Title: Ripped (6/?)
Disclaimer: (To the tune of "You Don't Own Me," by Leslie Gore) I don't own it, I'm not trying to claim it in any way. I don't own it, don't hunt me down cause I'll never pay!
Rating: Heavy R (There's some sex, but not much, and I swear, this is one of those rare sex scenes that's actually somewhat relevant to the plot. Besides, if ya don't like smut, what are you doing reading one of my fics?)
Pairings: Eric/Maria (OC), Tim/Calleigh
Feedback: Your feedback = my inspiration = more frequent updates.
Soundtrack: "It's Only Love" by Heather Nova.
____________________________
"Maria." Lieutenant Brody looked exhausted, but he managed to smile as he shook the young woman's hand. "How are you?"
"About as good as anyone can be right now." Maria replied. "Jake, this is Eric Delko, Calleigh Duquesne, and Tim Speedle."
"Nice to meet you all." Brody said. "Please sit down. Maria, Yana said you had something you wanted to discuss with me?"
"I think we may have an idea of how to catch this son of a bitch." Maria told him.
"Well, that's good news. What's your idea?"
"We're going to need your cooperation." Maria explained. "We need to get every prostitute we can find off the streets, and we need to put every undercover female officer you have out there in their place. We may even need to bring in women from other departments, or from neighboring counties."
"Are you really having that much trouble at the crime lab?" Brody asked.
"We've got a piece of broken glass with traces of absinthe on it, and that's pretty much it." Maria sighed.
Brody shook his head. "Well, it's a brilliant idea, Maria. Of course, it's also completely insane."
"Then again, so is Maria." Eric cut in.
"True enough." Brody agreed, chuckling wryly.
Maria playfully stuck out her tongue at Eric. "So, Jake, can we count on your help?"
"I don't know." Brody admitted. "When would you want to do this?"
"Tonight would be ideal." Maria said. "But I know that's not possible. So, I guess it should be tomorrow night."
"That's going to be difficult." Brody told her. "It's going to take all day tomorrow to find those girls and get them off the streets. And what about the ones we can't find?"
"Well, hopefully that will be because they're laying low, so he won't find them either." Maria reasoned. "All we need is for there to be more undercover officers than actual prostitutes out there."
Brody thought it over for a moment. "You'll want to run it by Lieutenant Caine, I imagine. Keep in touch, Maria. If this is going to work, we're going to need to work together."
______________________
"So, are you and Speed going to be at his place tonight?" Maria asked casually as she and Calleigh walked back to Maria's car, intentionally falling behind Eric and Tim.
"I'll be at home." Calleigh replied. "And I imagine he'll be at his apartment." She caught the look Maria was giving her. "What? We just don't want to rush into anything."
"No, I think that's good." Maria told her. "It's sweet. So, are you going steady now?"
Calleigh smiled. "Shut up."
"Aww, is he gonna pin you?" Maria teased. "Are you guys gonna share a root beer float down at the drugstore?"
"Cut it out!" Calleigh told her, laughing. She glanced at the two men ahead of them. "Where are you staying tonight?"
Maria shrugged. "I think we'll end up at Eric's place. Lord knows I need some distraction, and I'm guessing he does too."
"Distraction?" Calleigh repeated. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
"Hey, now who needs to shut up?" Maria laughed.
____________________
"How long has it been?" Eric asked.
Maria glanced at her watch. "One minute and thirty-nine seconds." She looked back at Calleigh and Tim across the parking lot. Standing between her car and his bike, the two of them were lost in a deep kiss, and it didn't look like they would be coming up for air any time soon. "Then again, considering how long those two have been holding back..."
"...wouldn't be surprised if we found them like that tomorrow morning." Eric finished, laughing at the idea, which didn't seem too far out of the realm of possibility.
"That's what happens when you let your emotions get control of you, I guess." Maria said with a shrug.
"It's nice, though." Eric said, not sure what to make of her statement. "For them, I mean."
"Yeah, sure." Maria replied. "Hey, we'd better get out of here, just in case they do happen to come up for air any time soon."
"Good idea." Eric agreed, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the parking lot. Maria was leaning back against the headrest, and her eyes were closed. Clearly, the discussion was over.
______________________
They made their way to his apartment slowly, their progress up the stairs impeded by their unwillingness to break apart for even a second. Even as he unlocked the door, Eric had Maria pressed against it, sucking at the sensitive skin on her neck as his free hand slid under the back of her shirt.
