"Love is not a study in unison but in harmony, and harmony by definition consists of different notes."

Deb, Hidden Fires

(I've never used a quote from myself before, but I couldn't resist that one for the end of this story. Don't bother trying to look it up; you won't find it. Hidden Fires is an original fiction mystery novel. It will come someday to a bookstore near you, as soon as I manage to get it published. I will let the fanfic community know when you can get it. In my best attempt at objective opinion, it is better than Fearful Symmetry.)

(H/C)

Calleigh was sitting at a table in Ballistics, frowning at paperwork. This was the part of an investigation that she hated most, and doing it in Ballistics was at least a bit better than doing it out at a layout table. Not that the proximity of her beloved guns was much comfort at the moment. She kept finding herself staring into space instead of filling out forms.

Her cell phone rang, and she glanced at it as she flipped it open. Horatio. "Hey."

"Hey." His greeting was as uncertain as hers. "I've got good news for you. The case is solved, the murderer has confessed, and Winslow is in the process of being released right now."

"Great." She tried and failed to put some enthusiasm into it. She was happy for Winslow, but he hadn't been the main problem on her mind for the last several days. She didn't even ask who the murderer was.

Horatio hesitated for a few seconds. "Listen, Calleigh, I was thinking I could pick up Rosalind and take her over to Alexx's. The two of us could use a night alone. We need to talk."

She stared at the paperwork. She was afraid to get her hopes up and just be disappointed. "We certainly need to. Do you really want to talk things through, or are you just going to tell me you can't?"

Another pause. "I know I deserve that, but I really do want to talk tonight, Calleigh."

She softened her tone. "Okay, then. You talk to Alexx and get Rosalind taken care of, and I've got to finish up this paperwork on the judge's case. I'll meet you at home in about an hour and a half."

"See you then. I love you."

"I love you, too." That much she was certain of. She still couldn't imagine why he'd been acting like he had, though. He'd sounded different on the phone, a little more like himself. Apparently, he was finally going to turn to her, just as Alexx had predicted.

After that conversation, she attacked the paperwork much more diligently, and it was going faster. Focused on her work, she didn't even notice anyone behind her until a throat cleared. She turned to see Winslow standing in the doorway. "Hi. Horatio called and told me you were being released. Congratulations." She stood up to face him.

"Thanks. For everything, Calleigh." Winslow shifted his weight slightly, looking momentarily as unsure of himself as Horatio had seemed the last few days.

"Not much point in thanking me. Horatio solved it." She felt a faint glow of pride even under the concern, annoyance, and confusion. "It wasn't my choice to go off the case, but he really is a better investigator than I am on the hard ones. He sees how things fit together."

"He's amazing," Winslow agreed with respect. "Is he here? You said he called."

"He had to go pick up Rosalind, and I had some paperwork to finish. We were just going to meet at the house."

"What did he tell you?" There was an odd intensity in his voice.

"Just that the case was solved and you were being released." Well, that wasn't all he had told her, but the rest wasn't Winslow's business.

Winslow took a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize to both of you. You being taken off my case wasn't Horatio's idea. I asked him to."

Calleigh dropped her pen. "What?"

"I asked him to." Winslow bent to pick up her pen and handed it back to her. "In fact, I really had a hard time talking him into it. He didn't want to, Calleigh. I had to appeal to him that my life was literally on the line here and I should have at least some say in it, as long as I wasn't trying to block the truth."

She realized that her mouth was hanging open and shut it. "Why would you ask Horatio to take over? Didn't you trust me with it?" All of her original hurt returned with a different source.

His warm, brown eyes were full of sincerity. "I trusted you absolutely, Calleigh. But I was weak. I couldn't stand to see you disappointed in me, like you were at that interview. With everything else going on, looking at you like that was the last straw. I deserved it, but I couldn't deal with it just then. And I was a little worried that you were too close to this one. But the real reason I did it was for me, so I wouldn't have to face you, wouldn't have to see you seeing me in that cell. I didn't even have the courage to tell you myself. I'm sorry, Calleigh."

Calleigh switched to procedural details to distract both of them from the turmoil of her feelings. "So after you were arrested, you sent a message to Horatio through somebody and then met with him." He nodded. "Why did you want him to take over? You didn't even know him. There are other investigators."

He smiled at her. "You know the answer to that one. I'd only met him once, but it was like seeing one oak tree in a line of shrubs. I knew he was the best. Really, I knew that before I met him. You picked him, after all."

Diversion wasn't working, and when she opened her mouth to say something else, all of her emotions suddenly took over, erupting with the one big question. "But why on earth didn't Horatio tell me you asked him to take me off the case?"

His eyes fell away from hers then. "Because I made him promise not to. Not until after the case was finished. He insisted on being released from it after the case was finished."

Understanding flooded through Calleigh like a dam bursting, washing away all the confusion and resentment on its powerful course. He couldn't tell her. The whole time, she'd had a clue that she hadn't even picked up on. He had never said he didn't want to talk but that he couldn't. Horatio had promised Winslow not to mention the request, and he was incapable of manufacturing a lie to tell her as a substitute. No wonder he had been so consumed with trying to finish the case as quickly as possible. Poor Horatio.

"Calleigh?" She realized that she had closed her eyes and opened them. "Say something, Calleigh. Yell at me if you want; I deserve it. But say something."

She glared at him. "Do you have any idea what you've put him through the last few days?"

He shifted his weight guiltily. "Some. And you, too. I knew you trusted him, though, even if he didn't seem to make sense for a little while." Calleigh flinched. "Like I said, I was weak. I just couldn't face you myself. I'd let Angelina down, and when I disappointed you, too, I just . . ." He trailed off into silence, his eyes pleading for understanding. "I knew he could take it better than I could. He'd be better at anything than I would. And I knew he'd solve it quickly."

"And you pulled me from the visitor's list yourself." He nodded. She winced, remembering how furious she had been at Horatio for that. He probably hadn't even known until she'd confronted him, and any defense he could have given would have led to breaking his promise. Just like her question to him Thursday night, whether he could tell her that he was doing this purely for the sake of the investigation with no personal feelings at all involved. She hadn't specified whose feelings, and for him to split that hair would have given Winslow away. He'd had no choice but to say nothing. And then she'd raked him over the coals for suspecting her when he didn't. In so many ways, she'd made things even more difficult for him.

"I'm sorry," Winslow repeated. "I couldn't take you seeing me behind bars. If you knew I'd asked to have you replaced, you'd either have insisted on coming to see me to talk about it, or you would have thought I didn't trust you. I couldn't deal with that while I was being suspected of Angelina's death. Too much was happening at once, and I just couldn't take it. I'm sorry, Calleigh."

She wasn't quite ready to forgive him. "So if you didn't want to tell me, why are you here now?"

"I'm a selfish coward, Calleigh, but I realized after they let me out that I couldn't just let him apologize for me. Forgive me, please."

Her eyes held him. "You owe Horatio an apology, too. A big one."

"That's why I hoped to find you both here. You said you were about to go home. Could I come along just for a few minutes to talk to him?"

Home. Realization swept over her like a benediction that she could go home, any time, and that Horatio was still Horatio. He had never been anything else, even the last few days. He was waiting for her. After what Winslow – and she herself – had put him through, he needed her. Nothing had changed for them, and with some rest and reassurance, he would be fine. It would be so easy to fix things and go on now that she knew the full story. She had to get home. Like a bullet being slipped out of the chamber when it is no longer needed, her gaze softened and released Winslow. "Come by CSI tomorrow morning. Horatio and I are going to have an evening to ourselves tonight." And she also had an apology to make first, without Winslow as an audience.

He nodded, respecting her space, just as he'd always done physically. "I'll do that. I am sorry, Calleigh. For everything. Can we still be friends?"

"Of course. Nobody's perfect, Winslow. I shouldn't have expected you to be. But you're still a true friend. I don't know what I would have done without you in Darnell. I never did think you were guilty." She hesitated. "I really am sorry about Angelina." She didn't limit it to her death. Winslow had also been betrayed.

He shuddered slightly. "I'm probably going to be moving out of Miami. Too many memories here. But you'll be one of the good ones. I wish I could have met your daughter."

Calleigh smiled. "I wish you could have, too. Maybe we'll bring her in tomorrow morning for a little bit so you can see her. Don't be surprised if she doesn't seem to take to you, though. She takes time to accept people."

He smiled. "Wonder where she got that from?"

