Slightly Condoned

Disclaimer: Don't own anything…

Rating: R

Pairing: Eric/OC, Speed/Calleigh

Summary: A certain detective gets confused about her feelings, while another CSI gets confused about his friend's unconscious state, and a breakfast that ensues a screwed up day, as well as two people who are set to find out the truth.


Spoiler: Tinder Box, Body Count

A/N: Loving this fic, so far, and about two more parts and we're finished. Sorry, I haven't updated in a while, a few glitches with ff.net, and it put me in a compromising position, hopefully the people that really like this r still gonna review :)

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 28- Artificially Flavored

The next morning dawned bright and early on Miami Dade.

The bit of sunlight that was able to slip passed the cracks of the shaded window in Elisabeth's apartment, were welcomed dreadfully by the couple asleep on the couch.

The drug specialist woke up first. Marred by the sudden sunshine entering the room, and slightly blinding him.

He rubbed his eyes in a futile attempt to rid them of the cobwebs provoked by a few dreamless hours of sleep. Sitting up in the loveseat he turned his attention toward the other person occupying the sofa.

Perched up on the opposite side of the couch, Elisabeth slept soundlessly in a position that Eric predicted to be less than comfortable. He studied her for a few brief moments and then decided not to disturb her, but rather move her somewhere, to a more comfortable place.

He stood up, and stretched his cramped muscles, induced by an equally sore pose of his body during slumber, then leaning down he thought of the best way to maneuver her so that Elisabeth wouldn't wake up, or at least fully.

Eric thought for a moment and dipped his hands underneath her, wrapping an arm around her waist and the other underneath her knees. Elisabeth elicited a subliminal moan, letting Delko know she was less than pleased to have been moved.

He grinned at her, finding it very hard to keep a straight face when she kept groaning, and making facial expressions that would send a little kid into oblivion, it wasn't until they came upon her bedroom, and he undid the covers to set her in, that the passive behavior, turned rowdy.

Her lips ascended in a smile, and Eric knew if her eyes were exposed to him, they would sparkle in all their jade glory, and then the moans turned into semi incoherent drabble, or more like pleas…yet when Eric leaned in closer, to hear, he realized they weren't fear induced.

As Delko stood slightly terrified of this hypnotic behavior unfolding before him, Elisabeth continued to dream.

This time verbally.

" Stop it, Jack, c'mon stop it, this isn't funny." She repeated over and over again, contradicting her own words as her smile got wider and wider.

She tossed for a second, and then turned the next, attracting the attention of the CSI, leaning against the wall opposite of the bed, even more so then before.

" Please." She wheedled out through hoards of giggles, and amongst that her smile turned into a grin.

Eric's mind was doing a mile a minute trying to come up with a logical explanation for this sudden behavior, but nothing made sense, and that's when it hit him.

He knew nothing about Elisabeth's past, nothing about the people she'd encountered and socialized with in New York, except for the fact that she ran away from something, or someone…

Perhaps Jack?

Elisabeth squealed something out again, and Eric decided that it was time for a shower, slipping into the bathroom; he lightly hit his head against the closed door, and wondered how the hell he'd gotten himself into this…

***

The Station beamed with unnatural brightness when Adele walked into work that morning.

To her right was a row of handcuffed people, varying in genders, appearances, ethnicities, and obviously their arrests.

Two regulars were spotted when the Hispanic woman gave the interrogating rooms a second glance, and walked off into the opposite direction, to her cubicle.

But before she could see her makeshift office spring into view, she was side barred by the detective that saved her ass the day before.

" John!" She announced with awkward glee, they worked in separate departments for the majority of the years they knew each other, and thus all outside of work activities were minimal to none.

Honestly they didn't know each other at all.

" Adele, good morning." The taller detective gave the elder one a small smile and then handed her a store bought coffee.

Sevilla accepted it, but not before giving her confusion away, John smirked, " Heard through the grapevine that you preferred nonfat cinnamon lattes." The blonde man smiled almost affectionately at the older woman and she winked at him.

