Title: Bound
By: Tiffany F
Pairing: Mac/Danny, pre-slash Danny/Horatio
Rating: AO
Warnings: Abuse, Angst, AU, Character Death, Dark Themes, Drama, Non-con, OOC
Summary: Horatio goes to New York chasing a criminal. But everything is put on hold when he meets a young CSI that needs his help.

“Did somebody say fume because then I am your man.”
 
Horatio was watching Detective Taylor when the younger man entered the crime scene and saw a flash of something flicker across his face. It was something that Horatio didn’t like the look of at all and he started wondering exactly what he had stumbled in to this time.
 
“From Miami, Danny,” Horatio said reaching out to shake the other CSI’s hand.
 
“How are you?” Danny asked. And there was something in his blue eyes that begged Horatio to pay attention. His eyes were pleading for help.
********************
 
“Danny,” Horatio said softly later that day. He had been hanging around the lab, watching and waiting for a chance to talk with the young man alone. It had come when Detective Taylor had to leave for a meeting with his bosses. Horatio had been stunned at how Detective Taylor had been all but glued to his young CSI since they returned from the crime scene and it just raised more questions in Horatio’s mind.
 
“Oh, hey Lieutenant Caine, what can I do for you?” Danny asked. “There haven’t been any hits in AFIS yet.”
 
“That’s fine, Danny,” Horatio replied with a soft smile. “I actually wanted to talk with you about something else. I wanted to ask you about something I saw at the crime scene earlier today.”
 
“Not here,” Danny said quickly, looking around and sounding panicked. “I don’t want Mac to know I slipped up.”
 
It took all of Horatio’s will power not to let his emotions show on his face. “How long until your shift is over, Danny?” he asked softly.
 
“An hour ago but Mac told me to wait here for him,” Danny replied. “So I figured I’d just keep working on this.”
 
“Do you honestly want to wait for Detective Taylor?” Horatio asked.
 
“No,” Danny whispered. “But I don’t dare disobey him again.”
 
“Come with me, Danny,” Horatio said. “Come with me and I’ll help you.”
 
Danny sighed but pushed his chair back. “That’s what Mac said once too,” he said.
********************
 
When Mac got back to the lab he dropped off his coat and briefcase in his office and went looking for Danny. He hadn’t been able to address the young man’s disobedience earlier in the day because the cop from Miami was still around. But now he hoped to have a clear field to let Danny know exactly how his changing crime scenes on a whim was going to be tolerated.
 
“Stella, have you seen Danny?” Mac asked as he all but stalked into the trace lab.
 
“Danny, no but his shift was over like three hours ago,” Stella replied. “He probably went home.”
 
“I asked him to wait for me,” Mac said.
 
“Well Mac, you have to admit you never know how long those meetings with your bosses are going to last,” Stella said with a small smile. “And there is a great invention called a cell phone. Just call him.”
 
Mac snorted. “That never would have occurred to me, Stella.”
 
“Touchy,” Stella said. “What’s got you all out of sorts today?”
 
“I’m just tired,” Mac sighed. “I’m going to call it a night, Stella. See you tomorrow?”
 
“I’ll be here,” Stella said with a grin.
********************
 
Horatio took Danny back to his hotel room, ordered room service for them and settled the young man on the couch. He was a little concerned that Danny couldn’t seem to stop shaking no matter how tightly he was wrapped up in the extra blankets from the bed.
 
“Danny, I need you to trust me,” Horatio said from his chair across from the younger man. “I need to know what’s going on.”
 
“I don’t know who I can trust no more,” Danny said softly. “When I started working at the lab I thought I could trust Mac but then he changed. My best friend ain’t around no more because of Mac and I don’t get to work with no one else on the shift so they ain’t noticed anything wrong.”
 
“What’s Mac doing to you, Danny?” Horatio asked. “What’s he done that has you so scared of everything around you?”
 
“I don’t know if I should tell you,” Danny replied. “Mac could find out and once you’re gone I’ll be in trouble. Hell, I’m already in trouble for going to the scene this morning and then leaving the lab with you. I can’t go home, Lieutenant. He’ll be able to find me there.”
 
“You can stay here, Danny,” Horatio said. “I won’t leave you until I’m sure you’re safe. I promise you.”
 
Danny took a deep breath and wiped at his eyes. “I just don’t know what to do,” he whispered. “I don’t want to live like this any more but I don’t know how to change it. I’m not strong enough to go up against Mac and win. He’s always gonna get the best of me, no matter what. And all it’ll take is one phone call and I’ll lose everything I have.”

Mac was furious. Danny wasn’t at his own apartment or waiting at Mac’s. He hadn’t had such disobedience since he forced Danny into submission after he found out exactly who the young CSI was related to. Mac wasn’t sorry he’d hired Danny because the younger man was top of his class. It just galled him at times that the family relations hadn’t come up until, in Mac’s eyes, it was too late. So Mac had done the only thing he could think of and that was to bind the young CSI to him, make Danny understand exactly where his place in the lab was and the rules he was expected to follow at all times. And now Danny had broken the three most important all on the same day. He’d been doing so well that Mac had assigned him an easy case on his own. And Danny had handed his present off to Aiden like it didn’t mean anything at all and shown up at Mac’s crime scene. Then Danny had left the lab when Mac specifically told him to stay put and he was missing.
 
It was all that stupid CSI from Miami’s fault. Mac had seen the looks that had passed between Danny and Horatio Caine but didn’t think anything of it at the time. Danny was too beaten into submission to disobey Mac; or so he had thought. Maybe it was time to track down and talk with Lieutenant Caine.
********************
 
Danny froze at the sound of furious knocking on the hotel door and whimpered, burrowing into the blankets. He knew it was Mac and could almost feel the punishing strokes on his back and the tearing burn again.
 
Horatio pulled him up and led him into the bedroom. “Stay in here, Danny,” he said softly. “No matter what happens or what you hear, do not come out. I’ll take care of it.”
 
“Don’t let him find me,” Danny begged.
 
“I won’t,” Horatio promised. He shut the door to the bedroom behind him and walked to the main door where there was another furious barrage of knocking. “Detective Taylor.”
 
“Where is he?” Mac demanded pushing past Horatio and into the hotel room. “I know he’s here.”
 
Horatio shut the door and turned. “I’m not sure who you’re talking about, Detective,” he said calmly. “You and I are the only ones here at the moment.”
 
“Then why did it take you so long to answer the door?”
 
“I had to get dressed; I was already in bed for the night. Now why don’t you tell me exactly what’s going on.”
 
“Danny Messer is missing and I want to know where he is,” Mac snapped. “I told him to wait for me at the lab and he decided to vanish instead.”
 
“I’m afraid I still don’t see the problem here,” Horatio sighed. “Maybe Detective Messer went out with some friends when his shift was over. Can’t you just talk with him tomorrow at the lab?”
 
Horatio wasn’t expecting it and couldn’t dodge the fist that slammed into his cheekbone. “You’re messing in something you don’t understand, Caine,” Mac snarled. “Quit now while you still can.”
 
“Is that a threat, Detective Taylor?” Horatio asked. He pulled himself up to his full height and put his hands on his hips.
 
“Consider it the only warning you’re going to receive,” Mac snarled. “Danny Messer needs to be at my home in an hour if he knows what’s good for him.” Mac slammed out of the hotel room with a final glare back at Horatio.
 
The red head sighted. He wanted to keep his promise to Laura Spelman but right now the case had to take a backseat to the young man who needed his help to stay alive. Horatio made sure all the locks on the door were secure and went back to the bedroom. He wasn’t a man who panicked but his heart sped up when the first glance around the room showed that Danny was missing. He checked the bathroom and the tub before looking in the closet.
 
“He’s gone, Danny,” Horatio said, puzzled.
 
The edge of the covers lifted off the floor and scared blue eyes gazed at him from under the bed. “I thought he was gonna find me.”
 
Horatio settled onto the floor so he was a little closer to eye-level and leaned forward. “I promised you that wouldn’t happen, Danny,” he said softly. “I know you have no reason to trust anyone, to trust me, but you need to try. I can help you escape but you’ll have to believe me when I say I’ll protect you no matter what.”
 
“Mac sounded mad,” Danny whispered.
 
“He was, but you know what, Danny, he doesn’t know you’re here so you’re safe,” Horatio said. “You need to decide what you want to do about work tomorrow.”
 
“I can’t go to the lab,” Danny said. “Mac’ll be able to get me no matter what I do. There’s a storage closet with a lock inside and he’s taken me in there before.”
 
“Danny, is there anyone at the lab you can trust to help you?”
 
“Nah, Mac’s too good an actor to lose it like he did here,” Danny replied. “There ain’t no one who’ll believe me. I’m just a Messer and not worth anyone’s time.”
 
“That’s Mac Taylor talking,” Horatio said. “Stay here tomorrow, Danny. Keep all the locks on the door and don’t open it for anyone. We’ll work out a knock-code for when I get back. I’ll make sure my case is taken care of and we’ll figure out what you can do next.”
 
“Can I come to Miami with you?” Danny asked. “I don’t want to do this no more, Lieutenant. I just want to be a CSI and be able to do my job without people always judging me.”
 
“Of course you can, Danny,” Horatio said. “Now how about we go to bed? You sleep in here, okay.”
 
“I can’t force you onto the sofa,” Danny protested.
 
Horatio smiled gently. “It folds out into a bed, Danny,” he said. “And I need to make some phone calls before I go to sleep. Call me if you need anything.”
********************
 
Danny couldn’t remember the last time he had been alone in a bed. He had never wanted to be with Mac in the first place, to be in such an abusive and cold relationship, but Mac had made it impossible to refuse. Danny had known going to the crime scene without Mac’s explicit permission was a risk but Danny was so tired of his life. Mac had told him the solo crime scene was a reward for his good behavior but it was really an insult. His boss just didn’t want him near such a high profile case as a cop killing, even when Danny was the best one to work it with Mac and Stella.
 
He rolled over in the bed, being able to move a novelty, as his thoughts turned to the man in the other room. Danny had known the moment he laid eyes on the lieutenant that Horatio Caine was strong enough to help him. Horatio would be able to stand up to Mac and win. The most remarkable thing, at least to Danny’s mind, was that Horatio had instinctively known something was wrong and came to Danny to talk with him first. Danny didn’t even want to think about what could have happened if Horatio had spoken to Mac first.
 
Running to Miami was his only chance of staying alive at that point. Danny knew that Mac would, at the very least, beat him on sight. And he was probably having the hotel watched so Danny wouldn’t be able to escape him. That was something he’d have to mention to Horatio. His belongings were the other thing. Danny didn’t have much that he really cared about; some pictures, his CDs, guitar and sheet music. All of his clothes were at Mac’s apartment and Danny knew there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d ever see them again.
 
Rolling over again Danny heard the soft sound of Horatio’s voice in the other room. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to trust the lieutenant but knew he didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Horatio settled onto the couch with his cell phone. He knew he had a very short period of time to act if he wanted to get Danny safely out of New York. And to get everything taken care of he would need help.
 
“Someone had better be dead,” Speed growled when he answered on the third ring.
 
“Speed,” Horatio scolded. “What if it had been dispatch calling?”
 
“Then someone would be dead,” Speed said. “What do you need, H? I thought you were still in New York.”
 
“I am and there have been some complications,” Horatio said softly, mindful of the young man trying to sleep in the next room. “It turns out that the lab supervisor here isn’t the man people think he is and has been abusing one of his CSIs.”
 
“And you’re going to help him,” Speed said. “What do you need from me, H?”
 
“I need you to book us two tickets out of New York to another city and I’ll buy the tickets home with cash once we’re there,” Horatio said. “Ultimately Detective Taylor knows that I have Danny and I’ll be helping him but I’d like to confuse the trail as long as possible. And I need you to come pick us up at the airport.”
 
There was the faintest scratching of a pen in the background. “What else can I do, H?” Speed asked. “I know a couple guys up there in homicide who might be willing to help out. Do you want their numbers?”
 
“It might not hurt,” Horatio sighed. “I don’t know exactly what’s happened to Danny, Speed, but he was hiding under the bed when Taylor showed up here looking for him. Whatever has been going on, it’s bad.”
 
“Sounds like it,” Speed said. “I’ll go to your place and make sure your guest room is made up too. Do you want me to let Calleigh or Eric know what’s happening?”
 
“No, but tell Alexx I’m going to need her help when I get home.”
 
“Oh Horatio, that’s just mean,” Speed snickered. “I can’t believe you’re going to sic Alexx on someone like that.”
 
“She can make sure he’s healthy, physically anyway,” Horatio replied. “And you know Alexx; she’ll probably adopt him on the spot and protect him as fiercely as she does you.”
 
“Okay, okay,” Speed said. “You’ll finally get a chance to see Momma Alexx at her finest, you know.”
 
“I already have,” Horatio said. “Right after you were shot.”
 
Speed groaned. “Don’t tell me you were in the observation area when Alexx checked me over,” he said.
 
“I won’t,” Horatio grinned. “She said it better than I could have, Speed. There are times when a supervisor just doesn’t have the right words to deal with things and needs to use his best resources.”
 
“That woman is a one woman army at times,” Speed said. “What else do you need, Horatio?”
 
“Right now, I think that’s everything,” Horatio said. “I’ve had to more or less give up any hope of finding our suspect though. Detective Taylor took a swing at me tonight which spoke volumes on how he feels about me.”
 
“Tell me you hit him back,” Speed said.
 
“I couldn’t; this is his turf,” Horatio sighed. “And I had to think about Danny. If I’m locked away for assaulting an officer then Taylor will be able to get to Danny again and I’m not going to let that happen.”
 
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Speed grumbled. “You need to get home again, Horatio. That creep will slip up again and get what’s coming to him. The girl will be okay, or as okay as she can be. You know that.”
 
“It doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Horatio said. “Maybe we’ll be able to call in a request once I’m home. I really would like to get him off the street if possible. He’s killed two innocent people and left a young girl without parents. That’s unforgivable.”
 
“Yeah, it is,” Speed said. “Tell you what, I’ll make the call to New York homicide, tell ‘em you got sick or something and had to come home and could they pick him up once the evidence is in. Two birds, one stone, done.”
 
“Thanks, Speed,” Horatio said. “How much do you trust this name you’ve given me?”
 
“To hell and back, H. To hell and back.”
********************
 
Horatio was up early the next morning and tapped on the door to the bedroom before opening it. He smiled softly when he saw Danny curled up in the middle of the bed buried under all the blankets. Moving as quietly as he could Horatio gathered up some clean clothes and made his way into the bathroom to shower and dress for the day.
 
Danny awoke slowly to the sound of water running and almost panicked when he realized he wasn’t at Mac’s apartment in his bed. He scrambled around for his glasses and put them on just as the water shut off in the other room. “Lieutenant?” he called.
 
The door opened and Horatio came out quickly, dressed all in black minus his dress shirt, and looked around. “Danny, are you okay?” he asked.
 
“I just wasn’t sure you were still here,” Danny replied. “I don’t think you should go out today. Mac’s sure to have this place watched and he’ll try to get me when you’re gone.”
 
Horatio sat down on the bed. “You’re going to have to be strong, Danny,” he said. “I need to go out and talk with someone down in homicide but I did get the case taken care of last night. One of my CSIs in Miami is going to call and ask that it be handled totally by the NYPD.”
 
“Can’t you just call homicide?” Danny asked.
 
“I suppose I could,” Horatio said. “My best friend knows some of the detectives and gave me a name that we can trust to help us get out of town.”
 
“Who?” Danny asked. “Because I can promise you that as soon as they hear my name they ain’t gonna want to help.”
 
“A Detective Don Flack Junior,” Horatio said, referring to the note he’d slipped into his pant’s pocket. “Tim trusts him and that’s good enough for me.”
 
Danny snorted and burrowed back under the covers turning his back to Horatio. “Whatever.”
 
“What’s wrong, Danny?”
 
“Flack was supposed to be my best friend but he suddenly stopped coming around, just totally dropped me without no word at all,” Danny said.
 
“Do you think Taylor had anything to do with that?” Horatio asked. “It’s entirely possible that he told Flack something that was a total lie.”
 
“If he was really my friend it wouldn’t matter,” Danny replied. “Just please don’t leave me alone today, Horatio. I don’t want Mac to be able to find me.”
 
“Okay, Danny, okay,” Horatio said. “I’ll go order us some breakfast. Do you think you can eat?”
 
“Are you kidding, I’m starving.”

Stella looked up when she heard footsteps behind her and frowned when she saw the look on her boss’ face. It was not going to be a good day by any stretch of the imagination. “Hey Mac, what’s going on?”
 
“Have you seen Danny this morning?” Mac demanded.
 
“Yeah, he gave me a call about half an hour ago, said he wasn’t feeling good and was going to take a sick day,” Stella replied. “I put a note on your desk. He did say that if we really got slammed to give him a call and he’d come in but he wanted to spend the day in bed resting.”
 
“He’s lying,” Mac said.
 
“What are you basing that on, Mac?” Stella asked, a little surprised.
 
“I couldn’t get in touch with him last night so this morning I left early and went by his apartment,” Mac said. “He’s not home.”
 
“Maybe he just didn’t want to get up to answer the door.”
 
“I have a key, Stella,” Mac said. “I went in. He’s not there. And he was acting strange yesterday too. There’s something going on that I don’t like.”
 
“Well, maybe that lieutenant from Miami turned his head and Danny’s decided to run away with him,” Stella joked turning back to the computer she was working on.
 
“What makes you say that?” Mac barked.
 
“Whoa, hey, easy there Mac, I was only kidding,” Stella said. “Call Flack and see if Danny’s at his place. Lord knows they spend enough time together anyway.”
 
“Flack’s at work,” Mac said.
 
Stella frowned and turned to look closely at Mac. “You’re really starting to freak me out here, Mac,” she said. “Is there something going on that you haven’t told me about?”
 
“No, Stella, there’s nothing,” Mac said. “Do me a favor and call Danny, please. Tell him you need him for a case.”
 
“You want me to lie?” Stella asked.
 
“Yeah, if it’ll get his ass in here,” Mac replied. “I want to know what’s going through that thick head of his.”
********************
 
It took a little convincing but Danny finally agreed to let Horatio at least call Flack and see if the young detective had been told something by Mac that had pushed him away from Danny of it he had ended their friendship on his own terms. Danny muttered something about taking a shower and vanished into the other room. Horatio sighed and flipped open his phone. He just wanted to get Danny out of the city as soon as possible but he knew that was impossible without some kind of inside help.
 
“Flack.”
 
“Detective Flack, my name is Horatio Caine. I’m a CSI….”
 
“From Miami, yeah I heard you was in town,” Flack said. “What can I do for you, Lieutenant?”
 
“Tim Speedle gave me your name and said that you’re a man to trust, Detective,” Horatio replied. “And as I find myself in the middle of a very delicate situation, I need help.”
 
“What’s going on?”
 
“I hope you’re pardon the personal and strange question, but why did you end your friendship with Danny Messer?”
 
There was silence from the other end. “I can’t talk about it from here,” Flack said. “But I’ll come to you. What’s your room number?”
 
“I need your assurance that you won’t tell anyone about this,” Horatio said seriously.
 
