Title: City Under Siege
Chapter 1 – A Not So Veiled Threat

Summary: 'They were talking about retaliation - against you Horatio - personally. ' It was a threat that neither of them would soon forget but one they didn't want to live under the shadow of. Horatio & Calleigh must deal with rising personal feelings and escaped ex-cons.

Disclaimer: They aren't mine you all should know that by now or read more of my stories!

A/N: Okay so I know I said I was only gonna stick to DuCaine one shots for a bit but the muse just won't let this idea die. So based on the ending of eppy 9.03 and Joe's ominous warning to Horatio that we know is gonna play out over the season (or so we've been told) this came to life. Hope you all like this first offering.

"You missed your own jail break Joe."

"I told those idiots to wait for my order. I won't make that mistake again."

"And you know why Joe? We are gonna drop you down a hole so deep, there will be no yard time…no privileges…and no digging your little tunnels."

"And you…are going to be a very busy boy. You see a lot of those escaped con's were talking about a certain red headed lieutenant and I and I think what they were talking about was…retaliation."

"Well…you know what I say Joe… I say…bring it…on."

XXXXXXXX

Calleigh watches Horatio pull away from his less than amicable meeting with Joe Lebrock, her fingers still curled tightly into angry balls at her side. Retaliation, was the grim warning that Joe had tossed out at Horatio with his signature smug expression, her mind and heart racing with terrible thoughts of a future without him at her side if he took it lightly.

She waits until Horatio is out of sight before she thinks about taking her leave from her carefully concealed hiding place, but is quickly detected.

"Think he'll ever get used to looking over his shoulder or sleeping with one eye open?" Joe taunts Calleigh, forcing her to turn around and face his mocking grin. She was used to men staring at her, even lewdly gawking at times, but when Joe's eyes continued to examine her frame, she felt her stomach tighten further. Not from anxiety, but from fear. Joe was evil, through and through. Rehabilitation in the penal system had proven to have no effect on him. He would die evil.

"Guess you won't have to worry about that," Calleigh retorts, trying to keep her rising anger at bay.

"Course if he had someone like you to sleep with then I'm sure he'd not be getting much sleep at all," he fishes with a twisted sneer.

"Horatio is not only going to…"

"Now you listen to me blondie," Joe interrupts, his hands wrapped around the two bars in front of his thick frame. "You keep that dawg on a leash or he won't be the only one facing retribution. You hear me?"

"The only thing you are going to face is a deep black hole," Calleigh lightly growls. However, her words only fall on deaf ear, causing him to look at her with an amused expression and then laugh.

"Sleep well yourself Officer Barbie. Tell Horatio I'll see him soon," Joe mocks, offering a lewd catcall to Calleigh's back as she takes her leave, her lips uttering a soft curse. Calleigh finally rounds the corner out of his sight and leans against the wall to collect her bearings, take a deep breath and then pursue her course to see Horatio.

Horatio watches Calleigh approach his office and wonders if the look on her beautiful face has something to do with the creep they were holding in lockup.

"Thanks Frank. Yes it can wait. Enjoy a round for me," Horatio sighs as he hangs up the phone and looks at Calleigh with a strained expression.

"City on lockdown?"

"We never close right?" Horatio quips, drawing a small smile to her tense face. "You talked to Joe."

"I heard his warning," Calleigh admits with a heavy sigh as she slowly closes the door to his office. "Tell me you are worried and won't take needless risks."

"Define needless?" Horatio counters, prompting Calleigh to just shake her head. "Joe Lebrock doesn't scare me."

"Those eight crazy lunatics running around vowing retribution against you personally should at least concern you more than usual," she growls, her emerald orbs flashing daggers in his direction. She crosses her arms in front of her chest and looks at him directly.

"I won't back down to him."

"I am not suggesting you do. The sooner you find them and put them away the better; preferably without bloodshed, namely yours."

"I'll do what is necessary."

"That is what I am afraid of," she utters in a tone that is barely audible. The silence that starts to build forces her heart to start to beat faster and her core to slightly warm. When Horatio's eyes studied her it gave her the exact opposite feeling that Joe's ogling did, she wanted Horatio to look longer. "I should go," she finally pipes up and turns, her fingers on the door handle about to turn.

"Do you want an escort home?"

"Do you? Horatio they aren't coming after me," she tells him in truth, hoping the pleading in her voice will have some kind of effect on him.

"I'll be careful. Will you?"

"Doubt I'll sleep much. I'll be worried about you," she confesses. "You know I do have a spare room at my place."

"I couldn't put you out like that," Horatio replies, his brain actually considering her tempting offer. He could selfishly use the guise of offering her protection in return or putting her mind at ease, but that would mean sounding convincing when he explained that he had no other motives in mind.

"I think we'd both sleep better. Besides you know what Joe is capable of," she carefully reminds him. "He could have people waiting for you at home already," she tries to reason.

Horatio carefully studies her expression and feels a warm desire inside starting to take over, he wants to say yes, more than anything.

"I'm not sure Rick would like that."

"Screw Rick."

"Doubt either of us would enjoy that," Horatio counters and her face finally softens. "Calleigh I do appreciate the offer but…"

"Right, but you don't want to," she states in haste.

"It's not…" Horatio tries to protest just as Eric appears and knocks on the glass window. "Calleigh…please."

"It's okay," she offers him a tight lipped, but fake smile. "I was out of line."

"I…"

But before he can tell her the opposite that he wanted to take up her offer, Eric pushes the door open and looks at them with a wondering glance. "Bad time?"

"No, I was just leaving. See you both tomorrow."

Both men watch her take her leave, before Eric finally turns to Horatio with a serious expression. "H…is everything okay?" Eric asks with some hesitation.

"Not sure yet Eric. What do you have?"

Horatio listens as Eric prattles on about his findings, as suspected the guard that helped Joe and the others was nowhere to be found, his bank account withdrawn the day before and his home a disheveled mess.

"Keep on it Eric, this man knows the whole plan, we need him. Start with the airports first."

"I'm on it."

Horatio wait for Eric to leave before rushing out of his office toward Calleigh's lab area only to find it empty and her gone. Uttering a small curse in his own name, he hurries toward the exit door, pushes it open just in time to watch her pull away, speeding for the exit.

"Calleigh…I'm sorry," he frowns before he turns and heads back inside. For about the next hour, while fielding calls, he tries to ponder any reason why he shouldn't take her offer and spend the night. If he did, mostly to put her mind at ease, he tells himself that he would have to behave or else suffer professional consequences worse than Joe's petty means of retaliation. The threat was directed to him and him alone; the less he invovled his team, he reasoned the better.

Just as the sun starts to set he has finally convinced himself that he would pack a few things, stay the night or at least most of it and then slip away before he could allow himself to give into any kind of intimate temptations. Even just the thought of her in her bed with only sleeping clothes on and a few flimsy covers to keep him at bay wasn't enough to force the primal urges down for good. He was attracted to her, in more than a professional manner. Feelings he worked very hard to keep in check when he was around her; feelings he told himself might never be reciprocated in kind or allowed to flourish.

She probably just offered me the room to be kind, he muses as he finally heads for the parking lot. And although not wanting to give Joe Lebrock even one second of mental satisfaction that he was indeed now looking over his shoulder, his eyes couldn't help but dart nervously around as he made his way toward the CSI Hummer.

Giving his head a small shake Horatio gets into the Hummer and directs it for home, dialing Calleigh's number in the process.

"Come on Calleigh, pick up," he begs, desperation now taking over his tone. "Pick up," he urges as he dials as second time. "Calleigh, its Horatio. I've…changed my mind. I'll see you shortly. Bye."

Horatio finally reaches home and stops the Hummer, gazing at his darkened entrance with a slight feeling of apprehension. To his team he had to appear strong and in control at all times; but if he was honest, inside, deep inside, he was just as worried as the rest of his team. He was the one after all with the mark on his back. And tonight, he was a wanted man. The city being on lockdown didn't mean much as most of them had Joe's Intel on their side and a good head start. They had probably, like Joe, been planning this for months. They now had the upper hand and he would be forced to catch up.

Horatio heads for the front door, keys in one hand, the other hand on his hip just in case his gun needs to be drawn. He reaches the door, pushes the key into lock and hears a noise. Horatio turns, watches a small animal scurry past a few feet away and then turns back.

But as he turns back, he is met in the face with the blunt end of something hard; forcing him to stagger backwards, and nearly lose his footing. Horatio tries to counter, however the large man takes advantage of his daze state and lunges, forcing Horatio's body to slam backward into the solid wooden frame, temporarily winding him.

Not going down without a fight, Horatio's knee comes up, catching his attacker in the groin and finally giving the ex-con a taste of his own medicine; another gasp from his lips as Horatio delivers another blow. Horatio's hand manages to get his gun, but the large man's hand wraps around his and soon it's a struggle for the police issue weapon.

"This is a small warning red," the man growls as he punches Horatio hard in the side. The second punch is blocked but the large man had already done his damage. He tries to shove Horatio aside, wanting to pry the piece lose from his fingers. Despite his body feeling the fatigue, Horatio's brain screams at him to keep going and he does, punching the large man in the side twice and breathing a small sigh of relief when he's free of the large man's grasp.

But just before he can raise his gun, the man charges at him again, forcing them both to tumble to the dampening grass in a jumble of arms and legs, the ex-con seemingly winning the battle. He finally manages to get Horatio's gun away from his fingers and rolls away, both of them breathing hard. The ex-con pushes himself up and then glares down at Horatio, who's still on his side.

"On your knees Lieutenant Caine," the ex-con growls as he raises his gun.

"Go to…hell…" Horatio retorts angrily as he remains on his side.

"I have…" the ex-con starts and then quickly stops; both of them turning sharply to the sound of screeching tires; high beams now bathing them in harsh lighting.

"Stop right there!" Calleigh shouts as she raises her gun.

"I'll see you soon," the ex-con warns before he fires off a shot at Calleigh, making her duck and then turns and races away into the night; Horatio's service weapon now in his possession.

"Horatio!" Calleigh's excited voice calls to him as she hurries to his side. She kneels down, her eyes taking in the nasty bump on his forehead. "Damn it," she gently curses.

"Good…timing," Horatio lightly gasps as he allows Calleigh to help him stand. She wraps her arm around his waist, waiting for him to steady himself to continue.

"You are spending the night with me and that's final," she adds in a lighter tone.

"Calleigh…"

"It's started Horatio. Now it's not just a city under siege."

"We will win this."

"I hope so. But it's time to go. You look after this city, now let me look after you."

It wasn't a request or even a question, it was a statement and it held more meaning that either of them were able to admit at the present moment.

He looks at her and offers only a small nod in compliance, his mind and heart already made up to grant her request, his heart already looking forward to the loving attention that she would administer in the following hours.

For the past few weeks he had thought of asking her out, wanting to get to know her on a more personal level; to maybe spend the night at her place, in her embrace. However, this wasn't the way he had pictured their first night together and now with a target on his back and Joe's threat already coming to fruition, he wonders if they'll even get their romantic chance after all?

Now it wasn't just a city under siege; it was them too; their burgeoning personal relationship that would also be a target.

A/N: Okay so not sure how long this one is gonna be, will depend on reviews but hope you at least liked this chapter and might want another. If you'd like could add a second chapter, the night at Calleigh's (tension will abound) and morning after (some fluff) and depending on what you guys want might extend and also include some added action and more H peril (hehe can't resist) and then go from there to see where the muse takes us. Thanks so much in advance!