Just something I thought of while thinking of all the odd dreams I've been having lately (for some reason my old geometry teacher and evil first grade teacher keep reappearing). The passage in italics is Eric's dream.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Anger spread though Eric's veins, burning them as though gasoline had been spread through their canals and set aflame. Despite the minimal length of his nails, they dug deeply into his palm causing painful fissures and maybe a small amount of blood to seep out. His anger wasn't wanted or wished for, however it was greatly understood. Eric had recently received knowledge that Calleigh and Jake were taking some time off to escape to Antigua, plunging yet another dagger into his already bleeding heart. Had it not been enough to see the two kiss in front of him not long ago, to have knowledge that Calleigh had figured out her feelings toward Jake, or for Eric to realize the feelings he had for Calleigh weren't reciprocated by her? No, apparently not, they had to extend the point further by going on a couple's retreat to an island that would more than likely involve bikinis and a certain ATF agent removing the already limited material from her body; the thought was enough to make Eric cringe and want to slam his head against concrete just to remove the unsightly images from his head.

When he first met Jake months ago, Eric's feelings for Calleigh were undiscovered and their college history held no interest to him. He hadn't formed an opinion of Jake passed the fact he was a slightly cocky ATF agent, his characterization of Jake never surpassing that until the moment the romance between Calleigh and Jake once again began to blossom and Eric's feelings for Calleigh came into the forefront. He supposed Jake had to have some good qualities, for Calleigh—the single most guarded human Eric ever met—seemed to find something good within him, however those specific characteristics weren't ones Eric was able to identify; then again, Eric was now biased.

The sheer fury and envy haunted Eric as his day faded into night and he sat alone in his condo where Eric fought furiously to defer his mind from Calleigh and where she was (not to mention who she was with). He tried to watch TV, read a book or do some extra work. When all else failed he changed into some shorts and took to the pavement, running until sweat drenched his face, but Calleigh still lingered in the back of his mind, consuming every thought he had.

He returned home that evening with the images of Calleigh and Jake on a beach still imprinted into his mind and, as he stepped into his shower to wash away the perspiration on his skin, all he wanted was to erase this anger, this jealousy…this pain. But it was slowly becoming apparent to him that this ache wasn't something that would vanish anytime soon, for he had fallen head-over-heels in love with Calleigh Duquesne; however those feelings weren't returned by her.

Eric went to bed at just after nine that night, sure it may have been relatively early but he could have cared less at that moment; all he wanted was to sink into his subconscious and leave the negativity behind.

However, even in his dreams he was unable to escape Calleigh, but here, in this dream, he didn't want to.

Her tiny, bare body was wrapped loosely in the mess of white sheets, her pale hair blended in perfectly with her pillow case and she had a look of tranquility on her face as she slept. Eric stared at her with one elbow propped up on the pillow as he resisted the urge to reach over and smooth his hand down the silkiness of her hair, not wanting to wake her from a seemingly peaceful slumber; she looked so angelic while she dreamed and depriving her of that peace would be a sin. Besides, Eric couldn't complain too much, looking over Calleigh as she slept could easily become one of his favorite pastimes.

Had Eric's eyes not been solely focused on Calleigh, he could have looked at the landscape outside their window to see a white sandy beach, barely disturbed by human population, and water so clean and blue that when he looked out onto the horizon it was difficult to determine where the sky began and the ocean ended, they faded perfectly into one another. On this island everything was clean, pure and quiet as opposed to Miami where everything was messy, busy and constantly rushed. Here it felt as though one could breathe and just relax, free to take in the mist of the ocean and feel cool sand beneath their feet without the bustle or stress of back home.

Calleigh released a soft sigh as her eyes began to slowly flutter open. She looked up at Eric and her lips pulled up into a tired, simply gorgeous, smile.

"Good morning," he greeted her, snaking his arm around her waist and placing a kiss on her mouth; Calleigh lips were soft, sweet and the definition of perfection.

"Mmm," Calleigh mumbled. "Good morning to you."

