AN: Thanks for the support, here is the next chapter. Warning: Mention of a minor Character death.

Chapter 9: Finally found the one?

April 11, 1998

After arriving in Miami, Horatio remained being a detective for a couple of months, but then decided to transfer to the bomb squad for about a little over a year before he changed careers again and became a CSI, where he now specializes in arson and explosives, and had just recently been promoted to assistant supervisor. But that's not all that has been going on since he started a new life in Miami, and not all of it was good, especially these last three months.

Before Horatio's thoughts could continue, he hears Yelina's voice behind him since he was staring out the window to her house. "Here's your drink."

He turned around and started walking towards the coffee table, picked up his drink and sat down on the couch next to Yelina. "Thank you."

She nodded before speaking softly. "And thank you for being here today for Ray Jr's birthday." Before Horatio could speak, she continued with tears in her eyes, not able to keep them in much longer. "I just wish his father could have been here."

Horatio cleared his throat before speaking with emotion. "I know, me too."

They had lost Raymond during one of his undercover assignments three months ago.

She wiped a few tears off her cheek as she continued. "I also want to thank you for being here with me, helping me out."

Horatio gave her a small smile. "And I always will, nothing will change that. We are still family, no matter what."

She nodded as she moved closer to him so she could lay her head on his shoulder. "You've always been so good to me, Horatio. Why is that?"

No hesitation on his part. "Because my brother loved you."

She moved her head from his shoulder and looked at him before asking softly. "Is that the only reason?"

For only the second time while knowing her, despite how he had felt about her when he first met her, there was a charged moment between them as they looked at one another intently.

And if this had happened during another time in their lives, during different circumstances, he probably would have given into what he had felt for her all those years ago by showing her and telling her. But they were in different times if their lives, and while a part of him will always care for her, love her even, it was in a different way now.

So, with that thought, he cleared his throat and spoke softly. "Yelina…."

She cuts him off with a gasp, now feeling ashamed. "Horatio I'm sorry, I had no right to ask that." Before he could speak, she continued while getting up from the couch and heading towards the window. "Of course, there would be no other reason."

Horatio moved forward and placed his glass back on the coffee table and stood up before walking up to her, then wanting to be honest, he replied. "Remember years ago when you asked me if I ever thought about 'what if's'." She nodded as she turned to look at him, sadness and pain still in her eyes as he continued. "The truth of the matter is that I had. That what would have happened had I met you first, how it could had been between us." He took a breath before he finished. "But…."

She cuts him off with a known look. "You hadn't thought about that, about me like that in years, in fact the day I became your sister."

"And while it might not be in the same way, I'll always love and care about you."

Yelina nodded as she stepped towards him so she could give him a hug. "Thank you for being honest with me." As he wrapped his arms around her, she continued with a smirk. "Now it's time to be honest with yourself and the new woman in your life."

He took a breath as he asked. "What are you talking about? What new wo…"

She cuts him off with a known look. "Please don't say what woman, we both know who that is. The blond who joined your team about a year ago."

As Horatio stood there, his heart started racing as he thought about the day that changed his life in a way he had almost given up hope for.

Flashback

Early March 1997

Horatio was in the break room getting coffee, so his back was facing the door, when he heard the sweetest southern toned voice that he had ever heard, making his heart unexpectedly skip a beat like it had never skipped before.

"Excuse me, I'm the new ballistic expert and I just wanted to say hi."

When Horatio turned around to face her, seeing a short but young, beautiful blond woman with green eyes, that feeling he just felt by hearing her voice only deepened, and if he hadn't believed in love at first before, he no doubt felt it in that moment.

He mentally shook his head and cleared his throat before he gave her smile and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Horatio Caine. Welcome to the team."

She walked closer to him, the smile still on her face, which if he didn't know any better, or was it wishful thinking, that her smile was a little brighter, and the minute her hand touched his he almost regretted letting that happen because it sent a spark he had never felt before, in other words he was falling harder by the second.

"I'm Calleigh Duquesne."

End of flashback

He came back to the present as Yelina spoke softly. "If there is one thing I had learned from losing Ray, it's that you shouldn't leave anything left unsaid because you never know if you'll ever get the chance to say it."

He sighed with a nod. "I know you're right, but…"

She softly smiles while cupping his cheek. "But what if you get rejected by her." He does another sigh and nod before she continues with a smirk at first. "Well, first off she would have to be pretty stupid to turn you down, you're a great friend, so I can only imagine how you are as a boyfriend." Very rarely does Horatio ever brush but Yelina did the impossible, which she gave him a warm smile before she continued with a little more seriousness in her tone. "And secondly you never know unless you take a chance. Don't let this thing with her become the biggest 'what if' of your life, and if anybody deserves to find a 'true love' it's you, you've been alone too long, it's your turn. It's time, Horatio."

He took a breath with one more nod. "Thank you."

She removes her hand from his cheek with a smile. "You're welcome, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to share with me, I know it's hard for you to be so open."

He gives her a warm smile. "You make it easy."

"I'm glad."

They share one more hug, and as they were pulling back, Ray Jr. came into the room sniffling, saying he had a bad dream, and instead of Yelina taking care of it, Horatio walked towards his nephew and kneels down so he was eye level with the now six-year-old boy, comforting him.

