Title: Unstoppable
By: Tiffany F
Pairing: Gil/Nick, Mac/Danny & Speed/Horatio
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't claim, no money made.
Warnings: WiP, AU, ooc
Note: This is for Helena as an apology for a story I promised her and cannot figure out a way to write. I really hope you enjoy this one and can forgive me.
Summary: When two ancient vampires arrive in Miami to try and fulfill a long-held goal of their bloodline, nothing will ever be the same again.

***

Chapter 1

In the times before movies, the word vampire was enough to cause a village to shut its doors in terror, bold the windows and pray for daylight to save them all. Cures were creative and rarely, if ever worked. Humans lived in fear of the walking dead. When vampires made their way to the movie screen, suddenly they were handsome. They had charisma. They had style. Most of all, they had money and the girls, and over time, some people decided that they wanted to be vampires when they grew up. Living the life of the living dead, a corpse that never rotted, never grew old, never died held an allure to those who, ultimately, feared death. Books, clubs, movies, even t-shirts fed into the mainstream as the lore surrounding vampires expanded and exploded into the light.

From the shadows, vampires watched, amused, as humans got every single fact completely wrong. When vampire cartoons and cereal came on the market, they decided it was safe to venture out into the world again. Hiding in plain sight was one of the things vampires were very good at. It was one reason the scared villagers of old always overlooked them.

One of the most powerful pairings in history traveled to Miami, following a vision of the founder of their bloodline. Fire and Ice arrived first and found work with the Miami-Dade Police Department and, eventually, with their crime lab. Once he was settled, when an opening appeared, he sent for his mate. Wind and Waves arrived and they started to work towards the goal of their bloodline.

Apart they were powerful. Together, they were unstoppable.

***

Chapter 2

Speed sighed as he walked up the stairs towards Horatio's office. The lieutenant had been in a grouchy mood for the past week, not that anyone at the lab seemed to realize it, and Speed wasn't sure what he was going to find when he got to the top of the stairs. It could be anything from paperwork to a new case to Horatio chatting with friends back in England. He knocked and walked in without waiting for an invitation, the only one at the lab who would dare even try it. "Hey."

"There's word that a man kidnapped a girl in Vegas and is heading our way," Horatio said. "That means a small team from the Vegas crime lab will be here within the next six hours."

"You don't think they'd be that stupid, do you?" Speed asked, sitting down in one of the guest chairs. "They have to know we're here."

"Oh, they know we're here, Speed," Horatio replied. "They know and it seems they don't care. So here's what we're going to do. I want you to go get a haircut and shave. Put on that white polo you keep for hot days and keep as much to the background of the investigation as you possibly can."

"You think they'll pick you out and not me," Speed said. It wasn't a question.

"I think they'll know me before they get here," Horatio said.

"You've heard from England?"

"I have and they've worked out the bloodline we're up against," Horatio said. "It's an upstart clan barely a hundred years old, but their leader is a direct line back to Vlad himself so there is power there. There's no way to know if the small team will have a member of their line in it or not, but it's possible the team there knows more than they're letting on and are spies."

Speed sighed. "What sort of trash throws humans into the fray like this?" he asked.

"The sort of trash we've been tasked with finding and destroying," Horatio replied. "Go get ready for me, Tim. I need to head out with the search team. They believe they've spotted the suspect and are hoping to be able to find the child alive."

"The child doesn't have any family left, does she?" Speed asked.

"Her father is dead, her mother is missing," Horatio said. He smiled at his lover. "I don't have much hope for her, but it's always possible she'll be found alive as well. It's always possible there's family that we don't know about, but if there's not, then I'll find a way to get the child to England."

Speed nodded and left. He hated having to blend into the background, but when Horatio needed him in the shadows, that was where he would always be.
****

Vampire lineage as tricky to sort out. So many people claimed to be from one of the two royal lines, either Constantine or Vlad, and short of tracing back sire by sire it was nearly impossible to be sure if the claim were true or not. However, it was also true that direct line descendants from either vampire kept meticulous notes and their children were known to all in the vampire world. The vampire known as Horatio Caine in Miami was a direct line back to Vlad, while his lover, Tim Speedle, was a direct line back to Constantine. Together they were considered the most unstoppable force in the vampire world, the pair that would be sent to deal with incursions, blood battles between minor lines, and establishing new footholds for their bloodline. When the pair bonded, they created a new bloodline, the most powerful bloodline ever seen. The mix of the royal line had never been tried before, not knowing what the combination of traits would do to a vampire, but in Horatio and Speed, it led to a mix of compassion and brutality not often seen in vampires.

The pair was sent to Miami when a flare of small new-start bloodlines started appearing in America. The heads of the royal lines were worried that the sudden influx of new vampires would catch the attention of the media and expose the vampire world to the humans who believed them to be myths. Fodder for movies, yes, but not real. Lost in the dawns of time, and that was how the heads of the royal lines wanted it to remain. Horatio had his orders and Speed has his, though everyone knew that they would work together and do what they wanted within the bounds of their assignments from their bloodline kings. The group in Vegas was the largest they had encountered since they arrived in the states, and Speed was curious to see exactly what Horatio was planning once the team from Vegas landed. Lesser vampires wouldn't be able to pick either Horatio or Speed out as vampires, but it was always possible that they would have been warned before they started for Miami. The answers would, unfortunately, come with the team from Vegas.
****

It wasn't hard for Horatio to find the missing child. Her heart was pounding and the scent of fear called to him strongly. He sat with her until the teams showed up and stayed close while she was checked over for injuries. Sasha was a strong girl, although Horatio could tell that she missed her mother. He was giving orders to one of the patrol officers when the helicopter arrived and Horatio sighed. Time to see if it was human or vampires who had arrived in his city, or a combination of the two. The blond woman was human and more standoffish than Horatio thought healthy for someone traveling to a strange city to work a crime. It also wasn't something he was going to stand for.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, staring into her eyes. He didn't believe for a minute that she appreciated any consideration he'd given her in the case. Horatio watched her to over to Sasha and turned to the man who'd come along from Vegas. Another human, but he was studying Horatio closely, and Horatio couldn't tell if it was because of his manner or because he was a vampire. "We found her down here."

