Ali nodded, she then said "I know and if you ever feel like just talking about everything, then come over to mine anytime you need to and maybe we'll just talk whenever you feel like it.", as she had taken a bite outta her sandwich, she was glad that Lara could talk to her about whatever she needed to and that Ali would be there to listen.

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Lara finished her lunch and looked at her watch, “I have to get back to work.” She said noting her lunch break was over. “Thanks for talking with me.” Lara said to Ali with an appreciative smile. With that Lara got up and paid the bill.

Lara returned to the lab and continued processing the evidence with Ryan and Walter. She found blood on a few of the tiny pieces of glass and had it sent to be tested. The results came back and confirmed that it belonged to Cliff.
With this new evidence Cliff was brought back in to be questioned again. Seeing as Lara had found the evidence she was assigned the task of questioning Cliff. In a strange way Lara was glad that she was going to interview Cliff, she had gotten over the shock of seeing him and she was ready to face her demons, as the saying goes.

Ali went back to FBI HQ to continue with her case of a serial killer who preyed on cops and as Ali worked on the case, a deadly link would result in one of the CSIs needing Ali's FBI connection to hunt down the killer from their most recent case, Ali had no idea that the killer was gonna attempt to kill a good friend of Ali's.

Lara walked to the interview room where Cliff was being held, she stopped at the door, took a deep breath and then turned the handle.
Lara had mentally prepared herself to see Cliff face to face and she stood tall as she entered the room with a professional bearing. “Mr Breton.” Lara started in a clear and polished tone, “Earlier You told my colleagues that you went to have a conversation with Mr Gavin heartwood, the disco owner over a debt you say he owes you. You denied vandalising his property...” Lara placed a photo on the table for Cliff to see, “But we found your blood on some glass from a broken window. Who do you explain that?” Lara asked. She took a seat and waited for Cliffs reply.
“The window was already broken when I went down there to see Gavin this morning. He got hostile when I asked him for the money he owes me, he shoved me and I caught my arm on the glass, See?” Cliff showed Lara the bandage on his forearm, “I needed three stitches. I’ve added the medical bill onto what he owes me.” Cliff added mater of fact. Lara inhaled through her nostrils as she looked over the table at Cliff, she knew he was spinning this story but she had to prove it.

Apart from a touch of gray in his hair, Cliff had not changed over the years in attitude or in appearance. He was still the brutish and greedy man he always had been. He still had stubble on his rugged face and those few extra pounds on his midsection under his white tank top.

Ali was back at FBI HQ and in her office, workin' on her case and she kept her phone on her desk in case it rang or buzzed with a message, sometimes it would be about something totally different.

While she worked on her case that she'd been assigned to that morning, not knowing that Lara would need Ali's FBI know how to hunt something important to the case.

“And how do you explain your finger prints being on the bat that we recovered at the scene?” Lara asked in a neutral tone. Despite her personal feelings towards Cliff and even though she knew that he was guilty, Lara had to stay objective and let the evidence bring out the truth.
“Because that bat used to be mine, it’s signed. I kept it on my boat with some of my other junk. Gavin saw it when I was having a clear out about three, four month ago, he asked if I was gettin’ rid of it and I said yes. He was enthusiastic, a big fan of the what’s-his-name who singed it so I sold it to him. He proudly displayed it on the wall behind the bar in his disco, I walked away two hundred bucks richer and we where both very happy.” Cliff told Lara. No indications of deception in his story, but thugs like Cliff often become accustom to lying to another person’s face, their seared conscience no longer able to convict them about it.

Lara nodded. She knew she would have to ask Gavin to confirm or deny if he had bought the bat from Cliff. As the thought went through Lara’s mind, Cliff leaned forwards slightly and squinted a little as he looked closely at her face.

Lara‘s neutral expression turned into a frown as she realized that Cliff was vaguely recognizing her, “What did you say your name was?” Cliff asked. “Lara.” She replied not giving Cliff her last name. “Lara, Lara, Lara?” Cliff muttered to himself trying to conjure his memories. Another of his repulsive smile grew on his lips, “DunCroft?” He asked now remembering who Lara was. Her silence confirmed her identity. Lara’s confidence suddenly sank, though she did not let it show.