“I swear on my mother,” Flack said. “And just between you and me, I’m glad you’re doing something to help, Lieutenant. Because none of us up here could.”
********************
 
Danny appeared not long after Horatio hung up the phone wearing his suit pants and a white tank top. “I don’t got nothing else to wear,” he sighed. “All my stuff’s at Mac’s place and I ain’t ever going there again.”
 
“I don’t have much and what I do have will probably be too large for you,” Horatio said. He caught sight of Danny’s shoulders as the younger man sat down. “Danny, did Mac do that to you?”
 
“What?”
 
“The scars on your back,” Horatio said. “Is that some of Detective Taylor’s handy work?”
 
“Some of it, yeah,” Danny replied with a shrug. “He’s got this whip like thing that he used on me.” He wrapped up in the blankets again and stared at Horatio with scared blue eyes. “I gotta tell you everything he’s done, don’t I?”
 
“No, Danny, you don’t have to do anything,” Horatio said. “But I’d like for you to trust me enough some day that you’ll be able to tell me. Although I think I have a pretty fair idea about some of it. Damn, I wish I could catch him in an alley somewhere for five minutes.”
 
“You kinda stand out in a crowd,” Danny said. “Not to mention Mac’s a Marine and still works out daily. He’s got some scary moves.”
 
“He’ll get what’s coming to him,” Horatio promised. “Danny, Detective Flack is coming over to talk with me. He doesn’t know you’re here and you don’t have to see him if you don’t want to. It sounded to me like he knows something’s wrong with you because he said he’s glad I’m helping you. Did you ever tell him anything about what Taylor’s done to you?”
 
“Are you kidding me, Mac woulda had my head if I let anything slip at work,” Danny said. “I never told Flack nothing. And he ain’t talked to me in close to a year.”
 
Horatio sighed. “Danny, I’m making arrangements to get us out of the city but I need a list of what you want from your apartment,” he said. “Taylor is going to know where we’ve gone but Speed and I have a plan to throw him off the scent for a while. It’ll mean some travel time but you’ll be safe in Miami in a couple of days.”
 
“Yeah, I can make a list,” Danny said. “But who’s gonna pack it up? I know Mac’s got a spy on this place and the moment you leave he’s gonna be here to get me.”
 
“I’ll make it work, Danny. I promise you that,” Horatio said.
 
They both glanced over at a knock on the door. Horatio motioned towards the bedroom and Danny scurried off, shutting the door quietly behind him. The red head sighed and stood, walking over and checking through the peep hole to make sure that it wasn’t Mac Taylor on the other side with a gun before opening it to let in the very young detective.
 
“Lieutenant Caine, I’m Don Flack; call me Don, please. What’s going on? Mac’s turning the city upside down looking for Messer and no one’s seen him,” Flack said. “I’m surprised he ain’t here.”
 
“He was last night and did this,” Horatio replied pointing to the bruise on his cheek. He’d avoided telling Danny exactly how he’d gotten it although he figured the younger man had worked it out. “I’m curious as to why you stopped talking with Danny. He says you haven’t spoken to him in a year or so when you were best friends. What happened?”
 
Flack sank onto the sofa with a sigh. “Mac came to talk with me one night,” he said. “Told me that Danny had connections to the mafia and hanging out with him wouldn’t look so good to my bosses. I told Mac that he was nuts, that Danny ain’t got no connections to the mafia and asked him why he was spreading rumors ‘bout Danny. He told me that he wasn’t lying; he had the proof in his office. I asked Danny ‘bout it but he wouldn’t tell me nothing. Then I got busy at work and guess I just kinda lost touch.”
 
Horatio sat down in the chair next to the couch and looked at Flack from the corner of his eye. “Now tell me the real reason,” he said softly.
 
“What?”
 
“That might have been the truth at one point, Don, but there’s more to the story, isn’t there,” Horatio said in the same soft tone. “No one just forgets about their best friend, no matter how busy they are at work. And especially when they work in the same place.”
 
“Fine, you want to know the real reason,” Flack demanded, his temper rising. “I’ll tell you. It’s because Danny stopped talking to me. Every time I’d ask him to go shoot hoops after work or grab a beer he’d come up with some lame ass excuse as to why he couldn’t meet me. He stopped making eye contact with me at work and stopped talking to me even when we was working the same case. I figured if he was gonna be that way, like he was too good for me, then fine. I don’t need friends like that.”
 
“And if I was to tell you that there was a legitimate reason for Danny’s behavior, one that you should have recognized if you’d looked deeply enough, what would you say then?”
 
“I’d say you better lay it on me in the next five seconds,” Flack growled.
 
Horatio smiled. He liked the younger man’s temper and could tell that, deep down, he still cared about Danny. “What if I were to tell you that for at least the past year but possibly a good deal longer Mac Taylor has been abusing Danny,” Horatio said.
 
“Then I’d say you’re nuts,” Flack said. “There ain’t no way in hell Mac’d ever hurt anyone.”
 
Flack jumped when the bedroom door was flung open so hard it bounced off the wall and Danny appeared wrapped in blankets. “I knew that’s what you’d say,” Danny said. “I knew that no one would believe me. You wanna see the truth, Flackie? You wanna see what that bastard done to my body?” He let the blanket drop and stripped off his tank top. Burned across his back in pink scar tissue were the words Mac Taylor. Scars crisscrossed neatly from the base of his neck to the waistband of his pants. Horatio could tell that only some of them were from whips; there were also knife scars and smaller burn marks.
 
Horatio stood and walked across the room quickly and pulled a shaking Danny in against him. “It’ll be okay, Danny,” he whispered. He used his foot to kick the blanket up and wrapped it back around Danny’s shaking body. “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday it’ll be okay. You’re safe now and Taylor’s never going to hurt you again. If he tries he’ll have to come through me first.”

 

Danny pushed Horatio away roughly and gathered the blanket back around him. “I don’t need your pity, Horatio,” he snarled.
 
“I don’t pity you, Danny,” Horatio said. “I’m impressed by your strength, how you’ve managed to survive this for so long, and how you’ve been able to ask for help.”
 
“Messer, why would Mac do something like that?” Flack asked. “How could he do something so evil to you?”
 
“Why should I tell you?” Danny asked.
 
“Don’t be so damn stubborn, I want to help you,” Flack replied. “But I can’t do that if I don’t know the facts.”
 
“You didn’t care before,” Danny said. “I’ve been asking for help every way I dared and no one cared enough about me to see it. Everyone at the lab is so in awe of Mac they think he can do no wrong and blindly follow his lead in everything. Stella and Aiden didn’t even bat an eye when I was pulled from working solo cases and forced to work every day with Mac.”
 
Horatio gently maneuvered Danny to one of the chairs and settled him in it, wrapping another blanket around him. “Danny, I know you’re probably not ready for this but would you tell us what happened, please?” he asked. “Taylor needs to be punished for what he’s done and I’d like to help you get that peace of mind.”
 
“Yeah, sure, why not,” Danny shrugged dejectedly.
 
“You won’t have to face him ever again, Danny,” Horatio said. “I’ll make sure the case is iron-clad before anything happens.”
 
“Can you do that?” Flack asked.
 
“You would be amazed at what I can do, Detective,” Horatio said turning to glance at the younger man.
 
Danny snorted and burrowed down into the nest of blankets he was creating. “Mac first approached me about a month after I started working at the crime lab,” he said.

**Flashback**
 
Danny was in the trace lab slowly and methodically examining a suit that had been found near their victim. It seemed more than a little strange that the suspect would have changed clothes at the crime scene and left the original clothing behind but it was New York and stranger things had happened.
 
He didn’t glance up when he heard the door open and close behind him. “Danny.”
 
“Oh, hey Mac,” Danny said. “I’ve got some prints off the buttons and zippers. I’ve also found some hairs and other fibers. Based on the blood spray pattern I think this is what our suspect was wearing when he killed our victim.”
 
“Turn everything over to Stella, Danny, I need to speak with you in my office,” Mac said.
 
“Yeah, sure,” Danny said obviously puzzled. “I’ll be right there.”
 
He found Mac waiting for him in his office. “So what’s up?” Danny asked as he sat down in one of the guest chairs.
 
“Some new information has recently come to my attention, Danny,” Mac said. “First of all you lied to me during your interviews.”
 
“No I didn’t,” Danny exclaimed.
 
“Then why didn’t you tell me who your father and brother are?” Mac demanded.
 
“What have they got to do with anything?”
 
“They’ve got connections to the mafia,” Mac said. “To drugs, money and who knows what else.”
 
“Exactly; they have the connections, not me,” Danny said. “I ain’t never been involved with none of their business and didn’t know what they’re doing and I really don’t care. I left my family far behind when I went to college, Mac, and I ain’t never once looked back.”
 
Mac’s open hand hit the desk hard. “That doesn’t matter and you know it,” he snapped. “A good defense lawyer could use this information to raise enough reasonable doubt that perps could walk. I’m not willing to risk the integrity of this lab if I can avoid it.”
 
“So what, you want me go quit?” Danny asked. “You want me to save you the paperwork of having to fire me?”
 
“That’s the last thing I want you to do,” Mac said. “Because there would be questions as to why you left and all the cases you’ve worked could be called into question.”
 
“Then what the hell do you want me to do, Mac?” Danny exclaimed. “Because you sure can’t have it both ways.”
 
“Until I’m able to get this situation resolved you will work with me,” Mac said. “You won’t process anything unless I’m in the room with you and you won’t touch evidence unless I okay it first.”
 
“You know what, screw you Mac. I don’t need a baby-sitter,” Danny said. “If you’re gonna treat me like this then you can have the damn job and I’ll go to another crime lab.”
 
Mac stood and stalked around his desk. “If you leave, Danny, I’ll make sure you never get a job again,” he said. “You leave this lab and you’ll lose everything.”
 
“And what if I decide to talk with someone ‘bout all this?” Danny asked. “Tell ‘em what you’re doing.”
 
“Who do you think they’ll believe?” Mac smirked. “Me, a Marine, outstanding career with the NYDP or you, a Messer with family connections to the mafia and only on the job a month.”
 
“They’ll believe the truth,” Danny insisted.
 
“The truth is what you make of it,” Mac said. He put his hand on Danny’s shoulder. “And no one will ever believe anything you said because of your family connections. All they will see is a dirty cop.”
 
And with that everything went black.
********************
 
As Danny slowly came back to consciousness he realized a couple of things. One, he wasn’t at the lab anymore. Two, he was face down on an unfamiliar bed. Three, his glasses were missing. Four, he was naked. Five, his arms and legs were bound and he was spread-eagle on the mattress.
 
“Welcome back.”
 
“Where the hell am I, Mac?” Danny spat trying to twist his head around and focus on his boss.
 
“My apartment,” Mac replied calmly. He leaned against the door jam and crossed his arms over his chest. “I told Stella you weren’t feeling well and I’d be taking you home and watching you for the next few days. She’ll call me if I’m needed at the lab. Now, we’re going to talk about your new position.”
 
“I ain’t gonna be your slave, Mac,” Danny said pulling on the cuffs holding his hands to the headboard. “And I sure as hell ain’t just gonna lie here and let you do whatever the hell is running through your twisted mind. Let me up and we’ll forget this ever happened.”
 
“You’re really in no position to bargain,” Mac said. “Don’t make me gag you, Danny. I want to be able to hear your screams and pleading when we get there.”
 
“You know what, you’re seriously twisted, Mac,” Danny spat. The slap surprised him and his head bounced on the mattress a few times.
 
“The first rule is that you mind your tone when you speak to me,” Mac said coldly. “I’m doing you a favor, Danny. I’m helping you save your career. In fact, I’m doing every thing I can to help you and I won’t tolerate back-talk, swearing or sarcasm.”
 
Danny snorted. “Oh, yeah, well that’s just great because I never agreed to be in this relationship in the first place,” he said. “So what’re you gonna do, beat me into submission? It ain’t ever gonna work, Mac.”
 
He was expecting the slap this time and didn’t hit the bed nearly as hard. Mac sighed, stood up and went to the dresser in the corner. “I’m not expecting this to be easy, Danny,” he said. “But in the end not only will you thank me for it; you’ll see that it’s the only way you can keep your job at the lab. I’ll protect you, Danny, but you have to trust me.”
 
“Yeah, right,” Danny said. “Trust the man who did god knows what to me at work to make me pass out, brought me to his place, stripped me down and chained me naked to his bed. Yeah, I can really see how I’m gonna be grateful for all this in the end, Mac.”
 
“I just cut off the blood flow to your brain until you passed out,” Mac said as calmly as if he was talking about a magazine article in the break room. Then there was a faint hiss and something sliced across Danny’s back, leaving a trail of fire behind it. Danny cried out and pulled against the bindings again.
 
“What the hell?”
 
“It seems that it’s going to take more than a slap to the face to get you to listen to me,” Mac said. There was a hiss again and another trail of fire almost parallel to the first. “By the time we’re done here, Danny, you will know exactly what I want from you and you will give it to me.”
 
“What if I don’t?” Danny asked, biting his lip so he wouldn’t scream as the whip or whatever it was hit his back three more times. “Are you gonna kill me?”
 
“I can make you wish you were dead, Danny,” Mac replied. “And I promise you that you’ll give in to me in the end.”

Horatio sat stunned at the description of the abuse being given in so emotionless a voice. “Danny,” he finally interrupted.
 
“What?”
 
“Why didn’t anyone else notice this?” Horatio asked.
 
“Who knows,” Danny replied bitterly. “Why don’t you ask him? I’m gonna shower again.”
 
“Okay,” Horatio sighed. “Detective Flack, I don’t suppose it would be possible for you to go and buy Danny some new clothes, would it? He’s only got what he was wearing at work yesterday. He said something about all his clothes being at Detective Taylor’s house.”
 
“Seeing this it’s the least I can do,” Flack replied. “I don’t know how I missed it, Lieutenant. I shouldn’t have. I’m trained to see this shit and then when it’s right in front of my face I ignored it. I’ll be back in an hour. Take care of Danny for me.”
 
“I will,” Horatio said.
 
Once he was alone Horatio’s thoughts drifted to the young man who was in the shower trying to was away the dirt and shame of a memory. He understood only too well where Danny was coming from and maybe it was time to let his young friend know about it. The story was something that might help the abused young man come to trust him.
 
“Horatio, where’s Flack?”
 
“He went to get you a change of clothes,” Horatio replied. He watched as Danny wrapped back up in the blankets. “I think he’s beating himself up pretty hard about not seeing what happened to you.”
 
“Yeah, well, I figured out pretty damn quick that people don’t see things they don’t want to,” Danny snorted. “You’re living proof of that, Horatio. You only had to look at me and knew something was wrong. Why didn’t you talk with Mac about it?”
 
“Because I saw how you looked at him,” Horatio said. “And I saw the look he gave you when you first walked in. Taylor tried to hide it but I tend to see things that people don’t want me to.”
 
“I was thinking about what woulda happened if you’d talked to him first,” Danny admitted. “That’s one of the rules Mac drilled into me with his whip. No one can know what he’s doing. He might’ve killed me if I’d let something like that slip and it was brought to his attention first.”
 
“Danny, I understand better than you think I do,” Horatio said. “I’ve never told anyone about this but growing up my father was abusive to my mother and me. Only my younger brother, Raymond, seemed to escape his wrath.”
 
The younger man shifted in the chair until he was facing Horatio. “What happened?” he asked.
 
“Raymond grew up spoiled and ended up dying while undercover,” Horatio replied. “To this day I don’t know if he was a dirty cop or not. His wife and son are still in Miami and I love them both. She’d like more from me but I just can’t give it to her. I killed my father. I came home from school and found my mother in the kitchen, bleeding. I started to call 911 when the phone was ripped out of my hand and my father hit me in the temple. I’m still not entirely sure what happened but the emergency operator had the whole thing on tape and that’s why I was found not guilty. My mother didn’t make it. And Raymond, although he pretended, never forgave me for killing our father.”
 
“I’m sorry,” Danny said looking closely at the now almost haunted eyes.
 
Horatio smiled sadly. “It made me more aware of my surroundings and also what to look for when innocents are being abused,” he said. “I’m not sorry I killed him but I wish I’d had a chance to find out why he beat me the way he did. That’s the only piece of the puzzle I don’t have.”
 
“And as a CSI it’s driving you nuts,” Danny said. “I wish I knew why Mac was the way he is. He was married, lost his wife in the attacks on 9/11 and I can’t imagine Claire putting up with anything like this. I never knew her but I’ve heard Stella talk about her and she sounds like she was a strong woman.”
 
And as if mentioning her name was a signal Danny’s cell phone started to ring. He glanced at the display and saw it was at least Stella’s cell phone calling him. His hand shaking a little he flipped it open. “Hello?”
 
“Hey Danny, how’re you feeling?” Stella asked.
 
“Not that great, Stella,” Danny replied. “I think I got the flu or food poisoning or something because I can’t stand up without the room spinning around.”
 
“So you can’t come in and help us out then, huh?”
 
“I thought I’d be able to but now I’m debating going to the doctor,” Danny said. “I’m sorry, Stella. I hate to leave you short handed in the lab like this.”
 
“Its okay, Danny. You need to get better and get back in here so Mac gets back to normal,” Stella said. “He’s been biting everyone’s heads off since he got here this morning. If I didn’t know better I’d say he’s sick.”
 
“We’ve been working together for the past week,” Danny said. “Maybe he caught the same thing I did and don’t want nobody to know it.”
 
Stella laughed. “You guys always work together, Danny,” she said. “I think its sweet he’s taking so much time to train you. It means he really trusts you.”
 
“Yeah,” Danny said. “I gotta go, Stella.”
 
“Okay, take care of yourself and I’ll bring you some soup after shift. How’s that sound?”
 
“I’d rather you didn’t, Stella,” Danny said. “I don’t want to go getting you sick. I’ll be okay.”
 
“All right, Danny. Call me if you need anything.”
 
“Yeah,” Danny said and closed his phone. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to stop the tears from flowing and started when he felt warm fingers on his.
 
Horatio took the cell phone and put it on the table. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself, Danny,” he said. “What did Stella want?”
 
“For me to come into the lab,” Danny said wiping his face. “I just know Mac put her up to it knowing I wouldn’t think it was a set-up. Then she has the nerve to say it’s sweet that Mac’s working so hard with me at the lab. She thinks he trusts me.”
 
“She probably has a nice mental picture of him built up and refuses to look past it,” Horatio said. “But that’s no excuse for her ignorance. When we’re in Miami, Danny, would you allow me to take pictures of your back to send to the chiefs up here? I’d like to hurt Taylor as much as possible and I think short of killing him, taking away his lab will hurt the worse.”
 
“He’ll just say you photo shopped the injuries in,” Danny sighed. “I’ve tried that before, Horatio. Mac has an answer for everything.”
 
The red head looked up when there was a soft knock on the door. Danny gathered up his blankets and hurried to the bedroom shutting the door behind him. Horatio double checked who was in the hall before he opened the door. “That was quick,” he said.
 
“There’s a sports store just down the block from here,” Flack replied. He handed over two bags. “I got enough stuff for at least a week.”
 
“Thank you,” Horatio said. He made sure the locks were secure and went to the bedroom door. “Danny, there’s some clothing here for you.”
 
