Author's Note: A happy belated Easter to all those who read this fic, hope you guys had a fabulous holiday! This has taken a while to put up!! Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter. There's a lot more dialogue now that there are more characters getting involved. What do you guys think of the characters so far? Do i seem to be drifting too far away from them? Your thoughts on the matter would be awesome to hear. Hope you enjoy this chapter, happy reading.
Disclaimer: All the characters in this chapter belong to CBS, J.Bruckheimer et al.
A Ledge
When Horatio Caine had woken up that morning, Marisol Delektorsky was the first thing that came to his mind. He had lain in bed watching the first rays of the day peek through his windows while he thought about 'them'. It was funny how he thought of her as Delektorsky and Eric as Delko. Was his mind trying that hard to separate them so as to justify that it was all right for him to see a colleague's sibling. He could not wait to see her today despite the fact that they had seen each other last night.
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Later that same day, Marisol said bye to Eric and thanked him for cooking lunch before stepping out of his car and making her way to Horatio's front door. She looked at the doorbell and decided to knock instead of ringing. She rapped smartly several times and waited. She and Eric had had a leisurely lunch during which Horatio had called to invite her over for an early dinner. So here she was at 5 p.m. outside his door.
Hearing the rapping, Horatio made his way to his front door. His heart felt a rush of joy knowing she would soon be with him, in his presence, in his sight, in his arms… and there she was - clad in a coral coloured summer dress, her hair loose, eyes wide open, and a smile on her lips. Was she really his? His heart fluttered slightly as the answer came to mind.
"Hi. How are you?" he asked, stepping aside to let her come in.
"Good thank-you. Your lip still looks pretty bad." She replied, stepping past him and kissing him lightly on his cheek.
"I'll live." said Horatio with a chuckle, closing the door behind her.
"Wow, what happened to your place?" she asked animatedly, looking around his front room as she tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear.
"My niece, Madison. That's what happened." He said laughing. "What's in the bag?" he asked politely, pointing to the small grocery bag in her hand.
"Ah…yes. These are for you, peaches from Portugal. They grow the most amazing peaches there. I thought you might like to try a couple." She said handing him the bag.
"Thank-you." He said taking the bag from her. He walked away from her to put them in the kitchen.
She was just about to follow him in when she spied a little girl coming out of Horatio's study. Marisol stopped in her tracks as the little girl started to say, "Are we…" The little girl glanced at Marisol and let out a small scream. Marisol quickly picked up the evident panic in her voice but before she could do anything the little girl dashed out of sight into the kitchen from an alternate entry. Even thought she knew she was being irrational, Marisol couldn't help but hope that the girl was Horatio's niece and not his daughter because the physical resemblance between the two was remarkable. Horatio hadn't mentioned his niece would be here when he spoke to her, not that she minded. It would be the first time she would meet a family relation of his and this made her happy. He had still remained relatively closed up about them. Marisol walked into the kitchen to find Horatio crouched on the floor a smile on his face, the little girl whispering in his ear.
Both redheads looked up at her as she walked around the marble slab in centre of the kitchen that served as a table at one end and as a work surface at the other. Horatio stood up and gestured between them as he said, "Marisol, may I introduce my niece Madison. Madison this is Marisol and she'll be joining us for dinner."
"Hi Madison." ventured Marisol, leaning forward, trying to make eye contact with the 6- year old.
Madison stayed hidden behind her uncle's leg. She peeked around and gave a shy smile, "Hello Miss Marisol."
Marisol laughed at how much Madison sounded like Horatio and bent down to Madison's height, "You can call me Marisol."
Madison ducked behind Horatio's leg again. "She's shy around new people." mouthed Horatio to Marisol as she straightened herself up. Marisol nodded in understanding. "Sweetheart, you can't hide behind me forever, come on." said Horatio gently. He offered her his hand to hold. Madison took it shyly and allowed him to draw her out so that she was level with him. She stood there with one hand in his, her other hand keeping a firm hold on his jeans. They both gave Marisol a shy smile.
Marisol could not help but say, "I can see how you guys are related." She ran a hand over her head and smiled thinking how adorable uncle and niece looked together and wished she had her camera with her.
"So, we're having barbecued chicken for dinner. Its Madison's favourite. Is that ok?" asked Horatio.
"Sounds great. You know that's Eric's favourite too." said Marisol to Horatio.
"Is Eric your son?" asked Madison quietly.
Marisol's eyebrows shot up as she giggled and shook her head, "No, Eric's my brother and he works for your uncle."
Madison gave her a small smile, "Do you have any children Miss Marisol?"
Horatio glanced at his niece in surprise. The fact that Madison was already speaking to Marisol was astounding, let alone the asking of such questions. His niece was very shy, although, she hadn't taken long to open up to him she was incredibly reserved around other people.
"No I don't Madison, but I do have lots of nieces and nephews." said Marisol brightly. There was silence for a few moments as Madison just continued to stare at Marisol and then dropped her gaze to the tiled floor.
Horatio let go of his niece's hand and walked around to the other side, Madison followed him as he said to Marisol, "Would you mind giving Madison a hand with laying the table?"
"No problem." said Marisol stepping up to him and taking the proffered plates.
