Four Years later…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                Xander made his way across that stage with a shocked smile. He graduated top in his class and in his field. Seeing the rest of team seven cheering him on, Xander gave them a copy of Ezra’s salute. Eyes sparkling in joy, Xander practically skipped to seat and waited for the awards to end. He was nervous and excited at the opportunities presented to him. While he would have liked to do his out of school internship with Bobby in Las Vegas, Xander was headed towards Miami. Since Bobby had gotten him for his two internships within the school year, Xander knew that he’d be going elsewhere for his next posting before AD Travis could snatch him up.

                Walking over to the guys, Xander was pounced on by JD.

                “You’re done! This is so cool! One more year and the eight of us will be together again!”

                The group laughed at JD’s enthusiasm and slowly left after Xander returned his tassel and gown. The Graduation made him smile since it was much better than the ascension that he had to deal with back in High School. As they were leaving Xander turned at the sound of his name be shouted and caught a missile of Greg Sanders.

                “You’re done and we got here in time to congratulate you before the convention starts, and we heard that you did really good and that you’re the best of the best that came from the program and – ackk!” Greg had begun to babble and David stepped up behind the excited DNA turned Field tech.

                “Sorry ‘bout the babbling, he’s been into the sugar again. Congratulations on your good work. Too bad we couldn’t get you in Vegas again this year, we did enjoy the floor show when you managed to out Texan Nick and to beat Warrick at sounding gangster.” The wry grin on David’s face made Xander snort.

                “Wasn’t hard when it came to Warrick, but Nick had the whole Shy boy Texan thing going, so I just mimicked Vin here. He’s just as bad as Nick when it comes to complements on his person.” On cue a bright red blush spread on Vin’s cheeks, and he ducked his head muttering about Californian bastards that enjoyed taunting him.

                Dancing out of Vin’s reach, Xander gave the tracker a wicked smirk. The shy Texan was fun to tease, and Xander always got him to blush at least twice a day when they were in the same room. It also allowed Ezra to slowly diffuse the situation by offering Vin to help prank him.

                “I can see that your brand of humor is as well received here as it was by Nick.” David smirked at the innocent look that appeared on Xander’s face.

                “I don’t know what you’re talking about David.”

                “Just be glad that you helped me snag my techie and I’ll let it drop.”

                “Oh I am glad. You’re not as snarky, which is a shame. I liked snark.”

                David snorted. “Good to know Princess. Now, shoo. Enjoy your evening before being shipped off to fake tit central.”

                Xander chuckled. “Yes David. Enjoy your DNA snuggly!”

                Skipping off to the Jag, Xander waved as Team Seven left the University. Humming with the radio, Xander did a mental check list to make sure that he had everything he’d need for the year he’d be in Miami.

                “Ez, we did get me a place close to the lab right? I know that my stuff got shipped out and all I have to do is drive my bike down, but I can’t remember if I’m close to the lab or not.”

                “You’ll be a good ten minutes from the lab. Remember, you’ll be flipping the house that you’ll be staying in to ensure that you get your money’s worth when you leave.”

                “Yeah, that I knew; but most houses in downtown Miami are as expensive as the waterfront ones.”

                “True, but it was a DEA seizure, considering it was a meth house at one point. So you can make a tidy profit that’ll help your nest egg to grow.”

                Xander smiled. Once he had gotten a job, he had gone to Ezra to ask for help in managing his money. Anya had been the banker out of the pair of them, and had been slowly teaching Xander before she was killed when the Hellmouth closed. However, Ezra had years of study on the matter and was happy to help his friend in setting up the stocks and bonds that would enable him to have a small pocket of wealth to help him when he was in a bind. The profits from the house in Miami would be split between his nest egg and his RRSP.

                Upon arriving at the Saloon, a round was poured, and Xander had to remind the others that he was driving out in the afternoon and didn’t want to deal with a hangover. While he no longer shied away from alcohol, Xander was still wary of its influence, and still drank very little of it. When Chris and the others asked why he had been so amandant about not drinking, he showed them the scars on his back and told them about his life at home with a drunk and abusive father. After that the others did what they could to make Xander see that not everyone turned that way with alcohol.

                As they chatted, Buck was the first to broach the subject of visiting.

                “Xan, when we get time off, would you mind if we came down for so relaxation?” The word relaxation was accompanied by a leering grin, and Xander chuckled.

                “Not at all; in fact I’d be insulted if you didn’t show!” Chuckles floated around the table and Chris asked again.

                “You sure about us coming down, Xander? We don’t want to cause any problems within the team that you’ll be with for the year.”

                “Yeah I’m sure. I’d miss you all too much if we all stayed apart for the full year. Besides, when you visit, you can help me fix up the house!” Laughs flowed around the table and Xander was punched in the arm playfully by JD.

                “I can’t wait to head on down! I just know that it’ll be fun and everything!”

                “All I ask is that you give me a month to get settled before you come down; oh, and to call first.”

                The night passed on with very few drinks, and the eight men wished Xander a good trip before heading home. Xander slid back into the Jag and let out a small sigh.

                “Anything the matter, Xander?”

                “Hmm, oh, no, just thinking about how long it should take me to drive down to Miami when I leave around ten thirty tomorrow morning to miss all the heavy traffic.”

                “Ah’d say about four days, three if you push it.”

                It had taken Xander a year and a half to get Ezra to stop using so many fancy words. He had mentioned that being formal in his own home was cruel to them both and Xander laid down the rule that if anyone other than himself and Vin were there, he didn’t have to used the company manners. At first, Ezra was aghast, but he eventually saw the point in Xander’s logic. He could now relax and be himself a bit more, and including Vin into that would help him in the year that Xander was down in Miami.

