Consequences E/C Fanfic

G

gottaluvcsi

Police Officer
Prologue

Calleigh was never one for going out and drinking. Especially after work. She liked to go home and curl up on her couch and read a long novel. Mostly in the romance genre. Crime novels weren’t her thing; she experienced crime almost every day. At this very moment she found herself sitting at a bar watching girls in their late teens and early twenties dressed in skimpy clothes. Guys, they tried to make them look as appealing as they could to the young women as possible in hopes to get a little more than a little dance.

At this moment she didn’t care that she was buzzed. Jake once again had stood her up. She wasn’t one for going out drinking because of a boy either. She just couldn’t go home. She had gotten nothing from him to explain why he wasn’t around. If he couldn’t make it he would either leave a voicemail or just simply send her a text. She hated being left out in the dark. She was naturally curious. That curiosity got the best of her at times. Tonight, she was more curious about this club ‘Faint’ she had heard about on the news or media lately. It was brand new to almost everyone and quickly became one of the most popular clubs in Miami.

Just then she finished her fifth mimosa. She was a little over buzzed now. She couldn’t drive home. Just her luck. Looking around for the closet exit, she got down off the barstool. Okay, she wasn’t buzzed. She was drunk. It felt…nice. The feeling that she didn’t have to worry. Yup, she was loopy. She stumbled towards the exit in hopes to get out of the noise and most likely get better cell reception.

On her heels she swerved into a strong and muscular chest. Looking up she was thinking of blurting out a ‘watch where you’re goin’’ but decided against it. She didn’t know who it could be. She didn’t have her gun on her and she didn’t know if whoever did had a concealed weapon of some sort. You never know in Miami. Instead she smiled at the man.

“S’cuse me,” she slurred slightly. He reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. She felt the electricity of his touch run underneath her skin and through her veins. When it went through her spine she gasped. It was intense.

He leaned down, his breath was heavy of alcohol, “Why don’t we take this somewhere else beautiful?” she looked into his dark brown eyes. Why not? Tonight was supposed to be her ‘care free night’. A night where she didn’t care about herself.

She felt his hand slide down to the small of her back and lead her out through the doors. He was just as intoxicated if not more than her. He was even more intoxicated by her scent. She smelled like vanilla and flowers. Her green gaze left him speechless. Out of all the girls he’s dated, none of them were prettier than she was. He was sure of that. Looking at her, he decided she wasn’t one for running around partying. She seemed to be the one to go to work then go to work then work again. Not the type that would do this. His days of this were over as well. He had toned it down after his sister died. Even more after he got shot.

Oh he knew who he was escorting out club Faint. He knew it was his coworker and best friend, Calleigh Duquesne. He knew she knew who he was. They were too drunk to care or even think if it mattered. They were both lonely and in need of some comfort. He knew she and Jake ended it after he left. For some unknown reason he was back in Miami and wanted to talk to her. She acted all happy-go-lucky at the lab. Her demeanor obviously changed when he’s not around her when he’s supposed to. Eric knew he would treat her better. That he would actually let her know that he loves her.

He knew he was breaking the law by driving intoxicated. He didn’t care. What he cared was that he had the woman he loved next to him. Waiting for him. Desire was coming off of her and wrapping around his mind. Clearing his head of all things that would usually come up at him. Even intoxicated.

When they stepped in the door, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. He felt like fire playing with fire. They were at the point where their desire for each other hurt. Nothing was holding them back that night. Not even if the world was set upon fire. To him at this very moment, nothing could get any better.

Their kiss was so passionate, so full of lust. The want that they’ve been hiding behind their façades for seven years. It was a ticking bomb in the waiting. Ever since they first laid eyes upon each other, the fuse was lit and slowly inching it’s way closer to the TNT.

When they were bare skin on bare skin, the bomb almost exploded. It didn’t explode until they cried out together. In synch with each other. The way two lovers would.
 
One

Calleigh groaned when she felt sunlight creep into her bedroom. She began to think that last night wasn’t such a good idea at all. To be honest, she couldn’t remember what really happened. That’s what disturbed her the most. Just trying to remember all the events from last night brought her pounding headache up a notch or two. Never mind, make it three. She shifted a bit and felt something warm around her waist. It felt like a man’s arms were wrapped tightly around her. She realized her back was flush against a muscular body. A naked muscular body. She took in a deep breath and slowly turned her head around. She gasped at the sight of her best friend. Eric.

She felt his heart beating in an even rhythm as he took in every breath. Calleigh’s heartbeat went up quite a few notches. Wasn’t every day she woke up next to someone she called a friend. Calleigh had to do her best as trying to get untangled from Eric’s grasp. She couldn’t. At this moment, she didn’t want to wake him up. That would start her day off in a hellish way.

“Mmm, Cal,” she heard his breath tickle the back of her neck causing her to immediately stiffen. She sent a silent prayer hoping that he didn’t just say her name.

Again she found herself trying to untangle herself from Eric’s strong grasp. Eventually she gave up and let out a sigh of disappointment. A sigh of defeat. One of the main things she wasn’t looking forward to was talk about how they were gonna ‘forget it’. That was actually the best initial plan she could set up right now.

Then her plan once again changed. Possibly it had to do with Eric waking up. Once again she found herself stiff in his arms when he sighed into her shoulder. After that, she felt him breathe in her skin. His actions started making her feel uneasy. She didn’t like the thought of that. He held onto her even tighter and pulled her closer to him than she thought would be physically possible. “Think Duquesne, Think!” Those were the only thoughts moving through her head at the moment.

“Cal?” she groaned suddenly feeling nauseous. She placed her hands on his arms that were around her and tried more forcefully to pry them away.

“Cal?” he asked her once again. She felt the bile rise behind her throat. Within seconds Eric caught onto her need to get out and let go of her. She quickly grabbed the top sheet and wrapped it around herself. Eric got a quick glance of her wonderful curves before she almost ran into the bathroom. The sounds made him nauseous all the same as well.

The thought then occurred to them that they weren’t in his condo or in her apartment. They were in a motel. A sleazy old motel that smelled of drugs, alcohol, the ‘activities’ that were performed last night, urine, and of course, vomit. No wonder Calleigh needed to vomit.

She then reemerged from the bathroom rubbing her temples. She didn’t know what to make of the situation. She wanted to know where they were and when could she get her car to go home and take a nice and long hot shower and just forget all this happened.

Eric swung his legs over the side of the bed, covering himself up fairly effectively with a pillow. He then spotted what he wanted. Boxers. When Calleigh ran back into the bathroom to once again, puke, he pulled on his boxers then after that, his jeans that were next to the bed. Looking around for his shirt, Calleigh’s underwear caught his eye. Black lacy lingerie. He groaned at the sight of her wearing them. Mostly groaning because he couldn’t remember. At the moment, he was also determined to find his shirt.

