Very teeny spoiler from "Dude, Where's My Groom?" but it's nothing major, just two character names and one line. That's pretty much it, so even if you didn't watch it, you don't need to, not to read this. DuCaine one-shot, ENJOY!!!
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"I love you, I love you so much,"
Horatio heard these words come from Kim, so heartfelt, to a gurney-ridden Charlie. The knife that had rested in Horatio's heart for a few days twisted and wretched with agony. Those exact words had come out of a certain Southern blonde's mouth, directed, amazingly, at him just 2 days ago.
They had started a 'thing' about a month ago, and even though Horatio loved her with every fiber of his being, they couldn't continue. She could lose her job and the respect she deserved, and he wasn't going to let that happen. He hadn't thought of that when they first started their relationship, you could call it.
It had just been a bad, bad week for both CSIs. They both caught cases that brought back memories, some in physical form, and others in just mental form. For Calleigh, she caught a case that brought Jake back. She had finally realized that he was no good for her, and was through with him, and he came back, wanting her. She told him off, and he sulked away.
Horatio had caught a case that involved a teen boy joining the gangs, reminding him of his nephew, and a woman being abused by her boyfriend, reminding him of Yelina and Rick.
There had been much more and by Friday night, Calleigh was done. She put in for the whole weekend to be off-call, and got it, as she had a lot of vacation time. Horatio put in for the same thing, and they agreed to meet at Horatio's house for some order-in pizza and some mindless movies.
"What happened to us, Horatio?" Calleigh questioned as they sat side-by-side on the couch, watching MythBusters.
"I have no idea, Calleigh," Horatio murmured, his hand stroking her palm as he contemplated what she said. They used to be so tight, best friends, and now they barely talked at all. It was very sad, and Horatio meant to change it, starting now.
"Then let's make it right, how 'bout it, Handsome?" Calleigh suggested, squeezing his hand. He looked down into her green eyes and suddenly had the yearning to lean down and capture her lips with his.
"Sounds good," Horatio rumbled, not being able to resist the urge. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and soon felt her arms snaking around her neck.
"I didn't mean like this, but I'm not complaining," Calleigh whispered as he pulled her close and stood up, walking to his bedroom as they continued their passion-filled kiss way into the night and then all weekend.
But then, about a month later, he realized what a mistake they were both making. He had caught up with her after work one day, and…he shuddered, remembering how badly he screwed that conversation up.
"Calleigh, I have to, we have to end, this," He said quietly, and her eyes relayed her confusion. Horatio elaborated, "This could ruin your career if it got out, and I can't, I won't let that happen." He said, the last statement igniting fire in his voice. Calleigh knew the fire came from concern and fierce protectiveness of her, and for that moment, she hated it.
She reined her emotions in and reached up, caressing his cheek before gently pressing her lips to his. "I love you, I love you so much," She whispered, unshed tears in her voice. The knife was then plunged into his heart, twisting as he thought of what kind of emotional agony he was causing her. He didn't want to, but it had to be done.
"But I don't give a damn what this 'might' do to my career." She said, passion and fire burning in her voice. Horatio chanced a glance at her eyes and saw flames dancing in them.
With that, she turned on her heel and suddenly disappeared. Horatio groaned as he pulled the door open on his Hummer, sitting on the edge of the seat and dropping his head into his hands. He knew she left the decision to him: if he went after her, their relationship would continue. If he didn't go after her, they would be through. He hated that it was so black and white, but it was what it was.
Horatio's hand made it's way to his pocket and pulled out the box he had bought about a week ago. He had fallen so much in love with Calleigh that he was going to ask her to marry him, but then the whole week had happened, and he realized that if he proposed to her, Stetler would have a complete field day with it. He couldn't let that happen.
So that brought him back to the present, sitting in his Hummer, watching the ambulance take off, carrying Kim and Charlie to the hospital. Horatio put the car in drive and headed back to the lab to write up his report, then he planned on finding Calleigh. They obviously needed to talk. Horatio had some things to say, and he wanted to know what Calleigh would say.
When he walked into the lobby of the CSI level, he raised an eyebrow at the receptionist, who stared back at him with a shocked expression. "What?" He questioned, and Shirley held out a sheet of paper, her hand trembling. "What's this?" He asked, and Shirley said,
"Calleigh's resignation."
"What?" Horatio demanded, quickly scanning the paper. It said,
"Attention: Lieutenant Horatio Caine. This is notification of my resignation from CSI level 3 and detective positions. I cannot continue to do this job, for personal reasons. This resignation is warranted, and won't leave you short-handed, as you still have CSI Boa Vista, CSI Cardoza and CSI Wolfe. Not to mention the tech staff. I'm sorry, but something must be done. Goodbye. Sincerely, Former CSI Calleigh Duquesne."
