Title: Mistaken Love
By: Aiden
Pairing: Ryan/Speed & Mac/Danny
Fandom: CSI: Miami/CSI: NY
Rating: PG-13
Warning: WiP, language.
Disclaimer: I don't own them if I did they would have much more fun.
Beta: Beck *hugs* thanks a bunches girl.
Summary: They couldn't break the case.
Authors note: After a lot of pushing from some people, I won't say any names, I promised someone to write a Ryan/Speed story and voila gonna have a whole series. *headdesk*
Second note: This is an AU, I just love these things *grins*, Ryan is a CSI Speed is in the Witness Protection Program and has a criminal history.

***

Horatio Caine looked at his team, they had nothing on this case after four days. Their victim was still a Jane Doe, the fingerprints found in the house got no match in AFISS or any other data base and Stetler was breathing down their necks.

"This is so frustrating," Calleigh stated.

"It's like she doesn't exist," Eric sighed.

"Are we missing something?" Ryan asked.

Alexx sighed," Who is this poor woman?"

H smiled at his team, "Patience, we'll find out who she is."

"Why are there no hits on the fingerprints, we search in every data base," Ryan had been doing nothing else for the past four hours as running the fingerprints for the third time through every data base, still coming up empty..

Eric snapped his fingers, "Not every data base." He looked at Horatio.

"Witness Protection Program?" Horatio wondered.

Eric nodded, "Yeah could be worth a try."

"H you're going to set off a red alert if you do that," Calleigh commented.

"Well we tried everything else," Ryan shrugged his shoulders, "Why not."

"If we do this expect a visit from the FBI ladies and gentlemen," Horatio said and walked towards the fingerprint lab, followed by his team.

~.~

"What where you thinking?" Stetler got into Horatio's face.

"I'm trying to solve a murder."

"By pissing off the FBI," Stetler was furious. "It worked, great job."

"Well we finally got a hit on the prints," Horatio stated. "So tell me what was a man who is in the program doing in the house of our victim?"

"That is confidential information," Horatio turned around and saw a man approaching them. "I'm agent Caldwell, Mr. Speedle's handler."

"He could be a witness to a murder or he could be our suspect," Horatio stated.

"I can assure you Mr. Speedle has nothing to do with the murder," Caldwell looked annoyed.

"You have any idea who the woman is? I think Mr. Speedle knows her, he was in the house," Horatio glared at Stetler.

"No, Mr. Speedle told me that he had never seen her before," Caldwell stated.

Horatio sighed, "This is getting us no where, why can't we interview Mr. Speedle?"

"And endanger his life, I don't think so. You have to take my word for it that Mr. Speedle isn't involved in that young woman's murder."

"Horatio this stops here, you will work with the evidence you have," Stetler ordered him.

"I'm afraid that won't be enough," Horatio sadly said and walked away.

"And?" His team walked up to him.

"I'm afraid this is going to be an unsolved case, sorry."

"It isn't your fault," Alexx laid a hand on his arm.

He looked at his team, "I never felt so powerless."

~.~

Ryan left the lab, feeling drained. Again they had looked at all the evidence but realised there was nothing else they could do. He walked towards his car head bowed, "Stupid FBI."

"Isn't that the truth," someone behind him said.

Ryan turned around and came face to face with a gun, "What the fuck?"

"We will get into your car and drive to your house. I don't want to hurt you, so don't go setting off any alarms," the man warned him.

They walked up to Ryan's car, "Who are you?"

"The man you all been looking for," he stated. "And the FBI knows who the woman is they gave the order to kill her."

***

Horatio walked into the break room, "Good morning, Eric, Calleigh."

"Good morning, Horatio," Calleigh smiled at him.

"Morning, H," Eric said.

Horatio looked around, "Has anyone seen Mr. Wolfe?"

"Nope, not since the day before yesterday," Calleigh shook her head.

Eric frowned. "We were supposed to spend our day off together. He
wanted to shoot some hoops, but he cancelled, saying he had to do some
stuff. Didn't speak to him after that," Eric continued. "Usually he
calls when he is running late. Should I try his cell?"

