"Hi."
Horatio glanced up from his seat on the hard, hot, concrete ground to Ridley who was clutching two Styrofoam cups and looking a little uncomfortable. They were at the LVPD lot where they had spent most of the day going between the crime lab and the police department. At first it had been a frustrating waiting game and many, many calls between Vegas and Miami but once it finally became clear that Calleigh, Eric and Yelina were all going to live, Ridley and Tim finally turned their focus on the Wonderland case. Tim went with Sarah and Greg, probably the only two members of the Vegas CSI team who didn't have a disliking for him, whilst Ridley went off with Warrick and Nick.
It had been a long day and Tim and Ridley had protested about working on the case and argued about returning to Miami but Horatio had been firm that they stayed in the city and assured them that their friends were fine and wanted them working on the case. It was only when Calleigh verbally told Ridley down the phone to keep on the case that the New Yorker was assured enough to give in, albeit grudgingly.
Now it was almost half five and Ridley had finally returned to the lab after an interesting day meeting some of Estella's acquaintances and seeing the hotel she had been staying in whilst Tim had visited some of her last known locations. It had taken a while before Ridley had finally learned that Horatio was outside taking his first break of the day. Catherine had murmured scornfully that the man hadn't eaten so much as a biscuit and she didn't even think he had bothered with a toilet break all day.
He was sitting on the edge of a kerb, knees half-drawn up whilst he quietly observed the bustle of the LVPD through his shades. Ridley took a seat beside him and held out one of the cups. "Coffee," she said calmly.
Horatio accepted the cup with a grateful nod.
"It's not your fault you know," the young woman said as she stared ahead.
"What?" he quipped curiously.
"Calleigh, Eric and Yelina, what happened, it's not your fault," Ridley remarked seriously. "I know you think it is because you're their superior and you probably knew about the situation they were putting themselves in and you weren't there but they chose to do it and you couldn't have known what would happen."
"They're CSIs, and I asked them to do something CSIs don't," Horatio murmured, "so it is my fault and my responsibility. I also know exactly how dangerous the cartel is and I knew what could happen but I allowed Calleigh and Eric to help with Emily anyway because I was here and couldn't do it." He gave a low sigh of annoyance.
"Look, I've...I've blamed you for a lot," Ridley confessed quietly, "because it was easy to do but you're not to blame Horatio, not for what happened to me and not for what's happened to them." She trailed off awkwardly, setting her cup on the ground beside her and instinctively hugging herself briefly to still the twitch in her hands that threatened to turn into a tremble. "You let me blame you," she continued you softly, "it annoyed me at first, I wanted you to make it harder you know, I wanted you to argue back so I could scream at you and hate you more but you didn't, you never do, you're just quiet and agreeable and then it's just one sided yelling and I feel like a fool..." She gave a sad smile at this. "You're not to blame though, you didn't know I was out there and you couldn't know what would happen in Miami."
Horatio pulled off his sunglasses and gave Ridley a serious stare but she had unfolded her hands and was now staring down at her bracelet and was fiddling with the gold camera charm. "Thank you," he said quietly.
"What more did you hear?" Ridley queried. "Catherine says you were on the phone a lot."
"Yelina's in hospital," Horatio confessed, "gunshot to her right leg but it passed through, she's angry about it more than anything, Eric and Calleigh just have a few scrapes and bruises, at least that's what they tell me and they're both processing the scene whilst Frank and his men are trying to find Emily."
"Poor woman," Ridley commented softly as she pictured the teary woman who had grabbed her on the streets terrified. "After everything she went through, Jesus, now they're going to torture her," she swallowed hard as she continued to twist the charm in her fingertips.
"Hopefully Calleigh and the others will find her first," Horatio murmured. "Anyway, what about the Wonderland case?"
"Nothing that gives us a clear suspect yet," Ridley confessed, "I mean she had another side to her but it's not so surprising, rich, young woman who doesn't get on with her mum and has no father figure, so she's runs about with punks trying to rebel even as she uses her mum's money to do it. Then she goes to Miami with her socialite friends to party and act like she's part of the rich scene, seems she liked both worlds to be honest. We have a few more places to check into, maybe Mr. Rothdale will pop up yet or someone else. I still like the idea of a connection with a drug dealer."
"And what about Speed, did he make any progress?"
