Obviously, I'm continuing this story. This is how it will be, probably, one event each month within Eric and Cal's first year of friendship (and of course flirtations).
Eric had never thought he'd find happiness in a place so far from what he was used to. But he quickly got use to life at CSI and discovered that this place was his comfort zone. In college, science was what he was good at, something he could master in, he had just never found the right path for him to apply his brains to, but the bills and rent weren't about to wait for him to track down a career that suited him and he got the first job he could find.
Now, lately, he had found himself thanking God every night that being a tow-truck driver wasn't his destiny; being a CSI was. He felt like he belonged amongst Horatio's team and he seemed to be warming up to Speedle and Calleigh very quickly.
He and Speedle had sparked a friendship almost instantly after his first day. They had almost an identical sense of humor and practically the same interest. In fact, it was almost a ritual that every time the guns and badges were up did they go out for a beer, Calleigh joining them.
His feelings for Calleigh never faded, the butterflies still rose in his stomach every time she walked in the room. But she had yet to change her mind about him, she still rolled her eyes whenever he attempted to flirt. But even passed the romance—or lack there of—the two also managed to create a friendship, which he was happy with…for now.
One April night he found himself working late in Fingerprints, resealing all the evidence he had just dusted, having been unable to life anything but smudges. Slightly frustrated that a possible lead in the case had fell through, he begrudgingly took the box of evidence to the evidence locker. He had half a mind to follow the rest of the team's example to go home and try to finish solving the case tomorrow. He signed the evidence into the locker before returning to hang up his lab coat, hoping that tomorrow they would be able to track down a new lead in the case.
As he signed out at the front desk of CSI for the day, he saw someone he didn't expect. Calleigh, who Eric had assumed was already at home by this hour, was walking at a fast pace towards the elevator; he couldn't help but notice the look of slight frustration on her face.
"Hey, Calleigh," he greeted her. "You're here late."
"I'm taking care of a few things in Firearms," she shrugged, not looking up at him, but her voice managing to maintain a friendly tone. She pressed the arrow pointing down on the wall to call the elevator, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah," she nodded, turning to give him one of her smiles that was normally reassuring, but right now it was having the opposite affect. "I just have to take care of something. What about you, are you heading home?"
"Yeah, um, I didn't score anything on the prints, they were just smudges," he explained.
"Crap," she muttered. "Maybe we'll get something tomorrow."
"Maybe," Eric nodded, something inside telling him there was something wrong with his colleague.
Eric had gone down to the locker room, while Calleigh had made a beeline for the doors that exited the lobby. Growing more confused and more concerned, Eric thought about Calleigh as he put up his badge and gun, grabbing his belongings before leaving the building.
But when he made his way towards the parking lot, he heard the sound of someone slamming the hood of a car in frustration.
"Damn it," he heard Calleigh groan in anger.
"Car trouble?" he asked, approaching her.
"Yeah," she sighed with a nod. Eric couldn't recall seeing Calleigh so stressed, she was normally completely happy and collected, much like the sun; now it seemed as though a metaphorical cloud was blocking her optimism.
"It won't start?" he assumed.
"Yep. I've already gotten a jump from somebody, but it's no use. The battery is toast," she said the final part more to herself than Eric.
The sound of a mobile phone filled the nighttime air and made Calleigh sigh in aggravation as she hurriedly dug it out of her pocket.
"Duquesne?…Dad, hey. Don't worry, I'm on my way over," she assured who was on the other side of the conversation. Calleigh took a step or two away from Eric, wanting this conversation to be private. But Eric still clearly heard every word that Calleigh was saying. "No, no, don't try to drive yourself," she said firmly yet patiently. "I'll be there soon, okay?…Okay, bye."
Calleigh ran a pair of frustrated hands through her blonde hair before walking back over to Eric.
"Do you need a ride somewhere?" he asked, helpfully.
"No," she answered a bit too quickly; Eric was taken aback by her tone. "I mean, thanks for the offer, but I'll just get a cab."
"C'mon, Cal, those things are way too expensive. I can give you guys a ride."
Calleigh nibbled on the inside of her cheek debating whether or not to accept his offer. No one she worked with had ever seen her father intoxicated, let alone assist in picking him up from a bar. But she knew if she delayed any longer, Kenwall would potentially find another way of transportation, one that could very well end in disaster.
Desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Thanks, Eric," she half-smiled as they headed away from her vehicle and towards his.
"No problem," he assured her as the two slid inside his car. "So, where are we heading?"
"Whiskey Stop," she sighed.
"I know where that is," he nodded as he put the car in reverse and pulled out of the MDPD parking lot.
"You don't seem surprised," Calleigh said as they headed down the road; she knew Eric had put the pieces together well enough to come to the conclusion that her dad was an alcoholic.
"Um…" Eric rattled his brain for the appropriate thing to say, though he was certain she was aware of the gossip circulating in the lab about her father, but he didn't want to come across as insensitive.
Thankfully, the awkward silence spoke for itself.
She lightly groaned. "Rumor Mill still running, huh?"
"I'm afraid so."
Calleigh shook her head. "I'll clear them up for you. Yes, my father is an alcoholic and, yes, he and my mom are divorced. But, no, I was never abused, raped or forced into joining law enforcement. That just comes from a bunch of bored lab techs who don't know what they are talking about."
"Got it," he promised, giving her a reassuring smile.
She returned with a small grin, a slightly guilty look in her eye. "Sorry, I didn't mean to go off like that. And thanks again, I owe you one."
"It's no problem," he assured her. "I've got your back."
They continued to drive along the roads of Miami, the only sounds coming from the world outside, the engine and the light music that came from Eric's car radio.
Eric would occasionally glance over at Calleigh; she was sitting up in the seat with her hands folded in her lap as she looked out the window, her eyes distant from the here and now. He didn't attempt to make conversation with her, supposing she wasn't exactly in the mood to casually chat. Instead, they drove down the road into a rural part of the area, where the sidewalk and the buildings blended together in the same dreary shades of gray and black. Most of the businesses had closed their doors for the evening, all of them having closed signs on their windows, the only places that appeared open were a Chinese restaurant that was near vacancy and a bar…the bar; Eric pulled up against the sidewalk.
"I'll be right back," Calleigh said, softly, unbuckling her seatbelt, pushing open the door and getting out of the car.
Eric watched as she headed towards the door, her hand reaching up to pull back on the handle and stepping inside. This had been a Calleigh Eric was very unfamiliar with. Her normally happy personality had fizzled out and he was left pondering whether or not the optimism she had was a mask. He wondered if her smiles and attitude was her way of convincing that there was nothing wrong happening in her life. Eric realized he had learned little to nothing about Calleigh, he knew she came from a small town in Louisiana, she had loved guns more than an addict loved his heroin and the rumors she had confirmed and disproved earlier that night.
The door of the bar opened and Calleigh came out, gently holding the arm of a gentleman who was slightly stumbling. He seemed to be trying to make conversation with Calleigh, who was smiling back, but even from where Eric was sitting he could see the pain in her eyes.
Calleigh opened the door to the back of Eric's car. She slowly helped her father into the car, who by this point was muttering words so soft and slurred he was incoherent.
"Dad, this is my friend, Eric Delko. Eric, this is my dad, Kenwall Duquesne," she introduced them as she attempted to bring the seatbelt across her father to strap him in.
"Sir," Eric nodded at him.
Kenwall raised his hand to wave, but it slumped over and any attempt of salutation vanished. Calleigh sighed, heavily, as her father's eyes closed. She closed the door and moved back up to the passenger seat.
Eric asked for Kenwall's address and Calleigh gave it to him, her eyes on the rearview mirror to see her dad's reflection falling asleep.
The drive to Kenwall's was even more silent than to the Whiskey Stop, even though Kenwall was making a few drunken mumbles in the back. The roads were quiet and no one attempted to make a conversation, in fact it was apparent to Eric that Calleigh was resisting any contact with Eric, staring at the rearview mirror or eyes looking out her window the entire drive.
"This the place?" Eric asked, pulling up to a house just outside the city.
"Yeah," Calleigh nodded, unbuckling herself and turned to give him a smile, lowering her voice slightly to keep the moment private. "It's probably going to take a while to get him to bed, so I'll just grab a cab home."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Thanks again, Eric," she said, gratefully, opening the door.
