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Revision is well and truly underway, so updates will probably be about this speed, I'm really sorry.
I hope that you enjoy this chapter.
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Chapter Thirty Nine # Hold My Heart #
"So you two are dating?" Russell span around a little in his chair.
"Yeah…"
"And you want to stay on the same shift?"
"Yes."
"And you've come to me before you were caught."
Greg and Morgan glanced at each other. "Yeah…"
"Well what the hell took you both this long, I mean geez…" DB shook his head and at the sight of their shocked faces he rolled his eyes. "Well we all noticed! You've been ogling each other for years."
"Ogling?" Greg frowned.
"Years?" Morgan looked confused.
DB laughed. "Anyway, Ecklie and I already talked about it, when we saw your little moment at the wedding, quite adorable I must say." Ignoring their reddening faces he continued. "Seeing as how you've done everything properly and there're no department rules against it, seeing as though neither one of you is a supervisor or anything like that I doubt we'll have any problems. Just don't let me see it, and stay professional at crime scenes for god's sake!"
Greg and Morgan couldn't help but grin.
"Oh, Greg, on a side note, do you know if Archie's tracked down the caller yet?"
Greg knew instantly which case he meant. A gang had been torturing and murdering people regardless of race, age, religion and wealth, and after DB made a strong case on television, the leader, who identified himself as only Z, had been plaguing him with phone calls in the night, taunting him by mentioning crimes before they occurred.
"He's working on it." Greg nodded, and he and Morgan walked into the hall as Russell sighed.
"So I guess this means it's officially official then?" Morgan grinned at Greg.
He smiled, the sheepish, childish grin that graced his face when he looked at her with his guard down. "I guess so."
"You wanna go out for a drink after shift?"
CSIVCSIVCSIV
"Do you have any plans tonight?" Nick asked his new nanny.
"No…" she frowned. "Why would I?"
"It's your birthday." Nick raised an eyebrow.
"I started working, and I aim to continue doing so." Orla smiled, picking up a small bear.
Nick laughed. "That doesn't mean working through your birthday."
She ducked her head, golden curls hiding her face. "I don't have many friends here yet, not really. A friend invited me out, but there's no one to look after Kristy."
"I have friends who could look after her for the night." Nick insisted. "Honestly, go out with your friends. Tell you what…" he walked over to the counter and pulled down a flyer. "This is a great bar, very safe area, you can call your friends, get them to meet you there."
She grinned. "Ah, that'd be grand! Thanks"
"Great." Nick grinned. "Kris?"
There was a small thunk followed by the soft pitter-patter of feet running down the hall as Kristy responded to her dad.
"Daddy?"
"It's Orla's birthday tod-"
"Happy birthday!" The three year old sang happily. "We make cake!"
"Thank you." Orla laughed gently.
"We make a cake now, all ob us please?" she implored, hitting both adults with her best puppy dog eyes.
"I don't see why not." Nick mused. He had taken the night before off in order to help Orla settle in, which meant that he had actually slept.
"That'd be fun." Orla smiled, and they entered the kitchen.
"We nee' some eggs." Kristy cried, racing around like a bull in a china shop.
Just as Nick was about to say something, Orla put her hand on Kristy's head gently, stopping the girl's movement.
"Whoa, young lassie." Her accent grew thicker. "We also need an intact kitchen."
The toddler giggled and slipped away, though her movements were slower and more purposeful.
"There we go." Orla smiled. Nick grinned at her as they followed the toddler to the kitchen.
"We nee eggses and flour and sugar!" Kristy cried.
"Eggses? We have a Smeagol in the room." Nick remarked.
Orla laughed but Kristy scowled.
"Eggses." She repeated firmly, going to get the said objects from the fridge.
"Orla can get the eggs." Nick insisted. "Can you find the butter for me Kris?"
"Otay." She sighed, finding the small tub of butter as Orla opened the fridge to retrieve the eggs.
Nick went for the flour and sugar as well as any miscellaneous ingredients, and soon they were in business.
"Mix!" Kristy cried happily when she was gingerly passed the wooden spoon. She refused to use the electronic whisk - Rosa had rubbed off on her. "Mixy mixy mix!"
She mixed until the butter was just beginning absorb the sugar and then trust the bowl into her father's hands.
"Daddy mix! Too tired." She declared, holding her arms out to Orla.
The woman smiled and picked the girl off of the counter and held her whilst Nick sighed and mixed up the butter and sugar.
At Kristy's insistence they each tested the mixture before Kristy threw the flour through the sieve and into the bowl.
"Oops!" Nick chuckled at the shocked look on her face as the flour covered it. They continued on without incident and put the cake in the oven, happily sitting down on the sofa to talk.
"So, Orla, what are your plans then?" Nick asked as Kristy settled in between them.
"I just want to stay in Vegas for a while. Maybe track my dad down, but you never know..."
"I could help you with that." Nick offered. "I do work at a crime lab, and I also know of a genealogist who could help if all else fails."
"Thanks." She said with her sunny smile. "I appreciate it."
