A/N: Okay, so this was a story I had written ages ago and posted on the CBS CSI: MIAMI forums, but I decided to post it here because it is complete : D ENJOY! :D
Calleigh rolled over onto her left side and squinted at the sliver of light that was peaking through the crack in the curtains. She sat up and pulled on a dressing gown and drew back the curtains and stepped out onto the balcony of her small apartment that overlooked the Thames River in London. She heard the hustle and bussal of people who were beginning to head off to their work on this Bright British Summer Morning and it reminded her so much off the place she loved, the place she had once called home-MIAMI. She had taken a great job here in London as a Detective and Ballistics specialist with the London Metropolitan Police Department after a very bad fall out and argument with the person in the world she trusted the most. She couldn't bare to be around him after this argument over her father. Her father had been in a drunken rage one day and Eric had been with Calleigh when it happened. He had taken the gun Calleigh had given him for protection and was threatening to kill Calleigh and it was only because he was drunk and Eric had pulled his gun too.
There was a lot of reasoning between Calleigh and her dad, and Eric, who got told more than once to but out and mind his own business and then finally Kenwall went to pull the trigger and shoot Calleigh and Eric quickly shot him because he didn't want Calleigh to end up dead and Calleigh ran quickly to her father and tried to revive him, but it was too late. After that, Calleigh and Eric argued about what happened that day and Calleigh told Eric that she could never forgive him because he shot and killed her father, and Eric screamed at Calleigh that he had saved her life and Calleigh screamed back at Eric that he never would have shot her anyway because he was so drunk that he would have missed. So, Calleigh and Eric had broken up there and then and Calleigh had been offered a job in London that she said she'd never take, but now, she had nothing to stay in Miami for, so she left and came to London and she had never went back. She hadn't spoken to Horatio, Yelina, Natalia, Ryan, Frank or Eric since she left. Nowadays though, she couldn't stop thinking about Eric or the rest of the team for that matter. Today, was her day off and she was about to do something that 2 years ago, when she came to London she never would have even thought about it. She was about to call Eric.
She went back inside from the balcony and shakily picked up the phone and went back outside and sat down at the table that was on the balcony. She sat for a minute and listened to the happy, screaming children going to school, the honking of car horns in the heavy traffic, the faint sound of music from the shopping centre down the road and the sound of the fog horns coming from the boats travelling up and down the Thames. She carefully typed the number into her phone and listened as the dial tone played back in her ear. It rang 6 times and was finally answered. However, it wasn't Eric's voice on the other end. It was a woman's voice. A voice that Calleigh didn't recognize.
W- Hello...Who is this?
C- I'm looking for Eric Delko. Is he there?
W- Yea, Hold on...ERIC! PHONE!
Eric ran and took the phone.
E- Hello…
C- Hey you...
E- Who is this?
Calleigh rolled her eyes in amazement.
C- I can't believe you don't recognize your old friend.
E- (Eric thought about who it could be and his eyes widened in surprise) Calleigh? Calleigh, Is that you?
C- Yea, it's me.
(Eric left the room that the woman who answered his phone is in and walked out onto the balcony of his house.)
E- Wow... (Gulps)…Erm...How are you or where are you?
C- I'm...I'm okay thanks, How are you?
E- I'm okay too thanks... listen where are you?
C- (Is ignoring his question of were she is, because no one knew she was in London.) Eric, I just rang to say that I'm really sorry for the way things went between us after the incident with my dad. I was just upset because I realized he was dead and I blamed you for it and all you were trying to do was keep me safe and I turned you away and I'm sor...
E- Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Calleigh, listen, slow down. It's okay. Things that happened between us don't matter anymore. I love you too much and always have and I just want you to come back to Miami. I miss having my best friend at the lab and these last two years have been hell without you, and most of all, I miss the love of my life, I miss you Cal.
(Tears started trickling down Calleigh's face and she tried to put on a brave voice to talk to Eric.)
C- Eric...I...I...I can't come back to Miami. I hurt a lot of people before I left and where I am now...It's for the best if I just stay here...Besides, I know you don't really miss me and I know you've moved on.
E- That's not true Calleigh. I haven't moved on, I still really miss you and I want you back here again. What would make you think I'd moved on?
C- The woman that answered the phone.
E- Calleigh, That's my Sister. She had a bad fallout with her ex and she is staying with me until things die down a bit. She is leaving today to go to Australia on a 5 year job contract thing, so then it's just back to me again. Cal, please just tell me where you are. I've been worrying about you these last two years and I just want to know that you're safe. Come on Cal, it's me; you know you can tell me anything.
