Post by Admin on Sept 19, 2015 4:23:25 GMT
Morgan was the first one to the crime scene and she fully anticipated being the only one there, besides the cops. Finn was still healing so she'd helped Russell get settled in Quantico. Nick was still in San Diego and Sara had already scheduled this weekend to be her first weekend to see him. Morgan didn't begrudge her the time with Nick, by any means, but it seemed like the closest she'd gotten in forever to having time with Greg was a chaste kiss before they fell asleep, exhausted. It was so bad that her dad had even volunteered to come out into the field, something he hardly ever did anymore, and the swing and day shifts had caught some of their cases for them as well. She was beyond exhausted so she didn't question that the police had cleared the room before she started to work, a rookie mistake if she'd ever made one.
A man jumped out from behind a couch, gun in hand. He stood in front of Morgan, gun pointed at her. "Stop right now or I'll shoot!"
She heard a vehicle outside pull up and the one thing she knew is that she didn't want anyone else in there. She put her tools down in her kit, slowly holding her hands up. "Okay. Okay, I'll stop."
"Can I just tell whoever is out there not to come in? We don't want anyone else in here, do we?"
"Fine, be quick, I'm watching you." He was a kid really, and not sure of what he was doing, but he knew he didn't want to hurt anyone.
She inwardly cursed when she saw who it was. Anyone else, she could lie to, but not Greg. She went to the front stoop, not trying to run for fear that he would hurt someone, even Greg. She could tell he was just a scared kid, but then again, she'd thought that about Ellie at one time too.
"Hey Morgan!"
"Hey." She smiled for him. "I've almost got this cleared up, so why don't you go help Dad or Jim?" She tried to keep her voice level. "They're working on that shooting on the other side of town, remember?"
"I just came from there. They don't need me."
She inwardly groaned and made plans to torture him later. Jim had been retired for a good year and he knew it. "What about helping Nicky or Sara then?"
"How? Nicky's not here, and Sara is home."
"Then go help Ellie, then, okay? I don't need you here!" She started to go back inside and slam the door.
"Morgan?" A thorough slam was his answer.
Greg stood still a moment and then tried to find another way inside.
"Okay, he's gone." Morgan said, her arms still outstretched. "Now what do you want? I know you don't want to do anything dumb. You're in enough trouble. You don't want to hurt anyone or you would have let him come in too."
"I don't want to hurt anyone," he repeated.
"So why don't you let me talk to those cops? They can help you. My dad's a cop, some of my friends...all they want is for us to find a way out of this mess without anyone else getting hurt."
"I'm in a lot of trouble."
"I know you are. I know you are. You don't have to make this worse. You can stop it now before it gets worse." She wished that she'd been able to convince Ellie of that; maybe Nancy would still be alive. She pushed the negative thoughts out of her brain, concentrating on staying alive.
"What should I do?"
"Let me talk to them. Let me get you some help." They heard a clatter from the back room.
"What was that?" He asked a little shocked.
Morgan knew what it had to have been and was ready to strangle Greg, if he didn't get them both killed first. He had to have seen what was going on through one of the windows. "Do you want to go see? Together?"
"Uh, I guess. Can I leave the gun here?" His voice sounded timid.
"If you just want to do that, we can go outside, right now, and we don't even have to go back there."
"Are they going to shoot you?"
"Me? Why would they shoot me?"
"Sorry, I meant me."
"Not if you don't hurt me. Look, I'm a CSI. That's a scientist. My boyfriend outside, that's what he was too, a scientist. My dad's a cop, but they'll listen to me. All they want is for me to be okay. If you help me get out of here unharmed, they won't hurt you."
He nodded. "Then can we go?"
She nodded. "Okay. We can go." She walked outside with him, seeing not only Greg, but a few other cops she recognized and the sheriff's vehicle pulling up which made her wonder how long they'd been in there.
Greg was shocked to see the kid with Morgan. He ran up, arms out to her.
The kid looked bewildered. "It's okay. They're not going to hurt you. They just have to talk to you, okay?"
"Morgan?!?" Ecklie asked, running towards them.
"What happened in there?" asked Greg.
Ecklie looked her up and down as if to make sure she was uninjured. "I'm okay, Dad. Really. At first...at first I thought he was going to hurt me, but I think at the end he was more afraid of me than I was of him. I think there's something wrong with him. I don't think he's sick, maybe just slow?"
"Doesn't matter right now. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Take her home, Greg. I'll process here. You two deserve a break."
"Dad...make sure he's okay. Please."
Ecklie shook his head and kissed her forehead. "I'm more concerned about you right now, sweetheart."
"I'm okay, Dad. He didn't hurt me. But I promised him no one would hurt him. I know...I know what it's like to be scared of what happens next."
Ecklie closed his eyes and then opened them again. "Okay, sweetheart. If you'll let Greg take you home and actually rest, then, yes, I'll check on him when I finish here."
"Come on, Morgan."
She followed, forgetting to fuss at him about not understanding her, letting herself get lost with hs arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder.
"Do you want to eat?"
She shook her head. "I just want to go home."
"Okay." Greg drove off, keeping an eye on her. She drifted off before they even got home. Greg pulled up in the driveway and carried Morgan inside.
The door opened a few hours later, before Morgan had a chance to wake back up. Sara put her suitcase down quietly, trying not to wake anyone.
Greg smiled. "Hey. How are you?"
"I should be asking you and Morgan that question, shouldn't I?"
"You heard?"
"Ecklie called."
"We're all right."
"I'm sorry, Greg. I knew you were shorthanded, but I wanted this weekend so badly." As it was, she'd only gotten a day with Nick. "I never should have left Vegas, not until Finn was back and able to help more."
"Don't be silly."
"With Nicky gone and Russell going, we're shorthanded as it is. It's too easy to have something like this happen when everyone's exhausted. She's, you're both, very lucky." Her own kidnapping had come at a time when the team was exhausted, when they'd let their guards down. "Is she asleep? Ecklie said he was sending her home to sleep."
"Yeah, she's sleeping, and this would have happened anyway."
"You sound like Nicky now." For the past few years, Nick had blamed the job, saying it was inevitible to be hurt, or in other cases killed. The job or Vegas itself, which she knew Greg would never do.
"Maybe he was right."
"Are you still thinking about that offer for another book?"
"Yes."
"Have you talked it over with Morgan?"
"Not yet."
"You know she's not going to quit, right? Just like I'm not leaving Vegas again, not anytime soon. I'm sure that she'll support you, like I'll support Nick with this San Diego..." She shook her head. "But it's not going to change days like today. She'll still be in that room. Or going undercover to keep another girl from getting killed." She knew the shooting still bothered him; she half expected Morgan's nightmares to resurface again.
"I know. I know."
"So why? You worked so hard to be a CSI, Greg." She paused. "Are you getting burned out? We all do."
"Maybe. I'm not sure. But I kind of liked writing that book."
"Then do another one in your spare time. It won't always be like this, Greg. They'll figure out who our next boss is and hire us some help. Finn will get better. They weren't sure she would wake up, much less walk or talk, but she's doing all that."
"CSI is not what I want anymore, Sara. Surely you understand that?"
"I do, but...I guess I'm just being selfish. With you gone, Finn still not back, Morgan will be all I have left."
"I think that's how Morgan felt too."
"I'm not going forever. I go every other weekend, if Mom doesn't need me. I'm not ready to uproot my life for any man again, not even Nick. I honestly think if the long distance relationshp doesn't work out, Nick and I won't work out, unless he's ready to come back home."
"I can't believe you're even trying again actually."
"I can't either. If it was anyone else, anyone at all, then I wouldn't." She heard Morgan's nightmares start. "Do you want to go or do you want me to?"
