Unexpected Hero- Miami fic by GNRF and HnStetlerfan

GregNickRyanFan

GregNickRyanFan

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Title: Unexpected Hero
Genre: CSI: Miami
Writers: GNRF and HnStetlerfan
Rating: PG-13 or TV-14
Couple Pairings: Rave, Cake, Eden
Other notes: This is mostly a Rick/Horatio friendship fic. May contain slight spoilers for Season 7.
Disclaimer: We do not own the Miami characters and are only using them for entertainment purposes. :)

----

Segments One and Two:​


*Ron Saris put his cellphone down and eyed his container of metal alloy bullets approvingly. It was done, he thought to himself. Horatio Caine was dead. His associate had just sent him a text message confirming it. But he wanted to see for himself, waiting for it to be broadcast on the local news wouldn't be satisfying enough, so he...*​

decided to see if he could get into the morgue to see the body for himself. Before he could though, his phone rang. "Hello?" He answered.​

"Ron, what did you do?" Julia asked.​

"What are you talking about?"​

"Horatio is dead. Why couldn't you just leave him alone? He's Kyle's father! Kyle doesn't have a father now!"​

"I didn't do anything, first of all. Secondly, Kyle has me."​

"He's not here, Ron. After hearing the news about Horatio, he took off. I can't find him. I have to go." Click.​

Well, I guess that confirms it, Ron thought to himself. Horatio really is dead.​

~~~​

At the airport, Ryan stood with Julia and Kyle. "That was very good, Julia. If I didn't know any better, I'd have believed that you really thought that's what was happening."​

"Mom, let's go." Kyle said, impatiently.​

Ryan had already gotten Ray Jr and Yelina out of Miami at Horatio's request.​

~~~​

Across town, Rick Stetler was told the news that Horatio was shot and killed....​


Segment Three:​


"No...", Rick said, his voice becoming unsteady. "That...just...can't be...It can't be true."​

"Sergeant Stetler?" said the voice from the phone. "I need you to go to the Crimelab and get involved, make sure everything isn't falling apart over there." There was a prolonged silence. "Sargeant Stetler, are you there?"​

Rick managed to say, "Yes, sir...I'm on it." But when he hung up the phone, he stood there in the middle of his office like a little boy who didn't know what to do. Rick hadn't prayed in a long time, but he did now. Please, God, don't let this be true. Let it be some kind of mistake. There are things I need to tell Horatio. ​

Rick didn't realize he'd been crying until there was an insistent knock on his door. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he opened the door. It was one of the assistants, Patricia. "Here's the files you need." She said. She paused when she saw the look of grief on the Sargeant's face. "Sir, are you Ok?"​

"No, I'm not Ok," Rick said, taking the files. "I have to go."​

***​

He left the office in a hurry, leaving Patricia to wonder what was wrong with him. He looks like someone died, Patricia thought to herself.​

Rick got in his car and went down to the lab. Walking in, he saw Calleigh crying. Natalia was standing beside her, an arm around her shoulder. There were tears in Natalia's eyes, but Calleigh was sobbing, for she'd known Horatio a lot longer than Natalia. He'd been there for her through everything she'd been through. She saw Horatio as family.​

Rick felt like crying again. If Calleigh was crying then he knew it was true. Horatio was really gone. Rick turned and started to walk down the hallway, but stopped and walked toward Calleigh. "Hey, Calleigh, Natalia." He said. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what happened to Horatio. If either of you need anything, let me know."​

"Know what I need, Rick?" Calleigh said, looking at him knowingly.​

"Yes, I think I do. Go ahead. I won't say a word." He looked at Natalia. "If you'd like to spend time with a certain someone who works in this lab, then that is fine as well. My lips are sealed. Horatio would want it that way. So, to honor his memory, I'll keep those secrets for you."​

Rick turned toward the DNA lab, hearing a woman crying. He looked inside, seeing Ryan and Valera. Ryan had his arms around Valera in a consoling embrace.​

God, I hate keeping this from her, from all of them, Ryan thought. But, especially from her. He looked down at Valera. Not being able to help himself, he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.​

