Title: Swept Away
Author: Speedfanatic05
Rating: FRT
Content warning: none
Spoilers: none
Archived: Y
A/N: This is just in time for Valentine's Day! Happy lovers day ,everyone!
A/N#2: Thanks goes to randomwriting for helping me out with this! Her encouragment kept me going!
Swept Away
He winced as the door slammed , signifying the end to yet another 'discussion'. He sighed heavily as he went to the door, inspecting it for damage. With the force that she had put behind it, it was a wonder that it didn't fall off of it's hinges. He placed a gentle hand to the door, hearing her soft cries. He had done this to her, his inability to understand her point of view had caused her this pain. He knew that she wanted kids, so did he, but he didn't know if the time was right. They had been married for five years, yet it seemed like they were still getting to know each other. There was no doubt in his mind the love he had for his wife, but the persistent question had been, were they ready?
"Calleigh," he said softly, " I'm sorry. I just need to know that we are ready for this. Having a baby is serious business."
"Do you love me?" a tear filled voice asked, breaking his heart even more. The question ripped at his soul, leaving him desolate. Of course he loved her.
"What kind of question is that, Calleigh? You know I love you," he responded desperately as he ran his hand nervously through his hair, his voice faltering. He couldn't imagine life without her in it.
"Then this should be easy. There's nothing stopping us if we have each other,"she returned. Her voice had gained back the strength, losing the tearful edge.
"Calleigh , it takes more than love to take care of a baby," he stated, putting his head to the door. If only she could understand where he was coming from. The silence that returned to him told him that he had made a grievous mistake. He listened intently, hearing nothing. "Calleigh?"
The door unlocked and she swung it open, clearly more upset coming out than she went in. He caught her icy glare as she passed him, speaking no words, but the point being heard. He reached out to grab her and she snatched back viciously. Turning to him, she stared at him, with those green eyes used to turn him into putty. Now they were so filled with anger, it frightened him.
"I'm going to stay at Maxine's," she intoned bitterly. " I don't want to say anything that I'll regret later."
"Calleigh..."
"I'll see you at work, Timothy."
Tim groaned inwardly as he watched her stalk out of the door. She had called him Timothy, that was not good. Not good at all.
t
"Morning, Timmy,"Alexx greeted happily as she entered the break room. She glanced at him, noticing his demeanor and his unkempt appearances, and her smile dropped. Something had happened. "Timmy, what's wrong?"
" I don't want to talk about it , Alexx," he stated simply. His voice echoed the exhaustion and irritability that he had lost when he married Calleigh, but that didn't dissuade Alexx. It was at this precise moment that he needed to talk.
"It will never get solved if you don't deal with it," she answered softly.
"I realize that ,Alexx. It's not going to just go away on it's own, but she doesn't see my side."
" Oh , so this is about the baby situation? Tim ,what's the matter with having a child? You two love each other enough. It's going to happen."
" You talked to her , didn't you?" Tim asked as he squinted at her. His wife and his confidant were notorious for their deep conversations about him.
"Tim, you're being unreasonable. All she wants is to have your child."
"We aren't ready," he replied as he finished his drink.
"No one is ever ready, Tim. It's just one of those things that you have to have faith in. It's a wonderful thing."
Tim dropped his head, knowing that she was right. He had been selfish, not considering her feelings, instead only worried about his fears of the unknown. He lifted his gaze again with a grateful smile as the door opened. He watched her as she walked through, her long blond hair swaying behind her in a tight ponytail. At the mere sight of her, he instantly felt the loneliness that had accompanied her empty side of the bed. He offered her a small smile as she glanced over him, instead, directing her sights to Alexx.
"Alexx, do you have the bullet yet?" she asked as she turned her back to him. It was apparent that her anger had not dissipated.
"I'll have it for you by lunch. I got two more post in front of yours," Alexx returned as she glanced at Tim, shrugging her shoulders. The look of despair in his eyes tore at her spirit.
"Alright, well page me when you get it."
Tim stepped behind her, feeling the sudden need to just reach out and take her. In the years that they had been married, he never felt the distance that she had now provided. Finding his voice, he reached out for her just as she moved. Frustrated, he closed his eyes, "Calleigh , we need to talk about this."
"I'll be in firearms," she announced to no one in particular.
As the door closed , Alexx walked over to Tim and placed a gentle hand on his, " Fix this Timmy. Don't let this come between you."
With that, she left the break room. He sighed inwardly as he placed the mug in the sink and closed his eyes. If he wanted to salvage his marriage , he had to fix this.
t
" You did it again, didn't you?" Eric asked accusingly as he watched Tim peer into the microscope. He could tell from his appearance that all was not well in the Speedle house hold.
" Excuse me?" Tim asked as he lifted his head slightly from the scopes.
" You've pissed Calleigh off again, haven't you? I swear, Speed... you and your moods.."
"Are not in the mood to talk about this," Tim finished, " so drop it."
"Alright, alright, considered it dropped. But I am going to say this. Stop being so damned stubborn. It's not as bad as you think it is."
