Flour covered the countertop as well as streaked many parts of her hair and cheeks from the light mist it created. She was certain her biceps and triceps had increased had increased in size due to the constant stirring and whisking she had been doing all evening. Calleigh was aware she had a well functioning mixer in the cabinet, but she wanted the hard work and the old fashioned way of preparing baked goods other than letting a machine do it for her.
Had anyone walked into her house, though there really wasn't a reason at nine-two at night, they would have been in utter shock to see Calleigh slaving over a bowl of eggs, sugar, and various other ingredients. They were aware that Calleigh cooked, but they never associated her with baking; probably mostly due to the fact the thought had never crossed their minds. The picture of Calleigh with a wooden spoon, apron, and chef's hat simply wasn't an image that had been conjured – not even Calleigh herself.
She couldn't explain why she chose baking of all things, but what she did know was that whenever the shooting range was closed and dishearteningthoughts entered her mind, she needed some route of escape and was willing to get it, no matter how out of character it was; she needed a distraction.
Calleigh had tried watching a movie, reading and even cleaning her practically spotless house, but she had yet to be distracted. She needed to work, something to fully focus her mind on. Something in which she hadn't truly committed time to (in this case, something she had never done unless with the assistance of an instant mix). In the spur of the moment of the moment, Calleigh had grabbed a cookbook from the very back from the shelf above the bread bin and flipped to a random page and the original chocolate cake was looking at her. She gathered everything the recipe called for, eggs, flour, sugar, baking soda, and cocoa powder then was off.
The feeling was odd, almost as though she were having an out-of-body experience and couldn't get back to her normality that was Calleigh Duquesne, the woman who spent her free time cleaning guns. But she didn't want to be her, the Calleigh who was hurting and done, she was glad to escape for a few glorious moments. She wanted to escape how empty the house was without Eric to help her fill it by filling a cake pan with batter. She wanted to forget about the taste of Eric on her lips by replacing it with the chocolate cake's gooey, sugary substance from the spoon. She wanted to fill the whole in her heart Eric normally contained with something almost as sweet and warm as he was.
Calleigh whipped and whisked and stirred until the bowl held the dark, thick liquid. She grabbed a cake basin and poured it in the hollow tin after spraying it down with Pam.
With the oven preheated, Calleigh slid the cake onto the rack and set the timer. Knowing that she'd have to wait at least thirty-five for the cake would be completed, she ignored the mess in the kitchen for now (figuring it would be something to distract her tomorrow) and Calleigh walked into her living room and laid on her couch, turning on the evening news. Her mind, however, was barely taking in all of the stats on the sports section as her mind drifted back to the reason behind her slaving over a stupid dessert . . . Eric.
On any normal night, she wouldn't have baked all evening. Instead she would have eaten dinner with him, talking and laughing in the process, followed by a few hours in his arms and the night concluding with the two lying within a mess of sheets. But that routine had long since been extinct and, for tonight, Calleigh had switched over into Betty Crocker's shoes instead of her usual stilettos. But now that she wasn't allowed to find away to block Eric from her mind, the familiar hole in her heart began to beat even louder. It continued with every thump, pain coursing her body as it spread through her veins. Each beat seemed to repeat the same name, Eric . . .
Eric . . .
Eric . . .
Eric . . .
Beep . . .
Beep . . .
Beep. . .
Calleigh heard the repetitive, irritating tone before the rest of her senses became alert; they were delayed by the slumber she didn't realize she had fallen into. She could it before anything else; she was more familiar with the stench of smoke than she ever wanted.
The smoke wasn't exactly thick, but it was enough to bring water to her eyes. She realized what was happening and sprung to her feet, the smoke detector still beeping.
