No Other One, Chapter 73
Title: No Other One, Chapter 73
Author: Duckie Nicks
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Yelina Salas, Horatio Caine, the whole Caine family
Author's Note: WARNING: SPOILER FOR SEASON 6.
Summary: Almost two decades ago, Horatio made a decision that would change his family forever. Will they ever forgive him? Will he ever tell Yelina how he feels? This is an alternative to the beginning of season 6. A Horatio and Kyle story; H/Y romance in the future.
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24, Chapter 25, Chapter 26, Chapter 27, Chapter 28, Chapter 29, Chapter 30, Chapter 31, Chapter 32, Chapter 33, Chapter 34, Chapter 35, Chapter 36, Chapter 37, Chapter 38, Chapter 39, Chapter 40, Chapter 41, Chapter 42, Chapter 43, Chapter 44, Chapter 45, Chapter 46, Chapter 47, Chapter 48, Chapter 49, Chapter 50, Chapter 51, Chapter 52, Chapter 53, Chapter 54, Chapter 55, Chapter 56, Chapter 57, Chapter 58, Chapter 59, Chapter 60, Chapter 61, Chapter 62, Chapter 63, Chapter 64, Chapter 65, Chapter 66, Chapter 67, Chapter 68, Chapter 69, Chapter 70, Chapter 71, Chapter 72
Disclaimer: I don't own the show.
"The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand." - Frank Herbert
Yelina gripped the steering wheel tightly. She knew that Kyle's question (if it could even be called that) had been asked out of anger - which only meant that what she was saying was getting to him. And even if he was furious with her now, it meant that part of him was considering what she was telling him to do.
Of course, that didn't make the question any less biting. No matter his intention, no matter its significance, the comment hurt. The remark one her own mind had asked over and over and echoed now, it was something that her body longed for an answer for. Because, although she never regretted doing anything for Horatio, part of Yelina couldn't help but wonder if he would ever warm up to her.
Oh, he wanted her.
Of that she had no doubts.
But she was more doubtful about what it would take to make him realize that time was passing them by and she was getting neither younger nor increasingly available or naïve. After all, nothing had worked so far. No amount of flirtation or personal problems to trauma or affection had brought them together.
Admittedly, that made her sound desperate, as though she were solely living her life to catch a little bit of Horatio's attention. And that was most assuredly not who she was or what she was capable of; she valued her life and her self outside of how worthy Horatio deemed it to be. Yet she did try to earn his affections, regardless of how pathetic that seemed.
Because in the end, as happy as she was, she couldn't help but want him. Regardless of everything he had put her through, despite all of the bad things that had come from being a member of the Caine family, she still wanted him.
And she knew that he wanted her too. She wasn't the only one with romantic feelings bubbling inside of her, and because of that, it seemed like such a simple equation; if they both wanted to be together and they were both single, shouldn't they be together?
Shouldn't it be easy to be with him?
Inwardly, Yelina thought that it should be, and that if things were this complicated, then maybe she should take that as a sign to move on.
But she wasn't moving on, any more than she was answering Kyle's question.
Well, she thought decisively, at least she could rectify one of those things.
Pulling into the parking lot of the nearest restaurant, she stopped the car with a loud screech. Turning to look at Kyle, who at least had the decency to look a little guilty, Yelina explained, "I care about Horatio. I care about you, and whether or not he chooses - or, for that matter, you choose - to reciprocate, I care." As she took the keys out of the ignition, she added, "That's why."
She didn't give him a chance to respond before getting out of the car. Staying in the vehicle would only encourage him to persist with his stupidity; years with Ray Junior had taught her as much, and the last thing she wanted was to give Kyle any reason to continue with that line of questioning.
And so it came as no surprise that, when he got out of the car to follow her inside, he changed the subject, "I'm really not that hungry."
From the forced tone of his voice, she could tell that he was lying - at least about the hungry part. No doubt, he had no desire to sit with her any longer, to talk to her any more, but it wasn't hard to tell that he did want food.
However, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate such deductions, she simply shrugged and told him, "Then you don't have to get anything. You can just watch me eat instead."
