Disclaimer: Not mine, no profit made.
A/N: Victor Balthazard was the first man to use forensics to match human hair and identify a criminal using it. He was also the man who proved that bullet casings and cartridges are marked by the gun that fire them, and could be used to identify a weapon. He also examined blood spatter when looking at crime scenes. Go look him up, he's quite interesting.
Chapter Twelve: Avari's first day of school.
-DLG-
"You've been WHAT?" Speed stood in the doorway to the kitchen, staring at Horatio's back. Horatio continued to cook, finding the rhythm of chopping the vegetables soothing.
"I've been placed in charge of the Crime Lab," he repeated. He was still more than a little surprised by the promotion. Truth be told, he'd expected it to go to Speed. While the younger man hadn't even applied for Lieutenancy, and Horatio had achieved that rank several years ago, he was the most senior CSI. It would have made sense for him to be placed in charge of the lab.
That was the main reason that Horatio hadn't turned to look at him yet. Part of him was afraid that Speed was going to be jealous of his new position.
His fear, however, proved to be unfounded when Speed slung an arm around the top of his chest and pulled him back into a hug.
"So, does this mean we get to have kinky sex in your office?"
"Speed…" Horatio laughed. He really should have seen that coming – Speed loved to make him blush. "The rule still stands. No overt displays of affection at the lab."
"Bah, what's the good of you being in charge if we can't use your office to-"
"Hush," Horatio half turned and tapped his nose with a finger as if scolding a puppy. "Honestly, you're worse than a teenager."
"Yeah," Speed gave him his best 'well, duh' look, earning another laugh.
"There's more to being in charge than taking advantage of the privileges."
"Like what?"
"Like, I have to interview a new CSI. We've been running on bare bones for months now, and I'm not sure when Megan's going to be back."
"If she comes back at all," Speed muttered. The death of Megan's husband had rattled them all, and everyone at the lab understood when she needed more than the requisite two weeks off to recover.
"Exactly. I have an interview with a young man from the underwater recovery department-"
"Another cop?" Speed buried his head in the crook of Horatio's neck, showing his displeasure. Horatio smiled and continued.
"On Monday, at three. Will you be around?"
"Monday… nope, sorry," Speed reluctantly let Horatio go so he could finish cooking. "It's Avari's first day of school, remember? I gotta pick her up after."
"Of course," Horatio nodded. "No problem, I'm sure you'll meet him sooner or later anyway."
"Yup. Hey, speaking of Avari, where is the little princess?"
"Outside," Horatio nodded out of the window. "I think she's nervous about starting school."
"Really?" Speed raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh. Guess I should go talk to her then."
-DLG-
Avari lay on her stomach, chin resting on her folded arms, watching a spider spinning its web between the branches of a bush. A large book about garden insects and arachnids lay open next to her. Speed smiled as he sat down as well, recognising the book. It was one that Horatio had given to her for her sixth birthday a few weeks ago.
"Hey Princess."
"Hi Dad." She'd started calling him that about a month ago. Speed didn't mind at all.
"Something bothering you?"
"Nope."
Speed sighed. She was far too much like him at times. Both tended to squash their emotions and not talk about things that troubled them.
"You sure? 'Cause H seems to think that you're worried about starting school on Monday." The little girl shrugged, but stayed silent. "I don't remember it myself, but my mum used to say that I was terrified of my first day at school. Apparently I clung to her skirt and wouldn't let go for ages. But eventually I did, and that night when she came to get me, I didn't want the day to be over. It was far better than I'd expected."
Avari looked up at him for a moment, before a small smile crept across her face.
"Okay Dad, I'll try it." Speed was puzzled for a moment, before he realised that he'd just talked her into giving school a fair try.
"That's my girl. And I'll be there after to pick you up and take you back to the lab. There's really nothing to worry about."
-DLG-
"Speed, there's nothing to worry about," Calleigh tried to calm her friend. "Avari's a smart girl, she's going to be fine."
"But what if the other kids bully her?" Speed wondered aloud as he paced the Trace Lab. "What if they're jealous of how smart she is and pick on her?"
"Then she'll find a way of stopping them. Speed, you have to trust that she'll be okay. After all, she knows some of the kids from child care, right? It'll be fine."
"If you say so," Speed finally relented and turned his focus to the case instead. Calleigh sighed in relief. He'd been freaking out all morning, maybe now they'd get some work done.
-DLG-
"Speed," the CSI answered his phone. Calleigh looked up at her co-worker, raising an eyebrow in question. "Yeah, that's me." He sounded bored. "What?" He yelped, now sounding surprised and concerned. "Yeah, fine, I'll be there." Now resigned.
"So much for 'it'll be fine'," Speed grumbled as he hung up the phone.
"What are you talking about?" Calleigh asked, confused.
