Rick frowned as he replayed what had just happened over in his mind. He still wasn't sure if his joining the team was a good idea, but if Horatio and Calleigh thought things would work out, he would give them the benefit of the doubt. He just couldn't see Delko changing his attitude anytime soon.

Horatio remained silent until he had managed to merge onto the interstate. "Rick?"

"Yeah, Horatio, what is it?"

"I was just wondering…" His voice trailed off as he tried to figure out how the best way to ask the question.

"Wondering what?"

"I was wondering about how things went with Mac. Did he suspect anything was different?"

Rick folded his arms across his chest as he grumbled his answer. "I don't know anything about what Mac suspected, but I can tell you that I'm not too sure about him."

Horatio couldn't help it, his mouth quirked upward at the corner when he caught sight of Rick. The smile quickly morphed into a frown when his brain registered what Rick had said.

"Rick, what exactly is it that you are trying to say?"

Rick shrugged his shoulders. "Well… I'm not sure how to ask this… H, is Mac…?"

Most of Horatio's attention was on the road in front of him, so he wasn't all that focused on what Rick was trying to ask him. "Is Mac what Rick?"

"Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there. That could be it."

"Rick?"

"Fine, Horatio." He began with a sigh. "What I'm trying to ask you is do you know if Mac is…"

"Do I know if Mac is what?"

"If Mac is gay, Horatio. Do you know if he is gay?"

"What?" Horatio asked as the Hummer started to veer off the road. Rick grabbed the 'oh SHIT' handle as the brunette jerked the Hummer back on to the road.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Are you positive?"

"Horatio, do I look like the type of person that would make something like this up?"

"Not really," Horatio admitted, taking a deep breath. "Tell me what happened to make you think this."

"Well…" Rick began before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"Once we arrived at the stables I got a call from Eric. He was intent on telling me that he and Wolfe had concerns with me allowing Rick on this case." He growled loudly as he remembered the call. "I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Mac was watching a little intently, but at the time I didn't think much of it as the stable manager was approaching us."

"Is that all there was?"

"No, that was not all there was to it. After we explained the situation to him, the stable manager finally pointed us in the direction of where Alexa had last been seen. Honestly, I'm surprised that the place was running as smooth as it was because he was definitely a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket."

"Just get to the point, Rick."

He turned in his seat to face Horatio and growled at him. "I'm trying. That was when we were charged at by a panicked horse with no rider. While it was standing there, trying to get his breath, Mac approached and managed to grab a hold of his reins. It was about that point that your allergies really kicked in and, boy does that medicine of yours work wonders."

"Rick…"

"Okay, okay." He replied, holding up his hands. "It's going to take me a little bit to get there but you definitely need to know all of this." Rick explained hurriedly. "So, Mac made this comment about that being why I… no, you never had a rotation with the mounted police. Before I even had a chance to respond, he noticed something that had him calling me closer despite him knowing that I was allergic to horses."

"How in the world does that imply -"

"-Dammit, Horatio, I'm getting there if you would just give me the time to explain!" Rick butted in, interrupting the other man before he could finish his question.

"So, I walked over and Mac stepped closer to me. I could literally feel his breath on my neck as he pointed at the medallion on the horse's bride that had an A.E. engraved into it. Mac also noticed some blood on the saddle."

Horatio rubbed at his temples with his left hand. "So Mac stands close when he talks. It's kind of a requirement when you live in New York. Where are you going with this?"

"I retraced my steps back to the Hummer where I grabbed my… your kit. I was on the way back when some idiot slammed a metal gate causing the horse to spook once more. If it weren't for the fact that the manager was standing by the Hummer, I'd have figured it was him. Anyways, the horse managed to somehow escape from Mac's hold and the next thing I knew he was charging towards me."

"Then what happened? Are you going somewhere with -"

"– yes. Just…" Rick frowned. "Just please wait till I'm done and let me finish."

"Well, hurry up and get there then."

"So, Mac screams for me to watch out. When I looked up, I could see that the horse was charging towards me. I quickly threw your kit and the Kleenex to the side away from me." At that, Rick winced. "They are definitely tougher than they look. Anyways, I stood there watching as the horse bore down on me and as he went to run by, I reached out and grabbed his reins leaping up, onto him."

