Calleigh stared after him in amusement. Sure, he'd just won fifty dollars from her, but he was still far too excited about this entire ordeal. Calleigh even had to admit it; shopping, especially in an airport, was the last thing on her mind.

She shifted slightly, turning her gaze back to the scene outside. It was just like in the snowglobes that she'd had as a kid. The snow just kept falling down, blowing about in the wind, covering everything in sight. Despite the situation, it was still a magical sight. Having never seen snow before, nor even thought of a white Christmas, here Calleigh was, getting them both at once. It was amazing, and Calleigh smiled. Had they been anywhere else, she knew she'd be looking for Eric, begging him to go outside with her, just to stand in awe as the snow fell around them. And also so she could add to the list of things of things she'd won against him by beating him in a snowball fight.

Eventually, Calleigh grew curious as to where Eric had disappeared to , and she stood, stretching slightly as her eyes scanned the area, looking for him. It wasn't a big airport; surely it wouldn't be too hard to find him again. Lazily, she set off in the general direction that he'd gone, a chuckle escaping her. He hadn't wanted to shop with her during the little free time they'd had in Alabama, but now he was all excited about it? She couldn't figure him out.

After checking in a couple of the shops, Calleigh spotted him, wandering around a small souvenir shop. She smiled, making her way to him.

Hearing the loud clack of her heels on the floor, Eric glanced up, immediately knowing who it was. "I was wondering if you were going to join me," he said with a grin.

Calleigh grinned. "Have you ever known me to pass up any kind of shopping?" she sassed.

Eric narrowed his eyes playfully. "After you mocked me for wanting to do some airport shopping."

"Eric, I didn't laugh at you for wanting to shop in the airport," Calleigh clarified with a wink. "I laughed at you for wanting to shop at all." She crossed her arms, pretending to pout. "After you wouldn't even step into the mall with me back in Alabama."

"That wasn't shopping," Eric said matter-of-factly. "That was shoe shopping. One of the great evils of the modern world, just slightly more evil than in-laws, but slightly less evil than the crowds at Wal-Mart during the frenzy of last minute Christmas shopping."

Calleigh opened her mouth to protest - after all, she'd found some great deals the day before - but she stopped herself, a grin crossing her lips as realization dawned. "Oh my God."

Eric shook his head, slightly puzzled. "What?"

"That's what you're doing."

Her answer still didn't shed any light on the situation for him. "I'm doing what?"

"Christmas shopping! You're doing last minute Christmas shopping in an airport gift shop!" Calleigh said with a laugh, her eyes finally landing on the two odd trinkets he'd been holding the entire time.

"Well, why not? Have to do it somewhere."

"Oh, Eric." Calleigh chuckled, shaking her head. "Typical man. You're just now starting your Christmas shopping, aren't you?"

"Hey!" Eric said defensively, protectively clutching the items in his arms. "I was going to work on that this evening when we got back to Miami."

"On Christmas Eve."

Eric snorted. "Yeah, like you're finished with yours."

"I finished my Christmas shopping on the eighteenth, thank you very much," Calleigh replied smugly. She reached across, pulling a small teddy bear out of Eric's grasp. "What is this?" she asked with a laugh.

Eric laughed. "That, Calleigh, is a gift for Horatio."

Calleigh stared from him to the bear before dissolving into giggles. "Eric, it's a teddy bear!"

He grinned, taking back the bear. "Yeah, but look," he said, looking at the bear's face. "It has sunglasses."

Calleigh shook her head, watching Eric play with the tiny sunglasses. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Eric frowned, as though disappointed. "You actually thought I wasn't?" he teased.

"I just…Eric, it's a teddy bear."

"And for all you know, H may very well be a teddy bear man."

Calleigh snorted. "Personally, I don't want to find out." With an amused chuckle, she wandered a few steps away, glancing through a few items on the shelves. "Typical," she murmured, shaking her head.

"What's typical?"

"You," Calleigh said with a laugh. "All men. I just don't understand it; Christmas comes every year on the exact same day. Why do y'all have to wait to the very last possible second to start your Christmas shopping?"

Eric gave a defensive glare. "Hey, for your information, I have actually finished most of my shopping. This is just extra stuff. I just figure, how can we go back to Miami without taking our coworkers a souvenir or two from our trip? Something that just seems like them. Like, the bear and its sunglasses for H. The little stethoscope keychain for Alexx." He grinned, pointing it out to Calleigh.

"Well, okay; what about Ryan?"

He snickered, holding up a stuffed weasel.

