Temptation
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to CBS but I'm using them for my own purposes for a little while. I promise to return them (relatively) unscathed
Spoilers: Broken
A/N: I found this episode deeply disturbing, as I'm sure all of us did, and I wanted to explore the feelings that Speed and the others must have been experiencing after this case. The story kind of took off from there!
An exhausted Tim Speedle fell onto the couch and turned on the television. Flipping through the channels, he settled on an old Seinfeld rerun. He had always appreciated the often-sarcastic humor of this show and hadn't watched it in awhile. Now was a perfect time. He was sleep deprived but too wired to give into his fatigue--he just couldn't get his mind off the case he'd worked on for the past twenty-four hours. At this point he'd give anything to get the visions of that little girl out of his head. Luckily he hadn't had to work the evidence in the restroom where her body had been found but he hadn't been able to avoid going in there. At one point he'd needed to go in to speak to H and Megan and while he had done his best not to look at her, he had glimpsed Ruthie's lifeless form for an instant and that was enough to haunt him for the rest of the day. The idea that her life had been so senselessly taken away made him so angry and sad at the same time. He was just really glad that they had caught the bastard that did that to her. He had killed so many little girls, including this one and it was a relief knowing that this guy would finally be brought to justice. Speed turned off the television, realizing that Seinfeld really wasn't helping his mood. He felt very hungry and realized that he really hadn't eaten all day and knew that food would probably help a bit. Looking through his empty fridge and bare cupboards Speed shook his head. This was ridiculous. He really needed to go grocery shopping. Fast food wasn't the answer tonight--he'd been eating way too much of that crap lately.
Speed wandered the grocery store aisles, regretting the decision he'd made to shop on an empty stomach. He had decided to make tacos and was grabbing all the stuff he needed for those plus anything else that appealed to him at the moment. His basket was overflowing and he quietly cursed as the head of lettuce he's just balanced on the top fell onto the floor. Leaning down to grab it, a can of soup fell onto the floor with a loud clatter.
"Need some help?" Speed looked up to see Calleigh Duquesne looking at him with an amused expression. He was surprised to run into her here and had to admit that he wasn't really in the mood for her innate cheerfulness.
"Oh, hey Calleigh. Thanks, but I think I've got it." He assured her, putting the lettuce back in the basket. Refusing to take no for an answer, Calleigh picked up the can of soup and handed it to him. He took it from her and set about rearranging the basket to try and fit everything in there.
"On second thought, why don't you just share my buggy?" Calleigh said, motioning to her half-empty cart. "I've got some room." Rather than argue with Calleigh, Speed agreed, lowering his heavy basket into her cart. "Making tacos, huh? That sounds good. I've been wandering around here not really getting any ideas on what to make for dinner. I guess what I really need is sleep, not food. I think I'm just going to go home and go to bed." Speed looked at her, finally noticing the dark circles under her eyes and feeling bad that he didn't realize how tired she was. This case had affected her just as much as it affected him.
"Calleigh, you've got to eat. Why don't you come over to my place and have dinner with me? I'll definitely have enough for two." Calleigh looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.
"You know what, as much as I just want to sleep, I think I'll take you up on that." She said, giving him a smile that lit up her blue eyes. Together they finished getting the groceries for dinner and Tim realized that this was the first time he'd spent any time with Calleigh outside of work, just the two of them. They often hung out with Delko and went for dinner or drinks and but it was always the three of them. He had to admit that he kind of liked having her all to himself. She and Delko had such a connection that he sometimes felt a little left out when listening to their banter. Eric and Calleigh had very similar personalities and even though Speed was crazy about both of them, sometimes he found the combination of the two overpowering. He was a lot quieter than either of them and often found himself on the sidelines while they went back and forth. He found himself kind of looking forward to an evening with just Calleigh. Maybe he'd actually be able to get a word in edgewise.
