Broken Promises

Chapter 1

"Can we have our wedding in December, or January?" Zoë asked Horatio as they strolled along the hot beach in the bright sun. He looked over to her, studying her natural smile as the sun bounced off her large aviator sunglasses. Her hair shone flawlessly in the sunlight in the messy bun it was confined to while her tan was topping up nicely. He looked down to her loose peach-coloured top and denim shorts as she held her flipflops in her other hand.

"Of course, are you sure you don't mind having it so soon? December is only about 3 months away now." Horatio said softly and Zoë nodded with a smile as they swung their clasped hands backwards and forwards as they leisurely strolled down the white beach. She couldn't help but smile at him as his hair gently blew in the wind with his boyish smile set on his face. Her eyes dropped to the two open buttons on his shirt, exposing his light chest hair, it was also cooling him down as the light breeze was able to get into his shirt. She loved his light blue shirt. 'It brings out his eyes so well, and makes his hair all the more spectacular.' She thought to herself as she looked back down to the white sand as the small grains found their way into the gaps between her toes with each step they took.

"I told you last time, I just want to marry you as soon as I can!" She said with a smile and he chuckled and he nodded as he lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. She bit her lip with a wide smile as she watched his lips make contact with her skin. She quivered slightly, wanting his lips to move up her arm to her lips. She felt the muscles in her core tighten as he kissed her hand again, his eyes didn't move off hers. 'Wow, he's too sexy for his own good. If we were at home, I'd be on him like a magnet.' She thought to herself as she grinned at him just as he dropped their hands back down to their sides.

"Are you sure you won't get stressed?" Horatio asked softly as they began to lightly swing their hands again in time with each step they took.

"I'm sure, I didn't last time, did I?" She smiled before she looked out to sea to see a large ship passing them.

"I guess not." Horatio said softly and she smiled again as she looked back to him.

"Anyway, Kaitlin wants to do it all again, she's got everyone on speed dial now. All we have to do is make sure we don't end up in another bloody car crash." Zoë chuckled lightly as she looked up at him with furrowed eyebrows. He gave her a gentle smile and then looked to her forehead involuntarily, there wasn't even a scratch or scar visible. He glanced down to where they were walking with a smile, feeling his excitement and happiness build up.

"Then December will be a great month." Horatio smiled as he looked back to her and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"The 11th again?" She asked and Horatio nodded. She stopped and squealed as she jumped on the spot, pulling him close as she wrapped her arms around his neck after dropping her flipflops to the hot sand. "I'm already super excited!" She grinned at the sky while he chuckled, he felt just as excited internally as he smiled down at the sand, also looking at her ass when he got the chance. She finally let go of him and picked her flipflops back up before they continued their walk. "It doesn't look like we're going to have two children by the time I'm 30 though, I'll be 29 by the time we have our first baby and nearly 30 if we manage to conceive during January time." She said softly and Horatio nodded as he gave her hand another quick squeeze.

"That doesn't matter though." Horatio said softly as he looked down at her and pulled her closer to drape his arm over her shoulders while she wrapped hers around his lower back.

"I guess you're right." She said softly as she looked down at the sand and smiled, beginning to experience butterflies in her stomach again.

"Are you going to leave work when I get pregnant?" Zoë questioned softly as she looked back up at him with a slightly more serious facial expression.

"More than likely sweetheart." Horatio said warmly as his eyes connected with hers behind their sunglasses.

"You don't have to… you know that, don't you? As long as I'm home with Skyler, I do feel safe. It's because I wasn't at mine when… you know. Skyler wasn't there to protect us." She said softly and Horatio nodded as he gently rubbed her upper arm.

"Well, perhaps I'll work mornings only or afternoons. Or I'll work 3 days and have 4 off. We'll work it out nearer the time though." Horatio said softly and she nodded as she looked down to the sand.

"I'm going to be a nervous wreck." She said softly and Horatio nodded silently, he knew that already. He remained silent for a few moments. 'I think I'm going to be just as worried as she will be though.' He thought to himself, honestly.

"I know sweetheart, but I will do everything to make sure you're safe." Horatio said softly and she nodded as she exhaled. She lifted her head once more, trying to bring her mood back up again by thinking about the wedding again.

"I'll have to call Kaitlin and Joe later. Kaitlin will probably explode with excitement again." Zoë chuckled and a smile appeared across Horatio's face again.

"You'll be the same when she asks you to be the maid of honour at her wedding." Horatio smiled at her as he relaxed his arm on her shoulders once again with a natural, happy smile herself.

"You don't know if she'll ask me." Zoë said softly as she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Of course she'll ask you, you know she will." Horatio said softly and she nodded with a giggle and shrug.

"Yeah, I guess." She smiled and Horatio rubbed her back as they both looked up the beach again to see the sun illuminating everything in their path.

They saw one of the coffee shops the both of them enjoyed up the beach a little more. "Do you want a coffee out, or do you want a coffee back home?" Horatio asked warmly.

"Back home please." She said softly and Horatio nodded. Horatio had noticed that she'd quietened down considerably. 'Perhaps she's just beginning to worry about pregnancy already?' Horatio thought to himself. They turned and headed back home, both remained silent for a little while, Horatio divided his attention from the sea to Zoë many times to make sure she was okay. She just seemed to take in the views from down the beach, rarely looking up to Horatio. She glanced around when the hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. She swallowed as she stopped in her tracks and scanned the views up the beach for anything suspicious. She felt a shiver shoot up her spine as she blinked a few times.

"Alright?" Horatio asked as she looked back round to the front and she nodded, silently. She took his hand once again and began to walk with him.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Horatio asked softly as he looked down to her, needing to know why she was so quiet and reserved.

"I just got a shiver, that's all. I think I'm probably just getting a slight chill from the breeze." She said softly and he nodded, not thinking anything of it.

