This is my first ever C.S.I. fic and I made it a small crossover with C.S.I. Miami [Can't help, I love that show too!] So don't sue me if some people are a bit off in character.
Note: I noticed that Sara and Speed are completely alike. In their bios, they like to keep to themselves and don't really connect with their parents. Heck, I think they make a great couple. Not a likely couple but still great. Enough blabber. Now I give you…
Lonely Hearts
A C.S.I. fic
By: Kuroi Neko-kun
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He sat at his booth of a diner, ignoring the hustle and bustle that was breakfast hour. He had been there for an hour sipping his bitter coffee, taking a rest stop from his road trip and thinking about his life for the thirty-odd years. His job as a Crime Scene Investigator meant everything to him, more than family or friends. Barely having a proper social life, opening up to friends and colleagues was a hard option for him. But those actions alone fueled his problem. He was falling to the edge of loneliness. It had reached a stage of depression that he could not cope. It only amplified when the women he had interest in either dumped or played him.
'Screw Valera. Screw Alison,' he thought, taking another sip. The lukewarm drink slowly went down his throat. He then took out a map and traced his path with his fingers. It stopped at Las Vegas.
'Starting with him was a big mistake,' the brunette thought, cupping her coffee. She sat at the roof of her apartment, staring at the clear view of the Stratosphere. Her trials with men were running her thin. After being cheated on, she thought dating a colleague was better since she knew them. She was wrong when she started with Gil Grissom. Feeling the rejection coming back to her, she uncrossed her arms and picked up her coffee cup, taking a full gulp of the bitter drink. She let out a sigh, knowing that moving on was her only option. 'And a lonely path that option leads,' she thought, resigned.
Gil Grissom sat in his office, staring at the number of his ringing phone. It had been a while since he had seen that number and he had hoped never to see it again. Slowly, he picked up the phone.
"Grissom," he answered, grimly.
"Gil?" went the person on the other line," Horatio here." Gil mentally sighed. He knew that it was the Head of the Miami Crime Lab and knew very well that Horatio could only call when there's bad news on a global scale. 'Like the last time.'
"What is it now, Caine?" he asked, hoping to end the call as soon as possible.
"One of my C.S.I. took a month long vacation and is now heading your way. Somehow, he's on the low and I'm concerned about him. Is there anyway that you can take him under your wing?" Though the news relieved Grissom slightly, he still felt the annoyance of the news.
"I'm not a babysitter, Horatio."
"But you're in my debt. I suggest you use this chance to repay me, Gil." The Las Vegas head massaged his temples. Once again, he was right. 'How could I forget? It's the only reason I let you contact me, Caine.' Coming up to a conclusion, Gil let out a defeated sigh and picked up a pen.
"Name and time of arrival?" he asked, rummaging for paper.
"Tim Speedle. He'll be there in a couple of days."
"I thought he was heading my way…"
"He decided to drive there, Gil."
He hung up the phone, knowing that the thanks that he gave were the end of the conversation. Horatio Caine ran his hand through his auburn hair, sighing. His worries of Speed made him contact Gil Grissom, knowing full well that he does not see eye-to-eye with the Miami C.S.I. 'All it took was a crime that involved so much political issues…' He took out the file that contained the Global Positioning reports. He had asked to trace Tim's cell phone after the raven-haired detective did not pick up his phone calls or returned his voice messages. Horatio had noticed the change in Speed, who had shut himself from his friends suddenly. He had found out from Calleigh that Tim tried dating but after Valera turned him down, he was lower than ever. It was a moment too late to realize that when Horatio let Speed take his vacation. All he hoped was that Gil held out and took Tim under his wing. 'Tim might need more than just Miami tutelage. He might learn something more from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. After all, the boy is all about the science. Bugman's exactly the same. And besides, he might someone who is interested in him.'
"Sara." The familiar voice made her stop suddenly. She turned to her boss slowly, feeling awkward. He ran up to her. "I need you to help me on a personal basis. I received a call from the Miami Crime Lab and I need someone to pick up Tim Speedle. You're all I have." Sara just gave him a small smile.
"You can always count on me, Gil," she said, rather bitterly," Tim Speedle. I'll get him."
"Thank you." He passed her a piece of paper that held a contact that she never heard of and the picture of Tim. "That's Horatio Caine. If you can't locate Speedle or his car, give him a call. He might GP the guy for you."
"Right…"
'Finally, Las Vegas.' He thought taking a sip from the coffee as he sat in his car that was parked at near a convenience store. After long hours of driving, sleeping at roach motels and eating out at diners, Tim reached the destination at hand. He had no particular reason to come over there except for Warrick's description of the place. The Las Vegas detective had always told him to come over if he had the time or the problems. 'Second Chance City,' he thought taking another sip from the coffee,' let's hope you work for me as well.' That was his last thoughts before a loud explosion from the convenience store turned over his car.
"Three deaths," Catherine said as she examined the crime scene," the shop owner, an old lady and the assistant." Gil examined the remains of the convenience store from the outside as he waited for the fire and rescue team to finish their job. The whole team had arrived earlier than expected but they obviously could not do anything.
"Check out the car," Nick pointed out," Miami license plate." Both Gil and Sara stiffened at that. The brunette took out the paper Gil had given her. The number matched Tim Speedle's car.
"Oh god," Sara mumbled as the both of them rushed over the crime scene. The others just watched, either curious or confused or both. Reaching first, Gil checked the car, realizing it was empty. "He took off his seat belt, crawled out…"
"And called 911." They turned to face Jim Brass who cocked his head to the side. "C.S.I. Miami-Dade Department's Detective Tim Speedle. Paramedics are checking on him as we speak. I heard that you're supposed to take care of him." Gil gave him a look.
"Just paying a debt," Gil muttered.
"I'll go check on him too," Sara said as she walked pass Brass.
The paramedic patched up the cut on his head. The sting of the alcohol made him tweak a little. He kept silent as the paramedic worked on the gash on his left arm.
"You look a wreck," went a brunette as she came over," Tim Speedle."
"Yeah?" Speed looked at her for the first time.
"Detective Sara Sidle, C.S.I. Las Vegas," she introduced herself," are you alright?" The paramedic finished with patching up Speed, leaving him with Sara. "What a way to arrive in style, huh?" she quipped. Tim smirked as they walked away from the ambulance. Sara noticed that Tim was quite good-looking.
"It wasn't how I expected to come here. I was planning to move in and out unseen and unheard."
"Can you tell me why you're here, then?" she asked, slightly curious.
"I took a month long vacation. Warrick told me this is the place for a good time and a good hiding," he said.
"He wasn't lying," she mumbled before looking into Speed's eyes," why don't you tell me what happened?"
Trying to concentrate on every word he said was getting harder by the minute for Sara. 'He loves looking away. Not making eye-contact… Avoiding. Like everyone in Vegas.'
"Detective Sidle?" She blinked before snapping her attention back to him.
"Sorry… I was…"
"Staring at me. Do I have something on my face?"
"Besides cuts and bruises, you're perfect," she said, teasingly. Tim smiled at her. Sara realized just how corny that sounded. Before she could amend it, Tim turned to her again.
"You might be needed on the crime scene." True enough, her boss came up to the both of them.
"Sara, there's a lot of ground to cover. I'm going to need you and Nick at the dumpsters," he ordered. Sara nodded, walking off to the scene.
"Anything I can do to help?" Tim asked. Gil examined him from head to toe before shaking his head.
"You've done enough for now." He was about to walk away when Tim stopped him.
"I noticed that the store was stuffy. The ventilation was not working somehow. When I told the assistant, he said that it was on the works. I also smelled gas. I hope that helps," he said. Gil turned to the Miami detective again, this time with a small smile. He took out a pair of gloves.
"You and I are going to look at the ventilation." Tim just took the gloves and returned the smile.
As soon as he climbed into the ventilation, there was a faint scent of rotting flesh. He placed his mask over his mouth and climbed further. The stench only became stronger.
"Anything?" He heard Gil said.
"Rotting flesh. I think something or someone got into the vents and died there," he answered," I'm climbing in further."
"No, you're too big. The vent won't hold your weight. I'll get Sara or Catherine to continue," the Bugman went. Speed climbed out.
"What do you think happened?"
"Let's leave that to the science," Gil answered.
