Post by hypergolic on Oct 19, 2008 8:17:22 GMT -10
Chapter 25 – I’ll Protect You From The World
Grace’s mouth opened wide in amazement as they walked into the room. There was stuff spread everywhere, make-up laid out in rows, hairbrushes, curlers and pins sat beyond the various eyeshadows and lipsticks and hanging from a hook to one side of the room was possibly the most beautiful wedding dress Grace had ever seen. Her eyes started to well up with tears.
“You did all this for me?” She asked, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Actually Horatio organised pretty much everything. Apart from getting the DA to let us use her office as a changing room. That was my addition to the day.” Calleigh grinned at a private joke.
“Yes, I’ve been meaning to ask about that. Exactly how did you persuade her to let us use this room?” Natalia asked.
“Oh that was easy. I persuaded her to wager the use of her room for the day on a poker game. Needless to say I won.” She grinned again.
“A little free advice for ya sweetheart, never play poker against Calleigh.” Alexx whispered to Grace theatrically behind her hand. “You’ll lose, plain and simple. In fact there’s only one person to my knowledge that’s ever managed to out-bluff her and win the pot.” Alexx smirked as Calleigh crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance at the thought.
“Who?” Grace asked, curiously.
“Your fiancé.”
-----------------------------
As Grace opened the door and allowed the trio to re-enter the room, all three caught their breath. Grace had pulled on the sleek, silky dress that they’d presented her with, the result of their day spent in some of Miami’s bridal shops. It fitted her perfectly and even with no make-up on each of the women found it impossible to deny that she looked radiant.
Under the pretext of rearranging the neckline of the dress, Grace pulled Calleigh to one side.
“Are you ok? It’s not pulling your stitches or anything is it?” Calleigh asked nervously glancing down at the dress.
“Cal, relax, it’s fine and gorgeous I might add. I just wanted to say thank-you.”
“Oh well, Natalia and Alexx were more influential in choosing the dress and Horatio paid for it, I just kinda went along for the ride.” She grinned.
“No, not just for the dress, I wanted to say thank-you for everything else you’ve done.”
“Sorry, you’ve lost me.”
“Calleigh, I know full well that you’re the reason I’m standing here today. Horatio trusts you with his life, he values your opinions and follows your advice. I know that I can never really thank-you enough.”
“No, it’s not because of me, it’s because of him.” Calleigh shook her head, a grin on her face. “He knew what he needed to do all along, he’s just a bit stubborn and naïve sometimes and all he needed was a prod in the right direction…”
“Or a smack around the head?”
“He told you about that?” Calleigh blushed a little. “A smack around the head often does the trick too, yes. All he needed was to be able to take a step back and see what he was about to throw away over some misaligned sense of nobility. When it comes to being happy Horatio has this twisted notion that he doesn’t deserve it and nothing could be further from the truth.” She smiled. “But hey, if you ever need someone to give him a good smack around the head again, I’d be happy to oblige.”
“Deal.”
The pair laughed loudly, bringing Alexx and Natalia’s attention to them.
“What’s so funny over there?”
“Nothing.” Calleigh chimed sweetly. “Oh I nearly forgot.” She tilted her head down and lifted her hands to fumble with the delicate clasp on the chain of her own necklace, removing it from her neck. “Here, wear this. It’ll count as your something borrowed, plus it’s sapphire so it’ll cover the something blue requirement as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The four things that a bride has to have with her on her wedding day.” Alexx butted in. “It’s traditional.”
“Oh right.”
“Well the dress is new.” Natalia said as she swept her fingers down the skirt of Grace’s silky dress, smoothing it out.
“And you’ve already got the something old covered.” Added Alexx with a grin.
“Why? What’s the something old?”
Alexx, Natalia and Calleigh all glanced at each other, their smiles gradually growing.
“Horatio.” They chimed in unison, chuckling.
Grace said nothing as she joined them in their laughter.
---------------------------------------------
The next time Horatio saw her, his breath caught in his throat and he swore he was going to die right then and there. The girls had done themselves proud with their choice of dress – a simple bustier hugged her figure and a sheet of pure white silk flowed down over her hips and to the floor, honey blonde hair flowed in loose waves over her shoulders. Her make-up was subtle, not needing much to accentuate the radiance of her natural beauty, although the thin film of foundation had managed to replace the still slightly grey pallor that her extended stay in hospital had left her with. Just the very top of her wound was visible over her bustier, where the damage had bruised the surrounding tissue a dull blue colour.
“You look good.” She whispered as she came to stand beside him, taking a moment to look him up and down. At some point since she had vanished into the courthouse for her makeover he had changed into a smart suit that, if at all possible, made him look more handsome than usual.
