Here is a longer than usual chapter seeing as I didn't post yesterday:
Calleigh nodded and smiled at the uniformed officers sitting in their car in her driveway, she hated to leave Horatio whilst he was so vulnerable but felt a little more at ease when she saw how heavily her house was currently being guarded. Climbing into her Hummer she pulled out of the drive and on to the road. At first she wasn't sure but after a few minutes Calleigh had convinced herself that she was being followed, she took a couple of hasty turns in an effort to shake her tail off but the blue SUV stuck to her like glue. Glancing in the rear view mirror she could see that the other vehicle was keeping a discreet distance and had yet to make an aggressive move towards her. Finally, she pulled into the parking lot of the MDPD crime lab and gave a sigh of relief as she saw that she was no longer being followed.
Calleigh leant over and took out the semi-automatic pistol she always kept in her glove box and checked the ammunition before leaving the Hummer. With the gun resting in her hand by her side she quickly scanned the area for any nearby threats but found none before making her way into the building.
She had asked the rest of the team to meet her in the break room; she stood by the coffee machine waiting for the hot beverage to percolate. Her head shot up as she heard the door open and then smiled in relief as she saw Eric stand in the doorway. "How'd H settle in?" he asked as he made his way over to the couch, his earlier bitter tone towards her replaced by one of warmth and concern.
Calleigh picked up the coffee pot and poured liquid into two mugs before handing one to Eric, the task helping to distract her from thinking about the SUV that followed her to the lab. "He's doing ok, he had a bit of a funny turn when he saw Frank," she glanced in Eric's direction and saw his eyebrow rise in surprise before she continued. "He remembers meeting Frank when he first came to Miami."
Eric gave her a reassuring smile, "At least he's remembered something about his life here, and it's a start I suppose." Calleigh tried to mirror his smile but was unable to convince her young Cuban colleague. "What is it, Calleigh?"
She ran her finger around the edge of the cup, "So many things have happened to Horatio since he's been here and not all of them have been good. I guess after I heard about his time in New York that it might be better that he doesn't remember what's happened here."
After a few moments Eric spoke softly, "You mean Speed and Marisol."
Calleigh nodded her head sadly, "Their deaths hit him so hard, Eric. I'm not sure I could bear to watch him go through all that pain again."
The conversation ended as Ryan and Walter entered the room closely followed by Natalia, the three of them looking expectantly at Calleigh. "We got your text, Cal. What's up?"
Calleigh placed her coffee cup down on the table and motioned for her colleagues to sit, "Eric and I need to talk to you about Horatio," she began.
Natalia's hand flew to her mouth, "Oh God, he's not…..you know…"
"No, nothing like that. He left the hospital this morning and is staying at my house for the time being."
"Can't say I blame him after what happened to his place," Walter muttered as he shook his head.
"He's doing ok though, isn't he?" Ryan asked nervously.
"He's as well as can be expected, there's still a hell of a lot that he doesn't remember. We have a bigger problem than that though." Three sets of eager eyes looked at her expectantly; with a deep sigh she began to repeat the shocking details of their leader's past.
After she had finished Walter was the first to speak, "Wow, I always knew H was badass but that is one hell of a life story. He never spoke to you guys about it?" The tall, heavy set black man looked at Eric and Calleigh as he spoke.
"Nope, we had no idea until he woke up in the hospital claiming to be someone else," Eric replied.
Natalia regained her composure, "We'll do whatever you need us to, and we'll track down these bastards and put them away for good."
Calleigh smiled at the conviction in her colleague's voice, "Eric and I knew we could count on you. We need you to keep this just between us; the only other person who knows is Frank. Keep your eyes open and be on the lookout for anything suspicious. We have reason to believe that they have been following all of us, if something doesn't feel right call for backup straight away. Try to stay in pairs as much as possible."
"We won't stop until the Malucci's are behind bars where they belong."
"Thanks, Ryan. Right now I need the three of you to concentrate on trying to track down where Gianni and Danny are hiding. Ring Eric or myself day or night."
Calleigh thanked her colleagues as they filed out of the room and then returned her attention to Eric. "I think I was being tailed on my way over here."
"What? Are you sure?"
"Pretty much, I kept taking diversions and the same SUV followed me all the way here." Calleigh gave Eric the license plate and a description of the vehicle, "I'm just going into Horatio's office to get a few things for him and then I'm heading back home. Are you ok to keep an eye on things here?"
Eric nodded, "Sure thing, tell H that I'm thinking about him."
Calleigh slipped silently into Horatio's office and shut the door quietly behind her; she took in a deep breath and swore that she could smell the lieutenant's cologne. It was as if his presence had soaked into every corner of the room, being in here made her feel as if she were as close to him as if he were standing right next to her. She made her way round to his desk and took out the photographs that she had found the other day; she placed them in her purse and glanced at the picture on the desk of Horatio and Kyle. She debated whether to take it or not fearing that too much information too soon would push Horatio too far. "He deserves to know," she said to herself as she picked the framed photo up and left the room.
An awkward silence filled the room, "I take it I didn't give a great first impression?"
Frank almost jumped at the redhead's quiet voice, "My old partner had been transferred out of state a few months before and I was being saddled with wet behind the ears rookies. You turned up looking like you'd been on a weeklong bender so it didn't exactly fill me with joy to hear that you were my new partner." He had the good grace to look slightly guilty for his admission.
