Title: Consequences
Chapter 5 – A New Plan for the Future

A/N: Well I feel like I let some of you down with this story from chapter 1 (esp those that didn't come back for the last few chappies). I did say it was going to be a bit darker and angstier but am sorry that you stopped. But to those of you that stuck with it THANK YOU! I do hope you like this final chapter just as much.

"I know that you going to see him is a mistake. And after you are done talking to Joe what fallout am I going to hear about?" Rick wonders.

"I just want him to know he hasn't beaten me!" Horatio growls.

"You know the expression, silence is golden?" Rick smirks. "I mean after the toilet bowl incident."

"What? How the hell…"

"Horatio, you can't do much in this city and get away with it," Rick reminds him. "In here? No one takes us seriously but it does get back to Joe, either by a guard he's paid off or…"

"Who Rick? Who is working for Joe on the inside? We know he had help with the prison break but we haven't yet figured out who."

"And if I stick my neck out? What do I get?" Rick counters. "If it's nothing or just a thank you from you, forget it."

"You help us bring down the insider and I'll see about a reduced sentence," Horatio promises.

"We'll see. For now go and deal with Joe's threat."

Horatio looks at him with a growing frown but knows that his inner agitation is mostly directed at Joe; Rick only helped force him to acknowledge the ugly truth. But what would he say? What purpose would going to see Joe actually serve?

"Sitting there still trying to rationalize it Horatio?" Rick queries. "Or let me guess you are trying to ponder Joe's reaction before he makes it so that you can have a comeback ready? Something you were at a loss at the first time he threatened you?"

"I had a come back."

"Oh what, bring it on?" Rick rolls his eyes. "As I said, that might have worked on guys like me, but guys like Joe will just use that to his advantage, he wants you to bring it on Horatio; can't you see that? The angrier and more out of control you get the more powerful he becomes. He wants you to go and see him, lose your cool and perhaps warn him that you are ready and waiting! Or offer your damn cryptic smile when he knows you have nothing."

"Damn it Rick you suggest I do nothing?" Horatio growls, his frustration growing.

"I suggest you start to play his game his damn way."

"I will not break the law."

"This time?" Rick goads, causing Horatio to just curse. "No, I am not suggesting that!"

"Fiine. What the hell do you suggest?"

"Why not plant your own guard in there. You like to send your team in undercover, why not find someone on the inside that you can use? Turn this on his head, force him to sweat a little instead of him sitting there jacking off to your rumors of incompetence; laughing as you botch one arrest after another."

"None are…"

"The fact that guys in here are talking about you tells me I'm right. You came here because you know I am the only one that can say that to your face and get away with it. Joe is beating you at your own damn game because you are letting him!"

Sadly Horatio is once again forced to realize that Rick's words were true. Why hadn't he thought of them on his own? Why did it take his professional nemesis to tell him that? And from jail no less? Because the real person you are fighting is yourself, Horatio's mind tells him the truth. Joe is just the outside catalyst.

"Do you need anything in here?" Horatio asks softly as he prepares to leave.

"Bring a deck of cards with you next time," Rick offers with a small smile. "And brush up on your damn poker face."

"I will," Horatio stands up to leave. He pauses; his body a slight turn before he looks back down at Rick with a small smile. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Rick nods as he finally watches Horatio leave.

Horatio clears both sets of security; his heart rate elevated and his mind spinning, but it's not until he's beside the Hummer that he leans against it and just lets out a frustrated cry; his fists pounding the side of the large commercial vehicle. Rick was right; each time Horatio crossed the professional line, was just added fuel that Joe needed; the extra lies that he would feed whoever was working for him on the inside.

"This ends now," Horatio says firmly, his mind clearing for the first time in months.

As much as he would hate to give any credit to Rick Stetler for being the one to force him to come clean, he knows that it was only Rick that could have looked him right in the eye and tell him the hard truth that his team, Calleigh included, was unwilling to do. Rick was the only one that he hated enough to hear him say that there was a bigger thorn in his side that he was and he had better get a handle on it or he would be forever doomed. Horatio couldn't fault any of them; the only one to blame, in reality, was himself. Joe hadn't changed; he was still the same criminal bastard he always was, but Horatio had changed; he was the one that now had to reel himself back in. It had to be him that would stand up to his own inner demons and tell them to go to hell; it was his inner anger giving them power, feeding their lust for revenge. Without that they would die and his soul would be his and his alone once again.

