Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews I've been getting. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has been reading. I'm interested in any suggestions, comments and criticism (constructive please) that you guys may have. This isn't the most imaginative chapter but I hope you guys like it. It maybe be a tad bit predictable but you guys can decide for yourself...read on then...
Disclaimer: Any CSI:M characters you recognise here obviously don't belong to me, Bella, Christian and the folks of Il Covo belong to my imagination. Il Covo will eventually be moved back to it's original location - the fantastic Eastern Coast of Africa by the end of this story line.
Oestrogen and Testosterone
Marisol was the first one to get to Il Covo. She went inside and greeted the staff that she recognised. Pat was one of the bartenders for the night. He saw her and waved to her. She made her way over to him.
"Good evening Ms.Delektorsky, you don't come here often?" he asked good-naturedly.
Marisol laughed, "No Pat, no indeed. It's been an awfully long time since I've been out."
"Can I get you a drink?" he asked polishing a glass.
"Uh…No thanks, I'm waiting for some friends to get here."
"Can I organise a table for you guys then? Or would you like a basement room?" he asked, anxious to be helpful because he had the tiniest of crushes on Marisol.
Marisol looked around; the bar was set slightly above the dance floor, with a lounging area flanking either side of the dance floor. "Well…I was wondering do you think we could sit around the bar? I was thinking over on this side." She pointed to the side of the bar and Pat nodded.
"Sure, I'll get some more stools out. How many are you?"
"Uh…we're four." Marisol looked around again and remarked, "It's quite full for this time isn't it?"
Pat had moved around the bar now and was arranging the stools he looked up and answered, "Yeah it is, but the basement is way more packed than this. The promos Aarons and Barnes put together are really bringing in a new crowd. Tonight, there are Russian cabaret dancers in the basement, if you're interested."
Marisol shook her head, "No, we'll be fine here. Thanks though. And yes the books reflect the ideas, hopefully you guys will be getting a bonus soon."
"Hopefully." Pat smiled as he dusted down the stools, "Oh and if you guys want personalised drinks, let me know and I'll hook you up with Sandro. He's been teaching me a couple of things."
"Sounds interesting. Thanks Pat." Marisol said as he finished.
"You're welcome." He said winking as he moved to go back behind the bar.
Marisol turned around and saw Bella and Christian come through the entrance. She managed to catch their attention through the pulsating techno music and strobe lighting. They made their way over to her. Marisol grabbed Bella and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Woah! What was that for?" asked Bella after Marisol let go of her.
"Just to let you know how amazing you are and how sorry I am for being an idiot these past few weeks." Replied Marisol.
Bella hugged her again, "You're forgiven." She broke away smiling. Marisol turned to wish Christian, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"How are you Mari?" he asked before adding, "You look lovely as usual."
"Thanks, I'm good, I'm good." Marisol replied.
"So where's lover boy?" Bella asked fluffing her hair out, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She was trying to hide the fact that she was nervous about meeting him even though she had met him before.
"Bella! Please!" Marisol sighed, punching her lightly.
Christian intervened on her side as he chided her, "Bella I wouldn't describe Lieutenant Caine in such crass terms, the man is truly amazing and sincere. Just wait till you get to know him." Isabella just rolled her eyes.
Marisol flashed him a smile, and mouthed a silent thank-you to which Christian just smiled saying, "You know how Bella worries about little things. The whole way here she couldn't stop asking about him." He lowered his voice to a whisper before continuing, "Between you and me I think she's hitting PMT because I saw 6 tubs of ice cream in her freezer."
"Hey! I heard that! I'm not hitting PMT and the ice cream was for just incase…uh just in case we had anymore unexpected visitors." She finished shooting Christian a stony glare.
"Your hormones speak for themselves Bella." Said Marisol rolling her eyes slightly.
"So where is the affable Lieutenant H? From what I remember he was always prompt." Asked Christian.
Marisol just shrugged and couldn't help but wonder he was and was just about to slip out her phone and call him when she discerned his red hair coming through the entrance. "There he is. I see him, Uh…you guys stay here and save our spot, I'll go get him."