Yelina held the door to the restaurant open for him, and, although he went in, it was impossible to miss the air of defeat about him. Frankly it would have made her feel guilty if not for the fact that it was proof that someone in this stubborn family was capable of listening to her.
As she stepped inside behind him, she instinctively took a glance at their surroundings. She'd never been to this particular eatery before, and she was curious to see if it looked as humble as its exterior did. Her eyes darting left to right, she was pleased to see that the place was much nicer than she'd expected; when she'd pulled into the parking lot, she'd just been looking for a place - any place - to stop. But she had done so with the knowledge that if it looked as though they might catch hepatitis, she would absolutely insist on them leaving.
Yet this ended up being more than sufficient. The room was decorated in dark reds and golds, with navy blue chairs and white table linens that looked neatly pressed and freshly cleaned. The strong, sweet smell of Indian food filled the air, and though Yelina wasn't a huge fan of the cuisine (it wasn't spicy enough), she was more than willing to eat it. It might not have been her favorite food; it might not have been all that appropriate to eat it before returning to work, but at least the cloying smell would hide the stench of pot that was on both her and Kyle.
Frankly that was reason enough to insist on eating here. But if Kyle had any objections, he certainly didn't share them. His silence only reinforcing their own, it wasn't until their food arrived that she broached the conversation once more.
Swallowing a piece of Karahi lamb, she felt the traditionally Pakistani dish burn her taste buds with the flavors of ginger and chili. It definitely wasn't as spicy as she would have liked, but the red meat was thankfully satisfying nonetheless, which she was grateful for; quite frankly, after the morning she'd had - on a Saturday no less - she'd needed to sink her teeth into some meat. And then, dabbing her lips with her napkin, she spoke up. "I am curious, Kyle. I can only assume that this idea of you working at the police department was Horatio's."
"It was," he muttered, spooning some of his lentil dish into his mouth.
"So what I can't quite figure out is why you agreed to it," she told him gently. In the back of her mind, Yelina knew how judgmental and accusatory the words could sound. And given the state Kyle was in, he was more than likely to feel judged and accused anyway, so she tried to be as soft about it as possible.
It must have worked in the end, because Kyle wasn't angry in his response. Instead choosing to shrug his shoulders, he said, "It seemed like the right thing to do."
"Why?"
He looked at her blankly. "I don't know."
But she shook her head. "I think you do." He scoffed. "Maybe I'm wrong," she conceded to prevent him from getting angry. "But you don't seem like the kind of person to do things without reasons. I would just like to know yours."
"Like I said, it seemed like the right thing to do." But this time he elaborated. "He suggested it, and I thought it was better to say yes than to tell him that I had no interest in what he did for a living."
Taking another bite of food, Yelina took the time to consider what he had said. On the one hand, she could understand the instinct to please, especially in this scenario; Horatio had probably come to Kyle with this idea, and Kyle, not exactly feeling secure in this messed up family, had simply agreed to be avoid being disagreeable. Despite what his actions and words might have suggested today, Yelina understood that Kyle was precisely the type of person to avoid a fight like that if he could.
But on the other hand, by telling Horatio he was okay with something when he wasn't…
Well, that had just made things worse.
"Kyle," she told him in a soft voice. "I know that the last thing you feel comfortable doing is letting him in." Setting her fork down, she said, "He's not exactly the easiest person to trust or like -"
"That's an understatement," Kyle muttered.
"And it's not in your nature to trust people easily," she continued, ignoring his comment. "I can't force you to trust him. I can't demand that you tell him why you left or why you're uncomfortable working in a coroner's office. But keeping all of that a secret…" She shook her head. "You are depriving yourself of a relationship that could mean something to you."
Kyle opened his mouth to respond, but she held up a hand to stop him. "Hear me out. As much as you don't want to open yourself up to him, consider how nice it would be to have a father."
He looked at her darkly. His voice filled with sarcasm, he muttered, "Oh, but haven't you heard? I have one these days."
She sighed, fearing she'd gotten nowhere.
