Breathe

Chapter 6

Tim walked to the door of the firearms lab, noticing that it too had changed. There was a huge table sitting in the middle of the room that housed the scopes and other tools that she used daily. But ,the more things changed, the more they stayed the same, as he heard the familiar sounds of a gun firing. He pushed the door open and peeked his head in ,seeing an unfamiliar face as he walked out of the gun vault.

" Hey man, you can't be in here," the man said as he moved to usher him out. At that precise moment, Tim saw Calleigh as she appeared from behind the range, with her safety goggles still in place. She glanced at Tim, as if she had felt his presence in this room and then got the attention of the tech.

" Jim, it's okay, I know him," Calleigh said dismissively, as she smiled at Tim.

" Still, he shouldn't be in here," Jim reminded her. She nodded and motioned for Tim to step outside. Tim turned and pushed the door open with his free hand sensing Calleigh as she walked behind him.

" You have to forgive him, he's just trying to stay on my good side," Calleigh said as she noticed the flowers, " Trent, you shouldn't have."

" Just my way of saying thanks. Besides, I distinctively remember that you said you would have lunch with me," Tim said as he noticed a little light twinkle in her eyes. It made his heart flutter.

" Uhh, I don't know, I have a lot of work to do," Calleigh replied as she glanced into the lab.

" C'mon, Cal, it's just lunch."

"Excuse me?" Calleigh asked taken aback at his friendly use of her nickname, a nickname that her husband only used in their most tender moments.

" What?"

Calleigh thought to go forward with her suspicions , but then relented. It had been a very long time since she had the pleasure of company that wasn't encased in her tiny fish bowl that was her life.

" Nothing, just let me grab my bag and we can go," Calleigh returned with an angelic smile.

Tim nodded and watched as she went in the lab quickly and returned outside the door. He glanced at her, taking in her beauty, wanting so much to reach out and touch her, but he knew that he couldn't. No matter how inviting her eyes were or how she wore that buttoned up black shirt and black trousers, Tim knew that he could not cross the line.

When she caught him staring, he quickly dropped his head and could hear her as she laughed to herself. That was music to his hears, he had missed that sound so much. They walked two feet more, coming to the elevator as the doors were sliding open, and saw as Horatio took a step out. Tim looked at him and instantly knew that something was going on, the intensity of his blue eyes bore a hole through Tim as if trying to see to his very soul. Horatio broke his glare to focus his attention on Calleigh, who also noticed this and was about to say something before Horatio beat her to it.

" Calleigh, I need to talk to you for a moment, if it's possible," Horatio said quietly.

" I was just about to go to lunch with Trent. You remember Trent, don't you?" Calleigh asked.

" Yes, I do," Horatio said as he slipped Tim a quick glance. " It's pretty important, Calleigh."

" Can it wait until I get back from lunch? I don't have but so much time as it is."

" Calleigh,..." Horatio said almost sadly. He didn't want to do this to her just when it seemed like she was moving on, but he couldn't risk her being hurt.

" Horatio, I promise, I won't be gone long. As soon as I get back, we will talk. Okay?" Calleigh said as she grabbed Tim by the elbow, " C'mon Trent, let's go."

Horatio watched as they boarded the elevator and sighed deeply to himself. He hadn't noticed it while they were standing there, but in their absence, Horatio thought he saw something familiar in Trent Spaulding.

TS

"So, where are we going?" Calleigh asked as she walked out of the CSI building behind him. She watched him intently as he walked with an easy gait and dropped her eyes when he spun around to speak to her.

" I don't know. I can really do anything right now, so I'll let you choose."

Calleigh smiled an nodded her head slightly as she caught up to him, " Great I know just the place. My car or yours?"

" We can take mine, that is if you trust me," Tim said as he looked down at her. For a moment he saw the distant look in her eyes as it clouded over them. But then it was gone.

" You know, oddly enough, Trent, I do trust you. For an hour, I'm yours," Calleigh replied as she slipped her arm around his.

Her touch surprised Tim and he shivered slightly then smiled. A connection had been made, one that he vowed never to break again.

TS

" I just don't trust him," Eric said as he sat down in the break room. Horatio and Alexx had come in moments earlier to talk about the new developments with Trent Spaulding , " I mean, he's got a ceratin look... I can't explain it."

" Like you've seen him before," Alexx piped in as she opened her water.

" Exactly, but I've never seen this man before in my life."

" That's nothing. I never told you about what I experienced in the hospital room did I?" Alexx asked as they drew near her.

" No, what happened?" Horatio asked.

" Well, I was going to check on him because at the bank I thought I saw something in his eyes, and I just wanted to know..."

" Know what?" Eric asked intently.

" There was something about him. Any way, I get there and Calleigh's there. I didn't know that she had been going up there to see him, but there she was. She was so into him, almost like she was willing herself to believe that he was Tim. After a tense moment, Calleigh left, and I went back in and told him what I thought about him and how he shouldn't mess with Calleigh."

" What did he say?" Horatio asked intrigued now.

" It really wasn't what he said , it's how he looked. For a moment , I thought I was talking to Timmy."

Horatio glanced at Alexx then at Eric. Speed's death had effected everyone so deeply that they were having a hard time letting him go. Alexx shook her head and put up a hand.

" Before you even say it, Horatio, I know what I saw. His eyes are the exact same as Speed's. I swear, I thought he was looking right back at me."

" You know , she's right, H. I had the same experience with him in the atrium. He said something kinda like Speed would, that struck me as odd. And he knew where the firearms lab was."

" What does that have anything to do with it?" Horatio asked as he sat back in his chair.

"Since when have you known visitors to know the exact route to the firearms lab, Horatio? There have been too many times to count when I have had to stop what I was doing and redirect some lost soul who came to the morgue instead of the firearms lab. Eric has a point."

" Which is what? That Speed is alive and well but he's Trent Spaulding?" Horatio asked rather irritably. This had gone on long enough.

" You don't believe me? Take a look at this," Eric said as he took a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. " Trent Spaulding signed this."

Horatio unfolded the paper and stared at it as if it was going to jump out at him. He plainly saw Tim's signature on the paper. He cleared his throat and repositioned himself in the chair. Suspicions were one thing , but when it was backed up by evidence, Horatio couldn't turn a blind eye.

" He signed this on the visitor's log?"

" Yes, right in front of Paula and I," Eric said as he looked at the paper. Alexx put her hands on Horatio's to see what was on the paper.

" It's his signature," Alexx intoned quietly.

" We don't know that for sure," Horatio said as he folded the piece of paper up.

" Then let Cynthia test it in QD. I know there are some old reports of Speed's in your files."

"Eric,..."

" H, we gotta know. Either way about it, this is going to affect Calleigh. We just have to make sure that he isn't going to hurt her."

Horatio nodded in agreement , but hesitated to ask the burning question. What happens if it turned out to be Tim Speedle's signature?

TBC...

A/N:Sorry so short, I'm on a lunch break...