Thanks for reviewing you seriously awesome people!
Here's another chapter. Warning: some scenes in this chapter may be so cheesy you may be able to dip tortilla chips in it and call it nachos (ha, ha).
Chapter 3
The Flip Side
Jake had three feeling's scorching like fire in his veins: disappointment, sadness and anger.
He slammed the door of his rental with enough force to make the glass rattle. He jammed his hands in his pockets as he rushed back into the hotel. Part of him hated that he didn't heed Horatio's advice, doing so made him feel like he had opened his own personal Pandora's Box, the other half was pleased. He couldn't imagine the awkwardness and humility he'd have to endure if he had waited and walked up to her on his first day back and had asked her about her relationship status or asked her something along those lines.
Jake stampeded through the lobby of the hotel, getting a few questionable looks from a few of the guests and the manager. He didn't care. They didn't matter.
Jake went up the elevator, cursing it for not traveling faster, stomped through the hall before unlocking his door to reveal his suite. Everything in the hotel room seemed to make him mad. The walls were to pale, the bed was too soft, the air was too clean and Jake could go on. He knew it had nothing to do with the hotel and all to do with his anger and pain.
He was angry with Calleigh for not telling him.
He was angry with Delko for asking her.
He was, most of all, angry with himself for letting her go. He could have been the man across from her as vows were exchanged and rings were slid onto fingers.
Grinding his teeth, he laid down on the way too hard couch (something else that made him mad) pinching the bridge of his nose and letting the full force of the day hit him.
The negative feelings ganged up on him, making him angrier and more hurt than he had ever allowed himself to feel, but also more tired. His muscles ached with exhaustion, a side effect from not sleeping in almost twenty-four hours; he closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest as sleep overcame him.
What Jake didn't know was that Calleigh was also in a hotel. Not same one, but one in the Florida Keys. Most of the people said that their honeymoon shouldn't have to be, technically, in the same state, let alone a short plane ride away from Miami. Personally, Eric and Calleigh didn't care how close or far away they were from home; they were together, married and could have had their honeymoon in their house and not have cared. So having their honeymoon in Key West was great.
She and Eric walked into their hotel room as the sun started setting on the water, sending a medley of reds, oranges and pinks off the crystal water into the sky. They dropped the bags next to the couch in the living room part of the suite. They both looked up at the coffee table to see a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket, with a note at the side. Knowing they hadn't ordered champagne, Calleigh curiously picked up the note on the side and read it out loud.
" 'Mr. and Mrs. Delko,'" Calleigh read off the note, heart skipping a beat at her new name. " 'Consider this our gift to you, have a great time away. With love from the gang,'" she concluded, folding the note back up.
When Jake awoke, the sun had set and the moon sent beams of white light into his room. He groaned with tiredness as he rubbed his eyes with his fingers, only then did he remember the events that had taken place earlier that day. Reality hit him hard as he got up and stretched, a few joints popping while he did so, sleep had failed to decrease the feelings he had harbored since the afternoon. Only another feeling had crept up on him while he was sleeping, and that was emptiness.
Jake felt like the place in his heart where the hope of getting Calleigh back used to be was now dug out, leaving nothing but a hole. A hole which he could attempt to fill with one thing and one thing only…alcohol.
He grabbed his wallet and walked out the door. He wasn't completely sure if he was totally in control of his body right now, he didn't care, so he just let his feet lead him down the hall, to the elevator, back to the lobby and to the hotels bar.
It was dimly lit and smoky, the typical definition of a bar. There was a fair amount of people in the booths and at the bar, but it wasn't too crowded. Jake slid into an empty booth in the back, wanting to blend into the background.
One of the bartenders saw the new customer and made her way over to Jake.
"What'll it be?" she asked in a bored voice.
"Beer," Jake replied, his voice was cold and hollow. She nodded and went back to the bar. Jake put his head back against the back of the booth's seat. He knew he was empty when he was resorting to drinking away his problems, it was very unJake-like. But the reason he had come back to Miami, back to MDPD, was to see Calleigh. He couldn't even think of that now without knowing that he would never be hers. They would probably greet each other kindly and, after many awkward moments, may move on to being friends again. But Jake knew it would never be the same, at least not for him.
He heard the sound of a thump against the table; the bartender had set his beer on the table in front of him. When he looked up she was walking away, but the beer sat in front of him, begging to be drunk. Jake put his palm around the cold bottle and lifted it to his lips as he took a drink.
Calleigh set her now empty glass next to Eric's on the windowsill; she was gazing out the window, just taking in the moment. A smile graced her lips, she knew this was real. After years of heartbreak and disapointment, she had found somebody she truly loved and who loved her back. She had found someone who she was able to say the words "I do" to without a moment's hesitation or regret in her mind. The love she felt for Eric was as real as the air she breathed, as real as the ring now placed on her left, and as real as the arms wrapped around her waist.
