Title: Premonition.
Rating: PG-13.
Series Recap: 12th in the Fearful Symmetry series. The order goes Fearful Symmetry, Can't Fight This Feeling, Gold Medals, Surprises, Honeymoon, Blackout, the Hopes and Fears, Anniversary, Framed, Sight for Sore Eyes, Trials and Tribbulations, and Premonition. All archived at Lonely Road and fanfiction.net.
Disclaimer: I don't own CSIM and am making no money from this. Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.
Personal Writing Creed: I will never in my life, under any circumstances, write a story that does not have a happy ending.
***
"Present fears are less than horrible imaginings."
William Shakespeare, Macbeth
***
The perp entered the alley at a dead run and frantically tried the doors that lined it. The third one opened with a squeaky protest at long disuse, and he ducked inside. Horatio appeared at the end of the alley a few minutes later, with Speed lagging a bit further behind. Their guns drawn, they started down the alley together. Horatio spotted the still swinging door instantly and indicated it with a nod. They flattened themselves on either side of it against the building, then, on Horatio's count, burst through, guns ready.
The building echoed emptiness. It had been some sort of restaurant or bar at one point, but that point was long past. Dust was the only customer now. Old tables filled the open space. The bar stretched along the right side of the long room, and Horatio edged that way, suddenly pouncing around the end to look behind it, ready for a shot. There was nothing to shoot.
Speed edged up behind him. "You sure he came in here, H?"
"Positive." It wasn't a sound so much as a sense. The difference between an occupied structure and an unoccupied one is immense, whether or not the occupants make themselves known. Someone was definitely here. Horatio would stake all his experience on it. "You cover the ground floor, and I'll take the balcony. Be careful." There was a second level that ran halfway around the room, with stairs up to it on each end. Speed nodded curtly and started moving along behind the bar toward the stage where long- gone bands had once played. Horatio headed for the nearest set of stairs. Every nerve of him was poised, ready for action, listening for any sound. There was absolutely nothing. He started across the balcony, eyes sweeping the area like radar. Two doors were at the far end of the balcony, still labeled Men and Women. He headed that way, then hesitated. Which one should he check first? Would this perp stick with convention or defy it? If Horatio guessed wrong, the consequences could be fatal. He guessed that the fear wouldn't allow sufficient thought at the moment to break a habit. He started for the Men's. Into the door, quickly covering the room. Nothing. He knelt to peer under the stall doors. Nothing. He started down the room, pushing each stall door open to check if the perp was crouched on top of the toilet with his feet up.
A rattle and thud sounded from outside the room, from down on the main level, and Horatio spun around instantly, going back to the door. "Speed? You okay?"
"Fine, H," came the reply. "Just tripped on an old broken chair. I don't think anybody's . . . "
Horatio never heard the end of the sentence. The perp erupted from the last stall, the one he hadn't gotten to yet, and fired at close range. The force of the bullet slamming into his back knocked Horatio forward. Hearing and time both froze. Distantly, he saw himself stagger three steps across the balcony. The second bullet hit him in the neck and hurled him against the old railing, which split and broke. Horatio somersaulted off the balcony, landing on the floor below. He saw Speed firing his gun multiple times. Then, Speed was kneeling beside him, trying to hold pressure on the two gaping holes where the bullets had torn straight through him. Speed's mouth moved, but there was no sound. There was no pain, either. There was only a swirling grayness pressing in from the corners of his vision. Speed ripped out his cell phone, speaking urgently into it, but Horatio still didn't hear anything. The grayness expanded slowly, inexorably filling his vision. "Calleigh, I love you," he said, or thought he said, but he couldn't hear himself. The grayness met in the middle and overwhelmed him. His blue eyes, still open but empty, stared up toward the broken balcony rails. Speed slowly snapped the phone shut.
***
The urgent ring of the telephone startled Calleigh, breaking the ice that froze her into the dream. Horatio woke up instantly, accustomed to calls at any and all hours. He picked up the phone before it could ring again, and Calleigh settled back against the pillow, trying to slow her racing heart. She reached out and touched him, reassuring herself that he was alive, and he looked over and smiled at her in the early dawn that spilled in through the window. "Yes, Tripp. Where? Okay, I'll meet you there. Fine." He hung up the phone and moved across to kiss Calleigh's lips and then her abdomen. "Morning, Cal. Morning, Rosalind. That was Tripp. Pharmacy break-in, with several drugs stolen." He swung his feet out of bed and glanced at the clock. "Well, we only lost 30 minutes of sleep, anyway."
