CSI: Miami

Calleigh/Horatio

General/Romance/Spiritual

K+

----------------------------- AN EASTER BASKER FOR THE CSIs -----------------------------

Red.

Yellow.

Green.

Blue.

Orange.

And purple.

There were six bowls with six colors on a newspaper covered counter in Calleigh Duquesne's kitchen. Before Calleigh sat four hard boiled eggs; one for each of her best friends/ co-workers. She decided that this Easter, she would set a day aside to put together little Easter baskets for her friends. The idea was juvenile, but something so utterly adorable that her southern heart couldn't pass up.

She eyes the glossy eggs for a moment, then began the first step; dying! She started with the newest CSI's egg: Ryan Wolfe. She picked up the egg and dropped it into the green dye. Though they'd known each other only a short time, she'd found out his favorite color was green. After a moment, she pulled the egg from the bowl and let it dry on the napkin covered windowsill.

Next, she colored Alexx's egg. Hers was slightly complex. The bottom was purple, the middle was orange, and the tip of the egg was yellow. Calleigh smiled at the rainbow-like egg. The egg was definitely bright, but dull when compared to Alexx's much brighter personality.

She moved on to Erik's egg. Erik and Calleigh went way back. He always looked out for her. He was her big brother in Miami. She picked up his egg between her index finger and thumb, and let it drop into the orange dye and soak in the rich color. After a moment of drip-drying, she dyed the tips a deep red. She was sure the rich colors would remind him of his 'south of the border' heritage. She then allowed his egg to join the others on the windowsill.

She turned to the final egg that sat alone on the newspaper. This one would be Horatio Caine's. She gently picked up the egg. She eyed it for a moment and let one half of the egg soak up the blue dye. She then flipped the egg, and let the other half soak up the yellow dye. She held the egg for a moment. The colors were deliberately placed. They specifically mirrored Horatio perfectly. The blue represented the darker, depression that he'd been experiencing. Calleigh worried about him. After Marisol; he fell apart. The yellow, however, represented a new beginning. The newer beginning she hoped would soon come. She prayed constantly that he would become his old self again. She hoped that the yellow would represent his new found happiness.

She took his egg and left it to rest next to the other colorful creations on the sill and left to complete step two.

Step two consisted of four baskets. The first basket was small, and made of a dark wood weave. This basket would be for Ryan. In the bottom of the basket she laid some green tissue paper. On the left she placed his green egg, and on the right she placed a blue plastic egg with a strip of paper inside. The paper held a quote that she hoped Ryan would take to heart. "Go back a little, to leap further. - John Clarke". She knew that Ryan was always so worried about making a mistake, that he never got anything done. She hoped he learn soon, that if he did his best, he'd be amazed at what he could achieve.

Next she moved to a small basket made of a tight weave that was hand painted orange. "This has Alexx written all over it!" Calleigh remarked to herself. Like the former, she lined the basket with tissue paper, white this time, and placed her colorful egg on the left and a purple plastic egg on the right. Inside the purple egg a piece of paper read, "Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on the outward circumstances. - Benjamin Franklin". Calleigh loved this quote, and knew that it was exactly how Alexx managed to get by her day in the lab.

Next, she came to a red basket that she lined with green tissue paper. In this layout she planted Erik's southern egg and a matching orange plastic one that also had a quote inside. "It is idle to dread what you cannot avoid. - Publius Syrus". Calleigh knew that for Erik, losing his sister was the hardest thing he ever had to live with. She prayed that someday his heart would mend and that from the little quote inside of the plastic egg, he'd realize he'd done everything he could for his dear Marisol.

Finally, Calleigh came to the basket that would soon be in Horatio's ownership. The basket was a dark brown like Ryan's, but lined in a light blue tissue paper as opposed to green. His blue and yellow egg sat to the left while a yellow egg filled with a quote sat on the right. A quote for Horatio was the hardest quote for Calleigh to find. The others came to her easily, but one for her beloved boss ... that was another story.

Calleigh had sat at her computer for three hours two nights before. She found nothing. The next night she searched for anything that seemed remotely like something Horatio could level too. Again, nothing. Finally she found something. A quote on her screen seemed to jump straight for her. The quote had a double meaning, something Horatio wanted to hear, and something Calleigh had longed for him to understand.

