*Dee has this thing about twitching... He'll do that a lot. No he doesn't
have Tourette's. Oh, and the protocol for the police I'll probably be a
little incorrect for comedy... but... you get the idea...*
The Consequences of Sin
Act Two: Agony in Gethsemane
*Tuesday Morning*
The mutterings and pouts of his partner were heard over the whirr of the coffee maker. Dee peered around the edge of the kitchen cabinet that Ryo had left open. "I can't believe he... ohhnnn," Ryo muttered as he made breakfast for Bikky. Dee swallowed hard. *Maybe that wasn't such a hot idea... Damn kid...* Ryo slammed the cabinet door shut with a bang, making Dee jump. "Ee!!" he squeaked and backed away slowly. "Wh-what's wrong, 'Yo?" Ryo shot him a heated glare that froze Dee in his tracks.
For a while last night, Ryo actually thought that Dee had some sense after their conversation. However, waking up to screams in the middle of the night, well... Dee's I.Q. just took a nosedive:
**
"Ryoooo!!"
Dee and Ryo bolted up in bed at the sound of Bikky's screams. In nearly two seconds flat, both had grabbed a gun and barreled down the hall towards his room.
"Freeze! Huh?" Dee stopped in his speech as Ryo flipped on the lights. Both lowered their weapons. "Jesus, man... Thought you were in trouble!" Dee breathed as Ryo tended to a frightened ten-year old.
"Bikky! Bikky... Calm down! What happened?"
"Th-the, the, the... cannibal!" he squeaked. Dee froze.
Uh oh... Ryo chuckled.
"There's no cannibal, Bikky! What ever gave you that idea? Were you up late watching movies after I said no?" Bikky glanced at Dee who gestured him to be quiet with a swipe to the throat. "Y-yeah..." Ryo sighed heavily and stood.
"I told you that you'd have nightmares. They'll-" He caught sight of a DVD on top of his desk and frowned. "Freeze, Laytner!" he snapped with his back still turned. Dee had almost made it! Damn.
"Are you crazy?! He's TEN!!" he snapped. Dee scratched his head shyly, saying nothing. He could hear a growl in his partner's throat. "You know what this means don't you?" he asked calmly. Dee felt really small all of a sudden.
"Um... couch?"
"Ding! Thank you for playing!" he snapped.
"Aw, c'mon Ryooo!" Dee whined and trudged after his partner.
"Hey, doo-doo brain!" Dee turned back to Bikky and twitched when the boy flipped him off.
"Hopkins ain't the only Oscar winner in this house!" he grinned. Dee twitched again. Ryo's bedroom door slammed, then Bikky's. "... Maaaan." **
Dee swallowed hard and smiled nervously. "... Y-you look so cute when you're mad," he said carefully. Ryo growled again.
"Bikky! Breakfast!" he surprisingly managed to call sweetly as he vigorously stirred his coffee.
"C'mon! You can't stay mad at me forever!" Dee pleaded and pulled Ryo's back against his frame.
"Oh, I think I can manage that," Ryo said calmly and shrugged out of his grip. "Let go, or I'll sic Bikky on you..." Dee kissed Ryo's neck.
"Aw, c'mon. You don't mean that?" he whispered, sweetly. "I screwed up. I'm sorry! The kid's tough... It's not like it was a porno or anything-"
"Dee..." Ryo sighed. "Stop or Bikky'll-"
"Jesus Chriiist, man! Have you no shame?!" Bikky snapped and kicked Dee in the shin. "Get th' hell away from Ryo!! That might give me nightmares!" he grinned.
"Oww! DAMMIT!! What the hell's the matter with you?! Do I look like a friggin' soccer ball to you!? You'll need psychotherapy for that pea-brain of yours with the nightmares I'll give you!!!" Dee snarled and hugged his shin. "Owie... Now'll bruise my perfectly tanned skin," he whined.
"Bikky, leave Dee alone," Ryo scolded gently with a sigh. "Eat or you'll be late again. I don't want to have to explain to your teacher why either."
"Sheesh, I was only foolin'... Man, you did have a rough day yesterday." Ryo sighed and said nothing,
*You have no idea.*
"Bikky?! C'mon! We'll be late!" Carol called through the front door. Bikky grabbed a piece of toast and skated to the door. "Bye Ryo! Bye Homo!"
"Bikky!!" Ryo exclaimed.
"Hn..." Dee slumped in the chair and pouted. *Stupid simian, brat.* He glanced at Ryo while head cleaned up for the morning. He still looked pre- occupied from yesterday evening. Maybe giving him space wasn't such a good idea. It looked like it was giving him more grief than what Rose had done. Then again, Dee wasn't as deceptive as he is.
"Ryo?"
"... Huh?"
"Did you... uh, give any thought to what I told you last night?" Dee asked and scratched his head. Ryo colored instantly and started the dishwasher.
"I'm not doing this as a last ditch effort to get in your pants, if that's what you've been wondering... Hell, I'm not that deceptive," Dee added and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I... really want you to be sure. Forcing myself on you won't help you. You gotta take initiative on your own first and foremost." Ryo smiled to himself.
*He looks just like Bikky when he does that.* "I did give it some thought..." he admitted and moved closer to him. He leaned up and kissed him softly on the mouth. Pulling away he saw a pretty pink blush on Dee's features and laughed. "C'mon. Let's go to the hospital," Ryo added.
"What? The hospital? What for?"
"To see J.J.." Dee froze.
"J-J.J.???"
*~*~*
"DEE!!"
J.J. struggled with the restraints that confined him to the hospital bed. Ryo blinked in utter shock. The Twenty-Seventh Precinct was a frequent resident of the New York East Hospital; at least one of them had been hospitalized here, and J.J. wasn't that spastic.
"Dee!! DEE you came to see me! I haven't seen you in sooooo long!" J.J. beamed happily, but still not quite aware that the straps held him down as he squirmed. Dee approached the bench like a wary woodland creature to a human would. He kept safe distance; however, J.J. had this unique ability to fly across the room without a running start. *He must've been a frog in a former life or a gay rabbit,* Ryo thought, wryly. J.J. managed to move the entire bed along with him, trying to squirm towards Dee. Then again...
"Heh, heh... H-hey, J.J.," Dee greeted nervously. "H-how ya doin'?"
"Ohh, I'm just sooo happy that you're here," he sighed happily. Dee swallowed hard.
"G-Great... Well, gotta get goin'!"
"Dee!" Ryo scolded. He smiled at J.J.. "Chief tells us you'll be back in a few days. How's your arm?"
"It's healing up nicely. The bullet went clear through; it just hit the bone though," J.J. replied. Ryo smiled again.
"Oh, these are for you!" He held up a bouquet of roses, sunflowers, daisies, and delphiniums. He glanced at Dee and decided to see if his intentions were in fact pure. "Dee picked them out just for you," he smiled. Dee twitched.
"Er." *... Ryo. You little-*
"Really?!" J.J. beamed. "Oh, thank you!!" Dee gritted his teeth.
*He's gonna drag this out isn't he... Oi...* He swallowed hard and gave J.J. one of his infamous smiles. "Yeah, J.J... What more could I do for a buddy that took a bullet for my partner? Just wanted to express my... gratitude," he smiled.
J.J. melted. Ryo was enjoying his torture of Dee, although it wasn't quite fair to J.J.. He tried to hide his amusement, but Dee definitely noticed.
"Ahem, J.J.? Uh... Why are you strapped down to the bed anyway?" Ryo inquired.
"Huh?" he asked dreamily.
"Jesus... Talk about euphoria..." Dee chuckled. "Damn I'm good!"
"He's got a phobia of needles... Big pansy... Gotta strap that boy down just to give him meds!" a busty and large nurse replied. Dee twitched as they caught sight of each other. She smirked. "Well, well! It's my favorite patient from Hell! How's the leg? Need me to rub ya down again?!" she laughed.
"Hiiie! And y-you're that butch nurse from Hell, Emiry!!" he exclaimed and hid behind Ryo. "I'm fine and dandy. Stay the hell away from me!!"
"God, Dee. You act like she's been poking around underneath your hospital gown with a scalpel!" Ryo chuckled. Dee flushed.
