Precious Chapter 10

Later that same night, Suze took Eric to the nightclub that they had been in the night before.

"Why are we here Suze?"

"You'll see," Suze teased.

Eric followed Suze up the stairs to a private room. Eric turned on the lights and got the shock of his life.

"Surprise!"

The whole team were there as well as Anna and Hugh.

Ryan and Natalia walked towards Eric, "happy birthday," Ryan handed Eric a bottle of beer.

Suddenly Eric clicked as to what Ryan and Natalia were up to, "so you two were sneaking around me to organize this. And there I was thinking you two had got it together."

Natalia looked at Ryan and Ryan looked back at her, "Eric, do you really think I'd date Ryan? Come on, give me some credit. I do have standards."

Ryan mocked being hurt, "that hurt bad Natalia."

"You know I'm only kidding."

Eric and Suze joined in with everyone else. Alexx approached Eric, "I told you that you were imagining things didn't I?"

Eric grinned and lowered his head slightly, "you did Alexx and you were right, I let my imagination go into overdrive," Eric turned to Suze, "so last night when they both disappeared, where did they actually go?"

Suze put her arm round Eric's waist, "to make sure this room was sorted for tonight."

"Eric," Horatio caught his attention, "happy birthday. Just don't turn up to work tomorrow in the same state you did this morning. I might have a special job for you again."

Suze looked confused, "what did you have him do?"

"Both Eric and Ryan weren't exactly well this morning. So I sent them to a decomp this morning. They both soon sobered up."

Suze, who knew about decomp and various other things thanks to Eric, just laughed,

"I bet they were impressed with you."

Horatio smiled, "well, you could say that."

Kyle entered the room. Horatio walked over to him and handed him a bottle of beer, "glad you can make it son. That's the only bottle you're getting so make it last and don't tell your mother otherwise she'll have me."

"Okay dad, thanks," Kyle took the bottle from his father, "sorry I'm late, I had problems getting away from the grandparents."

Horatio pointed to a pink lipstick mark on his cheek courtesy of his grandma. Kyle groaned and used his sleeve to rub it off, "I can see, well son, you're here now," Horatio stood a little closer to Kyle to have a quiet word with him, "Calleigh tells me you've been spending a lot of time with the girls."

Kyle smiled, "mm well, I spent the day with them. They're so cute."

Horatio tilted his head and smiled, "I'm glad you think so."

"And they look a lot like you as well," Kyle teased.

"It's the hair, right?" Horatio joked.

Kyle laughed, "yeah. Anyway, Calleigh said I can come round again tomorrow to see them again, if that's okay with you."

Horatio put his arm round Kyle's shoulder, "of course it is son. You know what I'm very proud of you."

Kyle screwed his face up, "why?"

"Because you did what YOU thought was right. I just hope that the girls will have a big brother that they can rely on when they get older."

"Don't worry dad, I'm not going anywhere."

"That's good to hear. I have also been told that you have a new best friend," Horatio smiled.

Kyle had to think for a while, then realised what his dad was talking about, "oh yeah, Chloe. She's great, full of energy. I don't know how Hugh and Anna keep up with her."

"Well Calleigh and myself will have all that to come but in a double dose."

"If you need an extra hand just give me a shout," offered Kyle.

"I'll keep that in mind son. Anyway, let's get back to this party."

A week later, and Calleigh's first day back at work came all too soon for her. She had just waved off the McBreadles at the airport and walked into work. Everyone greeted her with a smile and a welcome back comment of some sort.

She was glad to be back, even though leaving Donna and Daisy Jo with the childminder for the first time was difficult but she managed it. She hoped it would get easier as Anna had promised.

Calleigh entered her ballistics lab, shut the door behind her. Everything seemed as she'd left it before she left. Her temporary replacement had done a good job. Then she noticed a target sheet had been left hung up in the gun range. She pressed a button to bring it towards her thinking that her replacement had forgotten to tidy up everything.

But as it travelled towards her, the holes in the target sheet weren't in a random pattern as they should be. They had spelt out two words, MARRY ME?

"Marry me?" Calleigh quietly read it out to herself as she took it down.

"So how does Mrs Calleigh Caine sound?" came a familiar voice from behind her.

Calleigh turned round to see Horatio stood there with his head tilted slightly, looking deeply into her eyes. She was speechless. She placed the target sheet down on the counter and walked towards Horatio who had his eyes fixed on her every movement.
Calleigh put her arms around Horatio's waist and drew herself closer to him as Horatio wrapped his arms around her, "well Calleigh Caine does have a certain ring to it."

Horatio smiled and lowered his head slightly. Calleigh loved it when he did that.

"I'd love to be Calleigh Caine."

Horatio, who had been a bag of nerves for the whole of the morning, breathed a sigh of relief, "Mrs Caine, I could get used to calling you that."

Calleigh smiled, "I love you."

"I love you too," Horatio was about to give his fiancée a kiss when Alexx followed by the rest of the team came piling into the room, all cheering for them.

Calleigh hid her face in Horatio's chest, she had gone bright red.

Stetler put his hand on Horatio's shoulder, "congratulations. See Horatio, you never know until you ask."

Calleigh put her head up, "you mean everyone knew about this?"

"Honey, the whole department knew what Horatio as up to," Alexx beamed then started to weep.

"Oh Alexx, don't start crying, you set me off," teased Calleigh.

Stetler raised his voice above everyone else, "right people, I don't want to sound like a miserable git but we all need to get back to work. Come on, everyone out."
Stetler ushered everyone out of the ballistics lab and turned to Horatio, "don't take too long you two, Frank is waiting to get to a scene," then he left them both to each other.

Calleigh playfully put her hands on Horatio's chest as held them, "Lieutenant Caine, you're very sneaky."

Horatio smiled, "you know I now have to leave a message on the McBreadles home phone for when they get home."

"They knew as well?"

"Mhmm."

Calleigh giggled, "can you imagine Anna on the plane all excited and Hugh trying to calm her down?"

Horatio laughed, "at least they'll have some good news to come home to."

"Well you better not keep Frank waiting. He's not very good at waiting around."

"Well then, I will see you later."

"You most definitely will."

They kissed each other and Horatio left.

Calleigh had a huge smiled across her face as she went to the phone on her desk. She dialled a number and waited for an answer.

"Hey daddy, guess what? … What? … You knew as well? … Oh did he now!"

The End