Horatio moved through the growing crowd of bodies and tried to shake his arm from the grasp of a lady that had latched herself onto it. He didn't realise it was Marisol on his arm, guiding him rather expertly to the side so that they could go around rather than through the dance floor to get to the bar. She pulled him over to the lounge area.
"Hey, there you are. We were about to send a search party out for you." He remained silent, infact he looked a bit stunned. The truth was he couldn't believe it was Marisol infront of him; describing her as looking sexy tonight just didn't seem to do her enough justice. He swallowed hard, she spoke up trying to draw a smile from him, her eyes dancing, "You know… set up our own CSI investigation to look for Lieutenant Horatio Caine."
Her last sentence elicited a smile from him. "That…that will not be necessary…" He paused slightly trying to regain his composure, "I…I'm sorry I'm late. Didn't realise finding parking would be such a nightmare. I had to park down close to the beach and leg it here…Uh…what can I say…you just look WOW."
"Glad you like it." Was all she said and Horatio couldn't help but wonder if he had detected a hint of mischief in her voice, either that or he was dreaming. "C'mon they're waiting. I got us a good spot." She said yanking his hand with a lot more force than he expected, causing him to stumble slightly while following behind her. She seemed to weave her way quite easily through the throng of people and tables in the lounging area and Horatio found himself to be the centre of envious glances from various men in the vicinity as they eyed Marisol who seemed to be oblivious towards them.
Marisol drew Horatio up behind her as she approached their stools. Horatio took a couple of gulps of the air-conditioned air trying to calm his nerves down which seemed to be undergoing uncontrolled firing causing his hand to twitch slightly in Marisol's.
"Isabella…this is Horatio Caine. Horatio, Isabella Sorenson." Marisol stood between them, eyes radiating hope of them hitting it off.
"Ma'am, it's a pleasure to finally meet you again." Greeted Horatio in a cool, calm manner before adding, "I've heard all about your inquisitions." Giving a smile while shaking her hand.
"Touché Lieutenant, I can't help it: Marisol's like a sister to me. Anyway it's good to finally meet you, and it's Bella please. Ma'am makes me sound way too old." She said as she released his hand. Bella had a smile on her face but she didn't look totally convinced.
"Sorry, years of habit, might take a while to break." He finished before turning to Christian, "Agent Henry, good to see you again." He said as they firmly shook hands.
"Likewise Lieutenant, likewise." Said Christian warmly.
"Horatio, please. We're off duty right?"
"Indeed we are, Lieu…Horatio."
"Good. And Congratulations to you both on your engagement."
"Thank-you Horatio." Bella and Christian replied simultaneously before laughing.
"See they can already read each others minds, they're as good as married." Said Marisol who had been observing the whole exchange with mild paranoia watching for any signs of discomfort from anyone. They all seemed relaxed, even Bella.
"So it would seem." Horatio chuckled, "Well then, let me buy the happy couple a drink. What will you guys have?" Horatio asked raising his hand to catch the attention of the bartender.
"Bella, they do personalised drinks here, do you want try one?" asked Marisol discreetly perching herself on the stool closest to where Horatio stood.
"Tempting but I'll have my usual, a martini please Horatio." Replied Bella as she sat on the stool on the other side of Marisol.
"Christian, Marisol?" Horatio asked.
"Vodka cranberry for me please Horatio." Said Marisol
"I'll just have a Budweiser please. It's been a long day. Thanks Horatio."
"No worries." Responded Horatio turning back to the bartender and giving their order, "So that's one vodka cranberry, a martini, a Budweiser and a club soda please."
"Sure coming right up," said Pat who had decided to make himself their bartender for the night.
Isabella poked Marisol in the ribs, "I see the perfect gentleman image continues." She said in a sotte voce.
"It's not an image Bella," Marisol whispered back furiously, "It's totally genuine, would you give the guy a break. You are so PMT right now."
"Aargh! Marisol." Said Bella loudly, the two men who were still standing turned towards them.
Christian quickly guessing what Bella's exclamation about said smoothly, "Horatio, you'll have to forgive Bella today she has slight hormonal difficulties caused by the crazy hours she's been working."
"Sorry Horatio. I'm a bit revved up tonight, it's been a while since Marisol and I have been out together." piped Isabella who clearly didn't sound very sorry.
"No need to apologise. Are you still at the same bank that the tidal wave hit, where the case came up?" asked Horatio trying to gauge her out.
"Indeed I am, infact we're conducting a merger with Barclays at the moment so there's a lot of reorganising being done." Replied Bella lapsing into a more serious tone as she proceeded to explain some of the details of the merger. Their drinks soon arrived. Pat informed Horatio that the manager had put their first 2 rounds of drinks on the house.
"Marisol who's the manager here?" asked Horatio.
"Uh…that would be Michael, over there at the other end of the bar, the guy in the green shirt." Marisol said pointing him out.
Horatio raised his glass to the man in acknowledgement. Michael smiled and nodded in reply before making his way over to their group.
"Marisol a pleasure to see you in here socially." Said Michael with a slight accent, kissing her on both cheeks before turning to greet the others.
"Thanks for the drinks Mike." Said Marisol cheerfully.
"It's a pleasure." He said. He made some more small talk with the little group before excusing himself on the basis of needing to attend to his managerial duties, but promised to look in on them later to make sure everything was all right. They thanked him again before he left. Just then a song blared out through the speakers, the two ladies looked at each other in excitement, and hopped of their stools.
"You fellas coming to dance?" asked Isabella coyly.
"Count me out Bella, I don't think my feet can move to this." Said Christian. Isabella turned to Horatio.
"I think I'll keep Christian company and sit this one out if you ladies don't mind." Said Horatio.
Marisol and Isabella both shrugged their shoulders with a look of 'that's your loss.' before moving to push their way into the middle of the dance floor and moving along with the beat of the music along with the other multitude of bodies on the floor.
"Girls…go crazy when they're in a group. Never changes." muttered Christian, taking a swig from his glass before loosening his tie slightly.
Horatio just nodded before taking a sip from his glass. He watched Marisol for a while. She looked just as young as any other person dancing on that floor. Horatio felt a twinge of sadness at Christian's words: how many cases had he worked when a girl fell victim in a place like this after they went wild. Horatio shook his head clearing his thoughts, not wanting to act so jaded. He turned his concentration back to Christian.
"Long day?" Horatio asked.
"Yes infact. I came here straight from work. Rumour has it that we'll be facing a review soon."
"There seems to be a lot of that going around at the moment." Said Horatio. Both men soon became immersed in the conversation about the upcoming reviews and the role of IAB. Horatio and Christian both kept checking up on the girls and saw them dancing in a group. They couldn't help it. After so many years on the job, it was hard to draw a line between being concerned and being overprotective. Horatio was just about to ask Christian about how the wedding plans were going when he heard a familiar voice behind him order a bottle of Sambuca and some shooters. He turned around to find himself staring at Ryan Wolfe.
"H.!" came Ryan's surprised acknowledgement, "Didn't know you came here?" Ryan gulped, trying to sound casual under his superior's gaze.
"Good evening Mr. Wolfe. You remember Agent Henry? He works with Peter Elliot and helped us out on the case with the bank the tsunami hit."
"Sure. Good to see you again Agent Henry." Said Ryan shaking the older man's hand.
"Nice to see you too Mr. Wolfe." Said Christian following Horatio's example, "You here with friends?"
Horatio noticed his CSI redden slightly at the question and smiled. He then heard another familiar voice behind Ryan, "Hey Ryan where's the Sambuca?" came the voice of Maxine Valera as she stepped up behind Ryan running her hand along his arm. Her hand followed by her mouth dropped down slightly when she realised who Ryan had been talking too. "Lieu…Lieu..." she gulped slightly, "Lieutenant Caine, what a surprise!" she finished bravely.
"Good evening Valera. Having a good time?" asked Horatio smiling. Valera just continued to stare unable to process her stern boss looking so relaxed at a club. Ryan nudged her slightly causing her to reply, "Swell time Lieutenant."