"Might as well have been!!" he snapped. "Cold, clammy hands... Eww," he shuddered. "I'd rather have sex with Rose."
"Now Dee-"
"All right m'boy! Check up time!" she exclaimed.
"Noo! Don't let her stab meee!" he cried. The nurse filled the syringe with the prescribed medication calmly. J.J. squirmed as she latched onto his arm. "Dammit, son! If you don't quit, I'll turn ya from a rooster to a hen with a scalpel!"
"Psh, too late," Dee muttered. Ryo elbowed him.
"Do something, Dee!" he hissed.
"What do you want me to do?!" Ryo smiled sweetly.
"Why don't you really express what you feel as gratitude to him?" Ryo smiled slyly. Dee gulped.
"You're gonna give me hell, aren't you?"
"In a hand basket, now pucker up, buttercup!" Ryo smirked and shoved him over to the bed. The nurse still was struggling with J.J. "Arrgh! All right! Step aside, Brunhilda," he ordered. J.J. was frantic.
"Dee, Deeeee. Don't let her hurt mee!" he pleaded. Dee looked at the nurse.
"Stick him when he's calm."
"And hooow do I do that?" she huffed. Dee sighed.
"Just do it!" He looked down at J.J. His big blue eyes were misting with fear. Dee sighed again. "You owe me, Ryo..."
"I beg to differ..." he chuckled.
Dee bent down and kissed J.J. fully and slowly on the mouth. Frantic still for only a breath more, he calmed. Dee stood and frowned at the gaping nurse.
"What?! I'm bi; he's gay! Deal with it and stick it before he wises up!" he snapped. Sure enough, J.J. was as high as a kite. The nurse injected the medicine without further question or opposition. Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Very nice... He'll be out for another two weeks."
"Hey, what can I say?" Dee grinned. "I have a healer's touch."
"I'm surprised you did it..." Ryo murmured. Dee kissed Ryo's temple.
"I just thought I was kissing you was all, Ryo..." he whispered. Ryo flushed.
"Hey J.J.! Waaassss uuuup?! ... Huh?" Ted greeted. "What the hell's up with Jay?"
J.J. lay there humming "Here Comes the Bride" to himself. The nurse undid his restraints without Dee noticing. Ryo smirked. "Oh, nothing... Just gave him some Dee-Brand anesthesia," he chuckled. Ted stared at a sedated J.J..
"Jesus, Dee. He'll be out for another two weeks!"
"That's what I said," Ryo mumbled. Dee pouted.
"I don't think you guys understand how great it feels not to hear his mating call halfway down the hall every friggin day, and then get tackled like a football player into the drywall!!"
"Yo, J.J.!!" Drake exclaimed happily as he entered. "Whoa, full house! What the hell happened to him?" he gestured to J.J.
"Deeee... I loooove you..." Dee froze when he felt something latch onto his back.
"Erk! J.J...!" he growled and began to pry the younger man off of him. Ryo ignored them and gave Drake and Ted his immediate attention with a very annoyed expression. "So, what's going on, Drake? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"Psh, Rose doesn't care if I'm a few minutes late... He's been in a rather... pleasant mood," he smirked.
"Janet must've finally givin' in," Ted laughed.
"Guys, Janet's getting married in three weeks to Caine; remember?" Ryo said with a sigh.
"God dammit, J.J. Get the hell off!!!"
"Oh, yeah... Hey, you think the Commissioner's mood has anything to do with all the switchin' around he's been doin'?" Ted asked. Ryo swallowed nervously.
"Oh, yeah! Shit, I work with Dee tonight, don't I? Completely forgot Rose told me that," Drake suddenly remembered.
"Wait, so..." Ted stopped and looked at Ryo's heating face. "Ohh, tough luck, eh? Well, it's only for a few days... Not like you're stuck with the guy forever."
"Not while I'm around, dammit! Jesus J.J.!! Leeet gooo," Dee pleaded.
"Noooo... Me stay like dis forever..."
"Y'know, I really could've handled my shift on my own. I dunno why he's gotta switch everything around. It's more work, if you ask me," Drake scratched his head.
"I think he's up to something," Ted mumbled.
"Guys, we really shouldn't be bad-mouthing the Commissioner. I'm sure he has his reasons," Ryo defended nervously. He caught himself guiltily as the words left his lips. He knew exactly why Rose was playing 'musical partners'.
"Yeah, to get into your pants!" Dee snapped, finally getting away from J.J.. Ryo blushed heavily. "Dee!!"
"What?! You know as well as I do that he's been lusting after since day one!"
"Oh, and like you haven't?!" Ryo snapped. Drake restrained Ryo from throttling the taller detective.
"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it, Randy," Drake said. "If you can fend off Don Juan over here, Rose shouldn't be a problem." Dee frowned.
"Just what exactly are you implying?" Ryo raised an annoyed eyebrow.
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because of the fact that you think with your dick more than half the time rather than use the brain God gave you," he muttered. Dee pouted.
"That hurts, man..."
Drake's radio started going off.
*... Drake! Hey Drake!* It was Caine.
"What is it, Caine?"
*Dude! Where the hell are you?!*
"I'm visiting J.J.!"
*What the hell man?! Rose is pissed! You'd better get down here right now!*
"Where?"
*Central Park... You're not gonna believe this... I can't get a hold of Dee and Ryo-*
"They're here with me. We'll be right there." Drake rushed out of the room. "Later J.J.!"
"Wonder what's up," Ted said and followed him.
"Who cares?!" Dee grumbled and cleared out of the room quickly. Ryo turned back to J.J..
"Jesus! J.J.!!" Ryo hurriedly released him from the straps of the bed and removed the wad of cotton balls from his mouth. "That Dee... Are you okay?!"
"Hey, Ryo... Tell Dee I want white roses at the wedding," he said dreamily. Ryo sighed heavily.
"Okay, J.J..."
"Ryo?" J.J. miraculously regained (slight) sanity when he noticed Dee had left.
"Huh?"
"... Um... I've been meaning to talk to you about the night I got shot," he began softly. Ryo blinked.
"What about it?"
"I-"
"Randy! Come on! There's been a murder!" Ted exclaimed.
"What?!" both exclaimed. Ryo turned to him. "I'll be right there, Ted... J.J., can we talk about this later? I'll fill you in on the details then too," Ryo said.
"S-sure... It can wait..."
"Thanks, J.J.. Get well soon!" Ryo was then gone. J.J. flopped back onto the pillows and sighed. "... Be careful..."
*~*~*
"Commissioner!" Rose turned his head towards the sound of Ryo's voice. Ryo and Dee pushed past the growing number of bystanders. "Where the hell have you four been?!" he demanded.
"I'm no even supposed to be on duty!" Ted exclaimed.
"But, sir-" Drake began.
"Never mind! And get these people out of here! This is a crime scene for god's sake!" he snapped. "You two, follow me," he ordered to Ryo and Dee. They followed him down the path where the CSI had all ready gathered near a very large tree. "Drake said that there's been a homicide," Dee murmured.
"Unfortunately. We got a call in about twenty minutes ago," Rose explained. "We found... Well, it'll probably be easier to understand the urgency one you see it." He pointed in the direction of the tree and stayed. Ryo followed Dee around the CSI unit and caught sight of the murder.
There on the trunk of the large tree, a young girl had her wrists and feet nailed to its massive body with long spikes. Her hair had been hacked away unevenly, and her naked body was covered in gashes. Ryo covered his mouth in utter disgust and turned away. "Jesus..." Dee stepped closer to the body.
"Hey, gimme a glove," he ordered. He slipped it on and examined the spike that was pinning the tiny feet together against the blood stained trunk. He tried moving it. It didn't budge. "... There's no way in hell that this was done without a witness," he murmured.
"Nobody's talking. The victim can't be anymore than five years old. Considering the size of her, it wouldn't take more than a half hour," Rose explained. "She couldn't have been here for more than a few hours at least."
"Who would do this?" Ryo gasped and stared up at the child's face. Cold, dead eyes stared down at him. He shivered.
"We also found this pinned underneath her..." Rose handed Dee a plastic bag that held a note. "'... I'm watching you, Angel... 666.' What the hell?"
"Well, considering how she was found, and this note, you couldn't be more right, detective," Rose sighed. "Boys, get her down before we have a regiment of video cameras down our throats," he called.
