Two Sided Mirror

Chapter 11- Hell breaking loose

Speed cringed at the sudden silence on the other end of the phone, then heard a voice that made his blood run cold.

" You better hurry, her time has just ran out," he heard him say before the line went dead. Speed snapped the phone shut angrily as he turned to Horatio.

" We gotta get to the port, H. Preston's found her."

"Speed, take it easy. We need to get the bait. He's sure that you would give anything to get her back. Play into his hands, then wait until the time is right," Horatio said as he slung the Hummer into the first parking spot he could find.

" This isn't a game, H! He's going to kill her."

" Not if I can help it, Speed. But time's being wasted arguing about it. Besides, you need to change your clothes."

Speed glanced down at his shirt, noticing for the first time that it was covered in Prue's blood. A lump rose in his throat as he lightly touched it. Horatio was right. He needed to keep his head on straight if this was going to end well. He walked with Horatio into the front of the lab, meeting Calleigh in the atrium. When they came face to face, Speed felt an overwhelming need to take her into an embrace, and she allowed him.

" I'm sorry , Cal..."

" Don't," Calleigh returned ,her accent at the edge, " Just bring Alexx back. We will talk later."

Speed smirked at the comment, remembering that Alexx had just told him the same thing. Calleigh lifted a shirt up and presented it to him, and he glanced at her then the shirt and let a smile form. Calleigh shrugged and extended her arm.

" Hey what can I say? I'm prepared for anything."

" Thanks Cal." he returned as he slipped off the bloody shirt he had on and handed it to her. "Can you dispose of this for me?"

" Yeah, now go and get our friend back," she smiled brightly. The memory of his jackass attitude towards her was long forgotten.

As soon as he slipped on the clean shirt, he followed Horatio to the Hummer. Peeling out , the cab was cloaked in silence, both men preparing themselves for what was coming.

Preston glared down at her as her head hung limply to the side , reaching out to strike her. His fury was evident in the follow through as her head snapped back, jarring her from her pain induced slumber.

"C'mon and wake up, bitch," Preston said through clenched teeth. " I have to give it to you, you tried. But you are going to pay for it."

"Go to hell," Alexx returned groggily.

" You first," Preston answered as he pulled the gun out and hit her with it. She had to be made an example, but he wasn't going to kill her yet. He wanted to see Speed's face as he pulled the trigger. When he was satisfied that she was out cold, he turned away from her and walked out. He knew that they were on their way.

Horatio pulled the Hummer up to the pier and sat waiting until he saw a gray SUV with dark tinted windows pull up across the way. Speed glanced between Horatio and the car, trying to figure out what he had planned. Horatio noticed and threw him a smile.

" I told you I have friends in high places," he answered the unasked question. " I've known Preston Goodman for years , and for years, I 've known that he has been playing both sides. The agent you are about to meet has been working to bring him down."

Speed saw as the agent got out of the SUV and walked over to them. He noticed intently as the man had a gait much like Horatio's and there was something familiar about the dark sunglasses. When the agent came to the Hummer, Horatio rolled down the window and nodded.

"So , big brother needs my help, finally?" he said with a smirk. Speed looked at the man seeing the strong resemblance of him to Horatio. He had reddish brown hair compared to Horatio's flaming red, and his eyes were dark brown. Despite the physical differences, Speed could easily tell that this was Horatio's brother, Raymond.

"Raymond," he said quietly.

" H, and this I take it, is Speed?" Raymond asked as he looked past Horatio.

" Tim Speedle, meet Raymond Caine, my brother."

" Just call me Ray," Ray replied as he nodded his head curtly. He then turned towards Horatio again , " You got the evidence?"

" It's in the back. You know where he is?"

Raymond looked behind him at the rooftops, seeing the men take their positions. This was going to be well organized and controlled; he wanted the pleasure of bringing in Preston himself.

" He's in warehouse 46. There are men placed on the roofs of 44 and 47 and I have some agents in the alleys. This is going to go down smooth."

