Disclaimer: I don't own the main characters

Summary: The Caine family will once again be together in the Caine household, and while getting ready and visiting for Christmas Eve, they'll reminisce about their lives. Find out what they've been doing for the past 15 years. Twelfth & Final story in the A Different Beginning Series. A little A/U.

Title: Come a long way
Genre: Family, Romance
Rating: K+
Spoilers: None
Time-line: 15 years after from this moment on
Warnings: None
Main Parings: Ducaine
Minor Parings: Kyle/OC, C.J./Brenda, Christy/OC, Josh/OC, Sarah-Elizabeth/OC, GSR (Mention Only)
Series Order: A Different Beginning, A life changing moment, First day of school, A Change of heart?, A new baby in the family, Leaving Miami, One chapter ends, another begins, Trouble in Paradise?, Never Stopped, Their little girl is growing up, From this moment on, Come a long way

Come a long way

Chapter 1: Reminiscing Part 1

After putting on her dress shoes with a small heel, Calleigh Caine stands up from the chair she had been sitting in, walked up to her dresser and looked at the mirror in front of her.

The woman that was staring back at her was not the same young woman that came to Miami all these years ago, not only had age gotten to her, but she found a love that came to her unexpectedly and is so deep and strong that it has lasted for 34 years now, and she expected it to last a lot longer.

While thinking about her loving husband, she hears a clearing of a throat, so she turned around and saw him standing in the doorway, smiling at her. He may have aged too and now retired from full duty as a CSI, but she'll never get tired of seeing him around.

He walks up to her, a little slower than his earlier days, then stopped in front of her, cupped her cheek and said. "You almost ready?"

She smiled and replied. "Almost handsome, help me with my necklace?"

He nodded with another smile. "Always."

She turned around, picked up one of the many necklace's she had gotten from him through the years, then he took the back of it and clasped it before kissing her head lightly. "All done."

"Thank you."

He nodded again while he placed his hands on her shoulders, she then places her right hand on top of his left, feeling the wedding band, while they just looked at each other through the mirror in silence for a few seconds.

After he kissed her head again, he whispered. "We should finish setting up, the kids will be here soon."

She nodded, then after looking on the dresser at a recent family photo that was taken, which their family had gotten bigger in the last 15 years, she turned back around, slipped her fingers through his before they started walking out of the room hand in hand so they could get ready and spend Christmas eve with the ones they love.

After Kyle had placed the presents he was going to take to his parents house in a bag, he walks up to the mantle and smiled at the photo of him and his family while he thinks about how he got here.

Once he left the army at age 28, he stayed at his parents house for a few months before figuring out his next career move, and after he decided to become a cop, he did just that. When he was a member of MDPD for a few years, he met the woman that would become his everything.

He had a few women in his life through the years, but none of them felt as right as it did with Maggie Jones.

Kyle moves his hand up to the photo before running his thumb over her beautiful face as he thinks back the first time he had met her.

Flashback

12 years ago

After Kyle had walked into the hospital, he headed right for the elevator so he could ride it up to the nursery and see if the baby was in there before going to the room. When the doors opened, he walked out and headed for the nursery, stopping at the window once he reached it, then he looked at all the boys and girls and their names.

Once he found the one he was looking for, he started to smile, which stayed on his face for a good two minutes when he heard a woman's voice. "Which one's yours?"

Not really thinking about the question or looking at the woman who spoke, he points to the middle baby in the first row and said. "Her, Jessica Calleigh Caine."

"You have a very beautiful daughter, and that's a beautiful name, it fits her."

When Kyle heard that response, he figured he had to clear something up, so he looked to the right, but when he did, the words got caught in his throat as he saw her kind blue eyes looking into his, then he mentally shook his head and replied with a smile. "Don't let my brother hear you say that."

She raised an eyebrow and asked a little confused. "Why?"

He chuckled before replying. "Because that should be his baby, not mine. She's my niece."

Jessica was born earlier that morning, but since he had to work, he couldn't meet her with the rest of the family.

She looked at him wide-eyed and said. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, the way you were looking at her, I just assumed."

Kyle waved it off and said. "That's ok, no harm no foul." Then he looked at his niece again.

The woman watched him before looking at the babies, but before she could say anything else, her pager goes off. "Excuse me, I have to go."
Kyle just nodded, clearly distracted by his niece at the moment.

After a few seconds, he started to speak as he turned his head to the right again. "I'm sorry, where are my manners, what's your name..."