It was worse in the kitchen, the gray substance following from the crevices of the stove. Calleigh grabbed the fire extinguisher from under the sink and took action. She turned off the oven, grabbed an oven mitt before yanking open the oven door. The flames were perfect . . . had she been making a baked Alaska. They were hitting the roof of her oven, the orange flames erupting from the middle of the cake. She pointed the nozzle at the flames and squeezed the trigger. The white mist flew inside the oven and the fire; in a matter of moments, the flames had diminished. Calleigh sighed in relief as she lowered the extinguisher. Now that the adrenaline rush had worn off, Calleigh realized how much smoke she was inhaling. She coughing and tears stinging her eyes, she flung open all her windows to let the smoke out before stepping out on her front porch to get some fresh oxygen.
The cool air touched her feverish skin and replaced the unpleasantpollution in her lungs with evening air. The blood started to rush into head, making her feel lightly faint. She lowered herself onto the step, continuing to take deeps breaths to refresh her lungs as she waited a few more moments for her house to clear.
Out in the distance, Calleigh heard the wailing of sirens . . . many of them. She heard each distinct pattern of the sirens to identify the specific vehicle, the wailing of a fire truck and ambulance. Calleigh had a sinking feeling she knew where they were heading.
"Oh, no," Calleigh groaned, letting her face drop into her hands and shaking her head. "Keep going, keep going," she hoped aloud, but heard the sirens getting louder instead of fading into the distance.
Eventually, the inevitable occurred and the emergency team arrived and people on the street were already starting to walk out to discover the source of the ruckus.
Calleigh stood up as firemen and paramedics rushed out of their vehicles. Calleigh got to her feet and sprinted over towards them before things got too out of control.
"Everything is okay," she called to the both of them, holding her palms in front of her. "It wasn't anything major, everything is okay."
"Are you hurt ma'am?" the first fireman asked, no one acting urgently due to the lack of flames engulfing her house. "Your neighbor said she saw the smoke."
"I'm fine, I fell asleep while I was baking something in the oven and put it out with the fire extinguisher," she explained, hoping it would be enough to convince them.
"Would you mind if I surveyed the damage to be sure?" he asked.
Yes, I would, Calleigh thought inwardly. She wanted to be alone and for this moment to be over. But she knew the best thing she could do for herself night now was get his opinion and she stepped aside to let him go up her path and inside her house. She was about to follow him inside when one of the medics approached her.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, patiently.
"I'm fine," Calleigh promised. "I've been through worse, trust-."
"Calleigh!"
For a second, Calleigh was certain she had imagined his voice calling her, the trauma causing her mind to pull tricks on her. But when she looked in the direction of the voice, Eric, sure enough, was rushing towards her. His eyes were worried and his face was livid under his bronze skin.
"What are you doing here?" Calleigh asked, surprised by his presence.
"I heard that there was a fire at your house over my radio," Eric explained. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Calleigh rolled her eyes; both at his concern and that she was going to be given yet another round of third degree.
"I'm fine, the food in my oven caught on fire, it's no big deal," Calleigh sighed before turning to the paramedic. "I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine."
The medic looked at her skeptically, but he knew he couldn't force medical treatment on her and nodded before walking away.
"I know what you are thinking," she murmured, turning to look up at Eric.
"If you think that I think you should get checked out, then yes," Eric nodded.
"I don't need to get checked out," Calleigh insisted.
"Did you inhale any smoke?" he asked, on full protective mode.
Calleigh hesitated and bit her lip, guiltily. She hadn't inhaled an abundance of smoke, but, considering her passed experiences with her lungs, she knew that she would be prone to damage.
"Calleigh?"
"A little," Calleigh admitted. "But I doubt it was enough to trigger anything."
Eric gave her a look, obviously not buying anything she was saying. She knew what the look in his eye and the seriousness of his expression meant, she had seen it many times over the years. It was the same determined look he had whenever he was dead-set on solving a case or getting one to confess to something, whether it be murder or the fact they were putting themselves in harms way because they were being stubborn.
Calleigh sighed in defeat, knowing he would eventually get his way.
"Let me just get all the firemen out of here and then I'll go to the hospital, but I'm not going in the ambulance."
"I'll drive you," Eric offered.
