Dance Of the Sugar Plum Fairies
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the sort from CSI. It is the esteemed property of Jerry Bruckhiemer , Alliance, and CBS. I do own a certain precocious five year old...
A/N: Follow up to Snowflakes and Misunderstandings, five years later.
Pairing: S/C
Warnings: Some language
Rating: FRT
Chapter One
Tim glanced down at the ground, wondering just how he got into this predicament. Sighing heavily, he pulled up the string of lights and placed them with precision on the house, leveling them with the nail that had remained from the previous year. Every year since getting married , he had found himself perched perilously atop his home the first weekend in December, hanging Christmas lights . For some unknown reason, Calleigh favored the festivities that went along with the season, meanwhile, Tim could do without. As long as he had Calleigh and his daughter, who were both mysteriously missing at the moment, his life was complete, lights or no lights.
A snicker brought him out of his thoughts as he tightened the tension in the line of lights. Ignoring the sound, he continued to inch along the length of the house until his arms could reach no more. Taking a breather, he glanced down at the remaining area left to be surfaced with lights and shook his head. This could wait a few minutes longer.
" Need a break, Bob the builder?" Jayson quipped holding the ladder as Tim descended slowly. He had come down to Miami with his parents for the week to see his niece in her first performance in the Nutcracker.
"Don't laugh, you are going up there next," Tim responded as he glowered at his brother, straightening his jacket some. The air in Miami was nowhere near what Syracuse was at this time of year, which he figured was a shock to both his mother and father, but it was chilly enough for him.
"Oh no you don't there, slugger. Calleigh specifically told you to get those lights up before she came back from rehearsal with Syd. She said something else about getting to the airport before her family got in,"Jayson said absently as Tim looked up at him, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Did you say the airport?" he asked as he pulled his watch up to his face to see the time. "Damn!"
He moved past Jayson in a huff, walking into the house rapidly and returning a short while later. Jayson eyed him as he walked to his truck and poised himself to get in, not believing what he was seeing.
"Hey, where do you think you are going?"
" If you hadn't noticed, there sport, I have to go and pick up the in-laws. If they aren't here when Calleigh gets back,..."
"There'll be hell to pay," Jayson responded with a cocked grin.
"In the worst way. You can finish this up , can't you?" Tim asked as he stepped into the cab of the Tahoe.
Shaking his head, Jayson turned and walked towards the house, hearing the engine to the Tahoe revving up, " You know, I should cash in my favors with you."
" Just think of it as charity," Tim called as he put the truck into reverse. " See you when I get back, Jay."Jayson waved him off as the truck pulled into the street and turned with Tim hanging out of the window, " Thanks little brother!"
He watched as the truck sped off into the distance and started climbing the ladder, his thoughts on how to get some sympathy from Calleigh later. It was the least he could do for his older brother.
S/C
Calleigh watched with delight as she twirled deliriously around, the smile on her face as brilliant as the sun. She loved to watch her daughter dance, the happiness that exuded from the five year old, always making her heart skip a beat. As with her father, Sydney Speedle's emotions were strong, be it happy or sad, or even angry and each had their place within her. At the moment, happiness was all that Calleigh could see as it flowed from her effortlessly, it seeming to be contagious as her other company mates dissolved into fits of laughter as Sydney stopped turning and fell to the floor in a heap. Calleigh couldn't help herself but laugh, trying vainly to suppress it by covering her mouth with her hand discreetly, but found that the chuckle rose out of her anyway. Sydney got up and took an exaggerated bow, as the rest clapped and giggled along with her. Calleigh shook her head , the smile still planted firmly on her face as she felt her cell buzz in her jacket pocket. Feeling around for the contraption, her mind ran with the possibilities. She had left both Jayson and Tim at the house with strict instructions that the lights be up when she returned from rehearsal. Her only thoughts were that the Speedle boys had gotten themselves into a mess and they were on their way to the emergency room.
