A/N: Right, this is my second oneshot/twoshot based off of episode spoilers. As with the last, it focuses on E/C so that chances of this actually happening on the show is pretty low because we all know that TPTB like to torture us with minimal E/C scenes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Please R&R and let me know if I should leave it as a oneshot, or continue it into a twoshot... =D
It was the buzzing of his cell phone that began his day. Regardless of the fact that it was kept on silent, Eric woke up when it vibrated against the wooden top of his bedside table once again. He had become a light sleeper lately. Something that he had put down to always having to be on alert recently, along with the stress of what his current job entailed him to do. Put that together with the fact that he was living a semi-lie in regards to what his job actually was, there wasn't much of a surprise that he was finding it a hard time sleeping peacefully.
Reaching out for the phone before it alerted him once again about the text message, he scrolled through it quickly, reading it twice over to memorise the important facts before deleting it. Guilt swept through him as the confirmation of the deletion blinked on the screen, especially he felt the arm around his waist tighten. The owner of the arm cuddled into him a bit more before letting out a quiet sigh that he could only label as content and only made him feel ten times worse.
It had to come to an end soon. He knew it did. The lying and the sneaking around wasn't what they did. At least, Eric thought to himself, not what they did anymore. They had an open relationship where they could tell each other anything and everything. One that included small things, such as laptop passwords and mobile pin codes, and major things, like their biggest fears and secrets. The former was the reason why he had deleted the text message, and the latter being the reason why his stomach churned with guilt.
Although he knew she would never intentionally go through his phone, there were instances where he would have to part from it and Calleigh may answer if it deemed important enough to. Especially since she had called him out on the fact that he wouldn't stay 4 feet away from his cell, teasingly asking if he had something on the side that he didn't want her to know about. He had managed to laugh it off, knowing that the 'something' that she had been thinking about and the 'something' he had been thinking about were two completely different things, stating that being back at CSI was the reason behind it. Eric had reasoned with himself that it hadn't been a total lie, and had been glad when the conversation had changed course from a serious one about their jobs to a more playful one about her being jealous.
Deciding to push the thoughts out of his head for then, he replaced his phone back onto the bedside table and looked down at the blonde next to him. Using his free hand, Eric pushed back the tendril of hair that had fallen across her face and was gently tickling his shoulder where her head rested upon. With one of her legs tangled with his, and the arm that was securely wrapped around his midsection, he began to wonder how he was going to leave without waking her. In the year that they had been together, he had never successfully done so before.
Eric kept the arm that held her to him around her body as he carefully began to extract himself from their twined position. It wasn't too hard to gently shift her leg off of his, or to eventually slid out his arm from around her shoulders and place her head softly onto the pillow, but when it came to removing her arm from around him, she began to awake.
Knowing there was no use in trying to pretend that nothing had happened, he carried on with what he had been doing; finally getting completely away and sitting at the edge of the bed. Eric twisted around when he heard the sheets rustle, watching as sleepy green eyes blinked open at long intervals.
"Shh… I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered, laying a hand on her back and rubbing it soothingly, hoping to coax her back into the dreamland that he had snatched her from. "Go back to sleep, baby. Go back to sleep."
"Where-?" Calleigh muttered, already giving in to the sleep that was trying to claim her.
"Work." Eric told her, chuckling quietly when he saw her frown at his answer, even in her half-asleep state. "I'll see you later."
A low hum of agreement told him that she had taken his word for what it was and fallen back asleep. Stilling his hand, Eric let it rest for a moment on her back, simply watching her breath as she slept. It was something that he could do forever; something that he had almost thrown away more than once.
The last thought made him retract his hand as if he had been burnt. It wasn't a pleasant thought, nor had it been a pleasant time when the opportunity to do what he was currently doing hadn't been there. And it definitely wasn't something that he was going to suffer through anytime soon. He had justified what he was doing as it being his job, and that she would understand. Because if there was anyone who would understand why he was doing what he was doing, it was Calleigh.
