We would like to thank ALL our loyal readers for your support while we have been away. In the next few weeks, you will see our stories being reposted here for all of you to read along with several NEW stories we've written while we've been away.

We appreciate all the kind messages we've received for our readers...we didn't realize how many of you were reading our stories, lol. It has brought HUGE smiles to us and we hope you'll continue to stick with us as we re-post some old favorites and hopefully new favorites. Thanks again!

CaineSpeedle & Speedfanatic05

Now for the good stuff!

**WARNING: STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT AND LANGUAGE! You Are Warned**

"A valet, of stealthy step, thence conducted me, in silence, through many dark and intricate passages in my progress to the studio of his master."

From "The Fall Of The House Of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe

Carrying a bag of food in one hand and a drink carrier in the other, Calleigh stepped off the elevator and looked around the busy lab. It had been weeks since she had stepped foot into the building, and even now, she still felt hesitant in some ways. Since her abduction and return, she hadn't even called anyone from the lab, wanting her space and time to come to terms with what had happened. And know, she had stepped into the lion's den, knowing there would be questions.

Spotting Theresa behind the desk, Calleigh walked over to her, placing the food and drinks onto the small counter, "Hey Theresa, is Horatio in?"

Looking up to see her, Theresa nearly came out of her seat as she smiled widely, the surprise evident in her eyes. Tempted to rise and embrace the firearms expert, she laughed, "Calleigh! It's been too long. How are you?" Shaking her head quickly, she amended her question as she pulled out the visitor's badge and a pen, "Never mind…you want to see Lieutenant Caine? Let me check…um…yeah, he's in his office. Do you want me to call ahead?"

"Uh…no, that's okay. I'm sure he can see me. I have his lunch." Signing the paper and taking the badge, Calleigh nodded to her and began to head towards the stairs.

Walking through the atrium, Jesse noticed her as she walked towards the stairs, his brow furrowed in confusion. She hadn't called anyone to let them know that she was back in town, but as he concentrated on her gait and appearance, he could tell why. Gone was the natural spring in her step and the expression on her face told of the trials she'd been through. Seeing her determined gaze, he decided to let her go, he'd made a note to call her in the future.

Going up the steps, Calleigh came to the familiar door, finding it closed. Taking in a deep breath as she closed her eyes, she reached up, knocking on it and waiting for him to answer.

Horatio glanced at the door and then to his son, holding up his hand as he spoke. He wasn't expecting anyone at the moment and the unannounced visitor drew his irritable scowl as he stood, making his way to the door. "Who is it?"

Standing outside the door, she heard his gruff voice and wondered if it was a bad time to pop in. Taking in a breath as the door swung open, she looked up to see him, their eyes meeting. Giving him a small smile and raising the bag, she spoke softly, "I brought you some lunch."

Startled by her presence, Horatio's expression relaxed and his eyebrows rose as he glanced at the bag, partially unable to speak. Since leaving her place two weeks ago, there had hardly been time to see her and when they did see each other, it was awkward, his exhaustion from the job taking its toll on him. Clearing his throat, he motioned for her to enter into the office, gesturing to Kyle, "Um…Calleigh, you know my son, Kyle."

Kyle raised his hand and waved, his smile growing, "Hi, Ms. Duquesne. I was just talking to Dad about something, I won't be much longer."

"Oh…" Calleigh replied, and glanced at Horatio. Giving Kyle a small smile, she then looked at Horatio and handed him the bag and one of the drinks, "I can't stay long anyways. So, here you go." Looking back at Kyle, she smiled, "Nice seeing you again, Kyle."

"Wait, Calleigh, don't go," Horatio requested as he juggled the bag and drink in his hands. He was puzzled by her demeanor, making a step towards her, "Come in and join us."

Shaking her head, Calleigh looked into his eyes, "No, I don't want to disturb your time with Kyle. I'll come back some other time, Horatio."

