I've had this one completed for awhile on my phone but have taken forever to getting around to moving it to the site. I noticed as I was typing it out that I messed up my timelines; during this particular episode, Alexx is still with CSI. Her being gone was semi-central to the story, so I apologize if my goof takes you out of the moment but I will be leaving it as is :)

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Calleigh sat on the bank of the water, her arms wrapped around her legs, looking out onto the canal. Water dripped from her hair onto her already damp clothing, even as the heat of the sun worked to dry her. The warmth from the sun did nothing to soothe the chill that had overtaken her body, visible through tremors, after she had pulled herself from the water.

Vaguely, she heard her name being called and it pulled her out of her trance; when she heard it again, she turned towards the sound in a daze. Slowly, her gaze focused on him, his familiar red hair and piercing cerulean eyes. His jacket was open and his hands rested on his hips, the sun catching on the band on his left hand. As she watched, he knelt down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "I don't want you to move till we get you checked out. The paramedics are on their way."

She was assaulted by images in a quick burst: a whisky toned voice on the phone, swerving her hummer to avoid a vehicle headed right at her, plunging into the murky canal water, shattering glass and a struggle to breathe. Her voice came out, more choked and guilt ridden than she'd expected: "The evidence is um…"

Horatio's lips curled up at the side in faint amusement. "Right now, sweetheart, that's not important."

"But it's all compromised." Her voice was stronger now, apologetic for her failure.

"Yes, everything, but you, ma'am." His smirk was gone now as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight. He pressed a kiss to her cold temple and rubber her arms to try to warm her. The sound of sirens coming closer filled the air and he gave a reluctant sigh. "We'll talk later tonight."

Horatio offered her a hand to help her stand and led her to the ambulance when it arrived. As the paramedic checked her vitals, he pulled a blanket from his hummer and brought it to her, wrapping it around her shoulders.

"What do you remember," he asked her softly, as she offered him a thankful smile for the blanket.

"It was a blur. Um, it just came out of nowhere…"Calleigh laughed at herself, half-heartedly. "I'm an unreliable witness!"

Horatio smiled patiently. "No worries."

Calleigh buried her head in her hands only to raise it when she heard Eric call her name, concern evident in his tone, "Calleigh, you okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled with embarrassment, brushing her hair from her face, knowing she must look a mess.

"Somebody doesn't want your evidence to see the light of day. Can you think of anything, something for us to go on?"

Calleigh could feel Horatio's eyes on her and she tried to draw strength from them. "The car was black. Maybe. I don't know," she shook her head in confusion.

"No worries, ma'am. Eric?"

Calleigh watched the two men walk away, one her husband and the other practically her brother. Today, she had almost become another body on Tara's table. When had the job become this dangerous? Or had it always been this way and she was just hyper aware of it at this time in her life? Her chest constricted as she thought of how close a call she'd had today and a question burst from her lips.

"What sort of damage could this kind of trauma do to—to a fetus?"

The paramedic smiled at her, understandingly. "Because you were never unconscious and didn't require oxygen, I'd say, more than likely, none. How far along are you?"

"Um, about 13 weeks…"

He squeezed her hand. "I'm not concerned because your vitals are great. I don't have a fetal monitor in the truck, unfortunately, but we could take you to the hospital so they could monitor you to determine any risks."

"No, that's not necessary," she heard her husband answer. "We have an old friend we can call."

Calleigh looked up at him, unshed tears in her eyes. Horatio's gaze was warm and tender. "Come on, sweetheart."

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Calleigh sat on the edge of the exam table, Horatio's arm across the back of her waist, his other hand entwined with hers, resting on the belly that was barely starting to show, their heads resting against each other. Alexx smiled at both of them.

"Alright, baby. I need you to lay back so I can hook you up to the monitors."

Horatio helped Calleigh position herself and then turned back to Alexx, his hand still holding tight to Calleigh's. "What is that you're checking for?"