"Um I don't know," Ridley admitted as she finally let the charm drop and hang harmlessly on the bracelet, "I haven't spoken to him yet."
Horatio frowned. "This thing between you two-"
"I know it's unprofessional," Ridley interrupted, "and I'm sorry, sorry we kind of made a scene and let down Miami and-"
"Ridley," the redhead cut her off gently, "that's not what I meant and no one made a scene, Speed was a little theatrical I suppose but I don't think Vegas were that bothered about it. After what happened with you last year and then Speed getting shot, you both have a lot of issues to work through and you should be working them out together but it doesn't seem to be happening that way."
"No," Ridley murmured coolly. "I thought we were okay but then we came here and it got difficult again. You don't approve much of us anyway and maybe you're right not to, we seem pretty destructive together." She sighed and pushed back some of her dark hair. "The psychiatrist warned me it couldn't work between me and Tim and you know we tried and I...I couldn't so we broke up... Maybe we got back together too soon or maybe it was fine until he got shot and now he's got issues too and it's too much or maybe we were never meant to be, shit I don't know, I've never been good in relationships." She fell silent, her cheeks turning red as she realised just whom she was confessing to. "And you don't want to hear this."
"Well I can't give much advice on it," Horatio commented dryly, "since I'm not much of an expert myself but you can talk about it if you want, if it helps."
"No, it's not fair to Tim but thanks. Anyway, we're going to head out with the detectives soon to check the Desert Funland, apparently it's an amusement park in town which has been here for a few weeks, and Estella was in it after The Golden Labyrinth and after that bar down town, it's our last place to check."
"Good, I'll come with you," Horatio offered.
"You don't have to," Ridley murmured, "I mean we're all going and you've been working hard all day."
"It's the end of our case here, so I'll go," Horatio insisted.
Ridley gave a small smile and nodded. "Okay, but go back to the hotel first, I'm going to get a quick shower and a change of clothes, I mean this is a hot, dusty place."
Horatio laughed. "I get the hint Ridley, if I won't rest I should at least rest, got it."
"Maybe have something to eat too?" she prompted.
"Sure, sure, when do you plan to head to this Funland?"
"Nine."
"Alright."
Horatio stood up at last, coffee in one hand as he placed his shades back on with the other. He wouldn't admit it to Ridley but there was at least one good thing that had come out of Miami's mayhem, the cartel had gotten back what they wanted and had successfully humiliated the cops and CSIs whilst doing it, as Agent Harrison had informed him grimly word was already on the streets of Miami that they had no interest in Detective Moon anymore. They had gotten Emily back from the cops, they had murdered people in the process and wounded CSIs and it was all under the CSI and police's noses, a successful retaliation for their own humiliation. Horatio wasn't quite ready to fully trust in Ridley's safety but it did make sense, they weren't going to start a street war over her now they had gotten Emily. Of course, he had to wonder what would happen if they got Emily back as Calleigh and Eric were determined to do.
At exactly nine o'clock Timothy Speedle, Horatio Caine and Ridley Moon met with the Vegas CSIs Gil Grissom, Nick Stokes, Catherine Willows, and Warrick Brown, and LVPD members Captain Jim Brass and Detective Chris Cavaliere. Ridley tensed slightly at the sight of Chris, who was quick to meet her gaze with his own serious and curious, brown stare. Nick couldn't resist a questioning glance at Tim as he wondered if he and Ridley had made up or not.
"Ready?" Jim queried calmly as he looked at the Miami trio with a measure of scorn. He felt it was unnecessary having so many CSIs on one job, especially when it was an old job but Catherine clearly had a thing for Horatio, Warrick and Nick wanted to finish business with the Miami trio, and Gil wanted a chance to see them in work before they left. What Jim had to wonder was what work exactly? When his phone rang he was quick to realise as he answered it that he shouldn't have wondered. "Brass. Uh huh. You don't say. No, we're on it; believe it or not we were heading that way anyway. Hell of a coincidence I know." He hung up the phone and looked to Gil this time. "Hey Grissom are your beach party allowed to tag along on a current case?"
"But of course," Grissom answered calmly, "that is, if they wish to." He flickered a careful glance over at Horatio.
Catherine put her hands on her hips and looked at Jim questioningly. "What's happened Brass?"
"Two things," Jim answered with a small, tight smile, "the ferris wheel just malfunctioned and several people are now dead, and a body has turned up in the tunnel of love."