                “So, my saying that I’d be there in two weeks will give me a chance to settle in and start the cutting for the parts that need to be cut.”

                “Ah believe so.”

                “Good, so, are you and Vin the first ones that’ll be visiting me?”

                “Yes, we shall. We’ve already informed Chris of our plans. Ah am also pleased to say that he is still vexed that Ah call him Mr. Larabee at the office, and at the Saloon.”

                Xander snickered at that, following Ezra into the townhouse once the Jag was parked.

                “I can see that. Chris doesn’t realize that you do it simply to yank his chain, doesn’t he.”

                “Nope, and that is what made Vin laugh so hard earlier about at the Saloon.” Xander snickered louder at the angry glint in Chris’ eyes at being called Mr. Larabee, and Vin’s laughter that caught Chris’ attention as well.

                “I have a feeling the two of you will be getting a pissy deal for that.”

                “Ah do believe that you are correct.”

                “Night Ez, and I’ll see you before you head to work tomorrow.”

                “G’night my friend.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                Xander wove through the streets of downtown Miami four days after his goodbye to Ezra and Vin. He was given a second cell phone to be used in emergencies that would allow the pair of them to get back up to him as quickly as possible if the Miami-Dade Police Department failed their duty. Smirking at seeing his new home as he turned onto his street, Xander saw that the outside was still in good condition. As he got closer, he also saw that the last owners had a metal roof, and it brought a smile to Xander’s face. Apparently the druggies had wanted to make sure that the outside was sound in structure. All that he had to do now was check the interior.

                Stepping up to the house, Xander waved to his neighbor, and smiled as she walked over. She was obviously a Latino from her skin colour, but was curious to why she was coming over.

                “Hello miss, I’m Xander Harris. I’m interning with the Miami-Dade Police Department. Can I help you?” Xander hid his confusion at her smile and shook the extended hand.

                “I’m Yelina Salas. You’ll be seeing me often, as I am a homicide detective attached to the MDPD labs. I noticed that you’re moving in, you do realize that the house needs serious repairs right?”

                “Yeah, but as I’ll have little to do because I’m an intern, I figured that this would be a good side project to keep me busy. That and my friends from Denver will be popping around, so it’ll give them something to do when they get down.”

                “Friends?”

                “You might have heard of the “Magnificent Seven” of the ATF in Denver, yeah, it’s them.” She chuckled and smiled.

                “Well, I am glad that you’ll have friends that’ll be coming over to visit. Are you going to need any help?”

                “I might a bit later on. Right now I just want to make sure that I can get all the supplies in so that when I start working I’ll have everything I need on hand; why do you ask, if I may know.”

                “I have a son, and I was wondering if he could help out to see what it’d be like. He has mentioned that he was looking into construction as a possible job, but I’m wary of having him join a crew.”

                “Sure, have him drop by in three days and I can see about putting him to work. It should take me that long to get everything delivered and set up to start working.”

                “Since you just drove in, how would you like dinner in thanks for giving my son a chance?”

                “I’d appreciate it. Just give me thirty to shower and change. I fell grimy after driving for so long.”

                “Of course, just knock and come in. Oh, my brother-in-law will be showing up for dinner as well, just so you know.”

                “That’s fine, as long as my joining won’t cause any problems?”

                “No, it’ll be fine. I’ll let you get cleaned up.”

                “Thanks again Mrs. Salas.”

                “Yelina, call me Yelina Mr Harris.”

                “Only if you call me Xander.”

                Nodding, Yelina went back to her home while Xander entered his new place. The interior wasn’t as bad as they had feared, so Xander was optimistic with his timetable. With Yelina offering her son’s help, Xander might get to do some decorative touches as well. Whistling a jaunty tune, Xander skipped up to the bathroom on the second floor and winced at the sight of bullet holes in the walls. That would have to be fixed first, that and the kitchen.

                Pulling out a couple of towels from the box marked linens, Xander sighed as he assessed the damage to the walls and what he could do to fix it. Stepping into the bathroom, he put the towels on the rack and stripped out of the outfit he had been wearing since he entered the lower part of Florida. Xander hummed as he washed away the grime of the road, as well as the sweat from the humidity, and wrapped himself in one of his fluffy towels before stepping into his room to get dressed.

                Getting dressed, Xander checked and smirked as he heard the dial tone on the phone in the kitchen. Dialing the number for the office where the seven worked, Xander hummed as he fussed with his hair.

                “ATF’s Team Sevens office, this is Agent Dunne, how can we help you today?”

                “Hey JD.”

                “Xander! Give me a sec and I’ll put you on speaker.” There was a click before JD’s voice came back on. “Can you hear me Xander?”

                “Loud and clear.”

                “How was your trip?” Buck’s voice came over the line and Xander smiled.

                “Good, got here a few minutes ago, and you’ll be happy to hear that the place I got wasn’t as bad as we thought. Oh and I live next to one of the detectives that I’ll be working with.”

                “What’s their name?” Chris’ voice came over the line, causing Xander to chuckle.

                “Detective Yelina Salas. She’s really nice; she even offered her son’s services to help me with the construction here in the house when I’m not working to give him some experience.”

                “What are your plans now that you’re down?” Josiah’s voice came though, bringing a smile to his face at the care that his friends were showing.

                “Well, I’ll do a tour of the house to see what needs to be fixed and make a list and tomorrow I’ll be off to the hardware stores to get everything I need. It’s great that I have just over a week to get the main things fixed, like the floors and at least one of the guest rooms. Then kitchen is gonna be the hardest, but that’ll be a good two days of constant work, so I’m looking forward to it. Oh, and Ez, Vin, when the pair of ya get down here, I’ll need help deciding on a theme.”

