Calleigh was putting the finishing touches to the dessert she had made when the doorbell rang. She smoothed down the skirt of her dress before walking to answer it.
"Horatio." She smiled as she opened the door. "You're right on time."
"I feel underdressed." Horatio said.
"I was just trying on the dress I bought today, what do you think?" Calleigh asked.
"You look great Cal."
"Thank you." She smiled. "Maybe you should come in."
"Thank you."
"And lose the sunglasses." Calleigh suggested as she closed the door. Horatio took off his sunglasses and put them in his pocket. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Whatever you're having will be fine."
"Ice tea?" Calleigh questioned.
"Sounds great."
"Make yourself at home and I'll be right back."
Horatio looked around Calleigh's apartment; he had been there several times but only as part of a group. He scanned the bookshelves; the throw on the back of the couch, the room was very decidedly Calleigh.
"You can process the place if you want but I'm not sure you'd find anything interesting." Calleigh said after observing him for a minute. It was the looking he got when he was surveying a crime scene.
"I'm sorry did you say something?" Horatio asked.
"I said you can get out the luminal and the ALS if you want but I doubt you'd find much except when maybe some blood when I cut my toe walking into the coffee table in the dark." Horatio gave her a curious look. "You had the look you get when you're trying to figure out what happened at a crime scene." Calleigh explained.
"I see."
"Ice tea." She held out the glass to him.
"Thank you." He said taking it.
"Dinner should be another ten minutes; I turned down the temperature in case you got held up. Do you want to sit down?"
Horatio walked over and sat down.
"Did I miss anything interesting today?"
"No." Horatio replied.
"You know Horatio it's easier to have a conversation if you can muster the ability to string more than one or two words."
"I'm sorry Cal, this seems a little awkward."
"Horatio you know where I stand on this and you've had 58 hours to think this over. I just need to know one way or the other so we can get back to some semblance of normality."
"Cal, I..." The phone ringing interrupted what he was about to say.
"Hold that thought." Calleigh put her glass on the table and got up and walked over and picked up the phone. "Hello."
"Calleigh, it's Rob from the Bass House Bar, your father is here."
"How long has he been there?"
"A couple of hours I think. I just started my shift; the new girl didn't know to cut him off after a couple of drinks."
"I'll be right there to pick him up."
"I'm sorry to have disturbed your evening."
"It comes with the territory and I wouldn't have given you my number if I didn't want you to call. I'll be twenty minutes and try to give him some coffee."
"We're working on that now." Rob assured her.
"Thank you for calling me." Calleigh hung up. She sighed before turned around. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to take a rain check on dinner."
"Is everything okay Cal?" Horatio asked.
"Umm, I have to go." She moved to grab her purse and then realised what she had on. "I have to change." She started to head towards her bedroom. "Why did I listen to Alexx?" She muttered under her breath.
"Calleigh." Horatio said putting his hand on her arm to stop her.
"Horatio I don't have time right now."
"Tell me what's going on."
"My father is an alcoholic and is drunk in a bar, I have to go and pick him up again. Is that enough information for you? I have to get out of this ridiculous dress that I shouldn't have bought and go and pick him up. I'm sorry about dinner; I'll see you at work tomorrow." She wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Calleigh, I'm going to tell you what we're going to do okay? You're going to change out of that dress, which by the way, you look great in."
"You should have seen the one that made me look like a hooker." Calleigh mumbled.
"You're going to change and I'm going to switch off the oven, then I'm going to drive you to pick up your father okay?"
"Horatio, my dysfunctional family isn't your problem."
"Calleigh, I know this isn't the best time to say this but, I care about you and I want to help you out with your research." He tucked a loose hair behind her ear. "Go and change and we'll go and get your father."
"Horatio..." Calleigh started to say.
"It'll be okay Cal." He kissed her forehead. "Hurry up."
TBC