Horatio handed Marisol the plates and Madison the utensils. "Madison, sweetheart, do you want to show Marisol where we're having dinner?"
Madison nodded, her eyes still drawn to the floor. She made her way out of the kitchen and towards the veranda. Marisol followed a close distance behind, not wanting to impose on the child. Instead she studied Madison; her long red hair, still wet from the shower was beginning to curl as it dried, hung loosely down her shoulders. Madison was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a forest green t-shirt that showed off her pale skin and freckles. There could be no doubt - she was Horatio's flesh and blood. Marisol just smiled at the fact that there was just something about her, apart from her appearance that was very 'Caine-like'. Marisol glanced at the photos on Horatio's mantle again and saw some similarities with the red-haired man, she had assumed to be Horatio's brother. She finally spotted a picture of Madison. It was a school photo. There were no other photos of her and her parents like there were for Horatio's nephew. This struck Marisol as rather odd, maybe she'd ask Horatio about it later if she was able to.
Madison pushed the sliding door open to go outside and walked up to the small table that Marisol and Horatio had had their first month anniversary dinner on. She stood on her tip-toes to organise the forks and knives in their respective places on the table. Marisol began placing the plates in the middle of Madison's settings.
"So Madison, how old are you?" asked Marisol as way of conversation to get Madison to feel more comfortable around her.
Madison held up six fingers in response to Marisol's question.
"You're six huh? I have a niece who's also six years old." said Marisol to Madison.
Silence.
"Well…I'm going to be seven soon." offered Madison a little hesitantly.
"Oh that's nice. My niece just turned six last month. So when's your birthday?" asked Marisol sitting down on the ledge that lined the steps leading down to the gate that in turn led to the beach.
Madison looked at her in silence for a couple of minutes before sitting down next to Marisol. "My birthday is on the 10th of August." said Madison with a sense of pride and excitement.
"Wow, you're right, that's not too far away at all." said Marisol folding her hands into her lap and taking her first good look at Madison's face. "Whatcha doing for your birthday?"
"I'm having a party and all my friends are coming." said Madison her voice becoming more animated.
"Well sounds like an excellent idea. Hope you have lots of fun.' said Marisol cheerfully.
Madison nodded enthusiastically a broad smile appearing on her face.
"May I ask you a question Miss Marisol?" asked Madison, lapsing into her shy state once again.
"Only if you promise to call me Marisol and not Miss Marisol." said Marisol. She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper and winked as she said, "It makes me feel like I'm in school."
Madison nodded shyly, a smile breaking out on her face. "Ok then. Do you work with Uncle Horatio…Mmm…Marisol?"
"Goodness no Madison. I don't think I could cope with your Uncle's work….I met your Uncle through my brother Eric. Trust me when I say your Uncle and I work in completely different areas." said Marisol laughing. "Your uncle and I…we're…" Marisol blushed as she struggled to find the appropriate words to describe their relationship to Horatio's 6-year old niece, "We're good friends…' finished Marisol rather lamely.
Horatio had just stepped out onto the veranda when he heard Marisol's response, "Just good friends huh?" asked Horatio, an expression of mock hurt on his face. Marisol didn't think her face could possibly become any more beet- red. Marisol's hands twisted around themselves making her feel more like a fool than ever.
"Horatio can I use your bathroom?" she asked quickly.
"Sure." said Horatio a big smile on his face. He waved a hand towards the interior of the house as he fiddled with the grill.
Marisol gave Madison a smile before standing up and making a dignified exit as possible without giving the impression of running into the house.
Madison watched her Uncle test the heat of the grill before putting the chicken pieces onto it.
"So Madison, Marisol brought us some lovely peaches. How about we have those for dessert?" he asked. He looked across at her briefly before turning his attention back to the chicken.
"Are peaches the ones with velvety skin Uncle Horatio?"
"Yes, they certainly are." said Horatio warmly.
"Yummy." said Madison responsively, quite at ease in Horatio's presence. She began to swing her legs, her hands coming to rest on her knees. "Uncle Horatio?"
"Yes Madison?"
"Miss Marisol is very pretty."
Horatio couldn't help but grin at this astute observation, "Yes she is, isn't she?"
Madison nodded before saying, "Is Mommy coming to have dinner with us too?"
"No sweetheart, I'm going to take you home after dinner. You're Mom's had a really busy weekend at work and needs her rest. So, since you're still on holiday your Mom said it's ok if I bring you home a bit later in the evening. Is that ok?"
Madison listened intently to his words and nodded. "Can we watch 'Aladdin' before we go?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelids at Horatio.
"Maybe…if there's time that is." He said and then sighed. He rolled his eyes slightly. He knew he could never say no to her. She was his one and only niece and since he she had become a part of his life he'd come to love the little girl more and more, even though she was the product of Ray's infidelity. She reminded him so much of Raymond when he was a child. She and Susie were his only physical connection to Raymond in his life at the moment. Telephone conversations just didn't cut it sometimes. There were times when he desperately missed Raymond. Knowing Raymond was alive hurt much more than thinking that Raymond was dead because he couldn't have the intimacy he was used to having with his brother. Perhaps Madison's existence was a mistake, but he was now more than glad that this 'mistake' had happened. Horatio mentally chided himself for thinking of Madison as a 'mistake', it just sounded so crude. He viciously skewered the piece of chicken he was grilling.
