Title: Halfhearted
Pairing: Sara/Nick, Amelia/Speed, Amelia/Grissom
Spoiler: Lost Son, Viva Las Vegas, Pilot, basically all CSI episodes up to season 4/5ish.
Summary: Amelia's out of the hospital and she's back at the Lab. What happens when a hug between Amelia and Grissom incites riot? A case involving the murder of a Politician's wife, another involving a dead husband and a Casino theft wears down the CSIs as unexpected news jumps in their faces.
Disclaimer: I only own what you do not recognize. I.E: Amelia, Evan, and the victims and suspects. CSI Belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and all of those smart people who created these fine CSI series.
My Original Note: Thank you to Space-Case7029. Ok, for this chapter, I worked very hard. It took me about three or four days to write out, then about two days to write it on here because, at the moment, I only get about four hours a day on the computer. But we're moving into our house next week and then I get my own computer back! So expect more frequent updates then! I hope you like!
Chapter 2: A Comforting Embrace
"For my dreams I hold my life
For wishes I behold my night
The truth at the end of time
Losing faith makes a crime" -Nightwish "Sleeping Sun"
They had a lead now. The blood drop found on the carpet matched an ex-con, Cassie Leer. Cassie had done ten years for possession of Cocaine. She had gotten out a couple of weeks before the murder of Rene Edwards. Now, they just had to find her. She wasn't where she was supposed to be and nobody knew where she was. That sort of thing could make a job very frustrating.
Bobby Dawson had identified the bullets as a .45. He even matched the bullets to a gun. A colt owned by Kayla Leer, Cassie's mother. Coincidently, Kayla had reported her gun missing a week earlier, around the time Cassie disappeared. When Jim and Amelia interviewed Kayla at her house, they learned very little, but interesting things all the same.
Amelia looked at Jim through her sunglasses. They didn't get the results back on the blood until the morning after the murder. Now the sun was shining brightly over Las Vegas in the early hours of the busy Wednesday morning. Jim had had little or no sleep while Amelia was able to catch a few hours of sleep. Though it was a restless sleep filled with the nightmare about Speed's death.
"Ready?" Jim asked, looking at her. Amelia smiled brightly, showing her big white smile, making Jim chuckle. The two got out of the Tahoe and headed to the front door. Amelia paid attention to every detail about the house and its yard. The Leer's lived on Holland Avenue, where all of the houses looked nice...except for the Leers. The grass was dry and brown in some places and bare dirt in others. The house was a single story ranch with a basement and a one-car garage. The house looked like it wasn't very well taken care of from the outside. The windows were covered in a layer of dirt and the wooden front door had dents and cuts in it. The screen door was riddled with holes and slash marks.
Amelia wiped the sweat from her forehead as Jim knocked on the front door. The early morning sun in December was unusually hot. It didn't bother Amelia, since she just spent four years in Miami, but she hadn't remembered it being this hot in December.
The front door opened and a 40-something woman stood in a raggedy blue robe. She kept the screen door shut as she glared at the two strangers on her door step. She pushed her graying hair from her eyes as Amelia pushed her sunglasses onto the top of her head. Jim held up his badge.
"Hello ma'am. I'm Captain Jim Brass with the Las Vegas Police Department and this is Amelia Stokes with the Crime Lab." He introduced them both. The woman merely nodded as Amelia gave a small wave and smile. "Are you Kayla Leer?" He asked. Her upper lip curled as she nodded.
"Last time I checked. What you want?" She asked.
"Hmm. Do you own a Colt .45?" He asked, chuckling to himself about this woman who seemed to not give a rats ass about anything.
"Used to. It got stolen. I filed a report. Why you asking? This gotta do with that damn daughter of mine?" She asked angrily. Amelia cleared her throat.
"Ma'am, a few drops of your daughters' blood was found at a murder scene last night." Amelia told her. Kathy frowned angrily. Amelia put her hands on her hip; her left hand rested on the end her flashlight that was attached to her belt and her right hand rested on the butt of her gun. Nick and the other CSIs usually kept their flashlight in the pocket on their vest or in their kit, but Amelia liked it on her belt.
"Murder? What murder?" She asked angrily. Her dull brown eyes darted back and forth between Jim and Amelia.
