Chapter 15

At the same time there was another conversation between two people.

What Horatio hadn't noticed, was, that Speed had been in the near of Stetlers' office when the fight began. He couldn't see something, but the loud voices and a confused Horatio, who left the room, looked more than fishy.

"Something is going totally wrong here" he thought. He was well aware that Horatio and Calleigh both acted really weird these days. First they were like sweethearts and now they barley looked at each other. Maybe they thought nobody would notice their odd behaviour, but Speed was a CSI at all. He sensed the tension between the two and he definitely didn't like what was going on right now. He needed to find Calleigh…

His first way was of course the firearms lab, but it wasn't occupied…so it seemed. He was about to turn around and leave the lab as he heard a muffled sob from the other end and froze. He listened once more and searched for the source. "Calleigh?" he asked gently.

"Go away."

"No, I'm not going. Calleigh, something's going on here and…" he said but was interrupted by her.

She stood up from the ground in the corner and looked briefly at him. It was obivous that she had been crying. Her eyes were red rimmed and she had a handkerchief in her right hand. "What exactly didn't you understand when I said 'Go away'?" she asked him in a harsh tone. She never was rude to him before, but right now she didn't care.

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, this might work with Horatio, but I'm not going to leave this room until I know what's going on with you."

She stormed towards him and for a moment there he thought she would shoot him, but instead she ran past him and fled towards the toilets.

"Great work, Speedle. Now she's mad at you, too", he thought and entered the ladies room. Luckily he, well, they were alone and he carefully looked around. "Calleigh, we need to talk…"

"Tim! You're in the ladies room!" she cried out loud.

He smiled. "Actually you're in the men's room, but I don't care."

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are", he lied.

Calleigh sat in the booth and tried to remember if she really entered the wrong section…but her mind was totally blown away.

"Look, I really would appreciate if we could talk face to face. I don't like talking to a door. We could go outside and take a walk. I can give you a lift with my bike if that's helping to get you out of this booth…" Tim said in a low voice.

Calleigh had to smile…this was really a rare offer from him. In all those years she knew him, no one ever was allowed to go with him and his bike. "Alright, I'm coming out. But you have to wait outside", she answered because she knew he could be very insistent and would stand in front of the door for hours if it was necessary.

Speeds' forehead cringed, as he thought about her words. "Why?"

"I don't want you to see me like that…"

"Women". "Whatever you want. I'll be outside", he said and left.

A few minutes later she hesitantly stepped out and slapped Tim on the arm.

"Ouch. What was that for!", he asked while he rubbed the spot.

"You lied to me!" she said stern but also smiling. She pointed to the letters on the door. LADIES ROOM could be read.

"Yeah, but it was for a good reason. You finally agreed to talk to me. C'mon, let's go."

After they drove to a small park to talk in private, they took a bench and looked at the people passing by. Calleigh finally told him the latest developments in their relationship and somehow she felt relieved. She looked at him and realized that he hasn't spoke very much. "You're a good listener, Tim. Thanks."

He held up his hands. "Hey, anything to help you guys…"

She looked away. "If I could only talk to Horatio like I talked with you…"

"Well you have to talk to him. I'm serious Calleigh. I can't believe he would do such a thing to you." He didn't tell her about the event he has seen.

"You weren't present, Speed. I saw them and they behaved like lovers. Everything Stetler has told me suddenly made sense."

"Whatever Cal, I can't believe it. Talk to him and you'll find out the truth."

He stood up and held her a hand. "Come on, we have to return to the lab."

"Ok" she replied reluctantly. In fact she didn't want to meet Horatio, neither in the lab nor elsewhere. But she knew, she couldn't keep out of his way forever. She took Speeds' hand and stood up.

Some minutes later they arrived at the CSI Headquarter.

"You can do that Cal, I know that."

"Hope you're right."

Their ways divided. Calleigh was on her way to her gun lab, when she heard him calling her name.

"Calleigh, I have to talk to you. Is it possible for you to come with me?"

"Just as you please, Horatio."

They walked side by side quietly and entered his office.

"It's all my fault, Calleigh."

"Indeed it is, Horatio. What has happened to your hand?" She didn't sound sympathetic.

"I had a conversation with Rick."

"You hit him? Are you crazy?"

"No, I'm not. I found out that he told you some things."

"Yes, the things you should have told me, not he." "He hit him, because of that. I can't believe it. So it has to be the truth, otherwise he wouldn't react that way."

"Calleigh, I" he started again but was interrupted by her.

"I don't want to hear anything from your false apology, Horatio. So is there anything else, you want to talk about?"

"Ehm" he didn't know what to say. He wasn't alert to this direction the conversation has taken. "I got a call from Yelina" he bit his tongue.

"Yelina?" Calleigh was furious.

"Yes. We, I mean you and me, we have a case."

"I won't work with you, Horatio. Never."

"But you have to. I'm still your boss Calleigh."

"I don't care."

"This is no solution Calleigh. You have to work with me" he said in a loud and angry voice.

"Forget it!" she screamed at him. Her southern temperament overwhelmed her. She pelted out of the room enraged.

"Ok. If it's that what you want" he called after her. "Damn it. That's not the way I imagined. He took his cell phone and dialled a number.

Speed was on his way to the break room when a furious Calleigh Duquesne passed by. "I guess it didn't work the way I thought." His cell phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Speed? It's Horatio. We have a case." That was all he said.

"Ok, H. I'll be right there in a minute."

"Thanks." Horatio hang up.

"This is so weird. I have to talk to him, especially about the fight." He stroke off.

Horatio was already waiting for him at the car.

"Once again thanks for stepping in."

"Hey, no problem H."

They got into the car and drove off.

tbc

A/N: Thanks to melles, who had this wonderful idea about the toilet and park scene. Thanks for your Reviews.