-1Title. Better Angels.
Author: Samantha.
With great thanks to: Sammie (not me you twat the other one) Ruth, Cath and the other Ruth (oh my god two Samanthas and two Ruths...jesus)
Part: Six of about fifteen.
Pairing: H/C baby!
Spoilers: 3.01 - Lost Son
Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own CSI:Miami the people who own them do. Trust me when I say this (along with ruth aka quarryquest) we would treat them so much more better than you arsewipes. (DONT SUE!)
Summary: Sometimes we all need to open up...but will Horatio learn his lesson before he loses his daughter and wife

Chapter Six:

"Please tell me you know where she is!" Calleigh cried in to Horatio's chest.

"We think we know where she is." He told her rubbing her back.

"Then why are you still hear!" she cried loudly pushing Horatio off her. With that they were on their way. With half an hour they had the house surrounded.

From the basement Heather and Lisa could hear the commotion above as the police announced themselves and stormed the house. They cleared each room one by one as panic grew as Heather and Lisa were both found with no sign of Millie. That was until they reached the garden. Horatio caught it out the corner of his eye, both his and Calleigh's gun where there before they were.

"Put the kid down." Horatio warned as he saw him holding a disorientated and limp Millie by the scruff.

"Ahh Lieutenant Caine. So nice to see you again."

"I said put her down now." He repeated sternly, not phased by the gun that was being held to his child's head. He watched Millie shiver from what he presumed fear.

"We'll I see you found our little humble abode a bit earlier than we planed."

"Smith put her down now."

"You remember my name I'm so touched." Horatio growled he was not in the mood to humour this man. "You want your kid. Go get her." Horatio held his breath as he watched Smith push the still tied up Millie in to the swimming pool. Calleigh had him on the floor with her gun trained to his head quicker than the blink of an eye.

Horatio threw himself in to the pool pulling out Millie on to the poolside.

"C'mon Millie open your eyes." He begged holding her limp body as he untied her. A small cough jolted her body as she brought back up the water she had breathed in. Roiling on to her side she continued to cough up the water that had managed to get in to her lungs. "Before you start. I know I'm grounded." she commented as she pulled herself up on her knees, stabilising herself with her hand as she trembled. She found her body give way as she tried to get up. Her father catching her before she hit the ground.

"No, no your not grounded." He told her gently as he looked in to her eyes, he froze noticing her pupils dilated.

"Millie, what did they do to you." He asked tilting her head so she had to look him in the eyes. Millie looked up to her father, confusion in her eyes as she shook her head, signalling that she didn't know. He could feel her shivering as her cloths stuck to her small body. "My arm hurts." she mumbled weekly looking up at him. Horatio looked over Millie's left arm, the small bruise catching his eye. Gently lifting her arm he got a closer look, he twisted it round slowly. His heart lurching as she saw the small round puncture would. "Its okay sweetie. Your safe now." He told her pulling her closer to him, stroking her now black hair he felt her grip on to his shirt. "I'm so proud of you." He told her as for the first time that day he allowed his emotions to show. Millie snapped her head up, shock evident in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Millie whispered her voice shaken as a tear slid from her eye.

"Oh honey."

"I'm sorry I skipped school and I'm sorry I smoked that rubbish and I'm sorry I snuck out to the gig. I'm sorry I made you and mom argue all the time." Each word was a punch to Horatio's heart as Millie reached up brushing his wet hair off his face so she could see his eyes.

"Its not your fault." He told her gently. Millie sighed and closed her eyes. Her world spinning uncontrollably again. "Millie." he stated as his heart rate began to increase as another wave of panic hit him with renewed force. "Millie c'mon honey look at me." Millie did as she was told and looked at her father as she began to cry.

"Dad…" she whispered.

"Yeah. I'm hear I'm still here."

"I don't feel good..." She told him between sobs as fear rose in her.

"I know. We'll get you all sorted okay."

"I was frightened."

"You did great. You did perfect kiddo." Millie nodded as she let it all go, griping on to her fathers shirt she cried into him. Her tears mingling with the chlorine saturated water which covered them both. The medics arrived and the point came where Horatio knew he would have to leave Millie. He looked down at her with sad eyes and moved a bang of hair from her cheek. "Millie, I'm going to let go now okay. The medics are going to check you over." He told her as he tried released her from the hug.

"No!" cried Millie as she hug desperately tight to her father frightened of letting go.

"Millie..."

"No…don't let go!" she cried begging him as she buried her head in his shoulder. "Please…Don't let go." Her begging plea brought a tear to Horatio's eye.

"I'll be right here kiddo. I'll be right by your side. I promise. " Millie nodded and let go of her fathers shirt reluctantly. The medics moved in as Horatio stood behind them still in the view of his daughter keeping his promise not to leave her side.

He felt the presence of his wife beside him.

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah. She's okay." he told her as they hugged.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." he lied. She saw that sad look in his eye, as he beat himself up inside.

"Don't lie. Your not okay." Calleigh whispered in his ear.

"I will be." he said with truth. "You would both be better off with out me." Calleigh froze. "This is my fault Calleigh. She appolised. Right after I pulled her out the pool, she heard us arguing at night." He told his wife as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I read her messenger conversations Calleigh. She said that…she was frightened something would happen to me again. God Cal I've put her though so much. Maybe it would be better if I wasn't around." Calleigh looked her husband in the eye. "Non of this would have happened Cal…you know if you wanted me to. I would go now. If its what you both wanted."

