The Drug of Choice

Written By: D’be-D’be

Pairing: Horatio and Eric


Horatio Caine was sitting in his office doing the dreaded paper work that came with his job when one of his investigators knocked on the glass door. Caine looked up to see the newest member of the team, Ryan Wolfe, waiting in the doorway to be summoned in.

“Hey, Mr. Wolfe. What can I do for you this fine morning?”

“Well, H, I’m not that great. I’m a little confused to be honest with you.”

“Confused! Confused how, Ryan?” Caine’s voice had a concerned tone to it.

“Well, maybe confused is the wrong term. Concerned is closer to it.”

“Okay, concerned it is. Now what are you concerned about?”


“Not what, H. Who!”

“Oh, I see. Okay, who are you concerned about?”

“Well this is kinda awkward since you and Eric have such a close relationship, and you may tell me it’s not of my business, but I feel it’s my duty to report anything that may be out of place or out of sink.”

“Look, Ryan, both Eric and I made it quite clear to everyone our relationship stays outside the job. Now if you have a concern on how Eric is doing his job, it’s okay to speak freely.”

“Okay, H. But it’s not that I’m concerned on how Eric does his job, it’s what he may be doing while on the job.”

“Ryan, you’re speaking in riddles. If you have something to say, get to the point!” Caine did his best to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

“I found marijuana tubes in Eric’s scene kit.” Wolfe could feel the tension level rising a few notches in the room.

“You found what?” Horatio exclaimed.

“You know, wrappers to roll marijuana in to smoke it.”

“I know what tubes are, Ryan. I can’t believe you found them in Eric’s kit. Did you ask him about them?”

“Yes, sir. I did. He told me they weren’t his and he didn’t know how they got there.”

“But you didn’t believe him. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes, Sir. That’s exactly what I’m saying. You and I know that Delko is a terrible liar and the minute he denied it, I knew he was lying.”

“Did anyone else see the tubes?”

“Yes, Sir. Calleigh did.”

“Did she say anything to Eric?”

“She didn’t say anything but she gave him that famous look of hers. You know the one.”

“Yeah, the one where she stares right through you when she knows you’re hiding or fudging the truth.”

“That’s the one! Eric knew he was caught and all he did was keep staring at the floor.”

“Alright, Mr. Wolfe. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll take care of it.”

“I hope I didn’t get Delko in trouble or anything. I just felt it was my place to say something.”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s just keep this conversation to ourselves, shall we?”

“If that’s the way you want it, H.”

“That’s the way I want it, Mr. Wolfe.”

Wolfe knew it was the end of the discussion so without another word he just turned on his heals and left Caine alone to contemplate this new development.

When he was alone once more, Caine turned his chair away from the desk and thought back to something that happened last night when he was taking the dirty clothes out of the hamper. He had found one of Eric’s favorite T-shirts wrapped up in a ball in the bed sheets. As he separated the clothing, a sweet scent had invaded his nostrils. He knew the scent smelled familiar but knowing whom the shirt belonged to, he dismissed the possibility of the sweetness being from marijuana and just told himself it was something Delko picked up at the crime scene. However with this new piece of information, Caine couldn’t ignore the facts anymore. He made up his mind that he would confront his Brat about this matter after dinner this evening.

After work, not knowing what was waiting for him at home, Eric Delko pulled his car into his sister’s driveway and ran quickly up the stairs and gave a small tap on the door before entering.

“Hey, Marisol! You home?”

“Yeah, Eric. I’m here on the couch. I just got back from my chemo treatment. Did you bring it?”

Delko pulled a ziplock bag out of his coat pocket and handed it to his sister. She accepted the package with gratitude, but her eyes reflected the sadness of what she was putting her little brother through.

“Oh, Eric, how can I ever repay you for all you’re doing for me?”

“Hey! Come on, sis. We’ve already been through this. You need the stuff to help you get through the nausea and pain of your treatments. Besides, I’m very careful not to get anymore than an ounce at a time.”

“But if you ever got caught with this stuff, it could still reflect badly on you.”

“Don’t worry about it, okay. Now come take your medication like a good girl.”

Marisol Delko rolled the marijuana like an expert. She lit it and took a deep drag. The sweet smoke filtered through the air, making Eric a little light headed.

“Hey, sis. Is it okay if I open a window? That stuff may take away your nausea, but it makes me sick.”

“Oh, baby, I’m sorry! Of course, go ahead!”

Delko sat with his sister until the whole joint was gone and she had drifted off to sleep. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and quietly slipped out the door and headed home to Horatio. On his way home, Delko was trying to think of an alibi for being late because he promised his sister he would tell no one, including their family and Horatio, about her leukemia and the fact that she was taking pot to help her through it. He hated lying to his Top and lover but when Delko made a promise to someone, he was the type of man who never went back on his word. Little did he know how his loyalty to his sister was about to give him a world of trouble.