Madison noticed and asked, "Are you okay Uncle Horatio?" Getting no response, she inched her way to him trying to keep well away from the heat of the grill.
Horatio heard his name being called from somewhere, he looked around him blankly and registered Madison tugging at his jeans and looking up at him with blue eyes, Raymond's eyes.
"Madison?"
"Are you all right Uncle Horatio?" she asked again, "You look very far away, like Mommy does sometimes."
Horatio looked down at the charred chicken on his skewer, "I'm fine Madison. Why don't you go sit back down? I don't want you to get burnt by the grill. It's very hot, ok?"
Madison continued to tug at his jeans, he crouched down to her eye level, "What is it sweetheart?"
"You look sad Uncle Horatio." She said staring into his eyes. She kissed him on his cheek and then said, "Smile Uncle Horatio." She used her hands to stretch the corners of his mouth upwards into a smile.
"Just for you." said Horatio, turning the corners of his mouth up into a genuine smile as he abandoned his thoughts of Raymond.
Marisol rejoined them moments later looking more at ease now that she had managed to get rid of the hot blush that had appeared. While Horatio continued to grill, Marisol tried to draw Madison out some more by asking her questions about school and her friends but Madison's shyness continued to linger. However, when they sat down to eat Madison began to open up to Marisol's questions as Horatio joined in the conversation more.
"Marisol can I offer you some wine?" asked Horatio as he placed the salad on the table.
"Just water please Horatio." said Marisol.
"All right then. Madison what would you like?"
"Water please, Uncle Horatio." said Madison smiling at Marisol who had just sat down at the table opposite Madison. Madison then copied Marisol, whose hands that were clasped infront of her. Both of them turned to look at Horatio.
"Alrighty then. I'll be right back." said Horatio as he made his way back into the house.
Madison and Marisol simply sat in silence that started out as awkward but then moved to comfortable when Marisol smiled brightly at the little girl seated across her. Horatio came out again minutes later with a pitcher of water. He poured some water into their glasses. Madison said grace under the watchful eye of her uncle, Marisol bit down on her lip as she watched them, trying very hard to keep a straight face and thinking how long it had been since she had said grace at a meal.
"So Madison did you know…did you know Marisol has five nieces and nephews?" asked Horatio, raising his eyebrows slightly, as he served Madison.
Madison shook her head as she cut into her food. Marisol continued, "Yeah, I have two nieces and three nephews."
"What are their names? Are they all my age?" asked Madison eagerly, coming out of her shyness once again.
"Well there's Leo, he's five and he's the youngest. Then there's Carmen who just turned six. Then there's Aida who's nine. She and Leo are brother and sister. Then finally there are Marco and Mikhail who are twins and they are fifteen." said Marisol.
"So Carmen, Marco and Mi…Mikhail?" asked Madison, hesitant over pronouncing the last name, she continued when she received a smile and nod from Marisol who was chewing on some salad, "Are brothers and sister? How come they're brothers if they're the same age?" asked Madison.
Marisol swallowed her mouthful of salad quickly, "Well Marco and Mikhail are twins. That means they were born on the same day at the same time."
Madison let out a long, understanding, 'oh'.
"So Leo and Aida are Ekaterina's children?" asked Horatio for clarification having met one of Eric's sisters before.
"Yes. While the others are Blanca's children." replied Marisol who was a middle child. Marisol had two elder sisters while Eric was the youngest.
"So who's your favourite?" asked Madison her eyes holding a glint of mischief.
"Well I'm not allowed to have any." said Marisol smiling.
"But everyone has a favourite," said Madison in a rather petulant tone, "I'm Uncle Horatio's favourite, right Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison in a whiny-attention-seeking tone.
Horatio laughed, "That's because you're the only one Madison! So of course you have to be the favourite niece and Ray Junior has to be the favourite nephew... I'm kidding sweetheart. Of course you're my favourite niece."
"Do you have one Mi…Marisol?" asked Madison again.
Marisol thought for a while before saying "Well if I tell you it has to be a secret ok? Our little secret. Deal?"
Madison gave a toothy grin and nodded. Marisol smiled at Horatio who smiled back. Marisol lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned forward. Madison copied her actions, "My favourite is Carmen because she's my god-daughter and I'm her god-mother."
"Did God send you then? Oh, wow! Are you a fairy god-mother like in 'Sleeping Beauty'?" asked Madison excitedly, clapping her palms softly together.
Marisol laughed, "No Madison, not quite a fairy god-mother although I'm sure Carmen wished that."
Madison's face fell with disappointment as she heard Marisol's response. Her next question was already tripping off her tongue, "What's a god-mother then Uncle Horatio?"
Horatio thought for a moment, "Well sweetheart, you can have a god-mother and a god-father. I'm Ray Junior's god-father. A god-parent looks after you when your parents are away."
Madison thought for a moment, "Like you do Uncle Horatio?"
"Kind of sweetheart. I'm your Uncle. I'm family so I have to look after you, " he grinned at Madison and poked her side playfully. Madison grinned back trying to poke him but missing. "God-parents can be anyone your parents choose." Horatio finished.
"Do I have god-parents Uncle Horatio?" inquired Madison.
"You know what? I'm really not sure Madison. We can ask your mom tonight all right?" said Horatio and smiled as Madison nodded her head keenly.
"Do you have god-parents?" asked Madison not directing the question in particular to anyone. Marisol looked at Horatio with interest at this question knowing that he wouldn't try and hide anything from his niece that he may with her.
"Yes I do…or rather I did, but they both died." said Horatio quietly, his eyes darkening slightly.
"Oh. I'm sorry Uncle Horatio." said Madison. She smiled sweetly at him and patted his hand, which had been resting near his plate. He smiled back at her, his eyes reverting to the twinkling blue they had been minutes earlier.
"And Miss Marisol…I mean Marisol." asked Madison attentively.
"Well my god-parents live in Portugal."
"Where's that?" chirped Madison.
"Well it's in Europe close to Spain. It's a tiny country where they have the loveliest peaches." said Marisol.
"Uncle Horatio says we're having peaches for dessert. Do you like peaches Marisol?" asked Madison, looking at Marisol over the rim of her glass.
"I love peaches Madison." said Marisol.
"Me too, me too!" responded Madison with glee.
"When did you last go to Portugal?" asked Horatio putting down his fork and knife and helping himself to some more chicken.
"Last year in February just after I found…found out…" she left the sentence unfinished knowing Horatio would know what she meant. She didn't think she could handle Madison's questions about cancer. She still wasn't ready. She felt Horatio rub his knee against her leg in understanding. She quickly continued, "We're very close, and they come to Miami every now and again and stay with us."
"Cool." said Madison not having noticed Marisol's brief silence.
"So, is 'Sleeping Beauty' your favourite cartoon Madison?" asked Marisol trying to change the subject.
"Uh-Uh." said Madison shaking her head vehemently.
"Definitely not." added Horatio with a smile.
"I love 'Aladdin'. 'Finding Nemo' used to be my favourite, but then my mommy rented 'Aladdin' for me one night and now that's my favourite."
"Trust me Marisol, the child is in love with that cartoon," said Horatio rolling his eyes, "I've already watched it four times with her."
Madison giggled, "I've watched it more than twenty times. I love genie and Abu. And mommy is going to let me watch 'Return of Jafar' soon, you know."
"Wow, that's Aida's favourite cartoon too. Oh I think you'll like 'Return of Jafar' although it's a bit shorter than 'Aladdin'."
"All the better." mumbled Horatio, only to receive a playful tap on his hand from Marisol. Luckily, Madison hadn't heard him.
"Well I liked 'Aladdin' too, Madison, but my favourite cartoon is 'the Little Mermaid'. Have you seen it?" asked Marisol.
"But you're a grown up. I thought grown-ups didn't like cartoons." said Madison confidently.
Marisol laughed; she remembered how her nieces and nephews had thought that too, "Well Madison, every grown-up, every grown-up has a favourite cartoon. Trust me." Seeing that Madison didn't look completely convinced, "I'm sure your Uncle Horatio has a favourite cartoon." continued Marisol craftily in an effort to convince Madison.
Madison looked at Horatio expectantly, "Ahem…well…Uh lets see, cartoons, hmm, cartoons…I really like Tom and Jerry cartoons." admitted Horatio not wanting to disappoint his niece.
"See there you go Madison, even your Uncle Horatio, one of the most serious grown-ups I know has a favourite cartoon." said Marisol.
"Uncle Horatio's the most serious grown-up you know? Me too." exclaimed Madison wide-eyed slightly in awe of her uncle now.
Marisol nodded her head, her eyes turned towards him. It surprised him to see that they were rather guarded. He could not read her as he usually could because in addition her body language was giving nothing away.
Horatio coughed slightly trying to break the sudden silence that had settled around them. "Marisol would you like some more?" he asked offering her the plate of chicken.
"Can I have some more Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison
"Sure you can. Do you want a drum stick or a piece of breast?"
"Drum stick please."
Horatio served Madison, Marisol said "No I'm fine thanks. Eric made lunch for me earlier."
"Eric can cook?" asked Horatio surprised. Horatio had slowly learnt from Marisol that Eric was not the man everyone thought he was. It seemed his young protégée, that he had personally trained, had more qualities than he cared to show in the lab.
"Yeah, he can cook. My mother made sure of that." said Marisol with a smile as she fiddled with the edge of her plate.
Half an hour later they were all finished, dinner and peaches and all. Marisol took rather a long time with her peach, something Horatio filed away in his memory as a small detail. Horatio insisted that Marisol relax while he and Madison cleared the table because she was his guest. Marisol reluctantly agreed and perched herself on the ledge that she and Madison had been sitting on earlier. She kept her glass with her, now and then taking a sip from it. She soon drifted off; her eyes caught up in the view that Horatio's veranda offered at this time of day.
Madison talked while she helped Horatio load the dishwasher about what time they'd leave. When they'd finished Madison walked with Horatio up to the sliding door. They both noticed that Marisol seemed lost in her own world.
"Uncle Horatio, Marisol looks far away like you and Mommy do."
"I guess she does, huh?" said Horatio, "So, what do you want to do now?" asked Horatio bending down to look her in the eye.
"I want to finish my colouring and then can we go on the beach again?"
