Three days later, Xander was making his way to the break room for his lunch when he spotted Ezra and Vin. Letting a bright smile spread on his face, Xander took several long strides before tapping Ezra on the shoulder.
“Ez, Vin, I’m so glad you guys made it! Why didn’t you tell me when your flight got in, I would have picked you up!” He gave both men a strong hug and pulled back, leading them to the break room.
“We’re here to help ya make popcorn pard. Chris will be here soon, and we thought you’d like to see the floor show.” The twinkling blue and green eyes made Xander cackle in glee.
“I am so there.” Entering the break room, Xander spotted Ryan and waved.
“Hey Ryan, these are my friends from Denver, Ezra Standish and Vin Tanner. We’re here to make popcorn so that we can watch Chris and H show down. Wanna come watch?”
“Why?” Even as he spoke, Ryan was gathering his food and putting three bags into the microwave.
“Simply because the testosterone match will be highly amusing and Ah do not wish to miss our astounding Mr. Larabee and your Lieutenant Caine from their verbal match.” Ezra’s eyes were glowing with mirth and Xander began to chuckle at his friend’s desire to watch Chris rip strips off of someone else.
“What does Mr. Larabee have to yell at H for?” Ryan’s tone was confused and Xander gave his friend a small sad smile.
“He waited too long to correct an attitude, it got you hurt in the process.” Xander patted Ryan’s hand. “Congrats, you are now one of Chris’ men!”
“Oh, okay, I think.” Ryan looked at the three before him with wary eyes, and suppressed mirth. Hearing the microwave ding, the three bags were pulled out and poured into a blow before they left the room to hunt down the battle between Chris and Horatio.
Seeing Chris and the others around the receptionist desk, and Horatio making his way to the group, the three got comfortable, and motioned JD to sneak over.
“Agent Larabee, I’m glad you could make it.” Both men shook hands and Xander nearly choked when they sized each other up.
“So am I. Now, Lieutenant, why did you call us and not the ATF group down here for the disposal of the weapons and drugs heading to the incinerator?” The Larabee glare was aimed at Horatio, and Xander bit back a smirk when Eric, Calleigh and Alexx showed up as well.
“The ATF in the area just got a group of younger agents, and since the last three disposal trips were all attacked at one point in time from between the lab to the incinerator, the Chief and I decided to ask for an outside group to help deal with the transport.” Horatio was now fiddling with his glasses, like he wanted to put them on, but knew that it would be useless as they were inside, and not about to go outdoors.
“He’s telling the truth about that Chris. When I called the ATF here they mentioned that they had too many green Agents for this, as well as the fact that the Mala Noches kept trying to get their stuff back whenever there is a dispo run.” Buck’s voice seemed to calm Chris down, which caused Xander to give Vin and Ezra a smug smile. Maybe some matchmaking wouldn’t go astray.
“Fine, but I get to pick who works with us. I know that you’ll have to be on this trip with us Lieutenant, but I get to pick the CSI and Lab tech that goes with us.” Chris made sure that Horatio knew who was boss for the run.
“Very well, though, who do you plan on taking with you?” Horatio had a feeling that it’d be Xander and possibly Calleigh, but he wasn’t too sure about that.
“Xander Harris and Ryan Wolfe.”
“What?!!” Eric’s voice was heard and Horatio turned a glare similar to Chris’ on his CSI.
“Eric Delko, you will cease to act like a child and you will obey Agent Larabee’s ruling. If you don’t like it, too damn bad. I trust Ryan and Xander to do the job, and I know that Larabee’s men won’t let anything harm our staff. Now, you will go back and work on your cases, or I will have you confined to the lab. Do I make myself clear?” Blue eyes were dark with anger at Eric’s reaction, and he waited for the agreement.
“But H-”
“No buts,” Horatio growled. “As of today you are confined to the Lab CSI Delko. If I hear that you are causing any problems for our visiting agents, we will be having words. Am. I. Clear.”
“Yes H.” The voice was a mixture between petulant child and guilty coworker making Xander bite back a snicker.
As the group ate the popcorn, Josiah and Nathan came over to where Xander and the others were sitting.
“It is good to finally meet you face to face Ryan.” Josiah spoke softly, as to not deter from the amusing sight of Horatio Caine and Chris Larabee facing off.
“Xander said that your eye was hurt. Would you mind if I looked at it?” Nathan asked just as quietly.
“Alexx wanted to check it later, if you want, you can come down while she looks it over.” Ryan gave into Nathan, after hearing Xander’s tales of what the black man did to Vin once when he refused to be treated by Nathan or the doctors. He refused to be pinned down and checked over like a child, so he gave into the will of the EMT with some dignity intact.
“I’m glad that you can show a heavy hand Lieutenant.” Chris’ mocking voice stilled the group eating popcorn, and Xander’s eyes narrowed.
“While I admit, that trying to let my team grieve, on their own may not have been a good idea at the time, I’d rather discuss that with you in private and not as a floor show to the entire department.” Horatio’s voice was cold and Xander bit back a wince.
“Oh I’d say that it’s very informative.” Rick stepped out of the shadows as he watched the scene between Horatio and Agent Larabee unfold.
“Who the fuck are you?” Blue-green eyes glared at the man that seemed to ooze duplicity.
“Sergeant Rick Stetler, IAB.”
“Why do you care what I say to Horatio Caine?”
“He’s been like that since my brother Raymond was killed as an undercover operative with narcotics.”
“So he’s like the FBI in regards to Ez.”
“If you mean looking for something, anything, wrong with what I do, then yes.”
“Private it is then.” As the workers of the lab began to disperse, Rick gave Xander a nod and left the floor as well.
“Why did he nod at ya Xan?”
“Cause I got bigger balls than him and got him the information he wanted on Raymond’s case. You gotta love the assholes that forget to protect important documents from hackers’ sticky fingers.”
“Who got it for you?”
“Abby did. Oh, she wants us to visit, since she’s almost positive that I’ll be the next her, just for ATF and Chris instead of NCIS and Gibbs.”
“Damn pard, you don’t do things half way do you?” Buck’s voice filtered over the group as they began their trek back to the break room.
“Why do things half way when you can go the extra mile and piss a whole new level of people off?” The cheeky grin made a new appearance, and got a booming laugh out of the group.
“That is true. So, what do you do for fun kid?” Buck poked Xander to emphasize on ‘fun’.
“I work on the house or I go for a spin on my bike. Oh, I’m also helping Ray with his Halloween costume. He’s going as Cordy.” That caused the group with him to suddenly start coughing, while Ezra burst into laughter.
“Oh dear, now that will be an amusing sight!”
