Chapter Eight

The morning sun was shining through the window onto Calleigh's wavey hair, making it glow like an angel's. She lay on her side facing me. I smiled watching her as she slept, she was so peaceful. She was my angel. I slowly and quietly pulled myself from the sheets and moved to the kitchen putting on the kettle with thoughts of making breakfast in bed for my sleeping goddess. While I waited for the pan on the stove to heat, my thoughts slipped into the events of the last few days. Delko was home from the hospital now. Hagen's attack had caused him to need stitches in the back of his head, after spending a night in there for observation; he'd been allowed to go home under the caring and watchful guide of Maxine Valera. I chuckled to myself getting the bacon out of the fridge and dropping it carefully into the pan, I then turned the heat down to a slow sizzle and began to make a start on the scrambled eggs. Alexx had been right about her own analysis; she'd gotten off lightly with literally some bumps and bruises. I mixed the eggs in the pan as they began to cook. Horatio had made sure our statements were taken and then let us go on a leave of absence for a few days. So far our off time had been bliss. We'd caught a movie last night and a late dinner and came back to the apartment for a few hours in bed. The last week had been rough on us all. Calleigh had spent the night after the attack curled up in bed, I held her for a while until she fell asleep. I'd fallen into a deep sleep after. Taking two plates out of the cupboard, I loaded them up on a tray, then moved the drawer to get cutlery. There was a loud knocking on the door. As I moved towards it I heard Calleigh's voice calling me.

"Tim…" she drawled sleepily. I grabbed the door handle and pulled the lock free.

"Hold on a second Calleigh. I'm getting the door." I called out yanking the door open. A pair of bloodshot, vibrant eyes met mine, and as I recognized them, I moved to slam the door on his face. Hagen stuck his foot in the door, throwing it open, I was in the way, I hadn't had enough time to move out of its way. The door hit me straight in the forehead, snapping my head back, catching me off balance. Pain erupted the centre of my head. I heard the door close as I brought my head forward to see Hagen's fist coming towards my face. Unable to defend myself I turned my head letting his punch glance off my right cheek, knowing it wouldn't cause too much damage. The punch threw me off balance causing me to slide against the wall. Calleigh was suddenly in my head. I opened my mouth to warn her, pausing feeling ice pain pressed against my neck. I turned my head slightly, looking at Hagen's worn and ragged face. He had finally gone completely over the edge. From what Calleigh had said I was aware that Hagen back in the day used to hunt a little. The knife at my throat was an old hunting one; its nasty glare almost caused me to wince. It was pressed hard against my Adam's apple, I was debating whether I had space to breathe or not. I held my breath, hoping Calleigh didn't speak or come in here looking for me.

"Where is she Speed?" Hagen asked in a low rumble, relaxing the pressure on my throat a little so I could speak.

"I don't know." I told him, considering several possible ways I could get out of this without getting my throat slashed and alerting Calleigh at the same time. Hagen raised an eye brow and pushed the knife a little harder against my throat. I saw his eyes focus on something in the kitchen behind me.

"Breakfast for two?" he sneered, his eyebrows knitting, furious. Quickly my mouth responded automatically.

"My girlfriend is in the bedroom." I told him in a low tone. "She's a civilian."

Hagen stared at me for a few seconds, his grip on the knife unrelenting.

"Shall we go see?" he asked, gripping my shoulder in a bone crushing grip, he spun me around, keeping the knife harshly against my throat, I felt something warm trickle down onto my black t-shirt. I knew he'd nicked me. I struggled slightly against me, suddenly becoming less conscious of the knife that at my throat. Calleigh was in there, I could hear her moving around, the bed room door was closed over.

"Leave her out of this." I pleaded with Hagen. He shoved me forwards towards the door. He raised his foot to kick it open, in order to maintain his grip on me. Calleigh was in there. I had vague ideas what Hagen would do to Calleigh; I wasn't taking that risk. Before I realized it I was screaming her name out loud. The door smashed open hitting the wall behind it, at the same time I saw Calleigh diving for the bedside table where I knew she now kept her gun. The knife was yanked back into my throat, causing it to cause more bleeding. I wondered how long I had left until Hagen tore my throat out. Calleigh was standing there now in front of me, legs apart, gun pointed at the merge of mine and Hagen's bodies. Wearing only a black strap top and matching pyjama shorts, she was a mix of strength and vulnerably.

