A/N: Thank you all for your reviews again. So Stella told Horatio about her little problem and gentleman that he is, he offered her to stay at his house. Now which woman wouldn't like that? LOL I'm sure I wouldn't mind.
Since this chapter would be too long to post it in one go, I decided to divide it into two parts.
Chapter 4.1
With a small sigh, Stella reached for her suitcase and looked around, searching for the exit. Her plane had been exactly on time and in contrast to other times, her luggage had been one of the first arriving in the baggage claim. Normally she was the one who had to wait like for forever until her luggage appeared, but some mysterious forces seemed to be working. "Mysterious forces, right," she rolled her eyes, "and here I thought that I have broken Mac's wand into pieces." Smiling at this thought, she shook her head and headed towards the exit.
She still was a bit unsure if this had been such a good idea at all, but now was hardly the time to have second thoughts. Horatio would probably already be waiting for her and it wasn't like she could just book a flight back to New York, right? And why was she actually so edgy about it anyway? She knew Horatio, she could spend the days on the beach, swim in the sea, forget about work, get rid of all the stress and probably (or hopefully?) reconnect with her host. "Well," she sighed to herself, "maybe this is the main reason why I'm nervous."
The last time they had seen each from face to face had been at Boston Airport. That's where she'd touched him for the last time; smelled his cologne for the last time. And this was also where she'd kissed him just like that and fled into the waiting plane. "This had been quite a stunt, Stella." Horatio had never mentioned this little "outbreak" of hers again, just like her, but she didn't know if this was a good sign or not.
"Well he's offering you some shelter, so he can't be that mad," she built herself up. "And don't forget about the message he sent you, girl… so don't fret!" It was really time for her to have some vacation. Any more of such thoughts and her head would probably explode or she'd just scream. "Now let's hope that Miami's finest didn't forget you and you can wait in the waiting area instead of the baggage claim."
Of course Horatio hadn't forgotten her, though he had to admit that he had left the lab a little bit later than he had planned to. It was certainly a good thing that a Hummer wasn't all that slow and that people would get out of his way even without using the sirens. There were some advantages of driving such a vehicle for sure; like parking right in front of the building without being towed for example. Smiling at that, he quickly glanced at the arrival board to find out if and where Stella's flight had arrived. Attaching his sunglasses around his neck, he made his way to the waiting area with forceful steps; his golden badge giving him just the right amount of respect from other people who consciously or maybe unconsciously got out of his way. Yes, being a police officer had its benefits sometimes.
He had just arrived in the waiting area, when he saw people exiting the customs area, but to his luck Stella wasn't one of them. So he wasn't too late after all. Taking a deep breath, he slowly made his way to the exit, so he wouldn't miss her. Not that there were that many people around, it was a Wednesday after all and the real invasion of tourists would always occur on the weekend. "At least something Mac has thought of when he booked the flight; not that this would make not booking a hotel for her any better. I really wonder what he was thinking. Well maybe Stella found something out when she gave him a piece of mind," he thought to himself. That was at least something he could imagine her doing. She had kind of a temper and this made her both charming and interesting; at least for him, in case that meant anything.
Stella still felt a bit nervous when she walked through the customs area and took a deep breath when the sliding door opened. Right now it was a positive kind of nervousness that was bubbling in her belly and she hoped that this was a good sign. For one last time she checked her belongings and set foot in the waiting area.
Horatio spotted her immediately. For one thing because her curly head was easy to spot and for another thing, maybe even more important, she looked striking in this bright summer dress. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander for a bit, even though he chided himself immediately for doing so. Raising his hand, he hoped that she would notice him and smiled when she gave him a small wave. "Stella," he grinned when she stopped in front of him. "It's good to see you again."
"Same goes to you," she gave him a brilliant smile. She didn't know if she should just shake his hand, or hug him. But in the end, she opted for the latter. They'd shared a bed and kissed after all, so a hug wouldn't hurt, right?
