A Crime Fighter's Holiday

"Hey Wolfe, you going over to Horatio's for Christmas?" Eric Delko mused as he busied himself clearing the mess from the layout table.

"Yeah, are you?" Ryan replied while shelving tire tread recognition books. He turned around and snapped his latex gloves off and haphazardly rested his hands in the pockets of his lab coat.

"Yeah, I'm going. I'm pretty sure Natalia, Calleigh, and Walter are going. Cal's bringing Austin and Patty too."

"Cool. It'll be nice to spend Christmas with someone other than myself this year." Wolfe spoke honestly. He went to say something else, when he noticed Eric's eyes travel toward the nearby lab window. As he turned to see what had caught the Cuban CSI's attention, he found himself holding in a fit of laughter.

"No way...is that H?" Ryan exclaimed. Eric blinked rapidly and smiled brightly.

"Yeah, that's H."

The two of them stared on as they watched their boss at the reception desk signing off on some papers for a lab tech. The sight of the redheaded Lieutenant would be no more surprising than usual, if it weren't for his shocking change in apparel.

For today, the finely-tailored suit jackets and crisp long-sleeved shirts were gone, and in their place, sat a dark green sweater. To add to it, a Santa Claus kneeling before a fully decorated Christmas tree was knitted into the front.

The tradition of having an ugly Christmas sweater contest at the workplace had been around for quite some time, but one thing hadn't been, was the idea of the ever-so-serious Horatio Caine participating. In that case, it seemed that the Lieutenant had decided to join the crime lab personnel this year.

Shaking their heads in awe, the guys slid their lab coats off and headed for the break room.

Calleigh, Natalia and Walter joined Ryan and Eric in the break room for lunch, and as everyone sat down to eat, Horatio himself appeared in the doorway and smiled bashfully as everyone caught sight of him.

"Go ahead and laugh," he mused. As soon as the words left his mouth, the group burst into hearty laughter. The redhead let out a handful of chuckles himself and took up a seat at the table.

"Love the sweater, H. Glad you decided to humor us this year." Natalia offered.

"Thank you, Miss Boa Vista. I'm glad that I could," he replied kindly.

"So H, are we still on for Christmas?" Delko questioned.

"Most definitely, brother. Is their anyone who can't make it?"

His cobalt irises scanned the group before him, and not a single soul objected.

"Great," he spoke as he ducked his head down to hide a smile.

"Same time you told us, right Horatio?" Calleigh offered. He nodded his head in confirmation and the group turned their attention back on lunch.

The night proved to be quiet, and the hum of air conditioners replaced the traditional descent of a light snow. Horatio lay down just minutes after ten o'clock, his mind beginning to wander as he waited for slumber to claim him.

Unlike years before, he felt a warmth when it came to Christmas. In the last seven years since the passing of his beloved wife, her absence during holidays was something that came down hard on him. But the idea of having his team, no -his family- to spend Christmas with, was comforting in the best way possible.

As the days events caught up with him, the redhead closed his aquatic eyes and as he drifted off, his hopeful smile remained.

Morning came ever so slowly, and as the sun crept over the horizon, Horatio hit the snooze button on his alarm clock. Much of his time after work the day before had been spent prepping for Christmas dinner and readying for this very day, but the lot of what he had planned was still being pieced together.

From his closet, he selected a sleek, onyx suit jacket and slacks and to finalize his ensemble, a crisp white long-sleeve shirt. The heat of the shower did a decent job of waking him up further and acted doubly to sooth his aging muscles.

He wiped the steam from the mirror above the sink and ran a comb through his damp auburn hair. With the freshness of aftershave clinging to his face and a spritz of his woodsy cologne permeating the surrounding air, he buttoned his shirt, grabbed his jacket and headed for the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the Duquesne household was alight with joy as Austin and Patty waded through discarded wrapping paper. Calleigh and Eric sat nearby sipping hot chocolate, readily enjoying the ecstatic reactions as the children opened gifts.

She had to admit, after a handful of lonely Christmases, Cal was glad to be able to spend this one and more to come with her son, daughter, and best friend.

