Finals are over *does happy dance*. This is for the awesome storytime4fun who was kind enough to send me rumored spoilers, hopefully you enjoy this fic, which is now a two-shot, not just one. This is based on rumored tweets that have not been one hundred percent confirmed, but I hope these are true because word on the street is that H and Natalia will live and Eric and Cal could possibly get back together. One of the producers actually said that they may actually be made for each other. Anyway, we have to wait and hope. Until fall rolls around, we can only guess what will truly happen and this is one of my many guesses.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


There was no doubt in any CSIs' mind that someone was watching out for them up in Heaven. Otherwise, all of them would have been buried beneath soil and grass years ago, their names carved into a headstone. But they had been fortunate to still be living, but it wasn't without difficulty. Their lives always seemed to be in danger, everyday seemed to be a struggle and they were always left wondering if today could be their last day.

But thankfully Natalia and Horatio were once again able to narrowly escape the claws of death. Horatio felt the searing pain at his side, blood escaping him and he could feel his body growing weak. He saw the car crash into the blue water, his heart sinking knowing one of his friends was trapped and he was helpless to try to rescue her. But he wasn't the kind of man to just give up; he put up a fight until the end.

His hand was slightly shaking as he pulled out his cell phone, only able to press the first number on his speed dial, the number of the man he long considered his brother. He knew he didn't have the strength to talk, but perhaps Eric could trace the call and then Natalia could have a chance to see outside that dark trunk.

Two hours later…

The hospital cafeteria was probably the only place in the entire building that wasn't completely crowded and that's how she knew he would be down there, some place secluded without the bustle of people to interrupt his thoughts.

Calleigh stepped into the cafeteria after taking a moment to visit Natalia for the brief period the doctor had allowed her into the room. Natalia's face had been pale as the bed sheets around her, shaking slightly despite the numerous sheets and blankets that were piled upon her. She was the polar opposite from the brave and confident Natalia Boa Vista she had known for years. Every noise made her jump, she was constantly requesting to keep the lights on and she had spent the majority of Calleigh's visit crying. Calleigh had never seen Natalia so broken or so terrified; she tried to comfort her friend to the best of her ability until the doctors came in. They had said Natalia could very well be experiencing some form of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome; anyone would after been trapped in such a devastating fashion, and had appointed her a therapist Natalia would agree to see the morning after. The doctors felt until such time the best thing for Natalia was to get some rest and asked Calleigh to leave as the nurse prepped a sedative to push into Natalia's IV.

But now Calleigh was worried about yet another friend—a friend who she loved passed the boundaries of family, though that's not what she told him. Eric didn't have any food or drink on the table in front of him; he just had his eyes transfixed on the salt and pepper shakers in the center. He looked haunted and the worry lines on his face appeared to have made him age years passed his youth. Eric had been the one who received Horatio's call and had Dave immediately trace it when the only sound he heard was Horatio's strained breathing. When the location was identified, Eric called for backup and paramedics as he sped towards the dock. He saw Horatio first, by this point having lost a substantial amount of blood, the paramedics got to the lieutenant approximately the same time as Eric and quickly began to work on his injury.

"Eric," he choked out as they whisked him away. "Natalia…car." Horatio raised a weak hand toward the water.

Eric understood and quickly ran to the edge of the wooden dock before diving in; the last sound he heard before he hit the water was the sirens of the ambulance driving away. He could clearly see the car and hear a fist pounding from inside the trunk. Thankfully, Eric had been able to find the appropriate button within the car to pop the trunk open and Natalia had been able to escape.

Calleigh knew that the day must have been incredibly overwhelming for him, seeing Horatio bleeding over the dock and Natalia struggling to survive. She didn't take her eyes off him as she stepped into the coffee line, grabbing two Styrofoam cups and filling them with the warm beverage; all the while, Eric never looked up from the objects in front of him. Calleigh felt an ache in her heart to see him so forlorn and she couldn't help but wonder, as she added creamer and sugar to each cup of coffee, if it was this similar pain that drove him away from CSI the first time.

Eric finally looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps coming closer towards him. He saw Calleigh, holding two cups of steaming coffee in her hand, giving him a small, yet gentle, grin. He attempted to return it with a small smile of his own, but his lips wouldn't cooperate and the corners of his mouth merely twitched.

"Thanks," he said as Calleigh handed him one of the cups of coffee.

"No problem…Um, do you mind if I pull up a seat?" she asked, gesturing to the seat across from him.

"No, go ahead," Eric replied, taking a sip of coffee, the first warmth to touch him in what felt like hours.

She smiled, gratefully, and slid into the seat across from him. Calleigh noticed how Eric never directly made eye contact with her. That's how it had been for the two the last few months; they never spoke unless they had to and seldom met one another's eyes when speaking.

"How's Horatio?" Calleigh asked, breaking cross the silence.

"He'll be fine after a few days," he sighed, clearly relieved.

"Thank God," she breathed, gratefully.

"What about Natalia?"

"Um…" Calleigh hesitated. "Physically, she'll be fine. But she's very shaken."

Eric nodded in understanding, but it was apparent the gravity of the day was weighing heavily on him. It didn't matter he saved their lives. As far as he was concerned, they shouldn't have been in the situation in the first place. Calleigh's instincts took over her; the urge to comfort Eric one she was unable to control and she unthinkingly reached to place her hand on top of his.

Her soft touch was something Eric hadn't experienced in months, not since they said goodbye that night in which they went their separate ways; a parting that had been mutual, but one that seemed to be most painful for him…unless Calleigh was wearing her mask around him again. He had craved to feel her touch for a brief second so many times, but today wasn't a pleasant one. He had almost lost his brother and a friend; he had seen both of them at their weakest moments. Now, finally being acknowledged by the woman he loved, the woman he had tried to get over but never could manage to move on from. This was a stab to every fiber of his being and she couldn't handle it. Yesterday, maybe, but not today. Eric withdrew his hand from under hers and cupped it around his coffee.

His action heavily stung Calleigh, but she didn't let him see her pain, she supposed she deserved it after avoiding him in these recent months.

She let the silence ring for a while, allowing the surrounding atmosphere adjust itself back to friendly. Only when they were quiet for exactly fifty-seven heartbeats did Calleigh speak.

"Are you okay?" she asked, drawing his attention once again. "Since you were the one there…earlier."

Eric's reaction was one she didn't expect; she had expected him to sigh, she expected him to answer honestly and she even expected him to remain silent if he didn't know how to answer. But she didn't expect him to lightly laugh and have a smile spread across his face.

Finally, Eric sighed and lightly shook his head. "I appreciate the concern, Calleigh, but I haven't been okay in a long time."

With that, Eric got up from his chair and walked away, a circle of condensation that had been formed by his cup of coffee was all that remained.

He could feel her eyes attached to his back as he walked away into the hall. Eric leaned against the cool wall, trying to restrain the feelings he had arising within him. Calleigh had been slowly warming back up to him in the recent months. They began having short conversations, sitting across from one another when the team went out to eat and she even asked him if he was okay after the elevator incident last week. But as much as it hurt to only be friends with Calleigh, he knew it would hurt more to pursue something more and be later rejected. Eric felt the chemistry brewing between the two of them once again and Eric had suffered heartbreak too many times to want to embrace the opportunity to have her back in his life.

If there was anything he learned from Calleigh, it was how to build walls and now he intended to keep them strong.


Calleigh didn't have to merely guess Eric's words had double-meaning, they came across clearly in his tone. Everyone had seen the change in Eric over the last several months. He wasn't the same Eric they knew before he left CSI, he wasn't the same man she had known during all those nights when they weren't sure of the situation that was their complicated relationship. The change was only noticed mere weeks after Jesse's death, the liveliness in his eyes decreased and his sociability began to decrescendo, with them barely seeing him anywhere but work. Calleigh had been lying to herself by constantly thinking his personality had altered by him suddenly returning to the job he had departed from mere months before accompanied with the tragic loss of a fellow CSI, not that their separation had hurt him that much. There had been moments her conscience attempted to tell her otherwise, but she ignored it and pressed on; she simply told herself that she and Eric were better off without each other.

