Disclaimer: Guess what I got for my birthday? The rights to CSI and Lost! Whoops, nope, just wishful thinking….AGAIN:sigh:
A/N: Back! I've had a little vacation to Europe, and I'm recovering slowly but surely. I hope you like this chapter because it's been in my head for a while. All mistakes are mine!
Protection Come at a Price
Lindsey sat down in the sand next to Hera, obviously disgruntled about her newly appointed babysitter position. The Las Vegas criminilists interrogated passengers with questions such as "Who did you sit next to?" "Can you describe them for me?" and all Lindsey could do was watch, shunned to the sidelines.
"I'm twelve years old. I'm able to do something. I'm not a baby anymore," She said to the sand, drawing little pictures with her finger. Hera just looked at her and continued with what she was doing.
"Eddie, don't lie to me. I know what you do when you go out. You're just lucky that Lindsay is too young to understand what you're doing," Catherine huffed one late night. Lindsey was only five then, but she knew what her parents were arguing about.
"Cath, if you're going to play that game, you can't forget that you were one of them!"
"I had no money and no job experience. It was easy money, and we would never have met," Catherine tried to keep her voice down.
Lindsey sat in her bed silently, absorbing the weekly ritual that was happening just feet from her door.
"If you had never stripped, we'd never have met and had a beautiful daughter," Eddie smiled. Lindsey couldn't help but feel a bit proud at her father's statement.
"Eddie, I'm tired. I'm going to bed. As for you, the couch is mighty comfy."
"Lindsey, I asked you a question."
Hera was staring at her companion.
"What?" She asked, a bit annoyed but at the same time relieved to be shaken from that memory.
"Where are you from?"
"Oh, um, Vegas. My grandpa is a huge casino owner and everyone respects him," the young Willows proudly stated.
"Uh, okay."
"Mommy, where's all of daddy's things?" Seven-year-old Lindsey asked one day after coming home from her aunt's house.
"Daddy moved out, sweetie. It's just going to be you and me, kiddo." Catherine said and plastered a fake smile on her face.
"Where is he? Can I still see him?" Lindsey's vision was becoming blurry from the tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"Sweetie, he's still here, and you can see him whenever you want."
She just nodded and went to her room. Even though she understood, kind of, of what her parents talked about, she never figured it would end like this.
It was getting dark now, and chilly.
"We'll have to search some more tomorrow; there's not enough sun light to continue and we don't know what lurks here at night," Grissom instructed the search party, "Now, does anyone have matches, a lighter maybe?"
A short bald man reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a lighter. He handed it to Grissom.
"I lost my smokes, so, it may as well be put to some use," the man explained.
"Thank you, uh…"
"Larry, Larry Carpenter."
"Thank you Larry. If it wasn't for your bad habit, we'd never have heat."
Warrick, Nick and some of the other stranded people helped collect firewood and soon a blazing fire was burning.
"It's okay, Lindsey, we're going to be fine," Were the last words Eddie said to his daughter.
SPLASH
Lindsey started to panic. "Candeece! Help me! Please!" but she just kept swimming away. She looked around for her father: nowhere in sight.
She picked up the cell phone. "Mommy! I'm here! Come help!"
The car was slowly sinking, and soon Lindsey gave up hope of her mother ever finding her. Then she saw headlights.
"It's okay Lindsey," Her mother comforted her back at the police station. It wasn't the best situation to be in, telling a stranger what happened exactly when you can't even remember what happened.
"How're you holding up, kiddo?" Catherine asked Lindsey while sitting by the fire.
She just looked at her mother, scowling.
"Lindsey, everyone here has been through the same thing as you, and right now, you're not helping your situation."
"That's okay."
Catherine just sighed and went to get some food for herself and her daughter.
"Lindsey, why were you going to Fremont street? I mean, your grades have been dropping, what's next?"
"Stripping."
"What was that?" Although Catherine heard full well what her daughter had said.
"I'm going out front to wait for Nana." She grabbed her schoolbag and left her mother alone in the room.
'How can she hide her past from me? I know what her and dad talked about, and maybe dad would still be here if it wasn't for mom.'
"C'mon Lindsey, let's get you home," Her grandmother smiled.
"Here, it's all they had," Catherine passed a coconut to Lindsey.
"Thanks."
"Wait, were they some manners I just heard?"
"Yes, I do have manners you know."
"You hardly use them anymore."
"I don't see a point."
"Lindsey, improve you're attitude, or you will find yourself alienated from everyone because of it."
"Kind of like you," Lindsey said under her breath, but Catherine heard it. They just continued to sit there and eat the gross coconut and hoped for a better tomorrow.
TBC
A/N: How was that? Let me know! I love feedback! Oh, and who should I write next and what is their situation! I'm all about viewer picks the story, like those "Goosebumps" books.