Delko walked into the condo he shared with Horatio Caine with a big smile on his face. “Hey, H. I hope you didn’t start dinner because I stopped at our favorite restaurant and picked up a little something. That’s why I’m late. It took them a while to cook that special chicken dish you like so much.” After putting the take-out bags on the counter, he went over to give Caine a kiss.

Caine made the kiss brief, which wasn’t like him at all, so Delko knew Caine was mad at him. “What’s wrong, H?”

“Eric, put the dinner in the fridge because you and I have to discuss a situation that has just been brought to my attention.”

“Ah…..okay…..sure….whatever you say.” Delko felt his stomach drop and he knew his heart rate went up a few points as he did what he was told. When the food was put away, he took his place on the sofa next the Caine.

“Okay, Eric, I want you to explain why you had marijuana tubes in your scene kit and why your clothes wreak of the stuff.”

Delko immediately went on the defensive. “How do you know I had marijuana tubes in my kit, you never go in there. Oh, I know. Wolfe the Weasel told you didn’t he?”

“Are you saying you had some in your kit?”

“I never said that. But yes, there were some in it but as I told big mouth, they weren’t mine and I don’t know how they got there.”

“Okay, fine. How do you explain the sweet scene of marijuana on your clothes?”

“Oh, I see. You immediately believe Wolfe and before you even ask me about it, you go snooping in my things and sniffing everything in sight. Whatever happened to trust? Does that only work one way! I’m suppose to trust you but you don’t have to trust me?” Delko knew he was yelling but he was so scared he didn’t care. He’d rather risk H getting mad at him than break his word to his sister.

“Eric” Caine stated in that calm warning voice he used when he was upset at someone.

“Eric, nothing!,” Delko screamed. “I’m hurt that you’re taking the Weasel’s word over mine.”

“First of all, Eric, stop name-calling. That’s not becoming of you. Second, I’m not taking his word over yours. As a matter of fact, I didn’t believe it on his word alone. It was the smell off your clothes that convinced me.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t of smelled the clothes if he hadn’t of brought it up.”

“Eric, I did smell something suspicious even before Wolfe talked to me, but I brushed it off as something you came in contact with at a crime scene. It was only after Wolfe told me about the tubes that I put two and two together. Now I am going to ask you straight out. Are you smoking marijuana?”

“Well, Lieutenant Caine, I have the right to remain silent and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. As a matter of fact, I’m getting the hell out of here until you’re ready to apologize to me for such an accusation!” Delko’s deep brown eyes were filled with tears as he grabbed his cell phone and car keys and headed for the door.

Caine knew by his Brat’s behavior he was guilty of something, but of what he wasn’t quite sure, so he didn’t say or do anything to stop Delko from leaving. As a matter of fact he thought it may be the best thing for Delko to get out and think things over for awhile.

Delko sat behind the wheel of his car, with the keys on the seat beside him. He put his head down into his arms that were holding the steering wheel and let the tears come. God, why did he yell at H that way? He was only making matters worse, but he couldn’t help himself. He was caught between a rock and a hard place and he was scared. He took a deep breath then picked up the cell phone to call his sister. After four rings, Marisol answered.

“Hey, Sis. It’s Eric”

“What’s up?”

“Marisol, I know I promised not to tell anyone about your illness, but I just got in a big fight with Horatio because he thinks I’m on drugs. He smelled your pot on my clothes”

“Oh, little brother, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”

“I know you didn’t, but I am. So I was wondering if I could tell Horatio the truth. He’ll keep your secret, you know that”

“Oh, Eric, please no. Don’t tell him. I beg you. I don’t want anyone to know”

“But he’s really mad and disappointed in me and it’s killing me.” Delko felt the lump in his throat getting bigger as he tried to make his sister understand the situation she was putting him in.

“Oh, Eric, I’m so sorry, but please hang in there a little longer for my sake please.”

Delko took a deep breath and for a few seconds didn’t say a word. Then after thinking it over, he agreed to keep it a secret for just a little while longer, but if the situation got worse with Horatio, he told his sister, he would have to tell him.

She thanked him and after a few more words of encouragement they hung up. Delko looked up at the Condo and was about to call upstairs to ask H if he could come back home when his mind went back to how quickly Caine believed Wolfe and his temper began to rise once more.

He called Calleigh and asked if he could spend the night at her place. It took a little convincing but she finally gave in. Without looking back, Delko pulled out of his parking space and headed for Calleigh’s.