But one night, about a month ago, she found herself lying in bed, listening to the occurring thunderstorm outside her house. She unthinkingly closed her eyes as she succumbed to the tiredness she had gained throughout the day. She was walking along the beach in a long white dress, the soft sand was beneath her toes, the sun rays touching her skin and the light breeze blew around her, making the strands of hair tickle her chin. She supposed this should have been enjoyable, but everything was cold; the sand, the breeze and even the sun. Then a warm hand took hers and everything shifted, the temperature of everything increased, the colors became vibrant, and Calleigh's heart skipped a beat when she realized it was Eric who had taken her hand. He was looking at her with eyes full of love and the smile that always made her dizzy. Then when he leaned down to kiss her, she saw her future, but it wasn't a vision, more like a sensation she received as his lips lightly teased hers. She realized that this was what she wanted, what she needed, she couldn't live the rest of her life without Eric and attempting to continue to do so would be emotional suicide.

When she awoke the following morning, the feeling inside Calleigh remained and her heart, as well as her conscience, had finally gotten through to her; Calleigh needed Eric in her life if she wanted happiness and if she wanted to quit passing through life like a misguided ghost. Her feelings for Eric hadn't changed and she had been foolish to lose the only man that ever truly meant anything to her.

Ever since, Calleigh had tried to gradually warm back up to Eric, but he seemed to have put his guard up and shutting down any attempts at communication and she couldn't blame him. Eric had given her all the love he could manage, pouring every ounce of himself into her and was always affectionate. Calleigh loved him back and never let him forget that she loved him, allowing herself to slowly bring down her own barriers and let him in. But because he made one mistake that fully compromised her trust in him, the Great Wall of China was rebuilt and Calleigh found herself pulling away from Eric. He had tried to be understanding and patient with her, wanting to gain her trust back, thinking their relationship was safe and everything would return to normal once they passed this bump. But that fantasy was destroyed when Calleigh pulled herself away from him completely, hurting that once again the one she trusted had hurt her and she couldn't take it; days later, Eric was no longer in Calleigh's house and their once romantic relationship had been terminated. Calleigh's trust issues had ruined everything and she had no one to blame but herself.

"Stupid woman," she quietly growled at herself as she got up from her seat with her coffee in hand and walked out of the room.


"What do you mean you haven't found anything?" Eric demanded angrily to Ryan through his cell phone. Ryan and Walter were working the case during the day and Eric and Calleigh were going to oversee the case at night, tracking down Toller still top priority for the team.

"Eric, we are working on it," Ryan retorted, tone just as bitter. "We've got a BOLO out and we are questioning everyone we can."

"Maybe that's not enough!" Eric retorted, his voice rising slightly, making two nurses glance in his direction before he continued down the hall, the two missing plates used to create hundred dollar bills still plagued his mind. He had everything to make the money with and he, pulling a classic Houdini, eluded them once again.

"You know what, Eric, it's not our fault H and Natalia are in the hospital, okay?"

Eric let out a heavy exhale, his other hand reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose with his thumb and middle finger, fighting to compose himself. The pressure of today was getting to him, from Toller, to the rescue, to Calleigh and the price he was paying was his sanity.

"You're right, I'm sorry," he admitted. "Listen, just call me if you get anything."

"Will do. Tell Horatio and Natalia I'm glad they're okay."

"'Kay," Eric nodded before ending the call before dialing in another number. For a moment, he pushed away his emotions for Calleigh to give her a call, knowing he had to keep her in the loop of the investigation. With Horatio out of commission for a while, she was dubbed first in command until his return.

"Duquesne?" Calleigh said when she answered her phone.

"Hey, it's me. Wolfe just called, they haven't got anything on Toller yet," Eric reported, trying to keep his tone as professional as possible.

"Nothing?" she asked in disbelief.

"No," he shook his head. "But they are going to keep working."

"Okay," Calleigh said, expecting him to say more, but static was all she got; he didn't speak nor did he hang up. She swallowed her pride and spoke, wanting to make things right. "Um…can we talk?"

She waited with baited breath for a reply, her heart temporarily stopping as she waited anxiously for his answer.

"I think we need to," he sighed.