He trailed off when he realized she wasn't standing next to him anymore, then jumped when a voice came from his left. "I think you know my name."

Kyle sighed as he looked at his brother. "Man, did you have to do that?"

C.J. raised his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, what's going on, who were you talking to?"

Kyle shook his head and replied. "I don't know her name, but I think she is a nurse here, she was wearing hospital scrubs."

C.J. nodded in understanding, then grabbed his phone from his pocket and hands it to him while saying. "Check my photo's and see if she is in there."

Kyle raised an eyebrow at that. "Do I need to tell your wife something?"

C.J. gave him a look that stated he wasn't amused, then shook his head. "There was a birthday party last week and pictures were taken with my phone, she could have gotten in a picture or two."

Kyle nodded in understanding, and while he was looking through the birthday photos, C.J. started looking in the nursery and smiled at his little girl, the extra light in his life.

A few seconds later, Kyle smiled and said. "There she is, next to one of your other nurses and doctors. She's the brown-haired woman, about 5'8, with the blue eyes."

C.J. looked at his brother and grabbed the phone from his hands, looked at the picture and nodded. "That's Maggie Jones, she just started working at the hospital two weeks ago, she was one of the top nurses."

Kyle took the phone from his brother's hands and started looking at her while repeating her name in his head with a smile on his face, then C.J. smiled as he watched him. "Wow, I don't believe it."

Kyle looked up from the photo to look at his brother. "What?"

"You just met her, and it was what a minute or two conversation, and you already like her."

He didn't know what was going on with him, but he actually had to keep a blush from coming to his face as he cleared his throat. "I don't know, I think there was something there, I was mostly distracted by your daughter to really find out."

C.J. felt his brother's uneasiness as he looked at his niece again, then he shook his head with a chuckle as he looked at his daughter again. "My older brother has finally gotten bit by the love bug."

Kyle looked over at him and asked. "And who said I've never been bitten by that bug before?"

In all the years that C.J. had known his brother there weren't many girlfriends that he's known about, granted he wasn't part of his everyday life for his first 16 years and another 10 while Kyle was in the army, but he hadn't heard of any long time potential girlfriends, and if there was somebody special during his time in the army, he would have brought her home to the parents, C.J. was sure of it.

Kyle sees the look his brother was giving him, then he chuckled and shook his head. "Ok, you're right, I may have been bitten by a small love bug here and there, but I never had this feeling before."

C.J. chuckled as he puts his hand on Kyle's back. "Welcome to the club, man, it's about time."

Kyle shook his head, handed him the his phone back and said. "Oh shut up and go get your daughter so we can take her to see her mother, I'm sure they miss one another."

C.J. nodded with another chuckle, that's why he walked down here in the first place, and as he walked to the nursery door so he could get his daughter, Kyle looked to the left so he could see nurses and doctors walking by, and a part of him was hoping he would see Maggie again. He thinks he just found out what love at first sight was. He mentally shook his head, but 'you have it bad' kept repeating in his head.

End of Flashback

It took Maggie a little while to agree to go out on a date with him since she didn't have very good experiences in the past, which he told her he would wait as long as it took, and once they had their first date and after it, they became inseparable, feeling they had finally found their true loves.

He comes back to the present when he hears his five year old twins, Mandy and Katie. "Daddy, mommy wants to know if you're ready."

Kyle turns from the mantle to look at his girls, they may have been twins, but they were very different.

Mandy was more of a mommy's girl, not only the same features, but liking the same things as her, and Katie was the daddy's girl through and through, right down to the blond hair.

He smiled as he kneeled down and replied. "I will be, once you give your dad a hug."

They giggled as they ran toward their father and he closes his eyes while wrapping his arms around his beautiful angels.

As they were pulling back, he speaks again. "Ok, go get your coats and we are out of here."

"Ok, daddy."

After they kissed his cheek they ran toward their bedrooms while he stood up, and as he walked to the bag of presents, he sees his beautiful wife walking into the living room.

When her blue eyes caught his, he smiled at her, which she raised an eyebrow and asked. "What?"

He walked up to her, cups her cheek and whispered. "Nothing, just wondering if I told you that I love you today?"

She smiled as she wrapped her arms around her husband of 10 years. "I think you did, but you can always refresh my memory."

He smiled back. "Gladly." Then he leans down and kisses her softly on the lips before pulling back and bringing her into his arms. "I love you Maggie."

"I love you too Kyle."

