A/N: I've finally been ridden of the plague. (: I'm still somewhat sick, but nothing compared to yesterday or the day before. Today I watched seasons one through three on DVD, and it inspired me to write some good ol' hipphuggers smut. Read and Review, it makes my day.

"A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird
You're free at last." -Charlie Daniels

It had always relaxed her. Something about the feeling of a gun in her hand made her feel powerful. She carefully took her shooter's stance, and rolled her shoulders back so her aim would be perfect. One little movement and everything could go wrong. Speed. She shook the thought out of her mind; it had been along time ago. She should be over it by now. Clearing her throat she got back to the task at hand. Eyeing her target she began the silent countdown in her head. Three…two…one. BANG! She set the gun down, and triumphantly gazed at her target. Bull's-eye, a perfect shot: not that she expected anything less. She took her ear protection off, and that's when she heard it. Clapping, someone was applauding her. She spun around quickly: her neatly braided blonde hair cutting the air like a knife, slapping her back, making it sting.

"Another perfect shot by the one and only Bullet Girl."

"Good lord Delko, didn't your momma ever teach you not to sneak up on a lady?" She covered her chest with her hand. He smirked at her, earning an eye roll in return.

"She did, I just choose not to listen." He was messing with her, and she knew it. Something about seeing Calleigh agitated just made him want to kiss her senseless. But it was complicated; he knew that the invisible boundary between them could not be crossed, no matter how much he wanted to cross it.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Nah, I was bored." He jumped up onto the counter, leaning back on his hands.

"So you decided to come down here and scare me to death?" He smiled, now she was playing with him. He could see the sparkle in her eyes. She was giving him that look, the one she reserved especially for him.

"It's been a lazy day today, huh?" It was true, sometimes they each pulled triple shifts, while other times it seemed as though no crime was going on in the city.

"Mhhhm." She loved being able to just talk to him. No messy feeling getting in the way. Since when had everything become so complicated between them? Although she asked herself this question, she knew the answer. It wasn't just one thing; it was a whole medley of different occasions. It was when Speed had died, when Eric had gotten his badge stolen, when Hagen committed suicide, when she had found out that Peter was engaged, when Natalia thought that she was pregnant with Eric's child, when Marisol had been murdered, when he had gotten shot, when she got back together with Jake, when she had almost gotten killed, when she was kidnapped, when they both got kicked off the case because of his "cheat sheet", and it was when she had read his psychiatric files. All these things played into their screwed up relationship.

"Relieving some stress I see." He motion towards her personal gun. It was her vice. She didn't smoke, didn't drink, and she didn't go out to clubs dressed like a prostitute. Firing a gun was like an addiction to her.

"You know me to well." She smiled at him, thickening her accent in the process. God he loved her accent. He had never met a girl like her before: A girl who wasn't afraid to process the most gruesome crime scenes, or who wasn't afraid to speak her mind. She was special to him, even if that boundary between them never got crossed.

"I was thinking of Speed today." His voice softened, and tears threatened to fall. She turned her back to him. Swallowing, she turned back to face him, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

"Today is his birthday." Her voice was barely audible, but he understood none the less.

"I know. Remember that time when you convinced him that putting hot sauce into beer was the 'way you do it in Louisiana'?" She laughed. They had had some pretty wild times together. Not only did they work together, but Eric and Speed were like the family that she had never had.

"Yeah I do, his face was red for at least twenty minutes. Remember that one time when we went to that one bar, and you and Tim decided to have a drinking contest? You chugged like six beers in five minutes, while he never took a sip. You were so drunk that Speed and I had to carry you out of there." They were both laughing now. Remembering the good times was a hell of a lot better than being sad alone.

"I think Ryan would have liked him." She turned to look at him. When Ryan had first started working with them Eric had spent all of his time trying to compare him to Speed. It wasn't until later that he realized that maybe having Ryan as a friend didn't mean that he had to replace Speed.

"Yeah he would have. Speed would have made fun of his OCD for sure though." He laughed at that.

"Everyone loved him." He attempted a smile. Sometimes he missed him so much. He had been so sure that he had seen him on the beach that one day, but his shrink had told him it had something to do with the bullet fragments in his head. It had all seemed so real to him. Wherever Speed was, he knew that he and Marisol were looking out for him. He could feel their presence all around him, he never felt alone. He wasn't sure what over came him next. Maybe it was impulse, maybe it was to make her feel better, or maybe it was just because that was the way things were meant to be. He hugged her tightly, not ever wanting to let go. He would die if something ever happened to her; she was one of the only people left that he cared about.

To say she was shocked, was putting it lightly. She smelled the soft traces of cologne, a hint of spearmint gum, and something she could only describe as purely Eric. She felt good, like she belonged there. Things were never going to go back to the way they were before: before everything got so complicated. Oddly though, she was okay with that. For once in her life she felt as though everything was how it should be.

He couldn't resist, it was just too perfect. Here he was standing in the middle of the firearms lab with Calleigh Duquesne in his arms. Calleigh freaking Duquesne. He lifted her chin, emerald meeting with dark brown. He couldn't describe the look in her eyes, yearning. Maybe that was it. He studied her reactions carefully before finally closing the space between them. The kiss was slow and soft. Each of them yearning for something more. He tangled his hands into her hair, releasing it from the tight braid.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he swore he could hear voices: voices that sounded strangely like Speed and Marisol. There was no doubt about it; they were clearly saying one thing,

Finally!

A/N: Well there you go. I just couldn't resist. I watched the episode were Speed gets shot, and I freaking bawled my eyes out. Please be kind (:

Oh and- something's been bothering me. I hate how they say Calleigh's from Louisiana, when her accent screams she's from one of the Carolinas. Random in know. It's just I lived in North Carolina for like 4 years before I moved down to Florida, and I know that Emily Procter was born in Raleigh. (: