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.
Chapter 3
Leanna Coleman sat quietly in the seat next to Tim, listening to Eric sing along softly to the radio. Resting her head on the back of the seat, she mentally relived the past two days, silently cursing Horatio Caine for putting her in this position and bringing her home to Miami, for the first time in four years. Home to Tim, her heart screamed and she closed her eyes to block the thought.
You have Jonathan, her head reminded her. Sweet, wonderful Jonathan. Sweet, SAFE Jonathan, her heart shrieked back. He'll never love you the way Tim did, her heart continued to battle, he'll never make you feel the way Tim did.
Did, her head shot back. That's over and done now. You've moved on, she thought, casting a glance at Tim. He certainly didn't look any worse for wear. He was more ruggedly handsome now than he was four years ago, thinner too. He never did eat properly, she thought; then quickly scolded herself. Things have changed and so have you, she reminded herself. You're not the girl you were four years ago, when you left Tim in Miami to follow your dreams to Virginia, to the FBI headquarters at Quantico.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~
Feeling her eyes on him, Tim cast a tentative glance at Leanna. His eyes connected briefly with hers, then she turned to gaze out the window, leaving Tim to compare every aspect of her face with the one that had left him so long ago. He remembered every vivid detail of that night. The fight – that stupid ass fight – how he'd virtually demanded she leave her dreams behind for his.
He peeked at the tortoise shell clip capturing each strand of her shiny auburn hair and wondered how long her hair was now. It had been down to her shoulders when she left. He recalled without hesitation how silky it had felt, slipping softly through his fingers.
His eyes traveled down the base of her alabaster neck to her shoulders, her arms, finally resting on her left hand and the sparkling diamond that adorned it. He wondered if she called out her fiancé's name when they made love with the same intensity, the same love, the same passion she used to scream his. He could almost hear it now....
"Tim!" Leanna screamed, driving his thoughts back into reality, just in time to swerve and miss a car stopped in the freeway lane.
He pulled the truck over on the shoulder and instinctively grabbed Leanna's arm, looking her over from top to bottom. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Leanna said quietly, pulling away him. The gesture sent Tim's heart plummeting into his stomach.
"I'm fine back here too, man." Eric slumped down in his seat and placed a hand over his racing heart. "What fucking planet are you on, jackass?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~
"Hello, beautiful!" Horatio called brightly from the hallway.
Leanna raced down the hall and into Horatio's open arms. "God, I have missed you." He felt her tremble in his arms. "Are you okay?" he whispered.
"No," she answered honestly, squeezing him tighter. "But I'm better now."
"Miss me too?" John Hagen asked from the spot he'd taken up in the hall. The burly detective was leaned up against a doorframe.
"You...not so much," she teased, hugging the detective warmly.
Calleigh watched the display from the trace lab, curious as to this new woman's role in these men's lives. Tim glanced into the lab and Calleigh offered him a sympathetic smile. She could tell that Leanna's presence was torturous for him and Calleigh wanted to know why.
"Well," Horatio said gently, "I know you'll want to get settled and we have a lot of work to do. Speed, gather the team for a meeting in ten minutes."
Tim nodded and walked off. Stepping into the Trace lab, he breathed a momentary sigh of relief.
"Tim?"
Speed crossed the room and flopped down onto a stool next to the evidence table. He closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.
"Yeah?" he asked Calleigh.
She bit her lip before responding. "Who is that woman?"
Tim let his head fall all the way back. He didn't want to discuss Leanna with Calleigh. Not now, not ever. It was simply too complicated. He answered her very curtly, "Calleigh, do we have to talk about this now?"
His words stung and so did the tears forming in her eyes. She faked a smile and said, "Of course not, Tim."
Tim saw the pain he'd caused displayed prominently in her eyes. He cursed himself for speaking to her like that and said softly, "Horatio wants to see all of us in ten minutes."
"Okay," she answered, turning her attention back to the sample on the microscope.
Tim reached out to touch her, but drew his hand back. "Cal," he said quietly.
Calleigh shook her head, but refused to look at him, "Tim, it's okay, really."
With a heavy sigh, Tim turned and left the room. Calleigh quickly swiped at her eyes to remove any lingering tears and regain her composure. It's not okay, she thought to herself, not okay at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Calleigh strolled in to the break room, smile plastered on her face and her eyes shining brightly. She extended her hand to Leanna. "You must be Leanna Coleman. I'm Calleigh Duquesne."
