Sam woke up in his bed alone. Before he opened his eyes, before he reached his hand out to touch the empty pillow beside him, he already knew. Without preamble he got up and showered. He dressed quickly and grabbed his things and left his apartment before he could change him mind about what he was doing.

The streets were quiet and he drove as fast as he dared, through the heavy rain that matched his mood, to get to her apartment. He parked, took a deep breath then dashed through the weather to her door. He buzzed it once and waited then buzzed it again when she didn't reply.

"Hello?" her voice seemed groggy as if she had just woken up.

"Hey Em, it's me."

"Sam? What time is it?"

"Ten to eight."

There was a beat and Sam thought she was going to rebuff him but then the door unlocked and he pushed it open. He galloped up the three flights, needing to talk to her, needing to open up and relieve the tension he was feeling inside and knowing if he took one hesitation, he would bolt.

Her apartment door was ajar and he slowly pushed it open and called out to her.

"I'm in the kitchen."

He found her making coffee in a pair of green and blue check cotton PJ bottoms and a black tightly fitting tank top.

"Hey," he wanted to approach her and hug her but instead he leaned on the breakfast bar. "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry. Did you get in late?"

"Early. This morning."

"Oh shit Em, I'm sorry."

"Forget it, I'm up now. What's up?" She could tell by the distance he was keeping that this wasn't a normal sex visit that they shared in the past. This was different. The air between them was heavy with tension.

"I just wanted to talk to you, after how we left things the other night, I felt awful…"

She didn't reply. He waited for her prompt but she wasn't forthcoming. Instead she leaned back against her kitchen counter and crossed her arms across her chest.

"I've been…preoccupied." He stammered as he tried to figure out his thoughts and verbalise them in the easiest way possible. Then realising there was no easy way to say this he just barrelled ahead. "And not just with this case, though that is a big part of it."

"Spit it out Sam."

"I really like you Emma, I've had a fantastic time with you, and you're amazing…" Her expression was granite. She showed no emotion to the words that were tumbling out of his mouth. "But I have to be honest with you…and up until this point I haven't been. I kissed someone else."

"Kissed?"

Sam nodded. "I didn't mean it to happen, it just kind of happened."

"Was it just a kiss?"

Sam hesitated. Technically it was just a kiss but he knew it could have been more. "It was just a kiss…but-"

"Was it just once?"

He nodded. "I'm so sorry Em, I didn't mean to hurt you like this."

"Who was it?" Sam hesitated then thought she deserved to know but as he started to speak she shook her head and held up one of her hands. "You know what, I don't care, I don't want to know. It doesn't fucking matter who it was you were cheating with. The fact that you cheated is enough."

"Emma…"

"You know what Sam…You're a prick." Emma stood away from the counter and put her hands on her hips as she took a step towards him, the breakfast bar between them. "I really hope you feel better now that you've told me all this. You woke me up to let me know you cheated on me, on the morning of the most god dammed important day of my life, before my exam."

"Ah Jesus Em, I totally forgot."

"I know you did. I know you did." She started to walk towards the door to show him the way out but he couldn't let it finish like this. He grabbed her elbow but she shook him off and twirled around to face him with a ferocity on her face that he had never seen. "Take your god dammed hands off me."

She stormed over to the door and yanked it open. Sam stood rooted to the spot for a minute but then thought better of forcing his presence on her and slowly walked out. He stood in the hallway and without hesitation she slammed the door in his face.

"Did you see the invite in the paper for the photographers auditions?" she asked as she bit into her toast and handed a slice over to him.

"Yeah, I did." He bit his toast and sipped some apple juice.

"Are you going to go?"

"God no."

"Don't you want to develop your photography skills past taking pictures of dead bodies?"

"No, no, I'm happy with the way things are."

"Really? When I met you, you were just doing school portraits. And now look at you."

"Now look at me what?" He finished his toast and brushed his hands together to rid them of the crumbs.

"Now look at you heading up one of the crime scene units in Toronto." She reached over and patted his arm with pride. "You should call them, tell them your story."

"I don't think they would be too interested in hearing about my story."

"Of course they would."

He smiled and patted her hand then turned his focus back onto his morning paper.

