Lauren had no idea who she was picking up, but was excited. She made her way up to Gate F, where she was supposed to pick this person up; she sat down and waited.

Five minutes later, Lauren began to see people exiting the terminal. She got up from her seat and searched for anyone familiar then her cell rang. "Hello," she said.

"Hey Shorty!" Jack Lidstrom said into the phone. Shorty was his nickname for her.

"Hey, how are you?" Lauren squealed with excitement.

"Well, why don't you look up from your phone and ask me yourself?" Lauren looked up and saw here big brother. Her eyes went wide; she started running over to him. When she reached him she jumped into his arms almost knocking him over. She hadn't seen her brother since she moved to Miami three years ago to work for Lt. Horatio Caine.

"So, how have you been and what are you doing here?"

"I'm good. I thought I would come visit you out here, and see how my Shorty is doing."

"Mhmm… yeah sure Jack, you came out here to check out, Tim didn't you?"

"You know me too well."

Lauren led her brother over to luggage claim so he could grab his bags then headed home.

Lauren's house was a small Spanish style house that featured a cream colored exterior and a terra cotta colored roof. "Well, here we are! Home sweet home," Lauren said getting out of the car. She popped the trunk so Jack could get his luggage out.

"Nice pad," Jack said taking it all in. Lauren laughed. She noticed her boyfriend's Ducati parked in the driveway. She was dreading the moment these two met.

Entering through the doorway to her house Lauren said, "Speed, I'm home! I brought someone with me." Speed walked into the room and stared at the man standing next to his girlfriend; there was tension in the air.

"Babe, this is my brother, Jack. Jack this is my boyfriend, Tim Speedle or you can just call him, Speed." Speed eyed Jack and Jack eyed Speed; the two shook hands. "Um… Jack, why don't I go show you your room." Lauren looked back at Speed. His expression looked as if 'he's staying here?'

After Lauren was finished showing her brother his room, she walked back out to where Speed was sitting on the sofa. "I don't like him, Lauren," he said taking her hand in his, and leaning forward kissing her on the lips. "I have a feeling he doesn't like me too well either.

"Please Tim, can you try to be nice to him, he's my brother and I love him," Lauren said as she gave him another kiss.

Just then, Jack walked into the living room. He saw them kissing. "Please, not while I'm in the room!" Jack said as he walked over and sat next to his sister. Speed looked at Jack, and pulled Lauren closer to him.

"So, Jack how are mom and dad?" Lauren asked trying to break the tension.

"They're good. They miss you a lot since you've moved to Miami."

"I know it's just that work is so busy lately. We've had a lot of high profile cases going on. Tim and I were supposed to have a date night, but we were so exhausted we decided to stay home."

Jack screwed up his face and said, "You mean… you two are living together?"

"No, Jack. That's why I'm here all the time, and all my stuff is here," Speed said sarcastically.

Lauren sighed, and prayed to God to help her through this. "Jack, can I speak to you in the kitchen please?" Jack got up and followed his sister into the kitchen.

"What's up Shorty?"

"Jack please, try to be nice. I really love Tim, and things are getting serious between us. Tim is the one."

"The one?" Jack asked confused.

Lauren rolled her eyes and said, "He's the ONE. The one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one I want to go on adventures with, the one I want to have children with."

"You're serious you…"

"Save it, Jack. You don't even know Tim yet."

"He doesn't know me either."

"Yeah I know and I talked to him. Please just be nice for me, that's all I ask."

"Only for you," Jack said, and gave his sister a hug before walking back into the living room.

With the tension that built the rest of the night between the two, Jack tried to hide it to make sure his sister didn't regret having him over. Through the relaxing night, the jet lag started to set in as Jack began to doze off, "Shorty, I'm calling it a night." He got up and walked into the bedroom without saying a word to, Speed.

Speed and Lauren got closer on the sofa. Lauren sighed, "Give him some time, please?"

Speed gripped her tight, as he knew his patience was being tested, "all right..."

It was six in the morning when Speed and Lauren's alarm clock went off. Lauren got up immediately. "Ugh, five more minutes," she said and hit the snooze button. She rolled over only to find Speed fast asleep on his stomach; she smiled. He looked so cute. Speed's cell phone rang; Lauren picked it up. The display said Horatio. "Horatio, what's up?"

"I need you and Speed here as soon as you can. We've had five call outs, and we may need to bring in nightshift."

"Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can." Lauren ended the call and shook Speed. "Tim, get up we need to get going. Horatio said it's urgent."

Speed groaned. "What?" he asked, half awake.

"We need to get going. Horatio needs us... like yesterday. They've had five call outs already." Speed growled, and reluctantly got up to take a quick shower. Lauren followed him.

Fifteen minutes later, they were showered and ready to go. They were just about to walk out of their room when Jack walked in. "You guys wake up late or something?"

Speed ignored Jack. Lauren said, "No, Horatio called and said he needed us there as soon as possible. Listen we need to go. If there is anything you need call me on the cell, okay."

"Got it Shorty," Jack said smiling at his sister.

Speed, Lauren, Calleigh, Ryan, and Eric all entered the break room at the same time. "Five murders in the last hour. I'm sending each of you to a crime scene until nightshift gets here," Horatio said immediately. He gave his five CSI's their location, and they were off.

Lauren arrived at her crime scene, and spotted her homicide detective, Frank Tripp. "Hey Frank, what have we got?" Lauren asked, looking at the dead female victim.

"I'm not sure, but I can tell you this is a woman in her mid twenties. Looks to me like she was stabbed to death, strangled, and maybe assaulted by the looks of her clothes," Frank said, his Texan accent present.

"Any ID?"

"No. I just got here five minutes ago. I'm waiting for Alexx."

Lauren laughed. "She's going to be busy today." With that Lauren put on some latex gloves and started to process the crime scene. The body would have to wait until Alexx got there.

Speed walked up to a house in Coral Gables, and saw Detective Yelina Salas. "Hey Yelina, what do we have?" Speed asked the Columbian homicide detective as he looked down at the female victim.

"A woman, mid twenties, looks like she was stabbed to death, strangled, and maybe assaulted. She had dirt under the fingernails, bruises, and it looks like a struggle. I'm still waiting on Alexx," Yelina said then added, "I would imagine the other scenes are too."

Speed looked down at the body and sighed, "All right, thanks. I'll just have to process around the body." Speed took out a pair of latex gloves, and began to process the scene.

Hours later, Lauren had finished processing the scene, and was loading the evidence into the Hummer. She felt like she was being watched, but no one was around. She attempted to dismiss the thought, and drove back to the lab.

As Jack got out of the shower, he sat on the bed and cracked his neck and back from the soreness of being tired from work. He works for the government, they use him for soul missions in foreign countries; the type of work no one liked to talk about, including him. As he put his shirt on and got dressed, his peripheral vision caught something moving outside, he quickly turned around to see the bushes move from where he looked. He hit the floor and quickly pulled out his suitcase, got his pistol and loaded it; someone was stalking him, he had had the feeling in the back of his mind since leaving Los Angeles.

He got up and stayed back to the wall, moving around the corners and staying alert. As he got near the front door, he saw the shadows of two feet from the crack under the door; he inched closer and put his hand on the handle and yanked the door open; there stood a little girl, scared stiff. Jack sighed and put his gun in his back pocket. "I'm sorry sweetheart, what can I do for you?"

The little girl stood there about ready to cry as Jack got on his knees and assured the girl that she was fine. "W-would you like to buy s-some cookies, mister?"

Jack smiled, "I have a little bit of a sweet tooth, what do you have?" As he purchased the cookies from the girl and shut the door, he looked out the window to see the back of someone walking down the sidewalk, he knew this person. He walked further into the house to get a better glimpse as the person disappeared around the next corner. He looked at his watch and back out the window. "I think I'll hang onto this today." He took out his gun and made sure the clip was full. "Something tells me this is going to get interesting."

The crime scenes were all processed and ready to be presented. Horatio was first to arrive then Lauren, Speed, Eric, Calleigh, Ryan, and Alexx; they all had photos of the crime scenes.

"What have we got guys?" Horatio asked looking at each of his crime scene investigators.

Lauren spoke first. "Amanda Sanchez, she was in her mid twenties. Her neighbor found her around five-thirty this morning. The neighbor didn't see anything. The Sanchez girl was found with a cord around her neck, stab wounds to the chest, there was dirt under her fingernails, and her clothes were partially torn off. The house was spick and span, and there was no sign of forced entry."

"Okay, Alexx cause of death please," Horatio said looking at his Medical Examiner.

"Pour baby was strangled to death and stabbed to death. She had two causes of death, Horatio," Alexx stated.

Speed looked up with a confused face. He said, "two causes of death, seems a little...odd." Horatio nodded and looked at Eric as if to say your turn.

"Rachel Burke, twenty-five years of age, native of Miami, Florida, worked at a beauty salon. She was found at four forty-five this morning. Her boyfriend found her. He said he called her house because they were supposed to meet at the airport. The two were going to the Bahamas. She was also found with a rope around her neck, and stab wounds to the chest area. Dirt was also found in her nails, and her clothes were torn off. No sign of forced entry except for the front door being pushed in by the boyfriend," said Eric. "And the boyfriends name is Stephen Reynolds."

Alex hesitated then spoke, "Cause of death is the same, strangulation and multiple stab wounds to the chest area."

After hearing all of the statements that sounded primarily the same, Horatio knew he had a lunatic running loose in his city. "Did we get any prints, traces, or anything?" Horatio asked.

"No prints, H," Eric said.

"Nothing in trace either," Speed chimed in.

"Alexx, what about the sexual assault kit, did we find anything there?"

"There were signs of a sexual assault, but no DNA left behind. This guy is good."

Horatio's face changed as the results of the field data began to make sense. "All women, approximately the same age, same methods, same scenarios..." Horatio looked each of them in the eyes, and said, "We have a mass serial murderer loose in Miami."

Everyone except Lauren exited the layout room to see if they could dig up anything else on their cases. She wanted to talk to Horatio. She hand an idea on how to catch the suspect.

"Horatio, can I talk to you for a minute?" Lauren asked her supervisor.

"Yeah, sure sweetheart. What's on your mind?" Horatio asked.

"I think I may have someone that can help us catch this guy."

"Who?"

"My brother. He was the one I was picking up from the airport yesterday."

Intrigued, Horatio asked, "How can he help us?"

"He works for the government." Horatio stopped her.

"FBI?"

"He's not FBI. I would never do that to you," Lauren said laughing. "The government uses him for lone missions. They drop him off in other countries alone to take people out."

"And how would that benefit us?"

"He can get around the cracks and crevices, and find information out that we can't. We have never had a serial killer case this severe before, maybe we could use some outside help."

"If you trust him, Lauren, bring him in. You're sure he can do this for us?"

"H, as far as the government is concerned, he does not exist to the public. He has his own set of permissions on what he can and can't do. Trust me, he can help us."

"Bring him on. Tell him what we're up against. Keep an eye on him for me. If he gets out of line, he's off." Lauren nodded in agreement. Horatio went to his office, and Lauren went to call, Jack.

Jack was making himself some lunch, and eating the cookies he bought from the little girl, when his cell phone rang. "Hello."

"Hey Jack. I need a favor," came Lauren's voice.

"Sure Shorty, what do you need?"

"I'll tell you when I get home. I'm coming right now. I'll see you in a bit okay."

"Okay, bye."

Lauren shut her phone, and went in search of, Speed. She found him in the trace lab. "Hey Tim, I need to run home real quick. Then I'm going to grab some lunch. Call me of you need anything."

"All right, see you in a little while," Speed said leaning in for a kiss. Lauren gladly let him.

Lauren pulled into her driveway. When she walked in she saw her brother sitting on the sofa watching TV. "Hey Jack," Lauren said cheerfully as she walked over to him.

He got up and gave her a hug. "Hey Shorty. What did you want to talk to me about?" Jack asked.

"It's about work. We need help on something. We have a mass murderer in Miami. He's going around killing women."

Jack's eyes went wide. He said, "Right..." he blinked a few times. He snapped out of his wide glare, and thought for a minute. As he walked up to her now concealing the secret he feared he was going to have to deal with, he looked at her, "so what needs to happen?"

"I need you to help us catch him. You know, do what you do," Lauren said.

"Doesn't your department handle these things?"

"This person is different, they're crazy Jack..."

"You're sure your boss is all right with this? No one ever hired me to find anyone they didn't want dead."

"I know that... Jack, I feel like I'm being watched. I don't know, maybe it's just me being paranoid, but I think it could be the killer."

"What do you mean it might be the killer, Lauren?" Jack stood still in the middle of the room looking at her.