Calleigh pushed the cart into one of the checkout lines and looked up in surprise at the woman in front of them in the lineup. She was an attractive woman, with curly shoulder-length red hair who appeared to be around Calleigh's age. She was holding a bald baby girl, who, Speed had to admit, was adorable. He smiled at her toothy grin in spite of himself.
"Cathy, it's so great to see you! It's been too long!" Calleigh gave the woman a hug and reached for one of the baby's little hands. "And look at you Missy, you've gotten so big!"
"I know, it's hard to believe that Melissa is almost nine months old now." Cathy responded, in an accent that matched Calleigh's. "It really has been too damn long, Cal, considering we live in the same town again." Calleigh looked guiltily at her friend.
"I can't believe how long it's been since we've seen each other, Cath. I know it's my fault for working so much. I never see my friends."
"It's not all you, you know. There are days that we barely even leave the house." Cathy looked over Calleigh's shoulder at Speed, who was standing beside the cart silently watching this exchange. "And who's this?" She asked, looking at Calleigh suggestively.
"Oh Tim, I'm sorry!" Calleigh looked at him, obviously embarrassed at not introducing her friend. "This is my friend Cathy and her daughter Melissa. Cathy and I went to school together in Louisiana. Cathy, this is Tim, we work together at CSI." Cathy shifted Melissa to her other hip and shook Tim's hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Tim. Calleigh's mentioned your name a few times."
"Oh, really?" Tim looked at Calleigh with raised eyebrows. He noticed she was blushing and decided to let it go for now.
"It's all good stuff, don't worry." She said, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Now, let me hold this little girl, I'm dying to see her." Calleigh turned to Cathy, who handed Melissa over willingly. Melissa let out a delighted gurgle, immediately grabbing great fistfuls of Calleigh's long hair. Calleigh just smiled at her, and held her close as Cathy reached the checkout and starting unloading her groceries. She smiled as her daughter cooed happily in Calleigh's arms.
"She likes you, Calleigh. She's been making strange lately with anyone besides me but she seems quite taken with you."
"It must be the hair." Tim said, receiving a mock glare from Calleigh.
"I'm good with kids, okay? It's more than just the hair." She said somewhat haughtily but smiling despite herself. As if to prove Calleigh's point, Melissa suddenly leaned against her head against Calleigh's chest, her eyes starting to droop. Calleigh sighed and swayed lightly, rocking Melissa in her arms.
"Oh, Calleigh, that just looks so good on you. When are you gonna have one of your own?"
"Well, why don't you just let me borrow yours for awhile?" Calleigh said, smiling hopefully and successfully dodging the question.
"Anytime, Cal. Just say the word and I'll let you have her for the night. God knows I need to get out once in awhile." Calleigh nodded at her sympathetically and both women were quiet for a moment. Speed wondered what the story was there but figured it was none of his business. The cashier quickly rang through Cathy's groceries and she waited for Tim and Calleigh so they could walk out together.
"I'm going to call you soon, Cathy so we can get together." Calleigh handed over a very sleepy Melissa and kissed the baby's forehead as she did.
"Sounds good. It was great running into you, Cal and nice to meet you Tim."
"Yeah, good to meet you too." Calleigh and Tim waved as Cathy strapped Melissa into her car seat and stood there until she drove away. "She seems nice." Tim commented to Calleigh as they unloaded groceries into her car.
"She's awesome. She's been through a lot in the last year." Tim looked at Calleigh wondering if she was going to elaborate. "She moved here about two years ago when her husband had a job opportunity that he couldn't pass up. Then, when she was about six months pregnant her husband was killed in a car accident." Calleigh's eyes filled with tears as she told Tim the story. "She was so strong, some of us thought she might lose the baby in her grief but she pulled herself together for the sake of her child. It was amazing, actually."
"It is amazing." Speed agreed. "She looks like she's really got it together."
"Yes, she does. She told me once that if she didn't have Melissa that she didn't know how she'd go on. She lives for that little girl now." Calleigh's eyes looked so sad right now and Speed really wanted to change the subject.
"So, you still up for tacos?" He asked, after a moment of silence.
