Happy post-Thanksgiving everyone. I hope all of those celebrating had a good day with their families & gave thanks for what, who really matters to them.

Thanks to Andie, I've surfaced from the real world & gone over the limit of the "hint fic". It's a short story that she inspired with her moody, atmospheric choice of words. I hope you all enjoy it.

LawDog

For the record, I don't own any of the characters on CSI: Miami…you know the rest of the song.

Rain & Remembrance

Thunder cracked in the distance, rolled over the shoreline, bringing with it cleansing draughts of rain. Alone on the sand, Horatio let the tears come. He scanned the black rain-engorged clouds overhead with the futile yet silent question of "Why?" in his heart. But he knew the answer.

She had been an innocent victim, as pure as the white wedding dress she'd worn briefly on the same day that had turned out to be her last day.

To this day, when he saw a woman in a white dress, Horatio turned his head away. A persistent reminder of what was. What could have been.

So deeply engraved on his heart, Marisol's fleeting presence lived in Horatio's heart & soul. No one could take her place. Not even…

"Horatio?" Calleigh's sweet Southern whisper breezed over his ear. He hadn't noticed her arrival next to him on the sand or the fact that her white suit was glued to her from the rain barrelling down from above.

Attention refocused, Horatio whipped his head left to face Calleigh & took in her appearance. Soaked head to toe, her hair plastered to her body, and she'd walked at least a mile from her car to sit next to him during one of Miami's biggest storms of the year so far. He attempted humor with a watery smile. "Taking the wet look to a new extreme, Detective?"

"You seem to have discovered it first, Lieutenant." Calleigh shot back with a small smile. She could all but feel his pain resonate from their proximity. This was going to be a long night. "Before we both catch hypothermia, how about a coffee & dessert?"

"I'm good. I ate at the office. Thanks anyway." Horatio replied. His eyes followed the coastline over Calleigh's shoulder.

Calleigh deliberately moved closer into Horatio's view, gemstone hard emerald green eyes locking onto his sad ocean-soft blue eyes. "That was four hours ago when you clocked out."

That got Horatio's attention. He jerked his black suit jacket's left sleeve upward to look at the time. Had he really been out here that long? He must have. "Time has a way of moving on without one noticing." Horatio mused aloud. As does life. He kept the latter part to himself.

"Well, I noticed that you're not answering your phone, your home phone and you're definitely not checking your messages. What's goin' on?" Calleigh demanded hotly. Her eyes blazed with the heat of anger under restraint.

Horatio sighed and looked away from Calleigh. "I'm not the best of company tonight, Calleigh. It's a day I'd like to forget forever…"