Author: Shadowfax27
Pairing: Eric/Ryan
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Me no own. You no sue. Okay?
Beta: Mistakes make me human…
A/N: Um… so I realized that I needed to sort of deal with the case that Eric and Ryan were working on first before I got into their long-awaited talk. hides behind desk At any rate, the case provides a good transition and helps to set up the next chapter. This is my first attempt at writing a 'procedural' chapter, so please forgive any inaccuracies. I tried my best to cover all the holes.
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Chapter 2 – First Things First
Ryan was just analyzing the water sample from the little boy's lungs under a microscope when Eric walked into Trace.
"Hey," Eric greeted as he walked in, trying to sound casual.
Ryan looked up and acknowledged him, "Hey. Those the other samples?" he asked, nodding pointedly at the box Eric was carrying.
"Yeah, mostly water from the Everglades," Eric replied, setting the box down on the table in front of Ryan.
Nodding, Ryan smirked, "Okay. Let's see what we got."
And with that, Ryan proceeded to work on the samples as Eric looked on with interest. He could feel the Cuban's eyes upon him as he skillfully prepared each of the samples before feeding them into the machine. Neither one said a word to each other, and for the time being, they were both grateful for that fact.
Both knew they just needed time to think before…
And, well, both knew it was only a matter of time…
The silence, of course, reminded Ryan of what had taken place in his apartment a couple of nights ago.
He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but he did awaken to the rude sound of a car honking impatiently somewhere outside of his condo. Waking up with a start, he sat up and had to narrow his eyes at the 'unfamiliarity' that waking up in a place other than his bedroom had brought upon his senses.
He looked down and frowned, noticing that he had been sleeping on his pillow, and that one of his spare blankets was draped over his legs. He didn't recall ever getting up from the couch, much less, pulling out a pillow and a blanket to sleep on the couch. The television was turned off, and even the beer that he had been drinking the previous night had now disappeared; no traces of it left whatsoever on the coffee table, not even a condensation ring.
And then it suddenly hit him…
Eric Delko.
Eric was in his living room and on his couch the night before. Did he somehow fall asleep on Eric? Did the older man kindly tuck him in and then cleaned up before leaving?
He was about to stand up and go into the kitchen to check his theory when another thought assaulted his still sleep-fogged brain. His eyes widened in panic, and he buried his head in his hands and shook his head in alarm.
"Oh, god… oh, god… oh, god…" he muttered. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath. "Fuck!"
Did Eric also hear him talking in his sleep?
It had almost become a ritual for him now, a ritual that he eagerly looked forward to ever since its inauguration in his sleep nearly two years ago…
Once a week and every Monday night in the land of sleep and possibilities, Tim Speedle would always pay him a much-anticipated visit. They would talk about anything and everything, and always, at the end of each appearance, Speed would make a promise to come back and see him again in exactly one week. And even though Ryan missed him terribly and would've preferred to have the real Speed come back to him in the flesh, the once a week visits did slowly help him to deal with his friend's death.
And in his dreams, Ryan never had to worry about asking his friend if he would receive another visit the following week because Speed was 'always' the one who would make sure to make the promise to come back every Monday night. It was as if Speed could sense his friend's need to keep seeing him, could sense his friend's reluctance to let him go completely because he knew that without him, Ryan would be left all alone.
And so, like a true friend, he had made a promise to Ryan to come and visit him for as long as Ryan needed him -- for as long as it took Ryan to grieve his loss and to move on. And to that end, Ryan never had to ask him, nay, beg him to not leave him alone.
Until last night…
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Ryan's musings were interrupted by the sound of the mass spectrometer going off, alerting him that the samples he was running had been processed and that the results were finally being printed out.
Picking up the results from the printer, they compared the samples that Eric had collected against the sample that Alexx had drawn from the boy's lungs, and none of them matched or were even remotely close.
"Damn!" Ryan muttered in evident frustration. "A dead end."
To his surprise, Eric merely chuckled, "Or maybe not."
Looking at the older CSI quizzically, Ryan asked, "Why? What do you mean?"
"I have a theory," Eric teased.
Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Ryan looked at Eric and smirked, "Let's hear it."
"Well, first of all, it didn't really make sense to me why our vic would be anywhere near where he was buried. So I asked myself if his death could've been an accident, or better yet, if he died someplace else."
"And was buried where the teenagers stumbled on him," Ryan finished for him.
Eric smiled, "Exactly. But I wanted to be sure and eliminate all possibilities, so I went back to the crime scene and collected water samples from the surrounding areas."
"Right," Ryan acknowledged. "And now, we don't have a match, so we're back to square one," he pointed out.
