Title: Horatio's Hell

Author: Sinclair/Blade

Beta: Greg Sanders

Rating: PG

Warning: AU, part of the Kyrie/Horatio Universe, death of a OC

A/N: April Sylum Challenge

Summary: The day Horatio's life went to hell...

Horatio looked out the window and felt a pang of sadness sweep over him. He could see today would be one of those days where his heart died a little bit more. There was a light drizzle starting to come down and with the knowledge of what this type of weather signified for him all he wanted to do was crawl back into bed and let the memories of Kyrie take over; like they had in the aftermath of her death. He could remember those events like they had all happened yesterday. He had always envisioned them spending their golden years together. But it wasn't meant to be. As he thought of how he found out about her death it still haunted him that he couldn't be there to save her. He was there for everyone else in Miami but wasn't there for her.

~Flashback ~

Horatio had been thinking of picking her up from school that day so they could spend some time together before they had to head home to a house full of teenagers. But a crime scene had called him away and in all reality it was one that he could have let Barbara and Eric handle but being who he was, he had to make an appearance. He had spend a few moments there seeing what was needed to be done and talking with potential witnesses before turning the scene over to them.

It was when he was getting back into the Hummer that he heard about the shooting at Antihoch High School. He rushed over to see what was going on and hoping that his wife was not in danger. As he approached the officer in charge Chris O'Brien, he could see that his expression told it all.

"What going on Chris?" H asked, trying to look over the crowd to see if he could see Kyrie.

He took him to the side, this would be the hardest thing he had to do considering he knew how his wife felt about the both of them.

"Why can't I go in there?" he said with his hand on his hips.

Chris took a deep breath and composed himself before speaking the next words "Horatio, Kyrie was one of the victims. They tried to save her but they couldn't. I'm sorry."

"No." he said, shaking his head and not wanting to believe what that had implied.

~Flashback~

It was one of those rare nights where he could actually get home at a decent hour for them to just lay in the bed and cuddle or watch the news.

" Horatio you know I've been thinking," Kyrie said as she played with the fine hairs on his chest.

He looked at her and smile, "How to seek your revenge for the other night when I caught you in the shower?"

"Ah no, but thanks for reminding me of that. I will get you back; you may not know when or where, so you better be on your toes." she laughed, "I was just thinking that maybe I should retire from teaching for a while or see about going to another school to teach until HJ finished high school. I mean he needs someone here for him in the afternoon and with Pierre and the girls getting older I'm pretty sure they don't want to be babysitting him. I see the looks on Azerra's face now when I ask her to keep an eye on him when I have those parent/teacher conferences. Plus at her age, she's thinking more of boys and there's one boy she has her eye on."

"Oh really, do tell." Horatio said, with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll let her tell you herself but I don't think you will dislike him." she said with a smile, knowing her husband's protective streak when it game to his children.

"Well that is good to hear. But like you, I've been thinking of finally taking that postion of Director of The Crime Lab ."

"What? and have Horatio Caine give up guardianship of Miami over to someone else."

"Well Kyrie, the only people I want to guard now is my family. Plus I want to be here for HJ too."

"So it's settle then, at the end of the school year I will be giving up teaching for now and you can take a step upward."

"Yes." he said.

She gave him a seductive look and with a quick movement she had his handcuffs on his wrists and clicking them on the bedpost.

Smirking she said, "I told you, you wouldn't know when my revenge would come."

~End Flashback~

In the wake of all the school shootings and the kids she had to deal with he had taught her one thing; if such an event happened to take cover and not try to talk to the person out of it. He would rather have her scared and alive; then play the hero and die. She had promised that she wouldn't try to talk anyone down and besides that's what the policearms were for; she was leaving that school after this year was up anyway to spend more time with their youngest child.

He thought of how happy that decision had made her because he had been offered the position of Director for the Crime Lab. It would leave him more time to spend with his family as well, something he hadn't been doing since the kids were smaller.

"I don't think you need to go in there Horatio. You don't need to see her like that." Chris said, as he tried to hold him back.

It was then that he saw the paramedics bringing her body out on the stretcher. He wanted to her, to see her beautiful face, one that he had kissed only hours ago, now still and lifeless. Horatio tried to hold back the tears that had been threatening to fall every since Chris had told him about her death. He didn't care who saw him at this point he just cried. As he stood there waiting for them to load her body into the back of the ambulance he could feel the wind pick up and true to Miami unpredicatable weather it started to rain; not in fat little drops but as a torrid rainstorm that had appear out of no where.

Horatio yelled at the men to hurry up and put her in the ambulance, as if she would catch a cold but he knew that was impossible she would never feel the rain on her body again.

~End of Flashback~

Horatio watched as the cars gathered around his house for her funeral. He didn't realized how many lives she had touched until it was too late. Many of her students were there, some new and some old. Kyrie was blessed, she had had that way of getting people to open up to her. Horatio had once told her she would have made a great interrogator. She had just laughed at him and said "I'll leave that to you."

While he was thinking of her he heard a soft rapt at the door. When he didn't reply his son came in. Pierre could see the pain etched across his face because he had had the same look ever since Horatio had told them about her death. Unlike his father, who was strong for them all, he went to his room and wept bitterly for his mother. He would never see her smile again, have her kisses on his forehead before he went to bed, even though he had told her he was too old for that right now. He would give anything to have come back to give him that last kiss.

"Come on Dad." he said quietly, "they are waiting for us to start the procession."

He looked at his son and said with tears in his eyes. "I don't think I could do this Pierre. I can't seem to let her go. She was the love of my life."

"I know dad. She was loved but you have to let her go just for today. Let her rest in peace." he said. Pierre couldn't believe he was telling his dad that, but he knew for him to move on with life he had to take this step.

"I know son. But how do I move on?" he said.

"One day at a time Dad and you know we will be here to help you."

Horatio gave him a slight smile, he could see Pierre had gotten his wisdom from her as he took one last look at the window he swore that saw her face on the beach.

Once Pierre got him out of the study,they made their way to the church to hear the Priest preside over her funeral, the feeling in the church was one of mourning. Horatio tried to listened to the priest but his mind was on the time that they had spend together. After the funereal service was over, it was time to go to the burial sight. It was a place that he knew she would have loved, it over looked the sunset as the sun set over the ocean.

Horatio took one final look at her casket and nodded for them to go he knew that what ever happened today that one day they would be together again. As they stood there watching her being lowered into the ground, the skies opened up with a gentle rain, that mirrored the one they had shared not that long ago. Turning his head heavenward, Horatio let his own tears mix with those he believed to be the angels weeping for a gentle soul that was lost.

"I love you Kyrie" he whispered, as the rain began to fall.

The End.