Leanna offered Calleigh a warm smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Calleigh. I understand that you are the weapons expert around here."
Calleigh rolled her eyes playfully and laughed. "Horatio's a little generous with his compliments, as I'm sure you well know."
"Not generous enough," Horatio answered from his seat at the head of the table, grinning at his ballistics expert as she took her seat next to Speed. Leanna watched the simple display curiously. She saw Tim shift uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting between Leanna and Calleigh and she noticed the sad smile Calleigh offered him when he glanced at her.
Horatio spread files out over the table. "Eight victims in four weeks. Four married couples, none married more than three weeks. Husbands killed with one shot to the left temple, wives sexually assaulted before their throats were slit." He handed the photographs to Leanna.
Speed continued, "Forensically, he's leaving us nothing. No prints from anyone other than the victims. No blood at any of the scenes but the victims'. No paper trail. Rooms are always paid for with cash. I've been unable to lift any usable prints off any of the bills."
"The bullets we recovered from each of the four husbands are standard 9MM," Calleigh began. "Nothing special, they can be purchased at stores around the country. You can even buy them at Wal-Mart."
"What about the knife?" Leanna asked, sifting through the stack of photographs.
"Cuts are nearly identical on each victim," Calleigh explained. "The killer may be using the same knife for each murder. The blade is small, but cuts deep."
"Sexual assaults?" Leanna launched into her next question. "Have you gotten any DNA from the rape kits?" she asked Alexx.
"Nothing," the ME stated plainly. "The killer is definitely raping these women, but not with his penis, not with the knife or the gun and not with any other part of his anatomy."
"You assume it a man?" Leanna asked curiously.
"Don't you?" Alexx shot back, enjoying the banter.
Leanna grinned at her friend. "Maybe, maybe not. There are female serial killers too. Is there any connection between the victims?"
Leanna searched the team's faces for an answer. Speed was trying desperately to swallow a grin. Calleigh diverted her eyes to the floor and Eric was blushing furiously. "Horatio?" she questioned.
Horatio shot warning glares at each member of his team. "Our victims all visited a local club called Tremolar the night they were murdered."
"Tremolar?" Leanna shook her head. "I don't recognize the name, it must be a new club."
"A swinging new club," Speed deadpanned, eliciting a loud snicker from Eric.
She glared at him. "What aren't you telling me?"
Tim fought the smile tugging at his lips. "Our victims were all swingers."
Leanna was taken aback. "Swingers?"
Tim grinned. "You know, couples trading partners, that kind of thing."
"I know what it means," she said irritably. "Have you investigated the club?"
"Nah," Speed leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "We were just twiddling out thumbs until you got here."
Leanna's green eyes met Tim's chocolate ones in an intense stare. Calleigh's gaze darted between them, silently wondering which of them would be the first to surrender.
"The club," Horatio passed another file to Leanna, who finally diverted her eyes from Tim's still-hardened stare, "has a state of the art surveillance system. We've been comparing tapes from the nights each couple was murder, looking for some common denominator."
"One person who approached all four couples?" she questioned.
"Mmm-hmm," he answered affirmatively.
"Horatio, don't take this the wrong way, but, our killer knows what he's doing. He's left you guys nothing so far. I just don't think he'd get caught on camera looking the same way twice."
"Disguises?" Calleigh asked.
"It's a possibility," Leanna answered.
"What kind of a person would do this kind of thing, Leanna?" Eric asked.
"With a sexual killing like this, it's entirely possible that our killer was once a victim himself. Possibly raped or molested, most likely in childhood. It's also possible that our killer suffers from some kind of sexual dysfunction."
Leanna reviewed the photographs again; then continued, "The killing of the husband is secondary, even though Alexx has determined that the husband is killed first. He kills the husband so that he can brutalize the wife without any interruption. Slitting the throat is personal."
"A vendetta," Speed commented.
"Could be," she answered without looking at him, "It's possible that the killer was abused by a woman in his life."
Eric considered Leanna's words. "His wife, maybe?"
She shook her head. "You're thinking too generally right now, remember that the killer isn't necessarily a man. Look at the bigger picture. Go back over the tapes and concentrate on the wives. They're the ones who are going to lead us to our killer."
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.