" That, I do." Adele thanked him and took a huge sip through the opening in the plastic lid.

Then as they resumed walking, John stopped her for a moment by touching her shoulder gingerly,

" Adele, I've got to ask you, about something I also heard through the grapevine."

" You mean gossip?" Adele corrected him teasingly; anything was worth seeing the deadpanned look on the detective's face, even if for just a split second.

" If you could call it that." John persisted, and Adele walked a few more steps as he pondered on the meaning of those two, seemingly closely related, words.   

Sevilla took a glance at her watch, sensing she was pressed for time, she was about to hurry the office beside her along, when he took the liberty of letting her know what was on his mind.

" Is Megan Donner really back?" He asked, and a switch went off in Adele's head.

" Boy, word travels fast round here." She murmured under her breath but John heard and agreed, " But is it true?" he countered, and Adele looked up at him, a small smile on her face.

" What do you think Hagen?" using his last name teasingly, Sevilla was surprisingly pleased to know that she'd just made him smile, and even blush?

…Maybe not.

" I think your having way too much fun leading me on like this." He ran a strong hand through sandy tresses, and leaned against the opposite cubicle.

A walkway separating them, and Adele never felt closer to anyone in her life.

Not even her ex-husband, in his better days.

" You got that right." She managed a wink, as a sip of cinnamon tinted coffee made its way down her throat, eliciting a warm feeling from inside her, and out.

Long moments of silence between the duo, was overshadowed by the incessant chatter, and motion of the police station. It was uncommon to have a few quite people amongst all the chaos the law enforcement headquarters had supplied.

And yet here they were, two detectives, credited members of the police force, standing awkwardly, making eyes at each other, sipping coffee, and dancing around the obvious sentiment amidst the bond.

John decided the break the quiescence first, but didn't get very far.

" Listen Adele maybe-…"

And then his first attempt to make conversation was shunned away by not only his coworkers but also the ring of his cell phone.

" Hello…yeah…okay." John placed his hand over the mouthpiece, and looked apologetically at the detective supported by the wall behind her.

Adele understood, and smiled empathetically at him, " I'll see ya later kay?" she walked up to him and reached out to squeeze his shoulder.

The impulse touch was rewarded with a pair of warm blue eyes settled on Adele's dark brown ones, " Yeah, don't be a stranger, homicide is just a floor up." He winked and Adele winked back, as she turned to leave.

Thanking him for the coffee again, and wondering what the younger man was going to ask her.

A thought occurred, but was quickly brushed away, as she took a sip of cinnamon flavored blend and shook her head, " Nah, he wouldn't ask me out."

***

When Megan walked into the living room close to 8 in the morning, she detected that her beloved protégée was already up and…cooking breakfast, or something she'd hoped would be edible.

Although last night was actually the first night spent in Miami within a six-month period, it was anything but welcoming. After Calleigh departed in a fit of fury Speed tended to his broken lip, then pulled out a six-pack of beer from his fridge, a burnt picture of himself, and disappeared into his bedroom for the rest of the night.

Megan didn't dare so much as knock, knowing she was no longer welcome in that part of his house either. Somehow in the depths of her soul she believed that she'd been responsible for the breakdown that Calleigh had suffered the night before.

Though the conscious part of her brain was telling her, she was not the reason that their relationship was dwindling, or well, as Calleigh interpreted, anyone could guess, it was pretty much over.

However her heart had other ideas. She may have been absent physically from the environment in which the relationship prospered, but Megan knew damn well how Tim felt about the southern belle, and now…

Well now, she knew how the extent of Calleigh's feelings toward Tim in return. There'd been a slight glitch in their communication as Speed had pointed out to her a few days earlier when she first informed him of her arrival over the phone.

But now Megan knew that the damage done to their tangible relations was irreversible, and it was than perhaps it would take a helluva lot more work than either counterpart was willing to consider.

As Megan walked into the kitchen she snorted at herself, reminding herself once again that she shouldn't be so critiquing of someone else's love life when hers was pretty much 'fucked up'.