"Yes, please," Horatio answered.

Eric took out his cell, hit speed dial and waited a few minutes,
"Mmhmm, that's strange. I'm getting his voice mail."

Calleigh dialled Ryan's home phone number, "It went straight to his
machine," she explained.

"That's not like Mr. Wolfe." Horatio said, concerned.

"What is not like me?" Ryan walked into the break room.

"Ryan, are you okay?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah, why shouldn't I'll be okay? I overslept, sorry," he said, looking away.

"That's fine, Mr. Wolfe," Horatio warned him, "don't let it happen again."

"It won't," Ryan promised. He got a serious look, sighing, "Horatio,
can I have a word with you?"

"Sure, let's go to my office," Horatio walked out of the room,
expecting Ryan to follow.

Frowning, Eric asked Calleigh. "What was that all about? For as long
as I've known Ryan, he's never overslept once. Something to do with
his OCD."

~.~

When they entered the office, Horatio walked over to his desk, "Sit down."

Ryan sat down across from him, looking down. "I'm not sure how to say this."

"Is everything okay?" Horatio observing Ryan's odd behavior.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's not that." Ryan said, nervously. "I'm….uhm…he's
in my… fuck."

"Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio prodded, growing concerned at the CSI's hesitation.

He took a deep breath, "Okay, the guy we're looking for?" Horatio
nodded. "He's in my apartment." Ryan winced.

Horatio stood, taking his gun out of the drawer, "How long? What happened?"

"Horatio, please hear me out," Ryan said, a pleading look in his eyes.

Horatio glared at him for a moment but nodded his head.

Ryan rushed. "He didn't know who to trust anymore, he told me that it
was all a set-up."

"And you believe him?" Horatio asked softly, clearly suspicious.

Leaning forward, Ryan said. "He knew the woman from before. She told
him she had some information for him."

"What kind of information, Mr. Wolfe?"

"He didn't say what kind of info." Ryan hesitated for a minute, "But..
he did say that the FBI killed her for it."

"What?" Horatio frowned, eyes narrowing. "What reason would they have
to kill her?"

Tapping his fingers on Horatio's desk, Ryan explained. "He said it was
connected to the case that got him into the Witness Protection
Program, the one in which he testified."

"And you trust him?" Horatio asked.

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, it's strange. I mean.. I know he held a gun to my
head, and forced me to take him to my place, but.. yeah, I trust him."
Ryan paused, wondering how much to tell his boss. "When he talked
about the FBI being involved in the woman's death and the old case,
there was something in his voice - pain, anger, hatred." Ryan frowned.

"I wished we knew what occurred back then," Horatio contemplated. "You
think he would be willing to talk to me?"

"I don't know. I'm not even sure he trusts me." Ryan looked conflicted.

"But he does," Horatio said when he saw Ryan's surprised look. "He let
you come talk to me. For all he knew, you could have gone to the FBI
and tell them where he was."

Ryan sighed, "I think he deserves a chance to tell his story."

Horatio smiled, "You're a good man, Mr. Wolfe."

Ryan looked down, "Thanks, Horatio."

"Okay, let's go to your apartment and see if he will talk to me, tell
me his side of the story." Putting his sunglasses on, Horatio stood
up. "By the way what's his name?"

"His real name is Timothy Speedle, but his friends used to call him Speed."

***

Horatio and Ryan walked into the apartment building. "Let me talk to him first, okay?" Ryan told Horatio.

"Okay, he trusts you." Horatio nodded.

They arrived at Ryan's floor and walked towards the door. The young man opened it and called out to Speed, "Tim? Tim, where are you?"

"Turn around slowly," a hard, cold voice demanded.

Horatio and Ryan turned around, seeing Tim standing near the door, gun raised. "Tim, put the gun down," Ryan said calmly.

"Who is he?" Tim pointed at Horatio.

"He's my boss." Ryan sighed. "Tim, do you trust me?"

