Title: Outside Influences II
By: Tiffany F
Pairing: Gil/Nick & Horatio/Speed
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don't own anything CSI related, but Tiff, Lex and the IBI are mine.
Sequal: 1) Outside Influences, 2) Outside Influences I
Summary: Tiffany and Lexxie are back and our boys get to take a road trip.

***

Chapter 1

Grissom lay in his bed and thought. He'd never dreamed he'd ever find anyone who understood him so completely. That it was another man now sharing his bed, and his life, didn't bother him as much as it probably should have. Grissom had always tried to be open-minded, not to judge, and to take people as they came. He almost groaned aloud at that last thought, his lover was rubbing off on him. Damn it, his sense of humor was contagious. He'd have to stop that train of thought or else he'd be waking up the dark-haired man currently using his bare chest as a pillow.

He smiled a true smile, one that not many people ever got to see, a smile that made his piercing blue eyes light up. His heart was no longer his, that much was a fact, all the evidence was clear and one thing Grissom set a great deal of importance on was facts.

"Hey," Nick Stokes grumbled, breath ghosting against his lover's bare nipples. "Do you think you could keep it down?"

"What, Nicky?" Grissom asked, cursing his newly overactive imagination once again.

"You're thinking again," Nick replied. "I thought you weren't going to do that in here."

Grissom looked down into amused brown eyes. "I still don't believe you can hear me thinking," he said. "It's a scientific improbability. The human brain does not make any noise as it works."

"That's what you think," Nick said. He shifted around and leaned up for a kiss. "You've got such a powerful, sexy mind that I can hear the wheels and gears turning all the time."

"You know there's a solution, don't you?" Grissom purred, pulling Nick over onto him. They'd been sleeping naked for two weeks, now that they'd figured out that skin felt much better against skin. "You just have to make my mind shut down."

Nick shifted around, bringing their hardening cocks into alignment. "Oh, I think I can do that, Gil," he whispered. "You just hang on and enjoy the ride." He squeaked when Grissom grabbed his ass tightly.

"You didn't say where," Grissom said innocently, tilting his head for a kiss.

"Gods, you're so hot," Nick said. He started to thrust gently, teasing his lover. Man, he'd never known that sex could be so good. Now that he had a hold of Gil Grissom, he was never going to let go. And that seemed to be exactly what Grissom was thinking; Nick knew he'd have bruises on his hips and ass when they were done, but didn't care. He loved having something of Gil with him while they were at work.

"Nicky," Grissom panted, "do you hear ringing?"

"Yeah," Nick replied. "And since I know there's no scientific proof of bells during sex....it's one of our cell phones."

The older man groaned. "We're off today, let voice mail get it," he said, arching up to increase contact with his lover's body.

Feelings won out over duty and Nick leaned down to catch his partner's mouth in a bruising kiss. His thrusts became faster, Gil meeting them with thrusts of his own until they both climaxed with a groan.

When he could breathe normally again, Grissom tried to reach for his cell phone. It took a couple of tries but he finally managed to get it onto the bed without dislodging Nick. He flipped it open and saw it was indeed his that had been ringing, and there was a voice mail.

*Dr. Grissom, this is Chief Lex Scott, Middleview Fire Department. I am sorry to bother you at home, but we've just had a fire where the accelerant was positively identified as copier toner weight. It seems that the case did not end when we thought it did. Please give me a call when you have a moment. Tiff wants to bring you guys to Middleview to consult with my department. Thank you*

***

Chapter 2

"You're doing what?" Catherine asked, disbelief coloring her tone as she stared at her co-workers.

"We've been asked to consult in Idaho on a case that mirrors one we completed here not long ago," Grissom replied, packing folders into a soft-sided brief case. "Tiff's twin called yesterday and asked us to come up."

"She's a city firefighter," Catherine said. "Where does she get the power to do something like that?"

Grissom looked up, his blue eyes disappointed. "I thought out of everyone here that you, at least, would understand her," he said. "Tiffany is the one who authorized our consultation. Lex was just the messenger as it's her case."

"Hey, Gris, ready to go?" Nick asked, leaning in. "Oh, sorry Cath, I didn't see you there."

"Almost, Nicky, why don't you go and see how Greg's doing?" Grissom said. "I know I told him midnight."

"And you're taking Greg?" Catherine demanded. "What, now they want the whole lab?"

"They need help, Catherine," he replied calmly. "You'll all be able to manage without Sanders for a week or so. This isn't open to discussion, Tiff called the sheriff and mayor to make a personal request. You're the one who's always telling me to be more political." He smiled as his head twitched to the right. "I'll call when I know more."

Catherine watched him leave. "Gil, you're one of the most infuriating men I've ever known," she hissed, tone wavering between amusement and annoyance. "And one of these days you're going to get into trouble that not even those eyes of yours can pull you out of."
********************

"He said what?" Tiffany exclaimed into her phone. "Oh, you have to be kidding me." The chief of the International Bureau of Investigation sank back into her new desk chair with a sigh. "All right, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Trouble?" her husband Joe asked from the door.

"If that's mint tea, please," Tiffany said. "I hate this cold damp weather. I didn't think it was possible to hurt so much at once."

Joe put the mug down on the large oak desk. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Find me a case in Hawaii?" Tiffany asked her mouth quirking to the left. "No, the mayor just decided to cut the funding to the fire marshal program because the city misbudgeted, again, and he decided to hit the fire department again."

"When's Lexxie going to come and join us?"

"That's the point," Tiffany said. "They mayor seems to think that we'll just step in and pick up the slack. Our lab is R&D, not investigative. I really hope he gets the boot in the next election."

"So what are you going to do?"

Tiffany picked up the mug of tea in one hand and her ebony and silver wolf cane in the other. "What else, go and have a nice long chat with the mayor, again."
********************

The Middleview airport was smaller than Grissom, Nick, or Greg was expecting. There was no control tower and only two gates working when they walked in from the plane. Gil spotted Lex Scott, in a black uniform, standing with a tall, imposing man of indeterminate age. "Think that's her husband?" Nick whispered.

"He looks too old to be a fireman," Grissom replied just as softly. "And something's wrong; look at her stance."

Nick focused on the pair in front of them. Chief Scott was standing with her back rigid, arms crossed over her chest and eyes fixed firmly on the gate. The tension in her body was obvious. The man behind her was staring, not at the deplaning passengers, but at the screening area. "There's a man in uniform behind the checkpoint that's watching them," Nick said. "I don't like the expression on his face at all."

"Dr. Grissom, Mr. Stokes, and Mr. Sanders," Lex said calmly. "Please allow me to present my mentor, Jack Holmes. If you'd come with me, we have a car waiting and hotel reservations for you."

The three men fell into step behind Lex and were half way down the hall when a shout echoed behind them. "Why don't you do everyone a favor and just kill yourself? You know that no one cares about you anyway!"

The men all stopped but Lex kept walking, not even acknowledging the malicious words behind her. "Damn," Jack muttered, his stride lengthening to catch up with his student. "Alexis Marie Scott you will not do that," he snapped, moving as fast as a snake to stop her from punching the brick wall again.

"If hate did not taint a soul I would hate him," Lex snarled. "Just get me out of here."

"Chief, I'm an EMT," Nick said, stepping forward bravely. "Can I help you with your hand, please? I know you're right handed and I know what a pain it is to try and put bandages on by yourself."

"It's broken," Lex said, trying to calm down. "We'll drop you at the hotel and then Jack will take me to the center. I am sorry to spoil your arrival."

"It's hardly your fault," Grissom replied. "Don't worry about it; just get yourself taken care of. That's what's important here. The case can wait until morning, I'm sure."

Lex snorted but didn't say anything.
********************

Much to Greg's surprise, Nick opted to room with Grissom rather than him at the hotel. The IBI had booked two doubles for the group, not wanting to put Nick and Grissom in the position of revealing their budding relationship to a coworker by staying in a single or making them take the double.

"Gil, who do you think that man was at the airport?" Nick asked as his lover was hanging up his clothes. "And why would he want to say something so obviously hurtful to Lex?"

"Without evidence I really don't want to guess," Grissom replied. "But it could be her ex-boyfriend or her karate instructor. Those are the only two people I know of who really abused her."

"That's the most emotion I've seen her show," Nick said. He crept up behind the older man and wrapped his arms around Grissom. "And what did she mean about hate?"

"There are some, not religious disciplines but beliefs that say to hate another human is to taint or blemish your own soul." Grissom leaned back into his lover's touch. "I'm guessing that Lex follows one of them. It does explain her seemingly infinite well of calm."

Nick untucked Gil's shirt and worked his hands up under the black fabric. "Man, I'm glad Greggo's room is across the hall rather than next to us," he whispered. "Otherwise we couldn't have any fun and I might as well be staying with him."

"And we're meeting him for lunch in half an hour so you really need to behave yourself," Grissom said, trying to be serious. "He's already wondering why you're in here with me rather than across the hall with him. We'll have to remember to mess up both beds incase he ends up in here."

"You think too much," Nick said, leaning down to kiss his lover's neck.

***

Chapter 3

Gil almost fell on the bed taking Nick with him. All thoughts of lunch had flown out of his mind at the taste of his lover's mouth. He was addicted and it was one thing he swore never to even try to give up. Nick was tangy, almost like citrus, and oh so nice to just kiss for hours. "Nicky, please Nicky," he moaned over and over, head falling back to expose his neck.

"What?" Nick asked, undoing his lover's belt. "What do you want, Gil?"

"You," Gil replied. He lifted his hips as his pants and boxers were gently slid off. "I want you so badly it hurts."

Nick took his lover's erection in his right hand and started stroking gently. "I don't think a hotel room with none of our things is the right time to try anything more advanced," he said. "But you just lie back and enjoy."

"Take off your clothes, Nicky," Gil whispered. "Please, I want to see you, how beautiful you are. I want to touch you."

"Of course." Nick slid back a little and stepped off the bed. He shed his shirt, jeans and boxers before rejoining his lover on the bed. They lay down, kissing languidly, each stroking the other.
********************

Greg put his things away and looked around the lonely hotel room. He wasn't even sure why he was along on this trip; he didn't think that Chief Scott liked him at all and was surprised when she requested his help as well. But Greg didn't focus on that; he was more puzzled as to why Nick would opt to room with their boss rather than his friend. It was a mystery, one he intended to solve and fast.

