Horatio still served his community, just a little differently than he had before he retired. He met with the security teams regularly and informed them of changes in the way the criminal element operated outside their gates. Those meetings led to upgrades in the steel stanchions that locked the gates down, in the gates themselves, and in the bars on the windows of the control center. They also led to the installation of thicker bullet resistant glass in the windows of the control center, preventing a break in there a few months later.

He had his hands full with teaching, reconnoitering with the community leaders outside his walls, and fishing off of his dock on the inlet. Then there was Leila, his sole reason for agreeing to the move. He felt like a kid again when he was around her, even though they were roughly the same age and she'd seen and done things he devoutly hoped he never would.

The neighborhood gathered at their windows to watch when the couple took an evening stroll, renewed by their youthful enthusiasm when they stopped to share a kiss because they felt like it. No one knew it took over two years of hard work and planning to get them to that point, but everyone watched the romance blossom into love. Madi was a dyed-in-the-wool romantic and cherished the sight of her beloved uncle with his sweetheart, wishing she'd find someone like him so she could settle down and have a family.

Susie felt the same way and urged Madi to join her when she had a girl's night out, which she was thrilled when her daughter accepted. They'd team up and hit a few hot spots, take in the night sights, and act like the family they were. It was easy to tell that Madi was Susie's daughter because the young woman wasn't shy calling her mom or mama when she felt the need to.

The occasions were rare because both women worked the graveyard shift at the hospital and their hours were crazy, but the got them in whenever they could. Both were fulfilled in their chosen careers and grew closer as the years passed because they'd share war stories of their worst cases and how they ended. They giggled over the images of Horatio and Leila in the Whispering Springs Village Gazette, chuckling because they were obviously deeply in love and didn't care who knew it.

Their recovery time shortened considerably because they helped each other heal. Leila would always have trouble walking thanks to the prostheses she wore, so Horatio reveled in his role as her crutch. He loved it best when she leaned against him as they watched the sunset on the bay, or when they tossed their lines into the inlet to try and catch some supper.

He knew and didn't care that her left leg was neoprene from the knee down and her right was entirely engineered. The pair of limbs often conflicted, leading to nearly constant pain so most of the time he'd wheel her around the park near the command post. The increasingly rare times Leila chose to walk so she could lean on and hold hands with her beau enchanted the entire village as well as her besotted sweetheart.

His open and frequent return of her affections warmed hearts thought too cold to feel and brought smiles to many faces that hadn't cracked one in awhile. Horatio wasn't a spring chick, either and had to mind his back and neck, so there'd be no carrying his new bride over a threshold. He didn't care and neither did she. Autumn turned to winter and they celebrated their third year together quietly with friends and family.

Eric was a frequent guest at Horatio's house and had a difficult time watching them together at first. He'd see H with Leila and wish his sister was still alive, or an especially poignant memory would rise up and catch him off guard. He thanked God he had Calleigh and his daughter because they were the center of his world. Having them made it very easy to accept Horatio's lateral transfer into the auto shop and sea-borne investigations lab, because they kept him out of the Mala Noches' way.

He wasn't a coward, far from it, but he had a life filled with reasons to stay alive in the blonde bombshell he was proud to call his wife and their sandy-haired daughter, who was the center of their universe. He was elated to learn they expected a second child, even though he knew how big a risk his wife took with her health. She barely survived birthing their first child, her situation not helped at all by the din of gunfire on tin and cinder block as they hunkered down between two gangs determined to kill each other.

He thoroughly enjoyed the lavish supper H and Leila put on for their very select guests. He was thrilled to see Alexx, Frank and the rest of their team past and present gathered around the man who'd brought them together. There were ribald jokes and gentle teasing all around, but everything came to an immediate standstill when Horatio stood on the platform and toasted his sweetheart, saying,

"I once thought I'd never recover from the loss of my first wife, Marisol Delko-Caine. I loved her deeply even though we hadn't known each other very long and losing her nearly did me in. I'm overjoyed that I toughed it out because I met a son I didn't know I had and made several great friends on my journey. My heart's treasure and desire now rest in a gorgeous, witty and brilliant woman whose determined pursuit quite turned my head. Here's to you, my love," and kissed her because he couldn't help it.

Leila became decidedly misty-eyed when her beau risked being unable to rise unaided, bent his knee, and slid the ring on her finger, because she knew the effort it cost him. The ring was a gorgeous one with a center stone consisting of a 1/2 carat, heart-shaped diamond surrounded by the birthstones of everyone she loved. His was the diamond at the center of her ring, which symbolized him being at the center of her heart.

Horatio thought things ended there, so he was stunned when she coughed nervously, placed a hand on his leg, and asked,

"I've accepted you, Lieutenant Caine. Will you accept me," and presented a ring that rivaled his for beauty.

She was a January child, so his center stone was a heart-shaped blood garnet instead of a diamond. His diamond nestled in the valley between the lobes of the heart, telling the world that she loved him deeply indeed. The remaining stones were identical because they had the same circle of close friends and loved ones. It was his turn to turn misty and he did, croaking,

"I do, General Davenport, and I must insist that you call me Horatio," and kissed her with restrained passion to affirm their love and finalize the first of many intimate contracts.

