A few things bothered me about Rio (5x01). The implication is that Eric and Horatio had been there for 6 weeks, and in all that time Horatio had not been to see Ray and Yelena. So I changed that. I am not recounting the episode, just adjusting it to fit my story. I gave Eric a bit more of a role, too. And the end of this story is the purest of fluffity fluff fluff. You have been warned.
The first thing Horatio did in Brazil was to find Raymond and Yelena. Raymond was once again teetering on the edge of drug addiction. Horatio urged him to step away from that world, but he didn't feel like he had made much of an impression on him. Yelena promised to keep trying, but she also felt that Ray had slipped beyond their help.
Ray stormed out, and that left Horatio with Yelena. Horatio sighed a little, barely noticeable sigh, but Yelena saw it.
"What is it, Horatio?" she asked. "You obviously have more to say."
"Yelana, I married a girl last week," he replied. There, it was out.
Her glance flew to his hand, but there was no ring. But that made sense, as many law officers refrained from wearing a ring, lest it catch on something in a struggle. She was filled with conflicting emotions. She wanted to be happy for him, but she felt a twinge of loss. They had grown very close during the time between Ray's "death" and his reappearance.
"Who?" she asked.
"Marisol Delko," he replied. He pulled out his phone, and found the picture Eric had taken in the court building foyer. He handed it to her, and turned away, toward the window. He wasn't sure how she would react. He knew that there were unresolved feelings between them.
Behind him Yelena looked bemusedly at the photo. The woman was beautiful and there was a little spark in her eyes. And Horatio looked happy, relaxed almost.
"She is beautiful, Horatio," said Yelena. "How did Eric take all this?"
"He felt a little weird at first, but he accepts it now," answered Horatio. "We did move quickly, we only started dating in February. But she has leukemia, and with the Mala Noche greenlighting me, we thought we shouldn't wait. They tried to kill her last week. That's why I'm here."
"Wait, what?" she exclaimed.
Horatio explained it all to her. "Eric and I are here, hopefully to extradite Riaz, but I don't think that is really going to work. I suspect the end will be a bit more definitive than just taking him back to Miami."
"Are you happy, Horatio?" she asked.
"I haven't had time to sort it out," he answered. "We were married less than 24 hours when the Mala Noche tried to kill her. She's safe, for now. She makes me want to be a better man, and I know we could be happy. It will depend on if we can be left in peace. She is one of the few people I am truly myself with, and she just walked into my heart."
Yelena laid her hand on his arm and looked up into his troubled face. "I'm happy for you, Horatio. We'll work it out," she reassured him.
Eric applied to the Brazilian police for aid in finding Riaz, but their response was lukewarm. He left the paperwork with them and hit the streets with Horatio, trying to find out when he would be released, and where he was likely to hole up. This took more time than they wanted to allow, but they didn't speak Portuguese that well, and didn't know the territory. Yelena helped when she could. Ominously Raymond was hard to keep track of. Then they learned that Riaz was down the totem pole in the cartel hierarchy, and that Tiago Matos had come to Rio to restore order to his criminal cartel.
When Riaz was released Horatio was there, to give him warning. Riaz wasn't shaken, until Horatio disappeared from in front of him. He had never really considered him much of a threat, but now he was feeling a twinge of anxiety.
Riaz was tracking Horatio through the more corrupt element in the Rio police force. When he learned about Raymond Caine he saw a way of avenging himself. He had his men keep their eyes open for a new customer.
Raymond wanted to do something grand for Horatio. If he could catch Riaz maybe he could win his way back to the States, and Horatio's approval. But the siren call of the next high was impossible to resist. He decided to score one more time before he went deep into the favelas.
That one decision led to a whole host of subsequent events. The drug dealers kidnapped Raymond and delivered him to Riaz. Raymond found the strength to keep his wife and son's location a secret through the hours of torture that followed, not knowing that Ray Jr. was already trying to find him through Riaz. Riaz left Ray strung up in the hovel in the favela where Horatio and Eric found him.
Horatio was devastated, but at some level unsurprised. He had been down this road with Ray before. It felt like déjà vu, to stand by his brother's body. He felt as if he had failed Ray, Ray Jr. and Yelena.
"I love you," he bit out, as he turned away to search for Ray Jr. There followed the race to find Riaz. When Horatio told Yelena about Raymond she, too, was unsurprised. Her grief she hid from Horatio.
This was followed by the race to find, and then save Eric. Horatio fought and killed Riaz, for which he was both grateful and guilty. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to fear for Marisol and Eric, or anyone else close to him, from this source. He felt he should feel guilty over not detaining him, but since he was sure that Riaz had personally killed Raymond all he felt was a sense of relief.
Then Eric found a note in Riaz's pocket, indicating a hangar at one of Rio's private airfields. Figuring this must be where Ray Jr. had been taken, they raced to get there. They found Ray Jr and Matos in a stand-off, with airport technicians and personal cowering in the back of the hanger. Eric started to edge behind Matos, while Horatio attempted to talk Ray down. At the news of his father's death the gun in Ray's hand started to tremble. He began to lower his hand, as did Matos. But Matos was feigning, and quickly brought his hand up, just as Eric tackled him. The gun went off, and Horatio felt the bullet slice past his arm. Apparently, Matos had been indecisive about who to kill first, and had been aiming between Horatio and Ray.
Eric and Matos struggled on the ground, and the gun went off again. Horatio rushed toward them, fearful that Eric had been wounded, but it was Eric who rose from the ground, while Matos lay in the stillness of death on the ground. Eric kicked the gun away, and Horatio scooped it up.
"H, are you ok?" cried out Eric. Horatio's jacket was torn and blood was trickling down his arm.
"I'm fine, Eric," replied Horatio. He gently took Ray's gun and dropped it in a pocket. He wrapped the boy in a bear hug. At least they had been able to save Raymond's son. Eric approached the terrified people in the back of the hangar, and asked for help. He hoped, with these many witnesses, to avoid too much entanglement with Brazilian law. At least neither he nor Horatio had actually been in possession of a gun, which in Brazil would have been an issue. He hoped that they would be easy on Raymond, who was understandably distraught.
So it played out. The corrupt element in the Brazilian police force couldn't compete with so many witnesses to Matos's crimes of kidnapping, shooting an American, and threatening others. Raymond was released to his mother, and Horatio and Eric, after checking on her, headed back to Miami.
Eric and Horatio parted ways at the airport in Miami. Horatio was going straight to New York. They were both exhausted, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Eric was insistent that Horatio go get Marisol. Horatio, who never left a task unfinished, was hesitant to leave before the last threads of the various cases were sewn up.
"H, take a day, maybe a week," insisted Eric. "You haven't had a honeymoon, you deserve compassionate leave, and the feds will cover for you. We've pretty much eliminated the Mala Noche from Miami, and maybe further. I'll get Agent Park on our side, while you get Marisol. Think of it as a wedding gift."
"Thank you, Eric," said Horatio. "We're unlikely brothers, now, aren't we?"
Eric didn't tell H that he had long thought of him as a brother, he just shook his hand, and sent him on his way.
Horatio settled into the seat on the plane. He called the cardinal and told him he was on his way. He said he would rent a car and come to the Cathedral offices. For the duration of the flight, though, he didn't have to drive, he didn't have to think hard, and some of the events of the past month came crashing into his consciousness. Ray, long thought dead, had lived, and was now dead, again.
"I'm sorry, little brother," he whispered to himself. Yelena would be living in Miami, so he would get to have a hand in Ray, Jr's upbringing. He felt a passing twinge of regret for Yelena. But he was never one to dwell on those things that couldn't be changed.
His thoughts turned to his current destination. How had Marisol faired in New York? Benedetti had found an unlikely place to secret her away. She had been living in guest quarters attached to a convent. Would she be well rested, or driven stir crazy by all the inactivity and quiet? He drifted off to sleep as he pondered what inactivity might feel like.
He woke when the plane's wheels bumped onto the tarmac. He figured he had gotten a good 3 hours sleep. It was a start, anyway. He made his way off the plane with his carryon. It seemed like a dream, he was almost there. He called Marisol.
"Sweetheart, I'm in New York," he started.
"Horatio! The Cardinal told me you were on your way. Where are you now?" asked Marisol. "How is everything? How did you get away?"
