Changes in the Wind
Mixed Messages
The sound of the alarm clock woke him from the best night's sleep he'd had in a few days, but unfortunately, even as good as it was, it wasn't long enough. Blindly, he reached over to the nightstand, felt his way to the snooze button and pushed it with satisfaction. Calleigh hated it when he did that, she lived in fear of not waking on time and being late for work, but since she showed no signs of rousing from her slumber, he figured an additional fifteen minutes wouldn't kill them. After all, the extra time was the very least he could give her after keeping her awake long into the night. Not that he regretted a moment of it, nor did he imagine she did, but he still felt bad since she hadn't had the benefit of sleeping all afternoon the way he had. He eased back to sleep without difficulty, relishing the feel of her smooth, warm body flush against his.
Fifteen minutes later, the insistent buzzing jarred them both awake. Although for him, it was her squirming and climbing across his body to reach for the clock that was most effective in bringing him to consciousness.
"Tim, you hit the snooze," she complained in a sleep-strangled voice, straining across him to reach the alarm and stop the noise. "You know how I feel about that," she continued, sounding annoyed and still struggling to find the right button with partly closed eyes.
"How can you tell?" he asked, biting back a smile. Her body was splayed across him and he took advantage of this position to lightly caress whichever part of her his hands came in contact with.
"I can tell time and I can see that it's fifteen minutes later than the alarm was set for," she informed him, having finally managed to turn off the alarm, no thanks to him.
He grabbed her before she could move away, pulling her against him and covering her lips with his before she could object. She tried to wiggle away, but his grasp was firm and his lips insistent. Giving up the struggle after a moment, she relaxed against him and returned his kisses eagerly. Lost in the sensation of kissing her, he groaned in protest when she pulled back and moved off him before things could get any more heated than they already were.
"You do know we have to be at work soon and we stand a good chance of being late if we keep this up, don't you?" she asked, attempting to hide a smile.
"And good morning to you, as well," he said, reaching for her again.
"Good morning," she said softly, leaning in and brushing her lips against his.
"It is a good morning, Beautiful. Sleep well?"
"Mmm. But not enough," she replied with a yawn, resting against his chest.
"Sorry," he said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head.
She rose up on her elbows to meet his dark eyes. "No you're not," she said with an expression of amusement.
"You're right, I'm not sorry," he said with a smirk. "Well, I am sorry you're tired and worn out this morning, but no, I don't regret any of last night, especially since I'm going to be sleeping alone the next couple nights. And," he paused for emphasis, "I don't recall hearing any complaints from you during the night, quite the contrary as a matter of fact," he said, pleased with himself, before moving his lips into her neck.
"No complaints from me," she agreed, threading her fingers through his unruly dark locks. "But, I think Horatio may have a few if we don't get out of bed this morning and make it into work on time."
"You do know how to kill a mood," he grumbled. "But I love you in spite of it," he said before kissing her.
"I love you, too," she whispered against his lips, lingering a moment. "I'm getting the shower first," she said, moving away from him. "You get to make the coffee and maybe some toast or something. We won't have a lot of time to eat," she said as she climbed out of the bed and grabbed her robe.
"I could join you in the shower, that would save time," he suggested hopefully.
"Well, you could," she teased, slowly drawing out each word, "but the object is to hurry through the shower and quickly get ready for work. Probably not your main objective this morning," she said before picking up and tossing his robe at him. "But maybe, next time, if you're lucky," she said, ducking as he flung the robe back at her. "Go Tim," she instructed, pointing in the direction of the kitchen before heading into the bathroom. "I need coffee this morning. You owe me."
"Fine," he grumbled, as he gingerly moved out of the bed, forgetting he, too, was sore and worn out this morning. But it was worth it, he thought, worth a bit of fatigue to have finally been able to reconnect after being off track the past couple days.
