After their pleasurable little interlude in the bathroom, they had somehow made their way back to the bedroom where Horatio had shown her again that his physical strength and mental fortitude were increasing by the day. They'd both fallen into an exhausted yet contented sleep as they lay on their sides facing each other, arms and legs entwined.

She wasn't sure why, but something had caused her to awaken from the pleasurable dream she was having. She opened her eyes slowly and watched Horatio sleep, a small smile on his face. It occurred to her how lucky she was to have him in her arms, Horatio was a man who rarely let his guard down around anyone, choosing to keep a portion of his heart locked away, the past serving to teach him that nothing good could come of baring your soul to another.

Yet here he was in her bed, their bodies wrapped together, she revelled in the feel of him next to her. It was with a sense of fascination that she watched his eyebrows twitch every so often, caught in what she hoped was a gratifying dream world.

As if sensing that he was being watched, he opened his eyes and found Calleigh's beautiful green orbs gazing lovingly at him. "Couldn't sleep?" he asked in a rough voice as he tightened his hold on her.

She gave him a bashful smile. "I guess not. Go back to sleep."

He frowned at her. "Not until you do."

"Horatio, you're going to have a long day tomorrow. You need to rest; I just want to watch over you for a little while, ok?"

He didn't like the thought of Calleigh feeling so troubled that she couldn't sleep. He'd hoped that he'd set her mind at ease earlier as they'd made love, obviously it hadn't been enough. He couldn't really blame her though; she'd sat and watched him guardedly as he'd made the call to Lori earlier in the evening.

She knew that they couldn't keep up the awkward and stilted conversation all night, her only hope was that after he'd made the call that he would be able to spend the rest of the evening concentrating on his present and the connection they had together.

She thrust the phone into his hand, "Call her and arrange to meet," she instructed him quietly.

He looked for the entire world as if that was the last thing he wanted to do, he eyed the phone suspiciously before taking it from her and pulling the roughly folded piece of paper out of his pants pocket. He carefully dialled the number and waited for her to pick up, his eyes never leaving Calleigh.

"Hello?" a stern voice answered suspiciously.

"Lori…it's...uh...John."

"I didn't think you'd call me after you ran out on me earlier. It's late, what do you want?"

He sighed, knowing that his ex-wife was hardly going to make things easy for him. She had been furious when she first came face to face with him, her anger soon died when she saw what had been done to him though. He'd found himself getting lost in her warm embrace until Calleigh had barged through his front door and surprised the pair of them.

His treatment of Lori afterwards had been cold, he'd dismissed her as his mind was focused on one thing, finding Calleigh and trying to explain his way out of the compromising position he had been found in. After grabbing his shirt, he had told her to leave as if their years together had meant nothing to him.

"You're right, we need to talk….I want you to meet me at my house tomorrow morning."

"What makes you think you have the right to tell me what to do?" she asked aggressively, her pride still stinging from his dismissal earlier.

"Because you came looking for me. You want answers? I'll give you all the answers you want…..tomorrow."

The line went quiet for so long that he'd almost started to think that she'd hung up on him, throwing another one of her fitful moods that he had become so used to when they were together.

"Fine. I'll meet you there 10am," she replied with a huff.

"Looking forward to it," he grumbled as he hung up and looked at Calleigh tiredly.

He was compensated for making such an uncomfortable phone call by his lover sitting in his lap as she captured him with a searing kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked with a smirk after catching his breath.

"Because I love you," she replied, her face deadly serious.

He leaned in for another kiss, only to be stopped by his phone ringing again. He growled as he flipped it open to check the display, fully expecting it to be Lori. His eyes widened as he saw whose number it was.

"It's Andy," he said by way of explanation as he extricated himself from her embrace. "I need to answer this, it might be important."

Although disappointed, she nodded her head and allowed him to rise from the couch, her fingers running over her lips, feeling the blissful swelling and tingling sensation that came with being kissed so thoroughly.

He walked out into the hallway and answered the call.

"John, I'm glad I've caught you. Listen…..there's something you need to know."

