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House, 4 days later, 11am
Scott: *walks in*
Lori: *smiles* Oh you're back. *picks up baby, walks over* How was the meeting with that company that phone you?
Scott: It was interesting. *kisses baby's head*
Baby flails, smiles
Scott: *smiles*
Lori: Where's
my kiss?
Scott: *touches Lori's cheek, kisses her*
Lori: *smirks*
Door whooshes open
Katie: LORI! *runs in*
Lori: Do you ever knock?
Katie: Huh, your father asks me that all the time. The answer is no. Anyway, OH good you got your baby back. Whew. When did you get back?
Lori: 4 days ago. Why was she with uncle Josh?
Katie: Because she wouldn't stop crying.
Lori: *frowns*
Katie: IT'S NOT MY FAULT IF I CAN'T HANDLE THAT ANYMORE, OKAY!
Baby starts to cry
Katie: SEE?
Lori: *angry sigh* Well you're so god damned loud.
Scott: Here, I'll take the little munchkin. *takes baby*
Lori: Thanks.
Scott: Sounds like someone needs a nap. *smiles* I'll be right back.
Lori: *nods*
Scott: *walks upstairs*
Katie: Is there anything he
isn't good at?
Lori: Sure. He couldn't fix the kitchen sink if his life depended on it. You should have seen it, water
everywhere. *smiles* It was adorable. Steph's first laugh at was at her own father.
Katie: And you didn't tape this? I want video evidence!
Lori: Well, she was probably only laughing because
I was laughing my ass off. Might have been a good idea to tell him he had to turn off the water before he started toying with pipes. Thank God it wasn't the toilet he had to fix.
Scott: *walks downstairs* What about the toilet?
Lori: Nothing.
Katie: I hear you took a swim in your own kitchen.
Lori: *snorts*
Scott: *smiles* Somehow I knew that would get around.
Lori: Don't worry, I didn't tell her how I saved your ass.
Scott: If I recall correctly, you were laughing too hard to save my ass.
Lori: *smiles* I couldn't help it.
Katie: Man, I think I just stepped into one of two places. Either the Twilight Zone or a very politically correct, happy-go-lucky laundry detergent commercial.
DING!
Lori: OH! MUFFINS! *runs into kitchen*
Katie: *lifts brow*
Scott: *walks away*
Kitchen
Lori: *places pan on counter* Scott, I don't think they're done.
Scott: They're done.
Lori: How do you know?
Scott: The oven said so.
Lori: What if the oven is wrong?
Scott: The oven's brand new.
Lori: Yeah but someone could have calibrated it wrong.
Scott: Okay, here. *grabs toothpick*
Lori: What the hell am I supposed to do with a toothpick?
Scott: Stick it in the middle of the muffin.
Lori: *jabs toothpick into muffin* Okay, why did I just stab my muffin in the heart?
Scott: Pull the toothpick out.
Lori: *pulls out toothpick*
Scott: Does it have batter on it?
Lori: No, it's clean.
Scott: Then it's ready.
Lori: Ooh low tech. I like that.
Katie: *walks over* Hey Lori, can I ask you a question?
Lori: Sure. *grabs oven mitt*
Katie: What's an AK-74?
Lori: *turns muffin upside town* An assault rifle developed in 1974 that carries 5.45mm bullets with a magazine capacity of 30 and a killing range of 1350 meters. Why?
Katie: Just making sure you're still in there.
Lori: *smiles* Muffin? *hands over muffin*
Katie: ...
Lori: *smile fades*
Katie: ...YOU'RE AWESOME! *hugs Lori*
Lori: Oof.
Scott: *leaning againt counter, pulls piece off muffin* You know, these really do taste better with the chocolate chips.
Lori: Ha. Told you so. Oh geez I hear a certain
someone crying again. I'll be right back. *runs upstairs*
Katie: *spins around* She's awesome.
Scott: Yes, she is. And you've said that.
Katie: Don't ever leave or anything ever again, kay? I like her like this.
Scott: Noted. Would you mind chilling out here for a minute? I'll be right back.
Katie: No problem.
Scott: *walks away*
Katie: More muffins for me. *grabs muffin*
Upstairs, bedroom
Scott: *walks over, leans against door frame*
Lori: Oh I'll be right down. She was hungry.
Scott: *smiles* No rush. I didn't quite get a chance to talk to you alone before your mother got here but uh...I was offered a job.
Lori: *lifts brows* Really. Where?
Scott: Well, it's kind of the same gig I had before. APL Manhattan's opening a branch in Miami and they want me to head that branch.
Lori: I thought they offered you a severance package and sent you on your way.
Scott: They did. But I guess they couldn't find anyone who was willing to relocate to Miami.
