Nigel really didn't like the shocked expression on Macy's face. He was staring at the window that showed the busy hallway on the other side. The rest of his friends weren't looking too pleased, either, except Jordan, who had an extremely smug smirk on her face. Thankfully, Horatio was all but three feet away, and with him right there, Nigel felt as if he could brave anything.
"Dr. Macy?" he prompted worriedly, wringing his hands together.
"You… Nigel, why?"
"Err," he said carefully, "I wish there was an easy answer to that. The long of the short of it is this: I've… I've fallen in love."
Macy looked up at him, his shocked face softened with incredible confusion. "What? With who?"
Nigel hesitantly looked over his shoulder. Horatio was leaning against the panel of glass with his arms crossed over his chest, the faintest hint of a smile on his face. He nodded to Macy once, and when Nigel looked back, each of them had a different reaction: Bug looked genuinely surprised, Jordan still looked smug, Lily looked ecstatic, and Macy looked like Nigel had just grown a second head.
"Oh, Nigel, I'm so happy for you!" Lily said, hurrying over to hug him again. "Congratulations, that's wonderful!"
"Thanks, Lily," he replied, hugging her back awkwardly.
"I guess that explains why you said what you said," Bug said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "But what I'm confused about is--"
"Hang on, hang on, hang on," Macy interrupted. "You -- wait, with him?" Nigel gave him a perplexed look, wondering if it hadn't been clear. He nodded. "You're… gay?"
"Yes," Nigel said as though it were obvious. "You didn't know?"
"Well, I didn't notice anything," Macy replied defensively.
"Dr. Macy, with all due respect," Bug said, "I'm pretty sure dogs notice something."
"In spite of it," Macy said, rising to his feet, "Nigel, you can't be serious! You're not going back just because -- what -- you think you're in love?"
"I know I'm in love," Nigel said, his feathers ruffled at the comment. "And it seems to me like a pretty worthy reason to stay behind in Miami to me."
"You can't just up and leave!" Macy said with his voice growing louder.
Suddenly, Horatio interjected: "I really think that isn't your decision, Dr. Macy."
Macy turned to him, simmering anger visible behind his face. Nigel groaned silently and rubbed his eyes, knowing that this wasn't going to end nicely. Macy walked past him to face Horatio, who didn't even seem to be capable of flinching away.
"Nigel is one of the best criminologists I have on staff," he said through his teeth, "and if you think for a second that I'm going to let him leave just because he's--"
"He has the power to leave at any time; that's his right," Horatio said evenly.
"I'm sure once he comes to his senses, his opinion will change!"
"Excuse me!" Nigel said loudly. Luckily, they were in an interrogation room, otherwise everyone in the building would have paused at the sudden noise. "Would the two alpha males please go to their separate corners?"
Macy sighed out and crossed his arms over his chest and Horatio just watched Nigel for a few more moments as the room fell into silence.
Nigel stepped between them. "Horatio," he said, putting both hands on his shoulders, "I love you. That is not going to change anytime soon." Then he looked back at Macy. "Dr. Macy, I love my job in Boston, and that's not going to change, either." He raked his hand through his hair and sighed. "However," he continued, a bit less urgently, "I have to and already have been thinking. I had to decide which I loved more -- my job in Boston or Horatio."
Nigel looked quietly up at Macy, searching his face, which was trained and blank.
"And it's Horatio," he said. "I'm sorry, Dr. Macy. You'll have my resignation by next week."
Macy stared at him silently, and then sank back against the panel of glass.
"You trust Nigel's judgment, Garret," Jordan said gently, "I know you do, otherwise you wouldn't have hired him in the first place. So trust him now -- especially now, when he needs it. It's obviously not easy for him."
For a few agonisingly long seconds, Macy said nothing. Eventually he looked up and met Nigel's eyes.
"You really love him?" he asked.
"Yes," Nigel replied, sounding almost sad.
He sighed. "Okay," Macy said finally. "Then I guess you… have my blessing."
-- -- -- -- --
"Excuse me! Would the two alpha males please go to their separate corners?" Nigel snapped. Obligingly, Horatio fell silent as the man across from him sighed out, aggravated. It wasn't long before Nigel was standing across from him, his hands on his shoulders.
"Horatio," he said with an undertone of urgency, "I love you. That is not going to change anytime soon." Horatio smiled at him, but he was already returning his attention to his boss. "Dr. Macy, I love my job in Boston, and that's not going to change, either."
Nigel pushed a hand through his hair and he sighed; Horatio could see the conflict etched into every line of his face. "However, I have to and have already been thinking," he said. "I had to decide which I loved more -- my job in Boston or Horatio." With that, Nigel looked up and met Macy's eyes.
"And it's Horatio. I'm sorry, Dr. Macy. You'll have my resignation by next week."
As Macy sank back against the panel of glass, Horatio was reminded at just what Nigel was giving up. He loved, as he said, his job in Boston, but he loved Horatio more, and that meant a lot.
