Title: The Favor
Author: Little Horatio
Summary: Horatio is taking care of Madison and he needs help keeping his promise to his niece. Eric overhears a conversation from Horatio and Rick about a favor. Read as Rick gets sweet and makes a fool of himself at the same time.
Disclaimer: I own each and every one of them…in my dreams.
Note: Once again, I have put our beloved and, at the same time, most hated IAB agent, Sergeant Rick Stetler, in an awkward position. He will show us that not only is he talented at making an ass of himself and annoying everybody but he will show that he is also talented in some arts like singing and dancing.
This is dedicated for all those who read Auntie Bellum's, something to make up for. I really hope you like it………enjoy!!
Main characters: Horatio Caine, Rick Stetler, Alexx Woods, Calleigh Duquesne, Eric Delko and Ryan Wolfe.
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Horatio sighed as he sat on his chair, thinking on what to do. He had suggested to Suzie that she should take some time off and relax. He was even willing to take care of his niece, Madison, for a few days. She agreed and off she went to Los Angeles, leaving a very energetic Madison and a very tired-looking Horatio.
Three days had passed and the two were enjoying their time with each other. Horatio brought Madison along with him at the crime lab and everybody gathered round the Lieutenant's niece, pinching her cheeks and saying how cute and adorable she was and how she looked like his uncle. Madison kept his uncle company while he was finishing paperwork and supervising the labs and his team. The little eight year-old enjoyed every minute of it, running around the lab and looking inside so she could watch what her uncle and his team were actually doing. Madison looked up to her uncle Horatio more and more with every passing day she spent with him.
Those days end with Horatio chasing his niece around the lab all afternoon or with him carrying a very tired little girl on his chest. Being tired himself; he didn't really care as long as his niece was having a good time. Getting her home, giving her a bath and feeding her wasn't a problem. It was getting her to sleep that was giving him trouble.
One night, Suzie and Madison invited him to watch a movie together. It was The Pacifier. After watching, Horatio accompanied the two ladies home and helped tuck Madison in bed. Horatio was about to leave when his little niece called him from her room.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Uncle Horatio, do you still remember what the navy man sang to the little boy in the movie?" asked the eight year-old, tucked in her bed.
"Mm-Hmm, why?"
"Could you do it for me? Please?"
Horatio was rather surprised about the little one's innocent request. He didn't know what to say. He looked at Suzie for help but only received a shrug from the girl's mother. He sighed, not knowing what to do. He didn't want to make Madison sad but do The Peter Panda Dance?!
"Please, Uncle Horatio," the girl said with hopeful eyes.
Finally, Horatio gave in to Madison's wish and prepared himself for the humiliation, saying, "Um, okay, sweetie, okay. Since you've asked nicely, I'll do it."
"Yay!" shouted the eight year-old and waited eagerly for her uncle to perform.
Horatio smiled and let out a deep breath. "Okay. I hope I remember the lines correctly," he said, backing away a bit so that his niece could get a full view. "Here I go…"
Madison clapped happily after Horatio finished with the song and the dance. Suzie laughed while shaking her head, not believing what the famous Lieutenant Horatio Caine did for her daughter and his niece.
Horatio was red in the face with embarrassment but was happy to see his niece giggling and clapping. He smiled and went over to the giggling eight year-old, kissing her lightly forehead. "Okay. Now, that's over with, go to sleep, ok, sweetie?"
"Ok but you have to promise me something, Uncle Horatio," she said, all smiles.
"Anything for my adorable niece."
"Promise me that you do that every time you tuck me in!" she said excitedly.
'Oh boy,' he thought, 'what have I gotten myself into?' "Um…sweetie, that's a bit—"
"Please, Uncle Horatio!" she pleaded, using her signature puppy-dog eyes.
'Not those puppy-dog eyes,' he thought, straining on what to do, 'I should have never taught her that.' A few seconds past and he let out a sigh of defeat. Smiling, he said, "Okay, sweetie, okay, but you have to promise your Uncle Horatio something in return."
"Anything!" she said enthusiastically.
"Promise me that you won't tell ANYBODY that I do the Peter Panda Dance, okay?" he said, hoping that his niece would never, EVER, tell anyone about something so embarrassing.
"Not even Calleigh, Fish-man and Wolfe-boy?"
"No. Not even Calleigh, Fish-man and Wolfe-boy. You promise?"
"Okay!" she agreed, smiling perkily at her Uncle.
"Good girl," he said, kissing her again on her forehead. He turned around and said in a you-better-agree tone, "Suzie…"
"Huh? Who? Me? Okay, okay, I promise!" she answered, laughing frantically.
