A/N: So I've read "Horatio and Calleigh meet for the first time" fics, I've written an "Eric and Calleigh meet for the first time" ficlet, but you know, I don't think I've ever seen a fic where Speed and Calleigh met for the first time. Or maybe I just haven't been a fan of the pairing long enough to fully dig through the archive yet. Anyway, that's what this is, but it's more than just that. It's a three-parter (which I should be able to actually finish without getting too irritated with it, haha), and really it's quite short. So. Enjoy, I guess. Maybe. Usual disclaimers and all that; nothing is mine, etc. :)

He knew it just had to be a bad sign.

Under the right circumstances, Tim could be a patient person. But like any other normal person, after being kept waiting for any length of time, his patience would start to disappear.

But this time, curiosity won out over impatience, to his slight dismay.

It was that curiosity that kept him waiting in the middle of the airport for five and a half hours.

He knew it was a bad sign. He'd waited almost six hours for her…and he didn't even know her yet. It was the curiosity; it had to be. Like everyone else in the lab, Tim was curious about the new girl from New Orleans. It wasn't every day that one of the top ballistics experts in the country was a woman, and it certainly wasn't everyday that she was transferring to Miami. There'd been talk around the lab, about this new "Bullet Girl," as she was called, and even though Tim generally tried not to pay attention to what goes around the lab, he'd heard a fair bit about her, and he had to admit; he was intrigued.

Surprising even himself, Tim had jumped at the chance to meet her at the airport. Horatio, who'd originally been supposed to meet her, had an emergency come up at the last minute, and Tim had volunteered to take his place, before he'd even known what he was saying. Even Horatio had been startled at his sudden enthusiasm, but, being in a hurry, he hadn't questioned him.

And so, Tim found himself sitting in the middle of the crowded airport, waiting hours for a woman he'd never even met.

It sounded crazy even to him.

Still, he waited, glancing occasionally at the overcast sky outside as watched the arrivals screen, seeing the arrival time on her flight being pushed farther and farther back, and he still waited, surprisingly enough with only minimal annoyance. Even though there were a hundred other places he'd rather be at the moment, somehow he stayed right where he was. He smirked to himself; the phrase 'good things come to those who wait' flashing blindingly through his mind.

Eventually his waiting paid off, and he moved slowly toward the gate, looking through the crowd of disgruntled passengers.

His eyes landed on her almost immediately.

He knew it was a bad sign when his breath caught in his throat and he could do nothing but stare. She'd been in his line of sight for less than a minute, and already Tim knew it was going to be hard working alongside her from now on. Standing back, he allowed his eyes to scan over her appreciatively, watching as she spun around, obviously looking for someone. But Tim wasn't ready to let himself be found yet. Watching her, he found himself mesmerized by the way her long golden hair cascaded down her back, held back from her eyes by the sunglasses perched atop her head.

He had the sudden urge to thread his fingers through that long blonde hair, feeling the silky strands flow softly between them. Blinking, he shook his head, wondering where on earth that urge had come from. Deciding it was safer to make his way to her than to stand around and stare for the rest of the evening, Tim leisurely began moving toward her.

She stood out from the irritated crowd around her, making an effort to smile and greet people at random. Or maybe she didn't have to make the effort; maybe that kind of thing just came naturally to her.

Like her beauty. Tim stopped abruptly and shook his head, reminding himself once again that he didn't even know this woman.

He watched her for a moment longer, watching her scan the crowd, a slight bit of confusion crossing her features. Again he moved toward her, knowing she was looking for Horatio. Tim smirked slightly, hoping she wouldn't be too disappointed.

Her back was to him when he finally made it to her. "Bullet Girl, huh?" he asked quietly, smirking again, knowing he startled her.

She spun around to him, her eyes blinking in confusion. Her bright green eyes. Tim was certain he'd never met anybody with eyes as bright, as intense as hers. Biting the inside of his cheek, Tim crossed his arms, forcing himself to stay in the present. Already was he losing himself in her eyes, and he'd only spoken three words to her.

One thing was certain - work was going to be impossible.

She smiled brightly, and Tim felt a fluttering in his chest; in his stomach. What the hell?

"Yeah, that's me," she replied in her sweet, southern accent. "Bullet Girl," she added with a giggle. "I'm Calleigh Duquesne," she said cheerfully, extending her hand to Tim, her eyes searching him puzzledly. "And you're…not Horatio Caine."

Tim smirked, shaking her hand. "Disappointed?"

Quickly she shook her head. "No, not at all…it's just I was expecting him, and obviously he's not here, instead it's you, and I don't know or recognize you and I was starting to wonder if something had come up or if my flight delay had affected anything and I was going to have to find my way around Miami myself which would be the worst idea ever because I'm horrible with directions."

Tim stared at her. "Do you…always do that?"

"Do what?"

"That little rambley-thing you just did."

Closing her eyes, Calleigh blushed. "I'm sorry," she apologized embarrassedly. "I've been told I ramble when I'm nervous. I'm sorry, uh…I still don't know who you are," she said, tilting her head.

Tim smirked. "Speed."

"Uh, Speed?"

"Yep. So where's your luggage?"

"Baggage claim four," Calleigh replied, pointing. Tim nodded, and they began to walk that way. "Your name is Speed," she repeated.