"I'm going to hook momma and baby up to a heart and contraction monitor to make sure everything is where it should be and there is no risk of preterm labor. Once everything is all hooked up, I want to complete an ultrasound so we can check and make sure there has been no placental abruption; that's where the placenta separates from the uterus. These are all necessary precautions but because the baby is so tiny and so well protected right now, I don't want you to be overly concerned. I have every confidence we're going to be alright, okay?"

Horatio swallowed tightly and nodded his head, squeezing Calleigh's hand tightly when he heard her choked sob.

"Alright, baby, I'm going to hook these belts right across your belly. This band monitors the baby's heart and this one monitors any contractions you might be having. Have you felt any pain since the accident?"

"No," she whispered.

"That's good. Now, have you had an ultrasound yet?" Calleigh shook her head. "I'm going to put some gel on her belly and then I'm going to use a Doppler. It uses sound waves to project the image. We'll be able to see baby so I can check that everything is okay."

A sound filled the room, loud and fast. "Is that…?"

"That's your little one, baby."

Calleigh began to sob, her head falling to Horatio's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. His cerulean eyes were watery as he looked up into Alexx's warm face. "Is that normal? How…fast it is?"

She grinned at him and placed her hand on theirs. "It's perfect. 156 beats per minute. Average is anywhere from 140-160, typically. I'm not seeing any disruptions in the uterus either. Now, would you two like to see your baby?"

"Yes." It was the most upbeat Calleigh had sounded all day. "Yes, please."

Horatio and Calleigh watched in amazement as Alexx directed the Doppler on Calleigh to show the baby. She described what they were seeing: the tiny head, arms, and legs that filled the screen. Warm tears leaked onto Calleigh's hair and she squeezed her husband's hand.

"Now, it's technically too soon to tell, but, if you want, I can tell you what the sex of the baby is. I have to warn you though: I have never been wrong."

Calleigh's smile lit up her eyes and she nodded, and then looked to Horatio to see his agreement. "It's a girl. A healthy little girl who shoes no trauma from the accident today. I want you to call me immediately if you have any pain, cramping, or spotting, but I don't expect any of it. You both check out fine, Calleigh. Congratulations, you two."

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Horatio's hand rested protectively on the small of her back, guiding her to the front door of their home together. She could feel the warmth radiating from his fingertips to the rest of her body, which was somehow still chilled from her dive in the canal. Had that only happened this morning? She felt like a lifetime had passed since then. Horatio reached around her to unlock the front door and gently usher her inside. She reached to turn on the lights but Horatio's hand met hers and pulled her to him.

Calleigh melted into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head into his chest. He smoothed her hair and murmured sweet nothings to her as they stood there in the dark together.

Tenderly, he cupped her face and tilted it upwards, brushing his lips against hers. Only when Calleigh tasted the salt in their kiss did she realize he was silently weeping as he pulled her closer. She gripped him tighter, not sure how to reassure him that she was alive when she was still in shock herself.

Somehow, they guided each other into the bedroom, where they finally lay, entangled in one another. Horatio caressed and kissed her, treasuring her with the softest touch, igniting her senses. His face stopped and hovered over the soft swelling of her stomach. He reverently laid a kiss there as her hand brushed through his hair and then he looked up, meeting her eyes. "I don't care what you say: no more field duty until after…I almost lost you both today. I can't handle that."

"No," she replied softly. "No, you're right. No more field duty until after peanut is born. Today was a close call. You were all I could think about while I was locked in that watery prison and I knew I had to get out, for all of us."

"Thank God that you did…" Horatio leaned up to kiss her lips, leaving a hand caressing her stomach.

Their joining that night was slow and tender, each reaching for the other and keeping them close, breathing out as the other breathed in. Neither commented on the tears they equally shed after their trying day and, when their completion found them, I love you's fell from their lips. It had been a hard day, a terrifying day, but they were home now, in one another's arms, alive.