CLICK, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

Eyes popped up from the documents, case files and phones. They widened and narrowed at the incessant skidding sound resonating from ballistics. By now everyone knew what a test fire sounded like. But this was out of custom and very annoying.

"Looks like someone's learning how to shoot a gun in there."

"Or, the gun's malfunctioning."

Walter and Ryan joked inside the processing lab. They had stopped all work, turned in their lab coats, and peeked over into the transparent setting of the lab. Natalia rushed in and dropped her case file on the desk.

"Is someone gonna do something about that?" she wondered obviously irritated.

"Where's Horatio? I'm busy working a case here," Ryan said.

"Well, it looks like you two are wondering the same thing as me. How can you concentrate with all this? I'm gonna go and see what going on."

She marched into the hall quickly and angrily towards the noise pollution. Why didn't anyone do something about this?

It was a surprise when she found Horatio standing at the door holding his shades.

"Horatio? What's going on?" she tried to hide her anger.

Before he could answer, she looked around him to see Eric at shooter's stance spitting bullets. The protective ear-covering adorned a distraught face, tight with anger. He all but exhausted the little nine millimeter gun. After almost half an hour of firing and reloading endlessly, it didn't seem to have relieved a bit of tension.

Horatio had an almost vacant expression but was one of worry and fatigue.

"Because of your case today," Natalia concluded. Guilt fell all around her and her facial features softened. "What're you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know yet... I'm surprised that isn't me," he answered honestly. She gave a reassuring look, not laughing at the dead joke.

She entered slowly, thinking about her words. She was unsure of how to stop him without startling him since his focus was on the speeding bullets. It might have been far off into his imagination. He paused and looked down at the magazine in front of him ready to grab it.

"Eric, stop."

He breathed heavily then faced her.

"Stop," she repeated, placing a hand on his sleeve.

He lowered his hand placing the gun down and soon the ear protection. Eric walked passed her never bothering to replace the items.

"Where are you going?" he asked in his solemn way.

"I don't know," he passed swiftly.

"Do not do anything reckless," his brother-in-law warned.

ECECECECECECECECECEC

A slightly frantic Calleigh tapped her thumbs nervously on the wheel of her car. She had already scoped his apartment and favorite gym. Her strong side said that he'd be fine but her lovable, caring side was about screaming with worry right now. Regardless of that she kept her strength level high.

"Dammit, Eric where are you?" she asked out loud.

Her mind suddenly brought back to her the memories they shared. Her long couch was a close friend of theirs when they used to cuddle and so was their bed. The mall was a place she forced him to go when she knew he need something he couldn't bother to buy and where he'd have a good laugh at her occasionally squealing over shoes. His mom's house was always bustling with his nieces and nephews and sisters. She smiled at the time they went diving and savored the day at the beach. Oh.

Calleigh quickly slowed and swung the car around heading west.

"Please be there, please. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to you," she hoped.

There, on the pale white grains, she found him. She hopped out of the truck and hurried off the parking lot blanket in hand. She slowed upon approaching him, watching his quiet demeanor as he sat in the sand.

His light brown eyes underneath scrunched eye brows, stared out to the rough sea. He lay stretched across the sand and his hands appeared to be resting on his stomach. It tugged at her heart to see him like this. Knowing Eric, being completely still in thought probably meant his blood was at boiling point. He was just ready to blow. She was ready to take it.

Calleigh let her knees give way and tumble into the sand beside him. His head suddenly whipped round as he jumped. She jumped as well at his surprised state.

"Sorry, thought you heard me coming," she hugged the blanket.

He shook his head and resumed concentrating on the salt grains in the water.

"Come on," she began spreading out the blanket. She dusted the sand out his hair as he climbed on slower than a snail. He gave her a look into her large, waiting eyes then faced front again.

"Is the water calming you?"

His mouth opened but nothing came out. Calleigh squeezed his shoulder then rubbed it.

"You're going to be okay," she soothed in her sweet voice.

"I don't know," he muttered shaking his head. His somber tone made her feel even worse. "Calleigh… I'm so – angry, I… I can't believe I thought of shooting him in front of his daughter. Memmo's a bastard but I'm so selfish. All I cared about was getting my revenge and not even killing him for what he did to those people today. That's not what Mari would want."

"You made a reasonable choice not to. You made the right choice." He turned towards her with his eyes wide and frowning.

"But, at the same time it's not. I let a killer go free, we know that there's a possibility that he might kill again. It's my fault!"

"There was nothing that you could've done, Eric. But patrol is looking for him right now. You know they won't stop. If they have no evidence to go on him then they'll be keeping an eye out." She reassured giving her softest eyes. Eric sighed disbelievingly and looked at the sun setting. "Think of it this way: you saved a little girl from having nightmares of her father being shot for the rest of her life. Don't beat yourself up over all this…" Calleigh watched him press his face to his upright knee and wrap an arm around it. "We, just have to deal with it… And we'll get him, I'm sure of that."

"I miss her," his voice hitched.

Calleigh cocked her head to the side.

"You know, I won't laugh if you're crying," she said.

Calleigh gently pulled his arm away from his face and towards the blanket. She ignored the line of water flowing down her cheek. They lay on the blanket and embraced. She rubbed his arm as he refused to show his face again.