…
Waking up to an empty bed wasn't something that she was use to. At least, not recently. Ever since Eric had come back to CSI, even if it was while working with the S.A.'s office, they rarely ever had an early morning call out. Of course, there had been an odd couple, but they usually involved just her or the both of them.
Calleigh stretched out onto her back, glancing at the glowing red numbers on the clock at the opposite side of the bed. The sun was already up, but it was still an hour too early for her. Falling back asleep would be perfect, and she was well on her way to doing so when she heard the familiar sounds of someone in the kitchen. Laying still to hear closely, she was able to work out the sound of gushing water and metal against metal; most probably the sink, she concluded.
The argument in her head about whether to get up or not was over before she could even think of another reason past the fact he was still there. Pushing aside the sheets, Calleigh swung her legs over the side of the bed before standing up. There was a brief spinning sensation as she got up too fast, and most likely due to a certain shortage of sleep, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut to let it pass.
When it had, she brushed it off and carried on with what she had intended on doing so in the first place. Making sure that the shirt she had on was covering her at least modestly, Calleigh walked with faint steps towards the source of the sound. With bare feet, not only was she quiet, but also short and felt quite vulnerable. It wasn't a feeling that she let herself divulge in frequently, but at home, regardless hers or his, it was unavoidable.
"Hey." She greeted him as she approached the kitchen area of the condo. Her appearance had clearly taken him by surprise if the look of shock on his face, that was quickly replaced with a relaxed smile, was anything to go by.
"I thought I told you to go back to sleep?" Eric joked, speaking even as he made his way around the room to grab certain things that he would need.
"I did." Calleigh replied, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter as she watched him pocket his phone. "Where are you off to?"
"I told you; work." He answered with a nonchalant laugh, picking up his keys from the island in the middle of the kitchen.
"Yeah, but-" She began, her voice neutral and innocent as always even as her brow furrowed slightly.
"I'm sorry, but I've got to get going." Eric cut her off, internally wincing at the flash of hurt that she covered up before he could even blink.
"Ok." Calleigh merely said, nodding and putting on a small smile that she knew he could tell was forced as he approached her.
"Sorry." He murmured, pressing his lips to hers and letting them linger for a few seconds longer than what would be a chaste kiss. "Later, ok? I promise."
"Ok." She repeated, following him with her eyes as he disappeared out of the room with a finally smile. It wasn't until she heard the front door shut did she relax her stance and uncross her arms. A frown was making it's way to her mouth as she thought about the haste that he had been to get out of there.
Chewing on her thumbnail, a habit that she had found out to have picked up ever since getting together with Eric, Calleigh stared at her toes as she thought about it. Urging herself to remain calm and collected like she was known and proud to be, she couldn't help but to piece together the facts.
There were the secret texts and phone calls, the sleepless nights, the "we'll take later"s that never happened, the sudden meetings he had to go to, not to mention the few late nights he pulled at work, and now the rushing. It sounded needy, but she couldn't help but feel dejected. Ever since she had known him, and more so now, Eric had always made time for her, no matter what, where, when or why.
Sighing before she drove herself insane, Calleigh shook her head and ran a hand through her tousled hair. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to go back asleep now, she headed towards the bathroom with the intention of an extra long shower. If it didn't wipe away her uneasiness, it would sure as hell make her feel better in a more physical way, and she was going to need that extra confidence if she was going to get through today.
…
Calleigh glanced down at her watch for the 5th time in as many minutes. She had always been a firm believer in never watching the time for it would always pass slower, but right then, it didn't even pass her mind to stop herself.
For the past 3 hours, she had managed to keep herself busy with cold cases, checking ballistic reports and writing her own. There was a dry spell of crime that day, which was something that they had learnt to never vocalise in fear of jinxing it. However, being that she had been at work for 3 hours, it was also a good 5 hours since she had seen Eric. Eric, who had told her he had been heading to work, and Eric, who she hadn't seen around the lab once since.
Filling in the last part of the official forms, Calleigh gathered it all together into a folder and stood up, heading straight for Horatio's office. It was rare to ever find him in there; being in charge of the crime lab itself was a hectic job, so she was pleasantly surprised to see her boss at his desk doing the same job as the rest of them were most probably doing.
