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Chapter 10

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Calleigh had placed a gym shirt from her locker in a cardboard box, hid the box in Horatio's office and placed the sleeping kitten inside.

It had barely taken him twenty minutes, after the baby cat had ingested the medicine, to doze off.

"I'm not sure if it's the medicine or the fact that she tired herself out from being so active," Calleigh pet the cat.

"Either way, she's getting some rest," Horatio said from behind his desk.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go get some work done or my boss will give me a mighty long vacation I didn't ask for-" She smiled and walked to the door, turning the knob.

"Hey." Horatio got her attention and came beside her, placing his hand over hers on the doorknob. He took her hand and turned it palm out and held it to his chest. "Let's have lunch later."

"You're on, Handsome."

She looked up at him, expectantly, and he looked down at her with regret - Horatio's office was far from private for a kiss and it would be uncharacteristic of him to shut the blinds.

"I'll see you later," he smiled gently and she left his office.

000

Having been apart the entire morning, Calleigh was anxious to see Horatio when came lunchtime. She climbed the stairs leading to his office and knocked lightly before entering.

He mustn't have heard her, because he was looking at his lap when she came in.

"Horatio."

"Yeah," he lifted his eyes, trying not to make it look like they darted up.

"If I go over there," she pointed to the cardboard box, "and check, will that box be empty?"

"Possibly," he looked down again and Calleigh smirked.

"Have you got any paperwork done at all?"

Horatio wrinkled his forehead and stared at her, eyes just under his lowered eyebrows.

"No, of course, you did," she said almost amused. "Here, let me take her," she told him, smiling.

"I thought we could order in," Horatio gave the kitten to Calleigh. She nuzzled noses with the baby cat and looked up at Horatio who was now standing, looking at her lovingly.

"You read my mind," Calleigh told him.

Horatio smiled, "What will it be? Pizza, subs, Chinese food... I know you like that - "

"Umm, Pizza would be fine."

"I'll call Mike."

"You sure know a lot of people in the restoration business - you eat out a lot?"

"Yeah, I don't cook very much..."
Oh. Had she found a flaw in Horatio Caine?
"I just don't seem to have the time."
Rats! She'd have to really look hard... the man really was perfect.

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Calleigh leaned on the jamb of her patio door and listened to the rainfall. She'd expected it to rain because she had peered out the window as she made supper and had noticed the sky getting darker. It was very humid in Miami and, that evening, it had gotten much cooler. All of a sudden, thunder had rumbled and rain had started falling.

Calleigh took a deep intake of thick air. Thunder rumbled at different distances in the sky and the rain fell hard. The wind picked up and blew mist on her, sprinkling her warm skin. After a moment, she started shivering and went back to the safety and dryness of her home.

She sat back in her couch and checked on the kitten in the box beside her.

As she caressed the kitten, thunder resounded close to her condo and it shook the walls of her home, shook her to her very core. The kitten was trembling on his little paws, eyes round with fear, thus she took her in her arms and held it close to her neck. "It's okay," she whispered.

She thought of Horatio and reached for her phone on the coffee table, but slowly leaned back into the couch, thinking it was late and Ray Jr. must be asleep.

The kitten eventually rolled up into a ball and fell peacefully asleep and Calleigh decided she was going to do the same thing. She gently placed the yielding kitten back in the box and walked over to her bedroom. Wearing her familiar camisole and shorts, she crawled into bed.

She had never felt this lonely, even though she wasn't single anymore. She missed him. More than she cared to admit.

000

The day had gone by pretty quickly since Calleigh had been extremely busy and hadn't taken a single second of respite. She was worried about the kitten, having left her alone for the entire day. Calleigh had triple checked the bathroom making sure the kitten wouldn't injure herself or get into trouble and had set up a litter box so the cat would eventually get the idea.

Now, as the day was drawing to an end, she realized she'd seen Horatio in the layout room this morning when cases were assigned and she hadn't seen him since he had brushed by her in the evidence lab, telling her to continue the case with Speed. She had been too concentrated on her work to process what that meant...