C- (Wiped the tears away from her eyes and giggled) Eric, you always were a sweet talker. I'm in London and don't worry about me, I am safe. I have a great life here and to come back to Miami now, would just be too hard. I'm sorry, I can't come back.
E- Okay, I understand, but I want you to know something, okay?
C- Okay...
E- Cal, I love you more than anything. No matter if your there and I'm here, I always will. Everyone at the lab misses you too. They all want you back. Horatio needs his special bullet girl back and I need my girlfriend back. Cal, I know there is nothing I can say to actually make you come back, but at least consider it, okay?
C- I will Eric, but I just can't. I'm happy here; I have a great job, but... (She trailed off and hung up) I just don't have you.
Calleigh rubbed her face and sighed. She knew Eric missed her and she knew deep down she probably did miss him, but she just couldn't admit it.
She sat on the balcony for ages after she had hung up and thought numerous times whether or not to call Eric back. She decided that, for the best, she wouldn't call him back. She finally came to her senses and got up from the balcony and went to get ready for what she usually did on her days of; she went shopping to some of the top stores in London.
A few days had gone by since Calleigh had called Eric and still he was the only thing she could think about. 1 year ago, she would never have even considered calling Eric, but recently, she realized how much she DID miss him. Today was Saturday, and she had no idea what was in store for her that day.
Calleigh had just had the crappiest morning. She had woke up, expecting it to be a nice, bright and beautiful sunny day, only to discover the rain pounding of her bedroom window. She had headed down to "Relax" a new Spa and Relaxation centre near her work, as she had planned to treat herself today, only to find that it was closed down. Then she had came home and was going to take a long, hot, relaxing shower, to discover that the shower wasn't working and when she rang the plumber, he told her he couldn't fix it until Monday. She was livid. Everything was going wrong today and she just wished it would get better. She had just sat down and then the doorbell rang.
C- (Muttered) Great. Who could that be?
Calleigh opened the door to discover that it was one of her male colleagues, Darren, from her work.
D- Hey Calleigh, Listen, I don't mean just to drop by like this, but I just thought I'd let you know that your invited to me and Trisha's wedding. She started giving out the invites today and asked me to personally hand out all my invites to my buddies at work. You can bring a guest if you want, just give me back the reply slip by Tuesday.
C- Aww Darren, thank you. I don't know what guest I'll bring though, I'll have to think about that one.
D- Well, (Darren picked up a photo of Calleigh's coffee Table) you could bring him?
C- I don't know, He couldn't come, he lives in Miami and I'm sure he's waaaay to busy to come and see me here in London, never mind attend a wedding with me too.
D- Well, you never know, life is filled full of surprises.
C- Thanks Darren, I'LL definitely be at the wedding though, I wouldn't miss it for the world.
D- Okay Calleigh, see you at work on Monday and see you at the wedding.
Darren left and Calleigh went and sat on the sofa in front of the coffee table. She sat and stared at the picture Darren had picked up. After about 5 minutes, she grabbed her phone and dialed Eric's number. It rang a few times and went straight to voice mail. She ended the call and sighed.
C- Damn it, he won't even answer his phone now...Probably cause I hung up on him.
She lay back on the sofa and she closed her eyes just for a second, but she must have drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up, she looked at the clock and it was 5pm. She had been asleep for just over 3 hours. She quickly checked her phone, but, no new calls or messages. She went into the kitchen and made some coffee. She took the coffee into her bedroom and curled up on the bed and watched TV. Ever since she came to Britain, She loved the British soap, Eastenders, as some of the characters reminded her of her old friends back at the lab. She had just settled into the program when there was another knock at the door.
C- (Getting up of the bed and muttering) who could this be, because I'm not expecting anyone.
Calleigh opened the door to the pouring rain and to a HUGE surprise.
C- Wh...
Before Calleigh could finish her sentence, she felt her lips press against the soft and gentle lips of Eric Delko. He grabbed her and pulled her into an embraced and continued to kiss her outside her door. They were both soaked and the rain just kept pouring down as they kissed. Calleigh didn't even pull away, she just allowed Eric to deepen the kiss. Eventually when they parted, Calleigh dragged him and his bags inside and they got changed out of their wet clothes and into dry ones. Calleigh and Eric then sat on the sofa, arm in arm, and Calleigh was cuddled against Eric's chest. She didn't ever want to let him go. About Fifteen minutes after the kiss, she was finally able to speak, since neither of them had spoke since Eric had grabbed her and kissed her in the pouring rain.
C- Eric, What are you doing here, I wasn't ever expecting to see you again.