Padding into the kitchen, he stopped in front of the coffee maker and stretched out his aching back, grateful Calleigh was as efficient as she was and had remembered to get the coffee maker ready last night before turning in. Coffee brewing, he rustled around the breadbox, found a couple bagels and popped them in the toaster. Deed done, he wandered into the steam filled bathroom, wiped a clear spot in the mirror with his forearm and stared at his bristled face. "Ya think I have to shave?" he asked rubbing his chin, knowing full well her answer.
"Yes," she called from inside the shower. "Is the coffee ready?"
"Patience. I just turned it on," he called back, grabbing his razor. "And I'm not shaving while you're away," he said defiantly, mainly to himself.
"I heard that. Just make sure you shave before I get back," she insisted, turning off the water, pulling back the curtain and sticking her head out.
"Yes, dear," he replied with sarcasm. Putting the razor down, he handed her a towel as she climbed out of the shower, allowing his eyes to linger longingly over her naked body.
"Thanks," she said, blushing under his intent gaze. "Don't get any ideas. You really need to hurry along," she said, as she dried off and he continued enjoying the view she provided.
"You're spoiling all my fun this morning," he groused.
"You had plenty of fun last night," she said, kissing his cheek as she headed out of the bathroom.
Shaved and showered, he dressed quickly, grabbing whatever shirt was closest when he stuck his hand in the cramped closet and managing to knock two others off their hangers in the process. He joined her in the kitchen, finding the mug of still steaming coffee that she left for him on the counter.
"Thanks," he said, grabbing the mug. "Hey Cal, did you by any chance bring the paper in?" he asked, looking, but not finding the paper on the counter or the table. "You eat yet?" he asked, but there was still no response from her. Peering down the counter and finding the two prepared bagels still sitting by the toaster, he answered his own question. "Aren't you going to eat?" he asked, grabbing the food. Eyeing her as he made his way to the table, juggling his coffee and the plates of bagels, he couldn't help but notice she was a million miles away. "Cal?"
"Oh, what? Sorry, I didn't hear you come in," she said distractedly.
"Yeah, I noticed," he said, taking the seat across from her and biting into his bagel while she ignored hers. "You not hungry? Something wrong?" he asked, lines of worry deepening on his face.
"Wrong? No. Why do you ask?" she ased, looking perplexed.
"Well, because you're sitting here, but you're obviously not here. You were begging for coffee but you haven't drank any of it, unless that's your second cup," he said, eyeballing her full mug. "And you haven't heard a word I've said. So, I naturally wondered if something was going on with you," he said, still curious about her distracted state.
"No, nothing," she answered, though not confidently. "Really. Just a little tired this morning, is all," she continued and absently played with the bagel, breaking it into smaller pieces, almost as if she needed something to do to avoid his scrutinizing eyes.
"Something about the trip on your mind?" he asked, causing her to jerk her head up. A flash of something crossed her eyes and her body momentarily stiffened. Discomfort? Surprise? He couldn't be certain what he was seeing.
"No," she answered a tad too quickly, but he got the sense that indeed the trip was on her mind, although for reasons he couldn't fathom.
"You all set for your lecture?" he asked, trying another tactic. She nodded, taking a miniscule bite of her bagel. "They're lucky to have you, I hope they know that," he said, placing his hand over hers. She smiled weakly, but still seemed to be holding something back. "Cal," he started, but paused and took in a deep breath before continuing. "Is everything okay with us?"
Her features softened. "Yeah, we're good. It's nothing Tim, I just," she stopped at the sound of his pager and they both looked down at his hip.
"Sorry Cal," he said at the same moment his phone trilled. He took the call and watched while she brought plates and mugs to the sink, taking her time to carefully rinse everything before heading out of the kitchen. Call completed, he sought her whereabouts and found her in the bedroom brushing her hair.
"You have to go?" she asked, putting the brush down.
"Yeah, sorry. You know how it is, bodies turn up, we show up. Was there something you were going to say a minute ago," he asked, placing his hand on her waist.
