Disclaimer: I don't own anything from CSI:Miami.

Notes: And finally, we come to the end of this little fic. I'd like to thank all my reviewers for encouraging me each week and inspiring me to keep writing, and I'd also like to thank everyone for bearing with me and reading this fic. Thanks everyone, it was a great run...and now, I present to you: Chapter 8, the final chapter of Love on Canvas. See you all in the next fic! ;)

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Chapter 8

"Gentlemen, remind me again why I let you two talk me into making the biggest mistake of our lives," Speed asked melodramatically as he staggered into the break room at the end of shift. It had been several weeks since Horatio had been shot, and the red-haired supervisor had long been back at work with nothing more than a sore chest and a cheerful disposition.

Calleigh and Horatio were now the hottest couple traveling the Miami Dade PD's gossip-vines, ever since they had officially starting dating not more than 24 hours after Horatio had discharged himself from the hospital. Since both were well-liked by most of the MDPD, their sudden and undeniable love brought great joy to all, though there were those who clearly did not approve or agree with their relationship. Yelina, for instance, retaliated by announcing her engagement to Rick Stetler (before he had actually proposed) and John Hagen was brought in under a DUI charge one morning. The little blond receptionist who had always smiled at Horatio, Tina, resigned quietly one day, and Bayden informed Speed and Delko that she had been infatuated with Horatio, and was probably unable to take this new development.

On the other hand, Horatio's teammates were very happy. Their plan had more or less worked, and Calleigh and Horatio were together and very happy to be so. Both had changed since that day at the hospital – they were constantly in a good mood, both gave each other little smiles when they passed each other in the halls, and Calleigh was constantly getting little gifts and bouquets of flowers - whether they were her favorite or otherwise. And somehow, they managed to retain their professional expertise in solving crimes and had lost none of their edge – giving upper management no reason to complain. Horatio had also recently proposed, following a certain case, which hit home the fact that life was short, and should not be wasted.

However, the constant "sappy and love-sick behavior", as Speed called it, was making the Trace expert slightly edgy.

Bayden glanced up at Speed from his latest sketch of Alexx in the morgue, but was used to Speed's little outbursts by now. "What happened this time?" he asked, a knowing tone to his voice.

"I went to the Trace lab, thinking I'd get some work done on the latest Jamieson case," Speed explained, gesturing with his hand for emphasis. "And lo and behold - I walk in, and H and Calleigh are already there! And what are they doing?"

"Making out?" suggested Bayden.

"Murmuring sweet nothings to each other?" Delko guessed.

"No!" exclaimed Speed. "Worse! They weren't doing anything!"

Bayden and Delko exchanged "huh?" looks. Frustrated, Speed explained, "They were both working. Calleigh was sitting at the computer going over some evidence, and H was standing behind her, just watching - he wasn't even touching her!"

This time, Bayden and Eric exchanged amused glances. Bayden spoke first, "Uh, Speed - it's called companionship. They're both so comfortable in each other's presence that they didn't have to actually be physically connected, or talking. It's a good thing - proves that they really are in love, that it isn't just physical attraction."

"Yeah, man... chill. Hey," Eric tried to change the subject, "Have you got your suit for the wedding?"

"Yeah, gonna rent one - you?" asked Speed, scratching the back of his head with a tired sigh.

"Gonna borrow one from Bayden's dad," answered the Cuban. "And Bay has one of his own." He squinted warily at Speed. "How about your speech?"

"What speech?"

"Your best-man's speech - come on, man, don't tell me you have nothing good to say about H and Calleigh!"

"Speed, as the best man, you do know that you have to offer a toast at the reception, don't you?" Bayden asked, eyes wide. "The rehearsal's in a week's time...and this speech has gotta be good."

"A week?" Speed sounded supremely unconcerned. "That's still a lot of time. Don't worry, I'll have it ready by then, no sweat."

Eric and Bayden exchanged long-suffering, unconvinced looks, sighed simultaneously, and returned to what they had been doing.

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A week later found Eric and Bayden more excited than ever about Horatio and Calleigh's upcoming wedding, Horatio and Calleigh both in extremely good moods - albeit a little natural nervousness - and Speed slightly tense. The Trace expert had yet to write his little speech, and he hadn't much idea what to say. At the rehearsal, he had managed to buy himself some time by saying he wanted to wait till the actual reception to give his speech, and the bride and groom had agreed, both knowing Speed as well as Delko and Bayden did - having procrastinated this far, the man would work best under pressure.

The day itself finally dawned, bright and sunny and filled with promise. The little church where the ceremony would take place was decorated beautifully, so that it was pretty without being nauseating. Eric and Bayden arrived early to help Alexx with some preparations.

