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"Care to explain it to me?" Calleigh asked.
Ryan and Walter glanced nervously at each other and then at the angry ballistic expert. She stood with her arms crossed (never a good sign when Calleigh did it) and she had a murderous glare in her green eyes.
"Well, um... you see Cal, I was going to test fire a gun and when I went to grab it I couldn't find the ladder so I stepped on to the shelf and um... it broke." Ryan said and gave her an innocent smile.
"And I tried to help him put all the guns back before you showed up and then I accidentally knocked the guns on the other wall down...since I'm too big for this small gun vault." Walter said and also gave the most innocent smile he could muster.
Calleigh glared at them and she took a deep breath as if preparing herself to explode when Eric showed up and put his arms around her from behind. He rubbed her seven months baby bump and instantly Calleigh calmed down... a bit.
"Okay, as punishment you two are cleaning it up and buying me new shelves." Calleigh said, "And every gun had better be exactly where I put them before you ruined everything."
Ryan and Walter swallowed hard and nodded. Eric smirked at them and then grabbed his girlfriend's hand to take her for an early lunch; so she wouldn't become stressed by watching every move that Ryan and Walter made to make sure they did it they way she wanted it.
"We had better get started." Walter sighed and looked at the mess.
Only two men could accomplish making such a mess. It was a good thing they hadn't ruined anything that belonged to their boss. No matter how dangerous a pregnant Calleigh Duquesne could be it was nothing compared to a redhead with a stalker who was currently under a lot of pressure from the higher ups about solving the murder cases; that was the most fatal combination in the world.
"I hope she pushes that baby out soon, because I'm not sure if I can handle Calleigh being pregnant much longer." Ryan said, "She's scary."
"She has at least 7 weeks left to go." Walter said.
"She might be early; I hope so. And I'm pretty sure Eric agrees with me."
"How so?" Walter asked.
"Yesterday Eric forgot to change the bed sheets and Calleigh ended up crying for three hours and then demanding that he buy her candy." Ryan said.
"That doesn't sound so bad."
"You try finding a candy store with her favorite type of candy at three am, while you also have to get enough sleep to manage to go to work in the morning." Ryan said.
"Good point." Walter said.
"I am so glad that I never have to deal with a pregnant girlfriend." Ryan said.
"Unless science figures out how to make men pregnant and H wants to do it, then you're in for trouble."
"Never happening."
-I-
"Dogs are not allowed here." Rick said.
He had just entered Horatio's office to find Cassie staring at him and by the look in her eyes he was fairly certain that she did not like him. Horatio smirked and petted Cassie.
"She's my special protection; granted by the Chief." Horatio said and handed Rick a note where it clearly said that Cassie was allowed to be in the lab while Horatio's stalker was still unidentified.
Rick walked towards to the guest chair and ignored Cassie's soft growling as he sat down; animals never seemed to like him. His mother's cat always tried to claw at his legs every time he visited; maybe animals could sense something evil about him.
"Are you and Detective Wolfe in a safe place?" Rick asked.
Cassie scooted closer to Rick and at all times keeping her eyes on him, while he tried to ignore her stare. Rick knew about Horatio and Ryan (most people did) and although he had never said anything about not liking it, he always envied Horatio when things went well for him.
"Yes."
"So why can't the dog be there then?" Rick asked, clearly intimidated by the Golden Retriever.
"Because no one can look after her there." Horatio said.
Roger would have if he could have, but he needed to work just like most other people and his neighbors were not very dog friendly; besides, it was not their job to look after Cassie; it was Ryan and Horatio's job.
"Any leads on your stalker and killer?"
"No."
Just then the receptionist's, Paula, voice came over the intercom telling Horatio he had some messages. Horatio stood up with Rick, left Cassie in the office and headed to Paula. Horatio wasn't sure if Rick was genuinely concerned about him or just doing his job; maybe even both. However, when he saw Horatio pick up a white envelope, without return address he stepped closer and warned Horatio to open it carefully; in case it was something dangerous in it.
Horatio sighed as he read the note inside.
"I am not pleased that you have left your home. How can I find you if you do not let me? My mission entails that I contact you when the time is right. You do not seem to understand the need for people to stop being egotistic and choose. Everyone comes across choices in life; I just put them up to the ultimate test. You are not proud of me and that makes me sad."
"At least he doesn't know where you live now." Rick said.