"Certain irony to that," Ridley murmured dryly.
"Can we split it?" Nick questioned with a glimmer of excitement in his brown gaze.
"We could do better than that," Warrick commented with a competitive stare at Tim and Ridley, "let's see if the sunbathers can keep up with Vegas' pace."
Ridley folded her arms as she frowned back. "I'm a New Yorker," she reminded him, "let's see if you can match my city pace."
"You don't have jurisdiction," Chris growled out with an unimpressed look.
"We could grant it to them," Grissom suggested, "under our supervision of course."
"What are you thinking Grissom?" Catherine queried with an arched eyebrow.
"That Warrick and Nick only have a point between them in this year's evaluation."
Warrick and Nick exchanged a very competitive look then. "Fifty," Warrick was quick to say.
"You're on," Nick answered with a grin, "but I get Ridley on my team."
Tim visibly bristled at the remark but said nothing; instead he just turned his annoyed stare down on the camera hanging from his neck.
"Catherine, you, Nick and Ridley take one case, and Horatio, myself, Warrick and Detective Speedle will take the other," Grissom said, "it will get the job done quicker and it means our Miami friends can cover the scene for their own case better."
"It could take more than a night to solve a case," Tim grumbled, "and we're heading home tomorrow."
"That's not the attitude," Warrick complained with a roll of his blue eyes.
"That's okay," Grissom answered with a smile, "we can wrap up the cases but it will be good to have your help while we can."
"Great," Jim murmured sardonically, "CSIs from all nations working together, our dream come true, right Chris?"
Chris just shrugged in retort.
"Let's get going already," Nick remarked enthusiastically. "I call Tunnel of Love."
Tim clenched his fists tightly together at that and ignored Warrick's soft, mocking laugh.
"Great," Catherine commented bitingly, "you just had to go with the swans Nicky."
The group divided up into Brass and Chris' cars, Grissom making the conscious choice to go with Brass leaving Catherine's group to go with Chris much to Ridley's unease. It took close to forty minutes to reach their destination, during that time Grissom and Horatio exchanged a polite, brief conversation about their separate posts whilst Tim and Warrick avoided eye contact and shared an awkward silence.
They parked in a crowded, sandy car park and stepped out to twinkling lights, high pitched, repetitive music and the sickeningly sweet smell of popcorn, candy floss and vomit. "Well that's disturbing," Ridley made the first remark as she gazed up at the giant clown's head leering down them from a white metal sign with neon lit up letters beside it reading, 'Desert Funland'. The clown had an open mouth turned up in a ghoulish grin, with red lips, blue eyeshadow, a red nose and disembodied hands at either side that seemed to clutch at the white metal framework supporting it.
"So is the noise," Grissom murmured, "not much laughter or screams."
"Word's spread," Catherine commented.
There were five visible cop cars, lights still flashing on one them, beside which a female cop stood talking into her intercom. She glanced over at the CSIs, nodding when Brass tapped on his gold star and Chris made a half-hearted gesture of flashing his badge before he stopped to snap a shot of the clown.
"Not just bodies then Chris," Catherine commented with dry amusement, "just anything creepy?"
"Interesting," Chris corrected as he tilted his camera up slightly to get a better shot, "anything interesting Catherine."
"Alright teams, let's get moving," Grissom instructed as he started leading the way towards the frozen ferris wheel at the centre of the park.
As they moved the chaos started to become apparent. All of the rides had stopped but some of the stalls still appeared to be in business as people continued to purchase snacks. There were all too few cops and too many crowds as people stood in uneasy, curious groups, growing in number towards the ferris wheel and the Tunnel of Love. Ridley lingered back, taking in the scene with unease as she suppressed a memory at the sight of a roller coaster. She hadn't been in an amusement park since that fateful night out with her best friend Ruby, Ruby's boyfriend Brian and Brian's friend Will, a man who had raped Ruby and never been convicted of it and had most definitely contributed to her murder. Ridley sucked in a deep breath, it had been her last night out with Ruby and she had fallen out with the woman thanks to Will, and ended up spending the evening with Tim, Calleigh and Eric instead, little knowing she wouldn't see Ruby alive again.
"I bet you're pleased to see me," Chris' sarcastic voice snapped Ridley out of her past.