Once again Calleigh moved slowly out of the bathroom. She was wearing his large shirt. He liked the way it looked on her. Large and baggy over her small frame. He wished it was a slightly more regular occurrence. He was 99.9% sure it wasn’t going to be. She moved towards the bed and picked up her lingerie and pants before she moved back into the bathroom. He knew she would like her space.

Calleigh had found herself staring at her pale complexion. Sure she was fair skinned, but she didn’t expect her to look so…so pale. Her green eyes stood out in contrast. Mostly because they were bloodshot. For the first time in years she was thinking about calling in sick to work. Oh great, she forgot about work and especially forgot about checking the time.

Quickly she pulled her lingerie and pants on before she moved out into the bedroom. Eric was looking at his cell. Apparently he had a call from dispatch…and Horatio…and Ryan. Not to mention the numerous texts from Ryan.

Calleigh had the same on her phone.

She picked up her phone and sighed. It was almost noon. If both her and Eric were out of work it would look as if something definitely went on last night. It already looked bad because neither called in.

“I’m sorry,” Eric said. He held her shirt out to her. Her bra was inside the shirt, most likely hiding it from himself. He felt shameful. Calleigh nodded at him and went back into the bathroom. Partially because she felt like vomiting again. The other reason was that she had a feeling that the awkwardness of this wasn’t gonna be over for awhile.
 
Two

She was late. Late getting into work. As she stepped off the elevator she looked around. She really wished that Natalia hadn’t re-decorated the lab to make it ‘brighter’. That just added to her pounding headache. Sighing to herself, she wished that her ‘I woke up later than I expected’ excuse could actually work with Horatio. It would be her worst nightmare if it didn’t. The last thing she wanted was everyone to know what happened to her and Eric last night.

“Calleigh?” she cursed under her breath when she heard Natalia’s concerned voice behind her, “Are you okay?” she knew she looked a little green. She would rather it not be pointed out.

Calleigh turned slowly and gave her a slight smile, “I’m fine,” it came out more as a mumble. Natalia’s concern was still plagued over her face. Calleigh knew she was just being a good friend. Calleigh couldn’t believe that she was thinking about this, but she kinda wished Natalia could be a better friend to maybe…Ryan or Frank.

Natalia crossed her arms over her chest, “Calleigh-“

Calleigh could sense that this was going to turn into a slightly different conversation, “I gotta go,” she quickly dismissed herself when the elevator revealed Eric. She wanted to avoid him as much as possible.

Her heart sank when she heard Natalia’s voice behind her. In deed Nat was being just a good friend, “What’s up with Calleigh?” she prayed to God that Eric wouldn’t say anything, “Nothing,” she heard Eric say.

Calleigh didn’t wait any longer to listen to their conversation. She kept on her way to the Ballistics lab. She hoped she didn’t have to test fire any guns. Her pounding headache would protest greatly. She slid slowly into her lab brushing past the light up desk in the center and towards the gun vault. She felt safer there. After latching the door shut she pressed her back against it and slid down. Her head fell in her hands as she felt a sob cause her body to tremble from head to toe.

Was their friendship ruined?

Probably.

After she felt herself calm down slightly, she laid down on the floor. Her thoughts drifted back to last night. How could she have let herself do that? That was unlike her. She was the one that would aid Speed and Eric when they both got drunk at some club and needed someone to see them home. Sometimes she had to go with them to supervise them, which greatly added up to the possibility of her getting drunk along with them. Bottom line, she didn’t like excessive drinking.

She remembered kissing him. The scent of him driving her wild. The feel of their bodies close so close together. The way it drove her wild. He nipped at the column of her neck. She moaned and arched closer to him.

“Eric…”

Her phone buzzed. Well, vibrated against the floor. Calleigh slowly lifted her head up. Her hangover had dimmed greatly. She didn’t know whether it was the nap or the dim lighting of the gun vault. She sighed and ran her hand down the side of her face. Picking up the pager she saw the last name she would ever want.

Stetler.

She fought back the urge to scream. This meant that he knew something happened between them. This meant one would probably have to leave. Eric was gonna lose his job over her. Unless she did something to prevent it.

Calleigh reached up and braced her weight on the table and pulled herself up. She walked out slowly and saw outside her lab through the glass, Stetler escorting Eric to an interrogation room. Not good. Calleigh made her way out of the lab. Her entrance gave a dramatic feeling. Her stomach dropped when everyone was looking at her. She had to fight back the greatest urge to vomit all over the nicely polished floor.

“Miss Duquesne?” she jumped slightly at the sound of Horatio. He seemed to take notice of this. “Are you all right?”

Calleigh didn’t know what to tell him, she wasn’t. She didn’t want to lose her friendship with Eric. From this morning, she knew they wouldn’t be able to look at each other again without remembering what happened. Something that colleagues and best friends should not go through.

“Calleigh?” she felt his hand on her shoulder. She also took notice of the deep concern in his blue eyes and tone, “What happened?” he suspected something. If he didn’t he wouldn’t be any good at his job. After all, he used to be a homicide detective and know the Lieutenant to a major crime lab.

She shook her head and looked down at the floor, “Nothing,” she brushed past him and towards the ladies room. She knew that Horatio would not follow her. She once again found herself praying to God that Stetler was not asking Eric about what happened.

Eric studied Stetler for a moment. For some reason he gave him an uneasy feeling. He didn’t know what Stetler would want from him…unless he knew about last night. That wouldn’t be good for Calleigh or him.

Eric wasn’t paying attention to Stetler at all, not until Calleigh was mentioned, “I know that you and Miss Duquesne were involved in a sexual relationship last night,” Eric pondered his thoughts on how the hell he would know.

Sadly his reaction to the whole thing gave it away, “That’s all I need,” Stetler got up and left the room. Now looking for Calleigh.

Within minutes, he saw Calleigh walking behind Stetler. He could feel the tension and unsteadiness coming off of her skin. They were in an interrogation room next to Eric’s. That is, until Eric decided he couldn’t watch Calleigh.

Calleigh overall was shocked that Stetler knew. He had a photo of them leaving the club. Hand in hand smiling drunkenly. Not to mention the kiss they had shared in the parking lot.

Calleigh wanted to curl up at the next thought that plagued her.
 
Three

Calleigh set her keys down on the bedside table of her apartment. God she was glad the day was over. The thoughts of Stetler and Eric and…last night kept on playing over and over in her mind. She wished she could just turn that part of her mind off. Unlucky for her her mind wasn’t like a light switch.

She felt glass underneath her feet. Looking down she felt like just screaming at the world. Jake. Jake had been here and once again came to her empty apartment. Probably came in the middle of the night when she and Eric were doing…certain activities. She wondered how she didn’t see it that morning. Instead of screaming, she ran her hand across her face and sighed.

“Why me?” she looked up at the ceiling. She knew it was a useless thought. Anyone would tell her that it could happen to anyone at any random time. Why did she have to go out last night? Her and Eric’s lives were changed forever and it couldn’t be reversed.