"Yeah. I think we've established that," Tim replied, lifting his brow as they walked. "Is there a problem?"

"Surely your first name isn't Speed."

"You can't prove it isn't."

Calleigh tilted her head. "Really? What if I pulled your wallet out of your pocket and found your driver's license?"

"That would only prove that you wanted to touch my ass," Tim deadpanned, grinning inwardly at the look on Calleigh's face.

"Oh my God. And I have to work with you?" Calleigh asked incredulously. She went to pull her luggage from the conveyor belt, stopping in surprise when Tim got it for her. "I could've gotten that."

He smirked. "I know. I'm just getting a head start on getting you in my debt. You know, just so I can take you up on it later."

Calleigh shook her head, her lips curving upward despite her slight annoyance. "Are you always this antagonistic? This arrogant?"

"Yeah, pretty much." He smirked. "Come on, you know you find it endearing."

Calleigh snorted. "Endearing. Right."

"You know you love it," Tim replied smugly, holding the door for her as they walked out into the sunlight. "So…"

Calleigh glanced at him. "So what?"

"You're from New Orleans, right?"

Calleigh gave him a suspicious look, not quite sure where he was going with this. "Yeah…so?"

"You ever do Mardi Gras?" he asked conversationally.

Calleigh stopped for a moment, staring at his back as he continued walking. "I still don't even know your name. I am not going to dignify that question with a response," she replied matter-of-factly, falling back into step next to him.

He grinned. "That's a yes."

Calleigh put her hands on her hips, gaping. "That was not a yes! That was a refusal to answer the question!"

"Which you would've had no problem answering if the answer were a simple 'no.'"

Opening her mouth to retort, Calleigh found herself at a loss for words. Instead, she simply glared at his back, still seeing the smug grin on his face though his back was to her. Shaking her head, she continued walking, knowing that if he was anything like this at work, things were sure to be pretty interesting.

Still, she couldn't deny that it was, well, nice to have somebody that felt comfortable with teasing banter like this. Working in New Orleans, things had gotten fairly boring; all her coworkers were serious all the time. Calleigh grinned; finally it seemed there was someone who could give her a run for her money in the teasing retaliation department. Someone who would be fun to argue with.

Within moments, Tim was pulling out a set of keys and unlocking a car. Calleigh stood, an amused grin on her face as she watched him pop the trunk. "Somehow, this isn't the car I pictured you having."

Tim scowled. "That's because this isn't my car. I borrowed a friend's so I could come pick you up."

"Why'd you have to borrow a car?"

"Because I don't have one," Tim replied, catching her confused look. He grinned. "Don't need one," he replied in answer to her unasked question. "All I need is my yellow Ducati."

"You have a motorcycle?"

"My pride and joy," he said proudly, his eyes narrowing as Calleigh snickered. "You're just jealous, that's all."

"Yeah. Jealous. You'll have to forgive me for liking to have four doors, airbags, and a fair amount of steel between me and everything else on the road."

Tim shook his head in disbelief. "No sense of adventure," he said sadly, a teasing glint in his eyes. "You'd think a girl who plays with guns for a living would at least understand the joys of racing down the highway at insane speeds."

Calleigh smiled. "What can I say? My days of walking on the wild side ended years ago." She pursed her lips for a moment; she couldn't help but be intrigued. "But maybe one day you could give me a ride, huh? Help me relive those days."

He snickered, slightly shaking his head as he placed her luggage in the back of the car. He closed the trunk, then stood for a moment, leaning against the side of the car, looking appraisingly over Calleigh. "Tim."

"…I'm sorry?" Calleigh asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"My name. Tim. Tim Speedle."

Calleigh nodded, finally able to make the connection with his nickname. "So why do people call you Speed?"

He shrugged in response. "Why not? It sounds sexier than Tim," he said with a wink. He grinned devilishly, and Calleigh braced herself. "So, uh, I told you my name. Now you gotta answer the question I asked you earlier," he said, knowing she knew exactly what question he was talking about.

Calleigh's cheeks tinted slightly, though the rest of her face remained defiant. "Maybe," she muttered, ignoring the gleeful grin that spread across Tim's face. "And that's as much of an answer as you're getting."

Tim smirked, walking around to the driver side door. "I'm sure I'll get the whole story out of you someday," he teased, getting in the car.

Calleigh climbed in beside him, momentarily checking her hair in the mirror. "Yeah, that's assuming there actually is a story there," she said.

Tim watched her for a moment. "Oh, I know there's a story there. It's just getting it out of you that's gonna be the hard part." He gave her a wink as he started the car.

Calleigh rolled her eyes, chuckling. "Yeah, good luck with that," she replied, reaching up with her left hand to push her sunglasses over her eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, Tim noticed something glimmer in the sunlight; something on her hand.

He knew it was a bad sign when seeing that little piece of jewelry invoked in him one of the worst feelings he'd ever felt. Tim winced as the sting of rejection set in; he'd barely had a full conversation with this woman, and already he was feeling rejected, let down.

"So you're engaged." It was a statement, not a question.

Calleigh looked at him. "I've known you all of twenty minutes," she drawled. "How'd you know that?"

Tim shrugged. "Casual observation," he muttered, directing his eyes to her ring finger.

"Oh." She laughed. "I guess that does sort of give it away, huh?" She fidgeted with the ring for a moment, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.

She wasn't the only one.