So… this is something a bit different, and I could only choose two, so my major focus shall be in Miami… but we'll just see where the muse takes this one, shall we?

Miami-DADE Police Dept. Crime Lab…

"Have you heard anything on him?"

Two top of their field CSIs sat shoulder to shoulder looking past the interface in front of them to the large screen in the Miami Crime Lab. On the screen was a third CSI talking to them through a secure line, a video chat and an important one at that, from Las Vegas, Nevada.

A sigh was heard in the quiet room as one of the CSIs in the lab shook his head. "Nothing for the past three weeks, unless you want to hear our growing body count?" he offered.

The CSI beside him nodded in agreement. "Same style, and dumped just like the rest of them."

A moment of silence could be heard as loud as nails on a chalkboard as the three participating in the call remained silent. That was until the Las Vegas CSI broke the silence,

"How many new victims?"

"Five. In the past three weeks," the same CSI that had first suggested such a thing be discussed said.

The Las Vegas CSI visibly cringed. "How many have you identified?" he asked.

"All of them. All in Miami from either Vegas or New York. He alternates each kill."

"Calculated son of a bitch," the one of them grunted, crossing his left leg over his right as he leaned back with another sigh. This time his light leather jacket fell back just far enough to reveal a New York badge, the rank indicating the man as a detective with the department from up North.

The Las Vegas CSI sighed and nodded. "I can't believe none of us have anything," he said with a shake of his head.

"Detective Messer contacted me two nights ago; my team in New York has nothing more than we do here in Miami," the New York detective reported yet again.

And that left the third CSI seated beside the New York detective to end the discussion. "That means we all best get to work. We'll talk soon, Ray?" he asked.

The Vegas CSI nodded once more. "Good luck to you two and you keep yourselves safe over there," he said.

And the call ended, leaving the New York detective to look over at his red-head partner. "Your call, Horatio," he said. His voice was soft and evidently hinted at an underlying layer of frustration of some sort or another.

Horatio nodded. "Let's see Alexx, and we'll go from there."

The New York detective nodded and stretched after he was standing, feeling tension in his shoulders even after he was finished. His blue eyes lingered on the screen for a moment before looking out to the dark lab around them. "Is she still here, even?" Night shift would be starting soon, and he knew after being here with Horatio and his team for the time he had that Doctor Woods didn't work the night shift. Nor did he or Horatio, or the rest of the Miami CSI's team, for that matter.

Horatio nodded as he stood. "Yes. We should be able to catch her on her way out. I asked her to hold for us tonight." He looked with concern over at the blue eyed detective beside him, catching the hidden frustration not many could see through the barriers the former Marine had built. Horatio had to credit him there, though – he was a hard man to read, but a hell of a man to work with. "Are you alright, Mac?"

Blue eyes met Horatio's own as Mac looked over at him with a sigh. Mac shook his head. "This son of a bitch is a piece of work. The fact that we still have nothing after this long of a time period proves it. And he's only getting bolder."

Mac tossed his phone to the table they'd been seated in front of, shaking his head. "I'm getting tired of him."

Horatio took the phone off the table and pulled up the list of recent calls as one of Mac's hands came up and rubbed carefully at the back of his neck near the collar of his shirt before he held it there for a moment, and eventually he returned his hand to the depths of the pocket of his jacket.

Horatio squinted just a bit against the light from the phone, which shone in bright contrast to the dark setting around them. They'd left the lights off around them. It only added to the mysteriousness of the mood for both CSIs, although they were highly familiar with the eerie feeling that now haunted their every step with this case.

A series of calls caught Horatio's eye. All from a number the phone, and obviously Mac, didn't know at all since there was no ID displayed with them and just a number.

"Local area code," Horatio murmured, stating what both him and Mac already knew. He laid the phone down on the interface they'd been seated in front of just moments ago. Mac joined him and the two turned their attention to the large screen as Horatio delved deeper in to the recent calls list of Mac's mobile.

