Disclaimer – I don't own any of the CSI: Miami or Without a Trace characters. I am simply playing with them for a little while.
Spoilers – Lost Son. Horatio and Tim had a conversation just outside the jewelry store after they'd noticed some vehicle. Horatio commented that someday Tim would need four doors. That random comment has stuck with me ever since. So, here's my "what if?"
Comments? - please leave 'em. I'd love to hear what you guys who've been doing this fanfiction thing forever think!
Watch…
He watched her as he had every day for months. She exited the Miami Dade Police Department, her dark hair cascading in waves over her shoulders, held back by the sunglasses she wore in her hair, so as not to impede her view of the steps.
She'd chosen a light khaki suit, having lost an earlier argument with herself that she no longer worked for the MDPD. She just couldn't, she'd surmised aloud, enter the building in a t-shirt and jeans. It was simply against her nature.
Under her suit jacket, she wore a turquoise print silk blouse untucked. He smiled. She'd always been a "tucker", and knew that this lapse in personal style was merely a concession to camouflage the precious package she carried.
Another man waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. A red-headed Lieutenant he knew well. He placed a small earpiece in his ear.
Listen…
"Horatio," he heard her say with a small sigh.
"Detective Diaz," the Lieutenant responded, "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
She looked up at Horatio Caine, her eyes dark. They'd shared far too much pain, and she felt no "pleasure" in seeing Caine again. "Time to go," she answered plainly.
Horatio's lips curled into a knowing, tight smile. "Are you sure about this?"
"No," she laughed bitterly, as her eyes filled with tears. She gazed in his general direction, and for a moment, he was afraid she'd seen him. When she answered Horatio, her voice was barely a whisper. The bug almost didn't pick up her response. "He's everywhere I turn."
"Christina," Horatio began to argue, but stopped when she raised her hand and shook her head.
"You said to give five months, and I did," she countered.
"Where will you go?" the Lieutenant questioned. "Back to Houston?"
Christina shook her head again. "No, I called your friend Mac Taylor in New York. He hooked me up with the police chief. I'll start there after…" she motioned to her growing belly with both hands.
"We'll miss you, Christina," Horatio said as he reached to take her hand. "You'll always have family here."
"Thank you, Horatio." She squeezed his hand and stepped past him, towards her waiting taxi.
"Christina."
She turned to face the Lieutenant again. Horatio toyed with the sunglasses in his hand. "Calleigh will demand pictures," he stated with a small grin.
She smiled and slid into the backseat of the yellow cab. The driver shut the door behind her.
Wait…
He lifted the helmet he'd rested on the seat of his motorcycle as the cab drove past. He was in no hurry to follow. Instead, he waited. Waited for the Lieutenant to notice the man dressed in black across the street from the police department. Waited for the flash of recognition. Satisfied, he donned the helmet, climbed on the bike and roared away.
To Be Continued…