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Ryan grimaced and groaned as someone licked his face to wake him up. For the past two weeks Cassie had done that every morning when she felt that he or Horatio had been sleeping too long and it was time to for a walk.
"I'm awake." Ryan muttered and turned around to face his lover instead.
Cassie nudged Ryan's head with her nose and then jumped up in the bed when he didn't respond. Ryan groaned as Cassie's full body weight landed on his abdomen.
"Ugh, alright alright, I'm going." He yawned.
Cassie jumped off the bed and went to the front door. Ryan gave the sleeping Horatio a kiss on the cheek and then climbed out of bed. He put on a t-shirt and sweatpants before heading to the front door. He put a leash on Cassie and went outside.
In the meantime Horatio woke up to an empty bed and knew that Ryan was out with Cassie. The dog seemed to prefer having Ryan take her for a walk in the mornings and Horatio do it in the evening or night since she would usually wake Ryan up in the morning and nudge Horatio in the evenings with the leash in her mouth.
Horatio got out off the bed and took a shower, then he got dressed and started making breakfast. It was Friday and as usual it was dinner with Kyle later, only this time he was brining a guest too; Horatio suspected that it was a girlfriend.
Just as the coffee was ready Ryan walked through the door with Cassie. She greeted Horatio by rubbing against his legs demanding to be petted and wagging her tail; the redhead petted her.
"Good morning." Horatio smiled to his lover.
"Morning." Ryan mumbled, as he went straight to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup of the delicious black liquid.
"Are you having a bad morning?" Horatio asked.
"You know I'm never myself before I have my morning coffee."
"You seem unusually grumpy today, though."
"Cassie tried to take a swim in a ditch filled with water from last night's rain." Ryan said, "She almost made it and took me with her too, but I managed to keep her away from it."
Horatio chuckled and Ryan glared at him. It was too early in the morning for the younger man to be having a hyper active dog; he was just too tired. After breakfast Ryan took a quick shower and then it was time for work.
-I-
Melinda sat down opposite Roger. They were at a quiet café outside of town where they wouldn't be overheard by someone they knew or disturbed by Charles. Roger had been surprised when Melinda had called him and asked to meet. He knew that it was wrong to suspect that Melinda was only meeting to persuade Roger to get Ryan away from Horatio, but considering their previous encounters he couldn't help but have his suspicions about her.
"Melinda." He greeted.
"Roger, thank you for meeting me." Melinda said, "I'm sorry I kept you waiting."
"It's alright. How are you?"
"Fine, fine... well, things could be better, but I'm fine."
"What's wrong?" Roger asked, wasting no time to get to the point.
"There some tension at home; mainly because of Charles." Melinda said, the tone of her voice clearly showing that she didn't want to discuss it, "How is Ryan?" She asked instead.
"He's fine."
"Is he mad at me?"
Roger looked surprised at her. Before she had never seemed to pay any attention to how Ryan really felt; blindly doing whatever Charles told her to "save" their son.
"I don't think so. I think he is more angry with Charles." Roger said, "Or disappointed and hurt might be more accurate."
"I heard that Ryan and Horatio are getting married, if it becomes legal in Florida."
"Yes, they could go to New York and get married, but they want to do it here." Roger said, "Horatio proposed."
"I know. I take it they are happy about being engaged?"
"Very much."
Melinda nodded and fidgeted with the napkin on her table. Roger suddenly realized why she was asking all the questions. She was beginning to come around and realize that her son was happy with Horatio. The Melinda that Roger had known hadn't been a homophobic and had always gone her own way, it was part of the reason she had left Roger while being pregnant with Ryan without even telling him; she had gone her own way. At the time it had seemed like a bad quality but right now Melinda could have needed to do jsut that.
"You're finally admitting to yourself that Ryan is perfect the way he is, aren't you?" Roger asked.
"Yes. I just... it's hard to get Charles's opinions out of my head and I do love him you know; he is my husband." Melinda said, "But... if Ryan wasn't happy then he wouldn't have gotten engaged with Horatio or broken contact with us."
"It was mostly Charles that broke the contact with Ryan."
"Yes, but if Ryan hadn't been happy then we both know he would have complied with Charles's wishes and broken up with Horatio." Melinda said, "So I've done some thinking and I realize that Ryan is truly happy and that I am not against him being gay."
"You know Charles is wrong?"
"Yes. Although, Charles is entitled to have his opinions, but... I don't want to spend the rest of my life not being part of my son's life just because I let Charles decide what we should do and what we should think." Melinda sighed.
