Realization
the completion or enrichment of a piece of music left sparsely notated by a
composer; a musical composition that has been completed or enriched by
someone other than the composer (a)
Cases came in, work became busy, and before Horatio knew it, a month had passed. So far, he and Calleigh had managed to build on the foundation laid over coffee and conversation, but they had not yet crossed the line into an actual romantic relationship. There was a silent agreement between them to take things as they came and to see what would happen as they slowly took down the barriers they had between them. There were more glances, more incidental touches, and the flirtatious game he had started continued unabated. Horatio continued to delight in surprising Calleigh, but she began to give him a run for his money.
The other members of the team had noticed the increased intensity between the two. Alexx watched them in silent approval, pleased to see her two friends growing closer. Eric asked Calleigh if there was a way to collect the amount of electricity set off whenever she and Horatio stood next to each other as a source of alternative energy. Speed just cracked jokes about how many germs they were sharing due to their new habit of sharing each other's coffee.
Finishing up some paperwork on his desk, Horatio realized it was almost time to leave for the day. He went in search of Calleigh, hoping to get one last round of flirting before going home. He knew she would love his company, with or without a specific reason, but still he tried to think of a plausible excuse for seeking her out, finally hitting on their still unfulfilled promise of dessert and time together.
After asking around, he finally found her alone in the ballistics lab. She had her back turned, focusing on a file spread on the table in front of her. Horatio paused for a moment in the doorway, admiring the curve of her neck and the way her loose hair shone, even in the artificial light of the lab.
"Knock, knock," he said softly, alerting her to his presence.
Calleigh straightened quickly and spun around, a delighted smile on her face. "Horatio! What brings you down here?"
"You," he answered simply, a teasing half-grin on his face. "I realized today you still owe me a rain check and I've come to collect. I told you I would hold you to it."
"Ah yes, you did," Calleigh replied, challenging Horatio with a raised eyebrow. "But as I recall, the rain check was for ice cream, which was then negotiated to dessert. To be made by you. Don't think you can come in here and palm this off on me."
Her words inspired Horatio. He grinned and walked closer to Calleigh until he was standing directly in front of her. Dropping his voice he leaned over slightly until his forehead practically came into contact with hers. "I can think of many more pleasant thing to palm here than responsibility for dessert, sweetheart," he said, then leaned back to take in her expression. It was a mixture of approval and amusement, but no hint of heightened color appeared in her cheeks.
Horatio did not know whether to be pleased or disappointed that his pointed remark had not resulted in making Calleigh blush. He looked past her composed features into her eyes and saw they blazed with something stronger, and was immediately satisfied his words had affected her. His own eyes challenged her to respond, but when hers narrowed with calculation, he wondered exactly what it was he had unleashed.
At first, Calleigh concentrated on exuding a calm demeanor, refusing to give Horatio the satisfaction of seeing what his comment had done to her. She focused for a moment on keeping her breathing steady as she recovered from the wave of heat that had passed through her body at Horatio's nearness and the content of his words. This game of theirs was beginning to go a little too far for even a semblance of professionalism to be maintained.
Gaining control of her wildly-beating heart, she thought of a suitable response to his innuendo. She fixed a small smirk on her face and inched closer to Horatio. He was going to have to learn to not play with her like this unless he was ready to face the consequences. Setting her hands on his hips, she guided him to a stool and, with a little added pressure, induced him to lean against it, bringing him to her eye level. Drawing courage from the look of curiosity, pleasure, and desire she saw cross his face, Calleigh stepped firmly into Horatio's personal space until her body lightly brushed his.
The heat and electricity building between them reminded her of the risks involved in this game she was playing, but Calleigh was determined to show Horatio the dangers of pushing her limits at work. Holding Horatio's gaze, Calleigh kept one hand on his hip while bringing the other one up to gather her hair and bring it over her shoulder. She leaned into Horatio, allowing their upper bodies to come into closer contact as she positioned her lips as close as possible to Horatio's ear.
"And I can think of better things at your apartment to indulge in than dessert, Handsome," she purred, taking a moment to see what effect her actions were having on the man.
Although he had not moved a muscle, she could feel him tense the moment she began speaking. His breathing became more erratic, and she could tell he was now struggling with his control. She glanced down and saw he was gripping the edge of the stool, knuckles white with the effort to keep his hands in place. She gave a throaty chuckle and saw his eyes close in response.
Revenge was sweet, Calleigh decided. She leaned into him one more time, brushing his face with her own so lightly the contact would have been hardly noticeable had there not been so much awareness between them.
"Remember this the next time you decide to play with fire, Horatio," she said, this time making sure her lips actually brushed his earlobe.
Knowing she had carried this game to its absolute limit, she backed off, grabbing the file and walking to the lab door before he had a chance to recover. When she came to the door, Calleigh glanced back over her shoulder at Horatio, who was still seated on the stool. The only part of him that had moved was his head, which had turned to watch her movements. His eyes burned into hers and Calleigh felt the blood sing in her veins. She decided enough was enough. It was time to stop raising the bets and simply call. Her face took on a serious look.
