Disclaimer: While the ideas expressed here are my own, they're based upon the characters and themes of CSI-Miami and its multi-talented team of artists. As far as I know as of this date, 03/03/08, they have no basis in reality and aren't drawn from any known events, whether occurring in the past, currently in progress, or pending investigation and reporting.


Horatio winced as he entered the crime scene, his own living room. He saw a terrible scene with blood everywhere, but no sign of a body. Eric was already perched precariously on a ladder under the eaves, obtaining the single footprint in the case while Alexx is scouring the scrub beneath the 5 story window looking in vain for the body.

"H," he said in puzzled tones, "I've never seen a footprint in such a weird place. It's actually placed directly over your head, but not on the ceiling. It's located on a curved roofing tile, like the guy was using suction cups to walk up here and didn't know he left this behind him."

"Do what you can with it, Eric," Horatio replied sadly, "We'll need every ounce of evidence we can get from here to put Walter Resden behind bars for invading my home like this."

Horatio instituted a cursory search for his missing son, but came up empty. He sighed deeply in frustration and worry, and began quietly processing the main crime scene near his Victorian style divan. He knelt and gently took four large swabs of blood (One for him, one for the lab, one for the defense team, and one for Mr. Rick at IAB). He was covering every angle, as always, to assure that nothing impeded this case once it got to court.

He was almost through with the area and was moving into the foyer by the back door when he spotted what looked like skin or brain tissue clinging to the left front leg of his other sofa. He moved there and retrieved another four samples, and then made his way into the hallway to begin processing the evidence it contained.

He had barely begun processing the footprints and other evidence in his new location when Frank Tripp flew through the backyard, chasing their suspect right through what was left of the crime scene. Fortunatuely for Tripp, Horatio had already gathered as much as he could when he so recklessly chased their young suspect through it.

He looked up in exasperation and was surprised to see his son Kyle standing mutely by the coat rack, waiting for Frank to cuff him and haul him off to the hoosegow. He smiled for the first time that afternoon, for the pair was quite a sight.

Kyle was covered from one end to the other in Everglades' ooze, while Frank stood dripping sweat onto the already ruined crime scene. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be arresting his best friend's long-lost son, but the boy was his only suspect for now, so getting him safely behind bars was a top priority.

Since the boy was plainly alive, there was too much blood to allow for life in the crime scene, and he was running for his life from the Sargeant, who's the corpse and where did the boy put him or her?

Now Horatio was really worried. He'd eagerly anticipated a meeting with his long lost love over a quiet meal that evening, but her recent activitie had made that rendezvous impossible.

"H," Eric said with concern, "we've looked everywhere for Maia's body, but can't find it. Is there any way at all she would have survived this assault?"

"Apparently, as she's nowhere near the place and I know that Kyle isn't driving yet."

"Speaking of our chief suspect," Tripp interrupted impatiently, "he's refusing to cop to killing his mom. Claims she's run off on him again."

"Frank," Horatio replied in dulcet tones, "it's entirely possible that Maia escaped the mayhem intact. I've tested the brain matter from the sofa leg and it's animal in origin. There's also an issue with the blood. While there's enough to indicate a homicide has occurred, it isn't clotting; so I doubt that there's a victim around."

"Remember, the lady's in the military. We were ships passing in the night, literally, when Kyle was conceived. The ways she's been in and out of his life, she's got to be ranked into Special Ops or higher. I just hope that any enemies she's made haven't found her."

"You sound like you want to hook up with her again, H," Ryan said with a leer.

"If we do become reacquainted, Ryan," Horatio sighed, "it'll be no one's business but ours."

"True, true," Frank replied thoughtfully, "but I still wonder what prompted the boy to point that gun at our victim..."

When he arrived back at the station, Horatio requested that Boa Vista and Valera meet him in the research room to discuss an important matter that had just come to his attention. Both women nervously came as requested and wondered what lay in store for them.

"Ladies, I have a research project that needs both of your undivided attention until it's completed."

"Okay, H," they replied in unison, their curiousity aroused, "no problem. So what's the hot issue?"

"I need you to re-examine the blood evidence I gathered from my home last weekend. I believe our old friend Resden's been busy trying to frame Kyle as he once tried to frame me."

"So, you want me to dig a little deeper into the samples and determine which preservative was used, and it's approximate date of manufacture?" Natalia asked quietly. "That's a tall order, even for me."

