Horatio checked his watch and started to gather the things on his desk together, preparing to call it a day. Grace's flight from New York should have touched down in Miami a few hours ago, he'd offered to pick her up from the airport, but she'd told him not to worry about it. She had, however, decided to take him up on his offer of dinner that night, so it was with a light heart that he turned off the computer in his office and strode out of the lab. His cell phone began to ring just as he got outside, the caller display told him it was Grace, he smiled and flipped the phone open.

"Hi, did you get back to Miami ok?"

"Um, yeah." Grace's breathing was fast and there was a tone to her voice that made Horatio stand still and start to listen intently as the innate investigator in him took over. "Listen, Horatio I think there's something wrong. Sarah said she was going to meet me from the plane, but she never turned up this afternoon. I tried phoning her, but there was no answer, and when I got over to her place the door looks like it's been forced open. Her place is a real mess Horatio, I didn't know what to do."

"Where are you now?" His tone had changed from the soft, slightly goofy voice that he automatically lapsed into when he spoke to Grace and into the official tone of a CSI.

"I'm standing right outside Sarah's apartment. I didn't touch anything though."

"What's the address?"

She relayed the address to Sarah's apartment, and he pulled a pen out of his jacket pocket and made a small note on his hand.

"Grace, listen to me, I want you to get out of the building now. Is there a bar or a café nearby?"

"Um, yeah there's a bar just down the block. It's usually packed though."

"Good. I want you to go there and stay until I come find you. You understand? Don't leave until I fetch you. Promise?"

He knew that ordering Grace out of the apartment was probably a bit over-cautious, but he wasn't taking any risks on this one. He'd seen cops, good cops, not rookies too inexperienced to know better, go down in the line of duty because the perp hadn't left the scene yet. He was determined not to let Grace stay in the building if there was any chance that the burglar, or whoever had broken into Sarah's apartment, might still be inside. And while he acknowledged that he was just being overprotective, a feeling inside him told him that there was something very wrong. He wanted Grace to be somewhere where there were lots of people, in his experience, the adage 'safety in numbers' most often proved to be true.

"Horatio, I don't…"

"Promise me Grace." His voice was getting desperate.

"Ok, I promise." There was something about that anxious tone in his voice that made Grace agree without any further argument. Horatio was always calm, collected and completely unflappable, to hear that fear from him made a shiver run through Grace's body.

"Good, I'm going to get someone to check out the apartment. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Ok." He could hear her moving down stairs, following his instructions and leaving the building. He stayed on the phone long enough for her to get onto the street and then hung up, immediately dialling the police dispatch desk and requesting that a unit be sent to the address that Grace had just given him immediately.

"Yes Sir, a unit is on its way."

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By the time he rolled up outside the low rent apartment block there was already a patrol car sitting visibly in front of the building. Good, he thought, that meant that the crime scene, if there was a crime, was secure, giving him the opportunity to find Grace before getting to work on the apartment.

He left the Hummer outside the apartment block and walked hurriedly down the street breaking into a jog until the bar's street frontage came into view, even though it was only late afternoon he found it busy, mainly groups of young men relaxing with a few beers after work. It didn't take him any time at all to find the petite New Yorker that he was looking for, she was ensconced in a seat by the window, and had probably been scanning the street waiting for him to arrive ever since she'd sat down. When she spotted him, she quickly discarded the glass she was holding and made her way to the entrance. Her progress through the bar was halted when she reached a group of men who seemed to have made a good start on a weekend binge.

"Excuse me please." Grace spoke politely to the guy standing in her way. He glanced in her direction, smirked and turned back to his buddies, remaining in her way.

Grace snorted in frustration and repeated her request. Again he ignored her.

Horatio made his way over to the group.

"I think the young lady wants to get past son." He spoke in a quiet voice, yet there was a slight element of a threat to his tone.

A glance in Horatio's direction, and a less than friendly response was forthcoming.

"What's it to you?" There was a round of idiotic laughter from his buddies.

"Move out of the lady's way." His voice wasn't as quiet this time and it was definitely a command, not a request. This time there was no laughter from the group.

"And what're you…gonna…do…" His tone went from hostile to uncertain, and the comment died on his lips as he looked at Horatio properly. The CSI supervisor stood with his hands placed firmly on his hips, jacket pulled back to clearly reveal his police badge, and probably more importantly in this situation, his 9mm Glock firearm.

"Um, sorry Ma'am." The stranger moved quickly out of Grace's way with a muttered apology.

Grace shot him an unimpressed look and joined Horatio as he walked out of the bar's main entrance. She made sure they were out of view of the bar before she gave Horatio a quick hug.

"Thanks for coming down here. I know it's probably nothing, but I was worried."

"Hey, no problem. It's all part of the job." He flashed her a smile, that belied his relief at finding her completely unhurt.

They retraced their steps back to Sarah's building in no time. There was now another police cruiser parked outside, its occupants waiting nearby to see if they were needed. Horatio pulled the keys to the Hummer out of his pocket and unlocked the doors. Opening the passenger door he motioned for Grace to get in. Knowing there were officers just metres away he felt a little better about leaving her while he moved into CSI mode.

"Grace honey, I need you to stay here while I go and take a look around the apartment, ok?"

"But I…"

"Listen, if we find anything up there, and I'm not saying we will." He added the last phrase hurriedly when he saw the look that spread over Grace's face. "But if we do, you might compromise the scene. Lock the doors when I'm gone, ok? Any problems just yell for the officers." He pointed over towards the police cruiser.

She didn't say anything, just nodded, slid into the Hummer's passenger seat and watched as Horatio walked around the back of the vehicle and retrieved the silver case that held his forensics kit. He hefted the case out of the trunk, feeling its reassuring weight in his grip. As he shut the rear door he heard a dull click as Grace followed his instructions and locked the doors. A few strides and he had crossed the expanse of asphalt and reached the doorway into the apartment block. Pausing momentarily he beckoned one of the uniformed officers over.

"The woman in the Hummer is a potential witness. I need you to keep an eye on her."

"No problem Lieutenant."

Horatio nodded his thanks before turning back towards the building.

Just before he entered the hallway and disappeared from view he turned once again to look at Grace who was numbly watching him walk away. As she saw him stop and turn she managed a weak smile and a little wave to prompt him onwards. He returned the smile and forced himself to leave her there and proceeded into the darkness of the unknown.

To be continued…