"Lead the way," Warrick said, following behind Horatio.

Horatio felt a stirring of pleasure when he realized that Catherine, the blond, was having trouble getting answers from Sasha. It seemed the young girl didn't like Catherine any more than Horatio did. She not only answered his questions, but looked to him to see if it was okay to share the prize she'd found. They'd found the girl alive and she trusted Horatio. The day was off to a good start. The next step was to bring in Speed.

***

Chapter 3

"The feds are keeping secrets again," Horatio commented to Speed as they drove to join up with Delko at one of the canals. "When we get back to the lab, Tim, I want you to do some digging in their computer and see if there's anything we can use."

"Yeah, you got it," Speed said with a sigh. "H, do I look as stupid as I feel?"

"You've lost weight since you wore that outfit last, but you look just perfect for this, love," Horatio said. "Tell me what you think of the pair from Vegas. What did you get from them?"

Speed glanced out the window. "Catherine's clueless," he said. "She's here for the case and only the case. There's not a hint of vampire around her, and if these losers out west are as new as reports say they are, they won't be able to shield their scent from us. Even with all the perfume she's got on. I hate perfume. The chemical scents are probably the worst invention mankind has come up with in the last two hundred years."

"Focus."

"I am," Speed said. "Warrick interests me though. He's human, but I think he's been bitten before, H. I'll need to talk to him some more, but there's something there that's not fully human."

"It's possible he's slowly undergoing the transformation, Tim," Horatio said.

Speed looked back at that. "You think this guy out in Vegas is stupid enough to be doing that?" he asked. "The kings won't be happy if we report that information back."

"I know," Horatio said. "Our initial intel said that the new group in Vegas was comprised of young vampires, but all born of vampire parents so there was no transformation involved. The ban has yet to be lifted, so if this group is creating vampires by blood transfusion then we have a problem, don't we, Speed?"

"Yeah," Speed said. "I don't know how we're going to prove it one way or the other though."

Horatio parked and looked over at his lover with a smirk. "It's easy enough, Tim," he said. "I just have to invite Warrick to dinner. A blood sample would be enough to show if he's being transformed or not. Now, I want you taking notes for me, please. Eric will be in the water and I'm going to watch him, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever you need, H," Speed said. He grabbed his notebook and followed Horatio out into the sunlight just in time to hear Warrick asking how they had found the car in the canal. Eric was explaining things well.

"Okay, anyone covering me?" Eric asked as he walked towards the water.

"I got you," Horatio replied, raising the shot gun.

"Cover for what?" Catherine asked, looking over.

"Alligators," Eric smiled.

"Only way to out swim a gator is to swim faster than the guy with you," Speed commented from his place by the Hummer. Calleigh glanced over at him with a smile as she focused in for her next picture.

Eric laughed. "I used to have a partner," he said.

"Guys," Horatio sighed. His team was his pride in Miami, but there were times when he wondered what he'd done to deserve them.

As Eric got his mask in place, Horatio focused on the canal and opened all his senses to the world around him. Speed was the one who had a closer connection to water, but only sea water for some reason. Eric popped back up and signaled that it was the car they were searching for, but there was a body in it.
****

"I'd hoped for a better end to the case," Warrick sighed, watching Sasha play on the beach where an officer was standing guard over her. They'd located an aunt along with a grandmother back in Vegas and the aunt was flying out to pick Sasha up.

"So had I," Horatio said. "Warrick, join us for dinner. The team is going out and we'd like to take you along with us."

"Thanks man, I'd love to, but Catherine wants us back on a plane to Vegas as soon as possible," Warrick replied with a shrug. "She's already headed out for the airport and I'm supposed to meet her there in an hour."

Horatio glanced over. "Need a lift?" he asked.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," Warrick replied. "Be better than taking a cab. Thanks."

"My pleasure," Horatio smiled, starting towards his Hummer. Fortunately he had the tools he needed in the back.
****

"In the Hummer," Speed said when Horatio came home that night. "You took his blood in the Hummer."

"It was the only chance I had," Horatio replied. "Quite tasty too."

"Only you, Horatio," Speed said. He pushed his lover up against the wall and pushed into his mouth, searching for traces of blood. Horatio moaned and went limp, holding onto Speed's shoulders to stay upright. "You're right," Speed finally said, breaking apart, "tasty."

"With a trace of Vlad though, don't you think?" Horatio asked, panting.

"Yeah, I do. You've got a pure sample to send to England?"

"Two, just to be safe," Horatio said. "I think, Tim, that the leader in Vegas is going to realize that I touched one of his people and he isn't going to be happy about it. I don't think this is going to be our last contact with them."

Speed snorted and started to pull Horatio towards their bedroom. "My guess is that England is going to send in a couple of our stealth investigators and that will be the last we hear of Vegas," he said. "Strip."

"If I'd known this was going to make you so pissy, I would have done it before," Horatio said with a smirk. He draped his suit jacket over the rack and started to undo his shirt. "You know I don't want anyone other than you, Tim."