The New Yorker blinked up at her uncle in confusion and only then noticed that Catherine and Nick were several feet ahead, both of them taking several photographs of the scene around them. "What do you mean?" Ridley queried in confusion.
"You show up unannounced out of the blue and barely speak to me," Chris reminded her in an angry tone.
"I invited you out to dinner," Ridley protested numbly as she looked ahead to Nick.
"Because you knew I wouldn't go," Chris retorted heatedly, "when do I ever go to dinner? What were you trying to do Riddle, ease your guilt by pretending to make an effort with me, or putting on a show for your friends of trying to meet up with your uncle?"
Ridley paled at the nickname and shook her head wearily. "I'm here on a job Uncle Chris," she retorted calmly, "I don't have a lot of time."
"Not even for your own uncle? It's been ages Ridley, years even and not one word."
"Yeah well things have happened," she murmured darkly.
"I know kid I read the papers, first I even knew you were in Miami was when they started publishing in the papers about that bride, Mrs Silver. I was going to call you but of course I don't have your number and then when you ended up buried alive, shit Ridley, I was so close to jumping on a plane but after last time..." He trailed off awkwardly seeing how she flinched and her face turned an odd shade of grey.
"Yeah last time," she commented bitterly. "You men and all your fucking judgement."
"Ridley," he chided with a stern look, "less of the language hmm, I'm your uncle."
"Yeah you are so you shouldn't have judged me!" Ridley snapped as she glared at him. "But that's all anyone does, Ridley the slut, it's just so black and white. You left me Uncle Chris, you couldn't have run off any quicker so don't talk to me about losing contact."
"He was married," Chris hissed back angrily, "and your partner and it's not like I was expecting to find you just lying on the couch like that, give me some credit kid, it was a bit of a shock."
"Well I hardly meant you to see," she retorted moodily as they kept walking, treading on abandoned bottles, half-empty popcorn boxes, paper and plastic bags and wrappers, dropped pacifiers, blankets, scarves, gloves, glasses, and other debris. "It's not like the family was without scandal before that anyway," she added angrily. "You were the only one who bothered with me, you know I'm sorry I'm not perfect but even if you didn't like it you didn't have to flee the city like that. You could've asked me about it, I can't justify it, I won't lie, and I'm not proud of it okay but it happened and that's it."
"I know and I did contact you after Riddle," Chris retorted calmly with a softer gaze, "but you didn't want to know, you just cursed me out, remember?"
"You made me feel bad about myself, you know I'd already judged myself for sleeping with...Justin, I knew it was wrong but I couldn't deal with your judgement too, the only family I had and you thought so little of me."
"That's not true Riddle, sure I didn't like what you were doing but it's not like it wiped out all your other achievements, I just didn't want you to keep doing it, I wanted you to realise how special you are and that there was a guy out there for you, that you didn't have to be with him just to be with someone or not be lonely, or whatever the hell it was."
Ridley shook her head. "You called me a tramp like my mum, remember?" she remarked miserably.
"Yeah I do and I'm sorry for that, I did try to tell you but you were so angry, you didn't want to know, said you wanted me out of your life. Has it been better without me kid? Because it hasn't been better for me without you, you're my only family too you know and it killed me seeing all that shit in Miami, I should've just got on the plane, I know it and I'm sorry I didn't but you've got your mum's stubbornness and sometimes her mean streak flares up in you too and I thought if you really didn't want me in your life well...I didn't want to make your hell any worse by showing up when you were so vulnerable."
Ridley rubbed at her eyes roughly with one hand to force back the tears. "Damn it Uncle Chris," she scorned him. "It's not been better okay, it's been so tough, I've got good friends in Miami though and that helps but yeah I missed you, I really missed you, you're the only one who cared for a long time." She halted suddenly at a stall in front of them, her brown-grey eyes going wide as she fumbled with her purse to yank out her small, red camera.
"What, do you like taking interesting pictures too?" Chris quipped mockingly.
Catherine visibly frowned at the pair and folded her arms impatiently as she saw Ridley fumble for a personal camera. "Now is not the time for scrapbooking," she grumbled.
"Like uncle, like niece," Nick commented with amusement. "Well at least they're connecting."
