Sins Of The Fathers

by Amelia L. Rodgers
©2003 all rights reserved
E mail author
Not to be used without author's permission.
Sins Of The Fathers a UFO/CSI crossover story (sequel to Homecoming) by Amelia L. Rodgers No copyright infringement intended for either CSI or UFO.
Dedicated to Tae, who rescued the story when AOL ate it up, allowing me to finish it, and providing me with ideas (and explaining what lingua was - unfortunately ;-D - and Nans, who kept demanding Straker-Freeman angst while she made suggestions, and Claire for the Ford Fiesta and other advice. :-D
As always, my thanks to Commander Edward Straker for his time, his trouble and his coffee and lemon drizzle cake.

"What were you discussing with Catherine and Alec last night?" Ed pulled on a pair of stonewashed jeans. He and Claire had finished showering and grooming, and were now dressing.

"When?" she asked, sticking a gold hoop through the piercing in her ear.

"Last night, of course. While I was showing Gil the body in medical centre."

"Oh. I don't remember."

"Oh you don't remember, huh?" he looked at her.

"No, sweetheart."

"You know, Gil mentioned to me that Alec is a poor liar, and that I'm a practiced one. I told him it comes with the territory. He should see how bad you are. Now, unless you want me to turn you over to Shado's interrogation department..."

She grinned at him.

"I'm not saying a word, so you have no other recourse but to torture me."

Ed leaned over and covered her mouth with his, gently kissing her, lightly allowing the tip of his tongue to moisten her lower lip. He kissed her slowly for several seconds, nibbled the tip of her ear. Ed swept back her hair and planted kisses on her neck while teasing her nipples. He then sat back. She fell back against the bed dreamily, her arms akimbo.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"I thought so." he chuckled. "Well?"

"Catherine wanted to know what you'd meant about duty," she revealed, sitting up.

Ed's face darkened.

"That." he grumbled. "And I suppose you and Alec blabbed? You know, if Alec hadn't opened his fat Australian mouth about our service days, Gil wouldn't have gone looking for clues."

"Yes he would have. He's as persistent as you are. You don't have many people skills either; it's why you have Alec around. She gets annoyed at Gil a lot. She said Gil is a lot like you. The end justifies the means, no matter how savage the means are. I told her you'd given up first wife, then son, then both, for Shado. I told her you came off as a cold hearted son of a bitch often, when in reality that wasn't you. I told her I never would have fallen in love with you if that was actually the kind of man you were. Alec said about the same thing to Gil. That he would have walked out on you long ago."

Ed pulled on a blue and white pinstriped shirt and made a sour face.

"Would have, huh? He's come close. Come on, let's go to breakfast. For once I'm glad Frances won't be serving up her perfect breakfast to us. She has a tendency to get on my nerves lately. Graham promised to make breakfasts today. Used to do it in the Army he said. If we're lucky, we'll get oatmeal."

"Oh God. This ought to be interesting." she chuckled.

* * *

"What did you say?" Gil said to Catherine, his last forkful of ham halfway to his mouth. He let it drop to his plate. They'd sat around, having a quiet, subdued breakfast until Ed had asked them for their choices.

"I said I wanted to be injected with the amnesia drug. I'm sorry Ed, but that's my decision."

"May I ask why?" Ed intoned.

"Your wife and Alec and I had a long talk last night. About what it would mean. I already have missed a lot of events in Lindsey's life because of my job as a CSI-3, she's already spent too much time with her father than she has with me, and I have custody. Lindsey means too much to me. She's more important to me than the work that you do. Raising my daughter is responsibility enough for me than complicating my life chasing down aliens as well as evidence. So I have to say no."

"You're turning down a chance to work for Shado, to defeat the aliens, for the sake of your daughter?" Ed said solemnly.

At Ed's side, Alec bit his lip, said nothing. Claire fiddled with her napkin nervously. Graham, who would eat his breakfast of ham and eggs and toast later, started to collect dishes, averting his eyes from Ed.

"Absolutely," Catherine said firmly.

"What about you, Gil?"

"I consent to being a consultant for your organization, Ed. I have a lot of vacation time I haven't used yet. I can afford to skip a few lectures and conferences. This is too important a job to be turned down, Catherine. For the sake of scientific discovery alone, the opportunity to study a new species, that alone is a rationale to choose Shado. Being involved in this is even more important than what we do on a daily basis. This isn't about Las Vegas. This is about the world. I think you should reconsider your decision, Catherine."

"The problem with your thinking is that that's your problem."

"Excuse me?" Gil muttered.

"You think." Ed said. "She's saying you think too much about your job. It creates a wall between you and other human beings. You look, but you don't see. You hear but you don't listen." Ed said quietly, staring into the depth of his coffee mug, his portion of the surprisingly good breakfast that Graham had whipped up all but untouched.

Claire looked at Ed with loving concern. She wondered if he was talking about Grissom or the way he suddenly saw himself. How Edward was coping and not breaking down had to be what he called bloody-mindedness. But Gil and even Caroline had warned him against pretending the abyss wasn't there. She sighed and turned her attention back to the conversation. Alec was looking at Ed with his usual worried expression, she noticed. Gil was speaking.

"How else could I do my job if I didn't use my mind and my training in determining-"

"Oh shut up, forget it, Gris. Anyway, Ed, I wanted to thank you for everything you've done. Your home here is just lovely, it's been-is something the matter?"

"No, no. I greatly admire your courage, Catherine. I envy you. I didn't have your kind of courage. I couldn't walk away, when the decision was offered to me. I chose duty over love of my family. Sacrifice and duty sound like pretty impressive words, but not to the person who has to live with the ugly outcome for the rest of his life. Go home to Lindsey, Catherine. Hug her for me, will you? Love her for the children who were victims of the aliens. Cherish your every minute with her. Children grow up so fast. It's been a pleasure meeting you, Catherine." Ed stood up and extended his hand to her. She rose and walked over to his side of the dining table.

"No. It's been my pleasure. Maybe someday, when you beat the aliens Ed, you'll get the recognition that's long overdue for the way you've performed your duty. It isn't often I get to kiss a hero. Even an unsung one. I hope Claire doesn't mind if I gave you a small kiss goodbye?"

Claire chuckled.

"Oh I mind." she teased. "But I trust Catherine and the hero deserves it. So indulge."

Ed grinned at Claire a little.

"You'll note my wife didn't say she trusted me."

Claire laughed.

Catherine kissed Ed on the cheek as Gil watched Catherine with a meditative expression. Claire imagined Gil looked like a jealous Buddha. Judging by Ed's expression she figured he'd noticed Grissom's unspoken objection too. Alec broke the silence finally.

"Hear hear. To Ed Straker, unsung hero," Alec said, and raised his coffee mug toward Ed. Ed gestured in dismissal at his friend, but everyone present copied Ed.

"Please administer the drug to Catherine." Ed requested.

Claire smiled and took a vial full of a yellowish liquid out of a case on the table. Beside it was a hypodermic.

"Will she be okay?" Gil asked.

"She'll be just fine." Ed answered, noting the genuine concern in Grissom's tone.

"I hate shots," Catherine teased.

"I can put it in your juice or coffee. It's tasteless, harmless. You won't forget anything essential. You'll merely forget everything Gil discovered about us, and your trip to Shado."

"Sounds easy." Catherine replied as she watched Claire load the hypodermic with the vial, and then empty the measured amount into Catherine's mug, then fill it with coffee. She drank it down.

* * *

Several hours later, after he had been processed through Shado by Alec, Gil sat next to her on the plane headed to McCarran airport. She was digging into a chicken Caesar salad and iced tea, and he was having a corned beef sandwich and a beer, without much appetite. Catherine looked out the window at the swirl of clouds in good humor. Remarkably, she'd shown no signs that she remembered anything of Shado.

"I guess you're really looking forward to seeing Lindsey again," he remarked after swallowing a bite of sandwich.

"You bet, Gris. Can't wait! Poor thing, camp food isn't the same as Mommie cooks, you know. Besides all she gets from Eddie on his visitation weekends is pizza and spaghetti."

"You haven't said much about Ed Straker."

"He's a good-looking, impressive man. Gentleman, too. That place he lives in is to die for."

"I'll be going back there later this year for a few days, he arranged for me to serve as paid forensic consultant on a detective series set in the States being shot at his film studio."

" Oh? Didn't think that was your thing, Gris."

"It provides me with an opportunity to study more insects native to England, and it allows me to see how he's progressing. The stronger he gets, the more easily he'll allow me to pick his brain about Jerusha and Hiram March."

"Now that's your thing. You're taking all day to eat that sandwich of yours, aren't you hungry?"

"Sufficiently so. I'm more eager to get back to work. Although my being away gives Warrick, Sara and Nick a chance to operate by themselves, good experience for them."

"If they haven't killed each other by now. You think you helped Ed any? He seemed more unsettled when we left. I have to admit he doesn't behave like most of the victims we've encountered."

"At best I think I shed a little light into his abyss. The responsibility for climbing out of it in the end is his."

"I saw you checking out his wife."

"Checking out? That's hardly the term I'd use, Catherine, although she's a beautiful, intelligent woman like yourself. I was trying to determine how she was handling the events that unfolded after Ed's capture. Besides, she was injured in Jerusha March's attack too."

"You said she made a true statement about not being able to buy love. Did you mean you found her to be telling the truth, or did you agree with the statement itself?"

"Both. I didn't have suitable evidence other than body language and context of words, but I drew the conclusion she believed what she said, specifically in Ed's case. He is a very wealthy man, influential, and yet he can't purchase love. Love is a commodity you can't win on the green baize of a poker table or collect like silver quarters in a paper barrel from the mouth of a slot machine."

"Thus spake Gruesome Grissom."

"Common sense, Catherine." he shrugged.

"You believe in true love, Gris?"

"I believe in hard evidence."

"Thanks. Eat your sandwich."

He looked thoughtful.

"You know, it's quite common to find Nysius raphanus, otherwise known as the false cinch bug, on iceberg lettuce," he said, looking at her salad. "Thought I saw a nice specimen in there."

"GRISSOM!"

He grinned in satisfaction when she slapped his arm.

* * *

A few weeks later, on a dismal and rainy Saturday morning, Claire was awakened by Ed gasping and thrashing at his blankets in his sleep. Long years of being a surgeon on call had given her the ability to become instantly awake and refreshed no matter how much or how little sleep she'd had. Gently she shook him awake.

"What, what?" he muttered.

She smoothed his hair back, took his hand and kissed it, kissed him on the lips.

"You haven't had a nightmare in weeks. You were having one just now. Do you remember what it was about?"

"Just that I couldn't breathe. What time is it, sweetheart?" he yawned, and sat up.

"A little after seven. It's the weekend, precious. Go back to sleep."

"I'm worried about Alec. It isn't like him to be feeling as poorly as he has the last couple of days."

"I think he just has the flu virus, Edward, it's going around. I tried to get him to go to Mayland for some tests, but you know Alec, he can't be bothered. It might just be that the paperwork giving him custody of Ayomide is just about finished. Might just be nerves on his part. He's about to legally become her Dad." smiled Claire.

"Alec was born without nerves. You know, I still can't understand how Yetunde could just hand her over like that. I'm still haunted by how simple it was for Catherine to decide what really mattered in this world."

" Yetunde decided she wasn't cut out for the mother role, As for Cat, she didn't have James Henderson leaning on her. You did."

"Maybe. Let's go and have breakfast with Alec and Ayomide. I'm going to lay down the law to him, see that he gets his Australian behind to medical centre."

"Is it really Alec you want to see?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Well, Ayomide is there now that his house was finished. Seems like you've been inventing every excuse you could think of to go over there and play with her."

"Jealous of another beautiful woman in my life, huh?"

"Always. You know, those workmen did a wonderful job on his house. Ayomide's room is so cute. I don't think Alec could get another stuffed animal in there if he tried."

"Yeah, looks like a plushie zoo in there. She has names for every single one of them, too. Come on let's get showered and dressed, maybe we can talk Graham into making up a tray of pancakes for them that we can bring over. Ayomide loves pancakes with strawberries."

"You never bring me breakfast in bed, Commander," she accused, toying with a wavy strand of his platinum hair.

"Ayomide is cuter than you are."

"Meanie."

About a half hour later, accompanied by Claire holding a tray of foil wrapped dishes, Ed knocked on Alec's door. Nothing happened for the longest time, and Ed was about to get out his key fob, but finally the door edged open. Alec was in T-shirt and boxer shorts, and looked haggard.

"God Almighty, Alec. You look horrible. Did I wake you up?"

"No, for once you didn't, Ed. I've been up half the night, I was dozing on the couch for a while. Been throwing up some thick greenish shit. Damn flu bug. I was just on the phone with Yetunde, trying to get her to take Ayomide for a while. But she gave me a hard time, seems she was about to fly out somewhere to a cardiologist convention. I get the distinct feeling it has more to do with that good-looking black anaesthesiologist at Mayland that conveniently is having his holiday leave at the same time as hers. I was worried that Ayomide would catch whatever I have."

"Alec, mind if we come in? We're freezing out here. Rain's nasty." Claire said.

"Oh sorry, come in, I've been out of it, working a few overtime day shifts at Shado, its a relief to see the weekend finally get here. Mide's still fast asleep, didn't have the heart to wake her. Will in a minute. Something smells good. Let me get my robe."

"You smell pancakes with strawberries, some biscuits we had left over from the last time General Frances commandeered my kitchen, and some bacon and eggs." Ed said with a cheerful smile.

"Won't take me but a minute to set the table and start the coffee going. And then right after breakfast, Freeman, I'm going to examine you. I brought my bag," Claire told them.

"I'm okay, I'm not standing for you sticking that cold stethoscope on my chest again. I feel like hell already." Alec admitted, as Ed assisted him with getting into his robe, and Claire disappeared into the kitchen.

"Alec, I learned long ago to never argue with my doctor," Ed told him, feeling his friend's forehead and frowning.

"How long have you two been married now?"

"Coming up on an anniversary, now that you mention it. Three years come November. I am trying to think of something special to do on the big day. Alec, you feel like you have a fever."

"Since when did you get a medical degree?"

"I don't need one to know that you're being admitted to Mayland Hospital as of this afternoon."

"Bullshit."

"You forget. I'm the boss. I can pull rank on you."

"No, you forget. You're on psychological leave, under Mela's and Constantine's thumb. You don't have the medical clearance right now to do anything more stressful than reading the morning Times."

"Let's just say that if I suggest she order your rear end into hospital, Gay Ellis will."

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," grumbled Alec as Ed neatly tied his robe sash for him. He looked down and finally seemed to be aware that Ed was fussing over him, and shooed Ed away.

"Quit being a mother hen."

"Quit acting like you need one. You feel like eating a little?" Ed added.

"Yeah. Smells good. I didn't eat much last night. Ed, can you believe Ayomide's about to start school?"

"Smart as a whip. Takes after her godfather."

"God, I hope not." Alec remarked fervently. "One of you is enough. See these grey hairs? I can trace every one of them to you."

"Okay, you two. You can wake Ayomide now, Alec. Tell her I have her favourite pancakes topped with strawberries. Graham made them just for her."

"I'll go get her," Ed said and started for the stairs enthusiastically, but Alec stopped him.

"You may be her godfather, but I'm her father."

"Why Alec Freeman, you're showing maternal instincts," teased Ed.

"Oh shut up."

"Edward Straker, quit irritating your best friend and come and eat." Claire chuckled.

"Yes dear," Ed said mildly. He leaned against the kitchen table while Claire put out the sugar and creamer, and started putting out the silverware.

""Coffee should be ready in a minute or two."

`Something smells funny in here to me." Ed said, looking around. "Smelled it in the snug too."

Claire was looking in the refrigerator, and she closed its door.

"Well maybe the eggs have gone bad or something. What does that housekeeper that works for Alec do to earn her keep anyway? She's supposed to keep the larder stocked in here. There's practically nothing in his fridge and the cupboard."

"I'll have a word with her. Things have gotten lax around this place. People assume that just because I'm on sick leave that I'm not on my toes. Any chance of getting butter for this muffin?"

"Margarine's on the table. Open those gorgeous blue eyes of yours."

"I believe I asked for butter."

"Edward, I think you're getting healthier everyday. You're starting to be a pain in the ass again." Claire playfully tousled his hair, and kissed his cheek. He beamed.

"Good, tell Constantine and Mela that, get my medical record stamped cleared for work, and then I'll go back to Shado where I belong. Sit yourself down, Mrs. Straker, I'll get out the cups and serve the coffee."

"Will you wear one of those cute little French maid outfits for me?"

"Don't press your luck Mrs. Straker. Damn."

"What, Edward?"

"Open a window, will you? Can't you smell that?"

"Now that you mention it, yes. Smells like paint. Doesn't make any sense. The painters finished weeks ago. There, opened the window a bit, that should help."

"Now it's going to be too cold in here. If you ask me, the central heating in this place isn't working right. What's Alec doing up there anyway? Hatching an egg? "

"Maybe you should go up and check."

"Okay, hope he hasn't gotten sick aga-"

"NOOO! NOOOO! MIDE! MIDE! EDDDDDDDD!!!" came the scream from upstairs.

Ed ran up the stairs two at a time, followed by Claire and halfway up they saw Alec carrying Ayomide in her Hello Kitty print pyjamas. He came past them hysterically and put her down on the couch. Claire ran back and got her medical bag, then settled beside her, listening to her heart with the stethoscope, gently pushing back her eyelid to check her pupils, while Ed held Alec back.

"She wasn't breathing, oh my God, Ed, do something, she's not breathing, I couldn't feel her pulse!" Alec sobbed. Ed was pulling out his mobile and requesting an ambulance from Mayland and his Shado police team. Claire looked at Ed just as he finished. Their eyes met and he asked her an unspoken question. She shook her head firmly and Ed went dead white. Alec gasped in understanding, and dropped into a nearby chair, shaking, and then he began to sob, and Ed held him tightly, his own features fighting back a sob. Alec got up suddenly, pushed Ed aside and went upstairs, Ed accompanying him.

"Alec-"

"It's her favourite yellow blanket with rosebuds, Ed. And oh, what toy shall I bring with us? Her plush sheep I think."

"Alec, Alec."

* * *

The police and ambulance teams arrived, the shrill siren bringing Graham and Yvonne out to see what had happened, and Alec came out, cradling his dead daughter in the yellow blanket. Ed walked beside him, the little plush sheep with its bright ribbon tied around its neck in his hand. Claire walked behind Ed.

"I'll get in touch with Yetunde," Claire said quietly.

"My little Mide." Alec said, sobbing, as he gently put her on the stretcher, and entered into the ambulance after they loaded the stretcher inside.

"Claire, go and stay with Alec. I have something I need to do. I'll get there as fast as I can."

"Edward?"

"Claire, Ayomide was in rigor mortis, she'd been dead a while. I don't like it. I think she was murdered," Ed said intensely. "She had a complete physical only days ago for school. There wasn't a thing wrong with her. She was right as rain. Alec's never sick. I'm going to find out who did this and why."

"Edward, don't be long. And Edward, I'm so sorry."

"Yes," he said bluntly, "It's a sorry business. Yes. Off with you."

She got into the ambulance, knowing he had retreated into professionalism to disguise his shock and sorrow, and she did the same. The ambulance sped off, siren blasting, waking anyone in Gloucester that might still be asleep.

Ed Straker pulled his mobile out, ignoring Graham's worried look and Yvonne's steady weeping. A heavy rain was falling but he seemed oblivious to it, and he refused the Burberry trench coat Graham tried to hand to him. He broke away from them for privacy, and paced impatiently, listening to the telephone ring on the other side.

"Answer your damn phone!" growled Ed.

"Grissom." came the reply in a thick, sleepy tongue.

"This is a Shado secure transmission scrambled mobile phone, damn it. When I call you on it, I expect you to answer immediately, why the hell do you think I issued it to you?"

"It's early here, Ed, after four, what's up?"

"Ayomide Freeman is dead. Someone killed her. I have a good idea that someone was trying to kill Alec and it backfired because of the bacterium infecting his blood. You're the best there is. I want you here on the next plane out. I'll have the house sealed and all evidence my team finds turned over to you. Come straight to Silk Wood Manor. Bring Catherine Willows. She'll want to be in on this. Tell her it involves a child."

"Ed, I can't just drop every case on my desk and-"

"God damn you, my goddaughter is dead, my best friend is seriously ill, I don't want to hear any of your fucking excuses, you work for me now, Grissom. I expect you here by tomorrow morning. No argument. Straker out."

Ed Straker hung up. He pushed the mobile into his trouser pocket. It was then he dropped his head into his hands and sobbed brokenly. Then he stopped himself abruptly as if someone had thrown a switch and he walked ramrod straight to his Shado car, started it up and drove off toward Mayland hospital.

* * *

Gil stared at the little mobile phone for several minutes, frowned, pushed the antennae back in, shoved it in his bedside table drawer. Obviously Ed had forgotten he had a stack load of cases at CSI headquarters that needed to be solved. He reached for his glasses, slipped them on. He thought for a moment, stood up, crossed from his bedroom to the living room where his makeshift desk was. He flipped through his Rolodex, spotted a name. Straker, Ed. He jotted down the fax number, and went over and picked up his official stationary, and an ink pen, wrote Ed a brief note, then faxed it to him. After that, he went back to his bedroom, got into bed. He closed his eyes. He opened them. He scowled. He sighed. He glanced over at the remote for his large screen television, snapped the television on, and stared at the images on the screen. A toothy blonde was talking about a new shampoo and he wasn't sure if his guilt was for saying no to Ed, or because he wasn't about to buy the shampoo, no matter how sweet smelling it was. Ed's words bothered him. His head began to throb.

---my goddaughter is dead, my best friend is seriously ill--

He shut off the television, dug up a bottle of migraine pills, took one with a swallow of water from his bedside carafe and glass, and settled back under the covers.

It took him an uncomfortably long time to sleep anyway.

