"Never Alone" - CSI: Miami- Rave, Cake & Eden

Chapter Seven


​
Ryan walked into his and Maxine's bedroom, closing the door behind him. Maxine walked out of their bathroom. "Is Lia asleep?" Max asked.

"Yeah. I think all of the excitement today kind of exhausted her."

"Yeah. It was a good day." She smiled.

He grinned. "It was, wasn't it?" He sighed. "Except for one part."

"What?"

"I told Lia that there was something I wanted to talk to her about... something serious."

"About what you asked me?"

"Yeah. Lia actually got scared at first because she thought I was going to say that I was sending her away."

"Oh, Ryan." Max said. "You know that she didn't mean that. She's just been through a lot. Her mother abandoned her and she's afraid that everyone else is going to also."

"I know, Max. It's just that... I hate that she's hurting so much, you know? All I could do was assure her that its her mother's issues and its not her fault... and I made sure that she understood that I'm not going to abandon her."

"So, what did she say when you told her about what you were planning to ask me?"

"She said that she thinks its a good idea and that she can see how happy you make me." He said, putting his arms around her.

"I'm happy to, Ryan." She said. "So happy." He kissed her and picked her up, carrying her to the bed. He put her down gently against the mattress and laid over her. They continued to kiss as Max unbuttoned Ryan's shirt. She pulled his shirt off.

Ryan slipped the straps of her gown off her shoulders. "I love you, Maxine." He said as he kissed her shoulder.

"I love you too, Ryan." She said and he kissed her with all of the love and passion that he felt for her.
​
~ ~ ~
​
Later that night, the couple awoke to the sound of Lia screaming. Ryan jumped out of the bed, throwing on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. Max put her gown and robe on and they both went to Lia's room. Max turned on the light while Ryan rushed to Lia's side.

"Lia?" Ryan said. She was sitting up in the bed and it was evident that something had frightened her. "What's wrong, honey? Did you have another bad dream?"

"Yeah."

"It's okay, sweetie. It's over now." He said, kissing her forehead. Max left the room for a minute and then came back.

"It's not just the nightmare that scared me, Uncle Ryan."

"What else scared you, honey?"

"There was something looking in at me... in the window."

"What?"

"I saw glowing eyes."

Ryan stood up and grabbed a flashlight. He went to the window, opening it. "Uncle Ryan, please be careful." Lia said.

Ryan looked out the window with the flashlight.

"Meow!" They heard.

"It's okay." Ryan said. "It was just a stray cat." He closed the window. "Why are the curtains open anyway?"

"I opened them when I got up this morning because I wanted to look out. I forgot to close them back."

"Oh." He replied, closing the curtains.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Ryan."

He sat the flashlight down and walked back over to her. Max was now sitting beside her, holding her hand. Ryan sat at Lia's other side. "It's okay, honey. You have nothing to apologize for." He hugged her.

Max picked up the bag off the other side of the bed and pulled out the dream catcher. "Lia, I forgot to give this to you earlier. I bought it today when Calleigh, Nat and I went into that shop." She handed it to her. "It's a dream catcher. It's supposed to filter out the bad dreams and only let the good ones through to you. Nat said she had one when she was younger and that it worked for her."

"Thank you." Lia said.

"You're welcome. They had them in several different colors, but I knew purple was your favorite."

"Yeah, it is." She smiled.

"Let's put it over your bed, okay?" Ryan said.

"Okay." They hung the dream catcher above Lia's bed.

"There you go." Max said.

"Okay, sweet pea, back in bed." Ryan told his niece. Lia laid down.

Ryan and Max both pulled the covers over Lia. "Goodnight, Lia." They both said. Max kissed her cheek as Ryan kissed her forehead.

"Sweet dreams, honey." Ryan said as he and Max left the room and went back to their own room. "Max, thank you."

"For what?"

"For getting Lia that dream catcher. It meant a lot to her... and to me." He hugged her.

"I just hope it helps."

"Me too." He said as they laid down and covered up. Max put her head against Ryan's chest and he wrapped his arms around her. "Goodnight, Max."

"Night, Ryan." Pretty soon they were both sound asleep.
​
(end of chapter)

--------------------------
​
I have two more chapters written, but I don't want to post them all at once. So, I'll post the others later on. Hope you liked this one. :)​
 
Chapter Eight


​
Ryan, Max and Lia went to visit Horatio (who was still in a coma) at the hospital. "Hi, Horatio. It's Ryan. Max and Lia are here with me."

"Hi." The girls said.

After visiting for a few minutes, Valera stood to her feet. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. You want anything?"

"No, I'm good, babe." Ryan told her.

"How about you, Lia? You want a soda or something?"

"Yes, please."

"What kind?"

"Lemon-lime."

"Okay. I'll be back in a bit." She left the room.

Ryan's cell phone rang. "It's work. I'm going to take it outside. Will you be okay here for a bit?"

"I'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes." He left the room.

"Lieutenant Caine, I don't know if you can hear me, but I need to talk to someone. I can't tell Uncle Ryan or Maxine this because I don't want to worry them. When we were at the fair the other day, I smelled a familiar scent... something that I smelled the night that I was attacked. I thought I was just imagining it, but now I'm not so sure anymore."