"Don't be stupid." She told him as tears left her eyes. "You know I love you. Millie loves you more than anything. She worships you for Christ sake Horatio!"

"All I do is hurt you both."

"You've never hurt me Horatio."

"I'm sorry Calleigh for being a bad husband." Calleigh held him close as he confessed his feeling. "I love you."

"I love you too." They held each other close.

There attention turned their daughter who was fighting the medics as they tried to place an IV in the back of her hand. Horatio's heart broke at the sight of his panic stricken child as she fought with the energy she had left to prevent the needle touching her skin. She pushed the medics hand away from her. Trying desperately to prevent the needle ever touching her skin. Horatio knew her fears were justified. The medic warned her he would sedate her if she didn't stop fighting however his warning fell on deaf ears as Millie continued to struggle and become panic stricken as her breathing began to become irregular. He heard Millie cough as she chocked on her own tears, clearly severely distressed. Horatio decided it was time to step in.

"See I'm right here just like I promised." He told her holding her hand as she calmed down, he could still feel her trembling as the medic took his chance and slid the IV in. Millie cried out in pain and curled herself in to a ball, the medic still holding her hand to prevent her pulling it out, worn out and tired she gave up.

Horatio finally had time to take in the scene, the chill caught him too as he realised he was soaking after diving in to the pool. Chaos was all he saw as Smith was haled away and his colleges arrived. Calleigh instructed him to go home and get changed, telling him he would catch a cold and get ill. He agreed to it only to make his wife feel better . Then promised Millie he would meet them at the hospital.

On the way out the house a picture caught his eye, there he stood holding a four year old blonde Millie, her hair hung just below her shoulders. A pink t-shirt with sea shells and a happy smile. Her blue eyes, his blue eyes bubbly as she laughed. Catching the light like a crystal. He remembered the day well. For some reason Millie never really liked water or sand. However they took her to the beach in an attempt to get the five year old to realise water wasn't scary and it wouldn't harm her. He could hear her soft giggle as the water lapped on to her feet as it took both Horatio and Calleigh to convince Millie to go out up to her knees.

"C'mon honey I'm right beside you." Calleigh said gently coaxing the four year old in to the water. A small wave broke at Millie's feet as she cried and ran back from the waters edge. Millie stood several feet back sucking her thumb as her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't like it!" She cried loudly.

"C'mon Millie I think we might be able to find some nice sea shells." Calleigh told her smiling.

"Like the one on my shirt?" Millie asked her voice quivering.

"Yeah! Just like that but I'll need you to help me."

"Okay." and with that Millie cautiously stepped up to the water, taking her first step into the water she froze looking up.

"That's it kiddo." Horatio told her smiling as she continued to walk out. Reaching her Father she stuck her hands up in the air to be lifted up. Horatio bent down and promptly fell into the shallow water. Soaking both himself and Millie. Instead of the cry of tears he expected a giggle reached his ears. "You think Daddy getting wet is funny?" he asked her. Millie nodded with a broad smile. Horatio looked to Calleigh who was smiling too happy to see her daughter laugh.

"A shell for Daddy." Millie said reaching in to the water and pulling a shell out. "Because Daddy got wet."

Of course it backfired as they couldn't get her back out the water at the end of the day. The little things came back to him, the ones that made him smile. Like how she would ask for the same bed time story every night, or the way she would refuse to go to sleep without her stuffed toy. Her first day at school, where she came home with a drawing of her 'mommy and daddy' catching the bad guys at work, after throwing a two hour tantrum about not wanting to go.

They stood at the gates waiting for their daughter to appear.

"Mommy, daddy!" she cried running up to them holding a picture. "Look at what I drew!" The bright smile across the blue eyed blonde almost seemed to light up the world for Horatio.

"Wow. That's a great painting." He told his daughter picking her up, she wrapped her arms around him, and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Its mommy and daddy catching the bad guys, I wanna be just like you and mommy!" she said with a smile.

"Did you enjoy school?"

"Yeah, there's this really cool girl in my class called Heather! She's funny…but there's this boy who is really annoying!"

"So you going to go back tomorrow?"

"Yeah but Millie missed daddy…"Millie told her father, with her bottle lip quivering. "Millie doesn't want to go if daddy isn't there."

"Well, Daddy can't come to school with you."

"Why not!" Millie cried loudly as a tear slid from her eye.

"Because school is just for Millie because Millie is extra special and smart" He told her touching her nose as she began to giggle.

"Just for Millie…"

"Yup just for Millie."

He remembered Calleigh walking in to the lab in tears telling him about how she had begged her not to leave her in what she described as a 'dump'. Horatio chuckled as he walked out to his car. After hearing Millie's sarcastic arrogance many people had said in the past there was no way she could be anyone but Horatio's daughter.

The drive took only minutes but seemed like forever to Horatio was just wanted to be with his family. He tracked them down. After talking with the doctor all they realised they could do was sit and wait for test results. Millie by now had fallen asleep as Calleigh stroked her hair, that was a little thing that choked Horatio up. He though back to when Millie was just a baby in his arms and he's stroke her hair the same way. She'd grown fast and now he regretted the days he didn't spent with her.