Title: Two Lives

Author: innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab)

Summary: Calleigh Duquesne is kidnapped and isolated from the world. She's trapped between trying to escape and protecting what she treasures most. Crossover with CSI.

Category: Crossover – Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

Genres: Established Relationship, Suspense

Characters: Horatio Caine, Alexx Woods, Gil Grissom, Warrick Brown, Jim Brass

Warnings: none

Rating: PG

Chapter: 5 "A Difference of Operating Standards"

Author's Notes: thank you to my opal and riley for beta-ing for grammar, spelling, and characterization!

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"I'm looking for Doctor Grissom?" Horatio inquired at the front desk of Las Vegas CSI. The ride from the airport had been just enough for him to settle and put on his game face. He and Alexx had remained quiet after she had told him that she was going to give him orders. But he knew she was right, he needed to be on the ball for Calleigh… Getting her back was all that really mattered now. He thanked the woman once they were directed in the direction of the doctor's office.

"Have you met this Doctor Grissom?" Alexx asked as they walked down the hall. She knew that Las Vegas CSI had worked with Miami on a case years back, but she wasn't sure which of them Horatio had met.

He shook his head, "We only met a Warrick Brown and a Catherine Willows. Doctor Grissom is the head of the nightshift here in Las Vegas as far as I know," Horatio informed her. He inspected the lab as they walked and knocked on the door frame of the office that was occupied with books, bugs, and Grissom himself.

"Come in," Grissom said as he continued to read over the report he had been trying to get through. His glasses were down on the bridge of his nose. Looking up not hearing an immediate speech from Catherine or one of his other CSIs, he set down his paperwork when he saw two unfamiliar people. "Can I help you?"

"I'm Horatio Caine, Miami Dade PD, and this is Alexx Woods," he introduced motioning to Alexx and then turned his attention back to Doctor Grissom.

Nodding, Grissom shut his file and relocated it to the corner of his desk and removed his glasses. "Right. Warrick saw your CSI who's been missing… Brass should be here with the information on the man who was with her in the grocery store." He motioned for them to sit. "Give me a minute to find the file… We have the information from the card that he used."

Horatio watched the man shuffle through the papers and folders on his desk. "Your CSI…is he here? I was wondering if I could ask him some questions about what he saw…" He wanted to know if Calleigh seemed okay…he wanted to know if there were things he hadn't been able to pick up through the grocery store video. He just needed something more to feed on while they were idle. He watched anxiously as the man searched for the folder and wondered if this was how all Las Vegas' CSIs were like…he preferred organization.

Knocking on the door, not even looking to see if his office was occupied, Catherine entered file in hand, "Grissom," she started full intending on ranting about how he wasn't doing paperwork again and how Ecklie was bringing up separating the team again. But when she was almost to his desk she noticed a familiar face, "Lieutenant Caine," she greeted. She didn't know who the other woman was, but figured that she was also from Miami.

"Lieutenant Cade and Miss Woods are here because of the disappearance of Calleigh Duquesne two years ago," Grissom filled in.

"Warrick saw her," Catherine said aloud remembering. Then Catherine snatched a file from Grissom's desk and handed it to him.

Taking it, Grissom was surprised to see that she knew exactly where things on his desk were. Handing over the file to Horatio, he leaned back in his chair. "The address isn't that far from here—"

"So, what are we waiting for?" Horatio asked quickly.

"Evidence…" Grissom spoke up.

Horatio tilted his head and looked across at the man, studying him for a moment. "My CSI has been missing for two years, Doctor Grissom… I don't want anymore harm to come to her if we know her location."

"We don't know that any harm's come to her yet."

Alexx set her hand on Horatio's arm when she saw his whole body tense. She could see that he was trying to restrain himself from becoming too angry. Calleigh was a touchy subject, and Doctor Grissom was only making things worse.

"Look," Grissom said sharply. "I want to get your CSI out safely, but from the evidence we have, your CSI seems fine. We have to operate on the evidence."

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TBC…