Chapter 2 – All Fired Up

Bailey and Erica sat in John's office, heads lowered as he stood behind his desk. The sun had risen high above New York City and their boss's large frame was silhouetted against the backdrop of the city through the large ceiling to floor windows. His lips were pressed together in a firm frown as he stared down at his two young protégées. These were two grown women; ones that he'd mentored for several years gone by, taught them not to make simple rookie mistakes. But he was still having to haul them in here for stupid things.

"Do you know why I brought you two in here?" John spread his arms and pressed his palms against the desk. He raised his eyebrows at the two of them as they stared back, chins tipped back in defiance. Either they knew and refused to let on or they had no idea whatsoever "You left a crime scene clean up! You left it in the hands of a rookie! Do you know the severity of this situation?"

Bailey was the first to speak "We were attending another crime scene."

"You never leave a job unfinished. The call for the other scene came in later than the one you left, the bridge had been cordoned off my NYPD, Bailey, you both could have shown face at the bridge once the first body had been picked up by the coroner. Crime doesn't have a time!"

"It does when we've got a body in the East River!" Bailey stood up from her chair "Evidence washes away. Erica and I chose the scene which was most important. We are not the only CSI's on this damn team! This is ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous?" John tipped his head at her. Bailey was the fiery one, always had to get the last word in, hated being wrong whilst Erica was more subdued but still lethal if caught at the wrong time "How ridiculous is it that we've got a murdered man down the stairs on a table who's killer may or may not be found now? I am aware that you are not the only two CSI's on my team but you are two of the best we have! I don't take second best, both of you know that and I trust you both. You cannot expect a proper clean up from a rookie!"

"You treat us like rookies but you still expect the job done," Erica muttered lowly. John brought his eyes to her next, his gaze narrowing.

"Excuse me?" his voice was barely above a whisper.

"You heard me John. You still treat us like rookies. You never..."

"If you didn't act like rookies, I wouldn't treat you that way!" John's words stung the both of them hard. Bailey swallowed thickly, moistening her lower lip with her tongue "Where are we on the case? I told you I wanted kept in the loop."

"Ummmm...we got an I.D on the second victim, his name is Evan Jacobs. We've not the chance to dig up much more on him but we're chasing up a lead on a suspected girlfriend. Her name is Carly, she lives in Crown Heights. Phil's still doing the autopsy on the first victim and Erica left a smashed cell we found at the bridge with Stephen, hopefully he can pull something off of it," Bailey's voice cracked every so often as she spoke. She was still reeling from the way John had spoke to them and with a glance back at Erica who was digging her nails into the wooden arm rests of the chair, she seemed pretty pissed off too.

"Good. Both of you chase up the girl, I'll see how far Stephen has got with the phone and then I want you back here working the evidence from the first case. We need to crack this one before another person turns up dead," he pointed to his door. Erica stood up and Bailey followed her out, closing the door behind her. Erica had been suspiciously quiet and Bailey was wary of her when she acted that way, very few people escaped unscathed when Erica unleashed her anger.

"Erica wait up!" Looking over her shoulder, Stephen approached the pair, a case file in hand. She wanted to smile. In fact she tried but she was annoyed as hell and wanted to get out of the lab.

"What?" Stephen raised an eyebrow at her tone. He glanced to Bailey and then to the office they had just come out of. Erica was usually the calm collected of the pair.

"Yeh alright? What did Cena want to talk to yeh about?" Asking cautiously, Stephen glanced at Erica then back to Bailey, hoping one of them would provide him with an explanation.

"I'll talk to you about it later." Erica smiled apologetically. Stephen held out the case file that was in his hand, waiting for Erica to take it.

"Last call on the phone was made to Christian Thomas." Erica took the file and raised an eyebrow.

"The vic?"

"Yeah, thought you would like that." Stephen laughed, it rumbled from his chest and made Erica smile.

"But the finger prints didn't hit on the database." Erica sighed and nodded at Stephens words. That made their job harder; tracking down whoever killed Christian Thomas in that apartment needed to be done now, before they got away or worse.

"Thanks Ste, I'll look on the way to Crown Heights. We're going to check up on the girlfriend."

