Thank you to those of you who have sent your good wishes and prayers at this difficult time. Writing is somewhat of an escape for me at the moment, I will try to continue posting on a daily basis but I cannot promise this will be the case due to inevitable family commitments taking me away from my computer.

Horatio gave Jeff a look of disgust when they pulled up in the parking lot of Greasy Joe's Burger Shack, "Seriously?" he said eyeing the other man with contempt, "You're taking me to lunch here?"

"Well, for a man who's not looking after himself properly you've sure changed your tune. And what's wrong with Greasy Joe's anyway? He does the best burgers in the area" Jeff asked innocently as he took his seatbelt off and exited the car.

"I'd hardly call a greasy burger decent food" Horatio sniffed haughtily as he got out of the car and placed his hands on his hips. The other man smiled at him as he saw Horatio put his sunglasses on, it was an automatic response and something he did without even realising it. This was more like the man who appeared on the local news most weeks at press conferences appealing for help with the latest crime to grip Miami.

"I'm sorry, I forgot. You're a man with expensive tastes" Horatio turned to look at him now but his shades hid the fearsome glare that Jeff had no doubt he was on the receiving end of. "Oh come on. The suits and the handmade Italian shoes? You're a guy who likes the finer things in life"

"Is there something wrong with that?" he growled.

Holding his hands up in mock surrender Jeff answered, "Not at all. For a man like you image is everything" He saw Horatio's posture stiffen at his last remark, "All I'm saying is that you've cultivated an image of class and confidence. It's obvious in the way you hold yourself and the way your present yourself to the world. The expensive clothes, the meticulously combed hair, the shades. I won't even start on your body language…."

"You make me sound like some kind of conceited ass"

"Well, you're not. You're the head of a crime lab, people expect you to be confident and in control, you expect it of yourself too. I think you just forgot that you're human too, just because things aren't neat and pristine it doesn't make you a lesser person. You need to spend more time on the man behind the image; it's only part of who you are"

"Are we going to stand in the parking lot discussing my wardrobe all afternoon or are we going to eat?" He felt a pang of guilt at snapping at the other man but his endless observations about him were starting to get a little annoying. Even worse was the fact that Jeff had been spot-on about him each time.

"Wow, you sure get grouchy on an empty stomach don't you?" Jeff quipped as he walked past Horatio and left him scowling in by the car. He could see him standing stock still, hands still on hips as he debated whether or not to follow him in to the restaurant. Finally hunger won out over pride.

A perky blonde waitress showed the two men to a corner booth and handed them both a menu, "What can I get you guys?" she asked as she noisily chewed on a piece of gum.

Horatio looked her up and down; she could hardly have been older than twenty and her skimpy attire left a lot to be desired. He scanned the menu quickly and tried to find something moderately palatable, "The chicken burger with side salad please"

"I'll have the Jawbreaker special please" Jeff said as he handed her back his menu.

She wrote down their choices disinterestedly, the sound of her lips smacking together as she chomped on her gum got louder by the second. "Drinks?" she said without looking up.

Jeff was first to reply, "A diet coke, please"

She turned to Horatio who was fiddling with the arms of his sunglasses, "And what about you, handsome?" He almost dropped them before composing himself and answering, "Uh, a coffee please" as he gazed out of the window, avoiding looking at her.

The waitress shrugged her shoulders and told them that their food would be with them shortly; Jeff leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. "Looks like you've still got it" he observed with a smile on his face.

Horatio turned to him and narrowed his eyes, "Still got what?"

"I don't know what it is about you Horatio but girls really seem to like you. Are you telling me you don't notice how many women look at you and give you a flirty smile? I sure I wish I had that effect on women"

"Maybe it's my dazzling personality" he replied sarcastically.

"Ok, so you might not have been at your best lately but Alex gushes about how gentlemanly and polite you are. I swear, if she wasn't happily married already she'd be first in the queue trying to capture your heart"

"I'm sure most people would have trouble finding it at the moment"

"That's not true; you've got a bigger heart than most people I know. You're capable of such acts of kindness that it puts us other men to shame. Your heart's damaged at the moment, metaphorically speaking, time and a little love will help heal it"

"Have you been talking to Calleigh?" He couldn't help it the words had slipped out before he could stop himself; he lifted a hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated at himself.

Jeff couldn't fail to notice his reaction, "No. Why, has something happened?" he questioned as he nodded his thanks to the waitress that brought their drinks over.

He tried to back-pedal quickly, "It's nothing. Don't worry about it"

The psychologist was intrigued now, he wanted to know more. "Has Calleigh told you how she feels about you?"

His head shot up quickly, shocked that Jeff had figured it out so quickly. "How did you know?"

"I've seen it in the way she looks at you my friend. She's hopelessly in love with you. Are you telling me that for all these years you never saw it?"

Horatio began to squirm slightly in his seat and picked his sunglasses up again, "I never thought she'd look twice at someone like me, she's way out of my league. I always told myself that it was a platonic love, there's no way she would ever see me as anything more than a friend"

"Maybe that was true in the beginning but she adores you now, she's pretty awful at hiding it. I know I'm a psychologist but even an idiot could see how much she cares for you"

"I don't feel like I'm good enough for her, she deserves someone better than me. Someone who's whole and undamaged" He knew he was making excuses again but his beautiful blonde bombshell was the most precious thing in his life right now, the thought of ruining that scared him.

"But she's chosen you; don't you think you owe it to her to at least give things a try?"

It certainly gave him something to think about whilst eating his meal; he looked at the unappetising chicken breast in a bun surrounded by a limp lettuce salad. The thought of sending it back to the kitchen crossed his mind but he could no longer deny his growling stomach, he delicately nibbled at the side of the burger and watched in disgust as Jeff shoved as much of his burger into his mouth as possible. He was thankful that the other man had his mouth full; at least it would spare him having to sit and listen to anymore of his lectures for a while.