"I don't really remember how I ended up in Miami; Calleigh told me that Collins had dropped left me there. I just remember feeling exhausted and completely out of place. I can't say I blame you for not thinking much of me."
"Huh," Frank laughed humourlessly, "The next day you showed up looking like a million bucks. I was convinced then that you were dirty." Horatio's eyes widened as he looked at Frank in shock, "Sorry, Horatio. I didn't mean that the way it came out." "Nice one, Trip. Way to make the poor guy feel even worse!"
The redhead didn't speak for a while, "Would you tell me about it? I don't remember anything of my time here," he finished sadly.
Flashback. Miami 1996:
Standing in the full-length mirror he took a good look at his reflection, the man that stood before him was the complete opposite of the man who had arrived in Miami yesterday morning. After a tough first day with his new partner he was glad to make it home, Collins had at least supplied him with a dark blue Audi sedan in the MDPD parking lot. No expense had been spared with the beach-front house he'd been given either, the house was too big for one person but he couldn't deny that the surroundings were breath-taking.
He spent hours looking around the building, convinced that Collins and his FBI buddies had bugged the place. It surprised him that the kitchen was fully stocked with groceries and produce, walking to the lounge he found the liquor cabinet full too, he cursed under his breath at Collins before taking the bottles and emptying them one by one down the sink. The smell of scotch assaulted his nostrils as he poured the brown liquid away; alcohol was a reminder of his past life. He was fully aware that he had become too reliant on it to take away his problems and swore never to touch it again, determined to give up on his unhealthy coping mechanisms and start his life over.
The master bedroom was decadent, a king size bed with black silk sheets sat in the middle of the huge room and a glance inside the en-suite bathroom showed that the interior in there was just as lavish. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no clothes other than the ones he was currently standing in; it would be just like Collins to deliberately leave something out. Walking over to the walk-in wardrobe he was surprised to see a row of expensive Italian tailored suits and shirts along with designer belts and shoes. He sat back on the bed and laughed to himself at how his life had once more been turned upside-down.
After getting up early, showering and shaving he walked back into the bedroom and began to get dressed. He had to admit that the suit looked good on him, tapered and cut in all the right places. With the stubble gone and his hair neatly combed back he looked much more presentable than he had the day before. Making his way to the kitchen he made a light breakfast and downed a cup of coffee before making his way to the police department.
On the drive to the station he took time to think about his new partner, things had certainly not started well between the pair of them. Frank Tripp seemed to hate him as soon as he clapped eyes on him and he couldn't say he was that keen on the big Texan either. The smart mouth and brash attitude reminded him too much of Andy, his thoughts darkening immediately as soon as he thought of his past life, trying to convince himself that his new partner was something that he had lost forever was pointless. Andy had always been a father figure and a mentor to him but his new partner could barely give him the time of day and the rejection stung, not that he would let Tripp know that, he refused to give the other man any more ammunition than he already had.
He looked at Frank as he walked in, his smile faltered as the big Texan scowled at him. "You've sure scrubbed up well this morning. Did they pay you too much in New York?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Designer suits aren't exactly affordable on a detective's salary. You come into some money lately?"
"What are you implying?" he growled, trying to keep his voice even.
Frank stood and towered over his counterpart, "Nothing. Just want to make sure my partner's going to watch my back."
His eyes narrowed as he glared at Frank, "Me too."
The trip to the crime scene had been made in virtual silence, neither man willing to give ground and speak first. The pair of them childishly tried to outwit the other when interviewing the witnesses, searching each other for potential weaknesses. The redhead's standoffish demeanour was starting to rile Frank, the way he stood there with his hands on his hips, badge and gun on full display, standing to one side and glancing into the distance as he spoke. It incensed Frank further to find that Horatio was a skilled detective and not some naïve rookie as he'd been expecting. Each time Frank had opened his mouth to ask a question he would find his partner butting in and getting there first.
Stalking back to the car Frank waited for his colleague to join him, "I don't like you," he said as he put his seatbelt on roughly.
Horatio turned to look at him, "And that's meant to be news to me? You hated me from the moment you saw me."
"I don't trust you. You turn up out of the blue looking like some kind of hobo and then the next day you turn up looking like you fell off a catwalk. I just don't get it."
He couldn't reveal the secret he had worked so hard to bury. "It's long and it's complicated Frank, you wouldn't understand."
"Are you dirty, is that what it is?"
The speed at which the redhead had launched himself and grabbed onto his suit jacket took him by surprise, "You have no idea what you're talking about," his tone was low and menacing, "Stay out of my business." His grip slowly loosened on Frank's clothes.
"I can't work with someone I don't trust, I'm asking for a transfer."
"Do whatever the hell you want, Tripp. I don't care." The redhead folded his arms over his chest and stared out at the road.
Miami. Present day:
"What happened, did you get your transfer?"
Frank let out a humourless laugh, "Nah, damn Captain told me to suck it up and get on with it, the asshole."
"So are we still partners now?" Horatio enquired quietly.
Frank hesitated slightly before answering, "Not strictly speaking, no. We were partnered up for about eight months before you got transferred to the bomb squad."
It took Horatio a while to process the information, "Why on earth would I join the bomb squad, did I have some kind of death wish or something?"
The big Texan did crack a smile at that, "If only you knew, man."
"From what I recall you were none too happy about your transfer either, you said it was 'out of your hands'. I have to admit that I was sorry to see you go."
"Really? At first you thought I was a drug addict and then you thought I was on the take, what did I do to make you change your mind?"