6th in the Fearful Symmetry series. Fearful Symmetry, Can't Fight This
Feeling, Gold Medals, Surprises, and Honeymoon precede it.
Disclaimer: Not my characters. Don't sue me. I don't own anything except my horse, and I'd fight you to the death for her.
Rating: PG
Pairing: H/C
***
"It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."
***
Calleigh Caine hummed Billy Joel to herself as she finished filling out the ballistics reports. She had been planning this Friday night for weeks, and she was looking forward to it. Wonderful food, awesome music, not to mention the best company in the world. And after all that, they would go home together. She still wanted to pinch herself sometimes, just to prove she wasn't dreaming. Horatio really was her husband. She admired her ring again as she signed at the bottom of the last report. It was too good to be true.
Horatio. A slight shadow of concern crossed her mind. Usually, he only brought a smile to her face, to her whole being, but something was on his mind lately, distracting him when he wasn't totally focused on a case, gnawing in the background of his sleep at night. She understood completely, but it didn't stop the worry. Tonight, in fact, was a deliberate effort to lift him momentarily out of the world and soothe his spirits.
Calleigh filed the paperwork and stood, stretching the stiffness of an afternoon's desk work out of her back. She looked at her watch. A bit early, but hopefully he would be back, if nothing had delayed him. She left Ballistics and headed for the main lab purposefully.
"He's back. Got back about 30 minutes ago." Alexx's warm voice drew Calleigh out of her concentration.
"Sometimes I think you can actually read minds," she protested good- naturedly, smiling at her friend.
"I can if you wear your thoughts painted across your face like a highway sign." She handed Calleigh a file. "I was just going to take him this report, but I'm sure he'd rather see you instead."
"Probably. Nothing personal, you know."
Alexx slipped a little closer to Calleigh in the hallway. "Is he okay? I get the feeling the last few days that something's bothering him."
Calleigh sighed. "It's just next week. He's not looking forward to court."
"Next week?" Alexx tried to mentally plug any of their CSI cases into next week and drew a blank.
"Not CSI. Hagen. Horatio's the star witness."
Alexx understood instantly. The case against former Detective Hagen involved two separate crimes, one the attempted murder of Horatio, the other the systematic betrayal of his fellow officers over the course of four years. Including Horatio's brother, Ray. Hagen had tried to plea bargain, but his crimes disgusted even the usually unflappable prosecuting attorney, and there would be no deal. He was facing full sentencing for all counts, and he had hired the best defense lawyer money could buy. Of course, the evidence was excellent for his being a bad cop and absolutely ironclad for his trying to kill Horatio. Still, Horatio was in for a few bad days on the stand next week. Far worse, he would be forced to relive all of it. And Ray's betrayal was a much deeper wound than Hagen's attack on him.
"He hired Peter Gray, didn't he?"
"Yes." The lawyer whose unofficial motto was "innocence is just a matter of the right price tag." Calleigh often wondered what a CSI style investigation of the top lawyers in the area would turn up. Many were bigger crooks than their clients. "Not that he'll shake Horatio. But the case will."
Alexx smiled sympathetically. "Nothing we can do really except stand by and pick up the pieces."
"Actually," said Calleigh, "I'm going for a frontal attack. Tonight, we're going out to dinner, then to see Billy Joel in concert. A whole night of relaxation. I'll take his mind off that case if it kills me."
"I'm sure you'll manage somehow." They smiled at each other like high school girlfriends. "If you'll give him that chart, I'll head home myself. The kids are at my sister-in-law's tonight. Just the two of us for a cozy little evening ourselves."
"Who's having a cozy little evening?" said Eric, coming up behind them.
"Everyone," said Calleigh. "National cozy little evening night. Haven't you heard? You mean you don't have a date for it?"
"Why, are you looking for one?" She aimed a playful punch at him, deliberately missing.
"I've got a date for the rest of my life," she retorted. "Have a good weekend, Alexx."
"You, too. Hope you can relax."
"We will," Calleigh promised herself. She headed through the main lab and up the stairs to Horatio's office. He was behind his desk, working on paperwork, but he felt her eyes on him as she stopped in the doorway. "Hello, Handsome. Are you ready for tonight?"
He smiled back at her, but his eyes drifted to his watch after a second. "We've still got plenty of time. I really ought to catch up on a few of these files."
"No way." She crossed to his desk and slammed the folder shut. They engaged in a brief tug-of-war. Amazing how much strength was in that slight frame, he thought. He finally won the file back, and she instantly climbed on top of his desk, parking her entire body right on it.
"Calleigh!" It's hard to protest while laughing, though.
"You are not working late tonight. I absolutely forbid it. We're leaving at 5:00, like civilized people."
"How civilized are we?" His attention had shifted fully from the file to her, and his deep velvet voice brought shivers down her spine.
"We'll degenerate throughout the evening," she promised. He held her eyes captive for a moment, then stood up.
"I'll hold you to that."
"I hope you do," she said, honestly. She wondered how the case he had been on that afternoon was going, but having distracted him from work, she didn't want to ask. She scrambled off his desk and joined him by the door. "Work is off-limits tonight," she said. "I forbid it."
He smiled at her, every inch of her slight frame outlined with determination, like a bulldog. He knew perfectly well what she was doing. And he was touched by it. "You're incredible," he said.
She took his hand. "I have to be, to be good enough for you. Now, let's go have fun." She switched out the light as they left his office.
***
The concert was in full swing. Calleigh let her eyes drift from the stage to her husband. He was settled back in his seat, absolutely focused on the music. So far, so good, she thought, and at that instant, the lights went out. Not just the lights, but the sound system, everything. A few screams echoed in the arena. Calleigh automatically fumbled for Horatio's hand and found it. He squeezed hers back.
"Keep calm, everyone." Billy Joel's voice from the front tried to make a joke of it, but without mikes, it did not carry far. A restless shiver passed over the crowd as they waited. Nothing. Calleigh felt Horatio shift beside her, and then she saw the glow of his cell phone as he dialed. "This is Lieutenant Horatio Caine. Is there a power failure in . . . " He broke off, and she felt his attention focus sharply, even in the dark. "How far? Do they know why?" He listened a few more minutes, then broke the connection. "This isn't just Miami. The whole southeast is blacked out, up to Virginia, over to Texas."
"You're kidding!" Calleigh weighed the possibilities. "Terrorism, you think?"
"They don't know anything yet. If it's terrorism, though, something else will happen soon. A blackout is just a nuisance. Terrorists aim bigger."
Employees of the arena had started down the aisles by this time with flashlights. "Please remain calm and exit as quietly as possible." The audience grumbled a bit about missing half the concert, but most of them were cooperative. Horatio leaned over to whisper in Calleigh's ear as they followed the flashlit circle toward the exit. "We'd better get over to headquarters. If this lasts any amount of time at all, they're going to need help tonight." She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her. He was right. Pickpockets, thieves, all the human rodents of the city's holes would take advantage of the darkness to emerge and gorge themselves on other people's possessions. There would probably be murders in Miami tonight, even. "So much for the concert," she sighed.
"It's over, whether we go in or not," he pointed out. True.
They emerged to an erie sight, one none of the crowd had seen before. Miami was shrouded in darkness. No building lights, no traffic lights. There were headlights, already tangled hopelessly in the intersections. Horatio's mind immediately started ticking off a list as they headed for the Hummer. Place traffic cops at the intersections. Rescue people from elevators. Put guards at the larger stores. Verify that all hospitals and other critical locations had generators. Even as he was thinking through it, by the headlights he saw a teen bump casually into a man walking on the sidewalk ahead. Horatio pounced instantly, catching him in a steel grip before he had a chance to run. "Give the man back his wallet," he said softly, almost politely, but the tone was icy. The teen stared at him for a second, then the eyes fell. He returned the wallet. Horatio made a note of his name and address, to be followed up later, but did not take him in. He had a feeling that the cells would be filled with much worse offenders tonight.
***
"National cozy little evening night," said Eric, raising his Diet Coke in toast to Calleigh as she entered the break room at 2:30 AM. The weak, sickly glow of backup generators filled the labs. It was enough to run the lights but not their current-thirsty lab equipment.
"Shut up," she snapped, wrenching open the fridge to study the warming drinks. She took a bottled water finally, wishing for coffee. "Anything new on the radio yet?"
Eric's joking front dropped instantly. "Nothing. They aren't even sure where it started yet. And when they do get everything sorted out, they'll have to turn it back on slowly, piece by piece, so the system doesn't blow a circuit."
"Meanwhile, no air conditioners." Calleigh pushed back a few damp strands from her forehead. "Remind me why I live in Miami."
"Because we work here," said Horatio from the door. "Minnesota would be too far to commute." She turned back toward him with a grin. Even in generator light, he looked gorgeous, cool and unruffled as always. "At least, it probably isn't terrorism," he went on. "Nothing else has happened. Terrorists would never give us time to regroup. It would be the blackout, then something else, almost immediately. Meanwhile, the captain has put the whole force on emergency status rotations. This looks like at least a few days, probably into next week before it's all clear. We're all going six hours off, six hours on, around the clock. Everyone helps wherever needed. The three of us are off now, then back here at 9:00. Okay?"
"Great," said Eric, standing up. "I always wanted to direct traffic on street corners."
"I've been helping pull people out of elevators," said Calleigh. "Want to trade?"
"What've you been doing, H?" asked Eric.
"I caught a bank robber," said Horatio. "Come on, Calleigh, let's go home." They left the break room, and Eric shook his head as he watched them leave.
"We direct traffic, and he catches a bank robber." Somehow, he wasn't surprised. He got his own car from the garage and headed out into Miami, a ghost city haunted by headlights. When he got to his own apartment, he was too tired to care about the dark. He fumbled through the clutter to find his bed and collapsed. 9:00 would come too early.
***
6:30 definitely came too early. Calleigh rolled over and reached for Horatio, only to find the other side of the bed empty. She got up instantly and went looking for him, finding him by the back sliding glass window, watching the sunrise over the beach. Walking up behind him, she wound both arms around his waist, locking them over his stomach. He jumped slightly at her touch, showing how far lost in thought he was. "That night was too short anyway," she said. "Why make it shorter?"
"I just wanted to watch the sunrise." He didn't look at her, though.
"You didn't want to disturb me." It wasn't a question.
"Well, no point in keeping us both awake. You were tired." She had been, but she could have kicked herself for not noticing his absence earlier. No, on second thought, she could have kicked him.
"Horatio, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to be sleeping when you can't." She squeezed him tightly. "I'm sorry last night didn't go like we planned."
