A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. Sorry for not replying properly to them, but somehow won't let me. But be assured that I enjoyed reading them.

Chapter 2

It was six days later when Horatio entered the Trace Lab, where Speed was busy analyzing not only the traces they'd found on the beach, but also the traces of the new case that occurred yesterday. They had once again found a young, blond woman on the beach; with her throat slid deeply. Only this time there hadn't been any blood around the body.

"Speed, please tell me you've got good news," he let the door shut behind him and walked to the desk.

Speed just sighed and looked up from the microscope. "I must be jinxed," he said and sat down on a roll stool behind him. "We literally vacuumed the area around the bodies and yet we found nothing that leads us into the right direction. It's like this guy doesn't even exist," he ran his hand trough his unruly hair and yawned.

Horatio knew that these two cases were taking a toll on his team, but for now everything that mattered was catching this animal, before he could murder again. "Well the bodies tell us otherwise, he does exist."

"I know, I know, H. But I still doubt that it was the original crime scene where we found the second victim. I mean, there was barely enough blood around her for a lighter cut in the finger or something, so he must have killed her somewhere else. And until we haven't found this 'somewhere else' we're pretty much stuck."

"Yeah," Horatio nodded and was interrupted by Alexx, who stick her head in at the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys, but I need to talk to you, Horatio," she said and held up a case file.

"I'll be there in a moment, Alexx. Why don't you wait for me in my office?" Horatio nodded and turned his attention to Speed again. "If you find something, page me."

"Will do, H. Do you have any idea what Alexx has found out?"

"Not yet," Horatio replied and pushed the door open, "but let's hope that it will help us to stop this animal, or we will have the next victim within the next days."

"I'll cross my fingers and toes," Speed commented and grabbed the results from the printer. He could only imagine the pressure that must be weighing on Horatio's shoulders, because the chief, the mayor and the press wanted to hear some good news and since they couldn't provide them any, his boss was more or less in everyone's focus. Once again he was happy that he was only the second in command of the lab, because he knew for sure, that he could refrain from living with this pressure.

Upstairs in the office, Alexx was waiting impatiently for Horatio. She had found something out, that had literally made her blood run cold and she had no idea how Horatio would react to it.

"Alexx, what can I do for you?" Horatio finally entered his office and closed the door behind him. "Are these the autopsy results of our latest victim?" he asked and walked to his desk but didn't sit down. Instead he just leaned against it and was looking expectantly at their M.E.

"You'd better believe it," she nodded and opened the case file she was still holding it in her hands. An autopsy photo of the victim appeared, which puzzled Horatio.

"Okay?" he asked and didn't know where she was leading to.

"That's the official picture everyone is going to see," she started and looked at her friend. "But I do have another one, only for you."

Horatio furrowed his brows and waited for her to continue. "You're talking in riddles, Alexx."

Unimpressed by his words, Alexx continued. "You remember the lack of blood at the crime scene?"

"Sure," he replied. "It seems like it isn't the original crime scene and that he just unloaded her there."

"I think you're wrong about that; very, very wrong." She grabbed a different picture of the victim and thrust it into Horatio's hand. "I think the reason for the lack of blood is that our victim was attacked by something not human."

"Alexx?" Horatio raised his eyebrows and looked at the picture in his hands. It looked like Alexx had stapled the throat's skin together again, so the deep cut wasn't so salient any more. He took a closer look when he noticed two dark marks on the skin, which hadn't been there before.

Surprised and the same time shocked he looked at her. "You mean..?"

Alexx just nodded and let him come to his own conclusions.

"A vampire?" he asked incredulously.

"Tell me any other reason for the lack of blood and these bite marks here," she pointed at the wounds on the throat.

Horatio sighed and shook his head. "Are you sure that this isn't a bite mark caused by an animal or some puncture mark?"

"Horatio," she started in her best 'you better stop fooling with me' tone, "I've seen so many bite marks from animals in my life that I dream about them and no, there's no medical instrument that would leave such marks. A vampire is the only logical explanation for it."

"Logical?" he smiled at her and handed her the picture back.

"You know what I mean."

Yes, he did and this wasn't good at all. "You know what that means, Alexx? We have a mystical creature, a bloodthirsty vampire to be exact, running around freely, killing woman after woman and feeding from them once in a while," he stated in a growl.

"Yes, that's why I wanted to talk with you alone at first," Alexx nodded and stroke his back to ease the obvious tension in his muscles. She knew that he treated Miami and its citizens like his family and everyone who dared to touch them in a brutal way would have to deal with the consequences. But this time they weren't talking about some mad man killing innocent people, no this time they were talking about a creature, which normally just existed in lurid tales.

"That was good," he nodded. "The others don't have to know about that."

"But Horatio," she tried to appeal to his mind.

"No, Alexx. This stays between you and me, until I decide to tell them. For now, they'll keep on searching for some crazy perp who has an affinity for young women."

"Horatio," she sighed and put away the pictures. "You know, someday will be the day where you should stop being the lonely wolf, maybe this is a sign."

"No, Alexx," he interrupted her and walked towards the glass walls of his office.

Alexx just shook her head and watched him for a while. It was unnerving her that he could be so darn stubborn sometimes. Quietly she approached him and followed his gaze.

"What should I tell them anyway? Hey guys, there's a vampire on the loose and we have to find him?" he said sarcastically.

"Pretty much, yes," Alexx agreed and put a hand on his shoulder. "You need to give them some trust, Honey."

"I already do," he mumbled and watched the exchange between Tim and Calleigh down in the lab below them. "But that's not something ordinary, this is big."

"I know it is," came the soft reply and she wasn't sure if he was still talking about the case or something else, something much more personal. "But I'm sure that you will figure something out. You always do and I'll have your back in any case," she squeezed his shoulder in silent support and turned around to leave.

"Thanks, Alexx," he called after her.

"You're more than welcome, Honey. Did you forget that I'm your mother?" she smiled at him and left his office.

Horatio snorted amused and continued watching his team. He wasn't sure if this was something he could solve, but he would do his best anyway. This day had definitely made a turn into a whole new direction and now he had to find out what to make out of it.

Tbc if you want to