“Yeah, and I was wondering if you could help me with it Ez. You could help him with the vocal lessons, as I got the movement and clothes down pat. He’s fun to work with too.”
“Ah shall endeavor to help you and your young apprentice out. Besides, Ah cannot, in good conscious, leave his training unfulfilled because Ah did not help him when you asked.” Xander opened the door to the break room and ushered the group in to sit and enjoy a quick meal before they had to return to work.
“Good, good. So, did you guys drop your stuff off at the house yet, or were you waiting for me to finish work today before you swarmed my home?”
“I’m hurt that you think we’ll swarm you! We’ll simply be living in your back pocket.” Buck winked at Xander causing him to laugh.
“Well, only my room and two spare bedrooms are fixed. Ryan is staying in one because Alexx wanted to make sure that he would be alright, and he has to stay with me at least until tomorrow, for her peace of mind. So, who’ll be sleeping where?”
“Chris and I can share a spot. We’ve done it before and have no issues with it.” Buck spoke with a thoughtful look on his face.
“Ez and I can bunk together.” Vin smiled at Ezra’s nod.
“Josiah, JD and I can share a room.” Nathan smiled at the agreement to his statement as well.
“Alright, so, JD, Nathan and Josiah, you can sleep in the living room. The couches are sofa beds, so that’s not an issue. Chris and Buck can sleep in the other spare room, while Ez and Vin can bunk with me. I love day beds.” Seeing that everyone agreed to the arrangements, Xander and Ryan cleaned up their meal just as Horatio and Chris entered the room.
“Gentlemen, I do hope that everything is going well at the moment?” Chris hid a smirk from the redhead and his eyes twinkled with mirth.
“Everything is fine H.” Xander gave him the patent ‘good little boy’ smile and watched with suppressed glee at the new wariness that began to show on his boss’ face.
“I wanted to step up the run outside of the lab. Apparently we have a mole in our department, and I’d rather not have this leaked to the wrong people.” Chris nodded at that and everyone took on a serious expression.
“We can meet at my place. We’ll all be there tonight, so I’m sure you could stop by to help us plot out a route that we could use.”
“Thank you Xander. Then I shall see you gentlemen later. Ryan, could you show them around the labs?”
“Sure thing H. Come on, I’ll give you the nickel tour and let some of the techs dazzle you before we go down to see Alexx.”
With that the group split off, Xander going back to ballistics, and Ryan beginning with the Homicide Detectives before moving back to their work area.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Xander trekked into his house with a weary sighs and smiled as Ray came out of the kitchen.
“Hey Xander, I was wondering if we were working today? Since I wasn’t sure when you were getting home, I was doing the stenciling to hide the cupboard under the stairs.”
“That’s fine Ray, but I don’t think we’ll be doing much today. You’re uncle is coming over to help plot out a route to deal with some things for work. Then I gotta get the guys settled for the night, since they flew in from Denver and the time change is murder around here. But you can keep working on it until your uncle shows up, and I might be able to find enough food to feed the eleven of us.”
“Nah, mom wants me home for supper tonight. Now I know why. I’ll take you up on the work until Uncle H shows up though, thanks!”
“I was your age too once and just needed to get away once and a while.” Xander chuckled and waved the rest of team seven in, showing everyone where they could store their things for the time being, before Horatio showed up.
Taking this as an invitation to snoop, everyone whistled at the obvious beauty of the home in front of them, and they all shared a smile. Xander did love construction, and it showed in each room that seemed to glow from the changes done to it.
“The one thing I’m glad about is that the windows don’t need to be fixed, and the outside was perfect. It’ll need painting in about six or seven years, but other than that, it’s fine.”
Josiah moaned at the sight of the kitchen and everyone laughed until they saw it as well.
“Damn kid, you think you could fix up my kitchen if I paid ya for it?”
“I’ll have to look everything over and see exactly what you want, or it’ll have to wait even longer. Besides, you can pay me in food as well as sleeping quarters while I fix it up.”
“That’d be great kid, I really do appreciate that.”
“No worries, but I’ll need help to do the kitchen. Putting up cupboards is a three to four man job. Two people hold while the other one, or two, screws everything into place.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep, it’s cause it’s an awkward thing to hold in place, and you normally do the above cupboard before you set up the lower cabinets and granite top. Also, you have to measure everything out perfectly, and leave breathing room for the electronics, or you are so screwed.”
“I can see why. But still, Xander, this is a wonderful job. I can see why you were a foreman.” Josiah’s praise made Xander beam in joy, and was then shocked as he was kicked out of his own kitchen.
“I will cook, now shoo!”
“But, but, Josiah!” The group laughed at Xander’s pout and he then steered them to the living room.
“Oh my God! Now that is a TV!” Xander cackled in delight and flopped down onto his favorite chair, smirking as the group looked over the room.
“Shit, you got one case of Movies, on for Books and the last for photo albums, frames and knick knacks.” Vin’s voice was in awe, and Xander simply sighed in pleasure as he watched his friends touch and stare at everything in awe.
“Hey Uncle H! Give me a few minutes and I’ll be gone so you can go over your case stuff. Thanks again Xander!”
“No problem kid! Come back tomorrow after school, we’ll finish off that other room tomorrow.”
“Sweet, bye Xan!”
With that the door closed and Horatio blinked comically as he entered the living room where the group, sans Josiah, was leafing through the things scattered around the room. Xander took pity on the stunned boss, and motioned him to sit down.
“Josiah’s cooking supper and he should be done in about twenty minutes if you want to wait until after we all eat? It’ll help half of us think properly and give the other half to relax so they aren’t bouncing off the walls like Tigger on crack.”
“Hey a poker table!” JD’s voice came from the far corner of the room, and the rest of team seven looked at Xander, who was busy buffing his nails on his shirt, and biting back a smirk.
“You were planning on using that table, were you not, pard?”
“Maybe, maybe not; I know that it was going back with me to Denver, as are a lot of the items that I put around the house. I paid good money for them, and I plan on keeping them even when I go across state lines. I’m just happy that Ezra’s holding my exemplar for me, I’d hate to try and lug my guns across the US, and not get arrested. There is stupid, then there is just plain dumb; and I am neither.”
“Will we be playing on your poker table?”
“That depends on if my poker table wants to be played on. It has a stubborn set of wheels, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was grumpy that I live alone and have very few people staying over for long periods of time.”
“Boys, dinner is done!”
“Thank god, I was hungry.”
“There is a bathroom right before the dining room if you want to wash up before you sit down.”
Xander spoke as he walked into the dining room and began to set the table for ten people. Stacking the extra chairs in the purposefully empty corner, Xander set the table with the regular dishes, and smiled upon seeing the reactions to how this room was viewed.