"Frank where are you?"

"Back at the tank. Where are you? Everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. I think we need a new plan to get at Joe LeBrock."

"Joe? What the hell are you talking about? Joe is in solitary confinement. You aren't taking his stupid threat seriously are you?"

"I am Frank and now it's time we did something about it."

"But…"

"Trust me Frank it's time to start playing it smart."

"Okay so what's your plan?"

"I'm almost there."

Horatio reaches police headquarters and goes in search of Frank; his lead Detective and close friend, telling him his plan about Joe but not telling him the reason for this sudden change of mind.

"Well an insider would sure help us," Frank ponders as he looks at Horatio in concern. "You sure you're okay?"

"Actually I'm better than I thought I would be. I guess confession is good for the soul," Horatio adds with a cryptic smile.

"Confession? Since when do you go to church? You mean today? That's where you were?"

Horatio just smiles without answering and then continues, knowing that it wasn't any of Frank's business where he got his help from but he did confide in Frank that his actions as of late, his angry and unjust outbursts were just feeding Joe's personal vendetta and if he heard nothing, predicts that Joe would start to panic and possibly slip up or leak more details about what he knows about the upcoming showdown; get ansty and up his timeline for revenge.

"So that is what had you off these past few cases?"

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Horatio wonders.

"I uh…" Frank stammers. "I guess I thought you had it under control."

"Next time tell me Frank."

"Will do."

After Horatio was finished with Frank he goes in search of Calleigh. He finds her in the ballistics lab and without saying another word to her, takes her by the elbow and leads her toward a small private room, leading her inside and then locking the door.

"Horatio what is…" is all she's allowed before Horatio's hands cup her face and his lips are on hers, hungrily devouring them. He knows that it was out of line for their place of employment but protocol be damned, it was an urge that couldn't wait. Horatio finally pulls back a few breathless minutes later, both of them with flushed faces but content smiles.

"Not that I am complaining but what brought this on?"

"It's um…it's Joe."

"Joe brought this on?" Calleigh asks in shock, evoking a small chuckle from Horatio's lips.

"No, I was afraid to I think acknowledge it but I think what has been fuelling my anger as of late was Joe's original threat."

"A threat that you just brushed off as if it were nothing," she says slowly, Horatio nodding his head in agreement. "What made you finally realize this was it?"

"I guess I just needed to look one nemesis in the eye while I came clean about another."

"Horatio?" Calleigh asks softly. "Who?"

"I guess mostly myself."

"Well then I am sorry," she adds in remorse, causing Horatio to look at her in wonder.

"Calleigh, sweetheart what is it?" He asks tenderly, moving in a bit closer.

"I guess I feel like I let you down."

"In what way? Calleigh I needed to do this for myself. You could never let me down. Your love saved me but I needed…I guess I just needed to hear from someone that…"

"You went to see Rick didn't you?"

"Am I that transparent?" Horatio sighs with a small frown.

"I should be surprised but in a way I'm not; he was always our mental conscience; always making us think 'what is Rick going to say if we do this or that' and now with that safety net gone, we feel like we can take more chances?"

"Something like that. That and the fact that Rick wouldn't sugar coat anything for me; he wouldn't worry about my feeilngs as some of my team might."

"Horatio…"

"Calleigh I love you and am not mad. But Rick was right."

"Bigger question is now that you know that and say we get past Joe, will you be this open and honest if something else like a life altering threat is uttered against you?"

"I think I learned a pretty painful but powerful lesson," Horatio huffs his admittance. "My pride got the best of me and I'm sorry."

"I love you," she whispers as she leans in and kisses him once more on the lips. "Can you assure me that when I tell you something right from the start that you'll listen?"

"And if I give you my word right now that if you were to give me the hard truth that I wouldn't brush it off as if it were nothing?" Horatio asks her firmly.

"I would, would you believe it?"

"I hope you would make me try if I don't at first," Horatio resigns.

"Did you go and see Joe?"

"No because that is what he wants and I'm not going to give it to him," Horatio tells her firmly. "Frank and I put a plan into place and hopefully there will be no more angry outbursts on my part for Joe to take delight in."

"How does Rick know all that?" Calleigh just shakes his head.

"Even in prison, he's a force to be reckoned with."

"Was he um…surprised to see you?"

