Title: Drops of Hope

Author: Kasandra

Rating: K+

Content Warning: Character death.

Disclaimer: Don't own; don't sue. Thanks

Pairing/Characters: Calleigh/Jake, Speed/Calleigh friendship

Spoilers: None

Classification: Angst/Tragedy

Summary: A tragedy brings two old friends together.

Archive: Yes, at FF dot net.

Word Count: 1, 937

Challenge Prompt: #11 Storm for the MiamiFicTalk Challenge.

AN: Big thanks to Anni for help with the development of the story and dialogue. I appreciate your help more than you know. This fic wouldn't have been possible had it not been for all those late night help. You rock.

Usually storms had an odd way of placating the Southern blonde who was currently sitting by the windowsill. The rain had a way of washing away any stress she was currently under and soothing her mind. Sighing, she stood up and headed upstairs to her bedroom figuring sleep was what she needed.

Her heart ached at the empty bed. Her fiancé, Jake Berkeley usually occupied the left side of the bed, but tonight which happened to be their anniversary; he was called in for work. Though he was no longer undercover for the feds, he was working undercover for the department and when they beckoned, he ran.

She inhaled his strong scent which still lingered as she climbed into bed. Wrapping the comforter around her, Calleigh snuggled against his pillow. Her last thoughts were of how much she missed Jake before eyes fluttered to a close.

The sound of the doorbell ringing jarred Calleigh out of her sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the clock – it read 3:40 A.M. She wrapped a robe around her before making her way back downstairs. The wind howled violently outside and she could hear the rain pounding harder against the pavement. For a brief second, Calleigh wondered if it were hailing.

The bell rang again, this time accompanied by pounding. "Just a minute!" Calleigh called out. "I'll be right there."

From the stand next to the door, she slipped her service pistol into the back waistband of her navy sweat shorts before peering through the window to see who it was.

It was Horatio.

She opened the door quickly. "Horatio? What's going on?" she asked confusedly.

Horatio gave her a grim smile and Calleigh knew immediately something was wrong. All of a sudden, she realized that Horatio wasn't alone. He was accompanied by the department chaplain. Looking past the men, she saw the Hummer and another officer vehicle, with light blazing silently parking quickly behind.

"Horatio?" she questioned a second time, this time her voice more urgent - frantic.

"Calleigh, I'm so sorry but…" Horatio began softly.

Calleigh barely heard the rest of Horatio's words. Her world began to spin and she felt the contents of her stomach threatening to come up. Feeling her knees beginning to buckle, she gripped the door knob tightly. Horatio caught her and wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed against his chest.

It seemed as if hours had flown by when it had only been mere minutes. Calleigh sat on her sofa, staring numbly at the ground as the chaplain read a few passages from the Bible to her. It seemed as if it were a bad nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.

"Excuse me, Calleigh?"

Calleigh looked up Horatio, eyes filled with unshed tears, still unable to speak. Horatio took a seat next to her and took her hand gently. "There's someone who needs to speak to you."

"Who?" she asked quietly. Her throat was raw and it hurt too much to speak.

"Jake's partner."

"Jake had a partner?" Calleigh asked surprised. She probed Horatio's eyes questioning; she knew that there was more to come. "I didn't even know."

"Um… Calleigh, I don't know how to say this but um… Tim was Jake's partner," Horatio replied.

"Tim? Tim as in Tim Speedle? He couldn't be… he's – oh God," Calleigh gasped, shocked as the news hit her. She sat stunned. After all these years she had thought one of her closest friends had been dead, when it had been the complete opposite. Suddenly, she grew angry. "Wait… Tim faked his death? All this time Eric and I thought he was dead and you knew?"

"I couldn't reveal that information to you. I am sorry," Horatio apologized once more.

Calleigh paid no heed to his apology. "How dare you have the audacity to lie to us?" she yelled bitterly. Turning around, she ran outside, not caring that rain was seeping through her clothes. Seeing the lone figure in the Hummer, she ran towards it. The door swung open and out stepped her supposedly dead best friend. Calleigh paused mid-sprint, taking in the sight before her. She had hoped that she wouldn't see Tim. If she didn't, then it would mean the last few hours were nothing more than a figment of her imagination.

"Calleigh," Tim beckoned softly.

Calleigh didn't move any further. She stood shivering. It was all too much for her to take. The rain began to pour harder, the storm informing them that it was going to let up any time soon.

"Calleigh," Tim called again more firmly than before.

Calleigh approached Tim hesitantly and as soon as she was within arm's reach, Tim grabbed her and pulled her tight into his embrace. "I'm so sorry, Calleigh," Tim choked out. "I'm so sorry… for everything."

