Temptation

See Part 1 for Disclaimers, etc.

Speed felt absolutely sickened watching the sight unfold in front of him and was about to walk away when he realized the look on Calleigh's face was not one of passion. She was struggling and trying to push the guy away but he was a lot bigger than she was and obviously had no intention of backing off. Speed didn't hesitate for a moment and saw relief in Calleigh's eyes as she noticed him approaching. Trying to reign in his fury, Speed resisted punching the guy and opted instead to tap him on the shoulder. He stopped kissing Calleigh, who squirmed out of his grasp, and shot Speed a look of disdain. Speed stared right back at him as Calleigh came to stand beside him, giving him a grateful smile. The hurt and anger he'd been feeling toward her vanished with that smile.

"Why didn't you just let her go, she's obviously not into you." Speed said, managing to keep his voice calm despite the fact that he wanted to scream at this guy.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded, standing up and facing Speed. "We were a little busy here." He was yelling into Speed's face and it was obvious from the smell of his breath and the slur of his speech that the guy was drunk. Before Speed could respond, he reached for Calleigh, snaking an arm around her waist and she shook her head at him, pushing his arm way.

"Mike, stop. You've had too much to drink and I'm just not into this."

"Come on baby," Mike responded, pulling Calleigh toward him. "I just want to have a good time. Let's get out of here."

"Not a chance." She said, putting her hands on his chest and trying to push him away. Speed couldn't believe the nerve of this guy, mauling Calleigh right in front of him. People around them were starting to watch, noticing something was going on.

"Look, you heard her. Leave her alone or I'll get you thrown out of here."

"Go to hell." Mike yelled, his agitation growing.

"Don't cause a scene, man. Just go quietly. You need to go home and sober up." Speed's professional side was taking over as he realized he wanted to handle this guy without getting physical. "I'll help you find a cab." Looking from Calleigh to Speed and noticing a few people standing nearby watching, Mike seemed to realize that he wasn't going to win this battle. He staggered away from them, nearly running into one of the bouncers. Speed was glad he wouldn't have to deal with him because it was taking all his willpower not to use his fists to knock some sense into the guy. He turned to Calleigh, who was shaking her head, a look of embarrassment on her face.

"You okay?" He asked her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Yes. I just didn't see that coming at all. We were dancing and then he offered to buy me a drink so we headed over to the bar. He bought us some shots and then we went to sit down where it was a bit quieter so we could talk. I feel like an idiot now for not seeing how drunk he was."

"Look, the guy obviously has a problem so don't worry about it." Speed knew Calleigh had had a few drinks herself, probably enough to impair her judgement so he honestly didn't blame her for what had happened.

"I just wanted to have a good time tonight, Tim. I didn't think I'd have to fight off some guy trying to grope me. I just feel so stupid for going with him."

"Well, you're okay and that's what's important. We can still have a good time. Let's go find Cathy and Eric, they're looking for you too."

"Gosh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry all of you guys." Calleigh looked upset and Speed just wanted to pull her into his arms. "Maybe I should just go home."

"No, Cal. You don't need to do that. Let's go find them and see what they want to do. Maybe we can go someplace else if you don't want to stay." He impulsively took her hand and led her through the crowd to the spot where he was to meet up with Cathy and Eric. They were both there waiting for him and looked relieved to see Calleigh.

"Oh honey, I'm glad you're alright. What happened?" Cathy asked her, giving her a hug.

"I'm fine. Everything's okay. I was just having a drink on the other side of the bar. We'll talk about it later, okay?" Cathy nodded, understanding that Calleigh wasn't comfortable talking about it right now.

"So, are you guys into staying or do you want to go someplace else?" Speed asked, not sure what he wanted to do himself.

"I wouldn't mind staying." Delko admitted. "The music is pretty good. I'm cool with anything though, if you guys are ready to leave."

"I think we should stay longer." Cathy said, with a questioning glance in Calleigh's direction. "I'm loving the music and I think we should all just let loose and dance."

"Okay. Let's stay then." Calleigh agreed, much to Speed's relief. He didn't want to let one jackass ruin a night they'd all been looking forward to. Cathy took Calleigh by the hand and motioning for Eric and Speed to follow, they headed back onto the dance floor.

The next few songs were upbeat and Speed found them pretty easy to dance to. He'd never felt all that comfortable when he went out dancing but he really liked this music and found that helped a lot. The smile was back on Calleigh's face and she seemed to be enjoying the music too. Speed loved to watch her dance and admired the way she gave her body over to the rhythm of the music.

The four of them danced in a group for awhile before Cathy and Eric moved away a little so that they were facing each other, leaving Calleigh and Speed to dance together. Cathy smiled and winked at Speed then turned her attention back to Eric. Speed wondered what that was all about. Was he really that obvious in his feelings for Calleigh? Then again, Cathy and Eric seemed to have bonded pretty quickly so maybe Eric had mentioned something to her. Speed made a mental note to talk to him about that later. Calleigh smiled at him when she saw Cathy and Eric go off on their own.

"Those two seem to be hitting it off." He said to her and she nodded.

