Title: Memories
Author: LiLAqUaMaRiE
Fandom: CSI: Miami
Pairings/Characters: Talleigh
Rating: PG/K+
Genre: Drama, angst
Spoilers/Warnings: Post S.3.E.01 – "Lost Son". Bring out your tissues!!
Summary: He may no longer be with her, but she'd never stop loving him.
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.
Beta: Kasandra (SincerelyinDenial)

Memories… like the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures, of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?

- Barbara Streisand

MEMORIES

It was your typical Sunday afternoon; the sun was shinning, birds flew around peacefully, people went on with their business – everything was seemingly normal in Miami – except for one thing. Within a darkened apartment, where the only light that shined came from nearby windows, stood Calleigh Duquesne alone and in silence.

She stood in the center of the living room; her eyes gazed around the room, taking in the sight before her – which wasn't much to begin with. The apartment was scraped of any personal items within it, leaving only the simplest of furniture and bare walls. Her gaze broke away when it fell upon a narrow passageway that led to the only bedroom within the apartment.

Slowly she aligned her body in the direction of the bedroom and began her descent slowly, as if she never wanted to reach her destination but she knew she had no other choice. Calleigh came to a halt when she reached the doorway that led to the bedroom; she stood hesitant, frozen in place as she stared at the empty room before her. She swallowed hard – the room before her held so many memories; it used to encompass so much love and joy, but now it served as a painful reminder of what no longer could be. Calleigh sucked in a sharp breath as her gaze finally fell upon the bed and she closed her eyes instinctively.

Calleigh sighed softly as she reopened her eyes; in her mind, she hadn't planned on returning to the apartment, but she knew she had to finish picking up one last thing that was left within the place before it was rented to someone else. Her heart began to ache as she stood in the room; it was all too much for her to handle.

Again Calleigh sighed, and she moved forward, heading towards the abandoned bed that had a black box lying on top of it and a small suitcase leaning against its side. Her eyes fell upon the two items – the suitcase first before the box. She closed her eyes once more in an attempt to stop the tears that were threatening to escape.

Normally, she wouldn't dare to be so brazen with her emotions for anyone to see; she would never dare to break down; she was stronger than that. However, within the four walls that she was in - the four walls that she once called her haven, her sanctuary - her control faded away as an illusion. Like dust flying through the wind, it was never there to begin with.

Calleigh opened her eyes, as she lifted a hand to her face touching it gently. She noticed her face was wet with tears that ran without ending. She stared at the small drops of her own tears as if in a daze. Her bottom lip quivered slightly before she roughly wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand.

The black box on the bed tempted her. It urged her to take it within her grasp as her eyes once again fell upon it. Calleigh reached the foot of the bed. She hadn't realized that she had been moving; her feet seemed to have walked on their own accord.

She hugged the box against her chest, clinging to it as if her life depended on it. The box was her treasure, her joys, her laughter; but it was also her downfall, her pains, her tears. The box meant so much to her that she was unable to find the right words to express what it truly meant to her.

A small part of Calleigh felt silly for having to feel as if she had to hide the contents that were within, but part of her could not bear the thought of having anyone else see the emotional scars that the box contained. It was something that was meant only for her eyes – and her eyes alone.

Silently, she placed the box upon the bed in front of her and slowly opened it; she tried to be as careful as she could. Setting the lid aside, she stared down at the contents within the box. She reached inside taking out a couple of items and placed each one of them on top of the bed – ticket stubs, a bottle of cologne, a mix CD, a picture frame and an old sweatshirt that had the words Columbia University written upon it. Each of the items brought about different memories from her but ultimately they also formed one painful one.

Slowly she reached for the sweatshirt; she hugged it tightly for a moment before she decided to put it on. In this moment, she wanted to feel loved; she wanted to feel as if she wasn't so alone in the dark world she was forced to live in. The sweatshirt was her only solace for that.

Gently she picked up random ticket stubs, reading the names of the places where they came from: movies, airlines, concerts, and a fair. Though they had been from the most random of places, each of them contained a special memory. Calleigh knew that she could never let go of those stubs – they were her only ties to those special moments- to him. She wouldn't dare to throw them out.

She allowed her hands to pick up the bottle of cologne, bringing it up to her face. The scent was intoxicating. It left her breathless as it always had in the past. She took a deep breath, breathing in its scent once more; it was one of the very few physical things that she had in order to get close to the one person she missed the most.

Calleigh placed the stubs and the bottle of cologne back into the box, carefully not wanting either to get damaged. Then her eyes fell upon the mix CD he made as part of a Valentine's Day gift which held the songs that he had chosen for her. The songs expressed a love that was wonderful, passionate, and exquisite – uniquely theirs, and theirs alone. She read the title, "To My Heart" to herself and she closed her eyes for the third time; however, she was unable to stop the tears from flowing.

She flipped the case over and began to murmur the names of the song list: "Wonderwall" by Oasis, "Like a Stone" by Audioslave, "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls, "Soul Meets Body" by Death Cab for Cutie, "Drops of Jupiter" by Train, and her favorite song, "One True Love" by Semisonic.

The last song title made her lips trembled as a sob threatened to break through. She placed the CD back in the box as she finally reached for the picture frame. It was a picture of her in the arms of the person she loved the most. She traced the smile on her face in the photo; at the time she was smiling freely. Calleigh had been so happy at the time, but now she feared she would no longer ever have that same smile or happiness again because it was like the person she was next to in the photo – dead and in the past.

Calleigh held the photo frame tightly, not wanting to let it go. She glanced down at the person next to her in the picture; the person had their arms around her waist while resting their head upon her shoulder as they both gave cheeky grins at the camera before them. Their eyes sparkled with joy; and finally the sob broke through as she hugged the frame against her chest.

She knew that even though she would never admit her feelings to anyone, it still wouldn't change what had happened: death had come to Miami, and unfairly stole the one person she held dearest.

…Calleigh would never stop loving Tim Speedle.

FIN.