Catherine crawled out of the ventilation shaft, slowly pulling out what she had found. It was a decaying body of a young, teenage girl. The body was taken away, leaving the team with more questions than they could imagine. Catherine turned to Gil, as the rest of the team gathered.
"Here's a question. Why didn't the owner check the vents after knowing that it doesn't work?" Warrick came up with her answer. He took out a stack of bills and invoices.
"At least two-thirds of these are in the red. Drowning in monetary problems, the vent was an unnecessary burden," he pointed out.
"Insurance is not the option either," Nick said, taking a look at the bills," he's not only due but the owner died in the explosion."
"I have a question," Speed said as he looked at the vents," How did the girl end up in the vents?" Everyone turned to Gil, who was now smirking.
"We're going to find that out. This case is no longer an arson attack only. It's also murder."
"Alison Conner. Sixteen years old," Jim Brass said, tossing a file on Gil's table. "She was filed in missing persons' a week ago." He took the file.
"From the looks of the body, she was stuffed there for about a week," the forensics expert noted.
"Get this. She was in the same school with the store assistant."
"So we go to the school and find a stronger connection."
"Done and done. Sara left with Nick. But she insisted in bringing Speedle. Is that okay with you?" Gil looked up from the file.
"Personally, I don't mind the extra help," he pointed out.
"But this is business."
"He's in process of temporary transfer for this case only. It's harder since he's a witness. Caine is doing his best to get the transfer approved," Grissom explained," Jim, I have this weird feeling that I'm not used to. I think that Caine might be up to something."
"Like getting you into trouble?"
"No, it's not me. It's Tim. He said he was concerned about Tim and he asked me to take him under my wing," Gil let out a sigh. "Driving from Miami to Las Vegas is a long road trip. You think he might be depressed?" Jim gave that thought before sighing.
"I think you're worried about the boy, like Horatio Caine. Tim came to Las Vegas with reasons like everyone else: A second chance. At what? That's all up to him. You're just paying a debt by taking care of him." Gil raised his eyebrows.
"Am I not?"
"Well, he just reached here but he became our key witness to the crime scene and he's hurt during the process. Also he has no place to stay and nothing to wear except that pair of jeans and shirt. What do you think?"
"Okay, so I'm not a very good babysitter."
"I think that Speedle kid has grown a liking to you, Gil. Whatever dish you have with Horatio, don't take it out on Tim. He's a good kid."
"I know that for a fact," Gil quipped. Jim smirked before heading for the door. He stopped and turned to Gil.
"By the way, that weird feeling in your gut, it's called a hunch."
Dr. Al Robbins did his usual autopsy procedures when the blonde detective entered the room. She let out a loud sigh as she looked at the body.
"What's her story, Al?" she asked.
"I thought Grissom was on this case. He hasn't dropped by yet." Catherine let out another sigh.
"He's swarmed with paperwork. After all, a Miami-Dade officer is not only the key witness but helping out with the case," she pointed out. The coroner sighed before turning to the body.
"Slight decaying... There's an injection mark behind her neck," he pointed out.
"How did that get there?"
"Leave the questions for the end of this session," he quipped," bruises on the wrists indicated a struggle. She was raped."
"Raped?"
"Post-mortem to be precise."
"Necromancy?" Catherine came up with her own theory," so the rapist tried. She struggled. She was then sedated too much and died. He didn't even know that she was dead till he was done."
"Let's make sure of that," the coroner passed her two containers," presents."
"Blood sample and semen extraction? It's not even my birthday, Al," she drawled.
"Tell me one thing," Sara asked as the three went up the steps of the school," what did you guys do to catch the attention of girls?" Speed let out a sigh.
"Geek in high school," he answered, a bit embarrassed.
"I didn't have to do anything. They were lining up for Nick Stokes," Nick boasted. The brunette rolled her eyes.
"Aye, the Quarterback," Tim drawled. Sara chuckled at that.
"True."
"Hey, you asked the question, Sara." The Texan gave her a look. Sara just grinned.
Sara and Nick went into the principal's office, questioning about Alison. Tim, on the other hand, stayed out, watching the teenagers go about to their classes. 'The presence of death in the school never affected them,' he thought. If he was back at Miami and had said it to Horatio, he would have answered back. 'Teenagers are the future, Speed, and this is what they will be.'