She took a step forward and walked down the hall and turned to the right. Her bed in the middle was left unmade. Jake once again stayed at her apartment while she was gone. He probably thought she was working late again. She hoped that was true.

But something didn’t feel right.

She laid down on the bed. Something smelled off. Like…she didn’t want to go further into that thought. She sat right up on the bed, the sudden amount of energy knocking her off the bed. The energy she was feeling was from the anger and sadness of it all. Now she wanted nothing more to do but burn the bed in front of her. Jake cheated on her, in her bed.

That’s when she screamed. A scream that could make anyone’s blood turn to ice. Calleigh Duquesne never screamed. No matter how fed up with the world she had gotten. But tonight was different. Tonight she completely lost it. She lost it with Jake. She lost it with herself. All these years she watched either witnessing a murder or having someone close to them die destroys people’s lives.

She blamed herself for John’s death. For Speed’s death. Now it was her turn. Her turn to lose it. To have her life go wrong.

She had to get out of her room. Out of her apartment. She had to get away from everything that reminded her of Jake. She wanted to get away from CSI. Away from Miami. Forever. Calleigh wasn’t going to think this through. She was just gonna get up and leave. She wanted to go somewhere where no one will ever look for her. Someplace quiet and small. A place where she could just start over. That’s what she needed.

But in life, you only get one deck of cards. If you play them right, then you have a pretty good chance you won’t screw up. Well, Calleigh thought her life was screwed up ever since she was a child, she kept a happy façade so people wouldn’t expect such a gloomy childhood coming from a vibrant woman.

She thought of where she was gonna go. Where she was gonna live. She knew she would be able to find work there. The only thing she wasn’t anticipating was how much her life will still be changed no matter how far away she goes. How far she goes from everything she loves and loved about Miami.

Calleigh got up abruptly and looked around. She then ran into the bathroom. She looked at her reflection for a long while. She was pale, or fair skinned if you would rather it put that way. She had green eyes that used to be bright and shining. Now they were dull. Her long blond hair was slightly messed up and knotted.

Moving would change everything. She hoped it would be for the best. Where she was gonna go is a place where no one knows her. She would actually stay in law enforcement. She would just be a homicide detective. No more CSI. She sighed and leaned back against the wall and slid down it. This was going to change her life forever. Again she was hoping for the best.

She had no idea that she was going to fall asleep right there in a sitting position.

The next thing she knew was an annoying chirping coming from her bedroom. Her alarm clock. This was the day she was going to turn in her resignation letter to Horatio. Then she’d make it up from there.

She got up and stripped and began her usual routine. Her days were numbered at CSI now. She placed her head on the wall, “I’m leavin’,” she told herself. She was finally leaving.

Calleigh felt herself smile as she pushed off the wall and finished her shower before she finished getting ready.
 
Four

Calleigh adjusted her blazer before she pushed the door open to Horatio’s office. She held the manila folder close to her body as she moved across the room until she was in front of his desk. He looked up at her and studied her face for a bit. It was almost as if he knew what she was about to do. Resign.

He picked up the file and looked through it, knots forming in his stomach. Horatio looked up at her hoping that the shock wasn’t playing out on his face. It was. He raised his eyebrows and took in a deep breath, “You’re resigning.”

She nodded at him and held her hands together in front of her body, “This is my two weeks resignation,” she almost choked on her words. She felt as if this was the only way, “Please don’t tell the team.”

He looked up at her. The fact that she didn’t want him to tell the team intrigued him, “Calleigh,” she brought her head up slightly, blond locks falling slightly from behind her ear, “Does this have anything to do with Stetler?” Calleigh froze. It did.

She stood up straighter and brushed her hair behind her ear once again, “No,” she smiled a bit in attempt to sound more convincing, “It’s just that…” she couldn’t form the words. The place she was going to was almost the complete opposite of Miami. That was actually an understatement…it was the exact opposite.

Calleigh nodded her head slightly and moved towards the door; she knew it was a lot for Horatio to take in. It was still a lot for her to take in. Her hand froze on the handle when she heard him speak, “Calleigh, may I ask where you’re going?”

She turned slightly to him and bit her lip, “Seattle,” Calleigh watched his expression change. It was in disbelief, she knew it. She knew she would have to get used to the completely different climate. She was fine with that. She wanted things to change.

Without waiting for him to respond, she pushed the door open and walked out and down the stairs. When she reached the last stair, she gripped the railing until her knuckles turned white. That one night made her think. She couldn’t keep living in this place anymore. She needed to start over. She was about to satisfy that need.

Calleigh broke away from the staircase and made her way into her lab. Her days were numbered in this lab. Now Stetler wouldn’t have to bother her. No more Stetler seemed nice. She was going to be in homicide. Different is what she wanted, but she couldn’t get away from the law.

Now she found herself searching through her desk. She had pulled out multiple old files. Many of them had turned cold, she kept them incase they would have to be reopened, so far, not so much luck. Calleigh raised an eyebrow when she felt something cardboard underneath her fingertips. A box. She lifted it out and put it on top of her desk. Speed must have put it in her desk. Who else would put a duct tape-sealed box in her drawer.

Sighing to herself, she pulled out a pocketknife and cut it open. She pushed the flaps over and looked inside. Peanuts is what she saw. Foam peanuts practically exploded. Sighing again to herself, she pushed them away until she felt her hands come in contact with something slightly cold. Glass? She continued to clear the peanuts away from the box until she pulled out a picture frame.

Calleigh studied the picture closely; it was a picture of the team. She was in the middle with Eric’s arms wrapped around her, almost as if he was going to pick her up. Speed was also next to them, staring at them as if they had completely lost it. All of a sudden she felt a lump rise in the back of her throat. Swallowing that lump, she realized that she wanted to forget she found this. She hated the feeling that was plaguing her. The feeling of guilt.

She blamed herself for the death of Speed. She was the ballistics expert; she should have checked his gun after the incident when he got shot the first time. Lucky for him he was wearing Kevlar. She wished he had woken up and did what she said. She wished she had checked his gun.

Setting the picture to the side she felt her face fall into her hands. A sob wracked through her. She didn’t cry. She never cried. At this moment, she could think of a million reasons to move to Seattle. That was the only place where she thought she could possibly forget everything. She wanted a new life.

She didn’t want to have to take care of her father…she didn’t want to have all the thoughts that she could have prevented Speed and John’s death. She felt helpless to her emotions. She felt like she needed to let them go. Let them flow down like a river.

She wanted to forget Jake and all the things he’s done to her.

Calleigh jumped when she heard the door open. Steady and firm steps made their way into the lab. She recognized those steps. Eric. She sat up straight and fixed her hair quickly and wiped away the tears. She knew it was hopeless, she looked like a wreck. Her cheeks would be red as well as her eyes; her make up would probably be runny. She would look as if she couldn’t take hold of her own emotions. It made her feel vulnerable.

“Calleigh?” his tone gave it all away.

She self-consciously brushed the tears away again, “I’m fine,” she mentally cursed herself when her voice wavered.

