A/N: Speaking of which, did you know that Big Time Rush didn't win the 'MTV Breakthrough Band of the Year' Award? They lost to a band called A Day To Remember. I don't mind losing, but I mind the fans telling hateful messages to us Rushers, saying that they are not talented compared to the band itself. Have you even heard of the band? No? So do I. And they are just being jealous because Big Time Rush were more successful than them in a shorter period of time. TAKE THAT.

DISCLAIMER: I wouldn't be down here writing this story in desperation if I took credit for CSI:Miami, Coldplay and YUMGirlAndMoltMan. I'll probably be somewhere in the UK. :) Meeting Richard Hammond.

Chapter 9:

Ryan's POV:

As the days go by, I've felt a lot of changes inside my body, as the genes continue to eat the inside of me, changing me into someone I'm destined to be.

For one, my hearing has sharpened, so that means that I could hear people's conversations from at least two kilometers away, or even the silent creaking of the door every time someone comes in and out of the room. I could only smell the scents, some even from humans themselves, though they don't realize it, even though when it isn't appealing. Hair tends to grow on my back every now and then, but it disappears again, leaving me with my own bare skin.

I've called my father, face full of worry and shock, when I went inside the bathroom and noticed that my eyes have changed colour, from the normal grey with a black pupil in the middle, to a bright golden colour with a black slit in the middle. He told me it was normal, as though my eating habits, my anger management issues and the muscles poking out from my usually trim figure. He advised me on how to control my body, so that I wouldn't accidently change eye colour and generally scaring the entire lab, but also my most precious girl in the world, or even change into a werewolf all together.

Anne is starting to become a common figure in the lab. She would always come here after her school ends for the day, diligently doing her homework her teachers have sent to her, or sketching some of the characters from her favorite comic books, in our break room. If she's tired, or bored, of looking into papers all the time, she would take a stroll down the hallway, pausing halfway through to look in through the mirror, seeing the employees processing evidence, and just stand there, amazed at what is being discovered. I was delighted when I could smell her beautiful, one of a kind, lavender scent, one that other people in this lab doesn't have, much to my amusement.

Whenever I am free or is just taking a break from my work, I would head out into the break room and she would always be there, head bent down, almost kissing the table. I would try to sit down next to her, and we would simply start up a conversation, just to kick off our relationship at a reasonable pace.

I would ask her about her day in her school, her new friends that she made, and hopefully new teachers that she didn't really like, which unfortunately she doesn't. Soon after, we have been playing games with our hands, sharing jokes and secrets with each other, just like best friends. It makes me happy that I could see her gracious smile again, that she could finally confide in me as a good friend.

However, the relationship between the two of us seemed to annoy Eric a lot. Every now and then he would pop by the break room to make some coffee or buy some snacks from the vendor machine. I can tell that Anastasia was just as curious and nervous as I am, and so one day she has decided to break the tense atmosphere, "Uncle Eric, I've never seen you coming in and out of the break room most of the time before, except now. What are you actually doing? Are you spying on us?"

His muscles tightened, as if he knew he was caught. Anne let out a long sigh, something both her father and herself had in common. "Uncle Eric, if you're thinking that Ryan would harm me, he wouldn't. We are just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. So relax, okay?"

My heart sank as she mentioned the word 'friends'. It wasn't just what I was hoping she would say. Eric then turned his body around towards both of our direction, a mug of coffee in hand, "Are you sure? Just 'friends'? Please don't appear like those girls in '16 and pregnant' and come begging to me later on."

Her face puckered, "What? Come on Uncle Eric. You know I'm not really ready for a relationship right now. Besides, I'm only fifteen," I cringed again. "I won't be like those girls, and I won't beg with you later on. Okay?"

He rolled his eyes, knowing that Anne, like her father, is too stubborn to listen to anything for now, "Fine. I'll talk to you later at home, all right?" he walked up towards her niece and gave her a peck on her cheek, "I'll see you later, Anne."

Anne grinned, the sweetest smile I've ever seen. I cocked my head to a side and smirked at her, smiling to myself just by seeing her smile, "See you later, Uncle Eric."

Eric looked at me for a moment, eyes glaring with anger and fire underneath, just waiting for the right moment to burst out, unfortunately towards me. I could see his jaws clenched, preventing himself from lunging at me for touching his territorial mark. A deep growl can be heard from his chest, even though Anastasia didn't really hear it. As he made his way back into the station, his stride, like any vampires, was elegant, yet sharp and quick. Anne and I had our eyes on him, as he turned right at the next corner, before looking back to each other, mind blank.

We made contact with our eyes for just a few seconds, before I looked down on the floor, out of sadness for what Anne said to Uncle Eric about the both of us. I thought she would see the relationship going on, and hopefully feel the same way about me. It was brief, but Anne could see right through me at that moment, "Ryan, are you all right?"