Calleigh found her voice again. "Do you need me?"
He leaned over to kiss her again. "Absolutely. Forever."
"I mean. . ."
"I know what you meant. Not on this case. You're pretty tied up with ballistics on that gang shoot out yesterday. I think I'll pull Speed off that case and leave it to you and Eric. Speed and I can handle this one."
"Why don't you take Eric instead?"
He paused halfway through scrambling into his pants. "Why? What's wrong with taking Speed?"
Calleigh gave herself a mental shake. It was just a dream. Snap out of it. Just an incredibly vivid dream. "I, um, just thought that Eric's knowledge of drugs might help."
"Might help you more in the gang shootout. We know that was drug related. Identifying what was taken won't be a problem at the pharmacy. The owner is meeting us there." He finished putting on his pants and slipped into a shirt. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," she said. "I was just sound asleep and dreaming. The phone startled me. I hate waking up like that."
"I know. Not my favorite way, either." He studied her intently. "You sure you're okay?"
She got out of bed herself and came around to hug him. "I'm fine, Horatio. Come on, let's see if I can find you some breakfast really fast."
"Haven't got time. I told Tripp I'd meet him ASAP."
"ASAP means after breakfast. At least take a bagel with you. Don't make me worry that you're going to be starving out in the city somewhere."
He smiled at her affectionately. "Okay, I'll grab a bagel. Don't forget to eat, yourself."
"No danger," she said. "I seem to be past morning sickness now, and we're getting hungrier all the time. I'll be as wide as I am tall by February if this keeps up." She saw the thought sweep through his eyes. "And if you say that wouldn't take much, I'll throw something at you."
He chuckled. "Now why would I say that?" He ducked the flying pillow from the bed, then came over to hug her tightly. "See you at CSI."
"Take care of yourself, Handsome."
"I always do," he said jauntily. He left the bedroom. Calleigh hesitated long enough to hear him go into the kitchen before leaving the house, making sure he was, indeed, at least grabbing a bagel. She then headed for the bathroom and turned on the shower full blast. Maybe the hot water could wash away the residue of her dream.
***
Tripp was already at the pharmacy, talking to the owner, when Horatio arrived. "Are you it?" he asked gruffly.
"Good morning to you, too. Speed should be here any minute. You're stuck with just the two of us. There was a bad gang shoot-out yesterday, and several people are working that."
"Yeah, I heard about that," said Tripp. "This is Mr. Alvarez, the owner."
Mr. Alvarez was short, Hispanic, and upset. "Where were you last night? There is an alarm system."
"We'll have to check that out," said Horatio. "I take it the alarm never sounded." Tripp shook his head. "What exactly was taken?"
"Narcotics. Hydrocodone, mostly. They got all of that one. There are small amounts of other drugs missing."
"Probably cover up, trying to make it look like a general robbery. Hydrocodone has quite a market on the streets, these days. Easy to move."
Speed arrived on his bike, parked outside, and entered the pharmacy. "Sorry, H. Bad traffic jam."
"Must have been. Did you give my apologies to Breeze?"
"What makes you so sure Breeze was there?"
"Your mind was somewhere else when you got dressed. Your socks don't match." Speed stared down at them. Not only did they not match, but the difference was glaringly obvious. One sock was red with black motorcycles, while the other was solid dark blue. "I like the motorcycles," Horatio continued. "Present?"
"Yeah," Speed mumbled, embarrassed. "So what's going on here?" Horatio filled him in.
"How long is this going to take?" asked Alvarez.
"Give us until noon to process the store."
"Until noon? I open at 8:30."
"This is a crime scene," said Horatio. "The fewer people through here, the better. You do want it solved as quickly as possible, don't you?"
Alvarez locked eyes with Horatio, then retreated before the courteous fire. "Yes, of course. Noon will be fine."
Horatio's eyes met Tripp's, and a silent message passed between them. "Mr. Alvarez," said Tripp, "if you would come down to the station with me, we can get the report filed and the inventory of missing drugs filled out." Alvarez, still grumbling softly, headed for the door. "Nice socks, Speedle," said Tripp in parting. "Or sock, I should say." They left, and Speed kicked the foot with the offending sock against the counter.
"Don't kick evidence in a crime scene," Horatio corrected gently. "Didn't you ever learn that in college?"
"Sorry, H. I'll go outside and kick the curb next time." Or he'd just kick himself to save time.
