No Other One, Chapter 22
Title: No Other One, Chapter 22
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, and Chapter 21
Disclaimer: I don't own the show, so don't sue me.
“I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all.” - Richard Wright
They were both exhausted by now, having worked straight through the night. And in addition to the stacks of lab reports and police files sitting on Horatio’s desk, hours old Styrofoam coffee cups now joined their ranks. In what seemed like ages ago, the two CSIs had given up on the caffeinated beverage to keep them awake.
Now, they didn’t even stop to refill their fake mugs or to use the bathroom. Calleigh had holed herself up in the room with him for hours, only leaving twenty minutes ago to use the voice recognition software. They needed sleep, probably needed showers, and the redhead could feel his stomach twisting itself desperately. But they hadn’t stopped and, while it was unsaid, would keep going until their case was solid.
Horatio wasn’t sure about her, but he was almost afraid to close his eyes for a few hours, didn’t want to take his attention away from the case for a second. The end seemed to be in sight, and he was desperate to finish this. At least that was how he felt. And if Calleigh thought differently, the blonde hadn’t let him know; she appeared to be just as determined as he was.
Perhaps anyone else would have given up. But for Horatio, there seemed to be something… healing in all of it. He hadn’t been there for his son when the boy had really needed him. But in doing this, perhaps, the redhead thought, he was redeeming himself… not completely, naturally, but a little bit. And maybe, if he were really lucky, Kyle would look at this effort and see that Horatio really did want to help his son.
And it wasn’t just that. Things with Calleigh had healed quickly, though perhaps imperfectly. The redhead wouldn’t say that everything was back to the way it was before she learned the truth. But at least, she no longer looked at him murderously when she thought he wasn’t looking.
More than that, though, she’d left him alone with the evidence. Perhaps there was no real risk in doing so, as almost everything in the room with the redhead had already been analyzed. The only item left to finish up was the cell phone, which meant he had the not-so-fun task of going through the cell phone and Gannon phone logs, looking for matches. It was dull work, and Horatio thought that there wasn’t really a way for him to tamper with it - which was why Calleigh wasn’t actually taking a risk by leaving him here with the logs.
Still, it wasn’t lost on him: the blonde easily could have barred him from the room while she analyzed the contents of the voice mail they’d found. If only to prove a point, Calleigh could have humiliated him by forcing him to tag along or making him sit outside the door. That she chose not to gave Horatio some hope.
Even if it didn’t mean she’d completely forgiven him, it, at least, felt like a step in the right direction.
Feeling slightly bolstered, he looked back down at the phone logs in his hands. For something that was little more than a series of numbers and names, Horatio thought that it was taking him an inordinate amount of time to read through it.
His blue eyes scanned through the list, searching. For the second time, he found the Gannon phone number on this particular page. His fingers eagerly snatching the yellow highlighter on his desk, Horatio went to mark the logged call. But as he pressed the pen onto the paper, the redhead belatedly realized that he had started to highlight the wrong entry.
He sighed before correctly marking the right line on the page. Capping the highlighter once more and placing it back on his desk, the lieutenant rubbed his bleary eyes with the back of his hands. His cool knuckles pressed into his eyelids, making him see spots.
Horatio was exhausted, and he couldn’t wait for this to be over. But if it required staying up for several more days, the redhead would do that. Because, even if Kyle wasn’t his son, he couldn’t let Rebecca punish this teenager. And that’s what she was doing, he knew; this wasn’t so much about the crime, but about sending a message to him.
She didn’t like to be jerked around.
But then again, neither did he, and Horatio was going to show her that she didn’t have the right to punish his family for things beyond their control; regardless of how guilty Kyle might be, it didn’t sit well with the redhead that the boy should be punished for things that Horatio had done.
With renewed purpose, he flipped to the next page and began scanning the list once more.
When he’d gotten midway through the page, the door jerked open. “It’s a match,” Calleigh said, her southern voice brightening up his dark office even before she’d entered the room.
Relief filled him, and for the first time in the last several hours, Horatio breathed easily. Exhaling loudly, he turned to her and smiled as she slapped the results down in front of him. “Using the tape made from his initial interview, we were able to make a match; without a doubt, it’s Michael Gannon in the voice mail message,” she told him.
