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Three days had passed since the accident; Roger was home again, or rather with Ryan and Horatio since his own apartment was still being renovated. Charles was still in a coma and Melinda had still not let Ryan see him. Things were also tense between Ryan and Horatio; the older man thought it was because Ryan was trying to deal with not being able to see Charles, but Ryan knew that he was the one making things tense because he couldn't understand why he was wondering if Horatio had deliberately helped Charles last at the crash site. He wondered why he even considering that Stetler was right in accusing Horatio of doing so. Eric and Ryan hadn't spoken in three days and so far they hadn't had a case together so it had been easy to avoid one another.

However, this morning they were paired together on an attempted murder case. Ryan was the last to arrive at the scene and Eric greeted him with a nod.

"So, um, what's the case about?" Ryan asked.

"Sandra Kay came home and found an intruder in her kitchen, he stabbed her once but she managed to knock him out with a frying pan." Eric said, the tone of his voice clearly showing that he was not to keen on talking with Ryan, "When the police got here the intruder was gone. Sandra is at the hospital but she'll will recover completely."

"Is that the intruder's or hers blood?" Ryan asked and pointed at the pool of blood that Eric was swabbing.

"The intruder's; he's a male based on Sandra's statement. He was lying right here before he apparently woke up and left." Eric said, "He must have got a gash in his head from when Sandra hit him."

Ryan nodded and started processing the back porch door; there was clear evidence that the house had been broken into that way. Eric and Ryan said nothing to each other and when Eric had collected a lot of evidence and he stood up and walked towards the front door.

"I'm going back to the lab." He called out and disappeared.

Ryan sighed. He felt like a fool. If it had been the other way around Horatio would have never doubted Ryan's intentions, so why did Ryan doubt his? He couldn't figure it out. And he couldn't talk about it with Horatio either because he knew how much it would hurt his lover.

"What's wrong with me?" Ryan whispered and then continued processing the house.

-I-

Once again Rick Stetler and Horatio were gathered in an interrogation room. Only this time Rick wasn't going to interrogate Horatio, but rather let him know what IAB's investigation had resulted in. If Rick had hoped that he would be able to bring Horatio down with this investigation then Horatio understood why he looked rather unhappy; he had failed.

"I interviewed Charles Wolfe's doctor and he says that there was no way you could have known that Charles's brain was swelling." Rick said, without looking at the redhead, "He said that it could have been signs of a concussion as well and that even trained medical personnel didn't think to check for brain swelling."

"So I am innocent then?" Horatio asked.

"Yes. The investigation has been closed."

Horatio stood up to leave, but Rick saying his name made him turn around and look at the other man.

"Off the record, did you deliberately help Roger first?" Rick asked.

"No, I would never do that." Horatio said, "I can understand how my decision can be questioned after the accident, but at the moment when I arrived I had to make a decision and my decision seemed like the best. Afterwards it might not have been, but my decision was not wrong either. It all comes down to if you chose to prioritize an unconscious or conscious man."

Horatio opened the door and left. He felt relieved that IAB was finally off his back. Maybe now things would get better between him and Ryan as well and Melinda would let Ryan visit Charles. He went to his office and it didn't take long before his second in command joined him.

"How did it go?" Calleigh asked, "If Stetler is taking this further I am-"

"He's not." Horatio smiled, interrupting his rambling friend, "The investigation was dropped."

Calleigh sighed in relief and sunk down in the guest chair. No one in the lab had believed that Horatio had done anything wrong. They knew that he would never do anything like that. Calleigh could honestly say that had she been the one to show up at the crash site she would have probably done the opposite and helped Charles first; but neither way was more right than the other. After all Calleigh might have needed Charles's help to move Roger since she wasn't as strong as Horatio.

"Do you know what is going on between Eric and Ryan?" Calleigh asked.

Eric, her sweet boyfriend, had only told her that he and Ryan had had a disagreement two days ago. He hadn't told her any details, but it was clear to everyone that they were fighting; they avoided each other and Eric kept glaring the younger man.

By the surprised look Horatio gave her Calleigh understood that he had no idea about it. She didn't blame him; he had been busy with IAB and the lab had been swamped with cases the last week.

"They're fighting?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah and Eric won't tell me why." Calleigh said.

"I must have missed that, sorry."

"No need to apologize. I was just wondering if Ryan had told you anything."

"No, we um, it's been a bit tense between us lately, but I thought it was because Melinda won't let Ryan see Charles." Horatio said.

"She what?" Calleigh exclaimed, "What is she thinking?"

"She's not. Ryan seems to think that Charles has brainwashed her and I'm sure that he has to some degree. Melinda is not the kind of woman that stands up for herself very easily and it's not hard for Charles to influence her." Horatio said.

"And they've been together for so long that she probably hasn't even noticed that he's changed her." Calleigh said.

"Exactly."

"Have you tried talking to Melinda?" Calleigh asked.

"I can't. If I come near her she just tells me I'm a murderer." Horatio sighed.

Calleigh shook her head sadly. She updated Horatio about her latest case and then left him alone in his office. Horatio tried to focus on work, but found that he couldn't do it. Not when he knew that Ryan and Eric were fighting; so he decided to ask them about it. He left his office and went to the fingerprint lab where he was sure that Ryan and Eric were in. When he got there he heard some things he had not expected to hear.

-I-

During the twenty minutes that Eric and Ryan had been in the fingerprint lab they hadn't said a word to each other. Ryan could feel how angry Eric was at him, but he knew that they needed to talk it out.

"I don't know why I doubt Horatio." Ryan said suddenly.

"I do." Eric said.

"Why do I do it then?"

"You doubt your own ability to make the right choice." Eric said, "You let your father inside your head and then you start doubting the one man that loves you more than he loves himself."

Ryan frowned, maybe Eric was right. It had after all been impossible for Ryan not to be exposed to Charles's homophobia during his childhood years and his sometimes other extreme opinions. Sometimes Ryan had even been afraid of his own father.

"You want to make things right and you want to understand how things could go so wrong so suddenly." Eric said, "And you doubt Horatio's intentions because Stetler made some good arguments and because of something your mom said."

Ryan had told Eric about his fight with his mother and how she had told him that one day Horatio would leave him for someone younger.

"Stetler was right though. Dad and Horatio don't like each other and it would have been so easy to help Roger first and Charles last. You can't deny that Horatio's over protectiveness gives him a motive to in some way save me from Charles by helping him last and thereby contributing to his brain swelling."

"Listen to yourself Ryan!" Eric growled, "That is Charles speaking, not you. There was no right or wrong at the crash site; only two alternative ways to help and Horatio chose the first that came to his mind. Isn't the most important thing that he got them both out alive?"

"Yes, of course." Ryan sighed.

"So what's the problem?" Eric asked, "Ryan, don't let your father's homophobia influence you. You know that H did the right thing."

When Ryan didn't answer Eric growled at him and left. Horatio had already left after hearing too much for his liking. Ryan felt tears threatening to fall as he wondered how he could be so evil as to doubt his lover. Horatio would do anything for Ryan, but he wouldn't let Charles end up in a coma if he could prevent it. Ryan hated himself for doubting the redhead.

-I-

When Ryan came home that evening he found Kyle in the kitchen, but to his surprise his lover didn't come to greet him or even call out for him like he usually did. Kyle was eating a bowl of cereal and looked confused at the older man.

"Hi." Ryan said, "Where are Horatio and Roger?"

"Roger is upstairs sleeping. Dad is on the beach." Kyle said, "He just came straight home and went out to there. He didn't even say anything, but he looked kind of sad."

"And he didn't say why?"

"No; did you two have a fight?"

"No." Ryan said and frowned, trying to figure out what could have gotten his lover upset.

"Well, whatever it is it got him pretty upset. You should go talk to him." Kyle said.

"I will." Ryan said.

He walked through the house, to the back porch and then to the beach. He saw his lover sitting in his black suit close to the ocean. Ryan panicked when he realized that Horatio had been to see Stetler earlier that day; maybe he had been fired or suspended. But if he had, why hadn't the older man told him?

Ryan sat down next to Horatio and wrapped his arms around his lover.

"I heard you and Eric today." Horatio said.

Ryan released his grip of the redhead and sat up straight. He saw the hurt in Horatio's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Ryan whispered.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't tell you that I doubted you."

"Yes, you could have. I could have set you straight." Horatio sighed, "We could have talked about it."

"How could I hurt you like that? I'm an idiot for doubting you." Ryan said.

"It hurts me more to know that you tried to hide it from me." Horatio said, "This explains why you've been so tense lately."

"Yeah."

"Ryan, of course it hurts me to know that you thought I would actually let your father end up in a coma. But if you had told me about your doubts we got have worked it out." Horatio said.

"Are you angry?"

"No, I'm disappointed. I didn't really think you would ever doubt me." Horatio said sadly.

"I'm sorry."

"But then I heard what Eric said and it all makes sense." Horatio said, "Even if you don't realize it you have been influenced by Charles, although you've tried so hard not to be."

"I don't want to be like him." Ryan whispered.

"You're not and you never will be." Horatio said and wrapped his arms around Ryan, "But he has influenced you when you grew up and it's only natural for you to have doubts sometimes. I just don't want you to keep it from me."

Ryan nodded and gave Horatio a deep, passionate kiss. Ryan let the tears he had been holding since the lab fall. Horatio had such patience with him and understanding that Ryan sometimes felt that he didn't deserve the other man's love.

"I will never hide anything from you again." Ryan said.

"Good." Horatio smiled, "I can understand that you doubted me; Stetler made some good arguments, but together we could have overcome those doubts."

"I know that now."

"Remember it in the future too, love." Horatio smiled and gave Ryan a kiss.

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