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**

"With his pale, beautiful, and intellectual face, as a reminder of what genius was in him, it was impossible, of course, not to treat him always with deferential courtesy, and, to our occasional request that he would not probe too deep in a criticism, or that he would erase a passage colored too highly with his resentments against society and mankind, he readily and courteously assented-far more yielding than most men, we thought, on points so excusably sensitive."

From "Death Of Edgar Allan Poe" by Edgar Allan Poe

Rolling over on the twin size bed, Adrienne stretched and opened her eyes, looking over at Horatio still tied in the wheelchair. Smiling at herself, she could see the traces of blood along his bottom lip and the bruising that was now darkening on his pale skin. His eyes were closed and head lulled to the side, his chest slowly rising and falling as he slept. Moving quietly, she slowly got up, and tip toed over to the bucket of water she had brought in the night before. Picking it up, she went back over to him, getting a hold of it and then tossed the cold water onto him.

"Wake up, Lieutenant. The fun's only just begun."

The shock of the cold water startled Horatio awake and he gasped as he focused, seeing her standing there with the bucket in hand. The smile she wore was far from the one he'd seen before, the memory of them together now making him sick. Shaking his head, he kept his eyes to the floor as he breathed heavily, his entire body heaving. The pain coursed through him almost relentlessly now. The beating he received from her had done its job, his body was now battered and sore, and from the looks of her expression, it was only the beginning.

"A...Adrienne…Stop this."

"Aw, do you not like my play time, Horatio?" she asked, tossing the bucket to the side. Smirking, she moved to him and took a seat in his lap, her right hand caressing his cheek, "I thought you loved rough play. Now it's just my turn."

Jerking his head away, he winced at the weight of her body on his and attempted to buck her off of his lap. When she didn't budge, he sighed heavily, "You don't have to do this, Adrienne."

Leaning into him, her lips hovered inches from his and she whispered, "You're right, I don't have to…I want to." Closing the distance, she kissed him and then pulled back. "Too bad for you, Horatio…you were a great fuck."

Disgusted, he bit out, "This was all a big game to you? You get your rocks off of playing with people?" Everything sickened him about her, from her smile to the way she felt against his skin and he felt himself growing angrier. "Why don't you just kill me?"

"Cause I like to play first." Tracing a finger down his arm to where she had inserted the needle the night before, she looked back at him, "Maybe you need to relax more. You seemed to enjoy the heroin that I gave you last night."

The mention of the drugs brought him around and he looked up to her, "Don't….I don't need that. I'll do anything …just don't do this."

Laughing at him, Adrienne traced his jaw again, "Oh but you liked it so much last night. Even wanted more."

Not wanting to feel the effects of the drug, Horatio shook his head and pulled away from her touch, "No…I don't want it…"

"I'm sure you'll be begging for it later to rid you of the pain." Giving him a kiss to his cheek, she whispered, "Prepare yourself, Horatio…today, you'll feel pain like you've never felt before." Getting up off his lap, she smiled, "I'll be back after I have some breakfast." Walking towards the door, she turned and looked back at him, "Oh and…by the way, scream and yell all you want. No one will be able to hear you."

Horatio kept his eyes on her exiting form, a chill running down his spine. The shudders in his body aggravated the wounds and he groaned as the door closed. Taking a look around, Horatio tried to look for something to help him but couldn't find anything. Frustration built and he cringed as he tried to move the wheelchair to no avail. He was stuck and there was nothing he could do about it.

He watched as she took her stance and marveled at how much poise she still retained. No matter what she went through, Tim could see that the precision and the predictability of the work she held so passionately, would always be there for her to fall back on. While she fired, he could see the ease coming back to her, as if things were made clearer when she centered herself.

A small smile came over him as she finished the clip and he pulled his ear phones off and walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He could feel the calmness wafting from her and he smiled more as he nodded, "Gonna give me a try at this?"

Slipping off her earphones, she smiled and slipped the empty clip out, "Of course. You didn't think I was gonna have all the fun did ya?"

"Well, it was looking that way. You haven't let go since we got here, although I'm not complaining." Tim gestured to the target, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm getting there," she replied as she holstered her gun and then moved out his way. Recalling her target, she waited on it and looked to him, "I think this was a good idea. Maybe I can focus better now."

Taking his weapon in hand he slipped the clip in and then looked to Calleigh as the target finally came back. Seeing the results, his brows raised, "And you said you were rusty? Cal, this is just about perfect. I hate to see you when you think you're on top of it."

Shrugging some as she took it down, she put on a new sheet for him, "Then it only looks like I shot one time." Hitting the button, the target began it's trek back and she looked to him, "Now, I want you to relax. Take your time and remember to squeeze the trigger."

