Only the Beginning
By: Emmithar
Rating: T
Summary: Friendship can take you a long way, and love can take you beyond death. Character Death
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI or any of the characters
A/N: No idea how long this one will be, but keep in mind the rating and warnings. Rating may go up later in the story. This is going to have a bit more angst in it than my other fics, so I hope you enjoy.
Chapter One: The First Sign
It was the amazing how far the night could stretch. Even the road was lost in the crisp horizon, the morning still yet to come. Sara drew in a breath, her tongue clicking against her teeth as she glanced to her side with crestfallen eyes, watching the man next to her sleep. His hair, a natural brown color that seemed all too out of place settled evenly over his head.
The deep breaths he took, each one seeming to take more effort, was the only real audible sound that filled the air. Sara wasn't sure which was more alarming, the heaviness of his breaths, or the pale tone to his skin. She turned her attention up front, gripping the wheel tightly to keep her arms from shaking.
It wasn't fair, everything was happening too fast. She closed her eyes, drawing in another deep breath before concentrating on the road in front of her. The sky was growing pale behind them, the sun would be up soon now, and they still had a ways to go. As for now, they were the only ones on the road, and Sara pressed her speed, not knowing how much time was actually left.
Greg still slept soundly, as he had the entire trip, far too tired to stay awake, and provide the company Sara was desperately seeking. The others, she knew, would be angry with her, once learning of her feat. She dreaded the point when she would have to tell them all what had transpired, and prayed silently they would understand. If they were in her position, they would do the same…right?
Sara wasn't sure if she which was better; living in the city, jostling your way through life with all the other people, or living out your days shrouded by…nature. If you could call it that. She supposed there was a plus side to the whole country business. It was quiet…and…peaceful, she guessed. It worked well, if you liked that sort of thing.
The downside? If something happened out here, no one would be able to hear your screams…
Sara supposed that it was just as easy to kill someone in the city, she saw it near every day with the work she did. But at least in the city, someone found the body before it was nothing. And a skeleton was nothing, at least, not much.
Of course, they would still investigate, rule it as a homicide until proven otherwise. Still, the hatchet that had been lodged in the victim's skull was a pretty good indicator that it had been exactly that. Careful of where she walked, Sara eased herself down, balancing in a crouch as she passed her flashlight along the body.
She could hear Greg come in behind her, already moving to the far side of the room, his own beam crossing the room. There was nothing said between the pair, the two taking in the room on their own account. Words could be passed later, at the moment they needed concentration.
Sara reached forward, her fingers draping across the silver chain that rested around the skeletal neck, following it down to where it met a small silver tag. Squinting she could barely make out the letters there, but sighed as she did so.
"She must have been scared," Sara spoke quietly, grimacing at the small hatchet that was lodged in the bone. "She died quickly."
"How do you know Mr. Bones is a girl?" Greg wondered, searching through a stack of papers on a desk across the room. He coughed, waving a hand in the air as a cloud of dust wafted up.
"Diabetics carry identification tags," she explained to him, glancing up at him. "Jessica Lei, age 29…"
"Well, she could have had an attack, that could have been the cause of death," Greg suggested weakly, giving her an uneasy smile from across the room.
"And someone just came along and smashed her head in with an ax?"
Greg shifted uneasily, clearing his throat as he tried to reason, bringing out a laugh in her. "I've seen stranger things," she reassured him. "We're going to have a hard time proving that, if it did happen."
Greg nodded, moving along the wall until he came he came to several cabinets, all standing upright. He shot a few quick photos, the flash lighting up the area around him. Though still very much in training, he had fallen in well with this routine, working on and off with all the team members. It was still early, but he knew that he would like this job.
He came to a stop, drawing in a few deep breaths slowly. It was the strangest feeling ever, like all the sudden he could no longer breathe. Greg shook his head as it passed, coughing as more dust billowed up as he moved a stack of old newspapers.
"I think I have a timeline here," he called to her, clearing his throat as he did so. It was still scratchy, unsettling him a bit. He focused his attention instead on the papers; they were at least a year old. That piece of information could help them, but it didn't necessarily mean that was when the victim died…they could have been a collection, or something of the sort.
He ran a gloved hand over the top of one, wiping clear the layer of dust in order to read the paper better. It happened again then, his throat tightened, and he closed his eyes, desperately trying to get the breath of air his body was begging for.
Sara was talking again, but he could barely hear her, as though she had left the kitchen, and gone off into another part of the house. Tears stung the edges of his eyes, and he tried to calm himself down. It was going to pass; at least this is what he tried to convince himself.
What happened next was blurred, and he could hardly remember it all. All he knew is that he needed to get out of there, and quickly. Then there was the air; fresh, cool, clean air. He drew in the long awaited gasp, leaning against the railing, his hands gripping the wood.
Sara hadn't been far behind, and the worry in her voice was evident. She was careful not to touch him, moving slowly until she was by his side, watching him in the moonlight. "Greg?"
He nodded to her unanswered question, falling into a small coughing fit. Once it had passed he drew in another shaky breath, lifting his head up. "I'm okay," he nodded, his voice shaky, resembling the rest of his body.
"Sit down," she touched his arm, gently at first, then more forcefully, motioning to the porch swing.
Greg wasn't sure if he wanted to try to move, but he trusted Sara enough to lead him there, able to force out a grin as Sara sat next to him. "I'm doing fine, honest."
She didn't return his smile, watching him closely, noting his heavy breaths, clammy skin…as though he had just run a marathon, or something close to it. "What happened?"
She hadn't seen anything that had transpired before his quick dash out the back door. One moment she had been rambling off her own ideas, and the next, she was chasing after his retreating form. He shrugged it off, shaking his head. "Asthma attack, I guess."
"I never knew you had asthma," Sara responded quietly, to which Greg laughed feebly.
"Neither did I, learn something new every day, I guess."
He tried to sound light, as if it didn't matter, but Sara could see he was pretty shaken up about it. Lacing her fingers in his she gave him a slight squeeze, one of reassurance as he continued to catch his breath.
"Are you doing okay?"
Greg nodded, drawing in another deep breath. "Yeah, the fresh air feels really nice."
"It could be allergies too," she suggested. "There was a lot of dust in the house."
Greg nodded, knowing she was trying to make him feel better. She continued to speak, even as she stood, once making sure that he was indeed okay. "I'll finish up inside, you take the perimeter."
"You can't really expect to finish it all yourself," Greg frowned, feeling his strength come back as his heart rate finally settled. "I feel fine now, as long as I'm careful…"
"I don't want to push it," she shook her head. "The perimeter's pretty big as well, if you start now, we should finish up at the same time."
Greg didn't argue with her further, the matter had been said and done. Sara wished now she had looked deeper into what it all meant, maybe then she would have seen what was really bothering him. He seemed fine, well enough that he probably even convinced himself.
At that thought she risked another glance, unsure of whether she should be grateful, or uneasy that he was still fast asleep. Part of her wanted to wake him, wanted to hear his voice, a reassurance that he was still with her. There would be plenty of time for sleep soon enough.
The stars shone brightly ahead, wary of the impending light as the day made it's way into existence. She took care, to watch it closely in her rearview mirror. It could be the last time…she let the thoughts pass, unable to decipher their true meaning at the moment. Her concentration lay ahead of her, as did the road, never slowing her pace as they continued to head due west. She could only pray that he lasted long enough.
TBC