I rarely feel as stupid and incompetent as I do right now… what am I thinking, charging down the stairs, ready to yell 'guilty' at this guy who I've never talked to? I stop and slump to the landing. Greg catches up and notices me crumpled on the floor. I hardly notice as he slides down the wall to sit next to me. I stare straight ahead.
"Alexis?" Greg's hand touches my shoulder gently. No matter how shocked I am, Greg will always be able to pull me out of it. I didn't realize that tears were streaming down my face until he reaches up and wipes them away.
"Greg, what if I'm making a huge mistake? Everything I know says that this guy is guilty as hell, but I've never even seen him. What kind of CSI am I?" I put my head in my hands, ashamed to look at him.
"Alexis, if that assumption makes you a bad CSI, then imagine what that would make me… I mean, I feel like I know this guy is guilty. End of story, lock the bastard up and throw away the key. But we both know we can't do that… we have to pull ourselves together and go talk to this guy. All right, Alexis?" I look up into his sincere brown eyes; he's closer than he has ever been. If I moved just a few centimeters forward, the space between our lips would be gone, bringing my fantasy for the last year to a blissful reality. He seems to notice this as well… his eyes seem to grow a bit wider, his face a bit closer to mine. I want to make this fantasy real, but even when I'm in love, the scientific side of my mind kicks in. He leans even closer and I stop him.
"Greg… we're on the clock." My voice is a little above a whisper. He pulls back, nodding and smiling, as if nothing happened. I sigh and start to stand, but Greg stands before me and offers his hand. I reach up and take it, smiling at him. He has a goofy grin plastered on his face. He helps me up... I'm so close to him, I can feel the heat radiating from his body. Still holding hands, we go down the stairs together.
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Gunnar Fiddy; age 18, green eyes, messy cut black hair. He's leaning against the wall, not a care in the world. He doesn't even bother to look interested when Greg and I introduce ourselves as the Las Vegas Crime Lab. He just steps aside and lets us into his small house. I take it all in; a couch, two chairs, a TV and a coffee table cover the living room. Look around the corner, I can see the kitchen, and beyond that a small hallway. Gunnar sits on the couch.
"You guys want a beer or something?" I raise my eyebrows at Greg.
"We're all right, thanks. So, you reported that you heard screams coming from next door?" He nods lazily, and reaches for the remote. I clear my throat loudly and he looks over, rethinking his action. After a moment, he scoffs and leans back in the couch. "May I?" I don't wait for him to answer; I sit in the chair across from him. "Well Mr. Fiddy, we'd like to thank you for the call. Now, if you don't mind, I need to ask you some questions." He burps; I take this for an approval. "How well did you know the victim?" He laughs a little.
"So something did happen to the bitch?" I pull back a little, alarmed.
"Sir, be respectful. She's dead." He shakes his head, running his hands through his hair.
"I knew her pretty good… she'd come over sometimes…" he must have noticed the look I give Greg, because he quickly amends his previous statement. "Nothing funny, just to watch TV, get help with homework… whatever. I didn't care."
"When was the last time you saw the victim?"
"Last night, around midnight. She just crawled into bed with-" his eyes narrow as he realizes what he's said. "I mean…" his eyes now have a new emotion sparkling behind them; fear.
"Sir, do you mind if we search the premises?"
"Whatever." He's trying to gain back the cool guy act he was putting on when we came in, which is good for us; we're now free to search the house, no warrant needed. I nod to Greg, and he follows me down the hallway. The first door lets us into a bathroom. It's small and dirty. I move on; we can always check that out later. The next door is a linen closet. I quickly move on from that to the last door in the hall. I push it open gently and enter. Even in the darkness, I can make out each of the shapes. A queen size bed lies unmade in the middle of the room, beneath a large window. There's a small bookcase with books thrown haphazardly into its shelves. A desk with multiple drawers is against another wall, and then there's a closet. Greg hangs back in the doorway while I step forward to look around.
"Greg." He's at my side immediately. I pull out my maglite and aim it at the bed. No need to move it around, looking for evidence; the first place I aim it, a large stain illuminates. I search the rest of the bed systematically, so I don't miss any spots. Greg and I watch in amazement as almost every inch of the sheet illuminates as I pass the light over it. Greg takes pictures, and we start to swab it, but decide to bag the whole sheet. I hold it up, sickened and proud. If we can match any of the DNA on the sheet to Kelsey's, this should be more than enough evidence for a more thorough search. I smile at Greg.
"I think we may have him." Greg smiles at me, too, and my head spins again. Gunnar suddenly appears in the doorway.
"What are you doing?" He sounds sick and scared. I walk up to him, getting ready to leave.
"We're just going to take this back to the lab to process it. You don't mind, do you? Good." I walk out the door, and Greg follows close behind.
