Remember Gloria? That crazy psycho ex from 'Rampage' (ep 4x24)? That's the only piece of canon you need to know, so disregard everything else. Basically I'm just a bit tired of the Eric-Cal-Jake triangle, so I thought I'd rebel and bring Gloria back instead. :) Obviously I don't own a thing; not the characters, not the settings, not anything.
It was a muggy, late spring night; quite typical for this time of year. An afternoon rainshower had cooled the air earlier, but did nothing for the humidity - if anything, it was stickier out tonight than it had been during the day. The stickiness was forced to hang around into the night by the clouds that filled the night sky, only occasionally breaking enough to let the moon peak through.
It wasn't the best night for dining on a restaurant patio, right by the sea, but that hadn't fazed Eric or Calleigh in the slightest. Calleigh loved feeling the sea breeze whip through her hair, and didn't even seem to mind as the humidity curled her silky blonde locks. Graced by that sight before him on that patio, Eric certainly hadn't minded. She had looked like an angel sitting in front of him all evening.
He might've been convinced of her angelic qualities if not for the incessant movement of her foot beneath the table all evening. As if she didn't already drive him crazy enough just by being around him.
The memories brought a grin to his face as he pulled into her - or really, their - driveway. There was such a thrill in thinking of things that way now - their driveway, their home, their life together. As he pulled the key from the ignition and stepped from the car, Eric's smile widened, knowing there was nobody he'd rather share all that with.
He was pulled from his thoughts by Calleigh's voice, and he looked over to see her stretch lightly as she climbed out of the car as well. "I think that might be the best dinner I've had in a while," she said appreciatively. "We should go there more often."
"Yeah, and maybe next time we can actually get dessert. I can't believe you made me leave before we could try some," Eric pretended to whine, closing his door.
Calleigh laughed. "And spoil your appetite for the real dessert? I don't think so," she teased, winking at him. She gave him a seductive smile before she made her way up the walkway. Eric hesitated for the moment, simply watching with his own smile as she walked away from him, her hips swaying invitingly. The dress she'd worn hugged all her curves perfectly. Her hair fell in loose waves, bouncing gently off her shoulders and framing her face beautifully. If Calleigh didn't already take his breath away, this vision of her right now certainly did.
Reaching her doorstep, Calleigh turned around, not feeling Eric behind her. She tilted her head, seeing him still standing by the car, his arms loosely crossed and a growing smile on his lips. "You coming?" she asked, gazing down at him.
He nodded. "In a minute."
Calleigh grinned, her eyes sparkling. They'd held that sparkle all evening; it emphasized the already beautiful green of her eyes, in turn making her all the more beautiful. "What are you doing?" she asked, watching as he leaned against the car.
Eric chuckled. "Watching you. You're beautiful, you know."
The smile that lit Calleigh's face was radiant, spreading from ear to ear. She reached up, tucking a loose wave behind her left ear. Lazily she strode back down the steps again, loving the way Eric's eyes followed her every move. "Wouldn't you rather," she began, stopping in front of him and taking his hands in hers, "watch me somewhere else?" she finished low, tugging playfully at his hands.
A grin crossed his lips, and Eric dropped her hands, instead laying his atop her hips. "I'd watch you anywhere," he replied, dropping his lips to hers. "Anywhere, anytime," he added, punctuating both words with a kiss.
Calleigh gave a contented sigh, looping her arms about his neck. "You really do say the sweetest things, don't you?"
"Only to you."
Calleigh giggled. "Good answer," she said with a smile. She stepped onto her tiptoes, claiming his lips in a quick kiss. "Take me inside?" she murmured, a devious glint flashing through her eyes.
Eric's grin only widened, and he let Calleigh take hold of his hands again. "Lead the way, baby."
Gently she pulled at his hands, giggling as he followed her to the door. "Believe me," she said seductively, "I plan on leading all night."
"You do?" Eric asked, lifting a questioning brow, though his grin belied his amusement.
Calleigh chuckled devilishly as she unlocked the front door, pushing it open. "Absolutely."
He allowed her to open the door, but once it was open, he pulled her back to him, backing her toward the door. "Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?" he teased, pinning her to the door.
Calleigh opened her mouth to retort, but instead found Eric's mouth quickly closing over her own. Her eyes fell closed and a tiny moan slipped from her throat as the kiss immediately deepened, leaving Calleigh glad for the support of the door when her knees weakened. Eric buried his hands in her hair, the silky strands soft between his fingers. His tongue eagerly explored the warm cavern of her mouth, tasting that which was so addictively Calleigh.
The sound of a car in the distance jarred him unpleasantly back to the present, and reluctantly he pulled away from her, causing her to whimper in protest. Eric didn't want to pull away, but he knew if he didn't, it wouldn't have been long before they were arrested for public indecency. After all, he did still have Calleigh pinned to her open front door. Calleigh, who with her flushed cheeks and her hair mussed like that, not to mention her heavy breathing, it was hard not to keep her pinned there. It was always difficult to stay in control around her, but with her looking like that, it was damn near impossible.
She bit her lip and gave him what might've passed for an innocent grin had she not looked like that. "Maybe we should actually go insideā¦" she suggested coyly.
Eric leaned in, dropping his lips to her neck. "I think that'd be a good idea," he concurred, stepping back after a moment, letting Calleigh move from between his body and the door. With another devilish grin, she took his hand and tugged him gently inside, quickly closing the door behind them and locking them away from the world, away from prying eyes.
Prying eyes, much like those hidden away just across the street, lurking quietly in an inconspicuous black car. Prying eyes belonging to a scheming Gloria Williams.
It wasn't the first time Gloria had watched Eric go inside with Calleigh. Calleigh wasn't the first woman Gloria had watched Eric go home with either. And every one of them was just wrong. They were mistakes, all of them.
She knew Eric had made a mistake in breaking up with her. It was up to her to show him that.
Gloria smiled to herself. She was getting there, albeit slowly. But she was willing to wait it out; these things took time.
She'd sabotaged his last four relationships. Eric knew she had a hand in each of them; what he didn't know was how deeply involved she'd been. From the beginning, she knew she'd have to be just as deeply involved with this one, if not more so. She'd been watching Eric with Calleigh for months; in fact, it had to be the longest relationship Eric had had since being with her.
That bothered Gloria. What the hell kind of spell did that stupid blonde put on him? It was the question she wondered every single time she saw Eric talk to Calleigh; every time he kissed her; every time he let her lead him inside. Silly Eric; she's nothing compared to me. You know that.
But it didn't really matter though; it would all be over soon anyway.
With a plan already forming in her mind, Gloria started her car and quickly sped off into the darkness. She'd seen all she needed to see tonight. It didn't take long to convince herself that soon Eric would be going home with her again. All she needed to do was get rid of the blonde.
Chase her away, or literally get rid of her - Gloria didn't care. Either one would work, though having the blonde gone permanently sounded nice to her. But Gloria was smart; she wouldn't resort to that unless she had to. She did know people, but it would be a lot harder to keep her hands clean of that than for something less severe.
She wasn't out for vengeance. All she wanted was what was rightfully hers: Eric Delko. He was hers. He was always meant to be hers. And whatever it took, Gloria was going to get him back.
Even if that meant crossing every last boundary.
She would get what she wanted.
tbc...