**************************
With the day wearing on as slowly as seemingly possible, Horatio couldn't help but think that maybe he'd made a mistake by having Kyle start volunteering with Alexx on the same day that Horatio himself was working. Because right now, he was on a case, but his mind couldn't have been further away.
From what he gathered, they were getting closer and closer to the culprit. But it didn't matter how many potential criminals they interviewed or the amount of evidence they gathered.
Horatio was only thinking about Kyle.
Were things going well with Alexx? Badly? Horribly?
Horatio had no idea, and he was curious - disturbingly so. He'd said that Kyle should do the volunteer work with Alexx in the hopes that the boy would learn what it was like to be a C.S.I, so that he would learn what life was like for Horatio himself. Maybe that way they would bond.
Now, however, he found himself motivated by something else. It hadn't been a conscious thought when he'd suggested it, but the longer Kyle was working with Alexx, the more Horatio found himself wondering if his son were any good at it.
Naturally, Horatio didn't expect Kyle to be… exactly like him. That wasn't the kind of person Horatio wanted to be, and truth be told, at this point, he would have been happy just to have any idea who Kyle was. Because when you were starting from scratch sixteen years after the fact, Horatio knew that you couldn't be choosey with who your son turned out to be.
And in this case, if Kyle had any sort of natural aptitude for crime solving, that wasn't so much Horatio being narcissistic as he was just downright grateful to have something in common with his son.
That thought bolstering him throughout the day, it was one that also threatened to unhinge him if he continued to think about it without an answer for much longer.
So it came as no surprise that he was quick to return to Kyle and Alexx as soon as possible.
But whatever positive outlook he might have had on today was promptly destroyed the moment he entered the morgue. Alexx, oblivious to his presence, was cleaning up after what he could only assume was an autopsy.
Announcing his presence, he said slowly, "Knock knock."
When she looked up at him, he could see that sadness in her eyes. "Hi, Horatio."
"Everything all right?"
For a brief moment, she just looked at him as though she had no idea how to answer the question. Her dark eyes trained on him, she hesitated - very clearly hesitated - to speak, and that made Horatio think that there was no way her response could be good.
"Well…"
"How did the boy do?" Horatio asked more directly.
Alexx licked her lips before looking away. "Well, honestly, I was hoping we could have this situation resolved before you got back, but Yelina hasn't brought him back -"
"What does… Detective Salas have to do with this?" He tried to sound calm about it, but truthfully, Horatio didn't like where this was headed, and there was no hiding that fact. Because if Yelina had insinuated herself into this, then something had obviously gone very, very wrong.
"I never got a chance to work with Kyle, Horatio," Alexx confessed, her hands scrubbing at the metal autopsy table with renewed vigor. "He ran away before I had the opportunity to even say hello."
He bristled as he tried to take in what she was saying. His mind blocked, the blood-brain barrier within him also somehow managing to prevent this information from seeping in, it was with effort that he eventually replied, "Well… is he okay?"
"I guess so. He ran off, and I ran into Yelina. We looked at the security footage, and she went after him. I got a text message from her not too long ago saying she found him," she explained, much to Horatio's relief. "But I haven't talked to her since then, and I haven't seen your boy either."
Horatio sighed. Though this really wasn't his fault, he felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry. I… really am."
"No need to apologize," Alexx said immediately. "This work isn't cut out for everyone, Horatio. I told you I didn't have a problem taking him on, and I don't. But that doesn't mean he's ready for it yet."
But her words fell deaf on his ears, because the fact of the matter was that nobody had forced Kyle into doing this. Horatio had suggested it, yes, but if the teenager were really against it, he could have always said no. And frankly if he were going to leave everyone here at a loss as to where he was, he should have said no.
Yet Horatio didn't let his anger or disappointment show. Instead, he simply nodded his head once before pulling out his phone. Speaking to her one last time, he told Alexx, "Thank you, Ma'am."
Walking away, he glanced down at his cell and quickly scrolled through his contact list. Not truly understanding what had happened this morning, Horatio knew that his only chance of comprehending what had happened involved talking to Kyle.
Quickly hitting the buttons on his phone, Horatio promptly sent Yelina a text message. It contained only one sentence:
Bring him back.
