Shatter Me

🤔❔❓Questioning Her Importance❔❓🤔

"What are you doing here!?!"  Horatio asks Zariah with a soft surprised tone as she walks over to him "you almost get rammed into a doorframe by a van and you ask me what I'm doing here!?! you're lucky I didn't bring Caine with me he'd be even more worried about you than I am!"  she replies with a amused tone and smile he chuckles "well now that I know you're ok I'm going home!"  she says with a sigh in her tone when she says "well" he smiles then grips her hand pulls her towards him and kisses her lips she smiles as soon as his lips leave hers and coos "naughty! you're lucky no one saw that!"  he smiles then watches her walk away and he walks over to Alexx who was with the body.... after saving a group of Hungarian woman from a human trafficking ring Horatio came home to a romantic home cooked meal which he was not expecting "what's this!?!"  he asks softly as he walks over to a softly smiling Zariah "dinner.... unless you have other plans!"  she replies "no, no plans"  he says softly she waves her hand towards the candle lit table and he walks towards it pulling her chair out for her like the gentleman he is she smiles then sits down and he pushes her in then sits down in the chair beside her and gently takes her hand in his and looks deeply into her eyes with a soft smile on his face he lifts her hand up to his lips and kisses the back of it then they make their plates and eat in peaceful silence.... Horatio Caine was having fun walking with Zariah, Henry, Olivia and the three pups as they went trick or treating just like they have done every year when he got called in for a case Zariah took one look at his very apologetic face and says softly as she walks over to him and places her hands in his "it's alright we're almost done anyway.... we'll be fine! you go be the voice for whoever can't speak for themselves any longer and we'll try to save some of the good candy for you!"  he chuckles then kisses her lips Olivia and Henry walk over and give him a goodbye hug before he heads to his vehicle and drives off and they head towards the next house.... Horatio brings his nephew to his house after he gets a call from a worried Yelina and he goes to check up on the lost boy who just wants to be liked Zariah turns when she hears the front door to her and Horatio's house open and sees Horatio with a young man standing in front of him a flash of surprise flows across her face then quickly disappears as she says "oh hello you must be Ray!"  she looks into Horatio's eyes as she says "I have heard absolutely nothing about you!"  the young man chuckles then Caine walks into the room and bounds over to Ray "Caine play nice!"  she says to the pup "it's ok"   Ray says with a smile on his face as he pets the pup that now stands before him she smiles at him "so.... how much trouble are you in!?!"  she teasingly asks Ray smiles then replies "loads!"  she says "then you can eat his candy!"  Ray laughs then walks over to her and she leads him to the kitchen where a small pile of candy waits on the kitchen island to be eaten and he sits on one of the stools and picks out a few pieces then starts eating them as she walks over to the pantry to find something to make for him to eat.... Horatio walks over to her and stands behind her with his hands on his hip and a small smile on his face "trying to fit in with the "wrong crowd"!?!"  she asks him in a voice only he can hear he chuckles then places his hands on her hip and kisses her temple "everyone wants to belong somewhere Ratio! some so badly they ignore the bad and try to find the good! he's the kid of a "bad cop" probably not the most popular boy in school either, the fact that someone is not only paying attention to him but being nice to him even if their intentions aren't always good.... it MEANS something to him!! and if his mom is anything like you when it comes to her job she's barely home which probably makes him feel like she doesn't care! he's just a kid and he's lost not knowing where in the world he belongs and trying to not only find that place but himself as well!"  she says softly and she feels him smile against the side of her head she turns around and says "I don't know why you didn't whether it was your ego or hers but we've been together for three years and you should have introduced me sooner!"  then she walks around him over to the stove and starts cooking and he watches her with sad eyes.... Horatio watches Zariah and Ray as they conversed with one another her first question was if he was hungry her second was if he was ok with what she chose to make and once she got her answers the conversation changed to anything but what Ray was "supposed" to be "scolded" about or his mother and father which seemed to be a sore subject for him and Horatio couldn't help but smile at the scene before him he knew they would get along and wasn't sure WHY he never even attempted to introduce them before now he wasn't even sure why he did it now except for the fact that he knew she could get Ray to open up and be happy which is what he wanted to see what surprised Horatio the most was that when Zariah offered the spare room for Ray to sleep in Ray jumped at the chance he even did what she told him to and called his grandmother to let her know and of course Caine slept with the young man once he actually did fall asleep.... Ray and Zariah stayed up most the the night watching movies and playing games with Horatio supervising for everytime she asked him if he wanted to join them he declined enjoying the fact that Ray was actually making a friend Horatio knew he could trust even if she was a little "too old"....