Her sobs quieted for a minute and she looked up at him. "Ryan..." She whispered.​

"I'm so sorry, Max." He hadn't meant to say that aloud. He hoped she hadn't heard him.​

"For what, Ryan?" She asked.​

"What?"​

"What are you apologizing for?"​

Rick watched them quietly, intrigued. Watching the two of them took his mind off of Horatio's death for the moment.​

"Oh, I uh..." Ryan sighed. Crap! "I just... I mean, Horatio was... I'm gonna miss him too, but you knew him longer than I did, so..."​

"Yeah, I guess." She said. "But, you don't have to hold back on my account, Ryan."​

"I know. He was a good man. He believed in me when I didn't even believe in myself."​

"I always believed in you too, Ry."​

"I know, Max. Thank you for that." He kissed her forehead. He gazed into her eyes.​

“What are you thinking about, Ryan?” She asked.​

“I’m thinking about how much I …”​

"What?”​

"About how much I want to kiss you right now.” He finally admitted.​

“Really?” She said.​

"I’ve liked you for a long time, Max.”​

"Really? I thought you liked Natalia."​

“To quote a song I once heard…” He started to sing the song softly to her. “That was a river, this is the ocean. That never carried this much emotion. Nothing compares to this deep devotion. That was a river, this is the ocean.”​

She melted. “Ryan…”​

"I know, that was corny, right?”​

"No. It was sweet."​

"I meant it, Max.”​

"What about Erica Sykes?”​

“Seriously?” He asked.​

"I’m just curious. It seems like you two have a history.”​

“Let’s just say that… that was a pond.”​

She laughed. “Oh?”​

"We only dated briefly, it didn't work out.” He said. They were staring into each other’s eyes.​

Rick decided to leave the couple alone. He walked toward Horatio’s office.​

Ryan and Valera both leaned in toward each other and their lips touched softly, sensually and slowly. Ryan pulled her closer, afraid to let go. He was afraid it was all a dream. How would she react when she found out that he had kept the secret that Horatio was actually alive from her? Would she understand that Horatio gave him the assignment and he felt he’d owed it to Horatio since Horatio got him his job back? Or would she be pissed at him for not telling her. God, he hoped she wouldn’t be mad at him. He could feel himself already falling for her… and he was falling hard.​

Rick walked into Horatio’s office. He saw an envelope on Horatio’s desk addressed to him. It was clearly Horatio’s handwriting. Why had Horatio left him a letter? He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter and began to read it. It said...​
 
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***Glad you like it, Mrs. Darcy. Here's some more of it.***​



Segment Four:​


"Rick, it's very important that you do exactly what I say in this letter. There is a key in the envelope; be sure you have found it. Take the key, and drive to this address:

4450 Woodland Lane
Palmwood

Once you've reached the address, use the key to enter the house. Do not, Rick, under any circumstances, tell anyone where you're going.

Horatio


Rick stared at the note and then at the key. What could this be about? What was so special about this house? He laughed sadly as he realized, I'm still taking orders from him even after he's passed. "Ok, Horatio," Rick said out loud, grasping the key firmly. "If this is what you want me to do, you got it." He pocketed the letter and key and walked back out to the hallway. The hallway continued to be a heartwrenching scene of mourning. Rick saw clusters of labworkers, some he didn't even know by name, who were either crying or had a look of numb shock. He thought of the times he had intercepted Horatio in this same hallway, and given the man a hard time. He had tried harder this past year, though; tried to understand Horatio's way of thinking; he had tried to prevent Horatio's extradition to Brazil. He hoped Horatio had noticed that he had been trying to help him and be less of a thorn in his side. Rick walked and choked back tears. He had really needed more time to smooth things out with Horatio, to try to broach the subject of Yelina with him and have him really listen to him about what had happened between them. Most of all, he thought, he had really wanted Horatio to begin to trust him.


