State of Mind
Disclaimer: In the first three chapters, nothing's changed. Mild language.
Chapter 4
The breeze felt good as it whipped around her body. She had come out to the deserted beach to think and sort things out . Being in this serene place had helped her to relax ,and she felt as the stress started to fall off of her shoulders and sighed with relief. They had been on the island for almost two weeks and Calleigh felt as if she never wanted to leave. Here, she didn't worry about old ghosts that haunted her. She felt a little like her old self again. As she watched the sun set over the calm waters, she smiled to herself, feeling familiar arms encase her from behind.
" What are you thinking about?" Speed whispered into her ear.
" How I never want to leave. It's so peaceful here," Calleigh said as she placed her hands over his.
" If they have openings in their CSI lab, I can make that happen," Speed replied as he nuzzled her ear. He could stay like this forever, holding the woman who meant everything to him.
Intoxicated by his presence and the feel of the moment, Calleigh turned to face him, smiling wide, " You'd do that? Just up and move , leave everything behind?"
" If it meant your happiness, of course I would. Calleigh, I love you so much that it hurts. To make you happy, is like winning the jackpot. Ok, well not quite winning the jackpot," Speed said as Calleigh slapped him playfully across his arm. " I'm kidding. Seriously, Cal I want you to be insanely happy."
" Tomorrow I will be," Calleigh said gazing into his warm brown eyes. She then leaned forward to kiss him. Speed bent to receive her and took her in a passionate embrace, his love over riding everything that was in him. As he released Calleigh from the kiss he looked up and saw somebody watching them. Calleigh followed his gaze to the figure standing in the distance. It couldn't be. " Tim,..."
Speed continued to watch the man as he turned to walk away, " Calleigh , I see him." He couldn't believe his eyes. He could've sworn that he had just seen Therrin watching them. Speed started walking towards the man, noticing as the man picked up his pace. He pursued the man, down the beach, kicking up sand behind him. The man sped up , leaving Speed behind, in the process , dropping something. Speed gave up the chase and walked to where the item was. Bending down, he pulled his shirt off and used it to pick it up. He then walked back to Calliegh, his mind screaming. It couldn't be, he's dead, he thought.
Getting back to Calleigh, he saw as the serene , peaceful look had been replaced with the look of fear. Speed cursed to himself as he noticed the big tear drops that were falling from her eyes. She had been so calm before, but now she was back where she started. He held her , feeling the sobs that came heavily. He walked her back to the bungalow holding her by the waist. He didn't want her to know what he had picked up. She was worried enough.
As they prepared for bed, Speed continued to notice as Calleigh became more and more detached. She had not said a word since coming from the beach. He looked for signs of an impending panic attack, but he didn't see any. All he saw was sadness. He walked over to Calleigh as she sat on the edge of the bed, staring into nothing. Her green eyes were wide with somberness.
" Cal,..."
"I thought that I was getting away from all of this, but it managed to find me," she said softly. A tear dropped on her hand. " At least, you saw him too, Tim. I don't feel so crazy now."
" Calleigh , it was probably someone just trying to get a rise for himself," Speed lied. He knew what and who he had seen. " There is no need for you to worry."
" You are an awful liar, Timothy Speedle. I can feel in my heart that it was him," Calleigh replied wiping the tears as they fell.
" Cal, Therrin Mackinize is dead. He is six feet deep somewhere in Miami. That was not him," Speed said as he placed a comforting hand on her leg. " What is it going to take for you to see that?"
" For this to stop happening. If it's not Therrin, then who the hell is it? And why are they watching me?" Calleigh said as her voice rose with her temperament. " I want to be able to go out, without looking behind me every three seconds. Dammit, I'm tired of living this way!"
Calleigh's anger boiled over the surface and she picked up the lamp and threw it. Speed watched her as she got up and went into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. He then followed her, knocking softly on the door.
" Cal, come out. You don't have to hide in there. We can talk about this. Calleigh?" Speed said as he laid his head against the door jamb. This was not the way he wanted to spend the night before the wedding. " We are getting married tomorrow , right?"
Calleigh opened the door,her eyes brimmed in tears, " You're not having second thoughts , are you?"
"Nope. But , I did want you to come out of the bathroom, and here you are," Speed said plastering a big smile on his face. Calleigh wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. He knew how to lighten her spirits. " I can't cancel, Horatio and the others are supposed to land in about two hours."
Calleigh walked out of the bathroom and wrapped her arms around Speed. She always felt better after holding him.
"I'm sorry, Tim."
" There's no need to be sorry, Cal. You've been through a traumatic time in your life, you're allowed some time to 'freak out'. It took me some time but , I finally understand that it is going to take time for you to heal from this. It may take weeks, months , even years. But one thing is certain; I'm going to be with you every step of the way," Speed replied as Calleigh laid her head against his chest. She looked up at him, seeing the weariness in his eyes. It stung her somewhat to know that she was the cause of this. She glanced at the ground, her throat tightening with emotion. Speed lifted her chin to look her in the eyes, " I'm ok, sweetie. So don't blame yourself for what you see in my face."
" Tim, I-..." Calleigh started before hearing the phone ring. Speed withdrew from Calleigh and walked to the phone looking at his watch.
" Hello?"
" You better keep an eye out for her. You never know who's watching."
" Who is this?"
" A friend."
" Of whose?"
" Therrin."
" Who are you?"Speed asked getting angry. He gripped the phone in his hand and glanced at Calleigh. " What do you want?"
" Her. Therrin didn't get to finish what he started, so I'm going to take up his slack," the voice said before the line went dead.
Speed eyed the phone as if it would jump out and snap at him. Then he roughly put it back on the hook. Calleigh had sat on the bed and had begun to cry again. Speed crossed the bed to get to her and sat behind her. He caressed her shoulders , feeling her soft skin under his hands. He wanted all of this over for her, but he knew that this was not going anywhere soon.
S/C
" Tim, get the phone," Calleigh said groggily as the phone rang incessantly. She had finally fallen asleep after letting her tears drop again. The phone continued to ring. " Tim?"
Calleigh turned over and put her arm where Speed should've been. She sat up in the bed and switched on the light. Before getting up, she checked the clock sitting on the table next to the still ringing phone,2:30. Calleigh picked up the phone hesitantly , afraid of who was on the other end. She put it back down when she heard the dial tone. Immediately after she hung up, the phone began to ring again. She let it ring twice before she picked it up.
" Hello?"
" Caaaleigh," a voice said to her.
" Wh-who are you? What do you want?" Calleigh replied looking around the room. Where is Tim, she thought frantically.
" Caalleigh, Caalleigh Caalleigh..." the eerie voice continued.
Calleigh screamed and snatched the phone out of the wall and threw it , splintering it against the wall. She got up and ran out of the bedroom , her gown flowing behind her. Her bare feet pounded on the hard wood floor of the bungalow as she got to the staircase. She descended the stairs , heading for the kitchen. As she crossed the living room, she saw the front door open slowly. Petrified, Calleigh stood there , shivering. She watched in the darkness as the figure approached her. Her mouth was open but sound was unable to come out. She was alone, and facing her nightmare...
TBC
I'm working on the next chapter... don't fret!