Title: Second Chances
Author: LiLAqUaMaRiE
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Pairings/Characters: Tim/Calleigh, Calleigh/Jake
Rating: T
Genre: Drama, angst
Spoilers: No spoilers.
Word Count: 961
Challenge Fic: #2
Challenge Word: #014 – Choices
Summary: Tim was sick of second chances.
Disclaimer: I don't own "CSI: Miami" or anything related to it. So don't sue me please!!!! I'm already poor as it is. Don't need a lawsuit to put me out on the street.
Note: This is a fic for the MiamiFicTalk Community prompt challenge.

SECOND CHANCES

Tim Speedle stood outside.

It was a rare dark and cold night in the Miami-Dade community; practically everyone was within their own homes among loved ones - all but him. Though Tim did not care, all that mattered to him was within the house before him; the house that once he had called home, but now he was homeless.

Tim knew he should not be where he was at the moment and he even knew that he shouldn't be torturing himself, but he couldn't help himself – he couldn't help but stand outside of Calleigh Duquesne's house.

This was his story and his story was a sad one.

It was like a ritual without ending; as each night went by there he was outside of her house – staring at it. Hoping beyond hope that she would come out and find him and save him from the pain he was living in.

Tim knew he wouldn't be sleeping tonight, just like he barely slept any other night either. And he wouldn't ever find a moment's peace until he was back where he was supposed to be - back home with her.

He knew he was no longer allowed within it; he also knew that he was no longer allowed to think of her as his either – but it hurt him so damn much to think otherwise.

Tim closed his eyes as he took a drag of his cigarette. He was never one to smoke, but like life, things change. He longed to have her in his arms once more as he had a long time ago in the past, longed to kiss her soft lips and call her his. However, they were now just simple wishes that were never going to come true.

Tim understood that every story must have an ending, but he never expected that his was to come so soon.

Calleigh was once his, but the sight of someone from her past changed everything between them. He hated that person with a passion, hated him in the first place for hurting Calleigh in the past and hated him once again for returning back into her life and sweeping her off her feet and away from him. It was a simple fact. He hated Jake Berkeley.

Unfortunately, what he can say really destroyed his heart was when Calleigh broke off the relationship they had to give Jake a second chance; giving Jake the chance to once again kiss her lips, to once again hold her within his arms, to once again call her and her place – home.

He can still remember the last moments he had with her before she left his life; the moment still haunted him till this day – never wanting to leave him alone. As if it wanted to torture him daily.

"Calleigh…"

She lifted a hand to stop him from continuing. "Tim, don't."

He shook his head, "No, no. We can find a way to go about this!" he glanced at her with sad eyes.

Calleigh crossed her arms across her chest as she closed her eyes, "Tim, don't do this to yourself."

Tim stared at her with a pitiful look on his face. He swallowed hard as he tried to plead to her, "We can't end this!" He shook his head, "Not like this…"

Calleigh opened her own sad eyes, "But it must end." She whispered to him, "I'm with Jake now, not you."

Tim eyes shined with unshed tears as he heard her confession. It was like a knife stab to his heart. His voice shook with emotion as he spoke, "I always thought that this would be easier somehow."

Calleigh gazed at him with teary eyes as he continued. "I thought that you would always love me…" he chuckled humorlessly, "I guess I wanted to believe that would always be true." He turned away from her to eye at something else but her.

Tears ran down her face as Calleigh listened to his words; she took a step towards him, "I'm sorry." She whispered before she turned and ran away from him.

It took Tim awhile later to realize that she was saying goodbye to him, to something she knew she wouldn't have ever again.

As he shook his head to clear his mind from memories of the past, Tim walked closer to the house, walking up to one of the front windows. He glanced through it and his eyes fell on something that made his heart break all over again. Calleigh and Jake were kissing heatedly on the sofa, while the television playing before them was ignored.

Instinctively, he closed his eyes tightly at the sight. He wanted to scream in rage, he wanted to kick down the door and punch Jake until he was out cold. He wanted to take her in his arms, yell at her for kissing Jake, wanted to kiss her to show her that he was the better choice. He wanted to do so much, but instead he did nothing.

Time went by slowly as he kept staring at the scene before him. To anyone who could see him, he may have been considered a voyeur, a stalker – but he didn't care. Tim knew this was the only way he could catch a glimpse of her; even if it was the only way that kept breaking his heart and soul to pieces – destroying him.

It pained him so much that there weren't words enough to describe the feeling.

She was meant to be his and his alone but now she belonged to another; Jake had her. He has his second chance with her, because Calleigh had chosen Jake over him and Tim knew he wasn't getting his second chance.

He was truly sick of second chances.

FIN.