"Oh, hi." Lia heard someone say. "I didn't realize anyone was in here."

Lia saw the blonde haired teen boy and smiled. "Hi."

"Who are you exactly?" The boy asked. "I'm Kyle. That's my dad." Another boy walked up beside him. "This is my cousin Ray."

"I'm Lia."

"What's your last name?"

"Wolfe."

"You're related to Ryan?"

"He's my uncle."

"Oh."

"Hey, guys." Calleigh said, walking into the room.

"Hi, Calleigh." The three teens said.

"Boys, could I talk to you outside for a second?"

"Sure." They all walked outside.

"Listen guys, Lia is going to be going to the same high school as you two once school starts back. I was wondering if you two could do me a favor and look out for her. She's been through a lot and..."

"Yeah, I heard her talking to Dad about being attacked."

"Yeah. Her Mom and stepdad went on a trip, leaving her alone. Someone broke into her house and came into her room while she was sleeping."

"You mean someone raped her?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah."

"Has he been caught yet?" Ray inquired.

"No, not yet. We didn't get any hits on the DNA."

"Oh."

"Calleigh, she said something about a smell at the fair reminding her of something she smelled the night she was attacked." Kyle told her.

"Oh, so that's why she had that nightmare." Ryan said, joining them. Max was right beside him.

Ryan and Max walked into the room. "Lia, can we talk to you, honey?" Ryan asked.

"About what?"

"Sweetheart, why didn't you tell us/"

"Tell you what?"

"About the scent you smelled at the fair that reminded you of what happened to you."

"I thought at first that I was imagining it and I didn't want to worry you." She said, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me, Uncle Ryan."

Ryan pulled her into his arms. "I'm not mad at you, baby. It's okay." He kissed her forehead. "But, if anything like that happens again, I want you to tell us, okay?"

"Okay, Uncle Ryan." She said and he kissed her forehead again.
​
~ ~ ~
​
Max and Ryan were on their way back from a case when Ryan's cell phone rang. He was driving, so he asked Max to answer the phone for him.

"Hello?" She said.

"Who is this?"

"This is Maxine."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't recognize your voice. This is Kyle."

"Kyle? What's wrong? Is it your Dad?"

"No." He said. "We're at school."

"What's going on?" Ryan asked Max.

"Kyle, I'm going to put you on speaker okay? Ryan's driving right now." She pushed the speaker button.

"Kyle?" Ryan said.

"Ryan, you should really come up here to the school."

"Why? What happened? Is Lia hurt?"

"No, she's..." He paused. "She freaked out in the hallway. Ray and I are with her."

"What do you mean she freaked out?"

"She..."

"Can I talk to her?"

"I don't think she's able to talk right now, Ryan. She's kind of spaced out."

"What happened, Kyle?"

"She said something about a smell. I think she meant the same one she smelled when she was attacked. She's kind of in shock or something... catatonic-like. I don't know, but whenever anyone tries to talk to her, it's like she doesn't hear us."

"Okay. We're on our way. Please stay with her until we arrive."

"We will."

"Thank you for calling me, Kyle."

"No problem."
​
~ ~ ~
​
"Lia, I called your uncle." Kyle told the girl. "He's on his way. It's gonna be okay." Lia didn't respond. They were all sitting in the office as they waited for Ryan and Max to arrive.

"Boys, why don't you go on back to class now." The assistant principal said.

"We can't, Mrs. Daniels." Ray said.

"Lia's uncle asked us to stay with her until he gets here." Kyle added. "And I promised him that we would." He took hold of Lia's hand. "Lia, we're not leaving you, okay?"
​
~ ~ ~
​
Ryan and Max pulled up in the school parking lot. They both got out of the vehicle quickly. Ryan took Max's hand and they went inside the building.

"Hey, Ryan." Kyle said. "Maxine." He was standing right outside the office door.

"Hey." He and max walked into the office and saw Lia, who was still spaced out. Ray was sitting beside her. "Lia?" Ryan said, kneeling in front of her.

"Thanks for staying with her, guys." Max told the boys.

"No problem." Kyle said and Ray nodded. "She's really scared. I think we should call Tripp and see if maybe he can get a lockdown on the school. If the guy who hurt Lia is here, we can't let him get away."

"Good idea, Kyle. I'll call him." Max said.

"Lia, sweetheart? It's Uncle Ryan. Can you hear me?"

She blinked and looked at him. "Uncle Ryan?"

"I'm here, honey." He hugged her. "I'm right here."

"I think..."

"What, honey?"

"I think he's here, Uncle Ryan. I'm scared that he's following me or something. What if he tries to hurt me again?"

"It's okay, baby. I will never let anyone hurt you. You're safe." He held her as she cried. "Shh... it's okay, baby."

"Lia," Valera said, "that night did the guy say anything to you?"

She nodded. "What did he say, honey?" Ryan asked.

"He said: don't scream and I won't hurt you." She answered, tears running down her face. "But, he did hurt me. I did as he said. I didn't scream and he still hurt me." She cried.

