CSI: MIAMI SEASON 11

EPISODE 3

Calleigh awoke to an empty bed and the muffled sounds of giggling coming from the living room. She slipped on her robe and tiptoed down the hallway to locate the sweet sound. There, sitting in the middle of the room was her new husband, and their adorably sweet children, dressed and ready for the day. She leaned against the wall and took it all in. What a difference a day made. Yesterday she got up, went to work, single and childless, with the thought she might not be picked to adopt these angels. Today her world had totally changed. She had two beautiful children, and had finally married the love of her life after all these years. As she smiled and sighed, Horatio looked up. "Look who's up, kids."

The children squealed with delight, their lego blocks forgotten and rushed into their mother's waiting arms. "We didn't wake you up, did we? Daddy said not to." Austin frowned.

"No, my sweet boy, it was past time for me to get up, and hearing y'all laughing out here was wonderful."

"Good, 'cause Daddy said he'd make pancakes if we were good!" Patty walked over to Horatio and reached for him to pick her up. As he scooped her into his arms, she asked, "Were we good, Daddy?"

"You sure were. You two are always good. So, who wants to help me with breakfast."

Calleigh moved toward the kitchen. "I'll do it, Handsome."

"No, you just relax and let us do it."

"Horatio."

He leaned in and kissed her lips. "We'll be fine, won't we kids?" The children smiled and nodded.

"If you're sure, I may go in and get ready. I'm the only one not dressed. Have you thought what y'all want to do today?"

"Well, Sweetheart, I thought maybe we'd go house hunting, maybe a place with a larger yard and a private pool."

"And you want to take the kids?"

"I just thought they'd want to be part of the decision making."

"Right as usual. Ok, you three make breakfast, and I'll go get ready." She retreated into the bedroom, and when she was done, the aroma wafting down the hall had her ravenous. They had prepared blueberry pancakes, sausage, biscuits with sausage gravy and sliced cantaloupe with strawberries. "Somebody went to the store." She smiled as she took her seat.

"Daddy said you liked this kind of breakfast, Mommie, we wanted to surprise you." Patty grinned as she placed a bowl of fruit next to her mother.

"Makes me feel like I'm in my mama's kitchen in Louisiana. That's something else we'll need to talk about. My dad gets wind of this..." She motioned to all of them..."and you know what's gonna happen. "We're gonna have to go to the farm and have a second ceremony with the family."

"That's a good idea. The kids can meet their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, ride some ponies, milk the cows."

Austin's eyes went wide. "A real farm? With pigs and cows and goats and chickens?"

"She said ponies, too." Patty interrupted.

"Yep, all those animals", she glanced at Horatio, who was now nodding his head. "So, I guess we are going to Louisiana to meet your new family, kids. You have a bunch of cousins to play with, all different ages. I guess I'd better call Mama, she has no clue I was going to adopt the kids, and I think shock will be the word when I tell her that we are married after all these years."

"Did you say 'shock' or 'shot'?"

"Oh, stop, she'll be happy to see you. Every time I started dating anyone she always asked me, "What about Horatio?"

"Why don't you go into the bedroom and call her, and the kids and I will take care of the dishes."

"Ok, thanks for cooking breakfast, it WAS all my favorite things."

"I remember, we'll get everything back, Calleigh."

"I know." She kissed him softly before leaving the room to call her mother. She shook her head as she flopped down on the mattress. How in the hell was she going to explain all this. Her parents were going to kill her. Thirty minutes later the painful call was over. At least her mother didn't call her names, or tell her that she was disappointed in her, like she usually did. Calleigh figured the prospect of two new grandchildren softened her a bit. She padded to the bathroom and splashed some cool water on her face, and then patted it dry with a towel. She headed back into the bedroom and picked out a cool sundress for the day. The "open houses" usually weren't kept as cool as normal homes, to keep the energy costs down. After dabbing on a bit of makeup, she checked herself in the mirror and decided that this was acceptable, more than for work, less than for clubbing. She smiled. Clubbing was now a thing of the past. She was a parent now, a married parent. Maybe once the kids were acclimated to their new family they could get a sitter and she and Horatio could go out once in a while. She smiled again. They had a whole workplace full of sitters. Who needed a young girl sitting when they could have armed guards. She giggled to herself as Horatio came in to check on her.

"Ok, what's funny?"

