When It Rains In New York

A C.S.I. New York fan-fic

Written by: Anti Darth Ani

Edited by: awesomepossum

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Chapter Eight: Chaos

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Author's Note: Well, I was planning on putting a chapter about Sabrina Jackson here, but I decided I'd better resolve the issue of Mrs. Julia Granger first. I'll have the Sabrina Jackson chapter coming soon, though, because we haven't heard from her in a while.

By the way, I have an awesome new editor, and I would like to thank awesomepossum for editing my story so quickly and so well! ENJOY!

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Aiden and Danny stood, silent. His grip on Aiden's shoulders tightened, his fingers clutching her in place. Emily Wellington continued to cry, standing in their doorway.

"How is that possible?" Aiden finally managed to say, after a long pause of nothing except standing in amazement. "How do you know for sure that she was murdered?"

Emily looked up to Aiden, her eyes settling on the younger female's puzzled face. She managed to wipe away quite a few of her tears.

"Darling, Julia was found sprawled across her own bed, almost completely naked, surrounded by a pool of her own blood. And she had a note stuffed in her mouth. Hardly sounds like an accident, Dear."

And by the sound of it, it didn't wasn't likely a suicide either.

"The note," Mrs. Wellington continued, "was addressed to you, Dear. That's why I'm here. The detective asked me to come get you." She looked questioningly at Aiden.

Aiden stood rooted in her spot. How was she supposed to react to this? A dead socialite, murdered right under their noses? Aiden's stomach dropped and she began to feel a bit nauseous. Turning around, Aiden bowed her head down, trying to force her dinner from the previous night to stay down.

'How are we going to stay in control in this neighborhood, with the people vanishing and being murdered every week? We can't watch everyone at the same time.'

Danny lifted her chin, forcing her eyes to look into his. He sent her a silent message with his look, telling her not to lose it, not in front of Emily. He kissed her forehead, pulling her to him in a quick hug.

Emily Wellington cleared her throat loudly. Aiden looked over Danny's shoulder, saying to Emily "Let us just change really quick and we'll head over with you."

"Actually... it would be better if you both just throw on some robes and follow me over now. The detective made a point of saying it was quite urgent. They already read the note, the police I mean, and they were clear that it was imperative that you get over there as soon as is humanly possible."

Aiden nodded, turning around and heading straight up the stairs, pulling Danny along right behind her. She still couldn't believe this was happening.

As they reached the master bedroom, Aiden sat down on the edge of the bed while Danny went to retrieve the robes from the closet.

"I'm almost afraid to know what it says," Aiden admitted as Danny handed her the silk robe she favored above the rest. "And I'm afraid to know who put it in Mrs. Granger's mouth." She stood up while she talked, sliding her arms into the sleeves and pulling the robe up to her shoulders.

"So much for our day of relaxation," Danny complained, using the CSI method of logic. "Nothing worse than a dead body on your day off."

As they headed back downstairs, Aiden prayed that Emily couldn't hear Danny mumbling beneath his breath.

They followed Emily Wellington silently, unsure of what to say. Aiden hadn't known where Robert and Julia Granger lived, but now it was evident by the massive amounts of police cars and crime scene tape.

'Remember to act like a simple civilian,' Aiden reminded herself as they drew nearer to the Grangers' apartment. 'No analyzing. And NO touching anything.' She made herself promise. They were undercover to watch and observe, not to help collect evidence and interview suspects, much to Aiden's disappointment. Aiden followed Emily Wellington as she led them straight up to the police tape and the officer who was keeping the perimeter clear from nosey neighbors.

Emily began talking rapidly to the young officer while Danny and Aiden stood patiently behind her. The officer glanced from Mrs. Wellington to Aiden and Danny and sudden recognition shone in her face. Aiden prayed that the officer would keep her mouth shut. The last thing they needed was to be recognized, especially at a time like this, with their current situation. The officer turned around and lifted up the crime scene tape, allowing Aiden and Danny to pass under. Both the officer and Mrs. Wellington smiled at Danny as he led Aiden into the apartment away from them.

When Aiden was sure they were out of earshot, she couldn't stop the grin that crossed her face. "Even when you're married, you get more women watching you than the rest of the guys in the crime lab put together." She paused and then cleared her throat. "Amy looks like she'd been doing well," she continued in a teasing voice.

Danny groaned at the comment, hating Aiden for bringing it up at a time like this one. "Must we really think about her right now?" Danny asked as they climbed up the stairs to where they assumed the bedroom would be. "You always find the worst times to bring up my past relationships."

"I do not," Aiden insisted as if she was wounded. "It's not my fault she just happened to be here, at a crime scene that's in our community." They walked down the luxurious plush carpeted halls. "And I'm not the one to blame for the fact that she's obviously still hung up on you."

"Oh, Aiden, please." Danny refused to believe that this was true. "Just because she's still friendly enough to smile doesn't mean that she wants to get back to together with me."

Aiden didn't get a chance to reply as they reached the bedroom. She stopped in the doorway, taken aback by just how much of Julia Granger's blood covered the bed and the floor. She'd seen quite a few violent and bloody crime scenes in her life, and Julia Granger's was one of the most horrible ones she'd ever seen. The witty reply she'd had to Danny's comment stuck in her throat as she took in the scene in front of her.