Danny cracked the door open and snagged the bags before shutting the door again. Flack groaned and flopped back onto the couch. “He ain’t ever gonna forgive me, is he?”
 
“That’s not for me to say,” Horatio said. “However Danny was your best friend. You should have noticed the changes in his moods, his behavior and his attitude. Why didn’t you?”
 
“Messer and I met when we were playing basketball and really hit it off,” Flack said. “He told me he was at the academy and wanted to be a CSI and I just teased him that he should be a real cop. But he don’t like guns. So we started hanging out and playing ball but Danny’s real quiet about his family and past. I still didn’t believe it when Mac came and started telling me all that shit about Danny’s family and their connections. But it was true. And then he stopped coming around to play ball. He was always busy.”
 
“So you said,” Horatio interrupted. “Did you ever look in his eyes when he was telling you these things?”
 
“I couldn’t ‘cause he wouldn’t make eye contact and he’s a good five inches shorter than me,” Flack sighed. “That shoulda been my first clue something was wrong. He’s always been so feisty and had a temper that matched mine. I wish I knew why I didn’t notice all the changes but I didn’t.”
 
“Maybe you were convinced things were fine,” Horatio said. “Maybe Detective Taylor came and talked with you about Danny.”
 
“No, but he did mention something ‘bout him and Danny working together at a crime scene not long after Danny started at the lab,” Flack said. “He told me it was because he saw so much potential and wanted to take Danny as his student.”
 
“Well, now we know what lie he used to be able to assign Danny to him on a daily basis,” Horatio said. “And not have anyone question him about it. I imagine being Taylor’s student is a rare and treasured thing?”
 
“I dunno, you’d have to ask Stella ‘bout that,” Flack said.
 
Horatio sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Flack, did you know Claire?”
 
“Claire, you mean Mac’s wife?”
 
“Yes.”
 
“Not personally,” Flack said. “I wasn’t with the lab back in ’01. I think Stella is the only one there who knew Claire. She and Mac have been friends for years. Why’d that come up?”
 
“Danny and I were wondering if Mac ever abused Claire,” Horatio said. “We were trying to figure out his motivations for his actions.”
 
“Why does anyone beat the shit out of someone else?” Flack snorted. “To feel more powerful and in control when they’re threatened. I want to help you when you make Mac pay, Lieutenant.”

 

Flack’s phone ringing interrupted his conversation with Horatio. “Yeah, Flack,” he said. “Okay, sure, I’ll be right there.”
 
“Is everything okay?” Horatio asked.
 
“That was Mac,” Flack replied. “He needs me at the lab for a case we’ve been working. How am I supposed to face him knowing what he did to Danny? I just want to punch him.”
 
“Don’t,” Horatio said. “We can’t let him know that Danny’s started talking to us. Trust me to take care of Taylor. You’ve got to act like there’s nothing wrong.”
 
“All right, I’ll try,” Flack said. “I’m coming back here after work though. We need to get Danny outta town.”
 
“Thank you,” Horatio said. He re-secured the door behind the young homicide detective and leaned against it for a moment.
 
“I didn’t tell him everything,” Danny said softly from the chair where he was remaking his nest. “Yeah I tried to ask for his help as much as I dared but I did push him away too.”
 
Horatio sat down on the sofa and looked over at Danny. “Can you tell me about it?” he asked.
 
“How much of this can you listen to?”
 
“As much as you want to tell me,” Horatio said.
 
“All right,” Danny replied with a shudder. “It was on the second weekend I spent chained face down on Mac’s bed. I could hear something strange behind me but it was what Mac was saying that really scared me.”

**FLASHBACK**
 
“You can pull against those cuffs as much as you want, Danny,” Mac said. “You’re not going to get free.”
 
“Let me go, Mac,” Danny spat, pulling harder against the left cuff. “You can’t keep me here forever and my blood and DNA will just prove what a sick bastard you are.”
 
The whip sang through the air and landed five stripes of burning pain along Danny’s back. “I told you to clean up that mouth of yours,” Mac said calmly. “The rules I gave you to follow are simple and for your own good.”
 
“You’ll have to beat ‘em into me, Mac, because I ain’t going to give in without a fight,” Danny said panting through the pain. “And you’re too much of a coward to face me on equal terms. You have to sneak up on me to knock me out and then chain me to your bed. I think you get off on all this, am I right?”
 
“Is that an offer, Danny?” Mac asked running his hands over Danny’s bare ass and down his legs. He laughed as the younger man twisted away. “Actually I hadn’t really thought about it but why not? I like the idea of you submitting to me on all levels.”
 
“Keep away from me,” Danny said struggling even harder against his bindings. “There ain’t no way in hell I’ll ever submit to you.”
 
Mac’s hand slapped against Danny’s lower back, just at the edge of the whip marks. “I’ll make you watch your tone yet, Danny,” he hissed.
 
“In your dreams,” Danny said. “Get off me.”
 
“I don’t think so,” Mac said. “You were mine the minute you lied to me at the interview and I’m just teaching you exactly where you belong.”
 
“Did you do the same thing to your wife?” Danny asked attempting to buck Mac off him. “Did you tie her to the bed and beat the shit outta her too? Or did she die not knowing what a monster she was married to?”
 
Danny screamed as Mac’s cock thrust into his body with no warning and no preparation, only some lube slicked over the thick member. “Don’t you ever mention her again,” Mac growled as he started thrusting into Danny’s body. “Because I will kill you if you do.”
 
“I’d prefer death to this,” Danny said. He had lost all control of his body and was pinned completely under Mac.
 
“I can make that happen,” Mac snarled. He wrapped an arm around Danny’s neck and everything went black for the younger man.
********************
 
When Danny woke up he realized that he was alone in the room and his whole body was a dull ache compared to his ass. It was on fire. Danny tried to remember his first aid training to try and figure out if he needed to try and convince Mac to take him to the hospital.
 
“I already took care of your injuries,” Mac said as he came back into the room. “You’re not going to report this, Danny.”
 
“Screw you,” Danny croaked his throat sore from where Mac had almost strangled him.
 
The whip cracked again and hit Danny’s back. “I don’t know how to teach you respect, Danny,” Mac said. “It’s a simple enough concept, one you should be able to figure out. I’ve made the rules as simple as I could and you refuse to follow them.” He hit Danny again. “This is for your own good, Danny.”
 
“You’re twisted,” Danny managed. “You’re evil and I’m going to make you pay. My friends’ll still believe me.”
 
“What friends?” Mac asked. He climbed back onto the bed and straddled Danny’s hips. “You have no friends, Danny. No one cares about you or what happens to you. No one but me. Stella and Aiden won’t care what I do to you. Hawkes thinks you’re pathetic and can’t stand having you in the morgue.”
 
“I got friends outside the lab.”
 
Mac’s fingers ran over Danny’s back, tracing the marks he had made. “Of course, Donald Flack Junior,” he said. “I would love to have him in my bed willingly. Can’t you just picture it, Danny? You in your proper position here on the bed, chained and gagged, as Flack and I take you over and over and over again? I bet I can tame him faster than I break you.”
 
“You stay away from him,” Danny snarled, pulling on his bonds again.
 
“Do you really think Flack would care about what happens to you?” Mac asked. “All I have to do is tell him you came to me willingly and he’d believe me over you.”
 
“You’re lying,” Danny protested. “Flack’ll always believe me.”
 
“So why don’t you try it?” Mac asked. He moved around and slid two fingers into Danny’s body. “I’ll tell you why, Messer. It’s because deep down you know I’m right. You know I’m the only one who really gives a damn what happens to you.” He started thrusting his fingers, spreading the lube and stretching the already inflamed tissue. “And I’ve got a special present for you today, Danny. Just as soon as my wood burning kit heats up.”

“What took you so long?”
 
“It’s my lunch break, Mac,” Flack replied as he closed the door to the office.
 
“Then why have you been gone for four hours?”
 
“I don’t have to answer to you, Mac. I’ve got other cases to work you know. So what have you got on the Carlson case?”
 
“Why were you at the hotel with that Miami CSI?” Mac asked. “You know where Danny is, don’t you?”
 
“You know, you’re really freaking me out here, Mac,” Don said. “I thought you had some new evidence in the Carlson case for me and if you don’t I’m heading back to my desk.”
 
“I do,” Mac said. “Come on, we’ve got an interview to do.”
********************
 
Mac parked in front of an apartment building and glanced over at Flack. “My notes are on my coffee table,” he said. “Why don’t you come up with me and we can review them before we go to the interview.”
 
“Sure,” Flack replied. He still wasn’t sure what Mac was playing at but thought it would be a good chance to look around and see if he could find any evidence of what Mac had been doing to Danny. Don had never been to Mac’s apartment before and wasn’t really sure what he was expecting.
 
The last thing he was expecting was to be grabbed and slammed up against the apartment door, his hands secured behind him. “What the hell, Mac?” Flack demanded pulling against the handcuffs.
 
“I’ve wanted you in my bed for so long,” Mac said nuzzling against Flack’s neck. “And I had a present for you but he’s vanished, although I think you know where he is.”
 
“Messer,” Flack said. “What makes you think I’d want Danny or you? Let me go and we’ll forget all about this.”
 
Mac spun the younger man around and claimed Don’s mouth in a deep kiss. He pressed in closer and ground his growing erection against Flack’s groin. Flack tried to pull away and managed to get a knee up.
 
“Bastard,” Mac growled. He straightened up and slapped Flack hard enough to take him to the ground.
 
“So it’s true,” Flack spat. “You have been abusing Danny for the past year. You’re a coward, Taylor.”
 
“How dare you pass judgment on me?” Mac demanded. He straddled Flack’s hips and leaned in to kiss him again. “Where did you see him, Don? Where’s Danny?”
 
“Why should I tell you, you bastard?” Flack asked. “So you can whip him again? Burn more words on his back or maybe rape him? Mess is my friend, Mac. I’ve already failed him enough. I’m not going to do it any more.”
 
“I don’t want to hurt you, Don,” Mac said moving to undo Flack’s suit pants and pulled them off. “I’ve wanted you to come to my bed willingly and want me. I’ve been dreaming about how your body would respond to my touch.”
 
“Then you have been dreaming because I’ve never even looked at a guy before, let alone got hard for one,” Flack said as he twisted trying to get away from Mac’s touch. “I know everything you’ve done to Danny, Mac. I know exactly how sick and twisted you are and you’re going to pay.”
 
“Big words for a man in your position,” Mac smirked. He leaned in and took the head of Flack’s limp cock in his mouth. Mac suckled for a moment before pulling back and taking it in his hand. “I’ll get you hard yet, Don, and you’ll beg me for release. It’s too bad you didn’t come to visit sooner. I had Danny trained perfectly and he would’ve offered himself to you. He was so beautiful stretched out on my bed, the perfect little slut.”
 
“You beat him into submission every night,” Flack snarled. “How many times did you almost kill him? How many times did you take all the skin off his back? How long did it take you to break his spirit?”
 
“Is that what turns you on, Don?” Mac asked with an evil smile. “Hearing what I’ve done to Danny?” He licked along Flack’s cock. “Do you want to hear exactly what I did and all the details? Would you like to hear how he screamed and begged?”
 
Mac grabbed the lube he’d stashed in his pant’s pocket. He slicked his right finger and slid it carefully into Flack’s body.
 
“Get your hands off me,” Flack growled still trying to twist away.
 
“Just relax and I promise you’ll enjoy this,” Mac said as he added a second finger. He leaned up and kissed Don again only to pull back suddenly. “You bit me.”
 
“You seem to like giving pain so much I thought maybe you’d enjoy getting it too,” Flack said. He spat out Mac’s blood. “Now undo these damn cuffs and get away from me.”
 
In response Mac ran some lube over his erection and thrust into Flack’s ass. “You’re just as tight as I imagined,” Mac moaned. “I’ve wanted to feel you for so long, Don. I just wish we were in my bed instead of the floor.”
 
“The same one you kept Danny chained to and raped him on?” Flack asked. “Is it the same bed you shared with your wife?”
 
Mac punched Flack so hard the younger man’s head bounced off the floor. Then he grabbed Flack’s hips and started thrusting harder. Don shook his head and grinned. “I guess I hit a sore spot,” he said. “How many times did you do this to Claire? Did she have to wear make-up to work so people wouldn’t know that he husband liked to beat the shit out of her?”
 
“I never laid a hand on her,” Mac snarled. “Now be silent.” He put a hand over Flack’s mouth as he moved.
 
Flack groaned in denial as his body started to respond to the situation. Mac smirked down at the younger detective. “I knew you’d love this. Come for me, Donnie. Come just from me inside you. Take me over the edge with you. I want to feel your…” He cried out as his climax hit, the heat of it pushing Don over as well.
 
Mac slumped down on Flack’s chest and pressed soft kisses to the younger man’s neck. “Let me teach you, Don,” he whispered. “Stay. Let me love you.” He pushed up just enough that he could kiss his lover again and thrilled when the other man responded. Their tongues tasted and mapped for a few long minutes.
 
“That was hotter than it should have been,” Flack finally gasped when they broke apart for air. “What’s that say about me? Why’d I respond like that?”
 
“It says there are times you want to give up control,” Mac said. He kissed Don’s neck again and bit down softly. “Come on, let’s go shower and we can talk some more. If you want to go forward with this you’ll have to think of a safe word and decide on your boundaries, Donnie.”
 
“Can you undo the cuffs?” Don asked.
 
Mac fished the keys out of his pocket and unlocked them. He flinched a little as Flack’s hands came up but moaned as his head was pulled down into another deep kiss. Flack ran his hands through Mac’s hair and down his back.
 
“One condition,” Flack whispered against Mac’s lips. “You forget about Messer and let him leave and live his own life.”
 
“Is that truly what you want?” Mac asked.
 
“Two hours ago I wanted to kill you for what you’ve done to Danny,” Flack replied. “Now I don’t know what I want other than freedom for Danny.”
 
“Why?”
 
“Because no one deserves that kind of treatment,” Flack said. “I’ll do whatever you want, Mac. Danny’s too scared to press charges and I won’t talk if you agree to this.”
 
“What about Caine?” Mac asked. “Come on; let’s get into the shower, Donnie.”
 
Flack let Mac pull him to his feet and followed the other man down the hall. He was surprised that the bedroom was as spotless as it was. Mac caught his look and smiled. “I didn’t leave any evidence of what I did, Don,” he said. “And I take very good care of my toys.”
 
“Why’d you do it, Mac?” Don asked. He undid his dress shirt and looked around.
 
“Put it in the hamper,” Mac replied. “Danny needed to be controlled to protect him and the lab. I didn’t know any other way to do it, Don. I know everyone thinks I’m sick but that’s how I was controlled in the Marines and I suppose it just came out again when I was under stress.”
 
“Someone tortured you?”
 
“My drill sergeant in boot camp and then my first commanding officer,” Mac sighed. He turned and Flack was appalled to see the same damage on Mac’s bare back that he had seen on Danny’s. “I know it’s no excuse for what I’ve done and Danny’s stronger than I am. I’ll let him go, Donnie.”
 
Don gathered Mac in a hug. “I’m still pissed as hell at you, Mac,” he said kissing Mac’s neck. “I hate what you did to Danny and there’s no excuse for it. But I’ll stay with you if you let him go for good.”
 
“I swear on what little honor I have left,” Mac said.

When Don woke up he found that he was chained to the headboard of Mac’s bed. He pulled on the cuffs. “What the hell is going on here, Mac?” he demanded.
 
“I’m going to get Danny back,” Mac said. “And then everything will be exactly as it should be. But I can’t have you warning him about it so I need for you to wait here.”
 
“You promised me you’d let him leave,” Don said pulling harder. “You swore if I gave myself to you that you’d let Danny have his life, Mac. What’s going on? Are you just psycho or something? You need help, Mac because this sure as hell ain’t natural. Let me go right now.”
 
“You said you’d stay and let me teach you,” Mac said with a smirk. “And I’m going to take you up on that. But I have to get Danny back, Donnie. I’ve put too much work into him to just let him leave no matter what I told you. Don’t pull on the cuffs too much while I’m gone because you’ll break something and you really don’t want me to be the one who sets it again.”
 
“Mac,” Don said panting a little. “What about what you was telling me about right before we fell asleep. How it was really me you wanted here and not Messer? Why do you want to ruin what we could have here with him around? He’s not worth it, Mac. Just let him go and then we can be happy.”
 
Mac snorted and took out a gag. “You’re only saying that to try and save him,” he said. “I’ve been training Danny for over a year and it won’t take me long to get him back where he belongs. And then you’ll learn your place too, Don. I can’t wait to watch the two of you together on the bed.”
 
“Don’t do this, Mac,” Flack said twisting his head to keep the gag out of his mouth as long as possible. “Let Danny go with Horatio. Let him have his freedom.” His words were cut off as Mac finally managed to catch him and stuff the gag in his mouth.
 
“I can’t,” Mac said. “Because if I let Danny go then you’ll always have the idea in the back of your mind that you can leave me too. Both of you belong to me, Don. You just have to realize it and then everything will be fine and we can all go back to work like nothing happened.”
********************
 
Horatio smiled down at the younger man sleeping in the bed. Danny had finally given in to the exhaustion that had been plaguing him for most of the day and gone to bed. He pushed the blond-tipped brown hair back off Danny’s forehead and kissed the cool skin gently. He knew that it was probably wrong of him to even be thinking things about the abused young man in front of him but Horatio was developing feelings for Danny. Horatio knew that Danny would probably never want to be in another relationship but he’d take being a friend and protector if it meant he could keep Danny safe.
 
He closed the door to the bedroom and went to the main door where he had heard knocking. Horatio glanced out and saw that it was Mac Taylor and sighed. He wasn’t going to let the dark-haired detective into the hotel room no matter what he said.
 
“I know you’re in there, Caine,” Mac’s voice came through the door. “And I know you have something of mine in there too. I want him back, now.”
 
Horatio moved silently to the table where he’d left his gun and checked it. He knew if he actually shot and killed Mac there would be a lot of questions and problems and Danny would be put through the wringer. Horatio didn’t think the younger man was mentally strong enough to survive such an ordeal and planned to use the gun as the absolutely last resort.
 
“Maybe we could make an exchange, Caine,” Mac continued. “I have Don Flack at my place. He gave himself to me in exchange for Danny’s freedom. But I can’t have my property thinking that they can just up and leave me whenever they want. Don’t make me kick the door in to get Danny back. He knows who he belongs to and once you’re out of the picture he’ll come back to me.”
 
Danny, who had appeared next to Horatio, whimpered. Horatio wrapped his arms around the younger man and pulled him in close. “He doesn’t know we’re here,” he whispered. “Stay quiet, Danny, no matter what he says. We’ll save Don but we have to be alive to do that.”
 
“Kill him,” Danny whispered. “Please, just kill Mac. It’s the only way we’ll be rid of him forever.”
 
“Shhh,” Horatio soothed. He tightened his hold and kissed the top of Danny’s head. “Hold on for me, Danny.”
 
“Do you think because this is a hotel I won’t break the door down?” Mac asked. “It doesn’t matter where you hide him, Caine. I’ll always be able to find Danny. He’s been mine since the day he walked in for his first interview and lied about who his family was. I don’t know what happened to make him forget his place but this will be the last time he ever does. I promise you that, Danny.”
 