Calleigh tried to answer, but found that her voice wasn't able. At the moment, all she could do was anchor herself to Tim as the wave of grief flowed through her once more. For as much as she despised being lied to, there was a far more dire circumstance right now.

After what seemed like an eternity, Calleigh pulled back from Tim, seeing the obvious changes in his eyes. His time away wasn't pleasurable, and it was certain that he had returned an entirely different man. Despite that, Calleigh knew Tim, possibly more than anyone before. Changes or not, he was still her friend.

"Can you tell me, wh-what happened?" Calleigh managed as she wiped at her eyes.

She pretended that she had strength left in her reserves, but they were now on their way to being depleted as well. Loving Jake had been her life, now that he was no more, she struggled to understand how she was going to continue to live it.

"Cal, I don't think it's wise. I haven't been debriefed yet…" Tim began.

"Cut the crap, Speedle," she responded with a semblance of who she was, the crack in her voice being notwithstanding. "It's simple; just tell me how it happened. How did Jake die?"

Tim stared at her, his senses almost lost. He himself hadn't been able to process the demise of his partner; he certainly wasn't in the state of mind to divulge the details to his now grieving fiancé. The expression that Calleigh held at the moment, however, spoke to the necessity of giving her something. Shifting his weight slightly, and casting his glance downward, he cleared his throat, instantly the vestiges of the events of earlier ran through his mind. Closing his eyes, he tried to skate them away, realizing that what he witnessed tonight, would be with him probably forever.

"Tim?" Calleigh asked, her tone much more lighter as she reached out to him, "Tim , are you alright?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at her, seeing the weariness taking root in her green eyes. Sighing heavily, he shifted his weight once more and spoke, his voice barely above audible, " It was a covert mission, we thought everyone was in place, but …" he paused as flashes of Jake's face as he lay dying inundated him. He coughed before he began again, "We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, Calleigh."

She remained silent, staring at him then gazing at the sky, the rain finally ceasing to a slow drizzle. It was obvious that Tim was trying to protect her and that made a difference, but the reality was that her need for protection was long gone. The damage had been done already.

The moment remained silent and filled with tension and Calleigh wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill that was now starting to settle on her. In her effort to get to Tim, she didn't care that she was basically naked out in the rain, but now as everything had started to slow down, her body began to react. Tim shrugged off his jacket and threw it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," Calleigh replied. The feel of his jacket comforted her and she reveled in the little warmth it gave her as she was soaked to the bone.

"Let's get you back inside," Tim finally spoke. There were more questions that needed to be addressed and they weren't to get any further just standing outside.

Calleigh wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, unsure if she was wiping away the rain or the tears away. 'Probably both,' she thought tiredly. With another sigh and a nod of the head, she voiced her approval to his suggestion. "Ok."

Two days had gone by since Jake's untimely death. Though the storm over Miami had come and gone, Calleigh felt as if it never ended in her heart.

Calleigh gave herself another once over in the mirror. She never liked the color black – it was too much of a sharp contrast against her fair skin. She currently hated the color even more now for different reasons. The sparkle of her ring caught her eye as she smoothed out her skirt once more. Calleigh paused in her actions and stared at her engagement ring through the mirror.

The sound of a knock on her door followed by Tim's voice interrupted her thoughts. Opening the door, Calleigh gave him a small smile. "Hey."

Tim shifted slightly and fussed with his tie. "You ready, Calleigh?"

"Do I have a choice?" Calleigh snapped as she grabbed her purse. "No. But I am. Let's go."

Tim attempted to wrap his arm around her as they walked to his car, but she shrugged him off. Calleigh did manage to politely thank Tim as he helped her into the car. Calleigh sighed uncomfortably; though she wasn't alone physically, she felt incredibly isolated.

She folded her hands in front of her and waited for Tim to enter the vehicle. Tim watched Calleigh play with her engagement ring for a few moments before speaking. "He talked about you all the time you know."

Calleigh snapped her head up so quickly that she winced. "Excuse me?"

"Jake. He talked about you all time," Tim continued quietly. "He used to tell me stories about you and him at the Academy…"

Calleigh closed her eyes, letting the information sink in. "He was a good man. I loved him a lot. Still do." She shivered slightly though the weather was a balmy seventy degrees and the air conditioning wasn't on.

Tim took Calleigh's hand into his and gave it a soft squeeze. A familiar smile came to his face, which not only warmed her, but it also offered her a deep sense of comfort.

"You'll get through this Calleigh. I'll be here," Tim promised. "I'm not going anywhere this time."

Calleigh nodded once more. "Thank you." She knew could hold true to those few words because not only was Tim right, they also signified that through despair, there was always hope.

FIN.