Temptation

See Part 1 for Disclaimers, etc.

Tim sat in a chair while Calleigh stretched out on the lounger across from him. Sighing, she freed her hair from the tight bun it was in and let it fall down her back, running her fingers through it. Speed took another gulp of beer and allowed himself to admire her for a moment as she looked up at the dark sky.

It was amazing the power a beautiful woman could have over the men around her. Delko had told him how Calleigh had managed to get the prints of one of the suspects in Ruthie's killing. By using her good looks and southern charm, Calleigh had managed to get his prints and Speed was sure the guy probably hadn't even known what hit him. Calleigh could definitely turn on the charm when she wanted to and knew how to use it to her advantage. He had been on the receiving end a time or two himself and couldn't say that he minded when Calleigh got that look in her eyes that told him she wanted something. Sometimes he would let his imagination run wild and let himself believe that he was what she wanted.

The problem was that he and Calleigh were just friends and he really didn't want to complicate things by developing feelings for her now. He liked things the way they were and was sure that she did too. So, most of the time he refused to think about the possibility of their friendship turning into something more and just enjoyed being with her as a friend and co-worker. Life was crazy enough already without letting his primal urges get the best of him. Calleigh looked over at Speed and let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking about Cathy and how I want to help her get her life back."

"What do you mean? I thought she was doing okay."

"Well, she is. It's just that she's not working right now and all of her time is spent with Melissa. She needs to get out and I need to convince her that it's okay to let herself have a good time once in awhile."

"So invite her out, then."

"I have but she always has an excuse. She can't find a babysitter or she doesn't want to go the bar because she thinks that they're all meat markets." Speed laughed at that comment.

"Well, she's got a point."

"I guess so, but all we want to do is dance, not meet men. It's easy enough to tell them to back off." Calleigh insisted. Speed knew what it could be like at some of the clubs and couldn't blame Cathy for feeling the way that she did. Two single, beautiful women like Calleigh and Cathy would no doubt have men making passes at them all night. Maybe Speed could help offer up a solution.

"Well, what if Delko and I were to go with you? We might be able to help deter some of those guys from bothering Cathy. Then there would be no assumptions that she was available." Calleigh brightened at the idea.

"That actually sounds like fun. I would love for Cathy and Eric to meet too. I think they would really hit it off." Calleigh looked lost in thought for a moment.

"What are you thinking? You want to set them up or something?"

"No, not really. I don't think Cathy is ready for that yet but meeting Eric would be a step in the right direction. She hasn't met very many people since moving here so I would love for her to meet some of my friends. If something else comes of it then, great." Calleigh said with a playful grin.

"Well, if Cathy is anything like you, I'm sure that she and Delko will get along great."

"She's a bit quieter than I am but she's got a great sense of humor and is just a wonderful person. I know they'll get along."

"Well, Delko and I were going to go out this weekend actually. A friend of mine is playing a gig at Silver's. Why don't you two join us?"

"It's short notice but it sounds like fun. I'll call her tomorrow and maybe before I do I'll ask Alex if she can recommend any good babysitters. I do know it's hard for Cathy to leave Melissa with anyone I'm not sure if I'll be able to convince her to go out. It's worth a shot though." Speed watched her face, amazed at how she could go from serious and slightly depressed to excited and positive in about ten seconds flat. He was sorry he had upset her earlier but was glad to see her in a better mood now. Maybe someday she'd feel comfortable enough with him to talk about what had bothered her so much about that conversation. For now he was just happy to see the smile return to her face.

"Hopefully she agrees, but if not then you should come with us on your own, Cal. It's going to be a great time."

"Oh, I plan to." Calleigh finished her beer and set it down on the floor next to her. "You know what, though? It's getting late, and I'm so tired. I should really get going."

"Are you okay to drive, Cal? I know you've only had a couple, but..."

"I'm not going to drive, silly. You're going to call me a cab." Tim raised his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, I am, huh?"

"Unless you want an unwelcome houseguest on your couch, yes, you are." Calleigh said, smiling at him. Speed was glad that she was back to her old self. He also knew that when she looked at him like that, he would do pretty much anything she asked him. It's not like she couldn't just call a cab herself but she was playing with him and Speed was enjoying it as much as she was.

"You're quite welcome to stay here, you know? I've got more than enough room." Calleigh shook her head as she smiled and stood up.

"I just want to sleep in my own bed tonight. Thanks, anyhow, Timmy." She was looking at him with a strange expression and it occurred to Speed that she might have mistaken his offer as something more than just crashing on the couch.

"What did you call me?" Speed asked, deciding to ignore that possibility. If he had misinterpreted her reaction then the situation would only become more awkward if he brought it up. He stood up too, and pretended to be irritated by the sound of his seldom-used nickname.

"Oh you heard me, and you liked it too." Calleigh said playfully as she headed back into his apartment, shooting him a smile over her shoulder. Speed couldn't hold back a smile and realized that he really didn't want her to leave. He wasn't about to tell her that he wanted her to stay though because that would mean stepping into uncharted territory that he wasn't ready to explore yet.

Ten minutes later, Tim walked Calleigh down to the waiting cab.

"Thanks so much for dinner, Tim. That was great. You did help to lighten my mood, believe it or not." She smiled gratefully.

"You did the same for me, Cal. I'm glad we ran into each other and I think we should hang out like this more often."

"I hope we do too." Calleigh said, looking into his eyes. Speed felt sudden heat in his face and neck and was surprised at the reaction he was having to Calleigh tonight. Suddenly feelings he didn't realize he had were surfacing and he wasn't sure if he should just ignore them or act on them. Going for the former, Speed resisted the temptation to kiss Calleigh's inviting lips and pulled her into his arms for a hug instead. When they pulled apart she looked a little surprised but didn't say anything about his sudden gesture of affection.

