Refuge
By koaladeb
Summary: In the aftermath of a personal and professional crisis, Calleigh flees to find some answers. Will Horatio be able to bring her back?
Disclaimer: I tossed a penny into a fountain the other day, so I guess I'm still waiting to hear if my wish came true and they suddenly belong to me.
Rating: Pg 13, some language, but the examples of it are few and far between.
Pairing: H/C. and we're talking the REAL H, not that puffed up piece of meat they call a detective
Spoilers: I started this a while back but had trouble finishing, so for the sake of this one story, pretend Big Brother didn't happen. References to Grave Young Men (season 1) and Best Defense (season 2)
Dedication: In the (approx.) six months that I have been a part of the H/C list, I learned more about myself than I could possibly express (even with my level of wordiness!), so this is for all of you at the list-for your acceptance, encouragement, and friendship.
A/N: First off, thank you to Laeta for betaing this for me over the holidays. it was above and beyond! Second, I fully confess to playing a little fast and loose with the location. For the sake of accuracy, I would have set this story on a "real" island, but the name was just too good to pass up. There really is an island named Refuge Key, and it is about three hours from Miami, but it is, well, a wildlife refuge. No hotels, and as a matter of fact, no roads that go there either. In reality, it is a tiny island next to No Name Key, which is part of the National Key Deer Refuge, and near the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuges. No Name Key is attached by bridge to Big Pine Key, where there is more civilization. Hey- all fiction is a willing suspension of disbelief anyway, right?
If you are interested in learning more about the refuges in the Florida Keys, I recommend checking out -(you need Adobe Acrobat to see this page)- it is a beautiful, full-color brochure about the Refuges, and you can get plenty of information about wildlife, history, and conservation efforts there. As a bonus, if you go to page 13, Refuge key is where the orange symbol for the nature trail is found. or you can go to & address=&city=Refuge+Key&state=FL&zipcode=&historyid=&submit=Get+Map and zoom in (it takes about 3 or 4 levels to get there) until you can see it.
And yes, I am a complete nerd who actually researched all of this for the sole purpose of providing links to all of you.
~~~~~~~~~
And now, putting an end to the author's notes that know no end, I present "Refuge."
~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 3pm
Horatio walked out of the County court house whistling a breezy tune. He had just finished his testimony in a murder trial and was pleased with the way it had been received. He felt fully confident justice would be served.
He stopped whistling when he saw Eric on the front steps. The younger man was agitated, checking his watch and scanning the people exiting the building, looking for someone. Horatio did not need to ask who; Eric made a beeline in his direction as soon as his foot connected with the first step.
"I know I should be at work," Eric started quickly, leading him towards the parking lot, "but Speed dropped me off to grab you as soon as you came out. Something happened this morning you should know about."
"Well?" Horatio prompted, annoyed when Eric stopped speaking.
"In the car," Eric replied. "This isn't something you want to hear in public."
They made their way to the Hummer he had driven to court. Horatio started the vehicle and exited the parking lot, heading for the lab. Once they hit the main street, he glanced over at Eric, commanding him without words to start explaining.
"This morning, Detective Hagan was taken into custody and charged with accepting a bribe. It was some kind of sting. They've been watching him for about a month now. Irrefutable evidence."
Horatio sighed. This kind of thing always made the department look bad. The fact that Hagan was dirty was not completely unexpected, but surprising nonetheless. He glanced at Eric again, taking in his apprehensive look.
"There's something more you're not telling me."
Eric nodded and kept his eyes firmly locked on the front window, not wanting to see Horatio's reaction. "IAB pulled Calleigh in for questioning."
Restraining the urge to swear, Horatio concentrated on the road in front of him. The only outward sign that he had even heard Eric was a tightening of his grip on the wheel and a subtle increase in their speed. He did not know who to be more furious with- IAB for pulling this stunt or Hagan for getting her involved in his mess.
Hagan was getting his, so Horatio focused on the paranoid, pompous, pseudo- cops over at IAB. How dare they? There was no way Calleigh was dirty, no possible chance she would get involved in any kind of misconduct.
Horatio was sure they knew it, too. Whatever surveillance they had done to investigate Hagan would exonerate Calleigh. This was an underhanded, spiteful stab at his team, a way to retaliate for the embarrassment he had inflicted on them over a year ago with the Dispo Day investigation.
His voice was eerily calm as he asked, "Why didn't someone call me?"
"I think they timed it so that we couldn't," Eric answered, glancing over at his supervisor, hearing the controlled tightness in his voice. "As soon as they came barging in with accusations we tried to call you, but the trial had already started. Speed sent me to the courthouse to get you, but you were on the stand. They knew the trial was scheduled to run through lunch. They had all day."
