Chaptered Fic: No Other One, Chapter 13
Title: No Other One, Chapter 13
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, and Chapter 12.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show. Don't sue me.
No Other One
Chapter Thirteen: The hard Way
By Duckie Nicks
“From a certain point of view our real enemy, the true troublemaker, is inside.” - Tenzin Gyatso
On the drive back, Horatio decided that there was just no good way to say it. He’d known it before, had understood that Kyle would be angry. But at the time, the redhead had thought that maybe there could be a better way of telling the boy the truth.
It had been all in vain to think that, the new father had to accept that now.
He only wished he’d realized it sooner. It would have saved the teenager a few hours in jail. And with that in mind, Horatio made the decision to get it over with as quickly as possible. Kyle would probably hate him for it, but… sitting around and thinking of his options, trying to handle this as rationally as possible, was useless. At least if the boy knew the truth, they could move forward. The redhead wouldn’t spend his time vacillating and worrying, and maybe they could start… working towards a relationship.
But that was all easier said than done.
His mind seemed to be working against him, scattered and constantly second guessing any plan of attack. Maybe he should wait until all of this was over. Get the boy out of jail first before telling the truth.
No, he told himself. Kyle had no reason to trust him right now, making it pretty… inevitable that he would have to tell the teenager about their connection before the case was resolved.
Once more, he decided getting it over with now was for the best.
Pulling into his parking spot, Horatio remembered that he wanted to grab the DNA test that had put this in motion. He’d need some proof that this wasn’t a lie.
His hands jiggled the keys out of the ignition in an uncharacteristically clumsy way. And he stalked to the entrance of the building, his legs more sure than the rest of his body.
The door closing behind him, the redhead thought he saw people watching him. It was an accepted fact between everyone that the Miami-Dade police department (and everyone else in law enforcement) liked to gossip. And Horatio realized then that he had better get used to this, being the center of everyone’s focus. Because once his illegitimate son was revealed, there’d be no escaping the attention.
With that thought in mind, the redhead couldn’t help but entertain the idea that maybe they already knew. He was rarely if ever fodder for gossip. There had been a few years, when Yelina was still a cop, that people would talk. And when she’d left, there had been some horrible rumors that Horatio had had something to do with it. Which he had, but they made it sound like… he’d murdered her or stuffed her in a closet somewhere.
And then there’d been his brief marriage to Marisol. But even that had only been talked about when nothing better had happened.
Now though… they were all watching him, and Horatio hated it. If they really did know the truth, this would be all that mattered. They wouldn’t think about the times he’d helped them or been discreet with their problems. No, because now the lieutenant would be the guy who met his son in a line up.
He continued to walk, pretending not to notice their stares. But nonetheless, one of his hands found its way to his pocket, palming the sunglasses within. He didn’t put them on, the cool metal comforting enough.
Entering the dark office, Horatio grabbed the file and left. Once more, he made his way through the hallways with people watching him.
But when he reached the interrogation room, the redhead finally understood what was going on. Because in that same small area was the IAB agent everyone in the building dreaded. And though Horatio couldn’t hear what the two were talking about, he knew what was going on just by the way Rick seemed to cockily sit at the table across from the teenager.
Part of him filled with relief. His colleagues weren’t looking at him, because of the DNA test. They didn’t know Kyle was his son.
They’d seen Stetler, who was busy talking to the teenager. Probably about the altercation earlier, the redhead could only assume. As though Horatio really needed this to be any harder, but he couldn’t exactly interrupt the conversation. It would make his actions look… even more suspicious. And though this shouldn’t be true, the fact was the lieutenant didn’t have control over any investigation Rick wanted to conduct.
So he could only stand outside and wait, the DNA test clutched in his hands. This was definitely not what Horatio wanted. If Stetler was talking to Kyle about what happened earlier, then it would make the truth all the more difficult to hear. Because what kid would want to meet dear old dad after that.
If only he’d told the boy earlier.
Going to Yelina’s was a mistake. Horatio was convinced of this now, more so than he’d ever been. And though it pained him to think this, the redhead couldn’t help but tell himself that… he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. Wouldn’t be able to indulge his sometimes oppressive need to keep her satisfied; he would not be allowed to spend all his time trying to make things right. Not that would really be a problem.
Once his sister-in-law knew the truth, she would never want to hear anything he had to say ever again. She’d be done with him, and for the first time… Horatio realized that there was something relieving about it all. He’d never been able to extricate himself from this mess of a family.