* * *

"I'm going to turn over heaven and earth, Alec." Ed Straker softly said, his arm protectively around Alec's shoulder. "I'm going to find out who did this to you and my goddaughter, and why. Shado's teams are already swarming over that place and they'll find something, and Grissom and Catherine are on their way here."

Ed, Alec and Claire were in the new, updated and rebuilt suite that Ed used when he was checked into Mayland Hospital. Alec was sitting on the edge of Ed's fully automated computerised bed.

"Claire, do they have to cut her up?" Alec asked, inconsolable. He accepted a drink of water from Claire, who was in a medical gown, and sipped a little gratefully.

"We need to do a post-mortem now, we can't wait for Gil. I'll be assisting, Alec. I'll be with her. I'll be right there." Claire said softly and kissed Alec on the forehead.

"Shit. I'm feeling nauseous again." Alec said.

"Sip a little more water. No, actually I should get you some ginger ale and crackers," Ed suggested.

"Alec, please, let the specialists look at you again," Claire pleaded.

"To hell with me. They did their damn blood tests. I'm fine. Do what you have to do. She's my baby."

"It's all right, Claire, I'll stay with him." Ed told her.

"I hate to leave you Edward."

"I'll be fine, I'll be fine. Go."

"My two beloved liars." she smiled, her eyes full of tears, kissed Ed on the cheek and then turned and left. Ed's heart sank a little more. He turned to Alec, went over to the sink and moistened a flannel, put it over Alec's forehead. Alec retched a little as Ed held the basin, but nothing came up and he put it aside. The two men held each other's hand in silence for several minutes, minutes turned into a half hour, not needing to speak.

"How am I going to do this, Ed?" Alec finally asked, crying softly.

"You'll find the strength, Alec. We'll all be with you. I won't leave you alone. You'll live with us. Inside the manor. With us."

"How the hell did you manage? My God, Ed how did you manage?" said Alec almost shrilly.

"What are you talking about?" Ed asked.

"Your son. Being dead. I never knew what this was like. Grief. A father's grief. I knew it was killing you, but I didn't know what it was like."

Ed gave a sharp intake of breath, desperately trying to win the battle of pulling himself together.

"They're together, they must be you know, at peace," Ed said, allowing the tears to fall down his face. He touched the little yellow blanket that Alec held tightly. The professional in him knew that the toy lamb and the blanket should have been bagged as evidence, but he couldn't permit it. It would have felt like losing everything to Alec.

"Ed, I can't live with you, I can't do anything. You know my life finally meant something. My life was Ayomide. I wasn't cut out for marriage, but I was determined to be a father. Now even that's been taken away from me. Ed, you know how I feel about you. But I think you finally found yourself someone to take my place."

"Stop it damn you Alec, Claire is my wife, I love her dearly, but there's nobody in my life like you, nobody's taking anyone's place, don't be an idiot."

"Ed, I want you to leave me your Glock and go." Alec said quietly. "If you ever cared for me, do this one thing for me."

"I'd sooner shoot my own arms off than ever be responsible for your death! Don't you think I have enough sins on my soul? I killed my son, and if I had allowed you to be in the manor with me maybe Ayomide would be alive."

"I can't live like this. I know you carry Johnny around with you, I know somehow you found the strength to go on, but I can't, someone killed my Mide, I can't, I can't." Alec exclaimed. Ed pulled Alec to him and hugged the burly Australian tightly as he sobbed.

"Alec, I know what I ask is hard right now, but please-"

The telephone rang and Ed picked it up.

"Straker," he said wearily. "Yes. Yes. He's right here, Yetunde. No, we don't know yet. Yes." Ed passed Alec the phone.

"Yetunde, love. Our little girl-what? Christ. I don't believe this. What the hell has gotten into you? My fault? MY FAULT? Fuck you! I tried to get you to take her, maybe if you weren't screwing that new black moron of yours, what? Nigerian? Africa? Oh no she isn't, over my dead body. I'm going to give her a proper burial right here where she was born; no damn headhunting cannibal tribesmen are going to dance- I don't give a damn if you are as so stupid to think I'm a bigot Yetunde. Where were you when Mide needed a mother? You can't put this one on me. I loved her. I was about to take her as my daughter good and proper. This hurts you? How the hell do you think I feel? Look, this isn't any time for us to be yelling at one another, we lost our little girl. No. No, I don't know yet, they're doing a post mortem. Okay. Okay. Goodbye."

"The sins of the fathers," Ed muttered, holding the little toy sheep but seeing instead a broken toy sailboat, as broken as the body of his little nine-year-old son had been after the car had hit him. "Mary blamed me too."

"Ed, listen, you've got to promise me you won't let Yetunde take my Mide to Africa."

"I promise. She'll be buried here, where she belongs." Ed said, letting his free hand rest on Alec's shoulder.

"Ed, I'm sorry. I can't take this. I'm old now. I'm not strong anymore. I screwed up security with Gil. I never would have done that in the old days. I let you down."

"Alec stop being ridicul-"

"No, Ed. Ayomide was the light of my life. Now that light has been put out. It's no use me living, Ed."

Ed got up from his chair and turned his back on Alec, looking at the wall, then Ed turned, sobbing hysterically, dropping the little sheep, then picking it up and holding it close to him. Alec bit his lip. He'd never seen Ed look so tortured and in pain. Ed's gasps for air between sobs were heartrending.

"Ed, don't. I can't take it. I shouldn't have said it. I forgot what you've been through lately."

"Don't do this to me, Alec I beg of you. You were the light in my life all those years, Alec. Are you going to extinguish the light now for me? Leave me to the ugliness, the demons of the dark? Do you think I could have carried on all those years, acting the son of a bitch so-called unfeeling Commander, being loathed by half the people I led, watching my wife walk out on me, not being able to even attend the funeral service of my son, watching Shado fight a losing battle? Going home and hating my loneliness? Watching the four walls close in on me?"

"Ed-"

"Wishing with my whole heart and soul that I could drink myself to death but not even allowing myself that? Fighting the aliens? Seeing the mutilated bodies, Alec? Watching them kill my people, one by one, having that on my soul? Seeing the-losing everyone who ever-my God, Alec, don't. Don't go. Don't abandon me like all the others I allowed myself to love. Sometimes all I can think about is being a piece of meat for Jerusha March to play with, sometimes I think I'm there, I have nightmares that I am screaming and the victims she allowed to be killed all march past me and they demand to know why I am still alive. Alive? What a joke. If you kill- You might as well, might as well reach in and tear my heart out of my chest. If you want to die so bad, then fine, let me do it, and then I'll put a slug in my own brain after yours, because I can't stand this life anymore. I'm so alone. The abyss is closing in, Alec. It's killing me. They want me to die. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, leave me alone." Ed's cries tapered off, his eyes were alarmingly glassy and he slid down against the wall in a heap, head in hands, the little toy sheep on the floor. Horrified, Alec jumped up, lifted and held Ed by the arms.

"Ed. I won't do it. Come on Ed. Don't you snap on me now, you son of a bitch. Don't you slip into the abyss that insect ass-kissing friend of yours keeps talking about. You belong right here with me, and you've got a wife and we need you. Come back to me, Ed, dammit! "

Ed's head lagged and his eyes were like rooms without furniture.

"ED!" Alec all but screamed, and slapped him across the face. Slowly a little life came back into his brilliant, ice blue eyes.

"Alec."

"Yeah."

"You hit me."

"Sue me later. Here, can you get up?"

"I think so. I think so."

"Come on. Walk me to the damn exam room; I'll have those other damn tests they want. You win, skinny."

"No Glock?"

"No Glock, you cold hearted unfeeling son of a bitch of a Shado commander." Alec wept.

Ed chuckled softly.

"You're out of line, Alec Freeman."

"Yeah well being with you, putting up with you, I'm allowed to be out of line. I'm a grieving father; I'm allowed to hit my superior. Not that you were ever superior to me, you useless Bostonian twit. Come on."

"Alec have we ever sat and really talked? Told each other what each other has meant to one another?"

"I think your speech was enough for me to know. Don't get mushy on me, Ed."

"My speech enough? Not by a long shot, Alec. Not by a long shot. Shall we go back to pretending we're two perfect specimens of mankind?"

"Hell fucking no."

"Alec, after this is all over, I'm going to drink with you until my head explodes."

"Oh hell, promises, promises, besides I don't think Claire will appreciate that."

"Yeah, you're right. Come on, let's go."

The men looked at one another with faint, weary smiles, hugged each other tightly for a moment and then rose and left the room.

The little sheep lie on the floor.

* * *

Sometime later, Ed Straker stepped out of the exam room and shut his eyes tightly for a moment, leaning with his back against the wall. He knew that the emotions would spill over again, bubble up and that he'd fall apart, he couldn't fight it, it was a reprieve, no more, no less. Visions had hold of him like stinging nettle. The little broken sailboat that he had begged Mary for outside the funeral home, and then when she and Rutland hadn't allowed him to attend the funeral service of his own son, he had heartbrokenly gone to her house, located it where John had laid, and stolen it, forced to be a common thief. It still had John's blood on it. It had been one of the only things he still had from the fire at the manor; thankfully he'd kept it in the safe room vault. The vision of the little toy sheep haunted him. Alec, holding Ayomide's body in her security blanket lovingly. Rocking his beautiful coffee-coloured daughter for the final time. Alec, his friend, his rock, his axis of existence next to Claire, and he was forced to see that rock crumble. By God someone was going to pay, and pay dearly. He pulled down his Nehru jacket, fought for control, opened his eyes.

Keith Ford was standing there. Staring. But then a Commander on the verge of another breakdown wasn't something you could gawk at every day, Ed thought bitterly.

"What the hell are you doing here, Lieutenant?" he whispered, his words like a pistol shot.

"Wanted to see how Colonel Freeman was, Sir. How is he?"

"You ever lose a child, Ford?" he asked coldly.

Ford swallowed what saliva was still left. His mouth always went dry around Straker.

"No sir."

"No use trying to explain it to you then."

"Yes, sir. Can I go in?"

Ed's mobile phone went off, he pulled it out.

"Straker. Oh it's you, Claire, hi dearest, how did it go? Yes. Yes. What? He sent a fax? Yes, I see. No, I'll see to it myself. Straker out."

"Can I go in, Sir?"

"What? Oh. Yes. Listen, I have to take care of something,. you go on in."

"Thank you, Sir."

The Commander hesitated. Keith saw with shock that Straker's eyes were filled with tears. When he managed to speak, his voice had a timbre Ford never had been privy to before. As if the usually cold, hard as titanium Commander had been shaken to his very core.

"Keith, please stay with him. Take care of him until I get back. You're his friend. Don't let him out of your sight. Please."

Keith reeled like someone had knocked his teeth off his gums. But before he could even respond, Straker turned around, ramrod posture evident, and marched away.

"Oh shit." Alec Freeman said as the door slowly opened. Alec was sitting on the edge of the exam table, wearing a paper gown thin enough to be able to count his liver spots through it.

"Alec?"

"It's you, thought it was Ed, he said he was going to get me a ginger ale and some crackers, that it would settle my stomach. I'd prefer a double whisky. I'm still waiting on the bloody tests they did, they want to see whether I should be admitted or not. Ed dragged me here. Oh shit. Sit down for heaven's sake, Keith."

The lieutenant looked shaken, grabbed a chair, pulled it up close to Alec.

"Alec, Straker told me to-"

Alec abruptly threw up all over Keith's trousers.

"Oh dammit, sorry. Here, wash up. No damn window in here, God, it's stuffy. I hate being hot. Sleep with the window open even in foul weather. Aussie upbringing. Spray some of that junk around. Christ, look at me. My face is as red as a beet, I'm throwing up and dry heaving, give me a triple hangover any day. My poor Mide. Keith, I can't believe she is gone. My pretty little angel. My little girl. Finding her dead like that. What could be happening? Ed promised me he'd find out, you know. He thinks it was murder. God, she looked so horrible, not like-" Alec broke down and sobbed.

Keith finished wiping his trousers down and awkwardly patted the Australian on the back.

"Sounds like carbon monoxide poisoning to me," a voice said, startling both of them.

"Where the hell did that come from?" demanded Alec. The striped curtain separating the exam areas slid across its pole, revealing a woman in a gown similar to what Alec was wearing. Keith quickly turned away, a detail she noticed and shrugged at. Then she looked squarely at Alec. She smiled, showing perfect white teeth. Alec briefly wondered why his heart fell somewhere down near his ankles. He took inventory and noted she was what you might call a stocky Sheila, with short, curly auburn hair flecked with grey. A bare smattering of mascara on her lashes which framed bright brown eyes which reminded him somewhat of Claire's. Square chin. Petite nose. Perfect pink lips. Sun burnt. The remnants of freckles mixed with lines that put her about five years younger than he was. He watched her get up, smelled her perfume and his heart suddenly did the rumba to a three-piece band. She extended her hand.

"Didn't see you there," he said as they shook hands. "I'm Alec Freeman."

"I'm Terrilynn Fillmore. My friends call me Terry. I'm here for my damn yearly exam. Some indecent God decided to give me diabetes. Real pain in the ass, since I love food, it just doesn't love me. You've been poisoned with carbon monoxide. I ought to know. I was a building inspector back in the States in San Francisco before I retired and transplanted myself here. Saw a lot of cases. I'll bet someone screwed with your heating system. I'm so sorry for your loss, Alec. My husband died ages ago, I don't think I'll live long enough to forget how bad it feels when it happens. The dictator they call my doctor should be coming back with my results soon, I could check your house, if you want. You could use a sympathetic ear at a time like this, and I would be glad to help."

"Straker wants me to stick close to you," Keith put in. "He had to go. Didn't say where."

"That's Ed for you. There goes my ginger ale and crackers. Probably has something to do with bug boy Grissom." Alec said. "I think Ed would like to exterminate him right now."

"What do you say, Alec?" Terry asked, having returned to her seat in the adjoining exam area.

"Okay." Alec said with a shy smile, cursing himself for suddenly remembering he was a lonely man. His poor Ayomide wasn't even buried, her mother Yetunde was putting the blame singularly on him. And what was he doing? Feeling attracted to a woman. What kind of uncaring idiot was he? But no, the look on Ed's face. That awful look on Ed's face. He knew what Ed was feeling. He owed it to Ed to make an effort to live. He still had Ed. Ed needed him. And surprisingly he had Claire. But he had the feeling burying his little angel was going to be the hardest thing he ever did in his life. Well, he wasn't going to have any damn African ceremony. Yetunde could go bugger herself. He'd have her buried in sanctified soil, maybe near where Ed's Johnny was buried, simple churchyard, Angel could have a service for her.

The doctor, who didn't look old enough to shave to Alec, came into the room and looked at the tile floor spattered with the residue of vomit.

"Someone's had a little accident, haven't they? I'll be with you in a moment, Mr. Freeman. I want to take a look at Mrs. Fillmore. Oh my, someone's put on a little weight again, I see," he told her.

"Jackass." Terry said firmly to the doctor as he entered her area and closed the curtain behind him.

Alec couldn't help it, he grinned and so did Keith. * * *

"Should I get a piercing in my tongue or not, guys?" Greg said with enthusiasm, looking up from his electron microscope. Warrick glanced lazily at him as though he might pick up some sort of disease from him. Nick only grinned. Catherine shook her head slightly, swinging her short reddish blond hair. The lot of them were putting in overtime because of the caseload, and had come to work early.

"You don't process my fibre evidence soon, you'll get a piercing all right, through your brain."

"Hey, lay off me, it's a done deal. The fibres on your vic match the fibres at the suspect's home."

"Now that's more like it, Greggo." Catherine said, pleased. Her cell phone rang. "Willows."

"It's Ed Straker calling from England. Am I bothering you?"

Catherine frowned, he sounded tense.

" Hi Ed, didn't expect to hear from you so soon, how are you and Claire? Yeah I'm right in the middle of a case, can I call you ba-"

"I am bothering you? Good. I just hope that you never need help desperately from a friend because someone has killed Lindsay, and they tell you sorry, my paycheque is more important than finding out who killed her."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Grissom faxed me a note at Silk Wood Manor, Claire just rang me to tell me about it. He formally informed me the both of you were too overwhelmed with regular cases to help me find out who killed Alec's little daughter Ayomide and probably was trying to murder him. You'll forgive me if I mistakenly thought you'd like to see justice done for a child - oh never mind. Forget I even called. The both of you can go to hell."

Catherine heard a click on the phone.

"Shit." she remarked as they looked at her.

Sara Sidle and Gil Grissom entered Greg's lab area. Sara, cocky as ever, was beaming up at Grissom in her usual lovesick way, noticed Catherine.

"What did we find out about the carpet swatch, Catherine?" Gil asked, all business. Catherine put the cell phone back into her pocket, and then she slapped Gil Grissom across the face. She tossed a file folder on her current case on the table. Everybody looked startled and shocked, especially Gil.

"Nick, take my cases, okay, I'm flying out to England on a case concerning a dead little girl. I'll find someone to look after Lindsey if Eddie isn't available."

"Sure, Cat." Nick said nervously.

"Catherine, listen to me." Gil said. She walked past him and out. The CSI team looked at him with discomfort.

"I, uh-I'm taking some time off. Going to England. I didn't handle something the way I should have."

He walked out, looking for Catherine but he didn't find her.

"Whoa. Did you see what just I saw, guys?" Nick asked.

"How could she do that to Grissom, in front of everybody?" exclaimed Sara, pissed.

"Sending him a message the hard way. Besides, that's our Cat. Subtle she ain't," Warrick remarked.

"Whoa," Nick repeated admiringly, picking up the folder and flipping through it.

"Major whoa, dude. Bug man got splatted," Greg said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Must have earned it," Warrick remarked thoughtfully.

"Jim, have you seen Catherine?" Grissom said, breathlessly coming into Brass' office.

"Why Grissom, what a pleasure to run into you. Have I seen her? Not enough times." wisecracked Brass. "Never get enough of a woman like her, Gris."

"She's upset with me," Gris said simply.

"I'll say. She belted you one. You made a decision for her without consulting her, and you let down a fellow who needed your expertise, and it looked like she did too."

"You did see her." Grissom realised.

"It wasn't a matter you should have dealt with using your head, but your heart. Yeah, saw her twenty seconds ago. She requested leave. I said take all you want, promised her I'd keep an eye on Lindsey. Her ex is going to baby-sit the kid. She's headed straight for McCarran, do not pass go do not collect $200. If you don't hit too much traffic you may be able to take the same flight as her, because she has to make a pit stop to collect her passport. Virgin Atlantic to Gatwick direct. And yeah, go, you still have plenty of leave accumulated. I can keep an eye on your tribe of Indians."

Jim Brass watched Gil Grissom leave and break into a run in amusement.

* * *

Ed came back after making his call, exhausted, toward the casualty area where they'd brought Alec, and as he rounded the corner, he saw Alec alone with not Ford but some strange woman. He approached Alec, drawing a curious stare from the woman.

"Alec, who is this? Where's Ford? Doesn't he understand English? I told him to stay with you."

"Terry, this is my boss Ed, Ed, this is Terry, I met her in the casualty area, she suspects Ayomide and I were suffering from CO2 poisoning, she used to be a building inspector, and recognised the symptoms. She wants to check my place and see if she is right. Ford's gone because I remembered I needed for him to do a full G6 study on that film we're shooting at lot D. So I said I'd explain to you why he left."

"Hi, Ed nice to meet yo-" she began.

"Alec, I want to see you privately for a moment."

"If you have something bad to say about me, tell it to my face," Terry said, frowning.

"Fine. I will. His daughter was murdered. He's been grieving for only hours. I don't know who the blazes you are nor do I like the fact you show up out of nowhere and just happen to know what killed her. I don't trust you. For all I know, you could be the murderer, and you're trying to get him alone so you can finish the job. That clear enough for you?"

"You don't have to be rude to me," Terry said.

"Listen, lady, right now I'm not in the mood for a lecture about manners, certainly not from somebody I don't know."

"Ed, I have this feeling about her, and I believe her when she says it's carbon monoxide poisoning," Alec explained, uncomfortable.

Claire Straker had come up unseen and continued to listen to the conversation, troubled.

"Alec, your daughter is dead, right now you aren't thinking straight, so just be quiet and let me look out for your interests," Ed snapped.

"Just because he's lost someone dear to him doesn't mean he has to shut up and be dependent on you. The healing can start right this minute and part of it means making your own decisions. If he trusts me and he wants me to help, then you ought to respect that. Obviously you've never grieved, or you'd understand about it." Terry lectured him.

Ed glowered up at her, as she was an inch or so taller than him. So much so that she took a step backward.

"Excuse me, you're wrong. My husband knows all too well about grief. How do you do, I'm Dr. Claire Straker." Claire had come from behind Ed and now she extended a hand to Terry, they shook hands briefly.

"I'm sorry. He just struck me as rude."

"Well perhaps being judgmental of a man Alec has known a lot longer than you isn't a good idea. Besides, if you're familiar with the poisoning, you ought to know Edward is right, Alec may not be thinking clearly, he was exposed to it too. Edward, the post-mortem is complete, the low level of measured oxygen haemoglobin and mild metabolic acidosis suggest that she indeed may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning; children are more susceptible to it than adults. Carbon monoxide has a high affinity for haemoglobin, so the iron cells in the haemoglobin didn't combine with oxygen in her lungs, resulting in less oxygen available for release to her tissues. Ayomide's tissues became toxic due to attraction between the carbon monoxide and other haemo-containing proteins, leading to disruption of intracellular respiration and oxygen deprivation to her brain and other organs. Carbon monoxide mimics flu symptoms as well, and the reddened face is a classic symptom."

"My poor Mide, did she suffer?" Alec suddenly broke down and wept. Ed placed his arm around Alec's shoulder.

"She would have gone instantly to sleep, Alec," Claire lied, giving Terry a look that said don't you dare contradict me or I'll tear out your lungs. "We concentrate now on finding how it was done and who was responsible. We also start you on oxygen, and I've already ordered a portable unit, come on let's pick it up. "

"What do we do about her?" Ed said, pointing at Terry.