Horatio absorbed the information in silence. When they arrived at the lab, he pulled into the first available parking spot and was out the door before Eric could even undo his seatbelt. He walked quickly and with purpose into the building, slowing only when he saw Speed waiting in the lobby. He did not even need to ask.
"They released her just about two hours ago. Bastards pulled her into an interrogation room and denied her a union rep. Said it was unnecessary considering she was only being questioned in regards to Hagan's activities and not her own. She was grilled for four hours. Four hours! Then they suddenly let her go. Seems the paperwork mentioned something about her being perfectly in the clear, but they had overlooked that particular detail. They had the gall to apologize for any "inconvenience" they might have caused."
Horatio was seething. He could only imagine the kind of hell they put her through, asking her to evaluate every moment of the time she had spent with Hagan only moments after informing her he had been arrested. And four hours? Heads were going to roll. No one treated his people like this. He momentarily entertained the thought of heading over to IAB and lighting into some people, but his concern for Calleigh's well-being won out less than a heartbeat later.
"Where is she now?"
"I don't know. She took off as soon as they released her. We've tried her at home and on her cell, but she's not answering."
~~~~~~~~~
4pm
Calleigh checked in to the shabby roadside motel. She had not planned on stopping; she had planned on driving until the torment of the day's events stopped plaguing her. But as she crossed yet another bridge, she had realized that it would be no use outrunning something bottled inside her own heart. Besides, the Keys only stretched out so far and she was going to run out of road sooner rather than later; and the name of the island had appealed to her. Refuge Key.
The small room key with its rusted chain and faded oval disk almost brought a smile to her face. There would be no modern keycard to deal with, nothing reminiscent of the advances technology had made in the past few years, nothing to remind her of the lab and the people she had left behind.
She had no bag, only her purse and the key. Stepping into the dark room, she was assailed with the smell of stale cigarettes, musty air, and a hint of citrus cleaning solution. She flicked on a light, and the room was now dimly illuminated by a solitary lamp sitting on one of the motel- traditional bedside tables. Calleigh allowed her purse to slide from her shoulder to the floor and dropped the key next to the lamp. This room would do.
Summary: In the aftermath of a personal and professional crisis, Calleigh flees to find some answers. Will Horatio be able to bring her back?
Disclaimer: I tossed a penny into a fountain the other day, so I guess I'm still waiting to hear if my wish came true and they suddenly belong to me.
Rating: Pg 13, some language, but the examples of it are few and far between.
Pairing: H/C. and we're talking the REAL H, not that puffed up piece of meat they call a detective
Spoilers: I started this a while back but had trouble finishing, so for the sake of this one story, pretend Big Brother didn't happen. References to Grave Young Men (season 1) and Best Defense (season 2)
Dedication: In the (approx.) six months that I have been a part of the H/C list, I learned more about myself than I could possibly express (even with my level of wordiness!), so this is for all of you at the list-for your acceptance, encouragement, and friendship.
A/N: First off, thank you to Laeta for betaing this for me over the holidays. it was above and beyond! Second, I fully confess to playing a little fast and loose with the location. For the sake of accuracy, I would have set this story on a "real" island, but the name was just too good to pass up. There really is an island named Refuge Key, and it is about three hours from Miami, but it is, well, a wildlife refuge. No hotels, and as a matter of fact, no roads that go there either. In reality, it is a tiny island next to No Name Key, which is part of the National Key Deer Refuge, and near the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuges. No Name Key is attached by bridge to Big Pine Key, where there is more civilization. Hey- all fiction is a willing suspension of disbelief anyway, right?
If you are interested in learning more about the refuges in the Florida Keys, I recommend checking out -(you need Adobe Acrobat to see this page)- it is a beautiful, full-color brochure about the Refuges, and you can get plenty of information about wildlife, history, and conservation efforts there. As a bonus, if you go to page 13, Refuge key is where the orange symbol for the nature trail is found. or you can go to & address=&city=Refuge+Key&state=FL&zipcode=&historyid=&submit=Get+Map and zoom in (it takes about 3 or 4 levels to get there) until you can see it.
And yes, I am a complete nerd who actually researched all of this for the sole purpose of providing links to all of you.
~~~~~~~~~
And now, putting an end to the author's notes that know no end, I present "Refuge."
~~~~~~~~~
Friday, 3pm
Horatio walked out of the County court house whistling a breezy tune. He had just finished his testimony in a murder trial and was pleased with the way it had been received. He felt fully confident justice would be served.