"I was thinking about babysitters in case we wanted to go out, how we didn't know any teenagers." She giggled again. "And then I thought about the babysitters we DO have. A lab full of armed guards."

"That we have, Sweetheart, that we have." He pulled her hair back and kissed her ear. "Ready to go?"

"Let's do this. I'm glad we're taking the kids. It'll help them bond with us better, knowing they we respect decisions they make."

"I have in mind what I want. I'd love a five bedroom."

"Five?"

"Mmmhmm...for a couple of reasons. Workout room/guest room/office...and in case we want to add on to our family."

Horatio wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and let them move over her abdomen. He kissed her neck gently. "That...that is a wonderful idea, Calleigh, but not until you sure you're ready."

"It's been twelve years, Horatio. If I'm not ready now I never will be, and we aren't getting any younger." She turned in his arms. "If you're ready, I am. Let's talk more later. Right now I'm dying to take our kids house hunting." She slipped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, remembering how comfortable and safe she always felt here.

He placed a kiss on the top of her head and rubbed her back gently. "Ready to go?" She nodded softly, keeping her face against his chest. "We need a bit of 'us' time. Maybe after the kids go to bed tonight."

She knew he was't pushing her, she knew that, but deep down she knew that he wanted her. She knew that look in his eyes and could feel it in his touch. She also knew that she wanted him. They had put the past behind them a long time ago, forgiven each other for the hurtful words they said to each other, but even with the forgiveness, they weren't able to find their way back to each other. "I'd like that, Horatio. I miss this." She pressed a kiss to his chest and pulled back to look into his eyes. "Let's go take our kids on our first family outing."

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "I couldn't have said it better."

After three grueling hours of house hunting with two children, the kids were complaining that they were hungry. Calleigh turned around and smiled at her angels. "What sounds good, kids?"

"Mr. Zany's!" Austin cried out.

"Yeah, Mr. Zany's"

"NO!" Horatio and Calleigh answered in unison. Calleigh turned more in her seat. "I'm sorry, kids, you're not in trouble. It's just that something very bad happened in there a few years back, and there is always a chance it could happen again in a place like that with a playground."

Calleigh looked over at Horatio and took a deep breath. "But, you are policemen, and no one will mess with us."

"Austin, things happen so quickly. The little girl's mom just turned her back for a second, and a very bad man took her away."

"Did he hurt her?"

"Yes, he did, Honey. Let's see what else we can find to eat. How about the hot dog stand by the beach? We can get ice cream afterwards."

"YAY!"

Calleigh glanced at her husband and breathed a sigh of relief. Not only had she been able to change the subject, she was able to find a perfect spot for lunch. The kids could play and run off some steam, they still had four more houses to see before heading home, although Calleigh thought she'd already found the one she wanted. It was right on the beach, with a high security fence, pool and hot tub, and five full bedroom with four bathrooms. It was perfect.

After viewing the remaining homes, the vote was unanimous. They drove back to Calleigh's favorite house and put in an offer, and then crossed their fingers. One the way home they stopped at Pollo Tropical, and since the kids were falling asleep, they decided on a to go order. They took the kids to their rooms for a short nap, and put dinner in the oven to stay warm.

Horatio found Calleigh in the hallway, looking back and forth between her children's rooms. "They asleep?" Calleigh just nodded, and then shivered as he ran his fingers down her arms. "Does Mommie need a little nap?"

She leaned back against him and took a deep breath. "I'm scared."

"It's just me, Sweetheart, you know I'd never hurt you, don't you?" She nodded and moved to Austin's bedroom door and pulled it closed, and then motioned to him to close Patty's. Horatio took his new wife gently by the hand and led her to their bedroom, closing the door behind them. "Are you ready?" She nodded and moved her hands to his chest.

"Mmmm, you've been working out. I don't remember all this muscle."

"That's how I compete with all the young pups." He began to work the buttons on her blouse, applying gentle kisses on her throat, trailing them down her chest as he opened each button.

She followed his lead, moving button by button until she reached his waistband, and then pulled the shirt out and down his shoulders. She shoved it down his arms, tossing it aside. Her hands moved to his chest, fingers dancing over each muscle. When did he have time to do this? Before she knew it she was in her bra, and his hands were moving behind her to unfasten the clasp. "Horatio."

"Easy, Calleigh, we can stop any time." She looked into his eyes and shook her head. This was her husband. It didn't matter that it was forced, they were married, and he had always been her best friend.

