I think I've been in a lot of pain from my wisdom teeth being pulled. Think of this as a sort of different one-shot. I don't know, though. I like the song composed to this- immensely. Go check it out after you're done.

I don't own CSI: Miami. Be glad I don't.

Not the Same

"You're an idiot! You know that?!"

He turned away and narrowed his eyes. "I might be an idiot sometimes, but I think that on some days, it's the only way to get through to the public that we're not just a bunch of cops that sit on our asses and do nothing." The fire in his eyes showed something completely new, something that scared the other man in the room. "If you were out there, you would have done the same thing, damn it."

No one wanted to watch the spectacle unfolding before them, but they couldn't help it. The air was so stiff, so humid; a lab tech couldn't avoid the tension arising in the room. It was to be expected that all attention was on the lieutenant and the sergeant, and today was certainly no exception. Red head and brunette gave cold glares in each other's direction, poised to bite back with whatever remark they could throw at the other- whether it be about girlfriends, work, or just life in general, anything was game now.

Rick Stetler clenched his fists and gave Horatio Caine a glowering stare. "I don't know what your deal is, Horatio, but whatever it is, you need to take outside the workplace. I don't give a care if it's at a bar after midnight or at the strip club with the drunken bastards who decide to sell pot to the nearest guy on the street. It's not going to be taken in the lab, and I'm sure as hell they won't take it down at Internal Affairs!"

"You really care to chance your career on that, Rick?" he snarled back, giving an equally disgusted glare and standing his ground. "I'd love to see you file a complaint on me shooting a man who held a hostage in broad daylight. And after that, I'm sure you'd adore doing paperwork for me about the fact that I've done countless other things wrong over the course of yours and my time with the MDPD!"

Now, Stetler knew that Horatio had been changing over time. It had been a gradual one, but it had been moving down the path of what wasn't exactly righteousness. And after today, he knew that Horatio was going completely in a downward spiral towards what were seemingly the depths of hell. Here he was now, facing what he once thought to be his competition in the job he so desired, and he felt like he was facing some sort of darkest angel bent on killing anything that stood in his way. He knew he couldn't back down.

He took a deep breath and tried to level his voice. "I know you've done countless things for all of us in the city, and I'm not trying to dispute that right now. I just think you need to calm down, take a good look in the mirror at yourself and keep things to yourself these days. You're moody, tired, depressed as hell when I see you, and… it's affecting the rest of the lab, Horatio. You need to take a break." His gaze hardened. "Or so help me, I will make you take a vacation! Approval from the office or not!"

Horatio gave a nasty smirk in his direction and took a step in the right direction. Stetler mirrored to the left. "You'd get approval from no one and make me go on vacation to take over my office? How touching, Rick. I didn't know you even cared."

Now he was getting steamed. This was getting nowhere. He growled and pointed a finger in Horatio's direction. "Look, I don't know where this attitude is going to get you, but I can sure as hell tell you that it's not going to get you very far in the lab now!" His own eyes flared. "You've changed, Horatio, and it's not for the better!"

"Not everyone has to like the change, Rick," he replied, not budging.

"I'm not liking the change, but damn it, you don't have to…"

Stetler stopped. The fire in Horatio's eyes suddenly went from their usual blue of passion to that of sudden hatred and darkness. "No one asked your opinion, Stetler," he spat, suddenly not at all his usual self. "And right now, I couldn't give a damn of what you really thought about my life. So how about you and I go our separate ways, forget this ever happened, and allow this to blow over like a hurricane? That'd make me feel better, I'll tell you that!"

Silence.

Both men stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity. No one moved.

Finally, Stetler turned away and shook his head, smirking to himself. "Suit yourself, lieutenant," he replied simply, glancing behind him quickly. "But you're not the person I believed in yesterday."

Horatio simply smiled. "You're right. I'm not."

Composed to "Not the Same" by Bodyjar.

Okay, before you all have a spazz on me, this is more than likely going to be a lad-in to my new Miami trilogy I'm hoping will be sometime in the near future after I finish Bitter Penetration and some of my other stories on this site. (All of which I'm intending on finishing, thank you.) It's a trilogy, no doubt, and it'll place our fave CSIs in peril. AND it has nothing to do with season 7… but it'll have some of your faves: E/C, RaiN, and some others. Anwyays… yeah, I'll shut up.