Wow, guys, 100 reviews. You have no idea how amazed and touched I am by that. This story, has just become so close to my heart that every review has me grinning from ear to ear and I'm so grateful for all of the stories you've shared. Stories of your own pains and worries, your own heartache in regards to this terrifying disease. Thank you to everyone that is still reading this story, to everyone that has been touched by this story and to everyone who was candid enough to share with me, their own fears and experiences. It's an amazing world, fandom, where your life can be touched from all over the world, so simply by a common interest.
I appreciate all of you, so much. Thank you.
Being the master of typing on his keyboard using nothing but his two pointer fingers, Frank could relax back into his chair and listen to the slow, steady process of his own background check. He copped a lot of flack from his younger, faster working colleagues, but it was all in good fun and he knew they meant nothing by it. They were scientists, really - even if looking at them you'd never suspect as much - and they were meant to know their way around a computer better than he was.
He was a cop, first and foremost and what he did well, was notice the world around him. Listening closely, he heard the soft sound of a backside sliding across the edge of his desk until, with a quiet smile on his face, he heard her come to a stop just beside him. He'd recognised the distinctive sound of her heels before she sat, but he hadn't then worked out if her destination was his cubicle or if she'd intended to walk on by. But he found himself quite happy with the decision she'd made.
"I heard your guy slugged his way into a free holiday." He commented, not yet glancing away from the computer screen. He heard her sigh quietly and as he lent further back into his chair and slowly turned towards her, he saw the look in her eyes for what it was. Disappointment. In who, particularly, he wasn't quite sure. From what he'd heard, Eric had been defending her and the overzealous reaction towards Stetler had been a long time coming, she can't have been disappointed in Eric, could she? But then again, he was looking up at Calleigh Duquesne and he bit his lip, knowing decorum would have been more important to her, than Stetler finally getting his comeuppance no matter how well he knew she wanted that as much as the rest of them.
"There's nothing free about it," She smirked. "he's cleaning the bathroom, mowing the lawn. I have some things around the house that need to be repaired and," She raised her eyebrow cheekily. "if my Tulips die at any point this week, I'm going to torture him."
Frank chuckled, swivelling his chair from side to side and imagining Calleigh slowly shooting out every one of Delko's joints over the bed of dead tulips in her backyard. But then he stopped still, meeting her eyes with a serious expression in his own. "I heard Stetler had a few choice things to say to you, as well." He said softly and Calleigh nodded silently, casting her eyes down and he knew that bringing it up again likely hurt, but he needed to know that she was alright. Reaching out, he rested his large hand on her knee and was surprised when she curled her fingers around his against the fabric of her black dress pants.
"But I'm okay." She smiled, meeting his eyes again and even though she was breathing deeply to control her emotions, he knew that she wasn't lying. He was one of the few people that she never stretched the truth with, not even once, considering the rapport they'd developed pretty much the first day they'd met. She'd been short and pretty and fighting her way to the top with a physics degree, a gun and a sweet southern twang and he'd been an overthehill Texan short fuse with little patience for ill-minded pip-squeaks. He'd trusted her because Horatio had trusted her and she'd tempered him with sweetness and the ability to understand his more decidedly Southern sense of humour. If he were honest with himself, he'd admit she was one of the main things that had saved him from forced retirement several years ago.
"Well that's good." He patted her hand, letting go of her knee as she rested her hands on the edge of his desk on either side of her hips. "So, what can I do you for?"
Calleigh smiled gratefully for the change of subject, looking over to the profile still sitting open on his computer screen. "Well, I'm running the bullet through IBIS right now, I was just wondering if you had anything on our suspect."
"Couple of priors," He shrugged. "he was arrested for pick-pocketing and indecent exposure three years ago, paid a fine."
Calleigh nodded. "You think he's our guy?"
"I hope so," Frank chuckled and Calleigh smirked. "the little twerp stained my suit with that gas-can." He held his jacket out to show her, showing that it was hanging over back of his chair and Calleigh frowned, studying the oilstain smudged across the lapels. When they'd found their suspect, they'd discovered he was an employee for a local gas-station and upon greeting him and identifying himself, for his troubles, the man had thrown a gas-can in Frank's direction and proceeded to piss him off further by making him run the length of the street to catch him.
"You might want to get that drycleaned." Calleigh quipped, slipping off the desk with a smirk and patting his shoulder.
"Hey, you've got an in-house cleaner for a week," He joked and Calleigh laughed.
"He might be doing my laundry, Frank, but he's getting something out of it I'm sure you're not willing to give." She winked, turning on her heel and heading back the way she'd come, leaving him with his widened eyes and his stained shirt, chuckling to himself as he went back to work.
