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around the killer's identity. "I don't be-fucking-lieve it."
________________________
"Jacqueline." Maria greeted the other young woman. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice."
"Are you kidding?" The profiler replied. "Anything to get this guy off the streets. It's sick."
"You're telling me." Maria sighed. "Cases like this almost make me wish I'd gone into accounting. So, you reviewed his records, and the case file?"
"I did." Jacqueline said.
"And we got enough to get a warrant?" Maria asked. "I mean, I know his prints on Yana's arm are pretty hard evidence, but we need to be sure he's the guy we're after. There's no room for mistakes here, and that's why I called you."
"Well, you're right, you need to be sure." Jacqueline said. "And it all fits together. Who else could have known how to clean up the evidence so well?"
"And it makes sense that he would single Maria out." Horatio spoke up, referring to the letter Maria had received. "You were the one who blew the whistle on him, weren't you?" He said to her.
"More or less." She shrugged. "I mean, I just mentioned casually to Lieutenant Walsh that it seemed like a lot of his cases were dead ends, and then next thing you know, he's under investigation for corruption."
"To him, that's probably reason enough to blame you." Jacqueline pointed out. "Of course, there's no evidence that he ever intended to harm you physically. But did he know about your family's ties to the Ripper case?"
"I don't doubt it." Maria admitted. "I didn't tell him, but he knew my whole family, he and Anton were good friends."
"Then it is entirely possible that he was targeting you in a psychological way." Jacqueline said. "Are you sure you want to be there when he's picked up? He could see it as one more reason to want to get back at you."
"No, I've seen this case through this far." Maria stated. "I'm going to finish it."
"Well then, you've got my input." Jacqueline said. "I'd say what you need to do now is take this evidence to a judge, get a warrant, and take this motherfucker down."
_______________________
"Is he in there?" Horatio asked as he and Maria got out of the Hummer.
"He's in the back yard." Hagen replied. "He's digging around back there."
"Okay, I'm going in." Maria said.
"Be careful." Horatio told her.
"Watch my back." She replied.
The gate opened easily and almost silently. The man digging in what looked like a garden bed didn't turn around as she approached him.
"Hello, Detective August."
He turned then, a shocked expression on his face. He recovered quickly and smiled. "Well, well. Officer Santiago. It's just Nate now, as you well know."
Maria smirked. "Well, Nate, it's Detective Santiago now, as I'm sure you well know. I just came by to see how you've been."
"Since you destroyed my career, you mean?" Nate snapped.
"Oh, please." Maria laughed derisively. "I can't take credit for that. For fuck's sake, Nate, you were the one taking bribes from every suspect you could get close enough to, and then putting them back out on the street. You would have been caught sooner rather than later, and you fucking know it."
"I was wasting away on the goddamn CSI graveyard shift!" Nate shouted. "I should have been running the show, not that Donner bitch, and not that asshole who's in charge now. Fuck, Maria, you of all people should know how it feels to be overlooked and underestimated. You have ten times the talent than anyone in vice, and you were stuck out on the street."
"Yeah, so I left vice." Maria said in a 'duh' voice. "You had a good career, Nate, and it was only going to get better. You had so much potential, and you blew it all out of spite."
Nate didn't answer, he kept digging in the ground in front of him. Maria knew what this man had done to three innocent women, whom he'd never met, and had no kind of history with. He had a history with her. One that, in his twisted mind, was reason enough to commit murder. And yet, she wasn't afraid of him. Quite the opposite, with every moment that passed without him making a move, she felt more powerful.
"So, doing a little gardening?" Maria asked casually. "What are ya gonna plant? Some kidney beans? Maybe some bleeding hearts?" She smirked at her own, admittedly bad, puns.
He looked at her, his eyes wide.
"Ooh, did I forget to mention you're under arrest?" Maria asked cheerfully as the gate opened and a team of heavily armed officers entered the yard, led by Hagen and Horatio. "John, H, I believe you gentlemen remember Nathaniel August." She said, calmly walking past the men and out of the yard.
_________________________
"It's been a hell of week so far, huh?" Calleigh sighed dramatically, practically collapsing onto the couch beside Maria.
Maria laughed. "Emphasis on 'hell,' thank you."
"Are you okay?" Calleigh asked.