"If she is the murderer, Edward, it will be safer to keep an eye on her by allowing her to come," Claire said

"All right. Come on. When I get my hands on Keith Ford, he's going to be the next one murdered for not following my instructions."

"Ed, I told you, the G6 for the film, I ordered him to go," Alec said, faintly chuckling, he couldn't help it.

"I heard," grumbled Ed. He and Claire walked a few paces ahead of Alec and Terry so they couldn't overhear their conversation.

"Alec was aware enough to order a full G6. I think the bacteria saved his life."

"I wondered about that. Claire, what you said about Ayomide not suffering, it wasn't true, was it?"

She shook her head, and Ed looked pained for a moment, and she took his hand.

"I'm okay," he said resignedly. "Thanks for that lie, I know it goes against your ethics."

"Edward, what did Grissom and Catherine say?"

"Not much. I told her what I thought of her."

"If you had told me you were going to call him, I would have told you to save your dime. I called him when you vanished and he didn't come, same excuse, but he was helpful in offering suggestions. But I don't understand Catherine saying no. Edward can you sign for the oxygen canister? I'm going to call her."

Ed nodded.

"Suit yourself."

"What are you doing here?" snapped Catherine, as Gil Grissom settled into a seat next to her.

"Flying Virgin Atlantic to Gatwick direct, same as you. Luckily I had my passport in the Tahoe. I didn't have an opportunity to pack, I just floored it all the way to McCarran and left it at the parking lot for Brass to get later, praying I'd catch this flight, and the security people didn't appreciate that I was going all the way to the United Kingdom without luggage. I finally got them to take my occupation into consideration, said I was on a case, and I needed to see you."

"Get off my damn airplane, Grissom."

"We're 20,000 feet up, Catherine. " Gil calmly pointed out.

"You know, you're absolutely right. I'll ask the steward to let me know when they get to maximum cruising height, about 40,000 feet, and then I'll push you out myself."

"What if I said I was sorry? I am sorry, you know."

"You had no right to make that decision for me, he needed me, he needed us, and you didn't even bother to tell me."

"He was upset when he called me last night. Sooner or later Ed would have understood and handled matters himself. He frequently works with New Scotland Yard. As a movie executive he has to deal with the police often. They would have assisted him, their criminologists are adequate."

"You sum up turning your back on a friend so easily. You forget the human element. It's going to be your undoing someday, Grissom. You only understand human beings who are dead and cut open on a aluminium autopsy table."

"Teach me how to understand people," he said.

"Don't even talk to me right now," she responded, picking up Hot Air, the in-flight magazine.

"When can I talk to you?" Gil asked.

"Stuff it, Gris."

"You know, that was the first time I ever was slapped by a woman who wasn't my mother," he reflected thoughtfully. "You pack a mean wallop. I think that's the phrase to use. Eugene O'Neill originated the expression in The Hairy Ape."

"Stuff your quotations too, Gris."

"I am sorry. I wasn't thinking, Catherine. It was unfair to you."

"Water under the dam now," Catherine muttered.

"Richard Sale originated that phrase in Passing Strange," Gil told her.

"If you don't shut up I am going to turn you into a crime scene."

"I wouldn't consider killing me aboard this airplane if I were you. Too many eyewitnesses," Gil said.

"It doesn't matter, all I'd have to do is describe your annoying behaviour to the judge and jury and I'd walk. They'd probably even put up a brass plaque in my honour for killing you. Brass could have his job back. You'd even be happy six feet under, reunited with your bugs."

"Do you know what Margaret Thatcher said about women?"

"Grissom, I'm warning you." she exclaimed, rolling up the magazine into a weapon.

"If you want anything said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman."

"The Iron Lady was right," Catherine told him, putting it down, much to his concealed relief.

"So teach me. Teach me your people skills."

"Did you run any red lights while you were flooring it from the lab to McCarran to get to me?"

"Three in total," Gil confirmed. "Fortunately for me I wasn't pulled over on a code 410."

"Too bad you weren't. What would you have done if you missed the flight?"

"Is this is a trick question? Get on the next one, obviously."

"Gil Grissom, if you ever pull a stunt on me like that aga-"

Catherine's mobile phone rang.

"Willows. Claire! Oh thank heaven. No, please listen, Gil didn't even tell me he faxed Ed. I would have come right away, had I known, you know me, I left soon after Ed called, Eddie's taking care of Lindsey. Grissom's with me, he caught up to me, he can't see past his bugs, the numskull. Yeah, I figured that, I know Ed would have, hmmm? Oh. I'm on the plane on my way now. Should get there late tonight. Didn't bother packing, I'll just buy whatever I need there. Oh? Yeah? CO2 Poisoning? On oxygen, good. Who? When? I see. Good. We'll find out, Claire, don't worry. Tell Ed we're coming. Keep her there with you, I smell a rat too. Bye."

"Spero nos familiares mansuros?" Gil intoned.

"Stop it with the Latin phrases you know I don't understand half of them, Grissom," she said irritated still, shoving the cell phone back into her purse.

"I said I hope we'll still be friends," Gil translated quietly.

She studied him carefully.

"I'll think about it." was her response.

"Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?"

"Gil, stop it, you're starting to annoy me again-- " she said, looking meaningfully at her magazine.

"You didn't even recognise that classic Latin phrase from The Aeneid By Virgil?" he told her, looking shocked.

"No, oh great erudite bug master, enlighten me. What did Virgil say?" Catherine asked him sarcastically.

"Actually it's a eternal question that's been asked repeatedly over the ages, not a statement," the CSI supervisor corrected, pretending to not understand her attitude.

"So what did old toga breath ask?" Catherine replied, exasperated.

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Gil responded.

Catherine looked at him and tried not to laugh.

Gil smiled a little at her.

"Virgil asked that, huh?"

"He may have," suggested Grissom, with a thoughtful shrug.

Catherine hit him with the rolled-up magazine and he chuckled, and relaxed back in his seat.

* * *

"Do you both know why I wanted to talk to you?" Ed Straker said, closing the bedroom door behind him. Ed was dressed impeccably in his brown jumpsuit and Nehru jacket. He looked at Graham Lancaster and Yvonne Lane squarely in their eyes. Graham was impassive. Yvonne was shaking.

"Sir, you can have our resignations from Shado. It happened under my watch. I'm responsible," Graham said.

Claire sat near the bed, the tin container holding the hypodermics of the amnesia drug in her lap. Ed had asked her to prepare two. In the master bedroom across the hall, Alec Freeman was asleep with a nasal cannula feeding him oxygen in place, resting after the third day of the investigation of Ayomide Freeman's death. Claire had sedated him at Ed's request, after the morning's funeral. Terry was at his side, asleep in a chair across from the bed. Trusting her had been a slow process, especially for Ed, but the G6 had shown her to be a woman of her word, and at last Ed had allowed her to be with Alec alone. All the people who had attended the private burial ceremony that Angel had conducted were gathered downstairs, for the wake Frances had cooked for.

Ed looked at them.

"You both are in charge of hiring staff for Silk Wood Manor, and you know the value of security, but neither of you hardly glanced at Michael Littleton's resume. You hired him to help with the remodelling of the house I presented to Alec, not bothering to double-check his last employer, didn't you?"

"Yes Sir. Is he the beggar that killed her?"

"Lancaster, shut up. I don't want to hear a word out of either of you. There's no excuse for this, none."

Graham lowered his head. Tears ran down Yvonne's cheeks. She looked at what Claire was holding, and her expression was terrified, it was clear she wanted to run out of that room. No compassion showed for Yvonne's predicament on Claire's face.

"His last employer happened to be me. I authorised his firing, because he constructed a flight of stairs shabbily on a set a few months ago and it injured one of our actors under contract. The actor is sued the studio, and we settled. Littleton, it appears, wanted my head. The result of my team's investigation under the direction of Grissom and Willows soon discovered that he had deliberately sabotaged the venting in the Freeman home, so that it would become contaminated with CO poisoning. His vendetta had been against me, but Alec was a more susceptible target. The bacteria saved Alec. Nothing could save his little girl. We managed to track down Littleton, I'm going to drive to headquarters in a little while with Alec and Claire and see about him. Do you two think that you can look after the manor while I'm gone?"

"Sir?" Graham said, not quite sure his hearing had been correct.

"You both are going to carry this for the rest of your lives, Lancaster. That alone is sufficient punishment for the way your actions led to her death. I wanted the house made ready as soon as possible for Alec, and by that hasty decision I forced you into a time frame that I shouldn't have, putting the pressure on both of you to come up with workers so I'm equally as responsible as you. Guilt isn't going to bring that little girl back to life. We make hard decisions sometimes. We make mistakes. Your salaries are frozen for a month, but you will remain in my employ. Go and look after my guests. I discussed my decision with Alec, and he agreed with it. Tell Grissom I want him to come up here alone in a couple of minutes. Go. Get out before I change my mind. Go."

"Sir, thank you, Sir. You won't regret this." Lancaster guided Yvonne out.

Claire looked at Ed with fondness.

"I'm an idiot, they could have gotten the whole lot of us killed. I should have beat the hell out of them."

"I know, precious. You look so tired. The funeral was hard on you."

"It was hardest on Alec. You know Yetunde has requested to leave Shado and go serve in South Africa as a cardiologist. Taking that pretty boy downstairs with her."

"I guess you're allowing her to go, since I prepared the amnesia injection. But who is the second injection for? Don't tell me Alec?" she said nervously. Ed went up to her as she stood, and rested his head against her shoulder for a moment as she rubbed his back. He then looked at her.

"Not Alec. Our bug friend, Grissom."

"His decision?" Claire said, relieved.

"Hell no. Mine. Nobody says no to Ed Straker and lives long enough to regret it."

"I did. When you first asked me to marry you."

"Oh? Fortunately my memory isn't as good as it was. Come on, let's look in on Alec and Terry."

* * *

"I am a daughter of the Goddess, a witch." Lily Marsh told Catherine proudly. "I came with Reginald. Alec, my wonderful Alec, asked me to move in with Reg, his adopted father, and now I look after him full time. He is a very lucky man. Alec is very generous."

Catherine looked inordinately amused, and a little drunk Gil thought. Also beautiful.

"Can I get you any wine, ladies?"

"You serving now, Gris? Gris, this is Lily-"

"Lily Marsh, daughter of the Goddess, keeper of the flame, shepherd of the sheep, ringer of the bell, seller of the Girl Scout cookies, etc. etc. etc. Yeah we met."

"You are a horrid little man. No matter. You will not be here for long. Ed is angry at you. People that Ed is angry at have a habit of disappearing. You have fallen out of favour with him. Excuse me, my Reginald wants more wine."

"Hmmm. Is she implying Ed will have me knocked off? Graham said Ed wants to see me in a few minutes."

"I think it has more to do with the police picking up Michael Littleton finally. But if you want, I'll go upstairs with you. Ed just doesn't seem the murderous type to me."

"Thanks, I'll go up myself. Nice outfit." he commented, looking at her black blouse, red suit with a scalloped hem on the skirt, and black heels.

"Thanks. Claire and I went into town to get you and me a few things while we're here. Oh that reminds me, I want to call Brass, ask about Lindsey see how she's doing. He promised to keep an eye on Eddie for me."

Gil watched her walk away, sighed because he himself was in a navy blue suit borrowed from a reluctant Alec that she hadn't commented on, and headed upstairs. As he did so, Alec and Terry came downstairs, arm in arm, Claire following after them. Claire didn't look at Gil at all, looked at the stairs. Gil was beginning to feel like a pariah. Maybe Marsh had been right.

"My husband wants to see you," she said formally.

"How is Ed?"

"He wants to see you. Follow me," she said icily without turning around.

"I know the way upstairs, Claire."

"I know Catherine does, but now I doubt you do."

Gil pressed his lips together, hurt. If Claire had seen the gesture, she would have recognised it as being a familiar one. Instead, she opened the master bedroom door.

Ed was curled up on the carpet, holding his head, hardly moving, faintly moaning. Claire's medical bag was next to him, so was the tin containing the amnesia drug hypodermics. An empty water glass was on the night table next to the carafe.

"EDWARD!" she screamed, and dropped beside him, helping him up into a sitting position.

Gil picked up the phone to call an ambulance.

"Grissom, no." Ed said weakly, leaning against Claire. "It's just a migraine that got out of hand. I took something for it from Claire's bag, should kick in soon."

Grissom reluctantly put down the telephone, crossed to the huge Palladian window and drew the blinds, then crossed to Ed.

"I get them once a year, Ed. I haven't been discovered writhing on the floor because of one yet. Since Claire's a professional, I'll let her take a look at you, but if it doesn't clear up I'm calling an ambulance whether you consent to it or not. Get in bed."

"Damn it Grissom, get your hands off me!"

"Gladly, when I've put you in bed."

"Stop fighting him, Edward." Claire snapped, the calm professional again. "Thank you, Gil."

Both Alec and Catherine came thundering into the bedroom.

Claire and Gil were getting Ed's jacket off as he kept trying to sit up and they kept pushing him down. They started in on the turtleneck as Ed protested.

" I was coming up with Catherine, I heard Claire yell, what's going on?" Alec demanded. "Ed, what's happened? Damn it, I never should have put more pressure on you by asking you to handle the funeral and burial details for me. This is my fault. Damn it, Ed hold still."

In one too often-practised gesture, Alec Freeman pulled the jumpsuit clean off, revealing Ed's customary T-shirt and boxers.

"I thought Ed was trying to kill you and Claire was objecting," Catherine told Gil. "Not that I'd stop Ed if he was. I'd help him."

Gil looked at her, wondering if he should just jump out the Palladian window, if this kept up.

"Goddamn it, I'm not dying!" Ed yelled. Then he winced, and lay down obediently. Alec looked triumphant. Claire suddenly realised Ed had wanted Alec to tuck him in, and she chuckled softly. Alec winked at her. Catherine suddenly whistled.

"Nice body." Catherine commented admiringly.

Ed looked at her and dived under a sheet. Claire grinned.

"I think so too. He hides it under suits," she said, digging through her medical bag.

That's it, I don't exist anymore, Gil thought. Without anyone noticing, he went downstairs.

"Thank you, doctor," Ed said flatly, as Claire pulled out her stethoscope and began to listen to Ed's heart. "That thing is cold."

"You must be feeling better if you're complaining. Heart sounds good."

"It stopped hurting." he agreed. "I don't need an audience. You all can leave now."

"Actually Jim Brass and I talked just now, I was asking him about Eddie and Lindsay, and I mentioned the crime and he said he thinks he knows this Michael Littleton creep. Had priors on drunken driving, theft, bad checks, one alleged rape case. Split from town. Asked me to ask you if you'd have New Scotland Yard fax him his rap sheet," Catherine said.

"Brass? Captain James Brass?" Ed asked. "How do you know him?"

"Ex boss. Works homicide now. Was a CSI, Gil replaced him. The best. Got kicked downstairs because of a mistake. Why?"

"No reason. That reminds me I need to go out there, see this Littleton."

"Ed-" Claire said, but Ed already was on his feet, ignoring Catherine's appraisal of his slim, lightly muscled but scarred body. Claire sighed but handed him his clothes.

"I'm fine now. Be downstairs in three minutes. Alec, I think you might want to accompany me, if you feel up to it."

"There's no way you're keeping me from going."

"Figured that. Where's Grissom?" Ed asked, looking at the tin.

"Must have sneaked out." Catherine said, puzzled.

"I thought he might want to come."

"Oh?" Claire said, picking up the tin and putting it in Ed's drawer. "I'll go find him."

"You stay with your attractive hubby. I'll get him. I think I know where he is," Catherine said.

Gil Grissom watched the rabbit in the garden. It was nibbling on a dandelion. A light rain was falling, but that didn't seem to disturb it or Grissom. After a while, it hopped slowly in his direction, rose on its hind paws, sniffed the air. For the first time, he noticed blood matted in the fur on its left hind leg. It settled down and looked at Gil, hopped over, nose in perpetual motion. Gil bent over slowly, and it allowed him to pick it up.

"Friendly little thing, aren't you. Hurt? You don't look like a wild rabbit to me. Has someone lost you?" he said, stroking it.

"You expect it to answer you, Gris?" Catherine said, startling him.

"Rabbits don't communicate in the way we do, Catherine. "

"Well, put Peter down, we're all headed out to see this Littleton fellow."

"It's not wild. It won't survive out here. It's hurt. I'm going to see if -"

"Grissom! Put that damn thing down," Graham Lancaster said angrily, carrying a shotgun. "I've been trying to find it for weeks. It's made a mess of the vegetable garden. I intend to throw it into the stew pot."

"It's trying to survive, the way we all are. Did you shoot it?"

"No, but I intend to."

"Edward, sack Graham if he even aims at my bunny," Claire said, petulant, having come from around the corner and seeing Graham. Ed looked at her.

"I wasn't aware you had a bunny."

"The husband is always the last one to know, Ed, it's a sad fact." Alec said, and Ed grinned a little at him and the grin was returned.

"Want to explain to me what this bunny business is all about?"

"I'll tell you, Sir. That ugly thing has torn up the vegetable garden and Frances told me to shoot it on sight."

"Frances doesn't issue orders about this garden, Lancaster. It doesn't belong to her. It belongs to us. Besides, it seems tame."

"It is tame. It's domesticated." Gil said.

"I feed it a lot and leave water for it, but it's never allowed me to hold it. It must like you, Gil." Claire said. "Is it hurt?"

"Injured leg, and I noticed its fur is missing in some areas. Is there somewhere in the manor we can put it?"

"You're not actually bringing that beast in, are you?" Lancaster said, aghast. "Come on, sir, let me shoot the blasted thing, it's not worth the pot Frances will cook it in."

"Edward!" Claire said pleadingly.

Ed looked at Lancaster. An evil glint came into the ice blue eyes.

"Put it in Lancaster's room. He can sleep on the couch downstairs. Alec and I can make a simple hutch for it; mount it on wheels, when the weather gets bad we'll bring it inside. Thought of a name for Mr. Bunny, sweetheart?"

Lancaster gawked, and marched away muttering to himself.

Claire hugged Ed, and he chuckled.

"It was eating a Dandelion when I first noticed it. Maybe Dandelion is a good name for it," Grissom suggested, still stroking it gently. It stretched out contentedly on his lap, seemingly oblivious to the others.

"Wait, what if someone's genuinely lost it?" Catherine asked.

"The person who owned it didn't deserve to have it as a pet. It seems to have been abused in some fashion. A vet would be able to tell you more. Still, you can place a notice in the local paper, just in case someone has lost it. Here, Claire, take her, gently now," Gil instructed.

Claire gently took it, and it kicked a little but without any enthusiasm, then settled down.

"Oh it's so soft! How could anyone in their right mind hurt you, you beautiful thing? Edward, I'll just be a minute, I'll meet you at the Volvo. We can all fit into it, I think. Come on Dandelion, come and see your new home." Claire scampered off.

"I think you just became the Dad of a rabbit, Ed," Alec remarked.

Gil grinned at him.

Ed glanced at Alec.

"Dandelion Straker?"

"Dandelion Straker sounds like the name of an exotic dancer," Catherine said.

Alec chuckled. Then he sighed. He swallowed. The tears still came. Ed frowned, walked over to Alec and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder for a moment. He then dug in the inside pocket of his brown Nehru jacket and produced a handkerchief for Alec.

"I miss her, Ed." Alec said, wiping his face. "I can't stand the thought of her under that damn cold earth."

"I know. You have to remember, her soul is immortal, that isn't where she is now. She is with Johnny, Alec. Come on. I want to have a word with the man who stooped so low as to kill a child."

"I'd like to give him a piece of my mind too." Catherine said firmly.

"I think we all would." Gil said.

The small group made their way toward the garage.

* * *

"Here's the way we'll handle this. Catherine, you go to documents, get Michael Littleton's rap sheet faxed out to Las Vegas for Captain Brass, I already cleared it, I know a few people who work in that department, they owe me some favours. The rest of us will go to Interrogation. Meet you in about ten minutes."

"Sounds good." Catherine responded, and headed off. Grissom watched her go, unconsciously looking like a mourner at his own funeral.

Ed Straker sensed rather than noticed that Alec was digging his nails into his own palm from nervousness. How would it be to look the man who had killed your daughter in the eyes?

"Come on Alec. Grissom and I will accompany you in with Detective Chief Inspector Mullen. Paperwork shouldn't take that long."

"I don't like the idea that they took our weapons, Ed. Littleton is dangerous."

"Just standard procedure, Alec. He'll be carefully watched," Ed asked, having a difficult time imagining Alec was frightened of Littleton, or anyone else. Judging by the way Claire and Gil were studying Alec, they were having a problem with it too. Ed looked thoughtful. His eyes narrowed. A woman in her late forties came out of a room and shook hands with Ed.

"Detective Chief Inspector Mullen, this is my wife Claire, a criminologist and forensic entomologist from Las Vegas, Gil Grissom, and my friend Alec Freeman."

"I am very sorry about your daughter, Mr. Freeman. Some of my people worked on the case, with Mr. Straker's cooperation. Rest assured the case we'll build against Littleton is airtight. We'll put him behind bars for the rest of his life."

"Thanks, DCI, There's one thing I don't understand. There was a smell, and it couldn't have been from the carbon monoxide, since it's odourless." Alec said. Ed winced.

"DCI Mullen, will you give me a moment of privacy with Alec? There's something I unforgivably didn't tell him."

"Naturally," The woman went back into the interrogation room.

"Damn it, Ed. I should have known you were holding something out on me. Spit it out."

"Sit down."

"Just tell me, damn you." Alec said, trembling.

"Sit down." Ed said forcefully. Alec finally found a utilitarian but uncomfortable bench a short distance away, typical in bland government complexes, and New Scotland Yard wasn't any different. Ed sat beside him, looked into his friend's eyes and rested a hand on Alec's shoulder in a supportive gesture. Claire looked worried, Gil looked on dispassionately but with extreme fascination.