Lori: *shrugs* It's better than any stupid severance package even if you're working under some middle-aged balding nitwit who wouldn't understand what to do with his money if it jumped up and bit him between the legs.
Scott: He's doing his best.
Lori: Didn't he pretty much undermine everything you did with the company?
Scott: Yes but that's his right. He's the CEO.
Lori: How come you're not doing what you really want to do?
Scott: *lifts brow* What do I really want to do?
Lori: You want to help people. You want to be hands-on, you don't want to sit behind a desk reading reports.
Scott: *walks in, sits in chair* Now's not exactly a good time to be changing my career path.
Lori: Scott, we share a bank account. I've seen the statements, we're pretty financially secure. You have ample time to change your career if you want to.
Scott: *shakes head* I like the way things are right now. There's no need.
Lori: Okay. But if you ever want to stop paper-pushing, I'm with you.
Scott: *smiles* What would I do without you?
Lori: Well you would never get the kitchen sink fixed, that's for sure.
Scott: *laughs*
Trace Lab
Heather: *places dishes out*
Jenna: *walks in* What are you doing?
Heather: *rubs eyes* Running samples.
Jenna: Are these...all Horatio's hair?
Heather: I am determined to find abnormalities and it's going to start with the hair.
Jenna: So we're not determining if he's dyed it.
Heather: No, I'm on a bigger mission.
Jenna: You're not going to clone anyone are you? Because we don't have the machines for that and I think it's still illegal.
Heather: OH WE SHOULD CLONE HIM! YOU'RE A GENIUS!
Jenna: Let's not.
Heather: Why? What's the harm in creating more than one Horatio Caine? The world would be an even safer place.
Jenna: Yeah but what if it turns out his clone is an evil version of him and he'll have to fight him like in Superman 2 or one of those Spiderman movies?
Heather: Nonsense. That only happens in comic books. The Miami Dade Crime Lab is not sitting in the middle of a comic book.
Jenna: ...It's getting close.
Horatio: *walks in* What are you doing?
Heather: NOTHING! *jumps up onto table, lies across it*
Horatio: ...
Heather: Jenna and I were just running some samples.
Horatio: For what?
Heather: A case.
Horatio: Which case?
Heather: A good one.
Horatio: I never gave you a case.
Heather: I got it from the PD.
Horatio: What's it about?
Heather: Hair.
Horatio: You...received a case about hair.
Heather: Yep.
Horatio: Then why are you lying on the table?
Heather: I was tired. Wanted to take a nap.
Horatio: We have a break room for that.
Heather: I like hard surfaces with...paper and microscopes on them. It's always been a fantasy of mine.
Jenna: There's a cotton swab in your hair.
Heather: ACK! GET IT OUT! *flails at hair, falls off table* AH! *hits floor, swings foot*
Cord stretches, computers fall off table
Heather: NO! *sits up, smacks arm under counter* OW!
GCMS wobbles
Heather: NO NO! *grabs at GCMS*
GCMS slides off counter
Heather: ACK! OW OW! *pushes GCMS off leg*
GCMS slides across floor, smoke billows
Heather: ...*smiles* Tada.
Horatio: *frowns*
Heather: Ooh well that GCMS doesn't look healthy. I'll buy you a new one, how much does it cost?
Horatio: About 250 grand.
Heather: Yowza...uh...well good luck with that. *stands, runs*
Horatio: I should see it coming but I never do. *walks away*
Jenna: I saw it coming! GOLD STAR FOR ME!
Park, downtown Miami
Speed: *snaps pictures*
Calleigh: So...you and Katie.
Speed: What about Katie and I?
Calleigh: You're her mystery man.
Speed: *snaps photos*
Calleigh: I won't tell Anni. But...you know she's willing to talk with you about her condition.
Speed: Didn't really get the memo.
Calleigh: ...She hasn't spoken to you?
Speed: Not in over a week.
Calleigh: Maybe she found out about you and Katie.
Speed: *scoffs* If she had found out, she'd be here right now screaming at the top of her lungs.
Calleigh: So um...how come Katie?
Speed: What do you mean?
Calleigh: You could have found some hooker or one-night stand at a club. But you chose someone you know better than anyone else, someone you loved at one point...someone you vowed never to get involved with ever again.
Speed: I think at this point we can surmise vows mean nothing to me.
Calleigh: For what it's worth, I don't condone what you did but I understand why you would reach out to Katie over anyone else.
Speed: Let's get back to work please.
Calleigh: *nods*
Condo, 4pm
Katie: *knocks on door*
Anni: *opens door*
Katie: I think we should talk.
Anni: *lifts brow* About what?
TBC...................................