"Do you want me to give you a ride in tomorrow morning? Then after work we can come back here and you can pick up your car?" He asked her, noticing that her cheeks looked a little flushed in the glow of the streetlights. Was it from the night air or was it because of him? What he wouldn't give to know the answer to that.

"That would be great, actually. Otherwise I'd have to take a cab in."

"How about I pick you up at seven? That way we won't be rushed?"

"Thanks, Tim." Calleigh opened the door to the cab and ducked inside. "Goodnight." She smiled and waved at him and he waved back, watching until the cab disappeared from sight. Right now he was convinced of two things. One, he was beyond tired and really needed to get some sleep. Two, he had developed an intense crush on Calleigh Duquesne. The question was, should he explore these feelings and see where they could possibly lead or should he just ignore them and continue just being Calleigh's friend? Would that be enough? One thing was certain, he wasn't going to reach a decision tonight. Speed headed back into his apartment, ready to fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Speed woke up the next morning feeling very clear-headed and convinced that his feelings from the previous night were just the product of an emotional day, too little food and a couple of beers. Not that he'd been drunk but he just couldn't think of any other way to explain why he his mostly platonic feelings for Calleigh had exploded into something he had no control over. Yes, he had always liked Calleigh and knew she was special but if she had known some of the thoughts that had been going through his mind last night.... Well, needless to say, he was glad that she couldn't read his mind. He was sure that when he saw her this morning that his feelings would be back to normal and he wouldn't have to give it another thought.

As soon as he caught sight of her walking out the front entrance of her building however, he knew that he hadn't imagined anything. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her and he felt his face crack into a wide smile. Calleigh didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary and gave him a small wave when she saw him waiting by the car.

"Good morning, Tim." Calleigh said, smiling as he opened the car door for her and she got inside.

"Good morning." He responded. "You look really nice this morning, Calleigh." It was true and Speed knew that the outfit she had on was going to drive him crazy all day.

"Thank-you, Tim. I had a great sleep and feel so much better than I did last night. How about you?" Calleigh asked, as he slid into the driver's seat.

"I slept pretty good, actually. I actually thought that I might dream about the case but I don't remember dreaming about that at all. The images aren't haunting me like they were yesterday."

"Well, good. Just focus on something else. Whatever it takes to get your mind off of it and move on." Speed wondered if Calleigh would still say that if she knew exactly what his mind was focussed on now.

"I am, believe me." He replied, keeping his eyes on the road and away from those baby blues of hers.

"I want to thank you again Tim, for dinner last night and the company too. I'm sorry if I was a little short with you." Calleigh put a warm hand on his leg for a moment as she said this and Speed felt his stomach lurch in reaction.

"Don't apologize, okay? I'm sorry that I was pushing you to talk about something you didn't want to discuss." Speed still felt a bit guilty for how Calleigh had reacted the night before when he was questioning her decision not to have kids.

"It's not your fault. I should have explained myself a little better and someday, I will...just not right now." They were stopped at a red light so Speed turned to look at her then. Her eyes looked a little teary and he wished he knew what to say to her. He didn't even know what was wrong so how could he say the right thing?

"Calleigh, don't worry about it. You don't owe me any explanations." He put a comforting hand on hers and she nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened to overflow.

"One of these days, Tim. I promise we'll have a long conversation and then you'll understand why I feel the way I do." The light turned green and Tim gave her hand a squeeze before he shifted the car into gear.

"Whatever you want, Calleigh. Just know I'm here for you and you can tell me anything, okay?" Speed said softly.

"Thank-you. That really means a lot to me."

"Well, you're important to me, so don't ever doubt that." Speed chose his words carefully, not wanting to completely give away his feelings but he really wanted her to know that he valued her as a friend at the very least.

"Well, you're important to me too. Considering how much time I spend at work, I love the fact that at least I've got some good friends working right along with me."

"I know what you mean." The fact that he did have such great working relationships with his co-workers was something that he valued greatly and the fact that they got along outside of work too was a huge bonus.

They were both quiet for a few minutes and then Calleigh broke the silence, telling Speed about a crazy message her younger brother had left on her answering machine, telling her that he had gotten engaged to a girl he had just met. Speed listened as Calleigh gave him a blow-by-blow of the details and before he knew it, they were pulling into the parking lot of CSI headquarters.

Calleigh continued her story as they got out of the car and they headed toward the building, meeting Eric and John Hagen as they did. Speed saw looks of surprise on the faces of the other two men as they all greeted each other and realized they must have seen Calleigh and him arrive together. Eric would find out later what the scoop was but Speed kind of liked the idea that Hagen might think he and Calleigh were an item. He knew that John had the hots for Calleigh and that the feelings were not reciprocated so the thought of making him a bit jealous didn't bother Speed at all. Calleigh had complained to him and Eric about Hagen's advances on a number of occasions and both of them had offered to talk to him about backing off. Calleigh had protested, insisting she could handle him herself. Speed knew she could but the thought of John Hagen's groping hands anywhere near Calleigh just didn't sit well with him. She had claimed that it was harmless but Speed still felt like Hagen's behavior when he was working solo with Calleigh bordered on sexual harassment. He had shared those feelings with Delko who had told him to chill out. If things ever got that bad, Calleigh would either ask for help or deal with it on her own, she was a strong person. Besides the fact that Hagen was actually a nice guy, he just had it bad for Calleigh. Speed had to agree with that and knew that he was probably over-reacting a little bit. He could hardly blame Hagen for feeling the way he did. Thinking back to that now, Speed was surprised he hadn't realized then that his feelings for Calleigh ran deeper than friendship.

TBC

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