I love my history class and all, but when it takes up 80% of my time, I get really annoyed. All my writing time was practically thrown out the window, with the other 20% being dedicated to eating, getting three hours of sleep, the other classes and my one hour of CSI: M on Sundays. But now this HUGE test is over and, for at least a weekend, I get some writing time. I'll try to publish this and update a chapter of something, I'm not sure which one (is there one anyone is particularly interested in me updating?).
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"This is nice," Calleigh smiled, adjusting her head on Eric's chest, the steady rhythm of his heart echoing under her ear. It was near midday, the beams of light created by the sun dancing along the floor of the room and the disorganized sheets of the bed.
"Yeah, it is," Eric agreed smoothing his hand down her hair, feeling her warm skin at the end of the strands.
"You sure you don't want to go to work?" she asked, jokingly.
"And miss out on this?" Eric questioned, laughing lightly as he pulled her closer. "Not a chance. Besides, if we were suddenly cured it would look very suspicious."
Most of the CSI team had caught the bug that had been circulating through the lab, resulting in many of them having to take sick days, much to their dismay. When it finally hit Eric and Calleigh they, along with the rest of the team, had tried to ignore their symptoms and fight through it, but it was a struggle that ended in vain. Horatio would normally tell them to go home and, if they refused, he came up with someway to send them home one way or another.
Only when Eric and Calleigh awoke that morning, they were feeling better, however reluctant to leave their bed. Calleigh had been a bit hesitant about taking yet another day off, but it didn't take Eric too long to convince her otherwise.
"Good point," Calleigh grinned, turning her head to kiss his jaw before her lips traveled to press against his.
"Have you made up your mind yet?" Eric mumbled against her lips, his question causing Calleigh leaned out and give him a look.
"I'm thinking about it," Calleigh sighed, folding her hands on his chest, resting her chin on top of them.
"Still?"
"Patience is a virtue," she shrugged with a half smile.
Eric rolled his eyes, only Calleigh would have to consider going on a vacation.
"C'mon, Calleigh, don't you want to take some time off?"
"We are taking time off this second," she pointed out.
"True," Eric nodded. "But doesn't a romantic getaway sound like a good idea?" His voice was deep, coated with a luscious quality that made it all that more alluring as well as convincing.
"Of course it does, but it's not like we'll be gone for only three days or a week. We're talking two weeks. We have court, the team will be two members short, we might be needed for a consult and I'd probably have to baby-proof Firearms for my replacement," she rambled.
"There aren't any court dates scheduled for either of us, the team will survive, we will have our cell phones if they absolutely need us for a consult and anyone going in that lab knows if they don't treat it right that you'll kill them," he smiled, his fingertip slowly running over the contours of her spine in which the sheets didn't conceal, his skin barely touching hers and it sent a pleasant shiver through her. He gently put his lips to hers, his hand sprawling over the small of her back as he tugged at her lips. Calleigh knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to use this intimacy to convince her to go on the trip, but she wasn't going to be swayed so easily and pulled out of the kiss.
"I'll think about it," she repeated, giving him another light peck on the lips.
"Okay," Eric sighed, melodramatically. "You can think about the peaceful countryside of Montana, where it would be just you and me, no crime, no traffic, no interruptions. You can think about it, while meanwhile others are experiencing it."
Calleigh rolled her eyes and sighed. "How long do I have to decide?"
At this, Eric's eyes darted to the digital clock to his left before hesitantly turning back to her.
"Twenty-nine hours," he admitted, guiltily.
Had Calleigh not been so shocked about his impulsiveness, she was certain her jaw would have dropped, but her face remained frozen as she looked at him in disbelief.
"What?" she asked, appalled, before pushing herself off his chest to her side of the bed and rest against her pillow, running her hands through her hair. "What possessed you to plan a vacation behind my back?"
"You did," Eric sighed, propping his elbow on his pillow and resting his head against his palm. "You need a vacation, Cal, you're stressed out."
"I'm not stressed out."
"Oh, really?" he chuckled. "When was the last time you got a goodnight's sleep?"
"Yesterday," she answered, a bit smug.
"Because you were sick. And you were probably sick because stress can weaken your immune system," he pointed out.
"Yes, stress made me sick, not the fact that it is cold-flu season and everyone else in America is sick and contagious," Calleigh said, sarcastically.
"Okay, fair enough. But riddle me this, Batman, when was the last time you had fun?"
"What? Sex isn't considered fun anymore?" Calleigh asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Other than sex," he rolled his eyes. "When was the last time you went out and had some real fun?"
Calleigh bit her lip and attempted to think back to the last time she left her house for something other than work and grocery shopping.
"Well, Natalia and I went to the movies a few weeks ago."
"That was about three months ago, Calleigh, and you both hated that movie," he reminded her.
"True," she admitted. "But we made good conversation."
Eric chuckled and shook his head, reaching over to brush his knuckles along the side of her cheek.
"Babe," he sighed. "You have been stretching yourself way too thin lately. You've been working overtime, you haven't been getting home until very late and you look way too exhausted to be working so hard. You have earned some time off and we have earned some alone time together."
Calleigh sweetly grinned up at him, reaching up to thread her fingers through his and bring them to rest at her side. She wrapped another arm around his muscular torso and guiding his body to gently rest on top of hers, pulling him closer to collide her lips against his. Their lips formed together to create a steamy, erotic, kiss that made Eric's mind become heavily intrigued by the thought of pursing more than just a kiss from her. Knowing he wouldn't be able to resist her much longer, he made a final attempt to get her answer.
"So what do you say?" he mumbled against her skin as his lips moved to her jawbone.
"I say…" Calleigh began, Eric now dotting kisses along the vein in her neck. "That I'm thinking about it."
"God, Cal," Eric half laughed, half sighed as his lips left her skin and his head fell lightly against her collarbone. There were moments when Eric found Calleigh's stubbornness and hard headedness attractive, in some instances even very sexy, but there were times like these when it was just frustrating, yet he still couldn't not love that quality about her.
After a day of continuous intimacy between the two, kissing Calleigh and practically losing himself to Calleigh, Eric had essentially given up on convincing her to take the vacation. However, he found strength to withdraw himself from Calleigh long enough to take a shower, the water calming his pulse and bringing him back to the world that consisted of more than just himself and Calleigh. But the world he escaped while under the warm water was the one he was most eager to return.
Eric shut off the water and dried himself off until all water had been removed. He tied the towel around his waist, exiting the bathroom to step into the bedroom. As usual, he found himself taking a moment to watch the beautiful woman before him. She wasn't facing Eric, her eyes on the items on the bed and in her hand. She had on her black silk robe, the one that barely reached her knees. Her blonde hair was slightly tousled, falling unevenly down her back.
Eric was eventually able to look passed the beauty to the object on the bed that held Calleigh's attention; he curiously narrowed his eyes at what he saw. Calleigh had a suitcase resting on the disorganized sheets, folding a pair of jeans and placing them on top of—what appeared to be—other clothes she had folded inside the bag.
"What are you doing?" Eric asked, walking up behind Calleigh and snaking his arms around her torso.
Calleigh's lips pulled up into a smile, leaning into Eric, his bare chest warm and sticky from the steam of the shower. She turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck.
"Well," she sighed. "The tickets have already been purchased by the sound of it you already figured everything out and some time alone with you would be really nice."
"So…we're going on vacation," he inferred, arms wrapping tighter around her and to bring her deeper into his chest.
A devilish smile came to Calleigh's face before she stretched up on her toes to give Eric a peck on the lips; that was answer enough for Eric. The idea of the two of them on vacation had been intoxicating ever since it fell into his mind, the challenge would be getting Calleigh to agree; she was always one to put responsibility before fun. Now, at long last, they were going to be able to have some well earned time alone without the worry of work the following morning. He would have the opportunity to be with Calleigh and tell her how much he loved her throughout the day without the chance of anyone overhearing them.
Calleigh proceeded to lean away from Eric and out of his arms to go back to the closet. She pulled down another bag from the shelf above the clothes.
"But since someone," she playfully glared in his direction and tossing the bag at him, "didn't tell me about this until last minute, we'd better get packing."
"Yes, ma'am," he smiled, catching the bag in one hand.
Calleigh rolled her eyes at his comment, trying not to become distracted be his masculine features as he changed into boxers and a pair of sweats; she committed herself to folding the clothes instead.
"So?" he asked when he was done changing, grabbing some clothes from the chest of drawers. "Are you going to pack that nightgown of yours?"
"Which nightgown?"
"You know, the black one," he clarified, a sly smile hinting on his lips.
"Oh, you mean the one with the spaghetti straps, the short length and no back?" she asked, intentionally making each word seductive and sexy, taking a suggestive step towards him. "Is that the one you're talking about?"
"Mm-hmm," he nodded, resting his head against hers. "That's the one."
Calleigh had her perfect poker face on and he couldn't tell what she was thinking; he had the feeling that was the way she wanted it.
"I may pack it…then again, I may not," she said, teasingly.
Eric slid his arms around her waist and bent down to kiss her, his lips caressing hers as his tongue explored the curvature of her lower lip. He wanted to shove the bags on the bed aside and the two of them to become lost in the sheets again; the image of her in the provocative nightgown having sent his mind reeling.
Calleigh kissed him back, humoring him for a second before she reached up to lay her fingertips on his chest to gently push herself out of the kiss.
"I'll make you a deal. If you quit making packing so difficult…" she paused and turned to dig something out of the dresser. She unfolded the silky black material and held the dress in front of her body. "Then I'll pack this. Deal?"
Eric chortled and nodded. "Deal."
"I don't know about you," Eric said, two steaming mugs of coffee in hand as he walked out the back of the log cabin (which was part of their vacation package) and towards Calleigh, who was sitting on the porch swing. "But I love it up here."
"I know, it's gorgeous," Calleigh smiled, taking the coffee as Eric sat next to her. Montana was indeed beautiful, with the mountains, valleys and lakes, sights one never had the luxury of seeing in Miami. The colors of the sun setting seemed more vibrant as the orb of light began to disappear behind the mountains. The sky appeared to be set ablaze with fiery red light, a perfect contrast to the delicate blue it had been hours before. The spectacular hue of the sky coupled with the shaded mountains reflected beautifully on the body of water that rested at the base of the mountain. The view was nothing short of breathtaking and something the couple would willingly gaze at for as long as possible.
Eric wrapped his arm around Calleigh, gently pulling her into him as he put his lips to her hair. Calleigh allowed herself to lean into him and rest her head against his shoulder. They watched as the sun finally disappeared as the two sipped their coffee and the crickets in the brush played their merry tune.
"So, are you still annoyed at me for planning this behind your back?" Eric asked, averting his eyes from the landscape before him to look down at his girlfriend.
"Well," she sighed, snuggling closer to him. "I can't say I'm mad about the vacation…and I guess I can understand why you planned it without talking to me. I'll admit I have a slight tendency to be stubborn.
"A slight tendency?" he chuckled, questioningly. Calleigh lifted her head off his shoulder to give him one of her infamous stares. "I'm just kidding," he assured her, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder.
"Anyway," she continued. "Your intentions were good and it's amazing up here, so I'll let this devious moment of yours slide."
"Thank you, both for letting it slide and for coming," Eric smiled, leaning down to press his lips to hers, the taste of coffee and Calleigh meeting his tongue.
"Your welcome," she mumbled, leaning out to look him in the eye. "But pull a stunt like that again and I'll be forced to shoot you."
"Fair enough," Eric shrugged, leaning down to kiss her as the moon rose and the stars began to twinkle above them.