"The only thing I like less than being played with is being kept waiting, Horatio," she said, then turned and exited the lab, allowing the door to close behind her.
Cases came in, work became busy, and before Horatio knew it, a month had passed. So far, he and Calleigh had managed to build on the foundation laid over coffee and conversation, but they had not yet crossed the line into an actual romantic relationship. There was a silent agreement between them to take things as they came and to see what would happen as they slowly took down the barriers they had between them. There were more glances, more incidental touches, and the flirtatious game he had started continued unabated. Horatio continued to delight in surprising Calleigh, but she began to give him a run for his money.
The other members of the team had noticed the increased intensity between the two. Alexx watched them in silent approval, pleased to see her two friends growing closer. Eric asked Calleigh if there was a way to collect the amount of electricity set off whenever she and Horatio stood next to each other as a source of alternative energy. Speed just cracked jokes about how many germs they were sharing due to their new habit of sharing each other's coffee.
Finishing up some paperwork on his desk, Horatio realized it was almost time to leave for the day. He went in search of Calleigh, hoping to get one last round of flirting before going home. He knew she would love his company, with or without a specific reason, but still he tried to think of a plausible excuse for seeking her out, finally hitting on their still unfulfilled promise of dessert and time together.
After asking around, he finally found her alone in the ballistics lab. She had her back turned, focusing on a file spread on the table in front of her. Horatio paused for a moment in the doorway, admiring the curve of her neck and the way her loose hair shone, even in the artificial light of the lab.
"Knock, knock," he said softly, alerting her to his presence.
Calleigh straightened quickly and spun around, a delighted smile on her face. "Horatio! What brings you down here?"
"You," he answered simply, a teasing half-grin on his face. "I realized today you still owe me a rain check and I've come to collect. I told you I would hold you to it."
"Ah yes, you did," Calleigh replied, challenging Horatio with a raised eyebrow. "But as I recall, the rain check was for ice cream, which was then negotiated to dessert. To be made by you. Don't think you can come in here and palm this off on me."
Her words inspired Horatio. He grinned and walked closer to Calleigh until he was standing directly in front of her. Dropping his voice he leaned over slightly until his forehead practically came into contact with hers. "I can think of many more pleasant thing to palm here than responsibility for dessert, sweetheart," he said, then leaned back to take in her expression. It was a mixture of approval and amusement, but no hint of heightened color appeared in her cheeks.
Horatio did not know whether to be pleased or disappointed that his pointed remark had not resulted in making Calleigh blush. He looked past her composed features into her eyes and saw they blazed with something stronger, and was immediately satisfied his words had affected her. His own eyes challenged her to respond, but when hers narrowed with calculation, he wondered exactly what it was he had unleashed.
At first, Calleigh concentrated on exuding a calm demeanor, refusing to give Horatio the satisfaction of seeing what his comment had done to her. She focused for a moment on keeping her breathing steady as she recovered from the wave of heat that had passed through her body at Horatio's nearness and the content of his words. This game of theirs was beginning to go a little too far for even a semblance of professionalism to be maintained.
Gaining control of her wildly-beating heart, she thought of a suitable response to his innuendo. She fixed a small smirk on her face and inched closer to Horatio. He was going to have to learn to not play with her like this unless he was ready to face the consequences. Setting her hands on his hips, she guided him to a stool and, with a little added pressure, induced him to lean against it, bringing him to her eye level. Drawing courage from the look of curiosity, pleasure, and desire she saw cross his face, Calleigh stepped firmly into Horatio's personal space until her body lightly brushed his.
The heat and electricity building between them reminded her of the risks involved in this game she was playing, but Calleigh was determined to show Horatio the dangers of pushing her limits at work. Holding Horatio's gaze, Calleigh kept one hand on his hip while bringing the other one up to gather her hair and bring it over her shoulder. She leaned into Horatio, allowing their upper bodies to come into closer contact as she positioned her lips as close as possible to Horatio's ear.
"And I can think of better things at your apartment to indulge in than dessert, Handsome," she purred, taking a moment to see what effect her actions were having on the man.
Although he had not moved a muscle, she could feel him tense the moment she began speaking. His breathing became more erratic, and she could tell he was now struggling with his control. She glanced down and saw he was gripping the edge of the stool, knuckles white with the effort to keep his hands in place. She gave a throaty chuckle and saw his eyes close in response.
Revenge was sweet, Calleigh decided. She leaned into him one more time, brushing his face with her own so lightly the contact would have been hardly noticeable had there not been so much awareness between them.
"Remember this the next time you decide to play with fire, Horatio," she said, this time making sure her lips actually brushed his earlobe.
Knowing she had carried this game to its absolute limit, she backed off, grabbing the file and walking to the lab door before he had a chance to recover. When she came to the door, Calleigh glanced back over her shoulder at Horatio, who was still seated on the stool. The only part of him that had moved was his head, which had turned to watch her movements. His eyes burned into hers and Calleigh felt the blood sing in her veins. She decided enough was enough. It was time to stop raising the bets and simply call. Her face took on a serious look.
"The only thing I like less than being played with is being kept waiting, Horatio," she said, then turned and exited the lab, allowing the door to close behind her.