Horatio nodded and bid good-bye and good night to them. Closing the apartment door, he leaned on it, closing his eyes and letting out a heavy breath. "Horatio, you are going to regret this," he said to himself. And with that, he went to the elevator so he could go home.
And for those three days that Horatio had been taking care of Madison, he did just that. But today was going to be a problem. He had recently twisted his ankle in an attempt to save his niece from falling down the flight of stairs. And now, Madison was with Calleigh and Horatio was sitting in his chair, inside his office. Alexx had gauzed his right ankle so that it wouldn't be move too much but that was only a part of his problem.
Shifting in his seat, Horatio was thinking of who would do the Peter Panda Dance for his niece tonight. 'Mister Wolfe?' he thought and shook his head, 'Naw, he said he was busy tonight. Besides, that boy can't sing a simple song even if his life and manlihood depended on it.' He shifted in his seat. 'What about Calleigh?' he thought for a moment but shook his head. 'No. She's been helping me take care of Madison all day. She needs a break.' He thought about Alexx but decided not to; on account of she had her own family to worry about. 'How about Eric," he thought and shook his head once more, 'No. I heard he was going clubbing tonight.'
Horatio was on the verge of giving up when suddenly his door opens and in comes a stomping Rick Stetler. A smile formed on the Lieutenant's face upon seeing his unexpected visitor. "Bingo……" he whispered.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Well? Are you coming?" Dan Cooper called out.
"Just a minute!" Eric said, looking over his shoulders. "I gotta drop something off to H first." He was showing him the fingerprint results, waving it in the air.
"Oh, okay. We'll be waiting by the elevator."
"Yeah," Eric replied as he walked through the hallway. He was about to walk up the stairs when he heard somebody discussing. 'Must be H and that scumbag, Stetler,' he thought. Instead of opening the door, he leaned on it, trying to hear their conversation. Lucky enough, he did hear everything clearly, on account of Rick yelling a lot. He pressed his ears harder against the door.
"You have got to be kidding me…" Stetler smirked.
"Come on, Rick," Horatio coaxed. "For an old friend…"
"HA!" he said mockingly. "What makes you think that I would do anything for you? A favor?"
"It's not for me, Rick," Horatio said, now rather annoyed. "It's for…for someone special to me."
"SO? It doesn't make any difference."
Horatio sighed and rubbed his temple. "I was hoping of saving this for emergencies but…you gave me no other choice," he said, opening a drawer and rummaging inside.
"What are you talking about, Horatio?" the man said confusingly.
The redhead got out a photo but did not reveal it to his 'friend', not yet. "Do you remember that little group you joined in our second year at school, Rick? The one you so desperately wanted to become a part of?"
Dread spread through Stetler's face. He swallowed. Horatio continued, "What was it called again…?"
"The Blitz…" he whispered, remembering.
"That's right, The Blitz," Horatio said, nodding and smiling. Pacing while holding the old photo, he said in a contemplating way, "And what did you do in an attempt to become a member of that so-called group? Hmm, Rick?"
Rick was about to spit it out when he shook his head violently and glared at Horatio, saying, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
Horatio lifted his eyebrows in a suit-yourself kind of way. He smiled at Stetler maliciously. "Maybe this will help you remember, Rick," he said, holding up the photo in front of Rick, showing him its contents.
Rick's jaw dropped at the moment he laid his eyes on the old photograph. His eyes were wide as saucers. He couldn't believe this, he DIDN'T believe this. He had spent so many years trying to erase that horrible and embarrassing event from his mind that he was about to go totally nuts over only to be brought all back by a photo his arch nemesis kept for decades. Rick felt like he was about to drop dead.
He regained his composure and went to snatch the photo from the smiling redhead. Horatio, thinking this would certainly happen, backed the photo away, raising it to the air.
"YOU GIVE ME THAT PHOTO RIGHT NOW, HORATIO!" he shrieked.
"Oh, so you do remember," Horatio said mockingly.
"You-give-that-photo-Horatio-or-I'll-SWEAR- to-GOD-I'll--"
"Only," Horatio cut in, "ONLY if you do as I ask and do me the favor."
Rick just glared at him. Breathing unevenly, he clenched his fists, slightly trembling.
"Promise me, Rick, that you'll do it and I'll give you the photograph," Horatio said.
"Okay…OKAY! I'll fucking do it…" he mumbled, red in the face.
"I'm sorry about this, Rick," Horatio said, pocketing the photo. "But you gave me no other choice."
