Oh the tension! Oh the drama! Oh the fact that I'm so ashamed my most annoying story 'Summer Lovin' ' has more chapters than this! It is damn irritating. *mutters about killing off main characters and demon clowns attacking* Anyway! ENJOY THE CHAPTER! :D
Disclaimer: You should know this by now… It's at the start of the story if you're not sure.

Chapter 6.

Yawning, Horatio looked at Rick who was currently cooking breakfast. He smiled at the thought of everything they did last night (Rick was so good at distracting him from his worries) and at the thought of how much fun it was gonna be today! They were taking Kyle, Ryan, Eric, Calleigh, Frank, Natalia and Yelina. Today was the day they would tell everyone about their relationships. They had also invited Alexx, Mac, Don, Danny and Stella, for some encouragement since the doctor and the New York team already knew everything. H was nervous – not as nervous as Kyle though. The young man had turned up with Ryan, seen his dad and burst into hysterical sobs. Guiding him into the kitchen, Rick grabbed a towel and Horatio tried to calm the younger boy down.
"I-I'm sorry, Da-dad. I j-just feel so sc-scared." He stuttered out.
"Shhh, it's honestly okay Kyle. We're all feeling a bit nervous. But trust me, I'm sure that our friends will stick by us. If they don't then we'll know – they aren't worth it." Kyle looked up with sorrowful eyes.
"We'll honestly be okay?" Horatio smiled and hugged his son.
"Of course Kyle." Kyle smiled and shook his head.
"I'm sorry. I'm surprised I'm 19 with my behaviour today! Sorry for worrying you as well Ryan." The CSI shook his head.
"I was just scared for you! I really thought you were having a panic attack. I wasn't sure if I should've gone to the hospital instead!" Ryan joked. Laughing, the group packed up the picnic and Kyle and Ryan's surfboards and headed down to the beach.

The spot they had chosen was very secluded, a place that most people didn't choose to visit. It was a good spot in case things got ugly – H didn't want a simple party turning into a media event. Arriving, Rick set out a blanket and the food while Ryan and Kyle stripped to their swimming trunks and headed straight for the waves. Horatio stood and admired the view for a moment; Miami was a beautiful place. Hearing the sounds of cars and Hummers arriving, H turned to greet his friends. Mac and Don reached the beach first, followed closely by Stella and Danny.
"Hey there!" Mac grinned, giving H a big hug and introducing Don to the others. Calleigh, Eric, Natalia and Frank arrived next in one Hummer together.
"Hey everyone!" Eric grinned… until he saw Rick on the sand. "What's he doing here?" Eric said rudely. Kyle and Ryan (who had run over as soon as the cars had arrived) frowned. Okay, so Rick wasn't the nicest guy in the world, but any idiot would probably guess he was here to settle things and as H's guest Eric should've been a lot nicer. Calleigh placed a hand on her boyfriend's arm.
"Don't worry, H probably has a reason. Right?" She turned to her boss. Horatio smiled.
"Indeed I do Eric. Rick is here as my friend,. I invited him. It'll be a good chance for you all to forget your differences and move on."
"I'm cool with that." Calleigh agreed, along with the rest of the team. Eric still didn't agree though.
"H, the guy is just annoying. He practically stalks you and hassles you every minute of the day. Forget him." By this time, Kyle couldn't take anymore. He stepped forward.
"Listen Eric. I've never really liked you, but tolerated it because you're a good friend of my dad's. But do you ever consider that anybody else around you has feelings too? Rick is here because he was invited here. Stop letting your ego get in the way." The blonde boy stepped back, finally calming down a bit. Ryan was trying to hold his giggles back, H and Rick were smirking and Eric had a mixture of confusion and anger on his face. "Come on. Let's eat!" Danny chipped in, making everyone laugh.