Knocking on the glass door, she pushed it open slightly when Horatio's head snapped up to look at her. He didn't need to say anything for her to know he had granted her permission to enter. Letting the door shut behind her on it's own, Calleigh crossed over to the desk and gently placed down the folder in her hand onto it.
"Nice day, huh?" She asked him with her typical sunny smile that he reflected with his own.
"It certainly is." He replied, knowing exactly what she meant. Horatio was all too privy to the superstitious talk around his lab, and how even those who claimed not to believe in such voodoo stuck to this one particular rule. "All done?"
"Yup." Calleigh confirmed, tapping it lightly with the tips of her nails. "A bit late but… It's been a bit busy around here, you know? With the diamonds going missing and everything."
"I understand, Calleigh." Horatio assured her. She simply nodded at his words, looking out of the window at the clear blue sky and the beautiful gleaming sun. "Was there something else, ma'am?"
Opening her mouth to say something, Calleigh hesitated as a flow of thoughts came to her. She shut her mouth as soon as they hit her. The first and foremost was that she didn't mix her private life with professional, even if they had merged together a long time ago. With a small shake of the head, to both Horatio and to herself, she pushed it all to the back of her head and took a step away.
"Actually," She paused, turning back around from where she had made it halfway towards the door. Folding her arms loosely, she put on the most calm façade that she could, compelling herself to remain calm as she heard her light voice begin to shake a bit. "You haven't seen Eric lately, have you? It's just, he said he had to come to work early, but I haven't seen him all day."
"Calleigh, I can assure you he's working." Horatio answer slowly, leaning forwards on his desk with his forearms.
"So you've seen him?" She asked, eyebrows raising in surprise as her posture relaxed at his words. That was until she saw her boss clasp his hands together and stare at them intently. It was never good when he did that, Calleigh had learnt that long ago. Especially when he peered up at her with a tilt of the head. "You haven't, have you?"
"I think, you should let him explain." He replied, choosing his words carefully as he always did. She let her eyes fall shut for a moment, contemplating what he could mean. "Calleigh?"
"Yeah." She breathed, nodding automatically before forcing a smile onto her face. "I'm sure it's nothing, right? It can wait."
"Alright." Horatio said indifferently, although his caring eyes told her something else.
"I've got some more cases to go over. I guess I'll get back to them, then." Calleigh changed the subject, not waiting for permission to leave as she began to turn away. "I'll see you later."
There was no response to her words, and to be honest, she hadn't expected one. She was fairly sure she wouldn't have heard it even if he had spoken up. There were too many things whirring around in her head, all to do with her currently AWOL boyfriend who she feared was up to no good.
The last thought was boxed away as soon as she had thought it. If Horatio had assured he was working, then he must have been. A stab of guilt hit her at the realisation that she was doubting Eric's actions and words, but Calleigh had a whole list ready at the forefront of her mind to justify it. To add to the list was the fact that he had done this before to her, only that time, not even Horatio had known.
Calleigh froze in the middle of the corridor that took her from her boss' office to her lab as something new occurred to her. After the incident with Sharova, it had taken a lot of time and talking to get back to the relationship that they had had before it. In fact, it had made them stronger, but it hadn't been before a lot of compromises and apologizes from the both of them. Him for lying to her and going against what he had said, and her for shooting at him.
It had also made them face a lot of facts. Primarily; Eric was forever in danger of the Russian mob. Even with Sharova removing the hit and leaving the mob, his time there wouldn't have been without making a few people upset. People who, with the 'disappearance' of Sharova himself, would go for the next best thing. It was something that had feared her from the beginning, and him even more at the thought of them perhaps getting to her.
So they had compromised. Instead of worrying about it everyday and looking over their shoulders, they took small precautions. The first one that Calleigh had suggested was a GPS tracker in their own cars, and as she made a detour to the A/V lab, she was glad of it. The consequences of doing what she was about to do could be dire, she knew, but there was much more at stake than whatever Eric might be doing. She was losing trust in him, fast, and this was the only way she could think of to get it back.