The hours rolled by quickly and smoothly as every team member stuck to their morning routines. The Caine household was alive with the wonderful scents of finely crafted cuisine, the redhead bustling around the kitchen the source of such lovely aromas. His sleeves sat at his elbows and not a speck of dirt marred his crisp shirt.

Elsewhere, Walter, Natalia and Ryan were busying themselves around their homes, doing everything from eating breakfast to calling relatives. For some of the CSIs, Horatio's dinner would not be the only one attended.

Five o'clock came quicker than they could have guessed, and as everyone piled into their cars, Horatio glanced up at the clock and kicked it into full gear.

Just as Calleigh's Dodge Charger pulled up in his driveway, the redhead fixed his sleeves, slid on his jacket and adjusted the lapels. He made it to the front door in time to hear Austin and Patty's excited laughter.

"Uncle Horatio!" Patty exclaimed as he opened the door. It was smiles all around as the children attacked him with hugs. With a chuckle, he returned their embrace and gave Calleigh and Eric a friendly hug.

"Hey H," Delko greeted simply.

"There's soda, juice, cold water, and drinks for the adults in the kitchen. I'll take your coats." he offered. As Calleigh, Eric and the kids got situated, he took their coats to his guest room and turned up the Christmas music on his way back into the living room. They all turned towards the door as an inherent knocking resounded throughout the house.

Eric stood up and offered to get the door, and as he opened it, Ryan, Natalia and Walter stepped in and greeted everyone joyfully.

"Hey guys! Merry Christmas!"

"Hey H! Merry Christmas!" They mused. After taking care of their coats, Horatio came back in and fixed some drinks for the gang. Ryan and Walter gladly accepted some frosty bottles of Guinness and sat with Austin and Patty at the living room coffee table to play Monopoly.

It seemed as though Horatio was not only a good shot with a gun and a masterful cook, but he also tripled as a decent bartender. Calleigh and Natalia thanked him for the spiked eggnog and watched as he swiftly poured Eric a glass of Tequila.

"Thanks, H." Delko spoke. They stood around laughing and enjoying light conversation and stopped to listen to the sudden spike in conversation coming from the living area.

"Wolfe, why do you get to be the car? I don't wanna be the hat," Walter whined. The group heard brother and sister snickering at the CSIs antics and even the redhead himself couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Hey, Austin said I could be the car. You can't argue with that, Austin's the man." Ryan joked. His comment made them all break out in laughter and Walter did nothing but smirk.

"I swear, those two are like little children," Natalia exclaimed. Everyone readily agreed and as they continued talking, Horatio excused himself and headed for the fridge. When he returned to the group, Eric looked down at the club soda in his brother's hand and wouldn't hear of it.

"Aw, H, don't tell me that you're not going to have a drink!" The Cuban CSI had made a valid point, and before the Lieutenant could object, the group had already agreed.

"Come on H, at least have a beer. We've all worked hard and it's Christmas. Enjoy yourself!" Natalia spoke thoughtfully. He hesitated for a moment, and with a shrug of the shoulders, stripped the cap off of a cool bottle of Guinness and they erupted in hoots of success.

"Alright, alright. What do you guys say we sit down and have dinner?" He offered with a loving smile.

"Sounds good to me," Calleigh replied sweetly. She gathered the kids from the living room, including Walter and Ryan, and Eric aided his brother in serving dinner.

"Lord, we thank you for this wonderful dinner, and the people that we have here to share it with. We thank you for watching over us in the line of duty and we thank you for everything that we are blessed with as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."

Everyone gladly muttered, 'amen' as Horatio beautifully spoke the blessing. As the first bites of food were dug into, groans of satisfaction were heard all around the table.

"H, this food is amazing!" Ryan complimented instantly. His words were met with nods of approval, seeing as everyone was deeply indulged by the great tasting food on their plates.

Horatio smiled as he forked a slice of ham into his mouth. He'd been at it for hours, making almost everything on the table homemade, including the sweet glaze on the outside of the ham. It was most definitely a labor of love, for he wanted their dinner to be the best that it could possibly be.

