Breathe

Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own any of the peeps we know and love on CSI:MIAMI, but I do own my memories of Speed...

A/N: This is another Speed/ jewelry store / death/ story, so be prepared... Just a fair warning.

A/N#2: Speed monkey was my inspiration for this one, and I recommend that you read her story,Do You Want A Second Chance, it is awesome!

Chapter 1

Tim looked up at the ceiling as he felt his body getting cold. The excruciating pain that he felt searing through his chest brought tears to his eyes as he fought to breathe. He could hear nothing but the sounds of his gurgling blood as it finally found it's way out , through the side of his mouth. He couldn't think clearly and he faintly saw Horatio as he appeared from above, his blue eyes emoting the most painful look he had ever seen. It was then that he knew that he wouldn't be going home that night. He wouldn't be able to feel Calleigh's touch, to smell the scent of her vanilla shampoo, or see her dazzling smile. He could only imagine what she would do when she heard the news.

"Speed hang in there," he heard Horatio say as he put a handkerchief to the side of his mouth.

"I can't breathe..."

"Speed!..."

He wanted to answer, but the numbing cold was taking over, and the blinding darkness was covering his eyes. Even though he knew that his eyes were open, Horatio's frantic image was slowly fading, as was his life.

"Can't fight it..." he said as the pain coursed through the rest of his body, making it do an grotesques dance as he lain on the floor. He didn't feel as the blood flowed freely out of him and covered his back. In his last breath, he thought fleetingly of her. In an instant, he was gone.

TS

He looked around the dark room and tried to listen to what was going on. He was confused, one moment he was lying on the floor, the next he was upright in this odd place. Then as if someone had flipped the switch, the room flooded with light and he saw Alexx as she stood over the slab, staring at whoever it was that was lying there. He heard her soft cries as she moved and then he saw himself on the cold steel table. He backed up and then he saw Horatio as he stood quietly next to him, with blood still on his baby blue shirt.

" H!" Tim called out. Silence returned to him as he continued to watch Horatio stare out into the autopsy theater. " Horatio!"

He can't hear me, Tim thought. He glanced back into the autopsy theater and watched silently as Alexx picked up the scalpel to do what she was so good at. In a blink of an eye he was now in front of her seeing what he could only hear from the observation bay. Her face was wracked with pain and stained with her tears as she gently put the scalpel down and took his hand. He could've sworn he felt her warm touch on his hand. After what seemed like a lifetime, she put his hand down and ran her gloved hand through his hair and he felt that as well. With a strained sigh, she picked up the scalpel once more and positioned it at his left shoulder. Before he could feel the cool blade slice into his skin , he was in the trace lab, facing his best friend. The look on Eric Delko's face was foreign to him, he never seeing him cry before. He stood silently as he watched him and Belmontes gather information about the William's case.

" I keep thinking that he is going to walk through the door," Belmontes had said.

" Well he's not , can we get back to this?" Eric said adroitly. The lack of warmth in his friend's voice alarmed him.

Almost as fast as he blinked ,he was again in another room. From the sounds of the gun firing, he knew exactly where he was. Sighing, he walked to the firing range and saw her as she pointed her gun at the target, the tears flowing past the edge of the plastic safety goggles as they tracked through her make up.

"Calleigh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," said aloud, forgetting that she couldn't hear him. When the clip was empty, he watched her as she proceeded to slip another one in the place of it. Her grief was almost too much to bear for him. He instantly thought about their converstation the evening before, although it resembled more of a fight than a simple conversation,

"Would it kill you to take a little more responsiblity and clean your gun?" Calleigh had said a little too edgy.

"Why are you so worried about my gun?" he had asked as he sat across from her. She had been on him since that incident with Dispo day, about taking better care of his firearm, and he figured that it was her bullet girl mentality that was coming to the forefront.

" Why aren't you worried about this more? You know, you are a cop, and people pull guns on cops," Calleigh returned furiously. She couldn't believe that he wasn't being serious about this.

" Calleigh , I work in a lab most of the day, and I couldn't tell you the last time I had to pull my gun,..."

" It doesn't matter, Tim. You never know what the next turn of the corner will be. I don't want to lose you, not when we are getting ready to have a baby soon," Calleigh said softly.

" Cal, she won't be here for another eight months, and I promise I won't miss her grand entrance," Tim said as he put his hand up to her cheek.

Calleigh chuckled to herself slightly, " You are so sure that she's a girl?"

Tim smiled brightly at her and nodded before he took her in a soft kiss. Pulling away, he looked into her bright green eyes and said, " We don't go back until the day after tomorrow, I'll clean it when we get up in the morning..."

