Authors Note : Where we learn about Calleigh's bad habit and the mother of Jake's children.

Chapter 2.

A few hours had passed and Calleigh found herself watching as Cora slept at her desk. She looked so much like Cassidy had at that age and Calleigh smiled realizing how dearly she loved her.

Then her eyes slid over towards two pictures on her desk, one was of her and Horatio taken some years back and the other of Dean and Cassie when they got married.

Dean still looked a lot like Jake; the only difference was that Dean was calmer and more caring in nature. He would never hurt Cassidy, but the thing Calleigh had always wondered about was who had given birth to both Dean and Mike. At some point there had to have been a woman involved, even if Jake never had mentioned it to her knowledge. Calleigh on the other hand was pretty sure that Dean and Mike had little memories of their mother…if any at all.

Her only guess was that their mother would have blue eyes and red brown hair since Mike had those features. Other than that she couldn't say much about her, but she still wondered what kind of woman would leave two children and a man behind.

Her eyes went over to the photograph of Cassidy. Calleigh hardly saw her anymore, as they both were too busy. They worked at such different time tables and Calleigh missed her very much. She missed the relationship they used to have. Even their fights. It seemed like ages ago that she was a difficult teenager. When it in real life was not that long ago at all.

Calleigh looked over at Cora to make sure she was sound asleep then carefully opened her desk drawer, lifting up a bottle. She took a quick sip before she put it back down again.

Her eyes wandered over towards the picture of her and Horatio. She was still as much in love with him as she had always been, but the times were changing. Even though they lived in the same house and shared the same bed it was like they were strangers to each other. Like two ships that passed each other on the ocean and blew the horn to say hallo. That was it. They didn't talk like they used to because Calleigh was too tired and felt like she couldn't share the things she wanted with him. Why she didn't know. And the house… it felt so empty. Not full of love and life like it once was.

'Horatio, I need you to come home to me early tonight…If only to hold me in your arms. I need to feel you close,' she thought as Cora slowly opened her eyes looking at her.

"Grandma, are you ok?" Cora asked.

"Just thinking," said Calleigh with a smile, before adding, "So do you want to come down to the range?"

"Yeah," Cora said excitedly and started to run towards the door, while Calleigh just smiled as she followed her.


At the same time in another office in another part of town Jake sat looking at a picture. The colors were slowly fading away, but he could still see clearly who it was when someone opened his door.. He quickly put the picture in the desk draw and looked directly at his son Mike.

"The picture is of her isn't it?" asked Mike.

"Her. Who?" Jake replied.

"Of mum, who is she?" asked Mike, but he didn't seem curious, his tone was rather demanding. He was tired of his father never mentioning their mother with as much as a word, and he felt he had the right to know who she was.

"It was…" Jake let his words trail off. He had no intentions of sharing the information regarding her as to him it was still painful.

"Dad, you gotto tell us sometime," said Mike.

"No I don't, if you so badly have to find out, find out yourself. I have no intentions of telling you," said Jake harshly.

"Just give me the birth certificate then. Her name had to be there… If it is at all valid," said Mike.

"Just leave it," Jake replied tiredly, he was starting to feel like a bitter, old man.

"For now, do you have the case file from the Maddison case?" Mike said.

"Here," said Jake and shoved the papers at him.

Mike took one last look as his father, he looked sad and tired, and it was really depressing. He heaved a sigh and then left.


As soon as Mike had left Jake took up the picture again and left out a heavy sight. He still missed her, even after all these years. Mike was a constant reminder of his mother as he looked so much alike her, with his blue eyes and he had the same hair colour as well.

For twenty four years he hadn't told his sons about her or contacted her in any way, as that was what she wished. He could still remember her last words before she left

"I won't have anything more to do with you before you can get her out of your head. I simply can't live with you when you love her as much as you do… not even for our children, and they don't belong at sea so I'm leaving".

And with that she was out of the door and his life, but the memory of her had stayed and was still as strong as the day they meet.

It had been one late summer night and Jake had walked down by the harbour, where he had found her crying. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her and walk over to comfort her. At first she had backed away, but then he had managed to get her to trust him. He had let himself fall for her until he, at the same time, had messed things up, since he wasn't as over Calleigh as he thought.

And as Calleigh and Horatio raised Cassidy together he found himself raising his two boys alone. Dean was calm and kind as his mother, Mike was wild as him. He always found trouble one way or another and made it harder for Jake to deal with.

Raising two sons alone, even if one was good most of the times, had still been hard. Jake had found himself work out more than one occasion.

It wasn't before they started school Calleigh found out he had children, and got shocked by that fact. She had also tried to find out who their mother was, but Jake never told her. He just said she left them and that was it. What on earth would he need her for when he managed fine on his own?

Only he didn't manage that fine anymore. He missed her. He felt so lost and alone. It wasn't until Dean and Cassie started their family and she got pregnant, he realized then how much he really missed her.

He sighed and for the first time since she left he dialled her number, hoping she hadn't changed it over the years. He quickly found she hadn't when he heard her voice on the other end saying, "Admiral Marlowe."

"Hello Isabel, it's Jake," he said, wondering if she remembered him at all.

