Title: Best Day Of My Life (7/23)
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters that might strike you as familiar.
Summary: That it had all started that one day, that was plain to see. But love has never been simple, and with her it certainly wouldn't get any easier. (CaRWash)
Chapter summary: She wasn't having the easiest time of her life, either.
Spoilers: None.
Song: Jesse McCartney - Anybody
A/N: My newest multichap, inspired entirely on Jesse McCartney's both current (3rd one's coming up) albums.
YES it's an update indeed, and I have been writing on this story again. -encourages self-


Has anybody ever felt this way?
Has anybody been ripped apart?
Anybody give everything to the one they love?
Am I the only one left behind?
Am I the only one who hates goodbyes?
God I know this can't go on forever


When Horatio entered the lab the next morning, earlier than everyone else, as always, he wasn't expecting to find anyone there. As every other morning, he was planning on going into his office; finish the paperwork that was piling up; and when the rest of his team was coming in, he would hand out new assignments or ask them their progress in the case they were working on. He walked through the hallway, opened a lab with his master key, flicked on the lights, and then moved on to the next lab. He followed his habitual round through the lab, until he reached the ballistics' lab. He was surprise to notice that the door wasn't closed.

He reached for the doorknob and opened the door softly. The lights inside were off, but in the light that came from the hallway he could clearly see Calleigh's sleeping form draped over her desk. Her hair hung loose over her face, and on her desk laid the hair band that had kept it back before. Her head was resting on her arms, her ear-protection and glasses forgotten on the floor.

With a small smile on his face, yet with concerned eyes, he stepped into the lab and closed the door behind him. The sound awoke Calleigh and she opened her eyes, blinking as to remember where she was. Horatio grabbed a chair and sat down next to her as she sat up abruptly.

"Horatio! I am so sorry, I didn't know…"

Horatio put his hand up in the air, silencing her.

"Don't worry about it ma'am. I'm more interested in the reason you're here than any excuses. I know you consider the lab your second home, but this is going a little far."

Calleigh gave a small smile.

"Yeah. I must've just fallen asleep. I was in late, I wanted to finish something, and I can't remember…I think I just dozed off." She explained, running a hand through her wild hair in the meantime.
"You know my opinion on staying in late."
"I do, but…honestly, I hardly realized the time. It's just, I've got a lot of things on my mind right now, and I think it just got the best of me."
"Is there anything I should know?"
"No, it's not professional. It's personal."
"That doesn't necessarily mean I shouldn't know about it. Besides your boss, I am your friend, Calleigh." Horatio raised his eyebrows.
"I know Horatio." Calleigh smiled sweetly. "It's a couple of things I'm struggling with. I promise I won't let it interfere with the job again."
"I trust you on that. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Calleigh nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Horatio started to stand up and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Go freshen yourself up in the locker room, then. You can have the day off if you need it."
"You know that's a worthless question." Calleigh said, tilting her head slightly.
"I'm still going to ask you."
"I'll go clean up."

Horatio left the ballistics' lab as Calleigh grabbed her things together. As he walked through the hallway, he thought about how often he'd heard Calleigh say she was fine. It was her standard answer, meaning 'I'm really not going to tell you what's going on, so leave it'. He hated it when she did that, because he saw her as a colleague, a friend, a daughter. He'd seen her go through several rough times, and wondered what it was this time.

A lot of her breakdowns had been caused by her father. His constant drinking had asked for her to pick him up at bars on several occasions. His periodic promises of lying off alcohol meant nothing to her anymore, but still hurt her inside when he failed to follow them again. And Horatio knew that there were a lot of tickets she'd made to go away. The DUIs, even the possible vehicular manslaughters. He knew that she didn't like it, but he also knew that she wouldn't be able to stay away. She loved her father despite everything he did, and she saw it as her personal duty to take care of him like he'd once, no matter how good or bad, taken care of her.

He hadn't heard from Duke Duquesne in a while, though, so he couldn't testify to whether he was drinking at the moment or not.

Several other reasons that had put Calleigh in distress went by the names of John Hagen, Peter Elliot, Jake Berkely and Eric Delko. With her southern princess looks, Calleigh didn't have to beg for men's attention. She was resistant of entering a real commitment with any though, because she had been hurt, and was constantly afraid of being hurt. He could understand her, although he somewhere thought that she was asking for it by being distrustful. He had to admit that her taste in men was…bad, to say the least. There were nice man interested in her, but she passed them on the way to another bad boy that would end up hurting her. Horatio just hoped, for her sake, that one day she'd open her eyes.