"I know, but it's not often you let me get the upper hand and I'm going to enjoy it while I have it," Speed said. "Can I let my hair grow back out now?"

"Yes. I like you with longer hair, anyway," Horatio said. He put his slacks over the jacket and settled down on the bed. "I'm yours to ravish, Tim."

"Ravish, nothing, I'm going to remind you why it's a bad idea to feed from strange humans," Speed said. He grabbed the special tube of lube they used and injected some directly into Horatio's body. "Especially when we're supposed to be finding a lost treasure, not antagonizing other vampires."

Horatio moaned as the cold liquid filled him and he angled his hips up, hinting that Speed could go faster if he wanted to. "They asked us to check on Vegas. I checked on Vegas and will send my report to them tomorrow." He broke off with a moan as Speed slid into his body. "Gonna bite me?"

"You have no idea," Speed replied. He bent down and started nipping at Horatio's collar bone and upper chest as he thrust, teasing bites that wouldn't draw any blood or leave marks that could be questioned. "You found proof that Vegas is engaged in illegal activities, but in doing so, turned their leader's attention to us. We're not here to fight other, Horatio. Not this time."

"I don't think it would be much of a fight," Horatio pointed out, dragging his fangs along Speed's neck.

"I might have to concede that point," Speed said. He gasped when Horatio's body squeezed his erection. "Stop that unless you want this over now."

"Been wanting you all day," Horatio said. "Thought about taking you in the Hummer after we found the victim in the canal. About calling you up to my office for a meeting and taking you on my sofa there, with the blinds closed and the door locked so we wouldn't be disturbed."

Speed groaned and ran his fangs over Horatio's neck. "I'm close, H, and you're not helping."

"I'm ready, Tim. Whenever you're ready, do it."

Horatio's fangs slipped into Speed's neck, blood flowing into his mouth with every suck at the wound. Speed groaned and climaxed, his own fangs in Horatio's neck, the dual bite bringing more pleasure to the pair than shared orgasm would. "Tim," Horatio whispered.

"Sleeping here," Speed muttered, watching to make sure the wound on Horatio's neck closed.

"Tim," Horatio said, pushing up against his lover.

"Oh. I thought you came when I bit you." Speed slipped back and reached down for Horatio's erection, taking the head in his mouth, mindful of his fangs. Horatio had once killed a lover for daring to bite his erection.

"Almost did," Horatio moaned, arching up into Speed's mouth. "Wasn't quite as far as I thought I was."

Speed rolled his eyes at his lover and stroked what his mouth wouldn't reach with his fangs out. Horatio's hips made small pushes up, not wanting to press Speed too much until he climaxed with a groan. "Tim."

"We can clean up in the morning," Speed grumbled. "I'm exhausted." He pushed up and kissed Horatio lazily.

"Hmmm, sounds good," Horatio murmured against Speed's mouth. "I have to be up early to send my report to England. Want me to wake you?"

"No."

***

Chapter 4

Speed woke up to voices in the kitchen and a missing lover. He grumbled and pulled on a pair of jeans along with a t-shirt and stumbled out towards the kitchen searching for coffee. "Delko. Cardoza."

"Good morning, Tim," Horatio said with a fond smile. "Your breakfast is in the fridge."

"What did England have to say?" Speed asked, leaning against the counter while he waited for the blood to warm in the microwave.

"They're sending in a stealth team, which is why Jesse is here this morning," Horatio said. "As much as I hate to lose him from the lab, it's a sound plan."

Jesse grinned at his sire. "It should be, the family in England has had generations of practice planning out things like this," he said. "They want me reporting back to you, though, rather than the household in England. Do you know why that is?"

"Probably because I'm closer than they are, so there won't be a worry about time differences making problems for us," Horatio replied. "I'll be making reports back as frequently as I believe are needed. Eric, on the other hand, is on his way out to dive where they believe the ship went down and was wondering if you wanted to go along with him."

"I'm not diving," Speed said. He drained the blood in three gulps and put the mug in the sink to soak. "I'll go along and keep an eye out for problems, but I'm not getting in the water."

"Hey, I'll take your eyes and your talents on the boat over a buddy in the water with me," Eric grinned. "H, you sure you can spare both of us from the lab for the day?"

Horatio smiled. "I'll make it work. Jesse is going to put in one last day while we await the team from England," he said. "You both be careful while you're out searching for the wreck, okay?"

"Of course," Speed said. "Eric, let me get dressed in something better suited for a day out on the water and I'll be ready to go."

"Take your time, I'll make us lunch," Eric said.

"Make yourself at home why don't you, Delko," Speed grumbled, heading back towards the bedroom.

Eric laughed. "I heard some of the uniforms talking about Speed a couple days ago," he said.

"What were they saying?" Horatio asked, interested in spite of himself. The younger vampire was good at picking up gossip around the department and lab. Eric had always been more at home in the shadows, which always came as a surprise to anyone who thought they knew him. He was a fantastic actor.

"They were wondering how someone so scruffy and sarcastic got to be such a high-ranking CSI," Eric said. "They also got a surprise when I came out of the shadows and asked them if they didn't have better things to be doing."

Jesse smirked. "I bet they weren't happy about that one," he said.

"They weren't," Eric sighed. "I told them I'd talk with Horatio about them if they didn't stop gossiping like hens and get back to work. It was at that hit and run scene, H."

"Such curious officers," Horatio smiled. "I think that, maybe, Jesse and I should pay them a visit today. Maybe they'd like to join us for lunch."
***

Vlad and Constantine hadn't always been allies. Constantine was the older of the two and believed there was a manner in which vampires should live to remain hidden and in control of their children, the members of their court, and those they used as food. When Vlad appeared centuries later, the two vampires battled in the shadows, carefully keeping their wars away from human ears. Vlad was younger, wilder and, in many ways, the opposite of Constantine. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that the pair came to an understanding and decided to work together to keep the vampires in the world safe and hidden.
To do so, they put rules into place that the vampire population, or at least those who came from one of the two bloodlines or a branch of one of the two bloodlines, followed under pain of death. They could not drain a human of blood for any reason at any time. No mass feedings were allowed, and the storing of human blood was regulated. In the years immediately after the Second World War, they placed a ban on transforming humans into vampires by blood transfusion. Both kings wanted to keep the vampire population of the world under control and extremely strict breeding regulations were established. It was possible for a male and female vampire to mate and have a vampire offspring. Those children were then raised in one of the hidden clans around Europe until they came of age and were able to venture out into the world and hide successfully.
Jesse Cardoza was such a child. Before Horatio bonded with Speed, his sire, one of Vlad's children, asked that Horatio mate with one of the higher ranking women in the court and Jesse was the result. Horatio raised his son in a clan in Northern Italy and that was where he met Speed, who was there studying. The pair fell in love and bonded, with the reserved blessings of both Vlad and Constantine.
Eric, on the other hand, was a transformed human, created by Speed before the ban was in place, He usually stuck close to his sire - the term used for both cases - and adored Horatio as much as he did Speed. The group didn't always get assignments to the same place, but as they had all been studying science, forensics and law, when the assignment came for Miami, they were placed there together.
***

"Do you think I'll have trouble out in Vegas?" Jesse asked on the drive in to the lab later in the morning.

"I think you'll have to be careful, Jesse," Horatio replied. "You're one of our best stealth team leaders, but our intel tells us that the leader of the clan out there is direct line to Vlad. That means you share a common ancestor and it's possible he'll be able to pick you out from that, no matter how hard you try and hide it."

Jesse glanced over. "I was thinking about trying to transfer into the lab to get a look around, but I don't know how that would work with the blood connection," he said. "Maybe I'll have to just go out and take a look around. Something is going to jump out at me."

"The lab is not a bad idea," Horatio said. "But only if you're positive the clan leader isn't working there. Otherwise, you need to remain hidden."

"With my orders, I might not be out there long," Jesse said. "Then again, I could be out there years. The kings want to know for sure if the clan in Vegas is using blood transformation on humans again. They'll analyze the blood you sent them, but they want a witness before they order the death of so many vampires."

"Understandable, especially if this clan tries to claim it is outside our ruling families," Horatio said. He pulled into the lab parking lot. "Do you have the names of those officers Eric was telling us about?"

"Yep, I'll make sure they're in place to join us for lunch," Jesse said. "I'm glad that the kings aren't insisting that we live on animal blood, or that synthetic they've been working on for so many years. It turns my stomach."

"As it does for most of us," Horatio said. "That's why there's no ban in place. As long as we're careful not to be seen, the humans won't know we're feeding from them. Warrick was certainly happy enough when I finished with him."

"Did you whammy him?" Jesse asked.

"Of course," Horatio replied. "It's the only way to get that much blood from someone, you know. Ready to get to work?"

"Last day in Miami. I'm going to miss it and I haven't even left yet," Jesse sighed.

"You'll be back soon enough," Horatio said. "We're not going anywhere until we find the wreck, after all."

***

Chapter 5

The shipwreck was one of Constantine's that had been traveling to the New World when it sank off the coast of Florida. None of the crew survived, the treasure on board was lost to legend as it was impossible to keep news of such a wreck secret within the vampire world. There was only one piece that Constantine was interested in getting back, and that was the cross given him by the House of Caesar before it fell. He didn't know why it was on the ship, he hadn't placed it there, and his investigations over the years showed no one in his house stole it and put it on the ship, but on the ship it had been, and was now lost at the bottom of the ocean.

Two rulers was the reason for the two assignments in Miami. Vlad and Constantine both wanted to know about the expanding small clans in the Americas, and were both worried about the group in Vegas, but Constantine decided to take the opportunity of having some of his family there to search for his lost ship, and the treasure it was carrying. As long as they kept a balance between the assignments, Vlad didn't care if the team searched for his fellow ruler's treasure. It was possible they would find other wealth that the kings could use.
***

"So, anyone have this area registered?" Speed asked as he and Eric sped across the ocean towards the stretch that Eric was going to be searching.

"Not that I was able to find, but that doesn't mean anything," Eric replied. "I dunno, Speed, do you think it's possible that this wreck was found already and we don't know about it."

"Constantine would have known if the cross was back in play," Speed said. "There's a link to it and he says it's still where it's been all these years. I want to know who the hell was stupid enough to steal from his court in the first place."

"You're really turning into a CSI, aren't you?" Eric grinned. "Always wanting answers to questions."

"I'm not old enough to remember the theft, Eric, but Constantine told me about enough when I was growing up that I know the details as if I'd been there myself," Speed said. "The cross was kept in his personal chambers, hanging above his bed, and only four people had access to those rooms. Constantine, his consort, and their personal slaves."

Eric glanced over. "It was that long ago?"

"Mid-1500s," Speed said. "There were guards at both entrances to the chambers and no one saw anything. The cross was there when Constantine went down to dinner and gone when he retired for the night. There was no psychic trace behind, so it wasn't a human who took it, and it wasn't a baby vampire. We're talking someone old and powerful, and there weren't many vampires around then that could fit that description."

"He questioned them all?"