She felt a tingling sensation when she felt a firm grip on her shoulder. She was lost in thought. Calleigh didn’t notice Eric reach over into the box again, he pulled out what was to be a stuffed bear. A small one. Eric smirked at the memory. He had forced both Calleigh and Speed to the fair with his sister’s daughter. He didn’t want to do it alone. His niece had gladly given the bear to him before she ran off to find his sister. He then gave it to Calleigh.

“I remember this,” he smiled.

Calleigh nodded and smiled a bit too, “Tim must have been in my apartment,” he raised an eyebrow, “I’ve been looking for it for quite some time.”

“Why would Speed do this?”

Calleigh shook her head, “I don’t know,” she laughed slightly. Then it was all gone as quickly as it came on. She realized this is one of the last days she could ever really see Eric. She knew she would miss him, but it was for the best…or so she thought.

Seattle was getting closer by the second.
 
Five

Two weeks ago she would have never thought about leaving for Seattle. Now here she was, standing in the middle of the terminal looking around at everyone’s faces. It was a little past eight in the morning; many people were walking around nursing their coffee with a briefcase next to them. Business people traveled on Mondays. Technically Calleigh found herself on business. She was about to board the plane…the plane to a better life. She just wished everything would turn out right.

As she handed her boarding pass to the attendant, she flashed the woman a bright smile, “Enjoy your flight,” the woman gave Calleigh a tight smile, she looked like she had too much botox, in other words, she looked a little tight around the eyes.

The next sound she heard was like an echo, as if something was calling her. The sound got closer and closer until it seemed as if it was just about one hundred feet from her. Then she could finally tell who was calling out to her, Eric. She turned her head and saw him turn the corner, almost slipping on the polished floor.

“Calleigh!” he yelled and made his way to the line. Behind her Calleigh heard people grunting and she heard several “What where you’re goin’” or “Hey!” People obviously didn’t like Eric coming up behind them.

Calleigh panicked. She quickly took a few steps until she was about to enter the plane. She tried to drown out the sounds of him behind her. She heard the woman stop him.

“Sir, you are not allowed on the plane!” Calleigh didn’t want to turn around, she was afraid that Eric’s face would bring her pain.

“Calleigh!” Eric’s voice sounded pained, as if someone had stabbed him over and over numerous times, “Calleigh!” his voice sounded in distress. Instead of turning back to him, she sped up trying to fight back the tears that pricked in her eyes. She then felt as if she was going to let a sob wrack through her body. It started out in her spine and was slowly going to succumb her body. She turned the corner and took a few steps before she leaned up against the wall. She placed her head in her hands and did her best to make herself look fine or better. After a while she felt she could continue, she took a few steps.

“Calleigh,” she felt a hand on her arm and pulled her back slightly, “Calleigh, don’t do this,” she felt the lump in the back of her throat form.

It took every muscle in her body and a lot of will that kept her from turning to look at him. She knew the look on his face would be forever burned in her mind and heart. She didn’t want that.

“Eric, let me go,” it took everything she had not to let her voice waver.

She once again tried to break free from him again when he tightened the grip on her arm, “Calleigh,” she ripped her arm away from him and walked quickly over to the door. She didn’t hear him coming after her. She felt that was good, “Calleigh…” she kept walking.

“…I love you.”

She stopped. She froze in her tracks and looked over at Eric. He looked as if he was in too much pain to function. The amount of pain played across all his face. He was suffering. He was suffering because of her. It was too late for her to erase the image from her mind, his look would forever plague her, she wouldn’t be able to get it out of her mind.

“No,” her voice was barely above a whisper, “No, Eric, no you don’t,” she did her best not to believe him. The look on his face destroyed her. Calleigh felt the air vacate from her lungs when she saw his face. She turned quickly and made her way onto the plane.

Within five minutes, people came onto the plane. Calleigh was the only one with her head in her hands, sobbing quietly. Again she found herself mentally cursing herself for being so vulnerable. She was leaving everything behind forever.

Thirty Minutes Before…

“H, where’s Calleigh?” Eric had poked his head through Horatio’s office in hopes of Calleigh possibly being there. There was no hope. She wasn’t there. Eric had tried calling her home phone, it had been turned off. He felt suspicious. Was she hurt?

Horatio looked down at his hands…or was it the files under his hands. The files. Eric shut the door behind him and made his way closer to the desk and looked down at the files. Resumes? Ballistic Expert resumes.

“Calleigh…Eric, she resigned,” this was new to Eric. Calleigh loved the lab. She would never leave it unless her father was in some sort of trouble or if she was sick. Then it hit him. Calleigh’s strange behaviour was because she was leaving.

“Where is she?” Eric knew she wasn’t in her apartment. He’d be damned if she was even in Miami.

Horatio took in a breath and raised his eyebrows, “She’s leaving for Seattle.”

Eric took another step forward,” When?” Horatio noticed the pain in Eric’s eyes.

“Her plane leaves in thirty minutes,” Eric wasted no time in nodding or saying ‘thank you’ instead he turned and ran towards the elevators. He was going to stop Calleigh.

He didn’t know he was too late.

Even though he tried to tell her the truth, she didn’t believe him.

It was too late…
 
Six

Calleigh felt herself ease into slumber when she laid down on the plush bed. Her tried muscles felt immediate relief when she let out a content sigh. She was home. Her new home was Seattle, Washington and she was going to have to make the best of it. Tomorrow for lunch she was meeting Detective Gregory Owens. Her future boss…or who she hoped would be her future boss. She was simply meeting him at a coffee shop for an hour or two. She really needed this job.

Sighing once again, she felt herself sleep into a deep slumber. Hopefully one that would have her refreshed in the morning, she was tired of the lack of sleep she’s had for the past two weeks.

Then her mind drifted back to Eric. His face. His desperate cries for her to stay in Miami. His ‘Confession’. She just didn’t believe he meant it. She believed that Eric just wanted her to stay to make sure he didn’t lose it and take it out on Ryan…like he did after Speed died. Her eyes opened. Since that night with Eric she found herself thinking about what she was going to do. Calleigh groaned and shifted over to her side and closed her eyes.

Her eyes then opened. She had thought of something that could alter her aspect on everything. Her point of view of the world. Without thinking she threw the covers off her body and ran into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. She saw Calleigh Duquesne. She didn’t feel like Calleigh Duquesne.

She ran a hand through her golden blond locks, “Why does this happen?” she turned and sat down on the toilet seat and watched one spot on the wall. She moved her head until it rest against the wall. Life was nothing more than a deck of cards, if you play them right, your life will go the right way. Right at this very moment, Calleigh felt like she got the bad hand of cards.

She was going to have to face more consequences.

…

Eric sat in the ballistics lab. He found himself looking down at the stuffed bear. Calleigh had left it on the gun range with a post-it-note next to it reading ‘Eric, I’m so sorry.’ Every time he looked down at this bear his heart ripped even more than he ever thought possible. He knew he’d been looking at it for hours. Remembering that day he’d spent with Calleigh, Speed, and his niece. He wished they could be like that again. Except with her with him of course.

