A/N: Righto... This is my first CSI:Miami fic, so please, please, please be kind =D . I welcome both constructive criticism and all good reviews, so you can just hit that little button down there at the bottom of the page and write exactly what you think. I do hope you enjoy this chapter. I have the whole fic planned out [it's a case fic as well as fluff/romance, so I had to plan it out before I drove myself nuts], so there is a lot to come. R&R.

With summer right around the corner, the temperature was already rising, long before many of the inhabitants of the city had. Along with the sun came a day with predictable heat, humidity and, of course, rain showers. Coolness, created only by the great invention of the air conditioner, was the only thing that made nights and early morning bearable enough to be able to sleep through. Especially when sharing the bed with another person. However; regardless of the A/C system, the comfort of spending the night with a loved one or the slight distance between them to keep away the any unnecessary added heat, the curse of a cell phone was always there to tear away any hopes for a relaxed start to the morning. Because no matter how the seasons changed or how early in the day it was, crime was the one thing that never cared.

Even in the silence, it took a few seconds before Calleigh began to wake up to the sound that was drawing her reluctantly out of her dreams. It was familiar and, unfortunately, there was no ignoring it. The short frequent beeps, spaced 10 seconds apart, caused her to groan as she refused to crack open an eye. Just by the fact that it was the phone and not the alarm that had woken her up was enough to tell her it was way too early.

Beep, beep.

Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds to get her bearings. The light filtered in from around her curtains, allowing her to make out the items on her bedside table as she threw out her arm to search for the object in question. Frowning when nothing that felt even remotely like her cell phone came under her fingers, Calleigh pushed herself up onto her elbow to gain a better look. As suspected, it wasn't there.

"S'on this side." A husky voice mumbled from nest to her; sleep clear in his words even though they were muffled by the pillow he had now pressed his face into.

"Thanks." She whispered in return, a smile gracing her face as she reached over him to grab her phone from the table on his side of the bed. She wasn't quite sure how it had ended up there, but she knew there wasn't any point in wasting time thinking over it.

"Work?"

"Yup." Calleigh replied, still smiling as she read through the text that detailed the information that she needed for her next case.

"What time is it?" Eric asked, grogginess now gone from his voice even as his eyes remained shut and didn't budge from his position lying flat on his front.

"Almost half 5." She sighed before shaking her head and replacing her phone back onto the table next to her. "Go back to sleep. You still have a couple more hours."

"Hmm..." He hummed contently as she brushed her hand down his bare spine before dropping a soft kiss to his shoulder whilst sliding out of bed. "Have fun." Her laugh followed her as she exited the room and into the conjoining bathroom.

Eric remained where he was for a few minutes longer, listening for the telltale sounds of the water hitting the tiles and floor of the shower being disturbed to allow himself to relax once again. Shuffling a bit to get comfortable once again, which wasn't too hard when he caught the faded scent of vanilla and jasmine from the pillow next to his, he was fairly sure he has succumb back into sleep when another series of beeps emitted from next to him.

It sounded almost the same as the one that had already woken him up a little while ago. In fact, if he really wanted to, Eric was sure he could convince himself that it was the same alert that Calleigh's phone made when it was holding an unread text message in the inbox. But the small variation of one measly additional beep was enough to draw him away from the beauty that was sleep and back to reality.

He rolled onto his back as he simultaneously picked up the offending item. It took several blinks to clear his eyes enough to make out what the message said. A sigh, this one of resignation rather than content, left his lips as he pushed himself up in the bed into a semi sitting up position. One glace at the corner of the screen on his phone told him that it was now ten to 6; not too early, but early enough for a hint of irritation to settle in.

That was, of course, until the door that separated the bedroom from the bathroom opened and he was reminded that the reason behind his irritation was in fact irrelevant that day. Even if he hadn't been called in, the additional two hours sleep would have been somewhat boring when the reason why he preferred simply staying in bed wasn't there with him.

"You too?" Calleigh's voice broke him out of his thoughts. Her tone had been soft and light, but it was the smirk on her face that had him shooting her a smile back.

"No rest for the wicked." He quipped, watching her unabashedly as she towelled her hair dry, dressing in only a robe.

"Unfortunately for us." She added, catching his eye via the mirror and raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing." Eric replied, his boyish smile still in place while clearing his throat as he threw aside the sheets that were over his lower half. "I'm going to jump into the shower."

"Alright. I'll make us some coffee." Calleigh told him as she flicked her hair over her shoulder to let it cascade down her back. "Can you put this in the hamper for me, please?"

"Sure." Taking the damp towel from her hand and throwing it over his shoulder as he approached her from behind, Eric placed his hands lightly on her shoulders before pressing his lips to the back of her head. "Morning, by the way."

"Morning." She said in reply, her voice laced with amusement as his hands began descending down her arms. "Shouldn't you be getting ready? You'll be late."

"I don't think it's possible to be late when my shift starts in 3 hours." He groaned dramatically, backing away nonetheless and making his way to the bathroom as he had intended.

"I wouldn't put anything past you." Calleigh joked, managing to catch the low chuckle that Eric let out just before the door closed without another word.

Inhaling deeply, she shook her head at herself. The grin on her face that had appeared almost as soon as she had stepped out of the bathroom had only died down to a ghost of a smile that she was pretty sure would remain until she got to the crime scene downtown.

