A/N: Ready for a little fun? After a week of waiting for this update, I'm sure you are, lol. Here's Eric's housewarming party complete with cuteness and a little drama. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Going Public

The doorbell rang inside Eric's condo as he was on his way to the kitchen to dig out another bag of ice. "Hey Alexx," he called to the Medical Examiner, who was closest to the entryway, "can you get that?"

"Sure honey," she smiled in return. Patting her husband on the shoulder, she made her way to the front door and glanced through the peephole. Smiling brightly at the pair on the other side, she turned the knob and greeted them warmly. "Hey you two, it's about time you got here."

Tim responded with an uneasy smile. "You know how traffic is this time on a Saturday night."

Alexx swung the door open wider to allow him to enter. "And you must be Allyson," she continued, studying the woman who followed Tim inside.

Allyson flashed her a cheerful smile. "I am."

"Alexx Woods," she replied extending her hand and shaking Allyson's.

"I thought so," Allyson grinned. "Tim told me how outgoing you were."

"Did he now?" she chuckled. "He talks about you, too, sugar…how the two of you are doing this or that together. It usually takes a little coaxing, though—you know how he is."

Allyson's smile softened a bit. I knew he told Eric a little about me, but I didn't know he talked to anyone else. "Yeah," she said aloud, "I know how he is."

Eric appeared from the kitchen and jumped into the conversation. "Hey guys, glad you could make it." He clapped Tim on the shoulder and offered a hand to Allyson. "Eric Delko."

"Allyson Brooks," she returned, shaking his hand as well. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine," he grinned. Tim eyed him warily and Eric quickly moved the conversation along, knowing he was getting too flirty already. "Come on in, come on in. There's food over there," he gestured vaguely to the far end of the living room, "music's playing, balcony's open, drinks are in the kitchen. Help yourselves."

"Thanks," Tim answered. Then, to Allyson, "You want something to drink?"

She nodded. "Sure. Whatever you're having is good."

He slid a hand over her back and headed for the quieter kitchen, leaving Allyson in the capable hands of Alexx who ushered her further into the condo.

"So Timmy tells me you're a teacher," she said easily after introducing her husband. "What do you teach?"

"High school math," Allyson responded, "over at Southern High School."

"Oh, I know where that is," Eric replied, seeing the building in his mind's eye. "A girl I used to date worked there."

Allyson cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Anyone I know?"

"Lisa Brady?"

Her laughter had a note of surprise to it. "In the Foreign Languages Department!"

"Yeah," Eric smiled sheepishly. "She's a French teacher."

"From Massachusetts," Allyson added. "You must have been the one she was seeing…"

"…last year," he finished, catching a glimpse of Alexx's amused expression. "Until her ex-boyfriend came back to town."

"Right," Allyson chuckled. "I remember her talking about you. She was disappointed when you stopped calling her."

"Yeah, well, a three-hundred-pound professional linebacker for an ex makes you think twice about picking up the phone."

Both women laughed at that until they were interrupted by a question spoken with a jovial Southern accent.

"What's so funny?"

"Hey Calleigh," Eric greeted the blond. "Allyson and I just discovered that we had a mutual acquaintance."

"One of Eric's lady friends," Alexx clarified with a sly grin, "works with Allyson here."

Calleigh's eyes fell on the teacher and her smile faded as she recognized the woman from the case file photos. "Oh. I see."

"Allyson Brooks," Allyson introduced herself, extending her hand.

Calleigh politely, but briefly, shook it. "Tim's friend," she said tightly. "It's nice to meet you."

"You, too," Allyson responded. She opened her mouth to continue, but Calleigh cut her off.

"Will you excuse me?" the CSI asked, her eyes searching the crowd. Finding the person she was looking for, she glanced at Allyson once more. "I, uh, need to go talk to someone."

"Of course," Allyson answered, watching her go. Well, we knew someone was going to be upset when I showed up.

Intercepting Tim as he exited the kitchen with a bottle of beer in each hand, Calleigh stopped him in his tracks. "What is she doing here?"

"Who?" he asked, confused.

"Allyson Brooks," Calleigh responded evenly.

Tim frowned. "Delko invited her, I asked, and she came."

"Don't patronize me, Tim," Calleigh returned, her face expressing the anger she kept out of her voice. "You know what I mean. Why are you still in contact with her?"

"I didn't realize I needed your permission," he retorted, his frown deepening.

The volume of her voice remained unchanged, but the strain began to show through. "She's the victim in one of your cases!"