"Tim?" He turned to a very concerned Sara.
"Yeah?"
"You were spacing out for five minutes," she went," I got worried."
"I was just thinking about something my boss would say," he answered before shrugging," so what did you get?"
"The store assistant or should we say Toby Martinez, has no connection with our vic. The only connection is that they are from this school," she said," but Toby is a very good friend of Alec Conner."
"The brother," Nick continued," and Alec lives in a trailer home with his mom."
"Classic story," Sara pointed out," I'm betting he doesn't bring his friends home."
"Nick, does Alison have any friends?"
"A whole herd of them," he answered," she's Little Miss Popular. I'll go interview them."
"No, don't. Girls are prone to flirt with you," Sara pointed out," I'll interview them. Nick, you find the trailer home. Tim, you can go with either of us." Tim turned from Nick to Sara.
"I pick the interview."
"Alison was like the Queen. Everyone either hates or loves her. You can't ignore her. Boys would flock her for dates," went the young girl," and ignore the rest of the female population." Sara rolled her eyes. She knew how that felt.
"Listen, Maria," Tim went, sighing," you're one of her inner circles and you're repeating the same things that twenty-eight girls had said."
"Do you know how many inner circles she had?"
"More than I can imagine," Sara muttered," Did she have a best friend?"
"No. She has lots of girl friends but no one got close," Maria answered. Tim let out another sigh.
"Was she ever seen with Toby Martinez?" he asked. Maria gave him a look.
"Toby who?"
"Never mind," Sara muttered, massaging her temples," you can go, Maria." After the girl left, they sat there, not wanting to call for another interviewee.
"You okay?" Tim asked, looking at the brunette, concerned.
"Yeah. Just getting a headache. How many more to go?"
"Three. Simon Haden, Fred Yolk and Alec Conner."
"They're guys," she noticed.
"I know. Simon was Alison's ex-boy toy. Fred was with Toby and Alec."
"Send in Alec," Sara said. Tim gave her a look.
"You're on to something, aren't you?"
"Griss will kill me if he heard me say this but it's a hunch." The Miami detective gave her a smirk.
The Texan entered the crime lab, with so many doubts clouding his mind. He had gone to the trailer home, to find a distraught mom and what seemed like a happy sixteen year old girl. He stepped into Grissom's office. Bugman was talking on the phone and seemingly pissed. He slammed the phone down.
"Boss, you okay?" Nick asked, watching him massaging his temples.
"Pull Speedle off the case," he said, rather grimly," now."
"Why?"
"The appeal was rejected. Caine did everything he can. He's more pissed than I am now," he muttered.
"He's interviewing Alison's school friends with Sara," Nick informed him," pull him after." Grissom gave the Texan a look. "I'm guessing that's not even an option."
"IAB going to have my ass and Caine's once this case is over. I've gone through it once and I hate to go through it again," he said.
"Internal Affairs? Why them?"
"Illegal transfers and witness involved in investigation. Speedle is not excluded even if he's a C.S.I."
"You should call Sara."
"I'm pulled out?" Tim asked. Gil gave him a look.
"For now. As much as I tried, Tim, you can't be on this case. Not only you are illegally transferred but you're a key witness to the explosion," he explained. Sighing lightly, Tim looked away, looking around the office. Gil realized he was saying something but he could not see it. The blurs of sound came to him again. 'Look my way, Tim.' He willed with his thoughts. After a few brief moments, Tim turned. He saw his lips move and caught four words. '…the case. I think…'
"… I shouldn't jeopardize it anymore," Tim said, turning back to Gil," Detective Grissom? Sir?" Snapping out of his trance, Gil straightened up some papers.
"You're right. I can renew your visitor rights if you want to pop by here but no working on the case." Slightly confused, Speed just nodded.
"Okay, I'll just find a hotel and…" He shook his head.
"Caine told me to take care of you while you're still here. I know your clothes are a piece of the evidence, so go shopping," he said," and someone can share a house."
"That's a problem. This is the first time I'm in Vegas."