"Valera, this is Christian Henry he works with Agent Elliot. Christian, Maxine Valera our DNA expert." Said Horatio introducing his companion to Valera. Horatio heard them exchange greetings but his eyes wandered to the dance floor in an attempt to seek out Marisol and Isabella. He picked them out quickly and knowing they were ok turned his attention back to the little group gathered around him. Isabella grabbed Marisol, directing her attention to the little gathering around their area at the bar.
Just as Ryan and Valera were about to excuse themselves a bouncy blonde approached the group, her mouth trying to form a sensual pout. She patted Valera's arm saying in a pretentiously sweet voice, "Aw. What's taking you guys so long? Everyone's waiting to start….ooh who's this?" her voice turning coy as her eyes picked out Horatio.
Ryan sighed, "H. this is Barbara Fleet. Barbara our boss Horatio Caine and his colleague Christian Henry."
"Well how d'ya do?" she said batting her lashes at Horatio but not paying much attention to Christian. Valera rolled her eyes at this very unsubtle attempt to attract Horatio's attention.
"Nice to meet you ma'am," said Horatio in a neutral tone. Christian merely nodded his acknowledgment.
"Well Mr. Caine perhaps you'd care to join us in our game?" she asked settling her hand on his arm. Ryan and Valera clearly looked uncomfortable and a bit embarrassed.
"Well…Thanks but we'd rather not. I don't think my colleagues need me hanging around them whilst their off-duty. Besides we're here with company. So you'll have to excuse us… Mr. Wolfe, Valera have a nice evening." Finished Horatio indicating this exchange was clearly over. Barbara pouted while Ryan and Valera threw apologetic glances at Horatio.
"You too Lieutenant. It's nice to see you out." Said Valera warmly before leading Barbara away.
"Thanks H. Erm…sorry about that, she's a friend's friend. Erm…well then have a nice evening. You too Agent Henry." said Ryan before picking up his order and moving back to the lounge area.
Both men laughed as the CSI disappeared. It was an easy, amicable laugh. Christian took a sip of his drink.
"Very well handled Horatio if I may so."
"Why thank you." chuckled Horatio who had had his fair share of women throwing themselves at him.
Christian lowered his voice conspiratorially, "You're very lucky, if it was Bella she'd have kicked my ass by now for even saying a word. Marisol on the other hand is very calm."
"Well Christian if you don't mind me saying, Bella is very protective." Said Horatio quietly not wanting to cause offence.
Christian shrugged his shoulders, "She can't help it, she's a solid person when it comes to her job but that can't be said for the rest of her life where she does things in extremes, she's incredibly impulsive and passionate and once you've won her love, then respect and admiration come naturally after that. Marisol's cancer hit her very hard indeed and she's grown very fiery over Marisol. Honestly, I'd hate to cross Bella when it comes to Marisol." Christian straightened up as he noticed Marisol approaching, Horatio followed suit.
"Hey guys." Said Marisol fanning her face with her hands as she lowered herself onto a stool. Horatio passed her drink to her. "Thanks. Aren't you hot Horatio?" She asked tugging at his coat before taking a big sip. He shook his head. She set her glass down.
"Where did Bella go?" asked Christian.
"The mothership." Marisol replied smiling. Horatio raised his eyebrows in a questioning look. "That's Christian's special word for the rest room based on his past experience." Responded Marisol.
"Well that's a very apt description." chuckled Horatio. Christian scanned the crowd for Isabella. Marisol leant gently back against Horatio's arm which had been resting on the bar. Horatio lowered his arm discreetly allowing it to rest on the stool as the curve of her body fitted into the curve of his arm. Marisol wasn't sure how he'd react to displaying their relationship in public and she hesitated a moment before reaching behind her and linking her fingers with his. He gave her hand a small, reassuring squeeze, she smiled at him. Horatio smiled back unable to tear his gaze away from her.
Marisol leaned back further to whisper in his ear, "Lot's of pretty girls around Lieutenant." she said her gaze moving to the blonde that had been part of Ryan's group of friends.
"So it would seem ma'am. Shame that only one of them catches my eye and commands my attention." He replied half-seriously, half-flirtatiously.