Tim nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Then trust me now. He's just here to listen. Hear you're side of the story, okay?"

Tim looked at Horatio with cold eyes. "Who says he won't go to the feds and rat me out."

"I do," Horatio answered. "Mr. Wolfe told me your story. So now, I need proof to go with your accusations."

"I don't have any." Tim shrugged his shoulders, putting the gun down.

"You're accusing the feds of killing that woman and you have no proof?" Horatio asked.

Tim shook his head. "Nope, none."

"You're involved in this, aren't you?" Horatio asked knowingly. Ryan looked shocked. How could Horatio ask that?

"Yeah, I am," Tim stated.

"What?" Ryan walked over to him. "You killed someone?"

"What? You think I'm a boy-scout?" Tim snorted.

"Calm down, Mr. Wolfe." Horatio put a hand on Ryan's arm.

"Horatio! He just admitted he's a killer, a murderer and I trusted him!" Ryan yelled.

"Well, the guy deserved it," Tim said quietly.

Ryan couldn't believe his ears. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, H, but I thought he was telling me the truth."

"I am telling the truth." Tim bit out.

"You think I still trust you?" Ryan looked at him, pain evident in his eyes.

"See if I care," Tim spat.

"I still need solid proof, Mr. Speedle." Horatio interrupted.

Tim sat down, very tired all of the sudden.

"We're wasting our time, H, he doesn't have any!" Ryan was really pissed.

Horatio looked at Tim. "Mr. Wolfe, sit down," he said in a gentle voice.

"I was born in Hell's Kitchen," Tim started. "You had two choices, join a gang or die, and I wanted to live. I started out as a runner for O'Malley; he was a kingpin, had his fingers in everything. I got the nickname Speed for a reason. Anyways, I was good at what I did, and people trusted me, so I was able to get into everyone's houses." Sighing, Tim looked away. "One day, I witnessed something I probably shouldn't have. I got to O'Malley's house right when he had a visitor, a federal judge who was taking money from him. Somehow they saw me and I ran for my life, hid for about three months. I knew I had to get out of town, so I hit the road, and finally ended up in Miami. I thought everything had died down until the feds showed up. To this day, I'll have no idea how the feds knew about me. Turns out O'Malley killed the judge, and they wanted me to testify against him about what I saw."

"You refused," Horatio said.

"No, I disappeared. But O'Malley got more gutsy and killed other people in high places. So the feds tracked me down, and I paid me another visit." Tim smirked.

"You could have told them," Ryan stated.

"And end up dead? I don't think so."

"What made you change your mind?" Horatio asked.

"Andrew did," Tim said with a sad smile, "My partner." He looked down, but Horatio had seen the tears in his eyes.

"What happened?" Horatio asked softly.

"I did it, I went to the feds but made them promise to take care of Andrew and Angie, our daughter. I told them everything, and they promised to take care of them."

"They didn't?" Ryan asked, not wanting to believe what he knew was coming.

Tim shook his head. "No, they never did. O'Malley found out, had Andrew killed and they took Angie away from me."

***

Both Horatio and Ryan were taken back by that statement. "They kidnapped her?" Horatio asked.

Speed shook his head. "No, after…after Andrew was…and they…they put me in the program," he took a deep breath, trying to get his emotions back under control, "social service put her in the system."

"You know where she is?" Ryan asked shocked.

"No, they never told me." He looked up with watery eyes, and that's when Ryan's heart cracked.

"So you have no idea where she is?" Ryan asked with a sad voice. Murderer or not, no one deserved this.

"No, they said because I was in the program, it would be safer for her if I didn't know where she was."

"That's bullshit!" Ryan stood.

"Mr. Wolfe?" Horatio looked at him.

"I'm sorry." He blushed and sat down again.

"That's the information Jessica got for me," Speed explained.

"This Jessica knew where your daughter was?" Horatio asked surprised. If this Jessica was someone from social service, and the only information she had for him was on the whereabouts of his daughter, it wasn't worth killing her for it. There was more going on here than Speed was telling them.

