Tim walked into Calleigh... well their house and was shocked to find her rushing around.
"Did you lose the baby?" he joked, setting his holster, cell phone, and beeper on the counter.
"No. Remember those earrings you bought me for my birthday a few years back?" Calleigh asked. Now Tim was the typical alpha male and stared at her.
"I got you earrings for your birthday?"
"Yes! The dangly diamond ones!"
"Oh... I thought you threw them out. What about them?"
"Well as you can see Mr. CSI, I have only one of them one. Do you know where the other is?" Calleigh asked. Tim kept a straight face. If she didn't know where it was, how the hell did she expect him to know?
"Oh wait, yeah I do. It's in my secret jewelry box that's hidden until I go cross-dressing." he said. Calleigh smacked him lightly on the arm.
"Then give it back." she laughed.
"How the hell do I know where it is? I've only lived here a few months." Tim called from the living room. "Where's Chrissy?"
"My mom took her for the night." Calleigh replied, walking in. "She set me up on a blind date."
Tim stared at the TV, hoping the shock wasn't visible on his face.
"I uh... I thought you said you were dating until the baby was older."
"Well my mom figured it's been four months. She said, and I quote, that you were never going to get off your ass and propose so she was just going to have to find me a husband herself."
"Oh."
"Tim, I told her we're not... involved like that."
"So why'd she take the baby? I'm not capable of being a father when you're not around?" he snapped.
"No... actually I asked her to."
"Why?"
"What happened to your date tonight?"
"Huh? Oh Jan... uh... we split."
"Oh. I'm sorry." Calleigh said quietly, looking around. "Dammit, I'll just wear another pair."
"So did she tell you who this guy was?"
"No but..." the doorbell rang.
"Is he coming here?" Tim asked.
"My mom..."
"Your mom, your mom, your mom." Tim muttered. Calleigh gave him a look and went to the door and opened it.
"Calleigh!"
"Oh my... Mike?" she asked. The Brad Pitt look-a-like, well he looked that way to Tim at least, nodded and walked in.
"I just moved here and I saw your mom at the store. She said we should get together."
"Yes she did..." Calleigh trailed off. She felt Tim's presence behind her and saw the confused look on Mike's face.
"She didn't say you were seeing anyone..."
"Oh no!" Calleigh laughed lightly. "Mike, this is Tim Speedle. Tim, this is Mike Hoffman."
"Nice to meet you." Tim was the bigger man and extended his hand. Mike shook it stiffly and looked at Calleigh, who glanced up at Tim. "I just stopped by to uh... get back a DVD. I'll be going home now."
Calleigh held back a sigh, knowing he was either go back to the lab or going to Eric's.
S/C-------
"We do have work in the morning." Eric said, watching Tim down another beer.
"I don't give a shit." he slurred.
"Why are you acting like this?"
"Because Calleigh is with some jackass!"
"Where's Christine?"
"With Elizabeth." Tim muttered. "You know what she told Calleigh?"
"What?"
"That I would never propose so she was going to find her a husband herself. What a crock of shit because you know what? You know what Eric?"
"What Speed?"
"I did propose to her. I did and she thought I was doing it because she was pregnant so she said no. Hell no. I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember. She thinks that I don't care about her or Christine, that I'm only there because I feel like I have to. I don't have to. I need to. They're my whole life. She doesn't know how much I love Christine and her. God, I love them so much. Calleigh, I love so much..." Tim let his head flop down onto the table and Eric sighed and pulled the empty bottle out of his hand.
"Time for bed." he said. "Speed, you want to sleep there tonight?"
"Whatever bro." he mumbled. Eric shook his head and turned the light off, then went to bed.
S/C------
Tim pulled his truck into the driveway and was not surprised to see Mike's car still there.
"Just add to my headache." he muttered, walking up the sidewalk to the door. He put his key in the door but Calleigh opened it. "I need my clothes for work."
"What the hell happened to you?"
"I had some fun last night. Just like you." Tim smiled. "I need my clothes for work."
"I've heard. I expected you to call."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I was worried."
"Oh so when you were in the middle of moaning out Mike's name, you were really thinking about mine?" Tim smirked, pushing past her into their house.
"You're a real ass you know that Speedle?"
"Mhmm. So where is he?"
"He left last night."
"His car is still here."
"It broke down so I called him a taxi. The tow truck hasn't come by yet." Calleigh explained as Tim went into the kitchen. "How's your hangover?"
"I don't have a hangover."
"That's why you're searching for the aspirin like a madman."
"I happen to have a headache."
"Yeah those come after you down seven bottles of Corona."
"Eric called you didn't he?"
"He figured he'd let me know your whereabouts since you weren't ready to tell me. So just because your date decided not to come and I had a good time last night, you have to get drunk?"
"Oh so you did have a good time." Tim sneered, popping the tiny tablets into his mouth. He swallowed them and gave Calleigh a pointed stare. "Is he nice?"
"He's friendly."
"Did he kiss you?"
"On the cheek. Jealous?"
"No. Does he know about everything?"
"I don't want to scare him off so soon." Calleigh smiled. "Go get ready for work."
S/C-------
"When are you telling him?"
"Telling him what Alexx?"
"That you love him."
"I don't love him."
"Mhmm, you just have a kid together, live together, but you don't love each other."
"It's easier this way."
"It's complicated this way." Alexx smiled. Calleigh hid a smile and looked at her.
"Can we please get to work?"
"Calleigh, how long are you going to go on like this?"
"I'm with a guy."
"Tim?"
"Alexx..."
"I'm sorry. Go on."
"He's nice and I... it may be serious."
"How serious?"
"I don't know." Calleigh waved her hand as if to brush it off. "If Horatio doesn't find us working then I may not have a job anymore."
Alexx sighed and they got down to business. What was she going to have to do to make Calleigh come to her senses?