…
Letting out a sigh of exhaustion, Eric rested his head back against the car seat. It was just passing midday, and already he had had enough. This wasn't what he was use to, and it sure wasn't what he liked doing. But, unfortunately, he had no choice. Not when there was something he could do to help.
The sight of an approaching car on the other side of the car park, right across the green in between, made him sit up straight again. It was a familiar silver model that he had met too many times recently.
Picking up the folder from the seat next to him, Eric climbed out of his own car and began to make his way over. There was a makeshift path that ran parallel to the green, shortening the journey from where he was to his destination. He had gotten only a third of the way there when he looked around once again; double checking to see that he wasn't being watched. There was an odd feeling in him, a sixth sense telling him there were eyes on him. Trying to be as subtle as he could, Eric swept his eyes over the surrounding area, including the passing roads and entrances to the car park itself.
Suddenly, he stopped. The feeling of eyes burning into him was explained the instant he spotted the familiar Hummer on the other side of the road from where he had parked his own car. A series of motions went through his head; looking both left and right between the car he was heading to and the one he had turned back to as he tried to decide which one he should deal with first. That decision, however, was made for him when he caught the eye of the driver of the CSI owned car. There was no way he could turn away from her this time.
Eric knew that his pausing and taking another few steps back towards his own car was signal enough for the blonde, and he wasn't disappointed when she opened her car door and stepped out. Despite the situation, place and look of pure disbelief on her face, he couldn't help but to admire her calm stance as she made her way over to him. She walked with the same pace as ever, not bothering to rush even though he could tell that she wanted to.
Meeting her halfway, they left a bit of space between them when they both stopped.
"How did you find me?" He simply asked her, trying to keep his voice neutral as possible.
"Does it matter?" Calleigh replied coolly.
"Yes." Eric nodded. "I need to know if anyone else could have followed me."
His words made her narrow her eyes for a second before she let them avert to the side. There were a lot of emotions playing on her face, he noticed now that he could see her closer. But more than that, he could see the defence and the walls she had put up with her stiff demeanour, and it stung to know it was because of him.
"GPS tracker." She stated, looking back at him. It took a moment for him to recall what she was talking about, but as soon as the penny dropped, he couldn't keep back the anger that flared inside of him.
"You what?" Eric asked in a low, harsh voice. "This is not what that was for, Calleigh!"
"No?" She questioned incredulously.
"No!" He reiterated in the same tone, trying to control himself before he did something he regretted. "It was meant for if something happened."
"Like if you suddenly went off the grid?" Calleigh asked sceptically, eyes boring into his as if to challenge him to tell her different. "Like today, where I've been trying to get in contact with you for the past 3 hours?"
"I told you I was working." Eric said, getting his voice down to a more steady tone.
"Yes, but correct me if I'm wrong, Eric, but you work with me now." She informed him matter-of-factly. "Yet, I've been at work, and you haven't. No-one's seen you all day."
"Calleigh-" He sighed, rubbing his forehead as he realised just how it must have seemed to her. He had had to switch his phone off earlier that morning, and then put it on silent. Every time he had seen a call from the blonde in front of him, Eric had to use every ounce of willpower to go against answering it, knowing it wouldn't be a work call. "Cal-"
"What, Eric?" She interrupted him softly. Concern now coloured her words as she took a single step closer to him, and even though the space between them was still quite reasonably big, it was a comfort to him. "What's going on, Eric? What aren't you telling me?"
"I can't-" He broke off, not sure how to word what he wanted to say. Telling her that he couldn't would just hurt her, but telling her might just hurt her even more. Swallowing, Eric looked off to the side, away from all the cars, before staring back at her with as much honestly as he could portray, hoping she would take it. "Later. Please?"
"No." Calleigh said simply with a single shake of the head, stopping all of his thoughts and actions. An exasperated sigh left her lips as she ran a hand through her hair before letting it drop down again. "It's always 'later' with you, Eric. But 'later' never comes."