A middle-aged woman in a red pantsuit stepped out of the elevator and breezed past the young couple. "Eric, Miss Santiago." She greeted them casually, so used to the spectacle that she barely even glanced in their direction.
Maria giggled as Eric swept his fingers under the back of her bra, teasingly pulling at the clasp. "Hi, Mrs. Kelly." She replied, far too gone to even think of being embarrassed.
Finally, the door opened and the two of them stumbled into the apartment, pulling at each other's clothing a little more aggressively as soon as the door was closed.
In her aroused state, admittedly heightened by the alcohol she'd consumed, Maria didn't even realize they were falling until she found herself lying on top of Eric on the couch. At some point, he had managed to remove both her shirt and her bra, and now his mouth latched onto one breast as his hand massaged the other. Moaning softly, she started grinding her hips against him, as her hands fumbled with the buttons down the front of his shirt. Unable to see in the dark, she reached behind him and turned on the lamp next to the couch. When the light flooded over them, she saw him staring at her intently.
"What?" She asked, laughing at the intensity of his expression.
"We don't really talk that much, do we?" He asked.
Maria looked at him as if a third eye had just appeared in the middle of his forehead. "Are you kidding me? Is this really the best time to bring that up?"
"I don't know." Eric admitted, sitting up. "I just realized today, talking to your brothers, that I know almost nothing about you."
"I wouldn't say that." Maria cooed, pressing against him. "You know how I like to be kissed..." She pressed her lips against his neck. "You know where to touch me..." She slowly kissed her way down to his chest.
Eric groaned softly and gently pushed her away. "That's not the kind of thing I meant. I mean, your stepmother is a senator, one of your ancestors worked on the Ripper case, what else don't I know about you?"
"God, Eric, it's not like I go around telling whatever guy I'm seeing that kind of thing." Maria said. "I mean, the Ripper thing isn't exactly pillow talk. And like I'm going to go around telling any psycho that I'm a senator's stepdaughter?"
"Since when am I 'any psycho?'" Eric demanded. "Maria, we've been seeing each other for two months, and I only just met your brothers today, for fuck's sake. I don't know what your favorite movie is, what your first car was, your middle name, anything."
"Could we not do this tonight?" Maria sighed. "We're both tired, this has been an absolutely brutal day..."
Eric took a deep breath. "You know what? You're right, baby, I'm sorry. We've both had a bad day, you especially...last thing you need is me getting on your case."
"Don't worry about it." Maria said, putting her arms loosely around his neck and straddling his lap.
"No, really, I'm being an ass." Eric said, running his hands over her back. "I insist that you let me make it up to you."
"Well, if you insist..." Maria sighed dramatically, leaning in to kiss him.
It was all a blur to her after that. Somewhere between the couch and his bedroom, her skirt slid to the floor and she stepped out of it. By the time she was pinned between the cool, smooth surface of the bed and his lean, muscular body, his clothes were gone, too.
Then his lips and hands seemed to be everywhere at once, caressing, teasing. Finally, he entered her slowly, letting her feel every inch of him sliding in. They rocked against each other, quickly falling into a fast, passionate rhythm.
She could only moan in response when he whispered in her ear that she felt so incredible, so wet, so warm, so tight. Her nails dug into his back and she cried out and sank her teeth lightly into his shoulder when he grasped her hips and pulled her tighter against him.
"I love you, Maria..." His voice filled her head again, so softly she at first wasn't sure if she'd really heard it.
As soon as he said the words, Eric knew he'd made a mistake. Maria stopped moving abruptly. He looked at her face, saw that her eyes were closed and her expression was blank. Slowly, he moved off of her as she sat up.
"Eric..." She said softly, her voice shaking slightly. "What the hell? I mean...why?"
"I don't know." He admitted. He lay his hand on her shoulder, and felt her flinch and shrink away under his touch. She had never done that before. "I know we said that it wouldn't be like this. But it's not like I can help how I feel."
Maria turned her head toward him slightly. In the dim light, he could have sworn there were tears in her eyes. "Eric...I can't..."
He understood. Leaning back against the headboard, he drew a long, painful breath. "I don't think we should do this anymore."
It was exactly what she had expected him to say, but the words still felt like a kick in the stomach. Then again, she knew that those words weren't exactly easy for him to say. "Okay." She sighed. "I should go."
