This is where we Jump The Shark...

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A knock at the door to Calleigh's apartment revealed Horatio on her step.

'Hi!' she greeted him 'Come in!'

'I heard you were babysitting' he smiled, crossing the threshold

'Yeah,' she said closing the door, 'just after you left us, Eric and Speed introduced themselves as my 'work brothers' and decided they needed to take Junior out so to discuss 'their little sister growing up'. I'm slightly worried'

'Hmm' Horatio chuckled. He followed Calleigh through a door and into a pastel yellow room, which also held a sleeping Amelia who lay sprawled out on the couch. Her blonde hair (an obvious Duquesne trait observed Horatio) half covering her face.

'She fell asleep while we were watching Nemo' she beamed. (Motherhood agrees with her thought Horatio) 'I was just about to carry her up when the doorbell rang'

'Want me to?'

'Sure' she smiled as Horatio took off his jacket and laid it upon the couch, before carefully slipping his arms underneath Amelia's neck and legs. Calleigh grabbed her Eeyore plushie and followed them up the stairs.

-

'Just in here' she whispered, guiding Horatio into a room. She pulled back the covers on the small spare bed and stepped back to watch him gently place Amelia on the pillows, then step back to allow Calleigh access. Crouching down, she carefully prised the sunglasses from her hand and placed them on the bedside table. Amelia stirred slightly, turning onto her side. Calleigh placed the worn Eeyore next to her and pulled the covers up to her neck. She gently moved her little fringe, placed a kiss on her forehead whispering 'Sweet dreams ladybug' then joined Horatio at the door.

'You're really good with her you know' he whispered

'You're not to bad yourself' she smiled, quietly closing the door behind them. 'You want a drink?'

'Sure'

-

Calleigh joined Horatio on the couch with 2 glasses and a bottle of wine. 'You know, she hasn't let go of those glasses all night'

Horatio smiled

'You can get them back tomorrow when they go home'

'She can keep them'

'No, she cant do that' Calleigh shook her head

'Okay, well tell her that I'll get them back next time she comes to visit her Aunt Calleigh, that way you'll get to see her again soon'

Her smile turned sad as she looked into her glass. 'You're going to miss her' he observed

'So much' I don't get to see them that much, with them back in Louisiana and me here. And now Lynette with having a little boy soon…'

'You're afraid you're never going to see him?'

'Yeah. I mean, I get pictures sent to me by Junior and my mom, but it not the same as seeing them grow up in front of you'

'No its not. You'll just have to actually use your holidays and go visit them' he joked 'and them you'

Calleigh nodded smiling. Only Horatio could make it sound so simple.

'Okay, enough about me.' Ever the one to divert conversations away from herself, 'What about you?'

'What about me?'

'Do you see any kiddies in your future?' She asked brightly, snuggling into the couch cushions.

'Hmm' he smiled at her 'subtle' change of subject. 'Well I'd hope, but I'm running out of time though'

'Shush you!'

'hmm. I've always seen 2 girls and boy'

'You'd be a good father' she smiled, taking the last sip of her wine and refilling her own and Horatio's glasses. 'Did you get as far as names for them?'

'Well I know Horatio certainly isn't one' he chuckled taking a drink

'Aww why? I like Horatio, its unique and…special'

'It's not so great when you're in high school'

'Ahh'

'Yeah' he smiled 'but I've always said Annalise'

'Annalise Caine – That's so adorable' she grinned

'Thank you. It was my mom' A look of pride and longing flashed across his features, of which Calleigh caught and promised never to forget. He took another drink, asking 'What about you? Any little ones?'

'I've always wanted a family, but then I think to my own childhood and think 'maybe not''

'You can't let that destroy your chances. If anything, it would probably make you an even better mother, you'd appreciate what not to do and when'

'Yeah, I suppose you're right' Once again, leave it to Horatio to make it sound so simple.

'Any names?'

She picked at her cuticles, saying 'Erm, every time I allowed myself to think that far ahead…something would always happen to set me back a few more years. Dad…work…men'

'You can't give up'

'Oh no. Lord no. I would never give up. I suppose I'm just scared of getting my hopes up only for them to be destroyed in the grandest scale'

'Well what about marriage?'