Calleigh laughed, playfully hitting Eric on the arm. "That's mean!"

Eric shrugged, still grinning widely. "No it's not; it's the truth!" he insisted. "And if the truth hurts, then so be it! I've never met anybody more of a little weasel than Wolfe."

Calleigh shook her head, though her eyes sparkled, showing her amusement. "Oh Eric, are you still bitter about that time he stole your evidence?"

Eric narrowed his eyes. "No. I'm just generally bitter when it comes to the guy."

"Well, maybe you should let it go," Calleigh suggested quietly. "He hasn't exactly had the easiest time trying to find his place there, you know? Think about it; how would you feel if you started out with everybody seeing you as nothing more than Tim's replacement? I imagine it's tough for him." She glanced up, catching Eric's eye. "I'm not condoning anything he's done or anything, but I guess I understand some of his motives."

"Criminals have motives," Eric smirked.

Calleigh sighed, biting her lip to hide a smile. "Eric."

"Okay, fine," he conceded. "I'll try to let it go." The last thing he wanted was for Calleigh to think less of him. Her opinion of him meant more to him than he'd admit. Still, Eric felt he could use a laugh every now and then at Ryan's expense. "But I'm still getting him the weasel."

Calleigh giggled, walking away and turning the corner at the end of the aisle. "I'd expect nothing less," she called back amusedly.

After a few moments of wandering around the shop alone, Eric once again heard her slip up behind him, and he glanced at her quickly, wondering where she'd gone off to. But he didn't think anything of it, and went back to walking.

"Oh Eric," Calleigh giggled, hands behind her back. He turned to her, completely taken by surprise as she stepped onto her tiptoes, a mischievous smile on her face. And then the world went dark.

"Calleigh!" Eric protested, pulling at the fabric that'd covered his eyes, hearing Calleigh laughing in front of him. He slid the offending material up to his forehead, uncovering his eyes, the unmistakable jingling of tiny bells echoing in his ears. "A Santa hat?" he scowled, pulling it off his head and staring at it in his hands.

"No!" Quickly Calleigh reached out, snatching it from his grasp before he could even blink in confusion. "Put it back on!" she demanded with a giggle, sliding it over his head again, this time not covering his eyes. "It looks cute!"

Again, Eric scowled as she adjusted the hat, stepping back to admire her work. "Cute?" he questioned, rolling his eyes. "Maybe on you it would be." He turned, regarding himself in a mirror. "On me it just looks ridiculous."

"Ridiculously cute!" she cooed, her eyes sparkling. "You have to buy it."

"What? Calleigh, I'm not buying the Santa hat."

Calleigh pouted. "Oh come on, Eric. You're spending my money as it is. Don't you think I should have some kind of say in what you buy?" She grinned. "And besides, you're getting everybody else stuff that sounds like them, right? That makes you Santa."

Eric let out a breath, rolling his eyes playfully. "And I suppose if I don't buy it, you'll buy it for me and make me wear it?"

"You know me so well," Calleigh replied sweetly.

"Fine," he said, unable to keep from smiling at Calleigh's amusement. "I'll buy it."

"And wear it?"

"Don't push it, Calleigh."

After Eric paid for the souvenirs, they walked out of the shop together, Calleigh with a small smirk on her face, and Eric with his Santa hat, though in a bag; he'd refused to wear it out like Calleigh had insisted. They'd then split up; Calleigh heading back to what had become their spot near the window, and Eric going to see if he could find something out about their flight.

Apparently, what he'd figured out wasn't good news. Moments later, he dropped to the floor beside Calleigh, looking a bit dejected. "They say the storm's still gonna get worse," he said. "There's still more snow, and they say the soonest they could possibly start flying out again is tomorrow morning."

"Christmas morning," Calleigh replied softly.

"Yeah." He sighed. "So I guess we'd better make ourselves comfortable."

Calleigh nodded, staring out the window to the snowstorm outside. "So, what are you missing out on?"

Eric lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

Calleigh smiled. "Come on, it's Christmas Eve and you're stuck here with me. Aren't you missing some big Delko family dinner or something?"

"Nah," Eric replied, shaking his head. "I usually go home and help my mom with some of the cooking on Christmas Eve, but Christmas dinner is always actually on Christmas." He winked. "So as long as we're home by tomorrow night, I'm fine." Eric leaned back against the wall, pursing his lips slightly. "What about you? What have I kept you away from?"

Calleigh chuckled. "Honestly? Nothing."

Eric tilted his head. "Nothing? No big Christmas plans?"

