So i want to thank those who reviewed. I know there aren't many reviews, but i really loove everyone that have reviewed, you guys are awesome! Anyway, i'm not writing this for reviews (although they make me feel so loved) but i'm writing this because it's a silly bunny bouncing around my skull. Anyway, here we meet mystery girl and answers some questions (as well as ask a few)
He returned to the office at 2 o clock and headed straight for the lockers. He was thankful that no one was in there as he quickly headed for the mirrors. He looked at his face and sighed. There was a light shadowing on his jaw and his lip had been spilt. He also saw a light pink from the punch to his jaw. He tried to think of a cover story for his injuries. He had helped a drunk man off the street, he broke up a bar fight, etc. Finally he decided on a brawl at lunch that he had broken up. He scrubbed the dry blood from his lips and removed some from the collar of his shirt before heading into trace.
Calliegh had been right about the fiber, Travers found it just to be a simple red cotton fiber, nothing special about it. Ryan frowned that his evidence didn't do anything for the case and went to find the autopsy report from Horatio. As he walked through the hall to H's office, Walter waved Ryan over and he entered into the office.
"What is it, Walter?" he asked, coming up behind him.
"We might have got something off the security tape," Walter said, without looking up, "I was running-whoa, Ryan what happened to your face?"
"I broke up a fight at lunch," he answered, "Now what did you find?"
"Dude it looks like you were at the losing end of that fight," Walter remarked. Ryan glared.
"All right, so look," Walter said defensively, "Outside the convention center there was a video camera. Now I've been going through it and I found our vic-" he clicked on segment of film where the man was entering the building, "Entering the building and then this."
He flipped to the camera that was pointing at the parking lot just as a black SUV was pulling in. A man dressed in a suit exited and looked around before picking the lock on the door.
"I don't get it Walter," Ryan finally said placing his hands on his hips. Walter smiled.
"Patience," he said flipping through the film, "Now watch."
Ryan saw the man that had broken in hand the victim something in the center.
"Okay, so what did he hand him?" Ryan asked, leaning in.
"That's the clearest I got," Walter said, "But whatever it was, it wasn't on our victim when we found him."
"So who took it?"
"Well that's the thing, the cameras went down at the time of the shooting."
"So that means it was a distraction for something bigger," Ryan said, flipping out his phone. He dialed H's number quickly.
After he told Horatio what he knew, Horatio told him to hang tight at the lab for now. Ryan compiled and, after he hung up went in search for the autopsy report again.
There was no surprise that the autopsy concluded that the cause of death was a single gun shot to the head. Ryan flipped through the report, his medical records, tox report, etc and sighed unhappily. There was nothing in his system beside a small bit of Advil. He closed the file and set down on the table in the break room before looking at the clock. It was nearly 5:30 his shift had long since ended at 5. He stood up and headed for his locker getting ready to go home.
She was home when he arrived, and he pulled his Hummer through the front gates and up the drive. Her Ferrari was parked in the front drive and he parked behind her. H climbed out and up the front steps this time, opening the double front doors and smiled. A sweet scent drifted from his left and he shut the door softly, laughing silently as he heard her soft voice singing along to the sound of the soft music playing.
He saw her in the kitchen, in a long soft orange beach dress, her back to him. She was cooking by herself, singing along with the acoustic guitar that played on the surround sound system. She had already sliced a loaf of bread and sat it on the counter by the fridge. The rest of the counter was wiped clean. He smiled to himself and came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck. She went stiff and then relaxed, placing her hands over his.
"You're on time," she said in an happy tone. "I didn't know if you'd come."
"After those pancakes this morning, how could I not come back?"
She flipped around in his arms and smiled. It was a smile for a second and then it faltered as she looked at his face. She searched it and her eyes followed each of the bruises and landed on his lips. Instantly worry flashed across her pretty face.
"Ryan," she asked concerned, "Did they? Did he… did he call?"
Ryan smiled a tightlipped smile. She tried to reach out and touch his faces injuries, but he turned to the side.
"What did he want?"
"Just one more thing," Ryan answered, "Just one more."
"What, Ryan, what is it?" She asked, her sapphire eyes searching. He just shook his head and smiled.
"This is it," he answered, running his fingers across the silver scar that ran down the left side of her face. "Just this one more and she'll be back."
"Are you sure?" she asked, smiling at him, her face lighting up. Ryan gave her a light kiss before kissing the end of her scar on her cheek.
"She'll be able to come home."
She smiled and spun around in his arms, squirming free from him and back to her cooking.
"It smells good," Ryan said as he went back around the island to the other side. He looked at the table and frowned. It wasn't set. She always set the table first.
"It's hand made ravioli's," she called to him, "I made them when I got home this afternoon."
"I can't wait," Ryan answered, malting at the sound of anything homemade from her. He picked up the basket of bread and held it up.
"Where do you want this?" he asked. She turned and smiled.
"Out by the hot tub, Ryan, that would be perfect."
Ryan felt all the blood in his body head south at the sound of eating by the hot tub. It wasn't the prospect of sitting in the hot tub later with her, but it was the fact that it was with her, out underneath the large canopy on the large platform that sat at the base of a waterfall. It was a location he'd been at before and it was beautiful. He chuckled at the fact that she'd pick there to dine, even after she knew he might not have joined her. She knew him too well.
Outside he climbed the steps to the hot tub and walked around under the canopy. There was the table, a dark oak, set with soft yellow napkins and light blue dishes, a glass of water set in between and once again an orchid, this time white. He smiled and placed the bread down, picking up the two glasses.
"Alice?" Ryan called back into the house. A moment later came her face at the glass door.
"What do you want to drink?" Ryan asked.
"Whatever," she answered simply. Ryan smiled and she nodded before turning back in and heading into the kitchen. Ryan turned around to the outside bar and opened the mini fridge. He selected a bottle of red wine and pulled it out, opening it and pouring both glasses. He had just set the bottle and the glasses on the table when Alice stepped through the door, carrying their meal. She climbed up the steps and placed it in the center of the table. She smiled up at Ryan.
"Are you going to eat with me, tonight?" she asked, completely sincere. Ryan had to stifle a laugh.
"Of course," he answered. Alice smiled and sat down, Ryan sitting across from her.
"Everything is perfect Alice," Ryan said after taking a bite of the food. Alice smiled humbly and remained silent, eating quietly. It remained like that until Ryan looked at her, watching as her eyes as she just stared at her plate. Finally Ryan looked up and set down his fork to stare at her.
"What?" she asked nonchalantly. He narrowed his eyes.
"What's bothering you?"
"Nothing," she answered quickly. For him it was too quickly.
"Really?"
"A long day at work, but please, don't worry about me, okay," she answered, "I'm just really glad this is the end of your debt. We'll get her back, Ryan, finally."
"Yeah," he mumbled grimly. She smiled at him.
"So what was it he wanted," she asked continuing to eat. He shrugged.
"Something small, no big deal," he lied.
P.S. Reviews make my day. :) 3