"I'll try first." Greg ran off.
Morgan was awake by the time he got there and made room for him on their bed.
"You okay?"
"Bad dream," she said softly, her head against him. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours. Sara's home."
She woke up enough to realize she was still in her clothes from work. "Did Dad call?"
"Not yet."
"Are you hungry?"
A man jumped out from behind a couch, gun in hand. He stood in front of Morgan, gun pointed at her. "Stop right now or I'll shoot!"
She heard a vehicle outside pull up and the one thing she knew is that she didn't want anyone else in there. She put her tools down in her kit, slowly holding her hands up. "Okay. Okay, I'll stop."
"Can I just tell whoever is out there not to come in? We don't want anyone else in here, do we?"
"Fine, be quick, I'm watching you." He was a kid really, and not sure of what he was doing, but he knew he didn't want to hurt anyone.
She inwardly cursed when she saw who it was. Anyone else, she could lie to, but not Greg. She went to the front stoop, not trying to run for fear that he would hurt someone, even Greg. She could tell he was just a scared kid, but then again, she'd thought that about Ellie at one time too.
"Hey Morgan!"
"Hey." She smiled for him. "I've almost got this cleared up, so why don't you go help Dad or Jim?" She tried to keep her voice level. "They're working on that shooting on the other side of town, remember?"
"I just came from there. They don't need me."
She inwardly groaned and made plans to torture him later. Jim had been retired for a good year and he knew it. "What about helping Nicky or Sara then?"
"How? Nicky's not here, and Sara is home."
"Then go help Ellie, then, okay? I don't need you here!" She started to go back inside and slam the door.
"Morgan?" A thorough slam was his answer.
Greg stood still a moment and then tried to find another way inside.
"Okay, he's gone." Morgan said, her arms still outstretched. "Now what do you want? I know you don't want to do anything dumb. You're in enough trouble. You don't want to hurt anyone or you would have let him come in too."
"I don't want to hurt anyone," he repeated.
"So why don't you let me talk to those cops? They can help you. My dad's a cop, some of my friends...all they want is for us to find a way out of this mess without anyone else getting hurt."
"I'm in a lot of trouble."
"I know you are. I know you are. You don't have to make this worse. You can stop it now before it gets worse." She wished that she'd been able to convince Ellie of that; maybe Nancy would still be alive. She pushed the negative thoughts out of her brain, concentrating on staying alive.
"What should I do?"
"Let me talk to them. Let me get you some help." They heard a clatter from the back room.
"What was that?" He asked a little shocked.
Morgan knew what it had to have been and was ready to strangle Greg, if he didn't get them both killed first. He had to have seen what was going on through one of the windows. "Do you want to go see? Together?"
"Uh, I guess. Can I leave the gun here?" His voice sounded timid.
"If you just want to do that, we can go outside, right now, and we don't even have to go back there."
"Are they going to shoot you?"
"Me? Why would they shoot me?"
"Sorry, I meant me."
"Not if you don't hurt me. Look, I'm a CSI. That's a scientist. My boyfriend outside, that's what he was too, a scientist. My dad's a cop, but they'll listen to me. All they want is for me to be okay. If you help me get out of here unharmed, they won't hurt you."
He nodded. "Then can we go?"
She nodded. "Okay. We can go." She walked outside with him, seeing not only Greg, but a few other cops she recognized and the sheriff's vehicle pulling up which made her wonder how long they'd been in there.
Greg was shocked to see the kid with Morgan. He ran up, arms out to her.
The kid looked bewildered. "It's okay. They're not going to hurt you. They just have to talk to you, okay?"
"Morgan?!?" Ecklie asked, running towards them.
"What happened in there?" asked Greg.
Ecklie looked her up and down as if to make sure she was uninjured. "I'm okay, Dad. Really. At first...at first I thought he was going to hurt me, but I think at the end he was more afraid of me than I was of him. I think there's something wrong with him. I don't think he's sick, maybe just slow?"
