4th in the Fearful Symmetry series. Fearful Symmetry, Can't Fight This
Feeling, and Gold Medals come first.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, blah, blah, so forth.
***
"You and me - all that lights upon us, though, Brings us together like a fiddle-bow. Drawing one voice from two strings, it glides along. Across what instruments have we been spanned? And what violinist holds us in his hand? O sweetest song"
Ranier Maria Rilke, "Possibility of Being"
***
Looking back on the ceremony through the years, all Calleigh could ever remember for long was Horatio. Standing at the front of the church, his handsome form straight and focused toward her, his incredible eyes directly meeting hers. They locked with her eyes the minute she entered and held them all the way down the aisle, and she honestly did not hear the music, no longer felt the touch of Speed's arm against hers as he walked her down the aisle. Minutes before, she had been half-teasing Speed, who was in a formal suit for the occasion and looked like he'd rather be in a lab coat instead. But now, there was only Horatio. Eric stood alongside him as best man, and his open look of admiration and pride at Calleigh went unnoticed. Reminded later, she could remember that everyone had been there, but then the memories retreated to the back seat of her mind again, and there was only Horatio. She never heard the words of the ceremony. She supposed she gave the right answers, but it was all a blur. The world condensed down to a pair of magnetic blue eyes. She did remember the kiss.
The reception was hurried, because Calleigh and Horatio had a plane to catch. She was utterly touched, though, as was he, by the joint gift from the CSI team. It was a set of matching pistols, both with silver plates across the handholds, both engraved "Horatio and Calleigh, September 25, 2003."
"I don't know what to say, guys. Thank you." Calleigh kissed them all in turn.
"We thought about china and such," said Eric, "but we decided to give you something we knew you'd use."
"They're wonderful," said Horatio. "The perfect gift." He smiled at Eric, and Eric, whose idea it had been in the first place, felt a warm glow of satisfaction. He had managed to give his friend something that meant as much as Horatio's gift to him a few months ago.
"You'd better get going," urged Alexx. "You'll miss your plane."
"No, we'll only miss security check," said Calleigh. "The plane doesn't leave for two hours. Still, you're right."
"I don't think we'll take your gift along, though," said Horatio. "Much as we appreciate it, airport security won't." He passed the box back to them. "Hang onto it for us. Oh, and one more thing." He fished out his cell phone, ceremoniously turned it off, and handed it to Alexx. "A promise kept," he smiled at Calleigh. She pulled out her own phone and turned it over as well.
"Have a wonderful time, you two," said Alexx.
"And try not to get tied up in any crimes on your honeymoon," added Speed.
"No worries," said Horatio. "We really have other things planned."
***
Calleigh Caine (boy, it felt good to think of herself that way!) leaned back in the plane, stretching her feet luxuriously. Of course, she could stretch her feet luxuriously in coach; she didn't need the leg room of first class. Still, the gesture was significant. Shaking off the world, leaving all her responsibilities behind her. There was only Horatio now.
He smiled at her, squeezing her hand softly where he held it between their seats. "Now it begins."
"I never actually thought that I'd be marrying the man of my dreams and heading for a honeymoon in Niagara Falls," she said. "Too much like a childhood dream."
"What did you expect after a proposal in a thunderstorm? Rainbows follow storms. From here, Calleigh, we go straight over the rainbow." His eyes simultaneously charmed and dazzled her.
"Do you think there is a pot of gold, Horatio?"
"I'm absolutely sure of it," he said, lifting his free hand to run through her golden waves of hair. "I think we've found it already."
"I think we have." It was really impossible to do much in the mostly full plane, far too public, but she squeezed his hand lightly, a promise of the future. The not-too-distant future.
"Rosalind!" The tone was annoyed. His interest caught by the name, Horatio looked across the aisle to the middle-aged businessman in the next seat. He was addressing the girl, about 10 years old, who fidgeted next to the window. "Would you be still? I'm trying to work out these figures." He returned his attention to the portfolio spread across his knees.
"But it doesn't work!" The tone held all the frustration a 10-year-old could muster. She flung down the wooden and metal brainteaser she had been fiddling with. "Can't you help me with it, Daddy?"
"I'm busy," he said shortly. "You know how much this trip means to me. I bought you the puzzle you wanted in the airport, so work it out yourself. Or look out the window. I even gave you the window seat. But I have to finish this proposal."
