AN: Sorry for the long update. For now I will only update on this story. Then I will move on to my CSI NY story and finally my story called A Killer In The Family. There might be a sequel to this story.

-I-

A week had passed and there was no sign of Bea since she had disappeared. Ryan was able to go home now and was just waiting for Horatio and Frank to pick him up at the hospital. Their flight back home would be leaving soon.

Ryan grinned as he saw a car approaching and Horatio and Frank arguing in the front seat. He stood up as they stopped in front of him and got out.

"You were trying to shave off my hair! That's not just wrong, that's insane!" Horatio growled, "Hey Ryan."

"Hi."

"You pulled a prank on me! I have the right to get revenge." Frank said, "How are you doing Ryan?"

"Good."

"Revenge by shaving my hair off? That's extremely evil to do to a guy like me." Horatio said.

"What a red head?" Frank teased.

"A guy who doesn't look good with a shaved head, a guy who sometimes has those goddman reporters around him, filming him!" Horatio growled.

"The hair will grow out." Frank said.

"He tried to shave off your hair?" Ryan asked, "And he failed… how?"

"He thought he could do it when I slept. He forgot that I wake up easily." Horatio said, "And as a result I hit him in the face with my pillow."

"It hurt." Frank whined, "Anyway, let's get going. I like seeing snow, but this place is getting way too cold."

Ryan sat down in the backseat and enjoyed the bickering that continued between Horatio and Frank. It wasn't everyday that one got the chance to see them argue and when it happaned; you simply had to enjoy it.

"What did the doctor tell you Ryan?" Horatio suddenly asked.

"Um, to rest and probably stay away from work for two to three weeks." Ryan said.

"You have as much time as you want off. Don't hurry to come back." Horatio smiled, "Have you called Calleigh?"

"Yeah, several times. I got to talk to Riley too. I miss them." Ryan smiled.

"They miss you too." Frank said.

"Any sign of Bea yet?" Ryan asked.

"No, not yet." Frank sighed, "She won't be able to hide for long though."

Ryan nodded. He hadn't thought much about Bea since she had disappeared. He hadn't forgotten about her, but he had so many other things to think about.

"Maybe she froze to death." Frank said, "She ran away in a hospital gown. That doesn't exactly keep you warm."

"She could easily have found clothes." Horatio said.

"I hope not. She would make a good ice statue in my backyard." Frank smirked evilly.

Horatio and Ryan looked at him and shook their heads. Frank chuckled at his own evil joke for several minutes.

"You are a cruel, cruel man Frank." Horatio said.

"I'm not cruel, I'm honest." Frank defended himself.

Ryan smiled and shook his head as Horatio and Frank started a new discussion about if Frank was cruel or honest. Ryan looked out the car window at the all the snow. He had always wanted to go to Alaska, but now Bea had ruined everything. Although he would have some good memories of the place, Alaska would mostly mean pain for him. Which was very sad. Ryan opened his wallet and looked at a picture of Riley and Calleigh that he always carried with him. His wife and daughter. He missed them so much that it hurt. He couldn't imagine being without them another day.

-I-

"Cooper!" Natalia growled and woke up the lab tech, "What did I tell you about the coffee cups?!"

"Not to use the one with the name Natalia on it." Cooper said nervously.

Natalia glared down at him and nodded, "Exactly! And yet you did!"

"I um, I forgot." Cooper explained.

Natalia was furious. She had been given a cup to use at work by Frank and she didn't want anyone like Cooper to use it. Not because Cooper was a bad guy or something, but simply because he, for some unknown reason, had cinnamon in his coffee. And not a small amount of cinnamon. The cup would smell cinnamon for three days now and Natalia's coffee would taste of it!

"I am very very very very very sorry Natalia. Words cannot express how sorry I am." Cooper said, "Can I make it up to you?"

"Yeah, you can start washing the cup for as long as it takes for that goddamn cinnamon to disappear!" Natalia growled and left.

Cooper sighed and stood up. He had nothing else to do anyway so he might as well just obey Natalia, who was acting boss for the moment. The lab was running smooth lately and there was not much to do.

Cooper started washing the cup by hand and whistled as he did this. The door opened and Eric walked inside.

"I thought you once said that washing a cup by hand is… gay." Eric said confused, "Is there something you want to tell me Cooper?"

