Title: Club Descent: Stay

Author: Aeon Cole

Rating: FRM

Genre: AU, angst, hurt/comfort, romance

Warning: Slash, past abuse, non-con, rape

Fandom: CSI Miami

Pairing: Horatio/Speed

Challenge: Lover100

Table: table-c

Prompt: #87 Life

Word Count: 2030

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me and I am making no money from this.

Author's Note: This is NOT part of my H/Speed universe. This is my first AU. I have plans to turn this into a limited series.

Previous Chapters: The Meeting, Regrets, Choices, Let's Talk, Good News, Problems, Saturday, Help, Secrets, Home, Confessions, Courage, Whispers, Slave Play

Tim had fallen asleep in Horatio's arms but sleep did not come easily for Horatio himself. His mind, already so haunted with images from his own past, now carried the burden of Tim's enslavement. He pondered over that word but couldn't find a better one to describe what had happened. At the same time he had to marvel at Tim's resiliency given that he was able to go on with at least the façade of a normal life and a successful career even with the specter of Simon hanging over him for the past three years.

But he also realized what this meant. It meant that Tim had had to psychologically adapt himself to the abusive situation, to make it normal, or he wouldn't have been able to cope. It meant a certain amount of cognitive dissonance, it meant Stockholm Syndrome. It also meant that, even though he'd spent the past year fighting to regain control of his own life, Simon could still take hold of him again. Given the right circumstances, he would return to the abusive relationship. In fact, given the state that Tim was in when he'd found him Sunday morning, he was beginning to believe that Simon did not intend to kill him but instead take him back into his control. That was still his goal and always would be.

Horatio craned his neck around trying to see the clock on the far wall. It was four o'clock and he'd been sitting there in the same position for almost an hour. He was getting stiff and his foot was asleep. Carefully, he lifted Tim up enough to free his leg but not enough to wake him. He gently shifted him and laid him down on the sofa as he stood. Tim murmured in his sleep but settled back in quickly. Horatio stretched as he wandered over to the front window and looked out. He saw the patrol car that had been assigned to guard his residence. Simon was resourceful and the chief feared that he would find Horatio's eventually. He checked the keypad for his home security system before heading upstairs to change.

888

Eric stood in autopsy room staring at the young man they'd found the day before. He had the file open in front of him with the transcribed notes from his interview with Tim. He was comparing the boy's injuries to Tim's account of what had happened. They all matched. Alexx stepped up next to him.

"Eric?" she questioned. "What are you still doing here?"

Eric startled slightly. He hadn't heard her enter the room. "Hey Alexx," he said in a subdued tone.

She looked at him closely. "You okay baby?" she asked.

He sighed. "I don't know Alexx. I met Horatio's… friend today." He glanced over at her to gage her reaction. She just nodded. "You knew already, didn't you?"

"For as long as I've known Horatio," she answered.

Eric shook his head. "Why does that not surprise me," he said.

She did surprise him when she asked, "So what's he like?"

"You haven't met him yet?" he asked. She shook her head. "You do know what happened yesterday, right?"

"Calliegh told me, yes. Poor guy," she said. "Been so busy, I haven't had a chance to talk to Horatio yet."

"And you know about this case," he said pointing to the body on the slider. Eric took a breath. "The same man who did this also assaulted Horatio's friend." Alexx looked at him with a shocked expression. "He described to me in detail what happened to this kid."

He showed Alexx the pages of transcribed notes. She looked up at him after scanning the notes. "You think this happened to him, don't you?"

"I sat there and listened to him Alexx. He was describing something he'd experienced, I'm sure of it." After a pause he added, "Horatio looked like he was going to be sick."

She handed him back the papers and headed for the door. "You catch this monster, Eric. You hear me," she said as she walked.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To see Horatio," she replied as the door swung shut.

888

Horatio stared into the refrigerator. He knew he should be hungry, he had barely eaten anything in two days. But food didn't appeal to him at the moment. In fact, very little appealed to him at the moment. He slammed the door with a bit more force than he intended. He turned and startled when he saw Tim standing at the edge of the kitchen, staring at him. He froze. He didn't know why but he couldn't make himself move as Tim's eyes bore into him.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," Tim said.

Horatio stared at him, looking into haunted eyes. He shook his head as his voice had momentarily failed him. Finally he managed to say, "What?"

"We had it all planned out. Finish college, move down south somewhere, buy a house on the beach. We even talked about kids." It took Horatio a moment to realize that he was talking about Andrew. Tim's expression shifted and he turned his head away. "I should go. You shouldn't have to deal with this," he said and turned to leave.

Horatio immediately overcame his paralysis and in three long strides was standing in front of Tim. "Don't leave," he implored. "I don't have to deal with this, I want to."

He looked into Tim's eyes hoping he would see the truth in what he was saying. Tim's expression softened a bit. Horatio tentatively reached out a hand. Tim took it and Horatio pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. They stood that way for several minutes.

Finally Horatio pulled back and looked into Tim's eyes. "I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. I want you to stay here because you want to."