"Yes, and that's just for starters. Now, Valera, I need you to check into Maia's full background, even before I met her. I want to determine how extensive her criminal past is, and whether she was telling even a particle of truth about her involvement with Special Ops. I'm not trying to defend the woman, but to prove a pattern of falsehoods and deceptions."

"Since all she's done lately is lie, I don't see any problem with that."

"Ah, yes, this is true," Horatio said with a wry smile, "but the lady's far cleverer than anyone thought. And, if her stories of her SO days are even partially true, then we may not be able to access those records due to top secret clearance issues."

Fade into the pond with the sunken car (poor dead witness). "Horatio<" Calleigh said nervously, "I've seen few suspects accumulate so many bodies this fast. I hope that Kyle's not in danger with his mother. She seems to bring bad karma to those around her."

"I know that, friend. I was just thinking the same thing." Horatio's interrupted by his cell phone's insistent ring. "Hold on, everyone, I've got to get this."

"Hello, this is Horatio Caine. Is there something I can do for you?"

Calleigh and Frank looked on with concern as the conversation progressed, because they'd never seen their friend and mentor turn pale so quickly. Calleigh immediately suspected that it had everything to do with Kyle.

Frank wondered if Susie was about to reappear in their lives, as she'd always had the worst timing in the universe. It was usually her style to wreak havoc whenever and wherever she showed up.

He was just glad that neither Clavo nor Riaz was in the picture this time. His pal Horatio was already juggling way too many balls this time, and he'd gonna drop one if he wasn't careful.

"Horatio," Alexx's voice interjected, "I've got an interesting bit of news about that blood at the scene. If you want it kept confidential, you need to get down here before Rick arrives."

"I'm as good as there, Alexx, and thank you," Horatio says as he's headed out the door.

"Yes, and it's high quality, too. I'm wondering what your former flame's been up to since you last saw each other. I don't think the DHS or any other military office wants this to get out."

"So somehow we've got to keep the original samples from our Mr. Staetler while we're waiting to hear from..."

"Apparently, folks," Rick said snidely, "you're working together to keep me out of the loop on this. This is an internal affairs issue involving Lieutenant Caine, so your cooperation is appreciated; though I don't expect to get it without a major fight."

Now Horatio was pulling rank to protect his son, a murder suspect, from the charges he was facing. While most of their colleagues were willing to accept this as a positive part of his persona, Rick wanted it eliminated from the picture because it made Rick seem less of a man to everyone else.

Tripp cast a nervous eye over Rick's lowering expression and nudged Horatio in warning just before the man lashed out with his fist. Horatio ducked and Rick's fist smacked the concrete wall behind him. The entire team heard Rick's howl of pain and turned purple trying to hold back their roars of laughter.

They might be amused, but their leader wasn't; for he knew any pain he caused Rick, or was perceived to have caused him, would only increase the rage the man held towards him. And that this rage would be directed towards him and his lab.

Horatio had long since tired of their games at work and begun distancing himself to avoid them. He didn't know that Rick and Monica had hooked up and were now plotting to have him removed from his post in disgrace. Rick had been scheming since their rookie days, but Monica was a recent and dangerous ally to those plans. With Resden so eagerly adding his own twists to his life, Horatio knew well that things would get far worse for him and his son before they even began to see the light of day.

.(She was still seeking to discredit the lab, now with even more at stake because of recent promotions within the squad.)

The team needed Horatio's calm persistence and presence more than ever, but it appeared he would soon face a departmental tribunal for crimes he hadn't committed.

Rick's expression was priceless. A florid combination of enraged indignity and wounded pride, it caused several people in the room to cough politely behind their hands to hide their laughter. Finally, someone from corporate was telling Rick what an ass he was, and he had to listen because it was his boss.

"Um, H," Ryan said unsteadily, "is this a good time to interrupt? Alexx sent me to get you. Apparently there's yet another anomaly with the blood sample you brought back from the scene. You may have to go back there for fresh samples to confirm her findings."

"I'll be right there, Ryan. Rick, as nice as this confab with you was, I've got better things to do than rattle old skeletons. Gentlemen, if there's nothing else, I'm needed elsewhere."

"Hey, Horatio, where's Kyle?" Natalia asked nervously from the hallway. "He seems to have vanished into thin air since he got here."

"He's been incarcerated in a safer place, Nat," Horatio said tiredly. "I want him kept out of the loop for now so we can determine what happened between him and his mother before she disappeared. He isn't talking, so he may not know where she went."

"So you think she's still alive?"

"I'm certain of it, Eric. The blood, while a good replica, wasn't hers. She's up to something and it isn't good."