"Yeah." She answered with a small smile. "I could definitely go for some tacos right about now."
"Meet me at my place, okay?"
"Sounds good."
Ten minutes later, they were in Speed's kitchen making dinner. Speed cooked the meat while Calleigh grated cheese and prepared the veggies. Speed could tell that she was still in a somber mood and he wasn't in the best of spirits himself. The image of little Ruthie kept creeping back into his thoughts and he tried to push her out of his mind. He noticed Calleigh watching him and did his best to put on a neutral expression.
"Are you alright?" She asked him.
"I will be."
"What is it?"
"It's that fucking case. I can't get it out of my mind." Speed took the frying pan off the heat. "This is done."
"I know what you mean about the case. I'm so ready to move onto the next one." Calleigh and Tim brought the food over to the kitchen table and sat down, each building their taco. "Oh, do you have sour cream?"
"I do, I'll grab some." Tim took it out of the fridge and offered Calleigh a beer at the same time.
"Oh, I'd love a beer. Thank-you."
"You know, when it comes to cases like this...there are times I think I can't do this anymore. When I think about all of those little girls and what he did to them...." Tim shook his head and took a generous bite of his taco. His appetite was nonexistent right now but the food smelled good and he knew that the food would make him feel better. Calleigh quickly ate her first taco and downed half her beer in a few gulps.
"Thanks for this, Tim. I'm glad you invited me for dinner."
"Well, I'm glad you came. If I were alone, all I'd be thinking about is seeing Ruthie in the bathroom. It's bad enough that I'm thinking about it right now but at least you provide a bit of a distraction from those thoughts."
"Thanks, I think." Calleigh smiled at him, finishing off her beer.
"It's all good, Cal. You want more?" Calleigh nodded and started on her second taco.
"I couldn't go in there. I mean, I've seen plenty of death before but with kids it's always so much harder, you know? There was no reason for me to go in there so I stayed the hell away. There was plenty for me to do outside that restroom."
"Well, I wish I hadn't gone in. I just went in there to talk to H and Megan and there she was. I didn't want to look at her and I didn't mean to. I don't usually have a problem keeping my emotions at a professional distance but when it involves kids...it's just a lot to handle sometimes."
"You know what, cases like this make me glad I don't have any kids of my own. I probably never will either." Calleigh said, taking another long swig of her beer.
"You're not serious, are you? I mean, I thought you loved kids."
"I do. That's exactly it. Why would I want to bring a child into a world with crimes like this? I saw Ruthie's mother and if I had to go through that...well, I'd rather not risk it."
"Look, I'm the eternal pessimist, just ask anyone. But you can't go through life letting fear be your ruler. That's no way to live."
"I'm not letting fear rule me. I just don't see myself ever having children."
"Come on Calleigh, I saw you with that baby today. You looked so happy. Someday I bet you'll feel differently." Tim grabbed another couple of beers from the fridge and they started clearing the table as they continued their discussion.
"I won't change my mind." Calleigh insisted. "I'm quite content being Auntie Calleigh. Kids just aren't in the cards for me."
"How can you be so sure? I've heard of women like you who change their minds once that biological clock starts ticking."
"Tim, my biological clock has been ringing its alarm since I was about nineteen years old. The timing has just never been right, though and now I've seen so much and I realize that I don't ever want to have a child who could potentially become a victim of one of these lunatics on the street. I don't ever want to feel that powerless."
"So you are afraid."
"Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore." Calleigh's tone was sharp and Speed knew that she wasn't kidding. He was actually kind of surprised at how strong her opinions were on this subject. He wondered if there was more to it than she wanted to reveal. Judging by her expression, she wasn't about to spill tonight.
"You got it. Subject dropped." Speed said, hoping that this wouldn't turn awkward. He was enjoying her company and didn't want her to bolt. "Do you want to go sit out on the patio for awhile?" Calleigh nodded and they wordlessly walked out onto the patio, taking their beers with them.