"Yeah, now that it's all over." Maria replied.
"I wasn't talking about the case." Calleigh said. "You can tell me until you turn blue in the face and pass out that you were just using Delko to get you off whenever you had an itch, but you're not fooling anyone."
"You know, Cal, I got a lot on my mind, okay?" Maria sighed, standing up abruptly. "I'd just like to have five minutes of peace without getting the third degree about my personal life, I think I've earned that much!"
"All right." Calleigh said, shrinking back slightly. "Sorry."
"No, I am. I'm sorry." Maria sat down again and put her head in her hands. "I'm just...God, I'm just exhausted."
Calleigh hugged her. "I get it, trust me. It's okay. Listen, Tim and I were going to go out tonight, but if you want me to stay at home with you-"
"Don't even think about it." Maria told her. "You are going to go out, have a good time, and not do anything I wouldn't do, which pretty much means you're open for business."
"All right." Calleigh said. "Don't wait up."
"You kidding?" Maria asked. "I see you before noon tomorrow, and I will kick your ass."
"Noted." Calleigh laughed. She headed for the door just as Hagen came into the room. "See you later, John."
"Yeah, later Cal." Hagen replied. As soon as Calleigh was gone, he stood behind the couch and leaned over slightly, just as Maria tilted her head back. "Hey." He said.
"Hey."
"So, how's it feel?" He asked. "He's on every news channel on TV, and not just in Florida, either. And look who's right there, bringing him in." He picked up the remote and turned on the TV.
Sure enough, Nate was on the news, being led into the station through a crowd of clamoring reporters. Maria had him by his left arm, Horatio was on his right.
"Big deal." Maria said. "I get more airtime than that when I go shopping with my stepmom."
"Yeah, but it's different this time." Hagen pointed out. "You're a star this time. What do you say we go out and celebrate tonight?"
Maria rolled her eyes. "John...I'm just not ready, okay?"
"Yeah, I can understand that." Hagen admitted. He waited a moment. "How about now? You ready now?"
"Shut up." Maria laughed.
"How about now? Come on, you can't blame a guy for trying."
"I blame you for breathing." Maria replied, shoving him playfully as she stood up. Over his shoulder, she saw Eric watching through the glass door. "I gotta go. I'll see you, okay?" She made a graceful enough exit, but when she was standing just a couple feet away from him in the corridor, she found she couldn't speak.
"I'm glad you're all right." Eric spoke first, his voice not betraying any emotion.
"Thanks." She said. "Uh, I better go, Anton's leaving in a couple hours."
"Maria, this isn't just going to go away." Eric said as Maria started to walk away. She turned back, and he continued. "I don't think there's anything you could do or say that would change how I feel about you."
"Why?" Maria asked, choking back tears.
"Damned if I know." Eric admitted. "I mean, you are the single most frustrating woman I have ever known in my life. And if you'd ever met my mother or even one of my sisters, you'd know just how bad that is."
"Well, you are the most clueless man I have ever known." Maria shot back. "And you have met my brothers, so you should know how bad that is."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Eric struggled to find the right words. "I just don't get what you do to me. I don't get you, or know you. But I still fell in love with you somehow." He paused and took a deep breath. "Look, maybe you'd better get going. Your brother's waiting, and anyway, I don't think I can be around you right now. It's just too raw."
"Yeah." Maria agreed. She started to walk away, then turned back once more. "You know, Eric, this probably doesn't help, but...the last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you, in any way."
"It's not your fault." Eric admitted. "I should have realized I was getting in too deep."
"So...what now?" Maria asked.
Eric shrugged. "No idea."
"Yeah, me neither." Maria said. "So...I'll see you."
"Yeah."
With that, he was walking away, and she managed to walk in the opposite direction, willing the tears that were threatening to start to just hold off until she was outside to her car, away from prying eyes.
When she finally made it to the light blue convertible, she slumped over in the driver's seat, and finally let the tears fall.
"Ah, shit." She muttered. She took a deep breath before she wiped her eyes, and reached into her purse to find her car keys.
___________________________
Next time:
"Something's wrong, I can't wake her up!"
*****
"I just keep thinking about what would have happened to her, if we'd been just a few minutes later than we were."
*****
"I just want to know the truth. Tell me what he did to you."
_____________________________
Stay tuned...