Disclaimer: I don't own the main characters
Summary: C.J. receives news that changes his future plans. Plus, after skipping his Junior year, Kyle graduated at the end of the school year, but instead of going to college, he has other plans and Horatio isn't happy. Why is that? What are Kyle's plans? And what happens with C.J.? Please read and find out. Sixth story in the A different Beginning series. A little A/U.
AN: Hi everybody I'm back with a new story. This is a continued series so if you haven't read the pervious five, then you might be a little confused, so read at your own risk.
Title: Leaving Miami
Genre: Romance, Family
Rating: T
Spoilers: None
Time-line: 1 year after A new baby in the family
Warnings: A little implied/suggestive adult behavior
Main Parings: Ducaine, C.J./Brenda
Minor Parings: None
Other Characters: The Caine kids
Series Order: A Different Beginning, A life changing moment, First day of school, A Change of heart?, A new baby in the family, Leaving Miami
Leaving Miami
Chapter 1: News that changed everything
After 16-year-old C.J. had set up the picnic at a secluded part of the beach he likes to go to around this time of the day, which wasn't very far from the house, he sat down on the blanket with his knees up, then he placed his arms over them before placing his chin on top, and as he looked out in the horizon he thought about 3 months ago when he felt he was on top of the world right before it came crashing down on him.
Flashback
3 months ago
C.J. was standing in the huddle with his Varsity basketball team as the basketball coach was drawing and explaining the last play they'll run while the fans were standing up and cheering for their respective teams, or some just cheering for the team they had liked the best throughout the tournament. Then once the coach was done, he held out his hand and said. "Team Work."
The players in their red and white jerseys placed their hands on top of each other and repeated. "Team Work." Before breaking from the huddle.
As some of the players sat down the other five started walking toward the court, including C.J., but he stopped when the coach called his name. "Yeah Coach."
The average build, 6'0, middle-aged, brown-haired, hazel-eyed, man smiled. "Have faith C.J., I know you can do this. Just pretend it's like any other game."
"You got it coach."
Even as he said that though, he wished he could pretend it was just another game, but this game was the most important game he's ever played up to this point in his life, it was the high school state championships and throughout this game he wasn't shooting very well, but the coach had instructed he get the last shot, so the pressure was on him.
He took a breath and shook his head, it was time to concentrate now.
From the moment the referee gave him the ball everything became a blur to him, but somehow, someway, they got the ball back to him after he passed it in play, then he released it right before the buzzer was going off while his heart was still racing.
The crowd was so silent at that point that the players could hear a pen drop, until it hit the rim, then they gasped, but when it bounced up in the air, fell back and went through the net, the crowd rooting for the winning team erupted as C.J.'s teammates just about tackled him to the ground.
When he could finally get the team off of him and walk through the mob off people, he headed toward the stands where he knew that three of his favorite fan club members would be there. The others couldn't make it and Kyle elected to stay home and watch the younger kids since the game was out-of-town, knowing he wouldn't miss a thing because their father would have recorded every second of the game.
C.J. smiled at his parents as they congratulated him, then he looked next to his mom and smiled bigger as Brenda said. "Congratulations."
"Thank you guys. Listen the team wants to go have pizza to celebrate."
Calleigh and Horatio nodded, then Calleigh replied with a smile. "Ok, we'll meet you there. Unless you're too cool for us now?"
C.J. shook his head with a smile. "Of course not, I'll see you there."
The trio stepped down the bleachers, and when they stepped on the gym floor, Calleigh and Horatio patted him on the shoulder and Brenda gave him a kiss on the cheek, then they smiled at each other before she started following his parents. He watched until he couldn't see them anymore, then went back through the small mob of people who was still there so he could get to the locker room.
After the team celebration at the pizza place was done, everybody headed for the hotel they were staying at, and since it was a half an hour before curfew, C.J. had met Brenda in the lobby so they could spend some time together.
Once they hugged and he kissed her on the cheek, they sat down on the small couch, and since they were still in public, he just took her hand instead of cuddling up to one another.
It was silent for a few minutes, then he smiled as he shook his head. "Man I can't believe it, we just won the state championship, but I can't help but feel that next year is going to be even better than this one."
She looked over at him and asked. "What makes you say that?"
