"The Road I'm On" Miami fic

Like a rose petal as sweet as his kiss,
He is a rhythm divine,
A love I thought I would never find,
The wonder of his smile blooms like a flower




His and her kiss is interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Whatever spell had been cast on them a moment ago was now broken.
Horatio released her face and felt immediate regret. He had let his emotions and want overpower his mind and logic. What had happened was wrong. Yelina is a married woman—and to his brother.

“I’m sorry, I was my--,” Yelina began.

Horatio steps away from her and shakes his head slowly; angry at himself. He needs to get away from temptation if he wants to save the two of them.

“Um, it’s not your fault, Yelina. It was a momentary weakness on my part…won’t happen again,” Horatio interrupted her, as he tries to maintain eye contact.

Yelina begins to rub her palms on her pants legs. She wants to get rid of how breathtaking it felt to have her hands in his hair. However, there was no shaking the sensation.

It takes a moment for her to comprehend the words he has just spoken. Was he saying that he had more then feelings of friendship for her? No, she wasn’t even going to try and analyze the words. It was too complicated. Even if he did love her, in that way, it was wrong. She was married to his brother. Quickly she shuts down the emotions in her that felt such for him.


Another knock at the door reminds Yelina what had broken up their brief kiss. With a slight shiver, she walks past Horatio into the living room.
He watches her go. Had his actions ruined what friendship the two had? He had to admit that he would rather have her for a friend then not have her at all. True love was like that. Slowly he bows his head.


He does not raise his head until he hears the voice of the person who had knocked on the door.

“Sorry I’m late, sweetheart,” speaks Raymond Caine.

So, Raymond had returned…this time. It hurt Horatio to have to think of his brother in such a way, but it was how he was. The word ‘erratic’ didn’t even begin to describe his character.

Horatio moved into the living room in time to see his brother lift Yelina into an embrace and twirl her about the room. He noticed that she was not smiling.

“Where’ve you been?” Yelina asks, once she is set back on her feet.

Raymond kissed her nose then picks his bags up from outside the door. Yelina crosses her arms over her chest as she did whenever she was upset. Horatio could read her like a book.

“We got an unexpected turn in the case we were working. You know how it is. I would have called if I’d been given the chance. Speaking of which, I tried to call from the airport—all I got was the answering machine,” Raymond shrugs, smiling at Horatio.

Horatio ventures a look at her. He wonders if she is going to tell about her trip to the hospital. Almost immediately, he could tell that she wasn’t going to mention it.

“The car is being repaired and we needed a ride. Horatio was kind enough to stop by…we, um, just got back.” Yelina answers.

Raymond nods. He hadn’t asked for an explanation. Why was she giving one? When there had been no answer when he called, he knew that—chances were—that they were with his brother.

“That’s Horatio for you,” Raymond chortled.

Horatio doesn’t like the sarcasm in the laugh. It seemed his brother always looked for an occasion to try and embarrass him. Thus far, Raymond had no points on the board.

A long moment passed of silence. Yelina avoided looking at Horatio completely. She felt guilty for betraying Raymond, even if it was in the least bit. Her husband was a lot of things, but he had been loyal throughout their marriage, as far as she knew.

“I’ve got to get going,” Horatio spoke.

Raymond pulled Yelina into another embrace but still couldn’t get a smile out of her. He wondered if she was angry with him for staying gone so long. All that mattered was that he came back, right?

“Leaving so soon, big brother?” Raymond questions.

Horatio gets his keys from the coffee table where he had dropped them when he had come in with the sleeping boy. He needs to go somewhere where he can clear his mind. Later he would have to talk to Yelina again, and speak his regret at what had happened once more.

“Yeah. I’ll, um, see you around,” Horatio nods.

Raymond crosses the room to shake his hand. Horatio takes it and tries to avoid looking at Yelina. There was much going unsaid right then. Both of them tried to keep it from their mind, but they both knew that he had to be told.

“Thanks for taking care of them, man. I mean it,” Raymond says.

Horatio shifts his feet.

“Raymond, you need to know something.” Horatio pronounces.

He looks at Yelina and their eyes lock. She looks at her hands and nods. It was right to tell what had happened…even if it did have repercussions.
 
I'm spilling out
I'm so out of place
What will become...
What will become of us
When were all poured away
I'm spilling out, always
Where are we going from here

~ Dave Matthews



Horatio is woken from sleep to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He checks his wristwatch to see how long he has slept: a solid ten minutes. Widening his eyes to focus in the dimness, he grabbed the phone from his hip and placed it to his ear.

“Caine,” he answered, groggily.

There was a slight silence on the other end before he heard Ryan. He knew that not everyone was running on all cylinders and he understood that, and that the situation at the Lab was bad.

“Hey, H. Um, we’ve got the background on Vlad. Turns out he was born and raised in Berlin but has been living in Cuiabá, Brazil for the last five years. Now get this, he has ties with a drug cartel that has been know to import illegal aliens into Africa,” Ryan spoke.

Horatio looked up at Yelina’s hospital room window. It was just as dark and desolate as before he dozed off.

“And they were being imported to sell drugs?” Horatio inquired.

Ryan sighed audibly.

“Worse. All that were arrested in Africa have PhD’s in chemistry, genetics, physics, or other sciences. These people were making the drugs,” Ryan answered.

Horatio frowned and bowed his head. They had a lot on their dish. He was just wondering how the FBI hadn’t intervened yet. Maybe they would, but it was taking up a lot of time.

“There’s another reason why I called you. All of this digging we did attracted a lot of attention from Washington. There’s a man here who just flew into Miami,” Ryan continued, practically reading his mind.

Horatio nodded to himself. He knew he had to go now. Duty called once again. Looking up at Yelina’s window, he swallowed hard.

“I’m on my way,” Horatio said, closing his eyes.

After the phone call ended, he leaned forward over the steering wheel to get a better look at her window.
So many thoughts ran through his mind:
He hadn’t wanted her to marry Raymond all those years ago, but she had. For years, he had suffered emotionally: watching her life being ruined and her heart stomped on. God knew he had tried to talk sense into her, but she wouldn’t let anyone change her mind. That classic stubbornness that made her who she is; the same quality that made her stay with him the night before.

“I’ll be back,” he spoke.

For a long moment, he watched the window, half expecting her hand to draw up the blinds and to see her smile warmly down at him.
Those smiles kept him going sometimes. While she was gone, her memory was all he had to give him the will to move on. He’d tried, but without her, he was a shell of a man--empty. That was what was different about him while she was absent from his life.

She completed him.

He hadn’t fully realized it until he walked alongside of the plane, as it rode along the runway. If ever his heart shattered, it was that very moment. Uncertainty overclouded each waking moment and haunted what little sleep he got. Not knowing, if he would ever see her again, get to exchange shy smiles, smell her enchanting fragrance, embrace her, and hear that voice.

No, he didn’t ever want to leave her side, but he had to go. He would definitely be back. Come hell or high water.



CRIME LAB
9:43 PM


On entering the building, Horatio was met immediately by Calleigh and Eric. Both looked, and most certainly felt, worn out. Nonetheless, they performed their jobs just the same. That was what separated the truly dedicated ones from the rest.

“Here is Vlad’s file. You think the D.C guy is here to try and cover something up?” Eric questioned.

Horatio looked around him. It was the same hallway that he had been in the night before, when he thought of how his life had been without her. Running an index finger along his temple he tried to stay focused.

“I’m going to find out. Where is he?” Horatio asked, sighing.

Calleigh smiled. Despite her lack of sleep, she still maintained a cheerful exuberance and her hair was as perfect as ever—rather honorable, considering.

“Ryan’s keeping him in the interrogation room just at the end of the hall. It’s one of the few rooms, on this floor, that is intact. I’m surprised he didn’t ask for slippers and turn-down service,” she simpered.

Horatio let a small smile pass his lips. It was what they all needed; a little humor in such a dark time for them all.

“Can’t wait to meet him,” he grinned.