If you finish your colouring and tidy up soon we can go to the beach. How does that sound?"
Madison nodded her approval, "Uncle Horatio, don't you think Miss Marisol would look like Jasmine if she had a blue dress on?"
Horatio looked at Marisol and then at his niece and then at Marisol again. "I guess you're right sweetheart. Who am I to argue with an Aladdin expert?" said Horatio winking at Madison.
"Right you are Sir." said Madison before scurrying away to Horatio's study to finish her colouring.
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Horatio looked out the glass partition once more and sighed at the thought of finally being able to be alone with her now. He walked out towards her and crouched down behind her, his face appearing above her right shoulder. She didn't seem to sense him right beside her, or if she did, her body did well in giving no indication that she sensed him. He looked out at the view with her for a moment.
He kissed her bare shoulder tenderly, "Hi." he said.
"Hi." She replied softly locking eyes with him briefly before turning back to the view. Her hand came up and she gently rubbed her palm against his face. He kissed his way up her palm, towards her fingertips. His arms lightly came around her waist, his hands now resting in her lap. Her other, free hand rested in between his clasped ones. Marisol closed her eyes for a moment taking in everything about him. Horatio felt her relax ever so slightly. He moved his face closer in line towards hers, so that they were cheek-to-cheek now. Her hand continued to caress his face. There was silence for a few minutes.
"This is beautiful." said Marisol rubbing her cheek slightly against his.
"Oh believe me, it's beautiful in more ways than one." said Horatio impishly. He smiled as he felt the warmth, from her cheeks flushing, seep into his skin as she took in his meaning. He felt her mouth turning upwards into a smile and her body stiffen slightly. Horatio registered that she was still shy about the physical intimacy of their relationship but pushed it to the back of his mind to think about later.
"Where's Madison?" Marisol whispered.
"She's inside doing some colouring. She reckons you'd look like Jasmine from 'Aladdin' if you had a blue dress on. And I'm inclined to agree with the little one."
Marisol's smile widened, "Thank-you. Horatio." She said before planting a teasing kiss on his lips.
"Dinner was a pleasure, as always, you don't have to thank me for that." He said coolly.
"Well thank-you for dinner and for letting me meet Madison. It means a lot plus she's wonderful. She seems great, not at all as devilish as my lot."
"Oh she has her moments." conceded Horatio. They remained silent. Horatio soon felt the quadriceps in his thighs beginning to tremble a little from maintaining his crouched position for such a prolonged period now. "Dance with me?" he whispered against her ear. Marisol didn't know why but those words sounded like heaven to her. The way he whispered them against her ear just made her feel so...so…her mind blanked for an explanation for the warmth and tightness she was feeling around her heart. She turned to look at him and nodded.
"Thank-you." he said as he helped her up. She felt goose bumps rise where his fingers let go of her arm.
They went inside. Horatio put some music on, Marisol waited for him to join her in the centre of his living room. He walked up to her and pulled her close as they began to move to the vocals of John Lee Hooker.
"No. Watch with me?" She whispered. He surrendered his hold on her. She turned around and changed his position so that they were both facing the view Horatio's house afforded. She pulled his arms around her waist, "Like this." She said as she leaned slightly backwards and rested her head against his chest bringing her hands to rest on top of his. They both moved slower now, their bodies intimately pressed against each other. The tide was going out leaving a sparkling trail of seaweed, coral, shells and wet sand that the sun glinted off, this, coupled with the changing hues of the sky made it a breathtaking scene.
"So, do I… in your opinion look any better today Miss Marisol?" he asked, his voice softly resonating in her ear, a mixture of mirth and affection.
She smiled and lifted one of her hands up to trace out his lips, she lingered for a moment on his lip wound, "Oh as handsome as handsome gets." She replied light-heartedly, gently squeezing his hands. They danced on, not wanting to break the intimacy of the moment, content to let the lyrics and the beat of the music guide them.
Madison suddenly appeared, "Ooh! Uncle Horatio, you're dancing with Marisol like how Mommy dances with Fabio!" shouted Madison who had finished tidying up and her colouring and had brought out her sand bucket as she now wanted to go onto the beach.
Madison startled both Marisol and Horatio. Marisol stumbled back against Horatio, her elbow digging into his injured side as her weight fell back onto him. Horatio, caught completely unaware, felt the pain shooting up his side and saw red for a moment, he managed to steady Marisol before realising that he too had lost his balance and was now falling on his injured side. His hand went instinctively to protect his side but it was too late.
He lay on the floor his teeth clenched tightly to prevent the escape of the groan stuck in his throat caused by the intensity of the pain. Marisol fell to her knees and Madison followed suit. "Uncle Horatio! Uncle Horatio! What's wrong?" asked Madison, panic in her voice as she saw his face.
"Horatio, Darling, where does it hurt? Talk to me." She said taking hold of one of his hands. He crushed her hand in his, an outlet to release the pain he was in. Horatio's eyes rolled upwards before coming back into focus again. Marisol with her other hand removed the hand that seemed clamped to his side now.
"Miss Marisol, what's wrong with Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison hopping frantically around Horatio.
"Madison. I need you to stay focused. Give me just a couple of minutes ok?" said Marisol firmly but gently in an effort to calm Madison down.