No, hugging her certainly didn't hurt him at all; it was quite the opposite actually. So he returned the gesture freely, while normally he wasn't a touchy type of guy. "So," he asked when they broke the hug, "did you have a good flight?"
"Most definitely, time literally flew by," she quipped. "No seriously, it was a nice, quiet flight. Mac brought me to the airport and everything worked out just fine."
"So this was your revenge? Him taking you to the airport?" Horatio chuckled.
"Only a small part of it, I'm still plotting," she laughed and reached for her suitcase, but was beaten by Horatio. Raising a questioning eyebrow she looked at him.
"Please allow me," Horatio bowed down for fun and winked at her. No woman would ever carry her baggage in his presence. "So you're still plotting? Poor Mac, he'll never know what hit him," he changed the subject quickly and gestured her to follow him.
Sighing, Stella acknowledged her defeat and followed him. "Probably not, but his face will be worth it."
"Certainly," Horatio nodded in response and smiled at her. "You're lucky, today is a very mild day for Miami' standards;" he said when they made their way outside of the air-conditioned building.
Stella was about to say something, when she literally ran against a wall of bricks. If this was a mild day, what the heck was a hot day then?
Amused, Horatio put on his sunglasses and did his best to hide a chuckle. Her face was priceless. "I guess this is another entry on your "why I will make Mac suffer" list, huh?"
"You betcha," she groaned and also put on her glasses. It was a good thing that she'd decided on her light dress, even though it had been a bit cold in New York.
"Don't worry, once we're in the city-"
"It's getting even hotter?" she snarked.
"No," he chuckled, "thanks to the sea and the breeze, it becomes more bearable."
"Let's hope so, by goodness!" she mumbled to herself and followed him to the car. Realizing where he had exactly parked, she smirked at him. "Emergency exit? Why Lt. Caine, are you misusing your status a bit?"
For a moment, Horatio actually had the grace to blush a bit, before he recovered himself. "Misusing is such a negative word, Det. Bonasera. It's more like…bending the rules a bit."
"I see," she said and watched him loading her suitcase into the trunk of the Hummer. "And the next thing you're going to tell me is that you only did that because you didn't want me to walk a long distance."
"Exactly," Horatio said and looked at her like as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. Closing the trunk, he walked to the passenger door and opened it for her. "Ma'am."
Accepting his helping hand, she climbed into the vehicle. "Thank you kind Sir," she grinned at him, "for both thinking of my well-being and helping me inside."
"My pleasure," he chuckled and closed the door for her. Then he rounded the hood and climbed into the car. Inside he took a quick glance at his cell phone and was pleasantly surprised that no one had tried to call him. Of course his team knew that he was picking Stella up, but Miami had the tendency of being a crazy city from time to time and perps were rarely interested in his private schedule.
"No call, yet?" Stella asked, because his actions hadn't got unnoticed by her.
"Nope, it seems like Miami is behaving for once," he chuckled and drove the vehicle into the busy streets of Miami. "Plus my team knows that I have more important things to do at the moment."
This was her key word. "I really don't want to become between you and your job, Horatio. I mean, it's already bad enough that I impose on you—"
"Stella," he growled playfully. "We already talked about this whole imposing thing, didn't we? And I think that we agreed on you not imposing on me and we should stick to that. My team can cope without me for awhile and the paperwork won't run away, even though I wouldn't mind if it does…"
"I bet you wouldn't," she smiled lightly and turned her head so she could watch out of the window. "But still."
With a sigh, he looked at her. "Stella, listen to me and listen carefully, because I don't want to repeat myself over and over again." His tone was neither harsh nor strict, but serious enough for her to look at him. "I invited you to stay at my house. You didn't force me to do so and believe me when I say that I'm a big boy and won't get forced that easily against my will. So," he gave her a small smile, "if you continue telling me that you're imposing on me, I will stop this car right now and kick you out."