Rosalind stared out at the clouds for at least 30 seconds, then picked up the puzzle again, working over it with increasing frustration, trying to force it.
"Must you clank with the thing? Keep it quiet, would you?" Her father's eyes never left the papers.
"Swap seats, why don't you, and I'll help you with it." Horatio's voice was soft, but it reached all the way across the aisle, arresting her father in his paperwork on the way. He looked up at Horatio. Rosalind eyed him hopefully.
"Well, alright," he said, standing up, "but you just tell her to shut up when you get tired of her." He and the girl changed places, and she leaned out across the aisle, offering the puzzle to Horatio. He studied it briefly, then shifted three pieces in sequence. The trapped ball fell out of the pieces like the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks.
"How did you do that?" Rosalind couldn't believe it. "I've been fighting it for an hour."
"Fighting it won't help," said Horatio gently. "You need to see how it works. Look here." He leaned out from his own seat, his long, sensitive fingers playing the puzzle pieces like piano keys. "The force from this piece blocks this one. You have to get around that. So you shift this piece here, then drop that one in sideways." He snapped the puzzle back together, then neatly took it apart again, this time more slowly. "Here, you try it." Rosalind picked up the puzzle and starting working with it, much more hesitantly than Horatio but working with it now, not fighting it. He corrected her gently once, and they both smiled at each other as the ball once again fell free.
"Do it again!" She passed the pieces to him, and he snapped it together again, then apart, then back together and returned it. She worked it herself, more quickly this time.
"And the wonderful thing is," said Horatio, "once you understand how it works, it never changes."
"Never?"
"Never. You can work it 100 times. It will always be the same."
Rosalind settled back into her own seat, working the puzzle with increasing confidence. Apart. Together. Apart. Together. And it was always the same. Calleigh leaned over to Horatio.
"I can't wait to see you with our kids."
He transferred his smile from Rosalind to her. "And I can't wait to see you with them."
"We could name a girl Rosalind, if you want."
He liked the idea, she could tell, but being Horatio, he had to look at it from all angles. "What if it's a boy?"
Calleigh raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. "It's not like we have to find all the answers tonight. We'll just think about that one some more."
He kissed her hand in turn. "Let's not do too much thinking for tonight, though." Their eyes locked again as the plane continued its swift flight toward Niagara Falls.
***
The bell boy unlocked the door of the honeymoon suite and stepped back, and Calleigh started forward. She only got half a step, though, before warm arms captured her and swept her up with a strength that made her feel weightless. The hotel man smiled as Horatio carried her across the threshold. He didn't put her down on the other side, either. Standing in the middle of the huge room, he continued to hold her while directing the staff where to put the luggage. Calleigh thought briefly (very briefly) of protesting, but she knew it was pointless. Besides, she didn't really want to. After all, this was the honeymoon suite, and the staff had probably seen it all before. Horatio freed one arm, holding her securely with the other, and fished out his wallet. The staff pocketed the tip and vanished, well-trained.
"Now," he said. He carried her toward the bed - the marvelous, large, heart-shaped bed - and deposited her on it gently. She started to sit up, to take off her shoes, and he stopped her with one look. "This time," he said, "I want to do it."
"Just as long as my turn is coming." She lay back, unprotesting, as he started slowly removing her clothes.
"Of course. Fair is fair." Calleigh was lost in him again, his eyes, his hands, his unhurried urgency. He was gentle but confident, as if claiming what he knew was rightfully his. She abandoned herself to discovering even more fully exactly what it was about this man that had excited her so much for the last two years. And he did not disappoint her.
***
Calleigh Caine (how she loved thinking of herself that way!) opened her eyes with a purr of contentment. Horatio was still asleep, his head near hers. She watched him with an overpowering love. My husband, she thought. Our first morning waking up next to each other.
Actually, she realized suddenly, it was their second morning waking up next to each other. They had never left the honeymoon suite yesterday, spending the entire day in delicious exploration of each other. She memorized his features again. The flaming hair, the lean, classic lines. She reached out and lightly traced the scar down the right edge of his face. It was fading now, and it did nothing to mar his looks. But to her, even the scar was beautiful, a living reminder of his bravery and compassion.
Horatio's eyes flickered open as she lightly stroked his face. "Good morning, wife."
"Good morning, husband." They kissed each other warmly. "You know what happened yesterday, Horatio?"