He looks into her eyes as he continued. "Well for one, we'll be Juniors and I'll finally be able to take you to prom."
Since prom was a Junior and Senior event, he couldn't take his girlfriend last year and he won't be able to take her this year, so he was really excited about taking her, and not only that, but then they'll be one year shy of being Seniors.
Brenda tensed as she looked down at their hands, which concerned him. "Brenda, what's wrong?" She released his hand a few seconds later, got up from the couch and walked to the window to look outside, then he gets up from his seat and stopped next to her. "Brenda?"
She looked over at him and replied. "I won't be able to go."
"What do you mean, of course you will." She shook her head as he continued. "What is it? Why can't you?"
Her eyes started to tear up, which wasn't doing her glasses any good, then she finally told him. "Because I'm moving right after this year ends."
C.J.'s heart just plummeted as he cups her cheek and asked with emotion in his voice. "Where?"
She took her glasses off to wipe her eyes, then after putting them back on, she cleared her throat before speaking again. "Seattle Washington, my mom was transferred to a law firm there. She said it will be a great opportunity for this family."
"Seattle?" She nodded again as he removed his hand, then he took a moment and replied. "Ok, it's going to be ok, this is nothing."
"C.J. it's not nothing, Seattle is across the..."
He puts a finger to her lips to stop her, then he cups her cheek again and looks into her eyes. "Everything is going to be fine, alright?"
"But C.J..."
Once again he cuts her off. "Please, let's not talk about this right now, let's just be together in the moment." Brenda nodded, and as she stepped in his arms, he wraps them around her before he leaned down and kissed her head.
After a few moments of silence, she sighed and looked up at him. "I'm sorry I ruined one of the best nights of your life. I wasn't even going to say anything until we got back to Miami, but honestly, I couldn't hold it in much longer and I couldn't have you continue to think everything was perfect."
He nodded in understanding, then replied. "It's ok, yeah my night didn't get any better, but I'm only thinking about the positive right now."
She gave him a little smile as she asked. "Which is?"
He gave her a smile in return. "You are with me right here in this moment and that's all that matters to me."
She smiled a little bigger before he bends down and kisses her softly on the lips, then after she moved her head so her cheek was against his chest, he whispered. "I love you."
"I love you too."
After kissing her head again they just held on to each other in silence for as long as they could.
End of Flashback
C.J. was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Brenda's voice. "C.J." He looked up toward his right and hadn't realized he had a tear going down his cheek until she cupped it and wiped it away. "Are you ok? What were you thinking about?"
He cleared his throat as she sat down next to him. "It was nothing."
She thought she read him pretty good, so she said. "It was the night I told you I was moving, wasn't it."
"Yeah." Then he waved it off before she could speak again. "But it's ok, you're here now, so you hungry? Thirsty?"
He gets up and walks to the cooler, then as he opened it, Brenda sighed and replied. "C.J. we can't keep living in the moment, we are going to have to talk about it, I leave tomorrow."
He slams the cooler lid down as he shook his head, then said in a sharp tone. "You don't think I remember when you leave? You think I hadn't thought about the day that you are going to be ripped out of my life every second since you've told me?" He sighed in frustration as he finished. "That I wish I can just stop time so tomorrow never comes so I don't have to..."
He stopped before he got really angry when she wraps her arms around him. "I know, I'm sorry, C.J."
He wraps his arms around her shoulders and whispered, almost brokenly. "Just stay with me in the moment for a little bit longer, ok?"
"Ok C.J., we can do that." He sighed in content as they held on to each other like they were each other's lifeline.
When they finally pulled back, he took a breath and spoke. "I'm sorry about my tone."
"Don't be, you being expressive like that shows me that you care, which I already know that you do."
"I do so much." He cups her cheek as he leaned down and kisses her softly, which she responded.
When they pull back, he puts his forehead to hers and whispered. "I love you."
"I love you too."
They stay in that moment for a few minutes, then he pulls back and asked again. "You hungry, thirsty?"
"I could take a drink right now, but I'm not really hungry yet."
"Ok, coming right up."
"Thank you." She sits back down, and as he gets two bottles of water out of the cooler, she speaks again. "I saw Kyle leaving when I pulled up, he didn't look very happy."