Against his better judgment, the redhead had always wanted her. And even when he’d shoved her onto that plane, it hadn’t mattered. She’d still managed to find her way back to him. He tried to stay away, but without Kyle, Horatio could see himself getting ensnared in it all over again.
But his son had come along. And for better or worse, that would surely drive Yelina away. She’d hate him, no doubt about that. But at least, finally, they’d be able to move past this attraction for one another.
He sighed, pacing, and occasionally looking into the interrogation room. Kyle was still talking, and though it was hard to see from here… Horatio thought he saw Rick smile every now and then. The redhead hoped that they would be done soon.
As it turned out, though, the IAB agent had only just gotten started. Because Horatio spent the next hour or so waiting, his impatience staved off by a few of his co-workers.
Someone had had a question on procedure and had, perhaps ironically, come to him. Both Ryan and Calleigh had tried to convince him to stay away from the kid.
Horatio refused. And he could tell in their eyes that they didn’t really understand. He was being investigated, and clearly he should stay away if he didn’t want to make things worse. But this was… his son, which they didn’t know.
At least not yet anyway.
“You should go home,” Calleigh had tried to say tactfully. But he had refused.
“Why is this case so important?” Ryan had asked. There had been no answer Horatio could give without revealing too much. As silly as it might have been, the redhead was determined to tell Kyle first.
Maybe it wouldn’t make any difference in the world, but it seemed wrong to the lieutenant to discuss it with anyone else. Valera knew the truth, but that couldn’t be helped; she was the one who had discovered the connection to begin with.
But that didn’t mean Horatio was ready to advertise it to everyone. This was their reality, no one else’s, and talking about it with other people would do nothing to ease his nerves.
Finally Stetler opened the door. Things had gone well, the redhead could easily tell. The IAB agent looked like all his prayers had been answered. His dark eyes were filled with an uncharacteristic mirth - like a hyena discovering an injured herd of zebra. And though he tried to hide it, Horatio could see the smile playing on his lips.
Rick was always eager to accuse anyone of misconduct. But the lieutenant had never seen him look so… happy.
“Horatio,” the dark-haired man said. His tone was careful, sounded like he was forcing himself to be as calm as possible.
“Rick.” The CSI didn’t bother to try and hide his disgust for the other man. In addition to Marisol and Yelina, this rivalry was something often talked about among cops. And Horatio didn’t see the point in pretending that he liked Stetler. On the best days it was a near impossible task, and today… well, the redhead just didn’t have the heart for it now.
Not when the other man was interfering in ways he shouldn’t.
“You know,” Stetler started to say. “I wouldn’t go in there if I was you.”
“Oh really? And why is that?” Both men took a step towards one another.
“You know why. You’ve been accused of misconduct.” He drawled out the last word for emphasis. “You should look at that kid’s face. Not even the great Horatio Caine is going to be able to talk himself out of that one.” Rick pretended to think about the matter for a minute before adding, “But if I was you, I’d at least save a little face and resign now.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Horatio said, a mirthless smile forming on his face.
The dark-haired man shrugged. “Do what you want, Horatio… I’ll get you no matter what. If you want to make this hard -“
“I do, Rick.”
“Then I guess we’ll be making this hard.” And turning to the police officer guarding the door, the IAB agent said, “Don’t let the lieutenant in the room. He’s being investigated.”
Well that made things more complicated, Horatio thought as Stetler strutted away. He couldn’t exactly tell Kyle the truth if he wasn’t allowed in the same room. And looking at the guard, the redhead could see that he was one of the newer officers. Perhaps someone who knew the lieutenant well would let him in, but there was little chance of that happening here.
Still, he had to try.
The blond man didn’t seem to be swayed, and for a moment, he thought that he would never get the chance to tell Kyle the truth. But then, changing tactics, Horatio reasoned with him that “IAB can conduct their own investigation, but they cannot interfere with mine - at least until I’ve been relieved of duty or found guilty.”
Luckily this seemed to do the trick; the rookie officer stood aside, letting him in.
And there he was… no longer an unobtainable dream wished and whispered late at night when Horatio was alone. No longer merely a rude teenager, a nameless hooligan who’d the lieutenant would forget about in a few years.
There was his son.
It was hard for the CSI to understand the mix of emotions flowing through him. Part of him still couldn’t comprehend the idea. Of all the weird things Horatio had seen in this line of work, this was easily the most bizarre.