The reminder of the job that she was up early to do got Calleigh moving once again, starting up her routine to get ready as she did almost every day. On autopilot, it was only 15 minutes later that she was finishing off the last of her coffee while sitting at the counter in her kitchen, flipping mindlessly through the paper that she was only reading to give her something to do while having breakfast.

A muted shuffling that became clearer with time indicated that Eric was going to join her soon in the kitchen. No sooner had the thought passed through her mind did she spot him approaching from the corner of her eye. Calleigh pushed back her stool to place her empty cup and plate into the sink before pulling out a clean mug from the cupboard overhead and pouring a fresh cup of the hot beverage. It wasn't as good as he made it or liked it, she knew, but it was good enough. A lazy smile grew on her face as she watched him approach slowly, knowing that he wouldn't be in his normal mood until he had some coffee, especially so early in the morning.

Greeting her with a brief yet lingering kiss, he murmured a simple thanks as she handed him the cup, the words showing his exasperation before the day had even begun. She smiled in reply, moving back to where she had been sitting to gather up the paper and fold it up once again. Even though being called out to a scene usually meant for them to get there as soon as possible, Calleigh wasn't one to leave her place a mess because of it. Besides, a few more seconds at home where all things were bright and happy came before the rest of the day dealing with death and the darkness that was brought with it.

"Where's your call out to?" Eric broke the comfortable silence that they had fallen into, turning to face her as he waited for the toaster to pop.

"Downtown. Miami Beach. You?" She answered, leaning against the counter opposite him, finally glad that everything was put back to where she wanted it.

"The 'Glades." He told her with a small shrug. "Probably got another floater."

"Hope the water's cool for you. It's going to be a hot one." Calleigh laughed lightly and causing her boyfriend to smirk at her words. "Alright, I'm going to finish getting ready and then head off."

Eric nodded noncommittally, turning back around to fix himself something to eat as the blonde left the room for her bedroom. He knew that although she wouldn't take too long to get her shoes on and gather her cell, badge and gun, by the time she was ready, he would probably be ready to leave for himself. If they had been heading to the same scene, or even the same area, it would have been an ideal situation. Instead, as luck would have it, they were going in total opposite directions.

As predicted, Eric had just taken the last sip of his coffee before pouring the rest down the drain and rising out the cup when the unmissable of heels tapped out against the tiled floor of the kitchen. The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile as he took in the mid-calf leather boots that Calleigh had put on; eyes lingering a moment too long at her slender legs as she cleared her throat in an obvious attempt to recapture his attention in a more productive way.

"If you like them so much, you can always borrow them." She remarked in faux earnest and raised an eyebrow as she tried hard to keep the grin from breaking out on her face once again that morning.

"No, I think they look better on you." Eric replied smoothly and coolly when he brushed past her to leave the room, causing her to follow a few steps behind him. "Ready to go?"

"Yup." Calleigh merely said, picking up her keys from where she had tossed them the night before on the counter besides the landline phone. Her eyes caught the small clock that sat on the same table, telling her that it was now almost 6.30am. Although early, it was a fortunate accident to be called in so early to a crime on the beach. With the weather so good, she knew that even with another hour, the amount of people on the beach would increase 10-fold, and within a few hours, by the afternoon, perhaps even more. "What?" She asked the man in front of her as they exited her house when he looked at her from over his shoulder before shaking his head mockingly.

"You're already lost in thought. Thinking about work, no doubt." He informed her knowingly. Calleigh had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from giving away just how well he did know her.

"Actually, I was thinking about how nice the cool breeze will feel on the beach in this heat." She lied before realising that what she said was in fact true. "Especially as opposed to the humidity around the Everglades. Should make our work easier."

"There is no way you can say that when you have never been diving in the 'Glades. If you want something cool and making work easier; that's it." He argued, falling back into step with her as they made their way to their cars.

"'Easier?' You'll be in the water all day. It's a big canvas to search through. But I'm sure you already know that." Calleigh countered with a scoff, pressing the unlock button on her key as she got to her car. "Tell you what, I'll make you a deal."

"I'm listening..." Eric urged on, pausing in between the space of their two cars and watching and she opened the driver's side door.

"Whoever's case is done last, cooks dinner." She enticed him, the smile on his face spreading to her own as she stood with one hand on the door and the other on the car with the intent of climbing in.

"Alright, sounds like a date." He chuckled, swinging the keys to his own car around his finger before turning to round his car and get to the right side. "No shortcuts though." His words earned him a glare from the woman next to him as she climbed into her car. Although he had been joking, and she herself was only half-heartedly trying to scold him, the words were merely a moot point. They both knew that no matter what, cutting corners in their jobs wasn't worth any little bet they had going on.

"I'll talk to you later." Calleigh said softly as she rolled down her window to let some of the hot air out and started the car.

"Ok. Be safe." Eric replied, nodding at her from over the roof of his car as she began to reverse out of her driveway.

"Always am." Her words were bubbly and nonchalant; typically her. Managing to catch the always visible smile on her face before she turned the car and sped away to her destination, Eric climbed into his car, turning on the engine and the A/C as soon as he could. It wasn't long before the temperature was beginning to settle to a degree that he preferred, already having pulled out onto the main road heading in the other direction to where Calleigh was going. The journey to the Everglades wasn't a quick one, but with the sun shining and an already great start to the day despite the call out, he couldn't help but actually relax as he sped down the highway to the job that he loved to do the most.