"No, it's late, you can stay here. I'll sleep on the couch." Eric said.
"I should go." Maria repeated, her voice cracking slightly. She rose from the bed and made her way over to the door, fighting the urge to look back, or to say something.
Eric closed his eyes. He wanted to stop her, somehow, to take it all back and convince her to stay. He couldn't, and he knew that. He heard her footsteps receding down the hall, pausing a few times as she picked up the clothing that had been dropped between the front door and his bedroom. After a few minutes, he heard the door open, and then close behind her.
_____________________________________
I used to think that I knew what we needed
Just assumed we would always be fine
Now I don't think that we lost the feeling
But we let everything build up inside
It's only love
But love should make us strong
It's only love
But love has been hurting so long
_________________________________
"Freeze!"
Maria shrieked and jumped, dropping her keys. "Calleigh! Dammit! You cannot sneak up on a paranoid person! What if I had my gun on me?"
"Like you'd ever shoot me." Calleigh replied, yawning.
"Don't rule it out." Maria grumbled under her breath. "Hey, what's...is that my hair dryer?"
Calleigh shrugged. "Hey, I'm half-asleep, I couldn't find my gun."
"Well, that's a first." Maria said, dropping her purse and making her way into the kitchen. "And for the future? It would look a lot more menacing without the diffuser on it."
"Crap." Calleigh muttered, looking at the object in her hand. She followed Maria into the kitchen and saw her standing, facing the wall, leaning on the counter. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Maria said quickly, turning to the cupboard and taking out the instant coffee, still keeping her back to Calleigh.
"You're upset." Calleigh observed.
"No I'm not."
Calleigh shrugged. "Okay, then I must be insanely happy."
"Well, why shouldn't you be?" Maria asked, finally looking at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot.
"Oh, honey." Calleigh gasped. She put her hands on Maria's shoulders and led her to sit down at the table. "What happened?"
"Eric said..." Maria fought back a sob and took a deep breath. "He said he loves me."
"And what did you say?" Calleigh asked, handing her a napkin and patting her back soothingly.
"I think the first words out of my mouth were 'what the hell?'" Maria sighed
"Probably not the response he was hoping for." Calleigh observed, eliciting a small, weak smile from her friend.
"I couldn't say it back." Maria continued. "So he said that...we shouldn't see each other any more. And I don't blame him."
"I'm sorry." Calleigh slid her chair closer to Maria's and put one arm around her shoulders.
"How could I do that to him?" Maria broke down, anger creeping into her voice. "He told me that he loves me, and I just say 'I can't' and then walk out on him? God, he's better off without me."
"Hey, do not say that." Calleigh told her. "Maria, you're a good person. You didn't mean to hurt him, and I'm sure he knows that."
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Maria asked softly, burying her face in her hands.
Calleigh hesitated. She didn't have an answer.
"It's not supposed to feel like this." Maria sobbed.
"I know, sweetie." Calleigh sighed, embracing her friend as she wept. "I know."
_________________________
What a challenge, honesty
What a struggle to learn to speak
Who'd have thought that
Pretending was easier
It's only love
But love should make us strong
It's only love
But love has been hurting so long
_________________________
"Good morning." Tim greeted Eric.
"How the fuck do you know what kind of morning it is?" Eric snapped.
"Okay, so...bad morning?" Tim guessed.
"Maria and I broke up." Eric blurted out.
"What did you do?" Tim asked.
Eric glared at him. "What makes you think it was something I did?"
Tim shrugged. "Well, for one thing...I've met you."
"Fair enough." Eric admitted.
The door to the breakroom practically slammed open. "What the hell were you thinking?" Calleigh demanded, walking right up to Eric.
"Hi, Cal, nice to see you too." Eric said sarcastically. "How are you?"
"Sleep-deprived." Calleigh replied.
"Someone's in trouble." Tim said under his breath.
Calleigh turned to him and smiled. "Hi."
"Hey." He replied, returning the smile. "Look, not that watching you rip him a new one isn't entertaining enough as it is, but could I get a little backstory here?"
"I've been up since three." Calleigh explained. "Trying to comfort Maria, who was crying for two hours because of him." She pointed to Eric. "Because he said he loves her."
Tim gave Eric a look. "Did you hit your head? Did you fall down a flight of stairs? Because clearly, you somehow managed to completely forget what we talked about yesterday."