"I think I remember most of it," he smiled.
"Or really, what didn't happen."
He looked into her mind and finished the thought. "The phone never rang."
"Marvelous, wasn't it?"
"Marvelous." They kissed again.
"Well, Horatio, this is the second day. Should we get out of bed today?"
"We got out of bed yesterday," he said, looking fondly toward the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace.
"Sorry, let me rephrase the question. Should we get out of the room today?"
He hesitated. "Your call." She absolutely loved it when he surrendered control of something - anything - to her. From him, it was the ultimate statement of trust and respect.
"It would be a shame to go to Niagara Falls and not see it."
"That it would." He propped himself up on one elbow, then grinned at her suddenly. "Wait a minute. We don't have to make a choice. Maybe we could make love on the observation deck at the falls."
"Horatio!" Calleigh sat up herself. "What would all the people say?"
"They wouldn't notice. They'd be watching the waterfall."
"They'd notice." Calleigh got out of bed and stretched luxuriously, committing herself to the day. "Let's get out for a bit today, though. It will make coming back that much better."
"Deal." He got out of bed himself. "Do you want the shower first?"
"Remember, Horatio, we don't have to make a choice." He smiled at her again and came around the bed to join her.
***
They were crossing the lobby, hand in hand, later that morning when Rosalind's voice stopped them. "Horatio!" She came bounding across the lobby, another kid in tow. "Horatio, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."
"I've been in the hotel," he said truthfully.
She was too intent on her mission to notice the smile he exchanged with Calleigh. "Horatio, would you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Rosalind." They had discovered a little more about the girl on the flight up. Her parents had recently divorced. Her mother was to have had her this week but went into the hospital for an appendectomy. At the last minute, Rosalind was forced to come along with her father on his business trip. Her father was less than thrilled. Horatio was always touched by anyone lonely, and he smiled down at her eager face now. Calleigh, watching him, again imagined him with their own children.
She held out something to him. "Daddy bought this for me in the gift shop, to keep me busy. It's a Rubic's Cube. And I bet Matt here an ice cream cone that you could work it in three minutes." She smiled at her newfound friend, utterly confident.
"Three minutes?" Calleigh eyed the multicolored cube dubiously.
"Nobody can just pick one up and work it in three minutes," said Matt, with all the certainty of age 10. "I've had one for a year. Nobody gets that good without practice."
"You can work it, can't you?" Rosalind's eyes had no doubt. Horatio picked up the cube and eyed it. He had heard of the things but had never worked one. He suddenly smiled at Calleigh.
"Keep time, Cal, would you?"
"Are you sure?" She would hate to see him fail in front of the girl and her new friend. He met her eyes. At times, Horatio's magnetism was so great that she would have believed him if he said he could fly. "Of course, yeah, I'll keep time." She eyed her watch, following the second hand around. "Ready? Go." Instantly, she looked back from the watch to him.
Horatio did not start manipulating the cube right away. He took time to study it carefully, all six sides in turn, while Matt grinned at his seeming perplexity. Then, he started to shift the rows, and Matt's grin faded. Calmly, evenly, never faltering, with relaxed speed, he worked the colors around, finally snapping the last row into place. Calleigh looked at her watch again.
"1 minute 55 seconds."
"You owe me an ice cream cone," said Rosalind. "Thanks, Horatio." She seemed less impressed than Matt and Calleigh. She had never doubted in the first place.
"Rosalind!" Horatio's voice stopped the kids as they scampered away. "Don't forget your cube." He tossed it lightly to her. She caught it neatly and gave him a final grin before heading for the ice cream stand with Matt.
"Have you ever worked one of those before?" asked Calleigh.
"Nope, first time." He caught her hand again. "Now, let's go see those falls." She had a private grin of her own as she followed him to the door. One of the sweetest things about Horatio, she thought, was that he honestly didn't realize just how special he was.
***
The Horseshoe Falls of Niagara thundered over the edge, the river dropping with incredible force. Calleigh and Horatio stood pressed against the safety rail, stunned like everyone else. What incredible power, Calleigh thought. Love is like that. Absolutely unstoppable. She looked at her husband fondly. He was rapt, watching the spectacle of nature. She wondered briefly how much he was seeing, what patterns there were that escaped her. She didn't ask, though. Horatio honestly had trouble explaining it. Watching him watch the falls was enough for her.