Horatio was running through his limited options in his head. He didn’t dare try and open the door to reason with the man on the other side. Mac could have his gun or he could take Horatio out in some other manner and then he’d have Danny without a fight. He looked around and his eyes landed on the window. “Go get dressed, Danny,” he whispered. “We’re leaving.”
 
Danny’s eyes widened but he nodded and vanished silently back into the bedroom. Horatio got his jacket and slipped it on, making sure he had his phone, wallet, badge, ID and gun. He didn’t care about his clothes or any of the stuff in the bathroom. His eyes landed on his sunglasses and he picked them up, slipping them on. Danny reappeared dressed on one of the jogging suits Flack had bought him, sneakers and his warmer jacket. He had his badge and gun on the waistband. He took a deep breath and nodded to Horatio.
 
The red head opened the window to the fire escape as quietly as he could, ignoring the insane ranting that was still coming through the door. He’d never understood people who felt they had to rant and rave about their plans when it was so much more effective to just go for the throat – so to speak. Horatio encouraged Danny to go out ahead of him and pointed up. Danny nodded and swallowed hard but went out and started to climb. Horatio followed, shut the window behind him and caught up to Danny, lending as much silent support as he could.
 
When they got to the roof they hid behind one of the small utility buildings while Horatio made a phone call. Danny huddled against the older man and wrapped his arms around his legs. He couldn’t stand the thought of his best friend giving up everything just for him. There was no way he’d be able to leave New York while Flack was still at Mac’s place.
 
“Danny, listen to me,” Horatio said softly. “We’re going to go down the back stairs, out into the alley and then follow the alleys until we’re sure we haven’t been seen. Then we’re going to take a cab to Mac’s apartment and get Don. Then a friend of mine is going to meet us at the airport with your things and we’re leaving. Do you understand?”
 
“What if he finds me?” Danny asked. 
 
“The only way he is taking you back is if he kills me first,” Horatio replied. He kissed the top of Danny’s head again. “That’s not going to happen, Danny. We’re all going to get out of this alive and we’re going to make him pay for what he’s done.”
 
“If he touches me again, I’ll kill him,” Danny said.
 
“Danny, no,” Horatio said. “If you kill him then you’ll have to go on trial and you need time to heal before that happens. You need to let it go for now. Give me time to get the case built up and then we’ll get him. I promise we’ll get him.”
 
Danny took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll try.”
********************
 
Flack’s arms were red with blood by the time he finally gave up pulling on the cuffs that were securing him to the bed. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid to believe Mac like he had. And to think that he liked giving up control to another guy; Mac probably just knew all the buttons to push and what to do to get him to respond and there weren’t any feelings involved. Now there was no way for him to help Danny either. Mac had taken him out of the equation so neatly that Don was impressed and sickened at the same time. And what made it even worse was that part of him wanted to feel that way again. He’d almost enjoyed it when Mac ripped into his body like he had. Don didn’t know what that said about him but if he ever got out of his current situation then he was going to do some serious soul-searching.
 
He tensed when he heard the door open. Don just knew that Mac was back and had Danny with him. He didn’t know if it meant that Horatio had been killed or was just injured and maybe dying but now they were all in trouble.
 
“Donnie,” Danny’s voice broke through the red haze of pain and blood loss. “You idiot, let’s get you outta here.”
 
“Quickly, Danny,” Horatio said snapping pictures with a camera he’d found on the dresser.
 
Danny nodded and dug in the drawer where he’d heard Mac drop the keys night after night. He found the right one and used it to unhook the cuffs holding Flack to the bed. “Don, I’m just gonna wrap these in gauze until we get to the airport, okay?” he asked. “Because we really need to get outta here now.”
 
“Where’s Mac?”
 
“Hopefully still at the hotel,” Horatio said. He finished taking pictures and took out the memory card. “But Danny is right, we need to go now.”
 
“What about work?” Don asked.
 
“It’ll all be taken care of,” Horatio replied. “Danny, are there back stairs here?”
 
“Yeah, this way.”
 
Horatio took Don’s weight as Danny helped the younger man into his slacks and shoes – the shirt was a loss. Then he handed Don to Danny for a moment and slipped off his long overcoat. “It’ll be a little small on you, Don, but it’ll do for now. Danny, lead the way please.”
********************
 
It seemed almost too easy to get both Danny and Don to the airport. They were met by the family bathroom by Dr. Sheldon Hawkes. The ME was holding two bags and a guitar case. He took one look at the two young men with Horatio and motioned everyone into the large family bathroom.
 
“Thanks for all your help, Doc,” Horatio said. “Flack’s the one who needs medical attention right now and then we’ve got to get on a plane. If Mac catches us here then I don’t know what could happen.”
 
“You’re welcome and I’m only sorry I didn’t realize this sooner, Danny,” Hawkes said. “Mac told me you were studying as his student and I took him at face value. Horatio’s told me a little of your injuries and, seeing the condition Flack is in, I am impressed at your strength.”
 
“Doc,” Danny said. He wasn’t sure exactly what else he should say to the ME. All the lies Mac had told him had mixed in his mind until he believed that none of his coworkers cared about him. “Thanks for getting my stuff.”
 
“It’s the least I could do, Danny,” Hawkes said. “There you are, Don. Have him checked again when you land in Miami, Horatio, but he should be fine with a couple days to rest. Let me go out first and make sure that Mac isn’t hanging around before you come out and head to the gate. Your flight boards in five minutes and you’re already checked in.”
 
“How’d you manage that?” Danny asked. He picked up the backpack he recognized as one of his own and his guitar case.
 
“I explained that we were taking two witnesses in an abuse case out on the flight and needed the utmost secrecy,” Hawkes said with a grin. “And it was a matter of life and death. They’re going to waive your screening process too. Here’s the paperwork, Horatio. Take these two to safety and make sure they’re okay. And get in touch when you’re ready to take this whole thing to trial. I’ll be there to testify.” 
 
“Thanks again, Sheldon,” Horatio said.
 
“As I said, it’s the least I could do,” Hawkes replied. He hugged all three of the men and then stood on guard until he was sure that the plane had taken off and they were safely away from New York. He sighed. Now they had to deal with Mac.

It seemed almost too easy. Horatio took Danny and Don through security and onto the plane with no hassle thanks to the papers Hawkes had supplied. They had first class seats, thanks to Speed; Horatio put Danny next to the window and sat with him with Don in the window seat and no companion in front of them. None of the trio relaxed until the plane was in the air and on the way to Miami via Charlotte and Atlanta. Of the two younger men Horatio was honestly more concerned about Don Flack and wanted to have a serious talk as soon as they were in Miami and safely hidden away.
 
“What happens now?” Danny asked softly.
 
“Now you begin to heal,” Horatio replied just as softly. “And I promise that I will be next to you every step of the way, Danny. When you’re comfortable enough I’d like to have you speak with a friend of mine. She’s a psychiatrist who has helped me through several dark periods in my life.”
 
Danny nodded. “What about Mac?” he asked. “He’s not just going to let us go. He knows you’ve helped us escape and he knows where you live.”
 
“I’ll take care of Mac,” Horatio said. “I want you to focus on healing. I know Mac has probably beaten a number of rules into you and I want you to work to forget them.”
 
“I don’t know if I can,” Danny admitted.
 
“Just promise you’ll try, Danny,” Horatio said. “That’s all I’ll ever ask of you. Now I do need to tell you something. When we get to Miami my friend Speed is going to pick us up and we’ll go to my house. I have more than enough room for both you and Don to stay with me for as long as you need to. When we get there my ME is going to be waiting. Her name is Alexx and I’d like to have her check you both over to make sure you’re physically okay.”
 
“Will she have to look at my back?” Danny asked.
 
“Not if you don’t want her to,” Horatio replied. “Deep breaths, Danny. You’re okay, you’re safe.”
 
Danny took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Will it ever go away, Horatio?”
 
“With time and distance,” Horatio said. “When you realize you’re safe no matter what and that Mac Taylor will never touch you again. It might take years, Danny, but I know you’re strong enough to survive.”
********************
 
Speed was pacing in front of the gate when the plane finally arrived. He wasn’t exactly sure how Horatio always managed to get into situations like this but he was always there to help. Speed had restocked the kitchen, made up the guest room and bought medical supplies to get Horatio’s house ready for his guest. One thing Speed was going to have a serious talk with Horatio about was sending him to Artie’s adult store to get scar ointment. Speed honestly couldn’t remember the last time he had been so embarrassed.
 
What he wasn’t expecting was the second young man who got off the plane with Horatio; a young man Speed had never thought he’d see again. “Donnie, what happened?”
 
“Later, Speed,” Horatio said. He handed off the bags and took Danny’s guitar case. “We need to get them to my house as fast as possible. Then we’ll talk, okay?”
 
“You got it, H. The Hummer is just outside and Alexx is waiting for us.”
 
“Were you able to get everything?” Horatio asked.
 
“Yeah, and we’re going to talk about that,” Speed replied. “Because Artie was way too amused for comfort.”
 
Horatio grinned and turned his attention back to the young men in his care. He had honestly forgotten that Speed knew Flack and was starting to think that maybe Speed would be able to help the young detective with a few of his questions.
********************
 
The first thing the men smelled when they walked into the house was the wonderful smell of chocolate chip cookies. Horatio and Speed exchanged a glance.
 
“She’s in full mother mode,” Speed commented.
 
“Go on and let her know we’re here,” Horatio said. “I want to show Danny and Don to their rooms.”
 
Danny glanced around as they moved through the house. It was open, airy and nicely decorated. Horatio had good taste and the fact was reflected in his home. It was a place Danny thought he could eventually feel safe.
 
“Don, I want you to take the guest room,” Horatio said opening a door off to their left. “The bed is longer and will fit you better.”
 
“Sure thing, but what about Danny?” Don asked.
 
“Danny, you can stay in my nephew’s room,” Horatio continued. “I’ve kept it furnished for him even though he hasn’t stayed over since his father died.” He led the way down the hall and opened a second door. “I promise you he won’t mind. That is the guest bathroom and my bedroom is at the end of the hall. The only thing I ask is that if you take a book off a shelf you make sure it goes back in the same place.”
 
“What chores do you want me to do?” Danny asked softly.
 
“What the hell are you talking about?” Don demanded, probably a little more sharply than he intended.
 
Horatio shook his head to keep Don quiet and moved over to Danny. He put a hand on Danny’s shoulder and tilted the younger man’s chin up. “Will you be more comfortable with something to do, Danny?” he asked softly. 
 
“Please,” Danny said. “I don’t think I can stand everything changing at once.”
 
“What did Mac make you do?” Horatio asked.
 
“Everything but cook,” Danny said. “He didn’t trust me to make the food. It was probably a good precaution at first because I would’ve done anything to get away from him.”
 
Horatio nodded and his thumb rubbed Danny’s cheek gently. “I have someone who comes in and cleans once a week, Danny,” he said. “But if you want, and only if you want, you can do the dishes and the laundry until you’re ready for change.”
 
“Thank you for understanding,” Danny whispered.
 
“You’re welcome,” Horatio smiled. “Go ahead and drop off your bags and let’s go meet Alexx, okay? I really don’t think we should keep her waiting much longer.”
 
Alexx and Speed were at the kitchen table talking softly when the others joined them. She made eye contact with Horatio, asked a silent question and received an answer. Her focus shifted to Don. “Hey sugar, I’m Alexx,” she said. “Timmy told me you’re hurt.”
 
“Timmy?” Don asked, obviously amused.
 
“You ever call me that again, Flack, and there will be trouble.” Speed broke off a piece of the cookie he’d been eating and dunked it in the milk in front of him.
 
“Yeah, yeah,” Flack grinned. “I just cut up my wrists, Alexx, I’ll be fine.”
 
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Alexx said firmly. “And then, if you’re good, you can have a cookie.”
 
Flack grumbled but sat down and held out his left hand. Horatio looked over from the island where the cookies were. “He was restrained with police issue handcuffs for an unknown period of time, Alexx. His arms were covered in blood when we found him and Hawkes up in New York did a fast bandage job so we could fly out.”
 
“We’ll get you taken care of now, sugar, and then I want you to sleep for a bit,” Alexx said.
 
“I’m not tired.” Flack hissed as the bandages were pulled off.
 
“You will be soon enough,” Alexx said. She cleaned the cuts gently and looked at them. “You need stitches, Don.”
 
“Go ahead; I’ve been cut up at work enough to be used to it.”
 
Horatio glanced around and realized that Danny was at the sink washing the dishes Alexx had used. He went over to the younger man. “You don’t have to do those now,” he said softly.
 
“It keeps me busy,” Danny said. “What’s going to happen to me now, Horatio? I’m never going to be able to get a job again.”
 
“Why do you say that, Danny?” Horatio broke off a piece of the cookie he was holding and held it out for Danny.
 
Danny took the cookie carefully with his teeth. He wasn’t sure what it meant but he got a warm feeling every time Horatio did something like that. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so safe and, well, loved.
 
“I left the lab without giving notice,” Danny said after he swallowed the cookie. “Plus Mac’s got enough dirt on me to poison any supervisor or lab before they really look at me.”
 
“Except one,” Horatio replied. “I need another CSI on my team, Danny, and if I want you there then my bosses won’t argue the point. And that way I can keep my promise to you too.”
 
“What?”
 
“I promised I’d stay with you until this is all over and you feel safe again,” Horatio said. “And if I can’t be with you, Danny, the Speed or Alexx will. They will both guard you as fiercely as I do. I trust them both with my life.”
 
“You keep talking about me, H, and I’ll show you fierce,” Speed said. He caught Don as the younger man suddenly slumped forward. “Very sneaky, Alexx; you drugged his milk.”
 
Alexx grinned. “He needs his sleep,” she said. “Can you get him to bed, Timmy?”
 
“Oh sure, no problem, he’s only two inches taller than me,” Speed replied. “No problem, I’ll just drag him down the hall and…ouch, Alexx.”
 
“Don’t sass me, Tim Speedle.”
 
“Yes, mom,” Speed said rubbing the back of his head. With Horatio’s help he managed to get Flack’s arm around his shoulders and staggered off towards the guest room.
 
“Now then, baby, what about you?” Alexx asked, her focus shifting to Danny.
 
“All my wounds are old,” Danny replied.
 
“Timmy told me you’ve been abused,” Alexx said gently. “There’s no shame in it, sweetie. Other than being too thin, at a first glance you appear to be physically healthy. Is there anything you need to tell me about? Any medical conditions?”
 
Horatio nodded from behind Danny and spoke up when it became obvious the younger man wasn’t going to. “He’s been having panic attacks, Alexx, along with severe anxiety and nightmares.”
 
“That’s normal,” Alexx said. She ran her hand through Danny’s hair gently. “And they’ll pass in time. Do you want something to help you sleep, Danny?”
 
“No, thank you,” Danny said quickly. “I wanna be able to wake up if I have a nightmare.” He put the last dish in the drain rack. “Is it okay if I try and sleep, Horatio?”
 
“You don’t have to ask permission, Danny,” Horatio reminded him gently. “But yes, of course it is. I’ll come and check on you in a few hours, okay? And come wake me up if you need something during the night.”
 
“Okay,” Danny agreed.
 
Alexx looked over at Horatio once they were alone in the kitchen. “You know he’s trying to transfer ownership to you?”
 
“Yeah,” Horatio sighed. “He’s been through so much in such a short period of time, Alexx. I almost don’t know where to start helping him.”
 
“You already have, Horatio,” Alexx said. “You helped him escape from a horrible situation and you’re giving him his life back. He’ll flourish here. You’ll see.”
 
Speed rejoined them, grabbed another cookie and looked at Horatio. “Flack’s out cold for the moment,” he said. “What the hell happened, H?”
 
“Truthfully I’m not sure,” Horatio replied with another sigh. “He was at the hotel helping me plan a way to get Danny out of the city and he got a phone call from Mac Taylor. The next thing I know, Taylor is banging on the hotel door saying Flack traded himself for Danny’s freedom. Once Danny and I were out of the hotel we went to Taylor’s apartment and found Flack chained to the bed. I documented everything while Danny got him loose.”
 
“That really doesn’t sound like Flack,” Speed said.
 
“I’m going to talk with him when he wakes up,” Horatio said. “Can you do me another favor, Speed?”
 
“As long as I don’t have to go back to Artie’s.”
 
“I need you to start the employment paperwork for Danny,” Horatio said. “We’ll keep him in the lab for now but I want him to know he has a job here. It’s really bothering him.”
 
“That shouldn’t be too much of a problem on this end but what about getting his employment records and information from New York?” Speed asked.
 
“Contact personnel first and then, if you have to talk with the lab, make contact with a CSI named Stella,” Horatio replied. “She’s SIC to Mac and will probably be able to help you.”
 
“H, you know we’re going to have Taylor down here soon,” Speed pointed out.
 
“Hopefully not before I get the case against him put together,” Horatio sighed. “Because I will kill him if he tries to hurt Danny again.”
 
“We’ll help,” Alexx said firmly.

When Horatio checked on the young men under his care he found that they were both asleep; Don obviously drugged to allow his body to heal and Danny was curled up like a cat in the middle of the bed and totally hidden by the blankets. As he didn’t feel tired himself, Horatio went to his computer and uploaded the pictures he had taken of Flack and found an unpleasant surprise. There were pictures and video of what Mac had done to Danny. It struck Horatio as strange because, apart from Flack on the bed, Horatio hadn’t seen any signs in the apartment that Mac Taylor had a dark side. But he labeled and envelope along with a notation that he had downloaded the images and sealed away the memory card. He would take it to the lab and ask Tyler to validate the images the next day so he could start his case against the New York supervisor. Horatio emailed copies of everything to Sheldon Hawkes along with a note asking him to just hold onto everything in case something happened and Horatio was no longer able to pursue his case.
 
The next part would be harder but Horatio had to learn everything he could about Mac Taylor. He made a list of contacts and also favors he could call in. A part of him really hoped the man was stupid enough to come to Miami and attempt to kidnap Danny. Then Horatio would be able to shoot Mac and end everything permanently and Danny could start to heal.
 
“Horatio?”
 
“Danny, I thought you were asleep,” Horatio said. “What’s wrong?”
 
“I guess it’s all just too new,” Danny said. “I’ve been stuck in the same nightmare for over a year now and suddenly everything has changed.”
 
“What can I do to help you, Danny?”
 
“That’s just it, I don’t know,” Danny replied running a hand through his hair. “I never asked for none of this to happen and now I don’t have a home or a job. I’ve lost all my stuff and all it’ll take is one word from Mac and I’ll lose everything else.”
 
Horatio stood and pulled Danny in against him. The younger man didn’t even struggle; he collapsed against Horatio and started crying. “You do have a home, Danny,” Horatio whispered. “This is your home for as long as you want it to be. You have a job with my team that starts next week. If you want anything else from New York tell me and I’ll find a way to get it. And no one here will care what Mac Taylor says because you’re part of our family now and we look after our own.”
 
“How can you be so sure?” Danny sniffled.
 
