Disclaimer - I don't own any of the CSI characters, including Tim Speedle, sigh, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she? I do however, own Leanna and Nicholas. They are part of my master plan to create a life for Timmy outside the office.

Pairings - Tim and his lovely wife Leanna, Horatio & Calleigh, Eric & Valera

Rating – PG for now

Summary – Two prominent physicians are murdered in their Coconut Grove home. All clues point back to the couple's daughter, who is hiding more than one devastating secret.

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Eric leaned over his microscope and frowned. Then he sighed loudly as he examined the bullet taken from Dr. Johansson and compared it to one of Calleigh's reference books.

"What's wrong, Delko?" Tim asked with a chuckle when Eric began scratching his head.

"Nothing," Eric sighed again, "Everything, I don't know, man. Where the hell is Calleigh? It's gonna take me five hours to identify a bullet she could ID in five seconds."

"Calleigh's with Mikayla," Tim reminded him. "Which reminds me..." Tim took his cell phone from the clip on his pants and dialed his home number.

"Hey there, sexy man," Leanna teased into the phone.

"Hey yourself," he answered with a grin.

"Tim?" she feigned shock at the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry, I thought you were my boyfriend."

Tim rolled his eyes and stifled a laugh. "You're a regular riot act, babe."

"Well," he could almost see Leanna shrugging on the other end of the phone, "I haven't heard from you all day, so I assumed you had abandoned us, and I was moving on," she said playfully.

"How's my boy?" he asked.

"Sleeping peacefully," she answered gratefully. "His fever broke about noon and hasn't come back yet."

"That's great, babe."

"Yup. You gonna be home soon?"

Tim looked down at his watch. "Couple of hours, why?" he replied.

"Will you stop and grab a pizza on your way home?" she asked. "I don't really feel like cooking tonight."

"Can do," he answered. "I gotta go, I love you."

"I love you more, Tommy, I mean Jimmy, wait no, Tim. Yeah, that's your name," she teased, then disconnected.

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Calleigh struggled with the weight of Mikayla's carrier, trying to hold the crime lab door open with one hand and maneuver herself, Mikayla and the diaper bag through with the other. She glanced down at the baby, who smiled brightly at her. "You don't have to enjoy this quite so much, little one," Calleigh laughed, "I'm new at this."

Eric rounded the corner and caught Calleigh as she was retrieving her messages. "Calleigh!" he exclaimed. "I've got a bullet with your name on it."

"Well, that's just not a very nice way to greet someone," she teased.

Eric made a move to take the carrier away from Calleigh. "Let me do that, these things are heavy."

Calleigh shied away quickly, leaving Eric with his hand out. "I'm sorry," she explained, "but if I give Mikayla to you, she's going to start screaming again, and frankly, I've had all of that I can take for one day."

"Okay," he nodded, taking the diaper bag off her arm instead, "then I'll take this."

"Thanks," she said gratefully, "Where's Horatio?"

"In his office," he replied.

"Okay," she sighed, and glanced back down at Mikayla, "let's get this over with."

Horatio saw Calleigh coming with the baby, long before she knocked on his door, thanks to the floor to ceiling windows in his office that overlooked the entire lab.

He stood as she sat Mikayla's carrier down on the black leather couch in his office and looked up at him seriously. Horatio opened his mouth to say something, but Calleigh cut him off. "Before you say anything," she said, "I'm doing this for Mikayla. You heard how that baby was screaming."

He came around to the front of his desk and leaned against the edge. "And what are you going to do when Michelle comes back or Social Services finds a permanent home for her?" he asked gently.

Calleigh lifted Mikayla from the carrier and placed the four-month-old on her hip. "First of all, if Michelle comes back and wants Mikayla, surely the baby's going to trust her own mother. Second of all, if Social Services places her – I have a plan."

Horatio allowed his mind to drift for a moment, to a time and place when the child on Calleigh's hip was really their own. To a time and place where he knew Calleigh would never have to give this child up. Mikayla looked so much like Calleigh; his dream wasn't much of a stretch. "And that is?" he asked curiously.

"Introduce the new family to her slowly – let the trust build. That way, I have time to let her go and Mikayla has time to get used to her new family," Calleigh explained.

"Sounds like you've thought this through," he commended her.

"I have Horatio, I really have," she said gratefully. "I know Mikayla isn't mine, but right now, I am the only person she trusts."

Horatio crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't have to like this, do I?"

"No," she shook her head, "you don't and I fully understand why you don't. But please understand that I have to do this. Not for me, for Mikayla."

Horatio nodded weakly, resigned to the fact that his wife generally got her way. She smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss him, much to Mikayla's delight. The infant squealed with happiness and latched onto Horatio's collar.

