Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: This is it, folks. This is the last chapter of this story. I'm very appreciative of the reviews, and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Also, it pestered me to no end that things were always so deadly serious between Horatio and Yelina. They never got to just let go and play. Though it may be a little OOC, I'm going to let them.

Chapter 7—Little White Sundress

Three months later

Horatio peered in as he tapped on the screen door. He then stood, hands on hips, surveying Yelina's yard. At his uncle's urging, Ray Jr. had mowed it that morning. After a few minutes the teen peered at him through the screen. "Hey Uncle Horatio."

"Ray. Is your mother there?"

"Yeah. She's in the bedroom. Come on in." He stepped out of his way as Horatio walked into the living room. "She's taking a shower right now."

"I'll be right out, Horatio" Yelina yelled through the closed bedroom door.

He smiled. "Take your time. I'm a little early."

Ray Jr. lay back down on the living room floor and resumed his X-Box game. Absentmindedly Horatio watched the images flash on the screen. "So how is everything, Ray?"

The teen never looked back. "Pretty good. Mom's feeling better."

He nodded. That was his nephew's way of saying that things had gotten back to normal.

After toweling off and shaking her damp curls out of the way, Yelina examined herself in the mirror. Just those three purple scars. But no more bleeding. No more puffiness. No more tiredness. No more moods.

As the bedroom door opened, a smile crossed his face and he stood up. For months Yelina had been slumping around in a baggy tee shirt and dark leggings. That tired, pale, trembling, weeping woman was once again the beaming, healthy, smiling woman that he remembered as she tapped out into the living room in that beautiful white sundress and matching heels.

"Well. Good evening. Who's this beautiful lady I haven't seen in months?"

Yelina dipped her head demurely and smiled. "You mean I wasn't beautiful before?"

"I didn't mean it that way. But you certainly look…well…."

"Better?"

Experience had taught Horatio that it was safer to wrangle with the Mala Noche than to talk to a woman about her looks. "I think we should finish this discussion over dinner."

Yelina put up one finger. "Just a minute, Horatio. There's something I have to put in the trunk." She reached behind her and picked up a plastic bag that had been inside her bedroom door.

Reflexively Horatio held out his hand. "Here, I'll take that. You shouldn't be—"

She gave him a knowing smile. "Don't worry, the doctor cleared me a month ago to go back to my normal routine. Besides, I don't think you want to carry this."

He held his hand out insistently, so Yelina put the bag in his hand. He peeked into the bag and blushed as he closed it again.

Yelina smiled and folded her arms. "Told you you didn't want to handle that."

Horatio glanced one more time at the huge assortment of tampons and maxipads.

"I'm donating them to the battered women's shelter."

"That's good." He then held out his arm for her. "Well, are you well enough to have some dinner?"

"I am." She took his elbow. "Ray, leave the light on, and don't stay up too late."

"Don't worry, Mom" he said to the TV screen.

Horatio's blue eyes followed Yelina's soft, beautiful curves as she held her glass of rose with both hands and watched the beach surf, her chocolate curls blowing in the breeze. This was the Yelina he remembered from so long ago-the beautiful Colombian detective he fell in love with. "So it looks like you're healing" he observed.

Yelina nodded as she sipped her wine again. "In fact, I'm already back to my full work schedule."

"And no more other problems?"

Coyly Yelina leaned her chin on her hand. She could always relax around him. "You mean those strange dreams? I'd hardly call those problems. I actually enjoyed them." She reached into her little white purse and handed him a folded piece of paper. "But there is one thing."

Looking at her, Horatio unfolded it carefully. He scanned the paper and then beamed at her. "Well, this is good news. An insurance company offered you a full-time job as an investigator?"

She nodded with a smile. "They said they were so impressed with my work that they want to keep me permanently. And the overtime will more than pay for my hospital bills." She tipped her head up and held her arms out as though stretching a little. "I mean, divorce and insurance cases weren't so bad, now that I'm thinking about settling down a little."

Horatio paused.

The smile ran away from Yelina's face. "What is it, Horatio?"

"Well, it's funny you mention surprises." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. "And settling down."

She gasped as he slowly opened the box. Inside was a single-set diamond ring with a gold band. As reality set in, Yelina flushed. "Yes! Yes I will! Oh, Horatio!" she finally gasped, holding back tears. She held out her trembling hand as Horatio slipped it onto her hand.

Yelina couldn't help herself anymore. She lunged forward and flung her arms around him, pressing her lips against him with such a force that he lost his balance. As he fell backwards, his hand reflexively grabbed for anything, which just happened to be the white tablecloth, which didn't keep him from falling and pulling Yelina down with him. Yelina shrieked and covered her head as dishes and dessert rained down all around them. There was silence and then panicked screeches about whether they were hurt.

"We're fine" Yelina said, pulling the wet tablecloth off her dress. Shaking water out of her hair, she then looked at the dessert that had ended up on her dress, arms and legs. She actually smiled. "Look at this, Horatio!"

Horatio gathered himself now. He had a brown smear on his cheek. Grinning playfully, Yelina ran her finger on his cheek and then tasted it. "Mmm. Chocolate mud pie."

Not used to such a loss of dignity, Horatio wiped his face and his sunglasses with a cloth napkin. He then examined himself and shook the ice water off his hands. Carefully he pulled himself off the upended chair and took Yelina's hand, helping her to her feet. A waiter rushed in and picked up their chairs for them.

"Are you all right?" Horatio asked her as he held out her chair. He surveyed the mess that was their dinner. But his new fiancé smiled at him glowingly. For the first time in years she was beaming like a schoolgirl in love. "I'm fine, Horatio. Everything's just fine."

Horatio held Yelina's hand as they sat back, while the flurry of waiters picked up the tablecloth and broken dishes. "Well, I'd say dinner's over. Maybe I'd better take you home so you can get cleaned up."

Cleaning off her hands with a dry cloth, Yelina glanced at the beach in the distance. "Actually, I was thinking we could take a little stroll on the beach and dry off."

"I'm terribly sorry about this! You folks all right? Would you like another table?" the Maitre'D asked frantically.

Horatio put his hand up to calm the young man down. "Actually, I think I'd just like the check" he said, still wiping whipped cream from his black jacket and patting his red hair, just in case he was still wearing chocolate mud pie. "Seems my fiancé would like to take a little walk."

As Yelina dipped her hand in the surf and washed the chocolate syrup off her bare leg, he simply watched her. She still had chocolate and red wine stains on that beautiful sundress, but neither of them seemed to care. Yelina was admiring her engagement ring when she sensed those blue eyes on her.

"Yelina, you look absolutely messy" he finally said.

"Thank you, Horatio. I think you got all the chocolate off your face."

He touched her face to give her a long, slow kiss while her skirt flapped around his legs. He then looked into those beautiful eyes for a long time.

"So you had some dreams about me, did you?" he whispered.

"Mm Hmm. While I was on the Tylox." She glanced back at the surf and leaned her elbow on his shoulder. "They had to do with us being on the beach. Just like this." She then looked down and touched her belly again.

"Everything okay?"

"Well, the doctor said that I shouldn't have any real complications. But there's one thing I'm a little worried about."

"What's that?"

She paused. "Our wedding night. You know, if everything works right. I just want to make you happy."

Gently he held his fiancé close and put a hand on her belly. "Don't worry, Yelina. If it's with you, it will be Heaven on Earth."

END