"Wha' you bab called?" Kristy asked, the thumb in her mouth mangling her words.
She grinned a little sheepishly. "Sean Murphy."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Ah."
"I know." She looked sheepish.
"Why?" Kristy pressed, trying to read between the adults lines. "Why dat bad?"
"There are a lot of people called Sean Murphy."
"Why?" Kristy frowned.
"It's a very common name in Ireland." Orla explained.
Kristy considered that for a moment. "How common is my name?"
"Less common than Sean Murphy." Nick remarked. "I don't think that there are very many Kristy Stokes' in the world."
She smirked happily. "Good. I don' wanna be lie de obers. I wanna be de only one."
"Well I don't think that you'd be the only one." Orla admitted. "But you're definitely the most special."
Nick was amazed how well Orla settled in from the beginning. Kristy just adored her, and on the nanny's occasional days off Kristy's stories were full of tales of the Irish woman.
And she was definitely growing on Nick. He appreciated how good she was professionally – how happy she made Kristy, how she always had a fresh cup of coffee and a warm dinner ready for him when he got home no matter what the hour or how long the shift had been. She was always on time, always ready whenever he needed her.
And she was growing on him personally as well. He was surprised at how much the little things affected him.
The way she would have two loose curls falling down the side of her face no matter how she tired her hair or how much she complained about it.
The way she bit her tongue during concentration, the way she had a comeback for everything.
He loved the way she kept him on his toes. He loved the way she laughed.
And oh, did he love the way she looked.
"Nicky-boy?"
Nick jumped. "Yes?"
"Here's your lunch, here's your phone, you left your keys on the stairs and if you don't quit daydreaming while you stare at my arse, you'll be late for work." She winked, pressing the objects into his hands.
"I may be a little late today, Orla, Russell's expecting Zandro Cardoza to retaliate against the raid on his drug house."
"That's the zed guy, right?"
"The zee guy, yeah." Nick laughed as Orla stuck her tongue out.
"Take your damn wallet."
"What'd I do without you?"
"You'd fall into and endless pit of lateness and doom. Now shoo! To work with you!" She laughed, sending him out of the door.
CSIVCSIVCSIV
Reuben jumped up and down on the spot, his hand encased in her fathers. Greg had taken the twins to the lab when he had been called in on Lindsey's day out, and Reuben loved the lab.
He ran through the corridor towards Henry's lab, but Greg's stern call drew him back.
"Reubs, not in the labs until you're invited. Until then you're in the-"
"Break room!" Loeila chimed, skipping into the room in question.
"Good girl." Greg called after them.
Greg kissed both children on the head and left the room. Both children knew the drill, and they both liked it. They also both knew that if they misbehaved they would be caught and punished, most likely with no dessert for a week.
Reuben instantly pulled out his colouring pad. As it was night-time, they were expected to go to bed, but Reuben loved to colour as he watched the bustling workers on the lab. In truth, he didn't even care about the colouring. It was what his father called an alibi.
He watched, his eyes following the figures passing by…
Ecklie, arguing with someone he didn't know…
Archie, on the phone, walking in the other direction...
Reuben giggled as his father's friend stuffed the phone in his pocket, looking at the floor as Ecklie stalked past. While the man glared at Archie, he made sure to pause to smiled and wave at the twins.
Henry waved at him as well with a smile as he walked into DNA…
Mandy was the first to pause at the door. "Hey guys, it's nice to see you two here."
"Hi Mandy." Reuben sang, his angelic face lighting up. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Finger painting." Mandy smiled, using the words that the children used to understand the goings on of the lab.
"Ca-" Reuben stood up, but suddenly an overwhelming dizziness overtook him. In the corner of his eye, he saw Henry coughing, falling over his desk.
An overwhelming pain burst through his head and he screamed, but it was let out as a weak cry. He staggered forwards, grabbing his throat but he couldn't breathe.
He fell to the floor, invisible fire consuming his body.
Daddy, Daddy, where are you?
He reached out feebly to Loeila who screamed.
As the air drew in through her lungs, Loeila felt something was wrong. It was bad air, bad air in her throat.
It burned the inside of her neck, it burned and it hurt and she fell.
Daddy help us! Please Daddy please! Help me Daddy! Daddy it HURTS!
Mandy lurched towards the twins but she took a breath of toxic air and the posion shot through her system. Like a puppet whose strings were cut, she collapsed in a heap on the floor.
Zandro Cardoza stepped into the crime lab, a gas mask covering his face.
He was loose in Russell's domain. Right in the middle of his enemies lair.
How could he hurt the man?
He stared at the lab technicians, vulnerable and unconscious on the floor, no doubt in pain. As he stalked though he took in a pair of toddlers on the floor.
Oh yeah. This was gonna be fun.
Unexpected? In my defence I gave you two whole angst free chapters :P
I really hope you enjoyed it, leave me a comment if you did. Also comment if you have any theories or things that you would like to see happen and you may be happily surprised :-)
By the way, I uploaded a new story (Sequel to BIEH) the other day, called "The Light Behind Your Eyes" check it out ;)