Segment Five:​


Ryan and Valera had gone to Ryan's place later that night. She hadn't wanted to be alone, she was too upset over her boss' death. While Ryan had been comforting her, his strong feelings for her had gotten in the way and the two of them had ended up in bed together. Ryan didn't regret that though, it was what they had both wanted and needed. Under any other circumstances, Ryan would have been over the moon regarding what had transpired between he and Maxine Valera. But, with the Horatio situation, Ryan just couldn't help but worry about how she'd react once she found out that he had kept this huge secret from her, from everyone.

Maxine woke up and saw that Ryan wasn't in the bed. She got up, grabbing the button-up shirt off the chair (Ryan's shirt). She put the shirt on and walked out of the bedroom. "Ryan?" She called softly. She found him sitting at the dining room table and she saw the tears in his eyes. "Ryan?"

"I don't know if I can do this anymore." She heard him say.

"Do what, Ryan?" She hadn't realized he was on the phone because he had one of those ear devices in. When he heard her voice, he took the device out discreetly and sat it out of her line of sight.

"Oh, hi, Max." He said, managing a small smile.

"What is it that you don't think you can do anymore?

He got slightly distracted when he noticed she was wearing his shirt. Damn, she looks good in my shirt, he thought.

"Ryan?"

"Oh, sorry, Max. I was just... you're wearing my shirt."

"Oh. Is that a problem? I'm sorry, I..."

"No, it's not a problem at all." He said quickly. "I was just thinking how good it looked on you."

"Oh." She blushed. "Ryan, you didn't answer my first question."

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"I heard you say you don't think you could do this anymore. What were you talking about? You didn't mean us did you?"

She looked like she was about to cry, so he had to act fast. He really didn't want to be the reason for her tears. "No, Max... of course not. This, us... it's what's keeping me together here."

"Me too." She said, smiling softly and walking closer to him. He stood to his feet, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm..."

"What?"

"I'm crazy about you, Max." He pulled her into a kiss.

"So then, what you said about not being able to do this anymore... you meant that you're having a hard time keeping yourself from breaking down?"

"Yeah, something like that." He kissed her forehead.

"I'm here if you want to talk about it."

He smiled and kissed her. "I'm okay, Max, but thank you." She kissed him. "I'll be back to bed in a bit."

"Okay. For the record, Ryan..." She started.

"Yeah?"

"I'm crazy about you too." She smiled, he smiled in return, giving her another kiss. She walked out of the room.

Ryan put the ear thing back in his ear. "Are you still there?"

"I am." The voice on the other end said.

"I'm really afraid that..."

"Afraid that she'll be mad when she finds out you've kept this secret?"

"Yeah. Jake, aren't you worried about the same thing with Calleigh?"

"A little, yeah... but, I know that Calleigh loves me. While she may be upset at first, eventually she'll realize why I couldn't tell her and she'll understand. And so will Maxine. She'll understand, I'm sure of it. I don't know Maxine that well, but something tells me that she'll be more understanding than Calleigh will be."

~ ~ ~

Jake unlocked the door of Calleigh’s place and went inside. He followed her sobs to her bedroom. “Calleigh?” He called out softly. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “Oh, babe.” He said. “I’m so sorry. I came as soon as I heard.” He sat down on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms.

---

~ ~ ~

Eric walked into the lab, having just gotten back from the birthday party of one of his niece's. He saw Natalia and walked toward her. “Hey, Talia. What’s wrong?"

“You don’t know?"

“Know what?"

“Eric, its Horatio.”

“What about him?”

“He was shot.”

“What!”

"He’s dead, Eric.”

"No, that can’t be.”

"I’m sorry, Eric.”

"I’m going to kill Saris!” He growled, punching the wall which caused Natalia to flinch. He noticed immediately and calmed a little. “Natalia, I’m sorry.” He said, knowing the incident had probably brought back bad memories of her ex-husband. Eric reached for her hand, holding it gently. “I’m sorry if I startled you."

“It’s okay, Eric. Horatio was your brother-in-law. I know how close you two were. It’s okay for you to be angry.”

"You know that I would never hurt you the way Nick did, don’t you?”

"Yes, Eric. I do know that.” She said.

"Where is everyone else?”

“Ryan and Maxine left together."

“Together? As in a couple?"

"Looked that way to me."