"Next time, just wear both of them. I'm sure they look a lot better as a set." Horatio's eyes twinkled mischievously, and Speed ducked behind the counter and started into the rows of medicine, turning his back on the world in hopes that it would leave him alone. In many ways, Horatio was harder to work with since he'd gotten together with Calleigh and relaxed. His sense of humor emerged much more often now, and Speed could never win once they got started. He had a bone to pick with Breeze tonight. She should have noticed the socks. She had given them to him, after all.
Horatio walked back over to the door and studied the alarm. Very sophisticated. Most pharmacies had excellent lock systems. This one should have set off an alarm, both here and with the police, instantly. It showed no signs of being tampered with. He began to dust the control pad for fingerprints.
The two CSIs processed in silent teamwork for a while, Horatio covering the front of the pharmacy, Speed the back. The more Horatio looked at it, the more he was convinced that this system had been disabled. He started a mental checklist. Find out if it was set when Alvarez got here. Get fingerprints of Alvarez and all other employees for comparison. Trouble was, if it was an employee, like Horatio thought it might be, there was a perfect excuse for fingerprints being there. Get the records of which prescriptions were filled the last few days. If one of the employees had not filled any hydrocodone but had fingerprints all over that drawer, it would give them a starting point for questioning. Find out if Alvarez had any children, or if any of the other employees had children. Particularly sons in their teens to early 20s, prime age for a little drug dealing on the side.
At that point, Horatio's thoughts were shattered by a sharp crash from the back of the store. He jumped up instantly, heading around the counter to check. "Speed? You okay?" He found a metal stepstool lying on its side and Speed picking himself up off the floor, looking disgusted with himself.
"Fine, H. This stupid stool was in the way, and I came around the corner into that aisle and didn't see it."
"You didn't see it?" Horatio looked at the polished metallic surface. It was hardly camouflaged against the tile floor.
"Yeah." Speed wanted to leave it there, but Horatio wasn't satisfied. Speed couldn't just ignore him standing there. Those eyes could drill a story out of anybody. "I was looking at my socks, okay? Wasn't looking where I was going."
Horatio grinned. "When we leave here, you can swing by your apartment on the way to CSI and change them if you like. Meanwhile, keep your eyes up."
"Right, H. Thanks." They resumed working.
***
Calleigh spent all morning working on the gang shootout. She'd probably be spending the next few days untangling this one. It was a ballistics nightmare. 18 weapons had been involved, some fired by more than one person, as gang members picked up the weapons from other dead gang members as their own guns ran out of ammunition. Sorting out who had fired which gun from where was going to be a challenge. She still felt a vague uneasiness about that dream, though. She had never had one like that before. Bad dreams from memories of her childhood, yes, but never a dream that hadn't happened but was so vivid. She thought of talking to Horatio about it, but she hesitated. Part of her was afraid he would laugh at her, and part of her was afraid that by speaking about it, bringing it out in the open, she would make it happen.
"Hi, Beautiful." She jumped slightly. She hadn't even heard or felt him coming, which showed how preoccupied she had been. Horatio's arms closed gently around hers. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
"I was just concentrating." She smiled at him. Having him here, reassuringly alive, with those blue eyes surveying her with approval instead of staring emptily toward the ceiling, did a better job at washing away the dream than her hot shower had. It was just a dream, she told herself. This is reality. "How was the pharmacy?"
"Odd case. It has its points. I think there was an inside information source somewhere. The alarm never went off. How are you doing with the shootout?"
"Drowning in ballistics," she replied. "When three people shoot the same gun from three different places, it complicates my work."
"Allow me to throw you a lifeline. Want to go to lunch?"
"Sure." She stood up from the work table gratefully, stretching her back. "I was thinking it was about lunch time. Rosalind is getting hungry."
"She's not the only one. One bagel doesn't go far."
"I did warn you." They exited Ballistics together and walked by an empty Trace on the way outside. "Where's Speed? Still at the pharmacy?"
"He went home to change his socks."
"He what?"
"Went home to change his socks. He arrived at the crime scene wearing one bright red with black motorcycles and one dark blue."
Calleigh burst out laughing. "Did you get a picture?"
"Sorry. He had the camera." They wound through the parking garage and entered the Hummer. "I felt sorry for him, really. Tripp saw them, and you can guess how he reacted."
"So did you pretend not to notice?"
"I didn't feel that sorry for him. In fact, I'm the one who pointed them out to Tripp. And the pharmacy owner."
She punched him lightly on the arm as he pulled out. "Horatio Caine, for such a considerate, gentle person, you can be an absolute imp at times."