"Oh, baby." Ryan said, hugging her again. "You're safe now. I've got you." He kissed her forehead as he tried to hold back his own tears. Seeing his niece hurting and so frightened nearly killed him. He wanted to find the monster who had hurt her and he wanted to break his neck. "Shh..." He whispered, still holding her. "I'm here, baby. No one can hurt you now." He kissed her forehead again.​

~ ~ ~
​
Ryan and Lia were in a room where they were about to view a lineup. Each person was supposed to say the line Lia heard the night she was attacked. That way, she could identify her attacker. They all had their faces covered though. Lia looked up at Ryan, fear in her eyes.

"It's okay, baby." He told her. "They can't see you and I'm right here. You're safe."

Each person said the line. "Lia?" Tripp said.

"He's not there." She told him, leaning her head against Ryan. He kissed her forehead.

Frank spoke into the microphone. "Bring in the next group." He said.

When Lia heard the familiar voice, she grabbed Ryan's hand.

"Lia?" Ryan asked.

"Number three." She said, leaning against Ryan again. He just hugged her. "Uncle Ryan, can we go home now, please?"

"Yeah, honey." He kissed her crown. "Let's go home."
​

(end of chapter)

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​
I have one more chapter written so far. I'll post it later on. This one was longer than I thought it was or I would have posted both of them already. :lol: Hope you liked this chapter. :)​
 
I just wrote a poem and put it on a wall. It kind of fits the chapter of this fic where Ryan proposed to Valera. Here it is (click to enlarge the pic):


 
Chapter Nine

~A few months later~

​

Since Lia's mother and stepfather could not be reached, a judge awarded Ryan temporary custody of Lia (until her mother oculd be reached). Horatio had recovered enough to be released from the hospital, but he had to stay with someone for a while until he was back to 100%. He stayed with Yelina and the boys.
​
~ ~ ~

​
Lia walked out of the school building and saw Ryan and Max waiting outsie for her. Lia was with Kyle, Ray and two girls. Lia waved at Ryan and Max and they waved back.

"Who is that?" One of the girls asked Lia.

"That's my Uncle and his fiancee." Lia replied.

"Wow!" The second girl said. "Your uncle is cute!"

"Hey, Ryan." Kyle said. "Hey, Maxine."

"Hey, guys." Max said.

"Hey." Ryan added.

"Uncle Ryan, Maxine, this is Charlotte and Danielle."

"Hi, girls." Max smiled at them.

"Nice to meet you." Ryan said.

"Kyle, Ray, do you need a ride?" Max inquired.

"No thanks, Maxine." Kyle answered. "I've got my car."

Someone honked their horn. "Oh, that's my Mom." Danielle said. "We have to go. Bye, Lia. Bye, guys." She told Lia and the boys. "Nicke to meet you both." She said to Ryan and Max. "Come on, Char." She grabbed the other girl's hand and they walked toward her Mom's car.

"We'll see you all later." Kyle said.

"Okay, guys. Drive safely." Max told them.

"We will." They walked toward Kyle's car.

Lia, Max and Ryan got into Ryan's car. "Guess what!" Lia said.

"What?" Max asked.

"I got the lead in the school play!"

"Oh, honey, that's great!" Max said.

"Yeah, that's awesome, Lia!" Ryan smiled at his niece through the rear view mirror.

"You two will come, right?"

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, sweet pea." Ryan told her.

"I'll get the whole team to come. I'm not sure if Horatio is up to it, but we could ask."

​
~ ~ ~
​
The whole team had gone to the play. Horatio was not 100% yet, so he was in a wheelchair (which he absolutely hated). Kyle and Ray were also in the play. Frank was filming it. After the play was over, everyone cheered and clapped.

"Now," the drama teacher said, "let me introduce you to our cast." The teacher guestured toward Lia, Kyle and Ray. "Lia Wolfe, Kyle Harmon, Ray Caine."

Ryan and the others cheered when Lia, Kyle and Ray's names were called. Ryan saw a look on Lia's face and immediately knew that something was wrong. Lia suddenly passed out right there on the stage. Everyone gasped in shock.

"Lia!" Ryan exclaimed, jumping up from his seat and running toward the stage with Max and the others closely behind him. Frank was already calling 911. Ryan got to Lia's side quickly, checking her vitals. "Lia, can you hear me, sweetheart?" He didn't know what had happened, but he didn't see any visible wounds on her anywhere. Flashes of holding his brother in his arms as he died went through Ryan's mind. He shook them away. No! He would not lose Lia too. He couldn't. "Come on, baby girl. Open your eyes."

Her eyes fluttered open slowly. "Uncle Ryan." She said, her voice strained. "It hurts."

"What hurts, baby?"

"My side." She said, before passing out again.

"Lia!" Ryan was trying to stay calm, but he was quickly losing it. He was afraid for her... afraid that he was going to lose her too. Tears filled his eyes as he held her in his arms.

"Ryan?"

The familiar voice caused him to turn around. He saw Alexx standing nearby. "Alexx, can you help her? I don't know what's wrong with her."

"Ryan, stay calm, baby. I'll check on her." Alexx said, moving toward Lia. She looked her over carefully. "Did she say anything?"

"She said her side was hurting."

"Her side?" Alexx asked. "I think it may be her appendix. We need to get her to a hospital right away."
​
~ ~ ~
​

At the hospital, everyone was waiting to find out how Lia was. Ryan was worried sick. He and Max were clinging to each other, both with tears in their eyes.

"Mr. Wolfe?" A doctor said, walking toward them.

