Spoilers: Very slight spoilers for Dispo Day and Body Count.
Pairing: H/C all the way!
Warnings: Character death
Summary: Five H/C drabbles. Five points in their relationship.
A/N – I don't own CSI: Miami, which is terribly sad but I'm learning to live with it. I also don't own the lyrics. They're from James Blunt's song Goodbye My Lover. So please don't sue, because, frankly, all you'd get would be a few Euros and a goldfish. I'm going to shut up now… Oh, and it's Horatio's POV.

i) Official business

She breezes into your office exuding confidence and somehow, at that moment, you know. You know she's going to change your life, make her mark.

She introduces herself, holding out her hand. You stare at it for a second, as if this is a totally unknown gesture. Then you remember, this is the part where you shake her hand. It's an interview after all, isn't it?

As you question her previous employment, you seem the picture of professionalism. You're certainly not imagining her naked, right? If there's one thing Horatio Caine is, it's professional, and you're pretty sure thinking those sorts of thoughts doesn't win management awards.

She gets the job, because, in your opinion, she's the best candidate. Maybe it helps that you've always been a sucker for blondes with Southern accents, but it hasn't clouded your judgement, not at all.

ii) Comforter

You pick up the phone, and your world falls apart. As soon as you hear Hagen's voice, you know. You try to believe it was somebody else, a faceless cop who probably deserved it, but you know. Raymond Caine is dead, and there's nothing you can do.

You sit there in your office, willing the phone to ring again. It was all a joke, Hagen always had a sick sense of humour. But as the silence grows longer, you break down. The one person you have left is gone.

Just then, the new girl walks in. Word must have got out real fast; she's already an expert on the incident, apparently. She takes your hand and murmurs all those clichés of how sorry she is and how Ray's in a better place now, and somehow it's not irritating. And that's when, for the first time, you admit to yourself that there is something there.

iii) That question

You stride purposefully towards the ballistics lab. To anybody else, you're just the boss ensuring the smooth running of your department. But you know different. You can feel your heart pounding against your ribs, your palms growing slippery with sweat.

And then there's a void, when, she'll later tell you, you looked like you were going to pass out, and when you apparently told her that if you could rearrange the alphabet you'd put U and I together. You can't even remember where you heard that line, but have your suspicions that Delko planted the idea in your head at some point.

But still she said yes. To going on a date. With you. And you can't remember when you last felt such a rush. You make arrangements hurriedly, scared she'll change her mind. Then, as you turn to leave, she reaches and grabs your hand. For a horrible moment, you think she's going to tell you she was kidding. But she just squeezes it gently and tells you she's been waiting for this. And you smile and tell her you have too.

iv) First Light

You arrive late. It's not like you, but neither is this. Dating. Her. It's all somehow new and exciting. You've been on dates before, but you've never had this feeling, the way you imagine she felt that time she accidentally got high. Maybe she feels this way now? Don't be stupid, you berate yourself silently. Get a grip, Caine. She's beautiful, intelligent, Hell, she even understands football. Why would she be interested in you?

So why would she be here? If she thinks you're a tragic old man she'd have told you. If there's one thing Calleigh is, it's truthful.

In the restaurant she smiles coyly throughout. You didn't have her pegged as a giggler, but she never seems to stop. Any other woman you're pretty sure you'd have wanted to tell her to shut up by now. But with Calleigh? You find it charming.

You ask her back to your place for coffee but she doesn't leave until the sun comes up.

v) Final Moments

You've been dating for two weeks officially and sleeping together for almost five. You can't remember the last time you felt so happy. But, of course, it can't last. Nobody you love can ever stay with you. You'd had a bad feeling about the cases you were working. You'd considered switching Calleigh to another case, away from Hank Kerner. But she insisted. Once Janet had been killed, there was no point in even trying to reason with her.

As soon as you answer the phone, you know. The doctor has that soothing tone of voice used only to deliver bad news. She's in the hospital. You vaguely hear snippets of information. Bullet in the head. On life support. Not looking good.

When you arrive, you see her father's tear-streaked face and, for one chilling moment, you think you're too late. They've lost her already. No, they've been waiting for you. They want to turn off the machine. Your knee-jerk reaction is to refuse, but you know she wouldn't want it this way. You watch as they turn off the machine, barely able to breathe.

She slips away peacefully, as you cradle her hand in yours.

"And I still hold you hand in mine,

In mine when I'm asleep.

And I will bear my soul in time,

When I'm kneeling at your feet."