"Any ideas?" Ryo asked as he watched them bring the body down.
"We're dealing with one Biblical nut-ball," Dee muttered. "No doubt that she was probably kidnapped and raped... I know a couple of assholes would do something like this."
"Rose, Dee! Wait!" Ryo exclaimed when something caught his eye. He put on a pair of gloves and gently tipped the head back, which surprised him. She should have been stiff. Dee kneeled beside the body. "What's in her mouth?" Ryo carefully pulled at the string that escaped her mouth. Attached to it was a plastic tube. Ryo opened it carefully and unrolled the paper that was inside. He nearly dropped it in shock.
"What's wrong?!" Dee exclaimed. Ryo sat back and handed the findings to him.
"Holy shit..." he breathed when he found himself staring down at a very recent picture of Ryo. "Rose..." Berkeley took the photograph and frowned.
"Jesus... Bag this." Ryo stood and walked quickly away from the scene. Dee followed after him.
"Ryo! Wait!" Dee grabbed him by the arm. "Wait, dammit!"
"... Who would... I... Dee, this doesn't make any sense!" Ryo exclaimed. His hands were shaking slightly.
"Calm down, Ryo. It's probably someone you busted a few weeks back and they're trying to scare you. Don't worry about it," Dee said gently.
"I-I know... I just... I can't stop thinking about it. That could have been Carol, or Bikky, Dee!"
"I know, I know... Look. Why don't you go ahead to the office and see if you can dig anything up that we could relate to this."
"Good idea, Laytner," Berkeley interjected. "You stay with Drake and Caine to see if you can find anyone who could give us a lead. I'll head back to the office with Ryo." Dee frowned slightly.
"... Yes, sir..." He put a hand on Ryo's shoulder and leaned close. "Call me if you find anything, baby," he whispered. Ryo blushed heavily and nodded, before following Berkeley to the car.
Dee waited until they pulled away before turning back to the crime scene.
"Officer! Can you tell us what happened here?!"
"Any suspects?"
"How old was the victim?"
He ended up with several reporters. "What the-?! Get the fuck outta my face! Jesus!"
*~*~*
*Tuesday Afternoon*
Berkeley removed his glasses and tossed them haphazardly to the desk. He rubbed his eyes and groaned softly. His eyes were getting dry from the bright white screen. Finding information on anything that might have been related to the case was painstaking. He had been in his office for almost eight hours... make that nine hours, and had not moved from his computer for even a bathroom break. He blinked several times before putting on his glasses once more and continuing the mind-numbing search.
There was a soft knock at the office door before Ryo entered. "Find anything yet, sir?" he asked. Berkeley rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Mnn, no... With the broad spectrum of religious wackos, pedophiles, and serial rapists it's hard to pin point what exactly we are looking for. Plus we're short handed enough as it is with this huge crime wave. I just wish I had the coroner's report. Maybe then I could narrow my search down a bit..."
"Surprise..." Ryo smiled and handed him a folder. "Got it about ten minutes ago..." He also flopped another folder onto the desk. "We've also ID'd the victim," he added softly. Berkeley breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least the parents can be notified..." Berkeley opened up the young girl's folder. "... Kristen Robinson... Jesus... She was just shy of her fifth birthday..." Berkeley closed the folder and scrubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "God... It's cases like these that I wish that SVU weren't so busy with their own. Things like this make me sick... What did the coroner's report say?" he asked and got up out of his chair to stretch his legs. Ryo had all ready read the report, but opened it to refresh anything he may miss. "... Abrasions to the wrists and ankles as well as the neck, gashes along the limbs and face, hair cut unevenly... They also recovered an abnormal amount of semen from her. There were bruise marks along her throat concluding death via asphyxiation around yesterday evening..." Berkeley hung his head. Ryo closed the report slowly and set it down.
"Wait a moment... 'an abnormal amount of semen?' What did they mean by that?" Berkeley asked.
"The coroner said that it's possible that our perp had sex with the body after she was killed... He also managed to extract several hairs on the body." He reopened the folder to continue. "'Evidence collected indicates that we are looking for a possible white male with blonde hair...'" Berkeley groaned.
"We'll that narrows down the search a whole lot... Dammit..."
There was sharp knock at the door. "Come in!" Berkeley ordered. Janet walked in with a stack of papers in her hand. "Sir, I thought you may want to take a look at this. Caine told me what happened earlier this morning. I immediately remembered hearing about something like this about ten years ago. I was only in junior high at the time, but I went on a hunch..." Janet handed the stack of stapled papers to Berkeley. "It seems that there was a series of murders in the Bronx in the mid-eighties. All were young children from the ages of two to ten. They never found the killer, however..." she stopped and handed Ryo a separate case file. "My father managed to pry this away from the chief over at the third precinct in the Bronx. 'Vincent Wood' was their prime suspect. Was tried and acquitted on all seven counts of murder and rape because of a technicality, tampering of evidence, and rumored entrapment."
Berkeley raised his eyebrows and smiled for the first time that day. He peered up at her from the edge of his glasses and grinned. "Remind me to extend your honeymoon with Caine in three weeks, Janet. Good work. Dismissed." Janet beamed happily and saluted him. "Thank you, sir!"
"Oh wait, Janet!" he called back. "See if you can find out where this... 'Wood' lives..."
"Yes, sir!"
"Vincent Wood... 'age thirty-three at the time of the murders' which makes him about forty-three now...'one-hundred and eighty-seven pounds, five-eleven'..." Ryo removed the dated picture and swallowed at the blonde man. Berkeley saw his uneasiness. "Don't worry about him coming after you, Ryo. It's kid's he's interested in, remember?"
"I-I know... I just... I think I've seen him before is all... I can't remember where though... The only thing that comes to mind is how uncomfortable this, a mere picture, is making me feel, and I've had to deal with worse sickos than him." Berkeley looked over at him over the rim of his glasses.
"Did you know him?"
"... No... I don't think so. If I do know him, it was probably a long time ago when I was just a kid. It's probably nothing..." Berkeley stared at Ryo as he continued to study the picture. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it to file the information away for future reference.
Ryo couldn't shake the face from his thoughts until Berkeley practically threw the folder onto his desk. "Son of a bitch..." he grumbled.
"Sir? Is there something the matter?"
"... It's nothing. I'm just... this case is bringing back too many memories from when I was a kid."
"... Did something happen?" Ryo asked carefully, afraid of overstepping his boundaries. Berkeley nodded.
"... When I was about... fifteen or so, I was living in L.A. with my family... I had two sisters, and two parents like any other boy. My older sister was off in college, and my parents worked all the time so it was just my little sister, Lydia and I... I had to look after her... One day I was... outside in the front yard playing with her and her little friend... The phone rang inside. I was only in there for two minutes... When I came back out, Lydia's friend was crying and Lydia was gone. They didn't find her for at least three weeks after that... She was dumped along the side of the highway... naked, beaten, raped... Vultures had all ready begun to feed on her when the police arrived..." Berkeley's voice had grown soft and very serious, full if inner turmoil and guilt. "Ahem... They caught the man in the act of abducting another child... He's dead now... but ever since that day... I made a decision to never let anything like this happen again..." Ryo saw the slight shaking of Berkeley's hands. He lowered his eyes.
"... Forgive me. I shouldn't have asked..."
"It's fine... I still get the shakes just remembering my sister's killer's face..."
"How old was she?"
"... Barely four... She used to called me 'Berkwy'. She couldn't quite pronounce the letter 'L' yet..." He let out a shaken sigh, face reddening slightly. "Ahem... Well... When I said yesterday about getting to know each other better, this wasn't what I had in mind," he said softly. Ryo stood slowly from the chair.
"It's okay, sir... At least I can now see that you're not everything Dee says," he said, then caught himself before divulging any more harmful information. Be it harmful for him or anyone else, he wasn't quite sure. *That wasn't supposed to slip out.*
"Oh, really?"