Go to the next chapter
Author: Duckie Nicks
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Yelina Salas, Horatio Caine, the whole Caine family
Author's Note: WARNING: SPOILER FOR SEASON 6.
Summary: Almost two decades ago, Horatio made a decision that would change his family forever. Will they ever forgive him? Will he ever tell Yelina how he feels? This is an alternative to the beginning of season 6. A Horatio and Kyle story; H/Y romance in the future.
Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20, Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23, Chapter 24, Chapter 25, Chapter 26, Chapter 27, Chapter 28, Chapter 29, Chapter 30, Chapter 31, Chapter 32, Chapter 33, Chapter 34, Chapter 35, Chapter 36, Chapter 37, Chapter 38, Chapter 39, Chapter 40, Chapter 41, Chapter 42, Chapter 43, Chapter 44, Chapter 45, Chapter 46, Chapter 47, Chapter 48, Chapter 49, Chapter 50, Chapter 51, Chapter 52, Chapter 53, Chapter 54, Chapter 55, Chapter 56, Chapter 57, Chapter 58, Chapter 59, Chapter 60, Chapter 61, Chapter 62, Chapter 63, Chapter 64, Chapter 65, Chapter 66, Chapter 67, Chapter 68, Chapter 69, Chapter 70, Chapter 71, Chapter 72
Disclaimer: I don't own the show.
"The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand." - Frank Herbert
Yelina gripped the steering wheel tightly. She knew that Kyle's question (if it could even be called that) had been asked out of anger - which only meant that what she was saying was getting to him. And even if he was furious with her now, it meant that part of him was considering what she was telling him to do.
Of course, that didn't make the question any less biting. No matter his intention, no matter its significance, the comment hurt. The remark one her own mind had asked over and over and echoed now, it was something that her body longed for an answer for. Because, although she never regretted doing anything for Horatio, part of Yelina couldn't help but wonder if he would ever warm up to her.
Oh, he wanted her.
Of that she had no doubts.
But she was more doubtful about what it would take to make him realize that time was passing them by and she was getting neither younger nor increasingly available or naïve. After all, nothing had worked so far. No amount of flirtation or personal problems to trauma or affection had brought them together.
Admittedly, that made her sound desperate, as though she were solely living her life to catch a little bit of Horatio's attention. And that was most assuredly not who she was or what she was capable of; she valued her life and her self outside of how worthy Horatio deemed it to be. Yet she did try to earn his affections, regardless of how pathetic that seemed.
Because in the end, as happy as she was, she couldn't help but want him. Regardless of everything he had put her through, despite all of the bad things that had come from being a member of the Caine family, she still wanted him.
And she knew that he wanted her too. She wasn't the only one with romantic feelings bubbling inside of her, and because of that, it seemed like such a simple equation; if they both wanted to be together and they were both single, shouldn't they be together?
Shouldn't it be easy to be with him?
Inwardly, Yelina thought that it should be, and that if things were this complicated, then maybe she should take that as a sign to move on.
But she wasn't moving on, any more than she was answering Kyle's question.
Well, she thought decisively, at least she could rectify one of those things.
Pulling into the parking lot of the nearest restaurant, she stopped the car with a loud screech. Turning to look at Kyle, who at least had the decency to look a little guilty, Yelina explained, "I care about Horatio. I care about you, and whether or not he chooses - or, for that matter, you choose - to reciprocate, I care." As she took the keys out of the ignition, she added, "That's why."
She didn't give him a chance to respond before getting out of the car. Staying in the vehicle would only encourage him to persist with his stupidity; years with Ray Junior had taught her as much, and the last thing she wanted was to give Kyle any reason to continue with that line of questioning.
And so it came as no surprise that, when he got out of the car to follow her inside, he changed the subject, "I'm really not that hungry."
From the forced tone of his voice, she could tell that he was lying - at least about the hungry part. No doubt, he had no desire to sit with her any longer, to talk to her any more, but it wasn't hard to tell that he did want food.
However, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate such deductions, she simply shrugged and told him, "Then you don't have to get anything. You can just watch me eat instead."