"Yeah, she knew where Angie was." Speed looked down, tears running silently down his cheeks. "And now…now she is…dead."

"Okay, what's going on here?" Horatio said in a cold voice standing up. "You expect me to believe that this woman got killed because she knew the whereabouts of your daughter?"

Speed looked up, confused. "I have no idea, I swear."

"What aren't you telling us?" Horatio glared at him.

Speed met his gaze dead on, not backing off. "Your boss is good," addressing Ryan even as he looked at Horatio.

"So, what other information did she have for you?"

"That my handler had something to do with…with An…." He swallowed hard, pushing back the tears that threatened to fall.

"With Andrew's death?" Ryan asked softly.

Speed nodded.

Horatio slowly breathed in and out. "You were going to handle this all on your own?"

"That bastard deserves to die!" Speed yelled.

"Like that other man you killed?" Ryan stared into cold eyes, realizing that this man would kill in cold blood if you pushed the right buttons.

"What do you know?" Speed snarled.

"Gentlemen," Horatio warned.

"FBI or not, if I get the chance, I kill him," Speed stated in a cold voice.

"I believe you would," Horatio retorted. "But do you want to end up on death throw? Or do you want to get your daughter back?"

Speed looked at him. "You would help me?"

"I'm still a little sceptical about the information you've provided to me, but I will look into it."

Ryan looked surprised. "You're really going to help him?"

"Yes, Mr. Wolfe, and you are going to help me."

~.~

Ryan opened his eyes, something had woken him up. He sat up, cocked his head and strained his ears to catch the softest sound. There it was again. He climbed out of bed and walked towards his bedroom door. He stood for a moment, waiting until he heard sounds coming from the guestroom. He hesitated for a moment before he walked towards the other room. He knocked softly. "Speed, you're okay?"

He heard him mumble something but Ryan couldn't make out the words. He wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to go in there. What if Speed was just on the phone?

He took a deep breath and slowly opened the door. "Speed?" he tried again.

"No don't…I'm not going to…no don't take her…" Ryan opened the door further and watched Speed toss and turn, mumbling. Damn. He was having a nightmare.

Ryan sighed and walked up to the bed. Should he wake him up?

"You can't have her. No, don't…I will tell you…please don't take her…" Ryan's heart broke into a million pieces when he heard the pain and desperation in Speed's voice.

Sitting down on the bed, he laid a hand on Speed's shoulder. "Speed, come on. Wake up. You're just having a bad dream."

Speed continued tossing and turning, tears running down his face.

"What did they do to you?" Ryan whispered, as he gently shook the other man. "Come on, buddy, wake up."

Speed bolted upright, looking around with wild eyes. "Shh, it's okay. You just had a bad dream." Ryan tried to calm him down.

"What? Where…?" Speed asked confused.

"You're at my place, remember?" Ryan asked.

Speed turned his face to look at him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Sighing, Speed looked down. "I'm…for dragging you…"

Cupping his chin, Ryan gently turned his face, looking at Speed in the eyes. "There's nothing to be sorry about. What happened to you was bad, but we will get to the bottom of this."

Speed looked at him. "You believe me?"

Ryan nodded and bent forward, gently moving his tongue over his lips.

Speed opened his mouth, letting him in. They deepened the kiss, tongue's exploring; the lack of air making them break it off. "What are we doing?" Speed asked.

"Shh, don't talk," Ryan said, moving his hands over Speed's bare chest.

"I don't know if this is a good…" Speed gasped when Ryan moved a hand into his shorts, grabbing his cock. "Oh…fuck."

Ryan snickered, pushing the shorts down and getting rid of his own. He pushed Speed onto his back and moved over him straddling his hips. Grabbing Speed's now half-hard cock, Ryan moved his hand up and down.

Speed arched into the touch. "Oh…god…I can't…"

"Yes, you can," Ryan retorted. He bent down and started to kiss and lick his chest. "Hmm, you taste good."

