Here's chapter 1, I hope you enjoy it!

-C

CHAPTER 1: Something's Missing

She walked through the door to her house around 6pm, same as every other day. Except today, it felt different. Today, she felt something was missing. Something was nagging at her mind and refused to let her ease into the evening. She'd had a rough day at work and didn't really know what she needed. She decided to take a shower, maybe that would help her think- it always did.

As the hot water assaulted her senses, she noticed that it wasn't a hot shower that she needed, she knew it was something else. You'd think that, for a detective, she would be able to figure out where this empty feeling was coming from. She read people all day long, yet not once did she bother to do herself the same favor. She washed off the day with her lavender/vanilla body wash, something she had done so many times before, but it didn't feel right.

She quickly got out of the shower, and dried off, thinking she needed to eat something. After a short dinner, she found that eating didn't help her either. She felt lonely, and even though she had been in the company of her team all day, her house just didn't feel like home anymore. It didn't feel the same. Ever since she read that file at work, Eric's file, she noticed a shift in their relationship. Then they were together for a bit, and then they weren't, and then they were again, and now they weren't. She needed him. It was painfully evident in every way. How she sat on her couch, subconsciously waiting for him to capture her in his big strong arms- but he didn't. She sat there leaning up against the soft green back of the couch hoping that it would somehow turn into him. It was clear that she needed him. After their talk in the locker room, and their late-night session afterwards, he had almost won her back over. But, being herself, she pulled away- again. She hated herself for that.

She hated how detached she became whenever someone tried to get close to her. How she never let Eric see the true her. She always came off as strong and thick headed. Yet, even though he knew she was very sensitive underneath that strong, independent facade, he couldn't push those walls down. It irritated both of them, but she truly couldn't help it. She was so guarded, especially around Eric because she didn't want either of them to get hurt. She cared about him too much to hurt him. She loved him, and she knew that. She also knew that their relationship had changed. It went from happy and comfortable, to awkward and distant. And she hated it. But she knew it was her own fault for pushing him away. She had to live with it now.

Calleigh Duquesne is not needy, or clingy, and especially not love-sick. But when it came to Eric Delko, things were just different. She needed him. She clung to his old t-shirt that he left at her house after their last rendezvous like a child clinging to their favorite blankie. She wore it like it was an oversized dress, because 'what else do you do with your boyfriend's t-shirts?', she thought. Oh God. Did she just use the word boyfriend, in correlation with thoughts of Eric? 'No, not possible. They were just a fling…'

She lied to herself again.

She was just on the verge of minimal comfort when she heard a knock at her door. She grabbed her gun, wondering who it could be. Anyone she knew would've called first, or at least texted her, right? She looked through the peephole in disbelief, and quickly put her gun on the end table by the door before opening it. It was pouring rain, on a humid summer night in Miami, and who else but the very person she needed most was at her door, looking drenched and desperate.

"Eric?" she said in utter shock.

"Hey Cal, mind if I come in?" He begged hoping he could appeal to her southern hospitality.

"Oh God of course! Come in, you're soaked!" she said

"Thanks, I appreciate the refuge from this monsoon." He joked.

"Anytime, so what brings you here, Eric?" She questioned, knowing that she may not love the answer.

"I need a favor." He stated, almost as if it was so natural for him to drop by unannounced on a rainy night.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Her maternal instinct kicking in. She was always like the mother in her household growing up, the voice of reason; so, she became accustomed to taking care of people. Especially Eric, after he was shot.

"I'm fine, Calleigh. My car broke down a couple blocks up, and my phone died so I couldn't call a tow company, so I'm stuck. Let's just say it's been a rough few hours." He said, hoping she wouldn't mind his unannounced visit.

She stood there staring as the man she loved more than anything in the world stood in front of her. She couldn't move yet. She snapped out of her trance quickly enough for it to seem normal and invited him into her living room. She quickly diverted her attention to the fact that he was still soaking wet and dripping everywhere.

"You're soaked, Eric, let's get you out of those wet clothes. I'm sure I have something here that you can wear." she said, shuffling around her home now looking for his clothes.

She shuffled her way down the hall and into her bedroom, and he followed knowing she wouldn't mind. How could she? He had been in that bedroom so many times before he could navigate the entire house blind just to get there, and he did quite a few times. Well… if he was being truthful, he wasn't really blind he was just… preoccupied. Just the thought made his head spin with memories, and a tiny amount of blood rush south. Thinking of her that way was still a major turn on, but it was more of a discomfort when he was actually around her, now. She pushed him away and it seemed as though she didn't want him back.

She thought to herself, about how she needed him now more than ever. She adored the way he looked like a sad puppy, all wet and cute. But she quickly vanquished those thoughts from her mind, and made her way into her closet as she dug through the stuff he had left at her house so long ago. She found sweatpants immediately, but all of his t-shirts were gone. Laundry. She looked into her hamper slightly embarrassed as she noticed that she had worn all of his t-shirts to bed every night for the past month. No wonder why she felt like she was doing laundry more often lately. She came back to him waiting by her bed, now clad in just a towel he snagged from her bathroom, she smiled to herself as how good he looked wrapped in her towel, or how he just defaulted to grabbing a towel without asking. The level of comfort between them was back, in that instant. They both knew it.

"Okay so I have a pair of your old sweats but I have no shirts for you." she said.

"No shirts, huh? Well I think that's just your excuse to keep me from wearing a shirt." He replied jokingly.

"Oh really? Well I think it's just because you didn't leave that much clothing here when you last came by, because as good as you look without a shirt, I wouldn't let you go cold." She replied echoing his joking tone.

"I see, well if there aren't any shirts, then where did they all go? Because I distinctly remember leaving at least a week's worth of t-shirts and sweatpants here, just in case of emergencies." He said knowingly.

Slightly embarrassed, she answered "Well I wasn't gonna leave them dirty! I wash them every now and again, and they're in my hamper right now, as a matter of fact." She said hoping she could cover her ass.

"Huh, well I guess that makes sense. But then may I ask, what's that, you're wearing?" He inquired.

Damn it, she thought to herself. Not realizing that she was still wearing his shirt. The last of his shirts for the week. Shit. "Oh this? Just an old shirt…" she trailed off.

"I think I need that one, Cal." He stated slyly.

He wanted to play that game? That dangerous, and oh so necessary game of torturous teasing and sarcastic banter? Fine, she could play too, only she was better at it. And they both knew it.

"Fine, then I guess you'll just have to take this one…" She replied, as she reached for the hem of his old MDPD training academy shirt. She pulled it over her head, knowing full well what she was doing. His Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he gulped watching her take off his shirt. He felt himself losing control already the sight of her in her matching black lace bra and underwear made him dizzy; but had no choice other than keeping his cool at the moment.

"Here." She stated as she handed him the old t-shirt and walked off into her closet to find something to wear.

She was comfortable in his shirt because it smelled like him and it made her feel safe, almost like she was in his arms again. She rummaged through her things while Eric put his-her shirt on, she couldn't help the sigh of dismay at the thought of him not being shirtless. She finally found an acceptable pair of PJs to throw on. A set of light pink pajamas, a tank top and shorts. 'Good enough', she thought to herself- not thinking they were getting anywhere tonight. She threw on the pajamas and walked out of her closet only to find Eric missing.

She walked out into the living room where Eric had excused himself to after images of her in her underwear were a bit too much for him, and sat on the couch just waiting for her.

"Hey, there you are! I'd begun to think you'd left me after you got what you wanted." She said motioning to the t-shirt he was now wearing.

"You know I'd never leave you high and dry like that, Cal." He added with a wink.

She sat next to him and posed the question, "So what brings you over here to my part of town? I mean your house is far from here, so why would you be driving around in this rain? Were you at Brennan's with the guys or something?"

"No, I was just driving, trying to waste some time." He answered.

"And some gas?" she retorted with a giggle.

"Yeah, that too." He added also laughing. Then things got quiet.

There was a shift in the atmosphere. They both knew that they couldn't avoid the topic much longer, as much as they'd like to, it's impossible when their one-on-one time is so distorted because of it. So, she sat down next to him, figuring she'd have to be the one to address it first.

"Eric…" she started, "I know that things have been awkward lately. And I know that we are not the same as we used to be. And that makes things more complicated. Especially at work, and…" She trailed off not knowing whether or not she wanted to continue- knowing what she was about to say next. She was about to let all of her walls down, and let him in. Let him know what she truly wanted for them. But he made up her mind for her, and captured her lips in a kiss.

The kiss was innocent at first, but then it grew deep in passion and in longing. She needed this. She needed him. He knew what she was going to say and didn't want to rush her or make anything feel forced, but at that moment, kissing Calleigh Duquesne was the only thing in his mind. The only thing he could justify cutting off that beautiful voice for.

If Eric could listen to one voice for the rest of his life, he would pick Calleigh's. Her sweet southern drawl made Eric's mind go blank. Made him weak at the knees, and the first time he heard it, he made a promise to himself that it wouldn't be the last time. He would work every day to make sure he heard that voice at least once. Even if it was just a simple 'Good Morning' he would make sure he did. It was always the highlight of his day to hear her voice. To see her. To be in the same vicinity as her. Basically, she was the highlight of his day.

The two kept on kissing until the need for oxygen became too overwhelming and pulled them apart. They were both breathing heavily, and waiting to regain their breathing so they could go back in for more. Calleigh looked up, into his eyes for the first time in a while, and what she found was something she so desperately needed. In his eyes, his love for her was ten times what she could have ever hoped for. When they were dating before it was mostly just sex and protection from flying bullets, on the job. They never reached that intimacy that they both craved. But, to be fair, she pushed him away before they had the time. And since then they really only saw each other outside of work for a 'wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am' kind of thing. She didn't give them a shot, she was too afraid of hurting him like all the rest.

"Eric… I'm so sorry…" She said, trying to keep the tears at the brim of her eyes from falling. He heard her voice get shaky and saw those gorgeous green eyes start to get sad, and he immediately pulled her into his arms, and held her. He just held her there for a while until she felt comfortable enough to continue speaking. He hated seeing her cry, she was so strong all the time, and he had only seen her cry once or twice. But he hated seeing her be anything but happy. Although he thought she was devilishly sexy when she was angry, he still only wanted to see her happy and flash him that megawatt smile he loved so much. Eric truly adored Calleigh, for all that she was, and made her, and himself, a silent promise that he would work tirelessly to ensure that her happiness never faded away.

She didn't know how long she had been laying in Eric's arms, but she didn't care. She was comfortable- truly comfortable- for the first time in what had seemed like forever. The only time she was actually happy, which she now was forced to admit to herself, was when she was with Eric. He made her happy. Bottom line.

She looked up into his chocolate brown eyes, God she loved those, and started to speak. "I'm so sorry for pushing you away. Again. And I know that it was my fault that we didn't get anywhere before, but I wasn't really ready to. And I feel like all I think about since you left is you. And I'm sick and tired of walking past you in the halls at work and thinking that I could have had that. I want that with you, Eric. I want you."

Stay tuned for chapter 2! Thanks so much for reading! :)