Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, including Tim Speedle
(sigh), but hey, a girl can dream can't she?
Rating: We'll start out with PG-13 for now.
Pairings: Speed/OC (Jennifer), Horatio/Calleigh, and maybe we'll give Eric a little love this time!
Summary: Speed's wife is kidnapped and all the clues lead to a case Speed and John Hagen worked on early in their careers.
Author's Note - I almost feel like I'm making Speed cheat between two women right now! However, my brain hurts and I desperately need a break from the serial killer in Love Lost Returned. This story has been in my head for a few days now, and if I don't get fingers to keyboard - I'll forget it all!
Chapter 1
Tim yawned, stumbling out of the bedroom and down the hallway, still groggy with sleep. He never saw the red Matchbox car in the middle of the hall - until it was too late.
"Damn it!" he screamed, grabbing his foot.
"Tim, watch your mouth!" Jennifer called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, Daddy, watch your mouth," Ben echoed, dipping his spoon in his cereal as Tim walked into the kitchen.
"I don't think I'd be telling me what to do if I were you," Tim warned, sitting the car down in front of Ben's bowl. "I just stepped on that."
Ben shrank in his chair, grinning sheepishly at his father. "Sorry, Daddy." He shoved the tiny car in his pocket.
"Good morning," Jennifer sang, pouring Tim a cup of coffee.
"It was," he answered irritably, balancing his weight on his other foot. "I think I broke my foot."
Jennifer rolled her eyes. "If you broke your foot, you couldn't walk on it. Cheer up, honey, it's Friday. Just eight short hours at the office and then we're on vacation!"
"How did I get talked into a Disney cruise anyway?" he mumbled, shoving a handful of cereal into his mouth and hopping on the kitchen counter.
"Nice manners," she teased. "Did you even read the brochure? There's so much for Ben to do on this boat we may not even see him for the entire week."
"That's my kind of cruise."
"That's not funny, Daddy." Ben hopped down from his seat, carrying his bowl into the kitchen.
Tim nearly laughed at the cross expression on his son's sweet face. "I'm just kidding, sport. You know you're my best friend."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ben muttered, heading into the living. He flipped on the TV and plopped onto the couch.
"Shower, Tim, now - you're going to be late," Jennifer prodded him, grabbing his hand and pulling him off the counter.
"Slave driver," he said under his breath, walking through the living and ruffling Ben's blond hair.
"DAD!" he wailed, smoothing his hair, "I just fixed it."
"Tim!" Jennifer was exasperated. "Leave him alone and go take a shower. I swear, it's like I have two six-year-olds."
Tim mouthed the last ten words along with his wife, heading back down the hall and into their bedroom. In the year and a half Ben had been their son, Tim and Ben had settled into a very playful father-son relationship. Sometimes it was a little too playful for Jennifer's taste and she often chided Tim that he acted the same age as Ben.
He showered and dressed, calling out as he walked through the house, "Okay, I'm ready to go." Silence answered him. He stepped into the kitchen and found a note from Jennifer on the door leading to the garage. "Had to go early," it said, "Ben forgot this was his Friday for snacks. Love, Us."
"This day gets better and better," he sighed, grabbing his truck keys from the hook by the door and heading out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jennifer bent down and kissed Ben on the forehead. "Have a good day at school, sweetheart."
Ben grinned at his mother. "Thanks for the brownies, Momma. Those are my favorite."
"I know sweetheart," she said, tugging on his shirt collar. "I love you."
"I love you too." He turned down the hallway and went running into his classroom.
"Hey, Marcy?" Jennifer called out to Ben's kindergarten teacher. "Ben forgot today was his snack day, so I had to go to the store."
Marcy laughed. "Don't worry about it Jennifer. It's the last week of school - you're just the unfortunate Mom who drew it."
"Thanks," she sighed, turning to walk out, "Oh, one more thing. Ben's grandmother is going to pick Ben up today. She didn't want him having to go to daycare after the last day of school."
Jennifer headed out of the school; pulling her sunglasses out of her hair and putting them back on, still squinting in the bright sunlight. She climbed into her Grand Cherokee and turned left out of the school driveway, toward the station.
She stopped at a red light, reaching into her purse to pull out a tube of lipstick. Pulling the cap off the tube, she twisted it and brought the color up to her lips. The Cherokee lurched forward violently, accompanied by the shrill sound of twisting metal.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, stepping out of the car. She headed to her bumper, glancing quickly at the driver, who was getting out of his car.
"Ma'am, I'm so sorry, I just didn't see you there - the sun's so bright this morning."
Jennifer surveyed the mangled bumper, then looked over at the driver. "That's fine, I'm just going to step back to my car and call the police."
"The police?" he asked. "Do you really think that's necessary?"
"Yeah, I do," she answered irritably. "I'm a police detective and they kind of frown when they aren't called."
Jennifer yanked open the driver's side door, opening the console and pulling out her cell phone. She began to dial, but the feel of ice-cold metal against her temple stopped her.
"I really don't think that's necessary, Detective Speedle," the driver cooed into her ear.
"How did you know my name?" she asked calmly, her hands gripping the phone tightly.
"You'd be surprised at all the stuff I know," he answered. "Put the phone down and let's go."
Jennifer did as she was told, leaving the driver's door wide open. She hoped someone would see the wrecked car and the open door and call the police. Her mind and heart raced with thoughts of Tim and Ben as the driver shoved her roughly into the backseat. He hit her with the butt of the gun, knocking her unconscious.