Speed tensed up for a moment. Ryan looked up and saw pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't want to…" he stopped when Speed held up his hand.

"It's okay. Andrew used to say that, too," Speed whispered.

"If you want me to..." Ryan whispered.

Speed closed his eyes, shaking his head.

Ryan looked at him for a moment and smiled. He continued to kiss his way down and stopped just above the hard throbbing cock. He moved his tongue over the head, licking up the pre-cum. He snickered when he heard Speed moan and growl.

Ryan slowly took the hard member in his wet, warm mouth and moved up and down.

Speed arched his back and grabbed the sheets. "Oh…don't stop….please, harder."

Ryan started to move harder and faster, licking and tasting the hard cock.

Speed panted. "Can't hold…have to…oh shit…" With a scream, he came inside Ryan's mouth.

Ryan released the now spent-member and looked Speed into his eyes. "It's okay," he reassured Speed. Moving up, Ryan took Speed's mouth in a hard and bruising kiss.

"You're sure?" Speed asked when they broke off, doubt evident in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Now, go to sleep. I'll be here if you have another nightmare," he promised.

Speed nodded and settled against Ryan's side, dozing off.

Ryan ran his hand through the unruly hair. "Horatio is so going to be pissed," he mumbled.

***

When Ryan woke up, he immediately remembered what'd happened the night before. "Oh, shit," he said, moaning as he turned his head and saw Speed laying next to him, still asleep. "H is going to kill me."

"Only if he finds out," Speed mumbled, slowly opening his eyes. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Ryan retorted. "Believe me, he will find out."

Speed turned on his back. "Would that be so bad?"

"Uhm, yeah. You're a suspect in a case I'm investigating."

Sitting up, Speed sighed. "Yeah, I wish I wasn't." He leaned over to kiss Ryan.

Ryan pulled back. "I don't think that is a good idea."

"What? You're the one who started it."

"I know but…I just…." Getting up, Ryan stood up and walked towards the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"Great," Speed growled, getting out of bed, too.

A few minutes later, Ryan exited the bath room, avoiding Speed's eyes. "I need to get to work," he mumbled, walking out of the Speed's room and into his own room.

Speed followed him. "So, that's it?" he asked angrily.

"I can't do this.. I'm sorry." Ryan softly said as he quickly got dressed.

"That's just fucking great! You came to me last night. Remember?" Speed snarled.

"I shouldn't have, it was a mistake." Ryan mumbled.

Growling, Speed moved towards Ryan. "It was a mistake? Don't tell me you didn't feel anything last night?"

Seeing the anger shining in Speed's eyes, Ryan backed away. "I did, it's just….I'm working your case. I can't…as long…oh, fuck." Ryan stammered. Grabbing his jacket, he tried to get passed Speed, who just stood there, not moving an inch.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Speed whispered, moving aside to let Ryan pass.

Ryan practically ran out of the house.

~.~

"Mr. Wolfe." Horatio walked up to him the minute he entered the lab. "How is your guest doing?"

"He's fine, H," Ryan retorted, not looking at his boss.

"Is everything okay?" Horatio asked, concerned.

"Everything's fine." When Horatio kept looking at him, Ryan became nervous. Oh, shit. He knows I'm lying.

"Okay," Horatio responded. "I want you to dig up any information you can on O'Malley. And I mean anything, his whereabouts, his financial records, his family - even when he sleeps."

Ryan took a deep breath. "I'll get to it right away," he said, nodding. "What are you going to do?"

"Dig into Mr. Speedle's life," Horatio answered.

~.~

Sitting in his office, Horatio read the print out. It was a good thing he still had some connections in New York. Looking over the information he'd gathered so far, he had a better idea where Speed was coming from; it hadn't been easy growing up in Hell's Kitchen. He picked up his phone and dialled a very familiar number.

'Mac Taylor speaking.' The voice sounded serious.

"Mac, this is Horatio Caine," he said.

'Horatio, how are you doing?' Mac's voice sounded much friendlier.