"How is she, Doctor?" Ryan asked. "Is she okay?"

"Your daughter's going to be fine, Mr. Wolfe." The doctor said. Ryan didn't bother to correct him. Lia was like a daughter to him anyway.

"What's wrong with her?" Kyle asked. "Was Alexx right? Was it her appendix?"

"Yes, we had to remove it. She'll be fine. She's a little groggy, but you may go in and see her. Only two of you at a time though."

"Thank you, Doctor." Ryan said, taking Max's hand.

"I'll take you to her room." The three of them walked to Lia's room. The doctor walked in first. "Hi, Lia. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

She was still a little out of it from the meds. "I need..."

"What is it, sweetie?" He asked.

"I need my Uncle Ryan." She said softly.

Ryan walked into the room with Max behind him. "I'm right here, sweetheart." Ryan said, moving to the bed and taking her hand. He kissed her forehead.

"Oh, you're her uncle." The doctor said.

"Yeah. My brother passed away four years ago. I have custody of Lia." Ryan told him.

"What about her Mom?"

"She didn't want me." Lia said, sadly.

The doctor's mouth formed and "O". he couldn't figured out how anyone could not want their own daughter, let alone one as sweet as Lia. "Well, I'll come back and check on you later, Lia." He said, leaving the room.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Max asked.

"Did I mess up the play?"

"No, baby." Ryan told her. "You finished the play and then passed out."

"Oh. How was it?"

"What?"

"The play."

"Oh." He said. "You did a great job, honey." He stroked her forehead with his thumb before kissing her crown.

"You rocked!" Max added, causing Lia to grin.

"Yeah, I second that." Ryan smiled. "I think everyone was really impressed."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

"Uncle Ryan?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"Can we go home now?"

"I don't know, honey. They may want to keep you here overnight."

"I'll go find the doctor and ask him." Max said.

"Thanks, Max." Ryan told her.

"I'll be back in a bit." She started for the door.

"Max?" Ryan called and she turned to look at him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What's that?"

"My kiss." He said with a grin. He was now sitting on the bed beside Lia. Max laughed and walked over to him. She pecked him on the lips. "Thank you." He said. She smiled, kissing him again. She kissed Lia's forehead before leaving the room.

"Uncle Ryan?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to stay here by myself."

"Don't worry, honey." He told her. "Calleigh's already said that if you have to stay overnight that she'd be glad to stay with you. Jake has to go to work in about an hour and he has to work a double."

"Oh."

"So, what do you think?"

"Yeah, that's fine." She said, laying her head against his shoulder. He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry that I scared you today."

"That wasn't your fault, sweet pea. I'm just so glad that you're okay." He kissed her forehead again.

When Max returned to the room, both Ryan and Lia were asleep. Max smiled and decided to let them sleep for a little while. She went to the gift shop to find something for Lia.

Lia did end up having to stay overnight and Calleigh stayed with her. The two of them looked at bridal magazines for inspiration for Calleigh's dress and the bridesmaids dresses for Calleigh and Jake's upcoming wedding.
​
~ ~ ~​

Ryan and Max were at home in bed. Max's head was on Ryan's chest. His arms were around her back. "Ryan?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever think about..." She paused.

"About what, Max?"

"About us... having a baby."

"All the time, Max." He answered, kissing her crown.

"Me too. But, I would want us to talk to Lia first to see how she'd feel about it. I mean, I don't want her to feel like..." She paused again.

"It's funny that you said that. Earlier at the hospital, Lia asked me if you and I were planning on having kids. I told her we hadn't talked about it, but that it was something that I'd thought a lot about. She said that she thinks it would be cool to have a little cousin around."

"She did?"

"Yeah. She even said she'd help out. So, I don't think we have to worry about her feeling left out."

"Okay." She said and Ryan kissed her.

"I love you, Max."

"I love you too, Ryan."

He pulled her toward him and kissed her passionately.​

(end of chapter)

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Okay, that's the last of the already written chapters. I'll try to write another one soon. :) Hope you like this one. Let me know what you think. :)​
 
My muse for this fic seems to have taken a vacation. :lol: I wrote like a page a half of chapter ten then, my muse left. Hopefully the muse will return soon. :)
 
Sorry for the delay. I have some of the next chapter written, but I haven't been able to finish it. Our girl dogs got in a fight and the older one had to be taken to the vet to be stitched up. We've been having to build another pen to the put her in to separate them. Baby is not such a baby anymore. She's starting to want to challenge Mama for title of alpha female. :lol: So, I haven't had a lot of chances to write the rest of the chapter. I usually do it late at night before going to bed, but lately I haven't been able to do that. I've been too tired. :lol:

I'll try to get the chapter up before the weekend's over.
 