“Because I know my team,” Horatio replied. “And if anyone did dare to say anything then they’d not only have to deal with me but Speed, Eric, Alexx and Calleigh. I know you don’t feel like it now, Danny, but you’re safe here.”
 
“What about Mac?”
 
“I’ll take care of him, Danny. I’ll take care of him and he won’t be able to hurt you, Don or anyone else ever again. I promise you. And he will pay for what he’s done.”
 
Danny pulled back and dried his eyes. “Do you mind if I borrow one of your books to read?” he asked.
 
“Of course not,” Horatio smiled. “Just try not to stay up all night reading, okay? Will you promise me you’ll try to sleep?”
 
“I’ll try,” Danny sighed. “I doubt I’ll be able to, but I’ll try.”
 
Horatio hugged Danny and kissed the top of his head. “That’s all I’ll ever ask of you is that you try.”
********************
 
When Horatio woke up the next morning he quickly realized that he wasn’t alone in his bed. Danny had come in at some point during the night and curled up on top of the covers. Horatio just shook his head, covered the younger man up and made his way gingerly to the bathroom. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so hard he’d had trouble walking and refused to dwell on it. There was a very strong possibility that Danny wasn’t even remotely bisexual and had no interest in men at all. In the videos Horatio had scanned the night before he had noticed that Danny was never aroused.
 
The last thing Horatio wanted, or Danny needed, was for their relationship to turn sexual purely because Danny felt he owed Horatio for saving him. Or because he now had a Mac Taylor-shaped void in his mind that needed to be filled. If Danny came to Horatio once everything was over and he’d been through some counseling sessions and wanted a relationship then Horatio would give it to him and only then.
 
Once the water was adjusted Horatio stepped in and promptly used the soap to slick his fingers and hand. He really didn’t like jerking off in the shower so he didn’t keep lube there. Horatio bit his lip to keep from moaning as he pushed two fingers into his body and wrapped his other hand around his erection. There was no finesse as he stroked, pushing his fingers deeper until his hit his prostate and then started thrusting them as best he could. Horatio’s knees buckled as he came, hard, and was left panting against the wall. He took a few minutes to catch his breath and then started to get cleaned up for the day.
********************
 
Don had awoken before dawn, made coffee and settled onto the back deck where he could hear the ocean waves against the beach. Even though he didn’t want to he decided he really needed to examine what had happened at Mac’s apartment. Don wanted to say it was a fluke, that Mac had known what to do to get him to respond and it would never happen again. But he also knew it would be a lie.
 
He thought back to the exactly moment he had stopped fighting Mac and had given in to what was happening. It was really obvious that the older man knew what he was doing; Don had been able to tell that when Mac started sucking him. And that did mean that Mac would know what to do to get Don aroused and to climax but he wondered if it was that simple.
 
He’d been an idiot for trying to exchange himself for Danny but it had been a way to get his best friend safely out of the city. Don had never known Mac to go back on his word and had been sure he was going to let Danny leave. Had Mac been lying to them all the whole time and none of them had known it? Was it possible that no one at the lab really knew Mac at all?
 
“Don?” Horatio’s soft voice broke into his thoughts. “How long have you been out here?”
 
“Since before the sun came up,” Don replied. “I needed to think.”
 
“The ocean is good for that. Have you come to any conclusions?”
 
“Just that I’m an idiot. I never should’ve made that deal with Mac. I should’ve just gotten outta there as soon as I could.”
 
“Why didn’t you? Why did you stay?”
 
“Because I liked it,” Don said. “I liked what Mac was doing to my body and I liked how I felt. Now I just feel sick.”
 
“Is that the first time you’ve been restrained during sex?” Horatio asked. “I don’t need the details, just a simple yes or no will work.”
 
Don blushed. “No,” he said softly.
 
“Don’t be embarrassed, Don, it’s not that uncommon,” Horatio said. “In fact I have a pair of leather cuffs I’ve used in the past with a partner I thrust. Sometimes the ability to give control to another person, to allow them to take care of you for a while is one of the most erotic experiences you can have.”
 
“So I ain’t abnormal?”
 
“No; you’re a young man who has been forced to realize some things about himself that he didn’t consciously acknowledge before,” Horatio said. “I’ve got some books hidden in my bedroom that you can read that might help you understand things a little better.”
 
“Why are they hidden in your room?”
 
“Because my brother, sister-in-law and especially nephew don’t need to know about my sexual preferences,” Horatio said. “Although I have a feeling Raymond suspected something before he died. But he never asked me about it.”
 
Flack nodded. “Horatio, I gotta ask. What are your intensions towards Danny?”
 
“To help him heal and become whole again,” Horatio replied. “And then if he truly wishes it, I’m willing to be in a long-term relationship with him. But only after everything is over and he’s talked with a professional. I refuse to allow him to use me, or himself, while he’s rediscovering himself away from Mac Taylor.”
 
“I guess I gotta do the same, huh?”
 
“My advice to you is to talk with Speed first,” Horatio said. “As much as he was grumbling about going to the adult store, I suspect it was the purchase that embarrassed him.”
 
“What did he get?”
 
“A cream to soften the scars on Danny’s back. I know for a fact that Speed prefers the gay clubs and frequents one of the rougher ones on occasion.”
 
“Do you think he’d be able to help me figure out what I want?”
 
Horatio smiled at the younger man. “I suspect you’ll find you want and need someone you trust enough to give control over to,” Horatio replied. “Someone who will test your limits but stop when you ask them to. When Danny wakes up I’ll find those books for you.”
 
“What’s he doing in your bedroom?”
 
“I’m not sure but I suspect he felt safer being close to me,” Horatio said with a small sigh. “He joined me at some point during the night and I didn’t realize it until I woke up this morning.”
 
“He’s been through so much on his own,” Flack said sadly. “I don’t even know where to start to help him.”
 
Horatio put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Just treat him like you always have,” he said. “Danny’s feeling scared because everything has changed. You’re a constant for him. Don’t take that away from him now.”
 
Don took a deep breath and nodded. “I can do that,” he said.
 
“Good; now, what would you like for breakfast?”

“All right, Mac, do you want to tell me exactly what the hell is going on here?”
 
Mac looked up at Stella in shock. “I’m doing paperwork,” he replied dryly.
 
“That’s not what I’m talking about and I think you know it.” Stella shut the door and leaned on Mac’s desk. “Three days ago that CSI from Miami shows up and Danny vanishes. He calls in, to me not you, and says he’s sick. Then you start tearing up the city looking for him. And then, if that wasn’t enough, Don Flack goes missing and no one can seem to find him.”
 
“Stella,” Mac sighed.
 
“I’m not finished,” she snapped. Stella threw a folder down on Mac’s desk. “This morning I get a phone call from Miami asking for Danny’s employment records.”
 
“What?”
 
“Did he ever mention anything to you about leaving?” Stella asked. “The two of you are so close; you’re his mentor, so I’m asking you again; what’s going on here?”
 
“Who did you talk to in Miami?” Mac demanded. “Was it Caine?”
 
“No, someone named Tim Speedle. Why does that matter?”
 
“Danny never gave notice,” Mac said. He turned his back on Stella before she could see his expression and give the game away.
 
“It’s in the folder,” Stella said. “The clerk told me it was faxed in two days ago but there was a glitch getting it to us.”
 
“What does it say?”
 
“Something about personal reasons and no longer feeling comfortable here,” Stella sighed. “Mac, did something happen between you and Danny?”
 
“Why would you ask that, Stella?” Mac asked.
 
“Because as far as I knew Danny was happy here,” she replied. “I know how lucky he was to be picked as your student. Why would he throw all that away?”
 
Mac sighed. “I don’t think he did. That letter was faxed in, where did it come from?”
 
“The Miami-Dade Crime Lab, why?”
 
“It’s a fake,” Mac said.
 
“Oh, come on Mac, it’s typed; how do you know Danny didn’t write it?”
 
He finally felt in control enough to turn and face her. “I know because Danny still in New York two days ago,” Mac said.
 
“So, what, you think he was kidnapped by that Lieutenant Caine?” Stella asked. “I dunno, Mac, that seems pretty far-fetched. I mean, first of all why would he want to abduct Danny? Why wouldn’t Danny try to escape? How would he get Danny out of the city without someone knowing about it?”
 
“You said Don Flack was missing too.”
 
“No way am I believing that,” Stella insisted. “Flack and Danny are best friends. There’s no way Flack would do anything to hurt Danny.”
 
“Well, whatever is going on, we need more information,” Mac said. “Call Flack and see what he says. I’ll try and reach Danny.”
 
“What if they don’t answer?”
 
“I have a pretty good idea where Danny is,” Mac said. “I’ll fly down and talk with him in person.”
********************
 
In the morgue Hawkes carefully downloaded all the pictures and videos Horatio had sent onto a pair of memory sticks. Then he put those in an envelope along with specific information on what to do with it if anything happened to him. He had just put the envelope in his desk drawer when he heard the morgue door open.
 
“Hawkes?”
 
The ME shook his head and turned off the computer monitor. Of all the times for Mac to visit when there was no case the man had to pick now.
 
“Hey Doc, I have a question for you,” Mac said leaning against the door frame to the small office/bedroom.
 
“How can I help you today, Mac?” Hawkes asked. He took off his glasses and set them carefully on the desk.
 
“Exactly how well do you know Horatio Caine?”
 
“Do you mean the CSI from Miami that was here on the Murdoch case? I only heard his name in passing, I never met him.”
 
Mac’s eyes hardened for a second and, if Hawkes hadn’t been watching so closely, he would’ve missed it. “That wasn’t the question.”
 
“I’ve never met the man,” Hawkes said. His face and voice were calm but his mind was whirling. Somehow Mac knew that he’d been the one to help Horatio. And Hawkes had no intention of ending up like Danny and Don – or worse. “Now, if there’s nothing else, Mac, I’m in the middle of researching a paper.”
 
“No, there’s nothing else,” Mac said with a funny smile. “At least not at the moment.”
 
Hawkes didn’t relax until he was alone again. He made a mental note to email Horatio when he got home that evening. And also not to be alone with Mac Taylor in the near future.
********************
 
Mac wasn’t surprised when Stella was unable to contact Flack by phone. That bastard Caine had probably taken their cell phones away the first chance he got. Mac knew he’d have to fly to Miami but needed to wait until he wasn’t expected. Then he’d have a better chance of grabbing one of the young men. He just wasn’t sure which one.
 
It would probably be best to grab Danny and bring him home to New York because then Flack would follow to try and save his best friend. Then Mac would have them both without much of a fight. Of course, Caine would have to be eliminated but Mac could make that murder look like either a suicide or gang-related. And now that everyone thought Danny was working in Florida Mac would be able to keep him chained in the apartment all the time. There was no way the younger man would forget his place ever again.
 
Mac walked back to the bedroom and studied the bed for a moment. His hand absently trailed into the sweats he was wearing as he pictured Danny chained spread-eagle across the mattress. One thing he had never expected was how perfectly Danny fit on his bed and how much fun he’d had teaching the younger man his place. Mac grinned as Don Flack’s image joined the fantasy, climbing onto the bed with Danny. Mac moaned as his hand worked his erection, the fantasy taking over.
 
He could see it so clearly in his mind as Don leaned in to lick the blood and sweat from Danny’s back, his tongue lapping at the damage caused by Mac’s whip. He could hear Danny’s broken whimpers as Flack cleaned him and Danny finally understood how worthless he really was.
 
“Take him,” Mac whispered.
 
In his mind Mac could see Flack reach for the lube and use it to slick his cock. He lined up and pushed into Danny’s body, the other man’s scream echoing in the room. Mac’s hand matched the push of Don’s hips as he thrust deeply into his best friend’s body. Mac could almost hear the whimpers and cries from Danny as he twisted to get away. He saw Flack’s hands go to Danny’s hips to hold him in place for a hard thrust and then Don stayed still as he leaned in to lick Danny’s back again.
 
Mac would have to teach the younger man exactly how and where to bite Danny. It would be so hot to teach Flack and then watch them together on his bed. And then Mac would be able to claim Don while he was still pulsing into Danny’s body.
 
He fell back against the wall as his climax hit. Mac needed to get the two younger men back as soon as possible because his hand only just took the edge off. As he licked his hand clean he could feel himself starting to harden again and growled. Apparently it was going to take more to satisfy him.
 
Fortunately he had some pictures and video of Danny on his bed. Mac had only kept the hotter sessions with Danny was he was slowly able to teach the younger man his place. Mac smirked as he taught about Stella’s words – he was Danny’s teacher, just not in the way she meant. He still didn’t let Danny handle or process unless he had no choice. No one was ever going to question the validity of his lab. Ever.
 
Mac picked up his camera, planning to plug it into the computer and watch the videos while he jerked off again when he noticed something. The side flap of the camera was open. The memory card with all his pictures and videos was gone.
 
“Caine,” Mac growled. The Miami CSI was a dead man.

Horatio waited until noon before making his way into his room. He sat on the edge of the bed with a small smile. “Danny,” he said softly. “Danny, its time to wake up.”
 
“Don’ wanna,” Danny muttered. He burrowed further into the blankets.
 
“Come on, Dan, up,” Horatio said. “Don and Speed want to go swimming and they want you to go along. They’ve just got to finish wrapping Don’s wrists so Alexx doesn’t have a fit.”
 
“Do I gotta?”
 
“You don’t have to go to the beach, but I want you to get up,” Horatio said. “I’ve got some good news for you but I want you to be awake when you hear it.”
 
Danny rolled over and blinked up at Horatio. “Mac’s dead?” he asked softly.
 
“No,” Horatio replied just as softly. “Everything is quiet from the north. I wanted to let you know that you have a job on my team starting as soon as you feel strong enough to go in.”
 
“How?”
 
“I told you, Danny, the members of my team are my choice,” Horatio said. “I know you can rebuild your life here, Dan. I just know you’re strong enough.”
 
Danny fumbled for his glasses and watched Horatio stand and walk to the closet. “What’re you doing?”
 
“I promised Don some books,” Horatio said, his voice muffled. “And I know I put them in here.”
 
“Books on what?”
 
“Don and I had a talk this morning and he’s got a few questions I can’t, ouch, answer. So I told him I had these and he’s interested.” Horatio sat back down on the bed, books in his arms.
 
“People actually like this stuff?” Danny grabbed the books and threw them across the room as hard as he could. Then he all but dove back under the covers, the shivers running through his body shaking the whole bed.
 
Horatio bit back a few curses and lay on the bed next to the shivering pile of blankets. He put an arm over the younger man and pulled him in close. “I’m so sorry, Danny,” he said softly. “I’m trying to help you and I’m trying to help Don and those are mutually exclusive goals. I didn’t realize how seeing those books would affect you. Talk to me, please. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
 
“Why would anyone willingly go through this?” Danny’s voice was muffled by the blankets. “Why would Flack want to?”
 
Horatio’s arm tightened. “Mac did more than just chain Don to the bed, Danny,” he said. “And Don’s a little confused because he enjoyed the sexual experience. It’s not uncommon and it doesn’t mean he’s broken or crazy. It also doesn’t mean that you should like it.”
 
“What?” Danny asked. He squirmed around and peeked out from under the blanket.
 
“Danny, listen to me. Anyone who chooses a BDSM, bondage or master/slave relationship/lifestyle for themselves does so with certain knowledge their partner will make sure they know before proceeding with anything,” Horatio said. “The master will set out a strict set of guidelines and rules and will enforce them to the letter. The submissive or slave will pick a safe word that is honored above anything else. What Mac Taylor did to you was horrible by comparison. You never chose this, you never asked for any of this. He took away not only your life but your freedom, your choices, and forced you into slavery.”
 
“So doesn’t that mean I’m weak?”
 
“No, Danny, no,” Horatio said. “I know you gave into him but you needed to protect as much of yourself as you could. You are so strong, Dan.”
 
“Then why am I here cowering in your bed because of some books?”
 
“Because the wounds to your soul are being torn open again and are bleeding freely,” Horatio replied. “They’ll heal again but this will always be a sore spot with you.”
 
“So what happens if I gotta work a case? If I gotta go to court? I can’t go to pieces like this and still do my job.”
 
Horatio pulled back and tilted Danny’s head up. “As you heal you’ll stay in the lab,” he said. “When you feel you’re ready then you can go back in the field as a full-time CSI. But it’s your call, Danny. Your choice.”
 
“What if I’m never ready?”
 
“Then you’ll stay in the lab and be one of our trace experts,” Horatio replied. “Just know that I will be there with you every step of the way.”
 
“Will you do something for me?”
 
“If it is within my power to do so.”
 
“Will you kiss me?”
 
“Dan.”
 
“Let me explain,” Danny said. “Mac never kissed me. Not once. I got feelings for you and I can’t tell if it’s because you rescued me from Mac or if there’s some deeper connection.”
 
Horatio sighed. “Danny, I would like nothing better but I want you to listen to me, okay?” he asked. “I want you to heal, to try and date again, talk to my friend and then if you still want to try this then I will. I don’t want to make this any harder for you than it already is.”
 
Danny pushed up on his left elbow and looked down at Horatio. “How can it get any harder for me, Horatio? I don’t want to use you and I don’t want to hurt you. But I really do want to know if my heart and mind are still in sync or if Mac broke them too.”
 
“I made a promise to myself, to you and to Don,” Horatio said. “I swore that I wouldn’t touch you romantically until you healed.”
 
“You ain’t Mac Taylor,” Danny said. “Knowing this will help me not hurt me H. Please.”
 
Horatio reached up and took Danny’s glasses off. “We stop when I say,” he said. “And my conditions still stand, Danny.”
 
“I know I need help, Horatio, and I got no problem talkin’ to your friend. I think I’ll do okay at work if I’m in the lab and know you’re close,” Danny said. “But I don’t know if I can date again.”
 
Horatio ran his fingers through Danny’s hair. “I’m not talking about tomorrow, Danny,” he said with a smile. “I’m just talking about trying to go out with a woman or two before you decide to tie yourself to an old man.”
 
“You ain’t old,” Danny said leaning into Horatio’s hand.
 
“I’m a year younger than Mac Taylor,” Horatio pointed out.
 
“But you ain’t him,” Danny said. He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Horatio’s. Danny moaned softly as Horatio’s lips parted against his own and the red head’s tongue slowly traced Danny’s mouth. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed kissing and being kissed. Danny let his lips open and Horatio’s tongue slipped inside.
 
Horatio slowly mapped the younger man’s mouth, trying to memorize how Danny tasted in case it was the only chance he had. He teased Danny’s tongue into his own mouth and pulled the younger man in closer, moaning at the feel of Danny’s erection. Horatio broke away slowly. “Go get in the shower, Danny,” he whispered brokenly.
 
“Okay,” Danny said. “Thank you.”
 
Horatio stumbled into his own bathroom shaken not only by what had just happened but their reactions to it. His guest bathroom was on a separate hot water heater so he quickly turned on his own shower and grabbed the lube he’d stashed behind his shampoo. He’d never thought it would test him so deeply to be able to push Danny away and not take advantage of the younger man. Horatio moaned softly as he wrapped his slick hand around his erection for the second time that day. He was falling in love and he had to protect Danny from it for as long as possible.
********************
 
Danny shut the door to the guest bathroom and closed his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time his heart had been beating so fast from pleasure rather than terror. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been kissed with so much love and tenderness. And he really couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so hard.
 