"I'm fine. How are you?" Horatio smiled.

'I'm great. What can I do for you, Horatio?' That's what Horatio liked about Mac; he always getting straight to the point.

"What can you tell me about O'Malley?" Horatio asked.

'O'Malley?' Mac asked, sounding surprised. 'He's got his greedy fingers in everything these days, from prostitutes to cocaine. There are rumours that he's killed people in high places, but nobody's been able to prove it – yet.'

Horatio frowned as he listened to his friend. "How well do you know him, Mac?"

'I know he has connections with the Tanglewood Boys,' Mac said. 'Hold on.'

Horatio heard Mac call out to someone, and a minute later, he heard Danny's voice in the office. 'Yeah, Mac?'

'How well do you know, O'Malley?' Horatio heard him ask. Danny's answer was muffled, but Mac's voice was clear. 'Okay. Thanks, Danny.'

"Mac?" Horatio questioned.

'Danny knows that the Tanglewood Boys work for him; they do some his dirty work. What is this all about?'

Horatio sighed. This was getting even more complicated. "I can't tell you over the phone, Mac. Would you consider flying down here?"

'Yeah, sure, I'll bring Danny with me.' Mac paused briefly. "Horatio, this isn't something that will come back to bite us in the ass right?'

"I hope not," Horatio answered honestly.

***

Horatio was sitting in his office doing some paperwork when a knock at his door made him look up. He smiled when he saw Mac and Danny standing there.

"Please, come in." He stood and greeted the two men.

"Okay, Horatio, what is this all about?" Mac asked.

Grinning, Horatio noticed that Danny just sat quietly drinking his coffee as if he desperately needed the early morning caffeine.

Horatio closed the door and sat down behind his desk. "Give me a minute." He took his phone and called Ryan. "Mr. Wolfe, could you come to my office please?"

A minute later, Ryan knocked on the door and entered.

"Mr. Wolfe, these are detectives Mac Taylor and Danny Messer from the New York City Crime Lab. Gentlemen, this is Ryan Wolfe," Horatio introduced them to each other.

The redhead took a deep breath and started to tell them about their case.

"So who is the mystery guy?" Danny asked, sipping from his coffee.

Horatio pulled out the file and handed it to Mac. "His name is Timothy Speedle."

Danny's cardboard cup slipped from his fingers, landing on the floor. The lid popped off, spilling the coffee, "Wha…? Speed is…?"

"Danny?" Mac asked concerned.

The young blond stood shaking his head. "No…he's de...they told me he, Andrew and Ang…I have to…," he stammered nervously as he stumbled back, hitting the door.

Mac walked over to him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Danny, do you know him?"

The pain and anguish in Danny's eyes hit Mac in the stomach like an iron fist.

"Mac, they told me they'd died in a car accident, all three of them…dead." He leaned against the door for support, hugging himself, silent tears trailing down his cheek.

Horatio and Ryan looked at each other in shock.

"You knew them?" Horatio asked Danny.

Danny slowly nodded his head. "I…Speed and I were…," his voice trailed off as he took a deep breath and tried to get control over his emotions.

Mac led Danny back to his chair.

Suddenly, Danny looked at Horatio as a thought occurred to him. "Angie and Andrew, are they…?" he whispered, barely able to get the words out.

"She is alive," Horatio said softly. "But Andrew, I'm sorry…." He shook his head.

Danny nodded numbly and looked down. "I introduced them to each other."

"How do you know Speed?" Ryan asked suddenly, wondering at the link between Speed… and this blond. He narrowed his eyes, giving Messer a thorough look over. It was obvious the blond felt something for the scruffy Speed, but did that mean that his feelings were returned?

Horatio looked suspiciously at Ryan. He watched as several curious expressions flickered on his face, expressions his CSI didn't even realize he was revealing.

Danny sighed, completely missing Ryan's reaction to his words. "Our families did some business together. By the time that Speed joined his family, I had gotten out and was off to the academy. Speed was the only one who ever supported me; we never judged each other. He was there when I graduated, and we promised each other to never talk about what we did for a living."

