AN: Thank you for the reviews, sorry about the delay, here is the next chapter, time to rejoice Ducaine Fans!


Chapter 11: The Start Of Something Beautiful

Calleigh looked at him with shock. "Why? What happened?"

Which she was secretly hoping one of the reasons was that Daniel was right about Horatio loving her.

He took a breath before speaking softly again. "To be honest, it shouldn't have gotten as far as it did because we may love one another, but we are both in love with other people."

She paused, even though her heart was racing when he said both of them, for a second before asking. "Andrew?"

She remembered how Lacey and Andrew looked at one another when they weren't in mixed company, and she always wondered if they just completely wanted to ignore how they looked at one another, or didn't actually see it, but a few seconds later she got her answer.

He gave her a small smile with a nod. "It turns out they both been hiding how they feel for one another for years. They were just too scared to admit it until they thought it was too late."

She nodded in understanding, then she spoke softly. "Horatio...I..."

He cuts her off as he moved closer to her, making her heart speed up even more. "Am I too late to tell you how I really feel? Too late to..."

She cuts him off this time as she shook her head with a sniffle. "No, you are not too late, you could never be too late."

He gave her a smile and cupped her cheek, making her silently gasp at the unexpected move that sent every nerve of her body on alert. "What you said five years ago about me pushing what we shared out of my mind, was wrong. It was so far from truth because I never forgot it or how I felt about it, or how I felt about you, my heart never let me forget it." Calleigh started to have tears in her eyes as he continued. "And I'm sorry it has taken me this long to tell you, but I'm telling you now, I'm in love with you Calleigh, and I'm pretty sure it's been there since that night I met you."

Calleigh started to sniffle again as she placed her hand on top of his that was on her cheek before she smiled as she shyly replied. "I'm in love with you too Horatio, and I know it's been there since the night I met you."

As they looked into each other's eyes, finally showing each other exactly how they felt without hiding an ounce back, making them silently gasp at the sight, before he started to lean down while whispering. "Will you ever forgive me for waiting this long?"

They pressed their foreheads together as she smirked. "I might forgive you sooner rather than later if you do one thing for me."

"Oh, and what's that?"

She moved her hand from his before cupping his cheek and whispering. "Kiss me."

He pulls his forehead back a little so he could look into her green eyes again, then he slowly smiled as he brought her closer to him. "If that's what the ma'am wants, who am I to deny her wish."

As their heads moved closer to one another, she whispered one more time. "My secret wish."

They stopped before their lips touched for a split second, but when their lips did finally touch, they poured everything they had felt in that one kiss, which turned into a couple more, wanting to show one another that there were no doubts on where their hearts truly lie.

When they finally pulled back, they place their foreheads together to get their air back, and once he got his back first, he asked. "Did your secret wish live up to the expectations?"

She pulled back so she could look into his shinning blue eyes before smiling and cupping his cheek again. "That and more, handsome."

"Handsome? Is that my new nickname from you."

She nodded as her smile got a little bigger. "I've been sitting on it for weeks, but I wasn't sure how you would take it, considering our situation."

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Well, now that our situation has changed, don't hold back on it, I like it."

"Ok, handsome, now what? What happens next."

He thinks about it for a second before he unwraps his arms from her waist and holds out his hand. "How about walking and talking until the sun goes down, I hear we are good with talking."

She chuckled as she slipped her fingers though his with a nod. "I hear the same thing."

He smiled back, and as they walked a little closer to the ocean, he asked. "So, what happened with Daniel? Do I need to worry about him coming after me?"

She chuckled again while shaking her head before they have eye contact as she told him. "He told me to come to you, he let me go so I can finally have my true happiness."

His eyes sparkled as he commented/smirked. "Did I ever tell you I really like that guy?"

Calleigh raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Horatio heard the unconvincing tone, so he chuckled before nodding. "Ok, maybe I didn't like him just a little." Then they stopped walking so he could wrap his arms around her waist and hold her closer again as he finished. "But that was because he was with the woman I love."

As he kissed her forehead, she wrapped her arms around his waist with another smile. "Well, now you don't have to worry about that because I'm with you and I'm not going anywhere."

He kissed her forehead again before whispering against it. "I'm glad."

She nodded as he pulled back, then after a short pause, they continued to walk and talk about everything, anything, and at times, nothing at all, just enjoying this time with one another, mostly because they finally got to be completely free and open on how they felt towards one another.


Later that night

After watching the sunset, they left the beach and he took her to a place so they could finally eat something, finally realizing how hungry they actually were, then he drove them back to where they had been all day so she could pick up Daniel's vehicle.

When they stopped at the driver's side of the other vehicle after getting out of his, they looked at each other with smiles on their faces, truly happy about everything that happened today. Then she cleared her throat and started to speak. "We need to start taming this happiness look, or the team is going to know what's going on."

He nodded as he cupped her cheek. "Calleigh, it isn't that..."

Calleigh cuts him off as she placed her hand on top of his that was on her cheek. "I know you're not ashamed, it's wanting our privacy and not risking our jobs, I get it, and I'm fine with it, for as long as you want." She did lose a smile a little. "I just don't want it hide it from them forever."

He shook his head with a smile. "It won't be, I promise. I just want to keep this between us for the time being." He brought her closer to her as he smirked a little. "Call me a shellfish, but I want you all to myself right now."

She chuckled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I would never call you shellfish, but you would have to call me the same thing, because I want that too."

His smile got a little wider as he leaned down and they kissed softly, but still with the passion as their first kiss, then when they pulled back, she took a breath as she whispered. "But I do have to tell someone."

He pulled back a second later and nodded, already knowing who she was thinking of. "Sara?"

She nodded in return, then started explaining. "It's just we tell each other everything, and I..."

Horatio cuts her off with another smile. "It's ok, I understand. She's your best friend and I would never ask you to keep something this important from her, so if you have to/need to tell her, then go ahead. If you trust her, then I trust her."

Not even hesitating, she replied. "I trust her with my life."

"Ok."

She brought him closer to her again. "Thank you." Before their lips touched one another again, this time it was short, but still had the same affect as the other's they had shared today.

When they pulled back they placed their foreheads against one another again and sighed, not ready to let one another go, but knew they had to, so a few minutes later, he speaks. "I should let you go, but I'll see you tomorrow."

She pulled back with another nod and smile. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."

"Have a good night, Calleigh."

"You too, Handsome."

His twinkled at the nickname before he whispered. "Love you."

"Love you too."

After one more look, they finally released one another, and only when he saw her get into the vehicle and drive away, did he walk to his vehicle and get in before he drove away to his place, happy where his life was at now. He'll never stop caring for Lacey, but Calleigh was his heart and future, and that's really how it should have been for a long time now.


Once Calleigh made it back to her place, she took a shower and changed into some comfortable clothes before picking up her phone and hitting speed dial #2, but when all she got was a voicemail recording, she smiled as she started speaking. "Hey Sar, it's me, I just wanted to tell you something, but I guess that can wait, call when you can and I hope everything is alright, bye."

After she hung up, she grabbed her book from the coffee table before walking toward her bedroom so she could enjoy a relaxing evening before going to sleep, excited/happy about what the future could hold.


AN: Hope it was worth the wait. More to come. Please review.