Title: Find Out Who Your Friends Are (Skin) 8/?

Author: wolfsong98/Amy/Calleigh

Beta(s): Maj. Paul, Beck, and rascalflattsgurl43.

See Part 1 for Warnings and Notes.

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"Stupid Miami drivers…" Rick muttered to himself as he struggled to unlock his front door while juggling the armload of security tapes and folders that he wanted Horatio to look at. Due to a couple fender benders, he was running late getting home.

Succeeding in getting the door unlocked and opened without dropping anything, he kicked the door closed with his foot. He waited until he heard the door click signaling that it was indeed shut. Taking a couple of steps into the living room, he stopped dead in his tracks. To his credit, he didn't drop anything.

Standing in front of his fifty-five gallon aquarium with his hands upon his hips watching the fish as they swam was Horatio Caine.

Rick blinked to make sure that he wasn't imaging things. When he opened his eyes, the redhead was still standing in his living room. He cleared his throat alerting the lieutenant to his presence.

"How did you get in?" He asked the other man.

The redhead chose not to reply. Instead, Rick received a smirk which seemed to suggest 'I know something that you don't.'

"I think that it's time for me to get the lock changed." Stetler muttered as he walked over to his desk where he deposited his armload of items.

"Getting back on the subject of why I'm here, the tapes Rick?"

"It'll take me a few minutes to round them all up."

"You keep them hidden in different spots." The older man deduced, impressed at the younger man's security.

"Yeah, I do. That way, if someone broke in looking for them, they'd have a hard time getting all of them." Here, it was Stetler's turn to smirk. "Although, now they're going to be hidden in the perfect place. No one would think I'd give you something like this."

"That is true." H admitted.

"If you would excuse me, I'll start rounding up those tapes." The older man stepped back, as Rick opened up the door built into the aquarium stand. He pulled some nets and cleaning supplies out of a bucket before removing a single mini cassette tape.

While Stetler was busy rounding up the tapes, Horatio used the opportunity to look around. His eyes were immediately drawn to a bookcase across the room. While most of the shelves held books, one shelf was devoted entirely to pictures.

Stepping closer to the bookcase Horatio looked at the pictures. There were a couple pictures of Rick Stetler as a child. There was one that immediately grabbed the Lieutenant's attention. There were only three people in the photo. There was an attractive woman with red hair that Horatio figured was Rick's mother. Standing beside her was a teenager with long red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. That must be Josh. H thought to himself. It appeared that he wasn't looking at the person taking the photo, if you followed the teenager's line of sight you could see that he was looking at an eight year old Rick Stetler. His hair was plastered to his head with what looked like half a can of hair gel. The young Rick was avoiding looking at the camera. As H followed the child's gaze he noticed that Rick must have had a broken arm because only his right was visible in the picture. Squinting, Horatio took a step forward as he took a closer look at the photo. He could just see the hint of a sling around the boy's neck as well as trace the outline of an arm encased in plaster underneath the shirt.

There was also a photo that must have been taken before he graduated from high school where she was adjusting his graduation cap. The rest of the photographs showed her and him at various ages.

"I should have known that you'd end up snooping around the moment I turned my back."

H straightened up, turning around to face the slightly taller man. "I do not snoop. I was merely investigating my surroundings."

Rick snorted. "So what did your investigation tell you?"

"That you were telling me the truth about your family."

"The tapes are on the table, but there is something that I need to discuss with you." Stetler replied, changing the subject.

"What might that be Rick?"

Sighing, Stetler walked over to his desk and picked up the file he had brought in with him. Carrying it over, he plopped down onto his couch and held it out.

Horatio took the folder and began reading its contents. As he progressed, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Where did you get this?"

"Somebody at the lab sent it out in a mass email. Near as I can figure everybody at the lab except for you and your immediate team received it. Although she didn't receive the email herself, somehow Mrs. Woods not only knew about it but she sent me a message asking me to look into it. I said I would." He blinked. Getting up, Rick began to pace across his living room.

"Do you mind not pacing Rick? I'd like to actually see who I'm talking too."