"I'm glad too. I'm sure Cathy can use a distraction from her everyday life." Calleigh answered, leaning close to him as she spoke. "And Eric's a good guy. I know he's not going to try anything tonight." Speed agreed because even though they gave Eric a hard time about his dating habits sometimes, they both knew that there was no way he would take advantage of Cathy when she was feeling vulnerable.

"That's true, he won't. Who knows, though? Maybe this will be the start of a beautiful relationship." Speed said, grinning at her. Calleigh smiled back, and they looked to the stage as the band finished their song and announced they were taking a little break before starting their final set.

"Hey, do you mind going outside with me for a few minutes? I could really use some fresh air." Calleigh asked him, putting a hand on his arm.

"I don't mind at all." Speed replied, anxious to be alone with Calleigh and glad that she was the one who suggested it. "Let's tell Cathy and Eric where we're going." They approached their friends, who had moved to a nearby table and were engaged in what appeared to be a very intense discussion. They didn't even notice Speed and Calleigh approach until Calleigh spoke up.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt but we're just going to go outside for a bit of fresh air, okay?" She smiled, obviously pleased that they were getting to know each other better.

"Everything okay?" Delko asked them curiously.

"Oh, everything's good. We'll be back in a few minutes." Speed assured them. Calleigh led the way to the coat check and Speed took the coats from her, holding hers out and helping her ease into it. He gently pulled her hair out from under her collar and couldn't resist running his fingers through its length as he did. Calleigh thanked him as they stepped out into the cool night air. There was a bench down the street and Calleigh walked over to it, sitting down and taking a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she did. Speed sat down beside her and felt a moment of concern, wondering if Calleigh was feeling okay. Before he could ask her though, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"I need to thank you, Tim." She said, looking into his eyes. He didn't say anything, waiting for her to finish and letting himself get lost in the blueness of her eyes. "If you hadn't come along when you did I don't know what I would have done."

"You would have handled him, I have no doubt about that, Cal." Tim said, taking one of her hands in his and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I know, but if you hadn't come to my rescue things might have gotten pretty ugly. I'm just feeling a little foolish about the whole thing and I know it was my fault. I'm just glad things turned out the way they did."

"How can you say it was your fault? From what I saw, you didn't ask for him to touch you." Speed said, hoping she would agree. He couldn't bear the thought of Calleigh being the instigator of what he had witnessed between her and Mike.

"No, I didn't but I did go with him to that table. I let him touch me when we were dancing and I guess I was giving him all the wrong signals. I was having a great time dancing and when I drink sometimes I come off as flirty without intending to." She said, looking down at the ground. Speed took her chin in his hand, tilting her face up until her gaze locked with his again.

"None of that matters, Calleigh. When you told him to stop he should have backed off, whether you were flirting or not." Speed said gently, amazed that she could think so little of herself. "That guy was an ass so don't blame yourself for his actions."

"But I went with him. I know damn well that many people go to the clubs just to find someone to go home with but I let myself think that maybe this guy was different. I can't believe I was so naive." Calleigh shook her head in disgust and leaned back against the bench, closing her eyes again.

"Are you feeling okay, Calleigh?"

"I've had a bit too much too drink, I guess. I don't feel buzzed at all anymore but I do feel a little sick. I'll be okay, though." Calleigh replied, not opening her eyes. Speed put his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm really glad you're here with me, Tim."

"There's no place else I'd rather be right now." He responded softly, just wishing there was something he could do to make her feel better, both physically and emotionally. They sat together in silence for awhile and Speed loved the feel of her head resting on his shoulder. Just being here with her was enough for him right now.

After what had happened tonight the last thing she needed was him declaring his feelings for her so he was happy enough just to be in her company, hearing the soft sound of her breathing and wondering what she was thinking about right now.

There were surprisingly few people on the street outside Silver's right now so the setting was pretty peaceful. Calleigh sighed and opened her eyes, looking up at him.

"You know what? Sometimes I'm surprised at how screwed up my life has become." She admitted, looking sadder than Speed had ever seen her before.

"Why do you say that?" He asked her, surprised at her confession. From the outside, her life looked pretty good. She had a job she was awesome at and good friends who loved her.

"I'm just so alone." She answered, her eyes filling up with unshed tears. "All I seem to do lately is work and sleep, I'm tired of it."

"You're not alone, Calleigh." Speed assured her.

"I know you're here and I've got other good friends too. I appreciate that but I guess I just want more. I always figured that by the time I was thirty I wouldn't be alone anymore--it's just depressing to think I might still be at clubs being hit on by random guys when I'm thirty." Speed had to smile at that comment. He was approaching thirty himself and could totally relate to what she was saying.

"Believe me, I know what you mean. I'm turning thirty next year and can't believe how little my life has changed in the last decade. Sure, I've got a great career going but my personal life hasn't changed all that much."

"Do you want it to?" Calleigh asked him curiously.

"Of course. I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone. I wouldn't mind settling down in the next few years, having a family." Calleigh smiled knowingly at him.

"Yeah, most guys do, these days." She sat up and dug around in her purse for a tissue and Speed wondered if she was going to elaborate on that comment or leave him hanging, wondering what she meant by that. This woman was an ever-changing mystery to him these days and he would give anything to know what was going on inside her head.

TBC

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, hope you like this one too...