“I think,” Horatio drawled, “It’s time for us to talk to the husband.”
“Already on his way.”
And though he was tired, Horatio knew…
He was ready.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Yelina sighed, as she signed another form. She’d been a cop for many years and could only vaguely remember the first time they’d hired her, but the brunette was absolutely sure she hadn’t filled this much paperwork out the last time. There seemed to be an endless array of signatures to give, initials to write, and birthdates and social security numbers to put into tiny boxes.
And, of course, Stetler insisted on standing nearby, just out of her eyesight. But she could feel his own eyes on her. He was leering at her… like always. When they’d first started dating, Yelina had thought that the dark-haired man would become less lascivious, that he might even become complacent with her looks. After all, hadn’t her husband, she asked herself, thinking of Suzie and what was probably a long line of betrayals.
But Rick hadn’t changed when they were dating. Which was almost nice, in a way. The brunette would not deny that she liked the attention or that, when they were together, his constant attraction to her made her feel more wanted than she had in years.
Now, however, his leering just made her nervous. She tried to concentrate on the page in front of her to no avail. They’d moved to the main area of the police department so that she could fill out employment forms. It was crowded, officers coming and going, suspects being led in the same doors as victims and witnesses of crimes. Every now and then, someone would say something loudly, a bang filling the room, and that just added to her unease.
It wasn’t that Yelina was worried he would… do something. Stetler had manipulated sex from her over the course of their relationship, probably because he didn’t know how to interact with people in a non-confrontational manner. But even so, he wasn’t so stupid as to try any of that here. Not in the company of other cops.
Still, there was something about the way he stared at her that made her uncomfortable. The brunette had no reasoning for it, had no explanations to offer. There was only a palpable concern that maybe… if he looked long enough, he would see through her. That if he kept going after her, mentally imagined taking off her clothes, and stripped the rest of her away, he would see.
He would see past her appearance and the face she put on for the rest of the world and know just how decayed and unattractive her inner self was.
And truth be told, Yelina was worried Rick already knew that part. He’d dropped his questions in her interview, but… the brunette couldn’t let go of the things he had said.
Naturally they’d been said in anger, but that didn’t make them any less true. And she couldn’t deny that he was right about it… all. She had thrown it all away for her husband, for her family. Which didn’t even make sense in her own head, because Ray wasn’t a very good father, and the best thing she could have done for her son was to keep Ray Junior from his namesake.
“Am I making you nervous?” Rick asked suddenly, and she whipped her head around to look at him.
“Why do you ask?” Her eyes narrowed on him in suspicion.
He smirked, which made her want to smack him. “You keep moving around in your chair.” Rubbing his chin and taking a step forward, Stetler told her, “I know the chairs are uncomfortable, but you’re moving around like a fish out of water.”
She turned her attention back to the forms at hand and furrowed her brow as she tried to skim through the information. “I’m fine.”
“You’re thinking about Horatio,” he said in a knowing voice, even though the truth was he couldn’t be more wrong.
Refusing to look at him, Yelina told him, “If you really want me to know what’s going on, then you should just tell me, Rick.” She couldn’t see him, but knowing Stetler, he was probably smirking right now.
“Well, if you want the truth, like I said, you’re gonna have to talk to Horatio about that.”
She frowned and viciously scrawled her signature next to a red X. Continuing to read through the packet, Yelina said warningly, “Then stop baiting me.”
The dark-haired man said nothing else, had no retort, and for that, she was grateful. Flipping to the next page, Yelina worked as quickly as she could to finish filling out the pertinent information.
Finally, with a last set of initials, she was done. “I think I got everything,” the brunette told him as she stood and handed him the papers.
“Great,” he said, double-checking her work by leafing through the forms. “I’ll just file these.” Turning to leave, Stetler paused only to say condescendingly, “Stay where you are.”
Yelina bit down on her lip to stop herself from giving him a nasty retort. Verbally sparring with him would only prolong this day. And even though it was still early in the morning, the brunette was eager for it to be over. Determined not to say anything, she turned to look out the window. People came and went, and she contented herself by watching.
Until someone interrupted her. “Yelina Salas.”
She was all too familiar with the voice, and spinning around, the brunette immediately frowned when she saw the other woman.