Marisol lifted Horatio's shirt and saw the extent of the nasty bruise that was now green and purple. Marisol's mind quickly made the connection between his bruise and his lip, but she put her anger on the backburner, the most important thing was to make him feel better.
"Madison, where can I get some ice?" asked Marisol turning to Madison after seeing his bruising. Madison tugged Marisol's hand. Marisol got up and followed Madison into the kitchen. Madison showed her the ice dispenser. While Marisol figured out how to work it, Madison fetched a kitchen towel from a drawer and handed it to Marisol.
"Madison, go and stay with your Uncle. He needs you. Ok sweetheart?" said Marisol as she pushed a button and heard the satisfying clunk of ice dropping into the collector. Madison nodded and ran back to Horatio. Marisol worked quickly to build a temporary ice pack.
In the meantime, Horatio had been able to sit himself up against his couch. The music was now grating on his nerves. He clenched his teeth as he crawled from the couch to the stereo system and back. The intense agony he had experienced initially had lessened to a throbbing pain. Madison sat down next to him.
"Sorry Uncle Horatio." she said timidly.
Horatio moistened his lips, "That's ok sweetheart. It was just an accident. I…I don't want you to worry about it, ok?" said Horatio soothingly. His mind was already trying to solve the problem of how to explain to Marisol why he had left out the part about his side when he had told her about the fight he had had with Viegas.
"Temporary ice-pack." said Marisol kneeling down beside him. Her hand reached under his shirt and pressed the ice pack gently against his side. She was still very concerned about him.
"Thanks." said Horatio struggling to straighten himself against the couch. They all sat in silence for a while. Madison leant against him while Marisol insisted on holding the ice against his side.
"How you feeling?" asked Marisol uneasily, "Shall I call Eric? Maybe we should take you to the hospital or…"
Horatio cut her off, "Marisol, I'm fine. Really I am. It's just a bruise."
"Horatio, you were on the verge of passing out." She argued back, but before she could continue, Horatio, forgetting about Madison, caught her lips, and kissed her urgently. He released her lips when he heard Madison try to suppress a giggle.
"Marisol, really I'm fine. See, I'm fine." said Horatio, struggling slightly as he got to his feet.
"You're sure?" asked Marisol doubtfully, looking up at him.
"I promise." said Horatio. Marisol sighed gently and stood up, shaking her head ruefully. "So Madison, how about we go on the beach now, before it gets too dark?" said Horatio turning to his niece who had gotten to her feet too.
"Does it still hurt Uncle Horatio?" asked Madison, still timid.
"Not a lot sweetheart. Come on, before it gets too dark.."
"Can Marisol come?" asked Madison
"Of course she can!" exclaimed Horatio holding his hand out to Madison. "That's if she wants to." said Horatio looking at Marisol who still had the ice pack in her hand.
Madison picked up her bucket, "Are you coming Marisol?"
"I'd love to Madison, but your uncle has to agree to behave." said Marisol
"But…but Uncle Horatio is always good." said Madison confused.
Marisol and Horatio laughed at this, "Never mind dear." said Marisol to Madison. Horatio offered her his arm, which she took. Marisol didn't realise that she was still carrying the ice-pack until Horatio pointed it out to her when they were taking off their shoes at the gate, that led down to the beach. She placed it on the ledge that she had been sitting on earlier.
On the beach, Horatio and Marisol strolled hand in hand. She occasionally asked him if he was feeling all right, to which he replied yes. Madison ran some yards ahead of them picking up shells and pieces of coral and putting them in her bucket. Now and again, she would run back to Horatio and Marisol to show them the treasures she had found.
"Horatio, you should have told me about that bruise last night. It's a bit obvious you got that from the fight. It looks really nasty." said Marisol after they had walked along for a while. Her anger was still simmering.
"I didn't want you to worry Marisol." said Horatio. His thumb stroked calming circles on her hand that he held, he turned to face her in an attempt to hold her gaze, but she refused to let herself be caught in his blue depths. Marisol remained silent her anger finally spilling over. She pulled her hand out of his and left his side to join Madison. She ignored him completely and played with Madison instead. A breeze swept around them tousling her hair and ruffling the ends of her dress against her knees. Every now and again Horatio would see the anger flash in her eyes and it made her, in his eyes, all the more attractive. He wasn't happy about the situation, but he had known, from the moment he had formed his plan in the club, that a happy ending was not a probable outcome. Madison and Marisol stopped for a moment to examine a rock pool, allowing Horatio to catch up with them.
"Say something please." He said, gently taking hold of her arm as Madison skipped forward.
"You make me really…cross sometimes. Anything else you want to tell me about that night?" spat Marisol hotly.
"I would never hurt you Marisol." he said taking her hand, she didn't resist him. Horatio looked down at her hand, "Never." he said softly again. "I'm sorry for making you cross Marisol." He said looking into her eyes this time. Marisol's anger seeped away as she gazed into his eyes.
"They say that… that you should never let the sun set on an argument…" she said before kissing him. She turned his head with her hands so that together they could watch the sun sink slowly behind the outline of the city that was their home. They stood in silence for some moments until the sun had disappeared and twilight had set about them. Again, Horatio felt wonder at knowing Marisol: she once again revealed to his threadbare soul the beauty around him that he didn't acknowledge often enough.