"Hey, watch it," he gently warned as the collar found its way into Mikayla's mouth. "This suit is expensive."

Tim watched the display from the doorway and finally spoke up, startling the couple. "If the kid's gonna be with you for more than five minutes, get used to it, H. I no longer own anything that hasn't been spit up on at least once."

"Thanks for the advice, Speed," Horatio said sarcastically.

Speed stepped up to Calleigh and smoothed Mikayla's blonde curls with his fingertips. "You oughta take her over to our house," he said, "Lea and Nick are there, and according to the Johansson's maid, Mikayla has an ear infection too, so it's not like they'd be spreading germs or anything."

Calleigh's face lit up. "That's a great idea, Tim," she gushed, "Horatio, do you care? I might be able to put her down for five minutes if Nicholas is there to entertain her."

"No, Cal," Horatio answered, "That's fine."

"Thanks," she said, kissing him again. Calleigh loaded Mikayla into her carrier quickly and the two were gone.

Horatio shook his head and sighed. "What do we have, Speed?" he asked blandly.

"Michelle was definitely in town on the day of the murders," Tim explained, "the Johannson's maid, Evelyn Robins, and Michelle's boyfriend, Chris Dougan, confirmed it."

"Put an APB out for Michelle – she may be hanging around, making sure Mikayla's okay," Horatio commanded.

"H, you insult me," Tim teased his boss.

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Calleigh knocked on Tim and Leanna's front door, resting Mikayla's carrier on her leg, trying to relieve some of the weight. Leanna opened the door with Nicholas balanced on her hip. "Calleigh!" she exclaimed, stepping back to allow her to enter. "Oh my God," she commented as Calleigh passed, "That's a baby."

"Glad to know your detective skills aren't falling by the wayside, Lea," Calleigh teased, setting Mikayla on the couch and unstrapping her from the carrier. Nicholas struggled against Leanna's firm grasp, anxious to get to Mikayla. Leanna carried him over and sat down on the couch beside Calleigh. "I'm going to assume that this is the Johannson's granddaughter."

"You assume correctly," Calleigh laughed as Nicholas finally launched himself over Leanna's legs and partially onto Calleigh's lap. She cradled the two babies together, Nicholas in her left arm, Mikayla in her right. The children were fascinated by one another. Nicholas reached his chubby little hand out to touch Mikayla, who squealed with delight and immediately stuck his fingers into her mouth. "I guess that's okay," Calleigh looked to Leanna for confirmation.

"Everything goes in their mouths at that age," Leanna explained, "It's fine." Leanna stood from the couch and headed down the hallway. She opened the linen closet and removed a plain white sheet from the shelf. Padding back to the living room, she spread the sheet out and threw a couple of Nicholas' toys onto the soft cotton fabric. Then she scooped up her son and sat him down on the sheet, settling down beside him.

Calleigh stood from the couch with Mikayla and followed Leanna's lead. "He's really sitting up well," she commented as she laid Mikayla on her tummy next to Nicholas.

"He takes after his father – excels at everything – little stinker," Leanna teased, blowing a raspberry into the folds of Nicholas' neck. The little boy's eyes twinkled as he grabbed her auburn hair and laughed brightly at his mother's antics.

"I don't even know what four-month-olds are supposed to be able to do," Calleigh frowned, handing Mikayla a soft rattle.

"You can borrow the 'What to Expect' book you gave me," Leanna offered.

"Thanks, I have a feeling I'm going to need it," Calleigh sighed.

Leanna shook her head at the babies. Nicholas was leaning over Mikayla, who had rolled onto her back, and was gently beating on her tummy with his hands. "Christ, it's like watching a tiny Tim with a tiny Calleigh. Kind of freaking me out," she complained.

Calleigh laughed and leaned back against the couch, watching Nick and Mikayla play together. "Horatio thinks I'm crazy, taking on this baby," she sighed again.

Leanna smiled sympathetically at her friend. "I remember when Nicholas was about three months old, he had his first ear infection. He screamed and screamed, just like he did last night, but that time I had no idea what was wrong with him. I remember feeling so helpless. I knew he was in pain, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to help him."

A single tear wound its way down Calleigh's cheek. She nodded weakly and rested her head against the cushion. "I was talking to Alice this morning about Mikayla and I could hear her crying in the background. It totally broke my heart, Lea, I just couldn't take it."

"I understand, Calleigh," Leanna said, placing her hand gently on Calleigh's leg. "The men may not understand, but I do."

"Thanks," Calleigh said gratefully.

"Why don't you call Horatio and tell him to have Tim bring home two pizzas?" Leanna suggested, "Then you and H can just eat here while the kids play – it'll give us both a break."

