Disclaimer: I do not own the show or characters. And as a fan, I am NOT a doctor, so excuse potential mistakes. I'll try my best to make minimum errors.

Chapter One

Malcolm feels as though he is going through the motions. He knows his mind is shattering, falling into fragments as the stress and strain of his life takes over.

His father is a serial killer. His sister is a killer. His mother is, well, his mother.

His family is in shambles.

All he has left are his friends and his work.

But even his friendships are in uncharted and rocky territory.

Ever since his "dream world" his relationship with Dani has been on a tether. He longs for the closeness and intimacy his dream self had with her. However, reality is so much more harsh. Dani is his friend, his best friend. Right now he cannot afford to lose her. So he pines in silence, casting longing glances and hidden smiles her way.

JT has been preoccupied with his family. A new baby being very demanding and his wife trying to get him to quit after his "incident." JT has been watching his back, almost to a paranoid degree. He thinks no one notices, but Malcolm always notices.

Gill has been a solid feature though. If not a bit harder on Malcolm since his last string of work-related injuries. If Gill had his way, Malcolm would be working from a desk and off the field altogether. But he understood that Malcolm needed to work.

Which brought Malcolm to his current situation. Heading to the morgue to see Edrisa with the victim of their newest case. Malcolm hadn't seen Edrisa for a while, they seemed to be working on opposite schedules lately and he was excited to see her again.

"Bright!" Edrisa exclaimed in surprise. He smiled at her exclamation and tucked a strand of hair behind his hair in habit.

"Hello Dr. Tanaka," Malcolm says smiling at her. She wavers for a second, seeming to be at a loss for words.

"H-how are you?" she asks to fill the stilted silence between them.

"I'm okay, ready to solve this case," he says with as much enthusiasm as he can muster. She stares at him for a second, almost analyzing him. It makes Malcolm feel naked under her gaze.

"Okay, well, you came just in time! I was just about to-" she trails off and continues maneuvering different instruments around the body in front of her.

Malcolm watches in mild fascination as she continues her examination. Looking over every inch of flesh and noting every irregularity she finds. She reads the bodies on her slab like he reads the minds of the people he catches.

"Time of death was between 2am and 4am. The killer used an ice pick to the neck, severing the carotid. There are a few defensive wounds on the hands and forearms like she put her hands up. Meaning the killer was likely taller than her. Pretty strong too to put an ice pick that far into the throat," Edrisa states out loud.

Malcolm waits until she's finished and can't help but agree with her analysis.

"Thank you Edrisa," he says pushing off the counter he was leaning against.

"Wait! I also found trace amounts of some unknown substance around her mouth. I'm running a tox screen now, but my best guess is some type of poison based on the coloring of her palate," Edrisa says.

This makes Malcolm freeze for a second.

"Was it administered before or after she was struck?" he asks, slightly confused.

"That's the thing! It was administered after, it makes no logical sense!" she exclaims. He can't help the slight upturn of his lips at her excitement. He appreciates someone else's intrigue when it came to murder.

"So it was overkill," he states immediately thinking of his first suspect.

"Definitely," Edrisa agrees. Just then her stomach let out a loud gargle. She blushes a bit and twirls around and heads to her desk. She opens a drawer and pulls out a granola bar, shoving it into her pocket.

"Sorry about that, what time is it?" she asks, turning around and searching for a clock. Malcolm looks at his watch.

"10:00pm" he answers.

"Thanks, I really need to get a new watch. Mine got ruined in the flood. It was my fault, I should've put it in a box or something and not on the bedside table. Oh well, live and learn I guess. But I think the bigger lesson should be to find a new place though. Maybe one day, but I'm totally rambling- sorry," she ends nervously pushing her glasses back up her nose.

Malcolm then out the pieces together. Edrisa's hair was pulled up into a small ponytail, greasy pieces clung around her face. Her clothes were decently rumpled. Her desk was cluttered with wrappers and bottles. The sink had a toothbrush with paste and some bottles of shampoo on the counter. And the biggest clue of all was the small cot wedged in the corner with a pillow and blanket on it.

"Edrisa, are you living here?" Malcolm asks concerned. The coroner shrugs her shoulders a bit, not quite meeting his eye.

"My apartment got flooded. A pipe burst and it took out mine and the one above me. It's totally fine though, I've stayed here before. Oh god! Please don't tell Detective Arroyo! I didn't officially tell him, but I was thinking it was one of those 'don't ask, don't tell' things so I didnt-" Edrisa started rambling and Malcolm began moving around the room, picking up.

"W-what are you doing?" she asks startled.

"You're staying at a hotel," Malcolm says, handing her a bag so that she can pack. She looks at him dumbly for a moment.

"I can't, I have work to do and I just- I can't" she finishes a bit fearfully.

"My treat, I'll put you up in a suite," Malcolm promises. She stares at him like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment.

"No, no, I really couldn't ask you to do that," Edrisa stutters as he stands far too close to her.

"It's nothing, I promise. I'm not going to let my friend sleep in a morgue," Malcolm says sincerely.

"I-I couldn't pay you back, Malcolm," she says tightly. It's the use of his first name that draws him in, he realizes she's uncomfortable.

"I wouldn't want you to, it would be my gift. You'd be doing me a favor. I'd sleep better at night knowing you were safe in a bed and not whatever that thing is," he says gesturing toward her cot.

"I thought you didn't sleep," Edrisa teases. Malcolm smiles.

"I promise I'd try. And it would be way easier knowing you weren't staying here," Malcolm says.

She hesitates.

"It's not that I'm ungrateful or anything because that's a huge offer. But I can't stay in a hotel. I just-I can't," she says with an almost pleading look.

"Okay, that's fine. You can stay with me," Malcolm says with only slight hesitance.

"No, I-I wouldn't want to impose," Edrisa rebuttals, but he can see her resolve is wearing.

"You wouldn't be at all. The only reason I didn't offer in the first place is because I am not exactly an ideal roommate. I've been told my night terrors are legendary and I live on candy and water," he says with a slight teasing tone.

And because his murderous sister likes to pop in every so often to drop bombshells on him, but she didn't need to know that.

Edrisa considers for a moment.

"I have a comfortable couch, hot shower and we can order takeout," he tempts. That seems to be all the prompting she needs because Edrisa takes her bag from him.

"Deal. But only because I'd kill for a real shower. And because it'll only be for a few days tops!" Edrisa promises.

Malcolm smiles as she runs around throwing belongings into her bag.

It would only be a few days, whats the worst that could happen?