"It was nothing. I don't want you to be late," she said, moving against him and he opened his arms to pull her closer.
"You sure?" he asked and she nodded. "How long you gonna be at the lab?"
"Probably till one thirty or so. My flight leaves at three thirty, so that gives me plenty of time to get to the airport. I'll look for you before I go and if you're not around, I'll call your cell, okay?"
"Okay. I'll miss you, you know," he said bringing his lips flush with hers.
"I'll miss you, too. Do you have any plans while I'm away?" she asked.
"Yeah, work. You get to go away, I get to work the next five days," he said with a deep sigh, remembering the plans he once had for this weekend. "Maybe I'll go out with Delko tomorrow night if I'm not stuck at work all night," he shrugged.
"Sorry," she said, kissing him lightly.
"No you're not," he said with a smirk, before kissing her back. "Still wish I could drive you to the airport at least. So, I'll see you sometime Saturday?" he asked, his expression growing puzzled as he waited on her answer.
"Well, no, not till Sunday afternoon," she said hesitantly, dropping her eyes.
"You're staying over Saturday night as well? Since when?" he asked, taken aback at this announcement and wondering when this decision was made cause he could've sworn she was leaving Atlanta after the conference ended on Saturday.
"I have three days off and the conference takes up most of the first two. I have some friends in Atlanta, you know that, and I haven't seen them in awhile, so I thought it might be nice to spend some time with them after the conference ended. I don't know when I'll get another chance like this and you are working all weekend," she rambled, giving him too much information to process at once, especially since he was still stuck on the fact that she wasn't coming home when he thought she was.
He took in a sharp intake of breath and let it out deliberately. "I could've sworn you said you were coming home on Saturday when the seminar was over. I thought we could go out or something," he said, unable to mask his disappointment.
"I'm sorry. Really I am. I thought," she began, before he interrupted.
"Sorry Cal, I can't get into this right now. I really gotta go. If you want to see your friends, you should. I'm disappointed, but I'll live. I love you," he said quickly, cupping her cheeks in his hands then kissing her soundly. "Call me."
"I love you, too. Have a good day. I'll call you before I leave, if I don't see you." He started to leave, but she pulled him back, hugging him tightly once more before he left.
Called out to an abandoned junk yard where multiple body parts had been found by a scavenger looking for something a little more usable, Tim had been going nonstop since he arrived first thing that morning. The sheer volume of stuff that had to be bagged and tagged while processing this particular crime scene was staggering. The body parts were spread out all over the yard, some out in the open, perhaps found by animals and some were buried under piles of rusted junk and trash. They still didn't have a clear picture of exactly how many victims they were looking at and wouldn't know until Alexx had a chance to put bodies back together. At this point, almost any of the junk they were looking at could be a potential murder weapon or have some sort of trace evidence or DNA on it, which meant nothing could be ignored and everything had to be treated as potential evidence.
Wiping his sweaty brow on the sleeve of his jumpsuit, he estimated they had another half day's work here, at the very least. Between the sun, the heat, the smell, the flies and the constant bending over, he was both fed up and wiped out. His phone vibrated then and he drew in an aggravated deep breath as he wondered what it could possibly be now. Wiping his gloved hand on his pants, he barked into the phone without checking caller ID first. "Speed."
"Hi. Bad time?"
Recognizing the voice on the other end, his mood automatically brightened. He checked his watch; she was calling to tell him she was leaving. "I'm in a hot, foul smelling, fly infested junk yard, up to my elbows in body parts, but other than that, it's a good time. Actually, it's nice to hear your voice," he quickly added, his voice softening.
"Sounds like a tough one. Sorry I can't help you out."
"I suppose it could always be worse." Although as he looked around at the carnage he was steeped in, he wondered if that were possible. "I didn't realize it had gotten so late. You leaving now?"
"In just a bit. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."
"Thanks. Hope it's a good flight. Make sure you leave me your phone number. Call me when you get in, okay? I'll probably still be at the lab."