Finally, they pried themselves away from the falls and started exploring some of the trails and walkways around the river. They wandered for two hours in companionable silence. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said finally.
"Incredible," he replied, his eyes moving from the river to Calleigh's face. Yes, love was like this. Deep water, rapids in places, infinite variety, but always the current, the driving force. She felt his eyes on her and smiled back at him. "Love is like this place," he said.
"I was just thinking that." She gripped his hand more tightly. "If we'd seen this two years ago, we wouldn't have wasted time."
"Can't fight the current," he agreed. "Let's head back to the hotel."
"Let's." She hesitated, looking around. "Do we have to backtrack all the way? We'll have to cross the river somewhere. We're on the wrong side."
"This trail to the left heads in the right direction. Let's keep exploring." He smiled at her. "Besides, I hate backtracking."
"Me, too." They continued down the left hand trail together. Other hikers passed them occasionally, but they were too lost in each other to notice. Finally, the trail turned to cross the river again, and they started out onto the bridge. This one was deliberately built to look rustic, a slightly swaying wooden suspension bridge, and it rocked gently under their feet as they got further from shore. Horatio froze.
"Horatio, what's . . ." Calleigh knew instantly what was the matter as she turned back to him. The bridge. His body remembered too well another bridge shifting beneath his feet, then falling out from under him, the world dropping away. "It's okay," she said, going to him quickly. "This one's stable. We aren't going to fall."
"I know," he managed to say. "It's just . . ." His hands gripped the rope rail so hard that the knuckles turned white. He was actually sweating.
"Let's go back," she urged. "We're not even a quarter across. There's got to be another way around. We'll backtrack if we have to."
"No." The one word was sharp, almost annoyed. "This is ridiculous." A family with kids started across from the other side, and the kids bounded gleefully ahead, jumping up and down to increase the motion. Calleigh could have cheerfully shot them. Horatio went even paler. "This is ridiculous," he repeated, telling it to himself, not her.
"Horatio, it doesn't matter. Anyone would be scared by that. Come on, let's go back." She tried to pull his hands off the rope but failed.
"No, we're going across." He managed a few steps toward the center, still clinging to the rope. "It doesn't make sense. I know this bridge is strong."
"Your mind knows that, but your body remembers," she said soothingly. "It's okay. Come on back."
"No. We're going across." He started off again, step by slow step, still hanging onto the rope. Calleigh came up next to him and gripped his arm tightly, giving him something else to hold onto. Together, they made it across the bridge. She paused on the other side, giving him a chance to relax, still holding his arm. His breathing gradually returned to normal. "Now," he said, turning back, "we cross it again."
"No." Calleigh dragged him to a halt. "Horatio, now you ARE being ridiculous. It doesn't matter."
"I'm going to cross it until I convince myself." He had taken on his stubborn look.
"Come on, Horatio," she pleaded. "Look, I'm getting tired, okay? We've been out here all afternoon. Let's head back. Come on, I'm hungry if you aren't." He hesitated. After a minute, he turned around, consideration for her winning, as she had hoped it would.
"It will still be there tomorrow, though," he muttered to himself.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Horatio. It doesn't matter. You are NOT going to spend our honeymoon walking back and forth across a bridge. There are better ways to use the time." She slipped an arm around him as they walked, hoping that the contact would heat up some response in him. Gradually, it did. She could feel him relax, feel his growing awareness of her, and he slipped his own arm around her. Still, this would be a challenge. He was serious. Yielding to anything that didn't make sense wasn't in his character, whether it was something that mattered or not. She would have to fight him to keep him away from that bridge for the rest of their stay.
The sidewalks and walkways gradually led back into the hotel district, and Calleigh finally saw their hotel up ahead. "Enough of the world for today," said Horatio, and she smiled at him, partly in relief. But even as his smile answered hers, he stopped again.
"What is it?" His eyes were on their hotel, focused, intent.
"Why are there two regular police cars and three undercover cars in the circle drive?"
Calleigh sorted out the cars herself, although it took a minute to spot the undercover ones. She frowned. "That is odd."
"Something's happened."
"But not something that concerns us," she insisted. "We're on vacation, remember?" She pulled his head over so she could kiss him, public walk or not, and he answered the pressure of her lips on his own.
"Right," he said when they parted. "It's none of our business."
"None," she agreed. They headed for the hotel together.