"It's nothing. You know how Dee is..." Berkeley fell silent and toyed with a pen on his desk. Ryo spoke up. "Don't worry, Berkeley," he began. "We'll catch this guy..." Berkeley looked up at Ryo softly. The younger man had colored slightly from being so informal to him, especially since they were still on duty. In one swift motion he snatched Ryo by the tie and pulled him down to him. He closed his mouth over the surprised detective's softly. Ryo eyes widened naturally, yet for some reason he didn't quite feel the urge to pull away. This time the aggressive blonde's intense yet gentle kiss was very different.
**You do what you need to do. Experimenting is the better part of life...**
Dee's words flowed back into his mind in the midst of Berkeley's embrace. It was then he realized that Dee had given him something more than what he thought Dee was capable of: time and complete trust in his own love for Ryo...
*~*~*
"GRAAAAH!!" Dee groaned and crossed his arms. "It's just like J.J. to pick the 'Graveyard Shift'!" he grumbled and slumped back into the patrol car. Drake tossed a cheet-o at him.
"Ah, quit yer bitchin'... Th' Boss said to stake out this place," Drake pointed out and peered inside the bag for more corn-cheesy goodness. Dee growled.
"In all the years that we've been on the force, how many fucking times has a criminal returned to the scene of the crime?! HUH?! NONE..."
"Well, maybe we'll make history. Now shut up and eat a cheet-o."
"Dude! Get that away from me! I'm not putting that stuff into my system!"
"Why the hell not?! They're good!" he snapped.
"Love handles, baby..." Drake chucked another at him.
"What the fuck man? What are you worried about, mister three percent body fat? Jesus, you packed away an entire six pack in one evening two days ago, what's the fucking difference?!"
"Grease stains on the uniform," he grinned.
"Hey, when was the last time you got laid, anyway?!" Drake laughed. Dee frowned.
"None of yer damn business, Drake!" Dee snapped, coloring as he thought of a most recent and elicit dream involving his... well at the time former partner. Drake's eyes widened. "You and Ryo STILL haven't gone all the way?! Jesus, man! I think you're losing your touch!"
"I haven't lost anything!" he snapped. *At least I hope I haven't*.
"Then what the hell are you waiting for?"
"... Listen, Drake-"
"Sh!!" Drake hissed and ducked.
"What the hell are you doin-AH!" Drake yanked Dee down by his tie and put his finger to his lips. "Dude... there's someone out there," he whispered. Dee lifted his head slowly and peered out over the dashboard.
A figure, clearly male, was jogging right around the area of the crime scene. Dee unbuckled the leather strap holding his gun in place and opened the car door quietly. "Kinda late for jogging..." Drake whispered and followed Dee's lead. Dee kept his eyes on the jogger as he slipped behind a tree several yards away from the man. The jogger had stopped by the tree and stooped over. Dee waved to Drake a few feet away before moving in.
"A little late for jogging, eh buddy?" Dee announced, keeping a firm grip on the gun at his side. The jogger lifted his head quickly. "Easy pal... Stand up, nice and slow," Drake ordered. He shined a flashlight right in the man's eyes. He was a dirty blonde, with bright blue eyes.
"Whoa! Hey! What's the big idea?!" he demanded and stood. "Would you mind not shining that it my eyes?"
"Nah," Drake smirked.
"What are you doing out here? It's after midnight. You wanna get mugged?" Dee asked.
"Who are you people?!"
"NYPD. Who are you?" Drake answered finally removing the blinding light.
"Ah, thank you... geez... Can't a man go out for a twenty-minute jog?" he frowned.
"No, not near a crime scene you can't. See all the pretty yellow tape?" Dee asked and forced him against the tree. "Palms on the tree, feet apart... you've seen Cops you know the drill," he continued and searched for a wallet.
"C-crime scene?! It's so dark out here, you can't see the tape!" the man snapped.
"Then why are you jogging? Aren't you afraid of tripping?" Drake asked with a sly grin. "Spill it. What are you doing out here?
"I'm JOGGING, Christ?! Don't you people have anything better to do besides feel me up in a dark park?!" Dee flicked the man's nose.
"Watch it, pal. I'm not in the best of moods tonight." He turned back to Drake. "He's got no ID on him..."
"No ID either? Damn, buddy you're just begging for someone to jump you." The man groaned.
"Can I turn around now? I'll cooperate if you'll just leave me alone!!"
"Fine..." Drake sighed.
"... I knew I should have bought a treadmill..."
"Come on!" Dee snapped.
"AHH... GEEZ. My name's John Smith-"
"John Smith!? Oh, that's original!" Drake laughed. "Really?"
"YES!! God! I'm forty-three, born in nineteen fifty-eight on July seventeenth! I've never been married. No kids. No living family. Working at a dead end job over in Manhattan!"
"What do you do?" Drake asked in a very non-believing voice.
"... Do I have to tell you that?"
"If you don't wanna be Big Toni's bobble head for the night you will," Dee said. John Smith sighed heavily.
"I work as a photographer's assistant with little kids. I dress up as a clown, or giant bunny, or whatever the hell the dress me up as. I'll give you the number if you don't believe me!"
"Hey, yeah! You're that guy that made my kid brother finally laugh for his school photos. Dee this guys-" He stopped when he saw the all irritated Laytner glare.
"Did you get all that, Drake?" Dee frowned.
"Address and phone number..."
"Jesus... I live in the building on the corner of Cherry and Clinton! Apartment 3D on the fourth floor! There's a giant billboard on top of the roof promoting the porn shop on Broadway!"
"Got it." Drake pocketed his pad into his jacket pocket.
"The address or the porn shop?" Dee frowned.
"The address you retard..." Drake turned back to John. "Ah, go on. Don't leave-"
"Yeah, yeah. 'Don't leave town'... I've seen Cops," John jogged off.
"Damn taxpayers..." Dee muttered.
"D'ya believe that 'John Smith' BS?"
"Do I like our boss?" Dee grumbled and scanned the ground for anything missed. Drake sighed heavily.
"Dude. Don't worry about Randy and the boss okay? The guy's with Spacey, remember?"
"Yeah, went you meet an honest man who doesn't fantasize about someone fucking the daylights out of them, come tell me, otherwise I got the right to worry until I'm blue in the face..." Dee stalked back to the car. Drake shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
"Whatever, man..."
*~*~*
Bikky rubbed his eyes as he padded out of his room. The light was on in the kitchen. "Mnn? Ryo?" he mumbled and yawned. Ryo was just setting his keys and coat aside. "Dude? It's like one in the mornin'... You're just now getting home?"
"Sorry, Bik," he mumbled. "You've seen the news right?"
"Yeah, something about a little girl," he yawned and sat down at the table. "You're working that case?"
"... Yeah..." Ryo kneeled down in front of Bikky. "Bikky?"
"Hm?" He reached over to the file on the table and removed the little girl's picture. He handed it to Bikky. "What's this?"
"The little girl..."
"She looks like she's only five..." Bikky looked up at Ryo before the man hugged the boy tightly. "Ryo?"
"... Promise me that you'll be careful over the next couple of weeks..."
"S-sure, Ryo..." Bikky slipped off the chair.
"Did Dee call here?" Bikky yawned.
"Nah, that doo-doo brain hasn't called. Surprise, surprise..." Ryo glanced over at the answering machine: zero messages. That's really unlike him...
"I'm going to bed... Night Ryo..."
"... 'Night Bikky..."
**"Awfully submissive today, aren't we?" Berkeley said as he pulled away from Ryo. The younger detective blushed softly. "Did something happen between you two? You didn't hit me this time," he chuckled.
"I, uh... It's complicated, sir..."
"Oh, it's 'sir' now, is it?" Berkeley sighed. "Randy... You know that if anything should happen between you and the detective, my door is always unlocked if you need a minute..." Ryo blushed and looked away. "I'm serious, Randy..."
"... May I go back to work now, sir?" he asked softly. Berkeley sighed and nodded. Ryo opened the door and stopped.
"... Thanks, Berkeley."**
Ryo sighed heavily and padded down the hall to his room.
A/N: OMFG!! I am soo hating my new computer right now!... It won't let me save this as a web file without weird marks in it, so I had to save it as a doc file and GO BACK to set off things like oh... THOUGHTS and flashbacks... God, this'll get old real quick... Good thin' I gots a yummy bowl of fried rice. ^ ^ I sorry this took forever!! The next chapter will be nice and... well... YOU have to read it!
