The break room in the morning was tense with a new kind of awkward. A more sullen discomfort replaced what had been an almost delightful teenaged nervousness. He had accepted the fact he would have to see her, sooner or later, but still felt awful knowing that when he did the possibilities between them would be dead now. His Calleigh was definitely gone. No, he reminded himself, she was never his.

Behind the reflection of one way glass she stood, watching John Hagen conduct an interrogation. She was watching alright but she frequently stopped listening. She couldn't believe she was stuck working with John after last night. She could barely stand the sight of him let alone cooperate with him any more.

"Calleigh?" His voice descended upon her unexpectedly as he entered the viewing room and closed the door behind him.

"Horatio." She greeted him as colleagues do but wondered if he was thinking about last night the way she was. If he had been, he didn't show it.

"I've got a victim with stab wounds and I was hoping you could help me figure out what it was he got stabbed with."

"Yah, more than likely, or at least I can narrow it down for you. Vic still with Alexx?"

"Mmhmm." Looking on at the interrogation front of them he nodded. Calleigh remained optimistic despite how coldly professional he had gotten. Everything in side her still pushed to give him the benefit of the doubt. A chance to explain his actions.

"Is that it?"

"Um. Ya. Thanks." He gave her a smile, but it hardly qualified as a real smile. It certainly wasn't that sly heart stopping grin she could usually get from him. Would it be like this between them forever, she thought. If neither had the courage to talk about this elephant in the room, how long would it follow them around?

"Horatio." She said before he'd made it to the door. "Where were you last night? After you came to the shooting range?" He lowered his head and cleared his throat.

"Um, after that? After that... I went home." He couldn't help the guilt that nearly overwhelmed him whenever he thought of last night. He'd never caused her so much grief before and didn't want the chance to do so again. "I'm sorry I intruded on you and Hagen."

"Forget about that. You did come to the shooting range to see me right?"

"I did."

"I'm sorry I was... busy at the time. I'm umm I'm not busy now." She reached out and took his hand.

"Calleigh ..." When she looked up at him her eyes were so gentle he felt himself go weak. She stepped closer holding the lapels of his jacket and laid her head against his chest. He caved. His arms wrapped around her holding her there exactly how he had wanted. But everything shattered when he opened his eyes. There behind an inch of glass Hagen was in the interrogation room occasionally glancing up at the window. Quickly Horatio pulled away from her feeling terribly ashamed.

"What?" Calleigh's worried voice, only made him feel worse.

"Calleigh—" He shook his head momentarily putting his hand over his eyes, "John is right there."

"Horatio. It's one way glass. And John doesn't have anything to do with us." She was still holding his jacket in one hand, but he kept inching further away.

"Please. Let's not do this."

"Do what? What's wrong with what we've done?"

"I can't be the other guy. I don't want anyone to get hurt here."

"You make it sound like some lurid affair, like infidelity. Besides, you and I haven't done anything."

"If you don't feel as though we've done anything Calleigh, if you don't think our time together lately was something then... I think...I think I feel a lot stronger about you than you do about me." His words hung between them a moment. "Which is another good reason we should put an end to this." He wanted to look at her, to get one last good look at those immaculate green eyes. Instead, he left and quietly shut the door behind him. He didn't look because he knew if he did those eyes would see right into him. See his guilt for having been the cause of her trouble, his cowardice to give her what she'd just asked for, but mostly he knew she'd see the love for her that had built up inside him. He knew it would be too hard to not see the same in her.

Later Calleigh worked with Alexx, as H had asked her to, but despite the work at hand her mind buzzed with his last words 'put and end to this'. It was all she could hear, all she could concentrate on before realizing that had not been the most important part of his speech. Not when compared to 'I think I feel a lot stronger about you than you do about me.'

"One defensive wound on the right hand, two inches in length, but less than an eighth of an inch deep. That's just a cut. Three other stab wounds, all to the upper torso...Cal? Calleigh, you get that?"

"Yes. Mmhmm." She snapped out of her own head space and looked wide eyed at Alexx feigning her awareness.

"Yah, right." Alexx crooked her head to the side and shot Calleigh a stern look. "What did I just tell you?"

"Umm..." She sighed, "I'm sorry Alexx." Shaking her head lightly, she gently tucked her hair behind her ear. It was plain to see Calleigh's fatigue over something unsaid and Alexx's expression softened sympathetically.

"It's alright," she assured, "something is obviously on your mind. Care to share?" Her voice perked hinting that she might be hoping for a little girl talk.

"Hm, I'm not so sure I should." Like any good office worker Calleigh knew that bringing personal conversations to work was usually against the rules. Talking about ones boss is also highly frowned upon. She could only imagine how bad and idea it was to do both at the same time.

"It's up to you. But if you do decide to share, it'll stay between me, you and this guy." Alexx gestured casually to the man on her table. "And he's not tellin' anyone, honey." Despite the morbidity of her joke, Calleigh couldn't help but smile.

"Actually... Alexx how long have you known Horatio?"

"Oh, Horatio and I go back quite a few years. We became friends pretty quick after we started working together. We used to have him and his wife over for dinner every Friday." Alexx smiled as she spoke, her words were nostalgic.

"You must know him pretty well then?"

"Yah we've known each other through a lot. He's known both my kids since they were born." She smiled brightly, "I've seen him through his divorce, Raymond's death... some good times too though." She added trying not to sound to glum when her words became melancholy. "Why? You lookin' to dig up some inside information." She teased.

"You might say that."

"Well," Alexx shrugged, "I'll tell you what I can."

"When um, when was the last time he dated?" Calleigh refused to look up while asking that, already feeling the cheeky grin Alexx was definitely sending her way.

"He's dated a couple times since his divorce, only once since Ray passed though. But these girls weren't around more than a week or so." While Alexx spoke Calleigh nodded receptively. "But that's just Horatio. Once he's got his eye on someone, no one else can compare." She glanced suggestively at Calleigh, who only looked back to her notes.

"Yelina..." Calleigh sighed the name as though it was burden to speak, but was surprised to hear Alexx chuckle.

"Not quite, honey." She laughed, "He's not chasing her around with romantic intent. He swore they were over when their feelings for each other stirred thing up between him and his brother." Calleigh looked on becoming increasingly interested but still missing the M.E.'s hints. Alexx added, "They worked that out, he and Ray. I'm not entirely sure why he still trails around after her." She leaned over the cadaver again to retrieve several tools. "If I had to guess, he's probably just afraid to lose the last of his family." Cleaning her utensils she returned them neatly to a small tool tray at her side. "She sure does know how to take advantage of her hold on him though." Alexx scoffed cynically.

Calleigh gathered her notes of the three primary wounds on the victim, and headed for the lab.

"Calleigh." Alexx spoke with a soft seriousness in her voice. "If someone were trying to get closer to Horatio, they ought to give him some kind of assurance." Calleigh flushed at her insinuation and Alexx looked away. Back down to her work table as she wiped it down. "He's been hurt enough to know to keep his heart away from a risky situation."

"Thanks for the info, Alexx." She gestured to her notes but they both knew she meant the other info.

"Any time, honey."