Chapter Ten​


Max had taken the day off work because she wasn't feeling well. Ryan wanted to stay with her, but she had told him that she'd be fine. He said that he'd come by on his lunch break and check on her, so he did.​

"Max?" He called as he walked into the bedroom where she was lying in the bed. She was asleep. He smiled and climbed into bed with her. He pulled her body against his own, holding her while she slept.​

After a little while, she opened her eyes, realizing that he was holding her. "Mmm..." She mumbled against his chest. "Hey."​

"Hi, babe." He said. "How are you feeling?" He kissed her forehead.​

"A little better."​

"Well, a little bit is better than none, right?"​

"Yeah."​

"Do you need anything, honey? Want me to make you some noodle soup or anything?"​

"No, I'm okay."​

"Are you sure? You don't need any medicine or anything?"​

"No, Ryan. All I need is for you not to let go."​

"Do you want me to take the rest of the day off?"​

"No, it's okay."​

"If you need me here, I can take off the rest of the day."​

"It's okay."​

"Baby, I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone while you're sick. I was worried the whole time I was gone. It was kind of hard to concentrate. I really think I should stay here."​

"Okay."​

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "So, what do you want to do? Watch tv? Listen to music? Play cards?"​

She laughed. "I just want to lay here with you."​

"Okay. Sounds good to me." He kissed her cheek. "I love you, Max."​

"I love you too, Ryan."​

~ ~ ~​

Ryan had to make a quick trip to the store to pick up some medicine for Maxine. He got stuck in traffic on the way to the store. So, the trip wasn't as quick as he intended it to be.​

~ ~ ~​

The lock on the door opened easily with the person's skilled hands.​

Max came out of the bathroom and walked into the living room, seeing the intruder. "What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in? Where's Ryan?"​

"I would assume he's at work."​

"No, he took off the rest of the day. He went to get me some medicine from the store. Did you do something to him?"​

"Of course not."​

~ ~ ~​

Ryan finally made it to the store. Realizing that his phone needed charging, he plugged it in and left it in the car to charge.​

~ ~ ~​

Lia walked out of the school building to find Jake and Calleigh waiting for her. "Who are they?" Lia's friend Danielle asked.​

"Calleigh and her husband Jake. They work with my uncle."​

"Oh."​

"And yeah, I know what you're going to say. He's cute."​

"Yeah."​

"They just got back yesterday... from their honeymoon."​

"Where's your uncle?"​

"Oh, I don't know. I guess he couldn't get away from work. I'll see you later. Unless you need a ride?"​

"Zack's going to take me home. We're going to hang out."​

"Zack's your boyfriend?"​

"Yeah."​

"Okay. I'll see you later."​

"Bye."​

Lia walked toward Calleigh and Jake. "Hey."​

"Hey, kiddo." Jake said, smiling at the teen.​

"How was your day, sweetie?" Calleigh asked.​

"It was fine. Where's Uncle Ryan?"​

"He took the rest of the day off to stay with Max. He said he was having a hard time concentrating on work because he was worried about her since she's sick. Since Jake and I both still had the day off, I told him we'd pick you up."​

~ ~ ~​

They pulled up in the driveway. Lia got out and went to the door, finding it unlocked. "That's strange." She said, knowing that they never left the door unlocked and knowing that Ryan's car was not there. Lia walked back over to Calleigh and Jake's car.​

"Something wrong, sweetie?" Calleigh asked.​

"Uncle Ryan's car isn't here."​

"Yeah, he had to go to the store to pick up some medicine for Max."​

"Something isn't right."​

"What do you mean, honey?" Jake asked the teen.​

"The door is unlocked. They never leave it unlocked."​

Calleigh and Jake got out of the car and walked toward the front door. "Jake, it looks like this lock has been tampered with." Calleigh said.​

Jake went around to the window to see if he could see in. He walked back over to the car to get his gun. "Lia, I think you were right." He said.​

"Jake?" Calleigh asked.​

"There's someone in there. It looks like they may have Maxine tied up... and I think they have a gun."​

"Oh My God!" Lia said, tears filling her eyes.​

"Lia, do you have a key to the back door?" Jake asked and the girl nodded. She pulled out the key and handed it to him.​

"Okay, you two stay here."​

"Jake!" Lia said. "Be careful."​

"I will." He replied as Calleigh hugged Lia. "I love you." Jake mouthed to Calleigh. She mouthed it back and Jake went around the back.​

"I need to call Uncle Ryan." Lia said.​

"I'll do it." Calleigh told her, pulling out her phone. "He isn't answering. He must have left the phone in the car. I'll leave a message."​

A few minutes later, Calleigh looked at Lia. "Do you smell smoke?" Lia asked.​

"Oh My God!" Calleigh said, noticing the house was on fire. "Jake! Maxine!"​

"Calleigh, look!" Lia said. They saw Jake coming out of the house, one arm around a coughing Maxine, the other around an unconscious blonde.​

"Erica!" Calleigh said.​

"Crazy bitch set the house on fire." Maxine coughed as Calleigh took hold of her.​

"Maxine!" Lia said, running toward her and hugging her.​

"Hey, sweetie." Max said, just before passing out.​

Calleigh called Ryan again on the way to the hospital. This time, he answered.​

~ ~ ~​

Ryan rushed into the hospital. "Uncle Ryan!" Lia said, running to him with tears in her eyes. She threw her arms around him.​

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" He asked, kissing her crown.​

"Yeah. The doctors said that Maxine is okay, but she hasn't been awake since she passed out."​