"When Claire and I visited you the night you found Ayomide's body, I noticed a odour in the kitchen, actually, it seemed to be throughout the whole house, but after I went over the report my team gave me, I realised what it was. Alec, you remember how Ayomide loathed vegetables? She apparently was hiding them behind your back at dinner times in the space on the floor between the refrigerator and the Aga. My team found broccoli and spinach, rotting, and Ayomide's prints there."

"Christ, Christ, Christ," Alec sobbed, his irritation giving way to grief. "I told her they were good for her. I said she'd grow up big and strong. Now she will never grow up, ever. My little, sweet con artist. Ed, what am I going to do? I've lost my child. I've lost the only child I'll ever have. Bloody son-of-a-bitch killed my baby daughter. God, God, God. I never told her I loved her enough."

"No," Ed said quietly, the laughing face of his young son, now deceased, seared foremost into his memory, " We never do tell them we love them enough times. We just have to believe they know. Alec," Ed said softly, not knowing what to do, but knowing nothing would comfort his friend, or end his grief except time. He ignored the little voice that reminded him that time hadn't yet changed the gorge in his soul that was his grief for Johnny. "Come on. Let's get this unpleasantness over, shall we. Come on."

The woman came out to greet them a second time, and she opened the door for them, and Ed led the sombre party to her. Mere inches away from the door, Ed clutched his head, groaned and dropped hard to his knees, causing Claire to shriek in worry.

"Edward!"

"Mr. Straker, shall I call an ambulance?" Mullen said calmly. She didn't strike him as a person who was easily distressed. It was why she was a police consultant to Shado, among other reasons.

"No, no, just a simple bad migraine, I've been getting them lately. Alec, can you handle this Littleton business alone? I need to get some air, Gil, Claire, can you help me to the car to rest? I have my pills in the glove box of Claire's Volvo. I'm afraid I don't think I can manage on my own."

"Get Ed to the car. Go ahead," Alec said, roughly wiping his tears away with his sleeve.

Grissom gently helped Ed onto his feet, genuinely concerned. However, something bothered him, and it irritated him no end that it didn't immediately rise to the surface of his mind for him to examine. Perhaps Ed's illness took priority. Maybe in a small way, he was learning how important concern for your fellow beings was. He hoped so. Maybe Catherine would notice. For now, Ed was ill, and that was troublesome. He found himself liking Ed. He wasn't sure why. It was another puzzle to be solved.

Alec disappeared into the room with Mullen, and Gil and Claire slowly assisted Ed out to Claire's Volvo. Once inside the car, Ed removed his Nehru jacket, and laid his head back on the headrest, eyes closed, while Gil cranked up the window for him. The rain had stopped falling, and the air was crisp and refreshing.

"Edward, I can't find your sumatriptan succinate in the glove box, I don't remember you putting in there, are you sure it's not in your jacket?" Claire said desperately.

Ed opened his eyes and looked at her strangely.

"I might be mistaken. It doesn't happen often, but I might be." he smiled faintly.

"Edward, are you feeling better?" Claire asked, baffled.

"What time is it?" Ed asked, lifting his sleeve to inspect his Certina wristwatch.

"Two thirty three, why?" Gil said, checking his own watch, which he'd remembered to set to British time.

"Took about three minutes to walk here to the parking lot from the headquarters. Three or so minutes. Good. That's plenty of time."

"Plenty of time for what?" Claire said.

"Never mind. I think we should go get Alec and Catherine, don't you?" Ed draped his jacket over the back of his seat, and got out of the car. Gil and Claire did likewise, but Gil faced Ed.

"Was the earlier display of illness a ruse too?"

"What are you suggesting, Gil? Should I be offended?" Ed asked mildly.

"You understand perfectly well what I am asking."

"Unfortunately, no. It wasn't." Ed frowned.

"Meaning this display was. To accomplish your goal of keeping Catherine, Claire and myself away from Alec. So that he could get to Littleton, and get revenge. Mullen will never let him anyway near Littleton, she's an officer of the law."

"Actually, in one month, she's going to retire from her job, and she cooperated with me, since I am her boss. She's going to work full time for Shado. Again for me. And her assistant does exactly what he's told, and he was told to take an early lunch, so no one will question his absence. So Alec will have a few minutes alone with Michael Littleton. A few minutes is all Alec needs. He knew what I planned to do, by the way. I briefed him right before our trip out here. I'm sure they'll get along. Gil, where are you going?"

"To stop this insanity. Allowing Freeman to injure or even kill Littleton is putting him on the same level as Littleton. Committing a crime. He can't be both judge and jury, Ed. He's committing a crime."

Ed grabbed Gil by the tie and pulled him close in an almost indifferent fashion. Claire gasped, but she didn't say anything, not liking the situation, but not liking the alternative even more.

Gil actually looked frightened. Ed looked into his eyes, and Gil reasoned it was like being forced to look at the sun. You knew it would blind you, but you couldn't tear your eyes away from its heat.

"Alec never gassed a child, Grissom. Sometimes justice isn't dispensed in the sterilised, antiseptic surroundings you do your work in. Sometimes you have to dispense with the latex gloves and get your hands dirty to make things balance out in life. Go ahead and report me, Grissom. Go ahead and try. You'll be wasting your time. Half the personnel here know to look away when I do something unseemly. Less than that know why they have to look away. The rest are in my pocket, like Mullen. Some men can deliberately walk inside the abyss, and not get as much as a speck of dust on them. Alec's one of them. I suggest you save your breath, and forget this happened. Unless you want the point of a needle." Ed removed his hands from Grissom's tie.

"I can't stand by and allow Freeman to murder Littleton, no matter what he did."

"Alec won't murder Littleton. He knows it isn't worth it. Alec will just give him the practical part of his fists. He knows what blows kill and what blows don't. You need to learn about the various forms justice can take, Grissom. It doesn't always mean a courtroom. Do you think that if someone murdered Lindsey that Catherine would walk away from the opportunity to pound her killer into the cement? You're kidding yourself if you do."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Catherine. Besides, she wouldn't allow this kind of animalistic revenge. She wouldn't participate in it. You must have known that. You sent her away."

Ed bared his teeth in a smile, a chilling gesture that reminded Gil of a loosely tethered German Shepherd, standing there, supremely confident. A dangerous animal that didn't need to attack, because it knew it could.

"I sent her away to protect her. So that she wouldn't be in your situation. She's ethical, like Claire, but like Claire, she sees the whole picture. For someone who loves her from afar, you don't understand her very well. You need to work on it, Grissom. If you ever want illumination on the subject of Catherine Willows, come to me."

Gil blinked at Ed. Ed ignored it and promenaded past him purposely, toward the headquarters; before Gil and Claire even realised he had gone.

"How goes it, Alec?"

"Littleton got a little agitated. He's fine now."

Ed had watched without comment as they literally dragged the unconscious man out of the interrogation room, and loaded him with less than care onto the stretcher. Gil scowled.

"What happened to him, Alec?" Ed asked innocently.

"Walked into a door, and the door reciprocated."

The two men exchanged an amused look.

"Soft tissue damage. Busted kneecaps. Broken nose. Black eye. Busted arms. Broken fingers. Swollen testicles. Must have been a very angry door." DCI Mullen remarked. She actually looked at Alec admiringly.

"Well, you have to be careful with these inanimate objects when they go bad." Ed shrugged.

"When Doors Attack." Claire said, arms crossed. "Could be a new reality series for Harlington-Straker studios."

"Write me a pitch, Claire, I'll consider it. See you later, DCI, and thanks."

"Anytime, Ed. See you later. I'm off to see what unpleasant muck is the special at the cafeteria." Mullen waved and was gone, as Catherine appeared, looking amused, and she walked along with them toward the parking lot.

"Dinner sounds good to me. My treat."

"Great, Catherine. Let's go. I know a terrific Italian restaurant." Ed offered.

"Why can't we have Chinese, we haven't had Chinese in so long," Claire said.

"We could go to a vegetarian restaurant sweetheart, that way you'd have a doggie bag for the rabbit." Ed grinned his mind-blowing grin, making Claire wish no one else was there, so they could neck in the new Green Volvo they headed for. Instead Claire chuckled at him

"Bunny bag." she corrected him.

"I'm never eating vegetables again to honour Mide's memory. We'll find a steakhouse." Alec decided firmly. "My treat."

"You okay, Alec?" Ed said intensely.

"I'll never be okay again, you know that, Ed. But I feel a hell of a better now." Alec said, smiling at his friend. Ed nodded, affectionately patted his back.

"Thought the little tête-à-tête with the good Mr. Littleton would help." Ed admitted.

"Were you able to fax the details of the case to Brass?" Gil said suspiciously to Catherine, assured that she was all right, and wondering if that had been a ruse too.

"I did, it isn't the same Littleton. But I have a bone to pick with you, Straker. You lied."

"Me? Would I do that?"

"I attempted to tell him that allowing Alec-" Gil began, but Catherine interrupted him.

"You and Jim Brass do know one another, go back a long way. Early days in Nam. He insisted you saved his life in Thailand on Patpong Road."

"Must not be the same Straker," Ed shrugged.

"Says a skinny young guy named Eddie Straker in blue shot a pig sticker out of a Thai's hand with a SigSauer firing 9 mm rounds when they attempted to stick it Brass' back. That skinny guy supposedly got it off a body somewhere."

"Green G.I.'s. Trouble on two left feet," Ed said, amused.

"Pub brawl?" Alec asked, interested.

They got into the car, Claire scooting next to her husband contentedly.

"Not exactly. A difference of opinion about the amount of Bahts he owed one of the natives." Ed traced a female figure in the air meaningfully.

"Prostitute," Gil said.

"Lady of the night. Some ladies and nights were better than others back then." Alec grinned.

"Among other things. Some women on Patpong Road were less than lady-like," Ed commented.

"You saying I'm not a lady, Straker? I danced, remember?"

Ed grinned at Catherine, hoping to provoke a quiet, miserable looking Grissom.

"Unfortunately I never got the opportunity to cherish the particular memory of watching you dance adorned in sequins, Catherine. Ow." Ed added, as Claire slapped his thigh. Ed had decided to drive, and she was beside him, with Alec next to her.

"I danced in nothing but my skin, Ed. Anyway, seems Brass had sampled her handiwork, and then threw some money at her. It wasn't enough. So she comes down to where he's tossing back watered down beers, and she tries to put a hole in his back." Catherine continued.

"Never cheat a lady and never drink inferior beer." Alec said.

"Yeah, I remember it like it was yesterday and he didn't speak a word of the language. He was so drunk I didn't think he'd remember me." Ed smiled.

"Let's reminisce after dinner." Alec growled. "I'm starving."

"You've got it, Alec. One steak house coming up."

Ed looked at Gil in the driving glass, and sighed a little. The man looked like he'd lost his best friend. He resolved to do something about it. Catherine Willows was about to bend, if Ed had anything to do with it. Gil Grissom needed to be saved from himself.

Then the pounding, the pulling at his head began again, and his hands on the steering wheel slipped a little, and the car jerked from side to side.

"Damn it. Migraine hit again. They're never like this. Practically one after the other, rungs on a ladder." he muttered.

"Ed, stop the car." Gil said urgently.

"Edward." Claire cried in alarm.

Ed slowed the car, stopped, set the brake.

"You drive the rest of the way. You know where Alec's favourite restaurant is. And just put the thought of having me looked at in hospital out of that mind of yours."

"No, that isn't it, I want to keep an eye on you. Alec, will you take us?"

"Of course. Maybe if you have a bite to eat you'll feel better, Ed," Alec said, voice heavy with concern. Ed smiled at him through the pain.

"Probably, I'm probably just overtired." They exchanged seats, Alec took the keys, and started up the Volvo again. Ed lie against Claire, touched her hair, wincing slightly at his pain.

"How long will it take for your hair to grow out? I miss it." She shot him an amused look, rummaged through her purse, and exhaled with relief.

"I've got your prescription, can you swallow them dry?"

"Actually, I have a-" Catherine began.

"No need, Catherine has a bottle of Perrier in her handbag, with a bit of water left."

"How did you know that?" Catherine said, surprised.

"I don't remember, must have seen you put it in there." shrugged Ed. "Do you mind me drinking some?"

"Not at all, but Ed, you couldn't have seen me put it in there. I bought it and put it in there while Claire and I were shopping. You weren't with us."

"Just let me have it. How I know isn't important, my head is coming off."

"Light in here too bright for you, Ed?" Gil asked, indicating that Alec should turn off the overhead light, which he did.

"Somewhat, yeah, thanks Gil. Thanks, Catherine." Ed swallowed the pills down with the last of the water, and put the empty bottle down. He leaned against Claire as much as he could, and closed his eyes. He was suddenly weary, hoping sleep would drown out the odd feelings he was having. He figured they were part of the usual migraine symptoms. No, he hoped they were, he realised, and drifted to sleep, content to smell the faint trace of Tresor on his wife mingled with the scent from the leather seats of the Volvo.

* * *

Ed watched Gil watch Catherine across the table and wondered vaguely if he was going to be able to stand it anymore. Misery was coming off the man in great clouds you could practically see. Not really noticing what he was doing, Ed picked up Alec's nearly depleted glass of bourbon, which was next to the plate on which an equally depleted T-bone steak was, and sipped it tentatively, then swallowed it down completely. It burned his throat in a satisfying way. That brought their animated conversation to a close. All heads whipped around and stared at him, and it felt like having to listen to fingernails scraped across a chalkboard. The only sound was the crackling of the fireplace in the restaurant. Luckily, Alec had been able to get his coveted, usual table near it.

"Get tired of your coffee?" Alec asked, amused.

"My mind was elsewhere," Ed said. He looked at Alec for a long moment and smiled. "Electric blanket of a man, that's what you are. Blanket. Or a grizzly bear. Teddy bear with sharp teeth? Both."

"You haven't gotten wasted on less than a fourth of a tumbler of bourbon, have you?" Alec asked, chuckling.

"Alcohol wouldn't necessarily reach his bloodstream that fast, but he shouldn't have had it with the migraine drug. I think we better get him safely home." frowned Gil.

"Damn, what am I thinking? I forgot he took his pills." Alec acknowledged.

"Edward, are you all right?" Claire asked, reaching over and feeling his forehead. "Are you tired again? You know better than to drink with the medication, and I don't think I've ever seen you drink in the whole time I've known you."

"No. I'm all right. This is how I imagined it to be when I permitted myself the luxury of dreaming. Exactly how I imagined it to be. Belonging to someone. I love you so much. You love me so much. It feels so wonderful." Ed said throatily, almost sensually. Claire did her best not to toss him on the hearth there and then and explore the reality of his sentiment. Ed looked at her and started to laugh. "That would certainly get us in the tabloids again." he told her, and she blushed.

"Ed," Alec put in, confounded, "What the blazes is wrong with you?"

"He's telling her he loves her, what's the problem with that?" Catherine asked after a sip of wine. Gil looked at Catherine, and Ed looked at Gil and groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"My husband doesn't generally say it in a voice loud enough to be overheard, in a crowded public restaurant, nor does he usually drink." Claire informed her with a worried smile.

"His pupils are dilated," Gil pointed out, leaning forward to study Ed instead of Catherine. "That may be a side effect of the medication you gave him. I repeat, we ought to have our food put in cartons, leave at once and get him home, let him sleep, watch him carefully."

"Why the blazes don't you tell her, Gris?" Ed muttered, slurring his words a little.

"Christ, he's going to have one hell of a grand hangover," summed up Alec, not looking like he felt sorry for his friend.

Gil gave Ed a puzzled look. So did everyone else, in varied amounts.

Alec signalled for the waiter, settled the bill, and stood up. Ed, however, wasn't through, to Grissom's growing horror.

"You look like a lovesick schoolboy. You realise that? Just tell her. Nothing is going to be accomplished if you don't tell her, so tell Willows for God's sake."

"Tell me what?" Catherine said, rising, and reaching for a new red leather jacket she'd bought.

"Not me. Him. Him. Grissom. Look at him, you're a forensic criminologist, your speciality is blood spatter, he is bleeding all over you. You don't even see it. Talk about evidence. You call yourself observant? Heartbreak. Bleeding. Bleeding all over the rabbit. Rabbit. Phone call. God my head hurts."

Ed watched Claire transform from his loving, tender wife into a drill sergeant.

"Edward Straker, we're going to hospital and we're going now. And I'm having them examine you from the top of that platinum hair-"

"Here. Now. Show them, Gil. She needs to see. Needs to act. Show them."

Ed Straker rose from his chair, gestured toward Grissom, and promptly fell straight down, and would have hit the floor if both Grissom and Alec hadn't have grabbed him, foreseeing what was about to happen.

Claire sighed.

"With any luck, he'll stay unconscious all the way to Mayland."

"Men." Catherine said. "He's no better than Brass."

"That's an unfair generalisation, Catherine," Gil told her, hoping he was doing a good job at concealing his rapid heartbeat. Somehow, Ed knew, and Catherine still didn't. What good would it have done if she did, anyway? It was like the dog who chased the truck. What was the dog going to do with it when he caught it? He was content to just walk behind it.

"Granted. But only a male would be foolish enough to take pills, get himself drunk on two tablespoons full of the hard stuff, and pass out."

"Edward isn't drunk." Claire said, watching Gil and Alec support him between themselves, and hoping no one recognised him, knowing it was probably a futile wish with his body and colouring and hair and distinctive voice.

"You sound certain of that." Gil commented. "The drug with the liquor--"

"She's right. He isn't drunk. Even in the rare times I've gotten him drunk, and mind you, I can count them on my fingers, he rarely is drunk." Alec said thoughtfully. "I've known him to be in hospital, sick as a dingo, shot full of sedation, enough to bring a herd of roos down, and still be alert and bitching at me."

"That's what frightens me." Claire responded.

"That doesn't make sense," replied Gil.

"If you're Edward Straker, it does. Come on, let's get sleeping beauty to Mayland."

* * *

"How long have we known each other, Alec?" Ed asked, affection evident in the resonant voice, as he sipped iced water through a straw during pauses in their conversation. Ed was reluctantly lying flat on his back in bed in the Mayland suite assigned to him. The curtains were pulled, and there was little light in the spacious room.

"Thirty, forty years. Who's counting?"

"And you won't shoot me after my public humiliation in that steakhouse?"

"You didn't leave the Glock with me, remember? Do you actually think I'd let you off easy?"

"I should have shot you myself," glowered Ed. "I practically threw up both lungs once you all got me here. Death would have been preferable to the hangover I had."

Alec grinned at Ed.

"It was one drink. I didn't tell you to drink the stuff right after you swallowed those depth charges you call migraine pills."

"You didn't stop me either. Where the blazes is Claire, she vowed to hurry along the results of the tests."

"You're worried about the very real possibility of a brain infection, too," sighed Alec. Ed shrugged a little, feigning indifference.

"Well, I told you some neurosurgeon genius that Claire ran into in Casualty suggested we better rule out encephalitis, since I was having some of the symptoms of a brain infection. So I got trussed up for the lumbar puncture, and I allowed them to do their scans and poking me for my blood. I would have fared better with a witch doctor. I'm telling you Alec, they're wasting their time. I have never felt better in my life."

"Ed, I've heard you say that same thing with slugs of every calibre in you. I don't buy it. Besides, you told me a minute ago you're getting sensitive to what people are thinking and feeling. Your gut feelings and your ability to size up a situation are intensifying. So how do you explain the ESP?"

"It was overwhelming me in the restaurant. That's why I drank. It stopped the process. The feelings have tapered off. Now I feel fine. Better than fine. At peace with myself. Alec, I'm staying here another fifteen minutes to make sure I don't get one of those damned lumbar headaches and then I'm checking myself out. If Claire Straker doesn't want to go home with me, she can walk all the way back to Gloucestershire herself. And you can tell Caroline Constantine for me, I'll rubber stamp her damn signature on the paperwork to confirm I'm able to go back to my duties if she doesn't sign it herself. Hell, I'll lock her up in a basement somewhere. I'm taking a couple more months off, and then I'm headed back to Shado headquarters. Gay Ellis is in my seat. I'm packing her off to Moonbase to water the plants in Central Park. Clear?"

"Sounds like the Straker I know," Alec remarked thoughtfully, knowing he and Ed were worried still.

"Go find Claire. Tell her the walls are closing in on me. Tell her to get her arse in here."

"Actually, Grissom is outside."

"What? How long has he been out there?"

"Long enough to cause the swill that passes for coffee around here to get cold in his third cup of the muck. I think he actually was worried about you. Remarkable, since you don't have any antennae. I think he wants to see you about something. He drove Catherine back to Silk Wood Manor to call Brass and Lindsey, and then he came back here to check on you after making some phone calls on his own."

"Tell him to come in, Alec, then go find my wife. Drag her out of the laboratory kicking and screaming if you have to."

"You've got it, Ed."

"Alec."

"What?"

"You keeping that Terry person around?"

"Yeah, I don't know what it is, but I feel pretty good around her, and I need some help to settle some matters. She aced the G-6, so it's safe. By the way, Ed, thanks for arranging the Littleton business, it can't bring Mide back, but it made me feel a whole lot better."

"You didn't beat Littleton up as much as I hoped you would. You must be getting soft in your old age." Ed finally said after a moment of silence.

Alec grinned at Ed a little, and the Commander's eyes twinkled.

"It's far better that he longs to die now after what I did to him with my fists, other than me giving him the easy road of blowing his little dried up brains out. He's a small man, and I don't mean in stature. He's just a jerk."

"You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din."

"You're beginning to sound like Grissom and his quotations, Ed."

"The astronaut Gus or the entomologist Gil?"

"Very funny. Besides, why do you think I'm the better man? Besides the fact that I obviously am." Alec added.

Ed grinned.