He put his room key in his wallet and stepped over to the door where his co-workers were staying. Feeling slightly guilty, he pressed his ear against the wood to see if he could hear anything. Greg was a little surprised that the TV was off, he knew Nick usually liked some kind of background noise when he was doing things, but maybe Grissom insisted on silence. He listened harder and almost fell over when he heard Nick moan "Gil" and it definitely wasn't pain that was making him moan.

"Mr. Sanders, he who looks through key holes has a narrow view of life," a soft female voice said from behind him. Tiffany's cane tapped his foot. "Come walk with me a while. I think you need someone to talk to."
********************

Through the haze that always seemed to come with his orgasms lately, Grissom thought he heard Tiffany's voice talking to Greg out in the hall. Nick muttered and moved against him and Gil's attention shifted to his lover. "Did you hear that?" he asked, kissing Nick's forehead gently.

"Yeah," Nick replied. "I didn't know Tiff was going to be here today. I suppose we should get up and change."

"In a bit," Grissom replied. "I think she wants to talk to Greg for a few minutes."

Nick sat bolt upright in bed, almost knocking his partner to the floor in his haste. "Greg!" he exclaimed. "Oh my gods, Gil, what if he heard us?"

"Then he heard us," Grissom replied. "I seriously doubt it will be the end of the world. But we'll have to make it clear that this is a secret that cannot even be hinted at in the labs or there will be trouble, mainly for me."

"Gil, how can you be so calm about us being discovered?" Nick asked, shaking. "If Greg tells anyone you could get fired. It'd be my fault and you'd push me away and I don't want to live without you. I don't think I could."

"Hey now." Grissom pulled Nick down and rolled over so he had his lover pinned to the bed. "Calm down. If I get fired I can always find something else to do that will allow me to stay in Vegas, including teaching and writing. I could also consult around the country. Nothing that happens when we walk out that door in regards to our relationship is your fault. I love you, Nick, and I probably won't say it enough. Don't blame yourself for things you cannot control. Besides, we have Tiffany on our side, and I don't think she's exactly going to stand by and allow anything to happen to either of us without a fight." He kissed Nick gently. "Feel better?"

"No, but you could do that again anyway," Nick replied, smiling. He moaned into the kiss. "Okay, let's shower and go see what the damage is."
********************

The hotel had a small but well kept flower garden with benches. Tiffany's joints were bothering her because of the weather and the damp heat from the indoor green house felt good. She picked an out of the way wooden bench and sank down with a groan. "Oh, I hate winter," she said. "Greg, what were you doing back there?"

"I was trying to find out why Nick didn't want to room with me," Greg replied, staring at the ground.

"Don't you think that's Nick's decision?" Tiffany asked. "Is it written somewhere that the two of you have to share a room whenever you travel?"

"Well, no, but I'm more fun than Grissom," Greg protested. "At least I thought I was. What were they doing in there?"

Tiffany stared at him and raised an eyebrow, looking remarkably like Grissom for a moment. "Why is that any of our business?" she asked.

"Is there some school you go to for this?" Greg stood and started pacing. "You sound just like Grissom whenever I ask him a question. Why is it so hard for anyone to give a straight answer these days?"

It was all Tiffany could do to keep a straight face. She knew exactly how frustrating she could be, especially when anyone wanted to try and read her body language. She was one of the few who could not only hold a straight face, but a straight body as well. "No, Greg, there isn't a school for supervisors," she said. "We aren't conspiring against you for any reason. If something isn't my business then I choose to ignore it. Please sit down, you're making me dizzy. Thank you. Now, I know you're smarter than you appear, and yes, that's a compliment. You're probably going to hear and see some things on this trip that are not to be mentioned to anyone back in Vegas. I had to pull some strings to get permission to bring you along, but I wanted your talents in the lab. My chief forensic scientist is also looking forward to meeting you, so you should head back to your room and change."

"Tiff, are they sleeping together?" Greg asked, still not meeting her eyes.

"And if they are?" she asked in reply, still calm.

"Nothing, I just wish they knew they could trust me," he said. "Do you think I should tell Nick?"

"And if they're not intimate, then what?"

"At least he'll know I'm behind him no matter what," Greg said. "I'll meet you in the lobby."

Tiffany sat and watched him leave. "I'm assuming you overheard most of that," she said a moment later. "So what now?"

Grissom sat down next to her on the bench. "How's your sister?"

"Resting," Tiffany said. "That jerk will go too far one of theses days and then I'll be able to get him." She turned and looked at Grissom. "Now answer my question, Gil."

"Nicky about had a heart attack when he thought we'd been discovered," Grissom sighed. "We didn't even think about Greg listening at the door, although we probably should have. It's a relief to know that he's not going to tell anyone about what he heard."

"But you're still worried."

"Wouldn't you be?" Grissom asked.

Tiffany thought about it for a minute. "Most likely," said she finally. "But you have some powerful friends behind you now. If you can, put it out of your mind and focus on the case. We should go and pick Lexxie up and get out to the lab."

"It won't be that easy for Nick," Grissom sighed.

"I know, but I think Greg is planning to talk with him," Tiffany said. She used her right hand to push off the bench. "When this is over, I'm heading south for a few weeks. This cold is going to be the death of me."

***

Chapter 4

Lex was sitting in a sky chair on her enclosed back porch holding a book in her good hand, cell phone and cup of tea on a small table next to her within easy reach. Two pugs, one black and one fawn, were playing tug-o-war with a toy in the yard and ran, yapping, to greet the visitors, the pet door rattling behind them.

"Rocky, Jasmine, down," said Lex, not looking up.

"Come on, sis, it's time to hit the lab," Tiffany said, nudging Rocky back to the ground with her cane.

"Let me finish this paragraph," Lex said.

Tiffany took the book from her sister's hands. "You've read this at least fifteen times, if not more," she said. "We've got to meet up with Jake and you know how he gets if we're late."

"Yeah, yeah," Lex muttered. "Gentlemen, let me apologize, again, for my fit of temper earlier today." She glanced down at the purple cast. "That man has always been able to get under my skin."

"Don't worry about it," Nick said, smiling. "We all have things that make us mad."

"Anger leads to darkness which leads, ultimately, to death," Lex replied. She grabbed a navy blue jacket with the word marshal in reflective lettering across the back. "And showing weakness like that only encourages him."

"And we're not going to talk about it any longer," Tiffany said firmly. "That's the last thing you need on your mind while working a case."

"Right," Lex said. She raised her voice. "Jack, we're leaving; the pugs are outside."

The older man from the airport poked his head around an open doorway. "When do you wish me to bring them in?" he asked.

"Half an hour, they were on the porch a few minutes ago," said Lex. "We'll pick you up at eight for dinner. When Jeremy comes home, could you let him know what's going on, please?"

"Does that include your latest trip to the center?"

"No," Lex said, frowning. "I'll tell him about that." She followed the rest of the group out the door to Tiffany's car.
********************

"Ah, Tiffany, good," said a sandy-haired man as the small group walked into the IBI lab. "I'm glad you're here, I've been looking into the substance found at the latest fire ground and I think we might be looking at something more closely related to paraffin than copier toner."

"Do all scientists do that?" Nick whispered to Gil, looking around.

"Do I?" he asked.

"No," Nick said.

"Then there's your answer," Grissom replied with a smile. "Where's Greg?"

They looked around and saw that the young man was still standing in the doorway, looking around at the equipment in what could only be called awe. Lex noticed him and walked over.

"If you want, I'll get someone to show you around," she said. "It sounds like Jake is going to be rambling for a while."

"I don't ramble," Jake, the sandy-haired man said, barely breaking stride in his report.

"Whatever, where's Pyro?"

"In his office," Tiffany said. "Greg, it's the third door down that hallway. Just tell him I said for you to go along and you're to have the full tour. I know you know what you're doing. Have fun."

Lex rejoined the group, a small frown clouding her already troubled face. "So what are you saying, exactly?" she asked. "In as simple terms as you possibly can."

"Funny; I think there was either a mis-analysis or the machine wasn't updated recently because this sample when run through my new toys came back as paraffin and not copier toner at all. But I just recalibrated last week so that's probably the reason," Jake said. "Which means, if this wasn't in the news, we've got someone traveling around setting fires with this stuff."

"How hard is it to come by?" asked Grissom.

"Not hard at all if you go to one of those craft stores," Jake said, not batting an eye at the strangers in his lab. "But being able to start a fire with the stuff is something else. I'm not exactly sure how that works but Pyro is going to try it for us."

"Outside, I hope," Tiffany said, her tone making it clear that wasn't a question. "I'm still not sure of that stonework after his last, experiment."

"I'll remind him," Jake said. "But I think he wanted to use the back lab. As for your suspect, how much information was given to the news medias?"

Tiffany and Lex exchanged a look. "Not much and definitely not the chemical used to start the fire," Lex finally said. "So the real question here is, who would set a fire in Vegas and then one here?"

"The idiot," Jake said. "But I've already checked and he was here the whole time, and at work. But it's someone who wants to make life hard for you, Lexxie. And I have to say I'm not all that happy about it."

"Me either because someone is going to say, at some point, that Lexxie is the one setting these fires," Tiffany said. "And then there really will be hell to pay with the media. I don't have to tell you that I don't want it to go that far."

Everyone but Jake jumped as an explosion echoed through the room. He sighed, stood and walked away without a word. Grissom looked over at Tiffany. "What was that?" he asked.

"This is a research lab that investigates crime scenes as a favor only," Tiffany replied. "If I had to guess, I'd say that was Pyro showing Greg one of his newest toys. Well, come on then, why don't we hit the computer lab for a couple and then go out for supper."
********************

"You're ambidextrous?" Nick asked as he watched Lex pick up and situate chopsticks with her left hand.

"Only with these things," she replied. "I've broken my right arm a number of times, or had it broken, and just learned because Asian is really the only take out I like when I'm working."

The dinner group was smaller than anticipated; Lex's husband was on overtime at a fire, Greg didn't look like he was going to leave the lab any time soon and Jack asked for take out.

"What's your mentor working on?" Gil asked, neatly picking up a piece of sweet and sour chicken with his chopsticks.

"Who knows," said Lex. "Chemistry is a hobby of his and I'm horrible at the subject. The reason I can do my job is I had a good teacher who knew a lot of tricks."

"Lexxie, who would want to do this to you?" Tiffany asked. "You are, unfortunately, our common factor to these fires. Amber is dead and your ex is ruled out; is there anyone else who comes to mind?"