"Good answer Lieutenant." Said Marisol before leaving a lingering kiss on his cheek. Horatio dropped his gaze thankful for the dim lighting as he felt the blood rush to his face.
"Ok you two break it up. Here comes Isabella." Said Christian who had noticed their actions through the corner of his eye. Marisol blushed, letting go of his hand; Horatio let his arm remain there curious to discern Isabella's reaction.
Isabella marched up to their spot, "So who was the blonde?" she asked standing near Christian. She spied Horatio's arm around Marisol's waist but refrained from saying anything yet, her mind yelling at her not to act like a child.
"Darling please! Can we order something to eat? I'm starving. Marisol what would you recommend?" Christian asked.
Marisol and Christian discussed the menu leaving Horatio to answer Isabella's question that they had no idea who she was but was out with one of his CSI's. Marisol heard them mention Ryan.
"Ryan's here Horatio?" asked Marisol.
"Yeah with some friends. Over…over there." Said Horatio pointing to one of the lounge areas.
"I'll just go over and say hi." Said Marisol getting off her stool and taking her glass with her. She shot Bella a glance that could only be interpreted as a 'be good look,' Bella winked back.
Marisol made some recommendations over what to order as starters before making her way over to Ryan Wolfe's table. Horatio, Isabella and Christian began to talk about the wedding and as they launched into the different details he saw how in love they were. He hoped disillusionment wouldn't come their way. After a couple of moments Horatio couldn't help but keep glancing Marisol's way. She had her back to him and was engaged in an animated conversation with his CSI. Horatio couldn't help but smile at the fact that Barbara seemed to be shooting Marisol evil looks through lowered lids. Isabella noticed Horatio's occasional glances and understood what Marisol had been trying to tell her all this time about them, her heart softened towards him as she slowly relinquished the jealousy she had felt for Horatio for sharing a special place with her in Marisol's heart. She patted him on his hand, Horatio looked at her in confusion before looking at Christian who just gave him a conspiratorial wink. Bella was luckily saved from giving an explanation as their starters arrived.
Marisol had just finished having a conversation with Ryan and was about to go back when she heard someone shout, "Hey Stringbean! Is that you?" Marisol turned to the voice and raised her hand to her mouth as she saw the familiar face lounging at a table in a corner.
"Eduardo? Is that you?" Marisol asked, mouth slightly agape.
"So it is you stringbean! I saw you getting it on, on the dancefloor and thought it must be you." Said the owner of the voice as he got up and walked towards her. He reached out to hug her and Marisol smelt the smoke and alcohol on him and choked back a small cough.
"It's nice to see you Eduardo. How you doing?" asked Marisol disentangling herself from him after he held her tightly in the embrace for a bit too long.
"I'm fine." He said lighting up a cigarette, "I'm in between Miami and Tallahassee at the moment. Say is that Isabella Sorenson I saw with you? You guys still tight? She's looking pretty hot, but not as hot as you Marisol." he said blowing some smoke out.
"Yes we're still tight." Marisol hesitated before offering to take him to say hi to Bella knowing full well that Bella would not be pleased. He gladly accepted Marisol's offer.
Isabella choked on a piece of shrimp as she noticed Marisol making her way back to them, "What the hell!" Horatio and Christian both followed Isabella's eye line to see what had happened but before either of them could ask Marisol had reached them with Eduardo in tow.
A quick glance passed between the two women that Horatio was able to notice but not able to interpret because it happened so quickly, he just saw Isabella's eyes flash momentarily.
"Isabella you remember Eduardo?"
"Isabella, a pleasure as always." Eduardo smirked kissing her on both cheeks.
Marisol turned to Horatio and Christian, "Eduardo this is Christian Henry and this is Horatio Caine. Guys this is Eduardo Viegas, he used to go to school with us." Both men straightened up and shook the other man's hand. Horatio's back stiffened involuntarily. He didn't like the attitude that Viegas had about him.
"Nice to meet you guys." Said Viegas taking another puff on his cigarette, "Stringbean here, I mean Marisol and I had a thing for each other back in high school." He rubbed his fingers lightly against her arm before curling his arm around his waist. Horatio couldn't help but stiffen even more at this action as he felt a stab of what he thought must be jealousy hit him somewhere in his chest.
"Eduardo that was a long time ago." Said Marisol gently as she pushed him away from her.
He simply grinned at her before continuing, "Isabella and I…well we had our differences, didn't we Isabella?"
"I guess you could call them differences," Isabella replied coolly.
They made small talk for a few more moments before Eduardo turned to Marisol and said, "Hey Stringbean, how about a dance later for old time's sake? I'm sure Christian here won't mind one dance? So how about it?" Christian remained silent knowing it wasn't his call. Horatio didn't want to seem too overprotective and restrained himself from saying no, telling himself they were just old school friends – Nothing else.
Marisol handled it well and gave a vague nod before waving him off. She turned back to them, "Sorry about that, but he asked about you Bella. I couldn't say no."
Bella's upper lip curled up into a sneer, "He's still an ass-hole Marisol."
"Bella we're not having this again, not here and not now." Said Marisol.
Horatio felt another twinge of jealousy upon hearing her words, but remained silent. Horatio gave himself a mental shake chiding himself for acting like a teenager rather than an adult.
Christian couldn't help but ask, "Marisol – how did you get Stringbean?"
At this even Bella laughed and the tension in the atmosphere eased slightly.
"Well..."started Marisol, "It happened in third grade when we had one of those veggie demonstrations, and then the name just seemed to have stuck all through school."
The conversation then flowed onto nicknames: Christian was called Holy virgin amongst various others while Horatio had more often than not been referred to as carrot-top when he was younger. It was the first time Horatio had divulged much about his childhood and Marisol hung onto his every word and stored it in her mind to think about later. Three vodka cranberries later Marisol and Bella decided to pay a visit to the mother ship. However Bella came back by herself a look of disgust on her face. Horatio was immediately concerned, "Where's Marisol?" he asked quickly.
"Relax Horatio." She said a bit wearily, "Viegas managed to pull her onto the dance floor on the way back. She was too polite to say no." finished Bella shaking her head.
Horatio's eyes rapidly scanned the crowd looking for Marisol, he began to panic as his eyes failed to pick out her familiar figure. He looked over at Christian and Bella who were doing the same. He finally spotted her towards the back of the floor, he sighed and was about to make a move towards her when Bella placed a restraining arm on his hand.
"Horatio." She said seriously, "Take it from me, Marisol can handle this…Erm…just let it go. She can handle this. Your actions may just have the opposite effect." She cautioned.
Horatio was about to protest but decided to rely on Bella's judgment rather than his gut instinct. In truth his apparent gestures showed Isabella how much he cared for Marisol and Isabella knew that although Marisol was good-natured there were times when her independent woman streak overshadowed her actions. "So much for one dance…" Horatio muttered under his breath as he watched them dance, both he and Isabella shared a friendly smile over his comment. She turned to Christian and rubbed his arm as he tried to crack a joke to ease the tension, Horatio gave a weak smile. He turned his eyes away from the mass of bodies for a second, only to find that he had lost her again in the crowd.
"Eduardo. I think I need a rest now." Said Marisol walking off the dance floor. He followed close behind her as she walked through the lounge area back towards the bar. She smiled at Ryan again as she moved past his table. Just before getting back to the bar, she felt Eduardo push her against the wall and trap her there with his body.
"Oh Marisol. You don't know how much I regret us breaking up. C'mon let's go back." He said in a smooth voice, pushing back her hair from her face, leaning closer towards her, his hand snaking up her leg.
Marisol's heart started hammering as she tried to remain in control of the situation, "Eduardo that was long time ago. Things have changed, I've changed but it seems you haven't. You still want what you can't get." He still didn't let go of her, "Viegas get off me, you're drunk and you don't know what you're doing." Marisol said firmly.