As the memories faded, Tim saw that he was in the locker room. He heard the soft footfalls of someone approaching the rows of lockers that he was facing and he looked up to see his name. He then saw as Horatio appeared with a box in his hand and sadness in his blue eyes. A second later, he saw Calleigh as she walked up beside Horatio with a folder in her hand. Horatio turned to her and took the file and read it.

" Gun malfunction?" he asked through a strained voice.

" One can assume that it was caused by low grade ammo, or... poor gun maintenance," Calleigh said quietly, " but we are CSIs, we don't assume."

Horatio nodded solemnly and looked up at her, seeing the pain that she was carrying around in her eyes. He then moved to embrace her , saying softly into her ear, " Hang in there, okay?"

Tim watched as they both cleaned out his locker and then made their way to the Hummer that was waiting in the front of the CSI building. As they walked, Tim could see all the people that were lined up in the building, some were in uniform with a black band over their badge, others in full mourning regalia. He was astonished at the lives that he touched and felt a coldness in his heart. How could he have been so careless? How could he have not thought about what he was leaving behind?

The scene changed rapidly as he stood at the foot of the mahogany casket that was draped with a pristine American flag. He glanced over to the chairs that his mother and father occupied and to Calleigh who sat very still with a distant, look of despair in her eyes. He then looked into the eyes of his friends as they stood behind them, seeing the same pain and despair in them. He wanted to reach out to them to let them know that he was there and he could see them and hear them. He wanted to give Alexx a hug to comfort her, he wanted to say something to Eric to get him to smile, he wanted to see the approving look from Horatio, but mostly , he wanted to touch his wife again.

The guns going off in the distance startled him and he then saw as they started to lower the casket into the ground, and the sounds of their weeping grew as the flag was being presented to Calleigh. He felt desperation when he heard the mournful tone of the bagpipes as it played Amazing Grace.

This can't happen like this. If only I could've listened, he thought as he glanced into the sky. His regrets flowed through him and he felt his tears fall down his face.

" You know, there is a way , you can be with them again," a voice said from behind him.

Tim turned to see a man in a plain shirt and black slacks as he walked up to him. He had a kind face and twinkling blue eyes. He was kind of familiar to him.

" Are you talking to me?"

" You are the only one who can hear me," the man said as he smiled brightly.

" Are you dead too?" Tim asked with a school boy tone.

The man chuckled to himself and continued to walk to him, " You should know Timothy, you helped bring my killers to justice."

" I did?"

" Yes, think back, it's been a while... A tourist couple, on vacation with their two children, gunned down..."

Instantly , Tim knew what he was talking about. Three years ago, he investigated a case of a family that was on vacation for the summer and they were killed by a car jacker as they stopped at a light. Tim worked hard on the case, losing many nights of sleep, all in the pursuit of the killer. He wasn't satisfied until he had the killer in custody and the chop shop had been dismantled.

" Umm, Tony, Tony Hutchins, right?" Tim said as he closed his eyes.

" Right. That was a good thing that you did, Timothy."

" I was doing my job."

" You went far beyond the call of duty and some think that is a cause for another look. Are you interested?" Tony said as he put his hands on his shoulders.

" What are you talking about? I'm dead. There are no more chances," Tim said as he glanced at his team standing by the hole in the ground that now housed his remains.

" What if I told you that there was a way that you could be back among them?"

"I'd say that you are crazy," Tim answered sarcastically.

" It's possible, Timothy."

" If it is so possible, then why haven't you done it?" Tim asked as the cemetery became still. They were the only ones left.

" My family came with me. Yours, you left yours behind. I had nothing to come back to," Tony said wistfully.

Tim thought about it for a second then shook his head, " I don't know, I was always taught that death was it. There was nothing after that, no more second chances..."

" There is a way, Timothy. If you want it," Tony said shaking his hand. " I only want you to know your options before it really is too late."

"Options? My body is six feet under, there are no options," Tim replied as he watched the attendants start to shovel the dirt into the ground.

" The time is short, Timothy. If you want it, all you have to do is say it," Tony said walking away.

" Wait ,where are you going?"

" I was merely a messenger, Timothy. You have to make the choice," Tony said as he walked away, disappearing into the dipping sun. Tim watched as they continued to fill the hole up and felt the pulling of his heart. He didn't want to leave them, but he was afraid of the unknown, this was all too much for him.

Without thinking , Tim said out loud, " I want it!"

Instantly everything went black and Tim wasn't so sure of the choice he had made.

TBC?

A/N: You know what time it is... hit the purple button and let me know if this is worth doing... :)