"And you're always telling me to stop apologizing for things I can't help." She realized how ridiculous that had sounded. She was sorry, though. Not for the blackout, but that he hadn't gotten the break he needed. She had wanted so much to strip some of the stress from him before this next week.
Wait a minute. Maybe she still could. "Horatio, let's go running."
"What?"
She pulled him away from the window. "Come on, it's light enough now. We've got time before we have to be back at work. A good hard run is worth at least a few hours sleep." He still hesitated. "What's wrong, think you can't keep up with me?"
That brought the quirky smile she loved. The idea of him, with his long legs and graceful stride, struggling to keep up with her was funny. They loved to run together, but Calleigh, as fiercely competitive as she was, had to concede that he was faster. She took two steps to every one of his.
They dressed quickly, him in the midnight blue sweats she had given him for his birthday, which he loved because they had pockets. "Wonder what else has happened in the night," he said as they changed.
"We'll find out soon enough. Last night, we got the crooks. Today, we'll get the annoyed citizens. No credit card readers, no electronic registers."
"No Internet," he added. "No ATMs."
"Oh, hell!" Calleigh instantly became one of the annoyed citizens. "I'm out of cash. I meant to get some from the ATM last night."
"Come on, Cal." He gripped her arm playfully. "Let's go work off some of that stress you're carrying." He grabbed his wallet and his keys and started out the door already at a trot. With a smile, she chased him down the sidewalk. Boy, did he look gorgeous in that color. Which was why she had given it to him.
They had just settled into an even run when her cell phone rang. With a groan, she stopped and flipped it open. "Calleigh Caine." The name still hadn't grown old, and she was lost momentarily in the pleasure of answering the phone that way.
"Calleigh?" It was Eric. "Could you come over here?"
"Over where? To your apartment?"
"Yeah. Soon as you can."
"Eric, what's wrong?"
"Just come over here. Please. And don't bring H." He hung up before she could ask anything more.
Horatio had his head cocked slightly, his eyes curious. "What's wrong with Eric?"
"He wouldn't say. Nothing much, probably. Why don't you go ahead and have a good run? I'll meet you at CSI." Why on earth shouldn't she bring Horatio with her? Still, she knew Eric had a reason for asking.
"If something's wrong, I want to help."
"He said it wasn't important," she lied. "Go ahead, Horatio. You can get a better run without me, anyway."
He still hesitated. "You sure?"
"I'm sure." She gave him a quick hug. "Go ahead, I'll tell Eric you're thinking of him. We'll both see you at CSI." He started off again, instantly accelerating, picking up a much sharper pace now. He had been holding back for her. Running himself hard would do him a world of good. She watched him for a second fondly, then started to turn back.
Oh, hell. "Horatio!" Her voice lassoed him, and he stopped, looking back. "I forgot my keys. Left them in the house."
"Here." He fished his wallet out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "Spare house key inside it. Just leave it on the table for me. I've still got my keys. And you can split the cash in there, too."
"You think of everything," she said admiringly.
"I try. See you later, Cal." He started off again.
"See you." In spite of Eric's call, she stood there watching Horatio until he was out of sight. Then, slowly, she turned back.
***
Eric's usually fun-loving expression was dead serious. "It's gone," he said the minute he opened the door for Calleigh.
"What's gone?" She followed him in, then stopped dead. Eric's apartment was usually cluttered, but this was ridiculous. "You've been robbed!"
"Yeah. I didn't notice coming in last night - this morning - in the dark." His eyes met hers. "They took my medal, Calleigh."
"You mean the one Horatio . . ."
"Yes. My gold medal. Some other stuff, too, but the medal . . . how am I going to tell H?"
"Eric, it's not your fault. He can't blame you for being robbed."
"I didn't even notice. I just came in and went to bed."
"A lot of people were probably robbed last night and didn't notice until this morning. That medal is inscribed. Totally traceable. We've got to file a report. Alert the pawn shops. I bet they'll spot it right away."
Eric refused to be comforted. "They'll probably melt it down. And if I did tell H, he'd offer to replace it. I can't tell him I lost that one."
"Eric, you didn't lose it, it was stolen." Calleigh pulled him to his feet. "Horatio will understand. And you have to file a report. Come on, let's get down to the station."
He followed her slowly. "Will you tell him, though? I can't."
"I'll tell him," she promised. "Soon as I see him."
***
Calleigh and Eric got to CSI about 9:15. It had taken a while to file the report across the compound at police headquarters. She went up to Horatio's office, but it was empty. Maybe the captain already sent him out on some assignment, she thought. She did encounter Speed in the lab, looking like he had slept there all night.
"Morning. Have you seen Horatio?"
"Nope, he's not in yet."
She frowned. "He's late? He's never late. Maybe he was early, and you just missed him."
"Believe it or not, I was early myself, Calleigh. The bike is great through the traffic jams." That explained his wind-tossed appearance, at least. "I got here at 8:30. Trust me, he's not here yet."
Calleigh felt a small stab of worry. Only 15 minutes, but it was totally unlike him. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his. Nothing. It rang 12 times. She tried again, thinking she might have misdialed. There was no answer. "Speed, can I borrow your bike?"
"What?" He straightened up suddenly.
"Faster through the traffic jams, like you said. I'm going back home to check on Horatio. He's not answering his phone."
Speed considered. That was even more odd than his being late. "Why didn't you come in together?" he wondered out loud.
"Eric had . . . um, something to show me, and Horatio was going out for a run. That was at 7:00. We were going to meet here at 9:00."