Gerry paced the parade room in slow wide steps and didn't notice when everyone from the sting had come in. The white board behind him had all but seven of the photographers names crossed off. The case file on the desk in front of him had all its pages spread out in a haphazard way. Traci and Andy exchanged glances as they took their seats. Sam was sitting by the door a black cloud of anger over his head. Oliver sat next to him but neither of them spoke. Gail leaned against the wall with her arms folded over her chest and waited patiently for Gerry to start speaking. She didn't have long to wait as Gerry stood in front of the whiteboard and started to erase the names.

"We have seven names left on this list." He said as he erased all the others. "Everyone else had verifiable alibis."

"There has got to be other photographers in the city that we didn't reach." Oliver spoke.

"And maybe he is only a hobby photographer."

"No, it's got to be someone who knows the style and shots of these crime scenes…" the words tumbled out of his mouth and as he spoke them he stopped pacing and turned. He locked eyes with Sam who had stood up and taken a step closer to him.

"Someone who has access to the police shots of crime scenes."

"Police reports."

"Police records."

Oliver stood up and closed the door. He asked Gail to close the other door and he walked over to where Gerry was standing.

"Do you realise what you are saying?"

"Yes."

The words were spoken with soft breath and everyone on the room was instantly on edge.

"A copper?" Sam asked when everyone else was afraid to.

"No…" Gerry shook his head. "It's got to be a photographer."

"C.S.I." Andy said and everyone in the room turned to her.

"What did you say?" Gerry asked as she walked over to the front of the desk she was sitting on.

She hesitated to speak again with everyone's eyes on her then took a breath and continued. "C.S.I. He would have access to all old case files. Access to all current crime scenes, would be eliminated as false contamination if his hair or DNA was found. He would have the skillset to be able to recreate the scenes and photograph them."

"Jesus…" Gerry looked up at Sam who was now looking darker than before. "Get me the name of all CSI team members in the city." Sam left the room to find the info. "Gail, Traci, can you follow up with the last 7 names on the list from yesterday." They both gathered the relevant info and left the room."

Oliver followed Sam out to his PC where they called up personnel files. Gerry came around to Andy's side where she was now standing next to the desk.

"Good thinking McNally."

She smiled with pride and followed him out to Sam's desk where they had a list of 23 names. Sam ordered them by tasks on the team and highlighted all the scene photographers. This brought their list down to 6 names. Sam printed out the list complete with address and contact details and handed it to Gerry.

"Two of these are fresh out of college."

"One has been working with team 23 for fifteen years."

Gerry worked on his PC and found the shift information for everyone on list. Two of these are currently on call at scenes. The other four are off work. Shaw you're with me. We'll go to the ones off duty. Sam, take McNally and visit the scenes where the other two are working."

"So…" she said as they walked out to the car. His stony silence was disconcerting but she didn't think she would be able to focus if she didn't at least try to clear the air. "Are we going to talk about what happened last night?"

"No." He opened the driver's door and had the engine started before she sat in.

"No?"

"No." He focused on the road and drove directly to the first address. Andy was itching to talk to him but his lack of interest in talking to her was obvious so she gave up trying. "Brian Mulberry. He's been with his CSI unit for five years. Married with three kids."

They sat in their car at the edge of a crime scene in North York. It was a residential house in which a shooting had been reported. On arrive the investigating officer had found a dead body and immediately called it in for the homicide division.

Sam and Andy walked up to the police cordon and gained access. Sam held up the tape for Andy to walk beneath then followed her into the house where they found the CSI Photographer working in the living room.

"Brian?" Sam called out.

"Yeah?" He turned and glanced at them then turned back his focus to the body that was lying on the floor by his feet.

"Can you step outside to talk for a moment?"

"For what?" He kept taking photos and ignored them both.

"Could you step outside please?" Sam's voice was sterner this time and he caught the attention of Brian who turned again and this time lowered his camera. Sam led him out past the bustling crime scene to the rear of the house. "Can you account for your whereabouts on the 9th of this month?"

"What? What's this about?"

"Can you account for your whereabouts on the 9th of this month?"

"Friday." Andy added helpfully.

"Friday… I was out with my wife. It was her birthday. We went to dinner in an Italian on Queen St."

"What time did you arrive to the restaurant?" Sam was writing down the information into his notebook.

"Well it was a tapas bar, we got there at about 7 and we were there till well past midnight."

"And after that?"

"What's going on? What happened? Why are you asking me these questions?"

"What about the 10th."

"No, I'm not telling you anything more until you tell me what this is about."

