Author: Merrianna

Story: Life Altering: Prologue: 0 of ?

Series: Speed-Burn

Characters: Stella, Mac, Aiden, Danny, Don, Sid, Sheldon, and Joe Avery. Orignal Character Renee Grainer.

Story Rating: R

Summary: When Stella's date turns into a sexual assault. How will the rest of the team take it?

Spoiler: Anything that has happened in season one.

Category: Case, Angst and Humor

Setting: After season One finale 'What You See is What You See'.

Disclaimer: I don't in any way own the series CSI. Those are the sole property of Anthony E. Zuiker, Jerry Bruckheimer, CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment.

Distribution: Please ask first?

Note: This story is in the middle of Speed Trap.

Feedback: Yes, please? Especially constructive. merriannadragon@yahoo.com

Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/samwise_baggins/index.html

Stella swore in Greek as she limped her way to the nearest subway entrance. After making sure Mac was ready for his first date since Claire had died, Stella had gone off to her own date. It had been a disaster; she had hoped to have a good meal with pleasant conservation and maybe a little dancing if things went well. Itstead it was an evening of leering eyes, groping hands and talk about what was wrong with society. She had cut the evening short, vowing it was the last time she went out with a lawyer. When Stella had extracted herself from the situation, she decided to take a walk, wanting to get rid of the excess hostility that circumstances had created. A block away from the restaurant, she had snapped off the heel of her right shoe on a crack in the sidewalk that she hadn't seen; the force almost made her tumble on the pavement.

So here she was, limping her way along Stella hoped that Mac had had a better time with his date then she'd had with hers. The brunette was so distracted that she didn't realize until it was to late that she was in one of the darker sections of the street. Stella barely comprehended that she had passed three young men who had cat called after her when she walked by.

It was the kind of mistake that she would've warned most females about their first time in any big city. A fourth male came out of nowhere hitting her over the head. She fell to the ground like a stone in a pond. She didn't feel anything as she was pulled into a dark alleyway.

Stella came to in a daze and with a heavy feeling on her limbs. Then other sensations made their selves known: a wrenching pain came from the back of her head and between her thighs. Young male voices drifted to her ears.

"Hurry up, man! I want my turn!" The eager whisper from the right seemed to echo in her head.

"She's a skinny little bitch," a rough voice rasped after the first and seemed to be coming from her left.

"Hey... What this? Shit man; she's a cop!” A teen male's high-pitched voice came as if far away.

"Don't be such a pussy. Just means we have extra points is all." This voice was right above her and was ragged with effort.

She screamed, struggling to get away. One of the individuals covered her mouth with his hand; without thinking she bit down hard, blood oozing into her mouth. The hand was jerked out of her mouth, dripping blood on her face.

"Fuck! Hold her down!" Stella almost lost consciousness again as another fist hit her across the face; still she fought back. Her body was aching. It didn't seemed to matter; Stella eventually got one arm out and scratched the man opposite, digging deep furrows into flesh.

"Ah, shit! She scratched me!" came an annoyed whine from the left.

Stella received another vicious hit to the face and all her remaining strength slipped away. She drifted on waves of pain, praying that it would be over soon and that they didn't kill her in the end. One other thought came to her right before she passed out once more, 'Mac... Connor...'