Title: Stalked

Author: innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

Summary: Taken from the previews for "Born to Kill". Since the episode was so disappointing given the misleading promo. Calleigh is targeted by a killer and Horatio and the others must race to save her.

Category: Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

Genres: Angst, Drama, Episode Related, Established Relationship, Friendship, Hurt Comfort, Suspense

Characters: Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne

Rating: PG-13

Chapter: 1 "Pictures"

Author's Notes: And…this is the last finale spin-off story to be released.

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The sun was high in the sky over Miami Beach, drenching the sand below in its hot rays. The tan sands soaked it up, raising the heat that they carried as the day continued along. Yellow police tape separated the on looking crowd from the body. The police line was set down near the water; the body was just far enough that at high tide, the water would have still missed the body. Officers kept the on lookers back, while CSIs and others poured into the crime scene to start processing it.

Calleigh was the first CSI on the scene; she was already taking mental notes as she got her camera ready. The victim was in her mid to late twenties, blonde hair, and light eyes. She was dressed in clothes that told Calleigh that the woman most likely came from a nearby club. The turquoise dress was highlighted with the bloodstains that encircled the stab wounds all to the abdomen. They had to wait for Alexx, though, before they could touch the body. She knew, though, that if the woman had been to a club that she'd need ID, so hopefully there was one somewhere on the body.

Eric walked up behind Calleigh and took in the scene. "Why is it that most of our victims seem to be beautiful women?" he asked kneeling down besides Calleigh.

"I dunno, maybe because beautiful women flock to Miami? At least Miami Beach…" Calleigh said. "Nothing shouts out of town to me right off hand…"

"We think she was in a club last night?"

"That's what I was thinkin'."

"She could have a stamp…"

"And neither of you are going to find anything out about her until you get out of my way," Alexx said teasingly with a bright smile as she headed towards the body with her kit in hand.

"We were just making observations," Calleigh defended as she stood up straight and looked over to their friend.

"Sure you were, Honey," she continued to tease. "I know how curious you can be." Alexx kneeled down next to the body in the sand and started to examine the woman. "Poor baby… I hate seeing young people ending up on my table…" She went quiet and continued to examine. "It looks like the stab wounds were the only injury inflicted on her." Alexx tried to lift the body a bit and was surprised at what she found. "No blood pool…she must have been killed somewhere else and dumped here."

Calleigh frowned, "So this isn't our primary crime scene."

"And all footprint evidence has likely been obliterated from the first witnesses and the officers that first arrived on scene. Sand isn't the best workable surface anyways," Eric said sighing.

Calleigh looked around for something to help them and knew that she and Eric would end up shifting through sand hoping to find something to help link their victim to her killer. She noticed Horatio talking with Frank not too far away. "Alexx? Did you find an ID on her?"

"Just found it," Alexx reported holding up what she'd located in the victim's bra, it was a place that women who didn't have pockets tended to hide things. She had found a thin, purple Razr phone, an ATM/Check card, and a Florida Driver's License. "Her name's Kathryn Memorilly and her ID is for Florida."

"So, she's a resident. At least we can start there," Calleigh said cheerfully.

Alexx heard an irritating noise and looked over her shoulder and then shook her head at the people with cameras. "People have no respect for the dead…" she said sadly and looked back over at Calleigh who was kneeling on the other side of the body. "We're goin' need tox results, too, Alexx."

"I got it, Honey." Alexx was about to motion for the body to be bagged and taken away when her eye caught something. The dress was bunched up in the middle. She straightened up the cloth and noticed that the dress was sliced cleanly open at the abdomen. She used her gloved hands to pull apart the opening a bit to discover a wound she hadn't caught before. In the shape of a Y was a wound that Alexx could tell for certain was made after the woman had died. "Look at this. Definitely post mortem. Have any idea what the Y stands for?"

Calleigh stared at it and then looked back up at Alexx, "No idea…but that's definitely some kind of sign. Whoever did this is trying to tell us something."

"We've got to find the original crime scene, Calleigh," Eric said.

Alexx looked the woman over again and caught more signs that could possibly help them once she got the victim back to the morgue. "Looks like defensive wounds. She may have clawed her killer. There could be DNA under the fingernails." She looked to her friends, "I'll let you know."

………………………………..

"Hi there, Mrs. Delaroy, are you picking up or dropping off today?" he asked.

Mrs. Delaroy was a petite elder woman complete with a cane. She had grey hair that was swept up and back into a bun. She wore an old fashioned dress and black rimmed glasses. "I'm here to pick up today."

"Oh, that's right. You dropped off pictures of the grandkids, didn't you?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," she responded with a proud smile. "Thomas is getting so big!"

"You have a great day!" he told her as he handed over the bundle of pictures. "I'll see you next week."

"I'll pay you then."

"You're always good for it, Mrs. Delaroy." He waited for her to leave the store before turning around and picking up the stack of photos that were behind him on the conveyer belt. The pictures had just finished printed before Mrs. Delaroy had come in and had moved right on over to make room for the next order of pictures to be printed, so that they would be printed on time.

Turning, he smiled and looked down at the pictures in his hands. On the top of the stack was a picture of a woman, up close, zoomed in on her face. Light skin enhanced by bright green sparkling eyes and blonde hair framing the face. There was a bright smile firmly planted on the face, which just made him smile more before dropping back into his back supply room and shutting the door behind him.

………………………

TBC…