" Thank you, Delko, for that heart to heart advice. Now ,if you don't mind, I've got work to do."
Eric shook his head and turned to leave. Tim sighed heavily as he peered back into the scope. Again, he knew that he had been told the truth.
t
Tim stood in line at the store, holding his juice in his hand, checking his watch. He had to be back at the lab soon, but he had stopped off long enough to grab a drink.. He turned around to see a man holding a new born, gently rocking as it cried.
Now that is what I'm talking about, Tim said to himself as he nodded in acknowledgment to him. Could he actually see himself in that position?
A pull at his trousers, directed his attention below as he saw a little girl with green eyes and dark brown ringlets as she smiled playfully. The man moved quickly, reaching for her , all the while smiling.
"Meredith, it's not nice to pull on strangers," the father chided.
" I just wanted to see his badge, Daddy. He's a policeman!" Meredith replied with a glint in her eyes.
Tim's heart melted as he bent to her level, un clipping the badge, " It's real."
"Look Daddy," Meredith exclaimed as she showed her father. Tim again smiled at the little girl, suddenly finding himself unable to justify his stand on not having children. He looked up at the father, seeing that he was obviously tired, but there was something more, joy.
"Do you have any children?" the father asked as he noticed Tim's wedding band. Tim shook his head and dropped his eyes, feeling very exposed now.
" How long have you been married, if I may ask?"
"Five years," Tim responded as he looked to the newborn who had finally drifted off to sleep. "How long were you married before you started having kids?"
"Meridith came a year after we got married, and Miranda here, came a month ago."
" I'm five years old," Meredith piped up as she gazed at the badge. Tim nodded with a warm smile as she threw one back up to him. His heart stopped in his tracks.
" It's not as bad as you think. You feel like you are going to mess it up, but it will come naturally. We are not ready made parents, it takes practice. And mistakes are going to be made, and it will get difficult , but in the end," the father said as he gazed at his daughter, " It's worth it."
"Sir, are you ready to check out?" the clerk asked with annoyance dripping off of her words.
Tim turned to the father and his family as Meredith handed him his badge, " Thank you , Meredith. By the way, my name is Speed."
"Speed?" Meredith giggled, " that's the name your mommy gave you?"
"Actually, that's the name that my friends call me. My real name is Tim."
" I have a friend in kindergarten named Tim," she returned as she stuck her hand out, " nice to meet you, Tim."
Tim took her hand as he heard the clerk get restless and smiled, " Nice to meet you too, Meredith." Instantly , Tim had been smitten. He stepped out of line and let the family move to the register. " You guys go ahead, I forgot some things."
" Thanks, Tim," the father said as he ushered his daughter ahead.
" No , thank you," Tim returned as he waved at Meredith, " Bye Meredith."
" Bye , Speed!" she called out loudly. Tim laughed as he headed deeper into the store, intending on finding what he needed to make everything right again. His mind was made up.
t
Calleigh walked up to the desk sergeant and sighed heavily. This had been the worst day that she had ever endured. Not only had she not gotten any sleep, but she also had to endure a day without speaking to her husband. Even though she was still angry at him, she did miss him. She tried her best to put on one of her dazzling smiles, but she knew that she was failing as Paula looked upon her with sympathetic eyes.
"Bad day?" she asked as she threw Calleigh a light smile.
"Bad can't even describe what kind of day I've had, Paula. Just glad that it is over. Did I have any messages while I was out?"
" Just one," Paula said as she gave her an envelope. " It was here when I got back ."
Calleigh took the envelope in hand and looked at it. It was nothing out of the ordinary, just her name neatly typed on the front of it. She looked up again as she opened it with ease, her eyes reading the simple instructions:
Pier 45, thirty minutes. Don't be late.
" Paula , are you sure that you didn't see who left this?" Calleigh asked as she looked up from the white sheet of paper. It perplexed her, there was no significance of pier 45 to her. Intrigued, she folded the piece of paper back and slid it into the envelope. With nothing else, she smiled at Paula sweetly and said, " If Horatio needs me, tell him I'm reachable on my cell."
"Sure enough," Paula intoned as she reached for the ringing phone. Calleigh turned and walked towards the garage, intent on getting to the bottom of this.
t
He sat back as he looked at his handy work, pleasantly surprised that he was able to have put this together on such a short notice. The sudden feeling he got in the grocery store made him stop and think about just what it was he was so afraid of, and when he actually really thought about it, he instantly knew that he was just being an ass. Calleigh was right, if they loved each other, then the rest should be easy. It was only his intense desire to control everything that had gotten in the way, and he realized that this was something he couldn't control. His wife desired something so simple and yet so thoughtful, and all he had to do was simply agree with it ,and seeing Meredith had released every inhibition that he had about this issue. He only hoped that it wasn't too late.
