2002
February
Horatio had been invited to Calleigh´s Birthday and Marisol had been invited, too. She was young and had a good time playing with the children. She and her siblings also seemed to have a close knit relationship. She loved her sisters and her brother very much and always asked them for advice. They gladly gave her the advice as they knew, the she was the most sensitive of the four of them.
From the moment he entered the Delko-Duquesne house he knew that there was something special about Marisol, something that he needed to find out. She always stayed close to one of her siblings and her nieces and nephews. The rest of the team, Alexx, Megan, Timothy, Yelina, Ray jr., Frank and Maxine were there, too. She kept her distance and stayed on comfortable territory. He grabbed his drink and grabbed a glass of cooled water and walked over to where she was standing and was looking over the back yard. The rest of the family was sitting in the back yard and the children were playing together.
He stepped up to her from behind. "I brought you a drink Marisol." She turned around a little surprised and looked at him a little unsure. "Thank you" she took the drink and smiled a little. She took a sip and looked down. He could see that she is a little insecure. "Why don´t we take a walk?" She looked up at him and looked directly into his eyes. Marisol only saw truth and honesty in his eyes and his face and somehow had the feeling that she could trust him. "Alright." They put the drinks on the table and walked through the kitchen and out the front door. The Delko-Duquesne house was in a nice neighborhood with single family homes and almost peaceful streets. The people only drove their cars to go to work and to come back. Most of the time there was no car on the streets.
You could take walks on the street or you could take walks through the woods like areas. It was quiet and peaceful. They walked down the road were Eric lived and back onto the main road of the development and then back onto the loop were the house was. During that time the talked about everything and nothing and Horatio noticed even more how insecure and unsure Marisol was about everything.
"Marisol what are you doing?" "I just finished university where I studied Law and now I am working at a company downtown. I am the youngest of four children and they always tried to protect me and always took care of me. And now all of them are married and have children, all but me." She was surprised about herself that she was talking that openly with Horatio. But she had the feeling that she could trust him and that he would not tell anyone about the contents of their conversation. "At the moment I do not really feel the need to start a family. But I honestly should start one soon. I just need to find Mr. Right."
Horatio sensed that Marisol had the need to find him soon. He does not know if she personally would need to find him soon, but he knows her mother and how she is an absolute family woman who had wanted her children to marry as soon as possible. He also knew that her sisters married at 28 and that Clorindha Delko was not really amused by that.
"Marisol you are young and you still have time to find the right man. Do not pressure yourself that much and let the things happen the way they happen." "Horatio my family is catholic and I actually do not know if I should tell you this." "Should tell me what Marisol?" They by not had returned to the Delko house and were sitting on the bench in front of it. "My mother always wanted us to marry early and after my sisters did not do it Eric gladly married very young. But now my mother is trying to get me to marry as soon as possible. Horatio I honestly do not know if I am ready to marry yet." She paused and looked down at her hands. "I am sorry. I am dumping all of this on you and we barely know each other. I know you probably have enough on your mind. I am sorry."
She was about to get up from the bench when Horatio lightly grabbed her arm and made her sit back down. "Marisol I am happy to listen to you. As Eric has probably already told you I am a good listener and when I notice that someone has something on their mind I hardly accept no as an answer. I understand that you are not ready to marry and I think that your mother would understand that too." She looked at him and knew that he had no idea what her mother is like. "My mother was raised to marry early and to start a family as soon as possible and now she wants me to do the same but I am not ready.
Horatio could see that she was afraid that she could not live up to her mother´s expectations. "Your mother loves you Marisol. I know that I am probably going to overstep my boundaries, but how about we go out together and have a nice evening together some time." "I am not sure Horatio." He put a hand on her lower arm. "Marisol it may be a possibility to just have a relaxed time. Do me a favor and think about it." She nodded and he helped her up and they rejoined the rest of the family.
About a week after Calleigh´s Birthday party Horatio has an unexpected visitor in his office. Marisol was standing in his office looking out of the windows. "Marisol!" She turned around and smiled at him. "What are you doing here?" She walked towards him and stopped right in front of him. "Is your offer sill up? The one for an evening together?" "Off course the offer is still up." Marisol turned around and looked out of the window again. "How about tomorrow evening?" "Whatever you want Marisol." She smiled and turned around again. "Then I will see you tomorrow evening." "Alright." Marisol said her good bye and left his office.
The following evening Marisol and Horatio spend alone together and enjoyed their time with no one around getting to know each other better. Horatio got to know her better and she got to know him better. Horatio started to get to know Marisol better and noticed that she is very, very sensitive. She is very unsure and seems to be in need of a lot of encouragement. He had to admit, that he felt more than friendship towards Marisol but he sensed that he had be careful when he wanted to admit his feelings towards her. He felt something close to love and hoped that she felt something similar towards him.
June
Over the next few weeks and months the two of them slowly and carefully started a relationship which started to bloom over time. Horatio was very careful with everything he did and said because she was so sensitive and sometimes even a little bit fragile. He wanted to talk to her about something and hoped that she would not freak. Horatio had asked her to come by in the evening. He prepared everything and hoped that she would not freak when she saw what he had prepared and when she knew what he wanted to talk about.
The evening saw them sitting on the living-room couch drinking lemonade together. He is preparing himself for the questions he wants to ask her. "Horatio you said that you would like to talk about something with me tonight. What did you want to talk about?" He looked at her intently and could see that she looked worried and a little bit afraid. "Marisol over the past few months we had had the opportunity to get to know each other better. I like to think that both of us are comfortable with the way our relationship is growing. Please tell me if I am wrong Marisol." "You are not wrong Horatio. I am comfortable with the way our relationship is growing but I am worried why you want to talk."
