AN: A little sad I didn't get any reviews last chapter, but I hope this one is better. Enjoy.
Chapter 9: Telling the kids
After another 45 minute visit, which nothing was said that was really important, Calleigh and Horatio left the hospital, then Calleigh went home to start dinner while Horatio went to the park to get the kids.
When Horatio and the kids walked into the house well after she did, Calleigh speaks while in the kitchen. "What took you guys so long?"
As they walked to the bar table, Christy replied. "Daddy brought home an ice cream cake."
Calleigh looked back at her family, smiled and said. "Well then I guess you guys better eat a good dinner, huh?" They all nodded as she continued. "Alright, clean up for dinner, it will be done shortly." They nodded again as she turned back to the stove.
Once the kids were out of the room, Horatio walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her cheek as she asked. "You ok?" She thought going to Dairy Queen would bring back memories.
He did a small sigh and said. "Yeah, it wasn't that bad, especially considering how the day ended."
She looks over her shoulder and sees the sparkle in his blue eyes, then she smiled back before saying. "Here try this."
She puts the spaghetti sauce on the spoon before turning around to let him have a taste, and after he did, he looked into her beautiful green eyes and said softly. "Perfect." Before they kiss each other softly.
When she pulls back, she whispered. "How about a little wine tonight?"
He nodded, then kissed her forehead and said. "You got it." Before releasing his hold on her and getting the wine from their small collection.
10 minutes later they call the kids into the dinning room before they sat down, and while they ate, the kids were telling them how their day was.
Before they knew it their plates were becoming empty with dinner then dessert, and Calleigh and Horatio looked at each other and do a short nod before they looked at the kids, then Calleigh speaks after she cleared her throat. "Guys, why don't you clean up, put on your PJ's and come back into the living room, please."
Christy and C.J. looked concerned, but Josh just said he wanted his Spider-Man pajamas.
Calleigh smiled at Josh and said. "Ok sweetie, you can ware your Spider-Man tonight." He smiled, happy he got his wish.
As Calleigh was looking at the older two, Christy asked. "Are we in trouble?"
Calleigh shook her head no, but Horatio speaks. "No Princess, but it is important."
Christy nodded and said. "Ok mommy and daddy." Then she got out of her seat and headed for the hall.
As C.J. was getting up from his seat and heading toward the hall, he couldn't help but let his mind wander on what the news could be, but promised himself he wouldn't jump to conclusions until he heard what this was about.
Horatio offered to the do the dishes while she took care of Josh, and she was greatly appreciated of the offer, so she picked up her little boy and tickled him as she walked down the hall, earning the reward of hearing his little laugh.
15 minutes later and the family was in the living room, and while Christy and C.J. was sitting on the couch, Calleigh, which she was holding Josh in her lab, and Horatio was sitting on the coffee table in front of them.
They both took a moment to gather their thoughts, then Horatio speaks, explaining in a way that Christy could understand, and when he was done, he asked. "Do you guys have any questions?"
Christy speaks first. "So does that mean I have another brother?" They nodded, then she continued with a smile. "Cool, isn't C.J.?"
C.J. cleared his throat, still a little shocked of the news, then for his little sister's benefit, he gives her a small smile and said. "It sure is kid."
Christ giggled, then asked. "Is he coming to live here?"
Horatio leans forward places his hands on his daughter's and replied. "We have to talk to him about that, but we'll see, are you ok with that?" Christy nodded with another smile. She didn't fully understand why he hadn't been here the whole time, but the prospect of another older brother, excited her. Horatio looked at Josh, then asked. "What about you buddy, you ok with that?" Even though they were aware this conversation didn't really mean much to him since he was still so young to fully grasp what was going on, they smiled when he nodded and said. "Ok, daddy." Horatio kissed his son's head before looking at C.J. "And what about you, C.J?"
He took a few seconds before replying. "I mean he's part of the family, right?" They nodded as he continued. "So of course he has a right to be here too." He cleared his throat again before he finished. "Excuse me."
As he started to walk away toward the hall, Christy asked. "C.J. can you read to me tonight?"
He turned back around and said. "Sorry, not tonight kid." Before walking toward the hall.
Christy was about to protest, but Horatio stands up and said. "Come here Princes, daddy will read to you."
She sighed, not really satisfied with the answer, but asked. "With the voices?"
He tickled her as he replied. "You got it." She nodded with a smile, she loved it when he did the voices, which didn't happen very often, so if it had to be with her dad tonight, least she gets special treatment.
As Horatio was walking down the hall with Christy, Calleigh could hear her asked why C.J. didn't want to read to her, and Horatio just made up an excuse that he was probably too tired.
Calleigh sighed looked down at her youngest son and could see that Josh was rubbing his eyes, indicating he was tired, so she kissed his forehead and said. "Alright baby boy, let's get you in bed." Before she got up and walked to his room to tuck him in, and after tucking him in and whispering her goodnight ritual, she cracked the door as she walked out, then walked to C.J.'s bedroom door and knocked.
A few minutes later she hears a come in, so she opens the door and steps in the doorway where she sees him across the room standing in front of his CD shelf, then she cleared her throat and asked. "Can we talk?" He nodded but stayed where he was at.
Calleigh walked fully into the room and shuts the door behind her before walking to his bed and sitting down. She then looked at his walls, and unlike when he was younger when he had superhero wallpaper, there were posters of basketball and baseball players now, he even had a few pictures of the family up, and a special framed one of her and his mother hanging by his bed, which was the one that Horatio commented on when they had dinner for the first time.
She looked at C.J.'s back and started speaking. "You know I was shocked too, I never would have thought that he would have a child that I wasn't the mother."
