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Chapter 6: Freefalling

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Eyes fixed on the target, determined to get Calleigh out of danger, Horatio pulled the trigger and the bullet hit "Bob" in the shoulder - the impact making him fall back, hitting the floor heavily and losing hold of his gun.

Horatio moved closer, keeping his gun on the man until he was good and ready to avert the barrel.

When the police backup rushed in, grabbing the abandoned gun, holding the perpetrator in check while calling an ambulance, Horatio let his arm fall loosely, almost carelessly, to his side.

He slowly ambled, and for the first time in a long time, aimlessly.

The bleeding man, never saying a word, looked up at Horatio with malice and Horatio was infuriated enough to take a moment to look into the face of evil. He crumbled his hope for vengeance with a powerful look of sheer intensity. From eyes sharp as razor blades pinning "Bob", Horatio's eyes softened times fifty when they fell on Calleigh. Eyes locked onto her, he never even glanced down as he unhurriedly re-holstered his weapon.

This was twice he'd almost lost her.

An officer was checking her, making sure she was all right and all she said was that she was fine. Repeatedly.

She did grab her chest, though. The experience certainly doing wonders on her already weakened body.

Horatio didn't ask her if she was okay, didn't smile with sympathy or give her a pat on the back like the other officers did; he moved in while her eyes were still strained on the man responsible for all of this, quietly requesting her attention, "hey - "

It took her some time before she turned her head and faced him with emotion filled eyes.

He moved his hand to take her arm off her chest, rubbing his thumb on her alabaster skin. Linking his fingers, he comforted her.

Calleigh was defenseless, struggling against her teary eyes. He had not only reached out to her... physically but also in front of fellow officers.

"I... I want to go with you," she paused, "when you take him in... for questioning." She was having a hard time getting the words out.

"Shhh... Shh. Breathe, slowly. In and out," Horatio quelled. Calleigh gradually relaxed under his touch, willingly held back from saying a word to fully enjoy this moment of reconciliation.
"You're fine," he convinced her, giving aid, "you're fine."
No, he wasn't reaching out to her, he was just being her teammate, looking out for her... She wanted to run away, to go home or simply leave.

She wondered if she would one day understand this man. One minute, he seemed to be as close as a lover in a secret hideout, the next, as distanced as a CSI analyzing evidence.

"You're..." she too a deep calming breath, "you're going to go with him, right? Follow him to the hospital - "

"Right now, my concern is you."

He saw her breaking down again in front of him.

"C'mere," Horatio invited, without warning, encircling her with one arm. She was straight-faced aside from the tears, not knowing how to react, what to think of him. "I'll take you home," he said lowly. He figured he wasn't going to leave her the chance to argue with him. Stunning, how he knew exactly what she wanted. And again, he reached out to her...

Was the dizziness from being tired after what happened in the lab, from the gun scare or from Horatio finally taking small steps forward? She had no clue. Everything was jumbled up in her mind and she had mixed feelings about it all.

"It's your choice," she said softly, looking up at him, hoping he'd understand the meaning in her words.

Horatio nodded, smiling imperceptibly.

She wondered abstractly if he'd catch her if she fell? Or, better than that, if he'd catch her if she fainted?
Her thoughts died as her brain stayed completely alert to her sense of touch. Electricity coursed from where he had placed his hand at her lower back, prickling to the top of her head as he accompanied her out to the Hummer.

He dropped Calleigh off, leaving the engine running, exiting the vehicle with her.

The battle was fierce. All he wanted was to hold her, but he couldn't let his mind surrender control. It was as if he drowned voluntarily, killing the righteousness of professionalism and the image he had of himself, and that, to buoy his heart. A heart that he had kept hidden from the world in the chasm inside of him, only using empathy briefly for the victims.

"If you need anything - you call me." Horatio's heart finally slowed. She'd be okay here, he made sure of that, as the surroundings suddenly went back to normal like the calm gently lapping water of a pool after an Olympic race.

He took his vine leaf stance and watched her make her way to the side door of her condominium building. Then, turned away at the exact instant that she glanced back over her shoulder.

Her gaze dropped to the ground with disillusionment. She unlocked the glass door and purposely stayed in the vestibule to watch him drive off, which he did, a moment later. She slowly removed her hand pressed against the glass and turned to go inside.

With everything that had taken place in the last few days, the contemplation it brought, Horatio found himself mulling over his feelings for her again. At least, she'd be all right at home and he knew he needed to give her some time to cope with the events.
He needed time himself, although for another reason. Specifically, to deal with his feelings and make up his mind on what he was going to do about them because it was impossible to manage or suppress them.

What, because you think I care? — Those words repeated constantly in his head, as he steered the Hummer through the city. The ever-confident Lieutenant Caine suddenly wasn't absolutely convinced that she had said that only to get Bob's attention and he couldn't help feeling as though she had put a knife inside of him.

What had happened to them? He tried to think back and remember where and when things had gone wrong. Had he said or done something wrong? He felt the ground crumble and cave in under him and suddenly he was freefalling... no longer her friend, not even her partner.

Angry at his feelings for placing him in a situation where he needed to go against his professional morals, he realized he needed to take the chance for the sake of saving his heart.

He parked the Hummer in front of the CSI building and turned the engine off. Leaning against the steering wheel, he tried to recompose himself before falling into his role as a leader. Once he'd step through those doors, he thought, he'd be expected to stand tall as the case progressed, to show the team to victory. He had one of the assailants in the hospital... he was sure it was at least a two man's job. The other was still out there and, for the family's respite and for Calleigh, he swore he'd hunt him down.

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Walking down the lab's hallway, Eric intercepted him.
"Hey, H. I got good news... we found the knife that killed Mr. Morris."

"Any prints?" Horatio narrowed his eyes, trying to be attentive.

"Yup. One Jeremy Shadow popped up through AFIS. Assaulted a young girl a year ago. College student - lives in an apartment nearby."

"Okay, you know what Eric, I want you to go over there. Take Speed with you."

"Speed's working on, uh, Calleigh's evidence." It was hard to be reminded of what had happened to Calleigh.

"Tell him to hand it over to Valera and take Frank with you." Horatio's eyes were looking directly at the young man's face, but somehow they seemed empty. Eric knew his boss was doing his job, giving out instructions, but also knew what was on his mind.

"H - "

"Yeah?" Horatio blinked twice, refocusing on Eric.

"I'm really glad Calleigh's okay. I mean, if you hadn't been there..."

Horatio shook his head. He didn't even want to think it.
And then it hit him... He realized abruptly that he didn't just love her; he was in love with her and had to be with her to make her happy... to make himself happy. His life would be forlorn without her.

"It could have been a lot worse. I keep thinking that if I had refused to let her take the call and had taken it myself, none of this would have happened..."

"Rest easy, Eric," Horatio placed a hand on Eric's shoulder, "No one could have predicted this." Though, he still felt responsible. "I don't want you getting a nose bleed again, okay, Eric?"

The younger CSI nodded, trying to calm down.

Horatio changed the mood with a somewhat telling argument, "You know how stubborn she is and how she always manages to get her way..."

Eric smiled, "yeah."

Horatio pat Eric's shoulder, "Well, I think that, this time, I'm going to let her have it again," he smiled gently.

Mystified, Eric frowned.

Horatio continued, lifting an eyebrow, "But not until I have a little chat with the-so-called Bob." Horatio quickly strode off with intent, leaving Eric behind to guess what that was all about.

TBC...