He left Eric and Calleigh with smiles on their faces.


~~~~~~~~~~~


Horatio stepped inside the interrogation room. At a table sat a tall, middle aged, thin pale man, with steel grey eyes that showed no hint of kindness—just business. What other kind of person would work such a job?

“Lieutenant Caine?” he asked, rising quickly from his seat.

Horatio passed Ryan to shake the man’s hand. He found that the grip was indeed firm. Of course, his kind were all over Miami not just Washington. The kind that tried to overpower the person they were talking to: in demeanor, in conversation, and intellectually. All so that their point of view be agreed with, and they could have their way—and a nice fat check to go along. However, this mans motive wasn’t money, at least not from Horatio; he just wanted to scare him. Obviously, they weren’t much acquainted or the man wouldn’t try it.

“I’m Carson Neville with the Bureau. Um, is it possible for us to speak in private?” the man asked, looking past Horatio to Ryan.

Ryan hesitated until Horatio nodded his okay. The man gave a brief smile as he left, satisfied that he had gotten his way.

“We want the investigation of the immigrants to stop,” Carson started.

Horatio placed his hands on his hips and looked at his feet for a moment.

“Not going to happen, Mr. Neville,” he replied.

Carson laughed and opened his brief case.

“Isn’t it true that your brother died, some years ago? Correct?” Carson inquired.

Horatio frowned but didn’t answer. So Carson continued.

“Come on, Lieutenant. We both know all about that story. Now, what you don’t know is that your noble brother was a part of the drug cartel operating in Brazil and South Africa—not for the government. He broke off, and we tried to find him. Yes, your brother took part in the smuggling of tons of drugs and hundreds illegal aliens into America and Africa,” Carson sneered.

“By brother is dead,” Horatio stated.

Carson shook his head.

“He survived, Mr. Caine,” Carson nodded. "He's held up in a hospital in Recife."
 
love your fanfic! the flashbacks are awsome!

keep up the excellent writing.
 
I play it off, but I’m dreaming of you
And I’ll try to keep my cool, but I’m feenin’
I try to say goodbye and I choke
Try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it, it’s clear
My world crumbles when you are not here...

~'I TRY', MACY GRAY



Yelina moves quickly across the room to the two men. Horatio is about to tell Raymond that he had kissed her and she couldn’t bear to see what effect it would bring. Nor could she stand to see either of them hurt. They were brothers and their relationship was already mangled.

“Horatio let me tell him please. Its best,” Yelina speaks, touching his arm. “Maybe you should go?”

Horatio keeps his eyes on Raymond but is more than aware of her touch. It sends an electric charge up his arm and he tries to ignore it but cannot. For a brief moment he lets himself think unguardedly: wishing, for once, that he didn’t have to keep his feelings at bay and he could tell her just how much she meant to him.
His brother was staring at them with confusion all over his face. He wanted to know what was wrong. Was Ray Jr. alright?

“What is it?” Raymond asked, quickly.

Horatio felt his stomach churn uncomfortably. He didn’t want to leave her here alone with him. It wasn’t right; neither of them knew how Raymond would react.

“Please,” Yelina pleads.

Horatio pulls his eyes away from his brother and tried to keep his expression protected. It wasn’t right that he was in love with his sister-in-law but he couldn’t tell his own heart what to feel.
Her big brown beautiful eyes pleaded for him to do as she asked. He would do her every biding if he could, but he couldn’t leave her alone with this; it went against everything he stood for.

“I’m staying,” he settles.

Yelina releases his arm and moved between the two men. He looks back to Raymond, past her shoulder, and opens his mouth to talk.

“Before you got here…” Yelina quickly began.

Horatio bowed his head.

He should be the one explaining his mistake. It was his weakness that lead to this confrontation. She glances back at him again, begging with her eyes for him to go.

“I kissed Horatio,” she sighs. “It was an accident and it was completely my fault.”

Horatio nearly grimaced.

“Yelina—“ he starts.

Raymond looks wildly from his brothers face to his wifes. He knew he should feel surprised but somehow he had expected this. It didn’t take someone of Horatio’s intelligence to see there was a spark burning between the two. Before, he had ignored it but now everything was in plain sight.

“How long has this been going on?” Raymond asked Yelina.

Horatio stepped up beside her. Certainly Raymond had more respect for Yelina than that.

“What?! Ray, I told you it was an accident. Nothing else has happened,” Yelina begins.

Raymond stared at her for a moment. It was clear that he didn’t believe her. He then looks to Horatio. His brother maintains eye contact.

“How am I suppose to know if that’s true or not?” Raymond finally says.

Yelina crosses her arms and sighs.

“It is the truth, Raymond. It’s only happened this time,” Horatio spoke low.

“Oh? Really!” he exclaims.

Yelina raises a hand.

“Your son is sleeping, remember him?” she whispers.

