-1"Did you identify yourself as a police officer?"

"Yes."

"To whom did you identify yourself?"

"To the driver."

"Which driver?"

"The driver of the SUV that collided with CSI Duquesne's vehicle."

"You mean Mr. Mathers?"

"Yes."

Calleigh had been firing off questions at Horatio for forty minutes. He had answered quickly, calmly and accurately, which was no surprise; he had been on the witness stand many times before, to the point that it was almost routine. However, she could see in his eyes that he was becoming tired, physically and mentally. It was exactly this sort of thing that Rebecca Nevins would use against him. She would see it as a weakness and go in for the kill. Calleigh knew that the only way to prevent that from happening tomorrow was to make sure it happened tonight instead. She hated herself for what she was about to do.

"So you did identify yourself as a police officer?"

"Yes."

"And when did you identify yourself to Mr. Mathers?"

Horatio stared at her for a moment. "What?"

She repeated her question more slowly. "When…did you identify yourself?" There was a pause while Horatio tried to think, and though it may have been a brief pause, it was long enough to make Calleigh nervous. "Please answer the question," she said firmly, but quietly.

Horatio shook his head. "I…had Mr. Mathers restrained against his vehicle. It was then that I identified myself."

"Was this before or after you struck him?"

The muscles in Horatio's jaw tensed as he gritted his teeth. He remembered hitting Mathers, after which the EMT jumped out of the Ambulance, threatening to call the police. I AM the Police!! had been his response. "After," he muttered softly.

Calleigh felt a knot form in her stomach again, but did her best to ignore it. "Would you please repeat that?" she asked as she looked away, unable to meet his eyes. This was not the answer she had expected to hear.

"I said it was after," Horatio repeated and stared down at his hands as he fidgeted with his sunglasses. He didn't know why he was holding them, only that it gave him something else to focus on.

Calleigh slowly turned, her arms crossed in front of her. The look she was giving him was one Horatio hadn't seen from her in years. Her eyes were cold, and he had to remind himself that she was acting…wasn't she? "But didn't you say that you had Mr. Mathers restrained?" she asked.

"I did."

"So you struck him after you had restrained him."

Horatio didn't respond.

"Can you please explain to me why you felt the need to strike Mr. Mathers if you already had him restrained? Surely he couldn't have posed a threat to your safety, not if he was restrained and as drunk as your report claims he was."

Horatio froze. She was right. He slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers. "I don't know," he whispered.

"What?" Calleigh asked, stunned by his reply, then shook her head furiously. She couldn't allow herself to lose focus. "You're saying that you don't know why you struck him?"

Horatio shook his head but didn't speak. Suddenly he was questioning everything he thought he remembered about that night. The one thing he remembered with certainty was just how scared he had been. Fear wasn't an emotion that he had genuinely felt in many years. Anger, sorrow and yes, even hatred. But not fear. At least, not until that night.

"Then you admit that you struck Mr. Mathers without provocation?" Calleigh was determined to continue. Horatio's fortitude seemed to be fading and she knew that this was the crucial moment.

"I…I'm…"

He was hesitating, and Calleigh knew she had to push. It was now or never. She took a breath and raised her voice. "Did you strike Mr. Mathers without provocation?!"

"YES!!" The shout that erupted from within Horatio startled Calleigh, making her step back quickly. He had jumped to his feet, fists clenched, an expression of anger strewn across his face. Neither of them noticed the twisted sunglasses frames in his fist or the shattered bits from what used to be the lenses now lying on the floor beside his feet.

Calleigh's resolve was suddenly gone. A weak, "But why?" was all she could muster.

"Because he almost killed you, Calleigh!!"

She sank into the couch cushions, her eyes wide but staring at nothing. Her head was swimming. He had just admitted two things to her. First, that he had struck Mathers without provocation, and secondly…he had done it because of her. Horatio was standing over her and saw the stunned expression on her face, instantly realizing that he was the cause of it.

"What the hell is going on in here?" It was Duke's voice.

Horatio stayed rooted in place, too embarrassed to look his lawyer in the face. With his head hanging low he quietly replied. "My apologies, Counselor."

"It's my fault, Dad," Calleigh said, quickly standing. She walked over to her father and put her hand on his arm, trying to reassure him that everything was fine. Glancing at Horatio whose back was to them, she spoke quietly enough that only her father could hear. "I think I just pushed a bit too hard."

Duke studied his daughter's face for a moment, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. He looked over at Horatio who hadn't moved. "Alright," he said softly. He once again felt like he was missing something, but couldn't figure out what it was. "Holler for me if you need me," he said, giving his daughter a kiss on the side of her forehead before heading back down the hall.

"Thanks, Dad." She heard a soft click from down the hallway, signaling that her father was back in his study and out of earshot. Sighing softly, she silently walked up behind Horatio, put her hands on his shoulders and tried to turn him around. When she felt him tense his arms and resist her, she shifted her weight. Something crunched beneath her shoe, and she noticed the tiny plastic shards on the carpet. Calleigh started to glance back up when something caught her eye. Blood was trickling down the side of Horatio's right hand and beginning to drip onto the carpet. "Horatio…"

He refused to face her. He couldn't.He was fighting a losing battle, one he now felt he deserved to lose. In all his years as an officer, there were few instances when he had actually snapped and gotten violent purely out of rage. The fact that he had done it again was gnawing at him.

"Horatio," she said, this time softer but with more urgency, "your hand..." She slid her arm down his sleeve to his wrist and carefully reached for the fragmented pieces of the sunglasses sticking out of his tightly clenched fist. When he didn't respond, she tried again. "Relax your hand." After a moment he sighed and relaxed his grip.

With her hand on his arm, she led him into the kitchen. This time he didn't resist her. Neither spoke as Calleigh carefully removed the splinters and bandaged his hand. The silence between them was deafening. She had already forgiven him for snapping, not that he needed to apologize. When she offered to prepare him for the stand, she knew full well what she would have to do, and more importantly, she knew how to do it. She glanced up at him briefly and saw that he was staring at the floor.

Guilt. Calleigh knew what was torturing him. Not guilt over snapping at her, but guilt over what he had done those two weeks ago. She wanted to tell him it was okay, that everything would be fine, but it would do no good. The only forgiveness he needed was his own, and that would only come when he was ready.

The last piece of tape applied, she patted him gently on the arm, letting him know she was finished. Horatio nodded his thanks to her, turned and slowly walked back into the living room. He sat on the far end of the couch and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. She walked over to the couch and sat silently next to him.

"I'm sorry…" He spoke so silently that Calleigh wondered if she had imagined it. "I didn't mean to shout at you."

She took a deep breath, for no other reason than to give herself a moment to decide how to respond. "There's no need to apologize," she finally said. "I've already forgiven you."

He nodded once. "Thank-you." With those two words he tried to express his gratitude for so much more than her forgiveness. The past two weeks had been hell for him, and she had been there to support him every step of the way. He turned his head and stared at her for a moment, hoping his eyes could express what his words could not.

Calleigh rubbed his back gently with her hand and smiled sweetly at him. He had already started the long process of forgiving himself, and it would take some time, but she knew he would be alright. He would always be alright. It was his nature.

She let several minutes pass before she spoke again. "Can you handle going over it once more?" she asked hesitantly. "I think it would be good idea…"

Horatio shifted his jaw. "I'll defer to your wisdom on that."

Calleigh nodded. Now that the biggest hurdle was out of the way, all she needed to do was to get him through the next hour.

--

Horatio and Duke sat behind the table in the courtroom the next morning and waited as Rebecca Nevins called her first witness.

"The prosecution would like to call to the stand Richard Stetler."

--

Duke shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Stetler's answers to Rebecca Nevins' questions were far from complimentary about his client. He looked over at Horatio sitting calmly next to him. He couldn't understand how he could remain so composed when the things being said about him in the courtroom were so nasty.

Inwardly Horatio was anything but composed. Joseph Ratner and Rick Stetler were two of his least favorite people; Rebecca Nevins wasn't far behind on that list. Stetler had been on the stand for the past twenty minutes and Rebecca had used every minute to her advantage. Together they were succeeding at making Horatio look like a corrupt Lieutenant with a violent temper.

The soft sound of the courtroom door closing behind him made Horatio turn. His eyebrows rose slightly in surprise as Web sat down in the back corner of the room. Duke saw his client turn and followed his gaze. Seeing the expression on Horatio's face, he whispered, "Friend of yours?"

Horatio didn't respond, but made brief eye contact with Web, who crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. Apparently Horatio and Duke weren't the only two who had noticed Web's arrival. "Your honor," Rebecca said, glancing over her shoulder at Web, "I'd like to ask for a brief recess."

"Are you finished with the witness?" Ratner asked, looking down at Stetler in the witness stand next to him.

