A/N: Thank you for the hits!

Well, I'm gonna rot in hell XD Not really apologizing for what happens in this chapter

Horatio, Mac and their respective CSIs (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister

8, Danse Macabre

"Damn, these Hummers are huge!" Mac exclaimed as Horatio drove towards the main highways. "Anyways, we'd best keep an eye on Henderson."

"Taylor, she's low end and you know it." The lieutenant said as the nightlife lighted the range of sight. Horatio had dealt with prostitution and child extortion rings before, so he decided to treat it as such. "How do you know so much about dollhouses?"

"New York has loads of them, they all center around the major corporations. They can also be mail order, long-distance, the works. All you need is a willing public." The CSI explained. Horatio smirked,

"And you came down here for…?"

"To see Secondet and Kino. Hate to admit it but we miss them. I just don't like traditional vacation fun especially with this kind of trouble." Mac slid his back to a more comfortable position; somehow he knew this was going to be a long ride.

Daikonran was already halfway through analyzing the girl's marks when a hit surfaced on AFIS. The girl's strangle marks matched one particular suspect; Stuart Otis, escaped Death Row convict. To humor himself and a hunch, Kino compared the other raid victims' crime scene photographs.

Well, look at that; Horatio is going to enjoy this…

Marla knew that if Henderson went bust, she would have to abandon her dollhouse business, which was proving too lucrative to simply toss aside. She came to a more than satisfying solution and she knew whom to turn to. She signaled one of her many loyal yet emotionless servants, her most recent. He had proven himself valuable as Otis' abductor, leaving no evidence behind. The man had also shown to be an excellent shot and most able to handle high-stress situations.

I need you to off two men over in Miami. You think you can do that?

The undead never faltered as he responded, "What method do you like?"

Horatio's cell phone chirped loudly, snapping Mac out from a quick nap. "Jesus Christ, I hate those little bastards." He rambled in his sleep. Horatio didn't bother; the man had been awake through the flight and helped with two interrogations.

"Yes?"

"Horatio, I got a possible location. You remember the Otis file?" Daikonran's voice responded. He seemed very particular in choosing his words, being the doctor he was.

"Second time in the last twenty-four hours I've had to hear that name; better be good." The lieutenant stated as he stopped for a red light.

"All three victims are from his old play grounds. They all had strangling marks whose fingerprints matched his AFIS file." Kino continued, surprising Caine. How could he have forgotten that fact? Then he remembered, he was being held as a pet by a sadistic vampire and the news had not yet reached Louisiana. "What are you going to do?"

Seeing the detective snore besides him, Horatio quickly replied, "Put out a stake-out and surveillance around the area. I want that place scoped by tomorrow in 400 hours."

"I'll notify Frank and the rest of the police department."

As Daikonran hung up, he heard the terrible cough over the speaker. Horatio managed to spit out perfect drops of blood onto his steering wheel. He felt his lungs swell and collapse, not to mention his heart stir in a dangerous manner. The reaction had become so unexpectedly violent that he had to screech a stop by a sidewalk. Mac woke up just in time to see his partner slowly recover.

"You all right?"

"It's an adverse effect to…" Horatio began, pausing to decide if telling Taylor was right or not, "to an experimental treatment."

"Hmm, take it easy next time, you almost coughed up your heart and then some." the New Yorker said, his eyes looking over the smudged crimson droplets. Holy water, right?

After ten minutes of driving across the causeway, the Hummer parked itself along the abandoned home. Some of the markers, left by the cleanup crew way back, now shone with the weathering of time, hurricanes, and sand degradation. Horatio removed the safety of his gun and stepped lightly into what he considered hollow grounds.

The servant hid cautiously by the side of the wall. His past life still resounded in his mind, the layout fresh and able. His bare feet treaded along the intruders', silently tracking their moves. If his master wanted them dead, then he'd bring their heads for him to display.

What he didn't count was the first officer's bright blue eyes as he carefully opened the door.

Why do you seem so goddamn familiar?

Mac followed suit, his gun glistening with the dim streetlights on either sides of the property. The dust clouded by a stray night wind, this was just a bit too calm. The house fit the general description of dollhouses in New York yet there was no bustle of activity, no real indicator. He went extra careful, nothing seemed right; as if someone was welcoming them into the area…

Alexx was finishing the Thompson case when Secondet came in.

"You okay?"

"Much better, thank you." Secondet responded but his face did not match his statement.

"What's wrong? Everything's as it should be, right?" The medical examiner inquired, trying to understand the angel's expression. The unreadable face left her drawing blanks as the boy prepared for the next body.

The door creaked open, unleashing a gust of unsettled dust. Horatio walked over to the main living room while Mac headed to the dining area. Even with the night's shade dress shreds littered the floor with tiny specks of gravitational drops.

The servant lined the shot just right, aiming for the redhead's forehead. It would be a clean shot, possibly blowing the man's head with his firepower. The servant suddenly felt something creep up his left leg. Instinctively, he fired two shots to scare the nuisance off…and found himself at the business end of a Beretta.

"Stand up." Horatio ordered, the gun barrel clicking to a new round. The suspect kept his stare to the floor as he followed the order. The darkness shielded his identity but it did nothing to hide the lieutenant's as Mac arrived on the scene.

"Everything all right?" he asked, paying close attention to the suspect.

"He's secured. Does he seem like a provider to you?" Caine replied, his weapon now touching the man's cheek. In that split-second blind spot, the suspect raised his gun and fired twice into the night.

"TAYLOR!"

Back in New York, Stella was on the last vial of DNA from another case when she saw something peculiar glow in Mac's empty office. Without hesitation, she rummaged his desk's drawers and top. She located the item and realized that something had gone wrong in Miami. The scrap of paper never reacted like this unless…

Someone just tried to break his contract.

A/N: So how was it? Reviews are always appreciated