Disclaimer: I DO NOT own CSI: Miami, its characters, Sharpay Evans or this song, but I do own Courtney Duquesne.
A/N: The song is "You Don't Have to Let Go" by Jessica Simpson. I really don't know what really came over me to write this but I guess it was the fact that I roleplay as Calleigh's daughter even though she doesn't have one. Plus, I've always wondered what it would be like to be Horatio Caine's daugther or in this case, step-daughter. So, all-in-all, I came up with this. DON'T ASK...A/N 2: When Horatio says '17 years...', that doesn't mean she got married at seventeen. For the person I roleplay, H came into her life at the age of four so I tried to come up with an age that would be appropriate and to make a long story short, Court is 21 in this story. Oh, and when I mention Sharpay Evans, my six-year-old niece was watching HSM while I was watching this; Sharpy is my favorite character from that movie!
17 years... For seventeen years, she has been my angel, my little girl and my best friend. For seventeen years, she has been the only one I could truly open up to and know I am here to give her away. I am here to give my baby girl away the man of her dreams and the one she accepted to marry. I never thought this day would come but it has and now I trust the man she has chosen to take care of her with all his love, trust and loyalty. Everyone knows it's not easy for me to let go of her, especially her, but it has come to it and today, just for her, I am the proudest father in the world.
He looked at the dance floor and watched his angel glide across the floor with her newlywed husband. All the smiles, kisses and laughter mixed into the dance floor as the song was drawing to a close. He saw her look up at him smiling that most amazingly beautiful southern smile she always had growing up. Smiling back, the newlyweds kissed and she walked off into the direction of where all the bridesmaids and maid-of-honor were. "Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention," Alexx Woods said into the microphone, "I don't know how many of you actually know this couple but for those who do, you all know that this is one special relationship because it had to be approved by the one and only Horatio Caine." A few chuckles and giggles were sent out through the room and eyes began to rest on him. "By being one of his team and growing into a friend, I have had the privilege of getting to know his daughter, Courtney, and during those years, I came to realize that yeah, every daughter and father has a special connection and bond but ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, this is no ordinary special connection. This father/daughter relationship was and still is built on trust, loyalty, respect and love. Love that each one of them knows will never go away. And for that, I know give you the time, I know, they have been waiting for all night. Sugar," Alexx looked at Horatio and then at Courtney, "Baby Girl, it is time for your father/daughter dance."
Horatio walked towards the middle of the dance floor to met Court. "Hey Princess," he smiled kissing the top of her head, "May I have this dance?"
She nodded and smiled up at her dad, "I would be honored Daddy." She took his hands, stepped closer to him and laid her head down on his chest.
"Without farther ado, I would like to present Courtney's maid-of-honor, Sharpay Evans." He handed the microphone over to his daughter and the music started to play.
Ashley took a deep breath and started to sing:
"I don't need your strength anymore
'Cause you've made me strong
You may not see the woman in me
That you dreamed of
Holding me in your arms
All the days that you gave
All the moments you've saved me,
Praying for my life
Sacrificed, just to make me who I am on my own
You don't have to let go"
He gently glided her across the middle of the dance floor trying so hard to not let the tears fall down his face. He knew that this day would come but he didn't want to be this soon. Yeah, twenty-three is a time that was made to start a new life with someone you loved, to start a new life with a steady career and maybe to start a new life with a baby but he hated the fact that he was going to lose his daughter. He hated the fact that now they wouldn't be so close anymore, they wouldn't talk the way they use to and he hated the fact that now they wouldn't be able to have those days or nights where they would talk about anything for hours on end. He knew he was in fear of saying the one thing he never wanted to say to her in his life, that fear was of saying the words, good-bye. As his thoughts began to fade, Sharpay's voice started to dance around him and his daughter more and more:
"You don't say it
But it's in your eyes
All the fears of good-bye
But I can promise
You'll always have a place, and a way to my heart
All the days that you gave
All the moments you've saved me,
Praying for my life
Sacrificed, just to make me who I am on my own
You don't have to let go"