They were both wrong.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, blah, blah, so forth.
***
"You and me - all that lights upon us, though, Brings us together like a fiddle-bow. Drawing one voice from two strings, it glides along. Across what instruments have we been spanned? And what violinist holds us in his hand? O sweetest song"
Ranier Maria Rilke, "Possibility of Being"
***
Looking back on the ceremony through the years, all Calleigh could ever remember for long was Horatio. Standing at the front of the church, his handsome form straight and focused toward her, his incredible eyes directly meeting hers. They locked with her eyes the minute she entered and held them all the way down the aisle, and she honestly did not hear the music, no longer felt the touch of Speed's arm against hers as he walked her down the aisle. Minutes before, she had been half-teasing Speed, who was in a formal suit for the occasion and looked like he'd rather be in a lab coat instead. But now, there was only Horatio. Eric stood alongside him as best man, and his open look of admiration and pride at Calleigh went unnoticed. Reminded later, she could remember that everyone had been there, but then the memories retreated to the back seat of her mind again, and there was only Horatio. She never heard the words of the ceremony. She supposed she gave the right answers, but it was all a blur. The world condensed down to a pair of magnetic blue eyes. She did remember the kiss.
The reception was hurried, because Calleigh and Horatio had a plane to catch. She was utterly touched, though, as was he, by the joint gift from the CSI team. It was a set of matching pistols, both with silver plates across the handholds, both engraved "Horatio and Calleigh, September 25, 2003."
"I don't know what to say, guys. Thank you." Calleigh kissed them all in turn.
"We thought about china and such," said Eric, "but we decided to give you something we knew you'd use."
"They're wonderful," said Horatio. "The perfect gift." He smiled at Eric, and Eric, whose idea it had been in the first place, felt a warm glow of satisfaction. He had managed to give his friend something that meant as much as Horatio's gift to him a few months ago.
"You'd better get going," urged Alexx. "You'll miss your plane."
"No, we'll only miss security check," said Calleigh. "The plane doesn't leave for two hours. Still, you're right."
"I don't think we'll take your gift along, though," said Horatio. "Much as we appreciate it, airport security won't." He passed the box back to them. "Hang onto it for us. Oh, and one more thing." He fished out his cell phone, ceremoniously turned it off, and handed it to Alexx. "A promise kept," he smiled at Calleigh. She pulled out her own phone and turned it over as well.
"Have a wonderful time, you two," said Alexx.
"And try not to get tied up in any crimes on your honeymoon," added Speed.
"No worries," said Horatio. "We really have other things planned."
***
Calleigh Caine (boy, it felt good to think of herself that way!) leaned back in the plane, stretching her feet luxuriously. Of course, she could stretch her feet luxuriously in coach; she didn't need the leg room of first class. Still, the gesture was significant. Shaking off the world, leaving all her responsibilities behind her. There was only Horatio now.
He smiled at her, squeezing her hand softly where he held it between their seats. "Now it begins."
"I never actually thought that I'd be marrying the man of my dreams and heading for a honeymoon in Niagara Falls," she said. "Too much like a childhood dream."
"What did you expect after a proposal in a thunderstorm? Rainbows follow storms. From here, Calleigh, we go straight over the rainbow." His eyes simultaneously charmed and dazzled her.
"Do you think there is a pot of gold, Horatio?"
"I'm absolutely sure of it," he said, lifting his free hand to run through her golden waves of hair. "I think we've found it already."
"I think we have." It was really impossible to do much in the mostly full plane, far too public, but she squeezed his hand lightly, a promise of the future. The not-too-distant future.
"Rosalind!" The tone was annoyed. His interest caught by the name, Horatio looked across the aisle to the middle-aged businessman in the next seat. He was addressing the girl, about 10 years old, who fidgeted next to the window. "Would you be still? I'm trying to work out these figures." He returned his attention to the portfolio spread across his knees.
"But it doesn't work!" The tone held all the frustration a 10-year-old could muster. She flung down the wooden and metal brainteaser she had been fiddling with. "Can't you help me with it, Daddy?"
"I'm busy," he said shortly. "You know how much this trip means to me. I bought you the puzzle you wanted in the airport, so work it out yourself. Or look out the window. I even gave you the window seat. But I have to finish this proposal."
Rosalind stared out at the clouds for at least 30 seconds, then picked up the puzzle again, working over it with increasing frustration, trying to force it.
