A/N - I suppose you could call this 'Chapter 1a', because I'd already written out chapter 2, but decided to explore the sibling relationship a wee bit more :)


The hummer pulled to a stop just off the beach. Junior helped Amelia to unbuckle herself and run off into the sand, while Calleigh grabbed her purse and locked up. She linked arms with Kenny as they followed the youngster on the golden sand.

'She looks so cute!' Calleigh exclaimed, watching Amelia's little sundress flounce about as she chased the waves.

Amelia sat down in the sand and started to take off her socks and shoes, leaving them in the middle of the beach before running back into the sea. She only went up to her ankles, but I was enough to make her squeal with excitement.

Calleigh and Kenny giggled as they made their way up to the perma-smiled child, who's sunhat was now at their feet thanks to a gust of wind. Amelia put a hand to her head as if to say 'I'm sure I had a hat on when I came here!' and she spun around and ran back up her dad.

'Daddy, please tell Mr. Wind not to steal my hat'

'I will, sweetness, don't you worry.' Kenny reassured her, crouching down to her small height to put her hat back on her, 'Now don't go to far okay?'

'Okay' she smiled, running back to the waves.

Kenny fell back onto the sand from his position and put his arms out behind him for support. Calleigh joined.

'It's so great to you two'

'It's great to see you too'

'I cant believe how much Amelia's grown! I hardly get to see her'

'You get pictures'

'Yeah, but its not the same as seeing her take off her hat, dunk it in the sea, then put it back on her head'

'huh?' Kenny asked. He followed Calleigh's pointed finger, 'Amelia, the fish don't want to wear your hat'

'Okay daddy!' she called back, her white sunhat with little red cherries now stuck to her face and dripping on to her matching dress. Calleigh stifled a giggle.

'You're a really good father you know'

'Thanks, I'm just kinda winging it from day-to-day' he replied, looking to his frolicking daughter, 'I didn't exactly have a good role-model of how to do the fatherly thing'

'No, we didn't really, did we?'

'I had a good motherly role model though' he smiled, nudging Calleigh with his shoulder.

Calleigh smiled, looking down to her lap. 'So how long are you in town?'

'Only till tomorrow. Lynette just wanted to 'Lynette time' to get the nursery ready and to veg out'

'She's not got long left now' Calleigh shook her head. It seemed like only yesterday she was saying that to Kenny about Amelia, now she was 5 and getting a little brother! She couldn't help but think about what she'd achieved in that half-a-decade: 3 broken relationships; 33, no…34, convictions; and level 2 status.

Junior spotted the sullen look on his big sister's face. 'Hey, you're going to meet somebody. You're going to have lots of little babies and teach them all how to fire a 9mm glock, okay?'

Calleigh chuckled at his statement 'How do you always know exactly what to say to a woman?'

A mock-smug look spread across his face as he breathed on his knuckles and wiped them on shirt, 'I know my stuff'

After Calleigh half-snorted, half-laughed, he went on 'Anyway, by the way you talk on the phone, I'd say you'd already met him'

'What? Who?' she asked, as if I don't know.

'Horatio'

'What! No, he's-he's my boss'

'So?' Junior replied as if it was the stupidest reason he'd ever heard

'So there's like…9 rules against it'

'So you've looked?' A smug smile was spreading across his handsome features. Not many people could get Calleigh Duquesne flustered, but Kenny Duquesne was a master.

Blowing out air through her mouth, raising her eyebrows and slightly shaking her head 'No'

'Oh, right' he said with a voice as if he'd just got what she meant, 'so the CSI handbook, that you haven't needed to look in for, oh 6 years, just happened to fall onto your lap at the exact page that told of inter-company relationships'

Realising just how silly she'd sounded, 'Hey, I thought I was supposed to be the detective of this family'

'Yeah, but I was always better at it than you' he shrugged off

'Oh really!' swatting his arm

'Really!' Junior told, throwing a handful of sand

Throwing some back, she called in backup 'Amelia! Come save you're aunt Calleigh from mean daddy!'

Amelia came bounding up the sand and threw herself on top of her daddy who made a wounded sound before playing dead.

'Thank you Ladybug!' Calleigh said excitedly, slapping hands with her saviour.

Amelia let out a squeal of laughter as her father 'suddenly' regained consciousness and proceeded to tickle her mercilessly. He stood up and swung her round onto his hip.

'Who wants ice cream?' Calleigh asked, happier than she'd been in a long time

'Me! Me! Me!' Amelia shouted excitedly, sticking her hand in the air. Junior copied, which caused Calleigh to close to eyes, chuckling 'Oh Lord'

Calleigh and Junior, with little Amelia in her fathers arms, manoeuvred their way through the sunbathing crowds to the beach hut just down the way. Calleigh looked over to her little brother, he was only asking Amelia what ice cream she wanted, but it was sight that would stay with her the rest of her life.

...TBC...