"One of my closed cases," he reminded her.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. If there's even the appearance of impropriety…"

"But there isn't," he interrupted. "We haven't done anything wrong."

"Any contact with her at all can be seen as a conflict of interest, Tim," she continued. "You know that. But here you are, not only keeping in touch with her, but having a personal relationship with her! You know what could happen to her case, to your career. If Stetler finds out, or anyone else at IAB, the whole Lab could suffer…"

"Don't you think I've already thought about that?" he scoffed. "Do you really think I would do something to jeopardize the Lab?"

Calleigh shook her head again, this time with a touch of sadness. "I don't know, Tim. I see the look in your eyes when you talk about her and I just don't know."

He took in a breath and held it for a moment, letting it out in an irritated sigh. "Then maybe you don't know me as well as I thought."

He made his way past her, leaving her standing there alone. Turning to follow him with her eyes, she watched him rejoin Alexx, her husband, and Eric, handing one of the beer bottles to Allyson with a genuine smile. Calleigh read Allyson's lips when she asked if everything was okay, read the expression on Tim's face when he answered. We'll talk about it later, his eyes said, still clearly upset with Calleigh but comforted by the thought of fleshing it out with Allyson at a more private moment.

Calleigh turned away, moving into the kitchen under the pretense of freshening her drink, keeping her head down and trying to disguise her resentment. I hope he knows what he's doing…but I'm so afraid that he doesn't.

Tim and Allyson spent another couple of hours at the party, mingling with the other guests, stealing a few quieter minutes out on the balcony, and even dancing a little to the music Eric indeed had cranked up in the living room. Or at least, Allyson danced a little—a few times with some of the other ladies at the party and once, more slowly, with a diver from the Underwater Recovery Unit. Eventually, though, the pair grew tired and Calleigh's silent treatment became more than awkward.

Instead of heading home, though, they drove to the little stretch of almost-empty beach where they often landed when they took Tim's motorcycle out for a ride. Parking by the side of the road, the two climbed out of Allyson's car and strolled down the packed sand side by side.

They were quiet for several minutes before Allyson spoke. "So, you want to talk about it?"

"About what?" he asked. "You dancing with that diver?"

She grinned. "Do we need to talk about that?"

"You looked like you were having a good time," he observed lightly.

"I was," she agreed. "And so was Dave, I think." Her voice softened when she continued, "But that isn't what I meant."

He nodded knowingly. "Calleigh."

"Yeah."

He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. "I'm sorry about that, the way she behaved. She's just…she's upset because of who you are…"

She looped her arm through his. "Well, we knew it was gonna ruffle some feathers," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but it doesn't excuse her reaction to you," he countered. "I can't believe she got so mad."

"Well, Alexx and Eric didn't," Allyson said.

That brought a small smile to Tim's lips. "No, they didn't. They both got a kick out of meeting you."

"And I got a kick out of meeting them," she chuckled. "Eric's such a cutie, all sweet and warm and open. And I can't get over the fact that he was the one Lisa used to date."

"It's a good story to take to work on Monday," he told her.

"Alexx was so nice, too—exactly the way you described her," she continued. "Except you left one thing out."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "What did I leave out?"

She laughed and squeezed his arm. "That she likes to call people by pet names…Timmy."

He felt the warmth rising in his cheeks and was thankful that for the darkness. "Yeah, she does do that. She'll have one for you, too, pretty soon."

"Oh, she already does," Allyson grinned. "On the way out she said to me, 'good night, Ally, baby'. Only you and my immediate family call me Ally."

"I'll tell her to stop," he replied quickly, hoping another one of his colleagues hadn't offended her.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she responded cheerily. "If Alexx feels comfortable enough using my nickname, she's welcome to it. By the end of the evening it felt like we'd been friends for ages anyway."

He smiled gently, pleased that two of his closest friends had so easily accepted her. Sliding a hand from his pocket, he reached down and clasped her fingers in his. "Sounds like you had a good time."

"I did," she nodded, squeezing his hand. "Diver Dave was a good dance partner."

He noted the teasing tone in her voice and his smile grew. "Is that what it takes to make you happy? Dancing?"

"It's not the only thing," she laughed, "but it makes the list. Why? You don't dance."

He shrugged his shoulders, smile still in place but purposefully avoiding her gaze. "Maybe I'll learn."

She grasped his arm with her free hand and giggle gleefully. "Now that I'd like to see…Timmy."