"No," said Lex, picking up a piece of spicy chicken. "Damn, that's got a kick tonight."

Tiffany looked over. "No wonder, that's the extra hot," she said. "The trays must be mixed up."

"Eat here a lot, do you?" Nick asked.

"Seven chicken dishes, three pork and veggies," Tiffany said. "Everything from cows very clearly labeled, and tea. Yes, we're here at least twice a week if not more. It's a favorite with the fire department."

"I noticed young Mr. Sanders giving you off looks," said Lex, apparently randomly. "Did something bad happen recently?"

"Yeah," Nick said. He leaned back in his chair. "Greggo decided to play Sherlock Holmes and overheard Gil and me at the hotel."

Lex pushed back her chair. "No, not Sherlock," she said. "Maybe Father Downing." She walked back over to the buffet area.

"Don't ask," Tiffany said, holding up her hands. "Lexxie's always been like that. Sometimes I don't wonder if she thinks Holmes was a real person."

"It must be hard to have a hero who was a figment of someone else's imagination," Nick commented. "I wish she'd open up more; I'd like to get to know her."

Tiffany shook her head. "Lexxie won't take the chance," she said. "Now, I seem to recall promising to tell you more about Stargate SG-1."

"Or you could tell us how your investigation of Ecklie is going," Grissom said. He frowned as his cell phone rang. "Excuse me; Grissom." He stood suddenly and walked away from the table.

"Sara," Nick sighed. "She just won't leave him alone and it's really bugging him. Gil just doesn't know what to do with her."

"Watch," Tiffany said.

Lex had noticed Grissom's abrupt departure and was able to read the whole story in his posture and eyes. She left her plate at the table and walked over to him.

"You're not my keeper, Sara," Grissom was saying. He raised an eyebrow as Lex approached and held out her hand. Almost hypnotized, he handed over his cell phone.

"Miss Sidle, it is the epitome or rudeness to call at the dinner hour," Lex said. "Even more so when one's friend is dining with special company. I strongly suggest you do not ring again while Gil is on this trip." She hung up and handed the phone back to Grissom. "She won't bother you again."

"Sara doesn't back down," Nick said as they rejoined the group. "What'd she want this time, Gil?"

"To know why I didn't tell her I was leaving Vegas," Grissom replied. He picked up his fortune cookie. "Isn't it interesting how these always have good, if cryptic news?"

Tiffany snorted, both at the obvious misdirection and the statement. "Who would want to read a bad fortune cookie?" she asked. She broke her's open and passed the cookie to Lex while reading the slip of paper. "See, mine says the next year will be full of friends and family."

"Fame will soon be yours," Nick read, tossing it on the table. "What's your's say, Gil?"

"You will soon be lucky in love."

"No way!" Nick grabbed the paper and read it, smirking. "Huh, how 'bout that?"

"What did you get, Lexxie?"

Lex looked up, her eyes haunted. "Duck."
********************

"Do you think Greg's back yet?" Nick asked later that night once he and Gil were snuggled in bed. Tiffany had one thing right, it was cold.

"Most likely," Grissom replied. "Why?"

"Because I thought I'd give you a special treat tonight," Nick said, leaning in to kiss his lover. "Tiff gave me a new fanfic link and this sounded like fun."

"What?"

Nick rolled so he was lying over Grissom and leaned down for a quick kiss. "You just lie back and enjoy," he said. "If I do this right then you'll be just fine."

He stopped any further questions by capturing Gil's mouth in a deep, searching kiss that he slowly built the heat in until both men were panting and gasping for air. Not giving the older man a chance to catch his breath, Nick scooted down, nibbling gently on Gil's neck and collar bone as he went.

Nick wasn't sure if they'd have figured it out on their own or not, but as he started to suck gently on Gil's left nipple, the chest hair an interesting texture against his cheeks and lips, and heard the deep groan, he was extremely grateful to Tiffany. He spent a while sucking before nipping gently and switching over to the right one. Nick could feel his lover's hands tangled in his hair and knew that Gil was floating.

Then, as Nick slowly moved on down Gil's body, his lover began to figure out what he was doing. "Nicky are you sure?" Grissom whispered, fingers tightening for a moment.

"More than ever," Nick replied. He swallowed, nervous, before pressing his tongue against the bottom of Gil's erection and slowly licking towards the top. He wasn't ready for the deep moan from Gil's chest but he was prepared and caught his lover's hips as they thrust up towards his chin. "Careful, Gil," he said.

"Nicky," Gil whispered, sparks behind his eyes. "I just, I..please."

With a small smile, Nick leaned down and studied his lover's erection, trying to figure out the spot that had been talked about in the story Tiff passed on to him. He'd wondered, at the time, why she read those things but now, now he was starting to understand. And he thought he'd try right there. With his hands firmly on Gil's hips, Nick leaned in again and sucked at a small spot just at the base of the head.

Gil bit his lip and came, trying not to scream the sensations were so intense. He'd had blow jobs before but never, never had he come so quickly from one and so intensely. As his breathing slowed, he realized Nick was still hard and lying as patiently as he could next to his lover. "How, how did you figure that out?"

"I told you, fan fiction," Nick replied. "I just wasn't sure if it was true or not." He started thrusting gently against Gil. "Feel good?"

"Let me show you," Grissom replied and flipped Nick on to his back. Nick, knowing how loud he could get when Gil was involved, grabbed a pillow and pressed it down over his face.

***

Chapter 5

The brick firehouse stood in the middle of the block in the middle of the city. Nick could almost see where the name "Middleview" came from but refrained from commenting on it. The door was opened by a fairly handsome man, tall and tan with brown hair and deep blue eyes. "Hey, you must be Dr. Grissom, Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders," he said. "I'm Lexxie's husband, Jeremy. Sorry I didn't get to go out with you last night, I had a late response."

"It's no problem," Grissom replied, shaking the man's hand. "We know what it's like to be on-call. Is Chief Scott here?"

Jeremy turned and pointed to a rack of lockers against what looked like a divider wall. Lex was leaning against them reading a folder. She reached up absently with her left hand and caught a tennis ball that had been speeding towards her head. "Hey Teemer, you want to move the guys outside if they're going to be playing macho-tennis?" she asked, finally looking up. "I don't want to have to try and find the money to have the apparatus windows replaced."

"Sure thing, chief," Jeremy said. "Gentlemen, it was a pleasure." He took the tennis ball from his wife and left to the other bay.

"I think I have a suspect for us," Lex said. "I got to thinking last night about the style and method and came in to dig around in my files." She indicated the stone stairs and started up them. "The case is about five years old but that sounds about right because the guy was sentenced to three to five years and I seem to recall him serving the complete term."

"Who is it?" Nick asked, closing the office door behind them. It was a large room but really cluttered with papers, filing cabinets and a large desk.

Lex moved some files off her chair and sat down. "I apologize for the mess," said she. "I'm not normally this untidy but I was focused on what I was looking for last night. The man was a college student, chemist, who decided it would be fun to start setting odd fires."

"Fun?" Greg asked. He looked at one of the bulletin boards. "Is this a Poe poem?"

"It is," Lex replied. "And yes, some people consider it fun to set fires. We frown on the idea because it's our lives on the line any time we leave the house. I was the one who finally caught him and helped send him to prison. Tiff is looking into it for me; I thought you might like a chance to review the old case file." She looked up when a knock sounded on her door. "Come in."

A tall man, well over six foot six peeked in. "I'm sorry, chief, but I need you to come down and take a look at Tony."

"Oh for Merlin's sake, what now?" asked Lex.

"Andy and Wayne are on a call and Tony just slipped on some ice out back," the man said. "I think he broke something."

Lex stood up and grabbed what could have been a crime scene kit. "Excuse me, guys," she said. "Oh, Nick, you said you're an EMT. Could you lend me a hand?"

"Sure," Nick said.

"These guys get cabin fever in the winter and try to come up with games once all their chores are done," Lex said as they followed the man back down the hall to the stairs. "I can remember then dropping water bombs on anyone who went out the backdoor a couple of years ago."

Nick smiled. "Why?"

"Because they could," Lex said. "Hey Blake, what was Tony doing?"

"Hanging out some t-shirts for them to aim for," Blake replied. "I've been trying to think of some other drills to run them through but I don't want to dampen moral too much this time of year."

"Then I'll do it," Lex stated. "This is getting crazy."
********************

"Hey Grissom," Greg said, sitting down next to his boss. "Can I talk to you for a minute, please?"

"Of course, Greg," Gil replied. He closed the folder, put it in his lap and looked over at the young man.

"Please, please don't be mad but I kinda overheard something in your hotel room a couple days ago and I want you to know I think it's okay and I'm not upset or going to tell anyone or anything, but I'm not sure I'm even thinking the right thing and I don't know how to bring it up without insulting you or Nick or getting hurt or fired or, I don't know, just anything."

Gil smiled; he knew he made Greg nervous and when the young man started rambling like he was it was the best indicator of what he was thinking. "Greg, I won't be mad," he said gently. "Just tell me what's on your mind."

"AreyouandNicksleepingtogether?" Greg asked, his words running together he was so nervous.

"Greg, take a deep breath and try that again, slowly."

"Are you and Nick sleeping together?"

The lovers had talked about Greg's eavesdropping and decided the damage was done and, if he asked one of them outright, they would tell him the truth. "Yes, Greg, we are," Gil said. "Do you understand that no one can know about it?"

"Oh man, of course I do, I wouldn't do anything to hurt you or Nick," Greg said. "It doesn't bother me a bit. I'm glad Nick has someone he can trust to take care of him. I'm also really, really sorry I did that. I just wanted to know why Nick didn't want to room with me."

"What's done is done and cannot be undone," Grissom said. "We're not mad at you, Greg. A little disappointed, yes, but not mad."

***

Chapter 6

Tiffany dropped the folder on her desk with a sigh. "So Lexxie found this case from five years ago," she said, looking at the men sitting in her office. "And Steve pulled his records."

"Right here," Commander Steve Mansfield said, opening a folder of his own. "Served his full sentence for arson and was released six months ago. It took some doing because he pulled a Houdini on us but he was in Vegas at the same time you guys were and we have a confirmed sighting here in Middleview as well. But he's gone back underground again. I think he's looking for another target."

"So we have an insane arsonist running around the country and no clue where he is?" Tiffany asked.

"In a nutshell," Steve agreed. "I've got an alert out on him, across the board and overseas, but it'll probably take time for a report to get back to us."

A young agent tapped on the door and handed Joe a note as he was the one closest to the door. "Thank you," he said, glancing over it. "And then again, maybe not Steve. Tiff, we just got a message from Miami; our boy is in town and living the high life."

"So we now have an insane arsonist running around Miami with lots of money we don't know where he got it from," Tiffany sighed, changing her summary. "Oh well, I wanted to go somewhere warm."

"Tiff, the CSI lieutenant you'll have to deal with down there really doesn't like feds," Jake cautioned. "Seriously, we're talking Grissom times ten as far as initial hatred goes. Take this one slow and easy."

"Can you pull a package on him for me, please?" Tiffany asked. "I'll talk with our Vegas friends and then meet the plane at the airport. I'm going to ask them to hang tight with Lexxie for the time being but to be ready to join me if I need them. Meanwhile, I'd like for Jake to talk with our tactical guys and figure out a few contingencies for me."

"You got it."
********************

The flight to Miami was as boring as any Tiffany had taken. It was one downside to her position; lots of travel time, and with fibromyalgia, it wasn't easy on her system. She was only thankful it was winter, otherwise the heat and humidity would have killed her and she'd have spent the entire trip in her hotel room sick. She reviewed the reports and also the case file her people had found on Lieutenant Horatio Caine. He was a good man, calm and collected by all reports but he did indeed have a low tolerance for federal officers. And Tiffany, being the leader of the most secret organization in the world, was a little concerned about exactly what her reception was going to be.

She checked into a hotel and changed into one of her medium-weight suits, black, with an ice lavender blouse. Tiffany put on a fire opal necklace and styled her hair back into a French twist. She put on her favorite watch and checked herself in the mirror before going down to meet her car.

It was ridiculously easy for her to gain entrance to the lab. Tiffany made a mental note to talk to Lieutenant Caine about lab security as she settled into a chair in his office. She knew that a room could tell her more about the person who inhabited it than a week around them. It was obvious that this was a man who didn't spend a lot of time in his office so he must like to be a hands on supervisor.

Horatio stood outside his office for a moment and stared in the window. There was a woman waiting in a guest chair. He hadn't been alerted to any visitor so he wondered exactly who she was. She was wearing a well-tailored black suit, more expensive than his own, nicely styled hair and a sense of purpose about her. This was no casual visitor and he knew of only one type of person who would show up unannounced in his office on a Monday morning and that was a fed. He sighed and wondered exactly what he had done to deserve that.

"It's more polite to announce yourself," he said, entering his office and sitting down behind his desk.

"Yes it is," Tiffany replied. "And I wanted to test your people; it's something I do. You need to work on your lab security." She flipped her badge wallet onto the desk. "I'm Chief Tiffany Franks of the International Bureau of Investigation. We're tracking an arsonist who was set fires in Las Vegas and my hometown. My people received a report that our man is in Miami. My visit it two-fold. I need to warn you about him; he's using a brand of paraffin to start his fires and they are very dangerous. Secondly, I would like to ask for your help."

"You sneak into my lab and then ask for my help?" Horatio asked.

Tiffany smiled and, as always, it didn't reach her ice blue eyes. "One of my mandates is to test all law enforcement agencies on a random basis," she said calmly. "I will not come into your city and take over the investigation in these fires if you do not want my aid. But this man has killed three times and is using fire to cover his crimes. My lab is investigating but we need your help."

"Why?"

"You know your city and your people," Tiffany said. She handed him a card. "Call me when you've made a decision." She picked up her cane and limped towards the door. "I won't put your lab on report, but you should consider increasing video surveillance of the rear doors. I didn't have my badge in plain sight and no one challenged me. It's a danger that shouldn't be faced."
********************

"I put the ball in his court," Tiffany said, stretching out on the bed in her hotel room. "You guys were right, he doesn't like feds."

"Well, testing him on the first day probably wasn't the brightest move," Steve said.

"I had the chance, I took it," she replied. "I'm not doing a write up though; I did have to do some duck and cover to avoid being seen. It wasn't as bad as I told him, but they do need better cameras in the back."

Steve laughed. "So I suppose he's going to totally blow you off and you'll be home soon."

"Who knows," Tiffany sighed. "I'm going to give him a couple of days, enjoy the heat, and check in with the local command center as long as I'm in the neighborhood. Make it a real working vacation and I might stop in a couple of other cities on my way home."

"Anything to avoid the cold, huh?"

"You try living like this and see how well you handle it," Tiffany said. "Someone's knocking on my door, I'll call you later."

"Be careful."

"Always." Tiffany hung up and got to her feet slowly. The warm air was helping her but she could still feel the stiffness in her joints. She padded to the door and looked through the peephole. She saw red hair and blue eyes staring at the door. "Lieutenant Caine, please come in."

He put his sunglasses in his pocket and moved into the room. "I normally make it a point to avoid the feds as much as I can," Horatio said. "But I did some research on you and your bureau and everything says you can be trusted. So I came here to ask why you felt it necessary to sneak into my lab if you wanted to ask me a favor."

"I'm the boss of the largest anti-terrorist organization in the world; one of the jobs of my bureau is to make sure that our nation's labs and police department are secure. Everything in life is a test, Lieutenant, and I promised not to write up your lab. I will provide you with my route so you can run it yourself if you want." Tiffany sank into a chair with a groan. "Why don't we stop dancing around each other and get to the point. I need a nap and a good meal."

"Hmm, I can't help with the first, but I do know a good restaurant on the beach if you're interested," Horatio said with a small smile. He liked the woman's spirit.

"I have food allergies; if they're willing to work around those, I'm game," Tiffany said. She picked up her cane. "Lead the way."

***

Chapter 7

The restaurant was indeed on the beach and it gave Tiffany pause. "Lieutenant, there's no way I'm going to be able to keep my balance on the sand," she said. "This cane is not a fashion statement."

"Then allow me to be a gentleman," Horatio replied. He took her arm and wrapped his around her waist. "And if we're going to be working together why don't you call me Horatio?"

"Only if you call me Tiffany," she said, smiling as he helped her across the shifting sand to a table and into a chair.

"I can do that," Horatio said. He sat down and studied the woman across from him. She was younger than his initial assessment led him to believe, but had a weariness about her eyes that spoke of too many things seen too soon. "So are you going to tell me exactly how you got into my lab?"

Tiffany smiled. "Sneakily," she said. "It wasn't as easy as I made it sound. You have one young man who has really good hearing but needs to trust his instincts more; he almost caught me in the garage."

"What's he look like?"

"Unkept," Tiffany said.

"That would be Speed," Horatio laughed. "He's a great CSI but he likes to be comfortable and I just don't argue with him any more. Did he see or hear you?"

"He most likely heard my cane," she said. "I had to brace myself to stand up from where I was hiding. That's the reason I'm not going to write you up; I had to work to get in. But if I could do it..."

"So could anyone else," Horatio finished. "If you feel up to it tomorrow, maybe you'll show me how you got in so I can look into a recommendation for fixing it."

"Honestly a key pad lock on the back door would....can I help you?"

Horatio turned in his chair. "Rick, Yelina," he said.

"If this is your idea of crime scene investigation, Horatio, you need to rethink what you do on the clock," Rick Stetler sneered. "Because last time I checked, dating while on the clock was not allowed."

"Who are you?" Tiffany asked, her voice cold.

"This is Rick Stetler from IAB and my sister-in-law, Yelina," Horatio said.

"I would think that anyone from Internal Affairs would know how to use their eyes," Tiffany snorted, picking up her water. "Because as handsome as Horatio is, I think my husband would take offense if I were on a date with anyone other than him."

The red head blushed. "It's been a long time since anyone has called me that," he smiled. "Thank you, Tiffany."

"You're welcome; now, the last time *I* checked, working in IAB was no excuse to harass employees of the department so I suggest you modify your tone, Mr. Stetler, before I get mad."

"Just who do you think you are?" Rick demanded.

"Hopeless," Tiffany sighed. "Absolutely hopeless. I always hope for better but I am always disappointed. Who I am is not important nor does it have any bearing on the current situation. Lieutenant Caine is currently off the clock and what he chooses to do on his own time is his own business. And if he wants to eat out then he should be able to do so without being harassed by bitter IAB officers." She dropped her water glass and caught Stetler's left hand as it flew towards her face. Before Horatio could react, Stetler was on his knees, hand bent backwards towards his arm. Tiffany leaned forward and caught his eyes. "I am not a woman who can be intimidated nor am I weak," she hissed. "Only cowards hit women and you are beginning to bore me. I suggest you leave before I have you arrested." Tiffany shifted a little so her belt badge was visible. "And you do not want to get on my bad side. Do I make myself clear?" She let go of his hand and leaned back in her chair.

Horatio stood. "Good night, Rick," he said softly. "Tiffany, where did you learn that?"

"Hang on one second." Tiffany pulled out her cell phone and hit an autodial. "Jake, Tiff; can you pull the footage from my cane for the past ten minutes and then do a full search on Rick Stetler? Yeah, he's an idiot but I think he's dangerous. Of course I'll be careful. Just do me a favor and don't let Joe or Lexxie see the footage, please? I really don't want them down here. Thanks, talk to you later."

"Footage from your cane?"

Tiffany turned her cane a little. "My chief lab agent, Jake Garnet, put a satellite camera in my cane," she sighed. "He says it's for my protection, but he really just doesn't trust me. The good news is that whole scene is on tape and they'll get back to me with anything worse than a parking ticket."

"I'd like to look at that if you don't mind," Horatio said, smiling. "Where did you learn self defense?"

"I've only been sick for a couple of years; car accident," Tiffany said. "Before that I took karate classes with my twin and we both made it to black belt. He shifted his weight so I knew he was going to do something. I really don't tolerate violence against women and children. So, as I was saying, a key pad lock on the back door of the lab would help a lot in controlling access via that door."

"And probably be well within my budget," Horatio finished. "Why do I have a feeling I'm going to learn a lot from you?"

She smiled. "Teaching is part of what I do," Tiffany said. "What you found out about me and my bureau was made available to you. Truthfully there's not a lot of stuff about me floating around out there because my bureau is top secret. I'm not talking normal feds; I'm talking James Bond times twelve at the least. And I'm a little surprised my local bureau hasn't been notified that I'm here and set up....oh, wait, there they are."

"Bodyguards?" Horatio asked, looking around.

"And then some," Tiffany sighed. She looked towards the other table. "You guys need to work on your response time."

"Sorry, Chief."

"Yeah, yeah," she said with a small smile. "We'll talk about that later. In the meantime, order what you want, on account."

Horatio shook his head. The information he was getting confused him a little. "Can you tell me anything else about this case you're working on?"

"I've got the detailed information at my hotel," Tiffany said. "Mostly we're looking for an arsonist who likes to make dangerous fires. I'd have to check in with my lab but I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't start making bombs soon."

"Now that," Horatio said with a grin, "is right up my alley."

***

Chapter 8

"Tiffany, if I were to help you would you be able to walk along the beach?" Horatio asked when they were done eating. "It helps me think."

She smiled. "The sounds of the waves hitting the sand," Tiffany replied. "I'd love to; it's a sound I really miss."

"You've lived near the ocean then?" Horatio helped the fed to her feet and wrapped his left arm securely around her waist.

"The Pacific; I was a juvenile-homicide detective in Los Angeles before the feds recruited me," Tiffany said. "I spent the first eight years of my life on an island and then more years than I'd care to count in LA. I'm landlocked now so Joey got me an ocean CD."

"I have to admit you're not like other agents I've dealt with," Horatio commented.

"That's what everyone tells me, even Gil Grissom," Tiffany said. "And he really hates the feds."

"Then you know the Vegas team?"

"Yep, and if something solid turns up here then they'll come down to help," Tiffany said. "Gil, Nicky and Greg are with my twin at the moment looking through case histories for our suspect."

Horatio paused. "Your sister works for you?"

"Not officially; she's the local fire chief in our city as well as a fire marshal and since our suspect is an arsonist, Lexxie's stepped in to help."

"Hmmm, sounds like there might be some history here."

"There is, Lexxie and I put him away once; he served full term and we think this is revenge," Tiffany said. "It's one reason she's not here. He's been waiting for her to arrive before setting the fires."

"Why's that?"

"I think he wants to make it look like she's the arsonist," Tiffany sighed. "Lexxie is a very special woman, one it's easy to misunderstand and he's relying on that."

Horatio's phone rang, interrupting the conversation. "Excuse me," he said. "Yeah, Horatio. Where? Okay, I'll be right there." He put his phone back in his pocket. "I've got a missing child and need to get to the scene."

"If I stay in the background may I tag along?" Tiffany asked. "I'd like to see your team in action."

"Sure," Horatio said with a smile. "But it might be a long night."

"Just don't tell my family."
********************

Tim Speedle and Eric Delko were already on scene processing the exterior of the house when the Hummer pulled up. "Hey, who's that with H?" Eric asked.

"She's got a badge," Speed commented with a shrug.

"Yeah, but when was the last time you saw a cop with a cane?"

"That all depends on how you spell it," Horatio said. "Gentlemen, this is Tiffany Franks and she's going to be observing. What do we have so far?"

"Mom heard a strange noise, went to check it out and found the baby gone," Speed said. "Window was open and she called us."

"All right; Eric," Horatio said.

"No sign of a break-in or anyone out here and the mother swears all the doors and windows were locked," Eric reported. "Calleigh is inside."

"How old is the baby?" Horatio asked.

Speed looked up. "Mom says eight months. We got a couple pictures from her along with a blanket and an unwashed bottle."

"Okay, thank you," Horatio said. "Tiffany, do you want to come with me?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not," Horatio replied softly. He offered her his left arm.

Speed and Eric watched the pair leave. "Okay, that was strange," Speed commented.

"Which part?"

"H; I've never seen him act like that before."

"He's a gentleman at heart," Eric said. "I'm going to go meet up with Calleigh."
********************

The inside of the house was clean, too clean to Tiffany's eyes. She stood behind Horatio as he questioned the mother. One thing Tiffany really didn't like was that the man holding the mother wasn't the baby's father and the woman had her face hidden against the man's neck. She refused to look at the police.

"Lieutenant, might I ask a question?" Tiffany asked about five minutes into the gentle questioning.

"Of course, Tiffany."

Tiffany smiled and limped slowly towards the couple sitting on the sofa. She leaned down and whispered something to the mother. The woman's head whipped around and clear, tear-free brown eyes met Tiffany's cold ice blue eyes. "I thought so," Tiffany said grimly. "Lieutenant Caine, you are looking for a corpse."

"Is that true?" Horatio asked sharply, his eyes boring into the couple.

"Of course not," the woman insisted. "Why would I kill my own baby?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me," Horatio said. "Agent Franks, can you explain your reasoning for me, please?"

"Absolutely," Tiffany replied. "First and most important we have no visible indication of a break-in or strange person at the scene. Now it's possible the kidnapper had a key but the father lives in Michigan and has no contact with his ex. Secondly we have a woman who wouldn't look at us until my question. Her shoulders, back and breathing all gave the indication of extreme grief and yet her eyes are clear. Third we have a new live-in boyfriend who doesn't check strange noises in the middle of the night. And finally this house is way too clean to have a baby in it."

"That's still a long jump to a mother murdering her child," Horatio said.

"Very true, but where are all the baby toys? The car seat, high chair, a swing, play pen or diaper bag?" Tiffany asked. "I would estimate based on personal experience as well as professional that there hasn't been a baby here for at least a week, maybe two."

"Hey H," Speed called.

"Yeah?"

"I think you need to see this."

Horatio stood and offered his arm to Tiffany. "Where are you, Speed?"

"Out back."

"Tiffany, I hope you're wrong," Horatio said under his breath.

"Me too, Horatio," she said. "Me too."

They found Speed in the back yard standing next to a plot of earth that was roughly four feet square. He looked up as they joined him. "One of the scent dogs led us back here," he said. "The mom said they recently lost a dog and her boyfriend buried it back here."

"That's a little too convenient if you ask me," Horatio said grimly. He put his sunglasses on. "Dig it up."
********************

"So there's probably no chance I can steal you from the feds," Horatio said as he drove Tiffany back to her hotel.

"Nope," Tiffany smiled. "Besides, I'd be sick half the year if I lived down here. You know, as long as I'm in this business I just can't understand people."

"It's a growing statistic," Horatio said. "I'm going to notify the ex-husband to see what he wants to do with the body."

"Poor little angel didn't stand a chance," Tiffany sighed. "It makes me so mad when I see things like this. That's one reason I joined the IBI; they let me set up a juvenile aid program."

"You'll have to tell me about it tomorrow," Horatio said. "Are you okay to make it to your room?"

She opened the door. "Yep," Tiffany said. "I am sorry for jumping in like that but I could just feel something was wrong."

"Don't be sorry," Horatio said. "I think your question could only have come from another woman. I'm not mad; it's nice to work with someone so smart."

"Flattery will get you everywhere," Tiffany smiled. "Just for that I'll buy lunch tomorrow for you and your partner."

Horatio's head shot up and he could only stare at the woman next to him. Tiffany winked. "Your eyes gave you away," she said. "But my lips are sealed."

"Thank you," Horatio said sincerely. "From both of us."
********************

"So tell me about this noise in the lab," Horatio said, sliding onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar.

"What noise?" Speed asked from the stove.

"In the garage around eight," Horatio clarified.

"Something fell over," Speed said. "Come taste this and tell me what you think."

"It was actually Tiffany sneaking in," Horatio said. He moved to stand behind his lover. "More specifically it was her pewter-tipped cane on the cement as she stood up." He opened his mouth for the spoon Speed was holding. "Hmmm, that's good; do I get to drizzle it all over you and slowly lick it off?"

Speed snorted. "It's the filling for Alexx's birthday cake," he said.

"You can always make more," Horatio purred, nibbling on Speed's ear.

"Not before her birthday, it has to cool for two days before I inject it into the cake," Speed replied. "There's still some Hersheys in the fridge if you absolutely have to satisfy your sweet tooth tonight."

"How long until you're done?" Horatio asked, pressing up against his lover.

"At least half an hour and before you ask I am not having sex in here," Speed said. "I don't want to risk burning this or even worse, getting semen in it."

"I love it when you talk dirty," Horatio said. "I'll be in the shower if you want to join me."

"No one can take that long in the shower."

"I can; when you're buried inside me," Horatio whispered, leaning in again, rocking his hips against his lover. "When you're thrusting slowly and gently, hitting my prostate every time, owning me from inside."

"You know the longer you distract me the longer it is before I'm done," Speed commented, consciously stilling his hips. "Go take your shower and I'll meet you in bed and then I'll show you the real meaning of the word hot."

Horatio grinned. "Promise?"

"Promise," Speed replied. "But I'm not leaving his kitchen until I'm done with my filling."

"I'm not even going to say it." Horatio kissed Speed's neck gently. "I'll meet you upstairs."
********************

"So why was this Tiffany person sneaking into the lab?" Speed asked as he stripped off his clothes.

"She's a fed," Horatio replied.

"What?"

"It's weird, Speed; I trust her," Horatio said from the bed. "She's not like other feds and she hates Stetler."

"I like her already," Speed snorted. "How'd they meet up?"

Horatio grinned. "At the beach; I took Tiffany for dinner and Stetler showed up and accused me of dating on lab time. Tiffany took exception to his tone, Stetler tried to hit her and she took him down. It was hate at first sight."

"Well, it shows she has some sense but I wouldn't tell the others what she is." Speed crawled under the covers.

"I won't but she might. Now, I believe you had something to show me."

"Oh yeah," Speed said. He kicked the covers to the food of the bed and straddled Horatio's slim hips. "I've been thinking we need some variety."

Horatio's eyebrows rose. "This from a man who visits Artie at least once a month for conversation," he said. "I know you never buy anything but your ideas are very....creative."

"He ratted me out, huh?" Speed reached for the lube he'd hidden under his pillow. He opened it and started to slick Horatio's erection slowly.

"What about you?" Horatio asked, pressing up into the soft touch.

"I'm good," Speed whispered. "Didn't you notice while we were at work or the scene? I've been wearing it all day, imagining every shift was you."

"Dildo?"

"Yep and Artie had a kit to make our own," Speed said, shifting up and slowly sinking down onto Horatio's erection. "Can't you just imagine working all day with a replica of my cock in your ass, shifting and moving, making you hot and bothered? How hard would it be to keep your focus on the case and off me?"