When the little boy was calmer, Horatio asked him. "Now how about a story before you go to sleep, if it's alright with your mom."

Ray Jr. looked at his mother with those eyes, his father's eyes. "Please mommy?"

Yelina nodded with tears in her eyes while looking into those eyes of his. "Ok, but can I have a hug first?"

He smiled that Caine smile while running towards his mother.

While in the hug, Yelina kissed the top of her son's head. "I love you, sweetheart. Sweet dreams."

"I love you too mommy."

She kissed his dark hair again before pulling back, then he led Horatio to his bedroom.

Ten minutes later, Horatio walked into the room, seeing Yelina wiping a few tears away as she was looking at a family picture, then he cleared his throat before speaking. "He's out like a light."

She turned around with a smile. "Thank you."

He nodded with a smile as he sat down on the couch. "I was happy to do it."

She nodded, then smirked. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

He leaned forward to grab his drink before replying in return. "I think I need a little bit of the liquid courage."

She just chuckled as she walked towards the couch to sit down next to him.

After leaving Yelina's place, Horatio headed towards Calleigh's apartment complex, knowing where she lived because she had invited the team over for a few get-togethers, which he actually went to. Then after arriving there and he had parked his vehicle in the parking lot, he turned it off but stayed in his vehicle for about another ten minutes before he got out.

Once he walked into the building, he took the elevator up to the third floor, walking out when the elevator had stopped and headed to the last apartment on the left, stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath and knocked.

A moment later, he hears her sweet southern voice 'coming' causing him to sigh right before the door opened.

The beautiful blond, who was in sweatpants and a tank top, smiled brightly at Horatio, causing his heart, which was nothing new, to skip a few beats.

"Horatio, this is a nice surprise. How can I help you?"

A part of him wanted to chicken out, so he said. "I could come back if you're too busy."

She shook her head with her smile getting a little wider while opening the door wider. "You're always welcome here, no matter what I am doing. But with that said, I'm not busy, so come on in."

He nodded with a smile as he stepped into her spacious two-bedroom apartment.

As she was closing the door, she asked. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Even though he was fine after drinking a little at Yelina's, he didn't want to feel like he over did it, so he asks with a smile. "How about some water?"

She nodded with a smile of her own, then told him to sit on the couch while she went to the kitchen to grab them both bottles of water.

Once she arrived back into the living room, she hands him his bottle before sitting down on the couch so there was a cushion between them.

They took sips of their drinks before Calliegh asked. "Not that I am not happy to see you, but what brings you by?"

He takes a breath before replying. "First off, I want to thank you for being there for me these last three months."

In fact, she was with him when he found out, and while he didn't cry in front of her, he did show her a very vulnerable side to him that only a few people knew about.

Calleigh gave him a small smile while scooting over towards him and placed her hand on his, causing his heart to race, then she spoke softly. "That's what friends do. I mean we are friends, right?"

He instantly nodded, then cleared his throat to get the emotion out before he replied softly. "I like to think that we are. In fact, despite the short of time that we've known one another, I would say you're one of my best friends, and I don't use that word lightly."

Calleigh nodded with another smile as replied. "I feel the same way." She then gets a little shy when she admitted. "In fact, it feels like I've known you for a long time."

Horatio felt very strongly that this could be his chance, the 'door' was open and all he had to do was step through, so he took one more breath before he started to speak again. "And the main reason I came here tonight was to tell you that…"

Right before he could finish what he was about to say, Calleigh's phone started ringing, which seemed to knock them both out of a trance, then she sighed before she spoke. "I'm sorry."

He nodded while slipping his hand out from under hers. "It's ok, you should get that."

She nodded as she stood up from the couch before walking to her home phone and answered it.

A second later she gasped with tears in her eyes. "Oh my god and can't believe that…Yes, I'll see if I can take some time off…Thanks for letting me know, Adam…I'll miss her too, bye."

After she hung up, she wiped a few tears off her cheek while Horatio, who was now standing behind her, spoke softly. "Calleigh, what happened?"

She sniffled as she turned around, her sad eyes looking at him, which all he wanted to do in that moment was bring her into her arms, then she replied sadly. "You know how I said that I don't call someone my best friend lightly." He nodded with a sinking feeling settling in, before she continued. "Well, I just lost a true one from my childhood. A drunk driver ran a red light and hit her car "

Now with sympathy, he replied. "I'm so sorry Cal, and of course you can take as much time as you need."

She sniffled again. "Thank you." He nodded while she asked as she headed back towards the couch. "So, what is the main reason to came here tonight?"

He didn't feel right telling her how he felt for her right after she heard about one of her oldest friends, so shook his head as he headed back to her couch as well. "Don't worry about that right now."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

She just nodded before she took a sip of her water, kind of wishing she had something stronger in her apartment at the moment.

After he had taken a sip of his drink, he asked. "If it's not too hard I would like to hear about your childhood with her friend."

Calleigh took a moment, and at first Horatio thought she wasn't going to, but then she gave him a small smile before telling him about the good times she had with her two best childhood friends, Adam and Lindsey.

AN: Thanks for reading, and please review. Hope you enjoyed your weekend and keep safe.

AN#2: As I had said in the first chapter, there will be a few canon moments, but with my own twist (outside of the obvious of course), so keep that in mind as you keep reading.