A/N: Hi there!

This is an intermission from the gore-and-horror-filled stories you have probably read from me. But I promise I will deliver a storyline that I hope you will enjoy! The next one, Dog Soup, after this is already on the works and will pick up on what Spin, Spin Sugar left off with Marla Ruez...

There is, however, mentions of botched plastic surgery, stabbing and a whole lot of shiat that will probably sound Chinese if read out loud xD

Horatio and the CSIs (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister (go check her original online comic out!)

1

In a pool of his own blood lay an unknown male just outside the trendiest area of Miami, Sunset Boulevard. Alexx Woods had come first to the scene and strained her sight with the competing sunlight. Dawn was setting in its color range of oranges, pinks and blues; the victim was in an isolated condo just besides the longest lasting club on the street: the ten-year-old Club Nouveau.

"This boy bled out, Horatio. And it wasn't fast." The medical examiner stated as she plunged the liver thermometer into the corpse. She noted the skin pallor and with a latex gloved finger, traced the blood flow to the floor. "Blood flow takes at least thirty minutes post mortem to start descending; not the best way to tell time of death but pretty accurate when the blood turns purple, meaning the victim was hours without people noticing."

Caine looked around the surrounding area, noticing the growing audience of socialites. "I find ironic considering where he was located. Any ID?"

A quick search and Alexx shrugged. "Baby boy didn't bring any. Looks like a clubber though. Loose high end clothing, right down to the shoes." She turned him around and found an exit wound. "Found a stab wound but it doesn't seem consistent with a knife."

Eric Delko and Tim Speedle arrived at the scene just as Alexx removed the instrument. It was Tim Speedle's first case upon re-education and he felt just like before. Eric Delko patted him on the back and grinned. "How does it feel to be back?"

"It feels great knowing I have to work with you." Tim responded sarcastically with a sly smile. He was truly grateful that at least some people took him in, even after his death. Sure, there were bumps along the road but Speed and Delko were back to being like old times.

Horatio's kind expression greeted them both. "Gentlemen, we have a stabbing victim here at Sunset Blvd. You two know the area so try and get any sort of identification. Speed, Calleigh's on Trace so anything you find of the sort, bag and tag it."

Tim nodded and continued with his camera. Eric went on to question locals. Horatio then followed by looking into the victim's hand. This was looking to be a very interesting case.

"I'll tell you more when I get back at the post." Alexx stated as her crew took the body away.

The red-haired lieutenant stood quiet for a second and looked up into the sky. As if to get a message, he grinned and returned to work. Staring at the body one more time gave him a bit of resolve; this young man had a family that missed him.

Club Nouveau was an old hangout for Eric back when he was halfway between rookie and smartassed CSI; and there was no denying it. The club had the latter Baroque and Rococo opulence as a theme; flair and arabesque details were invested in order to capture some of the eras' promiscuity. The drinks, like the environment, were heavily dosed in absinthe and other Renaissance-inspired beverages. Even the dress code was out of sight, making Club Nouveau the place for a good, literally old-fashioned, time.

Delko remembered inviting Natalia Boa Vista, the most recent addition to the team before the Louisiana incident, but she flatly denied the offer. A waitress walked into his trip down memory lane by saying,

"Welcome to Club Nouveau."

Delko couldn't help stare at the waitress; her bustier dress overflowed with her cleavage. The frills that lined every hem in the dress made the dress seem much more naughty with the added short hoop skirt. The woman was medium height, pale green eyes covered in heavy liner, her blonde hair pulled back in a mess of French curls.

"Um yeah actually. I'm CSI Delko and there's been a homicide close in proximity to this club." The Cuban then pointed at the bar. "I need to examine this place."

"A murder on Sunset Boulevard. Wow." The sarcasm in the waitress's voice was painfully obvious. In that very strip, there had been more date rapes than most of the city combined, except for Liberty City.

"I know but we're sending out officers to see if our victim was in any other the clubs here." A cocky smirk showed up on Eric's face. "Maybe you can get notoriety out of the deal."

The waitress lifted her arms mocking defeat. "Watch me stop you."

Sunset Boulevard was more or less one big club on itself; there were at least 65 nightlife and dance clubs all conglomerated in that 0.34-mile stretch. Horatio was well aware of competitive these businesses become to attract new customers, some even resorting to sabotage the other. Like the rest of the city of Miami, there was a fusion of cultures that ranged into the absurd; formal Vietnamese activity centers mingled with topless bars.

He walked around the lot, now a crime scene processed by Speed, rather uninterested in whatever socialite tried to cross the yellow tape. At a moment's notice, he saw a small depression in the spots of grass that grew. Upon further inspection, he saw it to be a sealed Zip-lock bag containing a CD demo.

Aleshya Barton, Sweethearts' kisses…catchy.

Calleigh Duquesne was easily the first one to get to the coffee machine, as her lab results were just a sprint from the break area. While pouring herself a hot mug, she noticed Ryan slumped against the desktop. The ballistics expert served up another mug and headed in his direction. A quick nudge and Wolfe was up in arms.

"Wakey wakey, sleepy head."

"Wasn't sleeping. Just laying my head down for a second." The young man replied as he took the drink and gave it one ill-fated swig. "Damn, all black Calleigh?"

"The better to wake you up." The woman's grin was contagious as she pat Ryan in the back and went back to work. Their boss would be at the lab at any moment and they all had to be ready for whatever came in.

A/N: So how was it? Reviews are greatly appreciated