Laila sat at her vanity, staring at herself. Horatio had slipped out sometime in the early morning, leaving a note explaining that he had to get to the lab early. She didn't mind, she knew he took his job very seriously. It was a major part of his life and she wasn't going to try and upset the balance. That was what their relationship was going to have to be based on. Horatio's job would require him to look at the world through a harsh lens, Laila would allow him to relax and calm down. She would find a new job, she was currently thinking about advertising consulting for some businesses, and would let the stress roll off her when she met Horatio. Everything was about balance.

For instance, all the stress she felt right now would probably melt away the second she saw Horatio's blue eyes and his ever present smirk. She would put everything she had into dinner, being charming and elegant while still being herself. It was all about balance. Tonight would be wonderful, they would be able to be together in a beautiful setting in one of the most vibrant cities in the world. The day moved slowly, finally around noon she gave up on staying in her apartment and wandered down to the small street of shops that ran outside her building. Most of them were high end, several where she went shopping for work clothes, but what she wanted was tucked on a corner. It was a small, brightly painted, secondhand bookstore called Beach Reads. It was crowded with bookshelves that leaned, chairs that had survived hurricanes, and it smelled like wet books mixed with air fresheners.

Laila loved it.

She often came here, found something to read, and only paid a few dollars for it. Sometimes she came looking for inspiration for a new ad, others she bought an armful of art books and brought them back to the designers. Her favorite times were when she came to find a romance novel, the way she would cover the title and the scantily clad heroine always made her laugh. It was just ridiculous. Hopefully Horatio wouldn't freak out when he found her library, a library that occupied every room of her apartment. She stashed her books anywhere she could find, and she often tore her apartment up looking for one title. Considering that she had seen a fair amount of books at his place, she doubted he would be frightened off. Suspicion of murder didn't even faze him.

"Hey there Laila, anything particular today?" James, the pale blond who owned Beach Reads, asked as she walked in.

"Got anything on forensics?" She smiled, glad for the fact that James would never reveal what his customers were into.

"Tasty. I've got a few, but they're chunky. Had a few to many literary Big Macs." James tended to talk about books as if they were people. For him, chunky meant over 700 pages. Just the way Laila liked it. She went to the appropriate section, pulled down a few introductory titles, a couple of the thicker ones, and came back up. With his usual lack of urgency, James scanned them and ran her card. Laila left the store feeling particularly happy. The way she saw it, if Horatio ever wanted to discuss his job with her, she wouldn't be uninformed.

With her books firmly in hand, she stopped into one of the upscale clothing stores to purchase something special for tonight. Her something special turned out to be a green dress, held up by a pair of crossed straps in the back. With a little bit of gold jewelry, she figured she would look amazing. Laila glanced at herself as she set the bag down, since when was she so pale? It only took a couple minutes to change into a bikini. She loaded a tote with a towel, tanning lotion, a book, and a sunhat. She slipped on her sunglasses then locked up her apartment. It was a ten minute walk to the beach, and another ten to find a space that wasn't occupied.

The beach was beautiful that day. Large, puffy clouds were slowly scudding across the sky. A few kids ran down the beach, flying a kite. Families and couples were arrayed along the shore, building sand castles and burying each other in the sand. The sight of so many happy people made her smile. Laila drew on her sunglasses, spread her towel and lay down. She wiped the tanning oil she had used onto her towel so that she didn't get it on her book. She opened her book, the title made her smile. Forensics for Dummies. Leaving her skin to tan she began to read.

She truly enjoyed the beach. Just like she had determined this morning, it was a place of balance. If you got hot in the sun, you went and swam. If you got cold in the ocean, you stepped into the sun. Laila repeated this cycle twice before she grew sleepy from the sun. Gathering her things, she left the beach. On her way back, she noticed cop cars blocking a section of the street, yellow tape blocking access. Simple human curiosity drew her in. Most people were looking for any sign of the crime, and Laila joined them in examining the commotion. She caught a flash of red hair, but when she looked closer it was a different officer. Not Horatio. She smirked, walked out of the crowd that was forming, and got back to her apartment. She checked her phone, there was a text from Horatio saying that he would pick her up at eight.