He looked across at her as he stopped at a light. "It's your influence. We're growing young together, remember? I'm doing all the things I never did in my childhood." His smile faded as a few of the things he had done in his childhood advanced to the front of his mind. "Rosalind is going to have a happy childhood," he promised.
"Right," she said, patting her abdomen, which was starting to swell gently. "This time, we're going to do it right."
They ate in mutual anticipation, talking about Rosalind and their plans for the future. The shadow of Calleigh's dream shortened and retreated in the high noon sunlight of his presence. She had almost forgotten about it by the time they pulled back into CSI.
"Speed's back, I see," said Horatio, nodding at the bike.
"It was nice of you to let him go home and change them. At least Eric didn't see him like that. He'd never let him live it down."
"It wasn't just nice, it was practical. He was a walking hazard, watching his feet instead of where he was going. He tripped over a stool at the pharmacy and fell clean over. I thought he'd really hurt himself for a minute when I heard the crash."
Calleigh's stride faltered slightly. "You mean, you didn't see it? Just heard it?"
"Right. I was processing out front, and he was in back. It made enough of a clatter I think you could have heard it on the street, though."
"So you dropped what you were doing immediately and went to check on him."
"Yes." He looked at her oddly. "What about it? He wasn't really hurt, just embarrassed."
"Nothing. Just wish I'd seen it, that's all." She smiled at him, and he returned it.
"I'm going over to headquarters to see what Tripp has. My phone's on if you need me."
"Fine. See you later, Horatio."
She watched him until he was totally out of sight, then whipped around and headed for Trace. Speed was the only one there. Great. She advanced on him with a fury that he registered even through the headphones he wore. He turned around to face her, looking puzzled at her expression, and switched his music off. "Hi, Calleigh. What's up?"
"Just what did you think you were doing this morning?" She kept her voice pitched low, but the anger came through, like a snake hissing quietly.
"What?" Speed scrambled mentally, trying to put this conversation into a framework. Any framework.
"At the pharmacy," said Calleigh, like it was obvious.
"Um, I was processing the scene, Calleigh. What about it?"
"You fell over that stool and startled Horatio. He had to come check on you." Her eyes were almost as drill-like as Horatio's could get at times.
"Well, I'm sorry, Calleigh. It's not like I meant to." Why should she be concerned about Horatio when he was the one who had fallen?
"Do you realize how dangerous that could be, for you to get careless about something and distract him when you're processing a crime scene?"
She really was furious. This conversation isn't real, Speed thought. What the hell is going on here? "Calleigh, it was just the two of us in an empty building. It didn't matter. It's not like he had people lined up waiting to shoot him." He regretted it the minute he said it. She went pale, and her eyes widened even more.
"You just be careful when you're working with him, Speed. Do you hear me? Be careful around him and don't distract him from things. This job is dangerous. Don't ever forget that." She whirled around and stalked off.
Speed sat there numbly looking after her for several minutes. "What the hell was that about?" he asked the empty room. It didn't reply, apparently as puzzled as he was. He finally gave up trying to process that conversation and switched back to processing the evidence from the pharmacy. At least it wasn't going to get mad at him. He made a vow to check his socks in the mornings from now on, though.
***
The phone rang, once again setting Calleigh free from her dream. She had been frozen there staring at Horatio's empty eyes for what seemed like half the night. She wasn't even able to scream. Shouldn't you at least be able to scream at the end of a nightmare?
"Horatio." His calm voice in the dark next to her reassured her. "Again? Okay. Better call Alexx this time. No, I will. I'll meet you there." He hung up the phone and reached over to hug her. It was totally dark this time, much earlier than yesterday. "Another pharmacy got hit, Calleigh. This time, the alarm went off. Also, one of the pharmacists was there working late, catching up on paperwork. They shot him." He squeezed her reassuringly. "I've got to go. I'm sorry, Cal, but this is almost certainly tied to the other one. We can't let second shift take it and split the investigation."
She looked at the clock. 3:30 AM. "I understand, Horatio. Be careful, you hear?"
"I will." He slipped out from under the covers, finding his clothes easily in the dark. "You can still get a few more hours sleep. Rosalind probably needs it even if you don't."
"I'm not getting up. Call me a bit later this morning, though, and let me know what's going on." And let me know you're okay.
"Sure. I'll see you later, Beautiful." He left, still not turning on the bedroom light, courteous as always. He didn't want to jolt her any further into wakefulness than she already was. She didn't want to go back to sleep, though. She didn't think she could stand having that dream again and waking up without him beside her alive and well. She lay there in the dark with her eyes open for the full three hours until the alarm rang, trying to convince herself that everything was all right.
