Title: Past and Present - Part 6
Author: Aeon Cole
Beta: posting this as I write it so no beta, all mistakes are my own
Rating: FRT
Warning: Slash
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Pairing: Horatio/Speed
Series: Friends and Family
Challenge: 20 Established Relationships
Prompt: #4 Past times
Word Count: 2060
Summary: Horatio and Tim get ready to celebrate their second anniversary as they investigate a murder at Michael's apartment complex. But not everything turns out the way they hope when Michael becomes ill.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
ooo
Friday, July 18, 2003 Evening
Michael was in the living room when the house phone rang. "Can you grab that, dad?" Tim yelled from the kitchen.
"Sure," Michael yelled back. He picked up the phone and said, "Hello."
A deep, slightly hoarse voice with a distinctive accent replied, "May I speak with Michael Speedle?"
Michael froze and for a moment there was silence. He glanced to the living room doorway before he asked, "Tony? Is that you?"
The man at the other end laughed. "Michael, my old friend. It's been too long."
Michael hesitated just slightly before saying, "Yes, it has been." He sat down on the sofa keeping an eye on the door for Tim. "To what do I owe the pleasure, T?"
Tony sighed melodramatically. "You know of my troubles, Michael."
"I know some. I'm sure I don't know it all, Tony," Michael replied.
"Do you remember when we were all kids, Michael? When everything was new and we had our whole lives ahead of us?" the don asked.
Michael couldn't help smiling. "We had some good times," he said.
"It's a different world now, isn't it Michael? People have changed, the old ways are dead and buried," he said. "Loyalty, family, they don't mean anything anymore."
Michael felt a small shiver run through him at the old man's words. "What makes you say that, T?" By using the mob boss's childhood nickname he was hoping to put him at ease and at the same time hide his own nervousness.
"Ah, Michael. You can't fool me, old friend. I know you know about Terrance," he said.
"Only after the fact," Michael responded quickly.
The don chuckled. "I know, I know. But I also know that the feds were using him to spy on you as well as me, once they found out who you were."
"Me? I was no one. A punk kid who ran numbers and errands for your father. What could Terry possibly tell them about me that isn't sixty years out of date?" Michael asked. "Besides, I didn't even know who he was until the other day. I only ever talked about my family, and my health."
"Yes, Michael, I know. It may be your family that they are interested in. In particular your son and his…lifestyle. Besides doesn't it bother you just a little that Terrance knew who you were yet didn't reveal himself to you? Doesn't that make you think?" Michael had to admit that that part of this whole thing bothered him more than anything else. "I can tell by your silence that you have thought about this."
Michael sighed. He was starting to get a twinge behind his eyes again. "I have to admit that's true. And it does bother me a bit. But truth be told, T, I'm not going to be around much longer to worry about it. I want to be around for my son's anniversary. I'm trying to keep things together until then. But I don't feel well and I know my time is limited. I'm upset with Terry, yeah, but there's not much I can do about it. I won't be around long enough for the feds to do anything to me. I told them as much. And as for my son, he's more than capable of taking care of himself."
"I understand. I've been keeping an eye on him and I can see that this Horatio Caine fellow he's involved with is very capable as well."
"What do you mean by you've been keeping an eye on him?" Michael asked with sudden concern.
"Don't worry, Michael. I don't forget about family. And you were always like family to me. I understand why you wanted to keep your distance after he was born. This is no life for a young person to live anymore. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to abandon my loyalties, Michael."
"Tony, please tell me you didn't pull any strings for him behind the scenes anywhere along the line."
The old man laughed. "I never needed to, Michael. As you said, he's very capable of taking care of himself."
Michael let out a sigh of relief. The last thing he wanted was for his own past to come back and jeopardize Tim's career.
"We're both old men now, Michael," Tony said with a sigh. "I'd like to forget about my troubles for a while. Maybe we could spend a few minutes, one last time, entertaining each other one last time with some old memories."
Michael heard the front door open and a moment later Horatio poked his head into the room. He smiled at Michael and waived then left the room in search of Tim. He walked into the kitchen and found Tim peeling shrimp. He gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Who's your dad on the phone with?" he asked.
Tim raised an eyebrow. "No idea," he answered.
Horatio shrugged. "Need any help?" he asked.
Tim said, "Sure."
"What are you making?" Horatio asked as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Shrimp fettuccini. My dad's idea." Tim glanced back toward the kitchen doorway. "Though he was supposed to help me."
Horatio chuckled. "It sounded like he was talking to an old friend. So what do you need me to do?"
"How about you make a salad. That will save me some time," Tim said.
"Good idea. I can't mess that up too much," Horatio replied as he started pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator.
A few minutes later Michael wandered into the kitchen. "Hey, dad. Who was on the phone?"
Michael was silent for a moment while he debated whether or not to tell them the truth. He decided against it for the moment. They both looked happy and he didn't want to spoil the mood. "Just a friend from New York checking up on me," he said.
Tim nodded. "You want to help with dinner?" he asked.
"Sure, but I think I need to sit down. My legs aren't working to well right now," Michael answered.