"Horatio, it's done. Forget it." She said softly. She paused before continuing, "You're an extremely hard person to stay mad at. You know that?" she asked as she patted his chest.
He grinned, "No I didn't. But did you know how beautiful you are when you're angry?"
Marisol shook her head in mock annoyance and rolled her eyes. Horatio rubbed his hands slowly along her arms to get rid of the goose bumps that had appeared on her skin as the breeze blew more forcefully around them.
"Madison, it's getting dark now. I think we should head home now." suggested Horatio.
"Five more minutes, please, Uncle Horatio." called Madison.
"Ok, five minutes then sweetheart." said Horatio.
After five minutes had passed, Madison rather reluctantly led the way back to Horatio's place. Marisol stopped once or twice to pick up something to add to Madison's bucket. When they arrived back at Horatio's, they dusted the sand from their feet and went inside.
Marisol excused herself and went to the bathroom while Madison announced that she was going to pack up her things. Horatio nodded and went into the kitchen. He began unloading the dishwasher when he felt Marisol's gaze on him.
"Hi." He said turning to her for a moment before resuming his task.
She remained silent. He looked at her again when she didn't say anything. She walked up to him. She took his hand and led him away from his chore. He looked at her in confusion. "What's goin…" she stopped him mid-sentence by placing a finger against his lips. He decided to play along with her and offered no further resistance. Marisol led him out of the kitchen and into the living room.
"Lie down Horatio." she said pointing to the couch. He was about to protest again but before he could she said, "Seriously Horatio. This won't take longer than ten minutes. I promise."
He complied with her not wanting to maker her 'cross' again. He lay down and looked up at her. She smiled at him and dropped down to her knees. "Close your eyes." she instructed. He looked at her puzzled. She passed her hand over his face and gently shut his eyelids. Horatio kept his eyes closed and listened to the silence around him. He felt her hand un-tuck the part of his shirt that covered his injured side. His eyes flew open and he stiffened as he felt her fingers slowly add pressure to his bruised skin. She reached up and closed his eyes again. This time when her fingers touched his skin, they felt moist with what, judging from the smell, Horatio guessed to be balm. His skin began to burn but the aching pain he had felt subsided as the burning sensation lessened leaving his skin cool. Her fingers moved slowly around his bruised area gently pressing and rubbing in the balm Horatio groaned slightly as her fingers passed over a particularly sensitive spot. Her fingers paused, went back and lingered there for a while until she heard him release the breath he had been holding because of the pain.
Marisol worked his skin gently. She wondered at the paleness of his skin, he was much too fair for an inhabitant of Miami. She shrugged thinking about his dress shirts and jackets. She remained fascinated by the discolouration of his skin from the bruising. She had never seen a bruise go so green! His freckles were still visible against the grotesque shades of purple and green. She felt his abdominal muscles, tauten as her fingers roamed to a new area, and relax as the balm soothed his pain away. Marisol couldn't help but peek further up his shirt, she noticed that he had freckles sprinkled all over. She wondered what it would be like to kiss every one of them and whether she'd ever get to do that. Marisol stopped after ten minutes just as she had promised.
"That was wonderful. Thank-you." said Horatio pulling his shirt down as he struggled a little to sit up.
Marisol sat back on her heels, "You're welcome." She said. She noticed Madison from the corner of her eye and waved her over, then patted the rug, motioning for Madison to come sit next to her. Madison dumped her bag and came to sit next to Marisol.
"All set young lady?" asked Horatio. Madison nodded.
"Shall we make a move?" asked Horatio, this time looking at Marisol. He offered a hand to both Madison and Marisol and pulled the both of them up from the rug.
Madison chatted in the car, drawing smiles from both adults. A quarter of an hour later, they pulled up to Madison's home. Madison asked Marisol to come up and meet her mother, Marisol felt touched and hoped she had made friends with Madison. Marisol was further pleasantly surprised when Susie Barnum opened the door.
"Mommy!" exclaimed Madison dropping her bag near the door and running into Susie's arms. Susie scooped her up and kissed her.
"Hi Darling. Hello Horatio. Thanks so much. Oh! Hello Miss. Delektorsky. What a surprise." said Susie recognising Marisol.
"You ladies know each other?" asked Horatio.
"Hello Ms. Barnum. Yes, Ms. Barnum is the Agramonte rep we're liaising with for Isabella's wedding. Isabella's getting them to cater for the wedding." said Marisol, shaking Susie's hand.
Susie nodded at Marisol's explanation, "Won't you guys come in?" asked Susie, stepping away from the doorway and shifting Madison in her arms.
"That's ok Susie. We should get going."
"Ok then. Thanks so much for having her Horatio."
"No problem. It was a pleasure." said Horatio. He gave Madison a kiss, "Goodnight sweetheart."
"Goodnight Uncle Horatio. Goodnight Marisol." said Madison snuggling into her mother's neck.
"Goodnight Madison, it was lovely to meet you. Goodnight Ms. Barnum." said Marisol stepping out of the door. Madison smiled at Marisol, who smiled back.
"Goodnight Ms. Delektorsky, Horatio." said Susie.