"Must you clank with the thing? Keep it quiet, would you?" Her father's eyes never left the papers.
"Swap seats, why don't you, and I'll help you with it." Horatio's voice was soft, but it reached all the way across the aisle, arresting her father in his paperwork on the way. He looked up at Horatio. Rosalind eyed him hopefully.
"Well, alright," he said, standing up, "but you just tell her to shut up when you get tired of her." He and the girl changed places, and she leaned out across the aisle, offering the puzzle to Horatio. He studied it briefly, then shifted three pieces in sequence. The trapped ball fell out of the pieces like the prize in a box of Cracker Jacks.
"How did you do that?" Rosalind couldn't believe it. "I've been fighting it for an hour."
"Fighting it won't help," said Horatio gently. "You need to see how it works. Look here." He leaned out from his own seat, his long, sensitive fingers playing the puzzle pieces like piano keys. "The force from this piece blocks this one. You have to get around that. So you shift this piece here, then drop that one in sideways." He snapped the puzzle back together, then neatly took it apart again, this time more slowly. "Here, you try it." Rosalind picked up the puzzle and starting working with it, much more hesitantly than Horatio but working with it now, not fighting it. He corrected her gently once, and they both smiled at each other as the ball once again fell free.
"Do it again!" She passed the pieces to him, and he snapped it together again, then apart, then back together and returned it. She worked it herself, more quickly this time.
"And the wonderful thing is," said Horatio, "once you understand how it works, it never changes."
"Never?"
"Never. You can work it 100 times. It will always be the same."
Rosalind settled back into her own seat, working the puzzle with increasing confidence. Apart. Together. Apart. Together. And it was always the same. Calleigh leaned over to Horatio.
"I can't wait to see you with our kids."
He transferred his smile from Rosalind to her. "And I can't wait to see you with them."
"We could name a girl Rosalind, if you want."
He liked the idea, she could tell, but being Horatio, he had to look at it from all angles. "What if it's a boy?"
Calleigh raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. "It's not like we have to find all the answers tonight. We'll just think about that one some more."
He kissed her hand in turn. "Let's not do too much thinking for tonight, though." Their eyes locked again as the plane continued its swift flight toward Niagara Falls.
***
The bell boy unlocked the door of the honeymoon suite and stepped back, and Calleigh started forward. She only got half a step, though, before warm arms captured her and swept her up with a strength that made her feel weightless. The hotel man smiled as Horatio carried her across the threshold. He didn't put her down on the other side, either. Standing in the middle of the huge room, he continued to hold her while directing the staff where to put the luggage. Calleigh thought briefly (very briefly) of protesting, but she knew it was pointless. Besides, she didn't really want to. After all, this was the honeymoon suite, and the staff had probably seen it all before. Horatio freed one arm, holding her securely with the other, and fished out his wallet. The staff pocketed the tip and vanished, well-trained.
"Now," he said. He carried her toward the bed - the marvelous, large, heart-shaped bed - and deposited her on it gently. She started to sit up, to take off her shoes, and he stopped her with one look. "This time," he said, "I want to do it."
"Just as long as my turn is coming." She lay back, unprotesting, as he started slowly removing her clothes.
"Of course. Fair is fair." Calleigh was lost in him again, his eyes, his hands, his unhurried urgency. He was gentle but confident, as if claiming what he knew was rightfully his. She abandoned herself to discovering even more fully exactly what it was about this man that had excited her so much for the last two years. And he did not disappoint her.
***
Calleigh Caine (how she loved thinking of herself that way!) opened her eyes with a purr of contentment. Horatio was still asleep, his head near hers. She watched him with an overpowering love. My husband, she thought. Our first morning waking up next to each other.
Actually, she realized suddenly, it was their second morning waking up next to each other. They had never left the honeymoon suite yesterday, spending the entire day in delicious exploration of each other. She memorized his features again. The flaming hair, the lean, classic lines. She reached out and lightly traced the scar down the right edge of his face. It was fading now, and it did nothing to mar his looks. But to her, even the scar was beautiful, a living reminder of his bravery and compassion.
Horatio's eyes flickered open as she lightly stroked his face. "Good morning, wife."
"Good morning, husband." They kissed each other warmly. "You know what happened yesterday, Horatio?"
"I think I remember most of it," he smiled.