Speed pushed himself to his feet. "I'll give you a lift over there. If you don't mind riding double."
"Thanks, Tim." She gave his arm a squeeze, but her eyes weren't even seeing him, he knew. "Let me tell Eric where we're going. He can give a message to the captain."
***
The bike was, indeed, great in the traffic, and Calleigh was glad that the police were otherwise occupied. She didn't object to the speed, though. She would have gladly gone faster. When she unlocked their house, she knew instantly that he hadn't been there. His wallet was still on the table where she had left it for him. That brought another realization.
"Oh, God, Speed, he doesn't have his ID with him. If he's been in an accident or something, no one would know who he is!" Her mind replayed that last scene again. Such a casual move, tossing his wallet to her. Because she had forgotten her key. You idiot, she thought, how could I possibly have let him go off into the city without ID?
"Easy, now." Speed's voice was comforting, but she refused to be comforted.
"He could be dying somewhere. He could have been run over by a car, or killed catching a criminal. He doesn't have his gun, either." All the possibilities paraded through her mind.
"Calleigh, sit down and start thinking." The sternness in Speed's voice reached her, and she sat down obediently. "Now, we can call all the hospitals. And most of the police force would recognize him. There are police all over the city today. Let's get the word out. I'm sure he's okay." Speed wasn't sure at all, though. The more he thought about it, the worse it looked. If Horatio wasn't answering his phone, something was badly wrong.
***
The captain met them at the door of headquarters, after they made an even faster trip back on the bike. "I've been checking since I got your call," he said. "No officer has reported seeing him, although we're still asking. There's one report from late last night that wasn't noticed, though."
"Late last night?" He had been fine at 7:00 this morning. What did late last night have to do with it?
The captain's face was grim. "There was an accident shortly after the blackout. It involved a traffic signal that wasn't working. A transport van was struck by two other vehicles, and both the driver and the guard were seriously injured. The back lock was broken in the collision, and I'm afraid the prisoners escaped in the confusion."
Calleigh's heart stopped. "What prisoners?"
"Four being transported into the main unit for trial next week. One of them was John Hagen." He actually backed up a step at the fury in her eyes.
"Hagen? He escaped at 9:00 last night, and no one even thought to tell Horatio?"
"I'm sorry," he offered lamely. "In all the crimes last night, the report didn't make it to my attention."
Calleigh honestly thought of attempted murder herself. Speed, next to her, put a hand on her arm, ready to hold her back if she charged. The scales teetered for a moment in her mind, but killing the captain would not help Horatio. She forced herself past the oversight. For now. "We still need to call the hospitals," she said. "It might not have anything to do with Hagen."
"Of course," said the captain. "You CSIs focus on this case today. I won't give you any other assignments." Big of you, thought Calleigh. "But I don't think we'd better put out a general public alert for him. The police, yes, but not the media."
"Why not?" Calleigh wanted to broadcast his description across the sky in fireworks. The more people looking, the better.
"If Hagen isn't involved, we'd be notifying him that there's a problem. He'd be after Horatio himself in a second if he thinks he might be hurt."
Calleigh reluctantly nodded. "You're right. But every single officer should be told. And I'll call the hospitals myself." She turned for the CSI building, eager to start calling.
"I'm sure we'll find him," the captain called after her.
"No thanks to you," she muttered, still furious. Speed, trailing in her wake, heard the comment and cringed. When all this was over, Calleigh might well kill the captain.
***
She sat in his office, behind his desk, the chair swallowing her tiny frame. She was on the phone with another hospital. "6 feet tall, red hair, blue eyes. He was wearing midnight blue sweats. He's got a slightly jagged scar down his right temple and another one on his left ankle." She sighed. "No, he didn't have any ID on him at all. Well, keep an eye out. Call me anytime." She hung the phone up savagely.
"No luck?" Alexx's concerned voice came from the door.
"Nothing. I've still got several to go, though." She suddenly noticed the steaming cups Alexx was holding. "Alexx, where did you get hot coffee?" The power-driven water pumps for the city weren't working, of course.
"I have my ways."
"Thanks." Calleigh gulped down half the cup, not even noticing that it burned her tongue. Alexx set the other one on the desk, and Calleigh raised an eyebrow over her cup.
"They're both for you." She walked around beside the desk and gave Calleigh's arm a squeeze. "I'm calling people myself, officers who were on duty this morning. We'll find him."
Calleigh picked up the second cup of coffee, down to sipping instead of gulping. "This last few months has been like a dream, Alexx. I kept waiting for it to end."
"It's not ending," Alexx insisted. "If the roles were switched, would he give up on you?"
Calleigh straightened up slightly, remembering their honeymoon. No one at CSI knew all the details of that one. Still, she remembered how Horatio had pursued her. She could do no less. "No, he wouldn't. You're right, I'll keep calling." She paused with her hand halfway to the phone, though. "And you know, Alexx, somehow, I don't think he's dead. I think I'd feel it if he was dead. But something is wrong. Badly wrong."
Alexx gave her shoulder another squeeze. "Keep me posted. We'll find him."
"I will," Calleigh promised. Alexx left, and Calleigh picked up the phone, dialing the next number on her list. While she was waiting for an answer, she looked around his office. The modern, efficient but comfortable furniture. The two pictures on his desk, one of him with his mother and brother, the other from their honeymoon, the two of them in front of Niagara Falls. So much of his presence flavored this office. Everything was here but the man himself. Horatio, she thought desperately, where are you?
