Title: Love's Burden

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

Summary: Sequel to "Two Lives". When Horatio finally feels safe and comfortable with his family, an old burden is thrust back to him shaking the world he had so carefully kept whole.

Category: Ship Ahoy! Calleigh/Horatio

Genres: Angst, Drama, Established Relationship, Romance

Characters: Calleigh Duquesne, Horatio Caine, Madison Keaton (Other)

Warnings: none

Rating: PG

Chapter: 2 "A Twist in the Family"

Author's Notes: none

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Calleigh smiled as she walked back into the Crime Lab, she had been out all day. She hadn't even bothered to check with the front desk originally, being snagged by Frank to go out on a scene. Eric met them there and they actually managed to put the pieces together quite nicely and quickly. Frank had taken them both out to lunch, and she had finally gotten around to making it all the way up to the front desk to check for messages. "Hey," she greeted the desk sergeant, "Do I happen to have any messages?" she asked. Any message there would most likely be from someone who didn't have access to her cell phone and wasn't too important, but she still liked to check.

"Ma'am," the sergeant said quietly. "There's a girl who said she's Lieutenant Caine's niece. She's been here since before I came on duty… I tried reaching the lieutenant, but I haven't managed to get through to him. I was wondering if you could try?"

Their relationship wasn't a secret anymore, and Calleigh simply nodded. "Where is she?" She turned in the direction that the sergeant pointed out. On a small chair behind her against the wall was sitting a girl no older than ten. Calleigh studied her for a minute. The girl had on a light blue t-shirt with a design on it, jeans, and scuffed tennis shoes. Her hair, though, was something that concerned Calleigh more…it matched Horatio's without a doubt. She thanked the desk sergeant and then approached the girl. Was the girl really Horatio's niece or his daughter? As far as she knew, Ray Jr. was the only child Raymond Caine ever had…

She gave the girl a smile before introducing herself, "Hi there, my name's Calleigh. I was told that you're looking for Horatio?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"You're his niece?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And where's your mother?" Calleigh asked trying to assess the situation before she tried calling Horatio. She wasn't sure how Horatio could manage to hide a child from her though. That would have been tricky given their close living arrangements over the last couple of months, but it still made her worry.

"She left."

Calleigh frowned, she wasn't getting anywhere fast with the girl. "How about we go to Horatio's office and call him from there?" she offered. When she merely received a nod, she held out her hand for the child. To her surprise, the girl pulled out a backpack from underneath the chair before taking her hand. Wherever the mother was, she had certainly intended for leaving the child before for at least a short period of time.

As they walked, Calleigh couldn't help but think about if she'd missed clues. If over the past several years she'd worked with him, if she'd missed him having a child… Horatio had always been great with kids, but he didn't have any pictures of any, but Ray Jr. as far as she knew… A mixture of jealousy and worry pitted against each other in her stomach as they entered his office and she motioned to the extra chair for the girl. She was thinking about Emma and how she and her daughter had been Horatio's only concern and how they'd worked so hard to get where they were now… What if this was his daughter? Would that destroy everything they had worked on? Did Horatio love this girl's mother? Was it Ray's daughter? Was she some other relative? She shook her head when she was just confusing herself more and more.

Opening her cell phone, she dialed Horatio's number and waited here. He picked up on the second ring, and Calleigh wondered if it was only because she was calling and he had a feeling it could be urgent. "Hey… I uh…have a girl here…your niece? Dispatch has been trying to get a hold of you for—" Calleigh hadn't even managed to finish when Horatio had told her that he'd be there in ten minutes. Obviously he knew who she was talking about… That had been the briefest he'd been with her on the phone in a long time, and it bothered her.

Looking over at the quiet girl, Calleigh forced a smile. "He'll be here soon."

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Ten minutes later, Horatio was hurrying through the Crime Lab to his office where he found Calleigh in his chair and his niece opposite her. He didn't even say anything to Calleigh. He dropped down to one knee and put his attention immediately to his niece. "Hey Madison… What are you doing here? Where's your mom?" Horatio asked and then looked over at Calleigh, suddenly re-aware of her presence in the room. "Would you mind waiting for me outside for a minute?"

Calleigh stared at him for a minute absorbing his words. He wanted her to leave. He wanted to talk to his niece alone… She didn't remember the last time he had so blatantly pushed her away. "Alright," she whispered hurt, and got up and left the office. She heard the door close behind her as she stood with her back to his office. She knew that she could watch if she wanted to…his office was glass…but she knew he'd just be talking to her. Horatio would smile and be gentle and kind and she didn't know what they were saying. Was he hiding something from her? Was he trying to find out what Madison had told her? Did he just not want her to know anything about his niece?

After a couple minutes, she was joined by Horatio, and Calleigh just crossed her arms in response. She felt like she needed to react in some way. She felt like she needed to protect herself from this new invasion in their lives. "Is she your daughter?" she asked quietly, her voice breaking a bit on the last word. It had been hard to get out, but Calleigh needed to know and she wasn't going to beat around the bush for the answers.

He smiled in response and shook his head. He looked downward, but then cast his glance back up to her eyes. "No. She's not my daughter. She's my niece."

"Why is that funny?" she asked a bit uneasy by how amused he seemed.

"Yelina assumed Madison was several years ago, I guess I just appreciate you asking… She's Ray's daughter… Her mother has had problems with meth in the past, I believe that she's back to using and that's why she's brought Madison here…"

His face had turned serious and Calleigh nodded, "Did she meet him while he was undercover?" Raymond Caine's 'death' had been something that many in the department were aware of…especially those had been in it at the time. He had been labeled a 'dirty cop' and drug usage was assumed given the undercover job he had been assigned. She watched Horatio as he nodded in confirmation. "She brought Madison here for you to care for?"

"I believe so." He sighed and looked down before looking back up at Calleigh, "I should look for Suzie…see if I can get her to come back… She stayed clean for four years…she did it for Madison…she can do it again."

Calleigh frowned, and realized that now it was her turn to try and help Horatio. He had done so much for her…he took such wonderful care of her and Emma, and now it was her turn to be able to do something for him. "Madison can stay with us, Horatio… We have room," Calleigh told him, she wasn't sure if finding the girl's mother was going to help. If she was an addict, then the best they could do was to take care of Madison. "She can have my room… I really don't use it anymore."

Horatio let out a sigh and put his hands on his hips looking downward again. He had purposefully insisted that Calleigh keep her room, so that that would always be her place in the house. He wanted her to have her own space… "That room is supposed to be your own sanctuary…for you to go to if you need that space…"

"I want Madison to use it," Calleigh told him. She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, "Darlin', I promise you I'm fine… We're both doing better, remember?"

"And Emma, too?" he asked smiling as he looked up at Calleigh. He asked her a lot if Emma was too, and it always got them both to smile.

She laughed, "And Emma, too." Calleigh ran her hand up and down his arm, "Madison's family, too. We can't just abandon her. She needs a real family; she needs someone who's not going to abandon her to go do drugs." Sure, having another child around the house might be hard, but Calleigh was sure she'd figure out how to make things work with Madison, if only for Horatio. "I promise things will be alright," Calleigh tried to assure with a smile.

Though it wasn't the perfect situation, Horatio appreciated Calleigh offering up her space and wanting to help Madison. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Marriage was something they had been discussing, and Calleigh saw no reason for her to have a separate bedroom that she never used if they were ready for the next step. "Thank you," she smiled and leaned forward. Her lips found his, but not for long. She remembered others could see them and that Madison was still in the office.

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TBC…