Title: His Last Case

Disclaimer: Violence. Hints of slash.

POV: Calleigh (the POV will change with each chapter)

Chapter One: Always Smiling

Monday Morning
Roughly 4 days and 16 hours earlier

I plop down in one of the break-room chairs. The room is actually quiet for once. But that will al change later. I sip my hot coffee. I am not the first one in this morning. I passed Horatio's office a few minutes ago and he was buried in paperwork; figuratively speaking.

Alexx walks in; a cup of coffee in her right hand, half a bagel in her left.

"Good morning, Calleigh," she says.

"Morning, Alexx."

She settles in the chair across from me. "So, tell me all about it. I want to hear all the details."

"Details about what?" I smile, knowing full well what she means.

"Come on; tell me about your date. Girl to girl."

"Well," I think it over. Do I tell her everything? I decide to. "Okay. John picked me up at my house at 7pm."

"What was he wearing?"

"He was wearing a pair of black dress pants, a plain white T-shirt, and get this, sneakers."

Alexx looks shocked. "Please don't tell me he took you somewhere fancy."

"Nope."

"So, where did he take you?"

"First, he took me for a walk along the beach. We ate at a burger hut. Not very romantic but things got better. He took me to a shooting range."

Alexx smiles. "He sure knows what you like."

"Yep."

"Keep going."

I sip my coffee again. "I don't know how he did it but a Marine was there. I got to test some new guns. After that-"

Alexx interrupts me. "It wasn't over yet?"

I shake my head. "He takes me to this club and we spend the next three hours dancing."

"Three hours? What time did you get home, girl?"

I shrug. "Sometime around 1 or 2am."

Alexx leans close to me. "Did he kiss you?"

"Now hold on," I smile. "Let me finish. In a very gentlemanly way, he walked me to my door." I lean close to her. "He did kiss me. But not on the lips. On the cheek."

"Really? Who knew Hagen could be romantic. You two gonna go out again?"

I nod, which makes Alexx beam. At that moment we are joined by Speed and Delko. They both nod at us but say nothing. They are too busy with each other. They leave, Alexx and me watching them.

"You think there's something going on with those two?" Alexx asks.

I turn back to her. "What do you mean?"

"It might just be me, but I think they might be more than friends."

"Now why would you think that?"

I try not to let Alexx know that I have a secret.

"They never seem to date. Haven't you noticed that?" She asks.

"Yes."

She looks at her watch. "Well, girl, I have to be getting to the morgue. Be seeing you."

We say our goodbyes. My watch tells me I need to go too. I throw away my empty coffee cup and head for the Ballistic Lab. On my way I pass by Trace. Inside I see Speed and Delko laughing over something. I smile. I poke my head in.

"Hey, boys, morning."

"Morning, Calleigh," Delko replies.

Speed smiles coyly. "What were you and Alexx talking about?"

I think about telling them They have been honest with me.

"How about this, you two treat me to dinner and I'll tell you."

"Deal," Delko says.

"Dinner?" Asks Speed. "We have to wait for dinner?"

"Suffer," I giggle.

I leave them with smiles on their faces. Valera and I exchange waves as I walk by. Momentarily I stop at the front desk. Still no messages from my father. We had a fight three nights ago about his drinking. We hadn't spoken since.

I sigh in despair. I turn back toward Ballistics only to run into Horatio. Literally.

"Woah, where you going in such a rush?" He asks.

"Sorry, H, off to play with guns. Night shift is behind and they asked if I would help."

H smiles. I love when he smiles, it always shows in his eyes. "Don't stress your self out over their work."

"I promise I won't."

"Have you seen the boys?" He asks.

"Last time I saw them they were in Trace. Why? Did we get a call?"

H puts his hands on his hips. "Sort of. I'm sending Delko and Speed to check on a disappearance. Alexx is going to meet you at a school."

My mood goes downhill. "Oh no, a school?"

H nods. "High school senior found dead this morning."

"What about you?"

"You're kind of flying solo on this one. I have a meeting."

We parted company. I had no problems flying solo. It was a way to show Horatio just how capable I was. Sad, though, that I had to check out the death of a kid. Delko and Speed pass by. We all smile. Too bad this would be the last time any of us would smile this week.