Title: Misdemeanors

Disclaimer: Language, violence, angst, and slash.

POV: Speed

Chapter Eight: Wrong Turn

My cell phone rings for the umpteenth time. The caller ID identifies the number. It's Horatio. Just like it has been the last twenty-odd calls that have come through. I shut my phone off and toss it onto the couch. I don't want to talk to him. In fact, I don't want to talk to anyone. I unplug the phone in my apartment. They couldn't bear to talk to me when I was around, why should they bother now? Some friends they turned out to be. My job used to be my life. I loved going in and solving the puzzles with Delko and watching Calleigh identify a gun just by looking at a bullet. Then Ryan entered the picture. Now I might as well not even exist. I think what hurts the most is the way Horatio is acting. He's always been the kind-hearted one, the one who tries to make others feel better. He's always there for the victims. I'm the victim this time and that caring Horatio is nowhere in sight. Now I'm just the enemy.

I open the fridge door and pull out an old bottle of whiskey. I bought it the day before I got shot. I don't really care for the taste of the stuff but right now, any alcohol will do. I pop the top off and pour some into a glass. The smell is nearly sickening. With the glass in one hand and the bottle in the other I make my way over to the couch. All the lights are off and that's the way I want it to stay. I take a sip of the strong liquid. The taste if awful. Like my life.

The clock on my wall ticks away the seconds, the minutes, as I drink glass after glass of whiskey. A knock sounds at my door as I find myself half-way through glass four. The alcohol is coursing through my system. I get up and peek through the peep-hole. Ryan is standing on the other side. I look at my watch. Shift ended only twenty minutes ago. Why the hell does he have to come here? Hasn't he made things bad enough? The alcohol fuels my anger and I open the door.

"Damn, Speed, have you been drinking scotch or something?"

"Whiskey," I say before I realize that I don't have to answer him if I don't want to. This is my place after all. "What the hell do you want?"

"I came by to check on you. After this afternoon I figured you would need a bit of company," he replies.

I scoff. "And what makes you think that I want your company?"

He shrugs. "Horatio told us that you quit. Calleigh was left speechless, Delko couldn't believe it, and Alexx cried. What's going on, Speed?"

"Stop calling me Speed. Only my friends can call me that. And since I no longer have any friends…." I trail off. "Go away, Ryan. Leave me alone. You wanted my job, you got it. You wanted my friends and you got them too. Do you want my apartment? 'Cause I'll gladly go live on the street if it'll make your life easier."

He frowns. "I never wanted any of those things. I just wanted to be accepted as part of the team. I never meant for all this to happen. I told Horatio that hiring me when he did wasn't a good idea. He should have waited a week or two longer, give you some time to adjust to the idea."

"Adjust? Adjust to what? To the fact that you are what everyone wants now?"

He shakes his head. "I don't care about what they want. I care about what you want. I know that you want me gone. And if it'll make you happy, I'll leave. Just say the words and Horatio will find my resignation on his desk by tomorrow morning."

These aren't the words I'm expecting him to say. "I don't understand."

He brushes pass me into my apartment without my inviting him in. "Contrary to what you may believe, Tim, I don't want to be your enemy. I want to be your friend. I like you."

I glare at him as I close the door. All the alcohol in my system is being burned away by the anger. "Why do you have to keep kissing me?"

A blush creeps across his cheeks. "Because, like I said, I like you."

"I don't do guys," I sneer.

The conversation takes a halt while he thinks over those words and absorbs them. "Then how about I make a bet with you."

"What kind of bet?"

"Let me kiss you one last time. If you don't feel anything, I'll be gone from your life for good. I'll transfer to another state, another crime lab, far from here. What do you have to say?"

The thought of his lips on mine is enough to complete squash out the last of the alcohol in my system. Do I want him out of my life bad enough that I'll let him kiss me again? A simple kiss is all that stands between this hell and me getting my life back. A little kiss. Is it worth my pride?

"Fine, but you have to promise to leave if I don't feel anything."

He raises his hand like he's swearing in at court. "I'm a man of my word and I promise you from the depths of my heart that I will leave this life behind."

"Let's get this done and over with already," I say.

Ryan smiles as he walks over to me. I can't believe that I'm going to let him kiss me again. Ryan stops in front of me. He places his hands on my cheeks and leans forward. His lips brush against mine ever so slightly. The sensation is tickling. Then he actually kisses me. His lips touch mine with a hungry force. Much to my dismay I feel my body temperature rising. The kiss grows more passionate and I push him away.

Someone bangs on the apartment door. I roll over in bed to check the time. The glowing red lights of my alarm clock tell me that it's ten-thirty at night. A bit late for people to be making house calls. I curl-up on my bed and close my eyes to fall back asleep. A hand brushes against my bare back.

"You should probably answer that, they sound really instant."

I sit up in bed and turn on the bedside lamp. The covers rest over my lower half, covering the fact that I'm naked. Before getting out of the bed I lean over and pluck my boxer from the floor. I slip into them. Then I turn my eyes on Ryan. He's lying in the bed, his eyes half-closed in a drowsy way.

"You had better be dressed and ready to leave before I get back in here. You hear me?"

Instead of waiting for him to answer I make my way out of my bedroom, making sure to close the door behind me. The pounding on my front door gets a bit more hectic. If they keep it up they'll not only wake-up my neighbors but they'll breakdown my door.

"Hold your horses," I mumble as I unlock the door. "What the hell is so important-"

Horatio stands on the other side of the door.

"What do you want? It's late, can't this wait until tomorrow?"

He shakes his head. "I'm sorry to be calling on you so late, Speed. But I came here to pass on some news." His troubled blue eyes lock on mine. "There was an accident earlier tonight. Calleigh and Delko had gone to a club or something. They just wanted to unwind after hearing that you walked-out. I-"

"Are they okay?"

"I'm not really sure. I haven't been to the hospital yet. Or even to the crime scene. I was on my way to bed when the call came in, when I heard it was them I rushed over here to notify you," he explains.

"Let me get dressed and we'll head over to the hospital together." They may not have been the best friends lately but I do still hold them close in my heart. They're my only family. Always my family. No matter how much they push me away. And anyway, a trip to the hospital is better than hanging around my apartment thinking about Ryan lying naked in my bed. Anything has to be better than that.