Butterflies

See Part 1 for Disclaimers, etc.

Outside room 211 Calleigh squeezed Tim's hand. She knew how much was riding on his hunch and hoped his suspicions were correct. Tim knocked on the door loudly and immediately a baby could be heard crying inside the room. Seconds later, a man they both recognized as Rick Manning answered the door, looking at them curiously.



"Are you Rick Manning?" Tim asked him.

"Can I help you?"



"I'm Tim Speedle, with the Miami-Dade Police Crime-lab and this is Calleigh Duquesne. Can we come in for a moment?" Not moving an inch, Rick glanced back into the room as the baby continued to cry.



"What is it that you need? You woke up my daughter and now she's crying. Do you mind coming back some other time?"



"I don't think so." Calleigh said. "We have reason to believe that this child belongs to Emma and Ryan Pratt. We're here to arrest you on kidnapping charges." Knowing he had been caught, Rick stepped aside, allowing Tim and Calleigh to enter the room. Tim signaled the police officer waiting in the hallway and he came into the room to arrest Rick.

As he was being handcuffed and read his rights, Calleigh and Tim went to check on the baby.

The tiny infant was lying on the hotel bed, surrounded by blankets. She looked perfect and well taken care of but was still screaming. Calleigh gingerly lifted her off the bed and cradled the infant close, rocking her gently. Rick watched with alarm as he was being led out of the room.



"I didn't hurt her, I promise you that. Abby is my child." Calleigh looked at him, as he said this frantically. Something in his eyes told her he wasn't lying. She felt he was a bit of a lunatic, taking custody of his child this way but she knew that he loved her nonetheless. "I would never ever hurt her. Please take care of her."



"Don't worry," Tim assured Rick. "Abby's going to be okay." He turned to Calleigh, who looked sad and relieved at the same time.



"I can't believe how crazy people can be, Tim. I mean, why did they have to make things so complicated? All Emma had to do was leave her husband and go be with Rick. Pretty simple if you ask me. Instead, they've put everyone through hell. I wonder what kind of life this little girl will have?" Abby had finally stopped crying and Calleigh sat down on the bed, still holding her. Tim sat down beside her.



"Well, now that we've found the baby and have Rick and Emma in custody I think we'll be getting the whole story. The person I've got the most sympathy for right now is Ryan. He's about to get the shock of his life." Tim's phone rang just then, causing Abby to wake up and start crying again. Calleigh walked around the room, trying to calm her down as Tim filled Horatio in on what had just happened.



"H says to take her to the hospital and get her checked out. Child and Family Services will take over from there." Tim said softly, as Calleigh carefully laid the now sleeping infant in her baby seat.



"I guess she'll probably end up in foster care." Calleigh said, wishing this child had a more stable beginning to her life. She must have been able to sense the tension around her.



"Probably for a little while but I can guarantee you that Emma and Rick will have her in the end. I doubt that either of them will serve any time for this. Sad to say." Tim shook his head in disgust. "Hopefully Ryan will win full custody of Kate, though." He smiled as he watched Calleigh buckle the baby into her seat. Picking up the carrier, she turned to Tim.



"Let's go," She said and then saw the way he was smiling at her. "What?" she asked him, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.



"I was just thinking that you're really good with babies--I never knew that about you." Tim said honestly.



"I was really close to my aunt while I was growing up and spent lots of time with her children. I needed any excuse to get away from home and my aunt needed the help so I've had some experience with babies. They're so sweet at this age too." Calleigh said, gazing down at Abby sleeping peacefully. Tim noticed a whole different side of Calleigh was emerging around the baby and it made him love her even more. Gathering all of the baby's belongings, Tim and Calleigh left the motel room with Abby in tow.

At the hospital the doctor declared Abby perfectly healthy. They were going to keep her for a day for observation but then she would be released. Into whose custody remained to be seen. Calleigh felt sad leaving Abby behind in the hospital but reminded herself that she was better off there than holed up in a motel room.

Maybe by some miracle she would turn out to be Ryan Pratt's daughter and then she could live with him and Kate. She just thought it would be a tragedy for Emma and Rick to get away with everything but it looked like they might anyhow. They couldn't exactly be prosecuted for kidnapping their own daughter. A DNA test would be performed, as soon as possible and they would figure out how to proceed from there.

By the end of the day, the case was pretty much out of the CSI's hands. Emma and Rick had both confessed to their affair and setting up the "kidnapping" with a surgeon friend of theirs. Emma had admitted that she had convinced herself this baby was Rick's and didn't want her husband anywhere near her. She didn't have a legitimate reason for this, only that she couldn't stand the sight of him anymore and had been planning to leave him very soon.

She had gone to such extreme lengths because she figured such a tragedy would make it easy for their marriage to dissolve and she thought it would be cinch to gain full custody of Kate. Then she would be free to begin her new life with Rick and her daughters. Tim couldn't believe the twisted logic of this woman and prayed that Abby was Ryan's daughter, for her sake. He had already asked for the infant while Emma was in custody even though he knew that she might not be his daughter. He was devastated by his wife's admissions but he was bouncing back quickly so he could be there for the children.

Tim had to admit he was glad this case was over for them now but he knew they'd be keeping an eye on it until the DNA results came back. Tim was on his way to Ballistics where Calleigh was already working on another case for Horatio--there was never a dull moment for them. As Tim walked down the hallway Calleigh barreled around the corner, nearly running into him.

"Whoa!" What's your hurry?" Tim put his hands on Calleigh's shoulders, noticing the tension in her eyes. She had a determined look on her face, like she was on a mission.