"Anytime," he reassured her, but when the word escaped his lips, he realized that "anytime" may not have been the most appropriate word for this situation.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Calleigh said as she stepped out of the car. "Come on, Dad," she said patiently as she helped her father carefully out of the car. Calleigh gave Eric a final smile and wave before she and Kenwall headed up towards his house.
Even after they were inside did Eric linger for just a few moments, almost waiting for her to come back outside, knowing all the while she wouldn't be emerging from the house any time soon. Eventually, Eric pulled away and drove into the night.
Calleigh awoke the next morning to a knock at the door. She pulled her still exhausted self out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown over her pajamas.
She pulled open her door to be greeted by a vase of pink tulips being held by her now sober father; his eyes were twinkling with an apologetic shine and his face was guilty.
"Lambchop, I'm so sorry," Kenwall said as his daughter stepped aside to let him in.
Despite all the years in this ritual of dealing with her father's alcoholism, Calleigh didn't always know how to reply to the apologies, especially on nights like the previous one. She had found that sometimes the best thing to say was nothing at all and change the subject.
"Come on, Dad," she said, taking the vase from his hand and placing a hand on his back to guide him to the dining room table. "I'll make us some coffee."
Kenwall gave her a small grin as he took a seat, folding his hands on the table and constantly readjusting how his fingers were arranged.
"So what happened with that trial yesterday?" Calleigh asked, assuming her father's urge to drink had been triggered by a bitter result for the Defense.
"Prosecutors convinced a key witness to testify last minute. Until she stepped up, I was certain that I would have gotten my client off, or at least a lesser charge," he shook his hand.
"What did he end up receiving?"
"A life sentence," Kenwall sighed, running his hand through his graying hair. "I think I'm losing my touch, Calleigh."
"Oh, Dad, I'm sure that's not true," Calleigh insisted as the coffee maker gurgled.
"I'm losing cases left and right," he shook his head; Calleigh knew for him to admit that must have left a bad taste in his mouth.
Calleigh pulled two mugs from the cupboard above her. "There are days when I don't hit where I want, but I get the bulls-eye the following morning. We all bounce back," she said, reassuringly, as she poured coffee into the cups. "But you don't need to drink just because you're having a bad streak."
"I know, Lambchop, and I feel awful, just awful. I had went two months without a drink and…I don't even remember going to the bar," he sighed; Calleigh just grinned, sadly, and placed the coffee in front of him. "And that fella who was with you…what did you say his name was? Aaron?"
"Eric," she corrected, taking a seat across from him.
"Right, tell him I'm really sorry about being in that state in front of him."
"I will," Calleigh promised, sipping some of her coffee.
They sat in silence for a moment, drinking their beverages and enjoying the silence. That was until her father cleared his throat.
"So, what's he like?" Kenwall asked, curiously.
"Eric? He's nice," Calleigh said, simply.
"And are you two…together?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "No, Dad. We're friends and he was kind enough to help out."
"Well, if he as nice as you say, he could be good for you," Kenwall pointed out.
"Dad," she sighed, shaking her head in minor frustration before flashing him a smile. "First of all, he's probably seeing somebody." Speedle had given a few hints that Eric hadn't been spending every night alone when he went home to his condo; it sometimes scared Calleigh that Speedle and Eric had become so close so fast they felt they could tell one another that kind of thing. "Secondly, I just started this job, I really don't want to get involved with anybody right now."
The disappointment of the news of her sabbatical from dating was clear on Kenwall's face. He sighed, sadly, and leaned forward. "Honey, I'm not getting any younger and I want to make sure there is someone there to take care of my Lambchop."
Calleigh smiled and placed a hand over her father's. "Dad, your Lambchop can take care of herself."
"I know," he smiled before gulping down the remains of his coffee. "Well, I should be getting to work."
"Yeah, me too," Calleigh nodded as they got to their feet. She smiled at her father and wrapped her arms around his neck, he returned her embrace. "Let's make last night's incident our last, okay?" she suggested, though she knew it was a request she had made in vain.
"Okay," he agreed, leaning out of her arms. "I love you."
"I love you, too," Calleigh said as he left the table and headed towards the door. She heard his car back out of her driveway and drive down the road until it faded away. She sighed and headed to the bathroom, turning on the shower to prepare for the day of work that awaited her.