Suddenly, the woman with long, dark curls spoke up: "You trust Nigel's judgment, Garret, I know you do, otherwise you wouldn't have hired him in the first place." Horatio gave her a sideways glance as she spoke. She was moving slowly towards Macy, her leather sling-backs making soft clicks on the floor. "So trust him now -- especially now, when he needs it. It's obviously not easy for him."
Horatio watched as Macy stared at the floor for a few moments and then looked up at Nigel. "You really love him?"
"Yes," Nigel said softly.
He swallowed. "Okay," Macy said. "Then I guess you… have my blessing."
There seemed to be a universal, if quiet, sigh of relief. Horatio was completely silent before he put a hand on Nigel's shoulder. "Nigel," he said softly, "can I talk to you outside for a moment?"
He looked up at Horatio. "Yeah, of course."
Horatio nodded. "Excuse me," he said, moving around Macy with Nigel a step behind. Ever hopelessly chivalrous, Horatio held the door open as Nigel headed through and closed it after him.
"What was it that you wa--"
Horatio grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him as hard as he was able. Clearly caught off-guard, Nigel stumbled back slightly but landed against the wall, allowing Horatio to pull his hands down Nigel's arms and slide them around his waist to pull him closer.
It took Nigel a few moments to catch on, and when he did his eyes were closed. Horatio held the kiss, very intent on getting his message through in as few words as possible. Incredible gratitude, warmth, love -- how unbelievably humble he felt and how he'd just fallen in love with him all over again. How he was then surer than ever before that Nigel meant the world to him.
When the kiss finally ended, Nigel looked sufficiently swept off his feet. Horatio leaned his forehead against Nigel's.
"I love you," Horatio said quietly. "Have I mentioned that lately?"
Nigel nodded mutely. "You might have said something about it, yeah."
"You're sure about this," he said, unsure if it was a statement or a question.
"Completely sure," Nigel insisted. "I couldn't leave even if I wanted to, knowing what I'd be leaving behind." Nigel smiled at him and rested both hands on either side of Horatio's head, who turned and kissed one palm briefly.
"Then I most humbly welcome you to the Miami Dade Crime Lab."
-- -- -- -- --
"I love you," Horatio whispered to him as he rested his forehead against his own. "Have I mentioned that lately?"
Nigel was dizzy. It wasn't as though it was the first time he'd been kissed, but wow. It was as if that particular kiss had a life of its own, and its purpose was to put across enough emotion and meaning to knock him completely off his feet (and it had worked, too).
"You might have said something about it, yeah," Nigel said breathlessly.
"You're sure about this," Horatio said carefully.
"Completely sure. I couldn't leave even if I wanted to, knowing what I'd be leaving behind," he said, smiling as he reached up and put a hand on either side of his face. Horatio turned and kissed his left palm.
"Then I most humbly welcome you to the Miami Dade Crime Lab," he said.
Nigel smirked and leaned in to kiss him again, but only for a few seconds. He pulled back and headed back into the examination room, where they were talking amongst each other quietly. They all simultaneously looked up when he arrived.
"Hey, Nigel," Lily said, "do you want to come back with us to pick up your things?"
He paused. "Err, no, I'm going to have to decline," he replied. "In the middle of a rather important case that I can't afford to miss."
Macy twitched.
"That's fine," Jordan said before Macy could say anything. "We don't mind waiting for--"
The door opened. Nigel turned and saw Calleigh in the doorway wearing a triumphant smile. "Horatio, we got a statement from that little French girl. Of course, we can't read it, but that's why we have Nigel."
"Really? That's excellent," Horatio said, temporarily distracted. "Location of her ring division?"
"Possibly -- that's why I came to ask you." Calleigh looked back at the group but her eyes stopped mid-scan. Perplexed, Nigel glanced back and found that Jordan was staring right back at her.
"Uh… hi," Jordan said finally.
"Hello," Calleigh replied with a hesitant smile.
"Oh, err -- Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, ME," she said, offering a hand that was promptly shaken.
"Calleigh Duquesne, CSI -- ballistics," Calleigh responded. "Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, mutually."
Nigel made a "hmm" sound and raised his eyebrows. It seemed as though he might have a reason to torment Jordan now.
"You know what, Garret, why don't the rest of you go ahead without me?" she said, looking back at them. "I think I might hang around a bit. Just to -- you know -- help Nigel."
"Yeah," Nigel said incredulously, "because I'm completely incompetent."
"Uh-huh, exactly," Jordan said, obviously not having heard a word. "I'll catch up with you all when he comes to get his things, okay?"
"Uhm…"
Macy, Bug and Lily all exchanged perplexed glances and shrugs.
"Okay," Macy said finally. "That sounds fine, I suppose. Weird, but fine."
"Great," she said distractedly. "Duquesne, did you say? Is that Southern?"
They walked out together and Nigel snorted. Oh, there was no way he would let her live this down.