Lara knew what was coming and she was right. Any concerns Cliff had about his current situation completely vanished. Cliff casually leaned back in his seat with that smile on his face as he put his feet up on the table, as if he was in his own domain. “Wow, how long has it been? You’ve sure grown up.” Cliff commented as he looked at what he could see of Lara on the other side of the table. Somehow Cliff was now the one in the power seat and Lara knew it.

Ali was still in her office room workin' on the case and it had been quite a hard case and one that she needed to solve to get some answers and find out the reasons why it had been done in the first place.

Workin' on this case, Ali knew how much it depended on her gettin' it done and if a case needed more hours then she would be doin' some overtime to get it done and filed.

“Do you have any kind of receipt to verify your story Mr Breton?” Lara asked doing her best to stay in control and keep the situation professional. “No.” He answered. Cliff watched as Lara made a quick note of all that he had told her so far.
Lara had a classic law enforcement look as she sat and wrote, white shirt, pinned up hair, gun and badge combined with a strong and professional air. But Cliff fixed his eyes on Lara smug in the knowledge that he knew how to get to her, that he had a power over her fuelled by a fear and trepidation even if she did not let it show. And so he began, “So you’re a cop now.” He said subtly but purposely belittling the fact with his undertone. “A CSI.” Lara replied, “Oh, yeah. Science and fingerprints and all of that. You must feel so smart now.” He said to arouse the memories of the times when he would point out her unintelligence as a child.

Ali remained busy over at the FBI and not knowing that the CSI's suspect would also be wanted in connection with a current FBI case, after Lara did the DNA and it brought up a sealed FBI case and she knew that she would need access and thought of Ali.

Lara kept a professional expression on her face and remained silent not allowing herself to be drawn in by Cliffs comments, but Cliff continued to stare at Lara from the other side of the table.

Seeing the insecure and emotionally sensitive little girl that he once had so much power over, Cliff was filled with that addictive, empowering sense of domination and control that sweeps through a bully’s veins, “I never imagined you’d become a cop when you grew up.” He continued, “I never thought you’d be tough enough for the job, or smart enough for that matter. But here you are, a brave law enforcement officer protecting the community. I mean look at you sitting there, so professional and confident. I bet you feel strong behind that badge.”
Cliff removed his feet from the table and leaned towards Lara. He purposely lowered his voice a little, making his verbal assault more pointed and tormenting, “Strong enough to come in here and question me.” Cliff looked Lara in the eyes and snorted derisively, “But you’re really just as weak as you always where aren’t you? I bet you’re throat is drying and your stomachs tightening just because you’re sitting here with me. Did you really think you could come in here and get a confession from me? And IF I was guilty, do you really think you’re smart enough to prove it? If you do actually believe that, you‘re even dumber than I thought.” A slight mist had developed in Lara’s eyes to accompany the frown that had grown across her face as Cliff was talking.

Lara remained silent. She held back any tears and she swallowed the lump that was in her throat. Lara had been completely torn down by Cliff and any of the self-confidence she had was gone just as Cliff had intended, but Lara refused to give him the satisfaction of braking down in front of him. Lara stood up and removed herself from the room. Cliff smiled as he watched her go, he knew he had gotten to her and he leaned back in his chair with a great deal of smug satisfaction.

Lara went to the ladies and allowed a few tears to run silently down her cheeks. After a few minutes Lara dried her face and then sent Ali a text asking her to come over to the PD when she could. Lara needed Ali’s help on a personal level as wall as on a professional one.

Ali was in her office, working on the final part of her case which then she closed, when she got Lara's text message, she sent her one back telling her that hse would be there soon as she could, Ali was a little bit worried about Lara, even noticing the change when they spoke earlier that day, not knowing what to expect to be told to her and she had told Lara that she would be there if she needed a shoulder to cry on.

Ali got there and met up with Lara.