"I believe so, your honor."

Ratner narrowed his eyes and glanced back and forth between Rebecca and Web. "The witness is excused. How much time do you need, Miss Nevins?"

"Excuse me, your honor, but I believe it's my turn to cross examine the witness," Duke said, rather flustered.

Rebecca raised her voice and spoke over him. "Fifteen minutes should be enough."

Ignoring Duke's protests, Ratner banged his gavel once. "The court will take a fifteen minute recess."

"What the hell is going on here?" Duke had stood quickly, his face turning bright red. He was not about to be ignored.

"Counselor, sit down or I'll hold you in contempt of court," Ratner said, glaring at him.

"Like hell you will!!" Duke shouted. "It's my turn to question the witness--"

Horatio grabbed his shoulder, "Duke," he said quietly. "Duke..." He shook his head subtly as he spoke.

"Counselor, this is your last warning…" Ratner snarled down at them and Duke plopped back into his chair with a frustrated groan.

Horatio looked up as Web passed by without looking at him and made his way over to Rebecca. Ratner stepped down from his bench and exited through a side door into his chambers. Web and Rebecca whispered briefly before following Ratner out.

--

Ryan rubbed his eyes. With time running out to find Abigail Kiefer, everyone had been putting in extra time at the Lab. Ryan had been there for nearly sixteen hours, and the words on the paper in front of him were starting to become a blur. He glanced over at Mel, whom Locke had partnered him with for the duration of case. He groaned, dropping his head onto his arms flat on the table. "Please tell me you've got something," he said.

"Unless you're referring to a splitting headache…then no," she replied. "I'm going to run down to the break room and grab a coffee." She stood, stretched and yawned. "Anybody else want some?"

Evan, Ryan, Eric and Locke all raised their hands.

"Why don't I just bring the whole pot." Mel muttered. "Danny? Cal? Either of you want any?"

"None for me," Danny said.

When Calleigh didn't respond she got a soft jab from Evan. "Earth to Calleigh…"

"Hmmm?" She said, distractedly. "Oh…um….yeah. Coffee would be great."

Eric grinned. "Where are you, Cal? You've been out of it all morning. Are you alright?"

She gave him a soft smile. "I'm fine. Just…distracted."

Eric didn't have to ask any further questions to know what her distraction was. Horatio was in court and she was worried about him. Her phone buzzed on her hip and she couldn't seem answer it fast enough. "Hello??"

"Making any progress?" Horatio asked.

Calleigh quickly stood and left the room, wanting to find somewhere more private to talk. "I don't know," she sighed. "I actually don't think we are."

"Have Mr. Wolfe compare the addresses; the locations of the girls' homes to the addresses where their bodies were found. I think the answer may well be in the numbers themselves, and if it is, he'll find it."

"Okay." Calleigh paused. "Have you taken the stand yet?"

"No, but Rick has." Calleigh heard something in Horatio's voice; she could tell he was holding something back.

"Is it going that badly?" she asked hesitantly. Horatio was never one to complain; she took the silence on the other end of the line to mean yes. "Is Dad nearby?"

"He's right here, why?"

"Let me talk to him."

"Calleigh…"

"Horatio, please. Just let me talk to him."

Horatio sighed and handed to the phone to Duke. After a few minutes Calleigh had managed to get the truth out of her father. Though he and Horatio were trying to be optimistic, neither of them had much hope of winning the case. In Duke's words, "No amount of preparation or honesty matters when your judge is that corrupt."

"Damn it," she whispered. "Dad…maybe we--"

"Sweetheart, we have to go. We're starting."

Calleigh hung up and stared through the glass at her teammates. She tried to imagine what the lab would be like if Horatio was no longer in charge, if Stetler got his way and had Horatio kicked off the force. Her anger boiled and she had to calm herself before walking back into the room. She gave Ryan Horatio's instructions and returned to her seat where she tried to focus, but failed.

Less than five minutes later, Ryan bolted upright. "That's it!" he shouted, looking back and forth quickly between the papers in front of him.

"What's it? Danny asked.

"The man is a genius! He's a genius!!"

"What the hell are you going on about, Ryan?" Eric asked.

Ryan grinned. "I know where Abigail Kiefer is."

--

Horatio stared out over the courtroom; a small crowd had formed over the course of the morning. He knew none of the faces in the courtroom except for one. Web had been there all morning and had kept his eyes on Horatio the entire time. "Lieutenant Caine, will you please answer the question?" Horatio glanced up at Rebecca Nevins who was standing directly in front of him with arms crossed and a look of exasperation on her face.

