Chapter 5

"Here," Calleigh said as she led Danny into an interrogation room, "you can wait here until someone gets your statement. I have to work on processing some of the warehouse evidence before we decide what's going to happen. Okay?"

"Whatever." Danny plopped down into the chair.

She watched Calleigh sigh and leave the room, closing the door behind her. She wondered how long it would take Horatio, and whoever else had to hear her story, to get there. She paced the room for a few minutes before looking though the glass. No one familiar was outside. She slipped out, closing the door behind her, although it didn't really matter. It was made of glass after all. She made her way through the halls very confidently, so not to appear suspicious. Finally, she found what she was looking for. The Morgue.

Quietly, she walked down the chilled corridors. Way too much of this place was made of glass. She peered into windows as she walked around. She knew what she was looking for; it was all just a matter of finding it. She found herself in a room where she assumed autopsies were performed, at least some of them.

Okay… Wall of…Bodies? Oh suck it up. Just start looking!

She made her way to the wall of metal drawers. Of course, some had names, several didn't. She was just going to have to open them. She took a deep breath and tugged on the handle of the first nameless container. Empty. She released all the air from her lungs. It wasn't that she was afraid to see dead people; it was just way too creepy. Those bodies had been living, breathing people.; people whose lives had just been erased like art on an Etch-A-Sketch. She moved on to the next one. It held a young woman with blonde hair and a hole in her head. She sighed sadly before closing the door.

Danny was so intent on her task, that she hadn't heard the body movers bring in Miami's most recent murder victim. And they were far too underpaid to worry about her snooping around. Finally, she reached the last drawer. She slowly opened it. It was her last hope. Once again empty. She groaned and heavily leaned on the table she knew was behind her while pushing the door closed. She should get back to the interrogation room. She sighed heavily and spun around only to encounter human feet. Dead, human feet. With a blue toe-tag.

Her screech echoed through the room. It wasn't a real fear scream; it was a shock scream that ended in a variety of octaves in exasperation. She closed her eyes and to several deep breaths. That was a bit embarrassing. She opened them back up to see an older man on the table before her.

"Damn it, man! You scared the living hell out of me!" She exclaimed softly then smiled and added, "Oh yeah, my bad, man."

"What are you doing in here?" An authoritative voice rang out.

"Shit." Danny whispered to herself. "Uhh… Well, I was… Umm…" She stammered, "I was just asking Mr. Stiff here where to get a good pizza around here." She let out a nervous half laugh.

"Sweetie," Danny could tell by the pity in the woman's eyes that she already knew who she was. A Victim. "You shouldn't be down here alone. Where's Calleigh?"

"Processing fingerprints, or hair, or whatever. I mighta, kinda, sorta ducked out of the interrogation room she left me in. My God! Please stop looking at me like that!" Danny's composure returned and she looked the woman straight in the eye.

"Like what?"

"With pity. Like my life ended even though I am still living, and breathing, and thinking, and feeling. I was raped, not killed." With the last sentence her eyes dropped from the woman's.

"You're right. But Sweetie, it isn't pity that I feel. It's sadness. How could someone hurt such a pretty girl? I wish people would just stop hurting each other. I'm Alexx." She smiled and extended her hand.

"Danny." She replied as she shook Alexx's hand.

"So, while you were so rudely rifling through my morgue, did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, but me and Mr. Stiff had a very interesting conversation about how silly it is for hospitals to use cheap tissue when everyone needs to blow their nose. I mean, they're sick, but the tissues cause pain, so they don't like to use them. It's quite a brain twister." She looked very serious.

All Alexx could do was laugh. Danny's face allowed a small smile to form. Alexx put her arm around Danny's shoulders and led her into another room. "I assume you're looking for the canine from the scene."

"Yes, I just really need to see him."

"Okay, sweetie, but he was in pretty bad shape when he got here. I don't know if it is such a good idea to see him."

"I can handle it. Lead the way." Danny looked straight ahead.

"Okay." Alexx sighed and took Danny into another room.