Rating: PG-13.
Series Recap: 12th in the Fearful Symmetry series. The order goes Fearful Symmetry, Can't Fight This Feeling, Gold Medals, Surprises, Honeymoon, Blackout, the Hopes and Fears, Anniversary, Framed, Sight for Sore Eyes, Trials and Tribbulations, and Premonition. All archived at Lonely Road and fanfiction.net.
Disclaimer: I don't own CSIM and am making no money from this. Etcetera, etcetera, and so forth.
Personal Writing Creed: I will never in my life, under any circumstances, write a story that does not have a happy ending.
***
"Present fears are less than horrible imaginings."
William Shakespeare, Macbeth
***
The perp entered the alley at a dead run and frantically tried the doors that lined it. The third one opened with a squeaky protest at long disuse, and he ducked inside. Horatio appeared at the end of the alley a few minutes later, with Speed lagging a bit further behind. Their guns drawn, they started down the alley together. Horatio spotted the still swinging door instantly and indicated it with a nod. They flattened themselves on either side of it against the building, then, on Horatio's count, burst through, guns ready.
The building echoed emptiness. It had been some sort of restaurant or bar at one point, but that point was long past. Dust was the only customer now. Old tables filled the open space. The bar stretched along the right side of the long room, and Horatio edged that way, suddenly pouncing around the end to look behind it, ready for a shot. There was nothing to shoot.
Speed edged up behind him. "You sure he came in here, H?"
"Positive." It wasn't a sound so much as a sense. The difference between an occupied structure and an unoccupied one is immense, whether or not the occupants make themselves known. Someone was definitely here. Horatio would stake all his experience on it. "You cover the ground floor, and I'll take the balcony. Be careful." There was a second level that ran halfway around the room, with stairs up to it on each end. Speed nodded curtly and started moving along behind the bar toward the stage where long- gone bands had once played. Horatio headed for the nearest set of stairs. Every nerve of him was poised, ready for action, listening for any sound. There was absolutely nothing. He started across the balcony, eyes sweeping the area like radar. Two doors were at the far end of the balcony, still labeled Men and Women. He headed that way, then hesitated. Which one should he check first? Would this perp stick with convention or defy it? If Horatio guessed wrong, the consequences could be fatal. He guessed that the fear wouldn't allow sufficient thought at the moment to break a habit. He started for the Men's. Into the door, quickly covering the room. Nothing. He knelt to peer under the stall doors. Nothing. He started down the room, pushing each stall door open to check if the perp was crouched on top of the toilet with his feet up.
A rattle and thud sounded from outside the room, from down on the main level, and Horatio spun around instantly, going back to the door. "Speed? You okay?"
"Fine, H," came the reply. "Just tripped on an old broken chair. I don't think anybody's . . . "
Horatio never heard the end of the sentence. The perp erupted from the last stall, the one he hadn't gotten to yet, and fired at close range. The force of the bullet slamming into his back knocked Horatio forward. Hearing and time both froze. Distantly, he saw himself stagger three steps across the balcony. The second bullet hit him in the neck and hurled him against the old railing, which split and broke. Horatio somersaulted off the balcony, landing on the floor below. He saw Speed firing his gun multiple times. Then, Speed was kneeling beside him, trying to hold pressure on the two gaping holes where the bullets had torn straight through him. Speed's mouth moved, but there was no sound. There was no pain, either. There was only a swirling grayness pressing in from the corners of his vision. Speed ripped out his cell phone, speaking urgently into it, but Horatio still didn't hear anything. The grayness expanded slowly, inexorably filling his vision. "Calleigh, I love you," he said, or thought he said, but he couldn't hear himself. The grayness met in the middle and overwhelmed him. His blue eyes, still open but empty, stared up toward the broken balcony rails. Speed slowly snapped the phone shut.
***
The urgent ring of the telephone startled Calleigh, breaking the ice that froze her into the dream. Horatio woke up instantly, accustomed to calls at any and all hours. He picked up the phone before it could ring again, and Calleigh settled back against the pillow, trying to slow her racing heart. She reached out and touched him, reassuring herself that he was alive, and he looked over and smiled at her in the early dawn that spilled in through the window. "Yes, Tripp. Where? Okay, I'll meet you there. Fine." He hung up the phone and moved across to kiss Calleigh's lips and then her abdomen. "Morning, Cal. Morning, Rosalind. That was Tripp. Pharmacy break-in, with several drugs stolen." He swung his feet out of bed and glanced at the clock. "Well, we only lost 30 minutes of sleep, anyway."
