A/N: Never mentioned it last chap but the song was Vermillion Pt. 2 from Slipknot pretty cool song. Gonna have to omit Bosco for this chapter but don't worry he'll be in the next one, maybe even in the last one of these who the hell really knows, if I run out of thoughts then he will. Another pairing is going to take place and its going to be funny how its discovered but look at me (haha you cant) I'm already saying to much so here it is. I'm not exactly sure how long you have to go to school to become a CSI but everything will be explained. Also jumping ahead 6 months, and no I haven't gone crazy. Ok maybe I have but oh well, can't change that. There will be something happening in the nex few chapters, that well I'm not going to tell.
True to his word, Greg had asked Brass to run a background check on Lisa, only to find out she had a perfect record not even a parking ticket, or arrests. Lily spent the nights with Lisa and in the morning when Ashley was done would pick her up, if she had to work a double, which she did more often than not, Lisa didn't object. Lisa always told her that Mark did everything for her, like get her the toy she wanted and let her pick the daily movie all three of them watched, the movie would always finish just before Ashley arrived.
From the background check Brass had run, Ashley learned exactly what Lisa did for a living, she was half owner of a bar not to far from here, she did the paper work for it so that meant she only had to go to bar about once a week and collect the papers. She had a small fortune, tucked away in a trust fund for Mark when he turned thirty.
Today was her last proficiency test, then she would be free to work on other cases with other people, working with Grissom was fine but he was rather tight lipped and left her to do most of the work, which she was fine with, that was part of her job description wasn't it?
Grissom was talking to Brass, as she scouted the area for evidence. It was a rather unusual foggy night in Vegas, no one had really noticed where the fog had come from it just kinda rolled in, under everyone's noses. Even the weather dude didn't know how it came about. Vegas was usually hot and dry, you need moisture for fog, which Vegas didn't have, not much anyways. And the temperatures weren't cool enough for fog. So like the mystery of life, where the fog had come from was still a mystery.
Tonight's case was a four year old that had been found stabbed, it riled Ashley a bit, knowing that Lily wasn't that far off from that age, only a year to go. Lily was turning three next week. At the moment she was following a trail of blood drops that she'd found in the alley, the lights and voices slowly fading into the night. She was at the end of the blood trail, she photographed it, then pulled the fiber that was stick in the middle of it. A purple one, the little child had been wearing a purple t-shirt. The main suspect in this case so far was the missing father. She didn't understand if someone didn't want a child, then why have one? If it was an accident, why not put the child up for adoption? Babies went fast. Why treat them like crap, in the system as bad as it was, they had a higher chance of turning out okay, then with a parents who treated them like crap.
Her knees protesting that she had been squatting too long, she stood, she heard the movement behind her the second that she was grabbed. One arm around her waist pinning her against someone the other arm holding a knife to her neck, she could feel the sticky substance on the knife pressing on her neck. No one knew she was back here, if she screamed for help, he would slit her throat, she had to try and stop him before he either killed her or dragged her off to kill her. Their missing suspect wasn't missing anymore. He smelled of cheap cigarettes and stale beer, and death.
"I never really liked kids you know" he whispered into her ear, his voice making her blood run cold
"Then why have one?" he held her tighter as she squirmed trying to throw him off balance.
"Her bitch of a mother ran out on us, leaving the little brat" he pressed the knife tip into her skin, any further and it would draw blood.
"Couldn't you put give her up for adoption?"
"No she's mine, MINE"
The yelling of mine alerted Grissom that something was wrong in the alley, so did Brass and a few other officers as they took off, careful not to wreck any of the little signs with plastic numbers on them. Light flooded the alley at once and they saw what had caused the yelling.
To anyone it was obvious that Ashley was scared shitless, the hard part was talking the man down, letting him release Ashley.
"SHE WAS MINE" he hollered into Ashley's ear, him still oblivious they were being watched now.
"I understand that, I wouldn't want anyone taking away my little girl" she whispered
"You have a little one"
"No" she lied "haven't meet Mr. Right"
"Let me give you some advice kid there is no Mr. Right out there only boys who want to get in your pants"
"Thanks for that, I'll be more careful" her arm brushed against her gun, normally she wasn't supposed to have one but, she had been a cop before so they allowed her to have one. She just wasn't allowed to use it, she was still on probation. I think Ecklie would understand why I did. Her hand slowly came up, if she threw suspicion his way, he would clue in, and take it from her, her chance of getting out of this alive would decrease even more.