Disclaimer: Not my characters. Don't sue me. I don't own anything except my horse, and I'd fight you to the death for her.
Rating: PG
Pairing: H/C
***
"It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."
***
Calleigh Caine hummed Billy Joel to herself as she finished filling out the ballistics reports. She had been planning this Friday night for weeks, and she was looking forward to it. Wonderful food, awesome music, not to mention the best company in the world. And after all that, they would go home together. She still wanted to pinch herself sometimes, just to prove she wasn't dreaming. Horatio really was her husband. She admired her ring again as she signed at the bottom of the last report. It was too good to be true.
Horatio. A slight shadow of concern crossed her mind. Usually, he only brought a smile to her face, to her whole being, but something was on his mind lately, distracting him when he wasn't totally focused on a case, gnawing in the background of his sleep at night. She understood completely, but it didn't stop the worry. Tonight, in fact, was a deliberate effort to lift him momentarily out of the world and soothe his spirits.
Calleigh filed the paperwork and stood, stretching the stiffness of an afternoon's desk work out of her back. She looked at her watch. A bit early, but hopefully he would be back, if nothing had delayed him. She left Ballistics and headed for the main lab purposefully.
"He's back. Got back about 30 minutes ago." Alexx's warm voice drew Calleigh out of her concentration.
"Sometimes I think you can actually read minds," she protested good- naturedly, smiling at her friend.
"I can if you wear your thoughts painted across your face like a highway sign." She handed Calleigh a file. "I was just going to take him this report, but I'm sure he'd rather see you instead."
"Probably. Nothing personal, you know."
Alexx slipped a little closer to Calleigh in the hallway. "Is he okay? I get the feeling the last few days that something's bothering him."
Calleigh sighed. "It's just next week. He's not looking forward to court."
"Next week?" Alexx tried to mentally plug any of their CSI cases into next week and drew a blank.
"Not CSI. Hagen. Horatio's the star witness."
Alexx understood instantly. The case against former Detective Hagen involved two separate crimes, one the attempted murder of Horatio, the other the systematic betrayal of his fellow officers over the course of four years. Including Horatio's brother, Ray. Hagen had tried to plea bargain, but his crimes disgusted even the usually unflappable prosecuting attorney, and there would be no deal. He was facing full sentencing for all counts, and he had hired the best defense lawyer money could buy. Of course, the evidence was excellent for his being a bad cop and absolutely ironclad for his trying to kill Horatio. Still, Horatio was in for a few bad days on the stand next week. Far worse, he would be forced to relive all of it. And Ray's betrayal was a much deeper wound than Hagen's attack on him.
"He hired Peter Gray, didn't he?"
"Yes." The lawyer whose unofficial motto was "innocence is just a matter of the right price tag." Calleigh often wondered what a CSI style investigation of the top lawyers in the area would turn up. Many were bigger crooks than their clients. "Not that he'll shake Horatio. But the case will."
Alexx smiled sympathetically. "Nothing we can do really except stand by and pick up the pieces."
"Actually," said Calleigh, "I'm going for a frontal attack. Tonight, we're going out to dinner, then to see Billy Joel in concert. A whole night of relaxation. I'll take his mind off that case if it kills me."
"I'm sure you'll manage somehow." They smiled at each other like high school girlfriends. "If you'll give him that chart, I'll head home myself. The kids are at my sister-in-law's tonight. Just the two of us for a cozy little evening ourselves."
"Who's having a cozy little evening?" said Eric, coming up behind them.
"Everyone," said Calleigh. "National cozy little evening night. Haven't you heard? You mean you don't have a date for it?"
"Why, are you looking for one?" She aimed a playful punch at him, deliberately missing.
"I've got a date for the rest of my life," she retorted. "Have a good weekend, Alexx."
"You, too. Hope you can relax."
"We will," Calleigh promised herself. She headed through the main lab and up the stairs to Horatio's office. He was behind his desk, working on paperwork, but he felt her eyes on him as she stopped in the doorway. "Hello, Handsome. Are you ready for tonight?"
He smiled back at her, but his eyes drifted to his watch after a second. "We've still got plenty of time. I really ought to catch up on a few of these files."
"No way." She crossed to his desk and slammed the folder shut. They engaged in a brief tug-of-war. Amazing how much strength was in that slight frame, he thought. He finally won the file back, and she instantly climbed on top of his desk, parking her entire body right on it.
"Calleigh!" It's hard to protest while laughing, though.
"You are not working late tonight. I absolutely forbid it. We're leaving at 5:00, like civilized people."
"How civilized are we?" His attention had shifted fully from the file to her, and his deep velvet voice brought shivers down her spine.
"We'll degenerate throughout the evening," she promised. He held her eyes captive for a moment, then stood up.
"I'll hold you to that."
"I hope you do," she said, honestly. She wondered how the case he had been on that afternoon was going, but having distracted him from work, she didn't want to ask. She scrambled off his desk and joined him by the door. "Work is off-limits tonight," she said. "I forbid it."
He smiled at her, every inch of her slight frame outlined with determination, like a bulldog. He knew perfectly well what she was doing. And he was touched by it. "You're incredible," he said.
She took his hand. "I have to be, to be good enough for you. Now, let's go have fun." She switched out the light as they left his office.