Standing, Kyle made his way over to them and clapped his father on the shoulder, "Dad, I can talk to you later. I won't be leaving for another three days, I'll call you." Smiling and turning to Calleigh, he nodded, "It was nice to see you again, Ms. Duquesne."

Horatio stood back and allowed Kyle to pass, "Be careful out there, son." Kyle nodded and chuckled, leaving the two alone. For a long moment, silence hovered between them and he shifted his weight slightly, looking to her, "Take a seat, Cal?"

"Horatio, if you're busy I can come back…" she said only to be silenced by his look. Taking in a deep breath, she looked back into the lab behind her and then back to him, "Okay…" Going in, she went over to the chairs in front of his desk and took a seat. Holding the drink carrier with her drink, she watched as he came around his desk and took a seat. "I didn't know Kyle was here…"

"Yeah," he said as he set the bag down. A small smile came and he shook his head, "Kyle's joining the military, he says that he wants to do something better with his life." Rubbing his temple, the smile faded and he sighed heavily, "I wanted him to do something, but it's hard for me to…I just found him."

Nodding in understanding, Calleigh tilted her head, "It's hard to let go…" Seeing his nod, Calleigh looked down, "I'm sure this is gonna be just as hard for him as it is for you."

"I wouldn't say that. He's pretty excited about it all." Dipping his hand into the bag, he arched his brow as he looked to Calleigh, "You got my favorite?"

"Yeah, I uh…I was near there and I know you sometimes don't get a chance to go get something for yourself…" she replied as he pulled out a second sandwich. Releasing a deep breath, she shrugged, "I uh…I had thought we could have lunch together."

"I don't see why we can't still have lunch…unless you had something to do?" He pushed the sandwich toward her and tilted his head, giving her a charming smile, "I never really liked eating alone."

Taking the sandwich, Calleigh gave him a small smile and sat back some. Unwrapping it, she looked over at him as he did the same, "So uh…how's it going?"

Noticing the instant awkwardness, he concentrated on his sandwich and sighed heavily, "Busy. Several cases are coming in and we're shorthanded. Not only am I involved in those cases, but the higher ups are on my ass about the budget shortfall." Realizing that she was staring at him, he stopped and grinned, "You asked how I was doing, not why my life is a living hell right now." Poising the sandwich at his lips, he asked, "How are you doing, Calleigh? I'm sorry that I haven't had a chance to come by…"

"It's okay, I know you're busy, Horatio," Calleigh replied as she pulled off a piece of her sandwich. "But…I'm okay. I'm still going to therapy and I even watched Emma the other day for Tim."

"That's good." Horatio took a bite then chewed it several times before swallowing. He looked to Calleigh and saw the disappointment in her eyes, "Calleigh…how are you…really?"

Chewing her sandwich, she reached over, getting her drink and opening it, "Okay I guess. I sleep when I can, go to therapy and then go back home unless I find something else to do."

Nodding, Horatio stared at his sandwich, "I miss you so much, Calleigh. Even when I'm at my busiest, I think of you." Lifting his eyes to her and reached for her hand as it rested on her drink, he whispered, "My life is missing something without you in it."

Meeting his eyes, Calleigh nodded and whispered, "I know how that feel's…but there's noting we can do about it, is there?"

Retracting his hand, he answered, "No…not yet" Feeling the anger welling inside of him, he got up and went to the window and looked down into the trace lab, his brow furrowing, "I want to be with you, I want a life with you. I want to…love you, but I…just don't know…"

Dropping her head some, Calleigh blinked slowly, "Then maybe it just wasn't meant to be for us, Horatio." Tears began to well in her eyes as she spoke the words and Calleigh fought to keep them from falling. With her appetite gone, Calleigh wrapped her sandwich back and stood, "Maybe it's best if I go…"

"No, please, don't go." He turned to see her moving towards the door and countered her, "Please…Calleigh, don't go."

Stopping and looking to him, Calleigh shook her head, "Horatio…none of this is working with us. We hardly see or talk to each other and when we do it's too damn awkward. I need someone that can be there for me when I need them…and you can't."