He what? Horatio thought to himself, as he blinked turning his head to stare at Rick, before returning his attention back to the road. "And you didn't fall off?"

Rick briefly glared at him. "No, I didn't." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out before he continued. "Once I was in the saddle, it took me a few minutes to get him back under control again. You should have seen the look on Mac's face when I brought the horse to a stop in front of him. Yes, there was surprise and yes, he was impressed. But there was something else there as well. Then Mac practically said that it was a shame because I was a natural on horseback and that the mounted police really could have used me. And let's not get started on how he was staring at me as I dismounted…"

"Okay…" Horatio shook his head, trying not to take his eyes off of the road and stare at Rick. "Now, I'm beginning to see where you're going but…"

"But what?"

"Hell, Rick, you just mounted a horse that was in a full gallop. Who in their right mind wouldn't be impressed?"

Rick refrained from commenting on that statement. Instead, he steered the conversation back to filling Horatio on what had transpired. "Anyways, things went a little better after that. We were alerted that the stable's security officer had been found, injured but alive. Speaking of which, why would Darius barely knick him with the knife after everything that he's done?"

"Rick, he's a psychopath. Why do you expect him to act rational?"

"You have a point there. Anyways, once rescue arrived and carted him off to the nearest hospital, I sneezed again and caught sight of Mac staring at me amused so I elbowed him in the side. That, in turn, caused him to sigh and swallow deeply."

Horatio briefly glanced over at Rick before returning his attention back to the road. "Rick, are you sure that you weren't paying more attention to him than he was to you?"

"Horatio!"

"I'm just saying…

"You know how I feel about you." Rick growled, taking a deep breath and counting to ten. "But it was definitely weird to be looked at that way by someone else especially when they were thinking it was you. Then, Darius threw an interesting taunt at Mac."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. He said something along the lines of 'You had to call for backup or was it more than that?' Then, he followed that up by suggesting that he had struck a nerve."

Rick glanced over at Horatio to see that he was nodding his head in a thoughtful way as if thinking over what he had said. "Is there anything else that I should know about?" he finally asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, yes there is. On the drive back, the topic steered towards favorite animals and tattoos. The reason why is before I got into the Hummer, Mac was distracted by something. When I asked him about it, Mac claimed that he had seen an eagle but when I asked him where it was he said that it was 'already gone'. Now, you and I both know that eagles don't fly with Superman's speed."

"He had seen an eagle?"

Rick folded his arms across his chest. "That was his dumb excuse, not mine."

"What was he looking up there for anyway?"

"Horatio, get with the program. That's the point. He was NOT looking up."

"Then, where exactly was he looking?"

Rick closed his eyes and dragged his hand down his face. "Do I have to draw you a diagram?" There was a brief pause, as Rick thought about how that sounded. "Don't answer that. He was looking at your erm…"

"Why can't I answer that? I would love to see you try to draw a diagram of this, especially when you said that you couldn't draw to save your life."

"He was checking you out, H," Rick blurted out.

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Yes, Horatio, I am."

"What side?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT SIDE!"

"Yes, it does." Horatio's voice was so soft that Rick could barely hear him.

"Fine, have it your way." Rick said, rolling his eyes. "He was checking out your ass. Can we move on now?"

Horatio frowned at Rick's reaction. "No need for you to get huffy. I guess we can move on if you want to."

It was Rick's turn to rub his temples. "I want to. So, as we were climbing inside the Hummer, he said something along the lines of 'not knowing that I was into nature'. I guess he was surprised at how I wanted to see the nonexistent eagle. So, I bit back the comment that was on the tip of my tongue."

"Let me take a stab at that and say that it was something that had it slipped out would have given both of us away had he believed it."

Rick ducked his head down as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe…"

Horatio sighed. "What was it, Rick?"

"What I actually said was 'There's a lot about me that you don't know…' What I had managed to bite back that I didn't say was 'Like the fact that I'm not Horatio Caine'. Then, Mac was like 'really, tell me more'."