Calleigh found her voice again. "Do you need me?"
He leaned over to kiss her again. "Absolutely. Forever."
"I mean. . ."
"I know what you meant. Not on this case. You're pretty tied up with ballistics on that gang shoot out yesterday. I think I'll pull Speed off that case and leave it to you and Eric. Speed and I can handle this one."
"Why don't you take Eric instead?"
He paused halfway through scrambling into his pants. "Why? What's wrong with taking Speed?"
Calleigh gave herself a mental shake. It was just a dream. Snap out of it. Just an incredibly vivid dream. "I, um, just thought that Eric's knowledge of drugs might help."
"Might help you more in the gang shootout. We know that was drug related. Identifying what was taken won't be a problem at the pharmacy. The owner is meeting us there." He finished putting on his pants and slipped into a shirt. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," she said. "I was just sound asleep and dreaming. The phone startled me. I hate waking up like that."
"I know. Not my favorite way, either." He studied her intently. "You sure you're okay?"
She got out of bed herself and came around to hug him. "I'm fine, Horatio. Come on, let's see if I can find you some breakfast really fast."
"Haven't got time. I told Tripp I'd meet him ASAP."
"ASAP means after breakfast. At least take a bagel with you. Don't make me worry that you're going to be starving out in the city somewhere."
He smiled at her affectionately. "Okay, I'll grab a bagel. Don't forget to eat, yourself."
"No danger," she said. "I seem to be past morning sickness now, and we're getting hungrier all the time. I'll be as wide as I am tall by February if this keeps up." She saw the thought sweep through his eyes. "And if you say that wouldn't take much, I'll throw something at you."
He chuckled. "Now why would I say that?" He ducked the flying pillow from the bed, then came over to hug her tightly. "See you at CSI."
"Take care of yourself, Handsome."
"I always do," he said jauntily. He left the bedroom. Calleigh hesitated long enough to hear him go into the kitchen before leaving the house, making sure he was, indeed, at least grabbing a bagel. She then headed for the bathroom and turned on the shower full blast. Maybe the hot water could wash away the residue of her dream.
***
Tripp was already at the pharmacy, talking to the owner, when Horatio arrived. "Are you it?" he asked gruffly.
"Good morning to you, too. Speed should be here any minute. You're stuck with just the two of us. There was a bad gang shoot-out yesterday, and several people are working that."
"Yeah, I heard about that," said Tripp. "This is Mr. Alvarez, the owner."
Mr. Alvarez was short, Hispanic, and upset. "Where were you last night? There is an alarm system."
"We'll have to check that out," said Horatio. "I take it the alarm never sounded." Tripp shook his head. "What exactly was taken?"
"Narcotics. Hydrocodone, mostly. They got all of that one. There are small amounts of other drugs missing."
"Probably cover up, trying to make it look like a general robbery. Hydrocodone has quite a market on the streets, these days. Easy to move."
Speed arrived on his bike, parked outside, and entered the pharmacy. "Sorry, H. Bad traffic jam."
"Must have been. Did you give my apologies to Breeze?"
"What makes you so sure Breeze was there?"
"Your mind was somewhere else when you got dressed. Your socks don't match." Speed stared down at them. Not only did they not match, but the difference was glaringly obvious. One sock was red with black motorcycles, while the other was solid dark blue. "I like the motorcycles," Horatio continued. "Present?"
"Yeah," Speed mumbled, embarrassed. "So what's going on here?" Horatio filled him in.
"How long is this going to take?" asked Alvarez.
"Give us until noon to process the store."
"Until noon? I open at 8:30."
"This is a crime scene," said Horatio. "The fewer people through here, the better. You do want it solved as quickly as possible, don't you?"
Alvarez locked eyes with Horatio, then retreated before the courteous fire. "Yes, of course. Noon will be fine."
Horatio's eyes met Tripp's, and a silent message passed between them. "Mr. Alvarez," said Tripp, "if you would come down to the station with me, we can get the report filed and the inventory of missing drugs filled out." Alvarez, still grumbling softly, headed for the door. "Nice socks, Speedle," said Tripp in parting. "Or sock, I should say." They left, and Speed kicked the foot with the offending sock against the counter.
"Don't kick evidence in a crime scene," Horatio corrected gently. "Didn't you ever learn that in college?"
"Sorry, H. I'll go outside and kick the curb next time." Or he'd just kick himself to save time.
