[CSI AU]

"If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't."

      -Sara Sidle

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"It's not like I don't want her to be happy," Katelyn said, using the pipette and inserting it on the slide. She adjusted her googles in an anxious manner. "I just...really don't have any faith in Aaron after finding th--"

"Katelyn, calm down," Travis reassured, "I was the one asking if that was what we really found on those bed sheets. I'm calmed down now. You're jumping to conclusions now. So, I took the initiative to ask Laurance when he comes back to do an SAE kit on Lucinda."

She gave him a smile, "Thanks."

"I hate to break up the lovebirds," Laurance said, tapping the door frame with papers, "But I have your SAE kit results."

He walked over to the two, slamming the papers down in the middle of both of their microscopes. It was completely blank. The two looked at him weirdly. "No activity in the past 3 days. She couldn't have been with Aaron at the time of the murder."

"Doesn't mean she wasn't sleeping with him before them," Travis replied, killing the mood for both of them or so he thought.

"Aphmau changes their sheets every night. She's not the jealous type but likes to prove to her husband and sometimes herself that neither one of them are having an affair. Aaron wasn't having an affair. I would know before either of you schmucks did if he did," Katelyn bragged, making both of the men roll their eyes.

"Oh bite me. I had to work with a psychotic little b--" Laurance got interrupted by someone yelling. He looked at the window first.

"YOU SICK PERVERTED BASTARD!" A woman yelled at presumably, Laurance. Travis and Katelyn both looked at the woman, resisting the two officers. Travis and Lucinda made eye contact. "That guy knows me! He'll tell you I'm innocent, I swear!"

Katelyn faced Travis, crossing her arms with the papers in her hands. "You know her?"

"When I was young and dumb,  yes," Travis muttered almost ashamed with a hint of fear laced in between his sentences. He looked straight at the woman with the blue hair, almost pleading for her forgiveness.

"So obviously you've seen her recently," Katelyn said, grabbing the SAE kit results in her hands. Her grip on it almost crumpled the very edge of the paper as she glared at both of them. "Well, I'm going to take this to Aphmau, she's with Garroth right now."

Travis gripped Katelyn's wrist before she turned around from both of them. "That was years ago, Kate. C'mon, I haven't seen her at all since then and especially since we've started dating."

Laurance, baffled, looked at both of them. They knew better than to be fratenizing with each other, they would be switched to different shifts and day shift is a freaking nightmare. Originally, their whole 'romance' was a complete inside joke but this, this proved everyone wrong. "You guys have been seeing each other?"

Katelyn glared at Travis even harder. "Now, look at you! We agreed to keep this secret. If Garroth knew, which you better not tell him Laurance, he would surely not accept it."

"Well, I guess you're wrong, Katelyn," Garroth said, looking at them ever so casually at the door frame. He started walking over to them. "I'm going to keep shut to the D.A about this ordeal because right now, we have a bigger issue. Travis, Laurance, we're going to apprehend a suspect. Katelyn, you're staying here to interrogate Lucinda. Hope you have fun with that."

Katelyn shook off Travis' hold on her wrists. She turned away from him, placing the papers down on the table to discard her protective gear. "I'll go do that. Hope you get the perp."

She started walking away from the men but before she did, Garroth tapped on her shoulder making her turn back around. "Katelyn, ask Lucinda if she knows Lily Donovan."

Katelyn nodded okay as she left the others to themselves. She walked out of there, cursing obscenities under her breath as she walked to the interrogation room which was strangely locked for some reason. She cocked her head, looking at Zane who seemed to be as forlorn as usual. He was standing in front of the door.

"What's up with Lucinda?" Katelyn asked, catching Zane's attention.

"She's calling her attorney, Lily Donovan, I believe," Zane said, taking out the folder of pictures Garroth had given to him to give to Katelyn. "Here's the photos you need for the interrogation."

Katelyn took the folder, still eyeing as Lucinda cursed under her breath, redialing Lily's number to no avail. "Zane, does that look like a guilty woman to you?"

"She's guilty for prostitution so yes," Zane replied monotonously, bored out of his own mind.  "But, I should have no bias whatsoever."

"Good," Katelyn shoved Zane from the door, rather aggressively. She held her hand on the door knob, ready to turn it no matter what anyone said. "Because I'm afraid she may only be a victim in this whole ordeal."