" Let's see." She mused, just for the hell of it.

The only man she'd ever given herself over to completely had gone out and decided to play hero getting himself killed.

The other potentiality was now out of the question having discovered that she'd been hiding from him for the past half year, and that in itself was an ego bruiser not to mention the fact of the circumstance under which he found out about her conniving behavior.

Megan was doubtless that the District Attorney of Miami Dade County had something to do with her ex husband finding out about Megan's reentry into his world.

Word traveled fast in these parts of Florida, and Megan was dead on sure that by lunch time the entire Miami-Dade Crime Lab would know about the spontaneous breakup of Calleigh Duquesne and Tim Speedle.

And knowing about Mia's biased abhorrence for anyone who worked closely with Horatio Caine, with the exception of Calleigh, Megan could already picture the vicious brunette pointing out that she always knew the relationship wouldn't last.

However, there was that slight bit of hope that she'd hold off on her accusations and condescending remarks for Calleigh's sake, although Megan wasn't completely sure of that woman's credibility or allegiance to any one at this point.

Their encounters were few and far in between, but Megan couldn't believe she would be using Speedle's favorite quote to describe the feeling induced from those meetings.

" One time too many."

Was the only thing Megan could accumulate at that point, and was not allowed to move on further with her musings because a soft pair of hands pushed her shoulders down, and she fell onto the ajar chair, by the kitchen table. Which at first glance was littered with every kind of breakfast food imaginable.

Megan blinked and shrieked, surprised from the sudden contact of hands on her shoulders, and even more astonished when a steaming plate of what looked like scrambled eggs landed in front of her.

" Tim!" She announced, " What is this?" her happy tone didn't disappoint Speedle but he was a bit taken back by her abstraction before, when he had surprised her.

She did look awful thoughtful and judging by the soon-to-be grimace on her face it wasn't happy thinking, Speed was glad he could take her out of the hole she was resting in.

" Oh, green peppers, bacon, and mushrooms, all scrambled together with two eggs and lightly drizzled with Tabasco Sauce, I can't believe you don't remember your favorite!" Speedle accused playfully as he took a seat diagonal of her.

Megan inhaled the aroma taken from the steam rising off the plate, and smiled, " And I cant believe you do remember." She countered, thinking it'd been ages since he'd cooked for her.

" How could I forget, it was my favorite to make." Tim said in a slightly more serious tone, but it didn't look as if he would be able to meet his mentor's eye, as he poured himself some coffee and offered Megan a mug as well.

" Thank you." She said briefly, but stretched out the meaning nonetheless, letting him know she didn't just mean-for the coffee.

" My pleasure Meg." Speed took a sip and then picked up his fork, " and I think I'm just on a guilty conscience right now." He added, and helped himself to some eggs.

" Why?" Megan's frown was all it took for Tim to mentally kick himself for instigating a self-pity party again, and brining Megan into the mix as well.

" Ah nothing." He scowled and ate some more, anything to fill the silenced gap Calleigh left in his heart, or was it the other way around?

He couldn't imagine how she was feeling right now.

The worst part was that he'd been anticipating it, the arrival of the inevitable, and yet he still didn't find it necessary to find a better way to bring the two most important women in his life back together.

No…he had to be screw up he always was and always would be…

And now the one person that had never any doubt of him being otherwise, was gone.

" Tim, seriously, you can talk to me, I think I've proven that." Megan set her fork down with a clink on the steaming plate.

" Yeah you have, it's just I don't think I should drag you into the soap opera that is my life, you need to get reacquainted first, deal with your own problems before trying to make sense of mine…Agreed?"

The speech was well rehearsed, and planned, Megan could tell that much, she just didn't understand why it had to be done this way, didn't Tim believe she could help him?

Or was he so lost that he didn't think there would be any more chances to salvage the last bit of his relationship with Calleigh, as well as his dignity?

If that were the case, then Tim Speedle had another thing coming, because be as screwed up as it might, her love life was nothing compared to Tim's and he didn't need the additional pain of losing someone else over her.

