Title: Target

Disclaimers: I own Mari & Angelina. All the others are not mine.

The windows were open when he got home and he could smell the salty ocean air, feel the warmth of the sunshine, and knew what her day off had consisted of. The house was immaculate, as it almost always was, and he heard her in the shower. Floods of memories flooded his mind and he started towards the sound when he heard the water stop, smelled the coconut body gel and shampoo she used.

Natalia Boa Vista wrapped a thick fluffy towel around herself as she got out of the tub, not expecting anyone there. She took the time to hang her swimsuit up so it would dry and brush her hair to get it to dry correctly before worrying about clothes. Her mind was on what she would fix for dinner and whether or not they should invite the team, make a party of it, or if she just wanted time alone with him. She'd made some sun tea she wanted to chill before he got home either way. She was lost in thought before she saw a figure standing against the doorway, watching her.

"Horatio, you have GOT to learn to make some noise..." Natalia said, turning around to face him, a hint of a smile despite her scolding.

"I learn more when no one knows I'm here." Horatio Caine said, a hint of a smile around his own eyes.

"Well, in this case, there is nothing else to learn. Stop it, all right? Or you'll give me a heart attack." She kissed his cheek and he breathed in her scent, her closeness.

"I'm glad you're home." She whispered against him.

He thought of the hell of the day he'd been through. "So am I." He held her through the towel, rubbing her back gently.

Sensing the pain, she kissed him, holding him close, and dropped the towel as he carried her to the bed they'd shared for the past two years.

Horatio walked towards the light, coming into a white round room full of flowers. It was the weirdest sensation, smelling the beach, seeing the room filled with not florescent light, but natural sunlight, but seeing walls all around him. Natalia was there, smiling, laughing, happy, dressed in a white sundress that somehow he knew was her wedding dress, although there was no veil in sight. He knew it was a dream because losing her like he had his first wife, like he did Marisol, never crossed his mind. All he was thinking was that he wanted to be with her, that he had to be with her. The next thing he knew there was a red stain on the dress. It started small, like a laser point, but it spread, like a wildfire out of control. He looked down at his hand that was shaking; in it, he held a gun.

Horatio woke with a start, reaching to her side of the bed, finding it empty. He knew in his head that it was just a dream, that she had just left the room, but his heart was still pounding. His biggest fear was something happening to his kids, his team, or Natalia. He dressed quickly and went to check on her, finding her in shorts and a shirt, barefoot in the kitchen.

"Hey, sweetheart." She turned to kiss his cheek. "Did you get some rest?"

"I did." He paused for a moment and finally asked, "Can I help?"

"I've got it." She sensed whatever was going on was something bad, because he wasn't talking about it, and something ongoing, since the nap didn't seem to help him. "It's still kinda early. Do you want to invite the team? Lina?"

"Sure." Maybe the bad feeling would go away if he talked to Eric about it. At least his daughter and adopted granddaughter would distract him for a little while.

"I don't understand..." Eric Delko said, frustrated. "You forgave Jake. Why can't you forgive me?"

"I knew who Jake was. I made a mistake in getting back with him either time, Eric. I thought I knew who you were too. I don't like being lied to. I expect more from you." Calleigh Duquesne felt like she was hitting her head against a brick wall. She loved Eric, wanted him to be part of her life again, not just as a friend but as her other half, but there was a nagging part of her that couldn't let go, couldn't forget. "You spied on the lab. You lied to me. How do I know you won't do it again?"

"Because I love you, Cal. I love Mari. I want to be more than just part-time. I want to wake up with you every morning. I want to read her a story and put her to bed every night."

As Calleigh thought about their daughter, almost a year and a half old, she realized that was what she wanted too: Eric to be a part of their life on a permanent basis, to be a 'real' family. She was still so scared. Before she could respond either way, her cell phone rang. "Horatio..." She listened for a moment. "No, no, we'll be there. Do I need to bring anything?" She smiled, but the reaction didn't spread all over her face as usual. "Sounds like a good idea. We'll be there in about an hour." She hung up. "We have an invitation to eat with Natalia and H tonight."

"Cal..." Eric wanted to reach out and hold her, but he didn't dare, not knowing what her answer would be. "Did he tell her someone's trying to kill him?"

"He didn't say." Calleigh sounded as she looked, tired, the strain of back and forth with him as well as her job and being a first-time mom wearing on her. "We'll talk later, okay? I've gotta go pick up Mari." She left before he could argue.

"Okay..." Eric whispered as she left.

Long legs, slender build, curves in all the perfect places, and the smell of suntanning oil. The feel of smooth satin silk under his touch. Every day Ryan Wolfe waited for Horatio, Calleigh, and then Eric to leave the building before making a beeline to the resident psychiatrist/profiler's office. He could almost see her turn to look at him, smile, and laugh. The way she made him feel was as if he'd been adrift for the rest of his life, grasping at Samantha, Erica, and some of the others he'd dated, but never finding anyone who had roots, who wouldn't let him be dragged along with the current.

Angelina Moretti sat at her desk, poring over her papers. Absentmindedly, her hands stroked through her long tresses, normally dark but hightlighted due to the Miami sun. As if she knew Ryan was there, she looked up. "Are you kidding me?"

"You found out." They very rarely had time alone without the 'family' intervening. He'd hoped that she could avoid distractions, just for that evening.

"Of course I found out." Her deep, rich, chocolate eyes looked troubled.

He walked over to her desk, sitting on the edge, studying her. "If you want to go out...talk about it.." He said gently, stopping her hand and holding it between her own.

"It shouldn't bother me. I mean, it goes with the job, right?" It was obvious that it did bother her though.

"Baby, he's your dad. I'd be worried if you weren't upset." Horatio, Ryan, and Natalia were the only ones who knew that background of why she only had one parent left: that her mother had been a detective in New York, a criminalist, and had been killed in the line. Every threat Horatio or he faced was tinted with that memory, whether or not it was fair.

One of the reasons why she used her mother's maiden name at work, not to get caught up in the day-to-day drama that was her dad. Ryan had even broken up with her when he'd first found out about her paternity. She'd never been quite sure if it had been because he felt she lied to him about it, which she technially hadn't, or if it was because he'd thought it too awkward, dating the boss' daughter.

"Lina?" She looked up into his eyes and saw the worry there, not only for her dad, but for her as well.

"Sorry." She stood, putting her files away, locking them to keep them confidential. "Let's just go home. Catch a movie or something." She slipped her hand back in his and he wrapped his arms around her gently.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" He whispered.

"Thought that was my line," she quipped, smiling for him. He was this sweet, goofy guy, totally not her type at all, but what scared her the most was how perfect he was for her, how deeply they loved each other, despite themselves.

They walked out together, holding hands in the lab, then linking arms, her head on his shoulder, in the parking lot. She paused as her phone rang, the call from Natalia asking about that evening. From the smooth, still tone in her friend's voice, Angelina could tell that Natalia didn't know what it seemed the entire lab did. She agreed to go, if only to talk to her dad, and Ryan didn't argue, although the last thing he wanted to do was to go to a team sponsored event where he would have to pretend they were just friends, share her with the others.