After a few seconds of being in each other's arms, they pull back as the girls came running back in the living room, and Katie said. "Ok, we're ready."

Even though they see their grandparents a lot, they never get tired of seeing them.

Kyle smiled at his girls and replied. "Alright, let's go."

They cheered before the girls started walking toward the front door, and Kyle followed behind after grabbing the bag of presents.

When the sound of the doorbell came through the house, Horatio was going to stand up from his chair, but Calleigh had walked in the living room from the kitchen and smiled at her husband. "It's ok, handsome, I got it."

He leans back in his chair with a smile as Calleigh reached for the door, then after opening it, she smiled at Kyle and his family while the twin girls shouted. "Grandma!"

Even with all the grandkids that she had, it still felt weird to be called a grandma, but she'll take the name with pride.

She kneeled down and opened her arms. "Come here girls."

The girls went right to her arms and gave her a hug and kiss before getting out of her arms and running to their grandfather. "Grandpa!"

The grown-ups chuckled as Calleigh stood up, then after Kyle and Maggie walked into the house, she shuts the door and gives her son a kiss on the cheek before he walks to the Christmas tree and places the presents under it.

Calleigh and Maggie smile at each other, and she asked. "Do you need help in the kitchen, mom?"

Calleigh nodded and replied. "I'm almost done, but sure."

After Maggie nodded, her and Calleigh walked into the kitchen.

As the girls left the room and Kyle was placing the presents under the tree, Horatio was sitting in his chair with two of his granddaughters on his lap, listening to them talk about their morning.

He still remembers the day these two came into this world.

Flashback

5 Years ago

At the moment Horatio and Calleigh were the only two family members in the waiting room, they had called everybody, but they hadn't showed yet.

As Calleigh slipped her hand into his, he looked over at her and smiled, then he smiled bigger. Calleigh saw the sparkle in his eyes, which she knew she could take credit for a lot of his sparkles, but this one seemed different, so she turned her head and noticed why, Kyle was walking up to them with his face beaming like nothing they ever seen before, well at least other than his wedding.

The parents stood up, then Kyle walked right to his father and gave him a hug and started sniffling, Calleigh released her husband's hand so he could hold his son, which he did a second later. "Congratulations, son."

Kyle sniffled as he pulled back from his father. "Thank you dad." Then after another sniffle, he shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know where this is coming from."

Horatio's eyes were misting as he cupped his son's cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry about, it's an emotional time having children, and not only for the mother's."

Kyle nodded, then after the tears were off his cheek, he hugs his mother before pulling back and saying. "Well let's go meet your newest grandchildren."

Horatio and Calleigh nodded with smiles on their faces before taking each other's hand and following Kyle toward the hospital room where Maggie and his new twins were in.

Once Kyle opened the door, they walked in and it didn't take Kyle very long to walk up to the bed.

They watched husband and wife kiss before Kyle took his first daughter out of his wife's right arm, then he turned toward his dad and said. "Mom, dad, this is Mandy Caine, your first granddaughter."

Kyle had became a Caine before he enlisted in the army, and it was one of the happiest moments of his live.

Horatio's eyes were bright as he took his first granddaughter in his arms, then he looked down and said. "Hi Mandy, welcome to the family." Then he brings the baby up towards his face so he could kiss her on the forehead.

While Horatio was looking down at Mandy, Kyle had grabbed his second daughter and walked to his mother. "And this is Katie Caine, your second granddaughter." Calleigh's eyes were beaming as Kyle handed Katie to her.

When Katie was finally in Calleigh's arms, she did the same thing her husband did before they both walked over to the chairs so they could have a little time with their granddaughters, and while they were doing that, Kyle walked to his wife's bed, sat down on the side of it and said. "Well it might be awhile before we get our daughters back, so we might as well relax a little bit." They all chuckled as Kyle moved his arm around his beautiful wife.

After a few minutes of them each holding their grandchildren, Calleigh transferred Katie into Horatio's arms so he was now holding both of them, and everybody in that room could see the love that was shining in his eyes, it was like he fell in love all over again.

End of Flashback

Which every grandchild that came into this family, he did fall in love all over again.

Horatio comes back to the present when the girls asked if he was ok, and he just smiled, kissed their heads and replied. "I'm just perfect girls."

They snuggled to his side as he looked at Kyle, and Kyle was a looking at them the same as the day his girls were born, he also fell in love all over again, especially because he saw his wife in those beautiful girls.

AN: Hope you liked it. More to come. Please review.