Ja ne!
have Tourette's. Oh, and the protocol for the police I'll probably be a
little incorrect for comedy... but... you get the idea...*
The Consequences of Sin
Act Two: Agony in Gethsemane
*Tuesday Morning*
The mutterings and pouts of his partner were heard over the whirr of the coffee maker. Dee peered around the edge of the kitchen cabinet that Ryo had left open. "I can't believe he... ohhnnn," Ryo muttered as he made breakfast for Bikky. Dee swallowed hard. *Maybe that wasn't such a hot idea... Damn kid...* Ryo slammed the cabinet door shut with a bang, making Dee jump. "Ee!!" he squeaked and backed away slowly. "Wh-what's wrong, 'Yo?" Ryo shot him a heated glare that froze Dee in his tracks.
For a while last night, Ryo actually thought that Dee had some sense after their conversation. However, waking up to screams in the middle of the night, well... Dee's I.Q. just took a nosedive:
**
"Ryoooo!!"
Dee and Ryo bolted up in bed at the sound of Bikky's screams. In nearly two seconds flat, both had grabbed a gun and barreled down the hall towards his room.
"Freeze! Huh?" Dee stopped in his speech as Ryo flipped on the lights. Both lowered their weapons. "Jesus, man... Thought you were in trouble!" Dee breathed as Ryo tended to a frightened ten-year old.
"Bikky! Bikky... Calm down! What happened?"
"Th-the, the, the... cannibal!" he squeaked. Dee froze.
Uh oh... Ryo chuckled.
"There's no cannibal, Bikky! What ever gave you that idea? Were you up late watching movies after I said no?" Bikky glanced at Dee who gestured him to be quiet with a swipe to the throat. "Y-yeah..." Ryo sighed heavily and stood.
"I told you that you'd have nightmares. They'll-" He caught sight of a DVD on top of his desk and frowned. "Freeze, Laytner!" he snapped with his back still turned. Dee had almost made it! Damn.
"Are you crazy?! He's TEN!!" he snapped. Dee scratched his head shyly, saying nothing. He could hear a growl in his partner's throat. "You know what this means don't you?" he asked calmly. Dee felt really small all of a sudden.
"Um... couch?"
"Ding! Thank you for playing!" he snapped.
"Aw, c'mon Ryooo!" Dee whined and trudged after his partner.
"Hey, doo-doo brain!" Dee turned back to Bikky and twitched when the boy flipped him off.
"Hopkins ain't the only Oscar winner in this house!" he grinned. Dee twitched again. Ryo's bedroom door slammed, then Bikky's. "... Maaaan." **
Dee swallowed hard and smiled nervously. "... Y-you look so cute when you're mad," he said carefully. Ryo growled again.
"Bikky! Breakfast!" he surprisingly managed to call sweetly as he vigorously stirred his coffee.
"C'mon! You can't stay mad at me forever!" Dee pleaded and pulled Ryo's back against his frame.
"Oh, I think I can manage that," Ryo said calmly and shrugged out of his grip. "Let go, or I'll sic Bikky on you..." Dee kissed Ryo's neck.
"Aw, c'mon. You don't mean that?" he whispered, sweetly. "I screwed up. I'm sorry! The kid's tough... It's not like it was a porno or anything-"
"Dee..." Ryo sighed. "Stop or Bikky'll-"
"Jesus Chriiist, man! Have you no shame?!" Bikky snapped and kicked Dee in the shin. "Get th' hell away from Ryo!! That might give me nightmares!" he grinned.
"Oww! DAMMIT!! What the hell's the matter with you?! Do I look like a friggin' soccer ball to you!? You'll need psychotherapy for that pea-brain of yours with the nightmares I'll give you!!!" Dee snarled and hugged his shin. "Owie... Now'll bruise my perfectly tanned skin," he whined.
"Bikky, leave Dee alone," Ryo scolded gently with a sigh. "Eat or you'll be late again. I don't want to have to explain to your teacher why either."
"Sheesh, I was only foolin'... Man, you did have a rough day yesterday." Ryo sighed and said nothing,
*You have no idea.*
"Bikky?! C'mon! We'll be late!" Carol called through the front door. Bikky grabbed a piece of toast and skated to the door. "Bye Ryo! Bye Homo!"
"Bikky!!" Ryo exclaimed.
"Hn..." Dee slumped in the chair and pouted. *Stupid simian, brat.* He glanced at Ryo while head cleaned up for the morning. He still looked pre- occupied from yesterday evening. Maybe giving him space wasn't such a good idea. It looked like it was giving him more grief than what Rose had done. Then again, Dee wasn't as deceptive as he is.
"Ryo?"
"... Huh?"
"Did you... uh, give any thought to what I told you last night?" Dee asked and scratched his head. Ryo colored instantly and started the dishwasher.
"I'm not doing this as a last ditch effort to get in your pants, if that's what you've been wondering... Hell, I'm not that deceptive," Dee added and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I... really want you to be sure. Forcing myself on you won't help you. You gotta take initiative on your own first and foremost." Ryo smiled to himself.
*He looks just like Bikky when he does that.* "I did give it some thought..." he admitted and moved closer to him. He leaned up and kissed him softly on the mouth. Pulling away he saw a pretty pink blush on Dee's features and laughed. "C'mon. Let's go to the hospital," Ryo added.
"What? The hospital? What for?"
"To see J.J.." Dee froze.
"J-J.J.???"
*~*~*
"DEE!!"
J.J. struggled with the restraints that confined him to the hospital bed. Ryo blinked in utter shock. The Twenty-Seventh Precinct was a frequent resident of the New York East Hospital; at least one of them had been hospitalized here, and J.J. wasn't that spastic.
"Dee!! DEE you came to see me! I haven't seen you in sooooo long!" J.J. beamed happily, but still not quite aware that the straps held him down as he squirmed. Dee approached the bench like a wary woodland creature to a human would. He kept safe distance; however, J.J. had this unique ability to fly across the room without a running start. *He must've been a frog in a former life or a gay rabbit,* Ryo thought, wryly. J.J. managed to move the entire bed along with him, trying to squirm towards Dee. Then again...
"Heh, heh... H-hey, J.J.," Dee greeted nervously. "H-how ya doin'?"
"Ohh, I'm just sooo happy that you're here," he sighed happily. Dee swallowed hard.
"G-Great... Well, gotta get goin'!"
"Dee!" Ryo scolded. He smiled at J.J.. "Chief tells us you'll be back in a few days. How's your arm?"
"It's healing up nicely. The bullet went clear through; it just hit the bone though," J.J. replied. Ryo smiled again.
"Oh, these are for you!" He held up a bouquet of roses, sunflowers, daisies, and delphiniums. He glanced at Dee and decided to see if his intentions were in fact pure. "Dee picked them out just for you," he smiled. Dee twitched.
"Er." *... Ryo. You little-*
"Really?!" J.J. beamed. "Oh, thank you!!" Dee gritted his teeth.
*He's gonna drag this out isn't he... Oi...* He swallowed hard and gave J.J. one of his infamous smiles. "Yeah, J.J... What more could I do for a buddy that took a bullet for my partner? Just wanted to express my... gratitude," he smiled.
J.J. melted. Ryo was enjoying his torture of Dee, although it wasn't quite fair to J.J.. He tried to hide his amusement, but Dee definitely noticed.
"Ahem, J.J.? Uh... Why are you strapped down to the bed anyway?" Ryo inquired.
"Huh?" he asked dreamily.
"Jesus... Talk about euphoria..." Dee chuckled. "Damn I'm good!"
"He's got a phobia of needles... Big pansy... Gotta strap that boy down just to give him meds!" a busty and large nurse replied. Dee twitched as they caught sight of each other. She smirked. "Well, well! It's my favorite patient from Hell! How's the leg? Need me to rub ya down again?!" she laughed.
"Hiiie! And y-you're that butch nurse from Hell, Emiry!!" he exclaimed and hid behind Ryo. "I'm fine and dandy. Stay the hell away from me!!"
"God, Dee. You act like she's been poking around underneath your hospital gown with a scalpel!" Ryo chuckled. Dee flushed.
"Might as well have been!!" he snapped. "Cold, clammy hands... Eww," he shuddered. "I'd rather have sex with Rose."