What Delko didn’t know is that Horatio was on the phone with Calleigh and looking down at the parking lot as Eric pulled out. For as soon as she hung up the phone, she had called Caine just to let him know that he didn’t have to worry about the whereabouts of his lover because he would be at her house. Although she wanted to, she never asked what the fight was about. She just wanted to reassure Caine that Delko was safe.

Caine told her he appreciated her phone call. He then walked over to the fridge and took out the bags of take-out food and began to heat up his dinner. No need for this great food to go to waste. After he ate, he watched TV for a bit then after a long hot shower, went to bed. As he lay there in the dark, he took a hold of Delko’s pillow and pulled it close. He hated sleeping alone and he really missed the feeling of his Brat cuddling up to him. He also knew however, that he did the right thing in letting Delko leave. It was best for the two of them to let tempers cool. The one thing he would never do was discipline Delko in anger. He was tempted to call Calleigh to see how his Brat was doing but decided against it. He would see Delko tomorrow and hopefully they would be able to discuss this matter in a more calming way. What Caine wasn’t counting on was Internal Affairs getting involved.

************

When Caine walked off the elevator the next morning, he spotted his nemesis from Internal Affairs, Lieutenant Rick Stetler, speaking with Delko.

“What’s going on here, Eric?” Caine asked.

Delko looks into his Top’s deep blue eyes and all he wants to do at that moment is fly into his arms but he knew that was out of the question, so he just lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Stetler gave Caine a smug grin and replied to Caine’s enquiry. “Well, Lieutenant Caine, it seems one of your CSI team is using drugs. We just ran a urine test and it came out positive for marijuana. As of this moment, Delko is on desk duty pending further investigation”

Caine looked over at Delko. He knew by his body language that his Brat was ready to cry at any moment. So he told him to go back to the lab and he’d get to the bottom of this.

“H,” Delko pleaded. “I’m not on drugs! You have to believe me! I don’t know how it got into my system.”

“It’s okay, Eric. We’ll discuss it later. Now go back to work and let me talk with Rick here.”

“Yes, Sir!” Delko answered with a shaking voice

When they were alone, Rick turned to Horatio and coldly stated. “He can deny it all he wants to Horatio but the test doesn’t lie. And you can’t say it was a mistake because I had one of your own people run it, just to make sure you didn’t accuse me of dirty dealings.”

“Oh, Rick, I would never accuse you of that,” Caine answered with sarcasm in his voice. “Now I want to know why you singled Delko out?”

“I didn’t. We just did random drug tests and Delko’s name just happened to be on the list.”

“Come on, Rick, don’t pull that number on me. You just pulled a surprise drug testing last month, so what gives?”

“Oh, you’re so suspicious, Horatio!”

“Only when it concerns you, Rick, only when it concerns you.”

“I should be hurt by that, but I’m not. All right if you want to know. Last night a well-known drug dealer was picked up and he had Detective Delko’s number on him. When he was confronted, he gave Delko up. In turn the investigating officer called Internal Affairs and I volunteered to handle the investigation.”

“Yes, Rick. I bet you couldn’t wait to nail Delko because by getting Delko in trouble you would be sticking it to me. Isn’t that right, Rick?”

“You said that, Horatio, I didn’t!”

“But you’re not denying it, are you?”

Not saying another word, Stetler turned on his heel and stepped into the elevator and closed the doors, leaving Caine with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Caine went into the lab to talk with Delko but the only person there was Wolfe. “Did you see Eric, Ryan?”

“Ya, he’s in the bathroom. I think he’s upset about what happened this morning.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wolfe, I don’t doubt it.”

Caine found his Brat sitting on the floor in the washroom with his cell phone in hand, crying his eyes out. He sat down next to the young man and held his arms open. Delko gladly and gratefully slipped into the safety and security of his Top’s arms and held him as close as humanly possible.

“Oh, H, I’m so sorry this has gotten way out of hand.”

“Yes it has, Eric. Now, I want to help you but if you don’t start talking and telling me what’s going on, I’m not sure I can.”

“I just talked to my sister, Marisol, and told her I was under suspicion of using drugs and may loose my job and loose you if she doesn’t let me out of the promise I made to her.” Delko snuggled up closer to Caine as he spoke.

And?” Caine asked.

“She feels really bad about making me promise to keep her secret and she apologized for letting that get me into trouble.” Delko took a deep breath before continuing. “She has leukemia, H, and the treatments leave her really sore and nauseated, so the pot I bought was for her. I was always cautious, Horatio, but I guess I wasn’t thinking about what was happening to me when I stayed with her while she smoked the stuff.”