The young man smiled fondly, remembering those days. "The happiest day of my life was when he told me he had turned his back on the family business." Danny shrugged, the weight of the world on his shoulders. "Little did we know that his past would come back to haunt him. He told me about the agents that had approached him concerning O'Malley. He disappeared for a while with Andrew and Angie but they tracked him down anyways."

Shaking his head to clear it, Danny continued. "Speed called me and told me that they'd made a deal, that if he told them everything he knew, they would protect Angie and Andrew. I told him not to do it, but he wanted peace. A few days later someone approached me and told me that Speed, Angie and Andrew had died in a car accident," his voice breaking and tears running down his cheeks as he looked at Mac. "Why did they lie to me?"

Horatio pulled out a picture and handed it to Danny. "Was this the man who came to you?"

"Yeah, that's him," Danny said firmly. "Who is he?"

Horatio showed the picture to Mac. "This is Agent Caldwell. He's with the Witness Protection Program and is Speed's handler," he replied. "Speed suspected that he had something to do with the death of our victim in this case."

"Speed had always been a great judge of character," Danny said. "If he said that this guy has something to do with it, you can be sure that he is right."

"Where is Angie?" Danny asked all of the sudden.

"We don't know." Horatio looked at the young blond. "But we will find her. I promise."

"Can I see Speed?" Danny looked at Horatio with pleading eyes.

Horatio knew that Danny wanted to see and touch his friend; needed to make sure that it wasn't all just a cruel dream, a game someone was playing with him. "Yes, of course. Why don't we meet back here tonight?"

Both Mac and Danny nodded. "Okay, about eight?" Mac asked.

"Eight it is," Horatio said as both Mac and Danny stood.

"Thank you," Danny shook Horatio's hand, holding on just a little too desperately.

Horatio smiled at the young man. "I just do my job."

"Yeah, I know, but you still found my friend," Danny smiled at the lieutenant, his eyes bright with hope.

Mac nodded. "Let's go to the hotel and get some sleep," he ordered as he nudged Danny towards the door.

Horatio raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Take care of your boy," he softly said to Mac.

"How did you know?" Mac asked but shook his head, not really expecting an answer. As the two New York City detectives left, Horatio turned to face Ryan.

"So, Mr. Wolfe, you've got some explaining to do."

Ryan looked at his boss. Oh, shit. Busted. "How did you…?"

Horatio just looked at him, eyes twinkling.

Ryan dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry, H, it just happened. But I told him that it can't happen again because he's involved in the case."

The redhead looked at his CSI. "He needed some comforting right? And you provided it to him?" Horatio waited for Ryan's nod. "I knew about you and our 'guest', Mr. Wolfe, because I am a CSI. What did you expect?"

The younger man sighed. "Well, it was the first and last time. I promise."

"Why?" Horatio asked sincerely. When he saw the questioning frown on Ryan's face, he continued. "Do you feel something for him?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, but…I don't know."

"And he feels something for you?" Ryan nodded again. Horatio smiled. "Then why end it before it has even started?"

Ryan looked at him confused. "I have to think about it."

Horatio nodded. "Go home, Mr. Wolfe. See you in the morning."

"Thank you." Ryan smiled at him.

"Just doing my job." Horatio grinned.

TBC.

***

On the way to Ryan's house, Danny was practically bouncing and nervous as hell. Mac who was sitting in the back seat with Danny, laid a hand on his leg and squeezed it tightly. "Danny sit still."

"Sorry, Mac, I can't help it," Danny replied.

Horatio, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned to face his friends, smiling. "We'll almost there."

Mac smiled at the redhead and wrapped an arm around Danny' shoulders. "Just a few more minutes and you're going to see your friend again."

"Yeah," Danny said, taking a deep breath, trying to get his emotions under control. Since he had heard that Speed was alive, he had been excited and nervous at the same time; his head full of questions. Why had that Fed guy lied to him? How much had all this changed his friend? Where was Angie?

