Hours later, and Cheryl was sat in a van, her red-brown hair now blonde, (they had decided that to go blonde was a bigger change) and dressed up in smart trousers and a green, sparkly top. Agent Caudfield was busy prepping her on what was about to go down.

'We've got agents all over the club, so you'll be covered at all times. We're not going to arm you, or put a wire on you, because frankly, in what you're wearing, it would be seen instantly. Just hang around. The MO of this guy is he will find you. And remember, we want to get him with the rohypnol, if possible, too.'

Cheryl looked in the mirror she was holding. With a little help from Calleigh, she now managed to look like an eighteen year old, who was trying to look like a twenty-one year old. Between them, they'd spent a couple of hours trying to conceal the nasty bruise which had been developing on her arm, but had instead resorted to wearing sleeves. She looked over a Horatio.

'You'll be fine. If you have any problems use your cell.' He told her.

Cheryl nodded, and got out of the van. She headed to the front of one of the clubs, 'Waterfront,' and stood outside, watching the door, grateful it was a warm night. She was stood there lost in thought, thinking how this could potentially be a stupid idea, that she wasn't trained for this, and that she dealt with the 'after-the-crime' rather than the 'before-the-crime' or even, 'during-the –crime.' In fact, she was thinking of anything but Speed.

She liked the guy. A lot. But she had developed trust issues. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the person walk over to her.

'Boyfriend stood you up?'

Cheryl looked up. It was "Mark." 'Yeah, and he hasn't come through with my ID.'

'Colin.' Said the guy, offering his hand, clearly not recognising her. Cheryl took it, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips and kissed it.

'Lisa.'

'I can help you with that ID, if you want?'

'I don't know. What happens if my boyfriend turns up?'

'If he was coming, he would be here by now

Cheryl looked up at him and nodded.

'Okay, you wait here and I'll be back in a few minutes.'

Cheryl stood fiddling with her hair, waiting. She didn't have to wait long and he had returned with an ID. 'Lindsay Lohan?' Cheryl exclaimed. 'Is she even twenty-one herself?'

Colin looked at her, 'do you want to get in, or not? It will work, just follow me.'

Cheryl knew it would work, because the bouncers had been prepped to let her in whatever, but that wasn't the point. She couldn't believe it would have worked otherwise. She entered the club to find it heaving with many drunken people. She glanced around, trying to find anyone who looked like an FBI agent, but couldn't spot any. She assumed they were well trained in the art of 'undercover,' but it didn't make it any more reassuring.

"Colin" grabbed her hand and led her onto the dance floor. Forcing a smile to cover the pain she was feeling in her feet, she joined in, moving with the throb of the crowd. After a couple of songs, just when she thought she couldn't contain the pain any longer, he leant forward and shouted in her ear, 'wanna drink?'

Cheryl nodded and followed him to the bar, 'just water, please.'

Colin gave her a funny look and bought a beer and the infamous Cranberry Kisses. Cheryl watched him closely as he bought the drink and handed it to her. Sure she hadn't seen him slip something in it, she took a sip. It actually wasn't a bad drink. Seizing her free hand, he led her away from the bar and dance floor to a corridor Cheryl had yet to be in.

'What are we doing here?'

'Payment for the ID.'

'Oh,' said Cheryl as she settled her drink down and began rifling through her purse, pulling out a wad of notes.

'I don't want money,' he told her, leaning in.

Cheryl took a step back, 'hey, I'm not kind of girl.'

Colin chuckled, 'where are you from? You're accent is so cute.'

Cute? She hadn't heard it described like that before. 'England originally.'

'Well, Miss England, relax. All I want is a little kiss from an English girl.'

Cheryl looked over his shoulder. There was no-one around, and thus far, she hadn't seen him slip anything into her drink. 'Um, ok,' she told him hesitantly, 'so long as it's just a kiss?'

'Of course,' he reassured her as he planted his lips on hers. Cheryl closed her eyes and kissed him back, trying to imagine him as anyone else. The first person that jumped to mind was Speed. She broke away with a start.

'What's the matter, baby?'

'I'm sorry,' she said, grabbing her drink and downing it in one.

'Boyfriend?'

Cheryl nodded, the alcohol going straight to her head, 'something like that,' she told him as the room began to spin. Hadn't the doctor warned her about drinking on the antibiotics she was on? She had been watching Colin like a hawk, and she was sure her drink was clean.

She stumbled backwards and onto the fire door. The next thing she knew, she was outside in the cool air. She put her hand out against the side of the club and took a deep breath. The world was glowing slowly darker. 'I don't feel too good,' she said.

'Well I can make you feel better,' murmured Colin, placing his hands upon her breast and his mouth on hers.

Using all her remaining strength, she tried to push him off her, whilst groping in her pocket for her phone. She flipped it open and pressed dial, knowing as she did that, thanks to the incident at the ditch, the water had stopped it from working. 'No!' She told him, dropping the phone and using her hand to punch him.

It was no way near her usual strength, and it resulted in Colin slapping her across the face, before pinning her hands against the wall above her head. He didn't put anything in my drink, she thought as her pushed his tongue into her mouth.