"What happened?"​

"When we got to the house, Jake and Calleigh waited for me to get inside. When I walked up to the door, it was unlocked and I knew something was wrong because its never unlocked. I went back to the car to tell Calleigh and Jake. They got out and looked at the door. Calleigh noticed the lock had been tampered with. Jake went to the side window and said he saw someone in there with Maxine and it looked like she was tied up and that the person had a gun. So, Jake went to get his gun. He asked for the key to the back door and I gave it to him. He went to the back and we waited outside. Then I smelled smoke and we looked up and the house was on fire. Jake got Maxine out of there safely."​

Jake and Calleigh walked toward them. "Hey, Ryan." Calleigh said.​

"Hey." He said as Calleigh hugged him.​

"Maxine's going to be okay." Calleigh assured him.​

He nodded, looking at Jake. "Thank you, Jake... for saving her." He held out his hand.​

Jake shook his hand firmly. "No problem."​

"Maxine isn't the only one Jake pulled out of the house, Ryan." Calleigh said.​

"What?" He said. "Oh. You mean the perpetrator?"​

Calleigh nodded. "Ryan, it was Erica."​

"Erica!" Ryan exclaimed. "Why did she do it?"​

"We don't know." Jake told him. "Maxine didn't get a chance to tell us."​

~ ~ ~​

Ryan walked into the hospital room. "Hi, Ryan." The woman smiled brightly.​

"Don't!" Ryan said. "How could you, Erica? What the hell is wrong with you?"​

"All's fair in love and war, Ryan."​

"Hurting Max, almost killing her... that isn't fair. And this isn't war. YOu and I didn't work for a reason. And there is nothing in this world that can ever make me want to get together with you again!"​

"Did you ever love me, Ryan?"​

Ryan laughed. "It never went that far and you know it! We broke up a long time ago, Erica. I love Max. I'm going to marry her."​

"You're engaged?"​

"Yes, we are. If you come near me or my family again... I'll..." He paused, looking at her wrist which was cuffed to the rail on the hospital bed. "Well, I guess you won't be able to because you're going to jail for a very long time. For what you did to Max and for the fact that you burned down my house!"​

"Your house burned down?"​

"Oh, stop playing innocent, Erica! The house can be replaced. Though the three of us have to stay in a hotel until I can find another place. But, the house doesn't matter. Maxine is what matters. You almost killed her, Erica!"​

"The three of you? She's pregnant?"​

"No, my niece lives with us."​

"Oh, I didn't know that. She wasn't there was she? I didn't hurt her did I?"​

"She was outside having just gotten home from school."​

"Oh, okay... that's good then." She looked at Ryan. "Are these cuffs really necessary?"​

"I'm not going to even dignify that with an answer."​

"Come on, Ryan."​

"You tried to kill someone, you moron! Of course the cuffs are necessary. And not just any someone either, but my someone... the woman I love! You aren't getting any sympathy from me! So, you might as well stop right nwo. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to make sure they throw the book at you!"​

"Ryan, I'm sorry. I only did it because-"​

"Stop!" He said. "Save it! It doesn't matter why you did it. I don't care why. I only care that you are punished for it! You could apologize until you're blue in the face, but I will NEVER accept it! Goodbye!" He walked out of the room.​

~ ~ ~​

Ryan walked into Maxine's hospital room. Lia looked up from the chair beside Max's bed. Max was still asleep. "Hey, Lia."​

"Hi, Uncle Ryan. She hasn't been awake yet if you were wondering."​

"That could be because she was already sick before Erica showed up."​

"Uncle Ryan?"​

"Yeah?"​

"Who was she?"​

"Someone I dated a long time ago."​

"Oh. She's obsessed with you or something?"​

"I guess, but you don't have to worry about her anymore, honey. She's going to jail for a very long time."​

"That's good." She stood up. "I've got to go to the bathroom."​

"Okay." Ryan said as Lia walked into the bathroom. Ryan walked over to Max's bed and took hold of her hand. He looked at the ring on her finger and kissed her forehead.​

Her eyes fluttered, but did not open. "Ryan?" She asked in a whisper.​

"I'm here, baby." He said.​

She opened her eyes. "Hey."​

"Hi." He said. "Baby, I'm so sorry." He told her with tears in his eyes.​

"For what?"​

"I didn't know she was so psychotic."​

"Oh, Ryan... this isn't your fault."​

"I was just so afraid that I could have..." He shook his head. "I don't even want to think about what might have happened if Calleigh and Jake hadn't been there." He hugged her. "I love you so much, Max."​

"I love you too, Ryan." She replied and he kissed her. He sat down on the bed beside her, putting an arm around her. "Ryan, you want to watch some tv?"​

"Sure." He grabbed the remote and turned on the tv.​


(end of chapter)​

------------------------------------------​

Sorry this took so long to get up. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon. :)​
 
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i read this fic a few days ago when i was still lurking on the board. I really love the story line and i think ryan and valera are great together. i really didnt like that erica and more so didnt like her being around ryan. i was so made when it seemed like he liked her and she used him. great story..will there be more?
 
I've got more outlined out, but just haven't written the chapters yet. :) HOpefully it won't take me as long this time to get more up.
 
Thanks, glad you like it. I'm going to try to get another chapter done at least by this weekend (hopefully). :)
 
Chapter Eleven


​
Horatio was shocked when Yelina gave him an envelope addressed to him with his brother's handwriting on it. In the letter, Ray said he had sensed sparks between Horatio and Yelina. He knew neither had ever acted on them, despite thinking Ray was dead. he told Horatio in the letter that if he died for real, he wanted them to act on their feelings and not hold back out of loyalty toward him.
​
~ ~ ~
​
Eric and Natalia were at his place listening to the radio and dancing. Eric kissed her softly. "I love you, Talia."