"I will, I'll leave it on the counter." The silence on the other end left him pondering what was coming next. "I'm sorry you didn't know I was staying the extra day."
"Yeah, it might have been nice if you had told me." Even though it wasn't something he understood, his response came out far more sarcastic than he intended. He wasn't going to go looking for trouble, not after what they had just gone through. It was best to just let it go.
"I'm sorry Tim."
"It's okay, Cal. I didn't mean to snap, but I gotta get back to work. I love you. Talk to you later?"
"I love you, too. I'll call you when I get in. Bye."
"Bye Cal. Have a safe trip." He hung up, sighed resignedly and went back to the mess that surrounded him. It was going to be a long weekend, in more ways than one and the sooner he was out of this god-forsaken place, the better.
It was close to ten when he finally unlocked the door and dragged himself inside the dark and quiet apartment. Walking through the living room, he turned the stereo on low, just so there'd be some background noise. It never used to bother him to be in the quiet, in fact he used to prefer it, but after all this time with Calleigh he'd gotten out of the habit of being alone. She had the ability to draw him out of his head, where he spent entirely too much time anyway. Mostly though, he just liked being with her, which was going to make the next couple of days tough to get through. The idea of going out with Delko this weekend was sounding better and better. It sure beat coming home to an empty apartment and missing her.
Wandering down to the office to stash the mail and his gear, he was struck by how quickly Calleigh's apartment had become home to him. Home in the truest sense of the word, not just the place where he resided, the way his former apartment always felt. The decor was overly feminine in his opinion, yet there were traces of him everywhere, enough so that there was no question as to where he now lived. This home had become his haven at the end of the day. It was more than the place where they cooked meals, watched movies, did laundry, entertained friends and made love, it was the one place where they could let go of the stress and pain that came with the job and find comfort in the arms of someone who always understood. That was something neither of them had ever had before. In Calleigh, he'd somehow managed to find what he never realized he was searching for, a home and someone to share it with, and it felt better than he ever imagined it would.
He was tired, but his hunger superseded his fatigue. Calleigh had called him earlier to let him know she had gotten in safely and reminded him there were plenty of leftovers in the fridge. Cold chicken and warmed up mashed potatoes sounded perfect right about now. It almost seemed too much trouble to go sit at the table, so he ate while leaning against the corner. All he wanted was to fill his stomach and hit the sheets. Tomorrow would be another long day.
Tomorrow came all too soon in the form of an obnoxious sounding alarm clock that shattered the peaceful slumber he'd fought so hard for. Sleeping without Calleigh next to him was hard, but after a restless start, his fatigue won over his loneliness. He shut the buzzer off and readied himself for another day spent tracking down identities, motive, murder weapon and suspect in the body parts case. When he left last night, they knew they were dealing with three victims and a chainsaw, but that was about it.
"We're gonna be here late again, aren't we?" Eric asked, sounding fatigued, from the other end of the table where the two were swabbing rusted car parts and other pieces of junk for any trace that might lead them somewhere.
"Looks that way. But at least you get to be off tomorrow. I get to come back and do it all again for the entire weekend," Tim replied gruffly.
"Yeah, but isn't Calleigh back tomorrow? That will improve your weekend and your disposition."
"Nah. Not till Sunday." He couldn't help but notice Eric's confusion. "She's staying to visit friends."
"Oh. Then you want to go out tomorrow night instead of tonight, since we're gonna be stuck here late?"
"Yeah, I'm game. It's been a rough couple days."
"Speaking of rough, how's that going for you?"
"How's what going?" Tim asked with confusion.
"You know, being a bachelor?" Eric replied, laughing.
"Very funny. She's away for a couple days, that's all." That hardly makes me a bachelor. It's not like I'm married, but I'm definitely not single anymore either.
"Yeah, but is it strange not having her around?" Eric asked. Tim nodded. It was strange, but Eric didn't need to know how very much he missed her.