"I would have blown his head off. Abyss or no abyss. Now get out of here, I'm getting weary of seeing your accordion of a face."

"Yeah, you're getting better all right, Commander." grinned Alec, rose up and headed out with a spring in his step for Ed's sake, even though he was worried to death about whatever the medical findings would be. He didn't want to think of the possibility that Ed's luck may have run out, alien bacteria or no alien bacteria.

"Alec."

"What is it this time?"

Ed sighed and set down his empty water glass on the bed tray.

"I started a trust fund for Ayomide's college education, and I need to change it. If you like, we can have a special fund available through my Foundation for the parents of murdered children. Name it after Ayomide."

"You know I'd like it." Alec said, barely managing to hold himself together, a fact that Ed did not overlook.

"Fine. Now get out of here."

"Absolute-ly, Commander, sir." Alec saluted and left. Ed sighed again, and closed his eyes, forcing his body to relax.

Gil Grissom crept in like one of the insects he so admired, and sat soundlessly in the chair Alec had been occupying.

Ed opened his eyes, startling Gil.

"Don't get any ideas about opening me up with a Y-cut and weighing my brain, I'm not dead yet."

"How did you find out about Catherine?"

"It couldn't have been more clearer if it had been put on the front page of the Standard. Talk about an emotional tsunami. It's obvious even in the loving way you say her name."

"How are you, Ed?"

"Forget it, bug man. You aren't changing the subject that easily. I'm getting tired of the way you look like a lovesick cow every time she's around. You didn't come out here because you wanted to help me this time. You screwed up with Willows over not telling her you'd sent me the fax. I thought it was cold-blooded indifference on your part. Now I'm not so sure. I think you were trying to protect her. And don't you dare tell me to cite my source. Let me remind you the evidence never lies. Alec had lost Ayomide. You don't know how to behave around people like Alec, you don't know how to comfort them. It's why you turned down Claire, when I went missing. You couldn't handle her pain. Dissecting is easy. Holding a grieving woman's hand is not. You were trying, in your own twisted way, to protect Catherine from Alec's grief. The moment she deserted you, even hated you, you couldn't handle it. So despite the fact you claimed to be up to the wazoo in cases, you didn't hesitate to follow her out here. It's all out there, Gris. I don't need to be a CSI to recognise it. She's more than a colleague to you."

"I'm no good at it, Ed. I have no people skills."

"Human relations? Nobody's born an expert in it, Gil. Trust me."

"I have no people skills, don't you understand that? I'm at my best with a Bunsen burner. Men like you and Brass know how to be around her. I don't."

"You think I'm a whiz with women? Boy, are you overlooking the obvious. The frustrating thing is, so is Catherine, and the two of you laughably are supposed to be trained observers. I was flirting with her earlier tonight to see if you'd react. Predictably, you didn't. Tell me, Gil, can you determine right away when you see a body and the evidence from a murder who the killer is? I'll answer my own question. No. Of course not, even with all your experience and know how. It requires a long, hard, often frustrating process of examining every last bit of evidence. Yet the goal is still there. The goal to speak for the dead, and bring their killers to justice. "

"You're not talking about forensic science. What are you talking about?"

"You. You don't throw up your hands and say no, this is impossible, I can't do this. You keep on. And on. And on. You're dedicated. You don't walk away. So why is it you're walking away from Catherine Willows?"

"It isn't any good."

"You've never even tried. Where's your backbone?"

Gil smiled faintly and leaned forward, poured some more water for Ed, and placed the glass in his hand.

"There are thirty-three vertebrae in the back alone, Ed. I'm confident they're all there still. Is there a particular bone you were referring to?"

"I should throw this iced water at you instead of drinking it. Consider yourself lucky that my throat is still dry after spewing my steak dinner up. Now regarding Catherine Willows--"

"Ed, there's a subject more pressing than Catherine and myself. I went back briefly to Silk Wood Manor after Alec gave me the keys to your wife's Volvo, asked Mr. Lancaster if he'd have a vet come out and look at the rabbit. He reluctantly did, and what the vet said to me confirmed my suspicions. The rabbit's hind leg was deliberately broken not long ago and wasn't healed fully. Additionally, the skin showed signs of deliberate torture with some sort of instrument."

"Claire's rabbit? Are you sure it didn't get caught in some trap Lancaster set?"

"Positive. The vet confirmed it. He was also able to identify the rabbit as belonging to an address a mile or so away from Silk Wood Manor, and having won best of show in some exclusive breed rabbit competetions. It had a permanent number tattooed in its left ear, which I hadn't immediately spotted when I picked it up. I'm afraid we have to return it to the rightful owner. However, if it's being deliberately harmed, Claire might be able to keep it, the vet said. As soon as you're well enough to check out of here, I thought you and I could drive down and see what we could find out. Your wife is fond of the rabbit, and so, no Ed, don't! You aren't supposed to get up this soon after a lumbar puncture, it's the hospital regulations!"

"You ought to know by now that I do whatever I want to, when I want to, screw hospital regulations. Come on. Let's sneak down there before Alec gets back with my wife and the results of my medical tests from the witch doctors. We can keep in touch with them on the mobile. Get my clothes, Grissom. You just got yourself a partner on the Case of The Battered Bunny."

"I don't think I've read that particular Erle Stanley Gardner mystery, Ed."

"Don't worry about it. My wife is keeping that rabbit, or I'm not Perry Mason Straker. Now hurry it up, Paul Drake Grissom."

"I guess I should be glad I'm not Della Street." Grissom chuckled faintly, and reluctantly pulled Ed's clothes from the wardrobe, watched him get dressed with the speed of fire personnel going to a three alarm. "Your wife Claire and Alec are going to kill us when they find out we're gone, you understand that, don't you?"

"Just get out the car keys, Mothra boy. You're driving."

* * U

"I swear to God, when I find him, I'm killing him." Claire Straker said, pushing open the wardrobe door and not at all surprised to find Ed's clothing missing.

"There's been enough killing around here lately. I'll just cripple him a little, like I did Littleton. This probably has something to do with the rabbit." Alec grumbled, sticking his mobile in his pocket. "Lancaster's on his way to pick us up, he just confirmed Ed picked up his car from the manor garage, left the Volvo there. Ed was with Grissom. Ed changed his clothes, and left. Neither of them bothered to say where they were going."

"Did Ed get called out to Shado?"

"No. Bug man asked for a vet to come down to Silk Wood Manor, and apparently he found out the rabbit is some coveted breed or something, there was a tattoo in its ear. The vet told Grissom where the owners were."

"Oh, they've gone to take Dandelion home then. Give Ed an excuse to not obey doctor's orders, and he'll run with it. Literally."

"No, the rabbit is still at the manor. Grissom discovered it had been deliberately injured or something, Lancaster told me Grissom came back here, and waited for Ed to recover. I passed him waiting outside the room when I went in to keep Ed company. He and Ed must be trying to find out what's going on with the rabbit. Ed doesn't like to deny you anything, and he was determined to find a way to keep the rabbit for you."

"When is it going to dawn on him that I'd prefer a live, healthy husband, not a rabbit? At least the tests for a brain infection turned out to just be the alien bacteria mutating again. Whatever it's doing to him isn't harming him, and the second run of tests showed it had become dormant again. Alec, we need to get in touch with that vet again, find out where Ed went."

"Grissom isn't a good influence on Ed, if you ask me."

"Actually, Alec, I think it's the other way around. Gil isn't comfortable without a case, and now Ed has given him one. Only now, Ed gets to play CSI now too, I can't think of anything that would please him more. He may be Commander of Shado, but at heart he's a little kid and you know it. Come on, Alec. Let's find our favourite pair of nerds."

* * *

"Tell me something. You carry gloves into the bathtub with you too? Just in case someone killed the bar of soap?" "Why does it surprise you that I have latex gloves with me? I borrowed some from Mayland."

"Gris, I'm only surprised that you don't have an full forensic kit in your hip pocket at all times."

"It's regrettable that I don't. Where's the button to raise the doors, Dr. Watson?"

"There, Sherlock. Go around to the boot, I have something that may surprise you."

"Nothing about you surprises me anymore, Ed." Gil replied once Ed had locked the car securely.

"Oh?" Ed handed Gil a flashlight, which he produced from inside a panel in the boot, and shoved one in his own pocket, then he handed Gil a slim aluminium case. Ed watched Gil's eyebrows raise when he snapped it open to reveal several forensic tools. "There are some advantages to being in Shado. Come on. And Grissom, just follow my lead."

"You actually expecting to use that thing, Ed? " Gil asked, watching Ed load his Glock. " Perhaps you think the rabbits will be armed. You ever see Night of The Lepus?"

"Excuse me?" Ed said, sliding the gun into his holster and smoothing the velcro seams of his black Nehru jacket closed over his form-fitting black jumpsuit.

"Leaping lethal lagomorphs, Ed. Very badly done horror flick about killer rabbits. It's out on DVD."

"Next you'll be telling me someone did a film about homicidal bath soap. Or maybe you'll try to convince me the Earth is under attack by organ stealing aliens. Come on, let's go." Ed said with a decisive slam of the car boot's door. The two men circled around and went up to the stone path that led to the spacious manor, flashing their mag lights. Near the main gate, a German shepherd bared teeth and made a lot of noise from where it was being barely held back on their leads by a guard. Gil froze. Ed looked unperturbed at them as they communicated their dislike of him violating their territory. The man controlling them sneered at Gil.

"Nice doggie, might want to take better care of its teeth, I thought I spied a textbook case of gingivitis on Fido there. We're expected, we called ahead. Ed Straker and Gil Grissom."

"You've come about the rabbit. Where is it?"

"Come on, Igor, we're not here to see you. The Fontaines are expecting us. Keep them waiting and they might be reluctant to send you your paycheque. Open the gate."

"American, aren't you? I thought so, pitiful manners. Go ahead to the door. Hurry though. I might not be able to control the dog. Can't be held responsible for what might happen to you if it gets away."

"Nor can I be held responsible to what would happen to you if you allowed that to happen. Now move aside. Go back on foot patrol. Never know when a squirrel might break the perimeter," Ed snapped and moved past the guard to the front door.

"Ed, that attitude isn't going to accomplish anything." Gil told him, amused.

"I don't like bullies, Gris. You stick to your investigating and I'll handle the people skills."

"I'm beginning to wonder if you're the expert on people skills that I thought you were."

"That shows how little you know. Pay attention and take notes. I'm an expert." Ed said, pushing the doorbell. The usual butler showed up and ushered them into the sitting room. Gil walked around and took everything in.

"Old money. Pretty impressive home."

"New money. That fireplace isn't genuine marble. Those paintings aren't originals, and what's more, those are cheap frames. Besides, it isn't all that impressive. One of my bathrooms cost more than this entire house and property does," Ed said, picking up some dust from the mantel with a finger. Gil grinned and watched Ed with a curious feeling. It wasn't until an overdressed couple came in, Winston and Phoebe Fontaine were the names given, and they exchanged handshakes that he realised it was fondness. Gil gave his name, and then stood quietly, observing them from afar. It occurred to Ed that Gil looked like a rabbit himself, with a curious, eager look. Ed imagined Gil's nose twitching. He tried not to grin and feigned interest in what their hosts were telling him.

"Believe me, Mr. Straker, we were really disturbed when we discovered our pedigreed Dutch lop miniature Anastasia Glory the Fourth had vanished. We have quite a lot of prizewinning rabbits, and Winston and I travel all over the world showing them. We were just in France, weren't we, dearest? We have a much bigger house than this in Normandy. Believe me when I say that you'll be richly rewarded for finding our rabbit. However did you find it? Poor thing has been missing for weeks. Winston, dearest, write the nice young American a cheque for his troubles. Is the rabbit in your car? Can we get you something to drink? We just gave a little dinner party for our friends, so there must be some leftovers in the pantry."

"Coffee, light and sweet. I have a full time cook back at my manor in Gloucestershire, so I never touch leftovers, never even serve them to my houseguests or staff. Simply not done, but I imagine you have to watch your finances with a house this small." Ed fully appreciated the indignant look that crossed the woman's face, and he went on. "Actually, I don't know much about this rabbit business. Maybe you could give us a look at these rabbits of yours. My friend here is from Las Vegas; the only rabbit he's seen up close wears high heels and lipstick and has cleavage like the Grand Canyon. Might be a real treat for him to see a pedigreed rabbit. "

"Perhaps, and perhaps coffee could be arranged. Follow me. Luther, get our guests some coffee. I'll handle this, Phoebe."

"Yes, thank you, Winston. I feel a little faint."

"I've heard something is going around." Gil said mildly.

"Either that, or you're overdressed for the occasion. It's quite comfortable in here. You might try removing the beaver jacket." Ed said.

"Young man, my jacket is sable." Phoebe snapped.

"I'd check with my furrier. Looks like beaver to me." Ed shrugged, and followed Winston down a hall. Gil stared at the carpeting, trying not to laugh. He couldn't help thinking that Ed's statement might have come out of Catherine. That reminded him of how he missed her, and he told himself to focus on the problem at hand. Winston was showing Ed the way to the garden, and Winston pointed to a structure in the back yard, that was surrounded by thick bushes. Ed was about to comment when a small figure appeared from behind Winston. It was a beautiful young child, with wide blue eyes, blonde hair in perfect ringlets and adorned with grosgrain ribbon. She wore a nightgown and robe. She studied Ed with disdain. Ed found her captivating, and hunched down so that he was approximately her size. He held out a hand to her. Gil came up, and studied her silently as if he had never set eyes on a child before. She glared at him and ignored Ed's hand until he lowered it.

"Hi, I'm Ed, what's your name?"

"You know you are not to be out of bed at this hour, young lady. Mr. Straker, this is Angela, our grandchild. Her father is dead, I'm afraid, and her mother isn't well, so we do our best to look after her. Do be polite, child."

"Stay away from the rabbits," she said. Ed frowned, and stood up, perturbed by the tone of her voice.

"Now, Angela, these men won't harm the rabbits. Where is that troublesome nanny of yours? What on earth do we pay her for?"

"Why do you want us to stay away from the rabbits?" Gil asked.

"I don't like you. Go away." she replied. "Grandfather, don't let them disturb the rabbits."

"Nonsense, child. They brought back Anastasia Glory the Fourth for us. They've never seen prize rabbits. Now go back to bed."

"I don't like them."

"Your nightgown is torn and smudged. What happened to it?" inquired Gil.

"Dear me, Angela! However did you tear that this time? Must you play so roughly? Do you know how costly it is to replace? Now go back to your room and have Nanny give you your nightly bath."

"I've already taken it. I want to show them the rabbits, Grandfather. May I?"

"There's still dirt under your nails." Gil pointed out. She gave Gil a look that disturbed Ed.

"Gil, could I have a word with you privately? Excuse us a moment," Ed announced and pulled Gil aside. "What in the blazes do you think you're doing?"

"Ed, don't you think it's unusual for a child to address the animals as rabbits, not bunnies? And why would she want us to not see them? Why is she being openly hostile toward us? There's a smudge of dirt on her nightgown and it's torn. There's dirt under her nails as if she's been digging. She obviously lied about bathing. Then she suddenly changed her mind and offered to show us the rabbits. Why?"

"Oh for Christ's sake, don't tell me you think the one who injured Dandelion? She's a child, Gil!"

"Ed, I was on a case last year where a little girl stabbed a old woman over ownership of a cat. I've seen children that were capable of murder, of torture. Sociopaths come in all forms. You know that one of the early signs of someone becoming a serial killer is torturing animals. What's more, the grandfather lied about whatever happened to her mother. His whole body language and tone changed when he mentioned her. I think the proof that that child is deliberately injuring animals is out in that building sheltering the animals. I just haven't established yet what her motive is."

"Grissom, you can't be serious about that angelic little girl being a potential serial killer. Even I know that serial killers tend to be males in their twenties and thirties."

"Ed, you were held by Jerusha March and her husband for an entire year. She was in her sixties."

"She didn't do the killing!"

"She never stopped it or expressed humane feelings. It probably stimulated her sexually. Female serial killers are more successful, careful, precise, methodical, and quiet in committing their crimes, Ed. Maybe you've heard of Aileen Wuornos, and certainly you must have heard of the Manson cult."

"She's just a little girl."

"Let's see if the evidence confirms that." Gil pulled out his gloves and put them on.

Ed drew his mouth into a sour, disapproving line, and moved away from Gil and toward the little girl again. She seemed to stare at Ed malevolently. Gil moved to Ed's side. Winston had temporarily moved off, and was talking to someone out of their line of sight.

"Why don't you show us the rabbits?" Ed said. She glared, and then moved toward the building, across the yard. They followed her. Gil pointed to the soles of her slippers as she walked, letting the beam of the flashlight fall over them. They were muddy. Ed frowned and noticed that a window was unexplainably open near a trellis covered with ivy, and flashed his beam on it. Nothing showed on the window, but there was a piece of lace caught in the trellis. Gil nodded. "Why do you think the rabbit ran away, Angela?"

"Rabbits are filthy. They don't do what they are told. It was disobedient," she said, opening the door to the shelter and turning on the light. They followed her inside. Several rabbits in their hutches began to move around nervously as she approached. "They're always scared. I make them do what I say."

"And when they don't do what you say, Angela, what do you do then?" Ed asked, feeling sick.

"Is that when you injure them?" Gil asked. "How did you injure the one that ran away," he asked, flashing his beam under the cage of one that was hardly moving at all. There were reddish-brown stains beneath the cage. "One of the rabbits ran away from you, didn't it?" Gil asked, looking around the area keenly. "It somehow avoided the dogs and got away. The one we found. Someone broke its leg and picked at it until it had sores that didn't heal. Probably with some wire cutters. Like that pair over there."

"It was bad," she said, glaring at him.

"What is that stain under the cage?" Ed asked as Gil examined the clippers more carefully. "Rabbit shit!" she laughed as Ed stared at her. Gil bent, opened the kit and sprayed luminol on the wire clippers and one of the stains from a plastic aerosol bottle. He then indicated for Ed to turn off the light. Both items had a faint blue glow. Ed snapped on the light again.

"Bleach sometimes causes that same reaction. I have a feeling that in this case, it's not bleach, but it means those stains are blood. I'm sorry, Ed." Gil added.

"I've seen enough. More than enough. You're a very sick little girl. I'm going to get to the bottom of this and make sure you never harm any-"

"Ed!" Gil shouted. Ed turned to see the rabbit in the cage go into convulsions and then not move at all. Gil carefully opened the cage door and gently examined the dead animal's mouth. He gently closed its eyes.

"It barely touched its food, and there's vomitus in the food dish. My guess is she poisoned it with something. "

"Poor little helpless thing. Why did you feel you had to kill it, Angela?" Ed said angrily.

"It bit me!" she shrieked. Suddenly she ran out of the structure and up to the house, continuing to shriek. "Grandfather! They hurt me!"

"I should have expected that from her." Ed said, and together with Gil, walked calmly toward the house. The grandfather had appeared, and was holding Angela, who was quite the drama queen, Ed thought, watching her shake and cry. The nanny appeared in her nightclothes, looking half-asleep, confused and dishevelled and led the little girl away. Gil noticed the nanny's pupils were dilated and informed Ed of it in a whisper. "My God. Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ed said, shaken. "It would explain how she harms the rabbits without anyone knowing, she may be drugging the nanny. I think we'll find that she does so, climbs out the window and down the trellis, goes to the rabbits' cages unseen and abuses them. I think she may have buried one tonight."

"The dirt under her fingers." Ed acknowledged, upset.

"What the hell did you do to my granddaughter?" Winston Fontaine demanded once Ed and Gil had gone back into the house and settled in the sitting room again. Phoebe had reappeared, looking shaken. She poured herself a stiff drink from a wet bar in the corner.

"Mr. Fontaine, my associate here is a forensic scientist, a crime scene investigator level three working with the police in Las Vegas in the United States. We have overwhelming evidence that your granddaughter has not only been torturing the rabbit I found, but the rest of your rabbits as well, poisoning them and most likely drugging her nanny to do it."

Phoebe went dead white and dropped into a chair. She gulped down most of her drink as if it was water. She had removed her makeup and looked like she had been drinking a long time and was very good at it to Ed. From Gil's look, Ed guessed he was thinking the same thing.

"You must be insane! Get out of this house before I call the police!" Winston yelled at them. Gil took out his identification and flashed it at him.

"Go ahead, Mr. Fontaine, I'm sure the Metropolitan police and New Scotland Yard would be interested in confirming what Mr. Straker just told you, and the local Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals will certainly be informed."

"Get out, I say! How dare you even invent such a ridiculous lie? Is this some attempt on your part to blackmail us?"

"I told you, Winston. You were so insistent on taking in that wretched child. It's why they locked her mother up after she killed the child's father. She's just as unhinged as her mother was." Phoebe claimed in a voice that suggested she might not be completely sane herself. Ed was sure she wasn't sober, maybe hadn't been in years.

"Phoebe be silent!" Winston screamed at her.

"No, I won't be silent, damn you! Appearances are all you care about. The evil thing has been torturing those poor animals. You suspected it, I suspected it, and we did nothing because we were worried about what our friends would say, we were worried that they wouldn't come to our parties. We're as guilty as that insane child. I'm glad someone knows. I can't stand it anymore. I can't. I hope they lock that little bitch somewhere where she can't do harm ever again!"

"Get out. Get out both of you. You'll hear from my solicitor."

Ed stared at Winston.

"I'm glad you have one. You'll need him. Come on, Gil."

The two of them left the house and let themselves through the gate. The patrolling guard wasn't anywhere to be seen. Ed walked toward the car, speaking into his mobile to summon the authorities, but Gil was shining the maglite to and fro, still carrying the forensic kit. He suddenly stopped.

"Ed, look. Beneath that bush."

"Gil, let's get back to the car. New Scotland Yard can handle this now. They're on the way with the animal cruelty people. Gil, come on."

Ed sighed as Gil walked over without him, crouched and inspected something.

"Ed, I've got something here. Look at this."