Lara read the reply from Ali then put her phone away. She leaned on the sink and stared at her own reflection. A mist filled her eyes once more as she gazed into the mirror and saw a great number of her own flaws and weaknesses. Some where real yes but most was imaginary, forged over a lifetime by bullies including Cliff Breton, not so harmless ’harmless ribbing’ and her own overly critical self-criticism. Cliff had pressed the right buttons and Lara hated how easy it was for him to get to her and send her into a harsh session of self loathing like this.

Ali soon arrived at PD and Lara met her in the privacy of the locker room. Lara had a somber frown on her face and her complexion was paler than usual, “Thank you for coming down here.” Lara said as she gave Ali a brief but tighter than usual hug.

Lara sat on a bench with Ali and explained that Cliff had gotten to her, but she did not tell Ali the things Cliff had said. After a few moments Lara became distressed, “I don’t know if I can do this case.” she admitted. Lara even momentarily questioned if she should do this job at all, “Maybe I should just let him win and get off the case before I mess up.” Lara said her voice cracking, “At the very least I have to tell Horatio about my history with Breton.” She added, the thought obviously a very painful one. Lara had great admiration for her boss and even feelings a little more than just admiration even though she had not realized them herself yet, and the thought of telling him about this was horrifying. It all felt overwhelming to Lara, she put her hand up to her eyes and began to weep in front of Ali for the first time. Shame and emotion had caused Lara to build the situation up in her mind and blown it out of proportion a little. The situation would not seem half as bad to someone looking in from the outside and Lara just needed some help to see that.

Ali leant against the locker and then when Lara hugged her, Ali hugged her back, then said "Maybe you should tell Horatio about your past connection with the suspect, I remember an old case that I worked in my third year of being an FBI Agent and the suspect in that case was someone I used to know and once I confided in my boss about it, he asked if it would affect my work and I said no, then he suggested that I don't let my past with the suspect ruin the case and it didn't. Lara, you can do this case and show him that he can't get inside your mind and ruin you, you are stronger than that."

Lara nodded through her tears as she listened to Ali’s comments with mixed feelings, she knew Ali was right about telling her boss but it was still tough for her. It was an encouragement to Lara when Ali told her that she could do this case, she was not entirely convinced but it was nice to hear the words said out loud. It was also nice to hear Ali say that she thought of her as being strong, because Lara saw herself as far from strong right now.

Lara nodded through her tears once again, she sniffled and dried her tear stained cheeks then said, “Your right, I know I have to stand up to him or he will ruin me.” Lara frowned, “I’ll tell Horatio...and I’ll ask him if I can stay on the case.”

Lara handed Ali a folder, “Speaking of the case, I found some of Cliff Breton’s blood on some glass collected from the crime scene, I also recovered a drop of male blood from a fragment of broken glass that does not match Breton or the victim. When I ran it, it came up with a sealed FBI file. I was hoping you could look into it and see who the third man is?”

As Ali took the folder from Lara, looking at the third blood donor, she then said, "Course I can and I'll get you the information on who third person is and any other stufff that I can find out. Once you talk it over with Horatio, it might be like a weight is lifted from your shoulders and show this suspect that you won't be intimidated by him and stand your ground, trust me on this one, I gotta get back and once I have the information you need, then I'll get it to you."

Ali looked to her then smiled and headed off back to FBI HQ, with the folder tucked away in her bag and once she had returned to FBI HQ, she typed the case file number in her computer and worked at getting the details for the third suspect and she had found quite a bit more information than she had ever known to find, she knew that she had to get this to Lara asap.


Word Count:170 words

Once Ali had left Lara went back up to the labs to look for Horatio. She walked down the hall and saw him through the glass working on some evidence.

Lara stepped into the lab and stopped on the spot for a moment. Ali’s encouraging words began to play back in her mind. Lara braced herself, breathed in through her nose and approached her boss. Horatio looked up and gave Lara a half smile as she walked up to him, “What can I help you with?” he asked, “I need to talk to you.” she replied hesitantly. Lara began to explain the current situation to her boss and she told him the relevant facts about her past with the suspect. Horatio could see how difficult it was for Lara to tell him all of this and in true form he listened with a supportive and sympathetic ear. Once Lara had said all that she needed to  say she asked Lt. Caine if she could continue with the case, he thanked her for her honesty and told her that she could stay on the case if she could remain unbiased and Lara assured him that she could. Horatio then told Lara that he and the rest of the team where there for support if she needed it, Lara thanked him and she did feel a lot better like Ali said she would. Lara returned to another part of the lab to see if Ali had sent anything about the case yet.