TBC
Feedback makes my day so please leave some :)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: These characters belong to CBS but I'm using them for my own purposes for a little while. I promise to return them (relatively) unscathed
Spoilers: Broken
A/N: I found this episode deeply disturbing, as I'm sure all of us did, and I wanted to explore the feelings that Speed and the others must have been experiencing after this case. The story kind of took off from there!
An exhausted Tim Speedle fell onto the couch and turned on the television. Flipping through the channels, he settled on an old Seinfeld rerun. He had always appreciated the often-sarcastic humor of this show and hadn't watched it in awhile. Now was a perfect time. He was sleep deprived but too wired to give into his fatigue--he just couldn't get his mind off the case he'd worked on for the past twenty-four hours. At this point he'd give anything to get the visions of that little girl out of his head. Luckily he hadn't had to work the evidence in the restroom where her body had been found but he hadn't been able to avoid going in there. At one point he'd needed to go in to speak to H and Megan and while he had done his best not to look at her, he had glimpsed Ruthie's lifeless form for an instant and that was enough to haunt him for the rest of the day. The idea that her life had been so senselessly taken away made him so angry and sad at the same time. He was just really glad that they had caught the bastard that did that to her. He had killed so many little girls, including this one and it was a relief knowing that this guy would finally be brought to justice. Speed turned off the television, realizing that Seinfeld really wasn't helping his mood. He felt very hungry and realized that he really hadn't eaten all day and knew that food would probably help a bit. Looking through his empty fridge and bare cupboards Speed shook his head. This was ridiculous. He really needed to go grocery shopping. Fast food wasn't the answer tonight--he'd been eating way too much of that crap lately.
Speed wandered the grocery store aisles, regretting the decision he'd made to shop on an empty stomach. He had decided to make tacos and was grabbing all the stuff he needed for those plus anything else that appealed to him at the moment. His basket was overflowing and he quietly cursed as the head of lettuce he's just balanced on the top fell onto the floor. Leaning down to grab it, a can of soup fell onto the floor with a loud clatter.
"Need some help?" Speed looked up to see Calleigh Duquesne looking at him with an amused expression. He was surprised to run into her here and had to admit that he wasn't really in the mood for her innate cheerfulness.
"Oh, hey Calleigh. Thanks, but I think I've got it." He assured her, putting the lettuce back in the basket. Refusing to take no for an answer, Calleigh picked up the can of soup and handed it to him. He took it from her and set about rearranging the basket to try and fit everything in there.
"On second thought, why don't you just share my buggy?" Calleigh said, motioning to her half-empty cart. "I've got some room." Rather than argue with Calleigh, Speed agreed, lowering his heavy basket into her cart. "Making tacos, huh? That sounds good. I've been wandering around here not really getting any ideas on what to make for dinner. I guess what I really need is sleep, not food. I think I'm just going to go home and go to bed." Speed looked at her, finally noticing the dark circles under her eyes and feeling bad that he didn't realize how tired she was. This case had affected her just as much as it affected him.
"Calleigh, you've got to eat. Why don't you come over to my place and have dinner with me? I'll definitely have enough for two." Calleigh looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.
"You know what, as much as I just want to sleep, I think I'll take you up on that." She said, giving him a smile that lit up her blue eyes. Together they finished getting the groceries for dinner and Tim realized that this was the first time he'd spent any time with Calleigh outside of work, just the two of them. They often hung out with Delko and went for dinner or drinks and but it was always the three of them. He had to admit that he kind of liked having her all to himself. She and Delko had such a connection that he sometimes felt a little left out when listening to their banter. Eric and Calleigh had very similar personalities and even though Speed was crazy about both of them, sometimes he found the combination of the two overpowering. He was a lot quieter than either of them and often found himself on the sidelines while they went back and forth. He found himself kind of looking forward to an evening with just Calleigh. Maybe he'd actually be able to get a word in edgewise.