Ed shoved the mobile back inside his jacket reluctantly, and crouched beside Gil.

"What is that?"

"Rabbit ear. Sheared clean off." Gil said calmly, looking at it through a magnifying glass, and passing the glass to Ed. "She must have not even bothered to bury it properly. She didn't have to. They knew what she was doing." Gil set down the kit, opened it and got out a pair of tweezers and a large bindle.

"Are you sure one of the dogs didn't get at it?"

"It's been cut, and the wound edges match the blade on those wire clippers I examined. Ed, it's been bitten. Look at the size of the teeth marks. A child's teeth. Note the gap?"

"Jesus Christ. She was missing a tooth. Jesus Christ."

Gil put the ear into the bindle and closed it, then put it into the case. Both men stood up.

Unseen by them, only a few yards away at the door, Winston was standing outside with one of the armed guards that had come on duty to replace the one that had allowed Ed and Gil in. He held the German shepherd on a chain.

"Set it loose." Winston said.

"Sir?"

"I can't let those American bastards ruin me or put an end to the profits. Set it loose."

"Sir, these dogs are trained to ki-"

"Give me the damn leash, you moron!"

The guard turned white and Winston grabbed the leash away from him, took off the dog's collar, and let it go. The dog leaped and began running toward Ed and Gil. The guard screamed a warning to Ed and Gil.

"Look out!" he shouted, meriting being pushed against a brick wall by Winston, Winston's hands around his throat.

"You interfering son of a bitch!" Winston exclaimed.

"Gil get inside the car! NOW!" Ed yelled, tossing Gil the keys to the Shado car, pulling out his gun and seeing the dog jump the gate and head at top speed right for the two of them, its jaws wide, its teeth gleaming. Ed straightaway went into a shooting stance and brought the Glock into position. Gil's eyes filled with horror and fear for Ed as the dog got closer.

"Ed, what are you waiting for, shoot!" Gil shouted, terrified for his friend.

"GRISSOM, GET IN THE CAR!" Ed yelled. The dog hurled itself straight at Ed, almost close enough for Gil to smell its breath and feel its spray of slobber. The dog was in mid-leap, and Ed fired a single shot into its heart, and it fell dead. Gil slumped in satisfaction. "God damn it, Grissom! When are you going to learn to obey orders?"

"Ed-" Gil said helplessly, not understanding his wanting to throw his arms around Ed in sheer relief that his friend was all right, or his dismay that Ed was angry at him. There was another shot that whizzed past Ed and Ed automatically turned around, dropped to his knees and fired back. Winston Fontaine had wrestled the gun away from the guard and had fired at Ed, and he now staggered when Ed's return fire, two well-placed 9 mm bullets, pierced his body. He collapsed mortally wounded, and fell over. The guard raised his hands in the air.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" the guard yelled

"Get on your belly! Spread your arms. Move and I drill you!" The guard obeyed. Ed began to curse, and cautiously he turned toward Gil. Gil had a glassy look, and he stumbled toward Ed, Ed swore again, thinking that now was not a good time for the entomologist to go into shock. Then Ed narrowed his eyes. He frowned. "Gil?"

Gil abruptly collapsed.

"Shit!" Ed cried out, seeing the blood soaking Gil's light coloured jacket. Ed removed his jacket and pressed it against the bullet wound with one hand, and with the other dialled first 999, called for an ambulance, then the number connecting him with Alec. Gil was trying to form words, and Ed spoke softly to him. "Hang on, Gil. You're going to be all right. It isn't serious," Ed lied. "Just hang on."

"Ed! Thank God! Are you all right? What?" Alec cried. "Ambulance?"

"Ambulance? Oh no, give me that telephone!" Claire gasped, and she pulled the mobile away from Alec. "Edward, dear God, what's happened to you, I've been worried out of my mind and so has Alec. What? Oh my God. Yes, yes. Yes I will. Tell me where you are. Right. I will Edward. Goodbye."

"What in the blazes has happened to that idiot now?" Alec said, worried.

"It isn't him," Claire said, desperately punching in the number for the Shado medi-chopper. "Gil Grissom's been shot."

"You can't be serious," Catherine said, getting up from where she had been sitting. "I don't think Gris has fired a gun since his training. You must be mistaken."

"Catherine, he's been shot. I'm sending a Mayland chopper to his location now."

Catherine looked grim.

"Get me a car. I'm going out to Mayland."

"Where am I?" Gil gasped.

"Stay with me, Grissom. You're in a medical chopper headed to Mayland. They've got an operating theatre standing by for you. My wife scrubbed up, she's going to observe. Got Dr. Landers standing by, trauma surgeon, he's excellent."

"Am I dying? Ed, I can't feel anything. What's happening? Ed, are you a religious man?"

"I don `t go to church often, but yes I am. Grissom, stay with me. You're not dying. Haven't you ever been shot before?" Ed asked in growing worry that Grissom was indeed dying.

"Pray for me. Pray for my soul, please Ed. Tell Catherine how much I enjoyed working with her. I experienced such joy working with her. She's doing good work. Tell Catherine to look after my team. Ed, I haven't been to church. I haven't-oh God, what's he doing? Ed? Ed?"

"Just placing an oxygen mask over your face, it's going to be fine, our ETA to Mayland is two minutes. Grissom, stay with me. Damn it Grissom stay with me. You see any tunnels of light, you turn the hell away from them!"

"Agnus Dei. Agnus Dei. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi." Grissom's voice, muffled through the plastic, tapered off as he lost consciousness again. Ed looked at the medical telemetry, and was relieved to see the line indicating heart rhythm was fairly strong. Ed's fingers closed more strongly over Grissom's, almost as if he were passing on his own will to live to the wounded man.

"-qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis." Ed concluded, head tilted down, sombre. Then his mood changed. "Move this damn helicopter faster, goddamit!" he yelled at the pilot over the din of the rotating blades.

Walking dejectedly a few minutes later out of the surgical ward, Ed sat for a moment, narrowed his eyes. Sighed. He then took out his mobile and dialled Terry Fillmore with a serious look on his face. He wasn't only inviting trouble in, he was adopting it, and he knew it, he mused. It needed doing. Now the only problem he had was convincing Alec Freeman of it.

It might pay to brush up on his martial arts skills before he attempted to do so.

"Miss Fillmore. Straker here. I need to talk to you," he said crisply.

* * *

Several hours later in the waiting room, Ed's head lolled to one side back against the chair in a light disturbed sleep. Claire Straker had been keeping watch by him for several minutes, finally bent and kissed him gently, the intense blue eyes snapped open and he looked at her urgently.

"He'll be fine, Edward. We moved him out of critical care into a regular room an hour or so ago. You had finally fallen asleep, so I wanted to wait a while before I told you."

He slumped against her, grateful she was there, and she put her arms around him.

"Have him brought to my room here Claire."

"All right. It's so good to hold you, precious."

"God, he took a bullet meant for me."

"Guilt isn't going to get him well. And speaking of guilt how dare you go off like that without telling me?"

"Are you trying to make me feel more guilty? You just said guilt isn't going to get him well." Ed said, a weary twinkle in the blue eyes. She grinned at him and smoothed his hair lovingly.

"You aren't going to get off that easily Straker, no matter how much you try. I'll deal with you later. Listen, we talked to the police, Alec gave me a rundown on what happened at the Fontaine home, he and the police are handling it, wrapping things up. Seems Phoebe and the late lamented Winston are no more authentically British than I am. They had another hobby besides rabbits, it seems. Drugs. Cannabis was only the beginning of it. Thousands of pounds worth. They gave parties, all right. The guard is singing like a canary about their little escapades, he made it clear you shot Winston in self-defence, said Winston deliberately set the dog on you. Phoebe's been arrested and taken into custody. The child has been taken to a psychological ward for observation, and all the animals were removed for adoption except for two they said have been hurt too badly to survive. They let me keep Dandelion."

"Charming family values, those Fontaines have. I told Grissom they were new money. Unfortunate, that some of those poor rabbits have to be put down. Beautiful, beautiful animals. But at least Dandelion can stay with us now, unless she's been into the cannabis." Ed chuckled.

"Edward! Well, I sort of talked them into giving me the opportunity to look after them, see if I can give them a chance to live. The vet said that they couldn't make it in the wild, but that having the run of the paddock might be good for them. I have Lancaster and Lane working on it. I also let them know what I thought of them allowing you and Gil to go off like that without protection. Anyway, Dandelion can have playmates now."

"You turning Silk Wood Manor into headquarters for Straker rabbit rescue?"

"You're the one who just said they were beautiful animals. Come on, Edward; let's have some breakfast. Grissom's under mild sedation, you can look in on him later when I have him moved. I sort of am unofficially working here again, by the way, they're getting used to having my face around."

"I need to talk to Willows. Where is she? What is she up to?"

"She's doing what normal people do at 7:23 in the morning, Edward, having breakfast in the cafeteria."

"Good. I want to see her." Straker bellowed.

"Why do I think one of your famous, patented Commander Straker lectures is coming?"

"Because it is."

"Edward, go easy on her, she was pretty shaken up by Grissom getting shot."

"No, she wasn't."

"Edward-"

"After I speak to her, then she'll qualify for being pretty shaken up." Ed headed in the direction of the cafeteria, and Claire had to hurry to catch up with him. But he looked and sounded like the man she'd known before the incident with Jerusha, and that's all she cared about for the moment.

* * *

"Claire, I need some privacy."

"All right, I'll go arrange for Gil to be moved to your room." Claire planted a small kiss on his forehead and looked at him. "I don't suppose you'd want to take a bite of those eggs or that bacon I ordered for you? Guess not. Yes, my husband is finally back all right." she muttered and went off, and Ed broke into a sliver of a fond grin that vanished quickly.

"If you were going to take him into a serious situation you could have looked after him better," Catherine said, firing the first salvo.

Ed wisely decided stabbing her with the silverware wouldn't be a good idea.

"We went to find out why a rabbit was injured. It wasn't exactly a situation that called for a SWAT team. He was worried about me, that's why he didn't do what I said, which was to get his bug-loving ass into the car. If he had, I would have been the one on the operating table for five hours, not him. Know what the true irony is about what happened last night? I overestimated him and he underestimated me."

"Claire said he's going to be all right."

"Yeah. He'll be fine. For a guy who is spilling his guts out all over the place to you and is constantly ignored. Yeah. He'll be just hunky dory, peachy-keen. Back to the evidence, back to the crossword puzzles, back to hiding the hurt and the loneliness behind the nice, neat world of forensics and academia."

"You have something to say, Straker, spit it out. Seems to me you just want to spew your guts out and blame me for what happened. Maybe you ought to look in the mirror. Oh wait, this is England. You call it looking glass."

"He must see something behind the tough, I don't need anybody, don't touch me bitch facade you put out like Indians sending smoke signals, something warm, and vital and pure. Something I thought I saw in you too, but at the moment, it escapes me. So I'll proceed like I understand just why he loves you."

"What? Have you lost your marbles? Listen Straker. You haven't had enough sleep. I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Oh it's finally becoming clear to me now. That's what you do; you pretend you don't hear anything he says. I guess all you see is the geek, the introverted entomologist with his nose in the evidence. The know-it-all in the lab coat. The funny supervisor. So when he struggles to express himself to you, asks you plaintively to teach him about people skills, wonders what being loved means, you get deaf real quick. Sorry I interrupted your breakfast. You don't have any more memory or humanity than the green baize tables and the dice in Vegas. Winner one day, loser the next." Ed stood up. She stood up with him. People at nearby tables tried not to notice either of them.

"Sit down, Straker."

"No, you sit down."

"You listen to me, Straker-"

"SIT DOWN!"

Catherine sat down. Attempting to do otherwise under the gaze of a very disturbed Ed Straker was as fruitless an endeavour as stopping an avalanche with a teaspoon. Ed lowered his slim body back in his chair, never taking his eyes away from hers. Catherine had experienced root canals at her dentist's office that were more pleasant than that constant gaze.

"He believed he was dying. He was in and out of consciousness from the morphine the medics were giving him. And you know what he talked about? You. He said for me to tell you how much joy he had working with you. How much he loved working with you. Do you know why? Because he didn't dare say tell her I love her, not even when he believed he was dying. He didn't want to burden you with those words, because he thought it was useless. He tried as hard as he could to make you listen, Catherine. You're supposed to be a forensic scientist, you're supposed to have insight into people, you're supposed to pick up on cues the average untrained novice wouldn't. But all this time he was desperately trying to tell you he needed help, until it got too damn painful to even try anymore. And you know, he blamed himself. He saw it as lacking people skills. But the problem wasn't in Grissom, isn't in Grissom. It isn't that he didn't know how to say it. It's that you never listened. You never took the time to listen. We talked on the way to the Fontaine house. He told me he invited you over for dinner, came to you for opinions, watched you, enjoyed teasing you, asked you for help, begged you to teach him people skills, hated when you were genuinely angry at him. You just didn't listen. He was amazed I could see how smitten he was with you, and I told him it couldn't have been more clearer than if he took a full-page ad out in the Las Vegas newspapers."

"I'm having trouble believing this."

"Why? Because he's a precocious, all but autistic little kid in a scientist's lab smock? Because he never managed to get over a kid's love for things that crawled and were messy and gooey? Because he never stops thinking? Because he not only loves to learn, but is one of the most natural teachers I ever saw? You think the bugs and the advanced crosswords and the Latin and the academia make him any different? When he goes home to four walls at night, he gets lonely. Take it from me. The more the world puts on your shoulders, the more you need the standard, basic simple comfort called love that no amount of money can buy, and no amount of education can provide. The more heavy the responsibility you carry, the more you long for a certain someone to be around to share the burden. The more you need to know that if you were to die in the very next moment, someone would mourn you. He'd like for that person to be you, Catherine. In my opinion, if you were ever to let yourself love, you couldn't get anyone better to fall for than a man named Gil Grissom."

"Look, Straker, I-"

Ed stood, threw some money down on the table, and walked away.

"Damn you, Straker!" Catherine yelled.

Ed did not look back.

He walked until he found his room. Claire was there, jotting down notes on Grissom's chart, checking the IV bags he was hooked up to. A nurse was adjusting the blankets around a sedated Grissom and activating the medical telemetry on the computerised bed. She smiled at Claire, then Ed, who granted her a curt nod of thank you, then she went out. The door swung shut behind her.

"Edward, you know we automatically contacted-Edward, what's wrong?"

Ed found a chair and fell into it.

"Nothing, nothing, how is he?"

Claire threw the chart down on the trolley and crossed to Ed and held his face between her hands. Ed was blinking back tears. He took her hands into his and held them against him. She knew what the gesture meant. Never leave me alone, promise me you'll never leave me alone. She also knew that no matter how many times she assured him she couldn't bear to ever leave him, that he'd been hurt far too many times for his heart to believe it.

"Nothing, huh, Straker? That's why you look so sad. That's what those tears are about. Darling, I'm never going to leave you. I need you and you need me."

"Shut up and tell me you love me, and that you'll go on loving me, even if I do stupid things and I don't know how to tell you how much I need you to love me, and what it means to me to be loved."

"Did you want me to say it in that particular order, Commander?" she smiled, holding him, and wondering if something that had passed between him and Willows had touched a nerve.

"Why is it when I try to have one minute, one damn minute of really telling you how I feel, of really expressing how I feel-" he began in mock anger, fighting a grin, stroking her hair. "Did Willows say something hurtful to you? I'll kill her."

"Gris would just figure out it was you who did it, and put you away, and then for putting you away I'd have to kill him. Messy business."

" That's true. What happened with her?"

"You ever talk about someone's problems, appreciate what they're going through, and then in the middle of it realize that the person you're talking about, the person you're fighting for, the person you want to solve all their problems for so desperately is you?"

"Who counsels the counsellor? Yes Edward. You see yourself in Grissom. You felt his desperation and loneliness. Yes."

"You haven't said you love me."

"Love a man who disappears without telling me where the hell he went, and why? Haven't you figured out that I go a little nutty when I don't know where you are? I went one year with only your pictures to look at, Edward. I never want to go through that ever again."

"Tell me you love me anyway."

"For some demented reason, Edward Straker, I love you anyway, and will go on loving you when you do stupid things, which I might point out you do often, and yes I know how much you love me, and I wonder sometimes what I did right to walk in that hospital room and touch you, and to look at your face, when you had gone through hell with Maggie, and hadn't allowed anyone to touch you, even when it was the one thing you were so desperate for."

"I walked out on you then, if memory serves me, and what happened? I find out you and Ryan followed me all the way home. I had peace and quiet until you planted yourself in front of me and got me involved with you and forced me to love you."

"Bullshit, Straker, and you know it. You said it in the restaurant, remember?"

"Oh Christ, must you remind me of the restaurant?" he groaned theatrically.

"Belonging to someone. Being loved by them. How wonderful it was, and how you'd dreamed about it. Whatever was happening-"

"God. I don't know! You haven't told me!"

"What, Edward?"

"The results of my tests, the brain infection."

"You're fine. It was the alien bacteria, finally spread to your brain, became active, caused the odd symptoms. It went dormant again. Constantine has a theory-"

"Constantine and her theories-" Ed muttered, hiding his relief and then looking at Claire's expression and realising he wasn't hiding much at the moment.

"She has a theory that the alien bacteria mutated to heal your psychological damage, giving you bursts of high extra sensory perception, turning you almost into a empath, you were able to pick up on what Grissom was actually feeling, so much so that it was getting overwhelming, causing the chain reaction of migraines, until you subconsciously put an end to it by drinking down the alcohol to numb your instincts."

"That's odd. I haven't had any nightmares, I haven't seen the faces of the dead. Seeing that little girl, that poor twisted little girl, well it upset me, when I realised she was evil, harming those helpless creatures like that. But it didn't upset me to the point where I'd dwell on it, or on the whole business with Jerusha and Hiram March. I was a victim just as surely as those poor animals in those hutches were, but lately I haven't felt like one. I made it back to you. That rabbit you adopted, Dandelion, it somehow managed to escape the horror, and come to where maybe it sensed it would be taken care of. Maybe it dreamed of being loved by you too."

"Does that mean Dandelion can sleep in our bed with us? With the other two bunnies I'm saving?"

"No."

"But they all might have nightmares!" Claire chuckled.

"Fine. They can go get their rabbit heads shrunk by Constantine on a weekly basis, work off the trauma."

"In Richard Adams' adventure, Watership Down, Dandelion was the storyteller. Fiver was the rabbit of prophecy, and Hazel was the leader. Very much like Ed, Hazel was. Perhaps that is what you should call the other rabbits," a voice said, fatigued. "Hazel and Fiver."

"Gris!You're supposed to be asleep. How do you feel?" Ed said, as Claire went over reluctantly and checked Grissom, adjusting the drip of his sedative, and checking the other IVs. She had the sense the truly wounded one was Ed, and that he needed her much more than Gil needed her at the moment.

"I'm all right. I did what you said, avoided the tunnels of light. Am I going to be okay, Ed?"

"Yeah, surgery went well. I'd appreciate it if next time I tell you to get in the car, you get in the damn car! You really feeling all right?"

"Drowsy. Not too much pain. I imagine I should be grateful that's all I feel. When I'm weaned off the pain medication I will start feeling really uncomfortable. You've been shot before, Ed. What is it like, when you start to recover?"

"Hell. Hurts like hell, but after a while it won't be as painful, and the damn tubes you're dependent on get taken out, and you start longing to get out of the bed, and you recover. I'm so glad to see you're all right."

"Thank you Ed. What happened with the Fontaines?"

"Go back to sleep. It's all being taken care of by Alec, and work is the best antidote for his grief, which is why I'm letting him handle it. You need your rest so Claire and I are going to go home, get some sleep ourselves, see you later on."

"Ed, do you and Claire have to go?"

"You feeling scared?" Ed asked, pulling the chair closer to the bed, and taking Gil's hand gently. Gil relaxed again.

"No. Well. All right, a little."

Ed grinned.

"We'll stay until you fall asleep. Then later today we'll be by to see how you're doing." Claire said.

"Promise?"

"Of course, Gil."

"What about you, Ed?" Gil asked.

"I promise." Ed answered, " Just don't expect me to kiss your maggots goodnight for you and baby-sit the tarantulas while you're recovering."

Gil chuckled, then winced a little.

"Go to sleep, Gil." Claire smiled.

"Sleepy." Gil muttered.

"Good. Dream about the rabbits we saved." Ed smiled. "Dandelion, Fiver and Hazel." He waited until Gil's eyes closed and his fingers fell naturally away from Ed's own, then Ed gently moved away and stood up. When he looked up, Catherine Willows was standing at the door. Neither of them had even heard her come in. Ed looked at her accusingly, but didn't say a word. Catherine sat in the chair he'd been in.

"I'll stay with him. I don't want him to be alone when he wakes up." Catherine said.

"Even after he recovers?" Ed demanded. "Or will things change when he recovers."

"Edward." Claire said softly, the one word a gentle reprimand, but not a convincing one, because essentially Ed was wanting things to be all right for the scientist.

"I'll stay. He and I need to have a long talk. And, Straker? This time I'll listen."

"That's enough for me. Come on Mrs. Straker, let's go home and see our neurotic rabbits."

* * *

"You know the advantage to having rabbits in the house?"

"Readily available bunny burgers?"

Claire reached across and hit Ed on the shoulder lazily. The two of them had finished having sex and were drowsily holding on to one another under the sheets in bed. They'd come home, had slept for a few hours, then on awakening had taking joy in each other's bodies.

"No, the advantage is they make excellent role models."

"You mean because we just fucked like a pair of rabbits?"

"Edward!" she laughed.

"Hey, you brought it up. What time is it?"

"After one. Why? Want me to fix you some lunch?"

"No, I'll go get us some snacks. We still have whatever Frances left us before she went on that church seminar trip with Angel?"

"We have a year's supply of lemon drizzle cake, if that's what you mean." She watched him slip on the bottom of his pyjamas over his lean, lightly muscled body, and slip on his silk paisley dressing gown. "Looking at you like that makes me hungry for something else."

