CHAPTER 2

S/C E/C S/C E/C

"I know honey I want to come home to. But this case has me completley wired...I know...I know...i'm addicted to work. I can't help it." Calleigh laughed lightly. "Listen...I uh...need to go see if my results are done. Kiss Maggie for me."

"You got it."

"Alright...I love you. And i'll see you when I get home."

"If you come home."

Calleigh sighed. "Alright another hour hour in half tops."

"Deal."

"Alright. I love you. Bye."

"Bye."

Calleigh sighed and reattched her phone to her belt and walked off to trace. Calleigh walked into trace a folder in her hand. "Hey Tim did you get that trace anaylized yet?" asked Calleigh not looking up from her folder. "Tim..." Calleigh stopped when she saw Tim sitting on a stool with his headphones on and his head resting in his arms on the lab table. Calleigh smiled. He was always the cutest when he was alseep. Calleigh counted even count the hours she just watched him sleep. Calleigh sat her folder down on the table and pulled a stool up next to him. Calleigh gently turned off the c.d. player and removed the headphones from his ears. "Tim..." said Calleigh lightly as she shook his shoulder. "Tim...wake up."

"Five more minutes Calleigh."

Calleigh smiled. He used to say that all the time to her when Horatio would call for a crime scene. "Tim...wake up."

Tim took a deep breath and then let it out and sat up slowly rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?" Tim yawned.

Calleigh glanced at her watch. "About...3:00."

"Wow...I don't think i've stayed this late at work in a long time."

Calleigh smiled. "Its ok we've all done it once or twice."

Tim nodded. "So you got those results for me?"

Tim nodded and shuffled through a few papers until he found the one he wanted. "The trace we found on the gun was Cyclomethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Steryl Alcohol, Glycerin, Myristyl Myristate. The list goes on and on."

"So what is that exactly?"

"Lotion... Naturals Sea Body Lotion to be specific."

Calleigh nodded lightly and smiled.

"What?"

"Nothing...its just...i'm suprised that you know the specific type of lotion."

"Well I should..."

"And why's that?"

"You used to use it all the time."

Calleigh's mouth dropped open slightly. "I uh..."

"Used to use it when we were dating. I bought it for your birthday and you said you liked it. Went through a whole bottle in a week."

Calleigh nodded. "I remember."

Tim nodded. "Well...i'm sure your husband is up waiting for you."

Calleigh just sat their. "So I'm sure you need to get home."

"Why don't you go home?"

Tim shrugged. "I dunno...you go home to a husband who loved you and baby who needs you...Alexx goes home to two children and a husband...Eric goes home to you and a child and Horatio has Yelina and Ray Jr. but who do I have? I have a dog Calleigh that's it."

Calleigh closed her eyes. "Tim..."

"You should go home." said Tim as he put his headphones back on. Calleigh didn't know why but she took the headphones back off his ears. "What are you doing?"

"We need to talk Tim."

"Why its always going to end up the same way. Your going to get mad at leave and i'm going to go home and drink a few beers."

"It doesn't have to be that way." Calleigh found herself saying.

Tim shook his head. "Your right. It shouldn't be that way. But it is. You've got Eric and Maggie. They need you." started Tim. "But...if you'd just open your eyes for a few mintues you'd realize there not the only ones."

"I know that." Calleigh said almost in a whisper.

"Calleigh...look. I'm not going to lie to you. I love you. More then anything. And it kills me everyday to come in here and see you with him. To hear you guys talk about the cute little things Maggie does. Do you have any idea what its like to watch from that wooden bench as he slipped that rang on your finger. To see him kiss you. To hear you say I do. Do you have any idea what that was like?"

Calleigh shook her head. "No...I don't."

"Its just hard for me Calleigh...I love you so much...but your with Eric now. And there's nothing I can do about that."

"Maybe there is."

"What?"

Before Tim could do anything Calleigh had her lips on his. Everything inside of him was telling him to pull away to just pull away and walk away. But as he wrapped his arms around her waist he felt whole again. Like he was need and appreciated. And Calleigh clearly showed no signs of wanting to stop and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Tim finally broke away from her a few minutes later for air.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Because your not the only one who hears all those things Tim. When I was standing there and Eric was smiling back at me. I...I...freaked...I thought if I'd back out then...then I would hurt him and I couldn't do that. I'd already hurt one man I love I couldn't do it again."

"Love?"

Calleigh dropped her head and then looked back at Tim with tears slowly falling from her face. Tim reached a hand out and gently wiped them away. "I still love you..."

Music to his ears. "I never stopped loving you."

Calleigh smiled. "I uh..."

"Gotta go home."

Calleigh nodded. "Yeah...i'll see you tomorrow."

Tim nodded and watched the love of his life walk out the door. Horatio who was watching from his office window closed the blinds and sighed. He knew there was going to be trouble between the two. And he just hoped they'd get it all worked out before something bad happend.

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"Honey are you ok?" asked Eric as Calleigh crawled into bed sniffling. Apparently she was crying all the way home.

"I'm fine honey... I just think I'm coming down with a cold."

Calleigh saw Eric nodded through the darkness. "Come here." Eric pulled Calleigh to him. "We should get some sleep." But Calleigh didn't sleep a wink that night.

TBC...ok all those big scientific words i owe to my bottle of lotion. lol.