Horatio made his way through a neighborhood of many bumper to bumper vehicles and hurrying residents trying to leave the area. He fought to clear his head of the morning they'd shared and sighed to him self when he recalled how Stetler had ruined it. That man had an avocation for taking things from him. Despite his thoughts wrapped up in someone who'd left to find her father, he kept sharp eye, out here in the midst of evacuations. For the most part all it took was a wary glance over the top edge of his glasses and a flash of his badge to put rising tension in check and keep people on their best behavior. Of course some situations required more hands on work.

"Hi there. I'm Lieutenant Horatio Caine." H introduced himself warmly to a young man of about fifteen who seemed to be the only person tending to the small house. What's your name son?"

"Aaron." The boy answered as he worked to hold a large board in place against a window while trying to nail it up.

"Where's your family, Aaron?" Horatio reached out to help steady the board, that was clearly too big a job for Aaron.

"Mom? She's getting everyone in the car." Aaron pointed timidly to a small station wagon park at the edge of the street, where a dark hair woman was arranging four more children, one of which a wailing infant, into the vehicle.

"Your Dad?" H asked; the boy shook his head and before Aaron had a moment to voice his answer Horatio replied, needing no time to understand the situation. "I see. I'll tell you what; you help me hold this up, while I fasten it, ok?"

"Thanks." The young man sounded encouraged as he smiled and enthusiastically complied.

Many blocks away Calleigh sat impatiently in traffic. She sighed to herself thinking how she hadn't gotten that moment this morning to talk to him. The more she reflected on their evening the more everything about it seemed precious. The idea that come Friday their time together could be greatly cut back had her anxiety soaring. He, however, was so calm afterward, was he even thinking about what Stetler had said? Did he even care? Surely he understood how his suspension would hurt them all. The more she dwelled on it the more frustrated she became and the more difficult concentration was to keep. She checked her watched for what must have been the five hundredth time, when commotion erupted several cars ahead. She leaned out the window to get a better look.

"I had right of way!" a voice hollered.

"Bullshit, you cut me off!" was the rebuttal.

Calleigh, cramped in gridlock as it was, took her keys and left her car in a self-assured stride that she always walked with, though her training and her badge had given her even more reason. Strolling up to the grown men bickering like children she crossed her arms.

"Boys?" she asked in her best 'try-me' tone, causing both men to fall silent taking in the petite blond with enough gusto to call their masculinity into question. "You all can settle this like grown up's can't you? She asked with a smile. While one man did his best to stutter out what could have been an answer, the other looked crossly at Calleigh, clearly upset that she'd interrupted his chest beating.

"Thanks honey, but I think we can clear this up without your input." He snapped.

"You're probably right," Calleigh agreed, "but the thing is if we did it your way I get the feeling someone might get hurt." With a mischievous grin she flashed her badge, "Plus my way ought to have us all moving a lot faster." She laughed inside when both men went quiet looking like scolded school boys. "Is anyone hurt?" She asked looking about, and got no answer. "Alright then, get back in your cars boys, let's sort this mess out." She examined the scene of cluttered cars and, exuding confidence, clipped her badge high on her shirt, took position in the middle of the intersection and began calling out to the drivers. "Your turn, go on through!" she instructed with a wave of her left hand while holding her right hand out flat signaling 'stop' to the other lane. The sky was getting quickly darker when a local news van, getting coverage on the weather and the condition of the city, captured a few minutes of footage that Calleigh had failed to notice until the camera man called out to her. She laughed a bit but paid them little mind while conducting the flow of cars. After quite some time the traffic had dispersed and Calleigh headed back to her own vehicle feeling relatively pleased. Always wanted to try that, she thought, too bad I didn't have a whistle.

Back in her car, she buckled in and checked her watch again. Jesus, it was practically noon. She grabbed her cell as she drove and dialed her father's number, getting no answer much to her dismay. She'd just swing by his place, she thought. No time at all.

By one the wind had become vicious. Shelters across the city were most all filled and the roads had been designated, for emergency vehicles only. Not only were evacuees cleared out but so were most evacuators. The neighborhoods Horatio had been working in were empty now, as he drove along with two patrol cars, further from the shoreline. He'd been wondering for the past hour or more, where Calleigh had gotten. He looked at the cell phone sitting next to him and willed it to ring, to no avail. She's alright, he told himself, probably with her father, safe and sound; but one call couldn't hurt. He dialed Calleigh's cell and waited impatiently through the rings.

"Dusquesne." Her voice was faint and drenched in static.

"Calleigh? Where are you? Everything alright."

"Horatio." She was so scrambled he cringed trying to hear her words as they cut in and out through a breaking connection. "I'm still out—I can't find—my father.

"Calleigh the rain's getting too heavy out there, you need to get to a shelter now."

"I'm not—close—I'll just go--" The line felt dead.

"Go where? Calleigh? Calleigh?" Dead air.

The patrol car in front of him signaled a turn, Horatio followed into the parking lot and they headed for cover in the building.

"The rain has gotten too hard, we won't make it much farther, we're at MD:CSI and staying here…" The officer who'd been driving the patrol car spoke into his radio, once in the lobby at CSI. Horatio was listening to his conversation though he was looking distantly out the last unlocked door that led to the parking lot. He went to dial Calleigh's number again but the line was completely down now.

"Damnit." He muttered. "Where are you?"