"If it's about Lori you're too late."

"Shit. How come?"

"She found out where I lived and came looking for me yesterday."

"Yeesh, how'd that work out?" the older man replied as his teeth clenched in sympathy for his old friend.

"Not good."

Andy smiled to himself, if there was one thing that had changed about the man that he knew, it was his ability to be a master of the understatement. The passing of years had served to make his former partner much more careful about the words he chose; making sure he never gave away more than was strictly necessary.

He wondered where on earth John had learnt such control and restraint, the man he used to know was as eager as a puppy chasing a ball on a warm spring day, all gangly arms and legs and wide eyes.

With each day that John had recovered his physical strength, he could feel the man distance himself again, attempting to rebuild the carefully structured walls that he had placed around his heart and mind to protect himself.

John had become something of an illusionist, only showing people what he wanted them to see, fooling them into believing he was someone that he wasn't. It might have worked for his group of colleagues, but he knew John too well to be taken in by his stoic responses and the stiff upper lip act that he felt compelled to put on for the sake of others.

"So did you talk?" Andy asked after an interminably long silence.

"We didn't get much of a chance to speak at any great length."

Damn John and his cryptic answers, why didn't the man just spit it out and stop being so evasive?

"But you're going to?" Andy questioned, feeling as if he were interrogating a suspect and not his friend. He heard the dramatic sigh from the other end of the line and allowed a small smile to cross his features.

"Tomorrow morning. My therapist says that I need to come to terms with the past before I can move on with the present."

The way that John had said the word 'therapist' had made it sound as if he thought the word were dirty.

"I take it your therapist has never met Laura then?" he retorted quickly with a small chuckle.

"No he hasn't," was the succinct reply as the younger man refused to rise to the teasing.

"Tell you what, kid. I'll call you tomorrow evening and make sure you're still in one piece. If I get no answer I'll send out the search parties, deal?"

This time he managed to raise a small laugh from the other man. "Sounds good, Andy."

He had tried closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep but found himself unable to. Reaching out a hesitant hand, he tucked and errant lock of hair behind Calleigh's ear, his hand working its way back down her face as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"What's the matter, Sweetheart?" he asked as he wiped the tears away with his thumb. He watched her bottom lip tremble as she tried valiantly to keep her emotions in check. "Talk to me…..you're starting to scare me, Calleigh."

Could she really be honest and tell him what had been eating away at her since she'd caught the pair of them in such an intimate embrace yesterday?

"It's nothing really."

He wasn't fooled by her poor attempts to cover what was obviously bothering her. "Calleigh, talk to me…..please."

She took a shaky breath. "When I came to your house yesterday and saw….saw you and her…."

He jumped in before she could say the words he was dreading to hear. "I told you…..it's not what it looked like, you have to believe me."

She couldn't deny the sincerity of his words or the desperate look on his face. Maybe, as far as he was concerned, there was nothing left between him and his ex-wife. The way that Laura looked at him told a completely different story.

She had to make him see though, they had to be honest with each other, surely that lesson had been taught to them several times over judging by the horrendous few months they had endured together.

"The way she looked at you when she held you…that's the way you look at me."

He frowned in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand."

She took a deep breath and tried to articulate her fears more clearly to him. "When you look at me…..I can see how much I mean to you, how much you love me. She looked at you like that yesterday."

"Calleigh, my marriage to Laura was a long time ago. I promise you that I don't feel that way towards her anymore."

Was that the truth, was he that sure of his feelings for Calleigh?

"But she does. Can't you see that's why she's come here?"

For an intelligent man, Horatio Caine could be extraordinarily naïve at times, especially when it came to matters of the heart, his in particular. He looked at Calleigh blankly, still not understanding what it was that she was trying to get at.

"I'm worried that she wants you back, Horatio!" Her voice rose in frustration, causing Moses to jerk awake and scarper from his place at the end of the bed.

He looked at her with eyes open wide, shocked by the ferocity of her outburst. He kissed her gently on the lips, trying to soothe the rising sense of panic that was flowing through her, causing her breathing to increase and small shudders to wrack her body.

