A/N: Uh … long time, no see. I know. I'm awfully sorry. I could give reasons for that, there are plenty of them. Only most of them aren't very interesting and the rest is rather private. Let's just say that, for a while, I was not in the right mood to write this, and I wanted the finale to be perfect.
Apart from that, the usual disclaimers still apply, if anyone still remembers them :)
Chapter 9: In Conclusion
The day crept by as if in slow-motion. Whenever Calleigh checked her watch, only five or six minutes had passed. Now that Preston had been hauled away, everyone was confined to doing paperwork on the case, as IAB demanded a thorough report. Instead of being relieved about seeing the case solved – and with no criminal involvement of a CSI member at that – IAB seemed to feel slighted by the fact that they never even got around to using their up-to-the-minute detection systems on someone's pulse and respiration.
The headquarters had been restored to normal, the evidence tape been removed and the makeshift assembly room in the interrogation chamber had been abandoned in favor of the respective labs and offices.
Speed and Eric had done most of the actual processing, so they had retreated to face the load of paperwork awaiting them.
Alexx was in the morgue, cleaning up and finishing on her report on Evan Taylor.
The lab techs were slowly filing in again, taking over their workplaces once more, trying to continue their tasks where they had left off.
Horatio was probably in his office, writing down the facts of the tragedy in words sober enough for IAB to digest them.
Calleigh wanted nothing more than to go see him. At the same time, she wanted nothing more than to hide from him. She glanced at her watch once more, trying to decide whether she could justify taking a break yet.
11.30 a.m., not even two hours since Tripp had led Preston away. Two hours since the case had been closed, and already normality was threatening to take over again. Calleigh understood the need for everyone to get on with their work, their lives … but personally, she couldn't.
Things had changed.
It was not only the subdued feeling of apprehension and mourning that hang around the place like a tangible fog of fear. Someone had walked in and poisoned them. People could not be expected to feel safe again just because the attack itself was in the past. Naturally, the aftereffects would linger on.
But that was not the heart of the matter.
There were also some matters of the heart to be considered. It definitely qualified as inappropriate to even remotely ponder these thoughts at a time like this, but Calleigh couldn't help thinking of Horatio's behavior towards her over the course of the last few days.
Had he been shaken by the case to a degree that had prompted him to reach out for her and allow her some insights she would not have been able to extract from this highly private person in any other set of circumstances? In other words, had he leaned on her because she was there? Or had the catastrophe around them simply acted as a means to expose his feelings for her as a person? Was she really the target of his concerns and affection the way he had indicated she was?
It was time she found out.
She was still considering leaving her place of escape in firearms when a voice sounded from the doorway.
"Knock, knock."
"Horatio," she acknowledged his presence with a smile, but couldn't help feeling defensive all of a sudden. His timing, as always, was impeccable. Had he guessed she'd been thinking about him?
"Calleigh?" He immediately abandoned the doorway and gave her an open look. Expectant.
She felt insecure for no apparent reason and tried to hide it behind a purely professional demeanor. "What is it?"
"Can I convince you to get out of here for a moment?"
She didn't even know herself what made her hesitate. "I'm not finished here." She tried to look apologetic, but to Horatio she probably seemed evasive.
He edged closer to her desk, carefully, as if he was crossing more than a physical distance.
"Is this for IAB?" he asked, nodding towards the folders she had stashed there.
"Yes, it is. Look, Horatio …"
He cut her short. "Calleigh, I really think paperwork can wait. This can't."
She blinked, curiosity getting the better of her. "Horatio, what are you talking about?"
He held her gaze. "Us."
~*~
"What's there to see?"
"Hm."
"Earth to Delko. What is it?"
Eric shifted in front of the window and gave Speed a puzzled look. "Horatio and Calleigh."
"What about them?"
"They just left."
"Come on, they just checked back in a couple hours ago."
"And now they're taking off again," Eric insisted. Grumpily, Speed got up from the table and walked to the window. He was just in time to see the Hummer depart from the CSI parking lot.
He leaned against the window frame and crossed his arms. "And you're sure it was them?"
Eric rolled his eyes. "Actually, no. Could have been anyone driving off in Horatio's car."
"You can save the sarcasm for someone who appreciates it, you know."
Eric shrugged in place of an answer. After a moment of silence, Speed returned to the desk where he had been sitting. "I'm just wondering what's up with them."
"How do you mean?"
"You know," Speed mused, "from what Tripp told us, they apparently spent the night here." He vaguely gestured towards the table as if their boss and his ballistics expert had camped out on the desk. "Still they're not here when Tripp arrives with the suspect they chased him after. They help make an arrest, and next thing you know, they're heading off again before anyone gets the chance to speak to either of them."
Eric nodded. "Yeah. Something's going on with them."
Speed regarded the paperwork in front of him and considered. It took him mere moments to reach a decision. "Feel like grilling Alexx about it?"
Eric looked at his friend for an instant. Then, completely earnest, he said, "Best idea you had all day."
