Temptation

See Part 1 for Disclaimers, etc.

Dedication: This chapter is for everyone who has been thoughtful enough to leave feedback, you all make this worthwhile---please keep it up :)

Speed could tell that Hagen was trying his best not to show he was bothered seeing he and Calleigh arrive together as he smiled at both of them.

"So, what case are you working on today, Calleigh? We can use all the help we can get on this one." Delko looked at Speed and rolled his eyes at the obvious admiration in John's voice. Calleigh took it in stride.

"Well, John, as you know I just got here so I don't know which case I'm assigned to yet. I'm sure Horatio will be able to tell me that when I speak to him, though."

"Of course, but I just want you to know that it would be great to have you on this case." John said, his unwavering smile surprisingly intact given the coolness in Calleigh's tone when she spoke to him. Speed almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost.

"Thanks John, I'll keep that in mind. Let's go inside, shall we?" She said, turning to Speed. He smiled at her and followed her in the building, ignoring the amused expression on Delko's face as he did.

"I'll catch you later, Delko."

"Sure thing." Delko answered. Speed knew that if Delko thought something was up he wouldn't let it go so he'd have to be very nonchalant when explaining the situation later. If he ever decided to share his feelings for Calleigh, she'd be the first one to know about it.

The two of them entered the building and met Horatio in the hallway. He informed them that they would be working on a case with him today. Speed was to join him at the crime scene and Alex needed Calleigh in the morgue. There were some interesting gunshot wounds on one of the bodies and they wanted Calleigh to check them out, along with the bullets Alex had pulled from the corpse.

"I'll call you later if we need you to come to the crime scene but for now I think there's plenty for you to do here."

"Sure Horatio. I'll see you guys later." Speed watched Calleigh disappear down the hallway and knew that it was probably a good thing they wouldn't be working together much today. He was looking forward to burying himself in the mystery of a new case and didn't want these newfound emotions interfering with that.

"Okay, Speed? You ready to head out?" Horatio asked him. Speed turned his attention from Calleigh's departing form to Horatio, who was studying him thoughtfully.

"Definitely, boss. I'm more than ready."

"Grab your kit and meet me at outside, okay?"

"You got it."

The morning went by quickly as Speed and Horatio worked the crime scene together. Speed didn't see Calleigh or Delko again until he met up with the two of them in the lunchroom in the early afternoon. Calleigh was sitting on the couch next to Delko, both of them talking and laughing. Calleigh's eyes locked with his when he entered the room and he felt his heart skip a beat when she did.

"Hey, Tim. I've just been trying to convince Eric that I didn't spend the night at your place but he can't seem to grasp the concept that not everyone is like him. Some people have self-control." Delko snorted at that comment and looked at Speed doubtfully.

"It's true." Speed insisted. "Calleigh just had a few drinks at my place last-night so she decided to take a cab home. I offered to give her a ride in and then she'll pick up her car after work."

"I believe you, I just like making Calleigh squirm." Delko said, laughing as Calleigh elbowed him. Speed watched the two of them in amusement. Sometimes they acted like a couple of kids but he had to admit they could be entertaining at times.

"Oh, and I've got good news! Cathy has agreed to join us on Friday night." She said, ignoring Delko and turning her attention back to Speed.

"Great. I'm glad she could make it. I'm sure she'll have a good time."

"Oh, she'll have a good time alright." Delko said, winking at Calleigh.

"Down, boy." Tim said. "The woman is in mourning, don't forget that."

"I know but I think after a year she could use a distraction from her mourning. I don't mind providing one for her."

"I've already told him about her husband, he just thinks he's god's gift to women, is all." Calleigh teased, messing up his hair playfully. Eric pushed her hand away with a laugh.

"Well, what else is new?" Speed said dryly.

"Hey!" Eric protested. "What is this, pick on Delko day?"

"Every day is pick-on Delko day, didn't you know that?" Calleigh said sweetly.

"Whatever." Delko responded, shaking his head at them both.

"So, Cathy found a babysitter, then?" Speed asked Calleigh.

