Title: Solace
Author: AllOverTheWorld
Shippers: Horatio/Calliegh
Summary: Calleigh takes solace in firearms, as strange as it seems to most; she finds comfort amongst Sig Sauers, Colts, Sniper Rifles, and Shot Guns, Machine Guns, exploding rounds and gun powder. Most, if not all, on the CSI team know where to find her after a particularly long or hard (most times both) case: her ballistics lab. What happens when that solace is shattered? When her one sanctuary is no longer what it was? Where will she go? Who can she turn to?
Authors Notes: Before I get started here I just want to say that yes I am still working on Anatomy of a Broken Soul but I've recently become obsessed with CSI: Miami. Also this is my first fic here so please let me know if anything I write is to out of character or just doesn't seem right. I will reply to all reviews!
Calleigh Duquesne felt the cold barrel of the gun against the exposed nape of her neck seconds after she realized that she was no longer alone in the lab. Initially she assumed it was some sort of prank but then she heard that voice. The voice that dredged up flashbacks filled with terror and pain. Flashbacks that took her back to her teenage years, when she wasn't as strong and confident as she was now and that made it so easy for her to understand Natalia's pain and fear back when she was dealing with Nick.
"Miss me Calleigh?"
His voice was sweet but it was unmistakably laced with venom, venom that she felt as he pushed the barrel of the gun hard into her neck "Come on Calleigh. I know that you missed me. You missed how I could make you feel." He was smiling, she could tell by his voice and the fact that he obviously loved every second of this.
"If you count making feel scared and alone as a good thing, then yes, I did miss that, though working here can do a good job of that sometimes." Calleigh said trying to keep her voice steady and calm as she reached for her gun. As her shaking hand reached the holster at her side, her blood froze as her hand touched an empty holster. She cursed her self for allowing her gun to be stolen and not getting a replacement. She was weaponless against her angry ex-boyfriend from thirteen years ago.
"Lies," He hissed "I remember when you would moan my name, begging me to come home so we could have some fun."
Calleigh swallowed "If you're here to shoot me Gunnar just do it already."
"I don't think so Calleigh. You see, I've been waiting thirteen years to do this and let me tell you it feels good to be the one holding the gun." He said and as he said this his unarmed hand snaked across her abdomen and towards the button of her pants.
Squirming slightly Calleigh desperately looked around at the empty table for anything that could be used as a weapon. Just her luck that the only things on the table was multiple forms from the IAB about her stolen weapon and a pen "How long do you think you are going to be able to stand here with a gun to my head? You're in a lab filled with armed guard and cops."
"And rightfully I would be worried if this was the day shift but lucky for me this is the night shift. Only about a dozen trigger happy pigs here plus or minus a few unarmed lab techs." He said and his hand undid the button.
Closing her eyes Calleigh took a deep breath and said a silent prayer as she prepared for her only self defense. Just as his hand was about to dip below the waist line of her pants she brought her elbow back in a vicious kidney punch and at the same time ducked her head and threw herself to the right. A shot was fired as Gunnar's finger jumped on the trigger but it missed Calliegh, who was now scrambling to a weapons locker.
Cursing herself for being so damn meticulous Calliegh knew it was impossible for her to open a locker and get a weapon before Gunnar shot at her again. Changing her mind she aimed to get behind the table but she was to slow. She felt his hand close around her ankle and pull her back towards him with haste, knowing he had only seconds left. As Gunnar Matthews effortlessly spun Calleigh around she found herself looking into his dark green eyes for the first time in thirteen years. It was her last hope, and a desperate move at that, but even as she saw his finger close back on the trigger she aimed a hard kick at his shin with her high heeled foot.
He jerked slightly and shouted in anger but didn't release her ankle and as she tried to wriggle out of his powerful grasp two shots fired simultaneously. Calleigh had closed her eyes, bracing for the pain that never came as the shots were fired. She felt the vice-like grip around her ankle slack slightly and she pulled back and out of his grasp.
Her eyes flew open and she saw Gunnar, laying, face up on the ground a red stain quickly spreading from a gun shot to his side. However she was to far gone to comprehend that. Instinctively she lunged for his weapon and gripped it tightly in her hand, pointing the shaking barrel at his chest.
Tears rolled down her face as she still felt the gun pressed to her neck, the tickle of his breath on her back and the feeling of his hand reaching across her abdomen. Someone was saying her name but she couldn't really hear who it was until she felt an arm around her shoulders and Horatio's voice saying "Calleigh, sweetheart, it's over."
His voice was as calm and reassuring as ever and as his hands covered her own, she relinquished the weapon to him, glad to have it out of her own possession. He handed it off to somebody before sitting down next to Calleigh, who was now pressed up against one of the metal grates protecting various firearms.
It was now as she calmed down ever so slightly that she realized she was shaking and all of the scars he had caused her seemed to burn as she looked at his lifeless form. Looking away from him Calleigh closed her eyes but opened them again as his snarling face loomed behind her eyelids. Horatio gently pulled her into the comfort and safety of his body "Calleigh" he whispered, his voice replacing Gunner's and his gentle grasp cooled her 'burning' scars "Calleigh" he repeated and she looked at him, the tears that had begun falling now stopped by some will to appear as strong as she knew was perceived "Can you tell me who that man is?"
She nodded and said "Gunnar Matthews."
"Can you tell me why he tried to kill you?" Horatio's voice was accusatory or suspicious he simply was trying to get the facts.
God. She really didn't want to do this; just the thought of having to tell someone (even if it was Horatio) made her cringe. For so long Calleigh had managed to keep most of her past a secret and if not for this incident no one at CSI would have to know but now he had returned, perhaps her darkest and ugliest secret. Fresh tears sprung to her eyes and for a moment she felt foolish: she was Calleigh Duquesne for crying out loud, badass ballistics expert and a damn good shot with just about any gun. How could one man reduce her to a shaking, crying mess on the floor of her own lab?
Then, of course, she remembered that she had not always been so strong. Granted, she had known what she wanted and rarely, if ever, let someone stand in her way but Gunnar had forced her to build up the barriers around herself. He had broken her willingness to trust people as freely as she once had. For three years she had allowed herself to be abused and controlled but the night she pulled her fathers gun on him had been the last night that Calleigh ever let a man do that to her.
The sounds of footsteps and whispers dragged Calleigh out of her thoughts and back to the cold, hard floor of her lab. She looked up and saw most of the night shift looking in on the scene:
One dead man lying on the floor.
An ever growing pool of blood.
And Calleigh sitting on the floor, shaking with Horatio's arm wrapped protectively around her.
Deciding that, in Calleigh's best interests, his team should handle this case Horatio pulled out his phone and called Eric Delko "Eric" he said "I need you to get everyone to the lab as soon as possible, there's been an incident and I want you guys to handle it."
Calleigh listened as Eric no doubt asked what had happened and she hoped that Horatio would just tell him to do as he asked "I'll explain when you all get here." He said hung up, turning back to Calleigh "Sweetheart, I need you to tell me why that man tried to kill you."
She nodded, understanding but not quite ready to expose herself like that.
Giving her another moment Horatio said "I have to deal with the night shift very quickly and then call Frank but then I'm going to need you to tell me, okay?"
As much as she didn't want him to go she needed a minute to collect herself so she nodded again. Horatio stood up and walked over to the senior night shift guard "I need you to call Frank Tripp and explain that we have situation down at the lab. Tell him I have it under control but it's best that he gets down here relatively soon."
Turning to another two guards he said "I need you one of you to mark of a perimeter and the other to get me all the security tapes for the past week."
All three men nodded and disappeared down the hallway to do as Horatio asked, then to the rest of the crowd he said "This situation is under control, you guys can get back to work now."
Watching for a moment as the crowd dispersed, he then turned back to Calleigh and saw that she was still shaking and he knew it wasn't from the air conditioning. He slipped off his jacket and walked back over to her and draped it over her shoulders and once again sat down next to her. While she was still shaking she seemed much more composed than she had a few minutes ago.
As he sat down she turned to him and began talking, without prompting "Sixteen years ago I met Gunnar. He was charming and we hit it off, little did I know the monster he really was. Nevertheless three years later I sent him to prison. He got twelve years and I assume got out recently. The last thing he said to me before he went to prison was that he would get revenge."
Horatio knew she was skirting the details but granted the circumstances and the fact she never talked about her past he let it slide, for now. He knew that there was something beyond what she had just told him between the blond CSI and the dead man on the floor but it would have to wait as he heard Eric start to say "Horatio I got hold of everyone except-" but then broke off as he saw the ballistics lab "Calleigh." He said and started to rush over to her.
She jumped, involuntarily, but she still flinched at the sound of her name being called. Eric saw this and was about to ask when Natalia, Ryan and Walter arrived behind him. They all said something along the lines of: what happened here but they all went silent as they saw Calleigh sitting on the floor. Horatio stood up and walked over to them "I need all of you to start processing the scene, as you normally would." He paused and seeing the questioning looks on all of their faces he added "I will explain everything in a minute" he was interrupted by Frank Tripp's voice.
"Horatio, what the hell is going on? I've just heard that you shot someone who tried to shoot Calleigh?"
Horatio sighed, looked at Natalia and "Can you get Calleigh out of there and into the break room? I'll be there in a minute." She nodded and he turned to Frank "Yes, I did shoot a man by the name of Gunnar Matthews, who fired a shot at Calleigh."
"Is he dead?" Frank asked
"Yes."
"Jesus. IAB is going to need to be informed and lucky for everyone the new security tapes in that lab will explain everything. I assume that your team will process the scene and I don't need to tell you that I'm going to need a report from both you and Calleigh and anyway what were you doing here?"
Horatio nodded "I was walking to my car when I realized I left something back in here. I came in to get it when I heard a shot fired. The gun Gunnar had is the same gun that was stolen from her car this morning at the crime scene across town."
Surprise flickered across Franks' face "Do you think he stole it?"
"At this point we don't know anything besides he and Calleigh have a history."
"What kind of history?" Frank asked
"She wouldn't tell me the details but she did send him to prison for twelve years." Horatio answered, deliberately avoiding telling Frank his thoughts.
"Well that's enough to make anyone want revenge."
"That" Horatio said as he turned to go to the break room "Is an understatement."
Well?
Thoughts? Opinions?
If the thought of Calleigh being in an abusive relationship is to far- fetched for anyone (or in an episode I have not yet seen they declare she never has been) then I apologize for my newbieness.
Question for the chapter:
When someone starts talking about CSI: Miami what episode comes to mind? This can just be a description of the episode or something that happened.