She shoved him off but he lunged for her again trapping her hands in a vice-like grip, she winced slightly as he rubbed his groin against her, a leer on his face. "C'mon babe, you know you want to." Marisol without hesitation lifted her knee up and rammed it into his solar plexus he gasped as he doubled over and Marisol simply walked away. Viegas recovered and rushed behind her to grab her again, only this time Horatio suddenly appeared between him and Marisol, with Christian following close behind, "Outta my way Dude." spat Viegas throwing a punch that Horatio was prepared for and side-stepped out of.
"Hey sir, you heard the lady. Just back away and leave it be." Said Horatio, in an attempt to defuse the situation although he felt nothing but pure, white rage for this man
Viegas suddenly straightened, a cold gleam coming into his eyes. He stared Horatio in the eye, "This isn't over Red. You have no idea what's she's like." He said before stalking off. Horatio took a step forward before his mind brought his body under control and stopped him from doing anything foolish. He turned to Christian who had also caught the man's words.
Ryan came hurrying over, "Everything ok H.?" he asked.
"Yes thank-you Mr. Wolfe." Said Horatio, "Mr. Wolfe I need a favour please?" Horatio had a couple of words with his CSI before Ryan Wolfe walked away.
Horatio drew himself up to his full height, his body posture exuding the authority it normally commanded when he was on a case. He moved up to Christian, "Hey Christian I have a feeling our friend Mr. Viegas may be hanging around outside. Could I ask you take Marisol home? I know you've had a long day but this guy really has it coming. I just want her safe."
Christian raised his hands, "Not a problem Horatio." The two men walked back over to the bar.
"Are you ok Marisol?" they both asked.
"I'm fine, the guy was just drunk." She shrugged before adding, "But Bella's right the guy is still a bit of an ass." Horatio lowered his glance trying to catch her eye, "Horatio, really I'm fine." She said her expression unreadable as she gently rubbed her wrists and moving closer to Bella who just remained silent. Isabella was seething, that bastard Viegas! He deserved torture at her hands, how dare he touch Marisol after all these years. Bastard pig! Her mind screamed again. Her rationale soon came back and battled for control against her impulses and eventually won knowing she did not want to sour the so-far pleasant evening further..
"Ok you're the boss."he said softly glancing at Bella who just shrugged her shoulders before pulling Marisol off the stool and back onto the dancefloor.
"The guy was just creepy Horatio." Remarked Christian.
"Yes…Yes he was. So here's the plan if my hunch is right, I think it's a matter of a busted male pride and a little too much alcohol perhaps, Viegas will be outside and I'll draw him towards the beach-front and have a couple of words with him. And that will give you guys the opportunity to leave."
"Sure you don't need back-up?" Christian asked.
Horatio felt his blood boil and the adrenaline rush, "Yes, I'm sure."
Horatio spotted Marisol and Isabella making their way back to the bar. He looked over at Ryan and gave a barely discernible nod that was the signal to the CSI. The incident seemed forgotten in Marisol's mind as both were in the middle of an animated discussion. Marisol stood near Horatio and felt his jacket vibrate near her fingers. She pulled his sleeve to get his attention surprised he hadn't felt it before her.
"Yes Marisol." Asked Horatio who had been making small talk with Christian.
"Your phone." She said.
Horatio frowned as he took it out and answered it. He moved away further into the corner in an attempt to block out the noise from the music and conversation around him. He thanked Ryan who set up the decoy phone call to make it seem like dispatch had called him before hanging up and making his way back to Marisol, Bella and Christian a sad frown on his face.
"What's going?" asked Marisol taking his hand.
"I uh…I uh… have to get to the lab. Tonight was my turn to be on call if anything came up that the lab couldn't handle uh I'm…I'm sorry."
Marisol's face fell as she heard him. Horatio thought she seemed ok just disappointed and not too shaken up, he hoped he was right. He placed a kiss on her cheek, whispering in her ear, "Goodnight. I promise to make this up to you ok? Call me when you get home ok?"
"Horatio!" she exclaimed patting him gently on his chest thankful that he wasn't able to see the imagery going through her mind as his words echoed in her ears.
"Isabella, Christian it was a pleasure. We should do this again sometime, maybe do dinner first?"
"Lieutenant Caine, I mean Horatio, the pleasure was all ours." Said Bella kissing him on both cheeks. Horatio shook Christian's hand before leaving.