Calleigh placed her hands on Eric's larger ones, their fingers lacing together as she leaned her head against his chest, never wanting this night to end. She would be perfectly content spending the rest of her life here and dying in here at Eric's side. She knew that was impossible, but she could think that way for tonight and the next seven to follow. She glanced up at Eric about the same time he turned his head down to her.
It would always take her breath away at how, even though she had known him for almost thirteen years, every time she looked in his dark yet warm eyes she would feel the warmth of him transfer into her. Eric had always had a special way of making her think even the worst of times would turn out okay, somehow. He and his warmth had always been there. Calleigh felt the same familiar rush when she looked at him now, but it was also different in a way. They were now bonded by more than just their love for one another. Calleigh never thought that two rings would be able to change her so much.
Two rings. Two simple rings had pushed Jake headfirst into the pool of anguish, though he didn't know it at the time. Two rings and then he answered his phone.
"You're free, Berkeley," the director had said when Jake was in Wyoming.
He had been thrilled at the time, but now he wished he had just let that phone keep ringing. Never knowing what happened with Calleigh would have made his life a hell of a lot easier. He had never felt so lost in his life. What was he supposed to do now? Who was he supposed to love now? When you are constantly being relocated by ATF, you never really know were you belong and working undercover made it harder and less certain. He thought he found the place he truly belonged with Calleigh, but now she had gone. Once again, Jake was a lonely tumbleweed blowing in the harsh wind. With that thought he picked up the beer again and took another swig, letting the alcohol run down his throat. He set the bottle down then, his elbow resting on the table, let his forehead lean into his fist, his fingers molding into his cranium.
Eric leaned down to kiss Calleigh and she kissed him back, willingly, their lips molding together as perfect as they always had and always will. Calleigh turned the rest of her body towards him, the kiss breaking for a few seconds before she wrapped her arms around his neck and was able to reach his lips again. He pressed his hands against the small of her back, pulling her closer as to not allow any space between them.
For a few moments, Calleigh was completely lost within Eric. She was lost as Eric's lips moved perfectly with hers, how when she closed her eyes she could have swore she was in heaven and she lost was in how gentle and soft this was but strong at the same time. Calleigh's head began to spin; it was only then that she realized that she was becoming oxygen deprived. Calleigh pulled her lips away for a quick moment to take in some air; she opened her eyes at the same time. Calleigh realized that they weren't in the living room anymore, but in the hallway on the way to the bedroom. Calleigh smiled, she must have been more lost in the moment than she thought. But if being lost felt like that, she wouldn't mind being lost forever.
He knew he was lost, he was lost with no map and no compass to tell him how to be found. Jake had never felt so low, he had never thought his life would come to this. He accepted long ago, actually when he we said goodbye to her at MDPD, that she and Delko would start seeing each other, no doubt. He was somehow able to accept that until he read the article, then those thoughts flew out the window. But before he had read that article he was pretty stable in knowing how Calleigh and Eric would be when he was gone. Never once, though, had the idea of them moving past that stage entered his mind…literally, never. Thinking about it know, that was stupid for him not to consider that possibility.
Jake had could never have pictured her with anybody but him, then again, he was extremely biased and in love with her.
He realized the bottle of beer he had in front of him was now empty, just like his heart. He ordered another beer; he hadn't even started to drink his pain away. He took off the light jacket he was wearing and set it on the table, making himself comfortable.
Calleigh once again put her lips against Eric's, now that the room was in focus. They were now leaning up against the wall right next to the bedroom door.
"I love you," Eric mumbled against her lips as he slid his hands from her back to either side of her waist.
"I love you, too," Calleigh smiled, her tongue lightly brushing against his lower lip.
Eric moved his hands up the sides of her body to help her remove the black jacket she was shrugging off over the red T-shirt she had changed into before leaving Miami. The black material fell to the floor as Calleigh reached up to start unbuttoning Eric's shirt. Each time a button slid through the slit of the shirt did more and more of Eric become visible to Calleigh. His dark skin contrasted perfectly with the white shirt Calleigh was slowly removing, she soon saw his smooth chest, then firm muscles of his stomach and, once she was able to remove the shirt entirely, she was then able to see the broad muscles of his arms. Their lips parted then closed again as they shuffled past the doorframe.
They were now in the bedroom, a few yards from the bed, as Calleigh ran her fingers down Eric's arms. Eric had his hands on her hips, but he was slowly moving them under her shirt. The warmness of his hands made her shiver with pleasure as his finger traced her navel before traveling behind her back to grab her shirt and pull it over her head. The kiss broke as the cotton was peeled off her body, revealing the slightly lacey black bra she was wearing. The removal of the shirt sent her blonde hair into a disarray, strands of it covering her face.
Eric took her face in his hands, moving the locks of hair out of her eyes as he did so, his eyes smoldering as they looked at each other.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.