"Alright lass, good luck." With that Stephen turned on his heel and headed back to the lab.

"You okay?" Bailey asked as they walked down the hall, both heading for the parking lot so they could head back to Brooklyn.

"Me?" Erica looked at her "Hmmmm...yeah I'm fine."

"You know he was just going hard on us back there because he taught us better. It might suck, I hate being busted just as much as you. And it's ridiculous because there are other CSI's on the team but..."

"He's right," Erica sighed "We should never have left the scene. And I guess that's what's making me so angry. Maybe because he actually had cause to kick our asses," they stepped into the elevator, taking it to the BG level to the parking garage beneath the building "Am I driving?" Erica grinned as Bailey threw the keys her way; it was always fun to drive around New York.

They pulled up in Crown Heights and got out of the car. Bailey glanced around the street. It was pretty rundown and most of the walls had been sprayed with graffiti. She licked her lips softly as Erica joined her on the sidewalk, flicking the keys at the car to turn the alarm on. Erica wore a pair of jasmine wool straight-leg grey trousers, a white washed silk tank top with the hem tucked beneath the trousers and a matching grey wool blazer.

"Can you see anything suspicious?" Bailey enquired. Erica stared up at the apartment and shook her head.

"Aside from the obvious, not really. Let's go inside. Which number was it again?"

"12B," they opened the outside door and it creaked under the pressure of being used. Both detectives walked up the steps slowly, balancing carefully in their heels. Erica raised her hand when they reached 12B and knocked firmly on the door.

"Who is it?" called back a timid voice a few moments later.

"NYPD. We're with the crime lab," Bailey answered, running a hand through her brown hair. She could tell the girl on the other side of the door was young and quite possibly frightened. Who knows what condition she was in. The door creaked open and a pretty brunette popped her head around the door "Hi. I'm Detective Bailey Easton," she showed the girl her badge "And this is my partner Detective Erica Hudson. Do you have a few moments to talk to us?"

"I...umm...I really have to get to work," she attempted to shut the door. Bailey put her hand up against the wood.

"That's funny Carly. We've already spoken to your boss. He says you're not working today. So let us ask you again. Do you have a few moments to speak with us?" Erica shot the young woman a seething glance. She was not in the mood to be played about with. She was here to get the information she needed and then she wanted to leave. It had been a hellish day so far.

"What's this about?"

"Do you know Mr Evan Jacobs?"

"Yes! Is he okay? Is he hurt?" Carly flung the door open in her eagerness to get information on Evan.

"May we come in?" Bailey kept her cool as Carly began to get agitated "It's quite necessary that we speak to you."

"Ummm...okay, I guess," she let both Erica and Bailey in. Bailey surveyed the apartment. There was nothing to brash or bold about the place, typical for the wage Carly was earning but she got the feeling that if Evan was her boyfriend, he certainly wouldn't have been shy in flashing the cash.

"What is your relationship with Mr Jacobs?" Erica asked as she took a seat on the small sofa in Carly's sitting room. Bailey joined her a few moments later.

"We...we were dating," Carly wrung her hands together. She was nervous and fidgiting. She was scared.

"Dating? You were in a relationship with him? You were sleeping together?" Carly nodded "How long have you been intimate with Mr Jacobs?" Bailey asked.

"We've been...seeing one another for 7 months now. He said he was going to leave his wife for me. Oh my! Is that what this is about? Has something happened to his wife and kids?"

Bailey met Erica's eyes. New information already.

"No. I'm sorry to have to tell you this Ma'am but Evan Jacobs was found in the East River this morning. He was shot."

"Oh my god!" Carly began to sob brokenly "Nooooo!" she wailed, throwing her hands up to her face "What happened? Who did this to him?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. Can you tell us where you were between 9pm and 11.30pm last night?"

"I...I was working," she sobbed, wiping her tears away to answer the question.

"And your boss will confirm that?" Erica asked. Carly nodded, in shock "Do you have a relatives you can stay with?"

"I...my mom. But she lives out of state. In North Carolina."

"Maybe see if she could come up here an stay with you, we can see you're in a bit of a state. Leave a contact number with us and we'll be back in touch with you. Again, our deepest sympathies Ma'am."