"Actually, when I asked Alex if she could recommend a babysitter she volunteered for the job. It's really the perfect solution because Cathy has actually met Alex and her kids before. Missy loves other kids too, so Cath is going to drop Melissa off at Alex's and then come by my place so we can get ready together."

"So, should we meet you at Silver's or do you want a ride?"

"Oh, I don't think you and Delko will want to wait around for us to get ready so we'll just meet you there." Calleigh answered quickly. Speed hoped that it wasn't because she disliked the idea of going together. He just wanted them all to go as friends and have a good time. Eric could have all the expectations he wanted about the situation but Speed wasn't about to fool himself into thinking that Calleigh wanted to date him.

If he didn't get his hopes up then he wouldn't be disappointed later. At least that's what he was going to keep telling himself. He could fantasize all he wanted but he was sure there was no possible future with Calleigh beyond the friendship they already shared.

"So, Cathy knows that Speed and I are going too, right?"

"That's part of the reason she agreed to go. Having you guys there will help her to relax because she won't feel like men are going to be hitting on her all night. They'll assume that she's with one of you."

"So, you're just using us, then?" Delko asked, pretending to be hurt.

"Sure, if that's how you want to look at it." Calleigh answered, egging him on. "By the way, I've already warned Cathy about you Romeo, so don't try anything funny."

"Who, me? I'm wounded, Calleigh." Eric responded, grinning at her.

"I was kidding." Calleigh admitted, with a smile as she went to her bag to grab an apple. "I can't wait for Cathy to get to know both of you. She needs more grown-up interaction, that's for sure."

"Well, the music is going to be great. I think she'll have fun." Speed assured her. He was actually starting to really look forward to their night out. It was only Wednesday and he hoped that the next few days would go by quickly.

Break-time ended abruptly as Speed's cell phone rang.

"Speed, it's Horatio. Can you meet me in the lab right away? I've got something here you need to see."

"I'll be there right away." Speed said.

"Oh, and is Calleigh with you?" Horatio asked.

"She is." He answered, meeting Calleigh's eyes as he did. She looked at him curiously.

"Good, because this will interest her too."

"No problem, we're on our way." Speed turned off his phone as Calleigh got up off the couch. "H needs us in the lab, there's something he wants us to look at."

"That's right." Delko said. "Get back to work." Calleigh flashed him a dirty look and threw her apple at him. He managed to catch it and avoid being hit in the head. He looked at her in surprise. "Pretty good throw, for a girl."

"Don't think I'm going to let that one go." She said as she left the room. Speed grinned at Delko.

"You're in for it now, Buddy. Don't forget that woman is an incredibly good shot."

Delko just laughed and took a bite of the apple.

Calleigh and Speed spent the rest of the afternoon working on evidence, Calleigh in Ballistics; Speed in Trace. There was plenty for each of them to process for their mutual case. Speed got so involved in what he was doing and distracted by thoughts of Friday night that he didn't notice Calleigh had come into the lab until she put her hand on his shoulder, making him jump. He spun around in time to see her apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that." Calleigh said, her hand still lingering on his shoulder. "What are you so wound up about, anyhow? You're so tense." She put her other hand on his other shoulder and gently massaged his tight muscles. Speed suppressed a groan and let his eyes close, allowing himself to enjoy the moment that he would inevitably have to end. Her touch was driving him crazy and he wished he could tell her what was really on his mind.

"That feels great, Cal but I've really got to finish up here. I'm almost done." He said, pulling away from her touch as he stood up and faced her. She smiled at him but her eyes held a different emotion. Sadness, disappointment....he couldn't be sure. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just ready to end the day, I guess. How much longer do you think you'll be? I'm done analyzing the bullets so I can give you a hand if you want."

"I appreciate the offer but I think I've got it all under control. I'll only be another ten minutes if you don't mind waiting."

