Chapter 1:

Calleigh was in the morgue after a long and brutal day at work, trying to come to terms with the events that happened earlier. She was bent down, holding William's hand in hers, recalling that moment, as his hand slipped through her's while she screamed as she watched him fall to his death. She shut her eyes and tried to breathe.

Why couldn't she cry again?

She wanted to cry and yet she couldn't seem to bring herself to do so. It was like since that moment when rescuers had helped Eric out of the rubble that had prevented him from helping her to hold onto William and pull him up, Calleigh couldn't seem to shed another tear. She had locked all of the emotions away somehow to continue the search of the killer that William had told them about in the first place, and of course they had to find out who killed him.

She felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and Calleigh knew without needing to look up who it was.

'I had to come here' she whispered.

'I know Cal. You need closure' he whispered sympathetically 'Why don't you come with me now? It's time to go' Eric told her. He knew that now, Calleigh was going to be difficult. She had shut her emotions in, the walls that protect her heart where up again, and Eric was going to have a hard time getting them down. Yes even he was going to have a hard time doing so.

She didn't answer him, so Eric bent slightly down and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and Calleigh let him pull her in his arms. She turned around, burying her face in his chest as her arms wrapped around his waist. She felt one hand cup the back of her head while the other one remained around her waist. His lips pampered the top of her head and as he lingered in one particular kiss, Calleigh shut her eyes, seeing William fall yet again.

'I have to get out of here. I can't take this anymore' she told him.

'Come one let's go' Eric replied.

She dropped her hands from around his waist and without looking back to see the body, let Eric close him up again. She closed her eyes as she heard the small door close and as Eric wrapped his arm around her they walked away.

oooOOOooo

She let him walk her inside, and as she continued walking deeper into her apartment, Calleigh didn't bother to turn on the lights. She wanted to stay in the dark. He could see that so he kept the lights off, and just narrowed slightly the curtains for some natural light to slip through. He prepared a cup of tea for her and waited on the couch for her to come back, but when the minutes passed and she still hadn't showed up, Eric walked over to her bedroom.

He found her curled up on her side, still in her work clothes, staring at the wall. It broke his heart to see her like that, but he could understand. William had literally slipped through her hand to his death, and Calleigh blamed herself.

He walked slowly towards her, with the cup of tear in his hands, as he placed it on her bedside table and slowly sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. He reached his hand out and started stroking her head, down to her cheeks. He stared at her and played the events again in his head. He could see the crane coming towards them and he knew that he was already too far away from her to save her. Those split moments, all he feared was loosing her. Eric closed his eyes and shivered.

'Cold?' she asked him as she felt him shiver, still staring at the wall.

'No. Just pictured that moment I realized that you were in danger and I was too far away' he replied honestly and Calleigh finally looked at him, and even though it was dark, somehow their eyes still connected 'I could have lost you' he whispered.

Calleigh shifted as she finally sat herself up in a sitting position pulling her legs to her chest, as she wrapped her arms around them to protect herself.

'I can't think about that Eric. I can't be selfish and think that I could have died in that accident' Calleigh whispered 'It's not fair' she told him 'Maybe it would have been better if I did' she whispered and Eric moved closer to her, placing one hand on her legs while with the other one he cupped her face urgently.

'Don't say that' he told her his eyes wild in fear.

'Why not?' she asked him with a shrug.

'Do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw the crane moving in? When I realized that I couldn't come to you? When you called me and I was stuck under the rubble and I couldn't come?' Eric told her urgently 'Calleigh listen to me...look at me' he told her as moved his hand closer to hers. It took her a moment to manage to look in his eyes though 'I don't know what I would have done if you had gotten hurt Cal' he told her.

'You would eventually get another partner and get over it' she told him. The words she was saying...they weren't her. She was in so much pain, she couldn't seem to understand the danger she had been in, what she means to him.

'Cal...you don't know what you're saying. Do you think I can ever get over loosing you if God forbid it happens?' he told her as he closed his eyes. A sudden picture of her lying face down on the floor popped up in his head and Eric had to drop his hand from her and get up. He was starting to feel suffocated. He needed to pace, to breathe.

Calleigh looked at him, somehow realized that he was terrified, that she hadn't even asked him how he was doing.