Empty food cartons and full stomachs later, the gang were laughing about old memories. Interesting ones included when Mac and H got so drunk they fell over and had to cling to a traffic light to stop themselves rolling down a hill and when Calleigh first fired a gun. It was so powerful she fell over backwards, then exclaimed how cool it was and demanded another go. As they were laughing, Rick nodded to H and he got everyone's attention.
"Now, this has been good fun and we should definitely have days like this more often. But there is another reason why I invited you all here." The whole group sat up a little straighter for this news. The new Yorkers and Alexx moved into action, ready to defend if anyone should start. Kyle gripped Ryan's hand without anyone noticing; Ryan squeezed back just as hard. "I felt it wasn't fair for us to work together when we're keeping secrets from each other. So I have some things to tell you. Rick and I are in a relationship – and so are Ryan and Kyle." Silence first met his ears. Then…
"DAMN! You just lost me $20 H!" Yelina growled, making everyone laugh. "I asked whether Kyle had a girlfriend yet and Ray Jr. said that Kyle wasn't interested in girls. We made a bit of a bet about who would be right." Kyle started laughing.
"He would make a bet like that to win easy cash." He shook his head. "Sorry Yelina, I told him a while ago when I was having a low moment. He promised to keep it a secret until I was ready."
"Well, that was a bit shocking. But I can't deny, you all seem so happy. I'm okay with it." Calleigh smiled.
"Me too. I've always thought something was up, but never sure quite what it was. But I'm happy for you." Natalia smiled. Frank cleared his throat. Now H looked worried; Frank was a good friend. Would he lose that friendship over this?"
"I honestly can't believe I didn't notice sooner. But I am happy for you man. I know I always say I can't see myself living like that, but that only applies to me. I'm perfectly happy for my friends to date who they want. I won't judge." H smiled and relaxed. It seemed everybody was perfectly happy for them. Until he realised…
"Eric? You haven't said a word." Calleigh commented. She then noticed the angry look on the Cuban-Russian's face.
"Yeah. Coz my momma always taught me if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." He stood up, everyone else following. Mac and Don looked ready for a fight and Ryan was fuming. Why could Eric never see past himself and his beliefs to wish others well!
"Eric, I'd rather you left then. You see, we're all having a good time and I don't want any homophobic attitudes to spoil it." Rick joined in.
"Shut the hell up, you faggot!" Eric shouted, reaching forward to hit Rick. Before he could though, Mac had him face first in the sand, hands behind his back.
"Next time you wanna pick on someone's sexuality, make sure they don't have gay friends." The ex-marine threatened. Eric was really struggling now.
"Get the hell off me, you queer!"
"Mac, let him go. It's his choice." H said calmly, sunglasses back on his face. He wasn't going to let Eric see how much those comments had hurt him. Mac stood up. Eric jumped off the sand and stormed off towards his Hummer.
"I'll go with him, see if I can't calm him down. I'll ring you later H, 'Kay?"
"Sure, thanks Calleigh." The blonde woman hugged everyone goodbye and hurried after her boyfriend, who was going to need ear protectors by the time she had finished yelling at him. Natalia sighed.
"Well, there goes our ride."
"You can go back with them, its okay." Rick said, confused.
"Nah, I'd never ride with anyone with that attitude. My cousin was a lesbian and I used to beat people up for saying less than that." Natalia said, disgusted at Eric's attitude. Frank nodded in agreement.
"Well, I think we should get the stuff cleared up and head back to your place – if that's okay Horatio?" Don asked. The red-head smiled, taking his sunglasses off again.
"Sure Don. No problem."

Back at Horatio's place Yelina had bid everyone goodnight, apologising for having to leave to get back for Ray Jr. She offered Frank and Natalia a lift home, which the gladly accepted, also saying goodnight. Frank promised to ring back if he heard anything from Calleigh. H sighed. It really hadn't gone as well as it could have. He was very glad that almost everyone there accepted him for who he was. But Eric was almost family. And he just couldn't look past his beliefs. Marisol hadn't minded when she had been alive. She knew Horatio had only married her to make her feel better before she died and she had been the one to convince him to pursue Rick after she was gone. Rick joined his lover, giving him a hug from behind.
"Everything will turn out for the best Horatio." Rick whispered in his love's ear. Alexx walked up to the two.
"Sorry to interrupt," she smiled, "but I thought I should let you know before I left – I have to get back to the kids." Horatio and Rick smiled. Hugging them both, Alexx whispered, "If you need any help, anything at all, you ring me. Okay?" The men nodded and agreed with her. The doctor then wished everyone else goodbye, making Ryan and Kyle promise to come round for dinner sometime. Stella and Danny also stood up.
"We should get back to our hotel. We'll come back in the morning and go sightseeing. I've never been to Miami before!" Ryan laughed and agreed to take them out. Waving goodbye, Mac approached Horatio.
"If it's okay with you, I'd rather me and Don stopped here tonight. If someone comes back… well, I'm a really light sleeper and I'd feel a lot safer for you. I hope you don't think I'm being rude." Horatio shook his head.
"Not at all friend. We have another spare guest room. Ryan and Kyle are going to sleep in Kyle's old room for the night." Mac smiled and hugged his friend. "Come on, lets get the rooms set up." Horatio lead the way. Hopefully Eric would see some sense soon.

To be continued.

:O Well Boys and girls, did you see THAT coming? Probably, since Eric is always the bad guy in these stories. Seriously, I was gonna have it as the whole team were happy, but I hate Eric so much that I had to put in an excuse for y'all to get angry at him. Forgive me? Review! :)