Title: Clickedy-Clack, Chapter Two
Time: Urban Hellraisers
Several months had passed since John Hagen's funeral, and Ryan's relationship with Calleigh hadn't turned out the way he had hoped. That was because she still harbored feelings for another man, Special Agent Peter Elliot.
Elliot showed up at CSI when the team was investigating a crime spree based on a video game. Ryan was playing the game at the lab, trying to figure out the perpetrators' next step, when Delko came in.
"Have you seen Peter Elliot?" Delko asked.
"Skinny guy with salt-and-pepper hair? Yeah he popped his head in here looking for QD," Ryan replied.
"So you send him to DNA?" Delko joked.
"Naturally," Ryan smiled. "He's just here to see Calleigh, anyway," Ryan mused.
Delko sensed the jealousy in Ryan's voice and couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, Elliot's had a thing for Calleigh for a while," he said.
That was the last thing Ryan needed to hear. Ryan discovered a sniper mode, which revealed that there had been a sniper present at the last crime scene, but contrary to the game the sniper hadn't fired. Delko left to investigate the presence of the sniper, leaving Ryan to continue playing the game. Ryan eventually discovered that the criminals' next move would be to attempt to retrieve the evidence from CSI, and he alerted Horatio. The armed suspects were stopped by Horatio just in time, saving Natalia's life and preventing the evidence from being stolen. Unfortunately, Peter Elliott was hurt trying to cover Calleigh from the ensuing gunfire.
Calleigh accompanied him to the hospital, where he received a couple stitches. While there she encountered Monica West, Peter's fiancee'. Monica thanked Calleigh for bringing Peter to the hospital. Calleigh left the couple at the hospital, livid at herself for trusting him and at him for not telling her that he was engaged. Later, he would have told her over drinks that evening. He also told her that he had feeling for her, but that John Hagen had told him to back off, saying that he and Calleigh were dating. Calleigh couldn't believe her ears, or that Peter would just let Hagen intimidate him so easily.
Calleigh went to the break room to fix herself a cup of tea and encountered Ryan.
"Glad to see you're okay, after the shootout downstairs," Ryan said cheerfully.
"More or less," Calleigh responded flatly.
"Peter okay? I saw you two talking earlier," Ryan asked.
"Oh, he's just fine. Just fine," Calleigh said sarcastically.
"You don't sound fine. Did you two have a fight or something?" Ryan asked
Calleigh paused for a moment. "He asked me out for drinks..."
"Well that's nice," Ryan said.
"Then I find out at the hospital that he's engaged," Calleigh continued.
"Ouch. Calleigh I'm sorry," Ryan said, touching her shoulder. She smiled at his gesture. "Man, this is a surprise. I thought he really liked you," he said.
"He did, however, John Hagen managed to scare him off," Calleigh said angrily, throwing her tea bag into the garbage roughly and walking briskly over to the table. She sat down and held her forehead in her hand, her elbow propped on the table.
"John Hagen? But he's been dead for months now," Ryan said, coming over to sit by Calleigh.
"Long enough for Peter to move on and find someone else," Calleigh said, trying to hold back tears.
"With plenty of time to be a man about it and tell you," Ryan said, dismayed.
"Ironically, that's why he asked me out for drinks, that was going to be his way of telling me," Calleigh said, trying to smile.
"Smooth," Ryan said softly. Ryan reached for her hand. "I'm really sorry."
"I feel like such a fool," Calleigh said tearfully.
"Calleigh, the guy gave you no indication that he was taken. He flirted with you every time he showed up. He fooled me. Don't beat up on yourself," Ryan said gently.
"If I had only known, I wouldn't have wasted my time. I could have been..." Calleigh started.
"Calleigh, it just wasn't the right time for us. Hagen had just died. Granted we spent the night together, but I understood then it wasn't the right time for us," Ryan said softly.
"It could have been," Calleigh whispered, "if I hadn't been so blind to what was right there in front of me," Calleigh said, touching Ryan's cheek.
"It's not too late, you know. We could pick up where we left off," Ryan suggested, smiling and kissing the palm of her hand.
"Really? I mean, you'd like to give us another try?" Calleigh asked, hardly believing her ears.
"I've been hoping and praying for another chance," Ryan said tenderly. "Since your dinner date fell through, may I take you out for dinner tonight?"
Calleigh smiled. "I'd love that," she said. Ryan stood up, and pulled Calleigh up into a warm embrace. She remembered the last time she was in his arms, how his embrace had made her forget about John Hagen. She knew now that, safe in Ryan's arms, that Peter and his hurtful ways would soon become a distant memory as well.