No Other One, Chapter 28
Title: No Other One, Chapter 28
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. Fulfills
alphabetasoup prompt, Q is for Quatzalcoatl.
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, and Chapter 27
Disclaimer: I own the show, just as I'm America's Next Top Model. ;) Don't sue.
“Never look down on anybody, unless you are going to help them up.” - Reverend Jesse Jackson
The benches in court just had to be uncomfortable, he thought. At least more so than usual. God forbid he be relaxed in any way. Horatio shifted in his seat as the judge entered the room, and everyone briefly stood up. The time between Rebecca’s call and now had passed so quickly, almost too fast. And he realized then, as he moved again, causing the wood to creak, that maybe it wasn’t the bench at all.
He was… nervous, worried about what would happen next. Kyle had eagerly taken the deal. Thinking about it now, the redhead remembered how the boy’s eyes had opened in shock, and their muddy color had cleared, brightened, ever so slightly.
Horatio had understood - the teenager hadn’t expected him to do anything. Which hurt a little, but the father told himself that it would take a while for… his son come around. Odd though it was to say that. But in the end, the boy had signed the papers, which was all that mattered at the moment.
So too had the lawyers taken the deal eagerly. Of course, a public defender - especially ones who were stuck taking juvenile cases - was always anxious for a deal. And through Rebecca’s machinations, Vernon had also seemed eager.
But it all seemed too… easy. Not that Horatio wasn’t happy; he just didn’t trust things that came without conflict. It made him think that he was doing something wrong.
Then again, he had had to fight for this deal, just not in that moment. And he shouldn’t forget that - he told himself. He’d gone toe to toe with Calleigh and Rebecca to get this. Even if it felt easy now, Horatio had to admit that it really hadn’t been so simple. It was that thought that gave the redhead a little relief from the nearly oppressive feeling that something was about to go wrong.
As the judge began to start the proceedings, Horatio began to understand that… there were many people he could manipulate - and with Rebecca’s help, had manipulated. But the judge was one person who would act completely on their own volition. Which meant that if he thought Kyle wasn’t worth it, then…. There was absolutely no hope for the boy.
However, it was with the relief that the judge, an older man with gray hair and a kind face, accepted the plea bargain.
And it hit Horatio then: Kyle was free, and now they would have to find some way… to live together.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The blond sat in the Hummer silently. Despite the nice cushy seats, Kyle thought he’d never been more uncomfortable.
It seemed like a dream… or a nightmare; he decided it was too early to tell. But after everything that had happened, he wasn’t going to jail. Or juvenile detention even, he thought almost happily.
However, the idea of going to live with his father, as though it were completely natural, made him feel uneasy. Was he going to be expected to automatically love this man?
It wasn’t that Kyle didn’t appreciate what Horatio had done. But it was something else entirely to view him as a father. Maybe that would happen eventually, the blond thought. Could that even be learned, he wondered.
Perhaps not, Kyle conceded, but certainly it was stupid to expect him to love Daddy Dearest because of one act.
In any case, the boy was determined to keep his mouth shut. Until he understood what Horatio wanted, he decided that it was best to be quiet. Wait the man out.
And thankfully, the redhead was the first one to break the silence. “We’ll need to stop by your foster home,” he said simply.
Kyle didn’t look at the man driving the car. He wasn’t sure what to say to that, and honestly, if anything, he felt a little nervous. The way the blond had understood it, he’d be living with Horatio - not going back to his foster family. But… maybe he’d heard them wrong? Why else would they be going to that dreaded house?
“We need to pick up your things,” the redhead finally explained.
And though the blond didn’t like to admit it, he couldn’t help but feel just a little relieved by that. Finally he said, “Not much to pick up.”
They fell into silence once more, the only sound coming from a corvette driving next to them playing rap music. The longer they stayed that way, the surer Kyle was that this was nothing but a mistake.
They might have been related biologically, but that was it. There were no memories for either of them, and so much time had passed - no, too much time had passed from when Kyle had been born. How could they even begin to make up for lost time?
And even the idea of doing something like that upset the blond a little bit. They couldn’t just railroad over those missing years, couldn’t ignore what had happened in the past.
If his father had really wanted to be around, had truly wanted to be a father, then there had been a perfect time for that. And now wasn’t it.
The teenager let the resentment build within himself but said nothing. And eventually Horatio pulled up to the house where all of this began. Kyle had never really noticed it before, but from the outside, the home looked perfect.
Unlike so many other places in Miami, this one stood out as looking like an old-fashioned colonial home. It was big, a pristine white with black shudders. The yard was expertly manicured with nicely trimmed verdant grass and rose bushes of many colors. The only thing that was missing from the home was a white picket fence, and then it would have looked like something out of a catalogue called “The American Dream.”
And for the most part, Kyle thought that the inside didn’t belie that. Both parents were successful at what they did. Their daughter was hot, and they had extra bonus points from taking a few “troubled” teens in out of the goodness of their hearts. Really, the only thing that made the place imperfect was their skank daughter and the fact that they’d slept together.
Not a lot of time had passed since the blond had been there last, but he was sure that the rest of the family had learned that horrible truth by now. Which only made him reluctant to get out of the car. His hand hovering over the door handle, Kyle couldn’t quite find the nerve to turn it. It was just… so much had happened, and the teenager really didn’t want to know how angry his foster family was.
Of course, it wasn’t his fault, he justified to himself. But that wouldn’t make their accusations any easier. He swallowed hard, vacillating between the need for his things and the desire to just stay away.
Perhaps sensing this, Horatio turned to him. “I can get your things for you, if you’d prefer.”
It was an offer Kyle had to think about, because it was, in fact, pretty tempting. As much as he knew how to respond in a fight, the last thing he wanted to do was to actually get into one. In the very least, it would suck to have to get into a brawl with the people who had been responsible for him. And at the worst, it might mean his deal would be taken from him. And having gone through that once, the blond had no desire to see prison again any time soon.
He turned to face Horatio. “No. I can do it.” Besides, the teenager told himself as he hopped out of the Hummer, he didn’t exactly like the idea of this man - a stranger really - touching his things.
The redhead confidently strode up the front walk leading to the white porch. Kyle didn’t feel quite as self-assured. After all, it wasn’t like he had a badge and gun on him to keep him safe. So he preferred to slowly, reluctantly, close the distance to the front door, even if it totally made him look like a weakling. Horatio rang the door bell, and they waited in silence until someone came to them.
Deana’s mother, Sandra, answered the door. And her reaction was pretty much what he’d expected. Her dark eyes immediately trained on him. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here after doing what you did.”
Kyle opened his mouth to say something. Her words cut deeply; funny how you could live with someone for a while, and they’d still turn on you quickly. And it wasn’t hard to see why he was having such a hard time dealing with the prospect of living with Horatio. Because… a very great part of him thought that as soon as he did something wrong, the redhead would cut and run.
And the only way to quiet the voice that kept repeating that in his head was to get loud. His hackles were being raised; anger burned in the back of his throat, and Kyle was more than willing to give into the rage that so badly wanted out.
But whatever he was going to say was hushed by Horatio interrupting. “We just came to pick up the boy’s things.”
She turned to look at the redhead, her eyes narrowing angrily on him. “You think he has any right to the items we bought for him?”
Kyle looked to the older man to see what he would do. But Horatio merely nodded his head. “I understand,” he said quietly. And then after a moment, he asked, “But what if I were to pay you for those things?”
His now former foster mother seemed to think this over before finally saying yes. The adults moved inside the house to work out the final details, leaving Kyle to go get his things from the place he had lived.
Entering the smallest room in the house, the teenager quickly went about collecting his clothes and stuffing them into his book bag. It bothered him - only days previously, they had almost treated him like a son. And now he was nothing more than an enemy, someone they had to hate.
Yes, he’d pretty much known it would happen. Aside from human nature, they had learned that Kyle had slept with Deana and that he’d implicated their daughter in a crime. So… it hadn’t been surprising.
But that didn’t make it any easier to take. And the truth was - it sucked. Because they had said, when he’d first come to live with him, that their home would be different. They had sat him down on the couch where Horatio probably was right now and had told him that they didn’t believe in tossing kids out every time they did something wrong. That this would be different.
And Kyle hadn’t believed them then, but at some point maybe he’d learned to.
But it was gone now. He couldn’t return here ever again, could barely even get the things that belonged to him without suffering their wrath. And… it just sucked.
Sighing, Kyle grabbed the rest of his things and went downstairs. It didn’t matter, he told himself. They could hate him, and that was fine.
It didn’t matter.