As they entered, Danny saw a few gurney's with sheets covering bodies. She took a deep breath as they walked past the first two. Alexx stopped at the third one and pulled back the sheet. He had several open gashes and a few small, but deep wounds. A few tears escaped her eyes. She kissed her hand and gently laid it on the forehead of the big black dog.

"I'm so sorry." She wiped her eyes and ran from the room.

"Honey," Alexx began, only to be answered by the slamming of the door.

************

"Eric, please tell me you got a hit off our DNA." Calleigh practically whined.

"Yeah, I got a hit. Um… how close were you and Speed?"

"Excuse me?" She asked defensively.

"I didn't mean… I meant as a friend. Did he ever tell you any, oh I don't know, secrets?"

"No, he didn't. I mean we were close, but I thought you two were much closer."

"Yeah, me too." Eric sounded hurt.

"Okay, Eric, what's going on?"

"Our DNA sample, there was no male contribution. He must have used a condom. But the female sample, it has familial similarities with Speed's from his police file."

"What kind of similarities?"

"The only kind that parents and children have."

"Oh my god." Calleigh leaned back against the table. "Did he know about her?"

"If he knew, he never told me. Can you imagine… Speed with a kid?"

"I know. How do we tell her?"

"That's not really our job, you know."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. I just… just felt something so familiar and so right when I was around her. I felt so connected to her, like she needs me. Then again, Speed died barely a year ago and I still can't believe he's gone. Maybe I need her. I don't know, but the look she had during the exam and how tightly she held on to my arm, I just…" Calleigh stopped herself with an frustrated sigh. She looked at Eric, who was smiling.

"Looks like someone's biological clock is ticking."

"Why does everyone keep saying that? Is it so weird for me to care? I mean, do I really come across as heartless?"

"I'm just kidding!" He said through a fit of laughter.

"You're unbelievable!" She smiled and playfully slapped his arm. "I'm going to see what Horatio has."

"Have fun."

************

Danny wandered through the halls of the building. She really should have paid attention to how she got to the morgue, because she was lost now. Actually, she was lost period. She was so angry. Max didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve what had happened to her, any of it! She hated her mother for leaving her. She was angry at her father for never being there. She was just angry at the whole world.

"You can't be down here." A woman's voice said.

"Excuse me?" Danny looked to her left to see a very pretty woman with brown hair opening an envelope.

"You aren't allowed to be down here." She repeated.

"And you are?" Danny asked somewhat condescendingly.

"Natalia Boa Vista. And you need to go back to the waiting area or where ever it is that you belong."

"Where I belong? How 'bout where you belong? Like working a corner somewhere? I mean, come on, you are way too skanky to be working here. And, since you are so far away from all the other techs, I bet you don't really belong here either. Just between us girls, who did you have to screw to get this job?"

"Excuse me?" Natalia was a little shocked by the accusation.

"I'm just curious, so I can find some one a step up so I can work in the real lab."

"I'm calling security."

"Yeah, I figured he told you he was higher on the food chain than he actually was. Don't feel bad. A lot of women are gullible like you." Danny felt a little less anger now. She smiled and walked away.

************

"Horatio?" Calleigh said as she knocked on the doorframe of his office.

"Hey Calleigh, did she say anything while you were out?"

"Yeah, but we need to find out everything about her ASAP." Calleigh was very serious.

"What's up Calleigh?"

"She told me she was born in Bridgeport, Mississippi. Her given name was Dannielle, but she couldn't tell me her last name. She said that she escaped her past and that she will die, and kill, before going back. That's all I know." Calleigh was very nervous.

"Calleigh, I don't think that's the whole story. What's wrong?"

"Eric got the DNA results. Danny is Speed's daughter."

"Well…that is definitely news. Ok, I will pull some strings to get everything on her that we need. I need you to go work on finger and boot prints from the scene."

"Yeah, I put Danny in interrogation room two. I figure someone needs to get a more formal statement."

"Ok, I'll have Frank to get it for us."

"Thanks."

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A/N: Thanks to ssbailey for catching my error!