Horatio was leaving a case? That wasn't like him.

Now, she was more worried about him than the kitten.

She climbed the flight of stairs to his office and found him slumped over his desk, head down, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Knock, knock, knock," she said lowly, standing in the doorway. She thought it would bring a smile to his face, but he looked up slowly, visibly troubled.

It seemed like he was using all his strength to get up out of his chair and greet her in a more appropriate way.

Calleigh knew him too well to ask him what was wrong, knew him too well to be mad at him for seemingly hiding away in his office all day... She simply took him into a long embrace.

He sighed, evidently comforted on some level.

Burying his face in her soft strands, he mumbled, "I'm being investigated."

"What?" she tensed, "By whom?"

"The one and only, Rick Stetler."

"The Internal Affairs guy, Yelina is dating?"

Horatio stiffened. "Have you and Yelina been talking?"

"Just chit-chat."

"Hmm," he acknowledged, stepping back.

She had never seen Horatio this way. She'd seen him be stilted by suspects, but nothing had ever reached him like this. The intensity in his eyes revealed how much this affected him.

"Why are you being investigated?"

Horatio's eyes fell and Calleigh knew. It wasn't exactly about "him". Horatio wouldn't let anything get to him. What would they be able to dig up on him except excellence? The framed certificate on his wall rewarded his outstanding performance of duty. She had read it a few weeks ago when she came to his office and hadn't found him there.

Presented to

LT. HORATIO CAINE

MIAMI-DADE CRIME LAB

November 2002

Your personal commitment to excellence, forthright demeanor and consistently positive attitude were key elements in the professionalism you employed to provide your team with timely and valuable support.
As an integral part of the team, you can be proud of the role you play in the vitally important crime solving involving law enforcement.
Your extensive job knowledge and selfless dedication to duty reflect great credit upon yourself and your nation.

She realized that it touched him to such an extent because it concerned someone close to him, someone he loved... family.

"Madison," Calleigh said softly.

Horatio nodded with immense sadness in his eyes and Calleigh wanted to reach out to him, but he was unapproachable. He looked out in the hallway through the glass wall of his office. He didn't want to break down or anyone to know about his relationship with Calleigh because it would only make things worse.

Calleigh took his arm and pulled him towards the sofa on the right side of his office.

"Calleigh," he murmured, "I can't. I have to pick up Ray from school."

He had been sitting in his office all afternoon, probably trying to figure out a way of getting out of this without hurting anyone's feelings.
Soon, Rick would find out the truth and Raymond's soul would no longer be at peace.
He hated the fact that he hadn't been able to take care of his brother, to watch over him and stop him from making a huge mistake. He hated that Stetler was possibly digging up dirt to get to Yelina. He didn't know how to tell Calleigh what all this meant. Calleigh wasn't even aware of the fact that Stetler was physically abusing Yelina.

Horatio moved away and grabbed his suit jacket, draped over the back of his chair and picked up his cell phone resting face down on his desk.

It was the third time this week he had to leave early to take care of his nephew. Calleigh knew something was up. She knew there was a reason he was incommodiously leaving. She knew it wasn't like him to be so inconsiderate and to leave like this.

She didn't know he'd tell her why, eventually, and sympathized, "If you need me, call me, okay?"

Horatio stilled before her and nodded. He looked at her for what seemed like forever.
"You don't know how much I want to kiss you right now."

In direst need, she was there for him.

She smiled and he took her hand saying, "I'm sorry I have to leave - "

He felt terrible. He wished he could split into four. One Horatio to be with Calleigh, one to be with Yelina and Ray Jr., one to be with Susie and Madison and one to kick the hell out of Stetler for making personal matters about his deceased brother surface.

"I know you are," she stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.

He nodded and pulled away. Walking away from her like that was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

He never could get her out of his mind ever since Friday night, ever since she'd shown him that he could be happy. Truly happy. With her. He kept thinking about the weekend they had together and how nice it was to live with her.

TBC...