"Not so fast, Ryan," Eric interjected, holding his hand up. "Look at the results from the sample found in our vic's lungs, and break down the components for me."
Ryan picked up the printout once more and studied it before reading the results out loud to Eric.
"Okay, we got Sodium Lauroamphoacetate, Coco-Glucoside, Magnesium Laureth Sulfate, Peg-40 Glyceryl Cocoate, Peg-150 Distearate, Sodium Coceth Sulfate, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Disodium EDTA, Fragrance, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylpareben, Sodium Hydroxide, and your common residential water," Ryan listed.
"Residential," Eric repeated, and Ryan nodded. "So, that tells us that the crime happened in a home, not in the Everglades," Eric thought out loud.
"Right, but…" Ryan started to say but then abruptly stopped as he looked down at the sheet of paper once more, his eyes scanning the results in frenzy as his brows furrowed in realization.
"What is it?"
"I think I just figured it out," Ryan looked up at Eric with wide eyes. "These components that were mixed in with the water?"
Eric nodded, "Yeah?"
"It's baby shampoo."
"How did you know that?"
"I remember doing an experiment in college about the different components of baby shampoo. We were testing to see if the 'no tears' and the 'no tangles' slogans were actually true or if they were just marketing ploys," Ryan explained. "That's why these components looked so familiar."
"'Cause you've seen them before," Eric realized.
"Exactly."
"But there must be tons of different baby shampoos out there," Eric pointed out. "How do we narrow it down?"
To this, Ryan confidently grinned, "Because this, my friend, is not just any regular baby shampoo," he teased.
This time, it was Eric's turn to cross his arms and look at his young colleague, "I'm listening."
"This particular shampoo is called 'Organique Baby'. It is extremely high end and is ridiculously expensive," Ryan explained. "I know because during our class experiment, I remember how everyone had to share one little bottle of this brand. We had to be sparing so that there'd be enough for everybody to get a sample in order to perform the experiment."
A slow smile of approval made its way onto Eric's mouth, and he noticed a blush creeping up on Ryan's face. What was happening to them?
No… What was happening between them?
Eric wasn't entirely sure, but as strange as it was for him to admit it, he knew for a fact that he liked it. He liked the fact that for the first time in their working relationship, he and Ryan were actually getting along so well…so far. And he liked the fact that he no longer felt any underlying tension or animosity towards the young CSI.
Their work relationship was improving already, and the feeling of ease and mutual respect between them was strangely consoling, to say the least. And Eric found himself wishing that none of the tension between them in the past had ever happened. He wished he could take it all back: all the meanness, the hurt… the arguments over some of the stupidest little things. He wished he could turn back time and rewrite their history.
"Very good," Eric stated approvingly.
"Now we just need to figure out which stores sell Organique Baby and then get a list of customers who purchased it within the last six months," Ryan concluded.
"Great," Eric agreed. "You do that while I go and check with Valera to see if she got any hits from CODIS. See if anyone might be related to our vic."
And with that Eric left Trace and headed towards DNA, while Ryan entered the search into one of their databases. He also entered a couple of other searches in the system just to cover his bases. About half an hour later, Eric returned just as Ryan was going through the results.
"Hey," Eric greeted again as he walked in.
"Hey, man," Ryan replied. "Got anything?"
"Sure did," Eric smiled. "I checked with Valera, and our vic's DNA had several alleles in common with someone in the system."
"Really?" Ryan asked, surprised.
"Yeah, really," Eric nodded, amused at Ryan's slightly incredulous look. "Our vic was a match to a Leo Bryant, a real estate attorney… I'm thinking he's our vic's father."
"What was he in the system for?"
"Fraud and money laundering two years ago," Eric replied. "But there wasn't enough evidence to convict him, and he was cleared of all charges. What did you find?"
"Only this…" Ryan replied with a smirk, and he quickly flipped through the pages and pointed down at a name. "Cassandra Bryant."
"Wife?" Eric asked, walking around the table to stand next to Ryan.
"Uh-huh," Ryan nodded. "It seems that Mrs. Bryant here purchased several bottles of Organique Baby about three weeks ago from the only store that sells it in the West Palm Beach area."
"You sure that's not just a coincidence?" Eric teased.
Ryan chuckled, "I'm afraid not. While you were checking for DNA results, I figured I'd do a couple of other searches on my own. So, I checked to see if anyone has filed a missing children's report in the last 24 hours or so."
"And?" Eric asked expectantly.
"And unfortunately, that was a dead end," Ryan replied. "However, I ran another search through several of the hospitals in the area for any baby boys that were born about 18 months ago and cross-referenced it with the list from the store, and…"
Eric's eyes lit up, "You got a match."
"Yep… an Oliver Bryant, born 18 months ago to a Leo and Cassandra Bryant of West Palm Beach," Ryan replied with a triumphant smile.