"So he was having an affair," Bailey smirked at Erica as they left the rundown apartment, the contact number for Carly safely stored in Bailey's phone.

"I guess we better find his wife then," Erica remarked as they got back into the car and headed back to the lab.

Erica and Bailey stepped back inside the lab, their heeled shoes making a soft click-clacking off of the polished linoleum floors.

"Do you think Carly had anything to with vic's murder?" Erica asked as they made their way down towards the main offices of the lab. Bailey walked along beside her, fiddling with the phone in her hand for a few seconds.

"Oh...I don't know. She seemed awful timid, you know afraid of something when we knocked on the door. But then again, they do say it's always the quiet ones."

Erica nodded as they continued on down the hallway.

"Bailey?" both girls swung around to see John heading straight for them. Bailey raised an eyebrow at their boss, still firmly pissed that he'd told them off "Can I talk to you for a few moments?"

Erica glanced at her partner, wondering what their boss wanted to talk to her about. But instinct told her to keep her mouth shut for the moment.

"I'll go and catch up with Stephen. Come and get us in the lab," Bailey nodded at her friend and watched her disappear down the corridor before turning back to their boss. Tucking a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear, her eyes roving over him as she thought back to the start of their close friendship. He'd mentored her and Erica the majority of the way through their careers but John and Bailey had a closer knitted relationship which no one else seemed to understand.

"What do you need?" Bailey asked him, her lips forming into a thin line.

"You can't stay angry at me forever, Kid," he murmured, folding his large arms across his chest.

"I can try my hardest. Is there something that you want? I've got a lot of work to do."

"Bailey," his voice was soft as he said her name and Bailey pursed her lips in anger. She didn't want to have this conversation with him here, in fact she didn't want to have it at all.

Bailey held up her hand "John, I don't want to talk about this. I really do have a lot of work to do," she turned to leave, taking two or three steps before turning back around, holding the index finger of her left hand up in the air in front of her "You know, Erica and I get it. We know that we were in the wrong and we should never have left the crime scene. We know that it was a mistake and it shouldn't have happened. But the last thing we need is you breathing down our necks and roasting us for it. We know our job and you're going to have to start realising that we are not rookies anymore and we don't need your help to solve these cases. You're our boss and, yes, you have the final say but we don't need mollycoddling. You don't need to mentor us anymore and we're big enough to solve cases without you holding our hands," she spun on her heel and stalked away, not giving their boss any time to respond.

She entered Stephen's office, hovering by the door as her eyes took in the scene unfolding in front of her. Erica sat on the chair pulled up in front of the computer and Stephen stood behind her, leaning down across her as they stared at the screen. A warm flush washed across Erica's cheeks as Stephen puffed hot air next to her ear, sending shivers across her skin. Bailey grinned from the doorway and cleared her throat, watching as Stephen stood up rather quickly, smoothing his hands down against his black trousers. Erica's face flushed even hotter if that was possible and she cleared her own throat.

"Ummm...Bailey, come take a look at this," she beckoned her partner over. Bailey stepped further into the room and approached the pair, curious as to what they had found.

"Please tell me you've got something good?" Bailey pleaded as she stood besides Erica who hit the play button.

"So this is just before TOD." Erica pointed at the screen as she paused it, a figure on the screen who appeared to be a woman. "We can't see her face because she's going into the apartment. Put fast forward and there she is."

"This is the wife?" Bailey leant closer to the paused screen, the picture was a little fuzzy. But as soon as Erica brought up a picture of the wife to compare, she saw the resemblance.

"Sure is. Leaving right after the murder." Stephen smirked, clearly pleased with the little bit of evidence he had found.

"Now we just have to find her." Erica mused, thinking out loud as her gaze held on the screen for a moment.

"Ah've got to go lasses. They want me skills for another case." He squeezed Erica's shoulder before adding, "Still on for tonight?"

"Yeah, see you later Ste." Erica waved as Bailey yelled bye. Erica held her breath, waiting for the onslaught of questions.

"You and Stephen, what's going on with you two now?"

"It's chinese night, the same thing we've done every night for the past year." Erica feigned innocence but Bailey knew there was something more.