Her soft sigh of capitulation surprised her two aides-de-camp because they never thought she'd give into any man. It was music to her beau's ears but he wasn't fool enough to rush things, even after she accepted him. This was the real deal, the once in a lifetime for both of them and as such was very special to them and their family. His wife-to-be deserved the very finest he could offer her and that included waiting until their honeymoon to make her completely his.

Julia had friends in Whispering Springs Village that kept her fully updated on the couple's deepening affections. Her jealousy simmered for weeks as she plotted their final parting, which left her no thought space for practicality or caution. Julius was the one to bring her rudely down to earth, snickering,

"You think you got a chance with Caine now he's found a woman that truly loves him? You gotta be outta your mind. You're in the gutter, which has needs of its own," and had the decided gall to try and kiss her.

He woke five minutes later near a dumpster in the bayou where they'd been talking, unaware that they'd been seen by the perimeter security cameras. The authorities found Mrs. Winston kicking up her heels in a local tavern and the gang banger face down in a pile of horse manure in the swamp. Film proved they'd been conversing until he said something that upset her, when she keelhauled him to prove she meant what she said about not consorting with riff-raff.

He wondered where she got the nerve to backhand him, since he was the man to her woman and she was supposed to capitulate whether or not she wished to. Boy did he have a lot to learn about Ms. Eberly. He chose to do that learning by looking her up at MDPD and what he learned made him wonder if she was worth the effort after all.

She was an expert con artist, having bilked thousands of multi-billionaires out of the bulk of their cash in one real estate swindle or another. She had the suspicious death of her third husband (which he didn't learn she had until he read through her police files) and two close associates hanging over her head. That made Caine still being alive a tribute to his skills as a detective, which gave him further pause in his plans to kill the man.

He turned from the worthless hag to the much-decorated lieutenant and learned he'd survived more than one Mala Noche ambush, including one in Brazil when he ran down and killed their leader, Antonio Riaz. It didn't matter at all that he knifed his enemy in defense of his partner's life, just that he flew over 3,000 miles to rescue his crazy brother for the second time.

That situation rapidly turned into a major nightmare that continued to get worse. First Caine found his dying brother hung up like a side of beef in a shed Riaz used to torture his victims. Next he had to get his sister-in-law safely back on American shores while simultaneously running down and saving his nephew Ray, Junior from El Diablo's evil intentions. Finally, he had to track down four other boys and make sure they were okay before he finished up by putting El Diablo behind bars for the rest of his life.

All in all, this man Caine wasn't somebody you messed with if you wanted to remain breathing. Since Julius enjoyed living he decided it was better to abandon his plans to kill the man than continue pursuing them. It was a firm decision until he got back to his crypt and the other leaders convinced him to keep trying, reminding him of his oath to defend the brotherhood even if it meant his death. He asked it they were willing to do the same and they couldn't answer, meaning that they weren't about to risk their lives but fully expected him to.

Julia had her own issues and sorted them out by returning to the bottle for solace. She made an extremely unwise choice in favorite watering hole, as Severino's Tavern was Ron Saris's hangout too. He wondered what she was playing at, visiting him in his lair so he walked up and asked her. Her blank stare and cold expression warned that she hadn't known it was his hangout, with her words giving further proof, when she said icily,

"I chose this place for its remoteness and great liquor, Ron. I have you to thank for the scar that ended any hope I had of a modeling career, so you're the very last person I wanted to see tonight."

Ron saw the fine sheen of sweat on her face and neck and wondered what caused it until he remembered that she was a diabetic and shouldn't be drinking. She was also on probation from the asylum and shouldn't be drinking at all because alcohol amplified her drowsiness from her bi-polar medications. She seemed lucid so he wondered if she stopped taking them when they let her out. If she had, there was no telling her state of mind and that made her very dangerous to be around.

He had the scars on his face and body thanks to her, so he took his drink to the farthest side of the bar away from her. She didn't want to deal with him, either, so she split, adding this bit of venom to the barkeeper,

"Ron Saris can't be trusted. Watch your back," as she sashayed to her cab.

Emil already knew the data she gave him, thanks to being blindsided in a business deal meant to make only one person money, and it wasn't Emil. Saris covered his tab as he drank because of their bad blood and Emil thought it strange the man didn't recognize him. After meeting dozen and more of his fellow victims, he understood why and marveled that Saris wasn't more careful where he hung out. He had a very high bounty on his head of which he was apparently unaware, a status Emil wasn't about to change.

He contacted a few buddies he knew and they got a posse together to ambush Ron Saris for paybacks, since he owed many of them major dough for dope he stole. He owed a few more for guns he sold but didn't pay for and another dozen for girls they gave him on a tab that he never paid. The man was scum, a total deadbeat that lived off of whoever was dumb enough to fall for his lies.

The blonde that just left must've been another of his victims, so he asked around and learned she'd been in on some of the real estate scams Saris ran. Their joint collection of victims had it in for them so Julia had a very lucky escape. She left a hundred dollars for a three and a half dollar drink, which sweetened Emil towards her until one of his compadres told him that was how she worked a room. She carried Julius's stench on her too, making her someone to avoid if possible.

It was obvious the woman had no sense and chose badly because of the lack. Her sole good choice was Horatio Caine (Emil smiled at the name because the man was responsible for him getting his life together after he got out of prison) and he dumped her to rescue familia. That made Horatio an untouchable to many lowlifes, so Ron had great difficulty getting help to run him down and do him in. His need for extreme caution thanks to being with the Fed didn't help matters either, but he made do with the help he could get.