"I didn't." Eric insisted, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. "But I talked to H, and he said-"
"Oh my God!" Calleigh interrupted. "You go to Horatio for advice on dealing with difficult suspects, or processing tainted evidence. Not relationships. The man is divorced, for fuck's sake!" The two men looked at her, surprised by the intensity of her outburst. "What? I'm running on two hours of sleep and six cups of coffee."
"Whatever, since when am I the bad guy here?" Eric asked. "I love Maria, was I so wrong to hope that she might feel the same way?"
"You just don't get it." Calleigh said. "You have no idea." She took a deep breath. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. But you should try to talk to her. She's hurting just as much as you are, trust me."
_____________________
"Mornin', Lucy."
Maria looked up from the autopsy report she was going over and cracked a weak smile. "I knew I wasn't Ethel."
"That the post on Melissa Black?" Hagen asked.
"Yes." Maria replied.
"Same cause of death as the first girl?"
Maria nodded. "Yes."
"Looks like the same weapon and everything?"
"Yes." Maria said.
"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Hagen asked.
"No." Maria said, in the same tone as her previous answers. "Nice try, though." She turned back to the report. "So, I take it you heard?"
"About you and Delko? Yeah, sorry about that." Hagen said. "But, no sense in living in the past, right?"
Maria rolled her eyes. "You just don't give up, do you? Actually, I was wondering if you'd heard about what's going down tonight?"
"The basic plan, yeah." Hagen replied, shrugging. "As soon as I heard about it, I had a feeling it might have been your brainchild."
"Because it's so insane?" Maria asked.
"Well, that and it's a good idea." Hagen told her. "I assume you'll be 'suiting up' along with the other girls."
"You assume correctly."
Hagen placed his hand on her back. "You'd better be careful out there."
"Please, like you need to tell me that?" Maria scoffed, not turning around.
They both reached for their cells phones as a ringing filled the room. Finding her phone silent, Maria turned slightly and watched as Hagen answered his.
"You have got to be shitting me." He was saying, annoyed. "When? Okay, yeah, got it." He closed the phone and looked at Maria solemnly. "He got another one."
Maria closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "No. Dammit, how the fuck did that happen?"
"I don't know." Hagen admitted. "But we'd better get going."
_______________________
TBC…
Disclaimer: (To the tune of "You Don't Own Me," by Leslie Gore) I don't own it, I'm not trying to claim it in any way. I don't own it, don't hunt me down cause I'll never pay!
Rating: Heavy R (There's some sex, but not much, and I swear, this is one of those rare sex scenes that's actually somewhat relevant to the plot. Besides, if ya don't like smut, what are you doing reading one of my fics?)
Pairings: Eric/Maria (OC), Tim/Calleigh
Feedback: Your feedback = my inspiration = more frequent updates.
Soundtrack: "It's Only Love" by Heather Nova.
____________________________
"Maria." Lieutenant Brody looked exhausted, but he managed to smile as he shook the young woman's hand. "How are you?"
"About as good as anyone can be right now." Maria replied. "Jake, this is Eric Delko, Calleigh Duquesne, and Tim Speedle."
"Nice to meet you all." Brody said. "Please sit down. Maria, Yana said you had something you wanted to discuss with me?"
"I think we may have an idea of how to catch this son of a bitch." Maria told him.
"Well, that's good news. What's your idea?"
"We're going to need your cooperation." Maria explained. "We need to get every prostitute we can find off the streets, and we need to put every undercover female officer you have out there in their place. We may even need to bring in women from other departments, or from neighboring counties."
"Are you really having that much trouble at the crime lab?" Brody asked.
"We've got a piece of broken glass with traces of absinthe on it, and that's pretty much it." Maria sighed.
Brody shook his head. "Well, it's a brilliant idea, Maria. Of course, it's also completely insane."
"Then again, so is Maria." Eric cut in.
"True enough." Brody agreed, chuckling wryly.
Maria playfully stuck out her tongue at Eric. "So, Jake, can we count on your help?"
"I don't know." Brody admitted. "When would you want to do this?"
"Tonight would be ideal." Maria said. "But I know that's not possible. So, I guess it should be tomorrow night."
"That's going to be difficult." Brody told her. "It's going to take all day tomorrow to find those girls and get them off the streets. And what about the ones we can't find?"
"Well, hopefully that will be because they're laying low, so he won't find them either." Maria reasoned. "All we need is for there to be more undercover officers than actual prostitutes out there."