With a small grin of anticipation for the coming night, she settled down for a nap.

Horatio Caine found himself swamped with paperwork. That often happened though, as cases were solved the evidence had to be filed in the proper order and the courts had to be notified, as did the lawyers for both sides. Double-checking all of that took time. By the afternoon his eyes were sore from reading, his hand cramped from signing so many papers, and his legs were asleep from being in his chair so long. Around five, he decided he was done. He would have enough time to go home, relax a little, then shower and head off. He knew just the place to take Laila.

It was when he was getting out of the shower that he caught his phone vibrating. Laila had texted him, saying that she was getting ready but that the door would be open. He drew on his sport-jacket over an aqua dress shirt, grabbed his badge, and with a sudden urge, left his gun on the table in front of Raymond's picture. He looked down at the picture, thinking. He wasn't sure if Raymond would have liked her. His brother had never liked women who were, well, motherly. Laila wasn't exactly a matron, but he could easily describe the way she acted towards him as motherly. He shook these thoughts out of his head. Let Raymond stay in the past, all he had left his brother was a nephew with no father, a grieving wife, the legacy of a dirty cop, and enough messes to keep Horatio busy for the next five years. He drove the Hummer over to Laila's, spent about five minutes trying to find a parking space big enough, and then went up. The door easily opened, bringing with it the scent of roses, coconuts, and the ocean breeze.

He let the door close behind him. "Laila?"

"Hey Horatio! I'm almost done, just give me a few!" Her voice rang out from the back of the apartment. He just smirked and leaned against a wall. True to her word, she emerged a couple of minutes later and Horatio felt his lips and lungs tighten, involuntarily. Laila looked beautiful. She wore a green dress that sparkled in the light, and it brought out her brown eyes. They were lined with brown eyeliner, and sparkled with golden eyeshadow. Small emerald flecks of glitter stood out, drawing him down to those eyes. They weren't just a plain brown. Laila's eyes looked like the sun had caught some dark gemstone. Various shades of brown shone in them like a sunburst. All around them her skin was bronzed, almost warm to the touch. He lifted his hand to brush away a small lock of hair. It was light, soft to the touch. Her whole body sparkled, tan from the sun. All she wore was a small golden chain and a pair of green earrings. Just a simple stone. He suddenly remembered to draw breath, and he could smell the coconut butter she had worked into her skin. What drew him in the most though was her lips. They were covered in pink lipstick, glossy.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked, batting her lashes. Horatio tried to think of an answer.

He couldn't.

So he kissed her.

She responded in kind, following his lead when he deepened the kiss. He let his fingers wind themselves in her hair, one hand going around her waist to pull her closer. He heard her gasp slightly, and all of a sudden their kiss was broken. Her eyes found his, and he could see the color almost deepen when he looked into them. It took her a moment to get out what she wanted to say. "I guess that's a yes."

"I'd say so." He muttered, aiming to get another kiss out of her. She held up her finger to stop him.

"I believe you owe me a dinner." She smirked, then reached up to whisper huskily into his ear. "We can continue this later." With a laugh that rang behind her, she swept past him and out into the hallway. He hadn't even noticed the gold lame clutch she held, which she was now rifling in to find her keys. Horatio closed the door, then grabbed her wait from behind when she bent to lock up.

"I'm holding you to that."

Laila thought Horatio must have taken out a lease on the Hummer, he drove it everywhere. It was a bit of a drive until he pulled into a crowded parking lot. Laila had to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. He had to be kidding, he was taking her here?

"Shula's Steakhouse? Don't you know how expensive this place is?" She hissed, looking around. The people going in were dressed in the latest fashion, and were eyeing the Hummer as he pulled it into valet.