'I'd love for that to be in my future…but so far… the right guy hasn't been in my present. But what about you? You've done the whole marriage thing. No kids?'

'No. We were too young. She was an up-and-coming lawyer. I'd just made it into the bomb squad. I suppose you could say we were more married to our jobs than we were each other. We had discussed children, but decided it wouldn't have been fair on them'

During his answer, Calleigh had begun to rub her neck and shoulder, which elicited a concerned look from Horatio. 'I'm not used to carrying Amelia all day'

'Turn around, I'll massage it for you' to which she complied.

'So you would consider marriage again?' she asked, trying to get back on subject

'Sure, if she were the right girl'

Calleigh nodded taking another sip from her wine. '…You know what we should do?'

'What's that?'

'Make a pact' she rolled her head to the right for Horatio's healing touch to explore more twists and knots

'What kind of pact?'

'The kind that I recently found out that Eric and Speed have. Eric with a girl from college and Speed with Kerry Delgado from the lab.' She sipped her drink. 'You see, they've made a pact that if they're not married by a certain age…they marry each other'

'Speed and Delgado?'

Calleigh spun to face Horatio again, with a mischievous look 'I know, I've always thought it was more than just DNA with those two'

'Hmm…so you think we should make such a pact?'

'Sure, I mean, that way we'd both ensure that we had that family we'd always thought about.' Her smile turned cautious, 'That is, of course, if you'd want to marry me'

'Without question. It's whether you'd want to marry me'

'More than you could know' she sheepishly replied, keeping eye-contact

'Okay, so what ages?' Horatio asked, placing his drink back on the table. Willing his heart to slow the accelerated beating

'Erm…lets say…by the time you're 46 and I'm 32'

'Calleigh, you're 31 and I'm 45 right now'

She looked at him with a mock-disappointed/deep-thought gaze, 'you're right, that wouldn't give us a lot of time to plan'.

'And we still haven't been on out first date'

She intensified the look 'That's true'. Blood was loudly rushing to her ears.

'So we should go on that pretty soon'

'We should'

'Tomorrow at seven?'

'I could make that' she shrugged her shoulders, but her smile was breaking through her façade. She put her drink next to Horatio's on the table and edged closer to her…fiancé?

'So do we shake on this pact or something?' he asked, also closing the distance

'I'm not sure. Eric and Speed never really gave me the particulars' she edged that little bit closer

'That's a shame' Horatio tucked a strand of hair behind her ear 'maybe we should invent our own'

Calleigh looked at him with that mischievous/innocent look that he couldn't get enough of 'What did you have in mind Lt. Caine?' Their noses were practically touching

'Oh I don't know…' Their lips touched.

Years of hidden desire and forbidden attraction manifested into a tender but passionate kiss that made Calleigh tingle to her toes

'Well, that's that then…I guess we're getting married' She told, reluctantly breaking away.

'I guess we are' he beamed 'Ill pick you up at seven?'

'Ill be here' she replied watching him rise from his seat

'Ill let you and Amelia enjoy the rest of your night. Ill let myself out'

She heard the door latch and brought her fingers up to her lips, still able to feel the sensation of Horatio's upon her own. Snapping back into reality, she grabbed the cordless from the table. Quickly dialling the number as if it were the only one left in her mind, she waited for an answer.

'Alexx Woods'

'Alexx, It's Calleigh'

'Hi Sugar, how are you?'

'Engaged'

'…Say that again?'

'Alexx, I'm engaged'

'To who!' Her voice rose an octave

'Horatio' Calleigh replied, matter of factly

'You're engaged…to Horatio' Alexx said, unsure if it was a question or a statement

'Yeah' She couldn't contain it any longer, her voice had squeaked!

'Oh my god! Details!'

'Can you come over?'

'Ill be there in 5'

She clicked off and Calleigh replaced the phone on the table, her smile still ear-to-ear.


A/N - Did I ruin it with this chapter:s lol