Post by celticgirl39 on Aug 21, 2009 12:36:47 GMT -10
A/N-I hope you all enjoy this one I have....
Prologue
City of Miami-15 Years Ago
She ran across the finish line with a time of two hours, fifty three minutes and nine seconds; she had done it, not only finished her first marathon ever, but in a very respectable time as well. The man at the finish line took her by the hand, asked how she was doing…did she need to see a medic…
She smiled at him as they slowly walked up and down the marathon area, her breathing and heart rate returning to normal. She would be sore in the morning, but it had been so worth the effort…she was in fact, proud of herself.
“I am fine thank you,”she replied to the man’s question. “I could use some water though.”
He nodded, “Of course…I will be right back ma’am.”
She watched as he went to one of the many volunteer tables lined up along the finish line area and grabbed a bottle of water for her.
“Here you go,” he said, handing the woman the water.
“Thank you very much.” She said.
“Will you be alright on your own now?” he asked her.
“Oh I am fine, go on.” She assured him.
He thanked her, quickly walking off to help another finisher.
-------------------------------
She scanned the area of Bayfront Park for her best friend Becky. It was Becky who convinced her to come to Miami and run her first marathon…Becky was running the marathon in an attempt to qualify for Boston later that spring and she didn’t want to fly to Miami for the weekend alone…
“Come on Noelle….please….please…”Becky pleaded. “You have never been to Miami before…think of the sun and sand…the handsome men.”
Noelle looked unconvinced. “Becky, I need to study…I have an Advanced Organic Midterm coming up…”
“Pleaseeeeeeee Noelle….for me?”Becky begged.
Noelle sighed. “Alright Becky…Miami does sound kind of nice…”
Becky jumped up and down, hugging Noelle, “You are the best!”She shouted. “Maybe you’ll meet someone while you are there…”
Noelle laughed at her best friend. “I am not interested in meeting anyone Becky…besides what are the odds that I would meet someone in one weekend?”
Becky looked at Noelle, “You never know what the forces have in store for you…”
Noelle chuckled at Becky and her belief in the ‘forces’ as she liked to call it and rolled her eyes at her.
It took Becky another two weeks but she also managed to get Noelle to agree to run her first marathon.
Noelle had been walking the finish line area and half of Bayfront Park before coming to the realization that Becky was not here…Becky had promised to wait at the finish line for her but she was nowhere to be found and Noelle was beginning to worry, not to mention that she was now rapidly tiring.
She looked around and found an unoccupied bench that she could rest on, while still allowing her to keep a lookout for Becky…without Becky she would not be able to get back to the hotel and Noelle had to admit she was beginning to get scared…she had never been to Miami before and she had not been paying attention to things as well as she should have when she and Becky left the hotel…she now wished she had paid attention.
-----------------------------
Horatio Caine walked Bayfront Park, scanning the crowd of runners that had just finished the Miami Marathon, an annual sporting event hosted by the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, as well as the county of Miami-Dade. It had become one of the fastest growing marathons in the United States, attracting runners from all over the United States as well as the elite runners from countries that included Asia, Europe and Africa.
The course itself begins on Biscayne Boulevard next to the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat and then the course takes runners eastbound on the MacArthur Causeway, past cruise ships docked at the Port of Miami, to South Beach. From there, competitors travel northbound along the famous Ocean Drive, through the City of Miami Beach, and then westbound along the Venetian Causeway and back to the mainland and the City of Miami. Here, the Miami Half Marathon finishes and the full marathon continues southbound through the financial district, Brickell, into Coconut Grove, and then back through Brickell and downtown Miami to complete the 26 miles at Bayfront Park.
He had first decided to take a walk and observe the runners coming in before heading into the office to finish the mountain of paperwork he had left to the last minute and today being Saturday, he would be able to complete the task undisturbed.
Noelle was now scared. She looked around noticed the crowds had started to dissipate, making it all the more painfully obvious to her that Becky was nowhere to be seen.
I am so going to disown that girl as my best friend, she thought, tears threatening to spill.
------------------------------
Horatio was on his way back to his SUV when he spotted her. A lone woman, clearly a runner as she was still wearing her number on her shirt, her brown hair tied back into a ponytail looking completely lost sitting on a bench. He stopped and watched her briefly, her eyes looking up and scanning the area every so often…she was looking for someone, that was clear to him. What was also obvious was that whoever the lone woman was looking for was not coming.
He slowly approached her, not wanting to scare her and spoke, “Ma’am, are you alright?”
Noelle looked up into the brightest pair of blue eyes that she had ever seen in her life. “Oh…yes…I am fine…”she murmured.