He was so confused but he had something to take care of first. Danny turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray. He braced his left hand on the wall and took his throbbing cock in his right hand. It had been so long but he quickly fell back into the familiar rhythm as his eyes closed.
 
“You don’t touch yourself.”
 
Danny cried out as Mac’s angry voice echoed in his mind and phantom pain flared on his back. He fell to his knees and curled up into a tight ball.
 
The next thing he knew the water was being turned off and strong arms wrapped him in a towel and a hug. “Danny,” Horatio’s soft voice said. “Come back to me, Danny. You’re in my house in Miami. You’re safe, Danny. You’re safe.”
 
“Horatio?”
 
“Yeah, hey, what happened?”
 
“I heard Mac,” Danny said. “In my head and I thought I felt that whip of his on my back.”
 
Horatio kissed the top of Danny’s head and was both happy and relieved when the younger man didn’t flinch. “Come on, you’re shaking Danny,” he said. “Let’s get you dried off and dressed before we talk. I don’t want you to get sick.”
 
“This ain’t your fault, Horatio,” Danny whispered as Horatio helped him to his feet. “One of the rules Mac beat into me was that I can’t touch myself.”
 
“Oh Danny,” Horatio said. “I’m sorry. I should’ve held back. I should’ve been in more control, at least for now.”
 
“Nope.” Danny moved quickly and pulled Horatio’s head down for a kiss before the older man could react. “One thing I’ve known through all this is that it ain’t my fault. It ain’t your fault neither. It’s all Mac’s fault. Just be patient with me.”
 
The red head handed Danny a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. “That’ll be big, its mine,” Horatio warned as Danny slipped it on. “Danny, you shouldn’t want to tie yourself down like this. I’m worried you’re trying to fill a void in your mind that says master on it.”
 
“Stockholm syndrome,” Danny said. “You’re the only one I trust right now; H, but you ain’t holding me captive. I said I don’t wanna hurt you and I don’t. Like I said, just be patient with me.”
 
“Come here, there’s something else you need to know,” Horatio said. “And I’m calling my friend in the morning to make you an appointment, okay.”
 
“Okay, what’s up?”
 
“When I downloaded the pictures I took of Don in Mac’s apartment I found he’d kept some pictures and videos of what he did to you. He’s in them.”
 
Danny’s knees buckled and he sank down onto the bed. “What?”
 
“Its firm evidence of what he did to you, Danny,” Horatio said. “My A/V tech will authenticate the video and we can go forward with the case. But only if you want me to.”
 
“I want him stopped,” Danny said. He leaned forward and put his face in his hands. “I don’t want him to mess no one else up like this, y’know. But then I think about people finding out about this, what I let him do to me and I’m just so scared. Can I have some time to think about this? Do I have to answer now?”
 
“Of course not,” Horatio said. “You think it over, talk with my friend and we can get Mac later.”
 
“There’s a statute on cases like this,” Danny said. He sat up and leaned against Horatio. “Give me two weeks, H. I won’t be strong enough to go through a trial but maybe I’ll be strong enough to tell you yes.”

 

Speed and Don waded out of the water and made their way back up onto Horatio’s deck. “Thanks,” Don said with a grin. “That was fun.”
 
“We should shower,” Speed said. “Do you know what’s in that water?”
 
“Who cares,” Don said. “Live a little, Speed.”
 
“You sure seem happier than when the plane landed yesterday,” Speed commented. “Do you want to tell me what’s up?”
 
Don started to undo the plastic around his bandages. “I heard from the department that they could use a homicide detective with my qualifications and I start up next week,” he said. “And I’ll be working with the crime lab so that makes me happy because I’ll be able to help you guys keep an eye on Messer. Plus Horatio talked with me this morning ‘bout some things that’ve been bugging me and that really helped.”
 
“Did you guys talk about what happened at Taylor’s apartment?” Speed asked.
 
“Yeah and he said that I should talk with you about it,” Don replied. “That you might be able to help me with some of my deeper questions. I got the feeling that he would but he’s falling for Danny and wants to be able to take care of him.”
 
“Did Horatio mention books to you?”
 
“How’d you know that?”
 
“Where do you think he got them?” Speed smirked. “Not to mention his leather cuffs.”
 
Don’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “You and Horatio?”
 
“He wanted to learn and I wanted to teach,” Speed said. “We were together, sexually, for about a year before he decided it really wasn’t what he wanted from a relationship and asked to end it. Our friendship had always come first and we’ve never had a problem with it.”
 
“I still find it a little hard to believe,” Don said.
 
“Part of it was that Horatio wanted to learn control,” Speed said. “How to control his body and his mind. In order to do that, sometimes the best thing you can do is give yourself over totally to another person. And you have to keep in mind that he’s a lieutenant. H is responsible for all of us at the lab and there were times when it got to be too much for him. It still does, but he’s taken up meditation or something to work through it. You’d have to ask him for the details.”
 
“So does that mean you’re willing to help me?” Don asked.
 
“Donnie, we’ve been friends for a long time,” Speed said seriously. “And I’m more than willing to help you work through things in your mind. But I want you to think seriously on two things for me. First, can you still be my friend if you decide this isn’t what you want from life? Second, can you put aside the fear that the other officers at the department will find out that you’re in a gay dominate relationship?”
 
“I need answers, Tim,” Don said.
 
“I know you do,” Speed said. “Read through those books of Horatio and I’ll bring over some web addresses for you. If you’re sure this is what you want more than anything else then we’ll go through with it. But you have to be sure.”
 
Don nodded. “I really liked what Mac did to me, Tim,” he said.
 
“You know, that’s a good place for us to start,” Speed said. “Why don’t you tell me everything you can remember about that, starting with the moment you were alone in his home? Then we can work through your feelings on it and move forward from there. I’ll need to know how experienced you are, Donnie. For this to work, I’ll need to know and be able to learn everything about you.”
********************
 
“Danny, the last time I spoke with Speed from New York, I asked him to pick up something special for you,” Horatio said. “It’s a cream that should, and I stress should, soften the scars on your back and legs. It’s possible it might even remove the fainter ones. Would you like to try it?”
 
“Are you gonna put it on for me?”
 
“On your back, yes,” Horatio said with a fond smile. “If you can reach your legs then you can do it there. And don’t worry about how much we use; a friend of mine runs the store where Speed bought this. I’m sure Artie will be more than willing to give me a discount.”
 
The younger man snorted. “You have the strangest friends,” he said.
 
“You have no idea,” Horatio replied. “This is a strange city, Danny, and I have some contacts that not everyone would approve of.”
 
“Like Artie?”
 
“Very much like Artie,” Horatio said. “But they help me be more effective at my job and that is all that matters to me. And I find Artie to be quite an interesting person just on his own merits.”
 
Danny stripped off the borrowed t-shirt and stretched out on Horatio’s bed on his stomach. “I know you said you want to set up an appointment with your friend but I was wondering if I could at least see the lab tomorrow?” he asked. “And meet the people I’m going to be working with.”
 
“Are you sure you’re ready for that step?” Horatio asked. He started on Danny’s left shoulder and started to rub in the cream. “You’ve already met two of them; Speed and Alexx are both day shift and work with me. I heard Flack saying that he’s going to be joining us as well. There are two other CSIs on my team, Eric Delko and Calleigh Duquesne. They’ve been together for a little over a year now, although no one outside the team knows about it.”
 
“I thought co-workers weren’t supposed to date,” Danny said.
 
“As long as it doesn’t have an effect on their job, I really don’t care,” Horatio said. “Tell me if this hurts, Danny. I think you’ll find that we’re fanciful down here, we care about the evidence and the victims – not necessarily in that order – and are an extremely close team.”
 
“It sounds like heaven,” Danny said. He moaned softly when Horatio hit a tender spot. “Don’t stop, Horatio. Mac cut too deep there one time and damaged the muscle. It ain’t life threatening or nothing, but it does hurt if it’s massaged too firmly.”
 
“He’s not getting away with this, Danny,” Horatio said. “He’s going to pay for what he did to you, even if it never goes into the court system.”
 
Danny rolled a little and looked back at Horatio. “Could you actually do that, Horatio?” he asked. “Could you really kill to protect me?”
 
“You and any member of my family,” Horatio replied. “Does that scare you?”
 
“It probably should, but it makes me feel safe,” Danny said with a sleepy smile.
********************
 
Once Danny was asleep Horatio met up with Speed in the kitchen. “Hey.”
 
“Hey,” Speed said. “So Don’s in the library with his nose in one of the books I gave you. I thought he was going to have a heart attack when he found out that we were lovers.”
 
“I suppose I need to tell Danny too,” Horatio sighed. “He’s handling things a little too well right now, Speed. I’m going to give Kendra a call in the morning and see when she can set up appointments for him. And he wants to go and meet the team.”
 
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Speed said. “He’s not ready to work, but I think getting to know everyone is a great idea. Why not have them over for dinner in a couple of days. That way Danny is still in his safe place here with you but he’s also getting a chance to meet Cal and Eric.”
 
“That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Horatio said. “And maybe Frank as well. I think we can leave Yelina safely out of the equation for now.”
 
“She’s still a little too obvious that she wants you in more than a friendly sort of way,” Speed said. “I still say we should have let her catch us at that club.”
 
Horatio snorted and started laughing. “I never did find out why she was there,” he said. “And I meant to ask her too. Maybe it would have kept her interest in my as purely a brother-in-law rather than someone to bed.”
 
“There’s still time,” Speed said.
 
“Danny’s not strong enough to have everyone know what happened to him,” Horatio said. “Although he responded to me earlier today.”
 
“What?”
 
“He asked me to kiss him and that’s all I did,” Horatio said. “And I’m glad it was because after I sent him to the shower to take care of himself, he heard Taylor’s voice and felt the whip. Those rules are too deeply ingrained at this point to let him do anything other than heal, Tim. But he’s starting to understand that none of this is his fault and that makes me very, very happy.”
 
“I can imagine,” Speed said. “So what’s going to happen when Taylor finally comes down to Miami?”
 
“I’m not sure,” Horatio sighed. “I want to kill him. I want to be sure the threat to both Danny and Don is gone forever. And Danny doesn’t seem disturbed at the fact that I would kill to keep him safe, which surprised me.”
 
“It probably told him the true depth of your feelings,” Speed said. “But if you let that side of you out again, will you be able to tuck it away once everything is done? Because I can promise that having that part of you show around Danny will do more harm than good.”
 
“I will,” Horatio said. “I honestly hate that part of me and I’m more than happy to keep it locked safely away. And neither of these young men needs to know exactly what happens to Mac. Will you take care of the arrangements for me, Tim?”
 
“If Danny seems comfortable around Cal and Eric, they could be here on guard while you and I take care of Taylor,” Speed said. “Because you aren’t doing this alone. The last time you let yourself go it took me three hours to track you down. That is not happening again.”
 
“We’ll see how both Danny and Don react to Cal and Eric,” Horatio said. “We know they’re fine with Alexx, but she doesn’t know how to use a weapon. I’d feel a lot safer knowing that our boys are protected.”
 
“And as I’m the only one who knows you so well, you can’t take Calleigh or Eric along as back-up for this,” Speed said. “Okay, I’ll start getting things set up for you, Horatio. But if Danny and Don aren’t comfortable around the rest of the team then we’re coming up with another plan.”
 
“Deal,” Horatio said. “And then we help them to heal and move on.”

 

*FLAHSBACK*
 
It was all Horatio could do to keep from pacing around his office as he waited for the DNA results to come back. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing like Tim had been teaching him, but it just didn’t work. All Horatio could see was the ten-year-old twins who had been abducted, raped and then left for dead.
 
A hand on his back stilled him. “Breathe,” Speed commanded.
 
“I tried, I just can’t find my focus,” Horatio replied. “I want this guy, Tim. I want him to suffer.”
 
“We’ll get him,” Speed said. “He left enough DNA evidence behind that there’s no way in hell he’s going to be able to escape us. And you know what happens to the child molesters once they’re in prison. He won’t ever do it again, H.”
 
“And when the case is over, Tim?”
 
“You’re not weak for asking or craving this,” Speed said. “We’ll work on your control tonight. I’ll take you up without the ring on and you won’t climax before I give you permission. And it’ll get easier, H. It’ll get easier to ask.”

*END FLASHBACK*
 
“Horatio?” Danny asked softly. “Is there a reason you’re sitting out here in the dark?”
 
“Just remembering, Danny,” Horatio replied. “Are you okay?”
 
Danny sat down next to Horatio on the deck stairs and leaned against him. “I’m all messed up,” he said. “I need to stop sleeping during the day because it just keeps me up at night. Do you want to talk about whatever it is that has you so scared?”
 
“I suppose it is something you need to know about me,” Horatio said. He put an arm around Danny and pulled him in close. “There’s a reason I know so much about the dom/sub culture, Danny. A few years ago, Tim Speedle and I were lovers and he was also my master. I wanted to learn and he was willing to teach me. The sexual relationship only lasted a year and I never switched roles with him.”
 
“How far did it go?” Danny asked.
 
“I don’t have any scars but Speed pushed me to teach me control, Danny,” Horatio replied. “And I was remembering the night when I realized it wasn’t what I wanted.”
 
“You won’t drive me away,” Danny said. “One thing I really have learned is that everyone has a dark side. It’s how well they can control it that makes a difference.”
 
“Danny, I swear to you that you will never have any reason to fear me,” Horatio said. “But you’re right, I do have a darker side and it has come out in the past. The last time was when a man who abducted and raped two children managed to get his case thrown out of court by paying bribes to some of the officials. I killed him, Danny.”
 
“And you saved how many other kids?” Danny asked. “I don’t want details, Horatio. I doubt I could handle it right now. But knowing you’re willing to do anything to protect me makes me feel very safe.”
 
Horatio kissed Danny’s temple. “It shouldn’t, Danny. You’ve been through so much darkness and pain that you should be looking for someone who will love you and take care of you the way you deserve.”
 
“A person like that wouldn’t know how to help me,” Danny said softly. “My nightmares, insecurities and probably even physical scars would scare them off. I’m not going to use you like that, Horatio. I’m not gonna use you to get better and then leave you hanging. I don’t know what I can promise you, but I want to try this.”
 
“I’m just worried about how healthy a relationship we can have,” Horatio said. “And how a fallout would affect you, Danny. I don’t ever want you to feel that this isn’t your home.”
 
“We should probably just see what happens,” Danny sighed. “All I know is that I feel the safest when I’m close to you.”
 
“Thinking along those lines, Danny, I know you said you wanted to see the lab,” Horatio said. “How do you feel about waiting a couple of days on that and meeting everyone here first?”
 
“You mean like have them over for supper or something?” Danny asked. “Why not just let me go to the lab?”
 
“We can if you want but Speed and I are both aware of how much is changing around you and I thought you might be more comfortable meeting everyone in a place you know and feel safe. That way the lab won’t be so new to you.”
 
Danny grinned. “That’s probably a good idea,” he said. “I’m guessing that Speed will get everything set up for you?”
 
“Speed is a remarkable organizer,” Horatio said. “Come on, Dan, we should get to bed.”
 
“Can I sleep with you?”
 
“Just sleep, Danny.” Horatio knew that even if he insisted that the younger man sleep in his own bed he’d still wake up and find Danny in bed with him. It was something he needed to talk over with Kendra when he called to set up Danny’s appointments. “Go and get ready for bed.”
 
Horatio knew that his resolve around Danny was weakening and he needed to talk with Kendra almost as much as Danny did. He only hoped that sleeping with the younger man wouldn’t make too many problems arise – so to speak.
 
“I’m still not used to being able to move at night,” Danny commented as he curled up under the covers.
 
“Will it give you nightmares to tell me about it?”
 
“Mac didn’t want me to be able to escape when he was asleep,” Danny said. “So he gave me an option when we went to bed. If I didn’t choose – and I didn’t for months – he’d force me into a position and then chain me to the head and footboards. It took me months to get used to sleeping like that. And no one ever asked why I was so tired all the time. No one cared enough about me.”
 
Horatio pulled Danny up and in against him. “Danny, I think it’s far more likely Mac Taylor lied to them about your condition and no one doubted him,” he said. “That’s going to be one of the worst battles we face in this; being able to prove that Taylor is not the man everyone seems to think he is.”
 
“It all comes down to how strong I am,” Danny said.
 
“You’re strong enough for this,” Horatio said. “Speed, Don, Alexx and I will be next to you the whole way.”
 
Danny looked up at Horatio and leaned in to kiss him. Horatio moaned softly and let Danny have control. The younger man kept it light, just letting his lips move slowly over Horatio’s for several long minutes before his tongue snaked out. Danny slowly traced Horatio’s lips and plunged inside when Horatio opened to him. The red head’s tongue came out to play and the kiss deepened.
 
When Horatio rolled them so he was on top, Danny broke the kiss in a panic and started hyperventilating. Horatio immediately pulled back and just rubbed Danny’s stomach. “Shhh, Danny, breathe for me,” he said softly. “You’re okay, you’re safe. Take some deep breaths for me, Danny.”
 
“I’m sorry,” Danny finally said. He wiped his eyes and cuddled back in against Horatio. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”
 
“Now we know one of your triggers,” Horatio said. He kept rubbing Danny’s back. “This is why I don’t want to push or let you push us into a sexual relationship. There are a lot of things you need to work through, Danny. And the last thing I want to do is cause a set back by trying something that causes a flashback.”
 
“Does that mean no more kissing?”
 
“I think, for now, it means no more kissing when we’re lying down.”
 
“That’s fair,” Danny said. But he still lifted up and kissed Horatio quickly. “Good nigh, H.”
 
Horatio chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of Danny’s head. “Sleep well, Danny.”

 

Hawkes looked up as the door opened and bit back a sigh of relief. Stella and Aiden both trailed Mac into the morgue. There wasn’t anything Mac would be able to say or do to him with others in the room. But as he went through his findings, Hawkes kept an eye on Mac and didn’t like what he was seeing. There was a twitch developing just under the older man’s right eye. It didn’t look like Mac had been sleeping much and that meant he was likely planning. Hawkes knew that any type of plan would have Mac down in Miami trying to get to Danny and Don and, while Horatio would be ready for it, Hawkes didn’t want his friends to have to deal with any more stress. He’d failed Danny horribly when he didn’t notice the signs of abuse and refused to fail him again. But to be able to help Danny, Hawkes had to keep himself safe.
 
When Stella and Aiden left, Mac turned to Hawkes. All traces of the kind, reserved, dedicated CSI were gone and a stranger stood in his place. “I know what you did, Hawkes,” he said softly.
 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mac,” Hawkes replied calmly. “I’ve been here in the morgue for the past three days working and sleeping.”
 
“You helped Danny escape, Hawkes,” Mac said with a small smile. “I’m impressed, but I’m also mad as hell and you need to pay for what you did.”
 
“You need to leave my morgue, Detective,” Hawkes said calmly.
 
“And you think you’re going to make me,” Mac smirked.
 
“You’re sick, Mac, and you need help,” Hawkes said just as calmly. “Why don’t you come with me to the hospital and we’ll get you taken care of?”
 