C.J. sighed as he sat down next to her, then as he handed a water to her, he replied. "Kyle and dad got into a heated argument earlier."
She looked at him with concern. "Why, what's wrong?"
"Kyle announced he was enlisting in the army instead of going to college, and dad didn't like that too much."
Kyle had skipped his Junior year and went straight to his Senior year, so he just graduated a few days ago and had made the decision that the moment he turned 18 he was enlisting, even though he had plenty of options for college.
She puts her hand on his shoulder and replied. "I'm sorry, this must be hard on you too. I mean first me moving and now your brother is going into the army."
He twisted the cap on his water bottle after taking a sip, then he takes her hand from his shoulder, kissed her knuckles and speaks while looking into her eyes. "It isn't, but I'm trying to be strong about these new changes."
She used her free hand to cup his cheek and speaks with sincerity. "Well if you ever need to break down, my shoulder is right here. Believe me, I've done my share of crying and I'm not going to judge you."
"You haven't cried in front of me, except maybe a few sniffles here or there."
She gave him a small smile. "Because I want to be strong for you too."
He shook his head with a small smile in return. "We are some pair."
She ran her thumb up and down his cheek as she responded. "I always thought the perfect one."
He brings her hand up to his lips to kiss her knuckles again, then after he released it, he cupped her cheek so he could bring her closer and after a few pecks, he repeated. "Yeah, the perfect one." Then after he kissed her on the forehead, she scoots closer to him and lays her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her before they looked out in the horizon.
Calleigh walked out on the deck with the baby monitor in her hand and saw Horatio sitting down on the porch swing. "You want to talk about it?"
He sighed before he took a sip of his lemonade, then he looked at her after looking at the Miami horizon for a few seconds. "I just don't understand why he wants to do this."
Calleigh sets the baby monitor down on the table beside the swing, sat down next to him and replied with a smile. "Which he was trying to tell you this morning, but you wouldn't listen to him." He looked at her again as she continued. "Even though there are differences between what he'll be doing and what you are going, it's the same in a way, you try to protect our city, while he's trying to protect our country."
He gives her a little smile. "He's turned you to his side, I see."
Calleigh shook her head as she took his hand. "No, I'm just trying to keep the peace here." He raised an eyebrow as she continued. "He told us he's been thinking about this since September, so when he turns 18, he's more than likely going to do this whether you approve or not, which I don't want him leaving us, leaving you, with a strained relationship."
Horatio sighed again and replied. "It's not that I'm not proud of him, it's an honor to serve your country, I'm just..."
He trails off as she continued. "You're afraid for him." He does a short nod as he looked down, then she squeezes his hand and continued. "Believe me, I am too, and as proud as I am of him doing this, I don't want him to go either. But it's his life and choice, which I bet he prefers doing this with our blessing or at the most understanding."
He looked into her eyes sadly and said softly. "It feels like we just got him."
She nodded as she cups his cheek. "I know two years is not enough time, heck even 18 years would feel like it's not enough time with your child. But if there is one thing I know about him, it is he can handle this and he will come back to us. He's too much like you to give up, we both know it."
He nodded with a tear going down his cheek. "I know, believe me, I know."
At times he still thinks about the shooting and how lucky Kyle was that he survived, which Calleigh, Horatio and even Kyle contributes to him surviving because of the strength he had gotten from his father, even though he didn't know him at the time of the shooting.
Calleigh wipes his tear away, but before she could do any more comforting actions, Sarah-Elizabeth started crying through the monitor, she looks back at it, then looks at him as he speaks. "Go take care of her, I'm fine."
"You sure?"
He smiled as he squeezed her hand with a nod. "Yeah."
"Ok." They pecked each other on the lips, then she whispered. "I love you."
"I love you too."
After one more kiss, she got up from the swing, grabbed the baby monitor, and as she was walking toward the sliding door, he speaks. "Calleigh?"
"Yeah, Handsome?"
He turns his head so he was close to looking over his shoulder. "Thank you."
"No problem, just looking out for my family." He gives her a little smile while she smirked a little before she walked back inside.
Horatio took a moment before he looked at the horizon again with a sigh and another drink of his lemonade.
He knew all the things that Calleigh pointed out was the truth, but it still didn't change the fact that he was worried about his son going into the army.
AN: Interested in more? Please review.