“You took the words right out of my mouth.” He replied. “Actually ‘good’ doesn’t even come close. You look…stunning.” His words bought a sudden flush to her face. “Are you feeling ok? Your stitches…” He let the question hang in the air.
“I hadn’t even thought about it. Apparently I’ve found the best pain killer in the world.”
He chuckled in response, glad that she wasn’t in any discomfort. “The girls did good on the shopping.” He nodded down at the dress.
“Uh-huh. You like it?”
“Yes. I didn’t think there was anything that could make you look more beautiful.”
“You know, they even bought me some wedding night lingerie to complete the outfit.” Grace leaned over and whispered in his ear, smiling wickedly, seeing Horatio swallow and close his eyes momentarily as a stream of lustful thoughts suddenly assaulted his mind.
Now it was Horatio’s turn to blush. He turned a little and threw a glance over to where Alexx, Natalia and Calleigh stood, now accompanied by Ryan, Eric and Frank Tripp who were all sporting particularly dapper suits, although it had to be said that Frank was looking rather uncomfortable in the more formal outfit. Each woman stared back innocently, although as he turned his gaze back to the woman standing beside him once more, he heard them each attempt to stifle their laughter as they guessed exactly what Grace had just revealed by the look on his face.
“All set?” He asked her in a whisper when he had finally recovered. “Last chance to back out.”
“Are you trying to make me back out Lieutenant Caine?”
“No.” He answered instantly and adamantly. “I guess I still can’t believe that someone as beautiful as you would actually consider marrying me, especially after what I’ve put you through.”
“Well there’s no way you’re going to get a reprieve from me, you don’t get off that easily Lieutenant. Besides I can’t run off now, I doubt I could do more than waddle in this dress. And I’ve already got my something old, new borrowed and blue, so it’d be bad manners to back out now.”
She saw him scanning her, making a mental note of the necklace and the dress and saw the look of intrigue when he failed to find the something old. Suddenly Grace regretted mentioning it, trying to come up with something quick, but as in any urgent situation her mind went blank.
“Nope, I can’t see anything, you’ll have to tell me. What’s the something old?”
Grace stayed silent, raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly at him.
“Oh.” He said as he worked it out.
“Their words, not mine.” She chuckled, pointing towards where the trio of Horatio’s female colleagues stood some distance away still sblack personing.
“Just wait until I get them back to work.” He huffed indignantly.
“Well if it’s any consolation I don’t think you’re old, just matured like a fine wine.”
“That was very poetic.”
“You say that as if you’re surprised. I have an artist’s soul.”
“And a CSI’s heart. Come on Tennyson.” He offered her his arm and they walked towards the courthouse arm in arm.
---------------------------
As they emerged from the courthouse some time later and walked down the few steps, back into the full glare of the Miami sun, something flicked in Horatio’s mind, a sense of deja-vu leapt energetically through the synapses of his brain triggering a not so pleasant memory. He scanned his eyes over the surrounding area, staring into the shadows that appeared here and there. Grace, in her close proximity to him, felt his heart begin to beat a little faster and noticed the change in his posture, as if he were no longer relaxed She realised that Horatio was suddenly on guard and instantly she knew what was wrong. The last time he had been in this position, walking his new wife out into the bright light, he knew that a Mala Noche sniper’s rifle had already been trained on him and Marisol. Now he was understandably petrified that history was about to repeat itself and was scrutinizing the locale for a glint of sunlight reflecting off the glass of a gun sight.
Grace slipped an arm around his back, guiding him out, slightly away from the rest of the group of CSIs that followed them who, apparently registering the happy couple’s need for a few minutes of privacy, didn’t follow. When she deemed that they were far enough away she put pressure on his arm, turning him to face her, forcing him to halt his search for a concealed sniper and bring his full attention towards her, tilting her head so that he looked deep into her eyes.
“Horatio.” She whispered. “You’ve spent your entire life looking out for others, always being someone’s knight in shining armour. It’s time to let someone look out for you for a change. Let me be your knight, Horatio and I’ll protect you from the world.”
He raised his hand to cup her cheek, tilting her head up and lowering his own so that he could kiss her, softly at first before letting the moment take them and deepening the embrace. In that moment all thoughts of snipers and assassins vanished and the only thing on his mind was her and he knew that together they’d be safe.
“How about we’ll protect each other?”
“Mmm, I could live with that.”
End.
________________________________
So that's it for 'Heat'. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for sticking with it. I had a ball writing it and you guys have been great!
Right, I guess I'd better get on with writing the third and final installment of this trilogy.
For now I'll let the happy couple live in peace for a while until the next part...
I'll warn you now though, it's not going to be pretty. If you thought what I put them through in this was bad you. ain't. seen. nothing. yet!