Chapter 3
Leanna Coleman sat quietly in the seat next to Tim, listening to Eric sing along softly to the radio. Resting her head on the back of the seat, she mentally relived the past two days, silently cursing Horatio Caine for putting her in this position and bringing her home to Miami, for the first time in four years. Home to Tim, her heart screamed and she closed her eyes to block the thought.
You have Jonathan, her head reminded her. Sweet, wonderful Jonathan. Sweet, SAFE Jonathan, her heart shrieked back. He'll never love you the way Tim did, her heart continued to battle, he'll never make you feel the way Tim did.
Did, her head shot back. That's over and done now. You've moved on, she thought, casting a glance at Tim. He certainly didn't look any worse for wear. He was more ruggedly handsome now than he was four years ago, thinner too. He never did eat properly, she thought; then quickly scolded herself. Things have changed and so have you, she reminded herself. You're not the girl you were four years ago, when you left Tim in Miami to follow your dreams to Virginia, to the FBI headquarters at Quantico.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~
Feeling her eyes on him, Tim cast a tentative glance at Leanna. His eyes connected briefly with hers, then she turned to gaze out the window, leaving Tim to compare every aspect of her face with the one that had left him so long ago. He remembered every vivid detail of that night. The fight – that stupid ass fight – how he'd virtually demanded she leave her dreams behind for his.
He peeked at the tortoise shell clip capturing each strand of her shiny auburn hair and wondered how long her hair was now. It had been down to her shoulders when she left. He recalled without hesitation how silky it had felt, slipping softly through his fingers.
His eyes traveled down the base of her alabaster neck to her shoulders, her arms, finally resting on her left hand and the sparkling diamond that adorned it. He wondered if she called out her fiancé's name when they made love with the same intensity, the same love, the same passion she used to scream his. He could almost hear it now....
"Tim!" Leanna screamed, driving his thoughts back into reality, just in time to swerve and miss a car stopped in the freeway lane.
He pulled the truck over on the shoulder and instinctively grabbed Leanna's arm, looking her over from top to bottom. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Leanna said quietly, pulling away him. The gesture sent Tim's heart plummeting into his stomach.
"I'm fine back here too, man." Eric slumped down in his seat and placed a hand over his racing heart. "What fucking planet are you on, jackass?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~
"Hello, beautiful!" Horatio called brightly from the hallway.
Leanna raced down the hall and into Horatio's open arms. "God, I have missed you." He felt her tremble in his arms. "Are you okay?" he whispered.
"No," she answered honestly, squeezing him tighter. "But I'm better now."
"Miss me too?" John Hagen asked from the spot he'd taken up in the hall. The burly detective was leaned up against a doorframe.
"You...not so much," she teased, hugging the detective warmly.
Calleigh watched the display from the trace lab, curious as to this new woman's role in these men's lives. Tim glanced into the lab and Calleigh offered him a sympathetic smile. She could tell that Leanna's presence was torturous for him and Calleigh wanted to know why.
"Well," Horatio said gently, "I know you'll want to get settled and we have a lot of work to do. Speed, gather the team for a meeting in ten minutes."
Tim nodded and walked off. Stepping into the Trace lab, he breathed a momentary sigh of relief.
"Tim?"
Speed crossed the room and flopped down onto a stool next to the evidence table. He closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.
"Yeah?" he asked Calleigh.
She bit her lip before responding. "Who is that woman?"
Tim let his head fall all the way back. He didn't want to discuss Leanna with Calleigh. Not now, not ever. It was simply too complicated. He answered her very curtly, "Calleigh, do we have to talk about this now?"
His words stung and so did the tears forming in her eyes. She faked a smile and said, "Of course not, Tim."
Tim saw the pain he'd caused displayed prominently in her eyes. He cursed himself for speaking to her like that and said softly, "Horatio wants to see all of us in ten minutes."
"Okay," she answered, turning her attention back to the sample on the microscope.
Tim reached out to touch her, but drew his hand back. "Cal," he said quietly.
Calleigh shook her head, but refused to look at him, "Tim, it's okay, really."
With a heavy sigh, Tim turned and left the room. Calleigh quickly swiped at her eyes to remove any lingering tears and regain her composure. It's not okay, she thought to herself, not okay at all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Calleigh strolled in to the break room, smile plastered on her face and her eyes shining brightly. She extended her hand to Leanna. "You must be Leanna Coleman. I'm Calleigh Duquesne."