I wanted to tell her everything about me, the life I have lived for as long as I am standing and breathing, about the werewolf genes affecting on me, the changes I've been receiving every single day, from the sharpness of my hearing, to the distinct smells by my nose, why I decided to be here instead of my comfortable job back in New York, why I had to continue the legacy of being the alpha of the team. But more importantly,

My feelings for her. That I want to make her my beta, as she completes the other half of my life, bringing me my happiness.

Instead, I let out a big huff, not wanting to cause her any more pain than one she is currently bracing behind her back, "I'm fine, Anne. You don't necessarily have to worry about me. I guess I'll go back to my work now," as I stood up and headed towards the door, head hung low, I felt a pair of arms wrapped behind me, stopping me in my tracks. I placed my hands on her arms and smiled softly to myself, feeling her lavender scent and her warm presence near me.

"I guess you need a hug too, Ryan." I turned around; her arms still wrapped around me, and placed mine around her small, easily broken, body, pulling her towards me. I laid my chin on top of her head, savoring the moment and the love she has for me, silently thanking my ancestors for letting this opportunity come by, before opening my mouth to speak:

"Thank you Anne. Maybe I do need it too."

"I remember we were walking into Strawberry Swing,
I can't wait 'til the morning, wouldn't want to change a thing,
People moving all the time, inside a perfectly straight line,
Don't you want it to just curve away?
It's such, it's such a perfect day,
It's such a perfect day."

Horatio's POV:

"So what do we have here Frank?"

Frank took out his notepad, flipping a few pages before arriving on the right one, "The victim's name is Alicia Rider. Just turned seventeen years of age. Her parents both own a cars resale shop, and they live in a small bungalow in Star Islands. She was found dead this morning when a group of school boys were taking a shortcut to go towards the arcades in that shopping mall," he stabbed his index finger in the direction of a large, modern building, bearing the letters "Miami Dade Shopping Mall", prompting my head to look in that direction. "Who would be so stupid to leave the girl's ID card behind?"

I fiddled my favorite sunglass, like I always do, before putting it on, covering my vampirism eyes from the intense light of the sun, "Alexx?"

"The poor baby girl suffered exsanguinations on the neck, two holes with almost five centimeters apart," Alexx gently turned the victims head to the left, examining the wounds up-close, "and this doesn't look like your normal needle marks; they look like bite marks, made from fangs of an animal. Judging by the temperature of the body, poor girl has been dead for a more than six hours from now. She has some skin underneath her fingernails, which seems to indicate a struggle before 'it' took her and drained her life away. Could it be one of you Horatio? One you do know?"

I looked into the distance, away from the crime scene, "I don't know, Alexx, it could be any of the rogue vampires that have decided to reveal themselves, but it could also be Grey or other humans all the more. When I heard that he escaped when I could have him dead in my hands, at that moment, I felt deep anger arousing within me. Ever since the kidnapping incident, I've been watching Marisol and Anastasia ever more closely, not letting them out of my sight," my hands clenched tightly into fists as my fangs elongated, "I can't wait to see him again and rip his head off this time. In my 200 years of existence, I've never felt this urgent of the need to kill, but I guess that is nature."

Frank blenched when he saw the fangs protruding out of my mouth and the veins bulging out from my wrists up my arm, sensing his increased heart rate and the sweats pouring down his face as well as decorating his bald head. After awhile, he calmed down once I've relax into my usual setting, "You're not going to like this, Horatio, but this girl goes to the same school as your daughter, and both of them happened to be in the same club for extra curriculum. And the strange thing is, she doesn't have any enemies, but she has a lot of friends. She was also the Homecoming Queen in her previous school."

I sighed, giving out a little chuckle. My little Anne just love to run into danger, does she? "All right then, I'll meet you later back in the lab for the full process, Alexx. Frank, we'll have to check who's on that list in the club, to see who has the motive to kill her. Send Eric and Calleigh to process the scene; I don't want Ryan to be part of the investigation, for now. We have to catch the culprit before he begins his second kill."

"You got it Horatio," Frank, being professional as he always was, immediately broke out of the group and walked towards the police officers, giving out the orders, all the while taking out his mobile phone and punching in the numbers, most likely calling to Eric. I took one last glance at the victim, the brutal injuries she sustained before she have had her last breath by my arch nemesis, before walking back towards my Hummer.

It's time we meet again, Grey, and this time, I wouldn't be so kind and forgiving to you.

Grey's POV:

I was soothing my bride's back, preparing her from my lunch, when I felt a sudden burst of power and a message to me. I closed my eyes, letting out a small snicker while taking in his anger, readying myself for the second phase of the big plan.

Game on, just like old times, Horatio. Game on.