Horatio was seriously considering slamming his head into the steering wheel. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that if it had caused an accident the team would have had enough ammunition on 'Rick' to last a lifetime. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him that I was a little busy trying to steer the Hummer while pulling the horse trailer as we headed out into the Glades to see what the deal was with the security car. I heard him mutter under his breath to 'Get a grip' and when I asked, he denied saying anything.

"Then what happened?"

"I decided to change the subject and asked him what his favorite animal was. In response, he told me that not only was it the eagle but, the reasons why, and that he had gotten a tattoo of one in flight while drunk."

"Mac drinks?"

Rick just stared at Horatio. "Didn't I just say that?"

"Yes, I guess you did."

Rick dropped his voice down to a whisper, so Horatio had to strain in order to hear his next words. "He offered to take you to get a tattoo."

"He what?"

"Now you see why I said that you needed to know this stuff." Rick muttered before taking a deep breath.

"It's just that it surprised me. I didn't figure Mac to be the type of person who would do something like that…"

Rick winced, momentarily forgetting that Horatio's father had been an alcoholic. "Maybe it was back before you met him. Didn't he lose…?" He let his voice drift off as he got lost in thought.

"It might have happened when he lost his wife. I don't know many details, just the few comments that I've heard while at those forensic conferences whenever he was out of earshot. I don't know if is true or not."

"It's true," Horatio answered softly. "He lost her four years ago in the 9/11 attacks."

"That's rough." Rick admitted softly, glancing over at Horatio and finding him nodding in agreement. "So, maybe it was shortly after that. I'd imagine going through something like that would make anyone get drunk at least once."

"But still…"

"Horatio, you were both different people then. Hell, you're a completely different person now."

Horatio smiled weakly at that. "I guess you're right. Besides we didn't have much time to talk on that first case."

"You know I could get used to you saying that."

"Saying what?"

"Saying that I'm right."

Horatio chuckled softly at that, earning him a puzzled look from Rick. "Just thinking about how I hope that you say something I agree with in front of the team just to see the looks on their faces." He risked a glance over at his passenger and sighed. "There is more isn't there?"

Rick, thankful for the subject change, just nodded his head in agreement. "So after Mac mentioned the tattoo that he had which honestly, I don't think he had meant to say anything about. He had asked what mine was. Like an idiot, I thought he was talking about tattoos."

"What did you say?"

Rick rubbed his neck. "After a brief a pause I told him I didn't have any tattoos but I had almost answered with that I did have a tattoo."

Horatio pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand. "Is that all?"

"No, it's not. Mac asked me if I was thinking about getting a tattoo and the way he was staring at me, I knew that he'd call me on it if I had lied."

"So, what did you tell him?"

"I told Mac that yes I was thinking about getting one of a wolf which was my favorite animal. That was when he made the offer about taking me to go and get one which I turned him down on saying that I needed some time to think it over. Sorry, H." He frowned and looked over at Horatio who was staring at the road in front of them, obviously distracted. "What is it, Horatio?"

"Well… that is partly the truth in my case."

"Wait. You… You, Horatio Caine, considered getting a tattoo?"

Rick could see a blush forming on the other man's face. When Horatio started speaking, he was purposely avoiding looking over at Rick. "I have thought about it but, because of one little problem, I've never followed through on it."

"Why not?"

As he watched, Horatio's blush deepened. "I… well… It's just that I… don't like needles very much." The last part was barely over a whisper so Rick wasn't sure if he had indeed heard him correctly.

"Horatio, are you trying to tell me that you are afraid of needles?"

"Afraid is such a strong word. It's more of a strong dislike of them."

"Is there a specific reason for this intense dislike of them?"

"No, I've always disliked needles and the pain they cause."

"So basically, you have a fear of needles."

"I'm not afraid, I just don't like them." Horatio grumbled, wanting to fold his arms across his chest however, since he was driving, that was not an option.

Rick smirked. "Sure."

"Well, it's true."

"Horatio, lots of people are afraid of needles. It's not a big deal. Don't worry; it can be our little secret. If that is what is bothering you, though, I might be able to help you out…"

"How?"

"If you are serious about getting a tattoo, I can get it for you while we've switched places. That way, you can have the tattoo and not have to encounter the dreaded needle." Rick said with a smirk.

