Setting: Between Season Six and Seven. Horatio and Marisol did not marry, and she is still alive.

"Have you seen Mr. Wolfe Eric?" Horatio asked. His impatience was evident in his voice. Over the past month, Ryan had been late to almost every crime scene. Horatio had given him several warnings but obviously it had fallen on deaf ears.

"Uh no," Eric answered.

"Call him please."

Eric took out his cell phone to dial Ryan. Ryan picked up on the second ring. "Yeah?" his voice sounded frantic.

"Ryan? Where the hell are you? Horatio's pissed!"

"I know! I know! I'm coming, just give me a half hour, I swear!" Eric hears someone swearing in the background.

"Who the fuck is that on the phone?" the voice demands.

"Nobody!" Ryan exclaims. "Just work-"

"Who is this?" a gruff voice demands at Eric.

"Who the hell is this?" Eric snaps back. Horatio has been studying him, and walks over to see what the problem is. He held out his hand. Eric handed him the phone.

"Hello."

"Who is this?"

"Ryan Wolfe please."

"I said who the hell is this?"

"This is Lieutenant Horatio Caine of the Miami-Dade police department. I would like to speak with Ryan Wolfe now." Horatio said to the rude man on the phone.

"Hello? H?"

"Mr. Wolfe, what is going on? Not only are you late again, but when I have Eric call you to ascertain your whereabouts he finds he is unable to carry on a conversation with you. Why is that, Mr. Wolfe?"

"H, I'm so sorry-"

"That is not an answer, Mr. Wolfe. Who is that in the background?"

"Look, it's my boyfriend, I'll be there soon, gotta go!" he exclaimed as he hung up the phone.

"H? Is everything ok? What's that look on your face?" Eric asked his mentor.

"I just found out the cause of all of this trouble we've been having from Mr. Wolfe. Apparently he has a boyfriend Eric."

"Oh, I see." Eric noticed the look of disappointment on his boss's face and suddenly it all came together. Why all the women practically threw themselves at Horatio and he remained oblivious. Why he had politely declined all of his sister's dinner invitations. Why after working with him for seven years he had never, ever, seen him look at a woman with any hint of romantic interest. He already knew that Ryan was gay. Now he had just confirmed that his boss was too; and was in love with Ryan.

Horatio cursed himself silently for letting his emotion show on his face. He had hoped no one would notice his secret. He went through great pains to hide it. He never looked at Ryan straight in the eye, always called him 'Mr. Wolfe' and kept him further away than his other team members. All to hide the fact that he had been in love with the younger man since the first time he saw him.

Yeah, it sounded stupid. Love at first sight? At his age? So he chalked it up to lust; the younger man was very attractive, and energetic. And those eyes, those beautiful hazel eyes; he could melt every time he saw them. Horatio didn't act on his feelings, he usually didn't. For some reason he felt like it would be cheating on Ryan, although Ryan knew nothing of his feelings and certainly wouldn't reciprocate them. Horatio was too old for him. Who wanted a worn down, battle weary cop? No one, that's who; except silly girls like Eric's sister. No matter how much ignored their advances women kept throwing themselves at him. Sometimes he just wanted to scream out 'I'm gay!" but that would only create more problems. Besides, he knew better than to date anyone on the job. He had done it once, many years ago and not only did it end badly but it still haunted him til this day. And Rick would never let him forget. But Ryan is different. Horatio saw his face every night when he closed his eyes for bed.

"Dammit Lenny! Enough!" Ryan shouted and he struggled to fend off his boyfriend's latest tirade of attacks. "Get the hell off of me!"

"Horatio eh? So that was him? The one you cry for in your sleep?" They knocked over a lamp in their struggle, and fell over a table. Lenny was getting more and more excited, Ryan knew he wouldn't be able to go to work by the time this was finished. He braced himself for the worst. Suddenly Lenny was whisked away and he heard more voices and more crashes. He opened his eyes and saw Eric struggling with Lenny and Horatio standing directly above him.

"Ryan?" Horatio called his name softly. For a moment, their eyes met. Each man saw the passion and emotion behind the other's eyes. Horatio saw a faint glimmer of hope in Ryan's eyes before being replaced by anger and embarrassment.