Stopping mid-stride, the younger man turned to face his former nemesis. "Sorry, it's just that this whole thing stinks. It was almost as soon as I had promised Alexx that I'd look into the situation when I received the email. Immediately, I sent out a memo about using the security footage for personal uses."

It was easy to pick up on the fact that the other man was getting huffy. "I didn't know that you cared Rick."

"I don't, I just hate mass emails." He replied a bit too quickly. "It would have been a completely different story if they had taken another approach."

"Somehow, I find that hard to believe. Your reaction tells me otherwise."

Trying to ignore the hairs standing up on the back of his neck at the scrutiny of being under the redhead's piercing gaze, he continued to relay the information that he had managed to gather. "I had the email traced and it was sent from our very own audiovisual lab." Forcing himself to ignore the other man's growl, and the reactions it was causing, he continued. "I confronted Cooper about it. He claims that it wasn't him because he was eating lunch at the time the email was sent out."

"So that's what those tapes are about." Cocking his head in the direction of the desk, he continued. "That looks like it's more than just the ones covering the AV lab and cafeteria."

"Of course it is. I also have the tapes from the parking garage." He quickly held up his hands at the low growl coming from H. "I'm not breaking the truce. Honestly. Besides, think about it, how would it look if I was investigating the email without looking into the cause of why it was sent in the first place?"

"That…" Horatio began, swallowing deeply, "that is a valid point." The sentence was spoken reluctantly as the Lieutenant walked over and sat down placing the photos on the remaining section of the coffee table that wasn't covered by mini cassette tapes.

Rick was surprised. Actually, surprised was an understatement. He couldn't believe that Horatio had actually admitted that he, Rick Stetler, was right. He quickly turned around so that his back was facing the older man to hide the fact that he was bushing.

"I planned on watching the tapes tonight." The younger man stated as he turned around trying to lean casually against the desk.

"I think that it's time to call a team meeting. The best time would be shortly after everyone arrives tomorrow morning."

"That's a good idea. They need to be informed on what is going on."

It was then and only then that he noticed that Caine was giving him that little smile of his that said he was up to something. Narrowing his eyes, he watched him warily. "What?"

"I think that the others need to be informed about our little truce."

"How?" A shocked look appeared on his face. "Wait… No!"

"They need to know. The reason the team works so well together is that we trust each other. That trust is earned by example. If they even suspect that I'm keeping secrets from them then that trust will falter and the cohesiveness of the team will begin to break."

"That may very well be, but how would you explain a team meeting that I'm invited too? We agreed that nothing would change with how we acted at work. That would constitute a major change in our behavior." Rick knew he was grasping at straws. The smirk that his former opponent was sporting acknowledged that the other man knew that he was winning the argument.

"Not if we make full use of the blind spot."

A whimper of frustration escaped and Rick froze. He could not believe that he had in fact whimpered and that it was witnessed by none other than Lieutenant Horatio Caine.

"What blind spot?" He demanded, but it didn't have its intended effect.

The redhead kept smirking and simply gave him a look as he tried to get a more comfortable position on the couch. H stubbornly refused to let Stetler see the reaction he was having to the whimper. Rick noticed the movement but before he could make heads or tails out of it, Horatio spoke.

"The blind spot is a small alcove in the hallway outside the morgue."

"Do you really think this is a good idea Horatio? I haven't exactly made myself popular with your team, you know?"

H's smirk just got bigger. The distraction worked just like a charm. "Let me deal with them. Besides, do you honestly think that Calleigh would voluntarily help you out if she didn't know about the truce?"

"Is there anyone that can win an argument with you?"

Slipping on his sunglasses, so that his eyes would not give anything away, Horatio looked over at him. His attention returned to the pile of tapes sitting on the coffee table. "So, do you have a bag or something to put the tapes in?" He evaded answering Rick's question by countering with one of his own.

"I might. Give me a few minutes to see if I can find something."

"Hey, Rick?" He called shortly after the younger man had left the room and spending a few more minutes trying to make sense out of the photographs. Unfortunately, his mind wasn't cooperating with him on the task at hand.