Mac’s grin widened. “I don’t think so, Hawkes,” he said. He stepped closer and backhanded the ME across the face. “I’ll take care of you later, teach you what happens to people who mess with me. And I’m going to make sure that you don’t escape me like they did.”
********************
 
Speed glanced into the ballistics lab and grinned when he saw Eric in there with Calleigh. “Hey guys, have a minute?” he asked.
 
“Sure,” Eric replied with a grin. “But I’m timing you.”
 
“Oh that’s cute, Delko, remind me to laugh later,” Speed said. “Seriously guys, H asked me to talk with you.”
 
“What’s wrong?” Calleigh asked picking up on Speed’s mood.
 
“We need you to come to dinner tomorrow night, cases allowing,” Speed said. “There’s a new CSI starting with us soon and we want him to meet you guys away from the lab. His name is Danny.”
 
“Tim, what’s wrong,” Calleigh pressed. “Come on, you can tell me, you know that. Don’t hide something important from us, especially if Danny needs our help.”
 
“What she said,” Eric added.
 
Speed looked around and lowered his voice. “Danny’s been horribly abused by his former supervisor,” he said. “And is still trying to find his balance. Horatio is helping him but we thought it would be easier if Danny met you guys in a place he feels safe and that way the lab won’t be so strange to him when he starts working.”
 
“Okay,” Calleigh said. “Does Alexx know?”
 
“She’s treated him,” Speed replied. “Guys, look, just be yourselves when you meet him. Danny’s a smart, funny kid who has been through hell and needs our help to recover. But he’ll know if you’re staring at him or trying too hard to be nice to him.”
 
“I think we can manage that,” Calleigh said. “What about the supervisor?”
 
“Horatio is taking care of that too,” Speed said with a small sigh. “I don’t know if Danny is expecting me to tell you about this. He’s probably going to be quiet for most of the evening. He really has been through a lot, but only Horatio knows about it in any detail. I just know it was bad because I helped get him out. Oh, and there’s a new detective starting with us too. His name is Don Flack and he’ll be there. He and Danny worked together up in New York.”
 
“Him too?” Eric asked.
 
“But not as severely,” Speed replied. “They have a monster running their crime lab and don’t even know it because of how effectively he hides his true nature. This was happening for at least a year with Danny and no one picked up on it. He’ll take a long time to trust again.”
 
“Who else is going to be there?” Calleigh asked. “We don’t want to overwhelm him with strangers.”
 
“You two, Alexx and Tripp,” Speed replied. “I’ll be there too and so with Don but we’re there all the time anyway so he’s used to me. Don’t worry about bringing anything, Horatio is going to order from a local restaurant for the meal. We just want Danny to get to know his new family a little before he starts working with us.”
 
“Then we’ll see you tomorrow,” Eric said with a smile. “Are you on your way to talk with Alexx?”
 
“Yeah, and Tripp. H asked me to make the arrangements here. He’s still at home with Danny. Until the supervisor is caught, Horatio isn’t going to be at the lab.”
 
“Well lord only knows he needs a holiday,” Calleigh said. “The break will be good for him too.”
 
Speed smiled and snorted. If only they knew.
********************

**FLASHBACK**
 
Speed knew that Horatio had been in the lab when the call came in that he wouldn’t be needed to testify. That the case against their child rapist had been dismissed. He’d watched Horatio slam the phone down on his desk and vanish back into his office, most likely sitting on the sofa against the back wall. But by the time Speed had managed to get up to the office, Horatio had vanished. It didn’t make any sense so Speed took the time to search the lab, knowing that if H was moving too then they’d likely miss each other, but he had to look. He didn’t want to assume anything. No one had seen Horatio.
 
Next, Speed went to his apartment on the off chance that Horatio would have gone there for comfort. But he hadn’t. And he wasn’t at his own house either. Now Speed was growing concerned because he didn’t know where Horatio was and he didn’t want to put out a broadcast on his boss and lover because he didn’t know what frame of mind Horatio was in.
 
They had spent some nights talking and Speed knew what Horatio’s father had been like. Speed knew that Horatio kept an iron grip on his self control so he wouldn’t end up like his father. Horatio did have a temper, one that rarely, if ever showed while he was at work but Speed had seen it. He’d helped Horatio come to terms with the fact that it is impossible to keep all your emotions locked away all the time and stay healthy and sane. Speed had thought that his nightly lessons had been taking effect but now he wasn’t so sure.
 
The question became did he search every beach and dock for Horatio or try and work out his lover’s mind set. Mentally tallying up the number of places in the city Horatio could be hiding, Speed decided to try and work out what his lover was feeling and thinking.
 
Speed had a feeling that the suspect in the child rape case was the key but processing him out of the county facility should have taken hours. Should have taken. Speed grabbed his phone and made a call to a friend who owed him a favor and found out that the creep had been out for a day already. The guy had managed to beat – or buy – the system somehow and was back on the street, probably already looking for his next victims.
 
Thinking about it, Speed remembered that Horatio had mentioned a warehouse near the glades as a place he went sometimes when he wanted to be truly alone. At the time, Speed had wondered exactly why Horatio had chosen the warehouse when the red head seemed to love the ocean so much, but now he had an idea growing in his mind. One that he really didn’t like.
 
It took some time to find the place as Horatio had been vague about it. That alone told Speed that his lover didn’t want him to be able to find it. That he was holding a part of himself back, which was dangerous with the type of relationship they were in. If Horatio held back, Speed might hurt him and that was something that chilled Speed to the bone. He hadn’t known how to address it at the time. He’d have to find a way if they were going to be able to stay together.
 
He paused in the door to the warehouse and just stared. Horatio was standing in the middle of the room, his hands bloody and beaten. The suspect was on the floor in front of the lieutenant, not moving. Speed walked in carefully and made sure that Horatio recognized him before he went any close.
 
“He’s dead,” Horatio said coldly.
 
“H, you can’t do this to yourself,” Speed said. “Not to mention what would happen to the lab if someone caught you. Come on, you need to get cleaned up. What about the crime scene? Is there anything that can link you back to this?”
 
“No,” Horatio said. “I was careful. And we drove his car out here. No one will know what I’ve done.”

Speed stood up and slapped Horatio. “You watch your tone with me,” he snapped. “On your knees, Horatio.” He watched as his lover sank down, head bowed, hands back. “That’s better. I want you to go out to my car and wait for me there. I’m going to take care of things in here and then we’re going to your house and working through this. I don’t ever want to see this part of you surface again. Is that clear.”
 
“Tim.”
 
Speed hit him again. “Is that clear?”
 
“Yes, master,” Horatio said.
 
“Good. Go.”
 
He watched as Horatio left the room, not looking back. Speed groaned. He had some work to do to get this demon out of Horatio before it was too late and Miami lost something precious. And he had to make sure that Horatio never let his temper out again. Speed wondered, briefly, if he was doing more harm than good in his relationship with Horatio. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was something else they’d have to talk about.

Danny woke up curled around Horatio and hard. He ran a hand through Horatio’s red hair and marveled at how good he had been feeling since he arrived in Miami. He knew that he had a long way to go before he was totally recovered, but Danny was actually starting to really believe that it was possible. Horatio was so kind and gentle with him, always telling him how strong he was and Danny was starting to believe again.
 
Horatio awoke to fingers running through his hair and an erection pressing against his hip. “Danny,” he said softly.
 
“Morning,” Danny said just as softly. He started thrusting against Horatio. “Please touch me.”
 
“Danny, I can’t,” Horatio said, willing his own hips not to thrust back against his young lover. “You’re not ready for that connection between us yet. You still need to heal.”
 
“I need to come,” Danny moaned. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to climax. Please, H, I can’t touch myself to get off and I need to so bad it hurts.”
 
Horatio moaned deep in his throat and rolled them so they were on their sides facing each other, reached down and wrapped his hand gently around Danny’s cock. To keep from kissing the younger man and triggering another panic attack, he buried his face against Danny’s neck and focused on kissing and sucking there. He moaned again as Danny’s hesitant hand wrapped around his erection and started stroking.
 
As he ran his hand up and down Horatio’s cock, Danny thought about how much his feelings had changed. It was as if Mac had flipped a switch in him, one that he hadn’t known about, one that had been buried, and one he didn’t want flipped back again any time soon. He wanted everything with Horatio; a home, a family, love, and security.
 
Danny froze as Horatio pressed them together and rolled. He blinked a few times as he gazed down into Horatio’s love-filled blue eyes and realized exactly how the older man felt about him. Danny smiled and leaned in to kiss Horatio.
 
“Not while we’re lying down, Danny,” Horatio whispered. “Like this, move with me.” He pushed his hips up and both men moaned as their erections slid together. Horatio ran his hands along Danny’s sides – being careful never to touch the younger man’s back – as they found a rhythm together.
 
Danny felt like he was floating as he moved against his lover’s body. He wanted to kiss Horatio so badly as he got closer and closer to his climax. He wanted that connection with Horatio so bad, so he countered it by hiding his face in against his lover’s neck as he came.
 
“We will get there, Danny,” Horatio whispered as he held the shuddering young man close. “I promise you that we will get there.”
 
“Mac never did none of this,” Danny said softly. “He never touched me, kissed me, held me.”
 
Horatio used the sheet to clean them off and then gathered Danny in close again. “I know, Danny, I know,” he said. “You’ve been not only abused but starved as well. Mac Taylor withheld all emotional connections except the negative he forced on you. Everyone needs love to survive.”
 
“Kill him, Horatio,” Danny whispered, trying to hold back the tears. “I can’t live my life constantly looking over my shoulder in fear of Mac.”
 
“Let it out, Danny,” Horatio said. “In here, don’t be afraid to show your emotions. Just let it all out.” He held Danny as the younger man sobbed, silently cursing Mac Taylor for damaging another soul so severely. If Mac dared to show his face in Miami, then he was a dead man walking. Horatio would take care of that.
********************
 
While Danny was in the shower, Horatio took his cell phone out onto the back deck and dialed a number he had long since memorized. He got lucky and caught Kendra between patients.
 
“Horatio, I haven’t heard from you in months,” she said. “How have you been doing?”
 
“Good, actually; work is as trying as ever but Speed keeps an eye on me,” Horatio replied with a smile. “Kendra, I need your help. I have an abused young man, 31, who I believe would benefit greatly from seeing you. And I also need to schedule separate appointment for myself as well.”
 
“Tell me about your friend,” she said.
 
“The details are his to share,” Horatio said. “His name is Danny Messer, from New York. When I went up on a case recently I found him. He’s a CSI who was forced by his boss into a master/slave relationship. I had to almost kidnap Danny and his best friend to get them to safety.”
 
“He didn’t consent to the relationship at all?”
 
“Danny fought it for as long as he could and has the physical, mental and sexual scars to prove it.” Horatio glanced up and saw Danny standing next to him. He held out his hand with a smile and scooted over. “But it was too much, as it always is, and he eventually surrendered to stay sane.”
 
“There’s something else you’re not telling me,” Kendra said. “And I have a feeling that it links directly into why you need to talk with me again.”
 
Horatio laughed. “You are too smart for me,” he said. “I’ve been Danny’s anchor since I took him from his abuser. We’ve been careful not to let things change more than they absolutely have to and I’m aware of the fact that Danny could easily come to see me as his new master. I love him, Kendra, and tried to keep him at arms- length.”
 
“But you couldn’t and he is becoming more sure of himself through the sexual contact,” Kendra sighed. “I’ve got an opening at eleven tomorrow. Let me visit with him and see what I think. You do know it’s possible he’s only using sex to regain some personal power in the relationship.”
 
“I do,” Horatio sighed as well. “We’ll be there tomorrow, Kendra. I’m going to remain in the waiting room because Danny’s abuser is still out there and wants him back. And I refuse to let that happen.”
 
Danny waited until the phone was on the deck before he spoke. “I didn’t mean to listen in,” he said. “I was wondering if you knew where Don was.”
 
“He and Speed went to the department to get his paperwork filled out and then I believe they were going to go shopping,” Horatio replied. “They’ll be back in time for dinner. I don’t mind you listening in like that. I was talking about you with Kendra.”
 
“I heard and I guess we’re going out tomorrow, yeah?”
 
“We are and can go shopping to get you some new clothes too,” Horatio said. “And we can keep track of the cost and you can pay me back once you get settled at the lab. How does that sound?”
 
“Extremely fair,” Danny said. “Thank you.”
********************
 
That night after dinner Don found Danny alone on the back deck reading a book Kendra had called back to recommend – one that Horatio had asked Speed to pick up immediately.
 
“Hey Mess,” Don said with a smile. “I was wondering if we could talk.”
 
“What’s up?” Danny asked using his finger to mark his place in the book.
 
“I guess I really just wanna make sure I ain’t gonna lose you as a friend if I want to explore the things that Mac showed me ‘bout myself.”
 
Danny sighed. “You won’t,” he said. “Donnie, you gotta understand that things are all messed up in my mind. Mac told me a lotta lies ‘bout you and the rest of the team. And I still ain’t sure what the truth is. I knew what Mac wanted to do to you ‘cause he told me. He wanted to seduce you and keep me as a pet for both of you. I wanted your help so bad, but I had to push you away because I didn’t want you to end up like me. And then you went with him and everything got messed up.”
 
“He basically told me the same thing,” Don admitted. “Did you know he was abused in the Corps? Or at least that’s what he claimed when I tried to get him to let you leave New York with Horatio.”
 
“I never saw him naked,” Danny said. “I was always face down or on my side facing away from him. Mac’s sick, Don. That’s the only thing I can think of.”
 
Don sighed. “Do you think I’m sick to want the same things?” he asked. “I want to be restrained, hurt, and forced by another guy.”
 
“No, ‘cause you want it,” Danny said. “Horatio told me ‘bout him and Speed and that made me start thinking. You’d never force another person like Mac did with me. I didn’t want none of this. And now I gotta rework my brain into a new life. I gotta learn to trust again. Just be careful, Donnie, and if you don’t like what Speed is doing then make him stop. Don’t let yourself become what I am.”
********************
 
Horatio and Speed exchanged looks as footsteps ran down the hall towards the master bedroom. “Danny,” Horatio said. “I’ll go see what got him worked into this state, Tim.”
 
Speed nodded with a small sigh. It was probably close to time for Don to move in with him so Horatio’s attention wasn’t split between the two young men and he’d be able to focus on Danny. “Hey, what happened?” Speed asked as he sat down next to Don.
 
“I think I pushed a little too much,” Don replied. “I just wanted to make sure that I’m not gonna lose Danny again if I start a relationship with you.”
 
“He’s got a lot of healing to do, Donnie,” Speed said. “And he’s never going to be the same again. But the one thing he will always need is his friends with him. That’s never going to change.”
 
“I failed him once, Tim; I’m not going to do it again.”
 
“I know and that’s why I’m not pushing for you to move in with me. No matter how much I want to start teaching you about your body. But once Mac Taylor is taken care of, I do want you living with me.”
 
“Taken care of?” Don asked. “What are you and Horatio going to do?”
 
“That all depends on what he does first,” Speed replied. “But he’s not taking you or Danny back to New York with him. Unfortunately we have to wait for his next move. When that happens, I want you to stay here and help protect Danny. I’ll be backing up Horatio.”
 
Don nodded. “I’ll kill that bastard if he shows up here,” he said. “And it won’t be slow torture like he deserves either. He comes near Danny again and Mac Taylor is dead.”
 
“Thanks, Donnie,” Speed whispered, kissing his soon-to-be lover gently.
********************
 
Horatio shut the bedroom door softly and joined Danny on the bed. “Hey, you want to talk?”
 
“Just bad memories,” Danny replied. He rolled over and curled up against Horatio, sighing when warm arms wrapped around him. “Don wanted to talk about what he wants from Speed and to make sure we’d still be friends if he did.”
 
“Maybe a little early, but I can understand his reasons,” Horatio said. He kissed the top of Danny’s head gently. “He feels guilty, Danny, and wants to help you as much as he can. When he asked me for advice I told him to just stay the same. Not to treat you any differently and just be your friend no matter what.”
 
“Good advice, but you know how much I’ve been changed by all this,” Danny said with a small smile. “And its something Flackie’ll just have to learn to deal with.”
 
“And he will, Danny. He will.”
********************
 
Stella frowned as she closed the door to the morgue. The large room was quiet and empty. “Hawkes?” she called, thinking the ME might be in his small room catching a nap.
 
A banging noise from the row of freezers made her jump. She went over to the door as quietly as she could and opened it, not exactly sure what she was going to find. Visions of zombies from old horror movies kept flashing through her mind.
 
“Hawkes!” she exclaimed. “What happened to you?”
 
“Mac,” Hawkes muttered.
 
She slid the slab that he was on out of the freezer bank. “Hang on, Sheldon, I’m going to call for an ambulance and take some pictures. You’re going to be fine.”
 
“Mac,” Hawkes said again, trying to control his muscles and keep his teeth from chattering. “Danger. Miami. Danny.”
 
“Did you see who attacked you?” Stella asked as she started to take pictures. “How did they get in here?”
 
“Mac.”
 
“You must have hit your head, Sheldon,” Stella said. “Do you want me to call Mac and let him know what happened? He can meet you at the hospital.”
 
“No!” Hawkes exclaimed. He blinked a few times. “Phone?”
 
Stella covered Hawkes with a blanket she found on his cot and handed over her cell. She was confused as to why Hawkes kept saying Mac’s name and then didn’t want the CSI supervisor called. She was going to have to do it anyway because they considered Hawkes a member of their team and Mac needed to know what was going on.
 
Hawkes managed to focus his eyes enough to dial a number and carefully raised the phone to his ear. “Horatio, its Hawkes,” he said. “Mac got me. He’s snapped and stopped pretending. I think he’s on his way down. I’ll be fine. Keep Danny and Don safe. Okay I will. Call me.”
 
“Why are you in touch with that Miami CSI? Do you know where Danny and Don are?” Stella demanded when Hawkes handed back her phone. “Why are you telling lies about Mac?”
 
“Look at the camera feeds,” Hawkes said. He pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes. He had already assessed his own injuries and knew he’d be fine once he had his ribs wrapped, his arm set and was warm again. He just prayed that Horatio would be able to keep his promise and protect his young friends. The last thing Hawkes wanted was to find Danny or Don – or both – on his table.

Danny was in the back bedroom when he heard the doorbell ring and muted voices from the living room. He closed his eyes with a small sigh; the day had been a little overwhelming and his first trip out of the house since he’d arrived. Kendra was a sweet but very strong woman – one he could see Horatio trying to out-stubborn and losing on a regular basis. That Horatio trusted her enough to be open and talk about his problems spoke volumes to Danny and he was willing to trust her too. But it was hard to talk about what Mac had done to him. And it turned out that Horatio knew the city better than Danny had thought possible; they’d gone to smaller shops to get him clothes so he wouldn’t have to deal with crowds at the malls.
 
“Come in,” he said when someone knocked on the door.
 
“Hey Sugar,” Alexx smiled. “I just wanted to come back and see how you’re doing.”
 
“I’m just still trying to wrap my mind around it all, y’know,” he said. “A week ago I was thinking I’d never get outta that nightmare my life had become and then I meet Horatio and boom, here I am. And I know that I’m free to live however I want, but it scares me, Alexx. It really does.”
 