She reached down and unbuckled his belt, and then unsnapped his trousers. As she pushed them down his legs, she found out just how much he wanted her. Her bra was gone, and his hands were on her breasts. Why was she still in her pants, she wanted them gone. She reached for the snap, but he stilled her hands, taking over the task. He unbuttoned the pants, and moved the zipper down as he lowered her to the bed. Once he had her on her back, he finished removing the pants, leaving her in a lacy pink thong. "God, Calleigh." He moved next to her, leaning up on one elbow. Running one finger between her breasts, he took one pink nub into his mouth, sucking gently until it formed a hard pebble, and then gave the other one the same treatment. He looked up at her face, and her eyes were closed, and her mouth was slightly open. He took that opportunity to move further up her body and capture her mouth with a gentle kiss. Her eyes snapped open, and she snaked her arms around his neck. As the kiss deepened, he moved over the top of her, encouraged when her legs fell open on their own accord.

She arched her back, pushing her lower body into his, trying to give him a silent message of how much she wanted him, "Horatio." Her voice was a whisper.

"Yes, Love?" His voice wasn't much louder.

"I need you." She reached down to stroke him gently.

"Soon, Calleigh, soon." He began applying wet kisses down her body, stopping to run his tongue around her naval. Soon the thong was history. He hoped it wasn't expensive, because it was trash now. He ran his fingers all over her body, making her tingle and beg. Before she knew it, they were making love, and it was like the twelve years had fallen away, like they'd never left each other. When they were done, he held her close. "I promise it'll be better next time."

"I thought it was pretty good this time."

He chuckled. "You know what I mean. We had to be very quiet so we didn't wake the kids."

"Well, Handsome, I know where you can make it up to me. One of the biggest fantasies I had as a teenager was to make out in the barn. Come on, what do ya say, husband? Want to live out one of my fantasies?"

"And what all does this fantasy entail?"

"Oh, the usual barn tools. Horse blanket, riding crop..."

"Oh, no, Mrs. Caine, that's where we stop. Forget the riding crop."

She gave him a wicked grin. "Black leather chaps, oh, and we'll have our handcuffs."

"You're not kidding."

"Nope." Her head popped up. "Shoot, one of the kids is up." She grabbed her robe and pulled it on as Austin knocked on the door.

"Mom, Dad?"

"Just a minute, Sweetheart, we were napping, too."

Horatio kissed her neck from behind. "You know they're going to catch on to that pretty soon.

"Yeah, I know. But this afternoon was amazing, Horatio. Why don't you go get the up and get dinner out of the oven while I get dressed?"

"Good idea. Then maybe another movie night." He gave her a kiss as he moved to the door.

"Perfect. I'll be out in just a few minutes."

The children were waiting in the hall for him as he headed for the kitchen. He had them set the table while he pulled the food out of the oven. He smiled as Calleigh came out of the bedroom in sweats and a t shirt. "Ready for dinner?"

"Absolutely. I, uh, really worked up an appetite today." She grinned at Horatio, who shot her a frown, and then a wink. The family had just sat down to eat when Horatio's phone rang. "Didn't you tell them you'd be off for the weekend?"

"Yes, thank you very much, we'll be there tomorrow." Horatio snapped his phone shut and returned to his meal.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Horatio Caine. Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Daddy, you said we'll be there tomorrow." Patty was grinning at Horatio.

"Oh, that. We...we have to go to the Realtor and sign some papers."

"Some papers? Oh, my gosh, Horatio! We got the house? So fast?"

"Apparently the deciding points were that we worked at CSI, and our adorable well behaved children."

"We have to go to Louisiana in two days!"

"No worries. We'll just hire movers, and the house will be ready when we get back. It's just a good thing you wanted a house that the owners had left vacant and needed a super fast escrow."

"Ok, kids, finish your dinner and we'll watch a movie again."

"Or play a game?"

"If you hurry we might have time to do both, but after you're done eating I want baths and your teeth brushed and in your jammies. That way if you fall asleep out here again we can put you right into bed.

"Yes, Ma'am." It always made Calleigh laugh when Austin said that. He had no clue that Horatio always called her Ma'am as a joking term of respect, She looked at her husband with her eyes brimming with tears. He reached across the table and took her hand and nodded. All of a sudden she couldn't wait to get to her parents' farm.