The stall in question was abandoned, no staff or customers anywhere near it and it looked like it been that way for a while if the dust gathering on the wooden front was anything to go by. It was marked above as 'The Wonderful Llorrac's Magic Stall'. It had evidently been pilfered through by thieves and there wasn't much left, a broken magic wand, an opened, busted magician's kit, several shattered crystal balls and on one row in particular, which was what had caught Ridley's attention- several all too familiar, white rabbit masks. They were identical to the one on Mike White, which Tim had assured, coldly, had been the exact same as the one his shooter had been wearing. Ridley took several shots of the stall and its name before glancing apologetically at Catherine and scurrying on.
"Sorry," she said hastily as she reached the strawberry blonde, "it's relevant to our Miami case."
"Fair enough," Catherine permitted.
They finally stepped up to the foreboding entrance of the Tunnel of Love where several crowds stood trying to gawk into the dark entrance inquisitively, whilst three frustrated officers tried to keep them back. Chris flashed his badge at the cops whilst Catherine gave the necessary introductions.
Ridley could see how it might be romantic in a cheesy fashion- white swan boats, neon hearts over an arch that marked the entrance to a dark, promising tunnel of privacy that a lazy river wound into. Right now though it all just seemed creepy, the boats were empty, the river was still and the lights and music just seemed highly inappropriate.
"Hey Ridley want to be my date?" Nick queried jokingly as he took several photographs of the entrance.
"Where's the body?" Catherine asked calmly.
"Inside," one cop, a middle aged male, answered grumpily.
"I figured that," Catherine retorted, still calm though there was a hint of frustration in her blue gaze, "how far in?"
"I don't know," the cop grumbled, "Officer Chavez secured the scene, he's still in there with Officer Malley."
Catherine rolled her eyes before she started walking along the hard, black path that was at the edge of the river, her small flashlight pointing ahead as she did. Nick, Ridley and Chris all followed, pausing when they reached a point where the tunnel split in two with two helpful cupids suspended from wires pointing with their gold arrows in either direction. At the split was the love goddess Venus, scantily concealed in a pink, heart shaped bikini as she stood on an open, plastic conch shell, one hand pointing left and one hand pointing right.
"Great," Catherine grumbled.
"Ridley and I will go right, you and Chris go left and we'll have a romantic reunion when the tunnels meet up again," Nick suggested brightly.
"Ugh," Catherine groaned.
"I'm not happy about it either," Chris complained as he looked to Ridley.
"Seems safest," Ridley said, "one cop with one CSI." She plucked out her Beretta for good measure, letting Chris see it for reassurance.
"Alright then," Nick enthused, "let's go." He stepped in the water with a noisy splash, wading over to the black path that led up through the right. Ridley followed after him with more reluctance, wincing as her black boots proved that they were not waterproof.
"Who kills in a Tunnel of Love?" Catherine pondered as she started heading up the path that led to the left.
"Someone who thinks love is worth dying over," Chris answered sardonically.
"That was bad, even for you Chris," Catherine chided.
Ridley stifled a giggle when Nick actually started humming along to the music as they walked. "Come on Ridley, join in," he enthused as he glanced back at her with a smile.
"I don't think I know this one, sorry," she retorted sardonically.
He shook his head chidingly. "Shame, you had such a beautiful singing voice the other night, even if it was completely out of tune and the wrong words half the time," he added teasingly.
"Gee thanks," she replied as she blushed faintly. "Must be the New Yorker in me, no time to learn lyrics, too busy you see."
"Of course."
The pair paused suddenly as they reached three lone swan boats sitting in a miniature lake that the river widened into a lake with fountains spurting out of it and small waterfalls pooling into it from the walls. Its centre piece was a gold statue of a swan with a fairy princess and a elf prince sitting in it kissing. There were neon red hearts on the walls and they provided the only source of light. Over the music, waterfalls and fountains it was difficult to hear anything else. It should have been a pleasant enough scene but one swan boat with a corpse slumped over one side, which was smeared with red blood made for a disturbing sight.
Nick flashed his torch about curiously as they pressed on, both wondering where the cops where.
"Help..." They barely heard the croaked voice and it was only when Nick's torch beam shone out at the swan boats that they realised someone else was with them.
"In the boat to the left," Ridley hissed out as she raised her gun defensively.
Nick shone the torch at the left boat and they made out the shape of a cop's black hat as a bloody right palm rose slowly in their direction. "Wait here," Nick snapped before he immediately hit the water. It was surprisingly too deep even for him to stand in and he was forced to start swimming towards the boat.
Ridley watched, too shocked by the sight of the cop to do anything else.
