Horatio Takes a Vacation

chapter 8

Speed walked out of the elevator and met a distraught Alexx as she passed the bank of elevators. She turned quickly, not noticing him at first. But when it dawned on her that he was standing there, she stopped in her tracks.

" Timothy James, where have you been? I've been worried sick," Alexx said as she came face to face with him. She saw a certain glint in his eye and stood back a little. Something had changed.

" Wow, the first and middle name. Whatever ,I did , I'm sorry," Speed intoned sarcastically as he started to walk again. Alexx caught him by the arm and gently pulled at him.

" What have you been up to?"

" Nothing."

" Where have you been? Horatio's up in his office right now, and Belmontes said that he was not happy."

" He's in his office?" Speed asked as he looked at his watch. It was twelve twenty. He began to walk away from her turned around and called to her, " I gotta go, Alexx, but I'll talk to you later."

Alexx watched him as he ascended the stairs to the darkened office and shook her head. She knew that whatever he was in to she would find out about it sooner or later.

CSI

Speed knocked softly on the office door and waited until he heard his boss's voice . He sucked in a breath and opened the door. If he was going to be fired , at least he had something to look forward to now. Speed was comforted by the thought of Calleigh as he shut the door quietly behind him and turned to face the desk. Horatio was sitting in his chair with his back to him, staring out into the trace lab. Speed cleared his throat and started to speak.

" H, how was your vacation?"

Horatio turned the chair around and faced his young protege. Speed noticed as he looked refreshed, almost out of place here.

" I missed this place. You never know what you have until it's gone, you know what I mean?"

Speed shifted his weight nervously and ran a hand through his hair.

" You know, it's ironic that you used those words. I have something to tell you..."

" I already know, Speed."

" Really?" Speed asked as he felt the room spin. " How did you..."

A knock at the door startled Speed and he glanced at his watch. Twelve thirty exactly. Horatio glanced at Speed then at the door as he gave the command to enter. The door opened and in walked a tall slender dark haired prosecutor. Her eyes were a sparkling blue and she wore minimal makeup, not that she needed it. Horatio got up out of his seat and strode effortlessly to the door, meeting the DA .

" Ms. West, to what do I owe this visit?"

" Horatio, Detective Speedle," West said with a polite smile, " I've come for the file on Preston Sterling. We have court in less than two hours. Please tell me that you have it ready."

" Preston Sterling? Not ringing a bell. Speed?"

" Umm , uh , yeah. Preston Sterling, the Band E a week ago, right?" Speed replied as he turned slightly to the desk. He knew he was dead in the water. His time was up.

" Yes the very same. The evidence that your lab collected is what is going to put this guy away for a long time. You have an excellent lab here, Lieutenant."

" Thank you Ms. West. I have been on vacation for two weeks, so I'm not familiar with the specifics of the case."

" I took care of it, H," Speed said as he sat at the desk. All he could do was pray that it would be swift. He keyed in the password and searched for the file. To his surprise, he found it , right where it was supposed to be. A smile cracked on his face as he printed the file for the DA and placed it in her hand. The DA thanked them both and left as quickly as she came.

" So, getting back, where did the new mass spec come from?" Horatio asked as the door closed. He stood in front of Speed with his hands on his hips and glanced down at the floor , then up again.

" We - uh had a tiny fire in the lab. But H, nothing else was destroyed, even the evidence wasn't compromised."

" Speed ,why didn't you call me?"

" I thought that it was something that I could handle. You were on your vacation."

" Anything else I should know about?" Horatio asked as he walked to his desk.

Speed pondered on the thought for a moment. He didn't feel right about lying to Horatio , so he opted to tell the truth.

" Well, H..."

Another knock on the door interrupted them and Horatio put a hand up to stop him. Speed felt his will leaving him slowly. Horatio opened the door and Speed took in a sharp breath. Standing in the doorway, was Savoy, or at least he thought it was. Behind her, stood Stetler with a small smile on his face. Horatio greeted them and asked them to come in. Speed felt his color drain from his face and his knees felt like jelly. This was it, he was a goner.

" Speed, I can tell from the look on your face that you have met Savoy Roberts," Horatio said as Savoy walked to the couch and sat down. Stetler remained standing quietly.

" I- What's going on H?"

" Well Savoy is really, Hayden Roberts, and she is a friend of the family, and also as you found out, the former Lieutenant of the CSI lab. I asked her to come here and do a little damage to see how you all would react. And from what I've seen, you did a bang up job. I even heard that you stayed overnight to crack the case. I'm impressed."

" Horatio..." Speed said speechless, he felt as if he had been given a new chance at life.

" I know, it was a bad way to test you all, but this was the only way that I was able to get a sense of how you would work in my absence."

" This was a test?" Speed asked as he slipped slightly. He could barely catch his breath.

" Yes. So, how did you like being in charge?" Horatio asked as he walked over to Speed.

" I never want to do that again."

" If it helps, Detective Speedle, please know that I was very discreet about the whole situation," Hayden said as she smiled lightly. Speed glanced over to her and flashed a nervous grin. He was still trying to process this.

" Speedle, anytime that you feel you are ready, just let us know," Stetler piped in. "We need more like you and your counterparts."

" Well, Speed?" Horatio said as he stood in front of him, smiling lightly.

Speed regain his bearings and stood up straight. He didn't know what they were offering, but it couldn't be any better than what he was doing now. At that moment, Speed missed just being the trace analyst.

" I appreciate the offer, if that is what it was, but I'm going to have to decline. If anything, Horatio's time away from the lab has made me see what really is important to me. I'd rather stay where I am right now. Maybe in a few years, I'll think about it, but I'm happy here."

" So, in a few years?" Horatio asked with humor in his voice.

" I said I'd think about it," Speed returned sharply but not too aggressively.

The room filled with light chuckles as Hayden and Stetler got up and took their leave. Once they were gone, Speed turned to Horatio and sighed. If Alexx had been his honorary mother while he was here in Miami, Horatio was his father. Nothing but admiration seeped from Speed as he nodded his head and started to get up and leave. He stopped at the door and turned to Horatio.

" Oh, H there is one thing."

" Well?"

" I want a vacation."

" Effective when?" Horatio asked as he slightly tilted his head.

" Now," Speed replied as he watched Horatio walk to his desk.

" Done. Don't come in tomorrow, or I'll be forced to make you work."

" Thanks, H." Speed said as he turned to walk out the door. For the first time in almost two weeks, a feeling of relief washed over him.

TBC...

A/N: This was kinda lame, but I had to come up with something. Of course, the epilogue is coming next.