Sorry it's taken so long to get the next chapter up...there were four 20 page papers, a portfolio and a fundraiser to be planned...long story short, I was busy and now I'm not as busy. Sorry and enjoy!
Halfway through eating her pancakes, the pounding in Calleigh's head subsided enough for her to remember that she was supposed to be at work and begin to panic. She had sprung up from the table, only to have Eric laugh, walk over to her and force her to sit back down.
Eric explained that he had called Horatio and told him that Calleigh wasn't feeling well. Calleigh had the day off and Eric didn't have to go in for another hour and a half.
About an hour later, Calleigh found herself showered, changed and headed home – though still feeling like her head might explode. Eric was dropping her off at her place on his way into work. Calleigh was still mortally embarrassed that Eric had called Horatio and told him that she wasn't feeling well. Calleigh rarely took a day off, let alone calling in sick. But she had to admit, after the pancakes, Calleigh was kind of looking forward to crawling back in bed and sleeping.
Eric noticed that Calleigh had been quiet in the car on the way to her place. He let her have her peace. Eric wanted so desperately to talk to her, make some kind of contact, and continue what he had started in his kitchen, but he had known Calleigh long enough to know that she needed a little space.
The car pulled to a stop in a parking space outside Calleigh's place, shaking both Calleigh and Eric out of their thoughts. Calleigh turned to Eric and smiled as she unbuckled her seat belt and began to open the door.
"Oh no you don't." Eric said, swatting Calleigh's hand away from the door handle.
"What? Ow!" Calleigh wasn't sure that Eric had heard her. He had leapt out of the car and was jogging around to her door. He paused, and gently opened Calleigh's door for her.
"Well, aren't you the gentleman?" Calleigh asked sweetly.
"I aim to please." Eric said with a grin. As Calleigh stepped out of the car, Eric walked beside her, walking her to her door. Calleigh smiled and shook her head, finally putting a hand on Eric's chest to stop him.
"Eric. You don't have to walk me to my door. I'm a big girl, I'll be okay. You're going to be late for work."
Eric placed his hand over Calleigh's and squeezed it. He let their hands drop to his side, but didn't let her hand go.
"Work will wait. Plus, it's what a gentleman does after a date."
Calleigh rolled her eyes, but didn't protest further. She was hung up on the word date. Last night when she suggested that they go out, she certainly hadn't intended it to be a date. It was just a night out with Eric. They had done that before and it had never been a date. But then again, she had never kissed Eric before either.
Just as Calleigh was warming up to the idea of being on a date with Eric, she realized that without thinking she had unlocked her door and let both she and Eric into her home. She looked up to see Eric standing just inside her doorway, by her dining room table, with his hands in his pockets, staring down at the floor.
Eric walked over and stood in front of Calleigh. At this very moment, he felt so ecstatic he felt as if he might be walking on air. Calleigh looked Eric straight in the eyes and smiled, making Eric's knees go weak.
"I've got to get to the lab." Eric said softly. He reached forward and grasped the back of Calleigh's head, pulling her closer. Eric gently placed his lips on Calleigh's. Usually Eric threw himself into kissing, but he was cautious with Calleigh. When he felt Calleigh lean into him, he knew he could throw caution to the wind.
Suddenly, Eric felt Calleigh tense up and stop moving. He focused his attention on Calleigh, only to see her staring past him over his shoulder. The color had drained from her face and the smile that Eric had seen just moments earlier had disappeared.
"Cal, what is it?" Eric asked. He turned his head to look behind him, but couldn't figure out what Calleigh was staring at.
"They weren't there yesterday." Calleigh whispered.
"What are you talking about, Calleigh?" Eric was confused and he was starting to worry about Calleigh's drastic mood swing.
"The flowers." Calleigh looked more pointedly over Eric's shoulder, indicating a vase of flowers sitting on her dining room table. "Those flowers weren't there last night when we left."
Eric turned around to see what Calleigh was talking about. There was indeed an arrangement of flowers sitting on the table. They looked familiar.
"Cal, those are the flowers you got at work the other day. Maybe you forgot that you brought them home." Eric offered. He stepped forward, trying to close the space between Calleigh and himself, but she stepped around him, closer to the flowers.
"Eric, I left those flowers at work. These are different." Calleigh tried to convince Eric. She walked forward and picked up the card that was perched between two of the flowers. "To Calleigh with love. We're meant to be together." Calleigh read out loud.
Eric instantly moved to Calleigh's side, putting an arm around her waist as if he were protecting her from something.
"Calleigh, who sent you the flowers at the lab?" Eric asked. He hoped that she couldn't hear the concern and panic in his voice.
"I don't know." Calleigh said. Eric could feel the shiver that went through Calleigh's body as she spoke. "He's been in my house Eric."
Eric knew exactly who Calleigh was talking about. It made him sick to think that someone wanted to hurt or scare Calleigh.
Calleigh shook Eric from his thoughts. "Eric. Someone's been in my house."
It didn't take more than a few seconds for Eric to come up with a list a people who would break into Calleigh's house to leave her flowers. Brian McMartin was at the top of Eric's list. Eric was already formulating a list in his head of ways to keep Calleigh safe and protect her. He knew that if Calleigh figured out what he was thinking about she would be livid, but Eric didn't care.
"Calleigh, I want you to go pack some of your things. Whatever you'll need for about a week. I'm calling Horatio." Eric nudged her towards her bedroom, willing Calleigh to leave the room before he called into the lab.
Calleigh went into her bedroom and shoved some clothes and toiletries into an overnight bag. She couldn't keep her CSI instincts from kicking in as she surveyed the room, examining every inch to see if anything was out of place.
Walking numbly back into the living room, Calleigh heard Eric finishing up his conversation with Horatio.
"Yeah, I'll process what I can and bring it back to the lab. We've got to get him, H. He's…" Eric stopped when he saw Calleigh. "Hey, I'll catch you later." Eric flipped his phone shut and walked over to Calleigh.
"Here. Take this." Eric said, pressing something into Calleigh's hand. Calleigh squinted her eyes in confusion and looked down into her palm.
"Eric…" Calleigh began to protest.
"It's my house key. Drive yourself back to my place. Watch TV, listen to music, sleep, eat everything in my fridge…you just can't stay here." Eric sounded genuinely concerned. There was no way that Eric was going to let anything happen to Calleigh.
When Calleigh didn't say anything, Eric began to worry. "Calleigh? Cal, talk to me."
"God, Eric, I'm just…" Calleigh paused, not knowing how to go on. "I don't know…angry that I'm being victimized, embarrassed that I can't take care of myself, scared even…. I just want…" Calleigh couldn't go on.
Seeing her struggle with this, upset Eric. He felt the sudden urge to hold her and protect her. Eric protectively wrapped an arm around Calleigh and pulled her close. Calleigh closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest, listening to the constant thud of his heart through his shirt. They seemed to stand that way for an eternity, though it was only close to a minute. Calleigh pulled away, and it seemed to Eric that she had taken some of his strength with her.
"Thank you." Calleigh said, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss Eric lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you at your place."
Eric watched Calleigh take her things and walk out the door. He heard her car start and watched it pull out of the parking lot. Feeling a small wave of relief wash over him and knowing that Calleigh was headed somewhere safe, Eric walked out to his car and returned to Calleigh's dining room with his kit.
"Alright. Show me what you've got." Eric said to no one in particular as he dusted for prints and collected the flowers to take back to the lab.