BANG! Nick turned sharply as he heard a cry and a gunshot all at once before there was a loud splash. His eyes widened at the sight of the ripples in the water as he realised Ridley was gone.
"Well that's a bad way to go," Warrick commented dryly as they surveyed the gruesome carnage of the ferris wheel.
"Apparently it malfunctioned suddenly," a female officer explained to them tiredly, "according to survivors it was a fast ride, that was the appeal, but it started going faster than normal and then the safety bars became loose."
"Hey Grissom let this be a warning," Warrick remarked to his superior, "any ride has the potential for death, so think twice about those roller coasters."
"There would be no fun if there was no risk," Grissom answered calmly before he stepped up to the scene, "but one wouldn't expect much risk with a ferris wheel. Why was this one designed to go faster?"
"Because everyone wants their rides faster and scarier these days," Horatio answered. He made out three obvious corpses, one caught up in the centre bars of the ride, one slumped over a seat backwards, implying they had fallen from another, and one on the ground, broken and mangled with a bloody smear beneath them.
"I'll check the control box," Grissom said before heading towards the pale faced controller, "Warrick, start checking the parts of the ride, see if there's any obvious tampering, Lieutenant Caine, Detective Speedle, go where you see fit."
Tim frowned as he followed after Warrick reluctantly whilst Horatio started questioning one of the ride operators, a young, freckle faced teenager who looked on the verge of throwing up.
"So, are you glad to be going home Detective Speedle?" Warrick queried coolly, attempting to be conversational and just sounding hostile.
"Yes," Tim murmured. He sighed and looked at the dark skinned male calmly. It would be too easy to avoid an apology, hop on a plane and forget the whole thing but that wasn't right and he was determined to show Ridley he could make amends and not be an ass, maybe if she saw he had made up with Warrick it might help him just a little, plus Warrick did deserve an apology. "Look man I'm sorry for being a jerk, okay," he said in a stern tone though Warrick thought he heard some sincerity there too.
"I'd say apology accepted but I think I'd have to understand why you were such a jerk first," Warrick answered as he stood up from where he had been bent over at the wires and lights behind a wooden panel beneath the ride. "I mean you were so different when we first met."
"That's just it," Tim snapped moodily, "I was different and I've changed."
"Right," Warrick muttered dismissively before he lifted his camera and looked back down at the ride's mechanics.
"I'm serious," Tim grumbled, "look it's not easy to admit but you seem hung up on the guy you met briefly in Miami and me so I'll explain, I was trying to impress someone back then, trying to be someone I thought they'd like. Anyway, I wised up and I just let myself be me, and I don't know, you seem pretty averse to change or something and I got defensive because you didn't seem to like who I am now or willing to give me a chance. I'm pretty sure people change in Vegas too," he added sullenly.
"All the time," Warrick admitted, "and you've got a point, people do change and I haven't seen you in a while so I don't know why I was so bothered by how much you had changed. Look though, a woman really?"
"Yeah," Tim grumbled as he looked away awkwardly.
"Well we've all been there, glad you wised up," Warrick murmured. "Tell you what, let's start again Detective Speedle, you don't be an ass and I'll try to get to know you, the current you and next time you come back even if you've got a mohawk and nose piercings I won't complain and whip out the photo album." He grinned and extended out a hand.
Tim scowled but accepted the hand anyway. "Thanks," he said dryly.
"Can you also play nice with Nick?" Warrick pressed as he continued to hold Tim's hand, his grip tightening just a little. "He's not after Ridley if that's your concern, he's not like that. He just doesn't like seeing women hurt; he's a softie like that."
"Right, well okay, I'll apologise to him too."
"Good." Warrick finally released Tim's hand. "I hope your hangover wasn't too bad," he added mockingly.
"It was," Tim confessed.
She couldn't breathe; damn bastard had dragged her in after she had shot him! She could feel him trying to hold her down, trying to drown her. She wanted to shoot but he was wrestling her for the gun too and it was dark, she couldn't see.
She kicked out hard and his grip loosened, well at least her boots were good for something! Ridley hastened to the surface, paddling frantically for the edge of the path. She knew he was right behind her and her heart pounded madly as she grasped the edge of the path. She moved up out of the water, floundering awkwardly as she did, Beretta pushed out in front of her as she needed both hands to hoist herself out.