Roger knew it was a huge step for Melinda to admit that to herself and others. She had spent so many, many years under Charles's command and control. Even if Charles didn't realize it he was too controlling and he mentally put Melinda down to a role where she had no say in anything; where she always had to listen to him. Roger was glad that Melinda had finally realized it.
"What I'm trying to say is that I want to see Ryan again... and Horatio." Melinda said.
"You should also know that the family is bigger than just those two, you have the team and Horatio's son Kyle." Roger said, "And me."
"I don't mind that." Melinda said.
Roger could see that she wasn't completely strong enough to leave Charles yet; she had a frightened look in her eyes, but he also knew that eventually she would either make Charles change his ways or she would leave him.
"I'm sorry that I never told you about Ryan." Melinda mumbled, "It was wrong."
"Yes it was." Roger said, "But it's the past now. Horatio went through the same thing with Kyle."
"He did?"
"Yeah, he didn't know Kyle existed until was 16. That's almost 6 years ago now." Roger said, "But from the day he found Kyle he took him in. He loves Kyle more than anything else in the world."
"You have a point with this don't you?"
"Yes, if Horatio loves his son that much you can understand that he loves Ryan just as much." Roger said, "And that Ryan loves Kyle as well so just understand that Ryan is a stepfather now."
"I have no problem with that." Melinda said.
"I just want you to understand that if you regain contact with Ryan you get more than just Ryan; you get his entire family as well." Roger said, "And you better accept that or there is no point in being part of Ryan's life."
"I can do that." Melinda said; she jumped when her cell phone rang and by the look on her face Roger knew it was Charles calling.
"I better go." Melinda mumbled, "Thanks for meeting me Roger, g-goodbye."
"Goodbye Melinda." Roger said and watched her leave.
-I-
The team was looking at another victim from their killer. Once again the victim's neck had been snapped. Walter and Ryan were processing the bottom floor in victim's house, where he had also been killed. Frank was talking to the victim's girlfriend whom had also found him, while Eric processed the upstairs floor. Horatio was observing Alexx as she examined the body.
"Neck snapped, no other injuries." Alexx said, "Time of death is two hours ago."
"And like last time we probably won't find any trace of the killer on the body." Horatio said.
"Not likely."
Alexx checked the victim's pockets and found a note; this one also addressed to Horatio. Horatio read the note out loud.
"Do you understand my reasons for doing this? It is the angel's words and I cannot disobey. I have a mission, just like you have a mission to save people. Your mission is also to take care of Ryan and Kyle. You do it so well and I look up to you. Tell me you are proud of me?"
Horatio frowned and everyone felt a shiver run down their spines. The killer obviously knew who Ryan and Kyle were, yet he didn't threat them. He simply admired Horatio for taking care of them and being a CSI; doing his best to protect the people of Miami.
"What is so divine about having people make a choice?" Walter asked.
"It doesn't seem reasonable for us, but remember that this guy probably has some psychotic breakdown, he could be schizophrenic or delusional." Horatio said.
"Oh he is delusional alright." Alexx said, "That makes him dangerous too."
"I don't like this, H." Ryan said, "He knows too much about you. Are you sure you have never met someone with this kind of delusion?"
"Not that I can remember."
Alexx put the body in a bag and then her two assistants loaded the body into the ME van so she could drive it back to the lab; she promised to keep Horatio updated before she left. Frank finished talking to the victim's girlfriend and approached Horatio; he read the note and shook his head.
"We got a psycho to deal with." He sighed, "The girlfriend has the same story as Terrence Laughlin's girl had. Some guy approached our victim, Mister Aaron Copeland, about a week ago."
"And demanded that he chose between two people?" Horatio asked.
"Yeah, the mother that just suffered her second heart attack three weeks ago, she needs a heart transplant since two years back, or his father, who has a healthy heart that the mother can take if the father dies." Frank said.
"He asked him to choose between his parents?" Walter asked stunned.
"Yeah." Frank said.
"Obviously Mister Copeland didn't choose." Horatio said.
"How would he know that Copeland's mom needs a heart transplant and that his father's heart is a perfect match?" Ryan asked.
"He could be working at a hospital, insurance company or he could be a friend of a friend to the victims." Walter said.
"Insurance companies could find about the mother and heart transplant, but maybe not that her husband is a match." Horatio said.
"He could be hacker." Eric said from the stairwell, "My cousin is a hacker and he can find out everything about everyone that has ever been on some kind of a record; grades, hospital visits, credit cards, everything."
"A hacker seems very likely." Horatio said.
"This is why I hate computers." Frank sighed, "Nothing is secret anymore."
-I-
The team had processed the entire house of Mister Copeland but only found the same shoeprints as on the beach where Mister Laughlin had been killed. There was no DNA, hair or strange fibers or even fingerprints.
