Title: True Friendship
Title: Lonely Road
Author: lildreamer
Rating: T
Pairing: DuCaine
Spoilers: There will be many major spoilers for recent episodes. I will specify when needed. This chapter has spoilers for "Raising Caine."
Summary: Though the road he walks may be long, he does not walk alone.
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: Miami or any of its characters. They're only on loan from CBS. The song "I Will Be Here" belongs to Steven Curtis Chapman.
A/N: Previously titled "My Best Friend." A bit AU. This story will follow each actual episode as they air. So, guess how often I'll be updating! And who knows when it'll end!
Okay! On with the story…
Calleigh knew by his vacant face that he was in a free fall.
Kyle was gone. Taken away by his a mother. A woman who had forfeited that right long ago when she had abandoned him. Julia Winston—or whatever her real name was—was less than a perfect parent.
He hid behind his dark sunglasses as he always did. But she knew.
The others were still busy closing up the case. But none of that concerned her very much. Horatio was all she cared about now. And Horatio was falling to pieces.
She walked over to him and followed his gaze to the retreating car. "You okay?"
She watched his chest rise and fall. He was breathing but nothing more. Frozen from the inside out. She desperately wanted to reach out to him.
"I…" He lifted his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. "I don't know..."
The next day at the end of shift she found him standing in the hallway, gazing out of one of the crime lab's giant windows at the glimmering ocean in the distance.
Horatio's world felt like it was crumbling around him. He sighed, lowering his head.
"Horatio?"
He didn't respond, and she didn't expect him to.
She looked at his haggard face. His hair was a bit disheveled. His blue eyes looked more desperate than enchanting now. He didn't fiddle with his sunglasses as frequently. The man needed rest.
She stepped up next to him. "Hey…"
Horatio remained quiet. The silence stretched, and she stood next to him feeling his tension, hearing his breathing. She wondered if it would be appropriate to put a hand on his arm but immediately decided it wouldn't.
Calleigh's heart went out to him. The poor man had been betrayed or left behind by every woman he'd known. And the one woman who'd given him hope turned on him. She wasn't who she appeared to be. And just when he'd found a new reason to live, she had stripped it away from him, uncaring. It wasn't right.
She didn't think she'd ever met such a loyal, sincere man as Horatio. How could Julia do that to him? How could someone do such terrible things to such a wonderful man?
Tears sprang to her eyes. In that moment she looked at him and saw herself. She was as terrible with relationships as he was. She was no stranger to pain. She knew how it felt to have her heart broken over and over again. They were one. Both ravaged and discarded. Both desperate for love and acceptance. Both in need of another's touch.
She reached out her hand and put it on his arm.
He stared ahead and then turned to her, smiling a small, sad half smile. His hand covered hers on his arm.
Their eyes met.
She could see his mind spinning behind tired eyes. He was looking at her differently. With a newfound understanding. Maybe even respect.
She was about to suggest that they get some rest so they could have a fresh start in the morning when he turned to look back through the window. The sun was starting to set, streaking the sky with an array of colors.
"Kyle's all I have left." He spoke in a soft monotone. "I want him back."
She moved her hand to his shoulder and kneaded it tenderly, willing the pain to stop and embracing it all at once.
"Things'll work out…you'll see."
He stared off, silent.
Then he turned and did something she hadn't expected. He brought his hand to her face and touched her cheek. "Calleigh…"
She leaned into his warm fingers, relishing his touch.
"You're as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside," he said softly.
She knew what he meant, and his kindness meant everything to her.
She felt a sense of warmth and relief and happiness flood through her. She didn't know how he felt, but she knew she'd never let this man out of her sight. Ever. She'd have to help him get used to that.
Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark we lose sight of love
Hold my hand and have no fear
'Cause I will be here
I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to crying
Through the winning, losing, and trying
We'll be together
'Cause I will be here
"Guys?"
Calleigh started and turned to face Eric, who was standing where the hallways intersected, a case file clutched in his hands. If he had seen what was going on between the two, he didn't show it. Horatio lowered his hand.
But before anyone could say anything, Horatio's cell phone suddenly went off. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled it out. Without bothering to check the caller ID, he unfolded it and put it to his ear.
"Caine."
"Horatio, it's Frank," the detective drawled from the other line. "We got a shooting down at the park. A woman's dead."
He met Calleigh's gaze. She knew something was up by the look in his eyes.
"We'll be right there."