While Ali was running the unknown blood through the FBI system, pinging a match she got all the information she needed, deciding it was best to hand it over in person, rather than send it over, she sent Lara a sms: "Got the information you need, I'll be over with it".

Ali had headed to MDPD, with the file hidden on her, she got there with the folder and headed to find Lara, she found her then handed her the file with the information on the third perp from the case, Ali wondered if Lara had talked to Horatio about the case, Ali knew that she had been a rock to Lara over recent times, she had told Lara that she would be there for her whenever she wanted to talk about things.

Lara checked and Ali had not sent over any information yet. Moments later Lara received the sms and she waited for Ali to arrive. Lara went to meet Ali as she saw her heading down the corridor towards her.

Lara’s stomach had settled and the colure had returned to her face. There was almost a slight smile on her face as she saw Ali coming with a folder in her hand and Ali could see that Lara was feeling better than she was earlier. “Thanks for doing this, I know your busy with another case.” Lara said voicing her appreciation. “I talked to Horatio.” Lara told Ali with a very tinny smile as they walked over to a table where Ali could lay the folder down and show Lara what she had found. “He said I can stay on the case if I can remain unbiased.” She informed Ali.

Lara had faced one of her biggest fears telling Horatio about her past wit Cliff and she felt better now that she had and it took some of the power away from Cliff knowing that he could not blab about it and use it against her. But Lara knew that it would still be hard facing Cliff himself, it was something she needed to do no matter how difficult it was and she knew that Ali would be there to support her, Ali had proven that in the past. “So what did you find?” She asked.

Ali opened the folder on the third perp and set it out on the table, she then explained about the perp and that he was connected to the case in more ways than one, as his blood had 13 loci in common with Cliff, which suggested a brother or cousin in some way to that extent.

"Guess you feel better after talking to Horatio about the whole Cliff saga, some things are tough to face but you faced this one, and it's always handy to keep the high ground on him, show that you won't be biased into a reaction, don't give him any ammo to get inside your mind." Ali said.

“A family member?” Lara said with a hint of surprise, “I don’t think he has a brother.” She said, “But I do remember him calling a cousin he had in America.” Lara told Ali, vaguely remembering it from when she lived with Cliff. “It‘s funny because the victim never said anything about there being another man, he said it was just Cliff.” Lara thought for a moment, “I have to get to the bottom of this. Do you have his address and place of work?” Lara asked. She knew she would have to talk to the man and that she would have to question Cliff about it as well. While she waited for Ali to find the address information she called Horatio with the update and he sent Walter and Ryan back to the crime scene to take another look and figure things out while he went to have another talk with the victim to try and clear things up.

"Name and location is there in the file", Ali said as she showed her the section where the place and name was, she hoped that maybe now this could lead her to finally getting more answsers to the case and working out why it all kicked off in the first place, despite the red flag at the start with the FBI, Ali had given Lara quite a bit of information on the case with what she had mangaed ti dig up over at FBI HQ, then letting Lara have it.

Lara got the address info from the section Ali showed her. She looked through the file and there was some interesting information about Cliff’s cousin Jack. After looking through the folder Lara had a feeling that this case and the case that Ali had come about earlier where somehow connected, but Lara did not yet know how.

Ryan and Walter returned to the crime scene to test some theories and look for more clues, “Okay, so Lara said that Cliff clamed the window was already broken when he got here and that the disco owner shoved him, causing him to reel back and cut his forearm.” Ryan said as he motioned to the broken window and surrounding area in question. “That’s the story.” Walter replied, “Your nearer the suspects height than I am, put your back to the window.” Ryan told Walter.