And Eric couldn't help but return it, "Great! I'll let Horatio know."
"And I'll get PD to bring them in for questioning," Ryan added, picking up the phone to call Tripp.
"Sounds like a plan," Eric smirked. "Good job, Ryan."
And with that, Eric quickly left Trace, knowing that Ryan's surprised eyes were upon him, watching him leave. He resisted the urge to look back and see Ryan's expression. He figured that things were going quite well for him as far as his plan was concerned, and that soon enough, he'd be able to ask Ryan out after shift.
But first, they needed to solve this case and close it. The sooner they finished this, the more time he had to spend with Ryan and ask him about all those questions he'd been dying to know. And the sooner they filed their report with H, the better mood they'd be in, knowing that they wouldn't have a pending case hanging over their heads, begging to be solved, even as they go home.
Yeah… solving a case always put them in a good mood.
Nearly two hours later, Tripp had brought in Mr. and Mrs. Bryant for questioning, and Eric and Ryan conducted the interrogation with him. At first, neither Leo nor Cassandra would admit to their baby being missing, much less to being dead, stating that their son was very much alive and was, in fact, with his grandparents for a few days in Orlando to give them some alone time as a couple.
But as soon as Tripp slid a picture of Oliver's cold and lifeless body across the table in front of Mrs. Bryant, she couldn't keep up her stony façade any longer, and she broke down in hysterics and cried helplessly in her husband's arms.
"Oliver was your son, wasn't he, Mr. Bryant?" Ryan asked sadly.
Wiping away some of his own tears, Leo picked up the picture of his son, and nodded, "Yes… Oliver was our son."
"His body was found buried near the Everglades," Eric told him. "Could you tell us what happened."
This time, Cassandra spoke up in between sobs, "Oh, god! I'm so sorry… It was an accident."
Frowning, in confusion and then in realization, Eric and Ryan looked at each other before turning back to look at the couple.
"An accident?" Tripp asked.
"Yes, it was an accident," Leo confirmed. "My wife and I had been trying to have a baby for years, and when Oliver was finally born, we were so overjoyed, we'd do anything for our son."
"Tell us happened," Eric said. "Our M.E. states that Oliver died between 9:00 and 10:00 last night.
"It was about 9:00, and I was giving Oliver his evening bath in our tub right before his bedtime, when Leo came home late from work," Cassandra began. "Normally, Leo would just come in and greet us, and we'd put Oliver to bed together. But this time, I heard a faint knock coming from our garage door. I figured I'd answer it quickly and then get back to Oliver before anything could happen, so I didn't take him out of the tub. I opened the door, and Leo… He… he…" she started crying again, and Leo had to finish the story for her.
"My wife was giving our son a bath when I came home. I had had a long day at work, but I was so excited to see my son and my wife that I stopped by a baby store to buy him the most expensive play pen set I could find. I also stopped by a flower shop to pick up a bouquet for Cassandra. I wanted to surprise them both," he explained. "I got home but couldn't open the door and carry the huge box, the flowers, and my briefcase too, and so I tried to knock. Luckily, Cassandra heard me, and she opened the door, and I told her what I'd brought home. I love my wife so much, and the look on her face was just priceless. She was so excited about what I'd done. I set what I was carrying down, picked her up, took her to the living room, and then we…" he choked unable to finish telling them the rest of the story.
But Ryan and Eric didn't need him to finish the story to figure out what had happened – it was a truly ironic event, an ordinary evening that began with great joy, only to end up becoming a tragedy. They felt sorry for the couple, for their loss, but they still needed to get their confession on record, and so they pressed on.
"So you came home, got excited, and ended up, uh…" he trailed off, a bit embarrassed with what he was about to ask them.
Mr. Bryant sniffed, but readily confessed, "Yes, our son died because in our moment of joy and excitement for each other, we forgot that he was still in the tub. And now our son is dead." Tears gathered in his eyes again, and he began to wail in despair as he held Oliver's photograph in front of him, tenderly caressing his son's face, "Oliver drowned while we were celebrating. The product of our love died while we were making love."
"Why didn't you call 911?"
"Because by the time we realized that we hadn't put Oliver to bed, it was almost 11:00," Mr. Bryant replied.
"And Oliver would've been dead for nearly two hours," Ryan realized.
"There wasn't anything anybody could've done to bring back our son," Mr. Bryant shook his head. "Losing him was bad enough, I just didn't want to get the police involved."
"And so you buried him near the Everglades, thinking that no one would ever find him," Eric supplied.
Mr. Bryant simply nodded and held onto his wife as she continued to cry, "Please… You have to believe us. It was an accident. We never meant for our son to die."
