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He was walking down the beach as his four legged friend came running towards with him a stick in her mouth. She let go of the stick right at his feet and he threw it away again. Horatio smiled and chuckled and Cassie happily wagged her tail and came back with the stick once again.
"How you can love something like this I don't understand, but if it makes you happy I will throw it I guess." Horatio grinned and threw the stick once more.
It had been two months since the attack from Patrick Yates and he had healed; as had Ryan and Kyle. Horatio had been on sick leave for a while and probably been a pain in the ass towards his lover and son, but he had been back at work for a few weeks now and was his usual happy self.
Maybe even more so today since Calleigh and Eric were in the hospital. They were awaiting the birth of their child; three weeks early, but still close enough to the due for it to be safe.
"Cassie!" Horatio called.
The golden retriever came running toward him; this time without the stick (she must have decided it wasn't fun anymore). Horatio sat down in the sand and Cassie slumped down next to him, leaning against his body. Horatio sighed and scratched his dog's head.
"It should be illegal to be awake at this hour." A voice said.
Horatio smiled and glanced back at his lover as the young man approached him. A quilt wrapped around him and sleepy eyes.
"Then by all means arrest me officer Wolfe." Horatio grinned.
Ryan snorted and sat down next to his older lover. He put his head on Horatio's shoulder and shuddered as the cold morning breeze ruffled his hair.
"We have to get up in three hours and help my mom move to her new place." Ryan mumbled.
"We're already awake."
"You might be, but I'm not. This is how I sleep walk on the weekends." Ryan yawned.
Horatio chuckled. Ryan's mother and he had bonded quite well over the last two months. Melinda was in the process of divorcing Ryan's father, although she hadn't signed any papers yet, since deep inside she was still hoping for Charles to come around and change.
"You know, I never thought I'd say this but I'm looking forward to seeing mom." Ryan said, "She's really changed; she happier and I never knew that woman could bake such good cookies."
"Oh, so that's why you are helping her move today; you want cookies." Horatio teased.
"Hey! I'm helping because... uh... well, yeah I want cookies and she's an old woman."
"Don't let her hear you say that she'll have your head on a plate."
Ryan grinned and leaned forward to give his lover a kiss. Horatio pulled him closer and soon Ryan found himself on his back in the sand, the cold breeze forgotten and Cassie looking at the two men as if they were crazy for going at it again; and on the beach no less.
Horatio grinded against the younger man and Ryan gasped when he felt the redhead's hard arousal press into his own hardening length.
"Uh god, I am so glad we have this beach for ourselves." Ryan moaned.
"Yes, imagine the shock our neighbors would have gotten if they had seen us now."
Horatio kissed Ryan again and as he slid his tongue inside the younger man's mouth, his hands tugged his pants down and he wrapped a hand around Ryan's throbbing manhood.
Ryan moaned and thrusted into Horatio's hand. The older man kissed his lover's neck on the same time as Ryan grabbed onto his red hair and grinded his hips against him.
"Somebody is becoming eager." Horatio said as Ryan wrapped his legs around Horatio's waist to pull them closer together.
"This is coming from the man that jumps me for the third day in a row on the beach." Ryan groaned, "Uh god, that's good."
Horatio smirked and pulled off his own pants, (by now Cassie had walked back to the house). Horatio bent down and took his lover's erection into his mouth and sucked on the head. Ryan moaned and bucked his hips against Horatio.
"Uh, faster!"
By the time Horatio was done with the younger man they had had the longest workout of the year.
-I-
Melinda was lucky to know so many great men in her life. She didn't break a sweat moving in to her apartment. Ryan, Horatio and Kyle did the heaviest lifting, while Roger, being the oldest of the men, did the lightest. None of them let Melinda help as they worried about her back (which she had previous problems with).
Ryan's was sweating all over and his t-shirt was soaked. Had he known his mother owned so much furniture he would have made sure he was abroad when she was moving so he wouldn't have to help.
"Come on Ryan, I thought you were stronger than this." Kyle teased.
"Kyle, one of these days you're going to get what you deserve." Ryan growled and panted.
Being a former soldier Kyle was quite fit and he seemed to have no problem with lifting Melinda's old sofa. Ryan on the other hand was struggling and when Horatio walked by with a smug lock, as he walked back to the moving van, Ryan glared at him.
