Title: Kryptonite 1/6

Author: Melanie-Anne

Email: melani_anne@yahoo.com

Rating: PG-13

Archive: Anywhere, just let me know so I can visit.

Summary: Seven years ago, Horatio's testimony put a man behind bars. Now he's out and he's looking for revenge. [Horatio/Calleigh]

Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me, I'm just borrowing them for a while. When I'm done I'll dust them off and return them as good as new. Except maybe Horatio, I think I'll keep him for a while ;o)

A/N: This is the first in a series of stories, some of which will be darker than others. If you can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to your favorite characters, then you probably shouldn't read this. That said, I'm a huge believer in fairytales and happy endings (it'll just take a while to get there ::grin::)

* * *

The sun's rays were just starting to peer through the blinds when Calleigh quietly slipped out of the bed. She gathered her clothes which were strewn carelessly on the floor and tiptoed to the bathroom where she quickly got dressed. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, she raised her fingers to her lips, still bruised with kisses. She outlined the marks his teeth had left on her shoulder; she could still feel his mouth against her skin.

She had to focus. She took a deep breath then splashed cold water on her face. She combed her fingers through her tangled hair then gave up and pulled it back into a loose ponytail.

On her way out, she looked once more at the man sleeping in the bed. Tears burning her eyes, she turned away. The best thing to do would be to forget this night had ever happened, she thought miserably.

It was easier said than done. In three hours she would have to face him at work. And then there was tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that . . .

She hurried to her car. When he'd called her as she was dropping her father off at home, she should have pretended everything was fine. When he'd asked her if she'd wanted to talk, she should have said she was okay. When he'd invited her over, she shouldn't have gone. When he'd kissed her, she should have left.

The worst thing was that she'd now screwed up any chance of a future relationship between them. She knew what she felt for him, but she wasn't sure if he felt the same or if he had simply been lonely.

For the first time since working in Miami, Calleigh dreaded going in to work.

* * *

"You look like something the cat dragged in," Speed remarked as Calleigh came into the break room in search of coffee.

"Thanks. You know just how to make a girl's day." She thought if she didn't look at him, it would be easier to pretend she was fine.

"Rough night?"

You have no idea, she thought. When she heard Horatio's voice from the hallway, she jumped, almost spilling her coffee. When he walked through the door, her heart dropped.

"Speed, Calleigh. A body washed up on the beach this morning. Bernstein's going to meet you there."

Calleigh breathed a sigh of relief; so he was going to pretend that everything was normal. Good.

As she followed Speed out the door, Horatio grabbed her arm. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes, afraid of what she'd find in them. Horatio had the most intense eyes of anyone she knew, and she was certain that if she looked in them, she'd break.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

She nodded. His touch brought back memories of their heated contact the night before; perversely, she had no strength to pull away. He pressed something into her hand.

"You left this behind."

She looked down at her thin gold ankle chain. She hadn't even noticed it was missing. Closing her palm around it, she mumbled a thank you.

"We need to talk," he said.

"I have to go . . . Speed . . . the beach . . ."

"When you get back, then."

She nodded, but had absolutely no intention of talking about what had happened. For now though, she had a reprieve and hurried away to join Speed. Hopefully the case would get her mind off Horatio for a while.

* * *

Horatio joined Alexx in the autopsy bay, his thoughts only half on the body lying before them. He was worried about Calleigh. When he'd woken to find her gone, he'd realized he'd made a mistake. Calleigh had been upset the night before and she'd been looking for a friend, not someone to take advantage of her vulnerability. Horatio knew he wasn't perfect, and the way he'd completely ignored Calleigh's feelings the night before was proof of that. Just because he was ready to take their relationship further, didn't mean she was, he thought. He wanted to apologize and to explain. And maybe salvage what they had. Calleigh was too precious to lose because of this.

"Horatio? Are you listening?" Alexx stood looking at him, her hands on her hips. Horatio forced himself to concentrate.

"Yeah. What do you have for me?"

Alexx slowly turned the victim's wrists upwards. Deep gashes marred the skin, and Horatio could see bone. "Tox screen showed a high blood alcohol level but no drugs. The wounds are consistent with what you'd expect from self-infliction. This guy wasn't murdered, Horatio."

He nodded. "So, he got drunk. Maybe he couldn't bring himself to do it sober."

Alexx sighed. "What a waste."

"I'll go tell the family." As he made his way back to his office, his thoughts returned to Calleigh. 'I'm glad you're my friend,' she'd said, hugging him, and the kiss, which had started out chaste, had quickly turned into something more. And then he was helpless to turn back.

He shut the door behind him and leaned against it, groaning. He had a feeling that this was going to be one of the longest days of his life.

* * *

Finally, mercifully, the day came to its end. Calleigh had managed to successfully avoid crossing paths with Horatio. She sensed he might be purposely giving her space and she wondered how long her luck would hold out. If she hurried, she could leave before he came looking for her.

She hung up her lab coat and when she turned around, he was there. "Calleigh." He said her name as a caress.

"Umm, I have to go." She made no move to pass him, but self-consciously crossed her arms.

"I was hoping we could go somewhere and talk."

She looked past his shoulder at the open door. It seemed incredibly far away. She closed her eyes. Even now, her traitorous body leaned towards him. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Calleigh, please." His voice was low, husky, and made her want to cry.

"I'm sorry, Horatio. I have to go." She grabbed her bag and swept past him. She didn't dare look back as she made a beeline for her car. Her cell phone rang and rang and rang until it went to voicemail. She didn't care who it was; she didn't want to speak to anyone right now.

She had been wrong; this was going to be harder than she thought.

* * *

Although he'd lived alone for years, this was the first time Horatio's house felt empty. Calleigh had been there and then she had left, and Horatio had never felt her absence more than he did now. He sighed and sank down onto his couch. He'd had his chance and it hadn't worked, and now he had to live with it.

Maybe Calleigh just needed time, he thought. Maybe there was still hope. He decided he would keep trying; she was worth it.

He tried to call her again but this time the phone didn't even ring before going to voice mail. When he tried her home number, the answering machine picked up. He didn't know what to say so he just asked her to call when she got the message.

* * *

After a sleepless night of tossing and turning and reaching for someone who wasn't there, Horatio was glad to get to work. Calleigh would be there, and even if she wouldn't speak to him, at least he could see her.

She and Speed were supposed to hand their report to Horatio. When she didn't arrive, Speed remarked that he hoped she was okay.

"Why do you say that?" Horatio asked.

"She just seemed bummed yesterday. But she didn't want to talk about it."

Horatio nodded, then reached for the phone. Again, he got both voicemail and the machine. "Let's take a drive," he said to Speed. Some primal part of him knew something wasn't right and he silently echoed Speed's earlier wish that Calleigh was okay.

When they arrived at Calleigh's house, her car was parked outside. Horatio knocked on the door, calling her name. Five minutes later, both men were sufficiently worried enough to break in.

Calleigh's bag was on the coffee table, her cell phone lying next to it. Horatio checked the machine; Calleigh had got his message from the previous night. Her bed was unmade, pajamas tossed carelessly on the covers.

"Maybe she went jogging," Speed suggested.

"Instead of coming to work?"

Speed shrugged. "Maybe she needed to take the day off. I got the idea that whatever was bugging her was pretty big. Let's leave a note. She'll call when she gets it."

Even as Horatio scribbled the short message, he couldn't help thinking that Speed was wrong. He knew Calleigh; he knew how important her job was to her. She was too professional to let anything get in the way of her work.

Except this wasn't just anything. Something was wrong, and Horatio had no proof except the feeling in his gut.