“He finally made a move, huh?” Eric smirked. “I guess when something like this happens, it makes you realize that you can’t wait for everything to fall into place. You’ve got to grasp it while it’s in reach and you’ve got to just go for it.”

"Yeah.” She said. “Calleigh left alone, but I’m sure Jake will be by to keep her company."

“So, they’re still together?”

“Apparently. Stetler was here earlier. Told us he was sorry about H and that if we needed anything to let him know. Calleigh asked if he knew what she needed and he nodded, saying she could go ahead and he’d keep it quiet."

“Really?” He asked, surprised.

“Yeah.” She replied. “Eric, you really shouldn’t be alone tonight."

"Probably not."

“Why don’t we…”

"Yeah, sure.” He said, a slight smile on his face. He took her hand and they walked out of the lab together.

~ ~ ~

Rick finally arrived at the house Horatio had asked him to go to. He parked his vehicle, got out of the car and pulled out the key. He walked up to the door and unlocked it. He walked inside...
 
Segment 6:

The inside was completely barren. There was no furniture anywhere. Rick walked furthur into the house. Nothing in the kitchen. What am I supposed to find here? He walked down a hallway where the bedrooms were. There was nothing in the bedrooms he passed on the right, nothing in the bathroom on the left. He continued walking to the end of the hallway where there were two more bedrooms. The door to the bedroom on the left was partially closed so he glanced into the other one that had its door wide open. Nothing. Horatio, why am I here? He turned and pushed open the door of the other bedroom. It startled him to see that it was completely furnished. He went in. It was a master bedroom with a bathroom that looked well-stocked with sundry items. There was a king-sized bed and a fairly large television. A painting of mountain scenery hung above the bed. A chest of drawers were at the wall next to the window. The drapes were drawn shut and Rick began to open them so he could see the room even more clearly.

"I wouldn't do that." warned a deep voice from behind him. Rick knew that voice. He spun around. Horatio was standing at the entrance of the bedroom. Just inside the door. Just a few feet away. Rick froze, his jaw dropping. His mind raced and tried to catch up with what he was feeling emotionally. But it really was Horatio standing there, with his blue eyes glittering.

"H--Horatio!" Rick let go of any doubts and rushed over to where the Lieutenant stood and hugged him.

"Ow!, ow! Take it easy!" Horatio pulled back slightly. Then Rick saw that there was a bandage around Horatio's chest. A few of Horatio's shirt buttons were undone to make room for it.

"I was shot." Horatio said. "My death was supposed to be staged, but I ended up taking a real bullet."

Rick stared at Horatio's bandaged wound and unsuccessfully fought back tears. He turned sideways, wiped his face with his hand, and turned to face Horatio again. "Horatio...I need--I need you to tell me what's going on."

----

Segment 7:


"I staged my death so that I can get Ron Saris and lock him away for good." Horatio told him.

"Who else knows about this?" Rick asked, touched that Horatio had let him in on the secret.

"What?"

"Does your whole team know? Because if Calleigh and Natalia know and Valera, then they are all very good actresses."

"No, they don't know, nor does Eric."

"Wolfe knows?"

"He helped me out. He got my family out of town."

"Oh. Is he the only other one who knows?"

"No."

"Don't tell me." Rick said. "You got Berkeley to help you on this, right?"

"Yeah." There was an incoming message on his PDA (which was secure). He picked it up and looked at it.

"So, what went wrong, Horatio? If this was supposed to be a staged hit, then how did you end up getting shot for real?"

"Because someone on the wrong side found out about it and leaked the information to someone."

"Someone who has a grudge against you decided to take advantage of your plan?"