His hands grabbed her legs as he tried to pull her back. She kicked back widely and tried to wriggle free, half-dragging his heavier form up with her.
"Hold it right there!" Chris' voice bellowed out as he, Catherine and a male detective rushed to the scene and he took aim at the man behind Ridley in the water. "Move and I will shoot you dead!"
The man hesitated for a moment giving Ridley her chance to scramble free. The man went to retreat but Chris took the chance to pounce then as Catherine now had her gun aimed. Chris grabbed him tightly by the collar and punched him hard in the face. While the man was stunned Chris and the other officer dragged him from the water and handcuffed him whilst Ridley and Catherine both kept a careful aim on him.
"We need a medic!" Nick snapped from his position on the swan boat with Officer Chavez.
"Good work Ridley, are you okay?" Catherine quipped as she holstered her gun and looked to the soaked detective.
Ridley nodded grimly as she continued to clutch her Beretta tightly and keep it pointed forward.
"Are you sure?" Catherine pried.
Ridley didn't answer and Nick's protests distracted Catherine.
Everything seemed to pass in a blur after that, Chris and Officer Malley escorted their suspect out whilst Catherine set her kit down and started processing the scene whilst two other cops helped Nick take the wounded Officer Chavez out. By that stage their active crime scene had been radioed to the others and it didn't take long for Tim to abandon the ferris wheel, despite assurances that everyone was fine, to rush to the Tunnel of Love.
The dark haired CSI reached the scene as Ridley staggered out, gun still in hand, though it was limp by her side, she was soaked from head to toe, there was a bump on her head as a result of being dragged down into the water and she was so pale she was almost blue with a grim expression. "Always in the middle of it," Tim chided as he looked at her with worry and immediately tugged off his pinstriped shirt and held it out to her.
Ridley just looked at the shirt numbly before bowing her head wearily and shaking her head.
It took another couple of hours before the group finally departed the amusement park after Ridley explained what had happened in the Tunnel of Love and told Horatio and Tim about the stall. She had insisted on showing it to them despite Horatio suggesting she get dried up and changed. Tim had been noticeably unnerved at the sight but taken pictures anyway and Catherine had promised to follow it up with the amusement park's staff on the condition that Horatio treated her to supper.
It was a quarter to two in the morning by the time the Tim and Ridley retired to their hotel, and Ridley dried off and changed into her pyjamas. She had contemplated going to bed but found herself heading to the living room. There she had found Tim sitting on the couch clutching his shirt in both hands and looking at it with tears trickling slowly down his cheeks. She realised numbly that it was the first time she had ever rejected one of his shirts.
She made a low cough, causing him to thumb away his tears hastily before he turned to face her. "When I found those rabbit masks I thought about you and you getting shot," she explained calmly before she swallowed hard, "and how I couldn't breathe when you were bleeding there and God all I kept thinking was that I couldn't lose you. I thought of you in the water too, well mostly all I thought about was getting free and getting air again but there was one brief flicker, one thought, that we'd parted on such shitty terms."
"Ridley I can't lose you," Tim said seriously with a pleading look in his damp, brown eyes, "and I thought the same thing when you were lying in that hospital bed, and then when you went to New York, God I missed you. Then when you dumped me outside the cinema, I was so angry and upset at the same time, I'd waited so long and you were pushing me away all over again. Now I've been the one pushing away, because I became vulnerable, and it's not been fair but shit Ridley."
He stood up then and took a step towards her. "You like me for me, you laugh at my jokes, you don't fuss about my hair or my appearance, you like my shirts," he paused and glanced down at the one in his hands with a dejected look before continuing on, "you like getting takeaways, you don't care that I don't really cook or do DIY or gardening or any of that shit, and you have never tried to change me. You're the first woman who has just been happy to let me be myself and you are the first woman I've ever loved like this, I told you that, I've never let anyone else wear my jackets or shirts, and I sure as hell haven't danced with anyone else on a beach, or rode a carousel with them, or watched bad detective movies with them, and the thing is Ridley, I don't normally like doing any of that stuff but with you I love it, I love carving pumpkins for you, and watching bad horror films curled up with you, and I love sitting on the beach with you even though I'm not a beach person."