Just wait until dessert, he thought to himself with a smirk.

Everybody congregated into the living room by the medium-sized Christmas tree, the light scent of pine greeting them kindly. The floor underneath the tree was plentiful with wrapped gifts, and the team couldn't help but be as excited as Austin and Patty themselves.

Before beginning, they set their dessert plates aside and gathered for a photo. They all sat closely together on the sofa as Horatio set the timer on the camera and joined them seconds later as the flash permeated the space around them.

"Alright, who's ready to open gifts?" Horatio questioned them kindly. A chorus of approval met his words and they all set on the hardwood floor as the redhead handed everyone their gifts.

The amount of wrapping paper on the floor began to grow as Eric revealed none other than a Polo cologne set. He embraced his brother in thanks, and they continued. Calleigh's expression was alight with joy as she opened a rectangular jewelery box. Inside, sat a lovely diamond studded sterling silver bracelet, and the group laughed as she threw her arms around her superior.

Natalia gasped as she too, opened a jewelery box. A beautiful pair of diamond earrings revealed themselves as she opened the small velvet box.

"Oh my goodness, Horatio! They're beautiful! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. With a chuckle, he gave her a friendly hug, and sat back.

"Walter, Ryan, I recommend that you two open yours at the same time." The redhead hinted.

"Gotcha, H." Walter spoke. The boys tore the paper from what it shadowed, and as they caught site of their presents, they both hollered with excitement.

"Tickets to the Saints and Dolphins game, all right!"

They both were ecstatic, seeing as they could both go. Not only that, but Wolfe preferred the Dolphins, and Walter was game for the Saints. They embraced their friend and boss in a brotherly hug and watched as Austin and Patty opened their gifts.

"A Marlins jersey, no way! Thanks uncle Horatio! What did you get Patty?"

"A gift card for Build A Bear workshop! Thanks uncle Horatio!"

They both ran over to the Lieutenant and hugged him tightly, causing him to chuckle happily. "You're all very welcome."

Before all was said and done, Eric stood and headed for the car, making it apparent that the night of wonderful gift giving was not yet over. Horatio sat, mouth slightly agape. He insisted that a gift for himself was not necessary, but they wouldn't have any of it.

Eric ducked back in moments later, holding a bow-topped rectangular present. He took up his place on the floor once again as they all looked on at their superior with excitement.

"Some of us have known you longer than others, but it didn't take long to realize what a great leader and father you are to us. We all pitched in this year, and we really hope you enjoy this. Merry Christmas, H."

His brother's heart-felt words melted his heart as he accepted his gift. The paper floated off to reveal a sleek black box, and as he opened it up, he was surprised at what he saw.

Carefully packed in a soft Styrofoam mold, was a bottle of Vintage 2007 Jamesons Irish Whiskey. Though he rarely drank, the gift was nothing short of purely incredible. He held back humble tears and thanked each and every one of his family members surrounding him.

The group stood and helped gather the discarded wrapping paper while Horatio headed for the kitchen. He poured small amounts of the expensive Whiskey into glasses and gathered two separate glasses of Cola for the children to substitute. He passed the adults their drinks and the kids their soda as they entered the dining area and with heartfelt intentions, he addressed them all sweetly.

"This goes in the books as one of the best Christmases I've had in my life. I wanted to uh, thank you all for standing by me all of these years. You guys are my family and I love and appreciate you so much. Merry Christmas guys."

They all raised their glasses and whistled, whooped and smiled in celebration. The kids sipped their soft drinks as the elder of the family tossed back the smooth alcohol.

Though he knew that the night would soon end, Horatio looked on as his family laughed and smiled lovingly. For all of the Christmases spent listening to his drunken father ravage the Caine household, it was ones like this that made up for those horrific memories. Tonight, not sorrow, nor the pain of loss would haunt him, for he had the happiness of the ones he loved along with his own, to protect him.

The end

It is with heartfelt regard that I wish my readers, reviewers, friends and supporters a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. I am forever grateful for your support and then some. I wouldn't be where I am now without you guys. Merry Christmas!