"So, we find Lucinda's secretions on Aphmau's and Aaron's bed with Aaron's DNA. But, the clock test says she hasn't been 'active' in the last three days. Then, we figure out that Aphmau's attorney and Aaron's ex was on the 911 call right before we think Aaron was murdered. Then, Aphmau gets kidnapped sending an SOS to you over the phone and WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE COMPLETELY SANE RIGHT NOW." Travis emphasized in the car after Garroth explained the situation. They were driving over to the law firm where Lily worked.

"Yes, yes we are. It's kind of our job. I'm sorry if your girlfriend wouldn't agree with that notion," Laurance said, ever so bitterly. Laurance had a grudge against Katelyn due to a previous case so this was just the icing on the cake for him.

"Okay, just because you're pissed off at Katelyn doesn't mean you have to bring her up in every context," Travis said, crossing his arms in the back seat. He didn't make eye contact with Laurance as if it didn't make it any different. "What I meant was , the motive isn't clear."

"What do you mean, the motive isn't clear?" Laurance asked, actually intrigued to hear what he thought would be the most stupid thing ever.

"Well, Garroth said, Lily went psychotic when Aphmau told her that Aaron and her were getting married. Think if you were an angry ex-girlfriend, wouldn't you have killed her right there and right now and not 5 years from now?" Travis reasoned, actually interesting both of his fellow CSIs. He made a good point in this case and it was pretty strange.

Garroth took that into account, thinking how would that make the point valid. Then, something hit him, something that took him extremely off-guard. "You'd want to make them pay when they would be in their happiest moments. Aphmau is--"

"Pregnant and still able to dig without breaking a single sweat," Ivy said, holding a gun in one hand pointed at Aphmau who was lazily digging a ditch. She smiled maliciously at the woman, almost as if she's known she's won the battle. "How do you do it? Considering that you'll be dead soon, I would love to know how to win Garroth's heart since you've obviously have."

"Garroth is my supervisor," Aphmau muttered in her digging, "There are no romantic feelings that we have for one another. We care for each other like a family should but obviously, you don't understand that since you made me tie your cousin up."

"Oh c'mon, Lily was just holding us down. She refused to kill Aaron when I told her to making me have do it myself. Ugh, love can be dangerous if you use it incorrectly."

Aphmau stuck the shovel in the dirt, wiping sweat off her brow. "I just can't believe you are doing this just for Garroth's attention. You think this is some Hitchcock movie thinking you won't get caught. Seeing as I'm going to die soon, I guess I can just say how much of a horrific monster you are."

"Well, she certainly doesn't look dangerous," Travis said, looking at Lily who was tied up in ropes and gagged with one. She was stuck in a revolving chair that was facing the windows of her office.

She squirmed in the chair, wanting the rope out of her mouth. Travis look for the tie and unraveled it, hoping to get epithelials off the rope.  Finally, the brunette opened her mouth to speak. "You'll find nothing but Aphmau's DNA on it. She's the one who tied me up."

Laurance started walking over to her, sending his signature Zvahl smirk to Lily. "Hello Ms. Donovan, we'r--"

"With the crime lab, I'm CSI Zvahl. Please date me, I'm desperate for attention because both my parents left me so I always vied for attention," then she turned to Travis, "I'm CSI Valkrum, my father is a drug lord and my mother died because of my dad's abuse. I'm also madly in love with my co-worker, CSI Firefist, that I would totally bang if she would let me. Look, I know the spiel. The only person I want to see is CSI Ro'meave and now."

"Well, you've got me," Garroth said, walking over to the other two. "What do you need, Lillian?"

"First name basis, aren't we, Garroth?" Lily teased, turning the chair around to see him who was smiling. "You know, Garroth, the reason my cousin is doing this is because of you."

"Why?"

She smiled behind her mass of brown hair. "Ever heard of Ivy?"

"All your cousin wanted to do was help you and you repay her by tying her up for not killing a person. Now, you take me, tell me to tie her up then dig up my own grave so you have a bit of a chance to my supervisor," Aphmau put her weight on the shovel, "And now, you're going to kill something that has no chance of defending itself because of you."

"We all know honey that, that baby's Garrath's," Ivy pouted.

"I've told you multiple times before, I did not have an affair with your Garrath," Aphmau said, looking even more pissed off. "Whatever scenario you've came up with that psychopathic mind of yours where I have ever cheated on my husband, is completely and utterly wrong."

