Something About Vegas

Resolution

She woke with a start. Something wasn't right, she just wasn't certain what it was. It took a moment to realize that she was alone in the bed. Funny, she thought, how she had become so used to his being there. They hadn't been together long, but she missed him when he wasn't there. It had grown dark, but Tim left the light on in the bathroom for her. He remembered not to leave her in the dark and his consideration warmed her from the inside out. But where exactly was he? she wondered. She glanced at the clock on the night stand, she had been asleep only a couple of hours. They had come back to the room after an early dinner and, she chuckled, barely made it through the door before falling in a tangle on the bed.

Spending the day exploring the city was everything she hoped it would be. The day had been fun and relaxing for both of them. She got to see a different side of Tim, one he no longer held back from her. He had enjoyed the local museum as much as she had, surprising her with his vast knowledge of old west history. She especially loved the beautiful, hand carved carousel. Tim decided he was too old and much too large to ride on one of the horses, so he stood off to her side while she rode, looking very uncomfortable and out of place. It was a sight she would never forget, just thinking about it now made her giggle. But he was willing to be there, simply to please her, and that action spoke volumes about the man he was.

What they really discovered today was how much they enjoyed being together. Shopping for chocolate, at the factory store, was a treat and she was delighted to discover that she wasn't the only one with a sweet tooth. They managed to sample most of the shop's offerings and left with their own delicious assortment, which she was certain wouldn't last long between the two of them. Both decided that since they were in Kansas, it would only be fitting to try the local barbecue for dinner. They found a suitable establishment, but once there, they no longer had any interest in dining. She smiled remembering the dinner they barely ate, both only interested in getting back to the room.

That was her favorite part of the day, coming back to the room, desperate to connect on the most intimate level, the place where they were most comfortable letting each other know how deeply they felt. She had given over her trust and her heart to this man and that in turn filled her with a joy she had never known before. An alcohol fueled night in Vegas may have been catalyst for their connection, but this bond between them was made of something far stronger and longer lasting. And that, quite simply, was love.

Slowly she stretched and got herself out of bed, seeking something to wear from the clothes strewn on the floor. She grabbed the new, dark blue button down she had picked out for him that morning during their shopping trip, the one he bought only after she talked him out of the beige shirt he had originally chosen for himself. Beige just wasn't a good color for him. The shirt was huge on her, but comfortable. She buttoned a few of buttons and padded over to the little balcony, peering out the sliding door.

Clad in his T shirt and boxers, he was sitting back in the chair, feet up on the rail, looking pensive, worry etched in his brow. His emotions, which he normally held close to the vest, were in full display tonight. He took so much to heart. She knew that about him as well as she knew anything about herself. It was pretty easy to figure out what was troubling him. Despite the wonderful day they shared, they had pointedly avoided talking about their relationship. They could never go back to the way things were, they both knew that, but they hadn't made any decisions about their future together. She was fairly certain they both wanted the same thing, they just needed to finally admit it. He would probably sit and stew out there all night, but she couldn't have that. She'd grown accustomed to him in bed with her. It was time to put him out of his misery.

She watched him a few moments longer, silently grateful for the future she once thought would elude her, then she slid the door open and made her way out to him.

"Hey, " she said softly and reached out to caress his stubbled cheek. "You look like you're a million miles away."

"Hey yourself. I thought you were asleep," he answered, his face softening at the sight of her. She nodded.

"I was, then I woke up and noticed I was alone. I missed you. Thanks for leaving the light on for me," she smiled and he gave her a small one in return. "Want some company?" she asked.

"Yeah." He motioned with his head, the chair next to him, but she ignored the chair and sat in his lap instead.

"This OK?" she asked still smiling. He nodded, breathing in deeply. She could feel the tension in him. She leaned back against his chest, resting her head on him and he loosely placed his arms around her. "We haven't really talked about things."

"No, I guess we haven't," he answered, taking another deep breath, but said no more.

"You rather surprised me that night in Vegas, you know."

He chuckled softly. "I think I might've surprised myself more."

Smiling, she realized that was probably true. She sat up a bit and turned to him, her eyes seeking his. "Do you remember what you said to me that night?" she asked. He held her gaze and nodded. "All of it?" He nodded again. She repeated the motion. "Did you mean it?" she questioned. He nodded once more. "Do you still?"

"Yes," he answered and pulled her back against him, his lips by her ear, his warm breath causing an unexpected shiver down her back. He then whispered to her the words he had been holding back, afraid to divulge till now. Her heart lurched when she heard them, for she knew how hard it was for him to even admit, let alone reveal his feelings.

Moving away so she could see his face and look into his eyes, she felt her own eyes fill with tears as she smiled broadly at him. Clasping her hands around his neck, she pulled him closer and whispered in his ear everything that she, too, had once been afraid to disclose. He pulled back from her and caught her gaze, his own eyes full of uncertainty. She grinned and nodded vigorously, then brought her lips to his in a sensuous kiss meant to further banish his doubt. He responded by deepening the kiss and tightening his hold on her.