"I'm in the car rental line, everything is fine, and it's because your brother is a saint," answered Horatio. "He insisted I come get you, he is cleaning up the mess and putting out the bureaucratic fires for us."
"Come and get me, Horatio. I'm at the Diocesan offices now," urged Marisol. "I'll meet you in the Church of St. John, around the corner."
"I'm on my way," replied Horatio.
It took an hour and a half to get the car, and wend his way downtown. Blessedly there was a parking garage nearby. He quickly walked over to the church, mounted the steps and entered the foyer. He stopped just inside the double doors of the church, and contemplated the crucifix. It was well done, for all the rest of the décor was surprisingly modern. He genuflected as he scanned the sanctuary for Marisol. She was seated near the back, so he strode up to the pew, gave a hasty bow and sat down next to her and took her hand.
Out of respect for where they were she just leaned into him a bit. "Thank God you're safe," she whispered.
"Indeed," was his brief reply. He bowed his head and thanked God for her safety, and begged for forgiveness for all he had done to obtain it. And again, he prayed for Ray, and for Yelena and Ray Jr. Then he gave her hand a tug, and they quietly walked outside.
Then Horatio Caine did something he had never done before. In broad daylight, in view of any passerby, he kissed his wife full on the mouth. Marisol could swear he was trembling slightly. She wrapped her arms around him. Time stood still.
A light cough brought Horatio out of the fog he was in. He leaned his forehead on Marisol's, then looked up. His old friend, the Cardinal, was on the top step of the church doorway, looking amused.
"Well, now I believe all the young lady has told me in the past month," he said, humor in his eyes.
"Please excuse, me, Eminence. In the thirty days I have been a married man I have spent less than 1 with my wife," replied Horatio.
"Of course, Horatio, of course," said the Cardinal. "Now, come in, and let's do this the right way." He ushered them back into the church, and hustled Horatio into a confessional. He asked Marisol to wait a few minutes. It was more like 10, but eventually both men came out of their respective doors, Horatio looking lighter, and the priest shaking his head in amazement.
Then to the surprise of them both he took them up to the front of the church, and asked them a string of questions. Horatio realized the priest was basically witnessing their marriage vows. Marisol seemed to realize it, too, and smiled a huge, luminous smile that lit up her face. The cardinal asked one of the visitors in the church to use Horatio's phone to take a candid shot of the three of them before the altar and crucifix. This the stranger gladly did, and congratulated them.
Horatio went to shake the Cardinal's hand in thanks but found himself crushed in a man-hug. "You've done well, Horatio. I think the end is in sight," said the priest.
"The end of my penance, perhaps, Father, but not of the struggle," replied Horatio.
"The struggle against evil is never-ending," answered the cardinal. "But now, if I may offer you a little wedding present, I made reservations at a nearby hotel, just 5 blocks from here. Go on, with your bride, and may God bless you both abundantly."
They genuflected before him, turned, and hand in hand went back out into the New York afternoon. They were both a little dazed, but very happy. Horatio's phone chirped, and checking it, he saw a text with the name of the hotel. He sent back a copy of the picture that had just been taken, and the words, "Thank you".
"Oh, send that picture to Eric, he'll be thrilled," said Marisol.
After Horatio and Marisol returned from New York Horatio struggled to settle into a quieter life. He had to see to Ray's burial, and help Yelena get settled. He had nightmares for a few weeks, but Marisol helped him through his grief, which was hidden from everyone else. She wouldn't let him stew in it, or shut it in a box. She made him talk about it. As he began to emerge from this he realized he had a wife! He was a married man, something he had never thought would happen. Joy started to wedge its way into his life, and he began to just enjoy it. He didn't like to contemplate the man he might have become if Marisol had died that day. Marisol did all she could to make home life ordered and routine. This helped him tremendously, so much so that he couldn't understand how he had coped before she came into his life.
He became a little more demonstrative with his colleagues. He would meet them for drinks occasionally, after a shift or at the end of a case. He never drank, claiming that someone had to stay sober. But he began to interact with them in new ways. They discovered that his pithy one-liners could have a humorous edge to them.