E- Calleigh, I meant every word I said on the phone last week before you hung up. I wanted you back in Miami, and I knew you said you couldn't come back to Miami, so then I decided, well, if you can't come to Miami, then let Miami's Eric Delko come to you.
Calleigh began to giggle and she smiled. She stared up into Eric's big Chocolate button eyes.
C- Thanks Eric, but, wow, I thought this was going to be this Awkwardness between us, but, I'm surprised, there isn't, and Eric, Again, I'm sorry for everything that happened between us before I left, I know I hurt you really badly when I left, and I've regretted everything I'd said to you that day ever since.
E- Cal, like I told you the other day- It doesn't matter. Anything bad that has happened between us is in the past and it doesn't matter and is not important. The only thing that is important is that I'm here with you because, as I said, these last two years have been hell, and thinking for these last two years that you hated me and thinking that we had been fighting for so long, without forgiving each other, it made me ache. There is only one thing I want now. I want a new beginning, a new beginning with you and only you, because Calleigh Duquesne, I love you and always have.
Calleigh had a tear trickle down her cheek. Eric tilted her head up, so that she was looking him in the eye. He used his thumb to wipe the tear from her face. When she opened her eyes, Eric had a big smile on his face.
E- Calleigh, how about I take you out for dinner? Celebrate the fact we're together again.
C- (Smiles from ear to ear) I'd like that, I'd like that a lot.
Calleigh and Eric went and got dressed up. Eric got dressed up in a Tux, and Calleigh was dressed in an Emerald ankle length gown that hugged her perfect figure and matched the colour of her eyes. She had her hair pinned up in loose curls and she wore strappy gold shoes and carried a gold clutch bag. Around her neck, she wore a gold heart shaped locket, which she never took off, and inside was a picture of Eric and a picture of her and Eric together. It was one of her most important possessions, and through everything that had happened 2 years ago, Calleigh realized, that if she took of the necklace, that it meant she would have finally forgotten about Eric, and she knew that could never happen because he was too precious to her. He was her soul mate.
Eric had been waiting for her on the balcony and he was admiring the beautiful view of the Thames. The sun was beginning to go down and it created a beautiful red orange colour in the sky which cast a reflection on then still water below him. The smell of the river filled Eric's nostrils, and it reminded him of long beach back in Miami. Little did Calleigh know that tonight she would receive another surprise and then on her birthday on Wednesday, she would receive another, and Eric reckoned that the surprises WOULD make her VERY happy.
They walked a few blocks from Calleigh's apartment and reached a cozy little 5 star restaurant called "Ramsays." They got a table in the back near the kitchen and Eric ordered the finest bottle of Champagne on the menu. Calleigh and Eric chatted for a while and Eric filled Calleigh in on what she has missed in Miami and Calleigh filled Eric in on her time in London. They ordered their food and had a laugh while they enjoyed each others company and enjoy the delicious English meal.
A little while later, while they were enjoying Coffee, Eric took Calleigh outside onto the Balcony of the restaurant. It overlooked the Thames and in the distance, the London eye lit up like a firework on the now darkening sky. Eric turned to Calleigh.
E- Calleigh, you really do know that I love you, right?
C- Eric, of course I do. You flew the whole way to London to find me after 2 years of me not talking to you, you take me back as if nothing has ever happened and you take me out to dinner to celebrate the fact that we're together and that we're madly in love.
E- Well, Calleigh, I'm glad you understand how much I love you, and I'm glad you understand that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and that I why I want you to become my wife.
Calleigh almost dropped her cup of coffee.
C-(surprised) What!
Eric got down on one knee and produced a white velvet box from the pocket in his Tux. He opened it in front of Calleigh and inside was a silver ring with a heart shaped white gold diamond on it. Calleigh's eyes welled up with tears; she couldn't believe after everything, Eric wanted to spend his life with her.
C-Yes!...Yes...Yes of course I'll marry you!
Eric smiled from ear to ear and slipped the ring onto Calleigh's finger and got up off one knee. He moved closer to Calleigh and they ended up in a passionate Kiss. After Cal had gotten over the shock that she was engaged, Eric paid the bill for the food, and they left. They strolled down the street hand in hand. Calleigh looked a little cold, so Eric put his blazer round Calleigh's shoulders and then put his arm around her.
It was a little while later when they finally reached Calleigh's apartment again. Calleigh put the key in the door and turned it to the right. She went into the house first and Eric followed. Calleigh went into her room and took off her makeup and removed her jewelry. She then took off her shoes, and when she was unbuckling the straps, the ring on her finger caught her attention. She looked into the mirror in front of her and smiled. The thing she wanted the most was now going to happen. She was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved by becoming Mrs Delko.