With a little more of a chuckle she flipped the phone to see a familiar number and crinkled her eyebrow. Surely, Tim would've remembered to pick up her family from the airport.
"Chauncy?" Calleigh asked, her tone even at the moment. She could only hope that Chauncy was at her house, calling only to dish about Jayson.
"Calleigh," Chauncy returned, the frustration easily being heard in her sigh. "Where in God's name is that husband of yours? Grandma has been sitting here for almost an hour."
"What?" Calleigh returned almost too loudly. She gathered herself and turned to see the other mothers as their attention settled on her. She gave them a faint smile and turned her back slightly, trying to whisper, but realizing with her anger rising ,that it was an attempt she was failing at, "Tim isn't there?"
"If he was, darlin' don't you think we would be at your house by now? Didn't you tell him what time we were arriving?" Chauncy asked, her voice being drowned out by the throng of travelers and the intercom on the concourse. " You know grandma is getting up there in age... No , grandma, I'm not trying to be funny," Calleigh heard Chauncy remark. "Cal..."
Calleigh closed her eyes and then opened them quickly, pinching the bridge of her nose, " Let me call Tim and see what he's gotten into." The thought of him in the emergency room returned to her as she let out a sigh. He had better been in the emergency room to have forgotten to be at the airport.
"Call back soon, Cal. Grandma needs to take her medicine."
"I'll call back in five minutes. If I can't find him, which he better hope that I can, do you think you can hop a cab to my place?"
"Sure," came the nonchalant reply from Chauncy before she unceremoniously hung up.
Calleigh turned her sights onto Sydney as they started to prepare for a run through and let a strained smile appear, nodding to her as she dialed his number. Waiting for him to pick up, she watched as Sydney took her mark as the activity unfurled around her. She had been so proud of her when she had gotten the news about being chosen for the miniature Sugar Plum fairy doll, knowing how much Sydney wanted something to do in the production. The talent was recognized early in Sydney, and the desire soon followed ; Calleigh being unable to hear nothing else from her daughter about how much she wanted to dance. Not so soon afterwards, she had begun to practice at home, even pulling her father in by using him as a proxy Clara, presenting him with a crown fashioned from aluminium foil and cardboard. Calleigh could hardly wait to see her little girl in the frilly tu tu and the little tiara.
The phone rang incessantly, Calleigh's anger being fueled by it. The ringing finally stopped and she realized that his voice mail had started. Rather than hearing his sarcastic quip of the week she depressed the button and spoke cleanly, her words coming out precise.
"Timothy Speedle, there better be a very good reason why my family is still at the airport," Calleigh said as she retained her sight on her daughter as she hit her mark perfectly. She noticed the slight wiggling that always managed to make an appearance and winced slightly, but then relaxed. Sydney was a picture of control for a five year old, but sometimes the wiggle worms attacked. Soon , she stopped wiggling and stood perfectly still in the first position and Calleigh relaxed once more, a smile creeping onto her face as she let out a breath and spoke again. " Tim, just... just get there, okay? Talk to you later, I love you."
Calleigh dialed Chauncy's number as Sydney walked off, a huge smile gracing her face. There would be only thirty more minutes of rehearsals then she would be picking up Sydney's costume for the dress rehearsal tomorrow. They only had one more day of rehearsals until the performance, and that coupled with her family being down in Miami for the first time , found Calleigh on pins and needles. Nothing needed to go wrong. Nothing.
"He's here," she said immediately.
Calleigh let a relieved sigh out and her body relaxed. In the minutes since Chauncy had first called , her body had tensed up involuntarily. She thrived on precision and control, and at the minute sight of any of that absent, Calleigh's world would implode.
"Would it be possible to speak to him?" she wondered as she continued to watch the rehearsal as it wound to a conculsion.
"I'm not going to have you cuss him out on my phone , Bug."
"Oh, stop it, Chauncy, I'm not going to curse him out," Calleigh said with a light laugh. "Maybe give him a stern word or two."
With no fan fare, the phone was handed off and he spoke , the apology evident in his voice, "Cal..."
"Tim, what on earth? What were you doing?"
"What you told me, time just got away from me. Jayson was the one who reminded me."
" I have the mind to thank him generously for that," Calleigh returned a smile inched up the corners of her mouth. "So, I'm lead to believe that you finished the house?"
"About that, Cal..."
"Jay's doing that as well, I see."
"At least it will be done when you get home," he answered with a slight hint of sarcasm. Calleigh decided to let it slide , just because she knew he was truly sorry for it. " How's my little sugar plum fairy doing?"
"Oh, she's fine," Calleigh responded as they gathered around the instructor. She got up and grabbed Sydney's jacket and waited for her to come over. " We get her costume tonight for tomorrow's dress rehearsal. It's going to be a fight to keep her hands off of it. You should see her, Tim, she's absolutely estatic."
"That means she's going to be dancing all night, doesn't it?" Tim asked, an exasperated sigh escaping as he picked up the luggage.
" You try telling an excited five year old to stop dancing. It's her first role," Calleigh explained as the instructor dismissed them. Sydney waved to her friends and then ran to Calleigh , catching her legs in an embrace. Looking down at her, she smiled as she put a hand on her chocolate brown hair that was put in a messy ponytail, the curls spilling out from everywhere . Calleigh conceded that she was going to have a tough time getting it into the sleek bun that was required. " You want to speak to Daddy?"
"Daddy!" Sydney exclaimed as she turned her head upwards, giving Calleigh a glance at her deep brown eyes that danced with mirth. The only thing that Calleigh saw that she inherited from her was her control, everything else was all Tim. "I wanna speak to Daddy!"
"Alright, alright, Syd. Here he is," Calleigh responded as she handed her the phone.
"Daddy! Hi Daddy!" Sydney yelled into the phone excitedly. " I did it, Daddy! I gave Clara her crown."
"That's great , sweetie," Tim said as he pulled the phone from his ear slightly. Chauncy glanced over, hearing the exuberant voice of her niece.
"And I stood still, just like Mommy told me too," she continued as she let go of Calleigh's legs and began to walk in circles around her.
"Sydney, tell the truth," Calleigh warned as she heard the sounds of the departing parents and looked to her watch. She wanted to stop by the store to grab some things before going home.
"Oh okay, I moved some, but not a lot Daddy. I did good!"
" I believe you, baby. Put Mom back on the phone," Tim said as he smiled more. Just the sound of her voice made his heart swell.
"Okay, Daddy. I'll see you at home, bye bye."
"Bye, sweetheart," Tim returned, moving slowly with the luggage. He heard Calleigh get the phone back and said, " So, she's psyched."
"Beyond psyched. I don't believe she wants to go to sleep tonight. Hope you are prepared."
"She can help with the tree," Tim quipped , walking out of the terminal.
"Now, that is going to be something to watch. How long are you going to be?"
"Not long, the causeway seems to be clear, well, it was on the way here."
"Looks can be decieving, Tim. Take your time, I'll see you when you get home. And slow down!"
"Are you insinuating that I speed?" Tim asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, it is your name, right? Just take it easy, you have my grandmother in the car with you, remember that."
"Remembered. See you when you get in, Cal."
" Love you, Tim."
"Love you, Calleigh."
Calleigh smiled heavily as she closed her eyes, seeing him in her mind's eye. She could almost see the sexy smirk that he almost always wore for her. Life had been nothing but perfection for them since being married, something that she could hardly believe , considering the Christmas they had before getting engaged, but Calleigh reminded herself that with the kind of love that they had, it made everything easier.
Opening her eyes, she looked down at Sydney and put a hand on her head, smoothing out the wild curls, "Ready, kiddo?"
" Yeah! But don't forget my costume, Mom!"
"My next move, sweetie. Let's go."
The two of them walked towards the instructor, smiles on both their faces. Life couldn't get any better at the moment.
Tbc...