It was clear that she was lying. “My name is Lietenant Horatio Caine,” he said, sitting down next to her. “Are you sure everything is alright?”
Noelle turned to take a closer look at the man sitting next to her. His blue eyes unnerved her and his red hair, tousled from the gentle breeze blowing gave him an irresistable charm. He was, she figured, about six feet tall and dressed impeccably in a grey suit with a solid blue shirt.
Simply dressed, but expensive no doubt, she thought. She found him incredibly handsome.
“You are a policeman?” she asked, finally responding to him.
“Indeed I am, and I head up the Miami Dade Crime Lab.” He explained. “What is your name?”
She looked at him suspiciously but upon seeing his badge and weapon strapped to his waist, she smiled briefly. “My name is Noelle.”
“I am pleased to meet you Noelle,” Horatio responded, noticing her brown eyes, and lean build. He could smell the shampoo in her brown hair.
He found her incredibly attractive.
“Now that we know each other a little,”he said after a few minutes of silence, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Noelle sighed. This man is going to think I am a complete idiot when I tell him, she thought. For some reason, the thought of this man thinking such a thing bothered her.
“I am sorry Lieutenant,” she began, “I know you will think I am an idiot but I don’t know my way back to the hotel…”she said, explaining that her best friend Becky had promised to wait at the finish line for her but that Becky had seemingly forgotten. “I have never been to Miami before…”
Horatio looked at the young woman, blushing as she explained her predicament her eyes on the ground, unable to look at him.
“Now, now…”he chided her, “I certainly do not think you an idiot for being lost in a strange city Noelle…and Miami can be very confusing.”
She smiled at him briefly, grateful.
Horatio knew all he had to do was ask what hotel she was staying at and take her there…yet he wasn’t ready to let her go…he was surprised to find he wanted to spend time with her, get to know her….
I will never see her again once I take her back to her hotel, the thought giving him an ache in his chest.
“How about I take you on a tour of my city?” he asked her, “then I will get you back to your hotel.”
Noelle looked at the red headed man, surprised to find she wanted to spend more time with him, not wanting to go back to the hotel just yet…
I will never see him again once he takes me back to my hotel, the thought making her sad.
Had Becky been watching the interaction between the pair, she would be smiling….the forces are at work here…
Fifteen years would pass for Horatio and Noelle before the ‘forces’ decided the time was right.
---------------------------
TBC
Prologue
City of Miami-15 Years Ago
She ran across the finish line with a time of two hours, fifty three minutes and nine seconds; she had done it, not only finished her first marathon ever, but in a very respectable time as well. The man at the finish line took her by the hand, asked how she was doing…did she need to see a medic…
She smiled at him as they slowly walked up and down the marathon area, her breathing and heart rate returning to normal. She would be sore in the morning, but it had been so worth the effort…she was in fact, proud of herself.
“I am fine thank you,”she replied to the man’s question. “I could use some water though.”
He nodded, “Of course…I will be right back ma’am.”
She watched as he went to one of the many volunteer tables lined up along the finish line area and grabbed a bottle of water for her.
“Here you go,” he said, handing the woman the water.
“Thank you very much.” She said.
“Will you be alright on your own now?” he asked her.
“Oh I am fine, go on.” She assured him.
He thanked her, quickly walking off to help another finisher.
-------------------------------
She scanned the area of Bayfront Park for her best friend Becky. It was Becky who convinced her to come to Miami and run her first marathon…Becky was running the marathon in an attempt to qualify for Boston later that spring and she didn’t want to fly to Miami for the weekend alone…
“Come on Noelle….please….please…”Becky pleaded. “You have never been to Miami before…think of the sun and sand…the handsome men.”
Noelle looked unconvinced. “Becky, I need to study…I have an Advanced Organic Midterm coming up…”
“Pleaseeeeeeee Noelle….for me?”Becky begged.
Noelle sighed. “Alright Becky…Miami does sound kind of nice…”
Becky jumped up and down, hugging Noelle, “You are the best!”She shouted. “Maybe you’ll meet someone while you are there…”
Noelle laughed at her best friend. “I am not interested in meeting anyone Becky…besides what are the odds that I would meet someone in one weekend?”
Becky looked at Noelle, “You never know what the forces have in store for you…”
Noelle chuckled at Becky and her belief in the ‘forces’ as she liked to call it and rolled her eyes at her.
It took Becky another two weeks but she also managed to get Noelle to agree to run her first marathon.
Noelle had been walking the finish line area and half of Bayfront Park before coming to the realization that Becky was not here…Becky had promised to wait at the finish line for her but she was nowhere to be found and Noelle was beginning to worry, not to mention that she was now rapidly tiring.