Yelina held the door to the restaurant open for him, and, although he went in, it was impossible to miss the air of defeat about him. Frankly it would have made her feel guilty if not for the fact that it was proof that someone in this stubborn family was capable of listening to her.
As she stepped inside behind him, she instinctively took a glance at their surroundings. She'd never been to this particular eatery before, and she was curious to see if it looked as humble as its exterior did. Her eyes darting left to right, she was pleased to see that the place was much nicer than she'd expected; when she'd pulled into the parking lot, she'd just been looking for a place - any place - to stop. But she had done so with the knowledge that if it looked as though they might catch hepatitis, she would absolutely insist on them leaving.
Yet this ended up being more than sufficient. The room was decorated in dark reds and golds, with navy blue chairs and white table linens that looked neatly pressed and freshly cleaned. The strong, sweet smell of Indian food filled the air, and though Yelina wasn't a huge fan of the cuisine (it wasn't spicy enough), she was more than willing to eat it. It might not have been her favorite food; it might not have been all that appropriate to eat it before returning to work, but at least the cloying smell would hide the stench of pot that was on both her and Kyle.
Frankly that was reason enough to insist on eating here. But if Kyle had any objections, he certainly didn't share them. His silence only reinforcing their own, it wasn't until their food arrived that she broached the conversation once more.
Swallowing a piece of Karahi lamb, she felt the traditionally Pakistani dish burn her taste buds with the flavors of ginger and chili. It definitely wasn't as spicy as she would have liked, but the red meat was thankfully satisfying nonetheless, which she was grateful for; quite frankly, after the morning she'd had - on a Saturday no less - she'd needed to sink her teeth into some meat. And then, dabbing her lips with her napkin, she spoke up. "I am curious, Kyle. I can only assume that this idea of you working at the police department was Horatio's."
"It was," he muttered, spooning some of his lentil dish into his mouth.
"So what I can't quite figure out is why you agreed to it," she told him gently. In the back of her mind, Yelina knew how judgmental and accusatory the words could sound. And given the state Kyle was in, he was more than likely to feel judged and accused anyway, so she tried to be as soft about it as possible.
It must have worked in the end, because Kyle wasn't angry in his response. Instead choosing to shrug his shoulders, he said, "It seemed like the right thing to do."
"Why?"
He looked at her blankly. "I don't know."
But she shook her head. "I think you do." He scoffed. "Maybe I'm wrong," she conceded to prevent him from getting angry. "But you don't seem like the kind of person to do things without reasons. I would just like to know yours."
"Like I said, it seemed like the right thing to do." But this time he elaborated. "He suggested it, and I thought it was better to say yes than to tell him that I had no interest in what he did for a living."
Taking another bite of food, Yelina took the time to consider what he had said. On the one hand, she could understand the instinct to please, especially in this scenario; Horatio had probably come to Kyle with this idea, and Kyle, not exactly feeling secure in this messed up family, had simply agreed to be avoid being disagreeable. Despite what his actions and words might have suggested today, Yelina understood that Kyle was precisely the type of person to avoid a fight like that if he could.
But on the other hand, by telling Horatio he was okay with something when he wasn't…
Well, that had just made things worse.
"Kyle," she told him in a soft voice. "I know that the last thing you feel comfortable doing is letting him in." Setting her fork down, she said, "He's not exactly the easiest person to trust or like -"
"That's an understatement," Kyle muttered.
"And it's not in your nature to trust people easily," she continued, ignoring his comment. "I can't force you to trust him. I can't demand that you tell him why you left or why you're uncomfortable working in a coroner's office. But keeping all of that a secret…" She shook her head. "You are depriving yourself of a relationship that could mean something to you."
Kyle opened his mouth to respond, but she held up a hand to stop him. "Hear me out. As much as you don't want to open yourself up to him, consider how nice it would be to have a father."
He looked at her darkly. His voice filled with sarcasm, he muttered, "Oh, but haven't you heard? I have one these days."
She sighed, fearing she'd gotten nowhere.
**************************
With the day wearing on as slowly as seemingly possible, Horatio couldn't help but think that maybe he'd made a mistake by having Kyle start volunteering with Alexx on the same day that Horatio himself was working. Because right now, he was on a case, but his mind couldn't have been further away.