"Wipe that smile off your face or you will be spending the night on the couch." Ryan muttered.
"I would talk less and lift more if I were you." Horatio smirked and he walked by back to the house with a box in his arms.
Ryan dropped the couch (which was in the stairs) and as a result so did Kyle. The couch landed hard in the stairs and the legs broke off.
"You have some glue?" Ryan asked.
"Yes, I always carry it around with me; you never know when you're going to need to fix some broken couch legs." Kyle smirked.
"Funny." Ryan rolled his eyes, "Why did mom have to move to a place with no elevator?"
"Because she likes stairs?"
"Because she doesn't think." Ryan sighed, "She is going to kill me when she finds out I broke her couch."
"Who is going to die honey?"
Ryan smiled his biggest smile at his mother. She stood at the top of the stairs and looked at her broken old furniture.
"Oh, son that thing doesn't need to go anywhere." She smiled, "I don't know why I didn't throw it away yesterday; I must have forgotten."
Melinda smiled and walked away to show Horatio where to help Roger put some chairs.
"Tell me that she did not just tell us that we carried this ugly thing all the way up here for no reason." Ryan said frustrated.
"I love your mom. She makes you work hard and not be so lazy." Kyle grinned, "Come on let's carry it down."
Ryan sighed and grabbed the couch again. He would have to have a serious talk with his mother about unnecessary work when they were done.
In the meantime Horatio was on the phone with Eric and he could hear Calleigh screaming in the background.
"How is she?" Horatio asked.
"What does she sound like?" Eric asked.
"Like she is seriously thinking about shooting you."
"She is." Eric said with a shaky voice.
Horatio heard him step out in the hallway. He knew the younger man was nervous about becoming a father for the first time and he wished he could have helped. But since he hadn't experienced child birth himself, it wasn't much he could do.
"H, tell me I can do this." Eric sighed.
"Eric, you know you can do this. You are going to be a wonderful father."
"And what if I screw up?"
"You won't. Now, get back inside and help Calleigh."
"I hate to see her hurt like this."
"I know, but the best thing you can do is to be by her side." Horatio smiled.
He talked some more to Eric and then they hung up. Poor Calleigh had been in labor for eight hours already. Horatio went down the stairs again just in time to see Kyle and Ryan carry the kitchen table upstairs.
"Eric and Cal doing okay?"
"Yeah, he's a bit nervous and she's pissed, but other than that fine." Horatio said.
"Remind me never to have children." Kyle said, "If Penny screams the way women do in movies I'm not sure I would be able to handle it."
"Kyle, I expect at least six grandchildren."
When the young man went pale the others burst out laughing and Kyle muttered something unintelligible. He and Penny hadn't really talked children yet; they hadn't been together long enough. But he wanted some off his own and he definitely wanted his father to become a grandfather some day.
Roger grabbed a box and went up the stairs behind his son and Kyle. Melinda handed Horatio a box and then froze. Horatio frowned and turned around. Across the street stood none other than Charles Wolfe.
"You want me to go?" Horatio asked.
"No." Melinda said, "I'm not sure I can see him alone."
Horatio nodded. Charles walked over and he looked... sad. Horatio had always seen him when he was angry, but he wasn't surprised by Charles's emotions. He had basically lost his wife and his son.
"Melinda. Horatio." Charles greeted.
"Charles." Horatio said, "I'll just step away a little bit."
He made sure he stood close enough so that Melinda felt safe, yet far away enough for them to not feel like he was intruding. Melinda jumped out of the van and looked at her husband. He seemed to have aged ten years since she had left; no doubt because of the stress over the last few months.
"What can I do for you Charles?" She asked.
"I know that there is no point in asking you to come back." Charles said, "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Maybe get the chance to talk to Ryan too."
"I don't think today is a good day."
"Probably not." Charles sighed, "But I had to try."
"Oh, Charles." Melinda said.
"I'm trying to change Melinda. I am truly trying. For your sake and Ryan's. I don't want to spend the rest of my life knowing I lost the only family I had." Charles said, "But I also realize the need for me to respect your need to be alone."
"Charles, you are my husband and I love you." Melinda said, "But we can't go on like this."