Eric was speechless. He couldn’t say anything. After Calleigh had walked onto the plane, he heard the other passengers file their way in. The woman had held them for a bit so he could talk to Calleigh. Everything seemed like it was going slow motion from there. It seemed as if it were from a movie, watching the love of your life board a plane and then people coming up behind you to go on the exact same plane. He had felt nauseated after that. He didn’t feel like he could function. He had to get out of there. Eric had run out of the terminal until he was completely out of the airport. He walked solemnly the rest of the way to his hummer, his head down low. He had sent many curses to the sun, wishing that the sky were dark so her plane could be on hold. He wanted more time. He wanted to prove to her that he loved her.

When the elevator doors into the lab opened, he automatically walked into her lab. He tried not to take notice of people watching him…his blank expression. When he had entered her lab he crumbled to the ground and cried. Cried more than he did in his whole life at the one time. Everything he loved about this place was gone. Why did she have to leave him? He wished he never worked at the crime lab. His life wouldn’t be like this if he didn’t. He’d probably be still running around with random girls, but he wouldn’t be feeling like this. He’d be happy.

He hated the feeling. The feeling of being vulnerable. Here he found himself holding a stuffed bear…her stuffed bear close to his broken heart.

…

Calleigh was asleep. She was sleeping on the cold floor of the bathroom. She didn’t care about where she was or anything like that. She felt the desire to be held in strong arms. Strong arms that smelled of Eric. She missed him. She didn’t think she would miss him; she wanted to forget everything about Miami.

Especially everything that caused her hurt.

She was lying in a fetal position of the floor. The only thing proving that she was alive was the movement of her chest and the fresh tears running down her cheeks.

Back in Miami, Eric was asleep on the cold floor of the ballistics lab.

Horatio’s heart went out to his young CSI. He know knew why Calleigh left…or part of it.

I know, I'm evil :devil:
 
Seven

The coffee shop was rather small but tasteful. Calleigh found herself sitting across from Detective Gregory Owens. The man was probably about six foot with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He happened to be fair skinned. He fiddled slightly with his hot cup of black coffee then looked up at her. She just had coffee with extra sugar. Her favourite.

Overall she found their conversation very intriguing. Sure she wasn’t going to work CSI anymore, but she would still be in the lab quite often. This time around, she’s going to have her own little cubicle with a desk and computer. Calleigh knew it would take her a while to get used to her ‘new life’ but in time it will.

“Miss Duquesne, I already told you that you can have the job as you know, but I wanted to get to know you a little bit better,” Calleigh swallowed the warm liquid, it didn’t taste as good as Eric’s Café Cubano.

She leaned back slightly in her chair, “What would you like to know?” she tried to act normal, despite the more high pitched tone of her voice.

He pushed forward slightly, “I ask all my employees this, don’t worry Miss Duquesne, you’re not the only one,” she smiled a bit, he could sense her discomfort.

“Do you have any siblings?”

She nodded, “Yes, three brothers,” he nodded, “They’re all married and have children now,” she fiddled with the top of her coffee cup, “My first brother, Will, he and his wife have three children, my second brother, James has two children, and Nick has four,” she raised her cup up to her mouth.

Owens nodded, “Quite a large family already,” she finally took a drink of her coffee, “Are you parents together,” Calleigh pulled the cup away from her mouth. ‘What kind of question is that?’ she asked herself.

She set the cup down and pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear, “That’s not really relevant, Detective,” she found herself in CSI mode. Great.

Gregory stiffened, “They’re not together…interesting,” he brought the cup to his mouth, this man liked studying people, she was sure of it, no matter how creepy it seemed.

Calleigh then realized that she missed having Horatio as her boss.

Eric knew people were staring at him. Sure he was wearing the exact same clothes just slightly more wrinkled this morning, but he didn’t care. He had spent the night in the Ballistics lab. He didn’t want to forget what it was like having Calleigh’s bright grin lighting up the place. He wanted to cherish that every memory. It was like he was holding something dear to him. He didn’t want to give it back .

“Hey Eric…do you know where Calleigh—,” Eric turned to look at Natalia who was standing in the door way to the fingerprint lab, “Where were you last night?” she looked up him and down.

“I didn’t go anywhere,” she didn’t like the way he sounded. He just sounded down. Right now he was acting like a wounded puppy, “ Calleigh’s in Seattle.”

Natalia seemed taken by the exact location of Calleigh, “Why is she-,” she couldn’t get much out before Eric interrupted her.

“It’s because of me that she’s gone…and it’s because of me that she’s still gone,” Natalia turned her head slightly, “I could have stopped her.”

Natalia took a step forward, “You’re saying she move there?”

“Yeah,” Eric walked past her. Natalia stared forward until she turned on her heel and went directly to Horatio. She wanted to know why he even let her go.

Calleigh waved goodbye to Detective Owens as she got in the rental car. She was going to see him next Monday. Every second pained her. Every second meant the less of a chance that she would probably ever go back to Miami. She wanted to feel happy in Seattle. She really wished that she could…it was just too hard.

While she was driving, she heard her phone ring from her purse. Mentally cursing herself, she leaned down slightly and pulled it out and flipped it open without looking at the caller ID, “Duquesne,” she replied flatly.

“Calleigh?” it was Natalia, “Calleigh why did you move to Seattle?” Calleigh didn’t know what to tell her friend. She didn’t want people to know what happened between her and Eric.

“Hi Nat,” Calleigh tried to sound as if she was happy. She knew she really wasn’t…Natalia knew that too.

She heard Natalia sigh on the other end, “Cal, why did you leave? Do you have any idea of what Eric’s doing?” Calleigh felt a stab of pain enter her stomach, “He slept on the floor of the ballistics lab,” Calleigh felt herself turn slightly nauseous.

“He won’t even go home,” Calleigh had enough, she dropped her phone and hastily pulled her car to the side of the road, her hand fell down to the latch and pushed the door open. She almost ran to the side of the road where she felt the English muffin she recently ate coming back up.

She felt the rancid taste of vomit rise up and expel from her throat. When she felt it pass, she grasped her stomach and leaned heavily against her car. She didn’t notice a young woman come up towards her. The woman was extremely attractive. She was about five four with long dark brown hair that waved at the bottom. She was pale skinned and had the deepest dark brown eyes imaginable.

“You alright Miss?” she had a slight Australian accent.

Calleigh moved her head slightly, “I’ll be fine.”

The woman looked her up and down, “Nope,” soon Calleigh found her self leaning slightly against this woman, “This your car? Of course it is,” the woman opened the passenger side door and laid Calleigh in it. She moved around towards the drivers side and found herself fishing through Calleigh’s purse to find her wallet.

“Calleigh Anne Duquesne, 1025 Saratoga Avenue, Bal Harbour, Fl…33154…wow you’re a long way from home,” Calleigh looked at this woman. How could she really be that weak?