Lauren played with her police badge for a few seconds "Jack, I feel like he's going to come after me. These women that this person is going around and killing are just practice. When I left the crime scene I felt like someone was watching me. Jack please, help us." Tears were now starting to fall from Lauren's eyes. "Things were just getting back to normal."

"Back to normal, for whom?"

"Tim and I. About six months ago, Tim was shot in the line of duty. I thought that I had lost him forever. The doctors didn't know if he was going to make it. He lost so much blood he actually died for a few minutes and came back. Please help Jack, I don't want to leave, Tim."

Jack didn't know what to say then a few second later gave a sigh, and a nod in agreement.

Lauren's cell phone rang. It was Speed. "What's up, babe?"

"We have another call out. Horatio and I are headed there now."

Lauren's stomach twisted and turned. "Where's the call?"

"Another woman in Coral Gables."

"Okay, I'll meet you and Horatio there."

"Alright… bye."

Speed was about to hang up when Lauren said, "Tim, wait!"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Lauren was trying to hold back tears.

"Love you too, babe. I'll see you in a bit." With that the two hung up.

Jack looked at his sister and said, "Another one?"

"Yeah, a woman in Coral Gables. Come on let's go."

Lauren and Jack arrived at the crime scene. Jack surveyed the area; the scene looked all too familiar to him, "he was here."

Lauren turned her head to him, as she put the Hummer in park, "you knew, didn't you?"

Jack nodded as he undid his seatbelt and stepped out to see Lauren's group there. As he looked around, Lauren saw Speed coming over.

"What is he doing here?" Speed asked miffed.

She looked at him with irritated eyes. "Tim, he can help. Don't get in his way. Just leave him alone." Lauren walked to the crime scene as she looked at her brother. "Wait here."

Jack looked at the scene putting all the pieces together, this was definitely someone he had dealt with before, and his suspicions of being followed were becoming more of a reality than a theory. As he looked around he reached in the back of his belt and pulled his gun up a little further; he looked at Lauren as she was walking back with someone else.

"Jack, this is Lt. Horatio Caine, he is the head of the crime scene unit."

"Jack, it's a pleasure meeting you, Lauren speaks highly of you," Horatio said as his took of his shades.

Jack extended his hand to meet his, "Thank you sir. She speaks highly of you too."

Horatio exhaled as he explained the situation. "Jack, I need to be honest with you, we usually do not do this. We like to keep it within our investigations, but this is a different case, we need your expertise."

Jack nodded, hearing this speech before, "How can I help, Mr. Caine?"

Horatio looked at Lauren with a small smile. "Please excuse us, sweetheart." Lauren nodded, and walked towards the crime scene. Horatio then looked at Speed. "You too, Speed." When both of them were out of hearing distance, Horatio spoke, "I need this to be over quick. I can tell by the way you're looking around that you've seen this before. I need you to do what you do. Take any necessary steps you see fit, but if things get out of hand… you need to be gone before anyone arrives. Understood?"

"Done."

Horatio nodded. "You have full access to everything in this investigation including use of the crime lab; do not abuse it."

Horatio walked away as Jack headed towards the scene and looked at the body. Jack kneeled down and pulled the white sheet off to reveal a bruised and battered woman. Jack looked at the body to see the messages the killer was sending him; the bruised skin, the ties around the hands, it was clear to him it was the same person.

Jack looked up to Lauren and her crew standing there. "When was the body discovered?"

Lauren looked to Alexx as she spoke, "About a few hours ago, people from the area found the body as is."

He looked down at the body again. "Any signs of footprints, tire tracks?"

Speed spoke, "No. The killer left nothing." Jack was then positive. It was definitely the same person.

He got closer and smelled the faint smell of alcohol. He pulled the white sheet back up over the body and stood up. "Where was she before this?"

Alexx opened her file, and scanned over her notes. "We could smell alcohol on her breath, and basic skin tests reveal that she had been sweating, we're guessing a club or possibly a bar." Jack cracked his neck; the killer was playing with him.

"This town is full of places like that, isn't it?" Alexx nodded as she closed her folder.

Horatio then came from behind, "Alexx, this is Lauren's brother, Jack, he is a government assassin... give him whatever he needs."

Jack looked at the group, "We're looking for someone a considerable size, no head hair, and has a tattoo on the left side of his neck."

Alexx looked at him confused. "How do you know this?"

"I have dealt with this person before." He then looked at Lauren, "and he followed me here."