It didn’t even hurt at all.
End (29/??)
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. Fulfills
alphabetasoup prompt, Q is for Quatzalcoatl.
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, and Chapter 27
Disclaimer: I own the show, just as I'm America's Next Top Model. ;) Don't sue.
“Never look down on anybody, unless you are going to help them up.” - Reverend Jesse Jackson
The benches in court just had to be uncomfortable, he thought. At least more so than usual. God forbid he be relaxed in any way. Horatio shifted in his seat as the judge entered the room, and everyone briefly stood up. The time between Rebecca’s call and now had passed so quickly, almost too fast. And he realized then, as he moved again, causing the wood to creak, that maybe it wasn’t the bench at all.
He was… nervous, worried about what would happen next. Kyle had eagerly taken the deal. Thinking about it now, the redhead remembered how the boy’s eyes had opened in shock, and their muddy color had cleared, brightened, ever so slightly.
Horatio had understood - the teenager hadn’t expected him to do anything. Which hurt a little, but the father told himself that it would take a while for… his son come around. Odd though it was to say that. But in the end, the boy had signed the papers, which was all that mattered at the moment.
So too had the lawyers taken the deal eagerly. Of course, a public defender - especially ones who were stuck taking juvenile cases - was always anxious for a deal. And through Rebecca’s machinations, Vernon had also seemed eager.
But it all seemed too… easy. Not that Horatio wasn’t happy; he just didn’t trust things that came without conflict. It made him think that he was doing something wrong.
Then again, he had had to fight for this deal, just not in that moment. And he shouldn’t forget that - he told himself. He’d gone toe to toe with Calleigh and Rebecca to get this. Even if it felt easy now, Horatio had to admit that it really hadn’t been so simple. It was that thought that gave the redhead a little relief from the nearly oppressive feeling that something was about to go wrong.
As the judge began to start the proceedings, Horatio began to understand that… there were many people he could manipulate - and with Rebecca’s help, had manipulated. But the judge was one person who would act completely on their own volition. Which meant that if he thought Kyle wasn’t worth it, then…. There was absolutely no hope for the boy.
However, it was with the relief that the judge, an older man with gray hair and a kind face, accepted the plea bargain.
And it hit Horatio then: Kyle was free, and now they would have to find some way… to live together.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The blond sat in the Hummer silently. Despite the nice cushy seats, Kyle thought he’d never been more uncomfortable.
It seemed like a dream… or a nightmare; he decided it was too early to tell. But after everything that had happened, he wasn’t going to jail. Or juvenile detention even, he thought almost happily.
However, the idea of going to live with his father, as though it were completely natural, made him feel uneasy. Was he going to be expected to automatically love this man?
It wasn’t that Kyle didn’t appreciate what Horatio had done. But it was something else entirely to view him as a father. Maybe that would happen eventually, the blond thought. Could that even be learned, he wondered.
Perhaps not, Kyle conceded, but certainly it was stupid to expect him to love Daddy Dearest because of one act.
In any case, the boy was determined to keep his mouth shut. Until he understood what Horatio wanted, he decided that it was best to be quiet. Wait the man out.
And thankfully, the redhead was the first one to break the silence. “We’ll need to stop by your foster home,” he said simply.
Kyle didn’t look at the man driving the car. He wasn’t sure what to say to that, and honestly, if anything, he felt a little nervous. The way the blond had understood it, he’d be living with Horatio - not going back to his foster family. But… maybe he’d heard them wrong? Why else would they be going to that dreaded house?
“We need to pick up your things,” the redhead finally explained.
And though the blond didn’t like to admit it, he couldn’t help but feel just a little relieved by that. Finally he said, “Not much to pick up.”
They fell into silence once more, the only sound coming from a corvette driving next to them playing rap music. The longer they stayed that way, the surer Kyle was that this was nothing but a mistake.
They might have been related biologically, but that was it. There were no memories for either of them, and so much time had passed - no, too much time had passed from when Kyle had been born. How could they even begin to make up for lost time?
And even the idea of doing something like that upset the blond a little bit. They couldn’t just railroad over those missing years, couldn’t ignore what had happened in the past.
If his father had really wanted to be around, had truly wanted to be a father, then there had been a perfect time for that. And now wasn’t it.
The teenager let the resentment build within himself but said nothing. And eventually Horatio pulled up to the house where all of this began. Kyle had never really noticed it before, but from the outside, the home looked perfect.
