Title: Vendetta

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

Summary: Clavo Cruz escapes from prison and goes after those Horatio holds dear in order to really get back at him. Clavo sees that there's more between Horatio and one of his co-workers, and takes Calleigh... (takes place before current season - I swear this was thought up before "Man Down")

Category: Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

Genres: Angst, Drama, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

Characters: Horatio Caine, Eric Delko, Ryan Wolfe, Natalia Boa Vista (Other)

Warnings: none

Rating: PG-13

Chapter: 4 "Voices"

Author's Notes: none

…………………………

Horatio sat in his office shuffling through paperwork. He wasn't actually looking over any of it; he was just hoping that through the glass walls of his office that he looked busy to the others in the lab. His thoughts though, were with Calleigh. Thoughts on whether she was dead or alive were haunting him. She wasn't in the morgue though…no, that was someone else's love. His was still out there…and she was waiting for him. Kerner had lied, the woman he'd mutilated was a Jane Doe, and Horatio could only hope would be identified by the end of the week once a missing person was put out for the woman.

Clavo Cruz.

Clavo was still out there…he could still have Calleigh… He had tried to talk to Ryan, Natalia, and Eric, but had gotten nothing usable from any of them. But with them being released, he just hoped that their memories were better on the subject of Calleigh Duquesne. They had already lost precious time… The first forty-eight hours were always crucial… It had almost been twenty-four…

His team was being attacked, and Horatio was going to make sure that Clavo and Kerner knew that they were never to mess with his people. Memories of Tim Speedle haunted him as he thought about how he'd already lost a member of his team. He had been a good member…and his death had rocked the whole team. He couldn't lose Calleigh; he'd be lost himself if he did… She was his anchor…his conscious, his soul…his love…

Calleigh's voice was something he could remember, and it made him smiling thinking about her. Calleigh brought a unique type of charm to the team, and sometimes he thought it was just her voice, but he knew it was her heart, too. She was passionate…in so many ways. He closed his eyes as he remembered her lips against his. It was supposed to be a secret… No one was supposed to know… They had been trying to not only protect themselves and their careers, but the lab as well… But now, now Calleigh's disappearance was working against him… He couldn't concentrate…

………………………….

Horatio had called Ryan, Natalia, and Eric in to see if any of their memories were any better. They were running out of time. They had no leads on Calleigh or Clavo's locations…and Horatio couldn't think of any positive thoughts in the current situation. They needed a lead…something… He was waiting in the evidence room, looking over things while he waited. They weren't able to come to any further conclusion from the evidence they had gathered, which just made him feel sick. It seemed like they'd come to a dead end. He looked up when the group entered the room, and turned his attention to them. He closed the folders and left them on the table. "Thank you all for coming in… I'm going to make this quick, so that you all can return to resting…" Even though Natalia and Ryan hadn't been injured like Eric had been, he had noticed that they'd all been visible shaken. "I just want to know what each of you remember regarding Clavo Cruz, Hank Kerner, and Calleigh…"

"No one's located her still?" Natalia asked. She had hoped that Calleigh would have been found or at least that they would have a lead on her. Obviously that was why they were there; there was no evidence to help them.

"I'm afraid not," Horatio responded.

Ryan frowned, "I know that Clavo and Kerner were working together… They seemed to fight though on what they wanted. They both agreed about something, but I couldn't hear what it was…"

"I only remember Clavo…his voice is the only one I remember," Natalia told Horatio. "I'm sorry…" She felt helpless…completely. She had been so shaken up and worried about things at the time, that all of her skills of observation had flown out the window.

Eric let out a frustrated sigh, "I remember voices, but that wasn't my concern… But after Natalia and Ryan were taken, I only remember one voice. I was too focused on keeping Calleigh with me, but I remember screaming… I don't know if it was because he hurt her or if it was only because she was trying to get out or something…" He shook his head and rubbed his face. They were no help, he knew it. Calleigh was out there with a crazy guy and they couldn't help her…

His face was covered, Eric thought as their captor entered the back of the semi-truck's trailer. He and Calleigh had pushed themselves to the very back figuring it would give them room to make a way to get out with the door left wide open for their escape. Eric, being the guy, had made Calleigh stay behind him. He had watched as the men before had roughly pulled Natalia and Ryan from the truck and how he'd been worried that they'd been injured in the exchange. He knew that normally she'd argue about how she could take care of herself, but after a gun had been held to her head the last time, she'd been quiet. It worried him a bit, but he knew that she'd be fine once they got out and back to the lab.

"I'm not going to hurt you…but you've got to listen."

Eric just wanted to make sure that Calleigh wasn't touched. He didn't like how the guy acted towards the women. He had made some comments towards Natalia and he had wanted to tackle the guy then. He watched as the guy pointed the gun towards Calleigh and moved his position, so that Eric could make a run for the exit.

"Time for you to get out hero."

"What about Calleigh?" Eric asked not moving from his spot.

"She's not getting out at this stop."

He didn't move, he wasn't about to leave Calleigh with the guy. Not even if Calleigh could take care of herself, he wasn't willingly leaving her there. "You let Natalia and Ryan stay together," he pointed out.

"But they don't mean anything to Horatio Caine. You two do… I've checked you guys out… Calleigh Duquesne and Eric Delko. You two have been with Caine for a long time… He likes you two…"

Eric watched as he moved closer to them, he didn't like where the guy was going with his line of conversation. "We're not the only ones who've worked with Horatio for a while…"

"But you're his brother-in-law. And Miss Duquesne…I have my ideas why I think he likes to keep you around…and I can certainly see why…"

He moved too fast for Eric, and he found the masked man in front of him with the gun coming down at him. After that, he remembered hearing Calleigh scream and things being blurry. He was being dragged, and he heard the man speak to Calleigh.

"Don't move, or I'll kill him right here."

Eric coughed as he tried to move his hand to try to get control. He tried to get up, but he couldn't and found himself hitting something hard and then darkness come over him.

……………………….

TBC…