As though she read his mind, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Dad, this doesn't mean we're not going to see each other anymore or I'm just going to stop talking to you. I mean, Aiden just doesn't know what we have been through. You were there when you took me to the hospital to see mom and you were there with me when she died. And you were there to hold me when I refused to igknowledge the face that mom wasn't ever coming back. You were there when I just cried myself to sleep knowing that she wouldn't ever see me grow up into the woman I am today. You were there when I graduated from high school, and you were there last month for me when I graduated from FSU. No one, not even Aiden, is going to take that away from you." She watched him nod. "It just means that there is someone else I can run to protect me but..." more tears started to run down but she still had that smile that he loved so much on her face, "You are always going to be my first line of defense." She laid her head back down on his chest. He bent his head down and kissed her head. Moving her head to rest on his shoulder, she looked up at began to sing to him in a whisper, "I can live; Cause you lived for me; And I can love; Because you loved me." As if Shar knew Court was going to do that, she stopped just before that verse came on and let Courtney sing it to her father. After Court sang it, Shar began to sing again:
"All the days that you gave
All the moments you've saved me,
Praying for my life
Sacrificed, just to make me who I am on my own
You don't have to let go
(Ooh ooh ooh)
You don't have to let go"
Though the song ended, neither one of them split apart, "Dad, I have to go now but I promise you this, when I get back in three weeks, you and I are going to spend as much time together as we did when I was younger because you deserve it and so do I. I love you and I will see you when I get back." She looked up at him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Okay baby girl, good-b..." He felt two tiny fingers on his lips and saw her beautiful green eyes wider than he has ever seen them.
"Don't you even dare Dad! This is not a good-bye! It will never be a good-bye." She felt tears come down her cheek but were wiped away by Horatio and kissed her on her head.
"I'm sorry, Princess! I'll see you when you get back." He smiled and kissed her head again. He stepped away and looked over at Aiden who was standing behind his daughter. "Aiden, take care and be sure you take care of my little girl; she's the only one I have left in my life." Aiden nodded and shook Horatio's hand then took his wife's hand and guided her out of the reception hall and towards the limo that waited for them to take them to the airport. With that, Horatio walked out on the balcony and watched the stars in the sky glisten down on Miami.
"You did good, H. Calleigh would have been so proud." Eric said while putting a hand on Horatio's shoulder and looking up at the sky.
"Yes you did, Hunny. Our angel would have been very proud of you." Alexx said putting a hand on his other shoulder and also looking up at the sky.
He nodded as a lone tear stuck his face and looked up at the star that was in the middle of Orion's Belt. "There's one thing that you two are wrong about. She wouldn't be proud because she still is proud of me and of Court. She is looking down on us and she knows that no matter what happens in life, she is always in our hearts and in our minds." He looked at Alexx and then at Eric. "I may not have my wife, my mother or my brother anymore but I have my daughter, my in-laws and my friends and that is really all Calleigh and my mom would ever want me to have." Both of them smiled, patted his shoulder and walked off to find their families. About a minute after they left, Horatio looked back up at that star and remembered the day he bought it for Courtney.
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"Princess, you see that star. The one that is right smack dab in the middle of Orion's Belt." Horatio pointed out.
"Yes, Daddy!"
"Well, that is where your mommy is. She may be in heaven but when she misses us or she just wants to watch us, she goes to that star and looks down on us."
"Really?"
"Yes baby girl! And you know what else?"
"What?" She looked up at her daddy and reached up so he could pick her up
"Anytime you think of her or you just want to talk to her about boys or school or me, all you have to do is look up at the night sky and talk. She will always be there to listen."
"I like that, Daddy. Can I talk to her now?"
Horatio looked down at her smiling and nodding. "Yes you can, Princess!"
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He smiled, "Well Sweetheart, we did it. We raised our baby girl to be the brightest, most caring and beautiful young woman. We did good, Beautiful, we did good." He smiled again, "I love you, good night!" He kissed his fingers and put them in the air then turned around and joined in on the fun that kept on going after the newlyweds took off.
THE END...