Horatio slumped down into a chair the minute he got home. He couldn't believe it. It, it was just to strange. He had a son. Children, he had never thought he would have a child. Why would Julia not tell him? He tried to remember back, all those years ago. All he could remember was waking up one day and Julia was gone. Her phone number had been changed, her car taken, no trace that she had ever been there. Horatio had chalked it up to Julia's strange behavior. Sometimes she would talk to him like they were in some romance movie, others she would berate him for some trivial event. When she had left, he figured it was healthier for the both of them.

He hadn't thought to ever hear from her again. And then Valera had told him he had a son. A son that had been to juvie, arrested for drinking, and then tried to kidnap a woman. Horatio raked his fingers through his hair, frustrated. Christ, how could this have happened? Julia had just left, never telling him what had happened, that she was pregnant. What was he going to do? He could file for custody of Kyle, bring him here. And then say what? Hi son, meet my girlfriend. You'll be living with us from now on. Laila, this is my son. Don't worry, he's headed off to prison soon.

Kyle didn't even know that he was his father. All he was to Kyle was someone that had gotten him arrested, Kyle would probably never want to hear from him again. Should he do that though? Let the son he had never known walk out of his life, just like his mother? Horatio jerked his head up as he heard a key scrape in the lock. Laila walked in, dressed in a sports bra and running shorts. From the sand on her tennis shoes he immediately guessed she had been running the beach.

"Horatio, you're home early." She said, a wide smile splitting her features. He could feel her eyes on him, looking, probing. "Something's wrong. Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, everyone is fine. I just got some, news today. That's all." Horatio told her, resuming his pensive state of mind.

"Nothing bad, I hope?"

"No, just confusing." He said. Laila walked over to him, sitting across from him. She offered him a sad little smile. Horatio returned it, looking into her face. He found that helped calm him, made his thoughts a little clearer.

"Horatio, if you need to you can tell me. I won't push it." Laila said, rising. "But right now, all I want is a shower." As she walked past him she leaned down and kissed his cheek briefly, then ruffled his hair. He could hear the water running, Laila's voice humming some melody that he couldn't place. Horatio left the chair he had been in, walking to the balcony that overlooked the ocean.

Can I tell Kyle that I'm his father? Or would it just drive him further away? Horatio tightened his fingers around the balcony rail, blue eyes fixed on bluer water. God, why hadn't he tracked down Julia when she had left? Because he had been undercover, and his job was more important. He wasn't quite sure how long he had stood there, staring out over the water. He let his thoughts wander, seeing himself with Julia instead of Laila. He could see a little happiness in that life, raising Kyle as his own instead of the boy being jounced from foster home to foster home. But so much of it was dark. Fights between him and Julia, and he could never picture her staying.

"Damn." He whispered, cursing the current state of events. He walked back inside, noting Laila sitting in her robe, reading the latest novel she had picked up. He stood there, just considering his options. He finally made up his mind and sat down, gesturing for Laila to look at him.

"Laila, I have a son." He stated, simply laying out the facts. Laila's book clattered onto the coffee table between them, her eyes startled. "I just found out today."

"A son, you have a son." Laila spoke slowly, like she was trying out what he was saying. She looked like she was going to faint, her face pale. "Okay, just give me a minute." Horatio watched as she got up, her book forgotten as she made her way back to the bedroom. She emerged a few minutes later, her color back. "We can deal with this. I don't care if you cheated Horatio, I love you too much for that. I'm sure we can-"

"No." Horatio chuckled lightly. "I haven't cheated on you. Kyle, my son, is sixteen years old." He laughed a little as Laila's face relaxed. "He was brought in for connection with a murder case. Turns out he's been in juvie and was on probation. Then he fled from the Coast Guard, and now he's going to prison."

"Oh Horatio." Laila whispered. "And you never knew?"

"No, his mother just disappeared one day. She didn't even tell me that she was pregnant. And I just couldn't help thinking that he wouldn't have done all those things if I had been there."

"Horatio Caine do not think like that." Laila stated firmly. Horatio was surprised when she abandoned her chair, instead moving to the coffee table so she could grab his hands. He loved those hands, her long fingers smooth and warm from the shower. "It isn't your fault. I don't even know the whole story and I could tell you that."

"I haven't even told him. He doesn't know that I'm his father."

"Are you going to?"

"I'm not sure." Horatio admitted, looking down at his hands.

"You'll do the right thing, Horatio." Laila said, kissing his hands. "You always have."

AN: So these are just going to be some short little vignettes, about a 1000 words or so.