She cuddled closer to him and wrapped her own arm around his warm torso, resting her head against his chest as their legs intertwined under the sheets. Eric ran his hand through her hair, each strand flowing softly and smoothly through his fingers; this mere touch of her hair coupled with the scent of her strawberry shampoo was enough to arouse his senses.

"I love it here," Calleigh commented.

"Me too," he agreed, grinning down at her. "It's relaxing."

Calleigh tilted her head to smile up at him. "Is that the only reason you love it here?" she teased.

"No, there's another reason," Eric admitted, his arms taking a firmer hold on her to gently pull her to rest completely on top of him. He tried to handle her as delicately as possible, as though she were made of stained glass, though he knew Calleigh was anything but fragile.

"And what's that?" she asked, placing her chin on the hands she had folded upon his chest.

The corners of Eric's lips turned upwards and he began to run his knuckles down her bare back; his touch was light as they ran over the contours of her spine and her muscles slightly quivered as a result.

"I think you know," he said, confidently as he spread his palm to rest on the small of her back.

"Oh, you can read my mind?" she questioned, jokingly.

"I guess it's a gift," Eric smirked with playful shrug.

Calleigh rolled her eyes as she laughed. She leaned in closer to Eric, lightly resting her forehead against his; the slightest motion would have caused their noses to brush against one another. "What am I thinking about now?"

"Umm," he mused, closing his eyes as he pretended to be deep in thought; he heard Calleigh giggle lightly at his façade and it was the single most beautiful sound he had ever experienced. "You're thinking…about twenty-two magnums?"

At that Calleigh went into a small fit of laughter. "For once, no," she smiled. "I was actually thinking about kissing you."

"Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing," he murmured as he reached up to lightly trace the outline of her lips. He dropped his head to lean inward and press his lips to hers. Calleigh willingly kissed him back, parting her lips against his, her breath creeping into his mouth and sending his mind into a frenzy. His head slightly spun and he needed to get a breath of oxygen before the world became balanced once again. Only it fell out of equilibrium when she leaned back in to kiss him again; it was such a feeling for one person to have such an impact on him and he would be lying if he said he minded.

Eric's fingers found her left hand and brought it up to their faces. He briefly leaned out of the kiss to gaze at the set of rings on her finger; one a platinum wedding band that matched his own while the other was the engagement ring he had willingly placed on her finger almost a year and a half ago.

"So," he breathed. "Mrs. Delko, are you happy to be married?"

Calleigh smiled and smoothed her palm along the warm planes of his bronze chest, turning her head to press her lips to his heart. The kisses trailed from his chest, up to his collar bone and along the veins in his neck, her lips crafting a path of fire on his skin, a fire that somehow managed to stay warm with a hint of soothing coolness.

"Very," she breathed before her lips once again rested on his. "What about you?"

"You have to ask?"

Calleigh chortled and rested her head back against his chest; Eric smiled at the top of her head, still overwhelmed at the beauty that now had her arms wrapped around his torso, it was as though he had been transported to another world…one he never wanted to leave.

Eric softly put his lips to her hair. "I love you," he whispered into the golden strands.

She turned her head up in his direction and smiled at him. "I love you, too."

His heart halted with utter exuberance and he was about to lean in once again to touch his lips to hers…but…

A brutal screeching of a nearby alarm tore Eric from his dream and he found he was no longer in a little house in the tropics with the woman he loved—the woman he had dreamed he had wed. The scent of her hair was no longer present, her soft skin had vanished from beneath his fingertips and the wedding band on his finger had dissolved into nothing more than a memory.

Oddly, however, Eric wasn't heartbroken or disappointed by the fact it had only been a figment of his imagination, instead he had a revived sense of hope that once day Calleigh would be there beside him. Perhaps it had only been a mere dream, but even then lying with Calleigh felt natural; it just felt right. There was more than a speck of hope in the future as far as Eric was concerned, his love for Calleigh had the strength to wait until her heart was ready to accept him and he would wait patiently. His jealousy of Jake was still raw, of course, but he found small comfort in knowing some day in the future that he would be the one holding Calleigh as she slept.

Until then he could hold onto the memory of his dream and wait it became a reality.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

-Albus Dumbledore