"Doesn't matter right now. Are you sure you're okay?"
"Take her home, Greg. I'll process here. You two deserve a break."
"Dad...make sure he's okay. Please."
Ecklie shook his head and kissed her forehead. "I'm more concerned about you right now, sweetheart."
"I'm okay, Dad. He didn't hurt me. But I promised him no one would hurt him. I know...I know what it's like to be scared of what happens next."
Ecklie closed his eyes and then opened them again. "Okay, sweetheart. If you'll let Greg take you home and actually rest, then, yes, I'll check on him when I finish here."
"Come on, Morgan."
She followed, forgetting to fuss at him about not understanding her, letting herself get lost with hs arm around her waist, her head on his shoulder.
"Do you want to eat?"
She shook her head. "I just want to go home."
"Okay." Greg drove off, keeping an eye on her. She drifted off before they even got home. Greg pulled up in the driveway and carried Morgan inside.
The door opened a few hours later, before Morgan had a chance to wake back up. Sara put her suitcase down quietly, trying not to wake anyone.
Greg smiled. "Hey. How are you?"
"I should be asking you and Morgan that question, shouldn't I?"
"You heard?"
"Ecklie called."
"We're all right."
"I'm sorry, Greg. I knew you were shorthanded, but I wanted this weekend so badly." As it was, she'd only gotten a day with Nick. "I never should have left Vegas, not until Finn was back and able to help more."
"Don't be silly."
"With Nicky gone and Russell going, we're shorthanded as it is. It's too easy to have something like this happen when everyone's exhausted. She's, you're both, very lucky." Her own kidnapping had come at a time when the team was exhausted, when they'd let their guards down. "Is she asleep? Ecklie said he was sending her home to sleep."
"Yeah, she's sleeping, and this would have happened anyway."
"You sound like Nicky now." For the past few years, Nick had blamed the job, saying it was inevitible to be hurt, or in other cases killed. The job or Vegas itself, which she knew Greg would never do.
"Maybe he was right."
"Are you still thinking about that offer for another book?"
"Yes."
"Have you talked it over with Morgan?"
"Not yet."
"You know she's not going to quit, right? Just like I'm not leaving Vegas again, not anytime soon. I'm sure that she'll support you, like I'll support Nick with this San Diego..." She shook her head. "But it's not going to change days like today. She'll still be in that room. Or going undercover to keep another girl from getting killed." She knew the shooting still bothered him; she half expected Morgan's nightmares to resurface again.
"I know. I know."
"So why? You worked so hard to be a CSI, Greg." She paused. "Are you getting burned out? We all do."
"Maybe. I'm not sure. But I kind of liked writing that book."
"Then do another one in your spare time. It won't always be like this, Greg. They'll figure out who our next boss is and hire us some help. Finn will get better. They weren't sure she would wake up, much less walk or talk, but she's doing all that."
"CSI is not what I want anymore, Sara. Surely you understand that?"
"I do, but...I guess I'm just being selfish. With you gone, Finn still not back, Morgan will be all I have left."
"I think that's how Morgan felt too."
"I'm not going forever. I go every other weekend, if Mom doesn't need me. I'm not ready to uproot my life for any man again, not even Nick. I honestly think if the long distance relationshp doesn't work out, Nick and I won't work out, unless he's ready to come back home."
"I can't believe you're even trying again actually."
"I can't either. If it was anyone else, anyone at all, then I wouldn't." She heard Morgan's nightmares start. "Do you want to go or do you want me to?"
"I'll try first." Greg ran off.
Morgan was awake by the time he got there and made room for him on their bed.
"You okay?"
"Bad dream," she said softly, her head against him. "How long have I been asleep?"
"A few hours. Sara's home."
She woke up enough to realize she was still in her clothes from work. "Did Dad call?"
"Not yet."
"Are you hungry?"