Title: Rekindled
By: Jessica
Pairing: Eric/Calleigh
Rating: T
Timeline: General season 6/7.
Summary: She lay in the snow next to him, their fingers brushing as snowflakes melted on their flushed faces. And there, rekindled in her eyes, Eric found the magic that had eluded them both for so many Christmases past.
Note: Clearly I'm insane for starting a Christmas multi-chap. But as this will only be around 10 chapters, maybe it won't be so bad. Enjoy!

-one-

Squeezing the bridge of his nose, Eric gave a deep sigh, already feeling the tension setting up in his head. The low throbbing had already begun, and it was only a matter of time before he was pushed into a full-blown, stress-induced headache. Pins and needles assaulted his ear, numbed from holding the phone so forcefully against it for several minutes too long. The voice on the other end was once more going through the same spiel Eric had basically ignored the first four times, and the frustration was evident in her voice.

Well, Eric was frustrated too. When it came to his finances, Eric was frustrated more often than not these days, especially when the problems stemmed from a silly, impulsive mistake he had made over a year before. He held the papers from the rental agency in his hands; he could plainly read the conditions for a refund. Conditions that didn't apply to him – he'd simply decided he didn't want to go. Still, he couldn't help arguing. "I can't get any of my money back?" he asked once more, a hint of pleading in his voice.

The woman on the other end, however, was unmoved, simply giving him the same answer she'd been giving for much of the past fifteen minutes. "Sir," she began, a mix of annoyed sarcasm and barely controlled anger in her voice, "if you will remember the brochure, you know, the one you used to make the reservations? It is there, plainly on the back page. Refunds can only be given up to ten days prior to your arrival. After that, you forfeit your deposit and your full rent, unless there are extenuating circumstances." She paused, and Eric cringed, almost hearing the faux cheery smile she adopted. "Otherwise, we look forward to your arrival and wish you a pleasant stay."

Grumbling to himself, Eric snapped his phone closed, all but tossing it down on the table. With a glare of contempt he regarded the slightly crumpled papers on the table before him. They had just come in the mail today, seemingly a victim of the slow postal service. Five nights in the mountains of western North Carolina; the twenty-first to the twenty-sixth of December. Eighteen months ago, an infatuated Eric had made the impulsive reservations for the cozy cabin, his mind dancing with the idea of holiday seclusion and the possibility of a white Christmas. The particular cabin he'd wanted had been booked for the coming Christmas, and Eric had been unwilling to settle for anything else. Assuming that everything would be the same for another year, he'd happily booked it for the following Christmas, despite it being eighteen months away.

He'd planned it as a Christmas surprise, a romantic getaway.

What he hadn't planned on was coming home a few months after making the reservations, and finding the significant other with whom he'd planned to take that getaway in bed with a guy who looked as though he could tear even Eric to shreds without much effort at all.

The energy that the breakup had taken from him combined with the stress of work and that of his own life, and it had been no surprise that Eric had forgotten about the reservations. At least, until he'd received the letter he currently held in his hands. It was basically a reminder letter, with directions from the airport, what to do if the roads were icy, and the phone number to the extremely unhelpful woman at the information desk who refused to give him his money back.

It wasn't so much that he needed the money back…but it would be nice to have it, since it was just going to go to waste. It would be nice to not worry about making enough to pay bills for at least a month…

The more he thought about it, the more glaringly obvious his mistake seemed to him. Who had he been to assume that this would turn out the way he'd planned eighteen months ago? When had anything in his recent life gone as he had hoped? With a deep groan, Eric lay his head on the table, flinching as the breakroom door came open. As the intruder stepped inside, Eric didn't have to lift his head to realize that it was quite possibly the last person he wanted to see at the moment.

Her perfume was too light to be Natalia's, and as she made her way to the coffeemaker, her steps were too quiet to be Calleigh's, and Tara was currently out on a call, leaving really only one other day-shifter that Eric could think of. Mentally he crossed his fingers, hoping she would take the hint and leave him alone, but it was not to happen that way. That figured.

When Eric was in a good mood, he quite liked Valera.

Otherwise, her no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is attitude grated sorely on his nerves.

And she was being unnecessarily loud, at least, Eric thought so. Or maybe it was just his current state of irritation. Either way, Eric thought he was going to lose it if Valera didn't soon stop rummaging through all the coffee cups. Just as he was about to snap, Valera found the one she was looking for, pulling it out and setting it rather loudly on the counter.

She gave a loud sigh of annoyance as she lifted the pot of coffee, regarding the contents with a skeptical eye. "There's no telling how old this stuff is," Valera grumbled, frowning as she poured it into her cup. "You'd think coffee-making was a lost art or something around here." When Eric had no reply, Valera turned, regarding him with a curious eye. "Everything okay?" she asked cautiously, despite the fact that the answer to her question was quite obvious.