"Calleigh, I promise-"
"I don't want your promises, Eric. I can't trust your promises." She told him honestly. The words hit him hard; she could tell by the way he started suddenly and Calleigh lowered her voice as she carried on to make it sound less harsh. "I'm sorry. I just- I need to know what's going on. It's been too long and I'm scared that if I leave it to ignorance any longer, I'm going to lose you."
"'Ignorance'? What-?" He started in confusion, the state only increasing when she shook her head incredulously at him.
"C'mon, Eric. We both know it's been going on for a while. The calls and messages, the secret jobs, being tired all the time. Even the tension at work. Natalia can hardly stay in the same room with you longer than necessary, and she's even started to avoid me." She listed out loud for the first time, not realising just how much her tone had taken to pleading. "What's going on?"
It took a bit longer for him to put it all together, what her words could mean. He hadn't known that she had began to notice the little things that he thought he had covered up pretty well. But by the look of worry and need of reassurance in her eyes along with the softness in her voice that told him she was controlling herself as well as she could, there was only one thing that came to his mind with a startling realisation.
"You think I'm cheating on you?" Eric asked her in shock, voice dropping to a whisper.
"N-" Calleigh quickly began, only for him to carry on without hearing her and she wondered if she really did seem that insecure right then.
"I'm not! I wouldn't. You know how much I love you." He told her in a steady voice, rubbing a hand over his hair as he did so. "Especially not with Natalia. That's the past-"
"I know! And I know you wouldn't." She finally stopped his tirade, deciding that she didn't need to hear any more. It might not be true, and she was fairly sure it never would be, but it still wasn't something she wasn't to think about. Instead, she inhaled deeply as he did the complete opposite. There was a tension to him that she could see had loosened significantly from a few minutes earlier, which only brought her back to the matter at hand. "But you are hiding something." Calleigh saw his eyes snap back to her from where they had fallen slightly with a hint of fear. "You've hidden things before, and I almost lost you then."
"This isn't the same." Eric assured her immediately, before continuing with something that he hoped she would believe. "I promise. This is… Legit."
"'Legit'?" Calleigh repeated in confusion. He gave no verbal response to her question, merely staring at her with a look that told her that he was trying to think of something to say.
Eric knew that the time had came to be completely honest. There was no way he was getting out of it without serious consequences if he didn't, and if he were honest with himself, he was glad that he didn't really have much of a choice. Peering over his shoulder quickly to the car that he had been waiting for, Eric wasn't surprised at all to see that the driver of it was already standing by the front of it, staring off in the distance to fake nonchalance and nostalgia and blend in to the area.
"Is that Rebecca Nevins?" The woman with him asked him in disbelief, bringing him back to their conversation that he had somehow drifted away from. She was looking over his shoulder at the person he had been looking at. He wasn't sure why he was so surprised; he hadn't been discrete and she was a CSI.
"It's complicated, ok?" Eric informed her with a heavy sigh. When his words seemed to have no effect on her whatsoever, he placed a gentle hand on her arm, relieved beyond words when she didn't shake it off or tense, and guided her to the side where they would be out of sight from the other woman. "C'mon, come here for a second."
"What's complicated? You work for the S.A.'s office, and so does she." Calleigh stated in her normal clear-cut way, allowing him to take them a few feet to her left without a second thought about it.
"I know. But this isn't something…" Eric trailed off, frowning, letting go of her arm after skimming his hand down it and over her hand with a whisper of a touch.
"Something…?" She prompted him, showing no hostile emotions as she tried her best to get all the information. Instead of replying, he looked over his shoulder once again before holding out the file that was in his hand. He knew that he could get into a whole load of trouble for it, but there was no other way for him to explain properly. "What is it?"
"I told you I was investigation the stolen diamonds." He said, staring her dead in the eye even as she took the proffered file and opened it. She nodded when she agreed as if to make sure she still believed him, ensuring him that she was truly prepared to listen to him. "I'm also investigating other missing pieces of evidence."
"There's other evidence missing too?" Calleigh asked in shock, glancing between him and the papers in her hands that she was quickly scanning through. "Why didn't we know?"