A brother shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams.
~ Anonymous
Eric dragged himself up off the couch as the doorbell rang, dropping his dusting cloth onto the kitchen counter and immediately hoping - for the first time in their relationship - that it wasn't Calleigh at the door. Somewhere in the logical part of his mind, he knew it wasn't her. Mostly because it was her home and she didn't need to ring the bell, but also because she was at work, where he'd have been if he hadn't let his temper get the best of him. He'd spent the entire day completing chores she'd set out for him and he was starting to feel more exhausted than he ever remembered being at work. He had to laugh though, thinking that he'd never tired himself out with housework when he lived alone and it made him wonder just how rarely he'd cleaned his apartment.
"Just a sec!" He called, stumbling over the vacuum cleaner he'd left standing in the hall, because his attempts to clean anything were far more chaotic than hers. Considering she'd been able to clean the whole house without him ever noticing her lift a finger. He jogged down the hall, reaching for the handle and stepping back slightly in surprise at the faces that greeted him.
There was a woman with light brown, curly hair who stood a little taller than Calleigh, looking up at him with a wide smile on her lips and a small blond child on her hip. When he met her eyes, she seemed to be confused for a moment, glancing over her shoulder as a man even taller than himself with cropped blond hair, stepped up the path holding the hand of a small girl in a pink dress. "Ah, hello." He greeted and the tall man furrowed his brow before suddenly a look of realisation crossed his familiar features.
"Oh, you're Eric?" He questioned and Eric nodded, still not quite sure who this family was.
"I'm Wyatt," He held his hand out and Eric was finally able to smile as he shook his hand, realising who the man looked so much like. He was Duke Duquesne, only taller, younger and thinner. "I'm Calleigh's brother. This is my wife, Melissa and our kids," He pointed to the little one on his wife's hip. "this is Emily and this," He tugged on the hand of the older girl, encouraging her to smile politely at Eric. "this is Cora."
"It's nice to meet you," Eric nodded, still standing in the doorway and not even realising how confused he looked. Though he was grateful, when Wyatt moved up onto the step and addressed the question he knew was too rude to ask. Why they were there.
"We just drove down from Tampa. I wanted to surprise Calleigh."
"Right," Eric nodded, finally stepping back against the door to allow them access to the house. "sure, come in. She's actually at work right now." He watched them as they passed by, seeing Melissa set Emily down on the floor as he closed the front door.
"Well, we can get to know the infamous Eric Delko, then," Wyatt laughed, ignoring the playfully irritated look his wife threw over her shoulder as she ushered the children through the house.
"Do you mind if I take them to the bathroom, Eric?" She questioned and he nodded quickly, waving them down the hall.
"That's fine, it's just down there."
She nodded in thanks, coralling her children down the hall until the three of them disappeared into the bathroom. "You want a beer?" Eric asked and Wyatt nodded gratefully.
"It's good having you around already," The taller man commented. "Calleigh barely ever kept beer in the house."
The two men shared a laugh as Eric opened the refridgerator and tossed one over the counter. "So, you came to surprise Calleigh?" Eric questioned, resting his palm on the kitchen counter as he sipped his beer. Having never met anyone of Calleigh's family apart from her father, Eric had to admit that he was curious about the man. He was tall, which obviously, Calleigh was not and it got him to thinking what her mother looked like. But then he knew, being tall didn't always have something to do with your parents, considering he was a lot taller than his. He was broad-shouldered and seemed to be someone that Eric could find himself becoming fast friends with. The man smiled much like Calleigh did; that unguarded, completely joyful grin that he was starting to think they developed together as a way of fighting the troubles of their childhood.
"Yeah, she'd never ask us to come down, so we thought we'd just show up. I hope it's not an imposition."
"Nah," Eric chuckled. "I'm sure Cal will love it so I'm perfectly fine with it." Eric knew, on some level, that the man was sizing him up. He couldn't really blame him, considering he was doing the same thing but on the inside, it did make him laugh.
"Eric, the girls wanted to know if you had anything to play with," Melissa smiled, stepping under her husband's arm. "I told them that you probably wouldn't have any toys, but you know, they insist that I ask."
Eric chuckled, setting his beer down on the counter before stepping out of the kitchen. "Actually," He smirked, making his way into the livingroom to the two near-identical little girls that sat perched on the couch. "there is a playset just outside in the backyard, there are swings and a slide and everything." Eric grinned, sliding the back door open just in time for the girls to run screaming out through it.
"Playset, hey?" Wyatt commented in a curious tone and Eric caught the slap Melissa layed across his chest with the back of her hand.