" I want Preston," Speed added coldly. Preston didn't deserve to have a trial for what he had done.

" No, he comes in unharmed. Horatio, are you going to be able to handle your guy?" Raymond asked as he glanced out to the Atlantic.

" Don't worry about it, Ray. I'll keep him in line. We are here as support."

Support my ass, Speed thought as he looked out of his window. He glanced back at the brothers feeling the anger rise in him again, and the energy returned.

"Any word from his captive?" Horatio asked.

" Not a peep, and we don't know where he's holding her. So we are going to be careful," Ray returned. " That's why it's important to be on the same page."

" Don't worry, Ray. I won't kill him," Speed said darkly, "unless he provokes me."

Ray looked at Horatio and said, " Let's make sure that he doesn't get provoked."

Horatio nodded then got out of the Hummer, walking to the back. Speed joined him and Raymond , watching as Horatio handed him the evidence bags with the guns in them. Horatio grabbed a vest and handed it to Speed with a glare that dared him to argue, then he took one for himself. As they slipped their shirts back on, they took a look at each other then to the building.

"Remember, Speed, nice and easy," Horatio cautioned.

" Yeah, nice and easy," Speed replied as he closed his eyes against the tears. He would enter that building with the weight of his daughter, love and friend on his shoulders. It would be what would drive him to end this.

/Hell breaks loose/

Preston stood at the console to see the two men walk up to the door of the warehouse with the evidence bags in their hands. He chuckled to himself at the stupidity of them to think that he would let them live after handing over the guns. But if he knew Horatio Caine like he thought he knew him, there would be some surprises. So he had one of his own. He nodded his head once and the gunman that was with him went out of the room, then came back in swiftly. Preston had a menacing smile on his face as he looked at her. This is going to be fun, he thought.

Speed and Horatio walked to the door and stood there for a moment. Speed turned to Horatio and asked sarcastically, " Well should we knock?"

Horatio let a snicker escape as he heard the door open, " I guess they already know that we are here."

Instantly they were faced with three men , all with AK 47s pointed directly at them. Horatio lifted his hands over his head to allow them to search him, as so did Speed. When they were through, one gun man snatched the bag from Horatio's grip and backed up to join the duo as they continued to train their guns on them.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it was impolite to snatch?" Speed asked smartly. One gun man laughed at him and was quickly put in place by the other one.

"Always quick with the comebacks, huh Speed?" he asked as he walked out from the shadows.

" It's my nature," Speed returned as he glared at him, his hatred flowing through him like hot lava.

" It's so you," Preston said as he glanced over to the side. Instantly, a gunman came to the forefront dragging her by her wrists. As she came into view, Speed sucked in a harsh breath , almost losing it. Her face was covered with bruises as well as open wounds and he could see by the matting of her hair that she had an open wound on her head. The tears brimmed at the edge of his eyes, feeling like burning fire. The urge to kill this man had gotten almost unbearable.

"Timmy," Alexx said softly as the gunman yanked her violently, causing Speed to inch up more. The guns became steadier as they pointed to him. The only thing that was keeping him grounded was the fact that she stood between them.

Preston took hold of her quickly and roughly , bringing her in front of him, and putting his gun to her temple. Horatio could feel Speed's anger as it rolled off of him, and he turned to see slight movement on the catwalk.

" I was thinking, what would be harder for you to see? Was it your daughter as she died on the playground, wearing that pretty pink jump suit, or Prue as she died on the operating table? Or maybethis one as she dies in your arms?", Preston asked as gripped her tightly and glared at him from behind her. Speed could barely contain his fury and he closed his eyes at the mention of their names, trying to push that pain back down.

Don't fight it, a voice said deep within him, Use it.

" Alexx, it's going to be okay," Speed said calmly. She sent her fear through her eyes, and he held on to the sight of them, not wanting to see it ,but it adding fuel to his fire.