"Take my time and squeeze," Tim repeated as he watched the target come to a standstill, "this should be easy." Raising the gun to his sights, he exhaled heavily and gripped the butt of it tightly, practically feeling the sweat trickling from his palm. Taking in a deep breath, he released it and then closed his eyes, centering and preparing himself for the inevitable. As he slowly opened his eyes, his finger eased back on the trigger and then jumped slightly as the shots rang out.

Watching him carefully, Calleigh noticed as he jumped slightly when the weapon fired. Looking towards the target and then back to him, she waited until he finished and then slipped her earphones off. Noticing he was still in his stance staring at the target, she placed a gentle hand onto his shoulder, "Tim…"

Tensing, he closed his eyes and then dropped his arm, the disappointment starting to fill him. Snatching off the earphones and the protective eye wear, he slipped the safety on his gun and then placed it down, stepping away from it, "I'll never be good at this. Nothing's changed."

"Tim…sweetie, you need to relax more. Forget about what has happened in the past. Let it go. Don't let it have this control over you. I know you can do this…I know you can." Bringing up the target, she looked at it and then to him, "It's not all that bad really. We just need to practice more, that's all. The more we do, the more comfortable you'll get…and I'll help you."

Shaking his head, he turned away, "It's pathetic. I barely hit the target. This is useless."

Turning him back to her, Calleigh raised a brow and spoke firmly, "This is your first time, Tim, in how long? It'll take a while for you to be hitting like me if not better. Don't give up…don't let your fears win. I know you can do this…and deep down, I think you know it too. You just have to realize it and not let your fear of a gun win."

"You'd fear a gun if you were shot…twice." Tim shook his head, "Maybe it wasn't meant for me to carry. I'm content with consulting…"

"Tim…" she replied as she reached for his arm, "Not a lot of people know this, but I have been shot. I know that fear too. If I can move past it, I know you can. Let me help you move past it so you can move on like I did."

Looking to her, his expression softened, "I didn't know…Calleigh." Averting his eyes, he sighed, "How do you walk away from the fear?"

"By facing it. Not letting it get the best of you. Every officer that carries a firearm Tim has a slight fear that they'll be shot…but, in order to do there jobs properly, they have to push that fear back. Focus on why your there…to protect the innocent."

Listening to her, he glanced at the firearm and then back to her, feeling the determination pulling at him. He was never one to let something keep him down, always finding a way to fight through. Walking back to the gun, he picked it up and turned it around in his hand and sighed, "If I can do this, I'll be conquering a big fear of mine."

Going over with him, Calleigh leaned against the divider and looked up at him, a small smile playing at her lips, "I know you can beat this, Tim. I've seen you accomplish so much…and this will be another to that list. I have faith in you."

Grabbing a clip, he slipped it in and then looked to Calleigh, "Despite how much this is going to suck, I'm going to try again." Tim put the protective gear on and then looked to her, "Pull out another target?"

Giving him a bigger smile, Calleigh got another target and replaced the other. Sending it down the alley, she moved to him and placed her hands on his arms as she stood behind him. "Okay, spread you legs a little more…good. Now, when you look at the target, find a focus point before you even take aim. Once you have it, take in a few deep breaths and relax yourself."

"Take a few breaths and relaxing. That sounds easy enough." Tim shrugged, "I suppose that I can do this."

"You can do this, be positive…take control." Placing her hands onto his hips, she raised a brow as she got him where he needed to be and then reached around to his forearms, centering him, "Don't grip the gun so tight, relax you hand some."

Relaxing his hand he nodded and then centered on the target. Doing as she told him to do, he studied the distance of the target and then sighed, his tone carrying some humor, "I should've asked you to bring the target in more."

"Don't worry about that. Just concentrate on the target itself. Forget about the distance." Letting go of his arms and standing back, she slipped on her ear protection, "Clear."

Feeling her stand away, Tim squeezed the trigger and heard the sound of the report. At first, it startled him, but as he proceeded through the clip, he settled down. Before he knew it, he'd already been through the clip.

Taking the clip out and clearing the weapon, Tim smiled at the target, "At least I hit it this time."

Bringing the target back, Calleigh slipped her earphones off again, "How did it feel?"

"It felt… weird, but good. Definitely something I can do again." He looked to Calleigh and smiled, "Thanks for the pep talk, Cal."

Smiling, she pulled another clip from her back pocket and handed it to him, "Hey, you always give them to me, so it was my turn to give you one. Now, you can either empty that clip out or make me have to kick your ass. So what's it gonna be?"

"Be it far from me to taking away the honor of kicking my ass, I think I will go ahead and change out the clip." Taking the clip in hand he emptied the weapon and then slipped the full clip in, readying the weapon. Giving Calleigh a grin, he winked and then took his stance. Assured that he was clear, he squeezed the trigger and felt the volley of bullets as they proceeded out of the gun and into the target.