He stopped whistling when he saw Eric on the front steps. The younger man was agitated, checking his watch and scanning the people exiting the building, looking for someone. Horatio did not need to ask who; Eric made a beeline in his direction as soon as his foot connected with the first step.
"I know I should be at work," Eric started quickly, leading him towards the parking lot, "but Speed dropped me off to grab you as soon as you came out. Something happened this morning you should know about."
"Well?" Horatio prompted, annoyed when Eric stopped speaking.
"In the car," Eric replied. "This isn't something you want to hear in public."
They made their way to the Hummer he had driven to court. Horatio started the vehicle and exited the parking lot, heading for the lab. Once they hit the main street, he glanced over at Eric, commanding him without words to start explaining.
"This morning, Detective Hagan was taken into custody and charged with accepting a bribe. It was some kind of sting. They've been watching him for about a month now. Irrefutable evidence."
Horatio sighed. This kind of thing always made the department look bad. The fact that Hagan was dirty was not completely unexpected, but surprising nonetheless. He glanced at Eric again, taking in his apprehensive look.
"There's something more you're not telling me."
Eric nodded and kept his eyes firmly locked on the front window, not wanting to see Horatio's reaction. "IAB pulled Calleigh in for questioning."
Restraining the urge to swear, Horatio concentrated on the road in front of him. The only outward sign that he had even heard Eric was a tightening of his grip on the wheel and a subtle increase in their speed. He did not know who to be more furious with- IAB for pulling this stunt or Hagan for getting her involved in his mess.
Hagan was getting his, so Horatio focused on the paranoid, pompous, pseudo- cops over at IAB. How dare they? There was no way Calleigh was dirty, no possible chance she would get involved in any kind of misconduct.
Horatio was sure they knew it, too. Whatever surveillance they had done to investigate Hagan would exonerate Calleigh. This was an underhanded, spiteful stab at his team, a way to retaliate for the embarrassment he had inflicted on them over a year ago with the Dispo Day investigation.
His voice was eerily calm as he asked, "Why didn't someone call me?"
"I think they timed it so that we couldn't," Eric answered, glancing over at his supervisor, hearing the controlled tightness in his voice. "As soon as they came barging in with accusations we tried to call you, but the trial had already started. Speed sent me to the courthouse to get you, but you were on the stand. They knew the trial was scheduled to run through lunch. They had all day."
Horatio absorbed the information in silence. When they arrived at the lab, he pulled into the first available parking spot and was out the door before Eric could even undo his seatbelt. He walked quickly and with purpose into the building, slowing only when he saw Speed waiting in the lobby. He did not even need to ask.
"They released her just about two hours ago. Bastards pulled her into an interrogation room and denied her a union rep. Said it was unnecessary considering she was only being questioned in regards to Hagan's activities and not her own. She was grilled for four hours. Four hours! Then they suddenly let her go. Seems the paperwork mentioned something about her being perfectly in the clear, but they had overlooked that particular detail. They had the gall to apologize for any "inconvenience" they might have caused."
Horatio was seething. He could only imagine the kind of hell they put her through, asking her to evaluate every moment of the time she had spent with Hagan only moments after informing her he had been arrested. And four hours? Heads were going to roll. No one treated his people like this. He momentarily entertained the thought of heading over to IAB and lighting into some people, but his concern for Calleigh's well-being won out less than a heartbeat later.
"Where is she now?"
"I don't know. She took off as soon as they released her. We've tried her at home and on her cell, but she's not answering."
~~~~~~~~~
4pm
Calleigh checked in to the shabby roadside motel. She had not planned on stopping; she had planned on driving until the torment of the day's events stopped plaguing her. But as she crossed yet another bridge, she had realized that it would be no use outrunning something bottled inside her own heart. Besides, the Keys only stretched out so far and she was going to run out of road sooner rather than later; and the name of the island had appealed to her. Refuge Key.
The small room key with its rusted chain and faded oval disk almost brought a smile to her face. There would be no modern keycard to deal with, nothing reminiscent of the advances technology had made in the past few years, nothing to remind her of the lab and the people she had left behind.
She had no bag, only her purse and the key. Stepping into the dark room, she was assailed with the smell of stale cigarettes, musty air, and a hint of citrus cleaning solution. She flicked on a light, and the room was now dimly illuminated by a solitary lamp sitting on one of the motel- traditional bedside tables. Calleigh allowed her purse to slide from her shoulder to the floor and dropped the key next to the lamp. This room would do.