"Deal," Calleigh smiled, secretly pleased; not so much as that she was going to the hospital, but the fact Eric was driving her.
"Deal," he echoed, though he knew he wouldn't be able to relax fully until after the doctor gave her a clean bill of health, but at least she was going. When he heard her address and the word 'fire' in the same sentence, he automatically grabbed his keys and rushed over, not caring how rocky their relationship was at the moment.
"I'll be right back," she sighed before walking towards her house to see what the firefighter made of the damage.
Eric watched her as she wandered back into her house, fighting the instinct not to follow her, fighting the urge to protect her. He had had too many vile images come to his mind on the drive over. He heard her coughing, choking and struggling to breathe. He could see her eyes watering as she fought for air, he could see her in the hospital, he could see her stuck with tubes and wires. The images were so terrifying and real, it was almost strange to see her smiling, let alone standing on two feet.
He was determined to make sure that she hadn't somehow inhaled too much smoke while she battled the small fire in her house. As far as Eric was concerned, if the smoke was thick enough for a neighbor to see it and call the Fire Department, then it was certainly enough to harm Calleigh. He supposed Calleigh would think he was being overprotective and that this trip to the doctor was a waste, but he would sleep better knowing she was safe.
"What's the damage?" Eric asked as Calleigh stepped out of her house after she bid goodnight to the fireman, her purse hanging from her shoulder.
"Nothing too bad," Calleigh sighed. "Nothing got destroyed. I'll just to give my oven a good clean tomorrow…. Okay, let's get this over with."
Eric chuckled at her less than cheerful spirit, understandable considering he was all but dragging her to her least favorite place.
The doctor stepped through the double doors and Eric's heart drastically dropped. He got to his feet, anxious to know where Calleigh was, for she wasn't at the doctor's side like he had expected. The doctor picked up on the intensity of Eric's nerves and spoke to him in a calm, patient voice, keeping it professional.
"She's fine," the doctor reassured him. "She is breathing normally and all her test results came back clean."
"Okay, so where is she?" Eric asked, concerned.
"Given her history and issues with her respiratory system, we think it would be wise to keep her overnight to monitor her, just as a precaution, of course," he explained to Eric, who nodded in relief.
"Am I allowed to see her?"
"Certainly," he nodded before leading Eric down the hall, passed the numerous closed doors in the neutral colored hallway. The doctor finally stopped at one of the doors and tapped his knuckles across the door.
"Come in," Eric heard Calleigh call from the other side; the doctor slightly pushed the door open to poke his head inside.
"Are you up for a visitor, Ms. Duquesne?" he asked. Calleigh must have nodded because the doctor stepped back and pulled the door open the remainder of the way for Eric, who gratefully dipped his head as he stepped into the room. Calleigh was in a hospital gown with an IV inserted in her arm and her heart rate was being regulated. Eric heard the door close behind him and Calleigh narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms.
"If we weren't so close, I'd hate you right now," Calleigh informed Eric, her voice hard.
Eric knew she was trying to be intimidating, but he couldn't help but smile at her, chortling slightly.
"You think this is funny?" she asked, mortified, as he came closer to her bed. "I'm in this place because of you and you're laughing?"
"Hey, you were the one who fell asleep instead of keeping track of the time," he pointed out, a bit smug.
"Well, I wouldn't have been baking anything in the first place if-." Calleigh broke off, almost admitting to Eric he was the primary cause of her misadventure in cake making. She dropped her gaze and became preoccupied with a stray piece of thread on the blanket. "It's still your fault," she said when she finally looked back up at him.
He playfully rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm sorry. How can I make this up to you?" Eric asked. He half expected a sarcastic remark and the jaw muscles to tighten as she gritted her teeth; instead her eyes lightly softened and a small grin came to her face.
"You can stay with me," she answered, almost shyly, and Eric's heart went into an early diastole.
"I can do that," he nodded, pulling the chair closer to her bed. "I will stay here all night."
