My thanks to daxy and CSIMiamiFan for your reviews. I am also wondering where I am heading with this! Hope you like this next chapter.

Standard disclaimer: not mine, don't own, don't sue. And forgive me for bending these characters into pretzels. :)


Eric and Ryan's enthusiasm was short-lived. They opened the door to a beady-eyed, middle-aged man wearing an ill-fitting navy blue suit.

Ryan sighed. "What is it now, Rick?"

The older man sniffed. "That's Mr. Stetler to you, Wolf." Peering past the doorway, he added, "Is your father home, by any chance?"

"He's busy." Ryan blocked Stetler's view, folded his arms, and thrust his jaw in defiance.

Rick rolled his eyes impatiently. "Well, you tell him that just because he's head of the neighborhood crime watch, that does not give him permission to snoop around on my property. He's not an active duty police officer."

"My father," Wolf snarled, "is the best damn detective in Miami-Dade County." He eyed the other man warily, adding, "Maybe you have something to hide, Mister Stetler." As Rick fumed, Eric put a restraining hand on Ryan's shoulder. Wolf had balled his fists and looked ready to strike.

"I think you should go," Eric said to Rick, before Horatio's birthday dinner devolved into a fist-flying brawl. "We'll give him the message."

Stetler stepped off of the porch and did a quick visual survey of the Caine family property. "And let him know his grass is at least a half-inch too high. That's an HOA violation." He narrowed his eyes and thrust a shoulder in the direction of the garage. "And the trim on your garage door is not only peeling, it's the wrong shade of umber." He wagged a finger at the two men standing on the porch. "The next homeowners' association meeting is at the end of this month. I strongly suggest you fix it by then."

As Eric nodded, replying, "Of course, Mr. Stetler," in an overly-cloying voice, Ryan flipped the man the bird. Eric shoved Wolf into the house before the boy could get into any more trouble. "Who was that?" he asked, closing the front door.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Rick is the head of the HOA. He's got it in for Dad."

"Obviously," Eric snorted. "What did you do to piss him off?"

The younger man flushed. Rubbing his right eye, he disclosed, "I backed into his car last month." At Eric's surprised expression, he added, "That's when Dad made me go back to the eye doctor."

Horatio walked into the foyer, obviously expecting to see more guests. He glanced around with a puzzled look on his face. "Who was that, Wolfie? Why didn't you invite them in?"

Ryan replied with a particularly detailed, profanity-laced description of their visitor.

H massaged his temples. "What did Stetler want this time?" He folded his arms and stared at the floor, appearing exhausted at the mere mention of the man.

"Don't worry about it, Dad." Ryan placed a hand on his father's shoulder. "I'll handle it."

Horatio gave Ryan a slight smile before nodding. He turned to Eric. "How about another beer? You boys can join me on the deck."

Ryan shook his head, another swear word escaping his lips. "I forgot about the soup!" He raced back into the kitchen.

Eric followed Ryan at a quick pace, calling over his shoulder, "Sorry, H. I gotta protect my mother's honor. If Wolf ruins her food, she'll kill me." Sounds of clanking and stirring followed, along with a touch of profanity.

The doorbell rang again. All three men shouted, "I'll get it!" but Ryan reached the door first.

"Well, hello," he said, stumbling over his words. "You must be ... uh ... here for Eric."

The petite blond wearing sky-high black heels gave him a warm smile. "I'm Calleigh," she said, thrusting a hand in Ryan's direction. He shook it, numbly. The woman had eyes like green jewels, long blond hair, and wore a tight black jumpsuit. If she hadn't have been about six inches too short, she could have been a runway model.

"And this," she said, shoving a tall brunette forward, "is my younger sister Natalia."

Natalia wore a white, button-down Oxford over long jean shorts and a pair of red Keds. Her wavy brown hair practically covered her face. Brown eyes were framed by cat's eye glasses. With a shy smile, she held her hand out for Ryan as well. "Hello."

A nearly audible spark crackled through the room as the two met for a handshake.

Ryan stared at their clasped hands in wonderment. Natalia looked at Ryan in surprise, and he dropped her hand, blushing. Eric entered the foyer at the tail end of this interaction, and chuckled. He greeted Calleigh with a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Natalia just transferred to Dade U," Calleigh explained to Ryan. "Eric told me you're working on your chemistry degree. I thought maybe you could show her around. Natalia's studying genetics."

"Um, yeah, sure," Ryan replied. He touched around his right eye before locking his gaze on the brunette. "But I'm ...uh ... taking a semester off," he stammered. "I ... " He looked away, clearly unsure of how much to say.

Natalia touched Ryan gently on the arm. "Are you okay?" she asked in a soft voice.

He looked down at her fingers on his elbow before their eyes locked again and they jumped apart. Had either of them eyes for anything but the other, they would have seen Calleigh give Eric a definite smirk as she whispered, "Told you so."

"Yeah," Ryan said, breaking his connection with the girl long enough to reply. "I ... uh ... I'm having eye surgery in a couple of weeks." At Natalia's sad smile, he added, "But I should be good after that. And I can show you around before then." He smiled shyly at her. "As long as you drive."

"Okay," she said. "I'd like that." Natalia rewarded him by returning his smile. "Maybe I could come over and read to you while you're recovering?" She touched him on the arm again. "I have some questions about organic ..."

There was the sound of a throat clearing, and the two jumped apart guiltily. "And who do we have here?" Horatio Caine said, taking in the two women. He tipped his head to the side and favored them with a smile.

"H, this is my girlfriend, Calleigh, and her sister Natalia," Eric supplied. "Calleigh and Natalia, you've already met Ryan, also known as Wolf. This is Horatio, Ryan's father and my brother-in-law."

Calleigh's eyes widened. "Well, hello, Handsome!" she said. "I didn't know you guys were related." She looked from Eric to Horatio and back.

"You two know each other?" Eric asked with a frown.

The blond's wide smile was dazzling. "I give the yearly ballistics training at the Miami-Dade police department. Horatio's the best student I've ever had! You should watch him shoot a gun. He's simply amazing. And with his knowledge of bullet striations ... Well, I'm surprised he's not head of the Crime Lab by now."

The redhead gave her a bashful smile and dipped his head. "Thank you, ma'am." A flush spread across his cheeks and soon his ears had turned slightly pink too. Ryan and Eric stared at H, then looked at each other. Ryan shrugged his shoulders. Eric appeared horrified.

"You never dated, right?" he blurted out.

"No," the Southern blond replied, gazing at Horatio, her eyes wistful. The older man simply shook his head.

Natalia flashed Ryan a worried glance and subtly gestured at Eric. His nostrils were flaring and he looked angry enough to hit something. Or someone.

Ryan reached out to the Cuban. "Hey," he said, shaking him gently. "Let's eat."