"Dammit!" Horatio swore fiercely, striding towards his office and shoving the paperwork to the side of his desk as he grabbed his personal key ring, which had the spare to Calleigh's house. He couldn't let her do this…not on his account.
He strode out, walking into the elevator as Natalia, Jesse and Ryan were exiting. "What's up, H?" Ryan asked, seeing the turmoil on his boss's face. Horatio handed him Calleigh's letter, and said,
"Read it and then put it on my desk."
The door slid shut on Ryan's shocked face and Horatio felt his fists clench as he berated himself. This was all his fault: he made their relationship about the job, and since the job was their only obstacle, Calleigh got rid of it: by quitting. That just wasn't going to work.
As a side thought, Horatio suddenly whipped the wheel to the right, going in another direction. He had someone else to talk to first.
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Calleigh felt the warm tears blur her vision as she surveyed her condo. There were boxes everywhere, as she planned on going back to Louisiana for a little while. She couldn't stay here, not while Horatio was still in Miami. Her heart broke a little more as she thought of what his face would look like when he got her message. She hoped to be out of her condo by the time he got there, to save both of them an awkward confrontation.
She got all of her boxes in one room, as there weren't too many of them. Calleigh wasn't moving back home, but she planned on staying there for a while, so all she was bringing was clothes and necessary items needed for a half year to a year stay.
Just as Calleigh grabbed the first box and went to open her door to take it to her car, the door was pulled open and she almost ran into an Irish red-head she knew so well. "Leaving?" Horatio questioned, looking at the box with his blue eyes filled with hurt, not aimed at her.
"Planning on it," She said in response, going to go past him, but his strong grip on the box prevented her from moving. She huffed out a frustrated breath and let go of the box. Horatio caught it with ease and set it on the ground, following her to the living room. She spun around and glared at him, saying, "What do you want, Horatio?"
"You," He said huskily, walking over to her until he was within inches of her, brushing his hand down her cheek. She didn't flinch, just stared back into his eyes with her laser-like green.
"As I recall, you didn't want me a few days ago." Calleigh said icily, and Horatio cupped her face with his hands, pressing his lips to hers hard. He wouldn't let her go, and after a short moment she wrapped her arms around his neck, fisting her hands in his hair and dragging his mouth to hers, making sure he stayed there.
When they broke the kiss for lack of air, they were both breathing heavily. "Horatio, I thought you said we couldn't…" Calleigh said, looking him straight in the eyes.
"I did say that. But I didn't want to. And now there's no need to say it." Horatio replied, capturing her lips with his again. She didn't complain and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body up against his with a pull.
"Why?" She breathed as his embrace moved down her neck.
"Because I've just come from the Chief's house," He rumbled against her neck, and she froze for a moment before Horatio brushed his hands down her body, relaxing her again. "He said, and I quote, 'you both have the department's blessing, but if you hurt her, your ass is out.'" He added as he kissed up her jaw and then back to her mouth.
"Seriously?" She replied incredulously, and Horatio chuckled at her tone.
"Seriously," He echoed affirmatively, and Calleigh grinned, kissing Horatio hard.
"I love you," She said, wanting to hear it back this time.
"I love you too, Calleigh, I love you so much," Horatio replied, his voice rumbling, and he swung Calleigh into his arms as he walked slowly to the bedroom. Calleigh broke their kiss and grinned when Horatio realized there weren't any sheets on the bed, there wasn't even a mattress. She slipped to the floor, and Horatio figured that this was as good a time as any.
"Well, this is interesting," Calleigh said, giggling. Horatio smiled softly and grabbed Calleigh's hands, getting her attention. He slowly sank to one knee and pulled out his box.
"Calleigh Duquesne, I love you, for always and forever. I want to live with you, raise children with you, protect and cherish you for the rest of our life together. Will you do me the great honor of marrying me?"
He opened the box, and Calleigh gasped at the sight of the ring, tears filling her eyes as she saw the diamond sparkle. Her hands flew to her mouth, unable to speak. Her eyes shut for a moment, and then she looked straight into Horatio's eyes and whispered, "Yes. A thousand times yes."
Horatio stood up and slipped the ring on her finger while he softly kissed her. The happy tears overflowed, and he gently kissed her tears away and then went over and flipped the mattress onto the bed. "You'll stay?" He questioned, striding back over to her and taking her in his arms.
"For always and forever," She quoted his proposal, smiling softly at him. He grinned in response and kissed her, the kiss quickly heating up.
"Who needs sheets?" He muttered as he swept her into his arms and then they sank slowly onto the bed, into a love-filled oblivion that lasted for the rest of their lives.
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The end! I hope you liked this one shot, I got the idea, obviously, from what Kim said to Charlie in "Dude, Where My Groom?". They were just so perfect, I had to write a one-shot on them! Thanks for reading, and drop me a line, tell me what you thought! Adios! :)