The members of the team, who had been nonplussed by his rapid romance, thawed quite a bit toward the situation as they witnessed the gradual warming of Horatio's temperament. He was as sharp in the field as ever, but they began to see more overt signs of his compassionate nature.
Then came a rare Friday afternoon, when no new bodies dropped, and the team, seeing an uninterrupted weekend in their sites, worked feverishly to complete paperwork. At 4 pm, the new Horatio, feeling expansive, approached Eric.
"Eric, would you like to come to dinner? Marisol would love to see you," suggested Horatio.
Eric didn't want to shoot down H's attempt at socializing, but he did have a commitment. So, he made a decision he hoped would play out. "Callie's car is in the shop, so I told her I would take her home after work, H. I'll come over after that."
Horatio pondered this for a half a second. Then he went to the gun lab.
"Callie, would you like to come to dinner tonight? It would be very roundabout for Eric to take you home first. And Marisol would enjoy seeing you again, I'm sure," he asked.
Callie, also not wanting to discourage Horatio, agreed. "But Horatio, maybe you should at least make sure it is ok with Marisol?" she suggested.
"Ah, yes, that would be prudent," smiled Horatio. He called her.
"Marisol, may I bring Eric and Calleigh home for dinner?" he asked.
Did he imagine it, or was there a hesitation before she responded? "That would be great, Horatio. I've already started preparing it, and I want to make sure there's enough. Could you stop at that rib place you keep trying to get me into, and bring home a rack of ribs, and a bag of rolls? Then we will be sure to have enough to go with the ones I already have cooking."
"Ah, then I can compare yours to theirs," he teased.
"I'm confident," she shot back. "You know I can cook." He did indeed, and had started swimming extra laps to keep up with her cooking.
Horatio stopped off at Eric's desk, and told him to just bring Callie with him to dinner. He mentioned that he would have to stop on the way home, but Eric and Callie could just go ahead at the end of the shift.
When they arrived, Marisol was working busily in the kitchen. She hugged Eric, and greeted Calleigh warmly. They offered to help, which she gratefully accepted. Eric, who of course had been there before, was assigned to set the table. Marisol drew Calleigh into the kitchen.
Calleigh, who was always precise in anything she did was a little startled at the chaos in the kitchen, but she had to admit, everything smelled amazing. Marisol asked her to start serving the dishes to the table. Calleigh noticed that all the dishes had a theme. Just as she turned to Marisol they heard the garage door go up. Horatio was home from the restaurant.
"Marisol?" Calleigh began to ask.
"Shh, Calleigh, I knew having a bunch of detectives over would let the cat out of the bag quickly," she replied. Calleigh felt privileged to be at Horatio's that evening!
Eric and Calleigh expected Horatio to come right in, and were surprised that he didn't.
"Sis, what is H doing in the garage?" asked Eric.
"He tries hard to not bring work home, so he spends a few minutes…compartmentalizing, I guess you would call it," replied Marisol. "He'll be in shortly." She kept working.
The door between the garage and the foyer opened and Horatio didn't quite bound in. He greeted Eric and Calleigh, and gently brushed up against Marisol. He gave her a quick buss on the cheek. Ever the gentleman, he restrained his usual enthusiastic greeting out of deference to his guests.
"Sweetheart, I'm home," he proclaimed.
"Good, the food is on the table, and our guests are here, let's eat," responded Marisol. She directed them to take their seats, and she plated some food for Horatio, who was seated across from her.
To their surprise, Horatio crossed himself, and said grace. As he was doing so he glanced down at the food that Marisol had plated for him. His eyes narrowed a bit at the food before him. Tiny, perfectly formed carrots, baby potatoes, and baby-back ribs. He glanced swiftly up at Marisol who was delightedly dimpling at him.
"Marisol?" he asked, hope coloring his question.
"Yes, Horatio." she answered in a definitive way that was both acknowledgement and answer to the unspoken rest of his question.
In an instant, he was around the table and at her side. He gave her a soft kiss, and with shock Eric and Calleigh realized how seldom it was that they had seen such an overt sign of affection from Horatio. He knelt at her side, and with that curious way he had of looking up and to the side at the same time, he gazed at her face. Horatio laid one of his hands in Marisol's lap and tentatively laid the other against her abdomen. She covered it with one of her own. With her other hand, she caressed his joyful face. Calleigh could swear they were radiating a soft light.
