Title: Life Goes On

Author: innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat/LJ)

Summary: Third in the "American Family Series" (which consists so far of "Two Lives" and "Love's Burden"). While planning the wedding, Suzie returns and trouble ensues because of it…not only over Madison, but over the life that Horatio wants to give her and what he fully intends on following through with.

Category: Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

Genres: Angst, Character Study, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance, Suspense

Characters: Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne, Original Character, Other

Warnings: Adult Themes

Rating: R

Chapter: 1 "The Brewing Storm"

Author's Notes: That's right, people; I finally gave that series a name… And why is it called the "American Family Series"? Because the DuCaine family we have going on here is exactly that…an American Family complete with a child before marriage, an extra child that's not Calleigh or Horatio's (but in fact Horatio's niece), and a college kid who things she's part of the family. Though, sometimes referred to as a blended family, I think American just fits much better…hehehe Go watch "You've Got Mail" it clicks better!

Also, I have been oddly obsessing about keeping things in order for this series, so I actually have a timeline chart. The time this story is being set in is October 2009. If you have any questions of about the timeline feel free to e-mail me.

…………………………………

The sky above them was clouded and grey. It had rolled in during that night, and although the weather hadn't been reported to be gloomy, it looked very much like that was how it was going to be. It ruined plans though. It was the one downside to Miami's sometimes unpredictable weather system, everyday the sun was not out…and when you needed it to be…that's why the clouds would roll in and prepare for the storms. Things had been so perfect in life, though, that the one draw back to her plans being ruined was not going to make her day bad. Sighing though, she looked over at Madison, and put the phone up to her ear hearing it ring.

They had gone out to one of the possible locations for the ceremony and Calleigh was quickly wondering if they should think of some indoor possibilities…just in case. She and Horatio had cut down the options considerably last December after their return from Washington. The wedding plans had been going slowly, but now they were really getting on top of it. She and Horatio wanted to get married before the New Year hit. And time was running out, so she was taking some vacation time here and there to get plans rolling. "Hey, yeah…Madison and I are here, but go ahead and stay at the scene. I dunno about you, but we've been rained on. I just got a call from the agent, she's just going to reschedule. Alright, alright…you stay safe. We're gonna get some lunch and then see you at home later." Closing the phone and looking over at Madison, she smiled. "See, so we still get a day…we'll have lunch together somewhere nice…"

"What about looking for the dresses?" Madison asked a bit disappointed. She was supposed to help with the preparations for the wedding, and so far…she hadn't been able to. She had missed the first tour of the locations because she had been home sick with a fever. She had fallen into an icy stream the last day of their vacation in Washington, and had been miserable with the onset of the cold the whole flight home. That had been so long ago, but she was supposed to help pick out which place for the wedding today. But she also knew that there were other things that they could be picking out.

Calleigh reached back and retrieved a tote bag that had all of her stuff in it for the wedding. She pulled out a large three ring binder and handed it to Madison. "This has a lot of the dress shops around here and they have the collections inside. Maybe we can look it over at lunch?" she suggested before starting to pull out of the parking space and heading back towards the street.

"Are we going to have a big party at the house?" Madison asked.

Calleigh looked over at Madison briefly, "For the weddin'?"

"My teacher says that we get to have a week off for Thanksgiving and two weeks for Christmas," Madison told her. "But she says that we don't celebrate Halloween at school," she added a bit upset about that part. "Does that mean I don't get to dress up?"

Calleigh smiled, "Just not for school…it's comin' up though in a couple weeks, isn't it?"

"Yeah… Can I be a princess with my crown from Disneyland?" Madison asked wanting to wear her crown again and thinking of how fun it would be to go trick or treating again. Being part of a family that celebrated holidays was something that she was thrilled to be part of.

"Why don't we discuss startin' to shop for Halloween things with your uncle tonight?" she suggested as she drove towards a fairly nice restaurant that she knew that was close by. "Ya know what? Emma's birthday is next week…maybe we should have a party for her at home?" She smiled; her baby girl was going to be turning three. "We have a busy season comin' up. We've got Emma's birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, your birthday, and Christmas…and somewhere in there before New Years, Horatio and I are supposed to get married."

"I think it's going to be fun," Madison told her. She smiled brightly, she'd lived with her uncle and his family for almost a year, and she absolutely loved it. Calleigh and Sheryl would add pieces to her room every now and then making it feel more and more like her true home. She just hoped that her mother didn't come back. Calleigh had told her before that she and Uncle Horatio would never let her go back with her mother if it was unsafe…

Calleigh smiled, "You're right…this year's gonna be perfect, isn't it?"

Lunch was nice and relaxing, and Calleigh was happy with Madison's surprise at the fact that they used two forks, instead of just having one in the table setting. Calleigh pushed her chair alongside Madison's as they waited for a piece of cheesecake they were going to share to come, and they flipped through the bridal catalog together. "I still don't know what colors to do yet," Calleigh said. "You see any favorites?" Of course the difficulty was that the color needed to be incorporated into the wedding party attire, flowers, and other aspects of the wedding.

"Pink?" Madison suggested. There were a lot of dresses that had pink and pink flowers and stuff seemed like it would be something easy.

"I thought about that, but I think just about everyone does pink."

"They have like every color in this book for dresses," Madison reminded.

Calleigh smiled and nodded, "You're right, I guess maybe we should just pick one, shouldn't we?"

Madison nodded and turned the pages and then stopped when she saw a dress her size that she liked, "What about this purple?"

Smiling, Calleigh examined the left side where it gave all the information on the dress. "It's lilac…it's a really nice color… And it looks like they have a lot of other dresses that are in that color, too. The only thing we'll have to worry about is the flowers…"

"Do we have a flower book?"

"No," she told her with a bright smile as the cheesecake finally came, "But let's not worry about it right now. We'll pick out dresses," she told her pulling out a pen and some post-it notes from her purse. "And then we'll talk to Horatio tonight about the date and sending out invitations, alright?"

"Alright," Madison agreed as she picked up a fork from the plate and started to dig into the newly offered cheesecake.

……………………………………….

The thundering of the storm outside was enough to keep the girls uneasy, but Horatio's presence made it all disappear. He shed his jacket not wanting to bring the moisture throughout the house. His hair was wet, but he knew it'd soon dry in the warm house. He was greeted by Calleigh, and he stole a kiss before going over to Emma and Madison and dropping a kiss to their heads, "How are all my girls doing today? Everyone okay even with the weather?"

"We're fine!" Madison said cheerfully, "Sheryl just left a bit ago because she wanted to get home before there was too much traffic."

"Then I guess I'll see her tomorrow then," Horatio said and turned to check on dinner. "Did you and Madison get anything done today?"

"OH! I WANT TO SHOW HIM!" Madison spoke up bouncing up from her place at the table and hurrying off.

"Madison, Darlin'! It's supposed to be a surprise!" Calleigh called and let out a giggle as she turned to Horatio and wrapped her arms around him while resting her head against his chest. "We picked colors…and we might have dresses picked out…"

Madison poked her head back out from the other room, "Why not?..."

A bright smile spread across Horatio's face, "Its okay, Madison… I'm sure you both picked out beautiful dresses… But, eventually I'll need to see the color to get matching ties and vests and such."

"We need to pick out a date," Calleigh told him and motioned for Madison to join them back in the kitchen. She wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close and pressed a kiss into her scarlet locks. "So, my wonderful weddin' planner and I can get everythin' done on time. Especially sendin' out invitations to our friends and family…"

"We said before 2010," Horatio said and looked over at Emma. His little girl was growing up so fast, and he was glad that not only Madison, but Emma also would be in their wedding. "It'd be nice to have a honeymoon while the kids are on break…Alexx has already offered to watch kids…" he told Calleigh before placing a kiss on her lips. He knew that a honeymoon would be something that they both needed…

Madison looked up frowning, "But what about Sheryl? She's not going to watch us?" She knew who Alexx was and that she had kids, but she was used to Sheryl…

"We'll see, Sweetheart," Calleigh promised and leaned down and placed a kiss on the worried girl's forehead. "Can you do me a favor and get a calendar? That way your uncle and I can pick a date and then tomorrow you and I can get the invitations?"

"Okay!" Madison said a bit happier and dashed off to the other room.

Horatio smiled, "You're so good with her," he whispered into her ear. He loved seeing his niece so happy and be such a great part of his family. Madison fit seamlessly; even though she wasn't their child…she looked and acted like it. The only difference was that she called them by their names instead of 'mommy' and 'daddy'. But things still were perfect.

"She's a doll," Calleigh beamed, looking up at Horatio. "I wanted to talk to you about her… About makin' sure she's part of our family. She's asked a lot about what would happen if her mother comes back… I want to be able to tell her that Suzie can never take her away…that she'll always go to school and she'll always be able to spend afternoons with Sheryl and the weekends with us… I want to promise her another Disneyland trip some day…"

He wanted the same thing…and he had been going about documenting things and preparing things with his lawyer. "I've already been looking into adopting her…that is, if you want to…" He wanted to make it a choice for Calleigh, not just assume it was what she wanted.

"Of course, it is."

"Because Suzie abandoned her…she's classified differently and her parental rights can be easily be terminated…" Horatio sighed and shifted his weight, "Sweetheart, it requires us to go to court…and since Madison is getting old enough that she's aware of what's going on…the judge may ask her for what she wants to do."

"Well," Calleigh said with a smile, "That's not hard to guess."

Madison came back in with a calendar, and set it on the table. "What month?"

"Madison, how about if we talk about something first?" Horatio asked as he and Calleigh walked towards the table and they all sat down. "How would you like to be legally part of our family?" Horatio asked.

Staring for a minute, she took in what her uncle was asking her. "Like…so no one could take me away?" she asked a bit hesitantly and quietly.