"Let her go" Brass called over the distance, several officers's had their guns raised to them. One wrong shot and it could be Ashley who wound up dead. She caught Grissom's gaze and lowered hers to her gun, then back up, Grissom whispered something into the other man's ear and then Brass told his men to drop his weapons. Brass started talking
"If you let her go, we'll cut a deal"
"No nice try though, I know what kind of deal, lethal injection, instead of death row" trying to keep his attention on Brass and away from Ashley who's hand had almost reached the gun at her side, was failing as the guy grabbed her even tighter pulling her harder against him, she started over again. She unclasped the buckle. She glanced at Grissom again, he nodded his head so slowly that you wouldn't know he did it, if you weren't looking for it. Her hand dropped, as his brushed against hers. She waited as he secured his grip on her.
"Listen this is only going to get worse for you, so come on let her go" after that she zoned out everyone only hearing her own heart beat as she reached for her gun. She felt the cold metal weight in her fingers only one squeeze and this would be over. Grissom watching over her every move. Knowing that taking off the safety would make a small noise she cleared throat.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he said quietly to her
"My throat's dry"
Just before she pulled the trigger, the guy caught on to what Grissom was watching and shifted as she pulled it. Pain instantly went through her leg and she saw blood coming out of it, she also felt his arms let go of her, her bullet had made it's mark, his foot. He fell to the ground grabbing his foot. While Grissom grabbed her and the paramedics came rushing over.
She sat in an ambulance, a blanket over her shoulders, she didn't know why it was at 75 outside but it was to keep the shock away. Which the med's were doing a fine job of. Grissom stood standing at the bottom, guilt clouded his eyes, if he hadn't being following her actions then the bullet wouldn't have grazed her leg.
"If you don't mind I would like to finish the case, it is my last proficiency" surely there wasn't a more stubborn person in the state of Nevada who after grazing her own leg with a bullet wanted to finish up her case. He wasn't sure if that was a good CSI talking or a stupid one. And this case was also an open and shut case. An easy one.
"I don't see any problem with that, as long as your off your feet"
"That's the only thing I can do, after I get these to trace and DNA, I have to finish the report and wait for the results, cause the confession he made to me will not be admissible in court only hear say"
Now that was a good CSI talking.
Grissom carried both kits in, and told Ashley to lean on him so she could walk and she had come right out and told him
"I was shot, not crimpled" not exactly the truth the bullet only grazing her but still. She walked by herself unaided.
Hearing the commotion Greg and Sara came out of the break room, both facing looking a little flushed. Ashley smiled she knew exactly what they were doing.
"What happened?" Greg asked noticing how Grissom carried both cases, which should have been Ashley's job.
"Nothing really" she just wanted to get it over with, wanting no one to pity her for what she went through, but Grissom answered
"A bullet grazed her leg" thankfully leaving the part out that she had been held at knife point, Greg would go ballistic, he'd gotten protective of her over the last few years even if she was older. Sara saw the blood on her neck, that Ashley had tried to cover with her hair but she remained quiet. Seconds later Greg noticed it too
"Why is there blood on your neck?"
"My neck got itchy?" she said hoping he'd believe her, but he didn't and Grissom answered for her again
"The suspect held her at knife point" this was none of their business and here Grissom was telling anyone would listen, Greg did ask but dammit she should have the choice to tell who ever she chose to what happened and she would rather leave it be.
"He what!" Greg practically yelled, Ashley looked at Grissom
"I'm quite capable of telling them myself thank you" Sara and Greg stood in shock, they had never heard anyone basically tell Grissom off before. His response was to smile and reply
"I have to fill out the injury report, so I can tell whoever"
"Can I have my kit please?" he handed her a kit.
"I'm off to DNA and Trace" Ashley left them all standing there.
An hour later, Ashley half walked half limped, into the break room, everything completed, just waiting for the results so she could hand everything in, she looked around before going to a cupboard and reaching behind containers filled with various things. To the normal eye, it looked liked a cupboard full of containers that were found, but behind them were a big bag of marshmallows. She looked around again and reached in to grab a few, her own secret stash. All the other's had stashes.
Greg had his coffee, which was in on the highest shelf in the cupboard right of the sink. Sara had her M&M's stashed in the little cleft under the table. Warrick had his stash of jujubes taped to the back of the fridge, Nick had his licorice in the cupboard to below the sink hidden behind the sink. Catherine had Milano cookies stashed behind the pop machine and Grissom, obsessed with bugs had Chocolate covered grasshoppers in fridge marked in a jar that said Pig brains. She actually was shocked that Grissom would eat bugs that he was so highly interested in but there was a first for everything.
She had no clue why anyone would believe that, the jar was a front, the middle had nothing it, except for his grasshoppers. Smart move. She had discovered that one day when she wanted to know what it had actually smelled liked and discovered the chocolate, she had looked around seeing no one had seen what she was doing she ate one and regretted it the moment she bit into it. She swallowed it with the help of water and wiped the jar clean of any prints. Just in case.