"I'm afraid we can't divulge that information, ma'am." Jim told her. Kathy scowled and crossed her arms.
"I haven't seen that little bitch for about a week. She's probably at her friend Caroline's house." Kathy told them. Amelia's lip twitched as Kathy said 'bitch'. She hated it when parents talked bad about their own children.
"Ok. What is Caroline's last name and where does she live?" Jim asked as he took out his mini notepad and a pen. Kathy sighed in frustration.
"Caroline Leyna. She lives over on West Carey Avenue. 213. Two story yellow house. Pretty yard. Caroline and Cassie grew up together. Always friends. Caroline went to jail for a couple of years for selling drugs." She told them.
"Uh, does Cassie get nosebleeds?" Amelia asked, remembering the drop of blood found at the crime scene. Kayla nodded without hesitating.
"Yeah. She was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in Jail a few years ago, when she was about 16 or 17." She answered. Amelia smiled and nodded.
"Thank you. You've been a lot of help." Amelia told her. Kayla grumbled and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, whatever. If you see that dumb daughter of mine, tell her she better never show her bitch ass face around this house ever again." She said angrily. Jim and Amelia exchanged and look and then they both smiled at Kayla.
"Sure thing." Jim said sarcastically before turning and walking back to the Tahoe. Amelia gave Kayla and pleasant smile before following Jim. As she pulled her sunglasses back over her eyes, she realized there was a small face plastered up against a window in the house across the street. Amelia stopped on the sidewalk where it joined the driveway. She looked across the street and smiled at the little boy. Jim had the driver's door opened and was getting in when he saw Amelia stop. He watched Amelia communicate with the young boy.
Amelia smiled and waved at young boy who smiled and waved back at her. Jim followed Amelia's gaze and then noticed the little boy. Amelia walked to the curb.
"Can you come outside with your Mom?" Amelia mouthed to him while motioning for him to come outside. The boy shrugged and walked away from the window. Jim and Amelia walked to the edge of the boys' yard and waited. A minute later the boy bounded out of the front door, followed by his mother. She stopped a few feet from the front door and crossed her arms.
"Can I help you?" The woman asked. The boy stood next to his mother as Amelia and Jim crossed the yard. Jim flashed his badge to the mother as they stood in front of the mother and her child.
"I'm Captain Jim Brass with the Las Vegas Police Department and this is Criminalist Amelia Stokes with the Las Vegas Crime Lab."
"I'm Jennifer Taylor and this is my son Jack." She told them. Amelia smiled and once again pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head.
"Are you cops?" The little boy asked, looking up at them with bright eyes. Amelia, who was standing in front of Jack, kneeled in front of him and took her badge off the front of her belt. She handed it to him and his eyes went wide with delight.
"Captain Brass is, but I'm a Crime Scene Investigator." She told him. He handed her badge back to her and she put it back on her belt.
"But you have a gun." He said, pointing at the standard Glock that was in its holster on her belt. Amelia's right hand went to the butt of her gun and she nodded.
"Yes. I'm a type of cop. I'm more of a Scientist." She told him.
"Are you here about that girl?" He asked innocently. Amelia glanced up at Jim and then back at Jack.
"What girl?" Amelia asked. Jack pointed across the street at the Leer's house.
"Cassie. She got dragged away." He told them. Amelia's eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"What happened?" Jim asked gently. Jack looked up at him, his face showing that he was scared.
"Jack, honey, don't lie to the nice Cops." His mother warned him gently. Jack took a deep breath.
"Cassie slammed the door and then that guy got out of his car and dragged her and pushed her into his car. I haven't seen her since." He told them.
"Are you positive it was Cassie?" Amelia asked as she stood up. Amelia knew that if this was true then it was possible that Cassie had been framed for the murder of Rene Edwards. Amelia wiped the sweat from her forehead again and held her stomach. She suddenly felt dizzy and queasy.
"Yup. She had her orange hair." He said proudly, smiling up at the three grownups.
"When was this?" Jim asked. Jack thought silently for a minute then smiled at Jim brightly.
"Seven days ago!" Jack said, holding up seven fingers. Jim smiled appreciatively at Jack and Jack lowered his fingers.
"Jack's always looking out the window. Most eight year olds play outside with friends. Jack watches." Jennifer explained. Amelia smiled at her.
