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With shaking hands Melinda took the cup of tea from Roger. She was sitting on one couch while the three men sat on the other couch across her. Ryan was confused and not sure how to react to his mother's presence. He had heard from Roger that she had started coming around and accept him and Horatio, but she had still hurt him deeply. Now she was in the same room as him with a black eye made by the man that had raised him and yet all Ryan could feel was anger that Melinda had come there.
"What happened that made Charles hit you?" Roger asked.
Melinda took a deep breath and glanced at her son and his lover. She could feel Ryan's glare burn into her, but to her surprise Horatio didn't have the same look in his eyes. She couldn't read in his face or eyes what he was feeling.
She looked down at her feet again.
"I had tried to talk to Charles for some time now about accepting Ryan and Horatio; I thought that if we just met and talked to them and he listened them then maybe we could work on being a family again." Melinda said.
"I take it he didn't approve." Roger said.
"No he refused. So this evening I told him I had had enough; I told him I wanted to be a part of my son's life and that I didn't think he was disgusting just because he was gay." Melinda said and quickly glanced at Ryan.
"And he hit you because you packed your bags and left?" Horatio asked.
"Yes. Just as I was leaving I told him that I couldn't live with a man that refused to accept his son for who he was, even if it's not his biological son, and then he hit me and told me to never come back." Melinda sighed.
"Oh Melinda, I'm sorry." Roger said.
"It's okay; it needed to be done. I realized that ever since Ryan was born I let Charles decide what was right and wrong. I never questioned him... until now."
"So you think that you can just come back?" Ryan asked frustrated and stood up.
"Ryan!" Roger exclaimed, "Sit down!"
"No! She refused to accept me, she wouldn't even let me see dad in the hospital after the car crash and now she thinks she can just show up here in the middle of the night." Ryan growled, "I'm going to bed."
As he left Melinda broke down in tears and Roger sat down beside her to comfort her. Horatio knew that Ryan was just reacting negatively because he was stressed by the stalker-situation and because it was a shock to see his mother suddenly after such a long time.
"Melinda, it will take time but Ryan will eventually calm down." Horatio said, "You just have to give him some time to process this."
"He hates me." Melinda sobbed.
"No he doesn't. He's just confused and stressed." Horatio said and then yawned, "I'll talk to him. Good night for now."
"Good night." Roger said.
Horatio could understand why Melinda had never questioned Charles. His mother had been in the same kind of relationship; the only difference was that Charles had never hit Melinda before. Horatio's mother had married a wonderful man that had turned into a controlling and violent monster the moment she had said "I do". She hadn't left because she had been too mentally beat down and she had nowhere to run. With two children involved she had found the strength to carry on day after day with the abuse, but she had never had the strength to leave. Because of this Horatio could more easily understand Melinda's situation. He knew that Ryan could understand as well, but it was harder for him to accept the sudden change.
When Horatio entered the guest room he found Ryan already in bed. Horatio got undressed and lied down next to him; he snuggled close and Ryan sighed.
"I behaved like a prick didn't I?" He asked.
"No, love." Horatio said, "Your reaction is understandable. But I think you should give your mother a chance, just like she has given you one now."
"I know, I just... I can't deal with trying to find my way back to her and dealing with your stalker at the same time."
"I know. One thing at the time." Horatio whispered, "First we catch my stalker and then we'll deal with your mother."
Ryan nodded and closed his eyes. That night both men slept without bad dreams in a long time.
-I-
"So not only is he killing people to make you proud and stalking you, but now he's killing people on our day off too." Ryan muttered, as he watched Horatio get dressed.
It was Sunday and the plan had been to sit on the beach, walk through the park with Cassie and simply relax, instead Horatio had been called in to work with Frank, Walter and Natalia to work with another murder.
Horatio pulled his pants on and leaned down to kiss his lover.
"Sorry." He said.
"Don't be. For once I am glad that I haven't been called in too." Ryan yawned, "I don't think I can leave the bed."
Horatio chuckled and put on his jacket, his holster and gun, and his badge.
"I'll call later." He said as he left.
Ryan yawned and pulled the sheet over his head to go back to sleep. It wasn't until an hour later when he heard and smelled Roger making coffee that he decided to go up. He took a quick shower and then saw Cassie waiting for him by the bed.
"Alright, a walk first and then a lot of coffee." He said.
He went to the hallway and passed the living room where his mother was still sleeping on the couch. Roger waved good morning to him from the kitchen and Ryan waved back before putting the leash on Cassie and walking outside.
Once out in the morning sun Ryan noticed that it was still quite early, only seven thirty. Cassie happily ran around chasing bees or whatever she saw that was so interesting. Ryan was too tired to get involved in her play and just kept an eye on her as he walked through a quiet area of the park just outside Roger's apartment.
He didn't meet any people and for once Ryan enjoyed being the only one there. He saw a few cars on the side of the road and took particular notice to the unmarked white van standing by the curb. No one was in the driver's seat, but Ryan made sure to keep an eye on it as Cassie found a pond and decided to take a swim in it.
"What is it with you and always playing in water?" Ryan asked.
Cassie wagged her tail and then stiffened. She growled and looked past Ryan. The young stiffened too as he felt the barrel of a gun against his back. Cassie, being protective of her master, growled as she carefully walked towards Ryan and whoever the other person was.
Suddenly a shot was heard and next Cassie fell to the ground whimpering loudly. Ryan tried to move towards her, but a hand on his shoulder held him back.
"Walk slowly to the white van by the curb." The voice said.