Leanna offered Calleigh a warm smile. "It's lovely to meet you, Calleigh. I understand that you are the weapons expert around here."
Calleigh rolled her eyes playfully and laughed. "Horatio's a little generous with his compliments, as I'm sure you well know."
"Not generous enough," Horatio answered from his seat at the head of the table, grinning at his ballistics expert as she took her seat next to Speed. Leanna watched the simple display curiously. She saw Tim shift uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting between Leanna and Calleigh and she noticed the sad smile Calleigh offered him when he glanced at her.
Horatio spread files out over the table. "Eight victims in four weeks. Four married couples, none married more than three weeks. Husbands killed with one shot to the left temple, wives sexually assaulted before their throats were slit." He handed the photographs to Leanna.
Speed continued, "Forensically, he's leaving us nothing. No prints from anyone other than the victims. No blood at any of the scenes but the victims'. No paper trail. Rooms are always paid for with cash. I've been unable to lift any usable prints off any of the bills."
"The bullets we recovered from each of the four husbands are standard 9MM," Calleigh began. "Nothing special, they can be purchased at stores around the country. You can even buy them at Wal-Mart."
"What about the knife?" Leanna asked, sifting through the stack of photographs.
"Cuts are nearly identical on each victim," Calleigh explained. "The killer may be using the same knife for each murder. The blade is small, but cuts deep."
"Sexual assaults?" Leanna launched into her next question. "Have you gotten any DNA from the rape kits?" she asked Alexx.
"Nothing," the ME stated plainly. "The killer is definitely raping these women, but not with his penis, not with the knife or the gun and not with any other part of his anatomy."
"You assume it a man?" Leanna asked curiously.
"Don't you?" Alexx shot back, enjoying the banter.
Leanna grinned at her friend. "Maybe, maybe not. There are female serial killers too. Is there any connection between the victims?"
Leanna searched the team's faces for an answer. Speed was trying desperately to swallow a grin. Calleigh diverted her eyes to the floor and Eric was blushing furiously. "Horatio?" she questioned.
Horatio shot warning glares at each member of his team. "Our victims all visited a local club called Tremolar the night they were murdered."
"Tremolar?" Leanna shook her head. "I don't recognize the name, it must be a new club."
"A swinging new club," Speed deadpanned, eliciting a loud snicker from Eric.
She glared at him. "What aren't you telling me?"
Tim fought the smile tugging at his lips. "Our victims were all swingers."
Leanna was taken aback. "Swingers?"
Tim grinned. "You know, couples trading partners, that kind of thing."
"I know what it means," she said irritably. "Have you investigated the club?"
"Nah," Speed leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "We were just twiddling out thumbs until you got here."
Leanna's green eyes met Tim's chocolate ones in an intense stare. Calleigh's gaze darted between them, silently wondering which of them would be the first to surrender.
"The club," Horatio passed another file to Leanna, who finally diverted her eyes from Tim's still-hardened stare, "has a state of the art surveillance system. We've been comparing tapes from the nights each couple was murder, looking for some common denominator."
"One person who approached all four couples?" she questioned.
"Mmm-hmm," he answered affirmatively.
"Horatio, don't take this the wrong way, but, our killer knows what he's doing. He's left you guys nothing so far. I just don't think he'd get caught on camera looking the same way twice."
"Disguises?" Calleigh asked.
"It's a possibility," Leanna answered.
"What kind of a person would do this kind of thing, Leanna?" Eric asked.
"With a sexual killing like this, it's entirely possible that our killer was once a victim himself. Possibly raped or molested, most likely in childhood. It's also possible that our killer suffers from some kind of sexual dysfunction."
Leanna reviewed the photographs again; then continued, "The killing of the husband is secondary, even though Alexx has determined that the husband is killed first. He kills the husband so that he can brutalize the wife without any interruption. Slitting the throat is personal."
"A vendetta," Speed commented.
"Could be," she answered without looking at him, "It's possible that the killer was abused by a woman in his life."
Eric considered Leanna's words. "His wife, maybe?"
She shook her head. "You're thinking too generally right now, remember that the killer isn't necessarily a man. Look at the bigger picture. Go back over the tapes and concentrate on the wives. They're the ones who are going to lead us to our killer."