She was going to help him…them, and nothing was going to stand in her way…

***

To say the least, Horatio Caine was a little more than surprised to find his best ballistics expert at his doorstep a little after 8 the following morning, when he wasn't expecting company.

He'd rather brood over the fact that the only woman he ever completely loved was more than likely afraid of him, because she hid away from him for the past six months, conversing only with a few assorted people in his department.

Not to mention the boy friend of the woman standing in front of him, a threshold separating them, though it seemed like a lot more than that when he asked her to come in and if she was hungry.

Calleigh declined, but when Horatio put out a box of Lucky Charms knowing it was her favorite cereal she took the carton and proceeded to feed herself through handfuls of marshmallows and flakes.

He didn't comment on her odd behavior and instead made a pot of coffee for the both of them, not daring to turn on any appliance that would breech the thick silence, heady in the atmosphere, hovering over both of them insatiably.

Calleigh swallowed another handful of edible charms, and studied her confines.

Horatio's three bedroom ranch styled house lay in the far end depths of Boardwalk, where tourists seldom ventured, overlooking the cove.

When asked why he'd bought a house in the mellowest neighborhood of his hometown, Horatio replied, that he'd never bought it; he'd inherited the modest estate from his grandmother, and therefore never had the heart to sell it.

Instead he fixed it up, to his liking, adapting himself to living in a house that would probably the only family heirloom accessible to him by the other Caines.

Horatio seemed to be a very family oriented person but honestly the only people that were now his initial family were his CSIs, and Yelina and Ray Jr.

And as far as he was concerned no one else mattered.

That's exactly why Horatio would try his best to help the obviously emotionally battered woman sitting at his kitchen table and eating artificially flavored cereal…

***

Elisabeth awoke to the sound of the shower running, but before she could even rise out of bed and reconnect with her conscious side, the water pour stopped and she collapsed simultaneously into the plush cushions of her bed.

Thinking back to the night before, it only occurred to her that she hadn't fallen asleep in her bed, when a second party joined her.

Eric stepped out of the shower, fresh and ready to tackle anything the day brought forward, or perhaps that's the cliché he was supposed to feel, but didn't.

Yep, he'd take the latter over the former any day, seeing as though, being in that bathroom, around her things, knowing what made her skin as smooth as it was, and her hair as aromatic as it was, not to mention soft, left him nothing if not frigid.

He hadn't expected her to be awake, but nonetheless was a little relieved, glad he wouldn't have to take any more happy fumbles from her and even worse, wake her up from them.

Elisabeth studied him in the door way suspiciously, but welcomingly, sensing he was pensive over something but not getting the chance to ask him about it, when Eric took the initiative and walked over to the bed.

Sitting on the edge of it, he started, " You look a little disoriented, you were getting cramped on the couch, and I moved you here." He explained quickly, almost like he had done something wrong, which couldn't be much farther from the truth.

Elisabeth smiled at him, silently reassuring him that it was by no fault of his own that she'd ended up here, in fact she was about to thank him when she noticed his subtle distress, and avoidance of eye contact.

She sat up in her position, momentarily stretching her muscles, and about to ask him what's wrong when he looked up and said, " So who's Jack?"

***

" Thank you." Were the first words out of her mouth, when Horatio brought forth a cup of coffee, in a sterling green mug.

Calleigh took advantage of the warmth encased in liquid form inside the ceramic as she smiled at her boss cherubically and took a sip of coffee, hoping it would quench her avid thirst, and yet at the same time, she knew she didn't thirst for any sort of liquid.

Unless love came in the form of Folgers she wasn't yet aware of.

Horatio was hesitant to begin his semi-interrogation, but he knew he had no choice; they'd either be late for work, or never even make it there, if this silent treatment continued.

Then a thought occurred to him.

Perhaps this had to do with Speedle, being less than faithful, maybe something was going on with them, perhaps Calleigh came here for more than solace.