And his whole foundation shaken, the lieutenant had begun to seeeverything, it felt like, in a completely different light.
Kyle Harmon was exactly the same teenager he was earlier, part of Horatio understood. The kid he’d thought was nothing but trouble was still the same blond boy slumped over in the chair in front of him. But the animosity that the redhead had hardly been able to control earlier had all but evaporated.
And something else entirely had replaced it; a sense of… not pride, maybe not even knowledge - but some part of him knew that Kyle had never been that horrible kid. Which made Horatio wonder how many other times he had screwed up like this.
No, the redhead realized. It wasn’t confidence in the boy that flowed through his veins, just disgust at himself. The anger and hatred he’d felt for the blond earlier in the day had changed its focus. To Horatio himself.
How many children had he presumed to know? There had been times before where the CSI had decided that certain people were beyond redemption. And it scared him to think that maybe he’d never really understood them either.
Or maybe he was just destined to never understand this kid. Which was an even more frightening possibility, and so he refused to believe it. Besides, the redhead told himself, these things were very rarely isolated events. If he could make assumptions about Kyle, then why would he be incapable of doing that in other situations?
Deciding that he must have messed up in the past, he refused to give any more thought to the idea that this might only be a one-time instance. The lieutenant no longer believed that; just as everyone else would tie his identity up in this single day, for better or worse, Horatio felt the same way. If for reasons that went beyond discovering he had a son.
And yet… despite the feeling of self-loathing that seemed to fill every inch of his body, the redhead didn’t want all of it to go away anymore. True, he’d given thought to pretending Kyle wasn’t his son. But now the father knew telling him was the right thing. Confronting this and accepting it as reality was what he had to do. And as much as he hadn’t expected this, as horrible as the whole situation was, Horatio didn’t want to run from this any longer.
At that moment though, Kyle seemed to realize he wasn’t alone. And looking up to see Horatio, the boy stood up quickly, defensively.
“Sit down,” the redhead said softly. But the teenager made no motion to do so.
“I don’t think so,” Kyle said.
“Kyle -”
“No.” He stood up to his full height. “No, I’m going to stand up, thank you.”
Horatio shrugged. “All right.” He thought the blond would want to sit down for this, but the redhead knew better than to push it. “Then stand.”
“Why are you here?” the boy asked suspiciously. His dark eyes narrowed on Horatio. Everything about his posture was defensive, like a puffed up cat. “Come to kick my ass for reporting you?”
“No,” the redhead said quietly, taking a seat even the teenager wouldn’t. “I didn’t come here to do that, no.” He gently slid the file containing the DNA results across the table.
“What’s that?”
“DNA test results.”
The blond nodded and took a seat. “So we’re finally getting to the part where you arrest me then?”
Horatio sighed. This situation was already bad enough, but the added pressure of being in the police station made things so much worse.
He shifted nervously in his chair. “Not exactly.”
“Then you didn’t get a match.”
“Kyle,” the redhead started. But the words wouldn’t come, refused to pass the barrier of his mouth and tongue.
“What’s going on?” The teenager grabbed the manila folder sitting in front of him and flipped it open. He looked down at the sheet of paper in the file, but realization did not light up his features. “What is this?” he asked.
The boy’s brown eyes met Horatio’s blue ones. And in the back of his mind, the lieutenant knew that at this moment, everything would change for the both of them. They would never be the same after this, and this tiny pause in between stages would either be the beginning of something great.
Or become the moment their lives were ruined.
Horatio took a deep breath, unsure which path they would be taking.
“Well?” Kyle asked, prodding the redhead.
“It’s… a paternity test,” the man explained, finding no comfort in the science. “We use this to compare DNA sequences of two people we suspect of being related.”
“I know what a paternity test is.” The teenager sounded petulant, the slight whine in his voice belying his true age.
Horatio nodded but continued anyway. “The one set is yours…. The other is your father’s.”
The boy frowned, still not looking at the page. “My father?”
“Yes.” And the silence seemed to linger on, filling the space between them. Perhaps Kyle understood what was going to happen next, knew what the truth would be, Horatio thought. Because the blond said nothing, did nothing - seemed absolutely content to stay in this moment of unease.
And the redhead couldn’t fault him for that, because right now, there was still a chance to walk away. Act like nothing had happened. But that wasn’t going to happen, could not happen, because Horatio had already decided that the boy should know the truth.
Opening his mouth once more, he forced the words out. Slowly, unsure, he said, “I’m… your father, Kyle.”
