I'd like to thank anyone who has been reading and reviewing this fic. I swear lately it's been writing itself and hopefully we can complete this shortly. Thank You.
Slightly Condoned
Disclaimer: Don't own anything…
Rating: R
Pairing: Eric/OC, Speed/Calleigh
Summary: Speed skips out on breakfast, for reasons unknown to anyone but the person he is meeting, meanwhile Horatio pays Adele a visit.
Spoiler: Tinder Box, Body Count
A/N: Okay, I promise I will return to the initial subject of E/E in the next few chapters, but for now enjoy…
Dedication: To Katie and Jacqueline, without our late night talks and your advice I wouldn't be able to write half of this stuff. A thanks is in grave order!
***
Part 22- What You Don't Know Will Hurt You
Calleigh noticed Tim's face pale slightly, and she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
" Tim?" She raised her eyebrow while Elisabeth and Eric exchanged a confused look, both had noticed the change in Speed's complexion as well.
Delko appeared to be more worried, seeing as though, for as long as he could remember there'd been only a handful of times that his friend ever paled like that.
Nonetheless Speed placed his hand over the mouthpiece and excused himself out of earshot of his friends.
It was Calleigh's turn to exchange looks with the other people sitting around the table.
" I'm sure it's nothing." Elisabeth assured her, but it didn't seem as if she was convinced as well.
Calleigh shrugged and picked up her fork, set on eating something.
Meanwhile Speed walked out into the corridor and whispered.
" Hey it's me? Is that how you greet me."
" Ha, ha, we talked two nights ago."
" Doesn't matter, don't excuse yourself, I'm with company here." He sneered softly, and could just picture the person on the other end rolling her eyes.
" Well, I'm in Miami."
" What?" Speed said in a heightened whisper, and then immediately chided himself for exclaiming.
No one needed to know about this. They hadn't for the last six months, and they wouldn't now, because she decided to drop a bombshell on him.
" I told you I'd be coming back." She reminded him and Tim bit his tongue from reminding her that her word wasn't exactly golden, well not anymore.
Instead he replied with a calm, " When'd you fly in?"
" This morning, I'm sitting in the Agramonte Lobby talking to you, and my bags are unpacked."
" You're staying at a hotel?"
" Yeah I decided to come early, but since I had leased the house until next week, I'll have to stay some where until the contract expires."
" You could've stayed with me." Tim said in what he hoped wasn't a small voice, although as he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, he knew that was impossible.
A small chuckle vibrated through his ear, from the cell phone line.
" Tim, don't be crazy, you've got a girl friend, or don't you remember Calleigh."
Speed smirked, and wondered if it was too uncanny for her to know such details of his life, and still be so far away, in another state, for the time of their separation.
" Yeah, my point exactly, I literally live at her place, and she barely stays at mine, and see how I'm using present tense I hope it stays that way." Speed added sarcastically, and the silence on the other end gave him no respite.
" Tim, is everything okay?"
Ah, and this is what he was afraid of. He couldn't lie to her, but telling her the truth would weigh too much on the already heavy conversation.
" Do you want me to meet you?" He guessed on the reason for her call.
" Yeah, if it's not too much trouble, I'd really like to see the handsome boy hiding behind that voice." She teased and he couldn't help but smile.
She'd always had that affect on him, and he had no idea why.
" Ha, ha."
" Don't patronize me."
" I wouldn't dream of it."
" Sure, I'll see you in a few then."
" Yeah, let me just make an excuse." Tim said and hung up.
After gathering himself, he walked back into the living room but not to the seat he vacated. Calleigh looked up at him, but didn't say anything.
He couldn't imagine how she was feeling at that point. After the turn of events in the last 24 hours their relationship hung over a big fat question mark, and although they had exchanged the most intimate parts of their courtship, it was still an odd feeling to know they may break up.
" And you big enigma?" Elisabeth broke the ice, and Eric chuckled, patting her naked knee.
" I gotta go." Speed said with minimal controversy and Calleigh's head immediately shot up.
" Where?"
" Back to the lab, the case I signed off on before this, there're a few glitches, I'm sure I'll catch you guys later, just call my cell." Tim listed off, hoping he covered all the bases.
" Oh okay, why don't you take my car, I don't think we're going any where any time soon." Calleigh smirked, and pointed to the box of evidence that Elisabeth had brought out.
Tim smiled, " Okay, thanks I'll be back as soon as I can." He accepted the keys, but not without a reward of his own.