"Maybe he has feelings for you so I need to dig your ditch and get out our lives," Ivy replied, still shaking the gun at Aphmau who seemed to hold no emotion this time. Ir was like if she knew that if she showed any emotion to Ivy know that gun would be triggered.

"What is maybe? It's a perhaps or probability term that holds no true meaning or closure to the question you have inquired. How can you know for sure if you have never asked the man who he holds feelings for?" Aphmau said, actually confused at Ivy's actions.

She was one sick and twisted woman in love.

"Have you ever been so mad at a person you love that once you get the chance to hurt them, you can't do it because you love them too much?" Lily said as she got into the car with Garroth. Laurance and Travis stayed behind to process the scene.

Garroth looked down at his steering wheel. He couldn't admit aloud who he was thinking of but sure enough he was thinking. "Yes, yes, I have. I'm also very surprised you haven't taunted me like my fellow cohorts. C'mon, deal your cards."

Lily smiled. "I'm CSI Ro'meave. A strict boss who is also quite a heartthrob and would be dating multiple women at once if I weren't so quiet. My family owns the law enforcement business, my dad's retired and my brother's a detective, basically making me the nerd who sits in first."

"Ouch," Garroth said, feigning hurt from her words. He looked at the light in front of them, stopping for only a moment.

"I see why my cousin adores you. You are the one CSI who rather does not bask in the moment but searches for every little detail. You know exactly what to say to who to make them feel better about themselves. You are unattainable and closed to yourself," Lily said to him.

"No, she just had a really bad crush on me in high school," he chuckled, "I just can't believe she did this because she thought Aphmau and I have a thing. So, she murders Aaron because you decide not to and she's taken Aphmau to go kill herself at what should've the happiest months of her life. Why?"

"To make her pay. People want love and when love comes to them, they'll do anything to attain it. Yet it seems like you haven't grasped that concept yet...maybe it's time for you."

Garroth looked down. "Where did Ivy take Aphmau?"

"You know, you are smart. It will just look like I did everything to create a ruse. I admit, Garroth loves women adept in forensic science. Too bad you can't understand police code," Aphmau said, realizing that in the bushes away from them that a flash of blue wasn't part of the scenery.

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"My husband said the following police code: 413, 420, India Lima Yankee. Person with a gun and homicide with a message that was correlates to ily which is text speak for "I love you," Aphmau mocked with severity laced throughout her voice. "Then, I said, Sierra Oscar Sierra 427 on the phone to Garroth which meant: SOS Kidnapping. Now, I'm going to tell you right now that, 423A, means "See a woman for assistance.""

"A woman?" Ivy spoke before the bullet hit here going through her head. Aphmau jumped out of the way last minute if it went through and through which it did. Ivy dropped to the ground, gun out of her hand onto the sand.

Aphmau kept her breath steady, trying to create any stress. "One two three--KATELYN!"

Before she knew it, Katelyn's arms were wrapped around her, hugging her tight but not too tight. "Oh my Irene, Aphmau, never do that again. Lucinda told me everything how they paid her to give them her DNA so they could create this whole facade and Ivy..."

"It's fine, stop stressing me out," Aphmau said, pushing her away, smiling through the tears that fell down. That's when she noticed the lights rotating on the police car. "Look, the S.W.A.T team is here."

The cars stopped right in front of him with Garroth running out of the doors. He saw Ivy's body but ran over to Aphmau quicker, holding her in his arms. Aphmau, surprised, pushed Garroth a bit off, looking into his crystal blue eyes that she hadn't noticed before. Ivy had gone on about them and never realized how pigmented they were. It was a nice color.

"Umm, yeah, I'm here. No need to worry guys," Aphmau said, finally pushing him off.

They both looked at her and she smiled, putting her arms around both of them. "Well, right now, let's pick up the rest of the guys and go get some breakfast. I think we all deserve it right now. On me."

"Alright," Garroth said, smiling at her.

"Alright."

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A/N - The ending felt rushed, was rushed, and is very rushed. But, I did spill everything that happened, just in individual chunks. I liked inserting the cute little Garmau moments in there. I don't know if anyone picked up on the hints I was putting out. Once I write the CSI AU and get to this case in the story, I plan to write it more explicitly instead of keeping it compact. Anyways, I hoped you all enjoyed! Buh-bye!

~Kat