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, and Chapter 12.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show. Don't sue me.
No Other One
Chapter Thirteen: The hard Way
By Duckie Nicks
“From a certain point of view our real enemy, the true troublemaker, is inside.” - Tenzin Gyatso
On the drive back, Horatio decided that there was just no good way to say it. He’d known it before, had understood that Kyle would be angry. But at the time, the redhead had thought that maybe there could be a better way of telling the boy the truth.
It had been all in vain to think that, the new father had to accept that now.
He only wished he’d realized it sooner. It would have saved the teenager a few hours in jail. And with that in mind, Horatio made the decision to get it over with as quickly as possible. Kyle would probably hate him for it, but… sitting around and thinking of his options, trying to handle this as rationally as possible, was useless. At least if the boy knew the truth, they could move forward. The redhead wouldn’t spend his time vacillating and worrying, and maybe they could start… working towards a relationship.
But that was all easier said than done.
His mind seemed to be working against him, scattered and constantly second guessing any plan of attack. Maybe he should wait until all of this was over. Get the boy out of jail first before telling the truth.
No, he told himself. Kyle had no reason to trust him right now, making it pretty… inevitable that he would have to tell the teenager about their connection before the case was resolved.
Once more, he decided getting it over with now was for the best.
Pulling into his parking spot, Horatio remembered that he wanted to grab the DNA test that had put this in motion. He’d need some proof that this wasn’t a lie.
His hands jiggled the keys out of the ignition in an uncharacteristically clumsy way. And he stalked to the entrance of the building, his legs more sure than the rest of his body.
The door closing behind him, the redhead thought he saw people watching him. It was an accepted fact between everyone that the Miami-Dade police department (and everyone else in law enforcement) liked to gossip. And Horatio realized then that he had better get used to this, being the center of everyone’s focus. Because once his illegitimate son was revealed, there’d be no escaping the attention.
With that thought in mind, the redhead couldn’t help but entertain the idea that maybe they already knew. He was rarely if ever fodder for gossip. There had been a few years, when Yelina was still a cop, that people would talk. And when she’d left, there had been some horrible rumors that Horatio had had something to do with it. Which he had, but they made it sound like… he’d murdered her or stuffed her in a closet somewhere.
And then there’d been his brief marriage to Marisol. But even that had only been talked about when nothing better had happened.
Now though… they were all watching him, and Horatio hated it. If they really did know the truth, this would be all that mattered. They wouldn’t think about the times he’d helped them or been discreet with their problems. No, because now the lieutenant would be the guy who met his son in a line up.
He continued to walk, pretending not to notice their stares. But nonetheless, one of his hands found its way to his pocket, palming the sunglasses within. He didn’t put them on, the cool metal comforting enough.
Entering the dark office, Horatio grabbed the file and left. Once more, he made his way through the hallways with people watching him.
But when he reached the interrogation room, the redhead finally understood what was going on. Because in that same small area was the IAB agent everyone in the building dreaded. And though Horatio couldn’t hear what the two were talking about, he knew what was going on just by the way Rick seemed to cockily sit at the table across from the teenager.
Part of him filled with relief. His colleagues weren’t looking at him, because of the DNA test. They didn’t know Kyle was his son.
They’d seen Stetler, who was busy talking to the teenager. Probably about the altercation earlier, the redhead could only assume. As though Horatio really needed this to be any harder, but he couldn’t exactly interrupt the conversation. It would make his actions look… even more suspicious. And though this shouldn’t be true, the fact was the lieutenant didn’t have control over any investigation Rick wanted to conduct.
So he could only stand outside and wait, the DNA test clutched in his hands. This was definitely not what Horatio wanted. If Stetler was talking to Kyle about what happened earlier, then it would make the truth all the more difficult to hear. Because what kid would want to meet dear old dad after that.
If only he’d told the boy earlier.
Going to Yelina’s was a mistake. Horatio was convinced of this now, more so than he’d ever been. And though it pained him to think this, the redhead couldn’t help but tell himself that… he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. Wouldn’t be able to indulge his sometimes oppressive need to keep her satisfied; he would not be allowed to spend all his time trying to make things right. Not that would really be a problem.
Once his sister-in-law knew the truth, she would never want to hear anything he had to say ever again. She’d be done with him, and for the first time… Horatio realized that there was something relieving about it all. He’d never been able to extricate himself from this mess of a family.
