Issues

By: Kuroi Neko-kun

Summary: One of their CSIs return to day-shift and since Speed's death, everyone notice that she has changed.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: Miami. Though the severely depressed character, Alena Richardson, in the story is mine. And the story itself.

Warning: Um… there's an OC? Oh, spoilers to Lost Son. And I haven't watched it yet. My country's still stuck in season 2. I'm not complaining though. Though I apologize for Ryan's OOC (if any). I don't know him yet.

A/N: My first CSI OC fic ever! This just came to my head. I wonder why? And I'm brushing through the case.

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Chapter 4: Bugs in the system

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It takes a lot to make a CSI flinch at the sight of a dead body. This was one of the few dead bodies that did. Covered in flies, maggots and other assorted creatures called bugs. He looked at it, keeping at a distance and turned to his supervisor.

"Okaaay…" he whistled," I'm not really big on the bugs."

"Especially when they're chewing up your body like that," Eric said from behind him. Ryan and Horatio silently agreed. The cadaver was already beyond recognition as the maggots fed on the decaying flesh. Horatio looked at his CSIs and tilted his head to the side.

"I called for Alena. She'll be here with Calleigh," the redhead said. Ryan gave him a confused look.

"Why did you call her here?" Ryan asked," She needs time before coming back to field."

"As much as your concern is appreciated, Ryan, I have no choice. We need an entomologist."

"What does Alena have to do with that?" Eric smirked.

"Alena didn't tell you, did she?"

"Tell me what?"

"Her specialty is entomology. She's our Bug Girl," the Cuban explained. The younger CSI blinked at him.

"B.S. in entomology?"

"No, that's biology. You should ask her where the entomology came in," Eric said. Ryan took that to consideration and looked at his supervisor who was now looking around the scene.

"H?"

"We'll process around the body. Until Alexx and Alena arrive, there's nothing we can do to it."

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"I hate these cases," Alexx mumbled as she watched over Alena who was meticulously collecting several eggs, larvae, pupae and even adult flies into separately marked jars. She had to process head to toe, containing every significant insect on the body, clothes, hair and surrounding area.

"Well, mama hen, it's a good reason for us to work together," she pointed out. Alexx smiled.

"Your fear of morgues against your love for bugs," she said. Alena grinned.

"Hence the name 'Bug Girl'?" They turned to see Ryan looking over them, camera in hand. Alena shook her head, turning back to her bugs.

"I always hated that name."

"Because it's a sexist way to clarify a well respected specialty to your gender?" Ryan asked, settling next to her.

"No, because I always imagine myself in spandex with cockroach feelers when I hear it," she pointed out. The look on Ryan's face told her that he was thinking about it. She scowled.

"You have work to do, rooster boy," she pointed out.

"Sorry," he began snapping pictures of the body before noticing something gleaming on the body's wrist. Not wanting to touch the body, Ryan zoomed into the part with his camera lens.

"Whoa…" he mumbled. It was a watch and he could make out the brand. "A Rolex?"

"Where?" Alexx asked.

"Left wrist." All three looked at it before raising eyebrows.

"Rules out robbery," Alena said before sealing the last of her containers. "I'll be heading back to the crime lab with my pretties."

"Okay, that's just scary," Ryan commented.

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The containers surrounding Alena meant one thing to her: Bugs. The blonde never could hide the distaste of the crawlies. It was her 'little girl' gene that kept her away from them. Then she met Alena, who was fascinated by them. But they still got along, despite differences. She watched her friend and fellow worker catalog each of her 'charges'.

"Calleigh?" She nearly jumped as Ryan approached her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm in conflict," she answered," Are you planning to go in?" Ryan nodded. "Good, tell Al I said hi and I'll be with her when she's bug free."

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"Calleigh said hi," he said as he entered the room," And she said she'll be with you when you're bug free." Alena smiled, knowing that the blonde CSI wouldn't want to be near her bugs while she was working.

"This doesn't disturb you, rooster boy?" Alena asked, looking at her bug container again.

"When they're in jars, no," he answered," Do you need any help?"

"You can help me write up a timeline," she said, pointed to the whiteboard. Ryan stood at the board and picked up a marker. "Week zero: body dies. Week two: green blowflies arrive and leave their pupa casings. Week four: black soldier flies move in. At week twenty-eight, they leave their pupa casings."

"So that's the general timeline?"

"Yeah, it is."

"I found green blowflies pupa casings and black soldier eggs."

"That makes?"

"Six to eight weeks," she said before grinning," Like most mail orders."

"It still doesn't give us an exact time."

"Well, if you give me two or three weeks I can study the next hatching and time the hatching to the millisecond," she pans out. Ryan sighed.

"You can do that if H didn't put this case on rush," he said. This was news to her as she looked up from her writing.

"H put it on rush?"

"Eric ran the Rolex through the records. It's a dead judge."

"A judge? Wow, this case is going federal," Alena said.

"Does it always?"

"Ryan, you need the experience to know these things," she pointed out.

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Informed of the supposed timeline, H looked at Alena. He knew that when she was in her world of bugs, she was completely lost in it. Horatio wasn't going to deny that of her.

"I can help you get the exact timeline if you let me do a two week study on them," she said. Horatio raised an eyebrow.

"Let's keep that to your interest. This case is on rush," he explained.

"That's why I said study. If I could use the case-study against the case, we'd have a better claim on the perpetrator," she said.

"You're just happy to be around bugs again, aren't you?" H asked, studying her.

"Nowadays, they're the only thing that makes me happy," she pointed out. H took a breath before turning back to her.

"I'll approve the study," he said. She grinned and resisted the urge to hug Horatio in a bouncing girl fashion.

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"So explain to me why this study is important," Ryan asked as Alena placed a stop watch beside a container set up for her study. She clocked in the time and wrote something on her paper.

"Well, personally it's a hobby," she said.

"Your hobby is to meticulously study bugs?" Ryan asked," When did it start?"

"My father is an entomologist professor and my mom is an avid butterfly collector," she explained," I'm the only child of the bug world."

"Fascinating," Ryan drawled.

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Horatio was hell-bent on searching for the perp. He had been going round labs and waiting for results. Ticking him off slightly was his director telling him to give the case to the FBI. It took all for him not to shoot the director. He made it clear that the feds could do what they want with it after he solved the case. He was heading off to find Eric when his cell phone rang. He hoped it was Tripp with some news but it was an unfamiliar number. He decided to answer it.

"Hello?"
"Lieutenant Caine? This is Gil Grissom of the Las Vegas crime lab."

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End of Part One

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Damn the plot bunnies. I just had to squeeze in something else that's in my head at the moment (besides H as Bono and Speed as H). This will continue in another part called, 'Race'. I guess 'Issues' became the character introduction to Alena.