Look what the wave dragged in…
By AAnitaB
Author's notes: Don't sue me, I own nothing you'd want in the settlement.
Calleigh Duquesne/ Frank Tripp romance. CSI Miami. This is an alternate version of "Crime Wave" set in the universe shared with Gatekeeper. Speedle's alive, the team claimed Ryan for a little brother anyway, and Marisol met Horatio while Speed and Eric were figuring out what to do with Speed almost dying (again, now he will have the cleanest gun in the universe, damnit).
Rating: NC-17 for romantically smutty sex in the later chapters.
Read, enjoy, review.
Look what the wave dragged in…
By AAnitaB
Chapter one: Puns away.
"Book him, Calleigh, would you?" Horatio put on his sun glasses. "And call Tripp. No one travels alone right now." He hooked his fingers in his belt, beside his badge and gun. "It's murder out there."
Calleigh couldn't help a small grin as Detective Horatio Caine turned past her shot out window and headed for the door. He just couldn't help himself sometimes. Turning to their suspect, Calleigh gave him a bright smile. "Take a seat right over there, please, sir? I'll just be a couple more minutes with your window here."
Just a few minutes later, she crouched with her fingerprint dust in front of the window when a voice came from the doorway. "H said you needed a hand. Brought both."
She felt herself smiling even before she turned her head. /Tripp/ a familiar suit jacket outline strong shoulders. Miami, Florida. Humidity and heat through the roof and Detective Francis Tripp was still in long sleeves and a suit coat.
And don't forget tall. Calleigh felt even shorter than usual today. Damn tidal wave have forced her into lower heels, two inches, not four. Slowly straightening up, Calleigh gestured at the window with one gloved hand. "Just seeing if our would be bank-robbers had any friends over."
"Are we thinking a few close friends or a big crowd?" Tripp pushed away form the door jam to walk closer. Too close.
"More like a dinner party," Calleigh argued with herself that it wasn't a retreat. She really just needed to lift the latents on the bottom section of the window. Really. Sinking to her knees, Calleigh rubbed the clear plastic sheets over each of the small grouping of prints. "A few select guests."
"With this crowd, I bet at least one dinner guest has eaten at the big house." His voice moved closer. So did his cologne. "Maybe AFIS'll get us a name or two," Calleigh felt her head turning, knew her eyes lingered just a little too long on his smile.
"It's certainly possible." It wasn't another retreat to move away from Detective Tripp where he crouched by the glass. That's where her kit was. "Let's take him to booking and ask the computer for a guest list."
"You heard the lady, let's go." Tripp snagged the suspect by one elbow and led him toward the door. "Maybe in a few hours we'll bring a few close friends to share your cell."
Calleigh found herself smiling as she closed up her kit and trailed broad shoulders out of the building. At a safe distance, of course.
000
She seemed smaller today. A couple inches shorter than even her normal. And it was making him just a little twitchy. Normally, the urge to protect Calleigh Duquesne was easy to keep bottled up. She was a strong, capable woman. Gun, badge, and bullets.
But something about today… that damn wave coming. And the fact he knew in every bone in his body that Calleigh wouldn't evacuate. Ever.
A fucking tsunami and she was still wearing high heels and a grin. And Calleigh kept ducking him, kept moving away from him. Enough already. Hooking a hand safely around the suspect's elbow, Tripp led him out to the car. All his attention stayed on the sound of Calleigh following him. Too far back. She couldn't stay that far away in the car.
"Watch your head." Door safely closed, Tripp turned to watch Calleigh approach, kit in one hand and camera in the other. His eyes locked themselves on the gentle sway of her hips, on the gleam of her badge. She was so beautiful. And way too close to let himself be caught staring. Again, and this time maybe by Calleigh herself.
/Damn Delko and his smiles./ Forcing his eyes off the line of her waist, Tripp moved around the bumper to the driver's door to lean on the roof. "We ready to go?"
"Of course we're ready, Detective." She smiled at him over the car and opened the door. "We've got an appointment to keep with our party guests." Delicate fingers pushed blonde hair back as kit and camera were laid on the floorboard. "Shall we?"
The way her lips curved and her head tilted made his fingers itch with the urge to reach out. /Damn the low heels and damn the tsunami./ "Of course, ma'am."
Settling the belt against her holster, Calleigh twisted to smile at their suspect. Lucky bastard. "You could just save us the trouble and give us a guest list. DA might see himself to a deal for you if you're helpful enough."
He was staring and he knew it. But the way she turned simply led his eyes to that smooth line of her waist. /Hurricane Anthony/ The last time she'd worn heels this low, he'd gotten to touch her. Glass all over, logs bigger than cars blocking roads, debris in unstable piles on all sides. And all his mind could focus on was the line of her back against his palm and the heat of her hand in his. It was almost sick that part of him had looked forward to this tsunami in hopes that he'd get to touch her again.
/Stop staring and drive, Detective/ Weakly dragging his eyes back to the road, Tripp started the car. "The lady here is tryin' to help you. Best take 'er up on her offer."
"I want my lawyer."
"Oh, I've heard that song before, haven't you, Frank?" The way his name sounded on her lips… it did things to his brain. And that smile on her lips in her eyes only heightened the effect. "But with the tsunami, it might be a bit of a wait for him to get there."
"We'll get you a nice comfy cell while you wait." Tripp forced his eyes to the ground infront of the car. Time to drive. And that meant he couldn't stare at Calleigh right now.
The drive was shorter than it felt. At the door to booking, Calleigh split off with an angle of her head. "I'll get started on the guest list. Come and find me when our host is done in booking."
"'Course, Calleigh," Tripp watched the sway of her hips for a moment as she walked away down the hall. /'Course I'll find you, darlin'./
Mentally slapping himself, he dragged his eyes and his mind back to the job. /Focus, Detective./
000