AN: Am I not nice. A new chapter again... This is probably due to the fact that I'm gonna have a bad conscience, because I'm busy with university, which means I cannot update as regularly as I want to, so as soon as I have something I give it to you guys. Hope you like it... Don't own anything but Ann.

Chapter 2

The next months in Miami were quiet. Horatio was all busy keeping his son out of trouble, while Delko tried his best to not let the whole lab know he was into Calleigh. Ryan had enough time to concentrate on his cases without having to deal too much with his co-workers personal stuff. They didn't share it with him anyways. What once had been sort of a friendship had turned into a purely professional work relationship. He was a bit sad about it, but he knew it would take time until they would trust him again. This was why he didn't ask Delko to go to the gym again, but just went alone. After all, he liked being alone there, so it was okay.

--

One evening when he went to the locker room, he passed by the Hip Hop Dance class. He recognized her immediately. His uncle's girlfriend, Ann. She was dancing in the second row. And how she danced! Looking at this, Ryan could understand what his uncle liked about her. She might not be the youngest, or the blondest, or the one with the biggest boobs, but damn- she was flexi. He grinned a bit; at least, Ron knew what was good. Ryan went over to the gym room and started his work-out. After two hours intensive self-torture, he left again. The Hip Hop Dance class was over too. Ann was standing on the floor, talking into her cell phone. Ryan didn't know why, but he felt she looked worried. She was chewing her nails, gave only short answers and ran in little circles. Finally she hung up and ran her fingers through her hair. In that exact moment, she noticed Ryan. She looked at him for a second and then she motioned him to go to the locker room. Ryan frowned but did as he was told. He was only a few seconds in when she entered too.

"You're Ryan, right?"

"Yes. And you are Ann. And this is the guys' locker room…"

She looked around, "Oh, yeah, right…" She giggled, "I'm so confused sometimes… I saw you and just thought 'Oh, I know him', and forgot all the rest." She giggled again, "Sorry…" She left. Ryan shook his head and started undressing when he noticed something; she had forgotten her cell phone. It was lying on the bench she had leaned against. Ryan sighed; she was, without a doubt, not Ron's most intelligent girlfriend… He walked over to the bench and picked the phone up. He looked at the display- and froze. He was in the 'write message' menu. And there was already a text message written, saying:

"Ryan, Ron has been kidnapped. They told me to not call the cops, but I'm worried. Meet me at the bar on the corner. Ann."

Ryan had to sit down. Ron, kidnapped? Oh no, this couldn't be happening… It happened to other people, frequently. Like everybody related to Horatio in some way. But not to Ron… He read the text again. Damn! Luckily, Ann wasn't one of those people that actually didn't call the cops….

--

He arrived at the bar after a quick shower. Ann was sitting at the counter, a glass of vodka before her. Ryan sat down next to her and ordered a soda.

"Don't you think we should go anywhere… more private?"

But she shook her head, "No. Nobody will listen to us here."

Ryan shrugged, "Well, being Ron's girlfriend, you should know… You do know what he does for a living, right?"

She grinned, "Oh yeah, I do… But I gotta be honest to you. Ron wanted to tell you on the party, but he didn't find the right moment… I'm not Ron's girlfriend. I'm his… I work with him. Let's call it like this."

Ryan had to smile, "I knew it. You were so different from his other girlfriends… I knew something was wrong; I just couldn't put my finger on it… How did you meet?"

"At work… It is so cliché, but he actually climbed into the same house as I did. He wanted to crack the safe; I wanted to steal a painting. The painting was in the safe, funny enough. So we decided to pair up. He opened the safe, robbed the money, I got my painting, and he closed the safe again. It took the owner more than a week until he found out. A month later, Ron showed up at the gym; it was a coincidence. He watched my training and then asked me if I wouldn't like to be his partner. Said that he had more and more trouble to get through windows, old as he is. So I should climb the windows, open the front door, he would get in, open the safe and we'd share. And I can tell you, your uncle is a fine gentleman. He actually gave me 60 of it because I was doing the more dangerous part. So, this is how we met."

Ryan took a sip of his soda, "Why the girlfriend story?"

"It was the easiest way to get me to that party. There were only the richest people from town. If I had shown up there all alone, they would have noticed something, see that I'm not known in the right circles. Like this, no one questioned my presence. I was just the next in a row of silly-but-good-in-bed girlfriends."