"It's not going to happen, Calleigh. I promise you," he tried to reassure her.

"What if after everything that's happened you suddenly realise that you still love her too. I mean it's not like you can just turn those feelings off. You loved her once…..what happens if you find out you love her still?"

"It's not going to happen," he repeated softly.

"But how do you know that?"

"Because I know that I love you. Calleigh….you've stood by me through all of this, even when I tried to push you away. I know I don't always show it…but you mean the world to me and if I have to spend every day reminding you of that fact then I will." He smiled at her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead as his hand travelled up and down her head and face, stroking her beautiful skin gently. "Please trust me, Sweetheart….I have to know that you trust me to do this, I won't go through with it if you don't."

What a horrible situation to be stuck in, she thought. She knew deep down inside of herself that he needed to meet with Laura, he needed to come to terms with his murky past in order to move forward. Although it hurt her to think of Horatio spending the day with a woman who obviously had amorous intentions towards him, she knew that she had to let him do it. She had to trust him to do the right thing and not be fooled by Laura's attempts to wheedle her way back into his affections.

Although he'd made some huge strides in his emotional recovery the last few days, she was well aware that he was still emotionally vulnerable. Trying to piece the two fractured halves of his life back together was no easy task, there was still so much that left him confused and unsure of himself and the emotions that he felt. Would meeting up with Laura end up confusing him even more?

"It's not you that I don't trust," she murmured quietly as her eyes closed, his ministrations calming her racing heart. "I don't trust her or her intentions towards you."

He let out a small laugh at that. "I'm a big boy now; I think I can look after myself."

"Can you though?" she responded, no hint of humour in her own voice.

The uncertain expression on her face caused him to frown again. "Calleigh…..you have to stop trying to protect me. I don't need you fighting my battles for me anymore."

"I…..I can't help it. After everything they did to you…..I couldn't protect you from those animals…..they hurt you," she finished quietly, not willing to look him in the eyes.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did so, trying to work out in his mind how he could convey the feeling of suffocation that shrouded him each time she tried to take control of his life. God knows that he didn't want to hurt her with a few carelessly chosen words, but he had to make it clear to her that her irrational need to protect him from anything she saw as a threat had to stop.

"You can't wrap me up in cotton wool, Calleigh. Sometimes bad things happen, things that we have no control over…I appreciate everything that you've done for me these last few months but you have to let me take responsibility for my own actions. I love you, but you have to start treating me as an equal and not like I'm someone who needs to be taken care of constantly." He smiled at her, as if that would soothe any harshness she might have felt from his words.

"But you're always the one looking after everyone else, who takes care of you?" she countered as she finally raised her gaze to look at him, searching the lines around his eyes and mouth.

He raised his free arm and cupped the side of her face again as he kissed her cheek. "You asked me to talk to someone and I have…..things are getting back on track and I can't get back to where I was unless you stop pulling the rug out from under my feet. I have to know where I stand with you, Calleigh. You have to let me make my own choices…..whether you agree with them or not."

Deep down in her heart she knew he was right. Perhaps she had gone way overboard with her need to protect him, but after all they had been through was it any surprise?

Flashback. Miami, 1 week ago:

Perhaps it was his inherently stubborn nature or just the fact that he had a set goal to achieve, but the physical therapy sessions were going well she thought as she watched Horatio get physically stronger by the day to the point that even Alexx was surprised, but pleased, about his continued positive progress.

He'd told her that he wanted to take the Department physical assessment within the next few days so that he could return to his position at the Crime Lab. She thought it far too soon for him to go back, although his wounds had healed the scars were still red and raw and she was fully aware that his left arm and his ribs were still giving him a certain amount of discomfort.

Alexx had also not been best pleased to hear of his plans to take the physical but both knew that it was impossible to dissuade Horatio when he had made up his mind. At least it had put a spring in his step for the last few days, as he rose early and went for long walks along the beach before returning for breakfast and his subsequent session with the physical therapist. Still, she wondered about his state of mind, there had been several times in the hospital where he had visibly jolted at the sound of shouting or some object or another crashing to the floor with a loud clang. The beachfront connected to her house was private and for the local resident's use only and so she felt relaxed when he went out there alone, no longer feeling the need to follow him every step of the way.