Unlike so many other places in Miami, this one stood out as looking like an old-fashioned colonial home. It was big, a pristine white with black shudders. The yard was expertly manicured with nicely trimmed verdant grass and rose bushes of many colors. The only thing that was missing from the home was a white picket fence, and then it would have looked like something out of a catalogue called “The American Dream.”
And for the most part, Kyle thought that the inside didn’t belie that. Both parents were successful at what they did. Their daughter was hot, and they had extra bonus points from taking a few “troubled” teens in out of the goodness of their hearts. Really, the only thing that made the place imperfect was their skank daughter and the fact that they’d slept together.
Not a lot of time had passed since the blond had been there last, but he was sure that the rest of the family had learned that horrible truth by now. Which only made him reluctant to get out of the car. His hand hovering over the door handle, Kyle couldn’t quite find the nerve to turn it. It was just… so much had happened, and the teenager really didn’t want to know how angry his foster family was.
Of course, it wasn’t his fault, he justified to himself. But that wouldn’t make their accusations any easier. He swallowed hard, vacillating between the need for his things and the desire to just stay away.
Perhaps sensing this, Horatio turned to him. “I can get your things for you, if you’d prefer.”
It was an offer Kyle had to think about, because it was, in fact, pretty tempting. As much as he knew how to respond in a fight, the last thing he wanted to do was to actually get into one. In the very least, it would suck to have to get into a brawl with the people who had been responsible for him. And at the worst, it might mean his deal would be taken from him. And having gone through that once, the blond had no desire to see prison again any time soon.
He turned to face Horatio. “No. I can do it.” Besides, the teenager told himself as he hopped out of the Hummer, he didn’t exactly like the idea of this man - a stranger really - touching his things.
The redhead confidently strode up the front walk leading to the white porch. Kyle didn’t feel quite as self-assured. After all, it wasn’t like he had a badge and gun on him to keep him safe. So he preferred to slowly, reluctantly, close the distance to the front door, even if it totally made him look like a weakling. Horatio rang the door bell, and they waited in silence until someone came to them.
Deana’s mother, Sandra, answered the door. And her reaction was pretty much what he’d expected. Her dark eyes immediately trained on him. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here after doing what you did.”
Kyle opened his mouth to say something. Her words cut deeply; funny how you could live with someone for a while, and they’d still turn on you quickly. And it wasn’t hard to see why he was having such a hard time dealing with the prospect of living with Horatio. Because… a very great part of him thought that as soon as he did something wrong, the redhead would cut and run.
And the only way to quiet the voice that kept repeating that in his head was to get loud. His hackles were being raised; anger burned in the back of his throat, and Kyle was more than willing to give into the rage that so badly wanted out.
But whatever he was going to say was hushed by Horatio interrupting. “We just came to pick up the boy’s things.”
She turned to look at the redhead, her eyes narrowing angrily on him. “You think he has any right to the items we bought for him?”
Kyle looked to the older man to see what he would do. But Horatio merely nodded his head. “I understand,” he said quietly. And then after a moment, he asked, “But what if I were to pay you for those things?”
His now former foster mother seemed to think this over before finally saying yes. The adults moved inside the house to work out the final details, leaving Kyle to go get his things from the place he had lived.
Entering the smallest room in the house, the teenager quickly went about collecting his clothes and stuffing them into his book bag. It bothered him - only days previously, they had almost treated him like a son. And now he was nothing more than an enemy, someone they had to hate.
Yes, he’d pretty much known it would happen. Aside from human nature, they had learned that Kyle had slept with Deana and that he’d implicated their daughter in a crime. So… it hadn’t been surprising.
But that didn’t make it any easier to take. And the truth was - it sucked. Because they had said, when he’d first come to live with him, that their home would be different. They had sat him down on the couch where Horatio probably was right now and had told him that they didn’t believe in tossing kids out every time they did something wrong. That this would be different.
And Kyle hadn’t believed them then, but at some point maybe he’d learned to.
But it was gone now. He couldn’t return here ever again, could barely even get the things that belonged to him without suffering their wrath. And… it just sucked.
Sighing, Kyle grabbed the rest of his things and went downstairs. It didn’t matter, he told himself. They could hate him, and that was fine.
It didn’t matter.
It didn’t even hurt at all.
End (29/??)