He placed a comforting hand on her right thigh. "You have absolutely nothing to be worried about. I wanted to talk to you about your wishes and plans for the future we might have together. Marisol I would like for you to tell me what your plans are for the future." She looked at him and then looked back at her hands which were holding the ice tea glass. "Marisol." "Horatio since I was a little girl I always dreamed of a man, who would take care of me, would protect me and would love me and would treat me in the best way a woman could dream if. I found that man in you, an even more. As a little girl I always thought my life would be like a fairy tale. A fairytale wedding, a loving husband and beautiful and adorable children. That has always been my dream and I hope that it will come true, one day." It seemed to be her dream and he promised himself that he would do everything he could to make that happen.
He moved closer to her on the couch and pulled her into his chest. "Marisol those are wishes that we can fulfill. I already proved to you that I can be the man and husband you want to have, as you said so earlier. I would like to have children with you and to have an own little family with you." He moved her face toward his and descended his lips onto hers. Horatio tried to get her to let go of those emotions that she held in check and that she would never show. He coaxed an emotion and a reaction out of her when he held her moaning in his arms he knew that was getting somewhere.
September
They were close to fulfilling one of her dreams by having a fairytale wedding. Marisol always the princess like dress she always dreamed of. They would marry in front of a judge first and then they would marry in the church Marisol´s family belonged to. The marriage at the courthouse will be at noon and the wedding in the church will be at 2 p.m.
Everyone was waiting for the bridal couple to enter the room in the courthouse. Finally Horatio and Marisol entered the room, with Marisol wearing a white ankle long dress with a jacket. After giving their vows and signing the papers she allowed herself to relax a little. But everyone especially Horatio knew that she only start to feel like being Mrs. Caine after the religious wedding and he respected her views and her strong faith. He too, was very catholic but for Marisol a religious wedding was the most important thing in the world.
Before they would marry in the church Marisol would change her dress. She would walk into the church at her father´s arm. Marisol would meet Horatio at the altar.
In the church later all the guests were seated and were waiting. Then Horatio entered the church and walked to the altar, where their witnesses were waiting. Horatio stood at the altar and waited patiently for his wife to arrive. After about another ten minutes the church doors opened and Marisol Delko walked into the church on the arm of her father. She was wearing a white dress with a veil that covered her face and went to below her breasts. In her hear she was wearing clips that had belonged to her ancestors. The skirt had a little A-Form and you could only see the tip of her shoes. At the back of her dress there was a train that was 10 Feet long, starting at her hip.
When she and her father reached the altar Horatio could see how emotionally Marisol was. She had tears pooling in her eyes. But she looked happy. Her father gave Marisol´s hand to Horatio. When he took her hand in his he noticed that her hand was cold as ice and that she was shaking. He moved his thumb in soothing circles over her palm and leaned his head close to her ear and whispered. "Relax sweetheart. We will be alright." She nodded a little shaky. "We are together now and everything will be alright." He caught one of her tears with his thumb and smiled at her.
The music is both American and Cuban. After their vows while they were sitting on their benches a Cuban church song was played. As soon as the first tunes were played she had tears streaming down her face and she could not stop crying anymore. It took all of her strength to not start sobbing. She laid her bouquet down on the knee bench and took a hold of Horatio´s hand. He took her booklet and his and laid them down on his knee bench.
By now Marisol´s tears were falling like waterfalls and he was a little worried about her. Horatio carefully moved his bench closer to Marisol´s and moved to the end of the bench as she copied his actions. He wrapped his left arm around her and held her right hand with his right hand. She just sank into his embrace and let the tears flow. He just held her while the Cuban song was being played.
A few minutes later the service was over, and they walked out of the church as husband and wife. She walked out of the church on Horatio´s arm. She had linked her arm with his. Horatio and Marisol were both happy as they left the church but Horatio noticed that the Cuban song had taken away a lot of her strength. They accepted the congratulations and then Horatio arranged for them to have some time alone, because the dinner they had arranged would start in about in two and a half hours.
Marisol´s grand-parents and her great-grand-parents also lived in the States. Her maternal grand-parents allowed them to use their house to spend some time together. When they arrived at the house she changed into the dress she wore at the courthouse. She would put her real wedding dress back on later. Once they were in her grand-parents living-room and were settled on the couch Marisol let go of all of her façade. "Are you feeling better Marisol?" She nodded. "Yes. I was just extremely lost and overwhelmed when they started playing the Cuban song. I did not really register what happened after because I was still emotionally overwhelmed. The wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful and wonderful. It was my dream wedding Horatio." She looked up at him and he leaned down and gently kissed her.
"Sweetheart, how about you try to get some rest. We have a long evening ahead of us." She snuggled deeper into his chest. "Close your eyes for a few minutes." "Alright." He pulled her deeper into his chest and kissed her head lightly while he rubbed soothing circles on her back. He could feel that she is still extremely stressed. Horatio could feel tight muscles in her shoulders and her back but he could also feel that she also still seemed to be very shaken up and fragile but he knew that she was happy.
In the evening after the dinner and after a lot of dancing Horatio led Marisol out of the building and into his hummer where he had already put the bags he had packed with their things. He and Marisol then drove away unnoticed by their guests and families. Horatio had rented a house in an undisclosed location in southern Florida for him and Marisol for two weeks. There they were going to spend their honeymoon.
When they arrived at the house in the early morning Marisol was asleep in her seat. Horatio did not want to wake her so he carefully carried her into the house and put her down on the bed in the bedroom. He knew that she was tired and that she needed her rest. And in that moment as he saw her sleeping tired on the bed he silently promised her that he would do everything to protect and to make sure that she is happy.