Post by cal54382 on Nov 7, 2014 22:32:39 GMT
Sara and Morgan were laughing at their partners. The boys were being stupid, and it was something that was helping them forget about the difficult case they had just closed. They were distracted enough that they didn't notice what was happening around them.
*********
Morgan was struggling with what she was carrying, their costumes, and Sara had the food for the party tomorrow night. The house was already decorated and dark when they walked in. When Sara turned the light on, she froze. "We didn't put these up..." Morgan said, seeing the four new decorations scattered around their living room, miniatures of something.
"Don't touch them Morgan," said Sara, feeling like she knew what they were.
Morgan put the costumes down in a chair and walked close. One was a little man in a crime scene vest in a glass coffin in the ground. One was a hand coming out from under a car. One was a black SUV with a little man flying in the air. And one she recognized. Herself, on the desert ground, on her back, the same clothes she'd worn, the blood underneath her, little men, supposedly her dad and Greg, knelt near her. Sara had put the food down in the kitchen and came back, going pale when she saw what they were.
Nick came in, looking worried. "Sara?"
His eyes took in his surroundings. "What the hell?" He recognized one right off the bat. How long had they studied that miniature?
"Call 911," said Sara as she took a step back.
He nodded, pulling out his cell phone, skipping 911, not wanting to have to explain exactly what was wrong, and calling the one person he wouldn't have to explain anything to, Conrad Ecklie. The one who had been there through all of those crime scenes, including his daughter's.
"What Stokes?"
"Someone broke into the house. Put miniatures all over. If the one Natalie made wasn't stolen from evidence it's a damned good likeness. There's one of me in the coffin, Greg's attack, and Morgan's shooting as well.
"What do you mean, Greg's attack?" Morgan asked, turning back to look at her friends.
Sara opened her mouth, but couldn't tell her friend what had happened to Greg. Morgan felt Greg's arms around her and put her head against his chest, scared, but not quite knowing why.
"I accidentally killed that boy," he said, pointing at the miniature.
"Greg, it wasn't your fault. If they weren't trying to beat people up, it never would have happened. They almost killed you," Nick said, hanging up, satisfied that Ecklie was on his way over with Russell and the appropriate personnel.
"I know that, but I still feel horrible."
"C'mon, babe. Let's wait for Ecklie somewhere else, okay?" Nick said, putting a hand on Sara's shoulder.
"She's dead... Grissom told me she killed herself."
"She is, babe. She is. This is something else, okay?"
"Why would someone do something so mean?"
"Some people are just cruel. Come sit outside with Morgan and Greg, babe. I'll put these things away."
"Thank you."
Morgan took Sara's hand in one of her own, walking outside with her. "Do you want me to help?"
"Please. Poor things, they don't need this."
"Is Ecklie coming?" He had no doubt Morgan's father would be there within moments. He picked the costumes up, putting them in the nearest bedroom.
"Yes. With Russell."
"Good. I know him being here will make Morgan feel a little better. And Russell might help Sara."
"He definitely will. He knows what happened to her, it's in her file. He can comfort her."
"It's like someone's deliberately taking the worst moments of our lives, at least our Vegas lives, and putting them on display."
"We need to find out who."
"There's not a lot of people who worked with us from the time that you were buried to the time Morgan was shot."
"Unless someone heard about it, went after Morgan because of me or Ecklie."
"It's possible, but I doubt that's why. Someone is targeting us."
"When this is cleaned up," he said, helping Nick put all the groceries up, "We need to work on lists. Start with who's worked with us. I hate to think that, but if it was someone we've put away, it would have to be fairly new, in the last few years since Morgan joined the team. Why would they go back that far to know about your kidnapping?"
"I don't know. Maybe they hate us for some unknown reason?"
"But what? None of the cases are connected. Ellie's in jail. Natalie's dead. I'm not sure about Kelly or the family of the boy."
"The family moved a while ago. It's not them."
"As for Kelly, I don't know."
Greg nodded, feeling sorry that Nick had kept up with it better than he had.
"Someone's messing with us and I want to know who. Cause they are dead when I find them after hurting the girls like that. I don't know about Morgan, but Sara was finally moving past all of this. She was talking about it with a therapist and with me, this is going to stuff everything up, I just know it."
"It's like it keeps happening to them all over again. First the shooting itself, then Ellie trying to kill herself, supposedly, and then the trial, now this?"
"What are we gonna do?"
"I'm going to check on the girls. And we go from there."
"Okay."
He walked out with Nick where Morgan was trying to talk with Sara.
"You two okay?"
Morgan looked at Sara as if she weren't sure.
"We will be. Is anyone coming?"
Greg sat beside Morgan, his arm around her. "Ecklie and Russell. Do you want me to call Jim? We have to get the baby anyway," Nick answered.
"Yeah. Wait. No. I don't want the baby here right now."
"We're not staying here tonight, honey. We'll go somewhere else."
"Okay."
"I don't want Dad in there. I don't want him to see that." Morgan told Greg.
"Okay. He can sit with you while I work with Russell then."
She nodded. "He doesn't need to remember."
"I doubt he forgot Morgan. He wants you to be okay though."
"I know he hasn't forgot. He can't forget. He can't let me forget."
"He's scared for you."
She stood and paced, a nervous habit. Greg stopped her and hugged her. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around him.
Nick sat down next to Sara, holding her hand. "Guys, they'll be here anytime. A few questions and we can go."
"Good. I want my baby."