"Now Dee-"
"All right m'boy! Check up time!" she exclaimed.
"Noo! Don't let her stab meee!" he cried. The nurse filled the syringe with the prescribed medication calmly. J.J. squirmed as she latched onto his arm. "Dammit, son! If you don't quit, I'll turn ya from a rooster to a hen with a scalpel!"
"Psh, too late," Dee muttered. Ryo elbowed him.
"Do something, Dee!" he hissed.
"What do you want me to do?!" Ryo smiled sweetly.
"Why don't you really express what you feel as gratitude to him?" Ryo smiled slyly. Dee gulped.
"You're gonna give me hell, aren't you?"
"In a hand basket, now pucker up, buttercup!" Ryo smirked and shoved him over to the bed. The nurse still was struggling with J.J. "Arrgh! All right! Step aside, Brunhilda," he ordered. J.J. was frantic.
"Dee, Deeeee. Don't let her hurt mee!" he pleaded. Dee looked at the nurse.
"Stick him when he's calm."
"And hooow do I do that?" she huffed. Dee sighed.
"Just do it!" He looked down at J.J. His big blue eyes were misting with fear. Dee sighed again. "You owe me, Ryo..."
"I beg to differ..." he chuckled.
Dee bent down and kissed J.J. fully and slowly on the mouth. Frantic still for only a breath more, he calmed. Dee stood and frowned at the gaping nurse.
"What?! I'm bi; he's gay! Deal with it and stick it before he wises up!" he snapped. Sure enough, J.J. was as high as a kite. The nurse injected the medicine without further question or opposition. Ryo raised an eyebrow. "Very nice... He'll be out for another two weeks."
"Hey, what can I say?" Dee grinned. "I have a healer's touch."
"I'm surprised you did it..." Ryo murmured. Dee kissed Ryo's temple.
"I just thought I was kissing you was all, Ryo..." he whispered. Ryo flushed.
"Hey J.J.! Waaassss uuuup?! ... Huh?" Ted greeted. "What the hell's up with Jay?"
J.J. lay there humming "Here Comes the Bride" to himself. The nurse undid his restraints without Dee noticing. Ryo smirked. "Oh, nothing... Just gave him some Dee-Brand anesthesia," he chuckled. Ted stared at a sedated J.J..
"Jesus, Dee. He'll be out for another two weeks!"
"That's what I said," Ryo mumbled. Dee pouted.
"I don't think you guys understand how great it feels not to hear his mating call halfway down the hall every friggin day, and then get tackled like a football player into the drywall!!"
"Yo, J.J.!!" Drake exclaimed happily as he entered. "Whoa, full house! What the hell happened to him?" he gestured to J.J.
"Deeee... I loooove you..." Dee froze when he felt something latch onto his back.
"Erk! J.J...!" he growled and began to pry the younger man off of him. Ryo ignored them and gave Drake and Ted his immediate attention with a very annoyed expression. "So, what's going on, Drake? Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"Psh, Rose doesn't care if I'm a few minutes late... He's been in a rather... pleasant mood," he smirked.
"Janet must've finally givin' in," Ted laughed.
"Guys, Janet's getting married in three weeks to Caine; remember?" Ryo said with a sigh.
"God dammit, J.J. Get the hell off!!!"
"Oh, yeah... Hey, you think the Commissioner's mood has anything to do with all the switchin' around he's been doin'?" Ted asked. Ryo swallowed nervously.
"Oh, yeah! Shit, I work with Dee tonight, don't I? Completely forgot Rose told me that," Drake suddenly remembered.
"Wait, so..." Ted stopped and looked at Ryo's heating face. "Ohh, tough luck, eh? Well, it's only for a few days... Not like you're stuck with the guy forever."
"Not while I'm around, dammit! Jesus J.J.!! Leeet gooo," Dee pleaded.
"Noooo... Me stay like dis forever..."
"Y'know, I really could've handled my shift on my own. I dunno why he's gotta switch everything around. It's more work, if you ask me," Drake scratched his head.
"I think he's up to something," Ted mumbled.
"Guys, we really shouldn't be bad-mouthing the Commissioner. I'm sure he has his reasons," Ryo defended nervously. He caught himself guiltily as the words left his lips. He knew exactly why Rose was playing 'musical partners'.
"Yeah, to get into your pants!" Dee snapped, finally getting away from J.J.. Ryo blushed heavily. "Dee!!"
"What?! You know as well as I do that he's been lusting after since day one!"
"Oh, and like you haven't?!" Ryo snapped. Drake restrained Ryo from throttling the taller detective.
"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it, Randy," Drake said. "If you can fend off Don Juan over here, Rose shouldn't be a problem." Dee frowned.
"Just what exactly are you implying?" Ryo raised an annoyed eyebrow.
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because of the fact that you think with your dick more than half the time rather than use the brain God gave you," he muttered. Dee pouted.
"That hurts, man..."
Drake's radio started going off.
*... Drake! Hey Drake!* It was Caine.
"What is it, Caine?"
*Dude! Where the hell are you?!*
"I'm visiting J.J.!"
*What the hell man?! Rose is pissed! You'd better get down here right now!*
"Where?"
*Central Park... You're not gonna believe this... I can't get a hold of Dee and Ryo-*
"They're here with me. We'll be right there." Drake rushed out of the room. "Later J.J.!"
"Wonder what's up," Ted said and followed him.
"Who cares?!" Dee grumbled and cleared out of the room quickly. Ryo turned back to J.J..
"Jesus! J.J.!!" Ryo hurriedly released him from the straps of the bed and removed the wad of cotton balls from his mouth. "That Dee... Are you okay?!"
"Hey, Ryo... Tell Dee I want white roses at the wedding," he said dreamily. Ryo sighed heavily.
"Okay, J.J..."
"Ryo?" J.J. miraculously regained (slight) sanity when he noticed Dee had left.
"Huh?"
"... Um... I've been meaning to talk to you about the night I got shot," he began softly. Ryo blinked.
"What about it?"
"I-"
"Randy! Come on! There's been a murder!" Ted exclaimed.
"What?!" both exclaimed. Ryo turned to him. "I'll be right there, Ted... J.J., can we talk about this later? I'll fill you in on the details then too," Ryo said.
"S-sure... It can wait..."
"Thanks, J.J.. Get well soon!" Ryo was then gone. J.J. flopped back onto the pillows and sighed. "... Be careful..."
*~*~*
"Commissioner!" Rose turned his head towards the sound of Ryo's voice. Ryo and Dee pushed past the growing number of bystanders. "Where the hell have you four been?!" he demanded.
"I'm no even supposed to be on duty!" Ted exclaimed.
"But, sir-" Drake began.
"Never mind! And get these people out of here! This is a crime scene for god's sake!" he snapped. "You two, follow me," he ordered to Ryo and Dee. They followed him down the path where the CSI had all ready gathered near a very large tree. "Drake said that there's been a homicide," Dee murmured.
"Unfortunately. We got a call in about twenty minutes ago," Rose explained. "We found... Well, it'll probably be easier to understand the urgency one you see it." He pointed in the direction of the tree and stayed. Ryo followed Dee around the CSI unit and caught sight of the murder.
There on the trunk of the large tree, a young girl had her wrists and feet nailed to its massive body with long spikes. Her hair had been hacked away unevenly, and her naked body was covered in gashes. Ryo covered his mouth in utter disgust and turned away. "Jesus..." Dee stepped closer to the body.
"Hey, gimme a glove," he ordered. He slipped it on and examined the spike that was pinning the tiny feet together against the blood stained trunk. He tried moving it. It didn't budge. "... There's no way in hell that this was done without a witness," he murmured.
"Nobody's talking. The victim can't be anymore than five years old. Considering the size of her, it wouldn't take more than a half hour," Rose explained. "She couldn't have been here for more than a few hours at least."
"Who would do this?" Ryo gasped and stared up at the child's face. Cold, dead eyes stared down at him. He shivered.
"We also found this pinned underneath her..." Rose handed Dee a plastic bag that held a note. "'... I'm watching you, Angel... 666.' What the hell?"
"Well, considering how she was found, and this note, you couldn't be more right, detective," Rose sighed. "Boys, get her down before we have a regiment of video cameras down our throats," he called.