Danny was looking around the room as well. He couldn't believe the sight he saw and he prayed that his eyes were deceiving him. But Danny knew that this scene was the truth, the harsh reality.

Julia Granger was sprawled out on the bed, her head hanging off the side. Blood from her head wound dripped to a dark red puddle on the floor. Her eyes stared back at Danny, lifeless, with a soft white film confirming that she was, indeed, dead.

"Aiden," a voice spoke up. Danny glanced away from Julia Granger's corpse to Flack, who was motioning Aiden over to him. Aiden pulled away from Danny's guiding hand and walked hesitantly over to Flack. Her heart pounded in her chest so heavily that she felt as if it would break her rib cage at any moment. She could her the blood in her veins pulsing as she stepped towards Flack and he pulled her further away from where Danny was standing.

"Hey, Aiden. Sorry you had to see this mess," Flack said as he began to talk to her, and Aiden forced herself to concentrate on what he was saying, not on the body of her neighbor on the bed. "When we arrived at the scene, this piece of paper," he held it up in front of her in his gloved hand, "was stuffed in Mrs. Granger's mouth." It was still covered in blood, something that would be stained on it forever.

"We told that batty woman not to bring you if she saw Danny, because we didn't want him to come along with you," Flack told her in a rather hushed voice. This statement sounded quite odd to Aiden and she wondered why they wanted to keep the note secret from Danny. When she asked why, Flack carefully unfolded the piece of paper and Aiden soon found out.

While she read the single sentence on the paper, Aiden's entire body seemed to shut down. She couldn't believe what she was reading. Who would want to leave her a note like this one? And what would be the purpose? Her mind reeled when she thought of Danny, who was standing in the same room, only a few feet away.

Danny watched as Aiden and Flack talked quietly, with their backs turned to him. He began to wonder what was so important it had to be kept a secret even from him. While Danny contemplated this matter, Aiden turned suddenly away from Flack and walked back towards Danny. He didn't know what had just happened, but Aiden was clearly upset as she walked right past him, without uttering a single word. Danny shot a glance to Flack, but he knew that Flack wouldn't reveal anything more than the single shrug he sent in Danny's direction.

With a last, quick glance at the hopeless body lying in the bloodstained bed, Danny turned around and walked out of the bedroom, trying to find Aiden. He wanted to know what Flack had said that had upset her so much. He found Aiden standing next to Amy, talking quietly with her. He hated how all his past girlfriends always ended up around him again (and how Aiden treated him when they did).

But Aiden had, surprisingly, always gotten along well with Amy ever since he'd introduced them at the Christmas party two years ago. Somehow, through, Danny knew that Aiden would get back to teasing him about Amy dumping him sooner or later; it was only a matter of time.

As Danny walked closer to them, Amy, who could see him, cleared her throat. Aiden immediately dropped whatever she'd been saying and spun around to face him.

Danny glanced from one to the other and wondered which one was acting stranger. 'My money is on Aiden,' he finally decided.

"You two weren't gossiping about me, now were you?" Danny asked, trying to lighten the mood.

They hadn't been gossiping about him, but Aiden decided that this was a better excuse to be whispering than the truth. She didn't want to tell him what the note had said, because it would only worry him more. And now she was worried enough for both of them. Amy turned her attention back to the noisy bystanders without a reply. Aiden simply shook her head and decided it was time to leave. "We really should head back now," she said, looking down at her slippered feet. Without waiting for a reply, Aiden started in the general direction of their apartment.

Danny felt Emily Wellington's gaze on him as he jogged (only vaguely aware that he was still in his boxers and undershirt) to catch up with one very awkward acting Aiden.

'Just what the hell is going on?' he wondered as he followed her into the apartment building. 'What could possibly make Aiden Burn this quiet?' Nothing Danny could think of.

"Aiden, hold on a minute," Danny said after he closed the front door behind them. He reached softly for her arm, refusing to allow her to escape upstairs just yet. He needed answers, an explanation to her sudden weird behavior.

Aiden reluctantly turned around to face Danny. She kept her eyes toward the ground, knowing that they would reveal the emotions she was trying to hide from Danny. "I really don't feel like discussing it with you right now," she told him boldly, knowing he wouldn't like what she was telling him.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I think I have the right to know what's going on, Aiden," Danny demanded. "You can't keep secrets from me, not with everything that's been going on lately. It just doesn't work like that. We're in this as a team, so we need to stick together like a team." Aiden could see a hint of anger in his eyes, but she still didn't have the heart to tell him.

"I know you don't understand why we would keep something from you," Aiden told him patiently. "And under all normal circumstances, I would never keep anything from you about our case. But Flack and Mac have a reason not to tell you for right now. Once everything's settled, I'll be able to explain-"

"So Mac and Don know as well? Everyone knows except for me?" Now she could tell that Danny was getting quite pissed off. But she promised herself that she wouldn't cave.

Not yet, anyways.

"Please don't be mad," Aiden asked of him, quite unfairly. "It'll make sense to you later."

For some reason, Danny didn't believe that.