Finally, Calleigh was at her last step. Step number three was easy. In each basket she placed a small bag of home-made dark-chocolate fudge. The bag was clear with holiday-friendly ducks. Calleigh finished the baskets and smiled to herself.

"Good job!" she congratulated herself as she cleaned up all around the baskets.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The next day she headed to work, four distinct baskets in tow.

"Morning!" she greeted in her southern drawl.

"Hey Calleigh!" Ryan greeted with a small smile.

"How are you?" She asked as she sat down next to him on a lab stool.

"Fine. You?"

"I'm good."

"What are those?" he brought his eyes away from the microscope and eyed the colorful baskets on Calleigh's arms.

"Thought you might ask. Actually. This.." she pulled the dark brown and green basket from her arm, "is for you!"

"Me?" he questioned.

"It's an .."

"Easter basket!" he finished. They both chuckled.

"I haven't gotten one since... psh. What was I, twelve?" he thought back. "Thanks Calleigh." he sat the basket on the extra lab stool next to him.

"You're welcome. Well, I better head out. Gotta find the others before I head towards ballistics."

"Ok. Bye Cal. Thanks."

"Nooo problem." she laughed quietly as she exited the lab.

"Whoa!" Erik grabbed Calleigh by the arm as she almost walked straight into him.

"Oh!" she jumped slightly.

"You okay?" he steadied her.

"I'm fine. Goodness, you worry too much." He eyed her a moment. "Which is why I brought you this." she handed him his colorful basket.

"Thanks ... uh..." He accepted with a question in his mind.

"It's an Easter basket silly!"

"Ahh." he smiled.

"Yep."

"Thanks. It's.. Wow. Fudge?"

"Uhhu." she giggled.

"Thanks!" he said as he left, opening the bag of chocolate delight.

Next stop? Alexx.

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"Alex?" she called into the large room.

"Over here, sugar." Alexx called from behind a cabinet.

"Ahh." Calleigh followed her voice and found her. "Happy Easter." she said with a one-hundred mega-watt grin.

"You too, sugar. What's this?" she glanced at the basket Calleigh extended towards her.

"An Easter basket."

"Calleigh, you didn't have to."

"I know. I wanted to. Isn't the basket cute?"

"It's adorable!" Alexx accepted the basket. "Thank-you!" The two women hugged tightly.

"So. Who's that one for?" Alexx asked curiously.

"The Lieutenant."

"Ahh. That should cheer him up. He's seemed ..."

"Down?" Calleigh finished the sentence. Alex nodded. "I know."

"Well, I won't waste your time. Take that on up to our man in need, okay?"

"Haha. Okay Alexx." Calleigh exited the room as Alexx shook her head. "Those two ..."

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"Lieutenant?" Calleigh knocked on the glass door.

"Come in." he called from his black leather chair.

"Hey, Handsome!"

"Calleigh." he regarded.

"I brought you a little something." She snuck over to his desk and placed it over his file and pointed to it.

"An Easter basket?"

"Uh-hu. Just like the ones my mama gave me when I was little."

"Thank you, Calleigh, its sweet." He picked up the basket, only to pull his file back out.

"Oh, come on. Look at it for two seconds. I know, you want to try some of that fudge." she joked. He looked up at her bright eyes and gleaming smile. His tired features formed a smile, smiling to her persistence and looked through the basket.

"What's this?" he looked at the plastic egg.

"Open it." she hopped up on his desk and watched his expression as he read the quote of the strip of paper out loud.

"A friend's love says: If you ever need anything, I'll be there.

True love says: You'll never need anything, I'll be there.

- Jimi Hollemans"

His facial expressions hardened.

"Thinking of Marisol?" Calleigh asked. He looked at her with confusion. 'Uh! Me and my big mouth!' she thought to herself.

"No." he answered. He took her small silky hand in his. "I was thinking about how lucky I am..." her face showed confusion this time. "To have a friend, that truly loves me." he looked Calleigh in the eye. Her head cocked to one side.

"Me?" she asked. He nodded. "Of course!" she whispered. He began to say something, then stopped himself when his beeper went off.

"I better go." he stood to leave. She hopped off his desk.

"Thank you." he placed his hands on her forearms and brought her in for a quick hug. The then placed his lips warmly on her temple and kissed her firmly, before grabbing his beeper and heading out the door.

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