Title: Where Did I Go Wrong?

Rating: PG13- T

Authors Note: A DuCaine Fic on the silence between Calleigh and Horatio. What happened to the two after he became married. Will their working relationship suffer??

Chapter 1: Two Heart Meet

12 Years Ago

As I hear my boss, or mentor, talk to Detective Caine, I can't help but wonder if he knows that what he is saying to the Detective is incorrect? Detective Caine has to know the actual facts about the case he is working on and my 'boss' isn't helping much when he is incorrectly giving out information. I decide best to speak out.

"Excuse me, but I believe that analysis is flawed" I tell the two men located directly in front of my eyes

"Are you questioning my science?" my mentor rudely asks me, and from his face I can see that he isn't happy being talked back to by a woman below his stature.

"No, I'm not questioning the science, just interpretation...sir" I told him; I don't know, it already looks as if he dislikes me already.

"I don't know what they told you at that fancy institute, but bullets packaged at the same time, from the same batch are identical" he rattled off to me, like I don't know what I was talking about. Hello!, I am a firearms expert! Just because I am blond doesn't mean I am stupid!

"Hold on a minute Fred" I hear Detective Caine tell my boss, before he spoke to me "Officer Duquesne, please continue"

"Study done by the Department of Justice is finding that bullets packaged months apart, in separate batches can have the same lead composition, therefore your link between the husband and the victim is unfounded. I mean, anyone can own this bullet" I tell both of the men and it looks like only one of them fully understands what I am saying.

I can see Detective Caine and my 'boss' look at one another before they start their own conversation and I go back to my 'Serial Number' findings. I keep a close listen on their conversation and I can tell by the strain on my boss's voice that he isn't happy at all about what I just told him and Detective Caine.

I'm putting away a file when Detective Caine calls my name. I look up from my 'work', not that it is hard to look for serial numbers on guns, and answer him kindly.

"Yes Sir"

"Could I have a word?" he asks me and I can clearly see my boss look at him in shock as I walk towards them.

I follow Detective Caine out of the 'broom closet' as Jesse Cardoza put it earlier and out into the much busier and unorganized hallways, or offices..

"Detective Caine, did I speak out of turn back there?" I immediately ask, afraid I was already in trouble since I know how people treat the newbie around places like this.

"You did, but you're asking the right questions"

I nod and smile and he does too. I'm just happy that I am not in trouble and haven't done anything wrong.

"Ok"

"Thanks Detective" I simply state

"Alright, you know what..call me Horatio" he sweetly tells me

"Ok..Horatio" I smile to him as I clearly hear my voice get higher pitched and a lot more southern.

This man in front of my is kind and loving. I hope that I am able to make him happy as a CSI. As I watch him walk away, I feel so much better knowing that I have someone behind my back and supporting me every step of the way.

12 Years Later

Now as I look at Horatio, happy and smiling, I know we changed. We used to be closer than ever, but still respectable friends and colleagues . Much has changed in the past 12 years since I started working for his team on CSI. For one, we had more people coming into the field. We had Eric Delko, Tim Speedle, and after Speed died, there came Ryan Wolfe. After Ryan, there was Natalia and now Jesse Cardoza is back in the picture.

Another is that we all had some sort of relationship status in our lives. Me being the most. Jake, Elliott, Eric and now no one. The others I'm not too sure about, but I can surely tell you Horatio Caine is no longer a single man. He is one that is married, and the part that hurts me the most is that he married a woman that is of Cuban descent. I'm just wondering how this man can land a woman and keep her interested in him and I can't even keep a man for less than two months. I wonder that is wrong with me? Is it that I don't have that caramel skin, is it that my hair is blond and not brunette, my eyes too bright? too skinny? I don't know, but I know that Horatio Caine and I no longer talk.

We haven't for the last year. All I receive is silence from the man that I once thought was my friend and... to tell the truth, I loved him dearly, but it looks like I lost my chance. I'm just that ugly, but where did I go wrong?

One thing is that my heart still belongs to the man I met 12 years ago.

TBC (will continue on in Horatio's POV next)