"I said shut up!" Eric shouted as he finally managed to cuff Lenny. "You're under arrest for assaulting an officer!" Eric dragged Lenny outside. Horatio helped Ryan to the tattered remains of the couch. He then went to the freezer and pulled out a pack of frozen carrots and handed it to Ryan.

"Thanks," Ryan mumbled. A long awkward silence ensued. Ryan stewed in his humiliation and shame. Horatio struggled to find the right words to comfort his secret love, and to suppress the rage that he felt at knowing that this animal had dared to put his hands on Ryan.

"H, I'm sorry about this…"

"Ryan, you have nothing to be sorry about. This is not your-"

"Please, please, don't give me that speech H. This is my fault. I should have done something about this a long time ago. I should have never let it get this far. I should have left him months ago."

"Why didn't you?" Horatio asked, trying to keep the anguish out of his voice. He wasn't successful.

"Because…" Ryan trailed off. "Never mind." He couldn't tell him the real truth, which he was punishing himself because he couldn't have who he really wanted.

"So that bar room fight never happened." Horatio said. A few weeks ago Ryan came in with a black eye, and he claimed that he had gotten it breaking up a fight at a bar. When Horatio pressed him for more information, Ryan was sketchy on the details, saying that the owner didn't want to make a big deal about it.

"No. Neither did the back strain moving furniture or the fender bender where I bruised my ribs," Ryan said bitterly.

Horatio had to turn his back on Ryan to suppress his rage. His instincts were taking over, the ones that told him to take that animal to a deserted alley, beat him to a bloody pulp and then put a bullet in his temple.

The noise outside snapped both Ryan and Horatio out of their thoughts.

"Get the fuck off me!" Lenny yelled.

"I said shut up!" Eric exclaimed. Back up had arrived and they were shoving Lenny in a squad car, which was no easy feat. Lenny was six four and two hundred fifty-six pounds, which is why he always got the best of Ryan who was five nine and one seventy, and Lenny was five years younger.

"What's going to happen to him?" Ryan asked, not out of concern, just wanted to know what to expect next.

"He's going to be arrested for assaulting Eric and resisting arrest; it's up to you whether to press charges against him or not. He'll probably get a couple of weeks and probation, unless he has a record."

"He does."

"Then he'll get the max. Ryan, I-"

"Look H, I don't want to talk about it. I'm not pressing charges."

"Ryan-"

"You know what a laughingstock I'll become? A cop who can't even stop his own boyfriend from beating on him. I'll never live that down."

"Ryan I'll take care of it-"

"Oh no you don't. Not again. You've saved my ass too many times before. Remember the gambling? The thing with the nailgun? And now this? I've become too much of a liability to this team. It's time I do this," Ryan took off his badge and handed it to Horatio.

"What's this?" Horatio asked, as if he didn't know the answer.

"My resignation."

"I think not," Horatio countered, placing the badge on the table. "Ryan, I know you've been through a lot-"

"How the hell would you know what I've been through?" Ryan demanded.

"More that you know Ryan. Let's just leave it at that." Horatio didn't feel like delving into his past at the moment.

"H?"

"Like I was saying Ryan, I know you've been through a lot. Take some time off. I'll put in some paid medical leave for you. Take all the time you need. Now let me help you clean up-"

"No H, I got it."

"Ryan-"

Ryan clenched his fists in frustration. "H, please just let me do this. I'll take care of it. I just need to be left alone right now."

Horatio paused for a moment to think. He knew he was being pushy, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't going to let Ryan go now, and that animal wasn't going to go near him again.

"Ryan I'm sorry, I'll back off. But I'm not going to go away. I want you to promise me two things. If you need something, anything then call me, and only me. Also, stay away from Leonardo, he's bad news and I don't want you around him."

The protective sound in Horatio's voice was comforting to Ryan, but Ryan knew it was just because he was on Horatio's team, it's not like Horatio had any true feelings for him.

"I'm going to call you later this afternoon, around six. Please answer when I call. Promise?"

"Promise," Ryan confirmed.

Horatio reached out and touched Ryan's sore cheek. Ryan closed his eyes and sighed at his touch, then he was gone.

Horatio's plan came together as he left. It was reckless and very risky, but necessary. Ryan needed him, and he needed Ryan. The man he loved was on a path of self destruction and Horatio knew he couldn't wait any longer.

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