"Several times. He picked up the connection with the cross when it was out in open water and it was too late to go after it," Speed sighed. "He sent another ship to recover it from the New World, but the crew was told the first ship sank before she made port. You know how bad the storms can get in this area. There was just too much wave activity and the ship foundered."

"Just no one knows where and it's possible a storm buried her again," Eric said. He brought the boat they were on to a stop and looked around. "This is it," he said. "Let's drop anchor and you can tell me if there's anything I need to worry about while I get my gear ready."

"I'm not keen on you being in the water alone, Eric," Speed said.

"You could always come in with me."

"You know what I mean," Speed said. He sat down and reached into the water. "There's a few sharks a couple miles off. Don't bleed while you're down there. A pod of dolphins is passing through, and there's enough chemicals to kill a human. I hoped that humans would get smarter, then they discovered Chemistry and that was the end of it. Time to poison the world."

Eric adjusted the straps of his oxygen tank and laughed. "I don't remember you being in this bad a humor in years, Speed. What's going on?"

"I don't know," Speed sighed. "Maybe I'm just getting old."

"Or maybe you're picking up on a problem we're going to have to be dealing with here soon," Eric said. "Mike check?"

"Yeah, hang on." Speed went back to the front of the boat and grabbed the headset that would let him talk with Eric. "Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. Okay, I'm going in. I'm carrying about an hour's worth of air for a human, so I'll be down a little over two unless something happens," Eric said. He jumped into the water and started to swim down towards the reef about a hundred yards off from where he'd made anchor.

"Mind your blood gas levels," Speed said. He moved to sit on the back of the boat on the running board so he'd be in contact with the water and could watch around himself for problems. "I know we brought blood with us, but I don't want you passing out on me down there."

"I'll be fine," Eric said. "I've been down for four hours without problems before."

"Yeah, but just because you managed it once doesn't mean you can do it again," Speed said. "The warning stands, Eric."

"Okay, okay, I'll be careful," Eric said. "I've got the reef in sight. You'll start getting video in a bit, if everything works right."

Speed turned to look at the monitor situated on the bench in the back of the boat. "Nothing yet, but I'll let you know."

***

Chapter 6

"So this ended up being a waste of time," Speed said as he pulled the treasure chest up into the boat. "This is Spanish make, Eric."

"There's more down there, want me to go grab some other things?" Eric asked from where he was holding onto the running board. "I think the wooden chests have rotted, but I saw some other metal chests."

Speed sighed. "Yeah, might as well," he said. "We can keep it at the house until Horatio or I can get in touch with the kings and ask them what they want to do with this."

"Makes me wonder what ship this is," Eric said. He got his gear settled and started back to the reef. "You said Spanish make, any clue as to who she might have been?"

"Do you know how many Spanish ships were lost here over the years, Eric?" Speed asked. He opened the rusted chest and looked inside. "Not a bad haul, really. I just wish the cross was here so we could count this part of the mission done."

"You're still worried about Vegas, aren't you?"

"Yeah, especially with Horatio feeding from one of them," Speed said. He started to rinse the gems and coins off in a bucket of fresh water. They'd have to be cleaned when they got back to the house, but a basic wash would get some of the salt off them. "There was a trace of Vlad's blood in Warrick's. You know what that means."

"Yeah, someone's being stupid," Eric said. "Shark."

"How big?" Speed stood up quickly and went to the running board.

"About seven feet, it's a reef shark," Eric said. "I'm not bleeding, just wanted to let you know they're starting to show up. Must be getting late."

"Probably later than we thought it was," Speed sighed. "Bring up what you can and we'll call it a day. If the kings want us to, we can always come back and get more. I doubt they will though, both lines have enough money invested to run the courts for centuries at this point. I have a feeling this is going to go for jewelry and favors."

"Not always a bad thing, especially with how many new clans we're seeing pop up around the states," Eric said. "Okay, I've got two more metal cases, they're both small, and I'm coming up. What's it looking like up there?"

"Same as always. If you're worried about a storm, don't be. We're not going to have one for at least another week, if not longer," Speed said. "You'll be able to dry out before we head back to land."

"We're going to have to hide this stuff in the coolers so no one knows what we have," Eric said. "Last thing we want to do is register this find with the state. Think what would happen then."

Speed snorted. "We'd lose it," he said. "I'd say we've got a good portion of what's still in sealed containers and easy to bring up. Let someone else get lucky and find the loose stuff."

"There was one more large metal trunk that I could see. Want me to grab it too?"

"If you want to," Speed said. He went back to the running board and took the two cases from Eric. "There's sharks in the area, but no whites. Not yet, anyway. If you go quickly you'll be fine."

"Be right back then," Eric said.
***

"Well, this looks interesting," Horatio said, looking at the treasure littering the shower room he and Speed had installed when they moved in. "Not our wreck though, is it?"

"Nope, it's a Spanish ship," Speed said, rubbing a brush over a gold idol of some sort. "I called the kings and they said to take pictures and send them over. If anything looks like it belongs to the church or the Spanish government, we're going to return it. Get some favors that way. They said we can each pick a gem we like if we want to, but the rest of it is for the courts."

Horatio nodded and sat down on one of the benches. "Fair enough," he said. "Eric, how did the new gear work for you?"

"Good," Eric said. "I didn't have any trouble while I was down at all."

"Excellent," Horatio smiled. "Tim, what's that?"

"A piece that should never have left Spain," Speed said. He held it up. "A statue of the Virgin Mary done in silver and gem stones. I've de-salinated her, it's safe to have her out of the fresh water solution, but it was touchy there for a minute. I think the church will be very happy to have her back."