She smiled. "I love you too, Eric." She took his hand and they walked toward the bedroom.
​
~ ~ ~
​
Ryan walked toward the morgue, stopped by Elaine Keeley (the new M.E.). She had blonde hair and blue-green eyes. She was in her late thirties to early forties and was very pretty. She had an Irish accent. "Ryan, hold on." She said.

"What is it?"

"Before you go inside, there are some things you should know."

"What's that?"

"The victim is a young girl around fourteen or so."

"Oh."

"Ryan." Calleigh said, walking out of the morgue with an odd look on her face.

"Hey, Cal."

"Ryan, I think you know the victim." Calleigh told him.

"What?" He started to panic. "No! Please tell me it's not Lia in there!"

"No, darlin'." Elaine said. "It's not Lia."

"Thank God!"

"I think it's one of her friends." Calleigh said. "I saw her with Lia when Jake and I picked Lia up from school that day."

"Oh."

"Ryan, I need you to tell me if you know her name."

"Well, I only know the names of two of her friends. Danielle and Charlotte. So, it could be one of them." The three of them walked into the morgue. Ryan looked at the girl. "Oh, God!" He said softly. "Danielle."

"Do you know her last name?"

"No, I don't."

"You're going to have to ask Lia."

"She's going to be devastated." He said, rubbing his neck. "Kyle or Ray might also know her. I think the five of them were friends. The boys, Lia, Danielle and Charlotte."

"Okay, I'll talk to the boys." Calleigh said. "But, Ryan... you're going to have to tell Lia."

"I know."

"I'll see you later." She walked out of the room.

"Ryan, are you okay, darlin'?" Elaine asked in her Irish brogue.

"I just don't know how I'm going to tell Lia that her best friend is dead. Did you know that I was the one who told her about her father? She lost her father and her mother abandoned her. Then she was raped by a stranger who broke into her house while she was asleep... and now this? How much more can one little girl take?"

"She'll be fine, Ryan."

"How do you know?"

"Because she's got you and Max... as well as this whole team. We'll all get her through this."
​
~ ~ ~
​
Ryan walked into the DNA lab. Max looked up. "Hey!" She smiled, but dropped that smile when she saw the look on her fiance's face. "Ryan, what's wrong?" She walked over to him and took his hands in her own. "Ryan, please talk to me."

"Do you remember Danielle?"

"Lia's friend?"

"Yeah."

"I remember her."

"She's dead."

"What?"

"She's in the morgue. Calleigh recognized her from the day she and Jake picked Lia up at school. But, she didn't know her name. I had to identify her. And now I have to tell Lia. That little girl has been through so much in her life. I just wish I could take all the pain for her. You know? How am I going to tell her that her best friend is dead?"

"We'll tell her together."

He nodded. "Thanks, Max." He hugged her.
​
~ ~ ~
​
"Calleigh." Horatio said, catching up to her in the hallway.

"Hey."

"Elaine said that the teenage murder victim might be a friend of Kyle, Ray and Lia?"

"Yes, I know she was friends with Lia. Ryan thinks that they were all friends though."

"Did Ryan know her name?"

"Only her first name... Danielle."​

~ ~ ~
​
Ryan, Max and Lia walked into their house (a new one of course). "I'm going to go start on my homework." Lia announced.

"Sweetheart, hold on a minute." Ryan said.

"What is it, Uncle Ryan?"

"Honey, there's something that we have to tell you." Max told the teen. "Let's all go sit down in the living room." They all went to sit on the couch, Lia in the middle.

"What's going on?"

"I have some bad news, honey." Ryan said. "It's about Danielle."

"She's dead isn't she?" Lia asked.

"Lia, why would you say that?" Max asked.

"She is, isn't she?"

"Yes, baby." Ryan told her. "She is." He brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, Lia."

"I knew I should have said something."

"Said something about what, honey?" Max asked her.

"I saw bruises on her a lot. She was always putting makeup on to cover them up. She said they were skating wounds."

"What kind of skating?"

"Roller and skateboarding."

"Oh."

"That's what she said. And I know she liked to do both, so I didn't think anything else about it at the time."

"Did she have a boyfriend?"

"Zack. I never met him." She gasped. "She said he was picking her up that day that Calleigh and Jake picked me up. The next day, Danielle had bruises."

"Do you know Zack's last name?"

"No, but he doesn't go to our school. I think he may have already graduated."

"Danielle was only fourteen wasn't she?"

"No, she was sixteen. She was a grade higher than I am."

"Oh."

"So, you think this Zack may be eighteen?" Ryan asked.

"At least."

"Did she say anything else about him?"

"Only that she'd known him for years and that he drives a sports car." She dug in her backpack, pulling out a picture. "She gave me this picture of her in front of his car." She handed the picture to Ryan. "Do you think this might help?"

"Yes, it might." He said. "What was Danielle's last name?"

"Carsona."

"And her parents?" Max asked.

"She was always complaining about her stepmom. She adored her Dad though. Her real mom died when she was just seven. I think that's why we bonded ... because I wasn't much older when Dad died."

