"I need to go take a dump."

Andy's gruff voice shattered the silence that had descended on the three men.

Most of the day had been spent happily enjoying the fresh air; easy banter and the excitement of catching a few fish had lightened the previously tense atmosphere. Horatio had even cracked a smile or two during the afternoon.

It had been nice to see the man with a genuine smile on his face for once; especially the way he'd looked so proud of Kyle reeling in an impressive catch. It had made Andy's heart swell with love for both of them.

How could a man he'd lost contact with for twenty years and a young kid he hardly knew delve into the deepest portions of his heart so quickly? He'd spent years hating John for his betrayal; sometimes it still seemed strange that they could put the past behind them so easily.

Well, perhaps he found it easier than John did. The younger man had immediately forgiven his former partner for the years lost to bitterness and hate; it was himself that he couldn't seem to forgive and a past that he stubbornly refused to let go of.

It seemed as if Catholics were born with the ability to apportion blame upon themselves for even the smallest of perceived infractions, yet John had it in spades. Hell, the man had it in truck-loads. How many times had he wanted to shake some sense into him? Was this how helpless John felt when he'd watched his partner slide into the depths of alcoholism, when he tried to throw what remained of his life away?

But John had never let him do that; he'd never let him slip so far that he couldn't be hauled back to dry land again. John was damned hard work at times – much as he had likely been himself at his lowest point – but he owed it to John to stand by him.

Days like today had always made the task seem much easier. After a tense start, John had finally seemed to relax a little. The steady stream of water lapping to and fro in the lake having a calming effect on him as the hunched shoulders slowly relaxed to a more natural position.

They'd stopped for lunch and now the effects of too much rich food and way too much strong coffee had gripped Andy's stomach, squeezing his bowels with a vengeance. Some days he cursed being as old as he was and the shots that he'd taken years ago, knowing that those facts alone made his gut much more sensitive than it used to be.

Kyle had looked amused while John wore an expression of shock mixed with a little disgust. Hell, he would've thought the guy would've got used to his crude demeanour again by now. The truth was that John had never really been all that comfortable with his brash partner's way of speaking and either looked pained or embarrassed at what came out of his mouth.

He had to admit that there had been many times during their partnership that he'd said something crude or offensive just to see that strained look on John's face. Now was no different, John had asked not to be treated differently and so that meant that he'd have to put up with his old friend's rather caustic way of looking at the world.

"You ladies try not to get yourself in any trouble while I'm gone, won't you?" Andy gave them a sour smile, turning his back and making his way to the wooden lodge.

"He never changes," Horatio said with a small smile, glancing at his son.

"You wouldn't want him to though, right?"

The older man let out a small laugh. "No, I don't suppose I would," he said, turning his attention back to the lake.

"You ok, Dad?"

Horatio looked briefly at his son, surprised by the question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Kyle let out the breath that he'd been holding, nervous as to how his father would react to what he was about to say.

"You rang Calleigh earlier, didn't you?"

Kyle didn't miss the way his father's grip tightened on his fishing rod. The man said nothing yet it was easy to see the way his eyes narrowed at the question.

"Is she ok?" Kyle prodded, knowing he was wading into dangerous territory with his father.

"She's angry with me," Horatio replied finally.

"It's only because she cares. She's hurt, that's all."

Horatio let out a humourless laugh. "That's what I keep telling myself."

At a loss for what else to do, Kyle reeled in his line and recast, hoping that a fish would snag his line and provide a distraction from the awkward conversation.

"It'll be ok, Dad. Whatever happens, you'll always have me. You know that, right?"

Horatio swallowed thickly, the strong bond he felt with his son strengthened by the young man's words. How had he ever survived without his precious boy?

He looked at Kyle, unable to convey in words the pride he felt for the wonderful young man he was becoming.

"I'm not sure what I've done to deserve you, but I'm so glad that you're my son."

Taken aback by the statement, Kyle gave his father an incredulous glance. "You're kidding me right? You saved my life, Dad. If you hadn't found me when you did….I'd be in jail…or worse."

"Don't talk like that, Kyle," Horatio shot back, squeezing his eyes shut. The thought of not having his boy in his life was….well, it didn't bear thinking about.