Ryan didn't recognize the voice, but it was definitely a man talking. He turned around and walked towards the white van, while listening to Cassie's hurtful cries. The man stayed behind the whole time.
"Please, let me make sure she's okay." Ryan said.
"Shut up and open the back doors."
Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening the back doors to the van.
"Climb inside."
Normally Ryan would have fought back, but he didn't have his gun with him and the man hadn't even hesitated to shoot Cassie, so Ryan didn't want to risk getting shot. When he climbed inside he tried to turn around, but as soon as he did he was hit in the head with the gun; everything went dark.
-I-
Horatio arrived at the crime scene and sighed as he saw the body of a young woman lying in the kitchen of his house. Natalia was already processing the kitchen and Alexx was kneeling by the body. Walter hadn't arrived to the scene yet.
"Anything Alexx?" He asked.
"Like before; cause of death is a broken neck." Alexx said, "I guess the killer is back after four weeks, huh?"
"It seems so." Horatio said, "Natalia?"
"Nothing, Horatio. Well, except the usual shoeprint like on the other crime scenes." She sighed.
Frank walked up to his friends with his notepad in his hand after talking to the victim's sister. The sister had also been the one to find the body.
"Victim's name is Carrie Monroe, age 26, works as a cashier at Wall Mart." Frank said, "A week ago she was approached by our killer and was forced to choose between her sister or husband."
"Why?" Horatio asked.
"Don't know. Neither the sister nor the husband is sick and in need of money or anything else that could be motive to kill one of them." Frank said, "It seems like the killer just wanted Carrie to choose."
"Is he running out of victims with sick family members to pick?" Natalia asked.
"Or just proving to us that he can pick anyone to test, or rather, his angel can make him do that." Horatio said, "Is there a note for me, Alexx?"
Alexx searched the victim's pockets and found a note for Horatio. The redhead read it out loud.
"Soon it is time for the final test and I can be accepted by the angels. When I have finished you will have understood my mission and you will be proud."
"Creepy." Natalia said, "I wonder what his final test involves."
"Call me crazy, but I think it's you." Frank said to his redheaded friend, "His final test involves you, H."
"It's not crazy at all." Horatio said.
-I-
The two officers guarding Kyle waited outside the restroom while Kyle did his thing. When he was done he splashed some water in his face and then saw someone out of the corner of his eye standing next to him. When he straightened up Kyle got a gut feeling that the man wasn't good.
"You will tell the cops outside that I am Penny's brother and then you and I are going for a walk to the back of the school." The man said.
Kyle was about to protest when the man showed him his gun.
"I have your father captive in the back of my van, if you want him to live you have to come with me and do exactly as I say." The man said.
Kyle nodded and dried his face with a towel. The man put the gun away and as they walked outside the restroom Kyle told the officers that the man was his girlfriend's brother. The officers didn't seem to believe him at first, so Kyle knew he had to pretend better, he threw his arm around the man and they both grinned as if they knew each other from before.
"We're going to the talk alone for a while outside." Kyle said and started walking to the back of the school.
"Only two minutes." Officer Quinn said.
Kyle raised his arm quickly and waved to Officer Quinn to let him know he had heard him. As soon as Kyle and the other man reached the back of the school where only the delivery trucks went Kyle saw the white van and ran towards it. He opened the back door and saw Ryan inside.
"Ryan?" Kyle exclaimed.
Suddenly everything went dark as he too was knocked out cold. When the officers came outside two minutes later they saw nothing but tread marks on the ground where the van had been parked.
-I-
Horatio was pacing in his office. He had just learnt that Kyle had gone missing and that Ryan hadn't come back from his walk with Cassie; that was an hour ago. Ryan hadn't answered his phone and when it was traced it turned out to be in a dumpster. Kyle's phone was still at school at the same place where he had been kidnapped.
The door to the office opened and Frank entered.
"They found your dog; she's been shot but is still alive and she is at the vet's office right now." Frank said, "I'm thinking the killer shot her and then forced Ryan to go with him."
"What about the tire treads at the school?" Horatio asked.
"It matched as Porsche, but according to witnesses an unmarked white van was seen at both the park and the school." Frank said.
"He took the tires from another car." Horatio said.
Everyone was working with finding Ryan and Kyle, but unfortunately they had nothing to go on. The kidnapper, whom was without a doubt also the stalker and the killer, was good at covering his tracks.
"Do we know if Patrick Yates has an alibi for the time of the kidnappings?" Horatio asked.
"According to the log at an internet café he was logged on since six this morning to just now." Frank said, "The guy at the cash desk saw Patrick arrive and leave."
"Fuck!" Horatio growled, "Our best suspect has an alibi."
"I'm checking to see if anyone rented an unmarked van recently." Frank said and left after giving his friend a supportive pat on the back.
Horatio sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He started becoming restless and felt that he had to do something. He left his office and told Eric, as he passed him in the ab, that he was going to check out the kidnapping locations by himself.
"You think it's a good idea to leave the lab?" Eric asked worried.
"I have to check, Eric."
"I can come with you."
"No, I need you to keep on checking Kyle and Ryan's cell phones for prints." Horatio said, "I need some time to think and sometimes it's easier to do it alone."
"I know what you mean." Eric said and gave his boss a small smile of support.
Horatio took the elevator down to the parking lot and went straight to his hummer. It was when he sat down behind the wheel that he saw a note outside on the windshield. He got a gut feeling that it was from his stalker so he got out of the car and grabbed the note.
Drive to Miami Harbor, east corner, your test has arrived
Without hesitation and thinking only of his son and lover, Horatio got in the hummer and drove towards the harbor.
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