Ryan nodded. "So, Danielle didn't like her stepmother?"

"Not really. She thought she was after her Dad's money."

"They are wealthy?"

"Well, sort of, I guess. He had a big business company. She worked there. Danielle did as well sometimes. She thought her stepmom was stealing from the company, but she didn't have proof."

"What about her Dad?"

"She loved her dad. She was always saying how great he was and that he deserved much better than the wife he had."

"Did he think the stepmom was stealing too?"

"Oh, no. Danielle said she had him blinded." She paused. "Not literally, of course."

"What is her stepmom's name?"

"I don't know."

"Did Danielle have any enemies at school that you know of?"

"Not as far as I know."

"Okay, honey. That's all for now." Ryan said.

"This is all my fault." She cried.

"No, baby." Ryan hugged her.

"I should have said something about her bruises. I shouldn't have believed her excuses. If I had said something, maybe she'd still be alive."

"This isn't your fault, angel." He said, pressing a kiss into her hair. He held her for several minutes before getting up to make some phone calls. Afterward, he scanned the picture into the computer and emailed it to Calleigh.
​
(end of chapter)​

--------------------------

I do have chapter 12 written, but I will post it later. Hope you liked this chapter.

Who do you think killed Danielle?

Her boyfriend, stepmom or someone else? :)​
 
I have the next chapter written, I just keep forgetting to post it. I'm going out of town in the morning till Sunday and won't have internet access while I'm gone. I'll try to get the chapter up when I get home.
 
Chapter Twelve​


"Uncle Ryan?" Lia said.​

"Yeah?"​

"Is it okay if I check my email?"​

"Sure, sweet pea." He got up from the computer chair to allow Lia to sit there. He placed a kiss on her crown.​

"I got an email from Danielle. Do you think it could be something useful for the investigation?"​

"Could be." Ryan answered.​

"Only one way to find out." She said, taking a deep breath before opening the email. She read it outloud:​

Lia, ​

I was right about SM.​


"SM?" Max asked.​

"Stepmom?" Ryan shrugged.​

Lia continued to read the email:​

I've got the proof now. I'm sending you this in case something happens to me.​

~ ~ ~ ​

Meanwhile, Calleigh and Natalia had found Zack and were interrogating him.​

"Why am I here?" Zack asked.​

"Danielle Carsona." Calleigh answered.​

"My girlfriend. What about her? Look, I know she's sixteen and I'm eighteen, but we haven't had sex yet, I swear! We were going to wait until she was old enough for it not to be a problem."​

"Really?" Natalia asked.​

"Look, I love her, all right! She's special. She's more than worth the wait."​

"Have you ever hit her?" Natalia inquired, feeling thoughts of her past coming back.​

"No!" He exclaimed. "Why would you ask that?"​

"Because there were bruises all over her!" Natalia answered.​

"I swear I didn't hurt her! Is she okay?"​

"No, Zack." Calleigh said. "I'm afraid Danielle is dead."​

"What!" He said in shock as tears formed in his eyes. "Oh My God!" He looked at the two women. "You think I did it?"​

"Everyone is a suspect at this point." Calleigh told him.​

"I would never hurt her. I loved her more than anything."​

"Did you ever notice any bruises on her?"​

"No, but I did notice she'd been wearing a lot more makeup lately. I asked her about it and she claimed she had some breakouts." He sighed. "Wait! She was a skater."​

"A skater?"​

"Skateboard and roller. Maybe that's how she got the bruises. I remember one time I did notice she had a shiner. She said the skateboard hit her in the eye or something."​

~ ~ ~​


Back at Ryan's, Lia was still reading Danielle's email.
​

I didn't tell you the whole truth about my bruises though they have nothing to do with SM. I'm not exactly an angel. An older friend of mine asked me to fill in for her in a race since I'm good at roller skating and skateboarding... and her kid got sick... so she had to stay with him. I didn't know until I got there that it was a roller derby race. She had told them I was old enough. Anyway, after I did it once, I was hooked. I'm kind of an adrenaline junky. I couldn't help it. That's how I got the bruises. By the way, I won several races and I think that was part of the appeal too. And no, I'm not taking any steroids in case you were wondering.​


"Elaine said that the bruises looked like those of a roller derby champion she once had on her table." Ryan said.​

Lia continued to read the email.​

If anything happens to me, Lia... I've hidden the evidence about SM.​

She left some kind of code with numbers. "What does this stuff mean, Uncle Ryan?" Lia asked.​

"I think it's a safe deposit box at a bank." Ryan answered. "Who is Angela?"​

"That was her Mom's name." Lia said.​

"Okay." He picked up the phone and dialed. Lia forwarded the email to Calleigh. "Hey, Cal. It's Ryan. Listen, Lia got an email from Danielle. She forwarded it to you. Danielle claimed to have evidence hidden about her stepmom. I think she hid it in a safety deposit box at a bank under her Mom's first name... Angela. It's under a different last name. Possibly Angela's maiden name or her mother's maiden name."​

"Okay, Ryan." Calleigh said. "Thanks. I'll keep you posted."​


(end of chapter)​

--------​

There we go. Finally got the chapter up. I'll try to write more soon. :)​
 
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