Brody thought it over for a moment. "You'll want to run it by Lieutenant Caine, I imagine. Keep in touch, Maria. If this is going to work, we're going to need to work together."
______________________
"So, are you and Speed going to be at his place tonight?" Maria asked casually as she and Calleigh walked back to Maria's car, intentionally falling behind Eric and Tim.
"I'll be at home." Calleigh replied. "And I imagine he'll be at his apartment." She caught the look Maria was giving her. "What? We just don't want to rush into anything."
"No, I think that's good." Maria told her. "It's sweet. So, are you going steady now?"
Calleigh smiled. "Shut up."
"Aww, is he gonna pin you?" Maria teased. "Are you guys gonna share a root beer float down at the drugstore?"
"Cut it out!" Calleigh told her, laughing. She glanced at the two men ahead of them. "Where are you staying tonight?"
Maria shrugged. "I think we'll end up at Eric's place. Lord knows I need some distraction, and I'm guessing he does too."
"Distraction?" Calleigh repeated. "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?"
"Hey, now who needs to shut up?" Maria laughed.
____________________
"How long has it been?" Eric asked.
Maria glanced at her watch. "One minute and thirty-nine seconds." She looked back at Calleigh and Tim across the parking lot. Standing between her car and his bike, the two of them were lost in a deep kiss, and it didn't look like they would be coming up for air any time soon. "Then again, considering how long those two have been holding back..."
"...wouldn't be surprised if we found them like that tomorrow morning." Eric finished, laughing at the idea, which didn't seem too far out of the realm of possibility.
"That's what happens when you let your emotions get control of you, I guess." Maria said with a shrug.
"It's nice, though." Eric said, not sure what to make of her statement. "For them, I mean."
"Yeah, sure." Maria replied. "Hey, we'd better get out of here, just in case they do happen to come up for air any time soon."
"Good idea." Eric agreed, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the parking lot. Maria was leaning back against the headrest, and her eyes were closed. Clearly, the discussion was over.
______________________
They made their way to his apartment slowly, their progress up the stairs impeded by their unwillingness to break apart for even a second. Even as he unlocked the door, Eric had Maria pressed against it, sucking at the sensitive skin on her neck as his free hand slid under the back of her shirt.
A middle-aged woman in a red pantsuit stepped out of the elevator and breezed past the young couple. "Eric, Miss Santiago." She greeted them casually, so used to the spectacle that she barely even glanced in their direction.
Maria giggled as Eric swept his fingers under the back of her bra, teasingly pulling at the clasp. "Hi, Mrs. Kelly." She replied, far too gone to even think of being embarrassed.
Finally, the door opened and the two of them stumbled into the apartment, pulling at each other's clothing a little more aggressively as soon as the door was closed.
In her aroused state, admittedly heightened by the alcohol she'd consumed, Maria didn't even realize they were falling until she found herself lying on top of Eric on the couch. At some point, he had managed to remove both her shirt and her bra, and now his mouth latched onto one breast as his hand massaged the other. Moaning softly, she started grinding her hips against him, as her hands fumbled with the buttons down the front of his shirt. Unable to see in the dark, she reached behind him and turned on the lamp next to the couch. When the light flooded over them, she saw him staring at her intently.
"What?" She asked, laughing at the intensity of his expression.
"We don't really talk that much, do we?" He asked.
Maria looked at him as if a third eye had just appeared in the middle of his forehead. "Are you kidding me? Is this really the best time to bring that up?"
"I don't know." Eric admitted, sitting up. "I just realized today, talking to your brothers, that I know almost nothing about you."
"I wouldn't say that." Maria cooed, pressing against him. "You know how I like to be kissed..." She pressed her lips against his neck. "You know where to touch me..." She slowly kissed her way down to his chest.
Eric groaned softly and gently pushed her away. "That's not the kind of thing I meant. I mean, your stepmother is a senator, one of your ancestors worked on the Ripper case, what else don't I know about you?"
"God, Eric, it's not like I go around telling whatever guy I'm seeing that kind of thing." Maria said. "I mean, the Ripper thing isn't exactly pillow talk. And like I'm going to go around telling any psycho that I'm a senator's stepdaughter?"
"Since when am I 'any psycho?'" Eric demanded. "Maria, we've been seeing each other for two months, and I only just met your brothers today, for fuck's sake. I don't know what your favorite movie is, what your first car was, your middle name, anything."