And that last comment hit Eric and Ryan hard. It hit right home, where it hurt them the most. The couple in front of them had just lost their son, and it somehow reminded them both of losing their friend, Speed – Miami Dade Crime Lab's Lost Son.
"I'm really sorry for your loss," Ryan's voice cracked slightly before he pushed his chair back and stood up.
Eric followed his lead, telling the couple to stay put while they informed Horatio about their confession. And sensing the dismay in both of their faces, Horatio nodded and gave them a sad smile, stating that he'd take care of completing their report for them as long as they made sure to log in all of their evidence and put the paperwork together for him. They did just that, and when they had finished, they took the report to Horatio, who thanked them for their work and told them to enjoy the rest of their evening off.
By the time Eric and Ryan headed towards the locker room to change and gather their belongings, it was nearly 5:00, and Eric had begun to get nervous again. Stuffing the last of his used clothing into a bag, he looked over at Ryan to see him doing the same thing.
"You heading home?" Eric tried to ask casually.
"Yeah," Ryan replied, sparing him a quick glance before turning his attention back to his previous activity. "You?"
"No… at least not yet," came his teasing reply.
Ryan chuckled, "Going out?"
"You could say that," Eric smirked as he shut his locker.
Ryan smiled tightly as he finished zipping up his bag, feeling a strange surge of jealousy shoot through his veins, "Hot date?"
"You could say that again…" he thought mischievously before replying, "No, just dinner."
Ryan nodded as if in understanding as he shut his locker, "Ah… Dinner with family, then?"
"Actually, no… it's dinner with a friend," Eric smiled, walking up to Ryan.
Ryan turned to look at Eric and cocked his head to the side as if in thought, "Huh… Well, have fun then," he smiled tightly again.
He was just about to turn around and walk away when he felt Eric's hand on his arm, holding him back.
"That would depend on you, now, wouldn't it?" Eric smirked again.
This time, Ryan frowned in confusion, "I thought you were having dinner with a friend?"
Eric chuckled and shook his head, "Ryan, you are the friend."
And without giving Ryan a chance to protest or to ask him about what he had meant, he swiftly made his way out of the locker room and out of the crime lab, dragging a confounded Ryan alongside of him. They reached the parking lot before Ryan spoke up.
"What about my car?"
"Leave it," Eric stated. "We'll come get it later."
Ryan simply nodded and took his seat on the passenger side, throwing his bag in the back seat, Eric doing the same thing. They drove in relative silence with Eric furtively glancing at Ryan every now and then, wondering what he was thinking about, as the younger man hadn't once looked at him since they started driving.
About 20 minutes later, Eric pulled up in front of The Blue Fin Seafood & Bar, the local bar that Eric and the team used to frequent when Speed was still alive. It was the same bar that they were standing in front of when they asked this lady to take their picture, the same bar that was in the picture inside Horatio's office.
Ryan recognized the place…
They got out, and Eric was thankful that the place wasn't too busy and that they were able to garner a secluded booth towards the back corner of the restaurant. They each ordered a beer for starters and took the short time to look over the menus before placing their dinner orders. By the time Doreen, their waitress, finally left to put in their orders, Eric had already downed most of his drink, trying to calm his increasingly frenzied nerves.
"So…" Eric leaned forward, anxiously meeting Ryan's eyes.
There were so many things he could ask Ryan right now, so many things he wanted to know… But how does he even begin? How does he even broach a subject that he knew would be extremely personal for Ryan without offending him or inadvertently pushing him away? Without putting a strain on their tenuous friendship?
"So…" Ryan replied, unconsciously mimicking Eric's movements.
Eric opened his mouth to speak but then shut it quickly, feeling his mouth become dry all of a sudden. He swallowed thickly and then tried to speak again, but still, nothing would come out, the words vanishing from him before they could even reach his mouth. Frustrated, he took the last swig of his beer and set the bottle down before meeting Ryan's searching stare.
"Damn! This is a lot harder than I thought," Eric looked down and shook his head.
Why was he unable to speak out all of a sudden? What was he getting so timid about? And nervous? Hell yeah, he was nervous!
He was about to try and open his mouth a third time, when he heard Ryan take a deep breath. He looked up and met Ryan's gaze once more and saw realization flash through the younger man's eyes, saw the inevitable dawn in the CSI's boyish face.
And Eric held his breath…
"I suppose you brought me here to talk about Speed…"
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TBCNext update will take a while, but reviews are much loved and keep me going!
A/N: 'Organique Baby' and The Blue Fin Seafood & Bar were totally made up, although I did research some of the ingredients that go into expensive baby shampoos, just fyi. Up next, Eric and Ryan have their long-awaited talk. I promise.