LOST SON OF AVALON
by Shadewynde
Chapter Ten: Down But Not Out
"Be slow to fall into friendship, but when you are in, continue firm and constant."
― Socrates
Horatio tried to sit up again, and Alexx gave a maternal snort before gently pushing him back down.
"Please be still!" the doctor's tone was almost scolding.
"I'm fine, Alexx."
"You are not fine, Horatio! You were..." Alexx's voice stopped and she had to swallow hard.
"H, please just stay still a while, okay?" Speed shifted his feet, as his friend - and former boss' - gaze fixed on him.
"What happened, Speed?" No accusation, not even justified anger.
The concern was genuine, and it just made Speed's guilt level skyrocket.
"I saw something on a case, H..." The dark-haired young man couldn't quite meet those intense, sapphire eyes.
Eyes that were more of a father than a boss.
Speed had never hated the damn Feds more than he did at that moment.
Horatio's head tilted a little, encouragingly, and the dam inside of Tim Speedle simply eroded beyond repair.
"I'm sorry." Speed had to turn away, all sardonic wit gone. "The Feds, they..." He swallowed once, hard, then plunged on. "They needed a witness, and it all happened so fast. After I testified, they wouldn't let me come home. They wouldn't give me back my life..."
"I'm sorry, Speed." Horatio's understanding lifted the pain some, and the hand that lightly gripped his arm raised Speed's spirits immeasurably.
"No, H...it was damn...just wrong...!" Speed's hands were clenched. "When Jason and Ian brought me in, it was to help you. So I skipped."
Horatio was taken aback. "Me?"
That is so like you, H. To you, you just aren't important.
"Yeah." Speed was suddenly almost choked with a renewed, fierce affection and loyalty to the man. "You haven't really met them yet, but I've been helping them...uh...maneuver in close."
"Horatio Caine, if you try to move again, so help me, I am gonna sit on you!" Alexx warned, as Horatio again looked ready to get up and start moving.
Calleigh forced herself to not look at Horatio's doppelganger, as Ian led her purpousely back toward the Lab. As they rounded a corner, a gun was suddenly in Ian's face.
"Blasphemer!" the man raged, and his would-be target's hand moved sharply, coming up palm-out and sharply forward.
The man was blown back a good ten feet, landing hard, gun spinning off to their right. Calleigh dove after it, as the Horatio-double hauled the man up by his neck.
"You will tell me where your coven is, or I will rip out your heart and feed it to you." The icy, cold tones, marked with a vicious undertone, was so out of character for the man he resembled that Calleigh, now holding the .45 by it's handle, shivered.
The dangling figure's eyes widened as Ian's head dipped slightly, eyes tipping over Horatio's sunglasses, and the captured man suddenly choked in pain.
Ian snarled, "How many?"
When the man clawed frantically at the iron grip, it only tightened. Blood trickled from the corner of the working mouth.
"Ian, stop!" Calleigh caught the arm, found the muscles locked tight. "You're killing him!"
"I intend to do that anyway, but there are many ways to die." The should-be-familiar face leaned in close, as the woman's green eyes widened. "Slowly or quickly? Your choice. How many?"
"N-no m-m-more..." stuttered the man, voice weak. "All...d-dead..."
Emerald eyes searched frightened dark ones, and there was a sudden, horrible crunch.
Tossing the body aside as if it were less than garbage, there was another flicker and Ian shed his adopted image. Sliding Horatio's sunglasses carefully into his pocket, Ian met Calleigh's horrified gaze.
"No fingerprints, I assure you." The lightly-accented voice was no longer an illusion of Horatio's. "Believe me, Calleigh - had he returned to his comrades, they would be back at that warehouse. And Horatio and the others would be in mortal danger."
Calleigh had seen death. Sometimes it happened. But the cold rage of the enigmatic man before her chilled her.
"I could have arrested him..."
"And then what? In a few hours, he would be back. I but broke the chain before it could continue."
"That was a human being, Ian!"
A dark eyebrow raised. "If you can call him that."
The door opened, and Jason came in, a faintly complaining bundle over his shoulders. "Hi, guys! Miss me?" he asked, cheerfully.
He trotted over to the trio and carefully lowered his burden to the floor.
"New patient." The blonde said, indicating Gil, who was sitting up despite the pain.
Gil looked over at the three, then his eyes fixed on the redhead still on the ground.
"Horatio!" His voice was startled. "What...?"
"Gil?" The CSI was equally taken aback. "Are you all right?"
Gil's smile was bemused. "More or less." he replied, a little wryly, covering a wince at the now-familiar, gnawing pain.
Jason settled down next to Alexx. "Hi, Horatio." he greeted. "How ya doin'?"
"Better." Horatio's voice was steady, his gaze studied the other man thoughtfully. "And you are?"
"Just call me Jason. I'd shake your hand, but Alexx here might break it." He grinned. "Doc? And I mean the nice lady about to administer a nice, tranquilizing right hook."
Alex snorted. "He seems better - Horatio, be still! - but it'll be a little bit before that last dose of Narcan works through his system."
"Geez, fella, you're as bad as me. I hate bein' down for the count." Jason looked over at Speed, then back to the now-sharp-eyed Lieutenant. "Glad to see ya on the mend, though. You gave us quite a scare."
Horatio moved his arm a little, eyed the IV with distaste, then replied, "I'm afraid I've missed a bit."
Gil looked from Jason, then back at his friend. "What happened?" he finally inquired.
"Horatio was kidnapped, beaten, drugged and died. Luckily, he's stubborn." Jason grinned wolfishly. "And the bad guys are down a few."
"Alexx, Speed, this is Gil Grissom. He's a friend of mine." Horatio introduced them. "What are you doing in Miami?"
"He was kidnapped." Jason interrupted again. "Smuggled in from Costa Rica, and held by the wanna-be Army-of-the-Oh-So-Holy. Ffft. As if."
Horatio's gaze turned on Jason, eyes sharp, and simply asked, "Who?"
Jason's hand went up to ruffle his hair. "Eh...well, that's somethin' Ian'll have to get into with ya. It's a long story."
"That's for sure." muttered Speed, managing a faint smile.
"The blood's not in CODIS." Valera said, coming back in. "I'm sorry. I..." Her voice wavered a little. "The rumor mill is going crazy. Everyone's worried about Horatio, if there's anything..."
"We'll find him." Eric said, voice firm. "We need something, and quick."
Sara and Greg were both worried more for another missing man, a former CSI, husband and father-figure. But even Sara could sympathize with her Miami colleagues. Her stomach was twisted into knots, but she hoped that they would find both men in time.
"But the blood doesn't match anyone in the CSI databases, either." Greg said, quickly, grateful for the access the Miami Lab had offered them.
"Well, the glass is from H's window. Blood's from the same source." Valera said, glancing over at Greg, then back to Eric and Ryan.
Sara saw their reluctance, and said quietly, "We'll have to check the condo."
Eric and Ryan's worried gazes met, then the Cuban CSI said reluctantly, "Let's go."
Two figures were watching the CSIs, and one opened their cell phone, dialing a number in the device's memory.
"Their master hasn't contacted them, Father, but they are on the move." He listened a moment, then replied. "We'll stop him, sir. We'll find the blasphemers' leader, and slay him before he can follow his vile plans." The voice on the other end spoke, and the pair crossed themselves in unison.
"We will triumph, Brother." said the thinner of the two said, fervently. "God is with us."