"Could we not do this tonight?" Maria sighed. "We're both tired, this has been an absolutely brutal day..."
Eric took a deep breath. "You know what? You're right, baby, I'm sorry. We've both had a bad day, you especially...last thing you need is me getting on your case."
"Don't worry about it." Maria said, putting her arms loosely around his neck and straddling his lap.
"No, really, I'm being an ass." Eric said, running his hands over her back. "I insist that you let me make it up to you."
"Well, if you insist..." Maria sighed dramatically, leaning in to kiss him.
It was all a blur to her after that. Somewhere between the couch and his bedroom, her skirt slid to the floor and she stepped out of it. By the time she was pinned between the cool, smooth surface of the bed and his lean, muscular body, his clothes were gone, too.
Then his lips and hands seemed to be everywhere at once, caressing, teasing. Finally, he entered her slowly, letting her feel every inch of him sliding in. They rocked against each other, quickly falling into a fast, passionate rhythm.
She could only moan in response when he whispered in her ear that she felt so incredible, so wet, so warm, so tight. Her nails dug into his back and she cried out and sank her teeth lightly into his shoulder when he grasped her hips and pulled her tighter against him.
"I love you, Maria..." His voice filled her head again, so softly she at first wasn't sure if she'd really heard it.
As soon as he said the words, Eric knew he'd made a mistake. Maria stopped moving abruptly. He looked at her face, saw that her eyes were closed and her expression was blank. Slowly, he moved off of her as she sat up.
"Eric..." She said softly, her voice shaking slightly. "What the hell? I mean...why?"
"I don't know." He admitted. He lay his hand on her shoulder, and felt her flinch and shrink away under his touch. She had never done that before. "I know we said that it wouldn't be like this. But it's not like I can help how I feel."
Maria turned her head toward him slightly. In the dim light, he could have sworn there were tears in her eyes. "Eric...I can't..."
He understood. Leaning back against the headboard, he drew a long, painful breath. "I don't think we should do this anymore."
It was exactly what she had expected him to say, but the words still felt like a kick in the stomach. Then again, she knew that those words weren't exactly easy for him to say. "Okay." She sighed. "I should go."
"No, it's late, you can stay here. I'll sleep on the couch." Eric said.
"I should go." Maria repeated, her voice cracking slightly. She rose from the bed and made her way over to the door, fighting the urge to look back, or to say something.
Eric closed his eyes. He wanted to stop her, somehow, to take it all back and convince her to stay. He couldn't, and he knew that. He heard her footsteps receding down the hall, pausing a few times as she picked up the clothing that had been dropped between the front door and his bedroom. After a few minutes, he heard the door open, and then close behind her.
_____________________________________
I used to think that I knew what we needed
Just assumed we would always be fine
Now I don't think that we lost the feeling
But we let everything build up inside
It's only love
But love should make us strong
It's only love
But love has been hurting so long
_________________________________
"Freeze!"
Maria shrieked and jumped, dropping her keys. "Calleigh! Dammit! You cannot sneak up on a paranoid person! What if I had my gun on me?"
"Like you'd ever shoot me." Calleigh replied, yawning.
"Don't rule it out." Maria grumbled under her breath. "Hey, what's...is that my hair dryer?"
Calleigh shrugged. "Hey, I'm half-asleep, I couldn't find my gun."
"Well, that's a first." Maria said, dropping her purse and making her way into the kitchen. "And for the future? It would look a lot more menacing without the diffuser on it."
"Crap." Calleigh muttered, looking at the object in her hand. She followed Maria into the kitchen and saw her standing, facing the wall, leaning on the counter. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Maria said quickly, turning to the cupboard and taking out the instant coffee, still keeping her back to Calleigh.
"You're upset." Calleigh observed.
"No I'm not."
Calleigh shrugged. "Okay, then I must be insanely happy."
"Well, why shouldn't you be?" Maria asked, finally looking at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot.
"Oh, honey." Calleigh gasped. She put her hands on Maria's shoulders and led her to sit down at the table. "What happened?"
"Eric said..." Maria fought back a sob and took a deep breath. "He said he loves me."
"And what did you say?" Calleigh asked, handing her a napkin and patting her back soothingly.
"I think the first words out of my mouth were 'what the hell?'" Maria sighed
"Probably not the response he was hoping for." Calleigh observed, eliciting a small, weak smile from her friend.