"Any ideas?" Ryo asked as he watched them bring the body down.
"We're dealing with one Biblical nut-ball," Dee muttered. "No doubt that she was probably kidnapped and raped... I know a couple of assholes would do something like this."
"Rose, Dee! Wait!" Ryo exclaimed when something caught his eye. He put on a pair of gloves and gently tipped the head back, which surprised him. She should have been stiff. Dee kneeled beside the body. "What's in her mouth?" Ryo carefully pulled at the string that escaped her mouth. Attached to it was a plastic tube. Ryo opened it carefully and unrolled the paper that was inside. He nearly dropped it in shock.
"What's wrong?!" Dee exclaimed. Ryo sat back and handed the findings to him.
"Holy shit..." he breathed when he found himself staring down at a very recent picture of Ryo. "Rose..." Berkeley took the photograph and frowned.
"Jesus... Bag this." Ryo stood and walked quickly away from the scene. Dee followed after him.
"Ryo! Wait!" Dee grabbed him by the arm. "Wait, dammit!"
"... Who would... I... Dee, this doesn't make any sense!" Ryo exclaimed. His hands were shaking slightly.
"Calm down, Ryo. It's probably someone you busted a few weeks back and they're trying to scare you. Don't worry about it," Dee said gently.
"I-I know... I just... I can't stop thinking about it. That could have been Carol, or Bikky, Dee!"
"I know, I know... Look. Why don't you go ahead to the office and see if you can dig anything up that we could relate to this."
"Good idea, Laytner," Berkeley interjected. "You stay with Drake and Caine to see if you can find anyone who could give us a lead. I'll head back to the office with Ryo." Dee frowned slightly.
"... Yes, sir..." He put a hand on Ryo's shoulder and leaned close. "Call me if you find anything, baby," he whispered. Ryo blushed heavily and nodded, before following Berkeley to the car.
Dee waited until they pulled away before turning back to the crime scene.
"Officer! Can you tell us what happened here?!"
"Any suspects?"
"How old was the victim?"
He ended up with several reporters. "What the-?! Get the fuck outta my face! Jesus!"
*~*~*
*Tuesday Afternoon*
Berkeley removed his glasses and tossed them haphazardly to the desk. He rubbed his eyes and groaned softly. His eyes were getting dry from the bright white screen. Finding information on anything that might have been related to the case was painstaking. He had been in his office for almost eight hours... make that nine hours, and had not moved from his computer for even a bathroom break. He blinked several times before putting on his glasses once more and continuing the mind-numbing search.
There was a soft knock at the office door before Ryo entered. "Find anything yet, sir?" he asked. Berkeley rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Mnn, no... With the broad spectrum of religious wackos, pedophiles, and serial rapists it's hard to pin point what exactly we are looking for. Plus we're short handed enough as it is with this huge crime wave. I just wish I had the coroner's report. Maybe then I could narrow my search down a bit..."
"Surprise..." Ryo smiled and handed him a folder. "Got it about ten minutes ago..." He also flopped another folder onto the desk. "We've also ID'd the victim," he added softly. Berkeley breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least the parents can be notified..." Berkeley opened up the young girl's folder. "... Kristen Robinson... Jesus... She was just shy of her fifth birthday..." Berkeley closed the folder and scrubbed his eyes in exhaustion. "God... It's cases like these that I wish that SVU weren't so busy with their own. Things like this make me sick... What did the coroner's report say?" he asked and got up out of his chair to stretch his legs. Ryo had all ready read the report, but opened it to refresh anything he may miss. "... Abrasions to the wrists and ankles as well as the neck, gashes along the limbs and face, hair cut unevenly... They also recovered an abnormal amount of semen from her. There were bruise marks along her throat concluding death via asphyxiation around yesterday evening..." Berkeley hung his head. Ryo closed the report slowly and set it down.
"Wait a moment... 'an abnormal amount of semen?' What did they mean by that?" Berkeley asked.
"The coroner said that it's possible that our perp had sex with the body after she was killed... He also managed to extract several hairs on the body." He reopened the folder to continue. "'Evidence collected indicates that we are looking for a possible white male with blonde hair...'" Berkeley groaned.
"We'll that narrows down the search a whole lot... Dammit..."
There was sharp knock at the door. "Come in!" Berkeley ordered. Janet walked in with a stack of papers in her hand. "Sir, I thought you may want to take a look at this. Caine told me what happened earlier this morning. I immediately remembered hearing about something like this about ten years ago. I was only in junior high at the time, but I went on a hunch..." Janet handed the stack of stapled papers to Berkeley. "It seems that there was a series of murders in the Bronx in the mid-eighties. All were young children from the ages of two to ten. They never found the killer, however..." she stopped and handed Ryo a separate case file. "My father managed to pry this away from the chief over at the third precinct in the Bronx. 'Vincent Wood' was their prime suspect. Was tried and acquitted on all seven counts of murder and rape because of a technicality, tampering of evidence, and rumored entrapment."
Berkeley raised his eyebrows and smiled for the first time that day. He peered up at her from the edge of his glasses and grinned. "Remind me to extend your honeymoon with Caine in three weeks, Janet. Good work. Dismissed." Janet beamed happily and saluted him. "Thank you, sir!"
"Oh wait, Janet!" he called back. "See if you can find out where this... 'Wood' lives..."
"Yes, sir!"
"Vincent Wood... 'age thirty-three at the time of the murders' which makes him about forty-three now...'one-hundred and eighty-seven pounds, five-eleven'..." Ryo removed the dated picture and swallowed at the blonde man. Berkeley saw his uneasiness. "Don't worry about him coming after you, Ryo. It's kid's he's interested in, remember?"
"I-I know... I just... I think I've seen him before is all... I can't remember where though... The only thing that comes to mind is how uncomfortable this, a mere picture, is making me feel, and I've had to deal with worse sickos than him." Berkeley looked over at him over the rim of his glasses.
"Did you know him?"
"... No... I don't think so. If I do know him, it was probably a long time ago when I was just a kid. It's probably nothing..." Berkeley stared at Ryo as he continued to study the picture. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it to file the information away for future reference.
Ryo couldn't shake the face from his thoughts until Berkeley practically threw the folder onto his desk. "Son of a bitch..." he grumbled.
"Sir? Is there something the matter?"
"... It's nothing. I'm just... this case is bringing back too many memories from when I was a kid."
"... Did something happen?" Ryo asked carefully, afraid of overstepping his boundaries. Berkeley nodded.
"... When I was about... fifteen or so, I was living in L.A. with my family... I had two sisters, and two parents like any other boy. My older sister was off in college, and my parents worked all the time so it was just my little sister, Lydia and I... I had to look after her... One day I was... outside in the front yard playing with her and her little friend... The phone rang inside. I was only in there for two minutes... When I came back out, Lydia's friend was crying and Lydia was gone. They didn't find her for at least three weeks after that... She was dumped along the side of the highway... naked, beaten, raped... Vultures had all ready begun to feed on her when the police arrived..." Berkeley's voice had grown soft and very serious, full if inner turmoil and guilt. "Ahem... They caught the man in the act of abducting another child... He's dead now... but ever since that day... I made a decision to never let anything like this happen again..." Ryo saw the slight shaking of Berkeley's hands. He lowered his eyes.
"... Forgive me. I shouldn't have asked..."
"It's fine... I still get the shakes just remembering my sister's killer's face..."
"How old was she?"
"... Barely four... She used to called me 'Berkwy'. She couldn't quite pronounce the letter 'L' yet..." He let out a shaken sigh, face reddening slightly. "Ahem... Well... When I said yesterday about getting to know each other better, this wasn't what I had in mind," he said softly. Ryo stood slowly from the chair.
"It's okay, sir... At least I can now see that you're not everything Dee says," he said, then caught himself before divulging any more harmful information. Be it harmful for him or anyone else, he wasn't quite sure. *That wasn't supposed to slip out.*
"Oh, really?"
"It's nothing. You know how Dee is..." Berkeley fell silent and toyed with a pen on his desk. Ryo spoke up. "Don't worry, Berkeley," he began. "We'll catch this guy..." Berkeley looked up at Ryo softly. The younger man had colored slightly from being so informal to him, especially since they were still on duty. In one swift motion he snatched Ryo by the tie and pulled him down to him. He closed his mouth over the surprised detective's softly. Ryo eyes widened naturally, yet for some reason he didn't quite feel the urge to pull away. This time the aggressive blonde's intense yet gentle kiss was very different.