After a pause, he replied. "Yeah? And how you handling it?"
She sighed and replied. "Honestly, I'm still dealing with accepting it." She gets up from the bed and continued while walking up to him. "But I'm trying very hard." Then she puts her hand on his shoulder as she finished. "Because he's a part of Horatio." She felt him tense as he turned his head so she couldn't see his face, and she looked at him with concern. "C.J.?" She uses her free hand to bring his chin back in her direction and she saw tears in his eyes, which was the first time in a long time that she had seen tears in this boys eyes. She shakes her head and brings C.J. in her arms and said. "Oh C.J., it's ok." He wraps his arms around her, then did something he hadn't done in a while, cried.
After a few minutes, he pulls back sniffling, then he shook his head and replied. "Sorry."
Calleigh shook her head again, cups his cheek to wipe his tears away and replied. "You have nothing to be sorry about, sometimes you have so much emotion inside of you that you just have to let it all out, and crying is one way of doing it, which is probably the least destructive way." He just nodded as they walk back to his bed, then after they sat down on it, she puts his hands on his and continued. "Remember when your mother died and you had a really tough time accepting me as your guardian,then as time went by you accepted and started loving me, even gong as far as seeing me as another mom. Did you lose the love you had for your mother in order to love me?"
C.J. shook his head and replied. "No, I love you both, and I always will."
Calleigh nodded. "Exactly. Accepting Kyle into our lives is the same thing." She cups his cheek as they look into each other's eyes, then she continued. "The way Horatio feels about you is never going to change. He doesn't want to subtract the love he has for you to love him, he just wants to add another loved one into this family. Believe me, he sees you as a son just as much as he does Josh, and already Kyle."
"How do you know?"
She gives him a smile as she replied. "Well for one, would I ever lie to you?"
"No."
She had never lied to him since he's known her, so he would like to think she wouldn't start now.
"And two, he told me. But really he didn't have say anything because I could see it in his eyes. He has the same sparkle towards you that he had when he first met you, it's there forever."
He smiled a little, then asked. "And you?"
She smiled bigger as she continued. "I've loved you from the moment I saw the doctor place you in your mother's arms, of course at first it was a different kind of love, like the type of love an Aunt would have for a Nephew, but now it's grown into the type of love that a mother has for a child." She places her forehead against his and said. "And it's there forever, nothing will shake it."
C.J. closes his eyes and said. "I love you too, mom."
Calleigh pulls her forehead from C.J.'s, then wraps her arms around him and asked. "Are you ok, now?"
He nodded and replied. "Like you said, it's something to get use to, but yeah, I'll be alright." She smiled and ran her hand up and down his back as he continued. "It will just kind of suck that I won't be the oldest sibling anymore." She chuckles as she pulls back, and she sees him have a small smile on his face.
When she calmed down, C.J. cleared his throat and said. "If Christy is still up, can I read to her?"
"Of course."
"Cool." He got up from his bed and walk to his room, then before he opened the door, he turned to her and said. "About me crying..."
She cuts him off with a smile. "Stays between us buddy."
He smiled at the nickname, then after saying he loved her again and she said it back, he opened the door and walked out of the room, leaving her alone.
Her smiled continued to be on her face as she looked to the right to look at the picture of her and her best friend Christy smiling, she stares at it for a few seconds, then said. "You have an amazing son, Christy, and I still miss you very much. Hope your still looking down on us with a smile because we look up at you with one. Sleep tight and goodnight, sister." She gets up off the bed, and just as she steps in the doorway, Horatio was walking down the hall.
When he stopped in front of her, they give each other's smiles, then after she turns out C.J.'s bedroom light, Horatio takes her hand and walks them toward the back deck. Once they stepped outside, they walk to the deck swing, sit down next to each other, then he brings her in his arms and she snuggles into them.
After a few minutes of silence, he speaks. "Christy was so happy when C.J. offered to finish the story."
"I can imagine, she loves her older brother."
Horatio nodded before replying. "Now she will have two older brothers in her life." He sighed before continuing. "I just hope he accepts us in his life."
"I'm sure he will, he'll probably need some time, just like all of us need."
He nodded in understanding, then commented. "C.J. gave me a hug and told me that he loved me before I walked out of Christy's room, does that mean he forgives me?"
"It wasn't about forgiving you." He looked down as she looked up into her eyes. "He was scared that the dynamic between you two was going to be different, but I told him it wasn't going to."
"Which is very true."
She knew she was right on that, but she couldn't help but smirk and say. "Good, you didn't make me out to be a liar."
He shook his head, leaned down and pecks her on the lips before replying. "Never." After one more peck she lays her head back on his chest, then he speaks again. "So everything is ok with him?"
"I think for the most part, yeah."
He kissed the top of her head and whispered. "And us?"
She looked up at him again and replied. "I thought we already resolved everything?"
He cups her cheek as he replied. "I just want to make sure that you...that we are ok."
She moves so she was eye level with him, then she leans toward him and pecks him on the lips before pulling back. "We are good, better than good, we are great." He sees the truth in her eyes before she leans toward him and kisses him again, only this time it was done with more passion.
Before they got carried away, they pull back breathlessly and placed their foreheads together to get their air back.
When they did, she pulls back, stands up and holds out her hand with a smile, he looked up with a smile as he took her hand, then once he was standing, he speaks. "I love you."
She cups his cheek with her free hand as she replied. "I love you too, Handsome."
After they kissed one more time, she leads them back inside the house before taking them to their bedroom to continue what they started, and only stopping to lock up and to set the alarm, feeling the love that they have for each other grow stronger and brighter each second.
AN: Next chapter: Horatio tells Kyle about him being his father, and asks him a question, what will his answer be? Please review.