"Next time, just wear both of them. I'm sure they look a lot better as a set." Horatio's eyes twinkled mischievously, and Speed ducked behind the counter and started into the rows of medicine, turning his back on the world in hopes that it would leave him alone. In many ways, Horatio was harder to work with since he'd gotten together with Calleigh and relaxed. His sense of humor emerged much more often now, and Speed could never win once they got started. He had a bone to pick with Breeze tonight. She should have noticed the socks. She had given them to him, after all.
Horatio walked back over to the door and studied the alarm. Very sophisticated. Most pharmacies had excellent lock systems. This one should have set off an alarm, both here and with the police, instantly. It showed no signs of being tampered with. He began to dust the control pad for fingerprints.
The two CSIs processed in silent teamwork for a while, Horatio covering the front of the pharmacy, Speed the back. The more Horatio looked at it, the more he was convinced that this system had been disabled. He started a mental checklist. Find out if it was set when Alvarez got here. Get fingerprints of Alvarez and all other employees for comparison. Trouble was, if it was an employee, like Horatio thought it might be, there was a perfect excuse for fingerprints being there. Get the records of which prescriptions were filled the last few days. If one of the employees had not filled any hydrocodone but had fingerprints all over that drawer, it would give them a starting point for questioning. Find out if Alvarez had any children, or if any of the other employees had children. Particularly sons in their teens to early 20s, prime age for a little drug dealing on the side.
At that point, Horatio's thoughts were shattered by a sharp crash from the back of the store. He jumped up instantly, heading around the counter to check. "Speed? You okay?" He found a metal stepstool lying on its side and Speed picking himself up off the floor, looking disgusted with himself.
"Fine, H. This stupid stool was in the way, and I came around the corner into that aisle and didn't see it."
"You didn't see it?" Horatio looked at the polished metallic surface. It was hardly camouflaged against the tile floor.
"Yeah." Speed wanted to leave it there, but Horatio wasn't satisfied. Speed couldn't just ignore him standing there. Those eyes could drill a story out of anybody. "I was looking at my socks, okay? Wasn't looking where I was going."
Horatio grinned. "When we leave here, you can swing by your apartment on the way to CSI and change them if you like. Meanwhile, keep your eyes up."
"Right, H. Thanks." They resumed working.
***
Calleigh spent all morning working on the gang shootout. She'd probably be spending the next few days untangling this one. It was a ballistics nightmare. 18 weapons had been involved, some fired by more than one person, as gang members picked up the weapons from other dead gang members as their own guns ran out of ammunition. Sorting out who had fired which gun from where was going to be a challenge. She still felt a vague uneasiness about that dream, though. She had never had one like that before. Bad dreams from memories of her childhood, yes, but never a dream that hadn't happened but was so vivid. She thought of talking to Horatio about it, but she hesitated. Part of her was afraid he would laugh at her, and part of her was afraid that by speaking about it, bringing it out in the open, she would make it happen.
"Hi, Beautiful." She jumped slightly. She hadn't even heard or felt him coming, which showed how preoccupied she had been. Horatio's arms closed gently around hers. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
"I was just concentrating." She smiled at him. Having him here, reassuringly alive, with those blue eyes surveying her with approval instead of staring emptily toward the ceiling, did a better job at washing away the dream than her hot shower had. It was just a dream, she told herself. This is reality. "How was the pharmacy?"
"Odd case. It has its points. I think there was an inside information source somewhere. The alarm never went off. How are you doing with the shootout?"
"Drowning in ballistics," she replied. "When three people shoot the same gun from three different places, it complicates my work."
"Allow me to throw you a lifeline. Want to go to lunch?"
"Sure." She stood up from the work table gratefully, stretching her back. "I was thinking it was about lunch time. Rosalind is getting hungry."
"She's not the only one. One bagel doesn't go far."
"I did warn you." They exited Ballistics together and walked by an empty Trace on the way outside. "Where's Speed? Still at the pharmacy?"
"He went home to change his socks."
"He what?"
"Went home to change his socks. He arrived at the crime scene wearing one bright red with black motorcycles and one dark blue."
Calleigh burst out laughing. "Did you get a picture?"
"Sorry. He had the camera." They wound through the parking garage and entered the Hummer. "I felt sorry for him, really. Tripp saw them, and you can guess how he reacted."
"So did you pretend not to notice?"
"I didn't feel that sorry for him. In fact, I'm the one who pointed them out to Tripp. And the pharmacy owner."
She punched him lightly on the arm as he pulled out. "Horatio Caine, for such a considerate, gentle person, you can be an absolute imp at times."