But he couldn't and wouldn't think that way, he wouldn't even allow himself the thought of bedding her, never…if he wanted to maintain the least bit of respect from his best trace expert he'd have to keep this relationship strictly platonic, and not like he didn't think about it many times before.

However, Horatio chided himself every time, knowing he wasn't thinking these thoughts for the right reasons, but more so to quench the need inside him only fulfilled by a woman.

And his luck with them was not even worth mentioning.

" Cal, sweetheart, tell me what's wrong?" Horatio decided the fatherly approach would be best to break through the stonewall he'd seen the blonde beauty build around herself on more than one occasion.

She'd craved stability and family values, not to mention a father figure, and that's exactly what he'd be to her now, despite what his inner most thoughts were.

Calleigh looked up suddenly, probably not very keen on divulging what had been bothering her enough to make her drive all the way across town to pay a muted visit to her boss in the wee hours of the morning.

" Why, why would you think something is wrong?" she stuttered in an uncharacteristic fashion for the usually strong person she portrayed during work hours.

Yet Horatio himself ought to have known that appearances could be deceiving and what went on behind the doors was a completely different issue then what didn't.

" Because honey, you don't just come to me this early in the morning to chat over coffee." Horatio smiled, and pulled his chair up next to Calleigh.

She groaned and hit her forehead softly on the edge of the breakfast table, and then took another sip before she said, " Well why cant I?"

She countered, and Horatio let out a small snort, Calleigh chuckled slightly, at her own pathetic attempt to dodge the inevitable answer.

" You're welcome here, any time or day, I just, I can read people pretty damn well, and your aura isn't cleansed child." Horatio tried to make a small joke, as he waved his hand over Calleigh's forehead imitating a guru.

Calleigh giggled as he did this, letting him know he wasn't completely and utterly helpless in the humor department.

" Then tell me what's wrong with it?" Calleigh probed him suddenly serious, " Tell me what's wrong with me." she whispered, and Horatio was taken aback by her voice, but not so much that he couldn't retaliate.

" Nothing's wrong with you, don't you worry about a thing, just tell me what happened. Is it Speed? His he okay?" Horatio took a chance and decided to play the oblivious card, wondering how that would reflect on Calleigh's attitude.

The look she gave him was everything he anticipated and more.

" He's fucking peachy." Calleigh spat out through gritted teeth, in a way that made Horatio suspicious of what was really going on.

Made him wonder there was more to the story then Calleigh was letting on.

" Is he, because if he knows how you feel he's deep down in hell right now, I can't assure you that." Horatio took a sip of his coffee, as Calleigh let out an exasperated groan and laid her head on his resting arm.

" Then I'm sure Megan will help him out. He doesn't need me anymore, since she's staying with him." Calleigh mumbled, and Horatio wasn't sure if he'd heard her, or if it were just his mind playing tricks on him.

Calleigh looked up at him and nodded in confirmation.

" yea she really is back."

" Well that much I knew." Horatio snapped, sliding out of his chair, " But what the hell is she doing at Speedle's apartment?"

Calleigh retaliated, " It's not like they're fucking, I'm just a little pissed off he didn't tell me."

" He didn't tell me either." Horatio turned to Calleigh as he refilled the coffee pot.

" Why does something tell them there's more to this than just him being less than honest?" Calleigh asked with persistence, and Horatio let out an exasperated sigh.

" It is about him being less than honest, for six months."

" Six months?!" Calleigh spit out and while she no doubt did a little mental math in her mind Horatio went on, " The problem is, it wasn't Speed who was being willingly dishonest about the situation. It was Megan."

Calleigh looked at him unexpectedly, and took a sip of soothing liquid, anything to mellow out the scratchiness in her throat.

" But, but why would Megan, want to hide from you, from us?" Calleigh posed a very good question; the one Horatio had trouble with himself.

" That is a very good question." He voiced so himself and Calleigh looked at him more soothingly now, glad she wasn't the only one floating in this boat.

" Something you're willing to figure out?" she asked, hope tinting her speech.

" Most definitely." Horatio said, and took a sip of coffee…

TBC…