Title: Two Lives

Author: innocent choir girl (ff-dot-net), shannyfish (From Out of the Lab/Miami Heat)

Summary: Calleigh Duquesne is kidnapped and isolated from the world. She's trapped between trying to escape and protecting what she treasures most. Crossover with CSI.

Category: Crossover – Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

Genres: Established Relationship, Suspense

Characters: Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne

Warnings: none

Rating: PG-13

Chapter: 12 "Worry No More"

Author's Notes: This chapter jumps forward a bit, it shall be explained throughout ;) Thanks to Riley and Opal for betaing!

………………………………

"Calleigh, you sure about this?" Horatio asked as he stood a few feet behind her. He wanted her to be happy…to feel safe and to have peace of mind, but he wasn't sure if she was quite ready for this yet. Selfishly he wanted to have her and Emma all to himself, but he knew that it would never work…he and Calleigh would get far too bored being just parents especially after knowing the evils of the world. When he didn't get a response from her at first, he spoke up again, "You don't have anything to prove to anyone, Sweetheart."

"I have to prove it to myself," she whispered before picking up the ear muffs and placing them over her ears along with the plastic protective goggles. Picking up the gun before her, she placed the pieces in place unconsciously and held it up in position. It didn't even occur to her that she hadn't lost anything…and then she fired.

Horatio watched from a distance, and wondered if she was rushing herself. She had wanted to at least look into picking up the pieces of her life, including her job. Though that meant that she needed to show that she could still be a CSI. After the abuse she had endured, Horatio wasn't sure. He watched her and remembered when she had left ballistics for a time after Hagen had shot himself in the lab, how she had seemed so broken… Calleigh had bounced back, it had just taken time…and Horatio prayed that she'd bounce back again for her sake.

When the shots finally stopped, Horatio studied her closely as she dissembled the weapon and shed the gear placing it all neatly back onto the table. "It's only been a month since you've been back in Miami, Calleigh…" Horatio started wanting to make sure she didn't feel pressured into returning to work. She had stressed to him that she didn't want him to feel obligated to provide for her and Emma, but he felt differently. Calleigh and Emma were his family and he fully intended on taking care of them both.

"I know," she said letting out a sigh and turning to him. A lot had changed in that month… Horatio had found them a house and they had both decided that they'd at least live together and raise their daughter. Calleigh had felt like she had adapted to the new situation, and that going back to work was the next step in getting her life back. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see what they say about my re-instatement."

Horatio had figured one of the reasons Calleigh wanted to go back to work, it had to do with protecting herself. Calleigh had always seemed to keep everything inside, and with them finding her she had to let people help her far more than she had in the past. He was sure that if she was permitted to carry a weapon once again that that would bring some kind of small comfort to her.

"Are they goin' have any problems with us living together?" she asked tilting her head a bit. She wasn't sure if they would say anything, but she knew if there were any investigations that would probably be the first thing brought up. She and Horatio had worked so long together she didn't see how they could say that their relationship would interfere with their work. She had loved Horatio for a long time, and it had never interfered…

"They better not," he responded with a smile and held out his arm to her. "Come on, let's go have lunch…" It was really their first time together without Emma since they'd come back to Miami, not that Horatio didn't want to spend time with his child…he just missed spending time with Calleigh alone. "Emma's gonna be fine for thirty more minutes…"

Nodding, she swallowed and then walked over to him, "She will be," she agreed as she felt his arm wrap around her shoulders. It had been hard for her to let people help her, but she had managed to let Horatio help and the others. They had found a nanny who she had felt comfortable enough to leave Emma with. "Where do you want to go?"

He gave her a smile, "Doesn't matter…I have you."

Calleigh blushed and looked away for a second. "Why don't we try to actually go somewhere and sit down?" she suggested thinking that they hadn't been able to sit down and have a meal together quietly since she had been back. She gave him a smile, "It'll be nice."

"Would you like to call and check up on Emma?"

She shook her head, "No. No, she'll be fine." Calleigh took his arm from her back and pulled it to her side and wrapped her arm around his, "Thank you though…for asking…"

………………………………..

Their wait had taken a good thirty minutes and Horatio had kept a close eye on Calleigh and had been impressed that she hadn't started to fidget or check her watch or call to check on Emma. They had merely talked…and Horatio realized just how much he had missed her over the years… At their table, he smiled across at her and watched as she looked over the menu. "I have a surprise for you," he told her.

"Oh?" she asked and folded her menu down in front of her and focused her attention on him. "I love surprises!"

"I know," he said with a smile and watched as her eyes sparkled and her smile brightened. He could see her excitement practically bubbling. "Close your eyes," Horatio told her and watched as she complied. He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. He pulled the paper from inside and straightened it before laying it in front of her. "Okay, open."

Calleigh opened her eyes and looked down at where Horatio's hand was holding down a piece of paper. "What is it?" she asked at first and then started to read it over. It was from the state of Nevada. "Certificate of birth," she mumbled as she read it over to make sure things were correct.

"Everything spelled alright?" he asked watching her. He had expected her to be excited that Emma had a birth certificate and that they were listed as her parents, but he wasn't sure what to make of her silence.

She blinked and looked up at him, "Yeah…yeah everything looks alright…" She let her fingers run over her daughter's name and stopped at the last name on it. It was how she wanted it, but it seemed odd…she always thought it was odd when a family had different last names…and here she was the odd one out.

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" he asked reaching out and covering her hand with his. "We can still have it changed to Duquesne…" Horatio was happy to have his daughter carry his name, but he would be happy if she had Calleigh's...all that really mattered was that he had his family and they were safe and together.

Shaking herself out of her silence, Calleigh looked up at him; "It's not the name… It's just…" she stopped and thought about how to phrase what she wanted to say. "I-I am happy," she finally spoke up giving him a small smile. "That we're a family…"

"But?" he asked squeezing her hand.

"We're not really a family," she whispered not looking at him. She knew how important family was to him, but to her they weren't a complete family…and she knew that she was to blame for that.

"We don't have to be married to be a family, Calleigh…" Horatio told her reaching out with his free hand to lift her chin and move her face back so that he could see her eyes. He could see worry and fear in them. "Do you want to get married?" he asked thinking that he already knew the answer and he was fine with it.

"I'm not ready," she admitted shyly and looked down.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of…" he told her with a smile as he lifted her face again. "But we're still a family…even if we're not married…"

Calleigh smiled and pulled away from his hand. "Alright," she told him and looked over the birth certificate again before handing it back to him."

"You hold onto it," he told her pushing her hand back.

Folding it back up, she slipped it into her purse and smiled over at him before picking up the menu again. "I liked my surprise," she told him from behind her menu.

"Good," he told her looking over his own menu, "Because I have another surprise for you later…"

……………………………………

TBC…