Disclaimer: Characters are not mine although if I could find a way to get Eric or Warrick, I'd be all over that!
Author's Notes: Sorry this has been so incredibly long in getting finished. My computer crashed and I was without one for a month and have been slowly getting back in the swing of things with the new one! Everyone owes my friends on Talk:CSI on the Eric and Calleigh shipper thread a thank you for me getting this finished! They were constantly on me to finish it! Hope it was worth the wait!
Chapter 3 – Final Chapter –Maybe ;-)
Bridging the Gap
Calleigh cries softly letting her tears fall into Eric's hair. She cannot imagine the times they have worked drowning scenes and scenes with children and scenes with siblings and how hard each and every one of them must have been for Eric. He probably relived Emma's death every time. Calleigh turns Eric's chin up to her, "Have you told Horatio about Emma?" Eric shakes his head. "I've never told anyone, not even Speed. I can't talk about it and I never want anyone to think it affects my job as a CSI." Calleigh reaches her hand up to touch his cheek, "Eric, you are an incredible CSI and people knowing about Emma would never change that." She reaches up and wipes a tear sliding down Eric's cheek. Eric tries to apologize for dumping all this on Calleigh and she tells him that it makes her feel special because he felt like he could share it with her. Eric shakes his head and laughs a small, sad laugh, "Calleigh, you have no idea how special you are." Before she can respond, Eric leans over and lightly kisses her lips. Calleigh feels her heart jump and restrains from reaching over and pulling him to her again. Eric is simply watching her to gage her reaction. Calleigh sighs, "Eric, this is so complicated." Eric nods his head and gets up to give her space. He tells her he'll get her some more Tylenol for her head and walks off to the kitchen.
Calleigh thinks that her heart may beat right out of her chest. She knows in her head that getting involved with Eric could be really bad for their jobs. She knows that Horatio wouldn't be thrilled about it and Ryan would have a fit, but all she could think about while she couldn't get out of the car was getting in touch with Eric. She realized today just how much she cares about him and thinks that maybe it is time she quit running from that. If she had died today, Eric would have had no idea how she felt and that makes her heart want to break in to.
Eric comes back with the Tylenol and some juice. He hands it to Calleigh and watches her face. "What's wrong Cal? Should I apologize for kissing you?" She looks up and smiles at Eric, "Are you sorry?" Eric laughs out loud and shakes his head. "Absolutely not. I want to do it again." Calleigh reaches out and takes his hand. "A relationship could be bad for our job, huh? That's what my head keeps telling me." Eric rubs her hand, "What does your heart tell you Calleigh?" Calleigh looks into Eric's eyes and raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure you want to know?" Eric grins and says, "I'm sure." Calleigh looks down, takes in a deep breath, looks back up at Eric and says in almost a whisper, "I am in love with you Eric Delko." Eric sucks in his breath and tries to remember to breathe. His finger stops midstream from rubbing her hand. When Eric doesn't respond immediately, Calleigh begins to think she has said too much or the wrong thing and messed everything up. She gets up from her bed and walks over to the window pulling her hand away from his. To her back, Eric is finally able to speak, "Calleigh, I never in a million years thought I'd hear you say that. Please don't walk away. I'm just speechless. I feel the same way you do, I just really thought it was all me." He gets up and goes to her. He turns her around to see tears, "I love you, Calleigh. I have for a long time. I just tried to fight it getting in the way of work." Calleigh looks at him and says, "And now?" Eric chokes up, "And now………I could have lost you today and you have no idea how much love I have in my heart for you. I never intend to let that happen again. We'll make it work on the job and the rest of them can either deal with it or fold their hand. I'm done. I'm finished running from what I feel. I love you and don't want to waste any more time running away from it." He looks down at her in her silky white gown she has on and thinks his heart might just explode from the love and desire. While he is trying to get himself under control, Calleigh makes that impossible because she steps up to him and slides her hands up under his shirt and around his back and hugs him. "We have both run and look where we ended up? In each other's arms." Eric pulls her tightly too him and says, "This is only the beginning Calleigh. I've only started bridging this gap." He lifts up her chin and kisses her slowly, deeply, and tenderly. "I've waited a long time to do that, Cal." Calleigh smiled into his eyes, "And it was even better than I'd imagined all the times I've imagined it." Eric grins and says, "Ummm, does this mean I don't have to sleep on the couch?"
Calleigh reaches up to touch his lips with her thumb, "Take me to bed Eric. You're staying right here."