Horatio suddenly appreciated the time Calleigh had spent the previous night preparing him to take the stand. Rebecca was pushing; many of her questions were inappropriate, and no matter how often Duke objected, Ratner always overruled him. Things were starting to get very much out of hand. He licked his lips and cleared his throat softly. "Yes, I identified myself to Mr. Mathers as an officer."

"And when did you identify yourself?" she asked with a self-righteous sneer.

Horatio stared at her. He could feel his heart starting to pound. He refused to lie on the stand; perjury was out of the question. But he was not willing to give up. Not this easily. If he was going down, he was going down with a fight.

"Your Honor…" Rebecca sighed heavily and turned to Ratner. Obviously, her patience was wearing thin. Horatio couldn't help but grin slightly. By taking his time with his answers, he was effectively getting under skin just enough to ruffle her feathers.

"The witness will answer the question," Ratner said, firmly, scowling down from behind his bench.

The door in the back of the room opened and three well-dressed men walked in and made their way directly towards the front of the room. "What the hell is going on here?" Ratner banged his gavel several times and stood. "This is my courtroom. We're in the middle of proceedings."

Horatio furrowed his brow and made eye contact with Duke who looked as confused as Horatio felt. The youngest of the three men stopped right in front of the witness stand. "Lieutenant Caine?" the man asked quietly. Horatio nodded and tilted his head slightly. "You're free to go, sir."

Horatio narrowed his eyes. "Free to go?"

"Yes, sir. The case is being dismissed." The man glanced over at his colleagues, one of whom was standing face to face with a livid Joseph Ratner; the other was handing something to Rebecca Nevins. The courtroom was in a state of chaos, and in the back corner Horatio saw Web stand, straighten his jacket and walk out the door.

"Dismissed? On what grounds?" Horatio asked as he stepped down from the stand.

The young man grinned. "On the grounds of justice, sir." Horatio raised his eyebrow, slightly amused. "I don't mean to rush you, Lieutenant Caine, but your team is waiting for you. I've been asked to give you this." He handed Horatio a slip of paper; he looked down at the address scribbled on it. "They'll meet you at this location, sir."

Horatio opened his mouth to speak, but paused. He realized he didn't know what to say. The man smiled at him and leaned in, whispering. "They know where the girl is." He turned to leave, then paused and turned back. "Oh! You might need these." In his hands he was holding Horatio's SIG and his badge.

"I don't mean to be rude," Horatio said as he holstered his gun and clipped his badge on his belt, "but do you mind telling me who you are?"

The man gave a slight grin. "Abigail Kiefer is running out of time," was all he said. With a slight nod the young man turned and walked out of the courtroom, leaving Horatio more confused than he had been in years.

--

"Are you sure there's only one person inside?" Ryan whispered.

"Take a look for yourself, Wolfe," Danny replied, handing Ryan the infrared device. The team was hiding in the brush near an old abandoned warehouse on the edge of the glades, making last-minute preparations before raiding the building. Danny was right; there was only one heat signature coming from inside. "If there's another person inside…they're either dead…or close to it."

Calleigh and Eric exchanged looks and Mel cursed. "Can you tell if it's her?" Eric asked.

Danny shook his head. "I can't."

"It's got to be her," Ryan said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Whoever that is isn't moving; they're lying on the floor. It's the middle of the day. I seriously doubt that it's just Anderson taking a nap….and on the floor? No. No way. That's Abigail Kiefer," he said, jabbing his finger at the heat signature on the screen.

"I think Mr. Wolfe is right."

Everyone turned quickly. "H!" Eric whispered excitedly. "But I thought…"

"I'll explain later," Horatio said. "Let's go rescue her."

Everyone nodded. "How do you want to proceed, Dan?" Evan asked, glancing over at the opening between the brush and the warehouse. Danny's time in the Marines made him the perfect leader for the operation. He paired everyone up, making sure every corner of the building would be covered.

Horatio glanced over at Locke. She seemed nervous; he was fairly certain that the reason she was gripping the butt of her gun so tightly was to keep her hand from shaking. He couldn't blame her. She hadn't seen or spoken to her father in years, and this was not the sort of father-daughter reunion one would see on Oprah.

Everyone pulled their guns from their holsters and spread out, circling the building. On Danny's signal they moved.