THAT DAMN WEDDING VEIL
Summary: Ever since he had seen her wearing the faux diamond veil, the image of a blushing bride Calleigh couldn't stop haunting his thoughts. EC
A/N: I don't have as much knowledge of CSI: Miami as I would have liked but I tried my best. Hope the followers of this shipping like this one-shot. :D
He didn't even realize he was day dreaming about it. Well, actually that was a lie. He was aware that he was thinking about it. …but was he suppose to?
"Hey," Calleigh greeted. Eric glanced up from the spot on the glass he had fixated upon for the last - he glanced at his watch- minute or so and glanced back at the lovely blond.
"Hey," he replied, smirking. She smiled and set down a few files she had in her hands. Running a hand through her hair, she made her way towards him. He couldn't help but think back at that afternoon, when she had mimicked the late bride of the all star baseball player.
As she had made her way towards him then as to the same way she was right now. Minus the veil.
"Coffee any good?" she asked, grasping a Styrofoam cup from the stack and pulled the pot from its place.
"Is it ever?" he joked. She smiled at him, and nodded, still taking a sip. She sighed and made her way back to the small sitting area in the lounge. Hesitating for a second, he followed her and sat opposite of her. "Those the names of the witnesses?" he questioned, hoping it could really help solve the case.
He hated all nighters.
"Yes, it is," she stated, "I was hoping Ryan could narrow it down a bit but no such luck." Eric sent her a sympathizing look and took a sip of his own coffee cup. He grimaced. Who did this pot of coffee? He peered at his co-worker as she rubbed the back of her neck and rolled her right shoulder.
"You ok?"
"Yes, I'm alright. I'm just a bit tired." Eric set his cup down. As he glanced up, he saw that damn veil on her head again. Calleigh frowned, puzzled. Why was Eric staring? "Are you okay?" she asked, chuckling. He blinked and promptly nodded.
"Yeah, I think I'm as tired as you are, I guess," he chuckled softly, which in the end turned into a yawn. She rose her eyebrows in amusement. "Ever think we're overworked?" She shook her head.
"Nah. I don't think so. In fact, I think you just like to work this much," she teased as she rose. Was she done with her cup already? He rose as well and neared the coffee table. Maybe some milk or sugar could make it digestible.
He looked up and imagined her blond head cast in glowing sunlight, a familiar flower petal-ed background surrounding her.
And a diamond-sprinkled veil shielding her face from his taller point of view.
He scowled. Was that image ever going away? Why was it bothering him so much? Well, if he was honest with himself, it didn't bother him.
It was just that it was invading his mind since it happened. Preventing him from thinking of anything else but that!
"Maybe you should ask Horatio if you could have the night off," she joked, passing a hand in front of his face. He blinked and came to.
"Huh?" he smartly replied.
"Spend a night out in those 'gentlemen clubs' again?" she joked again, though she didn't meet his eyes this time. He smiled, slightly embarrassed. He cleared his throat.
"Nah, told you I can't afford those places."
"Anyway," she turned, picking up the files again, "I got to go and see if I can cross match these names with the people in the video we got off of the street surveillance cameras."
This time, it wasn't the just the veil.
This time, a flowing white strapless dress accompanied the get up as she bent to pick up a fallen bouquet of flowers. Her curled locks of glistening sunlit blond hid her face from him. Faceless guests sat to his left, peering curiously at the gaping groom.
The groom which was him.
"…wedding? What wedding?" he snapped from his dream and blinked rapidly towards Calleigh.
"I'm sorry?" She smiled, and tucked a strand behind her ear. His reply echoed around the lounge. It probably would've done so in the whole precinct if the doors to the lounge had been opened.
"You were rambling about a wedding?"
"Oh!" he cleared his throat and served himself another cup of coffee. "I'm just… thinking back to the case a few weeks ago. The dead bride?" she placed the files back on the desk and faced him, concern marring her beautiful features.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine. I just," he cleared his throat for the millionth time and smiled, "I was just thinking about how a short someone had to try on a fake diamond-ed veil for the case." She squinted, jokingly.
Was he saying too much?
"I thought we weren't going to mention it to anyone, Mr. Delko."
"Oh, I didn't. I just …thought to 'bring it up' again," he teased, leaning back onto the edge of the coffee table. She crossed her arms, in a pose he thought she used to intimidate suspects into confession.
Luckily for him, he was used to it.
"Say anything, Eric, and your body will mysteriously go missing. " He couldn't help but laugh, teasingly.
"Alright, alright." she turned, smirking in the way she did when she won. Usually at one of their usual bantering.
But she hadn't.
"I won't. Only and if…" he stopped her. Was he really going to risk it? They were co-workers for goodness sake. He had had one 'office relationship' already and look where that ended up. He still couldn't face Natalia same way as before. Though Calleigh was not Natalia. It wouldn't be like that at all.
But that all depended on Calleigh.
He respected her too much for anything to ruin their friendship.
But that damn veil wouldn't stop pestering his mind.
He couldn't concentrate on work and it tormented his dream since then. His thoughts never ventured beyond the images of her moving from the end of the aisle to stand in front of him on the outdoor alter. A dream enveloped in pearly white bouquets, gowns and suits.
"Only and if?" she turned, prompting, her hand still on the knob of the glass door. He stood rightly on his two feet, no longer needing the coffee table for support.
"If you help me out and join me for lunch one day."
There. He had said it.
And still, Calleigh wore that veil on her glistening head.
Her lips parted in surprise as her green/blue eyes widened.
"I'm sorry?…Help you …out?" He made his way in front of his friend and smiled.
"Just lunch," he tried again, "Or if that's not possible…maybe dinner?" Her eyes widened further, if possible, and she swallowed.
"Eric-"
"Just lunch, Calleigh. Talk amongst friends." She seemed to think it over, gazing now at the currently much more interesting plant in the north corner of the lounge. He felt his pulse quicken as he stood close to her. Rather in front of her. The same position they had been at the alter of the last case.
Strange how it wasn't the strip girls at the club- they had investigated for that case- that were haunting his mind.
Rather, the petite blond standing right in front of him.
In which, in his mind's eye, wore a flowing, strapless white dress and covered by a diamond-ed veil. The iconic image of a blushing bride. He swallowed. He came to when he heard her sigh and glance up at him.
He found it rather cute how she had to do so in order to intimidate him when in such a close range.
"…just lunch?"
Wait a minute? She seriously was considering this? He had to fight the satisfied smile off of his face.
"Yeah. Just lunch. I'm free-"
"Alright. Lunch," she smiled a small, secretive smile and nodded.
"Say the word and we'll go whenever." She laughed softly and re-gripped the files in her hand.
"Let's keep the date open , Eric. Right now, we have a murder to solve." She playfully slapped the edge of the files on his chest, a gesture she had done before, and stepped out of the lounge.
The smile he had fought off emerged. He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. Wow. That had been harder than he had thought. And he had given it some thought before. A passing thought that had come up now and then since the beginning of their friendship, in and out of work.
He wasn't really sure if that image of a blushing Calleigh walking up the aisle would ever go away.
And to say the truth, he wasn't sure he wanted it to, either.
"Eric?" a voice called him from his thoughts. He slightly shook his head from his thoughts and looked down at the woman he was currently dancing with.
Somewhere in the background, though he could have cared less beyond what he held in his arms tonight, his colleagues joked and laughed at the tables, while others danced around him. And her.
She smiled up at him and rose her brows in question. "You sure are spacing out a lot today." She laughed. "Sure you were conscious that you said 'I do' to me today? At the wedding?"
He scowled. How could she ever think that?
"Cal," he tucked a rebellious strand of hair from obscuring her stunning face and tucked it behind her ear, "I knew what I was doing months ago when I asked you out for lunch. I knew what I was doing this afternoon when I married you. " She smiled fully and leaned up on her toes.
He leaned down and touched her lips with his.
Now, the image of her personal veil, not the diamond sprinkled one, would haunt his mind happily.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed!