A/N: Sorry for the delay…job transferred me to another state, so I've been busy with that for the past month or so. But, I'm back!

Setting: next day

Yelina studied Horatio's back. He stood in front of the mirror, silent, unmoving, staring at his reflection. He was clearly deep in thought.

She slowly approached him, careful so as not to startle him. When she placed her hand on his shoulder, she was relieved that he did not jump under her touch.

He turned his head to acknowledge her. "Hey," he chuckled.

"You okay?" she asked, smiling.

"Of course," he responded.

She stood in disbelief when he answered the door earlier in work clothes. "Are you sure you're ready to go back? They'll understand if you need more time."

"I need to go back. People need me."

"Jesus, Horatio, why can't you think of yourself for once? Your son has been gone for only 24 hours, and you want to go back to work?"

"Yelina, please…"

"No, this is not right!" she shouted, her hands furiously slicing through the air. "You need time to grieve! You need time for yourself!"

"I need to get back to work," Horatio pleaded in a calm voice. "That's the therapy I need."

Yelina threw up her hands resignedly. "I'll never fully understand you, Horatio."

He turned to face her. "It's okay," he responded, cupping her cheek with his hand. "Trust me, I need to get back."

Yelina nodded, and quickly changed the subject. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"Can I make a cup of coffee for you?"

"Sure."

She disappeared into the faint light of dawn that began to creep into the hallway. Horatio turned his attention back to his reflection in the mirror.

A glint of anger flashed in his eyes for a moment. He thought he was beginning to look too much like his father. The red hair and silent fury came straight from Bill Caine, but Horatio's eyes still contained a hint of hope…of life. Bill Caine's eyes were cold…dead.

He swore he would never become him. Horatio was not a bad man…he devoted his entire life to ridding the streets of evil people like Bill Caine.

Lately, though, he felt something different deep down. Something was changing. The anger that flashed in his eyes sometimes stewed in his heart, threatening to spill over and consume him. It scared the hell out of him.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered to the Horatio in the mirror. He only stared back. Of course he wouldn't answer…he was just his reflection.

"That's enough," he told himself. He splashed cold water on his face to shake the foreign feeling, and grabbed his suit jacket to join Yelina in his kitchen.

"Smells good," he said as she poured the liquid into two cups.

Yelina smiled in return. Something was fishy here.

Horatio raised one eyebrow. He knew Yelina long enough to know when she had something on her mind.

"What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head before taking a sip from his cup.

"Did you have sex with Calleigh last night?" Yelina asked.

Scalding hot coffee shot out of Horatio's nostrils. He struggled for breath, engaged in a coughing fit, and gasped as air finally returned to his lungs. "Wh-what?"

"You slept with her, when she was comforting you," she said in a cocksure manner as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Words failed Horatio. How did Yelina figure it out? "Uhhh…"

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" she whispered inches from his lips.

Horatio's icy blue eyes glared right into hers. "That…is none of your business."

Yelina placed a soft kiss on his lips. Horatio felt a shudder run through his body. "You think I'm jealous, Horatio?" she whispered between more kisses.

He fought his body for control. As much as he dreamt about moments such as this, he knew the possibility of a future with Yelina was lost with the past. She had her own life, he had his, and their worlds could never merge. "Yelina…please," he begged, an erection threatening to tear down what little resistance he was putting up.

"What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing…we've only had that one time."

"Do you wish you had more?"

Horatio studied her. "I don't know, to be honest," he replied. Trying to squirm out of an increasingly uncomfortable situation, he kept getting pulled back by Yelina's determination to get the whole story out of him.

"You love her, don't you?" she asked as she finally relinquished the hold she had on him.

Horatio stood there, shocked. What was Yelina trying to accomplish here? Was she trying to get the scoop on the competition? Not that there was any at the moment.

"I'm not…going to answer that."

Yelina's eyes dimmed, yet her gaze never faltered. "Okay, then," was all she had to say to him before focusing her attention on her own cup of coffee.

The car ride to drop Austin and Patty off at school was a tense one for Eric. Calleigh had said only a handful of words to him all morning. Something had definitely happened the night before when she went to talk to Horatio. The kids didn't seem to notice; they were off in their own conversation in the back seat.

"Alright, guys, here we are!" Eric trumpeted as he pulled in front of the entrance to the school. Without saying a word, Calleigh got out of the car to usher the kids to the doors. Eric studied her as she hugged them and wished them a good day.

"Okay..." Eric started when she got back in the car. "You want to tell me what's going on? Did something happen last night at Horatio's house?"

Calleigh bowed her head, taking in a big sigh. "Something did happen," she replied, barely above a whisper. He sensed she was choking back tears.

"Well, what?"

Calleigh knew that telling Eric about her sexual encounter with their boss would do more harm than good, especially since their own relationship was a big question mark. But, she had to say something to try and get him off her back.

"Horatio…he asked me why we never worked out."

"Worked out? Like romantically?"

Calleigh looked up at Eric. "Yeah. This was the first time he brought it up. I never knew he saw me like that…at least at one point."

Eric chuckled. Calleigh was relieved he was taking this well. "I do remember you helping him cope after Megan left."

"Horatio?" Calleigh asked concernedly. He had been distant from the team that day, so many years ago.

The redhead looked up from the ground at the mention of his name. "Calleigh, it's late. I thought I signed off on all the reports today."

Calleigh smiled. "You did, I just…I noticed you weren't yourself today. Is everything alright?"

Horatio smiled a sad smile. "Megan…resigned today."

Calleigh hugged him. "Oh god, Horatio. I'm so sorry."

He rested his hands on her back. "She said the job reminded her too much of Shawn."

"What happens now?"

"Well, I'm now the day shift supervisor, and…I need an assistant. I would like for it to be you."

She hugged him tighter. "Of course. I'll do anything."

"I need you…to help me run this team…"

"But I never took it as a sign of affection. He was obviously thrust into that situation quicker than he anticipated. I always thought he was desperate for my help."

Eric nodded. "H is a hard one to understand sometimes."

Calleigh shook her head. "That's for damn sure."

"So…did he kiss you or anything?"

"No," she lied. "His confession is what's bothering me. I mean, did he feel that way when he was with Marisol, with Yelina?"

"He was with Yelina?" Eric asked.

"Well…I can't confirm it, but come on Eric. When she worked in Homicide they were nearly inseparable."

"She's his sister-in-law. Maybe he was trying to look after her after Raymond died."

"Maybe, but they looked awfully close."

Eric shrugged. "I don't think Horatio could fully shake the fact that they were related. He couldn't see her as more than his relative."

Calleigh buried her face in her hands and began to sob loudly. "Oh Eric! This is all so confusing."

"What do you mean?"

She looked up at him, her eyes freshly red with tears. "Everything with him…everything with you."

"Everything with me?"

"I know this thing between us is all complicated, and now Horatio may be in love with me!"

"Calleigh…we took a break, we didn't break up."

"I know..."

Eric shifted his body to face her. "Are you ready to do this again?"

Calleigh smiled a sad smile. "No, I'm not."

"H…"

Natalia whipped her head to the side when she heard Ryan mutter their boss' name. There he stood inside the Crime Lab, only a day after he learned his son was dead. He looked like he had never been there before.

"I wonder if he's okay," Natalia whispered to her lover. Ryan nodded.

Horatio noticed the two looking at him, so he began to walk in their direction.

"Miss Boa Vista, Mister Wolfe," Horatio greeted them in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

As if by instinct, Natalia gave her boss a tight hug. Horatio fought back tears and could do little more than hug her back.

"H, how are you holding up?" she asked him.

"I'm okay, ma'am," he responded.

"H, you know you don't have to be back today," Ryan said as he took his turn to hug the Lieutenant.

"I know, Mister Wolfe. It wasn't doing me any good sitting at home all day, worrying about this place."

"We've got everything under control, H," Natalia said with a fresh set of tears in her eyes. "Calleigh is holding down the fort for you."

Horatio's eyes widened slightly. Calleigh. She might still be in Captain Marquez' office, sorting out her future with MDPD.

Horatio looked at the two young CSIs standing before him. "Has anyone been in touch with Calleigh today?"

Ryan shook his head. "Eric told us she had some business to attend to at 9, but that it shouldn't take all morning."

The ding of the elevator diverted their attention as Calleigh stepped on to their floor. Horatio felt his heart leap in his chest. Just a glint of the familiar golden locks was enough to cause the world to collapse around him.

Calleigh could only stare back at what she considered an unbelievable sight: Horatio already back at work.

His focus on his right hand woman was not lost on Natalia and Ryan. If the couple were to slip away to leave the gold badges alone, their absence would go unnoticed. Calleigh's eyes were only on her LT.

Natalia and Ryan quietly slipped out of earshot to observe their fearless leaders.

"Handsome," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I…I'm coming back to work," he replied, stroking her dainty cheeks. "How was your meeting with Marquez?"

Calleigh stared at him in disbelief. "Horatio…"

"I know what you're thinking, Sweetheart, but I need to be here."

She could do little more but stare at him. His deep blue eyes never ceased to be so devastating.

"I just…I just don't want anything to happen to you," she explained.

A faint smile creased his face. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight, for it was rare indeed.

"I'll be fine," he replied, placing a lone hand on her forearm. "I promise."

Calleigh grinned in an almost seductive manner. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"I…I don't think I could go on if I lost you."

"Don't say that," she nearly cried out, reaching for his hand. "We're going to be okay."

Horatio's heart leapt about in his chest at her gesture. He looked down at the hand contained within hers, then up into her eyes. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

She blushed at his confession. It was uncharacteristic of him to be so open. "Horatio!"

"I felt it needed to be said."

She squeezed the hand she still held. "Thank you, but we should cool it on the flirting." After all, they were among the largest collection of astute observers in all of Miami. Their coworkers would catch on quickly, and two of them were already suspicious.

"She grabbed his hand!" Natalia exclaimed within the protection the break room offered. "Did you see that?"

"Unbelievable," Ryan replied, handing his girlfriend a cup of coffee. "I didn't even know she was into him like that."

Natalia took a sip of the hot liquid. "Maybe they've been together all this time and have been keeping it as one hell of a secret."

Although it was no secret that Horatio and Calleigh were close, the prospect of romance between the two was a new one for anyone on the team.

"How do you explain Marisol, then?" Ryan countered.

Natalia looked at him with a curious glance.

"I'm coming over tonight to check on you," Calleigh told her LT.

Horatio tilted his head, grinning. "Oh?"

"Don't hold your breath, Handsome."

"I know, I was giving you a hard time."

Calleigh shot him an incredulous look. "You had better take it easy today. I'm backlogged, so I need to get to work. I'll see you tonight."

Only the slapping of a gentle wave against the desolate pier could be heard then. It was almost too quiet for Ron Saris' taste.

At that moment, a Town Car with blacked out windows could be seen approaching from the distance. This appeared to be the car Ron was to look out for. His hand rested behind his back, palming the pistol hidden under his shirt, just in case.

Once the car came to a stop nearby, the back door opened and an older, sinster-looking man stepped out. When he saw that Ron was indeed standing on the pier like they had arranged, he waved in greeting.

"Ron Saris, I presume?" the older man piped up as he got closer to Ron.

"You're talkin' to him," Ron replied. The two exchanged handshakes. "How did you find me, Mr. Vogel?"

Darren grinned. "You'll find that my influence extends to every corner of this city. You were hard to track down, I'll admit, but that speaks well for you. Harder to be…found."

One of Ron's eyebrows shot up. "What do you know about me, Darren my man?"

"You ran quite a profitable ammunitions operation until you were foiled by one Lieutenant Horatio Caine."

"Caine!" Ron shouted. He whipped out the pistol and aimed it at Darren's head. "Who the fuck are you, Vogel? You're in with Caine, aren't you?"

Darren laughed heartily. "You're a riot, Saris. And no, I'm not in cahoots with the good Lieutenant. I know all about your current gig as an informant, and that Horatio Caine can't touch you no matter how hard he tried. But, I want what I assume you want."

Ron lowered his pistol. "I want Caine dead. He ruined everything."

Darren smiled at the younger man. "I'm glad we are at consensus on that point, Mr. Saris. I would want him out of the picture too, given what he's taken from you. Julia, that was her name, right?"

"Yeah. He turned her against me. What did he do to you?"

Darren took in a deep breath, then sighed heavily. "To put it plainly, he was instrumental in derailing my…ambitions. I had big plans for this city, but he didn't see eye to eye."

Ron nodded. "Well then, how do you suppose we deal with this nuisance?"

Darren grinned. "Let's go for a ride, shall we? We have places to go, people to meet."

TBC.