Horatio walked out of Il Covo, he didn't feel good about setting up this whole pretence but it made him relise how Bella had grown to be so protective over Marisol. He heard footsteps echoing behind him as he continued to make his way down towards the beach. He smiled in the dark. He got to his car and beeped the alarm to see where exactly it was when he felt a hand grab his collar and a voice threaten, "Told you this wasn't over Red."
"So it would seem… so it would seem." Said Horatio as he braced himself for the punch he felt coming through the shift in the air around him. It landed on his left side causing a pain to flare up. Horatio took a deep breath as he felt himself being hurled around to face his attacker. To his surprise he saw that Viegas had brought a friend with him. The adrenaline surged through him again as his anger took over, calculating every punch he threw. He managed to hold his own against his two antagonists for a while. He soon tasted the metallic tang of the blood in his mouth and knew he had a split lip while the pain on his side had increased as the man he identified as Viegas continued to pummel him there every chance he got. Horatio got knocked down a couple of times and each time he rose he seemed to infuriate the men even more. Approaching headlights gave Horatio the opportunity to launch his own counter-attack, taking the men by surprise. However the headlights belonged to a get-away car for the two men. The blinding headlights soon faded and he found himself alone - Horatio heard only his own ragged breathing and silence.
Horatio stood for a moment to catch his breath and an ocean breeze swept through the palm trees lining the parking lot. He wiped his sweaty brow and threw his soiled jacket into the back of his car. The adrenaline drained away leaving him with the pleasure of having come out on top in a fight to honor the woman he now cared so much about. He realised he had done a foolish thing tonight and had risked his life and career to a certain degree but his heart felt it was worth it. Nothing would hurt Marisol he vowed silently as he drove home, certainly not while he was still around.
Horatio got home and had a shower first before sitting down to add some salve to his wounds. She called him while he was in the middle of this.
"Hi. It's me." Came her cheerful voice at the other end, she sounded slightly intoxicated but Horatio couldn't be sure given the night's events.
"Hi." He said settling into the couch.
"It sounds awfully quiet in the lab." Said Marisol. Perhaps she wasn't even slightly intoxicated after all, thought Horatio wryly.
"Um…yeah…that's because I'm…I'm in my office. Did you get home all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" she asked casually.
"No reason." He replied carefully. "Well then, I'll give you a call later on. I uh…uh I have to get some things done."
"Ok then…I'll…I'll speak to you later Horatio. Thanks for coming out tonight."
"It was a pleasure, and I was serious about us doing it again. I had a really good time. Isabella and Christian are wonderful." He said.
"That's funny, they said the same thing about you in the car." Marisol giggled and Horatio couldn't help but get the feeling that she knew or at least had some inclination that he was not at the lab at that precise moment.
"Well then Marisol. Goodnight and sweet dreams." He said softly, closing his eyes as thoughts of her ran through his mind's eye.
"Goodnight Horatio. Bye." She said softly too before hanging up.
Horatio finished treating his wounds and made an early breakfast before heading out to the lab. He walked into reception where the night-shift officer gave him his messages. He glanced through them when one of them caught his eye. He gave it back to the officer, "Are you sure you got this down right?" he asked.
"Yes Sir. I couldn't believe it myself, but they insisted I write it down, I wasn't sure if it was a prank or not but thought I'd just note it down anyway." Replied the night-shift officer.
"Well thank you then." Said Horatio turning away and walking to his office.
He sank into his swivel chair and groaned slightly as he read the message again:
Message for: Horatio Caine
From: Marisol Delektorsky
Time: 4.38 a.m
Comments: Terrible liar
That would explain their conversation he thought as he cast his mind back pretty sure he had spoken to her before 4.30. He couldn't help but wonder what would come next, after all his split lip wasn't hard to miss. He remembered the fiasco he had had with Yelina over hiding the truth about Madison and had learnt his lesson. He knew telling her was only a matter of time, he just hoped the pangs of jealousy would have lessened by then. Horatio Caine jealous? Well, he surmised, he was only human after all.