Out in the hospital garden is where they decided to meet. Calleigh sat on the wooden bench, looking upon the trickling fountain in front of her. Bushes blooming violet flowers sat on each side of the bench, trees aligned the cement pathway and they too were full of bright green leaves. Everything in the hospital garden was like a scene from a Frances Hodgson Burnett novel; everything was so alive and vibrant, a complete contradiction of the building behind her.

Calleigh sat on the bench, constantly fidgeting with her hair or wristwatch as she waited for Eric. They had agreed to meet here in five minutes, but every minute felt like an hour, especially when he arrived after seven minutes.

Eric's face was solemn as he walked into the garden; a small grin is all he managed to give to acknowledge her before he sat down on the bench beside her.

Silence surrounded them, only the sounds in existence were of cars passing in the distance and water pouring into the fountain. They were both looking at the ground or in front of them, listening to the silence until it became unbearable.

"I wish we could turn back time," Calleigh sighed. "I wish I can change what happened."

"You do?" he asked, his voice soft and kind. "Why?"

"Because I was an idiot and I ruined a perfectly good relationship," Calleigh confessed, allowing herself to confide in Eric and, she hoped, that by doing so he would accept her again as part of his life.

"You aren't the one that lied and was investigating the lab," he pointed out.

"I know, but it was my damn trust issues that put the final nail in the coffin," she shook her head in utter disgust.

"What are you trying to say, Calleigh?" Eric asked, sensing this was more than just a confession.

Calleigh took a deep breath and fought passed the walls she had built against Eric, allowing them to crumble into debris around her.

"I'm saying I'm sorry and that I regret not being honest with you from the get-go." She paused and dropped her eyes to look at her hands. "And…that my feelings for you haven't changed."

Eric's heart halted, he supposed he should have been exhilarated by the news, but instead he felt afraid to take acceptance of what she was saying; he didn't want to risk getting hurt again.

"And my feelings for you haven't changed," he admitted.

"But?" Calleigh asked, noticing the hesitation in his voice.

He licked his lips, wanting to explain his feelings in a way she would understand, but in a way that wouldn't hurt her. That was the single feature on Calleigh he couldn't handle seeing, her being hurt, especially when he had been the cause of the pain.

Calleigh's eyes were on his face, searching for any hint of emotion, she was unable to detect any and her heart sank.

"I don't want a fresh start if it is going to spoil," he attempted to explain. "We have been going in circles for years. Most of it was great, but some of it was hell."

Eric instantly got a flashback in his mind of all the negative moments in their cycle that had caused him pain. Hearing her talk about Jake, seeing them kiss at CSI, Eric knowing he had been the cause of their relationship ending. The year of flirtations and constant rejections until they finally became one, only to have that shattered like a rock to a stained glass window. They tried to survive on just the sexual side of their relationship, thinking the intimacy would be enough, though all the while he prayed for it to progress to something more. By the grace of God, it did, but that was destroyed by his dishonesty and her inability to forgive him … until now apparently.

But Eric couldn't live with the constant knots in his stomach, especially with the love he had still in his heart for Calleigh. He needed to move on if there was any chance of a normal life.

"I just think it would be best for both of us if we tried to stop this," he sighed. "If we tried to move on to…"

"Other people?" Calleigh assumed, trying to hide any pain that could have coated her voice; Eric nodded. Calleigh forced her eyes to leave his face and looked at the ground. The idea of seeing herself with anyone but Eric was nauseating, while the thought of Eric holding some other woman the way he used to hold her was both painful and caused a wave of envy through her. Calleigh instantly found herself hating with a passion the Jane Doe he would fall in love with and unknowingly take away the only man she truly believed she could have had a happily ever after with, she had been a skeptic of their existence until she fell in love with Eric.

"Okay," she nodded before getting to her feet and heading back toward the hospital, silently admitting she deserved what she had just received, realizing that maybe she hadn't earned the right to be loved by such an amazing human being.

Calleigh knew she had hurt Eric, never intentionally, but he had gained emotional scars at her hand regardless. The fact dawned on her that perhaps one more apology could be the beginning of closure, for both of them. She stopped after a few steps and turned around to smile sadly at him. "I'm sorry for all the times I hurt you."

Without another word, Calleigh continued down the path, blinking all tears away.