"Horatio, do you know something about your son's involvement that I need to know?" Tripp asked. "You've gone out on a couple of mighty shaky limbs for the boy and he doesn't seem to appreciate it. Are you sure he's worth all this trouble?"

"Frank," Horatio said patiently, but in a tone that clearly indicated his patience was wearing thin, "you've worked with me long enough to know how I feel about my family members."

"You were there when Ray was shot and saw what that did to me and Yelina; you've been present on at least two of Susie's visits; and you've seen how I'm dealing with Ray, Jr.'s persistent delinquency issues. No matter how rough things get with Kyle, until he's crossed the line into murder I'll stand by him."

"Hell, even after that I'll be there if only in a supporting role. I've just discovered that I've got a son. I don't want to lose him now.".

"H," Eric said respectfully, "I hate to say this but it may already be too late. Kyle's still facing those kidnapping charges and has now violated his parole trying to evade an arresting officer. He isn't you and hasn't made the same moral choices that you have."

"I know that, Eric. I also know that you feel about family as I do; they're blood no matter what might come after that fact."

"If you weren't such an SOB, Rick," a deep voice issued from behind Sgt. Stetler, "you'd have an easier time of it. Letting your personal envy affect your professional judgment is never a good career move."

(Don't know who deep voice is yet, but he's probably the person that promoted H in the first place. I do know that he's both Rick and Horatio's boss. It's Central Casting's job to put a face to the voice.)

"So why did you sideswipe me, Chet? I did better on the Lieutenant's exam that Horatio did and I also have more seniority than he does with the department."

"Ah, Rick, if the job were just about your surface attributes, you'd have been a cinch for the job. Unfortunately for you, there's much more to it than that. The position requires the innate ability to see things wholistically, not just locally; and you've never been good in that arena. Horatio also learns from his mistakes, a trait that's eluded you thus far. The department simply can't afford to put a self-centered egotist in a position of authority."

"Speak of the devil. Look what the cat dragged in. Agent Elliott, you've certainly come up in the world since we last met."

"It's amazing what a hint of scandal, deftly defended, will do for a guy's career, Horatio. You should try it some time."

"I wonder what's up with that," Calleigh asks from her seat at the table. "I've never seen Horatio so excited, even when he was dating Marisol. Sorry, Eric, he loved your sister, but not like this."

"It's okay, Calleigh," Eric says sadly, "I always wondered why H married my sister so fast. When I saw him at the memorial service, I knew the love was real, even if I didn't understand how it happened.

"I confronted H about it after my shooting, when I finally remembered where Marisol was. Thanks for letting me remember when I was ready to, by the way."

"No problem, Eric, I know how much it hurts to lose someone close to you and didn't want to risk losing you if you found out about Marisol too soon in your recovery process."

"Anyway, H told me that he'd seen her around here and originally thought she was one of my 'flings'. He was attracted even then, but backed off because he thought we were dating. When I told him she was my sister, he decided to wait and see how things worked out before he proposed to her. Even then he was head over in love with her, he just didn't know how to tell me."

"Well, friend," Alexx said softly from behind them, "you ARE rather intimidating at times, especially when you're protecting your family. Horatio's wise enough to be conservative when necessary, as you've learned recently. But when his family's involved, it's impossible for him to see reason."

"That still doesn't explain why he's interested in Maia again, especially after learning what he has about her past."

"There's no reasoning when you're in love, Eric." Calleigh said with a sigh, a wistful expression on her face.

"With Maia, though, it's totally different. I bet he didn't want to call it off, but the job made him do it. He's always put Miami before himself."

"I agree, Eric," Calleigh says, "our hero needs a soft place to fall, but can't allow himself that luxury. He's made too many enemies."

"So, Alexx, what's your story?"

"Horatio, I don't like the look of this blood. It's real enough, but isn't the right consistency to have come from a human."

"So you're saying it's manufactured blood, like that used in genetic research?"

"Yes, Horatio, that's exactly what I meant. Maia's story about working with Army Special Operations may have had at least a little truth in it, after all. You can't find stuff of this high a quality anywhere outside that agency; unless it's at the CDC in Atlanta undergoing examination."

His frown deepened as he finished his initial perusal, because the blood appeared to belong to Kyle's biological mother, Maia. It also had small traces of his DNA, which was a shock to him.

"Alexx, please take a deeper look at this blood. I think it's likelier to be Kyle's than Maia's because it contains both my DNA and hers."

"That IS an intriguing development. I wonder who's playing with this stuff and why they are using it instead of another's blood."