"Natalia made me do this." Cooper shrugged, "I used her cup… again."

Eric winced. It warned him that Natalia would be in a bad mood for a while. She was pregnant as well and her hormones were running at full speed.

"You seem happier. Wait, what are ya doing here? You're supposed to be home." Cooper said.

"I can't leave the whole lab for Natalia to run on her own. Besides there is nothing I can do at home." Eric shrugged, "And yes, things are getting better."

"I'm sorry for what happened to Joseph." Cooper said sadly.

"Me too." Eric sighed, "Anyway, um… do you know where Natalia went?"

"Ladies room." Cooper said and saw Eric turn to leave, "Dude, you can't go in there."

"I'm not going in."

"Now what I mean is stay away from her. She's a mad pregnant woman who is married to a big Texan with a gun. Isn't that a sign that tells you to back off?"

"Cooper, I'm not a big sissy like you. I just need to see how she is and tell her I'm back." Eric smiled and left.

Cooper shook his head and prayed that Eric would survive Natalia's fury. Eric waited outside the ladie's room for Natalia and jumped when the door suddenly opened and she walked out.

"Wrong bathroom Eric." She snapped, "I'm sorry. I'm just having a bad day. Will I look fat when I start showing?"

Eric hesitated. Natalia liked honesty, but he wasn't sure if this was a moment to be perfectly honest. Not that she would look fat when she started showing her belly, but of course she would have a big belly, it was just a part of being pregnant.

"Um, no." Eric smiled.

"You hesitated, why?"

Eric sighed. Natalia was really really mad. He should have listened to Cooper. She would calm down in an hour though.

"Well, you caught me off guard." Eric smiled.

"I will look huge. It will be great and bad." Natalia started sobbing, "Oh what am I thinking. I will love the belly."

Natalia started crying against Eric's shoulder and he looked at her with wide eyes. He wasn't sure how to handle pregnant women. Natalia straightened up.

"Oh well, we have work to do. Do you know that Horatio hides a pillow under his desk?" Natalia asked.

Eric tried not to blush. But he knew exactly why Horatio had a pillow under his desk. It was for times when he and Eric had been having a little rough love making and Horatio was sore.

"I did know that." Eric said.

"I should be on the couch." Natalia said and walked away, "Nice having you back by the way."

Eric smiled and nodded. It was good to be back. He had no idea how much he had missed the lab until now. It felt good to be working again.

-I-

Frank was asleep in his seat in the plane. For once he wasn't snoring so loud. Ryan was at the window and just looked outside at the clouds. Horatio was reading a magazine. Horatio wondered just how Ryan was really feeling. He wasn't sure someone could go through what Ryan had gone through and just go home as if nothing had happened or as if things were fine. Ryan couldn't be fine. When Ryan sighed heavily, Horatio put away the magazine and looked at him.

"Are you really fine Ryan?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"I mean really fine?"

Ryan said nothing. He knew Horatio could read him well and there was no point in lying. He wasn't fine. He felt happy about going home. But as long as Bea was still a free woman, he would never be able to relax. He wouldn't be able to stop looking over his shoulder.

"I can't relax." Ryan admitted.

"I can see that. It's because Bea is still out there somewhere isn't it?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah. She could be anywhere. She could turn up in Miami again." Ryan sighed, "I can't even think about the day that I have to let Riley back at the day-care. What if Bea is watching and kidnaps her again?"

"I don't think she will come back to Miami, but I understand the fear you have. I think Calleigh feels the same way and to be honest so do I. She's unstable." Horatio said, "But after what Frank told me, I think she has finally given up on you."

"Well that's a relief, but she could get obsessed with someone else."

"I know. And she has to be punished for what she did." Horatio said, "I can make sure that your home is guarded by some officers until Bea is found."

"I don't know H. I don't feel like having someone outside my door all the time." Ryan said, "I understand why you want it and it would probably be a good idea. But after knowing that Bea had been watching me and Calleigh for several days, I just don't feel comfortable with it again."

"It's okay." Horatio smiled, "How are your injuries?"

"Sore." Ryan sighed, "H, I've always wanted to ask you. When you said I had it in my blood to be a CSI, what did you mean?"

"That you were born to do it. It shows. It's so natural when you process a scene as if you knew it from the day you were born. And I know that your grandfather was a police officer, so being a cop is in your blood." Horatio smiled.