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"Daddy's home," Tim called out, dropping the requested pizzas on the counter. Horatio placed a six-pack of beer into the refrigerator and followed Tim into the living room.

Nicholas shrieked with joy at the sound of his father's voice, dancing around with his upper body as he sat on the sheet. Tim grabbed Nicholas up and cradled the boy loosely in his arms, swinging him around as he kissed over the baby's face. "Now this is the Nick Daddy likes coming home to," Tim explained to his son, bringing Nicholas' face even with his and kissing him again, "not the screaming wonder that was here last night."

He reached out a hand to Leanna to help her off the floor. "Grub's on," he said, kissing her quickly. Nicholas continued to bounce in his father's strong arms, grabbing onto the front of Tim's black button down shirt for balance.

Calleigh scooped Mikayla up and cradled the infant on her hip. "Have a nice afternoon?" Horatio asked gently, fingering Mikayla's soft curls.

"Yes, it was lovely," she responded, trying to keep her growing maternal feelings for Mikayla closely guarded. She followed Tim and Leanna into the kitchen. "What can I do?" she asked quickly.

"Grab a slice of pizza and a beer," Tim ordered, flipping two slices onto a plate while keeping Nicholas precariously cradled in his arm. Horatio marveled at how quickly Tim had taken to being a father and how fast he could switch from professional mode into family-man mode. It was a skill he'd always prayed he'd be able to develop – someday.

"You can use the high-chair for Mikayla," Tim continued, sitting down at the kitchen table and settling Nicholas onto his lap. Nick immediately reached for his father's plate and Tim pushed it out of his grasp, offering the now-frowning Nicholas a cookie instead.

"You'll have to excuse my husband. The man has zero manners," Leanna apologized, "but he's awfully cute."

"You asked me to bring home pizza, Lea, not manners," Tim shot back, pushing the plate even further away from Nick's straining grasp. Nicholas beat his fists against the table and whined in protest. "H and Cal are here as much as we are – they are no longer guests."

Leanna took down three additional plates, keeping two and offering one to Horatio. "Cal, what kind of pizza do you want? We've got supreme and pepperoni."

"Supreme," Calleigh answered, fiddling with the strap on Nicholas' high chair. Once she was confident that Mikayla wasn't going anywhere, she fastened the feeding tray to the top. "So, what's new with the Johansson case?" she asked, taking her plate from Leanna.

"We put out an APB on Michelle, thinking she might be hanging around," Tim mumbled with his mouth full of pizza.

"Tim, didn't your mother ever tell you that's tacky?" Calleigh chided.

He swallowed; then grinned at her. "She did, and that's why I don't live with her any more, thank you very much."

Calleigh rolled her eyes and took a bite of pizza, directing her attention to her husband, whose cell phone was ringing at his hip. "Caine," he answered harshly.

"H, it's Eric. We've got Michelle in custody. You're not gonna believe this," he explained, "She returned to the scene of the crime."

"Thanks, Eric, we're on our way." Horatio flipped the phone shut and returned it to his hip. "Speed, we gotta go."

Tim looked up at Horatio, "You gotta be kidding me," he whined, "I just got home."

"Michelle Johansson returned to the scene of the crime," Horatio stated. Tim groaned and stood, handing Nicholas to Leanna and shoveling the last bites of pizza into his mouth. Calleigh's eyes were wide with fear as she glanced at Mikayla.

"What about Mikayla?" she asked quietly. Horatio bent over and kissed his wife's blonde hair. "That will all depend on what Michelle has to say for herself," he said gently.

"I'm taking one of these, Lea," Tim grumbled, waving his hand over the pizza boxes, "which one you want?"

"Take half of one and half the other, and leave the rest," she requested. He did as he was told, and crossed back over to kiss her and Nicholas. "I'll probably see you in the morning," he said.

"Sounds like it," she sympathized, running her finger over the stubble on his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said, sneaking Nicholas a tiny bite of meat. The baby squealed with delight and immediately swallowed it. "Dammit, Tim!" Leanna griped, "If his next diaper is gross, I swear it will come back to bite you in the ass."

Tim only laughed and followed Horatio out the door. "He thinks I'm kidding," she said to Calleigh, leveling her glare at the closing kitchen door then turning to Calleigh. She was biting her bottom lip again, fighting back the tears Leanna saw in her eyes. Her heart broke for her friend. "It's too late, isn't it Cal?" she asked softly, placing her hand gently on Calleigh's arm.

Calleigh stared at her blankly, pressing her finger into the edge of her eyes. "Too late for what, Lea?" she asked curiously.

"You're already so attached to that baby, it's going to kill you to give her up," Leanna sighed. Calleigh could only nod, and sob, her response.

TBC....