(I'm feeling their pain just writing it!)
Hype
Grace’s mouth opened wide in amazement as they walked into the room. There was stuff spread everywhere, make-up laid out in rows, hairbrushes, curlers and pins sat beyond the various eyeshadows and lipsticks and hanging from a hook to one side of the room was possibly the most beautiful wedding dress Grace had ever seen. Her eyes started to well up with tears.
“You did all this for me?” She asked, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Actually Horatio organised pretty much everything. Apart from getting the DA to let us use her office as a changing room. That was my addition to the day.” Calleigh grinned at a private joke.
“Yes, I’ve been meaning to ask about that. Exactly how did you persuade her to let us use this room?” Natalia asked.
“Oh that was easy. I persuaded her to wager the use of her room for the day on a poker game. Needless to say I won.” She grinned again.
“A little free advice for ya sweetheart, never play poker against Calleigh.” Alexx whispered to Grace theatrically behind her hand. “You’ll lose, plain and simple. In fact there’s only one person to my knowledge that’s ever managed to out-bluff her and win the pot.” Alexx smirked as Calleigh crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance at the thought.
“Who?” Grace asked, curiously.
“Your fiancé.”
-----------------------------
As Grace opened the door and allowed the trio to re-enter the room, all three caught their breath. Grace had pulled on the sleek, silky dress that they’d presented her with, the result of their day spent in some of Miami’s bridal shops. It fitted her perfectly and even with no make-up on each of the women found it impossible to deny that she looked radiant.
Under the pretext of rearranging the neckline of the dress, Grace pulled Calleigh to one side.
“Are you ok? It’s not pulling your stitches or anything is it?” Calleigh asked nervously glancing down at the dress.
“Cal, relax, it’s fine and gorgeous I might add. I just wanted to say thank-you.”
“Oh well, Natalia and Alexx were more influential in choosing the dress and Horatio paid for it, I just kinda went along for the ride.” She grinned.
“No, not just for the dress, I wanted to say thank-you for everything else you’ve done.”
“Sorry, you’ve lost me.”
“Calleigh, I know full well that you’re the reason I’m standing here today. Horatio trusts you with his life, he values your opinions and follows your advice. I know that I can never really thank-you enough.”
“No, it’s not because of me, it’s because of him.” Calleigh shook her head, a grin on her face. “He knew what he needed to do all along, he’s just a bit stubborn and naïve sometimes and all he needed was a prod in the right direction…”
“Or a smack around the head?”
“He told you about that?” Calleigh blushed a little. “A smack around the head often does the trick too, yes. All he needed was to be able to take a step back and see what he was about to throw away over some misaligned sense of nobility. When it comes to being happy Horatio has this twisted notion that he doesn’t deserve it and nothing could be further from the truth.” She smiled. “But hey, if you ever need someone to give him a good smack around the head again, I’d be happy to oblige.”
“Deal.”
The pair laughed loudly, bringing Alexx and Natalia’s attention to them.
“What’s so funny over there?”
“Nothing.” Calleigh chimed sweetly. “Oh I nearly forgot.” She tilted her head down and lifted her hands to fumble with the delicate clasp on the chain of her own necklace, removing it from her neck. “Here, wear this. It’ll count as your something borrowed, plus it’s sapphire so it’ll cover the something blue requirement as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. The four things that a bride has to have with her on her wedding day.” Alexx butted in. “It’s traditional.”
“Oh right.”
“Well the dress is new.” Natalia said as she swept her fingers down the skirt of Grace’s silky dress, smoothing it out.
“And you’ve already got the something old covered.” Added Alexx with a grin.
“Why? What’s the something old?”
Alexx, Natalia and Calleigh all glanced at each other, their smiles gradually growing.
“Horatio.” They chimed in unison, chuckling.
Grace said nothing as she joined them in their laughter.
---------------------------------------------
The next time Horatio saw her, his breath caught in his throat and he swore he was going to die right then and there. The girls had done themselves proud with their choice of dress – a simple bustier hugged her figure and a sheet of pure white silk flowed down over her hips and to the floor, honey blonde hair flowed in loose waves over her shoulders. Her make-up was subtle, not needing much to accentuate the radiance of her natural beauty, although the thin film of foundation had managed to replace the still slightly grey pallor that her extended stay in hospital had left her with. Just the very top of her wound was visible over her bustier, where the damage had bruised the surrounding tissue a dull blue colour.
“You look good.” She whispered as she came to stand beside him, taking a moment to look him up and down. At some point since she had vanished into the courthouse for her makeover he had changed into a smart suit that, if at all possible, made him look more handsome than usual.