"I'm trying, Calleigh. I'm trying to do what I can, but I'm failing." Looking away from her he shook his head, feeling dejected, "You're right, this isn't working for us. I promised something and couldn't make good on that promise. You do need someone who can be there for you…you deserve that much."

Watching him, Calleigh could feel the tears coming and whispered, "I'm sorry, Horatio…" With that, she opened the door, going out it swiftly and down the stairs. Walking as fast as she could to get away from there, she headed for the elevators, hoping no one would stop her.

Her quick absence left a gaping hole in his heart and he grappled with what was now his reality. She was gone, and with her the hopes of them reconnecting. As he strode to the door, he gripped it hard and then slammed it, the despair and fury filling him completely. Nothing was ever going to be the same for him.

Concern wafted through him as he drove back to his apartment, the idea of being unable to raise Calleigh eating at him. As par for the norm, he hadn't heard from her after her session, but as the hours ticked by, he started to worry. Usually, she would give him a call to discuss what went on during her day, never failing to recognize how talkative she was on the days she went to therapy, but today, she was curiously silent. In all of his worrying, he decided to take a ride to her house to check up on her only to find the house darkened and her car gone. Finding it odd, he had no choice but to follow up with Horatio, thinking that she may have opted to spend the night with him. He really didn't want to impede on their evening, but his concern would not abate.

Pulling up to the hotel, he paused for a second before getting out, making sure that this was really what he wanted to do. It took him no time to get to Horatio's door and as he raised his hand to knock, he paused for a slight moment before taking the plunge.

Sitting on the edge of the bed holding his head in his hands, Horatio couldn't get what had transpired between him and Calleigh out of his head. So much he'd wanted to just throw everything away and be there for her fully, but he knew she'd never let him do that. Even as much as he tried to make time for them over the past week's, nothing ever seemed to work out for them.

A knock at the door pulled him from his thought's and he lifted his head, looking towards it. When another knock came, he slowly got up, going over to it and opening it. Finding Tim on the other side, Horatio rubbed the back of his neck, "Can I help you, Speed?"

"Where is she?" Tim growled as he glowered at him. Moving quickly, Tim pushed his way in the door and then glanced around the room, seeing no evidence of Calleigh. Turning on Horatio once more, he grabbed the older man by his shirt and planted him against the door, "What did you do?"

Knowing already he was talking about Calleigh, Horatio's brow crinkled, "I let her go instead of making her suffer…" Getting his arms up between them and pushing Tim off of him, Horatio glared, "She wanted someone who could be there for her…and it's obvious I can't."

Standing away from him, Tim's deadly glare was centered on the red head and shook his head, trying to reign in the unimaginable fury that coursed through him. He once offered to kick his ass, now he was more than ready to deliver that promise to her.

Taking a deep breath, however, he finally locked his sights on the older man and spoke haltingly through clenched teeth, "You keep hurting her, but she still loves you. She's always going to love you, no matter how much you try and push her away. Why can't you just let go just once? She deserves a man who would love her, be there for her. You can but you won't. Why?"

"I've tried, dammit! But between work and trying to get my home going, I haven't had the time to devote to her." Walking away from him and running a hand through his hair, Horatio sighed, "I try to get off early so I can spend time with her…I call whenever I get even a minute."

Tim watched as Horatio paced and crossed his arms, arching a brow. He knew just how passionate he was about the job and could understand that getting his life back in order was going to take time, but there had to be some other way. The one thing that was certain that Calleigh was suffering either way.

Rubbing his cheek, he sighed and gestured to him, "She needs all that you have and then some, and right now, she can't get it, but she's not going to move on, Horatio. She loves you, she'll always love you even if you'll never get yourself together, you've ruined her. You may have let her go, but she's never going to let you go."

"Speed, I've been doing everything I can. I've tried to make this work between us. Yes, I do love her…I always have. But she deserves better then this…better then me." Stopping, Horatio shook his head, "I just…I don't know what else to do."