"I've just got to run an errand before we leave okay? You don't have to wait for me, Tim. Why don't we meet up later?" Calleigh replied, trying to sound casual.

"What happened? Is something wrong, Calleigh?" Tim asked, not satisfied that she was okay. Looking at Tim's genuine concern, Calleigh realized that if she wanted this relationship to work it would be important to let him in and not keep anything from him.

"It's my dad. He's worn out his welcome at his favorite pub again and he needs someone to pick him up. It's either me taking him home or the police taking him to the drunk tank." Calleigh confessed, feeling the shame she wished would disappear. Tim looked surprised but hadn't lost any of the caring that was in his eyes a moment before. Not asking any questions, Tim put his arm around Calleigh's waist and started walking with her.

"I'll go with you. Something tells me you could use the moral support."

"Tim, you don't need to do that. No one deserves to be subjected to my father when he's like this."

"Yeah, especially not you." Tim pointed out.

"He's my father." Was all Calleigh said in response and Tim nodded at her with understanding. When they got to Calleigh's car she turned to him, looking a bit embarrassed. "Look, take everything my dad says with a grain of salt. He's an old-fashioned southern man and when he's drunk he doesn't really get rowdy but he often says things that I wish he wouldn't."

"I'll remember that." Tim said, wondering what exactly she meant by that comment.

"I just wanted you to know that. And thanks for coming with me, Tim. It really means a lot." Calleigh wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug before getting into the car.

As Calleigh pulled up in front of her father's pub of choice she felt the familiar feeling of dread come over her. As they walked toward the building, Tim grabbed her hand and gave her a smile. Calleigh felt her heart skip a beat and realized that she was very glad her was with her. They heard her dad before they saw him. He was sitting at the end of the bar, serenading a bartender who was quickly losing patience. She threw Calleigh a grateful look as she and Tim approached.

"Hey Dad. I thought you might need a ride home."

"Lambchop! Come and have a drink with me." Calleigh's father looked absolutely delighted to see her there.

"I can't Dad, I've got plans tonight. I just want to make sure you get home safely." Calleigh shot Tim a glance and her father finally noticed that she wasn't alone.

"Who's this with you, Lambchop?"

"This is Tim, Dad. We work together. You've met him before, don't you remember?" His face looked thoughtful for a moment and then he smiled drunkenly.

"I remember you now. I always thought you were a nice kid and I'm glad you're taking out my girl."

"Thanks," Tim said, not knowing exactly how to respond. Holding her dad's arm, Calleigh started to guide him away from the bar. He was too busy babbling to Tim to notice.

"Maybe you can convince her that she shouldn't be wasting her time working. Think of all the beautiful children that she could be bringing into the world if she would just stop working so hard." Calleigh looked at Tim as if to say I told you so and Tim tried to come to her defense.

"I would actually hate to lose Calleigh's expertise at work, sir. She's very good at her job and it's definitely worthwhile for her to be there. She helps people every day."

"My dad doesn't agree, Tim. He thinks I should be barefoot and pregnant with a man taking care of my every whim."

"I just want you to be happy, Calleigh." Her father replied.

"But Dad, I am happy. Right now work is where I want to be. Children can come later if I choose to have any at all."

"What a waste of a beautiful woman." Her father muttered, as Calleigh opened the car door for him and he piled in. Closing the door behind him with a slam Calleigh looked at Tim with a small smile and gave a small sigh of exasperation.

"Thanks for trying to come to my rescue but there's no changing his mind about this. It's the same every time."

"He loves you and in his own way it seems like he just wants the best for you."

"He's like talking to a brick wall, though. It doesn't matter what I say or how many times I say it--he still doesn't know or care what I want. I'm sorry, it just frustrates me sometimes."

"Don't apologize. Let's just take him home and then we can go do something a little more relaxing." Tim said, smiling at her.

"You've got yourself a deal." Calleigh said, returning the smile. As they drove away, her father fell asleep in the back and started snoring softly. Calleigh was relieved, the last thing she wanted was for him to continue ranting about what Calleigh should or shouldn't be doing with her life. He was on a roll tonight and Calleigh wasn't in the mood. Not that she was ever in the mood to listen to her father's drunken advice.

Two hours later, Tim and Calleigh were laying on her couch, wrapped in a blanket and not much else. They'd turned on a movie after dinner but had quickly lost interest and had focussed on each other instead. Calleigh sighed contentedly and Tim smiled at her.

"That sounded like a happy noise." He said, kissing her on the neck.

"Definitely," Calleigh said, closing her eyes. "I wouldn't mind doing this every night, Tim. Let's forget the rest of the world, okay?"

"I could handle that." He said, continuing to caress her neck with his lips.

"I don't even care what we do, you know. I just like being with you." She sounded very serious and Tim stopped what he was doing to look at her face.

"I want that too, Calleigh."

"Good. I just wanted to know that. I mean, I'm not asking for a commitment or anything but I wanted to hear you say the words."

"I don't mind giving you a commitment." Tim said, grinning at her. "We're only at the beginning here, Calleigh but I know how I feel and I only want to be with you." Calleigh smiled and was surprised to feel tears come to her eyes. Her feelings for him were overwhelming right now, as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

As they kissed, Tim felt a rush of emotions for Calleigh and held her even closer. They both knew that what they were getting into was risky and that their relationship might not succeed but they also knew that what they had was special and worth fighting for. Whatever the future held, they were going to enjoy each moment they had together, hold on tight and not let go.

The End