Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, including Tim
Speedle, (sigh), but hey, a girl can dream, can't she?
Rating: R, R, and more R
Pairings: Speed/OC, Speed/Calleigh, Calleigh/?
Summary: The team searches for a serial killer before he strikes again, bringing an old flame back to Miami and destroying Tim's precarious relationship with Calleigh.
A/N: This story just would not leave me alone! I went back and re- read it the other day and decided that I could do better. Therefore, I am reposting the story with corrections, no major changes. This time, I have given a lot more backstory on the fight that broke Tim and Leanna up, among other things.
One Week Earlier -
"Jesus Christ!" Tim brought the camera up to his eye and focused his shot. "What kind of animal would do this?" He surveyed the crime scene again, focusing his lens on the bodies of their two latest victims in a string of extremely violent homicides. A young couple lay prone on the king size bed in one of Miami's finest hotels, drenched in their own blood. The man had been shot, once through the head – an easy death compared to the woman.
"I hear you." Alexx leaned over the woman's body, tilting the head gently from side to side. "Throat slit from ear to ear. Pretty gruesome stuff, Speed."
Horatio bent down and picked up a small light blue leather purse. "Alexx," he asked, unzipping the purse and poking through it in search of identification, "are there any signs of sexual assault?"
"With all this blood?" Alexx shook her head. "No way to tell until I get her back to the lab."
Horatio located the victim's identification and sat the purse down on the dresser.
"Whathca got there, H?" Speed came up next to his boss.
"Lucy Loman, age 29," Horatio stated, examining the out of state license, "resident of Savannah, Georgia."
"Matches the husband." Speed said. "Max Davidson, age 32, also a resident of Savannah."
"Another set of newlyweds," Horatio observed glumly. "I'll bet the ink hasn't even dried on their marriage license."
"This is getting out of control. This bastard's not leaving us with anything to go on," Speed complained.
"Just remember Speed, they always make a mistake. Maybe we'll get lucky today."
Speed sniggered. "Yeah, before he gets another couple."
"Let's work for that, Speed." Horatio dug his ringing cell phone out of his pocket. "Caine," he answered.
A gentle Southern accent greeted him on the other end of the line. "I had a message that the great Lt. Horatio Caine might need my humble assistance," she drawled with just the slightest hint of laughter in her voice.
Horatio smiled despite himself. "He just might indeed." He looked around for his protégé. "Speed, I'm going to step outside for a moment."
"He's there?"
"Of course," he answered flatly so as not to give anything away.
"Does he know you called me?" she demanded.
Horatio donned his sunglasses and stepped onto the balcony into the bright Miami sunshine. Shutting the doors behind him, he answered quietly, "No, I, uh, haven't told him yet."
She sighed heavily. "Okay, so tell me what's going on down there."
"I have a series of victims, eight to be exact, four couples, all newlyweds. None of them married more than three weeks. Two couples were in Miami for their honeymoons. One couple was native to Coral Gables. They had just gotten back from a trip to Jamaica. The fourth couple," he paused, "well, we're processing the scene now."
Horatio could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. "Each set of murders the same?" she asked finally.
"Identical. Husband shot in the head. Wife brutally assaulted, throat slit. I need a profile, the killer's leaving us nothing."
She considered his words for a moment. "You want me to come down there?"
"I think that would be helpful."
Another sigh and another long pause. "Okay," she said evenly. "I'll call you back with my flight information."
"Okay," he replied, snapping his phone shut and returning it to his pocket.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~
"I've called in a profiler," Horatio said to his team, assembled the next day in the break room at MDPD headquarters.
"I guess I don't need to ask her name," Speed said sarcastically, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. The younger man glared at his boss, who dismissed it with a smile.
"I don't guess you do, Speed," he replied gently.
Calleigh realized that she'd never seen Tim quite so annoyed with Horatio. A deep frown was set across his normally handsome features, and Calleigh marveled at his reaction to this female profiler.
Horatio handed Speed a short piece of paper, which the younger man accepted hesitantly. "Here's her flight information. Take Eric with you, and Speed," he shot a warning glance at the younger man, "be nice."
Tim let out a loud sigh as he stood. "Let's go man."
Eric's eyes darted quickly between Speed and Horatio. Sensing the tension and the sudden turn in his best friend's mood, he stood quickly and followed Speed out of the room without a word.
Horatio shook his head lightly and returned his attention to the rest of the team. "That's all," he said weakly.
"Horatio," Alexx's tone was angry as she blocked Horatio's escape from the break room. "Have you completely lost your mind?"
Horatio tilted his head down and looked seriously at her. "She's one of the best profilers in the country, and I want the best."
Alexx was undeterred and spat back, "Have you even stopped to consider what this might do to Tim?"
"I have, and quite frankly, Alexx, they are both adults."
Alexx snickered. "Well," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, "I'll guess we'll just see about that." She turned on her heels and threw open the break room door, high-tailing it down the hall and back to her office, leaving Horatio in her wake.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Horatio?" He hadn't realized anyone else was the room and Calleigh's voice startled him. He turned to find her still sitting at the break room table, confusion furrowing her brow and her hands folded in front of her.
"Calleigh," he responded gently.
Calleigh considered her words carefully before continuing. "Horatio...I ..."
"Yes?" he asked.
"What was all that about? Who is this profiler and why are Alexx and Tim so mad at you?"
Horatio chuckled weakly. "Her name," he paused, "is Leanna Coleman. And as far as why Alexx and Speed are mad at me, I think you'll find out soon enough."