Now the two lovers were waiting for Kyle and his guest to show up; dinner had just been finished and the table was set.
"Nervous?" Ryan asked.
"No, why would I be?"
"You're about to meet your son's girlfriend."
"It might not be a girlfriend."
"It probably is." Ryan said.
"True." Horatio agreed, "But if it is I look forward to it."
Just then the doorbell rang (Kyle's way of alerting his father and Ryan that he was there) and then the door opened. Horatio and Ryan went to the door and saw Kyle taking his wet jacket off (it was raining) and a young, brunette girl do the same.
"Hi dad, hi Ryan." Kyle grinned, "Meet Penny Scott."
"Hi sir and sir." Penny smiled and shook hands with Ryan and Horatio, "You can call me Penny."
"As long as you call us Horatio and Ryan." Ryan smiled.
Penny smiled and looked at Horatio, "You must be Kyle's father; he's told me so much about you."
"Only good things I hope." Horatio smiled and glanced at his son.
"I promise only good things." Penny chuckled and turned to Ryan, "And you are Horatio's boyfriend."
"Yes."
All four went to the kitchen to sit down by the table. Horatio and Ryan both noticed that the young couple was very in love and so far Penny seemed like a great girl.
"Kyle told me that someone named Roger would be joining us too." Penny said.
"Oh yeah, he couldn't come; he had to work." Ryan said, "It's my dad."
"Oh, well I hope to meet him some other time then."
"Absolutely." Ryan said.
"The family is quite big; there's dad's team too." Kyle explained, "They're all family."
"I love big families; when I was growing up it was just me and dad." Penny said, "My mom passed away when I was two."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Horatio said.
"Oh, don't be. It's such a long time ago." Penny said, "But I always wanted a big family and I hope that I will be part of yours soon."
Horatio nodded and smiled. He liked Penny better with every second that passed. As they started eating Penny told Horatio and Ryan some things about herself. She was from Colorado and had moved down to Miami to study to become a midwife and now she had just finished her education. She was four years older than Kyle and the two of them had similar interests.
"I work at Miami Dade Hospital right now." Penny said, "As a midwife of course."
"How did you and Kyle meet?" Horatio asked.
"In school actually a few months ago." Penny said.
"I have a friend that is also studying to become a midwife, just one year behind Penny and I bumped into Penny in school, knocking all her books down." Kyle said, "And then I asked her out."
Horatio smiled, being quite impressed with Kyle. His son was studying to become a medical examiner or, as he had recently decided, maybe a CSI like his father, it was a long road and he was currently studying to get a bachelor's degree in forensic science and if he after that felt like being a CSI like his dad he would go to the police academy as well, or continue to become a medical examiner.
Horatio was a little nervous about Kyle possibly becoming a CSI since he knew how dangerous it was, but as long as Kyle was happy then Horatio was too, and very, very proud of his son.
"We're going to see mom next week." Kyle said.
"Kyle told me how you and he found each other, I think it's very admirable that you took him in right away." Penny said.
"I have always wanted children and finding out that I had a son was a dream come true for me; even though I think we both feel it would have been even better to be a family from the beginning." Horatio said and Penny nodded.
"So is your dad still in Colorado?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, he just retired." Penny said, "I don't think he will move here; he loves Colorado too much."
"And you don't want to go back?" Ryan asked.
Penny thought for a moment and then shook her head, "I like it here, so no I don't think I will move back. Maybe when I'm old and have retired."
"So you have no problem with Kyle's dad and I dating?" Ryan felt he had to ask.
"Oh no." Penny grinned, "My father always told me to respect other people. He has always been very open-minded."
"Seems like a good man." Horatio smiled.
He knew Kyle would never have brought a girl for dinner if he didn't know she would accept his father and Ryan, but it didn't hurt to ask. Throughout the evening it became very clear that Penny was a good girl for Kyle. When the young couple left several hours later Horatio and Ryan smiled at each other.
"They are a good couple." Ryan said.
Even though Kyle was not his biological son, he was his stepson and it was important for Ryan as well that Kyle was having a happy life.
"I like her." Horatio said, "And she seems to like children."
"Does Kyle like kids?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah."
"Hoping to become a grandfather soon?" Ryan grinned.
"Absolutely." Horatio smiled, "They don't need to rush, but I hope that one day I will become a grandfather."
"You know Frank till tease you about being old then." Ryan said.
"He shouldn't; he has three grandchildren of his own." Horatio said, "Which I will happily point out to him."
Ryan chuckled. Frank and Horatio would always tease each other; they had been that way since before anyone could actually remember. That night Ryan and Horatio went to sleep without a single thought about their serial killer.
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