"How are we getting all of this back to the courts?" Horatio asked.

"They're sending a plane and want me to take it back," Speed replied. "Can you spare me for a weekend, H?"

"Of course," Horatio said. "We have a new CSI at the lab, her name is Megan and she'll be able to help pick up slack while you're gone. When will the plane get here?"

"Late tonight," Speed said. "They want you there to meet it as well. Something about a book and some papers coming from Vlad for you."

"Then I'll be there," Horatio said. "Will all of this be ready?"

"Yeah. Here, catch." Speed tossed something to Horatio.

"What's this?"

"Fire opal," Speed said. "Seems appropriate."

Horatio smiled and looked down at the uncut gem in his hand. "Yes it does. Thank you, Tim."

***

Chapter 7

A few of the papers the plane brought in were for Jesse, information that he might need out in Vegas, and the rest were information Horatio had requested on other known vampires from the courts in the United States. As he'd thought, there weren't many tied directly back to the royal lines, although there were a couple who claimed to be. Horatio didn't like vampires who claimed to be related to the royal line without proof. He knew there were a few out there who were, sires who didn't report their children until much later and, by then, many of the children had children of their own, but there was no possible way every vampire who claimed relation was telling the truth. He also knew that the courts needed the strength of numbers, but if he had his way, he would weed out a few of them. With the way vampire children were both born and made, Horatio had a feeling it would be possible within a few years for them to use DNA testing to work out the members of the royal line and those who claimed to be and weren't. The kings were touchy about new technology, investments aside, and Horatio knew he had a battle on his hands to get them to agree.

There was talk in the courts of declaring a third bloodline, that of the combined royals, even if there were only two vampires alive at the time for that line. Horatio and Speed had talked about siring more children, but wanted to wait until the ban was lifted rather than sleep with other vampires. Bonded vampires could, if they wanted to pass on their line, but even in the eyes of the courts it was borderline to cheating on their spouse. Horatio wouldn't mind turning a member of his team, Calleigh, and one of his detectives, Frank Tripp, but wouldn't without the blessings of the kings. He also wasn't sure how Speed would feel about it and hadn't brought the issue up with his lover.

"Jesse?"

"I'm taking off," Jesse said, shutting the door behind him. "Any last minute suggestions or hints for me, Horatio?"

"Be safe," Horatio said. "I wouldn't want to have to go to Vegas to avenge one of my own. It's possible they know you're coming. I don't know how many of these small upstart clans know how the courts work, but with a direct line back to Vlad in the leader of the Vegas group, it's very possible that he knows we'll send in a stealth squad to investigate them."

"It's also possible that they'll be expecting you and Speed," Jesse said. "I hear it was quite the stir when word got out that you two had arrived from England."

Horatio smiled. "We let it be known that we were arriving by releasing our vampire names," he said. "I would doubt that any vampire not tied directly back to England knows that Speed and I are the legendary vampires here to hunt down the upstarts and wipe them out."

"How can you say that without laughing?" Jesse asked.

"Practice," Horatio replied. "Jesse, I want nightly reports from you, okay? Even if you haven't achieved something that day, call me and let me know that you and your team are still healthy and in one piece. You're older than everyone in Vegas except our unknown and, as you're the same line, he might be able to use mind control on you."

"I've got my pendant," Jesse said.

"You do, but pendants can be taken off," Horatio said. "Don't rely on it to keep you totally safe. I know you're well qualified for this or I wouldn't let you go in. Just be careful for me, please."

Jesse wasn't Horatio's only child, but he was the only one still living. "I will be," he said. "Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Travel safely, Jess."
***

Horatio wasn't sure how long Speed would be gone, but didn't expect to sleep much while his lover was gone. He was too used to sharing a bed and, since they bonded, the kings didn't often separate them for anything. Horatio knew that he and Speed were partially an experiment to both Constantine and Vlad, to see how well the two bloodlines could mix in a couple, but he also knew that the kings were genuinely fond of both of them. Horatio spent some time reviewing the paperwork one last time and then went on the computer to start on the schedule for the next week at the lab. He was just going to assume Speed would be in England for that long and they could always add him in if he came back earlier.

***

Chapter 8

When vampires in England were mentioned to anyone, for some reason, they automatically thought of Dracula buying Carfax Abbey and hiding there while he tried to get a foothold in the British Empire. No one who lived through that period in time really even know how Stoker came up with the idea for Dracula and mostly just shook their head at the novel and all the movies that resulted from it. Living close to any large group of humans would be dangerous, and fairly stupid. Neither Constantine nor Vlad was either.

The Royal court in England was build on land that Constantine held from his time in that country back before he was emperor. The date of his birth in the history books was the time when he chose to make himself known to the human world. No one was really sure when he was born, only that he was likely the oldest vampire on the planet. Vampires of his line were often scholars or philosophers, choosing to study in disciplines that would take many lifetimes to master. It was true that Constantine fought wars, but time had tempered him and he was more interested in learning than he was in fighting. He left the war strategies to Vlad most of the time, letting the younger king do what he did best.

Speed landed in Manchester and found a car waiting for him with a couple of guards from the court already inside. He handed over the list of everything he'd brought with him and left, knowing that the guards would take care of everything. England wasn't his favorite of the courts, he preferred the one in Turkey, but during the summer months, both kings enjoyed the English countryside. When England grew too cold, they moved to the court in Turkey. Constantine and Vlad each had other homes, but spent most of their time together to make ruling the vampire empire they controlled easier.