Ridley nodded as she found herself twisting the gold camera charm about between her finger and thumb. 'He took me in his arms and held me close when Ruby died,' she reminded herself, 'even though it was unprofessional and risky and everything else, he didn't care, he held me close and he let me go home with him. He took me out for noodles last year for my birthday and this year he carved a pumpkin for me and took photos so I'd have memories of the happy times and he got me a bracelet, which even had a charm for Justin on it. He lets me wears his shirts when I'm scared and he sat with me in that horrible hospital and held me close when I had bad dreams. He remembered I liked giraffes and he got me a scarf to hide my scars. He lets me call him even when its three in the morning and he's to get up at six just because I'm uneasy, God he was even my prom date on the beach because I had never been to prom.'
"You can make mistakes," she said softly, "and I can too but not like we have, no more of this destroying each other, if we can't help each other with our issues then it's not going to work."
"I know," he agreed quietly. "Believe me I don't like hurting you and I swear to God I did not mean what I said at that dinner table. Look, I'm going to make it up to you if you give me the chance."
Ridley looked curious at this. "How?"
"I asked Horatio if we could stay one more day and night," Tim confessed, "I said if you would forgive me that is, so you can have a nice time in Vegas, no crimes, no drama, no shit, and only if Calleigh and the others can wait one more night, though Eric assures me that they can."
"Eric?"
Tim had the grace to look sheepish. "I might've texted him that night telling him I'd fucked up again."
"Ah."
"Yeah, and he told Calleigh and I got a nice phone call earlier today day telling me I had to make it right before we went home. She said, and I quote, 'even the cartel can wait while you fix your shit' because Calleigh likes our dates together and if I ruin that, and again I quote, 'I'll put so many bullets in your ass you won't ever shit right again'."
Ridley gave a small smile at this though her retort was biting as she said, "well I'm glad everyone knows about our problems."
Tim sighed and rubbed his hair awkwardly with one hand. "I'm sorry about that, I'm sorry about the whole evening and being a dick over...over a dumb photograph and...Nick."
"Just one thing Tim."
"Yeah?" He looked at her hopefully.
"You and Megan, are you going to tell me about that?"
"Er...if you want but it's...I never felt about her the way I do about you, I mean I wasn't thinking about her when Warrick talked about the old me, just that the old me was because of her."
Ridley nodded and her gaze softened a little at last. "I'm not being fair," she admitted, "I mean I've been secretive about Uncle Chris and him here has made me edgy. He found out about me and Justin you see, that's why you didn't know about Chris until now, we fell out over it because he said I was a slut like my mum and I never spoke to him after that, until now. I guess seeing him and remembering that and then having you make that stupid, flippant remark, well it just made me angry because Chris was right, I mean Justin was married...I did a bad thing but I can't keep getting judged for it."
"No," Tim agreed as he looked guilty, "you can't and I won't and I shouldn't have... Megan...Megan was married too," he confessed awkwardly.
Ridley gritted her teeth slightly as she paled and her eyes hardened once more. "Really?" she spat out.
"Yes," Tim answered swiftly, "and yet I judged you over Justin when we met because I was a prick then too, shit Ridley I really am sorry. I just I didn't know you and then I started to get to know you and I just couldn't see you being the 'other woman' because I was just making assumptions. Then I learnt about it, about Hawkes and what happened to you and shit it made sense, and then I hated Justin because I thought he'd taken advantage of you but I didn't know the guy so that wasn't fair.
I wanted to tell you about Megan sooner but when I learnt your reasons for Justin...well then I couldn't because my reasons weren't so understandable, I was young, and I liked her and I didn't give a shit that she was married because I wanted her and I ended up hating myself for it. I changed so much for her, it wasn't good and her husband, he was good to me and it just made me hate myself more, which is why I ended up judging other home wreckers so harshly because it's hard to understand how anyone could be so selfish, I still can't understand how I managed it."
Ridley nodded weakly, unsure what to say.
"Anyway," Tim said awkwardly as he continued to look at her hopefully, "that's all done, and I'll tell you all about it if you really want but not right now. All I'm going to say is I'm sorry and I love you and I know what it's like without you and it's shit and I don't want to go back to that."
"No, I suppose it would be difficult finding someone else who'll watch bad detective movies whilst eating noodles," Ridley murmured dryly with a faint smile. "Can I wear your shirt to bed tonight?"
Tim grinned at last, the relief on his face all too obvious. "Sure." He held it out to her, his grin widening when Ridley accepted it and tugged it over her pyjama top.