'Eric...come here' she told him.

He turned around and looked at her. She was sitting with her legs crossed in front of her now, so Eric walked over to her and sat down in front of her. She reached out her hand and cupped the side of his face.

'I'm sorry I haven't even asked how you're doing' she told him.

'All I can think about is the fact that you could have gotten seriously injured...that you could have died...that the floor underneath you could have gave away and...' he trailed off again and closed his eyes as tears slipped through his eyes catching her off guard 'I'm rattled at that thought Cal' he admitted and she could see how seriously frightened he was for her.

'I was scared for you too' she told him 'I wanted to come to you but I couldn't...and after William fell...it was like I was paralyzed' she told him.

'I know' he whispered 'I could see you on your knees crying and damn it I couldn't get out. I wanted to come to you and pull you in my arms, protect you, share your tears and pain, and I couldn't move Cal' he told her.

Calleigh took his hands into hers and realized that focusing on his pain was helping her to ignore hers 'But you did. You came to me as soon as you were free. You pulled me in your arms and practically cradled me in your arms as I cried on your chest' she told him.

'And that is all I wanna do right now' Eric told her 'Hold you and cradle you in my arms. I want to make you feel safe Cal, I want you to be able to let go in my arms and cry for as long as you need to' Eric told her.

'I can't. I can't cry' she told him 'I feel like crying but I just...I just can't bring myself to do it' she told him 'But you can hold me' she told him with a shrug.

He shifted a bit, resting one leg on the bed and the other one on the floor so Calleigh could move into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and locked his hold on her, resting his chin on her head, tears slipping down his cheeks as he rocked her. Her ear was right on his heart. She could hear his heart pound wildly, and she knew that it was because of how scared he was of loosing her. He rocked them both as his heart started slipping to its normal pace, and Calleigh started calming down herself, slipping into the music of his heartbeat, and it wasn't until a tear dropped in the valley of her chest that she realized that she had started crying again.

'I'm crying' she whispered as she shivered in his arms 'I'm crying' she repeated.

'Cry Calleigh...let it all out. I'm here' he told her 'I'm here to hold you. I'll protect you' Eric whispered. Usually such word would have bothered her. She would have protested that she didn't need anyone to protect her, that she was a grown up woman, a CSI who could take care of herself, but today, right now, she needed his protection, his comforting arms to hold her, and try to mend her broken self.

She burst into tears and Eric cried with her as he kept on rocking them both while Calleigh watched William fall to his death, and Eric watched Calleigh run for her life.

They had no idea for how long they had cried in each other's arms, but when the tears finally subsided it was too late into the night and Calleigh didn't want to be alone.

She was a complete wrack, with no ounce of strength to even remove her clothes 'Stay' she whispered.

'OK' Eric simply replied.

He let his arms drop so Calleigh could change but just laid back down.

'Cal, you need to change' he told her.

'I don't have the strength' she replied her eyes practically shut.

'Here let me help you' he told her.

He helped her up in a sitting position and very carefully he removed her red blouse off her. In normal circumstances, his eyes would have dropped to her breasts but his mind was still unbalanced from all of the emotions they had just been through. He helped her out of her black trousers, reached for her pajama shorts and tank top and helped her putting them on. He then undid the snap of her bra and removed it for her, careful not to touch her breasts. She was well aware of everything that he was doing, and just for tonight she didn't mind. Come morning she might think differently, but tonight she needed him on so many levels.

He tucked her under the sheets then and leaned down to kiss her forehead, when Calleigh grabbed his wrist.

'Get into bed' she whispered 'I need you Eric. I need you to hold me through the night' she told him.

'Are you sure?' he asked her.

'Please' she whispered.

'OK' he replied.

He moved to the other side and removed his clothes so he was just in his boxers. He then slipped under the sheets next to her, turned on his side and wrapped his arm around her. She moved closer to him, resting her head on his arm, so she could drown in his embrace, as he enveloped her, his legs wrapped around hers.

'Eric' she whispered.

'Yes' he whispered.

'I love you' she whispered before her eyes closed.

'I love you too Cal...more than you know' Eric replied before kissing her head and slipping into the night with Calleigh in his arms.