Tim rolled over in bed and he sighed, not being able to sleep. He got out of bed and walked downstairs into the kitchen, grabbing that trusty bottle of vodka of his.
"If you drink that you're going to get a hangover and get a new place to hide the spare key."
Tim dropped the bottle, glass and alcohol flying everywhere. He didn't know why he acted like that. He was obviously still sleeping and as usual, Calleigh was just a dream. She sighed and walked up to him, pulling him away from the counter and sat him down in a chair. Again, she felt real.
"You're bleeding." she said quietly, going through the cabinets. She grabbed the band-aids and a rag and turned back to Tim, who was staring at her. "Don't do this..."
"Do what?" he asked, watching her clean up his hand. He loved the way her skin felt against his and it sent a tingle down his spine.
"Stare at me and then go upstairs, thinking I'm not here."
"Do you know how many times I go through this? Think that you're here and talk with you, you comfort me and then I wake up and you're dead?" Tim asked. Calleigh held the rag on his hand, trying to stop the bleeding. She looked up at him.
"If you go through this so many times then why did you drop the bottle? If you know I'm not real then why did you act like that? Honey, I'm here and I'm sorry. I know what you've been going through." she reached up and touched his rough cheek gently. Tim leaned into her touch. "See? I'm here."
"That doesn't prove anything. This is like the dreams." he said quietly.
"I heard."
"How?"
"I... God you're going to hate me. I've been with Horatio for the past week. Last year I was put into Witness Protection. I'm not even supposed to be here right now. Horatio would kill me if he knew I was here. I was there. I heard you talking and I wanted to come downstairs so badly and never let you go again. Jen saw me. She saw me in the window, watching her and Nicky..." Calleigh's eyes filled with tears as she put the band-aid on Tim's hand. He tilted her chin gently and looked into her green eyes. Now this was not a dream. There was no way in hell that Tim's brain could come of with that scenario.
"Calleigh..."
"I'm sorry." she whispered. Tim wiped away the tears that fell down her cheeks. "I wanted to tell you so badly but I couldn't. If I did then I was putting you and the kids in danger and I couldn't
do that. I would go crazy if something happened to any of you. I would not forgive myself if any of you got hurt because of this."
"Shh..." Tim pulled Calleigh towards him and kissed her. The kisses soon got heated and desperate, neither getting enough of the other. They pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. "Calleigh, I love you. I love you so much."
"I love you too." she pulled him back to her and kissed him passionately. Tim stood up and began pulling her towards the stairs. A year was way too long away from each other.
S/C-------
Tim sighed into Calleigh's hair as they lay entangled in each other's arms.
"You're not leaving are you?" he asked quietly. He felt Calleigh sigh into his shoulder, her hand caressing his hair.
"I have to Tim."
"No."
"Yes I do. If anyone knew I was here..."
"So?"
"So?"
"Calleigh, I just got you back. I don't want to lose you again. This past year has been the hardest of my whole life."
"I know honey. I... I can't stand being away from you and Abbie and Jen and Nicky..."
"At least you didn't think we were dead." Tim muttered. "I... nothing's the same."
"So I caused all this damage huh?"
"I'm not saying it was your fault. I mean, you didn't ask to be put into the program but... I just... I don't want you to leave me again."
"I don't want to leave either." Calleigh said quietly. "But I have to. I won't be gone for much longer. I promise you Tim, I'll be back. And... and I'll be at Horatio's. You can come there. He's rarely home during the day."
"What made you go into the program?" he asked, clinging to her tightly.
"More like who."
"Who?"
"Hank Kerner. He got paroled two years ago and had been following me."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't think it was that important at the time!" Calleigh said quietly.
"Not important?"
"Tim, be quiet! You're going to wake the kids."
"I don't care." he hissed. "How could you say it wasn't important?"
"Well it wasn't like he was coming after me with a gun or anything! I just noticed that this car had been following me and finally I told Horatio and he checked it out. About two months before I went into the program, I started getting death threats. It wasn't my idea! It was Horatio's."
"Horatio knew about this?"
"And Eric and Alexx..."
"Why?"
"Well... no one actually shot me. No one came back to the scene. Eric made it look like I did and Alexx obviously knew because she didn't do my autopsy."
"Your autopsy. Calleigh, I was there! I saw you lying there!"
"I know, I heard you. Oh God Tim that was the hardest thing, hearing you cry over me. I wanted to end it right there but I knew I couldn't because I knew that things were going to begin to escalate and I didn't want to put you and the kids in danger. Sweetheart I never meant to lie to you. I was doing this to protect you."
"So where have you been then?"
"Everywhere. New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Tampa Bay, Austin, New Orleans. They moved me about once every two months. Finally they moved me back here, under Horatio's orders. He said that he'd make sure nothing happened to me. Tim, please don't be angry with me."
Tim was quiet for a few minutes, digesting all the information he had been given.
"I'm not angry with you."
Calleigh lifted Tim's head off her shoulder and looked him in the eye.
"You're not?"
"No."
"Why? I mean..."
Tim shook his head, cutting her off.
"Calleigh, I could not be mad at you even if I tried." he said. "Besides, I'd do the same thing. I don't want anything happening to you or our children. God, I love the four of you so much. You know, they were the only things that got me through this past year."
Calleigh let out a cry and let go of him.
"What?"
"How can you still be so caring?" Calleigh asked, sobs racking her body.
"Because I love you." Tim said in a soothing tone. "Oh honey, come on, please don't cry..."
He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers gently.
"Tim, I ruined our lives! I ruined our kids' lives!" Calleigh cried.
"No, honey you didn't." he lied. (LOL Nice husband) "The only thing that matters is that you're here again. I promise you that nothing's going to happen. We won't have to worry about Kerner, you can come back..."
"It's not that simple Tim."
"Yes it is." he wiped her eyes. "Because I'd rather die than let Kerner get to you. I won't ever let him hurt you."
"I love you Tim." Calleigh murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you so much."
"I love you too Calleigh."
She pulled Tim's face closer to hers and kissed him deeply.
"I want to forget this past year happened. I want to go back to the way we were."
"We can."