Title: It's Personal
Author: Bj Jones
Rating: FRM
Disclaimer: I don't own them. They are owned by people who have mean nasty lawyers that can and will eat me for lunch. Not making any money - just borrowing them for a moment or two... or three....I'll return them when I return them.
Summary: Suddenly it all became too personal.
Genre: Slash
Series: A Second Can Change the World, Revelations, Playing It Forward, Vacation's Over, Decisions, Consequences, The Past Returns, Investigation
Beta: Christina (Dino)
Challenge: 12 Stories - Horatio Caine/Timothy Speedle/Rick Stetler
Prompt: #9 - Dusk
Word Count: 2017

~*~

Horatio stepped out of the Hummer and walked up to the scene. He felt as if he moved in slow motion, the world suddenly dark and void of color. He refused to look over at the covered body. He would not believe it was his lover, his Speed, his reason for living.

He turned toward the paramedics, sound suddenly filtering to his ears.

"Lieutenant Caine." The paramedic called out toward him as they lifted the wounded officer onto the gurney. "We're taking Detective Speedle now to the hospital, his injuries are severe but he's stable."

Relief rushed through him; he took off his glasses and stepped up to the gurney. Speed was unconscious, an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose; he backed up and let the paramedic load his lover into the ambulance, "Dispatch said it was a shooting?"

"The officer on the scene was shot," he stated. "There was nothing we could do for the officer, but we found Speedle beaten up." He climbed into the ambulance, and then looked back. "He put up a fight, looks like he's got defense wounds..."

"I'll send Eric down to the hospital," Horatio looked into the ambulance. "Take care of him."

The paramedic gave him a shot nod. "He's in good hands. Find the bastards who did this," he called out as he slammed the doors shut, and the ambulance took off down the street.

"Oh I will." He slipped on his glasses and grabbed his cell phone.

'Tell me what the FUCK is going on!' Rick demanded. Horatio could hear the fear in his voice.

"Speed's on his way to the hospital, someone just beat the shit out of him." Caine growled low.

'He's alive?' Rick breathed a sigh of relief

"He's alive...." Horatio looked up to see a Hummer and Corner's van pull up. "I want you at the hospital, and Rick be all IAB asshole, make sure he's not alone."

'H? What's going on?' Suspicion entered his voice.

"Think about it,Rick..."

Horatio could hear cursing on the other end, 'I'm on my way.'

Caine clicked off the phone as his team approached. "H, what's going on?" Eric demanded.

"That's what we're going to find out." He looked over at the fallen officer. "We have an officer shot and killed, and Speed's on his way to the hospital, severely beaten..."

Alexx sighed in open relief, "Thank God...I..."

"Alexx, why don't you pass this off to someone else, and head down to the hospital." Horatio laid a hand on her arm. "I know he's got you listed as his emergency contact."

She nodded as she pulled her phone calling in for a second team. She looked back at the body and shivered, it had been too close. Getting into the van, she left the scene and headed for the hospital to see her baby.

Calleigh watched Alexx go, feeling the same sense of relief. They had still lost an officer, but when she heard those dread words all she could think of was losing Speed. "Why shoot one and beat the other?" Calleigh asked. "I mean..."

Horatio nodded slightly. "That's what I want to find out. This was a simple smash and grab scene, it shouldn't warrant the perps to come back to the scene, let alone use such deadly force."

Eric paused, "Looks more personal. Someone targeting cops, CSIs, or maybe Speed in particular?"

"He put up a fight," Horatio was thanking all those hours of defense training, he forced Speed into. After finding him all those years ago, broken and bleeding, he had made sure Speed wasn't defenseless. So for him to be beaten to this extent he knew there was more than one attacker. "Eric I want you to go to the hospital and process him."

"Got it, H." He turned and headed back to the Hummer.

"Oh and Eric, Stetler is all over this." Horatio warned him, hiding his own smirk.

"Great." He grumbled. "What's with him lately, I think his obsession has moved from you to Speed."

"Well poor Speed has gotten the rotten end of the stick lately," Calleigh sighed. "I mean, first shot and now this...lucky Stetler can't pin anything on him, but he's going to be an annoying ass."

"Just be careful," Horatio turned back toward the scene. "I want everything check and double checked. I'm going to call Ryan in..."

"He just got off a triple shift," she hesitated.

"We need everyone here," he said flipping his phone open. "Mr. Wolfe, I know you just got off, but we have a situation. I need you downtown at McCauley Jewelry." Horatio frowned. "Now, Mr. Wolfe." He hung up the phone, his hands now on his hips as he surveyed the scene.

"Problem?" Calleigh asked softly.

"Not sure," he turned toward the scene his head tilted slightly. "Calleigh what's that item on the outskirt of the blood pool?"

She frowned slightly, then grabbed some tweezers and squatted down pulling it out of the blood, "Looks like a tooth."

"Could be one of our assailants."

"Or could be Speed's," she put it into an evidence bag. "I'll give it to Valera and we'll find out who it belongs to."

