Author's Note: Whenever I need to escape real life, I come back to these two. They are my guilty pleasure. Maybe they can be yours, too. Enjoy!

Dinner conversation at Miami Beach's newest French bistro consisted of small talk about recent cases but Jenna's eyes never quite connected with her date's, and her infrequent smiles refused to brighten her face. Horatio tore his second piece of brioche and decided to stop ignoring the obvious.

"You're preoccupied tonight," he said, popping a bite in his mouth.

"Sorry." She reached for her Pinot Grigio and pulled more than a sip into her mouth. Returning it to the table, she ran her thumb across her lower lip gathering remnants that had spilled.

"Is it us?" he asked. She nodded. "Well," he said, wiping his mouth with the napkin from his lap and leaning back in his chair, "maybe you should fill me in."

"I lied to you." She watched her finger rim the top of her glass.

The waiter, seeing the couple's pause in active eating, took this moment to ask if they were finished. Jenna ignored him, but Horatio gave a polite, "I think we need a few more minutes."

The disappointed server left them.

Jenna had not moved since her proclamation. Horatio leaned forward, removed her fingers from the glass, and took her hand in his. He tilted his head and tried to see into her eyes. "You mean last Tuesday? The personal day you took to go shopping in Tallahassee?"

Jenna's head lifted. "You knew?"

A small smile passed across his lips. "You have a tell."

She matched his smile. A sense of relief washed over her that he had not exploded at her confession. Of course, her choosing an upscale facility in which to reveal it, helped. But he could have walked out on her or done that smoldering thing with his eyes that made her stomach flip. They had a strict no lying to each other rule, so either response would have been appropriate. "I do?" she asked, scrunching her nose. "I suppose you're not going to tell me what it is?"

"I am not." He took a deep breath and braced him for whatever was coming next.

She watched their entwined hands. "I was in Tallahassee, with my sister, but we weren't shopping."

"I'm hoping that because your sister was with you, there was not another man, but if you could say that part out loud, it would help me."

Her head snapped up to his and she tightened her hold on his hand. "Of course not! Horatio, no. There will never be another man."

"Then what did you have to lie about?"

Jenna took another swig of wine and a deep breath. "We went to see where her ex is living. To try to convince him to stay away from her and the kids before we file a restraining order."

Horatio released her hand and reached for his glass, deciding a sip of wine might do him some good as well. He tried to wait a couple of beats before responding. "And how did that go?" he asked.

"Not well. I helped her file this morning."

"Why would you keep that a secret from me?"

"It was just something I needed to do myself. Without anyone's input."

"You mean without me saying it's a terrible idea and you need to bring backup."

"That, too."

"Was he violent with either of you?"

"No. We weren't there long. He's living in some mobile home that technically belongs to his deceased mother. I think Abby needed to see for herself how far down he has gone. Losing his job during the pandemic - he never got back on his feet again. He wants to get back with her. But I think she finally realizes that she can't. I hope."

He shook his head. "You can't didn't have to keep this a secret from me. I would have supported both of you. Always."

"I know you would. But you didn't have to. She's my family. My responsibility."

He reached again for her hand and squeezed it, waiting for her eyes to meet his. "And you are mine, so she is mine. I am always here for you. I want to be a part of everything - good and bad."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. Abby told me to tell you, but I was just. . . sometimes you swoop in and try to be everyone's hero. I didn't want that. But I am sorry that I lied to you. That felt terrible." He ran his thumb across her knuckles but said nothing, so she continued. "You don't know, H, it was never like this. David was never like this. Years of their marriage and there were no signs of this kind of behavior. How does that happen? How does someone change like that."

"You're asking me to explain domestic violence to you?"

"No, no. I'm sorry. I'm being insensitive."

"You're not being insensitive. Here's what I know. People don't change that drastically. There must have been something. . . little incidents. . . signs."

"I would have seen the signs!" she yelled. "And I would have protected my sister."

"I know, I know. Shh. . . You couldn't have known what was hidden from you."

"Why would she hide that? From me? I'm her sister. I'm a cop!"

"For all those reasons. To protect you. Out of shame. Fear?"

When the waiter arrived again, Horatio did not ignore him. He felt a sweeping desire to leave the restaurant and take his lover home. He settled up the bill while Jenna finished her wine in silence.

