From the Darkness by Blythe
Rating: R (Just in case )
Summary: Warrick meets a woman who captures his heart, and discovers that she is the missing link in a serial killer manhunt. It's up to the CSIs of Las Vegas to find the killer before he finds the only woman who got away.
Pairings: Warrick/O.C. with a healthy dose of both Grissom/Sara and Nick/Catherine
Part 1
The club was crowded tonight. The haziness of the smoke and shadows caressed the people who had come to escape the outside world, wrapping around those seated at the bar, and moving sensuously with the couples who dominated the dance floor. In the center of the floor, the Lady danced with her two companions. Tony smiled at the sight of the tiny woman; the Lady was such a pleasure to watch.
No one knew her real name and no one had the courage to ask her. With piercing blue eyes and a cool demeanor, she intimidated even the hardest patrons of the club. She came every night without fail, striding in silently and confidently, with the same two men following a few steps behind her. There was no weaving between the crowds for the Lady with the blue eyes. Indeed, the crowds parted for her, and the couples dancing moved to the outer edges of the dance floor, leaving the center open and ready for the Lady. She commanded the attention of everyone in the room, and they watched, entranced as she moved erotically with the two men.
She was a vision to behold; petite and beautifully pale, her long black braids reaching just past her waist. The streaks in her hair were red tonight, complementing the red leather choker she wore around her neck. The red corset she wore matched the choker and accentuated her small breasts and slender waist, and the black leather pants clung to her hips like a second skin and lengthened her legs. Her small black boots completed the outfit and added an extra inch to her small frame. Her blue eyes sparkled in the darkness, and she held the attention of all the men in the room as she swayed between her partners.
Both men towered over her tiny person, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind about who was in charge of the relationship. She leaned back against one man, moving slowly and sensuously against him, while twining her thin arms around the neck of the man in front of her. They moved as one, rubbing and grinding against one another slowly, unaware of the lust that they were inspiring in the crowd that watched them. The two men touched her reverently, treating her with the respect that she deserved, and she in turn gazed at each man with undisguised love in her eyes.
Tony glanced at his watch and sighed. They would be leaving soon. They never stayed for more than a few hours, spending all that time worshipping one another on the dance floor. The trio's movements began to slow as the last bars of the song played out, and Tony watched as the Lady slowly led the men from the dance floor. Every night it was the same, when the Lady had had her fill of dancing for the evening the crowds would, once again, move out of her way, and all eyes would follow her tiny frame as she led her partners from the club. Tony watched her small form until she was out the door, and then turned back to his observations.
She was oblivious to the attention she received at the club. Her mind and body were more happily occupied for a few hours every night, and she had no desire to let anyone but the two men behind her into those moments of happiness. She glanced back at the two men behind her, and smiled when Derek reached out to hold Matt's hand. They meant the world to her, these two men who loved her so much. It never occurred to her that people might misinterpret her relationship with them. Derek had been her best friend for years now, and when he had found a companion and lover in Matt she had been happy for them, and overjoyed that she had another friend and protector in Matt.
The two men were everything to her, they were the family she had always wanted and she cherished every minute with them. While their dancing might suggest a more intimate relationship between the three, the boys weren't interested in her like that, and she didn't have the energy for any relationships other than her friendship with Derek and Matt. Their friendship fulfilled both her need for companionship and her desire for physical contact. In the end she got every thing she needed from a few hours of dancing with the only two men in the club who didn't desire her.
She sighed happily and walked quickly to the silver Mercedes parked across from the club, allowing the two men behind her the opportunity to linger in the shadows for a few more minutes. She unlocked the car and started to slide into the driver's seat, but a sound from a nearby alley caught her attention. She paused and tilted her head toward the alley listening for the frightened whimper that seemed to echo in her brain. She noiselessly reached under the seat for her revolver, and silently made her way toward the alley. The whimpering she'd heard before was less muffled as she stood just outside the alley, and she forced herself to take a deep breath before looking around the corner.
Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she felt her chest tighten as she took in the scene before her. At the back of the alley a tall, burly man stood over the fallen body of a terrified young woman. She fought to control her anger and then eased around the corner into the alley and slowly moved along the wall toward the two figures. Her eyes scanned the scene as she moved closer, her mind whirling as she took in all the details. She needed to get the girl out of here safely before she could focus all her attention on the bastard. Her eyes scanned the fallen woman carefully, examining her injuries and looking for any sign that she had been raped. The woman's dress was still intact and her injuries were contained primarily to her face and upper body, all signs that gave her hope that the bastard hadn't had time to rape her.
She was forced to cut her observations short as her foot crunched down on an errant soda can, effectively announcing her presence to the two figures. The man swung around reaching for the gun in his pants, but he stopped when she spoke, "Don't move". She held the gun level with his head and moved slowly into the space between him and the street "I won't hesitate to shoot you if you do."
The man's eyebrows went up in disbelief at the sight of her, "You gotta be shittin' me! What the fuck are you playin' at lady? You really think you can take me?"
She glared at him coolly over the barrel of her gun, "I assure you I am not, as you put it, 'shittin' you. I won't hesitate to shoot you if you decide to test that theory. And I don't think I can take you, I know I can. Step away from the girl, or lose a body part." The man looked at her silently, his eyes gleaming angrily as he tried to decide whether or not she was serious.
She cleared her throat impatiently and raised an eyebrow, "As of right now you have three choices and I think you should consider each one carefully. You can, A move away from the girl and behave yourself while I call the police, you can B stay put and I can disable you with my big shiny gun, or you can C test me and I can kill you with said gun. It's your decision, but I suggest you go with option A. Getting shot is rather painful, and to be honest, I really don't like cleaning my gun."
She raised her eyebrows at him and he slowly moved behind the girl. His eyes were full of anger as he watched her and she didn't trust him to follow the rules she had set for him. Without taking her eyes or her gun off the man, she addressed the girl, "What's your name sweetheart?"
"Kim", the girl hissed through clenched teeth, trying hard not to cry.
She glared icily at the man behind the girl, but her voice was low and compassionate, "Kim, if you can move I need you to get behind me."
The girl started to pull herself across the pavement on her hands, and the man's eyes blazed with fury when Kim was safely behind her. She didn't flinch under his gaze, and she didn't move when she heard Derek's voice behind her. "The cops are on the way, Lia. I got your back."
"Thanks Derek." She called over her shoulder without moving the gun or her gaze. "Can one of you guys come and get Kim for me? She can't walk and I don't want her scraping herself anymore than she already has trying to get to you."
She heard one of the men slowly coming up behind her, and felt herself relaxing slightly with the knowledge that the girl was almost safe. Kim whimpered quietly when her rescuer picked her up, but she allowed herself to be carried out of the alley. "We're out Lia, and the cops should be here any minute."
Lia nodded her head in acknowledgment and smiled cruelly at the man in front of her, "Well it kind of sucks to be you right now doesn't it. I mean here you are, staring down the barrel of a pretty powerful gun, and you didn't even get to fuck her did you? Don't worry about that too much. You're a pretty good looking guy, and I'm sure the guys in prison will love you. I hope they tear you up real good."
His face turned bright red at her words and without hesitating he reached for his gun. His hand never made contact. Her shot echoed in the alley just as the police cars pulled up and within minutes someone was demanding that she drop the gun and raise her hands. Lia smiled at the man lying on the ground in front of her, holding his hand to his shoulder in pain, and slowly raised her arms above her head. The gun dangled from her fingers, and she waited patiently for a policeman to come up behind her and take it from her.
A policeman escorted her from the alley and she looked back to see a paramedic leaning over the man, doctoring his shoulder, while a police man read him his rights. She smiled to herself and continued towards Derek and Matt, who were watching the scene before them silently. Her cheerful smile was received with angry frowns, and she sighed heavily. "Ok, I know you're both waiting to tell me how irresponsible I am, so you might as well get it over with."
Derek looked at her for a moment, his eyes disappointed and hurt, and she readied herself for the lecture. She wasn't disappointed when it came, "Why do you insist on putting yourself in dangerous situations? You could've called either one of us, and we would've taken care of the situation. I know you don't like letting us protect you, but it's why we're here. Whether you like it or not, you need protection, and when you rush into situations like this one you put us all in danger. We don't need this kind of attention, but you seem determined to expose us." His words faded when Lia looked away and Derek looked at Matt for some support.