He looked across at her as he stopped at a light. "It's your influence. We're growing young together, remember? I'm doing all the things I never did in my childhood." His smile faded as a few of the things he had done in his childhood advanced to the front of his mind. "Rosalind is going to have a happy childhood," he promised.
"Right," she said, patting her abdomen, which was starting to swell gently. "This time, we're going to do it right."
They ate in mutual anticipation, talking about Rosalind and their plans for the future. The shadow of Calleigh's dream shortened and retreated in the high noon sunlight of his presence. She had almost forgotten about it by the time they pulled back into CSI.
"Speed's back, I see," said Horatio, nodding at the bike.
"It was nice of you to let him go home and change them. At least Eric didn't see him like that. He'd never let him live it down."
"It wasn't just nice, it was practical. He was a walking hazard, watching his feet instead of where he was going. He tripped over a stool at the pharmacy and fell clean over. I thought he'd really hurt himself for a minute when I heard the crash."
Calleigh's stride faltered slightly. "You mean, you didn't see it? Just heard it?"
"Right. I was processing out front, and he was in back. It made enough of a clatter I think you could have heard it on the street, though."
"So you dropped what you were doing immediately and went to check on him."
"Yes." He looked at her oddly. "What about it? He wasn't really hurt, just embarrassed."
"Nothing. Just wish I'd seen it, that's all." She smiled at him, and he returned it.
"I'm going over to headquarters to see what Tripp has. My phone's on if you need me."
"Fine. See you later, Horatio."
She watched him until he was totally out of sight, then whipped around and headed for Trace. Speed was the only one there. Great. She advanced on him with a fury that he registered even through the headphones he wore. He turned around to face her, looking puzzled at her expression, and switched his music off. "Hi, Calleigh. What's up?"
"Just what did you think you were doing this morning?" She kept her voice pitched low, but the anger came through, like a snake hissing quietly.
"What?" Speed scrambled mentally, trying to put this conversation into a framework. Any framework.
"At the pharmacy," said Calleigh, like it was obvious.
"Um, I was processing the scene, Calleigh. What about it?"
"You fell over that stool and startled Horatio. He had to come check on you." Her eyes were almost as drill-like as Horatio's could get at times.
"Well, I'm sorry, Calleigh. It's not like I meant to." Why should she be concerned about Horatio when he was the one who had fallen?
"Do you realize how dangerous that could be, for you to get careless about something and distract him when you're processing a crime scene?"
She really was furious. This conversation isn't real, Speed thought. What the hell is going on here? "Calleigh, it was just the two of us in an empty building. It didn't matter. It's not like he had people lined up waiting to shoot him." He regretted it the minute he said it. She went pale, and her eyes widened even more.
"You just be careful when you're working with him, Speed. Do you hear me? Be careful around him and don't distract him from things. This job is dangerous. Don't ever forget that." She whirled around and stalked off.
Speed sat there numbly looking after her for several minutes. "What the hell was that about?" he asked the empty room. It didn't reply, apparently as puzzled as he was. He finally gave up trying to process that conversation and switched back to processing the evidence from the pharmacy. At least it wasn't going to get mad at him. He made a vow to check his socks in the mornings from now on, though.
***
The phone rang, once again setting Calleigh free from her dream. She had been frozen there staring at Horatio's empty eyes for what seemed like half the night. She wasn't even able to scream. Shouldn't you at least be able to scream at the end of a nightmare?
"Horatio." His calm voice in the dark next to her reassured her. "Again? Okay. Better call Alexx this time. No, I will. I'll meet you there." He hung up the phone and reached over to hug her. It was totally dark this time, much earlier than yesterday. "Another pharmacy got hit, Calleigh. This time, the alarm went off. Also, one of the pharmacists was there working late, catching up on paperwork. They shot him." He squeezed her reassuringly. "I've got to go. I'm sorry, Cal, but this is almost certainly tied to the other one. We can't let second shift take it and split the investigation."
She looked at the clock. 3:30 AM. "I understand, Horatio. Be careful, you hear?"
"I will." He slipped out from under the covers, finding his clothes easily in the dark. "You can still get a few more hours sleep. Rosalind probably needs it even if you don't."
"I'm not getting up. Call me a bit later this morning, though, and let me know what's going on." And let me know you're okay.
"Sure. I'll see you later, Beautiful." He left, still not turning on the bedroom light, courteous as always. He didn't want to jolt her any further into wakefulness than she already was. She didn't want to go back to sleep, though. She didn't think she could stand having that dream again and waking up without him beside her alive and well. She lay there in the dark with her eyes open for the full three hours until the alarm rang, trying to convince herself that everything was all right.