"I couldn't say it back." Maria continued. "So he said that...we shouldn't see each other any more. And I don't blame him."
"I'm sorry." Calleigh slid her chair closer to Maria's and put one arm around her shoulders.
"How could I do that to him?" Maria broke down, anger creeping into her voice. "He told me that he loves me, and I just say 'I can't' and then walk out on him? God, he's better off without me."
"Hey, do not say that." Calleigh told her. "Maria, you're a good person. You didn't mean to hurt him, and I'm sure he knows that."
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Maria asked softly, burying her face in her hands.
Calleigh hesitated. She didn't have an answer.
"It's not supposed to feel like this." Maria sobbed.
"I know, sweetie." Calleigh sighed, embracing her friend as she wept. "I know."
_________________________
What a challenge, honesty
What a struggle to learn to speak
Who'd have thought that
Pretending was easier
It's only love
But love should make us strong
It's only love
But love has been hurting so long
_________________________
"Good morning." Tim greeted Eric.
"How the fuck do you know what kind of morning it is?" Eric snapped.
"Okay, so...bad morning?" Tim guessed.
"Maria and I broke up." Eric blurted out.
"What did you do?" Tim asked.
Eric glared at him. "What makes you think it was something I did?"
Tim shrugged. "Well, for one thing...I've met you."
"Fair enough." Eric admitted.
The door to the breakroom practically slammed open. "What the hell were you thinking?" Calleigh demanded, walking right up to Eric.
"Hi, Cal, nice to see you too." Eric said sarcastically. "How are you?"
"Sleep-deprived." Calleigh replied.
"Someone's in trouble." Tim said under his breath.
Calleigh turned to him and smiled. "Hi."
"Hey." He replied, returning the smile. "Look, not that watching you rip him a new one isn't entertaining enough as it is, but could I get a little backstory here?"
"I've been up since three." Calleigh explained. "Trying to comfort Maria, who was crying for two hours because of him." She pointed to Eric. "Because he said he loves her."
Tim gave Eric a look. "Did you hit your head? Did you fall down a flight of stairs? Because clearly, you somehow managed to completely forget what we talked about yesterday."
"I didn't." Eric insisted, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. "But I talked to H, and he said-"
"Oh my God!" Calleigh interrupted. "You go to Horatio for advice on dealing with difficult suspects, or processing tainted evidence. Not relationships. The man is divorced, for fuck's sake!" The two men looked at her, surprised by the intensity of her outburst. "What? I'm running on two hours of sleep and six cups of coffee."
"Whatever, since when am I the bad guy here?" Eric asked. "I love Maria, was I so wrong to hope that she might feel the same way?"
"You just don't get it." Calleigh said. "You have no idea." She took a deep breath. "Okay, look, I'm sorry. But you should try to talk to her. She's hurting just as much as you are, trust me."
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"Mornin', Lucy."
Maria looked up from the autopsy report she was going over and cracked a weak smile. "I knew I wasn't Ethel."
"That the post on Melissa Black?" Hagen asked.
"Yes." Maria replied.
"Same cause of death as the first girl?"
Maria nodded. "Yes."
"Looks like the same weapon and everything?"
"Yes." Maria said.
"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Hagen asked.
"No." Maria said, in the same tone as her previous answers. "Nice try, though." She turned back to the report. "So, I take it you heard?"
"About you and Delko? Yeah, sorry about that." Hagen said. "But, no sense in living in the past, right?"
Maria rolled her eyes. "You just don't give up, do you? Actually, I was wondering if you'd heard about what's going down tonight?"
"The basic plan, yeah." Hagen replied, shrugging. "As soon as I heard about it, I had a feeling it might have been your brainchild."
"Because it's so insane?" Maria asked.
"Well, that and it's a good idea." Hagen told her. "I assume you'll be 'suiting up' along with the other girls."
"You assume correctly."
Hagen placed his hand on her back. "You'd better be careful out there."
"Please, like you need to tell me that?" Maria scoffed, not turning around.
They both reached for their cells phones as a ringing filled the room. Finding her phone silent, Maria turned slightly and watched as Hagen answered his.
"You have got to be shitting me." He was saying, annoyed. "When? Okay, yeah, got it." He closed the phone and looked at Maria solemnly. "He got another one."
Maria closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "No. Dammit, how the fuck did that happen?"
"I don't know." Hagen admitted. "But we'd better get going."
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TBC…