"Yeah, I have neices. Calleigh had it put in after they completely massacred the bathroom with her lipstick and eyeshadow."
Wyatt snorted a laugh and Melissa slapped him again, causing Eric to snicker. "And here I was thinking you guys were preparing for something," Wyatt grinned, deftly side-stepping his wife's wayward backhand, causing her to glare at him, though stay where she was, because she was a guest and she would act like one in Eric's presence even though the scene they displayed was amusing him to no end.
"Well," Eric drew out the word, noticing how Melissa's eyes lit up hopefully before he knew he had to ease her excitement quickly. "maybe one day, we hope."
"Maybe sooner rather than later?" Wyatt questioned. "My Mom actually called me for the first time in six years, just to tell me." Eric nodded, knowing where this was going though still hurting for both Calleigh and now her brother, to hear they'd both suffered the same from their parents. "So, you and Calleigh getting married, hey?"
"Yeah," Eric breathed. "was kinda scared we'd never get here, but here we are."
"Deserves a bit of a celebration, don't you think?" Wyatt wrapped his arm around Melissa's shoulders, pulling her back into his chest as he grinned and Eric nodded, thinking over it.
"Yeah, I guess. I mean, we're kind of keeping everything quiet at the moment, only a few people know about it."
"But you have to have an engagement party," Melissa grinned. "why not use it as a way to sort of, spread the word?"
"Maybe," Eric nodded, wondering how Calleigh would feel about that. He'd wanted to share it with everyone the moment he'd asked and she'd finally accepted, but there was just so much to deal with and to add thousands of questions on top of the thousand 'How are you feeling's she already recieved every single day, was just too much to ask. She was happy and she was coping with how things were at the moment. Even though she was taking far longer to recover after every round of chemo these days, she was alright and he was happy to keep it at that until she was ready. She would be done with that course of chemo in just over two months and to his surprise when he actually thought about it, they'd be married in just over one and they could discuss their choices and her options together, after that. He knew that they needed to address the details of the wedding because with a little over a month to organise it. Calleigh wanted to do it before her chemo was complete, just incase her next screen came back with something more terrifying than she was already dealing with. So they didn't have much time.
"Calleigh," Horatio greeted as she stepped into his office and closed the door. "I heard you caught your guy." He smiled.
"Yeah, Frank's bringing him in just now." She nodded, pressing her hands together as she took a seat across from him. She didn't know why he'd called her into his office. As well as they got along and as greatly as she considered him a friend above being her boss, they could go full days without seeing each other, having faith in the work they were doing and the people they supervised. "You wanted to see me."
"Yes," He pressed his hands down on the desktop. "Calleigh, I need to know if you're up to having a talk with IAB?"
"IAB?" Her eyes widened. "Shouldn't Eric,"
He cut her off. "It's not about Eric." He took a deep breath. "IAB is investigating Rick Stetler." Her eyes widened and she sat back in the chair, licking her lips as she studied the wall to her left. "The thing is, questions have been raised on more than one occasion, that Rick has a rather persistant vendetta against this lab," Calleigh looked back to him, about to agree when he continued. "and due to the display in the lobby yesterday, many of the witnesses have spoken out on your behalf and that of this lab."
"Really?" She had to admit, she was a little surprised. For years, Rick had been out to find something to pin Horatio, herself and anyone else who seemed to err on their side of thinking. She'd stepped into his line of sight of her own doing, she knew, but she'd have been betraying herself and her beleifs if she'd stopped walking that lonely road with Horatio, as John had called it.
"The interviews are scheduled for next week, so I need to know if you're up for it. If not, we can organise for a written statement from you." He studied her with gentle eyes, through his lashes as he lowered his voice. "I've already spoken with the investigating officer and considering your circumstances, Calleigh, he's happy to make that compromise."
Calleigh nodded her head slowly, considering it carefully. She felt it had all gone on too far already, wishing she could just take the offer, write up her statement in her own time and head home to Eric. But she didn't want anything she may write to be construed the wrong way. "It's alright, Horatio, I'd like to speak to them in person."
"Well, no one is going to push you, Calleigh." He smiled kindly up at her. "You tell me when you're ready and I'll organise it."
"Thanks, Horatio." She smiled gratefully, standing slowly and nodding her head when she was sure he had nothing else to say. "So, I'll see you thursday?" She questioned.
"Yeah, I'll see you thursday."
Enjoy the little things,
for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.
~Robert Brault
Calleigh tiredly stepped in the front door, dropping her handbag on the floor as she set her keys on the table. She could smell barbeque and she smiled, kicking her shoes off as she headed towards the kitchen to get a drink. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand as she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, setting it on the counter as she reached up on her tip-toes for a tumbler.