He had actually met Ryan's grandfather the day his parents had died. Ryan's grandfather, that was on his father's side, had been the first officer on the scene. He had helped Ray and Horatio to find a new home.

"Really?" Ryan asked, "I didn't know that. He never told me, even after he found out that I worked for you."

"Well, we didn't meet under the best circumstances." Horatio explained, "How is he?"

"He died a few years ago." Ryan said.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. But why didn't he mention that he at least knew who you were?" Ryan asked.

"Maybe he couldn't remember." Horatio shrugged, "I was only a kid back then."

Ryan nodded. He could sense that Horatio didn't want to tell the whole story. Ryan was just excited to hear that his grandfather had met the man that Ryan saw as a father-figure.

"Does Frank really have to snore so loud?" Ryan asked when Frank started snoring louder.

"He did it on the way to Alaska as well. He embarrassed me so much." Horatio sighed.

"He embarrassed you?" Ryan chuckled,"You were embarrassed?"

"Yes, for your information I can be embarrassed as well." Horatio laughed.

Horatio then shook Frank until he woke up. Frank glared at him.

"I'm tired." He said.

"You embarrass H." Ryan grinned.

"I know." Frank smirked evilly and went back to sleep.

-I-

Cooper and Eric were eating cookies in the break room. It was past lunch and except for a robbery case that had just been solved, they had nothing to do. Cooper and Eric were two huge cookie-monsters and the crumbs were flying all over the table. It was with their mouth's filled with cookies that Natalia found them.

"You guys really need to learn how to chew and swallow." Natalia sighed and went to take some coffee.

"You want some?" Cooper asked.

Natalia shrugged and sat down next to Cooper. She took a cookie.

"Mm! This is great, thanks!" She smiled.

Cooper and Eric grinned widely and gave her more. Soon all three of them had eaten almost the whole box and Natalia had found her craving.

"Oh god! This is so delicious!" Natalia exclaimed, "Three cookies left, one each for us."

"I can't take anymore." Eric sighed heavily and rubbed his stomach.

"Sissy." Natalia teased.

"Easy for you to say, you're eating for two." Eric snapped playfully.

The door to the break room opened and IAB Dt. Paul walked in. He rolled his eyed at the CSIs.

"Don't you have work to do?" He asked.

"No, Miami is taking a break from crime. Don't you have work to do?" Cooper asked.

"Watch your mouth or I'll have your ass!" Paul growled, although Cooper had meant no disrespect.

"I don't think Cooper's ass is a very nice sight. And I had no idea you were a butt-lover." Eric smirked.

Paul's face got red with anger and he glared at Eric.

"Eric Delko! One more remark form you and I'll, I'll…"

"Have his ass too?" Cooper asked.

"You guys are so immature! When Horatio gets back tell him to bring his ass to my office for a talk!" Paul yelled.

"Paul, drop the ass-thing. Horatio's ass belongs to Eric." Cooper said.

Paul growled and almost ripped his hair out.

"Paul don't get angry. Here, have a cookie." Natalia smiled.

Paul just turned around and left. The trio burst out laughing and took the last of the cookies.

"I knew Paul was gay since his first day here." Cooper said.

"Yeah, right." Eric snorted.

"Well, let's go home boys. I'm going to drop buy a store and buy some cookies." Natalia smiled.

-I-

The flight was only one hour away from home. Ryan sighed in relief as the pilot informed the passengers that they would soon be landing.

"Thank God, it's been a long flight." Frank said.

"Yeah, for some of us it has been a horrendous flight." Horatio glared at him.

Frank had slept and snored almost the entire flight home and irritated the rest of the passengers.

"I lost count of how many people that looked like they wanted to choke you." Ryan grinned, "How does Natalia stand your snoring?"

"She has ear plugs." Frank smiled.

Ryan and Horatio chuckled and shook their heads. They got worried when the flight attendants started disappearing behind a curtain where the usually sat. After a while they walked out and disappeared to the back of the plane and then somebody screamed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, calm down or I'll blow this bitch's brains out." A female voice said.

Frank, Ryan and Horatio looked at each other. They knew that voice! The hostage taker started walking down the hallway of the plane to stand in front of the passengers. She was holding a flight attendant as hostage and had a gun.

"Hello, Ryan."

"Bea." Ryan growled.

TBC…

AN: Please review!