Against his better judgment, the redhead had always wanted her. And even when he’d shoved her onto that plane, it hadn’t mattered. She’d still managed to find her way back to him. He tried to stay away, but without Kyle, Horatio could see himself getting ensnared in it all over again.
But his son had come along. And for better or worse, that would surely drive Yelina away. She’d hate him, no doubt about that. But at least, finally, they’d be able to move past this attraction for one another.
He sighed, pacing, and occasionally looking into the interrogation room. Kyle was still talking, and though it was hard to see from here… Horatio thought he saw Rick smile every now and then. The redhead hoped that they would be done soon.
As it turned out, though, the IAB agent had only just gotten started. Because Horatio spent the next hour or so waiting, his impatience staved off by a few of his co-workers.
Someone had had a question on procedure and had, perhaps ironically, come to him. Both Ryan and Calleigh had tried to convince him to stay away from the kid.
Horatio refused. And he could tell in their eyes that they didn’t really understand. He was being investigated, and clearly he should stay away if he didn’t want to make things worse. But this was… his son, which they didn’t know.
At least not yet anyway.
“You should go home,” Calleigh had tried to say tactfully. But he had refused.
“Why is this case so important?” Ryan had asked. There had been no answer Horatio could give without revealing too much. As silly as it might have been, the redhead was determined to tell Kyle first.
Maybe it wouldn’t make any difference in the world, but it seemed wrong to the lieutenant to discuss it with anyone else. Valera knew the truth, but that couldn’t be helped; she was the one who had discovered the connection to begin with.
But that didn’t mean Horatio was ready to advertise it to everyone. This was their reality, no one else’s, and talking about it with other people would do nothing to ease his nerves.
Finally Stetler opened the door. Things had gone well, the redhead could easily tell. The IAB agent looked like all his prayers had been answered. His dark eyes were filled with an uncharacteristic mirth - like a hyena discovering an injured herd of zebra. And though he tried to hide it, Horatio could see the smile playing on his lips.
Rick was always eager to accuse anyone of misconduct. But the lieutenant had never seen him look so… happy.
“Horatio,” the dark-haired man said. His tone was careful, sounded like he was forcing himself to be as calm as possible.
“Rick.” The CSI didn’t bother to try and hide his disgust for the other man. In addition to Marisol and Yelina, this rivalry was something often talked about among cops. And Horatio didn’t see the point in pretending that he liked Stetler. On the best days it was a near impossible task, and today… well, the redhead just didn’t have the heart for it now.
Not when the other man was interfering in ways he shouldn’t.
“You know,” Stetler started to say. “I wouldn’t go in there if I was you.”
“Oh really? And why is that?” Both men took a step towards one another.
“You know why. You’ve been accused of misconduct.” He drawled out the last word for emphasis. “You should look at that kid’s face. Not even the great Horatio Caine is going to be able to talk himself out of that one.” Rick pretended to think about the matter for a minute before adding, “But if I was you, I’d at least save a little face and resign now.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Horatio said, a mirthless smile forming on his face.
The dark-haired man shrugged. “Do what you want, Horatio… I’ll get you no matter what. If you want to make this hard -“
“I do, Rick.”
“Then I guess we’ll be making this hard.” And turning to the police officer guarding the door, the IAB agent said, “Don’t let the lieutenant in the room. He’s being investigated.”
Well that made things more complicated, Horatio thought as Stetler strutted away. He couldn’t exactly tell Kyle the truth if he wasn’t allowed in the same room. And looking at the guard, the redhead could see that he was one of the newer officers. Perhaps someone who knew the lieutenant well would let him in, but there was little chance of that happening here.
Still, he had to try.
The blond man didn’t seem to be swayed, and for a moment, he thought that he would never get the chance to tell Kyle the truth. But then, changing tactics, Horatio reasoned with him that “IAB can conduct their own investigation, but they cannot interfere with mine - at least until I’ve been relieved of duty or found guilty.”
Luckily this seemed to do the trick; the rookie officer stood aside, letting him in.
And there he was… no longer an unobtainable dream wished and whispered late at night when Horatio was alone. No longer merely a rude teenager, a nameless hooligan who’d the lieutenant would forget about in a few years.
There was his son.
It was hard for the CSI to understand the mix of emotions flowing through him. Part of him still couldn’t comprehend the idea. Of all the weird things Horatio had seen in this line of work, this was easily the most bizarre.