"Anyone on the other end?" Horatio asked as he wondered if they could even try to trace the number or put a watch on it. He had already banished the idea of putting eyes on Mac. He knew the New York detective would hate the idea.

"No," Mac said with a shake of his head, almost like he was a horse trying to throw off a pesky fly that still hadn't learned its lesson. "Nothing, ever. Reminds me of the damn stalker I had a few years back; Bedford, Drew Bedford," he added.

But the times were inconsistent and random. Nothing like Bedford had done. And Bedford had herded Mac back to Chicago, Illinois, where the former Marine and now senior NYPD detective had been born and raised. He had already eliminated Bedford from his mental list of possible suspects.

Horatio had nodded as Mac thought through all of this. Several moments of silence between the two CSIs seemed to stretch hours. Horatio finally pulled the phone from the interface and handed it back to Mac, stepping back from the table and interface. "Let's see Alex, and I'll talk to Eric about this tomorrow. Maybe the two of you can come up with something."

Mac nodded and returned the phone to the inside pocket of his jacket. "Yeah, I'm drained for the day," he murmured.

Horatio nodded and watched Mac in concern for a few moments before he nodded again, more to himself than anyone else that could've seen him. He then led the way out of the A/V Lab and started for the morgue, where they could meet Miami Medical Examiner, Alexx Woods.

The two had matched each other step for step the entire way down to the morgue when they stepped inside to find Alexx standing, obviously waiting for them, in front of the body of their most recent victim. The V-shaped incision from her autopsy had already been stitched shut once more, but Horatio had asked her to pull the body for the talk he intended to have between himself, Mac and Alexx.

"I was starting to wonder if you two would show up," she said with a soft smile, a lightly teasing tone to her voice that lifted Mac's spirits almost instantly. He stood by Horatio as the three stood beside the body, laid out on one of the metal tables in the morgue.

"How'd it go?" Alexx asked after the three had exchanged minor greetings after not seeing each other on a non-stop work day.

Horatio sighed. "Nothing new in Vegas, according to Langston," he said.

Alexx nodded and looked at Mac, who was already shaking his head. "Danny called me two nights ago for a report and he said they've got nothing new up North either," he said.

Alexx nodded again. "And, unfortunately, I've got nothing new for any of you. I've done what I can with these poor girls, and what I can to tell you is what you already know."

Mac nodded and looked past Alexx to the body lying behind her on the table. The specific victim lying on the table was a blonde with dark green eyes, emerald green even. Her name was Diana Young, ironically enough. "They're all too young," he murmured.

Horatio nodded. "We're going to find him, Mac," he said. Mac looked back to him and nodded.

"Well, I'm heading back to my place for the night and I'll see you tomorrow, Horatio," he said. Horatio nodded and Mac looked to Alexx before him and the medical examiner shook hands.

"You get some rest, sugar. You're going to need it," Alexx said kindly.

That coaxed a smile from Mac. "Will do, Alexx," he said. Horatio then watched with Alexx as the New York detective then turned and headed out of the morgue, leaving Horatio and Alexx alone.

Seeing a bit of a worried expression paired with a frown on Horatio's face, Alexx offered her words, "You will find him, all of you. I have faith in all of you, Horatio. All you gotta do is stay strong."

Horatio smiled a bit and looked back to Alexx. "I knew we could count on you, Alexx. I'll see you tomorrow."

Alexx smiled and nodded. "That you will, Horatio."

~ CSI: Miami ~

A/N: And if any of you are wondering, yes, I have all good intentions to work on another chapter of "Experience" and, if I'm lucky, another one for "9/11 is 911" will also show up sometime rather soon. This idea just hit me tonight and it might be a bit before I have a second chapter posted.

So, in advance, my apologies to all of you. I hate leaving you hanging an' all, but you know my muse… temperamental as always. Thanks for reading guys! ;)