"Apparently."

~~~

Ryan had spoken earlier to Horatio on a disposable cell phone. He had told him that he was worried about how Maxine would react when she found out he'd been keeping Horatio's secret. Horatio told him, "Don't worry, son. I'll make sure she doesn't get mad at you for it."

"Ryan?" Maxine said softly, turning to him in the bed.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Max." He said and she put her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her crown.

They were watching the television.

"Do you think its possible to fall in love with someone after only one date?" One girl on the screen asked another.

"Yes!" Maxine said suddenly, causing Ryan to look at her. She was watching the movie and didn't notice him staring at her.

"Okay, see there's this guy that I work with and we've been kind of friendly for a while. We finally went out and then a couple of nights later, he told me that he loves me. It kind of scared me." The blonde on the tv said.

"Why would it scare you?" The redhead asked.

"Yeah, really." Max said. "I mean, you'd think she'd be happy. That is, if she really liked the guy. If they'd just met and went out on one date, maybe it'd be creepy... but, if they worked together or otherwise had known each other a while, you'd think it wouldn't be as scary. What do you think, Ryan?" She asked, looking up at him.

He pretended to be asleep. She grinned, knowing good and well he was awake. She started to tickle him. "Ryan, I know you're awake. Stop pretending!" She laughed and tickled him again.

"Okay, fine!" He said. "Will you please stop that now?" He was laughing a little.

"Are you gonna answer my question? And don't tell me that you weren't paying attention to the tv."

"What was the question again?"

"Ryan!"

"I think that girl on that show is annoying, okay?" He laughed. "And I think..."

"What?"

"I'm ..."

"You're what, Ryan?"

"I'm falling in love with you." He said. "There I said it." He let out a breath, glad to get it off his chest.

"You're still falling or are you already there?"

"Both, I guess. I mean, I don't think I'll ever stop falling." He ran his hand through her hair, brushing a few stray strands behind her ear.

"I'm so in love with you, Ryan." She said almost in a whisper. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips against hers. He gently rolled over so that she was underneath him as they continued to kiss.

~ ~ ~

"Horatio, I can't believe you actually trusted me with this secret, but I am honored."

"Rick, you and I may have had our differences in the past, but when it came down to it... I would trust you with my life."

"Thanks, Horatio. That means a lot... and the feeling's mutual."
 
Wow. Great story so far. Please add more soon. I love how you paired Ryan and Valera together. Again great job! :bolian:
 
Segment 8: ​

Horatio smiled, looking down slightly as he took in what Rick had just said.

"Horatio..." Rick continued. "There are things I've been needing to talk to you about...to tell you..."

The Lieutenant raised his chin slightly and looked at Rick more directly. Rick met his gaze.

"I never did hit Yelina, and I need you to believe me."

"I know you didn't," said Horatio. "She told me what happened. We spoke about it again before all this business with Saris started up. And she told me the whole story."

Rick shifted his stance and searched Horatio's eyes. "So, in other words, you believed her this time."

"And you, too, Rick," said Horatio.

"So, after all this time..."

"Rick." Horatio stepped forward and put his hand on Rick's shoulder. "I think that after this business with Saris is over we should sit down with a couple of beers and talk about things. Ok?"

"I'd like that Horatio." Rick said, smiling almost shyly.

"Well, then, it's a deal." Horatio stepped back and smiled at the dark-haired man.

A clicking sound could be heard from the front of the house, and a door opened and closed.

"That'll be Detective Berkley," Horatio said. "With my lunch."

Within moments the young Detective appeared and stood at the entrance of the bedroom. He was wearing a green realtor's uniform with the name Emerald Realty sewn onto the pocket. The insignia matched the sign on the front lawn. His hair was a light brown and cut short. He was carrying a thick briefcase. A mouth-watering aroma of burgers and fries was starting to fill the air.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." Jake said, glancing at the two men. "I have some grub here, and I brought a small table and chairs." Jake turned his attention to Rick.

"Sargeant Stetler, it's good to have you on board."

"Thank you, Detective Berkley."

"I'll go set up the food in the dining room," Jake said, leaving the two men alone again.

"Ok, I'll be right there," Horatio called after him.

"Rick, there's something I need to give you," Horatio said as he turned and went over to one of the end tables. He brought back a square-shaped device and handed it to Rick. "I want you to take that with you. That PDA is secure, and I'm going to be using it to send you more information about what's going on with the Saris situation." Horatio paused and then continued in a more serious voice. "I want you to go back to the lab and keep an eye on things there. Do what you do best--scrutinize everything and everybody. If there's anything at all that seems suspicious, contact me via the PDA immediately."