Realizing this was the first chaste kiss that they'd shared in what seemed like forever, Calleigh basked in the after glow, unbeknownst to any one in the room.
" Catch ya later man." Eric patted his friend's back and escaped into the bathroom.
" Kay, see ya girls." Speed winked and disappeared into the hallway.
It wasn't until they heard the door slam that Elisabeth immediately looked up at Calleigh.
" He's never taken a call from the lab outside." The blonde explained solemnly.
" Honey, trust me, with a man like Tim you've got nothing to worry about." Elisabeth reached out and grasped Calleigh's hand.
Calleigh smirked, and stood up, " Yeah, neither do you." She said knowingly and ducked into the kitchen.
***
" Look John, I can't take that case…Yes, I know I owe you a favor…No it's not family emergency…Fine, thank you." Adele Sevilla hung up the phone, and rested her head against her palms in exasperation.
She mumbled something about stress and opened the side drawer pulling out a bottle of what looked like Excedrin, and taking in two tablets.
It wasn't until the beautiful Hispanic woman emptied her coffee cup that she noticed the tall man leaning against the side of her cubicle.
" Horatio Caine." She smiled at him.
" Adele Sevilla." He reciprocated, a little tint of nostalgic sarcasm in his rich voice.
" Complimentary greetings aside." Adele pushed against the edge of her desk and got up from the rotating chair, " What can I do for ya?"
" I think we should take a walk." Horatio suggested seriously, and Adele's smile faded, she could see the concern mirroring the red haired CSI's face.
There were seldom times he looked so touched, peeved by something that it was written all over his features, burned in his eyes. For as long as Adele had known him, it didn't seem as if he was one to experience it often.
" If you say so, I have a splitting headache, fresh air will do me some good." The Detective acknowledged and then rubbed the back of her neck, picking up her gun as they walked out of her cubicle.
The short walk outside was made in silence, neither talked for reasons unbeknownst to the other person, because frankly they didn't know what the other was thinking.
Once in the parking lot of the PD building, Adele turned to Horatio and he shoved his hands in his pant pockets, looking anywhere other than her face.
That irked a curiosity in the brunette; Horatio never avoided eye contact, what in the world was going on?
" H."
" What?" Horatio didn't mean to snap, and immediately felt apologetic, having pulled out the woman from her activity to talk and was now silent.
" The park's that way." Adele motioned casually with her hand into the direction behind them, and Horatio nodded.
" Okay, let's walk."
They resumed identical strides again, her heels clicking in rhythm to his low movements, until they skipped about two blocks and the silence proved to be way too much for the usually patient officer.
" Alright, listen you, why do I feel like your sending me off to an electric chair or something? Tell me what the hell is going on." Adele announced, stopping dead in her tracks, although Horatio walked a few more steps and only then halted.
" Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing." He said, with a bit of the same dry sarcasm that he'd used on her back at the office.
This didn't trouble her anymore, it pissed her off though.
" Horatio, I don't like word games." Adele said with precaution and watched the man smirk.
" And I don't like games period, so why don't you tell me why my ex wife found it necessary to invite me to breakfast and tell me to my face that a little birdie told her that Donner is coming back…as in Megan."
He finished and Adele looked stunned, and slightly guilty. The only thing her friend could guess was that this never entered her mind as being one of the reasons that he'd encounter her in person.
" Horatio, it's not what you think." Adele quipped, and Horatio pulled his hands out of his pockets, putting them up in the air.
" Like hell it isn't, she called you for inside info, and you gave it to her, at least you could've called me first and forewarned me."
" I couldn't."
" Why not?" he asked in a disbelieving, almost condescending manner.
" BECAUSE MEGAN ASKED ME NOT TO!!!" Adele exploded with a rage; Horatio seldom saw in her eyes, it even caused him to back away. And that was something Caine didn't do often, or at all for that matter.
He would've apologized had it not been for the complete shock he was feeling, as well as confusion for the comment Adele had just made.
" Why wouldn't…" " She tell you? Well I don't fucking have all the answers, so stop interrogating me, and talk to the source of your annoyance." Adele backed away, and sighed.
Horatio was still musing on what to say when Adele took an exasperated sigh, and rubbed her aching temples, apparently her headache had only increased with her outburst, but not like the CSI expected anything less.
It made him twice as guilty, and yet his pride had control of the situation and he was powerless to the submission that was his ultimate sin.