"God, Speed," Horatio moaned, hips snapping up as his lover started to move.

"I got two kits," Speed continued. "What would it do to you to know that I was walking around with a copy of your cock inside me? Would you be able to be professional knowing that every move I made was driving me insane? That my thoughts were only on you and how good you feel inside me?" Speed's head dropped back as Horatio's angle changed. "That I was thinking about how you make me feel as you thrust into me."

Horatio reached up and pulled Speed down for a kiss, rolling them so he was on top. Speed's legs wrapped around his lover's hips and Horatio started to thrust harder. As he got closer to the edge Horatio shifted his weight and reached down to stroke Speed. The added stimulation pushed him over the edge and the contractions around his cock finished Horatio as well.

"You didn't really buy that stuff from Artie," Horatio whispered against Speed's neck.

"Yeah, I did."

Horatio pushed up and started down at his lover in shock even as he felt himself hardening again.

"What?" Speed asked, trying for innocent and failing miserably.

"How long does it take?" Horatio asked, leaning down to kiss Speed.

***

Chapter 9

When Horatio got to the lab the following morning he realized immediately that there was something seriously wrong. There were men in black suits everywhere, following his people as they moved around. "Damn feds," he muttered under his breath. "Ouch."

"Watch your language," Tiffany scolded. She re-braced her weight on her cane and looked around. "Although these look like local fibbies."

"How do you know?" Horatio asked.

"Bad suits," Tiffany replied with a smirk.

"You know you didn't have to hit me," Horatio said softly.

"You're right," she smiled. "But it got your attention. Do you want to find out what's going on or would you like me to?"

Horatio didn't get a chance to reply. Calleigh came hurrying over, turned and glared at the man behind her. "Do you mind, I need to speak with my supervisor," she said. "My god, Horatio, they just walked in here like the owned the place."

"Did they say what they wanted?"

"No, they're just following us around watching every move we make," Calleigh said.

Tiffany pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. "Tom, its Tiffany Franks. I'm fine but I do have a question. Do you know why a bunch of your people are in the Miami-Dade Crime lab? Huh, is that right? Well, I'm working with them and I can assure you there's no need for this invasion. You owe me a favor; I could call it in right now. At least tell me who tipped you off? No kidding, I suppose everyone needs their spies. So how long until you get these guys out of here? Yeah, yeah I promise to look into it as soon as everyone is gone. I'll buy you lunch next time I'm in DC. Thanks."

"Tiffany?"

"Oh, that was Director Tom Burrows of the FBI," Tiffany said as she clipped her phone back on her belt. "I'll tell you more about it later but these bad suits should be getting a call right about....now."

"Horatio?" Calleigh was puzzled.

"This is Tiffany Franks," Horatio said. "She's here to get help on an arson case."

"It's nice to meet you," Calleigh said. It was obvious she was confused about exactly who or what Tiffany was but decided to let it drop. "I have evidence to run so if you'll excuse me."

"So you just happen to have the head of the FBI on your speed dial?" Horatio asked.

"No, but I do have his number memorized," Tiffany grinned. "Look, Horatio, I had to get them out of here because they're looking to frame Speedle for something I'm positive he didn't do. And the last thing you guys need is for someone to figure out your relationship. Now I have a name and I intend to get to the bottom of this but you need to trust me."

"It doesn't seem that I have much of a choice," Horatio said. "Someone really wants Speed arrested?"

"Not just arrested by charged and put away without trial," Tiffany said. "The fibbies were going to work a loop-hole they have and it wouldn't have been pretty. I'm glad I was here because now I can prove my point to the President and get that stupid thing taken care of once and for all. You go take care of Speed. I'll handle this. Oh, is there a detective you trust who could transport someone to my local bureau? I'd rather not leave until I'm sure all the suits are gone."

"Detective Frank Tripp," Horatio said. He was still a little stunned that there was a way his lover could have been locked up without due process. "How can anyone be denied their rights like that?"

She snorted. "It has to do with the fact that he's in law enforcement," Tiffany said. "I've been fighting this from the start but it all has to do with the fact that those who enforce should be held to a higher standard than those we arrest. Now shoo, I'll find you later."
********************

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Tiffany said from the door to the Trace lab. Her voice was soft but there was menace in every word.

"Excuse me?" Speed asked looking up from the test he was running.

"Not you, Speedle," Tiffany said. "That moron in the suit behind you. He was about to slip something into your test tube that would no doubt ruin whatever you were working on and give him a reason to cart your ass out of here."

Speed turned and stared at the FBI agent. Tiffany moved forward, her cane echoing in the silent lab. "I know for a fact that your boss called and you are supposed to be gone, Agent Burns," she said. "Don't make that face; you look like an even bigger idiot than you already are. Hand it over and don't try to deny that you're holding a bottle in your left hand."

"Who are you?" Burns asked.

"Someone who can make your life extremely difficult if you push me the wrong way," Tiffany replied. "Other than that I'm sure your director would be extremely interested to know what's going on. Hand it over; now." She took the bottle from the agent with a small sigh. "I just don't know. You have one minute to get out of this building before I arrest you for tampering with an ongoing investigation, agent."

"Uh, Tiffany?" Speed asked.

"I don't know chemistry," she said. "What would this have done?"

"It depends on what's in here," he replied. "I'm working on trying to identify a white powder found on a victim's jacket."

She snorted. "Then my guess would be this is something to neutralize drugs," Tiffany said. "I just don't know why the feds insist on hiring muscle for their field agents and saving the brains for the commanders of the teams and in their primary bureau in Washington DC. I thought I told you to leave, Agent Burns. And don't think that I won't be calling your director as soon as I'm done here."

"Speed," Horatio said from the door. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, H," Speed said. "But I think we might need to find out what this is."

"I caught one of the feds I actually have run into before in the lab eyeing Speedle," Tiffany said. "And he was about to add some of whatever the hell that liquid is to the tests. I chased him out of here and I'll be sure to send a copy of my report to his boss and his director as well."

"Thank you," Horatio said. "Speed, we're taking the day off once you get finished with your tests. Tiffany is going to take care of some business here and we don't want you involved. I'll explain when we get home."

"Good idea, Horatio," Tiffany said. "I'll call you tonight and let you know what happened."
********************

Tiffany was leaning against a wall near Horatio's office when she felt a presence behind her. "It's very rude to stare," she said not turning around. "And if you try to hit me again, I'll break your arm."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Stetler demanded.

"Waiting for a phone call," Tiffany said. "And watching to make sure that none of the fibbies come back where they're not welcome."

"The feds are welcome in our lab at any time," Stetler said. "We don't have anything to hide."

She turned slowly and met his eyes. "That's good to know," Tiffany said. "But when the feds are here to tamper with evidence in an active case then I think it's a slightly different matter. What can I do for you today, Sergeant?"

"Where's your visitor badge?"

"I don't have one at the moment," she replied. "Although I believe Horatio said he was going to have one issued for me before he left for the day. I think you will find, however, that I don't actually need one." She glanced down as her phone rang. "Excuse me; Franks. Hello Mr. President."

Stetler started sputtering as the woman in front of him turned her back on him again more or less dismissing him. He still had no idea who she was or why she thought that she could be in the lab or the department without some form of ID. He reached out for her shoulder only to be hit in the hand by the top of the black cane the woman used.

"Excuse me, Mr. President," Tiffany said. She made eye contact with Stetler. "I told you not to touch me. Now go away." She watched him leave and sighed. "As I was saying, sir, there is a loop hole in the law that is going to be problematic for law enforcement. I have firm evidence that the local FBI office decided to use said loop hole to attempt to frame a local law enforcement officer at the Miami-Dade crime lab."

"I just don't know how we can change that one section without changing the whole law," the president said. "But bring me what you have, Chief, and I'll review it."

"Yes sir," Tiffany said. "I'll be in your office tomorrow."
********************

Horatio was in the process of working out a particularly bad knot in Speed's left shoulder when the phone rang. Speed picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, Speed, this is Tiffany; is Horatio available?"

"Hang on a second." Speed put the phone on speaker. "It's Tiffany, H."

"Tiffany?"

"First of all that Rick Stetler is an idiot," Tiffany said. "And he now has a broken hand to prove it. Horatio, I have to fly to Washington DC for a meeting with the president in the morning. My sister and a couple of friends will be in town to help you with the case we discussed. Please keep in mind that my sister doesn't like strangers and will most likely not talk to anyone directly but she knows what she's doing and will bring a lot to the case."

"Was she abused, Tiffany?"

"Horribly," Tiffany replied. "But I'll be back before too long and she'll be okay then. I wanted to let you know that the agent who attempted to frame Speed is under investigation by my office and his and the local director is in some hot water with Tom. I'll know more when I'm back from DC but right now its looking like everything is in the clear."

"That's good to know," Horatio said. "Have your sister and friends meet us at the lab tomorrow and we'll get started on the case, or at least preparing for the case as the fire hasn't actually hit yet."

"If I had my way, H, it never would," Tiffany said. "I want to get this guy and the sooner the better."

"Truer words were never spoken," Horatio said. "I'll talk to you when you get back."

"Take care, Horatio; Speed."

Speed hung up and twisted his head around until he could just see his lover. "Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" he asked.

"Honestly I'm not sure," Horatio replied. "But I think we've got a powerful friend who is going to help us a lot more than we can help her."

***

Chapter 10

When Horatio arrived at the lab the next morning, he was told there was a couple waiting for him in the less formal waiting area. He paused outside the door for a moment and studied the pair. One was almost identical to Tiffany, so it was easy to reason that was her twin, but the man didn't look like anyone Horatio knew, and he'd seen pictures of the Vegas team. "Chief Scott, I'm Horatio Caine," he said, walking into the room. "Welcome to Miami."

"Lieutenant," she said softly. "This is Jack Holmes, my mentor and good friend. Dr. Grissom and his team send their regrets, but they were recalled to Vegas when their boss found out about the change in jurisdiction."

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Holmes," Horatio said. "What can we do to help you, Chief Scott?"

She handed over a small stack of folders. "This is all the information the IBI and my department have on our suspect," she said. "We're here to help you however we can, Lieutenant, not the other way around. I would like to find the suspect before anyone else dies, if we can."

Horatio sat down across from her, being careful to keep a safe distance away. He could remember how it felt to be crowded by strangers and wasn't going to do that to her. "Do you have firm evidence to link him to either previous fire?" he asked.