~*~
Calleigh turned to him with a look that clearly said "so talk". Horatio seemed not so sure about what to say anymore. Deep down she had agreed that staying at headquarters in the aftermath of the hurricane was not helping things. But if this was the alternative she might have been better off at the crimelab. This might be "neutral territory", but it still scared her with all the implications it carried.
Horatio had steered the Hummer through the light midday traffic with ease and – more importantly – in complete silence. At first, Calleigh had thought he was biding time, cruising around aimlessly, but then she had realized his intended destination.
The beach.
That beach.
The one they had driven to on the very first day of the case, when Horatio had first let his distant business-manner slip. Had that only been days ago? It seemed like ages.
The last time they'd been here, they had stayed by the car in the parking lot set slightly above the beach, overlooking the ocean and the sunset.
This time, Horatio obviously intended to walk down to the beach, so Calleigh followed.
She realized he had chosen the location last time, as he had chosen it today. Was there a reason behind this choice of scene?
"Calleigh …" he stopped short at her name and shot her a quick sideways glance as if to judge her reaction. He didn't continue, though, so they just walked on in silence.
The beach was quiet, almost empty. It was a beautiful place, all white sand and rolling waves. Horatio was scanning the place seemingly absent-minded. The sun was high in the sky, and he was squinting. Calleigh almost stalled when she realized he was not wearing his trademark sunglasses.
This could be a good sign or a bad, but it definitely carried some significance. She could not recall a single occasion on which Horatio had not donned his shades the minute he got outside. Her musings were interrupted when Horatio spoke up again.
"I usually come here alone."
"You do?" she asked, surprised by the fact that he offered forth information about himself.
"Sometimes. After cases."
She understood what he was saying. After cases. After those that were worse than the rest. Like now.
"Does it help?" she wanted to know.
He didn't answer right away. Instead he reached out for her and stopped her progress with a hand on her arm. He didn't remove his hand even as she finally stood facing him. "The ocean doesn't. But …" he broke off for a second, as if he had to gather all his strength to talk on, "… it does help me think of you. And that helps."
Calleigh looked from his face to his hand on her arm. She wanted to say something, anything, but words escaped her.
"Calleigh … if I have overstepped any boundaries, I'm sorry. But…"
She cut him short. "Don't give me an explanation, Horatio. None is needed."
He seemed to ponder this statement and all the implications for a moment. Then, still hesitatingly, he raised his hand from her arm to her face and tentatively cupped her cheek. Tilting his head, he inched a little closer to her. When he spoke, his voice was barely audible.
"Calleigh, stop me, or this is going to happen."
She didn't move or say a word, but still he hesitated half-way towards her, searching her eyes for any trace of doubt or rejection.
When their lips finally touched, it was almost too much. This had been building for months and was now threatening to overwhelm them both.
Calleigh was vaguely aware of the fact that both his hands were on either side of her face now, and she registered that she was holding on to him as well, but other than that, conscious thoughts eluded her. The kiss intensified, becoming more passionate, and she leaned in to him covering the distance between them completely. His arms came up behind her back and he pressed her to him, as if he still had to reassure himself that she was really there.
When they finally broke apart, Calleigh knew something had been irreversibly shifted. Whatever else happened, things would not be the same after today. This was huge, and almost a little frightening.
Neither of them seemed to be willing to speak first, so finally Horatio settled for just taking her into his arms again. Holding her tight, he rested his chin on her head. Calleigh closed her eyes and leaned in to him. Finally something felt right.
~*~
"You won't believe this," Eric told Speed and Alexx, snapping the mobile shut. "That was H again – guess what?"
"They're not checking back in today?" Alexx suggested with a half-smile.
"How do you know?" Eric was stunned.
"You're somehow in on this, right?" Speed chimed in.
They had sought out Alexx to see if she could offer any information on the strange behavior of Horatio and Calleigh. They had cornered the ME in the morgue, but before they could squeeze any info out of her, Eric's cell phone had interrupted the interrogation.
"I don't know anything more than you do, boys," Alexx now explained with a grin, "but I wouldn't be surprised at all if we had to get used to getting a lot more calls like that in the future."
"You mean about them not checking back in?"
"No, I mean one of them calling on the behalf of both of them."
There was a moment of silence. Then, Alexx could have sworn she heard the pieces falling into place. The way her two colleagues were suddenly staring at each other open-mouthed spoke volumes. After all, they *had* been hired on account of their good abilities of deduction. Alexx kept grinning.
"Oh, come on, I knew there was … something … going on with them, but you're not suggesting they're …" Speed said, surprise getting in the way of adept articulation.
Eric was not much more eloquent at the moment. "Nah, come on. They're not … they couldn't … I mean, we'd know if they did."
"Then what would you two suggest is going on?" Alexx countered.
Speed scoffed. "They're probably just working on something else."
Alexx couldn't help laughing at the comment. "I guess that's one way of putting it, Timmy." Giving each of her friends a teasing pat on the shoulder, Alexx headed for the exit, leaving two completely stunned CSIs in the empty morgue.