"That was Avari's principle. I need to go in for a meeting after school, to 'discuss my daughter's educational needs'." Speed scowled at the phone in his hand.
"Was there something in particular that the teacher mentioned?" Calleigh wondered aloud, but Speed shook his head.
"Don't know."
"Well," Calleigh shrugged, glancing at her watch, "I guess you'll find out in a couple of hours."
"Whatever," Speed muttered darkly and went back to work. "You'll cover for my while I'm gone, right?"
"Sure thing."
-DLG-
That afternoon, Speed pulled his bike into the school parking lot and jogged up to the building. He realised that he had barely made it in tome, and didn't pay any attention to the other parents milling around, waiting for the final bell to ring. He made his way to the principal's office, and knocked on the door.
"Come in," a gruff voice called, and Speed internally steeled himself for a confrontation. He opened the door to find a large man with grey hair and a thick, bushy moustache sitting behind a desk. In front of it were three chairs, all empty.
"Mr Speedle?" The man rose from his seat, and Speed nodded. "I'm Mr Peake, principal of this school. Please, have a seat." Speed nodded again and sat down. Despite the gravelly voice, Mr Peake didn't set off any of Speed's warning bells.
"Miss Wainthrop is on her way up with Avari, but I wanted to speak to you alone first. Do you know why we asked you to come in?"
"Not a clue," Speed shrugged. "She can't be getting expelled on her first day, she hasn't had time to plan that sort of trouble."
Mr Peake smiled slightly.
"We called you in because Avari seems to be rather… advanced for her age. At recess, she was reading this." He passed over a well-read copy of Red Dragon, and Speed bit his lip to keep from laughing. Trust Avari to bring that to school. "When her teacher asked her about it, your daughter claimed that it is her favourite book, and upon further discussion it was clear that she understood most of what she was reading."
"Yeah," Speed shrugged. "And her second favourite book is Mog Goes To The V. E. T. She just likes to read anything she can get her hands on."
"I understand," Mr Peake nodded. "She also explained to the other children how evaporation works."
"I'm a scientist," another shrug. "When Avari reads about something she doesn't understand, I always explain it to her."
"Hmm. And in class, when asked to talk about something that interested her, Avari gave a short biography of Victor Balthazard."
"His work was very important to forensic scientists everywhere," Speed stated firmly. He wasn't sure he liked where this was going.
"So I heard," Mr Peake smiled, calming Speed slightly. "Mr Speedle, Avari is obviously very intelligent, and would grow bored if kept at her current level. I find that bored children tend to turn into troublemakers, and no one wants that. Instead, I propose to put Avari up a grade, with children who are at a similar stage. There are several children there who are only a few months older than her, and we've had a few children transfer in from other schools, so she shouldn't feel too out of place. I think it's what's best for her long-term educational wellbeing."
Speed sat for a moment, digesting it all. He really didn't want to push Avari too far and too fast, but at the same time, Mr Peake was right about the boredom. After a few minutes, he shrugged again, purely because it seemed to annoy the principal.
"If that's what Avari wants to do, then it's okay by me."
Mr Peake opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a knock at the door. It immediately opened, and a tall, skinny woman with a pinched-in face came in, followed by Avari. The little girl looked upset, but broke into a smile when she saw her father.
"Dad!" She ran to him, and Speed picked her up as he stood, giving her a tight squeeze.
"I there, Princess. I hear you've been educating the other kids."
"Yeah… am I in trouble?" She looked up at him with wide brown eyes, and Speed stifled a groan. Those eyes got him every damn time.
"Of course not, Princess. That's what they're here for, to learn things. But you need to learn as well, so Mr Peake wants to put you in a different class. You'll be learning new things there. Is that okay with you?"
Avari seemed to ponder it for a moment, then nodded. Speed smiled at her, then turned back to the principal, Avari still in his arms.
"Okay. What do we need to do?"
"Just sign these," Mr Peake passed over some forms. "And in the morning, she'll go to classroom 202. Got that, Avari?"
"Room two-oh-two," Avari repeated. Speed nodded and finished signing the paperwork.
"That's all good," Mr Peake nodded and took the forms back. "Thank you for coming in, Mr Speedle."
"No problem," Speed muttered and nodded a farewell. "Back to the lab now, Princess. We have to see if Auntie Calleigh's blown up the Trace Lab yet." Avari giggled as her father carried her out, still talking. "And H's been interviewing a new guy. We gotta check him out, too. So, how was your day?"
"Okay," Avari said thoughtfully. "Kinda boring. But it should get better tomorrow, right?"
"Right," Speed nodded and set the little girl down on the bike. He helped her put on her special pink biking jacket and then slipped her school backpack over his own shoulders. Both riders put on their helmets, and Avari clung tightly to her father as they raced back to the lab.