" For your sake, you ass, it better not be," Tim said to himself as he looked at his watch. The soft breeze that blew through the gazebo, threatening to snuff out the candles. He prayed that the prevailing winds would hold off for just this night. This night had to be special. He glanced around once more, making sure that everything was in its place. All he had to do was wait.
t
Calleigh pulled her car up to the parking space, next to the Tahoe, instantly remembering the significance of pier 45. It was where he proposed. She felt the tears as they began to well up in her eyes as she walked through the sand to the gazebo, being able to see the candle light as it flickered in the soft wind. This was his way of saying that he was sorry. She tried to hold on to the anger that had fueled her the entire day, but she found that as she approached the scene, it melted off of her. She could hear the faint sounds of the song they danced to on their wedding day as it floated on the wind:
At last, my love has come along
my lonely days are over
and life is like a song
Oh yeah yeah, At last
the skies above are blue'
my heart was wrapped up in clovers
the night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
a dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill that I've never known
you smile, you smile ant then the spell was cast,
and here we are in heaven
for you are mine ,... at last.
As she came upon the gazebo, she pulled the sheer curtain back to reveal him , dressed in a dark suit with a smile on his face. She couldn't help herself as she let a smile play across her lips, as he came closer to him. The aroma of his cologne made her instantly forget just what they were fighting about , as he took her into his arms, swaying gently to the sounds of the song, that she realized was on repeat.
" I'm sorry," he whispered into her neck as the song worked on her emotions. " I was being selfish."
She couldn't speak, for fear her tears would choke her words. She wanted to forget about their disagreement and just stay with him in this moment, but she knew that this had to be done. She clutched at his back as he held her tightly in his grasp as if letting her go would make her disappear. In her anger, she didn't realize what she had done to him.
" I should apologize, Tim. I shouldn't have made this such a big deal. We can have a baby , we have..."
Tim stopped dancing with her and pulled away from her gently, " Please don't say we have time. When someone says that, something bad happens. And I know that you want a baby, so don't try and appease me. I've been nothing but an ass about this whole thing, and it took one simple meeting for me to see that."
"So this is what? An apology?" Calleigh said as she looked at him through the candle light. The glow of the flames cast a spell on her as she gazed into his eyes. She would follow this man anywhere he chose to take her.
" This, is my concession. I finally realized that there is nothing stopping us, if we are together. Calleigh, I want us to have a baby."
Calleigh looked at him to see if he was joking, but she could tell by his expression that he was serious. Tilting her head, she studied him, trying to understand him. Not more than twenty two hours ago, he was having doubts, now all of a sudden, he was all for it.
"What made you change your mind?"
" A few pieces of advice, and a glimpse of what I - we could have. Calleigh, I don't want to waste another moment fighting about this. It's what I want, and I know its what you want," he said as he inched closer to her. She could feel his breath on her skin and it sent a pleasurable sensation down her spine, but she backed away, causing him confusion.
" You're sure about this?" she asked as she let her arms drop to her sides. The confusion was starting to wear thin on Tim as he looked into her eyes. There was something that was going on behind thosegreen eyes.
"Calleigh, is there something you wanted to say?"
"Tim, I-I I want you to be sure when you say that," Calleigh intoned as she continued to hold his gaze, the tears starting to spill over her eyelids.
" Cal, honey, what's the matter? Cal?"
"Are you sure about this, Tim? I mean , really sure?"
" I've never been so sure about something in my life. I want you to be happy, I want us to be happy. I love you."
" Tim, I have to tell you something," Calleigh started as she wiped her tears. " I just found out yesterday. That's why I was so upset at you... I couldn't understand why..."
"Calleigh, just tell me, babe."
"Tim, I'm pregnant," Calleigh said simply. She waited for his response with her eyes slightly closed and turned away from him as the wind blew through her hair. She knew she should've told him as soon as she found out, but she had to test the waters first, and when he reacted like that to the conversation of children, she lost it. The day had been one where she fought with herself with what to do.
Tim stumbled slightly as he took in the words that his wife told him and he stood silently as he watched the wind toss her long blond hair about her. This was something that he wasn't expecting, but he was delighted none the same.
"Calleigh, that- that's wonderful," he said as he put his arms around her waist, encasing her.
" It sure sounds like surprise to me," Calleigh returned quietly.
" You have to admit, Cal, it's a big surprise, considering that I just told you that I wanted to have children. Were you ever going to tell me?"
" When I knew what to say. The discussion we had didn't exactly set my mind at ease, Tim. I just needed a day to think about it."
" To think about it?" he asked as she turned to him. It was his fault that the doubt had even crept up inside of her.
" Tim, I love you, but I just had to think about it... I wasn't sure how to tell you, knowing how you felt about this. It was awful keeping it from you when all I wanted was to share the news and my happiness with you. But I wanted you to be happy as well because this is our child," Calleigh explained tearfully.
"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore, Cal. I want this child as much as you do, more so if that is possible. I love you."
Calleigh rested her head on his shoulders and felt his arms around her once again. She breathed in his cologne and instantly ,her worries were swept away on the forceful wind that blew through the gazebo, snuffing out the candles. They never stopped swaying to the music , their bodies moving as one, their love saying everything. Even in the darkness, they could count on each other to lead the way.
The End.