Title: Missing Scene Simple Man

Author: Ang C

Rating: PG13

Pairing: Eric/Cal

Spoilers: Simple Man

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I own nothing (not even a little piece of Eric) it all belongs to the excellent people at CBS. Except when I borrow them for my dreams!!!! Thanks to the writers for letting me borrow the characters – I promise to handle with care.

Authors Note: Anything in Italics is not mine but taken from the show (credit goes to the CSI M writers). This is just a little fic as I thought there was more to this little moment in the lab than just friends. I hope you enjoy, it's not much just a little story my muse wanted to write.

Calleigh Duquesne breathed a sigh of relief; she was relaxing on her sofa in the arms of her boyfriend and lover Eric Delko.

Cal was finally resting after a tough few days. She had been pulled in many different directions in the process of trying to perform her duties to the best of her ability and keep everyone happy.

Horatio and the boys needed her ballistics expertise in the cases of Abbey Sandaval and Benita Cruz and, on the other side; Detective Hagen was pushing constantly for his ballistics reports on the causeway shootings. Calleigh was worn out both physically and mentally trying to do everything at once and not wanting to let anyone down.

Now she was lying comfortably in Eric's arms and gradually feeling more like her old self, calmer and at peace with the decisions she had made over the last few days.

Turning in his arms Cal softly kissed Eric as she wrapped her arms around his gorgeous body, of which she could not get enough "I'm sorry Eric" she said quietly.

"What for?" he asked as he tenderly smoothed a stray hair away from her eyes, gently caressing her cheek.

"For being grumpy earlier over the gun"

Eric was reminded of their mini argument in the halls of CSI...

Cal was there when he walked into CSI. "Hey, where's that Pistol?" she asked more than a little annoyed.

"I checked it into evidence a couple of hours ago, what are you talking about?"

Looking back now that may have been a little harsh...

"You mean it's just been sitting there" Cal had almost shouted back at him...

"Yeah I paged you and you never answered"

"I turned my pager off when I was on the range"

"I tried to get in touch with you"

As they walked through the corridors they both seemed very angry with each other.

"I've just, I've been chained to the lab with a 54 round shooting that was supposed to be processed twelve hours ago"

"Yeah, well I spent the same twelve hours inhaling sewage at the bottom of the Tamiami canal, so everyone's got a sad story"

As the conversation replayed in his mind Eric could see how stressed Calleigh had been, she was stretched with all the evidence she needed to process and process quickly, so that she could please everybody. Maybe she was trying to hard to please everyone.

Eric had realized the minute he said those words that he had been unnaturally harsh to the woman he loved. He had basically taken out his frustrations on Calleigh, the one person who didn't deserve that.

Calleigh too had realized she was being unusually mean to her friend and apologized, Eric apologized too and he recalled how they almost hugged in the middle of the office, but they had stopped themselves in time, they didn't want to openly show their relationship at work.

Horatio, Tim and Alexx knew they were dating; it wasn't a big secret or anything just something not to be flaunted about.

They both had pulled themselves together before entering the lab to discuss their findings with H. Eric felt guilty and wanting to make it up to his girlfriend did the best he could, until they were alone. Throughout the whole conversation with H he remained very close to Cal, standing, almost protectively, behind her with occasional touches trying to use his closeness as a way of apologizing. Calleigh must have understood his intentions as occasionally she leant into him wanting to feel his love, it also gave Eric hope that she forgave him.

Back in the present they were now alone and together in their favorite spot, curled up in each others arms on the sofa listening to their favorite radio station a mix of Latin and American beats. Here in Calleigh's apartment they could shut out the outside world and be just boyfriend and girlfriend where nothing else mattered.