As one of Constantine's children, Speed had his own homes in Turkey and Italy. He hated the cold, and found England far too cold no matter what season it was. Speed slept on the drive to the court hidden back in the Mowthorpe Wood. They kept the curious out with fences and posted signs saying it was government land being used for tests and that trespassers would be fined and prosecuted. It wasn't perfect, but it did at least explain the buildings in the middle of what humans would consider nowhere.

The driver woke him when they arrived and Speed took a minute to wake up before he headed inside the main building where the kings would be waiting. It was rare that he didn't have Horatio with him, but Speed wasn't worried about seeing Vlad without his bonded with him. Vlad was fond of both Horatio and Speed and wouldn't do anything to hurt them, as long as both vampires behaved. "Constantine, Vlad, you wanted to see me?"

"Welcome home, Timothy," Constantine said. "Come sit and join us in a meal."

"Thank you," Speed said. "I left the list of recovered treasures with the guards at the airport, but there's some pieces in there that will get you pretty much whatever you want when the church sees them."

"We can always use favor with the church," Vlad said with a smile. "Especially given the rumors humans believe that we cannot enter places of worship. You and your child did well to find the treasure, even if it wasn't the treasure you were sent to find."

"The coast of Florida is almost riddled with sunken treasure ships, if you listen to the rumor," Speed said. He took the offered blood with a nod. "It could take us centuries to check for all of them, Constantine. That's even if your ship was heading there when she foundered. It's possible she's to the south of us, heading for one of the islands."

"I wish I could be more clear on where she rests," Constantine sighed. "I've tried, but I cannot. I just worry that my cross will end up in the hands of another."

Speed snorted. "If you find it's in play again, Horatio and I will get it back for you," he said. "Legally if we can, illegally if we have to, but you guys didn't bring me home to talk about this treasure, or the cross, so what's going on?"

"The group out in Vegas concerns us," Vlad said. "I believe that I've found the name of the one who is leading it, and he should definitely know better than to be transforming humans into vampires. He left my court about twenty years ago now because he believed that I was growing soft in my old age."

"Must have been pretty low ranking in court then," Speed snorted. He took the offered blood with a nod of thanks. "No one who knows you would think you were going soft, Vlad."

"Indeed," Vlad said. "He was of low rank, a child of a child thrice removed. My blood within him would be significantly diluted, and that is why you and Horatio detected only a trace within the human's blood. Our stealth leader, Jesse, will have no worries about meeting another member of my line, Jesse's blood is of a higher concentration with my own, and he has Horatio's as well. No, a confrontation between line brothers is not our concern."

Constantine looked up from the book he was studying. "Our concern lays in the possibility of such an outright show of defiance from one of our court," he said. "We believe it possible that he wishes to establish a court of his own within the New World."

"There's an experiment doomed to fail," Speed snorted. "What do you want H and me to do?"

"Should the reports from Jesse show that the interloper in Vegas is attempting to transform a human, we wish you both to travel there and eliminate the clan," Vlad said. "A message to the rest of the vampire world that we stand by our rules and those who break them will suffer for their arrogance."

"What about the kids in the clan?" Speed asked. "Didn't some of our recent intel show that there were children there?"

"Any below the age of majority shall be spared and brought to our clan to be raised properly," Constantine said. "Those who are adults or of age to be considered adult shall suffer the same fate as their leader."

Speed nodded. "All right," he said. "I'll need to gather up some weapons while I'm here. H and I didn't take many with us when we went because we weren't sure what we'd be doing over there."

"Timothy, Vlad and I have considered what we wish to do with the New World and it's vampire culture," Constantine said. "You have heard the rumors in court of establishing a third line in our ruling families?"

"Yeah, but I thought they were just that," Speed said.

"You and Horatio have both proven yourselves time and again to be loyal to us and our houses," Vlad said. "Constantine and I are of a mind to declare your new bloodline royal and give you the New World to rule over in association with us here in Europe and the East."

"I don't know if Horatio or I want that much responsibility," Speed said. "Do we get to talk it over before you decide?"

"Of course, and we would expect nothing but such a logical question from you," Constantine said. "For now, focus on your tasks in the New World and let us take care of this threat that could be growing before us. But tell Horatio of our offer so you both can think of it when you have the time. The era has come when the New World needs a ruling house, and neither of us wish to establish a third home when our system works so well now."

Speed smiled fondly at his sire. "It's possible there's another solution, you know," he said. "Rather than ruin the whole two courts thing you've got going on now, appoint us guardians of the New World and we'll act under your orders."

"That would work, yes," Constantine said, "but the time would come when you needed to have more power than simply as our eyes and arms. We could start you out that way, we would be happy to, but Vlad and I both believe that ultimately a third line is the best option available to us."

"You know we'll do whatever you want us to," Speed said. "One more question before I fall asleep here. Do you need me to stay while you sort the treasure or can I head back to Miami? It's not that I mind being away from Horatio, but we're pretty busy there in our cover jobs and, while he said he'd make it work, I'd feel better being there to back him up in the field. Someone new showed up just as you called me back and that kinda makes me nervous."

Vlad nodded. "Stay through the morrow and rest," he said. "Help us sort through the treasures and then return to your bonded."

"Thank you, Vlad," Speed said with a smile.

***

Chapter 9

"Welcome home, Speed," Horatio said when his bonded walked into the trace lab a few days later. "Anything interesting?"

"Yeah, but we'll talk about it later," Speed said. "Where do you need me?"

Horatio turned his head and looked at Speed. "Take the case with Megan and give me a read on her, please," he said. "Both Calleigh and Eric expressed some concerns to me and I want to see what all you can pick up for me, okay?"