Eric had one of those shattering moments of realization, where too many ideas pour into one's mind. He understood that Marisol was pregnant, which was joyful, amazing news. He hoped that it wouldn't affect her remission. Beyond that he realized he was truly seeing H for the first time. Here, plain and open, was the man that Marisol had told him he didn't know, the man not at work. Simple joy just radiated from him. The moment seemed timeless.
Calleigh gave a soft sniff, and the spell was broken. Marisol reached out her hand for Eric. He took it and gave a little squeeze. He couldn't speak, and apparently neither could Horatio. Calleigh moved from her seat around to the chair next to Eric, so Horatio could sit next to Marisol. Marisol gave him a little tug, and inclined her head toward the empty chair. Still dumb with joyful shock Horatio sat. He grabbed her hand and held on.
"Horatio, dear," Marisol interjected into this serene moment.
"Yes, Sweetheart," hummed Horatio. He was staring raptly at her. He could scarcely believe what she was telling him. She was pregnant! Their baby was growing inside her. Every other thought fled his mind.
"We have guests…" said Marisol, and nodded toward Calleigh and Eric.
Horatio gave himself a little shake, and turned to his friends.
"Well, I guess my cover as 'reserved' s.o.b is blown," he said to them. Then, sternly, "Not one word at work, you two!"
"Yes, boss," said Eric, in a tone of voice that implied anything but cooperation.
"Of course not," replied Calleigh innocently. "And congratulations!"
Horatio mock glared at them, but couldn't keep it up. He laughed, and looked down again at his plate. He didn't think he would be able to eat the little carrots, tiny, perfect little copies of their larger family members. He took a roll from the basket, and started to butter it. This was his signal to everyone else at the table to start eating.
They had a delightful meal, with a lot of good natured teasing about baby genders, and outrageous names, mostly from early Roman history. Eric and Calleigh set the kitchen in order, while Horatio cleared the table. He wouldn't let Marisol stir from her seat.
After dinner, Calleigh and Eric, sensing that Horatio might want to be alone with Marisol, made their excuses of needing an early night. Horatio walked them to the door. When they were out of earshot of Marisol his demeanor sharpened back into the Horatio they both knew and respected.
"I do mean it, not one word of Marisol's condition at work," he insisted. "Eric, can you come over tomorrow? I want to work on security for the house. I have too many enemies to leave her here alone, without a plan. I want to add upgrades to the security system, that only you and I will know about. And maybe we could install a panic room, or a panic closet anyway. Calleigh, maybe you can encourage her to learn to handle a weapon. She always says no to me."
It would have seemed ridiculous but for the events of the past months. It seemed prudent to them both. They agreed to not mention Marisol's pregnancy, but Horatio did have to endure a little ribbing about being a very content husband and father.
For all Horatio's home life was peaceful his work life remained much the same. He and his team still pursued the criminal element in Miami with a dogged persistence. The only change Eric noted was that H was less likely to step over the line in catching criminals. He was still as enraged when women or children were harmed, but he was very careful to deliver the perpetrators to justice as unharmed as possible. Eric was relieved that H and Marisol wouldn't have to deal from the fallout of a perp claiming excessive use of force. Little did he know the heroic level of restraint Horatio was exercising. He wanted to mete out justice on the scum, but he held back, in honor of the cardinal's request. He always returned home and would be very attentive to Marisol after these episodes. She knew what motivated this, and would sometimes get him to talk about the situation in a general way. He would lie next to her and stroke her hair, or rest his hand on her swelling abdomen, and thank God that he had this refuge.
Seven months later Cardinal Benedetti was going through his personal mail and saw a note with a Miami postmark. The envelope was stiff, as if it held a card. He opened it and was delighted with the baby announcement that fell out. There was a small photograph of Horatio and Marisol holding a tiny baby, wrapped in a hospital blanket. The newborn's face had that squished, puzzled look so common in babies. He read the inscription, "Announcing Antonia Caine, 7 lbs, 5 oz" and at the bottom of the card, two words in Latin, "Satis est*" With a start, Anthony Benedetti gave thanks to God.
*"It is Enough"