***
The concert was in full swing. Calleigh let her eyes drift from the stage to her husband. He was settled back in his seat, absolutely focused on the music. So far, so good, she thought, and at that instant, the lights went out. Not just the lights, but the sound system, everything. A few screams echoed in the arena. Calleigh automatically fumbled for Horatio's hand and found it. He squeezed hers back.
"Keep calm, everyone." Billy Joel's voice from the front tried to make a joke of it, but without mikes, it did not carry far. A restless shiver passed over the crowd as they waited. Nothing. Calleigh felt Horatio shift beside her, and then she saw the glow of his cell phone as he dialed. "This is Lieutenant Horatio Caine. Is there a power failure in . . . " He broke off, and she felt his attention focus sharply, even in the dark. "How far? Do they know why?" He listened a few more minutes, then broke the connection. "This isn't just Miami. The whole southeast is blacked out, up to Virginia, over to Texas."
"You're kidding!" Calleigh weighed the possibilities. "Terrorism, you think?"
"They don't know anything yet. If it's terrorism, though, something else will happen soon. A blackout is just a nuisance. Terrorists aim bigger."
Employees of the arena had started down the aisles by this time with flashlights. "Please remain calm and exit as quietly as possible." The audience grumbled a bit about missing half the concert, but most of them were cooperative. Horatio leaned over to whisper in Calleigh's ear as they followed the flashlit circle toward the exit. "We'd better get over to headquarters. If this lasts any amount of time at all, they're going to need help tonight." She nodded, forgetting that he couldn't see her. He was right. Pickpockets, thieves, all the human rodents of the city's holes would take advantage of the darkness to emerge and gorge themselves on other people's possessions. There would probably be murders in Miami tonight, even. "So much for the concert," she sighed.
"It's over, whether we go in or not," he pointed out. True.
They emerged to an erie sight, one none of the crowd had seen before. Miami was shrouded in darkness. No building lights, no traffic lights. There were headlights, already tangled hopelessly in the intersections. Horatio's mind immediately started ticking off a list as they headed for the Hummer. Place traffic cops at the intersections. Rescue people from elevators. Put guards at the larger stores. Verify that all hospitals and other critical locations had generators. Even as he was thinking through it, by the headlights he saw a teen bump casually into a man walking on the sidewalk ahead. Horatio pounced instantly, catching him in a steel grip before he had a chance to run. "Give the man back his wallet," he said softly, almost politely, but the tone was icy. The teen stared at him for a second, then the eyes fell. He returned the wallet. Horatio made a note of his name and address, to be followed up later, but did not take him in. He had a feeling that the cells would be filled with much worse offenders tonight.
***
"National cozy little evening night," said Eric, raising his Diet Coke in toast to Calleigh as she entered the break room at 2:30 AM. The weak, sickly glow of backup generators filled the labs. It was enough to run the lights but not their current-thirsty lab equipment.
"Shut up," she snapped, wrenching open the fridge to study the warming drinks. She took a bottled water finally, wishing for coffee. "Anything new on the radio yet?"
Eric's joking front dropped instantly. "Nothing. They aren't even sure where it started yet. And when they do get everything sorted out, they'll have to turn it back on slowly, piece by piece, so the system doesn't blow a circuit."
"Meanwhile, no air conditioners." Calleigh pushed back a few damp strands from her forehead. "Remind me why I live in Miami."
"Because we work here," said Horatio from the door. "Minnesota would be too far to commute." She turned back toward him with a grin. Even in generator light, he looked gorgeous, cool and unruffled as always. "At least, it probably isn't terrorism," he went on. "Nothing else has happened. Terrorists would never give us time to regroup. It would be the blackout, then something else, almost immediately. Meanwhile, the captain has put the whole force on emergency status rotations. This looks like at least a few days, probably into next week before it's all clear. We're all going six hours off, six hours on, around the clock. Everyone helps wherever needed. The three of us are off now, then back here at 9:00. Okay?"
"Great," said Eric, standing up. "I always wanted to direct traffic on street corners."
"I've been helping pull people out of elevators," said Calleigh. "Want to trade?"
"What've you been doing, H?" asked Eric.
"I caught a bank robber," said Horatio. "Come on, Calleigh, let's go home." They left the break room, and Eric shook his head as he watched them leave.
"We direct traffic, and he catches a bank robber." Somehow, he wasn't surprised. He got his own car from the garage and headed out into Miami, a ghost city haunted by headlights. When he got to his own apartment, he was too tired to care about the dark. He fumbled through the clutter to find his bed and collapsed. 9:00 would come too early.
***
6:30 definitely came too early. Calleigh rolled over and reached for Horatio, only to find the other side of the bed empty. She got up instantly and went looking for him, finding him by the back sliding glass window, watching the sunrise over the beach. Walking up behind him, she wound both arms around his waist, locking them over his stomach. He jumped slightly at her touch, showing how far lost in thought he was. "That night was too short anyway," she said. "Why make it shorter?"
"I just wanted to watch the sunrise." He didn't look at her, though.
"You didn't want to disturb me." It wasn't a question.
"Well, no point in keeping us both awake. You were tired." She had been, but she could have kicked herself for not noticing his absence earlier. No, on second thought, she could have kicked him.
"Horatio, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to be sleeping when you can't." She squeezed him tightly. "I'm sorry last night didn't go like we planned."
"And you're always telling me to stop apologizing for things I can't help." She realized how ridiculous that had sounded. She was sorry, though. Not for the blackout, but that he hadn't gotten the break he needed. She had wanted so much to strip some of the stress from him before this next week.