“Who are you?”

The woman put the car in drive, “Not important, what hotel are you staying at?”

Calleigh stared after this woman in disbelief. She almost protested again when she felt herself continue to be more nauseous when Eric’s face flashed through her mind once again. She leaned back and groaned slightly.

She then gave up and told the woman. After all, Calleigh did notice the badge at her waist.

After all the days events had passed, Calleigh happily had fallen asleep on her bed later that night. The woman hadn’t wanted any money, just wanted to do a civic duty to a complete stranger. The woman seemed quite strange. Calleigh also knew she was going to work with the woman. That frightened her a bit.

Eric lay down in his bed; it felt good to sleep on his bed. But then he heard something crinkle under his body when he shifted to the side a bit. Sighing he rolled over again and pulled it out. It was a note. A note with Calleigh’s handwriting says ‘Eric’ on the front with her perfect script.

Without opening it, he put it in the drawer to his nightstand not wishing to ever read it or see it again.

He knew it would only remind him of what he had lost.
 
Eight

She had chosen her regular black ensemble to wear on her first day of work. Today, it was Monday. She liked to think of it as the day with new opportunities, or the next chapter of her life. The one thing that seemed to make her feel uneasy was the fog and slight rain that came down. She didn’t take that as a good sign. At this very moment, she knew she would be pushed right into a murder investigation. Her first day would not be what you would see in a movie.

The lobby was large; she knew it would be hard for her at first to navigate around. She moved towards the desk and gave the young woman a pleasant smile. The woman gave her a slight ‘what the hell do you want’ look. Again, Calleigh found this bad luck on her first day of work.

“My name’s Calleigh Duquesne,” she couldn’t get far into her statement when the woman pointed to the door on her right.

“You can post bail in there.”

Calleigh straightened her posture a bit, “I’m a detective ma’am,” the woman looked Calleigh up and down. She felt the vulnerability again. She was quite sure that this woman didn’t like being talked to like this.

“So you’re Saratoga, right?” she heard the same exact accent she had heard last Thursday behind her, “C’mon, I’ll show you where you want to be,” Calleigh turned sure enough, the brown haired woman was behind her again.

Calleigh followed her through the hall. The woman turned and led her through a set of doors. Calleigh saw desks and chairs. Other detectives sat hunched over their computers. She cringed slightly at the thought of her new job.

“Welcome to Seattle,” the woman spun around and smiled. Calleigh tried her best to return it, “Welcome to the force Detective Saratoga,” the woman brushed past Calleigh, leaving her awestruck.

Eric took several photos of the scene in front of him. This place seemed very familiar. Too familiar. The smell, the sight, the sounds of the air conditioning clicking on and off. The only thing that was different than the scene he had in his head was the dead body with blood pooled around their head.

A man in his mid twenties was stabbed three times then shot in the head. The bullet had gone through and lodged in the wall. The killer had left a blood smear on the wall…it was almost like a dare…a taunt to Horatio and his team.

The blood was smeared into the shape of a dove. A form of peace.

Eric looked over to his left and saw Ryan photograph something then bend over to pick it up with tweezers. He furrowed his brow as he examined it. It was a long blond hair.

He watched Ryan closely place the hair in the evidence package. After all, it could very well be the killer’s.

Calleigh drummed her fingers over the pinewood of her new desk. Well, it was new to her, overall, not so much. She missed the constant action or constant analyzing of the evidence back at CSI…back home. The next sound she heard made her head move up. The woman, Nirvana McAlister, walked through the door and walked over towards her.

“C’mon Saratoga, we got a case,” Calleigh wasted no time in walking quickly after the woman. The thought of some action in her day added a slight twinkle in her green gaze.

Calleigh was able to match the fast pace of the woman barely. Sure, Calleigh was a quick walker, but this woman could win a marathon at this rate, “What are the details?”

Nirvana looked over at her, “thirty-seven year old mother, shot twice in the chest. Died at the scene in front of Owens,” there was a slight beat, “Her eight month old son was still in his car seat.”

Calleigh felt a large amount for the child, “Is he alive?”

Nirvana chuckled slightly, “Oh, very much alive,” Calleigh felt relieved that the boy was alive, but did he have a father?

“I was hoping your southern charm could possibly make him be quiet…that sound good Saratoga?” Calleigh nodded.

“It’s Calleigh,” she corrected her.

Nirvana shrugged her off, “I knew that.”

Eric walked into the DNA lab, “Valera what do we have?” she looked up slightly confused.

“Nothing. All I can tell you is that it’s female,” Eric knew that…it would be either that or a man who was most likely a college student or surfer, “I just started running it through again…I have no matches for anything in Mi—,” she stopped when a noise sounded through the room, “Uh oh.”

“What?” Eric rasied his eyebrows in a disapproving position. He moved over to stand next to her. He stiffened at what he saw. Calleigh. Calleigh’s face was on the screen. How could that be possible…then it clicked. Valera was right about her ‘uh oh’. This was the place that it happened. How could he have not remembered? Did he just have another memory lapse?

“Eric, how did Calleigh’s hair get in the crime scene?” he could tell Valera was thinking of every little ‘Calleigh like’ scenario. None were popping up. Everyone knew Calleigh would NOT go around and have anonymous sex. That was his gig for a while. Never would it be Calleigh’s.

He gulped slightly, “I don’t know,” he backed away slightly. He looked over to the side. The swabs that had biological fluid on them were surely both his and Calleigh’s. The room had NOT been cleaned because the man wanted to come in fast. He even paid extra if he could have the first room that was available. That room happened to be…theirs.

Valera followed his vision of sight; she knew he was looking at the other DNA swabs, “Do you think Calleigh has something to do with this?”

“For her sake, I hope not.”

With that, he left the room.
 
Nine

Calleigh observed the crime scene in front of her. She watched Nirvana come closer to her carrying the small screaming child. Nirvana just placed the child in her arms and told her to ‘deal with it’. Nirvana obviously didn’t like children.

Calleigh found herself rubbing the infant’s back and bobbing up and down a bit. The baby started calming down. Every patrol officer apparently wasn’t being calm for the small child. What was a kid to think when everyone around them was so tense? Didn’t they know if you were calm so is the baby? Obviously not. Calleigh then looked back down at the child. He kept himself close to her. He must be scared.

Then her cell rang causing the small child to jump and cry once again. He was obviously tired and wanted nothing more than a good long nap. Calleigh felt the same way. Sighing she pulled out her cell and looked at the caller ID. Owens?

“Duquesne,” she answered while still attempting to calm the small child. She didn’t think she was getting much luck. She balanced the child on her hip and moved the phone for it to be closer to her ear. She then braced it with her shoulder and held the baby close to her again.

There was a slight pause, “Detective,” his voice didn’t have any sense of approval. How could she have messed up? She’s spent the whole day drumming her fingers on the desk so far.