But he hadn't seen her with any particular man a lot, lately, so he really couldn't be sure if there was someone in her life at this time.

Other reasons for a sudden lapse could be the case, the snake bite that had almost caused her life. Of all things Calleigh Duquesne had had happening to her, being bitten by a snake wasn't among them, Horatio knew. In some way, no matter how cool and easy she handled the situation, inside she must have been affected by the event. If not by the pain; then by the unfamiliar feelings. The numbness of her hand, the sudden sickness and the dependence, the feeling of putting her life in someone else's hands. At the very least Horatio thought that her falling asleep at work proved that indeed she had been in some way thrown off by something, and the snake bite seemed the most logical option right now.

On his way back to his office he saw Ryan, Eric and Natalia approach. He smiled; they were right on time, even a little early, as always. He only had to look at them and they knew what to do. Natalia and Ryan turned left, and entered a lab. Eric walked the final distance and came to a stop in front of him.

"H."
"Eric."
"You look worried. Is something wrong?"
"It's just another day, Eric. Just another day."
"Is Calleigh in yet?"
"She is."
"Is she still on this case? I mean, after what happened, and yesterday she didn't really work on it."
"You know her, Eric. She's still on this case."
Eric nodded. "Okay. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you want to join me in interrogation. I think a night in jail has loosened Mr. Tough Guy up."

Horatio looked down the hallway and saw Calleigh turn the corner, coming out of the direction of the locker room. She looked up at him and smiled, probably more to Eric than to him. He noticed she looked better, and turned to answer Eric's question.

"Lead the way."

Calleigh watched them leave and saw Ryan emerging from a lab right behind them. She felt her heart skip a beat and quickly turned to face away from him. She didn't know what she was going to do. She'd missed one day's worth of working on the case, and she'd missed half the facts and progresses. But the only person she could ask right now was the only person she was trying to avoid. She felt like she was slowly being split in two, two different sides of her with two different opinions.

Ryan stood at the desk behind her, an open case file in his hands but his eyes directed at anything but the file. He noticed his hand was shaking, he was nervous being in her presence. He shook his head as to shake himself back to reality and looked at the files. "Thanks Paula." He said quickly. He had to show the files in his hands to Natalia, who was in the DNA lab, but to get there, he would have to pass Calleigh.

He took a deep breath and started walking. He was closing in on her. She was facing away from him, her blond hair in a neat ponytail, as always. He clung to the case file tighter as he got only inches away from her.

And then she stepped aside and turned, making him crash into her, sending his papers flying to the ground. The sudden collision made her eyes grow a size and Ryan's hand trembling even more than before. He kneeled and started picking up his papers. Calleigh made an attempt to follow him, but he quickly blurted out that she didn't have to. Instead she looked down on him, trying to calm her heartbeat down.

"I'm sorry Ryan. I didn't see you coming."
"It's okay. It happens."
"Are those files from our case?"

Ryan stood up; the files now back in his hands, but not in order. The little voice in his head told him to organize them, but his heart screamed at him to get away from Calleigh first, before it would explode.

"Yeah. I have to get these to Natalia, if you don't mind…?" He gestured past her and Calleigh's face got an 'oh, right' look on it. She stepped aside.
"No, go ahead. I'll see you later then."
"Yes, see you later."

He disappeared past her, and Calleigh closed her eyes. Were things always going to be like this from now on? Clumsy, and awkward? She didn't want them to be like this, desperately trying to avoid each other, and quickly trying to get away if they did meet. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Ryan entering the DNA lab, Natalia looking up at his presence. They briefly discussed the files, turning pages and changing facial expressions, and then Ryan turned and got out again.

Something snapped inside of Calleigh as she realized she hadn't moved since he walked past her, and he noticed as he looked at her. She made a small smile appear on her face, and he smiled back, clearly unsure of what to think. He gave a small nod to himself, as if to remind himself he was supposed to be doing other things, and turned left, walking away.

Calleigh moved in the same direction. She didn't want to be like this, she couldn't be like this. But then she stopped. Did she really want to go after him while she still didn't have an answer for him? Did she want to provoke another uncomfortable situation with him? No. She'd better leave him alone, give him rest, until she had a real reason to go and talk to him.

Things would get better, it was only just recent. It would fade away.
Right?