"It was kept under the radar because it were just small things. Until the diamond heist. That's when the S.A. decided to step in." He explained carefully.
"I don't get it. Are you saying you've been investigating everything this the whole time?" She questioned, eyebrows scrunching together as she reached a different type of collection of papers. "Investigating us?"
"Calleigh, I had to-" Eric quickly tried to tell her, only to be cut off by an almost inaudible gasp.
"Oh, my God." Calleigh muttered in shock, flicking through the next few pages, seeing that they were all the same before shutting the file and looking up at him with wide eyes. "These are transcripts. You were wearing a wire? Are you wearing one now?"
"No, of course not!" He assured her immediately, not even fighting off her hand as she reached out and pulled away the unbuttoned part of his shirt to check. "Listen to me-" He finally said, grabbing a hold of her hand and holding it tightly in his to claim her attention.
"You've been undercover all this time and you didn't tell me?" She interrupted, and he could tell by her subdued words that she was still trying to get her head around it. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she allowed him to change the grip on her hand to a lighter one as she carried on before he could. "No, I mean, I get that you couldn't, I guess, but the wire, Eric? Did you record everything?"
"No." Eric told her without a moment's hesitation. "I chose what to record, what to let them hear."
"But they heard everything else, right?" She asked him, unconsciously tugging gently on his hand. Her shining green eyes, open without any boundaries just for him, told him that she still didn't, or perhaps couldn't, believe it all.
He didn't speak for a minute, simply trying to think of the right words to describe exactly what had gone through his head to her. When he realised that there were no words to do such a thing, Eric let out a breath and told her everything that he had been telling himself since taking the job.
"Calleigh, you have to understand. I had to do this. If it wasn't me, then it would have been someone else. Someone else who didn't know you guys. Who would have came into the lab with the goal of simply pinning the missing evidence without regards to everyone else's careers." He informed her, a frown marring his features at the thought of it all. "They would have dug into your pasts and dragged it up again."
"And you didn't?" She replied. Although her words her sceptical and short, her smooth and Southern accent took the edge off them and presented it as a simple question.
"I know you guys, Cal. I knew it wouldn't have been any of you. But do you seriously think someone else would have looked past Ryan's gambling addiction? That they would've left Natalia's experience with Nick and the FBI alone?" Eric argued, trying his best for her to see it from his point of view. His words, he could tell by her softening stance, were sinking into her. Squeezing her hand lightly and grasping it in between his other one too, he added more in a tone that could only be described as loving. "That they would have left you alone?"
"What about everyone else? There are more than the three of us in the lab." Calleigh countered, watching as his eyes skittered from hers down to their hands and back again as he let go of his gentle hold.
"I filtered everything I found, I promise. I didn't present anything that I wouldn't want anyone knowing about me. If it didn't seem relevant, I didn't acknowledge it." He stated, using his now free hands to emphasise his point like he often did. "I did it for the team. To protect you all from getting hung out to dry. I admit, the thought of someone else going through your file and learning things about you that only a few others know was another reason, but mainly, it was for the team."
The pause in the conversation lingered with tension as Eric waited to see if she really did believe what he was telling her. He could tell by the look on her face, a faraway one that she usually got when things began to click in her head during a case, that she was doing her best to understand what he was telling her. Her eyes has drifted to the space behind him, and he was sure that she wasn't seeing anything or anyone in particular, but merely piecing everything that she could together.
Choosing not to say anything until she did, Eric was surprised when she suddenly held out the file that was his back at him. She was nodding minutely, chewing on her bottom lip until he took it from her hands. Letting out a sigh and standing up straight once again, she broke out of her thoughts.
"Did anyone else know?"
"H. Right from the beginning, he knew." Eric replied, faltering for a spilt second. "And Natalia."
"You told her but not me?" She had tried to keep the hurt and disappointment out of her voice, but there was no way that he could miss it. Not from the small hitch in her voice or the emotions clearly shining in her eyes.