Calleigh pushed the cart into one of the checkout lines and looked up in surprise at the woman in front of them in the lineup. She was an attractive woman, with curly shoulder-length red hair who appeared to be around Calleigh's age. She was holding a bald baby girl, who, Speed had to admit, was adorable. He smiled at her toothy grin in spite of himself.
"Cathy, it's so great to see you! It's been too long!" Calleigh gave the woman a hug and reached for one of the baby's little hands. "And look at you Missy, you've gotten so big!"
"I know, it's hard to believe that Melissa is almost nine months old now." Cathy responded, in an accent that matched Calleigh's. "It really has been too damn long, Cal, considering we live in the same town again." Calleigh looked guiltily at her friend.
"I can't believe how long it's been since we've seen each other, Cath. I know it's my fault for working so much. I never see my friends."
"It's not all you, you know. There are days that we barely even leave the house." Cathy looked over Calleigh's shoulder at Speed, who was standing beside the cart silently watching this exchange. "And who's this?" She asked, looking at Calleigh suggestively.
"Oh Tim, I'm sorry!" Calleigh looked at him, obviously embarrassed at not introducing her friend. "This is my friend Cathy and her daughter Melissa. Cathy and I went to school together in Louisiana. Cathy, this is Tim, we work together at CSI." Cathy shifted Melissa to her other hip and shook Tim's hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Tim. Calleigh's mentioned your name a few times."
"Oh, really?" Tim looked at Calleigh with raised eyebrows. He noticed she was blushing and decided to let it go for now.
"It's all good stuff, don't worry." She said, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Now, let me hold this little girl, I'm dying to see her." Calleigh turned to Cathy, who handed Melissa over willingly. Melissa let out a delighted gurgle, immediately grabbing great fistfuls of Calleigh's long hair. Calleigh just smiled at her, and held her close as Cathy reached the checkout and starting unloading her groceries. She smiled as her daughter cooed happily in Calleigh's arms.
"She likes you, Calleigh. She's been making strange lately with anyone besides me but she seems quite taken with you."
"It must be the hair." Tim said, receiving a mock glare from Calleigh.
"I'm good with kids, okay? It's more than just the hair." She said somewhat haughtily but smiling despite herself. As if to prove Calleigh's point, Melissa suddenly leaned against her head against Calleigh's chest, her eyes starting to droop. Calleigh sighed and swayed lightly, rocking Melissa in her arms.
"Oh, Calleigh, that just looks so good on you. When are you gonna have one of your own?"
"Well, why don't you just let me borrow yours for awhile?" Calleigh said, smiling hopefully and successfully dodging the question.
"Anytime, Cal. Just say the word and I'll let you have her for the night. God knows I need to get out once in awhile." Calleigh nodded at her sympathetically and both women were quiet for a moment. Speed wondered what the story was there but figured it was none of his business. The cashier quickly rang through Cathy's groceries and she waited for Tim and Calleigh so they could walk out together.
"I'm going to call you soon, Cathy so we can get together." Calleigh handed over a very sleepy Melissa and kissed the baby's forehead as she did.
"Sounds good. It was great running into you, Cal and nice to meet you Tim."
"Yeah, good to meet you too." Calleigh and Tim waved as Cathy strapped Melissa into her car seat and stood there until she drove away. "She seems nice." Tim commented to Calleigh as they unloaded groceries into her car.
"She's awesome. She's been through a lot in the last year." Tim looked at Calleigh wondering if she was going to elaborate. "She moved here about two years ago when her husband had a job opportunity that he couldn't pass up. Then, when she was about six months pregnant her husband was killed in a car accident." Calleigh's eyes filled with tears as she told Tim the story. "She was so strong, some of us thought she might lose the baby in her grief but she pulled herself together for the sake of her child. It was amazing, actually."
"It is amazing." Speed agreed. "She looks like she's really got it together."
"Yes, she does. She told me once that if she didn't have Melissa that she didn't know how she'd go on. She lives for that little girl now." Calleigh's eyes looked so sad right now and Speed really wanted to change the subject.