"Leave it to Ron to plan something carefully through… So, what happened now? How did you find out what happened?"

"They called me. Ron disappeared a week ago. I didn't wonder, because he does that often. He visits family in Boston and stuff. And he rarely tells me. So, when I called last week, and he didn't answer, I just thought he had done it again. I went to water his plants and stuff. Anyways. When I was at the gym today, I got that call. Some guy saying he had kidnapped Ron. Apparently, he wanted Ron to open a safe in some scientist's lab, I don't remember the name exactly, but he said something about one of the most important scientists in the world. Ron refused to crack the safe. Now the guy told me, if I wouldn't do it he would kill Ron and send me his heart. And that I shouldn't call the cops… Ryan, look, I know you don't know me enough to trust me, but I really do care for your uncle, he's an amazing person, and I don't want him to be killed…"

Ryan nodded, "I know. Listen, the scientist's name… Kaufman? Hans Kaufman?"

"Yeah, right. You know him?"

"I do… This is worse than I thought. The guy's been under witness protection, this is probably why they didn't kidnap him… God knows how they found out where he is… Listen, the guy has always been developing nerve toxins, and one of my colleagues who has a good relation with the Feds has told me that he was working on a new one, apparently more powerful than any other before. That's what they want. They're not kidnappers, they're terrorists… Okay, listen, this is important. Under no circumstances, do what they want. Don't make any deals with them…"

"What about Ron?"

"I'm going to take care of this. Now, think: Was there anything special about the voice on the phone? Anything distinctive, like a foreign accent, or did he stutter, or used any un-American words? Anything?"

Ann closed her eyes, "He spoke with a French accent. His voice was dark, like he had one to many cigarettes. Or whiskey. But nothing else. I'm sorry." But then her eyes went big, "And he knew I wasn't Ron's girlfriend. He knew I worked with him. But he thought I cracked safes too, which isn't true."

Ryan froze, "You sure nobody knows about that? Besides Ron and me?"

"Absolutely."

Ryan swallowed, "It means Ron must have told them… and he would never… Oh God…." He buried his face in his hands. Oh God, what did those bastards do to his uncle? He felt Ann's hand on his shoulder.

"You and Ron are close, right?"

"He's more than a father to me…"

"What are you gonna do?"

Ryan thought about it. Then he raised his head again. "I'm going to tell my boss."

"But, they're gonna…"

"I know. But… I am a cop. I have to protect the people of Miami. No one knows what they're gonna do once they have that toxin. It could be strong enough to kill all the people of Miami. And I have to think of that. I have to talk to Horatio. He'll know what to do, who to call, how to react, etc… Even if it means I'm losing the only person that has ever cared for me…" His voice broke. This couldn't be true. This had to be a nightmare. But he saw the tears in Ann's eyes and knew it was real. But he had made his decision. And he knew Ron would agree with it. Reluctantly, but he would. Not that it made things any easier for Ryan. "Just… when they call you next time… ask to talk to Ron. So that we know he's still alive…"

"Of course…" She took a sip of her vodka, "But, why do they think I'm a safe cracker?"

"I guess Ron didn't tell them enough, so that they made their own conclusions about that. Or… He told them because he wants you to tell me. Because I'm the only one he knows that can crack safes. Maybe it was a hint. But I don't think so. It would imply you know about that."

She grinned, "I did. He tried to teach me how to open a safe, but I really sucked at it, so he told me if even a cop can learn it it shouldn't be that difficult… You really know how to crack a safe?"

Ryan smiled, "Yeah. Ron taught me when I was 11. He was pretty wasted that evening… But it has already helped me at the job…" He drank the rest of the soda and then got up, "Okay. I'm gonna call my boss now… Listen, there's one more thing. I need to be honest with H. That means, I gotta tell him about Ron's job, and about your role in it. I cannot guarantee you that you'll get out of this without…"

But she cut him off, "I seriously don't care, Ryan. The only thing that matters to me is… well, that nothing bad happens. And that maybe we get Ron back alive. If this means I'm gonna face trial and stuff, be it like that."

Ryan smiled a bit, "You know, right now I wish you were my uncle's girlfriend. Because you're by far the best that could have happened to him."

Ann returned the smile, "Funny. He said the same thing about you…"