"Sure, no problem," Speed said. "Anything I need to know about her?"

"I don't want to bias you," Horatio said with a small smile.

"One of those then?"

"One of those."

Speed sighed. "Why don't I ever get the easy assignments?"
***

"Hey, you're back," Eric said when he caught sight of his sire. "Megan, this is Tim Speedle. How's your dad doing, Speed?"

"He's fine," Speed said. "So, Megan, welcome to the lab. I guess I'm joining you two on your case today. Want to fill me in?"

"Not really, we've got it," Megan said.

Speed and Eric exchanged a look over her head. Speed snorted. "Wow, okay, so I guess some ground rules should be put into play here. Aside from Horatio, I'm the senior CSI in this lab and if I ask for details, you give them to me," he said. "Yeah, most people think it's Calleigh, but it's not. It's me. I just let people think that because it makes my life easier. So, Horatio told me to work this case, I can do it with you, or I can go tell him that you're a bitch and then Eric and I can work it together, so which is it going to be?"

"The case doesn't need three investigators on it," Megan said, looking up.

"Okay, bitch it is then," Speed said. "Eric, I'll be back in a bit."

"Yeah, see you later," Eric said, turning back to the forms he'd been examining.

Speed found Horatio not far off down the hall and shook his head. "Okay, how the hell did she get hired in the first place?" he asked softly. "She's an idiot."

"Yes she is," Horatio said with a small smile. "So the question is, what do you think of her?"

"You're thinking Vegas."

"I am," Horatio said. "I am, and I wonder if I'm over thinking things."

"Based on what I heard while I was gone, I doubt it," Speed said. "The good news is that Jess should be safe."

Horatio nodded. "I hope so," he said. "Losing him would hurt me badly."

"So you want me to dig into her past employment history and see if I can come up with anything concrete we can use," Speed said with a glance back at Megan. "Are you thinking we're going to vanish her?"

"I'm thinking that if she is from the Vegas group, we might not have a choice," Horatio said. "I've contacted England and requested special dispensation to drain an enemy if need be. We have the go-ahead if it becomes absolutely necessary."

"It's all down to research then."

"It is," Horatio said. "Let me know what you find, okay?"

"Yeah, will do. Can I use the computer in your office? It'll be easier to hide the search, and you have higher clearances than I do."

"Go ahead," Horatio said. "I'm going out with Frank to question a witness. Give me a call if you need me or if anything happens."

Speed nodded. "Yeah, you got it, H."

Horatio slipped on his sunglasses with a smile. "Welcome home, Speed," he said.

***

Chapter 10

Chapter Text

"It's good to have you home, Tim," Horatio said later that night when they were home and secure. "What did Vlad and Constantine have to say?"

"You want the good news of the bad news first?"

"The good, I suppose," Horatio said.

"They worked out who the vampire leading the Vegas clan is and he's a baby compared to Jesse," Speed said. "Your boy is going to be safe, Horatio. There's no way this creep out there has enough power to do anything other than try and break the laws."

Horatio felt some tension he didn't know had been in him leave. "What do they know about him?" he asked.

"Vlad's got some people working on it, but the bottom line is this guy is a child four times removed from Vlad and you know what that means."

"He's from Vlad's line, but is a branch on the tree," Horatio said. "Do we have anything that could help Jess out?"

"Yeah, I brought some papers home with me, things that Vlad had worked out and he promises he'll send anything else your way," Speed said. "They guy's name is Jim Brass and he didn't have a bonded last Vlad or the courts heard. Now that could have changed out in Vegas, but they don't think so. He has one child, a Gil Grissom, and he's a transformed child, but just under the deadline."

"Jim Brass," Horatio said. "He's a detective out in Vegas, one who works with the crime lab if what I heard Catherine and Warrick talking about was true. Grissom, on the other hand, runs the night shift at the lab. That alone will probably be enough to keep Jesse from trying to work there. He'll have to find another way in."

"Not necessarily," Speed said. "You're one removed from Vlad and Jesse is a natural child, which means the blood in him is stronger than it would have been if he was a transformed child. He's got his pendant with him, I think it'd be nearly impossible for either of these guys to figure out what Jesse is one of the stealth investigators from the courts."

Horatio sighed. "Is that a risk we really want to take?" he asked. "Jess needs to be close enough to find out if they're transforming humans or not, and the lab is the best way to do that, but it's far and away the riskiest. I don't know that it's the best situation for him."

"Are you thinking as a parent or a warrior there, H?"

"Both."

"Well, what other options are there, at least right now?"

"He could work in the morgue or as scene clean-up," Horatio said. "He could even work out the favorite restaurant and get a job there."

"Wasting his talents at all of those. I still think finding a position with the lab is his best bet."

"I'll talk to him. He's reporting back every night. I know, I know I'm being over-protective, but after losing Lucy like I did, I can't help myself."

Speed shuddered a little when he thought about Horatio's daughter, and Jesse older sister by another mother. Lucy had been on an assignment for the courts posing as a secretary for the Germans during the War. She was discovered and burned to death before anyone from the courts could get to her. Horatio took his vengeance and several highly placed German part officials vanished in the middle of the night, but the damage was done. "I'll never tell you that you're protecting your child too much, H," he said softly.

"Thank you," Horatio said. He pulled Speed in for a hug. "Vegas aside, what sort of bad news did they have for us?"

"You remember those rumors about making our bloodline royal?" Speed asked.

"Yes."

"Turns out they aren't rumors. Vlad and Constantine want to give us America to rule."

There was silence for a long moment and then Horatio started swearing.

***

Next part of Unstoppable.