Secrets of the past

Mac was standing outside when a scream came from inside the building. His stomach leaped up into his throat as he recognized the voice of his youngest member. He ran inside the burned out building to find his CSI holding onto a broken board for dear life.

Instinctively his feet ran up the stairs and he found himself in the crime scene. He ran to her side and began pulling. His muscles tensed and he strained to pull up the young woman. Finally he began to get some leeway when his hand caught on a broken board and he received a minor cut. Blood got in the scene.

After a few minutes of pulling Kenzie was up, out of the hole, and back into the scene once more. Her hands were bleeding heavily and her gloves were torn dangerously. Black ash covered her from the scene.

She breathed heavily, much like he was. He noticed her hands were shaking and he had to admit he was shaking slightly. Mac turned away and looked when he heard footsteps running up behind him. The paramedics were running towards them.

"Are you two okay?" one of the paramedics asked and Mac turned to the young woman. She just nodded, not speaking.

"I'm fine, just a small cut," he said before nodding towards his hand then he turned to Kenzie. "Storm, are you really okay?"

"Fine, just a few bumps and bruises," she whispered looking away. Her eyes wandered and came to land on something behind him so he turned to see what she was looking at. He noticed she was staring at the evidence bags. "We need to preserve the chain of command; I need to take them to the lab."

He turned to look at her before glancing at her cut up hands then back at her. "You need to get your hands checked out. I'll take the evidence to work," he said and she groaned. "Don't make me make it an order."

"Fine," she grumbled and he looked at the brunette. Even now he couldn't remember where he'd met her before, before she worked with him that is. That fact was driving him nuts. The fact that she also reminded him of a much younger, pre-Marine him just added to the confusion. She was just as determined, somber, and serious. However, she was more instinctual than he was which just annoyed the hell out of him.

He watched the girl leave the room and head down the stairs accompanied by the paramedics and he began to collect the bags of evidence she'd gathered. Maybe it was because of these similarities that the two seemed to clash. He couldn't really be sure.

His hands moved quickly as he gathered the evidence in his arms and carried them downstairs. As he walked outside he caught a glimpse of her sitting on the back of the parked ambulance. It appeared the paramedic was stitching her up.

The girl flinched and he felt that protective side of him jump forward, the same side he got with his team. As he put all of the evidence in his jeep he watched as Stella pulled up and Adam rushed out of her passenger side.

The young man sprinted to the new girl and she smiled at him. A part of him wondered if the two were in some sort of relationship, other than a professional one. If they were he prayed that it didn't mess with their working lives. He'd allowed Messer and Monroe to have a romantic relationship without ordering one of them to transfer; he'd attempt to do the same thing here.

Kenzie smiled and he watched the pair with his peripheral vision. Adam smiled broadly and there was an energy around the young scientist he couldn't remember ever seeing before. However, he also noticed Adam was tense, almost worried.

Something was up and Mac wouldn't stop till he figured out what it was.

--

"So," Adam asked nervously as he glanced at her hands. They were cut up and several were stitched up from how deep they had been. "I'm dead."

He let the words hang dangerously in the air and Kenzie turned to look at him questioningly.

"Why are you dead," Kenzie asked as she flinched as the medic ran some antiseptic over an open cut he was getting ready to suture. Adam knew a doctor should have been doing that but Kenzie was too stubborn to go to the hospital.

"Your neighbor boy, David, is going to kill me. I told him that I'd keep you safe and I don't think I did that, exactly," Adam explained and Kenzie glanced at him understandingly. He wasn't telling the truth but he'd created a way for them to talk without anyone knowing what they were really talking about.

"He'll get over it. He's only four after all. After a day at the park and some Double Strawberry Ice-cream He'll have forgotten all about this afternoon," she reasoned and he sighed.

"I guess," Adam said and she smiled at him.

"Don't worry so much, you'll get wrinkles," she joked and he glared at her.

"This coming from the stress queen?" he asked and her jaw dropped while a smile itched at the corner of his lips.

"Jerk," she mused but he could tell she wasn't serious.

"Hey, I have tomorrow off. Do you want to hang out with me," Adam asked. "I know you have to baby-sit David, we could go out the three of us."

He prayed she said yes. He saw her eyes light up and she smiled.

"Sure Adam, sounds fun," Kenzie responded and his heart skipped a beat. He kept reminding himself that she was younger than him and was off limits. There was an eight-year age gap between the two of them. It would be wrong on so many levels. Besides, she was a friend and he didn't want to mess that up.

Mac chose that time to start towards them and Adam stepped back nervously.

"I suggest you take two weeks off duty," Mac told Kenzie and Kenzie's jaw dropped in shock.

"Why, because of this? Trust me, I've had worse, a lot worse," Kenzie said but Mac just looked at her.

"If you pulled one of those stitches while working with the evidence you risk contaminating it with your blood. If that happened it would no longer be viable. Would you risk a case?" Mac asked and she pinched her lips frustrated.

"Of course not, I hadn't considered that," Kenzie muttered, her voice filled with obvious irritation.

"Fine, then in two weeks I hope I'll be seeing you," Mac said, "and, until then you are on medical leave."

"Right," Kenzie muttered and Mac walked away.

"You going to survive not working for two weeks?" Adam asked, knowing how she was always the first person to work in the morning – even before bodies were discovered – and was always the last person out at the end of the day.

"I'll have to," She sighed. Then she smiled. "I guess spending some time with David wouldn't be so bad. He'll definitely enjoy having me home instead of Jesse all the time."