"Or really, what didn't happen."
He looked into her mind and finished the thought. "The phone never rang."
"Marvelous, wasn't it?"
"Marvelous." They kissed again.
"Well, Horatio, this is the second day. Should we get out of bed today?"
"We got out of bed yesterday," he said, looking fondly toward the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace.
"Sorry, let me rephrase the question. Should we get out of the room today?"
He hesitated. "Your call." She absolutely loved it when he surrendered control of something - anything - to her. From him, it was the ultimate statement of trust and respect.
"It would be a shame to go to Niagara Falls and not see it."
"That it would." He propped himself up on one elbow, then grinned at her suddenly. "Wait a minute. We don't have to make a choice. Maybe we could make love on the observation deck at the falls."
"Horatio!" Calleigh sat up herself. "What would all the people say?"
"They wouldn't notice. They'd be watching the waterfall."
"They'd notice." Calleigh got out of bed and stretched luxuriously, committing herself to the day. "Let's get out for a bit today, though. It will make coming back that much better."
"Deal." He got out of bed himself. "Do you want the shower first?"
"Remember, Horatio, we don't have to make a choice." He smiled at her again and came around the bed to join her.
***
They were crossing the lobby, hand in hand, later that morning when Rosalind's voice stopped them. "Horatio!" She came bounding across the lobby, another kid in tow. "Horatio, where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."
"I've been in the hotel," he said truthfully.
She was too intent on her mission to notice the smile he exchanged with Calleigh. "Horatio, would you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Rosalind." They had discovered a little more about the girl on the flight up. Her parents had recently divorced. Her mother was to have had her this week but went into the hospital for an appendectomy. At the last minute, Rosalind was forced to come along with her father on his business trip. Her father was less than thrilled. Horatio was always touched by anyone lonely, and he smiled down at her eager face now. Calleigh, watching him, again imagined him with their own children.
She held out something to him. "Daddy bought this for me in the gift shop, to keep me busy. It's a Rubic's Cube. And I bet Matt here an ice cream cone that you could work it in three minutes." She smiled at her newfound friend, utterly confident.
"Three minutes?" Calleigh eyed the multicolored cube dubiously.
"Nobody can just pick one up and work it in three minutes," said Matt, with all the certainty of age 10. "I've had one for a year. Nobody gets that good without practice."
"You can work it, can't you?" Rosalind's eyes had no doubt. Horatio picked up the cube and eyed it. He had heard of the things but had never worked one. He suddenly smiled at Calleigh.
"Keep time, Cal, would you?"
"Are you sure?" She would hate to see him fail in front of the girl and her new friend. He met her eyes. At times, Horatio's magnetism was so great that she would have believed him if he said he could fly. "Of course, yeah, I'll keep time." She eyed her watch, following the second hand around. "Ready? Go." Instantly, she looked back from the watch to him.
Horatio did not start manipulating the cube right away. He took time to study it carefully, all six sides in turn, while Matt grinned at his seeming perplexity. Then, he started to shift the rows, and Matt's grin faded. Calmly, evenly, never faltering, with relaxed speed, he worked the colors around, finally snapping the last row into place. Calleigh looked at her watch again.
"1 minute 55 seconds."
"You owe me an ice cream cone," said Rosalind. "Thanks, Horatio." She seemed less impressed than Matt and Calleigh. She had never doubted in the first place.
"Rosalind!" Horatio's voice stopped the kids as they scampered away. "Don't forget your cube." He tossed it lightly to her. She caught it neatly and gave him a final grin before heading for the ice cream stand with Matt.
"Have you ever worked one of those before?" asked Calleigh.
"Nope, first time." He caught her hand again. "Now, let's go see those falls." She had a private grin of her own as she followed him to the door. One of the sweetest things about Horatio, she thought, was that he honestly didn't realize just how special he was.
***
The Horseshoe Falls of Niagara thundered over the edge, the river dropping with incredible force. Calleigh and Horatio stood pressed against the safety rail, stunned like everyone else. What incredible power, Calleigh thought. Love is like that. Absolutely unstoppable. She looked at her husband fondly. He was rapt, watching the spectacle of nature. She wondered briefly how much he was seeing, what patterns there were that escaped her. She didn't ask, though. Horatio honestly had trouble explaining it. Watching him watch the falls was enough for her.