Calleigh returned the smile. She opened her arms, and he hugged her. "It's okay, Winslow. I do understand. I'm sure Horatio did, too." He never blamed anyone except himself for weakness. Horatio. She might have been holding Winslow at the moment, but her arms longed for her husband.

After a minute, Winslow released her. "Take care of Horatio, Calleigh. I know he'll take care of you."

"I will." She smiled at him. "Now, I really need to finish up this paperwork and get home. Come by first thing in the morning, Winslow, and I'll try to have Rosalind here for you."

"See you then." He turned and left, and Calleigh returned her attention to the suddenly unimportant paperwork. She put the pen down firmly and closed the file. Prestige case or not, it could wait until the morning. She was going home.

(H/C)

She opened the door and pushed her way through hurriedly, barely remembering to kick it closed with a foot as she entered the house. Horatio came out of the kitchen, followed by a savory smell. "Hey. You're a little earlier than you said you'd be. I meant to have it all ready for you." He still looked exhausted but much better, the eyes clearer. He wasn't being torn in two directions anymore. How could she have failed to see the struggle in him the last few days every time he refused to talk to her? He stopped several feet away from her, and Calleigh crossed the living room to him, closing the distance.

"There are more important things than paperwork. The judge can wait." She embraced him fiercely, trying to bury all of the misunderstandings in the strength of her grasp, her lips eagerly seeking his. He was startled but willingly returned it. When she finally broke away, he smiled at her, his old smile with the relaxed quirk about it that she loved.

"I'm glad to see you, too," he said. "Calleigh, I . . ."

She pressed her finger to his lips. "No, you don't have to say anything. Just listen. First, Winslow stopped at CSI on his way out. He told me everything. Second, I'm the one who needs to apologize. I'm so sorry, Horatio. I know how much you trust me. I should have trusted you, even if I didn't understand."

"You did trust me, Calleigh."

She frowned slightly. "I did?"

"Yes. I have absolute proof. You haven't actually shot me, attacked me, quit your job, or even moved onto the couch at any point in the last four days."

She laughed. "Boy, that's the height of trust. We ought to write that definition down and send it to marriage seminars."

He laughed along with her, then turned suddenly, hurrying back into the kitchen. "I'm forgetting what I'm doing in here. Maybe we should just let it burn and order out later."

"And ruin all your hard work?" She followed him. "What is it, anyway?"

"Grilled salmon with a light sauce."

"You're making my mouth water, Horatio. Both the meal and the dessert." She gave him a playful squeeze.

"Sure you don't want to just let it burn?"

She tossed her hair back. "No, but let's see if I can help you get everything ready faster." She opened a cabinet and took out plates, then got a bottle of wine. Horatio had already provided candles.

As she opened the wine and started pouring, he said, "I really wanted to tell you, Calleigh. I just couldn't. I knew you'd misunderstand, but it was just temporary, and he said he absolutely couldn't face you anymore, couldn't stand the thought of letting you down. I used to have nightmares about letting you down myself. I couldn't tell him no. Not with everything else he had to deal with, not when I knew it would only be for a few days. I'm sorry for putting you through that."

"I know. It's okay, Horatio. It's been much harder for you. I can't believe some of the things I said to you, and all the time, you were working that hard just so you could talk to me." She finished pouring and came over to him, holding out one glass. "I promise, if you ever have to keep me in the dark about anything again, I'll try to do a better job trusting."

"And I promise to not keep you in the dark about things unless exceptional circumstances force me to." Their glasses clinked together on the vow. "There never was any jealousy there, Cal. Why should there be? I have you."

Calleigh smiled. "Once, back in Darnell, I thought Winslow would be the ideal man to marry, but even then, he was just a wonderful friend. The chemistry wasn't there. After I met you, though, it made me think of him. You're a lot alike, in some ways."

He nodded. "I could see that. So I reminded you of him?"

She shook her head. "You've got it backwards, Horatio. From the beginning, he reminded me of you, even before I met you. I knew what I wanted was him plus the fire, and that was you. You don't remind me of anyone but yourself, because there's nobody else on earth who can hold a candle to you." She took his wine glass and set it safely with hers on the table, then kissed him as the salmon sizzled away in the background. The dinner was perfection. Dessert was even better.

Next on Fearful Symmetry: "Morning." Just another routine morning for the Caine family. One-shot fluff piece. I'm incapable of maintaining pure fluff longer than one chapter, but I think you'll really enjoy this one.