"How about try harder. I've seen you when you're on the job, you never stop until you have exactly what you want. Is Calleigh worth your passion? Is she worth that extra mile?" Tim stared at Horatio as their eyes met and smirked, "You're relentless in the pursuit of justice, will you be the same in the pursuit of her heart?"

Nodding some, Horatio took in a deep breath, and looked down, raising a brow, "I figured you would have swooped in trying to claim her as yours, Speed. I know you're in love with her as well. Why are you trying to help me?"

Tim laughed mirthlessly and shook his head, "I never took you to be slow from the starting line, but damn, Horatio. She's in love with you not me. We've come to an understanding, Calleigh and I, we're very good friends, and as her good friend, it's my responsibility to make sure she's happy. She's happy with you."

"With me…" Horatio whispered as his eyes stayed down. Going over and sitting back down on the edge of the bed, Horatio looked over at Tim, "I don't know how to work this, Speed. I've got to spend time with Kyle being he's leaving at the end of the week…I'm short handed at the lab with you and Calleigh gone…I'm needed at my place for input on the construction…"

"Figure it out, H." Tim laughed and turned toward the door, glancing back at the perplexed look on Horatio's face, "You love puzzles, piece this one together. But be quick about it, I'm not going to let her suffer for long."

Looking up at him, Horatio raised a brow, "You came here looking for her. Why?"

Tim's smile faded and he glanced away, "She's not at home, and I didn't know where else to look. She's not answering her cell…I'm worried."

"What do you mean she's not at home? It's late, she should be there…and she always answers her cell in there's a pro…" Looking at him, Horatio went over, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his jacket, "We need to get over there, Speed."

Tim waited for him at the door and followed him out, seeing the determined gait. He could see that the fire for Calleigh wasn't extinguished and he was going to do everything possible to get them together.

Driving across the city with the light bar going, Horatio maneuvered the hulking vehicle in and out the light traffic on the streets. Coming to her neighborhood, the shut the light's off but kept at an accelerated speed, needing to get to her. Coming to her house, he pressed on the break, the ties sliding to a stop before he quickly got out. Looking back as Tim pulled up behind him on his bike, Horatio headed for the door.

Coming up behind him, Tim shook his head, looking at the still darkened house, "I've done this, H. She's not here."

"She has to be, Speed…" Horatio said as he reached her door. Ringing the doorbell, they waited getting no response. Furrowing his brow, Horatio knocked on the door hard, "Calleigh!"

Tim stood back and saw a light come on and then placing his hand on Horatio's shoulder to stave the knocking, "She's here, I think she's coming to the door."

Frowning at the knocking, Calleigh walked to the door in just her long tee-shirt and panties. Looking out the peep hole and seeing both Horatio and Tim, she sighed as spoke loudly, "Go away!"

Tim snickered and shook his head, "I think she's pissed at you."

"You don't say," Horatio responded as he turned back to the door. Knocking harder, he exhaled heavily, "Calleigh…come on. Open up."

"I have nothing to say to you!" Walking away from the door and turning the light back off, Calleigh went back to the living room, sitting back down on the floor next to the candles she had lit and pick up the book she'd purchased once again.

"Any more bright ideas?" Tim asked as he looked to Horatio, "She's not very receptive to you at the moment." Gently pulling him away from the door, he knocked and called out, "He's leaving, Cal. You can let me in."

Staying where she was, Calleigh began to read again from the spot she'd left off, ignoring his request.

Raising a brow as he stood to the side, Horatio watched and waited before looking at Tim, "What did you do to piss her off?"

"Guilty by association," Tim responded as he grew irritated. Knocking on the door more, he called loudly, "C'mon, Cal. Open the door."

Turning the page, Calleigh reached over for her earphones, placing them into her ears and then picking up the small MP3 player. Finding a song she wanted, she turned it up and then set it back aside.

Sighing, Horatio looked around and shook her head, "She doesn't want me here, Speed."