"It's only a matter of time before he does. The only reason he doesn't know is because he wasn't around when Ryan and I moved to Roger's apartment." Horatio said.
"Wait... you only moved your clothes and the dog, how does he know you're not there?"
"We haven't been around for weeks." Horatio pointed out, "No one coming and going, it doesn't take a genious to figure out that we're not there anymore."
"He's been quite slow to notice it though." Rick said.
"Which is strange; he hasn't been busy with killing anyone, we haven't had a victim in four weeks, so what has he been doing?"
"I hate to say this, but maybe he's been planning for your ultimate test." Rick said, "He asked you time and time again if you're proud and you haven't replied, so maybe he's planning something to make you understand him."
"Thanks, now I feel much better."
"I'm just trying to understand the guy." Rick said, "Four weeks and no new victim; not that I'm complaining about the lack of bodies in the morgue, but it's weird. Is Kyle and Penny safe?"
"As safe as can be."
"And Ryan? Where is he?"
"He's in the gun vault with Walter cleaning up."
"Why?"
"They messed it up."
"How?"
"Being clumsy." Horatio shrugged, "I'll take this to the fingerprint lab."
"You won't find anything on it."
"Doesn't mean I should stop trying." Horatio said as he left.
-I-
Horatio shook his head as he observed his lover; Ryan was looking down over the balcony railing from Roger's place; trying to see if he saw anyone suspicious. The problem was that he was too far up and didn't have binoculars. Horatio opened the sliding door and leaned against the railing next to his lover.
"You're not going to see anyone from up here." He said.
"I know." Ryan sighed, "Why do things happen to us? Bad things, I mean."
"Because we're unlucky?"
"Well... we're not completely unlucky are we? We have a family and friends, jobs." Ryan said, "So why do bad things happen?"
Horatio could only shrug. He knew Ryan was having just as hard time as he was; if not worse. The two lovers would always worry about each other. Neither man had slept much in the last few weeks. Horatio didn't think Ryan knew that he would sit up most of the night just guarding the door with Cassie, but Ryan knew. Just as much as Horatio knew that Ryan would lie awake in the bed too.
"What if the stalker is a woman?" Ryan asked, "I know we suspect it's a man because it usually is in such brutal cases like these, but what if it's not?"
"Well, it takes a lot of force to break someone's neck so most likely it is a man."
"Or both." Ryan said, "A man doing the killing and a woman doing the stalking. Maybe the stalker is just pretending to be delusional and not at all having visions about angels."
"That makes this case harder." Horatio said, "You don't think it is strange that just after we questioned Patrick Yates and Sandy Pearson the murders stopped?"
"Yeah, a bit." Ryan said, "You think one of them is the killer?"
"Sandy is out of the question and if it was Patrick he probably would have continued killing by now." Horatio said, "Maybe the killer saw me question Patrick and was spooked; thinking he needs to reconsider his game plan so he won't get caught."
"And now he's started again."
"Yeah, at least with the stalking." Horatio said, "It seems strange that he didn't know we had moved until now."
"I think you're right." Ryan said and leaned in for a kiss.
Horatio smiled and pulled Ryan closed. They embraced each other and kissed. It wasn't until Roger knocked on the glass door that they pulled apart.
"Want dinner?" He asked, as he opened the sliding door.
"Sure." The two men said, blushing at having been caught making out.
Roger smiled and walked away again; he had excellent timing with interrupting Horatio and Ryan. In four weeks he had interrupted their lover making five times and their make-out sessions three times. He was a master at it.
When dinner was ready the three men ate and chatted. When he was done Ryan let Cassie lick his plate, despite Horatio's protests. Roger just smiled and watched as the two lovers' bickered.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Ryan practically flew towards his gun which lay on the living room table. Horatio still had his in his holster by his waist and he let his hand rest on it, as Roger moved to the door. The old man locked through the peep-hole and then opened the door to reveal Melinda Wolfe, Ryan's mother, on the other side.
She was holding two bags filled with stuff and she had been crying, she also had a black eye and Ryan got angry the minute he saw the bruise. Roger let her enter and they all locked shocked at her.
"What's going on Melinda?" Roger asked.
Melinda sobbed and Roger knew what it was about; remembering the conversation they had had weeks ago at a café outside of town. Melinda pulled herself together and looked between the three men before answering.
"I left Charles and I need a place to stay."
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