~*~

"Do you have to be here?" Eric glared at Stetler who just glared back.

"This is the second time Speedle's gotten himself into a situation. I'm tempted to put a bodyguard on him to save the department resources." Rick sneered just slightly.

Eric just eyed him, "Okay, snark and you don't mix."

Rick bit the inside of his cheek; he really needed to stop channeling Speed. "Just do you're job, Delko."

"Do you have to be here?"

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Rick growled. "Yes. An officer is dead another beaten. IAB is involved."

"Where's Alexx?" Eric asked as he set the kit down on the end of the bed. "I figured she would be here protecting Speed from the likes of you."

Rick's eyes narrowed. "She got called to a DB down on the Warf. Don't worry, Delko she threatened me a slow painful death if I did anything to her precious baby."

Eric smirked, "Well at least you can testify I followed the rules and procedures."

Rick didn't answer instead he sat back and watched Eric collect the evidence they needed to find the bastard, and shoot him. He tried hard not to show his true emotions over the situation, just nodding and growling now and again, but all he really wanted to do was curl up next to his lover and hold him. Speed had taken a serious beating. His face was a massive bruise, nose broken, one eye swollen shut. Either Speed had a hard head or protected enough, he had only a mild concussion, and his jaw was severely bruised but not broken. Though his left wrist was broken, along with a few ribs, he was going to be sore as hell the next few weeks, but he was going to recover fully.

"He put up a fight," Eric put his camera down and picked up an envelope and small wooden scraper. "There's skin under his nails, and blood on his knuckles. So the attacker is sporting some wounds."

"Hopefully, he'll be in the system." Rick muttered. "Doesn't make sense though. Why attack Speed and shoot the other officer?"

"That's what Calleigh asked," Eric stood up and frowned. "Without looking at evidence in my opinion, it's personal. This was a message to either Speed or to the lab."

"Just proof Speed attracts trouble..."

Eric turned to retort then paused. "Okay, I have to agree with you on that." He looked out the window.

"What?" Stetler snapped.

"Trying to see if pigs are flying or maybe hell just froze over." Eric packed his kit up. "I got to get these to the lab."

"I'll be here..."

"Not helping." Delko glared at him. "Either you're a pod person or you're going to smother him when I'm gone."

Rick rolled his eyes, "I'm not leaving until I have answers."

"H is on his way." Eric headed for the door; he frowned slightly looking back at his friend. "Call when he wakes up."

Stetler nodded and waited until the door was closed before he turned toward his lover, "Damn it, Speed." Leaning over he ran a hand through the dark hair. "You scared the crap out of us. Please just wake up..." Taking the still hand, he kissed the bruised knuckles. "I'm sorry. So sorry for this. If I hadn't opened this investigation, this wouldn't have happened. I can't believe they went after you, to get to me." A shiver went down Rick's spine. He had thought he hid his feelings well for Speed, but maybe he didn't. Alexx had seen it, and he slipped slightly with Eric... "You know its hard being an asshole, snappy and mean to you and H. You just snark back and I want to smile and kiss you..."

"I dare you to do that in the lab," Speed croaked out. "I would pay good money to see Eric's expression."

Rick smiled at him, his hand smoothing back the dark hair, "You want me to get the nurse?"

"No," his eyes fluttered close. "Just hold me."

He grinned slightly remembering not so long ago a similar situation, and like then he slipped off his shoes and crawled into the bed. "You better hope it's Horatio that finds us and not Eric."

Speed just snorted and curled into him, with a pained sigh, "Don't leave..."

Rick tightened his grip on the younger man. "I've got you. You're safe, now."

~*~

Rick blinked and looked up to see Horatio looking down at him. "This looks familiar."

Stetler smirked slightly, "How long have we been asleep?"

Horatio looked out to see dusk setting, "A few hours. Has he woken up?"

"Just for a bit," Rick sat up and slipped out of the bed.

"It's personal." Horatio leaned over and kissed Speed on the forehead before sitting down in one of the chairs.

"What? Toward Speed? You? Me?" Stetler demanded. "Does it have to do with Ratner or something entirely different?"

Horatio leaned over the bed and gave Rick's hand a squeeze. "I'm the target. In the end it all comes down to Ratner, but not in way you would think. I've been sniffing around asking some questions. This new guy is after my position in Miami. Word out, is he did Lowes to show what he's capable of, and when I failed to kill you, he made his move, making a deal with Ratner. He takes me out, finishes you off, takes position as top assassin, and Ratner gets a care free life."

"But he didn't know you're you." Rick frowned. "He just knows the contact so why go after Speed?"

"Ratner gave him my contact information, he started asking questions, one of my soon to be ex-contacts gave him Speed's number, the one we use for this business. It's not hard to trace a number if you know what you're doing, and he does. He's actually quite good. Once he discovered Speed was the contact, the beating was a warning to me." Horatio sat down in the chair. "He wants a showdown."

"But does he know that it's... well you." Stetler asked pointing at him.

"No," Horatio smirked evilly. "But, I know who he is."