A/N: After this very, very, very long break - i'm back. When i realized it was 4 months since last update i just had to post something - so i hurried to get this story ready to be published. I hope you lot like it! The HY spirit starts to come back to me, so expect this one to turn into HY. Not sure about how much, but at least some hints. Now enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own a thing.

Rebuilding a Family

Chapter one – I'll take care of you

Seeing the sun ascend to the sky in Miami, Florida, a bright morning was a sight like no other. Watching the sunbeams reflect in the constant moving ocean, where waves gently rolled over the white beaches, was a beautiful sight. It was one of the most beautiful things that could be seen, according to Horatio Caine.

Not a single cloud was in the sky and the ocean was calm. The waves were rolling softly over the almost empty beaches.

As Horatio stood in his apartment, in his bedroom, he watched the sun make its journey up into the sky. It was still early in the morning, but he was clearly wide-awake. It wasn't often he had time to stop and actually watch this special and beautiful phenomenon of nature.

A soft breeze flowed into the room, softly stirring his red hair. The city outside was on its way to waking up, and the streets were already starting to fill with cars. Their buzzing sounds were mixed with the waves' soft murmur and together they created the morning sound of Miami.

Hearing his cell phone beep in the background made him tilt his head slightly, and close his eyes. He took a deep sigh, and opened his eyes once again. With a last glance out the window at the blue ocean, he turned away from the window and went back to the bed. He grabbed the cell phone lying on the bed table, and pressed it to his ear.

"Caine," he answered, hiding all traces of tiredness or irritation in his voice.

"Horatio, it's Frank. Sorry if I woke you up, but there's something you should know…"

Half an hour later, Horatio hurried up the stairs in another building, and bent down under the yellow marking tape, reading "CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS". He walked into an apartment he had been in many times before – last time only a few days ago. He walked through the hall, and into the living room. It was a newly renovated apartment, with newly painted walls that still gave away a small smell of fresh paint. But today, there was a smell of something else, too – the smell of blood… of death.

He didn't want to believe what Frank had told him on the phone a little while earlier, but as he saw her body at the floor in the living room, he saw himself staring at the truth.

Her strawberry blonde hair was lying like a fan around her head. Her body was lying in an unnatural position; her neck oddly turned in at a weird angle, telling Horatio her neck had been snapped. Her grey eyes stared emptily in front of her, not blinking, not moving, just… just staring at the face of death.

Horatio swallowed, staring at the body on the floor. A man approached him from behind, but Horatio's eyes didn't leave the body.

"Horatio," a familiar voice said, belonging to the lieutenant's friend and co-worker Eric Delko, "I'm so sorry."

Horatio swallowed once again, and forced himself to look at Eric, away from the body, "I know, Eric."

They stood in silence, both of them staring at the young woman's lifeless body on the floor.

Eric couldn't believe this happened. Horatio had gone through so much; the loss of his brother, the loss of Speed, and now this; the loss of Suzie. She might not have been related to him by blood, but Eric knew that she was family to him anyway. And except for his work, all this man had was his family. But his family seemed to fall apart, piece by piece.

"I know you have to do this, Eric. Just…" Horatio swallowed again – it seemed like he couldn't to it often enough right now, "Just do your work. I trust you."

Eric merely nodded, unsure of how to reply.

Horatio turned his back on the scene, not being able to see her lifeless body anymore. Suddenly his heart started racing, and he realized he hadn't been thinking clearly since Frank had told him about her death. But before he had time to start thinking about what to do, a beautiful Colombian appeared in his vision line, and after a quick look at her face, he knew Madison was all right.

He walked over to Yelina Salas, his sky blue eyes refusing to look back at Suzie Barnham's lifeless body.

"Where is she?" he asked when he stopped beside Yelina. Even in this situation he was unable to ignore how beautiful she was. Her brown curls were alluringly hanging down her shoulders, the brown eyes watching him with a concerned look.

Yelina made a gesture towards the room Horatio knew belonged to Madison, "In there."

"I want to talk to her."

Yelina nodded, and moved so he could pass and walk into the room.

Horatio entered the room and found his niece sitting on her bed. Her bloodshot eyes were focused on one specific spot on the wall and she didn't even blink when he came into the room. Horatio walked to her bed, and bent down so that his eyes were in the same level as hers. Slowly her eyes, which practically were a copy of the lieutenant's blue ones, moved to meet his.

"Madison…" Horatio said quietly, not quite sure what to say to her, "Come here, sweetheart." He held out his arms, and the six year old girl fell into his arms.

"She's dead, isn't she?" she whispered quietly.

"I'll make sure the one who did this is put away for life."

The small girl didn't reply, just rested her head on her uncle's shoulder, letting the tears leave her eyes and fall down on Horatio's suit.

"One way or another, we're going to get through this. I promise everything is going to be all right."

As he gave his niece this promise, he promised himself the same thing. He promised himself to get the person who had done this to Suzie. He promised himself to get the person who had hurt Madison so badly, and he promised himself to look out for Madison and never let anything hurt her again. She would be safe with him. Nothing would ever hurt her again.

Horatio would make sure of that.

His promises would be kept.

A/N 2: I am very evil, am i not? In every story with Madison, the poor little girl is going through hell. And it doesn't seem like this is an exception, does it? I hope you like it, and for those who review - cookies!

(I know it's a bit short...)