Finally, they pried themselves away from the falls and started exploring some of the trails and walkways around the river. They wandered for two hours in companionable silence. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said finally.
"Incredible," he replied, his eyes moving from the river to Calleigh's face. Yes, love was like this. Deep water, rapids in places, infinite variety, but always the current, the driving force. She felt his eyes on her and smiled back at him. "Love is like this place," he said.
"I was just thinking that." She gripped his hand more tightly. "If we'd seen this two years ago, we wouldn't have wasted time."
"Can't fight the current," he agreed. "Let's head back to the hotel."
"Let's." She hesitated, looking around. "Do we have to backtrack all the way? We'll have to cross the river somewhere. We're on the wrong side."
"This trail to the left heads in the right direction. Let's keep exploring." He smiled at her. "Besides, I hate backtracking."
"Me, too." They continued down the left hand trail together. Other hikers passed them occasionally, but they were too lost in each other to notice. Finally, the trail turned to cross the river again, and they started out onto the bridge. This one was deliberately built to look rustic, a slightly swaying wooden suspension bridge, and it rocked gently under their feet as they got further from shore. Horatio froze.
"Horatio, what's . . ." Calleigh knew instantly what was the matter as she turned back to him. The bridge. His body remembered too well another bridge shifting beneath his feet, then falling out from under him, the world dropping away. "It's okay," she said, going to him quickly. "This one's stable. We aren't going to fall."
"I know," he managed to say. "It's just . . ." His hands gripped the rope rail so hard that the knuckles turned white. He was actually sweating.
"Let's go back," she urged. "We're not even a quarter across. There's got to be another way around. We'll backtrack if we have to."
"No." The one word was sharp, almost annoyed. "This is ridiculous." A family with kids started across from the other side, and the kids bounded gleefully ahead, jumping up and down to increase the motion. Calleigh could have cheerfully shot them. Horatio went even paler. "This is ridiculous," he repeated, telling it to himself, not her.
"Horatio, it doesn't matter. Anyone would be scared by that. Come on, let's go back." She tried to pull his hands off the rope but failed.
"No, we're going across." He managed a few steps toward the center, still clinging to the rope. "It doesn't make sense. I know this bridge is strong."
"Your mind knows that, but your body remembers," she said soothingly. "It's okay. Come on back."
"No. We're going across." He started off again, step by slow step, still hanging onto the rope. Calleigh came up next to him and gripped his arm tightly, giving him something else to hold onto. Together, they made it across the bridge. She paused on the other side, giving him a chance to relax, still holding his arm. His breathing gradually returned to normal. "Now," he said, turning back, "we cross it again."
"No." Calleigh dragged him to a halt. "Horatio, now you ARE being ridiculous. It doesn't matter."
"I'm going to cross it until I convince myself." He had taken on his stubborn look.
"Come on, Horatio," she pleaded. "Look, I'm getting tired, okay? We've been out here all afternoon. Let's head back. Come on, I'm hungry if you aren't." He hesitated. After a minute, he turned around, consideration for her winning, as she had hoped it would.
"It will still be there tomorrow, though," he muttered to himself.
"Oh, for Pete's sake, Horatio. It doesn't matter. You are NOT going to spend our honeymoon walking back and forth across a bridge. There are better ways to use the time." She slipped an arm around him as they walked, hoping that the contact would heat up some response in him. Gradually, it did. She could feel him relax, feel his growing awareness of her, and he slipped his own arm around her. Still, this would be a challenge. He was serious. Yielding to anything that didn't make sense wasn't in his character, whether it was something that mattered or not. She would have to fight him to keep him away from that bridge for the rest of their stay.
The sidewalks and walkways gradually led back into the hotel district, and Calleigh finally saw their hotel up ahead. "Enough of the world for today," said Horatio, and she smiled at him, partly in relief. But even as his smile answered hers, he stopped again.
"What is it?" His eyes were on their hotel, focused, intent.
"Why are there two regular police cars and three undercover cars in the circle drive?"
Calleigh sorted out the cars herself, although it took a minute to spot the undercover ones. She frowned. "That is odd."
"Something's happened."
"But not something that concerns us," she insisted. "We're on vacation, remember?" She pulled his head over so she could kiss him, public walk or not, and he answered the pressure of her lips on his own.
"Right," he said when they parted. "It's none of our business."
"None," she agreed. They headed for the hotel together.
They were both wrong.