He looked up. "Where is Angie?" he asked Horatio.

"Speed told us that she was put into the system," Horatio answered.

Danny started to get angry. "If I get my hands on that agent, I'm gonna kill him."

"Get in line," Ryan said, smirking. "Speed wants a piece of him, too."

"I'm not surprised," Danny retorted. "Why did they to this? What did he ever do to them, he wanted to cooperate, to get O'Malley off the streets. And they still treated him like a piece of shit. They took away his whole life, his lover and his child." Danny sighed in frustration. He looked at Horatio. "Do you know how Andrew died?"

Nodding his head, Horatio sighed. "He was killed by O'Malley."

"Son of a bitch!" Danny cursed loudly. "Andrew was innocent, he had nothing to do with this! And that fuckin' FBI agent didn't even protect him like he promised Speed he would!"

"Danny, calm down," Mac softly said, rubbing his back.

"How could they do this to him? I know he wasn't an altar boy and he…he uhm…," Danny said, looking down.

"He killed someone," Ryan finished the statement for him.

Danny looked up. "You know? How? His records are sealed." He thought for a moment and then it dawned to him. "He told you?"

Horatio looked at the young man through the rearview mirror. "Yes, he did."

"The bastard deserved it," Danny spat out.

Mac looked shocked. "Danny, you knew that your friend had killed someone?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, we were both just kids. The fuckin' bastard had raped Speed's little sister. A few days later, the guy turned up dead. Speed went to the police and confessed that he had killed him. Cause he was a juvy, he did time until he was eighteen."

"He turned himself in?" Ryan asked surprise.

"Yeah, he got his revenge," Danny answered, shrugging his shoulders. It was obvious that he didn't want to elaborate why Speed had turned himself in.

"We're here," Horatio stated.

Mac looked at the young blond. "Are you ready for this?"

"I…I don't…what if he…?" Danny said nervously, chewing his bottom lip.

Horatio smiled at him. "Everything will be fine. I think he will be very happy to see you again."

Danny took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Okay, let's do this."

They all exited the car and walked to the front door. Ryan opened the door and called out to the other man. "Speed, are you here?"

Speed walked into the hallway. "Yeah, I'm here. Where else would I be?" he smirked.

Ryan took a step sideways so that Speed had a clear view of the others.

"Hi, Speed," Danny softly said.

Speed looked shocked, "Danny is that…oh, my God." He stepped forward, and without any hesitation, took Danny in a bear hug.

"I thought you were dead?" Danny mumbled into his shoulder. "They told me you where dead," he whispered as tears ran down his cheeks.

Speed pulled back and looked into Danny's eyes. "I'm here," he said softly.

Ryan watched Speed and Danny closely, feeling a pang of jealousy. Had they been lovers once? He mentally shrugged, why should he care? It could never have worked out between him and Speed.

"How did you find out that we knew each other?" Speed asked Horatio.

Horatio smiled. "I didn't know. I asked Mac for help on the case and he brought Danny with him. We found out this morning when I told them about you."

"The Tanglewood Boys are working for O'Malley," Danny explained to Speed.

Speed looked at his friend. "So, he is still up to his old tricks."

"And a few new one," Danny smirked.

Mac sighed. "We've been after him for years now, but we can't make anything stick."

"That's nothing new," Speed said resignedly.

Horatio looked at the men. "Oh, Speed, let me introduce you to Mac Taylor. He is head of the New York City crime lab."

"Nice to meet you," Speed said, shaking Mac's hand.

They all sat down, Danny next to Speed. The young man still had a hard time believing that his childhood friend was sitting next to him. Alive, not a ghost.

"I'm sorry about Andrew," he whispered.

Speed looked down. "They just killed him, Danny," he whispered, tears running down his face.

Danny took his friend in his arms." We'll get the bastards, I promise. And we'll get Angie back."

"Yes, we will," Horatio stated, fierce determination on his face.

Speed looked up, hate and anger shining in his eyes. "You bet we will."

***