Eric sighed. While her questioning was irritating, he did need to vent to somebody, or else he was going to burst. Besides, Valera might be able to help…or maybe…

Lifting his head from the table, Eric suddenly found himself with an idea. A rather bright idea, if he did say so himself. Why hadn't he thought of this before? If he wasn't going to use the cabin, then somebody else could. It was genius.

Regarding her in a new light, Eric even smiled at her. "Hey, what are you doing for Christmas?" he asked, watching as Valera began searching through the cabinets now. "Any plans?"

Finding the canister of sugar she'd been looking for, Valera glanced back to Eric, a look of suspicion in her eyes. "Why?" she asked slowly, searching Eric's face.

Eric gave a nonchalant shrug, waving the slip of paper in his hand. "I rented this cabin, and it turns out I'm not going to be able to go anyway. Rather than let it sit empty for the week, I thought maybe you'd want to take advantage of it, maybe?"

Facing him, Valera leaned against the counter, lifting a brow at Eric. "What's the catch?" she asked slowly, suspicion clear in her eyes. "Why aren't you going to use it?"

With a sigh, Eric gave a roll of his eyes. "Because I have no reason to, really," he said lightly. Valera still didn't seem convinced, though. "Let's just say I made the reservations back when I had somebody to go with me, and now I don't." He didn't really want to get into the details of that right now, even though he knew that with Valera, he'd probably end up going into those details anyway. "Look, it's two bedrooms, two baths, a large kitchen, den, and it'll already be decorated for Christmas." For good measure, Eric gave a playful pout, knowing that nine times out of ten, it seemed to work on Calleigh, at least.

Valera, on the other hand, was not as submissive to his charms. "I can't say I'm not tempted, but –"

"You could take Ryan," Eric suggested, smirking. "After all, I did plan this as a romantic vacation – somebody should get to use it."

Valera grinned, tilting her head thoughtfully. "You know, I really didn't think anybody knew about that…"

Eric snickered. "Please, it's you, Valera. Everybody knows."

"Well, even so," Valera continued, still grinning. "I can't – I'm working all the way to the twenty-fourth. And besides, I've been in Miami long enough to see nothing pleasurable in a cold-weather Christmas." Before Eric could protest, she turned back to the counter, opening the canister of sugar. "So why exactly are you trying to give up your vacation?"

Deflated, Eric sighed again. "I booked this cabin for Christmas eighteen months ago, and it's too late to get my money back."

Valera shrugged, pouring the sugar into her coffee in an attempt to make it drinkable. "Well, considering that Christmas is next week, then yeah, I'd say it's a bit late for that. People have already made their Christmas plans, so it might be difficult to fill a sudden vacancy."

Closing his eyes, Eric couldn't help but slightly crumple the paper in his hand. "Not helping, Valera."

Valera frowned. Stirring her coffee, she slowly made her way over to the table, helping herself to the chair across from Eric. "I'm getting the impression that there's more than just that bothering you." Studying him closely, Valera couldn't help but notice the exhaustion in his face. This wasn't just about the cabin, but Eric had been through so much in the past few years that Valera couldn't quite figure it out.

She didn't have to wonder for very long, though. Perhaps unnerved by her unyielding investigation, Eric lifted a hand to his face, rubbing tiredly at it. "It's…Kate," he relented, her name leaving his lips in annoyance.

Valera blinked. "Kate?"

"Yeah." Leaning forward, Eric rubbed at his eyes, feeling frustrated once more. "I booked the cabin for us. It was going to be a surprise. She loved the snow, and I lo – well. I wanted to show her a white Christmas."

"Eric," Valera began slowly, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "You and Kate –"

"Broke up over a year ago, I know." Eric shook his head. "And after that…I guess I kind of forgot making the reservations." Rubbing at his temples, Eric cursed under his breath. "She's still managing to ruin my life."

Valera merely shrugged, stirring her coffee, the sound of the spoon against the cup unknowingly driving her companion up the wall. "Well, it was a stupid idea, anyway," she commented nonchalantly, further grating on Eric's nerves as she pulled the spoon out of the cup and tapped it loudly on the side.

He lifted his gaze, shooting a scathing glare Valera's way. But Valera simply shrugged it off, having grown quite used to that. Sometimes it just came with the territory, but it was a small price to pay for being able to speak her mind whenever she wanted. "Well, it was," she insisted, taking a sip from her cup. "Booking a cabin that far in advance for…well." As she trailed off, a secretive smile touched her lips, almost as if she knew something that Eric didn't.

But for now, she let that train of thought dissipate, aiming instead for the other oddity of this trip of Eric's. "So why did you book a two-bedroom if you were planning a romantic holiday?" Valera questioned, munching on a cookie from the pack on the table. The steady crunch added to the cacophony of sounds bouncing around his head, but he breathed deeply, forcing himself to ignore it. Why was it that every little thing seemed so magnified in a moment of irritation?

In response to her question, Eric gave a shrug. "I don't even know. I guess I thought the rest of the cabin was really nice. I mean, it has this amazing view from the back patio, and the den looks really cozy, big fireplace and everything." Scratching his head, Eric grinned sheepishly. "The hot tub looks nice too; I won't lie…"

Valera smirked. "Oh, there's the reason. Forget the bedroom; you were just looking for some hot tub action. I know how your mind works, Delko…"

Eric didn't deny it; instead, he merely grinned. After a second, though, his grin faded as once more he was reminded of the situation he currently found himself in. "Doesn't really matter now, though," he said, tapping his fingers against the table. The frustration had returned to his voice, despite the little voice in the back of his head telling him to simply let it go. "So what do you think I should I do?" he asked, and only after he voiced the words did he seem to remember just who he was talking to.

Valera, it seemed, had similar thoughts. "Are you really asking me that?"

Oh, what the hell, Eric thought. "Well, you do usually seem to have all the answers," he quipped sarcastically, lifting a brow in challenge.

She gave a dramatic sigh, as though the answer should've been completely obvious to Eric. "You've already paid for the cabin, right? And you can't get your money back?" She paused, watching Eric nod in response to both questions. "And you've already got that week off from work?" Another nod. "Well then, obviously, I'd say you're going to North Carolina for Christmas."

"But I don't want to go," Eric all but whined, glaring as Valera waved a dismissive hand.

"You should've thought about that before you made the reservations," she said sagely, taking a long sip of her coffee. "But what's done is done right? Don't let the money go to waste; go to North Carolina and enjoy your Christmas. Enjoy the snow, since you're sure never gonna see that down here anytime soon." She paused for a moment, and Eric could practically see the thoughts turning in her mind. Sure enough, there was that devilish flicker in her eyes, and Eric held his breath, bracing himself. "And because nobody, not even you, Mr. Grinch, should spend Christmas alone, you should ask Calleigh to go with you."

Eric's heart quickened, though he wasn't sure if it was from shock, or from the idea of Christmas with Calleigh. "What?"

"You said it was two bedrooms, didn't you?" Not that that second bedroom would be getting much use after those first few nights, Valera thought, unable to hold back a snicker.

"Well, yeah, but –"

"No," Valera interrupted. "This is perfect. So perfect," she said, grinning as she thought back to an earlier conversation with Calleigh. "This is exactly what the two of you need, for more than just the obvious reason."

"There's an obvious reason?"

"God, you really are blind!" Valera exclaimed, throwing her hands up. Lost, Eric could only blink. Valera sighed deeply. "Okay. It's really not my place to say anything…" She grinned. "But because you clearly need the help, I'm going to say it anyway."

"Surprising," Eric muttered.

Valera only smirked, otherwise ignoring Eric's comment. "I don't care if you get mad at me or not; I know it's true, and you do too. Everybody knows that Kate was your Jake."

Eric stared. "My – my what?"

Sighing theatrically, Valera shook her head. "Do I have to spell out everything for you?" she asked. Eric had no response, and Valera muttered under her breath – Eric couldn't quite pick it out, which was probably for the best. "It's like this, Eric," she proclaimed, as though she were making some huge revelation to him. "And don't you dare deny it, because I watched it unfold for God only knows how many years. You fell in love with Calleigh –"

"Valera!"

"Didn't I just tell you not to deny it?" Valera glared at him. "That also goes for interrupting me while I'm trying to help you."

"This is helping me," Eric repeated, disbelief tinting his words.

"Well, considering you are obviously living in some world shrouded in dense fog, so dense that you can't see what's in front of your face, then yeah, I'd say I'm helping you." She grinned. "Now, where was I…oh yeah. You fell in love with Calleigh. Jake swooped in and charmed Calleigh right off her feet, leaving you heartbroken and alone." Eric opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it at the glare he received from Valera. "You went out and met Kate, decided she was an okay substitute for Calleigh. Things got serious – both for you and Kate, and for Jake and Calleigh. And then, seemingly out of the blue, Calleigh ends things with Jake, leaving her free and you in an ever-deepening spiral."