“Ms. Nevins,” she said coolly.
“Word is you’re trying to get your job back.”
Yelina looked at her suspiciously and said tersely, “Word travels fast.”
“You know I’m actually a little surprised by that,” Rebecca told her, though there was nothing in her voice that sounded even remotely shocked. “Given that your conduct has been questioned in the past -”
“By you.”
The prosecutor gave her a false smile. “Yes, well… still. It’s surprising that you still think that you have a place here. Especially after absconding with your husband, who faked his own death and broke the law.”
Yelina was tempted to laugh mirthlessly. She had never liked Rebecca Nevins, but the woman couldn’t deny that the lawyer was slightly amusing with her overtly catty ways. Taking a step towards her, the newly hired detective said, “Maybe so, but… it turns out there are some people who disagree with you.”
Rebecca also took a step forward. “People like Rick Stetler?” She tousled her hair. “You can’t be so blind as to honestly believe he’s hiring you for your talent, can you?” She seemed to hesitate then, before saying, “Well, maybe you can, considering…” Her voice trailed off.
“Considering what?” Yelina was suspicious, but she refused to let her eagerness infuse with her tones.
“Nothing… I just don’t think anyone could consider you to be the most perceptive of people. I mean, don’t get me wrong: I was shocked to learn the truth about Horatio too,” she said enthusiastically. “But he made it sound like you didn’t know either, which would mean he’d been lying to you for almost twenty years!”
Yelina’s hazel eyes narrowed on Rebecca. The trap had been laid for her to step in, she knew it. And the brunette also understood that if she walked right into it, she would get hurt. Because the prosecutor either knew this supposed secret that Stetler had been talking about. Or she didn’t - or there was no secret - and all it would do was upset her.
But, despite knowing that, Yelina couldn’t resist. She hated being kept in the dark, and trap or no, she had to hear what Rebecca was all so eager to tell her.
“Lying to me about what?” the brunette asked slowly, carefully, as though the speed of her words would determine how much the truth would hurt.
Rebecca seemed to hesitate then, and Yelina thought that maybe the other woman had been bluffing the whole time. But then the prosecutor continued, “I think you should sit down for this.”
End (23/??)
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, and Chapter 21
Disclaimer: I don't own the show, so don't sue me.
“I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all.” - Richard Wright
They were both exhausted by now, having worked straight through the night. And in addition to the stacks of lab reports and police files sitting on Horatio’s desk, hours old Styrofoam coffee cups now joined their ranks. In what seemed like ages ago, the two CSIs had given up on the caffeinated beverage to keep them awake.
Now, they didn’t even stop to refill their fake mugs or to use the bathroom. Calleigh had holed herself up in the room with him for hours, only leaving twenty minutes ago to use the voice recognition software. They needed sleep, probably needed showers, and the redhead could feel his stomach twisting itself desperately. But they hadn’t stopped and, while it was unsaid, would keep going until their case was solid.
Horatio wasn’t sure about her, but he was almost afraid to close his eyes for a few hours, didn’t want to take his attention away from the case for a second. The end seemed to be in sight, and he was desperate to finish this. At least that was how he felt. And if Calleigh thought differently, the blonde hadn’t let him know; she appeared to be just as determined as he was.
Perhaps anyone else would have given up. But for Horatio, there seemed to be something… healing in all of it. He hadn’t been there for his son when the boy had really needed him. But in doing this, perhaps, the redhead thought, he was redeeming himself… not completely, naturally, but a little bit. And maybe, if he were really lucky, Kyle would look at this effort and see that Horatio really did want to help his son.
And it wasn’t just that. Things with Calleigh had healed quickly, though perhaps imperfectly. The redhead wouldn’t say that everything was back to the way it was before she learned the truth. But at least, she no longer looked at him murderously when she thought he wasn’t looking.
More than that, though, she’d left him alone with the evidence. Perhaps there was no real risk in doing so, as almost everything in the room with the redhead had already been analyzed. The only item left to finish up was the cell phone, which meant he had the not-so-fun task of going through the cell phone and Gannon phone logs, looking for matches. It was dull work, and Horatio thought that there wasn’t really a way for him to tamper with it - which was why Calleigh wasn’t actually taking a risk by leaving him here with the logs.
Still, it wasn’t lost on him: the blonde easily could have barred him from the room while she analyzed the contents of the voice mail they’d found. If only to prove a point, Calleigh could have humiliated him by forcing him to tag along or making him sit outside the door. That she chose not to gave Horatio some hope.
Even if it didn’t mean she’d completely forgiven him, it, at least, felt like a step in the right direction.
Feeling slightly bolstered, he looked back down at the phone logs in his hands. For something that was little more than a series of numbers and names, Horatio thought that it was taking him an inordinate amount of time to read through it.
His blue eyes scanned through the list, searching. For the second time, he found the Gannon phone number on this particular page. His fingers eagerly snatching the yellow highlighter on his desk, Horatio went to mark the logged call. But as he pressed the pen onto the paper, the redhead belatedly realized that he had started to highlight the wrong entry.
He sighed before correctly marking the right line on the page. Capping the highlighter once more and placing it back on his desk, the lieutenant rubbed his bleary eyes with the back of his hands. His cool knuckles pressed into his eyelids, making him see spots.
Horatio was exhausted, and he couldn’t wait for this to be over. But if it required staying up for several more days, the redhead would do that. Because, even if Kyle wasn’t his son, he couldn’t let Rebecca punish this teenager. And that’s what she was doing, he knew; this wasn’t so much about the crime, but about sending a message to him.
She didn’t like to be jerked around.
But then again, neither did he, and Horatio was going to show her that she didn’t have the right to punish his family for things beyond their control; regardless of how guilty Kyle might be, it didn’t sit well with the redhead that the boy should be punished for things that Horatio had done.
With renewed purpose, he flipped to the next page and began scanning the list once more.
When he’d gotten midway through the page, the door jerked open. “It’s a match,” Calleigh said, her southern voice brightening up his dark office even before she’d entered the room.
Relief filled him, and for the first time in the last several hours, Horatio breathed easily. Exhaling loudly, he turned to her and smiled as she slapped the results down in front of him. “Using the tape made from his initial interview, we were able to make a match; without a doubt, it’s Michael Gannon in the voice mail message,” she told him.
“I think,” Horatio drawled, “It’s time for us to talk to the husband.”
“Already on his way.”
And though he was tired, Horatio knew…
He was ready.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Yelina sighed, as she signed another form. She’d been a cop for many years and could only vaguely remember the first time they’d hired her, but the brunette was absolutely sure she hadn’t filled this much paperwork out the last time. There seemed to be an endless array of signatures to give, initials to write, and birthdates and social security numbers to put into tiny boxes.
And, of course, Stetler insisted on standing nearby, just out of her eyesight. But she could feel his own eyes on her. He was leering at her… like always. When they’d first started dating, Yelina had thought that the dark-haired man would become less lascivious, that he might even become complacent with her looks. After all, hadn’t her husband, she asked herself, thinking of Suzie and what was probably a long line of betrayals.
But Rick hadn’t changed when they were dating. Which was almost nice, in a way. The brunette would not deny that she liked the attention or that, when they were together, his constant attraction to her made her feel more wanted than she had in years.
Now, however, his leering just made her nervous. She tried to concentrate on the page in front of her to no avail. They’d moved to the main area of the police department so that she could fill out employment forms. It was crowded, officers coming and going, suspects being led in the same doors as victims and witnesses of crimes. Every now and then, someone would say something loudly, a bang filling the room, and that just added to her unease.
It wasn’t that Yelina was worried he would… do something. Stetler had manipulated sex from her over the course of their relationship, probably because he didn’t know how to interact with people in a non-confrontational manner. But even so, he wasn’t so stupid as to try any of that here. Not in the company of other cops.
Still, there was something about the way he stared at her that made her uncomfortable. The brunette had no reasoning for it, had no explanations to offer. There was only a palpable concern that maybe… if he looked long enough, he would see through her. That if he kept going after her, mentally imagined taking off her clothes, and stripped the rest of her away, he would see.
He would see past her appearance and the face she put on for the rest of the world and know just how decayed and unattractive her inner self was.
And truth be told, Yelina was worried Rick already knew that part. He’d dropped his questions in her interview, but… the brunette couldn’t let go of the things he had said.
