Chapter Two:

A/N: Like my slowness? Tonight I have updated almost all my CSI: Miami stories. And the night is still young, sort of hah. It's 2:30, but whatever. Here we go! Thank you for the reviews!

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"Do you think the rain is ever going to let up?" Calleigh sighed, and Eric chuckled.

"Actually, I think it's a pleasant change from the constant sunshine. At least this weather matches my mood. Besides, when it rains in Miami, it really rains."

"Yeah." Calleigh nods. "I guess we're pretty talked out."

"Hard to imagine." Eric smiles. "I think this is a first for us."

"We've talked about almost everything." Calleigh nods again with a sigh. Eric was right, the rain matches his mood, and it matched her own as well. But personally, she preferred the sun to cheer her up, the rain just seemed to make her depressed mood all the more sad.

"Almost?" Eric asked, "I can't think of anything else we could possibly talk about."

"I could." She nearly mumbled. Us. She's not sure, however, if she wishes to bring that up at this point and time.

"What?" Eric wondered. He couldn't think of any topics, well any that would be mildly interesting anyways, that they hadn't talked about. Except them. Was that what she wanted to talk about?

"Well, you and me." Calleigh shrugs, averting her gaze.

"Yeah." Eric nods, mindlessly playing with the lid of his coffee cup. "But specifically, what about us?"

"Well, you know you're my best friend, right?" Calleigh asked, and Eric gave an affirming nod.

"You're my best friend too." He replied, with a smile.

"And I trust you more than anyone in the world," Calleigh continued, earning another nod from Eric.

"I trust you more than anyone else in the world too." He informed her.

"And please don't freak out when I say this…" Calleigh began, with a deep breath.

"I won't Cal, I promise." Eric smiled, reaching over and squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Okay. Sometimes, I think, well no. Sometimes I feel like there's something a little un-platonic between us. Something more than friends." She managed to get out, mentally cringing at how much of a desperate loser she must have sounded like. But when she dared to look up and look at Eric, he was smiling broadly. "What?"

"Well, for one thing, I don't think I've ever seen you so nervous in your life." Eric laughed, and Calleigh made a face. "I'm flattered, really. And second of all, I've been thinking along the same lines, but I thought it was just me."

"And I thought it was just me." Calleigh smiled. "Good thing we're honest."

"Yeah." Eric nodded, and then after a second added, "We kind of sound like a corny movie."

"Yeah, I guess we do." Calleigh laughed in agreement. "So."

"Soo." Eric repeated. "What do you want to do about… this?"

"Well, whatever we do, I don't want to loose you as a friend." Calleigh stated.

"Me neither. I honestly don't know what I would do without you." Eric told her.

"Well, I probably wouldn't work at Miami PD anymore, without you." Calleigh laughed. "I don't think I could have gotten through these past months alone."

"I know I couldn't have." Eric smiled, thinking of all the times Calleigh had played a crucial role in keeping him sane since they lost Speed.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Calleigh asked suddenly. The rain was still heavy, but she had the sudden urge to be outside.

"Sure." Eric nodded, not bothering to question the sudden change of subject. They headed out into the pouring rain, not bothering to attempt to keep dry. They were going to get soaked anyways. "Where are we going?"

"Where do you want to go?" Calleigh asked back. "I just didn't want to sit there anymore. I was feeling claustrophobic."

"In a coffee shop?" Eric raised an eyebrow.

"I just needed to be outside for a while." Calleigh shrugged.

"I'm just kidding. I know how you feel." Eric smiled, slipping an arm around her shoulder as they continued to walk in the rain. "What are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Calleigh shrugged. "I haven't had a day off in forever. I forget what to do on them."

"Would you maybe want to come over and watch a few movies?" Eric suggested.

"Sure." Calleigh smiled, "I'd like that a lot." They continued to walk in silence for a while until they reached a park near their apartments that they'd often go for runs through. There was a covered gazebo type area near the middle of it, and Calleigh tugged Eric in that direction. He followed her line of sight and spotted the dry area, and figured it wouldn't hurt to dry off, just a bit. Reaching it, they both slid onto a bench, still dripping wet from the rain.

"You cold?" Eric asked her, draping his arm around her and pulling her the slightest bit closer in attempts to warm her up.

"I'm actually not that bad." Calleigh smiled up at him. Thinking back on their relationship, she noticed things that she hadn't thought to notice before. Positions like the one they were in now, which would have been considered romantic that the two of them hadn't given a second thought to. "You?"

"I'm fine." Eric told her.

"Do you think that people around the lab already think there's something going on between us?" Calleigh asked suddenly.

"There are pools." He smiled. "You didn't know that?"

"Pools?" Calleigh laughed. "As in they're betting on us? No, I was not aware."

"I always just assumed you were uncomfortable talking about it." Eric laughed, "Yeah. I think Valera started it."

"Something she would do." Calleigh laughed.

"Yeah." Eric nodded. "Everyone's in on it. Gosh, I'd be surprised if Horatio wasn't even in on it."

"Horatio? Betting on our love life?" Calleigh feigned shock. "I wasn't aware our lab was so filled with gamblers."

"Speed and I used to bet on everything." Eric admitted. "But after… I couldn't be bothered joining in anymore. It was something we started, and it wasn't fun without him."

"Yeah." Calleigh nodded. They'd talked about Speed before, but never like this. Now, they were reminiscing. Before, they'd always been mourning. Suggesting ways they could have prevented his death. Ways they found responsible. Now, they were reliving things they'd done with him. It was another stage of grieving, Calleigh figured. "At least you can avoid that." She chuckled. "Speed used to always tease me about my tattoo, and now every time I look at it I want to laugh, or cry."

"Ah, the infamous tattoo." Eric chuckled.

"Infamous?" Calleigh raised an eyebrow. "I've only mentioned it once or twice before."

"Everyone knows about your tattoo Calleigh." Eric laughed.

"Why am I so out of it on lab gossip?" She demanded. "I used to be right in there with Valera. Now I don't know anything."

"You're cute when you pout." Eric smirked. "Yes. I don't know how, but everyone knows about it. I guess there just aren't many secrets in the lab these days."

"Tell me about it." Calleigh nodded. "After our day off I am definitely having a talk with Valera about gossip. She's the gossip queen, and I definitely need to get back in on lab gossip. Now what do people say about my tattoo?"

"Well, I'm most sure there's a pool going around on what it is, and where it is." Eric informed her, then laughed as quietly as he could at the look on her face. "I get asked often."

"But you don't know where it is. Or what it is." Calleigh pointed out.

"That's what I tell them. But do they listen? No." Eric rolled his eyes.

"Do you have any tattoo's?" Calleigh asked. A topic they hadn't discussed.

"Yes." Eric nodded, with a smile.

"Where?" She asked, curious now.

"Why should you get to know where mine is, if I don't get to know where yours is?" He smirked.

"But it's so intriguing!" She protested.

"And you think I haven't been intrigued by yours all these years?" His smirk never left his face.

"I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours?" She suggested.

"Fine. But not here. I'm getting cold anyways." He told her, "Let's go back to my place?"

"Mine's closer." She pointed out.

"Fine. Go back to your place?" He revised the plan.

"Sounds good to me." She nodded. And they continued their walk, both very anxious to find something new out about the other.