"Do you remember anything about the guy?" Amelia asked quickly as she tried to keep her breakfast down.
"He was tall and had short blonde hair. His truck was an ugly green." He told her. Jim and Amelia chuckled. Amelia's smile turned to a frown as her hand flew to her mouth.
"Uh, I'm sorry. Can I use your bathroom? I'm going to be sick." Amelia managed to say. Jennifer nodded quickly.
"Oh, yes. Jack, show her to the bathroom." Jennifer told him. Jack grabbed Amelia's free hand and dragged her into the house. Jim smiled apologetically at Jennifer.
"Sorry about that." He apologized for Amelia. Jennifer smiled and shrugged.
"Don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us. I know it's none of my business, but do you know how much longer she's going to be working until she goes on leave?" Jennifer asked.
"Excuse me?" Jim said, way beyond confused. Jennifer raised her left eyebrow.
"She's pregnant, right?" She asked. Jim's eyes went wide.
"What? How can you tell?" He asked. He hadn't even realized it and he doubted that anybody else at the lab had either.
"I was pregnant once too. She looks healthy and I just assumed..." She trailed off and looked away from Jim, blushing. "She looks to be about 3 or 4 months, just enough of a belly to make people think she's gaining weight." She paused. "Does she get sick a lot? Does she seem to eat more?" She asked. Jim thought for a second.
"Actually...yes to both." He paused. "Do you know who this guy is that your son is talking about?" Jim asked, changing the subject. Jennifer looked back at him and nodded.
"Oh, hmm. I think it might be Todd. Todd Coller. He used to come around a lot while Cassie was in Jail. He would do different things for Mrs. Leer. Groceries, mow the lawn, clean the house, things like that." She told him. Jim wrote it down in his mini notepad. As he did so, Amelia and Jack walked back out.
"I'm sorry about that." Amelia apologized to Jennifer. Jennifer smiled at Amelia and put her hands on Jack's shoulders.
"Not a problem."
"Ok, thank you for your time Mrs. Taylor." Jim said. Jennifer smiled as Jim and Amelia turned and headed back to Jim's Tahoe. Jim kept quiet until they got into the car and were heading to Caroline Leyna's house.
"You feeling ok?" He asked, staring at the road. Amelia shrugged.
"Better. I think it's just a bug." She told him.
"Yeah. One that lasts nine months?" He asked. Amelia looked at Jim with big eyes and a dropped jaw.
"How did you know?" Amelia asked, shocked that he knew.
"Mrs. Taylor. So, when were you going to tell us?" He asked. Amelia looked back out the front window and shrugged.
"I don't know. I didn't-I don't know how. I mean, it's not like I can just say 'Oh, hey guys, by the way, I'm three and a half months pregnant with my dead boyfriends baby.' It's just not that easy." She said, chuckling slightly.
"Why not? It's not like they're going to be angry."
"Because Jim...things...they change and people...move onto...other people." She said, looking out the side window.
"Let me guess...Grissom?" He asked. Amelia sighed and rubbed her temples.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"We all do. We can tell by the way you two act around each other. We've just been waiting for a verbal confirmation."
"It's only been three dates. That's all." She told him. He chuckled.
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Amelia walked grimly down the halls of the lab. She was trying to figure out how to tell everyone that she and Grissom were dating and she was almost four months pregnant with Tim's baby. Plus she was mad because they had been unable to locate both Cassie Leer and her friend Caroline Leyna.
It wasn't helping.
And neither was a double shift.
Amelia stopped in front of the layout room and looked in. Sara and Grissom were going over evidence. The two CSIs moved closer together and Amelia turned away angrily. Stop Mel, Amelia thought to herself as she crossed her arms and looked up and down the hallway. Being jealous isn't going to get you anywhere. Just breathe. Something felt wrong. She felt jealous. She didn't want to feel jealous. Something felt wrong in her head, in her heart, and in the pit of her stomach. She took a step forward and looked around. Her head was spinning with different things.
Suddenly everything felt so weird. She hated feeling jealous. She knew she had nothing to be jealous about. She felt like everything was a lie. Amelia reached up to her face as she felt a tear. Oh damn these hormones. Amelia cursed as tears started flowing down her face. Then she felt queasy. She walked to the wall in front of her and leaned up against it with her hands. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. Her head was pounding. So many things were running through her head. Tim, Miami, Grissom, Nick, Sara, and now this pregnancy. I HATE THIS. Amelia screamed in her head.