"Berkley," He heard the shocked in her tone… then silence.

"Yes. Are you still there?" he asked.

"I am. But just surprised to hear from you. How long has it been?" she asked.

"Twenty four, soon to be, twenty five years," he said.

"Really…that long," she said.

"Too long. So are you by any chance in Miami?" he asked, hoping that she was.

"I am," she replied.

"Are you still single?" he asked, curious if she ever got involved with anyone after the parted ways.

"I am… Why are you calling?" she asked.

"I miss you," he sighed.

She didn't respond, but he could hear her breathing in the other end.

"Isabel, are you still there?" he asked.

"I don't have time for this. I have to go," she said and hung up.


Not long after Jake knocked on Calleigh's office door and entered. Before he had even time to say anything Cora came running at him and yelled, "Gramps."

"Hey little one," he said, lifted her up and hugged her.

"Can you give us a moment?" he said and put her down again.

"Uh huh, I'll run over to John," she said and left them.

"Calleigh, I need help," he said, and sat down opposite her desk looking into her emerald depths.

"What did you do this time?" she asked, looking back into his brown eyes.

"I didn't do anything, just um…" he didn't quite know how to go about it.

"Jake, are you okay? You look a little lost," she said, a bit concerned.

"I'm not. I need to talk to this woman, but I hurt her long ago, and she made it clear that she wants nothing to do with me. So what do I do?" he asked

"This shouldn't be by any chance…Mike and Dean's mother?" she asked him back curiously.

"Never mind. I shouldn't have asked," he said and got up to leave when she said, "Just go and talk to her, it's not like she's going to kill you."

"Well in theory she could," he said, she was after all trained to do so.

"Would you for once do the right thing and just go and talk to her," said Calleigh.

"Oh look whose talking. When was the last time you talked to Horatio, and you two live in the same house," Jake replied a bit annoyed.

"At least I'm married to and live with the father of my daughter," she snapped at him.

"That may be, but you could as well live thousand miles apart. Face it Calleigh your marriage is on collision course and you do nothing to stop it," said Jake calmly.

"That is…" she stopped, as she for once didn't know what to say and just looked away.

"Just talk to him, Calleigh," said Jake and left again, as silent tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Grandma, what's wrong?" she heard Cora say.

"Nothing, so are you ready to go home?" Calleigh answered, and dried the tears of.

"I am, but grandma can we stop by the gun store on the way home?" she asked hopefully.

"Oh no, I'm not buying you a gun," said Calleigh in a firm tone.

"Umph," groaned Cora and started to walk out of the office and towards the car.


It was close to midnight in Miami and Jake was walking around the harbour trying to find out which ship could be Isabel's, when he heard her say, "You're looking a little misplaced."

"Isabel," he said and turned in less than a second.

He looked at her; she was wearing her white uniform. She looked slightly older than the last time he saw her, but she was still beautiful.

"You sure are dressed up," she said and smiled vaguely at him since he was wearing a black suit and tie.

"Well I wanted to look nice for you, just in case I found you," he said, and looked down a bit shy.

"You still say the sweetest things," she said and walked a bit closer.

Jake smiled at her, but didn't say anything so she asked, "And the boys?"

"They're doing fine. Dean has been married to Calleigh's daughter Cassidy for a little over six years and they have a six year old daughter. Mike is… I don't know, he got his own place and both are cops," he answered honestly.

"Just like their dad, bet Calleigh was mad as hell when her precious little girl got knocked up by Dean," she said and smiled a little.

"You have no idea, I thought she would kill both of us to be honest," he said and smiled back at her.

"That I have no doubt about, so did you go further?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked back even if he knew.

"Come on, our son knocked up her daughter, you have to have offered comfort in one way or another," she said.

"I kissed her, but that all ended up in a mess, so I backed out realizing it was wrong of me to do so," he said.

She didn't reply to that just looked over the water so he said, "So you made Admiral."

"I did," she said.

"Are you happy or do you sometimes miss your little boys?" he asked.

"Nah, navy life is better without two little boys to worry about," she said, but he could hear there was sadness in her voice.

"You miss them don't you?" he asked, she didn't reply. For a short second he thought he could see a tear finding its way down her cheek, and mix itself with the ocean.

"For how long are you on leave sailor?" he asked.

"Another week," she said.

"Do you wanto to meet them?" he asked.

"Too complicated," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Do you want to come home with me, I'm not expecting anything," he said honestly, as he didn't want to pressure her.

"Even more complicated," she said, titled her head and looked at him. His brown hair was now in shades of grey here and there.

"Come on, wouldn't it be nice to sleep at shore for a change?" he asked. He was right next her now, and gently put an arm around her waist. She slowly let her head lean against him.

"You're my safe harbour," she said.

"Mm-hmm," he hummed low and kissed the top of her head.

"Maybe just for the night if you don't…" she said letting her words trail off but Jake quickly replied knowingly.

"I won't," he said.

As they walked towards the shore one of the men on the ship asked, "Who's that guy next to the admiral?"

"He's her safe harbour," said one to another. He still after all these years recognized Jake.

"Though she didn't care too much about him," said the first guy.

"Time will tell," said the other and walked towards the shore as well


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