Chapter 2

"Calleigh, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, what's wrong, Horatio?"

"Ryan told me about the night you have spent together eight weeks ago. I want to know what you remember from that night."

"What?" Calleigh was rather surprised from the question.

"I need to know what you remembered from that night." He repeated slowly.

She swallowed hardly.

"Not much. I was in a club waiting for Jake but he called me that he wouldn't make it. Later a man offered me a drink." She paused. "Dry white wine." She bit her lower lip. "It tasted a little strange, a little… salty… Usually I don't get drunk so easily but it seemed that I've gotten really drunk because I can't remember anything else. I can't remember when Ryan had shown up or how I'd gotten in his bed. I've just woken up in the next morning and I couldn't even remember where I was. I've trusted him. I have never expected that he could do something like that. I was drunk and he…"

Tears ran down her face. She felt betrayed. And her physical condition didn't help a lot.

Horatio let her calm herself down.

"Ryan was right. You were number two." He said at last.

"What?" she asked shocked.

Horatio took a deep breath. This wasn't going to be easy.

"What do you know about the serial killer's case?"

"Not much." Calleigh was totally confused. "Five women, drugged, maybe raped, killed and bodies dumped. Why?"

"Because you fit perfectly in the victims' profile."

"And?" she didn't understand what he meant by. "You don't want me to be a decoy, do you?"

"No, just… We have one victim on every two weeks. Except eight weeks ago." Horatio didn't know how to explain the situation to her. "All victims had been drugged with a face-type ecstasy. It is colorless, without smell but tasted a little salty."

"You mean…" Calleigh couldn't believe it. "That man…"

"Was our guy and you were vic number two. His plans went wrong as Ryan showed up. And that's why you don't remember that night."

"Oh, my God. I…" she shook her head in denial, yet trying to understand everything what Horatio had said.

"Calleigh, listen to me." Horatio tapped her on the shoulder to calm her down. "I need you to go to the sketch artist and to try to remember his face. Then there is some more things I need to tell you."

"What things?" she demanded to know.

"I'll tell you later." Horatio wanted to finish the talk, although he understood her determination.

"I prefer to know now?" Calleigh insisted. "Did he something to me?"

"No, he didn't but…you and Ryan…" he gave her a piece of paper.

She read it unbelieving.

"Horatio, but this is… a marriage certificate."

"Yes, it is." He nodded. "I checked it, it's valid."

The blonde woman didn't know what to say. And then suddenly confessed:"I am pregnant."

Now it was Horatio's turn to be surprised.

"Is it…?" he asked politely, keeping the last words in the dark.

"Yes, it's Ryan's." soft sigh escaped her lips.

Horatio looked at her.

"Then I think you should tell him."

"I will." She still felt betrayed. "I will go to meet with the sketch artist now."

Horatio´s gaze was following her as she headed to the break room. She needed time to think and calm down. Her face was still wet from the tears. But when she got there she found Ryan sitting on the table and staring at something in his hands.

"What you are looking at?" she asked coolly although her voice's timbre showed the undeniable meaning of her question.

He started and tried to hide what was in his hands but he unintentionally dropped it. Calleigh bent and took it.

It was small wedding ring. His name was signed atop. Ryan opened his palm to show her the other one of the pair.

"I suppose they should be ours…"

"Yeah." Ryan nodded. "We ordered them that night. I took them a few weeks ago."

"Look… Ryan…" Calleigh swallowed hardly. She avoided a discussion as she said: "I have to meet the sketch artist now. Let's meet after work. We will have dinner and we will talk. Is that okay with you?"

"Okay!" he agreed. "Then I will see you later."

She was going to give him the ring, but Ryan shook his head.

"No, it's yours. Keep it." He saw her hesitation. "You don't have to wear it."

Calleigh nodded and walked out without saying anything else.

"Hey, Calleigh, I was looking for you." Jake said behind her as she stepped down the hallway.

"What's up, Jake?"

"I just want to ask you if you want to have dinner with me." He asked charmingly.

Suddenly she felt angry.

"Hmmm, let me see. Last time we have a date you didn't show up and I ended up drugged and pregnant. I don't think so!"

Calleigh turned around and left him shocked in the middle of the lab.

A few hours later the portrait was ready. Calleigh hoped that it would be useful. Holding the picture in the right hand she went to show it Horatio. He was discussing her case with Peter Elliott as she appeared in the lab.