Later that night, Jenna rolled off her lover and worked at catching her breath. Mission accomplished, she said, "That was nice."

"Nice?" he said, a bit out of breath himself. "I think it deserves more than 'nice.'"

"Amazing?"

He reached a hand over and rested it on her thigh. "That's more like it." A few inhales and exhales later and he dove into a new topic. "Did you get the email I sent you today?"

"The requirements for the sergeant's test? Not very subtle, are you?"

"Hmm, what did you think?"

"I don't know, H. I like what I'm doing now. I like being a detective and working cases."

"You would still be working cases, just not so much in the field."

"I like the field."

"It's dangerous. Leave that to the young kids."

She turned back and threw a leg over him, straddling him once more. "Did you just call me old?" She leaned forward and kissed him hard. "Because I am many years away from old." She planted another rough kiss on him, then straightened. "You do know that you have no say in my career, right?"

Reaching up, in hopes of more kisses, he said, "I think I get to have an opinion at least."

She indulged him.

MMMMMMMMMM

Horatio was halfway to work the next morning when a call came through on his cell phone. Abigail's name flashed on the screen and he pressed the button connecting it. "This is Horatio."

He could hear breathing on the line, but no one spoke. "Hello? Abby? Are you there?"

A voice came through, so quiet that he almost couldn't make it out. "H?"

"Hello? Clara, is that you?"

"Yes," she said a bit louder.

"Sweetheart, is everything ok?"

The girl started to cry. He wasted no time in making a u-turn through the traffic to head to Abby's house. "Where's mommy, Clara?"

"She's not here. I can't find her. I tried calling Auntie Jenna but she didn't answer. I don't know what to do." She continued crying.

Jenna was in court for the morning so her phone would have been turned off. "Clara, honey, I'll be there in three minutes. Just keep talking to me. Where's Zoe?"

"She is next to me on the couch," the girl said as she gulped air. "I took her out of her bed and put her here."

"That's very smart thinking, Clara. Now are you sure mommy's not in the house?"

"I checked everywhere. Do you want me to check again?"

"No, sweetheart. I want you to stay right there on the couch with your sister. Was your daddy over last night?"

"Yeah. They were fighting again."

He muted the call and radioed in to dispatch to send a unit to Abby's house for a possible domestic situation, then returned to the call with Clara. "Alright, Clara. I am pulling in front of your house now. I'm going to come in but I'll have my gun in my hand. There will be a couple of policemen with me. I want you and Zoe to stay on the couch until I come to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good girl. Stay on the couch. I'm going to hang up now. I'll be right in."

A cruiser pulled up to the curb and he waited for the officers to exit their car. He motioned one patrolman to go around the back of the bungalow and one to follow him. He tried the door but found it locked. Without a word he stood back as the younger officer rammed his shoulder into the door, then moved back for Horatio to enter first.

Gun raised, he scanned the living room, found it vacant with the exception of his honorary nieces, and went to them. The officers could clear the house. He could hear them moving through it, calling out, "Clear!" as they went. He holstered his gun and picked up Zoe, crouching in front of Clara with the youngest in his arms.

"Come here, sweetheart." He hugged them both.

Where's mommy?" Clara asked.

"I don't know but I will find her."

"Lieutenant," one of the officers said.

"Yes, sir."

"House is clear. You are needed in the bathroom."

"Ok," he said. "Girls, I want you to get back on the couch. Officer Jenkins here is going to stay with you."

He left the girls in capable hands and called his team before meeting Officer Riley in the main bathroom. "Definite signs of a struggle, some blood on the sink, droplets leading out the door."

"Thank you, Officer. Please secure the house and send my team in when they arrive."

"Yes, sir."

An hour passed. Natalia brought the girls back to the station. The rest of the team was processing the scene and researching David Birmingham, Abby's ex-husband.

Eric approached. "Hey, H. This may be none of my business, but you did notify Jenna, right?"

Horatio took a breath. "She's been in court all morning. I just called her partner to bring her when she's finished and I notified her captain." He looked up at the eyes of the man he thought of as a brother and read his mind. "I know. She's going to be upset. But if I'm going to find Abby, I'm going to do it by following procedure. It's there for a reason."

Eric clapped the older man on his shoulder, shook his head, and went back to work.

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