Surprised at his small "outburst", she blinked. "No...you wouldn't," she smiled confidently.
"Do you really want to push your luck?" he asked in response and lifted one eyebrow.
She tried very hard to read his impression, but realized that he had a very good poker face. "No," she sighed in the end and patted his knee. "Okay, you won, I'll be as good as gold," she smiled sheepishly.
"I seriously doubt of you being good as gold," he replied easily and grinned to himself when he heard her snort. "But I appreciate the effort."
"You better do so, Horatio, I don't want to create a revenge list for you as well," she threatened him playfully.
"Oh I'll definitely try to avoid that," he grinned and was definitely looking forward to the next couple of days. He liked the fact that Stella was so playful and even though she respected him (just like he respected her) she didn't shy away from some verbal banter. Of course he shared the one or other joke with his friends, but since they were also his colleagues, his subordinates, it was sometimes hard to let go of the behavior towards each other they had during work. Stella surely was a welcomed change.
10 miles and 20 minutes later, Horatio stopped the Hummer in the driveway of a white, two storey beach house. The drive there had been rather quiet, but Horatio hadn't minded the silence, it had been a good one. Since Stella had never been to Miami before, her focus had been on the new landscape and not on deep conversations with Horatio. Not that there was something they had to discuss, but they had time for that later anyway. So he had enjoyed watching Stella out of the corner of his eyes, while she'd been enthralled by the things she saw.
"Here we are," he broke the silence finally and killed the engine. "Home Sweet Home."
Stella couldn't help but let her eyes wander from roof to top of the house and feeling a little impressed. She only owned a small apartment in the middle of New York, which actually was some kind of special, but in comparison to this it felt like nothing. "Wow."
Smiling at that, Horatio unbuckled his seat belt. He was very proud of his house and did enjoy the surprised stares coming from others. He wasn't conceited, but he loved his house and if other people liked it as well, it just felt good. "Let's get inside before we get boiled in the car," he proposed and hopped out of the car. Then he walked to the trunk and reached for her suitcase.
Shaking her head to herself, Stella did as she was told and got out of the car herself. "It really is a nice house, Horatio," she told him and shouldered her purse. She didn't even try to get hold of her suitcase, because she already knew that Horatio wouldn't give it to her.
"Let's hope you like the interior as well," he chuckled and climbed the few steps before he reached for his keys and opened the door. "Ma'am," he nodded at her and smiled when she walked ahead of him. Once he was inside he turned on the lights of the hallway and closed the door behind him. "I'm sorry that it's a bit dark in here," he apologized and put down her suitcase. "You can leave your purse here," he gestured to a small table and threw his keys onto it. "I'm going to let some sunshine inside." With that he made his way to the living room and pushed a button to raise the blinds.
Stella did as she was told and slowly, in order not to trip over something, followed him. "Well I can't say much about the interior for now, but.." she smiled when stopped in front of the huge glass window, "I do like your garden."
Laughing at that, Horatio opened the patio door to let some fresh air in. "You're free to go outside if you want to," he joked lightly.
"Oh so no prison for me?" she shot back playfully and took him by his offer and stepped outside. "You certainly didn't lie when you said something about a beach house," she told him when she let her eyes roam over the small garden. Sure, she couldn't see the beach or the sea, but she could hear the waves crashing. "It's beautiful, Horatio," she said and turned to him when he stopped next to her. "You must feel privileged to own such a house."
"I do," he nodded slowly. "When I saw the house, I just knew that it was mine. I never regretted buying it and hope I never will."
Stella let her eyes wander from his face to the beauty that was lying in front of her. The garden wasn't huge, but she assumed that having a garden at all was something very special; that's at least like it was in New York and all the other big cities around the world. They were standing on a small patio, with a brick-built BBQ and some garden furniture. A few feet away further into the garden, there was a palm tree with a garden swing beneath. She could already picture herself sitting on it.