"I know."
"If you are going to continue being a homophobic then I will never come back. I have changed too and because I was willing to change I got our son back." Melinda said.
"I'm trying to change. It will just take time."
"I don't want to tell you how to live your life. It's not my place to do so." Melinda said, "All I ask is that you think of what you stand to lose if you don't change. I am glad that you're trying."
"You think Ryan will ever talk to me again."
"Yes."
"Can you ask him to maybe... contact me and we can talk?"
"I'll see what I can do." Melinda said, "If you want to accept him, you have to accept the man he loves too."
Charles glanced at Horatio and nodded. He wasn't completely comfortable with Horatio and Ryan being together yet, but he was desperately trying to be. Deep inside he knew Horatio was a good man to his boy.
"I'll come by some day perhaps." He said and turned to leave.
"Do that." Melinda smiled.
"Bye Melinda." Charles said and he walked away a few steps before stopping and turning around, "Horatio?"
"Yes?"
"Take care of my boy."
"I will." Horatio said.
When Charles got in to his car and drove away, Melinda let the tears fall and Horatio embraced her. She had become a bit like a mother figure since he had been shot; she had helped care for him when he had been healing and she understood the family background Horatio had. Melinda had really changed back in to the woman she once been; before she met Charles.
"It's okay." Horatio said, "That went well."
"Yes. He's already changed; I didn't see any anger in his eyes, which is a good sign." Melinda sniffed and wiped her tears away.
"Yes, it is." Horatio smiled.
Just then Ryan and Kyle came down. He wondered what was going on and Melinda said she would talk to him later.
-I-
With balloons and some flowers Horatio and Ryan walked through the hospital hallways. They found the right room and knocked on the door before entering. Calleigh and Eric smiled at them. After 14 hours of labor baby Duquesne Delko was finally here.
Horatio handed Eric the balloons and Ryan handed Calleigh the flowers. In Calleigh's arms lay a little bundle of joy.
"You want to hold him?" Calleigh asked.
"Absolutely." Horatio grinned.
She handed Horatio his godson and the redhead smiled. He saw a flash and knew that photo crazy Eric had taken a photo of him. Ryan caressed the boy's brown hair and the baby squirmed.
"What's his name?" Horatio asked.
"William Duquesne Delko." Eric smiled, "6,5 pounds and 19 inches."
"Hello William. You sure look like your father." Horatio said, "Except for the lips, those are your mother's."
William opened his eyes and kicked with his little legs. Horatio wished he could have experienced this with Kyle. After a while he handed William over to Ryan and the young man looked a bit terrified when he held his "nephew".
"Oh wow, um... hi William." He said nervously.
The others laughed. Ryan soon got used to holding the baby and he actually enjoyed it very much. William seemed to like him too because he closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
"So congrats mommy and daddy, how does it feel?" Horatio asked.
"Surreal." Calleigh said, "Everything has changed now; for the better of course."
"You know that being the godfather means you have to change diapers." Eric smirked.
"I believe being the oldest one here I can let that responsibility pass over to Ryan."
Ryan snapped out of his thoughts and looked away from William to his friends and lover.
"Wait, what?" He asked, "Did someone say diaper?"
"Yes, you get to change him." Horatio said.
"I think I'll pass." Ryan said, his OCD taking over.
He had his OCD pretty much under control, but diaper duty was not for him. He had had friends whom had babies before and he knew how extremely disgusting a newborn's diaper could be.
"I guess that leaves you for diaper duty then, H." Eric grinned.
"It can't be worse than some of most gruesome crime scenes." Horatio shrugged.
"You'll see." Calleigh grinned.
Horatio and Ryan didn't stay very long; they could see that both new parents were tired and wanted to spend some time alone with their son. On the way home Ryan wondered is Charles had been as happy as Eric was when he was born. He guessed he had been; Charles had after all been completely devoted to Ryan his whole life.
"I think I'll have Kyle change a diaper too; he should learn." Horatio said.
"Maybe William will pee on him." Ryan chuckled.
"That would be priceless."
"Next time we visit and Kyle tags along I'll have the camera ready." Ryan grinned, "We could win ten thousand dollars with it."
"You're evil." Horatio grinned, "I love it."
Ryan laughed.
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