"Among other things," Horatio responded. "Along with taking Caine as your last name…and Calleigh and I would be your legal guardians…"

Calleigh smiled, "But it's up to you, Sweetheart. We don't want to do anythin' that you don't want…" She felt Emma tapping her, and she looked over and smiled at her growing toddler and held out her fingers for the toddler to play with.

"I want to," Madison said. "I really do…"

Horatio smiled brightly and wrapped his arm around his niece, pulling her close before dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Then, we'll have to go in and tell a judge that."

"Okay."

…………………………………………

Dinner had gone along smoothly and had been relatively perfect even with the thunder and lightening outside. He and Calleigh had picked out a date for their wedding…and though it seemed to be cutting it close, they had decided on December 31st…New Year's Eve. And though, it would be right at the end of the year, it also gave them a bit more time to plan and a better reason to have relatives in for Christmas…like Calleigh's mother and brothers…and they could stay through the wedding. Calleigh sat on the bed in a tank top and panties as she waited for Horatio, who was going through the closet. "It feels a bit unreal that we'll be married in about two months… There's so much to do in that time…" She was smiling brightly just thinking about it all… It was all so perfect.

Horatio emerged, putting a better raincoat out, just in case for the morning. "It's going to be wonderful," he told Calleigh quite confidently. "You, me, Madison…and Emma, too."

Calleigh giggled as he closed the distance between them his lips hovered right above hers. "And Emma, too." She reached up, her arms snaking around him. "Come to bed now… It's already late…" She pulled him down into bed and wrapped her arms more tightly around him letting her mouth and his connect. She let her arms roam over him, but they soon settled in bed under the covers. Calleigh still didn't feel quite ready yet to move completely on. The need for a thin barrier of clothes still felt needed for them both in bed.

The annoying sound of Horatio's cell phone piercing through the silence of their sleep forced Horatio and Calleigh to grumble and blindly try to reach for the device. Horatio managed to grab it and open it, "Hello?"

((Horatio? I'm sorry to wake you…))

Horatio immediately pulled himself from bed when he realized who it was. He mumbled for Calleigh to go back to sleep before stepping out into the hallway. "Suzie? Suzie, where are you?" His voice was still sleepy, but he rubbed his face as he tried to wake up a bit more to try to think straight.

((Monroe County… I was on my way back to get Madison…I've straightened up, Horatio… I know I promised not to get hooked, but…I dunno what happened… I need you to bail me out.))

"What are the charges?" Horatio asked quickly, he wasn't sure what to believe. Monroe County, if she was even talking about Florida was just the next county over, and he knew he could pull strings if he really wanted to…but he wasn't sure he wanted to for Suzie…not now.

((Possession with the intent to sell…but they weren't mine, I swear.))

Horatio sighed, "Is that all? Did you take any of the drugs?"

((Yes…but I was clean before that little taste…))

"I'm not bailing you out, Suzie. Not this time." Horatio shook his head and started to pace the hallway to stay awake. "I've been taking care of Madison for a year, Suzie… She doesn't even want to go with you… We've made a life for her here. I'm getting married and I have a two year old. Madison wants to be a part of my family here…"

((She's not your daughter, Horatio.))

"She may not be, but I'm the only family member alive that actually cares about her right now, and I think that counts for a lot. Suzie, she's going to be ten in a month…the judges can ask her what she wants…"

((She'll want to come home with me.))

"Do you even have a home anymore? Did you sell that to get your drugs?"

((Horatio, that's not how it was…))

"She's getting a good education, and she's happy," Horatio tried to plead his case. He didn't add the fact that it wouldn't look good that she just abandoned Madison alone at the Crime Lab and didn't even call him or even leave him a note. She had plain and simply abandoned her daughter. Under law, she had really given up all parental rights then. Horatio's lawyer had even pushed that if Suzie tried to take Madison away, that they should have her arrested for abandonment. Horatio didn't want to go that far, but as long as Suzie was in jail…she couldn't hurt Madison.

((Horatio, she's my daughter…c'mon…you know I'm a good mother…))

"That's not what she's told Calleigh…" Horatio challenged.

((Is that her name? Your fiancée? She like playing mommy with my daughter? Is that why you want to keep Madison?))

"Calleigh and I have our own daughter, Suzie. We asked Madison if she wants to remain part of our family, and she told us that she wants to."

((Horatio, please…just pick me up…))

"Not this time, Suzie." Horatio closed the phone and sighed. He peeked in on Madison and Emma before heading back to his and Calleigh's bedroom. He slid in with Calleigh and when she murmured who it was, he simply kissed the top of her head as he pulled her closer before whispering, "Sleep, Sweetheart." He figured that the fact that it was Suzie in jail wanting him to bail her out was something that could wait until the morning… Calleigh deserved her wedding filled dreams, and he wasn't going to take those away from her. Suzie was his problem, and he was going to take care of it so that no one had to deal with her anymore… Madison was going to be free, and so would he… Life was going to be perfect, and go on like that…

Closing his eyes, Horatio laid his head against Calleigh as he heard the thunder and lightening sounding outside… The storm was coming…

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TBC…