Calleigh smiled up at Eric as he took a seat, he returned the smile and rested his hand beside hers, their fingers lightly brushing against one another. Eric thought Calleigh would pull her hand away, remembering the past boundaries they had raised, but her hand didn't retract, instead she gently grazed her own fingers against the side of his hand.
"So, how have you been?" Calleigh asked, attempting to begin some form of small talk.
"Um…good, I guess. Lonely," he shrugged.
"Really?" she questioned, doubtfully. "I thought you and Victoria were possibly…"
"No. No, not at all," Eric sighed, he almost sounded relieved; Victoria definitely felt something for Eric, however they weren't feelings he even remotely returned. "She's not my type."
"There's an original line," Calleigh rolled her eyes. "She looked like she was trying to steal your heart."
"Well, my heart is somewhere else right now," he shrugged, his eyes meeting Calleigh's and holding them. "Someone still has it." His voice had dropped several levels in volume and his tone was much more personal.
"You can get it back," Calleigh offered, even though her own heart was still with Eric.
"I don't want it back," he shook his head. "Is that okay?"
Calleigh smiled, a certain joy rising in her eyes that caused them to sparkle. She shifted her weight to make some space on the bed for Eric. She reached out to take his hand in her smaller one, pulling him towards her as he climbed into the bed beside her.
Eric's arms wrapped snugly around her and he pulled her into his chest. The scent of Eric's cologne and him holding her like this took her back to some of her fondest memories, of when they would just lay beside one another and either talk or enjoy the silence.
But Calleigh realized that in order for them to be memories, they had to have occurred in the past and they were now in the present, thus they weren't the same Eric and Calleigh that created those previous memories.
"You realize that this can't magically fix everything?" Calleigh asked, sadly, wishing she was wrong and this single night in each others arms could repair everything that had been destroyed.
Eric nodded and constricting his arms around her just a bit more, in fear he would lose her if he lessened his hold in the least. "I know," he whispered. "But maybe we can talk one night and try to fix a few things."
"True. Do you want to come over next week?" Calleigh was absentmindedly running her finger up and down the depression of Eric's chest as she asked her question.
Eric squinted at her. "You aren't going to cook, are you?" he asked.
"Hey, I thought you liked my cooking."
"I love your cooking," he assured her. "I just think I would be difficult for us to talk if you are swept into your pyromaniac ways once again," Eric said, jokingly.
"I burn something one time and I never hear the end of it," Calleigh sighed, shaking her head.
"This is the third time in three years you've been in a fire," Eric pointed out.
"This time wasn't that bad," she reminded him, though by this point she was having difficulty refraining from laughter and she heard Eric chuckling beside her, the vibrations from his chest slightly shaking her. "But okay, no cooking, we'll order in."
"Deal," Eric nodded.
"Deal," Calleigh echoed.
The next move made felt so natural to the both of them that they didn't even realize it occurred until their eyes met again. They had both simultaneously leaned in and their lips touched each others, only for a brief second, but the impact was that of multiple units of electricity circulating through them. The longing they had both been feeling was satisfied in that one impromptu moment.
They leaned out to look at one another, both unmoving as they recovered from the effect of the brief (albeit, powerful) kiss.
Calleigh then released the breath she thought she had been holding for almost a year and the weight she had been hauling during his absence was lifted from her shoulders. Her mouth spread into a smile to reveal the row of flawless teeth, framed perfectly by her pink lips. This was the same smile that never failed to take the breath from Eric's lungs and make him thank God that he had Calleigh in his life, even if it wasn't always in the ideal situation.
Eric gently cupped her chin and kissed the set of perfect lips of the woman he loved, softly caressing them with his own as her arms wrapped around his neck and time and their location became trivial details as they kissed each other.
I feel that it is important to say I was watching Julie & Julia (I think it's a really good movie, but, God, it makes me so freaking hungry!) while I wrote this fic, so clearly I had both food and writing on the brain. Hopefully that will explain the randomness of this fic.
I'll be writing more now because it is summer, so stay tuned ;)