“You took the words right out of my mouth.” He replied. “Actually ‘good’ doesn’t even come close. You look…stunning.” His words bought a sudden flush to her face. “Are you feeling ok? Your stitches…” He let the question hang in the air.
“I hadn’t even thought about it. Apparently I’ve found the best pain killer in the world.”
He chuckled in response, glad that she wasn’t in any discomfort. “The girls did good on the shopping.” He nodded down at the dress.
“Uh-huh. You like it?”
“Yes. I didn’t think there was anything that could make you look more beautiful.”
“You know, they even bought me some wedding night lingerie to complete the outfit.” Grace leaned over and whispered in his ear, smiling wickedly, seeing Horatio swallow and close his eyes momentarily as a stream of lustful thoughts suddenly assaulted his mind.
Now it was Horatio’s turn to blush. He turned a little and threw a glance over to where Alexx, Natalia and Calleigh stood, now accompanied by Ryan, Eric and Frank Tripp who were all sporting particularly dapper suits, although it had to be said that Frank was looking rather uncomfortable in the more formal outfit. Each woman stared back innocently, although as he turned his gaze back to the woman standing beside him once more, he heard them each attempt to stifle their laughter as they guessed exactly what Grace had just revealed by the look on his face.
“All set?” He asked her in a whisper when he had finally recovered. “Last chance to back out.”
“Are you trying to make me back out Lieutenant Caine?”
“No.” He answered instantly and adamantly. “I guess I still can’t believe that someone as beautiful as you would actually consider marrying me, especially after what I’ve put you through.”
“Well there’s no way you’re going to get a reprieve from me, you don’t get off that easily Lieutenant. Besides I can’t run off now, I doubt I could do more than waddle in this dress. And I’ve already got my something old, new borrowed and blue, so it’d be bad manners to back out now.”
She saw him scanning her, making a mental note of the necklace and the dress and saw the look of intrigue when he failed to find the something old. Suddenly Grace regretted mentioning it, trying to come up with something quick, but as in any urgent situation her mind went blank.
“Nope, I can’t see anything, you’ll have to tell me. What’s the something old?”
Grace stayed silent, raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly at him.
“Oh.” He said as he worked it out.
“Their words, not mine.” She chuckled, pointing towards where the trio of Horatio’s female colleagues stood some distance away still sblack personing.
“Just wait until I get them back to work.” He huffed indignantly.
“Well if it’s any consolation I don’t think you’re old, just matured like a fine wine.”
“That was very poetic.”
“You say that as if you’re surprised. I have an artist’s soul.”
“And a CSI’s heart. Come on Tennyson.” He offered her his arm and they walked towards the courthouse arm in arm.
---------------------------
As they emerged from the courthouse some time later and walked down the few steps, back into the full glare of the Miami sun, something flicked in Horatio’s mind, a sense of deja-vu leapt energetically through the synapses of his brain triggering a not so pleasant memory. He scanned his eyes over the surrounding area, staring into the shadows that appeared here and there. Grace, in her close proximity to him, felt his heart begin to beat a little faster and noticed the change in his posture, as if he were no longer relaxed She realised that Horatio was suddenly on guard and instantly she knew what was wrong. The last time he had been in this position, walking his new wife out into the bright light, he knew that a Mala Noche sniper’s rifle had already been trained on him and Marisol. Now he was understandably petrified that history was about to repeat itself and was scrutinizing the locale for a glint of sunlight reflecting off the glass of a gun sight.
Grace slipped an arm around his back, guiding him out, slightly away from the rest of the group of CSIs that followed them who, apparently registering the happy couple’s need for a few minutes of privacy, didn’t follow. When she deemed that they were far enough away she put pressure on his arm, turning him to face her, forcing him to halt his search for a concealed sniper and bring his full attention towards her, tilting her head so that he looked deep into her eyes.
“Horatio.” She whispered. “You’ve spent your entire life looking out for others, always being someone’s knight in shining armour. It’s time to let someone look out for you for a change. Let me be your knight, Horatio and I’ll protect you from the world.”
He raised his hand to cup her cheek, tilting her head up and lowering his own so that he could kiss her, softly at first before letting the moment take them and deepening the embrace. In that moment all thoughts of snipers and assassins vanished and the only thing on his mind was her and he knew that together they’d be safe.
“How about we’ll protect each other?”
“Mmm, I could live with that.”
End.
________________________________
So that's it for 'Heat'. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for sticking with it. I had a ball writing it and you guys have been great!
Right, I guess I'd better get on with writing the third and final installment of this trilogy.
For now I'll let the happy couple live in peace for a while until the next part...
I'll warn you now though, it's not going to be pretty. If you thought what I put them through in this was bad you. ain't. seen. nothing. yet!
(I'm feeling their pain just writing it!)
Hype