"Nope." She glanced up, seeing the surprise in Eric's face. "What?"

He shrugged. "I just figured; you were so eager to get home, I thought you had some big party to get to or something."

"Not me," she said, shifting slightly. She knew where this conversation was headed. "I just wanted to get home for the sake of being home. I don't like these trips like this. I just wanted to get home so I could get back to normal. So I could get back to work and wish for New Year's to come and go already so everybody else will stop obsessing over the season, you know?"

"New Years?" Eric asked, watching her intently. "What about Christmas?"

"I guess the whole holiday doesn't mean the same to me as it does to everyone else." She shrugged, letting out a sigh. "Eric…Christmas wasn't exactly the greatest time of year when I was growing up," she admitted quietly, avoiding Eric's eyes. "Sure, the tree and the lights were pretty, and my brothers and I enjoyed Christmas morning, but the rest of the time…" she trailed off, giving Eric what she hoped was a lighthearted smile, trying to give the impression that it didn't bother her anymore. That it was the past. "Really, where I come from, Christmas was just an excuse for my brothers to stay out all night, my mother to get drunk and lock herself in the bathroom all night, and for my dad to drink five times as much as her, and then take it out on…on me." She bit her lip, suppressing a shudder.

Eric stared at her. It was beyond him, how anybody could hurt the woman sitting right beside him. An undeniable surge of anger shot up through him, and he was forced to tone it down, lest he take it out on the closest wall. "Calleigh," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," she said dismissively, wishing Eric couldn't see right through her. She felt Eric's fingers gently stroking her forearm, and she was surprised not to feel her flight instinct suddenly go into overdrive.

She sighed, a wry smile crossing her face as she looked at the clock on the wall. "It was years ago," she said with a note of finality. "It's behind me, and I'm okay." She nodded, emphasizing her point.

Eric watched her closely; he wanted to take her in his arms and just hold her. It was so like Calleigh to insist she was fine, that it didn't bother her, but it still didn't change the fact that, sitting beside him, she just looked fragile. Mostly resisting the urge, Eric settled for simply draping an arm across her shoulders, pulling her ever so gently closer, smiling when she didn't pull away.

Instead she sighed, relaxing against him, the only obvious sign of any tension on her part being the concentration she placed in picking at a loose string on the hem of her top. "It's why I don't really do this whole Christmas thing," she breathed. "I mean, sure, I buy presents and all that, but that's the extent of it."

He stared at her, surprised. "Really? I always assumed you were the kind of person who went all-out for this time of year."

She looked up, shaking her head. "You assumed wrong," she said simply, meeting his eyes for the first time since the entire subject had been breached. "Why do you think I'm always the first one to volunteer to work on Christmas?" She shrugged, and Eric felt his heart break for her, not because the sadness showed through in her eyes, but because of the lack of that sadness. Calleigh really was completely apathetic about this whole time of year. "Nobody ever thinks anything about it, because you're all glad that it's not you that gets stuck working on Christmas."

She looked down with a sad smile, fidgeting slightly against him. "It doesn't bother me or anything. It's just the way it is, really. It's just easier, not having to put up a tree and then take it back down again. Not having to cook or do something equally stressful for a big family dinner. Not having to deal with stringing lights up in the tops of the windows or anything. It's just how it's always been for me since I got away from…from home. It's just like any other day. I get up, go into work, come home and throw something in the microwave, and then curl up in bed with a movie or a book."

Eric was honestly stunned. It was heartbreaking, the way she spoke so easily about this. And even more, she was being completely open, completely honest with him. No walls, no barriers -- just Calleigh. He was truly speechless. "Calleigh, I…"

She chuckled softly, reaching up to push a lock of hair behind her ear. "Eric, don't say you're sorry again, okay?" she said quietly, shrugging lightly. "I'm not. After it all, I guess I'd rather be alone on Christmas than around my family. It's kinda sad to say that, but you know me, Eric. I don't like not knowing what to expect." She paused for a moment, a shy smile playing on her lips. "But then again, here I am with you, and I have no idea what's going to happen next, and it's different. When you told me we'd be stuck here for awhile, I figured it'd be the longest, worst wait of my life, waiting to get out of here. But it hasn't been, not at all."

And finally she looked up at him, her green eyes sparkling as she gazed into brown ones. She smiled brightly, and Eric was genuinely surprised that her smile hadn't melted all the snow and ice outside; it'd certainly melted his heart. She shrugged again, neither her voice nor her eyes wavering as she spoke.

"You know, out of anybody else I could've possibly been stuck here with, I'm glad it's you."