"I was a runaway and a criminal when you found me. You put me back on the right path...showed me what it was to be a man. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I mean it when I say you saved my life."

Horatio shook his head, gripping the fishing rod as if that would give him strength.

"You've got it wrong. It was you who saved my life," Horatio croaked out, feeling emotion cloud his thoughts and strangle his voice.

"I don't understand."

Horatio glanced at his son for the merest of moments as if trying to convince himself that his boy was still standing by his side.

"I was in a dark place myself when I found you. Marisol had….." he paused, trying to find the right words, shaking his head at his own inability to articulate how he felt. "I wanted vengeance, I wanted the people who'd murdered her to pay…..I let my anger and hurt cloud my judgement. I found myself caring less about…well, everything."

Horatio looked up again, finding his son's eyes boring into his slumped figure.

"I used to care about justice…about doing what was right. I had faith in the system that criminals would be brought to justice. After Marisol died….I lost my faith…..I started to take justice into my own hands. I pulled away from the people around me because I didn't want them to know that I was turning into the kind of monster that I'd taught them to hate."

Horatio hung his head in shame, unaware as to why he was confessing such sins to his son. Was he unconsciously trying to push his boy away too?

"You could never be a monster," Kyle argued.

"I started to care less, Kyle…I was becoming hardened to the suffering of others. I was losing a little piece of myself every day and the sad thing was that I didn't care…I didn't have the capacity to give a damn that I was turning into something I despised. I didn't feel shame or guilt…I didn't feel anything."

"You're a good man," Kyle responded, trying to make his father see how much he'd done for him. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

"I try to be," Horatio replied, glancing briefly at his son. "But the truth is that I wasn't always the type of man you think I am. When you came into my life…I had a reason to care again…a reason to try to be a better man."

"I guess we were both what the other needed then?"

Horatio smiled, letting out a small laugh. "Fate has a funny way of working like that."

"What are you planning to do when we get back to Miami?" Kyle asked, changing the subject and readjusting his grip on his fishing rod.

Horatio let out a deep breath, fiddling with his sunglasses with one hand. "Firstly, I need to meet with the Chief and discuss the running of the lab, then I need to talk to Calleigh and figure out what the hell we're going to do about things."

Kyle decided to expand on the first half of his father's response rather than concentrating on the latter - a subject that was sticky and awkward.

"Are you gonna take back the supervisor's role?"

"If I can. It depends on whether the Chief thinks I'm fit and able enough to do it."

"You are," Kyle responded firmly, "You're gonna go back there and take back what's rightfully yours."

Horatio smiled. "It's a good thing I have you in my corner then. I'm not sure that Calleigh's going to be best pleased when she finds out."

"She'll understand. She knows that her promotion was only temporary."

Horatio nodded. "Doesn't make it any easier for either of us though."

A silence grew between the two men before Kyle broke it by asking something that he wasn't sure that his father could answer.

"What about you and Calleigh, have you figured out what you're gonna do yet?"

"I'll be honest with you, son. I haven't got a clue."

What else could either of them say on the subject? Whatever happened upon their return to Miami, their fate was in the lap of the Gods and it would be the great man upstairs who'd decide, one way or the other, as to what would happen.

The time to return home was drawing near and both men knew that they needed to make the most of the calm before the storm. Things would move at pace when they landed in back in Miami. This was the time to make the most of good company, their opportunity to spend time together knowing that once home the chances would likely be few and far between.

But one thing Kyle had learned from the past week was that quality father and son time was underrated. It might have been emotionally fraught at times, but the past seven days had been some of the best that he'd spent with his father. They'd been brought closer together, talking about such deep and emotional things that he felt as if for the first time that he really knew the man he called his father, a man that seemed so intent on hiding the real him away from the rest of the world.

His father had confessed things that Kyle knew he would rather have kept hidden yet it was a sign of how close they'd grown recently and how strong the bond between them was. He felt as if he were being treated like an equal rather than a naïve young kid who needed protecting from the harshness of the world. His father treated him like an adult and more importantly, like a man.

Whatever happened when they returned, he would stand shoulder to shoulder with him, the two of them facing it together.