"Want me to reach that?" A voice breathed on the back of her neck and Calleigh shuddered, pressing her back into his chest as he reached past her for the glass.
"God I missed you today." Calleigh sighed, turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing against him for leverage so that she could reach his lips. "Stetler's under review, you know, they're taking statements next week." He grinned, half happy about what she was saying and half ignoring it in favour of looking down at her pink lips as he leaned in closer, ducking his head and accepting her kiss eagerly. When she yawned into his mouth, Eric chuckled and pulled her into an embrace, running his hands across her arms before he let her go to go back to pouring her drink.
He had questions about what she'd just said, but it was a conversation that could wait for later. Right now, he was intent on making her smile until it hurt. She deserved that.
"Hey, Cal," He started casually, leaning back against the counter. "You know how you love surprises?"
"No." She smirked, raising an eyebrow in his direction as she rested her hip against the counter. "Isn't your barbeque going to burn if you're not out there to watch it?" She attempted to change the subject, not realising that she'd stepped right into it.
"Actually," He swaggered towards her, reaching for her hips again. Leaning down to place a trail of kisses along her jaw. "that's your surprise."
"What?" Calleigh chuckled heartily. "A barbeque that cooks itself?"
Eric rolled his eyes and grabbed the glass from her. He set it down and pulled her out of the kitchen with by her hand, dragging her across the livingroom to the back doors and gently pushing her out onto the deck ahead of him.
"AUNTY CALLEIGH!" Two voices screamed in unison and Calleigh suddenly felt two sets of arms wrapped around her waist tightly. She smiled, happy to see them but the shock was evident on her face, at least to the adults.
"Hey little one." Wyatt beamed, waving a barbeque utensil as a gesture of greeting. He knew it was going to take Calleigh a little bit of time to adjust to the surpise before she would feel happy to offer hugs to them all, he could wait. He'd made it his life's work, making his sister comfortable as best he could.
"What are you guys doing here?" She looked up at Eric, but he raised his hands in surrender.
"It wasn't him," Melissa smiled, stepping out from her place at the table setting and pulling Calleigh into a quick hug. "we wanted to surpise you and spend some time with you, we know it has to be tough right now and we wanted to offer you some help, wherever you need it."
"Really?" Calleigh rasped, overwhelmed by the gesture.
"Aunty Calleigh, Aunty Calleigh!"
Calleigh looked down to Emily who was tugging on the sleeve of her jacket. "Yeah, sweetie?" She crouched down, making it easier to meet the child's eyes.
"We like Uncle Eric, can we come to your wedding to Uncle Eric?"
Calleigh laughed, pressing her hand to Emily's sweet little rosy cheek as she reached for Cora's hand. "Of course you can, honey. But you know what," She smirked, throwing a glance in Eric's direction. "Eric's from a place called Cuba, do you know it?" When the two girls shook their heads, she smiled. "Well, we're in Miami so if you crossed the ocean from here, you would come to Cuba and you know they they have a different name for Uncles in Cuba,"
"What do they call?" Cora asked inquisitively.
"An Uncle is a Tio. Can you say Tio?"
Calleigh hadn't seen the way Eric was gazing at her throughout the entire exchange, watching how she adored them. They were small and cute and blond with green eyes just like hers and he couldn't help but imagine her standing there, talking to their own little girl with a smile just as bright.
"Tio Eric!" They both screamed at the same time, bounding away from her, across the deck and over to Eric, shouting the new word they'd learn as though it was the most fascinating word in the world. Eric was beside himself, pulling Cora into his lap as Emily continued to dance around him, chanting his new title with glee.
"Well, you won them over again, little one." Wyatt snickered, pulling Calleigh into his side and placing a kiss to the top of her head. Not even mentioning the scarf or the bags under her eyes, how thin she felt in his embrace or how rasping her voice seemed to have gotten a couple of times in the last few minutes.
"It's good to see you, really." She looked up at him, genuinely grateful to see that familiar set of bright teeth staring down at her. Eric looked over to them, smirking at the way her brother seemed to be both gentle and rough with her at the same time and it made him think he'd have to start being more kind to his big sisters from time to time. "But I'm not little," She pouted. "I'm fun sized, right Eric?" She threw the question over her shoulder, not really knowing if he'd heard her at all, but the strangled cough was proof enough that he had and she knew, without doubt, that she'd just made his cheeks flush red.
She was happy, really happy. And as she wrapped her arms around her brother's waist, listening to Eric teaching the girls to sing a Spanish lullaby as she stole a chunk of burger from the hotplate with swift fingers, she grinned contentedly.
And she decided that she didn't feel as tired as she'd thought.
TBC