                “Why ask them?” Nathan’s voice was curious.

                “Their coming down first.”

                “Yes, Mr. Tanner and Ah have already informed Mr. Larabee that we’ll be heading down in one month’s time to help Xander and to us some of our accrued leave first.” There was smugness in the tone, making Xander laugh.

                “Now, now, everyone play nice. Also, I can’t get all of you into the house as it is right now, so Vin and Ezra will be conscripted into helping me fix the kitchen, and the upstairs rooms. Those are nasty.” The others could hear the shuddering in Xander’s tone.

                “You gonna be ok there pard?” Vin’s quiet question brought a small smile onto Xander’s face.

                “Yeah, I’ll be ok. It’s only for a year, and then I’ll be back with you full time. The time away is simply to make my skills even better than before. You’ll be dazzled by what I can do when I get back.”

                “Looking forward to it,” Was Vin’s reply to his boasting.

                “I’d love to chat more, but Detective Salas has offered me a meal, so I should get going. I’ll talk to you guys on Sunday. You’ll all be at Chris’ ranch, right?”

                “Yep, the boys will all be there. You enjoy your meal; these clucking hens need to get back to work.”

                With a laugh and a goodbye, Xander hung up the phone and made his way over to Yelina’s house. Knocking on the door, Xander stepped in and smiled at the sight of the beautiful Latino. She was obviously talking to someone and turned once she heard the knock on the door.

                “Xander, come in and have a seat. Would you like something to drink? I have tea, coffee, beer, wine, juice and water.”

                “I’ll have a glass of water please. Thank you once more for letting me come over.” Xander walked into the kitchen and blinked at the sight of his new boss at the table.

                “Nonsense; since you offered to let Ray help you with the renovations of your home, it’s the least I can do. You know Horatio already, and I mentioned earlier that he was going to be joining us for dinner.”

                Xander thought back over the conversation and realized that he was her brother in law. Biting his lip, he wondered if he should ask where her husband was. Horatio decided to save his the trouble.

                “My brother Raymond was killed in the line of duty, working as an undercover agent to bust a drug ring.”

                “I’m sorry for your loss.” Xander held Horatio’s eyes while he spoke, showing his sincerity, and that he understood what it was like to lose someone as well. Horatio simply nodded his head in thanks.

                “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what are your plans for your home?”

                “I plan to fix up the inside. I’ll be here for a year, and while I do have money saved, I agree with my friend; it’s cheaper for me to buy a house, fix it then sell it than it would be for me to rent a place for the year I’ll be in Miami.”

                “So, you’re flipping it?” Yelina asked as she cooked at the stove.

                “Yep. I built a lot of homes when I was in Africa before I was deleted from the system because of a virus. I was lucky to run into team seven upon my return and they’ve helped me a lot over the past four years.” Xander stuck to his cover story, and he would believe it fully, if he still didn’t have nightmares from his former home.

                “You don’t believe that you’ll remain in Miami?” Horatio was curious about the answer.

                “I don’t think I will. I’m sure that Miami is a beautiful place, but AD Travis has a spot for me to work with Team Seven as their main Lab personnel. I’ll be dealing with over haul of whatever the team will be bringing in as well as helping with under covers.”

                “What if you found a reason to stay in Miami?”

                “We’ll see if and when that happens. I’m not saying that it’s a sure thing. AD Travis wants me to do the best I can, and if I have to do another year of work before I can have that, then I’ll do as he wishes. But Team Seven is the one that you’ll have to fight with. Chris already claimed me, as has the rest of the team.”

                “Chris?”

                “Larabee.”

                “Then I will wish you a good year here in Miami.” Horatio smirked, “We’ve all heard tales about Larabee and his ATF team. How true are they?”

                “How true are yours?”

                “Touché.”

                Xander gave Horatio an innocent grin and was spared more probing when the door opened with a bang.

                “Mom! I’m home!”

                “In the kitchen Ray.”

                The teenager that came around the corner reminded Xander of a mix between him and Larry. He had a feeling that the kid had it rough because of his late father and the fact that all of his family was law enforcement.

                “Ray, I want you to meet Xander, he’s our new neighbor and is going to fix up the house next door. I told him that you were interested in construction and he is willing to let you help.”

                “I’ll be paying you nine dollars an hour. That’s about what you’d be making after taxes on a regular site. How much you get per day will depend on how long you worked that day. We’ll keep a total of when you get in to help me and when you leave and I’ll pay you at the end of every week; that good for you?”

                “Really?! You’ll pay me?” The kid’s eyes got wide and looked startled.

                “You’ll be working for me; I can’t see why I shouldn’t pay you for your time. When my friends come down, they’ll be paid in food, beds and beer. You should have some pocket money for things you like or for dates. You could even invest it, if you wanted to. I’ll pay you to help, and I’ll teach you at the same time, win-win if you ask me.”

                “Wow. When will I start?”

                “Three days from now.”

                “So that means Friday, right?”

                “Yeah, I have to make a list and get measurements and all that. Also, I have to buy the materials and have it delivered since I’m on a bike. That and I want to get my ID as early as possible, that way they have a few days to put me in the system, and I don’t get batched with the other interns. Horatio, can I scope out the labs tomorrow too?”

                “I don’t see why not; just make sure you have your ID out if you do.”

                “Thanks Horatio.”

                Yelina put the meal on the table and Xander savoured the meal.

                “Delicious meal Yelina, could I get the recipe off of you? Ezra isn’t much of a cook, and something like this would make the nights after he comes back from a bust good.”