"I know, sweetheart. I know."
"Stay with me."
"Not going anywhere."
"Thank you."
He kissed her temple.
*********
Morgan was struggling with what she was carrying, their costumes, and Sara had the food for the party tomorrow night. The house was already decorated and dark when they walked in. When Sara turned the light on, she froze. "We didn't put these up..." Morgan said, seeing the four new decorations scattered around their living room, miniatures of something.
"Don't touch them Morgan," said Sara, feeling like she knew what they were.
Morgan put the costumes down in a chair and walked close. One was a little man in a crime scene vest in a glass coffin in the ground. One was a hand coming out from under a car. One was a black SUV with a little man flying in the air. And one she recognized. Herself, on the desert ground, on her back, the same clothes she'd worn, the blood underneath her, little men, supposedly her dad and Greg, knelt near her. Sara had put the food down in the kitchen and came back, going pale when she saw what they were.
Nick came in, looking worried. "Sara?"
His eyes took in his surroundings. "What the hell?" He recognized one right off the bat. How long had they studied that miniature?
"Call 911," said Sara as she took a step back.
He nodded, pulling out his cell phone, skipping 911, not wanting to have to explain exactly what was wrong, and calling the one person he wouldn't have to explain anything to, Conrad Ecklie. The one who had been there through all of those crime scenes, including his daughter's.
"What Stokes?"
"Someone broke into the house. Put miniatures all over. If the one Natalie made wasn't stolen from evidence it's a damned good likeness. There's one of me in the coffin, Greg's attack, and Morgan's shooting as well.
"What do you mean, Greg's attack?" Morgan asked, turning back to look at her friends.
Sara opened her mouth, but couldn't tell her friend what had happened to Greg. Morgan felt Greg's arms around her and put her head against his chest, scared, but not quite knowing why.
"I accidentally killed that boy," he said, pointing at the miniature.
"Greg, it wasn't your fault. If they weren't trying to beat people up, it never would have happened. They almost killed you," Nick said, hanging up, satisfied that Ecklie was on his way over with Russell and the appropriate personnel.
"I know that, but I still feel horrible."
"C'mon, babe. Let's wait for Ecklie somewhere else, okay?" Nick said, putting a hand on Sara's shoulder.
"She's dead... Grissom told me she killed herself."
"She is, babe. She is. This is something else, okay?"
"Why would someone do something so mean?"
"Some people are just cruel. Come sit outside with Morgan and Greg, babe. I'll put these things away."
"Thank you."
Morgan took Sara's hand in one of her own, walking outside with her. "Do you want me to help?"
"Please. Poor things, they don't need this."
"Is Ecklie coming?" He had no doubt Morgan's father would be there within moments. He picked the costumes up, putting them in the nearest bedroom.
"Yes. With Russell."
"Good. I know him being here will make Morgan feel a little better. And Russell might help Sara."
"He definitely will. He knows what happened to her, it's in her file. He can comfort her."
"It's like someone's deliberately taking the worst moments of our lives, at least our Vegas lives, and putting them on display."
"We need to find out who."
"There's not a lot of people who worked with us from the time that you were buried to the time Morgan was shot."
"Unless someone heard about it, went after Morgan because of me or Ecklie."
"It's possible, but I doubt that's why. Someone is targeting us."
"When this is cleaned up," he said, helping Nick put all the groceries up, "We need to work on lists. Start with who's worked with us. I hate to think that, but if it was someone we've put away, it would have to be fairly new, in the last few years since Morgan joined the team. Why would they go back that far to know about your kidnapping?"
"I don't know. Maybe they hate us for some unknown reason?"
"But what? None of the cases are connected. Ellie's in jail. Natalie's dead. I'm not sure about Kelly or the family of the boy."
"The family moved a while ago. It's not them."
"As for Kelly, I don't know."
Greg nodded, feeling sorry that Nick had kept up with it better than he had.
"Someone's messing with us and I want to know who. Cause they are dead when I find them after hurting the girls like that. I don't know about Morgan, but Sara was finally moving past all of this. She was talking about it with a therapist and with me, this is going to stuff everything up, I just know it."
"It's like it keeps happening to them all over again. First the shooting itself, then Ellie trying to kill herself, supposedly, and then the trial, now this?"
"What are we gonna do?"
"I'm going to check on the girls. And we go from there."
"Okay."
He walked out with Nick where Morgan was trying to talk with Sara.
"You two okay?"
Morgan looked at Sara as if she weren't sure.
"We will be. Is anyone coming?"
Greg sat beside Morgan, his arm around her. "Ecklie and Russell. Do you want me to call Jim? We have to get the baby anyway," Nick answered.
"Yeah. Wait. No. I don't want the baby here right now."
"We're not staying here tonight, honey. We'll go somewhere else."
"Okay."
"I don't want Dad in there. I don't want him to see that." Morgan told Greg.
"Okay. He can sit with you while I work with Russell then."
She nodded. "He doesn't need to remember."
"I doubt he forgot Morgan. He wants you to be okay though."
"I know he hasn't forgot. He can't forget. He can't let me forget."
"He's scared for you."
She stood and paced, a nervous habit. Greg stopped her and hugged her. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms around him.
Nick sat down next to Sara, holding her hand. "Guys, they'll be here anytime. A few questions and we can go."
"Good. I want my baby."
"I know, sweetheart. I know."
"Stay with me."
"Not going anywhere."
"Thank you."
He kissed her temple.