"So, you still up for tacos?" He asked, after a moment of silence.
"Yeah." She answered with a small smile. "I could definitely go for some tacos right about now."
"Meet me at my place, okay?"
"Sounds good."
Ten minutes later, they were in Speed's kitchen making dinner. Speed cooked the meat while Calleigh grated cheese and prepared the veggies. Speed could tell that she was still in a somber mood and he wasn't in the best of spirits himself. The image of little Ruthie kept creeping back into his thoughts and he tried to push her out of his mind. He noticed Calleigh watching him and did his best to put on a neutral expression.
"Are you alright?" She asked him.
"I will be."
"What is it?"
"It's that fucking case. I can't get it out of my mind." Speed took the frying pan off the heat. "This is done."
"I know what you mean about the case. I'm so ready to move onto the next one." Calleigh and Tim brought the food over to the kitchen table and sat down, each building their taco. "Oh, do you have sour cream?"
"I do, I'll grab some." Tim took it out of the fridge and offered Calleigh a beer at the same time.
"Oh, I'd love a beer. Thank-you."
"You know, when it comes to cases like this...there are times I think I can't do this anymore. When I think about all of those little girls and what he did to them...." Tim shook his head and took a generous bite of his taco. His appetite was nonexistent right now but the food smelled good and he knew that the food would make him feel better. Calleigh quickly ate her first taco and downed half her beer in a few gulps.
"Thanks for this, Tim. I'm glad you invited me for dinner."
"Well, I'm glad you came. If I were alone, all I'd be thinking about is seeing Ruthie in the bathroom. It's bad enough that I'm thinking about it right now but at least you provide a bit of a distraction from those thoughts."
"Thanks, I think." Calleigh smiled at him, finishing off her beer.
"It's all good, Cal. You want more?" Calleigh nodded and started on her second taco.
"I couldn't go in there. I mean, I've seen plenty of death before but with kids it's always so much harder, you know? There was no reason for me to go in there so I stayed the hell away. There was plenty for me to do outside that restroom."
"Well, I wish I hadn't gone in. I just went in there to talk to H and Megan and there she was. I didn't want to look at her and I didn't mean to. I don't usually have a problem keeping my emotions at a professional distance but when it involves kids...it's just a lot to handle sometimes."
"You know what, cases like this make me glad I don't have any kids of my own. I probably never will either." Calleigh said, taking another long swig of her beer.
"You're not serious, are you? I mean, I thought you loved kids."
"I do. That's exactly it. Why would I want to bring a child into a world with crimes like this? I saw Ruthie's mother and if I had to go through that...well, I'd rather not risk it."
"Look, I'm the eternal pessimist, just ask anyone. But you can't go through life letting fear be your ruler. That's no way to live."
"I'm not letting fear rule me. I just don't see myself ever having children."
"Come on Calleigh, I saw you with that baby today. You looked so happy. Someday I bet you'll feel differently." Tim grabbed another couple of beers from the fridge and they started clearing the table as they continued their discussion.
"I won't change my mind." Calleigh insisted. "I'm quite content being Auntie Calleigh. Kids just aren't in the cards for me."
"How can you be so sure? I've heard of women like you who change their minds once that biological clock starts ticking."
"Tim, my biological clock has been ringing its alarm since I was about nineteen years old. The timing has just never been right, though and now I've seen so much and I realize that I don't ever want to have a child who could potentially become a victim of one of these lunatics on the street. I don't ever want to feel that powerless."
"So you are afraid."
"Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore." Calleigh's tone was sharp and Speed knew that she wasn't kidding. He was actually kind of surprised at how strong her opinions were on this subject. He wondered if there was more to it than she wanted to reveal. Judging by her expression, she wasn't about to spill tonight.
"You got it. Subject dropped." Speed said, hoping that this wouldn't turn awkward. He was enjoying her company and didn't want her to bolt. "Do you want to go sit out on the patio for awhile?" Calleigh nodded and they wordlessly walked out onto the patio, taking their beers with them.
TBC
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