"I had to. She sussed me out." He tried to explained, hurriedly carrying on when he caught the flicker of anger pass through her face. Eric had known her long enough to know that it was the anger that was directed at herself and not at the other woman, wondering how someone else had figured it out and she hadn't. "It's wasn't anything like that, Cal. Her hearing aid picked it up the first time I came to the lab. I had to tell her if I didn't want her to doubt my intentions. I told her the truth straight out, and she agreed to keep it quiet, but she didn't like it."
"I guess that explains the tension, then." She concluded slowly, crossing her arms. "Explains a lot actually."
"I'm so sorry, Calleigh. If I had the choice, I would have told you." Eric said. She accepted his words for what they were, nodding to let him know so. He wasn't sure if it was an answer that would change with time to ponder over it all, but right then, he was glad that she did understand.
"Everything you told me, about working late and the meetings; they were true?" Calleigh asked him to make sure, peering at him with eyes that almost begged him to say 'yes'.
"I never lied to you unless I had to." He reassured her, a weight lifting off his shoulders when he saw her visibly relax and loosen up at his words.
"Ok." She offered him a sad smile that Eric vowed to himself to change into the real bright one she had always given him as soon as he could. "Where were you this morning?"
"I had to gather some more stuff for the case." Eric informed her, tapping the file in his hand against the palm of the other one. "I can't tell you everything yet, but when it's over, I will."
"Is it nearly over?" Calleigh questioned him, trying to slip into a professional mode but failing. The way his eyes shifted away from hers told her all that she needed to know. "You can't say. Ok."
"I'm sor-"
"Don't, Eric." She quickly cut him off gently, let out a long breath that seemed to relieve a load of stress too. Standing up straighter, she gave him a truer smile that showed him her understanding. "You can't go against your job."
"I am, though." He said nonetheless, referring to what he had tried to say before.
"I know." Calleigh assured him, reaching up to graze her hand down his front; eyes focused on her actions even as his were on her.
"Did you mean what you said? That you can't trust me?" Eric asked her quietly. She could see the trouble in his eyes when she glanced up, and she should have known that he would have taken note of those words the most.
"I didn't say I couldn't trust you." Calleigh reminded him, dropping her hand.
"It's the same thing." He would have scoffed if the thought of it wasn't so painful.
"I trust you. With my life. That'll never change." She told him matter-of-factly before pausing. Although inside she was sure she had never really truly lost any faith in him, she knew that there were a few things that needed clearing up before they got back on track again. " The rest… We'll have to talk about the rest."
"I'll explain it all. You're not losing me, I swear." Eric informed her with everything that he had and Calleigh gave him a glimpse of one of her smiles, albeit a bit restricted.
"You should go." She said instead, nodding to the area behind him where his boss would be waiting something. "You have a job to do and so do I."
"Tonight, alright? Not 'later', tonight." He repeated, catching her eyes until she crumbled under the resolve in him to set things straight again.
"Tonight." Calleigh agreed. Eric nodded before she took a step back with the intent of leaving, neither one saying goodbye in one way or another.
Turning around, Calleigh counted to ten before she snuck a glance over her shoulder again. She was glad that he was already starting to make his way over to where Nevins was waiting for him, especially when she could judge from the distance he had made so far that he must have stared after her for a few more seconds after she had left. She just hoped that he wouldn't get in trouble for being late, or talking to her. Although she didn't like what he was doing, it wasn't his fault that she had found out, and she sure as hell didn't want him to pay for something he had clearly put a lot of effort into.
She was just approaching her Hummer, reaching into her pocket for her keys as she crossed the road when a sudden heart stopping explosion sounded from behind her. On instinct, she whirred around to face the source of the sound. Hair stuck to her face as she did so, but it wasn't enough to block her sight.
Without even thinking about it, Calleigh was retreating on her steps and heading towards where the fire was currently burning up a car. Fear clenched at her heart as she refused to think about what she was really seeing, instead searching for the main reason she was still making her way towards the heat.
Smoke was starting to burn her lungs, and she tried her best to remain at a distance but it was impossible to stop her feet from taking her closer until she found what she was looking for. Because the car that had just exploded had been a silver one, and Eric was nowhere in sight.