AN Okiday… Here's another chapter with plenty of DRAMA to whet your appetite. R&R and give me suggestions as to where to go from here!

We just sat and actually enjoyed each other's company for once in our lives. It was a good feeling. Maybe an hour later, Louie's cell phone rang. It was Cinnamon.

"Okay, man, I gotta head'er. We're meeting Cinnamon's parents tonight to tell them the news."

"What? I don't even get to meet her?"

"Are you kidding? You meet her now I won't see you again till the wedding!"

"Oh, ouch!" I said, feigning pain in my chest.

"I know you better than that, brother of mine," he said, standing.

"You need a ride somewhere?"

"Nope. She's just getting off work. It's close enough to walk. Thanks though." He put his jacket on and reached out a hand. "You go catch up with Maria," he said with a wink I didn't appreciate.

I shook his hand warmly, but gave him a dirty look. When he'd gone, I picked up my beer and went over to the booth where Maria and Gerry were sitting. She saw me and smiled, moving over on the bench so I could sit down.

"Louie leave?" she asked.

"Yeah. He's meeting his future in-laws tonight."

"Man, I'm so happy for that guy!" she said.

"What? You know about all this?"

"I helped him pick out the ring."

I sat back in amazement. How much had I missed? She just laughed. "What? It's so shocking to you? The man's like a brother to me too, you know. Someone had to help him pull himself together – what with his real sibling being too much of a big-shot scientist to spare a minute or two."

Apart from my dead mother, no one could put me in my place like Maria.

"I've missed you too," I said, unable to hide the note of bitterness in my voice.

I guess Gerry realized he would never be able to catch up on our history because he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and put a twenty dollar bill on the table. "I suddenly miss my dog," he quipped, standing.

I thought Maria might apologize, but it would seem she'd already done some explaining before I got here. "See you at work tomorrow," was all she said.

Gerry nodded, told me it was good to meet me and left.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to break up your dinner," I said.

"Not at all. He kinda expected to leave when I saw you here." She sat back and looked me over. "You look good. Tired, but good."

"Thanks."

"I'm surprised to see you. Never expected to see you 'round here again."

I shrugged. "It was my brother's choice."

"And since when did you start doing what your brother wanted you to?" she asked sardonically.

"Are you mad at me or something?" I asked, knowing the answer.

She scoffed. "What? My best friend picks up and leaves and doesn't contact me for two years and I'm supposed to be okay with that?"

"Phone works both ways, sweetheart."

"Yeah, it would, if I had your phone number."

I wouldn't win this one, so I didn't respond. Just sat and took her in again. She was trying to look mad, but her green-blue eyes were sparkling so I knew she wasn't that angry. I'd almost forgot how beautiful she was.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" I asked.

She took my hand in hers and started massaging my palm and my fingers the way she used to when we were kids. Didn't seem as childish anymore somehow. "Stay here and catch up with me."

"Why do you always do that?" I asked her, indicating our hands.

She shrugged. "It always relaxed you. You seem a little tense right now. You want me to stop?"

"No. I was just curious."

"Hmm. And what is it that's making you so tense right now anyway? Being back in the old 'hood or something else?" she asked.

"Little from column 'a', little from column 'b'…" I admitted. "Got locked in a panic room with a cadaver today."

"You did what now?" she asked, shocked. I always liked being able to shock her.

"Oh, you didn't hear about that? I thought being a journalist and all…" I teased.

She smacked me. "I do the Arts section. You know how much I hate the 'real' news."

"Okay, okay. Take it easy. Tell me you at least know who Hunter Hudson is."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Yes, I know who Hunter Hudson is."

"He was murdered this morning. I was working the case. His was the cadaver I got to babysit."

"Okay, but where does the panic room fit in?"

"He was found in his bedroom and his bedroom was the panic room."

"How did you get out?"

"The stupid locksmith, who initially claimed he had to cut a new hole in the wall to get me out, actually had the code."

"Why didn't he use it right away?"

"Because he killed Mr. Hudson."

"Ah, I see."

"You're not gonna run to work now and put this all in the papers, are you?"

She laughed. "Uh, no. That murder has nothing to do with the arts. I'll let the crime beat take care of that, thank you."

We lapsed into silence. There was so much to say but neither of us really knew where to start.

"Did you work things out with your brother?" she asked.

"I think so. Did you have a hand in that, too?"

"You know I did."

"Yeah, well, thanks, I guess. I get to be his best man."

"Good. At least I know I'll have a hot guy at my side."

"Lemme guess, you're the maid of honor."

"You are clever. I knew there was a reason you got into science."

"Ha ha." I squeezed her hand then kissed it. "How are you, anyway?"

She smiled, but her eyes were kinda sad. "Doin' okay. Busy."

"With work or with something else?"

"Little from column 'a', little from column 'b'," she countered.

"How're your parents?" Out of all the people in Maria's life, it was her parents that had caused her the most pain. Her dad used to be a longshoreman. He lost his arm in a work-related accident when she was 10. He became depressed and alcoholic shortly after. Her Puerto Rican mother had very little patience for his coping mechanisms and the two would have arguments you could hear for blocks. When it finally disintegrated into physical fighting, that's when Maria started leaving. I found her trying to sleep on the fire escape outside my window the first night it happened. I made her come inside. She refused to sleep in my bed, though. Insisted on sleeping on my window seat. I ended up moving my bed close to the window seat so we could talk in whispers. She was always kind of weird about accepting any physical comforting. Didn't even like when my mom hugged her very much. I wonder if she's still like that. Anyway, I can't even count now how many nights we spent like that. She always left early in the morning so that her parents would never know she was gone.

"Good as can be expected. Dad's still living on his own in the old apartment. Mom's started dating another Italian."

"She a sucker for punishment?" I quipped.

"That's what I said. She just cursed me out, like always."

As far as I knew, there was no on in New York who was better at cursing you out than Maria's mom. Except maybe Maria. She could do it in three languages, Spanish, Italian and English. The worst was when she cursed you out in all three. Then you really knew you were in trouble.

"Ah, so it's business as usual, then," I said.

Her smile was vacant and I started to worry. "Let's go for a walk," she said suddenly.

We got up, settled our tabs and headed outside. She started walking briskly down the street, but I dawdled a little.

She turned around to look at me. "Danny Messer, are you checking out my ass?"

"So what if I am?"

"Isn't there some rule against checking out your best friend?" she asked, her arms crossed across her beautiful breasts.

"I can't help it. Your ass is really hot."

She grabbed my lapels and spun me around. "So is yours," she said, laughing and smacking my butt before looping her arm through mine.

"What? You never thought about us? You know, there being an us?" I asked in mock seriousness.

"Of course I did. You just never asked me."

"Only because you told me not to."

She gave a half-laugh. "Come on, Danny. We were young and stupid. And you never would've become a CSI if we'd got together."

"How do you figure?"

"You would've knocked me up, took the first job you could get your hands on, probably as a longshoreman, and we would've ended up just like my parents."

"Says you."

"Yeah, says me. Come on, we've had this conversation before."

"I know, I know. It's just been a while. I wanted to have it again."

We walked for a while before she pressed herself against me to get my wandering attention. "You okay with this?" she asked.

"With what?"

"Walkin' around the neighborhood like this."

"Yeah. I'm all right. That's all history, right?"

"I dunno. Is it?"

"For the most part," I said evasively.

"I heard about Sonny," she said quietly.

Ah yes, I was kind of expecting this. Maria dated Sonny for a few years in her early 20s. Her 'bad boy' phase, she liked to call it. She had a lot of 'bad boy' phases, as I recall. There was nothing we fought over more than her choices for boyfriends.

"What, you don't still have a thing for him, do you?" I asked in half seriousness.

"You know that I don't, Danny."

"So what then? He killed a Tanglewood wannabe. We arrested him. End of story."

"Yeah right, end of story. I didn't bring him up to start a fight, Danny. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Shit. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions.

"I'm okay," I relented. "Were you the one who helped Louie pay off his debts?" I asked.

"Maybe."

"Does Sonny know that?"

"Only if you tell him."

"Why do you look out for Louie the way you do?"

"You and Louie are the only family I have. Just…seemed natural. I was in a position to help him, so I did."

"You really mean what you said back there about helping him because I wouldn't?"

"Only partly. I know you two better than that. You're each other's best friend and worst enemy all wrapped into one. I knew Louie would never clean himself up till he got out of debt and I knew you would never help him get out of debtuntil he got himself cleaned up. Someone had to break the cycle."

I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You're something else, Maria."

I could see her shut down in reaction to my display of affection. She'd always done that to some extent, but it was somehow different this time.

"You okay?" I asked her.

"Ah Danny," she said, her voice shuddering slightly. "When have I ever been okay?"

I stopped her and turned to face her. "What's going on?" I asked, looking intently into her eyes. She wouldn't make eye contact with me and I got a sinking feeling in my gut.

"Carlos raped me," she barely whispered it, but I heard her. Carlos Giambi. Right hand man to Sonny Sassone and my former friend. I could feel my blood boil in my veins. I was gripping her arms and had to let go because I knew I would bruise her, my hands were clenching so tight. I couldn't speak. I wanted to fucking kill him.

She turned and started walking again. It took all of my energy to convince myself to start moving again.

"I went to the cops, but you know they're all owned out here. I got a rape kit done anyway. Gave it to someone I trusted."

"When?" was all I could manage.

"Two days ago."

I was shaking I was so mad. I couldn't even string a coherent thought together in my own head. "I'll fucking kill him," I spat.

This time, she stopped and turned to look at me. "I don't want you to kill him," she said, an angry fire in her eyes. "I want you to arrest his ass and turn him against Sonny and lock that bastard away for as long as he has breath left."

I must have given her a perplexed look because her hands clenched and she said, "Sonny ordered it! He fucking ordered to have me raped! The same man who told me…" she struggled to find the words. "He told me he fucking loved me. That he would never hurt me. Rat fucking bastard." Tears were streaming down her cheeks by now. I pulled her into an embrace, but she didn't return it. She stood there, cold and unreceptive and my heart broke for all the shit she had endured in her life.

"Hey, hey, shh," I tried to comfort her. God, let me through, girl. For once in your life…

She pulled away from me abruptly and started digging in her purse. She pulled out a business card and passed it to me. "This is the name of the doctor who has my rape kit."

I took it from her, wishing there was something more I could do.

"My boss won't let me work this," I told her. The panicked look she gave me nearly made me nauseous. "But I'm gonna be there with you, through this whole thing, okay?" I quickly reassured her.

She nodded and ran a hand over her face. "What do I do next?" she asked.

"You let me make a phone call." I hit a few numbers and called Mac. I explained the situation when he answered. I felt old and tired.

Maria was looking at me expectantly. "Come on. My boss wants to take a statement from you," I told her, offering my arm again. "I'll drive."

"I'm sorry, Danny…" she started, but I cut her off.

"Don't you dare apologize to me. You did nothing wrong." She just nodded and clung a little tighter to me.