"I'll give you a call later ok?" said Horatio. Susie nodded, "You take care now."
"You too Horatio." said Susie as she gently shut the door.
After she shut the door, Madison launched into a commentary about her weekend as her mother got her ready for bed.
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"What an extraordinary coincidence." remarked Horatio as he and Marisol descended the steps back down to the car.
"Yeah, what a coincidence." replied Marisol.
The conversation during the drive to Marisol's mainly focused on Madison and how Horatio thought she had taken to Marisol. Marisol told him how she and Isabella had met Susie. Marisol also told him that she had left the balm on his coffee table for him to use. He thanked her again and their conversation moved to the topic of balms.
Horatio walked Marisol up to her door as was his habit even though she insisted he didn't need to. He waited until she had opened her door and switched on the hallway light. She invited him in, but he politely declined. He hung his arm against the doorframe and looked down into her eyes, his hand brushing away some stray strands from her face.
"You know you called me 'darling' today." He said.
"I did?" asked Marisol playfully.
"Yes, you did." He said lowering his voice as she stepped closer towards him.
"Well you have every reason to be called that. You are a darling." said Marisol reaching up and running her hand through his hair.
Horatio smiled a school boy smile and kissed her. It was a short kiss, Marisol was disappointed that he hadn't deepened it but she didn't feel gutsy enough to kiss him again not with what she had to say to him next.
"So can I take you out to dinner tomorrow? Casa tua?" asked Horatio, his hand cupping her chin. Marisol dropped her gaze to the floor as she hesitated over her answer. "What's the matter? You know I'd understand if you can't make it." he inquired gently.
"Horatio, I'm going to New York tomorrow, to stay with my sister for a couple of days." said Marisol quickly, her eyes rising to meet his, her expression guarded, "It's a spur of the moment thing. I meant to tell you yesterday, but…but I just kept putting it off when you told me what happened. I'm sorry." She said as she saw something in his blue eyes appear and disappear in an instant.
"That's ok. When will you get back?" he asked.
"Hopefully by the weekend," she said trying hard to sound cheerful.
Horatio's hands moved to his pockets, looking for his sunglasses which would help keep his hands occupied. His gaze shifted to the floor for a moment when his hands clutched at air and loose change. He didn't want to keep anything more from her and decided to share what he felt. "I'll miss you." He whispered, pulling her tightly against him, she shifted awkwardly in his arms, not wanting to further physically hurt him. He ignored the slight pain building up on his side, wanting to take in enough of her to last him a whole week, but he knew it was impossible.
"I'll miss you too." she said against his shoulder.
Horatio soon pulled himself together and slowly let go of her. "Well then…" he said, clearing his throat, "Take care and speak to you soon. All right?"
"You too Horatio. You too. Good night then." She said kissing him on his cheek as he turned to leave.
"Goodnight sweetheart." He said before he left.
Horatio felt hollow all the way home. This feeling of hollowness did not subside. When he got home, he threw himself into examining the cases he was working on and didn't crawl into bed until well into the early hours of the morning. But just as he had woken up thinking of Marisol, he lay in bed thinking of her once again, unable to fall asleep. His gut told him that she was still shy about the physical intimacy of their relationship. Each time she was in his arms, he could never quite be sure of what to expect. There were times when her body responded immediately to his caresses and his kisses, while at other times like today, he had felt the hesitative tension in every part of her body when he had taken her into his arms. It surprised him, especially after her actions the previous evening. He couldn't quite figure out where to draw the line: Perhaps it was because Madison had been around or because she knew she had to tell him she wouldn't be able to see him this coming week. Either way, Horatio decided he would give her control of laying the physical boundaries of their relationship. He wasn't anxious to rush things, he enjoyed the intimacy that they had now, even if it was unpredictable. He could only second-guess about what she wanted from the physical connection they shared. His needs and desires would always come second to hers. Sex had never been that big a part of his life after his divorce. His divorce…it brought back bitter, angry memories that he had tried hard to forget. It was horrific to think that the mind held onto pain just as much as it held onto happiness. Of course pain makes us grow, change, improve, he thought, isn't that what it had done for him? But we can never let it go, never let it go. Horatio's thoughts turned away from pain, he wasn't in the mood for profound thinking. His restless mind jumped from topic to topic: the meetings he had to have tomorrow and the leads he should check up on. He soon fell into a restless sleep – his old nightmares making an unwelcome appearance once again after a long absence.
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Marisol closed the door after he left and felt a tear roll down her face. She couldn't bear to hurt him, and yet that was exactly what she was doing, or would be doing. She remembered the flash she had seen in his eyes and felt physically sick. She wasn't going to see her sister tomorrow. She was full of conflict, on the one hand, she needed his strength, and she knew he would gladly give it to her. On the other hand, she didn't want to expose her weaknesses to others before she had learned to deal with them herself in some way or another. She sat with her photo album for a long time that night in the silence of her living room, wishing she had more pictures of him to comfort her frustrated mind. Marisol struggled to fall asleep that night. She tried counting backwards, counting sheep, remembering abstract accounting concepts, keeping her mind blank, but nothing worked. Her mind had tired itself out by the early hours of the morning allowing her to fall into an interrupted sleep punctuated with images of tears and freckles.