Lia blocked out Matt's voice as she looked around the crime scene, he wasn't saying anything she hadn't heard before and to be honest she wasn't interested. She examined the different professionals moving through the scene and wondered what inspired each of them to serve others. Over the years she had learned that people who worked in "helping" professions were often trying to provide justice and protection to others because they had been deprived of one or both of those rights. How many of the men and women in front of her were trying to heal their own wounds by healing the wounds of others?
Her eyes swept the scene again, and fell upon a tall figure emerging from a black SUV. Her heart sped up and a shiver trailed lightly down her spine. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and she found herself unable to look away from him. His skin was the color of mocha and his lips were so deliciously full, the man had lips that she would love to kiss. She watched him with unveiled interest, captivated by the confident strength that surrounded him. He stopped to speak to one of the detectives and then glanced over the man's shoulder to look at her. Their eyes locked and she was shocked by the intensity of his green eyes, but she couldn't look away. She licked her lips nervously and then offered him a small smile before forcing herself to look away. As wonderful as those eyes were, she couldn't afford to lose herself in them, no matter how much her heart wanted to.
She was enchanting. He had never felt compelled to use that word in describing anyone before, but it described her perfectly. He hadn't meant to stare. Brass had simply been explaining the situation to him, and he had been curious to see the spitfire of a woman who had risked so much for a stranger. It was meant to be a glance, but the minute his eyes met hers, he knew he'd made a mistake. Everything about her called out to him, the way her braided hair moved ever so slightly in the breeze, the way her sinfully tight outfit that showcased her petite figure, and the way her eyes sparkled and flashed in response to his gaze, everything about her begged him to worship her and he fought against that instinct. His eyes fell to her lips and he felt himself losing the fight, something about those pink lips, so perfectly formed and utterly kissable, captivated him. He stifled a groan as she swept her tongue over her lips, and smiled at him. And then she looked away and he felt like someone had pulled the earth out from under his feet. He fought to regain control of his mind and his body, and then forced himself to focus on the man in front of him. Brass was smiling at him knowingly and he quickly turned and walked away from him and the beauty standing in the shadows. He was just entering the alley when Brass called out to him, "Hey Warrick," he turned and glanced back at his friend and colleague, who smiled sympathetically at him. "We'll be taking her in for some routine questioning in about an hour, so if you have any questions for her that would be a good time to ask them." Warrick nodded silently and then moved towards the back of the alley to help Sara process the scene.
Warrick shook his head in frustration as he swabbed a blood drop on the pavement. He couldn't stop thinking about the beauty with the blue eyes, and it was really starting to bother him. Already he had overlooked two pieces of evidence, and if Sara hadn't noticed his oversight both pieces of evidence would've been left at the scene. It was a rookie mistake, and when Grissom heard about it, Warrick was going to have some explaining to do. Grissom was constantly reminding them that even the smallest, most insignificant piece of evidence could make or break a case, and he would not be happy to find that his "favorite CSI" had missed important evidence because he couldn't stop thinking about a woman whose name he didn't even know.
Warrick glanced at Sara out of the corner of his eye, and wondered briefly if he could somehow convince her not to mention the near disaster to Grissom. He'd never thought of her as the sort of person who would take a payoff, but he was concerned enough to try, "So, Sara…"
"I won't tell Grissom about your slip up, Warrick." She smiled at him briefly and then picked up a small piece of fabric and slid it into a bindle. She looked at him then, her eyes concerned, and he knew he was going to have to explain himself to her, if not to Grissom. "Why are you so unfocused tonight, Warrick? I mean you're usually so calm and collected at work; I don't think I've ever seen you this distracted."
He considered lying, but knew that it wouldn't help the situation. As CSIs they were both trained to find the truth amid the lies, and there was no way he'd be able to pull the wool over her eyes. Not only would it be impossible to lie to her, but if he tried he would inevitably piss her off and then all bets were off.
After a few minutes of internal debate he decided to be honest but vague. She was still watching him, waiting for an answer and he smiled at her reassuringly, "I'm stuck on a fine lookin' woman with twinkling blue eyes and I can't focus on anything else."