He smiled at the angry tone that filled her words as she said the name Jesse. She was definitely still angry about the park incident.

"Is she fired yet?" Adam asked and Kenzie shook her head. She had her work face on as she looked at the scene.

"Arson tends to be impersonal, they are usually male – adolescent to mid-twenties, though the number of female perpetrators of arsons has been on a steady incline in recent years," she mumbled to herself and he laughed.

"Where did you learn that?" Adam asked looking at her.

"Its called I read," she said detached as the Paramedic stepped back.

"You should be fine but you really should go to the hospital for a tetanus shot," The paramedic said and she just rolled her eyes.

"Thank you," she said as she stood up. "Hey, Adam, could you drive me home?" she asked and he smiled wishing she didn't have to be so difficult.

Adam turned and called across the area to his boss, " Hey Mac, mind if I drop Kenzie off at home, she's in no shape to be driving, plus she's driving my vehicle."

Mac turned to look at them as Adam heard Kenzie huff indignantly.

"Take the day off and make sure she gets some rest," Mac ordered and Adam smiled.

"Will do boss," Adam responded before he escorted Kenzie to his vehicle and helped her in.

Then he ran to the other side and got in himself. He was secretly worried that she'd slide into the driver's seat and would drive off without him.

--

Adam crawled in and she noticed he was anxious. As the two pulled out the silence between them became too much for her to bare.

"What's wrong with you?" Kenzie asked and he jumped before glancing at her.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Adam asked and she laughed sarcastically.

"I've been working with you for, oh, I don't know, a month and a half, nearly two months now. I think I can tell when something is bugging you so spill," Kenzie demanded and he just looked away. "Tell me or I'll get David to torture it out of you. Trust me you can only watch those kiddy-cartoons for so long before you have the urge to shoot something."

"Do you realize you could have died?" Adam demanded, his tone stern. So much so that it made her jump in shock.

"Yeah, it's part of the job, so what?" she asked confused. Where was he going with this and why was he suddenly worried about her safety?

"Kenzie, you're a mom. If you died who would take in your son – his biological mother? His other aunt? How about that biological dad of his, what's his name, Richard right? Who would know how to care for him if you weren't around?" he demanded and she wanted to bitch slap him right then.

"My sister helped raise him till I moved here with him so she'd know how to care for him," Kenzie snapped angrily. "And don't you ever question my choices when they regard my son again. I'd never do anything to intentionally put myself or my son on the line."

"Kenzie, I don't take promises lightly. You promise him every morning that you'll be home later that night and I want to make sure you keep that Promise. Hell, I already broke one to him, I don't want you breaking another," Adam said and she stopped. A part of her wondered if he meant what he said. Then her mind wandered to the night before and she giggled slightly when she remembered the way her son had slipped up.

"What?" Adam asked and she laughed.

"Nothing, never mind," Kenzie said waving him off while still smiling.

"Come on, what?" he pushed and she sighed.

"Don't get weirded out by this but last night David slipped up and called you his dad. Then again, you did take us both out to that park during our lunch break so that could have something to do with it," Kenzie said watching his face. She'd expected there to be some sort of shock or repulsion but instead she watched as he smiled.

"Well, he could do with a worse father than me, trust me on that," Adam laughed and she couldn't help but smile. She understood his words and they struck a cord. David's biological father could have been the same way to David if she and Maddy hadn't gotten Mckayla away from him.

He'd been a mean bastard, a drunk who had beaten her little sister while she'd been pregnant. They'd protected their sister up until he'd gone to jail for a bank robbery gone bad that turned into three counts of manslaughter.

"Yeah, well, I'd say your better than most of the guys I've dated," she joked – slightly. She watched his face and saw his smile disappear. She could have sworn the look on his face was almost jealous.

They drove in silence till he arrived at her place. As he parked the car she went to get out but he hurried out of the vehicle to her side. He opened her door. It was surprising how fast that boy could move. Then Adam reached up and helped her out without her needing to use her injured hands.

"Are we heading up?" Adam asked glancing up the steps before holding out his arm.

"Sure," she said trying not to blush. Hundreds of stupid little romantic scenarios were running through her mind at that particular moment. She linked her arm with his and he led the way. They climbed the stairs to her apartment and she attempted to open the door. Too bad her wounds were beginning to stiffen, making it difficult to close her hand. Then again, the stitches probably didn't help much.

"I'll get it," Adam offered and she handed him her keys. He opened her door and sat them inside the door, where she always left them. Then he helped her remove her coat.

"Mommy," David yelled running towards them and she felt herself smile. The boy was wearing his marine costume from last Halloween again.

"Hey Davey," Kenzie said as she leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"Mommy, you're hurt," David said as he glanced at her hands.

"Not bad, Adam's been taking good care of me," she said and Adam smiled sadly. "He's offered to take us out tomorrow, what do you say?"

"Okay," David said hugging her. He then went over to Adam and held out his hands. Adam glanced at her, not sure of what to do.

She mouthed the words, 'pick him up.' Adam just nodded and picked David up awkwardly but David didn't notice. He seemed comfortable in Adam's arms and she couldn't help but smile at the sight. Usually David was a picky kid about who he let touch him but here he was allowing Adam, not only shake his hand but hold him. It was sweet.

Then she realized she sounded like some stupid romantic and cursed herself internally.

"So, what do you guys want to eat?" Adam asked and she looked at him curiously. "It's lunch time. A kid needs lunch and so does his mother, so, where do you want to go?"

--

[Sorry about the abrupt ending and the long break in-between posts. Thanks for the reviews and I hope you like the update. TVGirl09]