“It’s very nice, Xander; how long did it take you, and young Ray, to finish this room, and everything that went with it?” Ezra’s voice filled the room, and Xander smirked.
“It took us about three days to do, since the floor and the walls took the most time.”
“What’s left upstairs in the non-finished rooms?”
“Well, that would be the floors, the walls, the painting of the walls, the lighting, the wiring, the furniture, and then drapes. But, we’re lucky we have extra hands; it takes a full day to do a room. It’ll take us two afternoons, maybe a bit of a third, if it was just the two of us. When we work, Ryan is delegated to cleaning and cooking. His eye isn’t up to construction yet, and his meds make him too sleepy for the fast pace work that we’re doing, since he’s not used to it and all.”
“Still, what you’ve gotten done is still fantastic in the amount of time that you’ve had.” Ezra gave a sincere smile, and Vin nodded.
“I know a few community centers in Purgatory could use a helping hand like this, and they’d listen to what ya got to say. Since it’s for the kids, and they want the most money to help them as possible, I know all they are missing is a good foreman. You’d just be working on weekends and days off, ‘cause Chris will demand that you get the days off that we do.” Chris nodded at Vin’s statement, and Xander smirked.
“Well, I met a few of the kids, and would be happy to help. All I ask is that when they start making a good thing out of it, that they send me a note so that I can congratulate them.”
“They’ll be willing to do that. Maybe even get you to come to a barbecue or two. A lot of those kids make good chefs, so I know that the food will be good.”
“Excellent, now, Josiah has made us a meal, so let’s enjoy it before it goes to waste.” With that the ten men dug into the simple meal that Josiah had made, and Horatio watched them interact with a silent gaze.
Horatio knew that there would be a chance that Ryan would go with the team back to Colorado, but he didn’t want to lose the one man that made him want to live more than Speed ever did. Looking back at his actions, he could see why it was taking the team so long to smarten up. Only after Xander arrived did he begin to treat Ryan with any semblance of respect, and so far only Alexx had shown any sense. Calleigh was slowly warming up, and Eric was still a sore point to go into since the man didn’t even trust him with the news of his sister’s illness.
Speed’s death had hit them hard, and he was shocked that it had hit Ryan, of all people, the hardest. He understood why it was so hard on him, and once more began to berate himself for not seeing it sooner. Before he had left, he had checked to see who had made the recommendation for Ryan to join, and there, in black and white, was CSI Level Three Timothy Speedle. Right now, all Horatio could do was wait, and apologize for his actions.
“Damn Josiah that was a fine meal. Can I steal you and keep you here to cook for me? You’ll get sun and beauties.” Xander tried to cajole his old friend.
“No Son, I’d never want to leave if I stayed here too long, and then I’d get bored.” Xander shuddered at that, causing everyone to laugh.
“Bad things happen when Josiah is bored.” JD nodded solemnly at Ryan and Horatio’s confused look.
“Before we begin, Ryan, could I speak with you for a moment?” Getting a nod in reply both men stepped out into Xander’s back yard.
“What is it H?”
“I wanted to apologize to you. While I may use the excuse of grieving, the team and I had no right to treat you the way we did. I know that Calleigh and Eric will take time to see things the way I do, and for that I can only offer that I’ll do what I can to tail their reactions to you.”
“You saw that Speed was the one that recommended me, didn’t you.”
“Only before I left the office for the day, and I had planned on making this apology when Mr. Larabee had finished saying his piece to me. While I do not want you to leave Miami, I will understand that if Eric and Calleigh don’t change their attitudes by then, it might be safer for you in the long run. I truly don’t want to lose you, you are a credit to the lab and the team, but I do understand that your sanity is much more important.”
“Thank you for understanding that H, I admit that I love the lab, and I do enjoy working with you, but sometimes I just want to get up and leave. The days that Eric and Calleigh gang up on me are the worst, and even though they might try to help me, they can’t stop the snipping that Speed did it one way, or that he did it faster.”
“I wish that I could offer you more than platitudes, but I will be making sure that they stop this behavior.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Inside, Chris was smirking at getting Horatio to grovel and watched Ezra, Vin and Xander as they plotted in a corner.
“What are you boys up to?”
“Nothing yet Chris, why?” came Vin’s innocent voice.
“You keep looking at me.”
“But you’re so pretty!” Xander’s sarcastic statement brought silence before everyone began to laugh at the blush rising up Chris’ cheeks.
“Damn you Harris!”
“Now, now Chris, the kid hasn’t seen us in over a month, I bet he’s just lonely and you were the first target that allowed itself to become opened.”
“Like you wish it was your pants?” Came the innocent reply.
“Yes, jus- HEY!” The group laughed louder at that and Xander smiled sweetly at the pout that both men were sporting.
“We still love you guys. Now, I have a map on the TV, and it shows the lab and the industrial incinerator that we use. How long do you think H and Ryan will be?”
“Another good ten minutes. Horatio has a lot to explain and apologize for, so he’ll be a while.” Chris spoke softly, just in case the pair came in sooner.
“Okay then, we could play poke while we wait.” JD offered.
“For chores while you guys are here?”
“Why not.”
“How long are you guys staying?”
“Five days, why?”
“Five days of dishes, two days of laundry, and one day of cleaning.”
“So, eight games, dealt straight up, and we draw for the chores.”
“Ezra, could you shuffle the deck, for us, and deal out the cards.”
“Of course, it’ll be my pleasure.”
Eight chores were put into the hat and each person was dealt five cards each, all facing upwards. Vin lost the first hand, pulling out “dishes, day 3” on the slip of paper. Buck lost the next two hands, getting “Laundry, day 2” and “cleaning, day 4” on his slips of paper. Nathan lost the next hand, pulling out “Dishes, day 2” on his piece of paper. Ezra lost next, “Laundry, day 4” stared back at him. Chris lost next, getting “Dishes, Day 5” on his paper. JD lost the last two games, getting “dishes, Day 1 and 4” as his work load.
“Score, no extra work for the Xan-man!”
“And I will take over the kitchen. It’s like it was planned.”
“Sorry, nope! It’s one of my old decks, and even if Ezra could have stacked it, he didn’t have enough time. So it wasn’t planned, it’s just the way the cards fell.”
“You believe that I’d stack the deck?”
“No, but I’d try if it meant getting out of chores.” Xander shuddered as Horatio and Ryan walked back in. “I hate chores.”
“Hey Ryan, Lieutenant, ready to plot our course?”
“That would be best.”
It took them two hours to get three possible routes, and three fall backs for each route before Horatio left for the night. Thanking Chris for coming down once more, Horatio left in his hummer, leaving nine tired men behind.
“Alright people, bed!” Xander called out.
Grumbling that he was thankful that he didn’t have to work tomorrow, and that neither did Ryan, Xander bit back a yawn. Sadly, that meant that Ray would be down by nine the latest, since it was a Saturday. Leading Ezra, Vin, Chris, and Buck up the stairs, Xander was happy that he had more than one bathroom. Each room had its own bathroom, and the bedrooms would match the theme set by the said extension. He was just glad that none had a Cupid or love room theme, or he would have a bathroom to redo as well.
Waving goodnight to Chris and Buck, Xander slithered into his bed and curled up in the middle before he heard Vin and Ezra shuffle about.
“King size, fits three.” Was his only response as he finally felt both side in around him, letting their breathing and heartbeats lull him to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
By the time that Saturday came to be, Xander wanted to hurt somebody. Eric was being a prissy bitch, but Calleigh had finally gotten her head on straight. Because of her budding friendship with Ryan, Eric began to lash out at the blonde, and Xander had enough. Dragging the man behind him, Xander forced Eric to sit down in Horatio’s office and cuffed him to the chair.
“You are going to listen, and listen good. You can be upset with God all you want that your friend is dead, but taking it out on the people who had NOTHING to do with it is not only wrong, but sullying the memory of Timothy Speedle. Now, I’m going to leave you hear, and Horatio is going to get through your fucking thick skull. Just because everyone else pulled their heads out of their asses doesn’t mean that you have to shove yours in deeper.” Glaring once more for emphasis, Xander gave the bound man a chilling smile.
“You think you have the market on pain? I’ve lost all of my friendships from before I left for Africa. My girls, my sisters, were killed. I lost the closest thing to a mother from a brain tumor; my best friends were killed by Satanists; my first love developed migraines so bad she ended up dying in a coma. So don’t think you got the market on pain covered. Pushing your friend’s unfortunate death into everybody’s face is disgusting, and letting your sister’s illness cloud your judgment can get you fired. So choose, do you want to keep your friends and help in the lab like a good a decent person, or do you want me to go get IAB to get them to fire your sorry ass?”
With that said, Xander nodded to Horatio and left the room, slamming the door behind him and going to help Alexx and Ryan in calming Calleigh down from Eric’s verbal lashing. He didn’t care anymore that the Cuban’s sister was ill, the fact that he was using it as an excuse was bad enough. Upon entering the morgue, Xander got an evil idea that should bring Eric’s emotions in check.
“Alexx, do you know the number to Eric’s mother’s home?”
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“Call her and tell her what he’s been up to. H doesn’t need to have a loose cannon about that wants to rip the team up because he can’t see up from down.”
“That’s cruel, Xander.” Calleigh’s voice was soft and scratchy.
“No, it’ll get his head out of his ass. From what I’ve heard, his mother won’t stand for the behavior that he is showing. It’s one thing to grieve, it’s another thing all together when you nearly got one teammate killed and basically attacked a good friend because she got her act together first.”
“I’ll go make the call, you should calm down yourself and head back to the lab. Calleigh can clean up down here.”
“Alright; Calleigh, H is talking to him, and hopefully his mother can bring the last bit of sense back into him.” He got a watery laugh, so he gave her one last hug before going back to working in the ballistics lab.
Xander was simply glad that the guys were at his place and not in the labs or Eric would have been beaten to a pulp for doing what he did. You do not insult someone that just apologized for being stupid. He was grateful that he had little work to do when he got home, since the team had been working on Josiah’s and JD’s spare room. Ryan was going to his home today, and that gave Nathan his own room.
Sighing as he snuggled into the warm bed, a bit earlier than usual, Xander let himself be dragged into a dreamless sleep. Thank god tomorrow was Saturday, was Xander’s last thought, never noticing that he had been joined by his two friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Waking up to extra heat, Xander sighed and snuggled in deeper to the two heard bodies holding him. Xander then stilled at the idea of being in bed with two hard bodies before remembering that Ezra and Vin were in bed with him. Relaxing once more, Xander cuddled before he felt one of the bodies leaving the bed.
“Where you going?” He whispered.
“I can’t sleep anymore, Xander.” Came Vin’s whispered reply.
“Stay in bed; warmer, more comfortable.”
“You sure” The tone was hesitant and Xander looked over at his friend and gave him a sleepy smile.
“Come back to bed Vin.” Pushing the blankets back a bit, Vin slowly slid back under the covers, and curled up around Xander once more, letting his hands rest on Ezra’s chest.
Purring in contentment, Xander fell back asleep, clutching Ezra close and locking his arm’s with Vin’s. He’d have to be woken for either man to leave now, and that brought a smile to his lips.
He woke up, sometime later, to something tickling his nose. Wrinkling the appendage, Xander slowly cracked his eyes open and smiled upon seeing Ezra.
“Morning.”
“Morning. Now, let me up, Ah need to use the facilities.” It took Xander a minute to figure out what Ezra had said and blushed as he let the Southerner go to the bathroom.
“Have a good sleep?” Vin’s amused voice came from behind, and Xander purred once more.
“Yeah, better than I have in the month I’ve been here.”
“Well, while Ah appreciate that we were able to help you sleep, it is time for breakfast, and Josiah said he’d make pancakes.”
Xander snapped awake and practically leaped out of bed. Making sure he had some clothes on, he ushered both Vin and Ezra out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen where the meal was being prepared.
“Moring boys.”
“Morning Chris, need coffee.” Xander got a few chuckles at that proclamation and was given a sweetened cup of coffee, making him moan at the caffeine goodness that flowed into him.
“Well, time to get the table set, because breakfast is ready boys. You three made it just in time.” Xander gave a smug grin and sat between Ezra and Vin humming while he ate.
The group ate in silence, and Xander had to hide a smirk from his friends. Since this would be the first full day of the Ray experience, Xander needed his coffee to enjoy it fully.
“Oh, who’ll be manning the coffee pot? Cause I warn you, I go through ten cups before noon if I’m doing construction.”
“You’ll drink ten cups before noon? You’ll drink that many in three and a half hours?” Chris’ voice was strangled.
“Yeah, I need the caffeinated goodness to work my awesomeness.”
“Oh my God, I think I’m traumatized.” JD’s voice made Xander mock pout.
“Now that’s just mean. For that, I’ll pain the room you’ll be sleeping in, PINK!”
“That’s just torture man,” Was the whined response.
Smirking, Xander left the dining room and quickly showered and dressed. He knew the clothes from the Thrift store would be god sent, and he slipped into his broken-in work boots, before heading to the unfinished room. Ray had cut the walls out the night before, and Xander began to hammer away, getting the support beams fixed before putting up the new walls and insulation.
“Hey boss man, got ya a cup of goodness and logged in. We’re doing the insulation now?”
“Yep, get me the packages so we can fill the walls with some sound proofing too. Don’t want to hear it if anyone gets lucky in my spare rooms, it’s just tacky.” Ray snickered as they filled the walls, and smirked as Xander checked over the wiring and the studs before holding the walls in place.
It took the guys a good twenty minutes to see why Xander drank so much coffee, Ray’s exuberance was tiring and the caffeine was the only thing that kept them going after seeing him bouncing around when he wasn’t in the room with working on the walls and floors.
“I’ll need the peacock blue paint and the emerald green one too! Once we get the floors down we gotta primer and get some lunch kid!” Xander’s voice floated down after Ray and Josiah smiled as he noticed it was close to noon.
“Oh, and the boys can’t come up yet! They don’ have the work clothes needed for a painting job and only Ez and Vin fit into my clothes!” That got the men to look at what they were wearing and Ray smirked.
“Go to the thrift store, its three blocks away, and buy old sweats and t-shirts, cause you gotta help paint the four walls and the ceiling.” That got five weary sighs, after Vin stated that he and Ezra would make lunch for the group.
Ray went back up to hand Xander his twelfth cup of coffee when Ezra poked Vin in the chest.
“Do we begin the plan to seduce him tonight? Because I must say that all this extra work does make me wonder if he’s doing his own subtle attempt as well.” Ezra turned to the fridge and pulled out the chicken salad that they had prepared the night before.
“Well, he does like to touch, but he’s been doing that for just over three years…”
“You noticed as well, Ah see. All the touches can be explained as that of friendship, but he does it when he doesn’t have to either.”
“You think…”
“That he wants us both, Ah do.”
“Give it to him tonight?”
“That would be fantastic Mistah Tannah.” Ezra’s accent thickened at the prospect and smirked as the others came back, bitching and moaning that they were not something to be ogled by old ladies.
Xander came down a moment later; looking washed, and made a beeline for the coffee.
“So, now do you know why I drink so much coffee?” He looked amused at the group getting seven weary nods in return. Ray was a force of nature, one they enjoyed in very small doses.
“You never told me why you need so much coffee.” Ray pouted and Xander simply chuckled.
“I keep saying that you’re a force of nature Ray.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“Not sure about that.” Vin muttered as offered a sandwich to Xander and the others.
“No, I need to sit. Come on, the chairs in the dining room are easy to clean.”
“But-” JD began.
“JD, I’ve been standing and pounding for a good three hours. I need to sit for a minute to let my body relax from what it was doing earlier.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah; so kiddo, next we stencil then blue with green prints or green with blue prints.”
“Blue with green prints would look best. The emerald green is too sharp for a room to sleep in, and the blue is good for relaxation. That and the shades we got are the same color as the green paint.”
“Good, now that we’ve got a plan, it should take two hours before we can start on the stencils. God I love my paint sprayer.”
“What do you mean?” Buck asked after swallowing a piece of sandwich.
“Painting is tedious, and long. To get the room painted in good time, I have a sprayer used specifically for painting. It helps in getting the room done fast as well as done right. No missed spots or missing layers.”
“Wow, so then you’ll do the stenciling once the paint is dry, right?”
“That’s right JD. The stenciling is what takes the longest, but it’ll be worth it.”
Finishing off their meal quickly, Ray and Xander went back up to their project as the others began to do a count of what they could expect from the locals when they were bringing the evidence to be destroyed. Over the two hours, muffled curses and the soft sound of a motor filled the house, and Josiah began to prepare dinner. Seeing that there was little else to do, Buck made his way to the mud room and began to do the laundry that he had been putting off.
Ezra and Vin began to plot on how they should approach Xander, and before they could really go in depth with their plans, there was a knock on the door. Chris waved at them and answered the door, surprised to see Calleigh Duquesne standing there.
“Can I help you Miss Duquesne?” Chris’ voice was neutral, and didn’t show any surprise upon her wince.
“I came by to see if Xander, and the rest of you, were coming to the gathering tomorrow at the City Park. Ryan would have come, but I asked if I could instead.”
“Xander, Calleigh is here!” Hearing a muffled curse, Chris smirked at seeing Xander wagging a finger back at Ray.
“Why Calleigh, what brings you over?”
“The gathering tomorrow, I wanted to know if you were going to be there.”
“Can I ask why?”
“Do you want to meet Eric’s mother. Alexx was going to discuss his attitude with her tomorrow.” She gave him a devilish smile.
“We’ll be there with popcorn and drinks.” He returned the grin.
“Glad to hear it. It’s from eleven to two in the afternoon.”
“Like I said, we’ll be there.”
“See you tomorrow Xander.”
“Cheers Calleigh!” With that he closed the door and let out an evil chuckle.
“What’s that about?” Buck asked as he watched Xander warily.
“Eric’s mother is going to hear about how he’s being an ass at work, and we are invited to witness it with front row seats.”
“Damn, that’ll be fun. But you’re being awful chummy with Blondie.” Vin replied, not angry but curious.
“She apologized to Ryan for her behavior. Eric witnessed it and made her cry.”
“You’re shitting me,” Was Chris’ deadpanned response.
“Nope; he was all angry at her for forgetting Speed and all that. So, I belted him one and drug him to H’s office where I lashed back and Horatio suspended him.” With that said, Xander gave a jaunty wave before heading back up to his project, and the seven men shared a glance.
Ezra and Vin shared another one as well, who knew that Xander sounded damn sexy when he was indulging his evil side.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Xander was tired by the time dinner was finished. All he wanted was a hot bath and a good sleep. Luckily he could sleep in tomorrow and told Ray that there would be no work, because of the gathering tomorrow. Entering the bathroom, after having stripped himself down to his underwear, Xander froze at the sight before him. Vin and Ezra were resting in his large tub, and looking at him through hooded eyes.
“Umm… am I interrupting something” He fidgeted at the slow smirks that graced their faces and he had to bite back a moan.
“Not at all, Xander. Now, why don’t you join us? There is plenty of room, and the water is lovely.” Ezra’s voice came out as a purr, and Xander stripped out of his boxers before slipping into the water with a moan of contentment.
“Feel better Xan?” Vin’s husky drawl made him shudder, but nod.
Two sets of hands began to wash him down, and Xander melted into the caresses. Each stroke was gentle and seemed to hunt for his hot spots. He let out a few soft moans before he was pulled into a deep, probing kiss. Soft hands framed his face and the taste of something so fine, like an exotic wine, which could only be described as Ezra, filled his mouth.
Breaking the kiss to get some much needed air, Xander was pulled into another kiss, just as demanding s the last. Calloused fingers stroked his cheeks, and carded through his hair. Vin’s taste filled his mouth and made him think of an open field, just after a good rainstorm. Whimpering into the sharpshooter’s mouth, Xander gasped for breath when he pulled back as well.
“Wow… Just… Wow…” Xander simply stared with glazed eyes, and missed the amused expressions be shared.
After a few more moments of touching and stroking, Xander was lifted from the tub and dried off with a warm, fluffy towel that he had gotten for Ezra last year. Once they were all dried, Xander was led to the bed, where both men began to pay tribute, once more, to his skin.
Xander was so lost in the pleasures that he was getting that he never noticed when one finger slipped in, then turned to two, then three. He did notice, however, when he was filled and stared up into deep blue eyes. He gasped and moaned as Vin slowly took him, lovingly filling him and stretching him. His face and chest was being peppered with kisses from Ezra, and Xander couldn’t form words to express himself. Hands kept batting his own away from his weeping cock as Vin slowly began to move faster, reaching his own completion before wrapping a hand around Xander’s purpling cock to stave off his orgasm.
“Need, please… Need…” Xander’s pleas were almost incoherent as Vin slipped out and Ezra slipped in.
“Soon love, let Vin and Ah take care of you. Tonight this is all for you.” With that, Ezra began to move at the pace that Vin finished at, moving slowly to turn Xander into a mindless mass of pleasure.
Writhing and moaning, Xander had to be silenced, and the blue eyed Texan dove down for a kiss. They’d have to meet up again, without the others to really hear Xander let it loose, and Vin would be waiting for it.
Ezra was having similar thoughts and began to move at a quicker pace, knowing that both he and Xander were close. Shifting, Ezra smirked when he nailed their young lover’s prostate with a hard thrust, and was soon cursing as Xander came hard between them. Latching onto a nipple to muffle his own cry, Ezra came into the tight heat, his cum mixing with Vin’s, leaving three exhausted people on the bed.
“Damn, you guys were a fella out,” Was the croaked response from Xander, after he caught his breath.
“We aim to please.” The equally tired response came from Ezra.
“Damn, I’m so glad we get to sleep in tomorrow.” Xander yawned and was soon cleaned up and snuggled with under the blankets.
Sighing in pleasure, Xander’s lips latched onto Ezra’s neck and sucked softly as he fell asleep between two warm bodies. Smiling into the smooth skin that he was resting on, Xander thought that having these two men sleep with him was the best decision he had ever made. As he fell asleep, two kisses we bestowed to his crown as he was joined in slumber.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The group gathered in the designated park at five to eleven and made their way over to Ryan and the rest of the day shift CSI’s. The pinched look was gone from his face, and Xander saw a spark of life in the hazel eyes.
“Glad you could make it.” Ryan drawled when they finally made it to him.
“We refuse to not show up, we want to see history in the making here.” Xander’s eyes were practically glowing with glee.
“Oh?”
“I wanna see how she’ll react to Mr. Grumpy-pants about his attitude.” Ryan snorted with laughter.
“Yeah, I think a few people want to see that. Luckily IAB isn’t here, and being in public is a nice thing that we can’t get in trouble for. “
“I know, it’s great; we get a free showing, and there is no chance that we can get in trouble for it. Also if they show, they can’t use anything since it is off the clock and no one made any complaints!” Xander beamed in joy at the thought of being able to see Eric get the tongue lashing of his life.
“You do realize that if Xander and Ah were allowed to ‘dress up’ once more, we could have given Mr. Delko another reason to be upset.”
“Explain Ezra.”
“He’s saying we could have gone in drag to a club that Eric was going to so that we could wreck his reputation as a ladies’ man.”
“That would be going too far.”
“That’s why we never suggested it.” Xander drawled out, and mock glared at Vin’s smirk when he had to shift his stance.
“That would have had H breathing down your neck faster than you could say oops!” Ryan said, holding back a smirk.
“Chris would beat him to it.” Was Vin’s sage voice, making the group nod.
“You know, I think Calleigh said something about popcorn?”
Xander pulled out two large bags of popcorn as Ezra and Vin popped open the cooler showing off soda and juice. Pulling out one each, Xander smirked at his friend and co-worker before putting their chairs in a semi-circle and kept their eyes open for Eric and his mother.
They spotted Eric and his mother half an hour later. After drinking several cans of Pepsi and other sodas, Xander was anxious to see the show down between Eric and his mother. No one decided to bet, since they knew it was a sure thing that Eric would get a tongue lashing.
They watched as Eric got pulled off by Natalia, and his mother was latched onto by Alexx. The pleasant face went from shocked to angry and if the bellow of “Eric” didn’t warn everyone that the show was about to begin, the marching over and pulling on his ear was.
“How could you be so cruel and vicious to your team! I know that Speed was dear to you Caro, but you had no right to hurt the new boy like you did! Also, yelling at Calleigh for swallowing her pride and doing the right thing! Shame on you! I raised you better than this!” The melodious voice was getting shriller in her anger.
“To think that you used your sister’s illness to try and get out of trouble as well, and on top of it you got another person hurt because you were late to back them up! I am shocked, appalled and disappointed in you Eric Delko! You know that your friend hated it when people were compared to him! He hated that attention! Also, if you had told your boss in the first place why you were late then you wouldn’t have so many problems! Marisol’s injuries can be looked at by the whole family! You have a job that makes it difficult to be in the same room as her, and you know why!” Angry brown eyes glared at her youngest son and she stepped towards him.
“You will fix your attitude. We all miss Speed, but Caro, you are making things for everyone difficult. If you cannot let go of the pain of his death, then you should think of looking elsewhere for work. You told me yourself that being a police officer, even as a CSI, meant that your death could be harsh, but if you are not willing, or able, to accept that you lost Speed that way, then you should not be doing this job. I will see you at home Caro.” With that the regal woman left, leaving everyone watch Eric slowly blink before staggering over to a bench and sinking down with a bowed head.
“That, gentlemen, was the kindest dressing down I have ever seen.” Xander’s soft voice melded with the other murmurs in the gathering and those around him looked him over.
“What do you mean by that?”
“She never hit him.” It was said in such a matter of fact tone that it took a moment for them to realize that all arguments with Xander have ended with him being hit, one way or another.
Getting up, Xander made a quick meal for Eric and gave the group a jaunty wave before walking over to the depressed man and putting the plate beside him with a bottle of coke. At first Eric never moved, then he looked over at Xander with a surprised then guarded expression.
“I’m not here to bitch you out, your mother did that enough. Now, I have one thing to ask you, is everything she said true?”
“Yeah, it’s all the truth.”
“Then, take a week off, think it over, then come back and deal with everything the way you should have in the beginning. I know that you have a good friendship with Alexx, Calleigh and H. Nothing but your own attitude is stopping the one with Ryan and me. Think over your actions, and we’ll go from there. I was hoping that you would have gotten over it on your own, but sometimes, another person needs to drive the point home. Eat, drink and think it over. No one’s gonna think less of you if you go home early.”
“Why are you being so nice?” His voice was scratchy as he held back tears and emotions.
“You need someone to be your friend, and since I was closest to the food, I chose to be that friend. Ryan would have come, but we had a feeling that it might have come across differently. If it makes you feel any better, he wanted to train under Speed, not take his place.” Xander patted the trembling shoulder and walked back to his group, knowing that they were going to pester him for info about what he had said to Eric.
“I’ll tell you boys later. Now, I wants me some of that food. Alexx is a good cook, better than Josiah!” With that, nine men attacked the spread of food, and the rest of the gathering slowly followed their example.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
As the group entered Xander’s home, the young man hummed as he put away the leftover drinks. Watching their second youngest member with worried eyes, Team Seven sat in the living room, leaving the only place to sit between Ezra and Vin.
Sauntering back into the room with a dray of alcohol, Ezra and Vin shared a worried look before Xander could sit down. Holding a bottle of beer in his hands, Xander began to pick at the label.
“You all realize that my home life wasn’t all suns and roses, but what you don’t know that it was its own version of Hell. My father was a drunken lout, one that enjoyed taking his pain out on his wife and only son. Whenever my mother tried to stop the beatings, she would end up hiding in the house for a few days, before leaving her bedroom, walking stiffly. I do believe that my father would rape her during those instances where she tried to save me pain. What I hoped she never learned was that while she was healing, I got the double dose of beatings, since she wasn’t there to take part of the brunt as well.” He took a long swallow of his beer.
“My best friend, Jesse, was the only one that knew how bad my home life was, and his parents did what he could to help me out. But the cops were corrupt, and didn’t care about a snot nosed kid getting beaten at home, or his mother being severely injured as well. By the time I was nine, I had a room at the hospital just for me, and all the nurses and doctors knew me by name. CPS couldn’t work in our town because of the corruption, and my only option was to take it, or run. At the age of nine, running isn’t an option, and I couldn’t leave my mother in such a place alone.” He peeled off the label and blinked at the buildup of tears.
“By the time I would have been old enough to run, I had just lost Jesse, and Willow needed the support. Giles might have had an idea, but Buffy needed so much help because of her family’s divorce that he couldn’t help me at the time. By the time he, and the others, realized what my home life was really like, I had just left my fiancée. Giles tried to make up for it, but the girls were being a bear about me leaving Anya that he could only help me when they weren’t around. It didn’t help that she died a year later, and that I went to Africa right afterwards.” With that he downed the rest of his beer and sat with his head in his hands.
The men looked at Xander in shock at what he had to deal with, Ezra and Vin were murmuring in his ears and rubbing his back. But the whole situation was horrible, and yet Chris was glad that they got this out into the open.
“Well, I can say that your father’s brand of vocalizing his disappointments was wrong. I know that when Adam and Sarah were alive I would never hit them. Yeah, I could get angry at them, and I might have to go beat something up, but I had a punching bag for that. Taking your anger out on those that you’re supposed to love, it’s just wrong. No man should do that to his family.” Chris’ voice brought Xander’s red rimmed eyes up to meet his own.
“My father was a hard man to please, but he never beat me or my sister. Yes, he abused us with words, but we were never struck by his hand.” Josiah’s voice took Xander’s attention next.
“Most of us don’t remember our fathers, but I just know that if they had been there, that they would be the good fathers that you hear about.” Xander blew his nose in the Kleenex that he was given and curled into Vin and Ezra’s embrace.
“Ezra, Vin, you both take good care of my boy. If he’ll be calling me Dad, then I’ll just have to treat him like a son.” Xander shot up at those words, and went to pounce on Chris, but was held back by Ezra’s arms.
“Now, now Xander, he’s been waiting to do that since you called him Dad and hung up on him a few weeks back. You also know that he’ll do everything to get back at you if you pounce him in the here and now.” Ezra’s voice broke through the indignation, and he sat back and pouted at the blond man.
“You’re so cruel. I thought you loved me?” He batted his lashes at the group of men, and they burst into laughter. Getting another hug, Xander sighed as he went to get a few boxes from the garage.
“Well, since you’re all in such good spirits, you can help me put the furniture together for the spare room. This will give me a chance to look over the last spare room tonight and see if there is anything extra I need for it.” Sniffing one last time, as if he had been insulted, Xander marched out to the garage, and tried to hide his smile. He wasn’t successful as Buck pulled him into a headlock and ruffled his hair.
They would get over the many traumas that they had, simply because they were family. A good family was there to help you when you need it, and these men were helping Xander’s soul in a way that none of them could imagine.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The disposal run had been a success, and twenty more criminals were off the streets. Each route had a small shipment, and the plans went off without any difficulties. Horatio was so pleased that he asked Chris if he and his men could come down in four months time to teach the ATF agents in Miami on what to do for disposal runs. Chris mentioned that he would think about it, but it would give them ample time to spend with Xander and Ryan, so he made a reminder to tell AD Travis about it.
Xander and Ryan seemed to be having an invigorating discussion, as the pair of them were bouncing about and had a very troublesome gleam in their eyes.
Wait, was that a head set?
Getting closer, Chris saw that it was, and on the screen before them was a Goth girl with black pigtails bouncing about. Getting closer, he decided to listen in, and he was very glad that he did.
“Abby, our favorite Goth girl, tell us of the foes that were slain in DC.” Xander acted everything out, causing both Abby and Ryan to laugh.
“Not much, Gibbs got another addition. Katelyn Todd is her name, and I think she hates Tony.” Abby bit her lip.
“Well, will you and Tony be going to the convention in just over two months?” Chris was a bit confused at the mention of this convention.
“Oh yeah! I so got boss man to let us go. The things you CSI’s and lab techs come up with is so cool! Oh, and I got that database started, and I know that when you start working with the ATF, we three can finish it in no time at all.” She began to bounce.
“It’ll be cool; knowing what type of explosion went off by the sight alone! That will help with so many cases! I just know that I’ll get the team’s help with this. All of the guys love a good explosion.” Ryan nodded.
“Well, I can see how you’ll get better results that I would, but I did the main frame for it.” She pouted at the pair.
“That’s why we wanted you in with us. You know so much about systems, it makes sense that you’d set it up! That and I know JD will want to go over it with you and help you protect it more.”
“This is so cool; I gotta go, the boss man’s samples just gave me something, so we’ll chat later.”
“Talk to you later Abs, oh and let Tony know that he’s welcome to visit!” With that said, the connection was cut.
“Convention?” Came Chris’s dry tone.
“Yep, it’s for all levels, so I bet that AD Travis will let you go, if only to give the ‘hands off’ warning to the other agencies.” Xander had the gall to give him a sweet smile.
“I’m positive that all seven of us will be there. So, who are Tony, Abby and Katelyn?” Xander gave him another sweet smile.
“Abby is the tech in DC that I was telling you about. Tony is Special Agent Gibbs’ senior agent and Katelyn is his newest hire.”
“No stealing from Gibbs.”
“I like having my balls attached to my dick man. I’m not suicidal either.” The dry response brought a chuckle from Chris.
Smirking at the two CSI’s, Chris made his way to where the rest of his team was waiting, and sat comfortably beside Buck. He just loved poking at Xander, the kid poked back, just like Ezra did. With that all said and done, the seven men went over the final bits of paperwork before their last night in Miami came to an end. Only Vin and Ezra would remain behind, but only for three more days. There were many busts to consider, and AD Travis would want them working for their pay soon enough.
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was two weeks later that Eric had returned to the lab. The man seemed to be a walking shell, and Xander frowned. However, the frown faded away as Ryan stepped up to the despondent man and some life slowly began to fill the Cuban’s body. It was that moment that Xander knew that Eric had come full circle and apologized to Ryan. He could only hope that this was a permanent condition and not a fling that would be used to cause more pain.
Xander frowned upon the upset look on Natalia’s face and all the pieces fell into place. Telling Calleigh that he had to ask Horatio something about his time sheets, Xander made his way to the Lieutenant’s office at a sedate pace. His mind was working furiously at the signs that had always been there. Natalia had practically encouraged Eric and Ryan’s fights, like it was a game to her. She seemed to hunt for any bit of bad gossip that she could find about the team. Also, her pay check and past jobs could not allow her to afford the high end clothes and shoes that she was wearing. He remembered Cordelia’s lessons in shopping, and knew that every pair she wore was at least a grand out of her pocket. Knocking on the door to the man’s office, Xander smiled upon seeing Rick Stetler as well.
“Please stay as well Stetler, I know who the mole is and feel downright stupid for not figuring it out sooner.”
“What makes you think you know who it is?” Rick asked with a sarcastic edge.
“The clues she’s been leaving.”
“She, our mole is a woman?” Horatio sounded so confused that Xander had to hold back the cooing that wanted to escape.
“Natalia Boa Vista to be exact.” He held up his hand to stop the questions. “Firstly, she encouraged the rift between Ryan and Eric. She would always be sneaking over and whispering that it was the other’s fault and that no one else understood what they were going through. I know this because Ryan told me when he was ranting about Eric one night and Eric told me when we met up for drinks two nights ago.”
He sighed, “Then we have the fact that she is a gossip hound. Now that normally isn’t a bad thing, because we all like gossip. But she hounds on the bad stuff. Like Eric’s sister being sick and having to be around pot to help her eat, or Ryan being hurt because he didn’t have backup, or even about your brother’s stunt as an undercover operative.” He ran a hand through his hair and nodded at the stunned and angry looks.
“Yeah, and then there is the final kicker; her clothes.”
“Now you’re pulling straws.” Rick scoffed.
“Do you know how much the outfit she’s wearing today costs?”
“Not really, no.” Rick was now just as confused as Horatio.
“Five grand, the top costs a thousand dollars, the pants a thousand five hundred dollars and the shoes are twenty five hundred dollars. Now, how does she make that much money on a county paycheck? Considering each outfit she has worn since she’s been here has ranged from twenty five hundred dollars to six grand.” He looked at both men and waited for their response.
“How do you know the cost of the clothes?” Horatio was curious, if the clothes were really that expensive, then they had a reason to wonder.
“My ex, Cordelia loved clothes; the more expensive the better. Natalia is wearing designer labels, all of which cost a pretty penny, which is too pretty for a county paycheck. If she says she got it off a sales rack, she’s lying because those are in style NOW, not last year or the year before.”
“Thank you for this insight Mr Harris.” The smiles on Stetler and H’s faces were lethal.
“Ask JD to hack her accounts, Chris heard that you got a Mole, and he hates spies within an office. He’d do it without batting an eye, especially if you said I suggested it.”
“Thank you Xander, we’ll call him now, and speak with Miss Boa Vista tomorrow morning, with the proof and paperwork.”
“We just got the lab back together, I’d hate for it to be torn apart because of someone else’s agenda.” With that, Xander left the office and went back to the ballistics lab with a spring in his step.
“Why so happy Xander?” Came the voice of the one who had been under discussion.
“Oh, Horatio was going over my time sheets, since I’ve been pulling a few extra hours, he told me I could get an extra day off. He’d hate to be accused of abusing his manpower.”
“Alright, you know if you need anything, you can talk to me right?” She had been trying to get him into bed for a while, and he enjoyed playing clueless.
“That’s cool, if I need an ear or a shoulder, I’ll come by, talk to you later Natalia.” With that he went to his lab, a small smirk on his face after leaving a flustered Natalia behind. She would reap what she sowed, and he would enjoy it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day brought a vengeful grin to his face. Natalia Boa Vista would rue the day she tried to break the team. He knew they could find the main leak through her, and while she claimed she only told good things about the lab, Horatio and Rick weren’t buying it. The proof was slapped down before her, and she folded like man who bet all his money playing Ezra at poker. She told them everything about why she had been chosen and what the plans for the lab had been.
With this new information in hand, Natalia was released from her position and escorted out of the building. She was warned, however, that the only reason she could call them was if she was in moral peril. Backstabbers and liars were not welcomed in the department unless you were using it to help catch criminals.
She had left with her tail between her legs and Xander got to explain to Eric and Ryan why she was the mole. They had been disgusted at how well they had been played, and Xander told them that she should have tried something other than bedding people for information. Fucking the people you work with wasn’t always a good thing. If you were going to get involved with a coworker, it should be a serious relationship, because a fling would cloud your judgment much worse than being lovers would.
When asked if he had experience with that, Xander smiled softly and let his eyes glaze over with his thoughts about Ezra and Vin. Oh he knew, and he was willing to take the risks. None of the men realized that Horatio had been listening, and his blue eyes seemed to fill with determination at Xander’s words. Giving the men one last look, and lingering on Ryan’s form once more, Horatio went to his office to plan. Yes, he would follow Xander’s advice, and make it worthwhile too.
~*~*~*~*~*~