Sam took a breath and watched him for a moment. He looked scared, nervous and confused. It wasn't the reactions he would have expected from someone who had killed fifteen people over the course of a year. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll be in touch."

Sam flipped his notebook closed and put it back into his pocket then nodded at Brian and walked away. Andy hurried to catch up with him and managed to jump into the car before he tore off.

"What the hell Sam?" she said as she reached for her seat belt.

"It wasn't him."

"How can you tell? You only asked him 3 questions?"

"It's called being a cop Andy." He said without looking at her, his voice low and calm but she could tell he was bubbling beneath with anger. "I have loads of experience questioning suspects. I can tell it's not him."

"So that's it? Let him go?"

"We'll check out his alibi but it will hold up. It wasn't him."

"How do you know? You barely talked to him."

"Instinct."

They drove in silence to the next crime scene. It was an abandoned office block. Twelve stories high with boarded up windows on every floor. They walked past the police cordon tape and over to the door where a cop told them they would find Howard the CSI photographer on the 10th floor.

They climbed the stairs in silence and found the crime scene in one of the back offices. The room looked like a laboratory with bottles, tubes and chemicals set up in various ways on tall benches. The body was lying face down and spread-eagled.

"Howard Johnson?"

"Yep." He was crouched down to take another shot of the body. He didn't look up to see who as addressing him but from his vantage point, Sam could see he was a tall well build man.

"Do you have a minute?"

"I'm kinda busy." He moved across the room to take more photos and still didn't take the time to look at them.

"He's not going anywhere."

The photographer lowered his camera and turned to them. He stared at them coldly for a moment and the hairs on Sam's neck tingled.

"How can I help you Officer…Swarek," he said reading Sam's name badge.

"Can you account for your whereabouts on the 9th of this month?"

"I was at home."

"Anyone who can verify that?"

"No, my wife was working. She is a nurse at Toronto General."

"How about the 10th?" Sam took a step forward and almost subconsciously put himself between Andy and the photographer.

"I was working at a crash scene on the Expressway in the morning. Then I was developing photos for the rest of the day." His voice was calm and clear and he gave the answers very easily. Sam looked for the signs of nervousness or fear, even anger at being interrogated but there were none. And it wasn't until he saw the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile was Sam sure this was their guy.

But before his hand could move to his gun, Howard swung his arm across the bench, clearing its contents at them, smashing glass and spilling the chemicals all over them then ran out of the room slamming the door closed behind him. . Sam pushed Andy out of the way and took the brunt of the chemical spills all over his back. He fell to the ground and Andy stumbled back against the wall. She inadvertently knocked over the contents of another bench, spilling more chemicals in the other direction.

As the liquids mixed fumes started to rise causing a white fog to hang in the air. Andy started to cough, regained her balance and looked round for Sam. He was still lying on the ground, cuts and scratches over one side of his face and the back of his hands.

She grabbed her radio and called for backup as she hurried over to him and tried to rouse him.

"Sam! Sam!" She shook him and rolled him over. His eyes started to blink open but he was very disoriented. "C'mon Sam, get up, we have to get out of here."

She helped him stand and with an arm draped over her shoulder she helped him towards the door. She tried to open it but it would only open a couple of centimetres. Howard had dragged something large and heavy in front of the door to prevent their escape.

"Hang on," she said as she leaned him against the wall then stood in front of the door and tried to force it open. She kicked it, stomped on the hinges, bashed it with her shoulder but it didn't budge. She looked around the room for another exit but there were none. She hurried over to the windows and tried to pry off the boards but they were secured too tightly to remove.

The foggy chemical haze was getting worse. Andy pulled off her vest and her shirt and tied her shirt around her face to breathe through. Then she went back to Sam who has slid back to the ground and did the same.

"Hey Sam, stay with me." She slapped his cheeks making him open his eyes wider. "Help is on the way, just stay with me."

She grabbed him under his arms and dragged him towards the window where there was more ventilation. Then she sat next to him and let him lean back on her. She stroked his hair out of his face, and patted his cheeks with the backs of her fingers. "Stay with me Sam."

"McNally..." His voice was raspy and made him break into a fit of coughing.

"Shhhhh, don't talk, just stay awake." She held him closer and waited.

A/N: Sorry for the sporadic and short updates guys, but on thursday I found out I got a new job and I've been off the grid celebrating since! :D

I promise a better update tomorrow.