As hard as she found it, she knew that she needed to give him a little space. He'd spent far too long being cooped up indoors and relying on other people to stay with him to meet his physical needs to the point where he was finding it suffocating. He wouldn't thank her for fussing over him like a mother hen and would only draw away further from her if she tried.

She let out a small sigh of relief as he opened the sliding patio door and walk into the kitchen as he greeted her with a small smile.

"Good morning, Calleigh."

"Hi, how did you sleep?"

She could have smacked herself in the head for asking such a redundant question, she knew full well that returning to the Crime Lab was playing on Horatio's mind and causing his already disturbed dreams to worsen. Three times he had woken up during the night, panting and sweating profusely before melting into her arms as she held him and soothed him back to sleep.

She didn't need to ask what the dreams about, it was clear enough from the words she'd heard him mumble in his unconscious state. She knew that he wouldn't want to talk about it either, he'd much rather brush over it and lock it away in some far recess of his mind, never to be thought of or spoken about again.

He didn't answer her question and instead informed her of a call he'd taken while walking out on the beach. "My physical has been booked for Wednesday."

Her face must have registered her shock as he gave her a sharp glare before making his way to the fridge to retrieve a cold bottle of water.

"Don't you think it's too soon?" she asked, expecting the answer before he actually gave it to her.

"Calleigh, I've finished the physical therapy sessions. I don't see any reason not to return to the Lab…..Besides; I'm getting fed up being cooped up all day." He gave her a half smile as he sat down at the wooden table and felt Moses wind his way through his legs.

"But the dreams…..are you sure you're ready to go back. I mean…..it's stressful, are you sure you can deal with that?"

The colour drained from his face, did she think that he was that weak that he couldn't handle his job anymore, was he really that much less of a man than the one she knew before all of this madness had started?

"I'm fine; I don't need you or anyone else worrying about me, why can't you all just back off!"

His verbal outburst took her by surprise as he let out a few deep breaths in an effort to calm himself down. He knew that they meant well, but their constant hovering was eating away at what little pride and self-respect that he had left. Did they really think he was that weak and needy that he required their constant protection?

He felt as if he were being treated like a child or some kind of old man, was that how she saw him, did their kiss the other week mean nothing to her, was it just a mistake?

How could she possibly be attracted to a worn, scarred and aging man like him?

He was hardly in the first flushes of youth anymore, Calleigh deserved a man who was young and vital, a man that wasn't constantly looking over his shoulder or jumping at his own shadow. She had kissed him and what had he done? He'd run away like a cowardly child, unable to deal with the confusing emotions that her touch had brought.

No, she couldn't possibly be attracted to a man like him; he had too much emotional baggage attached to him. She would make sure he had recovered, got back on his feet and would then ask him to return to his own house so that she could carry on with her life, finding herself a man that was more worthy of her.

He'd miss having her to hold in his bed that was for sure. He wasn't quite sure how they'd fallen into the routine that they had, but he was glad that they did. Each time that he had woken up gasping or screaming she had been there to take him in her arms and hold him until he fell back into a dreamless sleep. What would happen when she was no longer there to keep the demons at bay?

Would he be able to deal with it on his own?

God, everything was so messed up. How could things have ended up like this?

With little thought, he marched towards Calleigh and planted a desperate kiss on her lips, risking everything to find out if she really did have any genuine feelings of love towards him. He clasped her face in his hands as he continued to kiss her and felt relief wash over him as she responded in kind and only broke away when he needed to gulp air into his lungs.

He took a step back and looked at her, his breathing heavy as he watched her touch her lips in a state of shock. As the adrenaline drained away, he seemed to come back to reality and with it came the crushing sense of disappointment as he convinced himself that she couldn't possibly want someone like him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he touched his own lips before shaking his head and rushing from the room.

"Horatio, wait," she pleaded but it was already too late, he was gone.