"It will be okay. Besides, we can walk on the beach afterwards." Horatio didn't seem at all concerned, merely tossing the keys to the valet with a warning about being careful. He walked over to Laila, put his arm around her waist and they made their way inside. The whole place was cozy, tables lit with candles and soft light from above. The hostess looked up as they walked in.

"Hi, reservation under Caine." Horatio told her.

She looked down to her seating charts. "Oh yes, right this way." She led them through the tables, finally winding up at a two person booth under a Dolphins jersey. She set their menus down, then pulled out a football and stand she had kept under the menus. The steaks were listed on the football, and everything else in the menu. Laila thought it a very good way to set up the atmosphere of the place.

"Football and steak, you've got me won over." She said, looking across to Horatio. He merely smirked. She found that rattled her a little. Sometimes he would speak, and others he would just give her that smirk. That damnable smirk. They sat in silence, not that it was uncomfortable. In fact, it was very companionable. It was only broken when the waiter came to take their drink and appetizer order. Horatio ordered a bottle of wine to split, and oysters for him. Laila got French Onion Soup.

"I'm glad we can do this." He said, laying his menu down. Laila followed suit, letting her hand rest on the dark wood. Horatio lightly gripped it.

"So am I." She told him, enjoying the way the candlelight played across his face. It made his hair lighten, and it seemed to make him relax. Laila considered their relationship as they held hands. Ten years ago they had met, and now they were here. The years had matured both of them, and so much time being alone had made her crave every moment she could have with him. The time that had to spend apart wasn't painful, she had been on her own for so long that she enjoyed having time to herself. It helped keep her sane. Horatio was kind, protective and he seemed to enjoy her company.

She liked him.

The dinner was wonderful, steak and potatoes the whole way. Laila enjoyed it, it reminded her of Iowa. She did miss her old home a little, on days when the day was too hot, and especially around Christmas. Miami never did get snow, and her family's house near Des Moines would often be buried under a few feet of the stuff. When offered dessert, Horatio asked for a cup of coffee and Laila was delighted to find that they offered creme brûlée. The custard made her think of Horatio. Hard on the outside, and a little cool when you got past it, but sweet when you got into it. They winded up with no leftovers that night, but Laila didn't feel overstuffed. the steak made her a little sleepy, but it was nothing a walk on the beach couldn't cure.

Horatio watched as Laila slipped her heels off. Her hair came down in front of her face, lending a little mystery to her. She shook it out of the way, letting the golden stilettos dangle from her fingers. She did love to walk barefoot in the sand. The two of them wound their way through the other couples taking an outing on the beach. Since the steakhouse was in a hotel, they were quite a few. Horatio managed to find them a pair of beach chairs, secluded under an umbrella.

Horatio let her sit, then sat beside her. They watched as the moon rose over the ocean, sending silver waves crashing to shore. Stars twinkled above, and below. The neon lights of Miami played with the natural light of the night. They seemed to dance together, twisting with the currents and riptides. Horatio could think of no better way to spend the moment, than watching the ocean with a woman in his arms.

"It's so beautiful." Laila whispered, her eyes never leaving the sea.

"Yeah, it is." He responded. They remained that way for a little over an hour, not even speaking. They just watched the ocean, and once it began to cool off drastically, she brought up the idea of returning to her apartment. Horatio wholeheartedly agreed to it. The rest of the night was spent wrapped in the comfort of her arms, and Horatio actually found himself falling asleep, willingly.

He fell asleep listening to the ocean breeze, and the heartbeat of his girlfriend.

And so ends Broken Past. There will be a new story, Fixing the Present, posted soon that will continue Laila and Horatio's story. I will also post one-shots to cover the time in between the stories. Look for the next one to be up in a few days. Here is the story info.

Carga de un Hermano. (A brother's burden). As Miami celebrates Dia de los Muertos Laila convinces Horatio to go out on the night of the dead and bid his brother a happy afterlife.

Thank you so much for reading. You guys truly inspired me to keep going with your reviews. Thank you again.