"I'll take you," Sara said, coming into the office," I'll take you anywhere you like. You can even stay at my place." Gil blinked, noticing the sudden eagerness from the brunette. Tim smiled at her, shyly. "Unless you're not okay with that."
"I'm okay with that," he assured her.
"I'm not," Gil muttered," you're still on a case, Sara."
"Yeah and you have not left the office since this morning," she pointed out. Gil let out a sigh before massaging his temples.
"Do you have something for me, Sara?" He said, changing the topic.
"Alec Conner is a protective big brother. A big reason why he never let his friends around home and anywhere near his sister," she said, passing the file to him.
"And a big reason why Toby Martinez, Simon Haden and Fred Yolk ganged up to rape her," Catherine said, entering the office.
"She was raped by three boys?" Tim raised his eyebrows.
"The semen extraction matched all three boys' DNA," she pointed out. Gil gave her a look. "And Al misses you," she added.
"Thank you, Catherine," he muttered.
"So Alison was with one of them. She didn't give in. Struggled, sedated and then raped. They got scared because she died and stuffed her in the vents. Then Toby went to work, thinking it was all over," Catherine said.
"So it's solved?" Sara asked, meekly.
"No," Tim and Gil said in unison. The forensics expert smirked at Tim who returned it with his own.
"Why do you think so, Tim?"
"The explosion. We have not solved that part," he pointed out.
"And that's why Warrick is on the scene to fix that last piece of the puzzle," Gil said.
The coffee tasted better. He could agree to that as he took another sip while talking with Sara. The both of them shopped for a while before hitting a café.
"How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Agree with Grissom? Be in unison with the Bugman?" She made him sound so elusive. 'Probably the reason she's attracted to him. And he's too blind to see such a beautiful, strong woman…' Bitter. He placed down the coffee and stared at her.
"Sara, it's obvious," he answered," I didn't get this—"He pointed to his arm where the gash was," From a rape case."
"Ah, I missed all that. I was just looking at you," she said.
"Me? What's so interesting about me?" Something about that made Sara blush. She looked away smiling sweetly at him.
"I'm here to find that out," she said," so what's Miami like now?"
"Very lonely," he muttered.
"Strange, that's the same way I feel about Vegas," she said.
"So we're just two lonely people," Tim observed, smiling at her.
"I'm not now," she whispered but he heard it. Her hand touched his. Sara watched as Tim took a nervous breath and started looking around, away from her. 'He's so cute like that.' Making a bold move, Speed grabbed her hand.
"Make that two." They smiled at each other, just holding hands. And at that precise moment, Sara's cell phone went off. Sighing, she answered it.
"Sidle." She gave him a quick glance and a small smile, a signal that she had not forgotten him at all. Once she hung up, her expression changed.
"What's wrong?"
"That was Warrick. He returned to the crime lab to find Grissom gone."
"Maybe he went home," Speed suggested.
"No, his car was still in crime lab…" The phone rang again.
"Sidle…What?! He's where?" she calmed down and answered," okay. We'll be there." She hung up and turned to Tim. "IAB took Grissom for interrogation."
"What? Why?"
"This is bad."
"I know. I think you should get back to crime lab. I'll get a cab and head to your place first," he muttered. Sara took his hand.
"No, I'm not leaving you." That line had a double meaning. Tim obviously noticed it.
"Lead the way."
He kept tightlipped as the Internal Affairs officers nitpicked on his every mistake. He knew that having any emotion was a knife waiting to stab him. Grissom drained all of it out of his system.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Grissom looked from his union representative to the officers.
"Nothing," was Grissom's answer.
"Do you know the position you're in, Grissom?"
"No. I'm in the blur. The case is already solved and instead of interrogating the suspects, you're interrogating me."
"Two codes, Grissom. Explain that."
"I'm a C.S.I. I only explain in facts," he muttered," give me the facts."
"Detective Tim Speedle of the Miami-Dade Crime Lab was illegally transferred to work on the case. Not only that, he's the key witness," the officer pointed out.
"He was working on a rape case and he was on visitor's permit for that case. He was only a key witness to the explosion at the convenience store." The questioning officer turned to his partner and they talked for a moment before turning back to Grissom.
"We'll look into that. For now, you're free to go."
"For now," Grissom repeated.