Nothing was right anymore.
Amelia stepped back from the wall and ran her hands through her hair and let out a breath. She was partly looking forward to the five or six week break she would be getting in about five months. The tears were still falling and her head was still spinning.
"Amelia?" Grissom said from her behind her. Amelia spun around and hastily wiped the tears from her face. He had a concerned look on his face.
"Hmm?" Amelia forced a smile, but it was pained. And Grissom could tell.
"Come here." Was all he said. Amelia walked into his open and waiting arms. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face into his soft shirt. She grabbed at his shirt as she cried. He wasn't sure of why she was crying but he had seen the look in her eyes and even though they were at work, he knew she needed to be comforted. He leaned his head sideways on top of hers and stroked her hair with her left hand.
"Mel, what's wrong?" He asked her softly.
"Oh Grissom. I'm so sorry. I'm-" Sobs racked through her body and she paused. Grissom moved his head and looked down at her. He used his left hand to gently make Amelia face his while his right hand remained on her back, gently holding her. He smiled sweetly at her.
"What's wrong?" He asked again, more gently and softer this time. Amelia's soft brown eyes locked with Grissom's soft blue eyes.
"I'm almost four months pregnant with Tim's baby." She told him softly. The expression on Grissom's face never faltered or falsified. He gently ran his thumb across her cheek. "And we can't find the only suspect in my case and it's frustrating me." She added, smiling softly. Grissom's lips tugged up into a smile to match Amelia's.
"At least you have a suspect." Grissom joked. Amelia finally let go of Grissom's now wet shirt and wiped her face. The two CSIs moved away from each other, though both missed the other's touch. They stared at each other in silence for a moment.
"Thank you." She told him quietly. He gave her a small nod and she walked around him to head to the locker room. She was oblivious to the CSIs and Lab Techs who had seen everything. Amelia walked into the locker room to get her vest, a smile on her face.
Grissom turned to go back into the layout room and found Sara staring at him, an accusing and hurt look on her face. Grissom's smile faded.
"Is...she...the reason why you never gave me a chance?" Sara asked coldly.
"Sara-" Grissom started to say. Sara shook her head and went back into the room. Grissom sighed and followed her.
Amelia stared at her locker, her eyes wide with shock. She had just had an intimate moment with Grissom at work. That was forbidden. Get a grip! Amelia scolded herself as she calmed down. Things are going to get insane! You should have kept it together. She stared down at her hands as the door opened.
"Mel?" Catherine said, walking into the locker room. Nick and Warrick were behind her.
"Yes, Grissom and I have been dating. Sort of. We've gone on three dates." She paused as she someone beeped her on her Cell phone.
"Mel?" Jim said over the walkie talkie, interrupting the possible awkward conversation. Amelia took her cell out of its holder and pressed the talk button.
"Yo Jimbo." She said, chuckling. Everyone stayed silent as they waited for Jim to respond. Amelia looked up at her locker. She was silently hoping that Jim had good news.
"Funny. Good news, sort of. Caroline Leyna was just admitted to the Valley Hospital Medical Center." He told her. Amelia sighed in relief.
"What happened?" Amelia asked. Catherine walked over and sat next to Amelia.
"A guy going for a jog found her in an alley next to a local gas station. She was shot, but she's ok." He paused. "You want me to pick you and Catherine up?" He asked. Amelia looked at Catherine who shook her head. Amelia looked back at her locker.
"No. Catherine and I will meet you there."
"Roger." Amelia put her cell phone back in its holder. She continued to stare at her locker.
"I'm four months pregnant." Amelia finally said.
"Oh Ames...is it...Tim's?" Catherine asked softly. Amelia nodded and licked her lips.
"Yeah. Uh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner. I just-I didn't know how." She chuckled nervously.
"It's ok Ames. Come on. We've got somebody to question." Catherine said, rubbing Amelia's back.
"Yeah, let's go."
Through all of this, Nick was surprisingly quiet. He was quietly watching his older sister, watching her as she gave them two pieces of surprising news. He could believe that she and Grissom were dating, but he couldn't believe that she was pregnant. Poor Mel, Nick thought, she just can't catch a break.