Caine let out a huge sigh of relief as he pulled his Brat tighter into his arms then gave him a warm, gentle kiss. “Oh, Eric, I’m so sorry about Marisol. I know how close you both are. Okay, leave this with me. I’ll explain the circumstances to Stetler and he’ll have no choice but to drop the charges.”

Pulling out of his Top’s arms so he could look him in the eyes, Eric began to smile. “That’s it, H? It’s that simple? It’s all over?”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say it’s ALL over.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think you know what I mean, Eric! First you don’t trust me enough to tell me what’s going on and because of that you felt guilty and started acting out. You lied to me, you raised your voice in anger, and to make things worse you stormed out of the door in a huff. I won’t tolerate that sort of behavior, Eric, and you know that!”

“I guess I’m in trouble, eh?”

“You could say that, yes!”

“I suppose now that you know the reason’s why I was acting the way I was, you wouldn’t reconsider disciplining me?”

“What do you think?” Caine asked his Brat in such a way that Eric already knew the answer.

“I guess I’m going to be in for a sore bottom when we get home.”

“Yes, young man, I’d say you’re right. Now, let’s get you washed up and you can go on home for the rest of the day. I’ll go straighten things up with Stelter, then I’ll join you.”

Reluctantly, Eric unraveled himself from his Top, then after washing his face and giving Caine a good bye kiss, he left the building and went directly home to await what was in store for him when Horatio got there.

**********

It seemed like hours but in actuality it was only an hour and a half when Delko heard the Hummer pull into Caine’s familiar parking spot. Eric had taken the time alone to take a shower and throw all the clothes he owned either in the clothes hamper or in the basket designated for the dry cleaner. He even went as far as throwing out his favorite leather jacket, because he knew no matter how much cleaning they put it through it would still retain that sweet smell that got him in trouble in the first place.

He had just finished going through the closet when he heard the Hummer and then a few seconds later, the key in the lock. His heart began to pound with both anticipation and fear. Not that he was afraid of his Top’s discipline. Caine would never hurt him. It was just Eric always dreaded the thought of being spanked no matter how bad he knew he needed and deserved it.

“Hey, buddy, where are you?” Caine called out

“I’m in the bedroom, cleaning out my closet.”

“Cleaning out your closet? You’re not throwing your clothes out, are you?”

“No, just sorted them for the cleaners and stuff.”

“That’s a very good idea, Eric. Good thinking!”

Delko smiled and blushed at Caine’s praises. How he loved being praised by this man.

After a few more minutes of chit-chat, Caine sat down on the bed and motioned Eric to come stand in front of him.

“Okay, Eric, you and I have a little business to take care of before we do anything else, isn’t that right?”

“Yes, Sir, you’re right.” Without being prompted, Delko pulled down his pants and shorts and laid himself over Caine’s lap.

He jumped as the first slap came down on his left cheek and let out a short yelp. After four slaps Caine started asking him why he was being punished. “Why do I have to discipline you, young man?”

“Because….owwww… because….ouch…..I….I….didn’t trust you and I lied to you.”

“What else?” Caine asked as his hand moved in quick rhythm from one cheek to another.

“I pulled a temper tantrum.”

“Very good, Eric. I’m glad you understand why this is happening.” Caine continued the spanking until he saw his Brat’s body shaking with pain and exhaustion. He didn’t stop however until he heard his Brat saying he was sorry.

“Owwww…..H…..please…I’ve learned my lesson…..I’m sorry…..please, stop….pleeaase!”

Caine stopped the discipline then turned Delko around so he was sitting on his lap. Delko layed his head on his Top’s strong shoulder and let the tears flow until he was running on empty. Caine for his part, rubbed Delko’s back and rocked him back and forth to let him know all was forgiven and to show him how much he was loved. Taking a final sigh, Delko sat up and gave Caine a long hard kiss.

“I love you, Horatio,” Delko softly whispered as he finally released Caines lips. “And I’ll never keep any secrets from you again.”

“I love you too, Eric, and I know you’ve learned your lesson, so let’s put this behind us and move on.”

“That sounds great.”

“I thought you’d like that. Listen, why don’t you call your sister up and tell her we’re coming over. I think it’s time we sit down and discuss her situation and figure out how we can help.”

“Oh, Horatio, she would absolutely love that….but….” Delko gave Caine his famous grin. “Can we put that off for a bit? I think I’d like you to show me how much you forgive me. You know, H, you’re the only drug I need to get me through life. I hope your know that.”

Caine laughed as he took off the rest of Eric’s clothes and laid him on the bed. After removing his own clothing and taking the lube out of the side drawer, Caine lay down next to his young lover and before he took him he whispered into his ear in Spanish “Baby, you’re also my only drug of choice”

The End.