He dialed a number after contemplating over it for the past ten minutes. It rang for a few moments before someone picked up.
"Caine." The silence was near brutal.
"It's not over," the detective said," the case is solved but it's not over." There was a small silence on the other line before Horatio said something that made sense to only the two of them.
"They won't let it go, Gil. A high profile case will chase you down." He sighed.
"Why did I ever let you talk me into working on that case, Horatio?" Without skipping a beat, the answer was given.
"Because you're one of the best, Gil," was all Horatio said.
Sara watched from outside as he stared out of the window. He had stood there for a few minutes. 'Probably thinking about his life now…'
"Can you tell me something, Sara?" The brunette blinked. She did not realize he noticed her. "Did you try your best to assure a life without loneliness, only to realize that the process will sink you lower?" She just hugged him from behind and asked her own question.
"People come to Vegas for a second chance at something. To find what they can't have from any other place. Did you find what you were looking for?" Speed turned and faced her, with glistening tears on his eyes.
"Thirty years, Sara," he mumbled. The tears slid down his cheeks. He crumpled into her arms and cried.
"Tim… There's so much you need to let out. You can start by talking to me," she whispered into his ear as he stroked his hair.
Coffee. 'Bitter, but still delicious,' he thought as he took a gulp of the drink. Tim stared out of the kitchen window of Sara's house, contemplating about his life. After talking to Sara and realizing that he was never going to be alone again, Tim thought about his personal future for the first time. He had always done things for someone else, never himself. His late best friend, Megan, Horatio, Eric, Calleigh… Never for himself. Now, with Sara… He had a lot to think about. 'Two more weeks to this vacation. What can I do to make sure she doesn't slip away from me? Do I still want to work at Miami-Dade?'
'You love it there and you owe Megan for teaching everything you know…' A voice inside him said.
'That was then. I stayed with Horatio and heeded to no one with my problems. I was miserable.'
'But can you leave them all? Horatio, Alexx, Eric, Calleigh… Can you leave the place you call home? Can you leave your friends?' A long pause ensued.
'I can't. And I can't leave Sara either.'
'There lies the problem.' It was then when Tim disagreed.
'No, there lies opportunity.'
"So you're not planning on driving back home?" The brunette teased as she held his hand. They stood outside the airport, waiting for Tim's flight back to Miami. He chuckled.
"I would if it wasn't in junk yard," he said. Tim then noticed the look of sadness on Sara's face. He lightly pushed her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek soon after. She closed her eyes, letting a tear fall to her cheek. "Hey," Tim whispered in her ear," I'll be back."
"Promise?" Sara asked, sniffling slightly.
"I promise. Make sure you stay here till I come back?" She smiled at him, silently agreeing as she moved closer to him. They sealed both promises with a kiss. Slowly, they broke apart, staring into each other's eyes lovingly. It was then when a car screeched to a halt beside them.
"Caught you," Nick quipped as he climbed out of the car. Warrick, Catherine and, surprisingly, Gil came out of it after. Tim scratched the back of his head.
"Leaving so soon, Tim?" Warrick asked.
"I still have a job," the detective mused," but I'll be back. I promised."
"Yeah, sealed with a kiss?" Cath teased. Tim and Sara blushed at that. Gil cleared his throat.
"Oh, yeah." Warrick, Nick and Catherine ushered Sara inside. Confused, Tim turned to Bugman. He stuck out his hand for a shake. Tim took it.
"Thank you, Gil," Tim said," for everything."
"I only held out my part of a promise," he said," I'm not the one you should thank." Tim smiled before looking through the clear glass of the airport where Catherine was trying her best to hold Sara from coming out.
"It wasn't for that." Gil looked in as well and smiled.
"Don't break her heart," he said before adding," Speed."
It was not goodbye, Sara knew. A kiss, a hug, a picture and a promise were the only things he gave to remember him by till he returned. And it was all she needed. She watched him enter the departure hall and he waved to her. She could not stop the tears but she did not care.
"You okay?" Catherine asked coming beside her. Sara wiped her tears and genuinely smiled.
"Actually, yeah… I will be fine." She watched his departing figure, slowly disappearing. 'As long as he comes back to me…'
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