" Yes, Alexx, it's going to be okay," Preston returned as he whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder violently. He returned his attention back to Horatio and Speed, " Shame, you came all the way here and couldn't save her, just to die yourselves."

"This isn't over, Preston," Horatio said as he saw the men advance quietly.

One of the men noticed Horatio's glance and turned to see the men, and promptly opened fire. The other two turned and started to open fire along with their comrades, leaving Preston to face Speed and Horatio himself. He held Alexx tightly to him as he watched them both fill their hands with guns that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. He backed up slowly and heard as more gunfire begin on the upper floors of the vast warehouse. His eyes darted from Speed to Horatio then back to Alexx.

"Come near me, and she gets a bullet in her skull, " Preston said as he drugged her by her arm. She looked back at them with worry.

" Don't worry, Alexx!" Speed said as he held his gun steady. He kept his eyes on them as he moved from the line of fire by more of Preston's men joining the gunfight. Horatio moved as well, getting separated from Speed, concentrating on keeping the fire away from him. He knew that if he lost eye contact with him, it was a fatal mistake. Preston had sent Speed over the edge with his anger and he saw in the young CSI, the familiar glint of revenge as it descended over him.

As the gunfire intensified, Horatio looked over to find Speed, only to see the space that he occupied , empty. He had gone after his revenge.

Speed watched in anger as he pulled Alexx with him, heading for the catwalks. He advanced on them quickly, drawing his fire. He smiled inside ,knowing that if he was firing at him, the gun wasn't at her head. Following them to the stairs, he kept his gun steady pointing it upward, wanting to squeeze the trigger, but not certain he could get a clear shot. The images that ran through his mind were of his daughter as they sat on the swings that day

" I love you , Daddy,"

and of Prue and the night that they had shared

" Shh, Tim , it's okay... it's okay... Let it out"...

He closed his eyes shutting the tears out, then opened them, feeling the rage behind them. The tears sat at the edge of his eyes, and he let them drop, letting go. The fear of losing control was no longer in him, and he advanced on them in confidence.

Preston stood with Alexx still in front of him as he came to a dead end. He glared at Speed with hatred in his eyes and gripped his gun tightly as he aimed it at him.

" Tim!" Alexx screamed as he held the gun out.

" It's alright, Alexx," Speed returned calmly and steadied his gun on Preston.

Preston pulled the trigger and sent Speed sprawling back, and Alexx cried out as she saw him lying on the floor of the cat walk, not moving.

" He didn't put up much of a fight," Preston said as he turned her around to face him. " Too bad I couldn't torture him with your death."

" You bastard!" Alexx yelled as used all the energy she had left to fight him off, once again, connecting her knee to his groin.

She took his moment of pain and made a run for it, seeing Speed as he began to move again. Shocked, she dove for him, feeling the stinging sensation before hearing the shot. She came to rest next to Speed as he opened his eyes. He saw her eyes close and felt the sorrow as it crept back inside of him, unleashing a new wave of rage. He got up slowly as he filled his hands with his gun, steadying it against him. Preston was still hunched over, trying to gather himself as he advanced on him, his eyes being blinded by the intense pain his grief had allowed to surface. Preston smiled at him as he straightened up some, bringing his gun up to eye level.

" You know, Carrie really had it bad for you," Preston said as he caught his breath.

" Carrie? What does she have anything to do with this?"

"Well , my sister, wanted her revenge on you for what you did," Preston said as he gained his bearings.

" Your sister?" Speed asked truly stunned. He couldn't believe that his precious daughter was a blood relative to this jackass.

" You dated her for almost a year and you didn't know her family. That spoke volumes about what kind of man you are."

"Carrie wanted it like that. She was never serious about a relationship. Even when she got pregnant," Speed returned as his mind processed the events as they were unfolding.

" She never wanted a child, she just wanted you."

"So she makes my daughter suffer for seven years because we weren't together? She wasn't the most upstanding woman," Speed shot back.

Preston ignored his remark continuing, " Then came Prudence Kruss, that bitch drove my sister nuts. Right around the time you took custody of that brat."

It was becoming clear to him. This all was because of revenge.

" Let's say we made arrangements to have her recruited into the ATF," Preston said, " losing a family member can do that."

" You killed her sister?"

" Yes, and it drove you two apart. She wasn't talking to you, and it came between you. Carrie was very happy to say the least. Then we had to get rid of the little girl. Carrie used her new boyfriend in the gun running business to help us with that. It was just kismet that he turned out to be the guy you arrest. He called his 'homeys' and arranged for a little accident. They followed you until the time was right. At the park that day,..."

" Preston... don't," Speed warned. He had heard enough. It stung him to the core that his daughter's mother wanted her dead.

" When she went across the street to get the ball..."

" Preston..."

" They weren't supposed to hit you. But I considered it a bonus. I saw as she fell, the bullets going through her back," Preston recalled almost gleefully. " That little bitch deserved it."

Speed could contain it no longer and he lunged at Preston, narrowly missing the bullet as he knocked the gun out of Preston's hand. He wrestled with him before throwing a punch to his jaw, feeling it shift under his fist. Preston howled in pain and managed to block the next blow, then throwing one of his own, hitting Speed in the cheek. Speed stumbled back some , but then returned into the attack, throwing punches to Preston's stomach and face, seeing nothing but his beautiful daughter's face...

He opened his eyes, to see dark brown ones staring back at him. Squinting, he smiled at her as she smiled wildly back at him, pulling at the sheets. He tugged on it playfully, inciting shrieks of laughter from her. The light of the sun provided a halo for her as he sat up and looked at her with loving eyes...

His anger was unleashed as he saw the blood on his fist,and he continued to pummel him...

Daddy!" she said as she pulled the sheets off of her, messing her long dark hair. He turned and snickered at her, and she threw a pillow at him, hitting him on the head.

" So you want to throw pillows , huh?" he said as he advanced on her, " you have a good aim, but can it match the tickle?"

" Oh no, daddy, not the tickle... Please, daddy," ...

She never had another beautiful sunshine filled day...she would never feel his love again... she would never find out how good life could be...

" I love you , Daddy," she said as she hugged him tightly.

As the images assaulted him, Speed felt himself losing control more. This man was responsible for his pain, his loss. He felt as the bones crunched under his blows, they feeding his pain. Nothing could stop him as he exacted his final retribution on him, but he felt a strong hand grab his as he prepared to lower it for what could've been the death blow.

"Speed!" Horatio said as he held the young man with a strong hand. He struggled against his strength , knowing that it was hatred that was fueling him. " Don't do this..."

" He killed my baby," Speed said as he looked at what was left of Preston's face. It had become a bloody pulp under his hand, yet that wasn't enough satisfaction for him. He wanted to see him dead.

"Speed, don't let this dictate you. Don't become him," Horatio said softly into his ear. He desperately wanted to reach the Tim Speedle he knew. Speed felt his anger ebb as he listened. His eyes began to water as he held his fist in mid air.

" Do it,... punk...ass..." Preston spat, his blood pouring out of his mouth.

"Speed, listen... Do you think that Nia would want this? She would want you to do what's right, right?"

Speed smiled at the memory of her , correcting him about his sarcastic remarks, and dropped his fist.

"She wouldn't want this,"Speed replied softly as he let Preston go. Horatio stood behind him and supported him as he wavered slightly. All the pain and rage had left him spent. Preston slumped to the ground breathing heavily as several agents made their way up the catwalk towards them.

As he passed them, he could hear one agent say, " Damn," as they looked upon Preston.

Speed turned his attention to Alexx as she laid on the floor, he eyes wide open. He knelt down and looked at her, and she looked back with a tear filled expression and spoke, " Timmy..."

" Shh, Alexx, you are going to be okay," he comforted her. As he moved a strand of her hair out of her eyes, he saw the blood on his hands and cringed at what his anger could do.