"Very. But let's not talk about him," Horatio says as he checks his watch. "How about we finish up our cases and then call it a day. I have a surprise for you."

"For me?" Calleigh asks with a bright smile. "For tonight?"

"For this weekend."

"I love surprises."

"I know you do. See you soon. I love you Calleigh."

"I love you too."

They finally take their leave from the small room; Horatio heading toward his office and Calleigh finishing up her ballistics testing and then heading for her desk; carefully packing up the security tapes and then placing them in the staff safe. So far there had been no calls from either Jake or his lawyer and they had more than enough evidence and eye witness testimony to put Adam Salce away without incident.

Horatio closes his last file and stands before his window, casting his weary gaze into the setting sun. To say the day had been a roller coaster of emotions was an understatement. The morning started out somewhat tense; but it wasn't until Horatio went to face Rick, another inner nemesis that he also had to just put to rest and was finally forced to acknowledge the brunt of his inner hostility did the demon's inside start to subside.

He wasn't physically able to face his father, knowing if he did he would have just went to town and beat him to a pulp. Instead he was able to regroup, form a feasible plan with a trusted friend and partner and put into place a plan that might actually work and get them ahead of Joe LeBrock without using nefarious means. He had used his fathers face in place of Joe, because he didn't want to admit that it was one of the first times in his adult life that he had stood before another man and actually felt afraid. His father had tried to beat his defiance out of him but Rick was right, Joe used mind games to accomplish the same things; instilling fear but in a way Horatio wasn't really used to. He was used to a fair fight; even Memmo's style of injustice was a bit more even than Joe's. But now that he knew what he was up against he was ready.

Horatio was honest with himself and knew that the nightmares wouldn't subside instantly but now that he was able to close his eyes, meet Joe head on and tell him where to go, he knows that when the final showdown between him and Joe LeBrock would finally call him to action, he would be ready; hopefully with the upper hand.

Horatio hears a small shuffling noise and looks up to catch Calleigh's reflection in the window, his face automatically softening. He turns to her and smiles; always amazed that a woman as terrific as her had picked a man as broken as him.

"You look lost in thought."

"I think I had always put my father's face on any enemy that I had because I wanted one more shot at him; right now, as an adult, but I never got it," Horatio confesses as she slowly nears his desk. "I wasn't prepared for Joe's mind games."

"Well not all fights are fair or face on."

"I see that now. Ready?"

"What do you feel like for dinner?"

"I have something else in mind," Horatio tells her warmly as Calleigh looks at him in wonder.

"Horatio…" Calleigh starts only to have him turn to her with a serious expression, now taking both of her hands in his.

"I love you Calleigh."

"What?"

"I think I have loved you since the day we met," Horatio starts softly, drawing a puzzled glance from Calleigh's face. "I certainly couldn't imagine my life without you and while I know that I might not have as much to offer as others I can promise you right now that I will love you with all that I have for the rest of your life."

Calleigh slightly tilts her head, her heart racing and her eyes wanting to water at his beautiful confession. "I love you Horatio Caine, with all my heart," she admits warmly.

"I know that sometimes life isn't easy but I want this…and I hope you do as well," Horatio pauses as he slowly pulls his right hand away, extracts a beautiful white gold engagement ring from his pocket and then carefully bends himself down on one knee. "Will you Calleigh Duquesne do me the honor of marrying me?"

"Yes," Calleigh answers without hesitation and with a large smile. Horatio stands back up and lovingly slides the ring up her delicate finger before pulling her into his grasp and whispering, 'surprise' be he seals their union with a kiss. Calleigh wraps her arms around his neck as his arms wrap around her waist; the two of them holding each other as long as possible.

"I'll wear this forever," she whispers as she plants another kiss on his waiting lips.

Horatio feels his heart starting to swell from the knowledge that very soon he would have as his wife, his best friend and the woman he hopes to spend the rest of his natural life with. Through everything she had been there for him and would be at his side as they would face whatever trials, tribulations, joys and happiness that life would throw at them in the future. He had at one time, not so long ago been in danger of losing himself to the very entity he had feared; but it was her love that ultimately pulled him back to the light and forced him to realize that he already had won, the future he had always wanted was waiting; now it was time to live it.

THE END!

A/N: Please leave me a final review with your thoughts so we'll know what you want us to do next; or if you want more stories, angsty/fluffy or otherwise stories in general. THANK YOU DUCAINERS! :D