"Shut up…you're blackmailing me, Horatio…and I swear I won't let this go…"
"I'm sure you won't…"
Rick was now pacing, running a hand through his hair, he grumbled, completely forgetting, "What do I have to do?"
Horatio told him. Rick's face turned red again as he shouted at him. "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!! There is no way—NO WAY—that I'll do Th-that!"
"You promised, Rick," Horatio said, his eyes narrowing. "And don't let me take out the photo a—"
"Okay…OKAY." He snarled, "If you ever—EVER—show that photo to anybody! I swear to God—"
Delko's eyes went wide open, not believing what he just heard. Will Rick Stetler do something THAT embarrassing? He had to make sure. He moved quickly as he heard footsteps coming near the door and went under the shadows of the stairs, hoping that he would not be seen.
He heard Stetler talk. "What time?" the man asked angrily.
"About eight thirty," Horatio answered and gave him a piece of paper. "And, here, take this. You'll need it."
Rick snatched the piece of paper and stormed out of Horatio's office, slamming the door. 'Glad that was over with,' Horatio thought.
Eric stepped out of the shadows, his face unfathomable. He realized that he was still clutching the results. He then saw Calleigh and Madison walking towards him.
"Hey, Fish-man!" said the little girl.
"Hey, Eric," Calleigh said, "Are you okay? You seem a little…off."
"Naw, I'm fine," he said, shaking his head a little bit. "Hey, guys… I was just about to give Horatio the results."
"Oh," Calleigh said. "You want me to drop them off for you? Dan and the guys are waiting by the elevator and I was just about to drop Maddie off to Horatio."
"Uh…thanks, Cal."
"No, prob."
"Good bye, Madison," Eric said.
"Bye-bye."
"Have a good time, Eric," Calleigh said over her shoulder.
"Thanks…I will." And he dashed off.
Dan let out a groan and said, "What took you so long, Delko? Half of the guys went to the club already."
"Sorry but I decided not to go."
"Why?"
"Um…stomach pains…"
"Oh, okay sure, whatever," Dan said went inside the elevator, waving Eric good bye.
Eric waved back and whispered, grinning evilly, "I think I'll pay a little visit to H's house…"
Horatio tucked Madison to bed and kissed her forehead.
"Will you do the dance, Uncle Horatio? Because…"
"It's okay, sweetie, even though I hurt my ankle I'm still going to keep my promise."
"How?" Madison asked, tilting her head.
"Well, Uncle Rick is going to help me, aren't you, Uncle Rick?" Horatio said, smiling and turning his head to the door. Rick came in reluctantly and with a groan.
"So…Uncle Rick is going to do the Panda Dance?"
"Yes, sweetie, he will for you and Uncle Horatio."
Rick rolled his eyes. Horatio only told him just five minutes ago that the 'special someone' he was talking about was, in fact, his niece. He was surprised at how not angry he is right now. The sight of the little eight year-old had, somehow, eased him.
"Are you all ready, Madison?" Rick asked in a nice tone. Horatio smiled.
"Yes, please."
"Okay." He let out a deep breath. "Here I go…
When your down and low
Lower than the floor
And you feel like you ain't got a chance
Bum, buuum
Don't make a move 'til you're in the groove
And do the peter panda dance (Clap! Clap!)
Just hop three times like a kangaroo
Sidestep twice just like the crabs do
Three steps forward… one step back!
Quick like a turtle lie on your back
Roll like a log 'til you can't roll no more
And jump quick like there ain't no floor
Hold your breath jump to the left
And that's the peter
I swear that's the peter
That's the peter panda dance!!"
Madison and Horatio clapped happily. Horatio was stunned by the performance and felt somewhat like an idiot now knowing what he looked like every time he did it. Surprisingly, Rick bowed and was flushed, red in a face with a tiny smile.
"Nicely done, Rick," Horatio said, nodding and standing by the doorway. "Wouldn't you say, sweetie?"
"Uh-huh!"
Horatio came near to Rick and whispered in his ear, "Why don't you bid her good night, Rick?"
He looked at Horatio and nodded. He went over Madison and saw the child's cute and bright smile. He leaned over and whispered, "Good night, Madison."
"Good night, Uncle Rick and thank you," she said and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
Rick was surprised when the young one kissed him. He lifted a hand to his cheek, feeling the warmness and gratitude of the kiss. He then looked at the child, now sleeping soundly and was speechless. He turned to Horatio and saw him smiling gently and nodding his head. Rick turned to the sleeping girl once more and kissed her lightly on the forehead, whispering, "Your…welcome, little one."