Valera paused then, the look in her eyes just daring Eric to object, a dare which he wisely did not take. The look on Eric's face, however, was that of definite confusion, and Valera thought for a moment, searching for a better way to make her comparison. "Look, I'll make this as simple as I can. You wanted Calleigh, but Jake was in the way. And then when Calleigh wanted you, Kate was in the way. Calleigh seemed reluctant to let go of Jake, just as you seemed reluctant to let go of Kate. Therefore, Kate equals Jake."

Pausing once more, Valera took another sip, grimacing at the taste. "Granted, Calleigh's Jake was sexier, but –"

"I get it, Valera," Eric interrupted, massaging his temples. "Doesn't mean it makes any sense, but I get it." He sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. "You know, at one point, I thought I was going to marry her," he mused flatly, the words sounding wrong even to his own ears. And it was true - his parents had loved her; had been all too ready to start planning a wedding. But would Eric have been happy spending his life with her?

If the glee he'd felt when Calleigh had finally ended things with Jake was any indication, the answer to that question was a sparkling, emphatic no. So why hadn't he walked away from Kate right then and there? What he'd wanted was suddenly right in front of him, and he hadn't reached for it, instead choosing to hide behind the semi-serious relationship he'd built up from nothing.

Valera gave a dramatic roll of her eyes. "Yeah, because at that point, it looked like Calleigh and Jake were going to last. Face it, Eric. You were in denial. Still are, I'd say."

"I was never in denial," Eric protested, though the words were weak coming from his mouth.

"Is that so?" Valera challenged, loudly setting her now empty cup on the table. Eric cringed inwardly; he didn't like the gleam he saw in her eyes. "If you were never in denial about how you really felt, then tell me something, Eric." A grin found its way to Valera's lips, and Eric found himself slightly frightened by it."All those times in the past that you were in bed with Kate, how many times did you find yourself thinking about Calleigh?"

Eric gaped. "That is really – really not your business."

In his expression, however, was all the answer that Valera needed. "Fair enough," she conceded, though the satisfied smirk on her lips told Eric immediately just how transparent he was.

She'd conceded, yes, but Eric didn't like the smirk on her lips. It was the smirk that told him if he didn't tell her what she wanted to hear, he'd be hearing the whole story from the rest of the lab instead. Groaning quietly, he rubbed at his eyes. "Okay, so maybe Calleigh and I…"

Valera's grin at his vague statement was positively gleeful. "And that is why you have to take her!"

"I don't – I just don't know. I don't think it's that easy."

"Look." Valera paused, waiting for Eric to meet her eyes. "If for no other reason, then do this for Calleigh, okay?" The confusion was plain in Eric's eyes, but Valera shook her head, silencing him before he could speak. "Calleigh…she's disenchanted with this whole holiday thing. She acts like she enjoys it, but what does she ever do for Christmas? Have you ever heard her come back to work sharing the kinds of family stories you always used to share?"

Valera had a point; Eric couldn't deny that. But still. "Maybe she enjoys a quiet Christmas alone; did you ever think of that?"

"Come on, Eric," Valera sighed, shaking her head slightly. "It's Calleigh. A lonely Christmas might be preferable to dealing with her family, but do you really think she wants that?" For a moment she stared at Eric, though he still didn't seem to get it. "She wants what all the rest of us want, Eric," she continued, uncharacteristically softly.

Eric merely stared, not making the connection. "Which is…?"

Valera groaned. "Oh come on, Eric! Don't make me say it!" A moment passed, and Valera groaned again, knowing Eric clearly wasn't getting it. "Eric, she just…" But suddenly Valera was the one tongue-tied, an unfamiliar feeling for her. "She's tired of having her heart broken. She wants to trust somebody to catch her; she wants to spend Christmas Eve curled up in somebody's arms." Valera's eyes suddenly narrowed, taking in the small grin on Eric's face. "And she will kill me if you ever tell her I said that – after I kill you, of course."

Rolling her eyes, Valera ignored the grin on Eric's lips. "Seriously, though. This is the best opportunity that you will ever have. Ask her to go with you; show her that Christmas can be magic. And take some mistletoe and hang it up all over the place. Front door, kitchen door, bathroom door, bedroom door, random places in every room…"

"Don't you think that's a bit excessive?"

Valera laughed. "Excessive? Yeah right." She snorted. "As many times as the two of you have missed each other, I think you could use all the help you can get. I'd make you a mistletoe hat myself if I actually believed you would wear it."

Rolling his eyes, Eric ignored her, having already committed himself to his plan of action. After all, if Calleigh said no, he could always say he'd tried…even if it left him feeling like an idiot. "If this backfires…" he warned, though his words were far less than intimidating.

Valera gave her widest grin yet. "Oh please, Eric. Just trust me. You will be thanking me for this."