Title: In The Line of Fire
Timeline: 7x25 "Seeing Red"
Author: Quitethefangirl
Genre: Angst/Crime
Summary: Eric is missing and on top of that the team is facing another battle and Stetler is behind the gun. As the team' searches for Eric and they put under administrative review by IAB.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Author Note: This is my first attempt at fanfic, hope you like it. Please R&R
Chapter 1
How Death Taxes Us
Funerals, it was part of the job. Calleigh had attended so many funerals she lost count, funerals for friends, funerals for family, funerals for colleagues, funerals for victims from a case, always paying her respects with a solemn look on her face. This one however was different. She couldn't shake the guilt; it consumed her mind and pained her soul, she blamed herself and had abandoned all hope, slowly letting it sink in. Eric was gone.
She stood between Ryan and Horatio, grief-stricken and tear running down her faces as the pallbearer made their way to the grave. They place the flag draped coffin over the grave and retreated back, somebody stepped forward, folded the flag then walking over and handing it to the family. A weeping woman accepted the flag then hugging her two children close.
She was the widow of the officer Elton Brenner, the latest fatality as a result of the Russian mob's gun heist gone wrong, he had died three days ago due to a critical head injury, a result of hitting the pavement too hard after he was shot. He had stayed in the hospital in critical condition for a week and a half, before his wife, Mrs. Brenner took him off life support after the doctor's told her there was nothing they could do.
In the funeral service the widow spoke. She said although he was gone, she was glad she had got the chance to say goodbye, holding his warm hand as he exited the world. It had offered her closure knowing that in the end he didn't die alone, but in the arms of the ones he loved.
Although Calleigh didn't know Elton very well, only working with him a few times before he died, the words tore Calleigh apart inside. As the coffin was lowered into the ground her mind drifted to Eric, he had been left for dead, bleeding out all alone with no one to help him. A sob escaped and she hung her head, hoping not to drawn attention to herself causing Ryan to wrap an arm around her knowing who was on her mind. It had been two week since Eric had gone missing.
There had been extensive searches in both the water and the surrounding area, but Eric or any trace of him hadn't been found. The first week the team stayed optimistic, speculating that it was a kidnapping hoping to receive a ransom any day but received nothing. The second week the team's hope began to die and as they were trained to do they thought the worst, all but Calleigh. Everyone tried their best to remain optimistic in her presence, but she saw through their façade. Their faith was going.
Today her last thread of hope had withered away; she had to face facts, she couldn't live in denial anymore. As soon as the funeral ended, she walked off to be alone, standing by the bank of a pond, teary eyed and staring off to the distance in deep thought, when Ryan approached her.
"Calleigh, you ok?" he asked
She stood for a moment in silence, back turned to him then she began nodding her head.
"Yeah, I'm ok" she whispered, turning to face him. "I just have to learn to let him go" her teary eyes meet his "He'd want that".
Ryan walked up to join her on the bank, putting his arm around her shoulder again, as they both stood together in silence, trying to accepting the unthinkable.
And that's the first chapter hope you enjoyed it - Quitethefangirl