Horatio clenches his jaw, remembering the reason he had come there in the first place, to take her to and from the hospital.

“Let’s talk in the backyard, big brother,” Raymond challenged.

“Ray, don’t be so childish,” she frowns.

Horatio steps forward.

“Alright,” he agrees.
 
Never could build you a castle
Even though you're the Queen of my Heart
But I've had the best of intentions
Loving you...



Yelina let her eyes flicker open and looked around the hospital room. It was dark except for the dim light that was on, over her bed. She wondered what had woken her. Perhaps the beeping of the machine around her, or maybe because the nurse had just entered to check her IV bag, or perhaps she had just sensed Horatio wasn’t there.
In the room there was still the slight fragrance of his cologne and it calmed her somewhat.

“Where’s—“ she began.

The nurse looked up from her clipboard and gave a brief smile. Yelina tried to smile back but found the action too hard to accomplish.

“Horatio,” she finished.

Yelina could feel the room moving and she only wished that the nurse’s face would stop going up and down. She was feeling much more different than the last time she had been awake. What had happened?

“Mr. Caine? Oh, he stepped out,” the nurse spoke, laying her clipboard at Yelina’s feet.

Yelina tried to focus on her words but each word seemed to reach her ears a long moment after they were spoken.

“W-What time is it?” Yelina asked suddenly.

“8 AM, you’ve slept the entire night. Feeling any better?” the nurse spoke.

Her face seemed to be revolving around the room, making Yelina dizzy. It was like being in a Hitchcock film—only this was reality.

“No, not really. Where is he?” Yelina asked.

The nurse glanced at the machines next to her bed and frowned. Yelina tried to follow her gaze but her neck was feeling stiff.

“Just relax. The drugs are just kicking in full force right now and you may start to feel a little akward,” the nurse explained.

Yelina nodded.

Just then Horatio reentered the room and placed his cell phone back on his hip. He looked tired and ragged but there was still the sense of calmness and compsure to him. She didn’t think he could every really lose those completely.

“Morning,” Yelina sighed.

Horatio gave a brief warm smile and looked to the nurse. He was concerned with how she was doing. Afterall, he had life altering news to break. As he had found out the night before, Raymond getting shot hadn’t proved fatal.

The nurse explained to him about the drugs just starting to work and Horatio gave a short nod. Crossing the room he sat in the chair he had spent the last few hours in, watching her sleep.

“Yelina,” he spoke sorrowfully.

She gazed silently at his face. His face wasn’t guarded from any emotions and it startled her. Over the past three days she had seen a Horatio like she’d never known before. Had he always been so guarded in the past and she hadn’t noticed to the full extent. Oh, if she’d only realized her feelings for him before all of this—maybe they could’ve had their share of happiness.

“I’ll check back on you later,” the nurse spoke, noticing that the two needed some time alone.

Horatio thanked her and waited for her to leave before he continued. Yelina found that her head wasn’t spinning so much anymore. She was too focused on him.

“I’ve always wanted to be with you,” he started. “And nothing that happens now or in the future is going to change that.”

Yelina waited patiently for him to continue. It was evident he was battling some inward demon right then and it was hard for her to watch. She wanted so much to help him.

“I know there isn’t any man worthy of you. I guess that’s where I’ve been selfish…thinking I could make you as happy as you deserve,” Horatio spoke slowly, looking her in the eyes.

Yelina held out a hand and he clasped it. He didn’t want to let go but that was what he needed to do for now. It is how life and love work. Sometimes you have to let go.

“But you do make me happy. I’ve realized that,”Yelina tried to assure, not knowing where he was going with this. “And we can be happy—together.”

Horatio stared silently at her hand and tears formed in his eyes. He didn’t know how to say the things he needed to say. The words were just coming out so wrong.

“I can’t protect you and the boy from…” he started.

Yelina sighed.

“Horatio, you’re human. No matter how hard you try you can’t save everyone,” she tried to comfort.

Horatio shook his head stubbornly.

“I’ve got to try,” he nodded determinedly.

Yelina tried to focus on the words through her drugged mind. She was understanding all that he was saying and doing but it was getting harder and harder to focus.

“I know,” she finally said.

Horatio examined the back of her hand for a moment before he reapproached what he was trying to say.

“I do want for us to be happy,” he managed. “But we can’t right now. I need to get you somewhere safe when you get out of here. The people who injured Raymond may still be looking for you…”

Yelina blinked slowly and wondered if she’d heard him right. Surely he meant the people who killed Raymond…

“Raymond is dead,” she spoke, wondering if he had said the wrong thing.

“He’s not,” Horatio corrected, releasing her hand.
 
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