And his whole foundation shaken, the lieutenant had begun to seeeverything, it felt like, in a completely different light.
Kyle Harmon was exactly the same teenager he was earlier, part of Horatio understood. The kid he’d thought was nothing but trouble was still the same blond boy slumped over in the chair in front of him. But the animosity that the redhead had hardly been able to control earlier had all but evaporated.
And something else entirely had replaced it; a sense of… not pride, maybe not even knowledge - but some part of him knew that Kyle had never been that horrible kid. Which made Horatio wonder how many other times he had screwed up like this.
No, the redhead realized. It wasn’t confidence in the boy that flowed through his veins, just disgust at himself. The anger and hatred he’d felt for the blond earlier in the day had changed its focus. To Horatio himself.
How many children had he presumed to know? There had been times before where the CSI had decided that certain people were beyond redemption. And it scared him to think that maybe he’d never really understood them either.
Or maybe he was just destined to never understand this kid. Which was an even more frightening possibility, and so he refused to believe it. Besides, the redhead told himself, these things were very rarely isolated events. If he could make assumptions about Kyle, then why would he be incapable of doing that in other situations?
Deciding that he must have messed up in the past, he refused to give any more thought to the idea that this might only be a one-time instance. The lieutenant no longer believed that; just as everyone else would tie his identity up in this single day, for better or worse, Horatio felt the same way. If for reasons that went beyond discovering he had a son.
And yet… despite the feeling of self-loathing that seemed to fill every inch of his body, the redhead didn’t want all of it to go away anymore. True, he’d given thought to pretending Kyle wasn’t his son. But now the father knew telling him was the right thing. Confronting this and accepting it as reality was what he had to do. And as much as he hadn’t expected this, as horrible as the whole situation was, Horatio didn’t want to run from this any longer.
At that moment though, Kyle seemed to realize he wasn’t alone. And looking up to see Horatio, the boy stood up quickly, defensively.
“Sit down,” the redhead said softly. But the teenager made no motion to do so.
“I don’t think so,” Kyle said.
“Kyle -”
“No.” He stood up to his full height. “No, I’m going to stand up, thank you.”
Horatio shrugged. “All right.” He thought the blond would want to sit down for this, but the redhead knew better than to push it. “Then stand.”
“Why are you here?” the boy asked suspiciously. His dark eyes narrowed on Horatio. Everything about his posture was defensive, like a puffed up cat. “Come to kick my ass for reporting you?”
“No,” the redhead said quietly, taking a seat even the teenager wouldn’t. “I didn’t come here to do that, no.” He gently slid the file containing the DNA results across the table.
“What’s that?”
“DNA test results.”
The blond nodded and took a seat. “So we’re finally getting to the part where you arrest me then?”
Horatio sighed. This situation was already bad enough, but the added pressure of being in the police station made things so much worse.
He shifted nervously in his chair. “Not exactly.”
“Then you didn’t get a match.”
“Kyle,” the redhead started. But the words wouldn’t come, refused to pass the barrier of his mouth and tongue.
“What’s going on?” The teenager grabbed the manila folder sitting in front of him and flipped it open. He looked down at the sheet of paper in the file, but realization did not light up his features. “What is this?” he asked.
The boy’s brown eyes met Horatio’s blue ones. And in the back of his mind, the lieutenant knew that at this moment, everything would change for the both of them. They would never be the same after this, and this tiny pause in between stages would either be the beginning of something great.
Or become the moment their lives were ruined.
Horatio took a deep breath, unsure which path they would be taking.
“Well?” Kyle asked, prodding the redhead.
“It’s… a paternity test,” the man explained, finding no comfort in the science. “We use this to compare DNA sequences of two people we suspect of being related.”
“I know what a paternity test is.” The teenager sounded petulant, the slight whine in his voice belying his true age.
Horatio nodded but continued anyway. “The one set is yours…. The other is your father’s.”
The boy frowned, still not looking at the page. “My father?”
“Yes.” And the silence seemed to linger on, filling the space between them. Perhaps Kyle understood what was going to happen next, knew what the truth would be, Horatio thought. Because the blond said nothing, did nothing - seemed absolutely content to stay in this moment of unease.
And the redhead couldn’t fault him for that, because right now, there was still a chance to walk away. Act like nothing had happened. But that wasn’t going to happen, could not happen, because Horatio had already decided that the boy should know the truth.
Opening his mouth once more, he forced the words out. Slowly, unsure, he said, “I’m… your father, Kyle.”
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