Forgotten Pains

As Horatio sat there waiting for Erik to say something, Erik pulled out his wallet and a picture handing it to Horatio who took it and saw the image, it was of two men with their arms over each other's shoulders grinning like two children.

"That's Zach and me, best of buddies, like brothers... became brothers because we were so close... everything went wrong the one day that he got taken away from us... it took us 3 months to find him, it cost some of us dearly getting him out... myself included. When we found him he had been so badly tortured that he didn't remember anyone... the guy that used to smile and used to play harmless pranks was lying on the ground. When we tried to pick him up he attacked up... it was an animal like fury that I've never seen in people... he killed one of ours that day... we lost our second in command Herald Johnson.

I ended up taking over that position... but bringing Zach home was hard, all of us got injuries one way or another my back and my torso was just some of the scars... he carved out a good chunk out of my side and my leg... we all healed but I was stuck to a bed for a good while. Zach was sent to the psyc ward where he was kept. It's been a couple of years since this whole thing happened, but I've never given up the hope that one day he could be back to who he was. Now... now that he's gone... it makes things more serious and dangerous."

Horatio looked at the two smiling men in the picture again and looked up to Erik wondering why he was talking about this, it was then that Horatio put the pieces together.

"He's the killer...."

"He is, he knows that I'm here taking your spot because before I left I told him what I was going to do, it was always what I do. He's family and he knows a good deal of what now happening. He's making us, making me suffer because I couldn't get to him in time, we didn't get to him in time. Horatio he's dangerous... we need to stop Zach, but if it comes to it... I'll end it... and it'll be on my own terms." Horatio nodded and handed back the picture to Erik who took it and looked at it sadly before putting it back into his wallet.

"We'll find him Erik, we'll find him"

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Turning a corner into the empty warehouse with the crazy set up, a figure moved through the shadows and into the light, in his hands was a number of shopping bags. Placing the bags into the work bench that was set up the figure turned on the lamp and the features of the face was that on Erik's photo. The strong Hispanic traits with the striking green eyes and the little dimple on his chin was Zach. The differences from this Zach from the other one in the picture were the scars, and the slight greying of the dark sandy hair. Anger and darkness was something that had many people shy from him, but after all those years as a soldier and someone else gave him the ability to seem like he was a shy and quiet guy.

"Well, well Erik... looks like you figured out who made the bomb... you slimy son-of-a-bitch... let's play after I've had my 'dinner'..." Looking to the side there was a framed picture of Catherine holding her daughter, and it looked fairly new too. "Stupid Las Vegas crime lab, can't believe you didn't realize I was the unsolved killer... that city is too easy to commit crimes in... at least here in Miami I have a lovely, lovely setting to live in. And such a lovely setting for having Catherine for dinner... if only you all knew"

Moving around Zach whistled to himself pulling various things out of the bags that he had, some kebob sticks, a canister of gasoline, a nice length of rope, and everything else that was in the bags included stuff for cooking, and some hardware things as well. The oddities from the bags soon join their compatriots on another table, handcuffs, knives of all sorts, equipment to make homemade explosives and it was the stuff that was shown in the light. The ware house was large and only a few lights were one before Zach moved away from the tables and pulled a massive switch bringing all the lights on into the place showing more tables with others things on them, a surgeon's gurney was against a self put up wall. Moving further down the walls it was clear that someone built a home inside the warehouse. Moving along the halls to the bedroom there was a woman on the bed tied against it, he was covered in welts, bruises, and blood.

"Ahh you awake... you know what time it is..." As Zach got closer and closer to the bed the woman started to squirm and scream, she didn't want to be raped again, she didn't want the pain. She wanted to be let go, she wanted her husband, her daughter, her brother but she knew they were all dead as far as she knew, it was evident as he husband was hanging in the room his guts and entrails all over the plastic covered ground.

"Stop fighting, you'll only make it worse for yourself..." Zach started to undo his shirt and pull it off his head, his body was a patchwork of scars and pits, much like Erik's only worse, grabbing the woman and pinning her to the bed the lights went out as the woman screamed in pain.

"That's it.... scream..." Said the low voice.

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After Erik gave his little heart to heart and the two looked at the reconstructed bomb Erik looked up as Frank walked in, told them they had a call, a road just collapsed in on itself and there's a car with a dead person inside it, looking to the bomb Erik told Horatio to go the scene he would put this away and head over, the other murder would have to wait till Zach gave them something to track him with, but only that they needed the only other person who could kill and not lose herself to the dark side. They needed Cameron.

With Horatio out in the field Erik looked at the bomb and closed his eyes and leaned over it not hearing someone walk into the room, the sounds from Erik's memory shook him as he dropped his head, however a voice brought him out of his revere.

"Zach is or was one you huh?"

"Yeah... but I have to believe there is something good in him" Erik turned and looked at Catherine who happened to be leaning against the glass door her arms crossed, "do you believe in that?"

"I do to some extent... but at the same time you know as well as I do in this world that we live in there is no such thing as bringing someone back from what they've been through. I know Zach means something to you, but you have to make a choice as what you're going to do. One is to catch him make him pay for his crimes, or let him go..."

"There is no putting him away, if he got out of the base which was a max security area, there is no way that the jails or prisons are going to keep him. We are all good at many things, and the thing that he was the best at... was getting away. I'm not going to let him go, if I can change him back I will, but if I can't... I'll end it myself..."

"Don't become a murderer on his account..."

"I'm not... Zach Paige is dead... the Shark I have no problem taking out..."

"Just so you know Erik... but I'll help you the best I can"

Erik gave Catherine a half smile before turning and putting away the bomb in to a box and sealing it up and putting it away.

"I know you'll help, it's time to meet Horatio out in the field, hope you've got a kit"

"I..." Catherine remembered that she was on leave and that she didn't bring anything related.

"It's ok, I'll get you a spare one, you know us CSI's are... ready for anything"

"Yeah... if only Grissom heard you say that"

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Standing at the crime scene where there car fell into the ground, Horatio stood with his hands on his hips, the pain killers and antibiotics that Alexx got for him, kept him with a very fine dull pain in his back, he was back in his grove so to speak as he looked to Frank getting the information. A silver BMW showed up to the crime scene some 15 minutes later, and out of it came Erik and Catherine each of them holding a case.

"So... Horatio what's the deal, you're the man on this one"

Horatio looked over top his shades at Catherine and Erik and started going into the case at, by the end of the following day they solved the case and ended up dealing with the father of the juice famous daughter. Over the following days everything got more interesting, Erik Destler had given Horatio a lot of leeway on power, but ultimately Erik Destler kept an eye on Horatio as he recovered, The old Horatio was still there but the newer darker Horatio that kept itself at the surface, but when it came down to it Horatio was the man he was and that he would never give up on people. After the lab lost Alexx because of a case involving her family, the following events did nothing but push people.

A PI had driven into the CSI's lives and soon Erik had to place carefully, Erik's own past as a CSI was brought up and he had more to worry about, this guy was into everything and soon Mace and Leona where dragged into the fold no one was safe and they all knew who the PI was hired by; Horatio was investigated by Julia and Ron Saris, for Erik and his people it was Zach, little did they know that the next weeks that followed would be the toughest, who was trying to make who fall and who was going to be the last one standing.

A/N yes I went over two episodes fairly quickly but the next chapters that are coming up will be the longest of this story, believe me this is nothing to miss, what happens will surely suprise you all. Read and Review people.. I've had a large number of hits and not reviews what gives?

Ghost