"Ok, Horatio, you got it." Rick cocked his head and smirked. "...And thanks for the backhanded compliment."

"Come on, I'll walk with you to the door," Horatio said.

They walked down the hallway and came to the dining room area. Jake was sitting at the small table finishing his last two bites of hamburger. Horatio walked to the table, picked up a bag with a burger and fries in it, and brought it to Rick, holding it out to him. "You look like you could use this. I think there's a soda in there, too."

"Thank you," Rick said, taking the bag. Rick gave the Lieutenant a worried look and asked, "What about you, Horatio...Are you going to be Ok? I hope you have a Doctor checking that wound."

"Yes, I do." Horatio said. "And I'm going to be fine."

Rick walked to the front door.

"Keep me posted," said Horatio.

"I will."

Horatio stepped away from the door to avoid being seen, and Rick exited the safehouse.

As he drove back to the Crimelab, the smell of the burgers and fries filled the interior of Rick's IAB sedan. But he barely noticed. The bag of food lay untouched in the back seat. Rick's mind raced with thoughts of the conversation he had just had. Horatio's alive! He wants my help. Yelina told him everything. Rick clenched the steering wheel. The emotion he was feeling made it hard to breathe. Horatio doesn't hate me. He said he would trust me with his life. "Thank you, God," Rick said out loud.

Most of the intersections Rick had been coming to had been green lights, and he had been making pretty good time on his way back to the lab. But now traffic was starting to slow down, and as the next intersection came into view, he could see that something was wrong.

There was no signal box hanging above the pavement, and the heavy arm structure that had held it looked pockmarked, as if it had been shot at. And when the pickup truck in front of him changed lanes, Rick saw that there had been a collision involving at least two vehicles in the middle of the intersection. And not just any collision either. Rick was sure the large van on its side was an armored truck. Several people were standing next to the truck, gesturing frantically.

Concerned, Rick began to change lanes to pull over. He tried to get as close as he could to the scene and reached for his phone. It looked like the incident had only just happened, and he wanted to be sure an ambulance and police had been called. He found an open space at the side of the road and stopped his car.

"This is Sargeant Rick Stetler from the Miami-Dade Police Department," he said into his phone. "I'm calling to report a collision and possible shots fired at the intersection of..." Rick took a quick glance, noting the familiar landmarks. "Lancaster and Smythe. And it looks like there's an armored vehicle involved."

"Thank you, sir," the operator said. "Someone just called it in, and we've just sent a response."

"OK, thank you." Rick hung up and ran a hand through his dark hair. He knew from experience that it would take the "response" at least twenty minutes to arrive at the scene.

Scanning the area for any signs of trouble, Rick got out of his car. He was less than a half block away from the intersection. His hand had gone for his badge and gun as he strode toward the scene. A crowd was gathering on the sidewalk and he showed his badge when necessary.

As Rick reached the intersection, he could see debris from the wreckage strewn everywhere. A pungent smell of burning rubber hung in the air. Skid marks crisscrossing in awkward paths stained the road. There was a creme colored Cadillac several feet from the armored vehicle. It was gashed with bullet holes, but its doors were flung open. It looked like whoever had been in the car had somehow escaped the mayhem, and no one was paying attention to the car now. Rick headed for the armored truck, and the people who were gathered around it.

Moving closer to the fallen vehicle, he saw a bag on the pavement, to the side of the back doors. There was money poking out of the bag. Rick walked up to the small crowd that was pressed next to the truck. He showed his badge.

"I need everyone to step away from this vehicle. Now," Rick demanded.

"We didn't touch nothing," said a balding Cuban man in a desperate voice. The man was backing up and glancing nervously at the gun pointing down at the pavement, in Rick's right hand. "We were only trying to help the men inside."

Rick couldn't see the armored truck's interior because three people remained in front of it, blocking the windows. But he could now see that most of the vehicle was riddled with bullet holes to such an extent that parts of it had come off and fallen to the pavement. The curved, punctured fragments lay like metal leaves on a soil of flat grey.

Rick walked up to the people at the vehicle's front windows.

"I need you all to move back--move back now."
 
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