" Look H, Hagen's on my ass for a parolee release form I need to fax to him before lunch and I need a court order for that, above all he took my case, so I need to be going if there are no more interrogating inquiries coming from your end." Adele said evenly, keeping her temper in check.
Horatio couldn't find anything to say, so he didn't say anything at all, instead he just sighed.
" I'll see ya." Adele turned around and her heels clicked off in the distance.
Horatio sank down on the bench that broke his fall, and collected his head in his hands.
Wishing for his headache to disappear as well.
***
Collecting himself mutually, thick underneath the raging morning rays of the Miami-Dade sun, Tim stepped out of the roadster, and auto-locked it after surveying its condition.
He parked across the street from the extravagant umpteenth story high building that took up half the block and with it's mass destruction bared the name "Agramonte" in equivalently flamboyant letters hovering over the entrance door.
Tim leaned against the convertible and wondered silently about the murder that happened that very proximity no less than two and a half months ago.
He wondered what would happen if she had stuck around long enough to know about Gloria Taynan's cabana adventure, that ended with her checking out of the Agramonte in a body bag. Would she have needed a hotel room then?
Speed ran his hand through his hair, and evacuated that train of 'what ifs' from his mind as he jaywalked across the busy street and passed the opening limousine doors.
Passed the chauffeurs escorting important people to and from the cars, while tipping off bellboys to ring up the 'important' people's luggage to the top floor of the lavish hotel room where god knows what went on.
" Boy don't I love processing them afterwards." Speed smirked to himself and flipped through the carousel entrance mentally seeking out the bar entrance where he knew she'd be.
Even through their separation and minimal updating phone calls he still knew she'd never pass up a nice martini, any time of the day.
With thoughts alike the ones swarming in his tired mind at that moment, Speed stepped into the bar trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible, yet that was on all accounts 'impossible' because he stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the suits and briefcases crowding the main room.
He stepped down into the expanse, surrounding him were windows looking out into the street and he could just about make out Calleigh's roadster in the distance across the walk.
Small tables decorated the full-length windowed walls, and a wide island bar stood out in the middle, he surveyed the area but couldn't find her.
" Hey stranger."
Apparently she found him first.
Turning around he encountered the beautiful woman he'd remembered seeing every day half a year before.
She wore a pair of white red pinstriped slacks and a cherry halter-top, she stood on the last step of the carpet floor with a chocolate martini in one hand and the other situated at her hip.
" Long time no see." Tim replied just as smugly, but doing a very bad job of erasing any form of glee from his face.
She saw this, and immediately stepped down, taking a healthy gulp from the shallow glass so it wouldn't spill she walked up to him and smiled.
Their height leveled from her three-inch heels and she wrapped her arm around him possessively, hoping he'd respond the same way. Tim stood rooted in his place for a few seconds, and then he buried his face in her hair.
As soon as he did so, the trace expert surprised them both by tightening his grasp around her slender frame and holding on for dear life.
" I missed you, so much." She whispered against his shoulder, and bit back what Tim suspected was a swallowed sob.
He couldn't disagree.
" For the risk of coming out sounding like a weepy, weepy man, I've missed you too."
This caused her to withdraw and offer him some alcohol as she chastely kissed his cheek, and rubbed the stubble lightly, about ready to comment negatively on it when he held up his hands, " I got preoccupied this morning okay?"
She smirked, and walked passed him to the bar, " Calleigh keeps you grounded doesn't she." Her teasing comment left nothing up to the imagination as Speed nodded slightly, " Yeah, I guess you could say that."
They sat down, and he ordered a lime and soda, " Have a killer hangover." Speed explained after receiving a more than suspicious look from his counterpart.
" Oh." She took a sip of her drink and then crossed her legs, obviously wanting to ask him something, judging by the hesitant look in her brown eyes.
He called out to her, using his nickname for her, and she looked up, a sad smile sprawled on her lips, " How's everyone?"
That simple inquiry stirred her grin downward and Tim frowned as well, knowing this was a tough subject to come by.
Taking a sip of the mineral water he replied, " They all miss you."
" In one way or another, they all miss you." For the risk of sounding redundant Tim rephrased the long lamented response he knew she wasn't looking for.
He knew that somewhere in the back of her mind she'd hoped that with time they'd all forget about her, move on.
Well, they did move on, except they never forgot, or stopped caring about her absence, or perhaps it was just him.
But then again, why would he spend nights talking to Calleigh, or at crime scenes with Horatio, or morning jogs with Eric always wondering in their lesser hectic moments were she was right now, what she was doing, who she was with.