Another late night in the lab, with little progress made in his case, although after hours spent testing every variety of chainsaw on pig bones, he finally identified the brand used and would spend tomorrow tracking it down. Testing tool marks wasn't exactly his specialty, so he was pretty pleased with his success. He was even happier to finally be home, even if it meant another night dining and sleeping alone. Leftovers would have to once again appease his hunger, since he wasn't up for cooking at this hour. Tomorrow he'd make himself leave work at a reasonable hour and talk Delko into going out to eat, so he wouldn't have to fix a meal for himself. Getting his plate ready, he noticed the light on the answering machine blinking and wondered if he'd forgotten to check for messages yesterday. Calleigh had already called him, so he didn't think any of them were from her, but still, he figured he ought to check.
He hit play. The first message was from his mother. Shaking his head, he groaned as he listened to the familiar voice rambling bits of news about home and giving him grief for not calling more often. There was no question why she was calling the apartment and not his cell phone. Calleigh. That was who she wanted to talk to, not him. He still couldn't figure out how those two had hit it off, they'd never even met and he considered keeping it that way, but his mother was enamored with Calleigh. She was still amazed Tim even had a girlfriend and now kept threatening to visit very soon just so she could meet her. Maybe he'd just have Calleigh call her back, that would please her and then she'd be off his back. There was a pleasant thought. The next message was a reminder for Calleigh about a hair appointment, followed by some friend of hers inviting them to a fund raising dinner he'd just as soon skip. The final message, which had come late that very afternoon, made him put down his dinner plate and walk towards the machine for a closer listen. His brows drew together in bewilderment and he hit play again, skipping over the earlier messages.
Hi Cal, it's me. I'm sorry I missed your call, I've been out of town a few days, but I'm back in Atlanta now and I can't wait to see you. You've got my number, so I'll just wait to hear from you. It'll be great to see you. Bye.
Now that was a message he certainly wasn't expecting, not that it was meant for him. The male voice on the machine was well spoken and had a strong southern accent, much like Calleigh's. Obviously, he knew her well enough, to not only expect her to recognize his voice, but to call her by the shortened version of her name. The same one Tim thought only he used. So who exactly was this guy who was clearly so excited to see her? And for how long had she been planning to see him? And why did Tim know none of this?
This was crazy. It was just a friend that was all. Tim never cared if she saw friends, even guy friends, or did he? It never came up before, he realized as he rubbed his chin repeatedly. He walked back to the counter where he'd left his half eaten dinner, picked up another forkful of mashed potatoes, stuck it in his mouth and put the fork down again, no longer hungry. He began pacing the small room as he roughly raked his hands through his hair. Something about this, about the way she'd been acting ever since this trip to Atlanta came up just didn't sit well with him. Never telling him about it, not wanting him to accompany her, staying an extra day to see friends and that far away look in her eyes he couldn't help but notice lately. Even the strain between them, well that was due in part to him, he remembered, but still, were all these things somehow tied to that phone call?
He tried to think rationally. Calleigh had lots of friends and plenty of them were guys. She was friendly and flirty, that's just the way she was and he tended to ignore it. It helped that she made it clear that it was Tim she loved, Tim she lived with. There was no need for him to be jumping to ridiculous, unfounded conclusions because of a phone message from an overly friendly guy from Atlanta, even if he was someone she'd be seeing this weekend. Funny, she never mentioned him when she called earlier. She said she was meeting friends for dinner, friends, always plural. Nothing was ever said about going out on a date. Why was he turning this phone message into a date? He was going to make himself crazy if he worried about every little thing. Reading into things would do him no good and overreacting always got him into trouble. Always.
It was late now and as much as he wanted to hear her voice, he didn't want to risk waking her. She said she was tired when he talked to her before he left the lab. He'd simply call her tomorrow and give her the messages. He'd see then that it was nothing. Until then, there was no reason to upset Calleigh with his overactive imagination.
So why was his stomach in knots right now?
TBC