***

Thank you Wolfsong98, vivalavidaa, tbsavafob, Jessi84, and daxy for the reviews.

Announcement: I have a poll up regarding future posting. Pretty important. Go vote.

I do not own or claim to own CSI: Miami characters. I do not own or claim to own CSI: NY characters. This is fanmade and I make absolutely no profit off of this. I do this for my own amusement.

***

Chapter Twenty: Confrontation

At around seven in the morning the sunlight began spilling in through the window of Horatio's hotel room. The redhead stirred as the sun streaked across his face, pulling him into the day. His crystal blue eyes slowly drifted open as his hand wandered over the vacant space next to him, feeling for Rick.

For a fleeting moment he feared that the whole relationship was only a dream. But as he felt the bruises on his wrists and scratch marks on his chest he knew it was real. Most of him was relieved at this, but part ached with the realization that his lover's rape was a reality.

Rick wandered out of the bathroom, wrapped in a robe. His hair was darkened by the moisture that still hung in it. He looked down at Horatio with tired eyes before he shed his robe and climbed into bed beside him again.

Horatio ran his hands over Rick's moist and glistening body, trying to avoid contact with the knife wounds that covered his arms. Rick leaned forward and pressed his lips against Horatio's, brushing his tongue against his lover's lip. The redhead opened his mouth, allowing Rick to deepen the kiss. He ran his fingers through Rick's damp hair and moaned into his mouth.

"You feeling better?" Horatio breathed against Rick as he broke the kiss.

Rick curled his body up against Horatio; he buried his face into the redhead's chest and shook his head no. He sighed as his lover gently began to stroke him. Everything still felt like it was in a fog for Rick. He didn't want anything to be real anymore, except for the love he knew Horatio had for him. Right now he knew that that was all that mattered.

Horatio's eyes saddened as he realized that Rick was still too hurt to speak. He tangled his fingers in Rick's hair and began kissing him over and over again.

"It's okay," Horatio whispered between kisses, "You don't have to say anything".

Rick smiled into Horatio's skin. This was the soft, sensitive man he occasionally saw around the lab and managed to completely fall in love with. It never ceased to amaze him that this hard, strong, powerful man who is out on the field apprehending criminals every day could be so beautiful and gentle. Rick could hardly believe that the same hands that worked with bombs and knifes and firearms were so soft and loving and able to make him feel so desired.

"I'm going to speak with Mac today," Horatio finally said. He felt Rick pull their bodies closer at the mention of the New York cop's name. "I know…" Horatio whispered into Rick's hair, "It's not going to be easy. But I have to."

Horatio sat up, but Rick didn't lose the connection to Horatio's chest. The redhead smiled down at his lover and tenderly pulled himself free of Rick's grip. Rick looked sadly up into Horatio's eyes at the loss of contact.

"I won't be too long," Horatio cooed, petting Rick's hair again, "And don't worry about getting dressed for breakfast, just order room service. We won't even have to go to the final speech if you don't want to leave here. No rush".

Horatio slid off the bed, stepping into his boxers and pants. Rick watched quietly as Horatio pulled a belt around his waist and buttoned up his shirt. Horatio's slight stubble and uncombed hair made him look rough and at the same time very appealing. The redhead leaned down and gave Rick a small peck on the cheek before he snatched Mac's belongings off of the dresser and walked out.

***

Mac sat on the edge of his bed in his boxers, scrolling through the messages on his cell phone. He never got that sleep he needed so badly, he spent almost the entire night replaying the events in Horatio's room over and over in his head. At around five in the morning he finally passed out from exhaustion, but it didn't last very long. He rubbed his face, wishing that one night he would finally be able to sleep again.

He heard several hard knocks on his room's door followed by Horatio's voice calling his name. He hesitated when he heard Horatio's tone. It was clear to him that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation; he just wasn't quite sure how difficult it would be. He pulled on his pants before he got up and answered the door.

"Forget something?" Horatio hissed at Mac, pushing him back into the room and slamming the door behind them.

Horatio pulled the pocketknife from his back pocket and threw it at the detective, raising a red mark on Mac's arm. The lieutenant tore across the room, shoving Mac onto the floor next to the dresser. Mac tried to grab for the knife that had spun a few feet out of his reach as Horatio straddled Mac's waist and slammed Detective Taylor's head against the corner of the wardrobe.

Mac bit back a cry, he was breathless and his eyes began to flood with tears; he was pretty sure he was bleeding. Horatio grabbed Mac by the scruff of the neck and pulled him close.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Horatio growled into Mac's ear.

"Horatio, stop".

"Answer me!"

"Let go, you're hurting me".

"I don't fucking care!"