“You’re wanted back in Miami,” she felt the colour drain from her face. Why could this happen? She was just starting over. Now she was wanted back in Miami?

“I can’t—,” she tried to protest. She wanted to stay far away from that place. As far as she could.

He didn’t miss a beat, “Your plane leaves in three hours,” she gulped slightly. Her greatest fear at that moment was going to Miami. She didn’t want to see him again.

“Lieutenant Caine wants you down there as fast as possible. I did my best.”

Calleigh knew protesting wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had to try, “Detective Owens, I can’t just leave an investi—.”

He interrupted her again, “Calleigh,” she could tell by the sound of his voice he was mostly likely rubbing his brow, “You’re a suspect in a murder case,” how the hell could she be a suspect in a murder case?

“How—,” he interrupted her again.

“I don’t know Calleigh, just go take care of it,” then she heard the phone click. She didn’t want to go. She knew she had to cooperate with this. It would look very bad on her part if she didn’t.

She looked around for Nirvana. Someone had to take care of this child. She finally spotted the woman talking with one of the CSI’s. Calleigh really missed being a CSI. This particular CSI looked barely out of college. Calleigh knew she out do this one, but then again, she was on her way back to Miami.

“Detective McAlister,” Nirvana spun around and glared at her. Calleigh stopped in her tracks a bit and watched the woman slightly.

“Saratoga, I’m busy,” she almost spat.

Calleigh cleared her throat a bit, “I’m needed back in Miami.”

Nirvana took a step closer and dropped her hands to her sides, “What could be so important to go back to the infamous ‘Sunshine State’,” Nirvana took another step closer, “Seriously, I want to know.”

Calleigh sized her up, “Murder charges.”

She watched Nirvana calm a bit, “Give ‘em hell,” Calleigh was extremely surprised by Nirvana, “I highly doubt you would ever kill someone unless you had to. I know you would also report it if it was you that killed them,” she was right, then Nirvana saw the child, “Don’t lay that responsibility on me, I’m no one’s mum,” Calleigh smiled for what she felt the first time in a very long time.

…

Eric paced by the elevators. He knew Calleigh was going to walk through them any second and he wanted to talk to her first off. Eric was able to keep Valera from analyzing the biological fluid. He knew it wouldn’t be long until she would have to run the samples. Then both he and Calleigh would most likely be found out. He knew she didn’t want that.

His eyes perked up slightly when the doors opened and a petite blond walked through. Calleigh. She wore her typical black ensemble. She looked the same. He watched as she took in a breath and stepped off. Her hair was slightly tousled from the long hours of the plane. Not to mention from the high in static blue blankets Continental Airlines passed out.

“CSI Delko,” she said as she walked passed him. She didn’t want to talk to him.

He nearly jogged to match her pace, “Calleigh, I think you shou—,” She turned hastily into the bathroom. Probably to clean up her appearance.

He heard the sink going and then a loud clunk. Eric took that as not a good sound. He quickly pushed open the door and found her lying on the floor. A small cut on her forehead. He rushed over to her and placed both his hands on either side of her face, slapping her gently in hopes to bring her back to consciousness.

“Querida, open your eyes,” he would have begged to see those beautiful green orbs again.

She groaned but her eyes remained closed for a couple of seconds before they opened slightly, “Damn,” she brought her right hand up and felt the cut. It wasn’t serious. Probably shocked her.

“I’ll get Tara,” he was about to move when he felt her hand on his wrist, “Calleigh—.”

“I’m sorry,” she started to sit up. How could she have fallen? He looked down at her feet, one of her heels had broken and the sudden misbalance caused her to hit her head on the water faucet.

He cleared her hair from the wound, “You need to go to the hospital,” she knew it was true. She could have very much hit her head harder than anticipated.

“I’m fine.”

He immediately rolled his eyes. It was nice seeing Calleigh again. It was nice holding Calleigh again, even though it would probably be short lived. He leaned down and brushed more hair out of her face and kissed her on her forehead. She paused and looked up.

She didn’t say anything. She just wanted to savour this moment as much as she could. Then the door opened. Valera walked in and saw the two of them on the floor. She saw the blood first, “I’ll get Tara,” with that she turned and left. Eric chuckled slightly feeling some sort of happiness for the first time in a long time.

…

Calleigh had fallen asleep some time in Eric’s arms. Now she was awake and in a hospital. She knew she would be able to be home in a few hours. Eric was sitting across from her. Luckily Calleigh’s little ‘cleaning up’ stunt stalled Valera from processing the other evidence.

They had wanted scans on her head just in case there could be any complications, “Cal,” he moved closer to the bed.

She leaned back against the pillows, “Do I get to go back to my hotel tonight?”

He smiled, “Not alone,” his hand found hers, “Calleigh, I’m sorry,” she looked at him for a second, “Come back,” she had tears in her eyes.

“I can’t.”
 
Ten

Calleigh knew she was hurting Eric. She didn’t like the thought in the slightest. She thought it would be for the best. Right at this very moment she found herself lying on her side in her hotel room bed. She had convinced the hospital to let her go. She hated the feeling of being on bed rest. Sure she understood it is necessary when you have a little head injury, but she didn’t think it was major enough to stay in the hospital.

On the floor was Alexx. Alexx had come to take Calleigh back to her hotel room then spend the night with her. No offense to Tara, but Calleigh didn’t know her well enough…Alexx was also her doctor. A way to be extra safe…it wouldn’t hurt.

Then Calleigh turned over again. She couldn’t find a comfortable position. She was once again on her back staring up ahead at the ceiling, “Calleigh, honey, stop moving,” she heard a drowsy voice sound from the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed.

She heard Alexx get up, “What’s on your mind, honey?”

Calleigh turned her head to look at her for a moment before she turned over on her side, “Eric,” her voice felt weak…she felt it quiver slightly.

“Oh I heard sweetie,” Alexx got up and climbed in the bed with Calleigh and wrapped her arms around her giving her a secure hug, “That’s why you left Miami,” Calleigh took in a deep breath, “Isn’t it?” Calleigh nodded her head.

“It was hard leavin’ everything.”

Alexx sighed against Calleigh, “I know baby, I know,” Alexx tucked a strand of Calleigh’s blond hair behind her ear, “Wanna tell me about it?” like any mother, Alexx just wanted to help.

Slowly Calleigh shook her head, “I’m fine.”

Alex sighed, “No your not,” she was right, “Eric cares about you and he would have done anything to keep you in Miami,” Calleigh held her breath, “He said something to you, didn’t he,” Calleigh wanted to tell her everything. Something was just holding her back, she just didn’t know what, “You wanna tell me about it?”

“I can’t,” Calleigh pushed away from Alexx’s grasp and padded into the bathroom and flipped on the light. How could this have happened? Their friendship was ruined… her life’s changing every second. She just wished she could stop and rewind.

To prevent this all from happening.