"Sorry for interrupting you but I was planning to go home. Horatio, this is the man, I hope it will help."

"Okay, thank you." Horatio took the picture. "Take a rest now."

Calleigh left the room.

Without any other word Peter Elliott left Horatio to follow Calleigh. He wouldn't give up on her so easily.

"Will you excuse for a minute please?" Peter Elliott shouted behind her.

"Calleigh! Hey, Calleigh!"

Finally she turned around.

"Yeah?"

"I… I wonder if you want to have dinner with me?" he asked.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering why two men were asking her for a date within a few hours. Something must be in the wind.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't. I am busy this evening."

"So Jake Berkeley get ahead of me."

"Yeah, he did." She nodded. "But I declined. I have other plans for tonight. If you want we can meet tomorrow for a coffee."

"Okay." Peter smiled at her.

Calleigh smiled too.

A few hours later

They both felt a little bit nervous. It was really awkward situation for them. Ryan had chosen a little nice restaurant for dinner. But nobody of them knew how to start a conversation. Finally Calleigh decided that it was enough.

"Ryan, look…" she bit her lower lip. "I am sorry for the last weeks. I've treated you like garbage and you hadn't deserved it. It wasn't your fault."

Ryan was surprised by her outburst.

"Maybe it was. I should have had understand that something was wrong…"

"Ryan, will you… will you tell me please what exactly happened?" she pleaded with urgency.

"Okay… I was out with some friends and therefore a little bit drunk. We went in a club where I saw you standing at the bar. A man wanted to drive you home but apparently you didn't want to leave. I asked you whether there would be a problem, but you neglected. Nevertheless you asked me to drive you home…" Ryan hesitated a little bit. "We got in my car and…"

He stared through the window where they were sitting.

"We had sex in your car?" Calleigh asked out of the blue.

"Ahuh… Well, we were interrupted. And one of my friends knocked at the side window to ask me something. There he saw us. I expected you to freak out, but you just laughed and told me, if I remember right, 'Now you should marry me.' And I told you that I would be ready and that we should do it right now. And we did it. We bought you a dress, made an order for the rings and used two of your hairpins as rings for the ceremony. After that we went to my home and that's all."

Suddenly Ryan smiled.

"What you are smiling about?"

"Nothing just… when we walked out of the car you insisted to take your clothes from the backseat. You carried them easily, but short after you just dropped them." He swallowed. "I am sorry, Calleigh. I should have figured out that something was wrong. Actually I thought that you would be drunk, but not more than me. I am really really sorry."

Calleigh had listened all the time intently his story. Now it was her turn to say something.

"Ryan, I … I need to tell you something." She sighed. "This night... we didn't get any precautionary measures and…"

"Oh, my God, you are pregnant." He finished.

"Yeah, I am. And I am going to keep it." Calleigh took a deep breath. "Ryan, listen! I think this night was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened. I will keep the baby and I would be glad if you would like to keep it, too. But I think that the wedding was a mistake and we should end it. Or with other words, I want to get a divorce."

Ryan looked into her face, shocked by her intentions. He expected her wanting a divorce but the baby…

He made a decision.

"Okay, this is the deal. I will give a divorce but not now. It will be after the baby's birth. I want the baby to have my last name and I want to have my parental rights. I will accept all of your other conditions about the divorce." Cal tried to appraise his "plan". Nevertheless she was confused. "I don't understand… Why do you want us to stay married till the baby is born?" she asked.

"Because that the family is something I believe in. I want my child to have a family at least in the day of his or her birth."

"Should I wear the ring?"

"No, if you don't want to." He said. "You are free to do whatever you want – to wear or not the ring, to date with somebody or everything else you want to. I won't say anything. I just want to be there when the baby is born and to take care of it. Deal?"

"Deal." Calleigh agreed. "But what we will tell the others in the lab?"

"What you want to tell them?"

"The truth. We are married and we will have a child. We won't tell them the details about the wedding or at least not to all of them."

"So we will wear the rings?"

A/N: So this is chapter 2. I'm sorry but the next chapter is not ready yet. I hope to write it next weekend. Tell me what you think about this one.

Special thanks to EmmaBerlin and Corazon for being my wonderful betas! You are great girls!