"Unfortunately not," Lex said. "As far as I know, I was able to sneak in without anyone seeing me. Jack and I flew into Orlando and drove down. It's possible our suspect is watching the local police departments for me, but Tiffany believes it's more likely that he's been watching the airports as I've been traveling on Tiffany's bureau plane and it goes to an isolated area of any airport. With Tiff up in DC in meetings, we have a small chance to find our suspect and track him."

"Tell me more about these fires," Horatio said. "Tiffany mentioned paraffin as the agent used."

"Yes and no," Lex said. "There is paraffin present, but the IBI's lab has figured out there's also a sort of candle involved. They're still running scenarios or us, but the most likely one is that the paraffin s being melted over the floor and furnishings prior to the fire. Once the fire is involved, it's using the wax as fuel in addition to anything else it has in the room, such as fabrics, furniture, people, and books. This is what's causing such a hot, fast fire."

"Which makes them more dangerous for not only the fire fighters, but anyone who lives close by," Horatio said. He thought about Tiffany's comment that her sister didn't talk to strangers and wondered if Tiffany had meant away from work.

Lex nodded. "So far, the two scenes have been in larger, more isolated houses, which could have been chosen to give our suspect a chance to get in and stage his scene before setting the fire," she said. "In the Vegas scene, there was evidence of smolder followed by a rollover when the door to the primary room was opened. We're still not sure who opened the door, he's too badly burned to give us much information, but in doing so he did save the life of several firefighters. In the other scene the fire burned hotter and faster. My officers tell me that the fire flashed before they arrived, indicating exactly how hot it was. Our suspect learned from his previous fire and is still learning."

"Tiffany said you arrested him?"

"We did. He was a college student at the time, majoring in Chemistry and started to set unusual fires, first in controlled conditions in the labs, then moving through items outside until he finally burned down a house," Lex said. "It was empty at the time, everyone was at work or school, but we were able to find and prosecute him. One of Tiffany's people checked with the prison and found out that our suspect had access to fire textbooks and magazines while he was in prison. Something that should not have happened, but it seems he's been able to learn more than many firefighters do in the same amount of time."

"I looked at his chemical research papers," Jack said, speaking for the first time. "He was not an average student by any stretch of the imagination. It's likely that's the reason he had such unrestricted access to labs whilst at school. I fear he'll grown only more creative with each fire if we cannot stop him here."

Horatio looked at the older man. "You've studied Chemistry?" he asked.

"It's one of my hobbies," Jack replied. "My father was very keen on Chemistry and I picked it up from him. Lexxie asked me to take a look when no one else could understand the chemical research papers involved."

"Then I'm glad you're here," Horatio said. "Chief Scott, would it be possible for you to talk with our trace expert here at the lab and work through a few possibilities while I get this picture out to our patrols?"

"If you think it will help," she said. "I'd like to keep my visibility to a minimum though. The longer we can keep my presence in Miami a secret, the longer we have to find our suspect."

"I'll get Speed to grab his laptop and a notebook and meet you here," Horatio said, standing up. "Would either of you like coffee?"

"That'd be wonderful, thank you," Jack said. "Lexxie?"

"Yes, please," she said. "Lieutenant Caine, when you hand out that picture make sure you include the warning that this man is cleaver, resourceful and not afraid to kill."

Horatio nodded. "That will be the first thing I tell them," he said. "I promise."

***

Chapter 11

"Speed," Horatio said as he walked into the trace lab, "grab your laptop. I need you to go meet with Tiffany's sister and run through some ideas for me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, where is she?" Speed asked.

"Sun room," Horatio replied. "Speed, remember what Tiffany said. Chief Scott has been abused horribly and she's not comfortable with strangers. She did fine with me, but I don't know how she'll react to you. Keep your distance and let her make the moves, okay?"

"Got it," Speed said. "Is there a reason we're keeping her hidden away?"

Horatio nodded and looked around the lab. "They believe that the suspect is waiting for her to arrive before setting the fire," he said. "If we can keep Chief Scott hidden, we have longer to work out where he may be setting the next fire. I'm going to talk with Tripp and also patrol, get the picture and basic information Chief Scott brought with her out on the streets, but we have nothing to arrest him on. When Tiffany gets back, she'll be able to pick him up, but we can't."

"Because he hasn't done anything illegal here in Miami," Speed said. "When's Tiffany getting back?"

"I don't know. She said she was going to be meeting with the President, Speed. She didn't tell me much before she left, but I've got questions for her about this new law that's in place. I really don't like the sound of it."

"If you don't like it, there must be something wrong with it," Speed said. "Okay, I think I have everything."

"Can you manage two cups of coffee?" Horatio asked.

"Sure," Speed said with a sigh. He'd had to carry worse along with his laptop.
**

"Lexxie, how are you doing?" Jack asked while they were alone.

"I'm okay," she replied, rubbing the purple cast absently. "He's here, Jack. I can tell that much, but I don't know where he is or what he's planning. Do you think you can get a hold of a map of the richer areas of the city so we can mark it out? If he follows his pattern, we're looking at an isolated mansion fire with at least three victims, if not more."

"When is Tiffany back?"

"She's hoping for late tonight, but it depends on how long her meetings in DC run," Lex said. "I'm worried about how much she's traveling, Jack. She's going to wear herself out and flare again."

"The pair of you never have been good at sitting idle," Jack said. "Here comes someone new and I think he's our new contact. He has two coffee cups with him, and a computer."

Lex smiled. "That's Tim Speedle," she said. "Tiff told me a little about him. I think you'll like him, Jack. It sounds like he's a bit like your father."

"Chief Scott, I'm Tim Speedle with the crime lab. You can call me Speed, I think everyone does," Speed said, sitting down across the coffee table. "H said you guys were willing to work some scenerios on what could happen with this fire."

Jack took the two cups of coffee and sniffed them both. "This one is yours, Lexxie," he said, handing it over.

"Thank you," she said. "Speed, before we look at burn scenerios or probabilities, I was wondering if it would be possible to see if we could work out a target house based on what we know from the other two crime scenes."

"We were thinking a large map of the richer areas of the city," Jack added, leaning forward. "Our suspect wishes to make an impression with his fires, and the larger the house he can access, the better."

"Most of the really expensive houses around here are under about four layers of security, but yeah, we can take a look," Speed said. "How likely is it that the suspect would be able to make friends with a home owner and get into the place that way?"

Lex thought for a moment while Speed was working on his laptop. "He is social when he needs to be," she finally said. "If he has picked out a mark, he'll already be in their house, waiting for me to arrive."

"So we're looking at a fire any time from tonight until you leave," Speed said.

"We don't believe he knows I'm here," Lex said. She leaned forward to look at the laptop when it was placed on the table, but stayed close to Jack. "I'm hoping that Jack and I were able to sneak in to buy us some time. This here, I like the look of this for a target. It's isolated, large, and would not be easy for the fire department to get to quickly."

Speed turned the computer enough that he could see where she was pointing. "Yeah, that's one of the wealthiest areas in Miami," he said. "I don't know who owns the house you picked out, but I can find out easily enough." He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Horatio. "H will let me know. All right, so why don't we pull up the floor plans of that house and see how much square footage we're dealing with."

"One other thing to look for," Lex said. "Craft stores that would sell paraffin in bulk. I'm not sure if our suspect has been traveling with a supply or if he is buying locally, but that is the one thing he needs to set these fires. It's not a substance I would choose, but he has made it work and it's a very unique signature to his fires."

"That should be easy enough to find out," Speed said. "Anything else we need to know to try and work out where he's going to attack?"

"Each fire has had three victims," Jack said softly. "The owner of the house, an unknown female and an unknown male. The unknown male isn't found at the fire scene, but in a car five miles away. The cars are wiped down and no damage beyond having a charred corpse in them."

"Nasty," Speed said, making notes. "You think we'll see the same thing here?"

"Almost definitely," Lex said. "I just can't decide if he should be classified a serial killer, a serial arsonist, or both at this point.

***

Chapter 12

"Okay, so, if we assume he isn't bringing the paraffin in with him, I've got three stores in the Miami area that would sell it in bulk," Speed said, working on his laptop. Horatio had joined them at lunch with sandwiches from a nearby deli and was talking about the details of the fire with Lex. "Of those, I think only one would be able to sell it in the quantities we're estimating."

"Good work, Speed," Horatio said. "Let's get Eric and Frank out to check with them, please."

"You got it, H."

"Lieutenant," Lex said, "do you have any contacts at the local fire department or departments? I'd like to speak with someone there and warn them about what's coming."

Horatio nodded. "I can get in touch with a couple of friends who are arson investigators easily enough," he said. "Do you want to meet with them here?"

"If I could," Lex said. "I do hate to clutter up one of your meeting areas so, but I really don't want to risk leaving until it's dark out."

"I understand and it's fine," Horatio said. "I'll go call Ronnie and have him bring some of his men along with him. Do you think we have to worry about our suspect making contact with the fire department?"

"I don't," Lex said. "If he's going to contact anyone official, it'll be a police officer, likely patrol, because there is less risk of him being recognized. Right now he wants to finish up his plans, and he won't want anyone to be able to stop him."

"All right, excuse me, please," Horatio said. "I'll be right back."

"Speed, could you enlarge this section of the house here?" Jack asked, pointing to a room near the back of the house.

"Yeah, what's up?" Speed asked.

"Jack?"

"Alexis, look at this," Jack said. "This room here."

Lex leaned over and looked at the floor plans. "Oh, you have to be kidding me," she said.

"What's up, guys?" Speed asked. He turned the laptop back so he could look at the plan.

"Unless I'm very much mistaken, that's a panic room," Jack replied. "A room where someone could hide until it was time to come out to stage a fire, or a person might be stupid enough to hide from a fire."

"Unvented except for the oxygen supply from tanks in the small space abutting the panic room," Lex said. "Oxygen tanks and fires don't mix. Those could well explode should this be the house where the fire is set."

Speed's phone vibrated on the table next to him. "Hang on a second," he said. "Patrol just reported a sighting of our suspect in the yard of this house. Looks like you guys were right and picked out the target perfectly."

"To arrest an arsonist, one must think like an arsonist," Lex sighed. "Speed, would you be able to find out who owns the house and let Lieutenant Caine know about it, please? It's possible events are going to move far faster than we anticipated." She paused and looked off into the middle distance for a moment, almost as if listening. "Jack, I think we might have been spotted after all."

"I think you're right, Alexis," he said, leaning back on the sofa they were sharing. "So the question becomes, when shall he set the fire and will we be in time to stop him?"

"I don't know," Lex said. "I just don't know."

***

Chapter 13

"Horatio, this is highly unusual," Ronnie said when he met up with the red head in the reception area of the lab. "Normally I get called to investigate a fire after it's been set. What the hell is going on here?"

"Ronnie, we have received intel from a federal organization that we have a serial arsonist in Miami, one who is setting highly dangerous fires," Horatio replied quietly. "I wanted you to come in and speak with the expert from the organization so you can let your people know and, hopefully, keep them alive should they be forced to fight this type of fire."

"I don't get it, but I'll humor you," Ronnie said, following Horatio towards one of the back sections of the lab.

Horatio glanced at him. "You need to do more than humor me, Ronnie," he said. "You need to pay close attention so that your people will be able to stay alive." He pushed the door open and stepped inside. "Chief Scott, this is Fire Marshal Ronnie Jameson. He's probably the best man with the fire department for us to have with us."

Lex stood up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Marshal Jameson," she said. "Please do forgive me not shaking hands, but I broke my wrist not long ago. Lieutenant, Speed has a few things to report."

"Thank you," Horatio smiled. He stepped off to the side to talk with Speed quietly.

"Marshal Jameson, I realize how unusual the situation must be for you," Lex said softly, sitting down and indicating the paperwork on the table in front of her. "In my years of service, I have never once been called to investigate a fire before it is set, and I don't know any marshal who has. My goal is to keep this fire from happening, and I'd like to keep your people safe. This arsonist has set two fires since his release from prison for setting fires. Both fires have had paraffin used as the signature and our lab believes that the added chemicals are causing the fire to burn hotter and faster than it would with a standard fuel load."

Ronnie sat down in the chair Horatio had been using and looked over the floor plans. "I know this house, there's not much there to be a fuel load," he said. "It's a modern house, mostly plastic, metal and glass for the furnishings and kitchen. The bedrooms are a little plusher, but still minimalist. The owner doesn't believe in owning a lot of stuff."

"Plastic will bend and melt, glass will shatter and metal will explode given the right amount of heat," Lex said. "What would happen should wicking be laid out with paraffin poured over it in even twenty percent of the house?"

"How long of a sustained burn?"

"Ten minutes direct on the floor," Lex said.

"Given the number of windows on the main floor, you'd be looking at one hell of a draft over that flame," Ronnie said. "Yeah, I think the fire could involve the whole house within fifteen minutes with that sort of heat being generated."

"Then you see the danger," Horatio said from behind Ronnie's chair. "What would happen if this wicking system should be employed in a bedroom, Ronnie?"

Ronnie went pale. "Good lord."

"The fire in Vegas burned to a sustained smolder in the bedroom point of origin," Lex said softly. "When the door was opened by the third victim of the fire, it rolled a fireball the fire came back to life so quickly. No backdraft. No indrawn air. A fireball. By the time I arrived on scene, they were on a defensive exterior attack only and almost weren't able to save the two neighboring houses."

Everyone paused at the sound of a soft ticking noise. The door opened and Tiffany walked into the room. "He's here, isn't he, Lexxie?" she asked.

"We think we know where he is, but no one here could make a move," Lex replied.

"I've been in touch with my people," Tiffany said. "They're on their way now to pick him up. We were able to obtain the floor plans and know about the panic room."

"Panic room?" Ronnie asked. "That's not on our plans."

Lex pointed to the area on the floor plan. "There are oxygen tanks here," she said, indicating the small storage room. "Should our suspect light the fire rather than be captured...."

"I'm going to go talk with my people," Ronnie said. He stood up and hurried out already on the phone.

Horatio looked at Tiffany. "How did your meeting go?" he asked.

"There will be a special meeting next week," she replied. "I'll have to be present, but that's not unusual for matters such as this. Now then, Lexxie, are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"I could order pizza," Speed said. "They deliver here enough, no one would think anything of it, and we can wait it out in here. It's actually really pleasant."

"Thank you, Speed," Lex said softly.

***

Chapter 14

Tiffany and Lex moved over into one of the more isolated areas of the room where they could talk quietly. Jack was close-by, but both of them were used to that. He'd been a father figure for Lex since she was around six, and Tiffany would always love him for that. "He's going to set the fire, isn't he, Lexxie?" Tiffany asked softly, staring out the window.

"You warned your people?"

"I did. Those classes you insisted on for them are going to come in handy today," Tiffany said. "My people are also authorized to shoot on sight today. As much as I hate to see a man die, this one is too dangerous to allow to live if it will place others at risk."

Lex nodded. "I'm a little more concerned about those oxygen tanks than anything else," she said. "Should the fire be lit, Tiff, those tanks will become weapons and they could do any number of things depending on how they're installed."

The pair paused when Horatio's phone rang. "I see," he said, shaking his head. "We'll be right there. Tiffany, he managed to set the fire and the home-owner is missing. Your agents shot him."

"Is he dead?" Tiffany asked, turning around slowly. The warm heat was helping her joints, but too much time on a plane was taking its toll on her.

"He is," Horatio replied. "Will you come out to the scene with my people, please? Both of you?"

"Yes," Tiffany said. "We need to be able to see this case through to the end."
***

"That is one hell of a fire," Speed commented as the Hummer pulled to a stop near one of the fire engines.

"Post flash if I'm any judge," Lex replied.

Horatio turned off the engine and looked back at his passengers. "Chief Scott, would you come with me to talk with the incident commander?" he asked. "I want to make sure that everyone is okay."

"Jack," Lex said softly.

"Of course," Jack replied.

"I need to find my people," Tiffany said. "Speed, maybe you could give me a hand walking through the mess out there?"

The group went their separate ways with Lex walking next to Horatio, but studying the fire ground as they went. "There's something odd about this fire, Lieutenant Caine," she finally said softly.

"How so?" Horatio asked.

"Your friend said there was a lot of modern materials used in the interior construction of this home," Lex said. "The flame color isn't indicating any unusual chemicals. Look at it, those are normal colored flames. The smoke is also normal."

"What does that mean?" Horatio asked.

"That someone hasn't been telling the truth," Lex sighed. "There's your friend."

"Ronnie, what's going on?" Horatio asked, turning to the fire marshal.

"We couldn't even get near the house to try for an interior attack," Ronnie replied, shading his eyes to look at the fire. "I don't know how long this was in the works, but I've never seen a fire get so hot so fast."

"We'll be able to tell you more once the fire is out and my people get inside," Horatio said.

"Chief Scott, I'm curious how you knew this would be the house," Ronnie said, turning to look at Lex.

Lex didn't even bother turning around. It was almost as if she had someone, or some thing, watching her back. "This is the seventh fire I have investigated for this arsonist," she said softly. "To catch a criminal you must think like a criminal, and it was not hard to work out the pattern he was working to this time around. The largest house, the one where there would be money or items he would be able to sell. One where it is not easy for the fire department to arrive quickly. Somewhere out of the way where he wouldn't be spotted as he worked. This house is the only one that fit all those requirements on the maps of Miami."

"Ronnie, you're not suggesting that Chief Scott had anything to do with this fire, are you?" Horatio asked, looking at the other man closely.

"No, no, of course not," Ronnie replied, back-peddling quickly. "I've just never seen such quick and logical reasoning before."

"The cases and methods of Sherlock Holmes are wonderful tools with which to learn," Lex said as Jack joined her. "Jack?"

"It's him," Jack said. "Tiffany is making arrangements to have his body taken to the morgue here and will keep a guard on it until we work out exactly what should be done."

"Then we don't have to worry about another fire like this until someone works out exactly what he was doing and manages to copy him," Lex said. "That, in the end, is something."

***

Chapter 15

"So that's it?" Horatio asked, looking around the crime scene. The victims had been transported by Alexx and his team was working to collect the evidence they could to show that the fire was arson and very dangerous. "The case is over."

"This one is," Tiffany replied, watching Lex and Jack talking quietly by the panic room opening. One of the oxygen tanks had shot through the door and left a very obvious hole in the wall. "I wish I could tell you more about the law that I'm trying to have changed, Horatio, but I can't. Not right now anyway. Maybe when the hearings are over, I'll be able to bring you down the details."

"Speed is safe though, right?"

"For now. I had a long talk with the officer who was trying to frame him and the officer decided to leave the country rather suddenly once he was out of my custody," Tiffany said with a small smile. "With your permission, I'd like to assign an IBI officer to your lab full time to help watch out for problems like this, and also to watch Stetler. I don't trust him, and our records came back with nothing."

Horatio smiled. "I'd like that," he said. "I'll be honest, Tiffany; federal agents still aren't my favorite people, but you've proven that there are some who care for people more than they do their jobs. That's a rare thing in this day and age."

"If I had my way, Horatio, we'd all be able to care more about people than the job," Tiffany said. "I'm working on it, but that's a change that will be a long time in coming. Now, I also wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

Tiffany nodded towards her sister. "Lexxie. I haven't seen her open up to a stranger so easily since we were children," she said. "I don't know what you and Speed said or did, but I think there might be the beginnings of trust in her heart again. I never thought I'd be able to see that day."

"Tiff, who is Jack?" Horatio asked. "I never understood exactly why he was here, other than he came with Chief Scott."

"He's an old recluse that lived in the hills of our home on Mull," Tiffany replied. "Lexxie found him one day when we were six and she was out walking around. He took her in and started to teach her about science, observation, and encouraged her to read the Sherlock Holmes stories. Jack's more a father to her than our own father ever way. He's attached loosely to my bureau to allow him to work and travel with Lexxie. A constant that she wouldn't have otherwise."

"She's very lucky," Horatio said. "He seems like a smart man."

"He is, very smart," Tiffany said. "They think I don't know who his father was, but it wasn't hard to work out. I'm just happy he came to the states to live with her and her husband. Lexxie's been happier since he arrived."

Horatio smiled. "She knows your talking about her, doesn't she?"

"Of course. She wouldn't be Lexxie without that touch of the otherworld to her," Tiffany said. "We'll have to leave in the morning, Horatio. I'll bring your new IBI agent by first thing and then we'll be gone. You have my contact information. Call me if you ever need help."

"I'll do that," Horatio said. "Thank you for coming down to warn us of this threat, Tiffany. It's been a pleasure working with you."

***

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