What Went Missing From The Episode

(spoilers for 'Power Trip', episode 709)

Finally the lousy day came to an unfortunate end. All he wanted to do was go home and crawl into his bed. Well, it was not his house and certainly not his own bed, but it was what he had to live with. He sighed glancing up at the blinking numbers: 3, 2... Even before the doors parted he could hear the engine roaring. Someone was having trouble, his car instinct told him. He stepped out of the elevator and into the garage. Only a few vehicles remained in the parking spaces. As he walked towards his car he could see the petite purplish car in the distance. Its engine coughed and choked as someone tried to start it. But it only refused and began to smoke. He started running up to it.

"Whoa, whoa, stop!" he yelled. The person did and came out of the car. Just a flash of her blonde hair and he knew it was Calleigh.

"Eric," she half smiled.

"Hey," he slowed to walking pace, "having car trouble?"

"Yup," she raised her eyebrows sarcastically. She obviously wasn't too happy about it.

"Let me see." Eric went over and opened the bonnet. The smoke dispersed as it opened. He faced the other way coughing. "How long have you been here trying?"

"Uh, an hour."

"That's why! Why didn't you call me?" he asked.

"I thought you left already," she answered embarrassingly. She watched as he closed the bonnet and came to the side of the car beside her. "Can you fix it?"

"Don't know, want a jumpstart?" he offered.

"Ho, no, no, no. I think I've had enough of jumpercables for the day, thank you." He chuckled at her remark.

"You just gonna leave it here?"

"It's getting late and I don't think the mechanic can come now... you don't mind dropping me home, would you?"

"Of course not. C'mon," she followed him in the direction of his car. "I didn't know you drove that little car."

"I actually was looking for something a bit bigger but," she shrugged her shoulders, "and you know, I just got it four months ago. Then this happens... stupid car."

"I was about to say it fits you - I think it's cute," he smiled back at her and she looked surprized. He reached for his keys in his pocket and pressed the button unlocking the doors.

"So, this is your car," she copied him in a way, "I wouldn't mind driving it to and from work." They climbed inside the black range rover.

"Yeah, I got it not long ago," he turned the key in the engine starting his engine. Soon they were out from under the building.

ECECECECECECECECECECECECECEC

For a few minutes they were driving peacefully on the road. The range rover was very smooth and also was his driving so the ride was enjoyable so far. A sudden thought popped in her head and she pondered on whether she should share it with him or not. Her mouth went ahead of her and talked.

"Hey," she started.

"Hm?" he answered with his eyes set on the road in front of him.

"About today - I'm sorry for not believing you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Um," she became nervous, "when we were in the lab, and you thought Reggie killed the girl..."

"Don't be sorry," he cut her off. A moment of silence passed between them and he continued, "you had your opinion and I had mine. Besides who'd believe me if I told them he killed the girl without the evidence to support it. Like the evidence from the last girl."

"But you were right, at least about Rachel. You were onto him from the begining."

"Still, my opinion couldn't stand alone." Calleigh could see the anger in his veins that travelled up his neck.

"'Stare a murderer in the eye'," she whispered to herself thinking deeply.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," she hid behind her wall. He slowed to a stop at the red light and stared at her.

"It's got to be something." She sighed and looked at him.

"After I saw you in the A.V. lab I went into the elevator, and Reggie was there," she pressed her lips together, "he was asking about the case, and when I wouldn't tell him he started talking about how we stay in the lab, when we should've been out in the field searching for the killer. Then he got close..." BEEEEP! Eric was listening so intently that he didn't realize the light had turned green. He drove off immediately.

"What did he do?" he sounded concerned.

"He just invaded my personal space, he wouldn't hurt me..."

"Yeah, just like we couldn't believe that a die hard cop would kill an innocent woman, let alone kill himself?" What he said took her by surprize. She just stared at the windscreen in shock then turned back to him.

"What?" she asked disbelievingly, "no, Eric don't joke."

"I'm not," his voice went soft as he realized that he had just told him of his death. "I wouldn't joke about his death." Her facial expression changed into a frown and dropped her head. She didn't know. "I'm sorry, Cal. - I thought you knew about it." He took her hand in his and squeezed it.

"How did it happen?" he questioned.

"The cell guard found him leaned up on against the bars of his cell. They said that he torn the bed sheet in half and tied a knot in it, and, you know."

"'Stare a murderer in the eye and let him walk away'," she said once more, "that's what he told me, the last time I saw him, at the elevator. I let him walk away and I stayed at the lab. Then there was the call out... I swear, if I had thought about it I would have known something was up."

"No, you wouldn't, it would've been out of context if you did," he reminded. She let out a small laugh and smiled.

"What?" he smiled curiously.

"Alexx told me that before... I miss her,"

"Me too."

"And I'm going to miss Reggie, too."

ECECECECECECECECECECECECEC

Soon they arrived at her apartment. Eric swerved the car into a guest parking space and turned off the ignition. They both jumped out into the cold night. He went up to the pavement and waited for her to come around. As she came towards him she rubbed her hands together.

"I swear if I didn't have this jacket on, I'd say it's cold out here."

She began making her way up the stairs with him behind her. Her door was at the end of the walkway. They stopped in front of it and she searched for her key inside her handbag. Eric stood there waiting patiently, quietly looking around the dark night at her neighbours' apartments. Some had lights, some didn't, but there was this one in particular that he could see a little girl helping her mother set the Christmas tree.

"Eric?" Calleigh called and he faced her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Mhm," she smiled one of her many sweet smiles, "thank you." Suddenly she placed her arms around him and he was surprized. He stared down at her head on his chest, then hugged back. She drew away from him covering her mouth.

"What?" he was confused.

"You smell like smoke," he tried her best not to laugh. He just rolled his eyes with a smile and turned to walk away. "Bye."

"See you later," he was on his way to the stairs when he heard her close the door. He ceased. Again his eyes met the neighbour's apartment. Christmas was going to be lonely again this year.