He was desperately hoping Tim would decide to stay. He couldn't bear the though of him going back to Simon. His relief was obvious when he saw Tim nod and he leaned in and took his mouth in a soft kiss. Slowly, Horatio became aware of a noise behind him and he broke the kiss. Someone was knocking at the front door. He took a moment to compose himself before walking to the door and looking out the spy hole. He smiled and disengaged the alarm system before opening the door to find Alexx standing on his front stoop. He stepped aside and let her in.

She turned to him and asked, "Horatio, are you okay? Eric told me what happened this afternoon."

He gave her his best attempt at a smile. "I'm fine Alexx," he said.

She looked at him critically. "Funny, you don't look fine," she said with her hands on her hips.

Not wanting to get into an argument with her he decided to change the subject. "Alexx," he said, directing her attention toward the other side of the room where Tim was standing. "This is Tim Speedle."

Alexx smiled in her best non-threatening, motherly way and walked over to him with her hand held out. Instinctively Tim took it. "Alexx Woods. It's a pleasure to meet you. Horatio's told me about you."

Tim shook her hand. He vaguely recalled Horatio mentioning that name and something about a mother hen. "Likewise," he said.

Horatio walked over to stand next to Tim. Alexx looked back and forth between the two men taking note of the fact that they both looked pale and Horatio's featured looked sunken. She asked, "Have either of you eaten lately?"

Tim shrugged and Horatio hedged. Alexx shook her head. She dropped her bag on the sofa, removed her jacket, and rolled up her sleeves. "Horatio, I swear," she muttered as she made her way to the kitchen. She began rifling through his refrigerator and pulling out various items. Horatio watched her for a moment and the only thought that ran through his mind was that he was glad that he'd gone food shopping the other day because he didn't want to think of what she would have done if his cupboards had been bare.

Tim leaned over close to Horatio's ear and whispered, "Is she always like this?" Horatio just nodded. Tim looked into the kitchen. "Can, um… can we help?" he asked tentatively.

Alexx held up a hand and said, "I work better alone. You boys relax."

Tim glanced over at Horatio who just said, "Better to do as she says."

Fifteen minutes later they were sitting on the sofa with Tim huddled protectively in Horatio's arms. The smell of the food cooking was beginning to make both men hungry. Alexx walked out of the kitchen and stood in front of the sofa. Horatio could tell that she was now in full mother mode.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes," she said. "And I expect both of you to eat."

Horatio tried to hide his amusement as he said, "Yes, ma'am."

Tim moved to sit up and winced slightly as he did so. Alexx immediately descended on him. "Have you been checked out by a doctor yet?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Just bruised."

Alexx rolled her eyes. "What is it with you men and doctors?" She gestured to Tim. "Sit forward and take your shirt off. Let me check you out."

Tim turned to Horatio, looking for some help. "I did mention that she's a doctor, didn't I?" Horatio said.

"Horatio?" He really didn't want to do this.

"Come on, what harm can it do? Besides, it'll make me feel better to know there really is nothing seriously wrong," Horatio replied.

Tim knew he was outnumbered. "Fine," he grumbled. He removed his shirt with only minor difficulty and sat forward on the sofa.

Alexx hid her initial shock at seeing all of the bruises on his body as she set to examining him. She checked his range of motion and for any abdominal tenderness that might signify internal bleeding. Then she placed a hand on either side of his ribcage and told him to take a deep breath, which he was able to do without difficulty.

Finally convinced that he wasn't bleeding internally and that he didn't have any fractured ribs, she said, "Okay, you do appear to just be bruised."

"See, I told you," Tim muttered as he put his shirt back on.

Somehow he couldn't be mad at either of them as they were really just looking out for him. But he could sulk for a bit. Horatio held out his arms and Tim curled into his embrace for some comforting. He knew he was acting like a little kid but he really didn't care. It felt good to have Horatio hold him.

Alexx heard the kitchen timer sound and went to check on dinner. Satisfied that everything was ready, she called back to the living room. "Come on boys, dinner's ready." Apparently they were too slow in responding for her liking so she added, "Despite what the songs say, you can't live on lovin'. So get your butts in here." She heard Horatio chuckle as they walked into the kitchen.

They ate in relative silence. Tim hadn't realized just how hungry he was until he started eating. By the time they finished both men were feeling much better and Horatio noticed that the slight headache he'd been sporting all day had ceased to be a problem.

"Thanks, Alexx," he said. "That was wonderful, as usual."

Tim glanced at him. "She does this for you often?" he asked.

Alexx answered, "Every time he gets so wrapped up in work that he forgets to eat. Which is often."

Tim smirked. "I guess that makes two of us now," he said.

Alexx cast her eyes heavenward. "Lord help me," she said.

"Don't worry. I come with my own mother hen," Tim said as his cell phone rang.

He answered it without looking at the caller ID and was greeted by, "Tim, what the fuck is going on?! I'm standing outside your apartment and there's cops everywhere."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Fuck, Jess. I totally forgot to call you."

TBC