**You do what you need to do. Experimenting is the better part of life...**
Dee's words flowed back into his mind in the midst of Berkeley's embrace. It was then he realized that Dee had given him something more than what he thought Dee was capable of: time and complete trust in his own love for Ryo...
*~*~*
"GRAAAAH!!" Dee groaned and crossed his arms. "It's just like J.J. to pick the 'Graveyard Shift'!" he grumbled and slumped back into the patrol car. Drake tossed a cheet-o at him.
"Ah, quit yer bitchin'... Th' Boss said to stake out this place," Drake pointed out and peered inside the bag for more corn-cheesy goodness. Dee growled.
"In all the years that we've been on the force, how many fucking times has a criminal returned to the scene of the crime?! HUH?! NONE..."
"Well, maybe we'll make history. Now shut up and eat a cheet-o."
"Dude! Get that away from me! I'm not putting that stuff into my system!"
"Why the hell not?! They're good!" he snapped.
"Love handles, baby..." Drake chucked another at him.
"What the fuck man? What are you worried about, mister three percent body fat? Jesus, you packed away an entire six pack in one evening two days ago, what's the fucking difference?!"
"Grease stains on the uniform," he grinned.
"Hey, when was the last time you got laid, anyway?!" Drake laughed. Dee frowned.
"None of yer damn business, Drake!" Dee snapped, coloring as he thought of a most recent and elicit dream involving his... well at the time former partner. Drake's eyes widened. "You and Ryo STILL haven't gone all the way?! Jesus, man! I think you're losing your touch!"
"I haven't lost anything!" he snapped. *At least I hope I haven't*.
"Then what the hell are you waiting for?"
"... Listen, Drake-"
"Sh!!" Drake hissed and ducked.
"What the hell are you doin-AH!" Drake yanked Dee down by his tie and put his finger to his lips. "Dude... there's someone out there," he whispered. Dee lifted his head slowly and peered out over the dashboard.
A figure, clearly male, was jogging right around the area of the crime scene. Dee unbuckled the leather strap holding his gun in place and opened the car door quietly. "Kinda late for jogging..." Drake whispered and followed Dee's lead. Dee kept his eyes on the jogger as he slipped behind a tree several yards away from the man. The jogger had stopped by the tree and stooped over. Dee waved to Drake a few feet away before moving in.
"A little late for jogging, eh buddy?" Dee announced, keeping a firm grip on the gun at his side. The jogger lifted his head quickly. "Easy pal... Stand up, nice and slow," Drake ordered. He shined a flashlight right in the man's eyes. He was a dirty blonde, with bright blue eyes.
"Whoa! Hey! What's the big idea?!" he demanded and stood. "Would you mind not shining that it my eyes?"
"Nah," Drake smirked.
"What are you doing out here? It's after midnight. You wanna get mugged?" Dee asked.
"Who are you people?!"
"NYPD. Who are you?" Drake answered finally removing the blinding light.
"Ah, thank you... geez... Can't a man go out for a twenty-minute jog?" he frowned.
"No, not near a crime scene you can't. See all the pretty yellow tape?" Dee asked and forced him against the tree. "Palms on the tree, feet apart... you've seen Cops you know the drill," he continued and searched for a wallet.
"C-crime scene?! It's so dark out here, you can't see the tape!" the man snapped.
"Then why are you jogging? Aren't you afraid of tripping?" Drake asked with a sly grin. "Spill it. What are you doing out here?
"I'm JOGGING, Christ?! Don't you people have anything better to do besides feel me up in a dark park?!" Dee flicked the man's nose.
"Watch it, pal. I'm not in the best of moods tonight." He turned back to Drake. "He's got no ID on him..."
"No ID either? Damn, buddy you're just begging for someone to jump you." The man groaned.
"Can I turn around now? I'll cooperate if you'll just leave me alone!!"
"Fine..." Drake sighed.
"... I knew I should have bought a treadmill..."
"Come on!" Dee snapped.
"AHH... GEEZ. My name's John Smith-"
"John Smith!? Oh, that's original!" Drake laughed. "Really?"
"YES!! God! I'm forty-three, born in nineteen fifty-eight on July seventeenth! I've never been married. No kids. No living family. Working at a dead end job over in Manhattan!"
"What do you do?" Drake asked in a very non-believing voice.
"... Do I have to tell you that?"
"If you don't wanna be Big Toni's bobble head for the night you will," Dee said. John Smith sighed heavily.
"I work as a photographer's assistant with little kids. I dress up as a clown, or giant bunny, or whatever the hell the dress me up as. I'll give you the number if you don't believe me!"
"Hey, yeah! You're that guy that made my kid brother finally laugh for his school photos. Dee this guys-" He stopped when he saw the all irritated Laytner glare.
"Did you get all that, Drake?" Dee frowned.
"Address and phone number..."
"Jesus... I live in the building on the corner of Cherry and Clinton! Apartment 3D on the fourth floor! There's a giant billboard on top of the roof promoting the porn shop on Broadway!"
"Got it." Drake pocketed his pad into his jacket pocket.
"The address or the porn shop?" Dee frowned.
"The address you retard..." Drake turned back to John. "Ah, go on. Don't leave-"
"Yeah, yeah. 'Don't leave town'... I've seen Cops," John jogged off.
"Damn taxpayers..." Dee muttered.
"D'ya believe that 'John Smith' BS?"
"Do I like our boss?" Dee grumbled and scanned the ground for anything missed. Drake sighed heavily.
"Dude. Don't worry about Randy and the boss okay? The guy's with Spacey, remember?"
"Yeah, went you meet an honest man who doesn't fantasize about someone fucking the daylights out of them, come tell me, otherwise I got the right to worry until I'm blue in the face..." Dee stalked back to the car. Drake shrugged his shoulders and sighed.
"Whatever, man..."
*~*~*
Bikky rubbed his eyes as he padded out of his room. The light was on in the kitchen. "Mnn? Ryo?" he mumbled and yawned. Ryo was just setting his keys and coat aside. "Dude? It's like one in the mornin'... You're just now getting home?"
"Sorry, Bik," he mumbled. "You've seen the news right?"
"Yeah, something about a little girl," he yawned and sat down at the table. "You're working that case?"
"... Yeah..." Ryo kneeled down in front of Bikky. "Bikky?"
"Hm?" He reached over to the file on the table and removed the little girl's picture. He handed it to Bikky. "What's this?"
"The little girl..."
"She looks like she's only five..." Bikky looked up at Ryo before the man hugged the boy tightly. "Ryo?"
"... Promise me that you'll be careful over the next couple of weeks..."
"S-sure, Ryo..." Bikky slipped off the chair.
"Did Dee call here?" Bikky yawned.
"Nah, that doo-doo brain hasn't called. Surprise, surprise..." Ryo glanced over at the answering machine: zero messages. That's really unlike him...
"I'm going to bed... Night Ryo..."
"... 'Night Bikky..."
**"Awfully submissive today, aren't we?" Berkeley said as he pulled away from Ryo. The younger detective blushed softly. "Did something happen between you two? You didn't hit me this time," he chuckled.
"I, uh... It's complicated, sir..."
"Oh, it's 'sir' now, is it?" Berkeley sighed. "Randy... You know that if anything should happen between you and the detective, my door is always unlocked if you need a minute..." Ryo blushed and looked away. "I'm serious, Randy..."
"... May I go back to work now, sir?" he asked softly. Berkeley sighed and nodded. Ryo opened the door and stopped.
"... Thanks, Berkeley."**
Ryo sighed heavily and padded down the hall to his room.
A/N: OMFG!! I am soo hating my new computer right now!... It won't let me save this as a web file without weird marks in it, so I had to save it as a doc file and GO BACK to set off things like oh... THOUGHTS and flashbacks... God, this'll get old real quick... Good thin' I gots a yummy bowl of fried rice. ^ ^ I sorry this took forever!! The next chapter will be nice and... well... YOU have to read it!
Ja ne!