She had known whom they belonged to because she had seen each member come out of the break room at different times with something different. So she got curious and had started searching. And found them. She didn't know if the others knew where the other's stash was but if they did they said nothing. She grabbed a few more then closed the cupboard. Everyone was none the wiser. No she knew how everyone could to double sometimes-triple shifts. They were all junk food junkies!
"Something funny?" she spun around, she had a marshmallow in her mouth so she shook her hand no and begun to get herself a cup of coffee, slowly chewing, so Nick wouldn't know she was eating. She grabbed her coffee and sat rereading over the report that would decide if she was CSI material or not. She was not going to show him how much he bothered her, either way.
"I heard about what happened" he too poured himself some coffee
"Good for you, you actually listened for once" she moved on to another page.
She heard the soft click of a cupboard shutting then saw Nick bit off a piece of licorice and chew it slowly.
"Want some?" he held up a new piece
"No" her pager went off, she looked down at the message her DNA was ready.
"Meet me after shift" he said gently as he put the last piece of licorice in his mouth, as she stood and gathered her things.
"Why?" she looked at him and gave him a look that said she'd rather be somewhere else so make it quick.
"They're some things you need to know" they walked out together and went their separate ways.
"Normally I wouldn't do this but I moved yours up to the top of the list" Mia was pitying her, which made her on guard.
"Thank you" she said dryly, Mia unaware of the tone in her voice
"The skin underneath of the little girl's fingernails was the fathers, and the blood on the knife was the little girl's" Slam dunk, she took the results that Mia handed her, all she need was trace and she was gold. Speaking of the devil, Hodges came in, looking full of himself as always.
"Tell me what do Barney the dinosaur and Dora the Explorer's back pack have in common with the fiber I ran?" What the hell was he talking about?
"Their all purple" she already knew the girl's shirt was purple, she'd photographed it and taken it from David.
"Correct but only one of them matches the victim's shirt" Swish, swish another slam-dunk, the case was solved; the bastard was going away for a long time.
"Thank you Hodges" he stared at her blood soaked leg,
"Is there something else?" he looked up shaking himself out of it.
"No" he left.
"What scares me is that he knows about that stuff" Ashley told Mia before leaving.
She wanted to go home and sleep but she had Lily to look after, she seriously didn't know how she got any sleep with that child but she sensed that Lisa had something to do with so that Lily slept when Ashley slept. To do that Lisa would have to keep Lily up. One more year then Lily would be in school, full-time she could sleep then. It was a funny thing to wish for but hey she valued sleep as much as anyone.
Nick met her at the entrance; sleep the last thought on her mind. He was eating yet another piece of licorice, it amazed her how he didn't get cavities. His smile sometimes temporarily blinded her, this was a rare occasion when the sun was brighter than his teeth.
"You ready?" No, would she ever really be ready?
"As I'll ever be"
"Where are we going?" she asked following him to…her car.
"Well we're going to talk then drop me off at my place, cars in the shop"
"Here's fine" he pointed to a park not to far from his apartment. The car pulled to a stop.
"What's so important that we just had to talk?"
He swallowed before he answered, thinking now that his idea of telling her everything wasn't such a good idea anymore. But he did anyways
" Roughly six years ago I was working a case, the owner of the house was killed from his cable guy who was stalking him. The guy went missing, until I came up close and personal with the guy, he was in my apartment that night when I came home. A few months later a friend of mine was killed hours after I left, almost got charged with her murder cause I was the last one to see her alive. And about three years ago I got buried alive almost shot myself in fear I was never going to be found, I sometimes still wake up feeling ants all over me, in my hair, under my skin. And I still sleep with the lights on"
She didn't understand why he was telling her all this, it was none of her business
"And I keep telling everyone that I'm ok but sometimes the feelings just come back and overwhelm me until I can't breathe. I cant even close my bathroom door when I'm in there, sometimes the apartment is even to small for me and I started sleeping outside, trying to get rid of the feeling of being closed in"
They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke
"Why are you telling me this?"
"It's only fair"
"I don't need you or anyone else to feel sorry for me, that's why I don't tell anyone"
"Well if you had only told me about it" right she had just gotten through saying why she didn't tell anyone.
"I'm tired, so I'm gonna take you home now"
Carrying a sleeping child was not an easy task, it was nothing but dead weight and that weight strained her already tired muscles, he leg was in pain now. How many more times could she hurt herself before she became crippled? She had spotted Greg's car in its usual spot so she knew he was home but was he with Sara? More than likely. She stopped at his door for a few seconds before hollering through the door, all of the neighbors on this floor had already gone to work it was going on ten o'clock in the morning.
"Night Greg" she called through the door, she'd let them think that no one knew about them, but other's suspected they were but only she knew. All in good time.
Now if only she could find herself someone she'd be all set.
A/N: I'm starting to feel that no one likes this story is that true should I just stop now?