She looked around and found an unoccupied bench that she could rest on, while still allowing her to keep a lookout for Becky…without Becky she would not be able to get back to the hotel and Noelle had to admit she was beginning to get scared…she had never been to Miami before and she had not been paying attention to things as well as she should have when she and Becky left the hotel…she now wished she had paid attention.
-----------------------------
Horatio Caine walked Bayfront Park, scanning the crowd of runners that had just finished the Miami Marathon, an annual sporting event hosted by the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, as well as the county of Miami-Dade. It had become one of the fastest growing marathons in the United States, attracting runners from all over the United States as well as the elite runners from countries that included Asia, Europe and Africa.
The course itself begins on Biscayne Boulevard next to the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat and then the course takes runners eastbound on the MacArthur Causeway, past cruise ships docked at the Port of Miami, to South Beach. From there, competitors travel northbound along the famous Ocean Drive, through the City of Miami Beach, and then westbound along the Venetian Causeway and back to the mainland and the City of Miami. Here, the Miami Half Marathon finishes and the full marathon continues southbound through the financial district, Brickell, into Coconut Grove, and then back through Brickell and downtown Miami to complete the 26 miles at Bayfront Park.
He had first decided to take a walk and observe the runners coming in before heading into the office to finish the mountain of paperwork he had left to the last minute and today being Saturday, he would be able to complete the task undisturbed.
Noelle was now scared. She looked around noticed the crowds had started to dissipate, making it all the more painfully obvious to her that Becky was nowhere to be seen.
I am so going to disown that girl as my best friend, she thought, tears threatening to spill.
------------------------------
Horatio was on his way back to his SUV when he spotted her. A lone woman, clearly a runner as she was still wearing her number on her shirt, her brown hair tied back into a ponytail looking completely lost sitting on a bench. He stopped and watched her briefly, her eyes looking up and scanning the area every so often…she was looking for someone, that was clear to him. What was also obvious was that whoever the lone woman was looking for was not coming.
He slowly approached her, not wanting to scare her and spoke, “Ma’am, are you alright?”
Noelle looked up into the brightest pair of blue eyes that she had ever seen in her life. “Oh…yes…I am fine…”she murmured.
It was clear that she was lying. “My name is Lietenant Horatio Caine,” he said, sitting down next to her. “Are you sure everything is alright?”
Noelle turned to take a closer look at the man sitting next to her. His blue eyes unnerved her and his red hair, tousled from the gentle breeze blowing gave him an irresistable charm. He was, she figured, about six feet tall and dressed impeccably in a grey suit with a solid blue shirt.
Simply dressed, but expensive no doubt, she thought. She found him incredibly handsome.
“You are a policeman?” she asked, finally responding to him.
“Indeed I am, and I head up the Miami Dade Crime Lab.” He explained. “What is your name?”
She looked at him suspiciously but upon seeing his badge and weapon strapped to his waist, she smiled briefly. “My name is Noelle.”
“I am pleased to meet you Noelle,” Horatio responded, noticing her brown eyes, and lean build. He could smell the shampoo in her brown hair.
He found her incredibly attractive.
“Now that we know each other a little,”he said after a few minutes of silence, “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Noelle sighed. This man is going to think I am a complete idiot when I tell him, she thought. For some reason, the thought of this man thinking such a thing bothered her.
“I am sorry Lieutenant,” she began, “I know you will think I am an idiot but I don’t know my way back to the hotel…”she said, explaining that her best friend Becky had promised to wait at the finish line for her but that Becky had seemingly forgotten. “I have never been to Miami before…”
Horatio looked at the young woman, blushing as she explained her predicament her eyes on the ground, unable to look at him.
“Now, now…”he chided her, “I certainly do not think you an idiot for being lost in a strange city Noelle…and Miami can be very confusing.”
She smiled at him briefly, grateful.
Horatio knew all he had to do was ask what hotel she was staying at and take her there…yet he wasn’t ready to let her go…he was surprised to find he wanted to spend time with her, get to know her….
I will never see her again once I take her back to her hotel, the thought giving him an ache in his chest.
“How about I take you on a tour of my city?” he asked her, “then I will get you back to your hotel.”
Noelle looked at the red headed man, surprised to find she wanted to spend more time with him, not wanting to go back to the hotel just yet…
I will never see him again once he takes me back to my hotel, the thought making her sad.
Had Becky been watching the interaction between the pair, she would be smiling….the forces are at work here…
Fifteen years would pass for Horatio and Noelle before the ‘forces’ decided the time was right.
---------------------------
TBC