And him always feeling guilty for knowing and never being able to tell, to ease the little tight rope wreathed around a piece of their hearts that forever belonged to her, never mind how close they were. She was always there.
And when she finally managed to slip away, her exit hadn't been slow it was abrupt and cold, so why wouldn't they miss her.
" I wish they didn't." She sighed, opt for another martini but he stopped her.
" It's gonna hurt like a bitch in the morning."
" It is morning Speed."
" Good point, I stand corrected."
" Your right though, I'm a bitch, they shouldn't miss me, they should forget about me." She took the final sip and emptied the glass.
" It's a little too late for that, don't ya think? Being back and all." He followed suit and felt the carbonated bubbles enter his system.
" Tim. I don't know." and when Speed looked at her, she actually looked lost, he leaned over and embraced her again, one arm draped around her shoulder.
" You've got nothing to worry about. As much as they all miss you, they understand." He tucked a curl behind her ear, and waited for a response, when he didn't get one he continued,
" *I* understand."
She suddenly looked up, as alert as ever, and a small smile appeared on her lips, Tim was glad he managed to put it there, seeing as though, it seemed like it was the first genuine smile that he'd seen on her face since their encounter.
" Do you?" her question carried a loaded response, however Tim had mentally prepared himself over and over again for this, and knowing why she departed, what drove her away, he couldn't afford to be mad at her because that would be hypocritical.
Somewhere, in a distant past, he'd done the same thing, and even though he wouldn't recommend it now, he couldn't be negative about her exodus, because of his own demons.
" Of course I do, darling, no one is condemning you, I promise."
The redundant plea came again, " Do you?"
And Tim concluded in that moment that there wasn't enough mineral water or Excedrin that could smooth out his headache, not now, not when his heart was beating so dramatically in his throat, urging him, pushing him to exert a different response out of himself, but he couldn't.
Because he missed her.
" Yeah, I do."
That smile appeared on her face again, brightening her already blinding features drastically, and Tim returned it for the first time since they saw each other.
" But." He refrained from alerting her up to this point but found it necessary that he do so now.
" But what?"
" It's not going to be easy."
An exasperated sigh coated the air between them, as she nodded, "Agreed, and I don't think I can face it alone."
That comment was lamented and yet obvious, because the cryptic meaning in it, stirred him definitely to reply.
" You wont have to." He assured her, leaning in to kiss her forehead, not realizing how much he missed this woman until she appeared back into his life, " You've got me."
And that was the final straw, he didn't know if she started crying or if it was his imagination but whatever it was, it nearly lurched his heart.
" Oh now, let's not get all weepy here." He supplied lightheartedly.
It seemed affective because she let out a chuckle, and then a full out laugh, " I missed this the most." She informed him, suddenly turning serious again.
" What?"
" This. Us, talking, joking around, being what we used to be." She couldn't find just one word to describe it, so Tim did.
" Friends?"
She nodded.
" All's not lost child." He pulled her just a little closer, and she leaned in against him, resting her head against his shoulder, as he placed his chin atop her curly hair.
" I certainly hope not."
" It isn't, I don't think it could even if we tried."
She then looked up, and slid off her bar stool, embracing him again, with the same fierceness that he remembered before.
" Calleigh's a lucky woman." She assured him, patting that stubble again.
Tim smiled proudly, " And I'm a lucky man."
She agreed and then sat back up.
A thin moment of silence fell upon the duo, but it was soon interrupted by the blasting sound of Tim's cell phone.
He answered it quickly, almost curtly, suddenly crashing back to reality remembering that he had lied about his whether-abouts, and now could be persecuted for them.
After a few moments of agreeing, and a brief question, he hung up and turned to his friend.
" I'm actually needed at the lab now." He explained somewhat ironically, letting her know that was the excuse he'd made to slip away from the suspecting company of his coworkers.
" Go." Was all she said, and it hadn't been any malicious response, just that soft motherly tone he loved so much.
Tim stood for a second and then dug something out of his pocket, handing it to her.
" Here, I want you to stay at my apartment, I'll feel better that way." He informed her.
She accepted the key but looked a bit confused, causing Speed to roll his eyes instantaneously as he explained, " Let's just say your in for a serious update about the safety of this hotel, I'll see you later."
He leaned in, kissing her cheek and the scurried off back to Calleigh's roadster.
Through the windows he was sure her gaze was on his back, watching him move swiftly across the street, sad thing was though; he didn't know what she was thinking.
Not anymore.
TBC…