It seemed that it took forever for the guests to arrive; friends and colleagues from the MDPD, Calleigh's parents and brothers, and Yelina, Rick, and Ray Jr. Some were relatives of either the bride or groom, who neither H nor Calleigh had seen in years but had to invite for politeness' sake. The little chapel was filled to overflowing, and soon the pastor had arrived and moved to wait in his position at the end of the aisle. Horatio stood there next to him, looking calm, though he was clearly sweating. Next to him, Eric discreetly reached up with a Kleenex and wiped his boss' forehead for him, for until Calleigh arrived, it seemed as though H could do nothing for himself.

Bayden was the day's official photographer, though from the frustrated stares he was casting around him while his fingers twitched, it was clear that he would have preferred to be allowed to sketch every minute detail of this precious day.

But finally, the moment came. Wedding music began to play, and the entire church rose, all eagerly anticipating the arrival of the bride. First, Jamie Woods and Madison Caine came skipping lightly down the aisle; each girl dressed in soft pink dresses with enough laces and frills to keep Barbie happy for about a decade. Bryan Woods was next, a handsome ring-bearer carrying a pillow with a ring on it, while behind him, Ray Jr. followed, slightly nervous as he held the pillow with the other ring on it. At rehearsal the day before, he had accidentally dropped the pillow and almost lost the ring as it rolled into a crack on the floor, and now he had almost a death-grip on the small, heart-shaped cushion and was determined to do his part to make this day perfect for his Uncle Horatio and Calleigh, who would soon be his aunt.

Behind Ray, Alexx approached, dressed in a sweet white dress that made her look lovely, and she had a smile on her face. The coroner had been honored when Calleigh had requested her to be her bridesmaid, and had at first been disinclined to acquiesce to the request. But after Calleigh convinced her, reminding her that Alexx was one of her closest friends and that there was no one else that Calleigh wanted with her on her special day, she had finally agreed, though she had blushed a deep scarlet when she'd told the ballistics expert so.

And finally - a hush fell over the chapel as Calleigh stepped into the church, looking the definition of gorgeous in a flowing white gown, with a soft white veil over her face, and the rest trailing behind her, covering her blonde locks from view. More than half the men in the audience openly gaped, each wishing that he were in Horatio's place that day, while Horatio himself could barely take his eyes off her. Calleigh's father moved up to her, taking her arm, and proceeded to lead her down the aisle, pride written all over his face.

"Congratulations, lambchop," he whispered to her as they walked, following the beat of the music, and Calleigh beamed.

"Thanks, Daddy!"

They reached the altar, where Mr. Duquesne nodded to Horatio, and carefully handed over his daughter's arm. Tim stood nearby, looking slightly uncomfortable in his hot tux, but still managing to grin at Eric and Bayden, seated nearby, who met his grin with grins of their own, Bayden even managing a thumbs-up.

They had tried to guide fate, tried to push together a pair who had been fated, destined to be together from the start. Together, they had all learned, that fate didn't need anybody to help it along - for it already knew what was best for all the people involved. Today, the fated pair stood ready to be joined together in holy matrimony before God and man, and they hadn't really needed sketches, or songs, or pranks...ah, such was the way fate worked.

Bayden Michaels pulled his camera out, and started taking pictures, a sketch forming in his mind even as he did so. And in his head, a caption formed: "Horatio and Calleigh, November 2005. Meant To Be."

And then, the pastor stepped forward, the music ended, and the ceremony began.

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(A year later)

As she ran a wet cloth over a dusty trunk, a pile of books nearby crashed to the attic floor, and dust flew everywhere, making her sneeze. Calleigh Caine shook her head, used her handkerchief to wipe her nose, and sniffed as she moved to pick up the books, which were actually some old photo albums from the previous year. A smile spread across her face as she studied the pictures from her life; so much had happened since the last year, that she could barely take it all in even now.

The first album began with a few shots from several New Year's parties at various colleagues' homes, starting with one Tim had thrown, to a small dinner Horatio had held back when he was still living in his old apartment. Then it moved on, to a few birthday parties for Alexx's children, a school play in which Ray Jr. had been the lead, and some pictures of their little family at a few departmental parties and get-togethers.

Finally... Calleigh's smile grew wider as she arrived at a large page where there were no photos, but instead a single, photocopied, rather folded sketch of herself and Horatio, working side by side in the lab, and some song lyrics printed neatly down one side of the page. At the bottom, in Comic Sans MS font, the words read, "Admitting your feelings is the first step, Cal."

She sighed as she gently took the photocopied sketch out, wistfully remembering the way Bayden had used to draw and sketch at every chance he'd had, capturing even the smallest detail of any scene on paper in a way that few people could. Unfortunately, the young artist couldn't do that anymore - there had been an accident the year before, when Bayden had visited a factory crime scene, and his right hand - his sketching hand - had been caught in a machine, and the doctors had been unable to save it. It had had to be amputated. Bayden had at first been devastated, and perhaps he still was, but the young CSI had bounced right back up, and was as cheerful and friendly as ever with the same mischievous spirit and love of life that made him Bayden. He still noticed every single detail a crime scene had to offer, still thought of the world as a place made up of a billion sketches that was just begging to be drawn. H had fought hard to keep the young man on his team, as a lab technician if not as a CSI. The young man worked Trace now, though sometimes he followed Horatio and the others out to a scene just for the heck of it - just because he was still a good CSI, even though he only had one hand and another prosthetic limb.