Walter stood by the window and established that the broken shard of glass in question was to high up to have cut the lower half of cliff’s arm, “Now turn around and raise your arms like you’re swinging a bat. But be careful.” Ryan said, Walter mimed braking the window with an imaginary bat and as he carefully swung his arms near the broken glass, he found his forearm was now in line with the shard in question, proving that Cliff had cut himself smashing the window. The men passed the information on and continued working the scene.

Horatio talked to Gavin, the victim, and asked him about the presence of a third man, Gavin told him that it was just him and Cliff in the disco at the time of the incident. Horatio went to talk to Jack after getting all of the information from Lara and Ryan, while Lara went to have another session with Cliff.

Ali went back to FBI HQ, to do some other case work and she had no idea herself that both cases were indeed connected and she just kept her cell phone by the computer in caase she was needed by Lara or if another Agent needed her assistance on something totally different, she was working on some case files that she needed to finish up on as it turned out.

Not knowing that Lara's case would end up needing FBI clearance on the case for another missing puzzle piece when the CSI team finally locate Jack and discover something else that needs ground clearance from the FBI, thus from Ali.

Horatio arrived at Jack’s given work address. He found himself outside of an old aviation hanger that now appeared to be some kind of engineering workshop. Horatio headed towards the building and was meet by Jack. “Can I help you?” Jack asked. Jack was a little more attractive than his cousin and he was also a little slimmer around his midsection too, but he did have the same rugged look and brutish air about him that Cliff had. Horatio asked Jack the appropriate questions and Jack cooperated but as little as he possibly could then Horatio noticed a cut on Jack’s foot and some dry blood on his sandals. Horatio inquired and Jack told him, “I stopped by  a disco this morning to look for my cousin and a piece of broken glass got in my sandal.” Horatio continued to interview Jack and he noticed jack’s “co-workers” where gathering. Jack and his friends began to tell Horatio that it was time for him to leave without the using words.

Horatio had gotten what he needed to he left and called Lara.

Lara was just about to go into Cliff when her phone rang. She answered it and her boss told her all that he had learned from Jack and how his blood had ended up at the scene. He also told her that Jack and his friends where also wearing colours associated with a very serious criminal organization.

Lara thought that it all had to have something to do with Cliff and why he had trashed the disco, but she did not know what it was. Lara went back the lab and had another look at the folder Ali had dropped of earlier. Lara though for a while and she wondered if Cliff was a part of the gang. Lara tried looking on the database for any info about the gang and it’s known members or anyone associated to it, but she found the info needed FBI clearance as the FBI where currently running a majored and very delicate operation on the gang.

Lara called Ali and requested the information on the gang known members and to especially check if Jack was a member and also asked for any info about anyone remotely associated to the gang in any way.

Cliff had always been greedy but he was rather lazy about it and Lara could not really picture him joining a gang, especially a gang this dangerous, it was a possibility but a very, very unlikely one, but it was a theory she had to at least eliminate.

No gang life seemed like to much effort for Cliff and Lara had another idea that seemed more likely, Lara asked Ali to also look into Cliffs bank account, especially for unusual withdrawal patterns in the past few months.

Ali did not know that she would in fact find unusual withdrawals in Cliff’s account and that she would also find that Jack was the lead suspect in the case that she had originally come to MDPD about earlier this morning.

As Ali got the phone call from Lara, she accessed the database from her computer, she knew that something was slightly off, not too sure as to what that would be, until she saw for herself and printing it out, so she could place it into a manila folder in order to take over to Lara at MDPD.

Checking to see what else she could find and she then got into Cliff's bank records and found something that looked really suss to her and decided to print that out too, she had cleared this with her boss beforehand and he had agreed to let MDPD have the information as well, she knew that this information could really help Lara's case and as she got the information ready to take over to Lara.

While she checked for other stuff to add for the case, she found that Jack was involved as a suspect and talked it over with her boss who wrote out a note and placed it on the inside of the folder mantaining that the Feds have higher jurisdiction on the case.

Ali had attached copies of the work into the manila folder as the FBI kept the orginals safely tucked away in a secure area of the field office, away from prying eyes.