Wait a minute. Maybe she still could. "Horatio, let's go running."
"What?"
She pulled him away from the window. "Come on, it's light enough now. We've got time before we have to be back at work. A good hard run is worth at least a few hours sleep." He still hesitated. "What's wrong, think you can't keep up with me?"
That brought the quirky smile she loved. The idea of him, with his long legs and graceful stride, struggling to keep up with her was funny. They loved to run together, but Calleigh, as fiercely competitive as she was, had to concede that he was faster. She took two steps to every one of his.
They dressed quickly, him in the midnight blue sweats she had given him for his birthday, which he loved because they had pockets. "Wonder what else has happened in the night," he said as they changed.
"We'll find out soon enough. Last night, we got the crooks. Today, we'll get the annoyed citizens. No credit card readers, no electronic registers."
"No Internet," he added. "No ATMs."
"Oh, hell!" Calleigh instantly became one of the annoyed citizens. "I'm out of cash. I meant to get some from the ATM last night."
"Come on, Cal." He gripped her arm playfully. "Let's go work off some of that stress you're carrying." He grabbed his wallet and his keys and started out the door already at a trot. With a smile, she chased him down the sidewalk. Boy, did he look gorgeous in that color. Which was why she had given it to him.
They had just settled into an even run when her cell phone rang. With a groan, she stopped and flipped it open. "Calleigh Caine." The name still hadn't grown old, and she was lost momentarily in the pleasure of answering the phone that way.
"Calleigh?" It was Eric. "Could you come over here?"
"Over where? To your apartment?"
"Yeah. Soon as you can."
"Eric, what's wrong?"
"Just come over here. Please. And don't bring H." He hung up before she could ask anything more.
Horatio had his head cocked slightly, his eyes curious. "What's wrong with Eric?"
"He wouldn't say. Nothing much, probably. Why don't you go ahead and have a good run? I'll meet you at CSI." Why on earth shouldn't she bring Horatio with her? Still, she knew Eric had a reason for asking.
"If something's wrong, I want to help."
"He said it wasn't important," she lied. "Go ahead, Horatio. You can get a better run without me, anyway."
He still hesitated. "You sure?"
"I'm sure." She gave him a quick hug. "Go ahead, I'll tell Eric you're thinking of him. We'll both see you at CSI." He started off again, instantly accelerating, picking up a much sharper pace now. He had been holding back for her. Running himself hard would do him a world of good. She watched him for a second fondly, then started to turn back.
Oh, hell. "Horatio!" Her voice lassoed him, and he stopped, looking back. "I forgot my keys. Left them in the house."
"Here." He fished his wallet out of his pocket and tossed it to her. "Spare house key inside it. Just leave it on the table for me. I've still got my keys. And you can split the cash in there, too."
"You think of everything," she said admiringly.
"I try. See you later, Cal." He started off again.
"See you." In spite of Eric's call, she stood there watching Horatio until he was out of sight. Then, slowly, she turned back.
***
Eric's usually fun-loving expression was dead serious. "It's gone," he said the minute he opened the door for Calleigh.
"What's gone?" She followed him in, then stopped dead. Eric's apartment was usually cluttered, but this was ridiculous. "You've been robbed!"
"Yeah. I didn't notice coming in last night - this morning - in the dark." His eyes met hers. "They took my medal, Calleigh."
"You mean the one Horatio . . ."
"Yes. My gold medal. Some other stuff, too, but the medal . . . how am I going to tell H?"
"Eric, it's not your fault. He can't blame you for being robbed."
"I didn't even notice. I just came in and went to bed."
"A lot of people were probably robbed last night and didn't notice until this morning. That medal is inscribed. Totally traceable. We've got to file a report. Alert the pawn shops. I bet they'll spot it right away."
Eric refused to be comforted. "They'll probably melt it down. And if I did tell H, he'd offer to replace it. I can't tell him I lost that one."
"Eric, you didn't lose it, it was stolen." Calleigh pulled him to his feet. "Horatio will understand. And you have to file a report. Come on, let's get down to the station."
He followed her slowly. "Will you tell him, though? I can't."
"I'll tell him," she promised. "Soon as I see him."
***
Calleigh and Eric got to CSI about 9:15. It had taken a while to file the report across the compound at police headquarters. She went up to Horatio's office, but it was empty. Maybe the captain already sent him out on some assignment, she thought. She did encounter Speed in the lab, looking like he had slept there all night.
"Morning. Have you seen Horatio?"
"Nope, he's not in yet."
She frowned. "He's late? He's never late. Maybe he was early, and you just missed him."
"Believe it or not, I was early myself, Calleigh. The bike is great through the traffic jams." That explained his wind-tossed appearance, at least. "I got here at 8:30. Trust me, he's not here yet."
Calleigh felt a small stab of worry. Only 15 minutes, but it was totally unlike him. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his. Nothing. It rang 12 times. She tried again, thinking she might have misdialed. There was no answer. "Speed, can I borrow your bike?"
"What?" He straightened up suddenly.
"Faster through the traffic jams, like you said. I'm going back home to check on Horatio. He's not answering his phone."
Speed considered. That was even more odd than his being late. "Why didn't you come in together?" he wondered out loud.
"Eric had . . . um, something to show me, and Horatio was going out for a run. That was at 7:00. We were going to meet here at 9:00."
Speed pushed himself to his feet. "I'll give you a lift over there. If you don't mind riding double."