“Do you want to talk about it?” Alexx asked. “We don’t have to go and join the others for a while if you don’t want to. Timmy and Eric were talking about building sand castles with Don and Calleigh’s working a late case. She’ll be here soon.”
 
“Horatio took me to see a friend of his today, Kendra, and I was able to talk with her but we just covered the basics,” Danny said. “And it really made me realize how far I have to go before I am able to think of myself as healed. If that’s even possible for someone who’s been as badly abused as I have.”
 
“Of course it is,” Alexx said. “You don’t have unreasonable expectations and you know that you’ve got to talk with people you trust to work the poison out of your system. I know it’s hard, baby, especially when the monster that did this to you is still walking around a free man; but we’ll help you every step of the way. You’ve got a family down here and its one that I know you’re going to fit into very well.”
 
“One thing Mac did was tell me the team hated me,” Danny said. “Stella and Aiden, the doc, Don, all the lab techs. It got to the point that I don’t know what the truth is no more ‘bout them. And it scares me a little that I’ve got to get to know a whole new team.”
 
Alexx smiled. “I know it does,” she said. “But you’ve already met Timmy and Don’s gonna be on the team with us. So there’s only Calleigh, Eric and Frank left and, while Frank can be gruff and stubborn most of the time, he’s really just a big softy underneath it all. Don’t let him scare you.”
 
“Horatio told me I’m probably going to be in the lab for a while,” Danny said. “I know I ain’t ready to go back out in the field, but I don’t know how I feel ‘bout all the other lab techs around me.”
 
“Well, let me see here; there’s Tyler, and Joseph, and Valera,” Alexx said. “They’re the main ones because our CSIs do so much of the work themselves. Timmy works trace and I hear that’s your field too so the two of you will be working together the most. And Horatio will be with you every step of the way. And if he’s not able to be there, then I will. How’s that sound?”
 
“Like something I can work with,” Danny said. He rubbed his face. “I don’t think I’m up to building sand castles, but why don’t we head on out to the deck. I ain’t gonna hide from any of this. I just need time to get my nerve up, y’know?”
 
“We all do, Sugar; we understand,” Alexx said.
********************
 
Horatio was out on the deck with Frank, watching the three younger men out in the sand. He shook his head. “You’ll never get anything done if you don’t at least get your feet wet, Speed,” he called.
 
“Bite me,” Speed replied.
 
“You gonna take that?” Frank asked with a grin.
 
“For now,” Horatio replied. “But it’ll come back to bite him when he least expects it to. Excuse me, Horatio.”
 
While Horatio was on the phone, Danny and Alexx joined the group. Danny really wanted to squeeze into the lounge chair Horatio was in but didn’t know how the rest of the group would take it. The red head looked up, saw his dilemma and moved his feet so Danny would be able to sit down close to him without it looking odd to anyone. Danny grinned in thanks and glanced out towards the beach. “I didn’t think it was possible to make sand castles out of totally dry sand,” he said. 
 
“It’s not,” Frank said. “But Speed will only get in the water with a good incentive, says there’s a bunch of nasty crap in the ocean that he doesn’t want to have touch his body.”
 
“He’s got a point,” Danny said. “But I don’t know that I’d let it keep me from swimming.”
 
Horatio put his phone down and sighed. “That was Hawkes, Danny. Mac beat him up pretty badly but he’s going to be fine,” he said. “But it sounds like we have less time than we thought.”
 
“Mac’s coming to Miami?” Danny asked, pressing in closer to Horatio’s legs.
 
“He is,” Horatio replied. “But I don’t want you to worry, okay? Speed and I are going to tail him and make sure that he doesn’t find you. Will you be okay to stay here with Don, Alexx, Eric and Frank?”
 
“I’ll manage,” Danny said. “Do what I asked, Horatio, please.”
 
“I will,” Horatio said. He stood up. “Speed.”
 
Speed glanced up at the deck and nodded. He said something to his friends and then jogged back towards the house. “I’m ready if you are, Horatio,” he said.
 
“Okay,” Horatio said. “Danny, I mean it when I say not to worry. I won’t let Mac hurt you again. You have my word on that. And I’ll be home once we know where he’s staying, okay?”
 
“Okay,” Danny said with a weak smile. “Thank you.”
********************
 
In the end they got lucky. While Horatio went to get the warehouse set up, Speed tailed Mac from the airport to his chosen hotel and found that it was one where both Horatio and Speed knew the manager. After Mac checked in and was on his way to his room, Speed went in to speak with the manager. He let his friend know that the man who had just checked in was dangerous and that Horatio wanted to take him into custody without endangering anyone else in the hotel. The manager agreed and let Speed change into the uniform worn by the waiters and some other staff members. Then they waited.
 
And the call came. Mac Taylor ordered room service. The manager gave Speed a duplicate key to Mac’s room and wished him luck in his arrest. Speed thanked him, took the tray with the meal on it and went to the elevator. Once he was out of view, he drugged the water. Then all Speed had to do was wait. When he entered the room half an hour later, Mac was unconscious on the sofa, the meal half eaten in front of him. Speed cuffed him and dragged him out to one of the service lifts. It was the work of a minute to get Mac loaded into the back of the Hummer and drive off, without anyone seeing what he’d done. Speed knew the manager would never talk; he was too good a friend of Horatio’s – one who owed his life to the red head. As far as everyone at the hotel was concerned, Mac Taylor had just vanished without a trace.
********************
 
Mac awoke slowly and, as he blinked to clear his eyes, he realized that he was kneeling in the middle of a cement floor in what looked to be an abandoned warehouse. And he was chained. There was a table off to his left with some things under a simple white cover but no other furnishings were in his line of sight. As Mac tried to stand he realized the chain was fastened to a metal ring in the floor and it was too short to allow any movement.
 
He cast his mind back over the events since he’d arrived in Miami and nothing stood out. He’d taken a cab from the airport to his hotel. He’d ordered room service. It had been delivered and he’d started eating when things went black. Mac had no idea how he’d come to be in the large room or why he was there.
 
“Back among the living, I see,” a soft voice said from behind him.
 
“Caine,” Mac snarled. “What the hell is going on here?”
 
“I won’t let you take Danny or Don away from me, Mac,” Horatio said. He moved into Mac’s line of sight. “I won’t let you hurt them or anyone ever again.”
 
“You don’t have the balls to do anything about it,” Mac said.
 
Horatio went to the table and lifted up the cover. He picked up a knife and turned back to Mac. “Big words from a man chained to the floor,” he said. “You won’t be able to move, Mac. We made sure of that. It’s time you found out exactly what it feels like to be the slave of a master who doesn’t give a damn about your welfare.”
 
“I already do,” Mac said. He flinched as the knife blade went under his t-shirt and sliced down towards his waist. “My commanding officers in the Corps weren’t as honorable as some.”
 
“Then you should have known better,” Horatio hissed. “And you should have sought help rather than turning on an innocent young man who wanted nothing more than to do his job and help people.”
 
“I am sorry for what I did to Danny,” Mac started, only to bite back a cry as the knife slashed through the skin just over his ribs.
 
“Save it, Taylor,” Horatio hissed. “Don told me what you said and did to him in your apartment. You’re only interested in one thing and that’s saving your worthless hide. You don’t care what you did to Danny, or how long it’s going to take him to heal from your abuse. You don’t care about Flack and how much turmoil he’s going through at the moment trying to figure out exactly what he wants from life. Coming to Miami is the last mistake you are ever going to make.”
 
“So you’re going to kill me,” Mac said. “What’s going to happen when they have to process the crime scene? They’ll know it was you.” 
 
Horatio smiled and set to work on Mac’s jeans, cutting them off as well. “No, they won’t,” he said. “And it’ll take dental records to indentify your remains, Taylor. We may joke about knowing how to hide bodies, but it’s true. No one is going to know what happened to you but they will know why it happened.”
 
“You’re going to release the videos,” Mac said. “Then you’ll do my job for me. That’ll destroy Danny faster than anything I would be able to do.”
 
“But Danny knows about the videos,” Horatio said. He turned to put the knife back on the table and picked up a whip very similar to the one Mac had used on Danny. “And he’s the one who will say when they get sent to New York. I’ve given him back the power of choice, Mac, and you’re never going to be able to do a thing about it.”
 
“I find it hard to believe that you’re nothing more than a cold blooded killer,” Mac said. He flinched but didn’t cry out as the whip bit into his skin. “You’re going to turn this part of you on Danny some day and it’ll destroy him. I just wish I could be there to see it.”
 
“That’s the difference between us, Taylor,” Horatio said coldly. “I understand this part of my psyche and know how to keep it in check. I had a caring lover who taught me the true meaning of the word control. I will never hurt Danny in any way, shape or form. And he knows the truth about me, about what I’m doing here tonight. He knows that I’m going to kill you and all it does is make him feel safe. Because he knows that I’ll never do anything to hurt him.”
 
Mac watched as Horatio moved towards the table and slowly pulled the white cloth off the items there. And he noticed the CSI lieutenant was wearing not only gloves but crime scene shoe covers as well. When he saw what Horatio picked up off the table, Mac felt all the blood drain out of his face. “You are not using that on me.”
 
“Do you really think you have a choice?” Horatio asked with a small snort. He turned the piece around in his hands for a moment. “You’re here for my pleasure, Mac, and nothing would please me more than seeing you suffer for every single blow you gave to Danny. You did more than break his spirit; you damaged him on a level so deep that he can’t even touch himself without hearing your voice.”
 
“Then he’s always going to remember who he really belongs to,” Mac said.
 
“Wrong answer,” Horatio said. He took the metal cage over, backhanded Mac so the other man was lying on his side and quickly straddled Mac’s legs so he couldn’t move. “My friend Artie sold me this when I told him what had been happening. He said that monsters like you deserve what you get. I hate to see it melt but, in the end, I don’t think I’d ever use it again.”
 
Mac watched, helpless, as the metal cage went around his cock and he swallowed hard. He knew that if he started to respond to anything Horatio did to him, if he even started to get an erection, the metal spikes would drive into his skin. Horatio caught the look on his face and smirked. “You always seemed to get off on the pain you inflicted on Danny,” he said. “Oh yes, I watched the videos and they made me sick. You corrupted a relationship that can be so beautiful between consenting adults, and twisted it to suit your own purposes. I thought we’d see how much you enjoy being on the receiving end of the pain, Mac. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, but I don’t think I’m that much out of practice.” He stood carefully and caught Mac’s leg as it swung towards him. “Oh I don’t think so, Taylor. You’re not going to get away that easily. I’m not someone who can be manipulated or used like you’re used to. You’re not getting away. Ever.”

Stella went to the A/V lab after she made sure that Hawkes had everything he needed and was settled in the hospital. She was a little unnerved when he asked for a guard to be put on his room and no one but the doctor and nurses allowed in. It didn’t make any sense, but she’d agreed if only to give him a little peace while he slept.
 
He’d been insistent that she look through the camera feeds of the morgue and had muttered something about the top drawer of his desk as well. When Stella got back to the morgue she looked and found a memory stick along with a note. She put them both in evidence bags and took them along to the lab.
 
The other thing bothering Stella was that Mac wasn’t answering his cell phone. He hadn’t mentioned anything to her about anything that would require his phone being off; like court or a meeting with the bosses. And even then, Stella knew that he normally kept his phone on because he wanted to be at every crime scene possible, especially when Danny was working. She thought it was so sweet the way that Mac was always watching Danny and helping him, teaching him to be a better CSI. She really hoped the younger man knew how lucky he was to have Mac as his teacher.
 
She settled down at one of the computers and looked up the feeds from the morgue. Stella found the point where she and Aiden had left and watched closely. She saw Mac talking with Hawkes and gasped as her boss struck the doctor hard enough to knock him to the ground. Stella felt like she couldn’t move as she watched Mac kick and beat Hawkes almost brutally before dragging him over to the freezers and shutting him in. Mac’s back had been to the cameras so Stella hadn’t been able to see what Mac had said, but it didn’t look like Hawkes had said or done anything to warrant the beating.
 
Almost afraid of what she would find, Stella plugged in the memory stick and uploaded everything onto the computer. She had just opened the first picture file when there was a gasp from behind her.
 
“Is that Danny?” Aiden asked moving closer to the monitor.
 
“I don’t know, it sure looks like it,” Stella replied. “Aiden, I’ve got video footage of Mac beating up Hawkes in the morgue. Do you have any idea why he would’ve done that? Have they been fighting?”
 
“Not that I know of, but Mac really keeps to himself, you know,” Aiden said. “Hey, that looks like a video file. Pull it up.”
 
Stella opened the file Aiden had indicated. Danny’s voice came over the speakers. “I ain’t gonna, Mac,” he said.
 
“It’s not that hard, Danny,” Mac’s voice said from off camera. Both women jumped as a whip lashed across Danny’s bare and bleeding back. “And I’m not going to tell you again. When we’re in here, you call me master.” 
 
“No,” Danny said, his back arching as the whip sliced into him again. “You ain’t gonna break me that easy, Mac. Just wait, as soon as I get outta here I’m gonna tell Stella and she’ll help me get you good.”
 
“Stella wouldn’t help you, Danny,” Mac said. “She thinks you’re a screw-up who doesn’t belong in the lab. She told me that she doesn’t want to work with you because you never do your share of the work. Not that I trust you to do anything at the lab. You touch nothing unless I say you can.”
 
“You’re sick, Mac,” Danny said. “Lemme go and I won’t say nothing ‘bout this. I’ll leave the city and you won’t have to worry ‘bout your precious crime lab again.”
 
“I told you no, and I mean no,” Mac snapped. He came into view holding a knife. “If you leave then people will question what happened and all your cases will overturn. I refuse to have that kind of a stain on my lab. You will work under the conditions I gave you or you die. It’s as simple as that.”
 
“Then kill me ‘cause I ain’t gonna be your slave,” Danny said. He bit his lip as the knife sliced through the tattoo on his right arm. “I didn’t ask for none of this and my family don’t mean shit to me.”
 
Stella heard a retching noise behind her and turned just in time to see Aiden bolt for the door, hand over her mouth. She closed the video quickly and sat for a moment, trying to recoup a little. There was no doubt that had been Mac on the video, but she had never seen such a cold look on his face. And from the sound of things Danny hadn’t asked to be in that position, which meant that Mac had forced him to be there and that didn’t match anything Stella knew about her boss. She closed her eyes for strength and turned back to the computer, randomly clicking on another video.
 
Nothing could have prepared her for seeing Mac rape Danny. Hearing the cold laugh, seeing the violence was making Stella sick to her stomach. Mac’s words hardly registered with her and she wondered what he meant by his word burning kit as there was no reason for him to have one, or have it on around Danny.
 
The sight of Mac branding Danny had Stella bolting for the door and the bathroom. She barely made it.
********************
 
As the whip sliced with almost surgical precision into his back, the world blurred and Mac wasn’t sure if the words he was hearing here actually Horatio’s or those of the drill sergeant who originally broke Mac all those years ago.
 
“Poor little soldier boy, crying for his mommy. You can torture a man into submission, break his very soul, but you can’t handle a little pain.”
 
Mac tried to curl into a ball. “Stop,” he cried. “Leave me alone.”
 
“How many times did Danny tell you the same thing?” Horatio asked. “How many times did her break down and sob, begging you not to touch him? And how many times did you laugh in his face because of his tears?”
 
“Stop,” Mac sobbed, willing the tears not to fall. He wasn’t sure how long the beatings had been happening, but he couldn’t take much more. “I’m sorry for what I did to Danny and Don. If you let me go you’ll never see me again.”
 
“You don’t give a damn about them,” Horatio snarled. He set the whip down and looked over his selection of tools. “All you care about is saving your pathetic hide. I know you’ll say and do anything to get out of this.”
 
“You’re a cop. You can’t kill me.”
 
“Do you see a badge or a gun?” Horatio smirked for a minute and picked up his gun. “Actually, I lied, there is a gun. The question is, have you suffered enough for what you’ve done or should I make you feel more. Danny was beaten for an entire year. I could keep you here, keep you alive, and make you relive every single beating you gave him. Only not in the way you had planned.”
 
Mac lifted his head and met cold blue eyes. He wasn’t sure how he’d never seen the Miami CSI as a threat before. Horatio Caine was a very good actor. And at his gaze, Horatio’s lips twisted up into a smile. “I know you kept those videos because you need something to help you get hard,” he continued. “You’re so pathetic that you need to see another writhing in pain to get off.”
 
“Enough, Horatio,” a voice came out of the shadows.
 
At the sound, Mac’s heart swelled a little in hope. Horatio caught the look and laughed. “He’s not here to save you,” he said. “He’s here to make sure I can come back to myself after I’ve put you down.”
 
“You’re going to kill me?”
 
“You kill a human,” Horatio replied raising the gun. “You put down an animal.” And he pulled the trigger.
 
Speed moved into the room and took the gun from Horatio’s hand. “Go outside and wait in the car,” he said. “I’ll take care of this and then we’ll get you back to normal for Danny.”
 
Horatio closed his eyes. “He’s finally safe,” he said softly.
 
“He is, Horatio,” Speed said. “You saved him, just like you save everyone. Go, I’ll make sure that they need dental records if not more to identify this bastard.”
********************
 
Speed and Horatio sat in the car they had parked back in the woods, well away from the area they knew would be searched for evidence and watched the fire in the warehouse. “It’s hard to believe its over,” Horatio said. His back and butt were sore from where Speed had beaten him to get him back into his normal headspace. “Danny and Don can stop living in fear and move on to heal.”
 
“Ready to go home?” Speed asked.
 
“Yeah,” Horatio replied. “Let’s go tell them the good news.”
********************
 
When they got back to Horatio’s house, Danny had gone to bed for the night. The team was in the living room with Don playing a board game Calleigh had found in a hall closet. Speed joined the group to tell them the created story while Horatio made his way down the hall to the bedroom. He showered to get rid of the last traces of the night, not wanting to take any darkness into the bed he shared with Danny, slipped on a pair of sleep pants and climbed carefully into bed.
 
“Horatio?” Danny asked sleepily. He rolled over and curled up against his lover.
 
“He’s dead, Danny,” Horatio replied softly. “I’m not proud of what I did, but he’s dead.”
 
“Won’t there be an investigation?”
 
“Probably, but Speed took care of everything,” Horatio said. “There’s no way it can link back to us. So now I want you to go to sleep and tomorrow we’ll talk about what you want to do next.”
 
Danny lifted his head up and kissed Horatio gently. “I know, not when we’re laying down,” he whispered with a smile. “I want to move on, Horatio. I want to live and be with you forever.”
 
“Then that’s what we’ll do, Danny,” Horatio said. “That’s what we’ll do.”

• Main CSI page
• The new stories
• Gil/Greg stories
• Gil/Nick stories
• Gil/Warrick stories
• Nick/Greg stories
• Nick/Warrick stories
• Greg/Warrick stories
• Nick/Bobby stories
• Jim Brass stories
• David Hodges stories
• CSI: New York stories
• CSI: Miami stories
• Other pairings & threesomes
• Gen CSI stories
• C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation: The Complete Ninth Season