A/N: You all know where I hide my disclaimer. Please R&R. This is short, and not sweet at all.
RS: Yes, well. Just keep mining. 123: You'll have to keep reading. To the silent masses: Talk to me, I'll talk to you. Thank you all for reading.
Horatio said nothing on their ride to wherever they were going. He'd run through a drive-thru to pick up lunch. Annabel kept flitting glances in his direction, but got no answering flicker from back. She turned to look out the window. The city zipped by. Bright flashes of reflected sunlight glaring even through her dark glasses. Horatio pulled the Hummer into a parking place. There was a gray vinyl sided building not too far from them. The plates in the parking lot reflected the tourist trade of South Florida. Most of the parking places were empty.
Annabel looked over at him. "You brought me to Biscayne? To the national park? Nowhere closer?"
"The water's pretty here."
"The mosquitoes are bad here. Not as bad as in the Glades, but still. Why would you choose here?"
"It's not where we normally go." He looked out over the water. "The wind is off the ocean. The mosquitoes won't be too bad." Horatio grabbed the sack with their lunch, a blanket from the backseat, and opened his door. Annabel climbed out and followed him. He walked a little ahead of her, winding down a path cut through the mangroves to the water's edge. He spread out the blanket and sat down. Horatio looked expectantly up at her. Annabel just stood looking down at him. "Aren't you going to sit? The empanadas are getting cold."
"Do I want to sit down?" Annabel clutched her arms across her chest.
"Please, Bella." Annabel dropped down on the blanket and sat cross-legged. She kept the lunch bag between her and Horatio. She folded her hands in her lap and waited. Horatio dug in the bag and handed her a pastry. Annabel unfolded the wrapper and picked at it while she waited for Horatio to talk. He looked over at her, a frown creasing his brow. "Annabel. Please eat."
Annabel shook her head. "I want to know why you needed to talk to me. What had you tracking me down at lunch instead of waiting until we got home? Why you brought me here?" Horatio looked out at the islands just off-shore. He looked back at Annabel and a wave of deeper unease crashed over her. He looked frightened. Not nervously frightened like he had before he proposed, but soul-numbingly frightened.
"I want you to eat because I'm not sure you will be here when I'm done with what I have to say," he stated honestly.
Annabel tried to fight through her panic. She gave him a small half-hearted smile. "What could you have to tell me that would chase me away? Do you have another wife stashed somewhere?"
"No. You're the only woman that has that claim on me." Horatio looked down at his hands. His wedding band glinted in the sun. A perfect circle. Without beginning, without end. He could remember the beginning. The time before. He could still feel the blackness gnawing at the edges. All he had ever done was do what was right, what was just. Before either could talk further, Horatio's cell rang. Horatio closed his eyes a pained look on his face. The ring was not his usual.
"Let it go to voice mail," urged Annabel.
"I can't, Bella." His voice was rough. Horatio stood up and moved away. He flipped the phone open. "Hello," he said softly. "No. No. This isn't a bad time." He looked down at the ground and perched his hand on his hip. "When? Are you sure? He's not visiting someone? What about…" Horatio walked further away. "Why didn't you… I see. I will do what I can. Keep me posted." He flipped his phone shut and turned around. The blanket just held their abandoned lunch. Horatio slowly gathered up the food putting it back in to the bag. He folded the blanket and walked back to his Hummer with heavy step. He dropped the sack in the closest garbage can.
Annabel stood on the balcony of the visitors' center watching Horatio make his way back. He didn't raise his head, his shoulders slumped. He didn't look in her direction as he got into his Hummer and drove away.
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