Calleigh turned the pages of the album, following every sketch that Bayden, Speed and Delko had sent to her and Horatio, and then flipping reverently through Bayden's photos of their wedding. Finally, she stopped at the very last page of the album. Here, a single tear escaped her eye, but only one - for fear that her tears would mess up the intricate pencil marks and ruin Bayden's final masterpiece - the last sketch he had drawn before he'd lost his right hand.

There, in life-like realism on the paper, stood Horatio, with his arm around her, grinning. They were on the front lawn of the church immediately after their wedding, and both of them had their "newly-married glow" surrounding them still, which the sketch had captured, far better than the best photograph. Next to them, on either side, stood Eric and Tim, both men had already undone their ties and removed their tuxedo jackets. Alexx stood next to Tim, and she was smiling too, wearing her lovely white dress from the wedding. And finally, on the ground, leaning back against Eric's legs, was Bayden, grinning his mischievous grin up at the camera, both hands still intact as he leaned back on his palms, long legs stretched out full-length on the grass.

All of them, together - their little family. Calleigh sniffed slightly, then read the little note that had been pinned to the bottom:

"The tides recedes but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand,

The sun goes down but gentle warmth still lingers on the land,

The music fades and yet it echoes on its refrains,

For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.

Horatio, Calleigh,

I don't have much to offer you two on this special day but my undying love and friendship. I love you two like family, and neither of you could begin to imagine exactly how much you both - and the rest of our little "family" - mean to me. Thanks for everything, guys, and please accept this little sketch as my humble way of saying "thank you". I love you guys, and wish you two all the best in the wonderful life that lies ahead of you.

Love, Bayden Alexander Michaels."

Another tear escaped, and Calleigh hurriedly but carefully stored the sketch in its place once again, putting away the albums and deciding to finish cleaning up the attic another day.

From downstairs, the front door opened and closed, and she knew that her husband had returned home from work. Wiping away her tears, she took a deep breath to calm herself down, then smiled and headed downstairs to greet him.

"Hey," she began at the top of the stairs, stopped, for Horatio wasn't there. Puzzled, she scanned the room, wincing a little at a spot where their yellow Labrador puppy, Summer, had left a little mess, then she went the rest of the way downstairs. A little sound reached her, and she smiled, realizing at once where her husband had gone. Still smiling, she made her way down the hallway, then turned left into a little room and opened the door, peering in quietly.

Horatio turned around at once. "Hey, Calleigh," he greeted, a soft smile on his face.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, moving to give Horatio a quick kiss, before they both turned to gaze lovingly down on the reason Calleigh was currently at home on maternity leave.

Emily Elizabeth Caine kicked a tiny foot into the air and gurgled happily up at both her parents, chuckling and smiling up at them. Overcome with love for her little daughter, Calleigh reached down, scooping her up carefully and holding her little girl close.

"So, Daddy comes home and you don't even call up to let me know?" she mock-scolded, tickling Emily in her sensitive belly. Emily gurgled again, and her smile grew bigger as Horatio gently took her from her mother's arms, careful to support the tiny head.

"She has your eyes," he noted proudly for what had to be the hundredth time. Calleigh simply smiled.

"Well, I wonder who she got her hair from?" she said, teasing softly, for it was obvious which parent Emily had inherited the orange-blond fluff on her head from.

"She's going to be a month old soon," Horatio said, giving Calleigh an amazed smile. "We'll have to throw a full-moon party."

"Sounds good to me," Calleigh yawned, taking up a spot on the bed next to Emily's cot to lie down on. Horatio joined her, settling Emily down carefully on Calleigh's stomach, where the little girl instantly snuggled closer and proceeded to fall asleep.

The little family rested in a comfortable silence for a while, until finally, Horatio murmured softly, "And to think...this all came to be because Bayden once captured our love on canvas..."

Calleigh grinned, but she corrected him, "No, Horatio. This all began when I fell in love with my handsome, charming, kind and loving boss..."

"Yeah?" Horatio smiled at her. "Your boss is one lucky guy, huh?"

"I'd say so." Calleigh smirked, before it was replaced by a loving smile. "I love you, Horatio Caine."

Horatio moved up, leaning over her. "And I love you, too, Calleigh," he murmured, before bending down to seal his promise with a kiss.

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Fine! (Italian for "the end".)

Would it be too much to ask for everyone to drop one final review? ;)

Kudos to all.

RK9.