From what he gathered, they were getting closer and closer to the culprit. But it didn't matter how many potential criminals they interviewed or the amount of evidence they gathered.
Horatio was only thinking about Kyle.
Were things going well with Alexx? Badly? Horribly?
Horatio had no idea, and he was curious - disturbingly so. He'd said that Kyle should do the volunteer work with Alexx in the hopes that the boy would learn what it was like to be a C.S.I, so that he would learn what life was like for Horatio himself. Maybe that way they would bond.
Now, however, he found himself motivated by something else. It hadn't been a conscious thought when he'd suggested it, but the longer Kyle was working with Alexx, the more Horatio found himself wondering if his son were any good at it.
Naturally, Horatio didn't expect Kyle to be… exactly like him. That wasn't the kind of person Horatio wanted to be, and truth be told, at this point, he would have been happy just to have any idea who Kyle was. Because when you were starting from scratch sixteen years after the fact, Horatio knew that you couldn't be choosey with who your son turned out to be.
And in this case, if Kyle had any sort of natural aptitude for crime solving, that wasn't so much Horatio being narcissistic as he was just downright grateful to have something in common with his son.
That thought bolstering him throughout the day, it was one that also threatened to unhinge him if he continued to think about it without an answer for much longer.
So it came as no surprise that he was quick to return to Kyle and Alexx as soon as possible.
But whatever positive outlook he might have had on today was promptly destroyed the moment he entered the morgue. Alexx, oblivious to his presence, was cleaning up after what he could only assume was an autopsy.
Announcing his presence, he said slowly, "Knock knock."
When she looked up at him, he could see that sadness in her eyes. "Hi, Horatio."
"Everything all right?"
For a brief moment, she just looked at him as though she had no idea how to answer the question. Her dark eyes trained on him, she hesitated - very clearly hesitated - to speak, and that made Horatio think that there was no way her response could be good.
"Well…"
"How did the boy do?" Horatio asked more directly.
Alexx licked her lips before looking away. "Well, honestly, I was hoping we could have this situation resolved before you got back, but Yelina hasn't brought him back -"
"What does… Detective Salas have to do with this?" He tried to sound calm about it, but truthfully, Horatio didn't like where this was headed, and there was no hiding that fact. Because if Yelina had insinuated herself into this, then something had obviously gone very, very wrong.
"I never got a chance to work with Kyle, Horatio," Alexx confessed, her hands scrubbing at the metal autopsy table with renewed vigor. "He ran away before I had the opportunity to even say hello."
He bristled as he tried to take in what she was saying. His mind blocked, the blood-brain barrier within him also somehow managing to prevent this information from seeping in, it was with effort that he eventually replied, "Well… is he okay?"
"I guess so. He ran off, and I ran into Yelina. We looked at the security footage, and she went after him. I got a text message from her not too long ago saying she found him," she explained, much to Horatio's relief. "But I haven't talked to her since then, and I haven't seen your boy either."
Horatio sighed. Though this really wasn't his fault, he felt the need to apologize. "I'm sorry. I… really am."
"No need to apologize," Alexx said immediately. "This work isn't cut out for everyone, Horatio. I told you I didn't have a problem taking him on, and I don't. But that doesn't mean he's ready for it yet."
But her words fell deaf on his ears, because the fact of the matter was that nobody had forced Kyle into doing this. Horatio had suggested it, yes, but if the teenager were really against it, he could have always said no. And frankly if he were going to leave everyone here at a loss as to where he was, he should have said no.
Yet Horatio didn't let his anger or disappointment show. Instead, he simply nodded his head once before pulling out his phone. Speaking to her one last time, he told Alexx, "Thank you, Ma'am."
Walking away, he glanced down at his cell and quickly scrolled through his contact list. Not truly understanding what had happened this morning, Horatio knew that his only chance of comprehending what had happened involved talking to Kyle.
Quickly hitting the buttons on his phone, Horatio promptly sent Yelina a text message. It contained only one sentence:
Bring him back.
Go to the next chapter