"Glad we got that cleared up," she told him with a smile when the kiss ended. He nodded and returned her smile. "But Tim, I gotta ask you, now that I know how you felt about me, were you ever going to ask me out on a date? You know, dinner, a movie, a kiss 'goodnight,' something along those lines?" she inquired. He exhaled audibly.

"I don't know Calleigh, I don't have an answer for you. Possibly, if I had thought about it and if the right opportunity presented itself. But maybe I wouldn't have thought it was such a good idea, you know, we work together and we are a little different. I just don't know," he answered honestly.

"You don't know if you would've asked me on a date, but you asked me to marry you when we went to a conference in Vegas?" she questioned, the disbelief growing in her voice and on her face.

"Well, you have to admit the opportunity presented itself," he said with a chuckle. She smacked him in the arm.

"Tim! This is serious. We got married! That's supposed to be a lifetime commitment. And we weren't even dating!" she exclaimed.

"You're right Cal, it is serious and don't think I take it lightly. You're far too important to me to make a mess of this." He held her eyes with his. "There's no question this was was an impulsive and perhaps, ill conceived idea, the kind neither of us is prone to and I can't honestly tell you what got into me that night." He paused and reached up, gently pushing her hair off her face, his fingers lightly caressing her cheek, before continuing. "The setting and the alcohol were obviously not inhibiting and both were conducive to ill conceived ideas and making rash decisions, but Calleigh, there's no denying the feelings were already there and ultimately, that's what we acted on. I can't genuinely tell you if we would have ever acknowledged or acted on them back in Miami, but that night, for whatever reason, we both did. That's got to mean something." He breathed in deeply and exhaled. "And I, for one, will remain eternally grateful for that night. So, as crazy and as unlikely as this is, we got married. The question now, is what do we do about it? I admit, I have probably never been very good in relationships, or even wanted one before now, but the way I feel about you is different than anything I've ever felt before." He hesitated, tightened his hold around her and took another deep breath. "I want you in my life Calleigh, more than anything, but I will abide by whatever decision you make. I only want your happiness, I never want to hurt you."

He finished talking and her eyes brimmed with tears once more. Looking into his eyes, she knew this would be okay, like it had been on the plane, like it was whenever she was with him. They would be okay, they were in this together and they would find a way to make it work. He was the one she wanted by her side and in her bed, permanently. There was no decision, the decision had been made that night in Vegas, and it hadn't been such a whim after all. Her future was with him. He had been right about the feelings being there before that night, there was no other way to explain the strength of her love for him.

"So you don't think this is crazy, us staying together?" she questioned, sounding worried.

"What? Going to Vegas, getting drunk, getting married and deciding that this is what we really want?" She nodded. "Yeah, this is definitely crazy," he answered truthfully.

"But in a good way?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"Yeah, definitely in a good way," he reassured her with a smile and pulled her into his embrace, lightly grazing her cheek with his lips. "So, are you saying 'yes'?"

"If you remember, I already said 'yes', but to clear up any confusion, I'll say it again, yes." She looked up, placed her lips on his and kissed him deeply. They held the kiss as long as they could. She could feel him start to relax, his worry replaced by contentment. "It's not going to be easy, you know. We've got a lot of figuring out to do, like where are we going to live for starters. All those little details we didn't think about in Vegas," she informed him.

He held her close. "I know. I know. Maybe it won't be easy, but we'll figure it out. I'm not worried."

"We will have a lot of explaining to do," she said and couldn't help giggling. He laughed along with her.

"Yeah, this will be a bit of a surprise. I can see Delko's face now, completely dumbstruck," he laughed.

"Forget Delko, what about Horatio?" They both laughed some more.

"Alexx will be happy," he suggested. She nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, knowing her, she probably won't even be that surprised. She'll just be upset that we didn't invite her to the wedding," she added. "But Tim, we don't have any pictures," she said with disappointment.

"Actually Cal, we do. Came with the package, license, rings, photos. Someone took a couple when we were standing there. We probably weren't paying attention. I found them with our papers that morning. I wasn't sure you ever wanted to see them, so I packed them with my stuff. All things considered, we looked pretty good. You'll like them," he informed her and her relief was palpable.

"I'm so glad. I would've hated not to have one wedding picture. I only intend to do this once, you know," she advised him, smiling broadly.

"Well that's good to know," he replied. She got up out of his lap and tugged him to standing. He pulled her into his arms and slipped his hands under the over sized shirt, stroking the soft skin of her back. "Hey Cal, I was thinking, maybe I could call H in the morning and tell him we've had car trouble or something. What do you think?" he asked with a gleam in his eyes . She shook her head, then smiled at the look on his face, his eyebrows raised in confusion.

"Nah. Why don't you tell him the truth," she suggested and began yanking him into the room. His look remained doubtful. "Tell him we're on our honeymoon."

tbc