Calleigh chuckled, lightly, and was about to respond to his comment but then his lips were against hers again. He slid his hands back to hold the back of her head, his fingers knotting in her hair.
As they landed softly on the bed, Calleigh closed her eyes to take it all in. That's exactly what they were from the world.
Closed.
Closed.
What bars in Miami ever closed? Jake wondered as he made his way clumsily through the hotel in attempts to get to his room. The bar in the hotel had closed at ten-thirty.
Idiots, Jake thought about the people who made that rule. He had had about half a dozen beers, maybe two or three more…Jake couldn't exactly remember. Everything was blurry and was out of focus. He was defiantly wasted. He hadn't been seriously drunk in years; it had never held any interest to him. In all honesty, he hadn't planned on getting drunk tonight, he thought one or two drinks would be enough. He was realizing that his attempts at drinking Calleigh away were foolish, for even after as many drinks as he had had the pain still remained. That hole in his chest he had been trying to fill with the alcohol was, in fact, deeper now. Dug deeper by a shard of glass from a beer bottle which he should have known better than to drink.
He stumbled onto the elevator and pressed probably two buttons that weren't the right floor before he hit the number that was his destination. The alcohol hadn't numbed the pain, but it did make him drunk and made him feel pathetic at the fact he had resorted to drinking.
When Jake was certain he was on the right floor, he began to walk down the hallway. He eventually found the door to his room and dug out his room key. It took him awhile to get it into the slot, considering the doorknob seemed to be moving around.
After a few thousand attempts, Jake was able to stumble into his suite. He didn't pay attention to anything in the room as he tried to get to the bedroom. He prayed that if alcohol didn't numb this pain, then hopefully more sleep might.
He didn't bother to take off his shoes, his shirt, nothing. He just slumped against the pillows and let the alcohol knock him out.
Midnight is midnight, no matter where you are
The beginning of a new day but not quite the end of the night
A time for old dreams to linger
But for new dreams to begin
Midnight, Miami…
Jake had forgotten two things since the last time he had been drunk. Firstly, how disoriented you get and secondly, how a hangover can be a bitch. He blinked his eyes open; his head throbbing and he felt terrible. It was nothing he couldn't handle, considering he had even worse pain. Not even this vile hangover could erase the blessing and the curse that was Calleigh Duquesne. Jake knew that, technically, her name was now Calleigh Delko, Mrs. Calleigh Delko. But for Jake she would always be Calleigh Duquesne, nothing else. She still haunted his mind, no matter what he did he tried to forget about her. Remembering how radiant she looked this afternoon at the courthouse made his head spin more and made his heart ache.
Jake didn't even want to think about seeing her whenever she came back with her new…husband; he shuddered at the word. He didn't want to think about the future or the past or what might have been. He just wanted to forget for one night. He closed his eyes again, hoping he would succumb to what alcohol was left in his system if not for awhile, just to visit his oasis for an hour or two where he could act like this never had happened.
He did succumb to the alcohol, but even as he did, the pain didn't go. He didn't go to his oasis but stayed in his dry desert and he would stay there for God knows how long.
Midnight, Key West…
Calleigh found herself with her head lying on Eric's bare chest, with a sheet wrapped around her. Eric had one hand on the small of her back, gently pinning her to him, and he traced the contours of her spine with his fingers on his other hand; slowly, running up and down her bare skin that the sheet didn't cover. Calleigh had her arms resting underneath her; she slowly moved them from under her to either side of Eric's torso. She slowly moved them up his sides, over his ribcage, feeling the curves of his ribs. She continued across the planes of his chest, turning her head so her chin was resting on it. When she reached his collarbone, she continued over the curve of his shoulders and back down, stopping back at his chest as she leaned down and pressed her lips against his skin. The moonbeams that came through the narrow openings of the blinds glinted against her wedding band. The wedding band Eric had slid on her finger a mere few hours ago.
Calleigh pulled her lips away from his chest and looked at him, folding her hands under her chin. She smiled a sad smile at Eric.
"What's wrong?" he asked, tenderly.
Calleigh shook her head and softened her smile. Nothing was wrong. She was here in his arms with the wedding ring he had slid on her finger that legally bound her to him. Everything was perfect, for once. It all seemed too good to be true.
Calleigh looked down at his chest and smoothed her thumb against his warm skin.
"How do I know this isn't a dream?" she asked, quietly.
Eric slid his hand from the small of her back, up her spine, over her shoulder blade, to the side of her face. She looked up at him; her green eyes meeting his brown one's. He caressed her cheek with his thumb.
"This isn't a dream," he whispered.
"How can you be sure?"
He lifted his other hand to tuck some stray hair behind her ear.
"Trust me," he said, softly.
Calleigh nodded, slightly. "I trust you," she whispered. She moved forward to kiss him, he kissed her back.
I made up the short poem in this, incase you were wondering. I hope you enjoyed!
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