Rating: We'll start out with PG-13 for now.
Pairings: Speed/OC (Jennifer), Horatio/Calleigh, and maybe we'll give Eric a little love this time!
Summary: Speed's wife is kidnapped and all the clues lead to a case Speed and John Hagen worked on early in their careers.
Author's Note - I almost feel like I'm making Speed cheat between two women right now! However, my brain hurts and I desperately need a break from the serial killer in Love Lost Returned. This story has been in my head for a few days now, and if I don't get fingers to keyboard - I'll forget it all!
Chapter 1
Tim yawned, stumbling out of the bedroom and down the hallway, still groggy with sleep. He never saw the red Matchbox car in the middle of the hall - until it was too late.
"Damn it!" he screamed, grabbing his foot.
"Tim, watch your mouth!" Jennifer called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, Daddy, watch your mouth," Ben echoed, dipping his spoon in his cereal as Tim walked into the kitchen.
"I don't think I'd be telling me what to do if I were you," Tim warned, sitting the car down in front of Ben's bowl. "I just stepped on that."
Ben shrank in his chair, grinning sheepishly at his father. "Sorry, Daddy." He shoved the tiny car in his pocket.
"Good morning," Jennifer sang, pouring Tim a cup of coffee.
"It was," he answered irritably, balancing his weight on his other foot. "I think I broke my foot."
Jennifer rolled her eyes. "If you broke your foot, you couldn't walk on it. Cheer up, honey, it's Friday. Just eight short hours at the office and then we're on vacation!"
"How did I get talked into a Disney cruise anyway?" he mumbled, shoving a handful of cereal into his mouth and hopping on the kitchen counter.
"Nice manners," she teased. "Did you even read the brochure? There's so much for Ben to do on this boat we may not even see him for the entire week."
"That's my kind of cruise."
"That's not funny, Daddy." Ben hopped down from his seat, carrying his bowl into the kitchen.
Tim nearly laughed at the cross expression on his son's sweet face. "I'm just kidding, sport. You know you're my best friend."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ben muttered, heading into the living. He flipped on the TV and plopped onto the couch.
"Shower, Tim, now - you're going to be late," Jennifer prodded him, grabbing his hand and pulling him off the counter.
"Slave driver," he said under his breath, walking through the living and ruffling Ben's blond hair.
"DAD!" he wailed, smoothing his hair, "I just fixed it."
"Tim!" Jennifer was exasperated. "Leave him alone and go take a shower. I swear, it's like I have two six-year-olds."
Tim mouthed the last ten words along with his wife, heading back down the hall and into their bedroom. In the year and a half Ben had been their son, Tim and Ben had settled into a very playful father-son relationship. Sometimes it was a little too playful for Jennifer's taste and she often chided Tim that he acted the same age as Ben.
He showered and dressed, calling out as he walked through the house, "Okay, I'm ready to go." Silence answered him. He stepped into the kitchen and found a note from Jennifer on the door leading to the garage. "Had to go early," it said, "Ben forgot this was his Friday for snacks. Love, Us."
"This day gets better and better," he sighed, grabbing his truck keys from the hook by the door and heading out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jennifer bent down and kissed Ben on the forehead. "Have a good day at school, sweetheart."
Ben grinned at his mother. "Thanks for the brownies, Momma. Those are my favorite."
"I know sweetheart," she said, tugging on his shirt collar. "I love you."
"I love you too." He turned down the hallway and went running into his classroom.
"Hey, Marcy?" Jennifer called out to Ben's kindergarten teacher. "Ben forgot today was his snack day, so I had to go to the store."
Marcy laughed. "Don't worry about it Jennifer. It's the last week of school - you're just the unfortunate Mom who drew it."
"Thanks," she sighed, turning to walk out, "Oh, one more thing. Ben's grandmother is going to pick Ben up today. She didn't want him having to go to daycare after the last day of school."
Jennifer headed out of the school; pulling her sunglasses out of her hair and putting them back on, still squinting in the bright sunlight. She climbed into her Grand Cherokee and turned left out of the school driveway, toward the station.
She stopped at a red light, reaching into her purse to pull out a tube of lipstick. Pulling the cap off the tube, she twisted it and brought the color up to her lips. The Cherokee lurched forward violently, accompanied by the shrill sound of twisting metal.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, stepping out of the car. She headed to her bumper, glancing quickly at the driver, who was getting out of his car.
"Ma'am, I'm so sorry, I just didn't see you there - the sun's so bright this morning."
Jennifer surveyed the mangled bumper, then looked over at the driver. "That's fine, I'm just going to step back to my car and call the police."
"The police?" he asked. "Do you really think that's necessary?"
"Yeah, I do," she answered irritably. "I'm a police detective and they kind of frown when they aren't called."
Jennifer yanked open the driver's side door, opening the console and pulling out her cell phone. She began to dial, but the feel of ice-cold metal against her temple stopped her.
"I really don't think that's necessary, Detective Speedle," the driver cooed into her ear.
"How did you know my name?" she asked calmly, her hands gripping the phone tightly.
"You'd be surprised at all the stuff I know," he answered. "Put the phone down and let's go."
Jennifer did as she was told, leaving the driver's door wide open. She hoped someone would see the wrecked car and the open door and call the police. Her mind and heart raced with thoughts of Tim and Ben as the driver shoved her roughly into the backseat. He hit her with the butt of the gun, knocking her unconscious.