She smiled her trade mark smile at his words, "Are you and Catherine finally getting things settled between the two of you?"
He looked down at the mention of Catherine's name, and frowned at the ground. It was a legitimate question, but he didn't know how to answer. At one point he had thought that his relationship with Catherine might be evolving, but he had since decided that while he loved her and would die for her or Lindsey, Catherine was a good friend and nothing more. He hadn't spoken to her about his change of heart; they had never even addressed the idea of moving their relationship to the next level, and he had no idea how to end a relationship that had never really begun.
He looked up, meeting Sara's eyes again and sighed heavily before bending down to pick up his kit. He gripped the kit handle tightly in his hand before answering her question, "I wasn't talking about Catherine."
Her mouth opened and she started to respond but he was already walking towards the alley entrance, and it was clear that he was done talking for the moment. She sighed in frustration as she followed her partner out of the alley.
The scene before him was a familiar one; he'd been privy to hundreds of interrogations over the years. This one was different. In the past he had appreciated the anonymity that the observation room offered him, but something about this particular interrogation bothered him. She didn't know he was watching her, and while that made it easier for him to concentrate on the interrogation, a part of him wished she could see him. Someone once said that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and after looking into her eyes, he was inclined to agree. Warrick folded his arms against his chest, unconsciously trying to protect his heart from the woman in the next room.
At least he had her name now, Lia. Short for Ophelia, a name he had never heard before. He would have to ask her sometime what her name meant, that is if he got the chance. There was something significant behind that name. She'd become uncomfortable when she was asked for her full name, and had become defensive when they asked for her last name. She didn't have one.
There was something about Lia that worried him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it yet, but he was pretty sure that something was wrong. She had risked her life for the sake of a girl she didn't know, and had shot a man without blinking an eye, but the minute the police had shown up she had slowly tried to disappear into the shadows. Most people would've been anxious to recount such a heroic rescue, but Lia was not interested in talking. And now sitting in the room on the other side of the glass she looked like she was on the verge of some sort of breakdown. Brass was thankfully aware of her distress, and seemed anxious to wrap up the interview, but Lia seemed desperate to avoid personal questions and wouldn't answer any questions about herself.
"How's the interrogation going?" Warrick turned to look at Grissom and shrugged his shoulders tiredly.
"She's not answering any personal questions, and it's hurting her credibility. I can't figure out what's going through her brain, but she's definitely hiding something." Grissom nodded and looked into the adjoining room. Lia was nervously twisting her thumb ring and she kept looking from the door to the Brass and back again, a fact that Grissom and Warrick noted with interest. Something about this situation was terrifying her, and they were both curious to know what that something was. Brass glanced at the mirrored window, and nodded, letting the CSIs know that they could ask any questions they had at this time. The two men watched her for a few more seconds and then headed into the interrogation room.
Lia looked up when they opened the door, and smiled pitifully when she saw Warrick, but her smile faded when Grissom entered the room. She moved away from the older CSI slowly, her entire body trembling, and she slowly sank to the ground when her back made contact with the wall behind her. Tears filled her eyes, and slid down her pale cheeks as she stared at Grissom. Warrick looked at Grissom and then Brass but both men were just as lost as he was. Silence filled the room for a few minutes and then she spoke. "Oh God, please don't hurt me. Please, not again. Please, don't." She turned her body towards the wall and pulled her knees protectively against her chest, and sobbed softly, her whole body trembling in absolute panic.
Warrick clenched his fists and watched her collapse into herself. He was torn between his desire to remain professional and his desire to protect and comfort her. In the end he couldn't stay away from her. He slowly moved toward her, speaking softly so she would know he was coming. He eased himself down at her side and slowly reached out his hand to touch her shoulder. Lia flinched at the contact and opened her eyes to see who was touching her. Their eyes met for the second time that day, and once again he couldn't look away. Lia stared at him for a few moments and then noticed Grissom standing behind him. Her eyes filled with tears again and without any warning she crawled onto his lap and buried her face against his neck, "Please don't let him hurt me again."
Authors Note: I'm looking for a Beta, so if you're interested let me know