Rating: R, R, and more R
Pairings: Speed/OC, Speed/Calleigh, Calleigh/?
Summary: The team searches for a serial killer before he strikes again, bringing an old flame back to Miami and destroying Tim's precarious relationship with Calleigh.
A/N: This story just would not leave me alone! I went back and re- read it the other day and decided that I could do better. Therefore, I am reposting the story with corrections, no major changes. This time, I have given a lot more backstory on the fight that broke Tim and Leanna up, among other things.
One Week Earlier -
"Jesus Christ!" Tim brought the camera up to his eye and focused his shot. "What kind of animal would do this?" He surveyed the crime scene again, focusing his lens on the bodies of their two latest victims in a string of extremely violent homicides. A young couple lay prone on the king size bed in one of Miami's finest hotels, drenched in their own blood. The man had been shot, once through the head – an easy death compared to the woman.
"I hear you." Alexx leaned over the woman's body, tilting the head gently from side to side. "Throat slit from ear to ear. Pretty gruesome stuff, Speed."
Horatio bent down and picked up a small light blue leather purse. "Alexx," he asked, unzipping the purse and poking through it in search of identification, "are there any signs of sexual assault?"
"With all this blood?" Alexx shook her head. "No way to tell until I get her back to the lab."
Horatio located the victim's identification and sat the purse down on the dresser.
"Whathca got there, H?" Speed came up next to his boss.
"Lucy Loman, age 29," Horatio stated, examining the out of state license, "resident of Savannah, Georgia."
"Matches the husband." Speed said. "Max Davidson, age 32, also a resident of Savannah."
"Another set of newlyweds," Horatio observed glumly. "I'll bet the ink hasn't even dried on their marriage license."
"This is getting out of control. This bastard's not leaving us with anything to go on," Speed complained.
"Just remember Speed, they always make a mistake. Maybe we'll get lucky today."
Speed sniggered. "Yeah, before he gets another couple."
"Let's work for that, Speed." Horatio dug his ringing cell phone out of his pocket. "Caine," he answered.
A gentle Southern accent greeted him on the other end of the line. "I had a message that the great Lt. Horatio Caine might need my humble assistance," she drawled with just the slightest hint of laughter in her voice.
Horatio smiled despite himself. "He just might indeed." He looked around for his protégé. "Speed, I'm going to step outside for a moment."
"He's there?"
"Of course," he answered flatly so as not to give anything away.
"Does he know you called me?" she demanded.
Horatio donned his sunglasses and stepped onto the balcony into the bright Miami sunshine. Shutting the doors behind him, he answered quietly, "No, I, uh, haven't told him yet."
She sighed heavily. "Okay, so tell me what's going on down there."
"I have a series of victims, eight to be exact, four couples, all newlyweds. None of them married more than three weeks. Two couples were in Miami for their honeymoons. One couple was native to Coral Gables. They had just gotten back from a trip to Jamaica. The fourth couple," he paused, "well, we're processing the scene now."
Horatio could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. "Each set of murders the same?" she asked finally.
"Identical. Husband shot in the head. Wife brutally assaulted, throat slit. I need a profile, the killer's leaving us nothing."
She considered his words for a moment. "You want me to come down there?"
"I think that would be helpful."
Another sigh and another long pause. "Okay," she said evenly. "I'll call you back with my flight information."
"Okay," he replied, snapping his phone shut and returning it to his pocket.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~
"I've called in a profiler," Horatio said to his team, assembled the next day in the break room at MDPD headquarters.
"I guess I don't need to ask her name," Speed said sarcastically, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. The younger man glared at his boss, who dismissed it with a smile.
"I don't guess you do, Speed," he replied gently.
Calleigh realized that she'd never seen Tim quite so annoyed with Horatio. A deep frown was set across his normally handsome features, and Calleigh marveled at his reaction to this female profiler.
Horatio handed Speed a short piece of paper, which the younger man accepted hesitantly. "Here's her flight information. Take Eric with you, and Speed," he shot a warning glance at the younger man, "be nice."
Tim let out a loud sigh as he stood. "Let's go man."
Eric's eyes darted quickly between Speed and Horatio. Sensing the tension and the sudden turn in his best friend's mood, he stood quickly and followed Speed out of the room without a word.
Horatio shook his head lightly and returned his attention to the rest of the team. "That's all," he said weakly.
"Horatio," Alexx's tone was angry as she blocked Horatio's escape from the break room. "Have you completely lost your mind?"
Horatio tilted his head down and looked seriously at her. "She's one of the best profilers in the country, and I want the best."
Alexx was undeterred and spat back, "Have you even stopped to consider what this might do to Tim?"
"I have, and quite frankly, Alexx, they are both adults."
Alexx snickered. "Well," she said, crossing her arms over her chest, "I'll guess we'll just see about that." She turned on her heels and threw open the break room door, high-tailing it down the hall and back to her office, leaving Horatio in her wake.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Horatio?" He hadn't realized anyone else was the room and Calleigh's voice startled him. He turned to find her still sitting at the break room table, confusion furrowing her brow and her hands folded in front of her.
"Calleigh," he responded gently.
Calleigh considered her words carefully before continuing. "Horatio...I ..."
"Yes?" he asked.
"What was all that about? Who is this profiler and why are Alexx and Tim so mad at you?"
Horatio chuckled weakly. "Her name," he paused, "is Leanna Coleman. And as far as why Alexx and Speed are mad at me, I think you'll find out soon enough."