Rick then straightened up and went to Horatio. He said in a calm voice," Well, Horatio…I…I don't know what to say."
"Yeah, Rick," he said, smiling and leaning on the wall," Kids can do that sometimes."
Rick laughed quietly and said, "Now, I know why you like kids so much. They make you forget about all the problems in life and make you feel quite relaxed again."
"That, they do, Rick," Horatio said, nodding, "That, they do."
"I have one more thing to say, Horatio," Rick said, putting a hand on Horatio's shoulder gently.
"And what would that be?"
He leaned and whispered in Horatio's ear, gripping the man's shoulder tightly, "I want that photo, Horatio."
Horatio chuckled and dug in his pocket. "Here. Like I promised," he said, handing the photo. Rick snatched it away from Horatio's hand in one swift move. Rick looked at the photograph and mumbled a thank you.
"No problem, Rick. I wasn't really going to use it to humiliate you," Horatio said, patting the man's shoulder. "Now, why don't we get some coffee and remember our school days together."
Rick glared at him and walked out of the room. Madison was sleeping soundly and silence filled her room as the two gentlemen left. Unbeknownst to them was the glinting video camera lens that was videotaping everything from the very beginning. Its owner lowered it carefully and turned it off. Grinning widely, he said, "This…is the happiest moment of my life."
Morning came and Eric went into the Crime Lab looking very gleeful. He strutted towards the AV room and met Ryan and Calleigh.
"Why did you make us come here so early, man?" Ryan yawned.
"To see this," he said, smirking, holding up a video tape.
"Don't tell me that you made us come early to watch one of your home videos do you?" Calleigh said.
"Oh, you'll see," he said, putting the video in and playing it.
A few moments past by and Ryan and Calleigh were awe struck. Calleigh was the first to recover. "Oh my God…was that really—"
"Yup. The one and only," said Eric proudly. "Don't worry, I tend to spread it to the world but first the entire Miami-Dade Police Department and Crime Lab."
"Wait," Ryan said. "How much are you selling it?"
"Twenty bucks a piece," he said giddily. "I'm gonna be rich."
"Not without us," Calleigh said, smiling and nodded to Ryan who smirked.
Rick Stetler was, for the first time, happy that it was morning. He stepped out of the elevator and went in the Crime Lab. He remembered little Maddie who just got home with her mommy this morning, and how she touched him in some way. And he was sure that Horatio wasn't going to spread that he did the Peter Panda Dance. He knew him better than that.
As he passed a couple of people, he couldn't help but feel confused. People were all staring and smiling at him. 'This is new,' he thought. He bumped into Dan Cooper and said, "Watch where you're going, Cooper. You're gonna take someone's eye out."
Dan looked at him and smiled pleasantly, "Sure, Sergeant, anything for YOU." Dan walked off and left a much more weirded out Stetler.
He then saw the medical examiner, Alexx, who gave him an appreciated smile and nod. "I must say, Sergeant, I didn't know you had it in you," she said, patted his shoulder and went her way.
"What is she talking about?" Rick said, watching Alexx walk away.
He next went to the break room where Calleigh, Ryan and Eric were at. They didn't even hide their wide grins as they welcomed the sergeant graciously into the break room.
"Here you go, sweetie," Calleigh said, handing Rick some coffee. "You must be really tired from last night."
Rick took the coffee suspiciously and stuttered, "W-what?"
"I said you must be really tired. Drink up."
"Okay, guys," Ryan said. "I'm off. Lots to do, you know." He put down his coffee and hummed something as he got out of the break room. Eric was doing everything in his power not to laugh his butt off and just stay grinning at the sergeant.
Stetler choked as he drank the coffee and coughed. He knew that tone Ryan hummed. Without any second longer, he flew out of the break room and headed to Horatio's office. Right then and there, Calleigh and Eric laughed their heads off and gave each other a high five. The three of them had achieved spreading the video throughout the building.
He stopped abruptly and went back to the AV room. He glimpsed at the monitor. His jaw dropped and his heart sank. Almost all of the lab techs in the crime lab were laughing their ass off, watching the monitor. The sound of his voice filled the room as the sergeant from the monitor sang the Peter Panda Dance.
He was trembling and turned very red. His hands were now fists and he couldn't take it anymore. He roared one single word that shook the entire MDPD Crime Lab and let all people jump in shock.
"HORATIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
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Hope you like it. I know, the ending kind of sucked but I was rather in a hurry. We already have school tomorrow!!!!! NYAH!!!!