I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS OR MIAMI. BUT I WISH I OWNED BOTH!

The Miami sun was shining through the window of the Hummer on this calm afternoon. Neither one had really said much on the drive to the crime scene. They didn't have to. They were beyond the point of awkward silences.

"Thanks again for the lift," Calleigh said with a punishing smile that made Eric's heart skip a beat.

"You can repay me later," Eric laughed as they both exited the vehicle.

They walked down a small sloping hill into a wooded area marked off with yellow crime scene tape.

"What do we have?" Calleigh asked Horatio as they approached the body.

"Single gun shot wound," he replied, in the way that only Horatio can.

"Ummm Horatio, how long ago was this called in?" Dr. Price questioned.

"About an hour ago, why?"

"That's impossible. His liver temp is 101 and his body is in the shade. Horatio this JUST happened…"

That was all the CSI's needed to hear as they put their hands on their guns and started surveying the area.

"Okay," Calleigh started "based off the trajectory path…just an estimate at best…" she looked around the wooded area, "The shooter was probably over there." She was pointing to a thicker part of the woods, a part that eventually leads down to a waterway.

Eric immediately walked down the small hill towards the thicker forest as Calleigh and Horatio walked in the other directions.

Horatio stopped and turned to Dr. Price

"Mr. Wolfe should be here soon Ask him to stay with you and help you photograph the area. If you see anything…" he stopped an threw her a handgun that he pulled from his leg holster.

"Will do." She replied

Eric was walking through the woods, a rare sight on the outskirts of Miami. There were many marshlands, everglades and swamps, but very few wooded areas. He was thinking about this to himself when a loud noise suddenly jolted him back. He moved quickly placing his back against a tree and his gun in the ready position.

"ERIC!" He heard Horatio call.

He looked around for a second then took off running back towards the crime scene.

When he got there, however, he saw that the body had been dragged away and no one else was around.

"ERIC," he heard again.

He saw out movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed that something behind the bush was moving. He once again drew his gun up and crept slowly over to the bush. He held his breath as he slowly lifted his head over the bush to see what caused the disturbance.

"Tara?" he said with a question in his voice.

"I saw someone coming from that direction that I didn't know, so I hid," she said, almost like a child apologizing to her parent.

"Where's H? Calleigh? The body?" Eric pushed.

"I heard someone come up and some noise and then…..nothing," she replied.

He threw her the keys to the Hummer.

"Get inside, lock the door and stay down. We don't know what we're dealing with here."

"ERIC?" Horatio's voice called out again.

He took off running towards the sound of his voice.

"H!" he yelled back.

This was turning into a game of Marco Polo in the woods. He was running fast but his heart was racing faster. Then he spotted them.

There was a man standing with his back against a tree, blood rushing from his leg. Horatio had his gun solidly trained on the mans neck from a few feet away. Then he saw her. She was laying propped against Horatios legs. She was pale. Her breathing looked labored. He ran over to her faster then he had ever run before.

"Calleigh what happened?"

"She's in and out of consciousness," Horatio started.

"You get her, I got him."

Eric needed no more instructions than that as he scooped her off the ground and started walking as sure footedly as he could back to the vehicles.

"I already called the paramedics, they should be here already"

Eric wasn't really listening, he was just staring at her lifeless body in his arms.

"H, what happened?" Eric questioned.

"The police should be arriving soon for him as well," Horatio continued.

"H WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?" he almost shouted.

"I don't know," he replied, almost serenely.

As they reached the site where the body was found, Horatio noticed the drag marks in the ground and the notable fact that the body was gone.

"Eric. I think this was a set up."

But Eric barely heard him. He started to fidget for his keys when he realized he had given them to Tara. But she heard their voices and opened the door to the vehicle and he placed Calleigh in the back seat.

"Whats wrong with her?" she asked innocently.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Eric yelled back as he turned the Hummer on. He saw the look on her face and apologized.

"I'm sorry, but I don't…I don't know." His voice trailed off.

"Well I am a Doctor," she replied coldly.

Just then Calleigh started to regain consciousness.

"Calleigh? Calleigh can you hear me?" Tara asked; taking her vitals as best she could without any tools.

Calleigh muttered something incoherent and her eyes closed again.

"Calleigh stay with me, wake up…" she went on, trying to get her to keep her eyes open so she could check her pupils.

"We're almost at the hospital. How is she?" Eric asked, almost barking at Tara.

"She's weak and there is a substance on the side of her mouth…maybe she vomited, maybe she was given something….look we won't know 'till we get here there so DRIVE!"

Eric hit the gas pedal a little harder then before, and he though it had been floored already.

They arrived at the hospital and Eric ran inside the ER almost screaming for help.

Some nurses came out with a stretcher Tara helped ease her into it, telling them everything she knew. Horatio pulled up just behind them but was speechless.

A million thoughts fluttered through Eric's mind at one time. Did he see what happened to her? Could he have stopped it? Did he try and fail? What was going on?

He snapped back to reality when he saw they were ready to move the stretcher into the hospital. He ran up and held her hand and was shocked when she squeezed it back.

"Cal, baby are you awake?"

She barely spoke trying to make sense of what was going on.

"Ms! Ms. I need some information from you," one of the nurses started, squeezing her way in between the two.

Eric held her hand as they wheeled her off an elevator into another hallway, not completely paying attention to what was going on.

"Are you allergic to anything?" the nurse asked and she whispered "no."

"Were you feeling sick recently?"

"..N…no" her response was barely audible.

"Any chance you could be pregnant?"

"Yes…"

Eric heard that, let go of her hand and stopped, just staring at the gaggle of people surrounding her as they turned the corner into a room. What had just happened?