" I've never been shot before," she replied quietly with a small smile on her face.

" I'm sorry , Alexx."

" It's okay, Timmy. I know that you didn't mean it," she said as she lifted a hand to touch his bruised cheek, the one mark he had out of this confrontation. The paramedics came with a board and loaded her up, preparing to carry her down.

She cried out in pain as they shifted her, and Speed glared at them, " Be careful with her."The paramedics nodded and he looked back down at her again, " I'll see you at the hospital."

She nodded and closed her eyes as they started down the stairs carefully. He watched her as they placed her on the gurney and wheeled her out to the ambulance. After he was sure that she was alright, he turned to his LT and threw him a smile of gratitude. If he hadn't been there, Speed would've submitted to his murderous intentions, making him no better than Preston.

Horatio smiled back at him and turned to face the group of agents that surrounded Preston, seeing his brother as he rose and approach them.

" I thought that you said that you were going to watch him," Raymond asked as he glanced at Speed.

" It couldn't be helped, Ray," Horatio returned as he glanced at Speed. He noticed as the fury had been drained and all that was left was the emptiness of the pain for Prue that was sure to follow him .

" We caught the gun runner as he was attempting to make a run for it after the shooting began. He's going to go up for a very long time. As for Preston," Ray said as he looked back at the paramedics helping him, and then to Speed, " if he lives, he's definitely looking at life. Although, personally, I think he would've wanted Speed here to finish him off. Inmates don't tend to like ATF agents."

" Revenge is better served cold," Horatio responded as he turned to Speed. " You ready?"

" Yeah," Speed returned softly. His body all of a sudden felt tired and he could barely walk. " I want to go to the hospital. I have to start the mending ."

Horatio nodded and lead him down the catwalk and out to the Hummer. The ride to the hospital was silent as both men took stock of what had happened. Speed found the silence to be comforting, and he felt a warmness flow back into him. The pain of his daughter was no longer there, only the beautiful memories of her life.

Speed walked into the emergency room and immediately found himself being strapped to a gurney. He tried to tell them that he was okay, but they didn't listen . It wasn't until they had taken his shirt off did they find that he wasn't in any distress. It was the blood that had got them. Horatio smiled at him as he pulled his shirt on and walked to the bathroom to wash his hands.

When Speed returned, he saw a nurse talking to Horatio in an animated fashion.

As she took her leave, Speed asked, " What was that about H?"

"Alexx is stabilized," Horatio answered. "She got a bullet to the shoulder, but she's going to be okay. They are going to keep her for a while until she heals completely."

Speed felt a heaviness lift off of him as he turned to see another nurse heading straight for him. She stopped at him and smiled politely, getting the feeling that it was more of admiration than business.

" Are you Detective Speedle?" she asked as she blushed.

" Yes."

" I have some news for you. We weren't able to reach you on the number you left..."

" Yes, what is it?" Speed asked hearing his voice crack.

" It's about Ms. Kruss... It seems that they were able to revive her ... She made it out of surgery..."

"What?" Speed asked dumbfounded. Did he hear that correctly? Was Prue alive?

" She made it out of surgery , but she is in recovery right now and under heavy sedation. You should be able to see her within three hours. She's going to be in room," the nurse said as she looked down at the chart, " room 214."

Speed felt as if the world had exploded and he stood there, speechless. Horatio smiled and thanked the nurse as he cupped Speed on the shoulder.

"Speed, I think you need to be there when she comes out of it."

"Huh..."

"Speed , Prue is alive." Horatio said as he tried to gain focus of him.

Speed gazed out at nothing then quickly came back to his senses, " I heard."

" That's all you can say is ' I heard'?"

" I'm rejoicing inside, H," Speed said as he smiled brightly and turned to go to the elevators. Horatio watched him get on and smiled himself. He saw the old Tim Speedle resurface as the doors slid shut. A happy Tim Speedle.

TBC...