The next thing she knew, he had been tackled off her and to the floor. Cheryl slivered down the wall and watched what was happening as though it was a slow moving movie. From nowhere, Delko had appeared and thrown himself onto Colin before getting up and helping drawing his gun. After Delko had taken a diving tackle, Horatio had appeared, his gun also drawn, but seeing that Eric had him under control, had put it away, pulled of his jacket and wrapped it around Cheryl. 'You're okay, he whispered softly, helping her to her feet. 'You're okay.' Cheryl remembered seeing the flashing blue lights and hearing the sirens fill the alley, and then she blacked out.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cheryl awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar bed, and her head feeling like someone had smacked a baseball bat against it. She opened her eyes gingerly, before shutting them straight away at the bright, clinical lights. I'm in a hospital, then, she thought. She could hear voices outside the door. It was Horatio, Eric and Speed, arguing with someone who sounded like Agent Caudfield.

'The safety of my officers comes first!' Said Horatio.

'Your officer knew what was expected of her,' replied Caudfield.

'Your men were supposed to be watching her!' Shouted Eric.

'If Eric hadn't have gotten to when he did, who knows what might have happened.' Speed was arguing.

'My agents were doing exactly what they were supposed to. It's yours that didn't.'

'Your agents are trained for this. Cheryl wasn't.'

'She knew the risks.'

'She thought the agents weren't going to leave her.' Horatio was raising his voice now. Cheryl was surprised. He didn't do that too often.

She was about to say something when she became very aware of something sticking in her arm. She shot upright and peeked at the needle in her arm. She screamed, getting the attention of the men, and grasped at her arm, 'GET IT OUT!'

Within seconds, Horatio was at her side, 'Cheryl,' he told her, 'Cheryl, calm down.'

'GET IT OUT OF ME!' She repeated, grabbing at the needle.

'Let me get a nurse,' Eric shouted.

'H, if this doesn't get out of her now, she's going to do something stupid,' Speed quickly warned him, unsuccessfully trying to calm down the hysterical Britt.

It was too late, the needle was out, and so was Cheryl from her bed. At this point, a nurse had entered the room, and seeing Cheryl in the state she was in, had produced another needle, a tranquilizer. Cheryl ran behind Speed, trying to put him between her and the needle. 'Horatio,' she squealed, 'if you don't get arid of that needle, you are about three minutes away from arresting me for murder!'

'Ma'am, it's okay,' he told the nurse; 'she doesn't like needles, that's all.'

The nurse looked at him sceptically, but left the room.

'Where are my clothes?'

'Cheryl, the doctors want you here for observation for a few more days,' said Speed.

'I am not staying in this place a moment longer. I don't care if I have to sign myself out and be suspended for a week. Where are my clothes?' She repeated.

Horatio pointed to a pile under her bed and allowed her to pull them on. Without saying a word, probably because she was still trying to get her breathing to return to normal, she stalked out of the room, and out of the hospital. She stood outside in the warm sunshine, waiting to see who would be out first. It was Horatio.

'So,' he started softly, pulling on his shades, 'home?'

Cheryl walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. 'Sorry I let you down, H.'

Horatio sat down next to her, and pulled her close to him. 'You haven't let anyone down,' he told her, as she began to cry. 'You make me so proud, and I know if either of your parents were here now, they would say the same thing.'

He held her there, sobbing into his chest, until she finally broke away, 'I'm sorry,' she repeated.

'You have nothing, nothing to apologise for.'

Cheryl smiled at him, sniffing back the last of her tears. 'My hair matches yours now,' she told him, saying the first thing that came to mind.

Horatio smiled back, 'Yelina has already put two and two together and come up with five.'

'She thinks you're my father?'

Horatio nodded.

'You really do care for her if you're letting her think that.'

Horatio only smiled softly.

'Everything is going to be alright,' Cheryl told him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was talking about everything; their relationship, Yelina, and the case. 'What happened with Colin?' She asked, 'if that's his real name?'

''His ID was Colin Farrell, but it turns out he's teenager called Ryan, with too much time on his hands.'

'I swear he didn't put anything in my drink.' Cheryl started.

'I know,' said Horatio, 'he only supplied the IDs. He was working with one of the barmen, and it was him who was spiking the IDs. When he was told he was being arrested for attempted rape, amongst other things, he was quite anxious to talk.'

Cheryl looked up at her reflection in his sunglasses and smiled, "Hey, Horatio, why do you always wear your sunglasses?'

Horatio smiled back. 'Because it's sunny in Miami.'

'But inside?'

Horatio's smile widened, 'that, that is a secret.'

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Well, y'all, thanks for reading! I hope you have enjoyed the second installment in the CSI Cheryl series. (and that i don't suck too much!) I had intended on posting this sooner, but I got distracted by a) being poorly sick, and throwing up far too much, b) writing parts for later bits in the 'series', and c) studying for an exm I never ended up taking because of being sick.

The good news, (well, maybe bad news, depending on how you look at) is that the third enstallment is underway. Look out for 'Crash' in the very near future, if you want to see what's happening next. As a little teaser, I think I will tell you that someone ahem> Eric ahem> has been in a little accident (don't worry, he's not being killed off) and it's up to the team to figure who did it, why, and how it happened. Expect a little more drama, and the 'introduction' of a familiar Miami character.