Horatio fought back the urge to groan. He refused to bicker anymore and instead barely managed to suppress a shudder at the mere thought of needles. "Are you positive that you don't mind doing this?"

Rick smiled as he turned and met Horatio's eyes briefly, before the other man had to turn his attention back to the road. "Absolutely."

"You honestly don't mind?"

"Horatio, for you, I'm positive. I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to do it. Now, what were you thinking about getting and where?"

Horatio's blush which had just about disappeared returned full force and Rick had to admit it didn't look too bad on 'his' face. "Well, you were actually correct when you told Mac that wolves were 'my' favorite animal. I wouldn't mind having a tattoo of a wolf but nothing near as intricate as what you have. Maybe one that is a simple outline of a wolf running."

"Horatio, I like that idea very much. Just one little thing."

"What is that Rick?"

"You still haven't told me where you wanted it."

If it wouldn't have caused an accident, Horatio would have been content to stare at the floorboard. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the road as his blush deepened. "Kind of where you have yours."

"The right hip?"

"Actually I was thinking about the left hip instead."

"Would that be because you want to partly disguise the scars?" Rick asked his voice low because he knew that this was a touchy subject.

"Yeah," Horatio answered shyly. "In all honestly, I'm surprised that you didn't scream out loud the first time that you spotted them."

Rick reached over and squeezed the other man's hand and he didn't let go. As much as he wanted to hug him, it wasn't a good idea. "Horatio, I won't lie and say that it didn't catch me by surprise. But, I didn't scream."

"No," Horatio whispered. "No, you didn't."

Rick smiled sadly. "I honestly wish that you never had to go through that."

"It helped to make me who I am. If I can keep anyone else from going through the same thing then it was worth it."

"Horatio?"

"Yes, Rick?"

"Do you think that you can handle watching me get the tattoo if the needles aren't technically touching you? Because, if you think you can handle it, I wouldn't mind you watching me getting the tattoo?

Horatio smiled, thankful for the subject change. "Maybe."

Rick gave Horatio's hand another squeeze glad that he still had a hold of it. "When I say you won't feel a thing, I actually mean it. Not like when those nasty doctors do."

Horatio couldn't help it, but he chuckled at Rick's comment. "You're not going to let me live that down are you?"

"Nope."

Then, smiling sadly he glanced over at Rick. "But, you will be able to feel it."

Rick sighed. "Horatio, your need to protect others from getting hurt is admirable. But, I know what to expect and they won't hurt me. But if you're sure…"

"I didn't say that I didn't want to come."

"Only if you want to. I would like having you there but I won't force you if it will make you uncomfortable."

"I do want to."

"Then I think I have an idea of how you can avoid being squeamish."

"And just what exactly is this idea."

"Just close your eyes and imagine."

"Imagine what?"

Rick leaned over and whispered what he wanted to do once they changed back. Horatio's eyebrows skyrocketed as the blush deepened.

"That… that might work."

"It might be a new way for getting you to deal with getting those necessary shots as well."

"Keep that up and I'll end up crashing the Hummer and you'll have to live with the fact that you crashed a Hummer the one time 'I' let you drive."

"Keep what up?" Rick asked trying his best to look innocent.

"Rick, you're anything but innocent."

Rick smirked. "Rick who?" He asked, looking around. "I'm Horatio. You must me talking about yourself?"

"Just keep it up, Rick…" Horatio growled. The only thing that was keeping him from smacking him on the back of his head was the fact that Rick still had a hold of his hand.

Rick cleared his throat. "Okay, okay I'll stop. But you have to admit that it was funny…" Horatio just stared at him. "Maybe not…"

Horatio just shook his head. "We may have to try and work on that sense of humor of yours"

"So…" Rick began in an effort to steer the conversation away from him.

"So what?"

"So, would you be opposed to going and getting the tattoo tonight? While I am happy with the one tattoo I have, I tend to keep tabs on the various places around here. And, I think I know the perfect place. Besides, I don't know exactly how long we're going to be like this."

Horatio smiled. "I really would like that…"

"But?"

"But let's see how the case goes first."