Remembering at the last moment her hide a key, Tim shook his head and bent. Coming back up to face him, he smirked, "If she didn't want us in, she should've taken this up." Placing the key in the lock, Tim turned it and entered, seeing the flickering light in the living room. Walking slowly, he called out to her, approaching the living room. When he saw her earplugs in, he waved his hand and called out louder, "Calleigh!"

Jumping and dropping her book, Calleigh pulled her earplugs out and jumped up to her feet. Moving towards him, Calleigh's brow furrowed, "Can't you understand I don't want to see you or him?"

"Him, I understand," Tim said as he hiked his thumb at Horatio, "but why me? What did I do?"

"You brought him here!" she said as she shoved him back.

"Looks like you're guilty by association," Horatio chimed in as he leaned towards him more.

Glaring at Horatio, he shook his head and refocused, furrowing his brow, "I think it's time that you stop acting childish, Calleigh. He wants to talk this out."

"I'm tired of talking…talking apparently never works!" Calleigh fumed as she looked at the two of them. Turning her sights to Horatio, Calleigh shook her head, "You should've just left me out there in that dessert."

Stepping from behind Tim, Horatio centered his sights on Calleigh and clenched his teeth in an effort to contain his anger. "Don't ever say that, Calleigh. Don't…Ever…Say …that."

"Why not? Is the great Horatio Caine gonna throw another temper tantrum and tear up my home if I do?" she yelled at him. "Or will you accuse me of sleeping with Tim this time?"

Stepping back, the fury drained out of him and he shook his head, "I don't think there's anything more I can do here. I won't bother you any longer, Calleigh." Turning to Tim, he shrugged, "We should leave her alone, Speed."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Calleigh continued to glare at Horatio, her temper getting the best of her. Clenching her jaw, she shook her head, "I should've known you'd be just like all the others."

Stopping in his tracks, Horatio turned to face her, his brow furrowing, "And what do you mean by that?"

"You know exactly what I mean," she spat back, her cheeks flushed with her anger.

Feeling no need to hold back, Horatio stepped forward and spoke through clenched teeth, "I did not screw you just to leave you, Calleigh. I love you, I have loved you and I will love you. I'm just going through so much right now." Calming slightly, he shook his head, "I don't have a home, work is too much, and I'm losing you."

"And what have you been doing to stop that? Nothing!" she said, pointing at him and then turning and walking away.

Reaching for her, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, his anger flaring, "Dammit, Calleigh, I'm one person. The job alone is enough to put someone in the ground, but add on to the stress of piecing my life back together and …losing out on the best thing that's ever happened to me…" Releasing her, he held her gaze as his expression relaxed and his brows raised, "I understand that you need support, Calleigh. That you need someone…but understand where I'm coming from."

Breathing heavily, Calleigh shook her head, "No Horatio, you understand…I need someone that's gonna be there for more then two to three hours a week!"

"Alright,…fine! More than two to three hours a week… I think I can work that in," Horatio spat back as he kept his eyes on her. His anger was at it's peak and he felt his control slipping. In spite of that, he held on to make sure that she knew that he wasn't going to give up. "I'll drop something…anything to show you that I want you in my life."

While they were going back and forth, Tim eyed the book on the floor and crossed to it, picking it up. Thumbing through it, he frowned, "Since when did you dig Poe?"

Turning towards Tim, Calleigh saw her book in his hands and moved quickly, snatching it from him, "I think you two need to go now." Holding it close to her chest, she moved from the two of them, "It's late and I need to get some sleep."

Tim traded glances with Horatio and shook his head, "I think it's time we leave, Horatio. She's not kidding."

Staring at Calleigh, he sighed, "I won't stop until you realize that we need to be together."

"We'll see about that," she replied firmly with a raise of her brow. Moving out of their way, she continued to clutch at the book, "Now will you please go so I can get some sleep?"

Hesitating slightly, Horatio nodded and turned to walk away, only giving a short glance to her. She wasn't giving one bit, but neither was he, and once he had something in mind, he didn't stop until he had it.