"Just suck it up and tell him, sooner rather than later. Watching the two of you flirt and blush is making me feel sick."Erica rolled her eyes at her friends statement, both now leaving Stephens office heading to their end of the lab. They still had a mountain of evidence to get through.

"Ste?" Erica piped up, putting down the carton of Chinese on the coffee table.

"What's up?" He stopped eating for a second, letting his gaze rake over her. The pulling in his chest tightened as she ran her tongue along her bottom lip.

"I need relationship advice." She broke their stare down, moving her fork around the fluffy rice so she didn't have to look at him before pushing it away from her. His heart sank and he felt sick. He didn't want to talk about what lucky bastard got to run his hands over her, make her moan and- "It's important to me." Damn. He didn't have a choice.

"Go on."

"There's this guy that I like, I think he likes me too. But I'm scared it will ruin the friendship we have if I make a move." his mind raced, wondering who this man was. Maybe he could find out who it was and run some checks at work.

The testosterone filled side of him wanted to tell her that whoever this guy was, he didn't deserve her. Then maybe he would run his hand along her thigh and see how she would react. She had been taunting him all night with that skirt, which seemed to ride up the more she fidgeted on the couch. Then the moral side of him appeared and he couldn't do that to her. "The guy would be an idiot not to go for yeh, lass. Just tell him."

"What should I say?"

Stephen shrugged, wondering why she was having this conversation with him not Bailey. He didn't want this conversation and he couldn't believe the next words out of his mouth. "Tell him you like him, simple as that."

Erica watched Stephen, every movement he made catching her eye. A man of pure muscle and power. His thick fingers wrapped around the green beer bottle, now almost empty. She watched him take the last mouthful, sucking a droplet of alcohol that clung to his top lip. From the moment she had caught sight of him, she was intrigued. He made her smile, laugh and he was always there for her. But time was passing, the longer she let things go as they were, the less likely he would ever see her as anything more than a friend. Bailey's words rung through her head, 'suck it up and tell him.' "I like you."

"Exactly, just like that. Yeh want another beer?" Stephen stood up from his couch, moving through to the small kitchen. Erica stared at him in disbelief, her mouth hanging slightly open. "Erica?" Snapping her mouth shut she shook her head. She didn't want another beer. Maybe he was letting her down easy. Maybe he wasn't attracted to her like she was to him. Maybe he did actually just want to be friends.

Erica turned to the door, a noise catching her attention. She tried to ignore it but the detective in her wouldn't let it go. Listening closer it sounded like people arguing. "Ste, can you hear that?" Standing up she headed for the door, wondering what people were arguing about in the middle of a corridor.

"Whoa lass, where yeh going?" Stephen rushed from the kitchen, setting down his beer on the coffee table as he passed it.

"To see what this fuss is about!" Erica tried to defend her actions. Someone might have been in trouble and she was there to help. Stephen didn't see it that way.

Grabbing hold of her wrist he pulled her back into the room. "No yeh don't."

"Ste!"

"They argue all the time, she kicks him out and he comes back the next morning." Erica glanced down at his big hand wrapped around her slim wrist. The size difference between them hit her hard. She had rarely studied how he looked against her, but now she was starting to pick up on tiny details. If only she could get her mind on track and get Stephen out of her system. He only saw her as a friend, now she had to move on. As soon as he let go of her wrist she grabbed her gun from her holster resting on the coffee table.

"Erica, don't." His voice was firm and demanding. He pointed his finger at her, warning her to stop. She backed up to the door, smiling as she gripped onto the door handle. Pulling it open she slipped out into the hallway. Hearing Stephen curse as she disappeared from his apartment, she couldn't help but smirk. She swore he often forgot that she was trained and spent every day doing this. Stopping just in front of the door she glanced down at her attire; black knee length skirt she had just changed into, bare feet and Stephen's Ireland rugby shirt. Maybe this wasn't her best idea, but as soon as she heard a gunshot echo through the corridor she was quick off her spot.

A/N – Thank you ThePostmanStoleMyIdentity, ThatGirl54, celticfighter, MrsKiaFarrelly, MrsBarrett, moxxie23, Tannedperfection and JohnCenaFan for the awesome reviews. Karen and Lou x