"So are you up to see the rest of the house?" Horatio interrupted her thoughts and without her even realizing, he had already moved back into the coolness of the house again.
"Sure," she smiled and with one last look she went inside again.
"Okay, just so you know…you'll find the kitchen, the living room, the laundry room and a small guest bathroom on this floor. But for now, you're probably more interested in your room for the next days," he smiled at her and as a good host he once again reached for her baggage and took the lead this time when he climbed up the stairs.
"Well I hope I won't get lost in the house," she snickered and followed him.
"I can draw you a plan if you want to," he turned his head and winked at her.
"Mhm, I don't think that this will be necessary, but thanks for the offer."
"I aim to please, ma'am," he responded easily and stopped in front of a closed door. "Well since your stay was a bit unexpected, I didn't have that much time to prepare the room, but I think you don't mind sleeping on a cot, right?" he asked nonchalantly. "I mean, otherwise you'd have slept underneath a bridge, so a cot is real luxury."
Staring at him, Stella couldn't help but blink. A cot? He couldn't be serious, now could he? No, he was making fun of her. Most definitely. At least she dared to hope so. "Sure, a cot would be gr-," she started, but was a loss of words when he opened the door for her and let her see the room she was supposed to sleep in for her vacation. "Oh my..," she mumbled when she stepped inside and suddenly spun around to give him a glare. "Very funny, Horatio Caine."
To his defense, Horatio really tried his best to stifle a laugh, but her face was indeed too hilarious. Even her icy glare couldn't stop him and so just let it out. "You should see your face Stella, I've never seen you that…that.."
"That what?" she challenged him and did her best to keep her angry front, but it got harder by the second.
"I can't even describe it," he said and carried in her baggage. "I hope this is okay for you," he gestured to the room.
"I know I sound like a broken record, but it's..wow..," she laughed and lightly slapped his arm. "If this is a cot in your eyes, I really want to know what you call a bed," she said and sat down on the queen size bed.
"Well maybe I lied about the cot," he said and blushed at her raised eyebrows. "Okay, I did lie about the cot; you got me, happy now?"
"Uh-huh," she smiled in satisfaction. "CSI, remember?" she pointed at herself.
"But you're on vacation, so you cheated," he didn't surrender that easily. "But anyway, my bedroom is next door and you can find the bathroom on the other side. There's a small office further down, but you're not allowed to go there."
"Oh?" she asked. "Hiding your secret Cuban cigars in there?"
"Ha, you bet," he grinned, but then shook his head. "Nope, more like strict orders from a certain fairy."
Stella literally felt when her jaw hit the ground. "Please don't tell me that he called you," she asked in complete and utter disbelief.
He should have taken his camera with him; Stella's facial impressions were getting better and better. "You know, it's almost too easy," he said easily and tilted his head a bit. "No, he didn't call me, don't worry. But let's leave it lo that. The office is work and you're on vacation. Those two just don't match."
"You do realize that you're playing with fire, right?" she scolded him and gave him a disapproving glare.
"Yep I do and that's why I'm going to lock my door tonight;" he nodded in response. "And just so you can make a plan, I'll leave you alone for now. Why don't you get accustomed with your room and everything? Are you hungry?" Seeing her shake her head no, he just nodded. "Okay, I'll be downstairs in the kitchen and get us something to drink. Just come down when you're ready." And with that, he closed the door behind him and left her alone.
Stella just closed her eyes and shook her head. And they always said that she could be quite a handful! She didn't remember him being that playful, but she didn't mind at all. Maybe he acted like this, because this was his refuge, his home and his city. He probably felt more comfortable here than he did Boston back then. Or he felt more comfortable around her? With a sigh she slumped on the bed and stretched her arms. No need to think about such things when she was living under the same roof with him. Now she needed to unpack her things and get a little freshened up before she'd meet him downstairs again.
Tbc and please let me know what you think