Once Horatio was cleared to return to work, he jumped at the opportunity and unexpectedly arrived at the crime lab immediately after he left the doctor's office. To say the least, everyone was elated.

Although everyone knew that Horatio and Calleigh were an item now, the couple elected to keep their romance out of the job in order to keep Internal Affairs away. Rick would jump at the opportunity to punish Horatio for anything.

Horatio was inside his office for the first time in awhile, taking in its familiarity and smiling because he was back doing what he loved. Calleigh walked in as Horatio picked up a marksman trophy he won ages ago.

"Hey."

"Calleigh...hi."

"How does it feel? To be back, I mean?"

"Great. Now I feel useful again."

Calleigh walked up to him and put her arms around his hips.

"Calleigh...I thought we, uh...weren't going to do this at work."

"My mistake. I thought that entailed in public." She played with his pants zipper.

"You...are sneaky," Horatio grinned. He grabbed her arms, pulled her close, and proceeded to kiss her neck. She freed her arms from his and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Speak for yourself," Calleigh said enraptured. "I need to watch out for you!"

"Now that my wounds have healed," he said between kisses, "I'm going to really make you happy."

"After work, remember?" Calleigh teased.

"Of course."

----------

Horatio was busy lighting candles at his place while Calleigh was at her apartment readying herself for their date, which consisted of him making dinner and taking her out dancing. This was their first official date and she wanted to be a bombshell. As the doorbell rang, Horatio's heart pounded in his chest. He ditched his usual work fare for a snazzier suit, complete with a dark red silk tie and dark red silk button-up. He combed and slicked back his red hair and brought out his good cologne, which he wore only on special occasions such as dates. As he opened the door, he was left speechless.

Calleigh stood there in a little black dress, hair slightly curled, lips pouting with rouge, her intense green eyes complimented by dark eyeliner and a grey eye shadow. When she saw Horatio, however, she too could not find the words to say.

"Calleigh...wow...you look...absolutely spectacular."

"You could not be more perfect, Horatio."

Horatio grinned and motioned for her to enter. She smiled when she saw the candles.

"You've prettied your place since I was last here."

"Yeah. It's not so lonely anymore."

He kissed her on the cheek and looked right into her eyes. "I hope you like what I made."

"If the food is as good as how you look right now, it will be one of the best dinners I've ever had."

Sure enough, Horatio also knew how to cook. He decided to make her an all-Cajun dinner, as she was from Louisiana and would probably find the gesture romantic. She fell in love with his jambalaya and spicy shrimp and was delighted when he brought out a king cake.

"So...does it earn your stamp of approval?"

"Absolutely. Why are you so good to me?"

Horatio chuckled. "Because I am so in love with you."

----------

Horatio took Calleigh to a charming dancehall overlooking the beach and they immediately got on the dance floor, immersed in a whirlwind of sound and swirling colours from the women's dresses. She was surprised that Horatio could dance as well as he could; she always figured he wasn't the dancing type, but the way he twirled her about him changed her mind immediately.

Subsequent songs were not as fast-paced but the last was a slow one, so Horatio drew her close and clasped his arms around her waist while she put her arms around his neck.

"Oh Horatio, this is one of the best nights I've ever had. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

The soft lights of the dancehall reflected in Horatio's eyes and caught her once again. She closed hers and rested her head on his chest, taking in the beats of his heart. He put his head on hers and closed his eyes as well.

"I never want this night to end," Calleigh whispered, opening her eyes.

Horatio remained silent, eyes still closed as he started to rub her back.

----------

When they went back to Horatio's place, Horatio went into the kitchen as Calleigh took a seat on his couch. When he returned, his hands were behind his back, naturally arousing Calleigh's interest.

"For you," Horatio said as he revealed a single red rose.

Calleigh smiled and gratefully took it. "This is our flower."

"It's a good one."

"I hope this is not a dream."

Horatio took her in an embrace and delivered a long and sensual kiss. "Are you convinced now that it's not?"

Calleigh was short of breath. "Oh yeah."

Horatio playfully removed his suit jacket and began to loosen his tie when Calleigh stepped in.

"Here, let me do that."

"I was hoping you would."

Calleigh slowly loosened and undid his tie and began to unbutton his shirt. He grasped her head in his hands and continued to kiss her. As he started to unzip her dress, she giggled. Once the dress was on the floor, he saw that she had a strapless bra on, thus posing a potential roadblock.

"Uh oh."

"What is it?" she asked as she rubbed his bare chest.

"I...have a bit of a problem, unhooking these."

"Not a big deal," Calleigh said, taking it off herself. Horatio paused for a second to take it all in, then proceeded to unzip his pants and remove them.

Calleigh was pleased. "You love silky clothes...my kind of man."

"That's why you picked me," he said as he removed her black thong. He lowered himself and kissed her newly-exposed midsection. Once again she ran her fingers through his hair as he slowly came back up, kissing everything up to her lips.

She playfully fingered his black boxers as their tongues united. When she cupped her hands over his groin, he moaned as he began to harden.

"I think...we should move this to my bedroom."

Together their bodies hit the bed passionately amid a sea of kisses and exploring hands. Calleigh quickly removed his boxers and put her hands to work whilst Horatio was working his. Once Calleigh was done, he slid in moving slowly as Calleigh closed her eyes in eager anticipation. His gyrations quickened as she grabbed his hair, clenching her teeth.

"Oh Horatio..."

"Calleigh..." Horatio had a strained look on his face and breathing heavily as he still quickened the gyrations.

"Oh god, oh god..."

"Oh Calleigh..."

"OHHHHHHHH!!!" Calleigh erupted in ecstasy. Horatio was silent as the breath escaped. He stopped moving altogether and lay there trying to regain his breath. Calleigh tried to regain her composure, still grasping Horatio's hair.

"Horatio, are you okay?"

Horatio looked up at her and smiled. "Yeah. I just...need to catch my breath."

Calleigh leaned down and kissed him. "I love you."

"I...love you."

She got off him and positioned herself next to him. He leaned over to look into her eyes and once again caught her into them. She rubbed his face.

"Those eyes...I can never tire of them."

"Just like I can never tire of your smile."

She snuggled up against him and he wrapped her in his arms, where they fell asleep together.