"Thanks, Tim." She gave his arm a squeeze, but her eyes weren't even seeing him, he knew. "Let me tell Eric where we're going. He can give a message to the captain."
***
The bike was, indeed, great in the traffic, and Calleigh was glad that the police were otherwise occupied. She didn't object to the speed, though. She would have gladly gone faster. When she unlocked their house, she knew instantly that he hadn't been there. His wallet was still on the table where she had left it for him. That brought another realization.
"Oh, God, Speed, he doesn't have his ID with him. If he's been in an accident or something, no one would know who he is!" Her mind replayed that last scene again. Such a casual move, tossing his wallet to her. Because she had forgotten her key. You idiot, she thought, how could I possibly have let him go off into the city without ID?
"Easy, now." Speed's voice was comforting, but she refused to be comforted.
"He could be dying somewhere. He could have been run over by a car, or killed catching a criminal. He doesn't have his gun, either." All the possibilities paraded through her mind.
"Calleigh, sit down and start thinking." The sternness in Speed's voice reached her, and she sat down obediently. "Now, we can call all the hospitals. And most of the police force would recognize him. There are police all over the city today. Let's get the word out. I'm sure he's okay." Speed wasn't sure at all, though. The more he thought about it, the worse it looked. If Horatio wasn't answering his phone, something was badly wrong.
***
The captain met them at the door of headquarters, after they made an even faster trip back on the bike. "I've been checking since I got your call," he said. "No officer has reported seeing him, although we're still asking. There's one report from late last night that wasn't noticed, though."
"Late last night?" He had been fine at 7:00 this morning. What did late last night have to do with it?
The captain's face was grim. "There was an accident shortly after the blackout. It involved a traffic signal that wasn't working. A transport van was struck by two other vehicles, and both the driver and the guard were seriously injured. The back lock was broken in the collision, and I'm afraid the prisoners escaped in the confusion."
Calleigh's heart stopped. "What prisoners?"
"Four being transported into the main unit for trial next week. One of them was John Hagen." He actually backed up a step at the fury in her eyes.
"Hagen? He escaped at 9:00 last night, and no one even thought to tell Horatio?"
"I'm sorry," he offered lamely. "In all the crimes last night, the report didn't make it to my attention."
Calleigh honestly thought of attempted murder herself. Speed, next to her, put a hand on her arm, ready to hold her back if she charged. The scales teetered for a moment in her mind, but killing the captain would not help Horatio. She forced herself past the oversight. For now. "We still need to call the hospitals," she said. "It might not have anything to do with Hagen."
"Of course," said the captain. "You CSIs focus on this case today. I won't give you any other assignments." Big of you, thought Calleigh. "But I don't think we'd better put out a general public alert for him. The police, yes, but not the media."
"Why not?" Calleigh wanted to broadcast his description across the sky in fireworks. The more people looking, the better.
"If Hagen isn't involved, we'd be notifying him that there's a problem. He'd be after Horatio himself in a second if he thinks he might be hurt."
Calleigh reluctantly nodded. "You're right. But every single officer should be told. And I'll call the hospitals myself." She turned for the CSI building, eager to start calling.
"I'm sure we'll find him," the captain called after her.
"No thanks to you," she muttered, still furious. Speed, trailing in her wake, heard the comment and cringed. When all this was over, Calleigh might well kill the captain.
***
She sat in his office, behind his desk, the chair swallowing her tiny frame. She was on the phone with another hospital. "6 feet tall, red hair, blue eyes. He was wearing midnight blue sweats. He's got a slightly jagged scar down his right temple and another one on his left ankle." She sighed. "No, he didn't have any ID on him at all. Well, keep an eye out. Call me anytime." She hung the phone up savagely.
"No luck?" Alexx's concerned voice came from the door.
"Nothing. I've still got several to go, though." She suddenly noticed the steaming cups Alexx was holding. "Alexx, where did you get hot coffee?" The power-driven water pumps for the city weren't working, of course.
"I have my ways."
"Thanks." Calleigh gulped down half the cup, not even noticing that it burned her tongue. Alexx set the other one on the desk, and Calleigh raised an eyebrow over her cup.
"They're both for you." She walked around beside the desk and gave Calleigh's arm a squeeze. "I'm calling people myself, officers who were on duty this morning. We'll find him."
Calleigh picked up the second cup of coffee, down to sipping instead of gulping. "This last few months has been like a dream, Alexx. I kept waiting for it to end."
"It's not ending," Alexx insisted. "If the roles were switched, would he give up on you?"
Calleigh straightened up slightly, remembering their honeymoon. No one at CSI knew all the details of that one. Still, she remembered how Horatio had pursued her. She could do no less. "No, he wouldn't. You're right, I'll keep calling." She paused with her hand halfway to the phone, though. "And you know, Alexx, somehow, I don't think he's dead. I think I'd feel it if he was dead. But something is wrong. Badly wrong."
Alexx gave her shoulder another squeeze. "Keep me posted. We'll find him."
"I will," Calleigh promised. Alexx left, and Calleigh picked up the phone, dialing the next number on her list. While she was waiting for an answer, she looked around his office. The modern, efficient but comfortable furniture. The two pictures on his desk, one of him with his mother and brother, the other from their honeymoon, the two of them in front of Niagara Falls. So much of his presence flavored this office. Everything was here but the man himself. Horatio, she thought desperately, where are you?