Once they got home, Horatio put the kettle on to make them both a coffee as Zoë changed into something a little more comfortable. She came down and Horatio quickly tied her jogging bottoms up with a warm smile, she smiled back shyly, but warmly. He then turned around to pull the milk from the fridge while she observed him with a secret smile, loving his posture, red-hair and shirt from the back of him. Her eyes travelled up to his when he turned around and flicked the fridge door closed.

"We don't have any milk, sweetheart, I'll be right back, just going to the shop." Horatio said softly and she nodded with a warm smile.

"Do you want some toast?" She asked as she walked over to the cupboard to pull the bread out and he nodded. "Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes." She said softly and Horatio nodded. He quickly kissed her and then pulled his jacket on and left after picking his keys up from the side. Zoë then put 4 slices of bread in the toaster as she knew Horatio would only be a few minutes, the shop wasn't far at all. She pulled two small plates out of the cupboard when there was a loud knock at the door. She turned and walked towards the door as she pulled her jogging bottoms up a little more. She rose to her tip-toes to check who it was. 'What is Wolfe doing here?' She thought to herself as she frowned at the door. She backed off from the door and shook her head and then turned to walk back into the kitchen. 'I'm not going to answer.' She thought to herself as the toast popped up. She pulled the butter from the fridge and placed it on the side while she collected a knife from the cutlery draw. 'What on Earth does Wolfe want? Why is he here? He knows Horatio will blow if he catches him anywhere near the house.' Zoë thought to herself just as she heard Ryan knock louder and ring the bell. 'He can wait there until Horatio catches him. He'll get the shock of his life then.' Zoë thought as she pulled out her phone after buttering the toast. She washed her hands as she put her phone down on the side and then picked it back up to text Horatio. 'Ryan's at the door, he's knocked twice, I'm unsure if he's gone yet. Come back soon please, he's making me uncomfortable, Z xx'. She re-read the text just as Ryan knocked louder.

"Fuck sake." She grumbled to herself as she turned and listened to him excessively ring the doorbell. She stuffed her phone into her bra, thinking that she'd sent the text, but she hadn't. She turned around and walked back over to the door, re-checking making sure it was just Ryan on the porch. She pulled it open halfway and stood strongly with a hard facial expression. She studied his exhausted and malnourished face. She saw the dark bags under his eyes and saw that his hair was thinning out. She swallowed when she saw his dramatic weight loss. 'He looks awful.' She thought to herself as her eyebrows lowered. 'Don't let your feelings get the better of you.' She told herself when she felt herself relaxing slightly, beginning to feel sympathetic towards him. 'Don't you dare feel sorry for him, Zoë-Mae.' She told herself again and hardened her posture again.

"What do you want?" She questioned firmly, bitterly.

"I really need to talk with you Zoë." He asked quietly as he looked up at her with his hands in his pockets. He looked like a lost little boy, his clothes were not clean, he didn't smell too great and it didn't look like he'd seen a razor in a few days.

"Hands out of your pockets please and I have nothing to say to you, please leave." She said firmly and he took his hands out of his pockets and held them up in submission to show her that he didn't have anything. He placed his hands back down by his sides as he looked up at her with soft, slightly manic eyes. She swallowed as she studied his pale, fatigued face as her jaw tightened, trying to push her feelings back out of the situation.

"Please, may I come in?" Ryan questioned softly, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

"No, Horatio will be back soon, I suggest you leave before he gets back. He'll put your head in the ground and I can't say that I blame him. You've got some nerve coming to our house." Zoë said firmly as she looked up, hoping his car would pull up soon. She kept her posture and voice firm; she wasn't going to show him any weakness at all.

"H is out?" Ryan questioned.

"What do you think? He's not come to the door to beat the shit out of you yet, so yes, I think it's safe to say that he's out." She replied bitterly and sharply as she placed a hand on her hip and gave him a disgusted look. 'He must already know that Horatio is out… he wouldn't have come to the door if Horatio was in, surely? Not unless he has a death wish. It's clear he's out, his car isn't on the drive.' Zoë thought to herself as her posture hardened again. 'I should just knock his teeth out.' She thought as her lips tightened.

"Zoë, I still love you–" Ryan pleaded and she almost leapt forwards to knock his teeth out and reduce him to a mass of pain on the floor, but she resisted as her anger grew to another level.

"We've been through this hundreds of times before. If that's what you're going to say, just leave now. Don't contact me again and don't come back here. You've got some fucking cheek turning up on our doorstep. You'll be lucky if Horatio doesn't turn up on yours later." She snapped at him as she stepped back and began to forcefully close the door. She was stopped by Ryan putting his foot in the door, preventing it from closing. He looked up at her, catching her icy glare.

"Zoë, I'm not sleeping, I can't afford to eat, I can't afford to run my car, and they've even cut off my water and electricity. I can't get a job. I've barely eaten for weeks, you don't understand how hungry I am or the pain I'm going through right now, I've never experienced hunger pains like this. I keep having horrible thoughts, I don't know what to do, I've got no-one, I don't know where to turn next. The next step for me will be a ditch somewhere." He begged her desperately.

She blinked a few times and then swallowed. She looked him up and down again and saw that he even had holes in his shoes where he couldn't afford to get new ones and where he'd worn them in so much from having to walk everywhere. "You brought this on yourself, Ryan." She exhaled heavily and looked out for Horatio as her facial expression softened a little.

"I can't live like this, Zoë. I will die if I'm left like this anymore. I've got no-one." Ryan pleaded her and he could see her sympathy and compassion making a show as his manic eyes darted around her face. He saw her swallow as she blinked a few more times, he could see the overly compassionate Zoë beginning to take over her fierce shield that she was using to keep him away.