                “Ezra?”

                “Yeah, I stayed with him while I was in school. He’s Chris’ under cover man. He’s really good, and we conned them good when they bet that we couldn’t get them to think that we were someone else.”

                “How did you do it?” Ray asked.

                “We dressed up like women and confused them by acting and sounding completely different.”

                “How did you do that?”

                “Well, Ez has stage makeup for undercover busts and everything, and he did a lot of drama in school. Then we found special tape that didn’t aggravate the skin or pulled too much hair and was able to attach fake breasts and got special padded underwear to hide the fact that we were male. We could have used the tape down below, but I’ve seen people needing the emergency room for doing it wrong.”

                “Wow, what else.”

                “Colour contacts and temporary hair dye. Three washes and its gone.”

                “Cool, can you teach me?”

                “We could practice when not working on the walls and during breaks and all. Ez is also coming down in about a month and he’d be more than happy to teach you too.”

                “Wicked!”

                “Yep, and to test drive it, Halloween is good, right?”

                “That’ll be so cool! Mom, can I?”

                “We’ll see when the time comes Ray.” Ray sighed and nodded, getting up to start the dishes and putting the leftovers away.

                “We can talk more this weekend. Yelina, I want to thank you for a lovely meal, and I will endeavor to make one for you as well.”

                “I simply wanted to thank you for helping Ray out.” She tried to wave off the offer.

                “There is nothing simple about it. You didn’t have to offer me a meal, and in return I shall make one for your family. But it’ll be a while since I need to redo the kitchen.” Xander shuddered at the thought of his new kitchen.

                Thanking them all once more, Xander left Yelina’s home and checked the exterior a bit more thoroughly to make sure that there would be no problems with the foundation. Smiling at the obvious good work, Xander entered the house and pulled out a pen and pad of paper from his messenger bag. Starting at the main entrance, Xander began to catalogue each thing into two categories; what needed to be repaired and what could be repaired.

                The main things, in the house, that had to be fixed were a few parts of the floor, and the kitchen. The walls could do with a coat of paint, that that was an end project more than anything, or something that Vin and Ezra could do on the days he was at the lab. Making his way up the stairs, Xander noted that the banister needed replacing and marked down the fact that the bullet holes had to be filled and painted over on the second story, if not then have the walls replaced.

                Wrinkling his nose at the spare room, Xander knew that this had to be the first project done, and marked down that all the bedrooms had to be revamped. There were holes in the walls and charred marks on the floors, so Xander knew that he basically had to redo the upper part of the house. Lucky for him, all the bathrooms were in perfect condition, and there was nothing wrong with the taps or drainage. Nodding, Xander checked the windows and was pleased once more at the good quality work. Seeing that it was only the interior walls that needed to be fixed, Xander walked down the stairs to the main floor and cocked his head at the sight of Horatio in his door way.

                “Can I help you Lieutenant?”

                “I just wanted to welcome you to the lab now, as I’ll be holed up in meetings tomorrow, and Horatio is fine.”

                “Thank you Horatio. Before you go, do you know where I can find a good hardware store? I’d like to see if I can get all this ordered tonight and have it delivered tomorrow morning.” Getting the directions to the nearest and best hardware store made Xander smile. It was close by, and since he was close to the store, delivery should be free.

                “Thanks for the help Horatio, and if I don’t see you tomorrow, I’ll see you in a week’s time.” With a smile and a wave, Xander locked up and straddled his blue Ducati and headed towards the hardware store, missing the nostalgic look on Horatio’s face at the sight of the bike.

                “Yes, until then Xander, until then.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                Xander was contemplating on how to work on the floors, Friday afternoon, when the doorbell rang. Wiping his hands on the rag attached to his belt, Xander smiled upon seeing Ray standing there, dressed in old jeans and a t-shirt.

                “Ray, I’m glad that you could make it! Come in, and keep your shoes on. Do you own work boots or something similar?”

                “No, I don’t own work boots, why?”

                “They protect your feet if you drop something on them. I knew a guy that dropped his hammer and he didn’t have boots, he almost lost a toe. So, this weekend we’ll see about getting you a good pair that’ll help with any outdoor chore, or project.”

                “Oh, that makes sense.”

                “Yep; but today, we’ll be working on redoing the floors. I managed to pull the old cabinets out of the kitchen and ripped up the old flooring. Gods, it was a mess. Luckily, we don’t have to do much to the second story. I’ll be putting up floating floors there; down here we’re putting in hardwood.”

                “What’s the difference?” Ray asked as he put down the time and date that he had entered at on Xander’s little board.

                “Floating floors take about a full day for a floor. Hardwood takes a bit longer, but is basically glued in place. You’ll see as we do it. I’m also doing a floating floor upstairs because I have to fix the walls and everything too. The only thing that I don’t have to touch is the bathrooms, which I’m glad, because bathrooms are hell to work in.”

                Ray snickered at the shudder that flowed through Xander and they began to work on the floor. As they worked from one corner of the living room to the other, Xander explained why getting the first floor finished would be a good thing.

                “Only the bedrooms are upstairs. We have one small bathroom down here, basically a toilet and a sink. When getting a house ready, you want to work towards having as many parts functional as possible while working. Since we’re just doing repairs, even though they are major ones, getting the main floor done is key. As of right now, I have no kitchen. I have appliances coming in on Monday, so we have the whole weekend to get the kitchen up to standard. I have the supplies in the garage and once we get the flooring done, then we can slowly begin to set up the lower cupboards before the main cabinets.” Motioning Ray to follow him once they finished the living room, Xander pointed at the marks on the walls.

                “The markings on the walls in the kitchen are there to tell us where each appliance has to go. The dishwasher goes here, the stove there, the fridge over here. This will give us room to maneuver as we don’t want it to be too tight and leave no room for the appliances to work. That is why there is always a gap between the wall, cabinets and stove, dishwasher, and fridge, when they have specific spots in a kitchen.” Leading Ray back to the hallway they continued to work on the floor.

                “Why did you choose construction?”

                “I love working with my hands. Just watching a home come together with some sweat, effort and a few people swearing when they hit their thumbs, it’s all worth it for me. You know how an artist will be pleased and all glow-y when they finish a piece? Well finishing a project is like that for me. It’s a sense of accomplishment that goes ‘I built that’, and it’s a hearty feeling.”

                “Wow, so it’s like when Uncle H solves a case and puts the bad guys away.”

                “Yep, just like that.”

                The pair continued to work in silence and managed to finish up to the kitchen before the doorbell rang. Wiping his hands, Xander blinked at the sight of Yelina and Horatio on his front step. Opening the door, he gave both a wry smile.

                “Can I help you with anything? Ray and I are almost done with the floor, and we’re about to work in the dining room before doing the kitchen.”

                “No, it’s not that, Horatio and I were just wondering if you needed any more help.”

                “Not at the moment. It’s just a two man job right now, but tomorrow, we might need an extra hand or two, we’ll be doing the cabinets then.  For that, we’ll need two people to hold and two to screw in, if we want to work faster, why?”

                “Would you mind if we helped?”

                “Not really, but Ray needs to get work boots to keep helping me. I don’t want him to get hurt because he was wearing the wrong foot wear.”

                “We can get that for him now.”

                “Cool, work boots need to be about half a size bigger than what he’d normally wear. Feet swell pretty fast when one is doing construction. Oh and you should get him some wool socks to put over a pair of cotton ones to help with the buildup of moisture.”

                “Why?”

                “It’s to keep him for chafing his feet to the point where he loses a layer of skin or two. I’ve seen people get hamburger feet from not wearing the proper layers when it comes to working on your feet all day and it’s downright nasty. Also, it’ll keep him from getting blood blisters and an infection if he does it that way too.”

                “Oh; so, old clothes and work boots?”

                “That’ll be perfect Yelina.”

                “Ray can you come here for a minute, your mom needs your shoe size!” Xander called to where Ray was getting the packs of hardwood flooring out to do the dining room, and smiled when the teenager came over and told his mother his size.

                “This is the brand I use. It lasts a long time, as my last pair was eight years old before I had to buy these one brand new.”

                “Thank you and we’ll be by tomorrow, around nine-ish?”

                “Nine is good, gives me time to eat and freshen up. Also, it’ll give me a chance to get some food in for when it’s time for a snack.”

                “Until tomorrow then, and Ray, dinner is in the oven for you.”

                “Thanks mom.”

                With that, Yelina and Horatio left, leaving both Xander and Ray watching them with bemused expressions.

                “Well, that floor isn’t going to finish itself.” With that, both went back to tacking the floor into place, before the buffering and shining could be done.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                The week had passed fairly quickly, and Xander was pleased with the downstairs portion of the house. Hardwood floors gleamed in the light, walls were painted in earthy tones, the kitchen looked like a real kitchen, and the furniture had arrived on Friday to fill up the dining room and the living room.

                The living room held two leather sofas, three lazy boys, two black marble coffee tables, three massive bookshelves, in cherry wood – one for movies, one for books and one for pictures and knickknacks – and the walls were painted a blue grey that let the rest of the room stand out. The drapes were heavy and thick, for the days when the sun was too bright, and allowed the room to be bathed in darkness, perfect for nights where watching the game, or movies, on the fifty-two inch flat screen television.

                The kitchen was decked out in classic dark marble counter tops and cherry wood cupboards, accenting the pale blue walls and fluorescent lighting that Xander installed to give the most light for the least amount of wattage. All of the electronics were black, giving the room a darker and cleaner look.

                The dining room had the cherry wood table, with throne chairs, two china cabinets – one full of fine bone china and the other with the regular dishes – and a chest that held silverware and tablecloths for all occasions. The walls were painted in a soft shade of sandy gold, and were accented with ‘Lady Luck’ green stencils of various western scenes.

                 The banister and stairs were done with a fine black marble finish, and had been accented with more of the cherry wood that dominated the house. Xander had made a small closet under the stairs for shoes, windbreakers, umbrellas and a few towels. The door seemed to melt into the paneled wall, and Xander smiled when he got the door to seem invisible unless you were facing it directly.

                He would have to work on the bedrooms after work and on weekends from now on, as Xander knew he was going to start work the next morning. Luckily, he had a locker already set up, and had all of his gear locked away. Horatio was the only one with a spare key, and the only other person allowed into his locker unless there was an emergency. He already had his permit to carry weapons, open and concealed, listed in the federal database, so he didn’t have to worry about changing the thing, only to have to change it back when he returned to Denver.

                Sighing as he wandered into the kitchen, Xander pulled out a packet of pizza pockets and zapped them in the microwave while he dialed Chris’ number at the ranch.

                “Hello?”

                “Hey Chris,” Xander could hear the exhaustion in his own voice and mentally told himself to go to bed when he was done talking to the others.

                “Xander, you ok? You sound like you’re about to kneel over.”

                “I’m ok, just really tired.” He yawned, “Good news, I got the first floor of the house done, and I’ll send you guys the pics after work tomorrow; should have the net up by then.”

                “Good, give me a minute and I’ll have ya on the speaker so that we can all chat with ya.” Xander waited for the click and smiled upon hearing it. “Can you hear me Xan?”

                “Loud and clear, cowboy, I hear you loud and clear.”

                “God dammed it, I ain’t a damned cowboy!” Xander snickered and could hear the others laughing to. Pulling out his pizza pockets, Xander began to eat.

                “So, what’s new in Denver?”

                “Just busted a major player here, and just so you know, we’re all coming down at the end of the month. Apparently the police down there need our help with something, and we were called in specifically by a lieutenant Horatio Caine.”

                “Fuck.”

                “What’s wrong Xan?” JD’s voice came over the line.

                “Caine is my boss for the year that I’m here.”

                “Well shit on a stick.” Buck’s voice was muffled and Xander had to bite back a bark of laughter.

                “You think there’ll be a problem with us coming down?” Josiah’s voice came over the speaker.

                “Well, I’ll have to invest in popcorn and drinks, but no, I see no issues with the seven of you coming down. I do think you’ll have to help me fix the upstairs of the house when you get in, but that’s about all the problems I can see from it.” Xander was positive that they could hear the smirk in his voice, and wondered if Chris was going to rain down upon the people of Miami.

                “Xander, will you mind if Mr. Tanner and Ah stay a bit longer in Miami? We did say we were going to visit you.” Xander let a wicked smirk take over his face.

                “I don’t mind. The pair of you could go bikini watching while I’m at the lab for my lousy thirty hour weeks.”

                “Thirty hours?” Nathan’s voice sounded strained.

                “Yeah, it’s to teach interns how to deal with the lab setting. Once we’ve been here a while, then we slowly do more work alone, but since we only get two to three grand a month, they can’t make us work too much.”

                “That still sucks pard.” Vin’s voice was soft as it came over the line, bringing a smile to Xander’s face.

                “I know, but it’s to help me climb the totem pole of being a ballistics tech.”

                “Well, we wish you luck with that, and remember not to get too carried away at work, you have to finish flipping the house you’re in.” Chris’ voice came over the line with a hint of teasing.

                “I know that! That’s why I’m paying a kid to help me when he’s not in school. I get a helper, he gets cash and experience.”

                “Good, now, off to bed with you. You’re three hours ahead of us and it’s seven at night here. You have to be at work for eight I believe, so off to bed with you.”

                “Yes dad, night guys!” With that Xander hung up with a laugh at Chris’ curses that he wasn’t Xander’s father.

                Washing his dishes and locking the doors before wandering upstairs, Xander let out a yawn as he made his way into the master bedroom. Stripping down to his boxers, Xander slipped under the covers and smiled, Team Seven would be here in three-ish weeks. He wondered how bad Chris and Horatio would react to each other’s Alpha dog syndrome. With that thought in his mind, Xander drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                Parking his bike in front of the lab, Xander was curious as to why he was being looked at oddly. Horatio had done the same thing upon seeing his bike, the blue eyes turned stormy with sadness and regret, making Xander wonder what his Ducati had to do about it.

                Putting his things in the locker room, Xander signed in and practically skipped towards the ballistics lab. Upon entering the room however, a petite blond woman was glaring at a brown haired man in a sweater-vest. Deciding that knocking would be a good thing, Xander tapped on the frame and gave the pair a wry smile.

                “Hi, am I disturbing anything? I’m the new ballistics intern and was told that Calleigh Duquense was in Ballistics and waiting for me.”

                “Wolfe, leave, I need to instruct my new intern.” Xander was shocked at the coldness towards a coworker and made a mental note to befriend the guy.

                Calleigh went over the dos and don’ts that were part of working in the labs, and Xander shied away from her preppy attitude. Someone who could be cold to a coworker but nice to a stranger the way she was would only get professional courtesy from him. He refused to allow a closer friendship with someone who was as bad as the popular girls in high school.

                As Calleigh spoke, she had a feeling that befriending her new tech would be an uphill battle. So, putting on her brightest smile and attempting to seem as kind as possible was her main goal. She hoped that she could talk to him and warn him about Ryan Wolfe, he had joined too quickly for it to be a coincidence that he was hired as Speed’s replacement.

                Xander nodded in all the right places and took notes as Calleigh went over everything. Once she was done, she asked him to name each piece in the exemplar cabinet and to clean them if necessary. Nodding his head, Xander got to work and began to ignore Calleigh unless she wanted him to work on a case for her.

                “Xander--”

                “Call me Harris or Alexander, only friends can call me Xander.” He cut Calleigh off before she could go any further and went back to his task, never looking at the woman who would be watching over him.

                “Okay, Alexander, I wanted to warn you--”

                “If I wanted to be warned about anyone, then it would be who you are friends with. If someone could be so callous to a coworker, and then treat a stranger with more compassion, I don’t want to know you or your warnings.” With that, Xander pulled out an IPod and ignored the shocked blonde behind him.

                The pair worked the whole day in silence, and it was only broken by to occasional person that visited Ballistics to pick up or drop off evidence. Horatio had been by once or twice, but Xander was still too angry at his supervisor to notice.

                By the time lunch had rolled around, Xander found the guy that Calleigh had ousted from her lab and gave him a wry smile.

                “Hey, can I join you?” Xander was hesitant, but he’d rather hear why the guy was being shunned from his own mouth than from the others in the lab.

                “Sure, but why aren’t you eating with Calleigh, considering she’s your boss and all right now.” The guy sounded confused that someone would willingly sit with him, and Xander felt a flash of anger at the people of the lab.

                “I hate people that can be cruel to team mates and coworkers but be totally nice to a complete stranger. I’m Xander by the way.” He stuck out his hand and smiled upon the handshake.

                “Ryan Wolfe.”

                “I was wondering if you could answer something for me.” Xander slowly broached the subject as they ate.

                “I might not answer, but go ahead.”

                “Why are they so cool towards you?”

                “Just over a month ago, Tim Speedle was killed in a shootout during a case about a kidnapped boy. I was signed on a week later.”

                “Shit and they’re taking their anger out on you.” Xander was disgusted by the actions of the people he had to work with for the year and wondered if he could be transferred, and get Ryan to go with him.

                “I guess so. They’re grieving, so I try not to take it to heart.”

                “It’s still wrong! Fuck, what if because of this you get hurt or killed in the line of duty as well?!” Xander’s heart sank at the shrug that he got from the brunet in front of him.

                “Then I’ll be dead.”

                “Jesus, when I leave in a year, if things haven’t gotten better, I am taking you to Denver with me. I don’t care what anyone says, and I know that Chris and the others will take you in too.” Xander wanted to hit something when the shocked look appeared on Ryan’s face, and had to hold back a scream of outrage.

                “Why, you barely know me.” The voice was soft and almost impossible to hear.

                “No one should be subjugated to the shit you’re being thrown into, and damn Ez would laugh that his words are rubbing off on me.”

                “Who’s in Denver? Why a year?”

                “My internship ends in a year. When I’m done here, I’ve already been promised to be the tech for “The Magnificent Seven” who are all located in Denver. You got Chris Larabee, the leader; Buck Willington, the second in command and explosives expert; Josiah Sanchez, the team profiler; Vin Tanner, the best sharpshooter in West; Nathan Jackson, our field medic; Ezra Standish, our undercover operative; and finally JD Dunne, the best and brightest computer expert. They are the Magnificent Seven, and when all is said and done, I’ll be with them.”

                “John Daniel Dunne? From Boston?”

                “Yeah, why?”

                “I used to go to school with him. He lived a block away with his mother and the pair of us would always be up to an adventure. I didn’t know he was an ATF agent in Denver, last I knew he was an officer with the Boston Police.”

                “Wow, it’s a small world.”

                “Do you think I could talk to him? It’d be nice to hear from an old friend.”

                “Sure, I’ll send him a message when I get home tonight and give him you email address. That work for you? JD loves people, so I’m sure you’ll both be chatting away in no time. Oh, and if you want to meet in person, he’ll be down at the end of the month with the team. Apparently Horatio wants them down to help with a case or something like that.” Ryan smiled softly.

                “Thanks Xander, I really appreciate this.”

                “Hey, no worries; it’ll be two birds with one stone, if you ask me. You get to reunite with JD and get to meet Team Seven from Denver.  They’ll like you, trust me on that.”

                “Alright, though we should get back to work. I don’t think anyone will be favorable if we’re late.” Ryan began to clean up his lunch.

                “Yeah, I can see that. Want to do lunch again tomorrow too, if you’re not gonna be too busy.” Xander began to clean his spot up too and smiled at Ryan’s answering smile.

                “I’d like that. Talk to you later, Xander.”

                “Yeah, later Ryan,” With that both men left the room, missing the redhead slipping out of the shadows. He had heard the entire conversation and realized that his team was being harsh with Ryan Wolfe. He would have to put a stop to that; he didn’t want to lose another trace tech, he didn’t dare acknowledge the little voice in the back of his head saying that he didn’t want Ryan to go for other reasons either.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                Xander’s meeting with Eric Delko was just as bad. The Latino male tried to throw his weight around when Xander stuck up for Ryan, so Xander simply fought back.

                “So, you think you’re all big and tough; bitching at the innocent party about life being unfair, and making him miserable. I never met Tim Speedle, but you’re just pissing on his grave by acting like this. I’ve lost people, and when someone else came in and took their spot, I didn’t try to beat them down and mold them into the other person’s shoes. I at least gave them a chance to fuck up on their own, instead of putting the last person on such a fucking high pedestal that not even God could reach. So grow up jackass, or someone will say something, and there are enough witnesses to prove it, even if Ryan wouldn’t snitch you out like he should.”

                “Prove it that you understand.”

                “I lost my ex-fiancée, who I was still good friends with, to a natural disaster. When the people around me tried to set me up with another girl, I didn’t bitch and moan at the chick that was attempting to make something of it. When we lost people in Africa, we didn’t bemoan the new people that came in to give us a hand. The way you’re acting is like a spoiled little brat; way to desecrate your friend’s memory.”

                With that Xander went back to his lab, leading Ryan away from the irate Cuban-Russian. He couldn’t help but glare in frustration and sighed when Ryan shook his head at his new friend.

                “He’ll be worse now.”

                “Then I’ll do what I can to help you out. They have no right to use you like this Ryan. You are not an outlet for their pain. Yes, Tim Speedle is dead, and I know they cared for him deeply, but this lingering will only hurt everyone else more in the long run. Just wait and see.” Ryan nodded and gave Xander a sad smile.

                “I know, but rubbing it in their faces doesn’t help either.”

                “I’ve seen grieving Ryan, and this team isn’t grieving. They’re all in denial. Oh, they like to think that they’re getting over Speed’s death, but the truth is, they don’t want to believe that he’s dead. With you being here, it’s forcing them to see reality, and they don’t like it.”

                “Still, just, be careful, ok?”

                “Yeah, I will, as long as you are too.”

                “Deal.”

                With a shake of hands, both men quickly entered their designated areas, and Xander began to work on the open case before him. One year, and then he would be back in Denver. That meant that Miami had one year to get their heads out of their asses and grab onto Ryan before Xander took him with him.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                Xander was having his first day off when he got the call from the hospital. Ryan had been shot in the eye with a nail gun. Grabbing his keys, wallet and jacket, Xander sped down the roads to the hospital that his friend was staying at. JD was going to be pissed when he came down with the others in three days. Ryan had been well liked over the phone, and through emails, by the group, and they were going to take Miami by storm once they heard that Ryan was hurt. Parking his bike and shutting off the engine, Xander dashed to the main desk.

                “Ryan Wolfe was just brought in. I’m his emergency contact.” Xander was trying to catch his breath, worried out of his mind that his friend was seriously injured.

                “Please follow Nurse Brown to his room, the doctor will meet you there.” The receptionist told him with a kind voice.

                “Thank you,” He gave the woman at the desk a smile and motioned his guide to lead the way.

                “Do you know if he’s ok? I know the doctor will tell me, but Ryan hates hospitals and I know that he loves his job but the eye is so delicate and-” The nurse cut him off.

                “The nail entered the tear duct, and he will be fine. All that he’ll have to do is keep the eye covered for two days and takes his medicine.” Her voice was kind and Xander sagged in relief as he walked.

                “Thank God for small miracles; JD would flip if it was going to be worse than that.” The nurse beside him chuckled and pointed at the door before them.

                “You’re friend is in here. The doctor will remove the nail in a few moments. He wanted to make sure that it doesn’t require surgery.”

                “Thank you Nurse Brown, you are a lifesaver.” Kissing her on the cheek, Xander slipped into the room and nodded at Alexx. She was the only one out of the entire field CSI’s, other than Horatio, that he could stand.

                “Doc should be here in a few minutes. So, Ryan, you get a sexy eye patch for a few days. Eye wounds suck so no depth perception for you for forty-eight hours.”

                “He’s right,” The doctor entered the room and smiled kindly at Ryan. “We can pull it out; it went into the tear duct only.”

                With that said, the doctor pulled the nail from the wound, causing Xander the shiver as he remembered how his eye had been gouged out. Ryan would be lucky, with the right meds; he might need glasses in ten years instead of losing his sight.

                “Alexx, what happened? Where was his back up?” The sigh was his answer, and he waited for Alexx to confirm it.

                “This was supposed to be Eric’s case. But because of a situation, Ryan was called in and took his place. Eric was supposed to back Ryan up as he looked over the crime scene again, and only showed up after Ryan got shot in the eye.” Sad brown eyes looked up at Xander and he gave her a strained smile.

                “Ryan, you’ll be staying with me. I have two of the guest rooms set up, and the guys can puppy pile in my living room, the other fixed spare room, or bunk with me. I can guarantee that Nathan will look you over, JD will fuss, Chris will glare at the wound, not you, Buck will cuss up a storm, Ezra will plot, Vin will begin to make plans to hide the bodies, and Josiah will cook for an army. Now, I want you to sleep while Alexx gets your medicine, and I’ll sit here with you to keep the son of a bitch out.” Getting a sleepy and pained smiled; Ryan finally succumbed to the drugs in his system as Xander began to keep watch.

                “How is he?” Xander wasn’t surprised to hear Horatio’s voice and looked at the man with old eyes.

                “He’ll be fine with some rest, food, and medicine. Will you discipline Eric?”

                “Action is already being taken, I give you my word.”

                “Good; I’d hate being in jail because I killed your underwater recovery agent. If he makes one pot shot at Ryan, I make no promises on my temper; same with Calleigh. Both have been bitchy about Ryan for no reason, and while I know you and Alexx are trying, those two are hurting him badly Horatio. Please fix it, or Chris will when he’s down in three days.”

                “I promise Xander, that the pair of them will see past this and work accordingly. If I have to have Ryan work with me, then we’ll do that if it comes down to it.”

                “Thank you Horatio. I know you’re trying to get them to see, Alexx too, but this was just too far. Eric can have all the issues he wants, as long as he warns you before hand, that’s fine. But he reeks of pot H. I know he’s not high, but he reeks of it, and that is a major problem.”

                “Someone in his family is ill.”

                “That’s fine, I don’t need to know. But if IAB finds out, he’ll attack Ryan first. Ryan saw rolling paper in his kit. That is not something you see at work, and IAB is bound to ask him if he knows anything. This could hurt the team as well. Give Eric time off if you have too H, just make sure that he stops smelling like pot when he gets his ass to work.”

                With his piece said, Xander went back to watching over his friend, and prayed that Eric stayed away. The Cuban-Russian was causing too many problems within Ryan’s psyche, and he knew that the continuous barbs were killing Ryan’s self esteem. Team Seven hadn’t arrived to work with Ryan yet, so even their platitudes couldn’t help until three days from now, and they were going to flip. The people at the MDPD would rue the day that Eric Delko let his team mate get so injured. The fact that he had sick family and didn’t tell anyone made it just that much worse, since it implied that he didn’t even trust his boss with that critical information.

                Horatio watched Xander for a few moments before leaving with a sigh. His intern had a right to be upset with Calleigh and Eric. His two level threes were acting like children with broken toys. The only thing that kept him from firing them was their records, and that they were still dear friends of his. Seeing Eric coming up the hall, he went to stop the other man, simply because Eric and Horatio would be thrown out if Xander lost his temper, and let Eric have the verbal lashing he deserved.

                Xander watched Horatio leave, and heard him talking to Eric. There were a few heated words followed by a sullen ‘yes Horatio’ before both men left. Sighing, Xander waited for Alexx to return and the time to bring Ryan home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~