"Next you'll be twitching that little pink nose of yours," he said, slipping his feet into his leather slippers. "Be back in a couple minutes."

Ed contentedly padded downstairs and past Lancaster, who was muttering to himself, emerging from the kitchen with a tray with his and Yvonne's luncheon on it.

"Afternoon, Sir, did you want me to prepare you something to eat?"

"No thanks, Graham, going to rustle up something for the wife and myself, plate of snacks. "

"Very good, Sir."

Lancaster went to where he shared rooms with Yvonne, who was on the walkie-talkie with the security shift, and she finally put down the instrument and accepted her plate.

"His Lordship is up, making his own lunch."

"Did you tell him about Dandelion's new trick?"

"He'll find out soon enough. We'll see how long those beasts stay at Silk Wood Manor."

* * *

Ed loaded a tray with wedges of fruit on a plate, a pitcher of milk and two tumblers, two generous chunks of lemon drizzle cake, forks and linen napkins and left the kitchen, and headed toward the stairs. Without any warning, something came toward him at what he determined to be approximately mach speed, and he lost his balance, and flew forwards, hit a small table which upturned, bringing a lamp crashing down noisily. Ed catapulted onto the great hall rug, and lie there a moment, attempting to try and recall the license plate number of the car that had nearly flattened him. Then reality sunk in, and after reality, he slowly realised he was dripping with milk. So was his robe. He sat up. There was lemon icing on his arm. Crushed banana was on a foot that had been separated from its slipper. Something was watching him, and that something was a small rabbit, who paused, hopped up with a satisfied look on its face, at least in the Shado commander's imagination, and examined its victim. Dandelion began to nibble the banana off Ed's toes in a delicate manner. Ed watched it, wondering where he'd put his Glock, and whether he still had Glaser safety slugs somewhere.

Alarmed by the noise, Claire had grabbed a sheet, wrapped herself in it and had come flying down the stairs, and spotted Ed sitting on the rug, determined that only his pride was injured, sat down next to him and started giggling. Ed glared at her, but there was a telltale twinkle in his expressive blue eyes. Meanwhile, Lancaster and Yvonne came out, all business like.

"I neglected to tell you it does that, Sir."

"Race around the manor at top speed, huh?"

"Yes, sir. Trait of the damn things. The vet gave Mrs. Straker a book about rabbit traits. They enjoy speed. Are you quite all right Sir?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, anyway, I hear milk is good for the hair." Ed looked at Dandelion, who spotted Lancaster, and rose up on its hind legs, smelling the air. Apparently the rabbit figured as long as Ed and Claire were nearby, it had nothing to fear from Lancaster. So it settled down and went back to eating the remaining banana off Ed's toes. Once it had done that, it started grooming itself. Ed reached over, and picked it up, and put it down in his lap. It stretched out happily, nose twitching. Ed stroked it.

"Bad bunny, " he scolded, without much fervour. Claire was trying desperately to not laugh, and Ed looked her over, as she finally lost it again and dissolved into chortling at him. One breast was almost completely bared by her sheet; it barely was covering her nipple. "Nice headlights." he said. Her expression changed to shock, she grabbed the sheet, moulded it up and tighter to her, and flew back up the stairs. "Something I said?" Ed casually yelled, then grinned. He looked at Lancaster and Yvonne. "I assume you both have something better to do than stare at my bunny?"

"Yes, sir," Lancaster replied, with smirk, and backed away.

"Lancaster."

"Sir?"

"Clean this up, then bring me lunch, and lunch for Dandelion. I'll expect it in about twenty minutes. I'm taking Furrio Andretti upstairs. Mrs. Straker and I and our rabbit don't want to be disturbed afterwards. Understood? "

Lancaster made a sour face, and Ed watched him disappear into the kitchen with Yvonne.

"Did that bad man scare you?" Ed asked the bunny, comfortingly. The nose just twitched constantly. "He's a bit of an elitist, so don't let him get to you. Hard to get good help these days. You know, I don't like to discourage hobbies, but that drag racing around the manor has got to stop. At least when I'm trying to bring my wife lunch. And speaking of lunch, you wear out your welcome like that, and that's what you'll be. I'm head of this household, what I say goes. Understood?"

The nose twitched.

"Hmmm. This evening, maybe we'll go see your Uncle Grissom. Remember the nice man in the garden? I bet seeing you will make him feel better. Okay, come on, I have to shower. What happened to my slipper? Oh there it is. You don't fetch, do you? Why couldn't my wife have gotten attached to some pooch? Oh well, come on. I better hop up to reading on bunny behaviour."

The doorbell chimed just as Ed was getting up.

"Damn. What now? Lancaster, get the door, I need to go upstairs."

"Yes Sir."

Lancaster went to the door once Ed had disappeared upstairs, while Yvonne was looking for a sponge and water and the vacuum.

"Good afternoon, Alec. Mr. Straker has-"

"Where the hell is he? Is he here?"

"Yes, Sir, upstairs, but-"

Alec pushed Lancaster aside and made his way up the stairs.

* * *

"Oh, Susannah now, don't you cry for me as I come from Alabama with this banjo on my knee. Well I had myself a dream the other night when everything was still I dreamed that I saw my girl Susannah she was coming around the hill." Ed Straker sang, using the bar of Bronnley lemon scented soap as a microphone.

Ed scooped up some more organic mint thyme shampoo in his palm and ran it through his hair, while Claire, already fully dressed in denim ankle length skirt, coral sweater and suede boots, watched him fondly as he showered and sang. He paused to check his audience's reaction. She playfully twisted her nose at him.

"You don't like my singing? Well, my Dandelion likes my singing, don't you, you pretty little thing?" Ed watched the rabbit hop around the spacious bathroom, sniffing and exploring her surroundings happily. Claire noted Ed seemed to have claimed what she thought was her bunny, and she grinned.

"Actually I think she's going to get on the mobile phone any moment now and call the animal cruelty people for having to be exposed to it." Claire replied, waiting for Ed to react.

Ed rinsed his hair with the spray attachment, then bent and picked up some of Claire's decorative bath beads from a porcelain decanter, opened the shower door and threw them at Claire, and she burst out laughing, and ducked unsuccessfully. She picked them up before Dandelion could mistake them for rabbit snacks. Ed grinned then slid it closed again and soaped up his body with the remainder of the lemon Bronnley bath foam. The bathroom door opened, startling both Claire and the rabbit.

"Don't you knock, Alec?" she finally said indignantly, picking up a frozen Dandelion and hugging it.

"God damn you, when are you going to learn not to interfere in my life?"

"I knew this discussion was coming, but you could have waited until after my shower. I'll explain everything, just give me a minute. Claire, hand me that towel, would you?"

Claire picked up the bath towel as Ed turned off the taps, and emerged from the shower, hair and body still dripping. Alec grabbed it and thrust it aside out of Claire's hand so roughly that it popped off one of her prosthesis fingers. That was all Ed needed, he grabbed Alec's hand, squeezed the sides of it as if Ed's own fingers were a vise, and then pulled away the towel. He dried himself as well as he could, deftly wrapped it around his waist, looking away from Alec.

"Do whatever the hell you want to do to me, but never touch my wife in anger." Ed said icily, and it wasn't from his near nakedness. Claire gave Alec a look, retrieved her finger, and stepped out for a second, placed a nervous Dandelion on their bed, returning with Ed's robe, which Ed wrapped around himself.

"Is that a command, Commander?" Alec growled.

Barely controlling his temper, Ed nodded to Claire.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, Edward."

"See that Dandelion is fed."

"Edward, he's drunk." Claire said nervously, not wanting to leave Ed.

"Oh the little doctor with half a hand is observant, isn't she?" Alec sneered.

"That's enough, Alec. Lay off of her." Ed warned, voice like molten steel.

"What makes the great Straker think that he can tell me what to do?"

"Will you settle down and listen to me, for God's sake?" Ed snapped in genuine frustration.

"What gives you the right to dictate to Terry? I told her she could move in with me! In that house! Remember that house, where my daughter Ayomide was gassed to death because of you?"

"Alec, you're supposed to be grieving, you got involved with that woman much too soon, she admitted to me you and she went to bed, you have to-"

Claire screamed as Alec hit Ed, sending him crashing back hard against the shower door, whacking his head against the glass, and knocking him down onto the tiled floor, stunning him for a good fifteen to twenty seconds. Blood ran alarmingly rapidly from his mouth, and Claire hurried to the sink to dampen a towel, which she gently placed on Ed's lips to stop the blood flow. A quick gentle probe with her good hand on his head found a lump that already was beginning to form. Ed, ignoring the bass drum in his head, gently pushed her away, and dabbed at his mouth with the towel, then put it aside. He gingerly felt his lip.

"Nice one, Alec. That's the second time my lip has been split like that. The first time it was done by a flight instructor in the service that I mistakenly had a little difference of opinion with, when I thought he was riding another fellow too hard. Nearly cost me my wings. I've never appreciated bullies, shortcoming of mine. Now that your own impressive little display of brute strength is over, are you going to listen to me? Yes, I told Terry to leave, yes, and I explained why, and she-"

"You always ruin people's lives you sanctimonious son of a bitch, don't you? Is that because you don't have one of your own? You screw around just so you can be thought of as the saint, tossing me out of my own house, forcing me to move here so you can look good. What makes you think you can destroy people's lives and dictate their morals to them? Terry Fillmore was my business. If it hadn't been for you pushing her around, telling her what to do, maybe -"

"All right, Alec, I've had enough. I'll wait until you're sober to tell you what Terry decided. Now get out of here."

"Another order, Commander? You're just full of them, aren't you? You louse up your own life, your marriage to Mary falls apart and you look the other way while your son dies, all in the name of doing the right thing for your precious organisation and your so-called charitable foundation. Helping kids, bullshit. In fact you're actually real good at killing kids, aren't you? If it wasn't for you and your charity that you shove down people's throats whether they want it or not, I wouldn't have been puking my guts up in that house, and Ayomide wouldn't be dead. It was you that bastard wanted to kill; it was you that is supposed to be buried. But I guess if you didn't want a live son, I can't have a live daughter. Look at that, he's got blood on his hands again. Don't bother trying to clean it off, Claire, he should be used to it by now. Everybody dies around him, and he walks off scot-free. Maybe if Jerusha March had succeeded in her little plan for you, my daughter would still be alive."

Ed had gone white, and fell into silence.

"Get out of here, Alec!" Claire yelled. "Get out of here now!"

"Don't worry. I'm packing; I'll be out of here within the hour. So long, virtuous Commander Straker."

Alec flew by Lancaster and Yvonne, who had heard everything due to Alec yelling it at a pitch capable of breaking glass. Claire watched in horror as Ed rose up without a word pulled on a pair of trousers and seemingly in a trance state wrapped his robe tighter around his chest, and walked past Lancaster and Yvonne, who looked just as unsettled as Claire did. He hadn't bothered with underwear, a shirt or socks and shoes.

"Edward, where are you going dressed like that? Damn it Edward, Alec's drunk out of his mind, he doesn't know what he's saying. Edward!"

"I'm fine, fine, I just need some air." Ed said absently.

Claire started for the door just as Ed exited through it, and then she paused, went back upstairs into the master bedroom to check Dandelion. At first she didn't see the rabbit, then spotted it shivering in a corner. Gently she picked it up, and laid it in its basket.

"God damn that Australian, Dandelion. Edward was so happy, Dandelion. He had even gone back to being light-hearted again. He was free from the abyss, he was free of the monsters until Alec let them all out again. It's all right, there, there, it'll be all right. I'll make it all right."

Claire opened a drawer on the nightstand. Ed's Glock was there. For a moment she picked it up. Then she swore, shoved it in the drawer again, picked up Ed's key fob, and rammed it closed, grabbed a sweater and left the bedroom, ignored Lancaster, opened the door, marched over to where Alec's house was and battered its door with her fist.

Lancaster took one look at Yvonne and both of them trotted after Claire, who was far too enraged to notice. There was no answer, so she inserted Ed's key in the lock and let herself in.

Alec was in his kitchen, pouring himself another whiskey, and he looked at her in amazement as she came in, grabbed the bottle, smashed it against the table edge and raised it at him. For a moment he actually thought he was a goner, because she was close enough to him to have done some unethical surgery on his Adam's apple. But instead, she dropped it, and tossed the tumbler off the table. And she swung at him harder than she had ever attempted in her entire life. Again. And again. And again. Not once did she fail to connect. On the last blow she raked his cheek with her nails deliberately and he squealed. Alec actually dropped to the kitchen floor to get out of her range. She was about half his size, but she was hitting him with a fist missing three fingers, but it felt like she was hitting him with a bulldozer. He had never seen her like this and he seriously doubted Ed had, either. Neither he nor Claire noticed that Lancaster and Yvonne had been watching through a crack in the door. Lancaster had made a move to stop Claire as soon as she'd entered the kitchen, but Yvonne had stopped him instead, shaking her head firmly at him. He had scowled, but he stopped. Then his jaw had dropped to the floor.

"Have you fucking gone insane? Or does Straker send his wife to do his dirty work now?" Alec was saying.

"Get the fuck up!" she yelled at him. "Come on, let me have it. Hit me back, you fool! Or do you just knock people around when you know you can beat them, you damn Australian slug? NOBODY harms my husband, you godforsaken drunken bastard! NOBODY! How dare you say those things to him, when you couldn't even keep your damn phallus in your pants just hours after Ed buried your daughter for you?"

Alec jumped up.

"Now you look here!"

"Pins and needles, mister! NO! You listen to me. Did you even make any of the arrangements for her funeral? Bullshit! ED DID! You put him through that! You fucking coward! Ed had finally gotten over the demons and because you aren't man enough to mourn your daughter without your head in alcohol and your pants around your ankles, and Ed goes and tries to keep you from humiliating yourself by talking with Terrilynn, you have no right to hurt him! Try facing up to your own responsibility in your daughter's death! If you had kept your filthy mouth shut, you would have found out she left because she fucking wanted to! She told Ed things were going too fast for her! Yes Ed suggested she leave, but he told her that when he helped you get on your feet, she could come back, that maybe right now she was a decent thing in your life, someone you needed more than him. He said to her you were a fine man, but grief drove people crazy, and she listened to him! He thanked her for caring about you. SHE LEFT! Because she WANTED to! Now get off my property, I don't ever want to see your face again, and if you ever come near my husband again I swear to God I'll put a bullet through your alcohol-pickled liver! Nobody harms the man I love! NOBODY!"

Claire spun around, and left, and Lancaster came up to her outside the house.

"Ma'am." he said, not quite knowing what to do or say.

Claire finally broke down, sobbing.

"Where's Edward? Oh God, if anything happens to him-"

"Ma'am."

Claire dashed off through the garden.

Yvonne grinned.

"I think Monsieur Straker finally married the right woman."

"I've had Army mates that didn't punch that well," Lancaster said, uncharacteristically impressed by a female. Yvonne poked him.

"Oh and what am I? Chopped liver pate? Merde!"

"Come on, we better keep watch over her before she beats up half of Gloucester." Lancaster proclaimed. "And his Lordship didn't appear to be dressed properly."

"Doofus." Yvonne remarked, and set off. Lancaster looked back toward Alec's house, snorted, half-grinned and set off after her, adjusting his tie.

"Are you quite all right, Mr. Straker? You don't appear to have listened to a word I said. In my opinion, I still think those animals should be put down. At any rate, good afternoon, Mr. Straker." the professional said, thinking that wealth had probably ruined Straker's mind, as the man had on a dressing gown, no shirt, zipped but unbuttoned trousers, and bare feet. His hair was even damp. The vet didn't quite know what to make of it, but decided to get away while he still could.

Ed nodded vaguely at the veterinarian's departing back, and looked around, not quite remembering how he'd gotten to where he was, or even that sure of where it was. Hay and straw lie about, and there was an odour of antiseptic, which wasn't helping his nausea any, and his head was still thumping. Thumping. Rabbits. That was where he was. He'd walked on the other side of his property, where Lancaster had set up the new rabbit pen. He opened the gate and entered the pen. Nothing remotely looking like a rabbit was in sight. Ed began to feel dizzy, and he sank down into the straw, and closed his eyes for a moment. He began to doze off, even though some instinct told him that was the last thing he should do. Then he felt it. Like sandpaper. Wet. He opened his eyes. A rabbit with dreadful scars on its partially shaved body was licking him on the hand. It was astonishing. He had no idea rabbits could do that. He reached over and petted it, chuckling softly at it. It looked like a mop. Its ears were short, and its eyes, barely showing through the thick white luxurious fur on its face, were almost comically large and dewy and dark.

"Hiya. I don't know which of us looks worse, me or you. At least I still have all my hair. Poor little thing, what did that child do to you-God. He said I killed Ayomide. I loved her maybe even more than he did. He had that affair with that starlet, remember? We all have our Achilles heels. He must have been out of his mind, to bed down with Terry like that. I didn't want his daughter to die. How could he say those things to me? Almost forty years. Forty years I've known him. How could he say--I wish it had been me, you know. I wish I had been killed instead of her. I saw her come into the world. She looked so pitiful in that coffin, laid in the earth like that. She should have grown up, gone to the prom, been kissed by someone who loved her. Instead she's gone, like Johnny. I let Johnny die. No. It's time I put that aside. Time I let the demons go. He was drunk, just drun-does he really hate me that much? Was I wrong to try and stop him from continuing the affair with Terry? He'd only wind up walking away, wouldn't he? He's so afraid to commit to someone. Say, little fellow, what's your name? You sure are soft. You wouldn't happen to have an aspirin, would you? The Mormon Tabernacle choir is in my head and I don't recall booking them a gig there. Hey, where did your friend come from? Hiya there."

Another rabbit, slightly larger and dark brown with patches of white, with ears longer than it was, stood on its hind paws and sniffed Ed at a safe distance, then hopped a little closer, intrigued.

"I thought rabbits were supposed to have ears that stood up. Yours look like broken propellers. Nothing personal. Oh God, your poor little eye. What happened to it? Come here. Oopsa daisy. No , no, don't kick, it's okay, it's okay. I wouldn't hurt--" Tears poured down Ed's cheeks and he tried to suppress a sob. "I wouldn't kill anything as small as you, no matter what he said. I won't hurt you. You're safe here. Both of you. I protect the weak, please believe me. There, see, you like it. My lap is warm. Well sort of. Heh heh, am I getting you wet by crying? No, it isn't raining. Can't rain in here. Cold out, though. When you're alone, and you try to get through to someone, and they just don't listen, and they're one of the most important people in the world to you, and they just don't listen, you feel all alone. Where's Claire? I miss her. I feel alon- I'm not a saint. I didn't start the Foundation so that everybody would think I was one. I've had to make a lot of decisions that I would have given my very soul to take back. But I can't. I loved my son. A father loves his son. Have I sinned? Shall the fathers be forever damned for their sins? Yes, yes. I took no pleasure in the things I did. They were just necessary. Listen, what's your name? I don't usually confide in people like this, let alone rabbits. Oh, wait a minute. Grissom said you were the rabbits from Watership Down. Hazel, and Fiver, wasn't it? Damn, I promised him I'd go and see him. I don't break promises. I need to see him. He's frightened in hospital where nothing is familiar to him. God, my head hurts so much, I don't think I can get up by myself. Heh heh, think all that licking will help?"

"She's kissing you to make you better, Edward." Claire Straker said, tears running down her own cheeks. "I can't say I blame her much."

"God, am I glad to see you. What took you so long? How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to witness a miracle. The vet said this is where you were. I was running around like a wild woman, searching for you. You weren't where you usually are when you're upset, sitting on your chair near the lavender bush. I was terrified I'd see you hanging from one of the trees or something. Instead I see a miracle. Edward the rabbit whisperer."

"Rabbit whisperer? Miracle? You better help me back to the house. I'm not feeling well."

"I was afraid I might disturb the rabbits," she responded, trying not to show her concern for him. Admitting he didn't feel well wasn't a good sign, and she began to wonder how hard he'd hit his head. She slowly opened the gate and closed it behind her, trying not to alarm the animals.

They watched her, and she was greatly relieved to see that they didn't bolt. As a matter of fact, it was almost as if they were guarding him.

"Everything's fine, little guys, she's on our side. Claire, take Fiver, it's cold out here, I think we're going to have a storm. I'll take Hazel in."

"Edward, the vet said he talked to you. Edward, are you feeling dizzy? Damn it if he gave you a concussion I'll tear him apart with my bare hands."

"I want to bring the rabbits in. Cold out here. Cold and lonely and isolated. They need to be with us, where they'll be loved."

"Edward, didn't he tell you? The vet, he said these rabbits were so traumatised by what Angela had done to them that they couldn't be handled without being tranquilized. They don't trust humans."

"Nonsense. Hazel was kissing me, and Fiver let me hold her. Look. She lets me-she lets me-"

Ed Straker sank unconscious onto the thick straw.

* * *

Gil Grissom put the crossword puzzle magazine and pen aside, and looked inquisitively at the tall, husky black man who wheeled in various medical telemetry equipment with the help of a bored looking Asian orderly. The strange man activated it.

"I believe you're making a mistake. This is a private room, not a ward." Grissom said politely from his electric wheelchair, his precious solitude trampled on.

"I know it's a private room, Mr. Grissom. Dr. Claire Spencer Straker gave me strict orders to move a patient in here from critical care. Told me to make sure I mentioned her name to you, so you wouldn't worry. I knew Miss Spencer before she got hitched. Anyway, she told me not to leave his side. She had some sort of emergency call from home, had to leave him alone here. Had no choice. Tore her up something bad, but she knows me."

"I don't, and I'd like a closer look at that ID badge you're wearing." Gil said, noting the man's American accent, his tennis shoes, his striped shirt under the lab coat and the clean but worn denim jeans.

"Sure thing. Just make it fast. So I can move your new roommate in."