Naturally they’d been said in anger, but that didn’t make them any less true. And she couldn’t deny that he was right about it… all. She had thrown it all away for her husband, for her family. Which didn’t even make sense in her own head, because Ray wasn’t a very good father, and the best thing she could have done for her son was to keep Ray Junior from his namesake.
“Am I making you nervous?” Rick asked suddenly, and she whipped her head around to look at him.
“Why do you ask?” Her eyes narrowed on him in suspicion.
He smirked, which made her want to smack him. “You keep moving around in your chair.” Rubbing his chin and taking a step forward, Stetler told her, “I know the chairs are uncomfortable, but you’re moving around like a fish out of water.”
She turned her attention back to the forms at hand and furrowed her brow as she tried to skim through the information. “I’m fine.”
“You’re thinking about Horatio,” he said in a knowing voice, even though the truth was he couldn’t be more wrong.
Refusing to look at him, Yelina told him, “If you really want me to know what’s going on, then you should just tell me, Rick.” She couldn’t see him, but knowing Stetler, he was probably smirking right now.
“Well, if you want the truth, like I said, you’re gonna have to talk to Horatio about that.”
She frowned and viciously scrawled her signature next to a red X. Continuing to read through the packet, Yelina said warningly, “Then stop baiting me.”
The dark-haired man said nothing else, had no retort, and for that, she was grateful. Flipping to the next page, Yelina worked as quickly as she could to finish filling out the pertinent information.
Finally, with a last set of initials, she was done. “I think I got everything,” the brunette told him as she stood and handed him the papers.
“Great,” he said, double-checking her work by leafing through the forms. “I’ll just file these.” Turning to leave, Stetler paused only to say condescendingly, “Stay where you are.”
Yelina bit down on her lip to stop herself from giving him a nasty retort. Verbally sparring with him would only prolong this day. And even though it was still early in the morning, the brunette was eager for it to be over. Determined not to say anything, she turned to look out the window. People came and went, and she contented herself by watching.
Until someone interrupted her. “Yelina Salas.”
She was all too familiar with the voice, and spinning around, the brunette immediately frowned when she saw the other woman.
“Ms. Nevins,” she said coolly.
“Word is you’re trying to get your job back.”
Yelina looked at her suspiciously and said tersely, “Word travels fast.”
“You know I’m actually a little surprised by that,” Rebecca told her, though there was nothing in her voice that sounded even remotely shocked. “Given that your conduct has been questioned in the past -”
“By you.”
The prosecutor gave her a false smile. “Yes, well… still. It’s surprising that you still think that you have a place here. Especially after absconding with your husband, who faked his own death and broke the law.”
Yelina was tempted to laugh mirthlessly. She had never liked Rebecca Nevins, but the woman couldn’t deny that the lawyer was slightly amusing with her overtly catty ways. Taking a step towards her, the newly hired detective said, “Maybe so, but… it turns out there are some people who disagree with you.”
Rebecca also took a step forward. “People like Rick Stetler?” She tousled her hair. “You can’t be so blind as to honestly believe he’s hiring you for your talent, can you?” She seemed to hesitate then, before saying, “Well, maybe you can, considering…” Her voice trailed off.
“Considering what?” Yelina was suspicious, but she refused to let her eagerness infuse with her tones.
“Nothing… I just don’t think anyone could consider you to be the most perceptive of people. I mean, don’t get me wrong: I was shocked to learn the truth about Horatio too,” she said enthusiastically. “But he made it sound like you didn’t know either, which would mean he’d been lying to you for almost twenty years!”
Yelina’s hazel eyes narrowed on Rebecca. The trap had been laid for her to step in, she knew it. And the brunette also understood that if she walked right into it, she would get hurt. Because the prosecutor either knew this supposed secret that Stetler had been talking about. Or she didn’t - or there was no secret - and all it would do was upset her.
But, despite knowing that, Yelina couldn’t resist. She hated being kept in the dark, and trap or no, she had to hear what Rebecca was all so eager to tell her.
“Lying to me about what?” the brunette asked slowly, carefully, as though the speed of her words would determine how much the truth would hurt.
Rebecca seemed to hesitate then, and Yelina thought that maybe the other woman had been bluffing the whole time. But then the prosecutor continued, “I think you should sit down for this.”
End (23/??)