"Let go of him John. This is between you and me. Let Tim go." She spoke in her beautiful Southern accent. You never really appreciate things until you find yourself in a life ending situation.

"No Calleigh, you cost me my job, and my career. Nearly twenty years down the pan due to your lies. I loved you, you bitch and then I come here and find you've been fucking Speedle behind my back." He was ranting now, the knife digging deeper into my neck. I took a deep breath trying to give myself more space.

"That knife touches him once more John and I swear I will shoot you." Calleigh said calmly, she was unflinching under Hagen's tirade. Her strength was showing. I felt sweat trickling down my head as I pushed up against Hagen.

"You wouldn't shoot me Calleigh, besides we have unfinished business." I could almost see Hagen's crooked, dirty smile. I'd rather be dead then let Calleigh be touched by Hagen. Death was something I was readily accepting, after being shot twice and staring it in the face, it wasn't as scary as I had once thought. My only thought now was Calleigh. She didn't need to go through anymore pain.

"Don't test me John." She called out to him, moving closer. "Put the knife down, this isn't Speed's fault."

"He turned you against me Calleigh, he interrupted us, convinced you to tell these lies." Hagen was appealing to her; Calleigh's not an idiot, if he remotely thought she agreed with him, Hagen would slit my throat in an instant to be with her.

"You tried to rape me. You hurt my family. Let the hell go of Tim, John, or I swear to God I will put a bullet in your brain." She warned him.

"Is it him; is he all you care about?" Hagen began to shout, the grip on the knife was looser now. I felt him move out from behind me.

Calleigh never answered to what he said.

"You were all I cared about, you were my everything. I have a ring I was going to propose. You took everything from me." He was screaming now, bitterness pulsating through him by the sound of his voice. He was waving the knife closer and further to me. Fear ran through me as he nicked my skin again. My adrenaline was running out, but I was begging myself to stay calm.

"Let's see how you behave when everything's taken away from you." That statement said it all. I saw the Hagen's arm swing across my throat. I heard Calleigh screaming tangled words at Hagen. A loud noise roared in my ears, and I felt myself falling backwards with black shrouding me.

I came to a few minutes later into a world of chaos. The first thing I realized was a sticky substance coating me, staring at my shaking hands I figured out it was blood. I put my hand to my neck, dazed, considering the faint possibility of me being alive. I turned to my right seeing Hagen's body laying spread in front of me, a bullet hole in the centre of his forehead. There was a distant noise I recognized coming from somewhere else in the room. I turned my head unsure. Calleigh was still standing there, in the same position I'd seen her in. She was sniffing, staring at Hagen's body. I crawled to my knees dizzy, and tried to raise myself to my feet. I put my hand to my neck once I felt more warmth flooding down my chest. I guess Hagen had cut me pretty bad. I moved towards Calleigh slowly as not to startle her. It seemed as if she couldn't see me, her eyes were focused on Hagen's body, her gun pointed at the floor.

"Calleigh?" I spoke quietly, moving towards her with my hand outstretched. She didn't say anything; she didn't even look my way.

"Cal?" I touched her rigid arm gently. Her skin was cold, leaving me to wonder how long I'd been out. Her head snapped up in my direction and I knew she was seeing me for what seemed like the first time. Her oceanic eye focused on me, they glistened slightly.

"Tim?" she asked me slowly. "I shot him. He was going to kill you, I told him." Her eyes were on the floor full of tears searching. I couldn't begin to image what she was going through right now. The gun was still in her hand.

"Calleigh? Can you put the gun down please?" I asked her slowly. She moved it slowly to the bed, depositing in the sheets, it looked odd tangled in them. Calleigh lowered herself onto the bed sitting on it. Her eyes focusing on the carpet still. She was in shock. Everything was left here to me. I reached for the phone quickly, aware I was losing a lot of blood.

"Tim…I feel cold." She told me, looking up at me. The first thing I saw in her eyes was fear. I'd never seen that in here before. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her to me. She buried her face in my stomach; almost immediately I felt and heard the long hard sobs wrack her as I dialled the number for the only person I knew who could help us out. As it rung I ran a hand through her hair, holding her sobbing face to me. I couldn't help but feel her sense of lose. She was showing me her anguish.

"Don't worry Calleigh, it'll be alright. I promise everything will be alright." I tried to reassure her. A sense of weakness struck me, yet I managed to stay on my feet. The phone was picked up; I didn't even wait for an answer. I just spoke.

"Horatio it's me."