Horatio slammed Mac's head into the dresser again. Mac turned away as he felt a tear slide down the side of his face. He quickly caught his breath before Horatio could hurt him anymore.

"Consider what I saw, Horatio," Mac gasped, "Just let me go for a second".

Lieutenant Caine hesitated for a bit before he released Mac, taking a moment to pick up the pocketknife and throw it across the room. Mac shifted into a slightly more comfortable position, considering he had a man who wanted to kill him sitting on his lap.

"Horatio," Mac began, "you were gagged and cuffed to the bed. Your chest was bleeding, he was hitting you, you were screaming. How could I come to any other conclusion?"

"You RAPED him, Mac!" Horatio growled through gritted teeth.

"I thought he was raping you!"

"That's no excuse!"

"We are trained to react".

"Not that way!"

"What would you have done if it were me?"

"Arrest him, ask questions later".

"This isn't your jurisdiction".

"He wouldn't ask for my fucking jurisdiction, Mac. I have a badge and handcuffs, that would be all I needed to hold him still for a while I made sure you were okay".

Mac stopped, this was indeed a possibility; it just never occurred to him.

"I… I… I was just so angry. I couldn't think straight".

"When you're in that sort of situation, you have to think straight".

"You know what, Horatio?!" Mac snapped, his temperament changing suddenly, "You couldn't stop telling me about how much of an asshole you think he is. You lead me to believe that he excessively beat you. Excuse me for not coming to the conclusion that you two are involved in a romantic relationship!"

Horatio backed up a little bit, cautiously biting his lip before he continued.

"I'll grant you that," He finally said, "but could you imagine what would happen if Rick and I were exposed to our departments? He could lose his job. We could be exposed to the public! Could you imagine what would happen if someone I put in prison found out that I'm bi? Both our lives could be in real danger. We have to keep this a secret".

"Don't you worry about me," Mac said coldly, finally shoving Horatio off of him, "If I reveal your secret you'll just turn around and tell my department about me. We're even".

"Hardly".

The two men stood up and glared into each other's eyes. In a strange mutual understanding, Horatio turned to leave.

"How's he holding up?" Mac stammered out before Horatio could get out the door.

"Really fucking traumatized, Mac," Horatio answered. Without warning, the redhead spun around and slammed his fist against detective Taylor's left eye. Mac stumbled against the wardrobe, tearing his face away from Horatio. "Thanks for asking".

***

Rick had just gotten off the phone with room service, hanging up as Horatio entered the room. The redhead came in, rubbing his knuckles which he managed to bust open against Mac's face. Rick stood up, pulling on his robe and rushing over to Horatio.

Horatio with tired eyes looked up at Rick, cupping his cheek in his hand. Stetler took Horatio's wounded hand, bringing it to his lips and lightly kissing his bloodied knuckles. Horatio smiled sweetly before he brushed Rick's hands away and brought their lips together.

Rick sighed as Horatio brought his hands up and tangled his fingers in his hair. Rick looked down into Horatio's brilliant blue eyes, giving him a gentle concerned look.

"Don't worry", Horatio whispered to him, "Mac won't bother you anymore".

Rick's eyes widened and locked with his lover's.

"Don't give me that look," Horatio chuckled, "I didn't kill him".

The concern disappeared from Rick's face as he calmed down.

"Right now," Horatio sighed into Rick's neck, "I'm going to take a shower. Did you order room service?"

Rick nodded and let go of Horatio. They held hands for a few moments before Horatio kissed him gently and ducked into the bathroom. Horatio closed the door and focused in on the mirror, examining the new scratches and bruises Rick had placed on his body. At the risk of sounding ashamed, he wished quietly to himself that nobody else would see them.

***

Horatio walked out of the bathroom at the same time room service knocked on the door. He opened it, smiling as he watched a tray full of bacon and fried waffles roll in. The pimple-faced room service guy looked uneasily at the two men; obviously not many same-sex couples visited the hotel. From the corner of his eye, Horatio caught Rick flash a mischievous smile to himself.

Stetler got off the bed, still clad in his robe and strutted his way over to Horatio. He took the redhead's face in his hands and made a bit of a show over giving him tongue. The two kissed just long enough to make the room service guy incredibly uncomfortable. Just as the outsider was wondering how long they were going to do this until one of them tipped him, Horatio broke away. He half-glared half-smiled at Rick, who shyly crept back to his seat on the bed. The redhead handed the room service guy a 20, not sure exactly how uncomfortable Rick made him.

"Keep the change," Horatio smiled, sending the young man on his way.

He turned back to Rick, who had a big grin on his face that he just couldn't shake off.

"He was nice enough to bring us food, Rick," Horatio chuckled, "Don't make him all uncomfortable".

Stetler rolled his eyes and smirked.