"Why don't you go relax," Horatio suggested. "We can manage this."
"I'm ok," Michael said, knowing it wasn't really true. "I'll just sit here at the table."
"Are you sure, dad? Don't feel like you have to keep us company if you're not feeling well," Tim said with concern.
Michael chuckled. "You boys trying to get rid of me?"
"Of course not," Tim said. He remained silent for a few minute while he worked on preparing the food before he asked, "Dad, can I ask you something?"
The old man smirked. He was waiting for this. "Can't stop you from askin'," he said.
Tim chuckled. "Fair enough. How in the world did you end up working for Big Tony Maldonado?"
"I knew that was coming," Michael said.
"Come on. You can't blame me for being curious," Tim replied.
Horatio finished what he was doing and placed the salad in the refrigerator. He took a seat at the table across from Michael. "Or me," he added.
Michael addressed himself primarily to Horatio as Tim was facing the stove, though he was listening. "My father was drafted into the army in 1942. We never had a lot before he went overseas. My mother went to work in a factory, which left me on my own most of the time, not always the best thing for a thirteen year old.
I would hang out with the other boys after school. Sometimes we'd end up going across the river to hang out on the boardwalk. That's where I met Tony, the younger one. We started hanging out. His father had a huge house and things I could only dream about. He offered me some work after school and I took it. He only ever had one condition, I had to stay in school and make good grades. If I didn't, I'd be out on the street again. He made sure I saved some of the money so I could go to college."
"What do you think would have happened to you if you hadn't met up with these people?" Horatio asked.
Michael shrugged. "The path I was on, if I'd met up with the New York boys first, they'd have sucked me right into their organization. I saw it happen to a few of my friends."
Tim chuckled. "So you actually have a Mafia boss to thank for the fact that you didn't end up a criminal. That's classic."
One side of Michael's mouth quirked up. "I suppose you're right. But I did get arrested a couple of times before it was all over. You're grandfather never let me live that down. He was upset that I got my money for college from illegal activities instead of honest work. But the truth is, I'd never have been able to go to cooking school if I'd had to work a regular job. There just weren't enough hours in the day for both."
"Do you ever regret it?" Horatio asked.
"Sometimes, but not much. I'd be a very different person today, I can tell you that. I wouldn't have met Ary and I wouldn't have Tim. Which I suppose also means you wouldn't have Tim."
"Hmm, good point," Horatio replied glancing over at his lover. "I can't really argue with that logic."
Tim took the sauce off the stove and started dishing out dinner. "I agree," he said. "So one more question, dad. What time do the festivities start tomorrow?" he asked with a smirk. Michael just looked at him. "Oh, come on. I'm not going to spoil mom's surprise. I'm just curious."
"Well that depends, do you two have to work tomorrow?" Michael asked.
Horatio answered, "Nope. The Terrance Cleveland case has been taken away from us. Conflict of interest so the feds took it over. They'll work with the rest of the team."
"Sorry boys, that's my fault," Michael said.
Tim placed a plate of food in front of his father then took the salad out of the refrigerator. "Don't worry about that," he said. "It's for the best. Horatio doesn't need to piss off any more mob types," he added as he kissed the redheads cheek.
Michael raised an eyebrow. Horatio shrugged. "Comes with the job."
"I think I'd rather not know about that," Michael said. Tim glanced at him. "So I'm supposed to keep you two busy until Ary calls. Probably be around one or so." He glanced around the room. "By the way, where's Oscar? He doesn't usually miss a mealtime like this."
"He over by the sliding glass doors staring out into the yard. Cloe's out there playing. He didn't seem to want to go out with her though," Horatio answered.
"Well, the woman at the pound said he was a house cat, didn't much like being outside," Michael said.
ooo
Cloe stood by the fence looking back at the house. She could just make out Oscar's form at the door. "Who's that?" the cat on the other side of the fence asked.
"My humans brought him home yesterday, along with his human. I think they live with us now," Cloe answered.
"Why doesn't he come outside and play?"
"Because, he's a house cat," Cloe said trying to mimic Oscar's voice. "He doesn't do outside."
"Maybe you could show him?"
"Doubt it. He's old. Doesn't much feel like changing his ways. Suits me fine. Outside is my place, not his."
"Give him some time to settle in. He'll come around."
"I guess," Cloe replied then wandered off toward the house.
She stopped for a moment to roll in the grass before heading inside. She pushed past Oscar and made her way to the kitchen and her food dish. Oscar followed and came up behind her, sniffing her.
"Do you mind? I'm trying to eat," she griped.
"Sorry kid. Just never smelled this before."
"It's grass. Now leave me alone and let me eat."
ooo
Michael heard meowing and put his hand down. "Come here Oscar. Leave Cloe alone." Oscar rubbed his head against Michael's hand then curled up at his feet. "I hope they're going to be ok together," Michael said.
"They'll be fine, dad. Besides, it's just for a little while," Tim said. "You should be able to go home soon."
Michael nodded and exchanged a glance with Horatio.
TBC