"No problem. I'll just wait right here for you." Calleigh plunked herself down in a chair near Speed's and watched as he continued working. Feeling her gaze fixed on him, Speed found himself feeling a bit self-conscious. He turned to look at her and she smiled at him. Trying hard to focus on the work in front of him and not the woman distracting him with her mere presence, he could feel heat rise to his cheeks and was sure he was blushing. Hopefully Calleigh wasn't picking up on his discomfort. He looked over at her again as she watched him with interest.

"What?" She asked him innocently.

"I can't concentrate with you sitting here watching every move I make." Speed said stiffly, sounding more irritated than he'd planned.

"Okay..." Calleigh said, and now she was the one who looked uncomfortable. "Maybe I'll wait for you in the lounge instead." She got up to go and Speed jumped up too. Calleigh high-tailed it to the door and Speed grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could leave. She looked at his hand grasping hers and then looked up at his face.

Not able to read her expression, Speed dropped her hand and silently cursed himself for being so hasty. He was finding her so hard to read right now and even though she was the one who had just massaged his shoulders that didn't necessarily give him permission to grab her hand.

"I'm sorry, Cal. I guess that other case is still bothering me and I'm just easily distracted right now. You don't have to go." Calleigh took a step closer to him and put a hand on his arm.

"Why didn't you tell me that it was about the case?" Speed felt guilty seeing the concern in her eyes. He felt like a jerk lying about his discomfort but he couldn't exactly reveal the true reason why she was distracting him.

Right now her body was a little too close for comfort and it took all his willpower not to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Forcing his mind out of the gutter, Speed continued on with his charade.

"I should have told you Calleigh but I'm just really trying to forget it and I think I've talked about it enough already."

"Look, I'm going to wait out in the lounge so just come and get me when you're ready to go, okay?" Speed nodded at her.

"Okay. I won't be long." Calleigh smiled at him and gave his arm a squeeze before she left the lab. Speed stood there, feeling like an idiot for a moment before he got back to work. He really needed to get a grip and stop acting like a fool. That wouldn't have been difficult a couple of days ago but now it seemed like everything had changed.

Hopefully, when the time was right he'd be able to talk about things with Calleigh. If there was the slightest chance she felt the same way he did then he had to find out somehow. Without looking foolish if it turned out she only had friendly feelings for him in return.

Fifteen minutes later, Speed found Calleigh in the lounge, talking on her cell phone. She smiled when she saw him enter the room.

"Dean, I've got to go." She said into the phone and Speed's heart fell, realizing she was talking to another man. "No, really. I've got to go. You can tell me more about her later. I'm sure I'll be meeting her soon too." Calleigh rolled her eyes at Speed as she held the phone away from her ear and he could hear a loud, excited voice coming from it. "Dean, I promise, I'll call you later, okay? Okay. I love you too. Bye." Calleigh hung up the phone and let out an amused sigh.

"Everything okay?" Speed asked her, relieved that this man did not sound like someone Calleigh was dating.

"My little brother. He's just so excited about this girl. I'm happy for him but he's torturing me with every little detail. I swear, by the time I meet her I'll probably know more about her than her own family does."

"Good for him. Everyone needs someone to love like that."

"We'll all get there, eventually." Calleigh said, locking eyes with him. "You still seem kind of down. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Calleigh. Really." Speed said, giving her his best smile and hoping that it was convincing.

"Good. I'm glad to hear it." She said, smiling as she grabbed her purse. "Are you ready to go?"

"Whenever you are." Speed answered, letting Calleigh lead the way out of the room.

The drive to Speed's apartment was a relatively silent one. Calleigh sat looking out the window and Speed let his mind wander as he tried to figure out what he was going to say to her and when. As they pulled into the parking lot of his building, he was no further ahead than he had been when they'd left CSI. They got out of the car and Calleigh shot him a grateful smile.

"Thanks again for the ride, Tim. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Anytime, Calleigh. Have a good night."

"You too." Calleigh got into her car and drove off, leaving Speed wondering why he didn't think to invite her up to his apartment. Neither of them had eaten dinner. Oh well, there was no point mourning a missed opportunity. Speed headed into his apartment, wondering what he was going to do to fill the lonely evening ahead of him.

I hope I'm not building things up too slowly here, feedback is appreciated, as always...