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The corner has moved the body by the time we get back. Grissom and Sara are having a discussion in the middle of the bloodstained room.
"What do we know?" Greg whispers to Brass so as not to disturb them.
"COD seems to be stab wound to the back, but we're not sure yet. There were traces of a white powder on the bedside table, looks like coke. Like I said, we won't know anything for sure until it gets processed. What did you guys get?"
"This guy said something about the deceased getting into bed with him, so we took his sheet." I pass it to Brass. He sighs and takes the bag.
"Good work you two. Why don't you head back to the lab and start getting on someone's ass about our evidence?" I nod.
"Gladly."
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I have never been so glad to have a shift be over. It's emotionally exhausting to battle with yourself. So far, we haven't gotten any results, but Grissom said he was extremely pleased with our work. I'm still smiling as I walk out to the parking lot. I pull out my keys and start to grab for the car key when I feel someone behind me. I whirl around quickly; Gunnar is standing there, watching me with gleaming eyes.
"Alexis?"
"Mr. Fiddy, as a suspect in the current case, I'm not allowed to talk with you."
"Why not?"
"How do you know my name?" He just grins; it sends shivers down my spine.
"Alexis?" I turn again. Greg is coming out of the lab. He spots Gunnar and rushes over. "Mr. Fiddy, you're not permitted to be here. Leave." I've never heard Greg take this tone with anyone. Gunnar's eyes narrow again. He hesitates, and then retreats into the darkness.
"See ya around… Angel."
I gasp and tears spring from my eyes. It didn't sound like he was calling me angel… it sounded like he was calling up ghosts from the past. It's probably just my imagination, though. Greg puts a warm hand on my cheek.
"Are you all right?"
"Nice timing, Greg." I smile and laugh weakly.
"Hey, you're shaking." It's true; my knees feel like they're going to disappear completely. "Let me drive you home." I don't trust myself to speak, so I nod. He leads me to his car and helps me into the passenger seat. I lean back in the chair and Greg gets in, slamming the door shut behind him. I open an eye a little and look at him. He's looking at my face with… I'm not sure, exactly. He looks like he's never seen anything like me before, like he wants to reach out and touch me but just can't bring himself to do it. He sighs and starts the car. I sit up, looking at Greg. He's focused on the road now; I want to see that look again.
"Do you mind if I put in a CD?" I shake my head. He reaches across and opens the glove compartment. His hand brushes my thigh and I gasp slightly. He turns a bright shade of red. "Sorry." He pulls out a CD and snaps it shut again. He puts it in, and waits for music to fill the car. I roll my window down as the music starts; the breeze blows my hair wildly around my face.
She rolls the window down
and she talks over the sound
of the cars that pass us by
and I don't know why
but she's changed my mind
Greg and I laugh as we realize that I just rolled down the window; he seems to be watching me for a reaction.
Would you look at her
She looks at me
She's got me thinking about her constantly
But she don't know how I feel
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if she's figured out
I'm crazy for this girl
Yeah, I'm crazy for this girl
She was the one to hold me
The night
The sky fell down
And what was I thinking when
The world didn't end
Why didn't I know what I know now
Would you look at her
She looks at me
She's got me thinking about her constantly
But she don't know how I feel
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if she's figured out
I'm crazy for this girl
Yeah, I'm crazy for this girl
Greg is still watching me, and I think I'm starting to get the message.
Right now
Face to face
All my fears
Pushed aside
And right now
I'm ready to spend the rest of my life
With you
Would you look at her
She looks at me
She's got me thinking about her constantly
But she don't know how I feel
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if she's figured out
I'm crazy for this girl
Yeah, I'm crazy for this girl
I look over at him, not daring to believe what my heart is telling me. We're already in my driveway; I don't know how long we've been here.
"Greg… was there a reason you played that song?" He grins impishly at me.
"Maybe." I smile and laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow, Alexis… try to get some sleep." He leans over to open the door for me and I turn my head. Our lips graze each others softly. I freeze; Greg, however, changes the course of his hand from the doorknob to the back of my head. He brings my lips to his in a gentle kiss. My heart is racing… I drape my hands around his shoulders and he deepens the kiss. I let my fingers run through his hair as he explores my back with his hands. Several minutes later, I pull away, gasping for breath.
"Greg?" He smiles at me again and leans in and gives me another soft kiss.
"I'll see you tomorrow Alexis… I'll pick you up, all right?" I nod, speechless. He smiles as I stumble out of the car and watch him drive away. He honks farewell and I stand in amazement and watch as his taillights disappear into the endless darkness.
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A/N: All scientific observations and names of tools are drawn simply from memory… so sorry bout that! I don't own "Crazy for this Girl" from Dawson's Creek.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICE!