Semper Fi Pt. 01

"No, thanks... he the first boyfriend killed?" Hodges asked.

"Maybe, maybe not... there might be others out there that no one's noticed, we don't know. Have the husbands been notified, yet?" Caitlyn asked.

"No. It was decided that would wait until we could get them out and back Stateside," said Carlson.

"Seems fair; I can imagine what the response might be. How do you want to go about this?" She unwrapped on of Garrett's candy bars and took a bite.

"I was thinking we team up. You know the area and we've got the clout on the base." The agent had a big smile on his face. He wanted to investigate more than just a couple of wayward wife murders.

"Sounds good." She made a decision. "Your partner can be with Garrett and you can call me Caitlyn." She blushed and hurried on. "Say, any relation to the Fort Bragg killings?"

**********

Chapter 5 When a Man Loves a Woman, Percy Sledge

When a man loves a woman...
He can't keep his mind on nothing else...
He'll trade the world...
For the good thing he found.
If she is bad, he can't see it...

Working with Carlson was a joy and Caitlyn began to enjoy her work, once again. He never complained and he didn't eat candy bars every ten seconds... and, he paid for lunch and dinner... every day.

She was surprised at the power Frank's NCIS credentials gave them while he was impressed at her ability to question witnesses. And yet, even with all that, they were no closer to finding the "Lonely Hearts Killer" than they had been the first day.

Once they had gotten past the initial shyness of a new relationship, even one based on professional interests, they had settled into an easy partnership, each taking the lead depending on circumstances.

Caitlyn took Frank to all the crime scenes. While the motel room had been thoroughly cleaned and the rug replaced, the others were still as the day of the killing. Garrett and Cynthia were back at the station, working on paper trails, hoping to find similar circumstances anywhere in the country. So far, nothing.

A week later, lunch was from Burger King and while Frank had two Whoppers, she satisfied herself with a Whopper Jr and a small fries. He smiled, taking her elbow and steering her out of the way of other pedestrians. They sat down at a park bench and began to eat.

He pulled her into his arms. At first, she was too stunned to react, caught in his embrace. He twined his fingers into her hair and pulled back her head, baring her throat to his mouth. His lips settled against her neck, hot and urgent against the sensitive skin.

Waves of emotion washed over her, making it impossible to think. She only knew how she felt... confused... excited... and frightened. A man like him could make a woman lose her head. She'd never experienced such feelings before. It was like being on a roller coaster and longing to crash.

She closed her eyes and tried to catch her breath. Her body seemed to be melting. Her lips softened and parted as he nuzzled his way toward her ear. When was he going to kiss her? is all she could think. Every second he waited was like an eternity of delicious torture.

She swayed and clutched his waist. The hallway felt so hot that it was making her dizzy. His tongue flicked across her earlobe and then probed the inside of her ear. She shuddered and then held him tighter. The world receded until his warmth and strength were the only ixisting realities.

He was in the same place as Caitlyn... lost in desire and emotion. To the extent he could think at all, he was warning himself to go slowly. Some had hurt her so she had been afraid of getting involved again, he could tell. He felt a hard-edged satisfaction when she moaned and pressed herself closer. She brought out the most conflicting feelings in him. Part of him wanted to conquer her, to pay her back for the challenges and defeats and part of him wanted to worship her. She was like glass... tough on the outside but capable of being shattered into a million pieces by a man's carelessness.

He was aching to kiss her but forced himself to wait. Let her take the initiative, he thought. Let her raise her lips and offer her mouth. Still, he couldn't stop himself... he couldn't stop his hand from moving to her waist and tugging at her blouse. She stiffened but didn't resist. His hand began to burn. He longed to slide against her stomach and savor the softness of her skin. A few seconds later, he was doing exactly that... then he was moving higher...

Caitlyn went rigid as Frank's hand closed over her breast. A voice told her to pull away but when he started rubbing his palm against her nipples, the voice disappeared. He took a nipple between his thumb and finger and teased it until it was swollen with pleasure and then played with its twin until her body was on fire with excitement. She'd never been caressed that way before... with tenderness one moment and rough passion the next. She buried her lips against his neck and felt the sharp but loving bit of his teeth in return.

She wasn't going to stop him. The realization hit her like a sharp slap in the face, momentarily shocking her. How could she be letting him touch her? she wondered. She had only just met him. She didn't know what kind of person he was. Maybe he was involved with somebody else. Maybe she was only casual fun for him.

And if she wasn't? If he was just as involved as she was? That would be different. She still couldn't accept where they had been headed but if things went more slowly...

She needed to know the answer. She wanted to think this was real. She struggled to frame the words and get them out of her mouth.

"Frank, please." Her throat felt dry and tight. "I need to know what's happening here... you and me."

Frank didn't know what was worse, her questions or the anxiety in her voice. He wasn't the kind for one-night stands and neither was she, was she?

He released her and ran his hand through his hair. He wanted to take her back into his arms and make love to her but common sense prevailed. He took a deep breath.

"Uh... look, I'm sorry about this," he said. "I'm not sure how it happened, except..." He hesitated, at a loss for words. Except for what? he asked himself. Except for what? That he wanted her more than any woman he'd ever met?

It had been Caitlyn's idea to have dinner at the Claim Jumper. "My treat," she said.

"In that case, why don't you order?" Frank put his menu down. "I'm in your hands."

"OK... we'll start with the onion rings and potato skins, split the California Citrus salad, steak and shrimp. How's that sound?"

All through dinner, Frank had been watching her, trying to pretend his feelings of desire weren't still raging. He was enchanted how her eyes luminesced through her glasses. He tried to concentrate on the cases, trying to keep his arousal under control. "Caitlyn, what am I going to do with you?" he whispered to himself, trying to ignore the flames burning through his blood.

She was silent for a moment. So silent, he was grateful she hadn't heard him. Then she whispered, "What do you want to do with me?"

He looked up from his food, knowing both desire and frustration were apparent in his gaze. "Everything I can think of."

She licked her lips. "Such as?"

The shock that ran through him was so intense it almost knocked him off his chair. He cleared his throat, trying to talk through his mouth that was suddenly so dry from desire. "Caitlyn, you're playing with fire."

"I know," she sighed. "I can't help myself."

Frank reached for his drink and chugged it down, feeling the margarita burn all the way down his throat, adding to the fire already raging.

"I've been telling and telling myself that this is wrong, that it's unprofessional," she murmured, "but I still can't... I don't understand myself when I'm with you. Nothing makes any sense, only this... this feeling between us."

He pressed his hand against her mouth, his thumb parting her lips to caress the smooth inside. "I swear, one more word and I'll take you on this table, right here and right now and anybody who's watching be damned."

She looked back at him, her eyes wide and almost glowing with desire. "I wouldn't care."

"Let's just..." He couldn't finish the sentence, so tempted was he to say, "...get out of here." He let go of her hand. He stood up, threw some bills on the table and grabbed her hand, practically jerking her to her feet.

They walked to his hotel room, dodging puddles and stood in the darkness outside his door, watching the rain that continued to fall and then... he moved.

Frank's finger stroked through her silky, black hair, cupping her head, his sensual mouth closing one pale eyelid and then the other, then drifting as lightly as a summer breeze over her face, lingering for a tantalizing moment at the corner of her mouth to the soft indentation of her short upper lip and then his mouth hovered a mere breath above her own parted lips.

Her breath came in rapid, uneven gasps; her hands find their own way beneath the fabric of his shirt to caress his superb athletic body.

His charm had bewitched her. Beneath the palms of his hands she felt his body shake, knew a moment of wild exultation as his arms went around her, dragging her into the warmth of his body.

And, she went with a whimper of pleasure, a whisper of sound that died as his mouth took hers and ravaged her senses, drawing forth a response she didn't know she had to give as her hands straddled his head, her fingers tangled in his dark hair.

She was crazy and not ashamed as she thought she would be. His hands pushed the silky fabric aside, exposing the white gleam of her skin, her taut breasts proudly inviting the caress of his mouth.

"Caitlyn..." he groaned raggedly, his head dipping in wordless acceptance as his mouth found and devoured the inviting mounds, make her back arch in ecstasy, her head falling back on her neck. His words were slurred, hot with passion, with a need that matched her own, a need that would kill if it weren't assuaged. He gathered her into his arms.

She clung to him, loving him, uncaring of where he was taking her, her mouth finding his jawline, nibbling, tasting the spice of the inevitable beard growth, her teeth nipping and teasing until his head dropout dropped, his mouth finding hers and taking it, savagely marker her with his brand of possession.

He set her down gently on her feet, sliding her body down the length of his and his voice was tight with a toughness he couldn't disguise as he said, "I don't know what will happen when I close this door behind us. If you want to leave, then say so now. I cannot promise to control myself if you all things to go further and then back away."

Caitlyn said quietly but firmly enough that there was no mistake, "Close the door, Frank." A hand lifted to touch his face and she felt the softening, the release of tension, and saw the wicked glint of his eyes as he gently swung the door into place, carefully placing her gun-carrying purse and glasses on the room's table and guided her to the bed, his hands removing her clothes, shaping her body with a touch that held reverence and desire in equal measure.

"This isn't right," he said, even as he caressed her.

"I know, but I don't care, anymore. Do you?"

"I should, but I don't. The only thing I care about is you. I won't let anything hurt you, I promise."

"Touch me," Caitlyn moaned, as she pulled at him.

He stroked his hand down her throat, his fingers sliding into the valley of her breasts. "I want to touch you so bad, I'm afraid I'll break you."

"You can't break me." She slipped his hand into her bra, tensing as his fingers closed over her nipple. "Oh, God..."

"Does that feel good?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Oh, yes," she practically cried.

He smiled an unhooked her bra, cupping her other breast, his fingers stroking the crest. "How about this?" He licked her, reveling in the taste of her skin, smelling the ripe scent of her sex.

She arched her back, presenting her breasts to him. "More... I want more."

His tongue traced a path down to the waistband of her slacks, letting his gaze mover over her with satisfaction. Her breasts were high and taut, the peaks full and pouting as they begged again for the pull of his mouth. He couldn't resist. Just one more time and then it was on to other delights. He slid her zipper down, working her evening slacks off her legs until finally she lay there with only a strip of lace covering her innermost secrets, secrets she wanted to share with him. He unwrapped her then, like a boy with a chocolate candy, throwing her covering aside while he worked to get at the soft luscious center waiting for him within.

He tasted her, the hot honey of her melting onto his lips, the tip of his tongue flicking forward to find the sweetness inside. Greedily he parted her, until finally he had no choice but to feast as she responded to his intimate caress. She wrapped her legs around him, her body arching up to him until she seemed ready to break in two. The need was there and so was the tenderness. He'd never felt this way with another woman, doubted he ever would. For him, there was only the moment. This moment, only this, when he could play Caitlyn's body like a finely tuned instrument until it sang with the sweetest sounds he'd ever heard.

But sweetness wasn't all he wanted. He wanted heat, too. As her hands tore at his pants, he realized she wanted the same.

"Protection," he barely said.

"Please, tell me you have some."

He didn't know if he did or not and fumbled through the nightstand until he found the square package.

"Thank you," she said with relief, taking it from him and putting it next to her on the bed. She leaned over him, pushing him back, her nipples brushing against his arm. He gently cupped one breast, running a rough thumb over the peak, causing her to sigh as she settled next to him, wriggling as close as she could get. She kissed him and Frank felt the loneliness of his life evaporate.

She reached for him and caressed him until he thought she would burst just from her touch. As if she knew it, she took the foil square and tore it open, then placed the condom on his penis and gently guided him inside her.

He took her... fast and hard and urgently. Together, they climbed, only to pause at the summit before climbing again, peaking where the air grew thin and the emotions hot, erupting with all the power nature could give a man and a woman.

Afterward, he dropped his forehead onto hers, waiting until his heartbeat slowed before he tried to speak. "Caitlyn?"

"Shhh... don't move. Don't say anything, just be with me.."

He became still. Just be with me, she had said, but he knew how fragile the moment was. "Caitlyn..."

Her fingers stilled his lips. "I need to pretend this is forever."

"Forever? Is that what you want?"

She smiled. "It makes no sense, does it? We didn't even know each other, did we?" She ended the conversation by throwing a leg over him. Kneeling, she raised her arms to embrace the sky like a pagan goddess, the arched forward wantonly, rocking against his hips. "I've been dreaming about this, ever since I met you," she said as he filled her. He was just right. Her muscles clenched in response as he thrust upward. She looked down at him, taking in his strong features, now etched in passion. It had happened too fast and too unexpectedly but she didn't care. It had happened.

She was definitely, totally, completely in love with this man, with this stranger that had entered her life and now filled all the empty spaces.

Frank grasped her hips with his hands and pulled her closer. She forgot about everything else but the need to move harder, faster... focusing on her own needs.

Caitlyn opened her eyes to see the hard shadows of the hotel room as the morning sun lit up the sky. The harsh shadows made the room seem primitive, as if she was the first woman on earth and had just been discovered by the first man. Her skin still glistened, exuding sweat and the tangy scent of sex. She stretched out against him and sighed, "I could get used to this."

He laughed. "You could, huh?"

Tracing a finger down his damp chest, she followed it with her tongue, tasting the salt and heat that still blanketed his body. "I think so. How about you?"

"Oh, yeah. What are you thinking?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're smiling. I just wondered why you're smiling."

Caitlyn let her smile expand until she was positive it could have lit the entire city. "I was thinking about you."

"We have to talk."

"Yes, we do."

"There's so much to say," he said. "I don't know where to begin." His finger traced the curve of her left breast, stopping at her nipple, touching it lightly. "What's going to happen with us? when all this is done?"

"I don't know. I just know I want you. San Diego isn't that far away." She wanted to say more but he covered her mouth with his and began to love her, again.

**********

Chapter 6 Your Cheating Heart, Patsy Cline

Your cheatin' heart...
Will make you weep...
You'll cry and cry...
And try to sleep...
But sleep won't come...
The whole night through...
Your cheatin' heart...
Will tell on you...

When tears come down...
Like fallin' rain...

There seemed to be a pause in the killings for a few weeks and although nothing had been proven, it seemed likely that whoever it had been had either left the area or was lying low. And then, it started again... or maybe, it never stopped.

It was a somber trip to San Diego and Caitlyn began to wonder how widespread the situation was. It had now spread to three different cities and twelve murders.

"He's been dead at least two weeks," said the medical examiner, nodding to acknowledge their presence. "Blunt force trauma to the back of the head. Of course, after two weeks, things were a little nasty."

Caitlyn looked at the photographs. There was no way she was going to spend time in the autopsy room with a smelly, moldy two week old body. It took forever to get that smell out of her hair, no matter how many times she shampooed. "Fine, but what's that got to do with Garrett and me? You know we're busy on the Marine wives cases."

"His wife's in Afghanistan. She's in the Corps. We found a photo of her in some Afghani village."

Caitlyn was surprised. "You're kidding. I guess I never thought about that. Looks like our killer is equal opportunity... are you sure?"

"I think that's for you to find out but I bet it is."

"Well, Frank, you heard the man... it's up to us to find out. It still is a different M.O., though. I wonder why." Maybe some angry brother or father or... boyfriend?

*********

Caitlyn and Frank drove back to Susan Winslow's house and walked around the building, poking through the low-lying bushes.

"I thought you and Garrett already came back..."

"We did... but I'm sure there's something we missed. Keep looking."

"Yes, sir!" Frank said, smiling. He walked around the house, wondering just what it was that was missing and why would it be in the bushes. The murders took place in the entryway and just inside. Whatever it was, it should be there, not out here. He went to the front door and began to look again, this time on his hands and knees.

He felt stupid but knew it had to be done. What could he find that CSI missed? After a half-hour, more or less, he gave up and they left.

As Caitlyn drove, Frank was wiping down his pants. Caitlyn pulled the unmarked over to the side of the road and pulled a U-turn. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"The porch... it was dirty. There should have..." She stopped the car. "No, that doesn't make sense. Whoever did it would have cleaned the place up... I'm so confused."