…

Eric fired off the last few rounds in the department’s firing range. He needed to blow off some steam that has been building up for the past few weeks. He wanted Calleigh. He needed Calleigh. He felt like he couldn’t function without her here in Miami. She wanted nothing to do with him. He had offered to stay with her tonight, but she asked for Alexx. He understood the whole ‘would rather be with another girl during this whole situation’ but he is her best friend. Was her best friend.

He heard the door open and close behind him. He turned around and saw no one. He set the gun on the table in front of him and took a step closer. Soon Horatio appeared in his line of sight. Horatio stood straight in front of him, hands by his sides.

“How are you holding up?” he knew Eric was in pain. Pain because Calleigh was to damn stubborn to let everyone through into her walls that she’d built over the years. Eric wished she would let him in. He would beg to God if it would help anything…he has been begging God for the past few years.

Eric looked down then up again, “I’ll be fine,” he didn’t want everyone to worry about him. He realized he began sounding like Calleigh, “About what happened between me and Calleigh,” he looked at Horatio in the eye, “It was a mistake…and now we’re both paying for it. She left…and now I hold the guilt of making her leave,” Horatio nodded understanding fully.

“I know,” Horatio shifted his footing.

Eric found himself looking at the ground again, “I just miss her H,” Horatio looked up at him with a sad expression in his eyes, “I miss the old Calleigh. The Calleigh we had before Speed died.”

“Everyone does Eric, everyone does,” Horatio took in a breath, “We’ve all changed since Speed’s death,” Eric knew this was true. He just wished it hadn’t happened to Calleigh. The former most cheerful person in the world.

“I just care about her,” Horatio studied him, “I care about her a lot…if something were to happen to her, I would never let myself live it down.”

“I know you do, Eric, I know you do,” Horatio did his best to give Eric a small smile before he left the room. Horatio couldn’t believe this could happen to them. They were great friends. A one-night-stand changed it all turning them to want nothing with each other.

“I love you, Cal, I really do,” Eric didn’t know Horatio heard his CSI confess how he really felt about her.
 
It was good! I liked it.

Just remember Calleigh always bounces right back. She is what holds the team together. She is reeling from the events now but Calleigh doesn't fall easily. Other than that it is great. Can't wait for the next part!!:):thumbsup:
 
Eleven

Stepping off to CSI was becoming a little too common for Calleigh. Now she was heading towards Horatio’s office. To hopefully set things right. She sent a silent prayer to God that more evidence has been found that doesn’t tie her to this murder. Sure Eric was in a similar position, but she didn’t live anywhere near Miami anymore. Without looking around at everyone, she sighed and found herself walking up the steps and turning to her right before she was in front of Horatio’s office door. She placed her hand on the handle and drew in a breath.

“Miss Duquesne?” Horatio sounded surprised to see her here.

She walked until she was in front of his desk, “Is there any more evidence that the nightshift found?” she really hoped there was.

Horatio looked down at his hands which were clasped together on top of his desk, “No, I’m sorry, Calleigh,” she looked down a bit, “We’re working on it,” he smiled at her.

She looked up at smiled as much as anyone in her position could, “Thank you,” she turned about to leave. She wished she could just stop time.

“Calleigh-,” she stopped in her tracks when her hand found itself on the handle once again, “You know Eric cares about you very much,” she nodded self consciously, “I know you do too,” again she nodded, “Your move hurt him, I feel like I don’t have Eric Delko on my team anymore,” she felt a new wave of guilt wash over her.

“You should talk to him,” Calleigh turned to face him. Was everyone trying to make her life harder?

“I should go,” she had to leave before she said something to Horatio she knew she would regret. He was just looking after his team…his broken up team.

…

Eric turned a corner and collided with a body. Instinctively, Eric reached out and grabbed whoever it was by the wrist in hopes to stabilize them. Alexx. Eric didn’t want to be rude or anything, but why was Alexx in CSI?

“Good morning Eric,” she smiled at him.

He mumbled a quick, ‘morning’ before he started moving past her when he felt her hand on his arm, “What’s on your mind?” Calleigh. It was always Calleigh.

“Nothing, Alexx, I’m sorry for running into you,” she didn’t let him go that easily.

Alexx stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest, “Eric, you and I both know that you’re thinking about Calleigh,” he sighed. So he was, “Eric, she just needs more time.”

Eric sighed once again and looked at Alexx carefully, “I feel like all I’ve been giving her is time,” she nodded. It was true. Eric has been giving Calleigh hints that he’s in love with her. Now Calleigh’s in Seattle just because of one unfortunate night.

“Calleigh’s a private person Eric, you know that, she needs a longer time for her mind to process things,” she was right.

“I just...” he couldn’t say it again. Every time he did, he remembered he was going to just lose her again. Every time he sees her he feels like it could be the last time.

Alexx raised her eyebrows, “Just what?” Eric looked at her, “Tell her how you feel,” Alexx took a step closer.

“I did that already,” Eric massaged his temples. He was getting a headache.

Alexx took a step forward once again, “Then prove it,” she said with more aggression. She hated seeing them both act like this. It wasn’t looking good for either of them right now and it sure wouldn’t help matters if they kept on acting like this.

Eric took a step back. How could he prove it to her? He loved her. He would do anything for her…but how?

…

Calleigh was sitting in an interrogation room across from Stetler. She knew he was going to give her a hard time about her recent…very recent move. She also knew he was going to ask about Eric. Finding both of their biological fluids at a crime scene wasn’t good. She nervously brushed a strand of her hair out of her face and had her green eyes fixed on Stetler’s.

“So Calleigh—.”

“Miss Duquesne,” she corrected him. She didn’t want the guy across from her calling her that. Only acquaintances could. She didn’t consider him an acquaintance.

He leaned forward a bit, “So Miss Duquesne,” he stressed, “Care to explain what happened?” he smirked at her.

He already knew what happened. He had someone go out and take pictures of them, why would he ask what happened? Instead of making the water deeper for herself, she smiled at him, “Where would you like me to start?”

“The beginning,” he rolled his eyes.

She leaned forward in her chair, “I was off the clock, I was out being a private citizen and stumbled upon Eric,” he nodded, “Then I woke up.”

He nodded a bit, “At our crime scene.”

She nodded again, “Yes, I felt sick and I went into the bathroom.”

“Where we found your fingerprints,” she raised an eyebrow, “We found your fingerprints on the mirror in that bathroom,” he pulled out a folder and showed her the picture.

“When was the T.O.D.?”

Stetler leaned back in his chair, “Three days ago.”

She smiled, “You see, three days ago, I wasn’t in Miami,” he nodded, realizing that she had the perfect alibi, “I was in Washington,” he narrowed his eyes at her, “I’m done,” she got up and left the interrogation room. Hoping that she could soon head back to Seattle. She wanted this to all be over. She wanted to be in the arms of Eric.

Eric.

Why did she just think that? She meant she wanted to be under the warm covers of her hotel bed sheets in Seattle. Her new home. The new place that she has to call home.

Home wasn’t the same without Eric.
 
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