Grissom inspected the hologram and small computer chip on the badge, nodded. It identified the man as a nurse's aide who had been working at Mayland for three years. Grissom narrowed his eyes at the man's name imprinted on it.

"I was shot recently, it wasn't an experience I want to duplicate anytime soon. So I'm being extra careful these days with my visitors." the criminologist explained.

The man grinned, showing teeth not unlike ivory piano keys.

"Pain reminds a man he's a man."

"I'd prefer to rely on Grey's Anatomy to identify my gender, not physical anguish." Gil commented and watched the two men leave momentarily then return, rolling a bed in. Attached to the bed was the usual IV pole, and attached to the pole was a plastic bag with a pale liquid in it, slowly dropping its contents into the vein of the patient connected to it. The patient was as pale as the liquid, and as complacent. His face was finally revealed. There was a suture on his lower lip.

"Ed!" Grissom said, genuinely startled. Ed Straker did not stir much in response to the sound. The adrenaline that flooded Grissom's system was totally unexpected, and he was alarmed at it.

"You want to keep your tone down, Mr. Grissom. Let him sleep some after all the tests he's been through. Especially because I have to wake him up in a bit, and he's gonna be like a lioness with her cubs threatened when he awakes. Hey, thanks, Dan." the black man whispered to his companion. The Asian paused.

"Sure thing. You know what? For all his money and power, the Straker man sure looks way small in that bed."

The easy-going warmth vanished and Grissom watched with interest as real menace grew on the black fellow's face.

"Mr. Ed Straker is a lot of things, but he ain't small, never been small in his life. Don't let me catch you saying that again. Clear?"

"Sure," the orderly said with a shrug. "I'm off on my break for dinner anyway. See you."

The black man lowered the sheet and blanket off Ed's chest, unbuttoned his pyjama jacket, and proceeded to use his stethoscope to listen to Ed's heart.

"What happened to him?" Gil demanded.

"He'll be okay, in time, we patched his lip up, did tests. Mild concussion. Brain didn't swell. Gotta make sure he rests, doesn't re-injure himself. I've seen men die that way. Heart's sound. Oversized heart, our Mr. Straker."

The blood drained from Grissom's face.

"Enlarged heart? Cardiomegaly? Are you saying he's dying-"

"No, no, chill out son. I meant he's a special guy. Generous." The man watched affectionately as Ed stirred in his sleep, and he gently buttoned Ed's jacket then pulled the sheet and blanket to his chin. Gil felt a curious jealousy at the fellow's ease in touching Ed, and annoyed at himself, the CSI concentrated on his job.

"Why use the stethoscope when he's hooked up to the machines, isn't that redundant in this situation?"

"Machines have no bedside manner. Gotta have a bedside manner with a man like this one. Just ask Mrs. Straker, no woman in this place uses more TLC than she does with a patient, especially her husband."

"What caused the concussion?" Grissom asked, interpreting TLC as tender loving care, and watching Ed carefully. The thoughtless orderly had been right, in a fashion. Ed looked small, small and vulnerable, and only a trace of Ed's customary self-admitted bloody-mindedness in the firmly set mouth counterbalanced how vulnerable he looked, almost childlike, lost. Gil didn't like it one bit. He wheeled over to Ed's bedside protectively, and smoothed the sheet back down over Ed's waist until he was satisfied Ed was more comfortable. He straightened Ed's collar, and smoothed some of his wavy stray silver hairs into place.

"His appearance and dignity are important to Ed." Gil explained, not certain whom he was trying to convince.

"Mr. Freeman had a temper tantrum, accused Mr. Straker of killing his daughter, threw him against the shower door, he hit the back of his head." the black man replied, amused at Gil's fussing, but hiding it.

"Freeman assaulted him?!"

"Makes the hairs on your groin rise, don't it? Blaming a man for the death of a little girl. Especially blaming this man, sleeping in this bed. When they brought Mr. Straker into casualty, he was upset, muttering something about the sins of the fathers. Got confused, happens with a concussion. I know all about the sins of the fathers. I had me a little girl once, like Mr. Freeman. Mother died in childbirth. Thanks to Mr. Straker's Foundation paying for my baby's operation, she lived to blow out five candles. Prettiest little thing in the world. Had to pull out the plug on her. Tumor grew back, ate her up, till there was nothing left of her. Talk about a father's sin."

"You have my sympathy but not my judgement." Grissom said, practicing his people skills.

"I'd rather have your handshake." the man chuckled.

"Gil Grissom," Gil said, granting him a smile and his wish, and watching the man's larger hand swallow his hand like a whale swallowing a guppy.

"Ezkiel Morris. Friends call me Zeke."

"Claire?" Ed muttered, his fine arc of eyelashes fluttering.

"Not Claire, Ed. She had an emergency at Silk Wood Manor Ed, it's okay you're safe in Mayland Hospital, I'm right here." Grissom said helpfully.

"Not again? Where's my wife? I want to see her, Gil. What's the matter with her, leaving me here like this? Who the blazes are you?" Ed added, noticing Zeke, all six feet, five inches of him.

"Ezkiel Morris, call me Zeke. I don't bite. You don't remember me, do you? I was in at the last Fundraiser your wife held, saw you on stage up close. Guess you don't remember."

"Definitely not. I'd remember someone who looked like a giraffe fried in a tanning bed. I see you work here."

Zeke guffawed. Ed looked up from the ID badge and watched him open his mouth, it was like Zeke was the Great White, and he was Moby Dick minus a harpoon. It wasn't encouraging. Zeke took out a penlight, checked Ed's pupils, did some simple neurological tests with Ed and finally nodded.

" You're doing good. Yeah, I'm a nursing assistant, not the best job in the world, but it pays the bills. You helped save my baby daughter. You and your lady and your Foundation. I want to shake your hand."

Ed saw the sincerity in the man's face, nodded, fought aside emotion, offered his free hand.

"Helping is what the Foundation is about. Hey, that's not shaking my hand, that's more like fracturing it. Please give it back, I plan to use it someday."

"He shook hands with me earlier, more than likely broke all twenty-seven bones in my hand." Grissom observed. Zeke grinned at him.

"I can well believe it. I'm thirsty, head hurts a little, lip stings, can you get me some juice, Zeke? Something to eat?"

"Didn't you hear, Mr. Straker? Lincoln freed the slaves." Zeke said, meriting a slight grin from Grissom, who wheeled his chair over to the pitcher, and poured some pineapple juice for Ed.

Ed made a sour face, pulled his mouth into a taut line, winced and touched his suture gingerly.

"Fine, I can get it myself. Hey! Why am I in restraints?"

"Your wife's orders, and I do what she says, we're friends. Sorry. She said to tell you she'd be back soon." Zeke told him.

"I own this hospital get me out of this thing!"

"That and six bucks gets you coffee with cream at a coffee bar. But not out of those restraints." Zeke informed him. "Not until Claire gets here and tells me I can free you. She said it was the only way to keep you here."

"Who died and appointed you God? Didn't you hear me? I own the floor you're standing on! Either you get me out of these things, or I yell for the security that I know is outside that door. I yell awfully loud. You'd be impressed. And then you'd be on the unemployed list. Do I make myself clear?" Ed said sharply, wincing a little in discomfort, a gesture that the Shado commander tried to conceal but the entomologist caught like it was a monarch butterfly in a net.

"Ed, try to settle down." Grissom told him, handing him a tumbler of juice and using the bed controls to raise Ed into a sitting position. "Claire will be here soon. She wouldn't have abandoned you without a good reason, you know that. She knew you'd be safe with me."

"Shut up Grissom," Ed warned, but he accepted the juice gratefully in his unhampered hand, and sipped it through a straw wearily.

"Ed doesn't like being tied down or enclosed. He was tied down and tortured for almost a year at the hands of killers, it's detrimental to his psychological well-being. I'm releasing him. My responsibility." Gil said, unfastening the Velcro straps on Ed.

"I don't need anyone to pity me. Lay off."

"Ed-"

"I said lay off, Grissom. You. Zeke. Get me a taxi. I'm getting dressed. I know why she is at Silk Wood and I'm trussed up like a turkey." Ed suddenly ripped off one velcro cuff, which enlarged both Gil's and Zeke's eyes.

"How the hell did you do that?" Zeke said, not sure whether to admire Ed's show of strength or not. Ed was swiftly freeing himself now, and Grissom, a little crestfallen because he knew Ed was sore at him, simply watched. It was interesting but unexpected that although Zeke outweighed him and towered over him, Ed's demeanour and posture made him appear to be more than Zeke's equal.

"Adrenaline. I've seen men fight being handcuffed because of it even after repeated spraying with mace. Either natural adrenaline, which accounts for what Ed just did from anger, or drug overdose. Ed doesn't do recreational drugs, except for caffeine." Grissom said in his usual lecturing manner.

"Shut up, Grissom. You getting me a taxi or not, Zeke?" Ed was pulling on his robe and shoving his feet into standard hospital slippers. He opened the closet door, and looked at Grissom's jacket greedily.

"You hiring me?" Zeke wanted to know but he looked like a kid in a candy store.

"You can name your price. You coming, Grissom? Or you might try lecturing the staff here, I'm sure they'll benefit from your intellectual prowess and your assessment of my psychological makeup."

"Coming would mean I violated my doctor's orders to-"

"Fine, Grissom. Rot here. Oh by the way, I'm borrowing your jacket."

"Damn it, Ed, you know you aren't going anywhere without me, especially when you're recovering from a concussion and you're supposed to be resting." Grissom said, getting up from the wheelchair and grabbing the rest of his things hurriedly. "If you go ama, then I go ama."

"Did he just say damn to me Zeke?"

"He sure did, Sir."

"There's hope for bug man yet. Go get me a taxi, Zeke. Hijack it if you have to."

"I have my car, Sir. That okay?"

"That's even better. Hurry up, Grissom."

"Where are we going this time?"

"Silk Wood Manor. To see my enchanting wife. Who ordered me put in restraints, even though she knows I hate them. You know why she did that, gentlemen?" Ed was scrawling his signature across the AMA form. The staff looked bored. Straker always did this. Huge sums were won and lost on how quickly or how slowly he did it. They waved at Zeke, who shrugged.

"To keep you from finding something out." Grissom said.

"Very good, Gil. And what might that be?"

"I don't have enough evidence to make a educated guess yet, Ed."

"Well I don't need to guess. I know why. Come on."

* * *

"That had to hurt." Grissom said from his seat beside Ed in the battered red 1978 Ford Fiesta that Zeke had actually proudly claimed from the parking lot of Mayland Hospital and was driving. It was leaving a cloud of blue exhaust smoke that both Ed and Grissom were breathing in. Ed was beginning to regret he hadn't brought oxygen canisters with him. Having the windows rolled down hadn't helped much, because the bad weather was beating down on all of them, so Ed had Zeke close the windows and vents, and Ed ignored the rust and the way the engine sounded, and prayed. Now he was dying from the heater. Zeke just was smiling, and Grissom had been lecturing for the past several miles. Ed prayed for light traffic or a merciful death.

"What had to hurt?" Ed asked, his thoughts elsewhere, his mouth painfully pulled into its customary slit. The sutures still stung, and he cursed Alec Freeman's fists. Hell, he cursed Alec Freeman, period.

"Pulling out your IV the way you did. You were supposed to rest. How are you feeling?"

"The same as you with this blasted second rate car heater going. Like I'm inside a second stage Titan rocket. Zeke, can't you get this thing running any faster? I need to get home."

"I'm flooring it already, Sir."

"You call 20 mph flooring it?"

"My speedometer is broken, Sir, sorry, I'm going at least 60, I think."

"I knew I should have called a taxi." Ed sighed. Ed looked down at his left sleeve cuff, calling Grissom's attention to it. It was spattered with tiny blood drops that were growing fuller, Ed had attempted to pull it over his wound. Grissom pulled out his handkerchief, and reached for Ed's hand.

"Ed, damn it, how long have you been bleeding like that?" Grissom asked, conscious of the fact this man had caused him to curse more in one day than he had in his entire life.

"Do I look like I was carrying a stopwatch? Probably ever since we left hospital. I'm not bleeding to death, I just moved my hand too much, started it dripping again. Stop fussing over me!" Ed pulled his hand away, however Grissom grasped it gently but firmly. The two men had a brief staring contest, blue eyes on blue eyes. Ed, perhaps because he was exhausted, and in more pain than he'd give voice to, finally relaxed his hand. Grissom pushed the sleeve back and frowned at the ugly discoloured welt that had formed at the IV entry point on Ed's hand. Blood had pooled under the skin and was dripping out, although for the most part the bleeding had stopped. Grissom reached into his trouser pocket, pulled out a black pouch.

"You stick a leech on me, and you are out of this car." Ed warned.

"One Hirudo medicinalis, or medical leech, wouldn't hurt you, as a matter of fact. They have a natural anticoagulant, a numbing anaesthetic, and they cut down risk of infection due to a natural antibiotic. For right now, I'm fresh out of leeches, just going to bandage the wound after I put a little iodine on it. Be grateful I came prepared with a CSI kit. This will sting, Ed."

"What do you think you are? A Boy Scout? Do you think I am-YEOW! Damn."

"I did tell you it would sting, Ed." Grissom scolded. It earned him a look from Ed that stung just as badly as the iodine had. Ed barely managed to hold still, stoically enduring the loss of pride while Grissom bandaged him, then the Commander sat back once it was finished and fell into silence, his face a neutral mask. Grissom didn't have to guess at what that meant. He was beginning to know Ed well. The faintest of lines around Ed's eyes meant that he was in pain, and that probably his head hurt him most of all. Grissom thought briefly about the migraine medication back in his duffel, in the boot of the car, but with Ed concussed, it wasn't safe. Grissom saw Ed close his eyes, and lean against the door, trying to get comfortable with the seat harness across his chest.

"Zeke, please try and hurry. Claire needs to examine him, we must get to Silk Wood Manor."

"I'm doing the best I can, but this old car, it ain't no hot rod, Mr. Grissom."

Grissom frowned. The rain was picking up even more, the first November storm was in full force, and the car was visibly being slightly tossed to and fro by the gale force winds. Fortunately, most people had the sanity not to be travelling in that meteorological mess, so traffic was getting lighter as they got nearer Gloucester.

* * *

Gil Grissom never was so grateful to see the Class II gates that so offended Ed Straker as the Ford Fiesta, sounding like a lifelong cigarette smoker about to give up the ghost, rolled past them as they opened majestically to let the little car in. The television camera noted the oversized black man at the wheel, the criminologist, and a sleeping Commander Straker, his chin resting on the base of his neck, in the back seat, capturing their likenesses into the computer. At the same time, Zeke was open-mouthed, not believing his surroundings.

"I swear it's like being inside a fairy tale. Damn, and all this belongs to you, Sir?" Zeke said, as the gates closed behind the car as it toddled up the driveway to the main structure that was Silk Wood Manor.

"Asleep," Grissom said by way of explanation when Ed didn't respond. Zeke caught the reflection of Straker in the glass, shocked and he hit the brake, causing Grissom to be startled. Ed didn't stir, although his body was sharply jolted.

"How long has he been asleep, Mr. Grissom?"

"Hour, maybe two, maybe two and a half. Why? Go around to the garage, I'll show you where-"

"Shit. Wake him up." Zeke looked terrified.

"No need until we-"

"Man, don't you listen as well as you speak? Wake him up! In all my haste to get him here like he wanted so bad, I forgot that we can't let him sleep for long! Wake him up, and you better pray he wakes up. He shouldn't be sleeping that hard, man! He has a concussion! His brain could have swelled. Wake him up!"

Grissom shook Ed a little, but there was no response. The blood drained from Grissom's face, and he swiftly unbuckled the harness Ed wore, causing Ed to slump freely sideways against him.

"I had forgotten. I had forgotten too, I thought he needed the rest. I convinced myself he needed the rest, and as a criminologist who knows what a brain injury can do, I should have known better. Oh my God. Ed! ED! Do you hear me? Wake up! You've got to wake up! Don't do this to me! Please. Wake up!"

Inside Silk Wood Manor, Claire Straker paced. The phone that was a direct line to the security centre rang, and she answered it without interest. Horror swept over her features as Graham Lancaster approached and informed her that her husband had arrived in a car with a Negro Lancaster confessed he did not recognise, but he described him to her. She acknowledged the security team report then hung up.

"Huge? Why that must be Ezkiel, it isn't his fault, I'm sure Ed strong-armed him into getting him out of there. I told him to guard Ed, but I should have known stopping Ed Straker is impossible, might as well try and stop a nuclear blast. Please have some coffee ready for him and get my bag, knowing Ed, and the way he gets into trouble-- Lancaster, how the hell am I going to tell him? He's going to be furious I left him at hospital but what else was I supposed to do? When he finds out about Alec-" she sighed, and then started crying.

Graham Lancaster looked around for Yvonne Lane to handle the boss's wife's distress, but then recalled Yvonne had gone off somewhere with some overdressed, pretty-faced underage new security trainee for the manor. No sense of duty, that useless Canadian woman. She might have left her hormones in Quebec, but no, she was off romancing the dullard.

"I don't know, Ma'am. It certainly isn't your fault Mr. Freeman vanished like that. I'm sure Commander Straker will find him. He must be more than aware of the places Mr. Freeman would go. And that criminologist chap, he works in this field, Mr. Freeman must have left some evidence of where he went around. I gave strict orders that no one go into his home until Commander Straker and Mr. Grissom got here. I figured the Commander would come, as did you."

"I talked to Yvonne and her friend, they promised to check everywhere, and call me the minute they got a lead. They went to every pub Alec's been to. They haven't telephoned me yet. Lancaster, please go and escort my husband in and get him some coffee. I need to calm down, if he sees me upset he'll know right away that Alec vanished. I'll be in the library."

"Yes Ma'am." God. Anything to get away from a crying woman. All right, she had impressed him with the way she'd tossed around Freeman, but did she have to spoil it by breaking down every five minutes? Lancaster gratefully made his way toward the grand hall, where the front door was, expecting to hear Edward Straker bellowing for his wife, an explanation, and his sweet and light coffee in his favourite cobalt blue mug, in exactly that order.

Claire Straker paced, wondering what was keeping her husband. God, what if he simply didn't want to talk to her? She had never let him alone like that on purpose in the nearly seven years they'd been man and wife. I wanted to protect him, he's got a concussion, for heaven's sake, he needed to rest. Hearing that his best friend was gone, very possibly gone forever was the very last thing he needed to hear. But what if she had not played it right? What if he had just seen it as her abandoning him, like so many of the women he had opened his heart to? Maybe it would have been better to stay with him and tell him when he was well, instead to go off on a fool's errand of trying to get people to find Alec before Edward discovered that he was gone. God damn you, Alec! Pins and needles! Did you really think this was the best thing for him?

She reached into a pocket of her cord skirt and took out the note and flattened it so that she could read it again. Dear God, hadn't Edward suffered enough?

Dear Ed,

I'm an old bastard. I caused you enough pain, making you handle Mide's funeral, just thinking about my own grief, when I should have spared you the sight of seeing that little coffin going into the ground. It only reminded you that you'll never have a son again, and I never understood what it was like to see your own face in a child, until I saw Mide. I didn't know what to do with my grief, I had to do something, anything but face it and what did I do? I went and had sex with Terrilynn, probably ruining her life as well, making her sleep with someone long before she was ready to after her husband's death. So you were only trying to save me from me. Ed, over the years, I really have never told you how much it meant to have you as a friend, and how glad I was to give you whatever comfort I could, when things at Shado got so impossible for you, and when you had to bear the way everybody thought about you. Like a cold-hearted bastard who didn't give a damn, when inside, you cared more than all the people in Shado put together, but you couldn't express it. Ed, don't try to find me, I beg of you. I'm going where you'll never find me anyway. Don't mourn my loss. You have a friend in that Grissom bloke, you know. You both need each other. I've outlived my usefulness to you, and I've hurt you and shamed myself. Claire was right to do what she did, to tell me like it was, which you tried to do in your own way, and I didn't listen. Ed, if you ever cared for me, get out of the organisation before it kills you. Sooner or later, bacteria or no bacteria, you'll be drawn by that innate sense of duty to do something you'll never come back from, and the world will have lost someone irreplaceable without ever knowing it. Claire needs you, and is finally the right girl for you, you should have seen how she defended you. I think there's a boxer in her in the making. Go and have a full life with her, before it's too late, before you turn into a washed up, bitter old man like me. No man could have a finer friend than you, I just wish I would have treated you better. You talked about the sins of the fathers, but the sins of the friends are more cruel. This is the best thing I can do to make up for what I did to you. Take care, Ed. With affection your cobber Alec

"My God," Claire said aloud, crumpling the note into a ball and sobbing, "How could you think this is the best thing? Edward depends on you! And you just do this? Selfish, selfish, selfish! How am I supposed to tell him you're gone? Do you know what that will do to him? You wanted him to live? This will kill him! I hope you rot in hell!" The phone rang, and she jumped. "Yes? Oh thank God, Yvonne, I've been worried sick. What? When? Charter flight? Yes, I'm sitting down now, what-NO! NO! NO! Oh please no, oh it can't be! Oh God! Oh God no!" Claire screamed. Graham Lancaster came running in, trying to think of the proper way to tell her that her husband couldn't be awakened, and that an ambulance was on the way, but now she was screaming. Dear me, now what could have happened?

"Ma'am, whatever it is, you have to pull yourself together, Ma'am. Mr. Straker is going to need-"

Claire dropped the phone.

"Alec is dead, oh God, his chartered plane went down, oh God, it crashed, Graham, they found his body, burned to a crisp, oh God, oh God, oh God-"

"Ma'am, your husband-the Commander-they can't wake him up-" Lancaster stammered foolishly, in shock.

Claire Straker fell to the carpet in a faint, and the note bounced out of her hand, and rolled off, then stopped, as dead as the hope within Silk Wood Manor.

The end

Back to The Library Entrance
Back to The Works of Amelia Rogers