"Yeah?" He called, the reply muffled.

"Where is your bathroom?" At first, a loud thud was the only response he got to his question.

"SHIT!"

"What's going on in there? Need any help?"

"NO! It's nothing, really. Just hit my head on a shelf. Just open the other door in the living room. The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left."

Choosing not to reply, Horatio quickly made a beeline for the door leading deeper into the house and, while he didn't run, set a fast pace for the bathroom. Slipping inside, he closed the door making sure that it was locked behind him. Placing his sunglasses on the top of the sink, he turned on the cold water and let it run.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" He muttered to himself as he splashed cold water on his face. Unbeknownst to him, Stetler was in the kitchen doing the exact same thing.

"Think, H." He told himself. "Just think." Several minutes passed before Horatio regained his famous composure. Reaching over, he flushed the toilet after which, he washed and dried his hands.

Opening the door, he found himself face to face with Rick Stetler. Both men took a step backwards while taking in each other's appearances. Their faces were both damp, while the hair around their faces was soaked.

"Paper or Plastic?" Rick asked, holding up the bags. He was mentally kicking himself for not coming up with something better to say.

Paper would work better." If Stetler wasn't going to make a comment about his appearance, then he could grant the other man the same courtesy.

"Paper it is then." Rick agreed, stepping aside to let Horatio pass. He arched an eyebrow when he noticed the sunglasses resting on the sink. "Forgetting something?" He asked, ducking into the bathroom and grabbing them.

Caine stopped dead in his tracks, his right hand migrating to his suit pocket and finding it empty. Turning around, he spotted Stetler leaning against the door frame with the sunglasses in his right hand.

"Hand them over."

"What kind are these and how much did you pay for them?" He asked, ignoring the glare he was receiving from the other man as he twirled the sunglasses in his hand.

"They were a gift." Horatio's hand shot out and grabbed the sunglasses accidentally brushing the other man's hand as he did so.

"Really, who did you get them from?" Rick asked, trying to ignore the fact their hands had just touched. You idiot, he was just grabbing the sunglasses and your hand got in the way.

"Ray Jr. picked them out for my birthday when he was seven." Here, the older man smiled. "He was so excited. Yelina and Ray had paid for them, but they let Ray J have all the credit."

"Sorry. I… I didn't know." Stetler felt like a heel. He had just been curious and now he knew why they said curiosity killed the cat.

"Not many people do. It's just not a topic that is brought up much." Straightening up, he adjusted his suit coat before glancing at his watch. "I probably need to be leaving if you want to get those tapes watched and get enough sleep so that you can attend the meeting in the morning."

"Gee, thanks." He replied sarcastically, while following Horatio back into the living room. More than once he had to force his eyes to move upwards. The few feet it took to return to the living room seemed like miles.

"I'll send you an email once everyone arrives in the morning." H said, squatting down as he began bagging the tapes.

"Need any help?" Rick asked gritting his teeth together.

"No thanks, I've got it." Horatio replied as he scooped the last of the tapes into the paper sack. Walking over to the door, he gave Rick a smirk. "Have fun with your tapes." With a small wave the other man was gone.

Groaning, Stetler walked over to the door and locked it. Rubbing the back of his head where he hit it, Rick could feel a lump forming. He knew what he was going to spending the rest of his night doing. First he was going to take a freezing cold shower then, if he didn't freeze to death, watch the security tapes.

An hour later, Stetler found himself once again in his living room. Grabbing the first tape off the pile, he inserted it and hit play. Settling down on his sofa, he began to watch.

For the first fifteen minutes, there was nothing but the occasional person heading into and out of the elevator. Then, it showed the three friends in question getting off of the elevator. As he watched, Rick felt himself getting angrier by the second.

"Fuck," he growled. Getting up, he began to pace back and forth. "Anyone with half a brain could see that they were just picking at each other." But it wasn't the footage that was sent in the email. He thought to himself. Whoever did it knew what they were doing and took three seemingly innocent pictures that when put together looked questionable.

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