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: Horatio Caine, Calleigh Duquesne

Warnings: none

Rating: PG

Chapter: 10 "Favorite Things"

Author's Notes: This is the final chapter of "Love's Burden", though there will eventually be another story in this series…though this series still needs a name…I suppose I shall just have to contemplate it! So, the story doesn't end here ;)

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The happiness of his girls in California had been accomplished, and Horatio smiled as he looked over the proof of it. On the last day, they had bumped into a photographer who had given them a plastic card that they were able to use all day at any photographer in the parks that uploaded the photos online. And now…he was finally looking over those that had been taken. They had come out exceptionally wonderfully… It had captured more than just their trip, and his happy girls…it had also captured their engagement. Madison had informed one of the photographers when they were at the castle and she just had to get in photos of him and Calleigh and the ring. His favorite picture by far was of his girls in tiaras outside Cinderella's castle. Sheryl was sitting on the ledge while Calleigh stood, and Madison was between the two of them. He wasn't sure if it was the happiness in the picture of the fact that it looked just like a family. Emma was in other pictures and Horatio had picked his favorites of those as well…and had already started to go through and order which ones he wanted sent to the house.

"What're up to, Handsome?" Calleigh asked as she leaned from her chair to look at the laptop screen. They were in the airport waiting, and though it was getting close to boarding at LAX, it wasn't quite time for the pre-boarding since they had Emma. Madison and Sheryl were down a couple seats from them talking and talking about a book on pirates that had been bought at the park. Emma was in her stroller in front of them sleeping soundly in the noisy airport.

Bringing up the thumbnails in the album, he started with the first one before showing Calleigh all the pictures, "Reviewing yesterday," Horatio admitted with a smile as he reached out and took her hand in his. He watched as she smiled just like he had… He loved to see that they were all finally settling in…and the stress and worry was gone… He felt better even, he didn't feel the need to go back to Miami and find Suzie. Madison was happy with them, and had easily slipped in as an addition to their family. Moving his hand from hers to her back, he pulled her closer before placing a kiss on her forehead, "I love you."

"Love you more."

((Pre-boarding call for flight to Tacoma, Washington. Please proceed to the gate. All other parties for this flight, we will begin boarding shortly.))

"That's us!" Sheryl announced as she and Madison bounded back over to where the stroller was.

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The cool air kissed her face as she sat on the steps of their cabin. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself, and stared out at the pine trees all around them. It definitely wasn't Miami…or New Orleans…but it was beautiful and peaceful. Calleigh loved it there easily… The city wasn't something that she felt she needed, she had everything she needed in the cabin. Her family was there, and that was really all that she needed… Emma was already asleep and Sheryl and Madison had been settling in before she had gone outside. Horatio had been checking to make sure that everything seemed in place, but had promised to join her outside soon.

The sound of the wooden door closing alerting her to Horatio's presence, she could feel his weight as he settled down behind her, his legs on either side of her and his arms snaking around her waist. A kiss was pressed to the side of her head before his chin rested on her shoulder. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Like heaven," he whispered. "It feels perfect…" He pulled her as close as he could and smiled. He loved being able to have her close like that without her feeling uncomfortable. Their plans for the future seemed to be falling perfectly in place and Horatio couldn't think of how he could change anything more for the better. He and Calleigh were engaged…and his daughter was healthy. Although his niece's family situation wasn't great, he was happy that she was with them and doing quite well. And Sheryl…as always…was Sheryl.

Calleigh turned around a bit awkwardly in his arms and kneeled on the steps instead of sitting. "Horatio, have you thought about when you want to get married?" She knew that it was something that usually was left off for a while before discussing it, but she felt like it would just help their lives if they set plans in motion. Plus, it meant that she'd need to start planning things, and she had never planned a wedding before.

"Anytime sounds perfect to me."

She smiled and let her head fall into the crook of his neck, "I suppose…we'll have to decide on what kind of weddin' we want…"

"I prefer small and simple, but that's just me," Horatio told her. Of course, the last wedding he had been had been to Marisol and it had been at city hall. He expected that Calleigh would actually want to have more of a tradition ceremony, which would be nice… He and Marisol had done their wedding like that because that was the only way they'd be married…neither had the time for anything more. But now, Horatio was committed to his family, and he was determined to make life beautiful for Calleigh…and that included the wedding she wanted.

"Small and simple sound nice," she whispered as she closed her eyes. "Family and friends? Nothin' insane…no cousins' cousins' grandkids or any obscure family members. I want us to know who every person is at our weddin'." Of course, she wasn't sure how well that would work with her family. Her father was easily accessed in Miami, but her mother and brothers were in Louisiana, and she wasn't sure if everyone would be able to play nicely together for her big day.

"There's always eloping," he teased.

Laughing lightly, Calleigh breathed into his bare skin, "Temptin'."

"I'm only kidding…" he amended. "I want you to have whatever you want for this wedding… And whenever we can get things together to have the wedding, sounds like the perfect time to me."

"I need Madison," Calleigh told him as she pulled back to look at him, "I think she'd make a lovely junior bridesmaid."

He smiled and kissed her lightly, "Who's going to be the flower girl?"

"Emma?"

As if on cue, cries from the house made it to their ears. He sighed, "I'll go check on her." He was enjoying their moment out there and hated to let it go, but also wanted to make sure his baby girl was alright.

"No, we can both go. It's pretty chilly out here…" Calleigh told him returning his kiss quickly as her eyes twinkled before she got to her feet. She gripped the edges of the blanket tighter as she made sure she had it up off the group before heading up the stairs with him and into the cabin.

The cabin was a two bedroom, and like at the hotel they shared their room with Emma. Emma had woken up upset, probably because no one was there and it was dark…and refused to go back to sleep in her crib. So, instead, Calleigh and Horatio took her to bed with them. The toddler rested between them, but slowly made her way so that she was laying her on father's chest with her thumb in her mouth.

"I think she just wanted her daddy," Calleigh commented with a smile through the dark. She had an idea it could be from the teething combined with the fact that they'd left her in a room alone. "I love you," she told Horatio as she leaned in and kissed him deeply for a minute before placing a quick kiss on Emma's forehead.

"Love you," Horatio responded.

"Lobe Dada," Emma whispered in the dark.

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The End